(NOTE: The electronic text obtained from The Electronic Bible Society was
not completely corrected. EWTN has corrected all mistakes found.)

Transliteration of Greek words: All phonetical except: w = omega; h serves
three puposes: 1. = Eta; 2. = rough breathing, when appearing intially
before a vowel; 3. = in the aspirated letters theta = th, phi = ph, chi =
ch. Accents are given immediately after their corresponding vowels: acute =
' , grave = `, circumflex = ^. The character ' doubles as an apostrophe,
when necessary.

GREGORY THAUMATURGOS

A METAPHRASE OF THE BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES.(1)

[Translated by the Rev. S.D.F. Salmond, M.A.]

CHAP. I.(2)

   THESE words speaketh Solomon, the son of David the king and prophet, to
the whole Church of God, a prince most honoured, and a prophet most wise
above all men. How vain and fruitless are the affairs of men, and all
pursuits that occupy man! For there is not one who can tell of any profit
attaching to those things which men who creep on earth strive by body and
soul to attain to, in servitude all the while to what is transient, and
undesirous of considering aught heavenly with the noble eye of the soul.
And the life of men weareth away, as day by day, and in the periods of
hours and years, and the determinate courses of the sun, some are ever
coming, and others passing away. And the matter is like the transit of
torrents as they fall into the measureless deep of the sea with a mighty
noise. And all things that have been constituted by God for the sake of men
abide the same: as, for instance, I that man is born of earth, and departs
to earth again; that the earth itself continues stable; that the sun
accomplishes its circuit about it perfectly, and rolls round to the same
mark again; and that the winds(3) in like manner, and the mighty rivers
which flow into the sea, and the breezes that beat upon it, all act without
forcing it to pass beyond its limits, and without themselves also violating
their appointed laws. And these things, indeed, as bearing upon the good of
this life of ours, are established thus fittingly. But those things which
are of men's devising, whether words or deeds, have no measure. And there
is a plenteous multitude of words, but there is no profit from random and
foolish talking. But the race of men is naturally insatiate in its thirst
both for speaking and for hearing what is spoken; and it is man's habit,
too, to desire to look with idle eyes on all that happens. What can occur
afterwards, or what can be wrought by men which has not been done already?
What new thing is there worthy of mention, of which there has never yet
been experience? For I think there is nothing which one may call new, or
which, on considering it, one shall discover to be strange or unknown to
those of old. But as former things are buried in oblivion, so also things
that are now subsistent will in the course of time vanish utterly from the
knowledge of those who shall come after us. And I speak not these things
unadvisedly, as acting now the preacher.(4) But all these things were
carefully pondered by me when entrusted with the kingdom of the Hebrews in
Jerusalem. And I examined diligently, and considered discreetly, the nature
of all that is on earth, and I perceived it to be most various;(5) and I
saw that to man it is given to labour upon earth, ever carried about by all
different occasions of toil, and with no result of his work. And all things
here below are full of the spirit of strangeness and abomination, so that
it is not possible for one to retrieve them now; nay, rather it is not
possible for one at all to conceive what utter vanity(6) has taken
possession of all human affairs. For once. on a time I communed with
myself, and thought that then I was wiser in this than all that were before
me, and I was expert in understanding parables and the natures of things.
But I learned that I gave myself to such pursuits to no purpose, and that
if wisdom follows knowledge, so troubles attend on wisdom.

CHAP. II.

   Judging, therefore, that it stood thus with this matter, I decided to
turn to another mariner of life, and to give myself to pleasure, and to
take experience of various delights. Anti now I learned that all such
things are vain; and I put a check on laughter, when it ran on carelessly;
and restrained pleasure, according to the rule of moderation, and was
bitterly wroth against it. And when I perceived that the soul is able to
arrest the body in its disposition to intoxication and wine-bibbing, and
that temperance makes lust its subject, I sought earnestly to observe what
object of true worth and of real excellence is set before men, which they
shall attain to in this present life. For I passed through all those other
objects which are deemed worthiest, such as the erecting of lofty houses
and the planting of vines, and in addition, the laying out of pleasure-
grounds, and the acquisition and culture of all manner of fruit-bearing
trees; and among them also large reservoirs for the reception of water were
constructed, and distributed so as to secure the plentiful irrigation of
the trees. And I surrounded myself also with many domestics, both man-
servants and maid-servants; and some of them I procured from abroad, and
others I possessed and employed as born in my own house. And herds of four-
fooled creatures, as well of cattle as of sheep, more numerous than any of
those of old acquired, were made my property. And treasures of gold and
silver flowed in upon me; and I made the kings of all nations my dependants
and tributaries. And very many choirs of male and female singers were
trained to yield me pleasure by the practice of all-harmonious song. And I
had banquetings; and for the service of this part of my pleasure, I got me
select cup-bearers of both sexes beyond my reckoning,--so far did I surpass
in these things those who reigned before me in Jerusalem. And thus it
happened that the interests of wisdom declined with me, while the claims of
evil appetency increased. For when I yielded myself to every allurement of
the eyes, and to the violent passions of the heart, that make their attack
from all quarters, and surrendered myself to the hopes held out by
pleasures, I also made my will the bond-slave of all miserable delights.
For thus my judgment was brought to such a wretched pass, that I thought
these things good, and that it was proper for me to engage in them. At
length, awaking and recovering my sight, I perceived that the things I had
in hand were l altogether sinful and very evil, and the deeds of a spirit
not good. For now none of all the objects of men's choice seems to me
worthy of approval, or greatly to be desired by a just mind. Wherefore,
having pondered at once the advantages of wisdom and the ills of folly, I
should with reason admire that man greatly, who, being borne on in a
thoughtless course, and afterwards arresting himself, should return to
right and duty. For wisdom and folly, are widely separated, and they are as
different from each other as day is from night. He, therefore, who makes
choice of virtue, is like one who sees all things plainly, anti looks
upward, and who holdeth his ways in the time of clearest light. But he, on
the other hand, who has involved himself in wickedness, is like a man who
wanders helplessly about in a moonless night, as one who is blind, and
deprived of the sight of things by his darkness.(1) And when I considered
the end of each of these modes of life, I found there was no profit in the
latter;(2) and by setting myself to be the companion of the foolish, I saw
that I should receive the wages of folly. For what advantage is there in
those thoughts, or what profit is there in the multitude of words, where
the streams of foolish speaking are flowing, as it were, from the fountain
of folly? Moreover, there is nothing common to the wise man and to the
fool, neither as regards the memory of men, nor as regards the recompense
of God. And as to all the affairs of men, when they are yet apparently but
beginning to be, the end at once surprises them. Yet the wise man is never
partaker of the same end with the foolish. Then also did I hate all my
life, that had been consumed in vanities, and which I had spent with a mind
engrossed in earthly anxieties. For, to speak in brief, all my affairs have
been wrought by me with labour and pain, as the efforts of thoughtless
impulse; and some other person, it may be a wise man or a fool, will
succeed to them, I mean, the chill fruits of my toils. But when I cut
myself off from these things, and cast them away, then did that real good
which is set before man show itself to me,--namely, the knowledge of wisdom
and the possession of manly virtue.(3) And if a man neglects these things,
and is inflamed with the passion for other things, such a man makes choice
of evil instead of good, and goes after what is bad instead of what is
excellent, and after trouble instead of peace; for he is distracted by
every manner of disturbance, and is burdened with continual anxieties night
and day, with oppressive labours of body as well as with ceaseless cares of
mind,--his heart moving in constant agitation, by reason of the strange and
senseless affairs that occupy him. For the perfect good does not consist in
eating and drinking, although it is true that it is from God that their
sustenance cometh to men; for none of those things which are given for our
maintenance subsist without His providence. But the good man who gets
wisdom from God, gets also heavenly enjoyment; while, on the other hand,
the evil man. smitten with ills divinely inflicted, and afflicted with the
disease of lust, toils to amass much, and is quick to put him to shame who
is honoured by God in presence of the Lord of all, proffering useless
gifts, and making things deceitful and vain the pursuits of his own
miserable soul.

CHAP. III.

   For this present time is filled with all things that are most
contrary(1) to each other--births and deaths, the growth of plants and
their uprooting, cures and killings, the building up and the pulling down
of houses, weeping and laughing, mourning and dancing. At this moment a man
gathers of earth's products, and at another casts them away; and at one
time he ardently desireth the beauty of woman, and at another he hateth it.
Now he seeketh something, and again he loseth it; and now he keepeth, and
again he casteth away; at one time he slayeth, and at another he is slain;
he speaketh, and again he is silent; he loveth, and again he hateth. For
the affairs of men are at one time in a condition of war, and at another in
a condition of peace; while their fortunes are so inconstant, that from
bearing the semblance of good, they change quickly into acknowledged ills.
Let us have done, therefore, with vain labours. For all these things, as
appears to me, are set to madden men, as it were, with their poisoned
stings. And the ungodly observer of the times and seasons is agape for this
world,(2) exerting himself above measure to destroy the image(3) of God, as
one who has chosen to contend against it(4) from the beginning onward to
the end.(5) I am persuaded, therefore, that the greatest good for man is
cheerfulness and well-doing, and that this shortlived enjoyment, which
alone is possible to us, comes from God only, if righteousness direct our
doings. But as to those everlasting and incorruptible things which God hath
firmly established, it is not possible either to take aught from them or to
add aught to them. And to men in general, those things, in sooth, are
fearful and wonderful;(6) and those things indeed which have been, abide
so; and those which are to be, have already been, as regards His
foreknowledge. Moreover, the man who is injured has God as his helper. I
saw in the lower parts the pit of punishment which receives the impious,
but a different place allotted for the pious. And I thought with myself,
that with God all things are judged and determined to be equal; that the
righteous and the unrighteous, and objects with reason and without reason,
are alike in His judgment. For that their time is measured out equally to
all, and death impends over them, and in this the races of beasts and men
are alike in the judgment of God, and differ from each other only in the
matter of articulate speech; and all things else happen alike to them, and
death receives all equally, not more so in the case of the other kinds of
creatures than in that of men. For they have all the same breath of life,
and men have nothing more; but all are, in one word, vain, deriving their
present condition(7) from the same earth, and destined to perish, and
return to the same earth again. For it is uncertain regarding the souls of
men, whether they shall fly upwards; and regarding the others which the
unreasoning creatures possess, whether they shall fall downward. And it
seemed to me, that there is no other good save pleasure, and the enjoyment
of things present. For I did not think it possible for a man, when once he
has tasted death, to return again to the enjoyment of these things.(8)

CHAP. IV.

   And leaving all these reflections, I considered and turned in aversion
from all the forms of oppression(9) which are done among men; whence some
receiving injury weep and lament, who are struck down by violence in utter
default of those who protect them, or who should by all means comfort them
in their trouble.(10) And the men who make might their right(11) are
exalted to an eminence, from which, however, they shall also fall. Yea, of
the unrighteous and audacious, those who are dead fare better than those
who are still alive. And better than both these is he who, being destined
to be like them, has not yet come into being, since he has not yet touched
the wickedness which prevails among men. And it became clear to me also how
great is the envy which follows a man from his neighbours, like the sting
of a wicked spirit; and I saw that he who receives it, and takes it as it
were into his breast, has nothing else but to eat his own heart, and tear
it, and consume both soul and body, finding inconsolable vexation in the
good fortune of others.(12) And a wise man would choose to have one of his
hands full, if it were with ease and quietness, rather than both of them
with travail and with the villany of a treacherous spirit. Moreover, there
is yet another thing which I know to happen contrary to what is fitting, by
reason of the evil will of man. He who is left entirely alone, having
neither brother nor son, but prospered with large possessions, lives on in
the spirit of insatiable avarice, and refuses l to give himself in any way
whatever to goodness. Gladly, therefore, would I ask such an one for what
reason he labours thus, fleeing with headlong speed(1) from the doing of
anything good, and distracted by the many various passions for making
gain(2) Far better than such are those who have taken up an order of life
in common,(3) from which they may reap the best blessings. For when two men
devote themselves in the right spirit to the same objects, though some
mischance befalls the one, he has still at least no slight alleviation in
having his companion by him. And the greatest of all calamities to a man in
evil fortune is the want of a friend to help and cheer him.(4) And those
who live together both double the good fortune that befalls them, and
lessen the pressure of the storm of disagreeable events; so that in the day
they are distinguished for their frank confidence in each other, and in the
night they appear notable for their cheerfulness.(5) But he who leads a
solitary life passes a species of existence full of terror to himself; not
perceiving that if one should fall upon men welded closely together, he
adopts a rash and perilous course, and that it is not easy to snap the
threefold cord.(6) Moreover, I put a poor youth, if he be wise, before an
aged prince devoid of wisdom, to whose thoughts it has never occured that
it is possible that a man may be raised from the prison to the throne, and
that the very man who has exercised his power unrighteously shall at a
later period be righteously cast out. For it may happen that those who are
subject to a youth, who is at the same time sensible, shall be free from
trouble,--those, I mean, who are his elders.(7) Moreover, they who are born
later cannot praise another, of whom they have had no experience,(8) and
are led by an unreasoning judgment, and by the impulse of a contrary
spirit. But in exercising the preacher's office, keep thou this before
thine eyes, that thine own life be rightly directed, and that thou prayest
in behalf of the foolish, that they may get understanding, and know how to
shun the doings of the wicked.

CHAP. V.

   Moreover, it is a good thing to use the tongue sparingly, and to keep a
calm and rightly balanced(9) heart in the exercise of speech.(10) For it is
not right to give utterance in words to things that are foolish and absurd,
or to all that occur to the mind; but we ought to know and reflect, that
though we are far separated from heaven, we speak in the hearing of God,
and that it is good for us to speak without offence. For as dreams and
visions of many kinds attend manifold cares of mind, so also silly talking
is conjoined with folly. Moreover, see to it, that a promise made with a
vow be made good in fact. This, too, is proper to fools, that they are
unreliable. But be thou true to thy word, knowing that it is ranch better
for thee not to vow or promise to do anything, than to vow and then fail of
performance. And thou oughtest by all means to avoid the flood of base
words, seeing that God will hear them. For the man who makes such things
his study gets no more benefit by them than to see his doings brought to
nought by God. For as the multitude of dreams is vain, so also the
multitude of words. But the fear of God is man's salvation, though it is
rarely found. Wherefore thou oughtest not to wonder though thou seest the
poor oppressed, and the judges misinterpreting the law. But thou oughtest
to avoid the appearance of surpassing those who are in power. For even
should this prove to be the case, yet, from the terrible ills that shall
befall thee, wickedness of itself will not deliver thee. But even as
property acquired by violence is a most hurtful as well as impious
possession, so the man who lusteth after money never finds satisfaction for
his passion, nor good-will from his neighbours, even though he may have
amassed the greatest possible wealth. For this also is vanity. But goodness
greatly rejoiceth those who hold by it, and makes them strong,(11)
imparting to them the capacity of seeing through(12) all things. And it is
a great matter also not to be engrossed by such anxieties: for the poor
man, even should he be a slave, and unable to fill his belly plentifully,
enjoys at least the kind refreshment of sleep; but the lust of riches is
attended by sleepless nights and anxieties of mind. And what could there be
then more absurd, than with much anxiety and trouble to amass wealth, and
keep it with jealous care, if all the while one is but maintaining the
occasion of countless evils to himself? And this wealth, besides, must
needs perish some time or other, and be lost, whether he who has acquired
it has children or not;(13) and the man himself, however unwillingly, is
doomed to die, and return to earth in the selfsame condition in which it
was his lot once to come into being.(1) And the fact that he is destined
thus to leave earth with empty hands, will make the evil all the sorer to
him, as he fails to consider that an end is appointed for his life similar
to its beginning, and that he toils to no profit, and labours rather for
the wind, as it were, than for the advancement of his own real interest,
wasting his whole life in most unholy lusts and irrational passions, and
withal in troubles and pains. And, to speak shortly, his days are darkness
to such a man, and his life is sorrow. Yet this is in itself good, and by
no means to be despised. For it is the gift of God, that a man should be
able to reap with gladness of mind the fruits of his labours, receiving
thus possessions bestowed by God, and not acquired by force.(2) For neither
is such a than afflicted with troubles, nor is he for the most part the
slave of evil thoughts; but he measures out his life by good deeds, being
of good heart(3) in all things, and rejoicing in the gift of God.

CHAP. VI.

   Moreover, I shall exhibit in discourse the ill-fortune that most of all
prevails among men. While God may supply a man with all that is according
to his mind, and deprive him of no object which may in any manner appeal to
his desires, whether it be wealth, or honour, or any other of those things
for which men distract themselves; yet the man, while thus prospered in all
things, as though the only ill inflicted on him from heaven were just the
inability to enjoy them, may but husband them for his fellow, and fall
without profit either to himself or to his neighbours. This I reckon to be
a strong proof and clear sign of surpassing evil. The man who has borne
without blame the name of father of very many children, and spent a long
life, and has not had his soul filled with good for so long time, and has
had no experience of death meanwhile,(4)--this man I should not envy either
his numerous offspring or his length of days; nay, I should say that the
untimely birth that falls from a woman's womb is better than he. For as
that came in with vanity, so it also departeth secretly in oblivion,
without having tasted the ills of life or looked on the sun. And this is a
lighter evil than for the wicked man not to know what is good, even though
he measure his life by thousands of years.(5) And the end of both is death.
The fool is proved above all things by his finding no satisfaction in any
lust. But the discreet man is not held captive by these passions. Yet, for
the most part, righteousness of life leads a man to poverty. And the sight
of curious eyes deranges(6) many, inflaming their mind, and drawing them on
to vain pursuits by the empty desire of show.(7) Moreover, the things which
are now are known already; and it be comes apparent that than is unable to
contend with those that are above him. And, verily, inanities have their
course among men, which only increase the folly of those who occupy
themselves with them.

CHAP. VII.

   For though a man should be by no means greatly advantaged by knowing
all in this life that is destined to befall him according to his mind (let
us suppose such a case), nevertheless with the officious activity of men he
devises means for prying into and gaining an apparent acquaintance with the
things that are to happen after a person's death. Moreover, a good name is
more pleasant to the mind(8) than oil to the body; and the end of life is
better than the birth, and to mourn is more desirable than to revel, and to
be with the sorrowing is better than to be with the drunken. For this is
the fact, that he who comes to the end of life has no further care about
alight around him. And discreet anger is to be preferred to laughter; for
by the severe disposition of countenance the soul is kept upright(9) The
souls of the wise, indeed, are sad and downcast, but those of fools are
elated, and given loose to merriment. And yet it is far more desirable to
receive blame from one wise man, than to become a hearer of a whole chorus
of worthless and miserable men in their songs. For the laughter of fools is
like the crackling of many thorns burning in a fierce fire. This, too, is
misery, yea the greatest of evils, namely oppression;(10) for it intrigues
against the souls of the wise, and attempts to ruin the noble way of
life(11) which the good pursue. Moreover, it is right to commend not the
man who begins, but the man who finishes a speech;(12) and what s moderate
ought to approve itself to the mind, and not what is swollen and inflated.
Again, one ought certainly to keep wrath in check, and not suffer himself
to be carried rashly into anger, the slaves of which are fools. More over,
they are in error who assert that a better manner of life was given to
those before us, and they fail to see that wisdom is widely different from
mere abundance of possessions, and that it is as much more lustrous(1) than
these, as silver shines more brightly than its shadow. For the life of man
hath its excellence(2) not in the acquisition of perishable riches, but in
wisdom. And who shall be able, tell me, to declare the providence of God,
which is so great and so beneficent? or who shall be able to recall the
things which seem to have been passed by of God? And in the former days of
my vanity I considered all things, and saw a righteous man continuing in
his righteousness, and ceasing not from it until death, but even suffering
injury by reason thereof, and a wicked man perishing with his wickedness.
Moreover, it is proper that the righteous man should not seem to be so
overmuch, nor exceedingly and above measure wise, that he may not, as in
making some slip, seem to sin many times over. And be not thou audacious
and precipitate, lest an untimely death surprise thee. It is the greatest
of all good to take hold of God, and by abiding in Him to sin in nothing.
For to touch things undefiled with an impure hand is abomination. But he
who in the fear of God submits himself,(3) escapes all that is contrary.
Wisdom availeth more in the way of help than a band of the most powerful
men in a city, and it often also pardons righteously those who fail in
duty. For there is not one that stumbleth not.(4) Also it becomes thee in
no way to attend upon the words of the impious, that thou mayest not become
an ear-witness(5) of words spoken against thyself, such as the foolish talk
of a wicked servant, and being thus stung in heart, have recourse
afterwards thyself to cursing in turn in many actions. And all these things
have I known, having received wisdom from God, which afterwards I lost, and
was no longer able to be the same.(6) For wisdom fled from me to an
infinite distance, and into a measureless deep, so that I could no longer
get hold of it. Wherefore afterwards I abstained altogether from seeking
it; and I no longer thought of considering the follies and the vain
counsels of the impious, and their weary, distracted life. And being thus
disposed, I was borne on to the things themselves; and being seized with a
fatal passion, I knew woman--that she is like a snare or some such other
object.(7) For her heart ensnares those who pass her; and if she but join
hand to hand, she holds one as securely as though she dragged him on bound
with chains.(8) And from her you can secure your deliverance only by
finding a propitious and watchful superintendent in God;(9) for he who is
enslaved by sin cannot (otherwise) escape its grasp. Moreover, among all
women I sought for the chastity(10) proper to them, and I found it in none.
And verily a person may find one man chaste among a thousand, but a woman
never.(11) And this above all things I observed, that men being made by God
simple(12) in mind, contract(13) for themselves manifold reasonings and
infinite questionings, and while professing to seek wisdom, waste their
life in vain words.

CHAP. VIII.

   Moreover, wisdom, when it is found in a man, shows itself also in its
possessor's face, and makes his countenance to shine; as, on the other
hand, effrontery convicts the man in whom it has taken up its abode, so
soon as he is seen, as one worthy of hatred. And it is on every account
right to give careful heed to the words of the king, and by all manner of
means to avoid an oath, especially one taken in the name of God. It may be
fit at the same time to notice an evil word, but then it is necessary to
guard against any blasphemy against God. For it will not be possible to
find fault with Him when He inflicts any penalty, nor to gainsay the
decrees of the Only Lord and King. But it will be better and more
profitable for a man to abide by the holy commandments, and to keep himself
apart from the words of the wicked. For the wise man knows and discerneth
beforehand the judgment, which shall come at the right time, and sees that
it shall be just. For all things in the life of men await the retribution
from above; but the wicked man does not seem to know verily(14) that as
there is a mighty providence over him, nothing in the future shall be hid.
He knoweth not indeed the things which shall be; for no man shall be able
to announce any one of them to him duly: for no one shall be found so
strong as to be able to prevent the angel who spoils him of his life;(15)
neither shall any means be devised for cancelling in any way the appointed
time of death. But even as the man who is captured in the midst of the
battle can only see flight cut off on every side, so all the impiety of man
perisheth utterly together. And I am astonished, as often as I contemplate
what and how great things men have studied to do for the hurt of their
neighbours. But this I know, that the impious are snatched prematurely from
this life, and put out of the way because they have given themselves to
vanity. For whereas the providential judgment(1) of God does not overtake
all speedily, by reason of His great long-suffering, and the wicked is not
punished immediately on the commission of his offences,--for this reason he
thinks that he may sin the more, as though he were to get off with
impunity, not understanding that the transgressor shall not escape the
knowledge of God even after a long interval. This, moreover, is the chief
good, to reverence God; for if once the impious man fall away from Him, he
shall not be suffered long to misuse his own folly. But a most vicious and
false opinion often prevails among men concerning both the righteous and
the unrighteous. For they form a judgment contrary to truth regarding each
of them; and the man who is really righteous does not get the credit of
being so, while, on the other hand, the impious man is deemed prudent and
upright. And this I judge to be among the most grievous of errors. Once,
indeed, I thought that the chief good consisted in eating and drinking, and
that he was most highly favoured of God who should enjoy these things to
the utmost in his life; and I fancied that this kind of enjoyment was the
only comfort in life. And, accordingly, I gave heed to nothing but to this
conceit, so that neither by night nor by day did I withdraw myself from all
those things which have ever been discovered to minister luxurious delights
to men. And this much I learned thereby, that the man who mingles in these
things shall by no means be able, however sorely he may labour with them,
to find the real good.

CHAP. IX.

   Now I thought at that time that all men were judged worthy of the same
things. And if any wise man practised righteousness, and withdrew himself
from unrighteousness, and as being sagacious avoided hatred with all
(which, indeed, is a thing well pleasing to God), this man seemed to me to
labour in vain. For there seemed to be one end for the righteous and for
the impious, for the good and for the evil, for the pure and for the
impure, for him that worshipped(2) God, and for him that worshipped not.
For as the unrighteous man and the good, the man who sweareth a false oath,
and the man who avoids swearing altogether, were suspected by me to be
driving toward the same end, a certain sinister opinion stole secretly into
my mind, that all men come to their end in a similar way. But now I know
that these are the reflections of fools, and errors and deceits. And they
assert largely, that he who is dead has perished utterly, and that the
living is to be preferred to the dead, even though he may lie in darkness,
and pass his life-journey after the fashion of a dog, which is better at
least than a dead lion. For the living know this at any rate, that they are
to die; but the dead know not anything, and there is no reward proposed to
them after they have completed their necessary course. Also hatred and love
with the dead have their end; for their envy has perished, and their life
also is extinguished. And he has a portion in nothing who has once gone
hence. Error harping still on such a string, gives also such counsel as
this: What meanest thou, O man, that thou dost not enjoy thyself
delicately, and gorge thyself with all manner of pleasant food, and fill
thyself to the full with wine? Dost thou not perceive that these things are
given us from God for our unrestrained enjoyment? Put on newly washed
attire, and anoint thy head with myrrh, and see this woman and that, and
pass thy vain life vainly.(3) For nothing else remaineth for thee but this,
neither here nor after death. But avail thou thyself of all that chanceth;
for neither shall any one take account of thee for these things, nor are
the things that are done by men known at all outside the circle of men. And
Hades, whatever that may he, whereunto we are said to depart, has neither
wisdom nor understanding. These are the things which men of vanity speak.
But I know assuredly, that neither shall they who seem the swiftest
accomplish that great race; nor shall those who are esteemed mighty and
terrible in the judgment of men, overcome in that terrible battle. Neither,
again, is prudence proved by abundance of bread, nor is understanding wont
to consort with riches. Nor do I congratulate those who think that all
shall find the same things befall them. But certainly those who indulge
such thoughts seem to me to be asleep, and to fail to consider that, caught
suddenly like fishes and birds, they will be consumed with woes, and meet
speedily their proper retribution. Also I estimate wisdom at so high a
price, that I should deem a small and poorly-peopled city, even though
besieged also by a mighty king with his forces, to be indeed great and
powerful, if it had but one wise man, however poor, among its citizens. For
such a man would be able to deliver his city both from enemies and from
entrenchments. And other men, it may be, do not recognise that wise man,
poor as he is; but for my part I greatly prefer the power that resides in
wisdom, to this might of the mere multitude of the people. Here, however,
wisdom, as it dwells with poverty, is held in dishonour. But hereafter it
shall be heard speaking with more authoritative voice than princes and
despots who seek after things evil. For wisdom is also stronger than iron;
while the folly of one individual works danger for many, even though he be
an object of contempt to many.(1)

CHAP. X.

   Moreover, flies falling into myrrh, and suffocated therein, make both
the appearance of that pleasant ointment and the anointing therewith an
unseemly thing;(2) and to be mindful of wisdom and of folly together is in
no way proper. The wise man, indeed, is his own leader to right actions;
but the fool inclines to erring courses, and will never make his folly
available as a guide to what is noble. Yea, his thoughts also are vain and
full of folly. But if ever a hostile spirit fall upon thee, my friend,
withstand it courageously, knowing that God is able to propitiate(3) even a
mighty multitude of offences. These also are the deeds of the prince and
father of all wickedness: that the fool is set on high, while the man
richly gifted with wisdom is humbled; and that the slaves of sin are seen
riding on horseback, while men dedicated to God walk on foot in dishonour,
the wicked exulting the while. But if any one devises another's hurt, he
forgets that he is preparing a snare for himself first and alone. And he
who wrecks another's safety, shall fall by the bite of a serpent. But he
who removeth stones, indeed shall undergo no light labour;(4) and be who
cleaveth wood shall bear danger with him in his own weapon. And if it
chance that the axe spring out of the handle,(5) he who engages in such
work shall be put to trouble, gathering for no good(6) and having to put to
more of his iniquitous and shortlived strength.(7) The bite of a serpent,
again, is stealthy; and the charmers will not soothe the pain, for they are
vain. But the good man doeth good works for himself and for his neighbours
alike; while the fool shall sink into destruction through his folly. And
when he has once opened his mouth, he begins foolishly and soon comes to an
end, exhibiting his senselessness in all. Moreover, it is impossible for
man to know anything, or to learn from man either what has been from the
beginning, or what shall be in the future. For who shall be the declarer
thereof? Besides, the man who knows not to go to the good city, sustains
evil in the eyes and in the whole countenance. And I prophesy woes to that
city the king of which is a youth, and its rulers gluttons. But I call the
good land blessed, the king of which is the son of the free: there those
who are entrusted with the power of ruling shall reap what is good in due
season. But the sluggard and the idler become scoffers, and make the house
decay; and misusing all things for the purposes of their own gluttony, like
the ready slaves of money,(8) for a small price they are content to do all
that is base and abject. It is also right to obey kings and rulers or
potentates, and not to be bitter against them, nor to utter any offensive
word against them. For there is ever the risk that what has been spoken in
secret may somehow become public. For swift and winged messengers convey
all things to Him who alone is King both rich and mighty, discharging
therein a service which is at once spiritual and reasonable.

CHAP. XI.

   Moreover, it is a righteous thing to give (to the needy) of thy bread,
and of those things which are necessary for the support of man's life. For
though thou seemest forthwith to waste it upon some persons, as if thou
didst cast thy bread upon the water, yet in the progress of time thy
kindness shall be seen to be not unprofitable for thee. Also give
liberally, and give a portion of thy means to many; for thou knowest not
what the coming day doeth. The clouds, again, do not keep back their
plenteous rains, but discharge their showers upon the earth. Nor does a
tree stand for ever; but even though men may spare it, it shall be
overturned by the wind at any rate. But many desire also to know beforehand
what is to come from the heavens; and there have been those who,
scrutinizing the clouds and waiting for the wind, have had nought to do
with reaping and winnowing, putting their trust in vanity, and being all
incapable of knowing aught of what may come from God in the future; just as
men cannot tell what the woman with child shall bring forth. But sow thou
in season, and thus reap thy fruits whenever the time for that comes on.
For it is not manifest what shall be better than those among all natural
things.(9) Would, indeed, that all things turned out well! Truly, when a
man considers with himself that the sun is good, and that this life is
sweet, and that it is a pleasant thing to have many years wherein one can
delight himself continually, and that death is a terror and an endless
evil, and a thing that brings us to nought, he thinks that he ought to
enjoy himself in all the present and apparent pleasures of life. And he
gives this counsel also to the young, that they should use to the
uttermost(1) the season of their youth, by giving up their minds to all
manner of pleasure, and indulge their passions, and do all that seemeth
good in their own eyes, and look upon that which delighteth, and avert
themselves from that which is not so. But to such a man I shall say this
much: Senseless art thou, my friend, in that thou dost not look for the
judgment that shall come from God upon all these things. And profligacy and
licentiousness are evil, and the filthy wantonness of our bodies carries
death in it. For folly attends on youth, and folly leads to destruction.

CHAP. XII.

   Moreover, it is fight that thou shouldest fear God while thou art yet
young, before thou givest thyself over to evil things, and before the great
and terrible day of God cometh, when the sun shall no longer shine, neither
the moon, nor the rest of the stars, but when in that storm and commotion
of all things, the powers above shall be moved, that is, the angels who
guard the world; so that the mighty men shall fail, and the women shall
cease their labours, and shall flee into the dark places of their
dwellings, and shall have all the doors shut. And a woman shall be
restrained from grinding by fear, and shall speak with the weakest voice,
like the tiniest bird; and all the impure women shall sink into the earth;
and cities and their blood-stained governments shall wait for the vengeance
that comes from above, while the most bitter and bloody of all times hangs
over them like a blossoming almond, and continuous punishments impend like
a multitude of flying locusts, and the transgressors are cast out of the
way like a black and despicable caper-plant. And the good man shall depart
with rejoicing to his own everlasting habitation; but the vile shall fill
all their places with wailing, and neither silver laid up in store, nor
proved gold, shall be of use any more. For a mighty stroke(2) shall fall
upon all things, even to the pitcher that standeth by the well, and the
wheel of the vessel which may chance to have been left in the hollow, when
the course of time comes to its end(3) and the ablution-bearing period of a
life that is like water has passed away.(4) And for men who lie on earth
there is but one salvation, that their souls acknowledge and wing their way
to Him by whom they have been made. I say, then, again what I have said
already, that man's estate is altogether vain, and that nothing can exceed
the utter vanity which attaches to the objects of man's inventions. And
superfluous is my labour in preaching discreetly, inasmuch as I am
attempting to instruct a people here, so indisposed to receive either
teaching or healing. And truly the noble man is needed for the
understanding of the words of wisdom. Moreover, I, though already aged, and
having passed a long life, laboured to find out those things which are
well-pleasing to God, by means of the mysteries of the truth. And I know
that the mind is no less quickened and stimulated by the precepts of the
wise, than the body is wont to be when the goad is applied, or a nail is
fastened in it.(5) And some will render again those wise lessons which they
have received from one good pastor and teacher, as if all with one mouth
and in mutual concord set forth in larger detail the truths committed to
them. But in many words there is no profit. Neither do I counsel thee, my
friend, to write down vain things about what is fitting,(6) from which
there in nothing to be gained but weary labour. But, in fine, I shall
require to use some such conclusion as this: O men, behold, I charge you
now expressly and shortly, that ye fear God, who is at once the Lord and
the Overseer(7) of all, and that ye keep also His commandments; and that ye
believe that all shall be judged severally in the future, and that every
man shall receive the just recompense for his deeds, whether they be good
or whether they be evil.(8)


Taken from "The Early Church Fathers and Other Works" originally published
by Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co. in English in Edinburgh, Scotland beginning in
1867. (ANF 6, Roberts and Donaldson). The digital version is by The
Electronic Bible Society, P.O. Box 701356, Dallas, TX 75370, 214-407-WORD.

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