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of him, that he might go in his hand; and this is a wicked sickness. For as he came, so also shall he depart. And what is his abundance, for which he labors for the wind? And all his days are in darkness and in mourning, and in much anger, and in sickness, and in wrath." If, therefore, neither the avaricious man himself, nor his son, nor any man at all can take any of the tangible riches with him, is not the love of money a wicked sickness of the soul? Why then do you labor for the wind, when unstable wealth is scattered and blown away? Where even the very life of the lovers of money is in darkness, that is, in ignorance and in mourning. For they are unmerciful to themselves, partaking of their possessions sparingly; but also in much anger, always being provoked, and quarreling and being angry over small things, and being sick in soul. But consider how many passions enter into the avaricious man, in addition to the fact that, even after this life, darkness receives him, being punished by divine wrath and aversion. "Behold, I saw a good thing, which is fair, to eat and to drink, and to see goodness in all his labor, in which he may labor under the sun, the number of the days of his life, which God has given him. Wealth, and possessions, and power in it, to eat from it, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God, because he shall not much remember the days of his life, because God distracts him with the gladness of his heart." Ecclesiastes, having presented the persona of an avaricious man, and having used invective against him, since he struck him severely, attempts to heal him, and to gently lead him out of the passion. Then, since he cannot bear to hear of the highest virtue, with much wisdom he introduces pleasant things for men to do, mixing into his teaching that one must not grant everything to the belly, and that life here is short. Therefore he advises the avaricious man to for now use his possessions, so that through what seems pleasant, he might lead him out of the passion of avarice, saying that: It is good for you, O rich and avaricious man, to eat, and to drink, and to rejoice, as long as you consider the things under the sun; for you must also keep in mind that you have received a number of days from God, and the time of life which God has given you, thus was it portioned to you, that is, it was set apart. Having therefore received 93.549 from God wealth, and the power to use it, take care not only to eat and drink, but also to take your portion; and behold a wonderful teaching, after drawing the avaricious man out of his passion through the enjoyment of foods, he then gently teaches that this enjoyment of foods is not the portion of man, but to take his portion, that is, that which remains with him; to scatter wealth to the poor, and to truly rejoice in such a ministry. For this is truly the gift of God, to take on a merciful and poor-loving disposition. Then leading him to be persuaded, and to take his portion, that is, to spend his money well, so that they might become his, he reminds him of the shortness of life, saying that he shall not much remember the days of his life. And such a distraction and occupation is dear to God, and gladdens the heart of the merciful. That the exhortation is to the avaricious man, he again brings it against the avaricious in what follows; and these things are according to the literal sense. But he who is able to hear the great Ecclesiastes more divinely, hearing in the Gospels: He who has ears to hear, let him hear; knows who the only good one is, that it is God; and that he who eats and drinks the flesh of the Lord, this one comes into the enjoyment of the good things to come. And he labors well, and practices the virtues, while he is under the sun, that is, in this life here; reckoning that his days are numbered, and it is not fitting for any of them to be lost, and to run past without fruit. For he who is concerned with virtue alone, this is properly the portion of man, causing God to become our portion, according to that, "You are my portion, O Lord," by the

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αὐτοῦ, ἵνα πορευθῇ ἐν χειρὶ αὐτοῦ· καί γε τοῦτο πονηρὰ ἀῤῥωστία. Ὥσπερ γὰρ παρεγένετο, οὕτω καὶ ἀπελεύσεται. Καὶ τίς ἡ περισσεία αὐτοῦ, ᾗ μοχθεῖ εἰς ἄνεμον; Καί γε πᾶσαι αἱ ἡμέραι αὐτοῦ ἐν σκότει καὶ ἐν πένθει, καὶ θυμῷ πολλῷ, καὶ ἀῤῥωστίᾳ, καὶ χόλῳ." Εἰ μήτε τοίνυν αὐτὸς ὁ φιλάργυρος, μήτε ὁ τούτου παῖς, καθόλου δὲ μηδεὶς ἀνθρώπων δύναταί τι συνεξάγειν ἑαυτῷ τῶν αἰσθητῶν χρημάτων, ἆρα οὐ πονηρὰ ψυχῆς ἀῤῥωστία ἡ φιλοχρηματία; Τί οὖν εἰς ἄνεμον μοχθεῖς, σκεδαστοῦ καὶ ἀποφυσωμένου τοῦ ἀστάτου πλούτου τυγχάνοντος; Ὄπου γε καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ ζωὴ τῶν φιλοχρημάτων ἐν σκότει τυγχάνει, τουτέστι ἐν ἀγνωσίᾳ καὶ ἐν πένθει. Καὶ γὰρ πρὸς ἑαυτούς εἰσιν ἀνελεήμονες, φειδωλῶς τῶν ὄντων μεταλαμβάνοντες· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν θυμῷ πολλῷ, ἀεὶ παροξυνόμενοι, καὶ περὶ βραχέων φιλονεικοῦντες καὶ ὀργιζόμενοι, καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀῤῥωστοῦντες. Θεώρει δὲ ὅσα συνεισέρχεται τῷ φιλαργύρῳ πάθη, πρὸς τῷ, καὶ μετὰ τόνδε τὸν βίον σκότος αὐτὸν διαδέχεσθαι, ὑπὸ θείας ὀργῆς καὶ ἀποστροφῆς κολαζόμενον. "Ἰδοὺ εἶδον ἐγὼ ἀγαθὸν, ὅ ἐστι καλὸν, τοῦ φαγεῖν καὶ τοῦ πιεῖν, καὶ τοῦ ἰδεῖν ἀγαθοσύνην ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ, ᾧ ἂν μοχθήσῃ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, ἀριθμὸν ἡμερῶν ζωῆς αὐτοῦ, ὧν ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεὸς αὐτῷ. Πλοῦτον, καὶ ὑπάρχοντα, καὶ ἐξουσίαν ἐν αὐτῷ, τοῦ φαγεῖν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ λαβεῖν τὸ μέρος αὐτοῦ, καὶ τοῦ εὐφρανθῆναι ἐν μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ· τοῦτο δόμα Θεοῦ ἐστι, ὅτι οὐ πολλὰς μνησθήσεται τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς περισπᾷ αὐτὸν ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ καρδίας αὐτοῦ." Φιλαργύρου πρόσωπον προθεὶς ὁ Ἐκκλησιαστὴς, καὶ καταδρομῇ κατ' αὐτοῦ χρησάμενος, ἐπειδὴ σφόδρα ἔπληξε, θεραπεύειν πειρᾶται, καὶ ἠρέμα τοῦ πάθους ὑπεξαγαγεῖν. Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ τὴν ἄκραν ἀρετὴν ἀκούειν οὐ χωρεῖ, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς σοφίας τὰ ἀνθρώποις ἡδέα εἰσηγούμενος διαπράττεσθαι, παραμίσγει τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ, ὅτι δεῖ μὴ πάντα τῇ γαστρὶ χαρίζεσθαι, καὶ ὅτι ὀλίγος ὁ ἐνθάδε βίος. Παραινεῖ τοίνυν τῷ φιλαργύρῳ τέως χρήσασθαι τοῖς ὑπάρχουσιν, ἵνα διὰ τοῦ δοκοῦντος ἡδέος, ὑπεξαγάγῃ τοῦ τῆς φιλαργυρίας πάθους, λέγων, ὅτι Ἀγαθόν σοί ἐστιν, ὦ φιλάργυρε πλούσιε, τὸ ἐσθίειν, καὶ πίνειν, καὶ εὐφραίνεσθαι, ἕως ὅτε τὰ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον λογίζῃ· δεῖ γάρ σε καὶ ἐνθυμεῖσθαι ὅτι ἀριθμητὰς ἡμέρας εἴληφας παρὰ Θεοῦ, καὶ ὃν δέδωκέ σοι χρόνον τῆς ζωῆς ὁ Θεὸς, οὕτως σοι ἐμερίσθη, ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἀφωρίσθη. Εἰληφὼς οὖν 93.549 παρὰ Θεοῦ πλοῦτον, καὶ τὴν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ χρήσασθαι τούτῳ, φρόντισον τοῦ μὴ μόνον ἐσθίειν καὶ πίνειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ λαβεῖν τὸ μέρος τὸ σόν· καὶ ὅρα θαυμαστὴν διδασκαλίαν, μετὰ τὸ ἐξελκύσαι τοῦ πάθους τὸν φιλάργυρον, διὰ τῆς τῶν βρωμάτων ἀπολαύσεως, τότε ἠρέμα διδάσκει, ὡς οὐχ αὕτη μερὶς ἀνθρώπου ἡ τῶν βρωμάτων ἀπόλαυσις, ἀλλὰ τὸ λαβεῖν τὸ μέρος αὐτοῦ, τουτέστι τὸ συμπαραμένον αὐτῷ· σκορπίσαι τὸν πλοῦτον τοῖς πένησι, καὶ ἀληθῶς εὐφραίνεσθαι ἐν τῇ τοιαύτῃ διακονίᾳ. Τοῦτο γὰρ ὄντως δόμα Θεοῦ ἐστι, τὸ ἐλεημονικὴν καὶ φιλόπτωχον ἕξιν ἀναλαβεῖν. Εἶτα ἐνάγων εἰς τὸ πεισθῆναι, καὶ λαβεῖν τὸ μέρος αὐτοῦ, τουτέστι καλῶς δαπανῆσαι τὰ χρήματα, ἵνα γένωνται αὐτοῦ, ἀναμιμνήσκει τοῦ τῆς ζωῆς ὀλιγοχρονίου, λέγων, ὅτι οὐ πολλὰς μνησθήσεται τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς αὐτοῦ. Ὁ δὲ τοιοῦτος περισπασμὸς καὶ ἡ ἀσχολία Θεῷ τέ ἐστι προσφιλὴς, καὶ τὴν τῶν ἐλεημόνων εὐφραίνει καρδίαν. Ὅτι δὲ πρὸς τὸν φιλάργυρον ἡ παραίνεσις, πάλιν κατὰ φιλαργύρων ἑξῆς ἐπάγει· καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ὡς πρὸς τὸ ῥητόν. Ὁ δὲ θειοτέρως ἀκούειν τοῦ μεγάλου Ἐκκλησιαστοῦ δυνάμενος, ἀκούων ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις· Ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω· οἷδε τίς ὁ μόνος ἀγαθὸς, ὅτι ὁ Θεός· καὶ ὅτι ὁ ἐσθίων καὶ πίνων τὴν σάρκα τοῦ Κυρίου, οὗτος τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν ἐν ἀπολαύσει γίνεται. Καὶ καλῶς πονεῖ, καὶ ἐξασκεῖται τὰς ἀρετὰς, ἐν ὅσῳ ἐστὶ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, τουτέστι ἐν τῇ ἐνθάδε ζωῇ· λογιζόμενος ὅτι ἀριθμηταί εἰσιν αἱ ἡμέραι αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐ προσήκει οὐδεμίαν αὐτῶν ζημιοῦσθαι, καὶ ἄκαρπον παρατρέχειν. Ὁ γὰρ περὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν μόνον, αὐτὸς κυρίως τοῦ ἀνθρώπου μερὶς, προξενῶν ἡμῶν μερίδα γενέσθαι τὸν Θεὸν, κατὰ τὸ, Μερίς μου εἶ σὺ, Κύριε, ὑπὸ τοῦ