Fruit and Leaves

Καὶ ἔσται ὡς τὸ ξύλον τὸ πεφυτευμένον παρὰ τὰς διεξόδους τῶν ὑδάτων, ὃ τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ δώσει ἐν καιρῷ αὐτοῦ·  καὶ τὸ φύλλον αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἀποῤῥυήσεται·  καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἂν ποιῇ, κατευο δωθήσεται, Μετὰ ταῦτα παραληψώμεθα τὸ παρὰ τοῦ Ἀκύλα λεγόμενον, «μεταπεφυτευμένον.». Πόθεν γὰρ τὸ ξύλον, περὶ οὗ ὁ λόγος, μεταπεφύτευται ἐπὶ ταῖς τῶν ὑδάτων διαιρέσεσιν; Ἢ γὰρ ἐῤῥιζωκὸς ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ, ἐπ' εὐεργεσίᾳ πολλῶν μεταπεφύτευται, εἰς τὸ καὶ ἄλλους μεταλαβεῖν αὐ τοῦ τῆς εἰκόνος, τῆς κατὰ τὸ μεταπεφυτεῦσθαι λαμβανομένης· οὐχ ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ (ἔστι γὰρ), ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ παρ' ἑτέροις γεγένηται· ἢ καθ' ἑτέραν ἐπιβολὴν ἡ ψυχή ἐστι τοῦ Σωτῆρος, ἣν ἔλαβεν, ἐντεῦθεν μεταπεφυτευμένη ἐπὶ τὸν παράδεισον, ὅπου καὶ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιόν φησιν αὐτὸν μετὰ τὸ πάθος γεγονέναι, διηγούμενον αὐτὸν εἰρηκέναι τῷ μετανοήσαντι λῃστῇ· «Σήμερον μετ' ἐμοῦ ἔσῃ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ.». Μεταπεφύτευται δὲ ἐκεῖ, ἵνα οἱ ἄξιοι σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναι φωτίζωνται ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τῷ τῆς γνώσεως φωτισμῷ, προκόπτοντες ἐν τῇ τῶν ὄντων θεωρίᾳ, κατὰ τὴν σοφίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ταῦτα δὲ οὕτως ἐξειλήφαμεν, ἐπειδὴ κυρίως ἐπὶ δένδρων λέγεται τὸ «φέρειν καρπόν·» τὸ δὲ «διδόναι,» μᾶλλον ἐμψύχοις ἁρμόζει, καὶ ταῦτα λογικοῖς. Ζητητέον δὲ εἰ ἔστι καιρὸς τῷ ξύλῳ τῆς ζωῆς τοῦ καρποῦ· λέγειν γὰρ τὴν σοφίαν καρπόν ποτε μὴ ἔχειν, οὐχ ὅσιον· διὸ οὐκ εἴρηται, ὃ τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ ἐνέγκει ἐν καιρῷ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' «ὃ τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ δώσει ἐν καιρῷ αὐτοῦ.». Καιρὸς δὲ αὐτοῦ τοῦ διδόναι ἡ τοῦ λαμβάνοντός ἐστιν ἐπιτηδειότης.Ὅσον γὰρ τὸ ἐπ' αὐτῷ, ἕτοιμόν ἐστιν ἀεὶ διδόναι τὸν καρπὸν αὐ τοῦ. Εἰ γὰρ τοὺς οἰκονόμους ὁ Λόγος θέλει πιστοὺς εἶναι καὶ φρονίμους, οὐχὶ ἁπλῶς διδόντας τὸ σιτο μέτριον τοῖς συνδούλοις, ἀλλ' ἐν καιρῷ διδόντας, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἡ σοφία πιστῶς ἅμα καὶ φρονίμως τοὺς ἰδίους οἰκονομήσει καρπούς; Ὁ αὐτὸς δὲ καιρός ἐστι τοῦ διδόναι, ὥσπερ καὶ τῷ λαμβάνοντι τοῦ λα βεῖν. Τί δὲ τὸ φύλλον τῆς ζωῆς, τουτέστι τῆς σο φίας, οὐκ ἀποῤῥεῦσον, κατιδεῖν ἄξιον· οὐκ ἄλλοθεν δὲ λαβεῖν αὐτὸ ἔστιν ἢ μετρίως τοῖς φυσικοῖς ἐπι διατρίψαντας. Δῆλον δὲ, ὅτι διὰ τοὺς καρποὺς τὰ καρποφόρα δένδρα, ὁ Δημιουργὸς ἐκέλευσε βλαστῆσαι, δι' οὓς τὰ ἐκείνοις χρειώδη κατ' ἐπακολούθησιν πεποίηκε. Χρεία δὲ σκέπης τοῖς καρποῖς τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν φύλλων φυλακῆς ἕνεκεν. Ταῦτα οὖν καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς περὶ τῶν ὅλων σοφίας ἔστιν ἰδεῖν, ἐν ᾗ τὰ πάντα ὁ τῶν ὅλων Δημιουργὸς πεποίηκεν. Ἃ μὲν γὰρ προη γουμένως γίνεται, ἃ δὲ κατ' ἐπακολούθησιν διὰ τὰ προηγούμενα. Προηγουμένως μὲν γὰρ τὸ λογικὸν ζῶον, διὰ δὲ τὴν αὐτοῦ χρείαν κτήνη καὶ τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς φυόμενα. Μήποτε οὖν οἱ μὲν λόγοι τῶν προη γουμένως γεγονότων οἱ καρποί εἰσι τοῦ δένδρου τῆς ζωῆς· τῶν δὲ διὰ ταῦτα κτισθέντων τὰ φύλλα, ὧν οὐδὲν μάταιόν ἐστιν, οὐδὲ ἐξουθενεῖσθαι πάντη ἄξιον ὡς εὐτελὲς, ἵνα ἔλθῃ πίπτειν καὶ ἀποῤῥεῖν μὴ φρουρούμενον. Καὶ ἔτι μᾶλλον τὸ ἑξῆς· «Καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἂν ποιῇ κατευοδωθήσεται.». Ἔστι γὰρ εἴς τινα ἀναγκαῖα καταχρήσασθαι καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἐκ τοῦ ἀκολουθήματος γενομένοις. Καρπὸς δὲ τοῦ Χριστοῦ εἴη ἂν προηγουμένως ἡ διδασκαλία, ἡ τῶν τιμιωτέρων τροφὴ, φύλλον δὲ ἡ τῶν ἀλογωτέρων τροφή· ὥσπερ τοῖς καρποῖς χρῶνται οἱ ἄνθρωποι, φύλλοις δὲ τὰ βοσκήματα. Δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ τῆς Γραφῆς καρπούς τινας λέγειν, οὓς ἐκλαμβάνουσιν οἱ λογικώτεροι· φύλλα δὲ οἷς τρέφονται οἱ ἁπλούστεροι. Τοῦ δὲ μακαριζομένου καὶ ὡμοιωμένου τῷ ξύλῳ τῆς ζωῆς καρπὸς μὲν λέγοιτο τὰ προηγούμενα ἔργα, οἷον εὐ ποιία, καὶ περὶ τὴν σοφίαν ἀσχολία·φύλλα δὲ τὰ βιωτικὰ αὐτοῦ κινήματα, οὐδὲ ταῦτα ἄξια κατα φρονεῖσθαι, οὐδὲ ἀποῤῥεῖν τῷ μετὰ προσοχῆς καὶ εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ πάντα ποιεῖν. Οὕτω γὰρ πᾶν ὁτιοῦν τῶν πραττομένων ὑπ' αὐτοῦ κατευοδοῦται.  Ὠριγεν, Εἰς Ψαλμους, Ψαλμος Α'

And he shall be like a tree planted by flowing waters which gives fruit in its time and his leaf shall not wither and in whatever he shall do he shall prosper. 1 Here we shall note that Aquila translated ' transplanted' for planted. What then of the tree, to which the text refers, planted in the division of waters? In the Father it is rooted, and it has been transplanted for the benefit of many, that others also participate in the image which by its transplantation it has received, not that it is only in the Father, which it is, but that to others also it may be. Or if you wish to interpret it another way, it is the soul of the Saviour taken up, which into paradise is translated, whence the Evangelist tells us that during the passion he spoke to the penitent thief, saying, ' Today you shall be with me in paradise.' 2 For there transplanted , they are worthy to be with Christ, who are lit by the same bright knowledge of insight according to the wisdom of God. And so we may elucidate these things: that 'to bear fruit' is said to be the proper of trees, 'to give' pertains more to the ensouled and rational. Certainly it must be wondered what time the fruit of the tree of life comes forth, for to assert that at some time it does not have wise fruit is wicked. It did not say, that it 'bears' fruit in its time but it 'gives' fruit in its time. The time of giving is an opportunity for receiving. What belongs to itself it is always  prepared to give. If the keepers of the word wish to be faithful and prudent then let them not simply conserve the word, but let them give a measure, and let them give at the right time, for doing so will they not more faithfully and prudently administer their fruit? The favourable time is the same for the one who gives and to the one who receives. And why it may be that the leaf of the tree of life, that is of wisdom, does not wither, it is worthy to consider. One cannot receive anything from that which has suffered physical destruction. On account of the fruit is the fruit bearing tree is manifest, the creator calling to growth, by which those things which are required are produced. And to be conserved the fruit require a covering of leaves. These things happen then everywhere wisdom is seen, in which the Creator of all is at work. Other things certainly may occur, other things on consequence of peculiarity. Particular is the rational animal, acquiring what is needful from beasts and things that grown from earth. Never then are these fruits of the tree of life produced but reasonably, and so the leaves along with them cannot be worthless, nothing of the tree being able to be condemned as having no value, and so they do not  fall and wither. And so next it is said: 'And everything which he does, he prospers'. And this is so by a certain necessity, everything coming to be as a consequence. The fruit of Christ is the teaching of doctrine, which is food for the stronger, and the leaves are the food of the more simple. Thus the fruits have their use for men, the leaves for beasts. For what Scripture calls fruit is that which is able to be received by rational beings, and leaves that which nourish simple things. The blessed man is judged to be like the tree of life and one can name his works its fruit, and whatever he does he does well, and he works according to wisdom. And his studies are his living moving leaves, which being of great value are not to be spurned, nor should they be allowed to fall away, so that without error he might do everything to the glory of God. So indeed in whatever he does he prospers. Origen, On the Psalms, Psalm 1 1 Ps 1.3 2 Lk 23.43