Preface

 Chapters

 THE PHILOCALIA OF ORIGEN

 CHAP. II. ----That the Divine Scripture is closed up and sealed. From the Commentary on the 1st Psalm.

 CHAP. III. ---- Why the inspired books are twenty-two in number. From the same volume on the 1st Psalm.

 CHAP. IV. ----Of the solecisms and poor style of Scripture. From Volume IV. of the Commentaries on the Gospel according to John, three or four pages f

 CHAP. V. ---- What is much speaking, and what are the many books? The whole inspired Scripture is one book. From the Introduction to Volume V. of

 CHAP. VI. ----The whole Divine Scripture is one instrument of God, perfect and fitted for its work. From Volume II. of the Commentaries on the Gospel

 CHAP. VII. ----Of the special character of the persons of Divine Scripture. From the small volume on the Song of Songs, which Origen wrote in his yout

 CHAP. VIII. ----That we need not attempt to correct the solecistic phrases of Scripture, and those which are unintelligible according to the letter, s

 CHAP. IX. ---- Why it is that the Divine Scripture often uses the same term in different significations, even in the same place. From the Epistle to t

 CHAP. X. ----Of things in the Divine Scripture which seem to come near to being a stumbling-block and rock of offence. From the 39th Homily on Jeremia

 CHAP. XI. ----That we must seek the nourishment supplied by all inspired Scripture, and not turn from the passages troubled by heretics with ill-advis

 CHAP. XII. ----That a man ought not to faint in reading the Divine Scripture if he cannot comprehend the dark riddles and parables therein. From the 2

 CHAP. XIII. ---- When and to whom the lessons of philosophy may be profitable, in the explanation of the sacred Scriptures, with Scripture proof. The

 CHAP. XIV. ----They who wish to rightly understand the Divine Scriptures must of necessity be acquainted with the logical principles adapted to their

 CHAP. XV. ----A reply to the Greek philosophers who disparage the poverty of style of the Divine Scriptures, and allege that the noble truths of Chris

 CHAP. XVI. ----Concerning those who slander Christianity on account of the heresies in the Church. Book III. against Celsus.

 CHAP. XVII. ----A reply to certain philosophers who say that it makes no difference whether we call Him Who is God over All by the name Zeus, current

 CHAP. XVIII. ----A reply to those Greek philosophers who profess to know everything, and blame the simple faith of the man of Christians and complain

 CHAP. XIX. ----And again, earlier in the same book, Origen says, That our faith in our Lord has nothing in common with the irrational superstitious fa

 CHAP. XX. ----A reply to those who say that the whole world, including man, was made not for man, but for the irrational creatures for the irrational

 CHAP. XXI. ----Of Free Will, with an explanation and interpretation of those sayings of Scripture which seem to destroy it such as the following:----

 CHAP. XXII. ---- What is the dispersion on earth of rational, that is, human souls, indicated under a veil in the building of the tower, and the confu

 CHAP. XXIII. ----Of Fate, and how though God foreknows the conduct of every one, human responsibility remains the same. Further, how the stars are not

 CHAP. XXIV. ----Matter is not uncreated, or the cause of evil. From Book VII. of the Praeparatio Evangelica of Eusebius of Palestine.

 CHAP. XXV. ----That the separation which arises from foreknowledge does not do away with Free Will. From Book I. of the Commentary on the Epistle to

 CHAP. XXVI. ----Of the question of things goodand evil that they partly depend on our own efforts and partly do not and (that) according to the

 CHAP. XXVII. ----The meaning of the Lord's hardening Pharaoh's heart.

CHAP. XI. ----That we must seek the nourishment supplied by all inspired Scripture, and not turn from the passages troubled by heretics with ill-advised difficulties, nor slight them; we ought rather to have our share in them without the confusion which attaches to unbelief. From Volume XX. on Ezekiel. "Thus saith the Lord God: Behold I judge between sheep and sheep, as well the rams as the he-goats. Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have fed upon the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pasture? and to have drunk of the clear waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet? And as for my sheep they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet, and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet? " 217

After giving his views respecting sheep that are rams, and sheep that are goats, and showing that it is the practice of Scripture sometimes to class sheep and goats together, he thus proceeds:----

1. Now let us do our best to discover what truths are shadowed out in these words. Every good pasture, and the pool of clear water, represent, I suppose, the oracles of the sacred Scriptures as a whole. The next thought is that inasmuch as certain persons approve of some portions as profitable, and reject others as having no saving power, they may be said to feed upon the good pasture of the passages they choose, drink the clear water of what they judge to be the best, and then tread down the residue of the pasture, and foul the residue of the water with their feet. These, I say, are they who approve the New Testament, but reject the Old; these are they who maintain that certain parts of the ancient writings exhibit more of the Divine power and are highly spiritual, and make others to be deficient in these respects. But the Shepherd calls them His own sheep who do not disdain what has been trodden by the feet, and who do not despise the water fouled by the feet, of the blame-worthy sheep, perhaps more correctly named goats and kids; for they would not be sheep worthy of the rams upon the right hand.

2. For ourselves, then, who profess to be sheep of the Shepherd, let us never be shy at feeding on those passages which, taken literally, do not look like Scripture, and on account of their verbal incongruity are trodden down by men who are neither able nor willing to use the whole pasture. Even supposing that some water has been fouled by their feet, suppose, I mean, they have mingled with the pure word of the Scripture shameful unheard-of objections, let us not, because of the confusion they have introduced into the Word, be deterred from drinking that which has been fouled by their feet. And carefully observe that they who foul the water and tread down the pasture, are reminded of better sheep in the words, "And as for my sheep, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet, and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet." 218 Furthermore, let us never tread down the pasture of the Prophets, nor foul the water of the Law; and while there are some who err in respect of the Gospel pasture and the apostolic water, so that they tread down certain portions of the Gospel field and feed on others as on good pasture, either rejecting the whole apostolic pasture, or approving some parts and rejecting others, let us feed on the whole of the Gospels and not tread down any part of them, and while we drink of all the apostolic waters, clear water as far as we can make it such, let us guard the fountains, and in no wise foul them through unbelief, which is wont to confuse the minds of men who cannot understand what is said.

[1] Ὅτι χρὴ πάσης τῆς θεοπνεύστου γραφῆς τὸ τρόφιμον διώκειν, καὶ τὰ ὑπὸ τῶν αἱρετικῶν ταρασσόμενα ῥητὰ δυσφήμοις ἐπαπορήσεσι μὴ ἀποτρέπεσθαι μηδὲ ὑπερηφανεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτῶν μεταλαμβάνειν τῆς ἐν ἀπιστίᾳ ταραχῆς ἐκτός. ἐκ τοῦ κʹ τόμου τῶν εἰς τὸν Ἰεζεχιήλ. “Τάδε λέγει κύριος κύριος: ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀνακρινῶ ἀνὰ μέσον προβάτου καὶ προβάτου, κριῶν καὶ τράγων. καὶ οὐχ ἱκανὸν ὑμῖν ὅτι τὴν καλὴν νομὴν ἐνέμεσθε, καὶ τὰ κατάλοιπα τῆς νομῆς ὑμῶν κατεπατεῖτε τοῖς ποσὶν ὑμῶν; καὶ τὸ καθεστηκὸς ὕδωρ ἐπίνετε, καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν τοῖς ποσὶν ὑμῶν ἐταράσσετε; καὶ τὰ πρόβατά μου τὰ πατήματα τῶν ποδῶν ὑμῶν ἐνέμοντο, καὶ τὸ τεταραγμένον ὕδωρ ὑπὸ τῶν ποδῶν ὑμῶν ἔπινον.” Μετὰ τὸ παραστῆσαι περὶ προβάτων κριῶν, καὶ περὶ προβάτων αἰγῶν, καὶ ὅτι σύνηθες τῇ γραφῇ τὸ πρόβατον καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ γένους τῶν αἰγῶν ἔσθ' ὅτε τάσσειν, ἐπιφέρει: Τί οὖν ἐστὶν ὃ καὶ ἐν τούτοις αἰνίσσεται, φέρε κατὰ δύναμιν ἐξετάσωμεν. πᾶσα μὲν, οἶμαι, καλὴ νομὴ καὶ πᾶν τὸ καθεστηκὸς ὕδωρ τὰ ὅλα λόγιά ἐστι τῶν ἱερῶν γραμμάτων. εἶτ' ἐπείτινές τινα μὲν τῶν γεγραμμένων ἐγκρίνουσιν ὡς ὠφέλιμα, τινὰ δὲ ἀποδοκιμάζουσιν ὡς οὐ σωτήρια, οὗτοι ἂν εἶεν οἱ μετὰ τὸ νενεμῆσθαι τὴν καλὴν ὧν ἐξελέξαντο νομὴν, καὶ πεπωκέναι τὸ καθεστηκὸς οὗ ἔκριναν εἶναι βελτίονος ὕδατος, τὸ λοιπὸν τῆς νομῆς καταπατοῦντες, καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ὕδωρ τοῖς ποσὶν ἑαυτῶν ταράσσοντες. τοιοῦτοι δή εἰσιν οἵ τε τὴν μὲν καινὴν ἐγκρίνοντες, τὴν δὲ παλαιὰν ἀποδοκιμάζοντες διαθήκην: καὶ οἱ τῶν παλαιῶν γραμμάτων τὰ μὲν ἀπὸ θειοτέρας λέγοντες εἶναι δυνάμεως καὶ τῆς ἀνωτάτω, τὰ δὲ ἀπὸ ὑποδεεστέρας. πρόβατα δὲ ἴδια ἀναγορεύει ὁ ποιμὴν τοὺς μὴ ὑπερηφανοῦντας τὰ πατήματα τῶν ποδῶν ἐκείνων, καὶ μὴ ἐξουθενοῦντας τὸ τεταραγμένον ὕδωρ ὑπὸ τῶν ποδῶν τῶν ψεκτῶν προβάτων, καὶ τάχα προβάτων τράγων καὶ ἐρίφων: οὐ γὰρ ἠθέλησαν εἶναι πρόβατα κριῶν ἄξια τῶν δεξιῶν.
[2] Ἡμεῖς οὖν, οἱ εὐχόμενοι εἶναι πρόβατα τοῦ ποιμένος, μηδέποτε φεύγωμεν νεμηθῆναι καὶ τὰ αὐτόθεν ὅσον ἐπὶ τῷ ῥητῷ ἀπεμφαίνοντα τῶν γραφῶν, καὶ διὰ τὴν ἀπέμφασιν τῆς λέξεως πατούμενα ὑπὸ τῶν μὴ δυναμένων μηδὲ θελόντων χρῆσθαι πάσῃ τῇ νομῇ. ἀλλὰ κἂν ᾖ τι ὕδωρ ὑπὸ τῶν ποδῶν ἐκείνων τεταραγμένον, ἀναμιξάντων τῷ καθαρῷ λόγῳ τῆς γραφῆς δυσφήμους ἐπαπορήσεις, μὴ ἀποτρεπώμεθα, δι' ἣν πεποιήκασι τῷ λόγῳ ταραχὴν, πίνειν καὶ τὸ ὑπὸ τῶν ποδῶν αὐτῶν τεταραγμένον. καὶ τήρει γε ἐπιμελῶς, ὅτι πρὸς τοὺς ταράξαντας τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ πατήσαντας τὴν νομὴν λέγεται ὡς περὶ κρειττόνων: Καὶ τὰ πρόβατά μου τὰ πατήματα τῶν ποδῶν ὑμῶν ἐνέμοντο, καὶ τὸ τεταραγμένον ὕδωρ ὑπὸ τῶν ποδῶν ὑμῶν ἔπινον. ἀλλὰ καὶ μηδεπώποτε νομὴν προφητικὴν ἡμεῖς πατήσωμεν, μηδὲ ὕδωρ νομικὸν ταράξωμεν: ἁμαρτανόντων δέ τινων καὶ περὶ τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν νομὴν καὶ τὸ ἀποστολικὸν ὕδωρ, ὥστε τῶν εὐαγγελικῶν τινὰ μὲν πατεῖν τινὰ δὲ ὡς καλὴν νέμεσθαι νομὴν, καὶ τῶν ἀποστολικῶν ἢ πάντα ἀποκρίνειν, ἤ τινα μὲν ἐγκρίνειν τινὰ δὲ ἀποκρίνειν: ἡμεῖς καὶ τὰ ὅλα εὐαγγέλια νεμηθῶμεν καὶ μηδὲν αὐτῶν πατήσωμεν, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἀποστολικὰ πίνοντες, τὸ ὅσον ἐφ' ἡμῖν καθεστηκὸς ὕδωρ, αὐτὰ τηρήσωμεν, καὶ μηδὲν τῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀπιστίᾳ ταρασσούσῃ τοὺς οὐκ εἰδότας συνιέναι τῶν λεγομένων ταράξωμεν.