Sophia Scriptura

Homilies on Jeremiah 15.0–15.6

Origen · Homilies on Jeremiah · ca. 240 · Caesarea · 7 passages

Greek text: Klostermann, GCS 6 (Greek text: E. Klostermann, Origenes Werke 3 (GCS 6, 1901), digitized by the First Thousand Years of Greek project (Open Greek and Latin), CC BY-SA 4.0).English: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), public domain (CC0).

Chapter 15

15.0Klostermann 3:125

Ὁμιλία ιε΄. Εἰς τὸ »οἴμοι ἐγώ« πάλιν ἄλλως, μέχρι τοῦ »ἐπικατάρατος ἄνθρωπος ὃς τὴν ἐλπίδα ἔχει ἐπʼ ἄνθρωπον, καὶ στηρίσει σάρκα βραχίονος αὐτοῦ«.

Homilia ie΄. Eis to »oimoi egō« palin allōs, mechri tou »epikataratos anthrōpos hos tēn elpida echei epʼ anthrōpon, kai stērisei sarka brachionos autou«.

Homily 15. On “Woe is me” again, in another way, as far as “Cursed is the man who has his hope in man, and will lean on flesh as his arm.”

Jer 15:10 (quotation, high confidence) · Jer 17:5 (quotation, high confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: The title of the fifteenth homily, on Jer 15:10–17:5.

  • The passage is Jer 15:10–17:5 (LXX).

Cite (SBL): Origen, Hom. Jer. 15.0 (Klostermann 3:125; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-ieremiam/15-0/#p-15-0).

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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text of Klostermann, GCS 6; made independently of existing English translations. No public-domain English translation exists; reviewed against the Greek.

15.1Klostermann 3:125–126

Οἱ μακαρίζοντες τοὺς προφήτας καὶ τῷ μακαρίζειν αὐτοὺς εὐχόμενοι τὴν μερίδα ἔχειν μετὰ τῶν προφητῶν συναγαγόντες ἀπὸ τῶν λόγων τῶν προφητικῶν τὰ ἐξαίρετα τῆς προφητείας αὐτῶν· ζητοῦντες οὖν πεισθεῖεν ἂν, ἂν κατὰ αὐτὰ βιώσωσιν (εἰ καὶ σκληρὸν αὐτοῖς ἀπαντήσεται ἐν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ μιμεῖσθαι τὸν βίον τὸν προφητικόν), ὅτι τεύξονται τῆς ἀναπαύσεως καὶ τῆς μακαριότητος μετὰ τῶν προφητῶν. πολλαχόθεν μὲν οὖν ἔστι συναγαγεῖν τὰ ἐξαίρετα | τῶν προφητῶν, τὸ ἐλεύθερον αὐτῶν, τὸ εὔτονον, τὸ ἐγρηγορός, τὸ διεγηγερμένον, ὅτι οὐκ ἐφρόντιζον ἐν ταῖς περιστάσεσι γινόμενοι διὰ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν, μόνον ἵνα ἐλέγξωσιν, ἵνα ἐπιστρέψωσιν ὡς [οἱ] προφῆται ἐκ τοῦ μετὰ παρρησίας τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ λέγειν ἐπιπληκτικῶς τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων, εἰ καὶ ἐδόκουν μεγάλα δύνασθαι οἱ ἐλεγχόμενοι. πλὴν εἰ καὶ πανταχόθεν ἔστι τοῦτο ποιεῖν, ἴδωμεν καὶ ἐκ τῶν σήμερον ἀναγνωσθέντων. Πολλοὺς ἤλεγξεν ὁ προφήτης καὶ πρὸς πολλοὺς εἶπεν ὁ προφήτης· καὶ γὰρ γέγονε κατὰ ἁμαρτωλοὺς γενομένους, ὡς δῆλον ἐκ τοῦ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν γεγονέναι κατὰ τοὺς χρόνους αὐτοῦ. πολλοὺς ἐλέγξας, ὑπὸ πολλῶν κριθεὶς φθέγγεταί τινα τοιαῦτα.

Hoi makarizontes tous prophētas kai tǭ makarizein autous euchomenoi tēn merida echein meta tōn prophētōn synagagontes apo tōn logōn tōn prophētikōn ta exaireta tēs prophēteias autōn; zētountes oun peistheien an, an kata auta biōsōsin (ei kai sklēron autois apantēsetai en tǭ biǭ toutǭ mimeisthai ton bion ton prophētikon), hoti teuxontai tēs anapauseōs kai tēs makariotētos meta tōn prophētōn. pollachothen men oun esti synagagein ta exaireta | tōn prophētōn, to eleutheron autōn, to eutonon, to egrēgoros, to diegēgermenon, hoti ouk ephrontizon en tais peristasesi ginomenoi dia tēn eleutherian, monon hina elenxōsin, hina epistrepsōsin hōs [hoi] prophētai ek tou meta parrēsias ton logon tou theou legein epiplēktikōs tōn hamartanontōn, ei kai edokoun megala dynasthai hoi elenchomenoi. plēn ei kai pantachothen esti touto poiein, idōmen kai ek tōn sēmeron anagnōsthentōn. Pollous ēlenxen ho prophētēs kai pros pollous eipen ho prophētēs; kai gar gegone kata hamartōlous genomenous, hōs dēlon ek tou tēn aichmalōsian gegonenai kata tous chronous autou. pollous elenxas, hypo pollōn kritheis phthengetai tina toiauta.

Those who call the prophets blessed, and by calling them blessed pray to have their portion with the prophets, should gather from the prophetic words the exceptional features of their prophecy; seeking them, they would be persuaded that, if they live by them (even if it will seem hard to them in this life to imitate the prophetic life), they will obtain rest and blessedness with the prophets. One can gather the exceptional features of the prophets from many places: their freedom, their vigor, their watchfulness, their alertness; that, when they were in hardships, they took no thought for them because of their freedom, only to rebuke, only to turn people back, as prophets, by speaking God's word boldly, reproving sinners, even if those rebuked seemed very powerful. But though one can do this from everywhere, let us look at it also from today's readings. The prophet rebuked many and spoke to many; for he lived among people who had become sinners, as is clear from the captivity having happened in his times. Having rebuked many, and been judged by many, he utters such things as these.

Notes and citation

Summary: Those who hope to share the prophets' blessedness should imitate their freedom and boldness in rebuking sin, as Jeremiah did.

Notes on the original text

  • Digital text corrected (OCR slip; missing space in the digital text): συναγαγόντως → συναγαγόντες; εἰκαὶ → εἰ καὶ; ἐκτῶν σήμερον → ἐκ τῶν σήμερον; γένονε → γέγονε.

Cite (SBL): Origen, Hom. Jer. 15.1 (Klostermann 3:125–126; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-ieremiam/15-0/#p-15-1).

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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text of Klostermann, GCS 6; made independently of existing English translations. No public-domain English translation exists; reviewed against the Greek.

15.2Klostermann 3:126

πρῶτον γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ προφητικοῦ λόγου ἴδωμεν, εἶτα καὶ κατὰ ἀναγωγήν, ἐὰν πρόρησίαν προφήτου. »οἴμοι ἐγώ, μῆτερ, ὡς τίνα με ἔτεκες ἄνδρα δικαζόμενον καὶ διακρινόμενον ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ;« ὦ μῆτερ, ὡς τί με γεγέννηκας ἄνδρα δικαζόμενον πρὸς πάντας τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ διακρίνεσθαι πρὸς πάντας τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς; προέκειτο γὰρ τῷ προφήτῃ καὶ τούτῳ καὶ τῷ Ἡσαΐᾳ καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς τὸ προφητικόν, διδάσκειν, ἐλέγχειν καὶ ἐπιστρέφειν. προέκειτο τοιγαροῦν καὶ τούτῳ τῷ προφήτῃ διακρίνειν, ἐλέγχειν, δικάζειν δυναμένῳ καὶ δικάζεσθαι μετὰ τῶν ἁμαρ- τωλῶν, ἐλέγχειν τὰ ἁμαρτήματα τοῦ λαοῦ. καὶ ὅσα αὐτοῖς πεποιήκασιν οἱ ἀπὸ τοῦ λαοῦ, τί δεῖ καὶ λέγειν; ἄλλον ἐλιθοβόλησαν, ἄλλον ἔπρισαν, ἄλλον ἀπέκτειναν »μεταξὺ τοῦ ναοῦ καὶ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου«, τοῦτον εἰς λάκκον βορβόρου ἔβαλον ἐλεγχόμενοι. καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσιν ὁ σωτὴρ ἡμῶν τοῦτο πεποίηκε καὶ κρειττόνως γε ἢ οὗτοι, ἅτε κύριος προφητῶν ὤν. καὶ γάρ, εἴπερ αὐτὸς ἐμαστιγώθη καὶ ἐσταυρώθη καὶ παρεδόθη ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἢ ὑπὸ τῶν διδασκάλων τῶν Ἰουδαίων καὶ τοῦ ἡγουμένου τοῦ λαοῦ, εἶπεν· »οὐαὶ ὑμῖν, γραμματεῖς καὶ Φαρισαῖοι ὑποκριταί«· καὶ ἐπιλέγει καθʼ ἕκαστον »οὐαί« καὶ »διὰ τοῦτο« τόδε καὶ τόδε. καὶ ἡμεῖς οὖν, εἰ σπουδάζομεν ἐπὶ τοὺς μακαρισμοὺς τῶν προφητῶν, ταὐτὰ ποιήσωμεν, ὥστε, διὰ τὸ λέγειν καὶ διὰ τὸ κριθῆναι πρὸς πολλοὺς ἀνθρώπους, καὶ εἰπεῖν· »οἴμοι ἐγώ, μῆτερ, ὡς τίνα με ἔτεκες ἄνδρα δικαζόμενον καὶ διακρινόμενον ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ;«

prōton gar apo tou prophētikou logou idōmen, eita kai kata anagōgēn, ean prorēsian prophētou. »oimoi egō, mēter, hōs tina me etekes andra dikazomenon kai diakrinomenon en pasę̄ tę̄ gę̄?« ō mēter, hōs ti me gegennēkas andra dikazomenon pros pantas tous epi tēs gēs kai diakrinesthai pros pantas tous epi tēs gēs? proekeito gar tǭ prophētę̄ kai toutǭ kai tǭ Hēsaïą kai tois loipois to prophētikon, didaskein, elenchein kai epistrephein. proekeito toigaroun kai toutǭ tǭ prophētę̄ diakrinein, elenchein, dikazein dynamenǭ kai dikazesthai meta tōn hamar- tōlōn, elenchein ta hamartēmata tou laou. kai hosa autois pepoiēkasin hoi apo tou laou, ti dei kai legein? allon elithobolēsan, allon eprisan, allon apekteinan »metaxy tou naou kai tou thysiastēriou«, touton eis lakkon borborou ebalon elenchomenoi. kai epi pasin ho sōtēr hēmōn touto pepoiēke kai kreittonōs ge ē houtoi, hate kyrios prophētōn ōn. kai gar, eiper autos emastigōthē kai estaurōthē kai paredothē hypo tōn Ioudaiōn ē hypo tōn didaskalōn tōn Ioudaiōn kai tou hēgoumenou tou laou, eipen; »ouai hymin, grammateis kai Pharisaioi hypokritai«; kai epilegei kathʼ hekaston »ouai« kai »dia touto« tode kai tode. kai hēmeis oun, ei spoudazomen epi tous makarismous tōn prophētōn, tauta poiēsōmen, hōste, dia to legein kai dia to krithēnai pros pollous anthrōpous, kai eipein; »oimoi egō, mēter, hōs tina me etekes andra dikazomenon kai diakrinomenon en pasę̄ tę̄ gę̄?«

For let us look first at the prophetic word, then also at the higher sense, … the prophet's. “Woe is me, mother; as what kind of man did you bear me, a man judged and disputed with in all the earth?” O mother, why have you borne me a man judged by all who are on the earth, and disputed with by all who are on the earth? For the prophetic task was set before this prophet, and Isaiah, and the rest: to teach, to rebuke, and to turn people back. So this prophet too had the task of judging, rebuking, being able to judge and to be judged along with sinners, rebuking the sins of the people. And what those of the people did to them, what need is there to say? One they stoned, another they sawed in two, another they killed “between the temple and the altar,” this one they threw into a pit of mire when they were rebuked. And our Savior did this above all, and better than these, as Lord of the prophets. For though he himself was scourged and crucified and handed over by the Jews, or by the teachers of the Jews and the leader of the people, he said: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites”; and he adds for each one “woe” and “because” of this and that. So let us too, if we are eager for the blessings of the prophets, do the same, so that, through speaking and through being judged before many people, we too may say: “Woe is me, mother; as what kind of man did you bear me, a man judged and disputed with in all the earth?”

Jer 15:10 (quotation, high confidence) · Heb 11:37 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 23:35 (quotation, high confidence) · Jer 38:6 (45:6 LXX) (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 23:13 (quotation, high confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: Like the prophets, who were stoned and killed for rebuking the people, and like Christ, who denounced the scribes and Pharisees, we should be willing to be judged by many for speaking the truth.

  • The quotations are Jer 15:10 (LXX), Heb 11:37, Matt 23:35, Jer 38:6 (45:6 LXX), and Matt 23:13–29. The opening sentence is damaged in the digital text (“…”). A repeated phrase is removed.

Notes on the original text

  • Digital text corrected (OCR slip; repeated words in the digital text): »οὐαὶ ὑμῖν, γραμματεῖς καὶ Φαρισαῖοι ὑποκριταί«· καὶ ἐπιλέγει καθʼ ἕκαστον »οὐαὶ ὑμῖν, γραμματεῖς καὶ Φαρισαῖοι ὑποκριταί«· → »οὐαὶ ὑμῖν, γραμματεῖς καὶ Φαρισαῖοι ὑποκριταί«·; κριθῦναι → κριθῆναι.

Topics: Persecution

Cite (SBL): Origen, Hom. Jer. 15.2 (Klostermann 3:126; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-ieremiam/15-0/#p-15-2).

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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text of Klostermann, GCS 6; made independently of existing English translations. No public-domain English translation exists; reviewed against the Greek.

15.3Klostermann 3:126–128

Κυριώτερόν γε τοῦτο δύναται τὸ προφητικὸν εἶναι ἀναφερόμενον ἐπὶ τὸν σωτῆρα. ἔστω γὰρ τὸν προφήτην τοῦτο λέγειν, ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἀληθῶς τοῦτο ἐρεῖ, ἀλλὰ τάχα ὑπερβολικῶς· οὐ γὰρ διεκρίθη πρὸς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν. ἐὰν δὲ ἔλθω πρὸς τὸν σωτῆρά μου καὶ κύριον, καὶ μάλιστα διὰ τὸ >εἰς κρίσιν ἥξει< καὶ τὸ »ὅπως ἂν δικαιωθῇς ἐν τοῖς λόγοις σου, καὶ νικήσῃς ἐν τῷ κρίνεσθαί σε«, ὄψομαι ὅτι ὁ σωτήρ μου καὶ κύριος μέλλει ἐπὶ τοῦ πατρὸς ἑστάναι, κρινόμενος μετὰ πάντων ἡμῶν τῶν ἀνθρώπων. καὶ κρίνεται μετὰ πάντων τῶν ἀνθρώπων. λέγω· κρίνεται, ἐξετάζεται καὶ αὐτός, καὶ ἔστη μὲν ἐκδικῶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν, οὐχ ὡς κατήγορος δέ. »οἴμοι ἐγώ, μῆτερ, ὡς τίνα με ἔτεκες ἄνδρα δικαζόμενον καὶ διακρινόμενον ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ;« οὐ δύναται προφήτης τὸ »πάσῃ τῇ γῇ« λέγειν. Ἀλλὰ τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀγαπῶντας, ἀγανακτοῦντας καὶ λέγοντας ὅτι οὐχὶ ὁ σωτὴρ λέγει, ὅτι ἡ φωνὴ οὐκ ἔστι κατὰ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ. δεῖ δὲ δεῖξαι, ὅτι οὐκ ἀλλότριον τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ »οἴμοι ἐγώ, μῆτερ«; »περίλυπός ἐστιν ἡ ψυχή μου ἕως θανάτου«, καὶ »ἡ ψυχή μου τετάρακται«, καὶ τῶν ἐν τοῖς προφήταις εἰρημένων ὁμοίως καὶ ἐνθάδε· »οἴμοι ἐγώ, μῆτερ, ὡς τίνα με ἔτεκες ἄνδρα δικαζόμενον καὶ διακρινόμενον ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ«, ἢ ὅταν ἀπόλωλεν ἐπιφυλλὶς τοῦ εὑρεῖν βότρυν· »οἴμοι ψυχή, ὅτι ἀπόλωλεν εὐλαβὴς ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ὁ κατορθῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις οὐχ ὑπάρχει«. τίς ἐκεῖ λέγει τὸ »οἴμοι, ὅτι ἐγενήθην ὡς συνάγων καλάμην ἐν ἀμητῷ«; ἆρα γὰρ ὁ προφήτης συνῆγε καὶ θέλει συνάγειν; ἆρα γὰρ ἀγρὸν ἔχει ὁ προφήτης; ἀλλʼ οὐδενός ἐστι συνάγειν [καὶ] πάντα ἀπὸ τοῦ θερισμοῦ καὶ τῶν ἐσπαρμένων, εἰ μὴ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ σωτῆρος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. ἐπεὶ οὖν πολλὰ πτώματα ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ἡμῖν τοῖς ἁμαρτήματα λέγων· »οἴμοι ἐγώ, ὅτι ἐγενήθην ὡς συνάγων καλάμην«. ἕκαστος ἡμῶν ἑαυτὸν ἐξεταζέτω· ἆρα στάχυς ἐστίν; ἆρα εὑρήσει ἐν αὐτῷ τρυγῆσαι ἢ θερίσαι ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ; εὑρήσομεν ὅτι ἀνεμόφθοροί τινές ἐσμεν· ἐὰν ἄρα ὀλίγον ἔτι ἔχοντες, ἐν αὑτοῖς, κόκκους δύο ἢ τρεῖς, αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ἡμῶν πολλαί εἰσιν ἐφʼ ἡμῖν. ὁρῶν οὖν καὶ τὰς ἐκκλησίας, τὰς χρηματιζούσας, πεπληρωμένας ἁμαρτωλῶν λέγει· »οἴμοι, ὅτι ἐγενήθην ὡς συνάγων καλάμην ἐν ἀμητῷ καὶ ὡς ἐπιφυλλίδα ἐν τρυγητῷ«. ἦλθε ζητῶν καρπὸν ἐν τῇ ἀμπέλῳ· ἕκαστος γὰρ ἡμῶν καταφυτεύεται... καὶ ὡς ἄμπελος »ἐν τόπῳ πίονι«, καὶ »ἄμπελον ἐξ Αἰγύπτου μετῆρεν«, »ἐγὼ δὲ κατεφύτευσά σε ἄμπελον καρποφόρον πᾶσαν ἀληθινήν«. ἔρχεται, ζητεῖ πως τρυγῆσαι· εὑρίσκει ἐπιφυλλίδα τινὰ καὶ βραχεῖς βότρυας, οὐκ εὐθαλεῖς οὐδὲ πολλούς. τίς ἡμῶν ἔχει βότρυας ἀρετῆς; τίς ἡμῶν ἔχει γεννήματα τοῦ θεοῦ; »κύριε ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν, ὡς θαυμαστὸν τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ«.

Kyriōteron ge touto dynatai to prophētikon einai anapheromenon epi ton sōtēra. estō gar ton prophētēn touto legein, allʼ ouk alēthōs touto erei, alla tacha hyperbolikōs; ou gar diekrithē pros pasan tēn gēn. ean de elthō pros ton sōtēra mou kai kyrion, kai malista dia to >eis krisin hēxei< kai to »hopōs an dikaiōthę̄s en tois logois sou, kai nikēsę̄s en tǭ krinesthai se«, opsomai hoti ho sōtēr mou kai kyrios mellei epi tou patros hestanai, krinomenos meta pantōn hēmōn tōn anthrōpōn. kai krinetai meta pantōn tōn anthrōpōn. legō; krinetai, exetazetai kai autos, kai estē men ekdikōn tēn alētheian, ouch hōs katēgoros de. »oimoi egō, mēter, hōs tina me etekes andra dikazomenon kai diakrinomenon en pasę̄ tę̄ gę̄?« ou dynatai prophētēs to »pasę̄ tę̄ gę̄« legein. Alla ton kyrion hēmōn alla kai agapōntas, aganaktountas kai legontas hoti ouchi ho sōtēr legei, hoti hē phōnē ouk esti kata ton huion tou theou. dei de deixai, hoti ouk allotrion tou huiou tou theou to »oimoi egō, mēter«? »perilypos estin hē psychē mou heōs thanatou«, kai »hē psychē mou tetaraktai«, kai tōn en tois prophētais eirēmenōn homoiōs kai enthade; »oimoi egō, mēter, hōs tina me etekes andra dikazomenon kai diakrinomenon en pasę̄ tę̄ gę̄«, ē hotan apolōlen epiphyllis tou heurein botryn; »oimoi psychē, hoti apolōlen eulabēs apo tēs gēs, kai ho katorthōn en anthrōpois ouch hyparchei«. tis ekei legei to »oimoi, hoti egenēthēn hōs synagōn kalamēn en amētǭ«? ara gar ho prophētēs synēge kai thelei synagein? ara gar agron echei ho prophētēs? allʼ oudenos esti synagein [kai] panta apo tou therismou kai tōn esparmenōn, ei mē tou kyriou kai sōtēros Iēsou Christou. epei oun polla ptōmata en tois ethnesin, alla kai en hēmin tois hamartēmata legōn; »oimoi egō, hoti egenēthēn hōs synagōn kalamēn«. hekastos hēmōn heauton exetazetō; ara stachys estin? ara heurēsei en autǭ trygēsai ē therisai ho huios tou theou? heurēsomen hoti anemophthoroi tines esmen; ean ara oligon eti echontes, en hautois, kokkous dyo ē treis, hai hamartiai hēmōn pollai eisin ephʼ hēmin. horōn oun kai tas ekklēsias, tas chrēmatizousas, peplērōmenas hamartōlōn legei; »oimoi, hoti egenēthēn hōs synagōn kalamēn en amētǭ kai hōs epiphyllida en trygētǭ«. ēlthe zētōn karpon en tę̄ ampelǭ; hekastos gar hēmōn kataphyteuetai... kai hōs ampelos »en topǭ pioni«, kai »ampelon ex Aigyptou metēren«, »egō de katephyteusa se ampelon karpophoron pasan alēthinēn«. erchetai, zētei pōs trygēsai; heuriskei epiphyllida tina kai bracheis botryas, ouk euthaleis oude pollous. tis hēmōn echei botryas aretēs? tis hēmōn echei gennēmata tou theou? »kyrie ho theos hēmōn, hōs thaumaston to onoma sou en pasę̄ tę̄ gę̄«.

This prophetic saying can more properly be referred to the Savior. For suppose the prophet says it; he will not say it truly, but perhaps by exaggeration; for he was not disputed with before all the earth. But if I come to my Savior and Lord, and especially because of “he will come into judgment” and “that you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged,” I shall see that my Savior and Lord is going to stand before the Father, being judged together with all of us human beings. And he is judged with all human beings. I say he is judged: he too is examined, and he stood vindicating the truth, but not as an accuser. “Woe is me, mother; as what kind of man did you bear me, a man judged and disputed with in all the earth?” A prophet cannot say “in all the earth.” But there are those who love our Lord and are indignant, saying that it is not the Savior who says this, that the saying is not fitting for the Son of God. One must show that “Woe is me, mother” is not foreign to the Son of God: “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death,” and “My soul is troubled,” and, like what is said in the prophets, so here: “Woe is me, mother; as what kind of man did you bear me, a man judged and disputed with in all the earth?”, or when the gleaning is lost, so that no cluster is found: “Woe is me, O soul, for the godly man has perished from the earth, and there is none among men who does right.” Who says there, “Woe is me, for I have become like one gathering straw at harvest”? Does the prophet gather, and wish to gather? Does the prophet have a field? No; it belongs to no one to gather all from the harvest and from what has been sown, except to the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Since, then, there are many falls among the nations, and also among us, he speaks of the sins, saying: “Woe is me, for I have become like one gathering straw.” Let each of us examine himself: is he an ear of grain? Will the Son of God find in him something to harvest or reap? We shall find that we are blighted by the wind; if we have a little still in ourselves, two or three grains, our sins upon us are many. So, seeing even the churches that bear the name full of sinners, he says: “Woe is me, for I have become like one gathering straw at harvest, and like a gleaning at the vintage.” He came seeking fruit on the vine; for each of us is planted as a vine “in a fertile place,” and “you brought a vine out of Egypt,” “but I planted you a fruitful vine, wholly true.” He comes; he seeks somehow to gather grapes; he finds some gleanings and small clusters, not flourishing nor many. Which of us has clusters of virtue? Which of us has produce for God? “O Lord our God, how wonderful is your name in all the earth!”

Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.

Jer 15:10 (quotation, high confidence) · Isa 3:14 (quotation, medium confidence) · Ps 51:4 (50:6 LXX) (quotation, high confidence) · Rom 3:4 (allusion, medium confidence) · Matt 26:38 (quotation, high confidence) · John 12:27 (quotation, high confidence) · Mic 7:1 (quotation, high confidence) · Mic 7:2 (quotation, high confidence) · Isa 5:1 (quotation, high confidence) · Ps 80:8 (79:9 LXX) (quotation, high confidence) · Jer 2:21 (quotation, high confidence) · Ps 8:1 (8:2 LXX) (quotation, high confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: “Judged in all the earth” fits Christ, who will stand before the Father at the judgment; his lament over the scanty harvest of virtue, found even in the churches, should make each of us examine our own fruit.

  • The quotations are Jer 15:10 (LXX), Isa 3:14, Ps 51:4 (50:6 LXX; Rom 3:4), Matt 26:38, John 12:27, Mic 7:1–2 (LXX), Isa 5:1, Ps 80:8 (79:9 LXX), Jer 2:21, and Ps 8:1 (8:2 LXX). The digital text is damaged in the sentence about those who love the Lord; the sense is supplied.

Notes on the original text

  • Digital text corrected (OCR slip; repeated word in the digital text): δικαιωθῇς δικαιωθῇς → δικαιωθῇς; κκυρίου → κυρίου; ἡμῶς ἑαυτὸν → ἡμῶν ἑαυτὸν; ἁματρίαι → ἁμαρτίαι; τίε ἡμῶν ἔχει βότρυας → τίς ἡμῶν ἔχει βότρυας; τίε ἡμῶν ἔχει γεννήματα → τίς ἡμῶν ἔχει γεννήματα.

Topics: Christology, Eschatology

Cite (SBL): Origen, Hom. Jer. 15.3 (Klostermann 3:126–128; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-ieremiam/15-0/#p-15-3).

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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text of Klostermann, GCS 6; made independently of existing English translations. No public-domain English translation exists; reviewed against the Greek.

15.4Klostermann 3:128–129

Ταῦτα ὡς ἐν παρεκβάσει μοι εἰρήσθω εἰς τὸ »οἴμοι ἐγὼ μῆτερ«. ὅτι οὐκ ἀλλότριόν ἐστι τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν θειότητος, καθορῶντος τὰ ἁμαρτήματα τῶν ἀνθρώπων, νῦν τὸ λέγειν τὸ »οἴμοι«, τοῦ σωτῆρος οὐχὶ ᾗ θεὸς ἀλλʼ ᾗ ἄνθρωπος, οὐχ ᾗ σοφία ἀλλʼ ᾗ ψυχή, ἐκεῖνο παρεθέμην τὸ προφητικόν· »οἴμοι ψυχή, ὅτι ἀπόλωλεν εὐλαβὴς ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ὁ κατορθῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις οὐχ ὑπάρχει«. ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τὸν βίον τὸν ἀνθρώπινον ἡ ψυχὴ ἡ μακαρία, ἀνέλαβε σῶμα ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. ἐὰν ἴδῃ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, λέγει πρὸς τὸν πατέρα· »τίς ὠφέλεια ἐν τῷ αἵματί μου, ἐν τῷ καταβῆναί με εἰς διαφθοράν; μὴ ἐξομολογήσεταί σοι χοῦς;« ἀλλὰ ἐφʼ ἡμῖν μὴ λεγέτω τὸ »οἴμοι«, ἐφʼ ἡμῖν μὴ λεγέτωσαν οἱ ἄγγελοι τῶν οὐρανῶν. τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν λέγοντος τὸ »οἴμοι« καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐροῦσιν »οἴμοι«· οὐ γὰρ κρείττονές εἰσι τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἡμῶν τὰ πταίσματα βλέπουσιν. ἀλλὰ μακάριοι ἐκεῖνοι ἐφʼ οἷς οἱ ἄγγελοι οὐκ ἐροῦσι τὸ »οἴμοι«, ἀλλὰ μακαρίζονται· »χαρὰ« γὰρ »ἐν οὐρανῷ γίνεται ἐπὶ ἑνὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ μετανοοῦντι ἢ ἐπὶ ἐνενήκοντα ἐννέα, οἳ οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσι μετανοίας«. ταῦτα ἐν παραμυθίᾳ. »Οἴμοι ἐγώ, μῆτερ, ὡς τίνα με ἔτεκες;« τίνα λέγει μητέρα; οὐκ ἐν γυναιξὶ δύναται καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν λέγειν καὶ τὴν Μαρίαν; εἰ δέ τις παραδέχεται τὸ »ἄρτι ἔλαβέ με ἡ μήτηρ μου τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα, καὶ ἀνήνεγκέ με εἰς τὸ ὄρος τὸ μέγα τὸ Θαβὼρ« καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, δύναται αὐτοῦ ἰδεῖν τὴν μητέρα. »οἴμοι ἐγώ, μῆτερ, ὡς τίνα με ἔτεκες ἄνδρα δικαζόμενον καὶ διακρινόμενον ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ;« δικάζεται πάσῃ τῇ γῇ καὶ διακρίνεται καὶ μέλλει πρὸς ἕκαστον λέγειν· ἐγὼ πεποίηκα τάδε καὶ τάδε, καὶ ἡ οἰκονομία μου ἔπραξε τάδε καὶ τάδε, καὶ τῇ σωτηρίᾳ σου ὑπέμεινα. ταῦτα λέγοντος τοῦ σωτῆρος τί ποιήσωμεν; μέλλει γὰρ διακρίνεσθαι ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ.

Tauta hōs en parekbasei moi eirēsthō eis to »oimoi egō mēter«. hoti ouk allotrion esti tēs tou sōtēros hēmōn theiotētos, kathorōntos ta hamartēmata tōn anthrōpōn, nyn to legein to »oimoi«, tou sōtēros ouchi hę̄ theos allʼ hę̄ anthrōpos, ouch hę̄ sophia allʼ hę̄ psychē, ekeino parethemēn to prophētikon; »oimoi psychē, hoti apolōlen eulabēs apo tēs gēs, kai ho katorthōn en anthrōpois ouch hyparchei«. ēlthen epi ton bion ton anthrōpinon hē psychē hē makaria, anelabe sōma hyper tōn anthrōpōn. ean idę̄ ta hamartēmata, legei pros ton patera; »tis ōpheleia en tǭ haimati mou, en tǭ katabēnai me eis diaphthoran? mē exomologēsetai soi chous?« alla ephʼ hēmin mē legetō to »oimoi«, ephʼ hēmin mē legetōsan hoi angeloi tōn ouranōn. tou sōtēros hēmōn legontos to »oimoi« kai autoi erousin »oimoi«; ou gar kreittones eisi tou sōtēros hēmōn, kai autoi hēmōn ta ptaismata blepousin. alla makarioi ekeinoi ephʼ hois hoi angeloi ouk erousi to »oimoi«, alla makarizontai; »chara« gar »en ouranǭ ginetai epi heni hamartōlǭ metanoounti ē epi enenēkonta ennea, hoi ou chreian echousi metanoias«. tauta en paramythią. »Oimoi egō, mēter, hōs tina me etekes?« tina legei mētera? ouk en gynaixi dynatai kai tēn psychēn legein kai tēn Marian? ei de tis paradechetai to »arti elabe me hē mētēr mou to hagion pneuma, kai anēnenke me eis to oros to mega to Thabōr« kai ta hexēs, dynatai autou idein tēn mētera. »oimoi egō, mēter, hōs tina me etekes andra dikazomenon kai diakrinomenon en pasę̄ tę̄ gę̄?« dikazetai pasę̄ tę̄ gę̄ kai diakrinetai kai mellei pros hekaston legein; egō pepoiēka tade kai tade, kai hē oikonomia mou epraxe tade kai tade, kai tę̄ sōtērią sou hypemeina. tauta legontos tou sōtēros ti poiēsōmen? mellei gar diakrinesthai en pasę̄ tę̄ gę̄.

Let this be said by me by way of digression on “Woe is me, mother”: that it is not foreign to the divinity of our Savior, as he looks upon the sins of human beings, now to say “woe is me,” the Savior saying it not as God but as man, not as Wisdom but as soul; I cited that prophetic word: “Woe is me, O soul, for the godly man has perished from the earth, and there is none among men who does right.” The blessed soul came into human life, took a body for the sake of human beings. If it sees sins, it says to the Father: “What profit is there in my blood, in my going down to corruption? Will the dust confess to you?” But let him not say “woe is me” over us; let the angels of heaven not say it over us. When our Savior says “woe is me,” they too will say “woe is me”; for they are not better than our Savior, and they too see our failings. But blessed are those over whom the angels will not say “woe is me,” but who are called blessed; for “there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, more than over ninety-nine who need no repentance.” These things by way of consolation. “Woe is me, mother; as what kind of man did you bear me?” Whom does he call mother? Can he not mean, among women, both his soul and Mary? And if anyone accepts, “Just now my mother the Holy Spirit took me and carried me up to the great mountain Tabor,” and the rest, he can see his mother. “Woe is me, mother; as what kind of man did you bear me, a man judged and disputed with in all the earth?” He is judged by all the earth and disputed with, and he is going to say to each one: “I did this and that, and my dispensation accomplished this and that, and I endured for your salvation.” When the Savior says these things, what shall we do? For he is going to be disputed with in all the earth.

Jer 15:10 (quotation, high confidence) · Mic 7:2 (quotation, high confidence) · Ps 30:9 (29:10 LXX) (quotation, high confidence) · Luke 15:7 (quotation, high confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: Christ laments over human sin as man, in his human soul, and the angels lament with him; the “mother” he addresses may be Mary, or, according to the Gospel of the Hebrews, the Holy Spirit.

  • The quotations are Mic 7:2 (LXX), Ps 30:9 (29:10 LXX), Luke 15:7, and Jer 15:10. The saying “my mother the Holy Spirit” is from the Gospel according to the Hebrews, which Origen quotes conditionally (“if anyone accepts”). The phrase “among women” is obscure in the digital text.

Extrabiblical texts: Gos. Heb. (Gospel of the Hebrews; quotation)

Topics: Christology

Cite (SBL): Origen, Hom. Jer. 15.4 (Klostermann 3:128–129; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-ieremiam/15-0/#p-15-4).

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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text of Klostermann, GCS 6; made independently of existing English translations. No public-domain English translation exists; reviewed against the Greek.

15.5Klostermann 3:129–130

Τὸ ἑξῆς θέλω ἰδεῖν. δύναται καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν προφήτην κατὰ μίαν διήγησιν ἀναφέρεσθαι καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν σωτῆρα. ἴδωμεν καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· »οὐκ ὠφείλησα οὐδὲ ὠφείλησέ μοι οὐδείς«. »ἔρχεται ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, οὐκ ἔχει δὲ ἐν ἐμοὶ οὐδέν«. καὶ ἀληθῶς οὐκ ὠφείλησεν. ἕκαστος δὲ ἡμῶν ὀφειλέτης ἐστὶ ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις καὶ ὀφειλέτης ἐστὶν ἔχων χειρόγραφον. μετὰ τὸ ἐξαλειφθῆναι αὐτοῦ τὸ χειρόγραφον † πόσα πεποιήκασι χειρόγραφα; »ὃς ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἐποίησεν, οὐδὲ εὑρέθη δόλος ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ«, οὐκ ἐποίησε χειρόγραφον. τί δὲ καὶ τὸ »οὐκ ὠφείλησέ μοι οὐδὲ εἷς«; πῶς διηγησόμεθα ἐπὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος τὸ »οὐκ ὠφείλησέ μοι οὐδὲ εἷς«; εἰ καὶ ἀνέγνωμεν οὕτως, ἀλλὰ καὶ δεῖ εἰδέναι ὅτι τὰ πλείονα τῶν ἀντιγράφων τῆς ἐκδόσεως τῶν Ἑβδομήκοντα οὐκ ἔχει οὕτως, ὕστερον δὲ ἐπισκεψάμενοι καὶ τὰς λοιπὰς ἐκδόσεις ἔγνωμεν γραφικὸν εἶναι ἁμάρτημα. καίτοιγε μοι οὐδὲ εἷς«; ὤστε οὐκ ὠφείλησεν αὐτῷ »οὐδὲ εἷς«, πᾶσι τὰ ὀφειλήματα αὐτῶν ἀφῆκεν. »ἀνθρώπῳ δανειστῷ χρεωφειλέται ἦσαν δύο· εἷς ὤφειλε δηνάρια πεντακόσια, ὁ δὲ ἕτερος πεντήκοντα. μὴ ἐχόντων αὐτῶν ἀποδοῦναι, ἀμφοτέροις ἐχαρίσατο«. θέλεις ἰδεῖν τοὺς δύο χρεωφειλέτας, τὸν τὰ πεντακόσια ὀφείλοντα καὶ τὸν τὰ πεντήκοντα; ἀπὸ δύο λαῶν πεπιστεύκασιν εἰς τὸν θεόν· ὁ ἐκ τῶν Ἰουδαίων λαὸς ἀπιστῶν εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν ὀφείλει τὰ πεντήκοντα, τάχα ἡμεῖς οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν οἱ πάντων ἀσεβέστεροι γεγενημένοι τὰ πεντακόσια, ἐφʼ οἷς καὶ λέγεται τὸ ἐπὶ τῇ πόρνῃ ἐκείνῃ τῇ μετανοούσῃ. καίτοι εἴποι τις ἄν, πῶς τὰ πεντακόσια ἐπʼ ἐκείνην ἀναφέρεται; ἐκ τοῦ »καὶ ποταπὴ ἡ γυνὴ ἡ ἁπτομένη αὐτοῦ«, πρὸς ὃ εἴρηκε τῷ Σίμωνι· »ἀνθρώπῳ δανειστῇ ἦσαν χρεωφειλέται δύο. εἷς ὤφειλε δηνάρια πεντακόσια, ὁ ἕτερος πεντήκοντα« καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ταῦτα διὰ τὸ »οὐκ ὠφείλησα οὐδὲ ὠφείλησέ μοι οὐδείς«, ὃ ἦν ἀναγκαῖον παραστῆσαι ὑμῖν. »οὐκ ὠφείλησα, οὐδὲ ὠφείλησέ μοι οὐδείς· ἡ ἰσχύς μου ἐξέλιπεν ἐν τοῖς καταρωμένοις με«. εἰ καὶ ἀπέθανεν »ἐξ ἀσθενείας, ἀλλὰ ζῇ ἐκ δυνάμεως θεοῦ«.

To hexēs thelō idein. dynatai kai epi ton prophētēn kata mian diēgēsin anapheresthai kai epi ton sōtēra. idōmen kai ta hexēs; »ouk ōpheilēsa oude ōpheilēse moi oudeis«. »erchetai ho archōn tou kosmou toutou, ouk echei de en emoi ouden«. kai alēthōs ouk ōpheilēsen. hekastos de hēmōn opheiletēs esti tais hamartiais kai opheiletēs estin echōn cheirographon. meta to exaleiphthēnai autou to cheirographon † posa pepoiēkasi cheirographa? »hos hamartian ouk epoiēsen, oude heurethē dolos en tǭ stomati autou«, ouk epoiēse cheirographon. ti de kai to »ouk ōpheilēse moi oude heis«? pōs diēgēsometha epi tou sōtēros to »ouk ōpheilēse moi oude heis«? ei kai anegnōmen houtōs, alla kai dei eidenai hoti ta pleiona tōn antigraphōn tēs ekdoseōs tōn Hebdomēkonta ouk echei houtōs, hysteron de episkepsamenoi kai tas loipas ekdoseis egnōmen graphikon einai hamartēma. kaitoige moi oude heis«? ōste ouk ōpheilēsen autǭ »oude heis«, pasi ta opheilēmata autōn aphēken. »anthrōpǭ daneistǭ chreōpheiletai ēsan dyo; heis ōpheile dēnaria pentakosia, ho de heteros pentēkonta. mē echontōn autōn apodounai, amphoterois echarisato«. theleis idein tous dyo chreōpheiletas, ton ta pentakosia opheilonta kai ton ta pentēkonta? apo dyo laōn pepisteukasin eis ton theon; ho ek tōn Ioudaiōn laos apistōn eis ton Christon opheilei ta pentēkonta, tacha hēmeis hoi apo tōn ethnōn hoi pantōn asebesteroi gegenēmenoi ta pentakosia, ephʼ hois kai legetai to epi tę̄ pornę̄ ekeinę̄ tę̄ metanoousę̄. kaitoi eipoi tis an, pōs ta pentakosia epʼ ekeinēn anapheretai? ek tou »kai potapē hē gynē hē haptomenē autou«, pros ho eirēke tǭ Simōni; »anthrōpǭ daneistę̄ ēsan chreōpheiletai dyo. heis ōpheile dēnaria pentakosia, ho heteros pentēkonta« kai ta hexēs. tauta dia to »ouk ōpheilēsa oude ōpheilēse moi oudeis«, ho ēn anankaion parastēsai hymin. »ouk ōpheilēsa, oude ōpheilēse moi oudeis; hē ischys mou exelipen en tois katarōmenois me«. ei kai apethanen »ex astheneias, alla zę̄ ek dynameōs theou«.

I want to look at what follows. It can be referred, on one explanation, both to the prophet and to the Savior. Let us look at what follows: “I did not owe, nor did anyone owe me.” “The ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in me.” And truly he did not owe. But each of us is a debtor through sins, and is a debtor having a bond. After their bond was blotted out, † how many bonds have they made? “He who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth,” did not make a bond. And what is “not one owed me”? How shall we explain “not one owed me” of the Savior? Even if we have read it so, one must also know that most of the copies of the Septuagint edition do not have it so; but later, having examined the other editions too, we recognized it to be a scribal error. … So that “not one” owed him: he forgave all their debts. “A certain moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, the other fifty. When they could not pay, he forgave them both.” Do you wish to see the two debtors, the one who owed five hundred and the one who owed fifty? From two peoples they have believed in God: the people from the Jews, disbelieving in Christ, owes the fifty; perhaps we from the nations, who had become the most impious of all, owe the five hundred, about whom it is said in the case of that sinful woman who repented. And yet someone might say, how are the five hundred referred to her? From “and what sort of woman this is who is touching him,” in reply to which he said to Simon: “A certain moneylender had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, the other fifty,” and the rest. So much on “I did not owe, nor did anyone owe me,” which it was necessary to set before you. “I did not owe, nor did anyone owe me; my strength has failed among those who curse me.” Even if he died “in weakness, yet he lives by the power of God.”

Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.

Jer 15:10 (quotation, high confidence) · John 14:30 (quotation, high confidence) · Col 2:14 (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Pet 2:22 (quotation, high confidence) · Luke 7:41 (quotation, high confidence) · Luke 7:42 (quotation, high confidence) · Luke 7:39 (quotation, high confidence) · 2 Cor 13:4 (quotation, high confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: Christ owed nothing, since he committed no sin, and “no one owed him” because he forgave all debts, like the lender in the parable who forgave both debtors, the Jewish people and the Gentiles.

  • The quotations are Jer 15:10 (LXX, the variant reading), John 14:30, Col 2:14, 1 Pet 2:22 (Isa 53:9), Luke 7:41–42, 39, and 2 Cor 13:4. Origen notes that the reading “I did not owe” is not in most Septuagint copies and that comparison with the other Greek versions showed a scribal error; the next sentence is damaged in the digital text (“…”), as is the clause marked †.

Notes on the original text

  • Digital text corrected (OCR slip; missing space in the digital text; stray characters in the digital text): ἠμῶν ὀφειλέτης → ἡμῶν ὀφειλέτης; ἀμφοτέρος → ἀμφοτέροις; τάχαἡμεῖς → τάχα ἡμεῖς; | | με« → με«.

Topics: Christology, Scripture and canon

Cite (SBL): Origen, Hom. Jer. 15.5 (Klostermann 3:129–130; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-ieremiam/15-0/#p-15-5).

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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text of Klostermann, GCS 6; made independently of existing English translations. No public-domain English translation exists; reviewed against the Greek.

15.6Klostermann 3:130–131

Εἶτα πολλῶν διελθόντων λόγων ἦν μὲν καὶ περὶ ἑκάστου τῶν εἰρημένων εἰπεῖν, ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἐγχωρεῖ τοῦ χρόνου ἐπείγοντος. εἴπωμεν οὖν εἰς τὸ ἑξῆς ἀναγνωσθὲν τὸν »ἐπικατάρατος ἄνθρωπος ὃς τὴν ἐλπίδα ἔχει ἐπʼ ἄνθρωπον«. ἐκ τοῦ † τοὺς νομίζοντας ὄτι ἄνθρωπος μὲν τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ υἱὸς ἦν ὁ σωτήρ (ἐτόλμησαν γὰρ μετὰ τῶν πολλῶν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων κακῶν καὶ τοῦτο εἰπεῖν ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι θεὸς »ὁ μονογενής«, »ὁ πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως«)· »ἐπικατάρατος« γὰρ »ὃς τὴν ἐλπίδα ἔχει ἐπʼ ἄνθρωπον«. δῆλον ὅτι ἐπικατάρατοί εἰσιν οἱ ἐπʼ ἄνθρωπον ἔχοντες τὴν ἐλπίδα. ἐγὼ εἴποιμι ἂν ὅτι οὐκ ἐπʼ ἄνθρωπον ἔχω τὴν ἐλπίδα, ἐλπίζων ἐπὶ Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐγὼ ἄνθρωπον οὐκ οἶδα. οὐ μόνον ἄνθρωπον οὐκ οἶδα, ἀλλὰ σοφίαν οἶδα, τὴν αὐτοδικαιοσύνην, ἄνθρωπον διʼ οὗ »ἐκτίσθη τὰ πάντα ἐν τοῖς ἐξουσίαι«. »ἐπικατάρατος ἄνθρωπος ὃς τὴν ἐλπίδα ἔχει ἐπʼ ἄνθρωπον«. κἂν μαρτυρῇ ὁ σωτὴρ ὅτι ὃν ἐφόρεσεν ἄνθρωπος ἦν — ἀλλʼ εἰ καὶ ἦν ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλὰ νῦν οὐδαμῶς ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος. »εἰ« γὰρ »καὶ ἔγνωμεν Χριστὸν κατὰ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ οὐκέτι γινώσκομεν«, φησὶν ὁ ἀπόστολος. ἐγὼ διʼ αὐτὸν οὐκέτι εἰμὶ ἄνθρωπος, ἐὰν ἀκολουθῶ αὐτοῦ τοῖς λόγοις· ἀλλὰ λέγει· »ἐγὼ εἶπα· θεοί ἐστε καὶ υἱοὶ ὑψίστου πάντες«. οὐκοῦν ὡς »πρωτότοκος« ἐστὶν »ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν«, οὕτως γέγονε πρωτότοκος πάντων ἀνθρώπων εἰς θεὸν μεταβαλών. »ἐπικατάρατος« τοίνυν »ἄνθρωπος ὃς τὴν ἐλπίδα ἔχει ἐπʼ ἄνθρωπον, καὶ στηρίσει σάρκα βραχίονος αὐτοῦ«, ὅστις ἂν κυρώσῃ τὰ σάρκινα, ὅστις τὴν ἰσχὺν τὴν σωματικὴν ἐὰν κτήσηται, καὶ κατὰ σάρκα στρατεύσηται. ἀλλʼ ὁ ἅγιος οὐχ οὕτως ἐστίν· »οὐ γὰρ στηρίζει σάρκα βραχίονος αὐτοῦ«, »πάντοτε« γὰρ »τὴν νέκρωσιν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἐν τῷ σώματι« αὐτοῦ ἔχει, καὶ νεκροῖ »τὰ μέλη τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, πορνείαν, ἀκαθαρσίαν«. νεκρώσας ταῦτα »οὐ στηρίζει σάρκα τοῦ βραχίο- νος αὐτοῦ«. »ἐπικατάρατος ὃς τὴν ἐλπίδα ἔχει ἐπʼ ἄνθρωπον«. ἅμα δὲ πρὸς τοὺς ἐλπίζοντας ἐπὶ ἀξιώμασιν. ὁ δεῖνά μου φίλος ἐστὶν ἑκατόνταρχος, ἐπίτροπός ἐστιν· ὁ δεῖνά μου φίλος καὶ πλούσιός ἐστι καὶ παρέχεταί μοι. ἔπειτα καὶ πρὸς τὸν τοιοῦτον λέγεται τοῦτο· »ἐπικατάρατος ἄνθρωπος ὃς τὴν ἐλπίδα ἔχει ἐπʼ ἄνθρωπον«. ἐπʼ οὐδένα ἄνθρωπον ἐλπίζομεν, κἂν δοκῶσιν ἡμῶν εἶναι φίλοι· οὐ γὰρ ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ κύριον ἡμῶν ἐλπίζομεν, ὅς ἐστι Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς, ᾧ ἐστιν ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

Eita pollōn dielthontōn logōn ēn men kai peri hekastou tōn eirēmenōn eipein, allʼ ouk enchōrei tou chronou epeigontos. eipōmen oun eis to hexēs anagnōsthen ton »epikataratos anthrōpos hos tēn elpida echei epʼ anthrōpon«. ek tou † tous nomizontas oti anthrōpos men tou theou ho huios ēn ho sōtēr (etolmēsan gar meta tōn pollōn tōn anthrōpinōn kakōn kai touto eipein hoti ouk esti theos »ho monogenēs«, »ho prōtotokos pasēs ktiseōs«); »epikataratos« gar »hos tēn elpida echei epʼ anthrōpon«. dēlon hoti epikataratoi eisin hoi epʼ anthrōpon echontes tēn elpida. egō eipoimi an hoti ouk epʼ anthrōpon echō tēn elpida, elpizōn epi Christon Iēsoun egō anthrōpon ouk oida. ou monon anthrōpon ouk oida, alla sophian oida, tēn autodikaiosynēn, anthrōpon diʼ hou »ektisthē ta panta en tois exousiai«. »epikataratos anthrōpos hos tēn elpida echei epʼ anthrōpon«. kan martyrę̄ ho sōtēr hoti hon ephoresen anthrōpos ēn — allʼ ei kai ēn anthrōpos, alla nyn oudamōs estin anthrōpos. »ei« gar »kai egnōmen Christon kata sarka, alla ouketi ginōskomen«, phēsin ho apostolos. egō diʼ auton ouketi eimi anthrōpos, ean akolouthō autou tois logois; alla legei; »egō eipa; theoi este kai huioi hypsistou pantes«. oukoun hōs »prōtotokos« estin »ek tōn nekrōn«, houtōs gegone prōtotokos pantōn anthrōpōn eis theon metabalōn. »epikataratos« toinyn »anthrōpos hos tēn elpida echei epʼ anthrōpon, kai stērisei sarka brachionos autou«, hostis an kyrōsę̄ ta sarkina, hostis tēn ischyn tēn sōmatikēn ean ktēsētai, kai kata sarka strateusētai. allʼ ho hagios ouch houtōs estin; »ou gar stērizei sarka brachionos autou«, »pantote« gar »tēn nekrōsin tou Iēsou en tǭ sōmati« autou echei, kai nekroi »ta melē ta epi tēs gēs, porneian, akatharsian«. nekrōsas tauta »ou stērizei sarka tou brachio- nos autou«. »epikataratos hos tēn elpida echei epʼ anthrōpon«. hama de pros tous elpizontas epi axiōmasin. ho deina mou philos estin hekatontarchos, epitropos estin; ho deina mou philos kai plousios esti kai parechetai moi. epeita kai pros ton toiouton legetai touto; »epikataratos anthrōpos hos tēn elpida echei epʼ anthrōpon«. epʼ oudena anthrōpon elpizomen, kan dokōsin hēmōn einai philoi; ou gar epʼ autous allʼ epi kyrion hēmōn elpizomen, hos esti Christos Iēsous, hǭ estin hē doxa kai to kratos eis tous aiōnas tōn aiōnōn. Amēn.

Then, since many words have gone by, there would be something to say about each of the things said, but time presses and does not allow it. Let us speak, then, on what was read next: “Cursed is the man who has his hope in man.” From this † those who think that the Savior, the Son of God, was a man (for among the many human evils they dared to say this too, that “the Only-begotten,” “the firstborn of all creation,” is not God); for “cursed is he who has his hope in man.” Clearly those who have their hope in a man are accursed. I would say that I do not have my hope in a man; hoping in Christ Jesus, I do not know a man. Not only do I not know a man, but I know Wisdom, Righteousness itself, him through whom “all things were created, … powers.” “Cursed is the man who has his hope in man.” Even if the Savior testifies that what he bore was a man, yet even if he was a man, now he is in no way a man. “For even if we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet we know him so no longer,” says the apostle. Because of him I am no longer a man, if I follow his words; but he says: “I said, You are gods, and all sons of the Most High.” So as he is “the firstborn from the dead,” so he has become the firstborn of all human beings, having changed into God. “Cursed,” then, “is the man who has his hope in man, and will lean on flesh as his arm”: whoever makes the things of the flesh supreme, whoever acquires bodily strength and wages war according to the flesh. But the holy man is not so; for “he does not lean on flesh as his arm”; for he “always” has “the dying of Jesus in” his “body,” and puts to death “the members that are on the earth, sexual immorality, impurity.” Having put these to death, “he does not lean on flesh as his arm.” “Cursed is he who has his hope in man.” At the same time, it is also against those who hope in dignities: “So-and-so is my friend, a centurion, a procurator; so-and-so is my friend and rich and provides for me.” Then to such a one too this is said: “Cursed is the man who has his hope in man.” We hope in no man, even if they seem to be our friends; for we hope not in them but in our Lord, who is Christ Jesus, to whom be the glory and the power for ages of ages. Amen.

Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.

Jer 17:5 (quotation, high confidence) · John 1:18 (quotation, medium confidence) · Col 1:15 (quotation, high confidence) · Col 1:16 (quotation, high confidence) · 2 Cor 5:16 (quotation, high confidence) · Ps 82:6 (81:6 LXX) (quotation, high confidence) · Col 1:18 (quotation, high confidence) · 2 Cor 4:10 (quotation, high confidence) · Col 3:5 (quotation, high confidence) · 2 Cor 10:3 (allusion, medium confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: “Cursed is he who hopes in man” condemns those who hold that Christ was a mere man; Christians hope in him as God's Wisdom and Word, and must not put their trust in bodily strength or influential friends.

  • The quotations are Jer 17:5 (LXX), John 1:18, Col 1:15–16, 2 Cor 5:16, Ps 82:6 (81:6 LXX), Col 1:18, 2 Cor 4:10, Col 3:5, and 2 Cor 10:3. Origen's opponents here are those who taught that Christ was only a man. The digital text is corrupt at the sentence marked † and in the quotation of Col 1:16. His statement that Christ is “now in no way a man” reflects his view that Christ's humanity was transformed into divinity after the resurrection.

Notes on the original text

  • Digital text corrected (OCR slip; OCR slip (digit for letter)): ἐποίγοντος → ἐπείγοντος; ἀναγωνσθὲν → ἀναγνωσθὲν; 0ἶδα → οἶδα; ἐκτίσηθ → ἐκτίσθη; ἐσχὺν → ἰσχὺν; βραχίνος → βραχίονος; ἐπίτροός → ἐπίτροπός.

Topics: Christology, Heresy

Cite (SBL): Origen, Hom. Jer. 15.6 (Klostermann 3:130–131; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-ieremiam/15-0/#p-15-6).

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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text of Klostermann, GCS 6; made independently of existing English translations. No public-domain English translation exists; reviewed against the Greek.