The Father seeks true worshipers; Heracleon’s “lost in deep matter” myth
For the Father seeks such as these to worship him. If the Father seeks, he seeks through the Son who came to seek and save the lost — cleansing them and training them by the Word and by sound teaching until he makes them true worshipers.
Heracleon says what belongs to the Father has been lost in the deep matter of error, and is sought so that the Father may be worshiped by his own. If he meant the story of the lost sheep or of the Father’s son who fell away, we might have accepted the telling.
But his school spins myths and never states clearly what this lost spiritual nature is, or what times or ages preceded its loss. So we gladly leave them aside.
Greek
Καὶ γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ τοιούτους ζητεῖ τοὺς προσκυνοῦντας αὐτόν. εἰ ζητεῖ ὁ πατήρ, διὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ ζητεῖ τοῦ ἐληλυθότος ζητῆσαι καὶ σῶσαι τὸ ἀπολωλός, οὕστινας καθαίρων καὶ παιδεύων τῷ λόγῳ καὶ τοῖς ὑγιέσι δόγμασιν κατασκευάζει ἀληθινοὺς προσκυνητάς.
ἀπολωλέναι δέ φησιν ὁ Ἡρακλέων ἐν τῇ βαθείᾳ ὕλῃ τῆς πλάνης τὸ οἰκεῖον τῷ πατρί, ὅπερ ζητεῖται ἵνα ὁ πατὴρ ὑπὸ τῶν οἰκείων προσκυνῆται. εἰ μὲν οὖν ἑώρα τὸν περὶ τῆς ἀπωλείας τῶν προβάτων λόγον καὶ τοῦ ἀποπεσόντος τῶν τοῦ πατρὸς υἱοῦ, κἂν ἀπεδεξάμεθα αὐτοῦ τὴν διήγησιν.
ἐπεὶ δὲ μυθοποιοῦντες οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς γνώμης αὐτοῦ οὐκ οἶδ’ ὅ τί ποτε τρανῶς παριστᾶσιν περὶ τῆς ἀπολωλυίας πνευματικῆς φύσεως, οὐδὲν σαφὲς διδάσκοντες περὶ τῶν πρὸ τῆς ἀπωλείας αὐτῆς χρόνων ἢ αἰώνων, διὰ τοῦτο αὐτοὺς ἑκόντες παραπεμψόμεθα.
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.