Origen

“ By Solomon in the Proverbs we find some such rule as this enjoined respecting the divine doctrines of Scripture: [66] “And do thou portray them in a threefold manner, in counsel and knowledge, to answer words of truth to them who propose them to thee.” [67] The individual ought, then, to portray the ideas of holy Scripture in a threefold manner upon his own soul; in order that the simple man may be edified by the “flesh,” as it were, of the Scripture, for so we name the obvious sense; while he who has ascended a certain way (may be edified) by the “soul,” as it were. ”

“ If, then, Israel is among the race of souls, [127] and if there is in heaven a city of Jerusalem, it follows that the cities of Israel have for their metropolis the heavenly Jeru­salem, and it consequently is the metrop­olis of all Judea. Whatever, therefore, is predicted of Jerusalem, and spoken of it, if we listen to the words of Paul as those of God, and of one who utters wisdom, we must understand the Scriptures as speaking of the heavenly city, and of the whole ter­ritory included within the cities of the holy land. ”

“ And let one notice also the universal advent of the apostles sent by Jesus to announce the Gospel, and he will see both that the undertaking was beyond human power, and that the commandment came from God. And if we examine how men, on hearing new doctrines, and strange words, yielded themselves up to these teachers, being overcome, amid the very desire to plot against them, by a divine power that watched over these (teachers) , we shall not be incredulous as to whether they also wrought miracles, God bearing witness to their words both by signs, and wonders, and divers miracles. ”

“ Israelites refer their descent to the rulers of the people, and the rulers of the people to the patriarchs, and the patriarchs to Jacob, and those still higher up; while are not the “spiritual” Israelites, of whom the “corporeal” Israelites were the type, sprung from the families, and the families from the tribes, and the tribes from some one individual whose descent is not of a “corporeal” but of a better kind,—he, too, being born of Isaac, and he of Abraham,—all going back to Adam, whom the apostle declares to be Christ? ”

“ Such, then, being the state of the case, the apostle, elevating our power of discernment (above the letter) , says some­where, “Behold Israel after the flesh,” [119] as if there were an Israel “according to the Spirit.” And in another place he says, “For they who are the children of the flesh are not the children of God;” nor are “they all Israel who are of Israel;” [120] nor is “he a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is that ‘circumcision’ which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew who is one ‘inwardly;’ and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the let­ter.” ”

“ And who is so foolish as to suppose that God, after the manner of a husbandman, planted a paradise in Eden, towards the east, and placed in it a tree of life, visible and palpable, so that one tasting of the fruit by the bodily teeth obtained life? ”

“ For every beginning of those families which have rela­tion to God as to the Father of all, took its commencement lower down with Christ, who is next to the God and Father of all, [122] being thus the Father of every soul, as Adam is the father of all men. And if Eve also is intended by the apostle to refer to the Church, it is not surprising that Cain, who was born of Eve, and all after him, whose descent goes back to Eve, should be types of the Church, inasmuch as in a pre-eminent sense they are all descended from the Church. ”

“ For if the judgment respecting the “Jew inwardly” be adopted, we must understand that, as there is a “bodily” race of Jews, so also is there a race of “Jews inwardly,” the soul having acquired this nobility for certain mysterious reasons. Moreover, there are many prophecies which predict regarding Israel and Judah what is about to befall them. And do not such promises as are written concerning them, in respect of their being mean in expres­sion, and manifesting no elevation (of thought) , nor anything worthy of the prom­ise of God, need a mystical interpretation? ”

“ And, in the first place, this must be pointed out, that the object of the Spirit, which by the providence of God, through the Word who was in the begin­ning with God, illuminated the ministers of truth, the prophets and apostles, was especially (the communication) of ineffa­ble mysteries regarding the affairs of men (now by men I mean those souls that make use of bodies) , in order that he who is capable of instruction may by investiga­tion, and by devoting himself to the study of the profundities of meaning contained in the words, become a participator of all the doctrines of his counsel. ”

“ For “the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.” [130] Let us notice, then, whether the apparent and superficial and obvious meaning of Scripture does not resemble a field filled with plants of every kind, while the things lying in it, and not visible to all, but buried, as it were, under the plants that are seen, are the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge ”

“ And it was necessary also that the subject of kindred beings, and other ration­al creatures, both those who are divine and those who have fallen from blessed­ness, together with the reasons of their fall, should be contained in the divine teaching; and also that of the diversities of souls, and of the origin of these diver­sities, and of the nature of the world, and the cause of its existence. We must learn also the origin of the great and terrible wickedness which overspreads the earth, and whether it is confined to this earth only, or prevails elsewhere. ”

“ Wherefore, since a celestial or even a super-celestial power compels us to worship the only Creator, let us leave the doctrine of the beginning of Christ, i.e., the elements, [38] and endeavour to go on to perfection, in order that the wisdom spoken to the perfect may be spoken to us also. ”

“ For, to grant the possibility of one being “offended” by the sense of sight, how, when there are two eyes that see, should the blame be laid upon the right eye? And who is there that, con­demning himself for having looked upon a woman to lust after her, would rationally transfer the blame to the right eye alone, and throw it away? ”

“ But if in every part of the Scriptures the superhuman element of thought [31] does not seem to present itself to the uninstructed, that is not at all wonderful for, with respect to the works of that providence which embraces the whole world, some show with the utmost clearness that they are works of provi­dence, while others are so concealed as to seem to furnish ground for unbelief with respect to that God who orders all things with unspeakable skill and power. ”

“ And yet not only would the legislators have liked to enforce those laws which appeared to be good, if possible, upon the whole human race, but the teachers also to have spread what they imagined to be truth everywhere throughout the world. ”

“ And in the Epistle to the Colossians, briefly abridging the meaning of the whole legislation, he says: “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a festival, or of a new moon, or of Sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come.” [79] Moreover, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, discoursing of those who belong to the circumcision, he writes: “who serve for an ensample and shadow of heavenly things.” ”

“ Nor would any man of understanding interpret what is said in Ezekiel about Egypt—viz., that in forty years it should be laid desolate, so that the footstep of man should not be found there­on, and that the ravages of war should be so great that the blood should run through­out the whole of it, and rise to the knees—of that Egypt which is situated beside the Ethiopians whose bodies are blackened by the sun. ”

“ And if we go to the Gospel and institute a similar examination, what would be more irrational than (to take literally the injunction) , “Salute no man by the way,” [99] which simple persons think the Sav­iour enjoined on the apostles? The com­mand, moreover, that the right cheek should be smitten, is most incredible, since everyone who strikes, unless he happen to have some bodily defect, [100] smites the left cheek with his right hand. And it is im­possible to take (literally, the statement) in the Gospel about the “offending” of the right eye. ”

“ And among those matters which relate to souls (who cannot otherwise obtain perfection apart from the rich and wise truth of God) , the (doctrines) belonging to God and His only-begotten Son are necessarily laid down as primary, viz., of what nature He is, and in what manner He is the Son of God, and what are the causes of His descending even to (the assumption of) human flesh, and of complete humanity ”

“ And what are we to say regarding the prophecies of Christ in the Psalms, there being a certain ode with the superscription “For the Beloved,” [18] whose” tongue” is said to be the “pen of a ready writer, who is fairer than the sons of men,” since “grace was poured on His lips?” ”

“ Cain also, when going forth from the presence of God, certainly appears to thoughtful men as likely to lead the reader to inquire what is the presence of God, and what is the meaning of going out from Him. ”

“ But as they were unable to call men of other lan­guages and from many nations to observe their laws, and accept their teaching, they did not at all attempt to do this, consider­ing not unwisely the impossibility of such a result happening to them. Whereas all Greece, and the barbarous part of our world, contains innumerable zealots, who have deserted the laws of their fathers and the established gods, for the observance of the laws of Moses and the discipleship of the words of Jesus Christ ”

“ Now it was perhaps (once) probable that, in uttering these words, He spoke them in vain, so that they were not true; but when that which was delivered with so much authority has come to pass, it shows that God, having really become man, delivered to men the doctrines of salvation. [8]
3. And what need is there to mention also that it was predicted of Christ [9] that then would the rulers fail from Judah, and the leaders from his thighs, [10] when He came for whom it is reserved (the king­dom, namely) ; and that the expectation of the Gentiles should dwell in the land? ”

“ And these predictions we employ to answer those who, in their perplexity as to the words spoken in Genesis by Jacob to Judah, as­sert that the Ethnarch, [14] being of the race of Judah, is the ruler of the people, and that there will not fail some of his seed, until the advent of that Christ whom they figure to their imagination. But if “the children of Israel are to sit many days without a king, or ruler, or altar, or priest­hood, or responses;” ”

“ And yet, indeed, the more simple among those who profess to belong to the Church have supposed that there is no deity greater than the Demi­urge, being right in so thinking, while they imagine regarding Him such things as would not be believed of the most savage and unjust of mankind. ”

“ And not to linger over the point of the Jew who is a Jew “inwardly,” nor over that of the Israelite according to the “inner man”—these statements being sufficient for those who are not devoid of understanding—we return to our subject, and say that Jacob is the father of the twelve patriarchs, and they of the rulers of the people ”

“ For what is related in Ezekiel concerning Pharaoh king of Egypt does not at all apply to the case of a certain man who ruled or was said to rule over Egypt, as will be evident to those who give it careful consideration. ”

“ And Grapte shall admonish the widows and the orphans, and Clement will send to the cities abroad, while you will announce to the presbyters of the Church.” Now Grapte, who admonishes the widows and the orphans, is the mere letter (of Scripture) , which admonishes those who are yet children in soul, and not able to call God their Father, and who are on that account styled orphans,—admon­ishing, moreover, those who no longer have an unlawful bridegroom, [69] but who remain widows, because they have not yet become worthy of the (heavenly) Bridegroom ”

“ But since not all who are of them are the light of the world—“for not all who are of Israel are Israel” [132] —they be­come from seventy souls as the “sand that is beside the sea-shore innumerable.”
↑ τῇ ἐναργείᾳ τῶν βλεπομένων.↑ οὐδὲ τῶν διδασκάλων πλεοναζόντων.↑ τῇ διὰ ̓Ιησοῦ θεοσεβεία.↑ μεῖζον ἤ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον το πρᾶγμα εἶναι.↑ χρησμούς.↑ Matt. ”