On Prayer

Origen, tr. Oulton, 1954

And with regard to prayer concerning the rising of the sun, the following may be said. …

And with regard to prayer concerning the rising of the sun,¹ the following may be said. Even the sun has a certain free will,² inasmuch as it, along with the moon, praises God. For he says, “Praise ye him, sun and moon.”³ And it is clear that this also applies to the moon and consequently all the stars: for he says, “Praise him all ye stars and light.”³ As therefore we have said⁴ that God uses to the full the free will of each thing upon earth, and has fittingly disposed them to meet a certain need of the things upon earth, so it must be supposed with regard to the free will of the sun and moon and stars, firmly fixed and wisely established, that he has disposed “all the host of heaven”⁵ and the course and movement of the stars harmoniously with the whole universe. And if I do not pray in vain concerning some other thing that has free will, much more is this true concerning the free will of the stars that circle in the heaven conformably to the safety of the whole universe. And yet it must be said concerning those on earth, that certain impressions⁶ arising from attendant circumstances induce our instability or inclination to the worse⁷ course,⁸ so as to do or say such and such things. But in regard to those in the heaven, what impression can arise to divert or remove from that course which is beneficial to the universe any of those beings who possess a soul that is perfected by reason and alien to the influence of these impressions, and make use of a body whose quality is etherial and absolutely pure?

Notes

See V, 3.
VII, 1. Even the sun has a certain free will, etc.] This passage must be read in the context of Origen’s belief that the sun and moon and the host of heaven were rational beings and possessed of souls. Justinian, Ep. ad Mennam (P.G., LXXXVI, 971; cf. C.B., XXII, 91), criticized Origen for saying that “the heaven and the sun and the moon and the stars and the waters that are above the heavens are living creatures [ἔμψυχα] and are rational powers of a sort.” Cf. De Princ., I, 7:4 (as restored from Jerome: see C.B., XXII, 90): “the sun too and moon and the other stars are living creatures [animantia]; indeed, just as we men because of certain sins are encompassed with bodies which are gross and fat, so also the luminaries have received such and such bodies, so that they shine more or less brilliantly; and demons because of graver transgressions are clothed with a transitory body.” Cf. also contra Celsum, V, 11: “being persuaded that the sun himself and the moon and the stars pray to the God of the universe through his only-begotten Son, we judge it improper to pray to those beings who themselves offer up prayers.” See also Daniélou, Origène, III, 1. Origen was not alone among the Fathers in holding this opinion: see Bigg, 242.
Ps. 148:3.
See VI, 3.
Deut. 4:19.
VII, 1. certain impressions] φαντασίαι, here translated “impressions,” also occurs in this treatise in VI, 2; VIII, 2 (bis); IX, 2; XX, 2 (ter); XXI, 1. It is not an easy word to translate in every case. Aristotle (De Anima, III, 3) contrasts it with sense-perception (αἴσθησις); and he defined it as “that faculty in respect of which an image or mental picture presents itself before us.” As used in the De Oratione the “impression” may be of good or evil. “Imagination,” “thought,” “notion,” have also been used to translate the word. Marcus Aurelius (Meditations, V, 16) employs it in a famous sentence: “the soul takes its dye from the thoughts” (βάπτεται ὑπὸ τῶν φαντασιῶν ἡ ψυχὴ). Origen followed Epictetus and the Stoics in holding that by virtue of the possession of free will a man could discriminate between “impressions,” as they presented themselves to him, and either accept or reject them. See de Faye, III, 183 ff.
Reading χεῖρον, with Bentley: the MSS. have “better course.”
VII, 1. the worse course] This emendation (in place of “the better course”) seems necessary, since Origen is contrasting beings on earth with heavenly beings who cannot be diverted from the right course.