John Chrysostom, On Ecclesiastes

In Ecclesiasten

A COMMENTARY ON ECCLESIASTES BY THE SAME JOHN CHRYSOSTOM

Many of the more reasonable people are perplexed by this book, while the more rash even mock it. In order, therefore, to resolve the afflictions of both, come, let us establish it from its conclusion. The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil; which is what Christ says: he will render to each one according to his works. He speaks both of work and of God. What need is there of many words? Knowing these things, therefore, even if we do not discover some of the things contained therein, let us not condemn the sayings; for perhaps they have a great and powerful meaning. For the book is lofty and most ethical and most musical and full of much philosophy concerning the things of life.

Therefore I entreat you to pay attention. 1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David. He rightly calls himself the Preacher here; for just as one convenes an assembly, so he speaks to the whole world, proposing to speak about common matters, being the servant of the common master. For he is not speaking to the Jews, as the others do, but to all <the> creation and the inhabited world. Come then, let us compare with these things whatever you wish from the philosophers, and we will find those external things to be superficial. The words of the Preacher, the son of David. He reasonably mentions both his father and the place of his kingdom: Israel in Jerusalem; because after him the kings of Israel were not in Jerusalem, but in Samaria. Having thus summoned us, he speaks not about small things, but about great matters. Vanity of vanities, said the Preacher, <vanity of vanities>, all is vanity. He rightly places himself in the middle, and does not say: "God said," but "the Preacher said." For he did not need faith here, to bring in the credibility of God, but something that was self-evident and taught from reason and from experience of things, as if he were saying: It was necessary for all to learn all things from God; but since you were not willing, but were dismayed, at least hear from me; Therefore let us come together, that we may learn that vanity of vanities, all is vanity. And indeed; for it is no small thing for the discovery of truth to know falsehood and deceit and phantoms. But what does he mean by "all things"? and what is "vanity of vanities"? For he uses a strong refrain; just as Scripture is accustomed to call "vain" that which does not exist with respect to some thing, if it is thought to exist, but does not. The idols of the nations are vain; not that there are no idols—for there are—but that they are not gods. When the name is present, but the underlying reality is removed, it is no longer a name, <but> a false name; as if someone, arguing contentiously, were to say that the man in the shadow is a man; for he is not; for he does not accept the definition of a man; therefore that is vain.

For what reason, then, "vanity of vanities"? He means an intensification of the matter; as when we say "glory of glories," we mean surpassing glory, or "king of kings," the surpassing king, so too "vanity of vanities." But from the opposite, if you wish, let us try to set the argument in motion; for you must learn this expression precisely. "Truth of truths" we say is great. Light or light of light; for a light in darkness would not be great; but when it appears in light, then we also say great light, such as the perceptible sun, a light of light. But the sun of righteousness is not a light of lights, but light

In Ecclesiasten

ΤΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΥ ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΧΡΥΣΟΣΤΟΜΟΥ ΕΡΜΗΝΕΙΑ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑΣΤΗΝ

Πολλοὶ μὲν τῶν ἐπιεικεστέρων διαποροῦσιν ἐπὶ τοῦ βιβλίου τούτου, οἱ δὲ προπετέστεροι καὶ καταγελῶσιν. Ἵν' οὖν ἀμφοτέρων τὰ πάθη λύσωμεν, φέρε, ἀπὸ τοῦ τέλους αὐτοῦ συστήσωμεν. Πέρας λόγου τὸ πᾶν ἄκουε· τὸν θεὸν φοβοῦ καὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ φύλασσε, ὅτι δὴ τοῦτο πᾶς ἄνθρωπος· ὅτι σύμπαν τὸ ποίημα ἄξει ὁ θεὸς εἰς κρίσιν ἐν παντὶ παρεωραμένῳ, ἐάν τε ἀγαθὸν ἐάν τε κακόν· ὅπερ λέγει ὁ Χριστός· ἀποδώσει ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ποίημα καὶ θεόν φησιν. Τί δεῖ πολλῶν λόγων; Ταῦτα οὖν εἰδότες, κἂν μὴ εὑρίσκωμέν τινα τῶν ἐγκειμένων, μὴ καταγινώσκωμεν τῶν ῥημάτων· ἐκεῖνα γὰρ ἴσως ἔχει ἔννοιαν μεγάλην καὶ δυνατήν. Καὶ γὰρ ὑψηλὸν τὸ βιβλίον καὶ ἠθικώτατον καὶ μουσικώτατον καὶ περὶ τῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον πολλῆς γέμον φιλοσοφίας.

∆ιὸ παρακαλῶ προσέχειν. 1 Ῥήματα Ἐκκλησιαστοῦ υἱοῦ ∆αυίδ. Καλῶς ἑαυτὸν Ἐκκλησιαστὴν ἐνταῦθα καλεῖ· καθάπερ οὖν ἐκκλησίαν συνιστάμενος, οὕτω τῇ οἰκουμένῃ διαλέγεται, περὶ τῶν κοινῶν πραγμάτων προθέμενος εἰπεῖν, ἅτε τοῦ κοινοῦ δεσπότου δοῦλος ὤν. Οὐ γὰρ πρὸς Ἰουδαίους διαλέγεται, καθάπερ οἱ λοιποί, ἀλλὰ πρὸς πᾶσαν <τὴν> κτίσιν καὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην. Φέρε οὖν, ὅσα βούλεσθε τῶν φιλοσόφων τούτοις παραβάλωμεν, καὶ εὑρήσομεν ἐκεῖνα εὐχερῆ ὄντα τῶν ἔξωθεν. Ῥήματα Ἐκκλησιαστοῦ υἱοῦ ∆αυίδ. Εἰκότως καὶ τὸν πατέρα φησὶν καὶ τὸν τόπον τῆς βασιλείας· Ἰσραὴλ ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ μετὰ τοῦτον οἱ βασιλεῖς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ οὐκ ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἦσαν, ἀλλ' ἐν Σαμαρείᾳ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καλέσας, οὐ περὶ μικρῶν ἡμῖν διαλέγεται, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῶν μεγάλων πραγμάτων. Ματαιότης ματαιοτήτων, εἶπεν ὁ Ἐκκλησιαστής, <ματαιότης ματαιοτήτων>, τὰ πάντα ματαιότης. Καλῶς τίθησιν ἑαυτὸν ἐν τῷ μεταξύ, καὶ οὐ λέγει· εἶπεν ὁ θεός, ἀλλ' εἶπεν ὁ Ἐκκλησιαστής. Οὐ γὰρ πίστεως ἐνταῦθα ἔχρῃζεν, ἵνα τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ ἀξιόπιστον παρενέγκῃ, ἀλλά τινος αὐτόθεν δήλου ὄντος καὶ ἀπὸ λογισμῶν καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων πείρας διδάσκοντος, ὡσανεὶ ἔλεγεν· ἔδει μὲν πάντας πάντα παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ μανθάνειν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐκ ἐβουλήθητε, ἀλλ' ἐπτόησθε, κἂν παρ' ἐμοῦ ἀκούσατε· διὰ τοῦτο οὖν συνέλθωμεν, ἵνα μάθωμεν ὅτι ματαιότης ματαιοτήτων, τὰ πάντα ματαιότης. Καὶ πάνυ· οὐ γὰρ μικρὸν πρὸς τὴν τῆς ἀληθείας εὕρεσιν τὸ ψεῦδος εἰδέναι καὶ τὴν ἀπάτην καὶ τὰ φαντάσματα. Ποῖα δὲ πάντα φησίν; καὶ τί ποτέ ἐστιν ματαιότης ματαιοτήτων; Πολλῷ γὰρ τῷ ἐπῳδῷ κέχρηται· ὥσπερ μάταιον τῇ γραφῇ καλεῖν ἔθος ἐστὶν τὸ μὴ κατά τινος πράγματος ὄν, εἰ νομίζεται μὲν εἶναι, οὐκ ἔστιν δέ. Τὰ εἴδωλα τῶν ἐθνῶν μάταια· οὐχ ὅτι εἴδωλα οὐκ ἔστιν- [οὐκ] ἔστιν γάρ-ἀλλ' ὅτι [μάταια] θεοὶ οὐκ εἰσίν. Ὅταν τὸ μὲν ὄνομα παρῇ, ἡ δὲ ὑπόθεσις καθεῖστο, ὄνομα μηκέτι, <ἀλλὰ> ψευδώνυμα· ὡς ἄν τις εἴποι φιλονεικῶν τὸν ἐν τῇ σκιᾷ ἄνθρωπον ἄνθρωπον εἶναι· οὐκ ἔστιν γάρ· οὐ γὰρ ἐπιδέχεται τὸν κατὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου λόγον· οὐκοῦν μάταιος ἐκεῖνος.

Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ματαιότης ματαιοτήτων; Ἐπίτασιν τοῦ πράγματος λέγει· ὡς ὅταν εἴπωμεν δόξα δοξῶν, τὴν ὑπερβάλλουσαν λέγομεν δόξαν, ἢ βασιλεὺς βασιλέων τὸν ὑπερβάλλοντα βασιλέα, οὕτω ματαιότης ματαιοτήτων. Ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ ἐναντίου, εἰ βούλει, τὸν λόγον πειρασώμεθα κινῆσαι· δεῖ γὰρ ὑμᾶς μαθεῖν ἀκριβῶς τὴν λέξιν ταύτην. Ἀλήθεια ἀληθείας λέγομεν μεγάλη. Φῶς ἢ φῶς φωτός· τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἐν σκότει φῶς οὐκ ἂν εἴη μέγα· ὅταν δὲ ἐν φωτὶ φανῇ, τότε καὶ λέγομεν φῶς μέγα, οἷον ὁ ἥλιος ὁ αἰσθητός, φῶς φωτός. Ὁ δὲ ἥλιος τῆς δικαιοσύνης οὐ φῶς φώτων, ἀλλὰ φῶς