Acknowledged writings.

 A declaration of faith.

 Part i.—acknowledged writings.

 Elucidation.

 A metaphrase of the book of ecclesiastes.

 A metaphrase of the book of ecclesiastes.

 Chapter ii.

 Chapter iii.

 Chapter iv.

 Chapter v.

 Chapter vi.

 Chapter vii.

 Chapter viii.

 Chapter ix.

 Chapter x.

 Chapter xi.

 Chapter xii.

 Canonical epistle.

 Canonical epistle.

 Canon ii.

 Canon iii.

 Canon iv.

 Canon v.

 Canon vi.

 Canon vii.

 Canon viii.

 Canon ix.

 Canon x.

 Canon xi.

 Elucidations.

 The oration and panegyric addressed to origen.

 The oration and panegyric addressed to origen.

 Argument ii.—he essays to speak of the well-nigh divine endowments of origen in his presence, into whose hands he avows himself to have been led in a

 Argument iii.—he is stimulated to speak of him by the longing of a grateful mind. to the utmost of his ability he thinks he ought to thank him. from g

 Argument iv.—the son alone knows how to praise the father worthily. in christ and by christ our thanksgivings ought to be rendered to the father. greg

 Argument v.—here gregory interweaves the narrative of his former life. his birth of heathen parents is stated. in the fourteenth year of his age he lo

 Argument vi.—the arts by which origen studies to keep gregory and his brother athenodorus with him, although it was almost against their will and the

 Argument vii.—the wonderful skill with which origen prepares gregory and athenodorus for philosophy. the intellect of each is exercised first in logic

 Argument viii.—then in due succession he instructs them in physics, geometry, and astronomy.

 Argument ix.—but he imbues their minds, above all, with ethical science and he does not confine himself to discoursing on the virtues in word, but he

 Argument x.—hence the mere word-sages are confuted, who say and yet act not.

 Argument xi.—origen is the first and the only one that exhorts gregory to add to his acquirements the study of philosophy, and offers him in a certain

 Argument xii.—gregory disallows any attainment of the virtues on his part. piety is both the beginning and the end, and thus it is the parent of all t

 Argument xiii.—the method which origen used in his theological and metaphysical instructions. he commends the study of all writers, the atheistic alon

 Argument xiv.—whence the contentions of philosophers have sprung. against those who catch at everything that meets them, and give it credence, and cli

 Argument xv.—the case of divine matters. only god and his prophets are to be heard in these. the prophets and their auditors are acted on by the same

 Argument xvi.—gregory laments his departure under a threefold comparison likening it to adam’s departure out of paradise. to the prodigal son’s aband

 Argument xvii.—gregory consoles himself.

 Argument xviii.— peroration, and apology for the oration.

 Argument xix.—apostrophe to origen, and therewith the leave-taking, and the urgent utterance of prayer.

 Elucidations.

Chapter VI.

Moreover, I shall exhibit in discourse the ill-fortune that most of all prevails among men. While God may supply a man with all that is according to his mind, and deprive him of no object which may in any manner appeal to his desires, whether it be wealth, or honour, or any other of those things for which men distract themselves; yet the man, while thus prospered in all things, as though the only ill inflicted on him from heaven were just the inability to enjoy them, may but husband them for his fellow, and fall without profit either to himself or to his neighbours. This I reckon to be a strong proof and clear sign of surpassing evil. The man who has borne without blame the name of father of very many children, and spent a long life, and has not had his soul filled with good for so long time, and has had no experience of death meanwhile,60 θάνατον πεῖραν οὐ λαβών, for which we must read probably θανάτου, etc.—this man I should not envy either his numerous offspring or his length of days; nay, I should say that the untimely birth that falls from a woman’s womb is better than he. For as that came in with vanity, so it also departeth secretly in oblivion, without having tasted the ills of life or looked on the sun. And this is a lighter evil than for the wicked man not to know what is good, even though he measure his life by thousands of years.61 The text gives, ἤπερ τῷ πονηρῷ…ἀναμετρησαμένῳ ἀγαθοτητα μὴ ἐπιγνῳ, for which we may read either ἤπερ τῷ πονηρῷ…ἀναμετρησάμενος…ἐπιγνῷ, or better,…ἀναμετρησαμένῳ…ἐπιγνῶναι. And the end of both is death. The fool is proved above all things by his finding no satisfaction in any lust. But the discreet man is not held captive by these passions. Yet, for the most part, righteousness of life leads a man to poverty. And the sight of curious eyes deranges62 ἐξίστηαι. many, inflaming their mind, and drawing them on to vain pursuits by the empty desire of show.63 τοῦ ὀφθῆναι. Moreover, the things which are now are known already; and it becomes apparent that man is unable to contend with those that are above him. And, verily, inanities have their course among men, which only increase the folly of those who occupy themselves with them.