I sought in my heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting my heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the sons of men, which they should do under heaven all the days of their life.
All Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 2:3 Go To Ecclesiastes 2
Gregory of Nyssa
AD 394
But I, he says, sought the true good, which is equally good at any age and every time of life, and of which satiety is not expected or fullness found. Appetite for it and partaking of it are exactly matched, and longing flourishes together with enjoyment and is not limited by the attainment of what is desired. The more it delights in the good, the more desire flames up with delight; the delight matches the desire, and at each stage of life it is always a lovely thing to those who partake of it. Amid the changes of age and time the good alters not at all; when our eyes are closed and when they are open, when we are happy and when we are sorrowful, by day and by night, on land and on the sea, active and at rest, ruling and serving—for every person alive [the good] is equally absolutely good, since the accidents inflicted on one by chance make it neither worse nor better, nor smaller nor larger. This, as I understand it, is the good that truly is, the thing Solomon sought to see, which people will do under the sun throughout all the number of the days of their life. This seems to me to be none other than the work of faith, the performance of which is common to all, available on equal terms to those who wish for it, lasting in full strength continuously throughout life. This is the good work, which I pray may be done in us too, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be the glory forever and ever.
