Selecta in Ezechielem
FROM THE SELECTIONS OF ORIGEN ON EZEKIEL
13.768 CHAPTER 1. And it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was in the midst of the captivity by the river of Chebar; and the heavens were opened. Ezekiel bears a type of Christ in many ways, and you will begin to see this in the introductions of the prophecy. It came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, 13.769 on the fifth day of the month, and I, he says, was in the midst of the captivity by the river Chebar; and the heavens were opened. These things were also written concerning Christ, when he was in this world, in this captivity at the Jordan, when Jesus was beginning to be about thirty years of age, and when the heavens were opened to him. But the thirty years in the prophecy, according to the literal sense, is the time of the prophet's life; and it was the fifth year of the captivity since they went down. But indeed, according to his name, Ezekiel also has a symbol of Christ, for it is interpreted as strength of God. And the phrase, Son of man, refers anagogically to him who was called Son of man. I was in the midst of the captivity. The meaning is that which the text has; but not simply so; as if he says: I, who had nothing of captivity, was in the midst of the captivity for the sake of the economy. Thus also Christ, not having been taken captive, was in the place of the captives, but for the sake of their redemption; just as the prophet was not in the midst of the captivity because of sin, but for healing. And I saw visions of God. God depicted the invisible and intelligible nature in the visible and sensible nature, so that those under the senses might be trained in it for the contemplation of the intelligible. And the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel. The Word in the beginning, the Word of God. I said: You are gods, and all of you sons of the Most High. The Spirit calls them gods to whom the Word of God came, God the Word; for he is the one who makes gods. In the land of the Chaldeans. Chaldean is interpreted as every toil. These are astrologers who speak of fate, and are altogether attached to sensible things, and labor among them, deifying them; The land of the Chaldeans is the place and the worst condition. Indeed, the Chaldeans are also a symbol of the proud in impiety. And behold, a lifting wind. The lifting wind is God; for God is spirit, lifting away wickedness. And a great cloud. This cloud is righteousness, the good from God that reaches to us, from which we are enlightened with the knowledge of the truth. And a brightness was about it. A likeness as the appearance of a man. We are a likeness of the four living creatures. But seek what the three are. The charioteer of these four living creatures was not entirely fire, but from the loins downward, and from the loins and up to the top, electrum. For the word does not only have punishments, but also has that by which it gives rest. And it punishes through the lower powers. For he did not see fire around the head, nor was the charioteer fire from the loins upwards, but from the loins downwards was fire, in order to show that those who are in generation, these need fire; for the loins are a symbol of generation. And not only did it signify those in generation by the phrase, from 13.772 the loins downward, but also all those who are below and attached to matter. For generation and corruption are in matter. And electrum is an alloy of gold and silver, as these most precious of materials are symbols of the precious and higher orders of the holy powers. CHAPTER 2. Son of man, stand upon your feet. As far as we remember, 'Son of man' is said very frequently and throughout the whole prophecy to Ezekiel, but more rarely to Daniel, each of whom in the captivity is a type of him who is to us who are captives
Selecta in Ezechielem
ΕΚ ΤΩΝ ΩΡΙΓΕΝΟΥΣ ΕΚΛΟΓΑΙ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΙΕΖΕΚΙΗΛ
13.768 ΚΕΦ. Αʹ. Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ τριακοστῷ ἔτει, ἐν τῷ τε τάρτῳ μηνὶ, πέμπτῃ τοῦ μηνὸς, καὶ ἐγὼ ἤμην ἐν μέσῳ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἐπὶ τοῦ ποταμοῦ τοῦ Χοβάρ· καὶ ἠνοίχθησαν οἱ οὐρανοί. Ὁ Ἰεζεκιὴλτύπον φέρει τοῦ Χριστοῦ κατὰ πολλὰ, καὶ ἄρξῃ θεωρεῖν τοῦτο ἐν τοῖς προοιμίοις τῆς προφητείας. Ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ τριακοστῷ ἔτει, τετάρτῳ μηνὶ, 13.769 πέμπτῃ τοῦ μηνὸς, κἀγὼ, φησὶν, ἤμην ἐν μέσῳ αἰχμαλωσίας ἐπὶ ποταμοῦ Χοβάρ· καὶ ἠνοίχθησαν οἱ οὐρανοί. Ταῦτα καὶ περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ γέγραπται, ὅτε ἦν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ, ἐν τῇ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ ταύτῃ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, ὅτε Ἰησοῦς ἦν ἀρχόμενος ὡσεὶ ἐτῶν τριάκοντα, καὶ ὅτε ἠνοίχθησαν αὐτῷ οἱ οὐρανοί. Τὰ δὲ τριάκοντα ἔτη τὰ ἐν τῇ προφητείᾳ κατὰ τὸ αἰσθητόν ἐστιν ὁ χρόνος τῆς ζωῆς τοῦ προφήτου· τῆς δὲ αἰχμαλωσίας ἀφ' οὗ κατῆλθον πέμπτον ἔτος. Ἀλλὰ μὲν κατὰ τὴν προσηγορίαν καὶ σύμβολον ἔχει τοῦ Χριστοῦ Ἰεζεκιὴλ, ὃς ἑρμηνεύεται κράτος Θεοῦ. Καὶ τὸ, υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, εἰς ἀναγωγὴν τοῦ χρημα τίσαντος υἱοῦ ἀνθρώπου. Ἐγὼ ἤμην ἐν μέσῳ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας. Ὁ μὲν νοῦς ἐστιν ὃν ἔχει τὸ ῥητόν· αὐτὸ δὲ ψιλῶς οὐ· οἱον εί φησιν· Ἐγὼ, ὁ μηδὲν αἰχμαλωσίας ἔχων, ἐν μέσῳ αἰχμαλωσίας ἤμην δι' οἰκονομίαν. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Χρι στὸς οὐκ αἰχμαλωτισθεὶς ἦν ἐν τῷ τόπῳ τῶν αἰχμα λώτων, ἀλλὰ λυτρώσεως αὐτῶν χάριν· ὡς καὶ ὁ προ φήτης οὐ δι' ἁμαρτίας ἦν ἐν μέσῳ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας, ἀλλ' ἰατρείας. Καὶ εἶδον ὁράσεις Θεοῦ. Ὁ Θεὸς τὴν ἀόρατον καὶ νοητὴν φύσιν ἐν τῇ ὁρατῇ καὶ αἰσθητῇ φύσει ἐζωγράφησεν, ἵν' οἱ ὑπὸ αἴσθησιν γυμνασθῶσιν ἐν αὐτῇ εἰς θεωρίαν τῆς νοητῆς. Καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος Κυρίου πρὸς Ἰεζεκιήλ. Λό γος ὁ ἐν ἀρχῇ, Θεοῦ Λόγος. Ἐγὼ εἶπον· Θεοί ἐστε καὶ υἱοὶ Ὑψίστου πάντες. Τὸ Πνεῦμα λέγει θεοὺς πρὸς οὓς ὁ Λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐγένετο, ὁ Θεὸς Λόγος· οὗτος γὰρ θεοποιός ἐστι. Ἐν γῇ Χαλδαίων. Χαλδαῖος ἑρμηνεύεται πᾶς πόνος. Οὗτοι δέ εἰσιν ἀστρολόγοι τὴν εἱμαρμένην λέγοντες, καὶ ὅλως τοῖς αἰσθητοῖς προσηλωμένοι, καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς διαπονούμενοι, θεοποιοῦντες αὐτά· Γῆ ἐστι Χαλδαίων ὁ τόπος καὶ ἡ ἕξις ἡ χειρίστη. Ναὶ μὴν καὶ τῶν ἐν ἀσεβείᾳ ὑπερηφανῶν ἔχουσι σύμβολον οἱ Χαλδαῖοι. Καὶ ἰδοὺ πνεῦμα ἐξαῖρον. Πνεῦμα ἐξαῖρόν ἐστιν ὁ Θεός· πνεῦμα γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς, ἐξαῖρον δὲ τὴν κακίαν. Καὶ νεφέλη μεγάλη. Αὐτὴ ἡ νεφέλη ἡ δικαιο σύνη, τὸ ἀγαθὸν τὸ ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ διῆκον εἰς ἡμᾶς, ἀφ' οὗ φωτιζόμεθα τὴν γνῶσιν τῆς ἀληθείας. Καὶ φέγγος γὰρ καὶ κύκλῳ αὐτοῦ. Ὁμοίωμα ὡς εἶδος ἀνθρώπου. Ἡμεῖς ὁμοίωμα τῶν τεσσάρων ζώων ἐσμέν. Ζήτει δὲ τίνα τὰ τρία. Ὁ ἡνίοχος τῶν τεσσάρων τούτων ζώων οὐχ ὅλος ἦν πῦρ, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ ὀσφύος ἐπὶ τὰ κάτω, καὶ ἀπὸ ὀσφύος καὶ ἕως ἄνω ἤλεκτρον. Οὐ γὰρ μόνα κολαστήρια ἔχει ὁ λόγος, ἀλλ' ἔχει καὶ δι' ὧν ἀναπαύει. Κολάζει δὲ διὰ τῶν κάτω δυνάμεων. Οὐ γὰρ εἶδε πῦρ περὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν, οὐδὲ ἀπὸ τῆς ὀσφύος ἐπὶ τὰ ἄνω ἡνίο χος πῦρ ἦν, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ τῆς ὀσφύος ἐπὶ τὰ κάτω πῦρ ἦν, ἵνα δηλώσῃ, ὅτι οἱ ἐν γεννήσει τυγχάνοντες, οὗ τοι δέονται πυρός· ὀσφὺς γὰρ γεννήσεως σύμβολον. Οὐ μόνον δὲ τοὺς ὑπὸ γέννησιν ἐδήλωσε τὸ, ἀπὸ 13.772 ὀσφύος ἕως κάτω, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντας τοὺς ὄντας κάτω καὶ τῇ ὕλῃ προσπαθοῦντας. Γένεσις γὰρ καὶ φθορὰ ἐν τῇ ὕλῃ ἐστί. Ἤλεκτρον δέ ἐστι τὸ ἐκ χρυσίου καὶ ἀργυρίου χύμα, ὡς τῶν τιμιωτάτων τούτων τῆς ὕλης συμβόλων ὄντων τῶν τιμίων καὶ ἄνω ταγμάτων τῶν ἁγίων δυνάμεων. ΚΕΦ. Βʹ. Υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, στῆθι ἐπὶ τοὺς πόδας σου. Ὅσον ἐφ' οἷς μεμνήμεθα συνεχέστατα μὲν καὶ δι' ὅλης τῆς προφητείας τὸ, Υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, λέγεται πρὸς τὸν Ἰεζεκιὴλ, σπανιώτερα δὲ πρὸς τὸν ∆ανιὴλ, ὧν ἕκαστος ἐν τῇ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ τύπος ὢν τοῦ πρὸς τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους ἡμᾶς