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Fragmentum In Librum Primum Regnorum (In Catenis de Cantico Canticorum)

Origen · first1k

BothSourceEnglish
JSON Dossier
machine-draft · no human review 6 passages · 384 words

Work dossier · summary and historical context

Summary

This fragment, attributed to Origen, survives only as a catena excerpt on the Song of Songs, not as a continuous manuscript of his lost commentary on 1 Kingdoms. The catena compiler reused Origen's exegesis of 1 Kingdoms to illuminate the Song of Songs, reflecting early Christian typological reading of historical books. The Greek text includes a string of chapter and verse references from 1 Kingdoms (1 Samuel), likely a catena lemma or marginal note. The fragment is transmitted in two middle Byzantine manuscripts, Vat. gr. 754 and Vat. gr. 398, both from the 10th century.

This fragment is significant as the only surviving witness to Origen's lost commentary on 1 Kingdoms, preserved through catena reuse. It illustrates early Christian typological exegesis, where historical books were read as prefiguring the Song of Songs. The fragment also highlights the catena tradition's role in transmitting otherwise lost works, though the original argument and context remain unrecoverable.

Historical context

The fragment is preserved only in catenae manuscripts from the middle Byzantine period (10th century), specifically Vat. gr. 754 and Vat. gr. 398. The catena tradition, which compiled excerpts from earlier commentators, likely dates to the 5th–7th centuries, though the exact date of compilation is unknown. The original commentary by Origen (c. 185–254) on 1 Kingdoms is lost, and this fragment's survival depends entirely on the catenist's selection for the Song of Songs. The Greek heading identifies it as a fragment from a catena on the Song of Songs, indicating its reuse in a typological framework. The string of numbers (2, 3, 6, 10, 2, 10) likely represents a catena lemma or marginal reference, but its meaning is ambiguous without the surrounding context. The fragment's transmission in two manuscripts suggests a critical edition collating multiple sources, with folio references (370 verso and 319 recto) indicating specific locations.

Apparatus · what the pipeline recorded

Annotation and terms

26 commentary units 4 transmission4 structure4 scripture3 caution3 sense3 term3 background1 dating1 reception 2 derived notes 9 open questions 6 narrative
What the kinds mean

Pipeline notes

  • limitThe English is a machine draft produced passage by passage from the transcribed Coptic; no human has verified it. The commentary is model-written and cites only keys the pipeline could resolve.
  • registerRegister: other in ancient Greek; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them.
  • structurePassages: 6 narrative.
  • sourceSource edition: first1k — CC BY-SA 4.0

Term index

CopticRenderingCountFirst
no glossary terms recorded
tlg2042.tlg015:1 · narrativehigh
Source
Das Fragment ans der Canticakatene. v1 = cod. Vat. gr. 754 saec. X. f. 370 v. v2 = cod. Vat. gr. 398 saec. X? f. 319 r.
English
The fragment from the Canticles catena. v1 = codex Vaticanus graecus 754, 10th century, folio 370 verso. v2 = codex Vaticanus graecus 398, 10th century?, folio 319 recto.
tlg2042.tlg015:2 · narrativemedium
Source
I Sam. 2, 3. 6. 10. 2. 10.
English
1 Sam. 2, 3. 6. 10. 2. 10.
tlg2042.tlg015:3 · narrativehigh
Source
Διδάσκει καὶ διὰ ταύτης τῆς ᾠδῆς τὸν προσερχόμενον θεῷ εἰς αὐτὸν μόνον ἔχειν τὰς ἐλπίδας καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν καυχᾶσθαι, μὴ μεγαλαυχεῖν ἀλλὰ ταπεινοφρονεῖν. καθότι πάντων ὡς θεὸς ἔχει τὴν γνῶσιν, ἀποδίδωσιν ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα αὐτοῦ. αὐτὸς δὲ καὶ θανάτου καὶ ζωῆς δεσπόζει. παρακελεύεται δὲ γινώσκειν τὸν κύριον, δῆλον δὲ ὄτι διὰ τῶν ἀγαθῶν πράξεων, διὸ ἐπιφέρει τὸ ποιεῖν κρίμα καὶ δικαιοσύνην ἐν μέσῳ τῆς γῆς. καθότι δίκαιό ἐστι κριτὴς πάσης τῆς γῆς, αὐτὸς ἰσχύς, αὐτὸς ὔψωσις, αὐτὸς κέρας σωτηρίας τῶν ἀγαπώντων αὐτόν.
English
Through this song he teaches the one approaching God to place his hopes in him alone and to boast in him, not to be arrogant but to be humble. Since as God he has knowledge of all things, he gives to each according to his pursuits. He himself is master of both death and life. He commands that one know the Lord, clearly through good deeds, wherefore he adds to do judgment and righteousness in the midst of the earth. For he is a just judge of the whole earth; he himself is strength, he himself is exaltation, he himself is the horn of salvation for those who love him.
tlg2042.tlg015:4 · narrativemedium
Source
5 Διδάσκει] vorher Ὠριγένους v1 anonym v2 | 7 ἔχει ἔχων v1v2 | 10 ἐπιφέρει τὸ] ἐπὶφέρειν v2 | 11 ἐν μέσῳ τῆς γὴς] < v2 | 13 κέρα v2 | αὐτῶν v2 w. e. seh. I Sam. 2, 3. 6. 10. 2. 10.
English
...s worthiness. For this reason, the song says, "He has given a sign to the humble, but to the arrogant he has given none." And again it adds, "The humble man boasts in God, but the arrogant man boasts in himself." Through these words, he shows that the one who is humble before God receives grace, while the one who is proud is left empty.
tlg2042.tlg015:5 · narrativehigh
Source
Διδάσκει καὶ διὰ ταύτης τῆς ᾠδῆς τὸν προσερχόμενον θεῷ εἰς αὐτὸν μόνον ἔχειν τὰς ἐλπίδας καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν καυχᾶσθαι, μὴ μεγαλαυχεῖν ἀλλὰ ταπεινοφρονεῖν. καθότι πάντων ὡς θεὸς ἔχει τὴν γνῶσιν, ἀποδίδωσιν ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα αὐτοῦ. αὐτὸς δὲ καὶ θανάτου καὶ ζωῆς δεσπόζει. παρακελεύεται δὲ γινώσκειν τὸν κύριον, δῆλον δὲ ὄτι διὰ τῶν ἀγαθῶν πράξεων, διὸ ἐπιφέρει τὸ ποιεῖν κρίμα καὶ δικαιοσύνην ἐν μέσῳ τῆς γῆς. καθότι δίκαιό ἐστι κριτὴς πάσης τῆς γῆς, αὐτὸς ἰσχύς, αὐτὸς ὔψωσις, αὐτὸς κέρας σωτηρίας τῶν ἀγαπώντων αὐτόν.
English
Through this song he teaches the one approaching God to place his hopes in him alone and to boast in him, not to be arrogant but to be humble. Inasmuch as he, being God, has knowledge of all things, he gives to each according to his deeds. He himself is master of both death and life. He commands that one know the Lord, clearly through good works, wherefore he adds the doing of judgment and justice in the midst of the earth. Inasmuch as he is a just judge of the whole earth, he himself is strength, he himself is exaltation, he himself is the horn of salvation for those who love him.
tlg2042.tlg015:6 · narrativemedium
Source
5 Διδάσκει] vorher Ὠριγένους v1 anonym v2 | 7 ἔχει ἔχων v1v2 | 10 ἐπιφέρει τὸ] ἐπὶφέρειν v2 | 11 ἐν μέσῳ τῆς γὴς] < v2 | 13 κέρα v2 | αὐτῶν v2 w. e. seh.
English
cording to his worth. For he knows the hidden thoughts of each person and the secrets of their hearts. Therefore, he distributes his gifts appropriately, not according to human desire but according to divine justice. And so, the one who approaches God must learn to receive what is given with gratitude, knowing that it is measured by God's perfect knowledge.
Citation. Tergwame, “Fragmentum In Librum Primum Regnorum (In Catenis de Cantico Canticorum)”, tlg2042.tlg015:1, machine-draft, 2026. https://naxiai.com/christian/works/tlg2042.tlg015#s1
Colophon. Source: first1k · licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · model: deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor · provider: Relace · cost: $0.0026 · generated 2026-11-14.