Commentarium in evangelium Matthaei
FROM ORIGEN'S EXEGETICAL WRITINGS ON THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW
BOOK 10 10.1 Then, leaving the crowds, he went into his house. And his disciples came <to him>, saying: Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field (13, 36[-43]). When Jesus is with the crowds, he is not in his house, for the crowds are outside the house; and it is a work of his philanthropy to leave the house and go to those who are not able to come to him. And having spoken sufficiently to the crowds in parables, he leaves them and comes into his own house, where his disciples approach him, not having remained with those who were left by him. And as many as hear Jesus more genuinely, first follow him, then asking about his dwelling, they are permitted to see it, and coming they see it and remain «with him,» all of them «that day,» but perhaps some of them for even longer. And I think such things have been shown in the Gospel according to John through these words: «The next day again John was standing, and two of his disciples.» Further, for a demonstration that of those permitted to walk with Jesus and to see his house, the preeminent one also becomes an apostle, it is added to these: «Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who had heard from John and followed him.» Therefore we also, if we wish not to hear Jesus as the crowds whom he leaves [and] goes into the house, taking up something exceptional beyond the crowds, let us become intimate with Jesus, so that as his disciples we may approach him when he has come into the house, and approaching we may ask for the explanation of a parable, whether of the tares of the field or any other whatsoever. But so that it may be understood more precisely of what reality the house of Jesus is representative, let someone gather from the gospels as many things as have been said about the house of Jesus and what things were spoken or done by him in it; for these things, when gathered together, will persuade the one who pays attention to this reading, that the letters of the gospel are not simple only, as some think, but for the simple, according to a certain economy, they have become as simple, but for those wishing and able to hear them more keenly, wise things and things worthy of the word of God have been hidden. 10.2 After these things, he answered and said from the words: He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man ***. And although we have treated of these things as far as we were able in what preceded, nonetheless now also will be said things that can be fitted to those, even if they have their reason in a different narration. And see if you can take the good seed, the sons of the kingdom, in addition to what has been previously given, in another way, that whatever good things grow in the human soul, these <are sown> by the Word of God who was «in the beginning with God,» being the offspring of the kingdom of God, so that the sound words concerning each thing are the sons of the kingdom. But while those men sleep who do not act according to the commandment of Jesus when he says: «Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation,» the devil, watching, sows over what are called tares, wicked doctrines, upon what are called by some natural conceptions and the good seeds from the Word. And according to this, the field might be said to be the whole world and not only the church of God; for in the whole world the Son of Man sowed the good seed, but the evil one, the tares, which are wicked words, the sons of the evil one from wickedness. And it will be necessary for there to be at the end of things what is called the consummation of the age, a harvest, so that those appointed for this
Commentarium in evangelium Matthaei
ΩΡΙΓΕΝΟΥΣ ΕΚ ΤΩΝ ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΤΘΑΙΟΝ ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΟΝ ΕΞΗΓΗΤΙΚΩΝ
ΤΟΜΟΣ Ιʹ 10.1 Τότε ἀφεὶς τοὺς ὄχλους ἦλθεν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ. Καὶ προσῆλθον <αὐτῷ> οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ λέγοντες· φράσον ἡμῖν τὴν παραβολὴν τῶν ζιζανίων τοῦ ἀγροῦ (13, 36[-43]). Ὅτε μὲν μετὰ τῶν ὄχλων ἐστὶν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ, ἔξω γὰρ τῆς οἰκίας οἱ ὄχλοι· καὶ τῆς φιλανθρωπίας αὐτοῦ ἔργον ἐστὶ καταλιπεῖν τὴν οἰκίαν καὶ ἀπιέναι πρὸς τοὺς μὴ δυναμένους ἥκειν πρὸς αὐτόν. Αὐτάρκως δὲ τοῖς ὄχλοις διαλεχθεὶς ἐν παραβολαῖς ἀφίησιν αὐτοὺς καὶ ἔρχεται εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ οἰκίαν, ἔνθα προσέρχονται αὐτῷ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ, οὐκ ἀπομείναντες μετὰ τῶν ἀφεθέν των ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ὅσοι γε γνησιώτερον ἀκούουσι τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, πρῶτον ἀκολουθοῦσιν αὐτῷ, εἶτα πυνθανόμενοι περὶ τῆς μονῆς αὐτοῦ ἐπιτρέπονται ἰδεῖν αὐτήν, καὶ ἐλθόντες ὁρῶσι καὶ «παρ' αὐτῷ» μένουσι, πάντες μὲν «τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην», τάχα δέ τινες αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπὶ πλεῖον. Καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτά γε οἶμαι δεδηλῶσθαι ἐν τῷ κατὰ Ἰωάννην εὐαγγελίῳ διὰ τούτων· «Τῇ ἐπαύριον πάλιν εἱστήκει ὁ Ἰωάννης καὶ ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ δύο.» Ἔτι εἰς παράστασιν τοῦ ὅτι τῶν ἐπιτραπέντων σὺν τῷ Ἰησοῦ πορεύεσθαι καὶ ἰδεῖν αὐτοῦ τὴν οἰκίαν ὁ διαφέρων καὶ ἀπόστολος γίνεται, ἐπι φέρεται τούτοις· «Ἦν Ἀνδρέας ὁ ἀδελφὸς Σίμωνος Πέτρου εἷς ἐκ τῶν δύο τῶν ἀκουσάντων ὑπὸ Ἰωάννου καὶ ἀκολουθησάντων αὐτῷ.» Καὶ ἡμεῖς οὖν, εἴπερ βουλόμεθα μὴ ὡς ὄχλοι ἀκούειν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ οὓς ἀφιεὶς [καὶ] ἔρχεται εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν, ἐξαίρετόν τι παρὰ τοὺς ὄχλους ἀναλαμβάνοντες οἰκειωθῶμεν τῷ Ἰησοῦ, ἵν' ὡς μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ἐλθόντι εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν προσέλθωμεν καὶ προσελθόντες ἀξιώσωμεν περὶ φράσεως παραβολῆς, εἴτε τῶν ζιζανίων τοῦ ἀγροῦ εἴθ' ἡστινοσοῦν. Ἵνα δὲ ἀκρι βέστερον νοηθῇ τίνος παραστατικόν ἐστι πράγματος ἡ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ οἰκία, συναγαγέτω τις ἀπὸ τῶν εὐαγγελίων ὅσα περὶ τῆς οἰκίας Ἰησοῦ εἴρηται καὶ τίνα ἐν αὐτῇ λελάληται ἢ πέπρακται αὐτῷ· ἐπὶ γὰρ τὸ αὐτὸ ἐπισυναχθέντα ταῦτα πείσει τὸν προσέχοντα ταύτῃ τῇ ἀναγνώσει, ὅτι οὐχ ἁπλᾶ, ὡς οἴονταί τινες, ἐστὶ μόνον τὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου γράμματα, ἀλλὰ τοῖς μὲν ἁπλοῖς κατ' οἰκονομίαν ὡς ἁπλᾶ γεγένηται, τοῖς δὲ ὀξύτερον ἀκούειν αὐτῶν βουλομένοις καὶ δυναμένοις ἐγκέκρυπται σοφὰ καὶ ἄξια λόγου θεοῦ πράγματα. 10.2 Μετὰ ταῦτα ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν ἀπὸ τοῦ· ὁ σπείρων τὸ καλὸν σπέρμα ἐστὶν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ***. Περὶ ὧν εἰ καὶ κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν ἡμῖν ἐν τοῖς πρὸ τούτων διειλήφαμεν, οὐδὲν ἧττον καὶ νῦν λελέξεται τὰ δυνάμενα ἐκείνοις προσαρμόσαι, εἰ καὶ καθ' ἑτέραν διήγησιν ἔχει λόγον. Καὶ πρόσχες γε εἰ δύνασαι τὸ καλὸν σπέρμα τοὺς υἱοὺς τῆς βασιλείας πρὸς τοῖς προαποδεδομένοις καὶ ἑτέρως λαβεῖν, ὅτι ὅσα ἐν τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ φύεται ψυχῇ καλά, ταῦτα ὑπὸ τοῦ «ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν» λόγου θεοῦ <σπείρεται> γεννήματα τυγχάνοντα τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ βασιλείας, ὡς εἶναι τοὺς περὶ ἑκάστου ὑγιεῖς λόγους τοὺς υἱοὺς τῆς βασιλείας. Κοιμωμένων δὲ τῶν μὴ κατὰ τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ πρατ τόντων λέγοντος· «Γρηγορεῖτε καὶ προσεύχεσθε ἵνα μὴ εἰσέλθητε εἰς πειρασμόν», ὁ διάβολος ἐπιτηρῶν ἐπισπείρει τὰ καλούμενα ζιζάνια, τὰ μοχθηρὰ δόγματα, ταῖς καλου μέναις ὑπό τινων φυσικαῖς ἐννοίαις καὶ σπέρμασι καλοῖς τοῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ λόγου. Κατὰ δὲ τοῦτο ἀγρὸς καὶ ὁ κόσμος πᾶς λέγοιτο ἂν καὶ οὐ μόνον ἡ ἐκκλησία τοῦ θεοῦ· ἐν γὰρ παντὶ κόσμῳ ὁ μὲν υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἔσπειρε τὸ καλὸν σπέρμα, ὁ δὲ πονηρὸς τὰ ζιζάνια, ἅπερ εἰσὶν οἱ μοχθηροὶ λόγοι, οἱ ἀπὸ κακίας υἱοὶ τοῦ πονηροῦ. ∆εήσει δὲ γενέσθαι ἐπὶ τέλει τῶν πραγμάτων ὃ καλεῖται συντέλεια τοῦ αἰῶνος θερισμόν, ἵν' οἱ ἐπὶ τούτῳ τεταγμένοι