8
of judgment, there is the impious, and a place of the just, there is the pious. I said in my heart: God will judge both the just and the impious; for there is a time for every matter and for every work. {Origen.} Therefore, he says that the impious is in a place of judgment, but no longer the just man also. And it follows to set the place of the unjust in opposition to that of the just, if not that of judgment; but the "with" being taken in place of "in" shows that we are not judged one by one, but all at one time. 3.18 I said in my heart concerning the speech of the sons of man, that God will judge them, and to show that they themselves are beasts. {Didymus.} That is to say: if God is to judge the sons of men concerning their speech, demanding an account for every idle word, how will not the pious, having been judged worthy of the sight of the Judge, stand with boldness, while the impious, having been separated and divided from them, will be accounted as beasts, having imitated their irrational way of life, and not even coming to judgment, according to David? 3.2021 All go to one place; all are from the dust, and all return to the dust; and who has seen if the spirit of the sons of man goes upward, and if the spirit of the beast goes downward to the earth? {Didymus.} If indeed the wise man says this from his own person, he would say thus: who knows if the beast-like man will be exalted, like the gentiles and the robber, and the men will be humbled, like Israel and the Jews? But he does not say these things while doubting, but while blessing the one who knows this and lives worthily. For though our flesh returns to the earth in like manner, nevertheless the spirit of beasts is dissolved with the flesh, but that of men goes to him who gave it. Therefore, the one who knows that He breathed it in, by all means lives worthily. 3.22 And I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, because that is his portion; for who will bring him to see what will be after him? {Nilus.} The good, he says, is therefore not the collection of wealth nor the strength of the body nor the bloom of beauty, but that a man should rejoice in his work, providing him eternal joy. But if no one will bring us to see the things that happen after us, how can we direct our labor concerning the things enjoined? For we do not even know what the next day will bring forth. 4.1 Then I returned and saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power, but they had no comforter. {σξηολια αυξτορις νομινε ξαρεντ} I returned, he says, from where? From the gloom of life. many and various oppressions happen; some are accustomed to oppress out of envy, others out of greed, others out of love of being first. And behold, he says, the tear of the oppressed, and there is no one to comfort them. And yet there are many who comfort with words, but no one with deeds. For who has reproved the oppressor without shrinking back? For we do not share the struggle with the oppressed, we do not share in his bonds or imprisonment, nor do we ransom him with our money. And from the hand of the oppressors there is power, from both dignities and family and wealth, and because there is no one to defend them, the tear of the weak increases. 4.23 Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive. Yea, better is he than both they, which hath not yet been, who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun. {σξηολια αυξτορις νομινε ξαρεντ} He speaks not of this common death, but another, for which those who die are in much praise, as having found the death that renews to life. Therefore he does not say "I deemed blessed," but "I praised"; and praise is properly for the living. And whom did I praise? Those dead to sin, those crucified to the world, those who consider human life as nothing, since they neither oppress nor are oppressed. For to the one who is judged for a tunic they yield
8
κρίσεως, ἐκεῖ ὁ ἀσεβής, καὶ τόπον τοῦ δικαίου, ἐκεῖ ὁ εὐσεβής. Εἶπον ἐγὼ ἐν καρδίᾳ μου· σὺν τὸν δίκαιον καὶ σὺν τὸν ἀσεβῆ κρινεῖ ὁ θεός· ὅτι καιρὸς τῷ παντὶ πράγματι καὶ ἐπὶ παντὶ ποιήματι. {Ὠριγένους.} Ἐν τόπῳ μὲν οὖν κρίσεώς φησιν εἶναι τὸν ἀσεβῆ, οὐκ ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὸν δίκαιον. Ἀκόλουθον δὲ τῷ τοῦ δικαίου ἀντιτάξαι τόπῳ τὸν τοῦ ἀδίκου, εἰ μὴ τὸν τῆς κρίσεως· τὸ δὲ σὺν ἐν τόπῳ παραλαμβανόμενον παρίστησιν ὅτι οὐ καθ' ἕνα κρινόμεθα, ἀλλ' ὑφ' ἕνα καιρὸν πάντες. 3.18 Ἐκεῖ εἶπον ἐγὼ ἐν καρδίᾳ μου περὶ λαλιᾶς υἱῶν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ὅτι διακρινεῖ αὐτοὺς ὁ θεός, καὶ τοῦ δεῖξαι ὅτι αὐτοὶ κτήνη εἰσί. {∆ιδύμου.} Τουτέστιν· εἰ περὶ λαλιᾶς μέλλει κρίνειν ὁ θεὸς τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, παντὸς ἀργοῦ ῥήματος ἀπαιτῶν λόγον, πῶς οὐχ οἱ μὲν εὐσεβεῖς ἄξιοι κριθέντες τῆς ὄψεως τοῦ δικάζοντος στήσονται μετὰ παρρησίας, οἱ δὲ ἀσεβεῖς διακριθέντες καὶ χωρισθέντες αὐτῶν κτήνη λογισθήσονται, τὴν ἐκείνων ἄλογον μιμησάμενοι διαγωγήν, καὶ οὔτε εἰς κρίσιν ἐλευσόμενοι, κατὰ τὸν ∆αβίδ; 3.2021 Τὰ πάντα πορεύεται εἰς τόπον ἕνα· τὰ πάντα ἐγένοντο ἀπὸ τοῦ χοός, καὶ τὰ πάντα ἐπιστρέφει εἰς τὸν χοῦν· καὶ τίς εἶδε τὸ πνεῦμα υἱῶν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰ ἀναβαίνει αὐτὸ εἰς ἄνω, καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ κτήνους εἰ καταβαίνει αὐτὸ κάτω εἰς τὴν γῆν; {∆ιδύμου.} Εἰ μὲν ἐξ οἰκείου προσώπου τοῦτο ὁ σοφὸς λέγει, οὕτως ἂν λέγοι· τίς οἶδεν εἰ ὁ κτηνώδης ὑψωθήσεται, ὡς τὰ ἔθνη καὶ ὁ λῃστής, καὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι ταπεινωθήσονται, ὡς ὁ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι; Οὐκ ἀμφιβάλλων δὲ ταῦτα λέγει, μακαρίζων δὲ τὸν εἰδότα τοῦτο ἀξίως πολιτευόμενον. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ πρὸς τὴν γῆν ὁμοίως ἡ σὰρξ ἡμῶν ἐπιστρέφει, ἀλλ' ὅμως τὸ μὲν τῶν κτηνῶν πνεῦμα μετὰ τῆς σαρκὸς ἀναλύεται, τὸ δὲ τῶν ἀνθρώπων πρὸς τὸν αὐτὸ δεδωκότα χωρεῖ. Ὁ τοίνυν εἰδὼς ὅτι αὐτὸς ἐνέπνευσεν αὐτό, πάντως πολιτεύεται ἀξίως. 3.22 Καὶ εἶδον ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἀγαθὸν εἰ μὴ ὃ εὐφρανθήσεται ἄνθρωπος ἐν ποιήματι αὐτοῦ, ὅτι αὐτὸ μερὶς αὐτοῦ· ὅτι τίς ἄξει αὐτὸν τοῦ ἰδεῖν ἐν ᾧ ἂν γένηται μετ' αὐτόν; {Νείλου.} Ἀγαθὸν οὖν, φησίν, οὐ πλούτου συλλογὴ οὐδὲ σώματος ἰσχὺς οὐδὲ κάλλους ὥρα, ἀλλ' ὅπερ εὐφρανθῇ ἄνθρωπος ἐν τῷ ποιήματι αὐτοῦ, τὴν εὐφροσύνην παρέχων αὐτῷ τὴν αἰώνιον. Εἰ δὲ οὐδεὶς ἡμᾶς ἄξει θεάσασθαι τὰ μεθ' ἡμᾶς γενόμενα, πῶς τὸν ἡμέτερον κόπον περὶ τῶν ἐνταλθέντων μεθοδεῦσαι δυνάμεθα; Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἴσμεν τί τέξεται ἡ ἐπιοῦσα. 4.1 Καὶ ἐπέστρεψα ἐγὼ καὶ εἶδον σὺν τὰς συκοφαντίας τὰς γενομένας ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον· καὶ ἰδοὺ δάκρυον τῶν συκοφαντουμένων, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῖς ὁ παρακαλῶν, καὶ ἀπὸ χειρὸς συκοφαντούντων αὐτοὺς ἰσχύς, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῖς ὁ παρακαλῶν. {σξηολια αυξτορις νομινε ξαρεντ} Ἐπέστρεψα, φησί, πόθεν ἐκ τῆς βιωτικῆς ἀχλύος πολλαὶ καὶ διάφοραι συκοφαντίαι γίνονται· καὶ οἱ μὲν διὰ φθόνον, οἱ δὲ διὰ πλεονεξίαν, οἱ δὲ διὰ φιλοπρωτείαν συκοφαντεῖν εἰώθασι. Καὶ ἰδού, φησί, δάκρυον τῶν συκοφαντουμένων, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοὺς ὁ παρακαλῶν. Καὶ μήν εἰσιν οἱ τῷ λόγῳ παρακαλοῦντες πολλοί, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἔργοις οὐδείς. Τίς γὰρ χωρὶς ὑποστολῆς τὸν συκοφάντην ἤλεγξεν; Οὐ γὰρ πρὸς τὸν συκοφαντούμενον τὸν ἀγῶνα μεριζόμεθα, οὐ κοινωνοῦμεν αὐτοῦ δεσμῶν ἢ φυλακῆς, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ χρήμασιν αὐτὸν τοῖς ἡμετέροις λυτρούμεθα. Καὶ ἀπὸ χειρὸς συκοφαντούντων ἰσχύς, ἀπό τε ἀξιωμάτων καὶ γένους καὶ πλούτου, καὶ διὰ τὸ μὴ εἶναι τὸν ἐπαμύνοντα πλεονάζει τοῖς ἀσθενέσι τὸ δάκρυον. 4.23 Καὶ ἐπῄνεσα ἐγὼ σὺν τοὺς τεθνηκότας τοὺς ἤδη ἀποθανόντας ὑπὲρ τοὺς ζῶντας, ὅσοι αὐτοὶ ζῶσιν ἕως τοῦ νῦν· καὶ ἀγαθὸς ὑπὲρ τοὺς δύο τούτους ὃς οὔπω ἐγένετο, ὃς οὐκ εἶδε σὺν τὸ ποίημα τὸ πονηρὸν τὸ πεποιημένον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον. {σξηολια αυξτορις νομινε ξαρεντ} Θάνατον οὐ τὸν κοινὸν τοῦτον λέγει, ἀλλ' ἕτερον, ὃν οἱ ἀποθνῄσκοντες ἐν ἐπαίνῳ πολλῷ εἰσιν, ὡς εὑρόντες τὸν εἰς ζωὴν ἀνακαινίζοντα θάνατον. Οὐ τοίνυν φησὶ "ἐμακάρισα", ἀλλ' "ἐπῄνεσα"· ἔπαινος δὲ κυρίως ἐπὶ τῶν ζώντων ἐστίν. Καὶ τίνας ἐπῄνεσα; Τοὺς τεθνηκότας τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, τοὺς ἐσταυρωμένους τῷ κόσμῳ, τοὺς μηδὲν τιθεμένους τὸν ἀνθρώπινον βίον, ἐπειδὴ οὔτε συκοφαντοῦσιν οὔτε συκοφαντοῦνται. Τῷ γὰρ κρινομένῳ περὶ χιτῶνος ἀφιᾶσι