On Prayer 10.2
Summary: The one who prays rightly shares in the Word of God, the high priest and advocate who prays with those who pray; Jesus' parables urge us to pray always and without shame.
Greek text · Koetschau 2:320–321
ὁ τοίνυν οὕτως εὐχόμενος τοσαῦτα προωφεληθεὶς ἐπιτηδειότερος γίνεται ἀνακραθῆναι τῷ πεπληρωκότι τὴν πᾶσαν οἰκουμένην τοῦ κυρίου πνεύματι καὶ τῷ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν πεπληρωκότι, διὰ τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντι οὕτως· „οὐχὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν ἐγὼ πληρῶ; λέγει κύριος“· ἔτι δὲ διά τε τῆς προειρημένης καθαρεύσεως καὶ τῆς εὐχῆς τοῦ μέσον καὶ τῶν μὴ γινωσκόντων αὐτὸν ἑστηκότος λόγου θεοῦ, οὐδενὸς ἀπολειπομένου τῆς εὐχῆς, μεθέξει, συνευχομένου πρὸς τὸν πατέρα τῷ ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ μεσιτευομένῳ. „ἀρχιερεὺς“ γὰρ τῶν προσφορῶν ἡμῶν καὶ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα „παράκλητός“ ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, εὐχόμενος ὑπὲρ τῶν εὐχομένων καὶ συμπαρακαλῶν τοῖς παρακαλοῦσιν, οὐκ ἂν ὡς ὑπὲρ οἰκείων εὐξόμενος τῶν μὴ διʼ αὐτοῦ συνεχέστερον εὐχομένων οὐδʼ ἂν ὡς ὑπὲρ ἤδη ἰδίων „παράκλητος“ ἐσόμενος πρὸς τὸν θεὸν τῶν μὴ πειθομένων ταῖς εἰς· „τὸ δεῖν πάντοτε προσεύχεσθαι καὶ μὴ ἐκκακεῖν“ διδασκαλίαις. „ἔλεγε γὰρ, “ φησὶ, „παραβολὴν πρὸς τὸ δεῖν πάντοτε προσεύχεσθαι καὶ μὴ ἐκκακεῖν· κριτής τις ἦν ἔν τινι πόλει“ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· καὶ ἐν τοῖς πρὸ τούτων· „καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτούς· τίς ἐξ ὑμῶν ἕξει φίλον, καὶ πορεύσεται πρὸς αὐτὸν μεσονύκτιον καὶ εἴπῃ αὐτῷ· φίλε, χρῆσόν μοι τρεῖς ἄρτους, ἐπειδὴ φίλος μου παρεγένετο ἐξ ὁδοῦ πρός με, καὶ οὐκ ἔχω ὅ παραθήσω αὐτῷ“· καὶ μετʼ ὀλίγα· „λέγω ὑμῖν, εἰ καὶ οὐ δώσει αὐτῷ ἀναστὰς διὰ τὸ εἶναι φίλον αὐτοῦ, διά γε τὴν ἀναίδειαν αὐτοῦ ἐγερθεὶς δώσει αὐτῷ ὅσων χρῄζει.“ τίς δὲ μὴ προτραπῇ τῶν τῷ ἀψευδεῖ στόματι πιστευόντων Ἰησοῦ ἀόκνως εὔχεσθαι, λέγοντος· „αἰτεῖτε, καὶ δοθήσεται ὑμῖν“· „πᾶς γὰρ ὁ αἰτῶν λαμβάνει“; ἐπεὶ ὁ χρηστὸς πατὴρ τὸν ζῶντα ἄρτον αἰτούντων ἡμῶν αὐτὸν (οὐχ ὃν βούλεται λίθον τροφὴν γενέσθαι τῷ Ἰησοῦ καὶ τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ ὁ ἀντικείμενος) δίδωσι τοῖς τὸ „πνεῦμα τῆς υἱοθεσίας“ εἰληφόσιν ἀπὸ τοῦ πατρός· καὶ δίδωσιν „ὁ πατὴρ“ „τὸ ἀγαθὸν δόμα“ ὕων „ἐξ οὐρανοῦ“ „τοῖς αἰτοῦσιν αὐτόν.“
English · Claude translation
One who prays in this way, having already received so many benefits, becomes more fit to be blended with the Spirit of the Lord who has filled the whole world, and with him who has filled the whole earth and heaven, who speaks through the prophet thus: “Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the Lord.” And further, through the purification spoken of above and through prayer, he will share in the Word of God, who stands in the midst even of those who do not know him, and who is never absent from prayer, but prays with the one whose mediator he is, to the Father. For the Son of God is “high priest” of our offerings and “advocate” with the Father, praying for those who pray and joining his appeal to those who appeal; but he would not pray, as for his own, for those who do not pray more constantly through him, nor will he be an “advocate” with God, as for those already his, for those who do not obey the teachings that “one ought always to pray and not lose heart.” For “he told them,” it says, “a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart: In a certain city there was a judge,” and so on. And in what precedes this: “And he said to them, Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him”; and a little after: “I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his shamelessness he will rise and give him whatever he needs.” And who among those who believe the truthful mouth of Jesus would not be moved to pray without hesitation, when he says, “Ask, and it will be given you,” “for everyone who asks receives”? For the good Father gives the living bread (not the stone that the adversary wishes to become food for Jesus and his disciples) to those of us who ask him, who have received “the spirit of adoption” from the Father; and “the Father” gives “the good gift,” raining it “from heaven,” “to those who ask him.”
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations and allusions are Wis 1:7, Jer 23:24, John 1:26, Heb 3:1 (compare Heb 4:14), 1 John 2:1, Luke 18:1–2, Luke 11:5–10, Matt 4:3, John 6:51, Rom 8:15, Matt 7:9–11 (Luke 11:11–13), Jas 1:17, and John 6:32 (bread “from heaven”). Origen elsewhere teaches that prayer is addressed to the Father through the Son (see chapter 15).
Cite this passage
Origen, Or. 10.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/10/2/).
Plain text
Origen, Or. 10.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/10/2/).
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