Bede : Tropology (that is, a moral manner of speech) has regard to the establishment and correction of manners, pronounced in words that are either plain or figurative; in plain words, as when John admonishes, saying, "My little children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and in truth," or in figurative words, as when Solomon said: "Let your garments be always white and let not oil be lacking on your head," which is to say openly, "At all times let your works be pure and let not charity be lacking from your heart." — On the Tabernacle 1 Didymus the Blind : "You love righteousness and hate wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions." See, even the companions are anointed. But he himself was anointed before them, since he has not been anointed because of them, but they because of him. After all, they are called "Christ's companions," not Christ their companion. — COMMENTARY ON Ecclesiastes 273:13 Jerome : Because they can do no more under the sun, now he introduces the idea of human madness and habit, whereby men of this world encourage themselves in turn to enjoy good things; and prosopopoiian, using this in the manner of rhetoricians and poets, saying: "O man, since there is nothing for you after death, and death herself hears not my complaint, and while you live this brief life, take pleasure in enjoyment, hold feasts, suppress your worries with wine, and understand, since they are all given by God to be used by you. Wear white clothes, and let your head smell of ointments, and whichever woman pleases you, enjoy her embrace, thus lead this empty and vain life in empty and vain pleasure. For you will not have anything more than this, which you enjoy. Whatever you like, grasp quickly, lest it disappears. You shouldn't fear the vain things mentioned, for the reason for each individual work, either good or bad, will be given to you in the world of the dead. And there is no wisdom in death, no sense of this life after passing away." — COMMENTARY ON Ecclesiastes 9:8 Oresiesis-Heru-sa Ast : The Holy Spirit actually teaches us not to put things off from day to day but to do to our soul all the good that is possible. [This we do] to adorn it with every virtue worthy of heaven, so as to clothe it with brilliant vestments according to this agreeable voice: "Let your clothes be brilliant at all times; let your head not lack in oil." — INSTRUCTIONS 4:1 Origen of Alexandria : No one, therefore, can hear the Word of God unless he has first been sanctified, that is, unless he is "holy in body and spirit," unless he has washed his garments. For a little later he shall go in to the wedding dinner, he shall eat from the flesh of the lamb, he shall drink the cup of salvation. Let no one go in to this dinner with dirty garments. Wisdom also has commanded this elsewhere, saying, "Let your garments be clean at all times." For your garments were washed once when you came to the grace of baptism; you were purified in body; you were cleansed from all filth of flesh and spirit. — HOMILIES ON Exodus 11:7