Those in the flesh cannot please God
Those who live in the flesh cannot please God. Therefore, we must turn back to history. Verse γδ'. He turned their waters and their showers into blood so they could not drink. I know by figurative interpretation that many rivers of Egypt are hostile to Christ, the true river, whose waters bring joy to the Church. Yet all the rivers associated with salvation are foreign streams; whenever God wishes to bring someone back, so that having gone out they may drink from the rock—and the rock is Christ—he causes those streams to become blood. For whenever I drink alien water and entertain alien thoughts, if God does not reveal to me that it is blood, I no longer drink, lest I become a participant in bloody showers. Some people speak in small ways but are ruinous. Historically, Egyptians do not have water from above, nor does rain fall in Egypt. Thus, historically speaking, when Moses commanded, all the waters of Egypt were turned into blood—even the fish were transformed into a fleshly thickness of water, leading to corruption—and to the Hebrews drawing blood, there was none. Hence, manganesia found opportunity in the water among the Hebrews to counterfeit the bloody water. Spiritually, even now, the same reality is unfolding. For those who stand apart from opposing views: to one group, the drinkable water is clear and manifest—the water of faith, which they draw through divine teaching; but to those holding evil suppositions, who Egyptianize, the water becomes corrupt blood. Often, the sophist of deceit attempts, by mixing falsehood with the drink of the Israelites, to turn it into blood—that is, our word—and to show this to us.
not being such a thing as it is able to be. But it would not altogether be useless, even if, by deceit from what is at hand, it should make the appearance red. For the Israelite drinks the true water, not turning back even toward the appearance of deceit. 17.149 PSALM 80. Verse 2. Shout aloud to the God of Jacob. They call God Jacob the Savior, the one in man.
Greek
ἐν σαρκὶ ὄντες Θεῷ ἀρέσαι οὐ δύνανται. Ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὴν ἱστορίαν ἀνιτέον. Στίχ. μδʹ. Καὶ μετέστρεψεν εἰς αἷμα τοὺς ποτα μοὺς αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰ ὀμβρήματα αὐτῶν, ὅπως μὴ πίωσιν. Οἶδα κατὰ τροπολογίαν πολλοὺς ποταμοὺς Αἰγύπτου ἐναντίους Χριστῷ τῷ ἀληθινῷ ποταμῷ, οὗ τὰ ὁρμήματα τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν εὐφραίνει. Πάντα δὲ τὰ τῆς σωτηρίας ἀλλότρια ῥεύματα, ἃ ὁ Θεὸς, ὅταν βούληταί τινας ἐπιστρέψαι, ἵνα ἐξελθόντες πίωσιν ἀπὸ τῆς πέτρας, ἡ δὲ πέτρα ἦν ὁ Χριστὸς, ποιεῖ στραφῆναι εἰς αἷμα. Ὅταν γὰρ ἐγὼ καταγὼ οὓς ἀλλοτρίου ὕδατος καὶ φρονήματος, τοῦ Θεοῦ μὴ παραστήσαντος, ὅτι αἷμά ἐστιν, οὐκέτι πίνω, ἵνα μὴ μέτοχος γίνωμαι αἵματος ὀμβρήματος. Οἱ δὲ εἶεν ἂν, οἱ βραχέα μὲν λέγοντες, ὀλέθρια δέ. Κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἱστορίαν, Αἰγύπτιοι ἄνωθεν ὕδωρ οὐκ ἔχουσιν, οὐδὲ γίνεται ὑετὸς ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ. Ἱστορικῶς μὲν οὖν, πάσης τότε τῆς τῶν ὑδάτων φύσεως κατὰ τὴν Αἴγυπτον τῷ προστάγματι τοῦ Μωσέως εἰς αἷμα τραπείσης, ὡς καὶ τοὺς ἰχθύας, εἰς σαρκώδη παχύτητα τοῦ ὕδατος μετατεθέντος, διαφθαρῆναι, τοῖς Ἑβραίοις ἀρυομένοις αἷμα οὐκ ἦν. Ὅθεν ἔσχε καὶ ἡ μαγγανεία καιρὸν ἐν τῷ παρὰ τοῖς Ἑβραίοις εὑρισκομένῳ ὕδατι, τὸ αἱματῶδες ὕδωρ παρασοφίσασθαι. Πνευματικῶς δὲ καὶ νῦν τὸ ἴσον ἔστιν ἰδεῖν γινόμενον. Τῶν γὰρ πρὸς τὰς ἐναντίας δόξας διεστηκότων τοῖς μὲν πότιμόν ἐστι καὶ διαφανὲς τὸ νᾶμα τῆς πίστεως, ὃ διὰ τῆς θείας διδασκαλίας ἀρύονται· τοῖς δὲ τῆς πονηρᾶς ὑπολήψεως αἰγυπτιάζουσι διεφθορὸς αἷμα τὸ ὕδωρ γίνεται. Καὶ πολλάκις ἐπιχειρεῖ ὁ παρασοφισμὸς τῆς ἀπάτης καὶ τὸ τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν ποτὸν τῷ μολυσμῷ τοῦ ψεύδους αἷμα ποιῆσαι, τουτέστι τὸν ἡμέτερον λόγον, καὶ ἡμῖν δεῖξαι, μὴ τοιοῦτον ὄντα οἷόν ἐστιν. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀχρειώσειε καθόλου τὸ ποτὸν, κἂν ἐκ τοῦ προχείρου δι' ἀπάτην περιφοινίξῃ τὸ εἶδος. Πίνει γὰρ ὁ Ἰσραηλίτης τὸ ἀληθινὸν ὕδωρ, οὐδὲ πρὸς τὸ εἶδος τῆς ἀπάτης ἐπιστρεφόμενος. 17.149 ΨΑΛ. Πʹ. Στίχ. βʹ. Ἀλαλάξατε τῷ Θεῷ Ἰακώβ. Θεὸν Ἰακὼβ τὸν Σωτῆρα καλοῦσι τὸν ἐν ἀνθρώπου
About this text
Origen of Alexandria, Excerpta in Psalmos (Greek).
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 17 (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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