Fathers

Homilies on Jeremiah (selected; omitting 8) · §17.2

The partridge gathers another’s creatures

Let us begin from: 'A partridge called; it gathered what it did not bear.' Therefore the devil does not gather his own creatures; he does not gather what he begot; but when he calls, he gathers another’s creatures and makes them his own. A partridge called through Valentinus; a partridge called through Marcion; it called through Basilides, through all the heterodox. For none of those could speak the voice of Jesus: 'My sheep will hear my voice.' But the voice of Jesus is in Paul and Peter; therefore Paul said: 'Do you seek a proof of Christ who speaks in me?'

But the voice of the partridge that gathered what it did not bear is in those who lead astray and deceive, through their simplicity and lack of preparation, the simpler among the believers. Therefore 'a partridge called; it gathered what it did not bear, making its wealth not with judgment.' The partridge grew rich. See how many myriads are his; many have become the partridge’s—of the opposing power. And he made his wealth not caring about judgment and not having judgment, but acting without judgment. Therefore it is said that the partridge is 'making its wealth not with judgment.' But my Savior makes his wealth with judgment, and his wealth is judged and chosen.

Greek

Ἀρξώμεθα δὴ ἀπὸ τοῦ «ἐφώνησε πέρδιξ, συνήγαγεν ἃ οὐκ ἔτεκεν. οὐκοῦν οὐ τὰ ἴδια κτίσματα συνάγει ὁ διάβολος, οὐχὶ ἃ ἐγέννησε συνάγει, ἀλλ᾿ ἐπὰν φωνήσῃ, συνάγει τὰ ἄλλου κτίσματα καὶ ποιεῖ αὐτὰ ἴδια.

ἐφώνησε πέρδιξ διὰ Οὐαλεντίνου, ἐφώνησε πέρδιξ διὰ Μαρκίνωνος, ἐφώνησε διὰ Βασιλείδου, διὰ πάντων τῶν ἑτεροδόξων· οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἐκείνων ἠδύνατο εἰπεῖν τὴν φωνὴν Ἰησοῦ· «τὰ ἐμὰ πρόβατα τῆς ἐμῆς φωνῆς ἀκούσουσιν. ἀλλ᾿ ἡ φωνὴ μὲν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἐν Παύλῳ καὶ Πέτρῳ· διὸ ἔλεγεν ὁ Παῦλος· «εἰ δοκιμὴν ζητεῖτε τοῦ ἐν ἐμοὶ λαλοῦντος Χριστοῦ«; φωνὴ δὲ τοῦ συναγαγόντος ἃ οὐκ ἔτεκε πέρδικος ἐν τοῖς ἀποπλανῶσι καὶ ἀπατῶσι διὰ τὴν ἀκεραιότητα καὶ διὰ τὸ ἀπαράσκευον τοὺς ἁπλουστέρους τῶν πιστευόντων. «ἐφώνησεν« οὖν «πέρδιξ, συνήγαγεν ἃ οὐκ ἔτεκεν, ποιῶν πλοῦτον αὐτοῦ οὐ μετὰ κρίσεως. ἐπλούτησεν ὁ πέρδιξ.

ἴδε πόσαι αὐτοῦ εἰσι μυριάδες· πολλαὶ τοῦ πέρδικος γεγόνασι, τῆς δυνάμεως τῆς ἀντικειμένης. καὶ ἐποίησε πλοῦτον αὐτοῦ οὐ μεριμνῶν κρίσεως οὐδὲ κρίσιν ἔχων, ἀλλ᾿ ἀκρίτως πράττων. διὸ λέγεται ὅτι «ποιῶν« ἐστιν ὁ πέρδιξ «πλοῦτον αὐτοῦ οὐ μετὰ κρίσεως. ὁ δὲ ἐμὸς σωτὴρ ποιεῖ πλοῦτον αὐτοῦ μετὰ κρίσεως, καὶ κεκρρμένος ἐστὶν ὁ πλοῦτος αὐτοῦκαὶ ἐκλελεγμένος.

About this text

Origen on Jeremiah. Twenty Greek homilies survive. This page publishes the Pass B English for Homilies 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. Homily 8 remains a machine draft and is not shipped yet. The rest of the volume is still being translated.

English follows Erich Klostermann, Origenes Werke III (GCS, 1901). A second transcription of that same edition (First1KGreek TEI) was checked; where the TEI drops or garbles a line, the page image wins. This is a reading translation for study, not a new critical edition of the Greek. Homilies that survive only in Jerome’s Latin are not on this page yet. When they are, they will be marked at those homilies.

Witnesses

  • Copy-text Klostermann, Origenes Werke III (GCS, 1901) (Greek · Homilies 1–20 Greek (this page: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20))
  • Checked print Archive.org page image and DjVu of GCS III (Greek · Same print as the copy-text)
  • Checked print First1KGreek TEI of GCS III (Greek · Same print; encoding errors deferred to the page image)

Where the prints differ

  • Homily 1.1 — The TEI omits Ἑβραῖον. English follows the GCS page image: Jonah is “a Hebrew prophet.”
  • Homily 1.5 — The TEI dropped Ἰσαάκ. English follows the GCS page image: Isaac born of promise.
  • Homily 1.11 — The TEI/OCR of this line is garbled. English follows the GCS page image and the quoted verse: “I have sanctified you.”
  • Homily 3.2 — The TEI gaps Matthew 5:45 (sun on the evil and [gap]; rain on [gap] and the unjust). English follows the Gospel wording.

English is newly prepared for study from the stated edition. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.