Gregory Thaumaturgus, Paraphrase of Solomon's Ecclesiastes

Metaphrasis in Ecclesiasten Salamonis

But having considered that the soul is able to restrain the nature of the body, which is drunken and flowing like wine, and that self-control enslaves

they press on with labors, and with unceasing cares of the soul, his heart convulsing on account of strange matters. For the perfect good does not res

to comfort them at all from the perplexity possessing them from every side but the violent are lifted up on high, from whence also they shall fall. O

But the fear of God, the salvation of men, is rare. Whence [it is not] necessary to be amazed when looking at the poor who are falsely accused, and at

a man is not able to set himself against him. But foolish talk circulates among men, increasing the folly of those who use it.

having God gracious and as an overseer for he who is enslaved by sin could not escape. And having sought for their prudence among all women, I found

One thing seemed to be for the just and the impious, for the good and the evil, for the pure and the impure, and for the one who propitiates God and t

as he works an ambush for himself first and alone. But he who tears down another's safety will fall into a serpent's bite. But [perhaps] the one who r

1 And it is necessary, while still young, to fear God, before giving oneself over to evils, before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes, when

Metaphrasis in Ecclesiasten Salamonis

A METAPHRASIS OF OUR FATHER AMONG THE SAINTS GREGORY THE WONDERWORKER ON THE ECCLESIASTES OF SOLOMON.

CHAPTER 1.

Thus says Solomon, the son of David the king and prophet, to all the Church of God, 989 a king most honored beyond all men, and a most wise prophet. How empty and unprofitable are the affairs and pursuits of men, inasmuch as they are human. For no one can say that any benefit is attached to these things, which men, creeping upon the earth, hasten to accomplish with their bodies and souls, being overcome by temporary things, yet not wishing to perceive anything at all above the stars with the noble eye of the soul. And the life of men is worn away day by day, and by the periods of hours and years, and the limited courses of the sun, some arriving, and others departing. And the matter is like the passing of torrents, falling into the immeasurable depth of the sea with great turmoil. And the things that have come to be from God for the sake of men, remain the same, for example: being born from the earth, going away into the earth, the earth itself standing still, the sun going all around it, running back again to the same boundary, and the winds likewise, and so many rivers emptying into the sea, and the winds falling upon it, not forcing it to overstep its own measures, nor themselves to transgress. And so these things, as contributing to this life of ours, are thus fixed. But the things contrived by men, both words and deeds, have no measure. And there is a great crowd of words, but no benefit from the erring nonsense; but insatiable is the race of men, both in speaking, and in listening to another who speaks; and further still, to desire to see with idle eyes each of the things that fall in one's way. What might happen later, which has not already been accomplished, or been done by men? What new thing is there that has not yet been experienced, that is also worthy of being remembered? For I think there is nothing, but whatever one might call recent, or new, upon reflection he will find it not unknown even to those of old. And just as the former things are hidden by forgetfulness, so also the present things, for those who come after, will be obscured by time. And I am not improvising these things now as I preach; but to me, who have been entrusted with the kingdom of the Hebrews in Jerusalem, all things have been sufficiently considered. And having sought with care, and wisely understood all nature upon the earth, I knew it to be most various, how it is given to man to labor upon the earth, at different times with a different pretext for toil rolling down into nothingness. But all things below are full of a strange and loathsome spirit, so that it is not possible to restore them, nor even to remember at all how much absurdity has seized the affairs of men. For once I, reasoning with myself, and thinking that I was then wiser than all those who had been here before me; 992 I came to understand parables and the natures of things. But I thought that I was vainly carried along in this, and that knowledge follows wisdom, but that pains follow knowledge.

CHAPTER 2. 1 Thinking that this was indeed so, I resolved to turn to another idea

of life, and to give myself up to luxury, and to make trial of various pleasures.

Now, therefore, I understood that such things are altogether vain; and I restrained laughter that arose for no reason, and I chastened pleasure toward moderation, bitterly rebuking it.

Metaphrasis in Ecclesiasten Salamonis

ΤΟΥ ΕΝ ΑΓΙΟΙΣ ΠΑΤΡΟΣ ΗΜΩΝ ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΘΑΥΜΑΤΟΥΡΓΟΥ ΜΕΤΑΦΡΑΣΙΣ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑΣΤΗΝ ΤΟΥ ΣΟΛΟΜΩΝΤΟΣ.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Αʹ.

Τάδε λέγει Σαλομὼν, ὁ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ βασιλέως καὶ προφήτου παῖς ἁπάσῃ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἐκκλησίᾳ, παρὰ 989 πάντας ἀνθρώπους βασιλεὺς ἐντιμότατος, καὶ προ φήτης σοφώτατος. Ὡς κενὰ καὶ ἀνόνητα τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων πράγματά τε καὶ σπουδάσματα, ὅσα ἀν θρώπινα. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔχει τις εἰπεῖν ὄφελός τι τούτοις προσηρτημένον, ἅπερ ἄνθρωποι περὶ γῆν ἕρπον τες, καὶ σώμασι καὶ ψυχαῖς ἐκτελέσαι σπεύ δουσι, τῶν μὲν προσκαίρων ἡττημένοι, ἀνωτέρω δὲ τῶν ἄστρων τῷ γενναίῳ τῆς ψυχῆς ὄμματι, οὐδ' ὁτιοῦν κατιδεῖν βουλόμενοι. Καὶ κατατρίβεται ὁ τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίος ἡμέραν ἐξ ἡμέρας, καὶ ὡρῶν καὶ ἐνιαυτῶν περιόδους, ἡλίου τε δρόμους περιωρισμέ νους, τῶν μὲν παραγινομένων, τῶν δὲ ὑπαπαιρόντων. Ἔοικε δὲ τὸ πρᾶγμα, χειμάῤῥων παρόδῳ, ἀμετρήτῳ θαλάσσης ἐμπιπτόντων βυθῷ σὺν ταράχῳ πολλῷ. Καὶ τὰ μὲν δι' ἀνθρώπους ὑπὸ Θεοῦ γεγονότα, μένει τὰ αὐτὰ, οἷον. τὸ ἀπὸ γῆς γεννᾶσθαι, τὸ εἰς γῆν ἀπιέναι, τὸ αὐτὴν ἑστάναι τὴν γῆν, τὸ τὸν ἥλιον ἅπασαν αὐ τὴν ἐκπεριϊόντα, πάλιν εἰς τὸν αὐτὸν περιτρέχειν ὅρον, καὶ τὰ πνεύματα ὡσαύτως, τούς τε πο ταμοὺς τοσούτους εἰς θάλασσαν ἐκδιδόντας, καὶ τοὺς ἀνέμους ἐμπίπτοντας, μὴ ἀναγκάζειν αὐτὴν ὑπερ βαίνειν τὰ αὐτῆς μέτρα, μηδὲ αὐτοὺς παρανομεῖν. Καὶ τὰ μὲν ὡς εἰς τουτονὶ συντελοῦντα ἡμῖν τὸν βίον, οὔτως ἄραρε. Τὰ δ' ὑπ' ἀνθρώπων ἐπιτεχνώ μενα ῥήματά τε καὶ πράγματα, μέτρον οὐκ ἔχει. Καὶ λόγων πολὺς μὲν ὅμιλος, ὄνησις δὲ οὐδεμία ἀπὸ τῆς πεπλανημένης φλυαρίας· ἀλλ' ἄπληστόν ἐστι τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων φῦλον, πρός τε τὸ λέγειν, πρός τε τὸ ἑτέρου λέγοντος ἀκούειν· ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὸ ὄμμασιν εἰκαίοις ἕκαστα τῶν παραπιπτόντων ὁρᾷν γλίχεσθαι. Τί ἂν γένοιτο ὕστερον, ὅπερ οὐκ ἤδη τετέλεσται, ἢ πρα χθείη πρὸς ἀνθρώπων; Τί καινὸν τὸ μηδέπω εἰς πεῖραν ἐλθὸν, ὅτου καὶ μνησθῆναι ἄξιον; Ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ οἶμαι οὐδὲν, ὅ τι δ' ἂν εἴπῃ πρόσφατον, ἢ καινὸν ἀνα λογιζόμενος εὑρήσει, μηδὲ τοῖς πάλαι ἄγνωστον. Ὥσπερ δὲ τὰ πρότερα λήθῃ κέκρυπται, οὕτω καὶ τὰ ἐνεστῶτα, εἰς τοὺς μετέπειτα χρόνῳ ἀμαυρωθήσεται. Καὶ οὐκ αὐτοσχεδιάζω ταῦτα νῦν ἐκκλησιάζων· ἀλλά μοι βασιλείαν Ἑβραίων ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις πεπιστευμένῳ, ἱκανῶς ἄπαντα πεφρόντισται. Ζητήσας δὲ μεμελημένος, καὶ σοφῶς κατανοήσας τὴν περὶ γῆν φύσιν ἅπασαν, ποικιλωτάτην ἔγνων, ὡς ἀνθρώπῳ δέδοται πονεῖν ἐπὶ γῆς, ἄλλοτε ἀλλοίᾳ καμάτου προ φάσει ἐγκαλινδουμένῳ εἰς τὸ μηδέν. Πνεύματος δὲ ἀλλοκότου καὶ μυσαροῦ τὰ κάτω ἅπαντα πλήθει, ὥστε μὴ εἶναι αὐτὰ ἀνακτήσασθαι, ἀλλὰ μηδὲ ἀνα θυμηθῆναι τὸ παράπαν ὅση τὰ κατὰ ἀνθρώπους πρά γματα κατείληφεν ἀτοπία. Λογισάμενος γάρ ποτε ἐγὼ κατ' ἐμαυτὸν, καὶ οἰηθεὶς ὡς ἁπάντων εἴην τότε τῶν πρὸ ἐμαυτοῦ γεγονότων ἐνταυθοῖ σοφώτερος· 992 ἔγνων παραβολάς τε συνεῖναι καὶ πραγμάτων φύσεις. Ὠιήθην δὲ τηνάλλως ἐπὶ τούτῳ φέρεσθαι, καὶ σοφίᾳ μὲν γνῶσιν ἕπεσθαι, γνώσει δὲ πόνους ἐπακολου θεῖν.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Βʹ. 1 Τοῦτο δὴ τοῦθ' οὕτως ἔχειν νομίσας, ἔγνων ἐπὶ ἑτέραν ἰδέαν τραπέσθαι

βίου, καὶ ἐκδοῦναι μὲν ἐμαυτὸν τρυφῇ, πεῖραν δὲ λαβεῖν ἡδονῶν ποικίλων. Νῦν τοίνυν συνῆκα ὡς τὰ τοιαῦτα μάταια σύμπαν τα· καὶ γέλωτα μὲν εἰκῆ φερόμενον ἐπέσχον, ἡδονὴν δὲ πρὸς τὸ σωφρονεῖν ἐκόλασα, πικρῶς ἐπιτιμήσας αὐτῇ.