Five husbands as the senses; a sixth, unsound “spiritual” partner
I take it that every soul being led into devotion to God in Christ through the Scriptures begins from what is said about sense and body, and so has five husbands — one answering to each of the senses.
But when, after keeping company with sense-things, someone wants to lift up his head and is urged toward the intelligibles, yet meets a word that is not sound though it claims a “spiritual” allegory, that person leaves the five and takes another — giving, so to speak, a bill of divorce to the first five and choosing to live with a sixth.
And until Jesus comes and brings us to awareness of that kind of husband, we stay with him. When the Lord has come and spoken with us, we deny that husband and say, “I have no husband.”
Greek
Οἶμαι πᾶσαν τὴν εἰσαγομένην ψυχὴν εἰς τὴν διὰ τῶν γραφῶν ἐν Χριστῷ θεοσέβειαν ἀπὸ τῶν αἰσθητῶν καὶ σωματικῶν λεγομένων ἀρχομένην τοὺς πέντε ἄνδρας καθ’ ἑκάστην τῶν αἰσθήσεων ἀνδρός τινος γινομένου ἴσχειν.
ἐπὰν δὲ μετὰ τὸ ὡμιληκέναι τοῖς αἰσθητοῖς ἀνακῦψαί τις θέλων καὶ προτραπεὶς ἐπὶ τὰ νοητὰ περιτύχῃ λόγῳ προφάσει ἀλληγορίας πνευματικῶν οὐχ ὑγιαίνοντι, οὗτος μετὰ τοὺς πέντε ἄνδρας ἑτέρῳ προσέρχεται, δούς, ἵν’ οὕτως εἴπω, τὸ ἀποστάσιον τοῖς προτέροις πέντε καὶ κρίνων συνοικεῖν τῷ ἕκτῳ.
καὶ ἕως γε ἐλθὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς συναίσθησιν ἡμᾶς ἀγάγῃ τοῦ τοιούτου ἀνδρός, ἐκείνῳ σύνεσμεν· ἐλθόντος δὲ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ διαλεχθέντος ἡμῖν, ἀρνούμενοι ἐκεῖνον τὸν ἄνδρα φαμέν· Οὐκ ἔχω ἄνδρα.
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.