Homilies on Genesis — Homily 4
Latin source: Origen, In Genesim homiliae (Rufinus's Latin translation), from the public-domain critical text of W. A. Baehrens, GCS 29 = Origenes Werke VI (Leipzig, 1920). This English translation is released into the public domain.Concerning that which is written: "God was seen by Abraham."
[§1] Another vision of God to Abraham has been read to us in this manner: "God was seen by Abraham," it says, "as he was sitting at the door of his tent by the oak of Mamre. And behold, three men stood over him, and Abraham, looking with his eyes, saw, and behold, three men over him, and he went out to meet them," and the rest. Let us first compare, if it seems good, this vision with the one that took place with Lot. "Three men" come to Abraham and stand "over him"; to Lot "two" come and sit "in the street." See whether the matters are not carried out by the dispensation of the Holy Spirit according to merits. For Lot was far inferior to Abraham. For unless he had been inferior, he would not have been separated from Abraham, nor would he have said to him: "If you go to the right, I will go to the left; if you go to the left, I will go to the right." And unless he had been inferior, the land and dwelling of Sodom would not have pleased him. Therefore three men come to Abraham at midday, and to Lot two come, and in the evening. For Lot could not contain the greatness of the midday light; but Abraham was capable of receiving the full radiance of the light. Let us now see how Abraham received those who came and how Lot did, and let us compare what the hospitality of each was. But first observe that with Abraham, together with the two angels, the Lord also was present, whereas to Lot only two angels proceed. And what do they say? "The Lord has sent us to crush the city and to destroy it." That one, therefore, received those who would give it over to destruction; he did not receive the one who would save; but Abraham received both the one who saves and those who destroy. Now let us see how each one receives. "Abraham saw," it says, "and ran to meet them." Consider at once how tireless and eager Abraham is in his duties. He himself runs to meet them, and when he had met them: "he hastens back," it says, "to the tent and says to his wife: hasten to the tent." See in each detail how great is the eagerness of the one receiving. There is haste in everything, everything is urged on, nothing is done in leisure. He says therefore to his wife Sarah: "Hasten to the tent, and sprinkle three measures of fine flour, and make loaves baked in the ashes." This in Greek is called ἐγχρυφίας, which indicates hidden or concealed loaves. "But he himself ran," it says, "to the cattle and took a calf." What kind of calf? Perhaps the one that could happen to run up first? It is not so, but a "good and tender" calf. And although he hastens in all things, yet he knows what things, being chief and great, are to be offered to the Lord or to the angels. He took therefore, or rather chose, from the herd a "good and tender" calf and handed it to the servant boy. "The boy," it says, "hastened to prepare it." He himself runs, the wife hastens, the boy makes speed; no one is sluggish in the house of the wise man. He sets forth therefore the calf and together with it the loaves and the fine flour, but also milk and butter. These are the duties of hospitality of Abraham and Sarah. Now let us see also what Lot does. This one has neither fine flour nor clean bread, but meal. He knows neither three measures of fine flour, nor is he able to set before those who come ἐγχρυφίας, that is, hidden and mystical loaves.[§2] But let us now for the present pursue what Abraham does with the three men who "stood over him." See this very thing, what kind of thing it is, that they come "over him," not against him. For he had subjected himself to the will of God, and therefore God is said to stand "over him." He sets forth therefore loaves sprinkled with "three measures of fine flour." He received three men, he sprinkled loaves with "three measures of fine flour." The whole of what he does is mystical, the whole is filled with sacraments. A calf is set forth—behold, another sacrament. The calf itself is not tough, but "good and tender." And what is so tender, what so good as he who "humbled himself" for us "even unto death" and "laid down his soul" "for his friends"? That "fatted calf" which the father slaughters for the son received back in repentance. "For God so loved this world, that he gave his only Son" for the life of this world. Yet it does not escape the wise man whom he had received. He meets three and adores one and speaks to one, saying: "Turn aside to your servant and refresh yourself under the tree." But how does he add again, as though speaking to men: "Let water be taken," he says, "and let your feet be washed"? Through these things indeed Abraham, the father and teacher of the nations, teaches you how you ought to receive guests and that you should wash the feet of guests; yet this too is said in a mystery. For he knew that the dominical sacraments are not to be consummated except in the washing of feet. But neither did the weight of that precept escape him, in which it is said by the Savior: "If any will not receive you, shake off even the dust which has clung to your feet, as a testimony against them. Amen I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for that city." He wished therefore to anticipate and to wash their feet, lest perhaps any dust should remain which, shaken off as a testimony of unbelief, could be reserved "for the day of judgment." Therefore the wise Abraham says: "Let water be taken and let your feet be washed."
[§3] But let us now see what is also said in what follows. "But Abraham himself," it says, "was standing by them under the tree." For narratives of this kind we require circumcised ears. For it is not to be believed that it was of the greatest concern to the Holy Spirit to write in the books of the law where Abraham stood. For what does it profit me, who have come to hear what the Holy Spirit teaches the human race, if I should hear that "Abraham was standing under a tree"? But let us see what this tree is, under which Abraham was standing and displaying a banquet to the Lord and to the angels. "Under the tree," it says, "of Mamre." "Mamre" in our language is interpreted as vision or clear-sightedness. Do you see who and what kind is the place in which the Lord can hold a banquet? The vision and clear-sightedness of Abraham delighted him. For he was pure in heart, so that he could see God. In such a place, therefore, and in such a heart, the Lord can hold a banquet with his angels. Finally, in earlier times the prophets were called seers.
[§4] What then does the Lord say to Abraham? "Where is," he says, "Sarah your wife? And he: behold, he says, in the tent. And the Lord said: coming I will come to you in season according to this time, and Sarah your wife shall have a son. But Sarah was listening, standing behind the door of the tent, behind Abraham." Let women learn by the examples of the patriarchs, let women, I say, learn to follow their husbands. For it is not without cause written that "Sarah was standing behind Abraham," but so that it might be shown that if the husband goes before to the Lord, the wife ought to follow. What I say, that the wife ought to follow, is in this: if she sees her husband standing before God. Otherwise let us ascend to a higher grade of understanding and let us say that the husband in us is the rational sense, and the wife, who is joined to it as to a husband, is our flesh. Let the flesh therefore always follow the rational sense, nor let it ever come to such sloth that the rational sense, brought into subjection, obeys the flesh flowing loose in luxury and pleasures. "Sarah" therefore "was standing behind Abraham." But we can also perceive something mystical in this passage, if we see how in Exodus "God went before in a pillar of fire by night and in a pillar of cloud by day," and the synagogue of the Lord followed after him. Thus therefore I understand that Sarah too followed, or stood, "behind Abraham." What is said after these things? "And they were both," it says, "elders"—that is, old—"and advanced in their days." As far as pertains to the age of the body, many before them had led a life of more numerous years, yet none was called an elder. Whence it seems that this name is ascribed to the saints not by reason of longevity, but of maturity.
[§5] What then after so great and such a banquet, which Abraham displayed to the Lord and to the angels under the tree of vision? The guests set out. "Abraham however was escorting" it says "them and was walking with them. But the Lord said: I will not hide from Abraham my servant what I am going to do. For Abraham shall become a great and numerous nation, and in him shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. For he knew that he would command his sons, and they will keep the ways of the Lord, to do justice and judgment, that the Lord may fulfill for Abraham the things which he indicated to him. And he said: the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is filled up, and their sins are exceedingly great. I have therefore come down, to see whether they are being consummated according to their cry which comes to me; but if not, that I may know." These are the words of the divine Scripture. Let us therefore now see what in these things is worthy to be understood. "I have come down," he says, "that I may see." When responses are conveyed to Abraham, God is not said to come down, but to stand over him, as we expounded above: "three men stood," it says, "over him." But now, because the cause of sinners is being dealt with, God is said to come down. See that you do not perceive an ascent and descent of place. For frequently this is found in the divine letters, as in the prophet Micah: "behold," he says, "the Lord has gone out from his holy place and has come down and will tread upon the high places of the earth." God therefore is said to come down, when he deigns to have care of human frailty. Which is to be understood more especially of our Lord and Savior, who "did not deem it robbery to be equal to God, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant." He came down therefore. "For no one else has ascended into heaven, except him who came down from heaven, the Son of man, who is in heaven." For the Lord came down not only to care for, but also to bear, the things which are ours. "For he took the form of a servant," and although he himself is of invisible nature, as being equal to the Father, yet he took a visible appearance, "and was found in appearance as a man." But even when he came down, to some he is below, but to others he ascends and is above. For to the chosen Apostles he ascended "into a high mountain, and there he is transformed before them." To those therefore whom he teaches about the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, he is above; but to the crowds and the Pharisees, whom he reproaches for their sins, he is below and is there with them, where there is hay. But he could not be transformed below, but ascended above with those who could follow him, and there he is transformed.
[§6] "I have come down therefore," he says, "that I may see whether they are being consummated according to their cry which comes to me. But if not, that I may know." From this saying the heretics are accustomed to assail my God, saying: behold, the God of the law did not know what was being done in Sodom, unless he had come down to see, and had sent those who might find out. But let us, who are commanded to fight the battles of the Lord, sharpen against them "the sword of the word of God" and meet them for battle. Let us stand in the battle line "girded in our loins with truth," and at the same time "bearing before us the shield of faith," let us receive their venomous darts of disputations and, aiming them back more carefully, hurl them against those very men. For such are the battles of the Lord which David and the rest of the patriarchs fought. Let us stand against them on behalf of our brothers. "For it is better for me to die" than that they should snatch and plunder any of my brothers and, by the clever theft of words, lead away captive "the little ones" and those still nursing in Christ. But with the perfect they will be able neither to join hand nor will they dare to come into the contest. We therefore, first entreating the Lord and aided by your prayers, will undertake against them the battle of the word. We say therefore with confidence that according to the Scriptures God does not know all. God does not know sin, and God does not know sinners; those estranged from himself he does not recognize. Hear the Scripture saying: "The Lord has known those who are his, and: let everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord depart from iniquity." The Lord knows his own, but the wicked and the impious he does not know. Hear the Savior saying: "Depart from me all you workers of iniquity, I have not known you." And again Paul says: "If anyone among you is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things I write are the Lord's. But he who is ignorant, is ignored." But we say these things not perceiving anything blasphemous about God, as you do, nor ascribing ignorance to him, but we understand it thus, that those whose deed is unworthy of God are also deemed unworthy of the knowledge of God. For God does not deign to know him who is turned away from him and is ignorant of him. And therefore the Apostle says that "he who is ignorant, is ignored." Under such an appearance, therefore, it is now said also concerning those who dwell in Sodom, that, if indeed "their deeds are being consummated according to the cry" which ascends to God, they are deemed unworthy of his knowing; but if there is in them any conversion, if even ten just men be found in them, then at last God knows them. And therefore he said: "but if not, that I may know." He did not say, that I may know what they do, but that I may know them and make them worthy of my knowledge, if I should find any just among them, if I should find any repenting, if any such as I ought to know. Finally, because no one who repented, no one who was converted, was found other than Lot, he alone is recognized, he alone is delivered from the burning. Neither do the kindred follow though admonished, nor the neighbors, nor those nearby; no one wished to recognize the clemency of God, no one to flee to his mercy; and therefore no one is recognized. These things indeed against those who "speak iniquity on high." But let us give effort that our deeds be made such, our manner of life such, that we may be held worthy of the knowledge of God, that he may deign to know us, that we may be held worthy of the knowledge of his Son Jesus Christ and of the knowledge of the Holy Spirit, so that, recognized by the Trinity, we too may deserve to recognize the sacrament of the Trinity fully and wholly and perfectly, the Lord Jesus Christ revealing it to us, "to whom is glory and dominion unto the ages of ages. Amen."