Origen, Homilies on Jeremiah — Homily 17
Greek source: Origen, Homilies on Jeremiah (Ὁμιλίαι εἰς τὸν Ἰερεμίαν), from the public-domain critical text of Erich Klostermann, GCS 6 = Origenes Werke III (Leipzig, 1901); digital text accessed via the First1KGreek project. This English translation is released into the public domain.
[§1] On the notorious question we have come to see who the partridge is, concerning which Scripture now says: "The partridge cried out, it gathered what it did not bring forth, making its wealth not with judgment. In the midst of his days they shall forsake him, and at his end he shall be a fool." From the study of the nature of animals we must take up what has been recorded about the partridge, so that, knowing the facts about the animal, we may know whether the partridge now spoken of ought to be assigned to a better rank or to a worse one. It is said, then, to be a most malicious and crafty and cunning animal, one that wishes to deceive those who hunt it and that often rolls about the feet of the hunter, so as to draw him away, since the animal is nearby, in order that he may not come to the nest. And whenever it guesses that it has drawn the hunter off and that the chicks have fled, then it too flies away. And the animal is so utterly unclean that the males fight one another in single combat over mating, and male mounts male. If, then, this animal is both malicious and unclean, both cunning and deceitful, it is clear that to assign it to a better rank and to say that it can be referred to the Savior appears to be impious. We must therefore see, if we wish to interpret it of the adversary, whether the whole interpretation follows consistently for us.
[§2] The mother partridge cried out; she gathered what she did not bring forth. So then, the devil does not gather his own creatures; he does not gather what he begot, but whenever he cries out, he gathers the creatures of another and makes them his own. The partridge cried out through Valentinus, the partridge cried out through Marcion, it cried out through Basilides, through all the heterodox; for none of those men could utter the voice of Jesus: "My sheep will hear my voice." But the voice of Jesus is in Paul and Peter; wherefore Paul said, "If you seek proof of the Christ who speaks in me?" And the voice of the partridge, which gathered what it did not bring forth, is among those who lead astray and deceive the simpler among believers because of their innocence and their unpreparedness. "The partridge," therefore, "cried out, she gathered what she did not bring forth, making her wealth not with judgment." The partridge grew rich. See how many are her myriads: many have become the partridge's own, the myriads of the opposing power. And she made her wealth without taking thought for judgment, nor having any judgment, but acting without discrimination. Wherefore it is said that the partridge is "making her wealth not with judgment." But my Savior makes his wealth with judgment, and his wealth is judged and chosen out.
[§3] "In the midst" of "his days they will forsake him." We all who were once under the partridge that cried out — for it cried out not only through the things previously mentioned, but also through absolutely all who deceive and, as though summoning to piety, call people to godlessness, to doctrines contrary to the truth — but "in the midst of his days" we have forsaken him. For all his days are the days of this age; but since Christ Jesus has delivered "us out of the present evil age," for this reason "in the midst of his days" we have forsaken him. "And at his end he will be a fool." For when was he ever prudent, that at his end he should become a fool? But we will say that he was prudent; for "the serpent was the most prudent of all the beasts upon the earth which the Lord God had made." He was prudent according to what is said in Isaiah: "For I will bring punishment upon the great mind, the ruler of the Assyrians. For he said: By strength I will act, and by wisdom […]
[§4] [Greek not extant here — the passage survives only in Latin ...] you may receive: "If anyone," he says, "seems to himself to be wise among you in this age, let him become a fool." He resolves it who earlier cried out: be foolish and stupid, that you may become wise. If, therefore, there is a certain blameworthy wisdom, according to which "the sons of this age are wiser than the sons of light in this generation," God is good, who overturns opposite things by their contraries, so that he may bring to fulfillment that which was said: "his last state will be foolish." When will his last state be foolish? Christ must "reign, until God puts all his enemies under his feet," and when he has subjected all things to him, "the last enemy, death, will be destroyed"; when death has been destroyed, then will come the last things of the partridge, and its last state will become foolish. So much concerning the partridge. Now the beginning of the second chapter, which was read, is this: "A throne of glory exalted from the beginning is our place, our sanctification, our support, the support of Israel. O Lord, let all who have forsaken you be put to shame; departing, let them be written upon the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of life." The blessed prophet Isaiah said, seeing the Lord and his kingdom: "I saw the Lord of Sabaoth sitting upon a throne lofty and lifted up." Jeremiah too saw how God reigns, on account of which, glorifying him, he says: "A throne of glory exalted from the beginning is our place, our sanctification." Whether you should wish to understand these words of Christ, you will not err, or of the Father, you will not think impiously: for the Savior is a lofty throne of glory and is from the beginning. "A throne of glory," because of which his kingdom is exalted; "our sanctification."
[Our sanctification] is Christ; for "both he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one." "The endurance of Israel." Just as the Savior is righteousness-itself, truth-itself, sanctification-itself, so also he is endurance-itself. And it is not possible either to be righteous apart from Christ, or holy apart from him, or to endure without having Christ. For he himself is the endurance of Israel. And even if you refer it to God, not even so will you be committing impiety.
"O Lord, let all who forsake you be put to shame, having departed from you." Each one of us, whenever he sins, through the things by which he sins forsakes Christ, and having forsaken Christ he forsakes God. For in doing wrong he forsakes righteousness, and in becoming profane he forsakes sanctification, and in making war he forsakes peace, and in coming to be under the enemy he forsakes redemption, and in being outside the wisdom of God he forsakes wisdom. To all, then, who forsake God the prophet utters an imprecation, teaching us what will befall them, saying, "Let all who forsake you be put to shame." As far as they have departed, let them be put to shame just so far. "Let them be written upon the earth." All human beings are written: the saints in heaven, but the sinners upon the earth. It is said to the disciples by Jesus, "Rejoice that your names are written in the heavens." Therefore one ought to rejoice, if he becomes such a person that his name is inscribed in the heavens. And just as the name of the saints is inscribed in the heavens, so the names of those who conduct their lives in an earthly manner — those who do not pass by the land of Edom but hold the fields of the land of Edom and the vineyards — are written, as of those who forsake God, upon the earth. For it says, "Let them be put to shame, having departed; let them be written upon the earth." For indeed, "with what measure you measure, it shall be measured to you." Each is the cause to himself of his being written. So if you seek the things upon earth, you do not seek the things of heaven. If your soul has inclined toward the affairs of this place, you become the cause to yourself, since Jesus says, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven." Do you lay up treasure in heaven? You are the cause to yourself of your name being inscribed in the heavens. These things are on account of the phrase "Let them be written upon the earth." And he states the reason: "Because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of life." And at the beginning the same prophet said, in the person of God, "They have forsaken me, the fountain of the water of life," and now, "They have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of life." Let us too, then, say — if indeed we wish not to forsake the Lord, the fountain of life — the utterance of the genuine disciples of Jesus, which they spoke to the teacher when he said to them, "Do you also wish to go away?" What, then, shall we say? "Lord, to whom shall we go away? You have the words of eternal life." Here the second passage also came to an end.
[§5] Then again there is a prayer that runs thus: "Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my boast. Behold, they say to me, 'Where is the word of the Lord? Let it come.' But I have not grown weary in following after you, and I have not desired the day of man, you know it." To him alone who came for the sake of those who are sick, the physician who says, "Those who are strong have no need of a physician, but those who are sick," everyone who wishes to be cured of the sickness of his soul may confidently say, "Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed." But if anyone else besides him professes the healing of souls, you would not be speaking truly if you said to that one, "Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed." For that woman too who "had a flow of blood" spent "all that she had" on the physicians, and "was not able to be healed by any of them"; for to none of those was it reasonable to say, "Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed," but only to the one whom it suffices to touch "the fringe of his garment." I say therefore to this one: "Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed"; for if you heal, the end will follow upon the healing that comes from you, the cure, so that I may be saved. But however many others may save, I shall not be saved; but the only and true salvation is if Christ saves, since then I shall be saved. "A horse is false for salvation," and false too are all the other things apart from God for salvation. Therefore I would say to him: "Save me, O Lord, and I shall 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," or when I fulfill the commandment that says, "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the rich man in his riches, but rather let him who boasts boast in this, to understand and to know that I am the Lord." Blessed therefore is he who has renounced all boasting here below, such as in what is called nobility of birth and in beauty and in bodily things, in wealth, in glory, and who is content with one boast, so that he may say, "For you are my boast."
[§6] "Behold, they say to me, 'Where is the word of the Lord? Let it come.' But I have not grown weary in following after you." Jesus says to you, "Take up your cross, and follow me," and "Leave all things, and follow me," and "Whoever will not forsake his father and his mother and follow after me is not worthy to be my disciple." If, then, you become such a one as to follow Jesus always, you will indeed follow, and however far you follow you will not grow weary; for "there shall be no toil in Jacob, nor shall trouble be seen in Israel." There is no weariness for the one who follows Jesus; the very act of following takes away the weariness. For this reason he himself says—so that we may toil no longer, having toiled before we began to follow him—"Come to me, all you who toil and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." If, then, though toiling we come to him and follow him, we shall say, "But I have not grown weary in following after you."
And to this it follows that we should also speak of the words "I have not desired the day of man." There is a certain day of man, and there is a certain day of God. Let each one of us desire the day of the resurrection of the saints, not that day of which it is written: "Woe to those who desire the day of the Lord; and this day is darkness and not light." Who is it that says, "And I have not desired the day of man"? The plain sense of the passage will convict us, that we have desired the day of man. Often, when we have fallen sick and have come to imagine death upon our departure, we entreat the brethren who watch over us and say: Ask for me a respite, ask that I may remain in this life. In saying these things we do not desire the holy day of God, but the day of man. Wherefore, having laid aside the love of life and the desiring of a human day, let us seek to see that day in which we shall attain the blessedness that is in Christ Jesus, to whom belong the glory and the might unto the ages. Amen.