On Ecclesiastes

Name: On Ecclesiastes
Author: Eustathius of Antioch

In Ecclesiasten

Eustathius of Antioch (fl. c. 320–337 AD) · PG 18

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Contents4 passages

1Spirit as soul, and the vanity of pleasure's end
2Spirit names the soul as a deliberate movement of mind
3All such things end in vanity
4No trace of gladness remains after pleasure passes

Author

Eustathius of Antioch (fl. c. 320–337 AD) — Bishop of Antioch at the Council of Nicaea in 325 and a firm opponent of Arius. He was deposed a few years later and died in exile.

All works by Eustathius of Antioch

About this text

A few lines on Ecclesiastes credited to Eustathius of Antioch: here spirit means the soul, and pleasure leaves nothing behind once it has passed.

Eustathius of Antioch (fl. c. 320–337) wrote this commentary on Ecclesiastes. He was bishop of Beroea and then Patriarch of Antioch, and a leading opponent of Arianism at the Council of Nicaea. The work survives only in fragments quoted by later compilers.

The fragments come from catena quotations on Ecclesiastes, where later editors collected passages from earlier commentators alongside the biblical text. Eustathius explains the biblical text's use of key terms and draws out its teaching on the transience of pleasure.

A reader will meet David, quoted from the Psalms entrusting his spirit to God, and the Lord Jesus, addressed in the words 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.' Eustathius interprets 'spirit' as the soul, understood as a deliberate choice of the mind, and argues that all such human activities end in vanity. Once the activity ceases, the enjoyment is erased, and nothing is stored up for the future. The Books of Kingdoms are the ancient Greek Bible's name for 1-2 Samuel and 1-2 Kings.

Printed text used

Translated from PG 18 (Greek)

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Spirit as soul, and the vanity of pleasure's end§1

Eustathius opens his commentary on Ecclesiastes by explaining that the biblical term 'spirit' means the soul, then argues that all such human activities end in vanity.

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1He calls the soul 'spirit,' because a deliberate choice is a certain movement of the mind. David says, 'Into your hands I entrust my spirit' (Psalm 30:6 LXX). And: 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit' (Acts 7:59). And in the Books of Kingdoms (1-4 Kingdoms in the LXX, corresponding to 1-2 Samuel and 1-2 Kings) it says that David did not grieve the spirit of his son Amnon (2 Kingdoms 13:39 LXX; 2 Samuel 13:39).

All such things have one end: vanity. Which is not found to abound for what comes next. Once the activity has ceased, the enjoyment is erased as well, and nothing is stored up for the future. No trace or remnant of gladness is left behind for those who took pleasure, once the activity according to pleasure has passed.

Greek · §1

The Greek is on each section page: §1

Spirit names the soul as a deliberate movement of mind§2

Eustathius is explaining Ecclesiastes' use of the word 'spirit,' arguing that it refers to the soul understood as a deliberate movement of the mind, and he supports this with biblical quotations.

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2He calls the soul “spirit,” for it is a certain deliberate choice, a movement of the mind. David also says, “Into your hands I entrust my spirit” (Psalm 30:6 LXX / Psalm 31:5). And, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (Acts 7:59).

Greek · §2

The Greek is on each section page: §2

All such things end in vanity§3

Eustathius has just cited David and Stephen using 'spirit' for the soul; he now cites the Books of Kingdoms about Amnon and turns to the argument that all such human activities end in vanity.

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3And in the Books of Kingdoms (1-4 Kingdoms in the LXX, corresponding to 1-2 Samuel and 1-2 Kings) it says that David did not grieve the spirit of Amnon his son (2 Kingdoms 13:21 LXX / 2 Samuel 13:21).

For all such things have one end: vanity. Nothing of it is found to remain for what comes next, because once the activity ceased, the enjoyment was erased too.

Greek · §3

The Greek is on each section page: §3

No trace of gladness remains after pleasure passes§4

Eustathius is closing his argument that all such human activities end in vanity, now stating that nothing is stored up and no trace of gladness remains once the pleasurable activity has passed.

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4Nothing is stored up for what comes next. Once the activity of pleasure has passed, no trace or remnant of gladness is left behind for those who took pleasure.

Greek · §4

The Greek is on each section page: §4

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