Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Origen and/or Rufinus on Original Sin and Infant Baptism

But if it pleases you to hear what other saints also might think about this birthday, hear David speaking, "In iniquity I was conceived and in sins my mother brought me forth," showing that every soul which is born in flesh is polluted by the filth "of iniquity and sin"; and for this reason we can say what we already have recalled above, "No one is pure from uncleanness even if his life is only one day long." To these things can be added the reason why it is required, since the baptism of the Church is given for the forgiveness of sins, that, according to the observance of the Church, that baptism also be given to infants; since, certainly, if there were nothing in infants that ought to pertain to forgiveness and indulgence, then the grace of baptism would appear superfluous.

 Quod si placet audire quid etiam alii sanctii de ista nativitate senserint, audi David dicentem: "In inquitatibus, inquit, conceptus sum, et in peccatis peperit me mater mea;" ostendens quod quaecunque anima in carne nascitur, iniquitatis et peccati sorde polluttur; et propterea dictum esse illud, quod jam superius memoravimus: quia "nemo mundus a sorde, nec si unius diei sit vita ejus." Addi his etiam illud potest, ut requiratur quid causae sit, cum baptisma Ecclesiae pro remissione peccatorum detur, secondum Ecclesiae observantiam etiam parvulis baptismum dari; cum utique si nihil esset in parvulis quod ad remissionem deberet et indulgentiam pertinere, gratia baptismi superflua videretur. 

Origen (as translated/edited to Latin by Rufinus, English translation by Gary Wayne Barkley), Homily 8 on Leviticus (written c. A.D. 238-44, trans. c. A.D. 403-05), at section 3, paragraph (5) (pp. 157-8) (Latin in Migne PG, vol. 12, col. 496, A-B).

Origen and/or Rufinus on Celebrating Days of Physical Birth and Original Sin

But Scripture also declares that one himself who is born whether male or female is not "clean from filth although his life is of one day." And that you may know that there is something great in this and such that it has not come from the thought to any of the saints; not one from all the saints is found to have celebrated a festive day or a great feast on the day of his birth. No one is found to have had joy on the day of the birth of his son or daughter. Only sinners rejoice over this kind of birthday. For indeed we find in the Old Testament Pharaoh, king of Egypt, celebrating the day of his birth with a festival, and in the New Testament, Herod. However, both of them stained the festival of his birth by shedding human blood. For the Pharaoh killed "the chief baker," Herod, the holy prophet John "in prison." But the saints not only do not celebrate a festival on their birth days, but, filled with the Holy Spirit, they curse that day.

Sed et ille ipse qui nascitur, sive virilis, sive feminei sexus sit, pronuntiat de eo Scriptura quia non sit "mundus a sorde, etiamse unius diei sit vita ejus." Et ut scias esse in hoc grande nescio quid, et tale quod nulli sanctorum ex sententia venerit, nemo ex omnibus sanctis invenitur diem festum, vel convivium mangum egisse in die natalis sui, nemo invenitur habuisse laetitiam in die natalis filii, vel filiae suae. Soli peccatores super hujusmodi nativitate laetantur. Invenimus etenim in Veteri quidem Testamento Pharaonem regem Aegypti, diem natalis sui cum festivitate celebrantem, in Novo vero Testamento Herodem. Uterque tamen eorum ipsam festivitatem natalis sui profusione humani sanguinis ernentavit. Ille enim praepositum pistorum, hie sanctum prophetam Joannem obtruncavit in carcere. Sancti vero non solum non agunt festivitatem in die natalis sui, sed et Spiritu sancto repleti exsecrantur hunc diem.

Origen (as translated/edited to Latin by Rufinus, English translation by Gary Wayne Barkley), Homily 8 on Leviticus (written c. A.D. 238-44, trans. c. A.D. 403-05), at section 3, paragraph (2) (p. 156)(Latin in Migne PG vol. 12, col. 495, A-B).

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Origen and/or Rufinus - Unique Conception of Jesus

Therefore, let these words be for us a confirmation of what we observed that the Lawgiver did not add to Scripture superfluously, "If a woman receives seed and bears a son," but that there is a mystical exception, which separated Mary alone[fn1] from the rest of women whose birth was not by the conception of seed but by the presence "of the Holy Spirit and the power of the Most High."

Haec ergo dicta sint nobis de eo quod observavimus scriptum, quia non superfluo addidit legislator, "mulier si conceperit semen, et pepererit filium;" sed esse exceptionem mysticam, quae solam Mariam a reliquis mulieribus segregaret, cujus partus non ex conceptione seminis, sed ex praesentia sancti Spiritus et virtute Altissimi fuerit.

Origen (as translated/edited to Latin by Rufinus, English translation by Gary Wayne Barkley), Homily 8 on Leviticus (written c. A.D. 238-44, trans. c. A.D. 403-05), at section 2, paragraph (6) (p. 155)(Migne PG, vol. 12, col. 494, C). [fn1: English text has "along" for "alone" but this is clearly a typo in view of the Latin]