Saturday, June 17, 2023

Origen's Interpretation of John 6 in Homily 7 on Leviticus

  

Homily 7.5:

 

(3) But, in order that what we say may be opened more clearly to your understanding, let us take an example from greater things, so that descending little by little we come to the lesser things. Our Lord and Savior says, "Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you will not have life in you. For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink." Therefore, since Jesus is totally clean, all his "flesh is food" and all his "blood is a drink" because his every deed is holy and his every word is true. For this reason, therefore, his "flesh is true food and" his "blood is true drink." For from the flesh and blood of his word, as from pure food and drink, he gives drink and refreshment to every kind of person.

 

(4) In the second place, after his flesh, the clean food is Peter, Paul, and all the apostles; in the third place, their disciples. Thus, any food is made clean for their neighbor in accordance with the number of their merits or the purity of their understanding. Perhaps he who does not know how to hear these things may turn away and divert his attention to those who said, "How will he give us his flesh to eat? Who can hear him? And they departed from him." But you, if you are sons of the Church, if you are instructed in the evangelical mysteries, if "the Word made flesh lives in you,” know that what we say is of the Lord, lest "he who knows does not know may be unknown." Know that they are figures written in the divine volumes and, for that reason, examine and understand what is said as spiritual and not as carnal. For if you receive those things as carnal, they wound you and do not sustain you.

 

(5) For even in the Gospels, it is "the letter" that "kills." Not only in the Old Testament is "the letter that kills" found; there is also in the New Testament "the letter that kills" that one who does not spiritually perceive what is said. For, if you follow according to the letter that which is said, "Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood,” this "letter kills." Do you want me to bring out of the gospel for you another "letter" that "kills"? He says, "Let the one who does not have a sword sell his tunic and buy a sword." Behold, this is the letter of the gospel, but "it kills." But, if you take it spiritually, it does not kill, but there is in it "a spirit that gives life." For this reason, receive spiritually what is said either in the Law or in the Gospels because "the spiritual one judges all things but that one is not judged by anyone."

 

(6) Therefore, as we said, every person has some food within him from which, if indeed it is good and "from the good treasure of his heart he brings forth good," he may supply pure food to his neighbor. But if he is evil and "brings forth evil,” he supplies unclean food to his neighbor. For anyone who is innocent and led by the heart can be seen as a sheep, a clean animal. He can furnish the hearers clean food as a sheep which is a clean animal. It is the same in the others. For this reason, every person, as we said, when he speaks to his neighbor and either he does him good or harms him by his words, the animal is made either clean or unclean by him. Form these we are taught either to use the clean ones or to abstain from the unclean ones. (Origen, Homilies on Leviticus 1-16 [trans. Gary Wayne Barkley; The Fathers of the Church 83; Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 1990], 145-47)

 

One should also compare the above with the following from Homily 7 on Exodus:

 

But Scripture says, "And in the morning you will be filled with bread." The word of God is also bread for us. For he himself is "the living bread which descends from heaven and gives life to this world." But the fact that it says that this bread is given "in the morning" when we said his coming in the flesh took place in the evening, I think is to be understood as follows. The Lord came in the evening of the declining world and near the end of its appointed course, but at his coming, since he himself is "the sun of righteousness," he restored a new day for those who believe. Because, therefore, a new light of knowledge arose in the world, in a certain manner he made his own day in the morning and, as it were, "the sun of righteousness' brought forth its own morning, and in this morning those who receive his precepts are filled with bread.

 

Do not marvel that the word of God is said to be "flesh" and "bread" and "milk" and "vegetable" and is named in different ways for the capacity of those believing or the ability of those appropriating it. This, nevertheless, also can be understood because after his resurrection, which we showed happened in the morning, he has filled those who believe with bread because he has given us those books of the Law and prophets previously unknown and unexamined, and has consigned these documents to the Church for our instruction, that he himself might be bread in the Gospel. In fact the other books of the Law or prophets or histories have been called more loaves from which they "who believe from the Gentiles" are filled. We teach, however, that this did not happen without prophetic authority. For Isaias the prophet had predicted in this manner: "They will ascend into the mountain; they will drink wine; they will be anointed with ointment. Deliver all these things to the Gentiles for this is the will of the omnipotent Lord." So, therefore, appropriately we both receive flesh in the evening and will be filled with bread in the morning because it was not possible for us to eat flesh in the morning for it was not yet time, but neither were we able at noon. For scarcely do angels eat flesh at noon and they are perhaps consigned time belonging to midday in rank. (Origen, Homilies on Genesis and Exodus [trans. Ronald E. Heine; The Fathers of the Church 71; Washington, D.C.: 1982], 312-13)

 



Blog Archive