ST. JEROME: COMMENTARY ON ECCLESIASTES

TRANSLATED, AND EDITED WITH A COMMENTARY,

BY

RICHARD J. GOODRICH AND DAVID J. D. MILLER

THE NEWMAN PRESS

New York/Mahwah, NJ

Caseside design by Lynn Else

Book design by Lynn Else

Copyright © 2012

by

Richard J. Goodrich and David J. D. Miller

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the Publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Jerome, Saint, d. 419 or 20.

[Commentarius in Ecclesiasten. English]

St. Jerome: commentary on Ecclesiastes / translated and edited with a commentary by Richard J. Goodrich And David J. D. Miller.

p. cm.—(Ancient Christian writers; no. 66)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-8091-0601-1 (alk. paper)—ISBN 978-1-61643-090-0

1. Bible. O. T. Ecclesiastes-Commentaries-Early works to 1800. 2. Jerome, Saint, d. 419 or 20. Commentarius in Ecclesiasten. I. Goodrich, Richard J., 1962-II. Miller, David, 1935 Nov. 11-III. Title. IV. Title: Saint Jerome. V. Title: Commentary on Ecclesiastes.

BS1475.53.J4713 2012

223′.8077—dc23

2011035415

Published by The Newman Press

an imprint of Paulist Press

997 Macarthur Boulevard

Mahwah, New Jersey 07430

www.paulistpress.com

Ancient Christian Writers

THE WORKS OF THE FATHERS IN TRANSLATION

ADVISORY BOARD

Boniface Ramsey, Chair

John Dillon

Jeremy Driscoll

Thomas Macy Finn

Thomas L. Knoebel

Joseph Lienhard

John A. McGuckin

No. 66

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Commentary on Ecclesiastes

Preface

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Appendix: Textual Notes

Bibliography

Index

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

In creating this work we have received a great deal of help from a number of people. In particular we would like to thank the following: Gillian Clark, Sam Giere, Dennis McManus, Eva Schulz-Flügel, and David Sedley. We would also like to thank those at Paulist Press who have worked with us to bring this work to press: the late Lawrence Boadt, Nancy de Flon and Paul McMahon; and Maurya Horgan and Paul Kobelski of the HK Scriptorium. Finally, we must acknowledge our debt to those who have suffered the most during our long hours spent among dusty tomes and at the keyboards. Richard would like to thank his wife, Mary, and his daughters, Ann and Grace, for tolerating his frequent mental absences and unfortunate obsession with Jerome. David would like to say the same of his wife, Ida.

INTRODUCTION

Life

Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus,1 St. Jerome, was born around the year AD 345, somewhere along the western coast of the Balkan peninsula (the Roman province of Dalmatia, modern Croatia). He lists his hometown as Stridon,2 a village that was located on the border between Dalmatia and Pannonia. Beyond these details, we actually know very little about ...