Fragment from the Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles

Name: Fragment from the Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles
Author: Origen of Alexandria

Fragmentum ex homiliis in Acta apostolorum

Origen of Alexandria (c. 185–c. 254 AD) · written c. 230–250 AD · PG 14

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Contents4 passages

1The objection: the Psalm's words are the Savior's, not the Holy Spirit's
2How can Peter say the Spirit spoke if the words are the Savior's?
3The Holy Spirit personifies in the prophets
4The Holy Spirit personifies all persons

Author

Origen of Alexandria (c. 185–c. 254 AD) — Teacher at Alexandria and later Caesarea, and the first great Christian scholar of the Bible. He wrote commentaries, sermons and treatises on nearly every book of Scripture and compiled the Hexapla, a six-column Old Testament. He was tortured in the Decian persecution and died soon after.

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About this text

A short passage from Origen's homilies on Acts: how Peter can say the Holy Spirit spoke the Psalm about Judas, when the words seem to be Christ's.

Origen of Alexandria (c. 185–c. 254) was an early Christian theologian and biblical scholar who led the Catechetical School of Alexandria and later founded the Christian School of Caesarea. He delivered seventeen homilies on the Acts of the Apostles, but only one fragment survives, from the fourth homily. It was preserved in the Philocalia, a collection of Origen's writings compiled by Basil the Great and Gregory of Nazianzus.

The fragment addresses a problem raised by Acts 1:16, where Peter says that the Holy Spirit spoke through David about Judas. An objector points out that the words in the Psalm appear to be spoken by the Savior, not by the Holy Spirit. Origen responds by explaining how the Holy Spirit personifies different speakers in the prophets.

The words of the Savior are quoted as part of the objection, and Peter's words from Acts are quoted in Origen's questioning. Origen argues that when the Holy Spirit personifies God, it is not God speaking but the Holy Spirit speaking from God's person, and likewise for Christ. He extends this to the prophet, to that people, to this people, or whatever the Spirit personifies. The word office is used for the position held by Judas that is to be given to another.

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Translated from PG 14 (Greek)

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The objection: the Psalm's words are the Savior's, not the Holy Spirit's§1

Origen has just cited Acts 1:16, where Peter says the Scripture about Judas had to be fulfilled, and now he raises an objection about who is speaking in the Psalm.

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1It was necessary for Scripture to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold through the mouth of David about Judas (Acts 1:16). In that psalm the things about Judas are written. Someone might say that the Holy Spirit is not speaking, for clearly the words belong to the Savior when he says: “O God, do not pass over my praise in silence, for the mouth of the sinner and the mouth of the deceitful have opened against me” (Psalm 108:2 LXX / Psalm 109:2 Hebrew), and so on until: “And let another take his office” (Psalm 108:8 LXX / Psalm 109:8 Hebrew).

Greek · §1

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How can Peter say the Spirit spoke if the words are the Savior's?§2

Origen is raising the objection that the Psalm's words seem to be spoken by the Savior, yet Peter attributes them to the Holy Spirit, and he is about to introduce the principle that resolves this.

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2How then can Peter say, “It was necessary for Scripture to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold through the mouth of David” (Acts 1:16), if the Savior is the one saying these things? Perhaps what we are taught here is of such a kind.

Greek · §2

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The Holy Spirit personifies in the prophets§3

Origen is answering the objection about who speaks in the Psalm by explaining how the Holy Spirit speaks through the prophets.

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3The Holy Spirit personifies in the prophets. When the Spirit personifies God, God is not the one speaking; the Holy Spirit speaks from the person of God. When the Spirit personifies Christ, Christ is not the one speaking; the Holy Spirit speaks from the person of Christ.

Greek · §3

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The Holy Spirit personifies all persons§4

Origen is concluding his explanation of how the Holy Spirit speaks through the prophets by assuming different persons.

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4So too, even if the Spirit personifies the prophet, or that people, or this people, or whatever at all it personifies, it is the Holy Spirit who personifies all things.

Greek · §4

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