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Voltaire’s Précis of Ecclesiastes: A Case Study in the Bible’s Afterlife

Department of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Chester, Parkgate Road, Chester CH1 4BJ

Terry McWilliams

Department of Languages, University of Chester, Parkgate Road, Chester CH1 4BJ

In 1756 Voltaire was invited to write a paraphrase of the Psalms for the recent Christian convert, and influential mistress of Louis XV, Madame de Pompadour. With the subtlest touch of satire, Voltaire reportedly replied that he was ‘not the right man for the Psalms’. The idea likely took root in some form, since in 1759, in what appears to be an unsolicited act, he wrote two striking précis of biblical texts that perhaps suited his temperament more clearly: Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs. In his Ecclesiastes text Voltaire translated portions from the Hebrew and arranged them by theme, with opposing stanzas of reflective verse. Voltaire’s reading is remarkably free from the polemical and satirical approach he takes in almost all of his other published work on the Bible. It is also unorthodox in its empathetic and inventive approach to Qoheleth’s themes, and as such is a valuable reading for stimulating reflection on Ecclesiastes. Providing a fulsome account of the context for the composition of the Précis, making use of the Précis itself and undertaking some exposition of the Zeitgeist of Voltaire’s era, this article reflects on the significance of this unusual example of the Bible’s reception. Also included is a full translation of the Précis by Terry McWilliams, with critical notes.

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