Commentary on Ecclesiastes · §51 · Didymus the Blind

Vessels of Gold, Silver, Wood, and Clay

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bringing forth useful vegetation

It is useless to the master if it is not prepared for every good work. Thus he says: in the world there are diligent men; and these are 'vessels' of 'gold and silver' (2 Timothy 2:20).

And whoever 'purifies' their own mind and works through fire, they are 'gold vessels', having diligence concerning the intelligible things, being moved toward the supra-cosmic things. But 'silver' vessels are those ministering the word. For it has often been demonstrated that the 'word' stands for the name of 'silver'.

And I say from a clear rhetorical figure, so that this enigma may become manifest: the Spirit gives a 'word of wisdom' and a 'word of knowledge' (1 Corinthians 2:6). And you have this distinction: the one having the 'word of wisdom' and 'word of knowledge' and perceiving correctly and contemplating the scientific things and being able to speak them didactically; for they are having a 'word of knowledge', but they are not 'capable' of 'honoring'. And they truly possess precise conception and undivided knowledge, but they are not such as to carry over what has been perceived to others in a didactic manner. Thus they are having a mind having been made precise, and because of this they are 'gold vessels', but they are not such as to minister to others what has been perceived to them.

Others are 'silver', being able by word to make clear what has been perceived to them and what they read. And there are other 'vessels of wood and clay'. And of these, 'some for honor, others for dishonor' there are (2 Timothy 2:20). The 'gold and silver' are precious, but the 'wood and clay' are 'dishonorable'. The 'wood' is able to be consumed by fire, and the 'clay' is such as it is 'to be crushed'.

But natures are not introduced here as unchangeable, as the myth of the heterodox desires. For it follows that 'if anyone purifies himself from the dishonor of them', it is evident that 'as a vessel', 'he will be a vessel for honor to the master for every good work'; so that by himself someone becomes a dishonorable and ignoble 'vessel'.

There is indeed a transition occurring from the honorable to the dishonorable; for it has been said in the Lamentations of Jeremiah regarding a great change having happened to Israel from piety to impiety and from practical virtue to practical wickedness: 'the precious sons of Zion, adorned with gold' and silver, 'how they were counted as vessels of clay' (Jeremiah 9:11). You see that the precious things are made of gold and silver.

Greek

ἀναλαβεῖν τὴν ἀρετὴν καὶ ἀποστῆναι τῆς κακίας· κα̣ι`̣ λέγει· "γῆ δὲ ἡ πιοῦσα τὸν ἐπ' αὐτῆς πολλάκις ἐρ χόμενον ὑετὸν καὶ τίκτουσα βοτάνην εὔθετον ἐκείνοις δι' οὓς καὶ γεωργεῖται μεταλαμβάνει εὐλογίας παρὰ θεοῦ· ἐκφέρουσα δὲ ἀκάνθας καὶ τριβόλους ἀδόκιμος καὶ κατάρας ἐγγὺς εἰς τὸ τέλος"· καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα λέγει· πεπείσμεθα δὲ περὶ ὑμῶν, ἀγαπητοί, τὰ κρείσσονα̣ τ̣ὰ ἐχόμενα σωτηρίας", ἀντὶ τοῦ· δεόντως τῷ "ὑε τῷ" χρησάμενοι καὶ ποτισθέντες τὰ δέοντα ἠνέγκατε, ἃ εἴρηκεν "σωτηρίας βοτάνην". οὐκέτι διακονοῦσίν σοι τὸν "ὑετόν"· οὐδὲ γὰρ συμφερόντως σοι γίνεται τοῦτο· ἔχεις ἐνκείμενα σπέρματα τῶν "ἀκανθῶν καὶ τριβόλων". συμφέρει οὖν αὐτὴν οὕτως ἔχουσαν "γῆν" μὴ ποτίζεσθαι, ἵνα μὴ βλάστη γέ νηται ἐνκειμένων κακῶν καὶ τὰ 52 πάθη εἰς κακίας καὶ δια θέσεις μεταβάλωσιν. εἰ τοίνυν οὕτως ἐσμὲν ὡς "γῆ δόκι μος" εἶναι κα̣ὶ "τίκτουσα βοτάνην εὔθετον", ῥεῖ τὰ "νέφη" τὸν "ὑετὸν" τὸν αὐξητικὸν τῶν πνευματικῶν "βοτανῶν". ἐπερ· τοὺς διακονοῦντας ἀγγέλους; –"οὐχὶ πάντες ἐστὲ λειτουργικὰ πνεύματα εἰς 342 διακονίαν ἀποστελλόμενα διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας κληρονο μεῖν σωτηρίαν;" καὶ ἄνθρωποι δὲ διακονοῦσιν τὸν θεῖον "ὑετόν", καὶ τούτοις προστάττεται "ῥαίνειν δικαιοσύνην", οὐ "ῥαίνειν" ὕδωρ, οὐ ῥεῖν ὄμβρον. 12,3a ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ ἂν σαλευθῶσιν φύλακες τῆς οἰκίας. τὸ τῆς "οἰκίας" ὄνομα ἐν τοῖς θεοπνεύστοις λο γίοις κατὰ διαφόρων κεῖται. ὅταν γὰρ λέγῃ τὸν τοὺς Ἰησοῦ "λόγους ἀκηκο ότα" καὶ μεταβαλόντα εἰς ἔργα "οἰκοδομεῖν τὴν ἑαυ τοῦ οἰκίαν ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν", τὴν πολιτείαν καὶ τὸν βίον τὸν πρακτικὸν καὶ θεωρητικὸν "οἰκίαν" λέγει τοῦ ἐνεργήσαντος. καὶ τὸ "οἰκίαι παρανόμων ὀφειλήσουσιν κα θαρισμόν, οἰκίαι δὲ δικαίων δεκταὶ" τοὺς βίους καὶ τὰς πολιτείας "οἴκους" ὀνομάζει. καὶ "ἐπεὶ ἐφοβοῦντο αἱ μαῖαι τὸν θεόν, ἐποίησαν ἑαυταῖς οἰκίας", "φοβηθεῖ σαι" αὐτὸν τὸν φόβον ἔσχον καὶ "οἶκον" καὶ "ὀχύρωμα"· "ὀχύρωμα" γὰρ "ὁσίου φόβος κυρίου". σημαίνεται δὲ τῷ ὀνόματι τῆς "οἰκίας" πολλάκις ὁ περὶ γῆν τόπος· ὅταν γὰρ λέγῃ ὅτι "ἐν μεγάλῃ οἰκίᾳ οὐ μόνα χρυσᾶ καὶ ἀργυρᾶ σκεύη τυγχάνουσιν, ἀλλὰ ξύλινα καὶ ὀστράκινα" καὶ "ἐάν τις", φησίν, "ἑαυτὸν ἐκκαθάρῃ ἀπὸ τούτων"–τῶν "εἰς ἀτιμίαν σκευῶν"–, "ἔσται σκεῦος εἰς τιμήν, εὔχρηστον τῷ δεσπότῃ, εἰς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ἡτοιμασμένον", τοῦτο οὖν λέγει· ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ εἰσὶν σπουδαῖοι ἄνδρες· οὗτοι δὲ "σκεύη" εἰσὶν "χρυσᾶ καὶ ἀργυρᾶ". καὶ ὅσοι τὸν νοῦν ἑαυτῶν "καθαίρουσιν" καὶ ἐργάζονται διὰ πυρώσεως "σκεύη" εἰσὶν "χρυσᾶ", οἱ περὶ τὰ νοητὰ ἔχοντες τὴν σπουδήν, οἱ περὶ τὰ ὑπερκόσμια ἠκονημένοι. "ἀργύρεα" δὲ "σκεύη" εἰσὶν οἱ τὸν λόγον διακονούμενοι. πολλάκις γὰρ ἀποδέδεικται ὅτι ὁ "λόγος" τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ "ἀργύρου" παρίσταται. καὶ λέγω ἀπὸ ἀπο στολικοῦ ῥητοῦ σαφῶς εἰρημένου, ἵνα τὸ αἴν̣ιγ̣μα τοῦτο φανῇ· τὸ πνεῦμα δίδωσιν "λόγον σοφίας" καὶ "λόγον γνώ σεως". καὶ ἔχεις διαφορὰν ταύτην· ὁ "λόγον" ἔχων "σο φίας" καὶ "λόγον γνώσεως" καὶ νοεῖ ὀρθω῀̣ς̣ καὶ θεωρεῖ τὰ ἐπιστημονικὰ καὶ λέγειν αὐτὰ δύναται διδασκαλικῶς· εἰσὶν γὰρ "λόγον γνώσεως" ἔχοντες, οὐχ "ἱκανοὶ" δὲ "δι 343 δάξαι"· καί εἰσιν τῷ ὄντι ἀκριβῆ νόησιν ἔχοντες καὶ γνῶσιν ἀδιάπτωτον, οὐχ οἷοι δέ εἰσιν τὰ νοηθέντα αὐτοῖς εἰς ἑτέρους μεταγαγεῖν διδασκαλικῷ τρόπῳ. εἰσὶν οὖν νοῦν ἔχοντες ἠκριβωμένον καὶ διὰ τοῦτο "χρύσεα σκεύη" εἰσίν, οὐχ οἷοι δέ εἰσιν διακονεῖν εἰς ἄλλους τὰ νοη θέντα αὐτοῖς. ἄλλοι δὲ "ἀργύρεά" εἰσιν δυνάμενοι λόγῳ τὰ νοηθέν τα αὐτοῖς καὶ ἃ ἀναγιγνώσκουσιν σαφηνίσαι. εἰσὶν δὲ ἄλλα "σκεύη ξύλινα καὶ ὀστράκινα". καὶ τούτων "τὰ μὲν εἰς τιμήν, τὰ δὲ εἰς ἀτιμίαν" ἐστίν. τίμια δέ εἰσιν τὰ "χρύσεα καὶ ἀργυρᾶ", "ἀτιμί ας" δὲ τὰ "ξύλινα καὶ ὀστράκινα". τὰ μὲν "ξύλινα" δύνα ται ὑπὸ πυρὸς δαπανηθῆναι, τὰ δὲ "ὀστράκινα" οἷά τέ ἐστιν "συντριβῆναι". ἀλλ' οὐ φύσεις εἰσηγεῖται ὧδε ἀμεταβλήτους, ὡς βούλεται τῶν ἑτεροδόξων ὁ μῦθος. ἐπηγίοχεν γοῦν ὅτι "ἐάν τις ἐκκαθάρῃ αὐτῶν ἀπὸ τῶν τῆς ἀτιμίας αὑτὸν" δη λονότι "σκευῶν", "ἔσται σκεῦος εἰς τιμὴν τῷ δεσπότῃ ἐπὶ πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθόν"· ὥστε παρ' ἑαυτόν τις γίνεται τί μιον καὶ ἄτιμον "σκεῦος". ἔστιν γοῦν καὶ μετάπτωσις γινομένη ἀπὸ τιμίων εἰς τὸ ἄτιμον· εἴρηται γοῦν ἐν τοῖς Ἰηρεμίου θρήνοις μεταβολῆς πολλῆς γενομένης τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἀπὸ εὐσεβ̣είας εἰς ἀσέβειαν καὶ ἀπὸ πρακτικῆς ἀρετῆς εἰς πρακτικὴν κακίαν· "υἱοὶ Σιὼν οἱ τίμιοι ἐπηρμένοι χρυ σίῳ" καὶ ἀργ̣ύρῳ, "πῶς ἐλογίσθησαν εἰς ἀγγεῖα ὀστρά κινα". θεωρεῖς ὅτι τὰ τίμια ἐκ χρυσοῦ καὶ ἀργύρου πεποιη μένα