Notes on Ecclesiastes
Scholia in Ecclesiasten
The Distorted Mind and the Divine Number§1
1The Church is the true knowledge of pure souls of ages and worlds and of the judgment and providence within them. The Preacher is Christ, the generator of this knowledge; or the Preacher is the one who, through ethical theorems, purifies souls and brings them to natural contemplation.
Regarding 'vanity of vanities' (Eccl 1:2), the Preacher says, 'vanity of vanities, all things are vanity.' To those entering the intelligible Church and marveling at the theory of events, the word says: do not think this is the ultimate end reserved for you by the promises; for all these things are vanity of vanities before the knowledge of God himself. Just as medicines are vain after the perfection of health, so the discourses of ages and worlds are vain after the knowledge of the Holy Trinity.
Regarding 'there is no remembrance of the former things' (Eccl 1:11): if there is no remembrance of the former things, how does David say, 'I remembered days of old' (Ps 76:6) and 'I remembered eternal years' (Ps 70:5)? Or will the total oblivion of all these things occur whenever the rational nature receives the Holy Trinity; for then God will be all in all (1 Cor 15:28). If the concepts of things occurring in the intellect lead the mind to a remembrance of things, the mind having beheld God is separated from all concepts; therefore, the mind receiving the Holy Trinity forgets all events.
Regarding 'God gave the sons of men a bad distraction' (Eccl 1:13): 'evil' refers to that which is superfluous, not that which is opposed to the good; for God gives nothing of that, for He is not the cause of evils, being a source of goodness, unless it is said He gives in the sense of forgiving according to the logic of abandonment.
Regarding 'being strayed, it will not be able to be adorned, and being lacking, it will not be able to be numbered' (Eccl 1:15).
Regarding the distorted, the impure mind, he says: 'for a distorted heart is made crooked by evil' (Prov 3:8). But he named wisdom as 'order' in the Proverbs, where he says: 'order is wisdom to youths' (Prov 3:21); 'therefore wisdom will not enter a craftily-evil soul' (Prov 12:10). Yet he did not say: it will not be able to be adorned, but: it will not be able to be adorned-upon; for life indeed adorns someone rightly, but the wisdom of God adorns-upon. Thus, indeed, a distorted mind is able to be adorned, but is not able to be adorned-upon, unless through the virtues it cleanses itself and makes itself a useful vessel to the Master.
The number of God, which counts the holy spirits as some kind and appointed order, declares: 'for of numbers, he says, multitudes of stars and names of good things for all of them' (Ps 147:4). By this number the Lord also commands Moses to count the sons of Israel (Num 1:2); but what does David say concerning the crawling men and those serving pleasures? 'There are crawlers of whom there is no number' (Ps 144:10); and in the Proverbs Solomon says concerning evil: 'for having wounded many, it has cast down, and they are countless whom it has slain' (Prov 10:25). What is therefore said here is a deficiency, and the slain and the crawlers are of the same state, which does not fit the spiritual number.
And if David says also that the wisdom of God is not a number, he writes not as if its worthiness were not of the number, but as if it were not of the nature to be subjected to number because of being incomprehensible. For just as the invisible is said in two ways, and that which is not of the nature to be seen, as God, and that which is of the nature to be seen, but not being seen, as iron in the depths because of being covered by water, so also the countless is said in two ways, and that which is not of the nature to be counted, and that which is not being counted because of some cause.
'Make for me pools of waters to water a dry wood growing trees,' it is said in Hebrews (Heb 11:36); and its straight reading is this:
Greek · §1
Scholia in Ecclesiasten (fragmenta e catenis) ΣΧΟΛΙΑ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑΣΤΗΝ Ἐκκλησία ἐστὶν ψυχῶν καθαρῶν γνῶσις ἀληθὴς αἰώνων καὶ κόσμων καὶ τῆς ἐν αὐτοῖς κρίσεως καὶ προνοίας. Ἐκκλησιαστὴς δέ ἐστιν ὁ ταύτης τῆς γνώσεως γεννήτωρ Χριστός· ἢ Ἐκκλησιαστής ἐστιν ὁ διὰ τῶν ἠθικῶν θεωρημάτων καθαίρων ψυχὰς καὶ προσάγων αὐτὰς τῇ φυσικῇ θεωρίᾳ. 2 1, 2 ματαιότης ματαιοτήτων, εἶπεν ὁ Ἐκκλησιαστής, ματαιότης ματαιοτήτων, τὰ πάντα ματαιότης Πρὸς τοὺς εἰσελθόντας εἰς τὴν νοητὴν ἐκκλησίαν καὶ θαυμάζοντας τὴν θεωρίαν τῶν γεγονότων, ὁ λόγος φησί· μὴ νομίσητε τοῦτο εἶναι τὸ ἔσχατον τέλος, ὦ οὗτοι, τὸ ταῖς ἐπαγγελίαις ὑμῖν ἐναποκείμενον· ταῦτα γὰρ πάντα ματαιότης ἐστὶ ματαιοτήτων ἐνώπιον τῆς γνώσεως αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ μάταια μετὰ τὴν τελείαν ὑγείαν τὰ φάρμακα, οὕτω μετὰ τὴν γνῶσιν τῆς ἁγίας τριάδος μάταιοι τῶν αἰώνων καὶ κόσμων οἱ λόγοι. 3 1, 11.1 οὐκ ἔστιν μνήμη τοῖς πρώτοις Εἰ οὐκ ἔστι μνήμη τοῖς πρώτοις, πῶς ὁ ∆αυίδ φησιν· «ἐμνήσθην ἡμερῶν ἀρχαίων» καὶ «ἔτη αἰώνια ἐμνήσθην»; ἢ τὸ τηνικαῦτα λήθη τούτων πάντων γενήσεται, ὁπηνίκα ἂν ἡ λογικὴ φύσις ὑποδέξηται τὴν ἁγίαν τριάδα· τότε γὰρ ὁ θεὸς ἔσται τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν. Εἰ γὰρ τὰ νοήματα τῶν πραγμάτων ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ γινόμενα εἰς ἀνάμνησιν ἄγει τῶν πραγμάτων τὸν νοῦν, πάντων δὲ τῶν νοημάτων χωρίζεται νοῦς θεὸν θεασάμενος, πάντων ἄρα τῶν γεγονότων ἐπιλανθάνεται νοῦς ὑποδεξάμενος τὴν ἁγίαν τριάδα. 4 1, 13.4–6 ὅτι περισπασμὸν πονηρὸν ἔδωκεν ὁ θεὸς τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων τοῦ περισπᾶσθαι ἐν αὐτῷ Πονηρὸν τὸ ἐπίπονον λέγει, οὐ τὸ τῷ ἀγαθῷ ἀντικείμενον· ἐκεῖνο γὰρ οὐδενὶ δίδωσιν ὁ θεός· οὐ γάρ ἐστιν αἴτιος κακῶν, πηγὴ ἀγαθωσύνης ὑπάρχων, πλὴν εἰ μὴ λέγεται διδόναι ὡς συγχωρῶν κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἐγκαταλείψεως λόγον. 5 1, 15 διεστραμμένον οὐ δυνήσεται τοῦ ἐπικοσμηθῆναι καὶ ὑστέρημα οὐ δυνήσεται τοῦ ἀριθμηθῆναι ∆ιεστραμμένον τὸν νοῦν τὸν ἀκάθαρτον λέγει· «διεστραμμένη γάρ, φησί, καρδία τεκταίνεται κακά.» Κόσ μον δὲ τὴν σοφίαν ἐν ταῖς Παροιμίαις ὠνόμασεν, ἔνθα λέγει· «κόσμος νεανίαις σοφία»· «εἰς κακότεχνον οὖν ψυχὴν οὐκ εἰσελεύσεται σοφία.» Οὐκ εἶπε δέ· οὐ δυνήσεται τοῦ κοσμηθῆναι, ἀλλ'· οὐ δυνήσεται τοῦ ἐπικοσμηθῆναι· κοσμεῖ μὲν γάρ τινα βίος ὀρθός, ἐπικοσμεῖ δὲ σοφία θεοῦ. ∆ιεστραμμένος τοιγαροῦν νοῦς κοσμηθῆναι μὲν δύναται· ἐπικοσμηθῆναι δὲ οὐ δύναται, ἐὰν μὴ διὰ τῶν ἀρετῶν ἐκκαθάρῃ ἑαυτὸν καὶ ποιήσῃ σκεῦος χρήσιμον τῷ δεσπότῃ. 6 Ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀριθμὸς ὃν ἀριθμεῖ τοὺς ἁγίους πνευματι6 κήν τινα καὶ ὡρισμένην τάξιν δηλοῖ· «ἀριθμῶν γάρ, φησί, πλήθη ἄστρων καὶ πᾶσιν αὐτοῖς ὀνόματα καλῶν.» Τούτῳ τῷ ἀριθμῷ καὶ Μωσεῖ προστάσσει ὁ κύριος ἀριθμῆσαι τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραήλ· ὁ δὲ ∆αυὶδ περὶ τῶν ἑρπόντων ἀνθρώπων καὶ ταῖς ἡδοναῖς δουλευόντων, τί φησιν; «ἐκεῖ ἑρπετὰ ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμός»· καὶ ἐν ταῖς Παροιμίαις Σολομὼν περὶ τῆς κακίας λέγει· «πολλοὺς γὰρ τρώσασα καταβέβληκε καὶ ἀναρίθμητοί εἰσιν οὓς πεφόνευκε.» Τὸ οὖν ἐνταῦθα λεγόμενον ὑστέρημα καὶ οἱ πεφονευμένοι καὶ τὰ ἑρπετὰ τῆς αὐτῆς εἰσι καταστάσεως, τῆς μὴ ἁρμοζούσης τῷ πνευματικῷ ἀριθμῷ. Εἰ δὲ λέγει ὁ ∆αυὶδ καὶ τῆς συνέσεως τοῦ θεοῦ μὴ εἶναι ἀριθμόν, οὐχ ὡς ἀναξίας αὐτῆς οὔσης τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ τοῦτο γράφει, ἀλλ' ὡς μὴ πεφυκυίας αὐτῆς διὰ τὸ ἀκατάληπτον ὑποβάλλεσθαι ἀριθμῷ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ ἀόρατον διχῶς λέγεται, καὶ τὸ μὴ πεφυκὸς ὁρᾶσθαι, ὡς θεός, καὶ τὸ πεφυκὸς μὲν ὁρᾶσθαι, οὐ μὴν δὲ ὁρώμενον, ὡς ἐν τῷ βυθῷ σίδηρος διὰ τὸ καλύπτεσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ ὕδατος, οὕτω καὶ τὸ ἀναρίθμητον διχῶς λέγεται, καὶ τὸ μὴ πεφυκὸς ἀριθμεῖσθαι καὶ τὸ μὴ ἀριθμούμενον δι' αἰτίαν τινά. 7 1 2, 6 ἐποίησά μοι κολυμβήθρας ὑδάτων τοῦ ποτίσαι ἀπ' αὐτῶν δρυμὸν βλαστῶντα ξύλα Ὑπερβατῶς εἴρηται· ἔστι δὲ αὐτοῦ ἡ ἐπ' εὐθεῖαν ἀνάγνωσις ἥδε·
The Purpose of Sensory Distraction§2
2To water with them the wood of the growing forest (Eccl 2:10). And all that my eyes desired, I did not withhold from them; I did not prevent my heart from all joy (Eccl 1:1-4). The soul does not seek knowledge by word, but by purity; 'for not everyone saying to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father' (Matt 7:21). For according to the proportion of the state, we receive knowledge, just as the measure by which we measure shall be measured to us. Therefore, a request is a mental apathy of a rational soul, overlaying holy knowledge. Thus, he who makes himself receptive, providing all knowledge, does not take anything away from the eyes; but I say, all knowledge that is natural, which happens to a soul bound by blood and flesh.
He who sins in nothing does not prevent his heart from all spiritual joy (Eccl 2:9). And behold, all is vanity and a choice of the spirit (Eccl 2:11). Spirit is what names the soul; for choice is a certain movement of the mind. And David: 'Into your hands I will commit my spirit' (Ps 31:5); and Stephen: 'Lord Jesus, says he, receive my spirit' (Acts 7:59); and in the Kingdoms: 'David did not grieve the spirit of Amnon his son' (1 Kings 2:2).
Of the wise man, his eyes are in his head (Eccl 2:14). If 'Christ is the head of every man', and a man and the wise man are real, the head of the wise man is Christ; but our Christ is wisdom—'for wisdom was born to us from God' (Isa 9:6)—so the head of the wise man is therefore wisdom, in which the wise man has the eyes of the intellect, contemplating in it the words of things that have come to pass.
That it happens to a man in all his toil and in the choice of his heart, by which he toils under the sun (Eccl 2:22). From this it is shown that the choice of the spirit is a choice of the heart.
For who eats and who drinks besides him? (Eccl 2:25). For who without Christ will be able to eat his flesh or drink his blood, which are symbols of virtues and of knowledge (John 6:54)?
And to the one sinning, he gave a distraction to add and to gather and to give the good before the face of God (Eccl 2:26); for even this is vanity and a choice of the spirit. This is like the proverb which says: 'He who increases his wealth with interest and abundance, to him who gives alms...'
"He gathers the poor" (Psalm 68:5) and "a foolish man hastens to be rich, not knowing that mercy will prevail over him" (Proverbs 28:22); therefore, let us be satisfied with the commentaries placed there. However, it must be understood that he defined the gathering of sins as vanity, not that it was by chance for him to have a good teacher from God.
He saw, along with the distraction which God gave to the sons of men to be distracted in it, all things which He made beautiful in His time (Ecclesiastes 3:11), and He also gave eternity in their hearts, so that man might not find the work which God made from the beginning until the end (Ecclesiastes 3:11). He knew that there is nothing good in them, except to be made glad and to do good in his life (Ecclesiastes 3:12); and indeed every man who eats and drinks and sees good in all his labor, this is the gift of God (Ecclesiastes 3:13).
He says, I saw the sensible things distracting the mind of man, which God gave before the purification to men so that they might be distracted in them. But he calls their beauty temporary and not eternal; for after purification, the pure one does not see sensible things as only distracting his mind, but as things dwelling within him for spiritual contemplation. For the mind is struck by the sensible through the senses, imposing itself sensorially, and in another way it prepares the meanings stored in the sensible things being seen; but this latter knowledge happens to the pure alone, while the comprehension of things through the senses happens to both the pure and the impure.
Therefore he also called the distraction temporary, given from God; for God, foreseeing the passionate soul, gave to it senses and sensible things, so that, being distracted and thinking through them, it might flee from those who are about to cast thoughts upon it from the opposing things. And He gave to them, he says, also eternity, that is, the meanings of the age; for this is the kingdom of heaven which the Lord said we should have within us (Luke 17:21), which, being covered by the passions, is not found by men. Therefore he says, he knew that the things themselves are not good, but the meanings of the things, upon which it is the nature of the rational to be glad and to do the good; for nothing feeds and gives drink to the mind like virtue and the knowledge of God.
Greek · §2
τοῦ ποτίσαι ἀπ' αὐτῶν τὰ ξύλα δρυμοῦ βλαστῶντα. 8 2, 10.1–4 καὶ πᾶν ὃ ᾔτησαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου, οὐκ ὑφεῖλον ἀπ' αὐτῶν· οὐκ ἀπεκώλυσα τὴν καρδίαν μου ἀπὸ πάσης εὐφροσύνης Οὐ λόγῳ αἰτεῖ γνῶσιν ψυχή, ἀλλὰ τῇ καθαρότητι· «οὐ γὰρ πᾶς ὁ λέγων μοι· κύριε, κύριε, εἰσελεύσεται, φησίν, εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἀλλ' ὁ ποιῶν τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πατρός μου»· κατὰ ἀναλογίαν γὰρ τῆς καταστάσεως καὶ τὴν γνῶσιν δεχόμεθα, εἴγε ᾧ μέτρῳ μετροῦμεν καὶ ἀντιμετρηθήσεται ἡμῖν· αἴτησις τοίνυν ἐστὶ νοητὴ ἀπάθεια ψυχῆς λογικῆς ἁγίαν γνῶσιν ἐπισπωμένη. Οὕτως οὖν οὐδὲν ὑφαιρεῖ ἀπὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ὁ πάσης τῆς γνώσεως παρέχων ἑαυτὸν δεκτικόν· πᾶσαν δὲ λέγω γνῶσιν, τὴν πεφυκυῖαν ἐπισυμβαίνειν ψυχῇ συνδεδεμένῃ αἵματι καὶ σαρκί. 9 Ὁ μηδὲν ἁμαρτάνων οὐκ ἀποκωλύει τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ πάσης πνευματικῆς εὐφροσύνης. 10 2, 11.4 καὶ ἰδοὺ τὰ πάντα ματαιότης καὶ προαίρεσις πνεύματος Πνεῦμα τὴν ψυχὴν ὀνομάζει· ἡ γὰρ προαίρεσίς ἐστι ποιὰ νοῦ κίνησις. Καὶ ὁ ∆αυίδ· «εἰς χεῖράς σου παραθήσομαι τὸ πνεῦμά μου»· καὶ ὁ Στέφανος· «κύριε Ἰησοῦ, φησί, δέξαι τὸ πνεῦμά μου»· καὶ ἐν ταῖς Βασιλείαις· «οὐκ ἐλύπησε, φησίν, ὁ ∆αυὶδ τὸ πνεῦμα Ἀμνὼν τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ.» 11 2, 14.1 τοῦ σοφοῦ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ ἐν κεφαλῇ αὐτοῦ Εἰ «παντὸς ἀνδρὸς κεφαλὴ ὁ Χριστός», ἀνὴρ δὲ καὶ ὁ σοφός, κεφαλὴ τοῦ σοφοῦ ὁ Χριστός· ἀλλ' ὁ Χριστὸς ἡμῶν σοφία ἐστίν–»ἐγεννήθη γὰρ ἡμῖν σοφία ἀπὸ θεοῦ»–, ἡ κεφαλὴ ἄρα τοῦ σοφοῦ ἡ σοφία ἐστίν, ἐν ᾗ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχει τῆς διανοίας ὁ σοφὸς θεωρῶν ἐν αὐτῇ τοὺς λόγους τῶν γεγονότων. 12 2, 22 ὅτι γίνεται τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν προαιρέσει καρδίας αὐτοῦ, ᾧ αὐτὸς μοχθεῖ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον Ἐντεῦθεν δείκνυται ὅτι ἡ προαίρεσις τοῦ πνεύματος προαίρεσις καρδίας ἐστίν. 13 2, 25 ὅτι τίς φάγεται καὶ τίς πίεται πάρεξ αὐτοῦ; Τίς γὰρ χωρὶς Χριστοῦ δυνήσεται φαγεῖν τὰς σάρκας αὐτοῦ ἢ πιεῖν τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ, ἅπερ ἀρετῶν σύμβολά ἐστι καὶ γνώσεως; 14 2, 26.4–7 καὶ τῷ ἁμαρτάνοντι ἔδωκεν περισπασμὸν τοῦ προσθεῖναι καὶ τοῦ συναγαγεῖν τοῦ δοῦναι τῷ ἀγαθῷ πρὸ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ· ὅτι καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης καὶ προαίρεσις πνεύματος Τοῦτο ὅμοιόν ἐστι τῇ παροιμίᾳ τῇ λεγούσῃ· «ὁ πληθύνων τὸν πλοῦτον αὐτοῦ μετὰ τόκων καὶ πλεονασμῶν τῷ ἐλεῶντι πτωχοὺς συνάγει αὐτὸν» καὶ «σπεύδει πλουτεῖν ἀνὴρ βάσκανος καὶ οὐκ οἶδεν ὅτι ἐλεήμων κρατήσει αὐτοῦ»· διόπερ ἀρκεσθῶμεν τοῖς ἐκεῖσε κειμένοις σχολίοις. Πλὴν τοῦτο ἰστέον, ὅτι ματαιότητα τὴν συναγωγὴν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἀπεφήνατο, οὐ τὸ τυχεῖν αὐτὸν παρὰ θεοῦ ἀγαθοῦ διδασκάλου. 15 3, 10 εἶδον σὺν τὸν περισπασμὸν ὃν ἔδωκεν ὁ θεὸς τοῖς υἱοῖς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τοῦ περισπᾶσθαι ἐν αὐτῷ. 3, 11 σύμπαντα ἃ ἐποίησεν καλὰ ἐν καιρῷ αὐτοῦ, καί γε σὺν τὸν αἰῶνα ἔδωκεν ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτῶν, ὅπως μὴ εὕρῃ ὁ ἄνθρωπος τὸ ποίημα ὃ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς ἀπ' ἀρχῆς καὶ μέχρι τέλους. 3, 12 ἔγνων ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἀγαθὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς, εἰ μὴ τοῦ εὐφρανθῆναι καὶ τοῦ ποιεῖν ἀγαθὸν ἐν ζωῇ αὐτοῦ· 3, 13 καί γε πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ὃς φάγεται καὶ πίεται καὶ ἴδῃ ἀγαθὸν ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ, τοῦτο δόμα θεοῦ ἐστιν Εἶδον, φησί, τὰ αἰσθητὰ πράγματα περισπῶντα τὴν διάνοιαν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ἅπερ ἔδωκεν ὁ θεὸς πρὸ τῆς καθάρσεως τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἵν' ἐν αὐτοῖς περισπῶνται. Πρόσκαιρον δὲ αὐτῶν τὴν καλλονὴν λέγει καὶ οὐκ ἀΐδιον· μετὰ γὰρ τὴν κάθαρσιν οὐκ ἔτι ὡς περισπῶντα τὸν νοῦν αὐτοῦ μόνον ὁ καθαρὸς τὰ αἰσθητὰ πράγματα καθορᾷ, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐγκείμενα αὐτῷ πρὸς τὴν πνευματικὴν θεωρίαν. Ἄλλως γὰρ τυποῦται ὁ νοῦς τοῖς αἰσθητοῖς διὰ τῶν αἰσθήσεων ἐπιβάλλων αἰσθητῶς, καὶ ἄλλως διατίθεται τοὺς λόγους τοὺς ἐναποκειμένους τοῖς αἰσθητοῖς θεωρῶν· ἀλλ' αὕτη μὲν ἡ γνῶσις καθαροῖς μόνον ἐπισυμβαίνει, ἡ δὲ διὰ τῶν αἰσθήσεων κατανόησις τῶν πραγμάτων καὶ καθαροῖς καὶ ἀκαθάρτοις. ∆ιὸ καὶ περισπασμὸν 2 πρόσκαιρον εἶπεν αὐτὴν παρὰ θεοῦ δεδομένην· προνοούμενος γὰρ ὁ θεὸς τῆς ἐμπαθοῦς ψυχῆς ἔδωκεν αὐτῇ αἰσθήσεις καὶ πράγματα αἰσθητά, ὅπως ἐν αὐτοῖς περισπωμένη καὶ νοηματιζομένη ἐκφεύγῃ τοὺς μέλλοντας αὐτῇ παρὰ τῶν ἀντικειμένων ἐμβάλλεσθαι λογισμούς. Ἔδωκε δὲ αὐτοῖς, φησί, καὶ τὸν αἰῶνα, τουτέστι τοὺς λόγους τοῦ αἰῶνος· αὕτη γάρ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἣν ἐντὸς ἔχειν ἡμᾶς εἶπεν ὁ κύριος, ἥτις καλυπτομένη ὑπὸ τῶν παθῶν οὐχ εὑρίσκεται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Ἔγνων οὖν, φησίν, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι τὰ πράγματα ἀγαθά, ἀλλ' οἱ λόγοι τῶν πραγμάτων, ἐφ' οἷς καὶ εὐφραίνεσθαι πέφυκεν ἡ φύσις ἡ λογικὴ καὶ ἐργάζεσθαι τὸ ἀγαθόν· οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω τρέφει καὶ ποτίζει τὸν νοῦν ὡς ἀρετὴ καὶ γνῶσις θεοῦ. 16
The Vanity of Worldly Circumstances§3
3We make things good through the timely use of what God has given us; for in this way everything will be beautiful in its own time, and 'behold, all things are very beautiful' (Eccl 3:14). 17 He knew that all things which God has made shall be for ever; nothing can be added to them, and nothing can be taken from them, and God did this so that they might stand in awe of His face. If 'all things which God has made shall be for ever' (Eccl 3:14), then God did not make evil, and therefore evil shall not be for ever. 18 From the manifold wisdom nothing can be taken away, and to it nothing can be added. He made it, he says, so that men, being lovers of knowledge, might cease from evil; 'for all shall depart from evil by the fear of the Lord' (Eccl 3:15). 19 That which has happened is already, and all things that are to happen have already happened, and God will seek the one who is being pursued. If 'blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven' (Eccl 3:15), and the kingdom of heaven consists of the words of the ages of things happened and things to happen, then blessed are the persecuted, because they themselves shall know the vision of things happened. For this is what God is said to seek: the one whom He enlightens with knowledge, and not to seek the one whom He does not enlighten with knowledge. 'I wandered, says David, like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I have not attended to your commandments' (Ps 119:63); and he himself was being persecuted: 'many, he says, are the ones driving me out and distressing me; from your testimonies I have not departed' (Ps 119:75). 20 There I said in my heart concerning the talk of the sons of men, that God judges them, and to show this that they are cattle (Eccl 3:18). He has now named the life of man as talk; for if we are to give accounts concerning every idle word on the day of judgment, in which both the pure and the impure are revealed. 21 Eccl 3:19 Both for them is an encounter with the sons of men and an encounter with the cattle; one encounter for them. As the death of this is, so the death of that is, and one spirit for all; and what did man exceed the cattle? Nothing, for all things are vanity. 3, 20 All things go to one place; all things came from the chaos, and all things return to the chaos. 3, 21 And who knows if the spirit of the sons of men ascends
Does it go up to the heavens, and a spirit of the beast descend down to the earth? 3:22 And I saw that there is nothing good except that which a man rejoices in regarding his works, because it is a part of him (Eccl 3:22); for who will lead him to see that in which he might become with it? He speaks of things commonly happening to all men, both the righteous and the unrighteous in this world, such as life, death, sickness, health, wealth, poverty, the loss of limbs, women, children, and possessions, from which it is not possible to distinguish the righteous from the impious before the judgment. He also says that it is common to them to be from the dust and to return again to the dust, and that they have one soul, not by number, but by nature; 'for spirit,' he says, 'is one for all' (Eccl 1:2). But now he has called the man who comes into honor and does not understand, but through irrational pleasures has been compared to the unthinking beasts and has become like them. But even through these things, the righteous and the unrighteous will not be clearly known before the judgment, because many unrighteous have turned to righteousness and been exalted, and many righteous have fallen from virtue and been humbled. So what excess did I find in these things? Now, nothing, he says. For all is vanity except for the spiritual joy, which is found to occur upon the works and the virtues of man; for the one who has fallen from this joy will not return again to do those things which contribute to its possession. 22 That even the irrational soul is called spirit. 23 4:1 And I turned back and saw with all the slanders that had happened under the sun; and behold, the tear of those being slandered, and there is no one to comfort them, and from the hand of those slandering them is strength, and there is no one to comfort them (Eccl 4:1). Slanders refers to those things set against us; 'for deliver your servant unto good,' he says, 'let them not slander me arrogantly' (Eccl 4:1); and again concerning the Savior Christ he says: 'and he will humble the slanderer and will stay with the sun.' But those being slandered before Christ were the men to whom there did not exist a comforter, who was the one saying these things: 'I urge you, I the prisoner, in the Lord, to walk worthily of the calling wherewith you were called, with all lowliness and...'
The text ends abruptly mid-clause.
Greek · §3
Τὸ ἀγαθὸν ποιοῦμεν διὰ τῆς εὐκαίρου χρήσεως τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ δεδομένων ἡμῖν· οὕτω γὰρ καὶ πάντα καλὰ ἔσται ἐν καιρῷ αὐτοῦ καὶ «ἰδοὺ πάντα καλὰ λίαν». 17 3, 14 ἔγνων ὅτι πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησεν ὁ θεός, αὐτὰ ἔσται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· ἐπ' αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔστιν προσθεῖναι, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀφελεῖν, καὶ ὁ θεὸς ἐποίησεν, ἵνα φοβηθῶσιν ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ Εἰ «πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς ἔσται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα», τὴν δὲ κακίαν ὁ θεὸς οὐκ ἐποίησεν, οὐκ ἔσται ἄρα εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἡ κακία. 18 Ἀπὸ τῆς πολυποικίλου σοφίας οὐκ ἔστιν ἀφελεῖν καὶ ταύτῃ οὐκ ἔστι προσθεῖναι. Ἐποίησε δέ, φησίν, αὐτὴν ὁ θεὸς ἵνα οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἐφιέμενοι τῆς γνώσεως παύσωνται τῆς κακίας· «τῷ γὰρ φόβῳ κυρίου ἐκκλίνει πᾶς ἀπὸ κακοῦ.» 19 3, 15 τὸ γενόμενον ἤδη ἐστίν, καὶ ὅσα τοῦ γίνεσθαι, ἤδη γέγονεν, καὶ ὁ θεὸς ζητήσει τὸν διωκόμενον Εἰ «μακάριοι οἱ δεδιωγμένοι ἕνεκεν δικαιοσύνης, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν», ἡ δὲ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν οἱ λόγοι τῶν γεγονότων καὶ γενησομένων αἰώνων εἰσί, μακάριοι ἄρα οἱ δεδιωγμένοι, ὅτι αὐτοὶ γνώσονται τὴν θεωρίαν τῶν γεγονότων. Τοῦτον γὰρ λέγεται ζητεῖν ὁ θεὸς ὃν φωτίζει τῇ γνώσει καὶ τοῦτον μὴ ζητεῖν ὃν μὴ φωτίζει τῇ γνώσει· «ἐπλανήθην, φησὶν ὁ ∆αυίδ, ὡς πρόβατον ἀπολωλός· ζήτησον τὸν δοῦλόν σου, ὅτι τὰς ἐντολάς σου οὐκ ἐπελαθόμην»· καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸς ἦν διωκόμενος· «πολλοί, φησίν, οἱ ἐκδιώκοντές με καὶ θλίβοντές με· ἐκ τῶν μαρτυρίων σου οὐκ ἐξέκλινα.» 20 3, 18 ἐκεῖ εἶπα ἐγὼ ἐν καρδίᾳ μου περὶ λαλιᾶς υἱῶν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὅτι διακρινεῖ αὐτοὺς ὁ θεός, καὶ τοῦτο δεῖξαι ὅτι αὐτοὶ κτήνη εἰσίν Λαλιὰν νῦν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸν βίον αὐτοῦ ὠνόμασεν, εἴγε περὶ παντὸς ἀργοῦ λόγου δώσομεν εὐθύνας ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως, ἐν ᾗ καὶ οἱ καθαροὶ καὶ οἱ ἀκάθαρτοι φανεροῦνται. 21 3, 19 καί γε αὐτοῖς συνάντημα υἱῶν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ συνάντημα τοῦ κτήνους, συνάντημα ἓν αὐτοῖς· ὡς ὁ θάνατος τούτου, οὕτως ὁ θάνατος τούτου, καὶ πνεῦμα ἓν τοῖς πᾶσιν· καὶ τί ἐπερίσσευσεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος παρὰ τὸ κτῆνος; οὐδέν, ὅτι τὰ πάντα ματαιότης. 3, 20 τὰ πάντα πορεύεται εἰς τόπον ἕνα· τὰ πάντα ἐγένετο ἀπὸ τοῦ χοός, καὶ τὰ πάντα ἐπιστρέφει εἰς τὸν χοῦν· 3, 21 καὶ τίς οἶδεν τὸ πνεῦμα υἱῶν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰ ἀναβαίνει αὐτὸ εἰς ἄνω, καὶ πνεῦμα τοῦ κτήνους εἰ καταβαίνει αὐτὸ κάτω εἰς τὴν γῆν; 3, 22 καὶ εἶδον ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἀγαθὸν εἰ μὴ ὃ εὐφρανθήσεται ἄνθρωπος ἐν ποιήμασιν αὐτοῦ, ὅτι αὐτὸ μερὶς αὐτοῦ· ὅτι τίς ἄξει αὐτὸν τοῦ ἰδεῖν ἐν ᾧ ἐὰν γένηται μετ' αὐτόν; Συνάντημα λέγει τὰ κοινῶς συμβαίνοντα πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις καὶ δικαίοις καὶ ἀδίκοις ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ, οἷον ζωήν, θάνατον, νόσον, ὑγείαν, πλοῦτον, πενίαν, ἀποβολὰς μελῶν, γυναικῶν, τέκνων, ὑπαρχόντων, ἀφ' ὧν οὐκ ἔστι διαγνῶναι πρὸ τῆς κρίσεως τὸν δίκαιον καὶ τὸν ἀσεβῆ. Κοινὸν δὲ λέγει αὐτῶν καὶ τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ χοὸς εἶναι καὶ τὸ ἐπιστρέφειν πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸν χοῦν καὶ τὸ μίαν αὐτοὺς ἔχειν ψυχὴν οὐ τῷ ἀριθμῷ, ἀλλὰ τῇ φύσει· «πνεῦμα γάρ, φησίν, ἓν τοῖς πᾶσι.» Κτῆνος δὲ νῦν εἶπε τὸν ἄνθρωπον τὸν γενόμενον ἐν τιμῇ καὶ μὴ συνιέντα, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῶν ἀλόγων ἡδονῶν συμπαραβληθέντα τοῖς κτήνεσι τοῖς ἀνοήτοις καὶ ὁμοιωθέντα αὐτοῖς. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ δι' ὧν ἐνεργοῦσιν οἱ δίκαιοι καὶ οἱ ἄδικοι γνώριμοι σαφῶς ἔσονται πρὸ τῆς κρίσεως, πολλῶν ἀδίκων 3 μεταβάντων ἐπὶ δικαιοσύνην καὶ ὑψωθέντων καὶ πολλῶν δικαίων τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐκπεσόντων καὶ ταπεινωθέντων. Τί οὖν τὸ περισσὸν εὗρον ἐν τούτοις; νῦν, οὐδέν, φησίν. Πάντα γὰρ ματαιότης πλὴν τῆς πνευματικῆς εὐφροσύνης, ἥτις ἐπὶ τοῖς ποιήμασι καὶ ταῖς ἀρεταῖς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου πέφυκεν γίνεσθαι· ταύτης γὰρ τῆς εὐφροσύνης ὁ ἐκπεσὼν οὐκ ἐπανήξει πάλιν ἐνταῦθα ποιήσων τὰ συντελοῦντα πρὸς κτῆσιν αὐτῆς. 22 Ὅτι καὶ ἡ ἄλογος ψυχὴ λέγεται πνεῦμα. 23 4, 1 καὶ ἐπέστρεψα ἐγὼ καὶ εἶδον σὺν πάσας τὰς συκοφαντίας τὰς γενομένας ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον· καὶ ἰδοὺ δάκρυον τῶν συκοφαντουμένων, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῖς παρακαλῶν, καὶ ἀπὸ χειρὸς συκοφαντούντων αὐτοὺς ἰσχύς, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῖς ὁ παρακαλῶν Συκοφαντίας λέγει τοὺς ἀντικειμένους ἡμῖν· «ἔκδεξαι γάρ, φησί, τὸν δοῦλόν σου εἰς ἀγαθόν· μὴ συκοφαντησάτωσάν με ὑπερήφανοι»· καὶ πάλιν περὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος Χριστοῦ φησι· «καὶ ταπεινώσει συκοφάντην καὶ συμπαραμενεῖ τῷ ἡλίῳ.» Οἱ δὲ συκοφαντούμενοι πρὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἦσαν οἱ ἄνθρωποι οἷς οὐχ ὑπῆρχεν ὁ παρακαλῶν, ὁποῖος ἦν ὁ λέγων ταῦτα· «παρακαλῶ ὑμᾶς ἐγὼ ὁ δέσμιος ἐν κυρίῳ ἀξίως περιπατῆσαι τῆς κλήσεως ἧς ἐκλήθητε, μετὰ πάσης ταπεινοφροσύνης καὶ
Spiritual kinship and the victory over the evil one§4
4Gentleness, with patience, bearing one another in love (Eccl 4:4). And I praised with the dead, those already dead, for the sake of the living, as many as they themselves live until now (Eccl 4:2); and a good one for these two, who has not yet become, who has not seen with the creation the evil thing made under the sun (Eccl 1:2). And I praised those already having died with Christ and having been released from those slandering them, for the sake of those living in malice and persisting in it until now. But he is good, neither being required of such a death separating him from malice, nor being born in malice, who did not know the evil toil being done by those slandering under the sun.
And I saw with all the toil and with all the courage of the creation (Eccl 4:4), that it is the zeal of a man from his companion; and even this is vanity and a choice of the spirit. I saw, he says, all malice and the one acting manfully in it; for him also he says, acting manfully in impieties, slandering the poor, and again the creation as 'made to be played with by the angels' (Eccl 1:14) of God. I saw also all his zeal which he has toward men, being vain and making his heart confident; for it is necessary for God in all things to become all things and for Christ to be fulfilled, the prayer saying: 'Give them that they also may be in us one, just as we are one, Father' (John 17:21).
The fool took his hands and ate his flesh (Eccl 5:13). If the hands of practical work are a symbol, everyone not working righteousness takes his hands; therefore such a one, he says, devours his flesh, being consumed by evils that come from the flesh.
A good fullness of a dragon of rest rather than the fullness of two dragons of toil and a choice of the spirit. the choice of the spirit appears to be a passionate psychological will; whence also the good dragon of virtue is preferred over the two dragons of malice and ignorance and the choice of the spirit. Such is also 'better is a little with the righteous than much wealth of sinners' (Eccl 4:6) and 'better is a little having with righteousness than many generations with injustice' (Eccl 4:6). Similar.
With these passages also come 'I would rather be cast out of the house of my God than dwell in the habitations of sinners' (Ps 4:7) and 'it is better to dwell on a corner of a roof than with a contentious woman in a shared house' (Ps 4:7). Following these also comes 'better is a morsel of vegetables with love and grace than a fattened ox with hatred' (Ps 4:7), as someone said: it is better to learn one spiritual insight than a multitude of insights of foolish wisdom.
The man of Ps 4:8 is one and there is no second, and neither son nor brother is to him; and there is no end to all his toil, and indeed his eye is not filled by wealth (Ps 4:8). And for what do I toil and starve my soul from goodness? For this too is vanity and an evil distraction. If anyone does not have a brother, this one has not received the spirit of adoption, and if anyone is not a father, this one is evil; 'for he says, no offspring shall be born of the wicked' (Ps 4:8). Appropriately, such a person is not filled by evil, starving his own soul from the knowledge of God.
But I say father and brother here according to the meaning of the Scripture; for I do not ignore that the propositions set forth are placed as if they were not true concerning sensible brothers and fathers. If anyone would also take the plain meaning of these sayings, he will be fully known as one of the childless rich and those striving to provide themselves a multitude of wealth, even if they were distant from friends; for these words spoken concerning men are entirely true.
And even if the two sleep, they are warm (Ps 4:11); and how would one be warmed? Without the Lord, no one could become alive in the spirit; 'for the Lord is the spirit' (2 Cor 3:17). And if one is strengthened, the two will stand against him, and the third shoot will not quickly break through (Ps 4:12). I think the one being strengthened is the evil one, against whom the two stand, both the man and the angel of God, so that the man, having conquered the devil, might be made worthy of the knowledge of God and become a third shoot not quickly being broken. This is to be clearly learned also from the patriarch Jacob, who is said to bless the children of Joseph: 'my angel, who delivers me from all evils, shall bless... (Gen 48:16)'.
Greek · §4
πραότητος, μετὰ μακροθυμίας, ἀνεχόμενοι ἀλλήλων ἐν ἀγάπῃ.» 24 4, 2 καὶ ἐπῄνεσα ἐγὼ σὺν τοὺς τεθνηκότας, τοὺς ἤδη ἀποθανόντας, ὑπὲρ τοὺς ζῶντας, ὅσοι αὐτοὶ ζῶσιν ἕως τοῦ νῦν· 4, 3 καὶ ἀγαθὸς ὑπὲρ τοὺς δύο τούτους ὅστις οὔπω ἐγένετο, ὃς οὐκ εἶδεν σὺν τὸ ποίημα τὸ πονηρὸν τὸ πεποιημένον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον Καὶ ἐπῄνεσα τοὺς ἤδη συναποθανόντας τῷ Χριστῷ καὶ ῥυσθέντας ἀπὸ τῶν συκοφαντούντων αὐτοὺς ὑπὲρ τοὺς ζῶντας ἐν κακίᾳ καὶ ἐπιμένοντας αὐτῇ μέχρι τοῦ νῦν. Ἀγαθὸς δὲ ὁ μήτε προσδεηθεὶς τοιούτου θανάτου χωρίζοντος αὐτὸν ἀπὸ κακίας μήτε ἐν κακίᾳ γενόμενος, ὃς οὐκ ἔγνω τὸν πονηρὸν κόπον τὸν ποιούμενον πρὸς τῶν συκοφαντούντων τοὺς ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον. 25 4, 4 καὶ εἶδον ἐγὼ σὺν πάντα τὸν μόχθον καὶ σὺν πᾶσαν ἀνδρείαν τοῦ ποιήματος ὅτι αὐτὸ ζῆλος ἀνδρὸς ἀπὸ τοῦ ἑταίρου αὐτοῦ· καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης καὶ προαίρεσις πνεύματος Εἶδον, φησίν, πᾶσαν κακίαν καὶ τὸν ἀνδριζόμενον ἐν αὐτῇ πονηρόν· τοῦτον γὰρ καὶ λέγει ἀνδρεῖον ἐν ἀσεβείαις συκοφαντοῦντα πτωχοὺς καὶ πάλιν ποίημα ὡς «πεποιημένον ἐγκαταπαίζεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων» τοῦ θεοῦ. Εἶδον καὶ πᾶσαν αὐτοῦ τὴν ζηλοτυπίαν ἣν κέκτηται πρὸς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ματαίαν οὖσαν καὶ πληροφοροῦσαν τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ· δεῖ γὰρ τὸν θεὸν πάντως γενέσθαι τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσι καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ πληρωθῆναι τὴν εὐχὴν τὴν λέγουσαν· «δὸς αὐτοῖς ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐν ἡμῖν ὦσιν ἕν, καθὼς κἀγὼ καὶ σὺ ἕν ἐσμεν, πάτερ.» 26 4, 5 ἄφρων περιέλαβεν τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔφαγεν τὰς σάρκας αὐτοῦ Εἰ αἱ χεῖρες πρακτικῆς ἐργασίας εἰσὶ σύμβολον, πᾶς μὴ ἐργαζόμενος δικαιοσύνην περιλαμβάνει τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ· διόπερ καὶ ὁ τοιοῦτος, φησί, κατεσθίει τὰς σάρκας αὐτοῦ, τῶν ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς φυομένων κακῶν ἐμπιπλάμενος. 27 4, 6 ἀγαθὸν πλήρωμα δρακὸς ἀναπαύσεως ὑπὲρ πληρώματα δύο δρακῶν μόχθου καὶ προαιρέσεως πνεύματος Ἡ προαίρεσις τοῦ πνεύματος ὡς θέλημα ψυχικὸν ἐμπαθὲς εἶναί μοι δοκεῖ· ὅθεν καὶ προτιμᾶται ἡ ἀγαθὴ δρὰξ τῆς ἀρετῆς τῶν δύο δρακῶν τῆς κακίας καὶ τῆς ἀγνωσίας καὶ τῆς προαιρέσεως τοῦ πνεύματος. Τοιοῦτόν ἐστι καὶ τὸ «κρεῖσσον ὀλίγον τῷ δικαίῳ ὑπὲρ πλοῦτον ἁμαρτωλῶν πολὺν» καὶ τὸ «κρεῖσσον ὀλίγη λῆψις μετὰ δικαιοσύνης ἢ πολλὰ γενήματα μετὰ ἀδικίας». Ὅμοιον τούτοις καὶ τὸ «ἐξελεξάμην παραρριπτεῖσθαι ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ θεοῦ μου μᾶλλον ἢ οἰκεῖν με ἐν σκηνώμασιν ἁμαρτωλῶν» καὶ τὸ «κρεῖσσον οἰκεῖν ἐπὶ γωνίας δώματος ἢ μετὰ γυναικὸς λοιδόρου ἐν οἰκίᾳ κοινῇ». Ἀκολουθήσει δὲ τούτοις καὶ τὸ «κρεῖσσον ξενισμὸς λαχάνων πρὸς φιλίαν καὶ χάριν ἢ παράθεσις μόσχων μετὰ ἔχθρας», ὡσεὶ ἔλεγέ τις· κρεῖσσον μαθεῖν θεώρημα ἓν πνευματικὸν ἢ πλῆθος 4 θεωρημάτων τῆς μωρανθείσης σοφίας. 28 4, 8 ἔστιν εἷς καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν δεύτερος, καί γε υἱὸς καί γε ἀδελφὸς οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτῷ· καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν περασμὸς τῷ παντὶ μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ, καί γε ὀφθαλμὸς αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐμπίπλαται πλούτου. καὶ τίνι ἐγὼ μοχθῶ καὶ στερίσκω τὴν ψυχήν μου ἀπὸ ἀγαθωσύνης; καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης καὶ περισπασμὸς πονηρός ἐστιν Εἴ τις οὐκ ἔχει ἀδελφόν, οὗτος υἱοθεσίας οὐκ εἴληφε πνεῦμα, καὶ εἴ τις οὐκ ἔστι πατήρ, οὗτός ἐστι πονηρός· «οὐ γὰρ μὴ γένηται, φησίν, ἔγγονα πονηροῖς.» Εἰκότως δὲ ὁ τοιοῦτος οὐδ' ἐμπίπλαται κακίας στερίσκων τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν ἀπὸ γνώσεως θεοῦ. Πατέρα δὲ ἐνταῦθα λέγω καὶ ἀδελφὸν κατὰ τὴν ἔννοιαν τῆς γραφῆς· οὐ γὰρ ἀγνοῶ τὰς τεθείσας προτάσεις ὡς οὐκ ἀληθεύουσιν ἐπὶ τῶν αἰσθητῶν ἀδελφῶν καὶ πατέρων τιθέμεναι. Εἰ δέ τις βούλοιτο καὶ τὴν ψιλὴν ἔννοιαν τούτων τῶν ῥητῶν ἐκλαβεῖν, πάνυ καταγνώσεται τῶν ἀτέκνων πλουσίων καὶ σπουδαζόντων ἑαυτοῖς ἐκπορίζειν πλῆθος χρημάτων, μάλιστα εἰ καὶ δυσπρόσιτοι εἶεν τοῖς φίλοις· ἀληθεύει γὰρ πάνυ τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα κατὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων λεγόμενα. 29 4, 11 καί γε ἐὰν κοιμηθῶσιν οἱ δύο, καὶ θέρμη αὐτοῖς· καὶ ὁ εἷς πῶς θερμανθῇ; Ἄνευ κυρίου οὐκ ἄν τις γένοιτο τῷ πνεύματι ζέων· «ὁ γὰρ κύριος τὸ πνεῦμά ἐστιν.» 30 4, 12 καὶ ἐὰν ἐπικραταιωθῇ ὁ εἷς, οἱ δύο στήσονται κατέναντι αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸ σπαρτίον τὸ ἔντριτον οὐ ταχέως ἀπορραγήσεται Ἐγὼ νομίζω τὸν ἐπικραταιούμενον ἕνα τὸν πονηρὸν εἶναι οὗ κατέναντι ἵστανται οἱ δύο, ὅ τε ἄνθρωπος καὶ ὁ ἄγγελος τοῦ θεοῦ, ἵνα τὸν διάβολον νικήσας ὁ ἄνθρωπος καταξιωθῇ γνώσεως θεοῦ καὶ γένηται ἔντριτον σπαρτίον οὐ ταχέως ἀπορρηγνύμενον. Ἔστι δὲ τοῦτο σαφῶς μαθεῖν καὶ παρὰ τοῦ πατριάρχου Ἰακὼβ ὃς τοὺς παῖδας τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ εὐλογῶν φησιν· «ὁ ἄγγελός μου ὁ ῥυόμενός με ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν κακῶν, εὐλογήσαι
The Dangers of Spiritual Slumber§5
5These children. Similar to this is what lies with David: 'An angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and rescues them' (Ps 34:7).
A passionless mind, being filled with spiritual knowledge, or a wise mind having an angel of God beside it, is a sharp thorn. And it is also good that it does not say 'he will not be torn away,' but 'he will not be torn away quickly'; for the logical nature is changeable.
A good child is poor and wise, better than a king who is older and foolish, who did not know to pay attention (Ec 4:13). A child is the one who has preserved the teaching from youth, but the older one is the one who has abandoned the teaching from youth and is forgetting the covenant and has grown old in wickedness; and the former is of Christ, but the latter is of the evil one.
Because he will come out from the house of prisoners to reign, because he was even born poor in his kingdom (Ec 4:14); the sensible world is a house of prisoners, in which 'each one is bound by the chains of his own sins.'
Guard your foot wherever you walk into the house of God, and be near to listening (Ec 4:17); your sacrifice is better than the gift of the foolish, because they are not knowing how to do evil; 'they do not know how they stumble,' nor even knowing this, that they transgress.
Do not hasten upon your mouth, and let not your heart be quick to bring forth a word before the face of God (Ec 5:1); for God is in heaven, and you are upon the earth; because of this, let your words be few.
Because a dream occurs in a multitude of temptation and the voice of a fool in a multitude of words: 'For what we ought to pray for, we do not know' (Ec 5:2). Or perhaps now he does not intend to say this, but he sets forward not to theologize without reflection; for it is not possible for one being in sensible things and receiving from them the thoughts about God who is in the intelligible, to have been discussed touchlessly, fleeing all sensation. Because of this he says: 'And let your words be few,' that is, true and...
Having been stripped of vigilance; for the little amount seems to me to signify something like this: both 'better is a little with the righteous than much wealth of sinners' (Proverbs 15:16) and 'better is a little gain with righteousness' (Proverbs 15:17). For to those not guarding this, he says: 'a dream comes in a multitude of temptations and a voice of a fool in a multitude of words,' saying that a dream approaches the sleeping souls with a multitude of demons and unsettling the soul, about which also Job says to the Lord: 'You terrify me with dreams and strike me with visions' (Job 7:14); and David, turning away this enemy, entreats the Lord saying: 'Enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep unto death, lest my enemy say: I have prevailed against him' (Psalm 138:3, 40:14); and in the Proverbs: 'Give not sleep to your eyes, nor let your eyelids slumber, that you may save yourself like a dove from the snare and like a bird from the trapper' (Proverbs 6:5). And he also says of it a voice of a fool, coming with a multitude of false words and deceiving the soul; and this is the 'from the voice of one reproaching and speaking against one.' And it is also possible to apply to the voice of the fool that which says 'from much talk sin shall not escape.'
And the Savior also in the Gospels commands the man to be watchful and to pray, so that he might not fall into temptation (Matthew 26:41); for sleep is ignorance and wickedness of the rational soul; therefore also Paul awakens those sleeping thus, saying: 'Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine upon you' (Ephesians 5:14). As for whatever prayer you might offer to God, do not delay in fulfilling it; for there is no will in foolishness, so whatever you might vow, fulfill it. It is good not to have vowed, or to have vowed and not to fulfill. The good gifts are offered to God from the soul, and from the body, and from the surroundings of the body. And from the soul we offer to Him right faith and true doctrines, righteousness and courage and temperance; and from the...
Greek · §5
τὰ παιδία ταῦτα.» Ὅμοιον τούτῳ καὶ τὸ παρὰ τῷ ∆αυὶδ κείμενον· «παρεμβαλεῖ ἄγγελος κυρίου κύκλῳ τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτὸν καὶ ῥύσεται αὐτούς.» 31 Σπαρτίον ἔντριτόν ἐστι νοῦς ἀπαθὴς πνευματικῆς πληρούμενος γνώσεως ἢ νοῦς σοφὸς ἄγγελον θεοῦ παρεπόμενον ἔχων. Εὖ δὲ καὶ τὸ μὴ φάναι αὐτὸν «οὐκ ἀπορραγή σεται», ἀλλ' «οὐ ταχέως ἀπορραγήσεται»· τρεπτὴ γάρ ἐστιν ἡ φύσις ἡ λογική. 32 4, 13 ἀγαθὸς παῖς πένης καὶ σοφὸς ὑπὲρ βασιλέα πρεσβύτερον καὶ ἄφρονα ὃς οὐκ ἔγνω τοῦ προσέχειν ἔτι Παῖς ἐστιν ὁ τὴν ἐκ νεότητος διδασκαλίαν φυλάξας, πρεσβύτερος δὲ ὁ καταλελοιπὼς τὴν διδασκαλίαν τὴν ἐκ νεότητος καὶ τῆς θείας ἐπιλαθόμενος διαθήκης καὶ γεγηρακὼς τῇ κακίᾳ· καὶ ὁ μὲν πρότερός ἐστι τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὁ δὲ δεύτερος τοῦ πονηροῦ. 33 4, 14 ὅτι ἐξ οἴκου τῶν δεσμίων ἐξελεύσεται βασιλεῦσαι, ὅτι καί γε ἐν βασιλείᾳ αὐτοῦ ἐγεννήθη πένης Οἶκος δεσμίων ἐστὶν ὁ κόσμος ὁ αἰσθητός, ἐν ᾧ «σειραῖς τῶν ἑαυτοῦ ἁμαρτιῶν ἕκαστος σφίγγεται». 34 4, 17 φύλαξον τὸν πόδα σου, ἐν ᾧ ἂν πορεύῃ εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ ἐγγὺς τοῦ ἀκούειν· ὑπὲρ δόμα τῶν ἀφρόνων θυσία σου, ὅτι οὐκ εἰσὶν εἰδότες τοῦ ποιῆσαι κακόν «Οὐκ οἴδασι πῶς προσκόπτουσιν», μηδ' αὐτὸ τοῦτο εἰδότες ὅτι παρανομοῦσιν. 35 5, 1 μὴ σπεῦδε ἐπὶ στόματί σου, καὶ καρδία σου μὴ ταχυνέτω τοῦ ἐξενέγκαι λόγον πρὸ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ· ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ σὺ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἔστωσαν οἱ λόγοι σου ὀλίγοι. 5, 2 ὅτι παραγίνεται ἐνύπνιον ἐν πλήθει πειρασμοῦ καὶ φωνὴ ἄφρονος ἐν πλήθει λόγων «Τὸ γὰρ τί προσευξώμεθα καθὸ δεῖ οὐκ οἴδαμεν.» Ἢ τάχα νῦν οὐ τοῦτο βούλεται λέγειν, προστάσσει δὲ μὴ ἀπερισκέπτως θεολογεῖν· οὐ γὰρ δυνατὸν τὸν ἐν αἰσθητοῖς ὄντα καὶ ἀπὸ τούτων λαμβάνοντα τὰ νοήματα περὶ τοῦ ὄντος ἐν τοῖς νοητοῖς θεοῦ καὶ πᾶσαν διαφεύγοντος αἴσθησιν ἀπταίστως διαλεχθῆναι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησι· «καὶ ἔστωσαν οἱ λόγοι σου ὀλίγοι», τουτέστιν ἀληθεῖς καὶ περιεσκεμμένοι· τὸ γὰρ ὀλίγον τοιοῦτόν τι σημαίνειν μοι φαίνεται, ὡς καὶ τὸ «κρεῖσσον ὀλίγον τῷ δικαίῳ ὑπὲρ πλοῦτον 5 ἁμαρτωλῶν πολὺν» καὶ «κρεῖσσον ὀλίγη λῆψις μετὰ δικαιοσύνης». Τοῖς γὰρ μὴ τοῦτο φυλαττομένοις φησί· «παραγίνεται ἐνύπνιον ἐν πλήθει πειρασμοῦ καὶ φωνὴ ἄφρονος ἐν πλήθει λόγων», ἐνύπνιον λέγων τὸν καθευδούσαις ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἐφιστάμενον μετὰ πλήθους πειρασμῶν δαίμονα καὶ ἐκταράσσοντα τὴν ψυχήν, περὶ οὗ καὶ Ἰώβ φησι πρὸς τὸν κύριον· «ἐκφοβεῖς με ἐνυπνίοις καὶ ἐν ὁράμασί με καταπλήσσεις»· καὶ ∆αυὶδ τοῦτον ἐκκλίνων τὸν ἐχθρὸν παρακαλεῖ τὸν κύριον λέγων· «φώτισον τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου, μήποτε ὑπνώσω εἰς θάνατον, μήποτε εἴπῃ ὁ ἐχθρός μου· ἴσχυσα πρὸς αὐτόν»· καὶ ἐν ταῖς Παροιμίαις· «μὴ δῷς ὕπνον σοῖς ὄμμασι μηδὲ ἐπινυστάξῃς σοῖς βλεφάροις, ἵνα σῴζῃ ὥσπερ δορκὰς ἐκ βρόχων καὶ ὥσπερ ὄρνεον ἐκ παγίδος.» Λέγει δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ φωνὴν τοῦ ἄφρονος, μετὰ ψευδῶν παραγινόμενον λόγων καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀπατῶντα· καὶ τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ «ἀπὸ φωνῆς ὀνειδίζοντος καὶ καταλαλοῦντος». ∆υνατὸν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ἐφαρμόσαι τῇ φωνῇ τοῦ ἄφρονος τὸ «ἐκ πολυλογίας οὐκ ἐκφεύξεται ἁμαρτία». Καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ δὲ ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις προστάσσει ἀγρυπνεῖν τὸν ἄνθρωπον καὶ προσεύχεσθαι, ἵνα μὴ ἐμπέσῃ εἰς πειρασμόν· ὕπνος γάρ ἐστι λογικῆς ψυχῆς ἄγνοια καὶ κακία· ὅθεν καὶ ὁ Παῦλος τοὺς οὕτω καθεύδοντας διυπνίζει λέγων· «ἔγειρε, ὁ καθεύδων, καὶ ἀνάστα ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν, καὶ ἐπιφαύσει σοι ὁ Χριστός.» 36 5, 3 καθὼς ἂν εὔξῃ εὐχὴν τῷ θεῷ, μὴ χρονίσῃς τοῦ ἀποδοῦναι αὐτήν· ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν θέλημα ἐν ἄφροσιν, σὺ οὖν ὅσα ἂν εὔξῃ ἀπόδος. 5, 4 ἀγαθὸν τὸ μὴ εὔξασθαί σε ἢ τὸ εὔξασθαί σε καὶ μὴ ἀποδοῦναι Τῶν ἀγαθῶν δώρων τὰ μὲν ἀπὸ ψυχῆς προσφέρεται τῷ θεῷ, τὰ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος, τὰ δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν πέριξ τοῦ σώματος. Καὶ ἀπὸ μὲν ψυχῆς προσφέρομεν αὐτῷ πίστιν ὀρθὴν καὶ δόγματα ἀληθῆ, δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἀνδρείαν καὶ σωφροσύνην· ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ
Providence and the Knowledge of God§6
6Self-control of the body, virginity, and monogamy; and regarding things around the body, sons and daughters, slaves, money, and possessions. Let us therefore see what it means to promise and to delay; for it is not always the large interval of time that the delay signifies, but the complete denial of the promise. For Jacob appears to have given to God the tenth parts after many years, while walking toward Mesopotamia, and Hannah bringing Samuel to God after a long time.
Regarding the gifts around the body, it is thus; but regarding the gifts of the soul and the body, how should one interpret delay? I think that he who promises correct faith and says it is a creation, delays one thing from the Holy Trinity; and he who promises to confess all things through God and introduces automatism again, delays; and regarding the other dogmas, likewise. Regarding virtues, it is thus: he who promises righteousness and is unrighteous, delays in fulfilling it; and he who promises temperance and is again committing fornication, delays. Regarding the things of the body: he who promises self-control and again takes on various bonds, delays; and he who promises virginity or monogamy and having married or having married a second time, delays in fulfilling it.
As for how 'it is good not to vow or to vow and not to fulfill,' we will solve this by bringing in the Gospel, that the servant who did not know and did not do will be punished little, but he who knew and did not do will be punished much. 'Do not give your mouth to sin your flesh, and do not say before the face of God that it is ignorance, so that God may not be angry at your voice and destroy the works of your hands' (Eccl 5:5-6). For in a multitude of dreams and vanities and many words—'In a multitude, he says, of dreams' (Eccl 5:7)—evil 'and of vanities and words' (Eccl 5:7) false, a man becomes, his works being destroyed from the abandonment of God, which happened to him because of his own lawlessness.
If you see oppression of the poor and the seizing of judgment and justice in a land, do not marvel at the matter; for high sits above high and the high ones are upon them (Eccl 5:8). And abundance of the land is upon everything, the work of the field of the king (Eccl 5:9). He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver (Eccl 5:10).
No one has loved his offspring in abundance; and this too is vanity. 5, 10 In the abundance of goodness, those eating it were increased; and what courage is there from it? Because it is the beginning of seeing with its eyes. 5, 11 Sweet is the sleep of the slave, if he eats little or much; and to the one filled, to become rich, he does not allow him to sleep.
If you see, he says, among men some being slandered, others being treated unjustly in judgment, and others practicing righteousness, do not marvel at these things happening as if there were no providence. For know that God through Christ preserves all things, and this one again provides for all through the holy angels abounding in the knowledge of those on earth. For God is the King of the world brought into being through him, who will give tribulation to those who prefer greed and the vanity of this life over the knowledge of Christ, but to those who have lived in goodness and have served in courage and righteousness, he will give the knowledge of God and sweet rest, even if they have known only a few things here or many words, knowing in part and prophesying in part; and the one will receive such an end, but the one filled with wickedness he will not allow the worm born of it to rest.
Since the Lord entrusted this world to angels, Moses shows by saying: 'When the Most High divided the nations, as he scattered the sons of Adam, he set the boundaries of nations according to the number of the angels of God.' And the Lord our own in the Gospels named the world a field, saying: 'The world is a field.' And regarding the abundance of the earth, he says of those on earth, if indeed, 'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth'; what other inheritance is there for rational nature besides the knowledge of God? And he called the angels high, because they partake of the high Lord: 'For high above all nations is the Lord,' he says. 39 5, 12
There is a sickness which I saw under the sun, wealth being guarded by it for its own wickedness. The abundance of wickedness is now shown by wealth; and this wickedness is signified by sickness. Therefore, everyone guarding this wealth for himself will not know the wisdom of God, nor will he cast his heart into understanding, nor will he cast it upon...
Greek · §6
σώματος ἐγκράτειαν καὶ παρθενίαν καὶ μονογαμίαν· ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν πέριξ τοῦ σώματος υἱοὺς καὶ θυγατέρας καὶ δούλους καὶ χρήματα καὶ κτήματα. Ἴδωμεν τοίνυν τὸ ὑποσχέσθαι καὶ χρονίσαι· μήποτε οὐ τούτου τοῦ χρόνου τὸ μέγα διάστημα σημαίνει ὁ χρονισμός, ἀλλὰ τὴν παντελῆ ἄρνησιν τῆς ὑποσχέσεως· φαίνεται γὰρ ὁ Ἰακὼβ μετὰ πολλὰ ἔτη τὰς δεκάτας ἀποδεδωκὼς τῷ θεῷ ἃς ὑπέσχετο δώσειν αὐτῷ ἐπὶ τὴν Μεσοποταμίαν βαδίζων καὶ Ἄννα τὸν Σαμουὴλ μετὰ πολὺν χρόνον προσαγαγοῦσα τῷ θεῷ. Ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν δώρων τῶν πέριξ τοῦ σώματος οὕτως· ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ τοῦ σώματος δώρων, πῶς ἐκληπτέον; ἐγὼ νομίζω ὅτι ὁ ὑποσχόμενος πίστιν ὀρθὴν καὶ λέγων κτίσμα ἕν τι τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἁγίας τριάδος χρονίζει, καὶ ὁ ἐπαγγειλάμενος πάντα ὁμολογεῖν διὰ τοῦ θεοῦ γεγενῆσθαι καὶ αὐτοματισμὸν πάλιν εἰσάγων χρονίζει· καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων δογμάτων ὡσαύτως. Ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν ἀρετῶν οὕτως· ὁ ὑποσχόμενος δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἀδικῶν χρονίζει τοῦ ἀποδοῦναι, καὶ ὁ ἐπαγγειλάμενος σωφροσύνην καὶ πάλιν πορνεύων χρονίζει. Ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν τοῦ σώματος· ὁ ὑποσχόμενος ἐγκράτειαν καὶ πάλιν μεταλαμβάνων ἐδεσμάτων ποικίλων χρονίζει, καὶ ὁ ἐπαγγειλάμενος παρθενίαν ἢ μονογαμίαν καὶ γαμήσας ἢ διγαμήσας χρονίζει τοῦ ἀποδοῦναι. Τὸ δὲ πῶς «ἀγαθὸν τὸ μὴ εὔξασθαι ἢ τὸ εὔξασθαι καὶ μὴ ἀποδοῦναι» λύσομεν τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου προσάγοντες ὅτι ὁ δοῦλος ὁ μὴ ἐγνωκὼς καὶ μὴ ποιήσας δαρήσεται ὀλίγας, ὁ δὲ ἐγνωκὼς καὶ μὴ ποιήσας δαρήσεται πολλάς. 37 5, 5 μὴ δῷς τὸ στόμα σου τοῦ ἐξαμαρτεῖν τὴν σάρκα σου καὶ μὴ εἴπῃς πρὸ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ ὅτι ἄγνοιά ἐστιν, ἵνα μὴ ὀργισθῇ ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ φωνῇ σου καὶ διαφθείρῃ τὰ ποιήματα χειρῶν σου· 5, 6.1 ὅτι ἐν πλήθει ἐνυπνίων καὶ ματαιοτήτων καὶ λόγων πολλῶν «Ἐν πλήθει, φησίν, ἐνυπνίων» πονηρῶν «καὶ ματαιοτήτων καὶ λόγων» ψευδῶν γίνεται ἄνθρωπος, διαφθαρέντων αὐτοῦ τῶν ἔργων ἀπὸ τῆς ἐγκαταλείψεως τοῦ θεοῦ, ἥτις συμβέβηκεν αὐτῷ διὰ τῆς οἰκείας παρανομίας. 38 5, 7 ἐὰν συκοφαντίαν πένητος καὶ ἁρπαγὴν κρίματος καὶ δικαιοσύνης ἴδῃς ἐν χώρᾳ, μὴ θαυμάσῃς ἐπὶ τῷ πράγματι· ὅτι ὑψηλὸς ἐπάνω ὑψηλοῦ φυλάσσει καὶ ὑψηλοὶ ἐπ' 6 αὐτούς. 5, 8 καὶ περισσεία γῆς ἐπὶ παντί ἐστι, βασιλεὺς τοῦ ἀγροῦ εἰργασμένου. 5, 9 ἀγαπῶν ἀργύριον οὐ πλησθήσεται ἀργυρίου· καί τις ἠγάπησεν ἐν πλήθει αὐτοῦ γένημα· καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης. 5, 10 ἐν πλήθει ἀγαθωσύνης ἐπληθύνθησαν οἱ ἔσθοντες αὐτήν· καὶ τί ἀνδρεία τῷ παρ' αὐτῆς; ὅτι ἀρχὴ τοῦ ὁρᾶν ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοῦ. 5, 11 γλυκὺς ὕπνος τοῦ δούλου, εἰ ὀλίγον καὶ εἰ πολὺ φάγεται· καὶ τῷ ἐμπλησθέντι τοῦ πλουτῆσαι οὐκ ἔστιν ἀφίων αὐτὸν τοῦ ὑπνῶσαι Ἐὰν ἴδῃς, φησίν, ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τοὺς μὲν συκοφαντουμένους, τοὺς δὲ ἀδικουμένους ἐν κρίσει καὶ ἄλλους δικαιοπραγοῦντας, μὴ θαυμάσῃς ἐπὶ τοῖς γινομένοις ὡς οὐκ οὔσης προνοίας. Γίνωσκε γὰρ ὅτι ὁ θεὸς διὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ φυλάσσει τὰ πάντα καὶ οὗτος πάλιν προνοεῖ πάντων διὰ τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων περισσευομένων ἐν γνώσει τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς. Βασιλεὺς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ θεὸς τοῦ γεγονότος δι' αὐτοῦ κόσμου, ὃς ἀποδώσει θλῖψιν μὲν τοῖς πλεονεξίαν καὶ τὴν ματαιότητα τοῦ βίου τούτου προτιμήσασι τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Χριστοῦ, τοῖς δὲ ἐν ἀγαθωσύνῃ ζήσασιν καὶ ἐν ἀνδρείᾳ καὶ τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ δουλεύσασι δώσει γνῶσιν θεοῦ καὶ γλυκεῖαν ἀνάπαυσιν, εἰ καὶ ὀλίγους τινὰς τῶν ἐνταῦθα ἢ πολλοὺς λόγους ἐγνώκασιν, ἐκ μέρους ἐγνωκότες καὶ ἐκ μέρους προφητεύσαντες· καὶ τοὺς μὲν τοιοῦτον διαδέξεται τέλος, τοὺς δὲ ἐμπλησθέντας τῆς κακίας οὐκ ἐάσει διαναπαύσασθαι ὁ ἐξ αὐτῆς τικτόμενος σκώληξ. Ὅτι δὲ τὸν κόσμον τοῦτον πεπίστευκεν ἀγγέλοις ὁ κύριος, δείκνυσι Μωσῆς λέγων· «ὅτε διεμέριζεν ὁ ὕψιστος ἔθνη, ὡς διέσπειρεν υἱοὺς Ἀδάμ, ἔστησεν ὅρια ἐθνῶν κατὰ ἀριθμὸν ἀγγέλων θεοῦ.» Τὸν δὲ κόσμον ἀγρὸν καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις ὠνόμασε λέγων· «ἀγρός ἐστιν ὁ κόσμος.» Τὴν δὲ περισσείαν τῆς γῆς τὴν γνῶσιν λέγει τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς, εἴγε «μακάριοι οἱ πραεῖς, ὅτι αὐτοὶ κληρονομήσουσι τὴν γῆν»· τίς δέ ἐστιν ἄλλη κληρονομία τῆς φύσεως τῆς λογικῆς πλὴν τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ θεοῦ; Ὑψηλοὺς δὲ εἶπε τοὺς ἀγγέλους, ἐπειδὴ τοῦ ὑψηλοῦ κυρίου μετέχουσιν· «ὑψηλὸς γάρ, φησίν, ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ὁ κύριος.» 39 5, 12 ἔστιν ἀρρωστία ἣν εἶδον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, πλοῦτον φυλασσόμενον τῷ παρ' αὐτοῦ εἰς κακίαν αὐτοῦ Τὸ μὲν πλῆθος τῆς κακίας νῦν ὑπὸ τοῦ πλούτου δηλοῦται· αὕτη δὲ ἡ κακία ὑπὸ τῆς ἀρρωστίας σημαίνεται. Πᾶς οὖν ὁ φυλάσσων ἑαυτῷ τοῦτον τὸν πλοῦτον οὐ γνώσεται σοφίαν θεοῦ οὐδὲ παραβαλεῖ καρδίαν αὐτοῦ εἰς σύνεσιν οὐδὲ παραβαλεῖ αὐτὴν ἐπὶ
The Vanity of Material Life§7
7An admonition to the son: for he neither received the utterances of God's commandments, nor did he hide them in his heart. And that wealth will be lost in an evil distraction; and he fathered a son, and there is nothing in his hand.
An evil distraction is ignorance which, through punishment, separates the unclean from spiritual contemplation. Just as he went out from his mother's womb naked (Eccl 5:14), he will return to go his way as he has come, and he will take nothing from his labor, so that he may go with nothing in his hand (Eccl 5:15). And this too is an evil sickness; for just as it came to be, so it will depart.
And Job says: 'Naked I came out from the womb of my mother, and naked I will depart there' (Job 1:21); but the one here says 'just as he went out from his mother's womb naked, he will return to go his way as he has come' (Eccl 5:14). But Job, as a righteous man, goes naked, free from malice and wickedness; but this one, with that ignorance by which he came into this world, with this also he will depart there.
Behold, what I saw was good, which is beautiful: to eat and to drink and to see goodness in all his labor (Eccl 5:17), by which he labors under the sun, a number of the days of his life which God gave to him (Eccl 5:18); for it is a portion of Him. And indeed every man to whom God gave wealth and possessions, and empowered him to eat from it and to take his portion and to be joyful in his labor (Eccl 5:18), this is a gift of God (Eccl 5:19). For he will not remember many of the days of his life; for God distracts him with the joy of his heart.
The knowledge of God is called by the intellect food and drink and goodness and portion and wealth and possessions and joy and distraction of God and light and life and gift; and the Holy Spirit sets many other names upon knowledge, which it is not possible now to recount, unless the rule of the scholia permits.
To contrast those who indeed received wealth of wisdom and knowledge, but did not indeed preserve it, it is said, 'and empowered him' (Eccl 5:18). For even the traitor Judas received intellectual wealth and spiritual possessions, but he was not empowered by them, having given away wisdom and the truth of God for the sake of gain. When a man receives from God...
Regarding spiritual knowledge, few remember this kind of life and the sensory life, since his heart is always occupied with contemplation. A true knowledge, which separates the purified soul from sensible things, is a distraction from God.
There is an evil that I saw under the sun, and it is great upon man (Ecclesiastes 6:1); a man to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and glory, and his soul is not lacking in anything he desires, yet God does not allow him to enjoy it, because a stranger eats it; and this too is vanity and a wicked sickness (Ecclesiastes 6:2). If a man begets a hundred and lives many years, and his years are many, yet his soul is not filled with goodness, and even a grave does not become him, I say: the abortion is better for him (Ecclesiastes 6:3); because he came in vanity and walks in darkness, and in darkness his name shall be covered (Ecclesiastes 6:4); and he has not seen the sun and has not known it; let this be rest for him above that (Ecclesiastes 6:5). And if he lived a thousand years and saw not goodness, does he not go to one place for all things (Ecclesiastes 6:6)? In this chapter he speaks about those worthy of impassibility and knowledge who again fell through the envy of the devil. The second chapter contains the life of an unclean and much-toiling man, long-lived and not having known God, for whom the abortion is preferred to be, and for him after death a place of the same.
He who destroys the wealth enriched in all knowledge and all wisdom is evil, whom he also calls stranger and alien regarding the knowledge of God. The 'eating' is also said regarding food and regarding destruction: 'If you wish and listen to me, he says, eat the good things of the earth; but if you do not wish and do not listen to me, a sword shall strike you'—instead of 'destroys'. For the mouth of the Lord spoke these things. And this stranger, having also come to David, was persuaded to sacrifice the lamb of the poor; for Nathan the prophet called him a stranger then. All the labor of man is into his mouth (Ecclesiastes 6:7), and his soul shall not be satisfied. All the evil of man remains in his heart, and he will not say from the...
Greek · §7
νουθέτησιν τῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐδέξατο ῥήσεις ἐντολῶν θεοῦ οὐδὲ ἔκρυψεν αὐτὰς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ. 40 5, 13 καὶ ἀπολεῖται ὁ πλοῦτος ἐκεῖνος ἐν περισπασμῷ πονηρῷ, καὶ ἐγέννησεν υἱόν, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν χειρὶ αὐτοῦ οὐδέν Περισπασμὸς πονηρός ἐστιν ἄγνοια μετὰ κολάσεως ἀπὸ τῆς πνευματικῆς θεωρίας χωρίζουσα τὸν ἀκάθαρτον. 41 5, 14 καθὼς ἐξῆλθεν ἀπὸ γαστρὸς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ γυμνός, ἐπιστρέψει τοῦ πορευθῆναι ὡς ἥκει καὶ οὐδὲν λήμψεται ἐν μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ, ἵνα πορευθῇ ἐν χειρὶ αὐτοῦ. 5, 15.1–2 καί γε τοῦτο πονηρὰ ἀρρωστία· ὥσπερ γὰρ παρεγένετο, οὕτως καὶ ἀπελεύσεται Καὶ ὁ Ἰώβ φησιν· «αὐτὸς γυμνὸς ἐξῆλθον ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου, γυμνὸς καὶ ἀπελεύσομαι ἐκεῖ»· ὁ δὲ ἐνταῦθα «καθὼς ἐξῆλθεν ἀπὸ γαστρὸς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ γυμνός, ἐπιστρέψει τοῦ πορευθῆναι ὡς ἥκει». Ἀλλ' ὁ Ἰὼβ μὲν ὡς δίκαιος γυμνὸς ἄπεισι κακίας τε καὶ πονηρίας· οὗτος δὲ μεθ' ἧς ἀγνοίας ἦλθεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον τοῦτον, μετὰ ταύτης καὶ ἀπελεύσεται ἐκεῖ. 42 5, 17 ἰδοὺ ὃ εἶδον ἐγὼ ἀγαθόν, ὅ ἐστιν καλόν, τοῦ φαγεῖν καὶ τοῦ πιεῖν καὶ τοῦ ἰδεῖν ἀγαθωσύνην ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ, ᾧ ἐὰν μοχθήσῃ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, ἀριθμὸν ἡμερῶν ζωῆς αὐτοῦ, ὧν ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ ὁ θεός· ὅτι αὐτὸ μερὶς αὐτοῦ. 5, 18 καί γε πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ᾧ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ ὁ θεὸς πλοῦτον καὶ ὑπάρχοντα καὶ ἐξουσίασεν αὐτὸν τοῦ φαγεῖν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ καὶ λαβεῖν τὸ μέρος αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦ εὐφρανθῆναι ἐν μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ, τοῦτο δόμα θεοῦ ἐστιν. 5, 19 ὅτι οὐ πολλὰ μνησθήσεται τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς αὐτοῦ· ὅτι ὁ θεὸς περισπᾷ αὐτὸν ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ καρδίας αὐτοῦ Ἡ γνῶσις ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ λέγεται τοῦ νοῦ καὶ βρῶσις καὶ 7 πόσις καὶ ἀγαθωσύνη καὶ μερὶς καὶ πλοῦτος καὶ ὑπάρχοντα καὶ εὐφροσύνη καὶ περισπασμὸς θεοῦ καὶ φῶς καὶ ζωὴ καὶ δόμα· καὶ πολλὰ ἕτερα ὀνόματα τίθησι τῇ γνώσει τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ἅπερ νῦν καταλέγειν οὐ δυνατόν, μὴ συγχωροῦντος τοῦ τῶν σχολίων κανόνος. 43 Πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν τῶν λαβόντων μὲν πλοῦτον σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως, οὐ μὴν δὲ διαφυλαξάντων, εἴρηται τὸ «καὶ ἐξουσίασεν αὐτόν». Καὶ γὰρ ὁ προδότης Ἰούδας ἔλαβε πλοῦτον νοητὸν καὶ ὑπάρχοντα πνευματικά, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐξουσίασεν αὐτῶν, κέρδους ἕνεκεν προδεδωκὼς τὴν σοφίαν καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν τοῦ θεοῦ. 44 Ὅταν ἄνθρωπος παρὰ θεοῦ δέξηται γνῶσιν πνευματικήν, ὀλιγάκις μέμνηται τούτου τοῦ βίου καὶ τῆς αἰσθητῆς ζωῆς, τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ ἀεὶ περὶ τὴν θεωρίαν ἀσχολουμένης. 45 Περισπασμὸς θεοῦ ἐστι γνῶσις ἀληθὴς ἀπὸ τῶν αἰσθητῶν πραγμάτων χωρίζουσα τὴν κεκαθαρμένην ψυχήν. 46 6, 1 ἔστιν πονηρία ἣν εἶδον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, καὶ πολλή ἐστιν ἐπὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον· 6, 2 ἀνὴρ ᾧ δώσει αὐτῷ ὁ θεὸς πλοῦτον καὶ ὑπάρχοντα καὶ δόξαν, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὑστερῶν τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ παντὸς οὗ ἐπιθυμεῖ, καὶ οὐκ ἐξουσιάσει αὐτῷ ὁ θεὸς φαγεῖν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἀνὴρ ξένος φάγεται αὐτά· καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης καὶ ἀρρωστία πονηρά ἐστιν. 6, 3 ἐὰν γεννήσῃ ἀνὴρ ἑκατὸν καὶ ἔτη πολλὰ ζήσεται, καὶ πλῆθος ὅ τι ἔσονται αἱ ἡμέραι ἐτῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐμπλησθήσεται ἀπὸ ἀγαθωσύνης, καί γε ταφὴ οὐκ ἐγένετο αὐτῷ, εἶπα· ἀγαθὸν ὑπὲρ αὐτὸν τὸ ἔκτρωμα, 6, 4 ὅτι ἐν ματαιότητι ἦλθεν καὶ ἐν σκότει πορεύεται, καὶ ἐν σκότει ὄνομα αὐτοῦ καλυφθήσεται, 6, 5 καί γε ἥλιον οὐκ εἶδεν καὶ οὐκ ἔγνω, ἀναπαύσεις τούτῳ ὑπὲρ τοῦτον. 6, 6 καὶ εἰ ἔζησεν χιλίων ἐτῶν καθόδους καὶ ἀγαθωσύνην οὐκ εἶδεν, μὴ οὐκ εἰς τόπον ἕνα τὰ πάντα πορεύεται; Ἐν τούτῳ τῷ κεφαλαίῳ λέγει περὶ τῶν ἀπαθείας καταξιωθέντων καὶ γνώσεως καὶ πάλιν ἐκπεπτωκότων φθόνῳ τοῦ διαβόλου. Τὸ δὲ δεύτερον κεφάλαιον περιέχει ἀνδρὸς ἀκαθάρτου καὶ πολύπαιδος βίον μακρὸν καὶ μὴ ἐπεγνωκότος θεόν, οὗ καὶ προτιμότερον τὸ ἔκτρωμα τίθεται εἶναι, καὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ μετὰ θάνατον αὐτῷ τόπου τυγχάνον. 47 Ὁ διαφθείρων τὸν πλοῦτον τὸν πλουτισθέντα ἐν πάσῃ γνώσει καὶ πάσῃ σοφίᾳ ὁ πονηρός ἐστιν, ὅντινα καὶ ξένον καὶ ἀλλότριον λέγει τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ θεοῦ. Τὸ δὲ φαγεῖν λέγεται καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς βρώσεως καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς διαφθορᾶς· «ἐὰν θέλητε καὶ εἰσακούσητέ μου, φησί, τὰ ἀγαθὰ τῆς γῆς φάγεσθε· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ θέλητε μηδὲ εἰσακούσητέ μου, μάχαιρα ὑμᾶς κατέδεται–ἀντὶ τοῦ διαφθερεῖ. Τὸ γὰρ στόμα κυρίου ἐλάλησε ταῦτα.» Οὗτος δὲ ὁ ξένος καὶ πρὸς τὸν ∆αυὶδ ἐλθὼν πέπεικεν αὐτὸν θῦσαι τὴν ἀμνάδα τοῦ πένητος· ξένον γὰρ αὐτὸν ὠνόμασε τότε καὶ Νάθαν ὁ προφήτης. 48 6, 7 πᾶς μόχθος τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰς στόμα αὐτοῦ, καί γε ψυχὴ οὐ πληρωθήσεται Πᾶσα κακία τοῦ ἀνθρώπου μένει ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐ μὴ εἴπῃ τὸ «ἐκ τοῦ
Names, Vanity, and the Good Death§8
8"We all received of his fullness" (John 10:10). Regarding 6:8, what surplus is there for the wise man over the fool? Because the poor man knows how to go toward the life that is coming: "I am the life" (John 10:10).
Regarding 6:9, a good vision of the eyes is better than one passing by with the soul, and this too is vanity and the choice of the spirit. The good one follows the knowledge of God rather than the one following the desires of the soul; or rather, the knowledge of God is better than perishable pleasure. According to Symmachus: it is better to look toward what is coming than to rejoice in what is present.
However, vanity, the evil distraction, and the choice of the spirit do not apply to all those in the chapter; they apply to trivial things, but not to praiseworthy things. I say this because vanity, distraction, and the choice of the spirit do not apply to every instance in the chapter, in which some praiseworthy things are also contained; for the poor man's vanity is not the one going toward the life, but rather the one who has lived a thousand years' descent and has not seen goodness. Nor is the good vision of the eyes vanity again, but the one passing by with the soul.
Regarding 6:10, if something has become, its name has already been called, and it has been known that it is a man, and he will not be able to be judged with the strong against himself. Regarding 6:11, for these are many words multiplying vanity. What is extra for man? Regarding 6:12, for who knows what is good for man in life, the number of days of his life of vanity, and he made them in shadows? For who will announce to man what will be behind him under the sun, and how it will be, and who will announce it to him?
Of the names, some are of the bodily nature, and others are of the incorporeal; and the names of the bodily nature signify the quality of each thing, which consists of size, color, and shape; but the names of the incorporeal declare the logical state of each, whether being praiseworthy or trivial. But the former names are simply assigned to things, while the latter are not simply so; for they depend on choice. For it is within one's own power to flow toward virtue and to be deemed worthy of the knowledge that leads to it.
Whether an angel or archangel or throne or dominion, or to rush toward evil and be filled with the ignorance which makes him a demon or Satan or some other ruler of this darkness. If anything, he says, has happened according to the time of the creator, the name received a sign of his state, and the man also received the name of the dwelling of his state.
Let the man not say, he says: 'For whose sake am I joined to such a body, and why have I not become an angel, unless indeed there is favoritism with God or we have not become masters of ourselves?' For such words multiply vanity. And how does the creature say to the Creator: 'Why did you make me thus?' Or how does he answer God? But let him cease from these words, and let him do those things contributing to virtue and knowledge, as much as is in this shadowy age, regarding all these things as vain and a shadow, and as if the things of this life will be covered after the departure.
A good name is better than fine oil, and the day of death is better than the day of birth (Eccl 7:1). Names are not good or bad by their own nature; for they are composed of various letters, and no single letter is good or bad; but being applied to good things they are called good, and to evil things, evil. There, therefore, the good name signifies a good thing; yet Solomon says that nothing of the things that happen is good, except virtue and the knowledge of God.
But the oil now signifies luxury, which to those who live in luxury seems to be good. For that which is good by nature is called good, such as virtue, but to some, such as gold and silver. Thus also the rich man received his good things in his life, 'and Lazarus likewise the bad things' (Luke 16:20). But that oil is taken instead of luxury, David shows, saying concerning men that 'from the fruit of their grain and wine and oil they were filled' (Ps 65:13).
If the praiseworthy death, through which the righteous die with Christ, is fit to dissolve the soul from evil and ignorance, so again the birth opposed to this death joins the soul to evil and ignorance; therefore such a death is preferable to such a birth. To go in a good way to the house of mourning.
Greek · §8
πληρώματος αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἐλάβομεν». 49 6, 8 ὅτι τίς περισσεία τῷ σοφῷ ὑπὲρ τὸν ἄφρονα; διότι ὁ πένης οἶδεν πορευθῆναι κατέναντι τῆς ζωῆς Τῆς εἰπούσης· «ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ζωή.» 50 6, 9 ἀγαθὸν ὅραμα ὀφθαλμῶν ὑπὲρ πορευόμενον ψυχῇ, καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης καὶ προαίρεσις πνεύματος Ἀγαθὸς ὁ ἀκολουθῶν γνώσει θεοῦ ὑπὲρ τὸν ἀκολουθοῦντα τοῖς θελήμασι τῆς ψυχῆς· ἢ ἀγαθὸν γνῶσις θεοῦ ὑπὲρ ἡδονὴν φθαρτήν. Κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· βέλτιον πρὸς τὸν μέλλοντα βλέπειν ἢ ἐπὶ τοῖς παροῦσιν εὐφραίνεσθαι. 51 Οὐ πᾶσι δὲ τοῖς ἐν τῷ κεφαλαίῳ ἐφαρμόζειν τὴν ματαιότητα καὶ τὸν περισπασμὸν τὸν πονηρὸν καὶ τὴν προαίρεσιν τοῦ πνεύματος προσήκει, ἀλλὰ τοῖς μὲν ψεκτοῖς πράγμασιν ἐφαρμόζειν, τοῖς δὲ ἐπαινετοῖς μὴ ἐφαρμόζειν. Τοῦτο δὲ λέγω διὰ τὸ μὴ παντὶ τῷ κεφαλαίῳ ἐπιφέρειν αὐτὸν κατὰ κοινοῦ τὴν ματαιότητα καὶ τὸν περισπασμὸν καὶ τὴν προαίρεσιν τοῦ πνεύματος, ἐν ᾧ καὶ ἐπαινετά τινα πράγματα ἐνυπάρχει· οὐ γὰρ ὁ πένης ματαιότης ἐστὶν ὁ πορευόμενος κατέναντι τῆς ζωῆς, ἀλλ' ὁ ζήσας χιλίων ἐτῶν καθόδους καὶ 8 ἀγαθωσύνην μὴ θεασάμενος· οὐδ' αὖ πάλιν τὸ ἀγαθὸν ὅραμα τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἐστι ματαιότης, ἀλλ' ὁ πορευόμενος τῇ ψυχῇ. 52 6, 10 εἴ τι ἐγένετο, ἤδη κέκληται ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐγνώσθη ὅ ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος, καὶ οὐ δυνήσεται τοῦ κριθῆναι μετὰ τοῦ ἰσχυροῦ ὑπὲρ αὐτόν· 6, 11 ὅτι εἰσὶν λόγοι πολλοὶ πληθύνοντες ματαιότητα. τί περισσὸν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ; 6, 12 ὅτι τίς οἶδεν τί ἀγαθὸν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐν τῇ ζωῇ, ἀριθμὸν ἡμερῶν ζωῆς ματαιότητος αὐτοῦ; καὶ ἐποίησεν αὐτὰς ἐν σκιᾷ· ὅτι τίς ἀπαγγελεῖ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τί ἔσται ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, καὶ καθὼς ἔσται, τίς ἀπαγγελεῖ αὐτῷ; Τῶν ὀνομάτων τὰ μὲν τῆς σωματικῆς ἐστι φύσεως, τὰ δὲ τῆς ἀσωμάτου· καὶ τὰ μὲν τῆς σωματικῆς φύσεως ὀνόματα σημαίνει τὴν ἑκάστου πράγματος ποιότητα, ἥτις συνίσταται ἐκ μεγέθους καὶ χρώματος καὶ σχήματος· τὰ δὲ τῶν ἀσωμάτων ὀνόματα δηλοῖ τὴν ἑκάστου λογικοῦ κατάστασιν, ἤτοι ἐπαινετὴν οὖσαν ἢ ψεκτήν· ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν πρότερα ὀνόματα ἁπλῶς τοῖς πράγμασι τέθειται, τὰ δὲ δεύτερα οὐχ ἁπλῶς· τῆς γὰρ προαιρέσεως ἤρτηται. Τοῦ γὰρ αὐτεξουσίου ἐστὶ τὸ ῥέψαι πρὸς ἀρετὴν καὶ καταξιωθῆναι γνώσεως τῆς ποιούσης αὐτὸν ἄγγελον ἢ ἀρχάγγελον ἢ θρόνον ἢ κυριότητα ἢ ῥέψαι πρὸς κακίαν καὶ πλησθῆναι ἀγνοίας τῆς ποιούσης αὐτὸν δαίμονα ἢ σατανᾶν ἢ ἄλλον τινὰ κοσμοκράτορα τοῦ σκότους τούτου. Εἴ τι οὖν, φησίν, γέγονε κατὰ τὸν τῆς κοσμοποιΐας καιρόν, ἔλαβεν ὄνομα σημαῖνον αὐτοῦ τὴν κατάστασιν, ἔλαβε δὲ καὶ ὁ ἄνθρωπος τὸ οἰκεῖον τῆς καταστάσεως αὐτοῦ ὄνομα. Μὴ τοίνυν λεγέτω, φησίν, ὁ ἄνθρωπος· τίνος χάριν τοιούτῳ σώματι συνεζεύχθην καὶ διὰ τί μὴ γέγονα ἄγγελος, εἰ μὴ ἄρα προσωποληψία ἐστὶ παρὰ τῷ θεῷ ἢ αὐτεξούσιοι οὐ γεγόναμεν; οἱ γὰρ τοιοῦτοι λόγοι πληθύνουσι ματαιότητα. Πῶς δὲ ἐρεῖ καὶ τὸ πλάσμα τῷ πλάσαντι· τί με ἐποίησας οὕτως; ἢ πῶς ἀνταποκρίνεται τῷ θεῷ; ἀλλὰ τούτων μὲν παυσάσθω τῶν λόγων, τὰ δὲ συντελοῦντα πρὸς ἀρετὴν καὶ γνῶσιν ποιείτω, ἐφ' ὅσον ἐστὶν ἐν τῷ σκιώδει τούτῳ αἰῶνι, πάντα τὰ τῇδε μάταια καὶ σκιὰν λογιζόμενος καὶ ὡς λήθῃ καλυφθήσεται τὰ τοῦ βίου τούτου μετὰ τὴν ἔξοδον. 53 7, 1 ἀγαθὸν ὄνομα ὑπὲρ ἔλαιον ἀγαθὸν καὶ ἡμέρα τοῦ θανάτου ὑπὲρ ἡμέραν γενέσεως αὐτοῦ Τὰ ὀνόματα τῇ ἰδίᾳ φύσει οὔτε ἀγαθά ἐστιν οὔτε πονηρά· ἀπὸ γὰρ διαφόρων συνέστηκε γραμμάτων, οὐδεμία δὲ γραμμή ἐστιν ἀγαθὴ ἢ κακή· τιθέμενα δὲ πράγμασιν ἀγαθοῖς λέγεται ἀγαθὰ καὶ πονηροῖς πονηρά. Ἐνταῦθα οὖν τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ἀγαθὸν πρᾶγμα σημαίνει ἀγαθόν· οὐδὲν δὲ τῶν γεγονότων ἀγαθὸν λέγει ὁ Σολομὼν εἰ μὴ ἀρετὴν καὶ γνῶσιν θεοῦ. Τὸ δὲ ἔλαιον νῦν τὴν σωματικὴν σημαίνει τρυφὴν ἥτις τοῖς τρυφῶσι φαίνεται εἶναι ἀγαθή. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἀγαθὸν τῇ φύσει λέγεται εἶναι ἀγαθὸν ὡς ἡ ἀρετή, τὸ δέ τισιν ὡς ὁ χρυσὸς καὶ ὁ ἄργυρος· οὕτω καὶ ὁ πλούσιος τὰ ἀγαθὰ αὐτοῦ ἀπέλαβεν ἐν τῇ ζωῇ αὐτοῦ «καὶ Λάζαρος ὁμοίως τὰ κακά». Ὅτι δὲ τὸ ἔλαιον ἀντὶ τρυφῆς παραλαμβάνεται, παρίστησιν ὁ ∆αυὶδ λέγων περὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὅτι «ἀπὸ καρποῦ σίτου καὶ οἴνου καὶ ἐλαίου αὐτῶν ἐπληθύνθησαν». 54 Εἰ ὁ ἐπαινετὸς θάνατος καθ' ὃν συναποθνῄσκουσιν οἱ δίκαιοι τῷ Χριστῷ διαλύειν πέφυκε ψυχὴν ἀπὸ κακίας καὶ ἀγνωσίας, οὕτω πάλιν ἡ ἀντικειμένη γένεσις τούτῳ τῷ θανάτῳ συνάπτει ψυχὴν κακίᾳ καὶ ἀγνωσίᾳ· διὸ καὶ προτιμότερος ὁ τοιοῦτος θάνατός ἐστιν τῆς τοιαύτης γενέσεως. 55 7, 2 ἀγαθὸν πορευθῆναι εἰς οἶκον πένθους
The End of Man and the Nature of Mourning§9
9Or that to go into a house of feasting, since this is the end of every man, and the living one will give good in his heart. Blessedness is the end of man.
If the Lord blesses mourning in the Gospels: 'For blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted' (Matt 5:4), then Solomon rightly says that mourning is the end of man, which fills those living in it with spiritual goods. A good temper is better than laughter, because in wickedness the face will be made good (Eccl 7:3). The heart of the wise is in a house of mourning, and the heart of fools is in a house of mirth (Eccl 7:4). It is good to hear the rebuke of a wise man rather than the songs of fools listening to a man (Eccl 7:5). For just as the sound of thorns under a pot is so, so is the laughter of fools; and this too is vanity (Eccl 7:6). For flattery turns the wise man and destroys the firmness of his heart (Eccl 7:7).
When the temper, striving for virtue, is directed toward the demons, it is strong and praiseworthy; but when it contends with men over perishable things, it becomes trivial. Therefore, what he says here is such: that the fool is made good in wickedness and laughs and rejoices in it, neither rejecting shameful songs nor allowing laughter to corrupt his soul like the crackling of thorns in a fire; but the righteous one rages against such passions and is indignant, and considers it better to have mourning than such mirth, or the rebuke of a wise man against such songs; and he calls such a life vanity and flattery, easily deceiving the heart of the wise and dissolving its firmness in the virtues.
The last words are better than the first words of Creon, says the poet of the law, rather than the listener of the law (Eccl 7:8). For the first words of instruction are called words, but the last words are called words of works, if indeed words are called good words because of good works. Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, for anger is in the belly of fools (Eccl 7:9).
Greek · §9
ἢ ὅτι πορευθῆναι εἰς οἶκον πότου, καθότι τοῦτο τὸ τέλος παντὸς ἀνθρώπου, καὶ ὁ ζῶν δώσει ἀγαθὸν ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ Τέλος τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἡ μακαριότης ἐστίν. Εἰ δὲ μακαρίζει τὸ πένθος ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις ὁ κύριος· «μακάριοι γάρ, φησίν, οἱ πενθοῦντες, ὅτι αὐτοὶ παρακληθήσονται», καλῶς τὸ πένθος ὁ Σολομὼν τέλος τοῦ ἀνθρώπου φησίν, ὅπερ τοὺς ἐν αὐτῷ ζῶντας πληροῖ τῶν πνευματικῶν ἀγαθῶν. 56 7, 3 ἀγαθὸν θυμὸς ὑπὲρ γέλωτα, ὅτι ἐν κακίᾳ προσώπου ἀγαθυνθήσεται καρδία. 7, 4 καρδία σοφῶν ἐν οἴκῳ πένθους, καὶ καρδία ἀφρόνων ἐν οἴκῳ εὐφροσύνης. 7, 5 9 ἀγαθὸν τὸ ἀκοῦσαι ἐπιτίμησιν σοφοῦ ὑπὲρ ἄνδρα ἀκούοντα ᾆσμα ἀφρόνων· 7, 6 ὅτι ὡς φωνὴ τῶν ἀκανθῶν ὑπὸ τὸν λέβητα, οὕτως ὁ γέλως ὁ τῶν ἀφρόνων· καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης. 7, 7 ὅτι ἡ συκοφαντία περιφέρει σοφὸν καὶ ἀπολλύει τὴν εὐτονίαν τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ Ὅταν μὲν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀγωνιζόμενος ὁ θυμὸς πυκτεύῃ τοῖς δαίμοσιν, ἔστιν ἰσχυρὸς καὶ ἐπαινετός· ὅταν δὲ ὑπὲρ τῶν φθαρτῶν πραγμάτων διαμάχηται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, γίνεται ψεκτός. Ἐνταῦθα τοίνυν ὃ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν, ὅτι ὁ μὲν ἄφρων ἀγαθύνεται ἐν τῇ κακίᾳ καὶ γελᾷ καὶ εὐφραίνεται ἐπ' αὐτῇ, μήτε ᾄσματα αἰσχρὰ παραιτούμενος μήτε γέλωτας τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ διαφθείροντας δίκην πυρὸς ἐν ἀκάνθαις ἀναπτομένου· ὁ δὲ δίκαιος καὶ θυμοῦται κατὰ τῶν τοιούτων παθῶν καὶ ἀγανακτεῖ καὶ προτιμότερον ἡγεῖται εἶναι πένθος μὲν τῆς τοιαύτης εὐφροσύνης, ἐπιτίμησιν δὲ σοφοῦ τῶν τοιούτων ᾀσμάτων· ματαιότητα δὲ τὴν τοιαύτην ζωὴν ὀνομάζει καὶ συκοφαντίαν, εὐκόλως ἀπατῶσαν καρδίαν σοφοῦ καὶ διαλύουσαν τὴν ἐν ταῖς ἀρεταῖς αὐτῆς εὐτονίαν. 57 7, 8.1 ἀγαθὴ ἐσχάτη λόγων ὑπὲρ ἀρχὴν αὐτῶν Κρείσσων, φησίν, ὁ ποιητὴς τοῦ νόμου ὑπὲρ τὸν ἀκροατὴν τοῦ νόμου· οἱ γὰρ πρῶτοι λόγοι τῆς διδασκαλίας λέγονται λόγοι, οἱ δὲ ἔσχατοι λόγοι καλοῦνται λόγοι τῶν ἔργων, εἴγε καὶ οἱ λόγοι διὰ τὰ καλὰ ἔργα καλοὶ λόγοι λέγονται εἶναι. 58 7, 9 μὴ σπεύσῃς ἐν πνεύματί σου τοῦ θυμοῦσθαι, ὅτι θυμὸς ἐν κόλπῳ ἀφρόνων
Commentary on Ecclesiastes§10
10It should be noted that here 'bosom' is used as a synonym for the soul; for no one would say that the mind rests in the sensible bosom. Regarding Ecclesiastes 7:10, do not say: 'What happened that the days that were before were better than these?' because you did not inquire about this in wisdom. If 'the fear of the Lord adds days' (Eccl 7:1), it is for us to enjoy the good or better days of holy knowledge.
To think that things are given to the elders according to time and the first things of knowledge is not wise; for even if something is ancient, it is not necessarily worthy of honor, since even evil is ancient, but it is not worthy of being honored because of time, if 'not the long-lived are wise, nor do the elders understand judgment' (Eccl 7:15).
Regarding 'good wisdom with inheritance, and abundance to those who behold the sun' (Eccl 7:11), and 'for wisdom is like the shadow of silver, and an abundance of knowledge will vivify the one beside it' (Eccl 7:12): just as those who behold the sun possess something more than those who have beheld it but no longer behold it, so those who happen to have wisdom and have authority over it have possessed something more—this is what is meant by 'with inheritance'—than those who received it and fell from it through their own lawlessness. For everyone who has acquired wisdom and lost it first acquired a shadow of wisdom and not wisdom, and later it seems as if a man had acquired a shadow of silver but had not acquired silver; for wisdom is by nature not something merely received, but it vivifies the one who possesses it through knowledge.
Regarding 'there is a righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and there is a godless man living in his wickedness' (Eccl 7:15-16), destruction is called so, as is the abandonment through testing, as in the case of Job: 'I have perished, for he says, and I have become a stranger' (Job 3:23). 'But from me a little,' says the...
Greek · §10
ἀναπαύσεται Σημειωτέον ὅτι κόλπον ἄντικρυς ἐνταῦθα τὴν ψυχὴν ὀνομάζει· οὐ γὰρ ἄν τις εἴποι τὸ θυμὸν ἐν τῷ αἰσθητῷ ἀναπαύσασθαι κόλπῳ. 59 7, 10 μὴ εἴπῃς· τί ἐγένετο ὅτι αἱ ἡμέραι αἱ πρότερον ἦσαν ἀγαθαὶ ὑπὲρ ταύτας; ὅτι οὐκ ἐν σοφίᾳ ἐπηρώτησας περὶ τούτου Εἰ «φόβος κυρίου προστίθησιν ἡμέρας», ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἐστι τὸ ἀγαθῶν ἢ ἀγαθωτέρων ἀπολαύειν τῶν τῆς ἁγίας γνώσεως ἡμερῶν. Τὸ δὲ νομίζειν τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις κατὰ τὸν χρόνον καὶ τὰ πρωτεῖα τῆς γνώσεως δίδοσθαι οὐ σοφῶν· οὐδὲ γὰρ εἴ τι ἀρχαῖον, τοῦτο καὶ τιμῆς ἄξιον, ἐπειδὴ παλαιὰ μὲν πάντως καὶ ἡ κακία, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ καὶ τιμᾶσθαι διὰ τὸν χρόνον ἀξία, εἴπερ «οὐχ οἱ πολυχρόνιοί εἰσι σοφοὶ οὐδ' οἱ γέροντες οἴδασι κρίμα». 60 7, 11 ἀγαθὴ σοφία μετὰ κληροδοσίας, καὶ περισσεία τοῖς θεωροῦσιν τὸν ἥλιον· 7, 12 ὅτι ἐν σκιᾷ αὐτῆς ἡ σοφία ὡς σκιὰ τοῦ ἀργυρίου, καὶ περισσεία γνώσεως τῆς σοφίας ζωοποιήσει τὸν παρ' αὐτῆσ Ὥσπερ ἔχουσί τι περισσὸν οἱ θεωροῦντες τὸν ἥλιον τῶν τεθεωρηκότων μέν, μηκέτι δὲ θεωρούντων, οὕτω κέκτηνταί τι πλέον οἱ τυχόντες σοφίας καὶ ἐξουσιάσαντες αὐτῆς–τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ «μετὰ κληροδοσίας»–τῶν λαβόντων καὶ ἐκπεσόντων αὐτῆς δι' οἰκείας παρανομίας. Ὅτι πᾶς ὁ κτησάμενος σοφίαν καὶ ἀπολέσας αὐτὴν πρῶτον μὲν σκιὰν σοφίας καὶ οὐ σοφίαν ἐκτήσατο, ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ ἔοικεν ἀνθρώπῳ σκιὰν ἀργυρίου κατεσχηκότι, ἀργύριον δὲ μὴ κτησαμένῳ· ἡ γὰρ σοφία πέφυκεν οὐ λαμβανομένη, ἀλλὰ συνοῦσα ζωοποιεῖν διὰ τῆς γνώσεως τὸν κεκτημένον αὐτήν. 61 7, 15.2–3 ἔστιν δίκαιος ἀπολλυόμενος ἐν δικαίῳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔστιν ἀσεβὴς μένων ἐν κακίᾳ αὐτοῦ Ἀπώλεια λέγεται καὶ ἡ διὰ δοκιμὴν ἐγκατάλειψις, ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰώβ· «ἀπωλόμην γάρ, φησί, καὶ ἔξοικος ἐγενόμην.» 62 «Ἐμοῦ δὲ παρὰ μικρόν, φησὶν ὁ
The Peril of Immoderate Piety and the Timing of Death§11
11David says, 'My feet have slipped; a little while my steps were poured out,' because I sought peace among those who work iniquity, seeing sinners (Ps 69:2).
Do not become too righteous, and do not philosophize excessively, lest you be struck with amazement (Eccl 7:16). Do not be impiously excessive and do not become harsh, so that you do not die at an inopportune time (Eccl 7:17). It is good that you hold fast to this, and indeed do not withdraw your hand from this, for he who fears God will emerge from all things (Eccl 7:18). Do not let an impious thought be lodged in your heart, lest your soul, having been impious, die in ignorance. The Sodomites and the Gomorrites died at their inopportune time (Gen 19). And if this time is a time of uprightness, those dying in this time and being separated from the life that is to come—'I am the life' (John 14:6)—do not die at an inopportune time.
It is good that you hold fast to not being too righteous, and indeed do not withdraw your heart from impiety, for fearing God, he will emerge from every evil. Guard the mouth of a king (Prov 21:1). Now 'mouth' refers to the word or the commandment. For even I know that it will be good for those fearing God, so that they may fear from his face (Eccl 8:12); and it will not be good for the impious, and he who does not fear from the face of God will not prolong his days in the shadow (Eccl 8:13). Now 'good' refers to the knowledge, the knowledge of God. It is vanity which has been made upon the earth (Eccl 1:2), that if they are righteous, it comes to them as a work of the impious, and if they are impious, it comes to them as a work of the righteous; I said that even this is vanity. It is vanity, he says, which happens upon the earth, that they are righteous and as...
Greek · §11
∆αυίδ, ἐσαλεύθησαν οἱ πόδες, παρ' ὀλίγον ἐξεχύθη τὰ διαβήματά μου· ὅτι ἐζήλωσα ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀνόμοις εἰρήνην ἁμαρτωλῶν θεωρῶν.» 63 7, 16 μὴ γίνου δίκαιος πολὺ καὶ μὴ σοφίζου περισσά, μήποτε ἐκπλαγῇς. 7, 17 μὴ ἀσεβήσῃς πολὺ καὶ μὴ γίνου σκληρός, ἵνα μὴ ἀποθάνῃς ἐν οὐ καιρῷ σου. 7, 18 ἀγαθὸν τὸ ἀντέχεσθαί σε ἐν τούτῳ, καί γε ἀπὸ τούτου μὴ μιάνῃς τὴν χεῖρά σου, ὅτι ὁ φοβούμενος τὸν θεὸν ἐξελεύσεται τὰ πάντα Μὴ ἐγχρονιζέτω, φησίν, ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου λογισμὸς ἀσεβής, μήποτε ἀσεβήσασα ἡ ψυχή σου ἀποθάνῃ ἐν ἀγνωσίᾳ. Ἐν οὐ καιρῷ αὐτῶν ἀπέθανον οἱ Σοδομῖται καὶ οἱ Γομορρῖται. Καὶ εἰ ὁ χρόνος οὗτος καιρός ἐστι κατορθώσεως, οἱ ἐν τῷ χρόνῳ τούτῳ ἀποθνῄσκοντες καὶ χωριζόμενοι τῆς ζωῆς τῆς εἰπούσης· «ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ζωή», οὐκ ἐν καιρῷ ἀποθνῄσκουσιν. 64 Ἀγαθὸν τὸ ἀντέχεσθαί σε τοῦ μὴ δίκαιον 10 εἶναι πολύ, καί γε ἀπὸ ἀσεβείας μὴ μιάνῃς τὴν καρδίαν σου, ὅτι φοβούμενος τὸν θεὸν ἀπὸ πάσης ἐξελεύσῃ κακίας. 65 8, 2.1 στόμα βασιλέως φύλαξον Στόμα νῦν λέγει τὸν λόγον ἢ τὴν ἐντολήν. 66 8, 12.3–5 ὅτι καί γε γινώσκω ἐγὼ ὅτι ἔσται ἀγαθὸν τοῖς φοβουμένοις τὸν θεόν, ὅπως φοβῶνται ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ· 8, 13 καὶ ἀγαθὸν οὐκ ἔσται τῷ ἀσεβεῖ, καὶ οὐ μακρυνεῖ ἡμέρας ἐν σκιᾷ ὃς οὐκ ἔστιν φοβούμενος ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ Νῦν ἀγαθὸν τὴν γνῶσιν λέγει τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ. 67 8, 14 ἔστιν ματαιότης ἣ πεποίηται ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὅτι εἰσὶν δίκαιοι ὅτι φθάνει πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὡς ποίημα τῶν ἀσεβῶν, καὶ εἰσὶν ἀσεβεῖς ὅτι φθάνει πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὡς ποίημα τῶν δικαίων· εἶπα ὅτι καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότησ Ἔστι ματαιότης, φησίν, ἥτις γίνεται ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὅτι εἰσὶ δίκαιοι καὶ ὡς
The Unjust and the Heart's Inquiry§12
12The impious fall into misfortunes, and they are impious and yet enjoy good things as if they were righteous. For concerning these things the prophet says to the Lord: 'But I will speak judgments to you: why is the way of the impious prosperous?' (Ps 73:18) and David: 'A little while, he says, my steps were poured out; for I sought peace among the lawless, seeing the sinners' (Ps 37:10).
That with all this I gave into my heart, and my heart with all saw this. The man approaches things to the heart, turning them aside for their investigation, and after these things the heart knows the things; and this is the 'I encircled, and my heart to know.' For the thing circles, and the one approaching it to the heart through examination, and the heart again knowing it. But this must be known, that not all things which the man circles and the heart knows; for we examine many things, but we know few.
That there is no making and thought and knowledge and wisdom in Hades, where you go. If there is no thought in Hades, how does the rich man entreat Abraham to send Lazarus to him? (Luke 16:24)
And the man did not know his time. The man did not know that time is the season of uprightness; for time signifies the opportune moment.
And walk in the ways of your heart, blameless, and in the vision of your eyes, in practice and in contemplation (Ps 119:9). And turn away the passion from your heart and lead away evil from your flesh. From here we know that the passionate part is joined to the heart, and the lustful part to the flesh. Now he says evil: the fornication and the gluttony.
Greek · §12
ἀσεβεῖς περιπίπτουσι συμφοραῖς, καὶ εἰσὶν ἀσεβεῖς καὶ ὡς δίκαιοι ἀπολαύουσιν ἀγαθῶν. Περὶ γὰρ τούτων καὶ ὁ προφήτης φησὶ πρὸς τὸν κύριον· «πλὴν κρίματα λαλήσω πρὸς σέ· τί ὅτι ὁδὸς ἀσεβῶν εὐοδοῦται;»· καὶ ὁ ∆αυίδ· «παρ' ὀλίγον, φησίν, ἐξεχύθη τὰ διαβήματά μου· ὅτι ἐζήλωσα ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀνόμοις εἰρήνην ἁμαρτωλῶν θεωρῶν.» 68 9, 1.1–2 ὅτι σὺν πᾶν τοῦτο ἔδωκα εἰς τὴν καρδίαν μου, καὶ καρδία μου σὺν πᾶν εἶδεν τοῦτο Ὁ μὲν ἄνθρωπος προσάγει τῇ καρδίᾳ τὰ πράγματα πρὸς τὴν ἔρευναν αὐτῶν ἀποκλίνων, ἡ δὲ καρδία μετὰ ταῦτα γινώσκει τὰ πράγματα· καὶ τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ «ἐκύκλωσα ἐγώ, καὶ ἡ καρδία μου τοῦ γνῶναι». Κυκλοῖ γὰρ τὸ πρᾶγμα καὶ ὁ προσάγων αὐτὸ τῇ καρδίᾳ διὰ τῆς ἐξετάσεως καὶ ἡ καρδία πάλιν γινώσκουσα αὐτό. Πλὴν τοῦτο ἰστέον, ὅτι οὐ πάντα ὅσα κυκλοῖ ὁ ἄνθρωπος καὶ γινώσκει ἡ καρδία· πολλὰ γὰρ ἐξετάζομεν, ὀλίγα δὲ γινώσκομεν. 69 9, 10.3–4 ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ποίημα καὶ λογισμὸς καὶ γνῶσις καὶ σοφία ἐν ᾅδῃ, ὅπου σὺ πορεύῃ ἐκεῖ Εἰ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ᾅδῃ λογισμός, πῶς ὁ πλούσιος παρακαλεῖ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ ἀποστεῖλαι τὸν Λάζαρον πρὸς αὐτόν; 70 9, 12.1 καί γε οὐκ ἔγνω ὁ ἄνθρωπος τὸν καιρὸν αὐτοῦ Οὐκ ἔγνω ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὅτι καιρός ἐστι χρόνος κατορθώσεως· καιρὸν γὰρ τὴν εὐκαιρίαν δηλοῖ. 71 11, 9.3–4 καὶ περιπάτει ἐν ὁδοῖς καρδίας σου, ἄμωμος, καὶ ἐν ὁράσει ὀφθαλμῶν σου Ἐν πράξει καὶ θεωρίᾳ. 72 11, 10.1–2 καὶ ἀπόστησον θυμὸν ἀπὸ καρδίας σου καὶ παράγαγε πονηρίαν ἀπὸ σαρκός σου Ἐντεῦθεν γινώσκομεν ὅτι τὸ μὲν θυμικὸν τῇ καρδίᾳ συνέζευκται, τὸ δὲ ἐπιθυμητικὸν τῇ σαρκί. 73 Νῦν πονηρίαν τὴν πορνείαν λέγει καὶ τὴν γαστριμαργίαν. 11