State super vias et videte et interrogate de semitis antiquis quae sit via bona et ambulate in ea et invenietis refrigerium animabus vestris

7 Aug 2020

The Lamp's Light


Εἰ οὖν τὸ σῶμά σου ὅλον φωτεινόν, μὴ ἔχον μέρος τι σκοτεινόν, ἔσται φωτεινὸν ὅλον ὡς ὅταν ὁ λύχνος τῇ ἀστραπῇ φωτίζῃ σε.

Τοῦ δὲ ἐφεξῆς ῥητοῦ τοιοῦτον εἶναι τὸν λόγον νομίζω· Εἴπερ διὰ τὸ σῶμα σοῦ φωτεινὸν γεγονέναι, φωτισθέντος ὑπὸ τοῦ λύχνου τοῦ σώματος, μηδέν ἐστιν ἐν σοὶ μέρος ἔτι σκοτεινὸν, μηδαμῶς ἁμαρτάνοντι , οὗτως ἔσται φωτεινὸν τὸ ὅλον σῶμα, ὡς παραβάλλεσθα τὰς αὐγὰς αὐτοῦ λύχνῳ ἐν φωτιζούσῃ ἀστραπῃ κἄν φωτισμῷ τὸ σκότος λύοντι. Ἀστραπῇ μὲν γὰρ ἔοικε λαμπτροτατῃ ὁ ἀπὸ τοῦ νοῦ φωτισμός· λύχνῳ δὲ ἐν ἀστραπῇ τὸ ἐν τῷ σώματι φῶς, πεφυκότι εἶναι σκότος, ἀγομένῳ, ὅπου ὁ νοῦς βούλεται.


Ὠριγένης, Εἰς Τὸ Κατὰ Λουκαν Ἐπαγγελιον

Source : Migne PG 17.356b-c
If, then, your whole body is light, having no part of darkness in it, it will be all light, as when a lamp with its  splendour illuminates you. 1

I judge this to be the reason that He speaks in such a way: If your body has become light, the illumination of the light of your body permits no part in you to be dark anymore; so sinning no more, your body shall be all light, so that it shall be possible to compare the brightness of it to the the splendor of the illumination of a lamp, which by its illumination is a destroyer of darkness. Similar to the most splendid brightness is the light that comes forth from an enlightened mind, and the splendour of the lamp's illumination, which is the light in the body, brings light to the dark things of nature wherever the mind wishes.

Origen, On the Gospel of Luke, Fragment


1 Lk 11.36

No comments:

Post a Comment