On Prayer 13.5
Summary: As Samuel's prayer brought thunder and rain and Elijah's opened the heavens, the saints' prayers now bring the rain of grace to souls in the harvest of the gospel.
Greek text · Koetschau 2:329–330
ὅπερ δὲ μέγιστον πεποιηκέναι λέγεται Σαμουὴλ διὰ προσευχῆς, τοῦτο πνευματικῶς δυνατόν ἐστιν ἕκαστον τῶν ἀνακειμένων γνησίως τῷ θεῷ καὶ νῦν ἐπιτελεῖν, ἄξιον τοῦ ἐπακούεσθαι γεγενημένον. γέγραπται γάρ· „καί γε νῦν στῆτε (καὶ ἴδετε) τὸ ῥῆμα τὸ μέγα τοῦτο, ὃ ὁ κύριος ποιεῖ κατʼ ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑμῶν. οὐχὶ θερισμὸς πυροῦ σήμερον; ἐπικαλέσομαι κύριον, καὶ δώσει φωνὰς καὶ ὑετόν“· εἶτα μετʼ ὀλίγα· „καὶ ἐπεκαλέσατο, “ φησὶ „Σαμουὴλ πρὸς κύριον, καὶ ἔδωκε κύριος φωνὰς καὶ ὑετὸν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ.“ παντὶ γὰρ ἁγίῳ καὶ τῷ Ἰησοῦ γνησίως μαθητεύοντι ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου λέγεται· „ἐπάρατε τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑμῶν καὶ θεάσασθε τὰς χώρας ὅτι λευκαί εἰσι πρὸς θερισμὸν ἤδη, ὁ θερίζων μισθὸν λαμβάνει καὶ συνάγει καρπὸν εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον.“ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ δὴ τούτῳ τοῦ θερισμοῦ „μέγα ῥῆμα“ „ὁ κύριος ποιεῖ κατʼ ὀφθαλμοὺς“ τῶν ἀκουόντων τοὺς προφήτας· ἐπικαλεσαμένου γὰρ τοῦ κεκοσμημένου τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι „πρὸς τὸν κύριον, “ δίδωσιν ὁ θεὸς οὐρανόθεν „φωνὰς καὶ“ τὸν ποτίζοντα τὴν ψυχὴν „ὑετὸν, “ ἵνα ὁ πρότερον ἐν τῇ κακίᾳ ὢν φοβηθῇ σφόδρα τὸν κύριον καὶ τὸν ὑπηρέτην τῆς εὐεργεσίας τοῦ θεοῦ, αἰδέσιμον καὶ σεβάσμιον διʼ ὧν ἐπακούεται πεφανερωμένον. καὶ Ἠλίας δὲ τρισὶν ἔτεσι καὶ ἓξ μησὶ κεκλεισμένον τοῖς ἀσεβέσι τὸν οὐρανὸν θείῳ λόγῳ ἀνοίγει ὕστερον· ὅπερ παντί τῳ κατορθοῦται ἀεὶ, διὰ τῆς εὐχῆς λαμβάνοντι τὸν ὑετὸν τῆς ψυχῆς, τῶν διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν πρότερον αὐτοῦ ἐστερημένων.
English · Claude translation
And what Samuel is said to have done, the greatest thing, through prayer, each of those truly devoted to God can accomplish even now spiritually, once he has become worthy to be heard. For it is written: “And now stand and see this great thing which the Lord does before your eyes. Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call upon the Lord, and he will send thunder and rain”; and then a little after: “And Samuel called upon the Lord,” it says, “and the Lord sent thunder and rain on that day.” For to every saint and true disciple of Jesus it is said by the Lord: “Lift up your eyes and see the fields, that they are white already for harvest; he who reaps receives wages and gathers fruit for eternal life.” In this time of harvest, then, the Lord does “a great thing” “before the eyes” of those who listen to the prophets; for when one adorned with the Holy Spirit calls “upon the Lord,” God gives from heaven “thunder and” the “rain” that waters the soul, so that he who was formerly in wickedness may greatly fear the Lord and the minister of God's benefits, who is shown to be revered and venerable through the fact that he is heard. And Elijah too by a divine word later opened the heaven that had been shut to the ungodly for three years and six months; which is always accomplished for anyone who through prayer receives the rain of the soul, of which he had formerly been deprived because of sin.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations and allusions are 1 Sam 12:16–18 (1 Kgdms LXX), John 4:35–36, 1 Kgs 18:41–45, and Luke 4:25 and Jas 5:17–18 (three years and six months).
Cite this passage
Origen, Or. 13.5 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/13/5/).
Plain text
Origen, Or. 13.5 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/13/5/).
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