PG 17 · cols. 288–288

Origenis fragmenta in Ezechielem

Editors' preface

ORIGENIS FRAGMENTA IN EZECHIELEM.

FRAGMENTS OF ORIGEN ON EZEKIEL.

(MAI, Bibl. nova Patrum, VII, II, Præf. p. v [1].)

(Mai, Bibliotheca nova Patrum, vol. VII, part II, Preface, p. v (1).)

1. Cod. f. 221 a. Cap. XXX. 25. Βραχίονές εἰσι Φαραὼ ἡ κακία ἐν πράξει ἁμαρτίας, καὶ ἐν δόγμασιν ἀσεβείας τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκός· οὓς βραχίονας ὁ Θεὸς συντρίβει ὡς ἀγαθός· ὁ Φαραὼ τοῦ διαβόλου ἐστὶ σύμβολον τοῦ ἄρχοντος τῆς ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἁμαρτίας.—Συντρίβει ὁ Κύριος τὸν βραχίονα τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν, ἵνα μὴ δύνωνται ἐπιλαβέσθαι μαχαίρας.

1. Cod. fol. 221a. Chapter XXX, 25 (Ezek. 30:25). The arms of Pharaoh are wickedness in the act of sin, and in doctrines of impiety the mind of the flesh; which arms God crushes as good; Pharaoh is a symbol of the devil, the ruler of sin among men.—The Lord crushes the arm of sinners (Ps. 36:17), that they may not be able to take hold of a sword (Ezek. 30:21–25).

2. Cod. f. 222 a. XXXII. 6. Καὶ τοῦτο ἐν τοῖς μάλιστα τὴν ἀλληγορίαν δείκνυσι τῆς Γραφῆς· ὁ γοῦν Φαραὼ σωματικῶς οὐκ ἂν ἀπὸ τῶν προχωρημάτων αὐτοῦ ποτίσαι τὴν γῆν, ἀλλ' ἡ σκυβαλώδης ἔκκρισις τοῦ ἀντικειμένου ποτίζει τὰ γήϊνα.

2. Cod. fol. 222a. XXXII, 6 (Ezek. 32:6). And this especially shows the allegory of Scripture: for Pharaoh bodily could not water the land from his excrements, but the filthy excretion of the adversary waters earthly things.

3. Cod. f. 222 b. XXXII. 23. Ὁ Ἑβραῖος ἐν μήκει λάκκου ἔχει· τὸ γὰρ ἰαρὴχ κατὰ τὴν Ἑβραίων φωνὴν δασέως προφερόμενον, καὶ μηρὸν, καὶ μῆκος σημαίνει· τὸ δὲ αὐτῆς πρὸς τὴν συναγωγὴν ἔχει τὴν ἐπίδοσιν· λάκκον οὖν καλεῖ τῆς ταφῆς τὸ βάθος· μῆκος δὲ, τῆς ταφῆς τὴν ἔκτασιν.

3. Cod. fol. 222b. XXXII, 23 (Ezek. 32:23). The Hebrew has "in the length of the pit"; for yarekh in the Hebrew tongue, pronounced roughly, signifies both "thigh" and "length"; and the "her" refers to the congregation; therefore he calls the depth of the burial "pit," and the extension of the burial "length."

4. Cod. f. 232 b. XLIV. 1. Πολλὰς πύλας διαγράφει ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου Ἰεζεκιὴλ, καὶ περὶ ἑκάστης διηγήσατό τι· νῦν δὲ διηγεῖται τοῖς ἔχουσι ὦτα, περὶ τῆς πύλης τῶν ἁγίων τῆς βλεπούσης κατὰ ἀνατολάς· περὶ ἧς γέγραπται ὅτι ἡ πύλη αὕτη κεκλεισμένη ἔσται, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς.—Οὐ μόνον ὅτι Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ διέρχεται διὰ τῆς πύλης, κέκλεισται, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ ὁ ἡγούμενος κάθηται ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ πύλῃ τοῦ φαγεῖν ἔναντι Κυρίου κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν Αἰλὰμ, ὅπερ ἑρμηνεύεται πρόθυρον πύλης.—Πύλη ἐστὶ κεκλεισμένη, τὰ μυστήρια τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ ἀκατάκλειστα.—Ἡ γνῶσις κλεῖδα ἔχει, ὡς ὁ Κύριος λέγει τοῖς νομικοῖς· ἄρα πύλη ἐστὶ τοῖς μὲν ἀνθρώποις κεκλεισμένη· τὰ γὰρ ἔνδον της πύλης ἐστὶν ὃ ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδεν καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσε, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς.—Ὅμοιον δὲ τῆς πύλτς ταύτης ἔχει νοῦν καὶ τὸ γεγραμμένον ἐν τῷ Ἠσαΐᾳ βιβλίον ἐσφραγισμένον· τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο βιβλίον λευκοτέρως εὑρήσεις καὶ ἐν τῇ Ἀποκαλύψει Ἰωάννου, καὶ τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ γεγραμμένα· καὶ πῶς ἤνοιξεν ὁ ἐκ φυλῆς Ἰούδα ταῦτα καὶ μόνος· μέχρι γὰρ οὗ ἦλθεν ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστὸς, ἐκέκλειστο ὁ νόμος, ὁ λόγος ὁ προφητικός· καὶ κάλυμμα ἦν ἐπὶ τούτων ὁ λίθος τῆς πωρώσεως, ὃν ἀφεῖλεν ὁ Ἰακὼβ ἐκ τοῦ φρέατος· ἐν πολλοῖς γὰρ τόποις τὸν νοῦν τὸν περὶ τῆς πύλης ταύτης ἡ Γραφὴ ἤνοιξεν.

4. Cod. fol. 232b. XLIV, 1 (Ezek. 44:1–3). Many gates does the son of man Ezekiel describe, and concerning each he related something; and now he relates to those who have ears concerning the gate of the sanctuary that looks towards the east, concerning which it is written that this gate shall be shut, and so forth (Ezek. 44:2).—Not only because the Lord God of Israel passes through the gate is it shut, but also because the prince sits in that gate to eat before the Lord by the way of Aelam (Ezek. 44:3), which is interpreted "vestibule of the gate."—A shut gate is the mysteries of God that cannot be shut up.—Knowledge has a key, as the Lord says to the lawyers (Luke 11:52); therefore it is a gate shut to men; for the things within the gate are what eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and so forth (1 Cor. 2:9).—And the sealed book written in Isaiah (Isa. 29:11) also has a meaning like this gate; this very same book you will find more clearly also in the Apocalypse of John, and the things written concerning it, and how He of the tribe of Judah alone opened these things (Rev. 5:1–5); for until our Lord Jesus Christ came, the law and the prophetic word had been shut; and a veil upon them was the stone of hardening, which Jacob removed from the well (Gen. 29:10); for in many places Scripture has opened the meaning concerning this gate.

Editors' notes and page, col. 288

Footnotes

(1) ‹anchor: [1] in the source line under the full-width title across cols 287–288 (not set)› · call in col 288

Dixi inferius exstare in eodem cum Apollinari ad Ezechielem codice, certum fragmentorum Origenis numerum, quae Rnaeus in editione non habet. Reapse enim dicta editio t. III, p. 437, non ultra capitulum XXX, v. 6, procedit; ejusque ultimum fragmentum Μαγδωλά ἐστιν ἀρχὴ τῆς Αἰγύπτου, legitur in codice nostro f. 220, b. Ecce autem, praeterquam quod in praecedentibus quoque foliis partes aliquot erant Ruaeo incognitae, id est editis ab eo intermissae, post illam certe codicis paginam usque ad prophetae finem, fragmenta omnia, etsi perexigua, inedita sunt; quae hic transcribere, ne diutius lateant aut pereant, non pige[t].

I have said below that the same codex, the one that has Apollinaris on Ezekiel, contains a certain number of fragments of Origen which Ruaeus [Rnaeus as printed] does not have in his edition. For in fact that edition, vol. III, p. 437, goes no further than chapter XXX, v. 6; and its last fragment, "Magdola is the beginning of Egypt," is read in our codex at f. 220b. But see: besides the fact that in the preceding folios too some parts were unknown to Ruaeus, that is, left out of his edition, from that page of the codex at least to the end of the prophet all the fragments, very short though they are, are unpublished; and I am not reluctant to transcribe them here, so that they may not lie hidden any longer or perish.

(printed under page 154)

Origenis fragmenta in Ezechielem

Footnotes

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