In his homilies, Origen refers to the general priesthood of all members of the Church. For example, he says, “Indeed do you wish to know what the difference is between the priests of God and the priests of Pharao? Pharao grants lands to his priests. The Lord, on the other hand, does not grant his priests a portion in the land, but says to them: ‘I am your portion’ (Cf. Num. 18:20). You, therefore, who read these words, observe all the priests of the Lord and notice what difference there is between the priests … But let us hear what Christ our Lord admonishes his priests: ‘He who has not renounced all he possesses,’ he says, ‘cannot be my disciple’ (Luke 14:33). I tremble when I speak these words. For I myself am my own, I say, my own accuser first of all. I utter my own condemnations. For Christ denies that that man whom he has seen possessing anything and that man who ‘renounces’ not ‘all which he possesses’ is his disciple. And what do we do? How do we, who not only do not renounce these things which we possess, but also wish to acquire those things which we never had before we came to Christ, either read these words ourselves or explain them to people? For since conscience rebukes us, are we able to hide and not bring forth the words which are written? I do not wish to be guilty of a double crime.”1655
Cadiou comments: “Origen was training men who would later be the ruling class in the life of the Church. He himself had not yet been ordained to the priesthood but he had long aspired to that grace. In the meantime he regarded his pedagogical functions as something sacred, seeing in them an image of the priesthood of Aaron. Let us remember that St. John represents the Christian people in his vision of the twelve tribes whom he counted around the Lamb. On one side, he places the virgins, as first fruits of the faithful of Christ. They are the intellectual elite, the little group of disciples who, by the study of Holy Scripture, by contemplation as well as by vigilance and perseverance, guard that purity of body and of mind by which the perfect are known. They can be called Levites or priests of Israel because they exercise an inner priesthood.”1656
Origen says, “are you ignorant that to you also, that is, to all of the Church of God and to the people of believers, the priesthood was given? Hear what Peter says about the faithful: You are ‘an elect race, royal, priestly, a holy nation, a chosen people’ (1 Pet. 2:9). Therefore, you have a priesthood because you are ‘a priestly nation,’ and for this reason ‘you ought to
1654 Origen, Homilies on Leviticus 1–16 6.6.5 (FOTC 83:128).
1655 Origen, Homilies on Genesis 16.5 (FOTC 71:221–222).
1656 R. Cadiou, Origen (Herder Book Co., 1944): p. 310.
offer an offering of praise to God’ (cf. Heb. 13:15), an offering of prayers, an offering of mercy, an offering of purity, an offering of justice, an offering of holiness.”1657
“Most of us devote most of our time to the things of this life and dedicate to God only a few special acts, thus resembling those members of the tribes who had but few transactions with the priests and discharged their religious duties with no great expense of time. But those who devote themselves to the divine word and have no other employment but the service of God may not unnaturally, allowing for the difference of occupation in the two cases, be called our Levites or priests. And those who follow a more distinguished office than their kinsmen will perhaps be high priests according to the order of Aaron.”1658
“In the moral sense, this high priest can be seen as the understanding of piety and religion, which through the prayers and supplications which we pour out to God, performs in us, as it were, a kind of priesthood. If this one should transgress in something, immediately ‘he makes all the people sin’ (cf. Lev. 4:3) against the good acts which are within us. For we do not do any right deed when the understanding, the guide of good works, turns aside into wrong. For that reason, for correction of this, not just any kind of offering is required but the sacrifice ‘of the fatted calf’ (cf. Luke 15:23) itself. In like manner, the guilt of the congregation; that is, the correction of all virtues which are within us, is repaired though nothing other than by putting Christ to death.”1659
“Observe that there always ought to be ‘fire on the altar.’ And you, if you want to be a priest of God, as it is written, ‘For every one of you will be priests of the Lord’ (Isa. 61:6). For it is said that you are ‘an elect race, a royal priesthood, an acquired people’ (1 Pet. 2:9). If, therefore, you want to exercise the priesthood of your soul, let the fire never depart from your altar. This is what the Lord also taught in the Gospels that ‘your loins be girded and your lamps burning’ (Luke 12:35). Thus, let the ‘fire’ of faith and the ‘lamp’ of knowledge always be lit for you.”1660
“As we have already said often, you too can function as a high priest before God within the temple of your spirit of you would prepare your garments with zeal and vigilance; if the word of the Law has washed you and made you clean, and the anointing and grace of your baptism remained uncontaminated; if you were to be clothed with two garments, of the letter and of the spirit; if you were also girded twice so that you may be pure in flesh and spirit; if you would adorn yourselves ‘with a cape’ of works and ‘a breastplate’ of wisdom; if also he would crown your head ‘with a turban’ and ‘golden plate’ (Lev. 8:7f.), the fullness of the knowledge of God; although, I would have you know, you may be hidden and unknown
1657 Origen, Homilies on Leviticus 1–16 9.1.3 (FOTC 83:177); see also Thomas Halton, The Church (Message of the Fathers of the Church, vol. 4) (Wilmington, Del.: M. Glazier, 1985): p. 146.
1658 Origen, Homilies on John 1:3 (PG 14:25), quoted in R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder Book Co., 1944, p. 310.
1659 Origen, Homilies on Leviticus 1–16 2.4.1 (FOTC 83:45–46).
1660 Origen, Homilies on Leviticus 1–16 4.6.2 (FOTC 83:78).
before men. ‘For you are the temple of the living God’ if ‘the Spirit of God lives in you’ (cf. 2 Cor. 6:16; 1 Cor. 3:16).”1661
“Or are you ignorant that to you also, that is, to all of the Church of God and to the people of believers, the priesthood was given? Hear what Peter says about the faithful: You are ‘an elect race, royal, priestly, a holy nation, a chosen people’ (1 Pet. 2:9). Therefore, you have a priesthood because you are ‘a priestly nation,’ and for this reason ‘you ought to offer an offering of praise to God’ (cf. Heb. 13:15), an offering of prayer, an offering of mercy, an offering of holiness. But in order to offer these things worthily, you must have clean clothes separated from the common clothing of the rest of humanity and have the necessary divine fire, not one ‘alien’ to God but that one which is given people by God, about which the Son of God says, ‘I came to send fire upon the earth and how I wish that it be ignited’ (Luke 12:49). For if we do not use that but another, and this an opposing fire, from that one which transforms itself as ‘an angel of light’ (cf. 2 Cor. 11:14), without doubt we will suffer the same thing that ‘Nadab and Abiud’ suffered.”1662