John Chrysostom, On Ecclesiastes

Are present riches useful? He compares this one to the one who lays up treasures. And he will show good to his soul. It seems to me he is speaking of almsgiving; for this is truly good, this is the soul of a man, when he has mercy on the body of his neighbor. It begins from that and ends in this. He does not simply say good, but in comparison to the stingy and petty, the small-souled man, then he says again; and yet this is vanity. Why gather? For another will take it.

3 For all things there is a time, and a season for every matter under heaven.

Here we are taught neither to grieve over terrible things, nor to rejoice over good things. For it is not, as we are troubled and say, "this happened, so it happens from our sin," but life has such a nature; and one must not be indignant at nature. Just as we are not vexed at winter, nor at summer, so too we should not be at present matters; for each thing must happen and each has its season. Do not grieve as if at unexpected things; just as evil things, so too good things must happen; or rather, not evil, but appearing so, for example one must rejoice, but also grieve. And see from where he confirms the argument; this from the things that happen among us, showing that it happens of necessity. It is not always good to build, not always to plant, but there is a time when it is the opposite and not only good. And he begins from the constitutive things and what is most of all the cause of pleasures and despondencies. A time to be born and a time to die. Why do you grieve at death? For did it happen contrary to expectation? For was it beyond hopes? It came in its season, perhaps necessary for what has come to be. To die sooner, how and in what way is it perhaps opportune? A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted. Then he confirms it from plants; must one not always plant, nor let stand? For just as you do not allow old vines to remain, but you remove them, so too does God; it is a sequence of events, do not grieve. See how useful the book is also for cheerfulness.

A time to kill, and a time to heal. And these are opposites. And what is the time to kill? For example, the wicked. With God there is a time for this and for this. A time to break down, and a time to build up, a time to weep, and a time to laugh. And what time is inopportune? When laughter is inopportune and useless. For if there is a time for those general things, much more for these because of them; are these not simply coincidences? And God has ordained these things; not to laugh always, lest we become dissipated, not to weep always, lest we fall down. A time to embrace; about marriage. A time to get, and a time to lose. And yet it happens from our own carelessness. Do not think so, he says. There is a time when you must lose. He says this either so that we may not mourn, or, so that we may even willingly let things go; there is a time when it is opportune not to seek, but better to lose. A time to love, and a time to hate; therefore also to be loved and to be hated. All things that He made are beautiful in their time. Why then do you labor? All things are wonderful, all things that have happened in their time are good. Do not speak of grief simply, but show it to me with its season, and I will show you that it is better than pleasure and laughter. Therefore he also says: It is better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of laughter. None of these things is good or evil in and of itself; to die is better than to be born, for example in old age. For nothing else is good without its season, whether you say food or drink. And indeed he has put the whole age in their heart, so that man cannot find out the work that God has done from the beginning to the end. God, he says, does not wish His works to be manifest to men, suppressing their meddlesomeness. Thus, he says, He has wisely constructed the times, so that men cannot find out the things that have happened; for the multitude of days perhaps casts a shadow and brings about forgetfulness. Or he says this, that even though

χρήσιμα τὰ παρόντα χρήματα; Συγκρίνει τοῦτον πρὸς τὸν ἀποτιθέμενον. Καὶ δείξει τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτοῦ ἀγαθόν. Ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην λέγειν· τοῦτο γὰρ ὄντως ἀγαθόν, τοῦτο ψυχὴ ἀνθρώπου, ὅταν ἐλεῇ τὸ σῶμα τοῦ πλησίον. Ἀπ' ἐκείνου ἄρχεται καὶ εἰς τοῦτο λήγει. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς φησιν ἀγαθόν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸν φειδωλὸν καὶ μικρολόγον, τὸν μικρόψυχον, εἶτα πάλιν φησίν· καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης. ∆ιὰ τί τὸ συνάγειν; Ἕτερος γὰρ αὐτὸ λήψεται.

3 Τοῖς πᾶσιν χρόνος, καὶ καιρὸς τῷ παντὶ πράγματι ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανόν.

Ἐνταῦθα παιδευόμεθα μήτε ἀλγεῖν ἐπὶ τοῖς δεινοῖς, μήτε χαίρειν ἐπὶ τοῖς καλοῖς. Οὐ γὰρ δή, καθάπερ ἡμεῖς θορυβούμεθα καὶ λέγομεν ὅτι «συνέβη τόδε, οὕτω συμβαίνει ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας ἡμετέρας», ἀλλὰ φύσιν τοιαύτην ὁ βίος ἔχει· πρὸς δὲ τὴν φύσιν ἀγανακτεῖν οὐ χρή. Ὥσπερ οὐ δυσχεραίνομεν ἐπὶ χειμῶνος, οὐδὲ ἐπὶ θέρους, οὕτως οὐδὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς παροῦσι πράγμασιν· ἕκαστον γὰρ δεῖ γενέσθαι καὶ ἕκαστον ἔχει καιρόν. Μὴ ὡς ἐπὶ παραδόξοις ἄλγει· ὥσπερ τὰ κακά, οὕτως καὶ τὰ καλὰ ἀνάγκη συμβῆναι· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ κακά, ἀλλ' οὕτω φαινόμενα, οἷον δεῖ χαίρειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀλγεῖν. Καὶ ὅρα πόθεν πιστοῦται τὸν λόγον· τοῦτο δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν συμβαινόντων παρ' ἡμῶν, δεικνὺς ὅτι ἀναγκαίως γίγνεται. Οὐκ ἀεὶ τὸ οἰκοδομεῖν καλόν, οὐκ ἀεὶ τὸ φυτεύειν, ἀλλ' ἔστιν ὅπου καὶ ἐναντίον καὶ οὐ μόνον καλόν. Καὶ ἄρχεται ἀπὸ τῶν συνεκτικῶν καὶ ὃ μάλιστα ἡδονῶν καὶ ἀθυμίας ἐστὶν αἴτιον. Καιρὸς τοῦ τεκεῖν καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἀποθανεῖν. Τί ἀλγεῖς ἐπὶ θανάτῳ; Μὴ γὰρ παρὰ προσδοκίαν γέγονεν; Μὴ γὰρ παρ' ἐλπίδας; Κατὰ καιρὸν ἦλθεν ἴσως ἀναγκαῖον τῷ γενέσθαι. Τὸ ἀποθανεῖν ταχύτερον, πῶς καὶ τίνι τρόπῳ ἴσως εὔκαιρον; Καιρὸς τοῦ φυτεύειν καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἐκτῖλαι τὸ πεφυτευμένον. Εἶτα αὐτὸ ἀπὸ τῶν φυτῶν πιστοῦται· μὴ ἀεὶ φυτεύειν δεῖ, οὐδὲ ἑστάναι; Καθάπερ γὰρ σὺ οὐ συγχωρεῖς τὰς γεγηρακυίας μένειν ἀμπέλους, ἀλλ' ἀναιρεῖς, οὕτω καὶ ὁ θεός· ἀκολουθία πραγμάτων ἐστίν, μὴ ἄλγει. Ὅρα πῶς χρήσιμον καὶ πρὸς εὐθυμίαν τὸ βιβλίον.

Καιρὸς τοῦ ἀποκτεῖναι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἰᾶσθαι. Καὶ ταῦτα ἐναντία. Καὶ ποῖος καιρὸς τοῦ ἀποκτέννειν; Οἷον τοὺς πονηρούς. Παρὰ τῷ θεῷ καιρὸς τούτου καὶ τούτου. Καιρὸς τοῦ καθελεῖν καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ οἰκοδομεῖν, καιρὸς τοῦ κλαῦσαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ γελάσαι. Καὶ ποῖος καιρός ἐστιν ἄκαιρος; Ὅτε ἄκαιρός ἐστιν ὁ γέλως καὶ ἄχρηστος. Εἰ γὰρ ἐκείνων τῶν γενικῶν καιρός, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τούτων δι' ἐ κεῖνα· οὐχ ἁπλῶς συμπτώματα ταῦτά ἐστιν; Καὶ ταῦτα ὁ θεὸς ὥρισεν· μὴ ἀεὶ γελᾶν, ἵνα μὴ διαχυθῶμεν, μὴ ἀεὶ κλαίειν, ἵνα μὴ καταπίπτωμεν. Καιρὸς τοῦ περιλαβεῖν· περὶ γάμου. Καιρὸς τοῦ ζητῆσαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἀπολέσαι. Καὶ μὴν ἐξ ἡμετέρας ῥαθυμίας γίγνεται. Μὴ νόμιζε, φησίν. Ἔστιν καιρὸς ὅτε δεῖ σε ἀπολέσαι. Ἢ ἵνα μὴ πενθῶμεν τοῦτό φησιν, ἢ, ἵνα καὶ ἑκόντες προώμεθα· ἔστιν ὅπου τὸ μὴ ζητῆσαι εὔκαιρον, ἀλλὰ βέλτιον ἀπολέσαι. Καιρὸς τοῦ φιλῆσαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ μισῆσαι· οὐκοῦν καὶ φιληθῆναι καὶ μισηθῆναι. Σύμπαντα ἃ ἐποίησεν καλὰ ἐν καιρῷ αὐτῶν. Τί τοίνυν μοχθεῖς; Πάντα θαυμαστά, πάντα ὅσα γέγονεν ἐν καιρῷ αὐτῶν καλά. Μὴ ἁπλῶς τὴν λύπην εἴπῃς, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τοῦ καιροῦ δεῖξόν μοι ταύτην, καὶ δείκνυμί σοι τῆς ἡδονῆς οὖσαν βελτίω καὶ τοῦ γέλωτος. ∆ιὸ καί φησιν· βέλτιον πορευθῆναι εἰς οἶκον πένθους ἢ εἰς οἶκον γέλωτος. Οὐδὲν τούτων αὐτὸ καθ' ἑαυτὸ καλόν, οὔτε κακόν· τὸ ἀποθανεῖν βέλτιον τοῦ γενέσθαι, οἷον ἐν γήρᾳ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἄλλο τι τοῦ καιροῦ χωρὶς καλόν, κἂν τροφὴν εἴπῃς, κἂν πότον. Καί γε σύμπαντα τὸν αἰῶνα ἔδωκεν ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτῶν, ὅπως μὴ εὕρῃ ἄνθρωπος τὸ ποίημα ὃ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς ἀπ' ἀρχῆς καὶ μέχρι τέλους. Οὐ βούλεται, φησίν, ὁ θεὸς τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ φανερὰ εἶναι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, καταστέλλων αὐτῶν τὴν πολυπραγμοσύνην. Οὕτω, φησίν, τοὺς χρόνους κατεσκεύασεν σοφῶς, ὡς μὴ δύνασθαι εὑρεῖν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τὰ γενόμενα· τὸ γὰρ πλῆθος τῶν ἡμερῶν ἴσως ἐπισκοτεῖ καὶ λήθην ἐμποιεῖ. Ἢ τοῦτό φησιν ὅτι, καίπερ