Sophia Scriptura

On Prayer 29.17

Origen · On Prayer · ca. 233–234 · Caesarea · Read in context

Summary: Temptations reveal what is hidden in our souls, even from ourselves, so that we can recognize our evils and give thanks for our good.

Greek text · Koetschau 2:391–392

ἡ δὲ χρεία τοῦ πειράζεσθαι τοιαύτη τις ἐστίν. ἅπερ ἐδέξατο ἡμῶν ἡ ψυχὴ, λανθάνοντα πάντας πλὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς, φανερὰ διὰ τῶν πειρασμῶν γίνεται· ἵνα μηκέτι λανθάνωμεν. ὁποῖοί ποτε ἐσμὲν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὺς ἐπιγινώσκοντες συναισθώμεθα, ἐὰν βουλώμεθα, τῶν ἰδίων κακῶν καὶ εὐχαριστῶμεν ἐπὶ τοῖς φανερουμένοις ἡμῖν διὰ τῶν πειρασμῶν ἀγαθοῖς. ὅτι δὲ οἱ γενόμενοι πειρασμοὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἀναφανῆναι ἡμᾶς, οἵτινές ποτε ἐσμὲν, ἢ διαγνωσθῆναι τὰ ἐγκεκρυμμένα τῇ καρδίᾳ ἡμῶν γίνονται, παρίστησι τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου ἐν τῷ Ἰὼβ λεγόμενον καὶ τὸ ἐν τῷ Δευτερονομίῳ γεγραμμένον, οὕτως ἔχοντα· „οἴει δέ με ἄλλως σοι κεχρηματικέναι ἢ ἵνα ἀναφανῇς δίκαιος;“ καὶ ἐν τῷ Δευτερονομίῳ οὕτως· „ἐκάκωσέ σε καὶ ἐλιμαγχόνησέ σε καὶ ἐψώμισέ σε τὸ μάννα“ „καὶ διήγαγέ σε“ „ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, “ „οὗ ὄφις δάκνων καὶ σκορπίος καὶ δίψα, “ „ὅπως“ „διαγνωσθῇ τὰ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου.“

English · Claude translation

The use of being tempted is something like this. What our soul has received, hidden from all but God, and even from ourselves, becomes manifest through temptations, so that we may no longer be hidden as to what kind of people we are, but, knowing ourselves too, may perceive, if we wish, our own evils, and give thanks for the good things revealed to us through temptations. That the temptations that come happen so that we may be shown to be what we are, or that what is hidden in our heart may be discerned, is shown by what is said by the Lord in Job and what is written in Deuteronomy, which run thus: “Do you think I have dealt with you otherwise than that you might appear righteous?” And in Deuteronomy thus: “He afflicted you and let you hunger and fed you with manna” “and led you” “in the wilderness,” “where there were biting serpents and scorpions and thirst,” “so that” “what was in your heart might be discerned.”

About this passage

Source
Koetschau 2:391–392 · Paul Koetschau, ed., Origenes Werke 2: Buch V–VIII gegen Celsus, Die Schrift vom Gebet, GCS 3 (Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1899), 297–403 · Greek text: P. Koetschau, Origenes Werke 2 (GCS 3, 1899), digitized by the Perseus Digital Library and published by the First Thousand Years of Greek project (Open Greek and Latin), CC BY-SA 4.0
Text
As printed in Koetschau, GCS 3. Manuscript variants and the editor's apparatus are not reproduced; no textual problem is noted in this passage.
Translation
Claude translation (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 · Translated by Claude from the Greek text of Koetschau, GCS 3; made independently of existing English translations. No public-domain English translation exists; reviewed against the Greek.
Scripture
Topics
Prayer

Notes

Translation notes

  • The quotations are Job 40:8 (40:3 LXX) and Deut 8:3, 8:15, and 8:2.

Cite this passage

Origen, Or. 29.17 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/17/).

Plain text
Origen, Or. 29.17 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-oratione/29/17/).

Download citation:BibTeX ·RIS (Zotero, EndNote)

Whole work:BibTeX ·RIS ·Markdown text

Report an error in this passage