Reference address : https://ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/fathers/origen/matthew-commentary.asp?pg=23

ELPENOR - Home of the Greek Word

Three Millennia of Greek Literature
ORIGEN HOME PAGE  

Origen, COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW Complete

Translated by John Patrick.

Origen Resources OnLine & in Print

ELPENOR EDITIONS IN PRINT

The Original Greek New Testament

128 Pages


Page 23

And it is very specially the characteristic of ignorant men, who are unskilled in figurative interpretation and do not understand what is concerned with the mystical [5225] exposition of the Scriptures, but believe the bare letter, and, vindicate it, that they call themselves scribes. And so one will interpret the words, "Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites," [5226] as having been said to every one that knows nothing but the letter. Here you will inquire if the scribe of the Gospel be as the scribe of the law, and if the former deals with the Gospel, as the latter with the law, reading and hearing and telling "those things which contain an allegory," [5227] so as, while preserving the historic truth of the events, to understand the unerring principle of mystic interpretation applied to things spiritual, so that the things learned may not be "spiritual things whose characteristic is wickedness," [5228] but may be entirely opposite to such, namely, spiritual things whose characteristic is goodness. And one is a scribe "made a disciple to the kingdom of heaven" in the simpler sense, when he comes from Judaism and receives the teaching of Jesus Christ as defined by the Church; but he is a scribe in a deeper sense, when having received elementary knowledge through the letter of the Scriptures he ascends to things spiritual, which are called the kingdom of the heavens. And according as each thought is attained, and grasped abstractly [5229] and proved by example and absolute demonstration, can one understand the kingdom of heaven, so that he who abounds in knowledge free from error is in the kingdom of the multitude of what are here represented as "heavens."

[5225] Or, anagogical.

[5226] Matt. xxiii. 13.

[5227] Gal. iv. 24.

[5228] Eph. vi. 12.

[5229] Or, in an exalted sense.
Previous Page / First / Next Page of Origen - COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Origen Home Page ||| More Church Fathers

Elpenor's Free Greek Lessons
Three Millennia of Greek Literature

 

Greek Literature - Ancient, Medieval, Modern

Origen Home Page   Origen in Print

Elpenor's Greek Forum : Post a question / Start a discussion

Learned Freeware

Reference address : https://ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/fathers/origen/matthew-commentary.asp?pg=23