God’s deception is of another kind
For we seek whether, as everyone’s anger is evil but God’s is refuting, and everyone’s wrath is harsh but God’s so-called wrath is educative, and our regret accuses weakness in the one before the regret, but upon God his regret does not accuse God but the outward affairs upon which the regret is taken—so also one must understand the deception of God as of another kind beside our deception with which we deceive. What then is the deception beside God’s, which the prophet understood when he ceased being deceived, and says, knowing the benefit from having been deceived: 'You deceived me, Lord, and I was deceived'?
And first I will use a Hebrew tradition that has come to us through someone who fled because of the faith of Christ and because of having gone up from the law and having come where we spend time. He told either a story that appears or a word able to lead the hearers to 'You deceived me, Lord, and I was deceived.' He said such things: God does not tyrannize but reigns, and reigning he does not force but persuades, and wants those under him to offer themselves willingly to his economy, that someone’s good may not be according to necessity but according to the willing. Which Paul also knowing said in the letter to Philemon about Onesimus: 'that your good may not be according to necessity but according to willing.' The God of all could then make a supposed good in us, that of necessity we give alms and of necessity be temperate, but he has not wished it. Therefore he does not command us to do what we do from grief or from necessity, that what comes to be may be willing. He seeks a way, so to speak, how someone may willingly do what God wants.
The tradition then also told me something such: he wanted to send Jeremiah to prophesy to all the nations and before all the nations to the people. But since the prophecies had something more gloomy—for they announced punishments which each according to worth will be punished—and he knew the prophet’s choice not wanting to prophesy the worse things to the people of Israel, for this reason he managed to say: 'Take this cup, and you will make all the nations drink to whom I will send you.' God then commanded Jeremiah to take a cup, and urging him upon taking the cup of the unmixed wine he says he will send him to all the nations having this cup. And Jeremiah hearing that he is sent to all the nations to serve a cup of wrath, a cup of punishments, not suspecting that Israel also is about to drink from the cup of punishment, was deceived.
Greek
(19,) ζητοῦμεν γάρ, μήποτε ὡς ὁ πάντων θυμὸς κακὸς ὁ δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐλεγκτικός, καὶ πάντων μὲν ἡ όργὴ χαλεπὴ ἡ δὲ καλουμένη τοῦ θεοῦ παιδευτική, καὶ πάντων μὲν ἡμῶν ἡ μεταμέλεια κατηγορεῖ ἀσθενείας τοῦ τοῦ πρὸ τῆς μεταμελείας, ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ οὐ τοῦ θεοῦ κατηγορεῖ ἡ μεταμέλεια αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἔξω πραγμάτων ἐφ’ οἶς ἡ μεταμέλεια λαμβάνεται, οὕτω δεῖ νοῆσαι καὶ τὴν ἀπάτην τοῦ θεοῦ ἑτερογενῆ τυγχάνουσαν παρὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀπάτην, ἣν ἀπατῶμεν. τίς οὖν ἡ παρὰ την τοῦ θεοῦ ἀπάτη, ἥντινα νοήσας ὁ προφήτης, ὅτε ἐπαύσατο ἀπατώμενος, φησὶ γνοὺς τὴν ὠφέλειαν τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἠπατῆσθαι τὸ «ἠπάτησάς με, κύριε, καὶ ἠπατήθην«; Καὶ πρῶτον χρήσομαι παραδόσει Ἑβραϊκῇ, ἐληλυθυίᾳ εἰς ὴμᾶς διά τινος φυγόντος διὰ τὴν Χριστοῦ πίστιν καὶ διὰ τὸ ἐπαναβεβη- κέναι ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου καὶ ἐληλυθότος ἔνθα διατρίβομεν.
ἔλεγε δή τινα εἴτε μῦθον φαινόμενον εἴτε λόγον δυνάμενον προσάγειν τοὺς ἀκούοντας τῷ «ἠπάτησάς με, κύριε, καὶ ἠπατήθην.. ἔλεγε δή τινα τοιαῦτα· ὀ θεὸς οὐ τυραννεῖ, ἀλλὰ βασιλεύει, καὶ βασιλεύων οὐ βιάζεται, ἀλλὰ πείθει, καὶ βούλεται ἑκουσίως παρέχειν ἑαυτοὺς τοὺς ὑπ’ αὐτῷ τῇ οἰκονομίᾳ αὐτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ κατὰ ἀνάγκην τὸ ἀγαθόν τινος ᾖ, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸ ἑκούσιον αὐτοῦ. ὅπερ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ἐπιστάμενος ἔλεγεν έν τῇ πρὸς Φιλήμονα ἐπιστολῇ τώ Φιλήμονι περὶ τοῦ Ὀνησίμου· «ἵνα μὴ κατὰ ἀνάγκην τὸ ἀγαθόν σου ᾖ ἀλλὰ κατὰ ἑκούσιον.
ἠδύνατο τοίνυν ὁ τῶν ὅλων θεὸς ποιῆσαι νομιζόμενον ἀγαθὸν ἐν ἡμίν, ἴνα ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἐλεημοσύνας διδῶμεν καὶ ἐξ ἀνάγκης σωφρο- νῶμεν, ἀλλ’ οὐ βεβούληται. διὸ μὴ ἐκ λύπης ἢ ἐξ ἀνάγκης προσ- τάσσει ὴμῖν ποιεῖν ἃ ποιοῦμεν, ἴνα ἑκούσιον ᾖ τὸ γινόμενον. ὁδὸν οὖν, ἱν οὕτως εἴπω, ζητεῖ πῶς ἂν ἑκουσίως τις ποιήσαιι ἃ ὁ θεὸς βούλεται. ἔλεγεν οὖν μοι ἡ παράδοσις καὶ τοιοῦτόν τι· ἐβούλετο τὸν Ἱερεμίαν πέμψαι προφητεύσοντα πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι καὶ πρὸ πάν- των τῶν ἐθνῶν τῷ λαῷ.
ἐπεὶ δὲ αἱ προφητεῖαι σκυθρωπότερόν τι εἶχον ἀπήγγελλον γὰρ κολάσεις, ὃς ἕκαστος κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν κο- λασθήσεται) , καὶ ᾔδει τὴν προαίρεσιν τοῦ προφήτου μὴ βουλομένου τὰ χείρονα προφητεῦσαι τῷ λαῷ Ἰσραήλ, διὰ τοῦτο ᾠκονόμησεν εἰ- πεῖν· «λάβε τὸ ποτήριον τοῦτο, καὶ ποτιεῖς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἃ ἐγὼ ἐξαποστελῶ σε πρὸς αὐτούς. προσέταξεν οὐν ὁ θεὸς τῷ Ἱερεμίᾳ λαβεῖν ποτήριον, προτρεπόμενος δὲ αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὸ λαβεῖν τὸ ποτήριον τοῦ οἴνου τοῦ ἀκράτου<, φησί· >καὶ ἐξαποστελῶ σε πρὸς πάντα τὰ ἔθην ἔχοντα τοῦτο τὸ ποτήριον τοῦ οἴνου τοῦ ἀκράτου<. ἀκούσας δὲ ὁ Ἱερεμίας ὅτι ἀποστέλλεται πρὸς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, ὅτι διακονήσων αὐτοῖς ποτήριον ὀργῆς, ποτήριον κολάσεων, μὴ ὑπο- νοήσας ὅτι καὶ Ἰσραὴλ μέλλει πίνειν ἀπὸ τοῦ τῆς κολάσεως ποτη- ρίου, ἀπατηθεὶς ἔλαβε τὸ ποτήριον τοῦ ποτίσαι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη λαβὼν τὸ ποτήριον ἤκουσε· καὶ ποτιεῖς πρῶτον τὴν .
ἐπεὶ οὖν ἄλλο μὲν προσεδόκησεν, ἄλλο δὲ αὐτῷ ἀπήντησεν, ἐπὶ τούτῳ δή φησιν· «ἠπατησάς με, κύριε, καὶ ἠπατήθην. Παραπλήσιον ταύτῃ τῇ διηγήσει ἀπεδίδου καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἡσαΐᾳ· κἀ- κεῖνος γὰρ οὐκ εἰδὼς τί μέλλει προστάσσεσθαι λέγειν τῷ λαῷ, ἀκούει τοῦ θεοῦ κατὰ τὰ γεγραμμένα λέγοντος· «τίνα ἀποστείλω, καὶ τίς πορεύσεται πρὸς τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον;(( ὁ δέ, φησίν, ἀπεκρίνατο· «ἰδοὺ ἐγώ εἰμι· ἀπόστειλόν με«, ἀκούει· «πορεύθητι καὶ εἶπον λαῷ τούτῳ· ἀκοῇ ἀκούσετε καὶ οὐ μὴ συνῆτε καὶ βλέποντες βλέψετε καὶ οὐ μὴ ἴδητε. ἐπαχύνθη γὰρ ἡ καρδία τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου« καὶ τὰ ὲξῆς.
ἐπεὶ οὐν μὴ εἰδὼς ὃ μέλλει προφητεύειν καὶ ὅτι μέλλει ἀπει- λεῖν τῷ λαῷ τοιάδε εἶπεν· «ἰδοὺ ἐγώ εἰμι· ἀπόστειλόν με«, διὰ τοῦτο, φησίν, ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς «φωνὴ λέοντος· βόησον((, ὀ δὲ οὐκ ἀπεκρίνατο ὡς πρόθυμος ποιῆσαι τὸ προστασσόμενον, ἀλλ εἰπε· «τί βοήσω;« εὐλαβεῖτο γὰρ μήποτε πάλιν ἀκούσῃ ὡς ἐπὶ τῆς προτέρας προφητείας· «πορεύθητι καὶ εἶπον τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ· ἀκοῇ ἀκούσετε καὶ οὐ μὴ συνῆτε.« «τί« οὗν «βοήσω;« «πᾶσα σὰρξ χόρτος, καὶ πᾶσα δόξα αὐτῆς ὡς ἄνθος χόρτου« καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. οὐδὲν ἤκουσεν ἐν τού- τοις κατὰ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. ταῦτ’ ἔλεγεν ἡμῖν ἐκεῖνος παραδιδοὺς τὸ «ἠπάτησάς με, κύριε, καὶ ἠπατήθην.
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.