John Chrysostom, On Ecclesiastes

But he who enjoys more cannot sleep in pleasure. Then he says that wealth is not even passed on to them.

There is a sickness which I have seen under the sun, wealth kept by its owner to his own harm, and that wealth will be lost in a bad venture, and he has begotten a son and there is nothing in his hand. As he came forth naked from his mother’s womb, so he will return to go as he came. For when he perhaps arrives just as he came, naked, what is the profit? What God has decreed, he does not permit him to depart with them. Often it has left them even while they are here; often not being left, it has surrounded the rest with more evils. 6 If a man begets a hundred children and lives many years, and his soul is <not> satisfied, and he has no burial, I said: an untimely birth is better than he. Let us choose this one over that one today. The untimely birth, what does he say? Let this one rather rest than that one. All the labor of man is for his mouth. See how he subtly disparages luxury. Whatever you labor for, does it not end there? For what reason do you surround yourself with many things? For what reason are you sparing? For what reason do you not spend? For what reason are you afraid and desire more? Is not one mouth going to receive it all? What more does stinginess acquire for you? Will you not go to the same place as the one who lived in luxury? That there is an advantage for the wise man over the fool? Therefore this comes from understanding.

Because the poor man knows how to walk before life. For when the poor man lives in luxury, but the rich man no longer, is this not from wisdom and folly? A good sight of the eyes is better than abundance for the soul. It is better to be gladdened, he says, by the eyes than to have those things laid up which the eye does not see. And this also is vanity and a striving after wind. If something has come to be, its name has already been called. That is, it is known to men. And it is known what man is: nothing. He will not be able to be judged with the one who is stronger than he. With God, he says; he will not be able to demand an account from him. Because there are many words that increase vanity. Because in many words he is refuted, or because he himself also does many vain things. He cannot bring a charge concerning nature, that it is corruptible; for his life is much worse. For who knows what is good for man in his life? No one knows. Is it not then an accusation? Certainly; for this very reason that they do not know what is profitable, but live as if in darkness, so that they can neither be judged before God, nor do they know what to answer. He will say it quickly. But those who are ignorant of their own interests, how will they be able to contend with God? The number of the days of the life of his vanity; and he has made them in shadow. He made them unseen; for this is what is meant by 'as in a shadow'. For who will tell man what will be after him under the sun? For God judges matters throughout all of life; often He has given the end of matters in another generation, so that the one who is to learn His judgment must live forever. But what he says is something like this: if nothing else, the shortness of our time takes this from us. For what? If you are going to accuse God because He snatched you quickly from the world, and then after this terrible things happened, since you are not able to know the things after you, you have nothing to say, but are caught.

7 A good name is better than good mercy. That is, it is better to enjoy a good reputation and be saved, than from mercy; for that one is liable. How then do you say: who knows what is truly good? We do not know. But for now, what we do know, are these things. And the day of death is better than the day of his birth. For the one is a rest, the other a prelude to toils. It is good to go to the house of mourning. That is, it is easy; for 'good' here means this, what is easy. Or to go to the house of feasting, because this is the end of every man. † And no one who was unable to give this recompense had it to give in return, but that one surely by grace; † from there comes envy and malice. You have sufficient consolation in that no one escapes; from there they will receive gladness.

Ὁ δὲ ἀπολαύων πλειόνων οὐ δύναται καθεύδειν ἐν ἡδονῇ. Εἶτα λέγει ὅτι οὐδὲ εἰς αὐτοὺς παραπέμπεται ὁ πλοῦτος.

Ἔστιν ἀρρωστία ἣν εἶδον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, πλοῦτον φυλασσόμενον τῷ παρ' αὐτοῦ εἰς κακίαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀπολεῖται ὁ πλοῦτος ἐκεῖνος ἐν περισπασμῷ πονηρῷ, καὶ ἐγέννησεν υἱὸν καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν χειρὶ αὐτοῦ οὐδέν. Καθῶς ἐξῆλθεν ἀπὸ γαστρὸς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ γυμνός, ἀποστρέψει τοῦ πορευθῆναι ὡς ἥκει. Ὅταν γὰρ ἴσως ἀφικνεῖται ὥσπερ ἦλθεν γυμνός, τί τὸ κέρδος; Ὅσα ἐνομοθέτησεν ὁ θεός, οὐκ ἀφίησιν μετ' αὐτῶν ἀπελθεῖν. Πολλάκις καὶ ἐνταῦθα ὄντας κατέλειψεν· πολλάκις μὴ καταλειφθείς, πλείοσιν κακοῖς περιέβαλεν τοὺς λοιπούς. 6 Ἐὰν γεννήσῃ ἀνὴρ ἑκατὸν καὶ ἔτη πολλὰ ζήσεται, καὶ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ <οὐκ> ἐμπλησθήσεται, καί γε ταφὴ οὐκ ἐγένετο αὐτῷ, εἶπα· ἀγαθὸν ὑπὲρ αὐτὸν τὸ ἔκτρωμα. Ἑλώμεθα τοῦτον ὑπὲρ τοῦτον τήμερον. Τὸ ἔκτρωμα, τί φησιν; Μᾶλλον ὑπὲρ ἐκεῖνον ἀναπαυέσθω οὗτος. Πᾶς μόχθος τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰς τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ. Ὅρα πῶς λανθανόντως διαβάλλει τὴν τρυφήν. Ὅσα ἂν μοχθήσῃς οὐκ ἐκεῖ τελευτᾷ; Τίνος ἕνεκεν πολλὰ περιβάλλῃ; Τίνος ἕνεκεν φείδῃ; Τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐκ ἀναλίσκεις; Τίνος ἕνεκεν φοβῇ καὶ πλειόνων ἐφίεσαι; Οὐχ ἓν στόμα μέλλει δέχεσθαι τὸ πᾶν; Τί σοι πλέον κτᾷ φειδωλίας; Οὐκ εἰς αὐτὸν ἀπελεύσῃ τὸν τόπον τῷ τρυφήσαντι; Ὅτι περισσεία τῷ σοφῷ ὑπὲρ τὸν ἄφρονα; Ἄρα ἀπὸ συνέσεως τοῦτο.

∆ιότι ὁ πένης οἶδεν πορευθῆναι κατέναντι τῆς ζωῆς. Ὅταν γὰρ πένης μὲν τρυφᾷ, πλούσιος δὲ μηκέτι, οὐκ ἀπὸ σοφίας καὶ ἀνοίας τοῦτο; Ἀγαθὸν ὅραμα ὀφθαλμῶν ὑπὲρ περίσσευμα ψυχῇ. Βέλτιον εὐφραίνεσθαι, φησίν, τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἢ ἔχειν ἀποκείμενα ἐκεῖνα ἃ οὐ βλέπει ὀφθαλμός. Καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης καὶ προαίρεσις πνεύματος. Εἴ τι ἐγένετο, ἤδη κέκληται ὄνομα αὐτοῦ. Τουτέστιν, γνωστὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐστίν. Καὶ ἐγνώσθη ὅ ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος· οὐδέν. Οὐ δυνήσεται κριθῆναι μετὰ τοῦ ἰσχυροῦ ὑπὲρ αὐτόν. Μετὰ τοῦ θεοῦ, φησίν· οὐ δυνήσεται τὸν λόγον αὐτὸν ἀπαιτῆσαι. Ὅτι εἰσὶ λόγοι πολλοὶ πληθύνοντες ματαιότητα. Ὅτι ἐν πολλοῖς λόγοις ἐλέγχεται, ἢ ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸς πολλὰ ποιεῖ μάταια. Οὐ δύναται ἐγκαλέσαι ὑπὲρ τῆς φύσεως, ὅτι φθαρτή· καὶ γὰρ ὁ βίος αὐτοῦ πολλῷ χείρων. Ὅτι τίς οἶδεν τί ἀγαθὸν [ἐν] τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐν τῇ ζωῇ αὐτοῦ; Οὐδεὶς οἶδεν. Οὐκ ἆρα ἔγκλημα; Πάνυ· δι' αὐτὸ τοῦτο ὅτι οὐκ ἴσασιν τὸ συμφέρον, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐν σκότῳ οἰκοῦσιν, ὥστε οὔτε κριθῆναι δύνανται πρὸς τὸν θεόν, οὐδέ τι ἀποκρίνασθαι ἴσασιν. Ταχέως αὐτὸ ἐρεῖ. Οἱ δὲ τὰ οἰκεῖα συμφέροντα ἀγνοοῦντες, πῶς δυνήσονται δικάζεσθαι τῷ θεῷ; Ἀριθμὸν ἡμερῶν ζωῆς ματαιότητος αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἐποίησεν αὐτὰ ἐν σκιᾷ. Ἐποίησεν αὐτὰ ἀφανῆ· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν ὡς ἐν σκιᾷ. Ὅτι τίς ἀπαγγελεῖ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τί ἔσται ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον; Τὰ γὰρ πράγματα κατὰ πάντα τὸν βίον κρίνει ὁ θεός· πολλάκις τὸ τέλος τῶν πραγμάτων ἐν ἑτέρᾳ γενεᾷ ἔδωκεν, ὥστε τὸν μέλλοντα τὴν κρίσιν αὐτοῦ μανθάνειν ζῆν ἀεὶ χρόνον. Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· εἰ καὶ μηδὲν ἕτερον, τὸ ὀλιγοχρόνιον ἡμᾶς ἀφαιρεῖται. Τί γάρ; Εἰ μέλλεις ἐγκαλεῖν τῷ θεῷ ὅτι σε ταχέως ἀνήρπασεν ἀπὸ τοῦ κόσμου, εἶτα μετὰ ταῦτα συνέβη δεινὰ εἶναι, οὐκ ἔχων εἰδέναι αὐτὰ τὰ μετὰ σέ, οὐδὲν ἔχεις λέγειν, ἀλλὰ ἁλίσκῃ.

7 Ἀγαθὸν ὄνομα ὑπὲρ ἔλεον ἀγαθόν. Τουτέστιν, βέλτιον ἀπολαύειν φήμης καλῆς καὶ σῴζεσθαι, ἢ ἀπὸ ἐλέου· ἐκεῖνος γὰρ ὑπεύθυνος. Πῶς οὖν λέγεις· τίς οἶδεν τὸ ὄντως ἀγαθόν; Οὐκ ἴσμεν. Τέως δὲ ἃ ἴσμεν, ταῦτά ἐστιν. Καὶ ἡμέρα τοῦ θανάτου ὑπὲρ ἡμέραν γενέσεως αὐτοῦ. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἀνάπαυσις, τὸ δὲ προοίμιον πόνων. Ἀγαθὸν πορευθῆναι εἰς οἶκον πένθους. Τουτέστιν εὔκολον· τὸ γὰρ ἀγαθὸν ἐνταῦθα τοῦτό φησιν, τὸ ῥᾴδιον. Ἢ πορευθῆναι εἰς οἶκον πότου, καθότι τοῦτο τέλος παντὸς ἀνθρώπου. † Καὶ εἶχεν ἀντιδοῦναι οὐδεὶς ὁ μὴ δυνάμενος ταύτην ἀποδοῦναι τὴν ἀμοιβήν, ἐκείνην δὲ χάριτι πάντως· † ἐκεῖθεν φθόνος καὶ βασκανία. Ἱκανὴν ἔχεις παραμυθίαν τὸ μηδένα διαφυγεῖν· ἐκεῖθεν εὐφροσύνην λήψονται.