Thanksgiving Address to Origen · §3.1 · Gregory Thaumaturgus

Ingratitude is terrible; even the poor must give what they can

Ingratitude is a terrible thing, so even one who can give little must offer what thanks he can.

Ingratitude seems to me a terrible thing, terrible, indeed utterly terrible. For when someone has been treated well and does not even try to repay it, if in no other way, then at least with thanks spoken in words, he is either wholly senseless and unaware of the kindness done him, or forgetful. And if someone did at first perceive and recognize the good he received, yet memory does not keep it into the time that follows, and he does not render some thanks to the author of those good things, he is idle, ungrateful and impious, and his offense is unpardonable, whether he is great or small. If he is great and great-minded, it is unpardonable not to have his benefactor's great kindnesses on his lips with all thanksgiving and honor. If he is small and of no account, it is unpardonable not to sing the praises, and speak well, with all his strength, of the one who has done him good not only in great things but in small things too.

Those who are greater and stand above others in strength of soul must, as from a larger surplus and great wealth, render to their benefactors greater and more generous praises, as far as their power allows. Yet the small and those in straitened circumstances in their turn ought not to neglect this or grow careless, nor give up, as if they could bring nothing worthy or complete. Like people who are poor but grateful, they should measure not the power of the one honored but their own, and bring their honors out of the power they have. These will perhaps prove pleasing and welcome to the one honored, and with him they will not stand second to great and many gifts, if they are offered with greater eagerness and a whole heart. So it is recorded in the sacred books that a small and poor woman, among the rich and powerful who were offering great and costly gifts from their wealth, contributed small things, the very least, yet all that she had, and she alone carried off the testimony of having given more (Mark 12:41–44; Luke 21:1–4). For I think the sacred word did not weigh generosity and magnificence by the amount of the material given, which is outside a person, but by the intention of the one offering it, or rather by the choice.

So neither ought we to shrink back altogether because our thanksgiving will not equal the benefits. Quite the opposite: we ought to dare and to try, and to offer by way of return, if not equal honors, then at least the honors we can, in the hope that, even if our speech fails to give complete thanks, it may at least give partial thanks, and escape the name of utter ingratitude.

Greek

Δεινόν μοι ἡ ἀχαριστία καταφαίνεται, δεινὸν καὶ πάνδεινον. παθόντα γάρ τι καλῶς, μὴ καὶ ἀμείβεσθαι πειρᾶσθαι, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἄλλως δυνατὸν, εὐχαριστίαις γοῦν ταῖς διὰ λόγων, ἢ ἀνοήτου πάντῃ καὶ ἀναισθήτου τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν, ἢ ἀμνήμονος. ὅτι δὲ καὶ αἴσθησις, καὶ γνῶσις ὧν ἔπαθε καλῶν προσεγένετο, πρῶτον εἰ μὴ καὶ μνήμη διασώζεται εἰς τὸν ἔπειτα χρόνον, εἰ μὴ καὶ ἀναφέροι τινὰ χάριν τῷ ἄρξαντι τῶν ἀγαθῶν, ἀργὸς οὗτος, καὶ ἀχάριστος, καὶ ἀσεβὴς, ἐξαμαρτάνων οὐ συγγνωστὰ οὔτε μεγάλῳ, οὔτε μικρῷ. εἰ μὲν μέγας τις ἐστὶ καὶ μεγαλόνους, οὐκ ἀνὰ στόμα φέρειν σὺν πάσῃ εὐχαριστίᾳ καὶ τιμῇ, τὰς μεγάλας αὐτοῦ εὐεργεσίας. εἰ δὲ μικρὸς, καὶ εὐκαταφρόνητος, οὐκ ἀνυμνεῖν καὶ εὐφημεῖν πάσῃ τῇ αὐτοῦ δυνάμει τὸν, οὐ μεγάλων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ μικρῶν εὐεργέτην. τοῖς μὲν οὖν μείζοσι καὶ διαβεβηκόσι δυνάμει ψυχῆς, οἷα δὴ ἐκ πλείονος περιουσίας καὶ μεγάλου πλούτου, μείζους καὶ φιλοτιμοτέρας ἀναγκαῖον ἀποδιδόναι τοῖς εὐεργέταις, τὰς κατὰ δύναμιν εὐφημίας. τοῖς δὲ μικροῖς καὶ ἐν στενῷ καθεστῶσιν, οὐδ᾽ αὖθις ἀμελεῖν, οὐδὲ ῥᾳθυμεῖν προσήκει. οὐδ᾽ ἀναπεπτωκέναι, ὡς οὐδὲν ἄξιον φέρειν, οὐδὲ τέλειον δυναμένοις· ἀλλ᾽ οἷα πένητας μὲν, εὐγνώμονας δὲ, οὐ τὴν τοῦ τιμωμένου, τὴν δ᾽ αὐτῶν δύναμιν μετρήσαντας, ἐκ τῆς παρούσης δυνάμεως ἀναφέρειν τὰς τιμὰς, χαριέσσας ἴσως ἐσομένας καὶ καταθυμίους τῷ τιμωμένῳ, καὶ οὐκ ἐν δευτέρᾳ χώρᾳ παρ᾽ αὐτῷ τῶν μεγάλων καὶ πολλῶν, εἰ σύν τινι προθυμίᾳ μείζονι καὶ γνώμῃ προσφέροιεν ὁλοκλήρῳ. οὕτως ἐν ἱεραῖς βίβλοις φέρεται, ὅτι δὴ μικρά τις καὶ πτωχὴ γυνὴ ἅμα πλουσίοις καὶ δυνατοῖς, οἳ προσέφερον ἐκ τοῦ πλούτου μεγάλα καὶ πολυτελῆ, μόνη, μικρὰ μὲν καὶ ἐλάχιστα, πάντα δὲ ὅμως τὰ ὄντα αὐτῇ συμβαλομένη, τὴν τῆς πλείονος δόσεως μαρτυρίαν ἀπηνέγκατο. οὐ γὰρ οἶμαι, τῷ ποσῷ τῆς διδομένης ὕλης οὔσης ἔξωθεν, τῆς δὲ προσφερούσης γνώμης, μᾶλλον καὶ προαιρέσει τὴν φιλοτιμίαν καὶ τὴν μεγαλοπρέπειαν, ὁ ἱερὸς λόγος ἐσταθμήσατο. οὐ τοίνυν οὐδὲ ἡμᾶς ἀποκνεῖν πάντῃ προσῆκεν διὰ τοῦ μὴ ἐξισωθήσεσθαι τὴν εὐχαριστίαν ταῖς εὐεργεσίαις· ἀλλὰ πᾶν τοὐναντίον τολμᾶν καὶ πειρᾶσθαι. εἰ καὶ μὴ τὰς ἴσας, τὰς γοῦν δυνατὰς προσφέρειν, ὡς ἐν ἀμοιβῇ τιμάς. εἴπως τῆς τελείας διαμαρτάνων, τῆς ἐπὶ μέρους γοῦν τεύξηται ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος, τὴν παντελῆ τῆς ἀχαριστίας δόξαν διαδράς.

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About this text

Gregory's farewell speech to his teacher Origen: how a pagan boy bound for law school in Berytus was led to Caesarea, how Origen taught him logic, natural science, ethics and the reading of Scripture, and his grief at leaving. A fresh English translation of the whole address.

Gregory Thaumaturgus (c. 213–c. 270) wrote this address to his teacher Origen. The speech is an expression of thanks and praise, though Gregory feels inadequate to the task of honoring his teacher.

The occasion is Gregory's farewell to Origen's school at Caesarea. He begins by explaining that he has neither spoken nor written for eight years, and has only listened to philosophers who value accurate investigation over polished speech. He then tells how a guardian angel led him, a pagan boy bound for law studies in Berytus, to Origen, and how Origen trained him in logic, natural science, ethics and the reading of Scripture. He ends by lamenting his departure and asking Origen to pray for him.

A reader will meet Gregory himself as the speaker, and Origen as the subject of the speech. Origen is described as a man who appears human, but to those who can perceive the greatness of his character and habits, seems endowed with greater and nearly divine ornaments.

The opening section (to the point where Gregory turns to his subject) was translated from the Latin column of the Opera omnia print (Paris, 1622). Everything after it, to the closing prayer, was translated from that print's Greek column, read from the page images; the facing Latin was used to settle damaged or abbreviated words. Where the print is hard to construe, a few readings follow Koetschau's edition (1894); each one is named in the translator notes. The older Ante-Nicene Fathers English was used only as a sense check for the opening section.

Printed text used

Translated from Opera omnia, Greek and Latin (Paris: Sonnius, Morel and Cramoisy, 1622), page images (Greek and Latin · Whole address: Latin column for section 1, Greek column for sections 2.1-19)
Translated from Latin of the opening section (Latin · Section 1)
Also checked DjVu text of the same print (Latin and Greek (machine-read text) · Opening)

Where the prints differ

Section 1 — Translated from the Latin column; the Greek of this opening was not used. Long-s and column joins expanded (ductu; nec aut scripsi; historiamve; arte nostra); the editor's argument and notes left out.
Sections 5.1, 5.3 and 6.2 — Abbreviated words read from the page images and the facing Latin: 'father' (πατρός), 'toward our sister' (πρὸς τὴν ἀδελφήν), 'through the whole of this life' (διὰ παντός), 'handing over his charge' (τὴν οἰκονομίαν παραδιδούς), 'with difficulty' (δυσχερῶς).
Section 6.3 — The print's doubtful participle (βλέψαν) is rendered with Koetschau's reading βλάψαν ('without doing it any harm').
Sections 7.2 and 8 — The print runs one sentence across the break; it is translated once, at the start of section 8, where Koetschau begins chapter 8.

We have not yet re-checked this work against its source. We made this study translation with AI help. No scholar has yet certified it as faithful and complete. Open Greek on any section to see the source text. It is not a critical edition.

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