Sophia Scriptura

On Prayer 2.3

Origen · On Prayer · ca. 233–234 · Caesarea · Read in context

Summary: Paul confessed he did not know how to pray as he ought, but the Spirit intercedes for the saints with groanings too deep for words.

Greek text · Koetschau 2:300–301

ἀλλὰ ταῦτα πάντα ἐπιστάμενος Παῦλος καὶ τούτων πολλαπλασίονα ἀπὸ νόμου καὶ προφητῶν τοῦ τε εὐαγγελικοῦ πληρώματος παραθέσθαι δυνάμενος μετὰ ποικιλότητος τῆς εἰς ἕκαστον διηγήσεως, ἀπὸ διαθέσεως οὐ μετριαζούσης μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀληθευούσης φησίν (ὁρῶν δὲ καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα πάντα ὅσον ἀπολείπεται τοῦ εἰδέναι προσεύξασθαι τί δεῖ „καθὸ δεῖ“)· τὸ δὲ ὅ τι προσεύξασθαι δεῖ „καθὸ δεῖ οὐκ οἴδαμεν“· καὶ τοῦτο τῷ λόγῳ προστίθησιν. ὅθεν ἀναπληροῦται τὸ ἐλλεῖπον τῷ μὴ εἰδότι μὲν ἑαυτὸν δὲ ἄξιον τοῦ ἀναπληρωθῆναι ἐν αὐτῷ τὸ ἐλλεῖπον παρασκευάσαντι. λέγει γὰρ ὅτι αὐτὸ τὸ πνεῦμα στεναγμοῖς ἀλαλήτοις ὑπερεντυγχάνει τῷ θεῷ· ὁ δὲ ἐρευνῶν τὰς καρδίας οἶδε τί τὸ φρόνημα τοῦ πνεύματος, ὅτι κατὰ θεὸν ἐντυγχάνει ὑπὲρ ἁγίων.“ τὸ δὲ ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις τῶν μακαρίων κρᾶζον „ἀββὰ ὁ πατὴρ“ „πνεῦμα.“ ἐπιστάμενον ἐπιμελῶς τοὺς ἐν τῷ σκήνει στεναγμοὺς. ἀξίους τυγχάνοντας εἰς τὸ βαρῦναι τοὺς πεπτωκότας ἢ παραβεβηκότας, „στεναγμοῖς ἀλαλήτοις ὑπερεντυγχάνει τῷ θεῷ.“ τοὺς ἡμετέρους διὰ τὴν πολλὴν φιλανθρωπίαν καὶ συμπάθειαν ἀναδεχόμενον στεναγμούς· κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἐν αὐτῷ σοφίαν ὁρῶν τὴν ταπεινωθεῖσαν „εἰς χοῦν“ ψυχὴν ἡμῶν καὶ ἐν τῷ σώματι „τῆς ταπεινώσεως“ καθειργμένην, οὐ τοῖς τυχοῦσι „στεναγμοῖς“ χρώμενον „ὑπερεντυγχάνει τῷ θεῷ“ ἀλλά τισιν „ἀλαλήτοις, “ ἐχομένοις τῶν ἀῤῥήτων λόγων, ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀνθρώπῳ λαλεῖν. τοῦτο δὴ τὸ πνεῦμα. οὐκ ἀρκούμενον τῷ ἐντυγχάνειν τῷ θεῷ, ἐπιτεῖνον τὴν ἔντευξιν „ὑπερεντυγχάνει, “ ἐγὼ οἶμαι ὅτι περὶ τῶν ὑπερνικώντων, ὁποῖος Παῦλος ἦν λέγων· „ἀλλʼ ἐν τούτοις πᾶσιν ὑπερνικῶμεν.“ εἰκὸς δʼ ὅτι „ἐντυγχάνει“ μόνον περὶ τῶν οὐ τηλικούτων μὲν, ὡς ὑπερνικᾶν, οὐ τοιούτων δὲ πάλιν, ὥστε νικᾶσθαι, ἀλλὰ νικώντων.

English · Claude translation

But Paul, knowing all these things and able to set out many times more from the law and the prophets and the fullness of the gospel, with a varied exposition of each, speaks from a disposition that is not only modest but also truthful (seeing, even after all these things, how far he falls short of knowing what we ought to pray for “as we ought”), and says: “what we ought to pray for as we ought, we do not know”; and to this statement he adds the following. From this, what is lacking is supplied to one who does not know, but has made himself worthy to have what is lacking supplied in him. For he says: “The Spirit himself intercedes exceedingly with God with groanings too deep for words; and he who searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to God.” And the Spirit, who cries “Abba, Father” in the hearts of the blessed, knowing carefully the groanings of those in the tent, groanings fit to weigh down those who have fallen or transgressed, “intercedes exceedingly with God with groanings too deep for words,” taking our groanings upon himself through his great love for mankind and compassion. And by the wisdom that is in him, seeing our soul humbled “to the dust” and shut up in the body “of humiliation,” he “intercedes exceedingly with God,” using not ordinary “groanings” but ones “too deep for words,” akin to the inexpressible words which it is not permitted for a man to speak. This Spirit, not content with interceding with God, intensifies his intercession and “intercedes exceedingly”—I think for those who are more than conquerors, as Paul was, who says, “But in all these things we are more than conquerors.” And it is likely that he only “intercedes” for those who are not so great as to be more than conquerors, nor again such as to be conquered, but who conquer.

About this passage

Source
Koetschau 2:300–301 · Paul Koetschau, ed., Origenes Werke 2: Buch V–VIII gegen Celsus, Die Schrift vom Gebet, GCS 3 (Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1899), 297–403 · Greek text: P. Koetschau, Origenes Werke 2 (GCS 3, 1899), digitized by the Perseus Digital Library and published by the First Thousand Years of Greek project (Open Greek and Latin), CC BY-SA 4.0
Text
As printed in Koetschau, GCS 3. Manuscript variants and the editor's apparatus are not reproduced; no textual problem is noted in this passage.
Translation
Claude translation (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 · Translated by Claude from the Greek text of Koetschau, GCS 3; made independently of existing English translations. No public-domain English translation exists; reviewed against the Greek.
Scripture
Topics
Prayer

Notes

Translation notes

  • The quotations are Rom 8:26–27, Gal 4:6, 2 Cor 5:4, Ps 44:25 (43:26 LXX), Phil 3:21, 2 Cor 12:4, and Rom 8:37. Origen plays on ὑπερεντυγχάνει (“intercedes exceedingly”) and ὑπερνικῶμεν (“we are more than conquerors”): the Spirit intercedes “exceedingly” for those who conquer “exceedingly.”

Cite this passage

Origen, Or. 2.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/2/3/).

Plain text
Origen, Or. 2.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/2/3/).

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