Go down to the potter’s house
Let us look from the wording itself at what is said about the clay vessel in the potter’s hand, and how the Word in the prophet—the Lord who prophesies in him—also gives not small starting-points for interpreting the things about the formation in the potter’s hand. 'The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: Arise and go down into the house of the potter.' Jeremiah is above; he has gone up beyond the clay vessels. Below are the clay vessels, and the nature that administers the clay vessels, going down with those administered, is below. Therefore the word spoken to Jeremiah from the Lord says to him: 'Arise and go down into the house of the potter, and there you will hear my words.'
To Moses it is said: 'Go up into the mountain and hear'; to Jeremiah: 'Go down into the house of the potter and hear.' For each of those who hear a word is either taught about the things higher up or learns about the things lower down. If I am taught the lower things, I go down by the word in order to see the lower things; if I learn the higher things, I go up by the word upon the higher things in order to behold what is there.
And that all of you may, as far as you can, follow what is said, I will use examples also from Scripture, and with the example I will also set out clarity that helps the interpretation given. 'In the name of Jesus every knee will bow of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.' And there is a wisdom about each of these: a wisdom about the heavenly things, how the heavenly things are arranged; a wisdom about the under-earth things, since there is a wisdom of God also about the arrangement of the under-earth things; likewise also about the things on earth. If I am about to make room for the wisdom about the heavenly things, I go up upon the heavenly things, as Moses went up upon the peak of the mountain, that the voice from heaven might become audible to him according to what is written. For he was about to be taught heavenly services; for a shadow and pattern of heavenly mysteries is in the laws of service that have been written up, as the apostle taught when he said: 'who serve a pattern and shadow of the heavenly things.'
Greek
Ἴδωμεν δὲ ἀπ᾿ αὐτῆς τῆς λέξεως τὰ λεγόμενα περὶ τοῦ πηλίνου ἀγγείου τοῦ ἐν τῇ χειρὶ τοῦ κεραμέως, καὶ πῶς αὐτὸς ὁ ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ λόγος, ὁ κύριος ὁ προφητεύων ἐν αὐτῷ, ἀφορμὰς δίδωσι καὶ ἄλλας οὐ βραχείας τῆς ἑρμηνείας τῶν κατὰ τὸ πλάσμα τὸ ἐν τῇ χειρὶ τοῦ κεραμέως. «ὁ λόγος ὁ γενόμενος πρὸς Ἱερεμίαν παρὰ κυρίου λέγων· ἀνάστηθι καὶ κατάβηθι εἰς οἶκον τοῦ κεραμέως. ἄνω ἐστὶν ὁ Ἱερεμίας, ὑπεραναβέβηκε τὰ πήλινα σκεύη. κάτω ἐστὶ τὰ πήλινα σκεύη, καὶ ἡ διοικοῦσα φύσις τὰ πήλινα σκεύη συγκαταβαίνουσα διοικουμένοις κάτω ἐστί· διὰ τοῦτο ὁ λεγίμενος λόγος πρὸς Ἱερεμίαν παρὰ κυρίου φησὶν αὐτῷ· «ἀνάστηθι καὶ κατάβηθι εἰς οἶκον τοῦ κεραμέως, καὶ ἐκεῖ ἀκούσῃ τοὺς λόγους μου.
Μωσεῖ λέγεται· >ἀνάβηθι εἰς τὸ ὄρος καὶ ἄκουσον<, Ἱερεμίᾳ λέγεται· >κατάβηθι εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ κεραμέως καὶ ἄκουσον<· ἕκαστος γὰρ τῶν ἀκουόντων λόγον ἤτοι περὶ τῶν ἀνωτέρω διδάσκεται ἢ μανθάνει περὶ τῶν κατωτέρω. εἰ μὲν τὰ κατώτερα διδάσκομαι, καταβαίνω τῷ λόγῳ, ἵνα ἴδω τὰ κατώτερα· εἰ δὲ τὰ ἀνώτερα μανθάνω, ἀναβαίνω τῷ λόγῳ ἐπὶ τὰ ἀνώτερα, ἵνα θεάσωμαι τὰ ἐκεῖ.
Ἵνα δὲ πάντες κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν ἑαυτοῖς παρακολουθήσητε τῷ λεγομένῳ, χρήσομαι παραδείγματα καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς γραφῆς, καὶ πρὸς τῷ παραδείγματι καὶ σαφήνειαν προσάγουσαν τῇ δεδομένῃ ἑρμηνείᾳ παραστήσω. «ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ πᾶν γόνυ κάμψει ἐπουρανίων καὶ ἐπιγείων καὶ καταχθονίων, καὶ πᾶσα γλῶσσα ἐξομολογήσεται ὅτι κύριος Ἰησοῦ Χριστὸς εἰς δόξαν θεοῦ πατρός. ἔστι δέ τις σοφία περὶ ἑκάστου τούτων· σοφία περὶ τῶν οὐρανίων, πῶς διατέτακται τὰ οὐράνια· σοφία περὶ τῶν καταχθονίων, ἐπεὶ σοφία θεοῦ ἐστι καὶ περὶ τῆς διατάξεως τῶν καταχθονίων, ὁμομίως καὶ περὶ τὼν ἐπιγείων.
ἐὰν μέλλω χωρεῖν τὴν σοφίαν τὴν περὶ τῶν ἐπουρανίων, ἀναβαίνω ἐπὶ τὰ οὐράνια, ὡς Μωσῆς ἀναβέβηκεν ἐπὶ τὴν κορυφὴν τοῦ ὄρους, ἵνα ἀκουστὴ γένηται αὐτῷ ἡ φωνὴ ἡ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον. ἔμελλε γὰρ διδάσκεσθαι λατρείας ἐπουρανίους· σκιὰ γὰρ καὶ ὑπόδειγμα ἐπουρανίων μυστηρίων ἐν λατρείας νόμοις τοῖς ἀναγεγραμμένοις, ὡς ἐδίδασκεν ὁ ἀπόστολος εἰπών· «οἵτινες ὑποδείγματι καὶ σκιᾷ λατρεύουσι τῶν ἐπουρανίων.
ὥσπερ οὖν μέλλων διδάσκεσθαι περὶ τῶν ἐπουρανίων ἀναβαίνω, οὕτως ἐὰν χρεία μοι ᾖ μανθάνειν περὶ τῶν καταχθονίων, κἂν προφήτης γένωμαί, καταβαίνω. καὶ τάχα διὰ τοῦτο Σαμουήλ, ἡνίκα ἐδιδάχθη τὰ καταχθόνια, καταβέβηκε κάτω καὶ γέγονεν ἐν ᾅδου, οὐ δικαζόμενος ἵνα ἐν ᾅδου γένηται, ἀλλ᾿ ἵνα γένηται κατάσκοπος καὶ θεωρητὴς τῶν μυστηρίων τῶν καταχθονίων. δύναται τοιαῦτα εἶναι κακὶ τὰ παρὰ τῷ ἀποστόλῳ περὶ τῆς σοφίας λεγόμενα, διαστελλόμενα τῷ γνῶναι «τί τὸ πλάτος καὶ μῆκος καὶ βάθος καὶ ὕψος. μέλλεις γινώσκειν τὸ ὕψος, ἀναβαίνεις τῷ λόγῳ ἐπὶ τὸ ὕψος· μέλλεις γινώσκειν τὰ μεταξὺ τοῦ ὕψους καὶ τοῦ βάθους, γινώσκεις τὸ πλάτος καὶ τὸ μῆκος. πανταχοῦ φθάνει ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου ὁδηγούμενος τοῦ διδάσκοντος περὶ πάντων ὁ δυνάμενος ἀκολουθεῖν νοῦς τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ θεοῦ. ἀκολουθεῖ δὲ ἀποταξάμενος τῷ κόσμῳ καὶ αἴρων τὸν σταυρόν· οὗτος γὰρ δύναται ἀκολουθεῖν τῷ Ἰησοῦ ὁ δυνάμενος εἰπεῖν· «ἐμοὶ κόσμος ἐσταύρωται, κἀγὼ κόσμῳ.
Ἔδει παραμυθήσασθαι τὸ «κατάβηθι εἰς οἶκον τοῦ κεραμέως, κἀκεῖ ἀκούσεις τοὺς λόγους μου. ἔδει γὰρ αὐτὸ συγκρῖναι τῷ >ἀνάβηθι καὶ ἀκούσεις τοὺς λόγους μου<. τῶν γὰρ ἀκουόντων οἱ μὲν ἀναβαίνουσιν ἵνα διδαχθῶσιν, ἀναβαίνουσιν δὲ οὐ πάντως σωματικῶς· οἱ δὲ καταβαίνουσι καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἔχουσιν ἄνω, ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἰδεῖν τὸν λόγον τὸν ἀνωτάτω περὶ τῶν κατωτάτω. αὐτὸς ὁ κύριός μου Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ἀναβέβηκε καὶ καταβέβηκεν· >ὁ γὰρ ἀναβὰς αὐτός ἐστι καὶ ὁ καταβὰς αὐτός ἐστιν ὑπεράνω πάντων τῶν οὐρανῶν<.
ἐάνπερ οὖν καὶ σὺ μέλλῃς τὸν ἀναβάντα ἀνωτάτω νοεῖν τὸν λόγον τὸν περὶ τῶν ἀνωτάτω, τὸν καταβάντα εἰς τὰ κατώτατα συνιέναι τὸν περὶ τῶν κατωτάτω διδάσκοντα, «μὴ εἴπῃς· τίς ἀναβήσεται εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν; τουτέστι Χριστὸν καταγαγεῖν· ἤ· τίς καταβήσεται εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον; τουτέστι Χριστὸν [ἀναγαγεῖν. ἢ τίς καταβήσεται εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον; | τουτέστι Χριστὸν] ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναγαγεῖν. ἀλλὰ τί λέγει ἡ γραφή; ἐγγύς σου τὸ ῥῆμα ἐν τῷ στόματί σου καὶ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου«, δι᾿ οὗ ἀναβαίνεις εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν. καὶ περὶ τῆς ἀνόδου «ἐγγύς σού ἐστι τὸ ῥῆμα«, καὶ περὶ τῶν κατωτάτω «ἐγγύς σού ἐστι τὸ ῥῆμα«· καὶ τί γὰρ ἀλλ᾿ ἢ τὸν λόγον τὸν πανταχοῦ ὁ ἅγιος δύναται ἔχειν ἐν ἑαυτῷ; «ἡ« γὰρ «βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐντὸς ὑμῶν ἐστι.
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.