Cap. 2, Vers. 18-26
Commentarius in Ecclesiasten · Capitulum II
Specialiter redarguit suam curiositatem secundo quoad studium ordinatum ad opulentiam, iterum quadruplici ratione.
. Rursus detestatus sum etc. Redarguit supra suam curiositatem circa opera sapientiae; hic secundo redarguit suam curiositatem circa opera humanae industriae ad opulentiam ordinatae sive artificialia opera mechanicae. Et hoc quidem facit hoc ordine. Primo suam curiositatem redarguit propter bonae successionis incertitudinem; secundo, propter laboriosam sollicitudinem; tertio huic praefert praesentem voluptatem; quarto ipsam sollicitudinem damnat per iudicii divini aequitatem.
(Vers. 18. 19. 20. 21.). Arguit igitur primo se curiosum circa terrena acquirenda propter bonae prolis incertitudinem, quia ipse non poterat illa semper possidere et timebat inutilem successorem habere. Propterea dicit: Rursus detestatus sum omnem industriam meam, id est curiosam diligentiam, qua sub sole studiosissime laboravi, ad haec scilicet bona augenda; Ieremiae sexto7: « A minori usque ad maiorem omnes avaritiae student ». — Et ratio detestationis infertur: Habiturus heredem post me, quem ignoro, utrum sapiens, an stultus futurus sit. Ad litteram Salomon habuit heredem Roboam, stultum filium, qui secutus consilium iuvenum fecit dividi regnum, tertii Regum duodecimo8. Et dominabitur in laboribus meis, quibus desudavi, quantum ad corpus; et sollicitus fui, quantum ad animam. De hoc sudore, Genesis tertio: « In sudore vultus tui vesceris pane tuo »; de sollicitudine, Matthaei sexto: « Nolite solliciti esse animae vestrae, quid manducetis, aut corpori vestro, quid induamini ». Et illud est valde vanum; unde dicit: Et est quidquam tam vanum? supple: sicut laborare sollicite pro stulto et otioso, quasi dicat: non. — Ex huius igitur vanitatis consideratione cessavit a curiositate, unde dicit: Unde cessavi, renuntiavitque cor meum laborare sub sole, id est pro bonis temporalibus.
p. 27 Cessavi, in opere; renuntiavitque cor meum, in voluntate. Sed avarus propter hoc non cessat, infra quarto1: « Unus est et secundum non habet, et tamen laborare non cessat ». — Et repetit rationem, quare cessavit: Nam cum alius laboret in sapientia, in corde; et in doctrina, in ore; et in sollicitudine, in opere; homini otioso quaesita dimittit. Et ex hoc concludit vanitatem: et hoc ergo vanitas et magnum malum; vanitas quidem, quia divitiae relinquuntur homini inutili, sed magnum malum; unde Hugo2: « Magnum malum est, ut unde unus atteritur labore, alter otiose et illicite abutatur »: malum, quia dissipatori; Ieremiae quinquagesimo primo: « Vana sunt opera eorum » etc.; Deuteronomii vigesimo octavo: « Non sit fortitudo in manu tua; fructus terrae tuae et omnes labores tuos comedat populus, quem ignoras ».
(Vers. 22. 23.). Quid enim proderit etc. Hic secundo redarguit curiositatem acquirendi propter laboriosam sollicitudinem; propter quam dicit: Quid proderit homini de universo labore suo, in corpore, et afflictione spiritus, in animo, qua sub sole cruciatus est, quasi dicat: nihil; unde Proverbiorum vigesimo tertio3: « Noli laborare, ut diteris, sed prudentiae tuae pone modum ». Non prodest, scilicet ei qui laborat propter haec visibilia habenda. Unde Bernardus: « Apud alios sunt fructus divitiarum, divitibus vero nomen cedit et sollicitudo »; et ideo non prodest; unde infra quinto4: « Quid prodest possessori, nisi quod cernit divitias oculis suis »? — Nec tantum non prodest, immo obest; unde subdit: Cuncti dies eius laboribus et aerumnis pleni sunt, exterius; nec per noctem mente requiescit, interius. Ideo dicitur Iob septimo: « Menses vacuos et noctes laboriosas enumeravi mihi »; et Proverbiorum decimo quinto: « Omnes dies pauperis, mali. Secura mens quasi iuge convivium ». Et ex hoc concludit, quod sic laborare est vanum, quia inutile; ideo dicit: Et hoc nonne vanitas est? quasi dicat: immo; infra quinto5: « Qui amat divitias fructum non capiet ex eis; et hoc ergo vanitas », quia obsunt. Unde ibidem: « Est alia infirmitas, quam vidi sub sole, divitiae congregatae » etc.
(Vers. 24. 25.). Nonne melius est etc. Hic tertio praedictae sollicitudini curiositatis praefert voluptatem carnis. Et ideo dicit: Nonne melius est comedere et bibere et ostendere animae suae bona de laboribus suis? supple: quam continue semper laborare; quasi dicat: melius est, id est minus malum, quia illud est malum culpae et poenae, istud est malum culpae, sed habet iucunditatem; Isaiae vigesimo secundo6: « Ecce, gaudium et laetitia iugulare arietes » etc. Et quod sit melius, manifestat: quia hoc est donum Dei; unde dicit: Et hoc de manu Dei est; Ieremiae quinto: « Saturavi eos, et moechati sunt » etc. — Et proponit se in exemplum huius ad hoc confirmandum: Quis ita vorabit, quantum ad concupiscentiam; et deliciis affluet, quantum ad abundantiam; ut ego? quasi dicat: nullus; tertii Regum quarto: « Erat autem cibus Salomonis per singulos dies triginta cori similae et sexaginta cori farinae, decem boves pingues et viginti pascuales » etc.
(Vers. 26.). Homini bono etc. Hic quarto sollicitudinem damnat per divini iudicii aequitatem, quoniam talis sollicitudo non est data bonis, sed malis, et hoc divino iudicio. Ideo dicit: Homini bono in conspectu suo, scilicet, qui sibi placet, non hominibus, ut hypocrita; Psalmus7: « Iusti epulentur » etc. Dedit Deus sapientiam, quantum ad aeterna; et scientiam, quoad temporalia dispensanda; et intelligentiam, quoad intelligenda sive consideranda; Iob trigesimo octavo: « Quis posuit in visceribus hominis sapientiam, vel quis dedit gallo intelligentiam »? Hoc secundum largitatem misericordiae. Sed secundum aequitatem iustitiae subdit: Peccatori autem dedit afflictionem et curam superfluam, id est, dari permisit iusto iudicio; ut addat et congreget et tradat ei qui placuit Deo; Proverbiorum decimo tertio: « Custoditur iusto substantia peccatoris »; Proverbiorum vigesimo octavo: « Qui congregat divitias usuris, et fenore liberali in pauperes congregat eas ». Et ex hoc infert vanitatem: Sed hoc vanitas et cassa sollicitudo mentis, quia Proverbiorum undecimo: « Exspectatio sollicitudinis peribit ».
Nota, quod est studium ad acquisitionem sapientiae; Proverbiorum vigesimo septimo8: Stude sapientiae, fili mi, ut possis exprobranti respondere sermonem. Ad exercitationem iustitiae; Ieremiae septimo: Nunc bonas facite vias vestras et studia vestra. Ad expletionem concupiscentiae; Proverbiorum vigesimo tertio: Cui vae? cuius patri vae? nonne his qui commorantur in vino et student calicibus epotandis? Ad imperium avaritiae; Ieremiae sexto: A minori usque ad maiorem omnes avaritiae student. — Prima duo studia sunt bona, duo sequentia mala, et in his discernitur bonitas hominis; unde
p. 28 Proverbiorum vigesimo: Ex studiis suis intelligitur puer, si munda et recta sunt opera eius. Quia igitur Ecclesiastes nondum studuerat his, sed ad avaritiam et gulam, ideo sua studia arguebat.
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In particular he reproves his curiosity, secondly, as regards the study ordered to wealth, again by a fourfold reason.
. Again I hated etc. Above he reproved his curiosity concerning the works of wisdom; here secondly he reproves his curiosity concerning the works of human industry ordered to wealth, that is, the artificial works of the mechanical arts. And this indeed he does in this order. First he reproves his curiosity because of the uncertainty of a good successor; secondly, because of the toilsome solicitude; thirdly he prefers to this present pleasure; fourthly he condemns that solicitude itself by the equity of the divine judgement.
(Vers. 18. 19. 20. 21.). He argues, therefore, first that he was curious about acquiring earthly things because of the uncertainty of good offspring, since he himself could not always possess them and feared to have a useless successor. Therefore he says: Again I hated all my industry, that is, my curious diligence, wherewith I laboured most studiouslytr. under the sun, namely for the increasing of these goods; Jeremias, the sixth chapter7: « From the least even to the greatest, all study after covetousness ». — And the ground of the hatred is brought in: Being to have an heir after me, whom I know not whether he shall be wise or foolish. To the letter, Solomon had as heir Roboam, a foolish son, who by following the counsel of the young men caused the kingdom to be divided, in the third book of Kings, the twelfth chapter8. And he shall have rule over my labours, with which I have sweated, as regards the body; and been solicitous, as regards the soul. Of this sweat, Genesis, the third chapter: « In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat thy bread »; of solicitude, Matthew, the sixth chapter: « Be not solicitous for your soul, what you shall eat, or for your body, what you shall put on ». And that is exceedingly vain; whence he says: And is there anything so vain? supply: as to labour solicitously for a foolish and idle man, as if he should say: no. — From the consideration, therefore, of this vanity he ceased from curiosity, whence he says: Wherefore I ceased, and my heart renounced labouring under the sun, that is, for temporal goods.
p. 27 I ceased, in work; and my heart renounced, in will. But the covetous man does not cease on this account, below, the fourth chapter1: « There is one, and he hath not a second, and yet he ceaseth not to labour ». — And he repeats the reason why he ceased: For when another laboureth in wisdom, in the heart; and in teachingtr., in the mouth; and in solicitude, in work; he leaveth what he hath gotten to an idle man. And from this he concludes vanity: and this therefore is vanity and a great evil; vanity indeed, because riches are left to a useless man, but a great evil; whence Hugh2: « It is a great evil that, whereby one man is worn down with toil, another should abuse it idly and unlawfully »: an evil, because it is for a squanderer; Jeremias, the fifty-first chapter: « Their works are vain » etc.; Deuteronomy, the twenty-eighth chapter: « Let there be no strength in thy hand; let a people whom thou knowest not eat the fruit of thy land and all thy labours ».
(Vers. 22. 23.). For what shall it profit etc. Here secondly he reproves the curiosity of acquiring because of the toilsome solicitude; on account of which he says: What shall it profit a man of all his labour, in the body, and vexation of spirit, in the mind, wherewith he hath been tormented under the sun, as if he should say: nothing; whence Proverbs, the twenty-third chapter3: « Labour not to be rich, but set bounds to thy prudence ». It does not profit, namely him who labours for the having of these visible things. Whence Bernard: « With others are the fruits of riches, but to the rich fall only the name and the solicitude »; and therefore it does not profit; whence below, the fifth chapter4: « What doth it profit the owner, but that he seeth the riches with his eyes »? — And not only does it not profit, but it even harms; whence he adds: All his days are full of labours and miseries, outwardly; nor doth he rest in mind through the night, inwardly. Therefore it is said in Job, the seventh chapter: « Empty months and wearisome nights have I numbered to myself »; and in Proverbs, the fifteenth chapter: « All the days of the poor are evil. A secure mind is like a continual feast ». And from this he concludes that so to labour is vain, because useless; therefore he says: And is not this vanity? as if he should say: yea indeed; below, the fifth chapter5: « He that loveth riches shall take no fruit from them; and this therefore is vanity », because they harm. Whence in the same place: « There is another infirmity which I have seen under the sun, riches gathered together » etc.
(Vers. 24. 25.). Is it not better etc. Here thirdly he prefers to the aforesaid solicitude of curiosity the pleasure of the flesh. And therefore he says: Is it not better to eat and drink and to shew his soul good things of his labours? supply: than to labour continually and always; as if he should say: it is better, that is, less evil, because that is an evil of fault and of punishment, this is an evil of fault, but it has joyfulness; Isaias, the twenty-second chapter6: « Behold joy and gladness, to slay rams » etc. And that it is better, he makes plain: because this is the gift of God; whence he says: And this is from the hand of God; Jeremias, the fifth chapter: « I fed them to the full, and they committed adultery » etc. — And he sets himself forth as an example of this for the confirming of it: Who shall so devour, as regards concupiscence; and abound with delights, as regards abundance; as I? as if he should say: no one; the third book of Kings, the fourth chapter: « Now the provision of Solomon for each day was thirty cors of fine flour and sixty cors of meal, ten fat oxen and twenty out of the pastures » etc.
(Vers. 26.). To the man that is good etc. Here fourthly he condemns solicitude by the equity of the divine judgement, since such solicitude is not given to the good but to the evil, and this by the divine judgement. Therefore he says: To the man that is good in his own sight, namely, who pleases himself, not men, as the hypocrite does; the Psalm7: « Let the just feast » etc. God hath given wisdom, as regards eternal things; and knowledge, as regards the dispensing of temporal things; and intelligence, as regards the things to be understood or considered; Job, the thirty-eighth chapter: « Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts of man, or who gave the cock intelligence »? This according to the largeness of mercy. But according to the equity of justice he adds: But to the sinner he hath given affliction and superfluous care, that is, he permitted it to be given by a just judgement; that he may add and gather together and deliver it to him that hath pleased God; Proverbs, the thirteenth chapter: « The substance of the sinner is kept for the just »; Proverbs, the twenty-eighth chapter: « He that gathereth together riches by usury and interest, gathereth them for him that is liberal toward the poor ». And from this he infers vanity: But this is vanity and a fruitless solicitude of the mind, because Proverbs, the eleventh chapter: « The expectation of solicitude shall perish ».
Note that there is a study directed to the acquiring of wisdom; Proverbs, the twenty-seventh chapter8: Study wisdom, my son, that thou mayest be able to answer a word to him that reproacheth. To the exercise of justice; Jeremias, the seventh chapter: Now make your ways and your studies good. To the fulfilling of concupiscence; Proverbs, the twenty-third chapter: To whom is woe? to whose father is woe? is it not to them that tarry over wine and study to drink off their cups? To the rule of covetousness; Jeremias, the sixth chapter: From the least even to the greatest, all study after covetousness. — The first two studies are good, the two following evil, and in these the goodness of a man is discerned; whence
p. 28 Proverbs, the twentieth chapter: By his studies a child is known, if his works be clean and right. Since, therefore, Ecclesiastes had not yet studied after these things, but after covetousness and gluttony, he therefore reproved his own studies.
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- 7Vers. 13.V. 13.
- 8Vers. 6. seqq. — Inferius allegantur Gen. 3, 19. Vulgata omittit tuo; Matth. 6, 25, ubi Vulgata neque pro aut.Vv. 6 ff. — Below are adduced Gen. 3:19, where the Vulgate omits tuo; and Matt. 6:25, where the Vulgate has neque for aut.
- 1Vers. 8, post habet in Vulgata additur non filium, non fratrem.V. 8, where after habet the Vulgate adds non filium, non fratrem.
- 2In Eccle. homil. 12. — Deinde allegantur Ier. 51, 18: Vana sunt opera et risu digna etc.; et Deut. 28, 32. et 33.On Ecclesiastes, homily 12. — Then are adduced Jer. 51:18: Vana sunt opera et risu digna etc.; and Deut. 28:32 and 33.
- 3Vers. 4. — Bernard., in Serm. seu libro de conversione ad clericos, c. 8. n. 14: Postremo ubi multae opes, multi etiam qui comedunt eas [Eccle. 5, 10.], et usus quidem divitiarum apud alios, divitibus solum nomen cedit et sollicitudo.V. 4. — Bernard, in the Sermon or book On conversion, to the clerics, c. 8, n. 14: Postremo ubi multae opes, multi etiam qui comedunt eas [Eccles. 5:10], and the use indeed of riches is with others, while to the rich fall only the name and the solicitude.
- 4Vers. 10. — Subinde allegantur Iob 7, 3: Sic et ego habui menses etc.; Prov. 15, 15.V. 10. — Thereupon are adduced Job 7:3: Sic et ego habui menses etc.; Prov. 15:15.
- 5Vers. 9. et 12: Est et alia infirmitas pessima, quam etc.Vv. 9 and 12: Est et alia infirmitas pessima, quam etc.
- 6Vers. 13. Cfr. supra pag. 20, nota 2. — Sequuntur Ier. 5, 7; III. Reg. 4, 22. et 23.V. 13. Cf. above, p. 20, note 2. — There follow Jer. 5:7; III Kings 4:22 and 23.
- 7Psalm. 67, 4. — Sequuntur Iob 38, 36; Prov. 13, 22; 28, 8: Qui coacervat divitias etc., et 11, 7: Exspectatio sollicitorum peribit.Ps. 67:4. — There follow Job 38:36; Prov. 13:22; 28:8: Qui coacervat divitias etc., and 11:7: Exspectatio sollicitorum peribit.
- 8Vers. 11, ubi a Vulgata post fili mi additur et laetifica cor meum. — Sequuntur Ier. 7, 3; Prov. 23, 29. seq., pluribus tamen post cuius patri vae omissis; Ier. 6, 13. et Prov. 20, 11. Vulgata sint pro sunt.V. 11, where after fili mi the Vulgate adds et laetifica cor meum. — There follow Jer. 7:3; Prov. 23:29 f., with several words nevertheless omitted after cuius patri vae; Jer. 6:13 and Prov. 20:11. The Vulgate has sint for sunt.
- tr.Translator's note: the Latin doctrina holds together what English divides into teaching, doctrine and learning — the act of instructing, the content instilled, and the instructed state of the one who has it. Here the lemma of Eccles. 2:21 sets doctrina between sapientia and sollicitudo, and Bonaventure's own gloss assigns each to a seat: wisdom in corde, doctrina in ore, solicitude in opere. What is in the mouth is the act of instructing, so the English takes the side of teaching. This translation renders the word by context rather than by a fixed gloss, and notes it where it falls: teaching here and at Cap. II, Vers. 1-3; doctrine at Cap. II, Vers. 4-10, where the word is the thing taught; learning at Cap. II, Vers. 11-17, where it is the learning a man has got.
- tr.Translator's note: the Latin studium — with studere and studiosus — holds together zeal, eager pursuit, application and study, and English has no single word that carries all four comfortably. This translation uses study and to study throughout the pericope, and the reason is the paragraph beginning Nota, quod est studium: it is built on one Latin root, running the same word through wisdom, justice, concupiscence and covetousness, and closing on Prov. 20:11, Ex studiis suis intelligitur puer. Rendering the good studies "study" and the evil ones "eagerness" or "given to" would dissolve the argument into two unrelated words; the cost is that "all study after covetousness" and "study to drink off their cups" read archaically where the Douay reads "are given to covetousness" and "pass their time in wine".