Gregory Thaumaturgus, Panegyric Oration on Origen

Panegyric Oration on Origen

This subject, on account of which I was eager to speak, but delay and hesitate, rather holds me back and simply commands me to keep silent. For I inte

to the one who initiated the good things, this one is idle and ungrateful and impious, sinning in a way not pardonable either for a great man or a sma

and power, and being in Him and simply united to Him, it is not possible that either through forgetfulness or unwisely or through some weakness, like

it began immediately, as the common reason of all men was just then being fulfilled, but it visited then for the first time. Which indeed is no small

and separated against my will, and drawing us along with her. At any rate, suddenly, I know not how, while we were intending to travel, but to travel

not yet entirely convinced, but unable, I know not how, to withdraw again, and always as if by some greater necessities drawn to him by his words. For

that which remains by itself should suffer no harm from communion with the worse, but the disorderly, bound by it and joined to the better, having har

uncritical and rash, and of those assenting to whatever they encounter, whatever it may be, even if it happens to be false, and of those often contrad

and He was about to make us truly godlike and blessed. And these things He labored at with His own words, both gentle and wise, and not least, most ne

I was being taught to praise and speak a eulogy about someone, which was not true, I willingly submitted. Therefore, not even now, setting out to prai

12 And indeed, he still intends to make us just and prudent and temperate or brave, because of our own sluggishness and sloth, even though he is very

itself, grown weary from the subtlety of the argument against the precision of the examination, often surrendering rather indifferently to false argum

an all-wise construction, made intricate with many passages and continuous entrances and exits, yet wishing to exit, he would no longer be able, havin

preparation and power. And to put it concisely, this was truly a paradise for us, an imitator of the great paradise of God, in which it was not possib

nor when bidden by their conquerors to be willing to hymn the divine, nor to sing in a profane land but to hang their musical instruments on the will

and power, and being in Him and simply united to Him, it is not possible that either through forgetfulness or unwisely or through some weakness, like one estranged from Him, he would either not attain to the power of praise, or he would attain to it, but willingly (which is not lawful to say) leave the Father without praise; it being possible for this one alone to fulfill most perfectly all the worthiness of the praises due to Him; whom the Father of all, having made one with Himself, through Him, as it were, Himself encompassing Himself, would in a way both honor and be honored with power in every way equal to His own; which His only-begotten, the God Word in Him, was the first and only one of all beings to receive; it being possible for all others to be thankful and pious only in this way, if we, bringing to Him alone the power of worthy thanksgiving in place of all the good things from the Father to us, should offer it up, confessing this to be the one way of piety, all remembrance of the Cause of all things through Him. Wherefore, for the all-sufficient providence over all things, caring for us in the greatest and in the least things and bringing us to this very point, let Him be confessed a worthy, sufficient Word for thanksgivings and hymns, being most perfect and living, and being the incarnate Word of the First Mind Himself. But let this our thanksgiving be for all men, especially for this holy man; and if I should wish to speak allegorically of something further, and of those who are not seen, but are more divine and care for men, to him, who by some great judgment was appointed to manage and nurse and guard me from childhood, a holy angel of God, "who has fed me from my youth," says that man dear to God, speaking clearly of his own. But he, being great, had assigned to him correspondingly a very great one, either some other whoever he may be, or perhaps even the angel of great counsel Himself, the common Savior of all, having by his perfection alone already been allotted Him as his guardian, I do not know this clearly, yet he both knew and praised his own great one, whoever he may be; but we, in addition to the common governor of all men, also have this one, whoever he is, as our own tutor while we are children. Who in all other respects being an altogether good nourisher and guardian of mine (not for me or for any of my related friends, for we are blind and see nothing of what is before us, so as to be able to judge anything of what is needful; but as it appears beneficial to him, who foresees all things for the advantage of our soul) both long ago and even now nourishes and instructs and leads me by the hand, and indeed, in addition to all other things, also arranged to unite me with this man (this being the most important of all), he arranged it, though he was related to me by no human kind and blood, nor living nearby or being one of the neighbors, nor even of the same nation at all, these things which for most men become a pretext for friendship and acquaintance; but, to speak concisely, being unknown, strangers, estranged, standing very far from each other, so much so that nations and mountains and rivers separated us, he brought us together by a truly divine and wise providence, he contrived this saving encounter for me; I think providing this from above from my very birth and upbringing. But how, would be a long story to go through, not only for one speaking precisely and trying to omit nothing; but even if I were to omit much and wish to mention briefly a few of the most important things.

5 For my first upbringing from birth was under my parents, and the ancestral customs were erroneous; from which I think no one else expected we would be freed, nor was there any hope for me, being a child and irrational, and under a superstitious father. Then the loss of my father and orphanhood, which was perhaps for me also the beginning of the knowledge of the truth. For then I was first transferred to the saving and true Word, I know not how, compelled rather than willing. For what judgment did I have, being fourteen years old? Yet from that time, this sacred Word somehow dwelt in me

καὶ δύναμις, πρὸς δὲ καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ ὢν καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀτεχνῶς ἡνωμένος, οὐκ ἔστιν ὅπως ἢ διὰ λήθην ἢ ἀσόφως ἢ ὑπ' ἀσθενείας τινός, ὥσπερ τις ἀπεξενωμένος αὐτοῦ, ἢ οὐκ ἐφίξεται τῇ δυνάμει τῆς εὐφημίας, ἢ ἐφίξεται μέν, ἑκὼν δέ (ὃ μὴ θέμις εἰπεῖν) ἐάσει τὸν πατέρα ἀνευφήμητον· μόνῳ τούτῳ δυνατὸν ὂν τελειότατα πᾶσαν ἀποπληρῶσαι τὴν ἀξίαν τῶν αὐτῷ προσηκόντων αἴνων· ὅντινα αὐτὸς ὁ τῶν ὅλων πατὴρ ἓν πρὸς αὑτὸν ποιησάμενος, δι' αὐτοῦ μονονουχὶ αὐτὸς αὑτὸν ἐκπεριϊών, τῇ ἴσῃ πάντη δυνάμει τῇ αὐτοῦ τρόπον τινὰ τιμῴη καὶ τιμῷτο· ὅπερ πρῶτος καὶ μόνος ἔχειν ἔλαχεν ἐκ πάντων τῶν ὄντων ὁ μονογενὴς αὐτοῦ, ὁ ἐν αὐτῷ θεὸς λόγος· τῶν ἄλλων πάντων οὕτω μόνον εὐχαρίστων καὶ εὐσεβῶν εἶναι δυναμένων, εἰ ἐπ' αὐτῷ φέροντες μόνῳ ἀντὶ πάντων τῶν παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῖν ἀγαθῶν τὴν δύναμιν τῆς ἀξίας εὐχαριστίας ἀναθήσομεν, μίαν ὁδὸν εὐσεβείας ταύτην εἶναι ὁμολογήσαντες, τὴν δι' αὐτοῦ πᾶσαν μνήμην τοῦ τῶν ὅλων αἰτίου. ∆ιὸ δὴ τῆς μὲν ἐπὶ πᾶσι διαρκοῦς προνοίας, ἔν τε μεγίστοις καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἐλαχίστοις κηδομένης ἡμῶν καὶ εἰς τοῦτό γε προαγομένης, ἐκεῖνος ἄξιος, διαρκὴς εἶναι λόγος εἰς εὐχαριστίας καὶ ὕμνους ὁμολογείσθω, τελειότατος ὢν καὶ ζῶν, καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ πρώτου νοῦ λόγος ἔμψυχος ὤν. Ὁ δ' ἡμέτερος οὗτος ἔστω χαριστήριος ἀνθρώπων μὲν πάντων μάλιστα τῷ ἀνδρὶ τῷ ἱερῷ τῷδε· εἰ δέ τι καὶ περαιτέρω μεληγορεῖν ἐθέλοιμι, καὶ τῶν οὐ φαινομένων μέν, θειοτέρων δὲ καὶ κηδομένων ἀνθρώπων, τούτῳ, ὅς με ἐκ παίδων κρίσει τινὶ μεγάλῃ οἰκονομεῖν τε καὶ τιθηνεῖσθαι καὶ ἐπιτροπεύειν ἐκληρώσατο, ἱερὸς ἄγγελος θεοῦ, ὁ τρέφων με ἐκ νεότητός μου, φησὶν ἐκεῖνος ὁ θεῷ φίλος ἀνήρ, τὸν αὑτοῦ λέγων δηλαδή. Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν μέγας ὢν ἀναλόγως μέγιστόν τινα, ἤτοι ἄλλον ὅστις ἂν <ᾖ,> ἢ καὶ αὐτὸν ἴσως τὸν τῆς μεγάλης βουλῆς ἄγγελον, τὸν κοινὸν πάντων σωτῆρα, ὑπὸ τελειότητος μόνον ἤδη φύλακα αὐτῷ εἶναι κληρωσάμενος, οὐκ οἶδα τοῦτο σαφῶς, πλὴν ὁ μὲν τὸν ἑαυτοῦ μέγαν τινά, ὅστις ποτ' ἂν ᾖ, καὶ γινώσκων καὶ εὐφημῶν· ἡμεῖς δὲ πρὸς τῷ κοινῷ πάντων ἀνθρώπων κυβερνήτῃ καὶ τοῦτον, ὅστις ποτ' ἐστὶν ἰδίᾳ παιδαγωγὸς ἡμῶν ὄντων νηπίων. Ὃς τά τε ἄλλα πάντη πάντα ἀγαθὸς ὢν τροφεὺς καὶ κηδεμὼν ἐμός (οὐχὶ ἐμοὶ ἤ τινι τῶν ἐμοὶ προσηκόντων φίλων, τυφλοὶ γὰρ ἡμεῖς καὶ μηδὲν τῶν ἔμπροσθεν ὁρῶντες, ὥστε τι καὶ κρίνειν δύνασθαι τῶν δεόντων· ἀλλ' ᾗ αὐτῷ, προορωμένῳ πάντα τὰ πρὸς ὠφέλειαν τῆς ψυχῆς ἡμῶν, συμφέρον εἶναι καταφαίνεται) πάλαι τε καὶ νῦν ἔτι ἐκτρέφει τε καὶ παιδεύει καὶ χειραγωγεῖ, καὶ δὴ πρὸς πᾶσι τοῖς ἄλλοις καὶ συνάψαι με τῷ ἀνδρὶ τούτῳ (τοῦτο δὴ τὸ κεφαλαιωδέστατον πάντων) ᾠκονομήσατο, οὔτε γένει καὶ αἵματί μοι ἀνθρωπίνῳ τινὶ προσήκοντα, οὔτε ἄλλως προσοικοῦντα ἢ ὄντα τινὰ τῶν πλησιοχώρων, οὔτε καὶ ὁμοεθνῆ ὅλως, ταῦτα δὴ ἃ πρόφασις φιλίας καὶ γνώσεως τοῖς πολλοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων γίνεται· ἀλλὰ συνελόντα εἰπεῖν ἀγνώστους, ἀλλοτρίους, ἀπεξενωμένους, ἀλλήλων ἀφεστηκότας πάμπολυ, ὅσον μέσα ἔθνη καὶ ὄρη καὶ ποταμοὺς διείργειν ἡμᾶς, ὑπὸ τῆς θείας ὄντως καὶ σοφῆς προμηθείας εἰς ταὐτὸν ἀγαγών, τὴν σωτήριον ἐμοὶ σύνοδον ταύτην ἐμηχανήσατο· ἄνωθεν τοῦτο προμηθούμενος οἶμαι ἐκ πρώτης γενέσεως καὶ ἀνατροφῆς. Πῶς δέ, μακρὸν ἂν εἴη διεξίεναι, οὐχὶ ἀκριβολογουμένῳ μόνον καὶ μηδὲν παραλιπεῖν πειρωμένῳ· ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ τὰ πολλὰ παρείς, ἀθρόως ὀλίγων τῶν κεφαλαιωδεστέρων μνημονεύειν ἐθελήσαιμι.

5 Ἀνατροφαὶ γὰρ αἱ πρῶται ἐκ γενέσεως ἦσαν ὑπὸ γονεῦσι, καὶ πάτρια ἔθη τὰ πεπλανημένα· ὧν ἡμᾶς ἐλευθερωθήσεσθαι οὔτε ἄλλος οἶμαι προσεδόκησεν, οὔτε καὶ ἐμοὶ ἐλπίς τις ἦν, παιδίῳ μὲν ὄντι καὶ ἀλόγῳ, ὑπὸ πατρὶ δὲ δεισιδαίμονι. Εἶτα πατρὸς ἀποβολὴ καὶ ὀρφανία, ἣ δή μοι τάχα καὶ ἀρχὴ τῆς τοῦ ἀληθοῦς ἐπιγνώσεως ἦν. Τότε γὰρ πρῶτον ἐπὶ τὸν σωτήριον καὶ ἀληθῆ μετετέθην λόγον, οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως, κατηναγκασμένος μᾶλλον ἤπερ ἑκών. Τίς γὰρ ἐμοὶ κρίσις ἦν, ὄντι τεσσαρεσκαιδεκαετεῖ; Πλὴν ἐξ ἐκείνου πως ἐπιδημεῖν μέν μοι ὁ ἱερὸς ὅδε λόγος