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spoken by the father Ecclesiastes. And that this is truly wealth, concerning which the Apostle said, that In everything you were enriched in him, in all knowledge and wisdom. For he who eats and drinks and rejoices in these spiritual goods, knows that these are the gifts of God, and he loves eternal life, despising this short-lived one. For those who by the grace of God are occupied with spiritual things, and are drawn away in their mind, despise the things of this world. For since perceptible wealth is not a primary good, why ever does God, being impartial, not grant it to all? And yet He has extended the things that are truly good to all equally, I mean, the working of virtues. Therefore, even if wealth is given as something accompanying the virtuous, it is not by nature either good or evil. But being among the indifferent things, it is transformed according to the disposition of those who use it well or badly. 93.552 CHAP. 9. "There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men: a man to whom God has given riches, and possessions, and honor, so that his soul lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but a stranger eats it. And this is vanity and a grievous sickness." As to the literal meaning, the saying is against the avaricious and the miserly. And the phrase, "yet God does not give him power to eat of it," is similar to, "God gave them up to dishonorable passions;" not that God compels one to pursue avarice or licentiousness, but that he permits it when men have chosen this, because of the free will of their choices. As to the deeper meaning, often someone has become rich in word and in doctrines; and since he did not have corresponding actions, some who encountered his writings were benefited, but he himself did not profit, because he did not have actions that were in harmony with his words. Concerning such people the Savior said: "Listen to their words, but do not do according to their works." Alternatively: The people of the Jews were rich, honored with the law, with prophets, with the priesthood, and did not enjoy the wealth, having fallen ill with a great sickness, the transgression against the Lord; for this reason also the stranger ate his goods, the people from the Gentiles. Concerning whom it is written: "alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise." "If a man begets a hundred children, and lives many years, and great is the number of the days of his years, but his soul is not filled with goodness, and he also has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better than he. For it came in vanity and departs in darkness, and in darkness its name will be covered; and it has not seen the sun, nor known it; this has more rest than that one." The phrase, "If a man begets a hundred children," is said hyperbolically. Scripture uses this in order to avoid the lesser; for hyperbole is a saying that for the sake of emphasis goes beyond the truth; as also the Apostle says: "And yet I show you a more excellent way:" "if I speak with the tongues of angels," and "if I have all knowledge, and understand the mysteries," "but have not love, I gain nothing." And yet it is impossible to have those things without love; 93.553 but he anticipated by saying that he is using hyperbole. Therefore, he says, even if one should be so great in having many children, which is impossible; and even if he should continue living for many years, but lives wickedly, and not virtuously, and perhaps is not even deemed worthy of burial (for many such things happen), I say that a stillborn child is better than such a man. For this one came in vanity, and departs in darkness, living in ignorance; and in darkness his name will be covered, being blotted out from the book of the living, and not being deemed worthy of the Sun of righteousness. But the matter concerning stillborn children, why some are born dead, and others live for one day, or two, must be left to the inscrutable, just providence of God. As to the deeper meaning, Judas was an apostle, and by his teaching he begat many; and since, having turned aside, he was not filled with goodness, but with a diabolical spirit, he had no burial

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πατρὸς τοῦ Ἐκκλησιαστοῦ λεχθέν. Καὶ ὅτι οὗτος ἀληθῶς πλοῦτος, περὶ οὗ εἶπε ὁ Ἀπόστολος, ὅτι Ἐν παντὶ ἐπλουτίσθητε ἐν αὐτῷ, ἐν πάσῃ γνώσει καὶ σοφίᾳ. Ὁ γὰρ τὰ πνευματικὰ ταῦτα ἀγαθὰ ἐσθίων καὶ πίνων, καὶ εὐφραινόμενος, οἶδεν ὅτι Θεοῦ εἰσι ταῦτα τὰ χαρίσματα, καὶ ἐρᾷ τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς, τῆς ὀλιγοχρονίου ταύτης παραφρονῶν. Οἱ γὰρ διὰ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτος περὶ τὰ πνευματικὰ ἐνασχολούμενοι, καὶ ἀποπερισπώμενοι τῇ διανοίᾳ, τῶν τῇδε καταφρονοῦσιν. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐ προηγουμένως ἀγαθὸν ὁ αἰσθητὸς πλοῦτος, τί δή ποτε μὴ πᾶσιν αὐτὸν ὁ Θεὸς δωρεῖται ἀπροσωπόληπτος ὤν; Καί τοί γε τὰ ὄντως ἀγαθὰ πᾶσιν ἐπίσης ἁπλώσας, φημὶ δὴ τὸ τὰς ἀρετὰς ἐργάζεσθαι. Ὥστε εἰ καὶ κατά τι περιεπόμενον τοῖς ἐναρέτοις ὁ πλοῦτος δέδοται, οὐ κατὰ φύσιν ἀγαθός τις ἢ φαῦλος τυγχάνει. Ἀλλὰ τῶν μέσων ἀδιαφόρων ὄντων, πρὸς τὴν τῶν καλῶς ἢ κακῶς αὐτὸν μεταχειριζομένων ἕξιν μετασκευάζεται. 93.552 ΚΕΦΑΛ. ʹ. "Ἔστι πονηρία, ἣν εἶδον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, καὶ πολλή ἐστι ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων· ἀνὴρ ᾧ δώσει αὐτῷ ὁ Θεὸς πλοῦτον, καὶ ὑπάρχοντα, καὶ δόξαν· καὶ οὐκ ἔστι ὑστεροῦν τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτοῦ, ἀπὸ παντὸς οὗ ἐπιθυμήσει· καὶ οὐκ ἐξουσιάσει αὐτῷ ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ φαγεῖν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ· ὅτι ἀνὴρ ξένος φάγεται αὐτόν. Καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης καὶ ἀῤῥωστία πονηρά ἐστι." Πρὸς μὲν τὸ ῥητὸν, κατὰ τῶν φιλαργύρων καὶ φειδωλῶν ὁ λόγος. Τὸ δὲ, Καὶ οὐκ ἐξουσιάσει αὐτῷ ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ φαγεῖν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, ὅμοιον τῷ, Παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς εἰς πάθη ἀτιμίας· οὐ Θεοῦ τὴν φιλαργυρίαν ἢ τὴν ἀκολασίαν μετιέναι καταναγκάζοντος, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τοῦτο ἑλομένων συγχωροῦντος, διὰ τὸ τῶν προαιρέσεων αὐτεξούσιον. Πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν, Πολλάκις τις ἐπλούτησεν ἐν λόγῳ καὶ ἐν δόγμασι· καὶ ἐπειδὴ πράξεις καταλλήλους οὐκ ἔσχε, τοῖς μὲν συγγράμμασιν αὐτοῦ τινες συντυχόντες ὠφελήθησαν, αὐτὸς δὲ οὐκ ἀπώνατο, διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν συμφωνούσας τὰς πράξεις τοῖς λόγοις. Περὶ τῶν τοιούτων ἔλεγεν ὁ Σωτήρ· Τῶν μὲν λόγων αὐτῶν ἀκούετε, κατὰ δὲ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν μὴ ποιεῖτε. Ἄλλως· Πλούσιος ἦν ὁ τῶν Ἰουδαίων λαὸς νόμῳ τιμηθεὶς, προφήταις, ἱερατείᾳ, καὶ οὐκ ἀπέλαυσε τοῦ πλούτου, μεγάλην ἀῤῥωστίαν νοσήσας, τὴν εἰς τὸν Κύριον παρανομίαν· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ ξένος ἔφαγεν αὐτοῦ τὰ ἀγαθὰ, ὁ ἐξ ἐθνῶν λαός. Περὶ οὗ γέγραπται· Ἀπηλλοτριωμένοι τῆς πολιτείας τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ξένοι τῶν διαθηκῶν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας. "Ἐὰν γεννήσῃ ἀνὴρ ἑκατὸν, καὶ ἔτη πολλὰ ζήσεται, καὶ πλῆθος ὅτι ἔσονται αἱ ἡμέραι ἐτῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐμπλησθήσεται ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγαθωσύνης, καί γε ταφὴ οὐκ ἐγένετο αὐτῷ, εἶπον ἀγαθὸν ὑπὲρ αὐτὸν τὸ ἔκτρωμα, ὅτι ἐν ματαιότητι ἦλθε, καὶ ἐν σκότει πορεύεται, καὶ ἐν σκότει ὅνομα αὐτοῦ καλυφθήσεται· καί γε ἥλιον οὐκ εἶδε, καὶ οὐκ ἔγνω· ἀνάπαυσις τούτῳ ὑπὲρ τοῦτον." τὸ, Ἐὰν γεννήσῃ ἀνὴρ ἑκατὸν, ὑπερβολικῶς εἴρηται. Κέχρηται δὲ τούτῳ ἡ Γραφὴ, ἵνα τὸ ἔλαττον φύγῃ· ὑπερβολὴ δέ ἐστι λόγος ἐμφάσεως χάριν ὑπερβαίνων τὸ ἀληθές· ὡς καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολός φησι· Καὶ ἔτι καθ' ὑπερβολὴν ὁδὸν ὑμῖν δείκνυμι· ἐὰν ταῖς γλώσσαις τῶν ἀγγέλων λαλῶ, καὶ ἐὰν ἔχω πᾶσαν τὴν γνῶσιν, καὶ εἴδω τὰ μυστήρια, ἀγάπην δὲ μὴ ἔχω, οὐδὲν ὠφελοῦμαι. Καίτοι γε ἐκτὸς ἀγάπης ἐκεῖνα σχεῖν ἀδύνα 93.553 τον· ἀλλὰ φθάσας εἶπε ὅτι ὑπερβολῇ κέχρηται. Κἄν τε οὖν, φησὶ, τοσοῦτος γένηται ἐν πολυτεκνίᾳ, ὅπερ ἀδύνατον· κἂν πολυετίαν ἐπιμείνῃ ζῶν, μοχθηρῶς δὲ διάγῃ, καὶ οὐκ ἐναρέτως, ἴσως δὲ μηδὲ ταφῆς ἀξιωθῇ (πολλὰ γὰρ τοιαῦτα συμβαίνει), λέγω ὅτι ἀγαθόν ἐστι ὑπὲρ τὸν τοιοῦτον τὸ ἔκτρωμα. Οὗτος γὰρ ἐν ματαιότητι ἦλθε, καὶ ἐν σκότει πορεύεται, ἐν ἀγνωσίᾳ διάγων· καὶ ἐν σκότει ὄνομα αὐτοῦ καλυφθήσεται, ἐξαλειφομένου ἐκ βίβλου ζώντων, καὶ μὴ ἀξιουμένου τοῦ τῆς δικαιοσύνης Ἡλίου. Τὸν δὲ περὶ τῶν ἐκτρωμάτων λόγον, διὰ τί τὰ μὲν νεκρὰ γεννῶνται, τὰ δὲ μίαν ἡμέραν ζῶσιν, ἢ δύο, τῇ ἀνεφίκτῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαίᾳ προνοίᾳ καταλειπτέον. Πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν, Ἀπόστολος ἦν ὁ Ἰούδας, καὶ τῇδιδασκαλίᾳ αὐτοῦ πολλοὺς ἐγέννησε· καὶ ἐπειδὴ μὴ ἐπληρώθη ἀγαθοσύνης παρατραπεὶς, ἀλλὰ πνεύματος διαβολικοῦ, ταφὴ αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐγένετο