Exhortation to Martyrdom 49
Summary: Persecution tests whether the word fell on rocky ground or good soil; those who endure bear fruit a hundredfold and should despise the cares and riches of this world.
Greek text · Koetschau 1:44–46
Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπεὶ „ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων τοῦ σπείρειν, “ δείξωμεν ὅτι ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν ἔλαβε „τὸν σπόρον αὐτοῦ.“ οὔθʼ ὡς οἱ „παρὰ τὴν ὁδὸν“ οὔθʼ ὡς „τὰ πετρώδη“ οὔθʼ ὡς „αἱ ἄκανθαι“ ἀλλʼ ὡς ἡ ἀγαθὴ γῆ. ὅτι μὲν οὖν οὔτε „παρὰ τὴν ὁδὸν“ οὔτε „ἐπὶ τὰς ἀκάνθας“ ἦλθεν ὁ λόγος τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, τὸ ὅσον ἐφʼ ἡμῖν ἐν κυρίῳ καυχησόμεθα. συνήκαμεν γὰρ τῶν λεγομένων· διόπερ „ὁ πονηρὸς“ οὐχ ἥρπασε „τὸ ἐσπαρμένον ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ“ ἡμῶν. ὅτι δὲ οὐδὲ „ἐπὶ τὰς ἀκάνθας“ ἐσπάρη, πολλοὶ ἡμῖν μαρτυρήσουσι θεωροῦντες ὅτι οὔτε „ἡ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου μέριμνα“ οὔτε „ἡ τοῦ πλούτου ἀπάτη“ οὔτε αἱ τοῦ βίου ἡδοναὶ δεδύνηνται ἐμποδίσαι τῷ ἐν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἡμῶν λόγῳ τοῦ θεοῦ. λοιπόν ἐστι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀμφιβάλλειν, πότερον „ἐπὶ τὰ πετρώδη“ ἢ „ἐπὶ τὴν καλὴν γῆν“ ἦλθε τὸ ὅσον ἐφʼ ἡμῖν ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος. γέγονε γὰρ θλῖψις καὶ διωγμὸς διὰ τὸν λόγον, καὶ ἐνέστη καιρὸς μεγάλου πειρασμοῦ, ὅτε ὁ μὲν „ἐπὶ τὰ πετρώδη σπαρεὶς“ ἐλέγχεται καὶ οἱ μὴ ἐμβαθύναντες μηδὲ μέχρι τοῦ βάθους τῆς ψυχῆς παραδεξάμενοι τὸν Ἰησοῦν· ὁ δὲ „συνιεὶς τὸν λόγον“ „καρποφορεῖ“ καὶ κατέχει τὸν λόγον μέχρι τέλους „ἐν ὑπομονῇ“ ποιῶν „ἑκατονταπλασίονα.“ ἀκούομεν γὰρ, τίνα τρόπον ἡ γραφὴ παριστᾶσα τοὺς μὲν ἐν καιρῷ „θλίψεως ἢ διωγμοῦ“ σκανδαλιζομένους μετὰ τὸ ἐν χαρᾷ δοκεῖν παρειληφέναι τὰ ἅγια μαθήματα καὶ σκανδαλιζομένους τῷ μὴ ἔχειν αὐτοὺς ῥίζαν ἀλλὰ πρὸς καιρὸν πιστεύειν φησὶ κατὰ μὲν τὸν Ματθαῖον· „ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ τὰ πετρώδη σπαρεὶς, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τὸν λόγον ἀκούων καὶ εὐθέως μετὰ χαρᾶς λαμβάνων αὐτόν· οὐκ ἔχει δὲ ῥίζαν ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἀλλὰ πρόσκαιρός ἐστι, γενομένης δὲ θλίψεως ἢ διωγμοῦ διὰ τὸν λόγον εὐθὺς σκανδαλίζεται·“ κατὰ δὲ τὸν Μάρκον· „οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ ἐπὶ τὰ πετρώδη σπειρόμενοι, οἳ ὅταν ἀκούσωσι τὸν λόγον εὐθέως μετὰ χαρᾶς λαμβάνουσι, καὶ οὐκ ἔχουσι ῥίζαν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἀλλὰ πρόσκαιροί εἰσιν, ἐπὰν γενομένης θλίψεως ἢ διωγμοῦ διὰ τὸν λόγον εὐθέως σκανδαλίζωνται·“ κατὰ δὲ τὸν Λουκᾶν· „οἱ δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν, οἳ ὅταν ἀκούσωσι μετὰ χαρᾶς δέχονται τὸν λόγον, καὶ οὗτοι ῥίζαν οὐκ ἔχουσιν, οἳ πρὸς καιρὸν πιστεύουσι καὶ ἐν καιρῷ πειρασμοῦ ἀφίστανται·“ περὶ δὲ τῶν καλῶς καρποφορούντων διδάσκουσα λέγει· „ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν καλὴν γῆν σπαρεὶς, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τὸν λόγον ἀκούων καὶ συνιεὶς, ὃς δὴ καρποφορεῖ καὶ ποιεῖ ὁ μὲν ἑκατὸν, ὁ δὲ ἑξήκοντα, ὁ δὲ τριάκοντα, “ ἤ· „καὶ ἐκεῖνοί εἰσιν οἱ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν τὴν καλὴν σπαρέντες, οἵτινες ἀκούουσι τὸν λόγον καὶ ἀποδέχονται καὶ καρποφοροῦσιν ἐν τριάκοντα καὶ ἐν ἑξήκοντα καὶ ἐν ἑκατὸν, “ ἤ· „τὸ δὲ εἰς τὴν καλὴν γῆν, οὗτοί εἰσιν οἵτινες ἐν καρδίᾳ καλῇ καὶ ἀγαθῇ ἀκούσαντες τὸν λόγον κατέχουσι καὶ καρποφοροῦσιν ἐν ὑπομονῇ.“ κατὰ τὸν ἀπόστολον οὖν ἐπεὶ „θεοῦ γεώργιον, θεοῦ οἰκοδομή ἐστε, “ „γεώργιον“ μὲν ἐν τῇ ἀγαθῇ γῇ, „οἰκοδομὴ“ δὲ ἐν τῇ πέτρᾳ· ὡς „οἰκοδομὴ θεοῦ“ στῶμεν ἄσειστοι πρὸς τὸν χειμῶνα καὶ ὡς „θεοῦ γεώργιον“ μηδὲ τοῦ πονηροῦ φροντίζωμεν μήτε „θλίψεως ἢ διωγμοῦ“ τῶν „διὰ τὸν λόγον“ γινομένων μήτε τῆς τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου μερίμνης ἢ τῆς ἀπάτης τοῦ πλούτου ἢ „τῶν τοῦ βίου ἡδονῶν, “ ἀλλὰ πάντων τούτων καταφρονοῦντες τὸ ἀμέριμνον τῆς σοφίας πνεῦμα ἀναλάβωμεν καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν μηδαμῶς ἔχοντα ἀπάτην πλοῦτον σπεύδωμεν καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς, ἵνʼ οὕτως ὀνομάσω, ἡδονὰς „τοῦ παραδείσου τῆς τρυφῆς“ ἐπειγώμεθα, καθʼ ἕκαστον τῶν ἐπιπόνων λογιζόμενοι ὅτι „τὸ παραυτίκα ἐλαφρὸν τῆς θλίψεως ἡμῶν καθʼ ὑπερβολὴν εἰς ὑπερβολὴν αἰώνιον βάρος δόξης κατεργάζεται ἡμῖν, σκοπούντων ἡμῶν οὐ τὰ βλεπόμενα ἀλλὰ τὰ μὴ βλεπόμενα.“
English · Claude translation
And since “the sower went out to sow,” let us show that our soul has received “his seed,” not as those “by the wayside,” nor as “the rocky places,” nor as “the thorns,” but as the good ground. That the word of Jesus did not fall “by the wayside” or “among the thorns,” so far as it depends on us, we shall boast in the Lord. For we have understood what was said; therefore “the evil one” has not snatched away “what was sown in our heart.” And that it was not sown “among the thorns,” many will bear witness for us, seeing that neither “the care of this age” nor “the deceitfulness of riches” nor the pleasures of life have been able to hinder the word of God in our souls. It remains for people to be in doubt whether the word of God came, as far as depends on us, “on the rocky places” or “on the good ground.” For affliction and persecution have arisen on account of the word, and a time of great temptation has come, when the one “sown on the rocky places” is exposed, and those who did not go deep, nor receive Jesus to the depth of the soul; while the one “who understands the word” “bears fruit,” and holds fast the word to the end, producing “a hundredfold” “in endurance.” For we hear how Scripture, presenting those who in time of “affliction or persecution” fall away after seeming to have received the holy teachings with joy, and who fall away because they have no root but believe for a time, says according to Matthew: “As for what was sown on the rocky places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when affliction or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away”; and according to Mark: “And these are the ones sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy, and they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when affliction or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away”; and according to Luke: “And those on the rock are the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.” And teaching about those who bear good fruit, it says: “As for what was sown on good ground, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit and yields, one a hundredfold, one sixty, one thirty”; or, “And those are the ones sown on the good ground, who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold”; or, “As for that on the good ground, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with endurance.” Since, then, according to the apostle, “you are God's field, God's building”—a “field” on the good ground, a “building” on the rock—let us stand unshaken against the storm as “God's building,” and as “God's field” let us give no thought to the evil one, nor to the “affliction or persecution” that arise “on account of the word,” nor to the care of this age or the deceitfulness of riches or “the pleasures of life”; but despising all these, let us take up the spirit of wisdom that is free from care, and hasten to the riches that have no deceit in them, and press on to the pleasures, if I may so call them, “of the paradise of delight,” reckoning in each of our toils that “the momentary lightness of our affliction works for us beyond all measure an eternal weight of glory, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are not seen.”
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are the parable of the sower and its explanation in Matt 13:3–8, 18–23, Mark 4:16–17, 20, and Luke 8:13–15; 1 Cor 3:9; Gen 3:23 (LXX, “paradise of delight”); and 2 Cor 4:17–18.
Cite this passage
Origen, Mart. 49 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-exhortatio/49/).
Plain text
Origen, Mart. 49 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-exhortatio/49/).
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