Origen of Alexandria

In his own words on 1 Chronicles

• 1 Chronicles 16:8

  The sixth song is in 1 Chronicles, where David first established Asaph and his brothers for praising the Lord. The beginning of the song is as follows, "Praise the Lord, give thanks to him, and call on his name; make known his purposes among the peoples. Sing to him, sing praises to him, tell of all his wonderful works, which the Lord has done," and so forth. It should, however, be known that the song in 2 Samuel is very much like Psalm 18. Furthermore, the first part of the text in 1 Chronicles, up to the place where it says "and do my prophets no harm," is like Psalm 105, and the latter part of it, following the verse just mentioned, bears a likeness to the first part of Psalm 96, where it says, "Sing to the Lord, all the earth," up to the place where it says "for he comes to judge the earth."

  COMMENTARY ON THE SONG OF SONGS, PROLOGUE 4

• 1 Chronicles 16:8

  In the first book of Chronicles the psalm praising the Lord attributed to Asaph and his brothers, which begins "O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name," is, for the most part, the same as Psalm 104, down to the words "Do my prophets no harm!" After that it is almost identical to Psalm 95 from the beginning, "Sing to the Lord, all the earth!"

  LETTER TO JULIUS AFRICANUS 21

• 1 Chronicles 16:22

  There was no need that there should everywhere exist many bodies and many spirits like Jesus, in order that the entire humankind might be enlightened by the Word of God. For the one Word was enough, having arisen as the "Sun of righteousness," to send forth from Judea his coming rays into the souls of all who were willing to receive him. But if anyone desires to see many bodies filled with a divine Spirit, similar to the one Christ, ministering to the salvation of people everywhere, let him take note of those who teach the Gospel of Jesus in all lands in soundness of doctrine and uprightness of life and who are themselves termed "christs" by the holy Scriptures in the passage "Do not touch my anointed, and do not harm my prophets." For as we have heard that Antichrist comes and yet have learned that there are many antichrists in the world, in the same way, knowing that Christ has come, we see that, owing to him, there are many christs in the world, who, like him, have loved righteousness and hated iniquity, and therefore God, the God of Christ, anointed them also with the "oil of gladness."

  AGAINST CELSUS 6.79

• 1 Chronicles 22:8

  As a man of blood, David was prevented from constructing it; he seems, at least, to have been occupied concerning the gathering of the material of the temple.

  COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 10.257

• 1 Chronicles 28:3

  Consider whether the story about David and Solomon concerning the temple hints at something like this. For when David, who wages the wars of the Lord and stands firm against many personal enemies and enemies of Israel, wishes to build a temple for God, he is prevented by God through Nathan, who says to him, "You shall not build me a house, because you are a man of blood."Solomon, however, who saw God in a dream and received wisdom in a dream (for the reality [of God] was reserved for him who said, "Behold, a greater than Solomon is here"), who enjoyed the profoundest peace so that each person at that time rested under his own vine and under his own fig tree and who was named after the peace in his time (for Solomon means "peaceful"), because of this peace has time to construct the famous temple for God. The temple for God is also rebuilt in the times of Esdras, when the truth overcomes wine along with the hostile king and the women.

  COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 6.4-5