Origen of Alexandria — Commentary on Scripture

1 Chronicles 16:8

The sixth song is in 1 Chronicles, where David first established Asaph and his brothers for praising the Lord. The beginning of the song is as follows, “Praise the Lord, give thanks to him, and call on his name; make known his purposes among the peoples. Sing to him, sing praises to him, tell of all his wonderful works, which the Lord has done,” and so forth. It should, however, be known that the song in 2 Samuel is very much like Psalm 18. Furthermore, the first part of the text in 1 Chronicles, up to the place where it says “and do my prophets no harm,” is like Psalm 105, and the latter part of it, following the verse just mentioned, bears a likeness to the first part of Psalm 96, where it says, “Sing to the Lord, all the earth,” up to the place where it says “for he comes to judge the earth.”

COMMENTARY ON THE SONG OF SONGS, PROLOGUE 4

1 Chronicles 16:8

In the first book of Chronicles the psalm praising the Lord attributed to Asaph and his brothers, which begins “O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name,” is, for the most part, the same as Psalm 104, down to the words “Do my prophets no harm!” After that it is almost identical to Psalm 95 from the beginning, “Sing to the Lord, all the earth!”

LETTER TO JULIUS AFRICANUS 21

1 Chronicles 16:22

There was no need that there should everywhere exist many bodies and many spirits like Jesus, in order that the entire humankind might be enlightened by the Word of God. For the one Word was enough, having arisen as the “Sun of righteousness,” to send forth from Judea his coming rays into the souls of all who were willing to receive him. But if anyone desires to see many bodies filled with a divine Spirit, similar to the one Christ, ministering to the salvation of people everywhere, let him take note of those who teach the Gospel of Jesus in all lands in soundness of doctrine and uprightness of life and who are themselves termed “christs” by the holy Scriptures in the passage “Do not touch my anointed, and do not harm my prophets.” For as we have heard that Antichrist comes and yet have learned that there are many antichrists in the world, in the same way, knowing that Christ has come, we see that, owing to him, there are many christs in the world, who, like him, have loved righteousness and hated iniquity, and therefore God, the God of Christ, anointed them also with the “oil of gla…

There was no need that there should everywhere exist many bodies and many spirits like Jesus, in order that the entire humankind might be enlightened by the Word of God. For the one Word was enough, having arisen as the “Sun of righteousness,” to send forth from Judea his coming rays into the souls of all who were willing to receive him. But if anyone desires to see many bodies filled with a divine Spirit, similar to the one Christ, ministering to the salvation of people everywhere, let him take note of those who teach the Gospel of Jesus in all lands in soundness of doctrine and uprightness of life and who are themselves termed “christs” by the holy Scriptures in the passage “Do not touch my anointed, and do not harm my prophets.” For as we have heard that Antichrist comes and yet have learned that there are many antichrists in the world, in the same way, knowing that Christ has come, we see that, owing to him, there are many christs in the world, who, like him, have loved righteousness and hated iniquity, and therefore God, the God of Christ, anointed them also with the “oil of gladness.”

AGAINST CELSUS 6.79

1 Chronicles 22:8

As a man of blood, David was prevented from constructing it; he seems, at least, to have been occupied concerning the gathering of the material of the temple.

COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 10.257

1 Chronicles 28:3

Consider whether the story about David and Solomon concerning the temple hints at something like this. For when David, who wages the wars of the Lord and stands firm against many personal enemies and enemies of Israel, wishes to build a temple for God, he is prevented by God through Nathan, who says to him, “You shall not build me a house, because you are a man of blood.”Solomon, however, who saw God in a dream and received wisdom in a dream (for the reality [of God] was reserved for him who said, “Behold, a greater than Solomon is here”), who enjoyed the profoundest peace so that each person at that time rested under his own vine and under his own fig tree and who was named after the peace in his time (for Solomon means “peaceful”), because of this peace has time to construct the famous temple for God. The temple for God is also rebuilt in the times of Esdras, when the truth overcomes wine along with the hostile king and the women.

COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 6.4-5

1 Corinthians 1:2

Why did Paul write “to those called to be saints” as well as to those who are already “sanctified” and in the church? Surely this means that the letter is addressed not only to those who are already cleansed from their sins but also to those who still await cleansing, though they are among those whom God has called.

COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 1.1.7

1 Corinthians 1:4

Paul does not just give thanks for the Corinthians some of the time, nor only when they do good. He puts himself in the position of a father, who is thankful for his children all the time, whatever they may have done.

COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 1.2.1-15

1 Corinthians 1:5

Knowledge shows what there is to know. Speech goes further and explains it.

COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 1.2.29-30

1 Corinthians 1:6

The testimony of Christ is confirmed in us if we can say, like the apostle Paul, “I am persuaded that neither life nor death etc. can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” [Rom 8:38-39]. But if we are upset by every little thing that happens, then Christ’s testimony has not been confirmed in us at all.

COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 1.2.35-40

1 Corinthians 1:7

In this life the righteous person does not yet enjoy what he hopes for but rather endures suffering and danger. He is waiting for the revelation of Christ to come.

COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 1.2.48-51

1 Corinthians 1:8

Who sustains us? Christ Jesus, the Word and Wisdom of God. Moreover, he sustains us not merely for a day or two, but forever.

COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 1.2.52-54

1 Corinthians 1:9

Believe in Christ always, because you were called for no other purpose than to be one with us in him.

COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 1.3

1 Corinthians 1:10

The visible church is a mixed body, consisting of both righteous and unrighteous people. This is why Paul praises some of its members and criticizes others. The person who agrees with the right doctrine and the church’s teaching concerning the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, as well as with the dispensation concerning us, with resurrection and judgment, and who follows the rules of the church is not in schism.

COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 1.4

1 Corinthians 1:18

Who was capable of destroying the plague of ignorance, darkness and destruction? Not a prophet, nor an apostle, nor any other righteous man. Rather there had to be a divine power coming down from heaven, capable of dying on behalf of us all, so that by his death there might be a defense against the devil.

COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 1.6.8-12

1 Corinthians 1:20

The wisdom of this world and the wisdom of God are not the same thing. God’s wisdom is the true one, without any additives to corrupt it. The world’s wisdom is foolish, even though the simplicity of God’s wisdom makes those who have it appear foolish in the eyes of the world. Believers have received this divine wisdom and thus in this world appear to be fools.

COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 1.7.1-7

1 Corinthians 1:23

What has empowered us is belief in Christ crucified. To the extent that we are lacking something in our faith, then we are missing out on what the power of God has to offer us.

COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 1.8.1-4

1 Corinthians 2:4

If our Scriptures had persuaded people to believe because they had been written with rhetorical art or philosophical skill, there is no doubt that our faith would be said to depend on the art of words and on human wisdom rather than on the power of God.

ON FIRST PRINCIPLES 4.1.7

1 Corinthians 2:6

When Paul talks about the wisdom of the rulers of this world he seems to be talking not about one wisdom common to them all but about different kinds of wisdom which are peculiar to each.

ON FIRST PRINCIPLES 3.3.1

1 Corinthians 2:9

From this we may gain an idea of how great the splendor, the beauty and the brightness of a spiritual body is.

ON FIRST PRINCIPLES 3.6.4

1 Corinthians 2:10

Only the Spirit can search everything. The human soul cannot do this, which is why it needs to be strengthened by the Spirit if it is ever going to penetrate the depths of God.

COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 1.10.6-10