International Journal of Research in Theology and Philosophy
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Vol. 1 No. 1 (2026): October
Articles

The Portrayal of Sinners as Animals: Patristic Readings of Ecclesiastes

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  • Dr. Huang Mei-Ling,
  • Dr. Tsai Chih-Hao

Published 2026-10-09

Keywords

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Abstract

This essay represents a preliminary effort to interpret early patristic perspectives on animals through a critical analysis of how five prominent early Christian thinkers Thaumaturgus (213–270 AD), Didymus the Blind (313–398 AD), John Chrysostom (347–407 AD), Jerome (347–420 AD), and Augustine (354–430 AD) engaged with the man–beast passages in Ecclesiastes 3:18–21. It identifies and compares key interpretive patterns, situating them alongside ancient Hebraic and broader biblical understandings where relevant. The overall conclusion suggests that most of these thinkers, with the notable exception of Augustine, did not interpret the passage within its original context, nor in accordance with Qoheleth’s perspective or the framework of ancient Hebrew theology and cosmology. Rather, they often reworked the terminology and reframed the text to derive alternative meanings. In doing so, they interpreted Qoheleth as contrasting righteous human beings with morally corrupt, sinful, or faithless individuals, rather than drawing a direct comparison between humans and animals.

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