Chapter XI.

But even this rational light itself ought not to be worshipped by him who beholds and understands the true light, by sharing in which these also are enlightened; nor by him who beholds God, the Father of the true light,—of whom it has been said, “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.”1034    Cf. 1 John i. 5.  Those, indeed, who worship sun, moon, and stars because their light is visible and celestial, would not bow down to a spark of fire or a lamp upon earth, because they see the incomparable superiority of those objects which are deemed worthy of homage to the light of sparks and lamps.  So those who understand that God is light, and who have apprehended that the Son of God is “the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world,” and who comprehend also how He says, “I am the light of the world,” would not rationally offer worship to that which is, as it were, a spark in sun, moon, and stars, in comparison with God, who is light of the true light.  Nor is it with a view to depreciate these great works of God’s creative power, or to call them, after the fashion of Anaxagoras, “fiery masses,”1035    μύδρον διάπυρον. that we thus speak of sun, and moon, and stars; but because we perceive the inexpressible superiority of the divinity of God, and that of His only-begotten Son, which surpasses all other things.  And being persuaded that the sun himself, and moon, and stars pray to the Supreme God through His only-begotten Son, we judge it improper to pray to those beings who themselves offer up prayers (to God), seeing even they themselves would prefer that we should send up our requests to the God to whom they pray, rather than send them downwards to themselves, or apportion our power of prayer1036    τὴν εὐκτικὴν δύναμιν. between God and them.1037    [See note in Migne’s edition of Origen’s Works, vol. i. p. 1195; also note supra, p. 262.  S.]  And here I may employ this illustration, as bearing upon this point:  Our Lord and Saviour, hearing Himself on one occasion addressed as “Good Master,”1038    Cf. Matt. xix. 17; cf. Mark x. 18. referring him who used it to His own Father, said, “Why callest thou Me good?  There is none good but one, that is, God the Father.”1039    Ibid.  And since it was in accordance with sound reason that this should be said by the Son of His Father’s love, as being the image of the goodness of God, why should not the sun say with greater reason to those that bow down to him, Why do you worship me? “for thou wilt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve;”1040    Cf. Deut. vi. 13. for it is He whom I and all who are with me serve and worship.  And although one may not be so exalted (as the sun), nevertheless let such an one pray to the Word of God (who is able to heal him), and still more to His Father, who also to the righteous of former times “sent His word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.”1041    Cf. Ps. cvii. 20.

Οὐ χρὴ δὲ οὐδ' αὐτὸ προσκυνεῖσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ βλέποντος καὶ συνιέντος τὸ ἀληθινὸν φῶς, οὗ μετοχῇ καὶ ταῦτ' εἰ ἄρα πεφώτισται, οὐδ' ὑπὸ τοῦ βλέποντος τὸν πατέρα τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ φωτὸς θεόν, περὶ οὗ καλῶς λέλεκται τό· "Ὁ θεὸς φῶς ἐστι, καὶ σκοτία ἐν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδεμία." Καὶ ὥσπερ οἱ διὰ τὸ φῶς αἰσθητὸν καὶ οὐράνιον εἶναι προσκυνοῦντες ἥλιον καὶ σελήνην καὶ ἄστρα οὐκ ἂν προσκυνήσαιεν σπινθῆρα πυρὸς ἢ λύχνον ἐπὶ γῆς, ὁρῶντες τὴν ἀσύγκριτον ὑπεροχὴν τῶν νομιζομένων ἀξίων προσκυνεῖσθαι παρὰ τὸ τῶν σπινθή ρων καὶ τῶν λύχνων φῶς· οὕτως οἱ νοήσαντες, πῶς "Ὁ θεὸς φῶς ἐστι", καταλαβόντες δέ, πῶς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ "φῶς ἀληθινόν" ἐστιν, "ὃ φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον, ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον", συνιέντες δὲ καί, πῶς οὗτός φησι τό· "Ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου", οὐκ ἂν εὐλόγως προσκυνήσαιεν τὸν οἱονεὶ βραχὺν σπινθῆρα ὡς πρὸς φῶς τὸν θεὸν ἀληθινοῦ φωτὸς ἐν ἡλίῳ καὶ σελήνῃ καὶ ἄστροις. Καὶ οὐκ ἀτιμάζοντές γε τὰ τηλικαῦτα τοῦ θεοῦ δημιουρ γήματα οὐδ' Ἀναξαγορείως "μύδρον διάπυρον" λέγοντες εἶναι τὸν ἥλιον καὶ σελήνην καὶ ἀστέρας τοιαῦτά φαμεν περὶ ἡλίου καὶ σελήνης καὶ ἀστέρων, ἀλλ' αἰσθανόμενοί τε τῆς ἀφάτῳ ὑπεροχῇ ὑπερεχούσης θειότητος τοῦ θεοῦ ἔτι δὲ καὶ τοῦ μονογενοῦς αὐτοῦ ὑπερέχοντος τὰ λοιπά. Πειθόμενοι δὲ καὶ αὐτὸν ἥλιον καὶ σελήνην καὶ ἀστέρας εὔχεσθαι τῷ ἐπὶ πᾶσι θεῷ διὰ τοῦ μονογενοῦς αὐτοῦ, κρίνομεν μὴ δεῖν εὔχεσθαι τοῖς εὐχομένοις· ἐπεὶ καὶ αὐτοὶ ἀναπέμπειν ἡμᾶς βούλονται μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τὸν θεόν, ᾧ εὔχονται, ἢ κατάγειν πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς ἢ μερίζειν ἡμῶν τὴν εὐκτικὴν δύναμιν ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτούς. Χρήσομαι δὲ καὶ τούτῳ περὶ αὐτῶν κατὰ τὸν τόπον παραδείγματι· ὁ σωτὴρ ἡμῶν καὶ κύριος ἀκούσας ποτέ· "∆ιδάσκαλε ἀγαθέ", ἀναπέμπων τὸν λέγοντα τοῦτο ἐπὶ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ πατέρα φησί· "Τί με λέγεις ἀγαθόν; Οὐδεὶς ἀγαθὸς εἰ μὴ εἷς ὁ θεὸς ὁ πατήρ." Εἴπερ δὲ τοῦτ' εὐλόγως ὡς "εἰκὼν" τῆς ἀγαθότητος τοῦ θεοῦ τυγχάνων εἴρηκεν ὁ υἱὸς "τῆς ἀγάπης" τοῦ πατρός, πῶς οὐχὶ εὐλογώτερον ἂν τοῖς προσκυνοῦσιν εἶπεν ἥλιος· τί με προσκυνεῖς; "Κύριον γὰρ τὸν θεόν σου προσκυνήσεις καὶ αὐτῷ μόνῳ λατρεύσεις"· ᾧ κἀγὼ καὶ πάντες οἱ σὺν ἐμοὶ προσκυνοῦμεν καὶ λατρεύομεν. Κἂν μὴ τηλικοῦτος δέ τις ᾖ, οὐδὲν ἧττον καὶ ὁ τοιοῦτος εὐχέσθω τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ θεοῦ, δυναμένῳ αὐτὸν ἰάσασθαι, καὶ πολλῷ πλέον τῷ πατρὶ αὐτοῦ, ὃς καὶ τοῖς πρότερον δικαίοις "Ἐξαπέστειλε τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἰάσατο αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐρρύσατο αὐτοὺς ἐκ τῶν διαφθορῶν αὐτῶν".