Homilies on Exodus — Homily 12 (Exod. 34:29–35 — Moses' shining face and the veil)
Latin source: Origen's Greek homilies on Exodus, surviving only in Rufinus of Aquileia's Latin translation (c. 400), from the reading text of W. A. Baehrens (ed.), Origenes Werke VI (GCS 29, Leipzig, 1920), pp. 145–279. This English translation is released into the public domain.On the glorified face of Moses and on the veil that he placed over his face.
A reading from Exodus has been recited to us, one that may either spur us on to the search for understanding or drive us back from it. It spurs on minds that are studious and free; it drives back those that are idle and preoccupied. For it is written: "Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, and his face was glorified and the color of his countenance, and they were afraid to approach him." And a little after: "Moses," it says, "placed a veil over his face. But when he entered into the sight of the Lord, to speak with him, he laid the veil aside." Now the Apostle, expounding these things with that magnificent understanding which he employs in the rest, of which he said: "but we have the mind of Christ," says: "for if the ministry of death, formed in letters upon stones, was in glory, so that the sons of Israel could not gaze upon the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which is done away: how shall not the ministry of the spirit be rather in glory?" And again a little later he says: "and not as Moses put a veil over his face, that the sons of Israel might not gaze upon the face of his countenance. For their perceptions were dulled; for until this present day, when Moses is read, the veil is placed over their heart." Who would not marvel at the greatness of the mysteries? Who would not be filled with dread at the mark of the dulled heart? The face of Moses was glorified, but the sons of Israel could not "gaze upon the face of his countenance," the people of the synagogue could not "gaze" upon it. But if anyone can have a manner of life and a way of living more eminent than the rest of the common crowd, he is able to behold the glory of his countenance. For even now, as the Apostle says, "a veil is placed over the reading of the Old Testament," and even now Moses speaks with glorified countenance, but we cannot behold the glory that is in his countenance. And the reason we cannot is that we are still the common people and have no more of zeal, no more of merit, than the rest of the multitude. But since the holy Apostle says: "yet the same veil remains over the reading of the Old Testament," the pronouncement of so great and such an Apostle would cut off from us every hope of understanding, had he not added: "but when anyone shall have turned to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away." Therefore he says that the cause of the veil's removal is our turning to the Lord. From which we ought to gather these indications: that so long as, when we read the divine Scriptures, the understanding lies hidden from us, so long as the things that are written are obscure and closed to us, we have not yet turned to the Lord. For if we had turned to the Lord, without doubt the veil would be taken away.
2. But let us see also what this very thing, "to turn to the Lord," may be. And that we may know more plainly what it is to be turned, we must first say what it is to be turned away. Everyone who, when the words of the law are recited, is occupied with common tales, is turned away. Everyone who, "when Moses is read," carries anxiety about the affairs of the world, about money, about profits, is turned away. Everyone who is bound tight by cares for possessions and stretched out by desire for riches, who is eager for the glory of the age and the honors of the world, is turned away. But even one who seems indeed a stranger to these things, yet stands by and hears the words of the law and is intent in face and eyes, yet wanders in heart and thoughts, is turned away. What then is it to be turned? If we turn our backs on all these things and, in zeal, in deeds, in mind, in solicitude, give our labor to the word of God, if we "meditate on his law day and night," if, setting all else aside, we are at leisure for God and exercise ourselves in his testimonies—this is to be turned to the Lord. If you wished your son to know the letters that men call liberal, to know the discipline of grammar or of rhetoric, would you not render him free and unoccupied from all else, would you not make him, setting the rest aside, devote his labor to this one study, would you not see that he lack nothing at all—tutors, teachers, books, expenses—until he carries off the perfected work of the study he has purposed? Which of us has so turned himself to the studies of the divine law, which of us has given such labor? Who seeks the divine letters with as much zeal and toil as he has sought the human? And what do we complain of, if we are ignorant of what we do not learn? Some of you, as soon as they have heard the things that are read recited, straightway depart. There is no inquiry among yourselves about the things that were read, no comparing together, nowhere a remembering of that commandment by which the divine law admonishes you: "ask your fathers and they will tell you, your elders and they will declare to you." Others do not even patiently wait for this very thing, until the readings are recited in the church. And others, even if they are recited, do not attend to them, but in the more remote places of the Lord's house are occupied with secular tales. Of whom I have made bold to say that, "when Moses is read," there is now no longer "a veil over their heart," but a kind of partition and wall has been set up. For if he who is present, who hears and is intent and reconsiders and examines what he hears, and questions and learns what he cannot attain—if he can scarcely reach the freedom of knowledge, then he who hides away his ears, that he may not hear, and turns his back upon the face of the reader, how is he to be said to have a veil laid over his heart, to whom not even the very veil of the letter—by which the sense is veiled, which is the sound of the voice—has come near? It is therefore an evident figure, of how the face of Moses is made glorious; for the things he speaks have glory, but this is covered and hidden, and all his glory is within.
3. Consider also of what sort this is: that in the law the face of Moses is indeed reported as glorified, though it be covered with a veil; but his hand, put "within his bosom," is recorded as "made leprous like snow." In which there seems to me to be most fully depicted the form of the whole law; for in his face is designated the word of the law, in his hand its works. Since, therefore, "by the works of the law no one was to be justified," nor could the law bring anyone "to perfection," for that reason the hand of Moses is made "leprous" and is hidden away "in his bosom," as though destined to have no perfect work; but his face is glorified, yet is covered with a veil, because his word has the glory of knowledge, but hidden. Whence also the prophet says: "unless you hear in secret, your soul shall weep," and David says: "the uncertain and hidden things of your wisdom you have made manifest to me." In the law, therefore, Moses has his face alone glorified, and his hands have no glory, nay rather even disgrace; but neither do his feet. In short, he is commanded to loose his sandal; thus there was no glory in his feet—though this too came about not without the form of some mystery; for the feet are the last part of a man. It was shown, therefore, that in the last times Moses would loose his sandal, so that another might receive the bride, and that she would be called "the house of the unshod" "unto this present day." Moses, therefore, has nothing else glorious in the law except his face alone; but in the Gospels he is wholly glorified, entirely. For hear what it says in the Gospels: "when Jesus had ascended into a high mountain, taking with him Peter and James and John, and was transfigured there before them; and behold," it says, "there appeared Moses and Elijah in glory, speaking with him." Here it is not reported that his face was glorified, but that he wholly "appeared in glory," speaking with Jesus; and there is fulfilled for him that promise which he received on Mount Sinai, when it was said to him: "you shall see my hinder parts." He saw, therefore, his hinder parts. For he saw the things that were done in the latter and last days, and he rejoiced. For just as Abraham longed to see the day of the Lord "and saw it and rejoiced," so also Moses longed to see the day of the Lord "and saw it and rejoiced"; and necessarily "he rejoiced," because now he descended from the mountain glorified not in face alone, but ascended from the mountain wholly glorified. "Moses rejoiced," without doubt, because he now beheld present, and confirming his own words, the one of whom he had said: "the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet from among your brethren, like myself; him you shall hear in all things." And that he might not hesitate in anything, he hears the Father's voice saying: "this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear him." Moses long ago said: "him you shall hear": now the Father says: "this is my Son, hear him," and points out present the one of whom he speaks. Moses seems to me also to rejoice for this reason: that he too now in a certain manner lays aside "the veil, being turned to the Lord," when the things he foretold are evidently fulfilled, or when the time comes that the things he had covered over might, through the Spirit, be revealed.
4. Yet the holy Apostle's meaning must be reconsidered, and it must be pondered what he had in view when, having said: "but if anyone shall have turned to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away," he added: "now the Lord is the Spirit," by which he seems as it were to interpret what the Lord is. For who does not know that "the Lord is the Spirit"? But surely in this place it was not the Lord's nature or substance that was being treated, that he should say "the Lord is the Spirit"? Let us see, then, whether not only "when Moses is read," but also when Paul is read, "a veil" may be "placed over" our "heart." And plainly, if we hear negligently, if we bring no zeal to erudition and understanding, not only the Scripture of the law and the prophets, but even that of the Apostles and the Gospels is covered from us with a great veil. But I fear lest, through excessive negligence and dullness of heart, the divine volumes be for us not only veiled but even sealed, so that, "if a book to be read is given into the hands of a man who does not know letters, he says: I do not know letters; if it is given into the hands of a man who knows letters, he says: it is sealed." Whence it is shown that we must not only apply zeal to learning the sacred letters, but must also entreat the Lord and "day and night" beseech him, that the Lamb "from the tribe of Judah" may come and himself, taking the "sealed book," may deign to open it. For he it is who, "opening the Scriptures," kindled the hearts of the disciples, so that they said: "was not our heart burning within us, when he opened to us the Scriptures?" May he, therefore, even now deign to open to us what it is that he inspired his Apostle to say: "now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." I indeed, so far as I can perceive according to the smallness of my understanding, think that the Word of God, according to what concerns the hearers—as we have often already said—is named now "the way," now "the truth," now "the life," now "the resurrection," now also "flesh," but now "spirit." For although he truly received the substance of flesh from a virgin, in which he both endured the cross and inaugurated the resurrection, yet there is a place where the Apostle says: "even if we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no longer." Since, therefore, even now his word summons the hearers to a subtler and spiritual understanding, and wishes them to perceive nothing carnal in the law, he says that whoever wishes "the veil to be taken away" from his heart "let him turn to the Lord"—not as to a Lord according to the flesh—for there is this too, since "the Word was made flesh"—but as to a Lord according to the spirit. For if he turns as to a Lord according to the spirit, he will come from carnal things to spiritual, and will pass from servitude to liberty: for "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." And that what is said may become still more evident, let us make use also of other meanings of the Apostle. To certain ones, whom he had perceived to be incapable, he says: "I judged myself to know nothing else among you save Christ Jesus, and him crucified." To such ones as these he did not say that "the Lord is the Spirit," nor did he say to them that Christ is the "wisdom" of God. For "they could not recognize Christ according to that which is wisdom," but according to that which is "crucified." But those to whom he said: "we speak wisdom among the perfect, yet a wisdom not of this age nor of the princes of this world, who are brought to nothing, but we speak the wisdom of God hidden in a mystery," did not need to receive the Word of God according to that which "was made flesh," but according to that which is "wisdom hidden in a mystery." So, therefore, in this place also, to those who are summoned from the carnal to the spiritual understanding, it is said: "now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." And that he might show that he himself has now arrived at the liberty of knowledge and has been stripped of the servitude of the veil, he adds to these words and says: "but we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord." If, therefore, we too beseech the Lord that he may deign to take the veil from our heart, we can grasp the spiritual understanding—provided, however, that we turn to the Lord and seek the liberty of knowledge. But how can we find liberty, we who serve the age, who serve money, who serve the desires of the flesh? I rebuke my own self, I judge my own self; I convict my own faults; let those who hear look to what they think of themselves. I meanwhile say that, so long as I am in bondage to any one of these things, I am not turned to the Lord, nor have I attained liberty, so long as such affairs and solicitudes bind me tight. Of that affair and solicitude by which I am bound tight, I am the servant; for I know it is written that "each one is delivered as a servant to that by which he is overcome." Even if the love of money does not overcome me, even if care for possessions and riches does not bind me, yet I am greedy of praise and pursue human glory, if I hang upon the faces and words of men—what this man thinks of me, how that man regards me, that I may not displease him, that I may please him. So long as I seek these things, I am their servant. But I would wish at least by this to be sufficiently in earnest, if I might become free, if I might be released from the yoke of this foul servitude and arrive at liberty according to the Apostle's admonition, who says: "you were called unto liberty, do not become the servants of men." But who will grant me this manumission? Who will free me from this most shameful servitude, save he who said: "if the Son shall free you, you shall be truly free"? But indeed I know that a servant cannot be granted liberty unless he serves faithfully, unless he loves his Lord. And therefore let us too serve faithfully and "with our whole heart and with our whole soul and with our whole strength love the Lord our God," that we may be worthy to be granted liberty by Christ Jesus his Son our Lord, "to whom be glory and dominion unto the ages of ages. Amen."