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Commentarii in Ecclestiasten

COMMENTARIES OF OLYMPIODORUS ON ECCLESIASTES. Hypothesis of the first chapter. Solomon, the son of David, not only in the flesh, but also in virtue, having received from God true knowledge of existing things, divided existing things in three ways: into ethical, physical, and intelligible things. And he handed down ethical matters through the Proverbs; physical matters through Ecclesiastes; and intelligible matters through the Song of Songs. And it is possible to find teaching about ethical matters scattered in Ecclesiastes; and in Proverbs, about physical matters; however, the treatises happen to be specifically delimited. But the Song of Songs throughout discusses intelligible matters, 93.480 and looks towards allegory. However, both in Ecclesiastes and likewise in Proverbs, it is possible to find things about intelligible matters. But Solomon called himself Ecclesiastes, as one who assembles all people, and binds them into concord, and in common hands down the theory of nature. And this must also be known, that the wise Ecclesiastes at times speaks from his own person, and at other times from the person of one who is dismayed about this world. And these things are by way of a preliminary overview. But the first chapter contains the following: He states the lineage of Ecclesiastes, and his rank, and the city in which the kingdom was established. And he declares all things in this world to be vanity; not finding fault with everything, but with the wicked choice of men, of those who have their hope in this world. And he teaches also concerning the course of the sun, speaking of nature on a literal level; but in meaning, looking towards a theological allegory. And he says the same thing also about torrents flowing into the sea, and not filling it. And he teaches from this that none of the created things are recent; but that they remain just as they were formerly ordained by the Creator; and that the eye will not be filled with seeing, and that we men know with precision neither the first things that have happened, nor the last things that will be, and that God has given a painful distraction to the sons of men; and that men do what they do by choice of the spirit, that is, of free will, and not by any necessity; and that what is crooked, when it is in its crookedness, cannot be made straight. And making his own word trustworthy, as one who declares the things in the world to be vain, he teaches that he has been wise, and a king, and rich, so that he might be readily accepted when declaring all things to be vanity. He teaches also that in much wisdom is much knowledge; he teaches also about the joy in the world. and he examines whether it is even possible for the flesh to be saved by the rational substance within us. FIRST CHAPTER. "The words of Ecclesiastes, the son of David." All the words of the wise Ecclesiastes, teaching us to despise the vanity of life, exhort the hearer to the word of faith in Christ. Of Ecclesiastes. Since the words of wisdom are kept for the Church of God, Solomon called himself Ecclesiastes. Son of David. Ecclesiastes states his lineage and rank, so that by attending to the trustworthiness of the person we might become more zealous about the teaching. But as to the meaning, you will understand this: David is interpreted as "able with his hand"; and God over all is able with his hand. And his Son is our Lord Jesus Christ, who from all the 93.481 nations and the two peoples established one Church for himself, the king of the true Israel; for Israel is interpreted, "a mind seeing God," having his kingdom in the vision of peace, according to, "His place was made in peace." For Jerusalem is translated as "a peaceful vision." He declares

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Commentarii in Ecclestiasten

ΟΛΥΜΠΙΟ∆ΩΡΟΥ ΥΠΟΜΝΗΜΑΤΑ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑΣΤΗΝ. Ὑπόθεσις τοῦ πρώτου κεφαλαίου. Τῶν ὄντων τὴν γνῶσιν ἀψευδῆ δεξάμενος ὑπὸ Θεοῦ Σολομὼν, ὁ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ υἱὸς, οὐ μόνον κατὰ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ κατ' ἀρετὴν, τριχῆ τὰ ὄντα διεῖλεν· εἰς ἠθικὰ, καὶ φυσικὰ, καὶ νοητά. Καὶ τὰ μὲν ἠθικὰ διὰ τῶν Παροιμιῶν παρέδωκε· τὰ δὲ φυσικὰ διὰ τῶν τοῦ Ἐκκλησιαστοῦ· τὰ δὲ νοητὰ, διὰ τοῦ Ἄσματος τῶν ᾀσμάτων. Ἔστι δὲ εὑρεῖν κατεσπαρμένην διδασκαλίαν ἐν τῷ Ἐκκλησιαστῇ περὶ ἠθικῶν· καὶ ἐν ταῖς Παροιμίαις, περὶ φυσικῶν· πλὴν αἱ πραγματεῖαι ἰδικῶς ἀφωρισμέναι τυγχάνουσι. Τὸ δὲ Ἆσμα τῶν ᾀσμάτων ὅλον δι' ὅλου περὶ νοητῶν διαλέγεται, 93.480 καὶ πρὸς ἀλληγορίαν βλέπει. Πλὴν καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἐκκλησιαστῇ, καὶ ἐν ταῖς Παροιμίαις ὁμοίως ἔστιν εὑρεῖν περὶ νοητῶν πραγμάτων. Ἐκκλησιαστὴν δὲ ἑαυτὸν ἐκάλεσεν ὁ Σολομὼν, ὡς πάντας ἀνθρώπους ἐκκλησιάζων, καὶ δεσμεύων εἰς ὁμόνοιαν, καὶ ἐν κοινῷ παραδιδοὺς τὴν φυσικὴν θεωρίαν. Ἰστέον δὲ καὶ τοῦτο, ὡς ὁ σοφὸς Ἐκκλησιαστὴς ποτὲ μὲν ἐξ οἰκείου προσώπου τὸν λόγον φέρει, ποτὲ δὲ ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ περὶ τόνδε τὸν κόσμον ἐπτοημένου. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ὡς ἐν προθεωρίᾳ. Τὸ δὲ πρῶτον κεφάλαιον περιέχει τάδε· Γένος τοῦ Ἐκκλησιαστοῦ φησι, καὶ ἀξίωμα, καὶ πόλιν, ἐν ᾗ τὸ βασίλειον ἵδρυτο. Ἀποφαίνεται δὲ ματαιότητα πάντα τὰ ἐν τῷδε τῷ κόσμῳ· οὐ τὰ πάντα μεμφόμενος, ἀλλὰ τὴν πονηρὰν τῶν ἀνθρώπων προαίρεσιν, τῶν εἰς τόνδε τὸν κόσμον τὴν ἐλπίδα ἐχόντων. ∆ιδάσκει δὲ καὶ περὶ τῆς τοῦ ἡλίου πορείας, κατὰ μὲν τὸ πρόχειρον φυσιολογῶν· πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν εἰς ἀλληγορίαν θεολογικὴν βλέπων. Τὸ δὲ αὐτό φησι καὶ περὶ χειμάῤῥων εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν εἰσβαλλόντων, καὶ μὴ πληρούντων αὐτήν. ∆ιδάσκει δὲ κἀντεῦθεν τῶν ποιημάτων οὐδὲν πρόσφατον εἶναι· ἀλλ' οὕτω μένειν ὡς πρώην ἐτάγησαν ὑπὸ τοῦ ∆ημιουργοῦ· καὶ ὅτι οὐ πληρωθήσεται ὀφθαλμὸς ἀπὸ ὁράσεως, καὶ ὅτι οὔτε τὰ πρῶτα τῶν γεγονότων, οὔτε τῶν ἐσομένων τὰ ἔσχατα πρὸς ἀκρίβειαν ἵσμεν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, καὶ ὅτι περισπασμὸν ἐπίπονον ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων· καὶ ὡς προαιρέσει πνεύματος, τουτέστι τοῦ αὐτεξουσίου, καὶ οὐκ ἀνάγκῃ τινὶ πράττουσιν ἃ πράττουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι· καὶ ὅτι τὸ διεστραμμένον, ὅτε ἐστὶν ἐν τῇ διαστροφῇ, ἐπικοσμηθῆναι οὐ δύναται. Ἀξιόπιστον δὲ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ παρασκευάζων γενέσθαι λόγον, ὡς μάταια τὰ ἐν κόσμῳ ἀποφαινόμενος, διδάσκει, ὅτι καὶ σοφὸς, καὶ βασιλεὺς καὶ πλούσιος γέγονε, ἵνα εὐπερίδεκτος ᾖ, ματαιότητα πάντα ἀποφαινόμενος. ∆ιδάσκει καὶ ἐν πλήθει σοφίας πλῆθος γνώσεως· διδάσκει καὶ περὶ τῆς ἐν κόσμῳ χαρᾶς. καὶ διαγυμνάζει, εἰ καὶ ἐνδεχόμενον, ἀνασώζεσθαι ὑπὸ τῆς ἐν ἡμῖν λογικῆς οὐσίας, τὴν σάρκα. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΠΡΩΤΟΝ. "Ῥήματα Ἐκκλησιαστοῦ, υἱοῦ ∆αβίδ." Πάντα τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ σοφοῦ Ἐκκλησιαστοῦ, διδάσκοντα ἡμᾶς καταφρονεῖν τῆς τοῦ βίου ματαιότητος, εἰς τὸ ῥῆμα τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν πίστεως προτρέπει τὸν ἀκροατήν. Ἐκκλησιαστοῦ. Ὡς τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦφυλαττομένων τῶν τῆς σοφίας ῥημάτων, ὁ Σολομὼν Ἐκκλησιαστὴν ἑαυτὸν ἐκάλεσε. Υἱοῦ ∆αβίδ. Γένος ἑαυτοῦ καὶ ἀξίωμά φησιν ὁ Ἐκκλησιαστὴς, ἵνα τῇ ἀξιοπιστίᾳ τοῦ προσώπου προσέχοντες προθυμότεροι περὶ τὴν διδασκαλίαν γενώμεθα. Πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν, τοῦτο νοήσεις· ∆αβὶδ, ἑρμηνεύεται ἱκανὸς χειρί· ἱκανὸς δὲ χειρὶ ὁ ἐπὶ πάντων Θεός, Ὁ τούτου δὲ Υἱὸς ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς, ὁ ἐκ πάντων τῶν 93.481 ἐθνῶν καὶ τῶν δύο λαῶν μίαν Ἐκκλησίαν ἑαυτοῦ συστησάμενος, ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ Ἱσραήλ· Ἰσραὴλ δὲ ἑρμηνεύεται, νοῦς ὁρῶν Θεὸν, ἐν τῇ ὁράσει τῆς εἰρήνης ἔχων τὸ βασίλειον, κατὰ τὸ, Ἐγενήθη ἐν εἰρήνῃ ὁ τόπος αὐτοῦ. Ἱερουσαλὴμ γὰρ ὅρασις εἰρηνικὴ μεταλαμβάνεται. Αὐτὸς ἀποφαίνεται