Voiceless bodies; barbarian speech; abound for building; pray with mind; five words
[Origen:] So even the lifeless give voice, some with this distinction of notes, some without it; for every body has a property of voice when it strikes another body.
On 1 Corinthians 14:11: the speaker and the speaker a barbarian in me.” [Origen:] Everyone who speaks to someone what that one does not understand seems a barbarian to the hearer, and that one to him.
60 on 1 Corinthians 14:12: “So also you, since you are zealots for spirits, seek to abound toward the building of the church.” [Origen:] Abounding happens by the superiority of gifts from seeking what builds the church, inasmuch as the one who does not seek the common good does not abound in the gifts. For likely the working of the gift is idle when it does not shine before humans. Therefore if we want the gifts to grow, we will give ourselves over to the benefit of the many.
61 on 1 Corinthians 14:13–14: “Therefore let the one who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.” [Origen:] If the tongue speaker does not have the gift of interpreting, even if others do not understand, he himself understands what is cast into him from the spirit so that he is moved to speak. But when what is spoken is understood by others, then that seems to be fruit of the speaker toward those who understand.
62 on 1 Corinthians 14:15–17: pray and sing with spirit and mind; otherwise the ungifted cannot say Amen and is not built. [Origen:] Through these too we are taught to seek the common good of the church.
63 on 1 Corinthians 14:18–19: “I thank my God, speaking in tongues more than you all; but in church I want to speak five words with my mind, that I may also catechize others, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.” [Origen:] Even speaking the sense words spiritually is seeking the common good of the five senses; and the word of catechesis through the five senses is set for the hearers in church, as they too are catechized by the five words. For those who do not know the clarity of what is said, but attend only to the bare sound of the Scriptures, are called catechumens; but those who hear the distinction of the notes from Scripture are not catechumens but faithful.
64 on 1 Corinthians 14:20: “Brothers, do not be children in your minds, but be infants in evil, and in your minds become perfect.” [Origen:] Since what he commands is possible, it is possible for us to become perfect in our minds. This nearly interprets, Unless you turn and become as the children; for the one who is an infant in evil, having turned, becomes as a child.
65 on 1 Corinthians 14:21: “In the law it is written, ‘In other tongues and with other lips I will speak to this people, and not even so will they hear me, says the Lord.’” [Origen:] He also called the prophetic word “law”; and we found these words in Aquila and the other editions, not indeed in the Seventy.
66 on 1 Corinthians 14:24–25: if all prophesy, the unbeliever is convicted, heart secrets laid bare, and he falls and worships, announcing God is truly among you. [Origen:] Since the prophetic gift makes known the secrets of the unbeliever’s and ungifted person’s heart when he draws near them, clearly when the perfect comes they will know perfectly every ungifted and unbeliever’s secrets—and likely then also the holy person’s secrets become plain to the prophets, perhaps the greater knowing the lesser’s. And the one benefited is cautious to look into God’s face; therefore imagining God he falls on his face, giving him the superiority and glory, and so worships God. Convicting and examining the heart’s secrets—that is, making them plain—marks that God is in the spirit of such people. And if the other gifts too are signs that God truly is, in what must one seek?
67 on 1 Corinthians 14:26–27: when you come together each has a psalm, teaching, tongue, revelation, interpretation; let all be for building; if anyone speaks in a tongue, by two or at most three, and in turn, and let one—
Greek
[Ὠριγένους] Καὶ τὰ ἄψυχα οὖν φωνὴν δίδω ιν, τινὰ μὲν αὐτῶν μετὰ ταύτης τῶν φθόγγων διαστολῆς, τινὰ δὲ αὖ ταύτης· πᾶν γὰρ σῶμα ἰδιότητα ἔχει φωνῆς, συγκροῦον ἑτέρῳ σώματι. 59 xiv 11 [Ἐὰν οὖν μὴ εἰδῶ τὴν δύναμιν τῆς φωνῆς, ἔσομαι τῷ λαλοῦντι βάρβαρος καὶ ὁ λαλῶν ἐν ἐμοὶ βάρβαρος.] [Ὠριγένους] Πᾶς ὁ λαλῶν τινι ἃ μὴ νοεῖ, ὁ ἀκούων δοκεῖ αὐτῷ βάρβαρος εἶναι, κἀκεῖνος τούτῳ. 60 xiv 12 [Οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς, ἐπεὶ ζηλωταί ἐστε πνευμάτων, πρὸς τὴν οἰκο δομὴν τῆς ἐκκλησίας ζητεῖτε ἵνα περισσεύητε.] [Ὠριγένους] Τὸ περισσεύειν γίνεται τῇ τῶν χαρισμάτων ὑπεροχῇ ἐκ τοῦ τὰ πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν τῆς ἐκκλησίας ζητεῖν, ὡς ὅτι οὐ περισσεύει ἐν τοῖς χαρίσμασιν ὁ μὴ ζητῶν τὸ κοινωφελές. εἰκὸς γὰρ ὅτι ἀργεῖ ἡ ἐνέργεια τοῦ χαρίσματος ὅταν μὴ λάμπῃ ἔμπρο θεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων. διό, εἰ θέλομεν αὔξειν τὰ χαρίσματα, τῇ ὠφελείᾳ τῶν πλειόνων ἑαυτοὺς ἐπιδώσομεν. 61 xiv 13–14 [∆ιόπερ ὁ λαλῶν γλώσσῃ προσευχέσθω ἵνα διερμηνεύῃ. ἐὰν γὰρ προσεύχωμαι γλώσσῃ, τὸ πνεῦμά μου προσεύχεται, ὁ δὲ νοῦς μου ἄκαρπός ἐστιν.] [Ὠριγένους] Ἐὰν μὴ ἔxv τὸ χάρισμα τοῦ διερμηνεύειν ὁ γλώσσῃ λαλῶν, κἂν μὴ οἱ ἄλλοι νοῶσιν ἀλλ' αὐτὸς νοεῖ τὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτῷ ἐμβαλλόμενα εἰς τὸ κινεῖσθαι λαλεῖν. ὅταν δὲ τὸ λαλούμενον νοηθείη παρ' ἄλλοις, τότε καρπὸς δοκεῖ οὗτος εἶναι τοῦ λαλοῦντος πρὸς τοὺς νοοῦντας. 62 xiv 15–17 [Τί οὖν ἐστιν; προσεύξωμαι τῷ πνεύματι, προσεύξωμαι δὲ καὶ τῷ νοΐ· ψαλῶ τῷ πνεύματι, ψαλῶ δὲ καὶ τῷ νοΐ. ἐπεὶ ἐὰν εὐλογήσῃς τῷ πνεύματι, ὁ ἀναπληρῶν τὸν τόπον τοῦ ἰδιώτου πῶς ἐρεῖ τὸ Ἀμήν ἐπὶ τῇ σῇ εὐχαριστίᾳ; ἐπειδὴ τί λέγεις οὐκ οἶδεν· σὺ μὲν γὰρ καλῶς εὐχαριστεῖς, ἀλλ' ὁ ἕτερος οὐκ οἰκοδομεῖται.] [Ὠριγένους] Καὶ διὰ τούτων τὸ κοινωφελὲς τῆς ἐκκλησίας διδασκόμεθα ζητεῖν. 63 xiv 18–9 [Εὐχαριστῶ τῷ θεῷ μου, πάντων ὑμῶν μᾶλλον γλώσσαις λαλῶν. ἀλλ' ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ θέλω πέντε λόγους διὰ τοῦ νοός μου λαλῆσαι, ἵνα καὶ ἄλλους κατηχήσω, ἢ μυρίους λόγους ἐν γλώσσῃ.] [Ὠριγένους] Καὶ τὸ πνευματικῶς λαλεῖν τοὺς αἰσθητοὺς λόγους τὰς πέντε αἰσθήσεις τὸ κοινωφελές ἐστιν ζητεῖν· ὁ δὲ τῆς κατηχήσεως λόγος ὁ διὰ τῶν πέντε αἰσθήσεων ἐπὶ τῶν ἀκουόντων ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ τέτακται, ὡς καὶ αὐτῶν ὑπὸ τῶν πέντε λόγων κατηχουμένων. οἱ γὰρ μὴ εἰδότες τὴν τῶν λεγομένων τρανότητα, ἀλλὰ μόνῃ τῇ ψιλῇ τῶν γραφῶν περιηχήσει προσέχοντες, κατηχούμενοι χρηματίζουσιν· οἱ δὲ τῆς τῶν φθόγγων δια τολῆ ἀκούοντες ἀπὸ τῆς γραφῆς οὗτοι οὐ κατηχούμενοι ἀλλὰ πιστοί. 64 xiv 20 [Ἀδελφοί, μὴ παιδία γίνεσθε ταῖς φρεσίν, ἀλλὰ τῇ κακίᾳ νηπιάζετε, ταῖς δὲ φρεσὶν τέλειοι γίνεσθε.] [Ὠριγένους] Ἐπειδὴ ἃ προστάσσει δυνατά ἐστιν, δυνατὸν ἡμᾶς τελείους γενέσθαι ταῖς φρεσίν. τοῦτο δὲ σχεδὸν ἑρμηνεύει τὸ Ἐὰν μὴ τραφῆτε καὶ γένη θε ὡ τὰ παιδία· στραφεὶς γὰρ γίνεται ὡς παιδίον ὁ τῇ κακίᾳ νηπιάζων. 65 xiv 21 [Ἐν τῷ νόμῳ γέγραπται ὅτι Ἐν ἑτερογλώ οι καὶ ἐν χείλε ιν ἑτέροι λαλή ω τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ, καὶ οὐδ' οὕτως εἰ ακού ονταί μου, λέγει Κύριος.] [Ὠριγένους] Καὶ τὸν προφητικὸν λόγον νόμον ἐκάλεσεν· ταῦτα δὲ τὰ ῥήματα εὕρομεν παρὰ Ἀκύλᾳ καὶ ταῖς λοιπαῖς ἐκδόσεσιν, οὐ μὴν παρὰ τοῖς ἑβδομήκοντα. 66 xiv 24–5 [Ἐὰν δὲ πάντες προφητεύωσιν, εἰσέλθῃ δέ τις ἄπιστος ἢ ἰδιώτης, ἐλέγχεται ὑπὸ πάντων, ἀνακρίνεται ὑπὸ πάντων, καὶ οὕτως τὰ κρυπτὰ τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ φανερὰ γίνεται· καὶ οὕτως πεσὼν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον προ κυνή ει τῷ θεῷ, ἀπαγγέλλων ὅτι ὁ θεὸ ὄντω ἐν ἡμῖν ἐ τιν.] [Ὠριγένους] Ἐπειδὴ τὸ προφητικὸν χάρισμα ποιεῖ γινώ κειν τὰ κρυπτὰ τῆς καρδίας τοῦ ἀπίστου καὶ ἰδιώτου καὶ πλησιάζοντος αὐτοῖς, δῆλον ὅτι ὅταν ἔλθῃ τὸ τέλειον, τελείως γιγνώσκουσιν παντὸς ἰδιώτου καὶ ἀπίστου τὰ κρυπτά, εἰκὸς δὲ ὅτι τότε καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου ἀνθρώπου τὰ κρυπτὰ φανερὰ γίνεται τοῖς προφήταις, τάχα τοῖς μείζοσιν τὰ τῶν καταδεεστέρων. <καὶ> ὁ ὠφελούμενος εὐλαβεῖται ἐμβλέψαι εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ θεοῦ· διὸ φανταζόμενος τὸν θεὸν πίπτει ἐπὶ πρόσωπον, καὶ τὴν ὑπεροχὴν καὶ τὴν δόξαν αὐτῷ διδούς, καὶ οὕτως προ κυνεῖ τῷ θεῷ. τὸ δὲ ἐλέγξαι καὶ ἀνακρῖναι τὰ κρυπτὰ τῆς καρδίας, ὅ ἐστι φανερὰ ποιῆσαι, χαρακτηρίζει ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἐν τῷ πνεύματί ἐστι τῶν τοιούτων. εἰ δὲ καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ χαρίσματα σημεῖά ἐστι τοῦ ὄντω εἶναι θεόν, ἐν τίνι ζητητέον; 67 xiv 26–27 [Τί οὖν ἐστιν, ἀδελφοί; ὅταν συνέρχησθε, ἕκαστος ὑμῶν ψαλμὸν ἔχει, διδαχὴν ἔχει, γλῶσσαν ἔχει, ἀποκάλυψιν ἔχει, ἑρμηνείαν ἔχει· πάντα πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν γινέσθω. εἴτε γλώσσῃ τις λαλεῖ, κατὰ δύο ἢ τὸ πλεῖστον τρεῖς, καὶ ἀνὰ μέρος, καὶ εἷς
About this text
Origen of Alexandria, Fragmenta ex commentariis in epistulam i ad Corinthios (Greek).
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 14 (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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