Heracleon on “Believe me, woman”: creation as desert of beasts
Heracleon thought he had spotted something clever: earlier Jesus had not said, “Believe me, woman,” but now he commands it. That observation muddies his own case.
He says creation is a desert haunt of beasts, which all worshiped before the law; Jerusalem stands for the creator, whom the Jews worshiped. “You,” he says, “will worship neither creation nor the demiurge, but the Father of truth.” He even counts the woman already among the true worshipers.
But if angels do not worship the Father in Jerusalem, how can those greater than Jerusalem’s worshipers fail to worship the Father?
Greek
Ὅτε ἔδοξεν πιθανώτατα τετηρηκέναι ὁ Ἡρακλέων ἐν τούτοις τὸ ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν προτέρων μὴ εἰρῆσθαι αὐτῇ · Πίστευέ μοι, γύναι · νῦν δὲ τοῦτο αὐτῇ προστετάχθαι, τότε ἐπεθόλωσεν ἑαυτοῦ τὸν λόγον.
φησὶ γὰρ τὴν κτίσιν εἶναι ἔρημον οἰκητήριον θηρίων, ᾧ προσεκύνουν πάντες οἱ πρὸ τοῦ νόμου · Ἱεροσόλυμα δὲ τὸν κτίστην, ᾧ προσεκύνουν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι. ὑμεῖς οὖν, φησίν, οὔτε τῇ κτίσει οὔτε τῷ δημιουργῷ προσκυνήσετε, ἀλλὰ τῷ πατρὶ τῆς ἀληθείας.
καὶ συμπαραλαμβάνει γε αὐτήν, φησίν, ὡς ἤδη πιστὴν καὶ συναριθμουμένην τοῖς ἀληθινοῖς προσκυνηταῖς. ἀλλ’ εἰ οἱ ἄγγελοι οὐκ ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις προσκυνοῦσιν τῷ πατρί, πῶς οἱ κρείττονες τῶν ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις οὐ προσκυνήσουσιν τῷ πατρί;
About this text
Origen’s Commentary on John, Book 13 (later tomoi). Complete on this page: §§1–64.
English follows Preuschen, Origenes Werke IV (GCS 10, 1903). Heine FOTC was not used as wording. This page is Book 13 §§1–64 of the later books (13, 19, 20, 28, 32).
Witnesses
- Copy-text Preuschen, Origenes Werke IV = GCS 10 (1903) (Greek · Book 13 §§1–64)
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.