Greek · Homiliae in epistulam ad Hebraeos
Homilies on the Epistle to the Hebrews, now lost. The fragment Eusebius preserves gives Origen's verdict on the letter: the thoughts are the apostle's, the diction someone else's, and 'who wrote the epistle, in truth, God knows'.
Dating
Lost homilies preached at Caesarea late in Origen's life. Eusebius (HE 6.36) says Origen let his sermons be taken down only after he was sixty (c. 245); Nautin dates the Caesarean homily series c. 239-242. Known only from Eusebius' quotation in HE 6.25.11-14.The homilies are lost. The link is to Eusebius, Church History 6.25, which quotes the only surviving fragment (6.25.11-14).
Books it uses
Hom. Heb. (Eus. HE 6.25.11–14): the thoughts are the apostle's, the diction someone else's; 'who wrote the epistle, in truth, God knows'. Accepts its content and disputes its authorship. (Hom. Josh. 7.1, extant only in Rufinus's Latin, lists all 27 books, but may be Rufinus's adjustment.)
Quotations
If I gave my opinion, I should say that the thoughts are those of the apostle, but the diction and phraseology are those of some one who remembered the apostolic teachings, and wrote down at his leisure what had been said by his teacher. Therefore if any church holds that this epistle is by Paul, let it be commended for this. For not without reason have the ancients handed it down as Paul’s. But who wrote the epistle, in truth, God knows. The statement of some who have gone before us is that Clement, bishop of the Romans, wrote the epistle, and of others that Luke, the author of the Gospel and the Acts, wrote it.”
Hom. Heb. (Eus. HE 6.25.13–14)Names the book
NPNF series 2, vol. 1 (1890), tr. A. C. McGiffert · Source (opens in a new tab)
Origen's verdict on Hebrews: Pauline thought, non-Pauline diction; 'who wrote the epistle, in truth, God knows'. Only Eusebius preserves these Homilies on Hebrews.