Sophia Scriptura

On Prayer 26.1

Origen · On Prayer · ca. 233–234 · Caesarea · Read in context

Summary: Found only in Matthew, this petition asks that we on earth may do God's will as the heavenly beings do, and so become like them.

Greek text · Koetschau 2:359–360

„Γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς.“ ὁ Λουκᾶς μετὰ τὸ „ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου“ ταῦτα παρασιωπήσας ἔταξε· „τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δίδου ἡμῖν καθʼ ἡμέραν“· διόπερ ἃς προετάξαμεν λέξεις ὡς παρὰ μόνῳ τῷ Ματθαίῳ κειμένας ἐξετάσωμεν ἀκολούθως τοῖς πρὸ τούτων. ἔτι ὄντες „ἐπὶ γῆς“ οἱ εὐχόμενοι, νοοῦντες „ἐν οὐρανῷ“ γεγονέναι „τὸ θέλημα“ τοῦ θεοῦ παρὰ πᾶσι τοῖς οἰκείοις τῶν οὐρανῶν, εὐξώμεθα καὶ ἡμῖν τοῖς „ἐπὶ γῆς“ ὁμοίως ἐκείνοις κατὰ πάντα γενέσθαι „τὸ θέλημα“ τοῦ θεοῦ· ὅπερ συμβήσεται, μηδὲν ἡμῶν παρὰ „τὸ θέλημα“ πραττόντων αὐτοῦ. ἐπὰν δὲ, „ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ“ „τὸ θέλημά“ ἐστι τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ ἡμῖν τοῖς „ἐπὶ γῆς“ κατορθωθῇ, ὁμοιωθέντες τοῖς ἐν οὐρανοῖς. ἅτε φορέσαντες παραπλησίως ἐκείνοις „τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ ἐπουρανίου, “ „βασιλείαν“ οὐρανῶν κληρονομήσομεν, τῶν μεθʼ ἡμᾶς „ἐπὶ γῆς“ καὶ ἡμῖν, γενομένοις „ἐν οὐρανῷ, “ ὁμοιωθῆναι εὐχομένων.

English · Claude translation

“Your will be done, as in heaven so also on earth.” Luke, after “Your kingdom come,” passed over these words in silence and put, “Give us each day our daily bread.” Let us therefore examine the words we have set out, found only in Matthew, in sequence with what precedes. We who pray, being still “on earth,” and understanding that “the will” of God has been done “in heaven” by all who belong to the heavens, let us pray that “the will” of God may be done in all things for us too who are “on earth,” as for them; which will happen when we do nothing contrary to his “will.” And when “the will” of God, as it is “in heaven,” is accomplished by us too who are “on earth,” we shall be made like those in heaven, since we shall have borne “the image of the heavenly” like them, and we shall inherit the “kingdom” of heaven, while those who come after us “on earth” will pray to be made like us, who will then be “in heaven.”

About this passage

Source
Koetschau 2:359–360 · Paul Koetschau, ed., Origenes Werke 2: Buch V–VIII gegen Celsus, Die Schrift vom Gebet, GCS 3 (Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1899), 297–403 · Greek text: P. Koetschau, Origenes Werke 2 (GCS 3, 1899), digitized by the Perseus Digital Library and published by the First Thousand Years of Greek project (Open Greek and Latin), CC BY-SA 4.0
Text
As printed in Koetschau, GCS 3. Manuscript variants and the editor's apparatus are not reproduced; no textual problem is noted in this passage.
Translation
Claude translation (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 · Translated by Claude from the Greek text of Koetschau, GCS 3; made independently of existing English translations. No public-domain English translation exists; reviewed against the Greek.
Scripture
Topics
Prayer

Notes

Translation notes

  • The quotations are Matt 6:10, Luke 11:3, and 1 Cor 15:49.

Cite this passage

Origen, Or. 26.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/26/1/).

Plain text
Origen, Or. 26.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/26/1/).

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