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ORIGEN'S SELECTIONS ON NUMBERS. 12.576 Our eyes are on nothing except the manna. It was named Manna from the fact that the Hebrews, when they first saw the strange sight, said to one another in their native tongue, "Man," that is, "What is this?" which they would not have said, if it were the custom, as some of the gentiles say, for the nature of the places to bear such things from of old. And now also if a small amount comes down for the sake of remembrance. And they added no more. It is lacking, "to prophesy." No longer, it says, did they prophesy. For they prophesy once for all, so that they might not be made equal to Moses; but so that it might be known that they had partaken, and all prophesy together. For the Spirit in Christ is one, and the working through all is one. And the people did not set out until Miriam was cleansed. And the tent remained for seven days in its place in honor of Maria, so that being in such a state she might not follow. Send men for yourself, and the rest. He commands some to be sent, showing that they are approaching Palestine from Egypt, having presented what was more ready for the Hebrews; and having convicted their unbelief, he assigns the wilderness as a tomb for those whose mind remained hard; for the death of the impious is more desirable than the error in living. And Moses named Hoshea son of Nun, Jesus. It is to be noted that the son of Nun became a type of Christ, who, having freed the most pitiable wandering people, led them up to heaven; not into a land that devours its inhabitants. Surely they shall not see the land which I swore to their fathers. It should be observed that of those who went out from the land of Egypt, some entered into the land of promise; for God did not forbid this; but he destroyed in the wilderness only those of twenty years and above of those who went out from the land of Egypt who had made the calf; sparing those of a related youth, whose time of life was not yet twenty years, and much more the infants and children, up to the age of puberty. 12.577 From the same. This is a type of the truth. "For unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter into the kingdom." Take up the bronze firepans. Just as the bronze serpent was a sign of their unbelief, so also the firepans of those with Korah and Dathan and Abiram are a covering for the altar. And to the sons of Levi, behold, I have given every tenth in Israel. The firstfruits are rightly assigned to the priests, since the tribe of Levi does not inherit, nor does it receive an inheritance as the others do. This is the cause of the priests having no possessions: the lot of sharing with the altar. The people gave tithes to the Levites, and the Levites to the priests. Shall we bring water for you out of this rock? Moses, not having glorified God before the people, was prevented from passing over with them. For so that they might not honor him in the services of God when he had departed, whom they honored while he was living, he made the place [i.e., the tomb] disappear. Now this assembly will lick up all that is around us. He took this as an example; just as the calf has green things in its mouth, so also the holy people, warring with their lips, have weapons in their mouths through prayers. And Balak, knowing this happened clearly in former wars, also wishes to war with the weapons of the lips; and he calls Balaam who has the weapons of the opposing power in his lips: curses. For the holy angels cooperate with the righteous for salutary and good works, and the wicked demons with impious sinful men for wicked works that are harmful to the salvation of men. For the holy war with words of prayers, but the impious and sinful with words of sorceries. From the same. And the history of the events according to the senses is filled with great benefit. But from the
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ΩΡΙΓΕΝΟΥΣ ΕΚΛΟΓΑΙ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΥΣ ΑΡΙΘΜΟΥΣ. 12.576 Οὐδὲν πλὴν εἰς τὸ μάννα οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν. Μᾶν ὠνομάσθη ἀπὸ τοῦ τοὺς Ἑβραίους πρώτους θέαμα ξένον ὁρῶντας εἰπεῖν πρὸς ἀλλήλους τῇ πα τρίῳ γλώσσῃ, «Μᾶν,» τουτέστι, «Τί τοῦτο;» ὅπερ οὐκ ἂν εἶπον, εἰ ἔθος ἦν, ὥς τινες τῶν ἐθνικῶν φασι, τὴν φύσιν τῶν τόπων ἀπ' αἰῶνος τὰ τοιαῦτα φέρειν. Καὶ νῦν δὲ εἰ καταβαίνει μνήμης ἕνεκα μικρόν τι. Καὶ οὐκέτι προσέθεντο. Λείπει, «τοῦ προφη τεύειν.» Οὐκέτι, φησὶ, προεφήτευσαν. Εἰς ἅπαξ γὰρ προφητεύουσιν, ἵνα μὴ ἐξισωθῶσι Μωσεῖ· ἀλλ' ὡς γνωσθῆναι ὅτι μετειλήφασι, καὶ πάντες ἅμα προφη τεύουσιν. Ἓν γὰρ ἐν Χριστῷ τὸ Πνεῦμα, καὶ μία διὰ πάντων ἡ ἐνέργεια. Καὶ ὁ λαὸς οὐκ ἐξῇρεν, ἕως ἐκαθαρίσθη Μαριάμ. Ἔμεινε δὲ ἡ σκηνὴ ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας ἐπὶ τὸν τόπον εἰς τιμὴν Μαρίας, ἵνα μὴ τοιαύτη οὖσα ἀκολουθῇ. Ἀπόστειλον σεαυτῷ ἄνδρας, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ἀποσταλῆναι κελεύει τινὰς, δεικνὺς ὅτι πλησιάζουσι μὲν τῇ Παλαιστίνῃ τῆς Αἰγύπτου τὸ τοῖς Ἑβραίοις ἑτοιμότερον παραστήσας· καὶ τὸ ἄπιστον ἐξελέγξας, τάφον μὲν τὴν ἔρημον ἀπονέμει, οἷς ὁ νοῦς ἀπέμεινε σκληρός· θάνατος γὰρ ἀσεβῶν, τῆς ἐν τῷ ζῇν πλά νης αἱρετώτερος. Καὶ ἐπωνόμασε Μωϋσῆς τὸν Αὐσὴ υἱὸν Ναυὴ, Ἰησοῦν. Ἐπισημαντέον ὅτι ὁ τοῦ Ναυὴ υἱὸς τύπος γέγονε τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὃς τὸν οἴκτιστον λαὸν πλανώμε νον ἐλευθερώσας, εἰς οὐρανὸν ἀνήγαγεν· οὐκ εἰς γῆν ἐσθίουσαν τοὺς ἐνοικοῦντας. Ἦ μὴν οὐκ ὄψονται τὴν γῆν, ἣν ὤμοσα τοῖς πατράσιν αὐτῶν. Παρατηρητέον ὅτι τῶν ἐκ τῆς γῆς Αἰγύπτου ἐξελθόντων εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὴν γῆν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τινές· οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς τοῦτο ἀπηγόρευ σεν· ἀλλὰ μόνους τοὺς εἰκοστοέτεις καὶ ἐπάνω τῶν ἐξελθόντων ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου μοσχοποιήσαντας ἀνεῖ λεν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ· φειδόμενος συγγενοῦς τῆς νεότητος αὐτοῖς, οἷς ὁ τῆς ζωῆς χρόνος οὔπω εἰκοστοέτης ἦν, καὶ πολλῷ μᾶλλον τοῖς βρέφεσι, καὶ παιδίοις, ἕως τῆς ἐφήβου ἡλικίας. 12.577 Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Τοῦτο τύπος τῆς ἀληθείας. «Ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ στραφῆτε καὶ γένησθε ὡς τὰ παιδία, οὐ μὴ εἰσ έλθητε εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν.» Ἀνέλεσθε τὰ πυρεῖα τὰ χαλκᾶ. Ὥσπερ ὁ χαλ- κοῦς ὄφις σημεῖον τῆς ἀπιστίας αὐτῶν, οὕτω καὶ τὰ πυρεῖα τῶν περὶ Κορὲ καὶ ∆αθὰν καὶ Ἀβειρὼν πε ρίθεμα ὄντα τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ. Καὶ τοῖς υἱοῖς Λευῒ ἰδοὺ δέδωκα πᾶν ἐπιδέκα τον ἐν Ἰσραήλ. Εἰκότως ἀπονενέμηνται τοῖς ἱερεῦ σιν αἱ ἀπαρχαὶ, ἐπείπερ οὐ κληρονομεῖ ἡ Λευῒ φυ λὴ, οὐδὲ κλῆρον λαμβάνει ὡς αἱ λοιπαί. Τοῦτο πρόξενον τῆς ἀκτημοσύνης τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ὁ κλῆρος τοῦ τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ συμμερίζεσθαι. ∆εκάτας ἐδίδου ὁ λαὸς τοῖς Λευίταις, καὶ οἱ Λευῖται τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν. Μὴ ἐκ τῆς πέτρας ταύτης ἐξάξομεν ὑμῖν ὕδωρ; Ὁ Μωϋσῆς, μὴ δοξάσας τὸν Θεὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ λαοῦ, ἐκω λύθη παρελθεῖν μετ' αὐτοῦ. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ ὃν ἐτίμων ζῶντα, ἐν Θεοῦ θεραπείαις τιμήσωσιν ἀπελθόντα, ἀφανῆ τὸν τόπον [ἴς. τάφον] πεποίηκεν. Νῦν ἐκλείξει ἡ συναγωγὴ αὕτη πάντας τοὺς κύκλῳ ἡμῶν. Τοῦτο παράδειγμα ἔλαβεν· ὥσπερ ὁ μόσχος ἐν τῷ στόματι τὰ χλωρὰ, οὕτω καὶ ὁ ἅγιος λαὸς τοῖς χείλεσι στρατευόμενος ἐν τοῖς στόμασιν ἔχει τὰ ὅπλα διὰ τῶν εὐχῶν. Καὶ τοῦτο εἰδὼς ὁ Βα λὰκ ἐν τοῖς προτέροις πολέμοις ἐναργῶς γινόμενον, βούλεται καὶ αὐτὸς τοῖς διὰ χειλέων ὅπλοις στρα τεύεσθαι· καὶ καλεῖ τὸν Βαλαὰμ τὸν ἔχοντα τὰ ὅπλα τῆς ἐναντίας δυνάμεως ἐν τοῖς χείλεσι τὰς ἀράς. Οἱ γὰρ ἅγιοι ἄγγελοι συμπράττουσι τοῖς δικαίοις εἰς τὰ σωτήρια, καὶ ἀγαθὰ ἔργα, καὶ οἱ πονηροὶ δαί μονες τοῖς ἀσεβέσιν ἁμαρτωλοῖς ἀνθρώποις εἰς τὰ πονηρὰ καὶ βλαβερὰ τῆς σωτηρίας τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἔργα. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἅγιοι στρατεύονται λόγοις εὐχῶν, οἱ δὲ ἀσεβεῖς καὶ ἁμαρτωλοὶ λόγοις μαγειῶν. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἡ κατ' αἴσθησιν τῶν πραγμάτων ἱστορία μεγάλης ὠφελείας πεπλήρωται. Ἐκ δὲ τῆς