Seeking Causes

Et dedi cor meum ad inquirendum et considerandum in sapientia de omnibus quae fiunt sub sole. Hanc occupationem malam dedit Deus filiis hominum, ut occuparentur in ea.   Verbum Anian Aquila, Septuaginta, et Theodotio περιπασμὸν similiter transtulerunt, quod in distentionem Latinus interpres expressit, eo quod in varias sollicitudines mens hominis distenta lanietur. Symmachus vero ἀσχολίαν, id est, occupationem transtulit. Quia igitur saepius in hoc volumine nominatur, sive occupationem, sive distentionem, sive quid aliud dixerimus, ad superiorem sensum cuncta referantur. Dedit ergo Ecclesiastes primo omnium mentem suam ad sapientuam requirendam, et citra licitum se extendens, voluit causas rationesque cognoscere: quare parvuli corriperentur a daemone, cur naufragia et justos et impios pariter absorberent; utrum haec et his similia casu evenirent, an judicio Dei. Et si casu, ubi provendentia? si judicio, ubi iusitia Dei. Haec, inquit, nosse desiderans, intellexi superfluam curam et sollicitiudinem per diversa cruciantem a Deo hominibus datam, ut scire cupiant, quod scire non licitum est. Pulchre autem causa praemissa, a Deo data distentio est. Quomodo enim in Epistola ad Romanos scribitur: Propter quod tradidit eos Deus in passiones ignominae. Et iterum: Propter quod tradidit eos Deus in reprobum sensum, ut faciant quae non oportet. Ac deinde: Propterea tradidit eos Deus in desideria cordis in immunditiam. Et ad Thessalonicenses: Propterea mittet eis Deus operantionem erroris. Et prius causae ostenduntur, quare vel passionibus ignominae, vel sensui reprobo, vel cordis sui desideriis concedantur, aut quid fecerint, ut operationem erroris accipiant. Ita et in praesentiarum idcirco Deus distentionem malam dedit hominibus, ut distendantur in ea, quia prius sponte sua et propria voluntate haec vel illa fecerunt. Sanctus Hieronymous, Commentarius Ecclesiasten, Liber I

'And I gave my heart to enquiring and considering in wisdom all the things that are beneath the sun. This evil occupation God has given to the sons of men, that they be occupied by it. 1  The Hebrew word 'Anian' Aquila, the Septuagint and Theodotion translate similarly as περιπασμὸν, which is expressed in our language as pursuit, that is, when by the various cares the mind of man is stretched and torn. Symmachus has ἀσχολίαν, which is translated as occupation. And so what is often named in this book as occupation or pursuit, or some other name, all refer to the meaning given. Ecclesiastes thus first gives his mind to the seeking of wisdom and as far as he may he stretches himself, wishing to know causes and reasons, why little ones are taken by death, why both the righteous and the impious are destroyed in a shipwreck, whether there are similar matters of chance determining these things, or whether it is a matter of the judgement of God. And if it is by chance, then where is providence? And if it is by judgement, then where is the justice of God? These things, he says, desiring to know, I understand as an overwhelming care and anxiety through the different troubles God has given to man, that they long to know what it is not permitted to know. Beautiful is a cause given in advance, God gives the pursuit of it. It is written in the Letter to the Romans, 'On account of which God gave them to disgraceful passions 2 And again 'On account on which God gave them to a depraved mind, that they do what they should not 3 And then 'Thus God gave them to the uncleanliness in the desires of their heart.' 4 And to the Thessalonians it is said: 'Therefore God sent to them the working of error.' 5 And what is said before these lines I have quoted show the causes, that is, why they fall into disgraceful passions, or into depraved minds, or to the desires of their heart, or whatever they may do when they take to the doing of wrong. Thus in this giving God gives men to evil pursuits, that they pursue them, because before man out of his own accord and his own will this or that would do. Saint Jerome, Commentary on Ecclesiastes, Book 1 1 Eccl 1.13 2. Rom 1.6 3 Rom 1.28  4 Rom 1.24  5 2 Thes 2.10