John Chrysostom, On Ecclesiastes

true. Do you wish also about the body? I will say this as well: the body is corruptible, and dust is the corruption of corruption, or as we might say, kingdoms of kingdoms. When you also have the comparison to things of the same kind, a beautiful thing among beautiful things would be very beautiful. So it is not simply vanity, but such that after it there could be no other vanity. Consider for me a shadow; this is vanity of vanities compared to a painting. For just as there is a truth of truths, such as God's and ours, so there is a vanity of vanities, and not simply vanity, but the highest vanity of all. All is vanity. What "all" does he mean? Heaven, earth, sea, this world? May it not be. For what was said is blasphemous; for the works of God could not be vain, but true; for all your works, he says, are true, and all his ways are judgments. About what, then, does he say: vanity of vanities? Or is he not content saying it once, but always adds this? He speaks from a certain disposition by doubling these things. Let us not be afraid, beloved, let us not be troubled, let us not be led astray, let us not lead the argument all over the place. The refutation is near at hand. What then does he say? What profit has a man in all his labor which he toils under the sun? Did you see what "all" he means? The worldly works of men, commerce, retail, business affairs, glory, wealth, luxury. And see how he laid the matter low, and see how first calling it labor, which most strikes the hearer, he then also said the labor is without profit. And he does not make a declaration here, but asks: what profit has a man? This was the act of one very confident in his arguments and showing great gravity and condemning them as madmen and those doing all things in vain. So-and-so built a house, made it splendid. What is the benefit to him? Nothing. He gathered craftsmen, spent money, fulfilled his desire, cut himself off from companions, endured illnesses, anxieties, offenses, asked for favors, all things came together. What is the profit? Tell me. What, small or great, was he able to enjoy? Another, again, having received his paternal inheritance, fed harlots, entered into office, accomplished great things. What is the end, tell me, in all his labor? I do not say that some of the labor is good, and some is bad. Bring me everything into the open and you will find nothing. For the things of piety are not of labor; for the momentary lightness of affliction works for us an exceedingly great weight of glory; and come to me all you who labor; take my yoke, for it is easy, and my burden is light.

But this is labor, since it neither has God cooperating, nor is it lightened by hopes. And if you wish to say that the man himself being reproved is labor, you may, and I do not refuse. This labor is under the sun, that labor is not under the sun, but above the sun. For our citizenship is in heaven. Do you see how immediately in the beginning and in the prefaces he defined what he was speaking about? About the things under heaven, about these wicked and toilsome things for which men <toil> *** 2 *** to be disposed and to consider them nothing; which Paul also says: not in any honor for the indulgence of the flesh. But the evil one † to whom he says justice, to gather † Because to the man who is good in his sight he has given wisdom and knowledge and gladness; and to the sinner he has given the distraction to be distracted and to gather. Not to take breath, to labor for others; do you see how he leads away from gathering wealth, how he stops desire, how he cuts off ostentation, how he leads toward spending and expenditure? For he who withholds from himself, how will he give to another? But he who provides for himself, much more also for another; for he is taught to despise money.

Let us learn therefore that to despise is the work of God, but to live in luxury is superfluous; for he will spend on necessary needs. For perhaps one hearing that to show mercy is the work of God would not have accepted it, as one hearing that to live in luxury is the work of God. Do not be afraid to spend; God gives to you; he rejoices in these things more than in those; since where

ἀληθινόν. Βούλει δὲ καὶ περὶ σώματος; Καὶ αὐτὸ εἴπω· τὸ σῶμα φθαρτόν, ἡ δὲ κόνις φθορὰ φθορᾶς, ἢ ὡς εἴποιμεν βασιλεῖαι βασιλειῶν. Ὅταν καὶ τὴν σύγκρισιν πρὸς τὰ ὁμογενῆ ἔχῃς, καλὸς καλῶν πάνυ καλὸς ἂν εἴη. Ὥστε οὐχ ἁπλῶς ματαιότης, ἀλλὰ τοιαύτη μεθ' ἣν οὐκ ἂν εἴη ἑτέρα ματαιότης. Ἐννόησόν μοι σκιάν· τοῦτο ματαιότης ματαιοτήτων παρὰ ζωγραφίαν. Ὥσπερ γάρ ἐστιν ἀλήθεια ἀληθείας, οἷον ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἡ ἡμετέρα, οὕτως ματαιότης ματαιοτήτων, καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς ματαιότης, ἀλλὰ πάντων ματαιότης ἀνωτάτω. Πάντα ματαιότης. Τὰ πάντα ποῖα λέγει; Οὐρανόν, γῆν, θάλατταν, τόνδε τὸν κόσμον; Μὴ γένοιτο. Βλάσφημον γὰρ τὸ λεχθέν· τὰ γὰρ ἔργα τοῦ θεοῦ οὐκ ἂν εἴη μάταια, ἀλλὰ ἀληθῆ· καὶ πάντα γὰρ τὰ ἔργα σου, φησίν, ἀληθινὰ καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ κρίσεις. Περὶ ποῖα οὖν λέγει· ματαιότης ματαιοτήτων; ἢ οὐκ ἀρκεῖται ἅπαξ εἰπών, ἀλλ' ἐπιλέγει ἀεὶ οὕτως; Ἀπὸ διαθέσεως φθέγγεται τῷ διπλασιάζειν αὐτά. Μὴ φοβηθῶμεν, ἀγαπητοί, μὴ θορυβηθῶμεν, μὴ πλανηθῶμεν, μὴ πανταχοῦ περιαγάγωμεν τὸν λόγον. Ἐγγύθεν ὁ ἔλεγχος. Τί οὖν φησιν; Τίς περισσεία τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ ᾧ μοχθεῖ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον; Εἶδες ποῖα πάντα φησίν; Τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἔργα τὰ βιωτικά, ἐμπορίας, καπηλείας, πραγματείας, δόξαν, πλοῦτον, τρυφήν. Καὶ ὅρα πῶς κατέβαλεν τὸ πρᾶγμα, καὶ ὅρα πῶς πρῶτον μὲν μόχθον καλέσας, ὃ προσίσταται μάλιστα τῷ ἀκροατῇ, εἶπεν δὴ καὶ ἀκερδῆ τὸν μόχθον. Καὶ οὐκ ἀποφαίνεται ἐνταῦθα, ἀλλ' ἐρωτᾷ· τίς περισσεία τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ; Ὃ καὶ σφόδρα θαρροῦντος ἦν τοῖς ἐλέγχοις καὶ πολλὴν ἐμφαῖνον τὴν βαρύτητα καὶ κατα γινώσκοντος ὡς μαινομένων καὶ εἰκῇ πάντα ποιούντων. Ὁ δεῖνα οἴκημα ἐδείματο, λαμπρὸν κατέστησεν. Τί τούτῳ τὸ ὄφελος; Οὐδέν. Τεχνίτας συνήγαγεν, χρήματα ἀνήλωσεν, τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἐπλήρωσεν, ἀπετέμετο ἑταίρας, ἀρρωστίας ὑπέμεινεν, φροντίδας, προσκρούσματα, χάριτας ᾔτησεν, πάντα συνέδραμεν. Τί τὸ περισσόν; εἰπέ μοι. Τί μικρὸν ἢ μέγα ἀπώνασθαι ἠδυνήθη; Ἕτερος πάλιν, κλῆρον πατρῷον παραλαβών, πόρνας ἔθρεψεν, ἀρχῆς ἐπέβη, μεγάλα εἰργάσατο. Τί τὸ πέρας, εἰπέ μοι, ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ; Οὐ λέγω ὅτι τοῦ μόχθου τὸ μὲν καλόν, τὸ δὲ κακόν. Πάντα μοι φέρε εἰς μέσον καὶ οὐδὲν εὑρήσεις. Τὰ γὰρ τῆς εὐσεβείας οὐ μόχθου· τὸ γὰρ παραυτίκα ἐλαφρὸν τῆς θλίψεως εἰς ὑπερβολὴν βάρος δόξης ἡμῖν κατεργάζεται· καὶ δεῦτε πρός με πάντες οἱ κοπιῶντες· ἄρατε τὸν ζυγόν μου, ὅτι χρηστός, καὶ τὸ φορτίον μου ἐλαφρόν.

Τοῦτο δὲ μόχθος, ἅτε μήτε τὸν θεὸν ἔχον συμπράττοντα, μήτε ταῖς ἐλπίσι κουφιζόμενον. Καὶ εἰ βούλει τὸν ἄνθρωπον αὐτὸν ἐλεγχόμενον εἰπεῖν μόχθον, βούλει καὶ οὐ παραιτοῦμαι. Οὗτος ὁ μόχθος ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, ἐκεῖνος ὁ μόχθος οὐχ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τὸν ἥλιον. Ἡμῶν γὰρ τὸ πολίτευμα ἐν οὐρανοῖς ὑπάρχει. Ὁρᾷς πῶς εὐθέως ἐν ἀρχῇ καὶ ἐν προοιμίοις διωρίσατο περὶ ὧν ἔλεγεν; Περὶ τῶν ὑπ' οὐρανὸν πραγμάτων, περὶ τῶν μοχθηρῶν τούτων καὶ ἐπιπόνων περὶ ὧν οἱ ἄνθρω<ποι μοχθοῦσιν> *** 2 *** διακεῖσθαι καὶ μηδὲν αὐτὰ τίθεσθαι· ὃ καὶ Παῦλός φησιν· οὐκ ἐν τιμῇ τινι πρὸς πλησμονὴν τῆς σαρκός. Ὁ δὲ πονηρὸς † τίνι δίκην φησίν, τὸ συνάγειν † Ὅτι τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τῷ ἀγαθῷ πρὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ ἔδωκεν σοφίαν καὶ γνῶσιν καὶ εὐφροσύνην· καὶ τῷ ἁμαρτωλῷ ἔδωκεν περισπασμὸν τοῦ περισπασθῆναι καὶ τοῦ συναγαγεῖν. Τὸ μὴ ἀναπνεῖν, τὸ ἑτέροις μοχθεῖν· ὁρᾷς πῶς ἀπάγει τοῦ συνάγειν χρήματα, πῶς ἵστησιν τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν, πῶς ἐκκόπτει τὴν φαντασίαν, πῶς ἐξάγει πρὸς δαπάνην καὶ ἀνάλωσιν; Ὁ γὰρ ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ κωλύων, πῶς ἑτέρῳ δώσει; Ὁ δὲ ἑαυτῷ παρέχων, πολλῷ μᾶλλον καὶ ἑτέρῳ· παιδεύεται γὰρ καταφρονεῖν χρημάτων.

Μάθωμεν οὖν ὅτι τὸ μὲν καταφρονεῖν ἔργον τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν, τὸ δὲ τρυφᾶν περιττόν· εἰς ἀναγκαίας γὰρ ἀναλώσει χρείας. Οὐ γὰρ ἴσως ἂν παρεδέξατο τις ἀκούων ὅτι τὸ ἐλεεῖν ἔργον θεοῦ, ὡς ὁ ἀκούων ὅτι τὸ τρυφᾶν ἔργον θεοῦ. Μὴ φοβηθῇς ἀναλῶσαι· δίδωσίν σοι ὁ θεός· τούτοις χαίρει μάλιστα ἢ ἐκείνοις· ἐπεὶ ποῦ