# On Prayer - Author: [Origen](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/authors/origen/) - Latin title: *De oratione* - Date: ca. 233–234 (approximate) - Source: 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) - Translation: Claude, from the original text; each passage below gives the model and date - Work page: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/ - Passages: 157 ## On Prayer 1.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/1/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:297–298 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Things impossible for human nature, such as wisdom and knowledge of God's mind, become possible by God's grace through Christ and the Spirit. ### Greek text Τὰ διὰ τὸ εἶναι μέγιστα καὶ ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον τυγχάνειν εἰς ὑπερβολήν τε ὑπεράνω τῆς ἐπικήρου φύσεως ἡμῶν ἀδύνατα τῷ λογικῷ καὶ θνητῷ γένει καταλαβεῖν ἐν πολλῇ δὲ καὶ ἀμετρήτῳ ἐκχεομένῃ ἀπὸ θεοῦ εἰς ἀνθρώπους χάριτι θεοῦ διὰ τοῦ τῆς ἀνυπερβλήτου εἰς ἡμᾶς χάριτος ὑπηρέτου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ τοῦ συνεργοῦ πνεύματος βουλήσει θεοῦ δυνατὰ γίνεται. ἀδύνατον γοῦν τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ φύσει ὑπάρχον σοφίας κτῆσις, ᾗ τὰ πάντα κατεσκεύασται („πάντα“ γὰρ κατὰ τὸν Δαυῒδ ὁ θεὸς „ἐν σοφίᾳ“ ἐποίησε), δυνατὸν ἐξ ἀδυνάτου γίνεται διὰ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, „ὃς ἐγενήθη σοφία ἡμῖν ἀπὸ θεοῦ δικαιοσύνη τε καὶ ἁγιασμὸς καὶ ἀπολύτρωσις.“ „τίς γὰρ ἄνθρωπος γνώσεται βουλὴν θεοῦ; ἢ τίς ἐνθυμηθήσεται τί θέλει ὁ κύριος; ἐπεὶ λογισμοὶ θνητῶν δειλοὶ, καὶ ἐπισφαλεῖς αἱ ἐπίνοιαι ἡμῶν· φθαρτὸν γὰρ σῶμα βαρύνει ψυχὴν. καὶ βρίθει τὸ γεῶδες σκῆνος νοῦν πολυφροντίδα. καὶ μόγις εἰκάζομεν τὰ ἐπὶ γῆς, τὰ δὲ ἐν οὐρανοῖς τίς ἐξιχνίασε;“ τίς δʼ οὐκ ἂν εἴποι ἀδύνατον εἶναι ἀνθρώπῳ ἐξιχνιάσαι „τὰ ἐν οὐρανοῖς;“ ἀλλʼ ὅμως τοῦτο τὸ ἀδύνατον τῇ ὑπερβαλλούσῃ χάριτι τοῦ θεοῦ δυνατὸν γίνεται· ὁ γὰρ ἁρπαγεὶς εἰς τρίτον οὐρανὸν ἐξιχνίασε τάχα τὰ ἐν τοῖς τρισὶν οὐρανοῖς διὰ τὸ ἀκηκοέναι „ἄῤῥητα ῥήματα, ἃ μὴ ἐξὸν ἀνθρώπῳ λαλῆσαι“ ἦν. τίς δὲ δύναται εἰπεῖν ὅτι δυνατὸν ἀνθρώπῳ γνωσθῆναι τὸν τοῦ κυρίου νοῦν; ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο ὁ θεὸς διὰ Χριστοῦ χαρίζεται............... τὸ θέλημα τοῦ κυρίου ἑαυτῶν οὐκέτι, ὅτε διδάσκει αὐτοὺς τὸ θέλημα τοῦ κυρίου εἶναι θέλοντος ἀλλὰ εἰς φίλον μεταβάλλοντος τούτοις, ὧν κύριος πρότερον ἦν. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς οὐδεὶς „οἶδεν ἀνθρώπων τὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰ μὴ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ, οὕτω καὶ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ οὐδεὶς“ οἶδεν „εἰ μὴ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ.“ εἰ δὲ μηδεὶς „οἶδε“ „τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ“ „εἰ μὴ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ, “ ἀδύνατον εἰδέναι ἄνθρωπον „τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ.“ καὶ τοῦτο δὲ κατανόησον, πῶς δυνατὸν γίνεται· „ἡμεῖς δὲ, “ φησὶν, „οὐ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ κόσμου ἐλάβομεν ἀλλὰ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἵνα εἰδῶμεν τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ χαρισθέντα ἡμῖν, ἃ καὶ λαλοῦμεν οὐκ ἐν διδακτοῖς ἀνθρωπίνης σοφίας λόγοις ἀλλʼ ἐν διδακτοῖς τοῦ πνεύματος.“ ### English translation (Claude) Things that, because they are very great and beyond man and far above our perishable nature, are impossible for the rational and mortal race to grasp, become possible by the will of God through the great and immeasurable grace of God poured out from God upon men, through Jesus Christ, the minister of his unsurpassable grace toward us, and through the Spirit who works with him. The acquisition of wisdom, for example, by which all things were fashioned (for, according to David, God made “all things in wisdom”), though impossible for human nature, becomes possible instead of impossible through our Lord Jesus Christ, “who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” “For what man will know the counsel of God? Or who will conceive what the Lord wills? For the reasonings of mortals are timid, and our designs are likely to fail; for a corruptible body weighs down the soul, and the earthly tent burdens the thoughtful mind. And we can hardly guess at what is on earth; but who has traced out what is in the heavens?” Who would not say that it is impossible for a man to trace out “what is in the heavens”? Yet this impossibility becomes possible by the surpassing grace of God; for he who was caught up to the third heaven perhaps traced out what is in the three heavens, since he heard “inexpressible words, which it is not permitted for a man to speak.” And who can say that it is possible for a man to know the mind of the Lord? But this too God grants through Christ … the will of their lord, no longer, when he teaches them the will of the Lord, since he no longer wishes to be lord but changes into a friend to those whose lord he formerly was. But also, just as no one “among men knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man that is in him, so also no one” knows “the things of God except the Spirit of God.” And if no one “knows” “the things of God” “except the Spirit of God,” it is impossible for a man to know “the things of God.” But consider how this too becomes possible: “But we,” he says, “have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God; and we speak of these not in words taught by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit.” ### Scripture references - Ps 104:24 (103:24 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 1:30: quotation, high confidence - 2 Cor 12:2: allusion, high confidence - 2 Cor 12:4: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 2:16: allusion, high confidence - John 15:15: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Cor 2:11: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 2:12: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 2:13: quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Wis 9:13–16 (Wisdom of Solomon): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Ps 104:24 (103:24 LXX), 1 Cor 1:30, Wis 9:13–16, 2 Cor 12:2–4, 1 Cor 2:16, and 1 Cor 2:11–12, 13; the passage about the servant who becomes a friend alludes to John 15:15. The single manuscript has a gap here (marked “…”); the sense of the surviving words is uncertain. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 1.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/1/1/). ## On Prayer 2.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/2/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:298–299 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Origen tells Ambrose and Tatiana that explaining prayer rightly is humanly impossible; even Paul confessed that we do not know how to pray as we ought. ### Greek text Ἀλλʼ εἰκὸς, Ἀμβρόσιε θεοσεβέστατε καὶ φιλοπονώτατε καὶ Τατιανὴ κοσμιωτάτη καὶ ἀνδρειοτάτη (ἀφʼ ἧς ἐκλελοιπέναι „τὰ γυναικεῖα“ ὃν τρόπον ἐκλελοίπει τῇ Σάῤῥᾳ ἤδη εὔχομαι), ὑμᾶς ἀπορεῖν τί δή ποτε, περὶ εὐχῆς προκειμένου ἡμῖν τοῦ λόγου, ταῦτα ἐν προοιμίοις περὶ τῶν ἀδυνάτων ἀνθρώποις δυνατῶν χάριτι θεοῦ γινομένων εἴρηται. ἓν τῶν ἀδυνάτων ὅσον ἐπὶ τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ ἡμῶν πείθομαι τυγχάνειν τρανῶσαι τὸν περὶ τῆς εὐχῆς ἀκριβῶς καὶ θεοπρεπῶς πάντα λόγον καὶ τὸν περὶ τοῦ, τίνα τρόπον εὔχεσθαι δεῖ, καὶ τίνα ἐπὶ τῆς εὐχῆς λέγειν πρὸς θεὸν. καὶ ποῖοι καιροὶ ποίων καιρῶν πρὸς τὴν εὐχήν εἰσιν ἐπιτηδειότεροι.................. τὸν διὰ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν „τῶν ἀποκαλύψεων“ εὐλαβούμενον, „μή τις“ εἰς αὐτὸν „λογίσηται ὑπὲρ ὃ βλέπει“ „ἢ ἀκούει ἐξ“ αὐτοῦ, ὁμολογεῖν „καθὸ δεῖ“ προσεύχεσθαι μὴ εἰδέναι· ὃ γὰρ δεῖ προσεύξασθαι, φησὶ, „καθὸ δεῖ οὐκ οἴδαμεν.“ ἀναγκαῖον δὲ οὐ τὸ προσεύχεσθαι μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ προσεύχεσθαι „καθὸ δεῖ“ καὶ προσεύχεσθαι ὃ δεῖ. ἵνα γὰρ καὶ ὃ δεῖ προσεύχεσθαι δυνηθῶμεν καταλαβεῖν, ἐλλιπές ἐστι τοῦτο, ἐὰν μὴ καὶ τὸ „καθὸ δεῖ“ προσλάβωμεν. τί δὲ ἡμῖν ὄφελος τοῦ „καθὸ δεῖ, “ μὴ εἰδόσιν εὔχεσθαι ὃ δεῖ; ### English translation (Claude) But it is likely, most God-fearing and most industrious Ambrose, and most modest and most courageous Tatiana (from whom I pray that “the ways of women” have already ceased, as they had ceased for Sarah), that you are wondering why, when our subject is prayer, these things were said in the preface about things impossible for men becoming possible by the grace of God. I am persuaded that one of the things impossible, as far as our weakness goes, is to set out clearly, accurately, and in a manner worthy of God, the whole account of prayer: how one ought to pray, what one ought to say to God in prayer, and which times are more suitable than others for prayer … the one who, because of the surpassing greatness “of the revelations,” took care “that no one” should “think of” him “more than he sees” “or hears from” him, confesses that he does not know how to pray “as we ought”; for what we ought to pray, he says, “as we ought, we do not know.” And it is necessary not only to pray, but to pray “as we ought,” and to pray for what we ought. For even if we are able to grasp what we ought to pray for, this is deficient unless we add also “as we ought.” And what use to us is “as we ought,” if we do not know how to pray for what we ought? ### Scripture references - Gen 18:11: allusion, high confidence - 2 Cor 12:6: quotation, high confidence - 2 Cor 12:7: quotation, high confidence - Rom 8:26: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Gen 18:11 (applied figuratively: Origen prays that Tatiana may be free of womanly weakness, as Sarah was past the age of childbearing), 2 Cor 12:6–7, and Rom 8:26. Tatiana was probably Ambrose's wife or sister. The manuscript has a gap after the list of questions (marked “…”). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 2.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/2/1/). ## On Prayer 2.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/2/2/ - Source: Koetschau 2:299–300 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Origen distinguishes what we should pray for, such as heavenly things and laborers for the harvest, from the right disposition in prayer, such as reconciliation, purity, and self-control in marriage. ### Greek text τὸ μὲν οὖν ἕτερον τούτων, λέγω δὴ τὸ ὃ δεῖ. οἱ λόγοι εἰσὶ τῆς εὐχῆς, τὸ δὲ „καθὸ δεῖ“ ἡ κατάστασις τοῦ εὐχομένου· οἷον ὡς ἐπὶ παραδείγματος τὸ μὲν ὃ δεῖ· „αἰτεῖτε τὰ μεγάλα, καὶ τὰ μικρὰ ὑμῖν προστεθήσεται, “ καὶ „αἰτεῖτε τὰ ἐπουράνια, καὶ τὰ ἐπίγεια ὑμῖν προστεθήσεται, “ καὶ „προσεύχεσθε ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐπηρεαζόντων ὑμᾶς, “ καὶ „δεήθητε οὖν τοῦ κυρίου τοῦ θερισμοῦ, ἵνα ἐκβάλῃ ἐργάτας εἰς τὸν θερισμὸν αὐτοῦ, “ καὶ „προσεύχεσθε μὴ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς πειρασμὸν, “ καὶ „προσεύχεσθε, ἵνα μὴ γένηται ὑμῶν ἡ φυγὴ χειμῶνι μηδὲ σαββάτῳ, “ καὶ „προσευχόμενοι δὲ μὴ βαττολογήσητε, “ καὶ εἴ τι τούτοις ἐστὶ παραπλήσιον· τὸ δὲ „καθὸ δεῖ“· „βούλομαι οὖν προσεύχεσθαι τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ, ἐπαίροντας ὁσίας χεῖρας χωρὶς ὀργῆς καὶ διαλογισμοῦ· ὡσαύτως καὶ γυναῖκας ἐν καταστολῇ κοσμίῳ, μετὰ αἰδοῦς καὶ σωφροσύνης κοσμεῖν ἑαυτὰς, μὴ ἐν πλέγμασιν ἢ χρυσῷ ἢ μαργαρίταις ἢ ἱματισμῷ πολυτελεῖ ἀλλʼ, ὃ πρέπει γυναιξὶν ἐπαγγελλομέναις θεοσέβειαν, διʼ ἔργων ἀγαθῶν.“ τοῦ δὲ „καθὸ δεῖ“ διδασκαλικόν ἐστι καὶ τό· „ἐὰν οὖν προσφέρῃς τὸ δῶρόν σου ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον κἀκεῖ μνησθῇς ὅτι ὁ ἀδελφός σου ἔχει τι κατὰ σοῦ, ἄφες ἐκεῖ τὸ δῶρόν σου ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου καὶ ὕπαγε πρῶτον διαλλάγηθι τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου, καὶ τότε ἐλθὼν πρόσφερε τὸ δῶρόν σου“· ποῖον γὰρ θεῷ δῶρον ἀπὸ τοῦ λογικοῦ μεῖζον ἀναπέμπεσθαι δύναται εὐώδους λόγου εὐχῆς, προσφερομένης ἀπὸ συνειδότος μὴ ἔχοντος δυσῶδες ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας; ἔτι δὲ τοῦ „καθὸ δεῖ“ τό· „μὴ ἀποστερεῖτε ἀλλήλους, ἐὰν μή τι ἐκ συμφωνίας πρὸς καιρὸν, ἵνα σχολάσητε τῇ προσευχῇ καὶ πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ἦτε, ἵνα μὴ ἐπιχαρῇ ὑμῖν ὁ σατανᾶς διὰ τὴν ἀκρασίαν ὑμῶν.“ διὰ τούτων γὰρ ἐμποδίζεται τὸ „καθὸ δεῖ, “ ἐὰν μὴ καὶ τῶν κατὰ τὸν γάμον σιωπᾶσθαι ἀξίων μυστηρίων τὸ ἔργον σεμνότερον καὶ βραδύτερον καὶ ἀπαθέστερον γίνηται, τῆς λεγομένης ἐνταυθοῖ „συμφωνίας“ τὸ ἀσύμφωνον τοῦ πάθους ἀφανιζούσης καὶ τὴν ἀκρασίαν ἀναλισκούσης τοῦ τε σατανᾶ τὸ ἐπιχαιρησίκακον κωλυούσης. πρὸς τούτοις τοῦ „καθὸ δεῖ“ ἐστι διδασκαλικὸν τό· „ἐὰν στήκητε προσευχόμενοι, ἀφίετε, εἴ τι ἂν ἔχητε κατά τινος“· καὶ τὸ παρὰ τῷ Παύλῳ δέ· „πᾶς ἀνὴρ εὐχόμενος ἢ προφητεύων κατὰ κεφαλῆς ἔχων καταισχύνει τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ, πᾶσα δὲ γυνὴ προσευχομένη ἢ προφητεύουσα ἀκατακαλύπτῳ τῇ κεφαλῇ καταισχύνει τὴν κεφαλὴν ἑαυτῆς“ τοῦ „καθὸ δεῖ“ ἐστι παραστατικόν. ### English translation (Claude) Of these two, then, the one—I mean “what we ought”—is the words of the prayer, while “as we ought” is the disposition of the one who prays. For example, of “what we ought”: “Ask for the great things, and the small will be added to you,” and, “Ask for the heavenly things, and the earthly will be added to you,” and, “Pray for those who mistreat you,” and, “Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest,” and, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation,” and, “Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a sabbath,” and, “When you pray, do not babble,” and whatever is similar to these. Of “as we ought”: “I wish, then, that the men pray in every place, lifting up holy hands without anger or dispute; likewise also that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with reverence and self-control, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, as befits women who profess godliness, with good works.” Instructive of “as we ought” is also this: “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go, first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” For what greater gift can be sent up to God by a rational being than the fragrant word of prayer, offered from a conscience that has no foul odor of sin? Again, of “as we ought” is this: “Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again, so that Satan may not rejoice over you because of your lack of self-control.” For by these things “as we ought” is hindered, unless the act of the mysteries of marriage, which deserve to be passed over in silence, is performed with more dignity, more deliberation, and less passion; the “agreement” here spoken of removing the discord of passion, consuming the lack of self-control, and preventing Satan's malicious rejoicing. Besides these, instructive of “as we ought” is this: “Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone”; and the saying in Paul, “Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, but every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head,” sets forth “as we ought.” ### Scripture references - Matt 6:33: echo, medium confidence - Luke 6:28: quotation, high confidence - Matt 5:44: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 9:38: quotation, high confidence - Luke 22:40: quotation, high confidence - Matt 24:20: quotation, high confidence - Matt 6:7: quotation, high confidence - 1 Tim 2:8: quotation, high confidence - 1 Tim 2:9: quotation, high confidence - 1 Tim 2:10: quotation, high confidence - Matt 5:23: quotation, high confidence - Matt 5:24: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 7:5: quotation, high confidence - Mark 11:25: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 11:4: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 11:5: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The first two sayings are unwritten sayings of Jesus (agrapha), also quoted by Clement of Alexandria (compare Matt 6:33). The other quotations are Luke 6:28 (Matt 5:44), Matt 9:38, Luke 22:40, Matt 24:20, Matt 6:7, 1 Tim 2:8–10, Matt 5:23–24, 1 Cor 7:5, Mark 11:25, and 1 Cor 11:4–5. Origen's remark that marital relations should be more dignified, more deliberate (βραδύτερον, literally “slower”), and less passionate is his own reading of 1 Cor 7:5. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 2.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/2/2/). ## On Prayer 2.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/2/3/ - Source: Koetschau 2:300–301 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Paul confessed he did not know how to pray as he ought, but the Spirit intercedes for the saints with groanings too deep for words. ### Greek text ἀλλὰ ταῦτα πάντα ἐπιστάμενος Παῦλος καὶ τούτων πολλαπλασίονα ἀπὸ νόμου καὶ προφητῶν τοῦ τε εὐαγγελικοῦ πληρώματος παραθέσθαι δυνάμενος μετὰ ποικιλότητος τῆς εἰς ἕκαστον διηγήσεως, ἀπὸ διαθέσεως οὐ μετριαζούσης μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀληθευούσης φησίν (ὁρῶν δὲ καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα πάντα ὅσον ἀπολείπεται τοῦ εἰδέναι προσεύξασθαι τί δεῖ „καθὸ δεῖ“)· τὸ δὲ ὅ τι προσεύξασθαι δεῖ „καθὸ δεῖ οὐκ οἴδαμεν“· καὶ τοῦτο τῷ λόγῳ προστίθησιν. ὅθεν ἀναπληροῦται τὸ ἐλλεῖπον τῷ μὴ εἰδότι μὲν ἑαυτὸν δὲ ἄξιον τοῦ ἀναπληρωθῆναι ἐν αὐτῷ τὸ ἐλλεῖπον παρασκευάσαντι. λέγει γὰρ ὅτι αὐτὸ τὸ πνεῦμα στεναγμοῖς ἀλαλήτοις ὑπερεντυγχάνει τῷ θεῷ· ὁ δὲ ἐρευνῶν τὰς καρδίας οἶδε τί τὸ φρόνημα τοῦ πνεύματος, ὅτι κατὰ θεὸν ἐντυγχάνει ὑπὲρ ἁγίων.“ τὸ δὲ ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις τῶν μακαρίων κρᾶζον „ἀββὰ ὁ πατὴρ“ „πνεῦμα.“ ἐπιστάμενον ἐπιμελῶς τοὺς ἐν τῷ σκήνει στεναγμοὺς. ἀξίους τυγχάνοντας εἰς τὸ βαρῦναι τοὺς πεπτωκότας ἢ παραβεβηκότας, „στεναγμοῖς ἀλαλήτοις ὑπερεντυγχάνει τῷ θεῷ.“ τοὺς ἡμετέρους διὰ τὴν πολλὴν φιλανθρωπίαν καὶ συμπάθειαν ἀναδεχόμενον στεναγμούς· κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἐν αὐτῷ σοφίαν ὁρῶν τὴν ταπεινωθεῖσαν „εἰς χοῦν“ ψυχὴν ἡμῶν καὶ ἐν τῷ σώματι „τῆς ταπεινώσεως“ καθειργμένην, οὐ τοῖς τυχοῦσι „στεναγμοῖς“ χρώμενον „ὑπερεντυγχάνει τῷ θεῷ“ ἀλλά τισιν „ἀλαλήτοις, “ ἐχομένοις τῶν ἀῤῥήτων λόγων, ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀνθρώπῳ λαλεῖν. τοῦτο δὴ τὸ πνεῦμα. οὐκ ἀρκούμενον τῷ ἐντυγχάνειν τῷ θεῷ, ἐπιτεῖνον τὴν ἔντευξιν „ὑπερεντυγχάνει, “ ἐγὼ οἶμαι ὅτι περὶ τῶν ὑπερνικώντων, ὁποῖος Παῦλος ἦν λέγων· „ἀλλʼ ἐν τούτοις πᾶσιν ὑπερνικῶμεν.“ εἰκὸς δʼ ὅτι „ἐντυγχάνει“ μόνον περὶ τῶν οὐ τηλικούτων μὲν, ὡς ὑπερνικᾶν, οὐ τοιούτων δὲ πάλιν, ὥστε νικᾶσθαι, ἀλλὰ νικώντων. ### English translation (Claude) But Paul, knowing all these things and able to set out many times more from the law and the prophets and the fullness of the gospel, with a varied exposition of each, speaks from a disposition that is not only modest but also truthful (seeing, even after all these things, how far he falls short of knowing what we ought to pray for “as we ought”), and says: “what we ought to pray for as we ought, we do not know”; and to this statement he adds the following. From this, what is lacking is supplied to one who does not know, but has made himself worthy to have what is lacking supplied in him. For he says: “The Spirit himself intercedes exceedingly with God with groanings too deep for words; and he who searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to God.” And the Spirit, who cries “Abba, Father” in the hearts of the blessed, knowing carefully the groanings of those in the tent, groanings fit to weigh down those who have fallen or transgressed, “intercedes exceedingly with God with groanings too deep for words,” taking our groanings upon himself through his great love for mankind and compassion. And by the wisdom that is in him, seeing our soul humbled “to the dust” and shut up in the body “of humiliation,” he “intercedes exceedingly with God,” using not ordinary “groanings” but ones “too deep for words,” akin to the inexpressible words which it is not permitted for a man to speak. This Spirit, not content with interceding with God, intensifies his intercession and “intercedes exceedingly”—I think for those who are more than conquerors, as Paul was, who says, “But in all these things we are more than conquerors.” And it is likely that he only “intercedes” for those who are not so great as to be more than conquerors, nor again such as to be conquered, but who conquer. ### Scripture references - Rom 8:26: quotation, high confidence - Rom 8:27: quotation, high confidence - Gal 4:6: allusion, high confidence - 2 Cor 5:4: allusion, medium confidence - Ps 44:25 (43:26 LXX): allusion, medium confidence - Phil 3:21: allusion, high confidence - 2 Cor 12:4: allusion, high confidence - Rom 8:37: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Rom 8:26–27, Gal 4:6, 2 Cor 5:4, Ps 44:25 (43:26 LXX), Phil 3:21, 2 Cor 12:4, and Rom 8:37. Origen plays on ὑπερεντυγχάνει (“intercedes exceedingly”) and ὑπερνικῶμεν (“we are more than conquerors”): the Spirit intercedes “exceedingly” for those who conquer “exceedingly.” ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 2.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/2/3/). ## On Prayer 2.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/2/4/ - Source: Koetschau 2:301–303 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The mind cannot pray rightly unless the Spirit prays first; so a disciple, though trained in Jewish prayer, asked Jesus to teach them to pray as John had. ### Greek text ἐχόμενον δὲ τοῦ τί δὲ δεῖ προσεύξασθαι „καθὸ δεῖ οὐκ οἴδαμεν. ἀλλὰ τὸ πνεῦμα στεναγμοῖς ἀλαλήτοις ὑπερεντυγχάνει τῷ θεῷ“ τὸ „προσεύξομαι τῷ πνεύματι, προσεύξομαι δὲ καὶ τῷ νοΐ· ψαλῶ τῷ πνεύματι, ψαλῶ (δὲ) καὶ τῷ νοΐ.“ οὐδὲ γὰρ δύναται ἡμῶν ὁ νοῦς προσεύξασθαι, ἐὰν μὴ πρὸ αὐτοῦ τὸ πνεῦμα προσεύξηται οἱονεὶ ἐν ὑπηκόῳ αὐτοῦ, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ ψᾶλαι καὶ εὐρύθμως καὶ ἐμμελῶς καὶ ἐμμέτρως καὶ συμφώνως ὑμνῆσαι τὸν πατέρα ἐν Χριστῷ, ἐὰν μὴ „τὸ πνεῦμα“ τὸ „πάντα“ ἐρευνῶν, „καὶ τὰ βάθη τοῦ θεοῦ, “ πρότερον αἰνέσῃ καὶ ὑμνήσῃ τοῦτον, οὗ „τὰ βάθη“ ἠρεύνηκε καὶ, ὡς ἐξίσχυσε, κατείληφεν. ἐγὼ δὲ οἴομαι συναισθόμενόν τινα τῶν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ μαθητῶν τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ἀσθενείας, ἀπολειπομένης τοῦ ὃν τρόπον εὔχεσθαι δεῖ, καὶ μάλιστα τοῦτʼ ἐγνωκότα, ὅτε ἐπιστημόνων καὶ μεγάλων λόγων ἤκουεν ἀπαγγελλομένων ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἐν τῇ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα εὐχῇ, παυσαμένῳ τοῦ προσεύχεσθαι τῷ κυρίῳ εἰρηκέναι· „κύριε, δίδαξον ἡμᾶς προσεύχεσθαι, καθὼς καὶ Ἰωάννης ἐδίδαξε τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ.“ ὅλος δὲ ὁ εἱρμὸς τοῦ ῥητοῦ οὕτως ἔχει· „καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ εἶναι αὐτὸν προσευχόμενον ἐν τόπῳ τινὶ, ὡς ἐπαύσατο, εἶπέ τις τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ πρὸς αὐτόν· κύριε, δίδαξον ἡμᾶς προσεύχεσθαι, καθὼς καὶ Ἰωάννης ἐδίδαξε προσεύχεσθαι τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ“......... ἆρα γὰρ ἄνθρωπος, ἐντεθραμμένος τῇ νομικῇ κατηχήσει καὶ τῇ ἀκροάσει τῶν προφητικῶν λόγων τῶν τε συναγωγῶν μὴ ἀπολειπόμενος, οὐκ ἠπίστατο ὁπωσδήποτε εὔχεσθαι, μέχρις οὗ ἴδῃ τὸν κύριον εὐχόμενον „ἐν τόπῳ τινί;“ ἀλλὰ τοῦτο ἄτοπον φάσκειν· ηὔχετο μὲν γὰρ κατὰ τὰ Ἰουδαίων ἔθη, ἑώρα δὲ μείζονος ἐπιστήμης ἑαυτὸν δεόμενον εἰς τὸν περὶ τῆς εὐχῆς τόπον. τί δὲ καὶ ὁ „Ἰωάννης ἐδίδασκε τοὺς μαθητὰς“ περὶ τῆς εὐχῆς, ἀπὸ Ἱεροσολύμων καὶ πάσης τῆς Ἰουδαίας καὶ τῆς περιχώρου ἐρχομένους βαπτίζεσθαι πρὸς αὐτὸν, εἰ μή τινα κατὰ τὸ „περισσότερον“ εἶναι „προφήτου“ ἔβλεπε περὶ τῆς εὐχῆς, ἅπερ εἰκὸς ὅτι οὐ πᾶσι τοῖς βαπτιζομένοις ἀλλὰ τοῖς πρὸς τὸ βαπτίζεσθαι μαθητευομένοις ἐν ἀποῤῥήτῳ παρεδίδου; ### English translation (Claude) Connected with “what we ought to pray for as we ought, we do not know, but the Spirit intercedes exceedingly with God with groanings too deep for words” is the saying, “I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the mind also.” For our mind cannot pray unless the Spirit prays before it, as it were within its hearing, just as it cannot sing and hymn the Father in Christ with good rhythm, melody, measure, and harmony unless “the Spirit” who searches “all things, even the depths of God,” first praises and hymns him whose “depths” he has searched and, as far as he was able, grasped. And I think that one of Jesus' disciples, perceiving the weakness of human nature, which falls short of the way one ought to pray, and knowing this especially when he heard the wise and great words spoken by the Savior in his prayer to the Father, said to the Lord when he had ceased praying: “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” The whole sequence of the passage runs thus: “And it came to pass, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples to pray” … For did a man brought up in the instruction of the law and the hearing of the prophetic words, and not absent from the synagogues, not know how to pray in some way until he saw the Lord praying “in a certain place”? That would be absurd to say. He prayed according to the customs of the Jews, but he saw that he needed greater knowledge on the subject of prayer. And what was John “teaching his disciples” about prayer, when they came to him to be baptized from Jerusalem and all Judea and the surrounding region, unless as one “more than a prophet” he saw certain things about prayer, which he probably handed on in secret not to all who were baptized but to those who were being made disciples for baptism? ### Scripture references - Rom 8:26: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 14:15: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 2:10: quotation, high confidence - Luke 11:1: quotation, high confidence - Matt 3:5: allusion, high confidence - Matt 11:9: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Rom 8:26, 1 Cor 14:15, 1 Cor 2:10, Luke 11:1, Matt 3:5, and Matt 11:9. There is a gap in the manuscript after the quotation of Luke 11:1 (marked “…”). That John taught his disciples in secret is Origen's own conjecture (“probably”). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 2.4 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/2/4/). ## On Prayer 2.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/2/5/ - Source: Koetschau 2:303 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Spiritual prayers written in Scripture, such as Hannah's and the psalms titled “prayer,” are full of the doctrines of God's wisdom. ### Greek text αἱ τοιαῦται δὲ εὐχαὶ αἱ ὄντως πνευματικαὶ, προσευχομένου ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῶν ἁγίων τοῦ πνεύματος, ἀνεγράφησαν, πεπληρωμέναι ἀποῤῥήτων καὶ θαυμασίων δογμάτων· ἐν μὲν γὰρ τῇ πρώτῃ τῶν Βασιλειῶν ἐκ μέρους ἡ τῆς Ἄννης (ὅλη γὰρ. „ὅτε ἐπλήθυνε προσευχομένη ἐνώπιον κυρίου, “ λαλοῦσα „ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτῆς, “ οὐκ † ἐχάρη γραφῇ), ἐν δὲ ψαλμοῖς ὁ ἑκκαιδέκατος ψαλμὸς „προσευχὴ τοῦ Δαυΐδ“ ἐπιγέγραπται, καὶ ὁ ἔνατος καὶ ὀγδοηκοστὸς „προσευχὴ τῷ Μωϋσεῖ, ἀνθρώπῳ τοῦ θεοῦ, “ καὶ ὁ πρῶτος καὶ ἑκατοστὸς „προσευχὴ τῷ πτωχῷ, ὅταν ἀκηδιάσῃ καὶ ἐναντίον κυρίου ἐκχέῃ τὴν δέησιν αὐτοῦ“· αἵτινες προσευχαὶ, ἐπεὶ ἀληθῶς ἦσαν προσευχαὶ γινόμεναι πνεύματι λεγόμεναί τε, καὶ τῶν δογμάτων τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ σοφίας πεπλήρωνται, ὥστε εἰπεῖν ἄν τινα περὶ τῶν ἐν αὐταῖς ἐπαγγελλομένων· „τίς σοφὸς, καὶ συνήσει ταύτας; καὶ συνετὸς, καὶ ἐπιγνώσεται αὐτάς;“ ### English translation (Claude) Such prayers, truly spiritual, when the Spirit was praying in the heart of the saints, were written down, full of secret and wonderful doctrines. In the first book of Kingdoms there is, in part, the prayer of Hannah (for the whole of it, “when she continued praying before the Lord,” speaking “in her heart,” was not … in writing); in the Psalms the sixteenth psalm is entitled “A prayer of David,” and the eighty-ninth, “A prayer of Moses, the man of God,” and the hundred and first, “A prayer of the poor man, when he is weary and pours out his supplication before the Lord.” These prayers, since they were truly prayers, made and spoken in the Spirit, are also filled with the doctrines of the wisdom of God, so that one might say of what they proclaim: “Who is wise, and will understand these things? And discerning, and will know them?” ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 1:12: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 1:13: quotation, high confidence - Ps 17:1 (16:1 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 90:1 (89:1 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 102:1 (101:1 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Hos 14:9: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The references are 1 Sam 1:12–13 (1 Kgdms LXX) and the titles of Ps 17, 90, and 102 (16, 89, and 101 LXX; Origen gives the Greek numbering); the closing quotation is Hos 14:9 (14:10 LXX). The text is corrupt at “was not … in writing” (marked †; ἐχάρη, perhaps for ἐχαράχθη, “was engraved”). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 2.5 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/2/5/). ## On Prayer 2.6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/2/6/ - Source: Koetschau 2:303–304 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Origen prays for the Spirit's help before beginning his treatise on prayer. ### Greek text ἐπεὶ τοίνυν τηλικοῦτόν ἐστι τὸ περὶ τῆς εὐχῆς διαλαβεῖν, ὡς δεῖσθαι τοῦ καὶ εἰς τοῦτο φωτίζοντος πατρὸς καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ πρωτοτόκου λόγου διδάσκοντος τοῦ τε πνεύματος ἐνεργοῦντος εἰς τὸ νοεῖν καὶ λέγειν ἀξίως τοῦ τηλικούτου προβλήματος, εὐξάμενος ὡς ἄνθρωπος (οὐ γάρ που ἐμαυτῷ δίδωμι χωρεῖν τὴν προσευχὴν) τοῦ πνεύματος πρὸ τοῦ λόγου τυχεῖν τῆς εὐχῆς ἀξιῶ, ἵνα λόγος πληρέστατος καὶ πνευματικὸς ἡμῖν δωρηθῇ, καὶ αἱ ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις ἀναγεγραμμέναι σαφηνισθῶσιν εὐχαί. ἀρκτέον οὖν ἤδη τοῦ περὶ τῆς εὐχῆς λόγου. ### English translation (Claude) Since, then, to treat of prayer is so great a task that it needs the Father to enlighten us for this too, and his firstborn Word himself to teach, and the Spirit to work in us so that we may understand and speak worthily of so great a question, I pray as a man (for I do not credit myself with the capacity for prayer), and ask to obtain the Spirit before the discourse on prayer, so that a most complete and spiritual word may be given us, and the prayers recorded in the Gospels may be made clear. So let us now begin our treatise on prayer. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 2.6 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/2/6/). ## On Prayer 3.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/3/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:304 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Origen begins by noting that the Greek word for prayer, euchē, first appears in Scripture as Jacob's vow at Bethel. ### Greek text Πρῶτον δὴ τὸ ὄνομα τῆς εὐχῆς ὅσον ἐπὶ παρατηρήσει τῇ ἐμῇ εὑρίσκω κείμενον, ἡνίκα ὁ Ἰακὼβ, φυγὰς γενόμενος τῆς ὀργῆς „τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ“ ἑαυτοῦ Ἠσαῦ, ἀπῄει „εἰς τὴν Μεσοποταμίαν“ κατὰ τὰς ὑποθήκας Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ῥεβέκκας. οὕτω δὲ ἔχει ἡ λέξις· „καὶ ηὔξατο Ἰακὼβ εὐχὴν, λέγων· ἐὰν ᾖ κύριος ὁ θεὸς μετʼ ἐμοῦ καὶ διαφυλάξῃ με ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ ταύτῃ. ᾗ ἐγὼ πορεύομαι, καὶ δώῃ μοι ἄρτον φαγεῖν καὶ ἱμάτιον περιβαλέσθαι καὶ ἀποστρέψῃ με μετὰ σωτηρίας εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ πατρός μου· καὶ ἔσται κύριός μοι εἰς θεὸν, καὶ ὁ λίθος οὗτος, ὃν ἔστησα στήλην, ἔσται μοι οἶκος θεοῦ, καὶ πάντων ὧν ἐάν μοι δῷς δεκάτην ἀποδεκατώσω αὐτά σοι.“............ ### English translation (Claude) First, then, as far as my observation goes, I find the word euchē used when Jacob, having become a fugitive from the anger of his “brother” Esau, was going away “to Mesopotamia” according to the instructions of Isaac and Rebekah. The wording is this: “And Jacob vowed a vow, saying: If the Lord God will be with me and keep me on this way on which I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, and bring me back in safety to my father's house, then the Lord shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up as a pillar, shall be to me a house of God; and of all that you give me I will give a tenth to you.” … ### Scripture references - Gen 27:43: allusion, high confidence - Gen 28:2: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 28:20: quotation, high confidence - Gen 28:21: quotation, high confidence - Gen 28:22: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Chapters 3–4 turn on two Greek words: εὐχή (euchē), which means both “vow” and “prayer,” and προσευχή (proseuchē), “prayer.” Where Origen discusses the word itself it is transliterated. The references are Gen 27:43–28:5 and Gen 28:20–22. There is a gap in the manuscript at the end of the section (marked “…”). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 3.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/3/1/). ## On Prayer 3.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/3/2/ - Source: Koetschau 2:304–305 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The word euchē means a vow, but Scripture also uses it for ordinary prayer, as when Pharaoh asks Moses to pray against the frogs. ### Greek text ἔνθα καὶ σημειωτέον ἐστὶν ὅτι τὸ ὄνομα τῆς εὐχῆς παρελήφθη (πολλαχοῦ ἑτέρας οὔσης παρὰ τὴν προσευχὴν) ἐπὶ τοῦ μετὰ εὐχῆς ἐπαγγελλομένου τάδε τινὰ ποιήσειν, εἰ τύχοι ἀπὸ θεοῦ τῶνδε. τάσσεται μέντοι καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς κατὰ συνήθειαν ἡμῶν λεγομένοις ἡ ὀνομασία· ὥσπερ ἐν Ἐξόδῳ εὕρομεν οὕτως μετὰ τὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς βατράχοις μάστιγα, τῇ τάξει τῶν δέκα οὖσαν δευτέραν,............, ἐκάλεσε Φαραὼ Μωϋσέα καὶ Ἀαρὼν καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· εὔξασθε περὶ ἐμοῦ πρὸς κύριον. καὶ περιελέτω τοὺς βατράχους ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ μου· καὶ ἐξαποστελῶ τὸν λαὸν, καὶ θύσωσι κυρίῳ.“ ἐὰν δὲ δυσπειθῶς τις ἔχῃ διὰ τὸ τοῦ Φαραὼ εἶναι φωνὴν τὴν „εὔξασθε“ πρὸς τὸ σημαίνεσθαι ἀπὸ τῆς εὐχῆς πρὸς τῷ προτέρῳ καὶ τὸ σύνηθες, παρατηρητέον καὶ τὸ ἑξῆς οὕτως ἔχον· „εἶπε δὲ Μωϋσῆς πρὸς Φαραώ· τάξαι πρός με. πότε εὔξομαι περὶ σοῦ καὶ περὶ τῶν θεραπόντων σου καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ σου. ἀφανίσαι τοὺς βατράχους ἀπὸ σοῦ καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ λαοῦ σου καὶ ἐκ τῶν οἰκιῶν ὑμῶν· πλὴν ἐν τῷ ποταμῷ ὑπολειφθήσονται.“ ### English translation (Claude) Here it must be noted that the word euchē (which in many places has a meaning different from proseuchē) was used of one who, with a vow, promises to do certain things if he obtains certain things from God. The word is, however, also applied to what we customarily call prayer; as we have found in Exodus after the plague of frogs, the second in the order of the ten … : “Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said to them: Pray for me to the Lord, and let him take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, and they shall sacrifice to the Lord.” And if anyone is reluctant to accept that the word euchē signifies, besides the former meaning, also the customary one, because “pray” is Pharaoh's word, let him note also what follows: “And Moses said to Pharaoh: Appoint me a time when I shall pray for you and for your servants and for your people, to destroy the frogs from you and from your people and from your houses; only in the river shall they remain.” ### Scripture references - Exod 8:8: quotation, high confidence - Exod 8:9: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Exod 8:8–9 (8:4–5 in the Greek and Hebrew numbering). There is a gap in the manuscript (marked “…”). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 3.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/3/2/). ## On Prayer 3.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/3/3/ - Source: Koetschau 2:305 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Origen traces where the word for prayer occurs in the story of the plagues of Egypt. ### Greek text παρετηρήσαμεν δὲ ὅτι ἐπὶ ταῖς σκνιψὶ. τῇ τρίτῃ μάστιγι, οὔτε Φαραὼ εὐχὴν γενέσθαι ἀξιοῖ οὔτε Μωϋσῆς εὔχεται. καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ κυνομυίᾳ δὲ, οὔσῃ τετάρτῃ, λέγει· „εὔξασθε οὖν περὶ ἐμοῦ πρὸς κύριον, “ ὅτε καὶ εἶπε Μωϋσῆς ὅτι „ἐγὼ ἐξελεύσομαι ἀπὸ σοῦ καὶ εὔξομαι πρὸς τὸν θεὸν, καὶ ἀπελεύσεται ἡ κυνόμυια ἀπὸ Φαραὼ καὶ τῶν θεραπόντων αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ αὔριον“· καὶ μετʼ ὀλίγα· „ἐξῆλθε δὲ Μωϋσῆς ἀπὸ Φαραὼ καὶ ηὔξατο πρὸς τὸν θεόν.“ πάλιν δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς πέμπτης καὶ ἕκτης μάστιγος οὔτε Φαραὼ ἀξιώσαντος εὐχὴν γενέσθαι οὔτε Μωϋσέως εὐξαμένου, ἐπὶ τῆς ἑβδόμης „ἀποστείλας Φαραὼ ἐκάλεσε Μωϋσέα καὶ Ἀαρὼν καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· ἡμάρτηκα τὸ νῦν· ὁ κύριος δίκαιος, ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ ὁ λαός μου ἀσεβής. εὔξασθε οὖν πρὸς κύριον, καὶ παυσάσθω τοῦ γενηθῆναι φωνὰς θεοῦ καὶ χάλαζαν καὶ πῦρ“· καὶ μετʼ ὀλίγα· „ἐξῆλθε Μωϋσῆς ἀπὸ Φαραὼ ἐκτὸς τῆς πόλεως καὶ ἐξεπέτασε τὰς χεῖρας πρὸς κύριον, καὶ αἱ φωναὶ ἐπαύσαντο.“ διὰ τί δὲ οὐκ εἴρηται „καὶ ηὔξατο“ ὡς ἐπὶ τῶν προτέρων ἀλλʼ „ἐξεπέτασε τὰς χεῖρας πρὸς κύριον, “ εὐκαιρότερον ἐν ἄλλοις ἐξεταστέον. καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ὀγδόης δὲ μάστιγός φησιν ὁ Φαραώ· „καὶ προσεύξασθε πρὸς κύριον τὸν θεὸν ὑμῶν, καὶ περιελέτω ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ τὸν θάνατον τοῦτον. ἐξῆλθε δὲ Μωϋσῆς ἀπὸ Φαραὼ καὶ ηὔξατο πρὸς τὸν θεόν.“ ### English translation (Claude) We have observed that at the gnats, the third plague, neither does Pharaoh ask that prayer be made nor does Moses pray. And at the dog-fly, the fourth, he says, “Pray then for me to the Lord,” when Moses also said, “I will go out from you and pray to God, and the dog-fly will depart from Pharaoh and his servants and his people tomorrow”; and a little after, “And Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to God.” Again, at the fifth and sixth plagues, neither did Pharaoh ask that prayer be made nor did Moses pray; but at the seventh, “Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them: I have sinned this time; the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are ungodly. Pray then to the Lord, and let him cause the voices of God and the hail and the fire to cease”; and a little after, “Moses went out from Pharaoh outside the city and spread out his hands to the Lord, and the voices ceased.” Why it is not said “and he prayed,” as in the former cases, but “he spread out his hands to the Lord,” must be examined more fittingly elsewhere. And at the eighth plague Pharaoh says: “And pray to the Lord your God, and let him take away this death from me. And Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to God.” ### Scripture references - Exod 8:16: allusion, medium confidence - Exod 8:28: quotation, high confidence - Exod 8:29: quotation, high confidence - Exod 8:30: quotation, high confidence - Exod 9:27: quotation, high confidence - Exod 9:28: quotation, high confidence - Exod 9:33: quotation, high confidence - Exod 10:17: quotation, high confidence - Exod 10:18: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Exod 8:28–30 (8:24–26 in the Greek and Hebrew numbering), Exod 9:27–28, 9:33, and Exod 10:17–18. The “dog-fly” (κυνόμυια) is the LXX name of the fourth plague. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 3.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/3/3/). ## On Prayer 3.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/3/4/ - Source: Koetschau 2:305–307 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Many passages of the law, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Acts use euchē in the sense of a vow rather than a prayer. ### Greek text πολλαχοῦ δὲ εἴπομεν τὸ ὄνομα τῆς εὐχῆς μὴ κατὰ τὸ σύνηθες τετάχθαι ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰακώβ· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν Λευϊτικῷ· „ἐλάλησε κύριος πρὸς Μωϋσέα λέγων· λάλησον τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐρεῖς πρὸς αὐτούς· ὅς (ἐὰν) εὔξηται εὐχὴν ὥστε τιμὴν τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ τῷ κυρίῳ, ἔσται ἡ τιμὴ τοῦ ἄῤῥενος, ἀπὸ εἰκοσαετοῦς ἕως ἑξηκονταετοῦς ἔσται αὐτοῦ ἡ τιμὴ πεντήκοντα δίδραχμα ἀργυρίου τῷ σταθμίῳ τῷ ἁγίῳ“· καὶ ἐν Ἀριθμοῖς· „καὶ ἐλάλησε κύριος πρὸς Μωϋσέα λέγων· λάλησον τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐρεῖς πρὸς αὐτούς· ἀνὴρ ἢ γυνὴ, ὅς ἐὰν μεγάλως εὔξηται εὐχὴν ἀφαγνίσασθαι ἁγνείαν κυρίῳ. ἀπὸ οἴνου καὶ σίκερα ἁγνισθήσεται“ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς περὶ τοῦ καλουμένου Ναζιραίου. εἶτα μετʼ ὀλίγα· „καὶ ἁγιάσει τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, ᾗ ἡγιάσθη κυρίῳ τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς εὐχῆς.“ καὶ πάλιν μετʼ ὀλίγα· „οὗτος ὁ νόμος τοῦ εὐξαμένου· ᾗ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ πληρώσῃ ἡμέραν εὐχῆς αὐτοῦ, “ καὶ πάλιν μετʼ ὀλίγον· „καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα πίεται ὁ ηὐγμένος οἶνον. οὗτος ὁ νόμος τοῦ εὐξαμένου, ὃς ἐὰν εὔξηται κυρίῳ δῶρον αὐτοῦ περὶ τῆς εὐχῆς. χωρὶς ὧν ἂν εὕρῃ ἡ χεὶρ αὐτοῦ κατὰ δύναμιν τῆς εὐχῆς αὐτοῦ, ἧς ἂν εὔξηται κατὰ τὸν νόμον ἁγνείας, “ καὶ πρὸς τῷ τέλει τῶν Ἀριθμῶν· „καὶ ἐλάλησε Μωϋσῆς πρὸς τοὺς ἄρχοντας τῶν φυλῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ λέγων· τοῦτο τὸ ῥῆμα, ὃ συνέταξε κύριος· ἄνθρωπος, ὃς ἐὰν εὔξηται εὐχὴν κυρίῳ ἢ ὀμόσῃ ὅρκον ὁρισμῷ ἢ ὁρίσηται περὶ τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ. οὐ βεβηλώσει τὸ ῥῆμα αὐτοῦ· πάντα ὅσα ἂν ἐξέλθῃ ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ ποιήσει. ἐὰν δὲ γυνὴ εὔξηται εὐχὴν κυρίῳ ἢ ὁρίσηται ὁρισμὸν ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῆς ἐν τῇ νεότητι αὐτῆς, καὶ ἀκούσῃ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτῆς τὰς εὐχὰς αὐτῆς καὶ τοὺς ὁρισμοὺς αὐτῆς, οὓς ὡρίσατο κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτῆς, καὶ παρασιωπήσῃ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτῆς, στήσονται πᾶσαι αἱ εὐχαὶ αὐτῆς, καὶ πάντες οἱ ὁρισμοὶ, οὓς ὡρίσατο κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτῆς. μενοῦσιν αὐτῇ“· καὶ ἑξῆς τούτοις τινὰ περὶ τῆς τοιαύτης νομοθετεῖ. κατὰ τοῦτο τὸ σημαινόμενον ἐν ταῖς Παροιμίαις γέγραπται......... „(παγὶς) ἀνδρὶ ταχύ τι τῶν ἰδίων ἁγιάσαι· μετὰ γὰρ τὸ εὔξασθαι μετανοεῖν γίνεται“· καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἐκκλησιαστῇ· „ἀγαθὸν τὸ μὴ εὔξασθαι ἢ τὸ εὔξασθαι καὶ μὴ ἀποδοῦναι“· καὶ ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσι τῶν ἀποστόλων· „εἰσὶν ἄνδρες παρʼ ἡμῖν τέσσαρες, εὐχὴν ἔχοντες ἀφʼ ἑαυτῶν.“ ### English translation (Claude) We have said that in many places the word euchē is not used in the customary sense, as in the case of Jacob; so also in Leviticus: “The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them: Whoever vows a vow, such as the value of his soul to the Lord, the value of a male from twenty years old to sixty years old shall be fifty didrachms of silver by the holy shekel”; and in Numbers: “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them: A man or woman who vows a great vow to consecrate himself in purity to the Lord shall keep himself pure from wine and strong drink,” and the rest about the one called a Nazirite. Then a little after: “And he shall consecrate his head on that day on which he was consecrated to the Lord for the days of the vow.” And again a little after: “This is the law of the one who has vowed: on whatever day he fulfills the days of his vow”; and again a little after: “And after this the one who has vowed shall drink wine. This is the law of the one who has vowed, whoever vows to the Lord his gift for his vow, besides whatever his hand can afford, according to the power of the vow which he vows, according to the law of purity.” And near the end of Numbers: “And Moses spoke to the rulers of the tribes of the sons of Israel, saying: This is the word which the Lord has commanded: A man who vows a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath with a binding, or binds himself concerning his soul, shall not profane his word; he shall do all that comes out of his mouth. And if a woman vows a vow to the Lord, or binds herself with a binding in her father's house in her youth, and her father hears her vows and her bindings with which she bound herself upon her soul, and her father keeps silent, all her vows shall stand, and all the bindings with which she bound herself upon her soul shall remain for her”; and next to these he legislates certain things about such a woman. In this sense it is written in Proverbs … : “It is a snare for a man hastily to consecrate some of his own; for after vowing comes repentance”; and in Ecclesiastes: “It is better not to vow than to vow and not pay”; and in the Acts of the Apostles: “We have four men who have a vow on them.” ### Scripture references - Lev 27:1: quotation, high confidence - Lev 27:2: quotation, high confidence - Lev 27:3: quotation, high confidence - Num 6:2: quotation, high confidence - Num 6:3: quotation, high confidence - Num 6:11: quotation, high confidence - Num 6:13: quotation, high confidence - Num 6:20: quotation, high confidence - Num 6:21: quotation, high confidence - Num 30:1: quotation, high confidence - Num 30:2: quotation, high confidence - Num 30:3: quotation, high confidence - Num 30:4: quotation, high confidence - Prov 20:25: quotation, high confidence - Eccl 5:5: quotation, high confidence - Acts 21:23: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Lev 27:1–3, Num 6:2–3, 6:11, 6:13, 6:20–21, Num 30:1–4 (30:2–5 in the Greek and Hebrew numbering), Prov 20:25, Eccl 5:5 (5:4 in the Greek and Hebrew numbering), and Acts 21:23. There is a gap in the manuscript before the quotation of Proverbs (marked “…”). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 3.4 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/3/4/). ## On Prayer 4.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/4/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:307 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Proseuchē, the usual word for prayer, can also be joined with a vow, as in Hannah's prayer for a son. ### Greek text Οὐκ ἄλογον δή μοι ἐφάνη τὸ κατὰ τὰς γραφὰς σημαινόμενον πρῶτον διαστείλασθαι τῆς εὐχῆς δύο σημαινούσης, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τῆς προσευχῆς· καὶ γὰρ τοῦτο τὸ ὄνομα πρὸς τῷ κοινῷ καὶ συνήθει πολλαχοῦ κειμένῳ τέτακται καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς κατὰ τὸ σύνηθες ἡμῖν σημαινόμενον [τῆς] εὐχῆς ἐν τοῖς περὶ τῆς Ἄννης λεγομένοις ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ τῶν Βασιλειῶν· „καὶ Ἠλεὶ ὁ ἱερεὺς ἐκάθητο ἐπὶ θρόνου ἐπὶ φλιῶν ναοῦ κυρίου. καὶ αὐτὴ ψυχῇ πικρᾷ καὶ προσηύξατο πρὸς κύριον καὶ κλαυθμῷ ἔκλαυσε. καὶ ηὔξατο εὐχὴν καὶ εἶπε· κύριε τῶν δυνάμεων, ἐὰν ἐφοράσει ἐπίδῃς ἐπὶ τὴν ταπείνωσιν τῆς δούλης σου καὶ μνησθῇς μου καὶ μὴ ἐπιλάθῃ τῆς δούλης σου καὶ δῷς τῇ δούλῃ σου σπέρμα ἀνδρὸς, καὶ δώσω αὐτὸν τῷ κυρίῳ δοτὸν πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς αὐτοῦ, καὶ σίδηρος οὐκ ἀναβήσεται ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ.“ ### English translation (Claude) It seemed to me not unreasonable first to distinguish the meaning according to the Scriptures, since euchē has two meanings, and likewise proseuchē. For this word too, besides the common and customary sense in which it is used in many places, is also applied in the sense of euchē as we customarily understand it, in what is said about Hannah in the first book of Kingdoms: “And Eli the priest sat on a seat by the doorposts of the temple of the Lord. And she was bitter of soul, and she prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. And she vowed a vow and said: O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look upon the humiliation of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, and give to your servant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord as one given all the days of his life, and no iron shall come upon his head.” ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 1:9: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 1:10: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 1:11: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotation is 1 Sam 1:9–11 (1 Kgdms LXX). The sentence about the two words is compressed in the Greek, and the precise contrast Origen draws is uncertain. The editor deletes a repeated τῆς (“the”) in this sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 4.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/4/1/). ## On Prayer 4.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/4/2/ - Source: Koetschau 2:307–308 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Hannah both prayed and made a vow; her promise to give her son to God was a vow like Jephthah's, not a prayer in the strict sense. ### Greek text δύναται μέντοι γε τὶς οὐκ ἀπιθάνως ἐνταῦθα, ἐπιστήσας τῷ „προσηύξατο πρὸς κύριον“ „καὶ ηὔξατο εὐχὴν, “ εἰπεῖν ὅτι, εἰ τὰ δύο πεποίηκε, τουτέστι „προσηύξατο πρὸς κύριον“ „καὶ ηὔξατο εὐχὴν, “ μή ποτε τὸ μὲν „προσηύξατο“ ἐπὶ τῆς συνήθως ἡμῖν ὀνομαζομένης τέτακται εὐχῆς τὸ δὲ „ηὔξατο εὐχὴν“ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἐν Λευϊτικῷ καὶ Ἀριθμοῖς τεταγμένου σημαινομένου. τὸ γὰρ „δώσω αὐτὸν κυρίῳ δοτὸν πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς αὐτοῦ, καὶ σίδηρος οὐκ ἀναβήσεται ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ“ κυρίως οὐκ ἔστι προσευχὴ ἀλλʼ ἐκείνη ἡ εὐχὴ, ἥντινα καὶ Ἰεφθάε ηὔξατο ἐν τούτοις· „καὶ ηὔξατο Ἰεφθάε εὐχὴν τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ εἶπεν· ἐὰν παραδώσει παραδῷς μοι τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἀμμὼν ἐν χειρί μου, καὶ ἔσται ὃς ἐὰν ἐξέλθῃ ἐκ τῶν θυρῶν τοῦ οἴκου μου εἰς ἀπάντησίν μου ἐν τῷ ἐπιστρέψαι με ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἀπὸ τῶν υἱῶν Ἀμμὼν, καὶ ἔσται τῷ κυρίῳ, καὶ ἀνοίσω αὐτὸν ὁλοκαύτωμα.“ ### English translation (Claude) One could, however, not unpersuasively, attending here to “she prayed to the Lord” and “she vowed a vow,” say that if she did both, that is, “prayed to the Lord” and “vowed a vow,” perhaps “prayed” is used of what we customarily call prayer, while “vowed a vow” is used in the sense found in Leviticus and Numbers. For “I will give him to the Lord as one given all the days of his life, and no iron shall come upon his head” is not properly a prayer but that kind of vow which Jephthah also vowed in these words: “And Jephthah vowed a vow to the Lord and said: If you will indeed deliver the sons of Ammon into my hand, then whoever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon shall be the Lord's, and I will offer him up as a whole burnt offering.” ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 1:10: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 1:11: quotation, high confidence - Judg 11:30: quotation, high confidence - Judg 11:31: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are 1 Sam 1:10–11 (1 Kgdms LXX) and Judg 11:30–31. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 4.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/4/2/). ## On Prayer 5.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/5/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:308 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Almost no one who believes in God's providence rejects prayer, but some heretics who reject baptism and the Eucharist have been persuaded that one should not pray. ### Greek text Εἰ χρὴ τοίνυν μετὰ ταῦτα, ὥσπερ ἐκελεύσατε, ἐκθέσθαι τὰ πιθανὰ πρῶτον τῶν οἰομένων μηδὲν ἀπὸ τῶν εὐχῶν ἀνύεσθαι καὶ διὰ τοῦτο φασκόντων περισσὸν εἶναι τὸ εὔχεσθαι, οὐκ ὀκνήσομεν κατὰ δύναμιν καὶ τοῦτο ποιῆσαι, κοινότερον νῦν καὶ ἁπλούστερον τοῦ τῆς εὐχῆς ὀνόματος ἡμῖν λεγομένου......... οὕτω δὴ ὁ λόγος ἐστὶν ἄδοξος καὶ μὴ τυχὼν ἐπισήμων τῶν προϊσταμένων αὐτοῦ, ὥστε μηδὲ πάνυ εὑρίσκεσθαι, ὅστις ποτὲ τῶν πρόνοιαν παραδεξαμένων καὶ θεὸν ἐπιστησάντων τοῖς ὅλοις εὐχὴν μὴ προσίεται. ἔστι γὰρ τὸ δόγμα ἤτοι τῶν πάντῃ ἀθέων καὶ τὴν οὐσίαν τοῦ θεοῦ ἀρνουμένων ἢ τῶν μέχρις ὀνόματος τιθέντων θεὸν τὴν πρόνοιαν δὲ αὐτοῦ ἀποστερούντων. ἤδη μέντοι γε ἡ ἀντικειμένη ἐνέργεια, τὰ ἀσεβέστατα τῶν δογμάτων περιτιθέναι θέλουσα τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ περὶ τοῦ μὴ δεῖν εὔχεσθαι δεδύνηται πεῖσαί τινας· ἧς γνώμης προΐστανται οἱ τὰ αἰσθητὰ πάντῃ ἀναιροῦντες καὶ μήτε βαπτίσματι μήτε εὐχαριστίᾳ χρώμενοι, συκοφαντοῦντες τὰς γραφὰς, ὡς καὶ τὸ εὔχεσθαι τοῦτο οὐ βουλομένας ἀλλʼ ἕτερόν τι σημαινόμενον παρὰ τοῦτο διδασκούσας. ### English translation (Claude) If, then, after this we must, as you asked, first set out the plausible arguments of those who think that nothing is accomplished by prayers and therefore say that praying is superfluous, we shall not hesitate to do this too as far as we can, using the word “prayer” now in a more general and simple sense … This view is so discreditable, and has found so few notable champions, that there is hardly anyone at all to be found, among those who accept providence and set God over the universe, who does not accept prayer. For the doctrine belongs either to those who are utterly godless and deny the existence of God, or to those who admit God in name only but deprive him of providence. Yet the opposing power, wishing to attach the most impious doctrines to the name of Christ and to the teaching of the Son of God, has already been able to persuade some that one should not pray. The champions of this opinion are those who do away with sensible things altogether and use neither baptism nor the Eucharist, slandering the Scriptures as if they did not mean even this prayer, but taught something else by it. ### Translation notes - There is a gap in the manuscript (marked “…”). The group that rejected prayer, baptism, and the Eucharist is not named; it has been identified with various Gnostic groups, but the identification is uncertain. From here to 5.6 Origen sets out the objections to prayer; his reply begins in chapter 6. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 5.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/5/1/). ## On Prayer 5.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/5/2/ - Source: Koetschau 2:308–309 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The first objection: God already knows what we need and cares for us like a father, so prayer seems unnecessary. ### Greek text εἶεν δʼ ἂν οἱ λόγοι τῶν ἀθετούντων τὰς εὐχὰς οὗτοι (δηλονότι θεὸν ἐφιστάντων τοῖς ὅλοις καὶ πρόνοιαν εἶναι λεγόντων· οὐ γὰρ πρόκειται νῦν ἐξετάζειν τὰ λεγόμενα ὑπὸ τῶν πάντῃ ἀναιρούντων θεὸν ἢ πρόνοιαν)· „ὁ θεὸς“ οἶδε „τὰ πάντα πρὸ γενέσεως αὐτῶν, “ καὶ οὐδὲν ἐκ τοῦ ἐνεστηκέναι ὅτε ἐνέστηκε πρῶτον αὐτῷ γινώσκεται ὡς πρὸ τούτου μὴ γνωσθέν· τίς οὖν χρεία ἀναπέμπεσθαι εὐχὴν τῷ καὶ πρὶν εὔξασθαι ἐπισταμένῳ ὧν χρῄζομεν; „οἶδε γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ὁ οὐράνιος ὧν χρείαν“ ἔχομεν „πρὸ τοῦ“ ἡμᾶς „αἰτῆσαι αὐτόν, “ εὔλογον δὲ πατέρα καὶ δημιουργὸν αὐτὸν ὄντα τοῦ παντὸς, ἀγαπῶντα „τὰ ὄντα πάντα“ καὶ μη(δὲν) βδελυσσόμενον ὧν πεποίηκε, σωτηρίως τὰ περὶ ἕκαστον καὶ χωρὶς τοῦ εὔξασθαι οἰκονομεῖν δίκην πατέρος, νηπίων προϊσταμένου καὶ μὴ περιμένοντος ἐκείνων τὴν ἀξίωσιν, ἤτοι μηδʼ ὅλως δυναμένων αἰτεῖν ἢ διὰ ἄγνοιαν πολλάκις τὰ ἐναντία τοῖς συμφέρουσι καὶ λυσιτελοῦσι θελόντων λαβεῖν. ἀπολειπόμεθα δὲ οἱ ἄνθρωποι πλεῖον τοῦ θεοῦ ἤπερ τὰ κομιδῇ παιδία τοῦ νοῦ τῶν γεγεννηκότων. ### English translation (Claude) The arguments of those who set prayers aside (that is, of those who set God over the universe and say there is providence; for it is not our present task to examine what is said by those who do away with God or providence altogether) would be these: “God” knows “all things before they come to be,” and nothing becomes known to him for the first time from its coming to be when it comes to be, as though it were not known before. What need is there, then, to send up a prayer to one who, even before we pray, knows what we need? For “the heavenly Father knows what” we “need before” we “ask him.” And it is reasonable that, being the Father and Creator of the universe, who loves “all things that exist” and abhors nothing he has made, he should arrange everything concerning each one for its salvation even without prayer, like a father who cares for infants and does not wait for their request, since they are either not able to ask at all, or through ignorance often wish to receive the opposite of what is good and profitable for them. And we men fall short of God further than very young children fall short of the mind of their parents. ### Scripture references - Matt 6:8: quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Sus 42 (Susanna): quotation, high confidence - Wis 11:24 (Wisdom of Solomon): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - This and the following sections state the objections, not Origen's own view. The quotations are Sus 42 (Theodotion), Matt 6:8 (with “heavenly” added), and Wis 11:24. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 5.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/5/2/). ## On Prayer 5.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/5/3/ - Source: Koetschau 2:309 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The second objection: if God has preordained everything, praying for what will happen anyway is as foolish as praying for the sun to rise. ### Greek text εἰκὸς (δὲ) τῷ θεῷ οὐ μόνον προεγνῶσθαι τὰ ἐσόμενα ἀλλὰ καὶ προδιατετάχθαι. καὶ μηδὲν αὐτῷ παρὰ τὰ προδιατεταγμένα γίνεσθαι. ὥσπερ οὖν εἴ τις εὔχοιτο ἀνατέλλειν τὸν ἥλιον, ἠλίθιος ἂν νομίζοιτο. τὸ καὶ χωρὶς τῆς εὐχῆς αὐτοῦ ἐσόμενον διὰ τῆς εὐχῆς γενέσθαι ἀξιῶν· οὕτως ἀνόητος ἂν εἴη ἄνθρωπος, ὅστις οἴεται διὰ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ εὐχὴν γίνεσθαι τὰ καὶ μὴ εὐξαμένου αὐτοῦ πάντως ἐσόμενα ἄν, πάλιν τε αὖ ὥσπερ πᾶσαν μανίαν ὑπερβάλλει ὁ διὰ τὸ ἐνοχλεῖσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ ἡλίου γενομένου ἐν θεριναῖς τροπαῖς καὶ καυσοῦσθαι οἰόμενος διὰ τῆς εὐχῆς μεταστήσεσθαι τὸν ἥλιον ἐπὶ τὰ ἐαρινὰ σημεῖα, ἵνα εὐκράτου ἀπολαύῃ τοῦ ἀέρος· οὕτως τὰ ἀναγκαίως συμβαίνοντα περιστατικὰ τῷ ἀνθρώπων γένει εἴ τις οἴοιτο διὰ τὸ εὔχεσθαι μὴ πείσεσθαι, πᾶσαν (ἂν), ὑπερβάλοι μελαγχολίαν. ### English translation (Claude) And it is likely that the things that will be are not only foreknown by God but also preordained, and that nothing happens contrary to what he has preordained. Just as, then, if someone should pray for the sun to rise, he would be thought silly, asking that what will happen even without his prayer should happen through his prayer; so a man would be foolish who thinks that through his own prayer things happen which would in any case happen even if he did not pray. And again, just as a man would surpass all madness who, being troubled and scorched by the sun at the summer solstice, thought that through prayer the sun would be moved to the spring signs, so that he might enjoy temperate air; so if anyone thought that by praying he would not suffer the circumstances that necessarily befall the human race, he would surpass all melancholy madness. ### Translation notes - The objection is still being stated, not Origen's view. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 5.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/5/3/). ## On Prayer 5.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/5/4/ - Source: Koetschau 2:309–310 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: A further objection: if Scripture says some are sinners from the womb and others chosen before birth, as Jacob and Esau were, prayer seems to change nothing. ### Greek text εἰ δὲ καὶ „ἠλλοτριώθησαν ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἀπὸ μήτρας, “ καὶ ἀφώρισται ὁ δίκαιος „ἐκ κοιλίας μητρὸς, “ (καὶ) „μήπω μήτε γεννηθέντων μήτε πραξάντων τι ἀγαθὸν ἢ φαῦλον, ἵνα ἡ κατʼ ἐκλογὴν πρόθεσις τοῦ θεοῦ μένῃ, οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων ἀλλʼ ἐκ τοῦ καλοῦντος, “ λέγεται· „ὁ μείζων δουλεύσει τῷ ἐλάττονι, “ μάτην περὶ ἀφέσεως ἁμαρτημάτων ἀξιοῦμεν ἢ περὶ τοῦ πνεῦμα ἰσχύος λαβεῖν, ἵνα „πάντα“ ἰσχύσωμεν ἐνδυναμοῦντος ἡμᾶς Χριστοῦ. εἰ μὲν γὰρ „ἁμαρτωλοί“ ἐσμεν, „ἀπὸ μήτρας“ ἠλλοτριώμεθα· εἰ δὲ ἀφωρίσθημεν „ἐκ κοιλίας μητρὸς“ ἡμῶν, τὰ κάλλιστα καὶ μὴ εὐχομένοις ἀπαντήσεται. ποίαν γὰρ εὐχὴν προσαγαγὼν Ἰακὼβ, πρὶν γεννηθῆναι, προφητεύεται ὅτι „ὑπερέξει“ τοῦ Ἠσαῦ, καὶ „δουλεύσει“ αὐτῷ ὁ ἀδελφός; τί δὲ ἀσεβήσας ὁ „Ἠσαῦ“ μισεῖται πρὶν γεννηθῆναι; ἵνα τί δὲ εὔχεται Μωϋσῆς, ὡς ἐν ὀγδοηκοστῷ ἐνάτῳ εὕρηται ψαλμῷ, εἰ „καταφυγὴ“ αὐτοῦ ἐστιν ὁ θεὸς „πρὸ τοῦ ὄρη ἑδρασθῆναι καὶ πλασθῆναι τὴν γῆν καὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην;“......... ### English translation (Claude) And if “sinners are estranged from the womb,” and the righteous man is set apart “from his mother's womb,” and when “they were not yet born and had done nothing good or bad, so that God's purpose according to election might stand, not from works but from him who calls,” it is said, “The elder will serve the younger,” then we ask in vain for the forgiveness of sins, or to receive a spirit of strength, so that we may be able to do “all things” with Christ strengthening us. For if we are “sinners,” we have been estranged “from the womb”; but if we were set apart “from” our “mother's womb,” the best things will come to us even if we do not pray. For what prayer did Jacob offer before he was born, that it should be prophesied that he would “surpass” Esau and that his brother would “serve” him? And what impiety had “Esau” committed, that he was hated before he was born? And why does Moses pray, as is found in the eighty-ninth psalm, if God is his “refuge” “before the mountains were established and the earth and the world were formed”? … ### Scripture references - Ps 58:3 (57:4 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Gal 1:15: quotation, high confidence - Rom 9:11: quotation, high confidence - Rom 9:12: quotation, high confidence - Rom 9:13: allusion, high confidence - Phil 4:13: allusion, high confidence - Gen 25:23: allusion, high confidence - Mal 1:2: allusion, high confidence - Mal 1:3: allusion, high confidence - Ps 90:1 (89:1 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 90:2 (89:2 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The objection is still being stated. The quotations are Ps 58:3 (57:4 LXX), Gal 1:15, Rom 9:11–13, Phil 4:13, Gen 25:23, Mal 1:2–3, and Ps 90:1–2 (89:1–2 LXX; Origen gives the Greek number). There is a gap in the manuscript at the end (marked “…”). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 5.4 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/5/4/). ## On Prayer 5.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/5/5/ - Source: Koetschau 2:310–311 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The objection continues: if the elect are chosen before creation and Josiah and Judas were foretold, prayer cannot change God's unchangeable purpose. ### Greek text ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ πάντων τῶν σωθησομένων ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἐφεσίους ἀναγέγραπται ὅτι „ἐξελέξατο“ αὐτοὺς „ἐν αὐτῷ, “ „ἐν Χριστῷ“ ὁ πατὴρ „πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου εἰς τὸ εἶναι“ αὐτοὺς „ἁγίους καὶ ἀμώμους κατʼ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, ἐν ἀγάπῃ προορίσας“ αὐτοὺς „εἰς υἱοθεσίαν διὰ Χριστοῦ εἰς αὐτόν.“ ἤτοι οὖν τις ἐκ τῶν „πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου“ ἐστὶν ἐξειλεγμένος, καὶ ἀμήχανον αὐτὸν τῆς ἐκλογῆς ἐκπεσεῖν, διόπερ οὐ χρεία τούτῳ εὐχῆς· ἢ οὐκ ἐξείλεκται οὐδὲ προώρισται, καὶ μάτην εὔχεται, κἂν μυριάκις εὔξηται, οὐκ ἐπακουσθησόμενος. „οὓς“ γὰρ „προέγνω“ ὁ θεὸς, τούτους „καὶ προώρισε συμμόρφους τῆς εἰκόνος“ „τῆς δόξης“ „τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ.“ „οὓς δὲ προώρισε, τούτους καὶ ἐκάλεσε· καὶ οὓς ἐκάλεσε, τούτους καὶ ἐδικαίωσεν· οὓς δὲ ἐδικαίωσε, τούτους καὶ ἐδόξασε.“ τί γὰρ κάμνει Ἰωσίας ἢ διὰ τί εὐχόμενος πεφρόντικε περὶ τοῦ πότερόν ποτε εἰσακουσθήσεται ἢ μὴ, πρὸ πολλῶν γενεῶν ὀνομαστὶ προφητευθεὶς καὶ περὶ τοῦ ὅ τι ποτὲ πράξει οὐ μόνον προγνωσθεὶς ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς ἐπήκοον πολλῶν προῤῥηθείς; ἵνα τί δὲ καὶ Ἰούδας προσεύχεται, ὥστε καὶ τὴν προσευχὴν αὐτοῦ γενηθῆναι „εἰς ἁμαρτίαν, “ ἀπὸ τῶν Δαυῒδ χρόνων προκηρυχθεὶς ὡς ἀπολέσων „τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν, “ ἑτέρου ληψομένου ἀντʼ αὐτοῦ αὐτήν; αὐτόθεν δὲ ἀπεμφαίνει, ἀτρέπτου ὄντος τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὰ ὅλα προκατειληφότος μένοντός τε ἐν τοῖς προδιατεταγμένοις, εὔχεσθαι, οἰόμενον μετατρέψειν διὰ τῆς εὐχῆς αὐτοῦ τὴν πρόθεσιν ἢ ὡς μὴ προδιαταξαμένῳ ἀλλὰ περιμένοντι τὴν ἑκάστου εὐχὴν ἐντυγχάνειν, ἵνα διὰ τὴν εὐχὴν διατάξηται τὸ πρέπον τῷ εὐχομένῳ, τότε τάσσων τὸ δοκιμαζόμενον εἶναι εὔλογον οὐ πρότερον αὐτῷ τεθεωρημένον. ### English translation (Claude) But also concerning all who will be saved it is written in the Letter to the Ephesians that the Father “chose” them “in him,” “in Christ,” “before the foundation of the world, that” they “should be holy and blameless before him, having predestined” them “in love to adoption as sons through Christ to himself.” Either, then, someone is among those chosen “before the foundation of the world,” and it is impossible for him to fall from his election, so that he has no need of prayer; or he has not been chosen nor predestined, and he prays in vain, and even if he prays ten thousand times, he will not be heard. For “those whom” God “foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image” “of the glory” “of his Son.” “And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.” Why does Josiah toil, or why in praying is he anxious whether he will be heard or not, when he was prophesied by name many generations before, and not only foreknown as to what he would do but foretold in the hearing of many? And why does Judas pray, so that his prayer becomes “sin,” when from the time of David he had been proclaimed as one who would lose “his office,” another taking it in his place? It is plainly incongruous, since God is unchangeable and has comprehended all things beforehand and abides by what he has preordained, to pray, thinking to change his purpose by one's prayer, or to address him as one who has not preordained but waits for each person's prayer, so that because of the prayer he may ordain what is fitting for the one who prays, then appointing what is judged reasonable, which he had not seen before. ### Scripture references - Eph 1:4: quotation, high confidence - Eph 1:5: quotation, high confidence - Rom 8:29: quotation, high confidence - Phil 3:21: echo, low confidence - Rom 8:30: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 13:2: allusion, high confidence - Ps 109:7 (108:7 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 109:8 (108:8 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Acts 1:20: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The objection is still being stated. The quotations are Eph 1:4–5, Rom 8:29–30 (with “of the glory” added, compare Phil 3:21), 1 Kgs 13:2 (3 Kgdms LXX; Josiah named in advance), Ps 109:7–8 (108:7–8 LXX), and Acts 1:20. “Office” (ἐπισκοπή) is the word also used for the office of a bishop. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 5.5 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/5/5/). ## On Prayer 5.6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/5/6/ - Source: Koetschau 2:311 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Origen quotes Ambrose's two questions: if God foreknows everything, and if his will cannot change, is prayer not vain? ### Greek text κείσθω δὲ ἐν τοῖς παροῦσιν αὐταῖς λέξεσιν ἅπερ διὰ τῶν πρός με γραμμάτων ἔταξας, οὕτως ἔχοντα. „πρῶτον· εἰ προγνώστης ἐστὶν ὁ θεὸς τῶν μελλόντων, καὶ δεῖ αὐτὰ γίνεσθαι, ματαία ἡ προσευχή. δεύτερον· εἰ πάντα κατὰ βούλησιν θεοῦ γίνεται, καὶ ἀραρότα αὐτοῦ ἐστι τὰ βουλεύματα, καὶ οὐδὲν τραπῆναι ὧν βούλεται δύναται, ματαία ἡ προσευχή, “ χρήσιμα δὲ, ὡς οἶμαι, ταῦτα πρὸς λύσιν τῶν ἀποναρκᾶν πρὸς τὸ εὔχεσθαι ποιούντων προδιαληπτέον. ### English translation (Claude) Let me set down here, in its very words, what you laid out in your letter to me, which runs thus: “First: if God foreknows the future, and it must come to pass, prayer is vain. Second: if all things happen according to the will of God, and his counsels are fixed, and none of the things he wills can be changed, prayer is vain.” Useful, I think, for the solution of the difficulties that make people slack in prayer are the following preliminary considerations. ### Translation notes - The quoted questions are from Ambrose's letter to Origen. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 5.6 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/5/6/). ## On Prayer 6.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/6/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:311–312 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Origen distinguishes things moved from outside, things moved by their nature, animals that move themselves, and rational beings who move by their own reason. ### Greek text Τῶν κινουμένων τὰ μέν τινα τὸ κινοῦν ἔξωθεν ἔχει ὥσπερ τὰ ἄψυχα καὶ ὑπὸ ἕξεως μόνης συνεχόμενα καὶ τὰ ὑπὸ φύσεως καὶ ψυχῆς κινούμενα. οὐχ ᾗ τοιαῦτα ἔσθʼ ὅτε κινούμενα ἀλλʼ ὁμοίως τοῖς ὑπὸ ἕξεως μόνης συνεχομένοις· λίθοι γὰρ καὶ ξύλα, τὰ ἐκκοπέντα τοῦ μετάλλου ἢ τὸ φύειν ἀπολωλεκότα, ὑπὸ ἕξεως μόνης συνεχόμενα τὸ κινοῦν ἔξωθεν ἔχει, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ τῶν ζῴων σώματα καὶ τὰ φορητὰ τῶν πεφυτευμένων, ὑπό τινος μετατιθέμενα, οὐχ ᾗ ζῷα καὶ φυτὰ μετατίθεται ἀλλʼ ὁμοίως λίθοις καὶ ξύλοις τοῖς τὸ φύειν ἀπολωλεκόσι· κἂν κινῆται καὶ ταῦτα τῷ ῥευστὰ εἶναι πάντα τὰ σώματα φθίνοντα, παρακολουθητικὴν ἔχει τὴν ἐν τῷ φθίνειν κίνησιν. δεύτερα δὲ παρὰ ταῦτά ἐστι κινούμενα τὰ ὑπὸ τῆς ἐνυπαρχούσης φύσεως ἢ ψυχῆς κινούμενα, ἃ καὶ ἐξ αὑτῶν κινεῖσθαι λέγεται παρὰ τοῖς κυριώτερον χρωμένοις τοῖς ὀνόμασι, τρίτη δέ ἐστι κίνησις ἡ ἐν τοῖς ζῴοις, ἥτις ὀνομάζεται ἡ ἀφʼ αὑτῶν κίνησις· οἶμαι δὲ ὅτι ἡ τῶν λογικῶν κίνησις διʼ αὐτῶν ἐστι κίνησις. ἐὰν δὲ περιέλωμεν ἀπὸ τοῦ ζῴου τὴν ἀφʼ αὑτοῦ κίνησιν, οὐδὲ ζῷον ἔτι ὂν ὑπονοηθῆναι δύναται, ἀλλὰ ἔσται ὅμοιον ἤτοι φυτῷ ὑπὸ φύσεως μόνης κινουμένῳ ἢ λίθῳ ὑπό τινος ἔξωθεν φερομένῳ. ἐὰν δὲ παρακολουθῇ τι τῇ ἰδίᾳ κινήσει, ἐπεὶ τοῦτο διʼ αὐτοῦ κινεῖσθαι ὠνομάσαμεν, ἀνάγκη τοῦτο εἶναι λογικόν. ### English translation (Claude) Of things that move, some have their mover outside them, such as lifeless things held together only by their cohesion, and things moved by nature and soul, when they are sometimes moved not as such but like things held together only by cohesion. For stones and pieces of wood cut from the quarry or that have lost the power of growth, being held together only by cohesion, have their mover outside them; and so also the bodies of animals and plants that can be carried, when they are moved by someone, are moved not as animals and plants but like stones and wood that have lost the power of growth; and even if these too move, because all bodies are in flux and decay, they have the motion of decay as a consequence. Second, besides these, are things moved by the nature or soul within them, which are also said to move “out of themselves” by those who use terms more strictly. And third is the motion in living creatures, which is called motion “from themselves”; and I think that the motion of rational beings is motion “through themselves.” If we take from a living creature its motion from itself, it can no longer even be thought of as a living creature, but will be like either a plant moved by nature only or a stone carried by something outside it. And if a thing is aware of its own motion, since we have called this moving “through itself,” it must be rational. ### Translation notes - Origen here begins his reply. The classification of motion (by cohesion, ἕξις; by nature, φύσις; by soul, ψυχή; and rational motion) is Stoic; he gives the same classification in On First Principles 3.1.2–3. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 6.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/6/1/). ## On Prayer 6.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/6/2/ - Source: Koetschau 2:312 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Denying free will is absurd: we experience ourselves choosing, and everyone praises and blames others as responsible for their acts. ### Greek text οἱ τοίνυν θέλοντες μηδὲν εἶναι ἐφʼ ἡμῖν, ἀναγκαίως ἠλιθιώτατόν τι παραδέξονται· πρῶτον μὲν ὅτι οὐκ ἐσμὲν ζῷα, δεύτερον δὲ ὅτι οὐδὲ λογικὰ, ἀλλʼ οἷον ὑπὸ ἔξωθεν κινοῦντος αὐτοὶ οὐδαμῶς κινούμενοι ποιεῖν ὑπʼ ἐκείνου λεγοίμεθα ἃ ποιεῖν νομιζόμεθα. ἄλλως τε καὶ τοῖς ἰδίοις πάθεσιν ἐπιστήσας τις ὁράτω, εἰ μὴ ἀναιδῶς ἐρεῖ μὴ αὐτὸς θέλειν καὶ μὴ αὐτὸς ἐσθίειν καὶ μὴ αὐτὸς περιπατεῖν μηδὲ αὐτὸς συγκατατίθεσθαι καὶ παραδέχεσθαι ὁποῖα δή ποτε τῶν δογμάτων μηδὲ αὐτὸς ἀνανεύειν πρὸς ἕτερα ὡς ψευδῆ. ὥσπερ οὖν πρός τινα δόγματα ἀμήχανον διατεθῆναι ἄνθρωπον, κἂν μυριάκις αὐτὰ κατασκευάζῃ εὑρεσιλογῶν καὶ πιθανοῖς λόγοις χρώμενος, οὕτως ἀδύνατον διατεθεῖσθαί τινα περὶ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων, ὡς μηδαμῶς τοῦ ἐφʼ ἡμῖν σῳζομένου. τίς γὰρ διάκειται περὶ τοῦ μηδὲν εἶναι καταληπτὸν ἢ οὕτως βιοῖ, ὡς ἐπέχων περὶ παντὸς οὑτινοσοῦν; τίς δὲ οὐκ ἐπιπλήττει, φαντασίαν ἁμαρτήσαντος οἰκέτου λαβὼν, τῷ θεράποντι; καὶ τίς ἐστιν, ὃς μὴ αἰτιᾶται υἱὸν τὸ πρὸς γονεῖς καθῆκον μὴ ἀποδιδόντα ἢ μὴ μέμφεται καὶ ψέγει ὡς αἰσχρὸν πεποιηκυῖαν τὴν μεμοιχευμένην; βιάζεται γὰρ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἀναγκάζει, κἂν μυριάκις τις εὑρεσιλογῇ, ὁρμᾶν καὶ ἐπαινεῖν καὶ ψέγειν, ὡς τηρουμένου τοῦ ἐφʼ ἡμῖν, καὶ τούτου ἐπαινετοῦ ἢ ψεκτοῦ γινομένου παρʼ ἡμᾶς. ### English translation (Claude) Those, then, who wish nothing to be in our power will necessarily accept something most silly: first, that we are not living creatures, and second, that we are not rational either, but that, as if moved by something outside us, and not moving ourselves at all, we would be said to do, by that mover, what we are thought to do. Besides, let anyone attend to his own experiences and see whether he will not be shameless if he says that it is not he himself who wills, not he himself who eats, not he himself who walks, nor he himself who assents to and accepts whatever doctrines he does, nor he himself who rejects others as false. Just as, then, it is impossible for a man to be convinced of certain doctrines, even if someone argues for them ten thousand times with ingenuity and plausible reasoning, so it is impossible for anyone to be so disposed about human affairs as though what is in our power were in no way preserved. For who is really disposed to think that nothing can be grasped, or lives as one who suspends judgment about everything whatever? And who, on forming the impression that a servant has done wrong, does not rebuke the servant? And who is there who does not blame a son for failing in his duty to his parents, or does not reproach and censure the adulteress as having done something shameful? For the truth forces and compels us, even if someone argues ingeniously ten thousand times, to act on impulse and to praise and blame, as though what is in our power were preserved and it were we who become praiseworthy or blameworthy. ### Translation notes - “What is in our power” (τὸ ἐφʼ ἡμῖν) is the philosophical term for free will. “Suspends judgment” refers to the Sceptics. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 6.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/6/2/). ## On Prayer 6.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/6/3/ - Source: Koetschau 2:313 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God foreknows our free choices from the creation of the world, but his foreknowledge does not cause them; it lets him fit each choice into the government of the universe. ### Greek text εἰ δὴ τὸ ἐφʼ ἡμῖν σῴζεται, μυρίας ὅσας ἀπονεύσεις ἔχον πρὸς ἀρετὴν ἢ κακίαν καὶ πάλιν ἢ πρὸς τὸ καθῆκον ἢ πρὸς τὸ παρὰ τὸ καθῆκον, ἀναγκαίως τοῦτο μετὰ τῶν λοιπῶν, πρὶν γένηται, τῷ θεῷ ἔγνωσται „ἀπὸ κτίσεως“ καὶ „καταβολῆς κόσμου“, ὁποῖον ἔσται· καὶ ἐν πᾶσιν, οἷς προδιατάσσεται ὁ θεὸς ἀκολούθως οἷς ἑώρακε περὶ ἑκάστου ἔργου τῶν ἐφʼ ἡμῖν, προδιατέτακται κατʼ ἀξίαν ἑκάστῳ κινήματι τῶν ἐφʼ ἡμῖν τὸ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς προνοίας αὐτῷ ἀπαντησόμενον ἔτι δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὸν εἱρμὸν τῶν ἐσομένων συμβησόμενον, οὐχὶ τῆς προγνώσεως τοῦ θεοῦ αἰτίας γινομένης τοῖς ἐσομένοις πᾶσι καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἐφʼ ἡμῖν κατὰ τὴν ὁρμὴν ἡμῶν ἐνεργηθησομένοις. εἰ γὰρ καὶ καθʼ ὑπόθεσιν μὴ γινώσκοι ὁ θεὸς τὰ ἐσόμενα, οὐ παρὰ τοῦτο ἀπολοῦμεν τὸ τάδε τινὰ ἐνεργήσειν καὶ τάδε θελήσειν· πλέον δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς προγνώσεως γίνεται τὸ κατάταξιν λαμβάνειν εἰς τὴν τοῦ παντὸς διοίκησιν χρειώδη τῇ τοῦ κόσμου καταστάσει τὸ ἑκάστου ἐφʼ ἡμῖν. ### English translation (Claude) If, then, what is in our power is preserved, having countless inclinations toward virtue or vice, and again toward what is fitting or what is contrary to it, then necessarily, along with everything else, what it will be is known to God before it comes to be, “from the creation” and “foundation of the world.” And in all that God preordains in accordance with what he has seen about each act that is in our power, there has been preordained, according to the worth of each movement of what is in our power, what will also meet it from providence, and what will moreover happen according to the sequence of future events; God's foreknowledge is not the cause of all the future events that will be brought about by what is in our power, according to our impulse. For even if, by hypothesis, God did not know the future, we should not on that account lose the power to do these particular things and will these particular things. Rather, what results from foreknowledge is that what is in each person's power receives an arrangement in the government of the universe that is useful for the order of the world. ### Scripture references - Rom 1:20: echo, low confidence - Eph 1:4: echo, medium confidence - Matt 25:34: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The phrases “from the creation” and “foundation of the world” echo Rom 1:20 and Eph 1:4 (Matt 25:34). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 6.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/6/3/). ## On Prayer 6.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/6/4/ - Source: Koetschau 2:313–314 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God foresees how each person will pray and orders in advance whether and how to answer, even which angel to send to help each one. ### Greek text εἰ τοίνυν τὸ ἑκάστου ἐφʼ ἡμῖν αὐτῷ ἔγνωσται, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο προεωραμένον αὐτῷ διατάττεσθαι ἀπὸ τῆς προνοίας τὸ κατʼ ἀξίαν παντί τῳ εὔλογον καὶ τὸ τί εὔξηται (καὶ) ποίαν διάθεσιν ἔχων ὁ δεῖνα οὕτως πιστεύων καὶ τί βουλόμενος αὐτῷ γενέσθαι προκατειλῆφθαι· οὗ προκαταληφθέντος, καὶ τοιοῦτόν τι ἀκολούθως ἐν τῇ διατάξει τετάξεται, ὅτι τοῦδε μὲν ἐπακούσομαι συνετῶς εὐξομένου διʼ αὐτὴν τὴν εὐχὴν, ἣν εὔξεται, τοῦδε δὲ οὐκ ἐπακούσομαι ἤτοι διὰ τὸ ἀνάξιον αὐτὸν ἔσεσθαι τοῦ ἐπακουσθήσεσθαι ἢ διὰ τὸ ταῦτα αὐτὸν εὔξασθαι, ἃ μήτε τῷ εὐχομένῳ λυσιτελεῖ λαβεῖν μήτε ἐμοὶ πρέπον παρασχεῖν· καὶ κατὰ τήνδε μὲν τὴν εὐχὴν, φέρε εἰπεῖν, τοῦ δεῖνος οὐκ ἐπακούσομαι αὐτοῦ κατὰ τήνδε δὲ ἐπακούσομαι. (ἐὰν δέ τις ταράττηται διὰ τὸ μὴ οὐ ψεύσασθαι τὸν θεὸν τὰ μέλλοντα προεγνωκότα, ὡς τῶν πραγμάτων κατηναγκασμένων, λεκτέον πρὸς τὸν τοιοῦτον ὅτι αὐτὸ τοῦτο τῷ θεῷ ἔγνωσται ἀραρότως, τὸ μὴ ἀραρότως τόνδε τινὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπον καὶ βεβαίως βούλεσθαι τὰ κρείττονα ἢ οὕτω θελήσειν τὰ χείρονα, ὥστε ἀνεπίδεκτον αὐτὸν ἔσεσθαι μεταβολῆς τῆς ἐπὶ τὰ συμφέροντα.) καὶ πάλιν τάδε μέν τινα ποιήσω τῷδε εὐξομένῳ, ἐμοὶ γὰρ τοῦτο πρέπον ἐστὶν οὐ ψεκτῶς μοι εὐξομένῳ οὐδὲ ἀμελῶς περὶ τὴν εὐχὴν ἀναστραφησομένῳ· τῷδε δὲ ἐπὶ ποσὸν εὐξομένῳ „ὑπερεκπερισσοῦ ὧν“ αἰτεῖται ἢ νοεῖ δωρήσομαι τάδε τινὰ, ἐμοὶ γὰρ τόνδε πρέπει νικᾶν ἐν ταῖς εὐποιΐαις καὶ χορηγεῖν πλείονα ὧν αἰτῆσαι κεχώρηκε. καὶ τῷδε μέν τινι τοιῷδε ἐσομένῳ τόνδε τὸν ἄγγελον λειτουργὸν ἐπιπέμψω, ἀπὸ τοῦδε ἀρξόμενον τοῦ χρόνου συνεργεῖν αὐτοῦ τῇ σωτηρίᾳ καὶ μέχρι τοῦδε συνεσόμενον, τῷδε δὲ τόνδε, φέρε εἰπεῖν, τὸν τοῦδε τιμιώτερον, τῷ τοῦδε ἐσομένῳ κρείττονι. τοῦδε δέ τινος, μετὰ τὸ ἐπιδεδωκέναι ἑαυτὸν λόγοις τοῖς διαφέρουσιν ὑπεκλυθησομένου καὶ παλινδρομήσοντος ἐπὶ τὰ ὑλικώτερα, ἀποστήσω τόνδε τὸν κρείττονα συνεργόν· οὗ ἀποστάντος. κατʼ ἀξίαν αὐτοῦ χείρων τις ἥδε ἡ δύναμις. καιρὸν εὑρηκυῖα τοῦ ἐπιβαίνειν· τῇ ῥᾳθυμίᾳ, ἐπιστᾶσα ἐπὶ τάδε τινὰ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα αὐτὸν, ἕτοιμον ἑαυτὸν πρὸς τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν δεδωκότα. προκαλέσεται. ### English translation (Claude) If, then, what is in the power of each is known to him, and for this reason it is reasonable that what each deserves, having been foreseen by him, is ordained by providence for everyone, it is also reasonable that he has comprehended beforehand what a particular person will pray for, with what disposition, with what faith, and what he wishes to happen to him. And this having been comprehended beforehand, something like this will accordingly be set in his ordering: “This man, who will pray with understanding, I will hear because of the very prayer he will pray; but this one I will not hear, either because he will be unworthy of being heard, or because he will pray for things which it is neither profitable for the one praying to receive nor fitting for me to grant; and in this prayer, let us say, of such a person I will not hear him, but in that one I will.” (And if anyone is troubled because God, who has foreknown the future, cannot be mistaken, as though things were necessitated, we must say to him that this very thing is known to God with certainty: that this particular man does not firmly and steadfastly will the better things, or that he will so will the worse that he will be incapable of change toward what is beneficial.) “And again: for this man who will pray I will do these things, for this is fitting for me, since he will pray blamelessly and will not be careless about prayer; and to this one, who will pray to a certain degree, I will give ‘far more abundantly than’ he asks or thinks, for it befits me to outdo him in benefits and to supply more than he has been able to ask. And to this person, who will be of such a kind, I will send this ministering angel, to begin working with him for his salvation from this time and to be with him until this time; and to that one, let us say, this other angel more honorable than the first, for him who will be better than the first. And from this one, who after giving himself to excellent teachings will grow slack and run back to more material things, I will withdraw this better fellow worker; and when he has withdrawn, some worse power, as he deserves, finding occasion to set upon his carelessness, will stand over him and incite him to these particular sins, since he has made himself ready to sin.” ### Scripture references - Eph 3:20: quotation, high confidence - Heb 1:14: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The quotation is Eph 3:20. The divine speech in quotation marks is Origen's illustration of what God's foreknowledge “as it were” decrees; the ministering angels are Origen's teaching on guardian angels. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 6.4 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/6/4/). ## On Prayer 6.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/6/5/ - Source: Koetschau 2:314–315 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God foresaw Josiah's goodness, Judas's fall, and Paul's persecution and conversion, and arranged his help accordingly without taking away their freedom. ### Greek text οὕτως οὖν ἤδη οἱονεὶ ἐρεῖ ὁ προδιατασσόμενος τὰ ὅλα ὅτι Ἀμὼς γεννήσει τὸν Ἰωσίαν, ὅστις οὐ ζηλώσει τὰ τοῦ πατρὸς πταίσματα ἀλλὰ τυχὼν τῆσδε τῆς ἐπʼ ἀρετὴν προτρεπούσης ὁδοῦ διὰ τῶνδε τῶν συνεσομένων καλὸς ἔσται καὶ ἀγαθὸς, ὅστις κατασκάψει τὸ τοῦ Ἱεροβοὰμ κακῶς οἰκοδομηθὲν θυσιαστήριον. οἶδα δὲ καὶ Ἰούδαν. ἐπιδημήσαντός μου τοῦ υἱοῦ τῷ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένει. κατὰ μὲν τὰς ἀρχὰς ἐσόμενον καλὸν καὶ ἀγαθὸν ὕστερον δὲ ἐκτραπησόμενον καὶ εἰς τὰ ἀνθρώπινα ἁμαρτήματα ἐκπεσούμενον, ὅντινα ἐπὶ τούτοις εὔλογον ἔσται παθεῖν τάδε τινά. (ἡ δὲ πρόγνωσις αὕτη τάχα μὲν ἐπὶ πάντων πάντως δὲ ἐπὶ Ἰούδα καὶ ἑτέρων μυστηρίων καὶ ἐν τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ θεοῦ γίνεται. ἑωρακότι τῇ κατανοήσει τοῦ ἐξελιγμοῦ τῶν ἐσομένων τὸν Ἰούδαν καὶ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα τὰ ἁμαρτηθησόμενα αὐτῷ· ὥστε μετὰ καταλήψεως αὐτὸν, καὶ πρὶν γενέσθαι τὸν Ἰούδαν. διὰ τοῦ Δαυῒδ εἰρηκέναι· „ὁ θεὸς, τὴν αἴνεσίν μου μὴ παρασιωπήσῃς“ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς.) εἰδὼς δὲ τὰ μέλλοντα, καὶ ὁποῖον τόνον ἕξει πρὸς τὴν θεοσέβειαν ὁ Παῦλος, ἐν ἐμαυτῷ μὲν, πρὶν κτίσαι τὸν κόσμον ἐπιβαλλόμενος τῇ ἀρχῇ τῆς κοσμοποιΐας, αὐτὸν ἐπιλέξομαι καὶ ταῖσδε συνεργούσαις ἀνθρώπων σωτηρίᾳ δυνάμεσιν ἅμα τῷ γεννηθῆναι παραθήσομαι, ἀφορίζων αὐτὸν „ἐκ κοιλίας μητρὸς“ καὶ ἐπιτρέπων κατὰ τὰς ἀρχὰς ἐν νεότητι ζήλῳ μετὰ ἀγνοίας ἐγγινομένῳ προφάσει θεοσεβείας διώκειν τοὺς εἰς τὸν Χριστόν μου πεπιστευκότας καὶ τηρεῖν „τὰ ἱμάτια“ τῶν λιθοβολούντων τὸν θεραπευτήν μου καὶ μάρτυρα Στέφανον, ἵνα νεανιευσάμενος ὕστερον ἀφορμῆς λαβόμενος καὶ μεταβαλόμενος ἐπὶ τὰ βέλτιστα „μὴ καυχήσηται“ „ἐνώπιον“ ἐμοῦ ἀλλὰ λέγῃ· „οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς καλεῖσθαι ἀπόστολος, διότι ἐδίωξα τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ θεοῦ, “ καὶ αἰσθόμενος τῆς ἐσομένης μου εἰς αὐτὸν εὐεργεσίας μετὰ τὰ ἐν νεότητι προφάσει θεοσεβείας πταίσματα εἴπῃ· „χάριτι δὲ θεοῦ εἰμι ὅ εἰμι“· καὶ κωλυόμενος δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ συνειδότος διὰ τὰ ὑπὸ νεανίου αὐτοῦ ἔτι τυγχάνοντος πεπραγμένα κατὰ Χριστοῦ οὐχ ὑπερεπαρθήσεται „τῇ ὑπερβολῇ τῶν“ ἐπʼ εὐεργεσίᾳ φανερωθησομένων αὐτῷ „ἀποκαλύψεων.“ ### English translation (Claude) So he who preordains all things will already, as it were, say: “Amos will beget Josiah, who will not imitate his father's faults, but, having found this path that urges him to virtue through those who will be with him, will be noble and good, and will tear down the altar that Jeroboam wickedly built. And I know also that Judas, when my Son has come to dwell among the human race, will at first be noble and good, but later will turn aside and fall into human sins, so that for these it will be reasonable for him to suffer these particular things.” (This foreknowledge, perhaps about all things, but certainly about Judas and other mysteries, is also in the Son of God, who by contemplating the unfolding of future events saw Judas and the sins he would commit; so that with full comprehension, even before Judas existed, he said through David, “O God, do not keep silent at my praise,” and what follows.) “And knowing the future, and what vigor Paul will have toward piety, I will choose him in myself before I create the world, when I set about the beginning of the making of the world, and at his birth I will entrust him to these powers that work for the salvation of men, setting him apart ‘from his mother's womb,’ and allowing him at first, in his youth, through a zeal that comes with ignorance under pretext of piety, to persecute those who have believed in my Christ and to keep ‘the garments’ of those who stoned my servant and martyr Stephen; so that later, after the rashness of youth, taking an occasion and changing to the best things, he may ‘not boast’ ‘before’ me, but may say, ‘I am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God,’ and, perceiving the kindness I will show him after the faults of his youth committed under pretext of piety, may say, ‘But by the grace of God I am what I am’; and, restrained by his conscience because of what he did against Christ while still a young man, he will not be too much elated ‘by the surpassing greatness of the revelations’ revealed to him for his benefit.” ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 13:2: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 23:15: allusion, high confidence - Ps 109:1 (108:1 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Gal 1:15: quotation, high confidence - Gal 1:13: allusion, medium confidence - Acts 7:58: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 1:29: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Cor 15:9: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 15:10: quotation, high confidence - 2 Cor 12:7: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The references are 1 Kgs 13:2 and 2 Kgs 23:15 (Josiah and Jeroboam's altar; Josiah's father was Amon, spelled Ἀμώς in the text), Ps 109:1 (108:1 LXX), Gal 1:15, Acts 7:58, 1 Cor 1:29, 1 Cor 15:9–10, and 2 Cor 12:7. The first-person speech is Origen's illustration of God's foreknowledge. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 6.5 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/6/5/). ## On Prayer 7.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/7/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:315–316 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Even the sun and stars have free will and praise God; but since they are wise and steady, nothing could turn them from their course, so praying for sunrise is not a fair analogy. ### Greek text Καὶ πρὸς τὸ περὶ τῆς ἐπὶ τῷ ἀνατέλλειν τὸν ἥλιον εὐχῆς ταῦτα λεκτέον. ἔστι τι καὶ τοῦ ἡλίου ἐφʼ ἡμῖν, καὶ αὐτοῦ αἰνοῦντος μετὰ τῆς σελήνης τὸν θεόν· „αἰνεῖτε γὰρ αὐτὸν.“ φησὶν, „ἥλιος καὶ σελήνη“· δῆλον δʼ ὅτι καὶ τῆς σελήνης καὶ ἀκολούθως πάντων τῶν ἀστέρων· „αἰνεῖτε γὰρ αὐτὸν, “ (φησὶ, ) „πάντα τὰ ἄστρα καὶ τὸ φῶς.“ ὥσπερ οὖν εἰρήκαμεν τῷ ἐφʼ ἡμῖν ἑκάστου τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς καταχρώμενον τὸν θεὸν εἴς τινα χρείαν τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς κατατεταχέναι εἰς δέον αὐτά, οὕτως ὑποληπτέον τῷ ἐφʼ ἡμῖν ἡλίου καὶ σελήνης καὶ ἄστρων, ἀραρότι καὶ βεβαίῳ ὄντι καὶ σταθηρῷ καὶ σοφῷ, διατεταχέναι „πάντα τὸν κόσμον τοῦ οὐρανοῦ“ καὶ τὴν τῶν ἄστρων ἁρμονίως τῷ παντὶ πορείαν καὶ κίνησιν. καὶ εἰ περὶ τοῦ ἐφʼ ἡμῖν ἑτέρου μὴ μάτην εὔχομαι, πολλῷ πλέον περὶ τοῦ ἐφʼ ἡμῖν τῶν ἐν οὐρανῷ σωτηρίως τῷ παντὶ χορευόντων ἀστέρων. καίτοι γε ἔστιν εἰπεῖν περὶ τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς ὅτι τοιαίδε τινὲς προσγενόμεναι ἐκ τῶν περιεστώτων φαντασίαι προκαλοῦνται τὸ ἀβέβαιον ἡμῶν ἢ τὸ ἐπὶ τὸ κρεῖττον ῥεπτικὸν ἡμῶν πρὸς τὸ ποιῆσαι ἢ εἰπεῖν τάδε τινὰ ἢ τάδε· ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν ἐν οὐρανῷ ποία δύναται ἐγγενομένη φαντασία ἐκστῆσαι καὶ μετακινῆσαι ἀπὸ τῆς ὠφελίμου τῷ κόσμῳ πορείας ἕκαστον τῶν τοιαύτην ψυχὴν ὑπὸ λόγου κατηρτισμένην καὶ παρὰ τὴν αὐτῶν αἰτίαν ἐχόντων καὶ τοιούτῳ σώματι αἰθερίῳ καὶ καθαρωτάτῳ χρωμένων; ### English translation (Claude) And to the argument about praying for the sun to rise, this must be said. The sun too has something in its own power, since it too praises God with the moon: “Praise him,” it says, “sun and moon”; and clearly the moon too, and consequently all the stars: “Praise him,” it says, “all you stars and light.” Just as, then, we have said that God, making use of what is in the power of each being on earth, has arranged them appropriately for some use for things on earth, so we must suppose that, making use of what is in the power of the sun and moon and stars, which is firm, stable, steadfast, and wise, he has ordered “all the host of heaven” and the course and motion of the stars in harmony with the universe. And if I do not pray in vain about what is in the power of another, much more is this so about what is in the power of the stars that dance in heaven for the salvation of the universe. Indeed, one may say of things on earth that certain impressions arising from our circumstances call forth our instability, or our inclination to the better, so that we do or say this thing or that; but in the case of heavenly beings, what impression could arise to drive out and move from its course, so useful to the world, any of those who have a soul so fashioned by reason and are, as regards themselves, causes of their own acts, and who use a body so ethereal and most pure? ### Scripture references - Ps 148:3: quotation, high confidence - Deut 4:19: quotation, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Ps 148:3 and Deut 4:19 (17:3). That the heavenly bodies are rational, ensouled beings with free will is Origen's own view (On First Principles 1.7). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 7.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/7/1/). ## On Prayer 8.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/8/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:316–317 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Just as children require a woman, some things are obtained only by praying rightly: without babbling, anger, or unforgiveness, and for heavenly rather than earthly things. ### Greek text Ἔτι δὲ οὐκ ἄλογον καὶ τοιούτῳ τινὶ παραδείγματι χρήσασθαι πρὸς τὸ προτρέψασθαι ἐπὶ τὸ εὔξασθαι καὶ ἀποτρέψασθαι τοῦ ἀμελεῖν τῆς εὐχῆς. ὥσπερ οὐκ ἔστι παιδοποιήσασθαι χωρὶς γυναικὸς καὶ τῆς εἰς παιδοποιΐαν χρησίμου παραλαμβανομένης ἐνεργείας, οὕτως τῶνδέ τινων οὐκ ἄν τις τύχοι, μὴ οὕτως εὐξάμενος μετὰ διαθέσεως τοιᾶσδε, πιστεύων οὕτως. οὐ πρὸ τῆς εὐχῆς τόνδε βιώσας τὸν τρόπον. οὐ βαττολογητέον οὖν οὐδὲ μικρὰ αἰτητέον οὐδὲ περὶ ἐπιγείων προσευκτέον οὐδὲ μετὰ „ὀργῆς“ καὶ τεταραγμένων λογισμῶν ἐπὶ τὴν προσευχὴν ἐλθετέον. ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ χωρὶς καθαρεύσεως ἔστιν ἐπινοῆσαι γινομένην „τῇ προσευχῇ“ σχολήν· ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ ἀφέσεως ἁμαρτημάτων οἷόν τε τυχεῖν τὸν εὐχόμενον. μὴ ἀπὸ τῆς καρδίας ἀφιέντα τῷ πεπλημμεληκότι καὶ συγγνώμης τυχεῖν ἀξιοῦντι ἀδελφῷ. ### English translation (Claude) Further, it is not unreasonable to use an example like this to urge people to pray and to turn them from neglecting prayer. Just as it is not possible to beget children without a woman and without the activity that serves for begetting children, so one would not obtain certain things unless one prayed in a certain way, with a certain disposition, believing in a certain way, having lived in a certain manner before the prayer. So one must not babble, nor ask for small things, nor pray about earthly things, nor come to prayer with “anger” and troubled thoughts. Nor can leisure given “to prayer” be conceived without purification; nor can the one who prays obtain forgiveness of sins unless he forgives from the heart the brother who has offended him and asks to be pardoned. ### Scripture references - Matt 6:7: allusion, high confidence - 1 Tim 2:8: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 7:5: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 18:35: allusion, high confidence - Mark 11:25: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The allusions are Matt 6:7, 1 Tim 2:8, 1 Cor 7:5, and Matt 18:35 (Mark 11:25). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 8.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/8/1/). ## On Prayer 8.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/8/2/ - Source: Koetschau 2:317 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Even apart from being answered, prayer benefits the one who prays, because recalling God's presence restrains him from sin and moves him to good. ### Greek text ὠφέλειαν δὲ ἐγγίνεσθαι τῷ ὃν δεῖ τρόπον εὐχομένῳ ἢ ἐπὶ τοῦτο κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν ἐπειγομένῳ πολλαχῶς ἡγοῦμαι συμβαίνειν. καὶ πρῶτόν γε πάντως ὤνατό τι ὁ πρὸς τὸ εὔξασθαι ταθεὶς κατὰ τὸν νοῦν, διʼ αὐτῆς τῆς ἐν τῷ εὔχεσθαι καταστάσεως θεῷ παριστάναι ἑαυτὸν καὶ παρόντι ἐκείνῳ λέγειν σχηματίσας ὡς ἐφορῶντι καὶ παρόντι. ὥσπερ γὰρ αἱ τοιαίδε φαντασίαι καὶ ὑπομνήσεις τῶνδέ τινων περὶ τὰ. ὧν γεγόνασιν αἱ ὑπομνήσεις, μολύνουσι τοὺς λογισμοὺς τοὺς ἐν ταῖσδε ταῖς φαντασίαις γεγενημένους, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον πειστέον ὀνησιφόρον εἶναι μνήμην πεπιστευμένου τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ κατανοοῦντος τὰ ἐν τῷ ἀδύτῳ τῆς ψυχῆς κινήματα, ῥυθμιζούσης ἑαυτὴν ἀρέσκειν ὡς παρόντι καὶ ἐποπτεύοντι καὶ φθάνοντι ἐπὶ πάντα νοῦν τῷ ἐτάζοντι „καρδίας“ καὶ ἐρευνῶντι „νεφρούς.“ ἵνα γὰρ καθʼ ὑπόθεσιν μηδεμία ἔτι παρὰ ταύτην ὠφέλεια γένηται τῷ καταστήσαντι αὐτοῦ τὸν λογισμὸν εἰς τὸ εὔχεσθαι. οὐ τὸ τυχὸν ἐννοητέον λαβεῖν τὸν οὕτως εὐλαβῶς ἑαυτὸν ῥυθμίσαντα ἐν τῷ τῆς εὐχῆς καιρῷ. τοῦτο δὲ γινόμενον πολλάκις ὅσων ἀφίστησιν ἁμαρτημάτων καὶ ἐφʼ ὅσα φέρει τῶν κατορθωμάτων, ἴσασι τῇ πείρᾳ οἱ συνεχέστερον τῷ εὔχεσθαι ἑαυτοὺς ἐπιδεδωκότες. εἰ γὰρ ὑπόμνησις καὶ ἀναπόλησις ἐλλογίμου ἀνδρὸς καὶ ὠφελημένου ἐν σοφίᾳ ἐπὶ ζῆλον ἡμᾶς αὐτοῦ προκαλεῖται καὶ πολλάκις ἐμποδίζει ὁρμὰς τὰς ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον, πόσῳ πλέον θεοῦ τοῦ τῶν ὅλων πατρὸς ὑπόμνησις μετὰ τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν εὐχῆς ὀνίνησι τοὺς πείσαντας ἑαυτοὺς ὅτι παρόντι καὶ ἀκούοντι παρεστήκασι καὶ λέγουσι θεῷ; ### English translation (Claude) I think that benefit comes in many ways to one who prays as he ought, or who strives for this as far as he can. First of all, the one who has directed his mind to prayer certainly gains something from the very disposition of prayer, by presenting himself to God and speaking to him as present, having composed himself as before one who watches and is present. For just as certain images and memories of certain things defile the thoughts in which these images have arisen, in the same way we must be persuaded that the remembrance of God in whom we have believed, who perceives the movements in the sanctuary of the soul, is beneficial, as the soul orders itself to please him as one present, watching, and reaching before every thought, who tests “hearts” and searches “the inward parts.” For even supposing that no other benefit came to one who has set his reasoning toward prayer, one must think that it is no ordinary gain for him to have ordered himself so reverently at the time of prayer. And when this happens often, those who have given themselves more constantly to prayer know by experience from how many sins it keeps them and to how many good deeds it leads them. For if the remembrance and recollection of a man of repute who has made progress in wisdom calls us to imitate him and often checks our impulses toward the worse, how much more does the remembrance of God, the Father of all, together with prayer to him, benefit those who have persuaded themselves that they stand before, and speak to, a God who is present and hears? ### Scripture references - Ps 7:9 (7:10 LXX): allusion, high confidence - Jer 11:20: allusion, medium confidence - Rev 2:23: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - The allusion is Ps 7:9 (7:10 LXX; compare Jer 11:20 and Rev 2:23). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 8.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/8/2/). ## On Prayer 9.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/9/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:317–318 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: From 1 Timothy: men should pray with holy hands, free of anger and distraction, and women with modesty in soul and body, adorned with good works. ### Greek text Κατασκευαστέον δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν θείων γραφῶν τὰ εἰρημένα τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον. ἐπαίρειν δεῖ „ὁσίας χεῖρας“ τὸν εὐχόμενον διὰ τοῦ ἀφιέναι ἑκάστῳ τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν πεπλημμεληκότων, τὸ τῆς ὀργῆς πάθος ἐξαφανίσαντα ἀπὸ τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ μηδενὶ θυμούμενον. πάλιν τε δεῖ ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ ἐπιθολοῦσθαι τὸν νοῦν ὑπὸ ἑτέρων λογισμῶν πάντων ἐπιλελῆσθαι τῶν ἔξω τῆς εὐχῆς κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν, ἐν ᾧ τις εὔχεται, (τοιοῦτον δὲ εἶναι πῶς οὐκ ἔστι μακαριώτατον;) ὡς διδάσκει Παῦλος ἐν τῇ προτέρᾳ πρὸς Τιμόθεον λέγων· „βούλομαι οὖν προσεύχεσθαι τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ, ἐπαίροντας ὁσίους χεῖρας χωρὶς ὀργῆς καὶ διαλογισμῶν.“ ἀλλὰ πρὸς τούτοις τὴν γυναῖκα χρὴ ἔχειν μάλιστα εὐχομένην τὸ κατεσταλμένον καὶ τὸ κόσμιον ψυχῇ καὶ σώματι, πάντων μᾶλλον ἐξαιρέτων καὶ ὅτε εὔχεται αἰδουμένην τὸν θεὸν καὶ πᾶσαν ἀκόλαστον καὶ γυναικείαν ὑπόμνησιν ἐξορίσασαν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἡγεμονικοῦ καὶ κεκοσμημένην οὐκ „ἐν πλέγμασι καὶ χρυσῷ ἢ μαργαρίταις ἢ ἱματισμῷ πολυτελεῖ“ ἀλλʼ οἷς πρέπον ἐστὶ κεκοσμῆσθαι γυναῖκα θεοσέβειαν ἐπαγγελλομένην (θαυμάζω δὲ εἰ διστάξαι τις ἂν μακαρίαν ἐκ μόνης τῆς τοιαύτης καταστάσεως ἀποφήνασθαι τὴν εἰς τὸ εὔχεσθαι τοιαύτην ἑαυτὴν παραστήσασαν). ὡς ἐδίδαξεν ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ ἐπιστολῇ ὁ Παῦλος λέγων· „γυναῖκας ὡσαύτως ἐν καταστολῇ κοσμίῳ, μετὰ αἰδοῦς καὶ σωφροσύνης κοσμεῖν ἑαυτὰς, μὴ ἐν πλέγμασι καὶ χρυσῷ ἢ μαργαρίταις ἢ ἱματισμῷ πολυτελεῖ ἀλλὰ, ὃ πρέπει γυναιξὶν ἐπαγγελλομέναις θεοσέβειαν, διʼ ἔργων ἀγαθῶν.“ ### English translation (Claude) What has been said must be established from the divine Scriptures in this way. The one who prays must lift up “holy hands” by forgiving each of those who have wronged him, having removed the passion of anger from his soul and being angry with no one. And again, so that the mind may not be clouded by other thoughts, he must forget everything outside the prayer during the time in which he prays (and how is it not most blessed to be such a person?), as Paul teaches in the First Letter to Timothy, saying: “I wish, then, that the men pray in every place, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputes.” And besides these, a woman, especially when she prays, must have modesty and decorum in soul and body, above all revering God when she prays, having banished from her ruling faculty every licentious and womanly memory, and adorned not “with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly clothing,” but with what befits a woman who professes godliness (and I wonder whether anyone would hesitate to declare blessed, on the ground of such a disposition alone, the woman who has presented herself for prayer in this way); as Paul taught in the same letter, saying: “Likewise that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with reverence and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, as befits women who profess godliness, with good works.” ### Scripture references - 1 Tim 2:8: quotation, high confidence - 1 Tim 2:9: quotation, high confidence - 1 Tim 2:10: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are 1 Tim 2:8–10. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 9.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/9/1/). ## On Prayer 9.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/9/2/ - Source: Koetschau 2:318–319 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 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 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 translation (Claude) 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? ### Scripture references - Ps 123:1 (122:1 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 25:1 (24:1 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 2 Cor 3:18: quotation, high confidence - Ps 4:6 (4:7 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### 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). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 9.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/9/2/). ## On Prayer 9.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/9/3/ - Source: Koetschau 2:319 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Coming to prayer free of grudges, as the prophet and Jesus command, already gives us the best of gifts. ### Greek text εἰ δὲ μέγιστόν ἐστι κατόρθωμα ἀμνησικακία ὡς κατὰ τὸν προφήτην Ἱερεμίαν. πάντα ἀνακεφαλαιοῦσθαι τὸν νόμον ἐν αὐτῷ λέγοντα· „οὐ ταῦτα ἐνετειλάμην τοῖς πατράσιν ὑμῶν ἐκπορευομένων αὐτῶν ἐκ τῆς Αἰγύπτου, ἀλλὰ τοῦτο ἐνετειλάμην· ἕκαστος τῷ πλησίον ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ μὴ μνησικακείτω.“ ἀπὸ μνησικακίας δὲ ἥκοντες ἐπὶ τὸ εὔχεσθαι τὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος φυλάσσομεν ἐντολὴν, λέγοντος· „ἐὰν στήκητε προσευχόμενοι. ἀφίετε εἴ τι ἔχετε κατά τινος, “ δῆλον ὅτι τοιοῦτοι ἱστάμενοι πρὸς τὸ εὔξασθαι τὰ κάλλιστα ἤδη κεκτήμεθα. ### English translation (Claude) And if not bearing grudges is a very great virtue—so much so that according to the prophet Jeremiah the whole law is summed up in it, when he says, “I did not command these things to your fathers when they came out of Egypt, but this I commanded: let no one bear a grudge in his heart against his neighbor”—then, coming to prayer free of grudges, we keep the command of the Savior, who says, “Whenever you stand praying, forgive if you have anything against anyone”; clearly, standing to pray in such a state, we already possess the best things. ### Scripture references - Jer 7:22: quotation, medium confidence - Jer 7:23: allusion, medium confidence - Zech 7:10: quotation, medium confidence - Zech 8:17: allusion, low confidence - Mark 11:25: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The first quotation combines Jer 7:22–23 with Zech 7:10 (compare Zech 8:17); Origen attributes it to Jeremiah. The second is Mark 11:25. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 9.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/9/3/). ## On Prayer 10.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/10/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:319–320 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: One who prays rightly, content with God's providence and without secret murmuring, will hear God say “Here I am,” as Isaiah promises. ### Greek text Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ὡς καθʼ ὑπόθεσιν εἴρηται. καὶ εἰ μηδὲν ἕτερον ἡμῖν ἐπακολουθήσει εὐχομένοις, ὅτι τὰ κάλλιστα κερδαίνομεν. τὸ καθὸ δεῖ εὔχεσθαι νενοηκότες καὶ κατορθοῦντες· σαφὲς δὲ ὅτι ὁ οὕτως εὐχόμενος ἔτι λαλῶν ἀκούσεται, τῇ ἐνεργείᾳ τοῦ ἐπακούοντος ἐνορῶν, τὸ „ἰδοὺ πάρειμι, “ πᾶσαν τὴν πρὸς τὴν πρόνοιαν δυσαρέστησιν, πρὶν εὔξασθαι. ἀποβεβληκώς. τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι δηλούμενον ἐκ τοῦ· „ἐὰν ἀφέλῃς ἀπὸ σοῦ σύνδεσμον καὶ χειροτονίαν καὶ ῥῆμα γογγυσμοῦ, “ τοῦ εὐαρεστουμένου τοῖς γινομένοις ἐλευθέρου ἀπὸ παντὸς δεσμοῦ γεγενημένου καὶ μὴ ἀντιχειροτονοῦντος τῷ θεῷ. ἅ βούλεται πρὸς γυμνάσιον ἡμῶν διατασσομένῳ, ἀλλὰ μηδὲ κατὰ τὸ κρυπτὸν τῶν λογισμῶν γογγύζοντος χωρὶς ἀκουστῆς ἀνθρώποις φωνῆς· ὅντινα γογγυσμὸν δίκην πονηρῶν οἰκετῶν, οὐκ ἐν φανερωτέρῳ αἰτιωμένων τὰς προστάξεις τῶν δεσποτῶν, γογγύζουσιν οἱ μὴ τολμῶντες μὲν φωνῇ καὶ ὅλῃ ψυχῇ κακολογεῖν ἐπὶ τοῖς συμβαίνουσι τὴν πρόνοιαν οἱονεὶ δὲ βουλόμενοι καὶ τὸν τῶν ὅλων κύριον ἐφʼ οἷς δυσαρεστοῦνται λαθεῖν. καὶ οἶμαι τοῦτʼ εἶναι καὶ τὸ ἐν τῷ Ἰώβ· „ἐν τούτοις πᾶσι τοῖς συμβεβηκόσιν οὐδὲν ἥμαρτεν Ἰὼβ τοῖς χείλεσιν ἐναντίον τοῦ θεοῦ, “ ἐπὶ τοῦ πρὸ αὐτοῦ πειρασμοῦ ἀναγεγραμμένου· „ἐν τούτοις πᾶσι τοῖς συμβεβηκόσιν οὐδὲν ἥμαρτεν Ἰὼβ ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ“· ὃ δὴ προστάσσων μὴ δεῖν γίνεσθαι ἐν τῷ Δευτερονομίῳ ὁ λόγος φησί· „πρόσεχε μή ποτε γένηται ῥῆμα κρυπτὸν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου, ἀνόμημα, λέγων· ἐγγίζει τὸ ἔτος τὸ ἕβδομον“ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ### English translation (Claude) These things have been said as a hypothesis: even if nothing else follows for us when we pray, we gain the best things by having understood how we ought to pray and doing it. And it is clear that one who prays in this way will hear, while he is still speaking, as he looks upon the power of the one who hears him, the words “Behold, I am here,” having cast off, before praying, all discontent with providence. For this is what is shown by the words, “If you take away from yourself the bond, and the stretching out of the hand, and the word of murmuring”: this is the one who is content with what happens, who has become free from every bond, and does not raise his hand in vote against God, who ordains what he wills for our training, nor murmurs in the secret of his thoughts without a voice audible to men. Such murmuring, like that of wicked servants who do not openly find fault with their masters' orders, is practiced by those who do not dare with their voice and whole soul to speak ill of providence for what happens, but wish as it were to escape the notice even of the Lord of all in what displeases them. And I think this is also the meaning of what is in Job: “In all these things that happened Job did not sin with his lips before God,” while of the temptation before it, it is written: “In all these things that happened Job did not sin before God.” And forbidding that this should happen, the word says in Deuteronomy: “Take heed lest there be a hidden word in your heart, an iniquity, saying, The seventh year draws near,” and so on. ### Scripture references - Isa 58:9: quotation, high confidence - Job 2:10: quotation, high confidence - Job 1:22: quotation, high confidence - Deut 15:9: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Isa 58:9 (LXX; χειροτονία, “stretching out of the hand,” which Origen takes as voting against God), Job 2:10 and 1:22, and Deut 15:9. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 10.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/10/1/). ## On Prayer 10.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/10/2/ - Source: Koetschau 2:320–321 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The one who prays rightly shares in the Word of God, the high priest and advocate who prays with those who pray; Jesus' parables urge us to pray always and without shame. ### Greek text ὁ τοίνυν οὕτως εὐχόμενος τοσαῦτα προωφεληθεὶς ἐπιτηδειότερος γίνεται ἀνακραθῆναι τῷ πεπληρωκότι τὴν πᾶσαν οἰκουμένην τοῦ κυρίου πνεύματι καὶ τῷ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν πεπληρωκότι, διὰ τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντι οὕτως· „οὐχὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν ἐγὼ πληρῶ; λέγει κύριος“· ἔτι δὲ διά τε τῆς προειρημένης καθαρεύσεως καὶ τῆς εὐχῆς τοῦ μέσον καὶ τῶν μὴ γινωσκόντων αὐτὸν ἑστηκότος λόγου θεοῦ, οὐδενὸς ἀπολειπομένου τῆς εὐχῆς, μεθέξει, συνευχομένου πρὸς τὸν πατέρα τῷ ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ μεσιτευομένῳ. „ἀρχιερεὺς“ γὰρ τῶν προσφορῶν ἡμῶν καὶ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα „παράκλητός“ ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, εὐχόμενος ὑπὲρ τῶν εὐχομένων καὶ συμπαρακαλῶν τοῖς παρακαλοῦσιν, οὐκ ἂν ὡς ὑπὲρ οἰκείων εὐξόμενος τῶν μὴ διʼ αὐτοῦ συνεχέστερον εὐχομένων οὐδʼ ἂν ὡς ὑπὲρ ἤδη ἰδίων „παράκλητος“ ἐσόμενος πρὸς τὸν θεὸν τῶν μὴ πειθομένων ταῖς εἰς· „τὸ δεῖν πάντοτε προσεύχεσθαι καὶ μὴ ἐκκακεῖν“ διδασκαλίαις. „ἔλεγε γὰρ, “ φησὶ, „παραβολὴν πρὸς τὸ δεῖν πάντοτε προσεύχεσθαι καὶ μὴ ἐκκακεῖν· κριτής τις ἦν ἔν τινι πόλει“ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· καὶ ἐν τοῖς πρὸ τούτων· „καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτούς· τίς ἐξ ὑμῶν ἕξει φίλον, καὶ πορεύσεται πρὸς αὐτὸν μεσονύκτιον καὶ εἴπῃ αὐτῷ· φίλε, χρῆσόν μοι τρεῖς ἄρτους, ἐπειδὴ φίλος μου παρεγένετο ἐξ ὁδοῦ πρός με, καὶ οὐκ ἔχω ὅ παραθήσω αὐτῷ“· καὶ μετʼ ὀλίγα· „λέγω ὑμῖν, εἰ καὶ οὐ δώσει αὐτῷ ἀναστὰς διὰ τὸ εἶναι φίλον αὐτοῦ, διά γε τὴν ἀναίδειαν αὐτοῦ ἐγερθεὶς δώσει αὐτῷ ὅσων χρῄζει.“ τίς δὲ μὴ προτραπῇ τῶν τῷ ἀψευδεῖ στόματι πιστευόντων Ἰησοῦ ἀόκνως εὔχεσθαι, λέγοντος· „αἰτεῖτε, καὶ δοθήσεται ὑμῖν“· „πᾶς γὰρ ὁ αἰτῶν λαμβάνει“; ἐπεὶ ὁ χρηστὸς πατὴρ τὸν ζῶντα ἄρτον αἰτούντων ἡμῶν αὐτὸν (οὐχ ὃν βούλεται λίθον τροφὴν γενέσθαι τῷ Ἰησοῦ καὶ τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ ὁ ἀντικείμενος) δίδωσι τοῖς τὸ „πνεῦμα τῆς υἱοθεσίας“ εἰληφόσιν ἀπὸ τοῦ πατρός· καὶ δίδωσιν „ὁ πατὴρ“ „τὸ ἀγαθὸν δόμα“ ὕων „ἐξ οὐρανοῦ“ „τοῖς αἰτοῦσιν αὐτόν.“ ### English translation (Claude) One who prays in this way, having already received so many benefits, becomes more fit to be blended with the Spirit of the Lord who has filled the whole world, and with him who has filled the whole earth and heaven, who speaks through the prophet thus: “Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the Lord.” And further, through the purification spoken of above and through prayer, he will share in the Word of God, who stands in the midst even of those who do not know him, and who is never absent from prayer, but prays with the one whose mediator he is, to the Father. For the Son of God is “high priest” of our offerings and “advocate” with the Father, praying for those who pray and joining his appeal to those who appeal; but he would not pray, as for his own, for those who do not pray more constantly through him, nor will he be an “advocate” with God, as for those already his, for those who do not obey the teachings that “one ought always to pray and not lose heart.” For “he told them,” it says, “a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart: In a certain city there was a judge,” and so on. And in what precedes this: “And he said to them, Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him”; and a little after: “I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his shamelessness he will rise and give him whatever he needs.” And who among those who believe the truthful mouth of Jesus would not be moved to pray without hesitation, when he says, “Ask, and it will be given you,” “for everyone who asks receives”? For the good Father gives the living bread (not the stone that the adversary wishes to become food for Jesus and his disciples) to those of us who ask him, who have received “the spirit of adoption” from the Father; and “the Father” gives “the good gift,” raining it “from heaven,” “to those who ask him.” ### Scripture references - Jer 23:24: quotation, high confidence - John 1:26: allusion, high confidence - Heb 3:1: allusion, medium confidence - 1 John 2:1: allusion, high confidence - Luke 18:1: quotation, high confidence - Luke 18:2: quotation, high confidence - Luke 11:5: quotation, high confidence - Luke 11:6: quotation, high confidence - Luke 11:8: quotation, high confidence - Luke 11:9: quotation, high confidence - Luke 11:10: quotation, high confidence - Matt 4:3: allusion, high confidence - John 6:51: allusion, high confidence - Rom 8:15: quotation, high confidence - Matt 7:9: allusion, high confidence - Matt 7:11: quotation, high confidence - Luke 11:13: allusion, medium confidence - Jas 1:17: allusion, medium confidence - John 6:32: echo, low confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Wis 1:7 (Wisdom of Solomon): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations and allusions are Wis 1:7, Jer 23:24, John 1:26, Heb 3:1 (compare Heb 4:14), 1 John 2:1, Luke 18:1–2, Luke 11:5–10, Matt 4:3, John 6:51, Rom 8:15, Matt 7:9–11 (Luke 11:11–13), Jas 1:17, and John 6:32 (bread “from heaven”). Origen elsewhere teaches that prayer is addressed to the Father through the Son (see chapter 15). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 10.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/10/2/). ## On Prayer 11.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/11/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:321–322 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Christ is not alone in praying with us: the angels, as Raphael shows in Tobit, and the departed saints, as Jeremiah shows in 2 Maccabees, pray for us too. ### Greek text Οὐ μόνος δὲ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς τοῖς γνησίως εὐχομένοις συνεύχεται ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ „ἐν οὐρανῷ“ χαίροντες ἄγγελοι „ἐπὶ ἑνὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ μετανοοῦντι ἢ ἐπὶ ἐνενήκοντα ἐννέα δικαίοις, οἳ οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσι μετανοίας, “ αἵ τε τῶν προκεκοιμημένων ἁγίων ψυχαί. ἅτινα δηλοῦται. Ῥαφαὴλ μὲν προσφέροντος περὶ Τωβὴτ καὶ Σάῤῥας λογικὴν ἱερουργίαν τῷ θεῷ (μετὰ γὰρ τὴν εὐχὴν ἀμφοτέρων „εἰσηκούσθη, “ φησὶν ἡ γραφὴ, „προσευχὴ ἀμφοτέρων ἐνώπιον τῆς δόξης τοῦ μεγάλου Ῥαφαὴλ, καὶ ἀπεστάλη ἰάσασθαι τοὺς δύο“· καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Ῥαφαὴλ, φανερῶν ἑαυτοῦ ὡς ἀγγέλου τὴν κατὰ πρόσταγμα τοῦ θεοῦ πρὸς ἀμφοτέρους οἰκονομίαν, φησί· „καὶ νῦν ὅτε προσηύξω σὺ καὶ ἡ νύμφη σου Σάῤῥα, ἐγὼ προσήγαγον τὸ μνημόσυνον τῆς προσευχῆς ὑμῶν ἐνώπιον τοῦ ἁγίου, “ καὶ μετʼ ὀλίγα· „ἐγώ εἰμι Ῥαφαὴλ, εἷς τῶν ἑπτὰ ἀγγέλων, οἳ προσαναφέρουσι τὰς προσευχὰς τῶν ἁγίων καὶ εἰσπορεύονται ἐνώπιον τῆς δόξης τοῦ ἁγίου“· κατὰ τὸν λόγον γοῦν τοῦ Ῥαφαὴλ „ἀγαθὸν προσευχὴ μετὰ νηστείας καὶ ἐλεημοσύνης καὶ δικαιοσύνης“) Ἱερεμίου δὲ, ὡς ἐν τοῖς Μακκαβαϊκοῖς ἐπιφαινομένου,. „πολιᾷ καὶ δόξῃ“ διαφέροντος, ὡς „θαυμαστήν τινα καὶ μεγαλοπρεπεστάτην εἶναι τὴν περὶ αὐτὸν ὑπεροχὴν, καὶ προτείνοντος „τὴν δεξιὰν“ παραδιδόντος τε „τῷ Ἰούδᾳ ῥομφαίαν χρυσῆν, “ ᾧ ἐμαρτύρει ἄλλος ἅγιος προκεκοιμημένος λέγων· „οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ προσευχόμενος πολλὰ περὶ τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ τῆς ἁγίας πόλεως, Ἱερεμίας ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ προφήτης.“ ### English translation (Claude) Not only does the High Priest pray with those who pray sincerely, but also the angels who rejoice “in heaven” “over one sinner who repents, more than over ninety-nine righteous who need no repentance,” and the souls of the saints who have already fallen asleep. This is shown when Raphael offers a rational service to God on behalf of Tobit and Sarah (for after the prayer of both, Scripture says, “The prayer of both was heard before the glory of the great Raphael, and he was sent to heal the two”; and Raphael himself, revealing his ministry as an angel toward both by God's command, says, “And now, when you prayed, you and your daughter-in-law Sarah, I brought the memorial of your prayer before the Holy One,” and a little after, “I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who present the prayers of the saints and enter before the glory of the Holy One”; at any rate, according to Raphael's word, “Prayer with fasting and almsgiving and righteousness is good”); and it is shown when Jeremiah appears, as in the books of the Maccabees, distinguished “by gray hair and glory,” so that “the dignity about him was wonderful and most majestic,” and stretches out “his right hand” and gives “to Judas a golden sword,” to whom another saint who had fallen asleep bore witness, saying, “This is he who prays much for the people and the holy city, Jeremiah the prophet of God.” ### Scripture references - Luke 15:7: quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Tob 3:16–17 (Tobit): quotation, high confidence - Tob 12:12 (Tobit): quotation, high confidence - Tob 12:15 (Tobit): quotation, high confidence - Tob 12:8 (Tobit): quotation, high confidence - 2 Macc 15:12–16 (2 Maccabees): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Luke 15:7, Tob 3:16–17, 12:12, 12:15, and 12:8, and 2 Macc 15:12–16. “Daughter-in-law” renders νύμφη (Sarah was the wife of Tobit's son Tobias); Origen's text of Tob 12:12 reads “you and your daughter-in-law Sarah.” ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 11.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/11/1/). ## On Prayer 11.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/11/2/ - Source: Koetschau 2:322 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The departed saints, perfected in love of neighbor, care for those still struggling on earth even more than they did in this life, as Christ counts believers' sufferings as his own. ### Greek text καὶ γὰρ ἄτοπον, τῆς γνώσεως „διʼ ἐσόπτρου“ καὶ „ἐν αἰνίγματι“ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος τοῖς ἀξίοις φανερουμένης „τότε δὲ πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον“ ἀποκαλυπτομένης, μὴ τὸ ἀνάλογον καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀρετῶν νοεῖν, (τό)τε κυρίως τῶν προπαρεσκευασμένων ἐν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ τελειουμένων. μία δὲ κυριωτάτη τῶν ἀρετῶν κατὰ τὸν θεῖον λόγον ἐστὶν ἡ πρὸς τὸν πλησίον ἀγάπη· ἣν πολλῷ μᾶλλον προσεῖναι τοῖς προκεκοιμημένοις ἁγίοις πρὸς τοὺς ἐν βίῳ ἀγωνιζομένους ἀναγκαῖον νοεῖν παρὰ τοὺς ἐν τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ ἀσθενείᾳ τυγχάνοντας καὶ συναγωνιζομένους τοῖς ὑποδεεστέροις, οὐ μόνον ἐνταῦθα τοῦ „εἰ πάσχει μέλος ἓν, συμπάσχει πάντα τὰ μέλη· καὶ εἰ δοξάζεται μέλος ἓν, συγχαίρει πάντα τὰ μέλη“ τοῖς φιλαδέλφοις ἐγγινομένου· πρέπον γάρ ἐστι καὶ τῇ τῶν ἔξω τῆς παρούσης ζωῆς ἀγάπῃ λέγειν· „ἡ μέριμνα πασῶν τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν. τίς ἀσθενεῖ, καὶ οὐκ ἀσθενῶ; τίς σκανδαλίζεται, καὶ οὐκ ἐγὼ πυροῦμαι;“ καὶ ταῦτα τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὁμολογοῦντος καθʼ ἕκαστον τῶν ἀσθενούντων ἁγίων ἀσθενεῖν ὁμοίως καὶ „ἐν φυλακῇ“ εἶναι καὶ γυμνιτεύειν ξενιτεύειν τε καὶ πεινᾶν καὶ διψᾶν· τίς γὰρ ἀγνοεῖ τῶν ἐντυγχανόντων τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ τῇ ἐφʼ ἑαυτὸν ἀναφορᾷ τῶν συμβαινόντων τοῖς πιστεύουσι λογιζόμενον τὸν Χριστὸν ἴδια εἶναι παθήματα; ### English translation (Claude) For it would be absurd, when knowledge is now revealed to the worthy “through a mirror” and “in a riddle” but will then be revealed “face to face,” not to think the same of the other virtues, which, having been prepared in this life, are then perfected in the proper sense. And according to the divine word the one most important of the virtues is love of neighbor; and we must think that this is present much more in the saints who have fallen asleep toward those contending in this life than in those who are still in human weakness and contend alongside the weaker; for it is not only here that “if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; and if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it” applies to those who love the brothers. For it is fitting that the love of those who are outside the present life also should say: “The care of all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn?” And Christ too confesses that in each of the saints who is weak he is likewise weak, and is “in prison,” and naked, and a stranger, and hungry and thirsty; for who among the readers of the gospel does not know that Christ, by referring to himself what happens to believers, counts their sufferings as his own? ### Scripture references - 1 Cor 13:12: quotation, high confidence - Gal 5:14: allusion, medium confidence - Rom 13:9: allusion, low confidence - 1 Cor 12:26: quotation, high confidence - 2 Cor 11:28: quotation, high confidence - 2 Cor 11:29: quotation, high confidence - Matt 25:35: allusion, high confidence - Matt 25:36: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are 1 Cor 13:12, 1 Cor 12:26, 2 Cor 11:28–29, and Matt 25:35–36; the primacy of love of neighbor alludes to Gal 5:14 and Rom 13:9. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 11.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/11/2/). ## On Prayer 11.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/11/3/ - Source: Koetschau 2:323 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Angels who ministered to Jesus on earth still serve him in gathering and building the church, as the angels of the churches in Revelation show. ### Greek text εἰ δὲ „ἄγγελοι“ τοῦ θεοῦ προσελθόντες τῷ Ἰησοῦ „διηκόνουν αὐτῷ, “ καὶ μὴ πρέπον ἐστὶν ἡμᾶς πρὸς ὀλίγον χρόνον νοεῖν γεγονέναι τὴν τῶν ἀγγέλων πρὸς τὸν Ἰησοῦν διακονίαν τῆς σωματικῆς αὐτοῦ παρὰ ἀνθρώποις ἐπιδημίας, καὶ αὐτοῦ ἔτι „ἐν μέσῳ“ τῶν πιστευόντων οὐχ ὡς ἀνακειμένου ἀλλὰ ὡς διακονοῦντος· πόσους εἰκὸς ἀγγέλους διακονοῦντας τῷ Ἰησοῦ, βουλομένῳ συνάγειν „τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ“ „κατὰ ἕνα ἕνα“ καὶ ἀθροίζειν τοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς διασπορᾶς τούς τε φοβουμένους καὶ ἐπικαλουμένους σῴζοντι, μᾶλλον τῶν ἀποστόλων συνεργεῖν τῇ αὐξήσει καὶ τῷ πληθυσμῷ τῆς ἐκκλησίας, ὡς καὶ προεστῶτάς τινας τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ἀγγέλους λέγεσθαι παρὰ τῷ Ἰωάννῃ ἐν τῇ Ἀποκαλύψει; οὐ γὰρ μάτην οἱ ἄγγελοι „τοῦ θεοῦ“ ἀναβαίνουσι καὶ καταβαίνουσι „ἐπὶ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, “ ὁρώμενοι τοῖς τῷ φωτὶ τῆς „γνώσεως“ πεφωτισμένοις ὀφθαλμοῖς. ### English translation (Claude) And if “angels” of God came to Jesus and “ministered to him,” and it is not fitting for us to think that the angels' ministry to Jesus lasted only for the short time of his bodily sojourn among men, while he is still “in the midst” of believers, not as one who reclines at table but as one who serves, how many angels are likely to minister to Jesus, who wishes to gather “the sons of Israel” “one by one” and to assemble those of the dispersion, and who saves those who fear and call upon him; and to work together, even more than the apostles, for the growth and increase of the church—so that some angels are even said, in John's Revelation, to preside over the churches? For not in vain do the angels “of God” ascend and descend “upon the Son of Man,” seen by eyes enlightened with the light “of knowledge.” ### Scripture references - Matt 4:11: quotation, high confidence - Luke 22:27: allusion, high confidence - Isa 27:12: quotation, high confidence - Joel 2:32 (3:5 LXX): allusion, low confidence - Rev 1:20: allusion, high confidence - John 1:51: quotation, high confidence - Hos 10:12: echo, low confidence - 2 Cor 4:6: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The allusions are Matt 4:11, Luke 22:27, Isa 27:12, Joel 2:32 (3:5 LXX), Rev 1:20 and chapters 2–3 (the angels of the churches), John 1:51, and Hos 10:12 LXX (“light of knowledge”; compare 2 Cor 4:6). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 11.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/11/3/). ## On Prayer 11.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/11/4/ - Source: Koetschau 2:323 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The angels help those who pray, much as God may bring a physician to a sick man who prays, or a generous rich man to a poor man in need. ### Greek text καὶ παρʼ αὐτὸν οὖν τὸν καιρὸν τῆς εὐχῆς ὑπομιμνησκόμενοι ὑπὸ τοῦ εὐχομένου, ὧν δεῖται ὁ εὐχόμενος, ἃ δύνανται ὡς καθολικὴν εἰληφότες ἐντολὴν ἐπιτελοῦσι, χρηστέον δὲ εἰκόνι τινὶ τοιαύτῃ εἰς τὸν λόγον τοῦτον πρὸς τὸ παραδέξασθαι τὸ νενοημένον ἡμῖν. παρέστω τις ἰατρὸς δικαιοσύνης πεφροντικὼς εὐχομένῳ κάμνοντι περὶ τῆς ὑγείας, ἐπιστήμην ἔχων τοῦ ὃν δεῖ τρόπον θεραπεῦσαι περὶ οὗ ὁ δεῖνα ἀναφέρει τὴν εὐχὴν νοσήματος· φανερὸν δὴ ὅτι κινηθήσεται οὗτος πρὸς τὸ ἰάσασθαι τὸν εὐξάμενον, τάχα οὐ μάτην ὑπολαβὼν ὅτι τοῦτʼ αὐτὸ γέγονεν ἐν νῷ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἐπακούσαντος τῆς εὐχῆς τοῦ τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν τῆς νόσου γενέσθαι αὐτῷ εὐξαμένου. ἢ τῶν κεκτημένων τις τὰ τῆς τοῦ βίου χρείας ἐπὶ πλεῖον καὶ κοινωνικὸς ἀκουέτω εὐχῆς πένητος καὶ περὶ τῶν χρειῶν ἀναφέροντος ἔντευξιν τῷ θεῷ· δῆλον δὴ ὅτι καὶ οὗτος τὰ τῆς εὐχῆς ἐκπληρώσει τῷ πένητι, ὑπηρέτης γινόμενος τῆς πατρικῆς βουλῆς (τοῦ) συναγαγόντος κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς εὐχῆς τὸν παρασχεῖν δυνάμενον ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ τῷ εὐξομένῳ, διὰ τὸ δεξιὸν τῆς προαιρέσεως μὴ δυνάμενον παρορᾶν τὸν δεδεημένον τῶνδέ τινων. ### English translation (Claude) And so, at the very time of prayer, being reminded by the one who prays of what he needs, they accomplish what they can, as having received a general command. We may use some such image as this for this argument, to make acceptable what we have understood. Suppose a physician who cares for righteousness is standing by a sick man praying for his health, and knows how to treat the disease about which the man is offering his prayer. Clearly he will be moved to heal the one who prayed, perhaps supposing, not without reason, that this very thing has come about in God's mind, since he has heard the prayer of the one who prayed to be delivered from the disease. Or let someone who has more than enough of the necessities of life, and is generous, hear the prayer of a poor man who is offering a petition to God about his needs; clearly he too will fulfill the prayer for the poor man, becoming a servant of the Father's will, who has brought together at the time of the prayer, in the same place as the one who will pray, the one able to provide, who because of the goodness of his choice cannot overlook one who has need of these things. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 11.4 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/11/4/). ## On Prayer 11.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/11/5/ - Source: Koetschau 2:324 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God, who numbers every hair, brings angels to help those who pray; each believer's guardian angel prays and works with him. ### Greek text ὥσπερ οὖν ταῦτα οὐ κατὰ συντυχίαν νομιστέον γίνεσθαι ὅτε γίνεται. τοῦ ἠριθμηκότος πάσας τὰς τρίχας τῆς τῶν ἁγίων κεφαλῆς ἁρμονίως συναγαγόντος παρὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς εὐχῆς τὸν ὑπηρέτην ἐσόμενον τῷ δεομένῳ τῆς εὐποιΐας τῆς ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ εἰσακούοντα. τῷ πιστῶς δεδεημένῳ· οὕτως ὑποληπτέον συνάγεσθαί ποτε τῶν ἐπισκοπούντων καὶ λειτουργούντων τῷ θεῷ ἀγγέλων παρουσίαν τῷδέ τινι τῶν εὐχομένων, ἵνα συμπνεύσωσιν οἷς ὁ εὐχόμενος ἠξίωσεν. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ ἑκάστου ἄγγελος, „καὶ τῶν“ ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ „μικρῶν, “ „διὰ παντὸς“ βλέπων „τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ πατρὸς“ „τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς“ καὶ ἐνορῶν τοῦ κτίσαντος ἡμᾶς τὴν θειότητα, συνεύχεταί τε ἡμῖν καὶ συμπράττει ἐν οἷς δυνατόν ἐστι περὶ ὧν εὐχόμεθα. ### English translation (Claude) Just as, then, we must not think that these things happen by chance when they happen, since he who has numbered all the hairs of the saints' heads harmoniously brings together, at the time of the prayer, the one who will serve the one needing his help and who will hear the one who has asked faithfully; so we must suppose that the presence of the angels who oversee and minister to God is sometimes brought together to a particular person who prays, so that they may join in accomplishing what the one who prays has asked. And indeed the angel of each one, even of “the little ones” in the church, who “always” beholds “the face of the Father” “who is in heaven” and looks upon the divinity of our Creator, prays with us and works with us, as far as possible, in the things for which we pray. ### Scripture references - Matt 10:30: allusion, high confidence - Matt 18:10: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations and allusions are Matt 10:30 and Matt 18:10. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 11.5 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/11/5/). ## On Prayer 12.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/12/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:324 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The prayers of the saints are powerful, like light and like arrows, weakening and wounding the evil spirits that try to bind us in sin. ### Greek text Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις δυνάμεως πεπληρωμένους νομίζω τοὺς λόγους τῆς τῶν ἁγίων εὐχῆς, μάλιστα ὅτε προσευχόμενοι „πνεύματι“ προσεύχονται „καὶ τῷ νοΐ, “ φωτὶ ἐοικότι ἀνατέλλοντι ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ εὐχομένου διανοίας καὶ προϊόντι ἐκ στόματος αὐτοῦ ὑπεκλύειν δυνάμει θεοῦ τὸν ἐνιέμενον νοητὸν ἰὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀντικειμένων δυνάμεων τῷ ἡγεμονικῷ τῶν ἀμελούντων τοῦ εὔχεσθαι καὶ τὸ „ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθε“ ἀκολούθως ταῖς τοῦ Ἰησοῦ προτροπαῖς εἰρημένον παρὰ τῷ Παύλῳ μὴ φυλαττόντων. ὡσπερεὶ γὰρ βέλος ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ εὐχομένου ψυχῆς τῇ γνώσει καὶ τῷ λόγῳ ἢ τῇ πίστει πρόεισιν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου, τιτρῶσκον ἐπὶ καθαιρέσει καὶ καταλύσει τὰ ἐχθρὰ τῷ θεῷ πνεύματα, τοῖς τῆς ἁμαρτίας δεσμοῖς περιβαλεῖν ἡμᾶς θέλοντα. ### English translation (Claude) Besides these things, I think that the words of the prayer of the saints are full of power, especially when in praying they pray “with the spirit” “and with the mind also”; like a light rising from the understanding of the one who prays and going forth from his mouth, by the power of God they weaken the spiritual poison injected by the opposing powers into the ruling faculty of those who neglect to pray and do not keep the command “Pray without ceasing,” spoken by Paul in accordance with the exhortations of Jesus. For like an arrow, it goes forth from the soul of the saint who prays, by knowledge and reason or by faith, wounding, to their destruction and overthrow, the spirits hostile to God that wish to throw around us the bonds of sin. ### Scripture references - 1 Cor 14:15: quotation, high confidence - 1 Thess 5:17: quotation, high confidence - Eph 6:16: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are 1 Cor 14:15 and 1 Thess 5:17; the image of arrows echoes Eph 6:16. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 12.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/12/1/). ## On Prayer 12.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/12/2/ - Source: Koetschau 2:324–325 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: To pray without ceasing is to make one's whole life a prayer by joining it to good works, while also praying at least three times a day, as well as at night. ### Greek text „ἀδιαλείπτως“ δὲ προσεύχεται, καὶ τῶν ἔργων τῆς ἀρετῆς ἢ τῶν ἐντολῶν τῶν ἐπιτελουμένων εἰς εὐχῆς ἀναλαμβανομένων μέρος, ὁ συνάπτων τοῖς δέουσιν ἔργοις τὴν εὐχὴν καὶ τῇ εὐχῇ τὰς πρεπούσας πράξεις. οὕτω γὰρ μόνως τὸ „ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθε“ ἐκδέξασθαι δυνάμεθα ὡς δυνατὸν ὂν εἰρημένον, εἰ πάντα τὸν βίον τοῦ ἁγίου μίαν συναπτομένην μεγάλην εἴποιμεν εὐχήν· ἧς εὐχῆς μέρος ἐστὶ καὶ ἡ συνήθως ὀνομαζομένη εὐχὴ. οὐκ ἔλαττον τοῦ τρὶς ἑκάστης ἡμέρας ἐπιτελεῖσθαι ὀφείλουσα· ὅπερ δῆλόν ἐστιν ἐκ τῶν κατὰ τὸν Δανιὴλ. τηλικούτου ἐπηρτημένου αὐτῷ κινδύνου εὐχόμενον τρὶς τῆς ἡμέρας. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος δὲ ἀναβαίνων εἰς „τὸ δῶμα“ („περὶ“) τὴν „ἕκτην“ „προσεύξασθαι, “ ὅτε καὶ ἑώρα τὸ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ „καθιέμενον“ „σκεῦος“ „τέτρασιν ἀρχαῖς καθιέμενον.“ παρίστησι τὴν μέσην τῶν τριῶν εὐχὴν, τὴν πρὸ αὐτοῦ καὶ παρὰ τοῦ Δαυΐδ λεγομένην· „τὸ πρωῒ εἰσακούσῃ τῆς προσευχῆς μου, τὸ πρωῒ παραστήσομαί σοι καὶ ἐπόψομαι“· καὶ τῆς τελευταίας δηλουμένης διὰ τοῦ· „ἔπαρσις τῶν χειρῶν μου θυσία ἑσπερινή.“ ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ τὸν τῆς νυκτὸς καιρὸν χωρὶς ταύτης τῆς εὐχῆς καθηκόντως διανύσομεν, τοῦ μὲν Δαυῒδ λέγοντος· „μεσονύκτιον ἐξεγειρόμην τοῦ ἐξομολογεῖσθαί σοι ἐπὶ τὰ κρίματα τῆς δικαιοσύνης σου, “ τοῦ δὲ Παύλου. ὡς ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσι τῶν ἀποστόλων εἴρηται, „κατὰ τὸ μεσονύκτιον“ ἅμα τῷ Σίλᾳ ἐν Φιλίπποις προσευχομένου καὶ ὑμνοῦντος τὸν θεὸν, ὥστε ἐπακροᾶσθαι „αὐτῶν“ καὶ τοὺς δεσμίους. ### English translation (Claude) And he prays “without ceasing”—since the works of virtue, or the commandments fulfilled, are taken up as part of prayer—who joins prayer to the works he ought to do and fitting actions to prayer. For only in this way can we accept “Pray without ceasing” as a command that is possible, if we should say that the whole life of the saint is one great connected prayer; of which prayer what is customarily called prayer is also a part, which ought to be performed no less than three times each day. This is clear from the case of Daniel, who, though so great a danger hung over him, prayed three times a day. And Peter, going up to “the housetop” “about” “the sixth” hour “to pray,” when he also saw the “vessel” “let down” from heaven, “let down by four corners,” shows the middle one of the three prayers; the one before it is spoken of by David: “In the morning you will hear my prayer; in the morning I will stand before you and will watch”; and the last is shown by the words, “The lifting up of my hands, an evening sacrifice.” But not even the time of night shall we pass rightly without this prayer, since David says, “At midnight I rose to give thanks to you for your righteous judgments,” and Paul, as is said in the Acts of the Apostles, “about midnight” at Philippi was praying with Silas and singing hymns to God, so that even the prisoners were listening to “them.” ### Scripture references - 1 Thess 5:17: quotation, high confidence - Dan 6:10: allusion, high confidence - Acts 10:9: quotation, high confidence - Acts 10:11: quotation, high confidence - Ps 5:3 (5:4 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 141:2 (140:2 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 119:62 (118:62 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Acts 16:25: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations and allusions are 1 Thess 5:17, Dan 6:10 (6:11 in the Greek and Hebrew numbering), Acts 10:9 and 10:11, Ps 5:3 (5:4 LXX), Ps 141:2 (140:2 LXX), Ps 119:62 (118:62 LXX), and Acts 16:25. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 12.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/12/2/). ## On Prayer 13.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/13/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:325–326 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: If Jesus himself prayed and received what he asked through prayer, none of us should neglect to pray. ### Greek text Εἰ δὲ Ἰησοῦς προσεύχεται καὶ μὴ μάτην προσεύχεται. τυγχάνων ὧν αἰτεῖ διὰ τοῦ εὔχεσθαι, τάχα οὐκ ἂν αὐτὰ εἰληφὼς χωρὶς εὐχῆς, τίς ἡμῶν ἀμελῇ τοῦ εὔχεσθαι; Μάρκος μὲν γάρ φησιν ὅτι „πρωῒ ἔννυχον λίαν ἀναστὰς ἐξῆλθε καὶ ἀπῆλθεν εἰς ἔρημον τόπον, κἀκεῖ προσηύχετο, “ ὁ δὲ Λουκᾶς· „καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ εἶναι αὐτὸν ἐν τόπῳ τινὶ προσευχόμενον, ὡς ἐπαύσατο, εἶπέ τις τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ πρὸς αὐτὸν“ καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις· „καὶ ἦν διανυκτερεύων ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ τοῦ θεοῦ“· ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης εὐχὴν αὐτοῦ ἀναγράφει λέγων· „ταῦτα ἐλάλησεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, καὶ ἐπάρας τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὑτοῦ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν εἶπε· πάτερ, ἐλήλυθεν ἡ ὥρα· δόξασόν σου τὸν υἱὸν, ἵνα καὶ ὁ υἱός σου δοξάσῃ σε“· καὶ τὸ „ᾔδειν“ δὲ „ὅτι πάντοτέ μου ἀκούεις“ παρὰ τῷ αὐτῷ ἀναγεγραμμένον ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου εἰρημένον δηλοῖ ὅτι „πάντοτε“ εὐχόμενος „πάντοτε“ ἐπακούεται. ### English translation (Claude) And if Jesus prays, and prays not in vain, obtaining through prayer what he asks for, which perhaps he would not have received without prayer, which of us will neglect to pray? For Mark says that “in the morning, while it was still very dark, he rose and went out and departed to a desolate place, and there he prayed”; and Luke, “And it came to pass, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him”; and elsewhere, “And he continued all night in prayer to God.” And John records a prayer of his, saying: “These things Jesus spoke, and lifting up his eyes to heaven he said: Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son, that your Son may also glorify you.” And the words, “I knew that you always hear me,” recorded in the same Gospel as spoken by the Lord, show that one who “always” prays is “always” heard. ### Scripture references - Mark 1:35: quotation, high confidence - Luke 11:1: quotation, high confidence - Luke 6:12: quotation, high confidence - John 17:1: quotation, high confidence - John 11:42: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Mark 1:35, Luke 11:1, Luke 6:12, John 17:1, and John 11:42. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 13.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/13/1/). ## On Prayer 13.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/13/2/ - Source: Koetschau 2:326–327 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Scripture gives many examples of answered prayer: Hannah, Hezekiah, Mordecai and Esther, Judith, the three youths, Daniel, and Jonah. ### Greek text τί δὲ δεῖ καταλέγειν τοὺς διὰ τοῦ ὃν δεῖ τρόπον προσεύξασθαι μεγίστων ἐπιτετευχότας ἀπὸ θεοῦ, παρὸν ἑκάστῳ ἑαυτῷ ἀπὸ τῶν γραφῶν ἀναλέξασθαι πλείονα; Ἄννα γὰρ ὑπηρέτησε τῇ γενέσει Σαμουὴλ, τῷ Μωϋσεῖ συναριθμηθέντος, ἐπεὶ μὴ τίκτουσα πιστεύσασα προσηύξατο πρὸς κύριον· Ἐζεκίας δὲ ἔτι ἄπαις τυγχάνων, μαθὼν ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἡσαΐου τεθνήξεσθαι, προσευξάμενος εἰς τὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος γενεαλογίαν ἀνείληπται· ἤδη δὲ ὑφʼ ἓν πρόσταγμα ἐξ ἐπιβουλῆς τοῦ Ἀμὰν ἀπόλλυσθαι μέλλοντος τοῦ λαοῦ, προσευχὴ μετὰ νηστείας Μαρδοχαίου καὶ Ἐσθὴρ ἐπακουσθεῖσα πρὸς ταῖς κατὰ Μωϋσέα ἑορταῖς τὴν Μαρδοχαϊκὴν ἐγέννησεν εὐφροσύνης τῷ λαῷ ἡμέραν· ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἰουδὴθ ἁγίαν ἀνενεγκοῦσα προσευχὴν τοῦ Ὀλοφέρνου μετὰ θεοῦ περιγίνεται καὶ μία γυνὴ τῶν Ἑβραίων αἰσχύνην ἐποίησε τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ Ναβουχοδονόσορ· „Ἀνανίας“ δὲ „καὶ Ἀζαρίας καὶ Μισαὴλ“ „πνεῦμα δρόσου διασυρίζον, “ οὐκ ἐῶν ἐνεργεῖν τὴν φλόγα τοῦ πυρὸς, ἄξιοι γεγόνασιν ἐπακουσθέντες λαβεῖν· οἱ δὲ ἐν τῷ λάκκῳ Βαβυλωνίων λέοντες φιμοῦνται διὰ τὰς τοῦ Δανιὴλ προσευχάς· καὶ Ἰωνᾶς δὲ, οὐκ ἀπογνοὺς τὸ ἐπακουσθήσεσθαι ἐκ κοιλίας τοῦ καταπιόντος αὐτὸν κήτους, τὸ ἐλλιπὲς τῆς πρὸς τοὺς Νινευΐτας προφητείας ἐξελθὼν τὴν τοῦ κήτους γαστέρα ἀναπληροῖ. ### English translation (Claude) But why need I list those who, by praying as they ought, obtained the greatest things from God, when each can gather more for himself from the Scriptures? Hannah ministered to the birth of Samuel, who was counted with Moses, when, being childless, she prayed in faith to the Lord. Hezekiah, while still childless, having learned from Isaiah that he would die, prayed and was taken up into the genealogy of the Savior. When the people were about to perish by a single decree through Haman's plot, the prayer with fasting of Mordecai and Esther was heard and, in addition to the feasts appointed by Moses, brought forth for the people the day of Mordecai's rejoicing. Judith, too, having offered a holy prayer, overcame Holofernes with God's help, and one Hebrew woman brought shame on the house of Nebuchadnezzar. Ananias and Azarias and Misael, being heard, were counted worthy to receive “a whistling wind of dew” that did not allow the flame of the fire to act. The lions in the pit of the Babylonians were muzzled through Daniel's prayers. And Jonah, not despairing of being heard from the belly of the sea monster that had swallowed him, came out of the monster's belly and completed what was lacking in his prophecy to the Ninevites. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 1:10: allusion, high confidence - Jer 15:1: allusion, medium confidence - Ps 99:6 (98:6 LXX): allusion, low confidence - 2 Kgs 20:1: allusion, high confidence - Isa 38:1: allusion, high confidence - Esth 4:16: allusion, high confidence - Esth 9:21: allusion, medium confidence - Dan 6:22: allusion, high confidence - Jonah 2:1: allusion, high confidence - Jonah 3:4: allusion, medium confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Add Esth 13:8–14.19 (Additions to Esther): allusion, high confidence - Jdt 13:4–10 (Judith): allusion, high confidence - Jdt 14:18 (Judith): quotation, high confidence - Pr Azar 27 (Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Young Men): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The references are 1 Sam 1 and Jer 15:1 (Samuel with Moses; compare Ps 99:6), 2 Kgs 20:1–6 and Isa 38:1–5 (Origen's claim that Hezekiah was then childless is his inference from 2 Kgs 21:1), Esth 4 and 9 (Purim) with Add Esth 13–14, Jdt 13 and 14:18, Pr Azar 27 (Dan 3:50 LXX), Dan 6:22, and Jonah 2–3. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 13.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/13/2/). ## On Prayer 13.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/13/3/ - Source: Koetschau 2:327–328 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Every believer can recount answered prayers: barren souls made fruitful, spiritual enemies scattered, temptations passed through unharmed, and sinners rescued from death through repentance. ### Greek text ὅσα δὲ καὶ ἕκαστος ἡμῶν, ἐὰν εὐχαρίστως μεμνημένος τῶν εἰς αὑτὸν εὐεργεσιῶν περὶ τούτων αἴνους ἀναπέμπειν τῷ θεῷ βούληται, ἔχει ἐκδιηγήσασθαι; ἄγονοί τε γὰρ ἐπὶ πολὺ γεγενημέναι ψυχαὶ, ᾐσθημέναι τῆς στειρώσεως τῶν ἰδίων ἡγεμονικῶν καὶ τῆς ἀγονίας τοῦ νοῦ ἑαυτῶν, ἀπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος διὰ ἐπιμόνου εὐχῆς κυήσασαι σωτηρίους λόγους, θεωρημάτων ἀληθείας πεπληρωμένους, γεγεννήκασιν. ὅσοι δὲ, ἡμῶν πολλάκις μυριάδων ἀντικειμένης δυνάμεως καταστρατευομένων καὶ ἐξαφανίσαι ἀπὸ τῆς θείας ἡμᾶς πίστεως βουλομένων, πολέμιοι διελύθησαν; θαῤῥησάντων ἡμῶν ὅτι „οὗτοι ἐν ἅρμασιν“ „οὗτοι“ δὲ „ἐν ἵπποις“ ἀλλὰ „ἡμεῖς ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου“ ἐπικαλούμενοι ὁρῶμεν ὅτι ἀληθῶς „ψευδὴς ἵππος εἰς σωτηρίαν.“ ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἀρχιστρατηγὸν τοῦ ἀντικειμένου ἀπατηλὸν καὶ πιθανὸν λόγον, καταπτήσσειν ποιοῦντα πολλοὺς καὶ τῶν πεπιστευκέναι νομιζομένων. ὁ τῷ πρὸς θεὸν αἴνῳ πεποιθὼς διακόπτει πολλάκις· Ἰουδὴθ γὰρ ἑρμηνεύεται αἴνεσις. ὅσοι τε πάσης φλογὸς καυστικωτέροις περιπεσόντες δυσπεριγενήτοις πολλάκις πειρασμοῖς οὐδὲν ὑπʼ αὐτῶν πεπόνθασιν ἀλλὰ πάντῃ ἀβλαβεῖς τούτους διεξεληλύθασιν, οὐδὲ τὸ τυχὸν ὀσμῆς „τοῦ“ πολεμίου „πυρὸς“ βλάβην ἐσχηκότες, τί δεῖ καὶ λέγειν; ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ὅσοις θηρίοις, καθʼ ἡμῶν ἐξηγριωμένοις, πονηροῖς πνεύμασι καὶ ἀνθρώποις ὠμοῖς παρατυχόντες ταῖς εὐχαῖς αὐτοὺς πολλάκις ἐφίμωσαν. οὐ δεδυνημένων ἐγχρίψαι τοὺς ὀδόντας αὐτῶν τοῖς γεγενημένοις ἡμῶν μέλεσι τοῦ Χριστοῦ; πολλάκις γὰρ καθʼ ἕκαστον τῶν ἁγίων „τὰς μύλας τῶν λεόντων συνέθλασε κύριος, “ καὶ ἐξουδενώθησαν „ὡς ὕδωρ παραπορευόμενον.“ ἴσμεν δὲ πολλάκις φυγάδας προσταγμάτων θεοῦ καταποθέντας ὑπὸ τοῦ θανάτου, πρότερον κατʼ αὐτῶν ἰσχύσαντος, διὰ τὴν μετάνοιαν σωθέντας ἀπὸ τοῦ τηλικούτου κακοῦ, οὐκ ἀπεγνωκότας τὸ σῴζεσθαι δύνασθαι ἤδη „ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ τοῦ“ θανάτου κεκρατημένους· „κατέπιε γὰρ ὁ θάνατος ἰσχύσας, καὶ πάλιν ἀφεῖλεν ὁ θεὸς πᾶν δάκρυον ἀπὸ παντὸς προσώπου.“ ### English translation (Claude) And how much could each of us recount, if he wished, remembering with thanksgiving the benefits done to him, to send up praise to God for them? For souls that had long been barren, perceiving the sterility of their own ruling faculties and the barrenness of their own minds, have conceived by the Holy Spirit through persistent prayer and given birth to saving words full of the contemplation of truth. And how many enemies have been scattered, when often myriads of the opposing power have marched against us wishing to wipe us out from the divine faith, while we took courage because “some trust in chariots” and “some in horses,” but “we” call “on the name of the Lord,” and see that truly “a horse is a false hope for safety”! And also the deceptive and plausible word of the adversary's chief general, which makes many even of those thought to have believed cower, is often cut down by the one who trusts in praise to God; for “Judith” means “praise.” And what need is there to speak of how many, having fallen into temptations hard to overcome and more burning than any flame, have suffered nothing from them but have come through entirely unharmed, without suffering even the slightest harm from the smell “of the” enemy's “fire”? And how many beasts raging against us, evil spirits and cruel men, have they often muzzled by their prayers, when they happened upon them, so that they could not fix their teeth in those of us who have become members of Christ? For often in the case of each of the saints “the Lord has broken the jaw-teeth of the lions,” and they have come to nothing “like water running away.” And we know that often those who fled from God's commands, swallowed up by death, which had first prevailed against them, were saved from so great an evil through repentance, not despairing of being able to be saved even when already held “in the belly of” death; for “death prevailed and swallowed them up, and again God took away every tear from every face.” ### Scripture references - Ps 20:7 (20:8 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 33:17 (32:17 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Gen 29:35: echo, low confidence - Dan 3:27: allusion, high confidence - Ps 58:6 (57:7 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 58:7 (57:8 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Jonah 1:17: allusion, medium confidence - Isa 25:8: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations and allusions are Ps 20:7 (20:8 LXX), Ps 33:17 (32:17 LXX), Dan 3:27 (3:94 LXX), Ps 58:6–7 (57:7–8 LXX), Jonah 1:17 (2:1 in the Greek and Hebrew numbering), and Isa 25:8 (LXX). The meaning “praise” for Judith was derived from the Hebrew root of “Judah” (compare Gen 29:35). Origen applies the Old Testament deliverances spiritually. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 13.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/13/3/). ## On Prayer 13.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/13/4/ - Source: Koetschau 2:328–329 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The deliverances in Scripture are types of spiritual gifts; Christians should pray not for earthly things but for fruitfulness of soul and deliverance from spiritual enemies. ### Greek text ταῦτα δέ μοι ἀναγκαιότατα μετὰ τὸν κατάλογον τῶν ὠφεληθέντων διὰ προσευχῆς εἰρῆσθαι νομίζω, ἀποτρέποντι τὴν πνευματικὴν καὶ τὴν ἐν Χριστῷ ζωὴν ποθοῦντας ἀπὸ τοῦ περὶ τῶν μικρῶν καὶ ἐπιγείων εὔχεσθαι καὶ παρακαλοῦντι ἐπὶ τὰ μυστικὰ. ὧν τύποι ἦσαν τὰ προειρημένα μοι, τοὺς ἐντυχόντας τῇδε τῇ γραφῇ. πᾶσα γὰρ ἡ περὶ τῶν προπαρατεθέντων ἡμῖν πνευματικῶν καὶ μυστικῶν εὐχὴ ἀεὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ μὴ „κατὰ σάρκα“ στρατευομένου ἀλλὰ „πνεύματι τὰς πράξεις τοῦ σώματος“ θανατοῦντος ἐπιτελεῖται. προκρινομένων τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀναγωγῆς μετʼ ἐξετάσεως παρισταμένων τῆς ἐμφαινομένης κατὰ τὴν λέξιν γεγονέναι τοῖς προσευξαμένοις εὐεργεσίας. καὶ ἐν ἡμῖν γὰρ ἀσκητέον μὴ ἐγγενέσθαι ἄγονον ἢ στεῖραν, ἀκούουσι τοῦ πνευματικοῦ νόμου ὠσὶ πνευματικοῖς· ἵνα ἀποτιθέμενοι τὸ εἶναι ἄγονοι ἢ στεῖραι ἐπακουσθῶμεν ὡς Ἄννα καὶ Ἐζεκίας, καὶ ἵνα ἀπὸ ἐπιβουλευόντων ἐχθρῶν τῶν πνευματικῶν τῆς πονηρίας ῥυσθῶμεν ὡς Μαρδοχαῖος καὶ Ἐσθὴρ καὶ Ἰουδήθ. καὶ ἐπεὶ κάμινός ἐστι σιδηρᾶ Αἴγυπτος, σύμβολον τυγχάνουσα παντὸς τοῦ περιγείου τόπου, πᾶς ὁ ἐκπεφευγὼς τὴν τοῦ βίου τῶν ἀνθρώπων κακίαν καὶ μὴ πεπυρωμένος ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας μηδὲ ὡς κλίβανον πλήρη πυρὸς τὴν καρδίαν ἐσχηκὼς μὴ ἔλαττον εὐχαριστείτω τῶν ἐν πυρὶ „δρόσου“ πεπειραμένων. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ ἐν τῷ εὔξασθαι καὶ εἰρηκέναι· „μὴ παραδῷς τοῖς θηρίοις ψυχὴν ἐξομολογουμένην σοι“ ἐπακουσθεὶς καὶ μηδὲν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀσπίδος καὶ τοῦ βασιλίσκου παθὼν τῷ διὰ Χριστὸν αὐτὸν αὐτῶν ἐπιβεβηκέναι καὶ καταπατήσας „λέοντα καὶ δράκοντα“ τῇ τε καλῇ ἐξουσίᾳ ὑπὸ Ἰησοῦ δεδομένῃ χρησάμενος „τοῦ πατεῖν ἐπάνω ὄφεων καὶ σκορπίων καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ“ καὶ μηδὲν ὑπὸ τῶν τοσούτων ἀδικηθεὶς πλεῖον τοῦ Δανιὴλ εὐχαριστησάτω, ἅτε ἀπὸ φοβερωτέρων καὶ ἐπιβλαβεστέρων ῥυσθεὶς θηρίων. πρὸς τούτοις ὁ πεπεισμένος, ποίου κήτους τύπος τὸ καταπεπωκὸς τὸν Ἰωνᾶν ἐτύγχανε, καὶ καταλαβὼν δὲ ὅτι ἐκείνου τοῦ ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰὼβ εἰρημένου· „καταράσαιτο αὐτὴν ὁ καταρώμενος τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην, ὁ μέλλων τὸ μέγα κῆτος χειρώσασθαι, “ ἐάν ποτε γένηται διά τινα ἀπειθίαν „ἐν τῇ τοῦ κήτους κοιλίᾳ, “ μετανοῶν εὐξάσθω, κἀκεῖθεν ἐξελεύσεται· ἐξελθών τε ἐπιμένων τῷ πείθεσθαι τοῖς προστάγμασι τοῦ θεοῦ δυνήσεται κατὰ τὴν χρηστότητα τοῦ πνεύματος προφητεύσας καὶ νῦν Νινευΐταις ἀπολλυμένοις πρόφασις αὐτοῖς γενέσθαι σωτηρίας, μὴ δυσαρεστούμενος τῇ χρηστότητι τοῦ θεοῦ μηδὲ ζητῶν ἐπιμένειν αὐτὸν πρὸς τοὺς μετανοοῦντας τῇ ἀποτομίᾳ. ### English translation (Claude) I think it most necessary to say these things after the list of those who have been benefited through prayer, in order to turn those who long for the spiritual life in Christ away from praying about small and earthly things, and to call those who read this treatise to the mystical things of which the things I have mentioned were types. For every prayer for the spiritual and mystical things we have set out is always accomplished by one who does not war “according to the flesh” but “by the Spirit” puts to death “the deeds of the body,” preferring what is presented by the higher sense, after examination, to the benefit that appears, according to the letter, to have come to those who prayed. For we too must strive that there be nothing barren or sterile in us, listening to the spiritual law with spiritual ears, so that, putting off barrenness or sterility, we may be heard like Hannah and Hezekiah, and may be delivered from the plotting enemies, the spiritual forces of wickedness, like Mordecai and Esther and Judith. And since Egypt is an iron furnace, a symbol of the whole earthly region, let everyone who has escaped the wickedness of human life, and has not been set on fire by sin, nor had his heart like an oven full of fire, give thanks no less than those who experienced “dew” in the fire. And let the one who has been heard when he prayed and said, “Do not deliver to the beasts a soul that confesses you,” and has suffered nothing from the asp and the basilisk because through Christ he has trodden on them, and has trampled “the lion and the dragon,” using the good authority given by Jesus “to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy,” and has been harmed by none of these, give thanks more than Daniel, since he has been delivered from more fearful and more harmful beasts. Moreover, let the one who is convinced of what sea monster the one that swallowed Jonah was a type, and has understood that it is the one of which Job said, “Let him curse it who curses that day, who is about to overcome the great sea monster,” if ever through some disobedience he comes to be “in the belly of the sea monster,” pray with repentance, and he will come out from there; and having come out, and persevering in obedience to God's commands, he will be able, in accordance with the kindness of the Spirit, to prophesy even now to the perishing Ninevites and become a cause of salvation for them, not being displeased at God's kindness nor seeking that he should persist in severity toward those who repent. ### Scripture references - 2 Cor 10:3: allusion, high confidence - Rom 8:13: quotation, high confidence - Rom 7:14: allusion, medium confidence - Deut 4:20: allusion, high confidence - Hos 7:4: allusion, medium confidence - Ps 74:19 (73:19 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 91:13 (90:13 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Luke 10:19: quotation, high confidence - Job 3:8: quotation, high confidence - Jonah 1:17: allusion, medium confidence - Jonah 4:2: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The allusions and quotations are 2 Cor 10:3, Rom 8:13, Rom 7:14, Deut 4:20 (Egypt the iron furnace), Hos 7:4–7 (the heart like an oven), Ps 74:19 (73:19 LXX), Ps 91:13 (90:13 LXX), Luke 10:19, Job 3:8 (LXX), Jonah 2:1 (1:17 in English Bibles), and Jonah 4:1–2. “Higher sense” renders ἀναγωγή, the anagogical sense of Scripture. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 13.4 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/13/4/). ## On Prayer 13.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/13/5/ - Source: Koetschau 2:329–330 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: As Samuel's prayer brought thunder and rain and Elijah's opened the heavens, the saints' prayers now bring the rain of grace to souls in the harvest of the gospel. ### Greek text ὅπερ δὲ μέγιστον πεποιηκέναι λέγεται Σαμουὴλ διὰ προσευχῆς, τοῦτο πνευματικῶς δυνατόν ἐστιν ἕκαστον τῶν ἀνακειμένων γνησίως τῷ θεῷ καὶ νῦν ἐπιτελεῖν, ἄξιον τοῦ ἐπακούεσθαι γεγενημένον. γέγραπται γάρ· „καί γε νῦν στῆτε (καὶ ἴδετε) τὸ ῥῆμα τὸ μέγα τοῦτο, ὃ ὁ κύριος ποιεῖ κατʼ ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑμῶν. οὐχὶ θερισμὸς πυροῦ σήμερον; ἐπικαλέσομαι κύριον, καὶ δώσει φωνὰς καὶ ὑετόν“· εἶτα μετʼ ὀλίγα· „καὶ ἐπεκαλέσατο, “ φησὶ „Σαμουὴλ πρὸς κύριον, καὶ ἔδωκε κύριος φωνὰς καὶ ὑετὸν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ.“ παντὶ γὰρ ἁγίῳ καὶ τῷ Ἰησοῦ γνησίως μαθητεύοντι ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου λέγεται· „ἐπάρατε τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑμῶν καὶ θεάσασθε τὰς χώρας ὅτι λευκαί εἰσι πρὸς θερισμὸν ἤδη, ὁ θερίζων μισθὸν λαμβάνει καὶ συνάγει καρπὸν εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον.“ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ δὴ τούτῳ τοῦ θερισμοῦ „μέγα ῥῆμα“ „ὁ κύριος ποιεῖ κατʼ ὀφθαλμοὺς“ τῶν ἀκουόντων τοὺς προφήτας· ἐπικαλεσαμένου γὰρ τοῦ κεκοσμημένου τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι „πρὸς τὸν κύριον, “ δίδωσιν ὁ θεὸς οὐρανόθεν „φωνὰς καὶ“ τὸν ποτίζοντα τὴν ψυχὴν „ὑετὸν, “ ἵνα ὁ πρότερον ἐν τῇ κακίᾳ ὢν φοβηθῇ σφόδρα τὸν κύριον καὶ τὸν ὑπηρέτην τῆς εὐεργεσίας τοῦ θεοῦ, αἰδέσιμον καὶ σεβάσμιον διʼ ὧν ἐπακούεται πεφανερωμένον. καὶ Ἠλίας δὲ τρισὶν ἔτεσι καὶ ἓξ μησὶ κεκλεισμένον τοῖς ἀσεβέσι τὸν οὐρανὸν θείῳ λόγῳ ἀνοίγει ὕστερον· ὅπερ παντί τῳ κατορθοῦται ἀεὶ, διὰ τῆς εὐχῆς λαμβάνοντι τὸν ὑετὸν τῆς ψυχῆς, τῶν διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν πρότερον αὐτοῦ ἐστερημένων. ### English translation (Claude) And what Samuel is said to have done, the greatest thing, through prayer, each of those truly devoted to God can accomplish even now spiritually, once he has become worthy to be heard. For it is written: “And now stand and see this great thing which the Lord does before your eyes. Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call upon the Lord, and he will send thunder and rain”; and then a little after: “And Samuel called upon the Lord,” it says, “and the Lord sent thunder and rain on that day.” For to every saint and true disciple of Jesus it is said by the Lord: “Lift up your eyes and see the fields, that they are white already for harvest; he who reaps receives wages and gathers fruit for eternal life.” In this time of harvest, then, the Lord does “a great thing” “before the eyes” of those who listen to the prophets; for when one adorned with the Holy Spirit calls “upon the Lord,” God gives from heaven “thunder and” the “rain” that waters the soul, so that he who was formerly in wickedness may greatly fear the Lord and the minister of God's benefits, who is shown to be revered and venerable through the fact that he is heard. And Elijah too by a divine word later opened the heaven that had been shut to the ungodly for three years and six months; which is always accomplished for anyone who through prayer receives the rain of the soul, of which he had formerly been deprived because of sin. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 12:16: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 12:17: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 12:18: quotation, high confidence - John 4:35: quotation, high confidence - John 4:36: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 18:45: allusion, high confidence - Luke 4:25: allusion, high confidence - Jas 5:17: allusion, medium confidence - Jas 5:18: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations and allusions are 1 Sam 12:16–18 (1 Kgdms LXX), John 4:35–36, 1 Kgs 18:41–45, and Luke 4:25 and Jas 5:17–18 (three years and six months). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 13.5 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/13/5/). ## On Prayer 14.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/14/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:330 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The unwritten saying “ask for great and heavenly things, and small and earthly ones will be added” means we should pray for the spiritual realities of which Scripture's stories are types. ### Greek text Τούτων δὲ ἡμῖν ἑρμηνευθέντων εἰς τὰς διὰ τῶν προσευχῶν γεγενημένας τοῖς ἁγίοις εὐεργεσίας, κατανοήσωμεν τὸ „αἰτεῖτε τὰ μεγάλα, καὶ τὰ μικρὰ ὑμῖν προστεθήσεται· καὶ αἰτεῖτε τὰ ἐπουράνια, καὶ τὰ ἐπίγεια ὑμῖν προστεθήσεται.“ πάντα γε τὰ συμβολικὰ καὶ τυπικὰ συγκρίσει τῶν ἀληθινῶν καὶ νοητῶν „μικρά“ ἐστι καὶ „ἐπίγεια“· καὶ εἰκὸς ὅτι ὁ θεῖος ἡμᾶς λόγος προκαλούμενος ἐπὶ τὸ μιμεῖσθαι τὰς τῶν ἁγίων εὐχὰς, ἵνʼ αἰτῶμεν αὐτὰς κατὰ τὸ ἀληθὲς ὧν ἐκεῖνοι ἐπετέλουν τυπικῶν, φησὶ „τὰ ἐπουράνια“ καὶ „μεγάλα, “ δεδηλωμένα διὰ τῶν περὶ ἐπιγείων καὶ μικρῶν πραγμάτων, λέγων· ὑμεῖς οἱ πνευματικοὶ εἶναι βουλόμενοι διὰ τῶν προσευχῶν αἰτήσατε („τὰ ἐπουράνια“ καὶ „μεγάλα“), ἵνʼ αὐτῶν τυχόντες ὡς ἐπουρανίων βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν κληρονομήσητε καὶ ὡς μεγάλων τῶν μεγίστων ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύσητε, τὰ δὲ „ἐπίγεια“ καὶ „μικρὰ.“ ὧν διὰ τὰς σωματικὰς ἀνάγκας χρῄζετε, μέτρῳ τοῦ δέοντος ἐπιχορηγήσῃ ὑμῖν ὁ πατήρ. ### English translation (Claude) Having interpreted these things with reference to the benefits that came to the saints through prayers, let us consider the saying: “Ask for the great things, and the small will be added to you; and ask for the heavenly things, and the earthly will be added to you.” All things symbolic and typical are “small” and “earthly” in comparison with the true and intelligible things; and it is likely that the divine Word, calling us to imitate the prayers of the saints so that we may ask in truth for what they obtained in type, speaks of “the heavenly” and “great” things signified through those about earthly and small matters, saying: “You who wish to be spiritual, ask through your prayers for ‘the heavenly’ and ‘great’ things, so that, obtaining them as heavenly, you may inherit the kingdom of heaven, and, as great, may enjoy the greatest goods; while the ‘earthly’ and ‘small’ things, which you need for bodily necessities, the Father will supply to you in due measure.” ### Scripture references - Matt 6:33: echo, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The saying is an unwritten saying of Jesus (agraphon) also quoted in 2.2 (compare Matt 6:33). The words put in the Word's mouth at the end are Origen's paraphrase. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 14.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/14/1/). ## On Prayer 14.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/14/2/ - Source: Koetschau 2:330–331 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Origen distinguishes the four words of 1 Timothy 2:1: supplication asks for what is lacking, prayer glorifies God about greater things, intercession asks with boldness, and thanksgiving acknowledges gifts received. ### Greek text ἐπεὶ δὲ παρὰ τῷ ἀποστόλῳ τέσσαρα ὀνόματα κατὰ τεσσάρων πραγμάτων, γειτνιώντων τῷ περὶ τῆς εὐχῆς λόγῳ, ἐν τῇ προτέρᾳ πρὸς Τιμόθεον εἴρηται, χρήσιμον ἔσται παραθέμενον αὐτοῦ τὴν λέξιν ἰδεῖν (εἰ) ἕκαστον τῶν τεσσάρων, κυρίως ἂν νοούμενον, ἐκλάβοιμεν καλῶς. λέγει δὲ οὕτως· „παρακαλῶ οὖν πρῶτον πάντων ποιεῖσθαι δεήσεις, προσευχὰς, ἐντεύξεις, εὐχαριστίας ὑπὲρ πάντων ἀνθρώπων“ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ἡγοῦμαι τοίνυν δέησιν μὲν εἶναι τὴν ἐλλείποντός τινι μεθʼ ἱκεσίας περὶ τοῦ ἐκείνου τυχεῖν ἀναπεμπομένην εὐχὴν, τὴν δὲ προσευχὴν τὴν μετὰ δοξολογίας περὶ μειζόνων με(??)δγμαίστερον ἀναπεμπομένην ὑπό του, ἔντευξιν δὲ τὴν ὑπὸ παῤῥησίαν τι(??)είονα ἔχοντος περί τινων ἀξίωσιν πρὸς θεὸν, εὐχαριστίαν δὲ τὴν ἐπὶ τῷ τετευχέναι ἀγαθῶν ἀπὸ θεοῦ μετʼ εὐχῶν ἀνθομολόγησιν, ἀντειλημμένου τοῦ ἀνθομολογουμένου τοῦ μεγέθους ἢ τῷ εὐεργετηθέντι μεγέθους φαινομένου τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν γεγενημένης εὐεργεσίας. ### English translation (Claude) And since four names for four things akin to the subject of prayer are used by the apostle in the First Letter to Timothy, it will be useful to set out his words and see whether we rightly understand each of the four when taken in its proper sense. He says: “I urge, then, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,” and so on. I think, then, that supplication is the prayer sent up by someone who lacks something, with entreaty that he may obtain it; that prayer is that which is sent up by someone with glorification, about greater things, in a more exalted manner; that intercession is a request to God about certain things by someone who has somewhat greater boldness; and that thanksgiving is the acknowledgment, with prayers, for having obtained good things from God, when the one acknowledging has grasped the greatness of the benefit done to him, or when it appears great to the one who has received it. ### Scripture references - 1 Tim 2:1: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotation is 1 Tim 2:1. The Greek words are δέησις (supplication), προσευχή (prayer), ἔντευξις (intercession), and εὐχαριστία (thanksgiving). Two words in the definitions are partly unreadable in the digital text (marked “(??)”); “in a more exalted manner” and “somewhat greater boldness” follow the probable readings. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 14.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/14/2/). ## On Prayer 14.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/14/3/ - Source: Koetschau 2:331 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Examples of supplication: Zechariah's prayer for a son, Moses' pleas for Israel, and the prayers of Mordecai and Esther. ### Greek text παραδείγματα δὲ τοῦ μὲν πρώτου ὁ Γαβριὴλ πρὸς τὸν Ζαχαρίαν, περὶ τῆς γενέσεως Ἰωάννου ὡς εἰκὸς εὐξάμενον. λόγος οὕτως ἔχων· „μὴ φοβοῦ, Ζαχαρία, διότι εἰσηκούσθη ἡ δέησίς σου, καὶ ἡ γυνή σου Ἐλισάβετ γεννήσει υἱόν σοι, καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰωάννην, “ καὶ τὰ ἐν τῇ Ἐξόδῳ ἐπὶ τῇ μοσχοποιΐᾳ ἀναγεγραμμένα τὸν τρόπον τοῦτον· „καὶ ἐδεήθη Μωϋσῆς κατέναντι κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ εἶπεν· ἵνα τί θυμοῖ ὀργῇ, κύριε, εἰς τὸν λαόν σου, οὓς ἐξήγαγες ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου ἐν ἰσχύϊ μεγάλῃ;“ καὶ ἐν Δευτερονομίῳ· „καὶ ἐδεήθην ἔναντι κυρίου δεύτερον καθάπερ καὶ τὸ πρότερον τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας καὶ τεσσαράκοντα νύκτας (ἄρτον οὐκ ἔφαγον καὶ ὕδωρ οὐκ ἔπιον) περὶ πασῶν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ὑμῶν ὧν ἡμάρτετε, “ καὶ ἐν τῇ Ἐσθήρ· „Μαρδοχαῖος ἐδεήθη τοῦ θεοῦ, μνημονεύων πάντα τὰ ἔργα τοῦ κυρίου, καὶ εἶπε· κύριε κύριε βασιλεῦ παντοκράτορ, “ καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ Ἐσθὴρ „ἐδεῖτο κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ εἶπε· κύριε, ὁ βασιλεὺς ἡμῶν.“ ### English translation (Claude) Examples of the first are Gabriel's words to Zechariah, who, it seems, had prayed for the birth of John, which run thus: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your supplication has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John”; and what is recorded in Exodus at the making of the calf, in this way: “And Moses made supplication before the Lord God and said, Why, O Lord, does your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great strength?”; and in Deuteronomy: “And I made supplication before the Lord a second time, as before, forty days and forty nights (I neither ate bread nor drank water), for all your sins which you had sinned”; and in Esther: “Mordecai made supplication to God, remembering all the works of the Lord, and said: O Lord, Lord, King almighty,” and Esther herself “made supplication to the Lord God of Israel and said: O Lord, our King.” ### Scripture references - Luke 1:13: quotation, high confidence - Exod 32:11: quotation, high confidence - Deut 9:18: quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Add Esth 13:8–9 (Additions to Esther): quotation, high confidence - Add Esth 14:3 (Additions to Esther): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Luke 1:13, Exod 32:11, Deut 9:18, and Add Esth 13:8–9 and 14:3 (4:17a–b and 4:17l LXX). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 14.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/14/3/). ## On Prayer 14.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/14/4/ - Source: Koetschau 2:331–332 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Examples of prayer in the strict sense, offered with glorification: Azarias, Tobit, Hannah, Habakkuk, and Jonah. ### Greek text τοῦ δὲ δευτέρου ἐν τῷ Δανιήλ· „καὶ συστὰς Ἀζαρίας προσηύξατο οὕτως καὶ ἀνοίξας τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ ἐν μέσῳ πυρὸς εἶπε, “ καὶ ἐν τῷ Τωβήτ· „καὶ προσηυξάμην μετʼ ὀδύνης λέγων· δίκαιος εἶ, κύριε, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἔργα σου, πᾶσαι αἱ ὁδοί σου ἐλεημοσύνη καὶ ἀλήθεια, καὶ κρίσιν ἀληθινὴν καὶ δικαίαν σὺ κρίνεις εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.“ ἐπεὶ δὲ τὸ μὲν ἐν τῷ Δανιὴλ ῥητὸν ὠβέλισαν, ὡς μὴ κείμενον ἐν τῷ Ἑβραϊκῷ, τῇ δὲ τοῦ Τωβὴτ βίβλῳ ἀντιλέγουσιν οἱ ἐκ περιτομῆς, ὡς μὴ ἐνδιαθήκῳ, παραθήσομαι ἐκ τῆς πρώτης τῶν Βασιλειῶν τὸ τῆς Ἄννης· „καὶ προσηύξατο πρὸς κύριον καὶ κλαυθμῷ ἔκλαυσε. καὶ ηὔξατο εὐχὴν καὶ εἶπε· κύριε τῶν δυνάμεων, ἐὰν ἐφοράσει ἐπίδῃς ἐπὶ τὴν ταπείνωσιν τῆς δούλης σου“ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἀββακούμ· „προσευχὴ Ἀββακοὺμ τοῦ προφήτου μετὰ ᾠδῆς. κύριε, εἰσακήκοα τὴν φωνήν σου καὶ ἐφοβήθην· κύριε, κατενόησα τὰ ἔργα σου καὶ ἐξέστην· ἐν μέσῳ δύο ζῴων γνωσθήσῃ, ἐν τῷ ἐγγίζειν τὰ ἔτη ἐπιγνωσθήσῃ.“ σφόδρα δὲ αὕτη ἐμφαίνει τὸ κατὰ τὸν ὅρον τῆς προσευχῆς, ὅτι μετὰ δοξολογίας τῷ προσευχομένῳ ἀναπέμπεται. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἰωνᾷ „προσηύξατο Ἰωνᾶς πρὸς κύριον τὸν θεὸν αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας τοῦ κήτους καὶ εἶπεν· ἐβόησα ἐν θλίψει μου πρὸς κύριον τὸν θεόν μου, καὶ εἰσήκουσέ μου· ἐκ κοιλίας ᾅδου κραυγῆς μου ἤκουσας φωνῆς μου· ἀπέῤῥιψάς με εἰς βάθη καρδίας θαλάσσης, καὶ ποταμοὶ ἐκύκλωσάν με.“ ### English translation (Claude) Of the second, in Daniel: “And Azarias stood and prayed thus, and opening his mouth in the midst of the fire he said”; and in Tobit: “And I prayed in grief, saying: You are righteous, O Lord, and all your works; all your ways are mercy and truth, and you judge true and righteous judgment for ever.” But since they have marked the passage in Daniel with an obelus as not found in the Hebrew, and those of the circumcision dispute the book of Tobit as not in the canon, I will set down from the first book of Kingdoms the prayer of Hannah: “And she prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. And she vowed a vow and said: O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look upon the humiliation of your servant,” and what follows; and in Habakkuk: “A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, with song. O Lord, I have heard your voice and was afraid; O Lord, I considered your works and was amazed; in the midst of two living creatures you will be known; as the years draw near you will be recognized.” This prayer shows very clearly the definition of prayer, that it is sent up with glorification by the one who prays. And also in Jonah: “Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the sea monster and said: I cried in my affliction to the Lord my God, and he heard me; out of the belly of Hades you heard my cry, my voice. You cast me into the depths of the heart of the sea, and rivers surrounded me.” ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 1:10: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 1:11: quotation, high confidence - Hab 3:1: quotation, high confidence - Hab 3:2: quotation, high confidence - Jonah 2:1: quotation, high confidence - Jonah 2:2: quotation, high confidence - Jonah 2:3: quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Pr Azar 1–2 (Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Young Men): quotation, high confidence - Tob 3:1–2 (Tobit): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Pr Azar 1–2 (Dan 3:24–25 LXX), Tob 3:1–2, 1 Sam 1:10–11, Hab 3:1–2 (LXX), and Jonah 2:1–3 (2:2–4 in the Greek and Hebrew numbering). Origen notes that the Prayer of Azariah was marked with an obelus (as absent from the Hebrew) and that the Jews did not accept Tobit as canonical, so he adds examples from undisputed books. Two passages are partly unreadable in the digital text and are corrected from the quotation of 1 Sam 1:10–11 in 4.1. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 14.4 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/14/4/). ## On Prayer 14.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/14/5/ - Source: Koetschau 2:332–333 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Examples of intercession, made with boldness, are the Spirit's intercession, Joshua's command to the sun, and Samson's last words; Jesus' thanks to the Father is an example of thanksgiving. ### Greek text τοῦ δὲ τρίτου παρὰ τῷ ἀποστόλῳ, εὐλόγως τὴν μὲν προσευχὴν ἐφʼ ἡμῶν τάττοντι τὴν δὲ ἔντευξιν ἐπὶ τοῦ πνεύματος, ὡς κρείττονος ὄντος καὶ „παῤῥησίαν“ ἔχοντος „πρὸς τὸν, “ ᾧ ἐντυγχάνει· „τὸ γὰρ τί προσευξώμεθα, “ φησὶ, „καθὸ δεῖ οὐκ οἴδαμεν, ἀλλὰ αὐτὸ τὸ πνεῦμα στεναγμοῖς ἀλαλήτοις ὑπερεντυγχάνει τῷ θεῷ. ὁ δὲ ἐρευνῶν τὰς καρδίας οἶδε τί τὸ φρόνημα τοῦ πνεύματος, ὅτι κατὰ θεὸν ἐντυγχάνει ὑπὲρ ἁγίων“· ὑπερεντυγχάνει γὰρ καὶ „ἐντυγχάνει“ τὸ πνεῦμα, ἡμεῖς δὲ προσευχόμεθα, ἔντευξις δέ μοι εἶναι δοκεῖ καὶ τὸ ὑπὸ Ἰησοῦ εἰρημένον περὶ τοῦ στῆναι τὸν ἥλιον κατὰ Γαβαώθ· „τότε ἐλάλησεν Ἰησοῦς πρὸς κύριον, ᾗ ἡμέρᾳ παρέδωκεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν Ἀμοῤῥαῖον ὑποχείριον Ἰσραὴλ, ἡνίκα συνέτριβεν αὐτοὺς ἐν Γαβαὼθ, καὶ συνετρίβησαν ἀπὸ προσώπου τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ. καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς· στήτω ὁ ἥλιος κατὰ Γαβαὼθ, καὶ ἡ σελήνη κατὰ φάραγγα Ἐλώμ“· καὶ ἐν τοῖς Κριταῖς ὁ Σαμψὼν ἡγοῦμαι ὅτι ἐντυγχάνων εἶπε· „συναποθανέτω ἡ ψυχή μου μετὰ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων, “ ὅτε „ἔκλινεν ἐν ἰσχύϊ, καὶ ἔπεσεν ὁ οἶκος ἐπὶ τοὺς σατράπας καὶ ἐπὶ πάντα τὸν λαὸν τὸν ἐν αὐτῷ, “ εἰ καὶ μὴ κεῖται δὲ ὅτι ἐντετυχήκασιν ἀλλʼ ὅτι εἰρήκασιν ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ ὁ Σαμψὼν, ὁ λόγος αὐτῶν ἔοικεν εἶναι ἔντευξις· ἥτις ἑτέρα παρὰ τὴν προσευχὴν, εἰ κυρίως ἀκούοιμεν τῶν ὀνομάτων, εἶναι ἡμῖν νομίζεται, εὐχαριστίας δὲ παράδειγμα ἡ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν φωνὴ, λέγοντος· „ἐξομολογοῦμαί σοι, πάτερ, κύριε τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς, ὅτι ἀπέκρυψας ταῦτα ἀπὸ σοφῶν καὶ συνετῶν καὶ ἀπεκάλυψας αὐτὰ νηπίοις“· τὸ γὰρ „ἐξομολογοῦμαι“ ἴσον ἐστὶ τῷ „εὐχαριστῶ.“ ### English translation (Claude) Of the third, in the apostle, who reasonably assigns prayer to us and intercession to the Spirit, as being superior and having “boldness toward” the one with whom he intercedes: “For what we should pray for as we ought,” he says, “we do not know, but the Spirit himself intercedes exceedingly with God with groanings too deep for words; and he who searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to God.” For the Spirit “intercedes exceedingly” and “intercedes,” but we pray. And an intercession, it seems to me, is also what Joshua said about the sun standing still at Gibeon: “Then Joshua spoke to the Lord on the day when God delivered the Amorite into the hands of Israel, when he crushed them at Gibeon, and they were crushed before the sons of Israel. And Joshua said: Let the sun stand still at Gibeon, and the moon at the valley of Elom.” And in Judges I think that Samson was interceding when he said, “Let my soul die with the Philistines,” when “he bowed with his strength, and the house fell on the lords and on all the people in it.” Even though it is not written that Joshua and Samson interceded but that they spoke, their words seem to be an intercession, which, if we take the names in their proper sense, we consider different from prayer. And an example of thanksgiving is the saying of our Lord: “I give thanks to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to infants”; for “I confess” (ἐξομολογοῦμαι) is equivalent to “I give thanks.” ### Scripture references - Rom 8:26: quotation, high confidence - Rom 8:27: quotation, high confidence - Josh 10:12: quotation, high confidence - Judg 16:30: quotation, high confidence - Matt 11:25: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Rom 8:26–27, Josh 10:12 (LXX), Judg 16:30, and Matt 11:25. In Greek Joshua is Ἰησοῦς, the same name as Jesus. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 14.5 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/14/5/). ## On Prayer 14.6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/14/6/ - Source: Koetschau 2:333 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Supplication, intercession, and thanksgiving may be offered to people too, especially to saints; still more should we thank Christ and intercede with him, as Stephen did. ### Greek text δέησιν μὲν οὖν καὶ ἔντευξιν καὶ εὐχαριστίαν οὐκ ἄτοπον καὶ ἀνθρώποις (ἁγίοις) προσενεγκεῖν· ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν δύο (λέγω δὴ ἔντευξιν καὶ εὐχαριστίαν) οὐ μόνον ἁγίοις ἀλλὰ δὴ καὶ (ἄλλοις) ἀνθρώποις, τὴν δὲ δέησιν μόνον ἁγίοις, εἴ τις εὑρεθείη Παῦλος ἢ Πέτρος, ἵνα ὠφελήσωσιν ἡμᾶς, ἀξίους ποιοῦντες τοῦ τυχεῖν τῆς δεδομένης αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίας πρὸς τὸ ἁμαρτήματα ἀφιέναι· εἰ μὴ ἄρα, κἂν μὴ ἅγιός τις ᾖ, ἀδικήσωμεν δὲ αὐτὸν, δέδοται συναισθηθέντας τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν ἁμαρτίας τὸ δεηθῆναι καὶ τοῦ τοιούτου, ἵνʼ ἡμῖν ἠδικηκόσι συγγνώμην ἀπονείμῃ, εἰ δὲ ἀνθρώποις ἁγίοις ταῦτα προσενεκτέον, πόσῳ πλέον τῷ Χριστῷ εὐχαριστητέον, τοσαῦτα ἡμᾶς βουλήσει τοῦ πατρὸς εὐεργετήσαντι; ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐντευκτέον αὐτῷ ὡς ὁ εἰπὼν Στέφανος· „κύριε, μὴ στήσῃς αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ταύτην“· μιμούμενοί τε τὸν πατέρα τοῦ σεληνιαζομένου ἐροῦμεν· „δέομαι, “ „κύριε, ἐλέησον“ ἢ „τὸν υἱὸν“ ἢ ἐμὲ αὐτὸν ἢ ὃν δή ποτε. ### English translation (Claude) It is not absurd to offer supplication, intercession, and thanksgiving to men also, to saints; but two of them (I mean intercession and thanksgiving) not only to saints but also to other men, while supplication only to saints, if someone like Paul or Peter should be found, so that they may benefit us by making us worthy to obtain the authority given them to forgive sins. Unless indeed, even if someone is not a saint, but we have wronged him, it is permitted, when we are conscious of our sin against him, to make supplication even to such a person, that he may grant pardon to us who have wronged him. And if these things are to be offered to holy men, how much more must we give thanks to Christ, who by the Father's will has done us such great benefits? And we must also make intercession to him, as Stephen did when he said, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them”; and imitating the father of the epileptic boy, we shall say, “I beg you,” “Lord, have mercy,” either on “my son,” or on myself, or on whoever it may be. ### Scripture references - John 20:23: allusion, medium confidence - Acts 7:60: quotation, high confidence - Luke 9:38: quotation, high confidence - Matt 17:15: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The references are John 20:23 (the authority to forgive sins), Acts 7:60, Luke 9:38, and Matt 17:15. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 14.6 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/14/6/). ## On Prayer 15.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/15/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:333–334 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Origen argues that prayer in the strict sense should be addressed only to the Father, not to Christ, but always through Christ the High Priest. ### Greek text Ἐὰν δὲ ἀκούωμεν ὅ τι ποτέ ἐστι προσευχὴ, μή ποτε οὐδενὶ τῶν γεννητῶν προσευκτέον ἐστὶν οὐδὲ αὐτῷ τῷ Χριστῷ ἀλλὰ μόνῳ τῷ θεῷ τῶν ὅλων καὶ πατρὶ, ᾧ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ σωτὴρ ἡμῶν προσηύχετο, ὡς προπαρεθέμεθα, καὶ διδάσκει ἡμᾶς προσεύχεσθαι. ἀκούσας γάρ· „δίδαξον ἡμᾶς προσεύχεσθαι“ οὐ διδάσκει αὑτῷ „προσεύχεσθαι“ ἀλλὰ τῷ πατρὶ, λέγοντας· „πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς“ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. εἰ γὰρ ἕτερος, ὡς ἐν ἄλλοις δείκνυται, κατʼ οὐσίαν καὶ ὑποκείμενόν ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ πατρὸς, ἤτοι προσευκτέον τῷ υἱῷ καὶ οὐ τῷ πατρὶ ἢ ἀμφοτέροις ἢ τῷ πατρὶ μόνῳ. τὸ μὲν οὖν τῷ υἱῷ καὶ οὐ τῷ πατρὶ πᾶς ὁστισοῦν ὁμολογήσει εἶναι ἀτοπώτατον καὶ παρὰ τὴν ἐνάργειαν λεχθησόμενον ἄν· εἰ δὲ ἀμφοτέροις, δῆλον ὅτι κἂν ἀξιώσεις προσενέγκοιμεν πληθυντικῶς, παράσχεσθε καὶ εὐεργετήσατε καὶ ἐπιχορηγήσατε καὶ σώσατε, καὶ εἴ τι τούτων ὅμοιον, διὰ τῶν προσευχῶν λέγοντες· ὅπερ καὶ αὐτόθεν ἀπεμφαῖνον, οὐδὲ ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς ἔχει τις δεῖξαι κείμενον ὑπό τινων λεγόμενον. λείπεται τοίνυν προσεύχεσθαι μόνῳ τῷ θεῷ τῷ τῶν ὅλων πατρὶ, ἀλλὰ μὴ χωρὶς τοῦ ἀρχιερέως, ὅστις „μεθʼ ὁρκωμοσίας“ κατεστάθη ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς κατὰ τὸ „ὤμοσε, καὶ οὐ μεταμεληθήσεται· σὺ ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ.“ ### English translation (Claude) But if we understand what prayer is, perhaps we should pray to no one who is begotten, not even to Christ himself, but only to the God and Father of all, to whom our Savior himself prayed, as we have set out before, and to whom he teaches us to pray. For when he heard, “Teach us to pray,” he did not teach them to pray to himself but to the Father, saying, “Our Father in heaven,” and so on. For if, as is shown elsewhere, the Son is other than the Father in being and in subject, then we must pray either to the Son and not to the Father, or to both, or to the Father alone. That we should pray to the Son and not to the Father, anyone at all will admit would be most absurd, and would be said against the evidence. If to both, clearly we would make our requests in the plural, saying in our prayers, “Grant,” “do good,” “supply,” “save” (in the plural), and anything like these; which is plainly incongruous, and no one can show it written in the Scriptures as said by anyone. It remains, then, to pray to God alone, the Father of all, but not without the High Priest, who was appointed by the Father “with an oath,” according to the words, “He has sworn and will not change his mind: You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.” ### Scripture references - Luke 11:1: quotation, high confidence - Luke 11:2: quotation, high confidence - Matt 6:9: quotation, high confidence - Heb 7:20: allusion, high confidence - Heb 7:21: quotation, high confidence - Ps 110:4 (109:4 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Luke 11:1–2 (Matt 6:9), Heb 7:20–21, and Ps 110:4 (109:4 LXX). “Other than the Father in being and in subject” (ἕτερος κατʼ οὐσίαν καὶ ὑποκείμενον) and “one who is begotten” (γεννητός, which in Origen's time was often not distinguished from γενητός, “originated”) are Origen's terms, written before the fourth-century controversies fixed the language of the Trinity; the Council of Nicaea (325) later confessed the Son “of one being” (ὁμοούσιος) with the Father. Origen's view that prayer strictly so called is addressed only to the Father was not generally followed; he himself allows thanksgiving, intercession, and supplication to Christ (14.6). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 15.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/15/1/). ## On Prayer 15.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/15/2/ - Source: Koetschau 2:334–335 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Prayer is to be addressed to the Father, but always through and in the name of Jesus, as he taught. ### Greek text εὐχαριστοῦντες οὖν οἱ ἅγιοι ἐν ταῖς προσευχαῖς ἑαυτῶν τῷ θεῷ διὰ χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ χάριτας ὁμολογοῦσιν αὐτῷ. ὥσπερ δὲ τὸν ἀκριβοῦντα τὸ προσεύχεσθαι οὐ χρὴ τῷ εὐχομένῳ προσεύχεσθαι ἀλλὰ τῷ ὃν ἐδίδαξεν ἐπὶ τῶν εὐχῶν καλεῖν πατρὶ ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς, οὕτως οὐ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ προσευχήν τινα προσενεκτέον τῷ πατρὶ, ὡς αὐτὸς τοῦτο παραδείκνυσι σαφῶς οὕτω λέγων· „ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἄν τι αἰτήσητε τὸν πατέρα μου, δώσει ὑμῖν ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου. ἕως ἄρτι οὐκ ᾐτήσατε οὐδὲν ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου· αἰτεῖτε, καὶ λήψεσθε, ἵνα ἡ χαρὰ ὑμῶν ᾖ πεπληρωμένη.“ οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν· „αἰτεῖτέ“ με οὐδὲ „αἰτεῖτε“ „τὸν πατέρα“ ἁπλῶς ἀλλά· „ἐάν τι αἰτήσητε τὸν πατέρα, δώσει ὑμῖν ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου.“ ἕως γὰρ ἐδίδαξε ταῦτα ὁ Ἰησοῦς, οὐδεὶς ᾐτήκει „τὸν πατέρα“ „ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι“ τοῦ υἱοῦ· καὶ ἀληθὲς ἦν ὑπὸ Ἰησοῦ λεγόμενον τὸ „ἕως ἄρτι οὐκ ᾐτήσατε οὐδὲν ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου.“ ἀληθὲς δὲ καὶ τὸ „αἰτεῖτε, καὶ λήψεσθε. ἵνα ἡ χαρὰ ὑμῶν ᾖ πεπληρωμένη.“ ### English translation (Claude) So the saints, giving thanks in their prayers to God through Christ Jesus, acknowledge their gratitude to him. And just as one who is exact about prayer ought not to pray to the one who prays, but to the Father whom our Lord Jesus taught us to call upon in prayer, so no prayer should be offered to the Father without him, as he himself clearly shows when he says: “Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything, he will give it to you in my name. Until now you have asked nothing in my name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” For he did not say, “Ask me,” nor simply “Ask the Father,” but, “If you ask the Father for anything, he will give it to you in my name.” For until Jesus taught these things, no one had asked “the Father” “in the name” of the Son; and what Jesus said was true, “Until now you have asked nothing in my name.” And true also is, “Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” ### Scripture references - John 16:23: quotation, high confidence - John 16:24: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are John 16:23–24. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 15.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/15/2/). ## On Prayer 15.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/15/3/ - Source: Koetschau 2:335 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: To the objection that angels are told to worship Christ, Origen answers that Scripture also says kings will bow down to the church, so worship in this sense is not the same as prayer. ### Greek text ἐὰν δέ τις, οἰόμενος δεῖν αὐτῷ τῷ Χριστῷ προσεύχεσθαι, συγχεόμενος ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐκ τοῦ προσκυνεῖν σημαινομένου προσάγῃ ἡμῖν τὸ „προσκυνησάτωσαν αὐτῷ πάντες ἄγγελοι θεοῦ, “ ὁμολογουμένως ἐν τῷ Δευτερονομίῳ περὶ Χριστοῦ εἰρημένον, λεκτέον πρὸς αὐτὸν ὅτι καὶ ἡ ἐκκλησία Ἱερουσαλὴμ παρὰ τοῦ προφήτου ὀνομαζομένη προσκυνεῖσθαι ὑπὸ βασιλέων καὶ ἀρχουσῶν, γινομένων τιθηνῶν αὐτῆς καὶ τροφῶν, λέγεται διὰ τούτων· „ἰδοὺ αἴρω εἰς τὰ ἔθνη τὴν χεῖρά μου, καὶ εἰς τὰς νήσους ἀρῶ σύσσημόν μου· καὶ ἄξουσι τοὺς υἱούς σου ἐν κόλπῳ, τὰς δὲ θυγατέρας σου ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων ἀροῦσι· καὶ ἔσονται βασιλεῖς τιθηνοί σου, αἱ δὲ ἄρχουσαι αὐτῶν τροφοί σου· ἐπὶ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς προσκυνήσουσί (σοι), καὶ τὸν χοῦν τῶν ποδῶν σου λείξουσι· καὶ γνώσῃ ὅτι ἐγὼ κύριος καὶ οὐκ αἰσχυνθήσῃ.“ ### English translation (Claude) But if someone, thinking that one ought to pray to Christ himself, and confusing this with what is meant by worship, should bring against us the words, “Let all the angels of God worship him,” admittedly spoken in Deuteronomy about Christ, we must say to him that the church too, called Jerusalem by the prophet, is said to be worshiped by kings and princesses, who become her nursing fathers and nurses, in these words: “Behold, I lift up my hand to the nations, and to the islands I will raise my signal; and they will bring your sons in their bosom, and carry your daughters on their shoulders; and kings shall be your nursing fathers, and their princesses your nurses; with their faces to the earth they will worship you, and lick the dust of your feet; and you shall know that I am the Lord, and you shall not be ashamed.” ### Scripture references - Deut 32:43: quotation, high confidence - Heb 1:6: allusion, high confidence - Isa 49:22: quotation, high confidence - Isa 49:23: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Deut 32:43 (LXX; quoted of Christ in Heb 1:6) and Isa 49:22–23. The same Greek verb προσκυνέω means “worship” and “bow down before.” ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 15.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/15/3/). ## On Prayer 15.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/15/4/ - Source: Koetschau 2:335–336 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Origen imagines Christ saying: do not pray to me but to the Father, through me as your High Priest and brother. ### Greek text πῶς δὲ οὐκ ἔστι κατὰ τὸν εἰπόντα· „τί με λέγεις ἀγαθόν; οὐδεὶς ἀγαθὸς εἰ μὴ εἷς ὁ θεὸς, ὁ πατὴρ“ εἰπεῖν ἄν· τί ἐμοὶ προσεύχῃ; μόνῳ τῷ πατρὶ προσεύχεσθαι χρὴ, ᾧ κἀγὼ προσεύχομαι· ὅπερ διὰ τῶν ἁγίων γραφῶν μανθάνετε. ἀρχιερεῖ γὰρ τῷ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν κατασταθέντι ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ παρακλήτῳ ἀπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς εἶναι λαβόντι εὔχεσθαι ὑμᾶς οὐ δεῖ ἀλλὰ διʼ ἀρχιερέως καὶ παρακλήτου, δυναμένου συμπαθεῖν „ταῖς ἀσθενείαις ὑμῶν, “ πεπειρασμένου „κατὰ πάντα“ ὁμοίως ὑμῖν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν δωρησάμενόν μοι πατέρα πεπειρασμένου „χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας.“ μάθετε οὖν, ὅσην δωρεὰν ἀπὸ τοῦ πατρός μου εἰλήφατε, διὰ τῆς ἐν ἐμοὶ ἀναγεννήσεως τὸ τῆς „υἱοθεσίας πνεῦμα“ ἀπειληφότες, ἵνα χρηματίσητε „υἱοὶ θεοῦ“ ἀδελφοὶ δὲ ἐμοῦ. ἀνέγνωτε γὰρ τὴν διὰ τοῦ Δαυῒδ ὑπʼ ἐμοῦ εἰρημένην περὶ ὑμῶν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα φωνήν· „ἀπαγγελῶ τὸ ὄνομά σου τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου, ἐν μέσῳ ἐκκλησίας ὑμνήσω σε.“ ἀδελφῷ δὲ προσεύχεσθαι τοὺς κατηξιωμένους ἑνὸς αὐτῶν πατρὸς οὐκ ἔστιν εὔλογον· μόνῳ γὰρ τῷ πατρὶ μετʼ ἐμοῦ καὶ διʼ ἐμοῦ ἀναπεμπτέον ἐστὶν ὑμῖν προσευχήν. ### English translation (Claude) And how would he not say, like the one who said, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but one, God the Father”: “Why do you pray to me? You must pray to the Father alone, to whom I too pray; which you learn through the holy Scriptures. For you must not pray to the High Priest appointed for you by the Father, who has received from the Father the office of advocate, but through the High Priest and Advocate, who is able to sympathize ‘with your weaknesses,’ having been tempted ‘in every respect’ as you are, but, because of the Father who has granted it to me, tempted ‘without sin.’ Learn, then, how great a gift you have received from my Father, having received through your rebirth in me ‘the spirit of adoption,’ so that you may be called ‘sons of God’ and my brothers. For you have read the words spoken by me through David to the Father about you: ‘I will declare your name to my brothers; in the midst of the assembly I will sing your praise.’ And it is not reasonable for those counted worthy of one Father to pray to a brother; for you must send up prayer to the Father alone, with me and through me.” ### Scripture references - Mark 10:18: quotation, high confidence - Luke 18:19: allusion, medium confidence - 1 John 2:1: echo, low confidence - Heb 4:15: quotation, high confidence - Rom 8:15: quotation, high confidence - Rom 8:14: allusion, medium confidence - Ps 22:22 (21:23 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Heb 2:12: quotation, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The words in quotation marks are Origen's imagined speech of Christ. The quotations are Mark 10:18 (Luke 18:19; “the Father” added), Heb 4:15, Rom 8:15 and 8:14, and Ps 22:22 (21:23 LXX; Heb 2:12). Origen's teaching that prayer should be addressed to the Father alone, through the Son, is his own position (see the note on 15.1). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 15.4 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/15/4/). ## On Prayer 16.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/16/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:336 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Christians should not be divided by praying some to the Father and some to the Son, but should pray to God through Christ, serving him out of love rather than fear. ### Greek text Ταῦτʼ οὖν λέγοντος ἀκούοντες Ἰησοῦ τῷ θεῷ διʼ αὐτοῦ εὐχώμεθα, τὸ αὐτὸ λέγοντες πάντες μηδὲ περὶ τοῦ τρόπου τῆς εὐχῆς σχιζόμενοι. ἢ οὐχὶ σχιζόμεθα, ἐὰν οἱ μὲν τῷ πατρὶ οἱ δὲ τῷ υἱῷ εὐχώμεθα, ἰδιωτικὴν ἁμαρτίαν κατὰ πολλὴν ἀκεραιότητα διὰ τὸ ἀβασάνιστον καὶ ἀνεξέταστον ἁμαρτανόντων τῶν προσευχομένων τῷ υἱῷ, εἴτε μετὰ τοῦ πατρὸς εἴτε χωρὶς τοῦ πατρός; προσευχώμεθα τοίνυν ὡς θεῷ ἐντυγχάνωμεν δὲ ὡς πατρὶ δεώμεθα δὲ ὡς κυρίου εὐχαριστῶμεν δὲ ὡς θεῷ καὶ πατρὶ καὶ κυρίῳ, οὐ πάντως δούλου ὄντι κυρίῳ· ὁ γὰρ „πατὴρ“ εὐλόγως ἂν νομισθείη τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ κύριος καὶ τῶν διʼ αὐτὸν γενομένων υἱῶν κύριος· ὥσπερ δὲ „οὐκ ἔστι θεὸς νεκρῶν ἀλλὰ ζώντων, “ οὕτως οὐκ ἔστι κύριος ἀγενῶν δούλων ἀλλὰ τῶν κατὰ μὲν τὰς ἀρχὰς φόβῳ διὰ τὴν νηπιότητα ἐξευγενιζομένων μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα κατὰ τὴν ἀγάπην μακαριωτέραν τῆς ἐν φόβῳ δουλείαν δουλευόντων· εἰσὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ μόνῳ τῷ καρδίας βλέποντι χαρακτῆρες φανεροὶ δούλων θεοῦ καὶ υἱῶν αὐτοῦ. ### English translation (Claude) Hearing Jesus say this, then, let us pray to God through him, all saying the same thing and not being divided about the manner of prayer. Or are we not divided, if some of us pray to the Father and some to the Son? Those who pray to the Son, whether with the Father or without the Father, commit a sin of simple people through great simplicity, because they have not tested or examined the matter. Let us pray, then, as to God; let us intercede as to a Father; let us make supplication as to a Lord; let us give thanks as to God and Father and Lord—though not by any means the Lord of a slave. For the Father might reasonably be thought both Lord of the Son and Lord of those who have become sons through him; but just as “he is not the God of the dead but of the living,” so he is not the Lord of ignoble slaves, but of those who at first, because of their infancy, are ennobled by fear, but afterwards serve with a service according to love, more blessed than that in fear. For there are clear marks in the soul, visible only to him who sees hearts, of the servants of God and of his sons. ### Scripture references - 1 Cor 1:10: allusion, high confidence - Matt 22:32: quotation, high confidence - 1 John 4:18: allusion, medium confidence - Rom 8:15: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Sam 16:7: echo, low confidence - Acts 7:59: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The allusions are 1 Cor 1:10, Matt 22:32, 1 John 4:18 and Rom 8:15 (fear and love), and 1 Sam 16:7. Origen's judgment that praying to the Son is a “sin of simple people” reflects his distinctive view on prayer, which the later church did not adopt; the church has prayed to Christ from early times (e.g. Acts 7:59). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 16.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/16/1/). ## On Prayer 16.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/16/2/ - Source: Koetschau 2:336–337 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Bodily blessings follow spiritual gifts like a shadow follows a body; God gives the spiritual gifts, and the earthly ones come with them. ### Greek text πᾶς τοιγαροῦν ὁ „τὰ ἐπίγεια“ καὶ „μικρὰ“ αἰτῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ παρακούει τοῦ ἐντειλαμένου „ἐπουράνια“ καὶ „μεγάλα“ αἰτεῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ μηδὲν ἐπίγειον μηδὲ μικρὸν χαρίζεσθαι ἐπισταμένου θεοῦ. ἐὰν δέ τις ἀνθυποφέρῃ τὰ κατὰ τὸ σωματικὸν ἐκ προσευχῆς τοῖς ἁγίοις δωρηθέντα ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου φωνὴν, διδάσκοντος „τὰ ἐπίγεια“ ἡμῖν προστίθεσθαι καὶ „τὰ μικρὰ, “ ἀπαντητέον πρὸς αὐτὸν ὅτι, ὥσπερ οὐ λεκτέον, δωρουμένου τινὸς ἡμῖν ὅ τι δή ποτε σῶμα, ὅτι ὁ δεῖνα τὴν σκιὰν ἡμῖν τοῦ σώματος ἐδωρήσατο (οὐ γὰρ προθέμενος δύο τινὰ χαρίσασθαι, σῶμα καὶ σκιὰν, δέδωκε τὸ σῶμα. ἀλλʼ ἡ πρόθεσις τοῦ διδόντος ἐστὶ διδόναι σῶμα, ἐπακολουθεῖ δὲ τῇ δόσει τοῦ σώματος καὶ τὸ τὴν σκιὰν αὐτοῦ ἡμᾶς λαβεῖν), οὕτως, εἰ μεγαλοφυεστέρῳ γενομένῳ ἡμῶν τῷ νῷ κατανοήσαιμεν τὰς προηγουμένως ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῖν διδομένας δωρεὰς. οἰκειότατα ἐροῦμεν παρακολουθήματα τῶν μεγάλων καὶ ἐπουρανίων πνευματικῶν χαρισμάτων εἶναι τὰ σωματικὰ, „ἑκάστῳ“ διδόμενα τῶν ἁγίων „πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον“ ἢ „κατʼ ἀναλογίαν τῆς πίστεως“ ἢ „καθὼς βούλεται“ ὁ διδούς· βούλεται δὲ σοφῶς, εἰ καὶ ἡμεῖς μὴ δυνάμεθα ἑκάστῳ τῶν διδομένων αἰτίαν καὶ λόγον ἄξιον τοῦ διδόντος εἰπεῖν. ### English translation (Claude) Everyone, therefore, who asks God for “earthly” and “small” things disobeys the one who commanded us to ask for “heavenly” and “great” things from God, who knows how to grant nothing earthly or small. And if someone objects with the bodily gifts given to the saints in answer to prayer, and also with the saying of the gospel that teaches that “earthly” and “small” things are added to us, we must answer him thus. Just as, when someone gives us some body, it must not be said that so-and-so has given us the shadow of the body (for he did not intend to grant two things, a body and a shadow, when he gave the body; the intention of the giver is to give a body, but along with the gift of the body it follows that we also receive its shadow); so, if with a mind grown nobler we consider the gifts given us by God in the principal sense, we shall say that bodily things are most fittingly consequences of the great and heavenly spiritual gifts, given “to each” of the saints “for the common good,” or “in proportion to faith,” or “as” the giver “wills.” And he wills wisely, even if we cannot give, for each of the gifts, a cause and reason worthy of the giver. ### Scripture references - 1 Cor 12:7: quotation, high confidence - Rom 12:6: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 12:11: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The allusions are to the unwritten saying of Jesus quoted in 2.2 and 14.1, and to 1 Cor 12:7, Rom 12:6, and 1 Cor 12:11. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 16.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/16/2/). ## On Prayer 16.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/16/3/ - Source: Koetschau 2:337–338 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The answered prayers of Hannah, Hezekiah, Esther, Judith, the three youths, Daniel, and Jonah were more spiritual than bodily deliverances. ### Greek text μᾶλλον οὖν κεκαρποφορήκει ἀπό τινος στειρώσεως μεταβαλοῦσα ἡ τῆς Ἄννης ψυχὴ ἤπερ τὸ σῶμα, κυῆσαν τὸν Σαμουήλ· καὶ μᾶλλον ὁ Ἐζεκίας θεῖα γεγεννήκει τέκνα νοῦ ἤπερ σώματος, ἐκ τοῦ σωματικοῦ σπέρματος αὐτῶν γεγεννημένων· ἐπὶ πλεῖόν τε ἀπὸ νοητῶν ἐπιβουλῶν ῥυσθέντες ἐτύγχανον Ἐσθὴρ καὶ Μαρδοχαῖος καὶ ὁ λαὸς ἤπερ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἀμὰν καὶ τῶν συμπνεόντων... τοῦ διαφθεῖραι τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτῆς θέλοντος ἄρχοντος τὴν δύναμιν διακεκόφει ἢ ἐκείνου τοῦ Ὀλοφέρνου. τίς δʼ οὐκ ἂν ὁμολογήσαι τῷ Ἀνανίᾳ καὶ τοῖς σὺν αὐτῷ τὴν νοητὴν εὐλογίαν φθάνουσαν ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς ἁγίους, εἰρημένην ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰσαὰκ τῷ Ἰακὼβ, τήν· „δῴη σοι ὁ θεὸς ἀπὸ τῆς δρόσου τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, “ ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἐγγεγονέναι ἤπερ τὴν σωματικὴν δρόσον. τὴν φλόγα νικῶσαν τοῦ Ναβουχοδονόσορ; μᾶλλον δὲ πεφίμωντο τῷ προφήτῃ Δανιὴλ οἱ ἀόρατοι λέοντες, οὐδὲν ἐνεργῆσαι δυνάμενοι κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ, ἤπερ οἱ αἰσθητοὶ, περὶ ὧν πάντες οἱ ἐντυγχάνοντες αὐτῇ τῇ γραφῇ ἐξειλήφαμεν. τίς δʼ οὕτως ἐκπεφεύγει τοῦ κεχειρωμένου ὑπὸ τῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ σωτῆρι ἡμῶν κήτους τὴν γαστέρα, πάντα τὸν φυγάδα τοῦ θεοῦ καταπίνοντος, ὡς Ἰωνᾶς χωρητικὸς γινόμενος ὡς ἅγιος ἁγίου πνεύματος; ### English translation (Claude) So it was the soul of Hannah, changed from a kind of barrenness, that bore fruit, more than her body when it conceived Samuel; and Hezekiah begot divine children of the mind more than of the body, though these were born of his bodily seed; and Esther and Mordecai and the people were delivered more from spiritual plots than from Haman and those who conspired with him … she cut down the power of the ruler who wished to destroy her soul, more than that of the famous Holofernes. And who would not acknowledge that the spiritual blessing that reaches all the saints, spoken by Isaac to Jacob, “May God give you of the dew of heaven,” came to Ananias and his companions more than the bodily dew that overcame the flame of Nebuchadnezzar? And the invisible lions were muzzled for the prophet Daniel, unable to do anything against his soul, more than the visible ones of whom all we who read that Scripture have understood. And who has so escaped from the belly of the sea monster subdued by Jesus our Savior, which swallows every fugitive from God, as Jonah did, who as a saint became capable of receiving the Holy Spirit? ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 1:20: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 27:28: quotation, high confidence - Dan 3:27: allusion, medium confidence - Dan 6:22: allusion, high confidence - Jonah 2:10: allusion, high confidence - Job 41:1: echo, low confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Jdt 13:8 (Judith): allusion, medium confidence - Pr Azar 27 (Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Young Men): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - There is a gap in the manuscript after the mention of Haman (marked “…”); the following words refer to Judith. The quotation is Gen 27:28; the allusions are 1 Sam 1, 2 Kgs 20, Esther, Jdt 13, Dan 3 and 6, and Jonah 2; the sea monster subdued by Jesus alludes to Job 41:1 (40:25 LXX). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 16.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/16/3/). ## On Prayer 17.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/17/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:338–339 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Like shadows that vary with the sun's position, earthly blessings may or may not accompany spiritual gifts; the one who has the light does not care about the shadow. ### Greek text Οὐ θαυμαστὸν δὲ εἰ μὲν πᾶσιν ὁμοίως τοῖς λαμβάνουσιν, ἵνʼ οὕτως εἴπω, τὰ ποιητικὰ τῶν τοιούτων σκιῶν σώματα ἡ ὁμοία οὐ δίδοται σκιὰ, τισὶ δʼ ὁμοίως δίδοται σκιά. τοῦτο γὰρ τοῖς θεωροῦσι τὰ γνωμονικὰ προβλήματα καὶ τὸν τῶν σκιῶν πρὸς τὸ φωτίζον σῶμα λόγον σαφῶς. παρίσταται συμβαῖνον καὶ κατὰ τὰ σώματα· τισὶ γοῦν ἄσκιοί εἰσιν οἱ γνώμονες καιρῷ τινι, ἑτέροις δὲ. ἵνʼ οὕτως εἴπω, βραχύσκιοι καὶ ἑτέροις παρʼ ἑτέρους μακροσκιώτεροι. οὐ μέγα τοίνυν εἰ, τῆς προθέσεως τοῦ δωρουμένου τὰ προηγούμενα χαριζομένης κατά τινας ἀναλογίας ἀποῤῥήτους καὶ μυστικὰς ἁρμοζόντως τοῖς λαμβάνουσι καὶ τοῖς χρόνοις, ὅτε δίδοται τὰ προηγούμενα, ὁτὲ μὲν οὐδʼ ὅλως αἱ σκιαὶ τοῖς λαμβάνουσιν ἕπονται ὁτὲ δὲ οὐ πάντων ἀλλὰ ὀλίγων ὁτὲ δὲ ἐλάττους συγκρίσει ἑτέρων, μειζόνων ἄλλοις ἐπακολουθουσῶν. ὥσπερ οὖν τὸν ζητοῦντα τὰς ἡλιακὰς ἀκτῖνας οὔτε παροῦσα οὔτε ἀποῦσα ἡ τῶν σωμάτων σκιὰ εὐφραίνει ἢ λυπεῖ, ἔχοντα τὸ ἀναγκαιότατον, ἐπὰν πεφωτισμένος ἤτοι ἐστερημένος ᾖ τῆς σκιᾶς ἢ πλεῖον ἢ ἔλαττον ἔχῃ τῆς σκιᾶς· οὕτως ἂν παρῇ ἡμῖν τὰ πνευματικὰ καὶ φωτιζώμεθα ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ πρὸς τὴν παντελῆ κτῆσιν τῶν ἀληθινῶν ἀγαθῶν, οὐ μικρολογήσομεν περὶ εὐτελοῦς πράγματος τοῦ κατὰ τὴν σκιάν. πάντα γὰρ τὰ ὑλικὰ καὶ τὰ σωματικὰ, ὁποῖά ποτε ἂν τυγχάνῃ, σκιᾶς ἀμενηνοῦ καὶ ἀδρανοῦς ἔχει λόγον, οὐδαμῶς δυνάμενα παραβάλλεσθαι πρὸς τὰς σωτηρίους τοῦ θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων καὶ ἁγίας δωρεάς. ποία γὰρ σύγκρισις σωματικοῦ πλούτου πρὸς τὸν „ἐν παντὶ λόγῳ“ πλοῦτον „καὶ πάσῃ“ σοφίᾳ; τίς δʼ ἂν μὴ μαινόμενος παραβάλοι ὑγείαν σαρκῶν καὶ ὀστέων πρὸς ὑγιαίνοντα νοῦν καὶ ἐῤῥωμένην ψυχὴν καὶ συμμέτρους λογισμούς; ἅτινα πάντα λόγῳ ῥυθμιζόμενα θεοῦ εὐτελῆ τινα ἀμυχὴν, καὶ εἴ τι ἀμυχῆς βραχύτερον νομίζομεν. ποιεῖ τὰ σωματικὰ παθήματα. ### English translation (Claude) It is no wonder if, of all who receive the bodies, so to speak, that produce such shadows, the same shadow is not given to all alike, but to some alike. For to those who study the problems of sundials and the relation of shadows to the illuminating body, it is clearly shown that this happens also with bodies: for some, at a certain time, the pointers cast no shadow, for others, so to speak, short shadows, and for others longer shadows than for others. It is no great matter, then, if, since the intention of the giver grants the principal gifts according to certain secret and mystical proportions, fitting for those who receive them and for the times when the principal gifts are given, sometimes no shadows at all follow for the recipients, sometimes not for all but for a few, sometimes smaller in comparison with others, while greater follow for others. Just as, then, the presence or absence of the shadow of bodies neither pleases nor grieves one who seeks the sun's rays, since he has what is most necessary once he is illuminated, whether he is without shadow or has more or less of it; so, if spiritual things are present to us and we are illuminated by God for the complete possession of the true goods, we shall not quibble about the paltry matter of the shadow. For all material and bodily things, whatever they may be, have the character of a feeble and powerless shadow, and can in no way be compared with the saving and holy gifts of the God of all. For what comparison is there between bodily wealth and wealth “in all speech and all” wisdom? And who, unless mad, would compare health of flesh and bones with a healthy mind, a strong soul, and well-proportioned thoughts? When all these are ordered by the Word of God, bodily sufferings make only a trifling scratch, or whatever we think smaller than a scratch. ### Scripture references - 1 Cor 1:5: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The allusion is 1 Cor 1:5. The image of sundials: at certain latitudes and times the pointer (gnomon) casts no shadow. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 17.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/17/1/). ## On Prayer 17.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/17/2/ - Source: Koetschau 2:339–340 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Whoever has glimpsed the soul's true beauty, the unshakable kingdom, and the heavenly powers will despise earthly beauty, rank, and power, and pray for heavenly things. ### Greek text ὁ δὲ κατανοήσας τί ποτʼ ᾖ τὸ κάλλος τῆς νύμφης, ἧς ὁ „νυμφίος“ λόγος ὢν θεοῦ ἐρᾷ. ψυχῆς τυγχανούσης ἀνθούσης ὑπερουρανίῳ καὶ ὑπερκοσμίῳ κάλλει, αἰδεσθήσεται κἂν τῷ αὐτῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ κάλλους τιμῆσαι σωματικὸν κάλλος γυναικὸς ἢ παιδὸς ἢ ἀνδρός· τὸ γὰρ κυρίως κάλλος σὰρξ οὐ χωρεῖ. πᾶσα τυγχάνουσα αἶσχος. „πᾶσα“ γὰρ „σὰρξ ὡς χόρτος, “ καὶ ἡ „δόξα“ αὐτῆς, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἐμφαινομένη τῷ λεγομένῳ κάλλει γυναικῶν καὶ παιδίων, ἄνθει κατὰ τὸν προφητικὸν παραβέβληται λόγον, λέγοντα· „πᾶσα σὰρξ ὡς χόρτος, καὶ πᾶσα δόξα αὐτῆς ὡς ἄνθος χόρτου. ἐξηράνθη ὁ χόρτος, καὶ τὸ ἄνθος ἐξέπεσε· τὸ δὲ ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.“ ἀλλὰ καὶ εὐγένειαν τίς ἔτι κυρίως ὀνομάσει τὴν τετριμμένην λέγεσθαι παρὰ ἀνθρώποις, νοήσας εὐγένειαν υἱῶν θεοῦ; „βασιλείαν“ δὲ Χριστοῦ „ἀσάλευτον“ θεωρήσας ὁ νοῦς πῶς οὐ καταφρονήσει ὡς οὐδενὸς λόγου ἀξίας πάσης τῆς ἐπὶ γῆς βασιλείας; στρατιάν τε ἀγγέλων καὶ ἀρχιστρατήγους ἐν αὐτοῖς δυνάμεων κυρίου ἀρχαγγέλους τε καὶ θρόνους καὶ κυριότητας καὶ ἀρχὰς καὶ ἐξουσίας ὑπερουρανίους, ὡς χωρεῖ ὁ ἔτι δεδεμένος σώματι ἀνθρώπινος νοῦς, κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν τρανῶς ἰδὼν καὶ κατειληφὼς δύνασθαι ἰσοτίμου παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκείνοις τυχεῖν, πῶς οὐχὶ, κἂν σκιᾶς ἀδρανέστερος ᾖ, καὶ τούτων τῶν παρὰ τοῖς ἀνοήτοις θαυμαζομένων ὡς ἀμαυροτάτων καὶ οὐδενὸς λόγου ἀξίων συγκρίσει καταφρονῶν. κἂν διδῶται ταῦτα πάντα. ὑπερόψεται ὑπὲρ τοῦ τῶν ἀληθινῶν ἀρχῶν καὶ θειοτέρων ἐξουσιῶν μὴ ἀποτυχεῖν; εὐκτέον τοίνυν, εὐκτέον περὶ τῶν προηγουμένως καὶ ἀληθῶς μεγάλων καὶ ἐπουρανίων. καὶ τὰ περὶ τῶν ἐπακολουθουσῶν σκιῶν τοῖς προηγουμένοις θεῷ ἐπιτρεπτέον, τῷ ἐπισταμένῳ „ὧν χρείαν“ διὰ τὸ ἐπίκηρον σῶμα ἔχομεν „πρὸ τοῦ“ ἡμᾶς „αἰτῆσαι αὐτόν.“ ### English translation (Claude) And whoever has considered what the beauty is of the bride whom the “bridegroom,” being the Word of God, loves—the soul blossoming with a beauty above heaven and above the world—will be ashamed to honor with the same name of beauty the bodily beauty of a woman or a child or a man. For flesh does not contain beauty in the proper sense, being all ugliness. For “all flesh is as grass,” and its “glory,” which appears in what is called the beauty of women and children, is compared to a flower according to the prophetic word, which says: “All flesh is as grass, and all its glory as the flower of grass. The grass withered and the flower fell; but the word of the Lord abides for ever.” And who will still properly call nobility what is commonly so called among men, when he has understood the nobility of the sons of God? And how will the mind that has contemplated the “unshakable kingdom” of Christ not despise every earthly kingdom as worth nothing? And having seen clearly, as far as a human mind still bound to a body can, and grasped the army of angels, and among them the chief captains of the Lord's hosts, and archangels and thrones and dominions and rulers and authorities above the heavens, and that it is possible to obtain from the Father equal honor with them, how will he not despise these things admired by the foolish as most obscure and worth nothing in comparison, even if he is feebler than a shadow, and, even if all these were given, disregard them so as not to fail to obtain the true rulers and more divine authorities? We must pray, then, we must pray for the things that are principally and truly great and heavenly; and the matter of the shadows that follow the principal things must be entrusted to God, who knows “what” we “need” because of our perishable body “before” we “ask him.” ### Scripture references - John 3:29: allusion, medium confidence - Isa 40:6: quotation, high confidence - Isa 40:7: quotation, high confidence - Isa 40:8: quotation, high confidence - 1 Pet 1:24: quotation, medium confidence - 1 Pet 1:25: quotation, medium confidence - Heb 12:28: quotation, high confidence - Josh 5:14: allusion, medium confidence - Col 1:16: allusion, high confidence - Eph 1:21: allusion, medium confidence - Luke 20:36: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 6:8: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations and allusions are John 3:29, Isa 40:6–8 (1 Pet 1:24–25), Heb 12:28, Josh 5:14, Col 1:16 (with Eph 1:21), Luke 20:36 (equal honor with the angels), and Matt 6:8. The bride is the soul loved by the Word, an image Origen develops in his Commentary on the Song of Songs. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 17.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/17/2/). ## On Prayer 18.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/18/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:340 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Having treated prayer in general, Origen turns to the Lord's Prayer. ### Greek text Αὐτάρκως δὴ ἐν τούτοις, κατὰ τὴν δεδομένην χάριν, ὡς κεχωρήκαμεν, ὑπὸ θεοῦ διὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ (ἀλλʼ εἴθε καὶ ἐν ἁγίῳ πνεύματι, ὅπερ εἰ οὕτως ἔχει, κρινεῖτε ἐντυγχάνοντες τῇ γραφῇ) ἡμῖν εἰρημένοις, ἐξετάσαντες τὸ περὶ εὐχῆς πρόβλημα, ἤδη καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν ἑξῆς ἆθλον ἐλευσόμεθα, τὴν ὑπογραφεῖσαν ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου προσευχὴν, ὅσης δυνάμεως πεπλήρωται, θεωρῆσαι βουλόμενοι. ### English translation (Claude) Having said enough on these matters, according to the grace given us by God through his Christ, as far as we were able (and would that it were also in the Holy Spirit; whether it is so, you will judge when you read this treatise), and having examined the problem of prayer, we shall now come to the next contest, wishing to consider the prayer outlined by the Lord and with how much power it is filled. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 18.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/18/1/). ## On Prayer 18.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/18/2/ - Source: Koetschau 2:340 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Origen sets out the Lord's Prayer as given in Matthew and in Luke. ### Greek text καὶ πρὸ πάντων γε παρατηρητέον ὅτι ὁ Ματθαῖος καὶ ὁ Λουκᾶς δόξαιεν ἂν τοῖς πολλοῖς τὴν αὐτὴν ἀναγεγραφέναι ὑποτετυπωμένην πρὸς τὸ δεῖν οὕτως προσεύχεσθαι προσευχήν. ἔχουσι δὲ αἱ λέξεις τοῦ μὲν Ματθαίου τὸν τρόπον τοῦτον· „πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου· ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου· γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον· καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν, ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφήκαμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν· καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμὸν, ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ, “ τοῦ δὲ Λουκᾶ οὕτως· „πάτερ, ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου· ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου· τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δίδου ἡμῖν τὸ καθʼ ἡμέραν· καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν, καὶ γὰρ αὐτοὶ ἀφίεμεν παντὶ τῷ ὀφείλοντι ἡμῖν· καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν.“ ### English translation (Claude) And first of all it must be observed that Matthew and Luke would seem to most people to have recorded the same prayer, given as a pattern of how we ought to pray. Matthew's words run thus: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name; your kingdom come; your will be done, as in heaven so also on earth; give us today our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors; and do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Luke's thus: “Father, hallowed be your name; your kingdom come; give us each day our daily bread; and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us; and do not bring us into temptation.” ### Scripture references - Matt 6:9: quotation, high confidence - Matt 6:10: quotation, high confidence - Matt 6:11: quotation, high confidence - Matt 6:12: quotation, high confidence - Matt 6:13: quotation, high confidence - Luke 11:2: quotation, high confidence - Luke 11:3: quotation, high confidence - Luke 11:4: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Matt 6:9–13 and Luke 11:2–4. “Daily” renders ἐπιούσιον, whose meaning Origen discusses in chapter 27. “The evil one” (τοῦ πονηροῦ) may also be translated “evil.” ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 18.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/18/2/). ## On Prayer 18.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/18/3/ - Source: Koetschau 2:340–341 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 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 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 translation (Claude) 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. ### Scripture references - Matt 5:1: quotation, high confidence - Matt 5:2: quotation, high confidence - Luke 11:1: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Matt 5:1–2 and Luke 11:1. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 18.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/18/3/). ## On Prayer 19.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/19/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:341 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Before the Lord's Prayer Jesus warns against praying to be seen, like the hypocrites, or babbling, like the Gentiles. ### Greek text Ἐπεὶ δὲ, ὡς ἐν τοῖς ἀνωτέροις εἰρήκαμεν, πρῶτον δεῖ καταστῆναί πως καὶ διατεθῆναι τὸν προσευχόμενον εἶθʼ οὕτως εὔξασθαι, ἴδωμεν πρὸ τῆς ἐγκειμένης προσευχῆς παρὰ τῷ Ματθαίῳ τοὺς περὶ αὐτῆς ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἀπηγγελμένους (λόγους), οἵτινες οὕτως ἔχουσιν· „ὅταν προσεύχησθε, οὐκ ἔσεσθε ὥσπερ οἱ ὑποκριταί· ὅτι φιλοῦσιν ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς καὶ ἐν ταῖς γωνίαις τῶν πλατειῶν ἑστῶτες προσεύχεσθαι. ὅπως φανῶσι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι ἀπέχουσι τὸν μισθὸν αὐτῶν. σὺ δὲ ὅταν προσεύχῃ, εἴσελθε εἰς τὸ ταμεῖόν σου καὶ κλείσας τὴν θύραν σου πρόσευξαι τῷ πατρί σου τῷ ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ, καὶ ὁ πατήρ σου ὁ βλέπων σε ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ ἀποδώσει σοι. προσευχόμενοι δὲ μὴ βαττολογήσητε ὥσπερ οἱ ἐθνικοί· δοκοῦσι γὰρ ὅτι ἐν τῇ πολυλογίᾳ αὐτῶν εἰσακουσθήσονται. μὴ οὖν ὁμοιωθῆτε αὐτοῖς· οἶδε γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὧν χρείαν ἔχετε πρὸ τοῦ ὑμᾶς αἰτῆσαι αὐτόν. οὕτως οὖν προσεύχεσθε ὑμεῖς.“ ### English translation (Claude) Since, as we have said above, the one who prays must first be settled and disposed in a certain way and then pray, let us look, before the prayer found in Matthew, at the words spoken about it by our Savior, which run thus: “When you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room and shut your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees you in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not babble as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, then; for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this.” ### Scripture references - Matt 6:5: quotation, high confidence - Matt 6:6: quotation, high confidence - Matt 6:7: quotation, high confidence - Matt 6:8: quotation, high confidence - Matt 6:9: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotation is Matt 6:5–9. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 19.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/19/1/). ## On Prayer 19.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/19/2/ - Source: Koetschau 2:341–342 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jesus condemns praying for human glory; those who pray or give to be seen already have their reward, as the rich man had his good things in this life. ### Greek text πολλαχοῦ τοίνυν φαίνεται ὁ σωτὴρ ἡμῶν ἐνιστάμενος ὡς πρὸς ὀλέθριον πάθος τὴν φιλοδοξίαν· ὅπερ καὶ ἐνθάδε πεποίηκεν, ἀποτρέπων κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς εὐχῆς ὑποκριτῶν ἔργον ἐπιτελεῖν· ὑποκριτῶν γὰρ ἔργον ἐστὶ τὸ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐναβρύνεσθαι ἐπʼ εὐσεβείᾳ θέλειν ἢ τῷ κοινωνικῷ. δέον δὲ μεμνημένους τοῦ „πῶς δύνασθε πιστεῦσαι ὑμεῖς, δόξαν παρὰ ἀνθρώπων λαβόντες, καὶ τὴν δόξαν τὴν παρὰ τοῦ μόνου θεοῦ οὐ ζητεῖτε;“ πάσης τῆς παρὰ ἀνθρώποις δόξης, κἂν ἐπὶ τῷ καλῷ γίνεσθαι νομίζηται, καταφρονεῖν καὶ ζητεῖν τὴν κυρίαν δόξαν καὶ ἀληθῆ τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ μόνου τὸν τῆς δόξης ἄξιον πρεπόντως ἑαυτῷ ὑπὲρ τὴν ἀξίαν τοῦ δοξαζομένου δοξάζοντος. καὶ αὐτὸ οὖν τὸ νομισθὲν ἂν καλὸν εἶναι καὶ ἐπαινετὸν μολύνεται νομιζόμενον γίνεσθαι, ὅτε, „ὅπως“ δοξασθῶμεν „ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων“ ἢ „ὅπως“ φανῶμεν „τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, “ ποιοῦμεν αὐτό· διόπερ οὐδεμία ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἀπὸ θεοῦ ἀμοιβὴ ἡμῖν ἕπεται. ἀψευδὴς γὰρ πᾶς ὁ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ λόγος καὶ, εἰ δεῖ βιαζόμενον εἰπεῖν, ἀψευδέστερος γίνεται, ἐπὰν μετὰ τοῦ συνήθους αὐτοῦ ὅρκου λέγηται. φησὶ δὲ περὶ τῶν διʼ ἀνθρωπίνην δόξαν εὖ τὸν πέλας δοκούντων ποιεῖν ἢ „ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς καὶ ταῖς γωνίαις τῶν πλατειῶν“ προσευχομένων, „ὅπως φανῶσι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, “ τὸ αὐτό· „ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἀπέχουσι τὸν μισθὸν αὐτῶν.“ ὥσπερ γὰρ ἀπέσχεν ὁ κατὰ Λουκᾶν πλούσιος „τὰ ἀγαθὰ“ „ἐν τῇ“ ἑαυτοῦ ἀνθρωπίνῃ „ζωῇ, “ διὰ τὸ ἀπεσχηκέναι ταῦτα οὐκέτι χωρῶν τυχεῖν αὐτῶν μετὰ τὸν ἐνεστηκότα βίον· οὕτως ὁ ἀπέχων ἑαυτοῦ „τὸν μισθὸν, “ εἴ τι δώσει τινὶ ἢ ἐν εὐχαῖς, ἅτε μὴ σπείρας „εἰς τὸ πνεῦμα“ ἀλλὰ „εἰς τὴν σάρκα, “ „θερίσει“ μὲν τὴν „φθορὰν, “ οὐ „θερίσει“ δὲ τὴν „αἰώνιον ζωήν.“ „εἰς τὴν σάρκα“ δὲ σπείρει ὁ „ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς καὶ ταῖς ῥύμαις, ὅπως“ δοξασθῇ „ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, “ ποιῶν „ἐλεημοσύνην“ μετὰ σαλπισμοῦ τοῦ „ἔμπροσθεν“ ἑαυτοῦ, ἢ ὁ φιλῶν „ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς καὶ ταῖς γωνίαις τῶν πλατειῶν“ ἑστὼς „προσεύχεσθαι, ὅπως“ φανεὶς „τοῖς ἀνθρώποις“ εὐσεβής τις καὶ ὅσιος εἶναι παρὰ τοῖς ἑωρακόσι νομισθῇ. ### English translation (Claude) In many places, then, our Savior is seen opposing love of glory as a destructive passion; and he has done so here too, turning us away from doing the work of hypocrites at the time of prayer. For it is the work of hypocrites to wish to show off before men their piety or their generosity. We ought rather, remembering the words, “How can you believe, when you receive glory from men and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?”, to despise all glory from men, even if it is thought to come for something good, and to seek the proper and true glory from him who alone glorifies the one worthy of glory in a manner befitting himself, beyond the worth of the one glorified. So even what would have been thought good and praiseworthy is defiled, when we do it “that” we may be glorified “by men” or “that” we may be seen “by men”; and therefore no reward from God follows for us for it. For every word of Jesus is free of falsehood, and, if one must speak forcibly, becomes still freer of falsehood when it is spoken with his customary oath. And he says the same about those who seem to do good to their neighbor for human glory, or who pray “in the synagogues and at the street corners that they may be seen by men”: “Truly I say to you, they have their reward.” For just as the rich man in Luke received “good things” “in his” human “life,” and because he had received them was no longer able to obtain them after the present life; so the one who has received his “reward,” if he gives anything to anyone or in prayers, since he sowed not “to the Spirit” but “to the flesh,” “will reap” “corruption” but will not “reap” “eternal life.” And he sows “to the flesh” who gives “alms” “in the synagogues and in the streets, that” he may be glorified “by men,” with a trumpet “before” him, or who loves to stand and “pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that,” being seen “by men,” he may be thought pious and holy by those who have seen him. ### Scripture references - John 5:44: quotation, high confidence - Matt 6:5: quotation, high confidence - Matt 6:2: quotation, high confidence - Luke 16:25: allusion, high confidence - Gal 6:8: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are John 5:44, Matt 6:5, 6:2, Luke 16:25, and Gal 6:8. Jesus' “customary oath” is “Truly I say to you” (ἀμήν). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 19.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/19/2/). ## On Prayer 19.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/19/3/ - Source: Koetschau 2:342–343 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Those who follow the broad, crooked road of pleasure, even praying at feasts while drunk, are the ones who pray “at the street corners,” not on Christ's narrow and straight way. ### Greek text ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶς ὁ τὴν πλατεῖαν καὶ εὐρύχωρον ὁδεύων ὁδὸν, τὴν ἀπάγουσαν ἐπὶ „τὴν ἀπώλειαν, “ οὐδὲν ὀρθὸν καὶ εὐθὲς ἔχουσαν ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν σκολιὰν τυγχάνουσαν καὶ γεγωνιωμένην (κέκλασται γὰρ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἡ εὐθεῖα), ἐν αὐτῇ ἕστηκεν οὐ καλῶς, „ἐν ταῖς γωνίαις τῶν πλατειῶν“ προσευχόμενος, διὰ τῆς φιληδονίας οὐχὶ ἐν μιᾷ ἀλλʼ ἐν πλείοσι γινόμενος πλατείαις· ἐν αἷς οἱ „ὡς ἄνθρωποι“ ἀποθνῄσκοντες διὰ τὸ τῆς θεότητος ἀποπεπτωκέναι τυγχάνουσι δοξάζοντες καὶ μακαρίζοντες τοὺς ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις ἀσεβεῖν αὐτοῖς νενομισμένους. πολλοὶ δὲ ἀεὶ οἱ φαινόμενοι ἐν τῷ προσεύχεσθαι „φιλήδονοι μᾶλλον ἢ φιλόθεοι, “ ἐν μέσοις τοῖς συμποσίοις καὶ παρὰ ταῖς μέθαις ἐμπαροινοῦντες τῇ προσευχῇ, ἀληθῶς „ἐν ταῖς γωνίαις τῶν πλατειῶν ἑστῶτες“ καὶ προσευχόμενοι· πᾶς γὰρ ὁ κατὰ τὴν ἡδονὴν βιοὺς, τὸ εὐρύχωρον ἀγαπήσας ἐκπέπτωκε τῆς στενῆς καὶ τεθλιμμένης ὁδοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. οὐδὲ τὴν τυχοῦσαν ἐχούσης κάμπην καὶ οὐδὲ ὅλως γεγωνιωμένης. ### English translation (Claude) But also everyone who travels the broad and spacious way that leads to “destruction,” which has nothing straight or direct but is altogether crooked and full of corners (for the straight line is very much broken on it), stands in it not well, praying “at the street corners”; through love of pleasure he comes to be not in one but in several streets, in which those who die “like men,” because they have fallen from divinity, glorify and call blessed those who are held among them to act impiously in the streets. And there are always many who appear in prayer to be “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,” who in the midst of banquets and drinking bouts insult prayer in their drunkenness, truly “standing at the street corners” and praying. For everyone who lives for pleasure, having loved the spacious way, has fallen from the narrow and hard way of Jesus Christ, which has not the slightest bend and no corners at all. ### Scripture references - Matt 7:13: allusion, high confidence - Matt 7:14: allusion, high confidence - Ps 82:7 (81:7 LXX): quotation, medium confidence - 2 Tim 3:4: quotation, high confidence - Matt 6:5: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The allusions are Matt 7:13–14, Ps 82:7 (81:7 LXX; “you shall die like men,” said to those called “gods,” hence “fallen from divinity”), and 2 Tim 3:4. Origen plays on πλατεῖα, which means both “street” and “broad (way).” The phrase “held among them to act impiously” (ἀσεβεῖν αὐτοῖς νενομισμένους) is obscure; it is translated as printed. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 19.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/19/3/). ## On Prayer 20.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/20/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:343–344 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The saint prays not in the “synagogue” or on street corners to be seen by men, but in the church, on the narrow way, to appear before God. ### Greek text Εἰ δέ ἐστι τὶς διαφορὰ ἐκκλησίας καὶ συναγωγῆς (τῆς μὲν κυρίως ἐκκλησίας οὐκ ἐχούσης „σπῖλον ἢ ῥυτίδα ἤ τι τῶν τοιούτων ἀλλὰ“ ἁγίας καὶ ἀμώμου τυγχανούσης, εἰς ἣν οὔτε ὁ „ἐκ πόρνης“ εἰσέρχεται οὔτε ὁ „θλαδίας“ ἢ „ἀποκεκομμένος“ ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ Αἰγύπτιος ἢ Ἰδουμαῖος, ἐὰν μὴ υἱῶν γεννηθέντων αὐτοῖς διὰ τὴν τρίτην γενεὰν μόλις δυνηθῶσιν ἐφαρμόσαι τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, οὐδὲ ὁ „Μωαβίτης“ καὶ „ Ἀμμανίτης, “ ἐὰν μὴ δεκάτη γενεὰ πληρωθῇ καὶ ὁ αἰὼν τελεσθῇ· τῆς δὲ συναγωγῆς ὑπὸ ἑκατοντάρχου οἰκοδομουμένης, ἐν τοῖς πρὸ τῆς Ἰησοῦ ἐπιδημίας χρόνοις τοῦτο ποιοῦντος, ὅτε οὐδέπω μεμαρτύρηται „πίστιν“ ἔχειν, ὁπόσην „οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ“ εὗρεν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ), ὁ φιλῶν δὴ „προσεύχεσθαι“ „ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς“ οὐ μακράν ἐστι τῶν γωνιῶν „τῶν πλατειῶν.“ ἀλλʼ οὐχ ὁ ἅγιος τοιοῦτος· οὐ φιλεῖ γὰρ „προσεύχεσθαι“ ἀλλὰ ἀγαπᾷ, καὶ οὐκ „ἐν συναγωγαῖς“ ἀλλʼ ἐν ἐκκλησίαις, καὶ οὐκ „ἐν γωνίαις πλατειῶν“ ἀλλʼ ἐν τῇ εὐθύτητι τῆς στενῆς καὶ τεθλιμμένης ὁδοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ οὐκ ἵνα φανῇ „τοῖς ἀνθρώποις“ ἀλλʼ ἵνʼ ὀφθῇ „ἐνώπιον κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ.“ ἄῤῥην γάρ ἐστι τὸν „δεκτὸν ἐνιαυτὸν κυρίου“ νοῶν καὶ τὴν ἐντολὴν τηρῶν τὴν λέγουσαν· „τρὶς τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ ὀφθήσεται πᾶν ἀρσενικὸν ἐνώπιον κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ.“ ### English translation (Claude) And if there is a difference between church and synagogue (the church in the proper sense having no “spot or wrinkle or any such thing,” but being holy and without blemish, into which neither the one “born of a prostitute” enters, nor the one “crushed” or “cut off,” nor even the Egyptian or the Edomite, unless sons are born to them and by the third generation they can barely be fitted into the church; nor the “Moabite” and “Ammonite,” unless the tenth generation is completed and the age is ended; while the synagogue was built by a centurion, who did this in the times before Jesus' coming, when he had not yet been testified to have such “faith” as the Son of God had not found “even in Israel”), then the one who loves “to pray” “in the synagogues” is not far from “the street corners.” But the saint is not such; for he does not love to pray (φιλεῖ) but loves (ἀγαπᾷ) to pray, and not “in synagogues” but in churches, and not “at the street corners” but on the straightness of the narrow and hard way, and not to be seen “by men” but to appear “before the Lord God.” For he is a male who understands “the acceptable year of the Lord” and keeps the commandment that says, “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord God.” ### Scripture references - Eph 5:27: quotation, high confidence - Deut 23:1: allusion, high confidence - Deut 23:2: quotation, high confidence - Deut 23:3: allusion, high confidence - Deut 23:7: allusion, medium confidence - Deut 23:8: allusion, medium confidence - Luke 7:5: allusion, high confidence - Luke 7:9: quotation, high confidence - Matt 6:5: quotation, high confidence - Matt 7:14: allusion, medium confidence - Isa 61:2: quotation, high confidence - Luke 4:19: allusion, medium confidence - Exod 23:17: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The allusions are Eph 5:27, Deut 23:1–8 (23:2–9 in the Greek and Hebrew numbering), Luke 7:5 and 7:9, Matt 7:14, Isa 61:2 (Luke 4:19), and Exod 23:17 (34:23). Origen contrasts φιλεῖ (the hypocrites “love” to pray, Matt 6:5) with ἀγαπᾷ. The contrast of “church” and “synagogue” is allegorical. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 20.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/20/1/). ## On Prayer 20.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/20/2/ - Source: Koetschau 2:344–345 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Hypocrites are actors of righteousness in their own theater; the true worshiper shuts the door of the senses in the inner room of the heart, where the Father and the Son dwell. ### Greek text ἐπιμελῶς δὲ ἀκουστέον τοῦ „φανῶσιν, “ ἐπεὶ οὐδὲν φαινόμενον καλόν ἐστιν, οἱονεὶ δοκήσει ὂν καὶ οὐκ ἀληθῶς καὶ τὴν φαντασίαν πλανῶν ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἀκριβῶς καὶ ἀληθῶς ἐκτυποῦν. ὥσπερ δὲ οἱ ἐν τοῖς θεάτροις δραμάτων τινῶν ὑποκριταὶ οὐχ ὅπερ λέγουσίν εἰσιν, οὐδʼ ὅπερ βλέπονται καθʼ ὃ περίκεινται πρόσωπον τοῦτο τυγχάνουσιν· οὕτως καὶ πάντες οἱ ἐπιμορφάζοντες τῷ δοκεῖν τὴν τοῦ καλοῦ φαντασίαν οὐ δίκαιοι ἀλλʼ ὑποκριταί εἰσι δικαιοσύνης, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐν ἰδίῳ θεάτρῳ ὑποκρινόμενοι, „ταῖς συναγωγαῖς καὶ ταῖς γωνίαις τῶν πλατειῶν.“ ὁ δὲ μὴ ὑποκριτὴς ἀλλὰ πᾶν τὸ ἀλλότριον ἀποθέμενος, ἐν τῷ παντὸς τοῦ προειρημένου θεάτρου καθʼ ὑπερβολὴν μείζονι ἑαυτὸν ἀρέσκειν εὐτρεπίζων, εἰσέρχεται εἰς τὸ ἑαυτοῦ „ταμεῖον, “ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἐναποτεθησαυρισμένου πλούτου τὸν „τῆς σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως“ θησαυρὸν ἑαυτῷ ἀποκλείσας· καὶ μηδαμῶς ἔξω νεύων μηδὲ περὶ τὰ ἔξω κεχηνὼς πᾶσάν τε „τὴν θύραν“ τῶν αἰσθητηρίων ἀποκλείσας, ἵνα μὴ ἕλκηται ὑπὸ τῶν αἰσθήσεων μηδὲ ἐκείνων ἡ φαντασία τῷ νῷ αὐτοῦ ἐπεισκρίνηται, προσεύχεται τῷ τὸ τοιοῦτον κρυπτὸν μὴ φεύγοντι μηδὲ ἐγκαταλείποντι πατρὶ ἀλλʼ ἐν αὐτῷ κατοικοῦντι, συμπαρόντος αὐτῷ καὶ τοῦ μονογενοῦς. ἐγὼ γὰρ, φησὶ, „καὶ ὁ πατὴρ“ „πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐλευσόμεθα καὶ μονὴν παρʼ αὐτῷ ποιησόμεθα.“ δῆλον δὲ ὅτι τῷ δικαίῳ, ἐὰν δὴ οὕτως εὐχώμεθα, οὐ μόνον θεῷ ἀλλὰ καὶ πατρὶ ἐντευξόμεθα, ὡς υἱῶν μὴ ἀπολειπομένῳ ἀλλὰ παρόντι ἡμῶν „τῷ κρυπτῷ“ καὶ ἐφορῶντι αὐτὸ καὶ πλείονα τὰ ἐν τῷ ταμείῳ ποιοῦντι, ἐὰν αὐτοῦ „τὴν θύραν“ ἀποκλείσωμεν. ### English translation (Claude) The word “be seen” must be listened to carefully, since nothing that merely appears is good, being as it were in seeming and not in truth, deceiving the imagination and not reproducing things accurately and truly. Just as actors of certain plays in the theaters are not what they say, nor are they the character whose mask they wear and are seen to be; so all who put on the appearance of the good in seeming are not righteous but actors of righteousness, and they too play their parts in their own theater, “the synagogues and the street corners.” But the one who is not an actor, but has put off everything alien, and prepares himself to please in a theater exceedingly greater than all those mentioned, enters into his own “inner room,” shutting himself in with the treasure “of wisdom and knowledge” in the riches stored up there; and not leaning outward at all, nor gaping at the things outside, and having shut every “door” of the senses, so that he may not be drawn by the senses nor their images intrude into his mind, he prays to the Father who does not flee nor forsake such a secret place but dwells in it, with the Only-begotten present with him. “I,” he says, “and the Father will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” And it is clear that if we pray in this way, we shall make intercession with the righteous one not only as God but as Father, who does not abandon his sons but is present in our “secret place” and watches over it and increases what is in the inner room, if we shut its “door.” ### Scripture references - Matt 6:5: quotation, high confidence - Matt 6:6: quotation, high confidence - Col 2:3: allusion, high confidence - John 14:23: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The Greek ὑποκριτής means “actor,” and Origen develops the image. The quotations and allusions are Matt 6:5–6, Col 2:3, and John 14:23. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 20.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/20/2/). ## On Prayer 21.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/21/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:345 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Prayer should be speech about God, not babbling; to babble is to ask God for bodily and earthly things, as the Gentiles do. ### Greek text Ἀλλὰ προσευχόμενοι μὴ βαττολογήσωμεν ἀλλὰ θεολογήσωμεν. βαττολογοῦμεν δὲ, ὅτε μὴ μωμοσκοῦντες ἑαυτοὺς ἢ τοὺς ἀναπεμπομένους τῆς εὐχῆς λόγους λέγομεν τὰ διεφθαρμένα ἔργα ἢ λόγους ἢ νοήματα, ταπεινὰ τυγχάνοντα καὶ ἐπίληπτα, τῆς ἀφθαρσίας ἀλλότρια τοῦ κυρίου. ὁ μέντοι βαττολογῶν ἐν τῷ εὔχεσθαι ἤδη καὶ ἐν τῇ χείρονι τῶν προειρημένων ἡμῖν συναγωγικῇ ἐστι καταστάσει τε (καὶ) χαλεπωτέρᾳ τῶν ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις γωνιῶν ὁδῷ, οὐδὲ ἴχνος σῴζων κἂν ὑποκρίσεως ἀγαθοῦ. βαττολογοῦσι γὰρ κατὰ τὴν λέξιν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου μόνοι „οἱ ἐθνικοὶ, “ οὐδὲ φαντασίαν μεγάλων ἔχοντες ἢ ἐπουρανίων αἰτημάτων. πᾶσαν εὐχὴν (περὶ) τῶν σωματικῶν καὶ τῶν ἐκτὸς ἀναπέμποντες. ἐθνικῷ οὖν βαττολογοῦντι ὁμοιοῦται ὁ τὰ κάτω ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς καὶ ὑπὲρ τὰ ὕψη τῶν οὐρανῶν κατοικοῦντος κυρίου αἰτῶν. ### English translation (Claude) But when we pray, let us not babble (battologein) but speak of God (theologein). We babble when, without examining ourselves or the words of prayer we send up for blemishes, we speak of corrupt deeds or words or thoughts, which are base and blameworthy, foreign to the incorruption of the Lord. The one who babbles in prayer is already in the worse of the synagogue conditions we have described, and on a way harder than that of the street corners, keeping not even a trace of the pretence of good. For according to the words of the gospel only “the Gentiles” babble, who have not even an idea of great or heavenly requests, sending up every prayer about bodily and external things. So the one who asks for things below from the Lord who dwells in heaven and above the heights of the heavens is like a babbling Gentile. ### Scripture references - Matt 6:7: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Origen plays on βαττολογεῖν (“babble,” Matt 6:7) and θεολογεῖν (“speak of God”). The quotation is Matt 6:7. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 21.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/21/1/). ## On Prayer 21.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/21/2/ - Source: Koetschau 2:345–346 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Many words mean many and divided things, as evil and falsehood are many while good and truth are one; the Father knows what his children truly need. ### Greek text καὶ ἔοικέ γε ὁ πολυλογῶν βαττολογεῖν, καὶ ὁ βαττολογῶν πολυλογεῖν. οὐδὲν γὰρ ἓν τῆς ὕλης καὶ τῶν σωμάτων. ἀλλʼ ἕκαστον τῶν νομιζομένων ἓν ἔσχισται καὶ διακέκοπται καὶ διῄρηται εἰς πλείονα τὴν ἕνωσιν ἀπολωλεκός· ἓν γὰρ τὸ ἀγαθὸν πολλὰ δὲ τὰ αἰσχρὰ, καὶ ἓν ἡ ἀλήθεια πολλὰ δὲ τὰ ψευδῆ, καὶ ἓν ἡ ἀληθὴς δικαιοσύνη, πολλαὶ δὲ ἕξεις ταύτην ὑποκρίνονται, καὶ ἓν ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ σοφία, πολλαὶ δὲ αἱ καταργούμεναι „τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου“ καὶ „τῶν ἀρχόντων τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου.“ καὶ εἷς μὲν ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος, πολλοὶ δὲ οἱ ἀλλότριοι τοῦ θεοῦ. διὰ τοῦτο οὐδεὶς ἐκφεύξεται „ἁμαρτίαν“ „ἐκ πολυλογίας, “ καὶ οὐδεὶς δοκῶν „ἐκ πολυλογίας“ εἰσακουσθήσεσθαι εἰσακούεσθαι δύναται. διόπερ οὐχ ὁμοιωτέον ἐστὶ τὰς εὐχὰς ἡμῶν τοῖς ἐθνικοῖς βαττολογοῦσιν ἢ πολυλογοῦσιν ἢ ὅ τι δή ποτε πράττουσι „κατὰ τὴν ὁμοίωσιν τοῦ ὄφεως“· „οἶδε γὰρ“ ὁ τῶν ἁγίων θεὸς, „πατὴρ“ ὢν, „ὧν χρείαν“ ἔχουσιν οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ, ἐπεὶ ἄξια τυγχάνει τῆς πατρικῆς γνώσεως. εἰ δέ τις ἀγνοεῖ τὸν θεὸν, καὶ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀγνοεῖ, ἀγνοεῖ δὲ τὰ „ὧν χρείαν“ ἔχει· διημαρτημένα γάρ ἐστι τὰ „ὧν χρείαν“ ἔχειν νομίζει· ὁ δὲ τεθεωρηκὼς ὧν ἐστιν ἐνδεὴς κρειττόνων καὶ θειοτέρων, γινωσκομένων ὑπὸ θεοῦ τεύξεται ὧν τεθεώρηκε καὶ ἐγνωσμένων τῷ πατρὶ καὶ πρὸ τῆς αἰτήσεως. τούτων δὴ εἰς τὰ πρὸ τῆς ἐν τῷ κατὰ Ματθαῖον εὐχῆς εἰρημένων, ἤδη θεασώμεθα καὶ τὰ δηλούμενα ἀπὸ τῆς εὐχῆς. ### English translation (Claude) And it seems that the one who uses many words babbles, and the one who babbles uses many words. For nothing material and bodily is one; but each of the things thought to be one is split, cut up, and divided into many, having lost its unity. For the good is one, but shameful things are many; the truth is one, but falsehoods are many; true righteousness is one, but many dispositions imitate it; the wisdom of God is one, but many are the wisdoms “of this age” and “of the rulers of this age,” which are coming to nothing. And the Word of God is one, but many are the words foreign to God. For this reason no one will escape “sin” “in a multitude of words,” and no one who thinks he will be heard “for his many words” can be heard. Therefore our prayers must not be like those of the Gentiles who babble, or use many words, or do whatever they do “after the likeness of the serpent.” For the God of the saints, being “Father,” “knows what” his sons “need,” since these things are worthy of the Father's knowledge. But if someone does not know God, he does not know the things of God either, and he does not know “what” he “needs”; for what he thinks he needs is mistaken. But the one who has contemplated the better and more divine things he lacks, which are known to God, will obtain what he has contemplated, things known to the Father even before he asks. Having said these things about what is said before the prayer in Matthew, let us now look at what is shown in the prayer itself. ### Scripture references - 1 Cor 2:6: quotation, high confidence - Prov 10:19: quotation, high confidence - Matt 6:7: quotation, high confidence - Matt 6:8: quotation, high confidence - Ps 58:4 (57:5 LXX): quotation, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations and allusions are 1 Cor 2:6, Prov 10:19, Matt 6:7–8, and Ps 58:4 (57:5 LXX, “after the likeness of the serpent”). The contrast of the one and the many reflects Platonic thought. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 21.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/21/2/). ## On Prayer 22.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/22/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:346 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The Old Testament calls God Father and his people sons, but Origen finds no prayer there in which anyone addresses God as “Father.” ### Greek text „Πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς.“ ἄξιον ἐπιμελέστερον ἐπιτηρῆσαι τὴν λεγομένην παλαιὰν διαθήκην, εἰ ἔστι που εὑρεῖν ἐν αὐτῇ εὐχήν τινος λέγοντος τὸν θεὸν πατέρα· ἐπὶ γὰρ τοῦ παρόντος κατὰ δύναμιν ἐξετάσαντες οὐκ εὕρομεν. οὐ τοῦτο δέ φαμεν, ὅτι ὁ θεὸς πατὴρ οὐκ εἴρηται, ἢ οἱ πεπιστευκέναι νομιζόμενοι θεῷ υἱοὶ οὐκ ὠνομάσθησαν θεοῦ, ἀλλʼ ὅτι ἐν προσευχῇ τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος κατηγγελμένην παῤῥησίαν περὶ τοῦ ὀνομάσαι τὸν θεὸν πατέρα οὐχ εὕρομέν πω. ὅτι δὲ εἴρηται πατὴρ ὁ θεὸς καὶ υἱοὶ οἱ τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ θεοῦ προσεληλυθότες, πολλαχοῦ ἔστιν ἰδεῖν ὥσπερ καὶ ἐν Δευτερονομίῳ· „θεὸν τὸν γεννήσαντά σε ἐγκατέλιπες, καὶ ἐπελάθου θεοῦ τοῦ τρέφοντός σε, “ καὶ πάλιν· „οὐκ αὐτὸς οὗτός σου πατὴρ ἐκτήσατό σε καὶ ἐποίησέ σε καὶ ἔκτισέ σε, “ καὶ πάλιν· „υἱοὶ, οἷς οὐκ ἔστι πίστις ἐν αὐτοῖς“· καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἡσαΐᾳ· „υἱοὺς ἐγέννησα καὶ ὕψωσα, αὐτοὶ δέ με ἠθέτησαν“· καὶ ἐν τῷ Μαλαχίᾳ· „υἱὸς δοξάσει πατέρα, καὶ δοῦλος τὸν κύριον αὐτοῦ. καὶ εἰ πατήρ εἰμι ἐγὼ, ποῦ ἐστιν ἡ δόξα μου; καὶ εἰ κύριός εἰμι ἐγὼ, ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ φόβος μου;“ ### English translation (Claude) “Our Father in heaven.” It is worth examining the so-called Old Testament more carefully, to see whether one can find in it anywhere a prayer of someone calling God “Father”; for we have examined it as far as we could for the present and have not found one. We do not say that God is not called Father, or that those thought to have believed in God were not named sons of God; but that we have not yet found in prayer the boldness proclaimed by the Savior to name God “Father.” That God is called Father, and those who have come to the Word of God sons, can be seen in many places, as in Deuteronomy: “You forsook God who begot you, and forgot God who nourishes you,” and again, “Is not he himself your father, who acquired you and made you and created you?”, and again, “Sons in whom there is no faith”; and in Isaiah, “I begot sons and raised them up, but they rejected me”; and in Malachi, “A son will honor his father, and a servant his master. And if I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear?” ### Scripture references - Matt 6:9: quotation, high confidence - Deut 32:18: quotation, high confidence - Deut 32:6: quotation, high confidence - Deut 32:20: quotation, high confidence - Isa 1:2: quotation, high confidence - Mal 1:6: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Deut 32:18, 32:6, 32:20, Isa 1:2, and Mal 1:6 (all LXX). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 22.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/22/1/). ## On Prayer 22.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/22/2/ - Source: Koetschau 2:346–347 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Under the old covenant God's sons were like children under guardians; with Christ's coming believers receive the spirit of adoption and become God's children in truth. ### Greek text καὶ εἰ λέγεται τοίνυν πατὴρ ὁ θεὸς, καὶ υἱοὶ οἱ τῷ λόγῳ τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν πίστεως γεγεννημένοι, τὸ βέβαιόν γε καὶ τὸ ἀμετάπτωτον τῆς υἱότητος οὐκ ἔστιν ἰδεῖν παρὰ τοῖς ἀρχαίοις. αὐτὰ γοῦν ἃ παρεθέμεθα ὑπαιτίους ἐμφαίνει εἶναι τοὺς λεγομένους υἱούς· ἐπεὶ κατὰ τὸν ἀπόστολον, ἕως „ὁ κληρονόμος νήπιός ἐστιν, οὐδὲν διαφέρει δούλου. κύριος πάντων ὢν, ἀλλʼ ὑπὸ ἐπιτρόπους ἐστὶ καὶ οἰκονόμους ἄχρι τῆς προθεσμίας τοῦ πατρός“· „τὸ“ δὲ „πλήρωμα τοῦ χρόνου“ ἐν τῇ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπιδημίᾳ ἔνεστιν, ὅτε τὴν υἱοθεσίαν ἀπολαμβάνουσιν οἱ βουλόμενοι, ὡς ὁ Παῦλος διδάσκει διὰ τούτων· „οὐ γὰρ ἐλάβετε πνεῦμα δουλείας εἰς φόβον ἀλλὰ ἐλάβετε πνεῦμα υἱοθεσίας, ἐν ᾧ κράζομεν· Ἀββὰ ὁ πατήρ“· καὶ ἐν τῷ κατὰ Ἰωάννην· „ὅσοι δὲ ἔλαβον αὐτὸν, ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν τέκνα θεοῦ γενέσθαι, τοῖς πιστεύουσιν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ.“ καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τῆς „υἱοθεσίας πνεῦμα“ ἐν τῇ καθολικῇ τοῦ Ἰωάννου ἐπιστολῇ περὶ τῶν ἐκ θεοῦ γεγεννημένων μεμαθήκαμεν ὅτι „πᾶς ὁ γεγεννημένος ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἁμαρτίαν οὐ ποιεῖ, ὅτι σπέρμα αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ μένει· καὶ οὐ δύναται ἁμαρτάνειν, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ γεγέννηται.“ ### English translation (Claude) And even if God is called Father, and those begotten by the word of faith in him are called sons, the firmness and unchangeableness of sonship is not to be seen among the ancients. At any rate the very passages we have cited show that those called sons were blameworthy; since, according to the apostle, as long as “the heir is a child, he differs in nothing from a slave, though he is lord of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father.” And “the fullness of time” is present in the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, when those who wish receive adoption as sons, as Paul teaches in these words: “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the spirit of adoption, in which we cry, Abba, Father”; and in the Gospel according to John: “But to all who received him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name.” And because of this “spirit of adoption” we have learned in the catholic letter of John about those born of God that “everyone who is born of God does not commit sin, because his seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” ### Scripture references - Gal 4:1: quotation, high confidence - Gal 4:2: quotation, high confidence - Gal 4:4: quotation, high confidence - Rom 8:15: quotation, high confidence - John 1:12: quotation, high confidence - 1 John 3:9: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Gal 4:1–2 and 4:4, Rom 8:15, John 1:12, and 1 John 3:9. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 22.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/22/2/). ## On Prayer 22.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/22/3/ - Source: Koetschau 2:347–348 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Only true children of God, whose lives and hearts agree with their words, can rightly call God “Father,” just as only a life of obedience truly says “Jesus is Lord.” ### Greek text εἰ μέντοι νοήσαιμεν, τί ἐστι τὸ „ὅταν προσεύχησθε, λέγετε· πάτερ, “ ὅπερ παρὰ τῷ Λουκᾷ γέγραπται, ὀκνήσομεν μὴ γενόμενοι υἱοὶ γνήσιοι προενέγκασθαι ταύτην τὴν φωνὴν αὐτῷ, μή ποτε πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις ἡμῶν ἁμαρτήμασι καὶ ἀσεβείας ἐγκλήματι ἔνοχοι γενώμεθα. ὃ δὲ λέγω, τοιοῦτόν ἐστι. φησὶν ἐν τῇ προτέρᾳ πρὸς Κορινθίους ὁ Παῦλος· „οὐδεὶς δύναται εἰπεῖν· κύριος Ἰησοῦς, εἰ μὴ ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐν πνεύματι θεοῦ λαλῶν λέγει· ἀνάθεμα Ἰησοῦς, “ τὸ αὐτὸ ὀνομάζων ἅγιον πνεῦμα καὶ πνεῦμα „θεοῦ.“ τί δὲ τὸ εἰπεῖν „ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ“ κύριον Ἰησοῦν, οὐ πάνυ ἐστὶ σαφὲς, προφερομένων τὴν φωνὴν ὑποκριτῶν μυρίων καὶ ἑτεροδόξων πλειόνων, ἐνίοτε καὶ δαιμόνων, νικωμένων ὑπὸ τῆς ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι δυνάμεως. οὐδεὶς οὖν τολμήσει τινὰ τούτων ἀποφήνασθαι „ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ“ λέγειν κύριον Ἰησοῦν· διόπερ οὐδʼ ἂν δειχθεῖεν λέγειν κύριον Ἰησοῦν, μόνων τῶν ἀπὸ διαθέσεως λεγόντων ἐν τῷ δουλεύειν τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ μηδένα παρὰ τοῦτον ἐν τῷ ὅ τι ποτʼ οὖν πράττειν ἀναγορευόντων κύριον τό· „κύριος Ἰησοῦς.“ εἰ δὲ τοιοῦτοι οἱ λέγοντες· „κύριος Ἰησοῦς, “ τάχα πᾶς ὁ ἁμαρτάνων, διὰ τοῦ παρανομεῖν ἀναθεματίζων τὸν θεῖον λόγον, διὰ τῶν ἔργων κέκραγεν· „ἀνάθεμα Ἰησοῦς.“ ὥσπερ οὖν ὁ τοιόσδε λέγει· „κύριος Ἰησοῦς“ καὶ ὁ τούτῳ ἐναντίως διακείμενος τὸ „ἀνάθεμα Ἰησοῦς, “ οὕτως „πᾶς ὁ ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ γεγεννημένος“ καὶ μὴ ποιῶν „ἁμαρτίαν“ τῷ σπέρματος μετέχειν θεοῦ, πάσης ἁμαρτίας ἀποτρέποντος, διʼ ὧν πράττει λέγει· „πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, “ αὐτοῦ τοῦ πνεύματος συμμαρτυροῦντος „τῷ πνεύματι“ αὐτῶν „ὅτι“ εἰσὶ „τέκνα θεοῦ“ „καὶ κληρονόμοι“ αὐτοῦ „συγκληρονόμοι“ τε τοῦ „Χριστοῦ, “ ἐπεὶ συμπάσχοντες καὶ συνδοξάζεσθαι ἐλπίζουσιν εὐλόγως. ἵνα δὲ μὴ ἐξ ἡμίσους λέγωσι τὸ „πάτερ ἡμῶν“ οἱ τοιοῦτοι. μετὰ τῶν ἔργων καὶ ἡ καρδία, ἡ τῶν καλῶν ἔργων πηγὴ καὶ ἀρχὴ, πιστεύει „εἰς δικαιοσύνην, “ οἷς συμφώνως τὸ στόμα ὁμολογεῖ „εἰς σωτηρίαν.“ ### English translation (Claude) If, however, we understand what is meant by “When you pray, say: Father,” as it is written in Luke, we shall hesitate to address this word to him unless we have become true sons, lest besides our other sins we also become liable to a charge of impiety. What I mean is this. Paul says in the First Letter to the Corinthians: “No one can say, Jesus is Lord, except in the Holy Spirit; and no one speaking in the Spirit of God says, Jesus is accursed,” calling the same Spirit both Holy Spirit and Spirit “of God.” But what it means to say “Jesus is Lord” “in the Holy Spirit” is not at all clear, since countless hypocrites utter these words, and still more heterodox people, and sometimes even demons, overcome by the power in the name. No one, then, will dare to declare that any of these says “Jesus is Lord” “in the Holy Spirit.” Therefore they could not even be shown to say “Jesus is Lord”; only those say “Jesus is Lord” who say it from their disposition, in serving the Word of God and proclaiming no other as lord besides him in whatever they do. And if such are those who say “Jesus is Lord,” perhaps everyone who sins, cursing the divine Word by breaking the law, has cried out by his works, “Jesus is accursed.” Just as, then, such a person says “Jesus is Lord,” and the one disposed in the opposite way “Jesus is accursed,” so “everyone who has been born of God” and does not commit “sin,” because he shares in the seed of God, which turns him from every sin, says by what he does, “Our Father in heaven,” the Spirit himself bearing witness “with their spirit” “that” they are “children of God” “and heirs” of him and “fellow heirs” of “Christ,” since, suffering with him, they reasonably hope also to be glorified with him. And so that such people may not say “Our Father” by halves, together with their works their heart too, the source and beginning of good works, believes “unto righteousness,” and in harmony with these their mouth confesses “unto salvation.” ### Scripture references - Luke 11:2: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 12:3: quotation, high confidence - 1 John 3:9: quotation, high confidence - Rom 8:16: quotation, high confidence - Rom 8:17: quotation, high confidence - Rom 10:10: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Luke 11:2, 1 Cor 12:3, 1 John 3:9, Rom 8:16–17, and Rom 10:10. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 22.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/22/3/). ## On Prayer 22.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/22/4/ - Source: Koetschau 2:348–349 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The saints are an image of Christ, who is the image of God, and so bear the likeness of sonship; the Son came to destroy the devil's seed in sinners so they may become God's children. ### Greek text πᾶν οὖν ἔργον αὐτοῖς καὶ λόγος καὶ νόημα, ὑπὸ τοῦ μονογενοῦς λόγου μεμορφωμένα κατʼ αὐτὸν, μεμίμηται τὴν εἰκόνα „τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου“ καὶ γέγονε „κατʼ εἰκόνα τοῦ κτίσαντος, “ ἀνατέλλοντος „τὸν ἥλιον“ „ἐπὶ πονηροὺς καὶ ἀγαθοὺς καὶ“ βρέχοντος „ἐπὶ δικαίους καὶ ἀδίκους, “ ὡς εἶναι ἐν αὐτοῖς „τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ ἐπουρανίου, “ καὶ αὐτοῦ ὄντος εἰκόνος θεοῦ. „εἰκὼν“ οὖν εἰκόνος οἱ ἅγιοι τυγχάνοντες, τῆς εἰκόνος οὔσης υἱοῦ, ἀπομάττονται υἱότητα, οὐ μόνῳ „τῷ σώματι τῆς δόξης“ τοῦ Χριστοῦ γινόμενοι σύμμορφοι ἀλλὰ καὶ ὄντι ἐν „τῷ σώματι.“ γίνονται δὲ σύμμορφοι τῷ ἐν „σώματι τῆς δόξης, “ μεταμορφούμενοι „τῇ ἀνακαινίσει τοῦ νοός.“ εἰ δʼ οἱ τοιοῦτοι διʼ ὅλων φασὶ τό· „πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, “ δηλονότι „ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, “ ὥς φησιν ἐν τῇ καθολικῇ ὁ Ἰωάννης, „ἐκ τοῦ διαβόλου ἐστὶν, ὅτι ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς ὁ διάβολος ἁμαρτάνει.“ καὶ ὥσπερ „σπέρμα“ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἐν τῷ γεγεννημένῳ „ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ“ μένον, αἴτιον τοῦ μὴ δύνασθαι „ἁμαρτάνειν“ γίνεται τῷ κατὰ τὸν μονογενῆ λόγον μεμορφωμένῳ· οὕτως ἐν παντὶ τῷ ποιοῦντι „τὴν ἁμαρτίαν“ „σπέρμα“ τοῦ διαβόλου ἔνεστιν, ὅσον ἐνυπάρχει τῇ ψυχῇ, μὴ ἐῶν δύνασθαι κατορθοῦν τὸν ἔχοντα αὐτό. ἀλλʼ ἐπεὶ „εἰς τοῦτο ἐφανερώθη ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, ἵνα λύσῃ τὰ ἔργα τοῦ διαβόλου, “ δυνατὸν τῇ εἰς τὴν ψυχὴν ἡμῶν ἐπιδημίᾳ τοῦ λόγου τοῦ θεοῦ, λυθέντων τῶν ἔργων „τοῦ διαβόλου, “ ἐξαφανισθῆναι τὸ ἐντεθὲν ἡμῖν „σπέρμα“ πονηρὸν, καὶ γενέσθαι ἡμᾶς „τέκνα τοῦ θεοῦ.“ ### English translation (Claude) Every deed, then, and word and thought of theirs, formed by the only-begotten Word according to himself, imitates the image “of the invisible God” and has come to be “after the image of the Creator,” who makes “his sun rise on the evil and the good” and sends rain “on the just and the unjust,” so that there is in them “the image of the heavenly,” who is himself the image of God. The saints, then, being an image of an image, the image being the Son, receive the imprint of sonship, becoming conformed not only to the “body of glory” of Christ but also to him who is in “the body.” And they become conformed to him who is in “the body of glory” by being transformed “by the renewal of the mind.” If such people say with their whole being, “Our Father in heaven,” clearly “he who commits sin,” as John says in the catholic letter, “is of the devil, because the devil has sinned from the beginning.” And just as the “seed” of God, abiding in the one who has been born “of God,” is the cause of his being unable to “sin,” for one formed according to the only-begotten Word, so in everyone who commits “sin” there is the “seed” of the devil, as long as it is present in the soul, not allowing the one who has it to do right. But since “for this purpose the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil,” it is possible, by the coming of the Word of God into our soul, when the works “of the devil” have been destroyed, for the evil “seed” planted in us to be wiped out, and for us to become “children of God.” ### Scripture references - Col 1:15: quotation, high confidence - Col 3:10: quotation, high confidence - Matt 5:45: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 15:49: quotation, high confidence - Phil 3:21: allusion, high confidence - Rom 12:2: quotation, high confidence - 1 John 3:8: quotation, high confidence - 1 John 3:9: allusion, high confidence - 1 John 3:10: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Col 1:15, Col 3:10, Matt 5:45, 1 Cor 15:49, Phil 3:21, Rom 12:2, and 1 John 3:8–10. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 22.4 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/22/4/). ## On Prayer 22.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/22/5/ - Source: Koetschau 2:349 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: “Our Father in heaven” should be said by our whole life, lived as citizens of heaven, not only at set times of prayer. ### Greek text μὴ λέξεις τοίνυν νομίσωμεν διδάσκεσθαι λέγειν ἡμᾶς ἔν τινι ἀποτεταγμένῳ τοῦ εὔχεσθαι καιρῷ· ἀλλʼ εἰ συνίεμεν τῶν ἡμῖν προεξετασθέντων εἰς τὸ „ἀδιαλείπτως“ προσεύχεσθαι, πᾶς ἡμῶν ὁ βίος „ἀδιαλείπτως“ προσευχομένων λεγέτω τό· „πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, “ „τὸ πολίτευμα“ ἔχων οὐδαμῶς ἐπὶ γῆς ἀλλὰ παντὶ τρόπῳ „ἐν οὐρανοῖς, “ θρόνοις τυγχάνουσι τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ τὸ ἱδρῦσθαι τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ βασιλείαν ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς φοροῦσι „τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ ἐπουρανίου“ καὶ διὰ τοῦτο γενομένοις ἐπουρανίοις. ### English translation (Claude) Let us not think, then, that we are taught to say words at some time set apart for prayer; but if we understand what we examined earlier about praying “without ceasing,” let our whole life, as we pray “without ceasing,” say, “Our Father in heaven,” having its “citizenship” not at all on earth but in every way “in heaven,” which are the thrones of God, because the kingdom of God is established in all who bear “the image of the heavenly” and for this reason have become heavenly. ### Scripture references - 1 Thess 5:17: allusion, high confidence - Phil 3:20: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 15:49: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The allusions are 1 Thess 5:17, Phil 3:20, and 1 Cor 15:49. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 22.5 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/22/5/). ## On Prayer 23.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/23/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:349–350 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: “In heaven” does not mean that God is enclosed in a place; biblical language of place, like Jesus' going to the Father, must be understood spiritually. ### Greek text Ἐπὰν (δὲ) λέγηται ὁ πατὴρ τῶν ἁγίων εἶναι „ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, “ οὐ περιγεγράφθαι αὐτὸν σχήματι σωματικῷ ὑποληπτέον καὶ „ἐν οὐρανοῖς“ κατοικεῖν, ἐπεί τοι περιεχόμενος ἐλάττων τῶν οὐρανῶν ὁ θεὸς εὑρεθήσεται, περιεχόντων αὐτὸν τῶν οὐρανῶν· δέον τῇ ἀφάτῳ δυνάμει τῆς θεότητος αὐτοῦ πεπεῖσθαι περιέχεσθαι καὶ συνέχεσθαι τὰ πάντα ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ. καὶ καθολικῶς τὰς ὅσον ἐπὶ τῷ ῥητῷ λέξεις, τὰς νομιζομένας τοῖς ἁπλουστέροις ἐν τόπῳ φάσκειν εἶναι τὸν θεὸν, μεταληπτέον πρεπόντως ταῖς μεγάλαις καὶ πνευματικαῖς ἐννοίαις περὶ θεοῦ, οἷαί εἰσιν ἐν τῷ κατὰ Ἰωάννην αὗται· „πρὸ δὲ τῆς ἑορτῆς τοῦ πάσχα εἰδὼς ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὅτι ἦλθεν αὐτοῦ ἡ ὥρα, ἵνα μεταβῇ ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου πρὸς τὸν πατέρα, ἀγαπήσας τοὺς ἰδίους τοὺς ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, εἰς τέλος ἠγάπησεν αὐτούς“· καὶ μετʼ ὀλίγα· „εἰδὼς ὅτι πάντα ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ ὁ πατὴρ εἰς τὰς χεῖρας, καὶ ὅτι ἀπὸ θεοῦ ἐξῆλθε καὶ πρὸς θεὸν ὑπάγει, “ καὶ μεθʼ ἕτερα· „ἠκούσατε ὅτι ἐγὼ εἶπον ὑμῖν· ὑπάγω καὶ ἔρχομαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς. εἰ ἠγαπᾶτέ με, ἐχάρητε ἂν ὅτι πορεύομαι πρὸς τὸν πατέρα“· καὶ πάλιν μεθʼ ἕτερα· „νῦν δὲ ὑπάγω πρὸς τὸν πέμψαντά με, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐξ ὑμῶν ἐρωτᾷ με· ποῦ ὑπάγεις;“ εἰ γὰρ ταῦτα τοπικῶς ἐκδεκτέον, δῆλον ὅτι καὶ τὸ „ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· ἐάν τις ἀγαπᾷ με, τὸν λόγον μου τηρήσει, καὶ ὁ πατήρ μου ἀγαπήσει αὐτὸν, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐλευσόμεθα καὶ μονὴν παρʼ αὐτῷ ποιησόμεθα.“ ### English translation (Claude) When the Father of the saints is said to be “in heaven,” we must not suppose that he is circumscribed by a bodily shape and dwells “in heaven”; for then God would be found to be contained, and less than the heavens, since the heavens would contain him. We must be persuaded rather that by the ineffable power of his divinity all things are contained and held together by him. And in general, the expressions that, taken literally, seem to simpler people to say that God is in a place, must be reinterpreted in a way fitting to great and spiritual conceptions of God, such as these in the Gospel according to John: “Now before the feast of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, loved them to the end”; and a little after, “knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God”; and after other things, “You heard me say to you, I am going away, and I am coming to you. If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father”; and again after other things, “But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, Where are you going?” For if these are to be taken in a local sense, clearly so too must this: “Jesus answered and said to them, If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” ### Scripture references - John 13:1: quotation, high confidence - John 13:3: quotation, high confidence - John 14:28: quotation, high confidence - John 16:5: quotation, high confidence - John 14:23: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are John 13:1, 13:3, 14:28, 16:5, and 14:23. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 23.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/23/1/). ## On Prayer 23.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/23/2/ - Source: Koetschau 2:350 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The Son's “going to the Father” is not a movement from place to place but his return from his humble state to his own fullness, an ascent of the mind rather than of the body. ### Greek text οὐχὶ δέ γε ταῦτα τοπικῆς μεταβάσεως νοουμένης περὶ τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὸν υἱὸν πρὸς τὸν ἀγαπῶντα τὸν λόγον τοῦ Ἰησοῦ γίνεται, οὐδʼ ἄρα τοπικῶς ταῦτα ἐκδεκτέον· ἀλλʼ ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ, ἡμῖν συγκαταβαίνων καὶ ὡς πρὸς τὴν ἰδίαν ἀξίαν, ὅτε παρὰ ἀνθρώποις ἐστὶ, ταπεινούμενος, μεταβαίνειν λέγεται „ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου πρὸς τὸν πατέρα, “ ὅπως καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐκεῖθι τέλειον αὐτὸν θεασώμεθα, ἀπὸ τῆς παρʼ ἡμῖν κενότητος, ἣν „ἐκένωσεν ἑαυτὸν, “ ἐπὶ τὸ ἴδιον „πλήρωμα“ παλινδρομοῦντα· ἔνθα καὶ ἡμεῖς, αὐτῷ ὁδηγῷ χρώμενοι, πληρωθέντες πάσης κενότητος ἀπαλλαγησόμεθα. ἀπιέτω τοίνυν „πρὸς τὸν πέμψαντα“ αὐτὸν ἀφεὶς τὸν κόσμον ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος, καὶ „πρὸς τὸν πατέρα“ πορευέσθω. καὶ τὸ ἐπὶ τέλει δὲ τοῦ κατὰ Ἰωάννην εὐαγγελίου· „μή μου ἅπτου· οὔπω γὰρ ἀναβέβηκα πρὸς τὸν πατέρα μου“ μυστικώτερον νοῆσαι ζητήσωμεν· τῆς ἀναβάσεως „πρὸς τὸν πατέρα“ τοῦ υἱοῦ θεοπρεπέστερον μετὰ ἁγίας τρανότητος ἡμῖν νοουμένης, ἥντινα ἀνάβασιν νοῦς μᾶλλον ἀναβαίνει σώματος. ### English translation (Claude) But these things do not happen through a local movement of the Father and the Son to the one who loves Jesus' word; so neither are the former to be taken in a local sense. Rather, the Word of God, condescending to us and humbled, as regards his own dignity, when he is among men, is said to pass “out of this world to the Father,” so that we too may behold him there in his perfection, returning from the emptiness among us, in which “he emptied himself,” to his own “fullness”; where we too, using him as our guide, shall be filled and set free from all emptiness. Let the Word of God, then, leave the world and go away “to him who sent” him, and let him go “to the Father.” And let us seek to understand in a more mystical way also the words at the end of the Gospel according to John, “Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father,” when we understand the Son's ascent “to the Father” in a manner more worthy of God, with holy clarity, as an ascent in which the mind ascends rather than the body. ### Scripture references - John 13:1: quotation, high confidence - Phil 2:7: quotation, high confidence - John 16:5: quotation, high confidence - John 14:28: allusion, high confidence - John 20:17: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations and allusions are John 13:1, Phil 2:7, John 16:5, John 14:28, and John 20:17. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 23.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/23/2/). ## On Prayer 23.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/23/3/ - Source: Koetschau 2:351–352 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: To think God is in a bodily place implies he is a body, divisible and corruptible; so passages like God walking in paradise must not be taken literally. ### Greek text ταῦτα ἡγοῦμαι συνεξητακέναι τῷ „πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς“ ὑπὲρ τοῦ ταπεινὴν περὶ θεοῦ ὑπόληψιν τῶν νομιζόντων αὐτὸν εἶναι τοπικῶς „ἐν οὐρανοῖς“ περιελεῖν καὶ μὴ ἐᾶν τινα ἐν σωματικῷ τόπῳ εἶναι τὸν θεὸν (ἐπεὶ τούτῳ ἀκόλουθόν ἐστι καὶ σῶμα αὐτὸν εἶναι) λέγειν, ᾧ ἕπεται δόγματα ἀσεβέστατα, τὸ διαιρετὸν καὶ ὑλικὸν καὶ φθαρτὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι ὑπολαμβάνειν· πᾶν γὰρ σῶμα διαιρετόν ἐστι καὶ ὑλικὸν καὶ φθαρτόν· ἢ λεγέτωσαν ἡμῖν μὴ κενοπαθοῦντες ἀλλὰ τρανῶς καταλαμβάνειν φάσκοντες. πῶς οἷόν τε ἐστὶν ἑτέρας (εἶναι) φύσεως παρὰ τὴν ὑλικήν. ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ πρὸ τῆς σωματικῆς Χριστοῦ ἐπιδημίας γραμμάτων πολλὰ τὸ ἐν σωματικῷ τόπῳ εἶναι τὸν θεὸν λέγειν δοκεῖ. οὐκ ἄτοπόν μοι φαίνεται ὀλίγα κἀκείνων παραθέσθαι ὑπὲρ τοῦ πάντα περισπασμὸν ἀφελεῖν ἀπὸ τῶν διὰ τὸν ἰδιωτισμὸν τὸ ὅσον ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς μικρῷ καὶ βραχεῖ τόπῳ ἐμπεριλαμβανόντων τὸν ἐπὶ πάντων θεόν. καὶ πρῶτόν γε ἐν τῇ Γενέσει „Ἀδὰμ“ καὶ Εὔα, φησὶν, „ἤκουσαν τῆς φωνῆς κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ περιπατοῦντος τὸ δειλινὸν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ· καὶ ἐκρύβησαν ὅ τε Ἀδὰμ καὶ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ προσώπου κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ ξύλου τοῦ παραδείσου.“ ἐροῦμεν πρὸς τοὺς εἰς τοὺς θησαυροὺς τῆς λέξεως ἐλθεῖν μὴ βουλομένους ἀλλὰ μηδὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν κρούοντας „τὴν θύραν“ αὐτῆς, εἰ δύνανται παραστῆσαι κύριον τὸν θεὸν, τὸν πληροῦντα „τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν, “ τὸν, ὡς αὐτοὶ ὑπολαμβάνουσι, σωματικώτερον „οὐρανῷ“ θρόνῳ χρώμενον καὶ „τῇ γῇ“ ὑποποδίῳ „τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ, “ ὑπὸ οὕτω βραχέος συγκρίσει τοῦ παντὸς οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς περιέχεσθαι τόπου, ὥστε ὃν ὑπολαμβάνουσι σωματικὸν παράδεισον μὴ ἐκπληροῦσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀλλὰ τοσούτῳ αὐτοῦ εἶναι τῷ μεγέθει μείζονα, ὡς καὶ περιπατοῦντα χωρεῖν αὐτὸν, ἀκουομένης „φωνῆς“ ἀπὸ τῆς βάσεως τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ. ἔτι δὲ κατʼ ἐκείνους ἀτοπώτερον τὸ αἰδουμένους τὸν θεὸν διὰ τὴν παράβασιν τὸν Ἀδὰμ καὶ τὴν Εὔαν κρύπτεσθαι „ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ ξύλου τοῦ παραδείσου.“ οὐδὲ γὰρ λέγεται ὅτι οὕτως ἠθέλησαν κρύπτεσθαι, ἀλλʼ ὄντως „ἐκρύβησαν.“ πῶς δὲ κατʼ αὐτοὺς πυνθάνεται τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ὁ θεὸς λέγων· „ποῦ εἶ;“ ### English translation (Claude) I think I have examined these things together with “Our Father in heaven” in order to remove the base conception of God held by those who think he is “in heaven” in a local sense, and to allow no one to say that God is in a bodily place (for it follows from this that he is also a body), from which follow most impious doctrines: to suppose that he is divisible, material, and corruptible; for every body is divisible, material, and corruptible. Or let them tell us, not with empty imaginings but claiming to understand clearly, how it is possible for it to be of a nature other than material. And since many passages of the Scriptures written before Christ's bodily coming also seem to say that God is in a bodily place, it does not seem out of place to me to set out a few of them too, in order to remove every distraction from those who, through simplicity, confine the God over all, as far as they can, in a small and narrow place. First, in Genesis, it says, “Adam” and Eve “heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the paradise in the evening; and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the face of the Lord God in the midst of the tree of the paradise.” We shall say to those who do not wish to enter the treasures of the text, and do not even knock at its “door” at all, whether they can show that the Lord God, who fills “heaven and earth,” who, as they suppose, in a rather bodily way uses “heaven” as a throne and “the earth” as a footstool “for his feet,” is contained by a place so small in comparison with the whole heaven and earth that the paradise they suppose to be bodily is not filled by God but is so much greater than he in size that it holds him even as he walks, his “voice” being heard from the tread of his feet. And still more absurd, on their view, is that Adam and Eve, ashamed before God because of the transgression, hid “from the face of God in the midst of the tree of the paradise.” For it is not said that they wished to hide in this way, but that they actually “hid.” And how, on their view, does God ask Adam, “Where are you?” ### Scripture references - Gen 3:8: quotation, high confidence - Gen 3:9: quotation, high confidence - Matt 7:7: echo, low confidence - Jer 23:24: quotation, high confidence - Isa 66:1: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Gen 3:8–9, Jer 23:24, and Isa 66:1; “knock at its door” echoes Matt 7:7. Origen's teaching on God's incorporeality is argued at length in On First Principles 1.1. His discussion in his commentary on Genesis, mentioned in 23.4, is lost. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 23.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/23/3/). ## On Prayer 23.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/23/4/ - Source: Koetschau 2:352–353 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God “walks” and “dwells” in the saints and in Christ; “heaven” may mean the saints or Christ himself, the Father's throne, with the church as his footstool. ### Greek text περὶ τούτων δὲ ἐπὶ πλεῖον διειλήφαμεν, ἐξετάζοντες τὰ εἰς τὴν Γένεσιν· πλὴν καὶ νῦν ἵνα μὴ τέλεον παρασιωπήσωμεν τὸ τηλικοῦτον πρόβλημα, αὐτάρκως ἀναμνησθησόμεθα τοῦ „ἐνοικήσω ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐμπεριπατήσω ἐν αὐτοῖς, “ λεγομένου ἐν Δευτερονομίῳ ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ. ὁποῖος γὰρ αὐτοῦ ὁ περίπατος ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις, τοιοῦτός τις καὶ ὁ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ, κρυπτομένου θεὸν καὶ φεύγοντος τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀφισταμένου τῆς παῤῥησίας παντὸς τοῦ ἁμαρτάνοντος· οὕτω γὰρ καὶ „Κάϊν ἐξῆλθεν ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ᾤκησεν ἐν γῇ Ναῒδ κατέναντι Ἐδέμ.“ ὡς οὖν ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις ἐνοικεῖ, οὕτως καὶ ἐν οὐρανῷ, ἤτοι παντὶ ἁγίῳ καὶ φοροῦντι „τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ ἐπουρανίου“ ἢ τῷ Χριστῷ, ἐν ᾧ εἰσι πάντες οἱ σῳζόμενοι „φωστῆρες“ καὶ ἀστέρες τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ἢ καὶ διὰ τοὺς ἐν οὐρανῷ ἁγίους κατοικεῖ (ἐκεῖ κατὰ) τὸ εἰρημένον· „πρὸς σὲ ἦρα τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου, τὸν κατοικοῦντα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ.“ καὶ τὸ ἐν τῷ Ἐκκλησιαστῇ δέ· „μὴ σπεύσῃς ἐξενεγκεῖν λόγον πρὸ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ· ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἄνω, καὶ σὺ ἐπὶ γῆς κάτω“ διάστημα βούλεται δηλῶσαι ἀπὸ τῶν ὄντων ἐν τῷ σώματι „τῆς ταπεινώσεως“ ἕως τοῦ παρὰ τοῖς ὑψουμένοις ὑπὸ τῆς ὠφελείας καὶ τοῦ λόγου ἀγγέλοις καὶ δυνάμεσιν ἁγίαις ἢ αὐτῷ τῷ Χριστῷ. οὐ γὰρ ἄτοπον αὐτὸν μὲν εἶναι κυρίως θρόνον τοῦ πατρὸς, ἀλληγορικώτερον οὐρανὸν καλούμενον, τὴν δὲ ἐκκλησίαν αὐτοῦ γῆν ὀνομαζομένην „ὑποπόδιον“ τυγχάνειν „τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ.“ ### English translation (Claude) We have discussed these matters more fully in examining the passages in Genesis; but now too, so as not to pass over so great a problem entirely in silence, it will be enough to recall the words, “I will dwell among them and walk among them,” said by God in Deuteronomy. For such as is his walking among the saints, such also is his walking in paradise; every sinner hides from God, flees his visitation, and withdraws from boldness; for so also “Cain went out from the face of God and dwelt in the land of Naid opposite Eden.” As, then, he dwells in the saints, so also in heaven: either in every saint who bears “the image of the heavenly,” or in Christ, in whom are all who are being saved, the “lights” and stars of heaven; or he dwells there because of the saints in heaven, according to the words, “To you I have lifted up my eyes, you who dwell in heaven.” And the saying in Ecclesiastes, “Do not hasten to bring out a word before the face of God; for God is in heaven above, and you on earth below,” means to show the distance between those who are in the body “of humiliation” and the one who is with the angels and holy powers exalted by benefit and by the Word, or with Christ himself. For it is not absurd that he himself should properly be the throne of the Father, called heaven in a more allegorical sense, and that his church, called earth, should be “the footstool of his feet.” ### Scripture references - Lev 26:12: quotation, high confidence - 2 Cor 6:16: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 4:16: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 15:49: quotation, high confidence - Phil 2:15: allusion, medium confidence - Ps 123:1 (122:1 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Eccl 5:2: quotation, high confidence - Phil 3:21: allusion, high confidence - Isa 66:1: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The first quotation is Lev 26:12 (quoted also in 2 Cor 6:16); Origen attributes it to Deuteronomy. The others are Gen 4:16 (LXX “Naid” for Nod), 1 Cor 15:49, Phil 2:15, Ps 123:1 (122:1 LXX), Eccl 5:2 (5:1 in the Greek and Hebrew numbering), Phil 3:21, and Isa 66:1. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 23.4 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/23/4/). ## On Prayer 23.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/23/5/ - Source: Koetschau 2:353 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: “In heaven” sets God's being apart from all creatures, though they receive his glory and power; Scripture's language of place must be read spiritually. ### Greek text προστεθείκαμεν δὴ ὀλίγα καὶ τῆς παλαιᾶς διαθήκης ῥητὰ, νομιζόμενα ἐν τόπῳ παριστάνειν τὸν θεὸν. ὑπὲρ τοῦ πάντοθεν κατὰ τὴν διδομένην ἡμῖν δύναμιν πεῖσαι τὸν ἐντυγχάνοντα ὑψηλότερον καὶ πνευματικώτερον ἀκούειν τῆς θείας γραφῆς, ὅταν δοκῇ ἐν τόπῳ διδάσκειν εἶναι τὸν θεόν. ἔπρεπε δὲ ταῦτα συνεξετασθῆναι τῷ „πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, “ οἱονεὶ ἀφιστάντι τὴν οὐσίαν τοῦ θεοῦ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν γεννητῶν· οἷς γὰρ οὐ κοινωνεῖ, αὐτοῖς δόξα τις θεοῦ καὶ δύναμις αὐτοῦ. καὶ, ἵνʼ οὕτως εἴπω, ἀποῤῥοὴ τῆς θεότητος ἐγγίνεται αὐτοῖς. ### English translation (Claude) We have added, then, a few passages of the Old Testament that are thought to present God as in a place, in order to persuade the reader in every way, according to the power given us, to understand the divine Scripture in a loftier and more spiritual way when it seems to teach that God is in a place. It was fitting to examine these together with “Our Father in heaven,” which as it were separates the being of God from all created things; for on those in which he does not share, a certain glory of God and his power, and, so to speak, an emanation of the divinity, comes to be. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 23.5 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/23/5/). ## On Prayer 24.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/24/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:353 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Origen asks how a human being can pray that God's name be made holy, and what God's “name” and its hallowing mean. ### Greek text „Ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου.“ ὅτε μὲν παρίστησι τὸ μὴ γεγονέναι πω, περὶ οὗ εὔχεται, ὁτὲ δὲ τούτου τυχὼν τὸ μὴ παραμένειν αὐτὸ καὶ τηρεῖσθαι ἀξιοῖ, φανερὸν ὅσον ἐπὶ τῇ λέξει ἐνταῦθα, ὡς μηδέπω ἁγιασθέντος τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ πατρὸς, κελεύεσθαι λέγειν ἡμᾶς κατά γε τὸν Ματθαῖον καὶ τὸν Λουκᾶν τό· „ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου.“ καὶ πῶς, εἴποι τις ἂν, ἄνθρωπος ἀξιοῖ ἁγιάζεσθαι „τὸ ὄνομα“ τοῦ θεοῦ ὡς μὴ ἡγιασμένον; τί „τὸ ὄνομα“ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τί τὸ ἀγιάζεσθαι αὐτὸ, κατανοήσωμεν. ### English translation (Claude) “Hallowed be your name.” Whether this presents what the one praying asks for as not yet having happened, or whether, having obtained it, he asks that it may remain and be kept, it is clear from the wording here that, as though the Father's name were not yet hallowed, we are commanded, at least according to Matthew and Luke, to say, “Hallowed be your name.” And how, someone might say, can a man ask that the “name” of God be hallowed, as though it were not hallowed? Let us consider what the “name” of the Father is, and what its being hallowed is. ### Scripture references - Matt 6:9: quotation, high confidence - Luke 11:2: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotation is Matt 6:9 (Luke 11:2). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 24.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/24/1/). ## On Prayer 24.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/24/2/ - Source: Koetschau 2:353–354 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: A name expresses a person's distinctive quality; God's unchanging name is “He who is,” and to hallow it is for our conception of God to become holy. ### Greek text „ὄνομα“ τοίνυν ἐστὶ κεφαλαιώδης προσηγορία τῆς ἰδίας ποιότητος τοῦ ὀνομαζομένου παραστατική· οἷόν ἐστι τὶς ἰδία ποιότης Παύλου τοῦ ἀποστόλου, ἡ μέν τις τῆς ψυχῆς, καθʼ ἣν τοιάδε ἐστὶν, ἡ δέ τις τοῦ νοῦ, καθʼ ἣν τοιῶνδέ ἐστι θεωρητικὸς, ἡ δέ τις τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ, καθʼ ἣν τοιόνδε ἐστί. τὸ τοίνυν τούτων τῶν ποιοτήτων ἴδιον καὶ ἀσυντρόχαστον πρὸς ἕτερον (ἄλλος γάρ τις ἀπαράλλακτος Παύλου ἐν τοῖς οὖσιν οὐκ ἔστι) δηλοῦται διὰ τῆς „Παῦλος“ ὀνομασίας. ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ ἀνθρώπων, οἱονεὶ ἀλλασσομένων τῶν ἰδίων ποιοτήτων, ὑγιῶς κατὰ τὴν γραφὴν ἀλλάσσεται καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα· μεταβαλούσης γὰρ τῆς τοῦ „Ἀβρὰμ“ ποιότητος, ἐκλήθη „Ἀβραὰμ, “ καὶ τῆς τοῦ Σίμωνος, ὁ „Πέτρος“ ὠνομάσθη, καὶ τῆς τοῦ διώκοντος τὸν Ἰησοῦν „Σαοὺλ, “ προσηγορεύθη ὁ „Παῦλος.“ ἐπὶ δὲ θεοῦ, ὅστις αὐτός ἐστιν ἄτρεπτος καὶ ἀναλλοίωτος ἀεὶ τυγχάνων, ἕν ἐστιν ἀεὶ τὸ οἱονεὶ καὶ ἐπʼ αὐτοῦ ὄνομα, τὸ „(ὁ) ὢν“ ἐν τῇ Ἐξόδῳ εἰρημένον ἤ τι οὕτως ἂν λεχθησόμενον. ἐπεὶ οὖν περὶ θεοῦ πάντες μὲν ὑπολαμβάνομέν τι, ἐννοοῦντες ἅτινα δή ποτε περὶ αὐτοῦ, οὐ πάντες δὲ ὅ ἐστι (σπάνιοι γὰρ καὶ, εἰ χρὴ λέγειν, τῶν σπανίων σπανιώτεροι οἱ τὴν ἐν πᾶσιν ἁγιότητα καταλαμβάνοντες αὐτοῦ), εὐλόγως διδασκόμεθα τὴν ἐν ἡμῖν ἔννοιαν περὶ θεοῦ ἁγίαν γενέσθαι, ἵνʼ ἴδωμεν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἁγιότητα κτίζοντος καὶ προνοοῦντος καὶ κρίνοντος καὶ ἐκλεγομένου καὶ ἐγκαταλείποντος ἀποδεχομένου τε καὶ ἀποστρεφομένου καὶ γέρως ἀξιοῦντος καὶ κολάζοντος ἕκαστον κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν. ### English translation (Claude) A “name,” then, is a summary designation that presents the individual quality of the one named. For example, there is an individual quality of Paul the apostle: one of his soul, by which it is of a certain kind; one of his mind, by which it contemplates certain things; and one of his body, by which it is of a certain kind. What is individual in these qualities and not shared with another (for there is no one else among existing things indistinguishable from Paul) is shown by the name “Paul.” But in the case of human beings, whose individual qualities as it were change, their names too are soundly changed according to Scripture; for when the quality of “Abram” changed, he was called “Abraham”; and when that of Simon changed, he was named “Peter”; and when that of “Saul,” who persecuted Jesus, changed, he was called “Paul.” But in the case of God, who is himself unchangeable and ever unalterable, there is always one name, so to speak, even for him, “He who is,” spoken in Exodus, or something that might be so spoken. Since, then, all of us have some conception of God, thinking whatever things about him, but not all of us conceive what he is (for rare, and, if one must say it, rarer than the rare, are those who grasp his holiness in all things), we are reasonably taught that the conception of God in us should become holy, so that we may see his holiness as he creates, provides, judges, chooses and abandons, accepts and rejects, and honors and punishes each according to his worth. ### Scripture references - Gen 17:5: allusion, high confidence - John 1:42: allusion, high confidence - Acts 13:9: allusion, high confidence - Exod 3:14: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The references are Gen 17:5, John 1:42, Acts 13:9, and Exod 3:14 (LXX, ὁ ὤν, “He who is”). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 24.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/24/2/). ## On Prayer 24.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/24/3/ - Source: Koetschau 2:354–355 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Scripture's “name of God” means his distinctive quality: it is taken in vain when misapplied, and it is called upon by teachers whose words refresh hearers like rain and dew. ### Greek text ἐν τούτοις γὰρ καὶ τοῖς παραπλησίοις. ἵνʼ οὕτως εἴπω, χαρακτηρίζεται ἰδία ποιότης τοῦ θεοῦ, ἥντινα νομίζω „ὄνομα θεοῦ“ λέγεσθαι κατὰ τὰς γραφὰς, ἐν μὲν τῇ Ἐξόδῳ· „οὐ λήψῃ τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ σου ἐπὶ ματαίῳ“ ἐν δὲ τῷ Δευτερονομίῳ· „προσδοκάσθω ὡσεὶ ὑετὸς τὸ ἀπόφθεγμά μου, καταβήτω ὡσεὶ δρόσος τὰ ῥήματά μου, ὡσεὶ ὄμβρος ἐπʼ ἄγρωστιν καὶ ὡσεὶ νιφετὸς ἐπὶ χόρτον· ὅτι ὄνομα κυρίου ἐκάλεσα, “ ἐν δὲ ψαλμοῖς· „μνησθήσονται τοῦ ὀνόματός σου ἐν πάσῃ γενεᾷ καὶ γενεᾷ.“ ὅ τε γὰρ οἷς μὴ δεῖ ἐφαρμόζων τὴν ἔννοιαν τοῦ θεοῦ λαμβάνει „τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ“ „ἐπὶ ματαίῳ, “ ὅ τε δυνάμενος ἀποφθέγξασθαι ὑετὸν, τοῖς ἀκούουσι συνεργοῦντα τῇ καρποφορίᾳ τῶν ψυχῶν αὐτῶν, καὶ ῥήματα δρόσῳ ἐοικότα παρακλητικὰ προσαγόμενος τῇ τε ῥύμῃ τῆς οἰκοδομῆς τῶν λόγων ὄμβρον ὠφελιμώτατον ἐπάγων τοῖς ἀκροαταῖς ἢ νιφετὸν ἀνυσιμώτατον, διὰ τοῦτο ταῦτα δύναται. ταῦτα ἐπινοήσας ἑαυτὸν δεόμενον θεοῦ τοῦ τελειοῦντος καλεῖ παρʼ ἑαυτὸν τὸν τῶν προειρημένων κυρίως χορηγόν· πᾶς τε τρανῶν καὶ τὰ περὶ τοῦ θεοῦ ὑπομιμνήσκεται μᾶλλον ἢ μανθάνει, κἂν ἀπό τινος ἀκούειν δοκῇ ἢ εὑρίσκειν νομίζῃ τὰ τῆς θεοσεβείας μυστήρια. ### English translation (Claude) For in these and similar things, so to speak, the individual quality of God is characterized, which I think is called “the name of God” in the Scriptures: in Exodus, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain”; in Deuteronomy, “Let my utterance be awaited like rain, let my words come down like dew, like a rainstorm on the grass and like snow on the herbage; for I have called on the name of the Lord”; and in the Psalms, “They will remember your name in every generation and generation.” For the one who applies the conception of God to things to which it must not be applied takes “the name of the Lord God” “in vain”; while the one who can utter rain that helps the hearers to bear fruit in their souls, and offers encouraging words like dew, and by the force of edifying speech brings a most useful rainstorm or a most effective snow upon his hearers, can do these things for this reason: understanding that he himself needs God who perfects, he calls to himself the one who properly supplies these gifts. And everyone who sets out clearly the things of God recalls them rather than learns them, even if he seems to hear them from someone or thinks he finds the mysteries of piety. ### Scripture references - Exod 20:7: quotation, high confidence - Deut 32:2: quotation, high confidence - Deut 32:3: quotation, high confidence - Ps 45:17 (44:18 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Plato, Meno 81c–d (Plato (works)): echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Exod 20:7, Deut 32:2–3 (LXX), and Ps 45:17 (44:18 LXX). That knowledge of God is “recalled rather than learned” echoes Plato's doctrine of recollection (Meno 81c–d; Phaedo 72e). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 24.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/24/3/). ## On Prayer 24.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/24/4/ - Source: Koetschau 2:355 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: To exalt God's name together is to reach a shared true knowledge of God; one exalts God by dedicating one's own soul to him as a house. ### Greek text ὥσπερ δὲ τὰ ἐνθάδε δεῖ νοεῖν τὸν εὐχόμενον, αἰτεῖν αὐτὸν ἁγιασθῆναι „τὸ ὄνομα“ τοῦ θεοῦ· οὕτως ἐν ψαλμοῖς τὸ „ὑψώσωμεν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ“ λέγεται, προστάσσοντος τοῦ προφήτου μετὰ πάσης συμφωνίας ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ νοῒ καὶ ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ γνώμῃ φθάσαι ἐπὶ τὴν ἀληθῆ καὶ ὑψηλὴν γνῶσιν τῆς ἰδιότητος τοῦ θεοῦ. τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ ὑψοῦν „τὸ ὄνομα“ τοῦ θεοῦ „ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ, “ (ὅτε) μεταλαβών τις ἀποῤῥοῆς θεότητος τῷ ὑπειλῆφθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ κεκρατηκέναι τῶν ἐχθρῶν. ἐφησθῆναι πτώσει αὐτοῦ μὴ δυναμένων, ὑψοῖ αὐτὴν τὴν δύναμιν, ἧς μετείληχε, θεοῦ· ὅπερ δηλοῦται ἐν εἰκοστῷ ἐνάτῳ ψαλμῷ διὰ τοῦ „ὑψώσω σε, κύριε, ὅτι ὑπέλαβές με καὶ (οὐκ) εὔφρανας τοὺς ἐχθρούς μου ἐπʼ ἐμοί.“ ὑψοῖ δέ τις τὸν θεὸν, ἐγκαινίσας αὐτῷ οἶκον ἐν ἑαυτῷ, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡ (ἐπι)γραφὴ τοῦ ψαλμοῦ οὕτως ἔχει· „ψαλμὸς ᾠδῆς τοῦ ἐγκαινισμοῦ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ Δαυΐδ.“ ### English translation (Claude) And just as the one who prays must understand these things when he asks that the “name” of God be hallowed, so in the Psalms it is said, “Let us exalt his name together,” the prophet commanding us, in all harmony, in the same mind and the same judgment, to attain to the true and lofty knowledge of God's distinctive character. For this is exalting the “name” of God “together”: when someone, having shared in an emanation of divinity through being upheld by God and having overcome his enemies, who cannot rejoice over his fall, exalts the very power of God in which he has shared; as is shown in the twenty-ninth psalm by the words, “I will exalt you, O Lord, for you have upheld me and have not made my enemies rejoice over me.” And a person exalts God by dedicating a house to him within himself, since the title of the psalm is: “A psalm of a song at the dedication of the house of David.” ### Scripture references - Ps 34:3 (33:4 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 30:1 (29:2 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 1:10: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Ps 34:3 (33:4 LXX), Ps 30:1 (29:2 LXX; Origen gives the Greek number), and the title of Ps 30 (29:1 LXX). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 24.4 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/24/4/). ## On Prayer 24.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/24/5/ - Source: Koetschau 2:355–356 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The Lord's Prayer uses imperatives that express wishes; Origen refutes Tatian, who wrongly took God's “Let there be light” as a prayer rather than a command. ### Greek text ἔτι περὶ τοῦ „ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου“ καὶ τῶν ἑξῆς προστακτικῷ χαρακτῆρι εἰρημένων λεκτέον ὅτι συνεχῶς προστακτικοῖς ἀντὶ εὐκτικῶν ἐχρήσαντο καὶ οἱ ἑρμηνεύσαντες, ὡς ἐν τοῖς ψαλμοῖς· „ἄλαλα γενηθήτω τὰ χείλη τὰ δόλια, τὰ λαλοῦντα κατὰ τοῦ δικαίου ἀνομίαν, “ ἀντὶ τοῦ γενηθείη καὶ „ἐξερευνησάτω δανειστὴς πάντα τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτῷ·“ „μὴ ὑπαρξάτω αὐτῷ ἀντιλήπτωρ“ ἐν τῷ ἑκατοστῷ ὀγδόῳ περὶ Ἰούδα· ὅλος γὰρ ὁ ψαλμὸς αἴτησίς ἐστι περὶ Ἰούδα, ἵνα τάδε τινὰ αὐτῷ συμβῇ. μὴ συνιδὼν δὲ ὁ Τατιανὸς τὸ „γενηθήτω“ οὐ πάντοτε σημαίνειν τὸ εὐκτικὸν ἀλλʼ ἔσθʼ ὅπου καὶ προστακτικὸν, ἀσεβέστατα ὑπείληφε περὶ τοῦ εἰπόντος „γενηθήτω φῶς“ θεοῦ, ὡς εὐξαμένου μᾶλλον ἤπερ προστάξαντος γενηθῆναι τὸ φῶς· „ἐπεὶ, “ ὥς φησιν ἐκεῖνος ἀθέως νοῶν, „ἐν σκότῳ ἦν ὁ θεός.“ πρὸς ὃν λεκτέον, πῶς ἐκλήψεται καὶ τὸ „βλαστησάτω ἡ γῆ βοτάνην χόρτου“ καὶ „συναχθήτω τὸ ὕδωρ (τὸ) ὑποκάτω τοῦ οὐρανοῦ“ καὶ „ἐξαγαγέτω τὰ ὕδατα ἑρπετὰ ψυχῶν ζωσῶν“ καὶ „ἐξαγαγέτω ἡ γῆ ψυχὴν ζῶσαν.“ ἆρα γὰρ ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἐπὶ ἑδραίου στῆναι εὔχεται συναχθῆναι „τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ ὑποκάτω τοῦ οὐρανοῦ εἰς συναγωγὴν μίαν, “ ἢ ὑπὲρ τοῦ μεταλαβεῖν τῶν βλαστανόντων ἀπὸ γῆς εὔχεται τὸ „βλαστησάτω ἡ γῆ“; ποίαν δὲ χρείαν ὁμοίαν ἔχει τῷ χρῄζειν φωτὸς τῶν ἐνύδρων καὶ πτηνῶν ἢ χερσαίων, ἵνα καὶ περὶ τούτων εὔχηται; εἰ δὲ καὶ κατʼ αὐτὸν ἄτοπον τὸ περὶ τούτων εὔχεσθαι, προστακτικαῖς ὀνομασίαις εἰρημένων, πῶς οὐ τὸ ὅμοιον λεκτέον καὶ περὶ τοῦ „γενηθήτω φῶς, “ ὡς μὴ εὐκτικῶς ἀλλὰ προστακτικῶς εἰρημένου; ἀναγκαίως δέ μοι ἔδοξεν, ἐν ταῖς προστακτικαῖς φωναῖς εἰρημένης εὐχῆς, ὑπομνησθῆναι τῶν παρεκδοχῶν αὐτοῦ διὰ τοὺς ἠπατημένους καὶ παραδεξαμένους τὴν ἀσεβῆ διδασκαλίαν αὐτοῦ, ὧν καὶ ἡμεῖς ποτε πεπειράμεθα. ### English translation (Claude) Further, about “Hallowed be your name” and the following petitions expressed in the imperative mood, it must be said that the translators also continually used imperatives instead of optatives, as in the Psalms: “Let the deceitful lips be made dumb, which speak iniquity against the righteous,” instead of “may they be made”; and, “Let the creditor search out all that he has”; “Let there be no helper for him,” in the hundred and eighth psalm, about Judas; for the whole psalm is a request about Judas, that certain things may happen to him. But Tatian, not seeing that “let there be” does not always signify a wish but sometimes a command, supposed most impiously of God, who said “Let there be light,” that he prayed rather than commanded the light to come into being; “since,” as he says with his godless understanding, “God was in darkness.” To him we must say: how will he take “Let the earth bring forth green herbage,” and “Let the water under the heaven be gathered together,” and “Let the waters bring forth creeping things with living souls,” and “Let the earth bring forth a living soul”? Does God pray that the water under the heaven be gathered “into one gathering” so that he may stand on firm ground, or does he pray “Let the earth bring forth” so that he may partake of what grows from the earth? And what need has he, like the need of light, of creatures of the water, the air, or the land, that he should pray about these too? And if, even on his view, it is absurd to pray about these things, which are expressed in the imperative, how must not the same be said of “Let there be light,” as spoken not as a wish but as a command? I thought it necessary, since the prayer is expressed in imperative words, to recall his misinterpretations, for the sake of those who have been deceived and have accepted his impious teaching, which we too once encountered. ### Scripture references - Ps 31:18 (30:19 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 109:11 (108:11 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 109:12 (108:12 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Gen 1:3: quotation, high confidence - Gen 1:11: quotation, high confidence - Gen 1:9: quotation, high confidence - Gen 1:20: quotation, high confidence - Gen 1:24: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Ps 31:18 (30:19 LXX), Ps 109:11–12 (108:11–12 LXX; Origen gives the Greek number), and Gen 1:3, 1:11, 1:9, 1:20, and 1:24. Tatian's interpretation of Gen 1:3 came from a lost work, perhaps his Problems; it is known only from this passage and a few others. Greek has a separate optative mood for wishes; the Septuagint translators often used the imperative instead. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 24.5 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/24/5/). ## On Prayer 25.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/25/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:356–357 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The kingdom of God is within us; to pray “your kingdom come” is to ask that God's rule may grow and be perfected in our souls, displacing the rule of sin. ### Greek text „Ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου.“ εἰ „ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ“ κατὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ κυρίου καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν „μετὰ παρατηρήσεως“ „οὐκ ἔρχεται, “ „οὐδὲ ἐροῦσιν· ἰδοὺ ὧδε ἢ ἰδοὺ ἐκεῖ, “ ἀλλὰ „ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ ἐντὸς“ ἡμῶν „ἐστιν“ („ἐγγὺς“ γὰρ „τὸ ῥῆμά ἐστι σφόδρα ἐν τῷ στόματι“ ἡμῶν „καὶ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ“ ἡμῶν), δῆλον ὅτι ὁ εὐχόμενος ἐλθεῖν τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ περὶ τοῦ τὴν ἐν αὐτῷ βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ ἀνατεῖλαι καὶ καρποφορῆσαι καὶ τελειωθῆναι εὐλόγως εὔχεται· παντὸς μὲν ἁγίου ὑπὸ θεοῦ βασιλευομένου καὶ τοῖς πνευματικοῖς νόμοις τοῦ θεοῦ πειθομένου, οἱονεὶ εὐνομουμένην πόλιν οἰκοῦντος ἑαυτόν· παρόντος αὐτῷ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ συμβασιλεύοντος τῷ πατρὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν τῇ τετελειωμένῃ ψυχῇ κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον, οὗ πρὸ βραχέος ἐμνημόνευον· „πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐλευσόμεθα καὶ μονὴν παρʼ αὐτῷ ποιησόμεθα“ (καὶ οἶμαι νοεῖσθαι θεοῦ μὲν βασιλείαν τὴν μακαρίαν τοῦ ἡγεμονικοῦ κατάστασιν καὶ τὸ τεταγμένον τῶν σοφῶν διαλογισμῶν, Χριστοῦ δὲ βασιλείαν τοὺς προϊόντας σωτηρίους τοῖς ἀκούουσι λόγους καὶ τὰ μὲν ἐπιτελούμενα ἔργα δικαιοσύνης καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀρετῶν· λόγος γὰρ καὶ δικαιοσύνη ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ)· παντὸς (δὲ) ἁμαρτωλοῦ κατατυραννουμένου ὑπὸ τοῦ ἄρχοντος „τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, “ ἐπεὶ πᾶς ἁμαρτωλὸς τῷ ἐνεστῶτι αἰῶνι πονηρῷ ᾠκείωται, μὴ ἐμπαρέχων ἑαυτὸν τῷ δόντι „ἑαυτὸν περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ἡμῶν, ὅπως ἐξέληται ἡμᾶς ἐκ τοῦ αἰῶνος τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος πονηροῦ“ καὶ „ἐξέληται“ „κατὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πατρὸς ἡμῶν“ κατὰ τὰ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Γαλάτας εἰρημένα ἐπιστολῇ. ὁ δὲ κατατυραννούμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ ἄρχοντος τούτου τοῦ αἰῶνος τῷ ἑκουσίῳ τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ βασιλεύεται ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας· διόπερ κελευόμεθα ὑπὸ τοῦ Παύλου μηκέτι ὑποτάσσεσθαι θελούσῃ τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ βασιλεύειν ἡμῶν, καὶ προστασσόμεθά γε διὰ τούτων· „μὴ οὖν βασιλευέτω ἡ ἁμαρτία ἐν τῷ θνητῷ ἡμῶν σώματι εἰς τὸ ὑπακούειν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις αὐτῆς.“ ### English translation (Claude) “Your kingdom come.” If, according to the word of our Lord and Savior, “the kingdom of God does not come with observation,” “nor will they say, Look, here it is, or, Look, there,” but “the kingdom of God is within” us (for “the word is very near, in” our “mouth and in” our “heart”), clearly the one who prays for the kingdom of God to come reasonably prays that the kingdom of God within him may rise, bear fruit, and be perfected. For every saint is ruled by God and obeys the spiritual laws of God, dwelling in himself as in a well-governed city; the Father is present with him, and Christ reigns with the Father in the perfected soul, according to the saying I mentioned a little before: “We will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” (And I think that by the kingdom of God is meant the blessed condition of the ruling faculty and the order of wise thoughts; and by the kingdom of Christ the saving words that go out to the hearers, and the works of righteousness and of the other virtues that are accomplished; for the Son of God is Word and righteousness.) But every sinner is tyrannized by the ruler “of this age,” since every sinner has made himself at home in the present evil age, not yielding himself to him who gave “himself for our sins, to deliver us from the present evil age,” and to deliver us “according to the will of our God and Father,” as is said in the Letter to the Galatians. And the one who is tyrannized by the ruler of this age through voluntary sin is also ruled by sin; that is why we are commanded by Paul no longer to submit to sin when it wishes to reign over us, and we are ordered in these words: “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its desires.” ### Scripture references - Matt 6:10: quotation, high confidence - Luke 17:20: quotation, high confidence - Luke 17:21: quotation, high confidence - Deut 30:14: quotation, high confidence - Rom 10:8: allusion, medium confidence - John 14:23: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 1:30: allusion, low confidence - John 12:31: allusion, high confidence - Gal 1:4: quotation, high confidence - Rom 6:12: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Luke 17:20–21, Deut 30:14 (Rom 10:8), John 14:23, John 12:31, Gal 1:4, and Rom 6:12; “the Son of God is Word and righteousness” alludes to 1 Cor 1:30. ἐντὸς ὑμῶν in Luke 17:21 can mean “within you” or “among you”; Origen takes it as “within.” ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 25.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/25/1/). ## On Prayer 25.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/25/2/ - Source: Koetschau 2:357–358 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: We keep praying “hallowed be your name” and “your kingdom come” because we grow toward perfection only by degrees, until God is all in all. ### Greek text ἀλλʼ ἐρεῖ τις πρὸς ἀμφότερα, τό τε „ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου“ καὶ τὸ „ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου, “ ὅτι, εἰ ὁ εὐχόμενος ἐπὶ τῷ ἐπακούεσθαι εὔχεται καὶ ἐπακούεταί ποτε, δηλονότι ἁγιασθήσεταί ποτε τινὶ κατὰ τὰ προειρημένα „τὸ ὄνομα“ τοῦ θεοῦ, ᾧ καὶ „ἡ βασιλεία“ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐνστήσεται. εἰ δὲ ταῦτʼ αὐτῷ ἔσται, πῶς ἔτι καθηκόντως εὔξεται περὶ τῶν παρόντων ἤδη ὡς μὴ παρόντων λέγων· „ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου· ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου“; εἰ δὲ τοῦτο, ἔσται ποτὲ καθῆκον μὴ λέγειν· „ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου· ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου.“ λεκτέον πρὸς ταῦτα ὅτι, ὥσπερ ὁ εὐχόμενος λόγου „γνώσεως“ τυχεῖν καὶ λόγου „σοφίας“ καθηκόντως ἀεὶ περὶ τούτων εὔξεται, ἀεὶ μὲν πλείονα θεωρήματα „σοφίας“ καὶ „γνώσεως“ ἐν τῷ ἐπακούεσθαι ληψόμενος, πλὴν „ἐκ μέρους“ γινώσκων μὲν ὅσα ποτʼ ἂν χωρῆσαι ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος δυνηθῇ, τοῦ (δὲ) τελείου καὶ καταργοῦντος „τὸ ἐκ μέρους“ „τότε“ φανερωθησομένου, ὅτε „πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον“ ὁ νοῦς προσβάλλει χωρὶς αἰσθήσεως τοῖς νοητοῖς· οὕτως „τὸ τέλειον“ τοῦ ἁγιασθῆναι ἑκάστῳ ἡμῶν „τὸ ὄνομα“ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἐνστῆναι αὐτοῦ τὴν βασιλείαν οὐχ οἷόν τε ἐστὶν, ἐὰν μὴ „ἔλθῃ“ καὶ „τὸ“ περὶ τῆς „γνώσεως“ καὶ „σοφίας“ „τέλειον“ τάχα δὲ καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀρετῶν. ὁδεύομεν δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν τελειότητα, ἐὰν „τοῖς“ „ἔμπροσθεν“ ἐπεκτεινόμενοι τῶν ὄπισθεν ἐπιλανθανώμεθα. τῇ οὖν ἐν ἡμῖν βασιλείᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ ἡ ἀκρότης ἀδιαλείπτως προκόπτουσιν ἐνστήσεται, ὅταν πληρωθῇ τὸ παρὰ τῷ ἀποστόλῳ εἰρημένον, ὅτι ὁ Χριστὸς, πάντων αὐτῷ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ὑποταγέντων, παραδώσει „τὴν βασιλείαν τῷ θεῷ καὶ πατρὶ, “ „ἵνα ᾖ ὁ θεὸς τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσι.“ διὰ τοῦτο „ἀδιαλείπτως“ προσευχόμενοι μετὰ διαθέσεως τῷ λόγῳ θεοποιουμένης λέγωμεν τῷ ἐν οὐρανοῖς πατρὶ ἡμῶν· „ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου· ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου.“ ### English translation (Claude) But someone will say, about both “Hallowed be your name” and “Your kingdom come,” that if the one who prays prays in order to be heard, and is at some time heard, then clearly the “name” of God will at some time be hallowed for someone, in the sense explained, and “the kingdom” of God will be established for him. And if he has these things, how will he still properly pray for what is already present as though it were not present, saying, “Hallowed be your name; your kingdom come”? And if so, it will at some time be proper not to say, “Hallowed be your name; your kingdom come.” To this it must be said that, just as the one who prays to obtain the word “of knowledge” and the word “of wisdom” will always properly pray for these, always receiving more insights of “wisdom” and “knowledge” when he is heard, though knowing “in part” whatever he can contain for the present, while the perfect, which does away with what is “in part,” will be revealed “then,” when the mind meets intelligible things “face to face,” without sense-perception; so the perfection of the hallowing of God's “name” for each of us, and of the establishing of his kingdom, is not possible unless “the perfect” also “comes” concerning “knowledge” and “wisdom,” and perhaps also the other virtues. And we travel toward perfection if, “straining forward to what lies ahead,” we forget what lies behind. So the summit of the kingdom of God within us will be established for those who make progress without ceasing, when what is said by the apostle is fulfilled: that Christ, when all his enemies have been subjected to him, will hand over “the kingdom to God the Father,” “so that God may be all in all.” Therefore, praying “without ceasing” with a disposition being made divine by the Word, let us say to our Father in heaven: “Hallowed be your name; your kingdom come.” ### Scripture references - 1 Cor 12:8: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 13:9: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 13:10: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 13:12: quotation, high confidence - Phil 3:13: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 15:24: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 15:25: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 15:28: quotation, high confidence - 1 Thess 5:17: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations and allusions are 1 Cor 12:8, 1 Cor 13:9–12, Phil 3:13, 1 Cor 15:24–28, and 1 Thess 5:17. “Being made divine by the Word” (θεοποιουμένης) reflects Origen's teaching on deification. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 25.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/25/2/). ## On Prayer 25.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/25/3/ - Source: Koetschau 2:358–359 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God's kingdom cannot coexist with sin's; if we put sin to death and bear the Spirit's fruit, Christ reigns in us until every enemy, even death, is defeated. ### Greek text ἔτι δὲ περὶ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ βασιλείας καὶ τοῦτο διαληπτέον, ὅτι, ὥσπερ οὐκ ἔστι „μετοχὴ δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ ἀνομίᾳ“ οὐδὲ „κοινωνία φωτὶ πρὸς σκότος“ οὐδὲ „συμφώνησις Χριστῷ πρὸς Βελίαρ, “ οὕτως ἀσυνύπαρκτόν ἐστι τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ βασιλεία τῆς ἁμαρτίας. εἰ τοίνυν θέλομεν ὑπὸ θεοῦ βασιλεύεσθαι, μηδαμῶς „βασιλευέτω ἡ ἁμαρτία ἐν τῷ θνητῷ ἡμῶν σώματι, “ μηδὲ ὑπακούωμεν τοῖς προστάγμασιν αὐτῆς, ἐπὶ „τὰ ἔργα τῆς σαρκὸς“ καὶ τὰ ἀλλότρια τοῦ θεοῦ προκαλουμένης ἡμῶν τὴν ψυχήν· ἀλλὰ νεκρώσαντες „τὰ μέλη τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς“ καρποφορῶμεν τοὺς καρποὺς „τοῦ πνεύματος.“ ἵνα ὡς „ἐν“ „παραδείσῳ“ πνευματικῷ κύριος ἡμῖν ἐμπεριπατῇ. βασιλεύων ἡμῶν μόνος σὺν τῷ Χριστῷ αὐτοῦ, ἐν ἡμῖν „ἐκ δεξιῶν“ καθημένῳ ἧς εὐχόμεθα λαβεῖν „δυνάμεως“ πνευματικῆς καὶ καθεζομένῳ, „ἕως“ πάντες οἱ ἐν ἡμῖν ἐχθροὶ αὐτοῦ γένωνται „ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν“ αὐτοῦ καὶ καταργηθῇ ἀφʼ ἡμῶν πᾶσα ἀρχὴ καὶ ἐξουσία καὶ δύναμις. δυνατὸν γὰρ ταῦτα καθʼ ἕκαστον ἡμῶν γενέσθαι καὶ τὸν ἔσχατον ἐχθρὸν καταργηθῆναι, τὸν θάνατον, ἵνα καὶ ἐν ἡμῖν λέγηται ὑπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ· „ποῦ σου, θάνατε, τὸ κέντρον; ποῦ σου, ᾅδη, τὸ νῖκος,·“ ἤδη τοίνυν „τὸ φθαρτὸν“ ἡμῶν ἐνδυσάσθω τὴν ἐν ἁγνείᾳ καὶ πάσῃ καθαρότητι ἁγιωσύνην καὶ „ἀφθαρσίαν, “ „καὶ τὸ θνητὸν“ ἀμφιεσάσθω, τοῦ θανάτου κατηργημένου, τὴν πατρικὴν „ἀθανασίαν“· ὥστε ἡμᾶς βασιλευομένους ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ἤδη εἶναι ἐν τοῖς παλιγγενεσίας καὶ ἀναστάσεως ἀγαθοῖς. ### English translation (Claude) Further, about the kingdom of God this must also be observed: just as there is no “partnership between righteousness and lawlessness,” nor “fellowship of light with darkness,” nor “accord of Christ with Belial,” so the kingdom of sin cannot coexist with the kingdom of God. If, then, we wish to be ruled by God, let “sin” in no way “reign in our mortal body,” and let us not obey its commands when it calls our soul to “the works of the flesh” and to what is foreign to God; but having put to death “the members that are on earth,” let us bear the fruits “of the Spirit,” so that the Lord may walk in us as “in” a spiritual “paradise,” ruling us alone with his Christ, who sits in us “at the right hand” of the spiritual “power” we pray to receive, and sits “until” all his enemies in us become “the footstool of” his “feet,” and every rule and authority and power is done away from us. For these things can happen in each of us, and the last enemy, death, can be done away, so that in us too Christ may say, “O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” Already, then, let our “corruptible” put on holiness in chastity and all purity, and “incorruption”; “and let the mortal,” death having been done away, clothe itself with the Father's “immortality”; so that, ruled by God, we may already be in the good things of regeneration and resurrection. ### Scripture references - 2 Cor 6:14: quotation, high confidence - 2 Cor 6:15: quotation, high confidence - Rom 6:12: quotation, high confidence - Gal 5:19: allusion, high confidence - Gal 5:22: allusion, high confidence - Col 3:5: quotation, high confidence - Gen 3:8: echo, low confidence - Ps 110:1 (109:1 LXX): allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 15:24: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 15:26: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 15:53: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 15:55: quotation, high confidence - Hos 13:14: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations and allusions are 2 Cor 6:14–15, Rom 6:12, Gal 5:19 and 5:22, Col 3:5, Gen 3:8 (God walking in paradise), Ps 110:1 (109:1 LXX), 1 Cor 15:24–26 and 15:53–55, and Hos 13:14. Origen applies the eschatological passages of 1 Cor 15 to the present spiritual life of the believer, without denying their future fulfillment. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 25.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/25/3/). ## On Prayer 26.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/26/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:359–360 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 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 „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 translation (Claude) “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.” ### Scripture references - Matt 6:10: quotation, high confidence - Luke 11:3: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 15:49: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Matt 6:10, Luke 11:3, and 1 Cor 15:49. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 26.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/26/1/). ## On Prayer 26.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/26/2/ - Source: Koetschau 2:360 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: “As in heaven so on earth” may apply to all three petitions: God's name, kingdom, and will are already realized in heaven and are prayed for on earth. ### Greek text δύναται μέντοι γε κατὰ μόνον τὸν Ματθαῖον ἀπὸ κοινοῦ τὸ „ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς“ λαμβάνεσθαι, ἵνʼ ᾖ τοιοῦτον τὸ προστασσόμενον ἡμῖν ἐν τῇ εὐχῇ λέγειν· „ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου“ „ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς“· „ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου“ „ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς“· „γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς“· „τό“ τε γὰρ „ὄνομα“ τοῦ θεοῦ ἡγιάσθη παρὰ τοῖς „ἐν οὐρανῷ, “ καὶ ἐνέστη αὐτοῖς „ἡ“ τοῦ θεοῦ „βασιλεία, “ γεγένηταί τε ἐν αὐτοῖς „τὸ θέλημα“ τοῦ θεοῦ· ἅπερ πάντα ἡμῖν λείπει τοῖς „ἐπὶ γῆς, “ δυνάμενα ἡμῖν ὑπαρχθῆναι ἐν τῷ ἀξίους ἑαυτοὺς κατασκευάζειν ἐπηκόου περὶ τούτων πάντων τοῦ θεοῦ τυχεῖν. ### English translation (Claude) It is possible, however, in Matthew alone, to take “as in heaven so also on earth” as common to all three petitions, so that what we are commanded to say in the prayer is this: “Hallowed be your name” “as in heaven so also on earth”; “Your kingdom come” “as in heaven so also on earth”; “Your will be done as in heaven so also on earth.” For “the name” of God has been hallowed by those “in heaven,” and “the kingdom” of God has been established for them, and “the will” of God has been done in them; all of which are lacking to us who are “on earth,” but can come to be ours if we make ourselves worthy to obtain from God a hearing about all of them. ### Scripture references - Matt 6:9: quotation, high confidence - Matt 6:10: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The reference is Matt 6:9–10. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 26.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/26/2/). ## On Prayer 26.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/26/3/ - Source: Koetschau 2:360–361 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Since evil spirits exist even “in the heavenly places,” one solution takes heaven to mean Christ and earth the church, which prays to do the Father's will as Christ did. ### Greek text ζητήσαι δʼ ἄν τις διὰ τὸ „γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς“ λέγων· πῶς γεγένηται „τὸ θέλημα“ τοῦ θεοῦ „ἐν οὐρανῷ, “ ὅπου ἐστὶ „τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας, “ διʼ ἃ μεθυσθήσεται „ἡ μάχαιρα“ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ „ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ“; εἰ δὲ οὕτως εὐχόμεθα γενηθῆναι „ἐπὶ“ τῆς „γῆς“ „τὸ θέλημα“ τοῦ θεοῦ, ὥσπερ γίνεται „ἐν οὐρανῷ, “ μή ποτε λεληθότως εὐξώμεθα μένειν „ἐπὶ γῆς“ καὶ τὰ ἐναντία, ὅπου ἀπʼ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ταῦτα ἔρχεται, πολλῶν φαύλων γινομένων „ἐπὶ γῆς“ διὰ τὰ ἡττῶντα „πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας, “ ὄντα „ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις.“ ὁ μὲν οὖν τις ἀλληγορῶν τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ φάσκων αὐτὸν εἶναι τὸν Χριστὸν, γῆν δὲ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν (τίς γὰρ οὕτως (ἄξι)ος „θρόνος“ τοῦ πατρὸς ὡς ὁ Χριστός; ποῖον δὲ „ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν“ τοῦ θεοῦ ὡς ἡ ἐκκλησία;) εὐχερῶς λύσει τὰ ζητούμενα, λέγων εὔχεσθαι δεῖν ἕκαστον τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας οὕτω χωρῆσαι „τὸ“ πατρικὸν „θέλημα, “ ὃν τρόπον Χριστὸς κεχώρηκεν, ὁ ἐλθὼν ποιῆσαι „τὸ θέλημα“ αὐτοῦ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ πᾶν αὐτὸ τελειώσας· δυνατὸν γὰρ κολληθέντα αὐτῷ „ἓν“ γενέσθαι „πνεῦμα“ σὺν αὐτῷ, διὰ τοῦτο χωροῦντα „τὸ θέλημα, “ ἵνʼ „ὡς“ τετέλεσται „ἐν οὐρανῷ, “ οὕτω τελεσθῇ „καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς“· „ὁ κολλώμενος“ γὰρ „τῷ κυρίῳ“ κατὰ τὸν Παῦλον „ἓν πνεῦμά ἐστι.“ καὶ οἶμαι ὅτι οὐκ εὐκαταφρόνητος ἔσται αὕτη ἡ ἑρμηνεία τῷ ἐπιμελέστερον κατανοοῦντι αὐτήν. ### English translation (Claude) But someone might ask, because of “Your will be done as in heaven so also on earth”: how has “the will” of God been done “in heaven,” where there are “the spiritual forces of wickedness,” because of which the “sword” of God will be made drunk even “in heaven”? And if we pray that “the will” of God may be done “on earth” in the same way as it is done “in heaven,” are we not unwittingly praying that the opposite things too may remain “on earth,” since these also come from heaven, many evils being done “on earth” through the “spiritual forces of wickedness” that prevail, which are “in the heavenly places”? Someone who allegorizes heaven and says it is Christ, and earth the church (for who is so worthy a “throne” of the Father as Christ? And what is such a “footstool for the feet” of God as the church?), will easily solve the questions, saying that each member of the church must pray to receive the Father's “will” as Christ has received it, who came to do “the will” of the Father himself and accomplished all of it. For it is possible for one joined to him to become one “spirit” with him, and for that reason to receive “the will,” so that, “as” it has been accomplished “in heaven,” so it may be accomplished “also on earth”; for, according to Paul, “he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.” And I think this interpretation will not be lightly despised by one who considers it more carefully. ### Scripture references - Matt 6:10: quotation, high confidence - Eph 6:12: quotation, high confidence - Isa 34:5: quotation, high confidence - Isa 66:1: allusion, high confidence - John 6:38: allusion, high confidence - John 4:34: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Cor 6:17: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations and allusions are Eph 6:12, Isa 34:5 (LXX, “my sword has been made drunk in heaven”), Isa 66:1, John 6:38 (John 4:34), and 1 Cor 6:17. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 26.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/26/3/). ## On Prayer 26.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/26/4/ - Source: Koetschau 2:361–362 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: An objection from Christ's words “all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth” is met by applying them to the human nature of Christ, exalted and united with the divine Son. ### Greek text ἀντιλέγων δέ τις αὐτῇ παραθήσεται τὸ ἐπὶ τέλει τούτου τοῦ εὐαγγελίου μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου εἰρημένον πρὸς τοὺς ἕνδεκα μαθητάς· „ἐδόθη μοι πᾶσα ἐξουσία ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς.“ ἔχων γὰρ ἐξουσίαν τῶν „ἐν οὐρανῷ“ φησι προσειληφέναι τὴν „ἐπὶ γῆς, “ τῶν μὲν „ἐν οὐρανῷ“ καὶ πρότερον ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου πεφωτισμένων, ἐπὶ δὲ „τῇ συντελείᾳ τοῦ αἰῶνος“ καὶ τῶν „ἐπὶ γῆς“ διὰ τὴν δεδομένην ἐξουσίαν τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ θεοῦ μιμουμένων τὰ, ὧν ἐξουσίαν ὁ σωτὴρ ἔλαβεν. „ἐν οὐρανῷ“ κατορθουμένων. οἱονεὶ οὖν διὰ τῶν εὐχῶν συνεργοὺς πρὸς τὸν πατέρα βούλεται λαβεῖν τοὺς μαθητευομένους αὐτῷ, ἵνʼ ὁμοίως τοῖς „ἐν οὐρανῷ“ ὑποτεταγμένοις ἀληθείᾳ καὶ λόγῳ τὰ „ἐπὶ γῆς“ διορθωθέντα (διὰ) τὴν ἐξουσίαν, ἣν ἔλαβεν „ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς, “ εἰς τέλος ἀγάγῃ τῶν ἐξουσιαζομένων μακάριον. ὁ δὲ θέλων οὐρανὸν εἶναι τὸν σωτῆρα τὴν δὲ γῆν ἐκκλησίαν, τὸν πρωτότοκον „πάσης κτίσεως, “ ᾧ ὁ πατὴρ ὡς θρόνῳ ἐπαναπαύεται, φάσκων εἶναι τὸν οὐρανὸν, εὕροι ἂν „τὸν“ „ἄνθρωπον, “ ὃν ἐνεδύσατο οἰκειωθέντα ἐκείνῃ τῇ δυνάμει διὰ τὸ τεταπεινωκέναι „ἑαυτὸν“ καὶ γενόμενον ὑπήκοον „μέχρι θανάτου.“ λέγειν μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν τό· „ἐδόθη μοι πᾶσα ἐξουσία ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς“· λαβόντος τοῦ κατὰ τὸν σωτῆρα ἀνθρώπου τὴν ἐξουσίαν τῶν „οὐρανῷ“ οἷον τῶν ἐνυπαρχόντων τῷ μονογενεῖ, ἵνα αὐτῷ κοινωνῇ, ἀνακιρνάμενος ἐκείνου τῇ θεότητι καὶ ἑνούμενος αὐτῷ. ### English translation (Claude) But someone objecting to this interpretation will cite what was said by the Lord to the eleven disciples at the end of this Gospel, after the resurrection: “All authority has been given to me, as in heaven so also on earth.” For having authority over the things “in heaven,” he says that he has received in addition authority over those “on earth”: the things “in heaven” having been enlightened by the Word even before, while at “the consummation of the age” those “on earth” too, through the authority given to the Son of God, imitate the things accomplished “in heaven,” over which the Savior received authority. So it is as though, through prayers, he wishes to take as fellow workers with the Father those who are his disciples, so that, when the things “on earth” have been set right through the authority he received “as in heaven so also on earth,” like the things “in heaven” subjected to truth and the Word, he may bring them to a blessed end for those under his authority. But the one who wishes heaven to be the Savior and the earth the church, saying that heaven is the firstborn “of all creation,” on whom the Father rests as on a throne, might find that “the man” whom he put on, having become united to that power because he “humbled himself” and became obedient “to the point of death,” says after the resurrection, “All authority has been given to me, as in heaven so also on earth”; the man in the Savior having received authority over the things “in heaven” which belong, as it were, to the Only-begotten, so that he may share with him, being blended with his divinity and united to him. ### Scripture references - Matt 28:18: quotation, high confidence - Matt 28:20: quotation, high confidence - Col 1:15: quotation, high confidence - Phil 2:7: allusion, high confidence - Phil 2:8: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations and allusions are Matt 28:18, Matt 28:20, Col 1:15, and Phil 2:7–8. Origen's distinction between “the man” assumed by the Savior and the Only-begotten, and his language of “blending” (ἀνακιρνάμενος) and “uniting,” belong to the christological vocabulary before the councils of the fifth century. The sentence “the things accomplished … the Savior received authority” is garbled in the digital text (a repeated word, removed as a slip). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 26.4 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/26/4/). ## On Prayer 26.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/26/5/ - Source: Koetschau 2:362 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Evil spirits are not truly “in heaven,” because where one belongs depends on the will, not on place; the saints on earth are heavenly, and the demons, though in the heavens, are earthly. ### Greek text μὴ λύοντος δέ πω τοῦ δευτέρου τὰ ἠπορημένα περὶ τοῦ πῶς „τὸ θέλημα“ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν „ἐν οὐρανῷ, “ τῶν „ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις“ πνευματικῶν „τῆς πονηρίας“ ἀντιπαλαιόντων τοῖς „ἐπὶ γῆς, “ ἐκεῖθεν ἐνέσται λύειν οὕτως τὸ ζητούμενον· ὅτι, ὥσπερ οὐ διὰ τὸν τόπον ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν προαίρεσιν ὁ ἔτι ὢν „ἐπὶ γῆς, “ „πολίτευμα“ ἔχων „ἐν οὐρανοῖς“ καὶ θησαυρίζων „ἐν οὐρανῷ, “ τὴν καρδίαν ἔχων „ἐν οὐρανῷ, “ „τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ ἐπουρανίου“ φορῶν, οὐκέτι ἐστὶν „ἐκ τῆς γῆς“ οὐδὲ „τοῦ“ „κάτω“ „κόσμου“ ἀλλʼ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ „τοῦ“ κρείττονος „τούτου“ οὐρανίου „κόσμου“· οὕτως καὶ „τὰ“ ἔτι „ἐν τοῖς (ἐπ)ουρανίοις“ διατρίβοντα „πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας, “ „τὸ πολίτευμα“ ἔχοντα „ἐπὶ γῆς“ καὶ διʼ ὧν ἀντιπαλαίει ἐπιβουλεύοντα ἀνθρώποις, θησαυρίζοντα „ἐπὶ γῆς, “ „εἰκόνα τοῦ χοϊκοῦ“ φοροῦντα, ὅστις „ἐστὶν ἀρχὴ πλάσματος κυρίου, πεποιημένος ἐγκαταπαίζεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων, “ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπουράνια οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς διὰ τὴν μοχθηρὰν διάθεσιν οἰκεῖ. ἐπὰν οὖν λέγηται· „γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς, “ ἐκείνους οὐδὲ „ἐν οὐρανῷ“ εἶναι λογιστέον, τῷ φρονήματι μετὰ τοῦ πεσόντος ἐξ „οὐρανοῦ“ δίκην ἀστραπῆς πεπτωκότας. ### English translation (Claude) But since the second interpretation does not yet solve the difficulty of how “the will” of God is “in heaven” when the spiritual forces “of wickedness” “in the heavenly places” wrestle against those “on earth,” one can solve the question in this way. Just as the one still “on earth,” not because of place but because of his choice, having his “citizenship in heaven,” laying up treasure “in heaven,” having his heart “in heaven,” bearing “the image of the heavenly,” is no longer “of the earth,” nor “of” the “world” “below,” but of heaven and of “this” better heavenly “world”; so also “the spiritual forces of wickedness” still dwelling “in the heavenly places,” having their “citizenship” “on earth,” and plotting against men by the means through which they wrestle, laying up treasure “on earth,” bearing “the image of the man of dust”—who “is the beginning of the Lord's creation, made to be mocked by the angels”—are not heavenly, nor do they dwell in the heavens, because of their wicked disposition. When, then, it is said, “Your will be done, as in heaven so also on earth,” we must consider that they are not even “in heaven,” having fallen in their mind with the one who fell from “heaven” like lightning. ### Scripture references - Eph 6:12: quotation, high confidence - Phil 3:20: quotation, high confidence - Matt 6:20: allusion, high confidence - Matt 6:21: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 15:49: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 15:47: allusion, medium confidence - John 8:23: allusion, high confidence - Job 40:19: quotation, high confidence - Luke 10:18: allusion, high confidence - Matt 6:10: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations and allusions are Eph 6:12, Phil 3:20, Matt 6:20–21, 1 Cor 15:47–49, John 8:23, Job 40:19 (LXX, said of the great beast, here applied to the devil), and Luke 10:18. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 26.5 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/26/5/). ## On Prayer 26.6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/26/6/ - Source: Koetschau 2:362–363 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Whoever sins is “earth” and whoever does God's will is “heaven”; the petition asks that God's will transform all that is earthly until everything becomes heaven. ### Greek text καὶ τάχα λέγων δεῖν εὔχεσθαι ὁ σωτὴρ ἡμῶν, ἵνα γένηται „τὸ θέλημα“ τοῦ πατρὸς „ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ“ οὕτως „καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς, “ οὐ πάντως περὶ τῶν ἐν τόπῳ τῆς „γῆς“ κελεύει γίνεσθαι τὰς εὐχὰς, ὅπως ὁμοιωθῶσι τοῖς ἐν τόπῳ οὖσιν οὐρανίῳ· ἀλλʼ ἔστιν αὐτῷ ἡ πρόσταξις τῆς εὐχῆς, βουλομένῳ ὁμοιωθῆναι πάντα τὰ „ἐπὶ γῆς, “ τουτέστι τὰ χείρονα καὶ τοῖς γηΐνοις ᾠκειωμένα, τοῖς κρείττοσι καὶ ἔχουσι „τὸ πολίτευμα ἐν οὐρανοῖς, “ πᾶσι γενομένοις οὐρανῷ. ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἁμαρτάνων, ὅπου ποτʼ ἂν ᾖ, ἐστὶ „γῆ, “ εἰς τὴν συγγενῆ, ἐὰν μὴ μετανοῇ, ἐσόμενός πῃ· ὁ δὲ ποιῶν „τὸ θέλημα“ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ μὴ παρακούων τῶν σωτηρίων πνευματικῶν νόμων οὐρανός ἐστιν. εἴτε οὖν „γῆ“ ἔτι ἐσμὲν διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, εὐχώμεθα καὶ ἐφʼ ἡμᾶς οὕτω „τὸ θέλημα“ τοῦ θεοῦ διατεῖναι διορθωτικῶς, ὥσπερ ἔφθακεν ἐπὶ τοὺς πρὸ ἡμῶν γενομένους οὐρανὸν ἢ ὄντας οὐρανόν· εἴτε μὴ γῆ ἀλλʼ οὐρανὸς ἤδη λελογίσμεθα τῷ θεῷ, ἀξιώσωμεν, ἵνα καὶ „ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς“ ὁμοίως „τῷ οὐρανῷ, “ λέγω δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν χειρόνων, πληρωθῇ „τὸ θέλημα“ τοῦ θεοῦ εἰς τὴν, ἵνʼ οὕτως εἴπω, οὐρανοποίησιν αὐτῆς, ὥστε μηκέτι ποτὲ εἶναι γῆν ἀλλὰ πάντα γενέσθαι οὐρανόν. ἐὰν γὰρ ὡς „ἐν οὐρανῷ“ κατὰ τὰ ἡρμηνευμένα „τὸ θέλημα“ τοῦ θεοῦ οὕτω γένηται „καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς, “ ἡ γῆ οὐ μενεῖ γῆ· ὡς (εἰ λέγοιμι ἐπὶ ἄλλου παραδείγματος σαφέστερον) ἐὰν, ὥσπερ γεγένηται „τὸ θέλημα“ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπὶ τοὺς σώφρονας, οὕτω γένηται καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀκολάστους, οἱ ἀκόλαστοι σώφρονες ἔσονται, ἢ ὡς γεγένηται „τὸ θέλημα“ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπὶ τοὺς δικαίους, ἐὰν οὕτω γένηται καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀδίκους, οἱ ἄδικοι δίκαιοι ἔσονται· διὰ τοῦτο ἐὰν, ὡς „ἐν οὐρανῷ“ γεγένηται „τὸ θέλημα“ τοῦ θεοῦ, γένηται „καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς, “ ἐσόμεθα πάντες οὐρανὸς, τῆς μὴ ὠφελούσης σαρκὸς καὶ συγγενοῦς αὐτῇ αἵματος μὴ δυναμένων κληρονομεῖν „βασιλείαν θεοῦ.“ κληρονομεῖν δʼ ἂν λεχθησομένων, ἐὰν μεταβάλωσιν ἀπὸ σαρκὸς καὶ γῆς καὶ χοῦ καὶ αἵματος ἐπὶ τὴν οὐράνιον οὐσίαν. ### English translation (Claude) And perhaps, when our Savior says we must pray that the Father's “will” be done “as in heaven” so “also on earth,” he is not at all commanding that prayers be made for those in the place of the “earth,” that they may be made like those in the heavenly place; rather, the command to pray is his, wishing all things “on earth,” that is, the worse things and those akin to earthly things, to be made like the better things and those that have their “citizenship in heaven,” all having become heaven. For the one who sins, wherever he may be, is “earth,” and unless he repents he will somehow come to be in what is akin to him; but the one who does “the will” of God and does not disobey the saving spiritual laws is heaven. Whether, then, we are still “earth” because of sin, let us pray that “the will” of God may extend to us too, to set us right, as it has reached those before us who have become heaven or are heaven; or whether we are already reckoned by God not earth but heaven, let us ask that “on the earth” too, as “in heaven”—I mean on the worse things—“the will” of God may be fulfilled, for what I may call its heavenly transformation, so that there may no longer be any earth, but all may become heaven. For if, as “in heaven,” according to the interpretation given, “the will” of God is done “also on earth,” the earth will not remain earth. So (to put it more clearly by another example), if, as “the will” of God has been done in the self-controlled, so it is done also in the licentious, the licentious will be self-controlled; or, as “the will” of God has been done in the righteous, if it is done so also in the unrighteous, the unrighteous will be righteous. Therefore, if, as “the will” of God has been done “in heaven,” it is done “also on earth,” we shall all be heaven; since flesh, which does not profit, and blood, akin to it, cannot inherit “the kingdom of God,” but could be said to inherit it if they change from flesh and earth and dust and blood to the heavenly substance. ### Scripture references - Matt 6:10: quotation, high confidence - Phil 3:20: quotation, high confidence - Gen 3:19: echo, low confidence - John 6:63: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Cor 15:50: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations and allusions are Matt 6:10, Phil 3:20, Gen 3:19, John 6:63, and 1 Cor 15:50. That flesh and blood could inherit the kingdom if changed into a heavenly substance reflects Origen's teaching on the spiritual resurrection body (On First Principles 2.10–11; 3.6). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 26.6 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/26/6/). ## On Prayer 27.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:363–364 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Origen rejects the view that “daily bread” means bodily bread, since Jesus taught us to ask for heavenly and great things. ### Greek text „Τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον, “ ἢ ὡς ὁ Λουκᾶς· „τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δίδου ἡμῖν καθʼ ἡμέραν.“ ἐπεί τινες ὑπολαμβάνουσι περὶ τοῦ σωματικοῦ ἄρτου λέγεσθαι εὔχεσθαι ἡμᾶς, ἄξιον αὐτῶν τὴν ψευδοδοξίαν διὰ τούτων περιελόντας παραστῆσαι τὸ ἀληθὲς περὶ τοῦ ἐπιουσίου ἄρτου. λεκτέον οὖν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὅτι πῶς ὁ λέγων δεῖν αἰτεῖν ἐπουράνια καὶ μεγάλα, οὔτε ἐπουρανίου ὄντος τοῦ εἰς τὴν σάρκα ἡμῶν ἀναδιδομένου ἄρτου οὔτε μεγάλου αἰτήματος τοῦ περὶ τούτου ἀξιοῦν, ὡσπερεὶ κατʼ αὐτοὺς ἐπιλαθόμενος ὧν ἐδίδαξε προστάττει περὶ ἐπιγείου καὶ μικροῦ ἔντευξιν ἀναφέρειν τῷ πατρί; ### English translation (Claude) “Give us today our daily bread,” or as Luke has it, “Give us each day our daily bread.” Since some suppose that we are told to pray for bodily bread, it is right to remove their false opinion by the following and to set forth the truth about the daily bread. We must say to them: how can he who says we must ask for heavenly and great things, as though, on their view, he had forgotten what he taught, command us to offer a petition to the Father about something earthly and small, since neither is the bread that is distributed into our flesh heavenly, nor is it a great request to ask for it? ### Scripture references - Matt 6:11: quotation, high confidence - Luke 11:3: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Matt 6:11 and Luke 11:3; the argument appeals again to the unwritten saying in 2.2 and 14.1. “Daily” renders ἐπιούσιος, whose meaning Origen discusses in 27.7–9. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 27.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/1/). ## On Prayer 27.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/2/ - Source: Koetschau 2:364 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jesus taught in John 6 that the true bread from heaven is himself, the Word, which nourishes the inner man made in God's image. ### Greek text ἡμεῖς δὲ ἑπόμενοι αὐτῷ διδασκάλῳ, διδάσκοντι τὰ περὶ τοῦ ἄρτου, διὰ πλειόνων ταῦτα παραθησόμεθα. φησὶν ἐν τῷ κατὰ Ἰωάννην πρὸς ἐληλυθότας εἰς Καφαρναοὺμ ζητεῖν αὐτόν· „ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ζητεῖτέ (με) οὐχ ὅτι εἴδετε σημεῖα, ἀλλʼ ὅτι ἐφάγετε ἐκ τῶν ἄρτων καὶ ἐχορτάσθητε.“ ὁ γὰρ φαγὼν „ἐκ τῶν“ ὑπὸ Ἰησοῦ εὐλογηθέντων „ἄρτων“ καὶ πληρωθεὶς αὐτῶν μᾶλλον ζητεῖ καταλαβεῖν ἀκριβέστερον τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ σπεύδει πρὸς αὐτόν. διόπερ καλῶς προστάττει λέγων· „ἐργάζεσθε μὴ τὴν βρῶσιν τὴν ἀπολλυμένην ἀλλὰ τὴν βρῶσιν τὴν μένουσαν εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον, ἣν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὑμῖν δώσει.“ πρὸς ταῦτα δὲ πυθομένων τῶν ἀκουσάντων καὶ λεγόντων· „τί ποιῶμεν, ἵνα ἐργαζώμεθα τὰ ἔργα τοῦ θεοῦ; ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ ἔργον τοῦ θεοῦ, ἵνα πιστεύητε εἰς ὃν ἀπέστειλεν ἐκεῖνος.“ „ἀπέστειλε“ δὲ ὁ θεὸς „τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἰάσατο αὐτοὺς, “ ὡς ἐν ψαλμοῖς γέγραπται, δηλονότι τοὺς νενοσηκότας· ᾧ λόγῳ οἱ πιστεύοντες ἐργάζονται „τὰ ἔργα τοῦ θεοῦ, “ ὄντα „βρῶσιν μένουσαν εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον.“ καὶ „ὁ πατὴρ“ δέ μου, φησὶ, „δίδωσιν ὑμῖν τὸν ἄρτον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὸν ἀληθινόν· ὁ γὰρ ἄρτος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν ὁ καταβαίνων ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ζωὴν διδοὺς τῷ κόσμῳ.“ „ἄρτος“ δὲ ἀληθινός ἐστιν ὁ „τὸν“ „ἀληθινὸν“ τρέφων „ἄνθρωπον, “ τὸν „κατʼ εἰκόνα τοῦ θεοῦ“ πεποιημένον, ᾧ ὁ τραφεὶς καὶ „καθʼ ὁμοίωσιν“ „τοῦ κτίσαντος“ γίνεται. τί δὲ λόγου τῇ ψυχῇ τροφιμώτερον, ἢ τί τῆς σοφίας τοῦ θεοῦ τῷ νῷ τοῦ χωροῦντος αὐτὴν τιμιώτερον; τί δὲ ἀληθείας τῇ λογικῇ φύσει καταλληλότερον; ### English translation (Claude) But we, following him as teacher, who teaches about the bread, shall set these things out at greater length. In the Gospel according to John he says to those who had come to Capernaum seeking him: “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.” For the one who has eaten “of the loaves” blessed by Jesus and been filled with them seeks more to understand the Son of God more exactly, and hastens to him. Therefore he rightly commands, saying: “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” And when those who heard asked about this, saying, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God? Jesus answered and said to them, This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” And God “sent his word and healed them,” as is written in the Psalms, clearly those who were sick; by this Word those who believe do “the works of God,” which are “food that endures to eternal life.” “And my Father,” he says, “gives you the true bread from heaven; for the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” And the true “bread” is that which nourishes the “true” “man,” the one made “in the image of God,” by which the one nourished comes to be also “in the likeness” “of the Creator.” And what is more nourishing to the soul than the Word, or what more precious to the mind that receives it than the wisdom of God? And what is more suited to rational nature than truth? ### Scripture references - John 6:26: quotation, high confidence - John 6:27: quotation, high confidence - John 6:28: quotation, high confidence - John 6:29: quotation, high confidence - Ps 107:20 (106:20 LXX): quotation, high confidence - John 6:32: quotation, high confidence - John 6:33: quotation, high confidence - Gen 1:26: allusion, high confidence - Col 3:10: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are John 6:26–29, Ps 107:20 (106:20 LXX), John 6:32–33, Gen 1:26, and Col 3:10. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 27.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/2/). ## On Prayer 27.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/3/ - Source: Koetschau 2:364–365 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: In John 6 Jesus speaks of the bread from heaven both as the Father's gift and as himself, the bread of life. ### Greek text ἐὰν δέ τις πρὸς ταῦτα ἀνθυποφέρῃ λέγων μὴ ἂν αὐτὸν διδάσκειν ὡς περὶ ἑτέρου ὄντος ἄρτου τοῦ ἐπιουσίου αἰτεῖν, ἀκουέτω ὅτι καὶ ἐν τῷ κατὰ Ἰωάννην ὅπου μὲν ὡς περὶ ἑτέρου τινὸς παρʼ αὐτὸν διαλέγεται, ὅπου δὲ ὡς αὐτὸς ὁ ἄρτος ὤν· ὡς μὲν περὶ ἑτέρου διὰ τούτων· „Μωϋσῆς δέδωκεν ὑμῖν τὸν ἄρτον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, “ „οὐ“ „τὸν ἀληθινὸν, “ „ἀλλʼ ὁ πατήρ μου δίδωσιν ὑμῖν τὸν ἄρτον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὸν ἀληθινόν“· ὡς δὲ περὶ αὐτοῦ φησι πρὸς εἰπόντας αὐτῷ· „πάντοτε δὸς ἡμῖν τὸν ἄρτον τοῦτον, “ „ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς· ὁ ἐρχόμενος πρός με οὐ μὴ πεινάσῃ. καὶ ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ οὐ μὴ διψήσῃ πώποτε.“ καὶ μετʼ ὀλίγα· „ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος (ὁ ζῶν) ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς· ἐάν τις φάγῃ ἐκ τούτου τοῦ ἄρτου, ζήσει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· καὶ ὁ ἄρτος δὲ, ὃν ἐγὼ δώσω, ἡ σάρξ μου ἐστὶν, ἣν ἐγὼ δώσω ὑπὲρ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου ζωῆς.“ ### English translation (Claude) And if someone objects to this, saying that he would not teach us to ask for the daily bread as though it were something other than himself, let him hear that in the Gospel according to John he speaks sometimes as of something other than himself, and sometimes as being himself the bread. As of another, in these words: “Moses gave you the bread from heaven,” “not” “the true bread,” “but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.” But as of himself he says to those who said to him, “Give us this bread always”: “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst.” And a little after: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give is my flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” ### Scripture references - John 6:32: quotation, high confidence - John 6:34: quotation, high confidence - John 6:35: quotation, high confidence - John 6:51: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are John 6:32, 6:34–35, and 6:51. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 27.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/3/). ## On Prayer 27.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/4/ - Source: Koetschau 2:365 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Christ's flesh, the Word made flesh, is true food for the mature; when we eat and drink him, he dwells in us and we behold his glory. ### Greek text ἐπεὶ δὲ πᾶσα τροφὴ „ἄρτος“ λέγεται κατὰ τὴν γραφὴν, ὡς δῆλον ἐκ τοῦ περὶ Μωϋσέως ἀναγεγράφθαι „ἄρτον οὐκ“ ἔφαγε „τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας καὶ ὕδωρ οὐκ“ ἔπιε, ποικίλος δέ ἐστι καὶ διάφορος ὁ τρόφιμος λόγος, οὐ πάντων δυναμένων τῇ στεῤῥότητι καὶ εὐτονίᾳ τρέφεσθαι τῶν θείων μαθημάτων· διὰ τοῦτο βουλόμενος παραστῆσαι ἀθλητικὴν τελειοτέροις ἁρμόζουσαν τροφήν φησιν· „ὁ ἄρτος δὲ, ὃν ἐγὼ δώσω, ἡ σάρξ μου ἐστὶν, ἣν ἐγὼ δώσω ὑπὲρ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου ζωῆς, “ καὶ μετʼ ὀλίγα· „ἐὰν μὴ φάγητε τὴν σάρκα τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ πίητε αὐτοῦ τὸ αἷμα, οὐκ ἔχετε ζωὴν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς. ὁ τρώγων μου τὴν σάρκα καὶ πίνων μου τὸ αἷμα ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον, καὶ ἐγὼ ἀναστήσω αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ. ἡ γὰρ σάρξ μου ἀληθής ἐστι βρῶσις, καὶ τὸ αἷμά μου ἀληθής ἐστι πόσις. ὁ τρώγων μου τὴν σάρκα καὶ πίνων μου τὸ αἷμα ἐν ἐμοὶ μένει, κἀγὼ ἐν αὐτῷ. καθὼς ἀπέστειλέ με ὁ ζῶν πατὴρ, κἀγὼ ζῶ διὰ τὸν πατέρα· καὶ ὁ τρώγων με κἀκεῖνος ζήσει διʼ ἐμέ.“ αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ „ἀληθὴς“ „βρῶσις, “ „σὰρξ“ Χριστοῦ, ἥτις „λόγος“ οὖσα γέγονε „σὰρξ“ κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον· „καὶ ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο.“ ὅτε δὲ (φάγοιμεν καὶ) πίοιμεν αὐτὸν, „καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν“· ἐπὰν δὲ ἀναδιδῶται, πληροῦται τὸ „ἐθεασάμεθα τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ.“ „οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβὰς, οὐ καθὼς ἔφαγον οἱ πατέρες καὶ ἀπέθανον· ὁ τρώγων τοῦτον τὸν ἄρτον ζήσει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.“ ### English translation (Claude) And since all food is called “bread” in Scripture, as is clear from what is written about Moses, that he ate “no bread” for “forty days and drank no water,” and since the nourishing word is varied and diverse, not all being able to be nourished by the solidity and vigor of the divine teachings, for this reason, wishing to present athletic food suited to the more perfect, he says: “The bread which I shall give is my flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world”; and a little after: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will also live because of me.” This is the “true” “food,” the “flesh” of Christ, which, being “Word,” has become “flesh,” according to the saying, “And the Word became flesh.” And when we eat and drink him, “he also dwelt among us”; and when he is distributed, the words are fulfilled, “We beheld his glory.” “This is the bread that came down from heaven, not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever.” ### Scripture references - Deut 9:9: quotation, high confidence - Exod 34:28: allusion, medium confidence - John 6:51: quotation, high confidence - John 6:53: quotation, high confidence - John 6:54: quotation, high confidence - John 6:55: quotation, high confidence - John 6:56: quotation, high confidence - John 6:57: quotation, high confidence - John 1:14: quotation, high confidence - John 6:58: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Deut 9:9 (Exod 34:28), John 6:51, 6:53–57, John 1:14, and John 6:58. Origen here reads John 6 of feeding on the Word; he does not deny the eucharistic sense, which he acknowledges elsewhere (e.g. Commentary on Matthew 11.14). The words “eat and” are supplied by the editor in the Greek. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 27.4 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/4/). ## On Prayer 27.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/5/ - Source: Koetschau 2:366 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: As Paul says, milk is for spiritual infants and solid food for the mature; even Romans 14 on eating everything or only vegetables refers mainly to spiritual teaching. ### Greek text ὁ δὲ Παῦλος „νηπίοις“ διαλεγόμενος καὶ „κατὰ ἄνθρωπον“ περιπατοῦσι Κορινθίοις φησί· „γάλα ὑμᾶς ἐπότισα, οὐ βρῶμα· οὔπω γὰρ ἐδύνασθε. ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ ἔτι νῦν δύνασθε· ἔτι γάρ ἐστε σάρκινοι“ καὶ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἑβραίους· „καὶ γεγόνατε χρείαν ἔχοντες γάλακτος, οὐ στερεᾶς τροφῆς. πᾶς γὰρ ὁ μετέχων γάλακτος ἄπειρος λόγου δικαιοσύνης, νήπιος γάρ ἐστι· τελείων δέ ἐστιν ἡ στερεὰ τροφὴ, τῶν διὰ τὴν ἕξιν τὰ αἰσθητήρια γεγυμνασμένα ἐχόντων πρὸς διάκρισιν καλοῦ τε καὶ κακοῦ.“ ἐγὼ δὲ ἡγοῦμαι καὶ τὸ „ὃς μὲν πιστεύει φαγεῖν πάντα, ὁ δὲ ἀσθενῶν λάχανα ἐσθίει“ μὴ περὶ σωματικῶν τροφῶν αὐτῷ προηγουμένως λέγεσθαι ἀλλὰ περὶ τῶν τρεφόντων τὴν ψυχὴν λόγων θεοῦ· τοῦ μὲν πιστοτάτου καὶ τελειοτάτου δυναμένου πάντων μεταλαμβάνειν, ὅνπερ δηλοῖ διὰ τοῦ „ὃς μὲν πιστεύει φαγεῖν πάντα, “ τοῦ δὲ ἀσθενεστέρου καὶ ἀτελεστέρου ἁπλουστέροις καὶ μὴ πάνυ εὐτονίαν ἐμποιοῦσι μαθήμασιν ἀρκουμένου, ὅντινα αὐτὸς σημῆναι θέλων λέγει· „ὁ δὲ ἀσθενῶν λάχανα ἐσθίει.“ ### English translation (Claude) And Paul, speaking to the Corinthians as “infants” who walk “in a human way,” says: “I fed you with milk, not solid food; for you were not yet able. Nor even now are you able; for you are still fleshly”; and in the Letter to the Hebrews: “And you have come to need milk, not solid food. For everyone who partakes of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is an infant; but solid food is for the mature, who by practice have their faculties trained to distinguish good from evil.” And I think that the words, “One believes he may eat anything, while the weak eats vegetables,” are not spoken by him primarily about bodily food, but about the words of God that nourish the soul: the most faithful and most perfect can partake of all, whom he indicates by “one believes he may eat anything”; while the weaker and less perfect is content with simpler teachings that do not produce much vigor, whom he wishes to indicate when he says, “the weak eats vegetables.” ### Scripture references - 1 Cor 3:1: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 3:2: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 3:3: quotation, high confidence - Heb 5:12: quotation, high confidence - Heb 5:13: quotation, high confidence - Heb 5:14: quotation, high confidence - Rom 14:2: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are 1 Cor 3:1–3, Heb 5:12–14, and Rom 14:2. Origen's reading of Rom 14:2 as primarily about spiritual food is his own allegorical interpretation. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 27.5 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/5/). ## On Prayer 27.6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/6/ - Source: Koetschau 2:366 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Simple but sound teaching is better than brilliant teaching that denies that the Father of Jesus gave the law and the prophets; we should ask the Father for the living bread. ### Greek text καὶ τὸ παρὰ τῷ Σολομῶντι δὲ ἐν ταῖς Παροιμίαις λεγόμενον ἡγοῦμαι διδάσκειν ὅτι βελτίων ὁ μὴ χωρῶν τὰ εὐτονώτερα καὶ μείζονα τῶν δογμάτων διὰ τὴν ἁπλότητα (οὐκ ἐσφαλμένα μέντοι γε φρονῶν) τοῦ ἐντρεχεστέρου μὲν καὶ ὀξυτέρου καὶ μειζόνως ἐπιβάλλοντος τοῖς πράγμασι τὸν δὲ τῆς εἰρήνης καὶ συμφωνίας τῶν ὅλων λόγον μὴ τρανοῦντος. ἔχει δὲ οὕτως αὐτῷ ἡ λέξις· „κρείσσων ξενισμὸς λαχάνων πρὸς φιλίαν καὶ χάριν ἢ μόσχος ἀπὸ φάτνης μετὰ ἔχθρας.“ πολλάκις γοῦν ἀπεδεξάμεθα ἰδιωτικὴν καὶ ἁπλουστέραν μετὰ εὐσυνειδησίας ἑστίασιν, ξενιζόμενοι παρὰ τοῖς πλέον ἡμῖν παρασχεῖν μὴ δυναμένοις, ἤπερ λόγων ὕψος ἐπαιρομένων „κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ θεοῦ, “ μετὰ πολλῆς πιθανότητος ἀλλότριον καταγγέλλον τοῦ „τὸν νόμον καὶ τοὺς προφήτας“ δεδωκότος πατρὸς τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ δόγμα. ἵνα τοίνυν μήτε διʼ ἔνδειαν τροφῶν τὴν ψυχὴν νοσήσωμεν μήτε διὰ „λιμὸν λόγου κυρίου“ τῷ θεῷ ἀποθάνωμεν, τὸν ζῶντα ἄρτον, ὅστις ὁ αὐτός ἐστι τῷ ἐπιουσίῳ, πειθόμενοι τῷ διδασκάλῳ σωτῆρι ἡμῶν, πιστεύοντες καὶ βιοῦντες δεξιώτερον, αἰτῶμεν παρὰ τοῦ πατρός. ### English translation (Claude) And I think that what is said by Solomon in Proverbs teaches that one who, because of his simplicity, cannot receive the more vigorous and greater doctrines (though his opinions are not mistaken) is better than one who is quicker and sharper and grasps things more largely but does not make clear the account of the peace and harmony of the universe. His words run thus: “Better is a meal of vegetables with friendship and grace than a calf from the stall with enmity.” Often, at any rate, we have preferred a plain and simple entertainment with a good conscience, being received by those who could not provide us more, to the loftiness of words exalted “against the knowledge of God,” which with much persuasiveness proclaims a doctrine foreign to the Father of our Lord Jesus, who gave “the law and the prophets.” So that we may neither fall sick in soul through lack of food nor die to God through “a famine of the word of the Lord,” let us ask of the Father the living bread, which is the same as the daily bread, obeying our teacher and Savior, believing and living more rightly. ### Scripture references - Prov 15:17: quotation, high confidence - 2 Cor 10:5: quotation, high confidence - Matt 22:40: echo, low confidence - Amos 8:11: quotation, high confidence - John 6:51: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Prov 15:17, 2 Cor 10:5, Matt 22:40 (“the law and the prophets”), and Amos 8:11. The teaching that rejects the God of the law and the prophets is that of Marcion and some Gnostic groups, whom Origen does not name here. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 27.6 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/6/). ## On Prayer 27.7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/7/ - Source: Koetschau 2:366–367 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Origen notes that the word translated “daily,” epiousios, seems coined by the evangelists, and derives it from ousia, “being”: the bread that sustains our being. ### Greek text τί δὲ καὶ τὸ „ἐπιούσιον, “ ἤδη κατανοητέον. πρῶτον δὲ τοῦτο ἰστέον, ὅτι ἡ λέξις ἡ „ἐπιούσιον“ παρʼ οὐδενὶ τῶν Ἑλλήνων οὔτε τῶν σοφῶν ὠνόμασται οὔτε ἐν τῇ τῶν ἰδιωτῶν συνηθείᾳ τέτριπται, ἀλλʼ ἔοικε πεπλάσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν εὐαγγελιστῶν. συνηνέχθησαν γοῦν ὁ Ματθαῖος καὶ ὁ Λουκᾶς περὶ αὐτῆς μηδαμῶς διαφερούσης, αὐτὴν ἐξενηνοχότες. τὸ ὅμοιον δὲ καὶ ἐπʼ ἄλλων οἱ ἑρμηνεύοντες τὰ Ἑβραϊκὰ πεποιήκασιν. τίς γάρ ποτε Ἑλλήνων ἐχρήσατο τῇ „ἐνωτίζου“ προσηγορίᾳ ἢ τῇ „ἀκουτίσθητι“ ἀντὶ τοῦ „εἰς τὰ ὦτα δέξαι“ καὶ „ἀκοῦσαι ποίει σ(ε)“; ἰσομοία τῇ „ἐπιούσιον“ προσηγορίᾳ ἐστὶ παρὰ Μωϋσεῖ γεγραμμένη, ὑπὸ θεοῦ εἰρημένη· „ὑμεῖς δὲ ἔσεσθέ μοι“ „λαὸς περιούσιος.“ καὶ δοκεῖ μοι ἑκατέρα λέξις παρὰ τὴν οὐσίαν πεποιῆσθαι, ἡ μὲν τὸν εἰς τὴν οὐσίαν συμβαλλόμενον ἄρτον δηλοῦσα, ἡ δὲ τὸν περὶ τὴν οὐσίαν καταγινόμενον λαὸν καὶ κοινωνοῦντα αὐτῇ σημαίνουσα. ### English translation (Claude) Now we must consider what “daily” (epiousios) means. First, it must be known that the word epiousios is used by no Greek writer, whether among the learned, nor is it current in the everyday speech of ordinary people, but it seems to have been coined by the evangelists. At any rate Matthew and Luke agreed in using it, without any difference. The translators of the Hebrew Scriptures did the same in other cases. For what Greek ever used the word enōtizou (“give ear”) or akoutisthēti (“be made to hear”) instead of “receive into your ears” and “cause yourself to hear”? A word similar to epiousios is written by Moses, spoken by God: “But you shall be to me” “a people for my own possession (periousios).” And it seems to me that each word is formed from ousia (“being”): the one showing the bread that contributes to our being, the other signifying the people that is occupied with being and shares in it. ### Scripture references - Matt 6:11: quotation, high confidence - Luke 11:3: quotation, high confidence - Exod 19:5: quotation, high confidence - Titus 2:14: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The Greek words are ἐπιούσιος, ἐνωτίζου, ἀκουτίσθητι, περιούσιος, and οὐσία. The quotation is Exod 19:5 (LXX; compare Titus 2:14). Origen's derivation of ἐπιούσιος from οὐσία is one of several ancient explanations; he mentions another, from ἐπιέναι (“to come”), in 27.13. The word is still debated. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 27.7 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/7/). ## On Prayer 27.8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/8/ - Source: Koetschau 2:367–368 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Origen reviews two philosophical views of “being”: the Platonist view that being belongs properly to incorporeal things, and the Stoic view that it is the qualityless matter underlying bodies. ### Greek text ἡ μέντοι κυρίως οὐσία τοῖς μὲν προηγουμένην τὴν τῶν ἀσωμάτων ὑπόστασιν εἶναι φάσκουσι νενόμισται κατὰ τὰ ἀσώματα. τὸ εἶναι βεβαίως ἔχοντα καὶ οὔτε προσθήκην χωροῦντα οὔτε ἀφαίρεσιν πάσχοντα (τοῦτο γὰρ ἴδιον σωμάτων, περὶ ἃ γίνεται ἡ αὔξη καὶ ἡ φθίσις παρὰ τὸ εἶναι αὐτὰ ῥευστὰ, δεόμενα τοῦ ὑποστηρίζοντος ἐπεισιόντος καὶ τρέφοντος· ὅπερ ἐὰν πλεῖον ἐν καιρῷ ἐπεισίῃ τοῦ ἀποῤῥέοντος, αὔξησις γίνεται, ἐὰν δὲ ἔλαττον, μείωσις· τάχα δέ τινα οὐδʼ ὅλως τὸ ἐπεισιὸν λαμβάνοντα ἐν ἀκράτῳ. ἵνʼ οὕτως εἴπω, μειώσει γίνεται). τοῖς δὲ ἐπακολουθητικὴν αὐτὴν εἶναι νομίζουσι προηγουμένην δὲ τὴν τῶν σωμάτων ὅροι αὐτῆς οὗτοί εἰσιν· οὐσία ἐστὶν ἢ πρώτη τῶν ὄντων ὕλη, καὶ ἐξ ἧς τὰ ὄντα, ἢ τῶν σωμάτων ὕλη, καὶ ἐξ ἧς τὰ σώματα, ἢ τῶν ὀνομαζομένων, καὶ ἐξ ἧς τὰ ὀνομαζόμενα, ἢ τὸ πρῶτον ὑπόστατον ἄποιον ἢ τὸ προϋφιστάμενον τοῖς οὖσιν ἢ τὸ πάσας δεχόμενον τὰς μεταβολάς τε καὶ ἀλλοιώσεις, αὐτὸ δὲ ἀναλλοίωτον κατὰ τὸν ἴδιον λόγον, ἢ τὸ ὑπομένον πᾶσαν ἀλλοίωσιν καὶ μεταβολήν. κατὰ τούτους δὲ ἡ οὐσία ἐστὶν ἄποιός τε καὶ ἀσχημάτιστος κατὰ τὸν ἴδιον λόγον ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ μέγεθος ἀποτεταγμένον ἔχουσα, πάσῃ δὲ ἔγκειται ποιότητι καθάπερ ἕτοιμόν τι χωρίον. ποιότητας δὲ διατακτικῶς λέγουσι τὰς ἐνεργείας καὶ τὰς ποιήσεις κοινῶς, ἐν αἷς εἶναι τὰς κινήσεις καὶ σχέσεις συμβέβηκεν· οὐδέ τινος γὰρ τούτων κατὰ τὸν ἴδιον λόγον μετέχειν φασὶ τὴν οὐσίαν, ἀεὶ δέ τινος αὐτῶν ἀχώριστον εἶναι πάθει τήνδε, οὐδὲν ἧττον καὶ ἐπιδεκτὴν πασῶν τῶν τοῦ ποιοῦντος ἐνεργειῶν, ὡς ἂν ἐκεῖνο ποιῇ καὶ μεταβάλλῃ· ὁ γὰρ συνὼν αὐτῇ τόνος καὶ διʼ ὅλων κεχωρηκὼς πάσης τε ποιότητος καὶ τῶν περὶ αὐτὴν αἴτιος ἂν οἰκονομιῶν· διʼ ὅλων τε μεταβλητὴν καὶ διʼ ὅλων διαιρετὴν λέγουσιν εἶναι, καὶ πᾶσαν οὐσίαν πάσῃ συγχεῖσθαι δύνασθαι, ἡνωμένην μέντοι. ### English translation (Claude) Being (ousia) in the proper sense, according to those who say that the existence of incorporeal things is primary, is understood to belong to incorporeal things, which possess being firmly and neither admit addition nor suffer subtraction (for this belongs to bodies, in which growth and decay occur because they are in flux and need something that comes in to support and nourish them; if at any time more comes in than flows away, there is increase, and if less, decrease; and perhaps some things that receive nothing at all coming in are, so to speak, in unmixed decrease). But according to those who think that incorporeal existence is secondary and that of bodies primary, its definitions are these: being is either the primary matter of existing things, from which existing things come; or the matter of bodies, from which bodies come; or of things named, from which things named come; or the first substrate without quality; or that which underlies existing things; or that which receives all changes and alterations while itself unaltered in its own nature; or that which endures every alteration and change. According to these, being is in its own nature without quality and without shape, and does not even have a determined size, but lies ready for every quality like a prepared place. And by qualities, in their technical sense, they mean activities and productions in general, in which motions and states happen to exist; for they say that being in its own nature participates in none of these, but is always inseparable from one of them by being affected, and nonetheless is receptive of all the activities of the agent, as it acts and changes it; for the tension that is with it and has passed through all of it would be the cause of every quality and of the dispositions concerning it. And they say that it is changeable throughout and divisible throughout, and that every being can be mingled with every other, while remaining united. ### Translation notes - The first view is Platonist; the second, with its definitions of being as qualityless matter and its doctrine of “tension” (τόνος) pervading matter, is Stoic. The technical vocabulary makes several phrases uncertain in meaning, especially the words rendered “in their technical sense” (διατακτικῶς) and “by being affected” (πάθει). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 27.8 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/8/). ## On Prayer 27.9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/9/ - Source: Koetschau 2:368–369 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The “daily bread” is the Word of God, which passes into the soul's very being as food passes into the body, strengthening each according to his capacity and imparting immortality. ### Greek text ἐπεὶ δὲ περὶ τῆς οὐσίας ζητοῦντες διὰ „τὸν ἐπιούσιον“ „ἄρτον“ καὶ τὸν περιούσιον λαὸν εἰς τὸ τὰ σημαίνοντα διακριθῆναι τῆς οὐσίας ταῦτʼ εἰρήκαμεν, ἄρτος δὲ ἐν τοῖς πρὸ τούτων νοητὸς ἦν, ὃν αἰτεῖν ἡμᾶς ἐχρῆν, ἀναγκαῖον συγγενῆ τῷ ἄρτῳ τὴν οὐσίαν εἶναι νοεῖν· ἵνʼ ὥσπερ ὁ σωματικὸς ἄρτος ἀναδιδόμενος εἰς τὸ τοῦ τρεφομένου σῶμα χωρεῖ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν οὐσίαν, οὕτως „ὁ ζῶν“ καὶ „ἐξ οὐρανοῦ“ καταβεβηκὼς „ἄρτος“ ἀναδιδόμενος εἰς τὸν νοῦν καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν μεταδῷ τῆς ἰδίας δυνάμεως τῷ ἐμπαρεσχηκότι ἑαυτὸν τῇ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ τροφῇ· καὶ οὕτως ἔσται ὃν αἰτοῦμεν „ἄρτον“ „ἐπιούσιον.“ καὶ πάλιν ὃν τρόπον κατὰ τὴν ποιότητα τῆς „τροφῆς.“ „στερεᾶς“ οὔσης καὶ ἀθληταῖς ἁρμοζούσης ἢ γαλακτώδους τινὸς καὶ λαχανώδους, ἐν διαφόρῳ δυνάμει ὁ τρεφόμενος γίνεται, οὕτως ἀκόλουθόν ἐστι, τοῦ λόγου τοῦ θεοῦ ἤτοι ὡς γάλακτος παιδίοις ἁρμοζόντως διδομένου ἢ ὡς λαχάνου ἀσθενοῦσιν ἐπιτηδείως ἢ ὡς σαρκὸς ἀγωνιζομένοις προσ(καίρως), ἕκαστον τῶν τρεφομένων κατὰ τὴν ἀναλογίαν, ᾧ ἐμπαρέσχεν ἑαυτὸν λόγῳ, τόδε τι ἢ τόδε δύνασθαι καὶ τοιόνδε ἢ τοιόνδε γίνεσθαι. ἔστι μέντοι γε τὶς νομιζομένη τροφὴ, οὖσα δηλητήριος, καὶ ἑτέρα νοσοποιὸς καὶ ἄλλη μηδὲ ἀναδοθῆναι δυναμένη· ἅπερ πάντα κατʼ ἀναλογίαν μετενεκτέον ἐστὶ καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς διαφορὰς τῶν νομιζομένων τροφίμων μαθημάτων. ἐπιούσιος τοίνυν ἄρτος ὁ τῇ φύσει τῇ λογικῇ καταλληλότατος καὶ τῇ οὐσίᾳ αὐτῇ συγγενὴς. ὑγείαν ἅμα καὶ εὐεξίαν καὶ ἰσχὺν περιποιῶν τῇ ψυχῇ καὶ τῆς ἰδίας ἀθανασίας (ἀθάνατος γὰρ ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ) μεταδιδοὺς τῷ ἐσθίοντι αὐτοῦ. ### English translation (Claude) Since we have said these things in inquiring about being, because of “the daily” “bread” and the “people for his own possession,” in order to distinguish the meanings of “being,” and since in what went before the bread we ought to ask for was intelligible bread, it is necessary to understand being as akin to the bread; so that, just as bodily bread, distributed into the body of the one nourished, passes into his being, so “the living” “bread” that came down “from heaven,” distributed into the mind and soul, imparts its own power to the one who has given himself to the nourishment that comes from it; and so the “bread” we ask for will be “daily” (epiousios). And again, just as the one nourished comes to have different strength according to the quality of the “food,” whether “solid” and suited to athletes, or like milk or vegetables, so it follows that, as the Word of God is given either as milk suitably to children, or as vegetables fittingly to the sick, or as meat seasonably to those who contend, each of those nourished, in proportion to the Word to which he has given himself, is able to do this or that and to become this kind or that. There is, however, some supposed food that is poisonous, another that causes disease, and another that cannot even be digested; all of which must be transferred by analogy to the differences among the teachings thought to be nourishing. The daily bread, then, is the one most suited to rational nature and akin to being itself, bringing health, good condition, and strength to the soul, and imparting its own immortality (for the Word of God is immortal) to the one who eats it. ### Scripture references - John 6:51: allusion, high confidence - Heb 5:12: allusion, high confidence - Heb 5:14: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Cor 3:2: allusion, high confidence - Rom 14:2: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The allusions are John 6:51, Heb 5:12–14, 1 Cor 3:2, and Rom 14:2. “Seasonably” renders the editor's restoration προσκαίρως. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 27.9 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/9/). ## On Prayer 27.10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/10/ - Source: Koetschau 2:369–370 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The daily bread is also the tree of life and the wisdom of God, the food of the angels, which the psalm calls “the bread of angels.” ### Greek text οὗτος δὴ ὁ ἐπιούσιος ἄρτος ἄλλῳ ὀνόματι δοκεῖ μοι ἐν τῇ γραφῇ „ξύλον ζωῆς“ ὠνομάσθαι, ἐφʼ ὅπερ ὁ ἐκτείνας „τὴν χεῖρα“ καὶ λαβὼν ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ „ζήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.“ καὶ τρίτῳ ὀνόματι τοῦτο τὸ „ξύλον“ „σοφία“ τοῦ θεοῦ ὀνομάζεται παρὰ τῷ Σολομῶντι διὰ τούτων· „ξύλον ζωῆς ἐστι πᾶσι τοῖς ἀντεχομένοις αὐτῆς, καὶ τοῖς ἐπερειδομένοις ὡς ἐπὶ κύριον ἀσφαλής.“ ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι σοφίᾳ τρέφονται θεοῦ, ἀπὸ τῆς κατὰ τὴν ἀλήθειαν μετὰ σοφίας θεωρίας δυναμούμενοι πρὸς τὸ τὰ ἴδια ἔργα ἐπιτελεῖν, λέγεται ἐν ψαλμοῖς καὶ τοὺς ἀγγέλους τρέφεσθαι. κοινωνούντων τῶν ἀνθρώπων τοῦ θεοῦ, οἵτινες Ἑβραῖοι προσαγορεύονται, τοῖς ἀγγέλοις καὶ οἱονεὶ καὶ συνεστίων αὐτοῖς γινομένων. τοιοῦτον δέ ἐστι τὸ „ἄρτον ἀγγέλων ἔφαγεν ἄνθρωπος.“ μὴ γὰρ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον πτωχεύσαι ὁ νοῦς ἡμῶν, ὡς οἰηθῆναι σωματικοῦ τινος ἄρτου, τοῦ ἱστορουμένου οὐρανόθεν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐξεληλυθότας τὴν Αἴγυπτον καταβεβηκέναι, τοὺς ἀγγέλους ἀεὶ μεταλαμβάνοντας τρέφεσθαι, τούτου αὐτοῦ κεκοινωνηκότων τῶν Ἑβραίων τοῖς ἀγγέλοις, τοῖς λειτουργικοῖς τοῦ θεοῦ πνεύμασιν. ### English translation (Claude) This daily bread seems to me to be called by another name in Scripture, “the tree of life”: whoever stretches out “his hand” to it and takes from it “will live for ever.” And by a third name this “tree” is called the “wisdom” of God by Solomon, in these words: “She is a tree of life to all who lay hold of her, and to those who lean upon her as upon the Lord she is secure.” And since the angels too are nourished by the wisdom of God, being strengthened by the contemplation of truth with wisdom to accomplish their own works, it is said in the Psalms that the angels too are nourished, the men of God, who are called Hebrews, sharing with the angels and becoming as it were their table companions. Such is the meaning of “Man ate the bread of angels.” For let our mind not be so impoverished as to think that the angels are always nourished by partaking of some bodily bread, the one recorded to have come down from heaven for those who had come out of Egypt, and that the Hebrews shared this very bread with the angels, the ministering spirits of God. ### Scripture references - Gen 3:22: quotation, high confidence - Prov 3:18: quotation, high confidence - Ps 78:25 (77:25 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Exod 16:4: allusion, medium confidence - Heb 1:14: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Gen 3:22, Prov 3:18 (LXX), and Ps 78:25 (77:25 LXX); the manna is Exod 16, and “ministering spirits” is Heb 1:14. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 27.10 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/10/). ## On Prayer 27.11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/11/ - Source: Koetschau 2:370 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 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 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 translation (Claude) 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. ### Scripture references - Gen 18:2: allusion, high confidence - Gen 18:6: quotation, high confidence - Rev 3:20: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The references are Gen 18:2–8 and Rev 3:20. Origen proposes the figurative reading tentatively (“whether perhaps”). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 27.11 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/11/). ## On Prayer 27.12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/12/ - Source: Koetschau 2:370–371 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Christ is food that makes us sons of God, while those who feed on the devil become like serpents; Peter's vision shows that the clean and unclean animals signify kinds of people, all of whom God can cleanse. ### Greek text τοῦ μὲν οὖν ἐπιουσίου ὁ μεταλαμβάνων ἄρτου στηριζόμενος τὴν „καρδίαν“ υἱὸς θεοῦ γίνεται· „τοῦ“ δὲ „δράκοντος“ ὁ μετέχων οὐκ ἄλλος ἐστὶ τοῦ νοητοῦ Αἰθίοπος, διὰ τὰς τοῦ „δράκοντος“ ἄρκυς μεταβάλλων καὶ αὐτὸς εἰς ὄφιν, ὥστε ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου ὀνειδιζόμενον αὐτὸν, κἂν λέγῃ βαπτίζεσθαι θέλειν, ἀκούειν· „ὄφεις, γεννήματα ἐχιδνῶν, τίς ὑπέδειξεν ὑμῖν φυγεῖν ἀπὸ τῆς μελλούσης ὀργῆς;“ λέγει δὲ περὶ τοῦ δρακοντείου σώματος ὑπὸ τῶν Αἰθιόπων ἑστιωμένου ὁ Δαυῒδ ταῦτα· „συνέτριψας τὰς κεφαλὰς τῶν δρακόντων ἐπὶ τοῦ ὕδατος, (σὺ συνέθλασας τὴν κεφαλὴν τοῦ δράκοντος, ) ἔδωκας αὐτὸν βρῶμα λαοῖς τοῖς Αἰθίοψιν.“ εἰ δὲ μὴ ἀπεμφαίνει. οὐσιωδῶς ὑφεστῶτος τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ ὑφεστῶτος δὲ καὶ τοῦ ἀντικειμένου, ἑκάτερον αὐτῶν τροφὴν γίνεσθαι τοῦδε ἢ τοῦδε, τί ὀκνοῦμεν παραδέξασθαι ἐπί γε πασῶν τῶν δυνάμεων κρειττόνων καὶ χειρόνων καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸ δύνασθαι τρέφεσθαι ἀπὸ πάντων τούτων ἕνα ἕκαστον ἡμῶν; κοινωνεῖν γοῦν τῷ ἑκατοντάρχῳ Κορνηλίῳ καὶ τοῖς ἅμα συναχθεῖσιν ἐν τῇ Καισαρείᾳ ὁ Πέτρος μέλλων μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα καὶ τοῖς ἔθνεσι μεταδώσειν τῶν λόγων τοῦ θεοῦ, ὁρᾷ τὸ „τέτταρσιν ἀρχαῖς καθιέμενον“ οὐρανόθεν „σκεῦος.“ „ἐν ᾧ“ „πάντα τὰ τετράποδα καὶ ἑρπετὰ καὶ θηρία τῆς γῆς“· ὅτε καὶ κελεύεται „ἀναστὰς“ θῦσαι καὶ φαγεῖν, προστασσόμενος μετὰ τὸ παραιτούμενον αὐτὸν εἰρηκέναι· σὺ οἶδας „ὅτι οὐδέ ποτε κοινὸν ἢ ἀκάθαρτον εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸ στόμα μου“ „μηδένα κοινὸν ἢ ἀκάθαρτον λέγειν ἄνθρωπον“ τῷ τὰ καθαρθέντα ὑπὸ θεοῦ μὴ δεῖν ὑπὸ Πέτρου κοινοῦσθαι· φησὶ γὰρ ἡ λέξις· „ἃ ὁ θεὸς ἐκαθάρισε σὺ μὴ κοίνου.“ οὐκοῦν τὸ καθαρὸν βρῶμα καὶ τὸ ἀκάθαρτον κατὰ τὸν Μωϋσέως νόμον ἐν ὀνομασίαις διακρινόμενον πλειόνων ζῴων, τὴν ἀναφορὰν ἔχον ἐπὶ τὰ διάφορα ἤθη τῶν λογικῶν, διδάσκει τούσδε μὲν τροφίμους ἡμῖν τυγχάνειν τούσδε δὲ ἐναντίως ἔχειν, ἕως καθαρίσας πάντας ποιήσῃ τροφίμους ὁ θεὸς ἢ τοὺς ἀπὸ „παντὸς γένους.“ ### English translation (Claude) The one who partakes of the daily bread, then, strengthened in his “heart,” becomes a son of God; but the one who partakes “of the dragon” is none other than the spiritual Ethiopian, changing into a serpent himself through the nets of “the dragon,” so that, reproached by the Word, even if he says he wishes to be baptized, he hears: “Serpents, brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” And David says this about the dragon's body feasted on by the Ethiopians: “You crushed the heads of the dragons on the water; you broke the head of the dragon; you gave him as food to the peoples, the Ethiopians.” And if it is not incongruous, since the Son of God subsists in his own being and the adversary also subsists, that each of them should become food for this person or that, why do we hesitate to accept, of all the powers, better and worse, and of men, that each one of us can be nourished by all of these? Peter at any rate, when he was about to have fellowship with the centurion Cornelius and those gathered with him at Caesarea, and afterwards to impart the words of God to the Gentiles too, sees the “vessel” “let down by four corners” from heaven, “in which were all kinds of four-footed animals and reptiles and beasts of the earth”; when he is commanded to “rise,” kill, and eat, and, after he had declined and said, You know “that nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth,” he is commanded “to call no man common or unclean,” because what has been cleansed by God must not be made common by Peter; for the text says, “What God has cleansed, do not call common.” So the clean and unclean food distinguished by the law of Moses under the names of many animals, referring to the different characters of rational beings, teaches that some are nourishing to us and others the opposite, until God has cleansed all and made them nourishing, or those “of every kind.” ### Scripture references - Ps 104:15 (103:15 LXX): allusion, medium confidence - Matt 3:7: quotation, high confidence - Luke 3:7: allusion, medium confidence - Ps 74:13 (73:13 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 74:14 (73:14 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Acts 10:11: quotation, high confidence - Acts 10:12: quotation, high confidence - Acts 10:13: allusion, high confidence - Acts 10:14: quotation, high confidence - Acts 10:15: quotation, high confidence - Acts 10:28: quotation, high confidence - Matt 13:47: quotation, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations and allusions are Ps 104:15 (103:15 LXX; bread that strengthens the heart), Matt 3:7 (Luke 3:7), Ps 74:13–14 (73:13–14 LXX, which reads “the Ethiopians”), Acts 10:11–15 and 10:28, and Matt 13:47 (“of every kind”). The “spiritual Ethiopian” is an allegorical figure for the sinner, based on the LXX wording of the psalm, not a statement about any people. “Subsists in his own being” renders οὐσιωδῶς ὑφεστῶτος. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 27.12 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/12/). ## On Prayer 27.13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/13/ - Source: Koetschau 2:371–373 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Origen prefers his derivation of “daily” from “being” to one from “the coming day,” and explains that in Scripture “today” can mean this whole age and “yesterday” the past age. ### Greek text τούτων δὴ οὕτως ἐχόντων καὶ τοσαύτης διαφορᾶς βρωμάτων οὔσης, εἷς παρὰ πάντας τοὺς εἰρημένους ἐστὶν ὁ ἐπιούσιος ἄρτος, περὶ οὗ εὔχεσθαι δεῖ, ἵνα ἐκείνου ἀξιωθῶμεν καὶ τρεφόμενοι τῷ „ἐν ἀρχῇ“ „πρὸς θεὸν“ θεῷ λόγῳ θεοποιηθῶμεν. ἐρεῖ δέ τις τὸ „ἐπιούσιον“ παρὰ τὸ ἐπιέναι κατεσχηματίσθαι, ὥστε αἰτεῖν ἡμᾶς κελεύεσθαι τὸν ἄρτον τὸν οἰκεῖον τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος, ἵνα προλαβὼν αὐτὸν ὁ θεὸς ἤδη ἡμῖν δωρήσηται, ὥστε τὸ οἱονεὶ αὔριον δοθησόμενον „σήμερον“ ἡμῖν δοθῆναι, „σήμερον“ μὲν τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος αἰῶνος λαμβανομένου αὔριον δὲ τοῦ μέλλοντος. ἀλλὰ βελτίονος οὔσης τῆς προτέρας ἐκδοχῆς ὅσον ἐπʼ ἐμοὶ κριτῇ, τὸ περὶ τῆς „σήμερον“ παρὰ τῷ Ματθαίῳ τούτοις προσκείμενον ἢ τὸ „καθʼ ἡμέραν“ παρὰ τῷ Λουκᾷ γεγραμμένον ἐξετάσωμεν. ἔθος δὴ πολλαχοῦ τῶν γραφῶν τὸν πάντα αἰῶνα „σήμερον“ καλεῖσθαι, ὥσπερ ἐν τῷ „οὗτος πατὴρ Μωαβιτῶν ἕως τῆς σήμερον ἡμέρας“ καὶ „οὗτος πατὴρ Ἀμμανιτῶν ἕως τῆς σήμερον ἡμέρας“ καὶ „ἐφημίσθη ὁ λόγος οὗτος παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις ἕως τῆς σήμερον, “ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ψαλμοῖς· „σήμερον ἐὰν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ ἀκούσητε, μὴ σκληρύνητε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν.“ ἐν δὲ τῷ Ἰησοῦ σαφέστατα οὕτω τοῦτο εἴρηται· „μὴ ἀπόστητε ἀπὸ κυρίου ἐν ταῖς σήμερον ἡμέραις.“ εἰ δὲ „σήμερον“ ὁ πᾶς οὗτος αἰὼν, μή ποτε „ἐχθὲς“ ὁ παρεληλυθώς ἐστιν αἰών. τοῦτο δὲ ἐν ψαλμοῖς καὶ παρὰ τῷ Παύλῳ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἑβραίους λέγειν ὑπειλήφαμεν, ἐν ψαλμοῖς οὕτως· „χίλια ἔτη ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς σου ὡσεὶ ἡμέρα ἡ ἐχθὲς, ἥτις διῆλθεν“ (ἥτις ποτέ ἐστιν ἡ διαβόητος χιλιονταετηρὶς, (ἣ) ὁμοιοῦται τῇ „ἐχθὲς“ ἡμέρᾳ. διαφερούσῃ τῆς „σήμερον“), παρὰ δὲ τῷ ἀποστόλῳ γέγραπται· „Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς χθὲς καὶ σήμερον ὁ αὐτὸς καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας.“ καὶ οὐδὲν θαυμαστὸν τῷ θεῷ τὸν ὅλον αἰῶνα τῆς παρʼ ἡμῖν μιᾶς ἡμέρας διαστήματος λόγον ἔχειν, ἐγὼ δʼ οἶμαι ὅτι καὶ ἐλάττονος. ### English translation (Claude) This being so, and there being such a difference of foods, one bread, beyond all those mentioned, is the daily bread, for which we must pray, so that we may be counted worthy of it and, nourished by God the Word who was “in the beginning” “with God,” may be made divine. But someone will say that epiousios is formed from epienai (“to come”), so that we are commanded to ask for the bread belonging to the age to come, so that God may anticipate it and give it to us now; so that what will be given as it were tomorrow may be given us “today,” “today” being taken as the present age and tomorrow as the age to come. But since the former interpretation is better, in my judgment at least, let us examine “today,” added to these words in Matthew, or “each day,” written in Luke. It is customary in many places of Scripture for the whole age to be called “today,” as in “He is the father of the Moabites to this day,” and “He is the father of the Ammonites to this day,” and “This story has been spread among the Jews to this day,” and in the Psalms, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” And in Joshua it is said most clearly thus: “Do not depart from the Lord in the days of today.” And if this whole age is “today,” perhaps “yesterday” is the past age. We have supposed that this is said in the Psalms and by Paul in the Letter to the Hebrews; in the Psalms thus: “A thousand years in your eyes are like yesterday, which has passed” (whatever is the famous millennium, which is likened to the day “yesterday,” as distinct from “today”); and in the apostle it is written: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever.” And it is no wonder that for God the whole age has the proportion of the length of one of our days; indeed I think even less. ### Scripture references - John 1:1: quotation, high confidence - John 1:2: quotation, high confidence - Matt 6:11: quotation, high confidence - Luke 11:3: quotation, high confidence - Gen 19:37: quotation, high confidence - Gen 19:38: quotation, high confidence - Matt 28:15: quotation, high confidence - Ps 95:7 (94:7 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 95:8 (94:8 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Josh 22:29: allusion, medium confidence - Ps 90:4 (89:4 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Heb 13:8: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are John 1:1–2, Gen 19:37–38, Matt 28:15, Ps 95:7–8 (94:7–8 LXX), Ps 90:4 (89:4 LXX), and Heb 13:8 (attributed to Paul). The words attributed to Joshua are not found verbatim; the closest is Josh 22:29 (LXX), which has “in the days of today” (compare 22:16–18). “The famous millennium” may refer to the thousand-year reign of Rev 20, but Origen does not say so. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 27.13 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/13/). ## On Prayer 27.14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/14/ - Source: Koetschau 2:373 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The feasts, sabbaths, and jubilees of the law may be shadows of the ordering of whole ages, known fully only to God. ### Greek text καὶ ἐξεταστέον εἰ ἐπὶ αἰῶνας ἀναφέρονται οἱ λόγοι τῶν κατὰ τὰς „ἡμέρας“ ἢ „μῆνας“ ἢ „καιροὺς“ ἢ „ἐνιαυτοὺς“ ἀναγεγραμμένων ἑορτῶν ἢ πανηγύρεων. εἰ γὰρ „σκιὰν“ ἔχει „ὁ νόμος τῶν μελλόντων, “ ἀνάγκη τὰ πολλὰ σάββατα πολλῶν τινων ἡμερῶν εἶναι „σκιὰν“ καὶ τὰς νουμηνίας διὰ χρονικῶν διαστημάτων ἐνίστασθαι. οὐκ οἶδα ὑπὸ ποίας σελήνης συνοδευούσης τινὶ ἡλίῳ ἐπιτελουμένας. εἰ δὲ καὶ „πρῶτος“ „μὴν“ καὶ δεκάτη ἡμέρα „ἕως τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτης“ καὶ τῶν ἀζύμων ἑορτὴ ἀπὸ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτης „ἕως μιᾶς καὶ εἰκάδος“ „σκιὰν“ περιέχει „μελλόντων, “ „τίς σοφὸς καὶ“ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον θεῷ „φίλος, “ ὡς πλειόνων μηνῶν τὸν πρῶτον ἰδεῖν καὶ τὴν δεκάτην αὐτοῦ ἡμέραν καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς; τί δέ με δεῖ λέγειν περὶ τῆς ἑορτῆς τῶν ἑπτὰ ἑβδομάδων ἡμερῶν καὶ περὶ τοῦ ἑβδόμου μηνὸς (οὗ ἡ νεομηνία ἡμέρα „σαλπίγγων“ ἐστὶ, „τῇ“ δὲ „δεκάτῃ“ „ἡμέρα ἱλασμοῦ“), τῷ μόνῳ νομοθετήσαντι αὐτὰ θεῷ ἐγνωσμένων; τίς δὲ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον τὸν Χριστοῦ κεχώρηκε νοῦν. ὡς τοὺς ἑβδόμους ἐνιαυτοὺς τῆς ἐλευθερίας τῶν Ἑβραίων οἰκετῶν καὶ „τῆς ἀφέσεως“ τῶν χρεῶν ἀνέσεώς τε ἀπὸ γεωργίας τῆς ἁγίας γῆς ἐκλαβεῖν; ἔστι δέ τις καὶ ἀνωτέρω τῆς διὰ ἑπτὰ ἐτῶν ἑορτῆς ὁ καλούμενος Ἰωβηλαῖος, ὅντινα κἂν ἐπὶ ποσὸν φαντασθῆναι εἶναί τι τρανῶς ἢ τοὺς ἐν αὐτῷ νόμους πληρωθησομένους ἀληθινοὺς οὐδενός ἐστι (πλὴν) τοῦ τὴν πατρικὴν βουλὴν περὶ τῆς ἐν ἅπασι τοῖς αἰῶσι διατάξεως κατὰ „τὰ“ „ἀνεξερεύνητα“ „αὐτοῦ“ „κρίματα“ καὶ τὰς ἀνεξιχνιάστους αὐτοῦ ὁδοὺς τεθεωρηκότος. ### English translation (Claude) And we must examine whether the principles of the feasts or festivals recorded according to “days” or “months” or “seasons” or “years” refer to ages. For if “the law has a shadow of the things to come,” the many sabbaths must be a “shadow” of many days, and the new moons must come round at intervals of time, accomplished by I know not what moon in conjunction with what sun. And if the “first” “month,” and the tenth day “until the fourteenth,” and the feast of unleavened bread from the fourteenth “until the twenty-first,” contain a “shadow” “of things to come,” “who is wise and” so much a “friend” of God as to see the first of many months, and its tenth day, and what follows? And why need I speak of the feast of seven weeks of days, and of the seventh month (whose new moon is a day “of trumpets,” and “on the tenth” “a day of atonement”), known only to God, who gave these laws? And who has so received the mind of Christ as to understand the seventh years of the release of Hebrew servants and of “the remission” of debts, and of rest from cultivating the holy land? And there is also something higher than the seven-year feast, the one called the Jubilee, of which no one can form even a slight clear idea, or of the true laws to be fulfilled in it, except the one who has contemplated the Father's counsel about the ordering of all the ages according to “his” “unsearchable” “judgments” and his untraceable ways. ### Scripture references - Gal 4:10: allusion, high confidence - Heb 10:1: quotation, high confidence - Col 2:17: allusion, medium confidence - Exod 12:2: allusion, high confidence - Exod 12:18: allusion, high confidence - Lev 23:6: allusion, medium confidence - Hos 14:9: quotation, medium confidence - Lev 23:16: allusion, high confidence - Lev 23:24: quotation, high confidence - Lev 23:27: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 2:16: echo, low confidence - Exod 21:2: allusion, high confidence - Deut 15:1: quotation, high confidence - Lev 25:4: allusion, high confidence - Lev 25:10: allusion, high confidence - Rom 11:33: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations and allusions are Gal 4:10, Heb 10:1 (Col 2:16–17), Exod 12:2–6 and 12:18 (Lev 23:5–6), Hos 14:9 (14:10 LXX), Lev 23:15–16, 23:24, 23:27, Exod 21:2, Deut 15:1–2, Lev 25:4 and 25:10, and Rom 11:33. The speculation on ages is offered by Origen as a question. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 27.14 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/14/). ## On Prayer 27.15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/15/ - Source: Koetschau 2:374 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Origen conjectures that the present age is the end of one “year” of ages, after which further ages will come in which God will show the riches of his grace. ### Greek text πολλάκις δέ μοι ἐπῆλθεν ἀπορεῖν, συγκρούοντι δύο λέξεις ἀποστολικὰς, πῶς συντέλεια „αἰώνων“ ἐστὶν, ἐφʼ ᾗ „ἅπαξ“ „εἰς ἀθέτησιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν“ Ἰησοῦς „πεφανέρωται, “ εἰ μέλλουσιν εἶναι αἰῶνες μετὰ τοῦτον ἐπερχόμενοι. ἔχουσι δὲ αἱ λέξεις αὐτοῦ οὕτως, ἐν μὲν τῇ πρὸς Ἑβραίους· „νυνὶ δὲ ἅπαξ ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τῶν αἰώνων εἰς ἀθέτησιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν διὰ τῆς θυσίας αὐτοῦ πεφανέρωται, “ ἐν δὲ τῇ πρὸς Ἐφεσίους· „ἵνα ἐνδείξηται ἐν τοῖς αἰῶσι τοῖς ἐπερχομένοις τὸ ὑπερβάλλον πλοῦτος τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ ἐν χρηστότητι ἐφʼ ἡμᾶς.“ καὶ περὶ τηλικούτων στοχαζόμενος νομίζω ὅτι, ὥσπερ συντέλεια τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ ὁ τελευταῖός ἐστι μὴν, μεθʼ ὃν ἀρχὴ μηνὸς ἑτέρου ἐνίσταται· οὕτω μή ποτε, πλειόνων αἰώνων οἱονεὶ ἐνιαυτὸν αἰώνων συμπληρούντων, συντέλειά ἐστιν ὁ ἐνεστὼς αἰὼν, μεθʼ ὃν μέλλοντές τινες αἰῶνες ἐνστήσονται, ὧν ἀρχή ἐστιν ὁ μέλλων, καὶ ἐν ἐκείνοις τοῖς μέλλουσιν ἐνδείξεται ὁ θεὸς τὸν πλοῦτον „τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ ἐν χρηστότητι“· τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοτάτου καὶ εἰς τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα δυσφημήσαντος κρατουμένου παρὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ ἐνεστῶτι αἰῶνι καὶ ἀρχῆθεν μέχρι τέλους τῷ μέλλοντι μετὰ ταῦτα οὐκ οἶδʼ ὅπως οἰκονομησομένου. ### English translation (Claude) I have often been perplexed, when I compare two sayings of the apostle, how there is a consummation “of the ages,” at which Jesus “has appeared” “once for all” “to put away sins,” if there are to be ages coming after this one. His words run thus, in the Letter to the Hebrews: “But now once for all at the consummation of the ages he has appeared to put away sins by the sacrifice of himself”; and in the Letter to the Ephesians: “so that in the ages to come he might show the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness toward us.” And conjecturing about such great matters, I think that, just as the last month is the consummation of the year, after which the beginning of another month comes, so perhaps, since many ages complete as it were a year of ages, the present age is a consummation, after which certain ages to come will arrive, whose beginning is the age to come; and in those ages to come God will show the riches “of his grace in kindness”; while the greatest sinner, who has blasphemed against the Holy Spirit, is held by sin in the whole present age, and from beginning to end in the age to come, and after that will be dealt with I know not how. ### Scripture references - Heb 9:26: quotation, high confidence - Eph 2:7: quotation, high confidence - Matt 12:32: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Heb 9:26 and Eph 2:7; the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit alludes to Matt 12:32. The idea of a series of future ages is Origen's own speculation (compare On First Principles 2.3), marked by him as a conjecture; he states that he does not know what will become of the worst sinner after the age to come. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 27.15 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/15/). ## On Prayer 27.16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/16/ - Source: Koetschau 2:374–375 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Whoever glimpses God's vast ordering of the ages will not be petty about the present, but will prepare to receive the daily bread “today” and “each day,” and more than he can ask or imagine. ### Greek text ταῦτα τοίνυν ὁ ἰδὼν καὶ τῇ διανοίᾳ αἰώνων ἑβδομάδα, ἵνα σαββατισμόν τινα ἅγιον θεωρήσῃ, ἐννοήσας καὶ αἰώνων μῆνα, ἵνα τὴν ἁγίαν τοῦ θεοῦ ἴδῃ νουμηνίαν, καὶ αἰώνων ἐνιαυτὸν, ἵνα συνίδῃ τὰς τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ γε ἑορτὰς, ὅτε δεῖ „πᾶν ἀρσενικὸν“ ἐνώπιον φαίνεσθαι „κυρίου θεοῦ, “ καὶ τηλικούτων αἰώνων τοὺς ἀνάλογον ἐνιαυτοὺς, ἵνα τὸ ἕβδομον ἅγιον ἔτος καταλαμβάνῃ, καὶ αἰώνων ἑβδοματικοὺς ἑπτὰ, ὅπως ὑμνήσῃ τὸν τηλικαῦτα νομοθετήσαντα, ἐξετάσας· πῶς δύναται μικρολογῆσαι περὶ τοῦ ἐλαχίστου μορίου ὥρας τῆς τοῦ τηλικούτου αἰῶνος ἡμέρας καὶ οὐχὶ πάντα ποιήσει, ἵνα ἀπὸ τῆς ἐνταῦθα παρασκευῆς ἄξιος γενόμενος τοῦ τυχεῖν τοῦ ἐπιουσίου ἄρτου ἐν τῇ „σήμερον“ ἡμέρᾳ λάβῃ αὐτὸν καὶ „καθʼ ἡμέραν, “ ἤδη σαφοῦς ἐκ τῶν προειρημένων γινομένου τοῦ „καθʼ ἡμέραν“; τῷ γὰρ ἐξ ἀπείρων ἐπʼ ἄπειρον ὄντι θεῷ οὐ μόνον περὶ τῆς „σήμερον“ ἀλλὰ καί πως τοῦ „καθʼ ἡμέραν“ ὁ „σήμερον“ εὐχόμενος, ἀπὸ τοῦ δυνατοῦ δωρήσασθαι „ὑπὲρ ἐκ περισσοῦ ὧν αἰτούμεθα ἢ νοοῦμεν“ λαβεῖν οἷός τε ἔσται, ἵνʼ οὕτως ὑπερβολικῶς εἴπω, καὶ τὰ ὑπὲρ „ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδε καὶ“ τὰ ὑπὲρ ἃ „οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσε καὶ“ τὰ ὑπὲρ ἃ „ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη.“ ### English translation (Claude) Whoever, then, has seen these things, and has conceived in his understanding a week of ages, so as to contemplate a holy sabbath rest; and a month of ages, so as to see the holy new moon of God; and a year of ages, so as to understand the feasts of the year, when “every male” must appear before “the Lord God”; and the corresponding years of such great ages, so as to grasp the seventh holy year; and seven weeks of ages, so as to praise him who gave such great laws—how can he, having examined these things, quibble about the smallest fraction of an hour of a day of so great an age, and not do everything so that, having become worthy through his preparation here to obtain the daily bread, he may receive it on the day “today” and “each day,” the meaning of “each day” now being clear from what has been said? For the one who prays to God, who is from infinity to infinity, not only for “today” but also in some way for “each day,” will be able to receive from him who can give “far more abundantly than all we ask or think,” to speak hyperbolically, even things beyond what “eye has not seen, and” beyond what “ear has not heard, and” beyond what “has not entered into the heart of man.” ### Scripture references - Heb 4:9: allusion, medium confidence - Exod 23:17: quotation, high confidence - Lev 25:8: allusion, medium confidence - Eph 3:20: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 2:9: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations and allusions are Heb 4:9, Exod 23:17, Lev 25:8–10, Eph 3:20, and 1 Cor 2:9. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 27.16 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/16/). ## On Prayer 27.17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/17/ - Source: Koetschau 2:375 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Origen briefly notes that the bread is called “ours” because, as Paul says, all things belong to the saints. ### Greek text καὶ ταῦτα δέ μοι δοκεῖ ἀναγκαιότατα ἐξητάσθαι, ἵνα τό τε „σήμερον“ νοηθῇ καὶ τὸ „καθʼ ἡμέραν, “ ὅτε „τὸν ἐπιούσιον“ „ἄρτον“ δοθῆναι „ἡμῖν“ ἀπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ εὐχόμεθα. εἰ κατὰ τελευταῖον δὲ βιβλίον πρότερον ἐξετάζομεν τὸ „ἡμῶν, “ ἐπεὶ λέγεται οὐχί· „τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον“ ἀλλὰ „τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δίδου ἡμῖν καθʼ ἡμέραν, “ ὅμως γε ἐξεταστέον, πῶς „ἡμῶν“ ἐστιν ὁ ἄρτος οὗτος. διδάσκει δὴ ὁ ἀπόστολος ὅτι „εἴτε ζωὴ εἴτε θάνατος εἴτε ἐνεστῶτα εἴτε μέλλοντα, πάντα“ τῶν ἁγίων ἐστί· (περὶ οὗ) οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος λέγειν. ### English translation (Claude) These things seemed to me most necessary to examine, so that both “today” and “each day” might be understood, when we pray that “the daily” “bread” be given “to us” by his Father. And if, according to the last book, we examine “our” first—since it is said not, “Give us today our daily bread,” but, “Give us each day our daily bread”—still we must examine how this bread is “ours.” The apostle teaches that “whether life or death or things present or things to come, all” belong to the saints; about which it is not necessary to speak at present. ### Scripture references - Matt 6:11: quotation, high confidence - Luke 11:3: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 3:22: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Matt 6:11, Luke 11:3, and 1 Cor 3:22. The phrase “according to the last book” (κατὰ τελευταῖον δὲ βιβλίον) is obscure, perhaps referring to the Gospel of Luke as the later of the two; the text may be corrupt. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 27.17 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/27/17/). ## On Prayer 28.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/28/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:375–376 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The petition on debts recalls Paul's teaching that we owe others not only money but kind words, deeds, and above all love. ### Greek text „Καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν, ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφήκαμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν, “ ἢ ὡς Λουκᾶς· „καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν, καὶ γὰρ αὐτοὶ ἀφήκαμεν παντὶ ὀφείλοντι ἡμῖν.“ περὶ τῶν ὀφειλημάτων καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος λέγει· „ἀπόδοτε πᾶσι τὰς ὀφειλὰς. τῷ τὸν φόρον τὸν φόρον, τῷ τὸν φόβον τὸν φόβον, τῷ τὸ τέλος τὸ τέλος, τῷ τὴν τιμὴν τὴν τιμήν· μηδενὶ μηδὲν ὀφείλετε εἰ μὴ τὸ ἀλλήλους ἀγαπᾶν.“ ὀφείλομεν τοιγαροῦν ἔχοντές τινα καθήκοντα οὐ μόνον ἐν τῇ δόσει ἀλλὰ καὶ λόγῳ προσηνεῖ καὶ τοῖσδέ τισι τοῖς ἔργοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ διάθεσίν τινα τοιάνδε ὀφείλομεν ἔχειν πρὸς αὐτούς. ταῦτα δὴ ὀφείλοντες ἤτοι ἀποδίδομεν διὰ τοῦ ἐπιτελεῖν τὰ προστασσόμενα ὑπὸ τοῦ θείου νόμου, ἢ τῷ καταφρονεῖν τοῦ ὑγιοῦς λόγου μὴ ἀποδιδόντες μένομεν ἐν τῷ ὀφείλειν. ### English translation (Claude) “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors,” or as Luke has it, “And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves have also forgiven everyone who is indebted to us.” The apostle too speaks about debts: “Pay to all what is owed: tribute to whom tribute is due, fear to whom fear, custom to whom custom, honor to whom honor. Owe no one anything, except to love one another.” We are debtors, then, having certain duties, not only in giving but also in kindly speech and in certain deeds; and we also owe a certain disposition toward others. Owing these things, we either pay them by accomplishing what is commanded by the divine law, or, by despising sound reason and not paying them, we remain in debt. ### Scripture references - Matt 6:12: quotation, high confidence - Luke 11:4: quotation, high confidence - Rom 13:7: quotation, high confidence - Rom 13:8: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Matt 6:12, Luke 11:4, and Rom 13:7–8. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 28.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/28/1/). ## On Prayer 28.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/28/2/ - Source: Koetschau 2:376 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: We owe duties to fellow Christians, to family, to fellow citizens, to all people, and even to our own body, soul, mind, and speech. ### Greek text τὸ παραπλήσιον δὲ νοητέον ἐν τοῖς πρὸς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ὀφειλήμασι, τούς τε κατὰ τὸν τῆς θεοσεβείας λόγον ἐν Χριστῷ ἡμῖν συναναγεγεννημένους καὶ τοὺς ὁμομητρίους ἢ ὁμοπατρίους ἡμῖν. ἔστι τις καὶ πρὸς πολίτας ὀφειλὴ καὶ ἄλλη κοινὴ πρὸς πάντας ἀνθρώπους, ἰδίᾳ μὲν ξένους ἰδίᾳ δὲ καὶ ἡλικίαν πατέρων ἔχοντας, καὶ ἄλλη πρός τινας, οὓς εὔλογον ὡς υἱοὺς ἢ ὡς ἀδελφοὺς τιμᾶν. ὁ οὖν τὰ ὀφειλόμενα ἀδελφοῖς ἐπιτελεῖσθαι μὴ ποιῶν μένει ὀφειλέτης ὧν μὴ πεποίηκεν. οὕτως δὲ, εἰ καὶ ἀνθρώποις ἀπὸ τοῦ φιλανθρώπου τῆς σοφίας πνεύματος ἐπιβαλλόντων τινῶν ἀφʼ ἡμῶν ἐλλείποιμεν, πλείων γίνεται ἡ ὀφειλή. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς εἰς ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς ὀφείλομεν τῷ μὲν σώματι οὑτωσὶ χρῆσθαι, οὐχὶ εἰς τὸ κατατρίβειν σάρκας σώματος διὰ τῆς φιληδονίας· ὀφείλομεν δὲ καὶ τῇ ψυχῇ τήνδε τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν προσάγειν καὶ τοῦ νοῦ τῆς ὀξύτητος πρόνοιαν ποιεῖσθαι τοῦ τε λόγου, ἵνʼ ἄκεντρος καὶ ὠφέλιμος ᾖ καὶ μηδαμῶς ἀργός. ἐπὰν δὴ καὶ τὰ εἰς ἡμᾶς ὑφʼ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν ὀφειλόμενα μὴ πράττωμεν, βαρύτερον ἡμῖν τὸ ὄφλημα γίνεται. ### English translation (Claude) The like must be understood of our debts to the brothers, both those born again with us in Christ according to the word of piety, and those born of the same mother or the same father as we. There is also a debt toward fellow citizens, and another common one toward all men, especially toward strangers and those who are of an age to be our fathers, and another toward some whom it is reasonable to honor as sons or as brothers. The one, then, who does not do what is owed to his brothers remains a debtor for what he has not done. So too, if we fall short in what the loving spirit of wisdom lays upon us toward men, the debt becomes greater. And also in what concerns ourselves, we owe it to use the body in a certain way, not wearing away the flesh of the body through love of pleasure; and we owe it to the soul to give it a certain care, and to take thought for the sharpness of the mind and for our speech, that it may be without sting, beneficial, and never idle. And when we do not do what we owe to ourselves, the debt becomes heavier for us. ### Scripture references - 1 Tim 5:1: echo, low confidence - Matt 12:36: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The echoes are 1 Tim 5:1–2 and Matt 12:36 (idle words). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 28.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/28/2/). ## On Prayer 28.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/28/3/ - Source: Koetschau 2:376–377 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Above all we owe God wholehearted love, Christ the price of our redemption, the Holy Spirit fruit that does not grieve him, our guardian angels their due, and the watching world a worthy performance. ### Greek text καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις πᾶσι τὸ ὑπὲρ πάντα „ποίημα“ καὶ πλάσμα ὄντες τοῦ θεοῦ ὀφείλομέν τινα διάθεσιν σῴζειν πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ ἀγάπην τὴν „ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας“ „καὶ ἐξ ὅλης ἰσχύος“ „καὶ ἐξ ὅλης διανοίας“· ἅτινα ἐὰν μὴ κατορθώσωμεν, ὀφειλέται μένομεν θεοῦ, ἁμαρτάνοντες εἰς κύριον. καὶ τίς ἐπὶ τούτοις εὔξεται περὶ ἡμῶν; „ἐὰν“ γὰρ „ἁμαρτάνων ἁμάρτῃ ἀνὴρ εἰς ἄνδρα, καὶ προσεύξονται περὶ αὐτοῦ· ἐὰν (δὲ) εἰς κύριον ἁμάρτῃ, τίς προσεύξεται περὶ αὐτοῦ;“ ὥς φησιν ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ τῶν Βασιλειῶν ὁ Ἠλεί. ἀλλὰ καὶ Χριστοῦ ὠνησαμένου ἡμᾶς τῷ ἰδίῳ αἵματι ὀφειλέται ἐσμὲν, ὥσπερ καὶ πᾶς οἰκέτης τοῦ ὠνησαμένου ἐστὶν ὀφειλέτης τοῦ τοσοῦδε δοθέντος ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ χρήματος. ἔστι τις ἡμῖν καὶ πρὸς „τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα“ ὀφειλὴ, ἀποδιδομένη, ὅτε οὐ λυποῦμεν αὐτὸ, „ἐν ᾧ“ ἐσφραγίσθημεν „εἰς ἡμέραν ἀπολυτρώσεως, “ καὶ μὴ λυποῦντες αὐτὸ φέρομεν τοὺς καρποὺς, οὓς ἀπαιτούμεθα, συνόντος αὐτοῦ ἡμῖν καὶ ζῳοποιοῦντος ἡμῶν τὴν ψυχήν. εἰ καὶ μὴ ἴσμεν δὲ ἐπιμελῶς, τίς ὁ ἑκάστου ἡμῶν ἄγγελος βλέπων „τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς“ „πατρὸς“ „τὸ πρόσωπον, “ ἀλλὰ φανερόν γε ἐπισκοπήσαντι ἑκάστῳ ἡμῶν γίνεται ὅτι κἀκείνῳ ὀφειλέται τινῶν ἐσμεν. εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐν θεάτρῳ ἐσμὲν κόσμου καὶ ἀγγέλων καὶ ἀνθρώπων. ἰστέον ὅτι, ὥσπερ ὁ ἐν θεάτρῳ ὀφειλέτης ἐστὶ τοῦ τάδε τινὰ εἰπεῖν ἢ ποιῆσαι ἐν ὄψει τῶν θεατῶν, ἅπερ μὴ πράξας τις ὡς τὸ πᾶν ὑβρίσας θέατρον κολάζεται· οὕτως καὶ ἡμεῖς „τῷ“ ὅλῳ „κόσμῳ“ „καὶ“ τοῖς πᾶσιν „ἀγγέλοις“ τῷ τε τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένει ὀφείλομεν ταῦτα, ἃ βουληθέντες ἀπὸ τῆς σοφίας μαθησόμεθα. ### English translation (Claude) And above all these, being God's “workmanship” and creation beyond all, we owe it to keep a certain disposition toward him, and love “with all the heart” “and with all the strength” “and with all the mind”; and if we do not accomplish these things, we remain debtors to God, sinning against the Lord. And who will pray for us then? For “if a man sins against a man, they will pray for him; but if he sins against the Lord, who will pray for him?”, as Eli says in the first book of Kingdoms. And since Christ has bought us with his own blood, we are debtors, as every servant is a debtor to the one who bought him for the sum paid for him. There is a debt also toward “the Holy Spirit,” paid when we do not grieve him, “by whom” we were sealed “for the day of redemption,” and, not grieving him, bear the fruits required of us, while he is with us and gives life to our soul. And even if we do not know exactly who is the angel of each of us who beholds “the face” of the “Father” “in heaven,” yet it becomes clear to each of us who considers it that we are debtors to him too for certain things. And if we are in a theater of the world and of angels and of men, we must know that, just as the one in a theater is a debtor to say or do certain things in the sight of the spectators, and if he does not do them is punished as having insulted the whole theater, so we too owe “to the” whole “world” “and” to all the “angels” and to the human race these things, which, if we are willing, we shall learn from wisdom. ### Scripture references - Eph 2:10: quotation, high confidence - Mark 12:30: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 2:25: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 6:20: allusion, high confidence - 1 Pet 1:19: allusion, medium confidence - Eph 4:30: quotation, high confidence - Matt 18:10: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 4:9: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations and allusions are Eph 2:10, Mark 12:30, 1 Sam 2:25 (1 Kgdms LXX), 1 Cor 6:20 (1 Pet 1:18–19), Eph 4:30, Matt 18:10, and 1 Cor 4:9. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 28.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/28/3/). ## On Prayer 28.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/28/4/ - Source: Koetschau 2:377 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Widows, deacons, presbyters, and above all bishops have special debts to pay, as do husband and wife to each other; in this life no one is ever free of debt. ### Greek text χωρὶς δὲ τούτων καθολικωτέρων ὄντων ἔστι τις χήρας προνοουμένης ὑπὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ὀφειλὴ καὶ ἑτέρα διακόνου καὶ ἄλλη πρεσβυτέρου. καὶ ἐπισκόπου δὲ ὀφειλὴ βαρυτάτη ἐστὶν, ἀπαιτουμένη ὑπὸ τοῦ τῆς ὅλης ἐκκλησίας σωτῆρος καὶ ἐκδικουμένη, εἰ μὴ ἀποδιδοῖτο. ἤδη δὲ ὁ ἀπόστολος ὀφειλήν τινα κοινὴν ὠνόμασεν ἀνδρὸς καὶ γυναικὸς λέγων· „τῇ γυναικὶ ὁ ἀνὴρ τὴν ὀφειλὴν ἀποδιδότω, ὁμοίως καὶ ἡ γυνὴ τῷ ἀνδρί“· καὶ ἐπιφέρει· „μὴ ἀποστερεῖτε ἀλλήλους.“ καὶ τί με δεῖ λέγειν, παρὸν τὰ ἑαυτῶν ἀναλέγεσθαι ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας τῇδε τῇ γραφῇ, ὅσα ὀφείλοντες ἤτοι μὴ ἀποδιδόντες κατασχεθησόμεθα ἢ ἀποδιδόντες ἐλευθερωθησόμεθα; πλὴν οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τῷ βίῳ ὄντα πάσης ὥρας νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας μὴ ὀφείλειν. ### English translation (Claude) Besides these, which are more general, there is a debt of a widow provided for by the church, another of a deacon, and another of a presbyter; and the debt of a bishop is the heaviest, being required by the Savior of the whole church and avenged if it is not paid. And the apostle has named a certain debt common to husband and wife, saying, “Let the husband render to his wife her due, and likewise also the wife to her husband”; and he adds, “Do not deprive one another.” And why need I speak further, when those who read this treatise can gather for themselves from what has been said how many things we owe, and either will be held fast for not paying them, or will be set free by paying them? But it is not possible for one in this life not to be in debt at every hour of night and day. ### Scripture references - 1 Tim 5:9: allusion, low confidence - 1 Cor 7:3: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 7:5: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are 1 Cor 7:3 and 7:5; the widows provided for by the church allude to 1 Tim 5:3–16. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 28.4 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/28/4/). ## On Prayer 28.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/28/5/ - Source: Koetschau 2:377–378 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Every unpaid debt of duty is written on the soul as a bond against us, to be read at the judgment seat of Christ. ### Greek text ἀλλʼ ἐν τῷ ὀφείλειν ἤτοι ἀποδίδωσί τις ἢ ἀποστερεῖ τὴν ὀφειλήν· καὶ δυνατόν γε ἐν τῷ βίῳ ἀποδιδόναι. δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ ἀποστερεῖν. καὶ τινὲς μὲν οὐδενὶ ὀφείλουσιν οὐδέν· τινὲς δὲ τὰ πλεῖστα ἀποτιννύντες (ὀλίγα ὀφείλουσι, τινὲς δὲ) ὀλίγα ἀποδιδόντες τὰ πλείονα ὀφείλουσι· καὶ τάχα ἔστιν ὁ μηδὲν ἀποδιδοὺς ἀλλὰ πάντα ὀφείλων. καὶ ὁ ἀποδιδοὺς μέντοι γε πάντα, ὥστε μηδὲν ὀφείλειν, χρόνῳ ποτὲ τοῦτο κατορθοῖ, δεόμενος ἀφέσεως περὶ τῶν προτέρων ὀφειλῶν· ἧστινος ἀφέσεως εὐλόγως δύναται τυχεῖν ὁ φιλοτιμησάμενος ἀπό τινος χρόνου τοιοῦτος γενέσθαι, ὥστε μηδὲν ὀφείλειν τῶν ἐπιβαλλόντων ὡς οὐκ ἀποδιδομένων. αὗται δὲ αἱ παράνομοι ἐνέργειαι, ἐν τῷ ἡγεμονικῷ τυπούμεναι, „τὸ καθʼ ἡμῶν“ γίνονται „χειρόγραφον, “ ἀφʼ οὗ δικασθησόμεθα, δίκην βίβλων τῶν ὑπὸ πάντων, ἵνʼ οὕτως εἴπω, κεχειρογραφημένων προαχθησομένων, ὅτε „πάντες παραστησόμεθα τῷ βήματι“ „τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἵνα κομίσηται ἕκαστος τὰ διὰ τοῦ σώματος πρὸς ἃ ἔπραξεν, εἴτε ἀγαθὸν εἴτε φαῦλον.“ κατὰ ταύτας τὰς ὀφειλὰς καὶ τὸ ἐν ταῖς Παροιμίαις λέγεται· „μὴ δίδου σεαυτὸν εἰς ἐγγύην ὁ αἰσχυνόμενος πρόσωπον· εἰ γὰρ οὐχ ἕξει πόθεν ἀποδώσει, λήψονται τὸ σὸν στρῶμα τὸ ὑπὸ τὰς πλευράς σου.“ ### English translation (Claude) But being in debt, one either pays the debt or withholds it; and it is possible in this life to pay, and possible also to withhold. And some owe no one anything; some, paying most, owe little; some, paying little, owe more; and perhaps there is one who pays nothing but owes everything. And the one who pays everything, so as to owe nothing, achieves this at some time, needing forgiveness for his former debts; and this forgiveness can reasonably be obtained by one who has striven from some point in time to become such that he owes nothing of what falls to him as unpaid. These lawless acts, imprinted on the ruling faculty, become “the bond against us” by which we shall be judged, like books written, so to speak, in the hand of all, which will be brought forward when “we shall all stand before the judgment seat” “of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or bad.” With reference to these debts it is also said in Proverbs: “Do not give yourself as surety, if you are ashamed before a face; for if he has nothing with which to repay, they will take the bed from under your ribs.” ### Scripture references - Col 2:14: quotation, high confidence - Rom 14:10: quotation, high confidence - 2 Cor 5:10: quotation, high confidence - Prov 22:26: quotation, high confidence - Prov 22:27: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Col 2:14, Rom 14:10 with 2 Cor 5:10, and Prov 22:26–27 (LXX). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 28.5 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/28/5/). ## On Prayer 28.6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/28/6/ - Source: Koetschau 2:378–379 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Remembering our own unpaid debts to God and others should make us gentle toward those who fail in their duties to us. ### Greek text εἰ δὲ τοσούτοις ὀφείλομεν, πάντως καὶ ἡμῖν τινες ὀφείλουσιν· οἱ μὲν γὰρ ὀφείλουσιν ἡμῖν ὡς ἀνθρώποις οἱ δὲ ὡς πολίταις, ἄλλοι δὲ ὡς πατράσι καί τινες ὡς υἱοῖς, καὶ μετὰ τούτους ὡς ἀνδράσι γυναῖκες ἢ ὡς φίλοις φίλοι. ἐπὰν οὖν ἀπὸ τῶν πλείστων ἡμῖν ὀφειλετῶν ἀσθενέστερόν τινες περὶ τὴν ἀπόδοσιν τῶν πρὸς ἡμᾶς καθηκόντων ἀναστραφῶσι, φιλανθρωπότερον ποιήσομεν ἀμνησικάκως ἐνεχθέντες πρὸς αὐτοὺς καὶ ἰδίων μεμνημένοι ὀφειλῶν, ὅσας πολλάκις παραλελοίπαμεν οὐ μόνον πρὸς ἀνθρώπους ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν θεόν. μεμνημένοι γὰρ ὧν ὀφειλέται ὄντες οὐκ ἀποδεδώκαμεν ἀλλὰ ἀπεστερήσαμεν παραδραμόντος τοῦ χρόνου, ἐν ᾧ ἐχρῆν ἡμᾶς τάδε τινὰ πρὸς τὸν πλησίον πεποιηκέναι, πρᾳότεροι ἐσόμεθα πρὸς τοὺς καὶ ἡμῖν ὀφλήσαντας καὶ μὴ ἀποδεδωκότας τὴν ὀφειλήν· καὶ μάλιστα ἐὰν μὴ ἐπιλανθανώμεθα τῶν εἰς τὸ θεῖον ἡμῖν παρανενομημένων καὶ τῆς „εἰς τὸ ὕψος“ ἀδικίας ἡμῖν λελαλημένης ἤτοι κατὰ ἄγνοιαν τῆς ἀληθείας ἢ κατὰ δυσαρέστησιν τὴν πρὸς τὰ συμβάντα ἡμῖν περιστατικά. ### English translation (Claude) And if we owe so many, certainly some also owe us: some owe us as men, some as fellow citizens, others as fathers, and some as sons, and besides these wives to us as husbands, or friends to us as friends. When, then, some of our many debtors are rather slack in paying the duties owed to us, we shall act more humanely if we bear with them without grudges and remember our own debts, how many we have often neglected, not only toward men but toward God himself. For remembering the debts we owed and did not pay but withheld, when the time passed in which we ought to have done certain things for our neighbor, we shall be gentler toward those who owe us and have not paid their debt; especially if we do not forget our transgressions against the Deity, and the unrighteousness we have spoken “against the height,” whether through ignorance of the truth or through discontent with the circumstances that befell us. ### Scripture references - Ps 73:8 (72:8 LXX): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The allusion is Ps 73:8 (72:8 LXX, “they spoke unrighteousness against the height”). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 28.6 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/28/6/). ## On Prayer 28.7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/28/7/ - Source: Koetschau 2:379 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Whoever will not forgive will be treated like the unforgiving servant in the parable; we must forgive the repentant even seven times a day and seek the healing even of the unrepentant. ### Greek text εἰ δὲ μὴ βουλόμεθα πρᾳότεροι γίνεσθαι πρὸς τοὺς ἡμῖν ὀφλήσαντας, πεισόμεθα τὰ τοῦ τὰ „ἑκατὸν δηνάρια“ τῷ ὁμοδούλῳ μὴ συγχωρήσαντος. ὅντινα προσυγχωρηθέντα κατὰ τὴν κειμένην ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ παραβολὴν ἐνειλήσας ἐκπράσσει ὁ δεσπότης τὰ προσυγκεχωρημένα, λέγων αὐτῷ· „πονηρὲ δοῦλε καὶ ὀκνηρὲ, “ „οὐκ ἔδει ἐλεῆσαί σε τὸν σύνδουλόν σου, ὡς κἀγώ σε ἠλέησα;“ βάλετε αὐτὸν „εἰς“ τὴν „φυλακὴν, “ „ἕως ἀποδῷ πᾶν τὸ ὀφειλόμενον.“ ἐπιφέρει δὲ τούτοις ὁ κύριος· „οὕτως καὶ ὑμῖν ὁ πατὴρ ὁ οὐράνιος ποιήσει, ἐὰν μὴ ἀφῆτε ἕκαστος τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν καρδιῶν ὑμῶν.“ λέγουσι μέντοι γε μετανοεῖν τοῖς εἰς ἡμᾶς ἡμαρτηκόσιν ἀφετέον, κἂν πολλάκις τοῦτο ὁ ὀφειλέτης ἡμῶν ποιῇ· „ἐὰν“ γὰρ „ἑπτάκις τῆς ἡμέρας ἁμάρτῃ, “ φησὶν, „εἰς δὲ“ „ὁ ἀδελφός σου“ „καὶ ἑπτάκις ἐπιστρέψῃ λέγων· μετανοῶ, ἀφήσεις αὐτῷ.“ οὐχ ἡμεῖς δὲ χαλεποὶ πρὸς τοὺς μὴ μετανοοῦντας, ἀλλʼ ἑαυτοῖς οἱ τοιοῦτοί εἰσι πονηροί· „ὁ“ γὰρ „ἀπωθούμενος παιδείαν μισεῖ ἑαυτόν“· πλὴν καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν τοιούτων τὴν θεραπείαν παντὶ τρόπῳ ζητητέον ἐγγενέσθαι τῷ τὰ πάντα διαστραφέντι, ὡς μηδὲ συναισθέσθαι τῶν ἰδίων κακῶν μεθύειν δὲ μέθην ὀλεθριωτέραν τῆς „ἀπὸ οἴνου, “ τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ σκοτισμοῦ τῆς κακίας. ### English translation (Claude) But if we are unwilling to become gentler toward those who owe us, we shall suffer what befell the one who did not forgive his fellow servant the “hundred denarii.” According to the parable in the gospel, though he had been forgiven before, the master arrested him and exacted what had been forgiven, saying to him, “You wicked and slothful servant,” “should you not have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?” Throw him “into” the “prison,” “until he pays all that is owed.” And the Lord adds to this: “So also my heavenly Father will do to you, if you do not forgive each his brother from your hearts.” They say, however, that we must forgive those who sin against us when they repent, even if our debtor does this many times; for “if your brother sins against you seven times in the day,” he says, “and turns to you seven times saying, I repent, you shall forgive him.” It is not we who are harsh toward those who do not repent, but such people are evil to themselves; for “he who rejects discipline hates himself.” Yet even with such people we must seek in every way that healing may come to one who has become so perverse in everything that he is not even aware of his own evils, but is drunk with a drunkenness more destructive than that “from wine,” the drunkenness that comes from the darkness of wickedness. ### Scripture references - Matt 18:28: allusion, high confidence - Matt 18:32: quotation, high confidence - Matt 18:33: quotation, high confidence - Matt 18:34: quotation, high confidence - Matt 18:35: quotation, high confidence - Matt 25:26: quotation, medium confidence - Luke 17:4: quotation, high confidence - Prov 15:32: quotation, high confidence - Isa 29:9: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Matt 18:28 and 18:32–35 (with “wicked and slothful” from Matt 25:26), Luke 17:4, Prov 15:32, and Isa 29:9 (51:21). “They say” may refer to other interpreters; the subject is unexpressed. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 28.7 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/28/7/). ## On Prayer 28.8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/28/8/ - Source: Koetschau 2:379–380 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Everyone can forgive sins committed against himself; but only one who has received the Spirit, like the apostles, can forgive what God forgives and retain incurable sins. ### Greek text ὁ δὲ Λουκᾶς εἰπών· „ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν“ (ἐπεὶ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα ὀφειλόντων ἡμῶν καὶ μὴ ἀποδιδόντων συνίσταται) τὸ αὐτὸ λέγει τῷ Ματθαίῳ, ὅστις οὐκ ἔοικε χώραν διδόναι τῷ βουλομένῳ μετανοοῦσιν ἀφιέναι τοῖς ὀφείλουσι μόνον, λέγων ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος νενομοθετῆσθαι τὸ ἡμᾶς δεῖν ἐν τῇ εὐχῇ προστιθέναι· „καὶ γὰρ αὐτοὶ ἀφίεμεν παντὶ ὀφείλοντι ἡμῖν.“ πάντες μέντοι γε ἐξουσίαν (ἔχομεν) ἀφιέναι τὰ εἰς ἡμᾶς ἡμαρτημένα· ὅπερ δῆλόν ἐστιν ἔκ τε τοῦ „ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφίεμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν“ καὶ ἔκ τοῦ „καὶ γὰρ αὐτοὶ ἀφίεμεν παντὶ ὀφείλοντι ἡμῖν.“ ὁ δὲ ἐμπνευσθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ὡς οἱ ἀπόστολοι καὶ „ἀπὸ τῶν καρπῶν“ γινώσκεσθαι δυνάμενος, ὡς χωρήσας τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον καὶ γενόμενος πνευματικὸς τῷ ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος ἄγεσθαι τρόπον υἱοῦ θεοῦ ἐφʼ ἕκαστον τῶν κατὰ λόγον πρακτέων, ἀφίησιν ἃ ἐὰν ἀφῇ ὁ θεὸς καὶ κρατεῖ τὰ ἀνίατα τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων, ὑπηρετῶν ὥσπερ οἱ προφῆται ἐν τῷ λέγειν οὐ τὰ ἴδια ἀλλὰ τὰ τοῦ θείου βουλήματος τῷ θεῷ οὕτω καὶ αὐτὸς τῷ μόνῳ ἐξουσίαν ἔχοντι ἀφιέναι θεῷ. ### English translation (Claude) And Luke, in saying, “Forgive us our sins” (since sins consist in our owing and not paying), says the same as Matthew; and he seems not to give room to anyone who wishes to forgive only debtors who repent, since he says that the Savior laid down that we must add in the prayer, “for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.” All of us, indeed, have power to forgive the sins committed against us; which is clear both from “as we also forgive our debtors” and from “for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.” But the one who has been breathed upon by Jesus, as the apostles were, and can be known “by his fruits,” as one who has received the Holy Spirit and become spiritual by being led by the Spirit, like a son of God, in each thing that is to be done according to reason, forgives whatever God forgives and retains the incurable sins, serving God, who alone has power to forgive, just as the prophets served him in speaking not their own words but those of the divine will. ### Scripture references - Luke 11:4: quotation, high confidence - Matt 6:12: quotation, high confidence - John 20:22: allusion, high confidence - Matt 7:16: quotation, medium confidence - Rom 8:14: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 2:15: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations and allusions are Luke 11:4, Matt 6:12, John 20:22, Matt 7:16, Rom 8:14, and 1 Cor 2:15. Origen links the power to forgive sins to spiritual gifts rather than to office alone; see also 28.9–10. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 28.8 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/28/8/). ## On Prayer 28.9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/28/9/ - Source: Koetschau 2:380–381 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: As the law's priests could not offer sacrifice for adultery or murder, so the apostles and those like them, taught by the Spirit, know which sins can be forgiven and which must be retained. ### Greek text ἔχουσι δὲ ἐν τῷ κατὰ Ἰωάννην εὐαγγελίῳ αἱ περὶ τῆς τῶν ἀποστόλων γινομένης ἀφέσεως φωναὶ οὕτως· „λάβετε πνεῦμα ἅγιον· ἄν τινων ἀφῆτε τὰς ἁμαρτίας, ἀφίενται αὐτοῖς· ἄν τινων κρατῆτε, κεκράτηνται.“ εἰ δέ τις ἀβασανίστως ἐκλαμβάνει ταῦτα, ἐγκαλέσαι τις ἂν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις μὴ πᾶσιν ἀφιεῖσιν, ἵνα πᾶσιν ἀφεθῇ, ἀλλά „τινων“ „τὰς ἁμαρτίας“ κρατοῦσιν, ὡς διʼ αὐτοὺς καὶ παρὰ θεῷ κρατεῖσθαι αὐτάς. χρήσιμον δὲ παράδειγμα ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου λαβεῖν πρὸς τὸ νοηθῆναι τὴν διʼ ἀνθρώπων ἄφεσιν ὑπὸ θεοῦ γινομένην ἀνθρώποις ἁμαρτημάτων. οἱ κατὰ νόμον ἱερεῖς κωλύονται περί τινων προσφέρειν ἁμαρτημάτων θυσίαν, ἵνα ἀφεθῇ τοῖς, περὶ ὧν αἱ θυσίαι, τὰ πλημμελήματα. καὶ οὐ δή που τὴν περί τινων ἐξουσίαν ὁ ἱερεὺς ἀκουσίων ἢ πλημμελημάτων ἀναφορὰν ἔχων ἤδη καὶ περὶ μοιχείας ἢ ἑκουσίου φόνου ἤ τινος ἄλλου χαλεπωτέρου πταίσματος προσφέρει „ὁλοκαύτωμα καὶ περὶ ἁμαρτίας.“ οὕτω τοιγαροῦν καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι καὶ οἱ τοῖς ἀποστόλοις ὡμοιωμένοι, ἱερεῖς ὄντες κατὰ τὸν „μέγαν“ „ἀρχιερέα, “ ἐπιστήμην λαβόντες τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ θεραπείας, ἴσασιν. ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος διδασκόμενοι, περὶ ὧν χρὴ ἀναφέρειν θυσίας ἁμαρτημάτων καὶ πότε καὶ τίνα τρόπον, καὶ γινώσκουσι, περὶ ὧν οὐ χρὴ τοῦτο ποιεῖν. ὁ γοῦν ἱερεὺς Ἠλεὶ ἁμαρτάνοντας ἐπιστάμενος τοὺς υἱοὺς Ὀφνεὶ καὶ Φινεὲς, ὡς μηδὲν δυνάμενος εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτημάτων αὐτοῖς συνεργῆσαι, καὶ τὸ ἀπογινώσκειν τοῦτʼ ἔσεσθαι ὁμολογεῖ διʼ ὧν φησιν· „ἐὰν ἁμαρτάνων ἁμάρτῃ ἀνὴρ εἰς ἄνδρα, καὶ προσεύξονται περὶ αὐτοῦ· ἐὰν δὲ εἰς κύριον ἁμάρτῃ, τίς προσεύξεται περὶ αὐτοῦ;“ ### English translation (Claude) In the Gospel according to John the words about the forgiveness given by the apostles run thus: “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” If someone takes these words without examination, he might blame the apostles for not forgiving all, so that all might be forgiven, but retaining “the sins” “of some,” so that because of them they are retained with God too. But it is useful to take an example from the law in order to understand the forgiveness of sins given to men by God through men. The priests under the law are forbidden to offer sacrifice for certain sins, so that the offenses of those for whom the sacrifices are made may be forgiven. And certainly the priest, who has authority to offer for certain involuntary sins or offenses, does not on that account offer “a whole burnt offering and a sin offering” for adultery or voluntary murder or any other graver fault. So too, then, the apostles and those who have become like the apostles, being priests after the “great” “High Priest,” having received knowledge of the service of God, know, being taught by the Spirit, for which sins sacrifices should be offered, and when, and in what way, and they know for which this should not be done. The priest Eli, at any rate, knowing that his sons Hophni and Phinehas were sinning, and being unable to help them toward the forgiveness of their sins, confesses that he despairs of it in these words: “If a man sins against a man, they will pray for him; but if he sins against the Lord, who will pray for him?” ### Scripture references - John 20:22: quotation, high confidence - John 20:23: quotation, high confidence - Lev 4:2: allusion, medium confidence - Ps 40:6 (39:7 LXX): echo, low confidence - Heb 4:14: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 2:22: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Sam 2:25: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations and allusions are John 20:22–23, Lev 4–5 (sacrifices for unintentional sins), Lev 5:10 and Ps 40:6 (40:7 LXX) (“whole burnt offering and sin offering”), Heb 4:14, and 1 Sam 2:25 (1 Kgdms LXX). Origen reflects the penitential discipline of his day, in which some grave sins were not readmitted to forgiveness by the church; his view is his own. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 28.9 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/28/9/). ## On Prayer 28.10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/28/10/ - Source: Koetschau 2:381 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Origen criticizes clergy who claim they can forgive idolatry, adultery, and sexual immorality by their prayers, ignoring the “sin unto death,” and contrasts Job's care even over possible sins of thought. ### Greek text οὐκ οἶδʼ ὅπως ἑαυτοῖς τινες ἐπιτρέψαντες τὰ ὑπὲρ τὴν ἱερατικὴν ἀξίαν. τάχα μηδὲ ἀκριβοῦντες τὴν ἱερατικὴν ἐπιστήμην, αὐχοῦσιν ὡς δυνάμενοι καὶ εἰδωλολατρείας συγχωρεῖν μοιχείας τε καὶ πορνείας ἀφιέναι, ὡς διὰ τῆς εὐχῆς αὐτῶν περὶ τῶν ταῦτα τετολμηκότων λυομένης καὶ τῆς „πρὸς θάνατον“ ἁμαρτίας· οὐ γὰρ ἀναγινώσκουσι τὸ „ἔστιν ἁμαρτία πρὸς θάνατον· οὐ περὶ ἐκείνης λέγω ἵνα τις ἐρωτήσῃ.“ οὐκ ἀποσιωπητέον καὶ τὸν ἀνδρειότατον Ἰὼβ περὶ τῶν υἱῶν ἀναφέροντα θυσίαν, λέγοντα· „μή ποτε οἱ υἱοί μου ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ αὐτῶν κακὰ ἐνενόησαν πρὸς θεόν“· περὶ γὰρ δισταζομένων εἰ ἡμάρτηται, καὶ ταῦτα οὐδὲ μέχρι τῶν χειλέων ἐφθακότων, ἀναφέρει τὴν θυσίαν. ### English translation (Claude) I do not know how some, taking upon themselves what is beyond the priestly dignity, perhaps not even having exact priestly knowledge, boast that they can pardon even idolatry, and forgive adultery and sexual immorality, as though through their prayer for those who have dared these things even the sin “unto death” were loosed. For they do not read, “There is a sin unto death; I do not say that one should ask about that.” Nor must we pass over in silence the most courageous Job, who offered sacrifice for his sons, saying, “Perhaps my sons have thought evil against God in their minds”; for he offers the sacrifice about doubtful cases, whether a sin had been committed, and one that had not even reached as far as the lips. ### Scripture references - 1 John 5:16: quotation, high confidence - Job 1:5: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are 1 John 5:16 and Job 1:5. Origen's criticism is probably aimed at bishops of his time who readmitted to communion those guilty of grave sins after penance; Rome's bishop Callistus was criticized on similar grounds by Hippolytus. This is Origen's own polemical view; the church's practice on the readmission of penitents later varied and developed. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 28.10 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/28/10/). ## On Prayer 29.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:381–382 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Since all human life is a time of testing, Origen asks how we can pray not to enter into temptation. ### Greek text „Καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμὸν, ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ“· τὸ δὲ „ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ“ παρὰ τῷ Λουκᾷ σεσιώπηται. εἰ μὴ ἀδύνατα προστάττει ὁ σωτὴρ ἡμᾶς εὔχεσθαι, ζητήσεώς μοι ἄξιον φαίνεται, πῶς κελευόμεθα, παντὸς τοῦ ἐπὶ γῆς ἀνθρώπων βίου πειρατηρίου ὄντος. προσεύχεσθαι μὴ εἰσελθεῖν „εἰς πειρασμόν.“ ᾗ γάρ ἐσμεν ἐπὶ γῆς περικείμενοι τὴν στρατευομένην σάρκα „κατὰ τοῦ πνεύματος, “ ἧς „τὸ φρόνημα“ „ἔχθρα“ ἐστὶν „εἰς θεὸν, “ μηδαμῶς δυναμένης ὑποτάσσεσθαι „τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ θεοῦ, “ ἐν πειρασμῷ ἐσμεν. ### English translation (Claude) “And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” The words “but deliver us from the evil one” are passed over in silence in Luke. If the Savior does not command us to pray for what is impossible, it seems to me worth inquiring how we are commanded to pray not to enter “into temptation,” when the whole of human life on earth is a trial. For insofar as we are on earth, clothed with the flesh that wars “against the Spirit,” whose “mind” “is hostile to God,” being in no way able to submit “to the law of God,” we are in temptation. ### Scripture references - Matt 6:13: quotation, high confidence - Luke 11:4: allusion, high confidence - Matt 26:41: allusion, high confidence - Job 7:1: allusion, medium confidence - Gal 5:17: quotation, high confidence - Rom 8:7: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations and allusions are Matt 6:13, Luke 11:4, Matt 26:41, Job 7:1 (LXX), Gal 5:17, and Rom 8:7. “The evil one” (τοῦ πονηροῦ) may also be translated “evil.” ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 29.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/1/). ## On Prayer 29.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/2/ - Source: Koetschau 2:382 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Scripture teaches that all life on earth is a trial; God does not spare us temptation but keeps it within our strength, whether we wrestle against the flesh or, as the mature do, against spiritual powers. ### Greek text ὅτι δὲ „πειρατήριον“ πᾶς „ὁ“ „ἐπὶ γῆς“ ἀνθρώπινος „βίος, “ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰὼβ μεμαθήκαμεν διὰ τούτων· „πότερον οὐχὶ πειρατήριόν ἐστιν ὁ βίος τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπὶ γῆς;“ καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἑπτακαιδεκάτου ψαλμοῦ τὸ αὐτὸ δηλοῦται ἐν τῷ· „ἐν σοὶ ῥυσθήσομαι ἀπὸ πειρατηρίου.“ ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος Κορινθίοις γράφων οὐχὶ τὸ μὴ πειράζεσθαι ἀλλὰ τὸ μὴ παρὰ δύναμιν πειράζεσθαί φησι χαρίζεσθαι τὸν θεὸν, λέγων· „πειρασμὸς ὑμᾶς οὐκ εἴληφεν εἰ μὴ ἀνθρώπινος· πιστὸς δὲ ὁ θεὸς, (ὃς) οὐκ ἐάσει ὑμᾶς πειρασθῆναι ὑπὲρ ὃ δύνασθε, ἀλλὰ ποιήσει σὺν τῷ πειρασμῷ καὶ τὴν ἔκβασιν τοῦ δύνασθαι ὑπενεγκεῖν.“ εἴτε γὰρ „ἡ πάλη“ „ἐστὶ“ „πρὸς“ τὴν ἐπιθυμοῦσαν ἢ στρατευομένην „κατὰ τοῦ πνεύματος“ „σάρκα“ ἢ πρὸς τὴν ψυχὴν „πάσης σαρκὸς“ (ἥτις ἐστὶν ὁμωνύμως ᾧ ἐγκατοικεῖ σώματι τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν, ὃ καλεῖται καρδία), ὁποία ἐστὶν „ἡ πάλη“ τοῖς τοὺς ἀνθρωπίνους πειραζομένοις πειρασμοὺς, εἴτε ὡς διαβεβηκόσι καὶ τελεωτέροις ἀθληταῖς, οὐκέτι „πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα“ παλαίουσιν οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις πειρασμοῖς ἐξεταζομένοις, οὓς καταπεπατήκασιν ἤδη, „πρὸς τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξουσίας καὶ τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τούτου καὶ τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας“ ἐστὶν ἡμῖν τὰ ἀγωνίσματα, τοῦ πειράζεσθαι οὐκ ἀπηλλάγμεθα. ### English translation (Claude) That the whole of human “life” “on earth” is “a trial” we have learned from Job in these words: “Is not the life of men on earth a trial?” And the same is shown in the seventeenth psalm by the words, “In you I shall be delivered from trial.” And Paul too, writing to the Corinthians, says that God grants not that we are not tempted, but that we are not tempted beyond our strength: “No temptation has seized you except what is human; and God is faithful, who will not let you be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way out, so that you may be able to endure it.” For whether “the wrestling” “is” “against” the “flesh” that desires or wars “against the Spirit,” or against the soul “of all flesh” (which is the ruling faculty, called the heart, named after the body in which it dwells), such as is “the wrestling” for those tempted with human temptations; or whether, as for athletes who have advanced and are more perfect, who no longer wrestle “against blood and flesh” nor are tested in human temptations, which they have already trampled underfoot, our contests are “against the principalities and the powers and the world-rulers of this darkness and the spiritual forces of wickedness”—we have not been freed from being tempted. ### Scripture references - Job 7:1: quotation, high confidence - Ps 18:29 (17:30 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 10:13: quotation, high confidence - Gal 5:17: allusion, high confidence - Eph 6:12: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Job 7:1 (LXX), Ps 18:29 (17:30 LXX; Origen gives the Greek number), 1 Cor 10:13, Gal 5:17, and Eph 6:12. The parenthesis on the soul called “heart” is compressed and its exact sense uncertain. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 29.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/2/). ## On Prayer 29.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/3/ - Source: Koetschau 2:382–383 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God tests everyone, as Judith, the Psalms, and Acts all show, so the petition cannot mean escaping every test. ### Greek text πῶς οὖν κελεύει ἡμᾶς ὁ σωτὴρ εὔχεσθαι μὴ εἰσελθεῖν „εἰς πειρασμὸν, “ πειράζοντός πως πάντας τοῦ θεοῦ; „μνήσθητε“ γὰρ. φησὶν ἡ Ἰουδαία [εἰ] οὐ πρὸς τοὺς τότε πρεσβυτέρους μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς πάντας τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας αὐτῆς τῇ γραφῇ, „ὅσα ἐποίησε μετὰ Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ ὅσα ἐπείρασε τὸν Ἰσαὰκ, καὶ ὅσα ἐγένετο τῷ Ἰακὼβ ἐν Μεσοποταμίᾳ τῆς Συρίας. ποιμαίνοντι Λάβαν τὰ πρόβατα τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ· οὐ γὰρ καθὼς ἐκείνους ἐπύρωσεν εἰς ἐτασμὸν καρδίας αὐτῶν, καὶ ἡμᾶς ἐκδικεῖ ὁ εἰς νουθέτησιν μαστιγῶν κύριος τοὺς ἐγγίζοντας αὐτῷ.“ καὶ ὡς καθολικὸν δὲ ἀποφαίνεται περὶ πάντων δικαίων ὁ μὲν Δαυῒδ λέγων· „πολλαὶ αἱ θλίψεις τῶν δικαίων, “ ὁ δὲ ἀπόστολος ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσιν· „ὅτι διὰ πολλῶν θλίψεων δεῖ ἡμᾶς εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ.“ ### English translation (Claude) How, then, does the Savior command us to pray not to enter “into temptation,” since God in some way tests all? For the Jewish woman says, not only to the elders of that time but also to all who read her book: “Remember what he did with Abraham, and how he tested Isaac, and what happened to Jacob in Mesopotamia of Syria, as he kept the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother. For he has not tried us with fire, as he did them, to search their hearts, nor has he taken vengeance on us; but the Lord scourges those who draw near to him, to admonish them.” And David declares it as a general rule about all the righteous, saying, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous,” and the apostle in the Acts: “that through many afflictions we must enter the kingdom of God.” ### Scripture references - Ps 34:19 (33:20 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Acts 14:22: quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Jdt 8:25–27 (Judith): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - “The Jewish woman” is Judith (Ἰουδαία is also the meaning of her name). The quotations are Jdt 8:25–27, Ps 34:19 (33:20 LXX), and Acts 14:22. The editor deletes εἰ (“if”) before “not only.” ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 29.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/3/). ## On Prayer 29.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/4/ - Source: Koetschau 2:383 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: If the petition meant escaping all trials, the apostles, who suffered countless hardships, would have prayed in vain. ### Greek text καὶ ἐὰν μὴ συνῶμεν τὸ τοὺς πολλοὺς λανθάνον περὶ τοῦ μὴ εἰσελθεῖν „εἰς πειρασμὸν“ προσεύχεσθαι. ὥρα λέγειν ὅτι οἱ ἀπόστολοι εὐχόμενοι οὐκ ἐπηκούοντο. μυρία ὅσα ἐν παντὶ τῷ χρόνῳ ἑαυτῶν πεπονθότες, „ἐν κόποις περισσοτέρως ἐν πληγαῖς περισσοτέρως ἐν φυλακαῖς ὑπερβαλλόντως ἐν θανάτοις πολλάκις, “ ὁ δὲ Παῦλος ἰδίᾳ „ὑπὸ Ἰουδαίων πεντάκις τεσσαράκοντα παρὰ μίαν“ εἴληφε. „τρὶς“ ἐῤῥαβδίσθη, „ἅπαξ“ ἐλιθάσθη, „τρὶς“ ἐναυάγησε, „νυχθήμερον ἐν τῷ βυθῷ“ πεποίηκεν, ἄνθρωπος „ἐν παντὶ“ θλιβόμενος καὶ ἀπορούμενος καὶ διωκόμενος καὶ καταβαλλόμενος ὁμολογῶν τε τό· „ἄχρι τῆς ἄρτι ὥρας πεινῶμεν καὶ διψῶμεν καὶ γυμνητεύομεν καὶ κολαφιζόμεθα καὶ ἀστατοῦμεν καὶ κοπιῶμεν ἐργαζόμενοι ταῖς ἰδίαις χερσί· λοιδορούμενοι εὐλογοῦμεν, διωκόμενοι ἀνεχόμεθα, βλασφημούμενοι παρακαλοῦμεν.“ τῶν δὲ ἀποστόλων ἐν τῷ εὔχεσθαι μὴ ἐπιτετευχότων, τίς ἐλπὶς τῶν ὑποδεεστέρων τινὶ παρʼ ἐκείνους εὐχομένῳ ἐπηκόου θεοῦ τυχεῖν; ### English translation (Claude) And unless we understand what escapes most people about praying not to enter “into temptation,” it is time to say that the apostles were not heard when they prayed. They suffered countless things throughout their lives, “in labors far more, in beatings far more, in prisons more abundantly, in deaths often”; and Paul in particular received “from the Jews five times forty stripes save one,” “three times” he was beaten with rods, “once” he was stoned, “three times” he was shipwrecked, “a night and a day he spent in the deep,” a man afflicted “in every way,” perplexed, persecuted, struck down, and confessing, “To this present hour we hunger and thirst, and are naked and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands; being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being slandered, we entreat.” And if the apostles did not obtain what they prayed for, what hope is there for anyone inferior to them who prays to obtain a hearing from God? ### Scripture references - 2 Cor 11:23: quotation, high confidence - 2 Cor 11:24: quotation, high confidence - 2 Cor 11:25: quotation, high confidence - 2 Cor 4:8: allusion, high confidence - 2 Cor 4:9: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 4:11: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 4:12: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 4:13: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are 2 Cor 11:23–25, 2 Cor 4:8–9, and 1 Cor 4:11–13. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 29.4 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/4/). ## On Prayer 29.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/5/ - Source: Koetschau 2:383–384 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: No condition of life is free from temptation: the poor may steal, the rich grow proud, and even Paul and Hezekiah were in danger of pride. ### Greek text τὸ δὲ ἐν τῷ εἰκοστῷ πέμπτῳ ψαλμῷ· „δοκίμασόν με, κύριε, καὶ πείρασόν με, πύρωσον τοὺς νεφρούς μου καὶ τὴν καρδίαν μου“ εὐλόγως τις ὑπολήψεται τῶν μὴ ἀκριβούντων, τί τὸ βούλημα τῆς προστάξεως τοῦ σωτῆρος, ἐναντίως γεγονέναι οἷς ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν περὶ εὐχῆς ἐδίδαξε. πότε δέ τις νενόμικεν εἶναι ἔξω πειρασμῶν ἀνθρώπους, ὧν ᾔδει τὸν λόγον συμπεπληρωκώς; καὶ ποῖος καιρός ἐστιν, ἐν ᾧ ὡς μὴ ἀγωνιζόμενος περὶ τοῦ μὴ ἁμαρτήσεσθαι καταπεφρόνηκε; πένεταί τις; εὐλαβείσθω, μή ποτε κλέψας ὀμόσῃ „τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ θεοῦ“· ἀλλὰ πλουτεῖ; μὴ καταφρονείτω· δύναται γὰρ „πλησθεὶς ψευδὴς“ γενέσθαι καὶ ἐπαρθεὶς εἰπεῖν· „τίς με ὁρᾷ,·“ οὐδὲ Παῦλος γοῦν πλουτῶν „ἐν παντὶ λόγῳ καὶ πάσῃ γνώσει“ κινδύνου ἀπήλλακται τοῦ ὡς ἐπὶ τούτοις ἐν τῷ ὑπεραίρεσθαι ἁμαρτάνειν, ἀλλὰ δεῖται σκόλοπος τοῦ σατανᾶ κολαφίζοντος αὐτὸν, „ἵνα μὴ“ ὑπεραίρηται. κἂν συνειδῇ τις ἑαυτῷ τὰ κρείττονα καὶ ἀναπτερωθῇ ἀπὸ τῶν κακῶν, ἀναγινωσκέτω τὸ εἰρημένον ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ τῶν Παραλειπομένων περὶ Ἐζεκίου, ὅστις πεπτωκέναι λέγεται „ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕψους τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ.“ ### English translation (Claude) And those who do not understand exactly the intent of the Savior's command might reasonably suppose that the words in the twenty-fifth psalm, “Examine me, O Lord, and test me; try my kidneys and my heart,” are contrary to what our Lord taught about prayer. But when did anyone who knew that he had completed the full measure of his account think that men are outside temptations? And what time is there in which one may be careless, as though not contending against sin? Is someone poor? Let him beware lest he steal and swear by “the name of God.” Is he rich? Let him not be careless; for he can become “false” when “filled,” and say in his pride, “Who sees me?” Not even Paul, rich “in all speech and all knowledge,” was freed from the danger of sinning by being too much elated on account of these things, but he needed a thorn of Satan to buffet him, “so that” he might “not” be too elated. And if someone is conscious of better things in himself and has taken wing away from evils, let him read what is said in the Second Book of Chronicles about Hezekiah, who is said to have fallen “from the pride of his heart.” ### Scripture references - Ps 26:2 (25:2 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Prov 30:9: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 1:5: quotation, high confidence - 2 Cor 12:7: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 32:26: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations and allusions are Ps 26:2 (25:2 LXX; Origen gives the Greek number), Prov 30:8–9 (LXX), 1 Cor 1:5, 2 Cor 12:7, and 2 Chr 32:26 (LXX). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 29.5 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/5/). ## On Prayer 29.6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/6/ - Source: Koetschau 2:384 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Poverty, wealth, and moderate means each bring their own temptations. ### Greek text 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 translation (Claude) 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. ### Scripture references - Ps 37:14 (36:14 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Prov 13:8: quotation, high confidence - Luke 16:23: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations and allusions are Ps 37:14 (36:14 LXX), Prov 13:8 (LXX), and Luke 16:22–23. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 29.6 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/6/). ## On Prayer 29.7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/7/ - Source: Koetschau 2:384–385 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Health and sickness both bring temptations: the healthy to sins of the body, the sick to impure thoughts, impatience, and shame at bearing Christ's name. ### Greek text ἀλλὰ ὑγιαίνων τῷ σώματι καὶ εὐεκτῶν ἔξω παντὸς πειρασμοῦ κατʼ αὐτὸ τὸ ὑγιαίνειν καὶ εὐεκτεῖν ὑπολαμβάνει τυγχάνειν· καὶ τίνων ἄλλων ἢ τῶν εὐεκτούντων καὶ ὑγιαινόντων ἐστὶν ἁμάρτημα τὸ φθείρειν „τὸν ναὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, “ οὐ τολμήσει τις διὰ τὸ ἐκκεῖσθαι πᾶσι σαφῶς τὰ κατὰ τὸν τόπον εἰπεῖν. νοσῶν δὲ τίς τοὺς εἰς τὸ φθείρειν „τὸν ναὸν τοῦ θεοῦ“ [τίς] ἐρεθισμοὺς ἐκπέφευγε, σχολάζων κατʼ ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ καὶ πάνυ τι δεχόμενος τοὺς περὶ τῶν ἀκαθάρτων πραγμάτων λογισμούς; ἀλλʼ ὅσα παρὰ τούτους ταράττει αὐτὸν, ἐὰν μὴ „πάσῃ φυλακῇ“ τηρῇ τὴν „καρδίαν, “ τί δεῖ καὶ λέγειν; πολλοὶ γὰρ ὑπὸ τῶν πόνων νικώμενοι καὶ ἀνδρείως νόσους φέρειν οὐκ ἐπιστάμενοι μᾶλλον τὴν ψυχὴν ἠλέγχθησαν τότε νενοσηκότες ἢ τὰ σώματα· πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ διὰ τὸ φεύγειν τὴν ἀδοξίαν, ἐπαισχυνόμενοι τὸ Χριστοῦ εὐγενῶς ὄνομα φέρειν, εἰς αἰσχύνην αἰώνιον καταπεπτώκασιν. ### English translation (Claude) But someone who is healthy and robust in body supposes that he is outside all temptation by the very fact of being healthy and robust. Yet of whom else but the robust and healthy is the sin of destroying “the temple of God”? No one will dare to say more, since what concerns this passage is plain to all. And who, when sick, has escaped the incitements to destroying “the temple of God,” being at leisure at that time and quite open to thoughts of unclean things? And why need I speak of all the other things that trouble him besides these, unless he keeps his “heart” “with all vigilance”? For many, overcome by pains and not knowing how to bear sickness bravely, were then shown to be sick in soul rather than in body; and many, through avoiding dishonor and being ashamed to bear the name of Christ nobly, have fallen into everlasting shame. ### Scripture references - 1 Cor 3:17: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 6:19: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 4:23: quotation, high confidence - Dan 12:2: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations and allusions are 1 Cor 3:17 (sins against the body, especially sexual sins, compare 1 Cor 6:18–19), Prov 4:23, and Dan 12:2. The editor deletes a repeated τίς (“who”). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 29.7 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/7/). ## On Prayer 29.8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/8/ - Source: Koetschau 2:385 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Honor among men is also a temptation, leading the high born to pride and the low born to flattery that counterfeits love. ### Greek text ἀλλʼ οἴεταί τις ἀναπαύεσθαι ὡς μὴ πειραζόμενος, ὅτε δεδόξασται παρὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις· καὶ πῶς οὐ χαλεπὸν τὸ „ἀπέχουσι τὸν μισθὸν“ ἀπὸ „τῶν ἀνθρώπων, “ ἀπαγγελλόμενον τοῖς ἐπαιρομένοις ὡς ἐπʼ ἀγαθῷ τῇ παρὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς δόξῃ; πῶς δʼ οὐκ ἐπιπληκτικὸν τὸ „πῶς δύνασθε ὑμεῖς πιστεῦσαι, δόξαν παρʼ ἀλλήλων λαμβάνοντες, καὶ τὴν δόξαν τὴν παρὰ τοῦ μόνου θεοῦ οὐ ζητεῖτε;“ καὶ τί με δεῖ καταλέγειν τὰ τῶν νομιζομένων εὐγενῶν ἐν ὑπερηφανίᾳ πταίσματα καὶ τῶν λεγομένων δυσγενῶν διὰ τὸ ἀνεπίστημον τὴν πρὸς τοὺς ὑπερέχειν νομιζομένους ὑπόπτωσιν θωπευτικὴν, ἀφιστᾶσαν θεοῦ τοὺς γνησίαν μὲν φιλίαν οὐκ ἔχοντας τὸ δὲ κάλλιστον τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις. τὴν ἀγάπην, ὑποκρινομένους; ### English translation (Claude) But someone thinks he is at rest, as not being tempted, when he is honored among men. And how is the saying, “They have their reward” from “men,” not severe, when it is proclaimed to those who are elated by the glory they have among the many as though it were a good? And how is this not a rebuke: “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?” And why need I list the faults of pride among those thought well born, and, among those called low born, the flattering servility, through ignorance, toward those thought superior, which separates from God those who have no genuine friendship but feign the best of things among men, love? ### Scripture references - Matt 6:2: quotation, high confidence - Matt 6:5: allusion, medium confidence - John 5:44: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Matt 6:2 (6:5) and John 5:44. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 29.8 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/8/). ## On Prayer 29.9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/9/ - Source: Koetschau 2:385 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Since all life is a trial, we pray not to escape temptation but not to be overcome by it; Christ enters the net of temptation to call his bride out of it. ### Greek text πᾶς τοίνυν „ὁ βίος, “ καθὼς προείρηται, τοῦ „ἀνθρώπου ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς“ „ἐστι“ „πειρατήριον“· διόπερ εὐχώμεθα ῥυσθῆναι πειρατηρίου. οὐκ ἐν τῷ μὴ πειράζεσθαι (τοῦτο γὰρ ἀμήχανον. μάλιστα τοῖς „ἐπὶ γῆς“) ἀλλὰ ἐν τῷ μὴ ἡττᾶσθαι πειραζομένους. τὸν δὲ ἡττώμενον ἐν τῷ πειράζεσθαι εἰσέρχεσθαι „εἰς“ τὸν „πειρασμὸν, “ ἐνεχόμενον τοῖς δικτύοις αὐτοῦ, ὑπολαμβάνω· εἰς ἅπερ δίκτυα διὰ τοὺς προκατειλημμένους ἐν αὐτοῖς εἰσελθὼν ὁ σωτὴρ, „ἐκκύπτων διὰ τῶν δικτύων“ κατὰ τὸ ἐν τῷ Ἄισματι τῶν ᾀσμάτων εἰρημένον. „ἀποκρίνεται“ τοῖς προκατειλημμένοις ὑπʼ αὐτῶν καὶ εἰσελθοῦσιν „εἰς“ τὸν „πειρασμὸν, “ „καὶ λέγει“ οὖσι νύμφῃ αὐτοῦ· „ἀνάστα, ἐλθὲ ἡ πλησίον μου, καλή μου, περιστερά μου.“ προσθήσω δὲ εἰς τὸ πειρασθῆναι πάντα καιρὸν πειρασμοῦ εἶναι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις καὶ ταῦτα· οὐδὲ ὁ τὸν νόμον τοῦ θεοῦ μελετῶν „ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς“ καὶ ἀσκῶν κατορθῶσαι τὸ εἰρημένον· „στόμα δικαίου μελετήσει σοφίαν“ τοῦ πειράζεσθαι ἀπήλλακται. ### English translation (Claude) The whole “life,” then, of “man on earth,” as has been said, “is” “a trial”; therefore let us pray to be delivered from trial, not by not being tempted (for that is impossible, especially for those “on earth”), but by not being overcome when tempted. And I suppose that the one who is overcome when tempted enters “into temptation,” caught in its nets; into which nets the Savior entered for the sake of those previously caught in them, “looking out through the nets,” as is said in the Song of Songs, and “answers” those who have been caught by them and have entered “into temptation,” “and says” to them, who are his bride: “Arise, come, my neighbor, my fair one, my dove.” And I will add also this, to show that every time is a time of temptation for men: not even the one who meditates on the law of God “day and night,” and practices to fulfill the saying, “The mouth of the righteous will meditate wisdom,” has been freed from being tempted. ### Scripture references - Job 7:1: quotation, high confidence - Song 2:9: quotation, high confidence - Song 2:10: quotation, high confidence - Ps 1:2: quotation, high confidence - Ps 37:30 (36:30 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Job 7:1 (LXX), Song 2:9–10, Ps 1:2, and Ps 37:30 (36:30 LXX). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 29.9 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/9/). ## On Prayer 29.10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/10/ - Source: Koetschau 2:385–386 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Even reading Scripture is a temptation: many have misread it and invented a false Father or Son, worshiping a figment instead of the true God. ### Greek text ὅσοι γοῦν παρεκδεξάμενοι ἐν τῷ ἀνατεθεικέναι αὑτοὺς τῇ ἐξετάσει τῶν θείων γραφῶν τὰ ἐν νόμῳ καὶ προφήταις ἀπηγγελμένα ἀθέοις καὶ ἀσεβέσι δόγμασιν ἑαυτοὺς ἀνατεθείκασιν (ἢ) ἠλιθίοις καὶ γελοίοις, τί δεῖ καὶ λέγειν, τῶν δοκούντων τῷ τῆς ἀμελείας τῶν ἀναγνωσμάτων ἐγκλήματι μὴ εἶναι ἐνόχων μυρίων ὅσων τὰ τοιαῦτα πταιόντων; τὸ δʼ αὐτὸ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀποστολικῶν καὶ εὐαγγελικῶν ἀναγνωσμάτων πολλοὶ πεπόνθασι, διὰ τὰς ἰδίας ἀνοίας ἀναπλάττοντες ἕτερον παρὰ τὸν θεολογούμενον καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἀλήθειαν νενοημένον τοῖς ἁγίοις υἱὸν ἢ πατέρα. ὁ γὰρ μὴ τὰ ἀληθῆ φρονῶν περὶ θεοῦ ἢ Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ τοῦ μὲν ἀληθινοῦ ἀποπέπτωκε θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ μονογενοῦς αὐτοῦ· ὃν δὲ ἀνέπλασεν ἡ ἄνοια αὐτοῦ, νομίζουσα εἶναι πατέρα καὶ υἱὸν, οὐκ ὄντως προσκυνεῖ, τοῦτο παθὼν διὰ τὸ τὸν ἐν τῷ ἀναγινώσκειν τὰ ἅγια πειρασμὸν μὴ νενοηκέναι μηδὲ ὡς πρὸς ἀγῶνα καὶ τότε αὐτῷ ἐνεστηκότα ὁπλισάμενος καὶ στάς. ### English translation (Claude) As for all those who, having devoted themselves to the study of the divine Scriptures, misunderstood what is proclaimed in the law and the prophets and devoted themselves to godless and impious doctrines, or to silly and ridiculous ones, why need I even speak of them, when countless people who seem not liable to the charge of neglecting the readings stumble in such ways? Many have suffered the same with the readings from the apostles and the gospels, fashioning through their own folly a Son or a Father other than the one spoken of in theology and understood in truth by the saints. For the one who does not think truly about God or his Christ has fallen away from the true God and his Only-begotten; and the one whom his folly has fashioned, thinking him to be Father and Son, he does not really worship. He suffered this because he did not recognize the temptation that lies in reading the holy writings, nor arm himself and stand firm as against a contest present to him even then. ### Translation notes - The unnamed interpreters include the Gnostic and Marcionite teachers who distinguished the God of the law from the Father of Jesus (see 29.12–13). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 29.10 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/10/). ## On Prayer 29.11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/11/ - Source: Koetschau 2:386 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: We pray not to escape temptation but not to be overcome; Origen then asks how the good God can be said to “lead” anyone into temptation. ### Greek text χρὴ τοίνυν εὔχεσθαι οὐχ ἵνα μὴ πειρασθῶμεν (τοῦτο γὰρ ἀδύνατον) ἀλλʼ ἵνα μὴ ὑπὸ τοῦ πειρασμοῦ περιβληθῶμεν, ὅπερ πάσχουσιν οἱ ἐνεχόμενοι αὐτῷ καὶ νενικημένοι. ἐπεὶ οὖν ἔξω μὲν τῆς εὐχῆς γέγραπται „μὴ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς πειρασμὸν.“ ὅπερ ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων δύναταί πως εἶναι σαφὲς, ἐν δὲ τῇ εὐχῇ λέγειν ἡμᾶς δεῖ· „μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμὸν“ τῷ πατρὶ θεῷ· ἄξιον ἰδεῖν, πῶς χρὴ νοεῖν τὸν θεὸν εἰσάγειν τὸν μὴ εὐξάμενον ἢ τὸν μὴ ἐπακουόμενον „εἰς“ τὸν „πειρασμόν.“ ἀπεμφαίνει γὰρ, τοῦ νικωμένου εἰσερχομένου „εἰς“ τὸν „πειρασμὸν“, τὸν θεὸν νομίζειν εἰσάγειν τινὰ „εἰς πειρασμὸν, “ οἱονεὶ τῷ νικᾶσθαι αὐτὸν παραδόντα. ἡ δʼ αὐτὴ ἀπέμφασις περιμένει καὶ τὸν ὅπως ποτὲ ἐξηγούμενον τὸ „εὔχεσθε μὴ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς πειρασμόν.“ εἰ γὰρ κακὸν τὸ ἐμπεσεῖν „εἰς πειρασμὸν, “ ὅπερ ἵνα μὴ πάθωμεν εὐχόμεθα, πῶς οὐκ ἄτοπον νοεῖν τὸν ἀγαθὸν θεὸν, μὴ δυνάμενον „καρποὺς“ φέρειν „πονηροὺς, “ περιβάλλειν τινὰ τοῖς κακοῖς; ### English translation (Claude) We must pray, then, not that we may not be tempted (for that is impossible), but that we may not be enveloped by temptation, as those are who are caught in it and conquered. Since, then, outside the prayer it is written that we should pray “not to enter into temptation,” which may be somewhat clear from what has been said, but in the prayer we must say to God the Father, “Do not bring us into temptation,” it is worth seeing how we must understand that God brings into “temptation” the one who does not pray or is not heard. For since the one who is conquered enters “into temptation,” it is incongruous to think that God brings anyone “into temptation,” as though handing him over to be conquered. And the same incongruity awaits anyone who interprets in any way “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” For if it is an evil to fall “into temptation,” which we pray not to suffer, how is it not absurd to think that the good God, who cannot bear “bad fruits,” envelops anyone in evils? ### Scripture references - Matt 26:41: quotation, high confidence - Matt 6:13: quotation, high confidence - Matt 7:18: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations and allusions are Matt 26:41, Matt 6:13, and Matt 7:18. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 29.11 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/11/). ## On Prayer 29.12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/12/ - Source: Koetschau 2:386–387 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Paul says God “gave up” sinners to their desires; this refutes those who divide the Godhead into a just God of the law and a merely good Father who never judges. ### Greek text χρήσιμον οὖν εἰς ταῦτα παραθέσθαι τὰ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους ὑπὸ τοῦ Παύλου εἰρημένα τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον· „φάσκοντες εἶναι σοφοὶ ἐμωράνθησαν, καὶ ἤλλαξαν τὴν δόξαν τοῦ ἀφθάρτου θεοῦ ἐν ὁμοιώματι εἰκόνος φθαρτοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ πετεινῶν καὶ τετραπόδων καὶ ἑρπετῶν. διὸ παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς ὁ θεὸς ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῶν καρδιῶν αὐτῶν εἰς ἀκαθαρσίαν, τοῦ ἀτιμάζεσθαι τὰ σώματα αὐτῶν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, “ καὶ μετʼ ὀλίγα· „διὰ τοῦτο παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς ὁ θεὸς εἰς πάθη ἀτιμίας· αἵ τε γὰρ θήλειαι αὐτῶν μετήλλαξαν τὴν φυσικὴν χρῆσιν εἰς τὴν παρὰ φύσιν· ὁμοίως καὶ οἱ ἄρσενες ἀφέντες τὴν φυσικὴν χρῆσιν τῆς θηλείας ἐξεκαύθησαν“ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· καὶ πάλιν μετʼ ὀλίγα· „καὶ καθὼς οὐκ ἐδοκίμασαν τὸν θεὸν ἔχειν ἐν ἐπιγνώσει, παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς ὁ θεὸς εἰς ἀδόκιμον νοῦν, ποιεῖν τὰ μὴ καθήκοντα.“ πλὴν ταῦτα πάντα προσεκτέον τοῖς διακόπτουσι τὴν θεότητα, καὶ λεκτέον πρὸς αὐτοὺς. ἕτερον νομίζοντας εἶναι τὸν ἀγαθὸν πατέρα τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν παρὰ τὸν τοῦ νόμου θεὸν. εἰ ὁ ἀγαθὸς θεὸς τὸν μὴ τυγχάνοντα τῆς εὐχῆς εἰσάγει „εἰς πειρασμὸν, “ καὶ εἰ ὁ πατὴρ τοῦ κυρίου παραδίδωσιν „ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῶν καρδιῶν“ τοὺς προημαρτηκότας τι „εἰς ἀκαθαρσίαν, τοῦ ἀτιμάζεσθαι τὰ σώματα αὐτῶν ἐν αὑτοῖς, “ καὶ εἰ, ὡς αὐτοί φασι, τοῦ κρίνειν καὶ κολάζειν ἀπηλλαγμένος παραδίδωσιν „εἰς πάθη ἀτιμίας“ καὶ „εἰς ἀδόκιμον νοῦν, ποιεῖν τὰ μὴ καθήκοντα, “ οὐκ ἂν „ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῶν καρδιῶν ἑαυτῶν“ γεγενημένων τῶν μὴ παραδοθέντων αὐταῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, οὐδʼ ἂν πάθεσιν „ἀτιμίας“ ὑποπεπτωκότων τῶν μὴ ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ παραδοθέντων αὐτοῖς, οὐδʼ ἂν „εἰς ἀδόκιμον νοῦν“ καταπιπτόντων χωρὶς τοῦ παραδίδοσθαι αὐτῷ ὑπὸ θεοῦ τοὺς οὕτω καταδικασθέντας; ### English translation (Claude) It is useful, then, to set beside these things what is said by Paul in the Letter to the Romans in this way: “Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man and birds and four-footed animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them up in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves”; and a little after: “For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions; for their women exchanged the natural use for that which is against nature; and likewise the men also, leaving the natural use of the woman, were inflamed,” and so on; and again a little after: “And since they did not see fit to have God in knowledge, God gave them up to an unfit mind, to do what is not proper.” All these things must be put to those who divide the Godhead, and we must say to them, since they think that the good Father of our Lord is other than the God of the law: if the good God brings “into temptation” the one who does not obtain his prayer, and if the Father of the Lord gives up “in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves” those who have first sinned somewhat, and if, being, as they say, free from judging and punishing, he gives them up “to dishonorable passions” and “to an unfit mind, to do what is not proper”—then those not given up to them by God would not have come to be “in the desires of their own hearts,” nor would those not given up to them by God have fallen under passions “of dishonor,” nor would those so condemned have fallen “into an unfit mind” without being given up to it by God. ### Scripture references - Rom 1:22: quotation, high confidence - Rom 1:23: quotation, high confidence - Rom 1:24: quotation, high confidence - Rom 1:26: quotation, high confidence - Rom 1:27: quotation, high confidence - Rom 1:28: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Rom 1:22–24, 1:26–27, and 1:28. “Those who divide the Godhead” are the Marcionites and some Gnostics, who held that the good Father of Jesus is a different God from the just God of the law. The final clause is compressed: no one falls into these states unless God gives him up, so on their view the “good” Father would himself be judging and punishing. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 29.12 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/12/). ## On Prayer 29.13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/13/ - Source: Koetschau 2:387–388 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God governs each free soul toward its eternal life, sometimes letting sinners have their fill of sin so that they come to hate it, as he gave Israel quail until they loathed it. ### Greek text ἐκείνους μὲν οὖν εὖ οἶδα ὅτι σφόδρα ταράξει ταῦτα, διὰ τοῦτο ἄλλον ἀναπλάσαντας παρὰ τὸν ποιητὴν οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς θεὸν, ἐπεὶ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα εὑρίσκοντες ἐν τῷ νόμῳ καὶ τοῖς προφήταις προσέκοψαν ὡς οὐκ ἀγαθῷ τῷ τοιαύτας προφερομένῳ φωνάς· ἡμῖν δὲ ἤδη διὰ τὰ ἐπαπορηθέντα περὶ τοῦ „μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς εἰς πειρασμὸν ἡμᾶς, “ διʼ ἅπερ καὶ τὰς ἀποστολικὰς λέξεις παρεθέμεθα, θεωρητέον εἰ καὶ ἡμεῖς εὑρίσκομεν ἀξιολόγους τῶν ἀπεμφάσεων λύσεις. ἡγοῦμαι δὴ τὸν θεὸν ἑκάστην λογικὴν οἰκονομεῖν ψυχὴν, ἀφορῶντα εἰς τὴν ἀΐδιον αὐτῆς ζωὴν, ἀεὶ ἔχουσαν τὸ αὐτεξούσιον καὶ παρὰ τὴν ἰδίαν αἰτίαν ἤτοι ἐν τοῖς κρείττοσι κατʼ ἐπανάβασιν ἕως τῆς ἀκρότητος τῶν ἀγαθῶν γινομένην (ἢ) καταβαίνουσαν διαφόρως ἐξ ἀπροσεξίας ἐπὶ τὴν τοσήνδε ἢ τοσήνδε τῆς κακίας χύσιν. ἐπεὶ οὖν ἡ ταχεῖα θεραπεία καὶ συντομωτέρα καταφρόνησίν τισιν ἐμποιεῖ τῶν, εἰς ἃ ἐμπεπτώκασι, νοσημάτων ὡς εὐθεραπεύτων, ὥστε καὶ δεύτερον ἂν μετὰ τὸ ὑγιᾶσθαι τοῖς αὐτοῖς περιπεσεῖν, εὐλόγως ἐπὶ τῶν τοιούτων περιόψεται τὴν ἐπί τι κακίαν αὔξουσαν, καὶ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον χεομένην ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀνίατον ὑπερορῶν, ἵνα τῷ προσδιατρῖψαι τῷ κακῷ καὶ ἐμφορηθῆναι ἧς ἐπιθυμοῦσιν ἁμαρτίας κορεσθέντες αἰσθηθῶσι τῆς βλάβης, καὶ μισήσαντες ὅπερ πρότερον ἀπεδέξαντο δυνηθῶσι θεραπευθέντες βεβαιότερον ὄνασθαι τῆς ἐν τῷ θεραπευθῆναι ὑπαρχούσης ὑγείας τῶν ψυχῶν αὐτοῖς· οἷον „ὁ ἐπίμικτός“ ποτε ἐν τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ „ἐπεθύμησαν ἐπιθυμίαν, καὶ καθίσαντες ἔκλαιον καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ εἶπαν· τίς ἡμᾶς ψωμιεῖ κρέα; ἐμνήσθημεν τοὺς ἰχθύας, οὓς ἠσθίομεν δωρεὰν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, καὶ τοὺς σικυοὺς καὶ τοὺς πέπονας καὶ τὰ πράσα καὶ τὰ κρόμμυα καὶ τὰ σκόροδα· νυνὶ δὲ ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν κατάξηρος, οὐδὲν πλὴν εἰς τὸ μάννα οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν.“ εἶτα μετʼ ὀλίγα λέγεται· „καὶ ἤκουσε Μωϋσῆς κλαιόντων αὐτῶν κατὰ δήμους αὐτῶν· ἕκαστος ἐπὶ τῆς θύρας αὐτοῦ.“ καὶ πάλιν μετʼ ὀλίγα κύριός φησι τῷ Μωϋσεῖ· „καὶ τῷ λαῷ ἐρεῖς· ἁγνίσασθε αὔριον, καὶ φάγεσθε κρέα, ὅτι ἐκλαύσατε ἐναντίον κυρίου λέγοντες· τίς ἡμᾶς ψωμιεῖ κρέα; ὅτι καλὸν ἡμῖν ἐστιν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ· καὶ δώσει ὑμῖν κύριος κρέα φαγεῖν, καὶ φάγεσθε κρέα. οὐχ ἡμέραν μίαν φάγεσθε οὐδὲ δύο οὐδὲ πέντε ἡμέρας οὐ(δὲ) δέκα ἡμέρας οὐδὲ εἴκοσιν ἡμέρας· ἕως μηνὸς ἡμερῶν φάγεσθε, ἕως ἂν ἐξέλθῃ ἐκ τῶν μυκτήρων ὑμῶν· καὶ ἔσται ὑμῖν εἰς χολέραν, ὅτι ἠπειθήσατε κυρίῳ, ὅς ἐστιν ἐν ὑμῖν, καὶ ἐκλαύσατε ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ λέγοντες· ἵνα τί ἡμῖν ἐξελθεῖν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου;“ ### English translation (Claude) I know well that these things will greatly trouble them, since they fashioned another God besides the maker of heaven and earth for this very reason, that finding many such things in the law and the prophets they took offense at the one who utters such words, as not good. But we, because of the difficulties raised about “Do not bring us into temptation,” for which we have also set out the apostle's words, must now consider whether we too find worthy solutions to these incongruities. I think that God governs each rational soul with a view to its eternal life, since it always has free will, and by its own responsibility either comes to be among the better things, ascending step by step to the summit of goods, or descends in various ways through carelessness into this or that flood of wickedness. Since, then, a quick and shorter cure makes some despise the diseases into which they have fallen, as easily cured, so that after being healed they might fall into the same things a second time, he will reasonably, in such cases, overlook the wickedness as it increases to some point, and overlook it as it spreads very far in them, even incurably; so that, by lingering in evil and being filled with the sin they desire, they may be sated and perceive the harm, and, hating what they formerly welcomed, may, once healed, enjoy more firmly the health of their souls that comes from being healed. So, for example, “the mixed multitude” once among the sons of Israel “lusted with a lust, and sat down and wept, and the sons of Israel too, and said: Who will feed us with meat? We remember the fish we used to eat freely in Egypt, and the cucumbers and melons and leeks and onions and garlic; but now our soul is dried up; there is nothing but the manna before our eyes.” Then a little after it is said: “And Moses heard them weeping by their clans, each at the door of his tent.” And again a little after, the Lord says to Moses: “And you shall say to the people, Purify yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat, for you wept before the Lord, saying, Who will feed us with meat? For it was good for us in Egypt. And the Lord will give you meat to eat, and you shall eat meat. You shall not eat one day, nor two, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days; for a whole month you shall eat, until it comes out of your nostrils; and it shall be loathsome to you, because you disobeyed the Lord, who is among you, and wept before him, saying, Why did we come out of Egypt?” ### Scripture references - Num 11:4: quotation, high confidence - Num 11:5: quotation, high confidence - Num 11:6: quotation, high confidence - Num 11:10: quotation, high confidence - Num 11:18: quotation, high confidence - Num 11:19: quotation, high confidence - Num 11:20: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Num 11:4–6, 11:10, and 11:18–20. “Loathsome” renders χολέρα (literally a bilious sickness). Origen's view that God may let sin run its course, even “incurably” in this life, for the sake of the soul's eventual healing, belongs to his teaching on free will and providence over the ages (On First Principles 3.1.13–17). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 29.13 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/13/). ## On Prayer 29.14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/14/ - Source: Koetschau 2:388–389 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God gave Israel meat until they were sick of it, so that they would be cured of their craving; so he may let sinners be sated with sin until they hate it and return to heavenly food. ### Greek text ἴδωμεν οὖν τὴν ἱστορίαν, εἰ χρησίμως ὑμῖν παρεβάλομεν αὐτὴν πρὸς λύσιν τοῦ ἀπεμφαίνοντος ἐν τῷ „μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμὸν“ καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἀποστολικαῖς λέξεσιν. ἐπιθυμήσαντες „ἐπιθυμίαν“ „ὁ ἐπίμικτος ὁ“ ἐν υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ „ἔκλαιον καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ“ σὺν αὐτοῖς. καὶ φανερὸν ὅτι ὅσον οὐκ εἶχον τὰ ἐπιθυμούμενα. κόρον οὐκ ἠδύναντο αὐτῶν λαβεῖν οὐδὲ παύσασθαι τοῦ πάθους· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ φιλάνθρωπος καὶ ἀγαθὸς θεὸς, διδοὺς αὐτοῖς τὸ ἐπιθυμούμενον, οὐχ οὕτως ἐβούλετο διδόναι, ὥστε καταλιπέσθαι ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐπιθυμίαν. διόπερ φησὶ μὴ „μίαν ἡμέραν“ φάγεσθαι αὐτοὺς τὰ „κρέα“ (ἔμενε γὰρ ἂν τὸ πάθος αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ πεπυρωμένῃ καὶ φλεγομένῃ ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ, εἰ ἐπʼ ὀλίγον τῶν κρεῶν μετειλήφεσαν), ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ ἐπὶ „δύο“ δίδωσιν αὐτοῖς τὸ ἐπιθυμούμενον „ἡμέρας“· βουλόμενος δὲ αὐτὸ προσκορὲς αὐτοῖς ποιῆσαι, οἱονεὶ οὐκ ἐπαγγέλλεται ἀλλὰ τῷ συνιέναι δυναμένῳ ἀπειλεῖ διʼ ὧν χαρίζεσθαι αὐτοῖς ἐδόκει, λέγων· „οὐδὲ πέντε“ μόνας ποιήσετε „ἡμέρας“ ἐσθίοντες τὰ „κρέα“ οὐδὲ τὰς τούτων διπλασίους οὐδὲ ἔτι τὰς ἐκείνων διπλασίους, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον „φάγεσθε, “ ἐφʼ ὅλον κρεωφαγοῦντες μῆνα, „ἕως ἐξέλθῃ ἐκ τῶν μυκτήρων“ μετὰ χολερικοῦ πάθους τὸ νενομισμένον ὑμῖν καλὸν καὶ ἡ περὶ αὐτὸ ψεκτὴ καὶ αἰσχρὰ ἐπιθυμία· ἵνʼ ὑμᾶς ἀπαλλάξω τοῦ βίου μηκέτι ἐπιθυμοῦντας, καὶ τοιοῦτοι ἐξελθόντες δυνηθῆτε ὡς καθαροὶ ἀπὸ ἐπιθυμίας μεμνημένοι τε. διʼ ὅσων πόνων αὐτῆς ἀπηλλάγητε, ἤτοι μηδαμῶς αὐτῇ περιπεσεῖν ἔτι ἢ, εἰ ἄρα τοῦτό ποτε γίνεται, μακραῖς χρόνων περιόδοις, ἐπιλανθανόμενοι ὧν πεπόνθατε διὰ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν, ἐὰν μὴ ἑαυτοῖς προσέχητε καὶ τὸν τελείως ἀπαλλάττοντα πάθους παντὸς λόγον ἀναλάβητε, τοῖς κακοῖς περιπέσητε ὕστερόν τε τῆς γενέσεως ἐπιθυμήσαντες πάλιν δεηθῆτε τοῦ δὶς τυχεῖν ὧν ἐπιθυμεῖτε, μισήσαντες τὸ ἐπιθυμούμενον, καὶ τότε οὕτω παλινδρομεῖν ἐπὶ τὰ καλὰ καὶ τὴν οὐράνιον τροφὴν, ἧς καταφρονήσαντες τῶν χειρόνων ὠρέχθησαν. ### English translation (Claude) Let us see, then, whether we have usefully set this story before you for the solution of what is incongruous in “Do not bring us into temptation” and in the apostle's words. Having lusted “with a lust,” “the mixed multitude” among the sons of Israel “wept, and the sons of Israel too” with them. And it is clear that as long as they did not have what they desired, they could not be sated with it nor cease from the passion. But the loving and good God, giving them what they desired, did not wish to give it in such a way that desire would be left in them. Therefore he says that they would eat the “meat” not “one day” (for their passion would have remained in their soul, which was set on fire and inflamed by it, if they had partaken of the meat for a short time); nor does he give them what they desired for “two days”; but wishing to make it cloying to them, he as it were does not promise but threatens, to anyone who can understand, by what he seemed to grant them, saying: “You will not spend only five days” eating “meat,” nor twice these, nor again twice those, but “you shall eat” so long, eating meat for a whole month, “until it comes out of your nostrils” with a bilious sickness—the thing you thought good, and the blameworthy and shameful desire for it—so that I may release you from life no longer desiring, and, having departed in this state, you may be able, as pure from desire and remembering through how many pains you were freed from it, either never to fall into it again, or, if this ever happens, only after long periods of time, when you forget what you suffered through your desire: unless you take heed to yourselves and take up the Word who wholly frees from every passion, you may fall into evils and, having later desired becoming (genesis) again, may need a second time to obtain what you desire and to hate what you desired, and then in this way run back to the good things and the heavenly food, despising which you longed for worse things. ### Scripture references - Num 11:4: quotation, high confidence - Num 11:19: quotation, high confidence - Num 11:20: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The references are Num 11:4 and 11:18–20. The last part of God's imagined speech, speaking of departing this life “pure from desire” and possibly later desiring “becoming” again (τῆς γενέσεως, probably the object of “desiring”; it could also be taken as “after birth”), reflects Origen's speculation about the soul's course through successive ages; the sentence is long and its construction partly uncertain. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 29.14 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/14/). ## On Prayer 29.15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/15/ - Source: Koetschau 2:389–391 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Idolaters given up to shameful passions receive the penalty of their error; but the purifying fire and prison of God's judgment are a benefit, cleansing sinners so that they may freely turn from evil. ### Greek text τὸ ὅμοιον οὖν τούτοις πείσονται οἱ ἀλλάξαντες „τὴν δόξαν τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀφθάρτου ἐν ὁμοιώματι εἰκόνος φθαρτοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ πετεινῶν καὶ τετραπόδων καὶ ἑρπετῶν, “ διὰ τοῦ ἐγκαταλείπεσθαι παραδιδόμενοι „ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῶν καρδιῶν αὐτῶν εἰς ἀκαθαρσίαν, τοῦ ἀτιμάζεσθαι τὰ σώματα“ τῶν εἰς ἄψυχον σῶμα καὶ ἀναίσθητον καταβιβασάντων τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ πᾶσι τοῖς αἰσθομένοις λογικοῖς οὐ μόνον τὸ αἰσθέσθαι ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ λογικῶς αἰσθέσθαι τισὶ δὲ καὶ τελείως καὶ ἐναρέτως αἰσθέσθαι καὶ νοεῖν χαρισαμένου. καὶ εὐλόγως οἱ τοιοῦτοι παραδίδονται ὑπὸ τοῦ καταλειφθέντος ὑπʼ αὐτῶν θεοῦ, ἀντικαταλειπόμενοι ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ, εἰς τὰ τῆς „ἀτιμίας“ „πάθη, “ „τὴν ἀντιμισθίαν“ „τῆς πλάνης“ διʼ ἧς ἠγάπησαν ψωρώδους ἡδονῆς „ἀπολαμβάνοντες.“ μᾶλλον γὰρ ἡ ἀντιμισθία „τῆς πλάνης“ αὐτοῖς ἐγγίνεται, παραδιδομένοις „εἰς πάθη ἀτιμίας, “ ἤπερ τῷ φρονίμῳ πυρὶ καθαιρομένοις καὶ ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ ἐκπρασσομένοις μέχρι τοῦ ἐσχάτου κοδράντου ἕκαστον τῶν ὀφλημάτων. ἐν γὰρ τῷ πάθεσιν „ἀτιμίας“ οὐ μόνον τοῖς κατὰ φύσιν ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλοῖς τῶν παρὰ φύσιν παραδίδοσθαι μολύνονται καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς σαρκὸς παχύνονται, οἱονεὶ οὐκέτι ἔχοντες τότε ψυχὴν οὐδὲ νοῦν ἀλλʼ ὅλοι γινόμενοι σάρκες· ἐν δὲ τῷ πυρὶ καὶ τῇ φυλακῇ οὐκ „ἀντιμισθίαν“ „τῆς πλάνης“ ἀλλʼ εὐεργεσίαν ἐπὶ καθάρσει τῶν ἐν τῇ πλάνῃ κακῶν μετὰ σωτηρίων λαμβάνοντες πόνων, ἑπομένων τοῖς φιληδόνοις, ἀπαλλάττονται παντὸς ῥύπου καὶ αἵματος, ἐν οἷς ἐῤῥυπωμένοι καὶ πεφυρμένοι οὐδὲ τὸ ἐννοῆσαι περὶ τοῦ σῴζεσθαι ἐδύναντο τῇ σφῶν ἀπωλείᾳ. „ἐκπλυνεῖ“ τοιγαροῦν ὁ θεὸς „τὸν ῥύπον τῶν υἱῶν καὶ τῶν θυγατέρων Σιὼν, καὶ τὸ αἷμα ἐκκαθαριεῖ ἐκ μέσου αὐτῶν πνεύματι κρίσεως καὶ πνεύματι καύσεως“· „εἰσπορεύεται“ γὰρ „ὡς πῦρ χωνευτηρίου καὶ ὡς πόα πλυνόντων, “ ἀποπλύνων καὶ καθαίρων τοὺς τοιούτων φαρμάκων δεδεημένους διὰ τὸ μὴ δεδοκιμασμένως θέλειν „ἔχειν ἐν ἐπιγνώσει“ „τὸν θεόν“· οἷς παραδοθέντες ἑκόντες μισήσουσι τὸν „ἀδόκιμον νοῦν“· οὐ γὰρ βούλεται ὁ θεός τινι τὸ ἀγαθὸν ὡς κατὰ ἀνάγκην γενέσθαι ἀλλὰ ἑκουσίως, τάχα τινῶν ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖον ὡμιληκέναι τῇ κακίᾳ μόγις τὸ αἶσχος αὐτῆς κατανενοηκότων καὶ ἀποστρεφομένων αὐτὴν ὡς ψευδῶς ὑποληφθεῖσαν εἶναι καλήν. ### English translation (Claude) Those who have exchanged “the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man and birds and four-footed animals and reptiles” will suffer something like this, being given up, through being abandoned, “in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies”—they who have brought down to lifeless and senseless matter the name of him who has granted to all sentient rational beings not only sensation but rational sensation, and to some perfect and virtuous sensation and understanding. And such people are reasonably given up by God, whom they abandoned, being abandoned in turn by him, to “passions” “of dishonor,” “receiving” “the due penalty” “for the error” through which they loved a scabby pleasure. For the due penalty “for the error” comes to them more in being given up “to dishonorable passions” than in being cleansed by the wise fire and being made to pay in prison every debt to the last quadrans. For in being given up to passions “of dishonor,” not only natural ones but also many that are against nature, they are defiled and thickened by the flesh, as though no longer having soul or mind but becoming wholly flesh; while in the fire and the prison they receive, not a “penalty” “for the error,” but a benefit for the cleansing of the evils committed in error, with saving pains that follow upon lovers of pleasure, and they are freed from all the filth and blood with which they were so defiled and soiled that they could not even think of being saved, in their own destruction. So God “will wash away the filth of the sons and daughters of Zion, and will cleanse the blood from their midst by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of burning”; for he “comes in like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap,” washing and cleansing those who need such remedies because they did not see fit “to have God in knowledge”; given up to these, they will of their own will hate the “unfit mind.” For God does not wish that good should come to anyone as by necessity, but willingly; perhaps some, from long association with wickedness, have hardly perceived its shamefulness and turned from it, having falsely supposed it to be good. ### Scripture references - Rom 1:23: quotation, high confidence - Rom 1:24: quotation, high confidence - Rom 1:26: quotation, high confidence - Rom 1:27: quotation, high confidence - Rom 1:28: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 3:13: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 5:26: allusion, high confidence - Isa 4:4: quotation, high confidence - Mal 3:2: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations and allusions are Rom 1:23–24, 1:26–28, 1 Cor 3:13–15 (“wise fire”), Matt 5:25–26, Isa 4:4, and Mal 3:2. The view that the fire of judgment is remedial and purifying is characteristic of Origen; it was later disputed, especially where it was taken to imply that all punishment is temporary. The passage uses the language of Rom 1:26–27 on same-sex relations (“against nature”) as Paul does. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 29.15 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/15/). ## On Prayer 29.16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/16/ - Source: Koetschau 2:391 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God's hardening of Pharaoh and his snares are just and remedial; we should pray to do nothing that would deserve being led by God's judgment into temptation. ### Greek text ἐπίστησον δὲ εἰ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ σκληρύνει τὴν τοῦ Φαραὼ καρδίαν ὁ θεὸς, ἵνʼ ὅπερ εἶπε μὴ σκληρυνθεὶς δυνηθῇ εἰπεῖν· „ὁ κύριος δίκαιος. ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ ὁ λαός μου ἀσεβής.“ ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ πλεῖον δέεται τοῦ σκληρύνεσθαι καὶ ἐπὶ πλεῖον πάσχειν τινὰ, ἵνα μὴ ἐκ τοῦ τάχιον τοῦ σκληρύνεσθαι παύεσθαι καταφρονῶν ὡς κακοῦ τοῦ σκληρύνεσθαι ἔτι πλεονάκις ἄξιος τοῦ σκληρύνεσθαι γίνηται. εἰ τοίνυν „οὐκ ἀδίκως ἐκτείνεται δίκτυα πτερωτοῖς“ κατὰ τὰ ἐν ταῖς Παροιμίαις εἰρημένα, ἀλλὰ εὐλόγως εἰσάγει ὁ θεὸς „εἰς τὴν παγίδα“ κατὰ τὸν εἰπόντα· „εἰσήγαγες ἡμᾶς εἰς τὴν παγίδα, “ καὶ „ἄνευ“ τῆς βουλῆς „τοῦ πατρὸς“ οὐδὲ τὸ εὐτελέστερον τῶν ἐπτερωμένων στρουθίον ἐμπίπτει „εἰς τὴν παγίδα“ (τοῦ ἐμπίπτοντος „εἰς τὴν παγίδα“ διὰ τοῦτο ἐμπίπτοντος. ἐπεὶ μὴ καλῶς τῇ τῶν πτερῶν ἐχρήσατο δεδομένων ἐπὶ τὸ ὑψοῦσθαι ἐξουσίᾳ). εὐχώμεθα μηδὲν ἄξιον ποιῆσαι τοῦ ὑπὸ τῆς δικαίας κρίσεως τοῦ θεοῦ εἰσενεχθῆναι „εἰς“ τὸν „πειρασμὸν, “ εἰσφερομένου παντός τε τοῦ παραδιδομένου ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ „ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις“ τῆς καρδίας ἑαυτοῦ „εἰς ἀκαθαρσίαν“ καὶ παντὸς τοῦ παραδιδομένου „εἰς πάθη ἀτιμίας“ καὶ παντὸς τοῦ, „καθὼς οὐκ ἐδοκίμασε τὸν θεὸν ἔχειν ἐν“ ἑαυτῷ, παραδιδομένου „εἰς ἀδόκιμον νοῦν, ποιεῖν τὰ μὴ καθήκοντα.“ ### English translation (Claude) Consider whether it is for this reason that God hardens Pharaoh's heart too, so that he may be able to say what he did not say when not hardened: “The Lord is righteous, and I and my people are ungodly.” But he needs to be hardened further and to suffer something further, so that he may not, because he quickly ceased to be hardened, despise hardening as an evil and become worthy of being hardened still more often. If, then, “nets are not spread unjustly for birds,” according to what is said in Proverbs, but God reasonably brings “into the snare,” according to the one who said, “You brought us into the snare,” and without the counsel “of the Father” not even a sparrow, the least of winged creatures, falls “into the snare” (the one that falls “into the snare” falls for this reason, that it did not use well the power of its wings, given for rising on high), let us pray to do nothing worthy of being brought “into” the “temptation” by the just judgment of God—into which is brought everyone given up by God “in the desires” of his heart “to impurity,” and everyone given up “to dishonorable passions,” and everyone who, “since he did not see fit to have God in” himself, is given up “to an unfit mind, to do what is not proper.” ### Scripture references - Exod 9:12: allusion, high confidence - Exod 9:27: quotation, high confidence - Prov 1:17: quotation, high confidence - Ps 66:11 (65:11 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Matt 10:29: allusion, high confidence - Rom 1:24: quotation, high confidence - Rom 1:26: quotation, high confidence - Rom 1:28: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations and allusions are Exod 9:27 (with Exod 9:12 and 10:1 on the hardening), Prov 1:17, Ps 66:11 (65:11 LXX), Matt 10:29, and Rom 1:24, 26, 28. Origen treats the hardening of Pharaoh at greater length in On First Principles 3.1.8–11. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 29.16 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/16/). ## On Prayer 29.17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/17/ - Source: Koetschau 2:391–392 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Temptations reveal what is hidden in our souls, even from ourselves, so that we can recognize our evils and give thanks for our good. ### Greek text ἡ δὲ χρεία τοῦ πειράζεσθαι τοιαύτη τις ἐστίν. ἅπερ ἐδέξατο ἡμῶν ἡ ψυχὴ, λανθάνοντα πάντας πλὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς, φανερὰ διὰ τῶν πειρασμῶν γίνεται· ἵνα μηκέτι λανθάνωμεν. ὁποῖοί ποτε ἐσμὲν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὺς ἐπιγινώσκοντες συναισθώμεθα, ἐὰν βουλώμεθα, τῶν ἰδίων κακῶν καὶ εὐχαριστῶμεν ἐπὶ τοῖς φανερουμένοις ἡμῖν διὰ τῶν πειρασμῶν ἀγαθοῖς. ὅτι δὲ οἱ γενόμενοι πειρασμοὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἀναφανῆναι ἡμᾶς, οἵτινές ποτε ἐσμὲν, ἢ διαγνωσθῆναι τὰ ἐγκεκρυμμένα τῇ καρδίᾳ ἡμῶν γίνονται, παρίστησι τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου ἐν τῷ Ἰὼβ λεγόμενον καὶ τὸ ἐν τῷ Δευτερονομίῳ γεγραμμένον, οὕτως ἔχοντα· „οἴει δέ με ἄλλως σοι κεχρηματικέναι ἢ ἵνα ἀναφανῇς δίκαιος;“ καὶ ἐν τῷ Δευτερονομίῳ οὕτως· „ἐκάκωσέ σε καὶ ἐλιμαγχόνησέ σε καὶ ἐψώμισέ σε τὸ μάννα“ „καὶ διήγαγέ σε“ „ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, “ „οὗ ὄφις δάκνων καὶ σκορπίος καὶ δίψα, “ „ὅπως“ „διαγνωσθῇ τὰ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου.“ ### English translation (Claude) The use of being tempted is something like this. What our soul has received, hidden from all but God, and even from ourselves, becomes manifest through temptations, so that we may no longer be hidden as to what kind of people we are, but, knowing ourselves too, may perceive, if we wish, our own evils, and give thanks for the good things revealed to us through temptations. That the temptations that come happen so that we may be shown to be what we are, or that what is hidden in our heart may be discerned, is shown by what is said by the Lord in Job and what is written in Deuteronomy, which run thus: “Do you think I have dealt with you otherwise than that you might appear righteous?” And in Deuteronomy thus: “He afflicted you and let you hunger and fed you with manna” “and led you” “in the wilderness,” “where there were biting serpents and scorpions and thirst,” “so that” “what was in your heart might be discerned.” ### Scripture references - Job 40:8: quotation, high confidence - Deut 8:3: quotation, high confidence - Deut 8:15: quotation, high confidence - Deut 8:2: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Job 40:8 (40:3 LXX) and Deut 8:3, 8:15, and 8:2. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 29.17 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/17/). ## On Prayer 29.18 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/18/ - Source: Koetschau 2:392 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Examples from Genesis show that temptation reveals what was already in the heart: Eve's weakness, Cain's wickedness, Ham's impiety, Esau's profanity, and Joseph's self-control. ### Greek text εἰ δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἱστορίας ἀναμνησθῆναι βουλόμεθα, ἰστέον ὅτι τὸ (τῆς Εὔας) εὐεξαπάτητον καὶ τὸ σαθρὸν τοῦ λογισμοῦ αὐτῆς οὐχ, ὅτε παρακούσασα τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ὄφεως ἤκουσεν, ὑπέστη ἀλλὰ καὶ πρότερον ὂν ἠλέγχθη, τοῦ ὄφεως διὰ τοῦτο αὐτῇ προσεληλυθότος, ἐπεὶ τῇ ἰδίᾳ φρονιμότητι ἀντελάβετο τῆς ἀσθενείας αὐτῆς. ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ Κάϊν πονηρία ἤρξατο γίνεσθαι, ὅτε „ἀπέκτεινε“ „τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ“ (καὶ πρότερον γὰρ „ἐπὶ τῷ Κάϊν καὶ ταῖς θυσίαις αὐτοῦ οὐ προσέσχεν“ „ὁ καρδιογνώστης θεὸς“), εἰς φανερὸν δὲ ἦλθεν ἡ κακία αὐτοῦ, ὅτε ἀνεῖλε τὸν Ἄβελ. ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰ μὴ πιὼν οὗ ἐγεώργησεν „οἴνου“ „ἐμεθύσθη“ ὁ Νῶε καὶ ἐ(γε)γύμνωτο, οὐκ ἂν ἀνεφάνη οὔτε ἡ τοῦ Χὰμ προπέτεια καὶ εἰς τὸν πατέρα ἀσέβεια οὔτε ἡ τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτοῦ σεμνότης καὶ αἰδὼς πρὸς τὸν γεγεννηκότα. καὶ ἡ κατὰ τοῦ Ἰακὼβ τοῦ Ἠσαῦ ἐπιβουλὴ πρόφασιν ἔδοξεν ἐσχηκέναι τὴν „τῆς εὐλογίας“ ἀφαίρεσιν, καὶ πρότερον δὲ τούτου ῥίζας τοῦ „πόρνος“ καὶ „βέβηλος“ εἶναι εἶχεν αὐτοῦ ἡ ψυχή· τήν τε λαμπρότητα τῆς τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ σωφροσύνης, παρεσκευασμένου πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἁλῶναι ὑπό τινος ἐπιθυμίας, οὐκ ἂν ἐγνώκειμεν, μὴ ἐρασθείσης αὐτοῦ τῆς δεσποίνης. ### English translation (Claude) And if we wish to be reminded from the history too, we must know that Eve's readiness to be deceived and the unsoundness of her reasoning did not come into being when she disobeyed God and listened to the serpent, but existed before and was exposed; for the serpent came to her because by his own cunning he perceived her weakness. Nor did wickedness begin in Cain when he “killed” “his brother” (for even before, “the God who knows the heart” “had no regard for Cain and his sacrifices”); but his wickedness came into the open when he slew Abel. And if Noah had not drunk of the “wine” he had cultivated and become “drunk” and uncovered himself, neither Ham's rashness and impiety toward his father would have come to light, nor his brothers' reverence and modesty toward their father. And Esau's plot against Jacob seemed to have as its occasion the taking away “of the blessing,” but even before this his soul had the roots of being “sexually immoral” and “profane.” And we would not have known the splendor of Joseph's self-control, prepared as he was not to be taken by any desire, if his mistress had not fallen in love with him. ### Scripture references - Gen 3:1: allusion, high confidence - Gen 3:6: allusion, high confidence - Gen 4:5: quotation, high confidence - Gen 4:8: quotation, high confidence - Acts 15:8: quotation, medium confidence - Gen 9:21: quotation, high confidence - Gen 9:22: allusion, high confidence - Gen 9:23: allusion, high confidence - Gen 27:35: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 27:41: allusion, high confidence - Heb 12:16: quotation, high confidence - Gen 39:7: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The references are Gen 3:1–6, Gen 4:5 and 4:8 (with Acts 15:8, “the God who knows the heart”), Gen 9:20–23, Gen 27:35–41 with Heb 12:16 (Esau “sexually immoral” and “profane”), and Gen 39:7–12. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 29.18 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/18/). ## On Prayer 29.19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/19/ - Source: Koetschau 2:392–393 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Between trials we should prepare for every possible temptation; God will make up what our weakness lacks. ### Greek text διὰ τοῦτο ἐν τοῖς μεταξὺ καιροῖς τῆς τῶν πειρασμῶν διαδοχῆς ἱστάμενοι πρὸς τὰ ἐνεστηκότα, παρασκευαζώμεθα πρὸς τὰ δυνατὰ πάντα συμβῆναι, ἵνʼ ὅ τι ποτʼ ἂν γένηται, μὴ ἐλεγχθῶμεν ὡς ἀνέτοιμοι ἀλλὰ φανερωθῶμεν ὡς ἐπιμελέστατα ἑαυτοὺς συγκροτήσαντες· τὸ γὰρ ἐλλεῖπον διὰ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην ἀσθένειαν. ἐπὰν πάντα τὰ καθʼ ἑαυτοὺς ἐπιτελέσωμεν, πληρώσει ὁ θεὸς, ὁ „τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν“ αὐτὸν „πάντα“ συνεργῶν „εἰς ἀγαθὸν, τοῖς κατὰ“ τὴν ἀψευδῆ πρόγνωσιν αὐτοῦ, ὅ τι ποτὲ ἔσονται παρʼ αὑτοὺς, προεωραμένοις. ### English translation (Claude) Therefore, in the intervals between the succession of temptations, let us stand firm against what is present and prepare ourselves for everything that can possibly happen, so that whatever occurs we may not be exposed as unprepared but shown to have trained ourselves most carefully. For what is lacking through human weakness, when we have done all that is in our power, God will fill up, who works “all things” together “for good for those who love” him, who are foreseen “according to” his unerring foreknowledge as to what they will be of themselves. ### Scripture references - Rom 8:28: quotation, high confidence - Rom 8:29: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The allusion is Rom 8:28–29, with “purpose” replaced by God's foreknowledge of what each will be by his own choice. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 29.19 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/19/). ## On Prayer 30.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/30/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:393 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Luke's shorter prayer includes “deliver us from evil”; God delivers us not by removing trials but by helping us overcome them, afflicted but not crushed. ### Greek text Δοκεῖ δέ μοι ὁ Λουκᾶς διὰ τοῦ „μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμὸν“ δυνάμει δεδιδαχέναι καὶ τὸ „ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ.“ καὶ εἰκός γε πρὸς μὲν τὸν μαθητὴν, ἅτε δὴ ὠφελημένον, εἰρηκέναι τὸν κύριον τὸ ἐπιτομώτερον, πρὸς δὲ τοὺς πλείονας, δεομένους τρανοτέρας διδασκαλίας, τὸ σαφέστερον. ῥύεται δʼ „ἡμᾶς“ ὁ θεὸς „ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ“ οὐχὶ, ὅτε οὐδαμῶς ἡμῖν πρόσεισιν ἀντιπαλαίων ὁ ἐχθρὸς διʼ οἵων δή ποτε μεθοδειῶν ἑαυτοῦ καὶ ὑπηρετῶν τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ, ἀλλʼ ὅτε νικῶμεν ἀνδρείως ἱστάμενοι πρὸς τὰ συμβαίνοντα. οὕτως δὲ ἐξειλήφαμεν καὶ τὸ „πολλαὶ αἱ θλίψεις τῶν δικαίων, καὶ ἐκ πασῶν αὐτῶν ῥύεται αὐτούς.“ „ῥύεται“ γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν θλίψεων ὁ θεὸς, οὐχὶ μὴ γινομένων ἔτι θλίψεων (εἴ γε καὶ ὁ Παῦλός φησι τό· „ἐν παντὶ θλιβόμενοι“ ὡς μηδὲ πώποτε οὐ „θλιβόμενοι“), ἀλλʼ ὅτε „θλιβόμενοι“ βοηθείᾳ θεοῦ (οὐ) μὴ στενοχωρούμεθα, τοῦ μὲν θλίβεσθαι κατά τι πάτριον παρʼ Ἑβραίοις οὕτω σημαινομένου ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀπροαιρέτως συμβαίνοντος περιστατικοῦ, τοῦ δὲ στενοχωρεῖσθαι ἐπὶ τοῦ προαιρετικοῦ. ὑπὸ τῆς θλίψεως νενικημένου καὶ ἐνδεδωκότος αὐτῇ. ὅθεν καλῶς ὁ Παῦλός φησιν· „ἐν παντὶ θλιβόμενοι ἀλλʼ οὐ στενοχωρούμενοι.“ ὅμοιον δὲ τούτῳ εἶναι νομίζω καὶ τὸ ἐν ψαλμοῖς· „ἐν θλίψει ἐπλάτυνάς με.“ συνεργίᾳ γὰρ καὶ παρουσίᾳ τοῦ παραμυθουμένου καὶ σῴζοντος ἡμᾶς λόγου θεοῦ τὸ τῆς διανοίας ἡμῶν ἱλαρὸν καὶ εὔθυμον ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῶν περιστατικῶν ἀπὸ θεοῦ γινόμενον πλατυσμὸς ὠνόμασται. ### English translation (Claude) It seems to me that Luke, through “Do not bring us into temptation,” has in effect also taught “Deliver us from the evil one.” And it is likely that the Lord said the more concise form to the disciple, as one already benefited, and the clearer form to the many, who needed plainer teaching. God delivers “us from the evil one,” not when the enemy does not approach us at all to wrestle against us through his schemes of whatever kind and through those who serve his will, but when we conquer by standing bravely against what befalls us. So also we have understood the words, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, and he delivers them out of them all.” For God “delivers” from afflictions not when afflictions no longer happen (since Paul too says, “afflicted in every way,” as though never not “afflicted”), but when, “afflicted,” we are by God's help not crushed; “being afflicted,” according to a Hebrew idiom, signifying the circumstance that happens without our choice, while “being crushed” signifies what happens by our choice, when one has been overcome by the affliction and has given in to it. Hence Paul rightly says, “afflicted in every way, but not crushed.” And I think the words in the Psalms are similar to this: “In affliction you have enlarged me.” For the cheerfulness and good spirits of our understanding, given by God in the time of hardships through the cooperation and presence of the Word of God who comforts and saves us, has been called enlargement. ### Scripture references - Luke 11:4: quotation, high confidence - Matt 6:13: quotation, high confidence - Eph 6:11: allusion, medium confidence - Ps 34:19 (33:20 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 2 Cor 4:8: quotation, high confidence - Ps 4:1 (4:2 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations and allusions are Luke 11:4, Matt 6:13, Eph 6:11, Ps 34:19 (33:20 LXX), 2 Cor 4:8, and Ps 4:1 (4:2 LXX). “Afflicted … crushed” renders θλιβόμενοι and στενοχωρούμενοι, literally “pressed” and “hemmed in”; “enlarged” (ἐπλάτυνας) is the opposite of being hemmed in. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 30.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/30/1/). ## On Prayer 30.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/30/2/ - Source: Koetschau 2:393–394 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God delivered Job from the evil one not by sparing him temptation but by keeping him faithful through two great trials; the threefold victory over the tempter was reserved for Christ. ### Greek text ὁμοίως οὖν νοητέον καὶ τὸ ῥυσθῆναί τινα „ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ.“ ἐῤῥύσατο ὁ θεὸς (τὸν Ἰὼβ) οὐχὶ τῷ μὴ εἰληφέναι (τὸν διάβολον) ἐξουσίαν τοῖσδέ τισι τοῖς πειρασμοῖς αὐτὸν περιβαλεῖν (εἴληφε γὰρ), ἀλλὰ (τῷ) „ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς συμβεβηκόσι“ μηδὲν ἁμαρτεῖν αὐτὸν ἐνώπιον „τοῦ κυρίου“ ἀλλὰ ἀναφανῆναι δίκαιον· τοῦ εἰπόντος· „μὴ δωρεὰν σέβεται Ἰὼβ τὸν κύριον; οὐ σὺ περιέφραξας τὰ ἔξω αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ ἔσω τῆς οἰκίας αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ ἔξω πάντων τῶν ὄντων αὐτῷ κύκλῳ. (τὰ δὲ) ἔργα αὐτοῦ εὐλόγησας καὶ τὰ κτήνη αὐτοῦ πολλὰ ἐποίησας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς; ἀλλὰ ἀπόστειλον τὴν χεῖρά σου καὶ ἅψαι πάντων ὧν ἔχει, ἦ μὴν εἰς πρόσωπόν σε εὐλογήσει“ καταισχυνθέντος, ὡς καὶ τότε καταψευσαμένου κατὰ τοῦ Ἰώβ· ὅστις τοσαῦτα παθὼν οὐχ, ὡς ἔλεγεν ὁ ἀντικείμενος, „εἰς πρόσωπον“ εὐλογεῖ τὸν θεὸν ἀλλὰ καὶ παραδοθεὶς τῷ πειράζοντι ἐπιμένει εὐλογῶν τὸν κύριον, ἐπιτιμῶν τῇ γυναικὶ λεγούσῃ· „εἰπόν τι ῥῆμα πρὸς κύριον, καὶ τελεύτα“ καὶ ἐπιπλήσσων ἐν τῷ φάσκειν· „ὥσπερ μία τῶν ἀφρόνων γυναικῶν ἐλάλησας· εἰ τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἐδεξάμεθα ἐκ χειρὸς κυρίου, τὰ κακὰ οὐχ ὑποίσομεν;“ καὶ δεύτερον δὲ περὶ τοῦ Ἰὼβ „ὁ διάβολος εἶπε τῷ κυρίῳ· δέρμα ὑπὲρ δέρματος, ὅσα ὑπάρχει τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ὑπὲρ τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ ἐκτίσει. οὐ μὴν δὲ ἀλλὰ ἀπόστειλον τὴν χεῖρά σου καὶ ἅψαι τῶν ὀστῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν σαρκῶν αὐτοῦ, ἦ μὴν εἰς πρόσωπόν σε εὐλογήσει.“ νενικημένος δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀθλητοῦ ψευδὴς ἀποδείκνυται· καίτοι γὰρ τὰ χαλεπώτατα πεπονθὼς ἐπέμεινε, μηδὲν ἁμαρτῶν „τοῖς χείλεσιν“ ἐνώπιον „τοῦ θεοῦ.“ δύο δὲ παλαίσματα παλαίσας ὁ Ἰὼβ καὶ νικήσας τρίτον οὐκ ἀγωνίζεται τηλικοῦτον ἀγῶνα· ἔδει γὰρ τὴν περὶ τῶν τριῶν πάλην τηρηθῆναι τῷ σωτῆρι, ἥτις ἐν τοῖς τρισὶν εὐαγγελίοις ἀναγέγραπται, τὰ τρία νικήσαντος τοῦ κατὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπον σωτῆρος ἡμῶν νοουμένου τὸν ἐχθρόν. ### English translation (Claude) In the same way, then, we must understand being delivered “from the evil one.” God delivered Job not by the devil's not receiving authority to surround him with these particular temptations (for he received it), but by Job's not sinning at all before “the Lord” “in all that happened,” but being shown to be righteous. The one who had said, “Does Job worship the Lord for nothing? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, round about? You have blessed the works of his hands, and made his cattle many on the earth. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and surely he will bless you to your face,” was put to shame, as having then lied against Job; who, having suffered so much, did not, as the adversary said, bless God “to his face,” but even when handed over to the tempter continued to bless the Lord, rebuking his wife when she said, “Say some word against the Lord, and die,” and reproving her with the words, “You have spoken as one of the foolish women speaks. If we have received good things from the hand of the Lord, shall we not bear evil things?” And a second time about Job “the devil said to the Lord: Skin for skin; all that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand and touch his bones and his flesh, and surely he will bless you to your face.” But, conquered by the athlete of virtue, he is shown to be a liar; for though Job suffered the harshest things, he persevered, not sinning at all “with his lips” before “God.” And having wrestled two bouts and conquered, Job does not contend in a third contest so great; for the wrestling in three bouts had to be kept for the Savior, which is recorded in the three Gospels, our Savior, understood according to his humanity, having conquered the enemy three times. ### Scripture references - Job 1:9: quotation, high confidence - Job 1:10: quotation, high confidence - Job 1:11: quotation, high confidence - Job 1:22: quotation, high confidence - Job 2:9: quotation, high confidence - Job 2:10: quotation, high confidence - Job 2:4: quotation, high confidence - Job 2:5: quotation, high confidence - Matt 4:1: allusion, high confidence - Luke 4:1: allusion, high confidence - Mark 1:13: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Job 1:9–11, 1:22, 2:9–10, and 2:4–5 (LXX, where “bless” is a euphemism for “curse”); the Savior's three victories are the temptations in Matt 4:1–11, Mark 1:12–13, and Luke 4:1–13. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 30.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/30/2/). ## On Prayer 30.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/30/3/ - Source: Koetschau 2:394–395 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: We should pray not to be conquered by temptation, quenching the evil one's fiery darts with the shield of faith and the living water of saving thoughts. ### Greek text ἵνʼ οὖν νοοῦντες αἰτῶμεν τὸν θεὸν τὸ μὴ εἰσελθεῖν „εἰς πειρασμὸν“ καὶ τὸ ῥυσθῆναι „ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ, “ ἐπιμελέστερον ταῦτα ἐξετάσαντες καὶ παρʼ ἑαυτοῖς ἐρευνήσαντες, ἄξιοι διὰ τοῦ ἀκούειν θεοῦ τοῦ ἀκούσεσθαι ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ γινόμενοι, παρακαλῶμεν πειραζόμενοι μὴ θανατοῦσθαι καὶ βαλλόμενοι ὑπὸ τῶν „τοῦ πονηροῦ“ πεπυρωμένων βελῶν μὴ ἀνάπτεσθαι ὑπʼ αὐτῶν. ἀνάπτονται δὲ ὑπʼ αὐτῶν πάντες, ὧν κατά τινα τῶν δώδεκα „αἱ καρδίαι“ „ὡς κλίβανος“ ἐγενήθησαν· οὐκ ἀνάπτονται δὲ οἱ τῷ θυρεῷ „τῆς πίστεως“ πάντα σβεννύντες τὰ ἐπιπεμπόμενα αὐτοῖς „πεπυρωμένα“ ὑπὸ „τοῦ πονηροῦ“ „βέλη“· ἐπὰν ἔχωσιν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ποταμοὺς „ὕδατος ἁλλομένου εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον.“ τοὺς μὴ ἐῶντας ἰσχῦσαι τὸ „τοῦ πονηροῦ“ ἀλλὰ εὐχερῶς αὐτὸ λύοντας τῷ κατακλυσμῷ τῶν ἐνθέων καὶ σωτηρίων λογισμῶν, ἐντυπουμένων ἀπὸ τῶν τῆς ἀληθείας θεωρημάτων τῇ τοῦ ἀσκοῦντος εἶναι πνευματικοῦ ψυχῇ. ### English translation (Claude) So that, then, we may ask God with understanding not to enter “into temptation” and to be delivered “from the evil one,” having examined these things more carefully and searched them out within ourselves, becoming worthy, by listening to God, to be heard by him, let us entreat that when tempted we may not be put to death, and when struck by the flaming darts “of the evil one” we may not be set on fire by them. And all those are set on fire by them whose “hearts,” as one of the Twelve says, have become “like an oven”; but those are not set on fire who with the shield “of faith” quench all the “flaming” “darts” sent against them by “the evil one,” when they have within themselves rivers “of water springing up to eternal life,” which do not allow the power “of the evil one” to prevail, but easily quench it by the flood of divine and saving thoughts, imprinted from the contemplations of truth on the soul of the one who trains himself to be spiritual. ### Scripture references - Matt 6:13: quotation, high confidence - Eph 6:16: quotation, high confidence - Hos 7:6: quotation, high confidence - John 4:14: quotation, high confidence - John 7:38: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations and allusions are Eph 6:16, Hos 7:6 (“one of the Twelve” means one of the twelve Minor Prophets), John 4:14, and John 7:38. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 30.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/30/3/). ## On Prayer 31.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/31/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:395 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Origen turns to practical matters of prayer: the disposition of soul, bodily posture, place, direction, and time. ### Greek text Δοκεῖ δέ μοι μετὰ ταῦτα οὐκ ἄτοπον εἶναι ὑπὲρ τοῦ πληρωθῆναι τὸ περὶ τῆς εὐχῆς πρόβλημα διαλαβεῖν εἰσαγωγικώτερον περὶ τῆς καταστάσεως καὶ τοῦ σχήματος, ὃ δεῖ ἔχειν τὸν εὐχόμενον, καὶ τόπου, οὗ εὔχεσθαι χρὴ, καὶ κλίματος, εἰς ὃ ἀφορᾶν δεῖ χωρὶς πάσης περιστάσεως. καὶ χρόνου εἰς εὐχὴν ἐπιτηδείου καὶ ἐξαιρέτου, καὶ εἴ τι τούτοις ἐστὶν ὅμοιον. καὶ τὸ μὲν τῆς καταστάσεως εἰς τὴν ψυχὴν ἐγκαταθετέον, τὸ δὲ τοῦ σχήματος εἰς τὸ σῶμα. φησὶ τοίνυν ὁ Παῦλος, ὡς ἐν τοῖς ἀνωτέρω ἐλέγομεν, τὴν κατάστασιν ὑπογράφων ἐν τῷ δεῖν „προσεύχεσθαι“ „χωρὶς ὀργῆς καὶ διαλογισμοῦ, “ τὸ δὲ σχῆμα ἐν τῷ „ἐπαίροντας ὁσίους χεῖρας“· ὅπερ εἰληφέναι μοι δοκεῖ ἀπὸ τῶν ψαλμῶν, οὕτως ἔχον· „ἔπαρσις τῶν χειρῶν μου θυσία ἑσπερινή“· περὶ δὲ τόπου· „βούλομαι οὖν προσεύχεσθαι τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ“· περὶ δὲ κλίματος ἐν τῇ Σοφίᾳ Σολομῶντος· „ὅπως γνωστὸν ᾖ ὅτι δεῖ φθάνειν τὸν ἥλιον ἐπʼ εὐχαριστίαν σου καὶ πρὸ ἀνατολῆς φωτὸς ἐντυγχάνειν σοι.“ ### English translation (Claude) After this it seems to me not out of place, in order to complete the question of prayer, to discuss in a more introductory way the disposition and posture the one who prays should have, the place where one should pray, the direction to which one should look, apart from any special circumstance, and the time suitable and set apart for prayer, and anything similar. The disposition must be referred to the soul, the posture to the body. Paul, then, as we said above, describes the disposition when he says one must “pray” “without anger or disputing,” and the posture in “lifting up holy hands,” which he seems to me to have taken from the Psalms, which say, “The lifting up of my hands, an evening sacrifice.” About place: “I wish, then, that the men pray in every place.” About direction, in the Wisdom of Solomon: “that it may be known that one must rise before the sun to give you thanks, and meet you before the dawn of light.” ### Scripture references - 1 Tim 2:8: quotation, high confidence - Ps 141:2 (140:2 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Wis 16:28 (Wisdom of Solomon): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are 1 Tim 2:8, Ps 141:2 (140:2 LXX), and Wis 16:28 (the direction is the east, where the sun rises). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 31.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/31/1/). ## On Prayer 31.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/31/2/ - Source: Koetschau 2:395–396 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Before prayer one should collect oneself, put away distractions and grudges, and ordinarily pray standing with hands outstretched and eyes raised, though the sick or busy may pray sitting, lying, or unseen. ### Greek text δοκεῖ τοίνυν μοι τὸν μέλλοντα ἥκειν ἐπὶ τὴν εὐχὴν, ὀλίγον ὑποστάντα καὶ ἑαυτὸν εὐτρεπίσαντα, ἐπιστρεφέστερον καὶ εὐτονώτερον πρὸς τὸ ὅλον γενέσθαι τῆς εὐχῆς· πάντα πειρασμὸν καὶ λογισμῶν ταραχὴν ἀποβεβληκότα ἑαυτόν τε ὑπομνήσαντα κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν τοῦ μεγέθους, ᾧ προσέρχεται, καὶ ὅτι ἀσεβές ἐστι τούτῳ χαῦνον καὶ ἀνειμένον προσελθεῖν καὶ ὡσπερεὶ καταφρονοῦντα, ἀποθέμενον πάντα τὰ ἀλλότρια, οὕτως ἥκειν ἐπὶ τὸ εὔξασθαι, πρὸ τῶν χειρῶν ὡσπερεὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἐκτείναντα καὶ πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τὸν νοῦν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἐντείναντα καὶ πρὸ τοῦ στῆναι διεγείραντα χαμόθεν τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν καὶ στήσαντα αὐτὸ πρὸς τὸν τῶν ὅλων κύριον, πᾶσαν μνησικακίαν τὴν πρός τινα τῶν ἠδικηκέναι δοκούντων ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἀποθέμενον, ὅσον τις καὶ αὐτῷ (ἀ)μνησικακεῖν τὸν θεὸν βούλεται, ἠδικηκότι καὶ εἰς πολλοὺς τῶν πλησίον ἡμαρτηκότι ἢ ὁποῖα δή ποτε παρὰ τὸν ὀρθὸν λόγον πεπραγμένα ἑαυτῷ συνειδότι. οὐδὲ διστάσαι γὰρ χρὴ ὅτι, μυρίων καταστάσεων οὐσῶν τοῦ σώματος, τὴν κατάστασιν τὴν μετʼ ἐκτάσεως τῶν χειρῶν καὶ ἀνατάσεως τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν πάντων προκριτέον, οἱονεὶ τὴν εἰκόνα τῶν πρεπόντων ἰδιωμάτων τῇ ψυχῇ κατὰ τὴν εὐχὴν φέροντα καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ σώματος. ταῦτα δὲ λέγομεν χωρὶς πάσης περιστάσεως δεῖν γενέσθαι προηγουμένως· μετὰ γὰρ περιστάσεως δέδοται καθηκόντως ποτὲ καθεζόμενον εὔξασθαι διά τινα νόσον τῶν ποδῶν οὐκ εὐκαταφρόνητον ἢ καὶ κατακείμενον διὰ πυρετοὺς ἢ τοιαύτας ἀσθενείας, καὶ διὰ περιεστῶτα δὲ, φέρε εἰπεῖν, ἐὰν πλέωμεν, ἢ τὰ πράγματα μὴ ἐπιτρέπῃ ἀναχωροῦντας ἡμᾶς ἀποδοῦναι τὴν ὀφειλομένην εὐχὴν, ἔστιν εὔξασθαι μηδὲ προσποιούμενον τοῦτο ποιεῖν. ### English translation (Claude) It seems to me, then, that one who is about to come to prayer should pause a little and prepare himself, and so become more attentive and more intent for the whole of his prayer; having cast off every temptation and disturbance of thoughts, and having reminded himself as far as possible of the greatness of him whom he approaches, and that it is impious to approach him slackly, carelessly, and as it were contemptuously; having put away everything foreign, he should so come to pray, stretching out, as it were, his soul before his hands, and straining his mind toward God before his eyes, and raising his ruling faculty from the ground before he stands, and setting it before the Lord of all; having put away every grudge against any of those thought to have wronged him, as far as he wishes God not to bear a grudge against him, who has wronged and sinned against many of his neighbors, or is conscious of having done whatever things contrary to right reason. Nor must we doubt that, among countless positions of the body, the position with hands outstretched and eyes raised is to be preferred to all, as bearing in the body too the image of the qualities that befit the soul in prayer. We say that this should be done in the first place when there is no special circumstance; for when there is such a circumstance, it is allowed properly to pray sometimes sitting, because of some not negligible disease of the feet, or even lying down because of fevers or similar illnesses; and because of circumstances, for example if we are on a ship, or if our affairs do not allow us to withdraw and pay the prayer we owe, it is possible to pray without even appearing to do so. ### Scripture references - Lam 3:41: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The image of stretching out the soul before the hands echoes Lam 3:41 (“let us lift up our hearts with our hands”). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 31.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/31/2/). ## On Prayer 31.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/31/3/ - Source: Koetschau 2:396–397 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Kneeling is fitting when confessing sins; the “bowing of every knee” in heaven and earth to Jesus must be understood spiritually, since heavenly beings do not have bodily knees. ### Greek text καὶ ἡ γονυκλισία δὲ ὅτι ἀναγκαία ἐστὶν, ὅτε τις μέλλει τῶν ἰδίων ἐπὶ θεοῦ ἁμαρτημάτων κατηγορεῖν, ἱκετεύων περὶ τῆς ἐπὶ τούτοις ἰάσεως καὶ τῆς ἀφέσεως αὐτῶν, εἰδέναι χρὴ ὅτι σύμβολον τυγχάνει τοῦ ὑποπεπτωκότος καὶ ὑποτεταγμένου, Παύλου λέγοντος· „τούτου χάριν κάμπτω τὰ γόνατά μου πρὸς τὸν πατέρα, ἐξ οὗ πᾶσα πατριὰ ἐν οὐρανοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς ὀνομάζεται.“ τὴν δὲ νοητὴν γονυκλισίαν, οὕτως ὀνομαζομένην παρὰ τὸ ὑποπεπτωκέναι τῷ θεῷ „ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ“ [καὶ] ἕκαστον τῶν ὄντων (καὶ) αὐτῷ ἑαυτὸν τεταπεινωκέναι, δηλοῦν μοι ὁ ἀπόστολος φαίνεται ἐν τῷ „ἵνα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ πᾶν γόνυ κάμψῃ ἐπουρανίων καὶ ἐπιγείων καὶ καταχθονίων.“ ἐσχηματίσθαι γὰρ τῶν ἐπουρανίων τὰ σώματα, ὡς καὶ γόνατα σωματικὰ ἔχειν αὐτὰ, ὑπολαμβάνειν οὐ πάνυ τι χρὴ, σφαιροειδῶν παρὰ τοῖς ἀκριβῶς περὶ τούτων διειληφόσιν ἀποδεδειγμένων αὐτῶν τῶν σωμάτων. ὁ δὲ μὴ βουλόμενος τοῦτο παραδέξασθαι, καὶ τὰς χρείας ἑκάστου τῶν μελῶν. ἵνα μὴ μάτην ᾖ τι δεδημιουργημένον αὐτοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἐὰν μὴ ἀναιδεύηται πρὸς τὸν λόγον, παραδέξεται, ἑκατέρωθεν πταίων, εἴτε φήσει μέλη σώματος μάτην καὶ μὴ ἐπὶ τῷ ἰδίῳ ἔργῳ γεγονέναι αὐτοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, εἴτε ἐρεῖ τὰ ἔγκατα καὶ τὸ ἀπευθυσμένον ἔντερον τὰς ἰδίας χρείας ἐπιτελεῖν καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις. σφόδρα δὲ μωρῶς ἀναστραφήσεται, ἐὰν τρόπον ἀνδριάντων τις νομίζῃ τὴν μὲν ἐπιφάνειαν μόνην εἶναι ἀνθρωποειδῆ οὐκέτι δὲ καὶ τὰ ἐν βάθει. ταῦτα δέ μοι λέγεται ἐξετάζοντι τὴν γονυκλισίαν καὶ ὁρῶντι ὅτι „ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ πᾶν γόνυ κάμψει ἐπουρανίων καὶ ἐπιγείων καὶ καταχθονίων.“ ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ γεγραμμένον· „ἐμοὶ κάμψει πᾶν γόνυ“ ταὐτόν ἐστι. ### English translation (Claude) And one must know that kneeling is necessary when one is about to accuse oneself of one's own sins before God, entreating for healing from them and for their forgiveness, since it is a symbol of one who has fallen down and submitted, as Paul says: “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every fatherhood in heaven and on earth is named.” And spiritual kneeling, so called because every being has fallen down before God “in the name of Jesus” and humbled itself before him, the apostle seems to me to indicate in the words, “that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” For we must certainly not suppose that the bodies of the heavenly beings are so shaped as to have bodily knees, since their bodies have been shown to be spherical by those who have treated these matters exactly. And whoever does not wish to accept this will also accept, unless he is shameless against reason, the uses of each of the members, so that nothing may have been made for them by God in vain; stumbling either way, whether he says that members of the body were made for them by God in vain and not for their proper function, or says that the entrails and the rectum perform their proper functions even in the heavenly beings. And he will behave very foolishly if he thinks that, like statues, only the surface is human in shape, but not what is within. These things I say as I examine kneeling and see that “in the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” And what is written in the prophet, “To me every knee shall bow,” is the same. ### Scripture references - Eph 3:14: quotation, high confidence - Eph 3:15: quotation, high confidence - Phil 2:10: quotation, high confidence - Isa 45:23: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Eph 3:14–15, Phil 2:10, and Isa 45:23. That the heavenly bodies (the stars) are spherical was the view of Greek astronomy; Origen held that the stars are rational beings (see 7.1). The argument about bodily members answers those who imagined heavenly beings in human form. The editor deletes a καί (“and”) after “in the name of Jesus.” ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 31.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/31/3/). ## On Prayer 31.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/31/4/ - Source: Koetschau 2:397–398 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Any place can serve for prayer, but it is best to have a quiet, set place at home, free of past sin; Origen even suggests avoiding the place of marital intercourse. ### Greek text καὶ περὶ τόπου δὲ ἰστέον ὅτι πᾶς τόπος ἐπιτήδειος εἰς τὸ εὔξασθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ καλῶς εὐχομένου γίνεται· „ἐν παντὶ“ γὰρ „τόπῳ θυμίαμά μοι προσάγετε, “ „λέγει κύριος, “ καὶ „βούλομαι οὖν προσεύχεσθαι τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ.“ ἔχει δὲ καὶ τεταγμένον ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἐφʼ ἡσυχίας μὴ περισπώμενον τὰς εὐχὰς ἐπιτελεῖν ἕκαστον, ἐπιλεξάμενον τοῦ ἰδίου οἴκου, ἐὰν ἐγχωρῇ, τὸ σεμνότερον, ἵνʼ οὕτως εἴπω, χωρίον, οὕτως εὔχεσθαι, πρὸς τῷ καθολικῷ τῆς περὶ αὐτοῦ ἐξετάσεως ἐπισκοποῦντα εἰ ἐν τῷδε τῷ τόπῳ, ᾧ εὔχεται, οὐ παρανενόμηταί ποτε καὶ παρὰ τὸν ὀρθὸν λόγον πεποίηται· οἱονεὶ γὰρ οὐ μόνον ἑαυτὸν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν τόπον τῆς ἰδίας εὐχῆς τοιοῦτον πεποίηκεν, ὡς φυγεῖν ἐκεῖθεν τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν τοῦ θεοῦ. ἐπισκοποῦντι δέ μοι ἐπὶ πλεῖον καὶ περὶ τούτου τοῦ τόπου λεκτέον δόξαν μὲν ἄν τι εἶναι βαρὺ τάχα δὲ τῷ ἐπιμελῶς αὐτὸ βασανίζοντι οὐκ εὐκαταφρόνητον. ἐν γὰρ τῷ τόπῳ τῆς (οὐ) παρανόμου μίξεως ἀλλὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀποστολικοῦ λόγου „κατὰ συγγνώμην οὐ κατʼ ἐπιταγὴν“ συγκεχωρημένης ἐξεταστέον εἰ ὅσιόν ἐστι καὶ καθαρὸν ἐντυγχάνειν τῷ θεῷ· εἰ γὰρ σχολάσαι „τῇ προσευχῇ“ ὃν τρόπον χρὴ οὐχ οἷόν τε ἐστὶν. ἐὰν μὴ „ἐκ συμφώνου πρὸς καιρὸν“ τούτῳ τις ἑαυτὸν ἐπιδῷ, τάχα καὶ περὶ τοῦ τόπου, ἐὰν ἐγχωρῇ, θεωρητέον. ### English translation (Claude) And about place, we must know that every place becomes suitable for prayer through the one who prays well; for “in every place offer incense to me,” “says the Lord,” and, “I wish, then, that the men pray in every place.” But everyone has also a set place, so that he may perform his prayers in quiet without distraction: choosing, if possible, the most venerable spot, so to speak, in his own house, and so praying; examining, besides the general examination of himself, whether any lawless deed has ever been done in this place in which he prays, or anything contrary to right reason; for then he has made, as it were, not only himself but also the place of his prayer such that God's visitation flees from it. And as I consider this further, something must be said also about this place which might seem harsh, but which perhaps will not be despised by one who examines it carefully. For we must examine whether it is holy and pure to intercede with God in the place of intercourse that is not unlawful but permitted by the apostle's word “by way of concession, not of command.” For if it is not possible to devote oneself “to prayer” as one ought unless one gives oneself to this “by agreement for a time,” perhaps the place too must be considered, if possible. ### Scripture references - Mal 1:11: quotation, high confidence - 1 Tim 2:8: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 7:6: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 7:5: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Mal 1:11, 1 Tim 2:8, 1 Cor 7:6, and 1 Cor 7:5. Origen presents his suggestion about the place of marital intercourse tentatively (“perhaps,” “if possible”) and acknowledges that marital relations are lawful. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 31.4 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/31/4/). ## On Prayer 31.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/31/5/ - Source: Koetschau 2:398–399 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Prayer in the assembly of believers is especially valuable, because angels, the power of Christ, and the spirits of the saints, living and departed, are present with the church. ### Greek text ἔχει δέ τι ἐπίχαρι εἰς ὠφέλειαν τόπος εὐχῆς, τὸ χωρίον τῆς ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ τῶν πιστευόντων συνελεύσεως, ὡς εἰκὸς. καὶ ἀγγελικῶν δυνάμεων ἐφισταμένων τοῖς ἀθροίσμασι τῶν πιστευόντων καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν δυνάμεως ἤδη δὲ καὶ πνευμάτων ἁγίων, οἶμαι δὲ ὅτι καὶ προκεκοιμημένων, σαφὲς δὲ ὅτι καὶ ἐν τῷ βίῳ περιόντων, εἰ καὶ τὸ πῶς οὐκ εὐχερὲς εἰπεῖν. καὶ περὶ μὲν ἀγγέλων οὕτως ἐπιλογιστέον· εἰ „παρεμβαλεῖ ἄγγελος κυρίου κύκλῳ τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτὸν καὶ ῥύσεται αὐτοὺς, “ καὶ ἀληθεύει ὁ Ἰακὼβ οὐ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ πάντων τῶν ἀνακειμένων τῷ θεῷ τῷ συνιέντι λέγων· „ὁ ἄγγελος ὁ ῥυόμενός με ἐκ πάντων τῶν κακῶν, “ εἰκός ἐστι, πλειόνων συνεληλυθότων γνησίως εἰς δόξαν Χριστοῦ, παρεμβαλεῖν τὸν ἑκάστου ἄγγελον τὸν „κύκλῳ“ ἑκάστου „τῶν φοβουμένων“ μετὰ τούτου τοῦ ἀνδρὸς, ὃν φρουρεῖν καὶ οἰκονομεῖν πεπίστευται· ὥστʼ εἶναι ἐπὶ τῶν ἁγίων συναθροιζομένων διπλῆν ἐκκλησίαν, τὴν μὲν ἀνθρώπων τὴν δὲ ἀγγέλων. καὶ εἰ μόνου τοῦ Τωβὴτ ὁ Ῥαφαήλ φησιν εἰς „μνημόσυνον“ ἀνενηνοχέναι τὴν προσευχὴν καὶ μετʼ αὐτὸν Σάῤῥας, τῆς ὑστέρως νύμφης γενομένης αὐτοῦ διὰ τὸ γεγαμῆσθαι αὐτὴν τῷ Τοβίᾳ, τί λεκτέον, πλειόνων ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ νοῒ καὶ τῇ αὐτῇ γνώμῃ συνοδευόντων καὶ σωματοποιουμένων ἐν Χριστῷ; περὶ δὲ τῆς δυνάμεως τοῦ κυρίου συμπαρούσης τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ ὁ Παῦλός φησι· „συναχθέντων ὑμῶν καὶ τοῦ ἐμοῦ πνεύματος σὺν τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ, “ ὡς δυνάμεως „τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ“ συναπτομένης οὐ μόνον μετὰ Ἐφεσίων ἀλλὰ καὶ Κορινθίων. καὶ εἰ ὁ ἔτι τὸ σῶμα περικείμενος Παῦλος συνάρασθαι νενόμικε τῷ ἑαυτοῦ πνεύματι ἐν τῇ Κορίνθῳ, οὐκ ἀπογνωστέον οὕτω καὶ τοὺς ἐξεληλυθότας μακαρίους φθάνειν τῷ πνεύματι τάχα μᾶλλον τοῦ ὄντος ἐν τῷ σώματι ἐπὶ τὰς ἐκκλησίας· διόπερ οὐ καταφρονητέον τῶν ἐν αὐταῖς εὐχῶν, ὡς ἐξαίρετόν τι ἐχουσῶν τῷ γνησίως συνερχομένῳ αὐτῶν. ### English translation (Claude) A place of prayer has a certain grace that brings benefit, namely the place where believers assemble together, as is likely; since angelic powers stand over the gatherings of believers, and the power of our Lord and Savior himself, and also the spirits of saints—I think even of those who have already fallen asleep, and clearly of those still alive, even if it is not easy to say how. About angels we must reason thus. If “the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and delivers them,” and Jacob speaks truly, not only about himself but about all who are devoted to God who understands, when he says, “the angel who delivers me from all evils,” it is likely that, when many have genuinely gathered for the glory of Christ, the angel of each, who is “around” each of “those who fear” him, encamps with the man he has been entrusted to guard and direct; so that, when the saints are gathered, there is a twofold church, one of men and one of angels. And if Raphael says that he brought up the prayer of Tobit alone, and after him of Sarah, who later became his daughter-in-law by marrying Tobias, for a “memorial,” what must be said when many journey together in the same mind and the same judgment and are formed into one body in Christ? And about the power of the Lord present with the church Paul says, “When you are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of the Lord Jesus,” as though the power “of the Lord Jesus” were joined not only with the Ephesians but also with the Corinthians. And if Paul, while still clothed with the body, thought that he helped by his own spirit in Corinth, we must not despair that the blessed who have departed also reach the churches in spirit, perhaps more than one who is in the body. Therefore we must not despise the prayers in the churches, since they have something exceptional for the one who genuinely joins in them. ### Scripture references - Ps 34:7 (33:8 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Gen 48:16: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 1:10: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Cor 5:4: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 16:8: echo, low confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Tob 12:12 (Tobit): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations and allusions are Ps 34:7 (33:8 LXX), Gen 48:16, Tob 12:12, 1 Cor 1:10, and 1 Cor 5:4. The reference to the Ephesians probably reflects that Paul wrote 1 Corinthians from Ephesus (1 Cor 16:8). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 31.5 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/31/5/). ## On Prayer 31.6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/31/6/ - Source: Koetschau 2:399–400 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Where a congregation is full of unrepentant sinners, it becomes an assembly of wicked men and evil angels, from which God turns away his eyes. ### Greek text ὥσπερ δὲ δύναμις Ἰησοῦ καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα Παύλου καὶ τῶν ὁμοίων καὶ οἱ παρεμβάλλοντες ἑκάστου τῶν ἁγίων „κύκλῳ“ ἄγγελοι „κυρίου“ συνοδεύουσι καὶ συνέρχονται τοῖς γνησίως συναθροιζομένοις, οὕτω στοχαστέον μή ποτε, ἐὰν ἁγίου ἀγγέλου ἀνάξιός τις ᾖ καὶ ἐπιδῷ ἑαυτὸν ἀγγέλῳ διαβόλῳ διʼ ὧν ἁμαρτάνει καὶ θεοῦ καταφρονῶν παρανομεῖ· ὅτι ὁ τοιοῦτος, σπανίων μὲν τῶν ὁμοίων αὐτῷ τυγχανόντων. οὐκ ἐπὶ πολὺ λήσεται τῆς τῶν ἀγγέλων προνοίας, ὑπηρεσίᾳ τοῦ θείου βουλήματος, ἐπισκοποῦντος τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, φερούσης εἰς γνῶσιν τῶν πολλῶν τοῦ τοιούτου τὰ πταίσματα· ἐὰν δὲ πλῆθος γενόμενοι οἱ τοιοῦτοι καθʼ ἑταιρείας ἀνθρωπικὰς καὶ σωματικώτερόν τι πραγματευόμενοι συνέρχωνται, οὐκ ἐπισκοπηθήσονται. ὅπερ δηλοῦται ἐν τῷ Ἡσαΐᾳ τοῦ κυρίου λέγοντος· „οὐδὲ ἐὰν ἔρχησθε ὀφθῆναί μοι, “ „ἀποστρέψω“ γὰρ, φησὶ. „τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου ἀφʼ ὑμῶν· καὶ ἐὰν πληθύνητε τὴν δέησιν, οὐκ εἰσακούσομαι ὑμῶν.“ τάχα γὰρ ἀντὶ τῆς προειρημένης διπλῆς συντάξεως ἀνθρώπων ἁγίων καὶ μακαρίων ἀγγέλων πάλιν διπλῆ γίνεται ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ σύνοδος ἀνθρώπων ἀσεβῶν καὶ πονηρῶν ἀγγέλων, καὶ λέγοιτο ἂν ἐπὶ τῆς τῶν τοιούτων συναγωγῆς ὑπό τε τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων καὶ τῶν ἱερῶν ἀνθρώπων· „οὐκ ἐκάθισα μετὰ συνεδρίου ματαιότητος, καὶ μετὰ παρανομούντων οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθω· ἐμίσησα ἐκκλησίαν πονηρευομένων, καὶ μετὰ ἀσεβῶν οὐ μὴ καθίσω.“ ### English translation (Claude) And just as the power of Jesus, the spirit of Paul and those like him, and the angels “of the Lord” who encamp “around” each of the saints journey with and come together with those who gather genuinely, so we must conjecture that, if someone is unworthy of a holy angel and gives himself to an angel of the devil through his sins and his contempt of God in breaking the law—such a person, as long as those like him are few, will not long escape the notice of the providence of the angels, who, serving the divine will, oversee the church and bring the faults of such a one to the knowledge of the many. But if such people become numerous and come together in human factions, busying themselves with something rather worldly, they will not be watched over. This is shown in Isaiah when the Lord says, “Not even if you come to appear before me”; for “I will turn away my eyes from you,” he says, “and even if you multiply your supplication, I will not hear you.” For perhaps instead of the twofold company of holy men and blessed angels mentioned before, there comes to be in the same place a twofold assembly of impious men and evil angels; and of the gathering of such people it might be said by the holy angels and by holy men: “I have not sat with the council of vanity, and I will not go in with transgressors; I have hated the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the impious.” ### Scripture references - Ps 34:7 (33:8 LXX): allusion, medium confidence - Isa 1:12: quotation, high confidence - Isa 1:15: quotation, high confidence - Ps 26:4 (25:4 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 26:5 (25:5 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Isa 1:12 and 1:15, and Ps 26:4–5 (25:4–5 LXX). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 31.6 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/31/6/). ## On Prayer 31.7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/31/7/ - Source: Koetschau 2:400 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Communities that abandon God's law are abandoned by him and his angels, as Jerusalem was, and like the barren fig tree lose even the little faith they had. ### Greek text διὰ τοῦτο οἶμαι καὶ τοὺς ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ πάσῃ τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ ἐν πλείοσιν ἁμαρτήμασι γεγενημένους ὑποχειρίους γεγονέναι τοῖς ἐχθροῖς τῷ καταλελεῖφθαι τοὺς καταλιπόντας τὸν νόμον λαοὺς ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τῶν ὑπερασπιζόντων ἀγγέλων καὶ τῆς σωτηρίας τῶν ἁγίων ἀνθρώπων. οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ὅλα ἀθροίσματά ποτε καταλείπεται ἐμπεσεῖν εἰς πειρασμοὺς, ἵνα „καὶ ὃ“ δοκοῦσιν „ἔχειν“ ἀρθῇ ἀπʼ αὐτῶν, ὁμοίως τῇ κατηραμένῃ συκῇ καὶ „ἐκ ῥιζῶν“ ἀρθείσῃ διὰ τὸ μὴ δεδωκέναι τῷ Ἰησοῦ πεινῶντι καρπὸν, ξηραινόμενοι καὶ εἴ τι εἶχον ὀλίγον ζωτικῆς κατὰ τὴν πίστιν δυνάμεως ἀπολλύντες. ταῦτα δέ μοι ἀναγκαίως εἰρῆσθαι φαίνεται, τόπον εὐχῆς ἐξετάζοντι καὶ τὸ ἐξαίρετον ὡς ἐν τόπῳ παριστάντι. ἐπὶ τῆς τῶν ἁγίων καὶ εὐλαβέστερον ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ γινομένων συνελεύσεως. ### English translation (Claude) For this reason I think also that those in Jerusalem and all Judea who had fallen into many sins were made subject to their enemies, because the peoples who had abandoned the law were abandoned by God, by the angels who protected them, and by the saving help of holy men. So too whole gatherings are sometimes left to fall into temptations, so that “even what” they seem “to have” may be taken from them; like the fig tree that was cursed and withered “from the roots” because it did not give fruit to the hungry Jesus, they wither and lose whatever little life-giving power they had in faith. These things seemed to me necessary to say as I examined the place of prayer and set forth what is exceptional, as regards place, in the gathering of the saints who come together devoutly in the church. ### Scripture references - Luke 8:18: quotation, high confidence - Matt 13:12: allusion, medium confidence - Mark 11:13: allusion, high confidence - Mark 11:14: allusion, high confidence - Mark 11:20: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The allusions are Luke 8:18 (Matt 13:12) and Mark 11:13–14, 20–21 (the cursed fig tree). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 31.7 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/31/7/). ## On Prayer 32.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/32/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:400–401 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Christians should face east when they pray, as a symbol of the soul turning to the rising of the true light, even indoors. ### Greek text Ἤδη δὲ καὶ περὶ τοῦ κλίματος, εἰς ὃ ἀφορῶντα εὔχεσθαι δεῖ, ὀλίγα λεκτέον. τεσσάρων δὲ ὄντων κλιμάτων, τοῦ τε πρὸς ἄρκτον καὶ μεσημβρίαν καὶ τοῦ πρὸς δύσιν καὶ ἀνατολὴν, τίς οὐκ ἂν αὐτόθεν ὁμολογήσαι τὸ πρὸς ἀνατολὴν ἐναργῶς ἐμφαίνειν τὸ δεῖν ἐκεῖ νεύοντας συμβολικῶς, ὡς τῆς ψυχῆς ἐνορώσης τῇ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ φωτὸς ἀνατολῇ, ποιεῖσθαι τὰς εὐχάς; ἐὰν δέ τις ὅπου δή ποτε τῶν θυρῶν τοῦ οἴκου νευουσῶν βούληται μᾶλλον κατὰ τὸ ἀνεῳγὸς τῆς οἰκίας προσφέρειν τὰς ἐντεύξεις, λέγων τὴν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ὄψιν ἔχειν τι μᾶλλον προκαλούμενον ἐφʼ ἑαυτὴν τῆς ἐπὶ τὸν τοῖχον ἐπιβλέψεως. εἰ τύχοιεν μὴ διανεῳγότα τοῦ οἴκου τὰ πρὸς ἀνατολὰς, λεκτέον πρὸς αὐτὸν ὅτι θέσει τῶν οἰκοδομημάτων ἀνθρώπων κατὰ τάδε τὰ κλίματα ἢ τάδε διανοιγομένων, φύσει δὲ τῆς ἀνατολῆς τῶν λοιπῶν προκεκριμένης κλιμάτων, τὸ φύσει τοῦ θέσει προτακτέον. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ ἐν πεδίῳ εὔξασθαι βουλόμενος, τί μᾶλλον κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν λόγον ἐπʼ ἀνατολὰς ἢ ἐπὶ δύσιν προσεύξεται; εἰ δὲ ἐκεῖ προκριτέον τὰς ἀνατολὰς κατὰ τὸ εὔλογον, διὰ τί τοῦτο οὐ πανταχοῦ ποιητέον; καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον. ### English translation (Claude) Now a few words must be said about the direction to which one should look when praying. There are four directions, north and south, west and east; who would not at once admit that the east clearly indicates that we should turn that way and make our prayers symbolically, as the soul looks toward the rising of the true light? And if someone prefers to offer his petitions toward the open part of the house, wherever the doors of the house face, saying that the view of the sky has something that invites one more than looking at a wall, if the eastern side of the house happens not to be open, we must say to him that since the buildings of men open toward these or those directions by convention, while the east is by nature preferred to the other directions, what is by nature must be put before what is by convention. Moreover, according to this reasoning, why should one who wishes to pray in a plain pray toward the east rather than the west? And if there the east is reasonably to be preferred, why should this not be done everywhere? So much for this. ### Scripture references - John 1:9: allusion, medium confidence - Mal 4:2: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The allusions are John 1:9 (the true light) and Mal 4:2 (the rising sun of righteousness). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 32.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/32/1/). ## On Prayer 33.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/33/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:401 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Origen outlines the parts of prayer: begin with praise of God through Christ in the Holy Spirit, then thanksgiving, confession, requests for heavenly things, and end with praise. ### Greek text Δοκεῖ δέ μοι ἔτι περὶ τῶν τόπων τῆς εὐχῆς διαλαβόντα ουτω καταπαῦσαι τὸν λόγον. τέσσαρες δή μοι τόποι ὑπογραπτέοι φαίνονται, οὓς εὗρον διεσκεδασμένους ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς, καὶ σωματοποιητέον ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τούτους εὐχήν. εἰσὶ δὲ οἱ τόποι οὗτοι· κατὰ δύναμιν δοξολογίας ἐν τῇ ἀρχῇ καὶ τῷ προοιμίῳ τῆς εὐχῆς λεκτέον τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ Χριστοῦ συνδοξολογουμένου ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι συνυμνουμένῳ· καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο τακτέον ἑκάστῳ εὐχαριστίας τε κοινὰς, (τὰς) πρὸς πολλοὺς εὐεργεσίας προσάγοντα ἐπὶ τῆς εὐχαριστίας, καὶ ὧν ἰδίᾳ τέτευχεν ἀπὸ θεοῦ· μετὰ δὲ τὴν εὐχαριστίαν φαίνεταί μοι πικρόν τινα δεῖν γινόμενον τῶν ἰδίων ἁμαρτημάτων κατήγορον ἐπὶ θεοῦ αἰτεῖν πρῶτον μὲν ἴασιν πρὸς τὸ ἀπαλλαγῆναι τῆς τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν ἐπιφερούσης ἕξεως δεύτερον (δὲ) ἄφεσιν τῶν παρεληλυθότων· μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἐξομολόγησιν τέταρτόν μοι συνάπτειν φαίνεται δεῖν τὴν περὶ τῶν μεγάλων καὶ ἐπουρανίων αἴτησιν, ἰδίων τε καὶ καθολικῶν, καὶ περί τε οἰκείων καὶ φιλτάτων· καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσι τὴν εὐχὴν εἰς δοξολογίαν θεοῦ διὰ Χριστοῦ ἐν ἁγίῳ πνεύματι καταπαυστέον. ### English translation (Claude) It seems good to me, having also treated the topics of prayer, to end the treatise thus. Four topics seem to me to be outlined, which I have found scattered in the Scriptures, and each person should give body to his prayer according to them. These are the topics. At the beginning and preface of the prayer one should, as far as one can, speak glorification of God, through Christ, who is glorified with him, in the Holy Spirit, who is praised with him. After this each should place thanksgivings, both general ones, bringing into the thanksgiving the benefits given to many, and for what he has received from God in particular. After the thanksgiving it seems to me that one should become a bitter accuser of one's own sins before God and ask, first, for healing, so as to be freed from the habit that leads to sinning, and second, for forgiveness of past sins. After the confession, it seems to me that one should add, fourth, the request for great and heavenly things, both one's own and general ones, and for one's household and dearest friends. And after all these, one should end the prayer with glorification of God through Christ in the Holy Spirit. ### Translation notes - “Topics” renders τόποι, which also means “places”; Origen moves from the places of prayer to its parts. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 33.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/33/1/). ## On Prayer 33.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/33/2/ - Source: Koetschau 2:401–402 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: An example of praise is Psalm 104, which glorifies God as Creator. ### Greek text τούτους δὲ τοὺς τόπους. ὡς προείπομεν, διεσπαρμένους εὕρομεν ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς, τὸν μὲν τῆς δοξολογίας διὰ τούτων ἐν ἑκατοστῷ τρίτῳ ψαλμῷ· „κύριε, ὁ θεός μου, ὡς ἐμεγαλύνθης σφόδρα· ἐξομολόγησιν καὶ μεγαλοπρέπειαν ἐνεδύσω, ὁ ἀναβαλλόμενος φῶς ὡς ἱμάτιον, ὁ ἐκτείνων τὸν οὐρανὸν ὡσεὶ δέριν, ὁ στεγάζων ἐν ὕδασι τὰ ὑπερῷα αὐτοῦ, ὁ τιθεὶς νέφη τὴν ἐπίβασιν αὐτοῦ, ὁ περιπατῶν ἐπὶ πτερύγων ἀνέμων, ὁ ποιῶν τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ πνεύματα καὶ τοὺς λειτουργοὺς αὐτοῦ πυρὸς φλόγα, ὁ θεμελιῶν τὴν γῆν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀσφάλειαν αὐτῆς, οὐ κλιθήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος· ἄβυσσος ὡς ἱμάτιον τὸ περιβόλαιον αὐτοῦ, ἐπὶ τῶν ὀρέων στήσονται ὕδατα· ἀπὸ ἐπιτιμήσεώς σου φεύξονται, ἀπὸ φωνῆς βροντῆς σου δειλιάσουσι“· καὶ τὰ πλεῖστα δὲ τούτου τοῦ ψαλμοῦ δοξολογίαν περιέχει τοῦ πατρός. ἔνεστι δέ τινα ἑαυτῷ πλείονα ἀναλεγόμενον ὁρᾶν, ὡς ὁ τόπος τῆς δοξολογίας πολλαχοῦ διέσπαρται. ### English translation (Claude) These topics, as we said, we have found scattered in the Scriptures: that of glorification in these words in the hundred and third psalm: “O Lord my God, how greatly you are magnified! You have clothed yourself with praise and majesty, who wraps himself in light as in a garment, who stretches out the heaven like a skin, who roofs his upper chambers with waters, who makes the clouds his chariot, who walks on the wings of the winds, who makes his angels spirits and his ministers a flame of fire, who founded the earth on its sure foundation; it shall not be moved for ever and ever. The deep, like a garment, is his covering; the waters will stand upon the mountains; at your rebuke they will flee, at the voice of your thunder they will be afraid.” And most of this psalm contains glorification of the Father. One can gather more for oneself and see how the topic of glorification is scattered in many places. ### Scripture references - Ps 104:1 (103:1 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 104:2 (103:2 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 104:3 (103:3 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 104:4 (103:4 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 104:5 (103:5 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 104:6 (103:6 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 104:7 (103:7 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotation is Ps 104:1–7 (103:1–7 LXX; Origen gives the Greek number). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 33.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/33/2/). ## On Prayer 33.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/33/3/ - Source: Koetschau 2:402 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: An example of thanksgiving is David's prayer after God's promise through Nathan. ### Greek text τῆς δὲ εὐχαριστίας ἐκκείσθω τοῦτο παράδειγμα ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ τῶν Βασιλειῶν κείμενον, μετὰ τὰς διὰ τοῦ Νάθαν πρὸς τὸν Δαυῒδ ἐπαγγελίας ὑπὸ τοῦ Δαυῒδ ἀπαγγελλόμενον, ἐκπλαγέντος τὰς τοῦ θεοῦ δωρεὰς καὶ εὐχαριστοῦντος ἐπʼ αὐταῖς διὰ τούτων· „τίς εἰμι ἐγὼ, κύριέ μου κύριε, καὶ τίς ὁ οἶκός μου, ὅτι ἠγάπησάς με ἕως τούτων; καὶ κατεσμικρύνθην μικρὸν ἐνώπιόν σου, κύριέ μου, καὶ ἐλάλησας ὑπὲρ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ δούλου σου εἰς μακράν· οὗτος δὲ ὁ νόμος τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, κύριέ μου κύριε. καὶ τί προσθήσει Δαυῒδ ἔτι τοῦ λαλῆσαι πρός σε; καὶ νῦν σὺ οἶδας τὸν δοῦλόν σου, κύριε· διὰ τὸν δοῦλόν σου πεποίηκας, καὶ κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν σου ἐποίησας πᾶσαν τὴν μεγαλωσύνην σου ταύτην γνωρίσαι τῷ δούλῳ σου ἕνεκα τοῦ μεγαλῦναί σε. κύριέ μου κύριε.“ ### English translation (Claude) Of thanksgiving let this example be set out, found in the second book of Kingdoms, spoken by David after the promises made to him through Nathan, when he was amazed at God's gifts and gave thanks for them in these words: “Who am I, O Lord my Lord, and what is my house, that you have loved me thus far? And I was made small in your sight, my Lord, and you have spoken concerning the house of your servant for a long time to come; and this is the law of man, O Lord my Lord. And what more can David say to you? And now you know your servant, O Lord; for your servant's sake you have done it, and according to your heart you have done all this greatness, to make it known to your servant, so as to magnify you, O Lord my Lord.” ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 7:18: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 7:19: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 7:20: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 7:21: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 7:22: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotation is 2 Sam 7:18–22 (2 Kgdms LXX). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 33.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/33/3/). ## On Prayer 33.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/33/4/ - Source: Koetschau 2:402 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Examples of confession come from the Psalms. ### Greek text τῶν δὲ ἐξομολογήσεων παράδειγμα· „ἀπὸ πασῶν τῶν ἀνομιῶν μου ῥῦσαί με, “ καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις· „προσώζεσαν καὶ ἐσάπησαν οἱ μώλωπές μου ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς ἀφροσύνης μου· ἐταλαιπώρησα καὶ κατεκάμφθην ἕως τέλους, ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν σκυθρωπάζων ἐπορευόμην.“ ### English translation (Claude) An example of confession: “Deliver me from all my transgressions”; and elsewhere: “My wounds have grown foul and festered because of my folly; I have been wretched and bowed down utterly; all the day I went about mourning.” ### Scripture references - Ps 39:8 (38:9 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 38:5 (37:6 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 38:6 (37:7 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Ps 39:8 (38:9 LXX) and Ps 38:5–6 (37:6–7 LXX). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 33.4 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/33/4/). ## On Prayer 33.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/33/5/ - Source: Koetschau 2:402 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: An example of petition comes from Psalm 28. ### Greek text τῶν δὲ αἰτήσεων ἐν εἰκοστῷ ἑβδόμῳ ψαλμῷ· „μὴ συνελκύσῃς με μετὰ ἁμαρτωλῶν, καὶ μετὰ ἐργαζομένων ἀδικίαν μὴ συναπολέσῃς με, “ καὶ εἴ τι τούτοις ὅμοιον. ### English translation (Claude) Of requests, in the twenty-seventh psalm: “Do not drag me away with sinners, and do not destroy me with those who work iniquity,” and anything like these. ### Scripture references - Ps 28:3 (27:3 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotation is Ps 28:3 (27:3 LXX; Origen gives the Greek number). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 33.5 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/33/5/). ## On Prayer 33.6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/33/6/ - Source: Koetschau 2:402 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Prayer should begin and end with praise of the Father through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit. ### Greek text εὔλογον δὲ ἀρξάμενον ἀπὸ δοξολογίας εἰς δοξολογίαν καταλήγοντα καταπαύειν τὴν εὐχὴν, ὑμνοῦντα καὶ δοξάζοντα τὸν τῶν ὅλων πατέρα „διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ“ ἐν ἁγίῳ πνεύματι, „ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας.“ ### English translation (Claude) And it is reasonable, having begun with glorification, to end the prayer by concluding with glorification, hymning and glorifying the Father of all “through Jesus Christ” in the Holy Spirit, “to whom be glory for ever.” ### Scripture references - Rom 16:27: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The closing words echo Rom 16:27. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 33.6 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/33/6/). ## On Prayer 34.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/34/1/ - Source: Koetschau 2:403 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Origen closes by asking Ambrose and Tatiana to read his work with indulgence and to pray that he may later write more worthily on prayer. ### Greek text Ταῦτα κατὰ δύναμιν ἐμὴν εἰς τὸ τῆς εὐχῆς πρόβλημα καὶ εἰς τὴν ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις εὐχὴν τά τε πρὸ αὐτῆς παρὰ τῷ Ματθαίῳ εἰρημένα ἡμῖν διήθληται, φιλομαθέστατοι καὶ γνησιώτατοι ἐν θεοσεβείᾳ ἀδελφοὶ, Ἀμβρόσιε καὶ Τατιανή. οὐκ ἀπογινώσκω δὲ, „τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν“ ὑμῶν ἐπεκτεινομένων καὶ τῶν ὄπισθεν ἐπιλανθανομένων εὐχομένων τε ἐν τούτοις ὄντων περὶ ἡμῶν, πλείονα καὶ θειότερα εἰς πάντα ταῦτα δυνηθῆναι χωρῆσαι ἀπὸ τοῦ διδόντος θεοῦ καὶ λαβὼν πάλιν περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν διαλαβεῖν μεγαλοφυέστερον καὶ ὑψηλότερον καὶ τρανότερον· πλὴν ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος μετὰ συγγνώμης τούτοις ἐντεύξεσθε. ### English translation (Claude) These are the things I have struggled through, as far as I was able, on the question of prayer, and on the prayer in the Gospels and what is said before it in Matthew, most studious and most genuine brother and sister in piety, Ambrose and Tatiana. I do not despair that, as you strain forward “to what lies ahead” and forget what lies behind, and pray for me in these matters, I may be able to receive from God who gives more and more divine things about all these, and, having received them, treat the same subjects again in a nobler, loftier, and clearer way. But for the present, read this with indulgence. ### Scripture references - Phil 3:13: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The allusion is Phil 3:13. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Or. 34.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/34/1/).