John Chrysostom, On Ecclesiastes

terrible things; but this one is sufficient also to give great security to those after these things; just as those are not grieved on account of this one, so these do [not] rejoice on account of this one. For the wicked man grieves even those after him, but the good man makes glad even those before him. And indeed the last will not rejoice over him. Or again he says that the wicked man will grieve both those before him and those after him. For indeed this too is vanity; such as a man, if he should be. Keep your foot when you go to the house of God. That is, you will be clean of plunder, of covetousness; their feet are swift to shed blood. Or he says this: do not run with the same feet both into wickedness and into the house of God, since even in that time also draw near to hear; that is, obey God; for this would be better than a sacrifice. For they do not know how to do evil things. Such hearers will not even know wickedness. For how? Just as those who eat well do not even know what sickness is.

5 Do not be quick with your mouth, and let not your heart be hasty to utter

a word before the face of God. Again here he commands not to make promises to God simply nor at random. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; for this reason let your words be few. That is, he will be able to punish you. For if in speaking often with a man he will sin, how much more so with God. For a dream comes through a multitude of temptation and a fool's voice in a multitude of words. Here he speaks of fantasy; he calls false matters dreams; for it happens that you also lie. Do you see how many things he says about a promise? When you vow a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; there is no pleasure in fools. You therefore, whatever you vow, pay. It is better that you not vow than that you vow and not pay. Do not give your mouth to cause your flesh to sin. Do not consider all counsels as happening to destroy the flesh, such as adulteries, fornications. Do not say before the face of God that: it is an ignorance, You see how great is the account of your providence, so that you might not pay the penalty for this also and the works of your hands be destroyed, for in the multitude of dreams and vanities and many words.

Your works: the false and imagined and having nothing true. If you see the oppression of the poor and the violent taking of judgment and justice in a province, do not marvel at the matter. Do not marvel, he says, at injustices. A high one above a high one. For of the one doing wrong there is another enemy. And high ones over them. [And an abundance of the earth.] Just as this one is not the only high one, but also another. And an abundance of the earth. Just as this is much, so also the revenue is high. Or that he has to give to the one being wronged. For so that you might not say: and what is the benefit? After being wronged you do not see him being rich. Then also from another perspective; He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; and who has loved abundance, its increase? That is, it is impossible to stop their desire. Even if he should take all things, he desires more, so that the one who is going to be filled with silver ought not to acquire many things, but to destroy the desire for money. Whether one loves money or produce, there is no advantage. This is strange, that many do not want their produce. And indeed this is vanity. In the abundance of goodness they were filled who eat it; and <what> is the good to the one who has it? That it is a beginning of seeing with his eyes. What is the advantage? he says. A manufactured good, he said above; that is, what is the profit from the abundance? To look at it continually, but nothing more, and to take a beginning of looking at them. Then from another perspective he casts it again. Sweet is the sleep of a servant, whether he eats little or much. For that there is no advantage, pleasure comes alike both in this one and in that one. Do we not do all things for this reason, for pleasure? And for the one who is full from being rich, there is not that which permits him to sleep.

δεινά· οὗτος δὲ ἱκανός ἐστιν καὶ τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα ἀποδοῦναι ἄδειαν πολλήν· ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνοι οὐ λυποῦνται διὰ τοῦτον, οὕτως οὗτοι [οὐκ] εὐφραίνονται διὰ τοῦτον. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ πονηρὸς καὶ τοὺς μετ' αὐτὸν λυπεῖ, ὁ δὲ ἀγαθὸς καὶ τοὺς πρὸ αὐτοῦ εὐφραίνει. Καί γε οἱ ἔσχατοι οὐκ εὐφρανθήσονται ἐπ' αὐτῷ. Ἢ πάλιν ἐκεῖνός φησιν ὅτι καὶ τοὺς πρὸ αὐτοῦ καὶ τοὺς μετ' αὐτὸν λυπήσει ὁ πονηρός. Ὅτι καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης· οἷον ἄνθρωπος, ἐὰν ᾖ. Φύλαξον τὸν πόδα σου ἐν ᾧ ἂν πορεύῃ εἰς οἶκον θεοῦ. Τουτέστιν, καθαρὸς ἔσῃ ἁρπαγῆς, πλεονεξίας· ὀξεῖς οἱ πόδες αὐτῶν ἐκχέαι αἷμα. Ἢ τοῦτό φησιν· μὴ τοῖς αὐτοῖς ποσὶν καὶ εἰς κακίαν καὶ εἰς οἶκον θεοῦ τρέχε, ἐπεὶ κἀν ἐκείνῳ τῷ χρόνῳ καὶ ἔγγισον τοῦ ἀκούειν· τουτέστιν, πείθου τῷ θεῷ· τοῦτο γὰρ ὑπὲρ θυσίασμα γένοιτο. Ὅτι οὔκ εἰσιν εἰδότες τοῦ ποιεῖν κακά. Τοιοῦτοι οἱ ἀκούοντες οὐδὲ εἴσονται κακίαν. Πῶς γάρ; Ὥσπερ οἱ καλὰ σιτούμενοι οὐδὲ ὅ τι ποτέ ἐστιν ἀρρωστία ἐπίστανται.

5 Μὴ σπεῦδε ἐπὶ στόματί σου, καὶ καρδία σου μὴ ταχυνέτω τοῦ ἐξενέγκαι

λόγον πρὸ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ. Πάλιν ἐνταῦθα κελεύει μὴ ἁπλῶς μηδὲ ὡς ἔτυχεν ὑπισχνεῖσθαι τῷ θεῷ. Ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ σὺ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· διὰ τοῦτο ἔστωσαν οἱ λόγοι σου ὀλίγοι. Τουτέστιν, δυνήσεταί σε κολάσαι. Εἰ γὰρ ἀνθρώπῳ πολλάκις διαλεγόμενος ἁμαρτήσει, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τῷ θεῷ. Ὅτι παραγίνεται ἐνύπνιον ἐν πλήθει πειρασμοῦ καὶ φωνὴ ἄφρονος ἐν πλήθει λόγων. Ἐνταῦθα τὴν φαντασίαν φησίν· τὰ ψευδῆ πράγματα ἐνύπνιά φησιν· συμβαίνει γάρ σε καὶ ψεύσασθαι. Ὁρᾷς πόσα περὶ ὑποσχέσεως φησίν; Καθὼς εὔξῃ εὐχὴν τῷ θεῷ, μὴ χρονίσῃς τοῦ ἀποδοῦναι αὐτήν· οὐκ ἔστιν θέλημα ἐν ἄφροσιν. Σὺ οὖν ὅσα ἂν εὔξῃ ἀπόδος. Ἀγαθὸν τὸ μὴ εὔξασθαί σε ἢ τὸ εὔξασθαί σε καὶ μὴ ἀποδοῦναι. Μὴ δῷς τὸ στόμα σου τοῦ ἐξαμαρτῆσαι τὴν σάρκα σου. Μὴ πάσας βουλεύου βουλὰς ὡς γινομένας τὴν σάρκα ἀπολλύειν, οἷον μοιχείας, πορνείας. Μὴ εἴπῃς πρὸ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ ὅτι· ἄγνοιά ἐστιν, Ὁρᾷς πόσος σου προνοίας λόγος, ἵνα μὴ καὶ τούτου δίκην δῷς καὶ διαφθαρῇ τὰ ποιήματα τῶν χειρῶν σου, ὅτι ἐν πλήθει ἐνυπνίων καὶ ματαιοτήτων καὶ λόγων πολλῶν.

Τὰ ποιήματά σου· τὰ ψευδῆ καὶ πεφαντασμένα καὶ οὐδὲν ἔχοντα ἀληθές. Ἐὰν συκοφαντίαν πένητος καὶ ἁρπαγὴν κρίματος καὶ δικαιοσύνης ἴδῃς ἐν χώρᾳ, μὴ θαυμάσῃς ἐπὶ τῷ πράγματι. Μὴ θαύμαζε, φησίν, ἐπὶ ταῖς ἀδικίαις. Ὑψηλὸς ἐπάνω ὑψηλοῦ. Τοῦ γὰρ ἀδικοῦντος ἕτερός ἐστιν πολέμιος. Καὶ ὑψηλοὶ ἐπ' αὐτοῖς. [Καὶ περισσεία γῆς.] Ὥσπερ οὐκ ἔστιν οὗτος μόνος ὑψηλός, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλος. Καὶ περισσεία γῆς. Ὥσπερ αὕτη πολλή, οὕτως καὶ ὑψηλὴ ἡ πρόσοδος. Ἢ ὅτι ἔχει δοῦναι τῷ ἀδικουμένῳ. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ λέγῃς· καὶ τί τὸ ὄφελος; Μετὰ τὸ ἀδικηθῆναι οὐχ ὁρᾷς πλουτοῦντα. Εἶτα καὶ ἑτέρωθεν· Ἀγαπῶν ἀργύριον οὐ πλησθήσεται ἀργυρίου· καὶ τίς ἠγάπησεν ἐν πλήθει αὐτοῦ γένημα; Τουτέστιν, τὸν πόθον αὐτῶν στῆσαι ἀδύνατον. Κἂν ἅπαντα λάβῃ, πλειόνων ἐφίεται, ὥστε τὸν μέλλοντα ἀργυρίου ἐμπίμπλασθαι οὐ πολλὰ περιβάλλεσθαι χρή, ἀλλὰ τὸν πόθον καταλῦσαι τὸν περὶ τὰ χρήματα. Ἄν τε χρήματα ἄν τε γενήματά τις φιλῇ, περιττὸν οὐδέν. Τοῦτο περιττόν, ὅτι πολλοὶ οὐ θέλουσι τὰ γενήματα αὐτῶν. Καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης. Ἐν πλήθει ἀγαθωσύνης ἐπλήσθησαν ἐσθίοντες αὐτήν· καὶ <τί> ἀνδρεία τῷ παρ' αὐτῆς; Ὅτι ἀρχὴ τοῦ ὁρᾶν ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοῦ. Τί τὸ περισσόν; φησίν. Ἀνδρεία πεποιημένη, ἄνω εἶπεν· τουτέστιν, τί τὸ κέρδος ἀπὸ τῆς εὐφορίας; Τὸ συνεχῶς ἐνορᾶν, πλέον δὲ οὐδέν, καὶ ἀρχὴν λαμβάνειν τοῦ βλέπειν εἰς αὐτά. Εἶτα ἑτέρωθεν αὐτὸ βάλλει πάλιν. Γλυκὺς ὁ ὕπνος τοῦ δούλου, εἰ ὀλίγον, εἰ πολὺ φάγεται. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐδὲν τὸ περισσόν ἐστιν, ὁμοῦ ἡδονὴ παραγίνεται καὶ ἐν τούτῳ καὶ ἐν ἐκείνῳ. Οὐ διὰ τοῦτο πάντα ποιοῦμεν, δι' ἡδονήν; Καὶ τῷ ἐμπλησθέντι τοῦ πλουτῆσαι οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ἀφίων αὐτὸν τοῦ καθεύδειν.