Origen of Alexandria, On Jeremiah

“Who stretches out the heaven like a curtain”; and our soul, previously contracted, is also stretched out, so that it might be able to contain the wisdom of God. But let us return to the subject at hand. We were speaking about the heaven having been made in prudence, and we say that those who wear the heavenly man are themselves heaven. For if it is said to the sinner, “You are earth, and to earth you shall return,” would it not be said to the righteous one, whose “is the kingdom of heaven”: you are heaven, and to heaven you shall return? Or, on account of the man of dust will it be said to the one “who bears the image of the man of dust”: “You are earth, and to earth you shall return,” but on account of the heavenly man, when “you bear the image of the heavenly man,” will it no longer be fitting to say: you are heaven, and to heaven you shall return? Each of us, therefore, has heavenly and earthly works. Earthly are the works which bring down to their kindred earth the one “who lays up” them “on earth, and does not lay up treasure in heaven.” Again, those things done according to virtue lead up to the kindred places in heaven the one “who lays up treasure in heaven,” the one “who has borne the image of the heavenly man.” 8.3 “And he brought up clouds from the end of the earth.” This saying appeared previously also in the Psalm, and we were speaking about how God “brought up clouds from the end of the earth”; which it is necessary to repeat, for those who know, for a clearer confirmation and reminder of what has been said, and for those who have forgotten or were not present, for the clarification of this, whether it is being revealed and made manifest or is understood in some way. And we were saying that the saints are clouds; for “your truth reaches to the clouds” cannot refer to the inanimate clouds, but the truth of God reaches to the clouds, which hear the command of God and know where to send rain and from where to withhold it; for as there are clouds, which God commands not to rain or to rain, it is written: “I will command the clouds not to rain rain upon it.” Therefore, concerning these clouds, if there is no rain, God does not command the clouds not to rain rain upon the vineyard or the land, but rather no cloud appears at all, as it is written in the third book of Kings, where during the time of drought no cloud appeared, but when, according to the word of the prophecy of Elijah, the rain was about to come, a trace of a cloud appeared “like a man’s footprint” and it became a cloud producing the rain; but since there are clouds which are commanded not to rain when a soul happens to be unworthy of rain, the saying goes, “I will command the clouds not to rain rain upon it.” Therefore, each of the saints is a cloud. Moses was a cloud, and as a cloud he said: “Give heed, O heaven, and I will speak; and let the earth hear the words of my mouth, let my declaration be expected as rain” - if he were not a cloud, he would never have said: “Let my declaration be expected as rain” -“and let my words come down as dew”; as a cloud he says: “as a shower upon the tender grass, and as snowflakes upon the herb; for I have called on the name of the Lord.” Thus as a cloud Isaiah also says: “Hear, O heaven, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord has spoken.” And since he himself was also a cloud, and he called clouds those who prophesied with him, he says, prophesying: “I will command the clouds not to rain rain upon it.” 8.4 But if we have understood who the clouds are, let us see how God is one who “brings up clouds from the end of the earth.” How “from the end of the earth”? The Savior says: “Whoever wishes to be first among you shall be the last of all.” Paul kept this commandment, and was last in this world; wherefore he says: “For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last, as men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world and to angels and to men.” If anyone, therefore, is one who keeps the commandment of the Savior and has become last with respect to this life, this one becomes a cloud, and God brings up clouds not from the first of the earth, he does not bring up clouds from consuls, he does not bring up clouds from rulers, not from the rich; for “Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of

«Ἐκτείνων τὸν οὐρανὸν ὡσεὶ δέρριν»· ἐκτείνεται δὲ καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν πρότερον συνεσταλμένη, ἵνα δυνηθῇ χωρῆσαι τὴν σοφίαν τοῦ θεοῦ. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἐπὶ τὸ προκείμενον ἐπανέλθωμεν. Ἐλέγομεν περὶ τοῦ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐν φρονήσει γεγονέναι, καί φαμεν ὅτι οἱ τὸν οὐράνιον ἄνθρωπον φοροῦντες καὶ αὐτοί εἰσιν οὐρανός. Εἰ γὰρ πρὸς τὸν ἁμαρτάνοντα λέγεται· «Γῆ εἶ καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ», πρὸς τὸν δίκαιον οὐκ ἂν λεχθείη, οὗ «ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν»· οὐρανὸς εἶ, καὶ εἰς οὐρανὸν ἀπελεύσῃ; Ἢ διὰ μὲν τὸν χοϊκὸν λεχθήσεται τῷ «φοροῦντι τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ χοϊκοῦ»· «Γῆ εἶ, καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ», διὰ δὲ τὸν οὐράνιον, ἐπὰν «φορέσῃς τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ ἐπουρανίου», οὐκέτι ἁρμόσει λέγεσθαι· οὐρανὸς εἶ, καὶ εἰς οὐρανὸν ἀπελεύσῃ; Ἕκαστος οὖν ἡμῶν ἔχει ἔργα οὐράνια καὶ ἐπίγεια. Ἐπίγειά ἐστιν ἔργα, ἃ ἐπὶ τὴν συγγενῆ αὐτοῖς γῆν κατάγει τὸν «θησαυρίζοντα» αὐτὰ «ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ μὴ θησαυρίζοντα ἐν οὐρανῷ». Πάλιν ἐπὶ τὰ συγγενῆ τοῖς ἔργοις χωρία τὰ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἀνάγει τὸν «θησαυρίζοντα ἐν οὐρανῷ», τὸν «φορέσαντα τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ ἐπουρανίου» τὰ πραττόμενα κατ' ἀρετήν. 8.3 «Καὶ ἀνήγαγεν νεφέλας ἐξ ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς.» Τοῦτο τὸ ῥητὸν πρώην καὶ ἐν τῷ Ψαλμῷ ἐνέπεσεν, καὶ ἐλέγομεν, πῶς ὁ θεὸς «ἀνήγαγεν νεφέλας ἐξ ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς»· ἅπερ χρεία ἐστὶν ἐπαναλαβεῖν, τοῖς μὲν εἰδόσιν εἰς ἐπιτρά νωσιν καὶ ὑπόμνησιν τῶν εἰρημένων, τοῖς δὲ ἐπιλαθομέ νοις ἢ μὴ παρατετυχηκόσιν εἰς σαφήνειαν τούτου, εἴτε ἀποκαλυπτομένου καὶ φανεροῦ γενομένου εἴτε ὁπώσποτε νοουμένου. Ἐλέγομεν δὲ τοὺς ἁγίους εἶναι νεφέλας· τὸ γὰρ «ἡ ἀλήθειά σου ἕως τῶν νεφελῶν» οὐ δύναται ἀναφέ ρεσθαι ἐπὶ τὰς ἀψύχους νεφέλας, ἀλλὰ ἡ ἀλήθεια τοῦ θεοῦ ἕως τῶν νεφελῶν ἐστιν, αἵτινες ἀκούουσιν ἐντολῆς θεοῦ καὶ οἴδασιν, ποῦ ἐκπέμπωσιν ὑετὸν καὶ ἀπὸ τίνων κωλύ σωσιν· ὡς οὐσῶν γὰρ νεφελῶν, αἷς ἐντέλλεται ὁ θεὸς μὴ βρέχειν ἢ βρέχειν, γέγραπται· «Ταῖς νεφέλαις ἐντε λοῦμαι τοῦ μὴ βρέξαι ἐπ' αὐτὸν ὑετὸν.» Ἐπὶ μὲν οὖν τούτων <τῶν> νεφελῶν, ἐὰν μὴ ὑετὸς ᾖ, οὐκ ἐντέλλεται ὁ θεὸς ταῖς νεφέλαις τοῦ μὴ βρέχειν ἐπὶ τὸν ἀμπελῶνα ἢ τὴν χώραν ὑετόν, ἀλλ' ὅλως οὐ φαίνεται νεφέλη, ὡς ἐν τῇ τρίτῃ τῶν Βασιλειῶν γέγραπται, ὅπου παρὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς ἀβροχίας νεφέλη οὐκ ἐφαίνετο, ἡνίκα δὲ κατὰ τὸν λόγον τῆς προφητείας τοῦ Ἠλίου ἔμελλεν ὁ ὑετὸς γίνεσθαι, ἴχνος ἐφάνη νεφέλης «ὡς ἴχνος ἀνδρὸς» καὶ ἐγένετο νεφέλη ποιοῦσα τὸν ὑετόν· ὡς δὲ ὑπαρχουσῶν μὲν τῶν νεφελῶν, κελευομένων δὲ μὴ ὕειν ὅταν ἀναξία ἡ ψυχὴ τοῦ ὑετοῦ τυγχάνῃ, λέγεται τὸ «ταῖς νεφέλαις ἐντελοῦμαι τοῦ μὴ βρέ ξαι ἐπ' αὐτὸν ὑετόν». Οὐκοῦν ἕκαστος τῶν ἁγίων νεφέλη ἐστίν· Μωσῆς νεφέλη ἦν, καὶ ὡς νεφέλη ἔλεγεν· «Πρό σεχε, οὐρανέ, καὶ λαλήσω· καὶ ἀκουέτω γῆ ῥήματα στό ματός μου, προσδοκάσθω ὡς ὑετὸς τὸ ἀπόφθεγμά μου» -<εἰ μὴ ἦν νεφέλη, οὐδέποτ' ἂν εἶπε· «Προσδοκάσθω ὡς ὑετὸς τὸ ἀπόφθεγμά μου»>-»καὶ καταβήτω ὡς δρόσος τὰ ῥήματά μου»· ὡς νεφέλη λέγει· «ὡσεὶ ὄμβρος ἐπ' ἄγρωστιν, καὶ ὡσεὶ νιφετὸς ἐπὶ χόρτον· ὅτι ὄνομα κυρίου ἐκάλεσα». Οὕτως ὡς νεφέλη καὶ Ἡσαΐας λέγει· «Ἄκουε, οὐρανέ, καὶ ἐνωτίζου, γῆ, ὅτι κύριος ἐλάλησεν». Καὶ ἐπειδήπερ καὶ αὐτὸς ἦν νεφέλη, ἔλεγεν δὲ νεφέλας τοὺς συμ προφητεύοντας αὐτῷ, φησὶν προφητεύων· «ταῖς νεφέλαις ἐντελοῦμαι τοῦ μὴ βρέξαι εἰς αὐτὸν ὑετόν». 8.4 Εἰ δὲ νενόηται ἡμῖν, τίνες εἰσὶν αἱ νεφέλαι, ἴδωμεν πῶς ὁ θεὸς «ἀνάγων» ἐστὶν «νεφέλας ἐξ ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς». Πῶς «ἀπ' ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς»; Φησὶν ὁ σωτήρ· «Ὁ θέλων ἐν ὑμῖν εἶναι πρῶτος ἔσται πάντων ἔσχατος.» Ἐτήρη σεν ταύτην τὴν ἐντολὴν Παῦλος, καὶ ἦν ἔσχατος ἐν τούτῳ τῷ κόσμῳ· διό φησιν· «∆οκῶ γάρ, ὁ θεὸς ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἀποστόλους ἐσχάτους ἀπέδειξεν, ὡς ἐπιθανατίους, ὅτι θέατρον ἐγενήθημεν τῷ κόσμῳ καὶ ἀγγέλοις καὶ ἀνθρώ ποις.» Εἴ τις οὖν ἐστιν τηρῶν τὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἐντολὴν καὶ γενόμενος ἔσχατος ὡς πρὸς τὸν βίον τοῦτον, οὗτος γίνεται νεφέλη καὶ ἀνάγει νεφέλας ὁ θεὸς οὐκ ἀπὸ τῶν πρώτων τῆς γῆς, οὐκ ἀπὸ ὑπατικῶν ἀνάγει νεφέλας, οὐκ ἀπὸ ἡγουμένων ἀνάγει νεφέλας, οὐκ ἀπὸ πλουσίων· «Μακά ριοι» γὰρ «οἱ πτωχοί, ὅτι ὑμετέρα ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ