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Eccl.4:1. And I turned and saw all kinds of oppression that are happening under the sun: and behold, the tears of the oppressed, but they had no comforter; and in the hand of those who oppress them is power, but they have no comforter. And I turned and saw all the insults that exist under the sun; and these are the tears of those who suffer insult, and there is no one to console them; but in the hands of those who offend them is power, and there is no comforter for them. After this reflection, I turned my mind and eyes to look at the offenders and the offended. And so those who are unjustly oppressed by the stronger, protesting against the injustice of the matter with tears, which they are only allowed to have in their misfortunes, cannot find a comforter. And to top off their misfortunes, to their inconsolable grief, they see that the offenders are very strong in their untruths. And that is why they cannot be consoled. This idea is revealed in more detail by David in the seventy-second psalm and by Jeremiah in his book. Eccl.4:2–3. And I blessed the dead, who died long ago, more than the living, who live to this day; and more blessed than both of them is he who has not yet existed, who has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun. And I praised the dead, who had already died, over the living, who are still living. And better than both of these is the one who has not yet been born, who has not yet seen the evil deeds that were done under the sun. At the sight of the disasters that oppress mortals in this world, I recognized the dead as happier than the living, according to Job’s words about hell: “there the weary of the body rested, together with those who were bound; they are no longer in danger; they do not hear the voice of the guard” (Job 3:17–18). And both of these, that is, the living and the dead, are better than the one who has not yet been born. For one is still suffering disasters, and the other, as if after a shipwreck, was left with nothing; those who have not yet been born are happier because they have not yet experienced the evils of the world. He says this not in the sense that the unborn exists before birth and is happier because he is not yet burdened with a body, but in the sense that it is better not to exist at all and not have a sense of being than to exist or live unhappily. And the Lord speaks about Judas, pointing to his future torment: “It was better for that man not to have been born” (Matthew 26:24), i.e. That is, that it was better for him not to exist at all than to endure eternal torment. Some understand this passage this way: the dead are better than those who live, although they were formerly sinners, for the living are still in the struggle and, as it were, imprisoned in the prison of the body, and the dead are no longer in danger and have ceased sinning. So John, more than whom there was none among those born of women, is less than he who is the least in the kingdom of heaven, and who, having been freed from the burden of the body, has no need to say to the apostle: “Wretched is the man who delivers me from the body of this death” (Rom. 7:24). And better than both of them is the one who has not yet been born and has not seen the evils with which people are depressed in this world; for our souls, before they descend into these bodies, remain in heavenly things and are blessed as long as they remain in heavenly Jerusalem and in the face of angels 2 . Eccl.4:4. I also saw that every work and every success in business produces mutual envy between people. And this is vanity and languor of spirit! And I saw all the labor, and together the whole feat of the work: for the envy of a husband is from his companion. And this is vanity and vexation of spirit. Then I turned to another and saw all the power and glory of the workers, and saw that the good of one is evil for another, since the envious person is tormented by someone else’s happiness, and the one who uses glory is open to intrigues. For what is more vain, what is more insignificant, what is more contemptible than the fact that people do not mourn their misfortunes, do not grieve over their sins, but envy those who are better than them? Eccl.4:5. A fool sits with folded hands and eats his own flesh. The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh. The same sloth is depicted here as in Proverbs (Prov. 24). He folded his hands on his chest, and now poverty comes to him like a speedy messenger and from extreme hunger (as it is hyperbolically said here) he eats his flesh; he thinks that it is better to have one handful of flour and live in idleness and laziness, than to work and live with full hands. All this is developed with the aim of showing that the one who works and has something in the world is open to envy, and the one who wants to live idlely is depressed by poverty, and that both of them are unhappy when one suffers because of wealth, and the other is oppressed by need due to poverty. And it is true. He who envies the happiness of others, who is overcome by a kind of madness, who has accepted envy in his heart and nurtured it in his chest, eats his soul and his flesh. For the happier he sees the one he envies, the more he himself languishes and withers and little by little melts away from jealousy and envy. Otherwise: the word “hands” is often used in the sense of deeds, as, for example, “the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggea” (Ag. 1:1), or this or that prophet, since he did such deeds that he became worthy to have the word of the Lord in his deeds. In agreement with this, David’s saying: “Train my hands to fight” (Ps. 143:1). Thus, a fool who folded his hands means: he lowered his hands, did not want to stretch them out, therefore he does not eat the labors of his hands, which he does not have, but eats his flesh, living according to the wisdom of the flesh and meagerly feeding on the deeds of the flesh. Eccl.4:6. Better is a handful with peace than handfuls with labor and vexation of spirit. Better is one handful with peace of mind than hands full with labor and vexation of spirit. It is better to have a little righteousness than a great wealth of sinners. And Proverbs says: “Better is a little with righteousness than much gain with unrighteousness” (Prov. 16:8). It is beautifully said that peace is associated with truth, and labor is associated with untruth. And since the singular number is always used in a good sense, and the dual in a bad sense, then one handful is associated with peace, and two hands are full of labor. Eccl.4:7–8. And I turned and saw still vanity under the sun; a lonely person, and there is no other; he has neither a son nor a brother; but there is no end to all his labors, and his eye is not satisfied with wealth. “For whom am I toiling and depriving my soul of good?” And this is vanity and an evil deed! And I turned and saw vanity under the sun. There is one and no second, and he does not even have a son or brother: and there is no end to all his work. And his eye is not satisfied with wealth: and for whom do I work and deprive my soul of good? And this is vanity and torment of the worst kind. I turned to others and saw that they worked more than necessary, collected wealth by hook or by crook, but did not use what they had collected; they have everything, rest on wealth, save for others, but do not enjoy their labor, especially when they have neither a son, nor a brother, nor a relative, so that it might seem that they leave righteous labor to their neighbors. Therefore, I saw that there is nothing more vain than the man who collects wealth, not knowing to whom he will leave it. According to the previously stated interpretation, we can understand this in relation to those who write books and leave them to readers who do not value them. Some of this passage, starting from the words: “there is one and there is no second,” explain in relation to the Savior that He, for the salvation of the world, came down alone and without any accomplice. And although many are sons of God and are called brothers of the Lord by adoption, no one has proven worthy to unite with Him in this matter. There is no end to His work, bearing our ailments and sins and suffering for us; and His eye will not be satisfied with riches, always desiring our salvation and calling us all the more to repentance, the more someone sins. Eccl.4:9–12. Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor: for if one falls, the other will raise up his companion. But woe to one when he falls, and there is no other to lift him up. Also, if two people are lying down, then they are warm; How can one keep warm alone? And if one begins to overcome one, then two will stand against him: and the thread, twisted three times, will not soon break. Better are two than one, for whom the reward is good in their labor: for if one falls, the other will lift up his comrade. And woe to one when he falls, and there is no one else to lift him up. And even if two people sleep, then they will have warmth; and how can one keep warm? And if one attacks someone, two will stand against him; and the triple twine does not break easily. After depicting the worries and disasters that befall one who torments himself in acquiring wealth without having a definite heir, the speech now turns to partnership and says how much good there is in the community of friends and in mutual support: because even if one falls, one gets up with the help of another, and the one who has a faithful friend manages his household affairs and even enjoys his night's rest better than the one who cares only about acquiring wealth. And if any stronger enemy rises against one, then his weakness is supported by the help of a friend. And as much as two are better than one if they are united by love, so much more important is the community of three. For true love, which is not violated by any envy, the more it increases in number, the more it will increase in strength. This is a simple interpretation. But since regarding the previous passage we have presented the interpretation of it by some in relation to Christ, then what follows should be considered in the same spirit. It's better to be two than one. For it is better to have Christ living within you than to live alone and be open to the wiles of the enemy. The reward for this community is directly revealed in the very benefits of communication. For if one falls, then Christ raises up his fellow man. And woe to him who, having fallen, does not have within himself the rising Christ! Even if he falls asleep alone, that is, if he is stricken by death, but has Christ with him, then, warmed and revived by Him, he will soon come to life again. And if the devil, strong in attack, rises up against a person, then the person will resist him, and Christ will also resist for his man, for his fellow man. This is not because the power of Christ alone against the devil is weak, but because man is given free will, and when we make our efforts, then Christ Himself is stronger in the struggle. And if the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit come, then this community will not soon be torn apart. But, even if it does not burst quickly, nevertheless, sometimes it can burst. For Judas the Apostle also had this triple cord; but, since Satan entered him after the piece, the string broke. Further, regarding what he says above: “even if two people fall asleep, then they will have warmth, but how will one be warm?” - let us give evidence from the life of Elisha that he prostrated himself with the boy and fell asleep and warmed his body and, thus, revived the resurrected one (2 Kings 4). So, if Christ does not fall asleep with us and rest in death, then we cannot perceive the warmth of eternal life. Eccl.4:13–16. Better is a poor but intelligent young man than an old but foolish king who does not know how to take advice; for he will come out of prison to reign, although he was born poor in his kingdom. I saw all the living who walk under the sun with this other young man who would take his place. There was no number for all the people who were before him, although those who came after them would not rejoice over them. And this is vanity and languor of spirit! Better is a poor and wise youth than an old and stupid king who does not know how to take care of the future. for he emerges from the house of prisoners to become a king, although he was born poor in his kingdom. I saw all the living who walk under the sun with this second youth who will take his place. There is no end to all the people, to all who were before them; although the later ones will not rejoice over him. But this is also vanity and languor of spirit. Symmachus translated this passage as follows: A poor man with wisdom is better than an old and foolish king who does not know how to prevent change. For one comes out of prison to reign, and the other, having been born a king, is dejected by poverty. I saw all the living who walk under the sun with the second youth who rose up in his place. The whole nation that was before both is innumerable, but the descendants will not rejoice over them. But this is also steam and wind grazing. My Jew, whom I often mention when reading Ecclesiastes with me, said that Barahiba 3, who is especially amazed, taught this way regarding the present passage: Better is the inner man, who is revealed in us from the fourteenth year of adolescence, than the outer man, born from the mother’s womb, who does not know how to avoid sin and who came out of the house of prisoners, that is, from the womb of his mother, in order to reign in sins. Even under his power, he became poor, committing all evil. I saw those who lived in the first man and then had communication with the second, that is, with the one who was born after the first: I was convinced that in the first man everyone sinned, until, after the birth of the second, there were two people. And since, having turned to the best and after the letter of the philosophers υ 4, leaving the left path, they rushed to the right peak and followed the second, that is, the last man: then they will not rejoice about that, i.e. about first. The apostle also speaks about these two people (2 Thess. 2), and the book of Leviticus is not silent when it says: “man, man,” if he wants to do this or that (Lev. 17). The husband Saint Gregory, Bishop of Pontus, listener of Origen, in his exposition (Metaphrasi) of Ecclesiastes explained this passage as follows: “And I prefer a poor and wise young man to an old and stupid king, who never thought that one of those imprisoned by him would come out of prison to reign and that he would finally be deprived of his unrighteous power. It sometimes happens that those under the authority of a wise young man live without sorrow, although previously they lived under the authority of an old king; those born after, since they did not know the previous disasters, led by a false opinion and the influence of an opposing spirit, cannot praise the young man who rose up after him.” The Laodicean interpreter 5, who tries to express great things in short words, and here, according to his custom, said: “Ecclesiastes is talking about changing good for bad: he wants to portray an unreasonable person who, without thinking about the future, is consoled by the present and transitory as if great and eternal. And pointing to the various accidents and vicissitudes common to people in their lives, he adds, as it were, a general sentence of death - that countless people die, are gradually destroyed and come when each leaves another in his place, and this again another after the death of the previous one. Origen and Victorinus disagreed a little with each other. For after that general thought, which is obvious to everyone - that a poor and wise young man is better than an old and foolish king, and that it often happens that the first in his wisdom, having left the state prison, receives royal power instead of a worthless ruler - this passage was explained in relation to Christ and the devil, in the poor and wise youth they meant Christ. He is a child, according to what is written: “It is great that you should be called my child” (Is. 49:6); He is poor because, being rich, he became poor (2 Cor. 8:9); He is also wise, for “he has abounded in wisdom and stature, and in grace with God and man” (Luke 2:52). He was born in the kingdom of an old man, which is why he says: “Even if my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have fought, lest they be delivered up by Judea: but now my kingdom is not from here” (John 18:36); - in the kingdom of that old man who showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and its glory, a most beautiful youth was born and from the house of prisoners, about whom Jeremiah speaks in Lamentations: “who would humble under his nose all the prisoners of the earth” (Lamentations 3:34), went out to the kingdom, went to a distant country and, contrary to those who did not want His power over them, after a while he returned as king. So, Ecclesiastes, with a prophetic spirit, saw all the living who could be partakers of the young man who said: “I am life” (John 14:6), and leaving the old foolish king to follow Christ. At the same time, two peoples from Israel are indicated: the first, who were before the coming of the Lord, and the last, who were about to accept the Antichrist for Christ - that the first is not completely rejected (for the first church was gathered by the apostles from the Jews), and in the end the Jews, who were about to accept the Antichrist instead of Christ, will not rejoice in Christ. Eccl.4:17. Watch your feet when you go to the house of God, and be ready to listen rather than to sacrifice; for they do not think that they are doing anything wrong. Guard your foot when you go to the house of God and draw near to listen. For the gift of the foolish is sacrifice, because they do not know the evil that they do. Gives guidance in life and wants us not to stumble when going to church. For it is commendable not to enter into the house of God, but to enter without stumbling. And if everyone in the Church of God were able to listen to the word, he would never have added: “Draw near to listen.” And only Moses came close to listen to God, but the others could not come (Ex. 24:2 et seq.). But the foolish, not knowing that this is a cure for sin, think that they can satisfy God by bringing gifts, and do not understand that it is also evil and sin to want to correct what has been done not by obedience and good deeds, but by gifts and sacrifices. In agreement with this is what was said elsewhere: “obedience rather than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22) and: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6). Apparently, bl. Jerome gives a literal interpretation of Origen; at least the last thought resembles the views of Origen and in no way belongs to Bl. Jerome, who no more than a few lines later in his own interpretation of this passage rejects the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe pre-existence of souls. Without a doubt, this is a famous Jewish scholar contemporary with Jerome, but not mentioned either by Talmudists or Jewish writers. The letter of the philosophers is on one side the path of vice, and on the other the path of virtue. Of course Apollinaris, Bishop of Laodicea.