Fragmenta ex commentariis in Exodum

FROM THE WORKS OF ORIGEN ON EXODUS 12.264 On the text: The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh. “But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to send them away.” The phrase often found in Exodus, “The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh,” and, “I will harden the heart of Pharaoh,” disturbs almost all who encounter it, both those who disbelieve it and those who claim to believe. For to those who disbelieve, along with many other things, this also seems to be a cause for disbelief, because things unworthy of God are said about God. And it is unworthy of God to effect the hardening of anyone's heart, and to effect hardening so that the one being hardened disobeys the will of the one who hardens; And how, they say, is it not absurd for God to influence someone, so that he disobeys 12.265 his will? for it is clear that these words seem to be said as if he did not want to have Pharaoh obeying what he commands. But among those who are thought to believe, no small disagreement has arisen, because of the phrase: “The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh;” for some, who are persuaded that there is no other God besides the creator, think that God by predestination has mercy on whom he will, and whom he will he hardens, with there being no cause for this one to be shown mercy, and that one to be hardened by him. But others, holding a better view than these, say that many and other meanings of Scripture have been hidden from them, and not for this reason should they be turned from the sound faith; and one of the hidden things is the sound interpretation of this scripture. But those who assert another god besides the creator, want him to be just and not good, being moved in a very unlearned and at the same time impious way, in separating justice from goodness, and thinking that it is possible for justice to exist in someone without goodness, and goodness without justice; yet even saying this, they accept things contrary to their own supposition about a just God, that he hardens the heart of Pharaoh, and makes it disobedient to himself. For if he who assigns to each what is deserved is just, and who gives back to those who have become better or worse from their own cause what he knows is fitting for each to receive, how is he just, who became the cause of a worse sin for Pharaoh? and not simply a cause, but insofar as, based on what they have accepted, he cooperated in making him most unjust. For referring the hardening of Pharaoh's heart to nothing worthy of the choice of a just god, I do not know how they can present as a just god, even if they wish, as you narrate, the one who hardens the heart of Pharaoh; wherefore they must be pressed concerning the passage before us, so that they may either present how a just one hardens, or dare to say that since he hardens, the Creator is evil; or, neither being able to find proofs that a just one is a hardener of anyone, nor daring to utter such impiety about the creator as being evil, they may take refuge in another way, an exegetical one for, “The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh,” having abandoned destroying their own thoughts about a just god from thinking 12.268 to understand things according to the letter. And finally. even if they should confess to be at a loss as to what the text suggests; let these things, then, be torn apart being examined concerning God in the present problem. But since, on the topic of nature, those who suppose that some have been created for destruction bring these things forward as well, saying that what they teach is shown through “the heart of Pharaoh was hardened by the Lord,” come let us inquire these things of them: He who was created for destruction, could never be able to do any of the better things, since his own inherent nature works against him with respect to good things. What need then for the

Fragmenta ex commentariis in Exodum

ΕΚ ΤΩΝ ΩΡΙΓΕΝΟΥΣ ΕΙΣ ΤΗΝ ΕΞΟ∆ΟΝ 12.264 Εἰς τό· Ἐσκλήρυνε Κύριος τὴν καρδίαν Φαραώ. «Ἐσκλήρυνε δὲ Κύριος τὴν καρδίαν Φαραὼ, καὶ οὐκ ἠβουλήθη ἐξαποστεῖλαι αὐτούς.» Πολλάκις ἐν τῇ Ἐξόδῳ κείμενον τό· «Ἐσκλήρυνε Κύριος τὴν καρδίαν Φαραὼ,» καὶ, «Ἐγὼ σκληρυνῶ τὴν καρδίαν Φαραὼ,» σχεδὸν πάντας τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας ταράσ σει, τούς τε ἀπιστοῦντας αὐτῇ καὶ τοὺς πιστεύειν λέγοντας. Τοῖς μὲν γὰρ ἀπιστοῦσι μετ' ἄλλων πολ λῶν καὶ τοῦτο ἀπιστίας αἴτιον εἶναι δοκεῖ, ὅτι λέγε ται περὶ Θεοῦ τὰ ἀνάξια Θεοῦ. Ἀνάξιον δὲ Θεοῦ τὸ ἐνεργεῖν σκλήρυνσιν περὶ καρδίαν οὑτινοσοῦν, καὶ ἐνεργεῖν σκλήρυνσιν ἐπὶ τῷ ἀπειθῆσαι τῷ βουλήματι τοῦ σκληρύνοντος τὸν σκληρυνόμενον· Καὶ πῶς, φα σὶν, οὐκ ἄτοπον τὸν Θεὸν ἐνεργεῖν τινα, ἐπὶ τῷ ἀπει 12.265 θεῖν αὐτοῦ τῷ βουλήματι; δῆλον γὰρ ὅτι μὴ βουλο μένου πειθόμενον ἔχειν οἷς προστάσσει τὸν Φα ραὼ ταῦτα δοκεῖ λέγεσθαι τὰ ῥήματα. Τοῖς δὲ πι στεύειν νομιζομένοις διαφωνία οὐχ ἡ τυχοῦσα γεγέ νηται, διὰ τό· «Ἐσκλήρυνε Κύριος τὴν καρδίαν Φαραώ·» οἱ μὲν γὰρ πειθόμενοι μὴ ἄλλον εἶναι Θεὸν παρὰ τὸν δημιουργὸν φρονοῦσιν ὡς ἄρα κατὰ ἀποκλήρωσιν ὁ Θεὸς ὃν θέλει ἐλεεῖ, ὃν δὲ θέλει σκλη ρύνει, αἰτίαν οὐκ ἔχοντος τοῦ, τόνδε μὲν ἐλεεῖσθαι, τόνδε δὲ σκληρύνεσθαι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. Ἕτεροι δὲ βέλτιον παρὰ τούτους φερόμενοι, φασὶ πολλὰ καὶ ἄλλα κεκρύ φθαι τῆς Γραφῆς αὐτοῖς νοήματα, καὶ οὐ παρὰ τοῦτο τῆς ὑγιοῦς πίστεως τρέπεσθαι· ἓν δὲ τῶν ἀποκεκρυμ μένων εἶναι καὶ τὸν περὶ ταύτης τῆς γραφῆς ὑγιῆ λόγον. Οἱ δὲ ἕτερον θεὸν φάσκοντες παρὰ τὸν δημιουργὸν, δίκαιον μὲν αὐτὸν εἶναι θέλουσι καὶ οὐκ ἀγαθὸν, σφόδρα ἰδιωτικῶς ἅμα καὶ ἀσεβῶς ἐνεχθέν τες, ἐν τῷ χωρίζειν δικαιοσύνην ἀγαθότητος, καὶ οἴεσθαι ὅτι οἷόν τέ ἐστι δικαιοσύνην εἶναι ἔν τινι χω ρὶς ἀγαθότητος, καὶ ἀγαθότητα δίχα δικαιοσύνης· ὅμως δὲ καὶ τοῦτο λέγοντες ἐναντία τῇ ἰδίᾳ ὑπολή ψει περὶ δικαίου προσίενται Θεοῦ, σκληρύνειν τὴν καρδίαν Φαραὼ, καὶ ἀπειθῆ αὐτὴν κατασκευάζειν ἑαυτῷ. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ τὸ κατ' ἀξίαν ἀπονέμων ἑκάστῳ δί καιος, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἑαυτῶν αἰτίας κρείττοσιν ἢ χεί ροσι γεγενημένοις ἀποδιδοὺς ὧν ἐπιτήδειον ἕκαστον τυγχάνειν ἐπίσταται, πῶς δίκαιος, ὁ ἁμαρτίας χείρο νος αἴτιος γενόμενος τῷ Φαραώ; καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς αἴτιος, ἀλλ' ὅσον ἐφ' οἷς ἐκεῖνοι ἐξεδέξαντο συν εργήσας εἰς τὸ γενέσθαι αὐτὸν ἀδικώτατον. Ἐπ' οὐ δὲν γὰρ ἀναφέροντες ἄξιον προαιρέσεως δικαίου θεοῦ τὴν σκλήρυνσιν τῆς καρδίας Φαραὼ, οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως δίκαιον θεὸν, κἂν καθάπερ διηγεῖσθε βούλωνται, πα ραστῆσαι δύνανται τὸν σκληρύνοντα τὴν καρδίαν Φα ραώ· ὅθεν θλιπτέον αὐτοὺς ἐν τοῖς κατὰ τὸν προκεί μενον τόπον, ὅπως ἤτοι παραστήσωσι πῶς δίκαιος σκληρύνει, ἢ τολμήσωσιν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι ἐπεὶ σκληρύνει, πονηρὸς ὁ ∆ημιουργός· ἢ μήτε εὐποροῦντες ἀποδεί ξεων πρὸς τὸ τὸν δίκαιον σκληρυντικὸν εἶναί τινος, μήτε τολμῶντες τὸ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἀσεβὲς προέ σθαι περὶ τοῦ κτίσαντος ὡς πονηροῦ, καταφύγωσιν ἐπὶ ἑτέραν ὁδὸν, ἐξηγητικὴν τοῦ, «Ἐσκλήρυνε Κύριος τὴν καρδίαν Φαραὼ,» ἀποστάντες τοῦ ἐκ τοῦ νομί 12.268 ζειν τὰ κατὰ τὰς λέξεις νοεῖν, τὰς ἰδίας ἀναιρεῖν περὶ δικαίου θεοῦ νοήσεις. Τὸ δὲ τελευταῖον. κἂν ἀπορεῖν ὅ τι ποτὲ ὁ λόγος ὑποβάλλῃ ὁμολογήσω σιν· ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐσπαράχθω ἐξεταζόμενα περὶ Θεοῦ ἐν τῷ προκειμένῳ προβλήματι. Ἐπεὶ δὲ εἰς τὸν περὶ φύσεως τόπον οἱ ὑπολαμβάνοντές τινας ἐκ τῆς κατασκευῆς ἐπ' ἀπωλείᾳ γεγονέναι, καὶ ταῦτα φέρουσι, λέγοντες δηλοῦσθαι ὃ διδά σκουσι διὰ τοῦ «ἐσκληρύνθαι ὑπὸ Κυρίου τὴν καρ δίαν Φαραὼ,» φέρε ταῦτα αὐτῶν πυνθανώμεθα· Ὁ ἐπ' ἀπωλείᾳ κτισθεὶς, οὐκ ἄν ποτε ποιῆσαί τι τῶν κρειττόνων δύναιτο, αὐτῆς τῆς ἐνυπαρχούσης φύσεως ἀντιπραττούσης αὐτῷ πρὸς τὰ καλά. Τίς οὖν χρεία τὸν