24 July 2021
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Body and Flesh in Origen's Newly Discovered Homilies on the Psalms
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Body and Flesh in Origen’s Newly Discovered Homilies on the Psalms.
Although the Homilies on the Psalms (= HPs) represent only a small part of the vast exegetical work that Origen dedicated to the Psalter1, nonetheless, they now are the biggest collection known to us of Greek sermons by the Alexandrian exegete. These new works allowed scholars to deepen our understanding of Origen’s homiletic activity, proving for instance that he preached until the last years of his life, not only during the three-year period suggested by Nautin2. Besides, they significantly enrich our documentation of the Alexandrian’s interpretation of the Bible and some fundamental issues arising from it. Indeed, Origen’s concept of body and corporeality underlies many aspects of his thought, such as his protological and eschatological discourse, as well as the implications that this conception has on the concrete life of the believers. However, this topic still raises questions of debate among scholars3: for this reason, it is worthwhile to pinpoint the significant evidence of this concept in HPs which have perhaps not received enough attention yet.
Through a review of the most significant occurrences of the terms σῶμα and σάρξ in HPs, this contribution aims at analysing how Origen’s concept of the human body emerges as he deals with related themes preaching on the Psalms. Consequently, this inquiry will, on the one hand, offer further clues of the hermeneutical implications of the doctrine of the spiritual senses. On the other hand, it will provide an additional insight on his anthropological thought about the relationship between body, soul, and spirit, which form the human being, thus allowing us to check whether what we find in the new homilies is in this respect similar to what he says elsewhere4. Moreover, one added value of such texts is that they record the speeches that Origen delivered in front of the wide composite audience of Caesarea Maritima5. Even though the preacher refrains from mentioning his most speculative theories on such occasions, nonetheless his exegesis remains a high-level explanation of the Scripture, never limited just to a moral exhortation. In this perspective, it is worth investigating whether Origen the preacher offered any ascetic direction to a wider audience than the one attending his school, as well as understanding what kind of actions he considered essential for them to observe in their life. The practices recommended even to the
simpliciores let us glimpse what level of awareness Origen has of the concreteness of the human body and its essential role in the
providential plan.
1. The spiritual senses
The terms σῶμα and σάρξ often occur when Origen is interpreting a passage that mentions a physical feature. Coherently with his spiritualising approach to the scripture6, the preacher often explains the biblical reference to a human body part as a hint to the corresponding inner spiritual power: in this sense, «corporeal names are used in the case of the powers of the soul in analogy with the corporeal realities: for example, it is said that the eyes of the soul are enlightened by God’s commandment (cf. Ps 18,9b) with the same
1 For an updated outline on Origen’s exegetical effort on the Psalms, see L.PERRONE, Origen Reading the Psalms: The Challenge of a Christian
Interpretation, in Scriptures, Sacred Traditions, and Strategies of Religious Subversion. Studies in Discourse with the Work of Guy G. Stroumsa, ed. by
M.BLIDSTEIN –S.RUZER –D.STÖKL BEN EZRA (STAC 112), Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen 2018, 131-148. On the discovery, see M.MOLIN PRADEL,
Novità origeniane dalla Staatsbibliothek di Monaco di Baviera: il Cod. graec. 314, Adamantius 18 (2012) 16-40; EAD., Il Codex Graecus 314 della
Bayerische Staatsbibliothek di Monaco, Adamantius 20 (2014) 173-176. The edition of HPs is Origenes Werke 13. Band: Die neuen Psalmenhomilien.
Eine kritische Edition des Codex Monacensis Graecus 314, hg. von L.PERRONE in Zusamm. mit M.MOLIN PRADEL – E.PRINZIVALLI – A.CACCIARI (GCS NF 19), De Gruyter, Berlin 2015, hereafter quoted with pages and lines numbers.
2 Nautin’s hypothesis on Origen’s preaching cycle is advanced in P.NAUTIN, Origène. Homélies sur Jérémie. Tome I: Homélies I-XI, trad. par P. HUSSON† et P.NAUTIN, éd., intr. et notes par P.NAUTIN (SC 232), Éditions du Cerf, Paris 1976, 100-112; ID., Origène. Sa vie et son oeuvre (CAnt 1), Beauchesne, Paris 1977, 389-412; ID., Origène. Homélies sur Samuel, éd., intr., trad. et notes par P. et M.-T.NAUTIN (SC 328), Éditions du Cerf, Paris 1986, 61-67. About the chronology and context of HPs, see A.MONACI CASTAGNO, Contesto liturgico e cronologia della predicazione origeniana alla
luce delle nuove Omelie sui Salmi, Adamantius 20 (2014) 238-255, which confirms her former analysis found in EAD., Origene predicatore e il suo
pubblico, Franco Angeli, Torino 1987, 59-64, as well as the observations by A.GRAPPONE, Annotazioni sulla cronologia delle omelie di Origene, Aug. 41/1 (2001) 27-58 and ID., Annotazioni sul contesto liturgico delle omelie di Origene, Aug. 41/2 (2001) 329-362.
3 See e.g. the recent issue of ZAC 23/1 (2019).
4 The fact that in HPs Origen seems more inclined to the tripartite conception of the human as body-soul-spirit (cf. 1Ts 5,23) than to the bipartite one body-soul has already been observed by M.SIMONETTI, Leggendo le Omelie sui Salmi di Origene, Adamantius 22 (2016) 454-480, 478 n. 112. Rather than necessarily revealing an evolution of his thought, the tripartite conception perhaps provided stronger arguments against the radical ontological dichotomy of the Gnostics.
5 Eus. H.e. VI 36,1 refers that Origen allowed shorthand-writers to take down his sermons after he was sixty. About Caesarea’s social and cultural composition, see G.RINALDI, Pagani e cristiani a Cesarea Marittima, in Caesarea Maritima e la scuola origeniana. Multiculturalità, forme di
competizione culturale e identità cristiana. Atti dell’XI Convegno del Gruppo di Ricerca su Origene e la Tradizione Alessandrina (22-23 settembre
2011) (Supplementi Adamantius 3), ed. O.ANDREI, Morcelliana, Brescia 2013, 25-94 and M.RIZZI, La scuola di Origene tra le scuole di Cesarea e
del mondo tardoantico, in Caesarea Maritima e la scuola origeniana, cit., 105-119.
6 See M.SIMONETTI, Lettera e/o allegoria. Un contributo alla storia dell’esegesi patristica (SEAug 23), Institutum Patristicum Augustinianum, Roma 1985, 78-83.
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name of the eyes of the body, since the eyes of the soul do something analogous to the work of the eyes of the body: the eyes of the body see the bodies and the colours, and the eyes of the soul see the intelligible realities. In this way, one speaks about the ears of the soul with the same name as the ears of the body»7.
Another meaningful example is when Origen, explaining Ps 15,7b (moreover, until night my kidneys instructed me8), carries out a refined analysis on the kidneys which instruct the speaker, whom he identifies as Christ: they are interpreted as the parts «which have the roots and the principles of thoughts […]. It is like I were to say an analogous thing about the human soul, which has in the kidneys the thoughts before they rise to the heart and the seeds of reasoning […]»9, and therefore they assume a seemingly psychological and gnoseological function10.
Consistent with his interpretation of the spiritual senses11, we find that a metaphorical meaning is attributed also to the actions related to the human senses: «you will not allow your devout to see corruption (Ps 15,10b). Scripture specifically calls ‘being in a certain state’ as ‘seeing it’: for example, Who is the person who shall live and not see death? (Ps 88,49a). So, he who dies sees death, he who is corrupted sees corruption, he who is not corrupted does not see corruption. This is the same thing for what pertains to knowledge, this customarily happens according to the use of the specific style of the scripture»12. Origen also makes similar remarks regarding bodily age: thus, when David says: «I was younger» (Ps 36,25a) or Jeremiah «I do not know how to speak, because I am too
young» (Jer 1,6), they are referring to the fact that they feel or do not feel spiritually ready to embrace the prophetic mission which
God entrusts to them13.
A recurrent variation related to the theme of the spiritual senses is represented by the metaphors of drinking and eating14. There are various occurrences where Origen draws attention to fact that, just as we feed the body, we must feed the soul with appropriate food; that is to say: «prayer is food for the soul, especially when one prays also with the mind (cf. 1Cor 14,15); food for the soul is the teaching word which enters the one who is listening, the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge (cf. 1Cor 12,8)»15. It is worth mentioning a passage from H77Ps IV where the preacher explains the bread of angels in Ps 77,25. He starts from the observation regarding the different types of spiritual foods that God gives to men according to their level of spiritual progress and, building on it,
7 H15Ps II,5 (100,18–101,3): Σωματικὰ γὰρ ὀνόματα ἐπὶ τῶν δυνάμεων τῆς ψυχῆς παραλαμβάνεται κατὰ ἀναλογίαν τῶν σωματικῶν πραγμάτων. Οἷον ὀφθαλμοὶ λέγονται ψυχῆς φωτιζόμενοι εἶναι ὑπὸ τῆς ἐντολῆς τοῦ θεοῦ (cf. Ps 18,9b) ὁμωνύμως τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς τοῦ σώματος, ἐπεὶ ἀνάλογον τῷ ἔργῳ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τοῦ σώματος ποιοῦσιν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ τῆς ψυχῆς· οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ τοῦ σώματος βλέπουσι σώματα καὶ χρώματα καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ τῆς ψυχῆς βλέπουσι τὰ νοητά. Οὕτως καὶ ὦτα λέγεται ψυχῆς ὁμωνύμως τοῖς ὠσὶ τοῦ σώματος. For analogy as an exegetical feature in Origen see A.CACCIARI,
Sull’ἀναλογία come strumento esegetico in Origene, Adamantius 22 (2016) 67-86. It often recurs in association with the remark that scripture regularly
resorts to the same term to refer to different concepts: Origen knows the Aristotelian definition of homonymy (cf. HIer XX,1 where he quotes Arist.
Cat. 1a), but exploits this concept in a way both original and independent from the philosophical traditions: see T.DOLIDZE, Equivocacy of Biblical
Language in Origen, in StPatr 56/4 (2013) 65-72; R.SOMOS, Homonymy as a Logical Term in Origen, in AAH 53/4 (2013) 409-421. On the correspondence between body and spiritual parts, see also CCt prol. 2,4; CC VII 34; Dial 16-24 and most recently its analysis by M.RIZZI, La seconda
parte del Dialogo con Eraclide: l’anima è il sangue?, Adamantius 21 (2015) 269-283, also focusing on the implications of the use of homonymy. On
the δεῖξις νοητή given by the eyes of the soul, see also H77Ps VIII,4 (456,13-16).
8 Ps 15,7b: ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἕως νυκτὸς ἐπαίδευσάν με οἱ νεφροί μου. Translations of the Septuagint text are quoted from A New English Translation of the
Septuagint, eds. A.PIETERSMA –B.G.WRIGHT, Oxford University Press, New York–Oxford 2007, except where a few adjustments were required. 9 H15Ps II,3 (94,15-19): οἱ ἀναλόγους τῇ καθαρότητι τῆς καρδίας ἔχοντες τὰς ῥίζας καὶ τὰς ἀρχὰς τῶν νοημάτων, […]. Ὡς εἰ ἔλεγον καὶ περὶ ἀνθρωπίνης ψυχῆς τὸ ἀνάλογον, ἐχούσης ἐν τοῖς νεφροῖς τὰ πρὸ τοῦ ἀνατεῖλαι ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν νοήματα καὶ διαλογισμῶν σπέρματα.
10 Although the interpretation is not only limited to this aspect; for a detailed inquiry on Origen’s interpretation of the hearts and kidneys from Ps 7,10 and similar biblical passages, see L.PERRONE, «I cuori e i reni»: Note sull’interpretazione origeniana di Sal 7,10, Adamantius 22 (2016) 87-104. For other parallels, see HIer XX,9; CIo XIII,432.
11 In HPs, see e.g. H36Ps I,4 (121,18–124,10), with reference to the distinction between the ‘external’ and ‘inner’ man. For an overview on the spiritual senses in Origen, see P.BETTIOLO, Sensi spirituali, in Origene. Dizionario: la cultura, il pensiero, le opere, a c. di A.MONACI CASTAGNO, Città Nuova, Roma 2000, 443-444.
12 H15Ps II,9 (110,9–111,4): Οὐδὲ δώσεις τὸν ὅσιόν σου ἰδεῖν διαφθοράν (Ps 15,10b). Ἰδίως ἡ γραφὴ τὸ ἔν τινι γενέσθαι “ἰδεῖν” αὐτὸ ὠνόμασεν· οἷον
τίς ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος, ὃς ζήσεται καὶ οὐκ ὄψεται θάνατον; (Ps 88,49a) ὡς τὸν ἀποθανόντα βλέπειν θάνατον, τὸν διαφθειρόμενον βλέπειν διαφθοράν, τὸν
μὴ διαφθειρόμενον μὴ βλέπειν διαφθοράν. Ὅμοιον δὲ τοῦτό ἐστιν τῷ κατὰ τὴν γνῶσιν, συνήθως τοῦτό ἐστι ‹τῷ ἰδιώματι› τῆς γραφῆς. Parallels to this interpretation of Ps 88,49b can be found in CIo XX,371; CMt XII,35, where Origen wonders about the difference between seeing death, tasting death and being followed by it; C1Ts (Hier. Epist. 119,9-10 [CSEL 55, 460,8–467,14]). On the συνήθεια of the scripture see also CC VI,62.
13 H36Ps IV,3 (166,21–167,7): Τοιοῦτόν τί μοι νόει καὶ περὶ τοῦ Δαυὶδ λέγοντος· νεώτερος ἐγενόμην (Ps 36,25a), ὡσεὶ ἔλεγεν· “νήπιος ἐγενόμην κατὰ τὸν ἔσω μου ἄνθρωπον, καὶ γὰρ ἐγήρασα”. Εἰ μὴ ἦν γηράσας, οὐκ ἐδύνατο προφητεῦσαι· γέροντος γάρ ἐστι προφητεύειν. Ἐὰν γάρ ποτε καὶ ἴδῃς νεώτερον προφητεύοντα, μὴ ὄκνει λέγειν ὅτι οὗτος κατὰ τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον πρεσβύτερος ἦν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο προεφήτευσεν. Ὅτε γοῦν Ἱερεμίας ἤκουσεν·
πρὸ τοῦ με πλάσαι σε ἐν κοιλίᾳ ἐπίσταμαί σε, καὶ πρὸ τοῦ [με πλάσαι σε καὶ] ἐξελθεῖν σε ἐκ μήτρας ἡγίακά σε, προφήτην εἰς ἔθνη τέθηκά σε (Ier 1,5),
ἀπεκρίνατο οὖν ὁ νεώτερος καὶ λέγει· οὐκ ἐπίσταμαι λαλεῖν ὅτι νεώτερος ἐγώ εἰμι (Ier 1,6). Ἀλλ’ ὁ χαριζόμενος αὐτῷ μὴ εἶναι νεωτέρῳ ἀλλὰ πρεσβύτῃ κατὰ τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπόν φησιν· μὴ λέγε ὅτι νεώτερος ἐγώ εἰμι (Ier 1,7). See also HIer I,13; in HIer I,7-8 Origen explains the passage from Jer 1,6 as spoken by Jesus both as a man and as the incarnate Logos.
14 Deeper accounts on this theme in other Origenian works can be found in F.SOLER, Gustar y participar del Logos en Orígenes: Acercamientos al
‘gusto’ como sentido espiritual, Adamantius 23 (2017) 416-431; ID., Acercamientos a la teología del comer y beber en el cristianismo antiguo, Communio 25/2 (2018) 35-53; ID., The Theological Use of Eating and Drinking Metaphors in Origen’s De Principiis, ZAC 23/1 (2019) 4-20. 15 H15Ps I,9 (88,13-15): Εὐχὴ τροφὴ ψυχῆς ἐστι καὶ μάλιστα ὅτε προσεύχεται καὶ τῷ νοΐ (cf. 1Cor 14,15)· λόγος διδασκαλικὸς εἰσερχόμενος εἰς τὸν ἀκούοντα τροφὴ ψυχῆς ἐστι, λόγος σοφίας καὶ λόγος γνώσεως (cf. 1Cor 12,8). See also H15Ps I,9; H36Ps I,4; II,6; H77Ps IV, 5-7.10-11; H80Ps II,5.7.
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develops a comparison between, on the one hand, the athlete who must undergo a strict diet and rigorous training so as to become a proper fighter; and, on the other hand, the human soul, which needs its proper nourishment: therefore, Origen reproaches those who come to feed their souls with the word of God by coming to church only during Easter and who do not regularly train against the forces of sin 16.
2. The Body of Christ
To these references to spiritual nourishment, another specific one can be added. Indeed, to explain the allegorical meaning of the heads of the dragon, which God gave as food to the Ethiopian peoples (from Ps 73)17, Origen, by contrast, addresses the eucharist: «it is possible to prove that, in the same way the saints eat the body of Christ, and the Lord says my flesh is true food, and my blood is
true drink (John 6,55), the sinners eat the body of the dragon. For example, Valentinians and Basilidians and the other heretics celebrate
the eucharist: so, do they eat the body of Christ, whom they curse, whom they do not recognise? Not at all! But we do, if we, too, pray to eat the body of Christ; they instead (eat) the body of the dragon, about which is written you gave him as food to the Ethiopian peoples (Ps 73,14b), to those who are in ignorance, to those who are in darkness, to those who are separated by ignorance and sins»18. Origen seems to hint at a eucharistic rite held among the Gnostics, but he does not indulge in describing its details, which later Epiphanius will allegedly depict19; instead, with this image the Alexandrian highlights the doctrinal errors which the heretics feed on and which lead them, in his view, to ignore the true nature of Christ.
Quoting 1Cor 12,2720, Origen twice evokes the body of Christ as a metaphor for the church and his limbs as its members in
HPs21; but he also makes specific reference to Jesus’ earthly existence and body. «So, a thief enters in Ephraim according to what is said: A thief will enter in it; and a bandit who spoils (Hos 7,1b) does not enter, but in reality a bandit who spoils (Hos 7,1b) enters the heresies to clothe himself in the Lord Jesus Christ. You, in turn, are taking Christ off because of this (bandit) for an image of Christ which is not truly Christ; actually, he gives you an anti-Christ, taking Christ off of you. Or is it not anti-Christ, he who is called ‘Christ’, but without the truth about Christ (cf. 1John 4,1-3)? The truth about Christ is that he was born from a virgin. The anti-Christ was not born at all. The truth about Christ is that he had a body similar to ours, so that he might save us. The anti-Christ’s body was only a
16 H77Ps IV,4 (394,10-21): Σὺ δὲ ἀθλῶν οὐ θέλεις ὑπομεῖναι τὰς πληγάς, ἃς προσάγει σοι ὁ ἀθλητὴν ἐθέλων ποιῆσαί ‹σε› διὰ τῶν μαστίγων θεός. Οὐ θέλεις σαυτὸν ἐνδοῦναι τῇ τροφῇ τῇ ἀθλητικῇ, ἀλλὰ πολλάκις παρέρχεται ἡμέρα μία ἀτρόφου σου ὄντος τῇ ψυχῇ. Καὶ τί λέγω μία; ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ δευτέρα καὶ τρίτη καὶ τετάρτη· καὶ οὐκ ἀρκεῖ ἀλλὰ πολλάκις παρέρχονταί σοι ἡμέραι ἓξ καὶ ἑπτά, ἵνα μίαν τραφῇς. Ἐὰν ἄρα δυνηθῇς ἐλθὼν εἰς κυριακόν, λαβών σου τὴν τροφὴν τὴν πνευματικήν, καὶ προτραπῆναι εἰς σωτηρίαν, ἀλλὰ οὐ δὲ διὰ ἑπτὰ ἡμερῶν, ἀλλὰ διὰ πλειόνων κυριακῶν! Ἤδη μέν τινες καταφρονοῦσι καὶ ὅλῳ τῷ ἐνιαυτῷ ἄτροφοι μένουσιν· ἔρχονται δὲ ἐπ’ ὀλίγας τὰς τοῦ πάσχα λεγομένας ‹ἡμέρας› ἐν αὐταῖς τραφησόμενοι. Οἴεσθε ὅτι ἐκεῖνοι δύνανται ἀθλῆσαι, δύνανται ἀγωνίσασθαι πρὸς τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας (Eph 6,12), οὕτως ἀμελοῦντες τῶν ἑαυτῶν τροφῶν; Οὐ δύνανται ἰσχὺν ἔχειν, τὰς ἰσχυροποιούσας μὴ λαμβάνοντες τροφάς. Although the expression ἐλθὼν εἰς κυριακόν might echo the κυριακὸν δεῖπνον in 1Cor 11,20, Origen is here probably referring to the very place of the gathering, the ‘church’ as the ‘place’ or ‘house of the Lord’: cf., as the editor of
HPs notes, HEx XII,2: Alii vero nec, si recitentur, sciunt, sed in remotioribus dominicae domus locis saecularibus fabulis occupantur. The metaphor
of the Christian as the athlete who must fight and endure labours to obtain salvation recurs also in HIer XIV,14 and in HIerL I,3. This topical image, often used in early Christian literature as related to martyrdom or to ascetism (see e.g. P.ROSA, Giobbe ἀθλητής nei Padri della Chiesa: fortuna di
un’immagine, Adamantius 13 [2007] 152-173), is employed by Origen to highlight the agonistic conception of the believer’s life; for an outline see P.
BETTIOLO, Perfetto, in Origene. Dizionario, cit., 353-355; A.MONACI CASTAGNO, Angelo, in Origene. Dizionario, cit., 6-13; EAD., Diavolo, in Origene.
Dizionario, cit., 114-118; B.STUDER, Grazia, in Origene. Dizionario, cit., 216-219. On the fight against demons with the help of angels from Origen to Evagrius, see L.PERRONE, « Chasser les chiens au moment de la prière » : l’image de l’orant entre les démons et les anges, d’Origène à Évagre le
Pontique, in Les forces du bien et du mal dans les premiers siècles de l’Église. Actes du colloque de Tours, septembre 2008 (ThH 118), sous la dir. de
Y.-M.BLANCHARD –B.POUDERON –M.SCOPELLO, Beauchesne, Paris 2011, 157-185.
17 Ps 73,14: σὺ συνέθλασας τὰς κεφαλὰς τοῦ δράκοντος, ἔδωκας αὐτὸν βρῶμα λαοῖς τοῖς Αἰθίοψιν (It was you who crushed the heads of the dragon;
you gave him as food to the Ethiopian peoples).
18 H73Ps II,7 (250,6-14): Ἀλλ’ ἔστι παραστῆσαι ὅτι ὥσπερ οἱ ἅγιοι ἐσθίουσι τὸ σῶμά του Χριστοῦ καὶ λέγει ὁ κύριος· ἡ σάρξ μου ἀληθής ἐστι βρῶσις
καὶ τὸ αἷμά μου ἀληθής ἐστι πόσις (John 6,55), οὕτως οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἐσθίουσι τὸ σῶμα τοῦ δράκοντος. Οἷον εὐχαριστίαν ποιοῦσιν Οὐαλεντῖνοι καὶ
Βασιλειδιανοὶ καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι ἀπὸ τῶν αἱρέσεων· ἆρ’ οὖν τὸ σῶμα Χριστοῦ ἐσθίουσι, ὃν βλασφημοῦσιν, ὃν ἀγνοοῦσιν; Ἀπείη! Ἀλλ’ ἡμεῖς μέν, εἴ γε καὶ ἡμεῖς τὸ σῶμα εὐχόμεθα ἐσθίειν Χριστοῦ, ἐκεῖνοι δὲ τὸ σῶμα τοῦ δράκοντος, περὶ οὗ γέγραπται· ἔδωκας αὐτὸν βρῶμα λαοῖς, τοῖς Αἰθίοψιν (Ps 73,14b), τοῖς ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ, τοῖς ἐν σκοτίᾳ, τοῖς κεχωρισμένοις ὑπὸ τῆς ἀγνοίας καὶ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων.
19 A perverted eucharistic rite supposedly celebrated by the Gnostics is described in Epiph. Pan. 26,4,5-8. 20 1Cor 12,27: Ὑμεῖς δέ ἐστε σῶμα Χριστοῦ καὶ μέλη ἐκ μέρους.
21 See H15Ps I,3 (77,19-22): οὕτω νόει μοι καὶ τὸν σωτῆρα – ἐπεὶ ὑμεῖς δέ ἐστε μέλη Χριστοῦ καὶ μέλη ἐκ μέρους καὶ ὑμεῖς δέ ἐστε σῶμα Χριστοῦ (1Cor 12,27) – εὐχόμενον καὶ λέγοντα· φύλαξόν με, κύριε (Ps 15,1b), εὐχόμενον περὶ σοῦ λέγειν περὶ ἑαυτοῦ; H77Ps VIII,3 (454,15-16): Ἢ οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι (1Cor 6,19) σῶμα Χριστοῦ ἐστε (1Cor 12,27); Καὶ ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστι τοῦτο τὸ σῶμα Χριστοῦ συνάγεσθαι.
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spirit»22. Here the antichrist is presented as an image summarising the false beliefs that Gnostics preached about the nature of Christ23. Refuting their claim that Christ only had a spiritual body, Origen stresses that Jesus’ assumption of the entirety of human nature is the necessary premise for the salvation of mankind; his body was ‘similar’ to ours – and not exactly the same – only because he was born from a virgin and the holy Spirit, as he explains also in Prin24. The Alexandrian underlines the importance of the completely human incarnation of the Logos also from the point of view of the resurrection and the following ascension of Jesus to heaven: «he was crucified and on the third day he rose becoming firstborn from the dead (Col 1,18; Rev 1,5); and, having risen, he was taken up to the sky and he brought up from earth an earthly body, so that the heavenly powers were astonished, since they had never seen such a spectacle: flesh ascending to heaven! […] I say with confidence that, as he was the firstborn from the dead, so he was the first to bring flesh up to heaven»25. Origen remarks that the angelic powers are surprised at this «new sight» (ἐπὶ τῇ καινῇ ἱστορίᾳ), because they «see the traces of the blood and wounds» (τὰ ἴχνη τοῦ αἵματος καὶ τῶν τραυμάτων) on Christ’s body, and later reiterates that, despite those who claim that Jesus’ body was similar to the substance of the Logos and that his soul actually was the Logos, he came to this world as a «human composite», thus owning a real human body and a soul26.
3. The Tripartite Anthropology
These observations are significant if we consider that Origen often reminds his audience of his conception of man as a compound of spirit, soul and body27. Of course, he makes it very clear that these elements respond to a hierarchy, since the body is «inferior to the substance of the soul and to the nature of the spirit»28, and «the spirit was given by God to help, since it is superior to our soul»29. Once again, the preacher feels the need to clarify the relationship between the three elements so as to confute the wrong assumptions of the Gnostics regarding the supposedly different natures of men:
we are composed of spirit, soul and body (cf. 1Ts 5,23); since we are composed, it is necessary that we are ruled by the superior spirit; instead, we are mostly ruled by the flesh, even though the soul is saved when is ruled by the spirit and perishes when is ruled by the flesh. […] The sinner becomes completely flesh, since his soul becomes flesh; I don’t know if what I am saying happens also for the spirit, I am not sure, except that the sinner becomes completely flesh, the righteous becomes completely spirit. For this reason, when the resurrection comes, for those for whom it comes, his flesh is no more flesh, since it transforms and becomes spirit; thus, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1Cor 15,50). Actually, when the saint inherits the kingdom of God, he is no longer flesh, he is no longer blood, since it is sown a natural body, it is raised a
spiritual body (1Cor 15,44). […] And so one does not think that the spirit also becomes flesh, he [i.e. the prophet, author of the psalm] says: a breath that passes and does not return (Ps 77,39b). Since the spirit abandons the flesh and the soul and returns to God, who gave it (Ecl 12,7), like
22 H77Ps II,4 (373,4-12): Εἰσέρχεται οὖν πρὸς τὸν Ἐφραῒμ κλέπτης κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον· κλέπτης πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰσελεύσεται, καὶ ἐκδιδύσκων λῃστὴς (Hos 7,1b) οὐκ εἰσέρχεται, ἀλλὰ ἀληθῶς πρὸς τὰς αἱρέσεις ἐκδιδύσκων λῃστὴς (Hos 7,1b) εἰσέρχεται ἐνδεδύσθαι τὸν κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν. Ὑπὸ τούτου ἐκδύῃ αὐτὸν φαντασίᾳ μὲν Χριστοῦ, οὐ Χριστοῦ δὲ ἀληθῶς· ἀντίχριστον γάρ σοι δίδωσιν, ἐκδύσας σε τὸν Χριστόν. Ἢ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀντίχριστος, ὀνομαζόμενος Χριστός, οὐ μετὰ τῆς περὶ Χριστοῦ ‹ἀληθείας›; Ἀλήθεια δὲ περὶ Χριστοῦ· γεγέννηται ἐκ παρθένου. Ἀντίχριστος· οὐ γεγέννηται ὅλως. Ἀλήθεια περὶ Χριστοῦ· σῶμα εἶχεν παραπλήσιον τῷ ἡμετέρῳ, ἵνα ἡμᾶς σώσῃ. Ἀντίχριστος· πνευματικὸν ἦν αὐτοῦ τὸ σῶμα.
23 This coheres with the other passages where he discusses about the antichrist: CC II,49-50; VI,43-46; CIo XX,171-176; XXXII,198-217; CMtS 31-47; see L’anticristo. Volume I: il nemico dei tempi finali. Testi dal II al IV secolo, a c. di G.L.POTESTÀ –M.RIZZI,Fondazione Lorenzo Valla-Arnoldo Mondadori, Milano 2005, 237-307 and their commentary on these texts; A.LE BOULLUEC, La polémique contre les hérésies dans les Homélies sur les Psaumes d’Origène (Codex Monacensis Graecus 314), Adamantius 20 (2014) 256-274, 268. For Origen’s remarks against Gnostic and other unorthodox beliefs on the matter see Dial 7-8; HLc XIV (GCS 49, 86,8-12); XVII (GCS 49, 104,8–105,10).
24 Prin I, praef. 4: Corpus assumsit nostro corpori simile, eo solo differens, quod natum ex virgine et spiritu sancto est. On Christ’s completely human body see also CC I,66.69; II,23.31.
25 H15Ps II,8 (104,24–105,18): ἐσταύρωται γὰρ καὶ τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἐγήγερται γενόμενος πρωτότοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν (Col 1,18; Rev 1,5) καὶ ἐγερθεὶς ἀνελήφθη εἰς οὐρανὸν καὶ ἀνήγαγεν ἀπὸ γῆς γήϊνον σῶμα, ὥστε ξενίζεσθαι τοὺς οὐρανίους δυνάμεις μηδέποτε ἑωρακυίας τοῦτο τὸ θέαμα· σάρκα ἀναβαίνουσαν εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν. Περὶ τοῦ Ἠλίου γέγραπται ὅτι ὡς εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνελήφθη (4Kings 2,11) καὶ περὶ τοῦ Ἐνὼχ ὅτι μετέθηκεν αὐτὸν ὁ θεός (Gn 5,24), οὐκ εἴρηται δὲ εἰς οὐρανόν. Πρὸ τοῦ κυρίου μου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ οὐδεὶς εἰς οὐρανὸν ἀναβέβηκεν (John 3,13). Ὁ βουλόμενος προσκοπτέτω τῇ ἐμῇ φωνῇ· ἐγὼ θαρρῶν λέγω ὅτι ὡς πρωτότοκός ἐστιν ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν (Col 1,18; Rev 1,5), οὕτως καὶ πρῶτος σάρκα ἀνήγαγεν εἰς οὐρανόν. 26 H15Ps II,8 (108,4–109,2): Ὅθεν πλανῶνται οἱ λέγοντες ὅτι οὐ σύνθετος ὁ σωτὴρ ἐπιδεδήμηκεν, ἀλλὰ ἀναλαβὼν σῶμα ὅμοιον τῇ ὑπερεχούσῃ τοῦ αὐτοῦ λόγου οὐσίᾳ, μᾶλλον δὲ ταὐτὸν τῇ οὐσίᾳ τοῦ λόγου, καὶ ὅτι ἡ ψυχὴ ταὐτὴ τῇ οὐσίᾳ τοῦ λόγου ἦν. Οὗτοι δὴ ἀθετοῦσι τὴν χρηστότητα αὐτοῦ ἐνδυσαμένου τὸν σύνθετον ἄνθρωπον ‹καὶ› λέγοντος· ἡ σάρξ μου κατασκηνώσει ἐπ’ ἐλπίδι, οὐκ ἐγκαταλείψεις τὴν ψυχήν μου εἰς τὸν ᾅδην (Ps 15,9c-10a).
27 See H.CROUZEL, L’anthropologie d’Origène dans la perspective du combat spirituel, RAM 31 (1955) 364-385; ID., Origène, Lethielleux, Paris 1985, 123-130; and the detailed study by J.DEPUIS, « L’esprit de l’homme » : Étude sur l’anthropologie religieuse d’Origène (ML.T 62), Desclée de Brouwer, Bruges–Paris 1967.
28 H15Ps I,3 (77,24-25): σῶμα ἔλαττον τῆς οὐσίας τῆς ψυχῆς σου καὶ τῆς φύσεως τοῦ πνεύματός σου. 29 H76Ps I,10 (310,3-4): τὸ πνεῦμα δίδοται ὑπὸ θεοῦ εἰς βοήθειαν ὡς κρεῖττον τυγχάνον τῆς ψυχῆς ἡμῶν.
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it is written in the Ecclesiast. For this reason, when we are punished, the spirit is not punished with us: rather fear him who can destroy both body
and soul in hell (Mt 10,28): so, the spirit is not destroyed30.
The confutation of the Valentinians’ anthropology is evoked also to stress the role of free will in determining the salvation or the punishment of one’s self: Origen argues that every man starts from being ‘psychic’, in so far as he is free to choose either to become ‘spiritual’ by behaving well or to become ‘earthly’ by misbehaving31.
4. Instructions to the faithful
It is now worth considering how Origen wanted this mindset to be concretely applied and translated in the life of the people attending the assembly. Notwithstanding the exegetical and often spiritualising content of the homilies, scattered indications throughout the sermons give us a comprehensive framework of what Origen conceived as the necessary practices that lead to virtue.
Commenting on the title of psalm 7432, Origen argues that «what is written here leads up to incorruption, if understood and accomplished. It is a psalm by Asaph and performed with an instrument and with the voice; and it shows how we must sing hymns to God both with an instrument, through the movements of the body, and with an intelligible voice, through the dedication of the intellect to the creator, and to procure salvation»33. Here the preacher seems to ascribe considerable weight also to the actual performance of singing the psalms. He then proceeds with the interpretation distinguishing between the words spoken by the community (Ps 74,2a-b) and those spoken by Jesus34. Later on, a verse of the commented psalm evokes the theme of the ‘deeds of the body’ («if […] by the spirit we put to death the deeds of the body [cf. Rom 8,13] so that we always carry in the body the mortification of Jesus [2Cor 4,10], the saviour will say about us: The earth melted, and all who live in it [Ps 74,4a-b]»35), that Origen explains as «the earthly realities in you and the forces which operate in you regarding the earthly realities»36. But then the preacher reads the verse in light of Ps 74,8b (this one he humbles and that one he exalts)37 interpreting what God humbles as the flesh, and what he exalts as the soul and the spirit: «Indeed, this one he humbles (Ps 74,8b): the mind of the flesh and the flesh (cf. Rm 8,6-7), since I mortify the body and bring it into
subjection (1Cor 9,27). That one he exalts (Ps 74,8b): the soul and the spirit. On the contrary, the soul of the sinners has been humbled
by sin, while ‘the other one’ is exalted when the righteous people fast, labour, stay awake, mortify the limbs on the earth. The body has been humbled, but the soul is always made new according to the inner man (Rom 7,22), and the mind is exalted in the renewing of the
mind (Rom 12,2) […]»38. The idea of a strict ascetic practice involving fasting and physical labours is strengthened by the quote of
30 H77Ps VI,2 (427,4-7; 427,14–429,1.7-12): σύνθετοι μέν ἐσμεν ἐκ πνεύματος καὶ ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος (cf. 1Ts 5,23)· σύνθετοι δὲ ὄντες, δέον κρατεῖσθαι ἡμᾶς ὑπὸ τοῦ κρείττονος πνεύματος, ‹αὐτ›οὶ δὲ ὡς ἐπίπαν κρατούμεθα ὑπὸ τῆς σαρκός, τῆς ψυχῆς σῳζομένης μὲν ἐὰν κρατῆται ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος, ἀπολλυμένης δὲ ἐὰν κρατῆται ὑπὸ τῆς σαρκός. […] Ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς ὅλος γίνεται σάρξ, ἡ ψυχὴ γὰρ αὐτοῦ γίνεται σάρξ· εἰ καὶ περὶ τοῦ πνεύματος διστάζων οὐκ οἶδ’ ὅ τι εἴπω, πλὴν ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς ὅλος γίνεται σάρξ, ὁ δίκαιος ὅλος γίνεται πνεῦμα. Διὰ τοῦτο ἐὰν γίνηται ἡ ἀνάστασις ὧν γίνεται, ἡ σὰρξ αὐτοῦ οὐκέτι σάρξ, μεταβάλλει γὰρ καὶ γίνεται πνεῦμα· διὸ σὰρξ καὶ αἷμα βασιλείαν θεοῦ κληρονομῆσαι οὐ δύνανται (1Cor 15,50). Ὅτε γὰρ κληρονομεῖ βασιλείαν θεοῦ ὁ ἅγιος, οὐκέτι ἐστὶ σάρξ, οὐκέτι ἐστὶν αἷμα, ἐπεὶ σπείρεται σῶμα ψυχικόν, ἐγείρεται σῶμα πνευματικόν (1Cor 15,44). […] Καὶ ἵνα μὴ νομίσῃς ὅτι καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα γίνεται σάρξ, φησίν· πνεῦμα πορευόμενον καὶ οὐκ ἐπιστρέφον (Ps 77,39b). Καταλείπει γὰρ τὴν σάρκα καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ ἐπιστρέφει πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ὃς ἔδωκεν αὐτό (Ecl 12,7), ὡς ἐν τῷ Ἐκκλησιαστῇ γέγραπται. Διὰ τοῦτο ἐὰν κολαζώμεθα, τὸ πνεῦμα μεθ’ ἡμῶν οὐ κολάζεται· φοβεῖσθε γὰρ μᾶλλον τὸν δυνάμενον καὶ σῶμα καὶ ψυχὴν ἀπωλῆσαι ἐν γεέννῃ (Mt 10,28)· πνεῦμα οὖν οὐκ ἀπόλλυται. These ideas on the destiny after the resurrection are based on Gn 6,39; 1Cor 15,44-50; Ecl 12,7. See also CRm I,21; VI,13; CMtS 57; 62.
31 H15Ps II,4 (98,11-18): Λέγουσί τινες, μὴ νοήσαντες τὸν ἀληθῆ περὶ ψυχῆς λόγον, ὅτι ἡ μὲν ψυχὴ μέση τίς ἐστιν, τὸ δὲ σῶμα τῶν κάτω ἐστίν, τὸ πνεῦμα τῶν ἄνω. Καὶ λέγουσι τινὰς εἶναι ψυχικοὺς οὐχ ὁρῶντες ὅτι, κατά τινα λόγον ἕτερον παρ’ ὃν πολλάκις εἴπομεν, πάντες ἄνθρωποι πρῶτον γίνονται ψυχικοὶ διὰ τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ μετὰ τὸ γενέσθαι ψυχικοὶ διὰ τὴν ψυχήν, πρὸ ἁμαρτίας καὶ πρὸ κατορθώσεως ὄντες ψυχικοί, ἵνα τολμηρότερον εἴπω, διὰ μὲν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν γίνονται χοϊκοί, διὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν γίνονται πνευματικοί, ὡς εἶναι τὸν ψυχικὸν μήπω χοϊκόν – πεσὼν γὰρ γίνεται χοϊκός –, τὸν ψυχικὸν μήπω πνευματικόν· κατορθώσας γὰρ γίνεται πνευματικός.
32 Ps 74,1: Εἰς τὸ τέλος· μὴ διαφθείρῃς· ψαλμὸς τῷ Ασαφ ᾠδῆς. For this distinctive trait of Origen’s exegesis of the Psalms see L.PERRONE, Origen
Reading the Psalms, cit., 138-143.
33 H74Ps 1 (269,4-8): Τὰ οὖν ἀναγεγραμμένα ἐνταῦθα ἀνάγει ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τὴν ἀφθαρσίαν, νοηθέντα καὶ πραχθέντα. Καὶ ἔστι τοῦ Ἀσὰφ ὁ ψαλμός, καὶ ὀργάνῳ καὶ φωνῇ ἀποτελούμενος, δηλωτικὸς ὢν τοῦ δεῖν ἡμᾶς καὶ ὀργάνῳ διὰ τῶν σωματικῶν κινήσεων ὑμνεῖν τὸν θεὸν καὶ φωνῇ νοητῇ διὰ τοῦ τὸν νοῦν ἀνακεῖσθαι τῷ δημιουργῷ καὶ περιποιεῖν τὴν σωτηρίαν. On the ‘intellegible voice’ see also H67Ps II,3 (204,7–207,25).
34 L.PERRONE, Origen Reading the Psalms, cit., 144-147.
35 H74Ps 2 (271,17–272,2): Ἐὰν γὰρ τοιοῦτος γένηται καὶ τῷ πνεύματι τὰς πράξεις τοῦ σώματος θανατώσωμεν (cf. Rom 8,13) ὡς πάντοτε τὴν νέκρωσιν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἐν τῷ σώματι περιφέρειν ἡμᾶς (2Cor 4,10), ἐρεῖ ὁ σωτὴρ περὶ ἡμῶν· ἐτάκη ἡ γῆ καὶ πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐν αὐτῇ (Ps 74,4a-b). 36 H74Ps 2 (272,9-11): οὕτως ἐὰν τακῇ τὰ γήϊνά σου καὶ τακῶσιν αἱ ἐνέργειαι αἱ περὶ τὰ γήϊνα ἐνεργοῦσαι εἰς σέ, ἐρεῖ περὶ σοῦ ὁ σωτήρ· ἐτάκη ἡ γῆ καὶ πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐν αὐτῇ (Ps 74,4a-b). 37 Ps 74,8b: τοῦτον ταπεινοῖ καὶ τοῦτον ὑψοῖ. 38 H74Ps 3 (274,5-11): Τοῦτον γὰρ ταπεινοῖ· τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκὸς καὶ τὴν σάρκα (cf. Rm 8,6-7)· ὑπωπιάζω γὰρ τὸ σῶμα καὶ δουλαγωγῶ (1Cor 9,27). Τοῦτον ὑψοῖ· τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα. Τῶν μὲν γὰρ ἁμαρτωλῶν τὸ ἐναντίον ἡ ψυχὴ τεταπείνωται ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, τὸ δὲ ἕτερον ὕψωται τῶν δὲ δικαίων νηστευόντων, φιλοπονούντων, ἀγρυπνούντων, νεκρούντων τὰ μέλη τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Τὸ σῶμα τεταπείνωται, ἡ δὲ ψυχὴ ἀεὶ καινουμένη κατὰ τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον (Rom 7,22), καὶ ὁ νοῦς ἐν τῇ ἀνακαινώσει τοῦ νοὸς (Rom 12,2) ὑψοῦται. Ὁ θεὸς οὖν ὁ ἀγαθὸς τοῦτον ταπεινοῖ καὶ τοῦτον ὑψοῖ (Ps 74,8b).
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1Cor 9,27, elsewhere associated to these actions39. However, the preacher clarifies that the fasting which God accepts (ἣν παραδέχεται κύριος) aims at refraining from fostering the earthly passions with the excess of food, as to prepare oneself for the spiritual gifts revealed by the scripture40. Moreover, in HPs Origen often stresses the importance that the control of the body has in the life of the Christian on a moral and spiritual level. For example, the Alexandrian explains the ‘horses’ mentioned in Ps 7541 as referring to the bodily realities (τὸ σῶμα, ἡ σὰρξ, τὰ σωματικά); then he distinguishes between ‘those mounted on horses’ and ‘riders’: the first ones are associated with the Egyptian that «since he does not mount the horse with knowledge, for this reason he will fall»42, with a reference to Ex 15,21. «But he who mounts the body with knowledge and controls his passions and leads the body wherever he wants to and rules the reins of his desires, as not to be carried to the desires which bite the flesh, this man is not the one who mounts a horse like the Egyptian, but he is a rider like Elijah»43. Here the focus is on the control that one can exert on the body and on the passions, as a fundamental exercise on the path towards virtue. Actually, in other passages Origen explicitly says that the mortification of the limbs consists in suppressing sinful tendencies and vices: in fact, he interprets Ps 80,3 (Raise a psalm, and sound a drum, delightful harp with lyre44) as a request to celebrate God with «complete sanctification», «so that you are completely sanctified in spirit, soul and body, according to the words of the Apostle in the Epistle to the Thessalonians (cf. 1Th 5,23). So, maybe you should understand the drum as referring to the body, the harp to the spirit and the lyre to the soul. Why is the body the drum? Since the drum has wood as mortified skin and you must mortify on the cross your earthly limbs (Col 3,5). And in psalm 150 we learn to praise God in various ways, and it also says: Praise
him with drum and dance (Ps 150,4a). The one who has mortified the earthly limbs praises God with the drum; if you want, listen to
the names of these limbs: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, greediness»45. In Origen’s view, then, the psalm requires the whole human being to be involved in the process of celebrating God, provided that the body is purified from the sinful inclinations that may arise46. As we have seen, in his invitation to fast so as to avoid «material and corporeal foods which feed the mind of the flesh», the preacher highlights the importance of preventing the excess deriving from the body’s needs, and urges the devotion of oneself to spiritual matters47.
In this regard, a passage from H77Ps V seems to summarise which activities Origen expected to be carried out by his community’s believers in their everyday life; commenting on Ps 77,33a (And in vanity did their days end48), he says:
a man wakes up at dawn after recovering his little body with sleep and spends the whole day either in deeds, words and thoughts concerning God, or in common life and corporeal matters. You will find that the majority spends the whole day in corporeal, and not spiritual matters, and in the business of common life. When one spends the day in corporeal matters, he spends it in vanity. […]. In fact, the moments of gathering are not
in vanity, the moments of prayer are not in vanity, the moments when we look after our neighbour are not in vanity; they are not in vanity, when
we, without hesitating, take care of our neighbour with diligence. […] It is also possible not to be in vanity of the mind, when the mind, ready to
39 See at least HLv III,4, and HIer XX,7 where Origen recognises that not everybody is able to endure such difficult exercises. 40 H77Ps IV,11 (408,15-24); see also infra, n. 47.
41 Ps 75,7: Ἀπὸ ἐπιτιμήσεώς σου, ὁ θεὸς Ἰακώβ, ἐνύσταξαν οἱ ἐπιβεβηκότες τοῖς ἵπποις (At your rebuke, O God of Iakob, those mounted on horses
became drowsy). 42 H75Ps 6 (288,7-9): Ὁ μὲν οὖν Αἰγύπτιος οὐκ ὢν ἱππεὺς ἀλλὰ ἀναβάτης, ἵππον καὶ ἀναβάτην ἔρριψεν εἰς θάλασσαν (Ex 15,21)· οὐ μετ’ ἐπιστήμης ἐπιβαίνων τοῦ ἵππου, διὰ τοῦτο πεσεῖται. 43 H75Ps 6 (288,9-13): Ὁ δὲ ἐπιστημόνως ἐπιβεβηκὼς τῷ σώματι καὶ ἄρχων τῶν ἡδονῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἄγων ὅπου βούλεται τὸ σῶμα καὶ τὰς ἡνίας αὐτοῦ κρατῶν τῶν ὀρέξεων, ἵνα μὴ φέρηται εἰς τὰς ὀρέξεις τὰς σαρκοδακάς, οὗτος οὐκ ἔστιν ἀναβάτης ὡς ‹ὁ› Αἰγύπτιος, ἀλλ’ ἔστιν ἱππεὺς ὡς ὁ Ἠλίας. 44 Ps 80,3: λάβετε ψαλμὸν καὶ δότε τύμπανον, ψαλτήριον τερπνὸν μετὰ κιθάρας. 45 H80Ps I,4 (486,5–487,4): Ἐκ τριῶν συνέστηκας – πνεύματος καὶ ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος – καὶ ὁ λόγος σε ἀπαιτεῖ ἁγιασμὸν ὁλοτελῆ, ἵνα ἁγιασθῇς ὁλόκληρος τῷ πνεύματι καὶ τῇ ψυχῇ καὶ τῷ σώματι κατὰ τὰ ἐν τῇ Πρὸς Θεσσαλονικεῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀποστόλου εἰρημένα. Τάχα οὖν τὸ τύμπανον περὶ τὸ σῶμα νοῆσαί σε δεῖ, τὸ δὲ ψαλτήριον περὶ τὸ πνεῦμα, τὴν δὲ κιθάραν περὶ τὴν ψυχήν. Τύμπανον διὰ τί τὸ σῶμα; Ἐπειδήπερ καὶ τὸ τύμπανον ξύλον ἔχει δέρμα νενεκρωμένον καὶ σὲ δεῖ ἐπὶ τὸν σταυρὸν νεκρῶσαί σου τὰ μέλη τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς (cf. Col 3,5). Καὶ ἐν τῷ ἑκατοστῷ πεντηκοστῷ ψαλμῷ διδασκόμεθα αἰνεῖν ποικίλως τὸν θεὸν καὶ λέγεται κἀκεῖ· αἰνεῖτε αὐτόν, ἐν τυμπάνῳ καὶ χορῷ (Ps 150,4a). Αἰνεῖ δὲ τὸν θεὸν ἐν τυμπάνῳ ὁ νεκρώσας τὰ μέλη τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὧν μελῶν – εἰ θέλεις – ἄκουε τὰ ὀνόματα· πορνείαν, ἀκαθαρσίαν, πάθος, ἐπιθυμίαν κακὴν καὶ τὴν πλεονεξίαν.
46 For other passages where either body, flesh or the realities connected to them are explained as the sins or sinful inclinations that may derive from the immodrate use of the body or the material goods see e.g. H77Ps IV,8 (ἐν σαρκὶ εἶναι); H80Ps I,7-8 (τὰ σωματικὰ πράγματα); II,3 (τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκὸς). This view is coherent with Origen’s view on the matter expressed elsewhere (e.g. Prin III 2,2); see C.BLANC, L’attitude d’Origène à l’égard
du corps et de la chair, in StPatr 17/2 (1982) 843-858; G.SFAMENI GASPARRO, Corpo, in Origene. Dizionario, cit., 87-92. Eph 6,12 is especially used to stress that the wrestling is not against the flesh itself, but the forces of sin.
47 H77Ps IV,11 (408,15-22): Παρ’ ἧς [scil. τῆς τροφῆς τῆς σαρκώδους καὶ ὑλώδους] γένοιτο ἡμᾶς ἀπεχομένους νηστεύειν νηστείαν δεκτήν, ἣν παραδέχεται κύριος (cf. Is 58,5). Ὅτε γὰρ τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκὸς (cf. Rm 8,6-7) οὐ τρέφομεν, νηστείαν ἀγαθὴν νηστεύομεν· […]. Ἐπὶ ταύτῃ οὖν τῇ νηστείᾳ, ὅταν ἀπέχωμαι ὑλικῶν καὶ σωματικῶν τῶν τρεφόντων τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκὸς τροφῶν, νίπτομαί μου τὸ πρόσωπον καὶ οὐχὶ σκυθρωπάζω ἀλλ’ εἰμὶ ἱλαρός. See also supra, n. 40. In another passage, Origen highlights that one could use corporeal foods «in a necessary way when this is in addition to the better things; in an unnecessary way, when he has abandoned the better things and becomes one thing with the bodily things» (H77Ps V,2 [410,10-12]: Πᾶς ἄνθρωπος χρῆται τισὶ σωματικοῖς ὁτὲ μὲν ἀναγκαίως ὁτὲ δὲ οὐκ ἀναγκαίως· καὶ ἀναγκαίως μὲν ὅτε πρὸς τοῖς κρείττοσίν ἐστιν, οὐκ ἀναγκαίως δὲ ὅτε ἀπέστραπται τὰ κρείττονα καὶ ὅλος γίνεται τῶν σωματικῶν).
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comprehend God, to comprehend the things of God, and searching for the skill of comprehension, researches the things which guide towards salvation. On the contrary, it is vanity of the mind to research how to act in the most skilful way to increase wealth and to enhance what one already has. When one does not consider how he will comprehend the scripture, how he will do a good act, how he will find an answer to a problem raised by the scripture, he does it in vanity49.
With this exhortation, Origen invites his audience to commit to a Christian way of life, which comprises every kind of activity that he considers necessary: going to the gatherings and attending the lectures of the scripture, dedicating oneself to prayer and taking care of others in need. As the next step, he proposes accurate study of the scripture and investigating its seeming contradictions so as to understand God and the things regarding God.
5. Conclusions
Overall, these passages hint at a considerably positive attitude towards the human body. First of all, they are in line with Origen’s urge to spiritualise Christianity50: observing fasting and labours may help to avoid the excesses of the body, but these practices are never significant for their own sake. Instead, the Alexandrian strives to bring back the significance of this strict discipline to its true spiritual meaning: thus, even if it may limit sinful inclinations when correctly undertaken, nonetheless it is neither indispensable nor sufficient as such. In this frame, the body is rather conceived as a means which, if purified and used for good, can grant final salvation51. This conception also underlies the claim that God uses the body of the righteous as an instrument to help those who need relief, to the point that Origen says «Blessed that man who, in all the limbs of his body and in his whole senses, becomes completely Christ’s instrument, instrument of the Logos of God so to say it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me (Gal 2,20)»52. This fundamental optimism culminates in the possibility, for man, to be deified53; the fact that the process of deification will involve, along with the spirit, the human soul as well as the human body, is due to the «exemplary paradigm»54 of the ascension of Christ to heaven with his body after resurrection. In this regard, such a reward places itself as the aim and the conclusion of a spiritual path comprising different practices of virtue, a path which the Christian must follow starting from a righteous and controlled disposition of the body. In the
49 H77Ps V,5 (413,7–414,7): Καὶ οὐκ ἐπίστευσαν δὲ ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς θαυμασίοις αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐξέλιπον ἐν ματαιότητι αἱ ἡμέραι αὐτῶν (Ps 77,32b-33a), φέρε κατανοήσωμεν. Ἀνίσταται ἄνθρωπος ἕωθεν μετὰ τὸ θεραπεῦσαι τὸ σωμάτιον ὕπνῳ καὶ ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν εἴτε ἐν θεϊκοῖς ἔργοις καὶ λόγοις καὶ νοήμασιν, ἢ ἐν βιωτικοῖς καὶ σωματικοῖς καταναλίσκει. Εὑρήσεις τοὺς πλείονας ἐν σωματικοῖς, καὶ οὐ πνευματικοῖς, καὶ βιωτικοῖς πράγμασι καταναλίσκοντας τὴν ὅλην ἡμέραν. Ὅτε οὖν ἐν σωματικοῖς πράγμασι καταναλίσκει τις τὴν ἡμέραν, ἐν ματαιότητι καταναλίσκει· […] Οὐ γὰρ ἐν ματαιότητι ὧραι τῆς συνάξεως, οὐκ ἐν ματαιότητι ὧραι τῆς εὐχῆς, οὐκ ἐν ματαιότητι ὧραι τῆς ἐπισκέψεως τῆς πρὸς τὸν πλησίον· οὐκ ἐν ματαιότητι, ὅτε τῇ σπουδῇ, οὐκ ὄντες ὀκνηροί, σπουδάζομεν περὶ τὸν πλησίον. […] Ἔστιν οὖν οὐ καὶ ἐν ματαιότητι εἶναι τοῦ νοός, ὅταν γὰρ ὁ νοῦς ἐπὶ τῷ νοεῖν θεόν, νοεῖν τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ παρασκευασάμενος καὶ ἐντρέχειαν ζητήσας περὶ τὸ νοεῖν, ζητήσῃ τὰ πρὸς σωτηρίαν συντείνοντα· ἀλλ’ ὡς πῶς ἐντρεχέστερον πραγματεύσηται περὶ τοῦ αὐξῆσαι τὸν πλοῦτον καὶ πῶς πλείονα ποιήσῃ τὰ ὑπάρχοντα, ματαιότης ἐστὶ τοῦ νοός. Ὅτε διαλογίζεταί τις οὐ πῶς νοήσει γραφήν, οὐ πῶς ἔργον ποιήσει ἀγαθόν, οὐ πῶς ἐπαπορουμένην λέξιν ἀπὸ τῶν θείων γραφῶν εὕρῃ, ἐν ματαιότητι τὰ τοιαῦτα ποιεῖ.
50 In a similar way, Origen feels the urge to restrict bloody martyrdom «into a logic of de-fleshing and purification from any earthly implication», thus locating its authentic message in the martyr’s conscience completely detached from the earthly reality: see M.RIZZI, Origen on Martyrdom: Theology
and Social Practices, in Orig. IX, 469-476 (cit. 476).
51 Along with the consideration by A.-C.JACOBSEN, Origen on the Human Body, in Orig. VIII, 649-656 that for Origen the body is conceived as a mean God uses to make his pedagogic punishments effective, in the light of these texts it must be stressed the positive value recognised to its active virtuous use so as to gain salvation.
52 H80Ps II,1 (497,15-17): Καὶ μακάριος ἐκεῖνος, ὃς ὅλος γίνεται κατὰ πάντα τὰ μέλη τοῦ σώματος, καθ’ ὅλα τὰ αἰσθητήρια ὄργανον Χριστοῦ, ὄργανον τοῦ λόγου τοῦ θεοῦ ὥστε εἰπεῖν· ζῶ δὲ οὐκέτι ἐγώ, ζῇ δὲ ἐν ἐμοὶ Χριστός (Gal 2,20). Conversely, in H77Ps VIII,6 (457,20-27) Origen argues that the devil uses the sinners as an encouragement for others to sin.
53 H81Ps 1 (512,12–513,3): Καὶ οὐ θαῦμα μὲν εἰ τὸ ἐν ἡμῖν πνεῦμα ἐθεοποίησεν, συγγένειαν ἔχον πρὸς θεόν, ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸ ἄφθαρτον πνεῦμά ἐστιν ἐν πᾶσι· θαῦμα δὲ τὸ τὴν ψυχὴν τεθεοποιεῖσθαι, ἵνα μηκέτι ἁμαρτάνῃ, μηκέτι ἀποθνῄσκουσα· ψυχὴ γὰρ ἡ ἁμαρτάνουσα αὕτη ἀποθανεῖται (Ez 18,4). Τὸ δὲ τούτων πάντων θαυμασιώτερον, ὅτι καὶ τὸ σῶμα ἐθεοποίησεν, ἵνα μηκέτι σὰρξ καὶ αἷμα ᾖ (cf. 1Cor 15,50), ἀλλὰ γένηται σύμμορφον τῷ σώματι τῆς
δόξης (Phil 3,21) Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ καὶ θεοποιηθὲν ἀναληφθῇ ἐν δόξῃ εἰς οὐρανόν, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον ἁρπαγησόμεθα ἐν νεφέλαις εἰς ἀπάντησιν τοῦ κυρίου εἰς ἀέρα καὶ οὕτω πάντοτε σὺν κυρίῳ ἐσόμεθα (1Th 4,17), γενόμενοι θεοί, μετὰ ἱσταμένου θεοῦ ἐν μέσῳ τῆς συναγωγῆς ἡμῶν (cf. Ps 81,1), Ἰησοῦ
Χριστοῦ. «And there is no wonder if he deified the spirit in us which has a kinship with God, since the immortal spirit is in everyone; but it is a wonder that the soul has been deified, so that it can no more sin, and no longer dying: in fact, the soul who sins shall die (Ez 18,4). But what is more wonderful than these all, is that he deified also the body, so that it is no more flesh and blood (cf. 1Cor 15,50), but becomes like the glorious body (Phil 3,21) of Jesus Christ, and, once deified, is received in the sky in the glory, according to what is said: we will be caught up together with them in the clouds to
meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord (1Th 4,17), once become gods, with God standing in the middle of our gathering (Ps
81,1a), Jesus Christ». For a thorough analysis on the deification in Origen, see L.PERRONE, « Et l’homme tout entier devient Dieu » : La déification
selon Origène à la lumière des nouvelles Homélies sur les Psaumes, TyV 58/2 (2017) 187-220 (208-218 on H81Ps). This passage might appear in
contrast with what Origen says in H77Ps VI,2 (see supra, n. 30); nonetheless, in H77Ps VI Origen is arguing that only the spiritual part of the human being will not endure the punishments of hell, to which both the soul and the body who sinned will be subjected (see also CMtS 57). Instead, in H81Ps he is stating that the final resurrection will involve every aspect of the human being, including the body transformed according to 1Cor 15,44. Both passages offer another argument to the analysis by L.CERIONI, Bodily Souls? Paradoxical Bodies in Origen’s Theology of Progress, ZAC 23/1 (2019) 21-35, who distinguishes between the corporeality of the body, which will be resurrected, and its materiality (represented by blood and flesh), destined to perish; contra, see A.-C.JACOBSEN, The Nature, Function, and Destiny of the Human Body – Origen’s Interpretation of 1Cor 15, ZAC 23/1 (2019) 36-52.
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preaching context, Origen reveals then a full consciousness of the concrete dimension of human needs: therefore, he insists on presenting a Christian way of life which permeates every ordinary activity55. By doing so, he acknowledges both the weaknesses and potentialities of a bodily existence: while exhorting everyone to move forward in their endless journey to moral perfection – even those who are already advanced in their faith56 –, Origen conceives the body not merely as a passive means given to make God’s punishments more effective, but an active resource the Christian can – and must – exploit to attain the truthful reward of spiritual realities.
Tommaso INTERI Università degli studi di Torino
Dipartimento di Studi storici Via S. Ottavio 20 IT – 10124 Torino Italy
tommaso.interi@unito.it
55 See C.MAZZUCCO, Culto, in Origene. Dizionario, cit., 107-110. 56 See P.BETTIOLO, Perfetto, in Origene. Dizionario, cit., 353-355.
9 Keywords: Origen, Homilies on the Psalms, Body, Ascetism, Anthropology.
Abstract: This article analyses the significant occurrences of the terms σῶμα and σάρξ in the Homilies on the Psalms, to outline Origen’s concept of the human body and to summarise how he deals with related themes preaching on the Psalter. He regularly resorts to the allegory so as to spiritualise the biblical message, thus offering new examples of the hermeneutical values of the metaphor of the spiritual senses. However, he also often hints at the relationship between body, soul, and spirit: this hierarchical anthropological conception is also at the core of Origen’s fundamental optimism that a virtuous use of the body plays a significant role in everyone’s salvation. In fact, provided that one succeeds in avoiding the excesses of corporeal needs, it is not required to resort to extreme ascetic practices: a firm but rational control on the desires of the flesh is enough for the believers to focus on the necessary spiritual activities. At the root of this positive consideration there is also the exemplary paradigm of the resurrection of Jesus with his very own flesh: from this perspective, then, Origen can stress that the final deification of man will involve not only the spirit and the soul, but also the body.
