Hyperbolic Language and the Necessity of Love
And he had glory and much instruction and a long life, because having been tested by all these things, he became an outcast and was not even deemed worthy quickly. He had nothing from these things through his wound; that one did not even suffer the same things as himself.
Regarding the turning back: 'and even the sun did not know him' (Matt 26:24). In agreement, you again take the turning back, because many, having been tested by the pleasures of those pursuing glory, were not even tested at the beginning. This one is better than that one. For that one, for the sake of which he strove and possessed, 'he will give a word' and will be punished. But this one does not endure this, not even having entered the beginning through human thoughts or having had a trial of them.
Again, to consider a man who has died even in ignorance to be better than all, but one who has judged all in pseudonymous knowledge. Peter alludes in the second epistle: 'it was better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, or to have known and to have turned back from the holy commandment handed down to them' (2 Pet 2:21). For he does not say at all that it is good to not have known the way of righteousness, but rather it is better not to have known than to have known and to despise it.
he has not spoken of other things regarding Judas, just as the Savior said: 'it was good for him, if he had not been born' (Matt 26:24). It was good for him, if he had not been called; if he had not been called, he would not have betrayed. It would not have been otherwise good for Saul, if he had not been king; for he did not fall among the lawless, among whom he fell after becoming king. And what did he live for a thousand years of descent, and he did not see goodness? If he lived a thousand years of descents, then he was a father of a thousand children: 'if a man begets a hundred' (John 10:40). To live, then, as a name consistent with begetting, let him take. But it would not be a conception of seed if, without the producing of offspring, there were no sowing of it; thus, not even...
These things would not have happened without a soul coming. According to the union that occurs, there are two causes: the marriage of the body, and the 'descent' of the soul. It is said similarly. Again, they say in this way 'descents' are cycles of years. Each year has a certain beginning, which we call his 'descent'.
Even if someone has become many-years from the multitude of years, he continued in the life which he had with diligent care, which makes those pursuing him compassionate; he gains nothing from this, so that becoming a thousand years might be equal to living a thousand years of descent; here 'cycle' is used in order to be. But how is it according to the explicit text and improbable and impossible? It is not improbable nor impossible; it has been spoken in a hyperbolic manner. And things spoken by way of hyperbole are not improbable and impossible—impossible at times, but not improbable. For someone will say thus: if a man is able to beget ten, he is able to beget a hundred, and to live so many years, if he lived fifty. The former, Methuselah, lived near a thousand. Therefore, the word is a hyperbole for the sake of emphasis, exaggerating the truth.
When the height of the cities constructed by those before Israel who possessed the land is spoken of, saying, 'we saw cities there with walls, whose walls reached even to the heaven', it was spoken hyperbolically. And the apostle also knew the logic of hyperbole and the use of the name. 'And still, by way of hyperbole, I say to you: if I have all knowledge and know all the mysteries, but do not have love, I benefit nothing' (1 Cor 13:2). For it is not profitable to know knowledge and all the mysteries without divine love. 'If we have all the faith so as to remove mountains, not having love, the greatness of the faith is nothing' (Matt 17:20). He says love is greater and that it is faith; and he gives it the power to say the mountains are removed; this is not lying, even if it exaggerates.
Greek
καὶ δόξαν" καὶ πολυπαιδίαν ἐσχηκότα καὶ ζωὴν πολυχρόνιον, ἐπεί περ τούτων πειραθεὶς ἔξω πάντων γέγονεν καὶ οὐδὲ ταχέως ἠξιώθη. τὸ ἔκ τρωμα οὐδὲν ἔσχεν αὐτω῀̣ν τούτων, ἐκεῖνος οὐδὲ τὰ αὐτὰ αὐτῷ πέπονθεν. ἐπερ· τὴν ἀναγωγήν· "καί γε ἡ´̣λιον οὐκ ἔγνω". συμφώνως πάλιν λαμβάνεις τὴν ἀναγωγήν, ὅτι πολλοὶ πειραθέντες τῶν ἡδέ ων τῶν μεταδιώκουσιν δόξαν, ἄλλος δὲ οὐδὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν̣ αὐτῶν ἐπειράθη. οὗ τος ἀγαθότερός ἐστιν ὑπὲρ ἐκεῖνον. ἐκεῖνος γὰρ ὑπὲρ ὧν ε᾿̣σπούδασεν καὶ ἐ´̣σ̣χεν, "λόγον δώσει" καὶ τιμωρ̣ηθήσεται. οὗτος δὲ τοῦτο ο̣υ᾿̣χ̣ ὑφίσταται οὐδὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐντραπεὶς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου κ̣···νοις ἢ πεῖραν αὐτῶν ε᾿̣σχη̣ κώς. π̣α´̣λιν οὐδὲ ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ τελευτήσαν̣τ̣α̣ ἄνθρωπον κρείττονα εἶν̣α̣ι ἡγ̣εῖ τ̣αι παντός, του῀̣ δ̣ὲ ἐν τῇ ψευδωνύμῳ γνώσει κρι´̣ναντος ἔχειν πάντα. ε̣π̣ι̣·····κ̣····· ·κ̣·ν̣α̣············ ··· Πέτρος αἰνίττετα̣ι̣ ε᾿̣ν̣ τῇ ἐπ̣ι̣στολ̣ῇ τῇ δευτέρᾳ· "κρεῖττον ἦν αὐτ̣ο̣ι῀̣ς̣ μὴ ἐγνωκέν̣αι τη`̣ν̣ ὁδὸν τῆς δι καιοσύνης ἢ ἐπιγνοῦσιν ἀνακάμψαι εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω ἀπὸ τ̣ῆς παραδοθείσης αὐτοῖς ἁγίας ἐντολῆς". μὴ γὰρ καθάπαξ λέγει καλὸν εἶναι τὸ μη`̣ ε᾿̣γ̣νω κε´̣ν̣αι τὴν̣ ὁδὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης, ἀλλὰ κρεῖττον μὴ ε᾿̣γ̣νωκέναι ἢ γνόντα κ̣ατα̣φρονῆσαι αὐτῆς. οὐκ ἄλλα εἴρηκεν ὥσπερ περὶ τοῦ Ἰούδ̣α ὥσπ̣ερ ὁ σωτήρ· "καλὸν ἦν αὐτῷ, εἰ οὐ γεγέννητο". καλὸν ἦν αὐτῷ, εἰ μη`̣ κέκλη το· εἰ μὴ κέκλη̣το, οὐ προέδωκεν̣. οὐκ ἂν ἑτ̣έρως καλὸν ἦν τῷ Σαο̣υ´̣λ̣, ει᾿̣ μ̣ὴ βασιλεύσας ἦν· οὐ περ̣ιέπιπ̣τ̣εν γ̣ὰρ τοῖς ἀνο´̣μοις, οἷς περιέπ̣εσεν βασιλεύσας. καὶ τί ἔζησεν χιλίων ἐτῶν καθόδους, καὶ ἀγαθο σύνην οὐκ εἶδεν; ε̣ι᾿̣ ἔζη̣σεν χιλίων ἐτῶν κ̣αθόδ̣ο̣υς̣, τ̣ότε πατὴρ χιλίων παιδίων ἦν· "ἐὰν γεννήσῃ ἄνθρωπος ἑκατόν". τὸ ζ̣ῆσα̣ι οὖν̣ ὡς̣ ὀ´̣ν̣ο̣μ̣α̣ σύμφωνον τῇ γεν̣ν̣ήσει λαβέ. οὐχὶ δὲ ἂν̣ γένοιτο σύνλημ̣ψις σπέρματος̣ καὶ βρέ 176 φ̣ους οὐ γινομένης σπορᾶς αὐτοῦ· οὕτως οὐκ ἂν γένοιτο ταῦτα μὴ κατ ελθούσης ψυχῆς. κατὰ τῆς συνστάσεως τῆς γε̣ν̣ο̣μένης τὰ αἴτια δύο εἰ σίν· τοῦ δὲ σώματος γάμος, τῆς δὲ ψυχῆς "κάθοδος". κατὰ τοια´̣δε καὶ τό. πάλιν λέγουσιν οὕτως "καθόδους" περιόδους ἐτῶν. ἕκαστος ἐνιαυτὸς ἔχει τινὰ ἀρχήν, ἣν καλοῦμεν "κάθοδον" αὐτοῦ. κἂν πολυέτης οὖν τις γέ γονεν ἐκ τοῦ πλήθους ἐνιαυτῶν, διέπεσαν ἐν τῇ ζωῇ ᾗ ἔσχεν τῇ περι σπουδαστῷ, ἥτις ἐλεεινοὺς ποιεῖ τοὺς μεταδιώκοντας· οὐδὲν ἐκ τούτου κερδαίνει ἵνα ἴσον ᾖ τὸ γενέσθαι χιλίων ἐτῶν τῷ ζῆσ̣α̣ι̣ χιλίων ἐτῶν καθόδους· ὧδε περίοδος ἵνα ᾖ. ἐπερ· ὡς κατὰ τὸ ῥητὸν καὶ ἀπίθανο̣ν̣ καὶ ἀδύνατον; οὐκ ἔστιν ἀπίθανον οὐδὲ ἀδύνατον· ὑπερβ̣ολῆς τρόπῳ ε̣ἰ´̣ρ̣η̣ται. τ̣ὰ δὲ κατ' ὑπερβολὴν λεγόμενα οὐκ εἰσὶν ἀπίθανα καὶ ἀδύνατα–ἀδύνατα μὲν ἐνίοτε, οὐ μὴν ἀπίθανα. λέξει τις γὰρ οὕτω· εἰ δύναται̣ ἄνθρωπος γεννῆσαι δ̣έκα̣, δύναται καὶ ἑκατὸν γεννῆσαι, καὶ τοσαῦτα ἔτη ζῆσαι, εἰ ἔζησεν πεντήκοντα. ἐγγὺς γοῦν τῶν χιλίων ἔζησαν οἱ πρότερον Μαθουσαήλ. ὑπερβολη`̣ οὖν ἐστιν̣ λόγος ἐμφάσεως ἕνεκα 13 ὑπ̣ε̣ρ̣α̣ι´̣ρ̣ω̣ν̣ τὸ ἀληθές. ὅταν τὸ ὕψος τῶν κατασκευασθέντων πόλεων ὑπ̣ο`̣ τῶν πρὸ τ̣ο̣ῦ Ἰσραὴλ κατεχόντων τὴν γῆν λέγητ̣αι̣, ὁ´̣τ̣ι̣ "εἴδομεν πόλεις ἐκεῖ τειχήρεις, ὧν τὰ τείχη ἕως τοῦ οὐρανοῦ", ὑπερβο̣λ̣ι̣κ̣ω῀̣ς̣ ε᾿̣λ̣έχθη. οἶδεν δὲ καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος τὸν λ̣ο´̣γ̣ο̣ν̣ τῆς ὑπερβολῆς καὶ τὴν χρῆσιν τοῦ ὀνο´̣μ̣α̣τ̣ο̣ς̣. "καὶ ἔτι καθ' ὑπερβο̣ λὴν ο῾̣δ̣ὸν̣ ὑμῖν δίδωμι· ἐὰν ἐ´̣χ̣ω πᾶσαν τὴν γνῶσιν καὶ εἰδῶ τὰ μυ̣στή ρια πάντα, ἀγα´̣π̣ην δὲ μὴ ἔχω, οὐδὲν ὠφελοῦμαι". μὴ γὰρ συμφέρει γνῶσ̣ιν γ̣ινώσ̣κειν κα̣ὶ τὰ μυστήρ̣ι̣α πάντα ἄνευ θείας ἀγάπης. "εἰ πᾶσαν ἔχομεν τὴν πίστιν ὥστε μ̣ε̣θ̣ιστάνε̣ι̣ν̣ ὄρη ἀγάπην οὐκ ἔχοντες, καὶ τὸ μέγεθος πίστεως ου᾿̣δε´̣ν̣ ἐστ̣ι̣ν̣". λέγει ἀγ̣άπην μείζ̣ονα̣ καὶ πίστεως εἶναι· καὶ δ̣ὸς αὐτὴν εἰπεῖν τὰ ὄρη μεθιστάνειν̣· ου᾿̣ ψεύδεται τοῦτο, εἰ καὶ ὑπεραίρει
About this text
Didymus the Blind on Ecclesiastes.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.