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them. 5, 8 And the abundance of the earth is for all: the king of a cultivated field. 5, 9 He that loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver; and he that loves its abundance, with produce. This also is vanity. 5, 10 In the abundance of goodness they that eat it are multiplied; and what is the manliness to its possessor? Except the beginning of seeing with his eyes. 5, 11 The sleep of a servant is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but for him that is filled with riches, there is not that which allows him to sleep. If you see, he says, among men some being slandered, and others wronged in judgment and still others acting justly, do not marvel at these happenings as if there were no providence. For know that God through Christ watches over all things, and He in turn provides for all things through the holy angels who abound in knowledge of earthly things. For God is king of the world that has come to be through him, who will render tribulation to those who have preferred covetousness and the vanity of this life to the knowledge of Christ, but to those who have lived in goodness and served in manliness and righteousness he will give knowledge of God and sweet repose, even if they have known few or many words here, having known in part and prophesied in part; and such an end will succeed the one group, but for those filled with wickedness the worm born from it will not allow them to rest. But that the Lord has entrusted this world to angels, Moses shows, saying: "When the Most High divided the nations, when he scattered the sons of Adam, he set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the angels of God." And our Lord himself in the gospels called the world a field, saying: "the field is the world." And by the abundance of the earth he means the knowledge of earthly things, since "blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth"; and what other inheritance is there for the rational nature except the knowledge of God? And he called the angels high ones, since they partake of the high Lord; "for the Lord," he says, "is high above all nations." 39 5, 12 There is a sickness which I have seen under the sun, wealth being kept by its possessor to his own hurt. The abundance of wickedness is now indicated by wealth; and this wickedness is signified by the sickness. Everyone, therefore, who keeps this wealth for himself will not know the wisdom of God nor apply his heart to understanding nor apply it to the instruction of his son; for he has not accepted the sayings of God's commandments nor hidden them in his heart. 40 5, 13 and that wealth will be lost in a wicked distraction, and he has begotten a son, and there is nothing in his hand. A wicked distraction is ignorance with punishment, separating the impure from spiritual contemplation. 41 5, 14 As he came forth from his mother's womb, naked, he shall return to go as he came, and shall take nothing in his labor, that he may go in his hand. 5, 15.1-2 And this also is a sore sickness; for as he came, so shall he also depart. And Job says: "Naked I came out from my mother's womb, and naked shall I depart there"; but here: "As he came forth from his mother's womb, naked, he shall return to go as he came." But Job, as a righteous man, departs naked of wickedness and evil; but this one, with the same ignorance with which he came into this world, with it shall he also depart there. 42 5, 17 Behold what I have seen to be good, which is comely, to eat and to drink, and to see goodness in all his labor, in which he may labor under the sun, the number of the days of his life, which God has given him; for it is his portion. 5, 18 And indeed every man to whom God has given wealth and possessions, and has given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labor, this is the gift of God. 5, 19 For he shall not much remember the days of his life; for God distracts him in the gladness of his heart. The knowledge of God is called food of the mind and

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αὐτούς. 5, 8 καὶ περισσεία γῆς ἐπὶ παντί ἐστι, βασιλεὺς τοῦ ἀγροῦ εἰργασμένου. 5, 9 ἀγαπῶν ἀργύριον οὐ πλησθήσεται ἀργυρίου· καί τις ἠγάπησεν ἐν πλήθει αὐτοῦ γένημα· καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης. 5, 10 ἐν πλήθει ἀγαθωσύνης ἐπληθύνθησαν οἱ ἔσθοντες αὐτήν· καὶ τί ἀνδρεία τῷ παρ' αὐτῆς; ὅτι ἀρχὴ τοῦ ὁρᾶν ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοῦ. 5, 11 γλυκὺς ὕπνος τοῦ δούλου, εἰ ὀλίγον καὶ εἰ πολὺ φάγεται· καὶ τῷ ἐμπλησθέντι τοῦ πλουτῆσαι οὐκ ἔστιν ἀφίων αὐτὸν τοῦ ὑπνῶσαι Ἐὰν ἴδῃς, φησίν, ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τοὺς μὲν συκοφαντουμένους, τοὺς δὲ ἀδικουμένους ἐν κρίσει καὶ ἄλλους δικαιοπραγοῦντας, μὴ θαυμάσῃς ἐπὶ τοῖς γινομένοις ὡς οὐκ οὔσης προνοίας. Γίνωσκε γὰρ ὅτι ὁ θεὸς διὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ φυλάσσει τὰ πάντα καὶ οὗτος πάλιν προνοεῖ πάντων διὰ τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων περισσευομένων ἐν γνώσει τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς. Βασιλεὺς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ θεὸς τοῦ γεγονότος δι' αὐτοῦ κόσμου, ὃς ἀποδώσει θλῖψιν μὲν τοῖς πλεονεξίαν καὶ τὴν ματαιότητα τοῦ βίου τούτου προτιμήσασι τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Χριστοῦ, τοῖς δὲ ἐν ἀγαθωσύνῃ ζήσασιν καὶ ἐν ἀνδρείᾳ καὶ τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ δουλεύσασι δώσει γνῶσιν θεοῦ καὶ γλυκεῖαν ἀνάπαυσιν, εἰ καὶ ὀλίγους τινὰς τῶν ἐνταῦθα ἢ πολλοὺς λόγους ἐγνώκασιν, ἐκ μέρους ἐγνωκότες καὶ ἐκ μέρους προφητεύσαντες· καὶ τοὺς μὲν τοιοῦτον διαδέξεται τέλος, τοὺς δὲ ἐμπλησθέντας τῆς κακίας οὐκ ἐάσει διαναπαύσασθαι ὁ ἐξ αὐτῆς τικτόμενος σκώληξ. Ὅτι δὲ τὸν κόσμον τοῦτον πεπίστευκεν ἀγγέλοις ὁ κύριος, δείκνυσι Μωσῆς λέγων· «ὅτε διεμέριζεν ὁ ὕψιστος ἔθνη, ὡς διέσπειρεν υἱοὺς Ἀδάμ, ἔστησεν ὅρια ἐθνῶν κατὰ ἀριθμὸν ἀγγέλων θεοῦ.» Τὸν δὲ κόσμον ἀγρὸν καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις ὠνόμασε λέγων· «ἀγρός ἐστιν ὁ κόσμος.» Τὴν δὲ περισσείαν τῆς γῆς τὴν γνῶσιν λέγει τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς, εἴγε «μακάριοι οἱ πραεῖς, ὅτι αὐτοὶ κληρονομήσουσι τὴν γῆν»· τίς δέ ἐστιν ἄλλη κληρονομία τῆς φύσεως τῆς λογικῆς πλὴν τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ θεοῦ; Ὑψηλοὺς δὲ εἶπε τοὺς ἀγγέλους, ἐπειδὴ τοῦ ὑψηλοῦ κυρίου μετέχουσιν· «ὑψηλὸς γάρ, φησίν, ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ὁ κύριος.» 39 5, 12 ἔστιν ἀρρωστία ἣν εἶδον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, πλοῦτον φυλασσόμενον τῷ παρ' αὐτοῦ εἰς κακίαν αὐτοῦ Τὸ μὲν πλῆθος τῆς κακίας νῦν ὑπὸ τοῦ πλούτου δηλοῦται· αὕτη δὲ ἡ κακία ὑπὸ τῆς ἀρρωστίας σημαίνεται. Πᾶς οὖν ὁ φυλάσσων ἑαυτῷ τοῦτον τὸν πλοῦτον οὐ γνώσεται σοφίαν θεοῦ οὐδὲ παραβαλεῖ καρδίαν αὐτοῦ εἰς σύνεσιν οὐδὲ παραβαλεῖ αὐτὴν ἐπὶ νουθέτησιν τῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐδέξατο ῥήσεις ἐντολῶν θεοῦ οὐδὲ ἔκρυψεν αὐτὰς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ. 40 5, 13 καὶ ἀπολεῖται ὁ πλοῦτος ἐκεῖνος ἐν περισπασμῷ πονηρῷ, καὶ ἐγέννησεν υἱόν, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν χειρὶ αὐτοῦ οὐδέν Περισπασμὸς πονηρός ἐστιν ἄγνοια μετὰ κολάσεως ἀπὸ τῆς πνευματικῆς θεωρίας χωρίζουσα τὸν ἀκάθαρτον. 41 5, 14 καθὼς ἐξῆλθεν ἀπὸ γαστρὸς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ γυμνός, ἐπιστρέψει τοῦ πορευθῆναι ὡς ἥκει καὶ οὐδὲν λήμψεται ἐν μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ, ἵνα πορευθῇ ἐν χειρὶ αὐτοῦ. 5, 15.1-2 καί γε τοῦτο πονηρὰ ἀρρωστία· ὥσπερ γὰρ παρεγένετο, οὕτως καὶ ἀπελεύσεται Καὶ ὁ Ἰώβ φησιν· «αὐτὸς γυμνὸς ἐξῆλθον ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου, γυμνὸς καὶ ἀπελεύσομαι ἐκεῖ»· ὁ δὲ ἐνταῦθα «καθὼς ἐξῆλθεν ἀπὸ γαστρὸς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ γυμνός, ἐπιστρέψει τοῦ πορευθῆναι ὡς ἥκει». Ἀλλ' ὁ Ἰὼβ μὲν ὡς δίκαιος γυμνὸς ἄπεισι κακίας τε καὶ πονηρίας· οὗτος δὲ μεθ' ἧς ἀγνοίας ἦλθεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον τοῦτον, μετὰ ταύτης καὶ ἀπελεύσεται ἐκεῖ. 42 5, 17 ἰδοὺ ὃ εἶδον ἐγὼ ἀγαθόν, ὅ ἐστιν καλόν, τοῦ φαγεῖν καὶ τοῦ πιεῖν καὶ τοῦ ἰδεῖν ἀγαθωσύνην ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ, ᾧ ἐὰν μοχθήσῃ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, ἀριθμὸν ἡμερῶν ζωῆς αὐτοῦ, ὧν ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ ὁ θεός· ὅτι αὐτὸ μερὶς αὐτοῦ. 5, 18 καί γε πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ᾧ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ ὁ θεὸς πλοῦτον καὶ ὑπάρχοντα καὶ ἐξουσίασεν αὐτὸν τοῦ φαγεῖν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ καὶ λαβεῖν τὸ μέρος αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦ εὐφρανθῆναι ἐν μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ, τοῦτο δόμα θεοῦ ἐστιν. 5, 19 ὅτι οὐ πολλὰ μνησθήσεται τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς αὐτοῦ· ὅτι ὁ θεὸς περισπᾷ αὐτὸν ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ καρδίας αὐτοῦ Ἡ γνῶσις ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ λέγεται τοῦ νοῦ καὶ βρῶσις καὶ