Heracleon on the prophet and the woman’s question about worship
On the same words Heracleon says the Samaritan woman has fittingly confessed what Jesus said. A prophet, he claims, is only one who knows all things — which not everyone knows — and yet “the prophet does not know all things.”
By “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain” he wants the pre-law worship of the nations; by “You say that in Jerusalem” the Jews’ worship under the law. He casts the Samaritan woman as having left the city of God’s will through ignorance and neglect, and so fallen into fornication.
These claims are easy to overturn. Where has he shown that only the all-knowing one is a prophet, or that a prophet does not know all things?
Greek
Ὁ δὲ Ἡρακλέων εἰς τὰ αὐτὰ ῥήματα λέγει εὐσχημόνως ὡμολογηκέναι τὴν Σαμαρεῖτιν τὰ ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ εἰρημένα · προφήτης γάρ, φησίν, ἐστὶν μόνος ὁ τὰ πάντα εἰδώς, ἅπερ οὐ πάντες ἴσασιν · ὁ δὲ προφήτης οὐ πάντα οἶδεν.
βούλεται δὲ διὰ τοῦ · Οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ ὄρει τούτῳ προσεκύνησαν · δηλοῦσθαι τὴν πρὸ τοῦ νόμου τῶν ἐθνῶν λατρείαν · διὰ δὲ τοῦ · Ὑμεῖς λέγετε ὅτι ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις · τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων κατὰ τὸν νόμον · καὶ τὴν Σαμαρεῖτιν ὥσπερ ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἔξω τοῦ θελήματος τοῦ θεοῦ γενομένην δι’ ἄγνοιαν καὶ ἀμέλειαν τῶν ἀναγκαίων πορνεῦσαι.
σφόδρα δέ ἐστιν εὐέλεγκτα τὰ εἰρημένα · πόθεν γὰρ δείκνυσιν ὅτι μόνος ὁ τὰ πάντα εἰδὼς προφήτης, καὶ ὅτι ὁ προφήτης οὐ πάντα οἶδεν;
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.