The 42 stations of the Exodus: Numbers 33
John Barton discusses Christian interpretation of the Hebrew Bible in his book A History of the Bible. His analysis of how Origen (184-253) worked to interpret scripture was, in my view, very interesting. Barton relates the following regarding Origen’s interpretation of what is commonly called “The 42 stations of the Exodus”:
Origen finds deep meaning in passages that look repetitious and arid.[1]Indeed, Origen relates the reading of scripture to food, and then describes texts like Leviticus and Numbers as less than satisfying: “And so, when some such reading from the divine books is … Continue reading To take a famous example: in his homily on the Old Testament book of Numbers, he deals with Numbers 33:1–49. This passage lists the forty-two places where the Israelites halted in their progression through the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land. Each time we read, ‘They set out from A and encamped at B. They set out from B and encamped at C’ – and so on, almost, the modern reader is likely to feel, ad infinitum, and certainly ad nauseam. Most readers today will skip this passage, but that is not a luxury that early Christian readers felt they could afford: Numbers was inspired Scripture, and the passage must have a significant meaning of some sort. Origen interprets it as teaching that there are forty-two stages[2]I find it interesting that Origen interprets John 14.2 the way that he does. What KJV translators give as “mansions,” Origen renders as μοναὶ in John 14.2 as “stages.” Here is the … Continue reading
in the life of the Christian, just as there were forty-two generations from Abraham to Jesus, according to Matthew 1:17… Each of the place names has a symbolic sense; though Origen was not always able to suggest what a given name meant,[3]His interpretations of the places begin at 9.1 and continues until 12.13. See: Spheck’s translation, p. 176-183. he found meanings for most and was sure that all the names were significant in some way.
The criss-crossing over several books to find details such as the number forty-two is typically rabbinic, and we might think that Origen was influenced by Jews: he was undoubtedly in touch with some, as we shall see. But there are also significant differences. Origen, like the rabbis, works with a model in which the whole Bible is a single network of interlocked meanings: any part can be elucidated from any other part. And for both the meanings uncovered by tracing cross-references can be cryptic: without Matthew 1:17 no one could have guessed that the forty-two stopping places were a symbol of the stages in the Christian life. But the rabbinic approach rarely uses the idea of symbols, or suggests a deeper, spiritual sense for texts. The rabbis tend to find parallels between parts of biblical stories: thus in Genesis Rabbah 55, the binding of Isaac and the circumcision of Ishmael, Abraham’s other son, are treated as corresponding to each other, while Abraham’s action in saddling his donkey (Genesis 22:3) recalls that of Balaam in Numbers 22:21. Origen, on the other hand, wrote, ‘We ought not to suppose that historical events are types of other historical events and material things of other material things; rather material things are types of spiritual things and historical events of intelligible realities.’ The correspondences, we might say, are vertical for Origen – earth corresponds to heaven – rather than horizontal, as for the rabbis.[4]John Barton, A History of the Bible: The Story of the World’s Most Influential Book, Viking, 2019, p. 340.
References
| ↑1 | Indeed, Origen relates the reading of scripture to food, and then describes texts like Leviticus and Numbers as less than satisfying: “And so, when some such reading from the divine books is recited, in which there seems to be nothing obscure, they gladly receive it, for example, the brief books of Esther, Judith or even Tobit, or the precepts of the book of Wisdom. But if the book of Leviticus is read to him, his mind immediately stumbles and he flees from it as from something that is not his own food… Moreover, when the Gospels or the apostle or the Psalms are read, another person joyfully receives them, gladly embraces them, and rejoices in gathering from them, as it were, certain remedies for his weakness. But if the book of Numbers is read to him, and especially those passages which we now have in hand, he will judge that there is nothing advantageous, nothing as a remedy for his weakness or that will benefit the salvation of his soul. Instead, he will immediately reject it and spit it out, as heavy and burdensome foods and as those that are not suitable to a sick and weak soul.” Origen, Homilies on Numbers, Homily 27, 1.3-1.4. See also: Ancient Christian Texts: Homilies on Numbers, translated by Thomas P. Spheck, IVP Academic, 2009, p. 168. |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | I find it interesting that Origen interprets John 14.2 the way that he does. What KJV translators give as “mansions,” Origen renders as μοναὶ in John 14.2 as “stages.”
Here is the Greek of John 14.2: ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ τοῦ πατρός μου μοναὶ πολλαί εἰσιν· εἰ δὲ μή εἶπον ἂν ὑμῖν πορεύομαι ἑτοιμάσαι τόπον ὑμῖν. My translation: “In the house of my father are many μοναὶ (stopping places, abodes- this word is μονή, which is connected to μένω, the verb that describes “remaining,” or “abiding,” and it can be seen as a permanent or a temporary stopping place), if it were not thus I would have told you. I depart to prepare a place for you.” Clearly Origen is using μοναὶ to be a temporary stopping place, thus a stage where one rests and continues along the journey. Early Christians (not all) would have made this connection, meaning, that Jesus was telling his followers that there were many stages of progression “through the heavens” along their journey back to their Heavenly Father. The Latin, according to Spheck (p. 170) is mansiones, a lodging, stop, or stage. Here is Origen’s take on these “stopping places” or “stages” as they relate to the Exodus: For to be sure it is concerning those stages in which the soul, divested of the body, or rather, clothed again with its own body, will dwell, that the Lord declared in the Gospel by saying: “With ‘my Father are many stages; otherwise I would have told you: I am going to prepare a stage for you.” So then, these are the many stages that lead to the Father. And for each of them, what the reason is, what advantage comes to the soul by its sojourn there, or what instruction or enlightenment one receives, is something only the Father of the future world knows, who says of himself: “I am the door:’ “No one comes to the Father except through me:’ Perhaps he will become the door for each soul in each of the different stages, so that it may enter through him and go out through him and find pasture, and then again enter another stage and from there another, until it reaches the Father himself. See: Origen, Homilies on Numbers, Homily 27, 2.3. |
| ↑3 | His interpretations of the places begin at 9.1 and continues until 12.13. See: Spheck’s translation, p. 176-183. |
| ↑4 | John Barton, A History of the Bible: The Story of the World’s Most Influential Book, Viking, 2019, p. 340. |
1 Comment
Comments are closed.