Homilies on Jeremiah and 1 Kings 28

Fragments from the Philocalia

FRAGMENTS OF HOMILIES 21 AND 39 FROM THE PHILOCALIA I: Fragments from the Philocalia, Chapter 1 nd as all of the gifts of God are far greater than the mortal being, so too the Word—who is precise about the wisdom of all these things since he is with the God1 who arranges to write them, if the Father of the Word wishes—may arise in the soul which is utterly purifed with all respect and with awareness of the human weakness about the basis of wisdom. But if a person dedicates himself rashly, without comprehending what is esoteric of the wisdom of God and of the Word who is in the beginning with God 2 and who is himself God, and that it is by means of the Word and God and by means of the wisdom with him that one must examine and discover these things, it must happen that he, by falling into myths and nonsense and fictions , submits himself to the danger which surrounds impiety . For that reason one needs to remember also the commandment from Solomon in Ecclesiastes concerning such things, which says, Do not hasten to express a word before the face of God. For God is in the heaven above, and you are on the earth below . Therefore let your words be few.3 (2) And it is fitting that one believe that the holy Scriptures do not have one dot empty of the wisdom of God. For if he will enjoin a man like me saying, Do not appear before me empty,4 how much more will he himself say nothing empty. For the Prophets speak having received from his fullness.5 277 1. Cf. John 1.1. 2. Cf. John 1.1. 3. Eccles 5.1. 4. Exod 34.20. 5. Cf. John 1.16. Hence all things breathe of his fullness. And there is nothing in Prophecy or Law or Gospel or Apostle which is not from fullness. On account of this, since it is from fullness, it breathes of the fullness in those who have eyes which see what is from the fullness and ears which hear what is from the fullness, and a sense organ for the sweet smell of what breathes from fullness.6 II: Fragments from the Philocalia, Chapter 10 On the thirty-ninth homily of those on Jeremiah, concerning “The Lord is unable to bear before the face of your evil.” 7 1. And if in reading the Scripture you stumble on a good thought which is a stumbling stone and a rock of offence,8 blame yourself. For do not despair that this stumbling stone and rock of offence have meanings so as to fulfill the saying, And the one who believes will not be put to shame.9 Believe first and you will discover much holy aid beneath the supposed offence. For if we ourselves receive the commandment not to speak a careless word as we will render an account of it on the day of judgment,10 and if we earnestly aspire, as far as possible, to make it so that every word coming out of our mouth works both on us who speak it and on those who hear it, what else is there need to understand about the Prophets than that every word spoken through their mouth was one which works? And do not be amazed if every word spoken by the Prophets works a work which is fitting for a word. For I think that every extraordinary letter written in the words of God works, and there is not an iota or one dot 11 written in the Scripture which does not work its own work in those who know to use the power of the Scriptures. ORIGEN 278 6. The first paragraph is from homily 39, the second from homily 21. 7. Jer 51.22. 8. Cf. Rom 9.32ff.; 1 Pet 2.7; Isa 8.14; Matt 18.7. 9. Rom 9.33; Isa 28.16. 10. Cf. Matt 12.36. 11. Matt 5.18. FRAGMENTS FROM THE PHILOCALIA 279 2. And as with herbs, each has a power either for the betterment of the bodies or for something else, and it is not all who know for what each of the herbs is useful. But if some have obtained this knowledge, these folk take the time with herbs in order that they may know...