John Chrysostom, On Ecclesiastes

You see all sharing in your terrible things; *** from this often grief and slander; for especially things that are not universal, being good, cause grief, while terrible things cause gladness. And the living will put a good thing in his heart. He will give comfort to his heart, not to the soul, not *** the one who has departed; but having summoned the relatives you have honored them, but rather providing the comfort for yourself. The good things are twofold: when having departed he rested, when still remaining he did not suffer in the terrible things. Because as the sound of thorns under the cauldron, so is the laughter of fools; and this too is vanity. Obscure, unpleasant, unprofitable, useless. Do not say, ‘What has happened that the former days were better than these?’ for you have not asked in wisdom concerning this. For if you will examine the good things of these days also, you would have seen the great counterweight; or, if not this, it had to be this way. But if this is not in wisdom, much more so the other things which they examine. Wisdom is good with an inheritance. That is, in abundance. Because wisdom is in its shadow as the shadow of silver. That is, not only will it give rest from this, but you will also be in great splendor. See the works of God; for who will be able to straighten what God has made crooked? He speaks concerning punishment. Who will be able to save whom God punishes? Look at Sodom. His works; he does not mean the creation, but the dispensations. In a day of prosperity be in good, and see in a day of evil; see, and indeed with this God has made this harmoniously concerning speech. That is, understand the things that are coming, consider carefully that God preserves everything that is made; whether good or evil, it meets one end. Concerning speech, that nothing may be found after man. So harmonious, however, as not even to know the concord and the end.

There is a just man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who remains in his evil. Again another perplexity and ignorance; righteousness did not profit the one, and evil did not destroy the other. Do not be overly just, nor be excessively wise, lest you be confounded. Do you see what he says? Do not be just; that is, do not seek all the righteousness of God, nor seek to find precisely the justice of God; for you are not able. For that he says this, the following shows. Yield to the incomprehensible; a great discovery is ignorance, so that you may not be beside yourself; for you will neither find anything, and this will persuade you. It is good for you to hold fast to this, and from this not to defile your hand. To this; I mean for you to hold fast to good things, not to be defiled by wicked things. Wisdom will help the wise man more than ten rulers who are in the city. For there is no man who does not need help. For there is not a just man on the earth, who will do good and not sin. And yet even if someone were admirable and just, he reasonably sins; but it is of wisdom to correct what was done amiss.

And indeed to all the words which the wicked may speak, do not set your heart. That is, do not examine precisely the things said about you, since not even the slave will escape. So that you may not hear your slave cursing you. For if you wish to examine the things said about you, the slave will also fall into it. Because many times he will deal wickedly with you and in many ways will afflict your heart. For if you do this, you will give to your heart counsels against yourself; and you will make yourself available to those wishing to wrong you, if you examine all these things precisely. Because you too have cursed; what you examine. All these things I tested in wisdom. I said, ‘I will be wise.’ That is, examine yourself, and you too are responsible. Therefore, do not be indignant, if he wishes these things which you also do. All these things I tested in wisdom; that is, I suffered them but I despised them. And it was far from me, farther than it was, and a deep depth, who will find it? I wished to live precisely, but wisdom was removed beyond me, it was removed from me farther than before. For what sort of thing is this? When we are wise, then most of all we know how far from it we are, just as the one who sees, this one knows how far from him is the

Ὁρᾷς ἐν τοῖς δεινοῖς σοι κοινωνοῦντας ἅπαντας· *** ἐντεῦθεν λύπην πολλάκις καὶ βλασφημίαν· μάλιστα γὰρ τὰ μὴ ὄντα καθολικὰ λυπεῖ καλὰ ὄντα, τὰ δεινὰ εὐφραίνει. Καὶ ὁ ζῶν δώσει ἀγαθὸν ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ. ∆ώσει πρὸς καρδίαν αὐτοῦ παραμυθίαν, οὐ τῇ ψυχῇ, οὐχὶ *** τὸν ἀπελθόντα· τετίμηκα<ς> δὲ τοὺς προσήκοντας παρακαλέσας, ἀλλὰ σαυτῷ μᾶλλον τὴν παραμυθίαν ποριζόμενος. ∆ιπλᾶ τὰ ἀγαθά· ὅτε ἀπελθὼν ἀνεπαύσατο, ὅτε ἔτι μένων οὐκ ἤλγησεν ἐπὶ τοῖς δεινοῖς. Ὅτι ὡς φωνὴ τῶν ἀκανθῶν ὑπὸ τὸν λέβητα, οὕτως γέλως τῶν ἀφρόνων· καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης. Ἄσημος, ἀηδής, ἀκερδής, ἀνωφελής. Μὴ εἴπῃς· τί ἐγένετο ὅτι αἱ ἡμέραι αἱ πρότεραι ἦσαν ἀγαθαὶ ὑπὲρ ταύτας; ὅτι οὐκ ἐν σοφίᾳ ἠρώτησας περὶ τούτου. Εἰ γὰρ ἐξετάσεις καὶ τούτων τὰ χρηστά, εἶδες ἂν πολὺ τὸ ἀντίρροπον· ἤ, εἰ μὴ τοῦτο· οὕτως ἔδει γενέσθαι. Εἰ δὲ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐν σοφίᾳ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὰ ἄλλα ἃ ἐξετάζουσιν. Ἀγαθὴ σοφία μετὰ κληρονομίας. Τουτέστιν ἐν περιουσίᾳ. Ὅτι ἐν σκιᾷ αὐτῆς ἡ σοφία ὡς σκιὰ ἀργυρίου. Τουτέστιν, οὐκ ἐντεῦθεν ἀναπαύσει μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν λαμπρότητι ἔσῃ πολλῇ. Ἴδε τὰ ποιήματα τοῦ θεοῦ· ὅτι τίς δυνήσεται κοσμῆσαι ὃν ἂν ὁ θεὸς διαστρέψῃ αὐτόν; Περὶ τιμωρίας φησίν. Τίς δυνήσεται σῶσαι ὃν ἂν ὁ θεὸς τιμωρήσηται; Ὅρα τὰ Σόδομα. Ποιήματα αὐτοῦ· οὐχὶ τὴν κτίσιν φησίν, ἀλλὰ τὰς οἰκονομίας. Ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἀγαθωσύνης ζῆθι ἐν ἀγαθῷ, καὶ ἴδε ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κακίας· ἴδε, καί γε σὺν τούτῳ συμφώνως τοῦτο ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς περὶ λαλιᾶς. Τουτέστιν, νόησον τὰ ἐπερχόμενα, κατάσκεψαι ἀκριβῶς ὅτι σύμπαν τὸ ποιηθὲν σῴζει ὁ θεός· ἄν τε καλὸν ἄν τε κακόν, πρὸς ἓν ἀπαντᾷ τέλος. Περὶ λαλιᾶς, ἵνα μὴ εὑρεθῇ ὀπίσω ἀνθρώπου μηθέν. Οὕτω μέντοι σύμφωνον, ὡς μηδὲ εἰδέναι τὴν ὁμόνοιαν καὶ τὸ τέλος.

Ἔστιν δίκαιος ἀπολλύμενος ἐν δικαίῳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔστιν ἀσεβὴς μένων ἐν κακίᾳ αὐτοῦ. Πάλιν ἄλλη ἀπορία καὶ ἄγνοια· τὸν μὲν οὐκ ὤνησεν ἡ δικαιοσύνη, τὸν δὲ οὐκ ἔφθειρεν ἡ κακία. Μὴ γίνου δίκαιος πολύ, μηδὲ σοφίζου περισσά, μήποτε ἐκπλαγῇς. Ὁρᾷς τί φησιν; Μὴ γίνου δίκαιος· τουτέστιν, μὴ ζήτει πᾶσαν τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν δικαιοσύνην, μηδὲ ζήτει ἀκριβῶς εὑρεῖν τὸ δίκαιον τοῦ θεοῦ· οὐ γὰρ δύνασαι. Ὅτι γὰρ τοῦτό φησιν, τὸ ἑξῆς δηλοῖ. ∆ίδου τῷ ἀκαταλήμπτῳ· μεγάλη εὕρεσις ἄγνοια, ἵνα μὴ ἐκστῇς σου· οὔτε γὰρ εὑρήσεις τι, καὶ τοῦτο πείσει. Ἀγαθὸν τὸ ἀντέχεσθαί σε ἐν τούτῳ, καὶ ἀπὸ τούτου μὴ μιάνῃς τὴν χεῖρά σου. Τούτῳ· ἡγοῦμαι ἀντέχεσθαί σε καλῶν, μὴ μιαίνεσθαι τοῖς πονηροῖς. Ἡ σοφία βοηθήσει τῷ σοφῷ ὑπὲρ δέκα ἐξουσιάζοντας τοὺς ὄντας ἐν τῇ πόλει. Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος μὴ δεόμενος βοηθείας. Ὅτι ἄνθρωπος οὐκ ἔστιν δίκαιος ἐν τῇ γῇ, ὃς ποιήσει ἀγαθὸν καὶ οὐχ ἁμαρτήσεται. Καίτοι κἂν θαυμαστός τις εἴη καὶ δίκαιος, εἰκότως ἁμαρτάνει· σοφίας δέ ἐστιν διορθοῦσθαι τὰ πλημμεληθέντα.

Καί γε εἰς πάντας τοὺς λόγους οὓς ἂν λαλήσουσιν ἀσεβεῖς, μὴ θῇς καρδίαν σου. Τουτέστιν, μὴ ἀκριβῶς ἐξέταζε τὰ περὶ σοῦ λεγόμενα, ἐπεὶ οὐδὲ ὁ δοῦλος ἐκφεύξεται. Ὅπως μὴ ἀκούσῃς τοῦ δούλου σου καταρωμένου σε. Ἂν γὰρ θέλῃς τὰ περὶ σοῦ λεγόμενα ἐξετάζειν, καὶ ὁ δοῦλος ἐμπεσεῖται. Ὅτι πολλάκις πονηρεύσεταί σε καὶ καθόδους πολλὰς κακώσει καρδίαν σου. Ἂν γὰρ τοῦτο ποιῇς, δώσεις τῇ καρδίᾳ σου κατὰ σαυτοῦ βουλάς· καὶ πρόχειρον σαυτὸν ποιήσεις τοῖς βουλομένοις ἀδικεῖν σε, ἂν ταῦτα πάντα ἀκριβῶς ἐξετάσῃς. Ὅτι καὶ σὺ κατηράσω· ἃ ἐξετάζεις. Πάντα ταῦτα ἐπείρασα ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ. Εἶπα· σοφισθήσομαι. Τουτέστιν, ἐξέτασον σαυτόν, καὶ ὑπεύθυνος εἶ καὶ σύ. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀγανάκτει, εἰ ταῦτα βούλεται ἃ καὶ σὺ ποιεῖς. Πάντα ταῦτα ἐπείρασα ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ· τουτέστιν, ἔπαθον αὐτὰ ἀλλὰ κατεφρόνησα. Καὶ αὕτη ἐμακρύνθη ἀπ' ἐμοῦ μακρὰν ὑπὲρ ὃ ἦν, καὶ βαθὺ βάθος, τίς εὑρήσει αὐτό; Ἐβουλήθην ἀκριβῶς ζῆν, ἀλλ' ἐμακρύνθη ὑπὲρ ἐμὲ ἡ σοφία, ὑπὲρ τὸ πρότερον ἐμακρύνθη ἀπ' ἐμοῦ. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ τί ἐστιν; Ὅταν φρονῶμεν, τότε μάλιστα ἴσμεν ὅσον αὐτῆς ἀπέχομεν, ὥσπερ ὁ βλέπων, οὗτος οἶδεν ὅσον αὐτοῦ ἀπέχει ὁ