4

that has been made? The very thing that will be made." Of created things, some are unique and without succession, such as the sun, and the moon, and those things that extend along with the age; but others are preserved by succession, being under the sun, such as animals and plants; and others are subject to generation and corruption. The discourse, then, is about those things preserved by succession; man has existed from the beginning; when one dies, another is born. A plant has existed, a plant is born. "And there is nothing new under the sun; who will speak and say, 'Behold, this is new'? It has already been in the ages which were before us." The word 'age' sometimes signifies a human life. According to what is said, 'I will not eat meat for the age,' instead of 'for my whole life.' And again, 'He will be a slave to you for the age,' instead of 'until death;' and sometimes it means the temporal extension of this universe, from the creation of the world until the consummation. It has been said, therefore, that there is nothing new in the successions of men, and animals, and plants. And otherwise, the virtuous in this life are crowned in the age to come; but the wicked are punished. "What then has been? The very thing that will be." Instead of, 'Did someone pursue virtue? He will receive the prizes of virtue; did someone pursue vice? He will pay the penalty for vice.' Therefore, the things that will be in the age to come are the rewards of things that have happened before in this life. "There is no remembrance of former things, and indeed for the latter things that will be, there will be no remembrance of them with those who will be in the end." The particular things done by men in the whole past life are infinite; and it is not possible for us to remember them. But neither do we know what those after us will do; for example, what all men from creation have done, each one individually. Neither having been with us, nor do we know; but neither do we have perception of the things to be done after us. For we may perhaps comprehend the general things; but the particular things, it is entirely impossible. There is therefore no remembrance of the former things, and of the latter things that will be. Otherwise, those who have lived in virtue, and are deemed worthy of the kingdom of heaven, when they arrive there, do not 93.489 have a perceptible memory of the toils of this life; nor do they perceptibly feel the punishment of those who are being punished; there will not be for them, therefore, a remembrance with those who will be in the end, that is, of those then being punished; not that the souls are overcome by forgetfulness, but that in the presence of enjoyment there is an amnesty, according to what is said, 'In a day of good things there is an amnesty for evils.' "I, Ecclesiastes, was king of Israel in Jerusalem." Since he exhorts to despise perceptible things, a welcome counselor is one who, having acquired and disdained them, has set forth his own standing, so that we may listen to what is said with attention. "And I gave my heart to seek out and to search by wisdom concerning all things that are done under the sun." And having, he says, a God-given wisdom, I have given my whole mind to the investigation of the things under the sun. And note that Ecclesiastes does not investigate the unattainable things above the heaven, but the things under the sun. Therefore, he says, I did not investigate with human thoughts, but by using the wisdom given to me from God. "Because God has given a grievous distraction to the sons of men, to be distracted with it." He calls 'sons of men' those who are gaping after vain things, according to the verse in the psalm, 'O sons of men, how long will you be heavy of heart?' [but read πόνηρον with the accent on the antepenult.] I saw therefore through wisdom, that God has given a laborious distraction to the sons of men; for to endure every toil in order that one might become rich, or acquire empty glory, or gratify the belly, has been usefully given to men. For if we labor in order to acquire vain and passing things, to what lengths of wickedness would we not have gone, if these things came to us without toil? Usefully, therefore, has the laborious distraction been given to men. And if virtue too is achieved with toils, this also is useful. For if one must toil for both the wicked and the good, punishment awaits the wicked, but for the good, an unspeakable

4

πεποιημένον; αὐτὸ τὸ ποιηθησόμενον." Τῶν κτισμάτων τὰ μέν εἰσι μονογενῆ, καὶ ἀδιάδοχα, οἷον ἥλιος, καὶ σελήνη, καὶ τὰ τῷ αἰῶνι συμπαρεκτεινόμενα· τὰ δὲ τῇ διαδοχῇ σώζεται ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον ὅντα, οἷον ζῶα καὶ φυτά· τὰ δὲ γενέσει καὶ φθορᾷ ὑποκείμενα. Περὶ τῶν ἐκ διαδοχῆς οὖν σωζομένων ὁ λόγος· ἄνθρωπος γέγονε ἀπ' ἀρχῆς· ἐκείνου τελευτήσαντος ἄλλος γεννᾶται. Φυτὸν γέγονε, φυτὸν γεννᾶται. "Καὶ οὐκ ἔστι πᾶν πρόσφατον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον· ὃς λαλήσει καὶ ἐρεῖ, Ἴδε τοῦτο καινόν ἐστι· ἤδη γέγονεν ἐν τοῖς αἰῶσι τοῖς γενομένοις ἀπὸ ἔμπροσθεν ἡμῶν." Ὁ αἰὼν ποτὲ μὲν ἀνθρώπινον βίον σημαίνει. κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον, Οὐ μὴ φάγω κρέα εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ἀντὶ τοῦ δι' ὅλου μου τοῦ βίου. Καὶ πάλιν, Ἔσται σοι δοῦλος εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἄχρι τελευτῆς· ποτὲ δὲ καὶ τὴν χρονικὴν παρέκτασιν τοῦδε τοῦ παντὸς, τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς κτίσεως τοῦ κόσμου μέχρι συντελείας. Εἴρηται μὲν οὖν ὅτι οὐδὲν καινὸν ἐν ταῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ζώων, καὶ φυτῶν διαδοχαῖς. Καὶ ἄλλως δὲ, Οἱ ἐνάρετοι ἐν τῷδε τῷ βίῳ, ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι στεφανοῦνται· οἱ δὲ κακοὶ κολάζονται. "Τί οὖν τὸ γεγονός; αὐτὸ τὸ γενησόμενον." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, Ἀρετήν τις μετῆλθε; ἆθλα ἀρετῆς ἀπολήψεται· κακίαν τις μετῆλθε; κακίας ἀποτίσει δίκην. Τὰ οὖν ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι γενησόμενα ἐπίχειρα τυγχάνουσι τῶν ἐν τῷδε τῷ βίῳ προγεγονότων. "Οὐκ ἔστι μνήμη τοῖς πρώτοις, καί γε τοῖς ἐσχάτοις γενησομένοις οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῖς μνήμη μετὰ τῶν γενησομένων εἰς τὰ ἔσχατα." Τὰ καθ' ἕκαστον ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γενόμενα ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ παρελθόντι βίῳ, ἄπειρα τυγχάνουσιν· καὶ οὐ δυνατὸν ἡμᾶς μνημονεύειν. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τί πράξουσιν οἱ μεθ' ἡμᾶς, ἴσμεν· οἷον, τί ἔπραξαν οἱ ἀπὸ κτίσεως πάντες ἄνθρωποι ἰδίᾳ ἕκαστος. Οὕτε γενόμενοι ἡμῖν, οὕτε ἐπιστάμεθα· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τῶν μεθ' ἡμᾶς πραξομένων τὴν αἴσθησιν ἔχομεν. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ καθόλου ἴσως που καὶ ἐννοεῖν· τὰ δὲ καθ' ἕκαστον, πάντως ἀδύνατον. Οὐκ ἔστι οὖν μνήμη τοῖς πρώτοις, καὶ τοῖς ἐσχάτοις γενησομένοις. Ἄλλως, Οἱ ἐν ἀρετῇ ζήσαντες, καὶ βασιλείας οὐρανῶν ἀξιούμενοι, ὅταν ἐκεῖ γένωνται, οὐκ 93.489 ἐπαισθητικῶς μνήμην λαμβάνουσι τῶν ἐν τῷδε τῷ βίῳ ἐπιπόνων· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἐπαισθάνονται αἰσθητικῶς τῶν κολαζομένων τὴν κόλασιν· οὐκ ἔσται οὖν αὐτοῖς μνήμη μετὰ τῶν γενησομένων εἰς τὴν ἐσχάτην, τουτέστι τῶν τότε κολαζομένων· οὐχ ὅτι λήθῃ κρατοῦνται αἱ ψυχαὶ, ἀλλ' ὅτι παρούσης τῆς ἀπολαύσεως ἀμνηστία γίνεται, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον, Ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἀγαθῶν ἀμνηστία κακῶν. "Ἐγὼ Ἐκκλησιαστὴς ἐγενόμην βασιλεὺς Ἰσραὴλἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ." Ἐπειδὴ παραινεῖται αἰσθητῶν καταφρονεῖν πραγμάτων, εὐπαράδεκτος δὲ σύμβουλος, ὃς κτησάμενος καὶ ὑπερφρονήσας, τέθεικε ἑαυτοῦ τὸ ἀξίωμα, ἵνα μετὰ προσοχῆς τῶν λεγομένων ἀκούωμεν. "Καὶ ἔδωκα τὴν καρδίαν μου, τοῦ ἐκζητῆσαι, καὶ τοῦ κατασκέψασθαι ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ περὶ πάντων τῶν γενομένων ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον." Καὶ θεοδώρητον, φησὶν, ἐσχηκὼς σοφίαν, ὅλον μου τὸν νοῦν εἰς τὴν ἐπίσκεψιν δέδωκα τῶν ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον πραγμάτων. Καὶ σημειοῦ ὅτι ὁ Ἐκκλησιαστὴς οὐ τὰ ὑπὲρ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνέφικτα κατασκέπτεται, ἀλλὰ τὰ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον. Οὐκ ἀνθρωπίναις οὖν, φησὶν, ἐννοίαις περιεσκεψάμην, ἀλλὰ τῇ δωρηθείσῃ μοὶ θεόθεν σοφίᾳ χρώμενος. "Ὅτι περισπασμὸν πόνηρον ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, τοῦ περισπᾶσθαι ἐν αὐτῷ." Υἱοὺς ἀνθρώπων τοὺς περὶ τὰ μάταια κεχηνότας φησὶ, κατὰ τὸ ἐν ψαλμῷ, Υἱοὶ ἀνθρώπων, ἕως πότε βαρυκάρδιοι; [πόνηρον δὲ προπαροξυτόνως ἀνάγνωθι.] Ἐθεώρησα οὖν διὰ τῆς σοφίας, ὅτι ἐπίπονον περισπασμὸν ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων· τὸ γὰρ, ἵνα τις πλουτίσῃ, ἢ δόξαν κτήσηται διάκενον, ἢ γαστρὶ χαρίσηται, πάντα κάματον ὑπομείνειν χρησίμως δέδοται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Εἰ γὰρ ἵνα τὰ μάταια καὶ παρερχόμενα κτησώμεθα, πονοῦμεν, ποῦ ἂν κακίας οὐκ ἠλαύνομεν, εἰ ἀκαμάτως ταῦτα ἡμῖν προσεγίνετο; Χρησίμως οὗν δέδοται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὁ ἐπίπονος περισπασμός. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἀρετὴ μετὰ πόνων κατορθοῦται, καὶ τοῦτο χρήσιμον. Εἰ γὰρ δεῖ πονεῖν περί τε τὸ φαῦλον, καὶ τὸ ἀγαθόν· ἐκδέχεται δὲ τὸ μὲν φαῦλον κόλασις, τὸ δὲ ἀγαθὸν ἄῤῥητος