Work of works

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Jim_Baur

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Origen said that there was a work of works.

Where is this in the Torah?

THANKS!
 
It is in his Commentary on the Song of Songs, p. 46.

It is also in his Homilies on Numbers, 5. 2, and Commentary in Leviticus 13. 6.

He says that there are Song of Songs, Work of Works, Age of Ages, and Holies of Holies.

I spent about an hour looking for this.

I have many of Origen’s works in English. I do not have these two.

I searched the net to the best of my abilities.

THANKS!
 
Could you type a few sentences from Origen to give us context?
 
In other treatises we have, as far as we were able, considered the difference between *holies *and holies of holies in Exodus, and between *works *and works of worksin the Book of Numbers; neither did we pass over the expression ages of agesin passages where it occurs.

P. 46, Song of Songs in the Ancient Christian Writings series.
 
Jim_Baur said:
between *works *and works of worksin the Book of Numbers
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Okay, that helps. In the English edition of Origen’s homilies that I’m looking at, there’s a footnote to Numbers 4:47. Let’s look at that verse.

In the DRV:

From thirty years old and upward, until fifty years old, that go into the ministry of the tabernacle, and to carry the burdens

In the RSV-CE:

*from thirty years old up to fifty years old, every one that could enter to do the work of service and the work of bearing burdens in the tent of meeting, *

In the NAB:

all between thirty and fifty years of age who were to undertake tasks of service or transport for the tent of meeting—

I’m assuming that “work of works” is equivalent to “ministry of the tabernacle” in the DRV, “work of service” in the RSV, and “tasks of service” in the NAB. (The DRV is different because it is based on the Latin Vulgate; whereas the other two are based on later Hebrew MSS.)

If we back up to the beginning of Numbers 4, it describes in detail two types of ministry: packing up the tabernacle, and carrying it away. These seem to correspond to the two jobs mentioned in verse 47.

From context, then, it seems that “work of works” refers to packing up the temple. If one job is to be considered as “more special” than the other, it might be the packing up, because there is closer contact with the ark and the sacred accoutrements, and because the work is not as burdensome. Thus, perhaps, “work of works.”

Another possibility: “work of works” means the job which is *more *burdensome.

In the end, I really don’t know where Origen gets the phrase. These are my best guesses based on the information you’ve provided.
 
Ad Orientem

You are a total saint!

Thanks!

Thank you!

Thank God.

I think he might be using Septuagint of his day, what is your judgment?

I am sure that there were and are different copies and editions of the it, what do you think?

THANKS!

Please note I mistakenly wrote: WORK of WORKS in the name of the thread. I think it should have said workS of works.

THANKS!
 
Jim_Baur said:
I think he might be using Septuagint of his day, what is your judgment?
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Possibly, I’m not that knowledgeable about the LXX. Somewhere I read that Origen made his own edition, so it could be from that. Good thinking.
 
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