TRV
Origen of Alexandria
Ante-Nicene · to AD 325
2,651 passages across 61 books of the Bible · Who was this?
On Psalms
20 of 109-
Psalms 39:3
In the Gospel it was written, after the Lord spoke to Cleopas, “Was not our heart burning within us when he opened the Scriptures to us?” Where will you burn? Where will “the coals of fire” be found in you who are never set on fire by the declaration of the Lord, never inflamed by the words of the Holy Spirit? Hear also … David … saying, “My heart burned within me, and in my meditation fire became inflamed.” From where do you glow? Where is the fire kindled in you?
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Psalms 39:7
We will have to say that if we give in to troubles, we do not believe in him insofar as he is endurance; and if we are weak, we have not believed in him insofar as he is strength.
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Psalms 42:11
I beseech you to remember in all your present contest the great reward laid up in heaven for those who are persecuted and reviled for righteousness’ sake, and to be glad and leap for joy on account of the Son of man, just as the apostles once rejoiced when they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for his name. And if you should ever perceive your soul drawing back, let the mind of Christ, which is in us, say to it, when it wishes to trouble that mind as much as it can, “Why are you sorrowful, my soul, and why do you disquiet me? Hope in God, for I shall yet give him thanks.” I pray that our souls may never be disquieted, and even more that in the presence of the tribunals and of the naked swords drawn against our necks they may be guarded by the peace of God, which passes all understanding, and may be quieted when they consider that those who are foreigners from the body are at home with the Lord of all. But if we are not so strong as always to preserve calm, at least let not the disquiet of the soul be poured forth or appear to strangers, so that we may have the opportunity of gi…
I beseech you to remember in all your present contest the great reward laid up in heaven for those who are persecuted and reviled for righteousness’ sake, and to be glad and leap for joy on account of the Son of man, just as the apostles once rejoiced when they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for his name. And if you should ever perceive your soul drawing back, let the mind of Christ, which is in us, say to it, when it wishes to trouble that mind as much as it can, “Why are you sorrowful, my soul, and why do you disquiet me? Hope in God, for I shall yet give him thanks.” I pray that our souls may never be disquieted, and even more that in the presence of the tribunals and of the naked swords drawn against our necks they may be guarded by the peace of God, which passes all understanding, and may be quieted when they consider that those who are foreigners from the body are at home with the Lord of all. But if we are not so strong as always to preserve calm, at least let not the disquiet of the soul be poured forth or appear to strangers, so that we may have the opportunity of giving an apology to God, when we say to him, “My God, my soul is disquieted within me.” -
Psalms 45:2
Now a proof that “grace was poured on his lips” is the fact that although the time he spent in teaching was short, … the world has been filled with this teaching and with the religion that came through him. For there has arisen “in his days” “righteousness and an abundance of peace” lasting until the consummation.
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Psalms 46:10
It is not possible to know him if one has not become still and purified one’s mind.
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Psalms 47:4
But what does it profit me, if the seed of Abraham, “which is Christ,” should possess “the cities of his enemies for an inheritance” and should not possess my city? If in my city, that is, in my soul, which is “the city of the great king,” neither his laws nor his ordinances should be observed? What does it profit me that he has subjected the whole world and possesses the cities of his enemies if he should not also conquer his enemies in me, if he should not destroy “the law that is in my members fighting against the law of my mind and that leads me captive in the law of sin”? So, therefore, let each one of us do what is necessary that Christ may also conquer the enemies in his soul and in his body, and, subjecting and triumphing over them, may possess the city even of his soul.
HOMILIES ON PSALMS 9:3
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Psalms 49:3
If the meditation is wisdom, what will the message be? When the meditation of the heart is wisdom, wicked thoughts will not come within it, nor is a place given to the devil or those things that defile people.
SELECTIONS FROM THE PSALMS 49:4-5
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Psalms 50:23
Who among us is of such measure and kind to offer to God “salutary sacrifices” and a “sacrifice of praise”? I believe that one to be a person who praises God in all his actions and fulfills through him what our Lord and Savior says: “That people may see your good works and praise your Father who is in heaven.” Therefore, this one offered “a sacrifice of praise” for whose deeds, doctrine, word, habits and discipline, God is praised and blessed. Just as, on the contrary, there are those of whom it is said, “Through you my name is blasphemed among the Gentiles.”
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Psalms 51:5
Celsus has not explained how error accompanies the "becoming," or product of generation; nor has he expressed himself with sufficient clearness to enable us to compare his ideas with ours and to pass judgment on them. But the prophets, who have given some wise suggestions on the subject of things produced by generation, tell us that a sacrifice for sin was offered even for newborn infants, as not being free from sin. They say, "I was shaped in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me"; also, "They are estranged from the womb"; which is followed by the singular expression, "They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies."
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Psalms 52:8
But do you want me to show you from the Scriptures that trees or wood are given the name of individual virtues, which we mentioned above? I turn to the most wise Solomon as a witness when he said about wisdom, “The tree of life is for all who embrace it.” Therefore, if “wisdom is the tree of life,” without a doubt, there is another tree of prudence, another of knowledge and another of justice. For logically it is not said that only wisdom, of all the virtues, was worthy to be called “the tree of life” but that the other virtues did not receive names of similar sort. Therefore, “the trees of the field will give their fruit.” This is what I believe the blessed David also understood about himself when he said, “But I am as a fruitful olive tree in the house of God.” From this he clearly shows that the olive tree designates a just and holy person.
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Psalms 68:11
For the word of God declares that the preaching (although in itself true and most worthy of belief) is not enough to touch the human heart, unless God gives to the speaker a certain power and his words have a certain grace. It is only by divine agency that this takes place in those who speak effectively. The prophet says in Psalm 67 [LXX] that "the Lord will give a word with great power to them who preach." Then, if it should be granted with respect to certain points, that the same doctrines are found among the Greeks as in our own Scriptures, yet they do not possess the same power of attracting and influencing the souls of people to follow them. Therefore the disciples of Jesus, men ignorant so far as Greek philosophy is concerned, traveled through many countries of the world and impressed, agreeably to the desire of the Logos, each one of their hearers according to his desires, so that they received a moral improvement in proportion to their willingness to accept of that which is good.
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Psalms 68:11
And the divine Scriptures bear witness both to the preaching of the gospel by the apostles and to that by our Savior. David, on the one hand, says of the apostles, and perhaps also of the Evangelists, "The Lord shall give the word to them that preach good tidings with great power; the king of powers is of the beloved." At the same time he also teaches that it is not the composition of a speech and the utterance of sounds and the practiced beauty of speech that produce persuasion, but the provision of divine power.… Simon and Cleopas testify to this power and say, "Was not our heart burning on the road as he opened the Scripture to us?" And since the quantity of power God supplies to those who speak also differs, the apostles had great power in accordance with David's statement: "The Lord shall give the word to them that preach good tidings with great power."
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Psalms 69:9
However, we must know that Psalm 68 [LXX], which contains the statement, "The zeal of your house has devoured me," and a little later "They gave me gall for my food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink," both having been recorded in the Gospels, is placed in the mouth of Christ, indicating no change in the person of the speaker.
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Psalms 69:21
However, we must know that Psalm 68 [LXX], which contains the statement, "The zeal of your house has devoured me," and a little later "They gave me gall for my food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink," both having been recorded in the Gospels, is placed in the mouth of Christ, indicating no change in the person of the speaker.
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Psalms 69:28
If it is possible to prove that the sacred works are one book, but the non-sacred many, we must observe in addition that there is one book in the case of the living, from which those who deserve it are blotted out, as it is written, "Let them be blotted out of the book of the living." [By contrast], a plurality of books is brought in the case of those who are reserved for judgment, for Daniel says, "The court convened, and the books were opened." Moses also testifies to the singleness of the divine book, saying, "If you forgive the people's sin, forgive; otherwise strike me out of the book that you have written."
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Psalms 72:1-2
And I support this from Psalm 71 [LXX], which says, "Give to the king your judgment, O God; and your justice to the king's son, to judge your people with justice, and your poor with judgment." For clearly the psalm, which has been ascribed to Solomon, prophesies of Christ.
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Psalms 72:12
We are taught, therefore, to be of good cheer when we are afflicted in the world. We learn that the reason for being of good cheer is this: the world has been conquered and, of course, subjected to him who conquered it. For this reason, all the nations, set free from those who formerly controlled them, serve him, because “he delivered the poor from the mighty” through his own passion, “and the needy who had no helper.”
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Psalms 73:8-9
Let us come also, if you wish, to the circumcision of lips. I think that he would be "uncircumcised in lips" who has not yet ceased from silly talk, from obscene language, who disparages good people, who slanders his neighbors, who instigates quarrels, who promotes false accusations, who sets brothers against themselves by making false statements, who utters vain words, inept words, profane words, shameless words, filthy words, injurious words, wanton words, blasphemous words, and other words that are unworthy of a Christian. But if anyone curbs his mouth from all these things and "orders his words with judgment," if he restrains verbosity, governs his tongue, keeps his words in due bounds, that person deservedly is said to be circumcised in lips. But also those "who speak iniquity on high and stretch out their tongue against heaven," as the heretics do, are to be called uncircumcised and unclean in their lips. But he is circumcised and clean who always speaks the word of God and brings forward sound doctrine fortified with evangelic and apostolic norms. In this way, therefore, also…
Let us come also, if you wish, to the circumcision of lips. I think that he would be "uncircumcised in lips" who has not yet ceased from silly talk, from obscene language, who disparages good people, who slanders his neighbors, who instigates quarrels, who promotes false accusations, who sets brothers against themselves by making false statements, who utters vain words, inept words, profane words, shameless words, filthy words, injurious words, wanton words, blasphemous words, and other words that are unworthy of a Christian. But if anyone curbs his mouth from all these things and "orders his words with judgment," if he restrains verbosity, governs his tongue, keeps his words in due bounds, that person deservedly is said to be circumcised in lips. But also those "who speak iniquity on high and stretch out their tongue against heaven," as the heretics do, are to be called uncircumcised and unclean in their lips. But he is circumcised and clean who always speaks the word of God and brings forward sound doctrine fortified with evangelic and apostolic norms. In this way, therefore, also circumcision of lips is given in the church of God. -
Psalms 82:5
To walk in darkness indicates blameworthy action, and to hate one's own brother is to fall away from that which is properly called knowledge. But also because he who is ignorant of divine matters, by that very ignorance, walks in darkness, David says, "They have not known or understood; they walk in darkness."
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Psalms 91:5-6
He said these things about the just and wise person and these are said in the blessings, "You will sleep and there will not be anyone who frightens you." For if I am made just, no one can frighten me; I am afraid of nothing else, if I fear God. For it says, "the just is confident as a lion," and for this reason, he does not fear the lion, the devil, or "the dragon," Satan, or "his angels"; but, according to David, he says, "I shall not be afraid of the nocturnal fear, nor the dart which flies during the day, nor the terror which walks in the darkness nor the ruin and the midday demon." And he adds that "the Lord is my light and my Savior, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defender of my life, at what shall I tremble?" And again, "If an army stands against me, my heart will not fear." You see the steadfastness and vigor of the soul that keeps the commandments of God and has confidence in the freedom that God gives.