The Door

Καὶ ἐπεὶ ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ οὐκ ἔστι γενέσθαι ἤ παρὰ τῷ Πατρὶ, μὴ φθάσαντα, πρῶτον κάτωθεν ἀναβαίνοντα, ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ Υἱοῦ θεότητα, δι' ἧς τις χειραγωγηθῆναι δύναται καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν πατρικὴν μακαριότητα, θύρα ὁ Σωτὴρ ἀναγέγραπται· φιλάνθρωπος δὲ ὤν, καὶ τὴν ὅπως ποτὲ ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον ἀποδεχόμενος τῶν ψυχῶν ῥοπὴν, τῶν ἐπὶ τὸν Λόγον μὴ σπευδόντων, ἀλλὰ δίκην προβάτων οὐκ ἐχητασμένον, ἀλλὰ ἄλογον τὸ ἥμερον καὶ πρᾶον ἐχοντων, ποιμήν γίνεται· Ανθρώπους γὰρ καὶ κτήνην σώζει ὁ Κύριος· καὶ ὁ Ἰσραὴλ δὲ καὶ ὁ Ιούδας σπείρεται σπέρμα οὐ μόνον ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλὰ καὶ κτηνῶν. Ὠριγένης, Των Εῑς Το Κατά Ιὠάννην Εὐαγγέλιον Εξηγητικόν, Τομός Α', Κεφ Θ´ Source: Migne PG 14.65d-68c

And since one cannot be in the Father or with the Father but by first ascending from below and coming to the Divinity of the Son, through which one may be led by the hand and brought to the blessedness of the Father Himself, so the Saviour has the inscription 'The Door.' 1 And as He is a lover of men, and approves the impulse of human souls to better things, even of those who do not hasten to reason, but who like sheep have a weakness and gentleness apart from all exactitide and reason, so He is the Shepherd. 2 For the Lord saves men and beasts, 3 and Israel and Judah are sowed not only with the seed not of men but also of beasts. 4 Origen, from the Commentary on The Gospel Of Saint John, Book 1, Chap 29 1 Jn 10.7-9 2 Jn 10.11 3 Ps 35.7 4 Jerem 31.27