THEOSISGregory of Nyssa
What follows addresses those who cling to earthly existence, viewing death as a daunting prospect. They believe that for those who pursue a higher calling, living virtuously offers no advantage, as ultimately, all life culminates at the same endpoint. Consequently, even if one achieves a more righteous life, death remains inevitable. Ecclesiastes, speaking for himself, presents objections against such thinking, reproaching those who disregard the essence of reality. He delineates the distinction between righteousness and wrongdoing, illustrating that no equal esteem can be derived from either, for it is the outcomes of our actions—benefits or consequences—that reveal this disparity.
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This argument is succinctly expressed: I have declared that a single fate awaits everyone. I pondered, "Just as the fate of the fool, so will mine be; why should I strive for more?" I considered that the fool's excessive speech is mere vanity. Indeed, the memory of the wise does not endure alongside that of the fool eternally, as all will be forgotten in time. How, then, can the wise perish alongside the foolish? Ecclesiastes grapples with this issue, asserting that if death is the same for both the wise and the foolish, and wisdom does not preserve one from death, then the pursuit of wisdom brings vanity upon me.
What is the counter to this notion? "I have spoken excessively," he says in his heart, "for the fool's words overflow with vanity." Thus, Ecclesiastes denounces this argument as unnecessary and irrational, labeling such musings as folly—unworthy of being cherished and not hailing from true wisdom, merely spewed forth without substance. In this manner, such discourse is futile, as it seeks to dismiss the tangible realities of life. Yet the critic engages only with the visible, acknowledging that death is an observable reality.
So what does he assert? In this life, there is no assessment of virtue and vice; the wicked ought to perish in body, while the virtuous would escape death. He states this, unaware of the eternal nature of virtue and the fate of the wicked. Ecclesiastes asserts that the legacy of the wise endures, lasting through the ages, while the memory of the foolish fades. The Prophet echoes this notion: "Their memory perishes" (Psalm 9:7). This is further illustrated with the term "with noise," highlighting the contrast. Ecclesiastes declares, "There is no remembrance of the wise with the foolish forever"; rather, the wise live on in remembrance, while the foolish are shrouded in forgetfulness. "In the days to come," all associated with the foolish will be forgotten, expressed as if the future has already arrived, "and all things were forgotten."
If the wise pursue wisdom while the foolish are doomed to oblivion, Ecclesiastes questions, "How can you claim that the wise shall perish with the foolish?" He laments and feels shame over his past desires, voicing hatred for all he once sought in this earthly life. It is akin to someone who, having indulged in honey mixed with something distasteful, eventually regretfully expels it, remembering the unpleasantness along with the sweetness and thus growing to despise honey for the disorder caused by excess. Therefore, having indulged in life’s fleeting pleasures, and through the process of reflection and confession, Ecclesiastes expresses his disdain, declaring: "I have hated life, for the creation that occurs under the sun is grievous to me."