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On Ecclesiastes

OF GREGORY BISHOP OF NYSSA ON ECCLESIASTES

HOMILY 1 Ecclesiastes is set before us for explanation, having a labor of contemplation equal to the magnitude of its benefit. For with the mind already having been exercised by the proverbial thoughts, whose obscure sayings and wise maxims and riddles and various turns of phrases, as the introduction to that book contains, ... then for those who have advanced to the more perfect studies, the ascent is made to this sublime 5.278 and truly divinely-inspired scripture. If, therefore, the proverbial study that prepares us for these lessons is so laborious and difficult to contemplate, how much labor must one discern in these sublime thoughts themselves that are now set before us for contemplation? For just as those who have labored at wrestling in the training school strip for greater sweat and toils in the gymnastic contests, so it seems to me that the proverbial teaching is a kind of training, training and softening our souls for the ecclesiastical contests. If, therefore, the training is accomplished with so much sweat and toil, what must one think about the contests themselves? Surely anyone, having conceived every hyperbole, would not present in a worthy manner by his speech how many labors the stadium of this scripture shows to those contending for the security of its thoughts through athletic experience, so as not to show the argument in a fall, but in every grappling of thought to keep the mind upright through the truth. But nevertheless, since this also is one of the Lord's commandments, that one must search the scriptures, it is altogether necessary, even if our mind is found to lag behind the truth, not grasping the magnitude of the thoughts, nevertheless to succeed in not seeming to neglect the Lord's commandment through diligence concerning the word according to our ability. Therefore let us search the scripture set before us 5.279 as we are able. For surely he who gave the command to search will also give the power for this very thing, as it is written that the Lord will give a word to those who proclaim the good news with great power. And first, let the title of the book be set before us for consideration. In every church Moses and the law are read, the prophets, the psalmody, all the history, and whatever is of the old and new covenant, all things are proclaimed in the churches. How then is this book alone exceptionally adorned with the title of "Ecclesiastes"? What then have we supposed concerning these things? That in all other scriptures, both histories and prophecies, the scope looks also to certain other things that are not entirely useful to the church. For what does it concern the church to learn accurately the disasters of wars, or who were rulers of nations and founders of cities, and who were the colonists of whom, or what kingdoms will appear in successive time, and how many marriages and begettings of children were carefully recorded, and all such things which can be learned from each scripture; how could so much contribute to the church for the purpose of piety? But the teaching of this book looks only to the ecclesiastical polity, 5.280 explaining those things through which someone might succeed in a life of virtue. For the purpose of the things said here is to place the mind above sense perception and to persuade it, having left behind all that is great and splendid appearing in existing things, to peer over by means of the soul toward those things unattainable by sensory comprehension and to conceive a desire for those things which sense perception does not grasp. But perhaps

1

In Ecclesiasten

ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΟΥ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΝΥΣΣΗΣ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑΣΤΗΝ

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Αʹ Πρόκειται ἡμῖν ὁ Ἐκκλησιαστὴς εἰς ἐξήγησιν ἴσον ἔχων τῷ μεγέθει τῆς ὠφελείας τὸν πόνον τῆς θεωρίας. τῶν γὰρ παροιμιακῶν νοημάτων ἤδη προγυμνασάντων τὸν νοῦν, ὧν οἱ σκοτεινοὶ λόγοι καὶ αἱ σοφαὶ ῥήσεις καὶ τὰ αἰνίγματα καὶ αἱ ποικίλαι τῶν λόγων στροφαί, καθὼς περιέχει τὸ τοῦ βιβλίου ἐκείνου προοίμιον, ... τότε τοῖς πρὸς τὰ τελειότερα τῶν μαθημάτων αὐξηθεῖσιν ἐπὶ ταύτην τὴν γραφὴν τὴν ὑψηλὴν 5.278 ὄντως καὶ θεόπνευστον ἡ ἄνοδος γίνεται. εἰ οὖν ἡ παροιμιακὴ μελέτη ἡ πρὸς ταῦτα ἡμᾶς ἑτοιμάζουσα τὰ μαθήματα οὕτως ἐπίπονός τίς ἐστι καὶ δυσθεώρητος, πόσον χρὴ πόνον αὐτοῖς ἐνορᾶν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς τούτοις νοήμασι τοῖς νῦν προκειμένοις εἰς θεωρίαν ἡμῖν; ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ ἐν παιδοτρίβου τὴν παλαι στρικὴν ἐκπονήσαντες πρὸς μείζονας ἱδρῶτας καὶ πόνους ἐν τοῖς ἀγῶσι τοῖς γυμνικοῖς ἀποδύονται, οὕτω μοι δοκεῖ μελέτη τις εἶναι ἡ παροιμιώδης διδασκαλία, πρὸς τοὺς ἐκκλησιαστικοὺς ἀγῶνας παιδοτριβοῦσα τὰς ψυχὰς ἡμῶν καὶ προμαλάσσουσα. εἰ οὖν ἡ μελέτη μετὰ τοσούτων ἱδρώτων κατορθοῦται καὶ πόνων, τί χρὴ περὶ αὐτῶν τῶν ἀγώνων λογίσασθαι; ἦ που πᾶσάν τις ὑπερβολὴν ἐννοήσας οὐκ ἂν παραστήσειε κατ' ἀξίαν τῷ λόγῳ, πόσους ὑποδείκνυσι πόνους τὸ τῆς γραφῆς ταύτης στάδιον τοῖς ἀγωνιζομένοις πρὸς τὴν τῶν νοημάτων ἀσφάλειαν διὰ τῆς ἀθλητικῆς ἐμπειρίας, ὡς μὴ ἐν πτώματι δεῖξαι τὸν λόγον, ἀλλ' ἐν πάσῃ νοήματος συμπλοκῇ ὄρθιον διασῶσαι διὰ τῆς ἀληθείας τὸν νοῦν. πλὴν ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ καὶ τοῦτο τῶν δεσποτικῶν παραγγελμάτων ἐστὶ τὸ δεῖν ἐρευνᾶν τὰς γραφάς, ἀνάγκη πᾶσα, κἂν κατόπιν τῆς ἀληθείας ὁ ἡμέτερος εὑρεθῇ νοῦς τοῦ μεγέθους τῶν νοημάτων οὐκ ἐφικνούμενος, ὅμως τὸ μὴ δοκεῖν παρορᾶν τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ κυρίου διὰ τῆς κατὰ δύναμιν περὶ τὸν λόγον σπουδῆς κατορθῶσαι. οὐκοῦν ἐρευνήσωμεν τὴν προκειμένην 5.279 γραφὴν ὡς δυνάμεθα. πάντως γὰρ ὁ τοῦ ἐρευνᾶν τὴν ἐντολὴν δε δωκὼς καὶ τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸ τοῦτο δύναμιν δώσει, καθὼς γέγραπται ὅτι Κύριος δώσει ῥῆμα τοῖς εὐαγγελιζομένοις δυνάμει πολλῇ. Καὶ πρῶτόν γε ἡμῖν ἡ ἐπιγραφὴ τοῦ βιβλίου προτεθήτω εἰς θεωρίαν. κατὰ πᾶσαν ἐκκλησίαν Μωϋσῆς καὶ ὁ νόμος ἀναγινώσκεται, οἱ προφῆται, ἡ ψαλμῳδία, ἡ ἱστορία πᾶσα καὶ εἴ τι τῆς ἀρχαίας τε καὶ τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης ἐστί, πάντα ἐπὶ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν καταγγέλλεται. πῶς οὖν τοῦτο μόνον κατ' ἐξαίρετον τῇ ἐπιγραφῇ τοῦ ἐκκλησιαστοῦ καλλωπίζεται; τί οὖν ἐστιν ὃ περὶ τούτων ἡμεῖς ὑπειλήφαμεν; ὅτι ταῖς μὲν ἄλλαις πάσαις γραφαῖς, ἱστορίαις τε καὶ προφητείαις, καὶ πρὸς ἄλλα τινὰ τῶν μὴ πάνυ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ χρησίμων ὁ σκοπὸς βλέπει. τί γὰρ μέλει τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ τὰς τῶν πολέμων συμφορὰς δι' ἀκριβείας μαθεῖν ἢ τίνες ἐθνῶν ἄρχοντες καὶ πόλεων γεγόνασιν οἰκισταὶ καὶ τίνες τίνων ἄποικοι ἢ ποῖαι βασιλεῖαι κατὰ τὸν ἐφεξῆς χρόνον διαφανήσονται καὶ ὅσοι γάμοι καὶ παιδοποιΐαι δι' ἐπιμελείας ἐμνημονεύθησαν καὶ πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτα, ὅσα δι' ἑκάστης ἔστι διδαχθῆναι γραφῆς· τί ἂν τοσοῦτον πρὸς τὸν σκοπὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ συναγωνίσαιτο; ἡ δὲ τοῦ βιβλίου τούτου διδασκαλία πρὸς μόνην βλέπει τὴν ἐκκλησιαστικὴν πολιτείαν, 5.280 δι' ὧν ἄν τις τὸν ἐν ἀρετῇ κατορθώσειε βίον, ταῦτα ὑφηγου μένη. ὁ γὰρ σκοπὸς τῶν ἐνταῦθα λεγομένων ἐστὶ τὸ ὑπερθεῖναι τὸν νοῦν τῆς αἰσθήσεως καὶ πεῖσαι καταλιπόντα πᾶν ὅτιπέρ ἐστι μέγα τε καὶ λαμπρὸν ἐν τοῖς οὖσι φαινόμενον πρὸς τὰ ἀνέφικτα τῇ αἰσθητικῇ καταλήψει διὰ τῆς ψυχῆς ὑπερκύψαι κἀκείνων τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν λαβεῖν, ὧν οὐκ ἐφικνεῖται ἡ αἴσθησις. τάχα δὲ