Let the earth bring forth living soul — fleshly motions
God said: Let the earth bring forth the living soul according to its kind, four-footed creatures and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kind. And it was so. By the letter there is no puzzle. By spiritual understanding: what came from the waters are the mind’s motions and thoughts from the heart’s depth; what comes from the earth are the outer human’s — the fleshly and earthly — motions. Nothing winged is named here; only four-footed and creeping things and beasts. Put to death your members that are upon the earth.
Latin
Et dixit Deus: producat terra animam vivam secundum genus, quadrupedia et repentia et bestias terrae secundum genus. Et factum est sic. Secundum litteram nulla quaestio. Secundum spiritalem intellectum: quae de aquis producta sunt, motus et cogitationes mentis de profundo cordis intelliguntur; quae de terra — exterioris hominis, carnalis et terreni, motus. Nihil volatile hic; tantum quadrupedia et repentia et bestiae. Mortificate membra vestra quae sunt super terram.
About this text
Origen’s Homilia I on Genesis (Rufinus’s Latin). Complete on this page: §§1–17.
English follows Baehrens, Origenes Werke VI (GCS 29, 1920), Rufinus’s Latin of Homilia I. Heine FOTC 71 was not used as wording. This page is Homilia I §§1–17 (closeout).
Witnesses
- Copy-text Baehrens, Origenes Werke VI = GCS 29 (1920) (Latin · Homilia I §§1–17)
English is newly prepared for study from the stated edition. Open Latin on each section (or the Latin source witness link) for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.