Homilies on Numbers — Homily 6
Latin source: Origen, In Numeros homiliae (Rufinus's Latin translation), from the public-domain critical text of W. A. Baehrens, GCS 30 = Origenes Werke VII (Leipzig, 1921). This English translation is released into the public domain.On what is written: "Moses went out to the people"; and on the seventy elders, and on the Ethiopian woman whom Moses took as his wife.
[§1] Many things have been read to us at once, and neither the shortness of time nor the greatness of the mysteries permits us to speak about all of them. Yet it will be allowed to gather a few little flowers from these vast fields, and to pluck not as much as the field yields in abundance, but as much as suffices for a fragrance. Just as when someone approaches a spring, he need not draw as much as the rich vein pours forth, but as much as may soothe throats parched with thirst, lest perhaps water taken more than is right should become, for the one drinking, a healthful destruction. "And Moses went out," it says, "to the people, and spoke the words of the Lord." So long as Moses hears the words of God and is taught by Him, he is within, and abides in the inner places, and is kept among secrets; but when he speaks to the crowds and ministers to the people, who cannot stand within, he is said to go out abroad. What then does a saying of such a form contain? That every teacher and master of the Church, if he stirs up something concerning the deeper mysteries, if he brings forth something hidden and secret concerning the wisdom of God among the perfect—so long as he is occupied in profound meanings, he is to be said to be within and to abide in the inner places; but when he speaks to the crowds and brings forth those things which suffice for those who are outside, and which the common people can hear, he is said to have gone out abroad and to speak to the people the words of the Lord. This I see that Paul also did, and that he was indeed within when he said: "But we speak wisdom among the perfect, yet a wisdom not of this world nor of the princes of this world, who are being brought to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God hidden in a mystery, which none of the princes of this world knew." You see how Paul is within and penetrates the inner and secret things of divine wisdom, when he speaks these things. But when he proceeds to the people, hear what he says: "Let no evil speech proceed out of your mouth," and: "Let him who stole steal no more," and: "Let each man have his own wife," and: "Let each woman have her own husband." These things, and any of this kind, Paul, going out abroad to the people after the manner of Moses, speaks.[§2] But let us look also at another passage, in which it is related that Moses chose seventy men from among the elders of the people, and had them before the tabernacle of the testimony, and that God, taking of the spirit of Moses, gave to the seventy elders; and when the spirit had rested upon them, it says, they all prophesied. That it said He took of the spirit of Moses and gave the spirit to the seventy elders—do not so understand it as though God, taking away some material and bodily substance from Moses, cut it into seventy portions, and thus gave to each of the elders a tiny particle: it is impious so to understand the nature of the Holy Spirit. But observe the figure of this mystical saying in this way, as though Moses, and the spirit which was in Moses, were a lamp of a certain most bright light, from which God kindled seventy other lamps, to which the splendor of that principal light so came that the very source of the light received no loss from the exchange of derivation. And in this way it is piously understood, that which is written, that "the Lord took of the spirit of Moses and gave to the seventy elders."
[§3] But let us see what it is that he says in what follows. "And the spirit rested upon them," it says, "and they all prophesied." We do not read that the spirit rests upon just any men, but upon the holy and the blessed. For the Spirit of God rests upon those who are clean of heart, and upon those who purify their souls from sin, just as, on the contrary, it does not dwell in a body subject to sins, even if it once dwelt in it; for the Holy Spirit cannot endure fellowship and association with an evil spirit. For it is certain that at the time of sin the evil spirit is present in the heart of each one and plays its part. And when a place is given to it and it is received by us through evil thoughts and wicked desires, the Holy Spirit, grieved and, so to speak, hemmed in, is put to flight from us. On account of which the Apostle also, knowing that these things so happen, warned, saying: "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit, in whom you were sealed unto the day of redemption." Therefore, by sinning we grieve the Holy Spirit, but by acting justly and holily we prepare rest for it within us. Hence, in that he now says of the seventy elders that the spirit rested upon them, he set forth the praise of their life and their virtues. In short, because on account of the purity of their heart and the sincerity of their mind and their capacity of understanding the Holy Spirit rested, it at once also works in them and does not endure idleness where worthy material for working is supplied; for the Scripture says: "and the spirit rested upon them, and they prophesied." In all, therefore, who prophesied, the Holy Spirit rested; yet it did not rest in any of them as it did in the Savior. On account of which it is also written of Him that: "There shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall arise from his root. And the Spirit of God shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and fortitude, the spirit of knowledge and piety; and the spirit of the fear of the Lord shall fill Him." But perhaps someone will say: you have shown nothing more written concerning Christ than concerning the rest of men; for just as it was said of the others that the Spirit rested upon them, so also of the Savior it was said: "the Spirit of God shall rest upon Him." But observe that upon no other above is the Spirit of God described as having rested with this sevenfold power, whereby without doubt that very substance of the divine Spirit—which, because it could not be by one name, is set forth by diverse terms—is prophesied to rest upon the rod which should proceed from the stock of Jesse. I have also another testimony, by which I can teach that in my Lord and Savior the Holy Spirit rested in a certain exceptional manner and far otherwise than is related of the rest. For John the Baptist says of Him: "He who sent me to baptize in water, He said to me: Upon whomever you shall see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, He it is." If he had said "the Spirit descending" and had not added "and remaining upon Him," He would seem to have nothing special beyond the rest. But now he added "and remaining upon Him," so that this might be for a sign in the Savior which could be shown in no other; for of no one is it written that the Holy Spirit remained upon him. And lest anyone think that in this I disparage the prophets, they themselves know that I do not disparage them by preferring my Lord Jesus Christ to them. For each recalls his own sayings, and they find that of no other was it said: "He did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth." For because He alone is the one who did no sin, therefore in Him alone the Holy Spirit remained and abode. For if He is the one of whom this singular and exceptional thing is said, which we said above, that He did no sin, it is established that all the rest were under sin. If all, then necessarily the prophets also. And how is it fitting that we should say the Holy Spirit remained in them at the time of sin? Or if it seems incredible to you that the prophets, after they had received the Holy Spirit, could sin, let us return to this very Moses whom we have in hand, who is surely the greatest and most eminent of the prophets. He writes of himself and gives testimony concerning himself that he sinned, in that he said: "Hear me, you unbelieving ones; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?" For in these words he did not sanctify the Lord at the water of contradiction, that is, he was not confident in the power of God, and did not say that God is able to bring forth water for you from this rock, but as though from the frailty of a certain distrust he answered, saying: "Shall we be able to bring forth water for you out of this rock?" Because, therefore, sin is reckoned to him by the Lord in these words, it is certain that, when he spoke these things, he did not speak from the Holy Spirit, but from the spirit of sin. But if by the testimony of Scripture so great a prophet as Moses is shown to have at one time had in himself the Spirit of God, but at another time not to have had it, namely at the time of sin, it is certain that concerning the rest of the prophets a like rule is to be held. But what shall I say also of David? who prays concerning the Holy Spirit—as though it could be taken away from him—that it not be taken away, and says: "Cast me not away from Your face, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me." And in what follows, as though for a fault the gift had been taken from him, he asks it back and says: "Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and confirm me with Your governing spirit." And what shall I recall also concerning Solomon? whom surely no one will say either judged judgments or built a temple to the Lord without the Holy Spirit, or, on the other hand, in the Holy Spirit made temples to demons or bent his heart to impious women. That prophet too, who in the third book of Kings was being sent to Bethel, surely spoke the words of God in the Spirit of God; yet he is not to be believed to have transgressed in the Spirit of God the commandment of the Lord, by which he had been ordered not to eat bread in Bethel, on account of which he is also killed by a lion. But it is long to go through them one by one. And I, though I may not pronounce on it in every case, yet think that there are, even in some common deeds of men, things which, although they are free from sin, do not yet seem worthy for us to think the Holy Spirit takes part in them. As, for example that I might say, lawful marriages are indeed free from sin, and yet at that time when the conjugal acts are performed the presence of the Holy Spirit will not be given, even if he who complies with the office of generation seem to be a prophet. But there are also many other things in which human power alone suffices for itself, and neither does the matter need nor is it fitting that the presence of the Holy Spirit be present. But into these things we have fallen by a certain digression, while we wished to show that upon my Lord and Savior Jesus alone the Spirit of God ever remained, but that in all the rest of the saints—as also in the seventy elders, from whom the beginning of this discourse proceeded—the Spirit of God only rested and worked at the time those things which were expedient for those through whom it worked, and useful for those to whom it was ministered.
[§4] But in what follows also the reading which was recited contains this, that Moses took the Ethiopian woman as his wife, and that Miriam and Aaron disparaged Moses, because he had taken the Ethiopian woman, and they say: "Has God spoken to Moses alone? Has He not also spoken to us?" "And the Lord heard," it says. And after these things He orders them to go out to the tabernacle of the testimony, and there, a certain judgment having been held, Miriam is made leprous until a fixed time, and thus is called back into the camp. That we may explain this more concisely, we say that Miriam had the figure of the former people, and that Moses, that is, the law of the Lord, passed over to marriage with this Ethiopian woman, who was gathered from among the nations. Her, therefore, Moses, that is, the spiritual law, took as wife; and on account of this deed Miriam, who is now the synagogue, is indignant and disparages together with Aaron, that is, with the priests and Pharisees. That people, therefore, disparages even to this day Moses, who is placed with us, and he seems base to them, because among us he does not teach the circumcision of the flesh, nor the observance of the sabbath, nor of the new moon, nor sacrifices of blood, but the circumcision of the heart, and rest from sinning, and feast days in the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth, and sacrifices of praise, and admonishes that now not victims of cattle, but of vices, should be slain. God therefore judges concerning these things, and confirms the marriage of the Ethiopian woman, and indeed permits Moses gladly to dwell with her and to rest, but casts Miriam outside the camp and puts her far from the tabernacle of the testimony, with whom Aaron also is cast out. Moreover, Miriam is also made leprous. Look now upon that people and see how great in it is the leprosy of sin, how great the darkness of understanding, how great the foulness of observance, how great the baseness of aspect. Nevertheless this leprosy does not remain forever, but when the week of the world shall have begun to be completed, she shall be called back to the camp. For at the end of the world, when the fullness of the nations shall have entered in, then also all Israel shall be saved, and that is when the leprosy shall cease from the face of Miriam; for she shall receive the glory of faith, and shall receive the splendor of the knowledge of Christ, and her countenance shall be restored, when both shall become one flock and one shepherd. In which it must truly be said: "O the depth of the riches and of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God"; who so shut up all under sin, that He might have mercy upon all, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory unto the ages of ages. Amen.