On Prayer 9.2
Summary: Lifting the eyes and soul to God in prayer transforms the one who prays into God's image and makes the soul spiritual.
Greek text · Koetschau 2:318–319
καὶ ὁ προφήτης δὲ Δαυῒδ πολλὰ μὲν καὶ ἄλλα φησὶν ἔχειν εὐχόμενον τὸν ἅγιον· καὶ ταῦτα δὲ οὐκ ἀκαίρως παραθετέον. ἵνα φανερὰ ἡμῖν γένηται τὰ μέγιστα ὠφελοῦσα. κἂν μόνη νοηθῇ, ἡ σχέσις καὶ εἰς τὸ εὔχεσθαι παρασκευὴ τοῦ ἀνατεθεικότος ἑαυτὸν τῷ θεῷ· φησὶν οὖν· „πρὸς σὲ ἦρα τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου, τὸν κατοικοῦντα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, “ καὶ „πρὸς σὲ ἦρα τὴν ψυχήν μου, ὁ θεός.“ ἐπαιρόμενοι γὰρ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ τοῦ διανοητικοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ προσδιατρίβειν τοῖς γηΐνοις καὶ πληροῦσθαι φαντασίας τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν ὑλικωτέρων καὶ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ὑψούμενοι, ὥστε καὶ ὑπερκύπτειν τὰ γεννητὰ καὶ πρὸς μόνῳ τῷ ἐννοεῖν τὸν θεὸν κἀκείνῳ σεμνῶς καὶ πρεπόντως τῷ ἀκούοντι ὁμιλεῖν γίνεσθαι, πῶς οὐχὶ τὰ μέγιστα ἤδη ὤνησαν αὐτοὺς τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς. „ἀνακεκαλυμμένῳ προσώπῳ τὴν δόξαν κυρίου“ κατοπτριζομένους καὶ „τὴν αὐτὴν εἰκόνα“ μεταμορφουμένους „ἀπὸ δόξης εἰς δόξαν· “ ἀποῤῥοῆς γὰρ νοητοῦ τινος θειοτέρου μεταλαμβάνουσι τότε. ὅπερ δηλοῦται ἐκ τοῦ· „ἐσημειώθη ἐφʼ ἡμᾶς τὸ φῶς τοῦ προσώπου σου, κύριε.“ καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ δὲ ἐπαιρομένη καὶ τῷ πνεύματι ἑπομένη τοῦ τε σώματος χωριζομένη καὶ οὐ μόνον ἑπομένη τῷ πνεύματι ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ γινομένη, ὅπερ δηλοῦται ἐκ τοῦ·., πρὸς σὲ ἦρα τὴν ψυχήν μου, “ πῶς οὐχὶ ἤδη ἀποτιθεμένη τὸ εἶναι ψυχὴ πνευματικὴ γίνεται;
English · Claude translation
And the prophet David too says that the saint has many other qualities when he prays; and it is not out of place to set these beside them, so that it may become clear to us that the very posture and preparation for prayer of one who has dedicated himself to God, even if considered alone, is of the greatest benefit. He says: “To you I have lifted up my eyes, you who dwell in heaven,” and, “To you, O God, I have lifted up my soul.” For when the eyes of the understanding are lifted up from lingering on earthly things and being filled with the impression of more material things, and are raised so high that they peer beyond created things and come to be occupied only with thinking of God and conversing reverently and fittingly with him who hears, how have they not already gained the greatest benefit, those very eyes that “with unveiled face” behold “the glory of the Lord” and are transformed into “the same image” “from glory to glory”? For they then partake of an intelligible and more divine emanation, as is shown by the words: “The light of your face has been signed upon us, O Lord.” And the soul too, being lifted up and following the Spirit, and being separated from the body—and not only following the Spirit but coming to be in it, as is shown by “To you I have lifted up my soul”—how does it not already put off its being a soul and become spiritual?
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are Ps 123:1 (122:1 LXX), Ps 25:1 (24:1 LXX), 2 Cor 3:18, and Ps 4:6 (4:7 LXX). That the soul lifted to the Spirit “puts off its being a soul” and becomes spiritual reflects Origen's teaching on the soul (On First Principles 2.8).
Cite this passage
Origen, Or. 9.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/9/2/).
Plain text
Origen, Or. 9.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/9/2/).
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