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Spirit names the soul as a deliberate movement of mind
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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.
He 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 In Ecclesiasten (fragmenta e catenis) 79 Πνεῦμα τὴν ψυχὴν ὀνομάζει· προαίρεσις γάρ ἐστι ποία νοῦ κίνησις· καὶ ὁ ∆αυῒδ· εἰς χεῖράς σου παρατίθημι τὸ πνεῦμά μου· Κύριε Ἰησοῦ, δέξαι τὸ πνεῦμά μου·
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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.
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