INTRODUCTION

The following is a provisional translation of Book 17 of Origen’s Commentary on the Gospel according to Matthew. This book covers the following pericopes from Matthew (Matt 21.23-22.33):

§§1-3 – Matt 21.23-27, on the question of Jesus’ authority

§§4-5 – Matt 21.28-32, on the parable of the two sons

§§6-12 – Matt 21.33-43, on the parable of the wicked vineyard tenants

§§13-14 – Matt 21.45-46, on the varied response of religious leaders and crowd to Jesus

§§15-24 – Matt 22.1-14, on the parable of the wedding feast

§§25-28 – Matt 22.15-22, on “rendering to Caesar”

§§29-36 – Matt 22.23-33, on the Sadducees’ inquiry about the resurrection

Until just recently, with the publication of Ronald Heine’s translation of what remains of Origen’s Commentary on Matthew, to my knowledge no English translation of the Greek text of Books 15-17 was ever produced. The Ante-Nicene Fathers series contains a translation of Books 10-14 (Greek), and no reason is offered for why the translation was not continued. Aside from that, translations of occasional selections of the commentary can be found in, e.g., Balthasar’s Origen: Spirit & Fire, the Ancient Christian Commentary on Matthew, and in other secondary scholarly discussions. For this translation of Book 17, as with that of Books 15 and 16,^[1] we did not have occasion to consult Ronald Heine’s (assuredly superior) translation.^[2] It is hoped that the side-by-side presentation of text and translation will be of benefit, in any case. Some of the “highlights” from this specimen of Origen’s work might include:

• An important discussion of Trinitarian terminology, use of the term hypostasis (§14)

• Language of Apokatastasis applied to the marital union of Christ and Church (§§15-16), and with a more cosmological sense in §19, quoting Acts 3.21

• An articulation of Divine Accomodation in revelation (§§17-19), with God as anthropopathic in connection with Philo’s use/exegesis of Deut 1.31

• The “perpetual virginity” of the soul as spouse of the Logos (§21)

• An extended allegorical exegesis of the law of Deut 25.5-10 (§§31-32)

• Interesting allusions to questions of the Biblical canon with regard to the Sadducees, including the OT “apocrypha” (§35)