Sophia Scriptura

On Prayer 29.6

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

Summary: Poverty, wealth, and moderate means each bring their own temptations.

Greek text · Koetschau 2:384

εἰ δὲ, ἐπεὶ μὴ πλείονα περὶ τοῦ πένητος εἰρήκαμεν, καταφρονεῖ τις, ὡς μὴ πειρασμοῦ τοῦ περὶ τῆς πενίας, ἴστω ὅτι ὁ ἐπιβουλεύων ἐπιβουλεύει ὑπὲρ „τοῦ καταβαλεῖν πτωχὸν καὶ πένητα, “ καὶ μάλιστα ἐπεὶ κατὰ τὸν Σολομῶντα „ὁ πτωχὸς οὐχ ὑφίσταται ἀπειλήν.“ τί δὲ δεῖ λέγειν, ὅσοι διὰ τὸν σωματικὸν πλοῦτον, μὴ καλῶς αὐτὸν οἰκονομήσαντες, τὴν μετὰ τοῦ ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ πλουσίου χώραν ἐν τῇ κολάσει εἰλήφασι, καὶ ὅσοι ἀγεννῶς τὴν πενίαν φέροντες, δουλοπρεπέστερον καὶ ταπεινότερον ἢ κατὰ τὰ ἐν τοῖς „ἁγίοις“ πρέποντα ἀναστρεφόμενοι, τῆς ἐπουρανίου ἐλπίδος ἀποπεπτώκασιν; οὐδὲ οἱ μεταξὺ δὲ τούτων καθʼ ἑκάτερον, πλοῦτον καὶ πενίαν, τοῦ κατὰ τὴν σύμμετρον κτῆσιν ἁμαρτάνειν πάντως εἰσὶν ἀπηλλαγμένοι.

English · Claude translation

And if, because we have not said more about the poor man, someone is careless as though poverty held no temptation, let him know that the plotter plots “to bring down the poor and needy,” especially since, according to Solomon, “the poor man does not withstand a threat.” And why need I speak of how many, because of bodily wealth not well managed, have taken their place in punishment with the rich man in the gospel, and how many, bearing poverty ignobly and behaving in a more servile and abject way than befits “the saints,” have fallen from the heavenly hope? Nor are those between these two, wealth and poverty, entirely free from sinning in their moderate possessions.

About this passage

Source
Koetschau 2:384 · 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, Ethics

Notes

Translation notes

  • The quotations and allusions are Ps 37:14 (36:14 LXX), Prov 13:8 (LXX), and Luke 16:22–23.

Cite this passage

Origen, Or. 29.6 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/6/).

Plain text
Origen, Or. 29.6 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/6/).

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