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disposed, for whom the matter of death is considered something harsh, and for this reason it is believed that there is no gain from the virtuous life for those who pursue the higher life, because for both life ends at the same limit, and it is not possible for an escape from death to be achieved through the more refined life. Therefore, making such objections as if from his own person, he again attacks the absurdity of those who bring those things forward, as having an unexamined view of the nature of things, and he teaches the difference, in what way virtue has the advantage over vice, as not through the commonality of death is some equality of honor to be hoped for in them, but the difference is found through the good or evil things that await hereafter. The text of the objection is as follows: I knew that one event will happen to them all. And I said in my heart, as the event of the fool, so also will it happen to me; and why then was I wise? I spoke further in my heart, for the fool speaks from abundance, that this too is vanity. For there is no remembrance of the wise man with the fool forever, seeing that in the days to come all will have been already forgotten. And how does the wise man die with the fool? To which he adds that he considered all things worthy of hatred, 5.362 about which he was previously passionate, embracing the vain thing as good, and he says he has hated all things for which he labored, looking to this life, because he labored not at all for himself, but for the one after him, for what purpose he will use the fruits of his labor it is not possible to foreknow because of the uncertainty of the future. And he says literally as follows: And I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun is evil to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind. And I hated all my labor which I labor under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will be after me. And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool, and whether he will have power over all my labor for which I have labored and been wise under the sun? This also is vanity. Having said these things, he says in the person of another that he was disposed in his soul to this: to think that the portion is one for the one who has lived according to virtue and for the one who has made no effort toward this. For he says that for the one, the labor is in wisdom and in knowledge and in courage, but for the other, it is in vexation and in pains that come from the concern about life. Therefore, he says that to bring these to an equality with each other is not only vanity, but also wickedness. And this text is as follows: 5.363 And I turned to make my heart despair of all my labor which I had labored under the sun, because there is a man whose labor is in wisdom and in knowledge and in courage, yet to a man who has not labored for it, he shall give his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil. because it becomes known to the man in all his labor and in the striving of his heart, in which he himself labors under the sun, that all his days are pains and his preoccupation is vexation, and even at night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity. Again he brings forward himself another objection of those who judge the life of enjoyment as preferable to the higher life and refutes what is brought forward, going through both in his own person, both the resolution and the objection. For the objection is to think that there is no other good than that which one receives into himself, and this is eating and drinking, but the response to this is that these are not the things by which man is nourished and gladdened, but wisdom and knowledge; so that it is good to have one's diligence in these things, but that which is pursued through the flesh is a distraction of the soul and vanity. But the words of the high teaching are in this manner: There is nothing good in a man, that he should eat and drink and show his soul good in his labor. This also 5.364 I saw, that it is from the hand of God. for who shall eat and who shall drink without him? for to the man who is good in his sight he gave wisdom and knowledge and gladness, and to the

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διακειμένους, οἷς χαλεπόν τι τὸ τοῦ θανάτου νομίζεται καὶ διὰ τοῦτο κέρδος οὐδὲν τοῦ κατ' ἀρετὴν βίου τοῖς τὴν ὑψηλοτέραν μετιοῦσι ζωὴν εἶναι πεπίστευται, ὅτι ἀμφοτέροις πρὸς τὸ αὐτὸ πέρας ἡ ζωὴ καταλήγει καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀποφυγὴν τοῦ θανάτου διὰ τῆς ἀστειοτέρας κατορθωθῆ ναι ζωῆς. τὰς οὖν τοιαύτας ἀντιθέσεις ὡς ἐξ ἰδίου προσώπου ποιούμενος πάλιν καθάπτεται τῆς ἀτοπίας τῶν προφερόντων ἐκεῖνα, ὡς ἀνεπισκέπτως ἐχόντων τῆς τῶν ὄντων φύσεως, καὶ διδάσκει τὴν διαφοράν, ἐν τίνι τὸ πλέον ἔχει ἡ ἀρετὴ τῆς κακίας, ὡς οὐχὶ διὰ τῆς τοῦ θανάτου κοινότητος ὁμοτιμίας τινὸς ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐλπιζομένης, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῶν εἰς ὕστερον ἀνα μενόντων καλῶν ἢ κακῶν τῆς διαφορᾶς εὑρισκομένης. ἔχει δὲ ἡ λέξις τῆς ἀντιθέσεως οὕτως· Ἔγνων ἐγώ, ὅτι συνάντημα ἓν συναντήσεται τοῖς πᾶσιν αὐτοῖς. καὶ εἶπα ἐγὼ ἐν καρδίᾳ μου, ὡς συνάντημα τοῦ ἄφρονος καί γε ἐμοὶ συναντή σεται, καὶ ἵνα τί ἐσοφισάμην; ἐγὼ περισσὸν ἐλάλησα ἐν καρδίᾳ μου, διότι ἄφρων ἐκ περισσεύματος λαλεῖ, ὅτι καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης. ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἡ μνήμη τοῦ σοφοῦ μετὰ τοῦ ἄφρονος εἰς αἰῶνα, καθότι ἤδη αἱ ἡμέραι αἱ ἐρχόμεναι τὰ πάντα ἐπελήσθη· καὶ πῶς ἀποθανεῖται ὁ σοφὸς μετὰ τοῦ ἄφρονος; οἷς ἐπάγει τὸ μίσους ἄξια νομίσαι τὰ πάντα, περὶ 5.362 ἃ πρότερον ἐμπαθῶς εἶχε τὸ μάταιον ὡς ἀγαθὸν ἀσπαζόμε νος, καὶ πάντα μεμισηκέναι φησίν, ὅσα πρὸς τὴν ζωὴν ταύτην βλέπων ἐπόνησε, διότι οὐδὲν ἑαυτῷ, ἀλλὰ τῷ μετ' αὐτὸν πάντα ἐπόνησεν, ὃς εἰς τί χρήσεται τοῖς πεπονημένοις προγνῶ ναι διὰ τὴν τοῦ μέλλοντος ἀδηλίαν οὐχ οἷόν τε. λέγει δὲ κατὰ λέξιν οὕτως· Καὶ ἐμίσησα σὺν τὴν ζωήν, ὅτι πονηρὸν ἐπ' ἐμὲ τὸ ποίημα τὸ πεποιημένον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, ὅτι πάντα ματαιότης καὶ προαίρεσις πνεύματος. καὶ ἐμίσησα ἐγὼ σύμπαντα τὸν μόχθον μου, ὃν ἐγὼ μοχθῶ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, ὅτι ἀφίω αὐτὸν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τῷ γινομένῳ μετ' ἐμέ· καὶ τίς οἶδεν, εἰ σοφὸς ἔσται ἢ ἄφρων καὶ εἰ ἐξουσιάσεται ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ μου, ᾧ ἐμόχθησα καὶ ἐσοφισάμην ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον; καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης. ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἀλλοτρίως φησὶ καὶ πρὸς τοῦτο τῇ ψυχῇ διατεθῆναι τὸ νομίσαι μίαν εἶναι τῷ τε κατ' ἀρετὴν βεβιωκότι καὶ τῷ μηδεμίαν πρὸς τοῦτο πεποιημένῳ σπουδὴν τὴν μερίδα. τῷ μὲν γὰρ τὸν μόχθον εἶναί φησιν ἐν σοφίᾳ καὶ γνώσει καὶ ἀνδρείᾳ, τῷ δὲ ἑτέρῳ ἐν θυμῷ καὶ ἐν ἀλγήμασι τοῖς διὰ τὴν περὶ τὸν βίον σπουδὴν προσγινομένοις. τὸ οὖν εἰς ἴσον τούτους ἀλλήλοις ἄγειν οὐ ματαιότητος μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ πονηρίας εἶναί φησιν. ἔχει δὲ καὶ αὕτη ἡ λέξις οὕτως· 5.363 Καὶ ἐπέστρεψα ἐγὼ τοῦ ἀποτάξασθαι τῇ καρδίᾳ μου ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ μου, ᾧ ἐμόχθησα ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, ὅτι ἔστιν ἄνθρωπος ὅτι μόχθος αὐτοῦ ἐν σοφίᾳ καὶ ἐν γνώσει καὶ ἐν ἀνδρείᾳ, καὶ ἄνθρωπος ὃς οὐκ ἐμόχθησεν ἐν αὐτῷ δώσει αὐτῷ μερίδα αὐτοῦ. καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης καὶ πονηρία μεγάλη. ὅτι γινώσκει τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν τῇ προαι ρέσει καρδίας αὐτοῦ, ᾧ αὐτὸς μοχθεῖ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, ὅτι πᾶσαι αἱ ἡμέραι αὐτοῦ ἀλγημάτων καὶ θυμοῦ περισπασμὸς αὐτοῦ, καί γε ἐν νυκτὶ οὐ κοιμᾶται ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ. καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης. πάλιν ἑτέραν ἀνθυποφορὰν τῶν τὸν ἀπολαυ στικὸν βίον προτιμότερον κρινόντων τῆς ὑψηλοτέρας ζωῆς προφέρει τε αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ καὶ ἀνατρέπει τὸ προφερόμενον, ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ προσώπῳ διεξιὼν ἑκάτερα, καὶ τὴν λύσιν καὶ τὴν ἀντίθεσιν. τὸ γὰρ ἀντιτεθέν ἐστι τὸ μηδὲν ἀγαθὸν οἴεσθαι δεῖν ἄλλο ἢ ὅπερ ἄν τις εἰς ἑαυτὸν καταδέξηται, τοῦτο δέ ἐστι βρῶσις καὶ πόσις, ἡ δὲ πρὸς τοῦτο ἀπάντησις τὸ μὴ ταῦτα εἶναι, οἷς ὁ ἄνθρωπος τρέφεταί τε καὶ εὐφραίνεται, ἀλλὰ σοφίαν καὶ γνῶσιν· ὡς τοῦτο μὲν ἀγαθὸν εἶναι τὸ ἐν τούτοις τὴν σπουδὴν ἔχειν, τὸ δὲ διὰ σαρκὸς σπουδαζόμενον περισπασμὸν ψυχῆς εἶναι καὶ ματαιότητα. τὰ δὲ ῥήματα τῆς ὑψηλῆς διδασκαλίας τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον· Οὐκ ἔστιν ἀγαθὸν ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ, ὃ φάγεται καὶ πίεται καὶ δείξει τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτοῦ ἀγαθὸν ἐν μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ. καί γε τοῦτο 5.364 εἶδον ἐγώ, ὅτι ἀπὸ χειρὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν, ὅ τί τις φάγεται καί τις πίεται παρὲξ αὐτοῦ, ὅτι τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τῷ ἀγαθῷ πρὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ ἔδωκε σοφίαν καὶ γνῶσιν καὶ εὐφροσύνην, καὶ τῷ