True worshipers walk in the Spirit; not every claim to worship counts
Those who do not even claim to worship the Father should not be called worshipers of God at all. Among all who do claim to worship the Creator, some are no longer in the flesh but in the Spirit — they walk by the Spirit and do not carry out the flesh’s desire — while others are not in the Spirit but in the flesh and wage war according to the flesh. Then we must call true worshipers those who worship in the Spirit, and not true those who remain in the flesh.
“But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.” I still cannot see how the heterodox deny Abraham’s God when the Savior says salvation is from the Jews.
Greek
Τοὺς μηδ’ ὅλως ἐπαγγελλομένους προσκυνεῖν τῷ πατρὶ οὐδὲ ὀνομάζεσθαι δεῖ προσκυνητὰς τοῦ θεοῦ. ἀλλὰ πάντων τῶν ἐπαγγελλομένων προσκυνεῖν τῷ κτίσαντι, ἐὰν οἱ μὲν μηκέτι ὦσιν ἐν σαρκὶ ἀλλ’ ἐν πνεύματι καὶ τῷ πνεύματι περιπατῶσιν καὶ ἐπιθυμίαν σαρκὸς μὴ ἐπιτελῶσιν, οἱ δὲ μὴ ὦσιν ἐν πνεύματι ἀλλ’ ἐν σαρκὶ καὶ κατὰ σάρκα στρατεύωνται, τότε λεκτέον ἀληθινοὺς μὲν προσκυνητὰς τοὺς ἐν πνεύματι προσκυνοῦντας, οὐκ ἀληθινοὺς δὲ τοὺς ἐν σαρκί.
ἀλλ’ ἔρχεται ὥρα καὶ νῦν ἐστίν, ὅτε οἱ ἀληθινοὶ προσκυνηταὶ προσκυνήσουσιν τῷ πατρὶ ἐν πνεύματι καὶ ἀληθείᾳ. οὐκ οἶδα δὲ πῶς ἑτερόδοξοι τὸν θεὸν τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ἀρνοῦνται τοῦ σωτῆρος φάσκοντος τὴν σωτηρίαν ἐκ τῶν Ἰουδαίων εἶναι.
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.