Asp-hard insides; burning lamps from the mouth; power in the neck
fear. "Fear the Lord your God, and fear no other besides him."
"His inwards are bronze asps" — the hidden doctrines and thoughts. Everything inside him is asp venom, and those asps are not soft but hard. "From his mouth": the blasphemies and speeches of impious, atheist teachers. "From his mouth go out burning lamps, and fire-pans of fire are flung about."
Origen takes every impious introducer of atheist doctrines as a member of the dragon. The dragon’s mouth can be read tropically as the place from which destroying words come. When he has heard speech that, under a Christian mask, accuses the Craftsman — championing Marcion, Valentinus, or Basilides; speaking ill of the Maker of heaven and earth; denying that he is, or that he is of spiritual substance — then from such mouths go burning lamps and flung fire-pans. Knowing this, we keep ourselves so those lamps do not burn us and those pans do not touch us.
"In his neck power lodges." There is an evil power. But the weakness my Savior and Lord took on for me — the weakness of God — conquered
Greek
φόβου. Κύριον γὰρ τὸν Θεόν σου φοβηθήσῃ, καὶ πλὴν αὐτοῦ μὴ φοβοῦ τὸν ἄλλον. Στίχ. ʹ. Τὰ ἔγκατα αὐτοῦ ἀσπίδες χαλκαῖ. Τὰ δόγματα, τὰ νοήματα τὰ ἀποκεκρυμμένα. Πάντα ἰὸς ἀσπίδων ἐστὶ, πάντα τὰ ἔνδον αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἀσπίδες εἰσὶν οὐχ ἁπαλαί τινες, ἀλλὰ σκληραί. Ἀσπί δες γάρ εἰσι σκληραί. Στίχ. ιʹ. Ἐκ στόματος αὐτοῦ. Αἱ βλασφημίαι καὶ οἱ λόγοι τῶν ἀσεβῶν καὶ ἀθέων διδασκάλων. Στίχ. ιʹ. Ἐκ στόματος αὐτοῦ ἐκπορεύονται λαμ πάδες καιόμεναι, καὶ διαριπτοῦνται ἐσχάραι πυρός. Οἶμαι μὲν καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς ἀθέων δογμάτων εἰσηγητὰς κυρίως ἂν εἶναι μέλη τοῦ δρά κοντος· καὶ τῶν μελῶν τοῦ δράκοντος ὀνόματα εἰ θέλεις ἀκοῦσαι, ποῖοί εἰσιν οὗτοι; Τὸ στόμα τοῦ δράκοντος εἴη δ' ἄν τι καὶ τροπικῶς νοούμενον, καὶ παρὰ τοῦτο ὅθεν οἱ λόγοι οἱ ἀπολλύντες. [Ἐκ στό ματος γὰρ αὐτοῦ λαμπάδες ἀπολλύονται πυρός.] Ὅτι ἐκ στόματος αὐτοῦ ἐσχάραι ἀπολλύονται πυρός. Εἴ ποτε ἤκουσα τοῦ κατηγοροῦντος λόγου, προφάσει Χριστιανισμοῦ, κατηγοροῦντος τοῦ ∆ημιουρ γοῦ, φέρε εἰπεῖν, πρεσβεύοντος τὰ Μαρκίωνος, πρε σβεύοντος τὰ Οὐαλεντίνου, καὶ τὰ Βασιλείδου· ὅτ' ἂν κακῶς λέγωσιν τὸν Ποιητὴν οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς, ὅτ' ἂν λέγωσιν αὐτὸν μὴ εἶναι, μηδὲ πνευματικῆς οὐσίας, ὁποῖά φασιν οὗτοι· ὄψῃ, ἐκ στόματος τῶν τοιούτων ἐξέρχονται λαμπάδες καιόμεναι, καὶ διαρι πτοῦνται ἐσχάραι πυρός. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἡμεῖς, εἰδότες, τηρῶμεν ἑαυτοὺς, μήποτε ἐκεῖναι αἱ λαμπάδες ἡμᾶς καύσωσι, μήποτε αἱ ἐσχάραι τοῦ πυρὸς ἡμῶν ἅψωνται. Στίχ. ιγʹ. Ἐν δὲ τραχήλῳ αὐτοῦ αὐλίζεται δύ ναμις. Ἔστι τις δύναμις πονηρά. Ἀλλ' ἡ ἀσθένεια, ἣν ἀνέλαβε δι' ἐμὲ ὁ Σωτήρ μου καὶ Κύριος, ἥτις λέγε ται ἀσθένεια Θεοῦ, ἐνίκησεν
About this text
Origen of Alexandria, Enarrationes in Job (Greek).
Original English Translation of Origen’s Enarrationes in Job — new OET from PG 17 Greek.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 17 (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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.