Ecclesiastes 10
Commentary from 18 fathers
A wise man’s heart is at his right hand; but a fool’s heart at his left.
καρδία σοφοῦ εἰς δεξιὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ καρδία ἄφρονος εἰς ἀριστερὸν αὐτοῦ·
Се́рдце мꙋ́драгѡ ѡ҆деснꙋ́ю є҆гѡ̀, се́рдце же безꙋ́мнагѡ ѡ҆шꙋ́юю є҆гѡ̀:
2–3"A wise man's mind tends to his right; while a fool's mind tends to his left. Even on the road as the fool walks, he lacks sense, and proclaims to all that he is a fool. "And in the Gospel it is taught that a wise man's left does not know what his right is doing. And when we are hit on the right side of the face, we do not show the left cheek to he who hit us, but the other one. For a wise man does not have a left side in him, but is in fact completely the right side. And when the Saviour comes to judge us, the lambs will stand on the right, and the goats on the left. It is written in the prophets that "the Lord knows the ways to the right, which are wrong, and actually lead to the left." [Prov. 4, 27.]. Therefore he who is wise always thinks about the future, because it leads him to the right. But he who is foolish always thinks of the present, because it is set in the left. What follows has also been said by the philosopher poet, who says, "the right leads to the walls of the lower world, this is our path to Elysium, but the left is for the wicked. That gives out punishments and sends people down to the nether regions" [Virg. Aen. 6, 541/543.]. Firmianus of our time in the famous work of his Institute recalls the passage about left and right, and argues that this is about virtues and about vices. [Lactant. Divin. Instit. VI, 3,6-CSEL 19, p.486, 166sqq.] And we shouldn't think that this is contrary to that passage, which says, "do not go to the right, nor to the left" [Prov. 4, 27.]. In the first passage the right is taken to mean good; but in the second it is not just right but also the decline to the right. We should not know more than we need to know, since virtues are in the middle and all excess in a vice. In the following verse though he says, "but on the path that the fool walks, his heart is in need", and he says: "all is foolishness" or "all are fools". This is the meaning: A fool hopes that all others sin as he himself sins, and judges all others by his own standards. Then Symmachus has interpreted it in this way: but when the fool walks along the road, he supposes that all are stupid as he is. But the Septuagint has another meaning, which says, 'all things which he thinks are foolish, are the most vain'.
Commentary on Ecclesiastes
Yea, and whenever a fool walks by the way, his heart will fail him, and all that he thinks of is folly.
καί γε ἐν ὁδῷ ὅταν ἄφρων πορεύηται, καρδία αὐτοῦ ὑστερήσει, καὶ ἃ λογιεῖται πάντα ἀφροσύνη ἐστίν.
и҆ въ пꙋ́ть є҆гда̀ безꙋ́мный и҆́детъ, се́рдце є҆гѡ̀ лиша́етсѧ, и҆ ꙗ҆̀же помышлѧ́етъ, всѧ̑ безꙋ́мїе сꙋ́ть.
If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for soothing will put an end to great offences.
ἐὰν πνεῦμα τοῦ ἐξουσιάζοντος ἀναβῇ ἐπὶ σέ, τόπον σου μὴ ἀφῇς, ὅτι ἴαμα καταπαύσει ἁμαρτίας μεγάλας.
А҆́ще дꙋ́хъ владѣ́ющагѡ взы́детъ на тѧ̀, мѣ́ста твоегѡ̀ не ѡ҆ста́ви: ꙗ҆́кѡ и҆сцѣле́нїе ᲂу҆толи́тъ грѣхѝ вели̑ки.
He who sins gives place to the devil, taking no heed of him who said, “Do not give place to the devil,” or to Ecclesiastes, “If the spirit of him that has power ascends upon you, leave not your place.” Let us, then, who are in the Lord and who, as much as we are able, observe closely his wonders, so draw joy to our hearts from the contemplation of them.
Homilies on the Psalms 15:1 (psalm 32)
You alone are not the source of the trouble, but there is also one who instigates you, the accursed devil. He makes his suggestions to all, but he does not prevail by force over those who do not give way to him. Therefore Ecclesiastes says, “Should the anger of the ruler burst upon you, forsake not your place.” If you shut your door, you will be out of his reach and he will not harm you. But if you are so careless as to admit the lustful thought, reflection will cause it to strike roots within you; it will capture your mind and drag you down into an abyss of sins.
Catechetical Lecture 2:3
Let no one then say, We have no portion in Jacob nor inheritance in Israel. Let no one say, I am not among the Clergy, for it is written, Give unto Levi his lots; and again David says that he who lieth in the midst among the lots ascends to heaven with spiritual wings. Say not of your God, He is grievous to us, nor of your place, it is not for our turn, since Scripture says, Leave not thy place: For the adversary would fain deprive thee of it, he would fain drive thee away, for he envies thee thy hopes and thy function.
Letter LXXXI, To Certain of the Clergy
“If the anger of the ruler rises against you”—if he seems to have power over you, it is only because you have subjected yourself to him. For as “sin reigns in the mortal bodies” of those who want to “obey their passions,” and as someone is ruled over if he is ruled by mammon and has focused his thinking on the desire for money, so he [the ruler] has power over the one who subjects himself as slave.
Commentary on Ecclesiastes 294:2
We also read in Ecclesiastes, “If the spirit of him that has power, ascend upon your heart, leave not your place.” From this it is clearly evident that we have committed a sin if we surrender our place to him who ascends upon us and if we have not cast down headlong the enemy ascending upon the walls. However, it seems to me that when you call down upon the heads of your brothers, that is to say, upon your slanderers, eternal fires with the devil, you are not so much dashing your brothers to the ground as you are elevating the devil, since he is to be punished in the same fires as Christians.
Against Rufinus 2.7
"If the anger of a ruler flares up against you, do not leave your place, for defence appeases great offences. "Now the Scripture mentions the chief of that world, the creator of the darkness and he who toils for the sons of despair, whom the apostle also recalls. [Cfr. Eph. 2, 2; 6, 12.] For if he rises in our heart and the spirit of bad thoughts is wounded, we ought not to give way, but fight against the worst thoughts and free ourselves from the greatest sins, so that we do not fill our work with that thought, since it is one thing in thought, another in the deed of sinning. Reference to this great sin can also be found in the Psalm: "if they had not conquered me, I would be clean and purified from the greatest crime" [Ps. 18, 4.]. Symmachus translates the Hebrew word "marphe "as all the others do: "iama", that is, 'cleanliness' or 'neatness'. He has interpreted the meaning too, and he says, "if the spirit of a ruler defeats you, do not move from your place; since virtue wins over the greatest sin". That is, if the devil entices your mind and incites you to lust, do not follow the thought of sin and flattering desire, but stand firm and fast and extinguish the flame of desire with the cold of chastity. My Hebrew tutor suspected certain things about this passage for a reason I do not know. If you take any high-up position in the world, or are appointed a post higher than the other people, do not let go of your former works and start to forget your former virtues, or cease from your previous work, because the cure for sins is born out of doing good things, and not from pompous and overflowing rank.
Commentary on Ecclesiastes
There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, wherein an error has proceeded from the ruler.
ἔστι πονηρία, ἣν εἶδον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, ὡς ἀκούσιον ὃ ἐξῆλθεν ἀπὸ προσώπου ἐξουσιάζοντος·
Є҆́сть лꙋка́вство, є҆́же ви́дѣхъ под̾ со́лнцемъ, а҆́ки нево́льно и҆зы́де ѿ лица̀ владѣ́ющагѡ:
5–7"There is an evil that I have observed in the world as if it were an error proceeding from the ruler: folly is placed on lofty heights, while rich men sit in low places. I have seen slaves on horses and nobles walking on foot like slaves. "Where we read "as if it were an error proceeding from the ruler" Aquila, Theodotion and the Septuagint have interpreted this as "as if not of their own will", that is "hos akousian", from the face of the ruler. Symmachus agrees with this, saying, "the fool is placed in great elevation, but humble riches remain fixed." And he remembers that he has seen this wickedness in this time, because the judgement of God seems to be unjust. And it happens either through not knowing, or without his will, that either in the rulers of the world, or in the leadership of the Church, often these men, who are rich in words and wisdom, rich too in good deeds, remain ignoble and foolish holding a position in the Church. But this happens in front of his face, he who has power in that time, while he oppresses the powerful and learned men, and he does not let them come out in public, but those whom he knows to be foolish in the Church he makes greater, so that the blind are led by the blind into pitfalls. The following verse also has this meaning: "I have seen slaves on horses and nobles walking on foot like slaves". Because these men are slaves of vices and sins, or are so humble, that they are thought to be slaves by other men, they are suddenly inflated by the devil's pompousness, and they wear out the public roads with their ponies [Cfr. Horat. Epod. IV, 14.]. And each noble or wise man that is oppressed by poverty takes the road and occupation of slaves. The Hebrew seems to say that ignorance seems to leave the face of the powerful and rulers. He explains this as God, because men think that in this inequality of matter He is not acting justly, and judging as is correct. More precisely, some men believe as their predecessors do that there must be judgement so that He himself is powerful, a topic that is mentioned before these verses: if a ruler comes up against you, do not give way. Should we not be sad therefore if we seem to be humble in this world, and know from the face of the devil, that the foolish are raised and the rich thrown down? If we know that slaves have the ranks of their masters and rulers do the work of their slaves. Remember though that this horse is seen in a good context, just as in the verse, which says, "and riding will be your salvation". [Hab. 3, 8.]
Commentary on Ecclesiastes
The fool has been set in very high places, while rich men would sit in a low one.
ἐδόθη ὁ ἄφρων ἐν ὕψεσι μεγάλοις, καὶ πλούσιοι ἐν ταπεινῷ καθήσονται.
вда́нъ безꙋ́мный въ высѡты̀ вели̑ки, а҆ бога́тїи во смире́нныхъ сѧ́дꙋтъ:
He had a hundred virtues, including the capital virtue of good humour, and we had no difficulty in changing the subject and forgetting the disagreement. He talked about society, his town friends and his country sports, and I discovered in the course of it that he was a county magistrate, a Member of Parliament, and a director of several important companies. He was also that other thing, which I did not tell him.
The moral is that a certain sort of person does exist, to whose glory this article is dedicated. He is not the ordinary man. He is not the miner, who is sharp enough to ask for the necessities of existence. He is not the mine-owner, who is sharp enough to get a great deal more, by selling his coal at the best possible moment. He is not the aristocratic politician, who has a cynical but a fair sympathy with both economic opportunities. But he is the man who appears in scores of public places open to the upper middle class or (that less known but more powerful section) the lower upper class. Men like this all over the country are really saying whatever comes into their heads in their capacities of justice of the peace, candidate for Parliament, Colonel of the Yeomanry, old family doctor, Poor Law guardian, coroner, or above all, arbiter in trade disputes. He suffers, in the literal sense, from softening of the brain; he has softened it by always taking the view of everything most comfortable for his country, his class, and his private personality. He is a deadly public danger. But as I have given him his name at the beginning of this article there is no need for me to repeat it at the end.
A Miscellany of Men, The Fool (1912)
The fundamental fact of our time is the failure of the successful man. Somehow we have so arranged the rules of the game that the winners are worthless for other purposes; they can secure nothing except the prize. The very rich are neither aristocrats nor self-made men; they are accidents--or rather calamities. All revolutionary language is a generation behind the times in talking of their futility. A revolutionist would say (with perfect truth) that coal-owners know next to nothing about coal-mining. But we are past that point. Coal-owners know next to nothing about coal-owning. They do not develop and defend the nature of their own monopoly with any consistent and courageous policy, however wicked, as did the old aristocrats with the monopoly of land. They have not the virtues nor even the vices of tyrants; they have only their powers. It is the same with all the powerful of to-day; it is the same, for instance, with the high-placed and high-paid official. Not only is the judge not judicial, but the arbiter is not even arbitrary. The arbiter decides, not by some gust of justice or injustice in his soul like the old despot dooming men under a tree, but by the permanent climate of the class to which he happens to belong. The ancient wig of the judge is often indistinguishable from the old wig of the flunkey.
To judge about success or failure one must see things very simply; one must see them in masses, as the artist, half closing his eyes against details, sees light and shade. That is the only way in which a just judgment can be formed as to whether any departure or development, such as Islam or the American Republic, has been a benefit upon the whole. Seen close, such great erections always abound in ingenious detail and impressive solidity; it is only by seeing them afar off that one can tell if the Tower leans.
Now if we thus take in the whole tilt or posture of our modern state, we shall simply see this fact: that those classes who have on the whole governed, have on the whole failed. If you go to a factory you will see some very wonderful wheels going round; you will be told that the employer often comes there early in the morning; that he has great organising power; that if he works over the colossal accumulation of wealth he also works over its wise distribution. All this may be true of many employers, and it is practically said of all.
But if we shade our eyes from all this dazzle of detail; if we simply ask what has been the main feature, the upshot, the final fruit of the capitalist system, there is no doubt about the answer. The special and solid result of the reign of the employers has been--unemployment. Unemployment not only increasing, but becoming at last the very pivot upon which the whole process turns.
Or, again, if you visit the villages that depend on one of the great squires, you will hear praises, often just, of the landlord's good sense or good nature; you will hear of whole systems of pensions or of care for the sick, like those of a small and separate nation; you will see much cleanliness, order, and business habits in the offices and accounts of the estate. But if you ask again what has been the upshot, what has been the actual result of the reign of landlords, again the answer is plain. At the end of the reign of landlords men will not live on the land. The practical effect of having landlords is not having tenants. The practical effect of having employers is that men are not employed. The unrest of the populace is therefore more than a murmur against tyranny; it is against a sort of treason. It is the suspicion that even at the top of the tree, even in the seats of the mighty, our very success is unsuccessful.
A Miscellany of Men, The Man on Top (1912)
I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants on the earth.
εἶδον δούλους ἐφ᾿ ἵππους καὶ ἄρχοντας πορευομένους ὡς δούλους ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.
ви́дѣхъ рабѡ́въ на ко́нехъ, и҆ кнѧзе́й и҆дꙋ́щихъ ꙗ҆́кѡ рабѡ́въ на землѝ.
Those who have come from paganism to the gospel—those who were slaves of desire, slaves of sin, slaves of the devil and of death—have become riders on horseback. About them it is said that, in the future, they will ride on divine words like on horses.
Commentary on Ecclesiastes 299:24
By the name 'horse' is understood temporal dignity, as Solomon witnesses, who says, "I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth." For every one who sins is the servant of sin, and servants are upon horses, when sinners are elated with the dignities of the present life. But princes walk as servants, when no honour exalts many who are full of the dignity of virtues, but when the greatest misfortune here presses them down, as though unworthy. Hence it is said again; "They have slumbered who mounted horses." That is, in the death of the soul, they, who trusted in the honour of the present life, have closed the eyes of their mind to the light of truth.
Morals on the Book of Job, Book 31, Section 43
He that digs a pit shall fall into it; and him that breaks down a hedge a serpent shall bite.
ὁ ὀρύσσων βόθρον εἰς αὐτὸν ἐμπεσεῖται, καὶ καθαιροῦντα φραγμόν, δήξεται αὐτὸν ὄφις.
Копа́ѧй ꙗ҆́мꙋ впаде́тъ въ ню̀, и҆ разорѧ́ющаго ѡ҆гра́дꙋ ᲂу҆гры́знетъ є҆го̀ ѕмі́й.
The Jews in their imaginings, and in their agreeing to act unjustly against the Lord, forgot that they were bringing wrath upon themselves. Therefore does the Word lament for them saying, “Why do the people exalt themselves, and the nations imagine vain things?” For vain indeed was the imagination of the Jews, meditating death against the Life, and devising unreasonable things against the Word of the Father. For who that looks upon their dispersion, and the desolation of their city, may not aptly say, “Woe unto them, for they have imagined an evil imagination, saying against their own soul, let us bind the righteous man, because he is not pleasing to us.” And full well it is so, my brethren; for when they erred concerning the Scriptures, they knew not that “he who digs a pit for his neighbor falls into it; and he who destroys a hedge, a serpent shall bite him.” And if they had not turned their faces from the Lord, they would have feared what was written before in the divine Psalms: “The heathen are caught in the pit which they made; in the snare which they hid is their own foot taken. The Lord is known when executing judgments: by the works of his hands is the sinner taken.”
Festal Letters 11:5
"He who digs a pit will fall into it, and he who breaks down a wall will be bitten by a snake. "This is partly unambiguous and partly to be understood in a more complicated way. Since elsewhere Solomon also says, "he that sets a trap will be caught in it" [Eccli. 27, 29.]. And in the seventh Psalm: "he laid out a pond and dug it out, and then he fell into the hole he had made" [Ps. 7, 16.]. But the wall and the fence as well are the doctrines of the Church, and the institution set up by the apostles and prophets. And whoever knocks them down or wants them to come to an end is bitten by a snake where he is not looking. Amos writes about this snake: "if he goes down into the underworld, I will order a snake to kill him" [Am. 9, 3.].
Commentary on Ecclesiastes
Scripture says that there are deep things that must not under any circumstances be looked into, and the one who searches in a hedge will be bitten by a snake.
Letter 12:10
Once they begin not only to use the divine expressions but also to explain them, not only to present them but also to interpret them, then people will realize how bitter, how sharp, how fierce they are. Then will the poisonous breath of their new ideas be exhaled, then will profane novelties appear in the open, then will you see that “the hedge is broken,” that the ancient bounds have been passed, that the dogma of the church is lacerated, that the Catholic faith is harmed.
Commonitories 25
He that removes stones shall be troubled thereby; he that cleaves wood shall be endangered thereby.
ἐξαίρων λίθους διαπονηθήσεται ἐν αὐτοῖς, σχίζων ξύλα κινδυνεύσει ἐν αὐτοῖς.
И҆з̾е́млѧй ка́менїе поболи́тъ ѿ ни́хъ, разсѣца́ѧй дрова̀ бѣдꙋ̀ прїи́метъ въ ни́хъ:
"He who moves about stones will be hurt by them; he who splits logs will be endangered by them. "In Zechariah sacred stones are moved about the earth. [Cfr. Zach. 9, 16.] For they do not stay firm in their place, but revolve, and always inclining to other places, they hasten to move away. The Saviour also teaches about these living stones in the city of the Apocalypse [Cfr. Apoc. 21, 18-27.], and the apostle doesn't forget to mention the building of the Church. Therefore if anyone doing wrong by their heresy, should take away those stones from the building of the Church, then he will suffer torture afterwards. Aquila and Symmachus write about this man, and where we have 'he who moves about stones, will suffer from them', both write, "he who moves stones, will be wounded by them". But because the Scripture says very clearly, "he who moves about stones", or 'moves stones', he does not add 'good' or 'bad'. Moreover and to the contrary it must be understood, that the man of the Church seemingly a bishop and elder, (if we are taking this according to the mandate of Leviticus), took a stone away from the house of lepers, and was obliterated in dust and ashes. [Cfr. Lev. 14, 45.] And he will suffer for this himself, because he was forced to take away a stone from the Church of Christ and saying, (according to the apostle), "to weep with the weeping, to mourn with the mourners" [Rom. 12, 15.], and "who is weak, and I burn not?" [II Cor. 11, 29.]. Also cutting wood, he will be endangered by it. Heretics are non-fruit-bearing wood, and copse that do not bear fruit. Pertaining to this too is that we must not plant a glade in the house of God, and leafy openings, that is arbours of such sounding words are scorned. However learned and wise a man may be therefore who chops this wood with the sword of speech, he will be endangered by it, unless he diligently pays attention. This is similar to what follows, this will happen, "if iron is shaped" and its appearance is changed. This means that if his argument is found to be weaker, or if he does not have a point, in which each argument is well balanced, then the argument of his heart is blunt. Then the strength of wickedness will come upon him and fortify him. For this is what the Septuagint interprets this passage to mean: it says, "and he is fortified by strength, and he will begin to have more wisdom than strength; his wisdom will become strong, and superfluous, but it will not help him who possesses it.
Commentary on Ecclesiastes
If the axe-head should fall off, then the man troubles his countenance, and he must put forth more strength: and [in that case] skill is of no advantage to a man.
ἐὰν ἐκπέσῃ τὸ σιδήριον, καὶ αὐτὸς πρόσωπον ἐτάραξε, καὶ δυνάμεις δυναμώσει, καὶ περισσεία τοῦ ἀνδρείου σοφία.
а҆́ще спаде́тъ сѣ́чиво, и҆ са́мъ лице́мъ смѧте́тсѧ: и҆ си̑лы ᲂу҆крѣпи́тъ, и҆ и҆з̾ѻби́лїе мꙋ́жꙋ мꙋ́дрость.
"If a blade is blunt and one has not sharpened the edge, nevertheless it strengthens the warriors. Wisdom is a more powerful skill. "If someone, he says, has seen himself lose knowledge of the Scriptures through negligence, and the shrewdness of his intelligence has been blunted, nonetheless he remains disturbed, and he would be just as he had been when he started. But it happens, meanwhile, that he that has a little knowledge is led into pride and stops learning and reading, and little by little takes away from that which now adds nothing to him. Thus the heart of the pupil remains empty, and a blade that has been sharpened is made blunt. For rest and laziness are like a kind of rust of wisdom. So then if anyone has suffered this, let him not despair the remedy for his health, but let him go to his teacher and be instructed again by him, and then after much toil and hard work, and a great deal of much sweat, he will be able to regain that wisdom that he had lost. And this is what is said in the Hebrew more to the point: he will be strengthened by might, that is, by toil, by sweat, by hard work, and daily reading, then wisdom will follow suit, and his toil will come to an end, so that he might be able to receive wisdom once more.
Commentary on Ecclesiastes
If a serpent bite when there is no [charmer’s] whisper, then there is no advantage to the charmer.
ἐὰν δάκῃ ὄφις ἐν οὐ ψιθυρισμῷ, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι περισσεία τῷ ἐπᾴδοντι.
А҆́ще ᲂу҆гры́знетъ ѕмі́й не въ шептѣ̀, и҆ нѣ́сть и҆зли́шества ѡ҆бава́ющемꙋ.
The snake is powerful, when it spreads its poison secretly. In the one who is tricked, an impression is created that he has received something good which in reality is not good. The teacher who charms should not do so in a superflous way but in a way that accomplishes something. Then he shows his [student] the error, the guile of his seducer.
Commentary on Ecclesiastes 304:20
"If the snake bites because it has not been charmed, then there is no advantage to the charmer's art. "The meaning of this is very apparent: the serpent and the disparager are of the same ilk. For just as the hidden snake bites and injects its poison, so too the other disparages in private, and he pours out the poison of his heart against his brother, and there will be nothing between him and the serpent. For although the tongue of man was created for benediction and encouragement of others, the disparager makes it equal to that of the serpent, while he uses his virtues to bad purposes. Another meaning of this is, that if the serpent devil should bite anyone secretly, and he doesn't know it, he infects him with the poison of sin; and if he who has been struck keeps silent, and does not repent, and does not want to confess his wound to his teacher and brother, they who want to encourage him and see to it that he gets better, are not able to be of any use to him. For if an ill man is ashamed to confess his wound to a doctor, the doctor will not be able to cure what he does not know exists.
Commentary on Ecclesiastes
“If a snake bites without hissing,” Ecclesiastes says, “there is no advantage for the charmer,” showing that the bite of a snake in silence is dangerous. This means that if a suggestion or thought springing from the devil is not by means of confession shown to some charmer (I mean some spiritually minded person who knows how to heal the wound at once by charms from the Scripture and how to extract the deadly poison of the snake from the heart), it will be impossible to help the sufferer who is already in danger and will no doubt die.
Conference 2:9
These silent bites are alone in fending off the medicine of the wise people. This deadly menace is so utterly incurable that it is worsened by soothings, inflamed by serious treatment, and irritated by gifts.
Conference 18:16
The words of a wise mouth are gracious: but the lips of a fool will swallow him up.
λόγοι στόματος σοφοῦ χάρις, καὶ χείλη ἄφρονος καταποντιοῦσιν αὐτόν·
Словеса̀ ᲂу҆́стъ премꙋ́драгѡ благода́ть, ᲂу҆стнѣ́ же безꙋ́мнагѡ потопѧ́тъ є҆го̀:
"The words of a wise man win favour, but a fool's lips devour him. "Foolishness, if it is happy in its rusticity, will know less evil. But now he wages war against wisdom, and whatever prudence he sees in a learned man, he does not take to be incited by enthusiasm. For a wise man speaks words of knowledge, words of thanks, which are of use to those that hear them, but the lips of a fool do not receive what is said, as it is said; on the contrary they try to trip up a wise man and make him similar to a fool. And in fact a wise man is taught when a foolish man speaks in his ear, and you could almost say that his words are lost in the deep swell. Therefore he is blessed, who speaks in the ear of a wise man.
Commentary on Ecclesiastes
The beginning of the words of his mouth is folly: and the end of his talk mischievous madness.
ἀρχὴ λόγων στόματος αὐτοῦ ἀφροσύνη, καὶ ἐσχάτη στόματος αὐτοῦ περιφέρεια πονηρά,
нача́ло слове́съ ᲂу҆́стъ є҆гѡ̀ безꙋ́мїе, и҆ послѣ̑днѧѧ ᲂу҆́стъ є҆гѡ̀ пре́лесть лꙋка́ва.
13–14"His talk begins as foolishness and ends as evil madness. The fool prates on and on, but man does not know what will be; and who can tell him what will be after him? "So far the discussion has been about the fool, whose lips teach the wise man, or according to another interpretation, his lips make himself corrupt. The beginning and the end of his speech are foolishness and evil madness; or as Symmachus has translated it, confusion, or some kind of inconsistency of words. For while he doesn't keep to the one opinion, he thinks he can escape sin in the many arguments he speaks at the same time. But he does not remember all those who have gone before him, and does not know what will happen after him, and so is confused in ignorance and the darkness, promising himself false knowledge; by this he thinks that he is wise, and that he is learned, if he uses lots of words. This can be taken to refer to the heretics, who do not heed the words of wise men, but continue to argue different sides so they intertwine the beginning and end of their speech in vanity, confusion, and madness; and though they know nothing, they speak more than they know.
Commentary on Ecclesiastes
The church was admonished to shun the beginning of sin. Which is that beginning of sin, like the head of a serpent? The beginning of all sin is pride.
Explanations of the Psalms 74:13
A fool moreover multiplies words: man knows not what has been, nor what will be: who shall tell him what will come after him?
καὶ ὁ ἄφρων πληθύνει λόγους, οὐκ ἔγνω ἄνθρωπος τί τὸ γενόμενον, καὶ τί τὸ ἐσόμενον, ὅτι ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ, τίς ἀναγγελεῖ αὐτῷ;
Безꙋ́мный ᲂу҆множа́етъ словеса̀: не разꙋмѣ̀ человѣ́къ, что̀ бы́вшее и҆ что̀ бꙋ́дꙋщее, что̀ созадѝ є҆гѡ̀, (и҆) кто̀ возвѣсти́тъ є҆мꙋ̀;
The labour of fools will afflict them, [as that of one] who knows not to go to the city.
μόχθος τῶν ἀφρόνων κοπώσει αὐτούς, ὃς οὐκ ἔγνω τοῦ πορευθῆναι εἰς πόλιν.
Трꙋ́дъ безꙋ́мныхъ ѡ҆ѕло́битъ и҆̀хъ, и҆́же не разꙋмѣ̀ и҆тѝ во гра́дъ.
By “town” he does not mean a place but the deed according to the law. The fool does “not even know the way to town.” But the one who says, “Even if we live on earth, our citizenship is in heaven,” “knows the way to the town” in which he is a true citizen. And further: “As we have heard, so we have received in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God.”
Commentary on Ecclesiastes 308:1
"The toil of fools exhausts them, as one who does not know the way to town. "Join these lines with the verse above; either to those verses that speak in general about fools, who know not God, or in particular to that one which argues about heretics. Read in Plato for example: unravel the tricks of Aristotle, read Zeno and Carneas more diligently, and you will prove to be true what is written here: the toil of fools exhausts them. For they seek the truth in fact with all their enthusiasm, but since they have no leader or anyone to lead the way on their journey, they are led by their human instincts to think that they can understand wisdom, and thus they do not arrive at the town; the Psalm speaks of this too: "Lord, you will scatter their image in your town" [Ps. 72, 20.]. For the Lord will scatter in the town all shadows and strange appearances or characters, in which they clothe themselves in their many doctrines. In another place the Psalm says of this: "the force of a river causes the city of God to rejoice" [Ps. 45, 5.]. And in the Gospel: "a town built on a mountain cannot be hidden" [Matth. 5, 14.]. And in Isaiah: "I am a strong city, a city which is attacked" [Is. 27, 3. (According to the LXX.)]. And all the wise men and heretics of this world are trying to attack this city of truth and wisdom, although it is strong and fortified. And that which I have said about philosophers can also be said of heretics, that they toil in vain, and are exhausted in their enthusiasm for the Scriptures, when they wander in the desert and are not able to find the town. The Psalmist also mentions their madness too, saying, "they wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in." [Ps. 107, 4.]
Commentary on Ecclesiastes
Thus, having turned aside from the royal path, they are unable to get to that metropolis to which our journeying must ever and unswervingly be directed. Ecclesiastes expressed this quite distinctly when he said, “The toil of fools afflicts those who do not know how to go to the city”—namely, to “that heavenly Jerusalem, which is the mother of us all.”
And thus wandering from the king’s highway, they can never arrive at that metropolis, to which our course should ever be directed without swerving. And this Ecclesiastes has distinctly expressed saying: “The labor of fools wearies those who do not know how to go to the city”—namely, to that “heavenly Jerusalem, which is the mother of us all.”
Conference 24:24
Woe to thee, O city, whose king is young, and thy princes eat in the morning!
οὐαί σοι, πόλις, ἧς ὁ βασιλεύς σου νεώτερος καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντές σου πρωΐ ἐσθίουσι.
Го́ре тебѣ̀, гра́де, въ не́мже ца́рь тво́й ю҆́нъ, и҆ кнѧ̑зи твоѝ ра́нѡ ꙗ҆дѧ́тъ.
16–17"Woe to you, O land, whose king acts as an adolescent, and whose ministers dine in the morning. Happy are you, O land, whose king is a man of dignity, and whose ministers dine at the proper time- in strength and not in drunkenness. "He seems in fact here to reprove the young king and to condemn indulgent judges, which in another place has been called wisdom that is weakened by age, and even in other places mature age which is made frail by pleasure. On the other hand he seems to approve the king with good morals, who is appointed easily. He also seems to praise those judges who nonetheless prefer pleasure to the business of the town, but after much toil and the running of the township, are forced to eat as if by necessity. But I find more holy what seems to lie hidden in the text, because those who depart from old laws and despise the precepts of their ageing fathers, are called young men in the scripture; they who do not heed the commandments of God, and desire to change the laws of mankind. The Lord of Israel threatens in Isaiah [Cfr. Is. 8, 1-7.], because the people did not want the waters of Shiloah that flows in silence, and averted the ancient stream, choosing for themselves the rivers of Samaria, and the surges of Damascus. "And I will give", he says, "children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them" [Is. 3, 4.]. Read also Daniel and you will find the old God of Days. [Cfr. Dan. 7, 9 sqq.] Or read the Apocalypse of John where the head of the Saviour is said to be white and snowy, and you will find it to be like white wool. Look at Jeremiah too because he was wise and his hair was purported to be white because of his wisdom, and he is forbidden to call himself a young man [Cfr. Ier. 1, 7.]. Woe to the land therefore whose king is the devil, who always desirous of new things, and even rebels against its parent in the case of Abessalon, who regards as judges and leaders those, who love the pleasures of the world, and who say before the day of death comes, "let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die" [Is. 22, 13.]. For the other part is the blessed land of the Church whose king, Christ, is the son of all peoples. He is descended from Abraham and Isaac, and Jacob, also from the stock of all the prophets and saints, for whom sin was not conquered. On account of this they were indeed children. Born of these was the virgin, more freely Saint Mary, who had no offspring, no seed from her flank, but all of her fruit burst out in flower, speaking in the Song of Songs: "I am the flower of the field and the lily of the valley" [Cant. 2, 1.]. His leaders too are apostles and all are saintly, who see their king as the son of all men, the son of a free woman; not of the slave woman Agar, but born of Sara in freedom. And they do not eat in the morning, or quickly. For they do not seek enjoyment in their time, but eat in their time, and when the time for retribution will come, they will eat in strength, and not in disorder. Every good thing of this world is a disorder, but an everlasting strength in the future. Just this is said in Isaiah: "look at those who serve me, they will eat; but you will go hungry." [Is. 65, 13.] And again, "look at those who serve me, they will be happy; but you will shamed." [Is. 65, 14.]
Commentary on Ecclesiastes
Our intellect is not brought into submission unless our body is subject to it. The kingship of the intellect is the crucifixion of the body. The intellect is not subject to God unless the free will is subject to reason. It is hard to convey anything sublime to one who is still a beginner, and an infant in stature. “Woe to thee, O city, when thy king is a child!”
Ascetical Homilies 36
Blessed art thou, O land, whose king is a son of nobles, and whose princes shall eat seasonably, for strength, and shall not be ashamed.
μακαρία σύ, γῆ, ἧς ὁ βασιλεύς σου υἱὸς ἐλευθέρων καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντές σου πρὸς καιρὸν φάγονται ἐν δυνάμει καὶ οὐκ αἰσχυνθήσονται.
Блаже́нна ты̀, землѐ, є҆ѧ́же ца́рь тво́й сы́нъ свобо́дныхъ, и҆ кнѧ̑зи твоѝ во вре́мѧ ꙗ҆дѧ́тъ въ си́лѣ и҆ не постыдѧ́тсѧ.
The passage from this book which I gladly quote is one touching the two cities and their kings, the devil and Christ: “Woe to you, O land, when your king is a youth, and when the princes eat in the morning. Blessed is the land whose king is the son of freeborn parents and whose princes eat in due season, in strength and not in confusion.” Here, the devil is spoken of as a “youth” because of the foolishness, pride, rashness, unruliness, and other faults usually rampant at that age; and Christ is spoken of as the “son of freeborn parents” because he descended in the flesh from those holy patriarchs who were citizens of the free city. The princes of the devil’s city “eat in the morning,” that is, before the proper time—in the sense that, being overeager to attain perfect happiness at once in the society of this present world, they are unwilling to await the only true happiness which will come in due time in the world to come. But the princes of the city of Christ await in patience the time of a blessedness which is sure to be theirs. The conclusion, “in strength and not in confusion,” means that their hope will not cheat them.
City of God 17.20
By slothful neglect a building will be brought low: and by idleness of the hands the house will fall to pieces.
ἐν ὀκνηρίαις ταπεινωθήσεται ἡ δόκωσις, καὶ ἐν ἀργίᾳ χειρῶν στάξει ἡ οἰκία.
Въ лѣ́ностехъ смири́тсѧ стро́пъ, и҆ въ пра́зднествѣ рꙋ́къ прока́плетъ хра́мина.
Our house, which was built to human stature, along with the habitation we shall have in heaven, will collapse if we are lazy and hesitant to do good works. And every floor that depends upon a rafter for support will crush its inhabitant when it falls to the ground. It is when the assistance of our hands and our strength is lacking that all the storm clouds and violent winds from above burst forth upon us. Moreover, because we translated this verse in the singular, it is better to understand it as pertaining to the church, all of whose sublimity will be ruined through the negligence of its leaders. And where the roof is thought to be strong, there will be found the enticements of wickedness.
Commentary on Ecclesiastes 10:18
"Through slothfulness the ceiling sags, and through idleness of the hands the house leaks." Our house, which is held up by the condition of mankind, even that abode that we have in heaven, sags if we are lazy and slow to do good work. And every ceiling, which is supposed to hold the roof up high, falls to the ground and crushes its inhabitants. And when the help of hands and virtues has eventually gone numb a great storm of all tempests and rain clouds will fall down upon us from above. More precisely, although we have interpreted this with regard to one man, it can be better understood with bearing to the Church, because its stature is brought down by the neglect of its principate. There in the Church we find the attractions of sins, where the roof is said to be virtue.
Commentary on Ecclesiastes
A house never suddenly collapses except because of some old weakness in the foundation or because of extended disregard by its tenants. Thus the structure of the roof is eventually destroyed by what had begun as a tiny leak but into which, through long neglect, a stormy tempest of rain pours like a river, once a large breach has been made. For “by slothfulness a dwelling will be brought low, and through lazy hands a house will leak.”
No house ever falls to the ground by a sudden collapse, but only when there is some long-standing flaw in the foundation or when by long-continued neglect of its inhabitants, what was at first only a little drip breaks through and the protecting walls are gradually ruined. In consequence of long-standing neglect the gap becomes larger and the walls break away, and in time the drenching storm and rain pours in like a river. For “by slothfulness a building is brought low, and through lazy hands the house shall leak.”
Conference 6:17
But as long as we are among the living, while the foundation of our true faith continues unshattered, even if somewhat of the outer roofwork or inner building be disabled, it is allowed to renew by repentance the part rotted by sins.
Barlaam and Joseph 11:94
Men prepare bread for laughter, and wine and oil that the living should rejoice: but to money all things will humbly yield obedience.
εἰς γέλωτα ποιοῦσιν ἄρτον καὶ οἶνον καὶ ἔλαιον τοῦ εὐφρανθῆναι ζῶντας, καὶ τοῦ ἀργυρίου ταπεινώσει ἐπακούσεται τὰ πάντα.
Во смѣ́хъ творѧ́тъ хлѣ́бъ и҆ вїно̀ и҆ є҆ле́й, є҆́же весели́тисѧ живꙋ́щымъ: и҆ сребра̀ со смире́нїемъ послꙋ́шаютъ всѧ́чєскаѧ.
Let each one do his work without chatting or shouting. Let absolutely no one laugh, so that there will not apply to us the reproach of the Scriptures, “They make bread for laughter.” If someone needs to ask his neighbor a question, he must do so quietly, without shouting.
Let each one do his work without chatting or shouting. Let absolutely no one laugh, so that there will not apply to us the reproach of the Scriptures, “They make bread for laughter.” If someone needs to ask his neighbor a question, he must do so quietly, without shouting.
Regulations 40
"A feast is made for laughter, and wine gladdens life, but money answers everything. "I think that what follows relates to the preceding verses. For with regard to the sloth and the indolence of teachers the Church is lowered, and its roof is made to fall, and its timbers leak, as we have shown above. Therefore here he is speaking of the self-same teachers. And he has been seen to accuse them, asking why they remain silent and do not make use of their duty as teacher, (that is both for bishops and elders in the Church), saying that they neither work on their speaking nor doctrine, the same that even Titus admonishes [Cfr Tit. 1, 5.], and is taught by Timothy [Cfr. I Tim. 4, 14.], so that one does not forget the grace of God, which is bestowed upon a great man. But in this respect they see themselves as elders and bishops, so that they receive an allowance, and many teachers ask for a two-fold glory, which is owed in fact to those who work on their speaking and doctrines. But now he takes the other side and accuses those who even speak in the Church and teach the congregation, but they teach the people that which they like to hear, because he flatters the sinner in his crime and incites the listeners to applaud. For surely when such a teacher is giving a lascivious speech in the Church, does he not promise the blessing and realm of heaven to the crowd, as it will seem to you that his laughter makes bread, and he mixes wine with the happiness of those who drink? Or as those who teach and seek riches, food, and wealth through the promised delights. Or the bread of the Church, which is the bread of mourners, and not of those who laugh, because those who weep are blessed, for they will laugh, and will have joy in their happiness. He also goes on to say: money or silver answers everything, and this must be taken as two-fold: either that those learned men become rich after their praise, and take their place at the head of the people, or indeed, since money is always taken in return for a speech: for "the words of the LORD are pure words: as silver extracted in a furnace of earth, purified seven times." [Ps. 12, 6.] He asserts this because the ignoble crowd is always moved easily by eloquence and speeches, which are composed of a great foliage of words. Differently: those who have free-will and are forbidden to mourn and fast, make bread in their laughter. Isaac gets his name from this bread as well, and in the happiness of drinking they prepare wine. And so every holy man, who is teacher of the Church, as Christ commanded, makes bread in his laughter and happiness, and hands out cups of wine in his joy. Money also, which answers everything, is given out as five, and two and one talent for the head of the family in the Gospel [Cfr. Matth. 25, 15-30.]. And ten coins which are thought to be for slaves in business.
Commentary on Ecclesiastes
Even in thy conscience, curse not the king; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry thy voice, and that which has wings shall report thy speech.
καί γε ἐν συνειδήσει σου βασιλέα μὴ καταράσῃ, καὶ ἐν ταμιείοις κοιτώνων σου μὴ καταράσῃ πλούσιον· ὅτι πετεινὸν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἀποίσει σὺν τὴν φωνήν σου, καὶ ὁ ἔχων τὰς πτέρυγας ἀπαγγελεῖ λόγον σου.
И҆ въ со́вѣсти ᲂу҆́бѡ твое́й не кленѝ царѧ̀, и҆ въ клѣ́ти ло́жницы твоеѧ̀ не кленѝ бога́таго: ꙗ҆́кѡ пти́ца небе́снаѧ донесе́тъ гла́съ тво́й, и҆ и҆мѣ́ѧй крилѣ̑ возвѣсти́тъ сло́во твоѐ.
If then those things, which are spoken in secret against you that are kings, are not hidden, is it not incredible that I should have spoken against you in the presence of a king and of so many bystanders?
Defense Before Constantius 3
Generally one is advised not to say bad things about others. A curse is nothing else but a wish for something bad.…The word cautions against slander. Do not even have the intention, he says, of slandering someone—let alone actually slandering someone. Look at how great an evil this is: “Do not love speaking ill [of anyone], lest you be cut off.” Thus, he says the following: Not even in your thoughts, not even in your consciousness, should you “curse the king.” But if one is not supposed to curse anyone, the king should be cursed even less.
Commentary on Ecclesiastes 313:13
"Even in your thoughts do not curse a king, and in your bed-chamber do not curse the rich, for a bird of the skies may carry the sound, and some winged creature may betray the matter. "This simple example teaches the listeners that we should not be overpowered by anger and fury, and curse and blame kings and leaders, since it seems to happen against one's wish, that what we curse is made known. And we run into danger by the inability to hold our tongue. He also says, "a bird of the skies may carry the sound, and some winged creature may betray the matter", this is to be understood as a exaggeration, just as we are accustomed to saying, 'walls have ears to hear those things, which we think are said in private'. But it is better to hear a teaching in this way, so that we know that we have a commandment to follow, not only that nothing should be spoken rashly against Christ, but also in the secret places of our heart, however we are troubled by our many problems, nothing should be blasphemed, nothing thought which is impious. And since we owe love, that we have for Christ, the next part says, "love the Lord your God," and even " your nearest" and "yourself". [Matth. 22, 37.40.] He even orders this, so that afterwards we do not easily take the king away from the holy, and so that we do not slander by the wickedness of our tongue those who are rich in knowledge, wisdom and virtues, for they are the angels who fly around the earth and are administrators of the spirit. They say in Zechariah, "we have traversed the earth and look all the world is inhabited and quiet" [Zach. 1, 11.]. And just like birds, our words and thoughts are carried to heaven. And whatever we think in secret, is not hidden from God's knowledge.
CHAPTER 11
Commentary on Ecclesiastes
Pestilent flies will corrupt a preparation of sweet ointment: [and] a little wisdom is more precious than great glory of folly.
ΜΥΙΑΙ θανατοῦσαι σαπριοῦσι σκευασίαν ἐλαίου ἡδύσματος· τίμιον ὀλίγον σοφίας ὑπὲρ δόξαν ἀφροσύνης μεγάλην,
Мꙋ̑хи ᲂу҆ме́ршыѧ згноѧ́ютъ є҆ле́а сла́дость: че́стно ма́лое мꙋ́дрости па́че сла́вы вели́ки безꙋ́мїѧ.