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

Panegyric Oration on Origen

OF SAINT GREGORY THE WONDERWORKER, AN ADDRESS TO ORIGEN, which he spoke in Caesarea of Palestine, after his many years of training with him, when he was about to depart for his homeland.

1 A good thing is silence for many others on many occasions, and for me especially now, being muzzled both willingly and unwillingly and being forced to be silent. For I am unpracticed and inexperienced in these fine and elegant speeches, which are spoken or composed with choice and approved nouns and verbs in a certain unimpeded and consecutive flow; and perhaps by nature less suited to labor at this graceful and truly Hellenic work. Moreover, this is now the eighth year since I have happened to say or write any speech at all, great or small, nor have I heard anyone else writing or speaking in private, or delivering public panegyrics or contest speeches, except for these wondrous men, who have embraced the noble philosophy; for whom elegance of speech and grace of words is of less concern; but putting words in second place, they wish to investigate with precision and to report the facts themselves as each one is; not that they are unwilling, I think, but rather they are exceedingly willing to express the fine and precise thoughts in a fine and <com>ely style; but perhaps they are unable to readily embrace in one and the same, and that a small and human, soul both the sacred and godlike power in thoughts and the eloquent speech in words—two excellences belonging to different men—since they are somehow most opposite. For silence is in a way a friend and a co-worker to thought and discovery; but loquacity and fluency in speech you would not find anywhere else you might seek than in words and in the constant practice of them. Moreover, another study terribly seizes the mind and ties the tongue in the mouth if I should wish to say even a little something in the Greek language: our admirable laws, by which the affairs of all men under Roman rule are now directed, which are neither composed nor learned without toil; being themselves wise and precise and varied and admirable, and, to speak concisely, most Hellenic; but having been expressed and delivered in the Roman tongue, which is awe-inspiring and majestic and conformed to all the imperial power, it is nevertheless burdensome to me. Yet I would never say that it was either possible or desirable for it to be any other way for me. And since our words are nothing other than certain images of the affections of our <so>ul, we would agree that for those who are able to speak, as for some good painters who are most skillful in their art and rich in the material of their colors, it <is permitted> to paint their pictures not only with similar but also with varied and exceedingly beautiful colors, due to the mixture of many hues, being hindered in no way.

2 But we, like some <poor> men, lacking these varied pigments, and having either never <ac>quired them <at all> or perhaps having cast them away, as if from coals only or potsherds, with these customary <and> common nouns and verbs, according to our ability we imitate the archetypes of the <affec>tions of our soul, s<ketch>ing them with the words available to us, trying to reveal the outlines of the soul’s impressions, even if they are not clear nor embellish<ed>, as if in a charcoal sketch at least; if anything comely and eloquent me<ets> us from somewhere, we gladly embrace it, since we have also scorned it. But then again a third thing, somethi<ng else>, hinders and deters, and much more than the others

In Origenem oratio panegyrica

ΤΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΘΑΥΜΑΤΟΥΡΓΟΥ ΕΙΣ ΩΡΙΓΕΝΗΝ ΠΡΟΣΦΩΝΗΤΙΚΟΣ ὃν εἶπεν ἐν Καισαρείᾳ τῆς Παλαιστίνης, μετὰ τὴν παρ' αὐτῷ πολυετῆ ἄσκησιν, μέλλων ἀπαλλάττεσθαι ἐπὶ τὴν πατρίδα.

1 Ἀγαθόν τι χρῆμα ἡ σιωπὴ τῶν τε ἄλλων πολλοῖς πολλάκις, κἀμοὶ δὲ

μάλιστα νῦν, καὶ ἑκόντι καὶ ἄκοντι ἐπιστομιζομένῳ καὶ σιωπᾶν καταναγκαζο μένῳ. Ἀμελετήτως γὰρ ἔχω καὶ ἄπειρός εἰμι λόγων τῶν καλῶν τούτων καὶ εὐπρεπῶν, τῶν ὑπὸ τοῖς ἐπιλέκτοις καὶ δοκίμοις ὀνόμασί τε καὶ ῥήμασι κατὰ τὸ ἑξῆς ἀκωλύτῳ τινὶ εἱρμῷ λεγομένων ἢ συνταττο μένων· τάχα μὲν καὶ ἧττον πεφυκὼς τὸ χαρίεν τουτὶ καὶ Ἑλληνικὸν ὄντως ἔργον διαπονήσασθαι. Οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ὀκταετής μοι χρόνος οὗτος ἤδη, ἐξ οὗ οὔτε αὐτὸς εἰπών τι ἢ γράψας λόγον τινὰ μέγαν ἢ μικρὸν ὅλως τυγχάνω, οὔτε ἄλλου ἤκουσά του ἰδίᾳ γράφοντος ἢ λέγοντος, ἢ καὶ δημοσίᾳ πανηγυρι κοὺς λόγους καὶ ἀγωνιστικοὺς παρεχομένου, ὅτι μὴ τῶν θαυμασίων τούτων ἀνδρῶν, τῶν τὴν καλὴν φιλοσοφίαν ἀσπασαμένων· οἷς καὶ αὐτοῖς εὐεπείας μὲν ἧττον μέλει καὶ εὐπρεπείας ὀνομάτων· ἐν δευτέρῳ δὲ θέμενοι τὰς φωνάς, τὰ πράγματα αὐτὰ ὡς ἔχει ἕκαστα διερευ νᾶσθαί τε μετὰ ἀκριβείας καὶ ἐξαγγέλλειν ἐθέλουσιν· οὐχὶ οὐ βουλόμενοι οἶμαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄγαν βουλόμενοι τὰ καλὰ καὶ ἀκριβῆ τῶν νοημάτων καλῷ καὶ <εὐ>ειδεῖ ἐκτυποῦν τῷ λόγῳ· ἀλλ' ἴσως οὐ δυνάμενοι οὕτως ἐκ τοῦ προχείρου δύναμιν ἐν τοῖς νοήμασι τὴν ἱερὰν καὶ θεοειδῆ καὶ λόγον τὸν ἐν ταῖς λέξεσιν εὐεπῆ, δύο ἀνθρώπων ἰδίᾳ ἑκάστου πλεονεκτήματα, μιᾷ καὶ τῇ αὐτῇ καὶ ταύτῃ μικρᾷ καὶ ἀνθρωπίνῃ περιλαβεῖν ψυχῇ, ὄντα πως ἐναντιώτατα. Εἴ γε νοήσει μὲν καὶ εὑρέσει φίλον πως καὶ σύνεργόν ἐστι σιωπή· τὸ δὲ εὔλαλον καὶ εὔοχον ἐν λόγῳ οὐκ ἀλλαχόθι ἄν που ζητῶν εὕροις, ἢ ἐν φωναῖς καὶ τῇ τούτων συνεχεῖ μελέτῃ. Οὐ μὴν δὲ ἀλλὰ καί γε τὸν νοῦν ἕτερόν τι μάθημα δεινῶς ἐπιλαμβάνει, καὶ τὸ στόμα συνδεῖ τὴν γλῶτ ταν, εἴ τι καὶ μικρὸν εἰπεῖν τῇ Ἑλλήνων ἐθελήσαιμι φωνῇ, οἱ θαυμαστοὶ ἡμῶν νόμοι, οἷς νῦν τὰ πάντων τῶν ὑπὸ τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴν ἀνθρώπων κατευθύνεται πράγματα, οὔτε συγκείμενοι οὔτε καὶ ἐκμανθανόμενοι ἀταλαιπώρως· ὄντες μὲν αὐτοὶ σοφοί τε καὶ ἀκριβεῖς καὶ ποικίλοι καὶ θαυμαστοί, καὶ συνελόντα εἰπεῖν Ἑλληνικώτατοι· ἐκφρασθέντες δὲ καὶ παραδοθέντες τῇ Ῥωμαίων φωνῇ, καταπληκτικῇ μὲν καὶ ἀλαζόνι καὶ συσχηματιζομένῃ πάσῃ τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ τῇ βασιλικῇ, φορτικῇ δὲ ὅμως ἐμοί. Οὐ μὴν ἄλλως πως οὔτε δυνατὸν ἦν, οὔτε βουλητὸν εἶναί μοι εἴποιμ' ἄν ποτε. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ εἰκόνες τινές εἰσι τῶν <τῆς ψ>υχῆς ἡμῶν παθημάτων αἱ λέξεις ἡμῶν, τοῖς μὲν δυνατοῖς εἰπεῖν ὥσπερ τισὶν ἀγαθοῖς ζωγράφοις καὶ τέχνῃ μὲν ὄτι τεχνικωτάτοις, πλουσίοις δὲ καὶ τῇ τῶν χρωμάτων ὕλῃ, οὐχ ὁμοίας μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ποικίλας καὶ περικαλλεῖς τῷ πολυμιγεῖ τῶν ἀνθῶν γράφειν <ἐξεῖ>ναι τὰς γραφάς, κατὰ μηδὲν ἐποδιζομέ νοις, ὁμολογήσαιμεν.

2 Ἡμεῖς δὲ οἷά τινες <πένη>τες, ἀποροῦντες τῶν ποικίλων τούτων φαρμάκων, καὶ ἤτοι οὐδὲ κτησά<με> νοι πώ<ποτε> ἢ καὶ ἀποβεβληκότες ἴσως, οἷα ἐξ ἀνθρά κων μόνων ἢ ὀστράκων, τῶν συνήθων τούτων <καὶ> κοινῶν ὀνομάτων καὶ ῥημάτων, κατὰ δύναμιν τὴν ἡμετέραν τὰ πρωτότυπα τῶν τῆς ψυχῆς ἡμῶν <παθη>μάτων ταῖς ἡμῖν εὐπόροις ὑ<πογρά>φοντες φωναῖς ἀπομιμώμεθα, ὑποφαίνειν τοὺς χαρακτῆρας τῶν τῆς ψυχῆς τύπων, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἐναργεῖς μηδὲ κεκαλλωπισ<μένους>, ὡς ἐν ἀνθρακογραφίᾳ γοῦν πειρώμενοι, εἰ μέν τι καὶ εὐειδὲς καὶ εὔγλωττον ἀπ<αντᾷ> ποθεν, ἀσπασάμενοι ἡδέως, ἐπεὶ καὶ περιφρονήσαντες. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἐκ τρίτων αὖθις ἄλλ<ο τι> κωλύει τε καὶ ἀποτρέπει καὶ πολὺ τῶν ἄλλων