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of the impulse to sin. For the common death is brought upon both for their benefit. And as to the meaning, Those who have 93.525 died to sin, and are living in Christ, are incomparably better than those living in sins. Then he adds: "And better than both of these is he who has not yet been," nor has he seen this laborious life, which indeed he also calls a work. From this, some say that the soul pre-exists the body. For how, he says, is it possible for one who does not even exist to be called good? To whom we shall say: If the soul pre-existed, and because of sin in its incorporeal state was cast into the body as into a prison, in order to be disciplined (for these things you say), how was it blessed when it was sinning and not being disciplined? And yet, whom the Lord loves, he disciplines, and he scourges every son whom he receives. But if to be loved by God is this good, and to be disciplined is good, and the soul comes into a body to be disciplined, then life in the body is better than the soul sinning in its pre-existence and not being deemed worthy of divine correction. This argument, therefore, is overturned, nor did the soul pre-exist the body. Therefore, "better than both of these is he who has not yet been" is said about the man who has not come into existence at all, so that he might say according to the word of the Savior: It would have been good for him if he had not been born. But from this another question follows for us: if it is better not to have been born than to have been born, then coming into existence is an evil for men; therefore, the one who created man is the cause of evils. How then did God see everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good? To this, then, we say that Ecclesiastes, having set up two persons, one of the oppressor and one of the oppressed, did not simply posit the person of the oppressed, but attributed a tear to him, on account of the injustices he suffers. Therefore, the person introduced is not that of a philosopher, nor truly a Christian, but of someone who is himself a lover of the world. For the philosopher, when wronged, does not weep, but on the contrary rejoices and is glad; as the Apostle also wrote: And you accepted the seizure of your possessions with joy. Ecclesiastes, therefore, having proposed two unphilosophical persons, one of the wrongdoer, and the other of the one being wronged and weeping from excessive grief and lack of discipline, added that in comparison to these two unphilosophical men, it is good not even to have come into existence; and experience of the facts themselves will testify to what has been said. For if one were to ask the holy martyrs, or prophets, or apostles, or indeed all who have lived in virtue: Tell us, holy men, if the choice were given to you of being created by God or not being created, what would you have chosen? Do you not think they would immediately answer that, Indeed we give thanks to the God who made us by his goodness, and anointed us for the contests of virtue, and wove for us these blessed crowns? It has been shown, therefore, that the saying of Ecclesiastes is about sinners. 93.528 "And I saw all the toil, and all the skill of the work, that this is a man's envy; this also is vanity and a striving after wind." Blameworthy skill is to apply oneself to vain things, and to achieve the goal. And blameworthy envy is that which has jealousy as its neighbor. I saw, therefore, he says, the toil of men concerning vain works, and others being envious of them, that is, jealous. For example, someone grows rich from injustice, others, being jealous of him, or also wishing to obtain similar things, emulate the same behavior. And the things concerning these, therefore, are vanity and a striving after wind. "The fool folded his hands, and ate his own flesh." The hands are given to men for performing their duties. Therefore, the one who holds his own hands, that is, the idle one, later repenting or even wasting away, is said to eat his own flesh. And as to the meaning, he who does not extend the energies of his soul toward virtues eats his own flesh, becoming an agent of punishment for himself. Otherwise: To embrace is also said to mean to love and to kiss. The fool, therefore, loving his own blameworthy actions. eats his own flesh, he himself to himself the from the just

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τῆς ἐπὶ τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν ὁρμῆς. Συμφερόντως γὰρ ἑκατέροις ὁ κοινὸς ἐπάγεται θάνατος. Πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν, Οἱ τεθνη 93.525 κότες τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, καὶ ζῶντες ἐν Χριστῷ, ἀσυγκρίτως ἀμείνονές εἰσι τῶν ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ζώντων. Εἶτα ἐπάγει· "Καὶ ἀγαθὸς ὑπὲρ τοὺς δύο τούτους, ὃς οὔπω ἐγένετο," οὐδὲ εἶδε τὴν ἐπίπονον ταύτην ζωὴν, ἣν δὴ καὶ ποίημα καλεῖ. Ἐντεῦθέν τινες προϋπεῖναι τὴν ψυχὴν λέγουσι τοῦ σώματος. Πῶς γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐνδέχεται λέγεσθαι ἀγαθὸν τὸν μηδὲ ὄντα; πρὸς οὓς ἐροῦμεν· Εἰ προϋποῦσα ἡ ψυχὴ, διὰ τὴν ἐν ἀσωμάτῳ διαγωγῇ ἁμαρτίαν, ὡς εἰς δεσμωτήριον ἐνεβλήθη εἰς τὸ σῶμα, ἵνα παιδευθῇ (ταῦτα γάρ φατε), πῶς μακαρία ἦν ἡ ἁμαρτάνουσα, καὶ μὴ παιδευομένη; Καίτοι γε ὃν ἀγαπᾷ Κύριος, παιδεύει, μαστιγοῖ δὲ πάντα υἱὸν ὃν παραδέχεται. Εἰ δὲ τὸ ἀγαπᾶσθαι ὑπὸ Θεοῦ τοῦτο ἀγαθὸν, ἀγαθὸν δὲ τὸ παιδεύεσθαι, ἔρχεται δὲ εἰς σῶμα ἡ ψυχὴ ἵνα παιδεύηται, ἀγαθὸν ἄρα ἡ ἐν σώματι ζωὴ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐν τῇ προβιοτῇ ἁμαρτανούσης ψυχῆς, καὶ θείας ἐπιστροφῆς μὴ ἀξιουμένης. Ἀνατέτραπται οὖν οὗτος ὁ λόγος, οὐδὲ προϋπέστη ἡ ψυχὴ τοῦ σώματος. Τὸ οὖν ἀγαθὸν ὑπὲρ τοὺς δύο τούτους, ὅστις οὔπω ἐγένετο, περὶ τοῦ μηδὲ ὅλως εἰς ὕπαρξιν ἐλθόντος ἀνθρώπου φησὶ, ἵνα εἴπῃ κατὰ τὸν τοῦ Σωτῆρος λόγον· Καλὸν ἦν αὐτῷ εἰ οὐκ ἐγένετο. ∆ιαδέχεται δὲ ἡμᾶς ἐντεῦθεν ἕτερον ζήτημα, εἰ ἄμεινον τὸ μὴ γενέσθαι τοῦ γενέσθαι, πρὸς κακοῦ ἄρα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὸ εἰς ὕπαρξιν ἐλθεῖν· κακῶν οὖν ἄρα αἴτιος ὁ τὸν ἄνθρωπον δημιουργήσας. Πῶς οὖν εἶδεν ὁ Θεὸς πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησεν, καὶ ἰδοὺ καλὰ λίαν; Πρὸς δὴ τοῦτό φαμεν, ὅτι δύο πρόσωπα τεθεικὼς ὁ Ἐκκλησιαστὴς, τοῦ μὲν συκοφαντοῦντος, τοῦ δὲ συκοφαντουμένου, οὐχ ἁπλῶς τέθεικε τὸ τοῦ συκοφαντουμένου, ἀλλὰ δάκρυον αὐτῷ ὑπεστήσατο, ἐφ' οἷς ἀδικεῖται. Οὐκοῦν οὐ φιλοσόφου πρόσωπον, οὐδὲ ὄντως Χριστιανοῦ τὸ εἰσαχθὲν, ἀλλά τινος καὶ αὐτὸ φιλοκόσμου. Ὁ γὰρ φιλόσοφος ἀδικούμενος οὐ δακρύει, τὸ δὲ ἐναντίον χαίρει καὶ ἥδεται· ὡς καὶ ἔγραφεν ὁ Ἀπόστολος· Καὶ τὴν ἁρπαγὴν τῶν ὑπαρχόντων μετὰ χαρᾶς προσεδέξασθε. Ὁ οὖν Ἐκκλησιαστὴς δύο ὑποστησάμενος πρόσωπα ἀφιλόσοφα, ἓν μὲν τὸ τοῦ ἀδικοῦντος, ἕτερον δὲ τὸ τοῦ ἀδικουμένου, καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς ἄγαν ἀνίας καὶ ἀπαιδευσίας δακρύοντος, ἐπήγαγε, ὅτι τούτων τῶν δύο ἀφιλοσόφων ἀνδρῶν πρὸς σύγκρισιν, καλὸν μηδὲ εἰς ὕπαρξιν ἐλθεῖν· μαρτυρήσει δὲ τῷ εἰρημένῳ αὐτὴ τῶν πραγμάτων ἡ πεῖρα. Εἰ γάρ τις ἔροιτο τοὺς ἁγίους μάρτυρας, ἢ προφήτας, ἢ ἀποστόλους, ἢ καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἐν ἀρετῇ βιοτεύσαντας· Εἴπατε ἡμῖν, ἄνδρες ἅγιοι, αἱρέσεως ὑμῖν κειμένης τοῦ γενέσθαι ὑπὸ Θεοῦ, ἢ μὴ γενέσθαι, τί ἂν εἵλεσθε; οὐ παραχρῆμα οἴει αὐτοὺς ἀποκρίνασθαι, ὅτι ∆ῆτα χάριν ἔχομεν τῷ ἀγαθότητι ἡμᾶς πεποιηκότι Θεῷ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀγῶνας ἐπαλείψαντι, καὶ τούτους ἡμῖν τοὺς μακαρίους στεφάνους πλέξαντι; ∆έδεικται τοίνυν ὡς περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ὁ λόγος τοῦ Ἐκκλησιαστοῦ. 93.528 "Καὶ εἶδον ἐγὼ σύμπαντα τὸν μόχθον, καὶ σύμπασαν ἀνδρείαν τοῦ ποιήματος, ὅτι αὐτὸ ζῆλος ἀνδρὶ, τοῦτο ματαιότης καὶ προαίρεσις πνεύματος." Ἀνδρεία ψεκτὴ, τὸ ἐπιβάλλεσθαι εἰς τὰ μάταια, καὶ περιγίνεσθαι τοῦ σκοποῦ. Ὁ δὲ ζῆλος ὁ ψεκτὸς, ὃς τὸν φθόνον ἔχει γείτονα. Εἶδον οὖν, φησὶ, τὸν περὶ τὰ μάταια ποιήματα τῶν ἀνθρώπων μόχθον, καὶ ἑτέρους ζηλοῦντας αὐτοῖς, ἤτοι φθονοῦντας. Οἷον πλουτεῖ τις ἐξ ἀδικίας, ἕτεροι τούτῳ φθονοῦντες, ἣ καὶ τῶν παραπλησίων τυχεῖν βουλόμενοι, ζηλοῦσι τὴν ὁμοιοτροπίαν. Καὶ τὰ περὶ τούτων οὗν ἐστι ματαιότης, καὶ προαίρεσις πνεύματος. "Ἄφρων περιέλαβε τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔφαγε τὰς σάρκας αὐτοῦ." Αἱ χεῖρες εἰς τὸ ἐνεργεῖν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὰ καθήκοντα δέδονται. Ὁ οὖν κατέχων τὰς ἑαυτοῦ χεῖρας, τουτέστι ὁ ἀργὸς, ὕστερόν ποτε μεταμελόμενος ἢ καὶ τηκόμενος, τὰς ἑαυτοῦ σάρκας λέγεται κατεσθίειν. Πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν, Ὁ τὰς ἐνεργείας τῆς ψυχῆς μὴ ἐξαπλῶν περὶ τὰς ἀρετὰς, τὰς ἑαυτοῦ σάρκας κατεσθίει, κολάσεως ἑαυτῷ γιγνόμενος πρόξενος. Ἄλλως· Περιλαβεῖν λέγεται καὶ τὸ φιλεῖν καὶ κατασπάζεσθαι. Ὁ ἄφρων οὖν τὰς διαβεβλημένας ἑαυτοῦ πράξεις ἀγαπῶν. τὰς ἑαυτοῦ σάρκας κατεσθίει, αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ τὴν ἐκ τοῦ δικαίου