Brian Hamilton-Vise

The Elevated Style of God

“…[W]hether it is the prediction of the prophets or the Law of Moses that is asserted to be divine and divinely inspired, the claim is put in the clearest light and is proved by the fact that Christ came to this world. For before what had been predicted by them was fulfilled, even though the predictions were true and inspired by God, nevertheless they could not demonstrated to be true to the degree that they were not yet proved fulfilled. But the coming of Christ makes clear that what they had said was true and divinely inspired, since before that it might have been held as uncertain whether the conclusion that had been predicted would be fulfilled. Moreover, if someone considers the prophetic writings with all the diligence and reverence they are worth, while he reads and examines with great care, it is certain that in that very act he will be struck in his mind and sense by some more divine breath and will recognize that the books he reads have not been produced in a human way, but are words of God. And in himself he will discern that the books have been written not by human art or moral eloquence but, if I may say so, by the elevated style of God. And so, the splendor of the coming of Christ, by illuminating the law of Moses with the radiance of truth, removed that veil which had been placed over the letter, and laid open for all who believe in Him the good things that were hidden covered within (cf. 2 Cor. 3:15–16).”

— Origen, On First Principles IV.1.vi

It’s true that Origen treats of the Old Testament as a pile of prophecies according to the letter, which will likely keep him from discovering anything instructive in the stories of the Israelites themselves. In this way he repeats the mistake of Barnabus or Justin Martyr, thinking that the real value of the Old Testament lies predominantly in its spiritual meaning–though with Origen we do begin to see a bit more appreciation for the ‘ordinary sense’ which so fruitfully instructs the ‘common people’. But I find this passage inspiring nonetheless, for Origen’s promising insight that the coming of Christ confirms the truth of the law of Moses and the Hebrew prophets, freeing them to shine ‘with the radiance of truth’ proper to a gift of God.

10 February 2007 | Comments (3)
Tags: Patristics