On Prayer 18.3
Summary: Origen suggests that the prayers in Matthew and Luke, given on different occasions, may be two different prayers with parts in common; Mark has none.
Greek text · Koetschau 2:340–341
λεκτέον δὲ πρὸς τοὺς οὕτως ὑπολαμβάνοντας ὅτι πρῶτον μὲν τὰ ῥήματα, εἰ καὶ γειτνιῶντά τινα ἔχει ἀλλήλοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις διαφέρειν φαίνεται, ὡς ἐρευνῶντες αὐτὰ παραστήσομεν· δεύτερον δὲ ὅτι οὐχ οἷόν τε ἐστὶ τὴν αὐτὴν προσευχὴν καὶ ἐν τῷ ὄρει λέγεσθαι, ἔνθα „ἰδὼν τοὺς ὄχλους ἀνέβη, “ ὅτε „καθίσαντος αὐτοῦ προσῆλθον αὐτῷ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀνοίξας τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ ἐδίδασκεν“ (ἐν γὰρ τῷ εἱρμῷ τῆς περὶ τῶν μακαρισμῶν ἀπαγγελίας καὶ τῶν ἑξῆς ἐντολῶν παρὰ τῷ Ματθαίῳ αὕτη ἀναγεγραμμένη εὑρίσκεται), καὶ „ἐν τῷ εἶναι αὐτὸν ἐν τόπῳ τινὶ προσευχόμενον, ὡς ἐπαύσατο, “ εἰρῆσθαι πρὸς τινα „τῶν μαθητῶν“ ἀξιώσαντα διδαχθῆναι „προσεύχεσθαι, ὡς καὶ Ἰωάννης ἐδίδασκε τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ.“ πῶς γὰρ ἐνδέχεται τοὺς αὐτοὺς λόγους χωρὶς πάσης προγενομένης πεύσεως ἀποτακτικῶς εἰρῆσθαι καὶ πρὸς ἀξίωσιν μαθητοῦ ἀπαγγέλλεσθαι; ἀλλʼ ἴσως τις εἴποι ἂν πρὸς τοῦτο ὅτι ἰσοδυναμοῦσαί εἰσιν αἱ εὐχαὶ εἰρημέναι ὡς μία, ὁτὲ μὲν ἐν ἀποτακτικῷ λόγῳ ὁτὲ δὲ πρὸς ἕτερον τῶν μαθητῶν τὸν ἀξιώσαντα, κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς τότε μὴ παρόντα, ὅτε ἔλεγε τὸ κατὰ τὸν Ματθαῖον, ἢ μὴ κεκρατηκότα τῶν εἰρημένων πάλαι· μή ποτε δὲ βέλτιον ᾖ διαφόρους νομίζεσθαι τὰς προσευχὰς, κοινά τινα ἐχούσας μέρη. ζητήσαντες δὲ καὶ παρὰ τῷ Μάρκῳ, μή ποτε λανθάνῃ ἡμᾶς ἡ τοιαύτη ἰσοδυναμοῦσα ἀναγεγραμμένη, οὐδʼ ἴχνος ἐγκείμενον προσευχῆς εὕρομεν.
English · Claude translation
To those who suppose this it must be said, first, that the words, even if some of them are close to each other, appear to differ in others, as we shall show when we examine them; and second, that it is not possible for the same prayer to have been spoken both on the mountain, where “seeing the crowds he went up,” when “after he sat down his disciples came to him, and he opened his mouth and taught them” (for in Matthew it is found recorded in the sequence of the account of the beatitudes and the commandments that follow), and also “as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased,” to one “of his disciples” who asked to be taught “to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” For how could the same words have been spoken as a continuous discourse without any previous question, and also have been given at a disciple's request? But perhaps someone might say to this that the prayers are equivalent, spoken as one, sometimes in a continuous discourse and sometimes to another of the disciples who asked, who was probably not present when he said what is in Matthew, or had not retained what was said long before. But perhaps it is better to consider the prayers different, having some parts in common. And having searched in Mark too, in case such an equivalent prayer recorded there should escape us, we found not a trace of a prayer in it.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are Matt 5:1–2 and Luke 11:1.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (a dropped letter in the digital text (ἀποτακτικῶς earlier in the section)): ἀποτατικῷ → ἀποτακτικῷ.
Cite this passage
Origen, Or. 18.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/18/3/).
Plain text
Origen, Or. 18.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/18/3/).
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