Early Church Fathers Scripture Index : Texts

Ecclesiastes 7:20

There are 4 footnotes for this reference.

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 1, Volume 5, page 172, footnote 13 (Image)

Augustine: Anti-Pelagian Writings

A Treatise Concerning Man’s Perfection in Righteousness. (HTML)

The Sixth Passage. (HTML)

CCEL Footnote 1542 (In-Text, Margin)

He has also adduced this passage of Scripture, which is very commonly quoted against his party: “For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.”[Ecclesiastes 7:20] And he makes a pretence of answering it by other passages,—how, “the Lord says concerning holy Job, ‘Hast thou considered my servant Job? For there is none like him upon earth, a man who is blameless, true, a worshipper of God, and abstaining from every evil thing.’” On this passage we have already made some remarks. But he has not even attempted to show us how, on the one hand, Job was absolutely sinless upon ...

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 1, Volume 5, page 173, footnote 1 (Image)

Augustine: Anti-Pelagian Writings

A Treatise Concerning Man’s Perfection in Righteousness. (HTML)

The Sixth Passage. (HTML)

CCEL Footnote 1545 (In-Text, Margin)

... my servant Job? For there is none like him upon earth, a man who is blameless, true, a worshipper of God, and abstaining from every evil thing.’” On this passage we have already made some remarks. But he has not even attempted to show us how, on the one hand, Job was absolutely sinless upon earth,—if the words are to bear such a sense; and, on the other hand, how that can be true which he has admitted to be in the Scripture, “There is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.”[Ecclesiastes 7:20]

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 1, Volume 7, page 369, footnote 9 (Image)

Augustine: Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homilies on the First Epistle of John, Soliloquies

Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John. (HTML)

Chapter XVI. 8–11. (HTML)

CCEL Footnote 1547 (In-Text, Margin)

... he is a sinner, will any one imagine that a righteous man is also to be reproved because he is righteous? Surely not. For if at any time a righteous man also is reproved, he is rightly reproved on this account, that, according to Scripture, “There is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.” And accordingly, when a righteous man is reproved, he is reproved of sin, and not of righteousness. Since in that divine utterance also, where we read, “Be not made righteous over-much,”[Ecclesiastes 7:20] there is notice taken, not of the righteousness of the wise man, but of the pride of the presumptuous. The man, therefore, that becomes “righteous over-much,” by that very excess becomes unrighteous. For he makes himself righteous over-much who says ...

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 2, Volume 6, page 273, footnote 7 (Image)

Jerome: Letters and Select Works

The Letters of St. Jerome. (HTML)

To Ctesiphon. (HTML)

CCEL Footnote 3784 (In-Text, Margin)

... fairest skins. Many of our writers, it is true, unwisely, take this course; however, a few sentences of scripture will dispose alike of the heretics and the philosophers. What says the chosen vessel? “God had concluded all in unbelief that he might have mercy upon all;” and in another place, “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” The preacher also who is the mouthpiece of the Divine Wisdom freely protests and says: “there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth not:”[Ecclesiastes 7:20] and again, “if thy people sin against thee, for there is no man that sinneth not:” and “who can say, I have made my heart clean?” and “none is clean from stain, not even if his life on earth has been but for one day.” David insists on the same thing ...