This book is one of the most difficult books of the whole Scripture, which no one has yet completely recovered; indeed, it has been so corrupted by the improper interpretations of many that it is almost a greater task to cleanse and free the author from the dreams of those people that have been carried into it, than to show its right meaning. But there has been a twofold cause why this book has been exceedingly obscure to others. One is that they did not see the intention and the purpose (scopum) of the author; as one must hold and follow this in every kind of writings, so here it is most important that uian do this. The other cause comes from their ignorance of the Hebrew language and a certain peculiar way of speaking of the author, which often deviates from the usual use of language and is very far from our way of speaking. So it happened that this book, which is worth in many respects, that it would be daily in the hands of all people, and everyone, but especially the leaders of a community, would be known in the best way (because in the same is the right management of human affairs).
the private as well as the public, in the most beautiful way [graphice], and how
Nowhere else described), has been deprived of its name and dignity until now, and has lain there miserably despised, so that today we have neither custom nor fruit of it. Namely, so much has the sacrilege or ignorance of others been able to do. Therefore, this should be our first effort, that we note the certain purpose (scopum) of the book, what it strives for and what it has in mind. For if one does not know this, it is impossible to understand the writing and the manner of speaking.
Now it is the epitome and purpose of this book that Solomon may make us confident and calm of heart in the common affairs and cases of this life, so that we may live contentedly with what is present, without worry and desire of the future (as Paul [Phil. 4, 6.] says: "Worry nothing"), for worrying about the future makes futile sorrow.
However, it concludes Solomon by a kind of continuous introduction of individual things (in-
*This is the title of the Jena and Erlangen editions, but of the Wittenberg edition: "Wovon der Prediger Salomo handelt.
ductione) that the endeavors and efforts of individual men are vain and void, so that he draws a general conclusion from the individual, and shows that the endeavors of all men are vain. For he says [chap. 9:11] that to be skillful does not help to nourish, nor to be swift to run, nor to be strong to win; rather, the wiser, holier, busier a man wants to be, the less he accomplishes, and both wisdom and righteousness and his work will be in vain. Therefore, if neither this nor other things are anything, everything must necessarily be vain and futile.
But here the error and harmful delusion of very many people must be eradicated from the beginning, so that we do not think that the author is talking about the contempt of creatures, which the Scripture does not want to be despised and condemned at all. For everything that God has made is very good, and made for the use of men, which Paul says in very clear words in 1 Tim. 4:4 ff: "All creatures of God are good, and nothing reprehensible that is received with thanksgiving. For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer." Therefore it is foolish and ungodly that very many preachers direct their attacks against honor, authority, dignity, wealth, gold, good rumor, beautiful form, women, by publicly condemning God's creature. Authority or violence is divine order. The gold is good, and the wealth is given by God. A woman is something good and made a helper for the man. For God has made everything to be good and to serve man for some purpose.
Therefore, it is not the creatures that are condemned in this book, but the evil inclination and desire of men, since we are not satisfied with these present creatures of God and their use, but are always anxious and concerned to accumulate riches, to gain positions of honor, glory and great name, as if we were always living here, but in the meantime are weary of the things that are present, and always desire others, one after another. For this is the greatest vanity and lamentation, that one deprives oneself of the custom of the present goods and worries in vain about the future ones. This
I say that Solomon condemns the wrong inclinations and efforts of men in this book, not the creatures themselves; for he also says later [Cap. 5, 17. f.] of the custom of the creatures that there is nothing better for a man than that he should be of good cheer and spend his life happily, and eat and drink, and be cheerful in all his work etc., where he would quite contradict himself if he condemned things themselves, and not rather the abuse of things, which comes only from the wrong attitude of heart.
Since some foolish people did not understand this, they brought up the unreasonable doctrine of despising and fleeing the world, and they themselves also did many unreasonable things, as we read in the descriptions of the lives of the fathers that there were some who did not even want to look at the sun (they would certainly be worthy to have their eyes plucked out), and from perverse spirituality fed on the most meager; what one is to think of this is perfectly clear from what has been said before. For he does not rightly despise the world who lives alone and apart from men; he does not rightly despise gold who throws it away or touches no money, as the Franciscans do, but he who lives in the midst of these things and yet does not set his heart on them. This, then, is the first thing that those who wish to read Solomon must consider.
It should also be noted that in this book Solomon speaks of the human race in general and remains entirely within the limits of human nature, that is, he speaks of the efforts, the pretensions, and the desires of man and of human suggestions, so that we do not fall into the same conceit as the commentators, who think that here natural history is rejected, as well as astronomy and even the study of all philosophy, and teach that these things should be despised as futile games with thoughts, who think that natural history is here rejected, as well as astronomy and even the study of all philosophy, and teach that these things should be despised as futile and useless speculationes, while the usefulness of these arts is great and manifold, as can be seen every day. In addition, the study of the nature of things not only brings benefits, but also
great pleasure. The sacred Scriptures also point to things to set before us their qualities and powers, as the word of the 103rd Psalm, v. 5.: "Thou shalt grow young again, like an eagle." Likewise f5 Mos. 32, 11. Vulg.]: "As an eagle stirs up his young to fly." Likewise [Ps. 42, 2.]: "As the deer cries for fresh water"; and [Proverbs 6, 6.]: "Go to the ant, you lazy one," etc. Thus everything is full of images and parables taken from the nature of things, and whoever would take these away from the holy scripture, would at the same time also take away a great light from it.
The object of this book, or what it deals with (materia), is therefore the human race, which is so foolish that it seeks and strives for many things with its intentions, which it cannot attain; or if it attains them, it does not enjoy them, but possesses them with heartache and damage, for which not the things are to blame, but the exceedingly foolish endeavors of the heart. Julius Caesar had to do with the nobility of seizing dominion, but how many dangers, how great hardships did this bring him? When he had obtained it, he was not calm. He did not get what he wanted, but in his greatest effort to get more, he perished most miserably.
The same thing happens in all human endeavors. If things come in abundance, there is soon weariness; if they do not come in abundance, there is an insatiable desire to have them, and there is no rest. This naughtiness of the human heart was also seen by the pagan writers. For thus Ovid says:
Quod licet ingratum est, quod non licet acrius urit.
Quod sequitur fugio, quod fugit ipse sequor. [That which is permitted is held worthless, for that which is not permitted there is great desire; that which follows me I flee, that which flees me I follow]. Likewise [Horace]:
Nemo sua sorte contentus vivit, et intra
Fortunam didicit nemo manere suam.
[Niemaud is content with his fate, and no one has learned to live in the
position in life). This is the vanity of the human heart, that it is never satisfied with the present gifts of God, but rather holds them in low esteem, and always seeks others, one after another, and does not rest until it obtains what it desires; and when it has obtained it, it again despises it and looks for other things.
It is therefore (to say it again) the task and the intention of this book that it instructs us that we should use with thanksgiving the present things and creatures of God, which are abundantly given and bestowed upon us by the goodness of God, without worrying about the things to come, only that we may have a calm and quiet heart and a cheerful mind, namely by being satisfied with the word and the work of God. Thus he encourages us in the following [Cap. 9, 7-9.], that we should eat and drink and be merry with the wife of our youth [Proverbs 5, 18.], that we should not lack ointment for our head, and that we should let our clothes be white, as Christ says [Matth. 6:34], "It is enough for every day to have its own plague," and as Paul says [Rom. 13:14], "Take care of the body, but in this way, so that it does not become horny." If a man obeyed this, he would have a quiet and calm heart, and God would provide everything abundantly; but now man torments himself by a twofold evil, depriving himself of the custom of the present things, and tormenting himself in vain with the care of the things to come; or if there is a custom of things, it is only a bitter one.
Cicero, a man who was so great by eloquence, could have been quite happy in his hut, if he had known how to use calm. But since this good man always desires greater things, and presses in vain for the execution of his counsels, behold how great goods he deprives himself of, and loads misfortune and ruin upon his neck. Therefore St. Augustine says well: "You have commanded, O Lord, that the man who is not satisfied with his own should have a troubled heart as a punishment.
But whoever compares the goods he has. with the evils that he does not have, he will finally recognize how great a treasure of
goods he has. He who has healthy and undamaged eyes does not esteem this benefit of God very highly, nor does he delight in it; but if he were deprived of it, behold, with how great a treasure he would gladly buy it again. This is what is done with health, and this is what is done with all other things. If God gave me Cicero's eloquence, Caesar's power or Solomon's wisdom, I would not be satisfied, because we always seek what is not there, but despise what is; if one has no wife, one seeks her; if one has her, one becomes a man.
tired of them. We are quite similar to mercury, which does not stop anywhere. The human heart is so unstable; it is not worthy to enjoy even one of God's benefits. This misery of the human heart is attacked by Solomon in this book, and he punishes the inconstancy and vanity of the human heart, that it enjoys neither the present nor the future goods, since it does not recognize the benefits it has received, nor does it give thanks for them, and vainly pursues what it does not have; that is, in truth, hanging between heaven and earth.