Sophia Scriptura

On Prayer 27.11

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

Summary: Abraham's meal for the three visitors may figure how saints can nourish even angels with spiritual food, as Christ promises to dine with whoever opens the door to him.

Greek text · Koetschau 2:370

οὐκ ἄκαιρον δὲ ζητοῦσιν ἡμῖν „τὸν ἐπιούσιον“ „ἄρτον“ καὶ τὸ „ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς“ καὶ τὴν σοφίαν τοῦ θεοῦ τήν τε κοινὴν ἁγίων ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἀγγέλων τροφὴν ἐπιστῆσαι καὶ περὶ τῶν ἐν Γενέσει γεγραμμένων τριῶν ἀνδρῶν, καταχθέντων παρὰ τῷ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ μεταλαβόντων πεφυραμένων τριῶν μέτρων „σεμιδάλεως“ εἰς ἐγκρυφιῶν ποίησιν, μή ποτε γυμνῶς τροπικῶς ταῦτα εἴρηται, δυναμένων τῶν ἁγίων μεταδοῦναί ποτε τροφῆς νοητῆς καὶ λογικῆς οὐ μόνον ἀνθρώποις ἀλλὰ καὶ θειοτέραις δυνάμεσιν ἤτοι εἰς ὠφέλειαν αὐτῶν ἢ εἰς ἐπίδειξιν ὧν δεδύνηνται περιποιῆσαι ἑαυτοῖς τροφιμωτάτων, εὐφραινομένων καὶ τρεφομένων ἐν τῇ τοιαύτῃ ἐπιδείξει τῶν ἀγγέλων καὶ ἑτοιμοτέρων γινομένων πρὸς τὸ παντὶ τρόπῳ συνεργῆσαι καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἑξῆς συμπνεῦσαι τῇ πλειόνων καὶ μειζόνων καταλήψει τοῦ ἐπὶ προτέροις παρεσκευασμένου τροφίμοις μαθήμασιν, εὐφράναντος καὶ, ἵνʼ οὕτως εἴπω, ἀναθρέψαντος αὐτούς. οὐ θαυμαστὸν δὲ εἰ ἀγγέλους τρέφει ἄνθρωπος, ὅπου γε καὶ Χριστὸς ὁμολογεῖ ἑστὼς παρὰ „τὴν θύραν“ κρούειν, ἵνʼ εἰσελθὼν παρὰ τὸν ἀνοίξαντα αὐτῷ δειπνήσῃ „μετʼ αὐτοῦ“ ἐκ τῶν ἐκείνου, μετὰ ταῦτα καὶ αὐτὸς μεταδώσων τῶν ἰδίων τῷ πρότερον ἑστιάσαντι κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν δύναμιν τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ.

English · Claude translation

It is not out of place, as we inquire into “the daily” “bread,” and “the tree of life,” and the wisdom of God, the common food of holy men and angels, to consider also what is written in Genesis about the three men who lodged with Abraham and partook of three measures of “fine flour” kneaded to make cakes baked in the ashes: whether perhaps this is said purely figuratively, since the saints can sometimes impart spiritual and rational food not only to men but also to more divine powers, either for their benefit or to show what very nourishing things they have been able to acquire for themselves; the angels being gladdened and nourished by such a display, and becoming more ready to work with them in every way and in future to join in helping them to a grasp of more and greater things, the man who had been prepared with the former nourishing teachings having gladdened and, so to speak, nourished them. And it is no wonder if a man feeds angels, when even Christ confesses that he stands at “the door” and knocks, so that, entering in to the one who opens to him, he may dine “with him” from what is his, and afterwards himself impart of his own to the one who first, according to his own power, entertained the Son of God.

About this passage

Source
Koetschau 2:370 · 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 references are Gen 18:2–8 and Rev 3:20. Origen proposes the figurative reading tentatively (“whether perhaps”).

Cite this passage

Origen, Or. 27.11 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/11/).

Plain text
Origen, Or. 27.11 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/11/).

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