On Prayer 2.1
Summary: Origen tells Ambrose and Tatiana that explaining prayer rightly is humanly impossible; even Paul confessed that we do not know how to pray as we ought.
Textual problem in this passage: the printed text is uncertain or disputed here. See the notes.
Greek text · Koetschau 2:298–299
Ἀλλʼ εἰκὸς, Ἀμβρόσιε θεοσεβέστατε καὶ φιλοπονώτατε καὶ Τατιανὴ κοσμιωτάτη καὶ ἀνδρειοτάτη (ἀφʼ ἧς ἐκλελοιπέναι „τὰ γυναικεῖα“ ὃν τρόπον ἐκλελοίπει τῇ Σάῤῥᾳ ἤδη εὔχομαι), ὑμᾶς ἀπορεῖν τί δή ποτε, περὶ εὐχῆς προκειμένου ἡμῖν τοῦ λόγου, ταῦτα ἐν προοιμίοις περὶ τῶν ἀδυνάτων ἀνθρώποις δυνατῶν χάριτι θεοῦ γινομένων εἴρηται. ἓν τῶν ἀδυνάτων ὅσον ἐπὶ τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ ἡμῶν πείθομαι τυγχάνειν τρανῶσαι τὸν περὶ τῆς εὐχῆς ἀκριβῶς καὶ θεοπρεπῶς πάντα λόγον καὶ τὸν περὶ τοῦ, τίνα τρόπον εὔχεσθαι δεῖ, καὶ τίνα ἐπὶ τῆς εὐχῆς λέγειν πρὸς θεὸν. καὶ ποῖοι καιροὶ ποίων καιρῶν πρὸς τὴν εὐχήν εἰσιν ἐπιτηδειότεροι.................. τὸν διὰ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν „τῶν ἀποκαλύψεων“ εὐλαβούμενον, „μή τις“ εἰς αὐτὸν „λογίσηται ὑπὲρ ὃ βλέπει“ „ἢ ἀκούει ἐξ“ αὐτοῦ, ὁμολογεῖν „καθὸ δεῖ“ προσεύχεσθαι μὴ εἰδέναι· ὃ γὰρ δεῖ προσεύξασθαι, φησὶ, „καθὸ δεῖ οὐκ οἴδαμεν.“ ἀναγκαῖον δὲ οὐ τὸ προσεύχεσθαι μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ προσεύχεσθαι „καθὸ δεῖ“ καὶ προσεύχεσθαι ὃ δεῖ. ἵνα γὰρ καὶ ὃ δεῖ προσεύχεσθαι δυνηθῶμεν καταλαβεῖν, ἐλλιπές ἐστι τοῦτο, ἐὰν μὴ καὶ τὸ „καθὸ δεῖ“ προσλάβωμεν. τί δὲ ἡμῖν ὄφελος τοῦ „καθὸ δεῖ, “ μὴ εἰδόσιν εὔχεσθαι ὃ δεῖ;
English · Claude translation
But it is likely, most God-fearing and most industrious Ambrose, and most modest and most courageous Tatiana (from whom I pray that “the ways of women” have already ceased, as they had ceased for Sarah), that you are wondering why, when our subject is prayer, these things were said in the preface about things impossible for men becoming possible by the grace of God. I am persuaded that one of the things impossible, as far as our weakness goes, is to set out clearly, accurately, and in a manner worthy of God, the whole account of prayer: how one ought to pray, what one ought to say to God in prayer, and which times are more suitable than others for prayer … the one who, because of the surpassing greatness “of the revelations,” took care “that no one” should “think of” him “more than he sees” “or hears from” him, confesses that he does not know how to pray “as we ought”; for what we ought to pray, he says, “as we ought, we do not know.” And it is necessary not only to pray, but to pray “as we ought,” and to pray for what we ought. For even if we are able to grasp what we ought to pray for, this is deficient unless we add also “as we ought.” And what use to us is “as we ought,” if we do not know how to pray for what we ought?
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are Gen 18:11 (applied figuratively: Origen prays that Tatiana may be free of womanly weakness, as Sarah was past the age of childbearing), 2 Cor 12:6–7, and Rom 8:26. Tatiana was probably Ambrose's wife or sister. The manuscript has a gap after the list of questions (marked “…”).
Cite this passage
Origen, Or. 2.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/2/1/).
Plain text
Origen, Or. 2.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/2/1/).
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