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| How Jesus Finished His Words.
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14.
How Jesus Finished His Words.
“And it came to pass when Jesus had finished
these words.”6143
He who gives
a detailed and complete account of each of the questions before him so
that nothing is left out, finishes his own words. But he will
give a declaration on this point with more confidence who devotes
himself with great diligence to the entire reading of the Old and New
Testament; for if the expression, “he finished these
words,” may be applied to no other, neither to Moses, nor to any
of the prophets, but only to Jesus, then one would dare to say that
Jesus alone finished His words, He who came to put an end to things,
and to fulfil what was defective in the law, by saying, “It was
said to them of old time,”6144
etc., and,
again, “That the things spoken through the prophets might be
fulfilled.”6145
But if it is
written somewhere also in them, then you may compare and contrast the
discourses finished by them with those finished by the Saviour, that
you may find the difference between them. And yet at this point,
also, investigation might be made whether in the case of the things
spoken by way of oracle the expression, “he finished,” is
applied either to the things spoken by Moses, or any of the prophets,
or of both together; for careful observation would suggest very weighty
thoughts to those who know how “to compare spiritual things with
spiritual,” and on this account “speak not in words which
man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Spirit
teacheth.”6146
But perhaps
some other one, attending with over-curious spirit to the word
“finished,” which is assigned to things of a more mystical
order, just as we say that some one delivered to those who were under
his control mysteries and rites of “perfecting”6147
| 6147 τελετὰς.
Origen’s play on the words ἐτέλεσεν and
τελετή cannot be fully
reproduced in English. The word τελετή, in reference to the
mysteries, meant the rite, or participation in the rite, by which one
became perfect; and in later Christian usage it was applied to the
Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. See
Suicer. | not in a praiseworthy fashion, and another
delivered the mysteries of God to those who are worthy, and rites of
“perfecting” proportionate to such mysteries, might say
that having initiated them, he made a rite of “perfecting,”
by which “perfecting” the words were shown to be powerful,
so that the gospel of Jesus was preached in the whole world, and by
virtue of the divine “perfecting” gained the mastery of
every soul which the Father draws to the Son, according to what is said
by the Saviour, “No one comes to Me except the Father which has
sent Me draw him.”6148
Wherefore
also “the word” of those who by the grace of God are
ambassadors of the gospel, “and their preaching, is not in
persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit of
power,”6149
| 6149 1 Cor. ii. 4. πνεύματος
δυνάμεως. The
omission of the καὶ is
strange; for in the Contra Celsum (i. 2) Origen characterises
the argument from prophecy as “the demonstration of the
Spirit” and the argument from miracles as “the
demonstration of power.” | to those for whom
the words of the doctrine of Jesus were finished. You will
therefore observe how often it is said, “He finished,” and
of what things it is said, and you will take as an illustration that
which is said in regard to the beatitudes, and the whole of
the discourse to which is
subjoined, “And it came to pass when Jesus had finished these
words, all the multitudes were astonished at His
teaching.”6150
But now the
saying, “Jesus finished these words,” is referred also
immediately to the very mystical parable according to which the kingdom
of heaven is likened unto a king, but also beyond this parable to the
sections which were written before it.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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