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Commentarii in Ecclesiasten 5.1

51, lab the words of the preacher, the son of David, king of Israel in Jerusalem. This Solomon, the one who preaches and says such things as are fitting for an assembly to say, is the "son of David." He came after Saul, whose kingdom was discredited and limited. Of this "king," of "David," Solomon is the "son" in both ways. For some are "sons" of others in two ways, "according to the flesh" and succession, and according to instruction. Paul, for instance, saying that "through the gospel I begot you," "I am your father," "for though you have ten thousand instructors, yet you have not many fathers; for through the gospel I begot you." David then was Solomon's father in both ways: both "according to the flesh"—for from him he had his succession, "and David begot Solomon"—but also according to instruction was he his father. For he was "wise," if anyone else was, and David himself was divinely wise. He says, for instance: "You have shown me the unseen and secret things of your wisdom." And if someone should say: "He speaks more rashly than all, praising himself, he is not at all like that," I hear that God also says: "I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will do all my will." And the doer of the "will" of God, as of "all" the virtues, is "wise," if anyone else is. To him God has revealed "the unseen and secret things of" his "wisdom." And Solomon also became "wise," if anyone else was. Therefore, a "wise man" came from a wise man, just as a man comes from a man. And so, according to the two ways of begetting, Solomon was the "son" of "David." But he is especially, in the things he preaches, preeminently the "son of David," not so much because of being "according to the flesh," as because of being according to instruction. For the "sons" of the wise, being wise themselves, beget others. But one who is someone's "son" "according to the flesh" does not in every case also become a father. For many, having become "sons," were not shown to be fathers. But "sons" "according to the spirit" also become fathers themselves. What he says, then, are "the words of the preacher" Solomon; for according to different concepts Solomon has his names. "Preacher," indeed, when he says such things as are fitting for an assembly, that is, a multitude; for an assembly is nothing other than a multitude. According to this meaning God also says to Moses, "Assemble the people to me," and Jesus, likewise, when he speaks "the parables" "to those outside." When he is not preaching, then he speaks "in private to his own" and says, "this mystery is for me and for mine." Here, then, he is "preacher"—for he speaks almost all these teachings, which he says throughout his whole book, to the "poor" in spirit—, he speaks of "temporary" and "vain" things to those who are consumed by them and consider them to be great and worth fighting for.

In the proverbs—and this is the first book, 1-2; this in order of what is set forth—he is a teacher of moral lessons. And since meanings that are ready-at-hand are quickly despised, he speaks them proverbially with concealment. He says, for instance: 6 "Good understanding have all they that do it" and "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," "Hear, children, the instruction of a father." The proverbs, then, are ethical. But in the Song of Songs he speaks of things beyond the physical, the supramundane things that lead up to the supramundane and supercelestial things. And for this reason nothing is added there to show that he is a man; is it said "son of David, the king of Israel in Jerusalem"? For the instruction spoken in the Song of Songs is supramundane. Since; not

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Commentarii in Ecclesiasten 5.1

51, lab ῥήματα ἐκκλησιαστοῦ υἱοῦ ∆αυὶδ βασιλέως ̓Ισραὴλ ἐν ̓Ιερουσαλήμ. ὁ Σολομὼν ουτος ὁ ἐκκλησιάζων καὶ τοιαῦτα λέγων, α ἁρ μόζει ἐκκλησίᾳ εἰπεῖν, τοῦ "∆αυὶδ υἱός" ἐστιν. γέγονε δὲ μετὰ τὸν Σαούλ, ου ἡ βασιλεία διεβλήθη καὶ περιεγράφη. τοῦ "βασιλέως" τούτου τοῦ "∆αυὶδ υἱός" ἐστιν ὁ Σολομὼν κατὰ ἀμφοτέρους τοὺς τρόπους. διττῶς γὰρ "υἱοί" τινές εἰσίν τινων, "κατὰ σάρκα" καὶ διαδοχὴν καὶ κατὰ παίδευ σιν. Παῦλος γοῦν λέγων οτι "διὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἐγέννησα ὑμᾶς", "πατήρ εἰμι ὑμῶν", "καν γὰρ μυρίους ευ̣χητε παιδαγω γούς, ἀλλ' οὐ πολλοὺς πατέρας· διὰ γὰρ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἐγὼ ὑμᾶς ἐγέννησα". ὁ ∆αυὶδ ουν ἀμφοτέρως πατήρ ην τοῦ Σολομῶνος· καὶ "κατὰ σάρκα"-ἐξ αὐτοῦ γὰρ ευ̣σκεν τὴν διαδοχήν, "∆αυὶδ δὲ ἐγέννησεν τὸν Σολομών"-, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ παίδευσιν ην αὐτοῦ πατήρ· "σοφὸς" γάρ, εἰ καί τις υ̣λλος, καὶ αὐτὸ τοῦτο θεόσοφος ην ὁ ∆αυίδ. λέγει γοῦν· "τὰ αδηλα καὶ τὰ κρύφια τῆς σοφίας σου ἐδήλωσάς μοι." καὶ ειυ̣ τις λέγοι· "θρασύτερον ἁπάντων λ̣έ̣γ̣ει ἑαυτὸν ἐπαινῶν, οὐ π̣άν τως ἐστὶν τοιοῦτος", ἀκούω οτι καὶ ὁ θεὸς λέγει· "ευρον ∆αυὶδ τὸν τοῦ ̓Ιεσσαὶ αυ̣νδρα κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν̣ μου, ος ποιήσει πάντα τὰ θελήματά μου". ὁ π̣ο̣ιητ̣ὴς δὲ "τῶν θελημά των" τοῦ θεοῦ οιον "π̣ασῶ̣ν" τῶν ἀρετῶν "σοφός", εἰ καί τις αυ̣λλος. αὐτῷ ὁ θεὸς "τὰ αυ̣δηλα καὶ τὰ κρύφια τῆς σο φίας" αὐτοῦ πεφανέρωκεν. γέγονεν δὲ κ̣α̣ὶ̣ Σολομὼν "σοφός", εἰ καί τις αλλος. γέγονεν αρα ἐκ σοφοῦ "σοφὸς" ωσπερ καὶ αυ̣νθρωπος ἐξ ἀνθρώπου. κ̣αὶ κατὰ τοὺς δύο τοίνυν τρόπους τῆς γενέσεως "υἱὸς" ην ὁ Σολομὼν τοῦ "∆αυίδ". ευ̣στιν δὲ μάλιστα, ἐν οις ἐκκλησιάζει, προηγουμένως τοῦ "∆αυὶδ υἱός", οὐ τοσοῦτον διὰ τὸ "κατὰ σάρκα", οσον διὰ τὸ κατὰ τὴν παίδευσιν. οἱ γὰρ "υἱεῖς" τῶν σοφῶν καὶ αὐτοὶ οντες σοφοὶ γεννῶσιν αυ̣λλους. οὐ πάντως δὲ ὁ "κατὰ σάρκα" τινὸς ων "υἱὸς" γίνεται καὶ αὐτὸς πατήρ. πολλοὶ γοῦν "υἱοὶ" γενόμενοι οὐκ ἀπεδείχθησαν πατέρες. οἱ δὲ "κατὰ πνεῦμα" "υἱοὶ" καὶ αὐτοὶ γίνονται πατέρες. α λέγει ουν, "ῥήματα τοῦ ἐκκλησιαστοῦ" Σολομῶνός εἰσιν· κατὰ γὰρ διαφόρους ἐπινοίας ὁ Σολομὼν ευ̣χει τὰς ὀνομασίας. "ἐκκλησιαστὴς" μέν, οτε τοιαῦτα λέγει, α ἁρμόζει ἐκ κλησίᾳ τουτέστιν πλήθει· οὐδὲν δὲ ετερόν ἐστιν ἐκκλησία η πλῆθος. κατὰ τοῦτο τὸ σημαινόμενον καὶ ὁ θεὸς λέγει τῷ Μωϋσῇ, "ἐκκλησίασον τὸν λαὸν πρός με", καὶ ̓Ιησοῦς το̣ίν̣υν, οταν λέγῃ "τὰς παραβολὰς" "τοῖς ευ̣ξω". οτε οὐκ ἐκκλησιάζει, τότε "κατ' ἰδίαν τοῖς ἰδίοις" λαλεῖ καὶ λέ γει "τὸ μυστήριον" τοῦτο ἐμοὶ καὶ τοῖς ἐ̣μο̣ῦ̣. ῃ δὲ ουν ἐνταῦθα "ἐκκλησιαστής" ἐστιν-τὰ γὰρ μαθήματα σχεδὸν πάντα τ̣αῦτα̣, α̣ δι' ολου τοῦ βιβλίου αὐτοῦ λέγει, πτωχοῖς" τὴν διάνοιαν λέγει-, λέγει τὰ "πρόσκαιρα" καὶ "μάταια" τετηφότας καὶ μεγάλα αὐτὰ νομίζοντας ει ναι καὶ περιμάχη̣τα.

ἐν μὲν τ̣αῖς παροιμίαις-πρῶτον δὲ βιβλίον 1-2· τά ξει τοῦτο τοῦ

προκειμένου-ἠθικῶν μ̣αθημάτων ἐστὶν διδά σκαλος. καὶ ἐπεὶ τὰ ἐξ ἑτοίμου νοήματα ταχὺ καταφρονεῖ ται, μετ' ἐπικρύψεως παροιμιωδῶς αὐτὰ λέγει. λέγει γοῦν· 6 "αιυ̣σθησις δὲ ἀγαθὴ πᾶσιν τοῖς ποιοῦσιν αὐτήν" καὶ "ἀρχὴ σοφίας φόβος κυρίου", "ἀκούσατε παῖδες παιδείαν πατρός". αἱ παροιμίαι ουν ἠθικά ἐστ̣ι̣ν̣. ἐν δὲ τῷ ᾳυ̣σματι τῶν ᾀσμάτων τὰ ὑπὲρ τὰ φυσικά, τὰ ὑπερ κόσμια τὰ ἀνάγοντα εἰς τὰ ὑπερκός μια καὶ ὑπερουράνια λέγει. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐκεῖ οὐδὲν πρόσκειται τὸ δεικνύον αὐτὸν ανθρωπον· οὐκ ειρηται "υἱὸς ∆αυὶδ τοῦ βασιλέως τοῦ ̓Ισραὴλ ἐν ̓Ιερουσαλήμ"; ὑπερκόσμιος γάρ ἐστιν ἡ λεγομένη παίδευσις ἐν τῷ ᾳυ̣σματι τῶν ᾀσμάτων. ἐπερ· οὐκ