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they are worthy of evil things, those who have turned themselves away from the knowledge of God. 1.14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind. {Of Nyssa.} For there was none that understood or sought after God, since all had turned aside, they had together become unprofitable. Therefore he says: and all is vanity. But God is not the cause of this, but the human choice, which he called spirit, not being such from the beginning, but through perversion dislodged from the orderly. 1.1618 I spoke in my heart, saying: Behold, I have become great and have added wisdom beyond all who were before me in Jerusalem, and my heart has seen much wisdom and knowledge. I knew parables and knowledge, that this also is a striving after wind; for in much wisdom is much knowledge, and he who adds knowledge adds pain. {Of Dionysius.} I was puffed up in vain and added wisdom, not that which God gave, but that about which Paul says: the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For Solomon was also instructed in this beyond the understanding [beyond] of all the ancients. Therefore he shows the vanity of this, as the following also reveals: and my heart saw many things, wisdom and knowledge, I knew parables and knowledge; but not true wisdom and knowledge, but that which according to Paul puffs up. And he spoke, as it is written, also three thousand parables, but not those in spirit, but such as are suitable for the common life of men, such as about animals or medicines. Wherefore also he added mockingly: I knew that this too is a striving after wind. But abundance of knowledge, not of the holy spirit, but that which the ruler of this world works, and sends to trip up the souls, to be busily occupied with the measures of heaven, the position of the earth, the ends of the sea. But he who adds knowledge of these things adds pain. For they investigate the deeper things of these: what is the need for fire to go upward, and water downward? And having learned that the one is as light, and the other as heavy, they add pain: and why not the other way around? 2.1 I said in my heart: Come, test yourself as in gladness, and see what is good. And this also is vanity. {Of Dionysius.} For for the sake of a test and incidentally from a more solemn and austere life he came to pleasure. And he speaks of the gladness which men name, and by "good" the things they call good, which are not able to give life to the one who possesses them, which make vain the one who does them. 2.2 To laughter I said, "Madness!" and to gladness, "What does this accomplish?" {Of Dionysius.} Laughter has a twofold madness: both that madness begets laughter and does not permit mourning for sins, and that this wanders about, changing times and places and persons; for it flees from those who mourn. And to gladness: what does this accomplish? Why do you go to those for whom it is not right to rejoice, to the drunkards and the greedy and the rapacious? But why as wine? Because wine gladdens the heart; for it makes men gentle-tempered. And the flesh, moving in an orderly and moderate way, also gladdens it. 2.3 And my heart guided me in wisdom and to lay hold on gladness, until I might see what is good for the sons of men, which they shall do under the sun the number of the days of their life. {Of Dionysius.} Having been guided, he says, through wisdom I took control of pleasures for the sake of gladness; and the purpose of my knowledge was to not occupy my life with anything vain, but to find the good, which if one attains, one does not err in the judgment of what is profitable, which is lasting and not temporary, but is extended through all of life. 2.48 I magnified my work, I built for myself houses, I planted for myself vineyards, I made for myself gardens and parks, and I planted in them every kind of fruit tree; I made for myself pools of water to water from them a forest of growing trees; I acquired male and female slaves, and I had homeborn slaves, and I also had great possessions of herds and flocks, more than all who were before me in Jerusalem; I also gathered for myself silver and gold, and the special treasures of kings and of the provinces; I provided for myself male and female singers, and the delights

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εἰσιν πονηρῶν ἄξιοι οἱ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ γνώσεως ἑαυτοὺς ἀποστήσαντες. 1.14 Εἶδον σύμπαντα τὰ ποιήματα τὰ πεποιημένα ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, καὶ ἰδοὺ τὰ πάντα ματαιότης καὶ προαίρεσις πνεύματοσ. {Τοῦ Νύσσης.} Οὐκ ἦν γὰρ ὁ συνιῶν ἢ ὁ ἐκζητῶν τὸν θεόν, ἐπειδὴ πάντες ἐξέκλιναν ἅμα ἠχρειώθησαν. ∆ιό φησι· καὶ πάντα ματαιότης. Ἀλλ' οὐκ αἴτιος τούτου θεός, ἀλλ' ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη προαίρεσις, ἣν ὠνόμασε πνεῦμα, οὐκ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὂν τοιοῦτον, ἀλλ' ἐκ διαστροφῆς ἐξαρμοσθὲν τοῦ κοσμίου. 1.1618 Ἐλάλησα ἐγὼ ἐν καρδίᾳ μου τοῦ λέγειν· ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐμεγαλύνθην καὶ προσέθηκα σοφίαν ἐπὶ πᾶσιν οἳ ἐγένοντο ἔμπροσθέν μου ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ, καὶ ἡ καρδία μου εἶδε πολλὴν σοφίαν καὶ γνῶσιν. Παραβολὰς καὶ ἐπιστήμην ἔγνων, ὅτι καί γε τοῦτο προαίρεσις πνεύματος· ὅτι ἐν πλήθει σοφίας πλῆθος γνώσεως, καὶ ὁ προστιθεὶς γνῶσιν προστίθησιν ἄλγημα. {∆ιονυσίου.} Ἐφυσιώθην μάτην καὶ προσέθηκα σοφίαν, οὐχ ἣν ἔδωκεν ὁ θεός, ἀλλὰ περὶ ἧς φησιν ὁ Παῦλος· ἡ σοφία τοῦ κόσμου τούτου μωρία παρὰ τῷ θεῷ ἐστιν. Σολομὼν γὰρ καὶ ταύτην ἐπεπαίδευτο ὑπὲρ τὴν φρόνησιν [ὑπὲρ] πάντων τῶν ἀρχαίων. ∆είκνυσιν οὖν ταύτης τὸ μάταιον, ὡς δηλοῖ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· καὶ ἡ καρδία μου εἶδε πολλά, σοφίαν καὶ γνῶσιν, παραβολὰς καὶ ἐπιστήμην ἔγνων· σοφίαν δὲ καὶ γνῶσιν οὐ τὴν ἀληθῆ, ἀλλ' ἥτις κατὰ Παῦλον φυσιοῖ. Εἶπε δέ, καθὰ γέγραπται, καὶ τρισχιλίας παραβολάς, ἀλλ' οὐ τὰς ἐν πνεύματι, ἀλλ' οἷαι τῇ κοινῇ πολιτείᾳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἁρμόττουσιν, οἷον περὶ ζῴων ἢ φαρμάκων. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἀποσκώπτων ἐπήγαγεν· ἔγνων ὅτι καί γε τοῦτό ἐστι προαίρεσις πνεύματος. Πλῆθος δὲ γνώσεως, οὐ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος, ἀλλ' ὅπερ ὁ ἄρχων ἐνεργεῖ τούτου τοῦ κόσμου, καὶ ἐπιπέμπει σκελίσαι τὰς ψυχάς, πολυπραγμονεῖν οὐρανοῦ μέτρα, γῆς θέσιν, θαλάσσης πέρατα. Ἀλλ' ὁ προστιθεὶς τούτων γνῶσιν προστίθησιν ἄλγημα. Ἐρευνῶσι γὰρ τὰ τούτων βαθύτερα· τίς ἡ χρεία τοῦ τὸ πῦρ ἄνω χωρεῖν, τὸ δὲ ὕδωρ κάτω; Καὶ μαθόντες ὅτι τὸ μὲν ὡς κοῦφον, τὸ δὲ ὡς βαρύ, προστιθέασιν ἄλγημα· καὶ διὰ τί μὴ ἀνάπαλιν; 2.1 Εἶπον ἐγὼ ἐν καρδίᾳ μου· δεῦρο πείρασαι ὡς ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ, καὶ ἴδε ἐν ἀγαθῷ. Καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότησ. {∆ιονυσίου.} Πείρας γὰρ ἕνεκα καὶ κατὰ συμβεβηκὸς ἀπὸ τοῦ σεμνοτέρου καὶ κατεσκληκότος βίου ἦλθεν εἰς τὴν ἡδονήν. Εὐφροσύνην δέ φησιν ἣν ὀνομάζουσιν ἄνθρωποι, ἐν ἀγαθῷ δὲ ἃ καλοῦσιν ἀγαθά, ἅπερ οὐχ ἱκανὰ ζωοποιῆσαι τὸν κτησάμενον, ἃ ματαιοῖ τὸν πράττοντα. 2.2 Τῷ γέλωτι εἶπον περιφορὰν καὶ τῇ εὐφροσύνῃ· τί τοῦτο ποιεῖσ; {∆ιονυσίου.} ∆ιπλῆν ὁ γέλως ἔχει περιφοράν· ὅτι τε περιφορὰ γεννᾷ γέλωτας καὶ πενθεῖν οὐ συγχωρεῖ τὰς ἁμαρτίας, καὶ ὅτι οὗτος περιφέρεται, καιροὺς καὶ τόπους ἐναλλάττων καὶ πρόσωπα· φεύγει γὰρ τοὺς πενθοῦντας. Καὶ τῇ εὐφροσύνῃ· τί τοῦτο ποιεῖς; Τί πορεύῃ πρὸς οὓς οὐ θέμις εὐφραίνεσθαι, πρὸς τοὺς μεθύσους καὶ πλεονέκτας καὶ ἅρπαγας; ∆ιὰ τί δὲ ὡς οἶνον; Ἐπειδὴ τὴν καρδίαν οἶνος εὐφραίνει· πραϋθύμους γὰρ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐργάζεται. Εὐφραίνει δὲ αὐτὴν καὶ ἡ σὰρξ εὔτακτα κινουμένη καὶ μέτρια. 2.3 Καὶ ἡ καρδία μου ὡδήγησεν ἐν σοφίᾳ καὶ τοῦ κρατῆσαι ἐπὶ εὐφροσύνῃ, ἕως οὗ εἰδῶ ποῖον τὸ ἀγαθὸν τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὃ ποιήσουσιν ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον ἀριθμὸν ἡμερῶν ζωῆς αὐτῶν. {∆ιονυσίου.} Ὁδηγηθείς, φησίν, διὰ σοφίας κατεκράτησα τῶν ἡδονῶν ἐπὶ εὐφροσύνῃ· σκοπὸς δέ μοι τῆς γνώσεως τὸ ἐπὶ μηδενὶ ματαίῳ τὴν ζωὴν ἀσχολῆσαι, εὑρεῖν δὲ τὸ ἀγαθόν, οὗ τις τυχὼν οὐχ ἁμαρτάνει τῆς τοῦ συμφέροντος κρίσεως, ὃ διαρκές ἐστι καὶ οὐ πρόσκαιρον, τῇ δὲ ἁπάσῃ ζωῇ παρατείνεται. 2.48 Ἐμεγάλυνα ποίημά μου, ᾠκοδόμησά μοι οἴκους, ἐφύτευσά μοι ἀμπελῶνας, ἐποίησά μοι κήπους καὶ παραδείσους, καὶ ἐφύτευσα ἐν αὐτοῖς πᾶν ξύλον πάγκαρπον· ἐποίησά μοι κολυμβήθρας ὑδάτων τοῦ ποιῆσαι ἀπ' αὐτῶν δρυμὸν βλαστῶντα ξύλα· ἐκτησάμην δούλους καὶ παιδίσκας, καὶ οἰκογενεῖς ἐγένοντό μοι, καί γε κτῆσις βουκολίου καὶ ποιμνίου ἐγένετό μοι πολλὴ ὑπὲρ πάντας τοὺς γενομένους ἔμπροσθέν μου ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ· συνήγαγόν μοι καί γε ἀργύριον καί γε χρυσίον, καὶ περιουσιασμοὺς τῶν βασιλέων καὶ τῶν χωρῶν· ἐποίησά μοι ᾄδοντας καὶ ᾀδούσας, καὶ τρυφήματα