The Nature of Evil and the Coming Good
At what time? The one who... text gapped. But it is present here, as it is about to be. And I have used such an example: that if a man, while it is day, having closed a door in a house, should block up every opening, the light is not present to him, yet it is present. If, therefore, he opens the shutters, if he casts away ignorance, he finds the light present; so that it is not 'about to be'. Therefore, everything of this kind that is 'coming' is 'vain', of the nature of the 'vain'. For 'vain' is not a reproach, unless it is through comparison with those who have risen far above. Such things were indeed said at the beginning of the book; but then we used such examples, saying that it shines and illuminates bright lights. Just as regarding the sun and the light, that which is there is the solar one; this is 'vain', not denied but inferior.
Without doubt, some wish to think regarding virtue what they also think regarding evil; for it has been said regarding evil that 'it was not from the beginning, nor shall it be unto the age' (Ps 118:160). Regarding idolatry and fornication it is indeed said, but through synecdoche, it is understood regarding all evil. And it is said that 'injustice lied about itself' (Prov 12:4). And 'to lie' is, as we say, to have 'lied' regarding the earth, as regarding grain, as regarding a vine. And some who have a shared view of the soul say that virtue is such: it does not exist without the one acting. But this is a falsehood, for it is in God, and from there we derive it. Even if we depart, the good exists in God. But the evil, if no one acts, is no longer. And regarding this, namely the primordial evil, which is called all evils after a secondary designation: for both the 'wicked' and the 'enemy' and 'death' and the 'sinner' are so called. Indeed, it is said, 'crush the arm of the sinner and the wicked' (Ps 37:24), crush his work called the 'arm'; then immediately it says: 'his sin shall be sought, and it shall not be found through itself'. 'Through itself it is not found'; for among those that exist, it is something that has happened (accidental) capable of being cast away. It is not an inseparable thing that has happened; nor does anything of the inseparable things happen, since nothing is cast away from them. In this way, nothing that happens many times remains. Furthermore, what kind of harm? It remains inseparable; except it was not always inseparable, but from the time it was established, from the time it...
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Greek
ποτε. ὁ μεταν̣··················· ··ς̣ πάρεστιν δέ· ὧδε μέλλει. καὶ ἐχρησάμην τοιούτῳ παραδείγματι ὅτι ἡμέρας οὔσης ἐν οἴκῳ τι̣ς̣ θύραν κατα κλείσας φραξάτω πᾶσαν ὀπήν, οὐ πάρεστιν αὐτῷ τὸ φῶς, πάρεστιν δέ. ἐὰν οὖν ἀνοίξῃ τὰς θυρίδας, ἐὰν τὴν ἄ γνοιαν ἀποβάλῃ, εὑρίσκει παρὸν τὸ φῶς· ὥστε οὐ μέλλον ἐστίν. "τὸ ἐρχόμενον" οὖν πᾶν τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν" "μάται όν" ἐστιν, τῆς τῶν "ματαίων" φύσεως. "μάταιον" γὰρ οὐ λοιδορούμενον, εἰ μὴ ἐκ συνκρίσεως τῶν ὑπεραναβεβη κότων. τοιαῦτα μὲν ἐλέχθη ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῦ βιβλίου· τότε δὲ παραδείγμασιν τοιούτοις ἐχρώμεθα ὅτι δᾷδα καὶ λαμπὰς φωτίζει· ὡς πρὸς τὸν ἥλιον δὲ καὶ τὸ φῶς ἐκεῖ νο τὸ ἡλιακὸν "ματαία" ἐστὶν αὕτη, οὐ ψεγομένη ἀλλ' ὑποδεεστέρα. ἀμέλει γοῦν τινες θέλουσιν περὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς φρο νεῖν, ἃ καὶ περὶ τῆς κακίας διανοοῦνται· εἴρηται γὰρ περὶ τῆς κακίας ὅτι "οὐδὲ ἦν ἐξ ἀρχῆς, οὐδὲ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἔσται". περὶ μὲν γὰρ τῆς εἰδωλολατρίας καὶ 334 "πορνείας" εἴρηται, συνεκδοχικῶς δὲ περὶ πάσης κα κίας τοῦτο ἐκλαμβάνεται. καὶ λέγεται ὅτι "ἡ ἀδικία ἐ ψεύσατο ἑαυτήν". τὸ "ψεύσασθαι" δέ, ὡς λέγομεν γῆν "ἐψεῦσθαι", ὡς σῖτον, ὡς ἄμπελον. καὶ λέγουσίν τι νες οἱ περὶ τὴν συνσπορὰν τῆς ψυχῆς ἔχοντες ὅτι ἡ ἀ ρετὴ τοιαύτη ἐστίν· οὐχ ὑφέστηκεν ἄνευ τοῦ ἐνερ γοῦντος. ψεῦδος δέ ἐστιν τοῦτο" ἐν τῷ θεῷ γὰρ ἔ στιν κἀκεῖθεν αὐτὴν ἀρυόμεθα. κἂν ἡμεῖς οὖν ἀποστῶ μεν, ἔστιν ἐν θεῷ τὸ ἀγαθόν. τὸ δὲ κακόν, ἐὰν μὴ ἐνεργῇ τις, οὐκέτι ἔστιν· καὶ περὶ αὐτοῦ γοῦν τοῦ ἀρχεκάκου τοῦ μετὰ ἄρθρου ὀνο μαζομένου πάντα τὰ κακά· λέγεται γὰρ καὶ ὁ "πονη ρὸς" καὶ ὁ "ἐχθρὸς" καὶ ὁ "θάνατος" καὶ ὁ "ἁμαρτω λός". λέγεται γοῦν "σύντριψον τὸν βραχίονα τοῦ ἁ μαρτωλοῦ καὶ πονηροῦ", "σύντριψον" αὐτοῦ τὸ ἔργον "βραχίονα" ὀνομαζόμενον εἶτα εὐθέως λέγει· "ζητη θήσεται ἡ ἁμαρτία αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐ μὴ εὑρεθῇ δι' αὑτήν". "δι' ἑαυτὴν οὐκ εὑρίσκεται"· οὐκ ἔστιν γὰρ τῶν ὑφ εστηκότων, συμβεβηκός ἐστιν δυνάμενον ἀποβληθῆναι. οὐκ 48 ἔστιν ἀχώριστον συμβεβηκός· οὐδὲν δ̣ε`̣ τῶν̣ ἀ χωρίστων̣ ἐπιγίνεται, ἐπεὶ οὐδὲ ἀποβ̣άλλεται ο̣ὐδ̣έν̣. ο̣ὕτω οὐδὲν πολλάκις ἐπιγενόμενον μένει. ἐπερ· καὶ κάκωσις τί; –μένει ἀχώριστον· πλὴν οὐκ ἀεὶ ἦν ἀχώριστον, ἀλλὰ ἀφ' οὗ ἐβεβαιώθη, ἀφ' οὗ ἕξιν ἔσχεν παράμονον. 11,9a εὐφραίνου οὖν, νεανίσκε, ἐν νεότητί σου. λοιπὸν πρὸς τὸν "νεανίσκον" ἀποτείνεται. ἐὰν δὲ ἐπὶ "νεανίσκον", μὴ χαρακτῆρας περιβλεπώ μεθα σώματος· αἱ ἐντολαὶ γὰρ καὶ αἱ ἀπαγορεύσεις καὶ αἱ προτροπαὶ ἀπαρεμφάτως γίνονται· "οὐ φονεύ σεις". καὶ λέγουσιν εἰς ἄλλας διαλέξεις τὰς προστά ξεις ἑτέρως γίνεσθαι πρὸς θηλείας, ἑτέρως πρὸς ἄρρε νας, παρ' Ἑβραίοις καὶ παρ' Αἰγυπτίοις· παρ' ἡμῖν δὲ οὐ παρενφαίνει τὸ πρόσωπον. ἐὰν λέγω ὅτι "εὐφραί νου", οὐκ ἄλλως τῇ θηλείᾳ λέγεται καὶ ἄλλως τῷ ἀν δρί. οὕτω καὶ τὸ "νεανίσκε" λέγω κ̣α̣ὶ συνήθειαν λέ γω τῆς χρήσεως τῶν τοιούτων. ἐάν τις ἅμα ἀνδρῶν καὶ γυναικῶν μνημονεύῃ, εἰς τὸ ἀρρενικὸν συνπεραίνει τὸν λόγον· λέγομεν ὅτι πάρεισιν ἄνδρες καὶ γυναῖκες 335 ἀκροασόμενοι, οὐκ ἀκροασόμεναι· ὕβριν γὰρ φέρει τὸ συναπενεχθῆναι τὸν ἄνδρα τῇ γυναικί, τὴν δὲ γυ ναῖκα τῷ ἀνδρὶ ἀποδοθῆναι μᾶλλον ἔπαινον φέρει· καὶ ἔτι προηγεῖται ἡ ἐντρέχεια τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τῆς γυ ναικός· καὶ ἔτι, ἐὰν ᾖ αὐτὴ γυνὴ σύνζυγος τῷ ἀνδρί, "ἓν σῶμά" εἰσιν καὶ οὐκ ἀποδίδοται εἰς τὸ σῶμα τῆς γυναικὸς ὁ ἀνὴρ ἀλλ' ἡ γυνὴ εἰς τὸ τοῦ ἀνδρός· "κε φαλὴ" γὰρ αὐτῆς ἐστιν. ἐὰν οὖν λέγῃ "εὐφραίνου νεα νίσκε", εἰς ἡλικίαν σκοποῦμεν· συναποδίδοται γὰρ καὶ ἡ γυνή. καὶ ἐπὶ ῥητοῦ δὲ δύναταί τις εἰπεῖν τοῦτο ὅτι “ὦ "νεανίσκε", ὅτε ἀρχὴν ἔλαβες τοῦ εἰδέναι ἐφ' οἷς "εὐφρανθῆναι" δεῖ, "εὐφραίνου". μὴ ποτὲ τοῦτο ποίει, ποτὲ δὲ μή”. ὡς ἐὰν λέγω τῷ σωφρονοῦντι “σωφρόνει”, οὐ λέγω ὅτι “ποτὲ ποίει, ποτὲ δὲ μή”. καὶ "δικαίως τὸ δίκαιον δίωκε". εἶπον δὲ πολλάκις ὅτι τὸ ἀποπαύεσ θαι τῶν ἐπαινετῶν ψόγον φέρει. καὶ πρὸς ἀναγωγὴν δὲ πολλῷ πλέον· εἰσὶν γὰρ "νεα νίσκοι" οἱ "ἰσχυροὶ" γινόμενοι ἐκι̣ τοῦ ἔχειν τὸν τοῦ "θεοῦ λόγον" καὶ δυνατοὶ γινόμενοι κατὰ τοῦ "πονηροῦ". γράφει γοῦν ὁ Ἰωάννης καὶ λέγει ὅτι "ἔγραψα ὑμῖν, νεανίσκοι, ὅτι ἰσχυροί ἐστε καὶ ὁ λό γος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν ὑμῖν μένει καὶ νενικήκατε". καὶ οὐ δήπου μιᾷ ἡλικίᾳ γράφει σωματικῇ, ἀλλὰ τῇ νεαζούσῃ ψυχῇ τῇ "ἐνδυσαμένῃ τὸν νέον ἄνθρωπον". περὶ οὗ "νεανίσκου" λέγεται· "νεανίσκος μετὰ ὁσίου, καὶ εὐ θεῖα ἡ ὁδὸς αὐτοῦ". ἐὰν γὰρ "μετὰ ὁσίου", τῆς ἀρε τῆς, ὑπάρχῃ, οὗτος "εὐθεῖαν" ἔχει "τὴν ὁδόν", οὐκ ἔχει
About this text
Didymus the Blind on Ecclesiastes.
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- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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