Knowing the Way

Ὅτι γινώσκει ὁ Κύριος ὁδὸν δικαίων, καὶ ὁδὸς ἀσεβῶν ἀπολεῖται. Οὐδὲν ὑπὸ Θεοῦ γινώσκεται φαῦλον, ἀλλ' ἡ τῶν δικαίων ὁδός. «Ἔγνω» γὰρ «Κύριος τοὺς ὄντας αὐτοῦ.». Ὁδὸς δὲ δικαίων ὁ εἰ πών· «Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς,» περὶ οὗ λέλεκται· «Ἴδετε δὲ ποία ἐστὶν ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ ἀγαθή.». Ὁδὸς δὲ ἀσεβῶν ἣν ὁδεύουσιν οἱ κακολογοῦντες τὸν Δημιουρ γόν. Ἀγνοεῖ δὲ καὶ οὐ γινώσκει τὰ κακὰ, οὐ τῷ δύνασθαι αὐτὸν περιδράξασθαι πάντων, καὶ περιλαβεῖν τῇ διανοίᾳ αὐτοῦ (τοῦτο γὰρ ἀθέμιτον καὶ λογίζεσθαι περὶ Θεοῦ)· ἀλλὰ τῷ ἀνάξια εἶναι τῆς γνώσεως αὐτοῦ. Τάχα διὰ τοῦτο (τολμηρότερον δὲ αὐτὸ ἐρεῖ ὁ λόγος) πυνθάνεται περὶ ὧν οὐκ οἶδεν· ὅταν γὰρ ἁμάρτῃ ὁ Ἀδὰμ, οὐκ οἶδεν αὐτὸν, οὐδὲ τὸν τόπον εἰς ὃν ἐκ πέπτωκε φεύγων ἀπὸ Θεοῦ. Διό φησιν· «Ἀδὰμ, ποῦ εἶ;» Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ πυνθάνεται περὶ ὧν οὐκ οἶδεν, οὐκ ὄντων ἀξίων τῆς γνώσεως αὐτοῦ. Ἐπεὶ γὰρ οὐκ οἶδε τὸ δαιμόνιον, οὐδὲ τὸ ὄνομα αὑτοῦ, πυνθάνεται τί τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, ὅτε ἐκεῖνο ἀποκρίνε ται, ὅτι, «Λεγεὼν ὄνομά μοι.». Καὶ πρὶν τὴν ἄφεσιν τὴν περὶ τῆς σωτηρίας λαβεῖν τὴν αἱμοῤῥοοῦσαν, πυνθάνεται λέγων· «Τίς μου ἥψατο;» Τὴν ὁδὸν οὖν τῶν ἀδίκων ὁ Θεὸς ἀγνοεῖ, τὴν δὲ τῶν δικαίων γινώσκει. Τίς δὲ ἡ ὁδὸς τῶν δικαίων ἢ ὁ εἰπών· «Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς,» ὃν γινώσκει ὁ Πατήρ; «Οὐ δεὶς γὰρ ἔγνω τὸν Υἱὸν εἰ μὴ ὁ Πατήρ.». Ἁρμόσει δὲ τοῖς περὶ γνώσεως καὶ ἀγνωσίας Θεοῦ τὰ συνεχῶς κείμενα ἐν ταῖς προφητείαις ὀνόματα, μνήμη καὶ λήθη Θεοῦ. Πολλάκις γὰρ ἐν εὐχαῖς εἴρηται τό· «Μνή σθητί μου·» καὶ, «Ἵνα τί ἐπιλανθάνῃ τῆς πτωχείας ἡμῶν;» Ἀποῤῥίπτει γὰρ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ μνήμης τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας· ὥσπερ πάλιν προσίεται τοὺς μετα νοοῦντας, καὶ ἀναλαμβάνει τούτων τὴν μνήμην. Ὠριγεν, Εἰς Ψαλμους, Ψαλμος Α'

God knows the way of the righteous but the way of the wicked will perish.1 Nothing of the wicked is known by God but only the way of the righteous. For, 'The Lord knows those who are his.'2 The way of the righteous is that One who says, 'I am the way, '3 of which indeed it is said 'See that it may be a good way,'4 The way of the impious is the way in which they walk who speak ill of the creator. He is unaware nor does he know of the wicked, not that he is unable to comprehend everything and understand in his mind, ( for this indeed would be wicked to think of God.) but that they are unworthy of his thought. Therefore even boldly it might be said that He asks about those whom he does not know. For when Adam sinned, he did not know him, nor the place to which he had fallen fleeing from God. Thus he said, 'Adam, where are you?' 5 Likewise in the Gospel He asks about those whom he did not know, those who were unworthy of his thought. Because he did not know the demon, nor the name, he asked him for his name and he was told. 'My name is Legion.' 6 And before this he asked about the woman suffering with a flow of blood who obtained forgiveness of sins, saying, 'Who touched me?' 7 Therefore God does not know the way of the iniquitous  but he knows the way of the righteous. And who is the way of the just but he who said, 'I am the way,' whom the Father knows? 'For no one knows the Son unless the Father.'8 And of the rest of this concerning the knowledge and ignorance of God, look to all that has been said in the prophets about the memory and the forgetfulness of God. For often in prayer it is said, 'Be mindful of me,' and 'Why have you forgotten the poor'? 9 For as sinners are removed from his mind, so again penitents return and are taken up into memory. Origen, On the Psalms, Psalm 1 1 Ps 1.6 2 Tim 2.19  3 Jn 14.6 4 Jer 6.16 5 Gen 3.9 6 Mk 5.9 7 Lk 3.43 8 Mt 11.27 9 Ps 43.24