On Prayer 5.1
Summary: Almost no one who believes in God's providence rejects prayer, but some heretics who reject baptism and the Eucharist have been persuaded that one should not pray.
Textual problem in this passage: the printed text is uncertain or disputed here. See the notes.
Greek text · Koetschau 2:308
Εἰ χρὴ τοίνυν μετὰ ταῦτα, ὥσπερ ἐκελεύσατε, ἐκθέσθαι τὰ πιθανὰ πρῶτον τῶν οἰομένων μηδὲν ἀπὸ τῶν εὐχῶν ἀνύεσθαι καὶ διὰ τοῦτο φασκόντων περισσὸν εἶναι τὸ εὔχεσθαι, οὐκ ὀκνήσομεν κατὰ δύναμιν καὶ τοῦτο ποιῆσαι, κοινότερον νῦν καὶ ἁπλούστερον τοῦ τῆς εὐχῆς ὀνόματος ἡμῖν λεγομένου......... οὕτω δὴ ὁ λόγος ἐστὶν ἄδοξος καὶ μὴ τυχὼν ἐπισήμων τῶν προϊσταμένων αὐτοῦ, ὥστε μηδὲ πάνυ εὑρίσκεσθαι, ὅστις ποτὲ τῶν πρόνοιαν παραδεξαμένων καὶ θεὸν ἐπιστησάντων τοῖς ὅλοις εὐχὴν μὴ προσίεται. ἔστι γὰρ τὸ δόγμα ἤτοι τῶν πάντῃ ἀθέων καὶ τὴν οὐσίαν τοῦ θεοῦ ἀρνουμένων ἢ τῶν μέχρις ὀνόματος τιθέντων θεὸν τὴν πρόνοιαν δὲ αὐτοῦ ἀποστερούντων. ἤδη μέντοι γε ἡ ἀντικειμένη ἐνέργεια, τὰ ἀσεβέστατα τῶν δογμάτων περιτιθέναι θέλουσα τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ περὶ τοῦ μὴ δεῖν εὔχεσθαι δεδύνηται πεῖσαί τινας· ἧς γνώμης προΐστανται οἱ τὰ αἰσθητὰ πάντῃ ἀναιροῦντες καὶ μήτε βαπτίσματι μήτε εὐχαριστίᾳ χρώμενοι, συκοφαντοῦντες τὰς γραφὰς, ὡς καὶ τὸ εὔχεσθαι τοῦτο οὐ βουλομένας ἀλλʼ ἕτερόν τι σημαινόμενον παρὰ τοῦτο διδασκούσας.
English · Claude translation
If, then, after this we must, as you asked, first set out the plausible arguments of those who think that nothing is accomplished by prayers and therefore say that praying is superfluous, we shall not hesitate to do this too as far as we can, using the word “prayer” now in a more general and simple sense … This view is so discreditable, and has found so few notable champions, that there is hardly anyone at all to be found, among those who accept providence and set God over the universe, who does not accept prayer. For the doctrine belongs either to those who are utterly godless and deny the existence of God, or to those who admit God in name only but deprive him of providence. Yet the opposing power, wishing to attach the most impious doctrines to the name of Christ and to the teaching of the Son of God, has already been able to persuade some that one should not pray. The champions of this opinion are those who do away with sensible things altogether and use neither baptism nor the Eucharist, slandering the Scriptures as if they did not mean even this prayer, but taught something else by it.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- There is a gap in the manuscript (marked “…”). The group that rejected prayer, baptism, and the Eucharist is not named; it has been identified with various Gnostic groups, but the identification is uncertain. From here to 5.6 Origen sets out the objections to prayer; his reply begins in chapter 6.
Cite this passage
Origen, Or. 5.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/5/1/).
Plain text
Origen, Or. 5.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/5/1/).
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