The Life And Death Of Memories

Ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἔστι μνεία τοῦ σοφοῦ μετὰ τοῦ ἄφρονος εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Παροδικὰ μὲν γὰρ τὰ τοῦ βίου συμπτώματα, εἴτε καθέστηκε λυπηρὰ, περὶ ὦν φησιν· Καθότι ἤδη τὰ πάντα ἐπελήσθη· ἐπειδὴ χρόνου μικροῦ παραδραμόντος, λήθῃ τὰ συμβαίνοντα βιωτικὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις σβέννυται. Καὶ αὐτοὶ δὲ οἶς ταῦτα συμβένηκεν, οὐκ ὁμοίως μνημονεύονται, εἰ καὶ συμπτώμασι βιωτικοῖς παραπλησίως ὑπήντησαν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀπὸ τούτων μνημονεύονται, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἂν σοφίας ἔσχον ἢ ἀφροσύνης, ἀρετῆς ἢ κακίας. Τούτων γὰρ αἱ μνῆμαι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, διὰ τὰς ἐπ' αὐτοῖς ἀμοιβὰς, οὐ σβέννυνται. Διὰ τοῦτο ἀκολούθως ἐπήγαγε· Καὶ πῶς ἀποθανεῖται ὁ σοφὸς μετὰ τοῦ ἄφρονος; Θάνατος μὲν γὰρ ἁμαρτωλῶν πονηρός· μνήμη δὲ δικαίου μετ' ἐγκωμίων γίνεται· ὄνομα δὲ ἀσεβοῦς σβέννυται. Διονύσιος Αλεξανδρείας, Εἰς Τον Ἐκκλησιασην,  Κεφ Β' Source: Migne PG 10.1585

'For just as with the fool there is no remembrance of the wise man forever.' 1 For the things which befall in this life are transitory, even the painful incidents, concerning which he then says, 'As everything now shall be forgotten.' For after a short time has passed all the things that have befallen men in life perish in forgetfulness. And even those to whom these things have happened are not remembered alike, even if they have undergone similar chances in life. For they are not remembered for these things, but only as they took to wisdom or folly, virtue or vice. And these memories of men and how they acted concerning what befell them do not perish. For which reason this follows: 'And how shall the wise man die with the fool? The death of sinners is indeed evil, but the memory of the righteous comes with praise, and the name of the wicked is extinguished.' 2   Dionysius of Alexandria, from On Ecclesiastes, Chap 2 1 1 Eccl 2.16 2 Prov 10.7