Philocalia

[The translation begins here]

the Apostle, indeed, who confesses himself to be unskilled in speech, that is, in the form and manner of speaking. But that Epistle has a more elegant Greek composition of language, as anyone who is able to judge expertly regarding the difference in styles will admit; and furthermore, it contains admirable thoughts, in no way inferior to the apostolic writings. And whoever has carefully read the writings of the apostles will agree that this is most true. ^B After a few things have been interposed, he adds this: "I, for my part, think that the thoughts themselves are the Apostle's, but that the diction and the composition of the words belong to someone else who wished to record the things said by the Apostle, and, as it were, to compile into commentaries those things which he had heard from the master. Therefore, if any Church holds this Epistle as Paul's, it is to be praised for this reason, for not without cause have the ancients handed it down as Paul's. But who actually wrote the Epistle, only God knows. The history that has reached us is that some say Clement, who became bishop of the Romans, wrote the Epistle; others say that it was Luke who wrote the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles."

ORIGEN'S PHILOCALIA

Concerning the divinely inspired nature of the Holy Scripture, and how it is to be read and understood, and what is the reason for the obscurity within it, and of the impossible or irrational things as understood literally. ^C Chapter One. From the fourth book of Origen's *On First Principles*, and various other treatises. Since concerning things so important... *On First Principles*, Book I, 1-23. Then the Philocalia continues: Just as all the gifts of God are exceedingly greater than mortal existence, so also the precise understanding of the wisdom concerning all these things exists with God, who also arranged for these things to be written; and if a soul, through the will of the Father of the Word, were to be purified for the grasping of wisdom, it would come to be in that soul in the highest degree, with all zeal and awareness of human weakness. But if any man should rashly commit himself to it, not discerning the secret of the wisdom of God, and of the Word who was in the beginning with God and who is God himself; and that it is according to the Word and God, and according to the wisdom with Him, that these things must both be sought and found; then it is necessary that such a person, falling into myths and trifles and false inventions, should subject himself to the risk that comes from impiety. Therefore one must also remember the commandment from Solomon in ^D Ecclesiastes concerning such things, where he says: "Do not be hasty to bring forth a word before the face of God. For God is in heaven above, and you are upon the earth below; therefore let your words be few." For one must believe that the holy scriptures have not one iota empty of the wisdom of God; for He who commanded me, a human, and said, "You shall not appear before Me empty," much more will He Himself say nothing that is empty. For having received from His fullness, the prophets speak; "For all things breathe of the things from the fullness." And there is nothing in prophecy, or law, or Gospel, or Apostle, which is not from the fullness. Therefore, since it is from the fullness, it breathes the things of the fullness to those who have eyes seeing the things of the fullness, and ears hearing the things from the fullness, and a sense of smell breathing the things from the fullness. But if, while reading Scripture, you ever stumble at a thought that is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, blame yourself. For do not despair that this stone of stumbling and rock of offense can have deeper meanings, so that what is said may come to be: "And he who believes shall not be put to shame." Believe first, and you will find beneath the supposed obstacle much holy benefit.

From the commentaries on the fiftieth Psalm. Having allegorized the beginning of the story concerning Uriah in part, he adds: But if to anyone it seems forced, let it remain unshaken.