Origen · a new plain-English translation from the Greek and Latin
"Lord," it says, "your eyes are upon faith" just as "the Lord's eyes rest upon the righteous" - for he turns them away from the unrighteous, so too the eyes of the Lord are upon faith, for he turns them away from unbelief. Hence it has been well said by the one who understood what he was saying in the prayer, "Lord, your eyes are upon faith." Now what is written here is: "Lord, your eyes
are upon faith." And since "if a person of understanding hears a wise word, he will praise it and add to it," see how many things can be done starting from "Lord, your eyes are upon faith." Paul says: "But now these three remain, faith, hope, love; and the greatest of these is love." As the eyes of the Lord are upon faith, so the eyes of the Lord are upon hope, and the eyes of the Lord
are upon love. And since it is "a spirit of power and love and self-control," the eyes of the Lord are upon love, and likewise the eyes of the Lord are upon power, and likewise the eyes of the Lord are upon self-control.... the eyes of the Lord are upon righteousness. So in this way the eyes of the Lord are upon all the virtues. If, then, you too wish the rays of the intelligible eyes of God to reach you,
take up the virtues. And it will be just as with "Lord, your eyes are upon faith," so also "Lord, your eyes" will be upon each of the good things you may acquire. And if you become such that the eyes of the Lord shine upon you, you will say: "The light of your face, Lord, has been marked upon us." Next, concerning sinners, let us look at what is said: "You scourged them and they did not
feel pain." These perceptible scourges, when applied to living bodies, cause pain to those being scourged whether they wish it or not; but the scourges of God are of such a kind that some of those scourged feel pain, while others of those scourged do not feel pain. Let us see whether we can explain what it means to feel pain from the scourges of God and what it means not to feel pain, and
that those who do not feel pain from the scourges of God are wretched, while those who do feel pain from the scourges of God are blessed. For Wisdom says: "Who will set scourges upon my mind, and a seal of the crafty upon my lips, so that they will not spare me for my sins of ignorance, and my sins will not destroy me?" Notice the phrase "Who will set upon my mind
scourges?" There are, then, scourges that scourge the mind. The scourges of God scourge the mind; for a word that takes hold of the soul and brings it to an awareness of its sins scourges it. And it scourges the blessed person who feels pain under the scourges, for the words spoken reach him, and he does not treat with contempt the one who corrects him by means of it. But whenever someone is found who is, so to speak,
unfeeling, it will be said of him: "You scourged them and they did not feel pain" - the same statement being spoken reproachfully, let us say, when it takes hold of the mind of one whose conscience is stained by some sin, so that if the statement is made, one of those hearing it grieves, so that it is said of him, "You have seen how so-and-so was pierced to the heart," while another of those hearing it does not grieve, but remains unfeeling to the
...are being reproved — clearly it will be said of one who does not even perceive it: "you scourged them, and they did not feel pain." This is one explanation of "they did not feel pain" or "they did feel pain"; but let us see whether we have another as well. In bodies there arise, in certain parts, deadenings and dryings, and often the deadened limbs undergo such things differently from the living ones, so that when things capable of causing pain are applied
to the living limb, the person to whom the pain-causing thing is applied feels pain, but when the pain-causing things are applied to the insensible limb, that person does not perceive it, since there is deadness in it. If you have observed these things in the case of the body, transfer them to the soul, and see that there is also a soul with deadened limbs, such that it does not perceive the effect of the
scourges, even if painful things are brought against it. Terrible things are brought against it, but such-and-such a soul will not perceive them, while another soul will perceive them. And perhaps the one who does not perceive, when pains are brought against him, grieves more over his not perceiving than he would over perceiving, praying rather to feel pain if painful things should be brought against him — since this is a sign that he is alive — and is displeased at not
perceiving in the case of painful things. Just as this happens with bodies, so too, I think, in the phrase "would that they had been burned by fire" something of this sort is being shown: as when fire is applied to someone and he does not perceive the burning, those persons — grasping the comparison between those who do not perceive amid their pains and those who do perceive — would wish rather to perceive by the fire than not to perceive. And one might pray,
when that condemned fire too is brought against sinners, to perceive it rather than not perceive it. This is said because of "you scourged them, and they did not feel pain." "You brought them to completion, and they were not willing to receive instruction." When the God who watches over all things performs the acts of purification for the salvation of the soul, he has completed what lies on his part. You will understand "you brought them to completion, and they were not willing to receive instruction" from an example
drawn from the case of one who hands over knowledge and one who is unwilling to receive the knowledge from the one handing it over. For let the teacher do everything that is his to do, and complete everything toward the handing over of knowledge, while that other person does not accept what is said; I would say of such a one to the teacher: "you brought him to completion, and he was not willing to receive instruction." So then, let all the things from providence
come to be for us, so that we might be brought to completion and made perfect — but if we do not accept the workings of providence that draw us toward perfection, this might be said by one who understands, to God: "Lord, you brought them to completion, and they were not willing to receive instruction." "They made their faces harder than rock." This too you will understand from more bodily matters. Of those who sin, some, on hearing words that reprove
their sin, blush and shrink back and fall down when the reproving word touches them; but there are others of such a kind that they are unblushing, not ashamed at the things for which they are reproved, at the things in which they have sinned. Of these who feel no shame, then, you might say: "they made their faces harder than rock." If you have understood this in bodily terms, pass with me in thought to
understanding the soul as a face, concerning which it is said, "then face to face." And observe a hardened soul — such as Pharaoh's heart was, hardened so that it stood opposed to what was announced, and, as it were, casting off the words spoken, not being shaped according to what was proclaimed. For there you will find that it fits: "they hardened their faces above rock and were not willing
to turn back. And I said, Perhaps they are poor, because they were unwilling to know the way of the Lord and the judgment of God. I will go to the great ones and speak to them." Having understood these words concerning those who are unwilling to be instructed, who do not understand under God's scourges, he speaks, having grasped the cause of this: their soul is poor. "And I said, Perhaps they are poor, since they were unable," because
"they did not know the way of the Lord and the judgment of God." "I will go to the great ones and speak to them." The "great ones" are spoken of, with regard to souls, as praise. For among the Greeks too, the term "great" is constantly applied to the greatness of the rational soul. For whenever someone sets his hand to great matters and holds purposes worth mentioning and always looks to what is needful, as to how he might live according to right
reason, wanting nothing lowly or small, nor even looking at it, such a person has the greatness and the largeness in his soul. These, then — since they were poor, the former people whom the word rebuked — did not listen, says the prophet. For this reason they did not listen, since they are poor. "I will go to the great ones and speak to them." And if it is a blessed thing
to be able to say, "into the ears of those who hear," it is a blessed thing indeed if one happens upon a great and worthy hearer. For this reason, since these things are said in this way, knowing that the loss falls not so much upon those who speak as upon those who hear, in not accepting what is proclaimed — and this convicts the poverty of their mind and understanding — let us entreat that we may receive from God, as the word grows in us,
largeness and greatness in Christ Jesus, so that we may be able to hear the sacred and holy words, his the glory and the might unto the ages of ages. Amen.