Exhortation to Martyrdom 40
Summary: Denial sets a table for demons and cuts one off from the Lord's table and cup; whoever denies the Son loses the Father, but whoever confesses has him.
Greek text · Koetschau 1:37–38
Εἰ δέ τις ἐνδοὺς ἀπὸ πολλῆς φιλοζωΐας ἢ τῆς πρὸς τοὺς πόνους μαλακίας ἢ τῶν νομιζομένων πιθανῶς προσάγεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἀναπειθόντων ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τὰ χείρονα ἀρνήσαιτο μὲν τὸ εἶναι ἕνα θεὸν καὶ τὸν Χριστὸν αὐτοῦ ὁμολογήσαι δὲ δαιμόνια ἢ τύχας, ἴστω ὁ τοιοῦτος ἑτοιμάζων „τῷ δαιμονίῳ τράπεζαν“ καὶ πληρῶν „τῇ τύχῃ κέρασμα“, ἐγκαταλιπὼν κύριον καὶ ἐπιλανθανόμενος τοῦ ὄρους τοῦ ἁγίου αὐτοῦ, τούτοις τοῖς ἐλέγχοις ὑποκεισόμενος, ὡς ὁ Ἡσαΐας ἀνέγραψε τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον· „ὑμεῖς δὲ οἱ ἐγκαταλιπόντες με καὶ ἐπιλανθανόμενοι τὸ ὄρος τὸ ἅγιόν μου καὶ ἑτοιμάζοντες τῷ δαιμονίῳ τράπεζαν καὶ πληροῦντες τῇ τύχῃ κέρασμα, ἐγὼ παραδώσω ὑμᾶς εἰς μάχαιραν, πάντες ἐν σφαγῇ πεσεῖσθε· ὅτι ἐκάλεσα ὑμᾶς καὶ οὐχ ὑπηκούσατε, ἐλάλησα καὶ παρηκούσατε καὶ ἐποιήσατε τὸ πονηρὸν ἐναντίον ἐμοῦ καὶ ἃ οὐκ ἐβουλόμην ἐξελέξασθε. διὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει κύριος· ἰδοὺ οἱ δουλεύοντές μοι φάγονται, ὑμεῖς δὲ πεινάσετε, ἰδοὺ οἱ δουλεύοντές μοι πίονται, ὑμεῖς δὲ διψήσετε, ἰδοὺ οἱ δουλεύοντές μοι εὐφρανθήσονται, ὑμεῖς δὲ αἰσχυνθήσεσθε, ἰδοὺ οἱ δουλεύοντές μοι ἀγαλλιάσονται ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ, ὑμεῖς δὲ κεκράξεσθε διὰ τὸν πόνον τῆς καρδίας καὶ ἀπὸ συντριβῆς πνεύματος ὀλολύξετε. καταλείψετε γὰρ τὸ ὄνομά μου εἰς πλησμονὴν τοῖς ἐκλεκτοῖς μου, ὑμᾶς δὲ ἀνελεῖ κύριος“. ἀλλὰ καὶ εἴπερ νοοῦντες, τίς ἡ τοῦ κυρίου τράπεζα, μετέχειν αὐτῆς βουλοίμεθα, γινώσκωμεν τό· „οὐ δύνασθε κυρίου τραπέζης μετέχειν καὶ τραπέζης δαιμονίων“. ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰ θέλομεν συνιέντες, τί ἐστι τό· „οὐ μὴ πίω ἀπʼ ἄρτι ἐκ τοῦ γενήματος τῆς ἀμπέλου ταύτης ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης, ἕως αὐτὸ πίνω καινὸν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν“, μετὰ τῶν πινόντων σὺν τῷ Ἰησοῦ εὑρεθῆναι, προσέχωμεν τῷ· „οὐ δύνασθε ποτήριον κυρίου πίνειν καὶ ποτήριον δαιμονίων“. τίς δὲ ἀκούσας τοῦ τῆς βροντῆς υἱοῦ Ἰωάννου λέγοντος· „ὁ ἀρνούμενος τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὸν υἱὸν, πᾶς ὁ ἀρνούμενος τὸν υἱὸν οὐδὲ τὸν πατέρα ἔχει· ὁ ὁμολογῶν τὸν υἱὸν καὶ τὸν πατέρα ἔχει“ οὐ φοβηθήσεται διὰ τοῦ λέγειν μὴ εἶναι Χριστιανὸς ἀρνήσασθαι τὸν υἱὸν, ἐν τῷ ἀρνεῖσθαι αὐτὸν οὐχ ἕξων τὸν πατέρα; καὶ τίς οὐκ ἂν προτραπείη ὁμολογεῖν τὸ εἶναι Χριστιανὸς ἔργοις καὶ λόγοις, ἵνα καὶ τὸν πατέρα ἔχῃ; οἱ γὰρ ὁμολογοῦντες ἔχουσι τὸν πατέρα.
English · Claude translation
But if someone, giving way through great love of life, or softness toward pain, or what are thought the plausible arguments brought by those who try to persuade us to the worse course, should deny that there is one God and his Christ, and confess demons or fortunes, let such a one know that he is preparing “a table for the demon” and filling “a mixed cup for Fortune,” having forsaken the Lord and forgotten his holy mountain, and that he will be subject to these reproofs, as Isaiah recorded in this way: “But you who have forsaken me and forget my holy mountain and prepare a table for the demon and fill a mixed cup for Fortune, I will deliver you to the sword; you shall all fall in slaughter; because I called and you did not answer, I spoke and you did not listen, and you did evil before me and chose what I did not wish. Therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, my servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; behold, my servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; behold, my servants shall be glad, but you shall be ashamed; behold, my servants shall rejoice in gladness, but you shall cry out for pain of heart and wail for anguish of spirit. For you shall leave your name for a satiety to my chosen, but the Lord will destroy you.” But if, understanding what the Lord's table is, we wish to share in it, let us know this: “You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.” And if, understanding what is meant by “I will not drink from now on of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of heaven,” we wish to be found among those who drink with Jesus, let us attend to this: “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons.” And who, hearing John, the son of thunder, say, “He who denies the Father and the Son—everyone who denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who confesses the Son has the Father also,” will not be afraid of denying the Son by saying that he is not a Christian, since in denying him he will not have the Father? And who would not be moved to confess by deeds and words that he is a Christian, so that he may also have the Father? For those who confess have the Father.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are Isa 65:11–15 (LXX; “Fortune,” τύχη, is the LXX rendering), 1 Cor 10:21, Matt 26:29, and 1 John 2:22–23; “son of thunder” is from Mark 3:17. The references to the Lord's table and cup allude to the Eucharist. The digital text doubles two words in the Isaiah quotation (“λέγει λέγει κύριος κύριος”), corrected to the LXX wording.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (repeated words in the digital text (LXX Isa 65:13 reads τάδε λέγει κύριος)): τάδε λέγει λέγει κύριος κύριος → τάδε λέγει κύριος.
Cite this passage
Origen, Mart. 40 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-exhortatio/40/).
Plain text
Origen, Mart. 40 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-exhortatio/40/).
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