Ecclesiastes 7 · The Lantern

The Value of Wisdom

A name is better than good oil, and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.

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.

If the death by which the righteous die with Christ is praiseworthy because it separates the soul from evil and ignorance, then such a death is the opposite of the birth that unites the soul with evil and ignorance. Therefore, such a death is much more honorable than such a birth.

The teachings of wisdom are set forth, through which a remedy is applied against the vanity of foolishness. And since, as is said in Wisdom 8, "wisdom teaches sobriety, prudence, justice, and virtue" or fortitude: in the first he sets forth teachings for having modesty: in the second, for having constancy; in the third, for having prudence; in the fourth, for having justice.

It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for that is the end of every man, and the living will lay it to his heart.

If anyone wants to ascend, let him seek not the joys of the world or the pleasant things or the delights but whatever is filled with pain and weeping; for it is better to go into a house of sorrow than into a house of rejoicing. Indeed, Adam would not have come down from paradise unless he had been beguiled by pleasure.

The final end of human beings is a state of blessedness. If the Lord in the Gospel calls those who mourn "blessed"—"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted"—then Solomon quite rightly calls mourning the end of every human being, because those who live in that state of mourning are filled with an abundance of spiritual blessings.

"It is better to go to the house of mourning," where sins are mourned, because Matthew 5: "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be consoled"; "than to the house of feasting," where delights are found: Proverbs 23: "Do not be among the banquets of drunkards." And the reason for this is: because in banquets man forgets himself, in the house of mourning he remembers his jud…

Vexation is better than laughter, for by a sad face the heart is made good.

Take the case that someone has subjects, for example, children or slaves. If he is angry with them and in a fury so that he limits the evil, then his anger is good, not anger as such, but the anger of a father over his child, of a guardian's anger over his charge.…He calls that kind of anger good that prevents sins from becoming so big that punishment has to follow.

"It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will take it to his heart. "It is more useful to go to the rites of a funeral than to the house where there is a party, since at the house of mourning we are warned of our creator and of our mortality on account of seeing the dead body.

Here he prefers sadness to merriment: because the former, namely sadness, corrects, and merriment deceives. And therefore he says: "Anger is better than laughter," anger namely, by which one is angered at the sins of others: Hebrews 12: "He scourges every son whom he receives"; and Revelation 3: "Those whom I love, I rebuke and chastise." This anger is better than the laughter…

The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of gladness.

It is better to hear the rebuke of a wise man than for a man to hear the song of fools.

For most people it seems to be right to avoid the critique of a wise man, especially if they like to sin. Whoever desires amusement and sin avoids the person who wants to hinder it. Whoever has no insight is pleased with flatterers, preferring flattery to critique.

"The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of enjoyment. ""Blessed", says the Saviour, "are the mourning, since they will be consoled". [Matth. 5, 5.] And Samuel mourned King Saul all the days of his life [Cfr I Reg. 16.] and Paul said he had mourned over those who did not want to repent their many sins [Cfr II Cor. 12, 21.].

Here is noted the fifth lesson, by which severity is preferred to softness, as for example harsh rebuke to flattery. On account of which he says: "It is better to be rebuked by a wise man than to be deceived by the flattery of fools." Proverbs 27: "Open rebuke is better than hidden love," because rebuke directs, but flattery deceives.

For like the sound of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool. And this also is breath.

Thorns that burn under a pot make loud crackling noises. This is like the laughing of the foolish. It makes noise and is crackling, but not because it educates the soul.… As the thorns produce noise when they as plants are burned under a pot, in the same way the laughter of the foolish comes out of a bad soul that is burning.… Thorns are earthly worries, shameful desires and un…

"It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools. For as the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this too is vanity. "For it is better to be rebuked by a wise man, than to be deceived by flattering praise.

And he gives the reason by a similitude: because the flattery of a fool lasts but a short time and makes much noise, like thorns kindled under a pot. Therefore he says: "For as the crackling of thorns under a pot," it sounds loudly, "so is the laughter of a fool." Literally, a fool laughs loudly.

For oppression makes a wise man mad, and a gift destroys the heart.

The end of a matter is better than its beginning; one long of spirit is better than one haughty of spirit.

The end of words is more likely to be good than their beginning.… A speech is given in order to actualize something.… Oftentimes someone who teaches has with patience led someone who is not highly intelligent to learning. He does not give up after the first or second admonition but tries to heal him in every case.

"Surely oppression makes a wise man mad; and a gift destroys the heart. "Now see the wise man as if regarding profit, according to that passage which says, "accuse the wise and he will love you" [Prov. 9, 8.]. Wise, or even having completed his training, he knows no accusation, and is perturbed by no disaster.

Here the second instruction is noted, in which perseverance is preferred to justice merely begun. On account of this he says: "Better is the end of a speech than its beginning": it is better to persevere in good than merely to begin: Matthew 10: "He who shall persevere to the end, he shall be saved"; whence Bernard says: "Perseverance is the consummation of all virtues." Here t…

Do not be hasty in your spirit to be vexed, for vexation rests in the bosom of fools.

"Better is the end of a thing than the beginning; "Perorations are better in speaking, than just the introductory section. For worry comes to and end in the former, and commences in the latter. Or it could even mean this: he who begins to hear a speech, and goes to the teacher, is in first place. For indeed he who listens until the last is consumed and complete in learning.

We must above all things know, that as often as we restrain the turbulent motions of the mind under the virtue of mildness, we are essaying to return to the likeness of our Creator. For when the peace of the mind is lashed with Anger, torn and rent, as it were, it is thrown into confusion, so that it is not in harmony with itself, and loses the force of the inward likeness.

Here the fourth lesson is touched upon, in which it is taught that anger is to be fled, because it does not stand well with constancy; therefore he says: "Be not swift to anger": James 1: "Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath." And the reason is added: "Because anger rests in the bosom of a fool"; Job 5: "Wrath kills the foolish man, and envy slays t…

Do not say, “How is it that the former days were better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you have asked about this.

Wisdom is good with an inheritance, and an advantage to those who see the sun.

For in the shade of wisdom is the shade of silver; and the profit of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to its owners.

See the deed of God, for who can make straight what he has twisted?

In the day of good be in good, and in the day of evil see: God has made this alongside that, so that man should not find anything after him.

The Limits of Human Wisdom

I have seen everything in the days of my breath: there is a righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man prolonging his life in his evil.

Do not be righteous overmuch, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you be appalled?

But neither these, who love more, nor those, who hate, hold to the rule of truth, and the ones lie through love, the others through hatred. Whence it is fitting to put reins upon love also, and to permit it only so much liberty of roaming as will not let it plunge over precipices.

"I have seen all things in the days of my vanity: there is a just man, that dies in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that remains alive in his wickedness. "Similar to this is what the Saviour says in the Gospel: "he who finds his soul will lose it, and he who loses it on account of me, will find it" [Matth. 10. 39.].

Above he set forth instructions for possessing modesty, constancy, and prudence; here in the fourth place he sets forth instructions for possessing justice: and because that is not true justice which exceeds in rigor and cruelty, but rather is to be scorned by piety: therefore he sets forth here four instructions.

Do not be wicked overmuch, and do not be foolish. Why should you die before your time?

And as God promises to them that serve him truly, "I will fulfill the number of your days," Abraham dies "full of days," and David called on God, saying, "Take me not away in the midst of my days." And Eliphaz, one of the friends of Job, being assured of this truth, said, "You shall come to your grave … like as a shock of corn comes in its season." And Solomon confirming his wo…

"Do not be too righteous, do not make yourself too wise: why destroy yourself? "If you should see a man who is harsh and wild to the extent of sinning against his brothers, so that he pardons neither the sinner in his speaking, or he who is slow on account of natural slowness, know that this man is more righteous than is good.

Here is noted the second instruction in which he forbids the headlong rush of impiety: for impiety renders a man stupefied in feeling and hardened.

It is good that you should take hold of this and also not let your hand go from that, for the one who fears God comes out with all of them.

Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.

The inhabited world arises in no other way than in the wisdom of God. For "wisdom gives strength to the wise beyond ten rulers who live in the city." "And the one who despises wisdom and instruction is miserable, and his hope empty, and his labors unprofitable, and his works useless," says the Book of Wisdom ascribed to Solomon.

"It is good that you should take hold of this, and do not withdraw your hand; for he that fears God shall come forth of them all. "It is good to do good to righteous men, but also being kind to sinners is not wicked. It is good to keep slaves faithful to you, but it is advised to do this only with those who seek your employment.

The second reason is the dignity of the just, on account of which he says: "Wisdom has strengthened the wise man above ten princes of the city"; and so, Wisdom 6, "wisdom is better than strength, and a prudent man is better than a strong one."

For there is no righteous man on the earth who does good and does not sin.

And it is likely also that in countless other things demons delude us and influence us to act according to their will. And it is possible that, just as no one among us is "clean from defilement," and there is no "just person on the earth who will do good and will not sin," so also there is no one who has always been free of demons and has never fallen victim to their influence.

Because the prophet says, "Behold, I was conceived in iniquity, and in sin did my mother bring me forth," no one coming into the world with sin can be sinless. That is why the same prophet says, "No one living shall be considered righteous in your sight," and Solomon, "There is no righteous man on earth, who does good, and does not sin."

The third reason is human frailty, on account of which he says: "There is no just man on earth who does good and does not sin": and therefore one must have mercy on the sinner: Proverbs 24: "The just man falls seven times a day and rises again"; indeed, however perfect one may be, he sometimes sins: 1 John 1: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth i…

Also do not give your heart to all the words that they speak, so that you do not hear your servant cursing you.

For your heart also knows many times that you yourself have cursed others.

All this I tested by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me.

Far off is what has been, and deep, deep — who can find it?

Consider therefore how it is written in the book of Ecclesiastes, "I said, I will be wise, but it was far from me. That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who shall find it out?" [Consider] what is said in the Psalms, "The knowledge of you is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it." And Solomon says, "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing." [Therefore]…

"I have proved all this by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me." "That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out? "Just as is attested in the Book of Kings [Cfr. III Reg. 3.

Concerning the depth of faith, there is in Ecclesiastes: "What exists is far-reaching: it is deep, very deep: who can find it out?" That is, by means of reason. For it goes beyond our powers of investigation.

I turned, I and my heart, to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and a reckoning, and to know wickedness as stupidity, and folly as madness.

And I find more bitter than death the woman who is snares, and her heart nets, her hands bonds. The one who is good before God escapes from her, but the sinner is captured by her.

Although a perfect apprehension of the truth is at present far removed from us by reason of the infirmity of the flesh, yet it is possible, as the Preacher himself has said, to perceive the madness of the impious, and having found it, to say that it is "more bitter than death." Therefore for this reason, as perceiving this and able to find it out, I have written, knowing that t…

"I applied my heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness. And I find that woman is more bitter than death, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands are as bands: whoever pleases God shall escape her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.

The vehement proneness of concupiscence itself is touched upon, because it leads to the greatest bitterness under the appearance of sweetness.

See, this I have found, said Qohelet, one to one to find a reckoning —

which my soul still sought and I did not find: one man out of a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I did not find.

Only see, this I have found: that God made man upright, but they have sought out many reckonings.

For [the soul] is made to see God and to be enlightened by him; but of its own accord in God's stead it has sought corruptible things and darkness, as the Spirit says somewhere in writing, "God made man upright, but they have sought out many inventions." Thus it has been then that people from the first discovered and contrived and imagined evil for themselves.

But because [God] knows that some humans act according to his will and some do not, for that very reason he proclaims the virtue of the one part in order to incite the others to a zeal for the good from the womb. In the same way too, concerning those others, he proclaims their worthlessness. It is not as if he creates one worthless from the womb, and another useful.

Here the third thing is noted, namely the causality of concupiscence, which indeed was not from God, but from the first sin. Therefore he says: "Only this I have found, that God made man upright": Ecclesiasticus 17: "God created man from the earth, and made him according to his own image." And the sign of this is the uprightness of stature, which still remains in the body.

Ecclesiastes7

The Value of Wisdom

The Limits of Human Wisdom