Origen · a new plain-English translation from the Greek and Latin
We have come to the notorious question, to see what the partridge is, about which scripture now says: "The partridge called out, it gathered what it did not bear, making its wealth not with judgment; in the middle of its days they will abandon it, and at its end it will be a fool." We need to take up from the treatise on the nature of animals what is recorded about the partridge, so that knowing
the facts about this animal, we may know whether we ought now to assign what is said of the partridge to something better or to something worse. It is said, then, to be a most malicious animal, and deceitful and cunning, and one that wishes to deceive its hunters, and often it rolls about around the feet of the hunter, in order to lead him around, as though the animal were near, so that he does not come to its nest. And whenever
it reckons that it has led the hunter fully astray and that the chicks have escaped, then it too flies off. The animal is also quite unclean, so that the males fight each other single-handed over mating, and male mounts male. If, then, this animal is malicious, and unclean, and cunning, and deceitful, it clearly appears impious to assign it to something better
and to say that it can be referred to the Savior. We must therefore see, if we wish to interpret it of the Adversary, whether the whole interpretation follows consistently for us. Let us then begin from "The partridge called out, it gathered what it did not bear." So then, the devil does not gather his own creatures, he does not gather what he himself begot, but whenever he calls out, he gathers another's
creatures and makes them his own. The partridge called out through Valentinus, the partridge called out through Marcion, it called out through Basilides, through all the heterodox; for none of them was able to say the voice of Jesus: "My sheep will hear my voice." But the voice of Jesus is in Paul and in Peter; wherefore Paul said: "If you seek proof of the Christ
speaking in me?" But the voice of the partridge, which gathered what it did not bear, is among those who lead astray and deceive, on account of the innocence and the unpreparedness of the more simple among believers. "The partridge called out," then, "it gathered what it did not bear, making its wealth not with judgment." The partridge grew rich. See how many myriads it has; many have become the partridge's, belonging to the opposing power.
And it made its wealth, not taking thought for judgment nor possessing judgment, but acting without judgment. Wherefore it is said that the partridge is one "making its wealth not with judgment." But my Savior makes his wealth with judgment, and his wealth is judged and select. "In the middle" of "its days they will abandon it." We all, who once came to be under the partridge
that called out - for it called out not only through those already mentioned, but also through absolutely all who deceive and, as though calling to piety, summon people to godlessness, to doctrines contrary to the truth - but "in the middle of its days" we have abandoned it. For all its days are the days of this age; but since he rescued "us from the present
"of the present evil," Christ Jesus — for this reason it is written, "in the midst of his days we have abandoned him," and "at his end he will prove a fool." For when was he wise, that he should become a fool at his end? But we will say that he was indeed wise; for "the serpent was more clever than all the wild animals on the earth that the LORD God had made." He was clever, according to what is said in
Isaiah: "For I will bring against the great mind, the ruler of the Assyrians. For he said: I will act by strength, and by wisdom . . ."
[The Greek text is lacunose here; several lines are missing from the manuscript.]
[The Greek text is lacunose here; several lines are missing from the manuscript.]
[The Greek text is lacunose here; several lines are missing from the manuscript.]
[The Greek text is lacunose here; several lines are missing from the manuscript.]
[The Greek text is lacunose here; several lines are missing from the manuscript.]
[The Greek text is lacunose here; several lines are missing from the manuscript.]
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...is Christ: "for both the one who sanctifies and those who"
"are sanctified are all of one." "The endurance of Israel." Just as the Savior is righteousness itself, truth itself, sanctification itself, so too he is endurance itself. And it is not possible to be righteous apart from Christ, nor to be holy apart from him, nor to endure without having Christ. For he himself is the endurance of Israel. And even if you refer this to God, you will not be impious in doing so. "Lord, let all who abandon you be put to shame, those who have departed." Each of us,
whenever he sins <through the things by which he sins>, abandons Christ, and having abandoned Christ he abandons God. For committing injustice he abandons righteousness, and becoming profane he abandons sanctification, and making war he abandons peace, and coming under the enemy's power he abandons redemption, and being outside the wisdom of God he abandons wisdom. Against all, then, who abandon God the prophet pronounces a curse, teaching us
what is to happen to them, when he says, "Let all who abandon you be put to shame." To the degree that they have departed, let them be put to shame to that same degree. "Let them be written upon the earth." All people are enrolled: the holy in heaven, but... "rejoice, that your names" — this is said to the disciples by him — while sinners are enrolled upon the earth: "...your names are written in the heavens." One ought therefore to rejoice, if someone of that kind
comes to be, so that his name may be inscribed in the heavens. But just as the names of the saints are inscribed in the heavens, so also the names of those who conduct themselves in an earthly manner — who do not merely pass through the land of Edom but possess the fields and vineyards of the land of Edom — are written, as belonging to those who abandon God, upon the earth. For, he says, "let them be put to shame, those who have departed; let them be written upon
the earth." For indeed, "with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Each person is himself responsible for being so written. If you seek the things upon earth, you are not seeking the things in heaven. If your soul has inclined toward the affairs here below, you become responsible for yourself, since Jesus says: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and where thieves break in
and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven." Are you storing up treasure in heaven? Then you are yourself responsible for your name being inscribed in the heavens. This follows from the statement "let them be written upon the earth." And he also states the reason: "because they abandoned the fountain of life, the Lord." And at the beginning the same prophet was saying, in the person of God: "they abandoned me, the fountain of the water of life," and now: "they abandoned
the fountain of life, the Lord." Let us too say, then, if indeed we do not wish to abandon the Lord, the fountain of life, the words that the genuine disciples of Jesus spoke to their teacher when he said to them, "Do you also wish to go away?" What then shall we say? "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." Here the second passage also came to an end. Then again there is a prayer, which reads as follows:
"Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me, and I will be saved, for you are my boast. See, they say to me, 'Where is the word of the Lord? Let it come.' But I have not grown weary following after you, nor have I desired the day of man; you know this." This can be said only to him who has come for those who are ill, the physician who says, "Those who are strong have no need of a physician, but
those who are ill do." Anyone who wants to be healed of the sickness of his soul can say with confidence, "Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed." But if someone other than this one professes to be a physician of souls, you could not truthfully say to him, "Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed." For that woman with the flow of blood spent everything she had on physicians, and
"was not able to be healed by any of them." For it was not reasonable to say to any of them, "Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed," but only to the one whose garment's fringe it is enough to touch. I say, then, to this one: "Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed." For if you heal, the end will follow upon the healing that comes from you, namely the cure, so that I will be saved. But whoever else may save, I will not
be saved. For salvation is one thing alone, and true, if Christ saves — for then I will be saved. "A horse is a false hope for salvation," and everything else besides God is a false hope for salvation. For this reason I would say to him: "Save me, Lord, and I will be saved." And I say this if I am also able to say what follows, by having renounced every boast, so that I may say, "For you are my boast,"
when I fulfill the commandment that says: "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man boast in his strength, nor the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, in understanding and knowing that I am the Lord." Blessed, then, is the one who has renounced every lowly boast, such as that in so-called nobility of birth, and
in beauty and in bodily matters, in wealth, in glory, and who is content with one boast alone, so as to say, "For you are my boast." "See, they say to me, 'Where is the word of the Lord? Let it come.' But I have not grown weary following after you." Jesus says to you: "Take up your cross and follow me," and "Leave everything and follow me," and "Whoever
will not leave father and mother, yet follows after me, is not worthy to be my disciple." If, then, you become such a one as always to follow Jesus, you will indeed follow, and to the extent that you follow you will not grow weary; for "there will be no toil in Jacob, nor will hardship be seen in Israel." There is no toil for the one who follows Jesus; the very act of following removes the
toil. For this reason he himself says, so that we may no longer grow weary, having grown weary before we began to follow him: "Come to me, all who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest." If, then, we come to him while weary and follow him, we shall say, "But I have not grown weary following after you." And following upon this it is fitting for us also to say, "Nor have I desired the day of man." It is
There is a day of man, and there is a day of God. Let each of us desire the day of the resurrection of the saints, not that day about which it is written: "Woe to those who desire the day of the Lord; for it is darkness and not light." Who is it that says, "And I have not desired the day of man"? The clarity of the statement will expose us, showing that we have desired the day of man. Often,
when we fall ill and come under the apprehension of death, at the point of departure we entreat the brothers who are visiting us and we say: "Ask on my behalf for a respite; ask that I may remain longer in life." In saying this we do not desire the holy day of God, but the day of man. Therefore, laying aside love of life and the desire for a human day, let us seek to see that day on which we shall attain to the blessedness that is in Christ Jesus,
to whom is the glory and the power forever. Amen.