Chapter XXIV.

The pursuit of human glory, we maintain, is forbidden not only by the teaching of Jesus, but also by the Old Testament.  Accordingly we find one of the prophets, when imprecating upon himself certain punishments for the commission of certain sins, includes among the punishments this one of earthly glory.  He says, “O Lord my God, if I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands; if I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (yea, rather, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy;) let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and set my glory up on high.”1652    Ps. vii. 3–5.  Origen follows the reading εἰς χοῦν (LXX.) instead of εἰς χνοῦν, “make my glory abide in the dust.”  And these precepts of our Lord, “Take no thought what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink.  Behold the fowls of the air, or behold the ravens:  for they sow not, neither do they reap; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.  How much better are ye than they!  And why take ye thought for raiment?  Consider the lilies of the field;”1653    Matt. vi. 25–28.—these precepts, and those which follow, are not inconsistent with the promised blessings of the law, which teaches that the just “shall eat their bread to the full;”1654    Lev. xxvi. 5. nor with that saying of Solomon, “The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul, but the belly of the wicked shall want.”1655    Prov. xiii. 25.  For we must consider the food promised in the law as the food of the soul, which is to satisfy not both parts of man’s nature, but the soul only.  And the words of the Gospel, although probably containing a deeper meaning, may yet be taken in their more simple and obvious sense, as teaching us not to be disturbed with anxieties about our food and clothing, but, while living in plainness, and desiring only what is needful, to put our trust in the providence of God.

Πάλιν τε αὖ τὸ δόξης ἀντιποιεῖσθαι τῆς παρ' ἀνθρώποις οὐ κατὰ τὴν Ἰησοῦ μόνου διδασκαλίαν κωλύεσθαί φαμεν ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τὴν παλαιὰν γραφήν. Ἐπαρώμενος γοῦν ἑαυτῷ τις τῶν προφητῶν, εἰ ἔνοχος εἴη τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασι, φησὶν ἀντὶ μεγίστου κακοῦ συμβῆναι ἂν αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν βιωτικὴν δόξαν. Λέγει δὲ οὕτως· "Κύριε, ὁ θεός μου, εἰ ἐποίησα τοῦτο, εἰ ἔστιν ἀδικία ἐν χερσί μου, εἰ ἀνταπέδωκα τοῖς ἀνταποδιδοῦσί μοι κακά, ἀποπέσοιμι ἄρα ἀπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου κενός· καταδιώξαι ἄρα ὁ ἐχθρὸς τὴν ψυχήν μου καὶ καταλάβοι, καὶ καταπατήσαι εἰς γῆν τὴν ζωήν μου, καὶ τὴν δόξαν μου εἰς χοῦν κατασκηνώσαι." Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τὸ "Μὴ μεριμνᾶτε τί φάγητε ἢ τί πίητε. Κατανοήσατε τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἢ κατανοήσατε τοὺς κόρακας, ὅτι οὐ σπείρουσιν οὐδὲ θερίζουσι, καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἡμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος τρέφει αὐτά. Πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὑμεῖς διαφέρετε τῶν πετεινῶν;" καὶ "Περὶ ἐνδύματος τί μεριμνᾶτε; Καταμάθετε τὰ κρίνα τοῦ ἀγροῦ" καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς ἐναντία ἐστὶ ταῖς ἐν τῷ νόμῳ εὐλογίαις, διδασκούσαις τὸν δίκαιον ἐσθίοντα πληροῦσθαι, καὶ τῷ ὑπὸ τοῦ Σολομῶντος τοῦτον εἰρημένῳ τὸν τρόπον· "∆ίκαιος ἐσθίων ἐμπίπλησι ψυχήν, ψυχαὶ δὲ ἀσεβῶν ἐνδεεῖς." Χρὴ γὰρ ὁρᾶν τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς τροφὴν δηλουμένην ἐν τῇ κατὰ τὸν νόμον εὐλογίᾳ· ἧς οὐχ ὁ σύνθετος πληροῦται ἄνθρωπος ἀλλ' ἡ ψυχὴ μόνη. Ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου λαμβάνειν δεῖ τάχα μέν τι καὶ βαθύτερον τάχα δέ τι καὶ ἁπλούστερον, ὅτι χρὴ μὴ ξενίζεσθαι ταῖς περὶ τῶν τροφῶν καὶ ἐνδυμάτων τὴν ψυχὴν φροντίσιν, ἀλλ' εὐτέ λειαν ἀσκοῦντα πεπεῖσθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ προνοεῖσθαι, εἰ μόνων τις τῶν ἀναγκαίων φροντίζοι.