Ecclesiastes 1:13Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

This is the inquiry of Ecclesiastes, who reflected on occurrences under the heavens that had not previously existed: how emptiness was introduced, why the illusory became dominant, and what authority can be found in that which does not exist. Evil is not autonomous; what is not part of creation possesses its own distinctiveness. Indeed, those things that are not of nature do not exist by any intrinsic quality; yet vanity prevails among those who resemble vanity. Thus, He came to examine with His wisdom: what transpired under the sun? What chaos ensues in our actions? How did the existent become subjugated by the non-existent? Why does that which remains unfulfilled reign over that which is real? And He observed: God has given humanity a troubling burden, intending for them to be governed thereby. However, it is impious to interpret this as if God Himself had bestowed a wicked concern upon mankind, as that would attribute the origin of evil to Him. For He, who is inherently good, is surely willing to provide good gifts. Thus, ‘every good tree bears good fruit’ (Matt. 7:17); the thistle does not sprout from thorns, nor do thorns arise from vines. By nature, goodness from its treasures yields nothing harmful. A virtuous individual, drawing from the abundance of a good heart, speaks in harmony with his nature. How much more so will the Source of all good refrain from producing anything evil? Conversely, a more righteous interpretation suggests that God's giving is indeed good. This signifies free will, which, when misused by humans, has turned into a tool for sin. What is genuinely free and unchained is inherently good; while what is compelled cannot be deemed good. Conversely, the genuine freedom in thought, which, without guidance, leans towards evil choices, became a temptation for the soul, which strayed from nobility to base inclinations of nature. This is represented in the term 'dade,’ which does not imply that God introduced evil into human existence, but rather that humanity has misused the God-bestowed good for the sake of wickedness through folly. The Holy Scriptures often convey such reflections through phrases like: ‘God gave them up to the passions of dishonour’ (Rom. 1:26); and: ‘God gave them up … to an unfit mind’ (Rom. 1:28); and: ‘hardened ... Pharaoh’s heart’ (Exodus 9:12); and: “that thou hast turned us aside, O Lord, from Thy way, having hardened our hearts, that we should not fear thee” (Isaiah 63:17); and: “I was led astray by the path, and not by the path” (Psalm 106:40); and: “Thou hast betrayed me ... and I was betrayed” (Psalm 106:40); and: “Thou hast betrayed me ... and I was betrayed by the way” (Psalm 63:17); and I am lost’ (Jer. 20:7). Such statements do not affirm that human nature derives anything from God but rather indicts the freedom, a divine gift to creation, which has become corrupted due to its inclination toward evil.

Thus, Ecclesiastes initially focused on the quest for wisdom and, in seeking to comprehend the reasons behind phenomena such as why some children are afflicted by demons or why righteous and wicked alike are engulfed by stormy seas, he pondered whether such occurrences were mere happenstance or were divinely ordained. If they were indeed by chance, then where lies God’s Providence? In attempting to understand this, he observed that God had granted humanity an overwhelming burden and a troubling longing for numerous things, desiring to fathom that which is beyond lawful knowledge. He eloquently identified the cause of this condition, declaring that such a pursuit was divinely ordained—echoing what is stated in the Epistle to the Romans, “Wherefore God also delivered them in the lusts of their hearts into uncleanness” (Rom. 1:24), and again, “For this cause God gave them up to the passions of dishonour” (Rom. 1:26), as well as, “For this cause God gave them up to an unsophisticated mind, to do unseemly things” (Rom. 1:28). In his letter to the Thessalonians, he also mentioned, “For this cause God will send them the work of flattery” (2 Thess. 2:10). In each of these contexts, the reasons are provided for why individuals are abandoned either to wrongful desires, misguided perceptions, or to the inclinations of their hearts, which ultimately lead them to the consequences of their errors. Similarly, in this instance, God has permitted mankind to engage in harmful distractions, allowing them to amuse themselves with it, due to the choices they have made out of their own free will and desires.