The futility of false doctrines and the diminishing of truth
It is so; no longer is the rider a rider. And the truths began to act, because they had been diminished. Gapped by Gapped way Gapped history. For if the 'belly' and its 'foods' are 'nullified', when Gapped life Gapped and the world Gapped the Gapped 'the truths began to act' Gapped not being the 'truth-telling ones' Gapped that they are not of God.
He indeed says in Jeremiah to the false prophets who mix the logical things with 'chaff'; if the 'chaff' is 'grain' to the wind—'the Lord says, are my words not like grain?' (Jeremiah 23:28)—the 'words of grain' are those of God. Those able to divide them and to refine and to prepare, these are 'truth-telling' or 'truths', so that I may speak femininely according to the word. Those dividing ecclesiastically the 'words' of God, being 'grain', make nourishing breads and bring 'fine flour' to the altar; for there are also sacrifices offered through 'fine flour'. Those from the heterodox, not dividing the 'words' of God as is necessary, but dividing them errantly and unto impiety, 'truth-tell' badly. The 'flour' of these is 'rejected', serving neither for sacrifice nor for food.
In Hosea, therefore, he says to the prophet: 'Why have you passed over impiety, and endured its iniquities, and eaten false fruit?' (Hosea 8:7). Then he says: 'You have sown corruption with the wind, and this destruction; a whirlwind had no strength to make flour' (Hosea 8:7). This is badly 'hidden' from the 'truth-telling one'. In the same way also concerning the intelligible things and Gapped in the Gospel Gapped 'to be two in the field, one being taken and one being left' (Matthew 24:40); and 'two being truths, one is taken Gapped it is left' Gapped; these are those who sow Gapped Gapped with them Gapped having been given.
They sow something and from it they 'forgive' again, 'receiving' by the same scripture, and it 'is forgiven' as 'I have sown without fruit' toward someone. Not 'leaven' is it, not 'leaven' true, not the 'leaven' which is able to be produced and to be brought forward as a sacrifice.
Concerning this futility, in Isaiah it says: 'If you bring spelt, it is in vain; a memorial in vain is to me' (Isaiah 55:13). Nor does the 'memorial' have the 'fragrance' of 'incense'; therefore 'it is an abomination.' Nor does the 'spelt' have anything useful for being made into bread or to be brought forward as a sacrifice; therefore 'it is in vain.'
These then, the 'truths' which are praiseworthy, have 'diminished'; for they no longer clarify the scriptures, since the space has been collapsed, having reached the end of this age. The 'truths' therefore 'diminished, because they were made few'; as much as is upon you, you have made them 'few,' you have constructed them weakly.
Moreover, is it not because of this, as the time no longer permits, that they do not 'be true'?—to the extent that they have been diminished for these people; do not diminish the 'fewness' here in terms of number, but of their power and strength. But has their strength become less beyond the time? For you think that as far as possible these 'truths' do not 'be true' even after this, for those able to be nourished by them.
They 'were made few,' because the greater part of those being nourished was diminished and fell away from seeking such nourishment. Moreover, do we not also receive this inappropriately there, with 'and the sun was darkened' (Matthew 27:45)?—and concerning the 'light' and the 'sun' let us say that, although it seemed to 'be darkened' regarding those, they 'were not darkened.' Again, therefore, I say as toward these men...
Greek
ἐστιν, οὐκέτ̣ι̣ ὁ ἱπ πεὺς ἱππεύς ἐστιν. 12,3c καὶ ἤρ̣γησα̣ν αἱ ἀλήθουσαι, ὅτι ὠλιγώθησαν. ? ἐκ π····ς̣ τρόπου ···α······χει ἱσ̣τορι´̣ αν. εἰ γὰρ "καταργεῖται" ἡ "κοιλ̣ία" 54 καὶ τὰ "βρώματα" αὐτῆς, ὅταν ······ ὁ βίος ····ς καὶ ὁ κόσμος περιτ τὸν το······ "ἤργησαν αἱ ἀλήθουσαι" ······ οὐκε´̣ τι ὄντων τῶν "ἀληθομένων" λ·············τ̣ο ὅτι οὐ τοῦ θεοῦ ········? εἰσιν. λέγει γοῦν ἐν Ἰ ηρεμίᾳ πρὸς τοὺς ψευδοπροφήτας τοὺς ἐπιμειγνύοντας 346 τὰ λογικὰ "ἀχύροις"· εἰ τὸ "ἄχυρον" πρὸς τὸν ἄνεμον "σῖτον"–"λέγει κύριος, οὐχ ὥσπερ σῖτος οἱ λόγοι μου;"–, οἱ τοῦ θεοῦ "λόγοι σῖτός" εἰσιν. οἱ δυνάμενοι διαιρεῖν αὐτοὺς καὶ λεπτύνειν καὶ παρασκευάζειν, οὗτοι "ἀλήθοντές" εἰσιν ἢ "ἀλήθουσαι", ἵνα θηλυκῶς εἴπω κατὰ τὴν λέξιν. οἱ ἐκκλησιαστικῶς διαιροῦντες τοὺς "λόγους" τοῦ θεοῦ, "σῖτον" ὄντα, τροφίμους ἄρτους ποιοῦσιν καὶ "σιμίδαλιν" προςάγουσιν εἰς τὸ θυσιαστήριον· εἰσὶν γὰρ καὶ θυσίαι διὰ "σιμιδά λεως" προσφερόμεναι. οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ἑτεροδόξων οὐχ ὡς δεῖ διαιροῦντες τοὺς τοῦ θεοῦ "λόγους" ἀλλ' ἐσφαλμένως καὶ εἰς ἀσέβειαν αὐτοὺς α··ν̣τες κακῶς "ἀλήθουσιν". τούτων τὸ "ἄλευρον" "ἐκβλητόν" ἐστιν, οὐδὲ εἰς θυσίαν οὐδὲ εἰς τροφὴν χρησιμεῦον. ἐν Ὠσῆε γοῦν τῷ προφήτῃ λέγει· "ἵνα τί παρεσιωπήσατε ἀσέβειαν καὶ τὰς ἀδικίας αὐτῆς ἐτρυ γήσατε, ἐφάγετε καρπὸν ψευδῆ;" εἶτα λέγει· "ἀνεμό φθορα ἔσπειραν, καὶ ἡ καταστροφὴ αὕτη· δράγμα οὐκ ἔσχον ἰσχὺν τοῦ ποιῆσαι ἄλευρον". τοῦτο κακῶς "ἀ λήθεται" παρὰ τὴν "ἀλήθουσαν". ἐν ταὐτῷ δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν νοητῶν καὶ ··········· ····························· ἐν εὐα̣γ̣γ̣ελίῳ ·· ······················ "δύο̣ εἶναι ἐν τ̣ῳ῀̣ ἀγρ̣ῷ, ἕνα παραλαμβανόμεν̣ο̣ν̣ κ̣α̣ι`̣ ἕν̣α̣ ἀφ̣ιε´̣μενον"· και`̣ "δ̣ύο ἀλήθουσα̣ι, μία παραλαμβάνεται ······ ἀφ̣ι´̣ε̣ται" ······················· οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ σπείροντες ··ο? ······ρ········τ̣α̣ι̣ ···· ·········ν̣ αὐτοῖς δεδωκότος ·····ην ···· σπείροντες καὶ ἐξ αὐτη̣············ν "ἀφίενται" πάλιν ·····α̣γ̣α······?·······ρ············ "παραλαμβανομένου" κ····················· α̣υτω··············τη αὐτῇ γραφῇ καὶ α······ ··········ωσ················ "ἀφίεται" ὡς "ἀνε μόφ̣θορα̣ σπείρασα" ··χ̣υν·················· προς τ̣ινα ?··νεν······ ···········ο̣······ ·········· "ἄλευρα" ου᾿̣κ "ἄλευρα" αληθ̣······ ·· ········φι···············τον "ἄλευρον", ὃ δύναται̣ 347 ········ γενε´̣σθαι καὶ εἰς θυσίαν προσενεχθῆναι. περὶ τῆς ματαίας ταύτης "σιμιδάλεως" ἐν Ἰσαΐᾳ λέγει· "ἐὰν προσφέρητε σιμίδαλιν, μάταιον, θυμίαμα μάταιόν μοί ἐστιν". οὐδὲ τὸ "θυμίαμα" ἔχει τὴν "θυμιάματος" "εὐωδίαν"· διὸ "βδέλυγμά ἐστιν"· οὐδὲ ἡ "σιμίδαλις" ἔχει τι χρήσιμον πρὸς τὸ ἀρτοποιηθῆναι ἢ εἰς θυσίαν προσενεχθῆναι· διὸ "μάταιόν ἐστιν". αὗται οὖν αἱ "ἀλήθουσαι" αἱ ἐπαινεταὶ "ἤργησαν"· οὐκέτι γὰρ σαφηνίζουσιν τὰς γραφὰς συνσταλέντος τοῦ χω ρίου, τέλος ἀπολαβόντος τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου. "ἤργησαν" οὖν αἱ "ἀλήθουσαι, ὅτι ὠλιγώθησαν"· τὸ ὅσον ἐφ' ὑμῖν, "ὀλίγας" αὐτὰς πεποιήκατε, ἀσθενεῖς αὐ τὰς κατεσκευάσατε. ἐπερ· οὐ διὰ τοῦτο ὡς τοῦ καιροῦ μηκέτι ἐπιτρέ ποντος "ἀλήθειν"; –τὸ ὅσον ἧκεν εἰς τούτους ἠλαττώθησαν· τὴν "ὀλίγω σιν" ὧδε μὴ ἐλάττωσιν τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ ἡγοῦ, ἀλλὰ τῆς δυνά μεως καὶ ἰσχύος αὐτῶν. ἐπερ· ἀλλὰ ἡ ἰσχὺς αὐτῶν παρὰ τὸν καιρὸν γέγονεν; – νομίζεις γὰρ ὅτι ὡς οἷόν τέ ἐστιν αἱ "ἀλήθουσαι" αὗται οὐκ "ἀλήθουσιν" καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα τοῖς δυναμένοις τρέ φεσθαι παρ' αὐτῶν. "ὠλιγώθησαν" δέ, ἐπειδὴ τὸ πλεῖον μέρος τῶν τρεφομένων ἠλαττώθη καὶ ἔξω γέγονεν τοῦ ζητεῖν τοιαύτην τροφήν. ἐπερ· οὐ καταλλήλως λαμβάνομεν καὶ τοῦτο ἐκεί νῳ τῷ "καὶ ἐσκοτίσθη ὁ ἥλιος"; – καὶ περὶ τοῦ "φωτὸς" οὖν καὶ τοῦ "ἡλίου" εἴπομεν ὅτι με`̣ν εἰς ἐκείνους ἔδοξα̣ν "σκοτίζεσθαι", οὐκ "ἐσκο τώθησαν" δέ. πάλιν οὖν λέγω ὡς πρὸς τούτους τοὺς ἀν
About this text
Didymus the Blind on Ecclesiastes.
Original English Translation — new OET from PG Greek.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.