Disputed Passages

Τοιοῦτοι δέ εἰσιν οἴτε τὴν μὲν Καινὴν ἐγκρίνοντες, τὴν δὲ Παλαιὰν ἀποδοκιμάζοντες Διαθήκην, καὶ οἱ τῶν παλαιῶν Γραμμάτων τὰ μὲν ἀπὸ θειοτέρας λέγοντες εἶναι δυνάμεως καὶ τῆς ἀνωτάτω, τὰ δὲ ἀπὸ ὑποδεεστέρας. Πρόβατα δὲ ἴδια ἀναγορεύει ὁ ποιμὴν τοὺς μὴ ὑπερηφανοῦντας τὰ πατήματα τῶν ποδῶν ἐκείνων, καὶ μὴ ἐξουθενοῦντας τὰ πατήματα τῶν ποδῶν τῶν ψεκτῶν προβάτων, τράγων καὶ ἐρίφων· οὐ γὰρ ἐθέλησαν εἶναι πρόβατα κριῶν ἄξια τῶν δεξιῶν. Ἡμεῖς οὖν εὐχόμενοι εἶναι πρόβατα τοῦ ποιμένος, μηδέποτε φεύγωμεν νεμεσθῆναι καὶ τὰ αὐτόθεν ὅσον ἐπὶ τῷ ῥητῷ ἀπεμφαίνοντα τῶν γραφῶν, καὶ διὰ τὴν ἀπέμφασιν τῆς λέξεως πατούμενα ὑπὸ τῶν μὴ δυναμένων, μηδὲ θελόντων χρῆσθαι πάσῃ τῇ νομῇ. Ἀλλὰ κἄν ᾖ τι ὕδωρ ὑπὸ τῶν ποδῶν ἐκείνων τεταραγμένον, ἀναμιξάντων τῷ καθαρῷ λόγῷ τῆς Γραφῆς δυσφήμους ἐπαπορήσεις, μὴ ἀποτρεπώμεθα δι' ἤν πεποιήκασι τῷ λόγῳ ταραχὴν πίνειν καὶ τὸ ὑπὸ τῶν ποδῶν αὐτῶν τεταραγμένον. Καὶ τήρει γε ἐπιμελῶς ὅτι πρὸς τοὺς ταραξαντας τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ πατήσαντας τὴν νομὴν λέγεται ὡς περὶ κρειττόνων· Καὶ τὰ πρόβατα μου τὰ πατήματα τῶν ποδῶν ὑμῶν ἐνέμοντο, καὶ τεταραγμένον ὕδωρ ὑπὸ τῶν ἔπινον.   Ὠριγένης, Ὁμιλια Εἰς Τὸν Ἰεζεκιήλ

There are those who approve the New Testament but reject the Old, and they  maintain that certain parts of the ancient writings exhibit more of the Divine power and are highly spiritual, and declare other parts to be deficient in these things. But the Shepherd declares those to be His own sheep who do not disdain what has been trodden by such feet and who do not despise the water fouled by the feet of the blameworthy sheep, perhaps more correctly named goats and kids, for they would not be sheep worthy of the rams upon the right hand. For ourselves, then, who profess to be sheep of the Shepherd, let us not flee feeding on those passages which, taken literally, are incongruous with Scripture, and because of this discordance are trodden down by men who are neither able nor willing to make use of the whole pasture. For even had some water has been fouled by their feet, they having mixed with the pure word of the Scripture shameful objections, let us not, because of the confusion introduced, be deterred from drinking that which has been fouled by their feet. And carefully observe that they who foul the water and tread down the pasture, are told of the better sheep in the words: 'And my sheep have eaten that which was trodden down by your feet, and they have drunk that which you have fouled with your feet.' 1 Origen, On Ezekiel 1. Ezekiel 34,