,

the spirit that governs all things. According to the obvious and literal sense, there is no man who has power over the spirit, if you take spirit to mean the movement of the air, that is, the wind. For in many cases he does not have power, as when he does not wish there to be a wind. and he is not able to bring it, nor is he able to hinder it when it is disposed to do harm. Those who sail do not have power, even if they are the best pilots, so as to bring a breeze favorable to those sailing, nor to make it cease when it is most violent and harmful. According to the obvious sense, therefore, it must be understood thus. But since the soul of man is often called spirit, there is no one who has power to make the soul remain or to release it from the living being. It depends on providence ...

316 Eccl 11,1ab2a Cast your bread upon the face of the water, for in a multitude of days you will find it; give a portion to the seven, and also to the eight. 11,1a This saying has no literal meaning. For what use is it in a historical sense to send forth the "bread" one has "upon the face of the water"? Rather, it makes it useless. Therefore, one must take this saying only in a spiritual and anagogical sense. In many places of the divine teachings the multitude of men is called by this name; "Deliver me," he says, "from many waters, from the hand of strange sons"; he has called the "sons" who are "strangers" to piety "many waters." And again there are many other scriptures teaching this; at any rate it is said that "God gives upon the water ..." and they are not found to be taken historically. And the multitude of men can signify the "water." And one must "cast" "upon the face of" such "water" the "bread" of salvation which nourishes the soul. This says ... to be "water," but "cast," "do not spare" the "bread"; for the "water" will rot ... this. Again, this might be said according to another anagogical sense; this "bread" is not the perceptible one, but the one about which it is said that "he came down from heaven," the "bread of life." One must take up this "bread" after the purification of the soul as in "having desired wisdom, keep the commandments, and the Lord will supply it to you." First you receive purification—cleanse your soul, make your soul bright—and so the "bread" "upon the water," the "upon" also signifies "after." 11,1b and it says, "know that in the multitude of your days you find this bread." It does not "work" and nourish only for the present life, but also "in a multitude of days." And this is also possible: that, inasmuch as many illuminations come from the "sun of righteousness," you have a "multitude of days" according to "with length of days I will fill him" and "you will have many days." "You will find the bread in the multitude of days." Even more and more, as you are "illuminated," you "find" the "bread" of truth, the one "of life," so that the sowing of righteousness was the "water" and after the sowing of righteousness, "upon" it, you may sow the harvest and the knowledge of the "true light." 317 ...: Will the praiseworthy "bread" "work" "upon" blameworthy "water"? -We do not say "upon" blameworthy "water," but just as we say that one "walking in ignorance" and "darkness" comes to the "light," and we do not say that while remaining "in ignorance" and "unknowing" they approach the "light"; the combination dissolves even the first things. So, then, also the saying, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened," not so that you may remain "burdened," for "I will give you rest." And what is indeed paradoxical: he who commits sin with pleasure, though it is most heavy, is not weighed down, is not "burdened," does not seem to suffer evil. But when he perceives what a weight and burden sin has, then he is "burdened" and "weary" and comes to the one "who gives rest." Such also is what is said in Isaiah, that "Egypt has grown weary, the merchandise of the Ethiopians"—evidently in the common gender, either "merchandise" or "wares"—"and the Sabeans, men of high stature"—they too "have grown weary"; and it says immediately that "to you" they will come, when.

πνεῦμα τὸ διοικοῦν τὰ ὅλα. κ̣ατα`̣ τ̣ὸ πρόχειρον καὶ τὸ ῥητὸν οὐκ ἔστιν ἄνθρωπος̣ ο῾̣ ἐξουσιάζων ἐν πνεύματι, ἵνα λ̣άβῃς τὴν κίνησιν τοῦ ἀέρος πνεῦμα, τουτέστιν τὸν ἄνε-μον. μὴ γὰρ ἐξουσιάζει πολλὰ κ̣αθὸ οὐ βούλεται ἄνεμον εἶναι. καὶ οὐ δύνα-τ̣αι̣ α᾿̣γαγεῖν αὐτόν, οὐ δυ κωλῦσαι δύναται τ̣ὸν̣ φ̣ιλ̣ου῀̣ντα ἂν βλάπ-τειν. οἱ πλέοντές ε̣ι᾿̣σιν ου᾿̣κ ἔχοντες ἐξουσίαν, κἂν ἄριςτοι̣ κ̣υβερνῆται ὦσιν, ὥστε ἀγαγεῖν πνοὴν πα̣ράλληλον τοῖς πλέουσιν, οὐδὲ πα̣υ῀̣σαι αὐ-τ̣ὴν σφοδρωτάτην καὶ βλαπτικήν. κ̣ατα`̣ τὸ πρόχειρον οὖν οὕτω λημπτέ-ον. ἐπειδὴ δὲ πολλάκις ἡ ψυχὴ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου λ̣ε´̣γεται πνεῦμα, οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ἔχων ἐcο̣υσίαν ὥστε παραμεῖναι τὴν ψυχὴν ἢ ἀφε̣ι῀̣ν̣α̣ι̣ αὐτὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ ζῴου. προνοίας ἤρτηται ...

316 Eccl 11,1ab2a ἀπόστειλον τὸν ἄρτον σου ἐπὶ πρόσωπον τοῦ ὕδατος , ὅτι ἐν πλήθει τῶν ἡμερῶν εὑρήσεις αὐ τόν· δὸς μερίδα τοῖς ἑπτὰ καί γε τοῖς ὀκτώ. ̣11,1α̣ ἡ λέξις αὕτη οὐδὲν ἔχει πρὸς ῥητόν. ποῖον γὰρ ἐφ̣' ἱστορίας ὠφέλιμόν ἐστιν τὸν "ἄρτον", ὅν τις ἔχει, "ἐπὶ πρόσωπον τοῦ ὕδ̣ατο̣ς" ἐκπέμπειν; μᾶλλον ἄχρηστον αὐτὸν ποιεῖ. δεῖ οὖν πρὸς διάνοιαν μόνην καὶ ἀναγωγὴν τὴν λέ ξιν ταύτην λ̣αβ̣εῖν. πολλαχοῦ τῶν θείων παιδευμάτων τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἀν θρώπων τῷ ὀνόματι τ̣ούτῳ προσαγορεύεται· "ῥῦσαί με", φησίν, "ἐξ ὑδάτων πολλῶν, ἐκ χειρὸς υἱῶν ἀλλοτρίων"· "ὕδατα πολλὰ" εἴρηκεν τοὺς "ἀλλοτρίους" τῆς θεοσε βείας "υἱούς". καὶ πάλιν πολλ̣αι`̣ ἄλλαι εἰσι`̣ν γρα φαὶ τοῦτο διδάσ̣κουσαι· λέγεται γοῦν ὅτι "δίδωσιν ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ τὸ ὕδωρ τ̣α̣··· 1-3α" κα̣ι`̣ οὐκ εὑρίσκον ται ἐφ̣' ἱστ̣ο̣ρ̣ι´̣ας λαμβανόμενα. δύναται δὲ τὸ πλῆθ̣ο̣ς̣ τ̣ω῀̣ν̣ α᾿̣ν̣θρώπων σημαίνειν τ̣ὸ "ὕδ̣ωρ". δ̣ε̣ι῀̣ δ̣ὲ "ἐπὶ πρόσωπον τοῦ" τοιούτου "ὕδατος" το`̣ν̣ "ἀ´̣ρ̣τ̣ον" τῆς σωτηρίας τὸν τρέφοντα ψυχὴν "ἀπο̣ στέλλειν". τοῦτο λέγει ει ·α̣ι̣··κ̣?··· "ὑ´̣δωρ" εἶναι, ἀλλὰ "ἀπόστειλον", "μὴ φείσῃ" τὸν "ἄρτον"· σήψει γὰρ τὸ "ὕδωρ" τ·αφ······· ο̣ὑ῀̣τ̣ος. πάλιν π̣ρὸς ἀναγωγὴν δ̣ε`̣ ἑτέραν ῥηθείη τοῦτο· ὁ "ἄρτος" οὗτος οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ αἰσθητός, ἀλλ̣ὰ περὶ οὗ λέγε ται ὅτι "ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καταβέβηκεν" "ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς". δεῖ τοῦτον τὸν "ἄρτον" μετὰ τὸ καθάρσιον τῆς ψυχῆς αἴρεσ θαι ὡς τὸ "ἐπιθυμήσας σοφίαν διατήρησον ἐντολάς, καὶ κύριος χορηγήσει σοι αὐτήν". πρῶτον καθάρσιον δέχῃ -καθάρισόν σου τὴν ψυχήν, τὴν ψυχήν σου λάμπρυνον- καὶ οὕτω τὸν "ἄρτον" "ἐπάνω τ̣οῦ ὕδατος", τὸ "ἐπάνω" προσσημαίνει τὸ μετά. ̣11,1b καὶ λέγει ὅτι "ἴσθι ὅτι ἐν πλήθει ἡμερῶν σου εὑρίσκεις τοῦτον τὸν ἄρτον". οὐ μέχρι τοῦ παρόντος ζῆν "ἐνεργεῖ" καὶ τρέφει, α᾿̣λλὰ καὶ "ἐν πλήθει ἡμερῶν". δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ὅτι, ὅσω̣ν φωτισμοὶ πολλοὶ γί νο̣νται ἀπὸ τοῦ "ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης", "πλῆθος ἡμερῶν" ἔχεις κατὰ τὸ "μακρότητι ἡμερῶν ἐνπλήσω αὐτὸν" καὶ "ἔσῃ πολυήμερος". "εὑρήσεις τὸν ἄρτον ἐν τῷ πλήθει τῶν ἡ μερῶν". ἔτι μᾶλλον καὶ μᾶλλον, ὅσον "φωτίζῃ", "εὑ ρίσκεις" τὸν τῆς ἀληθείας "ἄρτον", τὸν "τῆς ζωῆς", ἵνα ἡ σπορὰ τῆς δικαιοσύνης τὸ "ὕδωρ" ἦν καὶ μετὰ σπορα`̣ν̣ τῆς δικαιοσύνης, "ἐπάνω", σπείρῃς τὸν τρύγητον καὶ τοῦ "φωτὸς τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ" τὴν γνῶσιν. 317 ἐπερ· "ἐπὶ" ψεκτοῦ "ὕδατος" "ἐνεργήσει" ὁ "ἄρ τος" ὁ ἐπαινετός; -οὐ λέγομεν "ἐπ̣ι`̣" ψεκτοῦ "ὕδατος", ἀλλ' ὥσπερ λέ γομεν τὸν "ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ" καὶ "σκότει πορευόμενον̣" προσ ιέναι τῷ "φω̣τὶ" καὶ οὐ λέγομεν ὅτι μένοντ̣ε̣ς "ἐν ἀ γνοίᾳ" καὶ "ἀγνωσίᾳ" πλησιάζουσιν τῷ "φωτί"· ὁ σ̣υν δ̣υαςμὸς λύει καὶ τὰ πρῶτα. οὕτω γοῦν καὶ τὸ "δεῦτε πρὸς ἐμὲ πάντες οἱ κοπιάσαντες καὶ πεφορτισμένοι", οὐχ ἵνα μείνητε "πεφορτισμένοι", "ἐγὼ" γὰρ "ἀναπαύσω ὑμᾶς". κα̣ὶ τό γε παράδοξον· ὁ σὺν ἡδονῇ πράττων τὴν ἁμαρτί αν βαρυτάτην οὖσαν οὐ βαρεῖται, οὐ "φορτίζεται", οὐ δοκεῖ κακὸν υ῾̣φ̣ι´̣στασθαι. ὅταν δὲ αἰσθηθῇ οἷον βάρος καὶ ἄχθος ἔχει ἡ ἁμαρτία, τότε "φορτίζεται" καὶ "κοπι ᾷ" καὶ π̣ρ̣όσεισιν τῷ "ἀναπαύοντι". τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν καὶ τὸ ἐν Ἰσαΐᾳ λεγόμενον ὅτι "ἐκοπ̣ίασεν Αἴγυπτος, ἐμπορία Αἰθιόπων"-κατὰ κοινοῦ δηλονότι̣ ἢ "ἐμπορία" ἢ "ἐμ̣πόρια"-"κα̣ι`̣ ο̣ι῾̣ Σαβαὶτ ἄνδρες ὑψηλοὶ"-κα̣ὶ αυ᾿̣τοὶ "ἐκοπίασαν̣"· καὶ λέγει εὐθέως ὁ´̣τ̣ι̣ "ἐπὶ σὲ" προσ ίασιν, ὅτε.