Library › Origen › Exhortation to Martyrdom

Exhortation to Martyrdom

Origen, tr. O’Meara, 1954

7. Part 7: Final Exhortation

A man continues to love this life, even though he is persuaded that the rational substance of the soul has some affinity to God. Both substances are intelligible, invisible and, as the prevailing opinion demonstrates, incorporeal. Why, in effect, should He who created us have placed in us a desire to reverence Him and to be united with Him—a desire which continues to show some traces of the divine will even in those who are in error—if it were not possible, and indeed quite possible, for rational beings to satisfy this natural desire?

It is clear that as each of our members maintains a relationship towards its proper object, the eyes for things visible, the ears for things audible, in the same way the intelligence maintains a relationship towards things intelligible, and towards God who is above things intelligible. Why then do we hesitate and waver about putting off the impediment of the corruptible body that is a load upon the soul, the earthly habitation pressing down the mind that museth upon many things?¹ Why not be delivered from our bonds and free ourselves from the storms that are born of flesh and blood? We would then repose with Christ Jesus in the repose that comes with eternal bliss alone;² we would contemplate the all-pervading living Word in His entire essence, nourished by Him, and understanding the manifold wisdom³ that is in Him; we would be marked with the seal of Him who is Truth itself; and our spirit would be illumined in the true and unfailing light⁴ of knowledge for the contemplation of things which can be seen as they are, thanks to this light, by eyes that have been enlightened by the commandment of the Lord.⁵

We have for a long time now heard the words of Jesus. For a long time too we have been instructed in the Gospel and we have all built a house for ourselves. On what have we built it? Upon a rock, digging and laying deep the foundations? Upon the sand, without a foundation?⁶ The answer will appear in the present trial. For a storm has arisen, bringing with it rain, floods, and winds or, as Luke has it, a deluge. When all this beats upon our house, it will either not be able to shake it or make it fall, because it is founded upon a rock which is Christ; or it will expose the weakness of the building which is bound to collapse on this ominous occasion.

May what we have built not share this fate! Woefully great is the fall that comes with apostasy, or, as Luke says of a house built without a foundation: the ruin is great. Let us pray, then, to be like the wise man who built his house upon a rock. Let the rain caused by the spirits of wickedness in high places come upon such a house; or the floods of principalities and powers inimical to us; or the fierce winds let loose by the rulers of the world of this darkness;⁷ or the deluge of the infernal spirits. Let them hurl themselves against our house built upon the rock. Not only will our house not fall, but it will not even begin to be shaken. And so the evil spirits⁸ will be made to suffer by us rather than achieve anything with us. And let each one of us say, as he strikes the enemy, I so fight, not as one beating the air.⁹

The sower went forth to sow his seed.¹⁰ Let us show that our soul has received His seed, not as that by the wayside, nor that upon stony ground, nor that among thorns, but as that upon good ground. We shall glory¹¹ as well as we can in the Lord, that the word of Jesus has not fallen by the wayside, nor among thorns. For we have understood what was said, and therefore the Wicked One has not taken away that which was sown in our hearts. Many will testify for us that the seed has not been sown among thorns, when they see that neither the cares of this world, nor the deceitfulness of riches, nor the pleasures of life have been able to choke up the word of God in our souls.

Finally, there remains that men should ask themselves if the word of God has fallen, so far as depends on us, on stony ground or on good ground. Tribulation and persecution have come to us because of the word. A time of great trial is upon us when he that has sown upon stony ground will be revealed, and they too that have not dug deeply and have not received Jesus in the depth of their souls. But he that has understood the word bears fruit and keeps the word until the end, yielding a hundredfold in patience.

We know how the Scriptures speak of them that are scandalized in the time of tribulation and persecution, after having apparently received the sacred teaching with joy.¹² They are scandalized, because they have no root, and believe only for a time. Matthew says: He that received the seed upon stony ground is he that heareth the word and immediately receiveth it with joy. Yet hath he not root in himself, but is only for a time; and when there ariseth tribulation and persecution because of the word, he is presently scandalized.¹³ And Mark: These are they that are sown on the stony ground: they who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but are only for a time; and then when tribulation and persecution ariseth for the word they are presently scandalized.¹⁴ And Luke: They upon the rock are they who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no roots, for they believe for a while and in time of temptation they fall away.¹⁵ Concerning them that bear fruit well, the Scripture teaches us: But he that received the seed upon good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth, and beareth fruit, and yieldeth the one an hundredfold, and another sixty, and another thirty;¹⁶ or: And these are they who are sown upon the good ground, who hear the word, and receive it, and yield fruit: the one thirty, another sixty, and another a hundred;¹⁷ or again, But that on the good ground are they who in a good and perfect heart, hearing the word, keep it and bring forth fruit in patience.¹⁸

Since, then, to quote the Apostle, you are God’s husbandry, God’s building¹⁹—“husbandry” upon good ground, and “building” upon a rock—let us as God’s building stand unshaken by the storm; and as God’s husbandry, let us pay no heed to evil, nor the tribulation and persecution that arises because of the word, nor the care of this world, nor the deceitfulness of riches, nor the pleasures of this life.²⁰ But let us despise all these things and receive the spirit of wisdom²¹ without care. Let us hasten to the riches that have no deceit whatever. Let us speed on to what we may call the pleasures of the paradise of delight,²² reflecting in all our sufferings that that which is at present momentary and light of our tribulation worketh for us above measure exceedingly an eternal weight of glory, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.²³

Let us realize, too, that the story of Abel who was slain by the criminal and murderer Cain is applicable to all them whose blood has been unjustly shed. Let us remember that the words, The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth to me from the earth,²⁴ are also said of each one of the martyrs, the voice of whose blood cries to God from the earth.

It may be that as we have been purchased by the precious blood of Jesus²⁵ who has received a name above all names,²⁶ so some will be ransomed by the precious blood of martyrs; for the martyrs themselves are exalted higher than they would have been if they had been justified only and not also become martyrs. And indeed with good reason has the death of martyrdom been given a name all of its own—“exaltation”—as is clear from the words, If I be “exalted” from the earth, I will draw all things to myself.²⁷ Let us, too, glorify God, exalting Him by our death; for the martyr does glorify God by his death, as we again know from John when he says: And this He said, signifying by what death He should glorify God.²⁸

Previous · Contents · Next