3

we are rather pleased with this, so that no one might think that the one saying these things is speaking about himself. "words" therefore are instead of sayings "of the Preacher". For in many ways "words" are understood through sayings. as it is when ... they say ... towards a saying ... The "word" we say is conciseness ... but ... a saying, when again it says word ... to the one who said: "the Lord will give a word to those who preach the gospel", ... word ... to say the Lord "it came to Jeremiah"; ... him. And it is possible in parallel, that the one studying begins from concise things to attempt a complete discourse, instead of "words of the Preacher," sayings "of the Preacher"; "of the Preacher" according to the conception of "the Preacher". as it is "to know Christ according to the flesh" and "no longer" "according to the flesh", if he himself was especially the "Preacher" who now "speaks the parables" to the many who are troubled "outside," he is "the Preacher". But when he "interprets" "the parables" within "to the disciples" with an esoteric discourse, he is "no longer" "the Preacher," but Solomon singing the Song of Songs, the super-cosmic sayings that lead up to the "kingdom of heaven". 1,1b The words of the Preacher. I said that "son of David" is said in two ways, both according to instruction and according to birth. and it is not as his "son" that he says these things, but as the "wise" "son" of a wise man, since Absalom too could have said these things, having become both a perceptible "king" and from this. But he is "king" of the discerning "Israel" which has a mind seeing God, and he is "king" of the intelligible Israel. And not in just any place, but "king in Jerusalem"; but he will also reign in the "higher" city, the spiritual one, the city that sees peace. And let this also be said in addition to what has been stated, since often some write pseudonymous books and misuse titles. Clement, at any rate, says many things... he presented pseudonymous books through many arguments; for having read and remembered and known many things, the man showed that some added strange things to others' books, and some even composed and wrote down entire discourses. For this reason, at any rate, our discourse also forbids the reading of the apocryphal books, since many have been falsely ascribed. And someone having written it titled it, for example, a gospel according to Thomas or according to Peter. And a certain ancient ecclesiastical bishop said well: "For this reason," he says, "we forbid the reading of the apocryphal books because of those who are unable to distinguish the things mixed into them by heretics." And he gives a general argument to the contentious who say that one must read them, and he says: "If they say the same things as the published works, we have the published works indisputably and we do not add to them things that can have contradiction. But if they truly do not say the same things as the published works, we consider that they should be rejected." Therefore, on account of the deception that can arise from false ascription, the lineage and the rule and the nation and the city are given; for it is impossible for all of them to coincide. This Solomon, the "Preacher", as he is "the Preacher", brings forth "words" being the "son of David, king of Israel in Jerusalem". ...appropriately... ... to speak about nature, so that by discoursing with one who has a seeing mind he might lead others up through perceptible things to intelligible things. For of the "works of God," some are "visible," and others "invisible." And the "visible" things are "temporary" and "seen," but the "invisible" things happen to be "eternal." Here, therefore, he makes his discourse primarily about the "visible" and "temporary" things; wherefore also he named them "vanity of vanities," not

3

μᾶλλον τούτῳ ἀρέσκομεν, ινα μὴ δόξῃ τις περὶ αὑτοῦ λέγειν τὸν λέγοντα ταῦτα. "ῥήματα" ουν ἀντὶ τοῦ λόγοι "ἐκκλησιαστοῦ" εἰσιν. πολλαχῶς γὰρ τὰ "ῥήματα" διὰ̣ λ̣όγ̣ων λαμβάνονται. ὡς ευ̣στιν οτε ·······ων̣ λογ··ε̣····················· λέγ̣ο̣υ̣σ̣ι̣ν̣ ············ε· πρὸς λόγον δι ·····σ̣ι̣ν. τὸ ῥ̣ῆ̣μ̣α̣ λ̣έ̣γομεν τὴν β̣ραχυλογίαν ·······μ̣α̣· ····τ̣ην δ̣ε̣········· ····· ·· η̣σ̣······ν̣·······α̣ι̣ λόγος, οτα̣ν̣ πάλιν λ̣έ̣γῃ ῥῆμα ··· ···ει εἰς τὸν εἰπόν̣τα̣· "δ̣ώσε̣ι̣ κύριος ῥ̣ῆ̣μ̣α τοῖς εὐαγγελιζομένοις", ·····ογο······· δ̣····τ̣··ουδ····ερι······ ···μα̣...· εἰπεῖν κύριος "ἐγένετο πρὸς τὸν ̓Ιηρεμίαν"· ···υ·······νεκ············ ... αὐτόν. καὶ δύναται ἐκ παραλλήλου, οτι ἀπὸ τῶν βραχειῶν αυ̣ρχε ται ὁ μελετῶν τελείου λόγου πειραθῆναι, ἀντὶ τοῦ "ῥήματα ἐκκλησιαστοῦ" λόγοι "ἐκκλησιαστοῦ"· "ἐκκλησιαστοῦ" μὲν κατὰ τὴν ἐπίνοιαν τοῦ "ἐκκλησιαστοῦ". ὡς ευ̣στιν "γνῶναι κατὰ σάρκα Χριστὸν" καὶ "μηκέτι" "κατὰ σάρκα", ἐὰν αὐτὸς μά λιστα ην ὁ "ἐκκλησιαστὴς" ὁ νῦν, ῃη̣ "λαλ̣εῖ τὰς παραβολὰς" τοῖς πολλοῖς "τοῖς ευ̣ξω" ὀχλεύουσιν, "ἐκκλησιαστής" ἐστιν. ῃ δὲ "ἐπιλ̣ύει" "τὰς παραβολὰς" ευ̣νδον "τοῖς μαθηταῖς" εἰσωτε ρικῷ λόγῳ, "οὐκέτι" "ἐκκλησιαστής" ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ Σολομὼν τὸ ᾳσμα τῶν ᾀσμάτων ᾳυ̣δων, τοὺς ὑπερκοσμίους λόγους τοὺς ἀνάγοντας εἰς "βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν". 1,1b ῥήματα ἐκκλησιαστοῦ. ειπον οτι διττῶς λέγεται "τοῦ ∆αυὶδ υἱὸς" καὶ κατὰ παίδευσιν καὶ κατὰ γένος. καὶ οὐχ ῃ "υἱὸς" αὐτοῦ ἐστιν λέ γει ταῦτα, ἀλλ' ῃ "υἱὸς" σοφοῦ "σοφός", ἐπεὶ ἠδύνατο καὶ ὁ ̓Αβεσσαλὼν εἰπεῖν ταῦτα γεγονὼς μὲν καὶ αἰσθητὸς "βασιλεὺς" καὶ ἀπὸ τούτου. διορατικοῦ δὲ " ̓Ισραὴλ" τοῦ ευ̣χοντος νοῦν ὁρῶντα θ̣εὸν "βασιλεύς" ἐστιν, τοῦ δὲ νοη̣τοῦ ̓Ισρ̣αὴ̣λ̣ "βασι λεύς" ἐστιν̣. καὶ οὐκ ἐν τῷ τυχόντι τόπῳ, ἀλλ' "ἐν τῇ ̓Ιε ρουσαλὴμ βασιλεύς"· βασιλεύσει δὲ καὶ ἐν τῇ "ἀνωτέρῳ", τῇ πνευματικῇ, τῇ ὁρώσῃ τὴν εἰρήνην π̣όλει. καὶ τοῦτο δὲ πρὸς τοῖς εἰρημένοις ευ̣τι λεχθήτω, ἐπεὶ πολλάκις τινὲς ψευδογραφοῦσιν βιβλία καὶ καταχρῶνται προς ηγορίαις. ὁ Κλήμης γοῦν πολλὰ λέγει ερ····· βιβλία ψευδ 8 επίγρ̣αφα παρέστησεν διὰ πολλῶν· πολλὰ γὰρ καὶ ἀναγνοὺς καὶ μνημονεύων ὁ ἀνὴρ καὶ ἐπιστάμενος ευ̣δειξεν οτι προσέθη καν βιβλίοις ἀλλοτρ̣ίοις τι̣νὲς ἀλλόκοττά τινα, ευ̣νιοι δὲ καὶ ολους λόγους συντάξαντες ἀνέγραψαν. διὰ τοῦτο γοῦν καὶ ὁ ἡμέτερος λόγος ἀπαγορεύει τὴν ἀνάγνωσιν τῶν ἀποκρύ φων, ἐπεὶ πολλὰ ἐψευδογραφήθη. καὶ γράψας τις ἐπέγραψεν αὐτὸ εὐαγγέλιον εἰ τύχοι κατὰ Θωμᾶν η κατὰ Πέτρον. καὶ καλόν τις ἀρχαῖος ἐπίσκοπος ειπεν ἐκκλησιαστικός· "διὰ τοῦτο", φησίν, "κωλύομεν τὴν ευ̣ντευξιν τῶν ἀποκρύφων διὰ τοὺς μὴ δυναμένους διαστέλλειν τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς καταμι γέντα ὑπὸ αἱρεθικῶν". καὶ λέγει καθόλου λόγον πρὸς τοὺς φιλονείκους καὶ λέγοντας οτι δεῖ αὐτὰ ἀναγιγνώσκειν, καὶ λέγει· "εἰ μὲν τὰ αὐτὰ λέγουσιν τοῖς δημοσιευομένοις, ευ̣χο μεν ἀναντιρρήτως τὰ δημοσιευόμενα καὶ οὐ προσδιαλαμβάνομεν αὐτοῖς τὰ δυνάμενα ἀντίρρησιν ευ̣χειν. εἰ δὲ τῷ ου̣ντι οὐ τὰ αὐτὰ τοῖς δημοσιευομένοις λέγουσιν, παραιτητέα αὐτὰ ἡγού μεθα." διὰ τὴν δυναμένην ουν ἐκ ψευδεπιγραφίας ἀπάτην γενέσθαι κεῖται καὶ τὸ γένος καὶ ἡ ἀρχὴ καὶ τὸ ευ̣θνος καὶ ἡ πόλις· συνδραμεῖν δὲ αμα πάντα ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν. ὁ Σολομὼν ουτος ὁ "ἐκκλησια̣σ̣τή̣ς", ῃ "ἐκκλησιαστής" ἐσ τιν, "ῥήματα" προφέρει "υἱὸς" ων "τοῦ ∆αυὶδ βασι λεὺς̣ ̓Ι̣σ̣ρ̣αὴ̣λ ἐν ̓Ι̣ε̣ρ̣ουσαλήμ". καταλληλ········β········ ····· ··· περὶ τῆς φύ σεως εἰπεῖν, ινα τῷ ευ̣χοντι νοῦν ὁρῶντα ὁμιλῶν ἀναβιβάσῃ̣ αυ̣̣λ̣λ̣ο̣υ̣ς διὰ τ̣ῶν αἰσθητῶν ἐπὶ τὰ νοητά. τῶν γὰρ "θεοῦ ποιημάτων" τὰ μὲν "ὁρατά", τὰ δὲ "ἀόρατα". καὶ τὰ μὲν "ὁρατὰ" "πρόσκαιρά" ἐστιν καὶ "βλεπόμενα", τὰ δὲ "ἀόρατα" "αἰώνια" τυγχάνει. ἐνταῦθα ουν περὶ τῶν "ὁρατῶν" καὶ "προσκαίρων" ποιεῖ ται προηγουμένως τὸν λόγον· διὸ καὶ "ματαιότητα ματαιο τήτων" αὐτὰ ὠνόμασεν, οὐ