Three eunuchisms read spiritually, not by the knife
On keeping the sequence of the three eunuchisms spiritual. Friends of the bare letter leveled the third with the first two as bodily; we who accept the tropology of the third say the same of the earlier two: tropically, eunuchs are those idle toward lust. The idle differ three ways — by nature (born so from the mother’s womb); by human persuasion; and by God’s Word, cutting desire for the kingdom of the heavens. Do not mutilate the body; self-control is a fruit of the Spirit.
Greek
Περὶ τῶν τριῶν εὐνουχισμῶν πνευματικῶς. Οἱ μὲν πρότεροι τοῦ γράμματος φίλοι τὸν τρίτον σωματικῶς τοῖς δυσὶν ἐξωμάλισαν· ἡμεῖς δὲ τὴν ἀκολουθίαν τῶν τριῶν εὐνουχισμῶν σῴζειν βουλόμενοι καὶ εὐδοκοῦντες τῇ τροπολογίᾳ τοῦ τρίτου, τοιαῦτα φήσομεν καὶ περὶ τῶν προτέρων δύο· εὐνοῦχοι τροπικῶς οἱ ἀργοὶ πρὸς ἀφροδίσια λεγοιντ’ ἄν. Διαφοραὶ δὲ τῶν πρὸς ταῦτα ἀργούντων τρεῖς· οἱ μὲν ἐκ κατασκευῆς τοιοῦτοι, περὶ ὧν· «Εἰσὶν εὐνοῦχοι οἵτινες ἐκ κοιλίας μητρὸς ἐγεννήθησαν οὕτως»· οἱ δὲ ὑπὸ ἀνθρωπίνων λόγων προτρεπόμενοι· οἱ δὲ διὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ προθέσει τῆς τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείας τὸ ἐπιθυμητικὸν ἐκτεμόντες. Οὐ χρὴ δὲ σωματικῶς ἀκρωτηριάζειν ἑαυτούς· καρπὸς γὰρ τοῦ πνεύματος καὶ ἡ ἐγκράτεια.
About this text
Origen’s Commentary on Matthew, Tomus XV (Greek). Complete on this page: §§1–4.
English follows PG 13 (Migne) Greek. Heine was not used as wording. This page is Tomus XV §§1–4 (closeout).
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 13 (Migne) — Greek (Greek · Tomus XV §§1–4)
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.