Origen of Alexandria

In his own words on Revelation

• Revelation 2:1

  In many places, and especially in the Psalms, you will find speech addressed to the angels. Power has been given to man—at least to him who has the Holy Spirit—to speak even to the angels. I shall give one example from these instances, so that we might realize that angels too can be taught by human voices. It has been written in the Apocalypse of John, "Write to the angel of the church of the Ephesians, 'I have something against you.' " And again, "Write to the angel of the church of Pergamum, 'I have something against you.' " Clearly it is a man who writes to angels and enjoins something.

  HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 23.7

• Revelation 5:1

  And what book does John see, which has writing on the front and back and is sealed? Which book could no one read and loose its seals, except the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David who has the key of David, and who opens and no one will close, and closes and no one will open? For the whole Scripture is what is revealed by the book that has writing on the front because its interpretation is easy, and on the back because it is hidden and spiritual.

  COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 5.6

• Revelation 5:6

  But if we examine the declaration about Jesus who is pointed out by John in the words, "This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world," from the standpoint of the dispensation itself of the bodily sojourn of the Son of God in the life of humankind, we will assume that the lamb is none other than his humanity. For he "was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and was dumb as a lamb before its shearer," saying, "I was as an innocent lamb being led to be sacrificed." This is why in the Apocalypse, too, a little lamb is seen "standing as though slain." This lamb, indeed, which was slain in accordance with certain secret reasons, has become the expiation of the whole world. In accordance with the Father's love for humanity, he also submitted to slaughter on behalf of the world, purchasing us with his own blood from him who bought us when we had sold ourselves to sins.

  COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 6.273-74

• Revelation 5:8

  We regard the spirit of every good person as an altar from which arises an incense that is truly and spiritually sweet-smelling, namely, the prayers ascending from a pure conscience. Therefore it is said by John in the Revelation, "The odors are the prayers of the saints"; and by the psalmist, "Let my prayer come before you as incense." And the statues and gifts that are fit offerings to God are the work of no common mechanics but are wrought and fashioned in us by the Word of God, to wit, the virtues in which we imitate "the firstborn of all creation," who has set us an example of justice, of temperance, of courage, of wisdom, of piety, and of the other virtues.

  AGAINST CELSUS 8.17

• Revelation 14:6

  It is Moses who hears from God all that is written down in the law of Leviticus, whereas in Deuteronomy it is the people who are represented as listening to Moses and learning from him what they could not hear from God. This indeed is why it is called Deuteronomy, meaning the second law; a fact that some will think points to this, that when the first law given through Moses came to an end, a second legislation was apparently composed, and this was specially delivered by Moses to his successor Joshua; and Joshua is certainly believed to be a figure of our Savior, by whose second law, that is, by the precepts of the Gospels, all things are brought to perfection. We must also see, however, whether the Scriptures may not perhaps indicate this further truth, that just as the legislation is presented with greater clearness and distinctness in Deuteronomy than in those books that were written at the first, so also we may gather from that coming of the Savior that he fulfilled in humility, when he "took upon him the form of a servant," an indication of the "more splendid and glorious second coming in the glory of the Father," at which coming, when in the kingdom of heaven all the saints shall live by the laws of the "eternal gospel," the figure of Deuteronomy will be fulfilled. And just as by his present coming he has fulfilled that law which was a "shadow of the good things to come," so also by that glorious coming the shadow of his first coming will be fulfilled and brought to perfection. For the prophet has spoken of it thus: "The breath of our countenance is Christ the Lord, of whom we said that under his shadow we shall live among the nations," that is, at the time when he shall duly transfer all the saints from the temporal to the eternal gospel, to use a phrase employed by John in the Apocalypse, where he speaks of the "eternal gospel."

  ON FIRST PRINCIPLES 4.3.12-13

• Revelation 19:11

  I think that heaven has been closed to those who are impious and who bear "the image of the earthly" but opened to those who are just and who have been adorned with "the image of the heavenly." For the higher things have been closed to the impious, inasmuch as they are below and are still in the flesh. They cannot understand them or their beauty. They do not wish to perceive them, in that they are stooped over and do not devote themselves to lifting up their heads. But he opened the heavenly places with the key of David to be contemplated by the just, inasmuch as they have citizenship in heaven. The divine Word opens them and explains them by riding a horse. The horse signifies the words that proclaim the meanings. He is white because the nature of the knowledge is remarkable and white and luminous. And he who is called "Faithful" sits on the white horse, seated more firmly and, if I may so speak, royally, on words that cannot be overturned, words that run faster and swifter than any horse and that surpass every opponent in their rush, that is, every supposed word that is a dissembler of the Word and every dissembler of truth that seems to be truth. But he who is on the white horse is called "Faithful," not so much because he trusts as because he is trustworthy, that is, he is worthy of being trusted, for according to Moses, the Lord is faithful and true. For he is also true in contradistinction to a shadow, and a type, and an image, since the Word in the opened heaven is such. For the Word on earth is not like the Word in heaven, inasmuch as he has become flesh and is expressed by means of a shadow and types and images.… This Word of God, indeed, who is called faithful is also called true, and he judges and fights justly. He has received the ability from God to impart what each creature deserves and to judge with absolute justice and judgment.… Now just as it is said that the task of the Word is to judge with justice, so also his task is said to be to fight according to justice, that by thus fighting the soul's enemies with reason and justice, he may dwell in it and justify it when the irrational elements and injustice are destroyed. He casts out the hostile elements from that soul which, if I may speak in this way, has been taken captive by Christ for salvation.

  COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 2.47-54

• Revelation 19:12

  The living Word alone understands some things because of the natural inferiority in those who came into existence after him. None of them can contemplate all the things that he grasps. And perhaps also only those who share in the Word, in contradistinction to those who do not, know what the others are missing.

  COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 2.60

• Revelation 19:12

  As the flame is bright and at the same time illuminating, and further also has a nature that is fiery and consumes the more material elements, so the eyes of the Word, if I may speak in this way, with which he sees, and everyone who participates in him, destroy and obliterate the more material and gross elements of thoughts by grasping them by means of the spiritual powers inherent in him. Everything false, in any way whatsoever, has fled the subtlety and precision of the truth.… If the lie were one and simple against which the Word who is "faithful and true" prevailed, who received the crown when the lie was overcome, the Word who became master of God's opponents would also reasonably have been recorded to wear one diadem. But now, since the lies that profess the truth are many against which the Word has fought and is crowned, there are many diadems surrounding the head of him who has conquered them all.

  COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 2.57-59

• Revelation 19:13

  John does not see the Word of God mounted on a horse naked. He is clothed with a garment sprinkled with blood, since the Word who became flesh, and died because he became flesh, is invested with traces of that passion, since his blood also was poured forth upon the earth when the soldier pierced his side. For perhaps, even if in some way we attain the most sublime and highest contemplation of the Word and of the truth, we shall not forget completely that we were introduced to him by his coming in our body.

  COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 2.61

• Revelation 19:14

  All the hosts of heaven follow this Word of God. They follow the Word who leads them and imitate him in all things, especially in having mounted white horses like him, for all things are open to those who understand. And just as "pain and grief and groaning fled" at the end of things, so, I think, obscurity and dismay fled when all the mysteries of God's wisdom burst forth with precision and clarity. And consider the white horses of those who follow the Word, clothed in "pure white linen." [What does this mean] unless the linen garments, since linen comes from the earth, are types of the languages on earth in which the sounds have been clothed, which indicate the realities in a pure manner?

  COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 2.62-63

• Revelation 20:6

  Jesus baptizes "in the Holy Spirit and in fire," not the same person "in the Holy Spirit and in fire," but the holy person "in the Holy Spirit," while another person, after he has believed, after he has been deemed worthy of the Holy Spirit and after he has sinned again, Jesus washes in fire. So … it is not the same person who is baptized by Jesus in the Holy Spirit and in fire. Blessed, then, is the one who is baptized in the Holy Spirit and does not need the baptism by fire, but three times unhappy is that person who has need to be baptized in fire, though Jesus takes care of both of them. For "a shoot from the stump of Jesse will come forth, and a branch will grow out of the root," a shoot for those who are punished, a branch for the righteous. So God is a consuming fire and God is light, a consuming fire to sinners, a light to the just and holy ones. And blessed is he "who shares in the first resurrection," he who has kept the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Who is he who is saved in another resurrection? He who needs the baptism from fire, when he comes before that fire and the fire tests him, and when that fire finds wood, hay and stubble to burn.

  HOMILIES ON JEREMIAH 2.3.1-3

• Revelation 21:4

  It must be understood concerning the devil that he has certainly been conquered and crucified, but for those who have been crucified with Christ, moreover for all believers and likewise for all people, the devil will also be crucified at the time when what the apostle says will be fulfilled: "As in Adam all die, so also in Christ will all be made alive." Thus there is also in this a mystery of future resurrection. For then, too, the people will again be divided into two parts; then, too, there will also be certain ones in front and others behind, who when they unite into one for Jesus, then, at that time, the devil will certainly be no more "because death will be no more." … Concerning the devil, the apostle says, "Death, the last enemy, is destroyed" because death is truly conquered when "this mortal is swallowed up by life."

  HOMILIES ON JOSHUA 8.4