Homilies of Origen of Alexandria on the Nativity
From Luke 2:1-16
Next in the Scripture it is said: "Now it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria" (Luke 2:1-2). Someone might ask, "Evangelist, how does this story help me? Why do I need to know that the first census in the country was conducted under Caesar Augustus and that among other people the name of Joseph was recorded 'with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child' (Luke 2:5), and that Jesus was born even before the census was completed?" However, those who look more closely will see that this contains a certain mystery. It was necessary for Christ to be officially entered in the census of the whole world, so that He, along with everyone, was entered into the list and sanctified everyone in this census, united with the whole world, and gave it the opportunity to commune with Himself, and subsequently would record the names of people from all over the world "in the book of life" (Revelation 20:15) together with Himself, so that the names of all who believed in Him would be "written in heaven" (Luke 10:20) together with the names of His saints, "to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen" (1 Peter 4:11).
… (Commentary on verses 2-10 are lost)
The Lord my Jesus is born, and an angel descends from heaven to announce His birth. Let's see whom he chose to tell of His coming. He doesn't go to Jerusalem, doesn't seek out the scribes and Pharisees, doesn't enter the Jewish synagogue, but finds shepherds, "keeping watch over their flock by night" (Luke 2:8), and says to them: "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11).
You think that in these words of Scripture there is nothing more divine than that an angel came to shepherds and spoke to them? Listen, shepherds of the churches, shepherds of God. His angel always descends from heaven and announces to you: "For unto you is born this day a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11). For if the Shepherd does not come, church shepherds cannot properly guard the flock, their defense is unreliable if Christ does not guard and shepherd the flock along with them. We read in the Apostle: "We are co-workers in God's service" (1 Corinthians 3:9). A good shepherd, who imitates the Good Shepherd, is a co-worker of God and Christ; he is a good shepherd precisely because he is with the best Shepherd, shepherding His sheep along with him. For He has set some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints (see 1 Corinthians 12:28). That is enough for a simple explanation.
On the other hand, if we need to ascend to a more hidden understanding, then I will say that some angels were shepherds, who managed the affairs of people, and since each of them stood watch, being vigilant day and night, zealously committed to their duty, in some cases the task of managing the people entrusted to them was too much for them, and when the Lord was born, an angel appeared and announced to the shepherds that the true Shepherd had come. For example, there was a shepherd in Macedonia who needed God's help; he appeared to the apostle Paul in a dream as a Macedonian and said, "Come over to Macedonia and help us" (Acts 16:9). Why do I speak of Paul, if the angel said this not to Paul, but to Jesus, who was in Paul? The shepherds needed the presence of Christ, and so the angel descended from heaven and said, "Do not be afraid; I bring you good news of great joy" (Luke 2:10).
Indeed, it is a great joy that Christ has come into the world, for those shepherds to whom it was entrusted to care for people and lands. The angel managing the affairs of Egypt benefited significantly from the Lord's descent from heaven, as the Egyptians had the opportunity to become Christians. All who governed various provinces, for example, the keeper of Macedonia, the keeper of Achaia, the guardians of other provinces, benefited from this. For it is wrong to think that individual provinces are governed by evil angels, and good angels are not entrusted with these same provinces. In my opinion, what is said about individual regions should be understood as relating to all people. Each person is cared for by two angels: an angel of righteousness and an angel of unrighteousness. If good thoughts and a sense of justice fill our hearts and souls, undoubtedly, the angel of the Lord speaks to us. But if malicious thoughts swarm in our hearts, "an angel of Satan" (2 Corinthians 12:7) speaks to us. And just as every person has two angels, I believe that different angels are also present for individual provinces: some good, some evil.
For example, very malicious angels watch over Ephesus due to the sinners living in that city. However, thanks to the presence of many believers in the city, there is also a good angel of the Ephesian church. What is said of Ephesus can be applied to all provinces. Before the coming of the Lord and Savior, these angels could do little to help those faithful to them, and no matter how hard they tried, their efforts were insufficient. What indicates that they could barely help those under their care? Listen to what we will say. When the angel of the Egyptians was helping the Egyptians, hardly any of the newly converted believed in God; and this happened when the Egyptians were under the control of their angel.
Later, however, many newly converted Egyptians and Idumeans came to faith in God, and thus it is written in Scripture: "Do not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother; do not abhor an Egyptian, because you were a stranger in his land; the children born to them in the third generation may enter the assembly of the Lord" (Deuteronomy 23:7). And so it happened – people from all nations turned to God, and the angels charged with these nations strove to facilitate this. And now entire nations have come to faith in Jesus, and the angels entrusted with the churches have been strengthened by the presence of the Savior and have converted many to Christ. Christian communities have arisen all over the world. Let us therefore stand and praise the Lord. Let us become the spiritual Israel instead of the physical Israel. Let us bless the Almighty God in deed, word, and thought in Christ Jesus, to whom be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.
…
Our Lord and Savior is born in Bethlehem, and a "great multitude of the heavenly host" (Luke 2:13) praises God, saying: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased" (Luke 2:14). The "great multitude of the heavenly host" speaks these words because they were unable to help mankind and realized they could not fulfill their assigned task without Him who can truly save and who can also assist the guardian angels in such a way that people are saved. The Gospel narrates how certain people were sailing on a sea, struggling against a contrary wind. They had rowed about twenty-five or thirty stadia, completely exhausted, and could not reach the shore. But the Lord came to them, calmed the raging waves, and saved the storm-battered boat from certain destruction (John 6:18–21).
Understand this passage in the following way: Angels wanted to offer help to people and heal their illnesses because "are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?" (Hebrews 1:14). They assisted people with all their might, but at the same time, they realized that their remedies were far from sufficient to heal people. To help you understand what we are discussing, imagine a city with many sick people and a whole army of healers; the people have various wounds, deadly infections are spreading more each day, but the healers can find no more healing methods and cannot overcome the raging evil with their medical knowledge. Then comes the Chief Physician, the One who possesses all medical knowledge, and those who could not heal anyone before see how this healer's hand stops the spread of infection in the wounds. They do not envy Him, and jealousy does not torment them; they praise this Healer and thereby glorify God, who for their sake and for the sake of the ailing sent the One with such knowledge.
Similarly, the great multitude of the heavenly host exclaims: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased" (Luke 2:14). For when the Lord came to earth, the Father reconciled "all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven" (Colossians 1:20). Angels wish that people remember their Creator. They did all they could to heal people, but the people did not want to be healed. Then the angels beheld Him who can heal all diseases and praised Him, exclaiming: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace."
A careful reader of the Gospel might ask how the Savior could say, "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword" (Matthew 10:34), if now, at His birth, the angels sing: "and on earth peace." Elsewhere He Himself says, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you" (John 14:27). Let such a reader consider this, and he might find an answer to his question. If Scripture had said "peace on earth" and the sentence ended there, then this objection would be valid. But the addition that follows after the word "peace" in the Gospel, namely, after "peace," it is said "to men of good will," resolves this issue. The peace on earth that the Lord does not give is not the peace "of good will." For He did not simply say, "I did not come to bring peace." He added: "on earth." He did not say, "I did not come to bring peace on earth to men of good will."
The angels spoke these words to the shepherds. But they did not speak them only at that time; they still speak to us today. If angels had not conversed with the shepherds and contributed their efforts to their work, the shepherds would have heard the following: “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain” (Psalm 127:1). If it is fitting for someone who follows the meaning of Scripture to speak boldly, then I will say that in every church there are two bishops: one visible and one invisible, one seen by the eyes of the flesh, the other revealed to the eyes of the mind. The person who well fulfills the task entrusted to him is glorified by the Lord, but one who performs it poorly is guilty and subject to condemnation. The same is true for angels. In the Revelation of John we read: “You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments” (Revelation 3:4); or again: “You have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans” (Revelation 2:15); and then: “You have those who have committed various sins,” and the angels responsible for these churches are to blame.
But if the angels managing the churches are troubled, then what about the people who fear they will not be able to be saved, working alongside diligent angels? I think that both an angel and a human can be good bishops of a church. In a sense, they do one work together. If this is so, let us ask Almighty God that both angels and humans, as bishops of churches, may help us and that we may know that the Lord judges both for our sake. But when they are judged and any sin or fault is revealed, committed not due to their negligence but due to our carelessness, then the guilt lies with us, and we are punished. And even if they exert all efforts, fighting for our salvation, we still will not be free from sin. But often we labor, and they do not fulfill their duties, and then the guilt lies with them.
Next in the Gospel it says: “Now when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger” (Luke 2:15–16). They hurried – they did not walk slowly, dragging their feet, but they hastened – and found Joseph, who had prepared everything for the Lord's birth, and Mary, who had given birth to Jesus, and the Savior Himself, "lying in a manger." These were the very mangers about which the inspired prophet said: "The ox knows its owner and the donkey its master’s crib" (Isaiah 1:3). The ox is a clean animal, and the donkey is unclean. "The donkey [knows] its master’s crib." The Israelites did not know the Lord's manger, but the unclean animal, among the Gentiles, knew. In Scripture it is said: "Israel does not know, My people do not understand" (Isaiah 1:3). Let us then understand these mangers, let us strive to comprehend the Lord and become worthy to know Him and to accept not only His birth and the resurrection of His flesh but also His glorious Second Coming in all His majesty, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.