Ecclesiastes 1:13

I thoughtfully examined and wisely learned the nature of everything on earth. I discovered that it was all very complex, because human beings are allowed to toil away on earth, wallowing about uselessly in various kinds of pretentious effort at various times.

These are the things which the true Ecclesiast recounts as he teaches, so I believe, the great mystery of salvation, the reason why God was revealed in flesh. "I gave my heart," he says, "to enquiring into and investigating by wisdom all that had come about under the heaven." This is the reason for the Lord's fleshly coming to dwell with humankind, to give his heart to investigating in his own wisdom what has come about under the heaven. What is above the heaven had no need of investigation, just as there is no need of a medical attendant for what is not in the grip of illness. So because the evils were on earth—for the creeping animal, the serpent which "crawls on its breast and on its belly," makes the earth its food, eating nothing from heaven; as it crawls on trodden ground it always looks at what treads on it, "watching for the traveler's heel" and injecting its venom into those who have lost "the power to tread upon serpents"—for this reason he gave his "heart to enquiring into and investigating all that has come about under the heaven."

I think that the true Ecclesiastes next teaches about the great mystery of salvation when God manifested himself in the flesh. "I applied my heart to seek out and examine by wisdom all things done under heaven." The reason for our Lord's dwelling with men is to give his heart over in wisdom to consider his actions done under the sun. For man is not allowed to consider what lies above heaven just as healthy persons do not require doctors. Evil belongs to the earth. A snake is a reptile which crawls on its belly, eats earth instead of food from heaven, crawls on anything trampled down and is always on the prowl. It watches for man's heel and injects poison in those who have lost the power to tread on serpents. For this reason Ecclesiastes gives his heart over to careful consideration of every activity done under heaven.

"I
applied my mind to seek and probe by wisdom all that happens beneath the sky -
it is a sorry task that God has given to the sons of man with which to be
concerned." Aquila, the Septuagint, and Theodotion have
all translated the Hebrew word "anian "similarly
as "peristasmon", which the interpreter
expressed as "occupied" in Latin [Hier.. "in distentionem".],
because the mind of man is torn asunder when occupied by several
anxieties. But Symmachus uses the Greek
word "ascholian", which means business [Hier.. "occupationem".]. Since therefore in this book it is more often
called either "occupationem", or "distentionem", or whatever else we have
called it, they all refer to the higher senses. Ecclesiastes therefore set his mind first of
all to the acquisition of wisdom, and pursuing this beyond what is allowed,
wanted to know the causes and reasoning why children are easily snatched by the
Devil; why the righteous and the wicked are equally punished in shipwrecks; and
whether these events happen as a result of fate, or by the decree of God. And if by fate, where is providence? If by
decree, where is God's justice? With
such desire to know these things, he said, I understand the great care and
torturing anxiety experienced in many things, which was given to man by God, in
order that he might desire to know that which he is not allowed to know. But the cause is inborn first, and God then
gives vexation. For it is written
similarly in the epistles to the Romans: ""On account of what did God give them up to the suffering of dishonour?""
[Rom. 1, 6.]
then again he says: ""On account of
what did He give them up to uncleanness, so that they did what was not allowed"". [Rom. 1, 28.] And then: ""On account of which God gave them up to desire for their uncleanness"". [Rom. 1, 24.] And to the Thessalonians: ""And for this cause God will send them strong
delusion."" [II Thess. 2, 10.] But the causes why they succumb were revealed
earlier: either by the suffering of dishonour, or by vile affections, or by the
longing in their heart, or whatever it is they do to receive strong
delusion. In this way and because of
their effectiveness God gave this wicked 'occupation' to man, with which to be
concerned, because he did these things first voluntarily and entirely of his
own will.

Here curiosity itself is touched upon, because he wished to know all things and to investigate them subtly. Therefore he says: "And I proposed in my mind to seek," namely from another, "and to investigate wisely," by myself; and this is curiosity; Romans twelve: "Not to be wise more than it behooves one to be wise, but to be wise unto sobriety"; whence Proverbs twenty-five: "You have found honey; eat what is sufficient for you, lest perhaps being sated you vomit it up." "Concerning all things that are done under the sun." Behold, a greater curiosity, because concerning all things: Ecclesiasticus three: "Do not search into superfluous things in many ways, and do not be curious about his many works; for many things beyond the understanding of men have been shown to you."

"This most wretched occupation." Here the severity of divine judgment is touched upon: because by divine judgment, on account of the sin of the first parent, it came about that our rational faculty so readily indulges itself in the knowledge of earthly things. On account of which he says: "This most wretched occupation," because it is not only blameworthy but also penal; "God gave to the sons of men," that is, he permitted it to be given; or by reason of its penal character he gave it in a just manner; "that they might be occupied in it," and thereby be forgetful of their salvation.

Whence it should be noted that there is an evil occupation, which is from weakness: concerning this, Ecclesiasticus forty: "A great occupation is created for all men, and a heavy yoke upon the sons of Adam, from the day of their going out of their mother's womb even to the day of their burial into the mother of all."

There is a worse occupation, which is from ignorance, concerning which Job three: "Let darkness and the shadow of death obscure it; let a mist occupy it, and let it be wrapped in bitterness."

The third is from curiosity, and this is the worst, and of this he speaks here.

And it should be noted that "occupation, as Hugh says, is a distraction of the mind which turns away and distracts and ensnares the soul, so that it cannot think about the things that pertain to salvation." Curiosity, however, is the lustful prostitution of the human intellect, indiscriminately embracing any truth whatsoever and committing adultery with it, because the First Truth alone is the spouse.

But here it is asked concerning what he says: "This most wretched occupation."

Against: This is sin: therefore God gave sin.

If you say: "He gave," that is, He permitted it to be given; but similarly He permitted stealing: therefore it would be rightly said that God steals.

I respond: "Sins that are midway between the first apostasy and the final punishment are both punishment and fault"; but some express more the character of fault, and some more the character of punishment: those which express more the character of punishment are attributed to the just judgment of God, and such is occupation and blindness of this kind.