“You worship what you do not know”: heterodox guesswork versus Jewish revelation
“You”, on the surface, means Samaritans; by ascent, those who hold heterodox views of the Scriptures. “We”, on the surface, means Jews; by allegory, I the Word and those shaped after me, who have salvation from the Jewish oracles.
What the heterodox worship is invention, not truth — myth, not mystery. The one who worships the Creator, especially as the Jew in secret and by the prophets’ spiritual words, knows what he worships.
I cannot see how, when the Savior says outright that “salvation is from the Jews,” the heterodox still deny the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Greek
Τὸ · Ὑμεῖς · ὅσον ἐπὶ τῇ λέξει, Σαμαρεῖται · ὅσον δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ ἀναγωγῇ, οἱ περὶ τὰς γραφὰς ἑτερόδοξοι. τὸ δὲ · Ἡμεῖς · ὅσον τῷ ῥητῷ, οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι · ὅσον δὲ ἐπὶ ἀλληγορίᾳ, ἐγὼ ὁ λόγος καὶ οἱ κατ’ ἐμὲ μεμορφωμένοι, τὴν σωτηρίαν ἔχοντες ἀπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαϊκῶν λόγων.
ὃ δὲ προσκυνοῦσιν οἱ ἑτερόδοξοι, πλάσμα ἐστὶ καὶ οὐκ ἀλήθεια, μῦθος καὶ οὐ μυστήρια. ὁ δὲ προσκυνῶν τὸν δημιουργόν, μάλιστα κατὰ τὸν ἐν κρυπτῷ Ἰουδαῖον καὶ τοὺς λόγους τοὺς πνευματικοὺς τῶν προφητῶν, οἶδεν ὃ προσκυνεῖ.
οὐκ οἶδα δὲ πῶς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἄντικρυς φάσκοντος ὅτι ἡ σωτηρία ἐκ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐστίν, ἑτερόδοξοι ἀρνοῦνται τὸν θεὸν τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακώβ.
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.