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deader than the dead and more lifeless than the lifeless. And yet the comparative for emphasis has no place in such matters, but nevertheless it is said in this word for the clarity of the hyperbole of what is being shown. Therefore, just as there are works of works and holy of holies understood, through which the superlative indication toward the better is interpreted, so also the vanity of vanities shows the unsurpassable nature of the hyperbole in what is vain. And let no one suppose that what is said is an accusation against creation. For the charge would pass to the one who made all things, if the one who constituted all things from non-being were to appear to us as a creator of such things, if indeed all things were vanity. 5.284 But since the constitution of man is twofold, with the soul running together with the body, the form of life has been divided appropriately to each of the things observed in us; for one is the life of the soul, and another that of the body; for the one is mortal and subject to fate, while the other is impassible and pure, and the one looks only to the present, but the purpose of the other extends to eternity; since, therefore, there is a great difference between the mortal and the immortal, and between the temporary and the eternal, to this the voice of the Preacher brings the point that one ought not to look to this life of the senses, which, when compared to the life that truly is, is something non-existent and unsubstantial. But someone might say no less that this argument is not outside of an accusation against the Creator, because both the soul and the body are from him, so that if the life through the flesh is accused, and God is the maker of the flesh, to him <ἂν> necessarily such a complaint would have its reference. But one who has not yet become outside of the flesh nor looked carefully toward the higher life will certainly say these things. Since he who has been taught the divine mysteries is by no means ignorant that the life likened to the divine nature is proper and according to nature for humans, but the life of the senses which is conducted through the activity of the sense-organs is given to nature for this purpose, so that the 5.285 knowledge of phenomena may become a guide for the soul to the full knowledge of things unseen, just as Wisdom says that from the greatness and beauty of created things the originator of all things is seen by analogy. But human folly did not see that which is marveled at through the phenomena, but marveled at what it saw. Since, therefore, the activity of the sense-organs is both temporary and short-lived, we learn this through this lofty voice, that he who looks to these things sees nothing. But he who is led through these things to the understanding of that which is, and who has understood the stable nature through the things that pass away, and who has come to a conception of that which is always the same, has both seen the truly existing good and has acquired what he saw; for the knowledge of this good is its possession. For what, he says, is the profit to man, for which he toils under the sun? He called life in the body a toil pursued without profit for no achievement. For what, he says, is the profit to man? That is, what accrues to the soul through the toil of life for those living for what is apparent? And in what does life consist, or what among apparent 5.286 goods remains in the same state? The sun goes around its own course, shining in turn and being darkened, both illuminating the air above us when it shows itself above the earth, and drawing on darkness through its setting. And the earth stands and remains fixed and motionless, and what is standing is not moved, and what is moving does not stand, but all things are shown through the same things in every interval of time, being changed in no way by a transformation to something newer. The sea is a receptacle for waters flowing together from all directions, and neither does the flowing cease nor does the sea increase. What is the purpose of the course for the waters which are always filling what is not filled? And for what does the sea receive the inflows of the waters, always remaining without increase through the addition? He says these things, in order that from the elements themselves, in which is the life of men, he may interpret beforehand the unsubstantial nature of the things we pursue. For if this constant course of the sun has no limit, nor the alternation of light and

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νεκροῦ νεκρότερον καὶ τοῦ ἀψύχου ἀψυχότερον. καίτοι ἡ συγκριτικὴ ἐπίτασις χώραν ἐπὶ τῶν τοιούτων οὐκ ἔχει, ἀλλ' ὅμως λέγεται τούτῳ τῷ ῥήματι πρὸς τὴν τῆς ὑπερβολῆς τοῦ δηλουμένου σαφήνειαν. ὥσπερ οὖν ἐστι τὰ ἔργα τῶν ἔργων καὶ τὰ ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων νοούμενα, δι' ὧν ἡ ὑπερθετικὴ πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον ἔνδειξις ἑρμηνεύεται, οὕτω καὶ ἡ τῶν μαοτήτων ματαιότης τὸ ἀνυπέρθετον δείκνυσι τῆς ἐν τῷ ματαίῳ ὑπερβολῆς. Καὶ μή τις ὑπολάβῃ κατηγορίαν εἶναι τῆς κτίσεως τὰ λεγόμενα. ἦ γὰρ ἂν εἰς τὸν πεποιηκότα τὰ πάντα διαβαίνοι τὸ ἔγκλημα, εἰ τοιούτων ἡμῖν δημιουργὸς ἀναφανείη ὁ συστησά μενος ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων τὰ πάντα, εἴ περ ματαιότης εἴη τὰ πάντα. 5.284 ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ διπλῆ μέν ἐστιν ἡ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου κατασκευή, ψυχῆς σώματι συνδραμούσης, μεμέρισται δὲ καταλλήλως ἑκατέρῳ τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν θεωρουμένων τὸ τῆς ζωῆς εἶδος· ἄλλη γὰρ ψυχῆς καὶ ἑτέρα σώματός ἐστι ζωή· ἡ μὲν γὰρ θνητὴ καὶ ἐπίκηρος, ἡ δὲ ἀπαθὴς καὶ ἀκήρατος, καὶ αὕτη μὲν εἰς τὸ παρὸν βλέπει μόνον, τῆς δὲ ὁ σκοπὸς εἰς τὸ διηνεκὲς παρα τείνεται· ἐπεὶ οὖν πολλὴ διαφορὰ τοῦ θνητοῦ πρὸς τὸ ἀθάνατον καὶ τοῦ προσκαίρου πρὸς τὸ ἀΐδιον, πρὸς τοῦτο φέρει τοῦ ἐκκλησιαστοῦ ἡ φωνὴ τὸ μὴ δεῖν πρὸς τὴν αἰσθητὴν ταύτην βλέπειν ζωήν, ἥτις συγκρινομένη τῇ ὄντως ζωῇ ἀνύπαρκτός τις καὶ ἀνυπόστατός ἐστιν. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἧττον εἴποι τις ἂν μὴ ἔξω τῆς τοῦ δημιουργοῦ κατηγορίας καὶ τοῦτον εἶναι τὸν λόγον, διότι παρ' αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ τὸ σῶμα, ὥστε εἰ ἡ διὰ σαρκὸς κατηγορεῖται ζωή, σαρκὸς δὲ ποιητὴς ὁ θεός, εἰς ἐκεῖνον <ἂν> ἀναγκαίως ἡ τοιαύτη μέμψις τὴν ἀναφορὰν ἔχοι. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἐρεῖ πάντως ὁ μήπω τῆς σαρκὸς ἔξω γενόμενος μηδὲ ἀκριβῶς πρὸς τὴν ὑψηλοτέραν διακύψας ζωήν. ἐπεὶ ὅ γε πεπαιδευμένος τὰ θεῖα μυστήρια οὐκ ἀγνοεῖ πάντως, ὅτι οἰκεία μὲν καὶ κατὰ φύσιν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐστὶν ἡ ζωὴ ἡ πρὸς τὴν θείαν φύσιν ὡμοιωμένη, ἡ δὲ αἰσθητικὴ ζωὴ ἡ διὰ τῆς τῶν αἰσθητηρίων ἐνεργείας διεξαγομένη ἐπὶ τούτῳ τῇ φύσει δέδοται, ἐφ' ᾧτε τὴν 5.285 τῶν φαινομένων γνῶσιν ὁδηγὸν γενέσθαι τῆς ψυχῆς πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀοράτων ἐπίγνωσιν, καθώς φησιν ἡ Σοφία ἐκ μεγέθους καὶ καλλονῆς κτισμάτων ἀναλόγως τὸν πάντων γενεσιουργὸν καθορᾶσθαι. ἡ δὲ ἀνθρωπίνη ἀβουλία οὐ τὸ διὰ τῶν φαινο μένων θαυμαζόμενον εἶδεν ἀλλ' ὃ εἶδεν ἐθαύμασεν. ἐπεὶ οὖν πρόσκαιρός τε καὶ ὠκύμορος ἡ τῶν αἰσθητηρίων ἐνέργεια, τοῦτο μανθάνομεν διὰ τῆς ὑψηλῆς ταύτης φωνῆς, ὅτι ὁ πρὸς ταῦτα βλέπων βλέπει οὐδέν. ὁ δὲ διὰ τούτων πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ὄντος κατανόησιν ὁδηγούμενος καὶ διὰ τῶν παρατρεχόντων τὴν στάσιμον φύσιν κατανοήσας καὶ τοῦ ἀεὶ ὡσαύτως ἔχοντος ἐν περινοίᾳ γενόμενος εἶδέ τε τὸ ὄντως ὂν ἀγαθὸν καὶ ὃ εἶδεν ἐκτήσατο· κτῆσις γάρ ἐστι τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ τούτου ἡ εἴδησις. Τίς γὰρ περισσεία, φησί, τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ, ᾧ μοχθεῖ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον; τὴν ἐν τῷ σώματι ζωὴν προσηγόρευσε μόχθον ἐπὶ μηδενὶ κατορθώματι ἀκερδῶς σπουδαζόμενον. Τίς γάρ, φησί, περισσεία τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ; τοῦτ' ἔστι, τί περιγίνεται τῇ ψυχῇ διὰ τοῦ βιωτικοῦ μόχθου τοῖς πρὸς τὸ φαινόμενον ζῶσιν; ἐν τίνι δὲ καὶ ἔστιν ἡ ζωὴ ἢ τί μένει τῶν φαινομένων 5.286 καλῶν ἐν ταὐτότητι; ἥλιος περιέρχεται τὸν ἴδιον δρόμον λάμπων ἀνὰ μέρος καὶ σκοτιζόμενος, φωτίζων τε τὸν ὑπερκείμενον ἡμῖν ἀέρα, ὅταν ὑπὲρ γῆς ἑαυτὸν δείξῃ, καὶ σκότος διὰ τῶν δυσμῶν ἐφελκόμενος. ἕστηκε δὲ ἡ γῆ καὶ μένει ἐν τῷ παγίῳ ἀκίνητος, καὶ τὸ ἑστὼς οὐ κινεῖται, καὶ οὐχ ἵσταται τὸ κινούμενον, πάντα δὲ διὰ τῶν αὐτῶν ἐν παντὶ τῷ χρονικῷ διαστήματι δείκνυται, κατ' οὐδὲν διὰ τῆς πρὸς τὸ καινότερον μεταβολῆς ἀλλασσόμενα. δοχεῖόν ἐστι τῶν πανταχόθεν συρρεόντων ὑδάτων ἡ θάλασσα, καὶ οὔτε ἡ σύρροια λήγει οὔτε ἡ θάλασσα αὔξεται. τίς ὁ σκοπὸς τοῦ δρόμου τοῖς ὕδασιν ἀεὶ πληροῦσι τὸ μὴ πληρούμενον; ἐπὶ τίνι δὲ τὰς ἐπιρροὰς δέχεται τῶν ὑδάτων ἡ θάλασσα, ἀναυξὴς διὰ τῆς προσθήκης εἰς ἀεὶ διαμένουσα; ταῦτα λέγει, ἵνα ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν στοιχείων, ἐν οἷς ἐστιν ἡ ζωὴ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, προερμηνεύσῃ τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν σπουδαζομένων τὸ ἀνυπόστατον. εἰ γὰρ ὁ συντεταμένος οὗτος τοῦ ἡλίου δρόμος ὅρον οὐκ ἔχει οὔτε ἡ ἀνὰ μέρος φωτός τε καὶ