Many early Jewish and Christian interpreters used Solomon's life as a template through which to read the text. While the Talmud claims that Hezekiah and his scribes were responsible for Ecclesiastes (b. B. Bat. 14b–15a), rabbinic literature overwhelmingly presents the book as a product of Solomon's later years, after he repented of idolatry and became disillusioned with his life (cf. Song Rabbah and Qohelet Rabbah). One medieval Jewish tradition suggests that God took the throne from the elderly Solomon, who then wrote Ecclesiastes while struggling and homeless (Targum Qohelet 1.12).
