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Scholia on Ecclesiastes (fragments from the catenae)

SCHOLIA ON ECCLESIASTES

The Church is the true knowledge of pure souls concerning the ages and the worlds and the judgment and providence within them. But the Preacher (Ecclesiastes) is Christ, the begetter of this knowledge; or, the Preacher is the one who, through moral contemplations, purifies souls and leads them to the contemplation of nature. 2 1, 2 Vanity of vanities, said the Preacher, vanity of vanities, all is vanity To those who have entered into the intelligible church and marvel at the contemplation of created things, the word says: do not think that this is the final end, O you, which is laid up for you in the promises; for all these things are vanity of vanities in the presence of the knowledge of God himself. For just as medicines are useless after perfect health, so after the knowledge of the holy Trinity, the principles of the ages and the worlds are useless. 3 1, 11.1 there is no remembrance of former things If there is no remembrance of former things, how does David say, "I remembered the days of old" and "I remembered the eternal years"? Or, at that time forgetfulness of all these things will occur, whenever the rational nature receives the holy Trinity; for then God will be all in all. For if the thoughts of things that come to be in the mind lead the intellect to the remembrance of things, but the intellect that has beheld God is separated from all thoughts, then the intellect that has received the holy Trinity forgets all created things. 4 1, 13.4-6 that God has given a grievous distraction to the sons of men to be distracted in it He calls 'grievous' that which is toilsome, not that which is opposed to the good; for that God gives to no one; for he is not the cause of evils, being the fount of goodness, unless he is said to give it by way of permitting it, according to the principle of abandonment. 5 1, 15 what is crooked cannot be adorned, and what is lacking cannot be numbered He calls 'crooked' the impure intellect; "for," he says, "a crooked heart devises evils." And in the Proverbs he has named wisdom an 'adornment' (kosmos), where he says, "wisdom is an adornment for the young;" "therefore into a malicious soul wisdom shall not enter." But he did not say, 'it cannot be adorned (kosmēthēnai),' but, 'it cannot be further adorned (epikosmēthēnai);' for a right life adorns someone, but the wisdom of God further adorns them. Therefore, a crooked intellect can be adorned, but it cannot be further adorned, unless through virtues it cleanses itself and makes itself a vessel useful to the master. 6 The number of God by which he numbers the saints signifies a certain spiritual and definite order; "for," he says, "he numbers the multitude of the stars and calls them all by their names." By this number the Lord also commands Moses to number the sons of Israel; but what does David say concerning creeping men who are enslaved to pleasures? "there are creeping things which cannot be numbered;" and in the Proverbs Solomon says concerning wickedness, "for she has wounded and cast down many, and those whom she has slain are without number." Therefore, the 'lacking' spoken of here and the slain and the creeping things are of the same state, that which does not fit into the spiritual number. But if David says that there is no number of God's understanding, he writes this not as if it were unworthy of number, but as if by its nature, on account of its incomprehensibility, it cannot be subjected to number. For just as the 'invisible' is spoken of in two ways, both that which by nature cannot be seen, like God, and that which by nature can be seen but is not seen, like iron in the deep because it is covered by water, so also the 'innumerable' is spoken of in two ways, both that which by nature cannot be numbered and that which is not numbered for some reason. 7

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Scholia in Ecclesiasten (fragmenta e catenis)

ΣΧΟΛΙΑ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑΣΤΗΝ

Ἐκκλησία ἐστὶν ψυχῶν καθαρῶν γνῶσις ἀληθὴς αἰώνων καὶ κόσμων καὶ τῆς ἐν αὐτοῖς κρίσεως καὶ προνοίας. Ἐκκλησιαστὴς δέ ἐστιν ὁ ταύτης τῆς γνώσεως γεννήτωρ Χριστός· ἢ Ἐκκλησιαστής ἐστιν ὁ διὰ τῶν ἠθικῶν θεωρημάτων καθαίρων ψυχὰς καὶ προσάγων αὐτὰς τῇ φυσικῇ θεωρίᾳ. 2 1, 2 ματαιότης ματαιοτήτων, εἶπεν ὁ Ἐκκλησιαστής, ματαιότης ματαιοτήτων, τὰ πάντα ματαιότης Πρὸς τοὺς εἰσελθόντας εἰς τὴν νοητὴν ἐκκλησίαν καὶ θαυμάζοντας τὴν θεωρίαν τῶν γεγονότων, ὁ λόγος φησί· μὴ νομίσητε τοῦτο εἶναι τὸ ἔσχατον τέλος, ὦ οὗτοι, τὸ ταῖς ἐπαγγελίαις ὑμῖν ἐναποκείμενον· ταῦτα γὰρ πάντα ματαιότης ἐστὶ ματαιοτήτων ἐνώπιον τῆς γνώσεως αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ μάταια μετὰ τὴν τελείαν ὑγείαν τὰ φάρμακα, οὕτω μετὰ τὴν γνῶσιν τῆς ἁγίας τριάδος μάταιοι τῶν αἰώνων καὶ κόσμων οἱ λόγοι. 3 1, 11.1 οὐκ ἔστιν μνήμη τοῖς πρώτοις Εἰ οὐκ ἔστι μνήμη τοῖς πρώτοις, πῶς ὁ ∆αυίδ φησιν· «ἐμνήσθην ἡμερῶν ἀρχαίων» καὶ «ἔτη αἰώνια ἐμνήσθην»; ἢ τὸ τηνικαῦτα λήθη τούτων πάντων γενήσεται, ὁπηνίκα ἂν ἡ λογικὴ φύσις ὑποδέξηται τὴν ἁγίαν τριάδα· τότε γὰρ ὁ θεὸς ἔσται τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν. Εἰ γὰρ τὰ νοήματα τῶν πραγμάτων ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ γινόμενα εἰς ἀνάμνησιν ἄγει τῶν πραγμάτων τὸν νοῦν, πάντων δὲ τῶν νοημάτων χωρίζεται νοῦς θεὸν θεασάμενος, πάντων ἄρα τῶν γεγονότων ἐπιλανθάνεται νοῦς ὑποδεξάμενος τὴν ἁγίαν τριάδα. 4 1, 13.4-6 ὅτι περισπασμὸν πονηρὸν ἔδωκεν ὁ θεὸς τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων τοῦ περισπᾶσθαι ἐν αὐτῷ Πονηρὸν τὸ ἐπίπονον λέγει, οὐ τὸ τῷ ἀγαθῷ ἀντικείμενον· ἐκεῖνο γὰρ οὐδενὶ δίδωσιν ὁ θεός· οὐ γάρ ἐστιν αἴτιος κακῶν, πηγὴ ἀγαθωσύνης ὑπάρχων, πλὴν εἰ μὴ λέγεται διδόναι ὡς συγχωρῶν κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἐγκαταλείψεως λόγον. 5 1, 15 διεστραμμένον οὐ δυνήσεται τοῦ ἐπικοσμηθῆναι καὶ ὑστέρημα οὐ δυνήσεται τοῦ ἀριθμηθῆναι ∆ιεστραμμένον τὸν νοῦν τὸν ἀκάθαρτον λέγει· «διεστραμμένη γάρ, φησί, καρδία τεκταίνεται κακά.» Κόσ μον δὲ τὴν σοφίαν ἐν ταῖς Παροιμίαις ὠνόμασεν, ἔνθα λέγει· «κόσμος νεανίαις σοφία»· «εἰς κακότεχνον οὖν ψυχὴν οὐκ εἰσελεύσεται σοφία.» Οὐκ εἶπε δέ· οὐ δυνήσεται τοῦ κοσμηθῆναι, ἀλλ'· οὐ δυνήσεται τοῦ ἐπικοσμηθῆναι· κοσμεῖ μὲν γάρ τινα βίος ὀρθός, ἐπικοσμεῖ δὲ σοφία θεοῦ. ∆ιεστραμμένος τοιγαροῦν νοῦς κοσμηθῆναι μὲν δύναται· ἐπικοσμηθῆναι δὲ οὐ δύναται, ἐὰν μὴ διὰ τῶν ἀρετῶν ἐκκαθάρῃ ἑαυτὸν καὶ ποιήσῃ σκεῦος χρήσιμον τῷ δεσπότῃ. 6 Ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀριθμὸς ὃν ἀριθμεῖ τοὺς ἁγίους πνευματι6 κήν τινα καὶ ὡρισμένην τάξιν δηλοῖ· «ἀριθμῶν γάρ, φησί, πλήθη ἄστρων καὶ πᾶσιν αὐτοῖς ὀνόματα καλῶν.» Τούτῳ τῷ ἀριθμῷ καὶ Μωσεῖ προστάσσει ὁ κύριος ἀριθμῆσαι τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραήλ· ὁ δὲ ∆αυὶδ περὶ τῶν ἑρπόντων ἀνθρώπων καὶ ταῖς ἡδοναῖς δουλευόντων, τί φησιν; «ἐκεῖ ἑρπετὰ ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμός»· καὶ ἐν ταῖς Παροιμίαις Σολομὼν περὶ τῆς κακίας λέγει· «πολλοὺς γὰρ τρώσασα καταβέβληκε καὶ ἀναρίθμητοί εἰσιν οὓς πεφόνευκε.» Τὸ οὖν ἐνταῦθα λεγόμενον ὑστέρημα καὶ οἱ πεφονευμένοι καὶ τὰ ἑρπετὰ τῆς αὐτῆς εἰσι καταστάσεως, τῆς μὴ ἁρμοζούσης τῷ πνευματικῷ ἀριθμῷ. Εἰ δὲ λέγει ὁ ∆αυὶδ καὶ τῆς συνέσεως τοῦ θεοῦ μὴ εἶναι ἀριθμόν, οὐχ ὡς ἀναξίας αὐτῆς οὔσης τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ τοῦτο γράφει, ἀλλ' ὡς μὴ πεφυκυίας αὐτῆς διὰ τὸ ἀκατάληπτον ὑποβάλλεσθαι ἀριθμῷ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ ἀόρατον διχῶς λέγεται, καὶ τὸ μὴ πεφυκὸς ὁρᾶσθαι, ὡς θεός, καὶ τὸ πεφυκὸς μὲν ὁρᾶσθαι, οὐ μὴν δὲ ὁρώμενον, ὡς ἐν τῷ βυθῷ σίδηρος διὰ τὸ καλύπτεσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ ὕδατος, οὕτω καὶ τὸ ἀναρίθμητον διχῶς λέγεται, καὶ τὸ μὴ πεφυκὸς ἀριθμεῖσθαι καὶ τὸ μὴ ἀριθμούμενον δι' αἰτίαν τινά. 7