A Problem Of Knowledge

Ὅτι ἐν πλήθει σοφίας πλῆθος γνώσεως καὶ ὁ προστιθεὶς γνῶσιν προσθήσει ἄλγημα. Ἐφυσιώθην μάτην καὶ προσέθηκα σοφίαν, οὐχ ἣνἔδωκεν ὁ θεός, ἀλλὰ περὶ ἧς φησιν ὁ Παῦλος· ἡ σοφία τοῦ κόσμου τούτου μωρία παρὰ τῷ θεῷ ἐστιν. Σολομὼν γὰρ καὶ ταύτην ἐπεπαίδευτο ὑπὲρ τὴν φρόνησιν ὑπὲρ πάντων τῶν ἀρχαίων. Δείκνυσιν οὖν ταύτης τὸ μάταιον, ὡς δηλοῖ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· καὶ ἡ καρδία μου εἶδε πολλά, σοφίαν καὶ γνῶσιν, παραβολὰς καὶ ἐπιστήμην ἔγνων· σοφίαν δὲ καὶ γνῶσιν οὐ τὴν ἀληθῆ, ἀλλ' ἥτις κατὰ Παῦλον φυσιοῖ. Εἶπε δέ, καθὰ γέγραπται, καὶ τρισχιλίας παραβολάς, ἀλλ' οὐ τὰς ἐν πνεύματι, ἀλλ' οἷαι τῇ κοινῇ πολιτείᾳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἁρμόττουσιν, οἷον περὶ ζῴων ἢ φαρμάκων. Διὸ καὶ ἀποσκώπτων ἐπήγαγεν· ἔγνων ὅτι καί γε τοῦτό ἐστι προαίρεσις πνεύματος. Πλῆθος δὲ γνώσεως, οὐ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος, ἀλλ' ὅπερ ὁ ἄρχων ἐνεργεῖ τούτου τοῦ κόσμου, καὶ ἐπιπέμπει σκελίσαι τὰς ψυχάς, πολυπραγμονεῖν οὐρανοῦ μέτρα, γῆς θέσιν, θαλάσσης πέρατα. Ἀλλ' ὁ προστιθεὶς τούτων γνῶσιν προστίθησιν ἄλγημα. Ἐρευνῶσι γὰρ τὰ τούτων βαθύτερα· τίς ἡ χρεία τοῦ τὸ πῦρ ἄνω χωρεῖν, τὸ δὲ ὕδωρ κάτω; Καὶ μαθόντες ὅτι τὸ μὲν ὡς κοῦφον, τὸ δὲ ὡς βαρύ, προστιθέασιν ἄλγημα· καὶ διὰ τί μὴ ἀνάπαλιν; Διονύσιος Αλεξανδρείας, Εἰς Τον Ἐκκλησιασην, Κεφ Α' Source: Migne PG 10.1578c-1580b

For in multitude of wisdom is a multitude of knowledge, and he who adds to knowledge adds to sorrow. 1 I was vainly puffed up and added to wisdom, not that which God has given, but that concerning which Paul says, 'The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.' 2 For in this Solomon also had learning surpassing prudence beyond all the ancients. So he shows the vanity of it, as is clear in what follows: 'And my heart knew many things, wisdom and knowledge and parables, and the understanding of the those who know.' 3 But this was not true wisdom or knowledge, but that which, according to Paul, puffs up. 4 But he spoke, as it is written, even three thousand parables, 5 but not of the spiritual kind, only such as suit the common organisation of men, as things about animals or medicines. Which considered leads to: 'I knew that this also is the spirit's choice.' 3 But this multitude of knowledge is not of the Holy Spirit but that which the prince of this world fashions and which he lets loose to wither souls, with much labouring about the measures of heaven, the position of earth, the bounds of the sea. But he adds: 'He who adds to knowledge adds to sorrow.' For they enquire into things deeper than these, as: what is the need for fire to go upward and water to go downward? And when they have learned that it is because one is light and the other heavy, they add to sorrow; for the question still remains: why might it not be the reverse? Dionysius of Alexandria, On Ecclesiastes, Chap 1 1 Eccles 1.18 2 1 Cor 3.19 3 Eccles 1.17 4 1 Cor 8.1 5 3 Kings 4.32