Stench, taste, and the woman's touch

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Origen went on: As with the nostrils we receive perceptible fragrance and perceptible stench, so according to the inner man there is a reception, in the one who is healthy according to the divine senses, of the fragrance of righteousness, which the apostle had, and of the stench of sins. What stench of sins? About which the prophet says thus: My bruises have grown rancid and rotten from the face of my folly.

The outer man has the tasting faculty, and the inner man has the spiritual tasting faculty, about which it is said: Taste and see that the Lord is kind.

The outer man has perceptible touch, and the inner man has touch — that touch by which the woman with the flow of blood touched the hem of Jesus. She touched. For the one who said, Who touched me? bore witness. And a little before, Peter was saying to him: The crowds are pressing you, and you say, Who touched me? He thinks that those who touch bodily are touching, not spiritually. So those pressing Jesus were not touching him; for they were not touching him by faith. But she alone, having a certain divine touch, touched Jesus and for this reason was healed. And since she touched with his divine touch, for this reason power of Jesus went out upon her divine touch (Psalm 38:5) (Psalm 34:8) (Luke 8:43–46) (Mark 5:30–31) (Matthew 9:20–22).

Greek

μυκτῆρσιν ἀντιλαμβανόμεθα αἰσθητῆς εὐωδίας καὶ αἰσθητῆς δυσωδίας, οὕτως κατὰ τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον ἔστιν ἀντίλημψις τοῦ ὑγιαίνοντος κατὰ τὰ θεῖα αἰσθητήρια, εὐωδίας δικαιοσύνης, ἣν εἶχεν ὁ ἀπόστολος, καὶ δυσωδίας ἁμαρτημάτων. Ποίας δυσωδίας ἁμαρτημάτων; Περὶ ἧς λέγει ὁ προφήτης οὕτως· «Προσώζεσαν καὶ ἐσάπησαν οἱ μώλωπές μου ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς ἀφροσύνης μου.». Ὁ ἔξω ἄνθρωπος ἔχει τὸ γευστικόν, καὶ ὁ ἔσω ἄνθρωπος ἔχει τὸ πνευματικὸν γευστικόν, περὶ οὗ εἴρηται· «Γεύσασθε καὶ ἴδετε ὅτι χρηστὸς ὁ Κύριος.».

Ὁ ἔξω ἄνθρωπος ἔχει ἁφὴν τὴν αἰσθητήν, καὶ ὁ ἔσω ἄνθρωπος ἔχει ἁφήν, ἐκείνην τὴν ἁφὴν ᾗ ἥψατο ἡ αἱμορροῦσα τοῦ κρασπέδου τοῦ Ἰησοῦ. Ἥψατο· ἐμαρτύρησεν γὰρ ὁ εἰπών· «Τίς ἥψατό μου;» Καί γε πρὸ βραχέος ὁ Πέτρος αὐτῷ ἔλεγεν· «»Οἱ ὄχλοι θλίβουσίν σε καὶ σὺ λέγεις Τίς ἥψατό μου;»«Οἴεται ὅτι οἱ ἁπτόμενοι σωματικῶς ἅπτονται, οὐ πνευματικῶς. Οἱ οὖν θλίβοντες τὸν Ἰησοῦν οὐχ ἥπτοντο αὐτοῦ· οὐ γὰρ πίστει αὐτοῦ ἥπτοντο. Ἐκείνη δὲ μόνη ἔχουσα θείαν τινὰ ἁφὴν ἥψατο τοῦ Ἰησοῦ καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐθεραπεύθη· καὶ ἐπεὶ θείᾳ αὐτοῦ ἁφῇ ἥψατο, διὰ τοῦτο δύναμις

About this text

Bishops examine Heraclides on the Father, the Son, and the soul. Gaps in the Greek are marked, not filled.

English follows the Greek of the Toura dialogue in the Scherer tradition, from Documenta Catholica Omnia. Gaps in the papyrus are marked, not filled. Sources Chrétiennes 67 was not used as copy-text.

Witnesses

Copy-text Scherer tradition via Documenta Catholica Omnia (Greek · Dialogue with Heraclides)

This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.