{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_70561/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_70561","id":"gutenberg_70561","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/70561","summary":null,"tags":["Apologetics -- History -- Early church, ca. 30-600","Category: History - Religious","Category: Philosophy & Ethics","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Celsus (Platonic philosopher), active 180","Theology -- History -- Early Church, ca. 30-600"],"text":"The Writings of Origen, Vol. 1 of 2\n\n\n\n\n MURRAY AND GIBB, EDINBURGH,\n PRINTERS TO HER MAJESTY\u2019S STATIONERY OFFICE.\n\n\n\n\n THE WRITINGS OF ORIGEN.\n\n TRANSLATED BY\n\n REV. FREDERICK CROMBIE, M.A.,\n PROFESSOR OF BIBLICAL CRITICISM, ST. MARY\u2019S COLLEGE, ST. ANDREWS.\n\n\n VOL. I.\n\n\n EDINBURGH:\n T. & T. CLARK, 38, GEORGE STREET.\n LONDON: HAMILTON & CO. DUBLIN: JOHN ROBERTSON & CO.\n MDCCCLXIX.\n\n\n\n\n CONTENTS.\n\n\nIntroductory Notice, vii\n\nPrologue of Rufinus to the De Principiis, xi\n\n\nORIGEN DE PRINCIPIIS.\n\nPreface, 1\n\n\nBOOK I.\n\nChap. I. On God, 8\n\nChap. II. On Christ, 18\n\nChap. III. On the Holy Spirit, 33\n\nChap. IV. On Defection, or Falling Away, 43\n\nChap. V. On Rational Natures, 44\n\nChap. VI. On the End or Consummation, 53\n\nChap. VII. On Incorporeal and Corporeal Beings, 59\n\nChap. VIII. On the Angels, 65\n\nFragments from the First Book, 71\n\n\nBOOK II.\n\nChap. I. On the World, 72\n\nChap. II. On the Perpetuity of Bodily Nature, 77\n\nChap. III. On the Beginning of the World, and its Causes, 79\n\nChap. IV. The God of the Law and the Prophets, and the Father of our\nLord Jesus Christ, is the same God, 91\n\nChap. V. On Justice and Goodness, 97\n\nChap. VI. On the Incarnation of Christ, 105\n\nChap. VII. On the Holy Spirit, 113\n\nChap. VIII. On the Soul (_Anima_), 118\n\nChap. IX. On the World, and the Movements of Rational Creatures, whether\ngood or bad; and on the Causes of them, 126\n\nChap. X. On the Resurrection, and the Judgment, the Fire of Hell, and\nPunishments, 136\n\nChap. XI. On Counter Promises, 145\n\n\nBOOK III.\n\nPreface of Rufinus, 154\n\nChap. I. On the Freedom of the Will, 156\n\nChap. II. On the Opposing Powers, 222\n\nChap. III. On Threefold Wisdom, 237\n\nChap. IV. On Human Temptations, 244\n\nChap. V. That the World took its Beginning in Time, 253\n\nChap. VI. On the End of the World, 262\n\n\nBOOK IV.\n\nChap. I. That the Scriptures are divinely inspired, 274\n\nINDEX, 357\n\n\nLetter to Origen from Africanus about the History of Susanna, 369\n\nLetter from Origen to Africanus, 371\n\nLetter from Origen to Gregory, 388\n\n\nORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS\u2014\n\nBook I., 393\n\n\n\n\n INTRODUCTORY NOTICE.\n\n\nThe name of the illustrious Origen comes before us in this volume in\nconnection with his works _De Principiis_, _Epistola ad Africanum_, and\n_Contra Celsum_. Of these, the first two have been given entire, while\nof the third we have been able at present only to give the first book. A\nfull account of the life and writings of the author will be prefixed to\nour next volume of his works. Meanwhile, we restrict ourselves to a\nbrief notice of the three which have been mentioned.\n\nIt is in his treatise \u03a0\u03b5\u03c1\u1f76 \u1f08\u03c1\u03c7\u1ff6\u03bd, or, as it is commonly known under the\nLatin title, _De Principiis_, that Origen most fully develops his\nsystem, and brings out his peculiar principles. None of his works\nexposed him to so much animadversion in the ancient church as this. On\nit chiefly was based the charge of heresy which some vehemently pressed\nagainst him,\u2014a charge from which even his firmest friends felt it no\neasy matter absolutely to defend him. The points on which it was held\nthat he had plainly departed from the orthodox faith, were the four\nfollowing:\u2014_First_, That the souls of men had existed in a previous\nstate, and that their imprisonment in material bodies was a punishment\nfor sins which they had then committed. _Second_, That the human soul of\nChrist had also previously existed, and been united to the Divine nature\nbefore that incarnation of the Son of God which is related in the\nGospels. _Third_, That our material bodies shall be transformed into\nabsolutely ethereal ones at the resurrection; and _fourth_, That all\nmen, and even devils, shall be finally restored through the mediation of\nChrist. His principles of interpreting Scripture are also brought out in\nthis treatise; and while not a little ingenuity is displayed in\nillustrating and maintaining them, the serious errors into which they\nmight too easily lead will be at once perceived by the reader.\n\nIt is much to be regretted that the original Greek of the _De\nPrincipiis_ has for the most part perished. We possess it chiefly in a\nLatin translation by Rufinus. And there can be no doubt that he often\ntook great liberties with his author. So much was this felt to be the\ncase, that Jerome undertook a new translation of the work; but only\nsmall portions of his version have reached our day. He strongly accuses\nRufinus of unfaithfulness as an interpreter, while he also inveighs\nbitterly against Origen himself, as having departed from the catholic\nfaith, specially in regard to the doctrine of the Trinity. There seems,\nhowever, after all, no adequate reason to doubt the substantial\northodoxy of our author, although the bent of his mind and the nature of\nhis studies led him to indulge in many vain and unauthorized\nspeculations.\n\nThe _Epistle to Africanus_ was drawn forth by a letter which that\nlearned writer had addressed to Origen respecting the story of Susanna\nappended to the book of Daniel. Africanus had grave doubts as to the\ncanonical authority of the account. Origen replies to his objections,\nand seeks to uphold the story as both useful in itself, and a genuine\nportion of the ancient prophetical writings.\n\nThe treatise of Origen _Against Celsus_ is, of all his works, the most\ninteresting to the modern reader. It is a defence of Christianity in\nopposition to a Greek philosopher named Celsus, who had attacked it in a\nwork entitled \u1f08\u03bb\u03b7\u03b8\u1f74\u03c2 \u039b\u03cc\u03b3\u03bf\u03c2, that is, _The True Word_, or _The True\nDiscourse_. Of this work we know nothing, except from the quotations\ncontained in the answer given to it by Origen. Nor has anything very\ncertain been ascertained respecting its author. According to Origen, he\nwas a follower of Epicurus, but others have regarded him as a Platonist.\nIf we may judge of the work by those specimens of it preserved in the\nreply of Origen, it was little better than a compound of sophistry and\nslander. But there is reason to be grateful for it, as having called\nforth the admirable answer of Origen. This work was written in the old\nage of our author, and is composed with great care; while it abounds\nwith proofs of the widest erudition. It is also perfectly orthodox; and,\nas Bishop Bull has remarked, it is only fair that we should judge from a\nwork written with the view of being considered by the world at large,\nand with the most elaborate care, as to the mature and finally accepted\nviews of the author.\n\nThe best edition of Origen\u2019s works is that superintended by Charles and\nCharles Vincent de la Rue, Paris 1783, 4 vols. fol., which is reprinted\nby Migne. There is also an edition in 25 volumes, based upon that of De\nla Rue, but without the Latin translation, by Lommatzsch, Berlin\n1831-1848. The _De Principiis_ has been separately edited by\nRedepenning, Leipzig 1836. Spencer edited the _Contra Celsum_, Cambridge\n1677.\n\n\n\n\n PROLOGUE OF RUFINUS TO THE DE PRINCIPIIS.\n\n\nI know that very many of the brethren, induced by their thirst for a\nknowledge of the Scriptures, have requested some distinguished men, well\nversed in Greek learning, to translate Origen into Latin, and so make\nhim accessible to Roman readers. Among these, when our brother and\ncolleague[1] had, at the earnest entreaty of Bishop Damasus, translated\ntwo of the Homilies on the Song of Songs out of Greek into Latin, he\nprefixed so elegant and noble a preface to that work, as to inspire\nevery one with a most eager desire to read and study Origen, saying that\nthe expression, \u201cThe King hath brought me into his chamber,\u201d[2] was\nappropriate to his feelings, and declaring that while Origen in his\nother works surpassed all writers, he in the Song of Songs surpassed\neven himself. He promises, indeed, in that very preface, that he will\npresent the books on the Song of Songs, and numerous others of the works\nof Origen, in a Latin translation, to Roman readers. But he, finding\ngreater pleasure in compositions of his own, pursues an end that is\nattended with greater fame, viz. in being the author rather than the\ntranslator of works. Accordingly we enter upon the undertaking, which\nwas thus begun and approved of by him, although we cannot compose in a\nstyle of elegance equal to that of a man of such distinguished\neloquence; and therefore I am afraid lest, through my fault, the result\nshould follow, that that man, whom he deservedly esteems as the second\nteacher of knowledge and wisdom in the church after the apostles,\nshould, through the poverty of my language, appear far inferior to what\nhe is. And this consideration, which frequently recurred to my mind,\nkept me silent, and prevented me from yielding to the numerous\nentreaties of my brethren, until your influence, my very faithful\nbrother Macarius, which is so great, rendered it impossible for my\nunskilfulness any longer to offer resistance. And therefore, that I\nmight not find you too grievous an exactor, I gave way, even contrary to\nmy resolution; on the condition and arrangement, however, that in my\ntranslation I should follow as far as possible the rule observed by my\npredecessors, and especially by that distinguished man whom I have\nmentioned above, who, after translating into Latin more than seventy of\nthose treatises of Origen which are styled _Homilies_, and a\nconsiderable number also of his writings on the apostles, in which a\ngood many \u201cstumbling-blocks\u201d are found in the original Greek, so\nsmoothed and corrected them in his translation, that a Latin reader\nwould meet with nothing which could appear discordant with our belief.\nHis example, therefore, we follow, to the best of our ability; if not\nwith equal power of eloquence, yet at least with the same strictness of\nrule, taking care not to reproduce those expressions occurring in the\nworks of Origen which are inconsistent with and opposed to each other.\nThe cause of these variations we have explained more freely in the\n_Apologeticus_, which Pamphilus wrote in defence of the works of Origen,\nwhere we added a brief tract, in which we showed, I think, by\nunmistakeable proofs, that his books had been corrupted in numerous\nplaces by heretics and malevolent persons, and especially those books of\nwhich you now require me to undertake the translation, _i.e._ the books\nwhich may be entitled _De Principiis_ or _De Principatibus_, and which\nare indeed in other respects full of obscurities and difficulties. For\nhe there discusses those subjects with respect to which philosophers,\nafter spending all their lives upon them, have been unable to discover\nanything. But here our author strove, as much as in him lay, to turn to\nthe service of religion the belief in a Creator, and the rational nature\nof created beings, which the latter had degraded to purposes of\nwickedness. If, therefore, we have found anywhere in his writings, any\nstatement opposed to that view, which elsewhere in his works he had\nhimself piously laid down regarding the Trinity, we have either omitted\nit, as being corrupt, and not the composition of Origen, or we have\nbrought it forward, agreeably to the rule which we frequently find\naffirmed by himself. If, indeed, in his desire to pass rapidly on, he\nhas, as speaking to persons of skill and knowledge, sometimes expressed\nhimself obscurely, we have, in order that the passage might be clearer,\nadded what we had read more fully stated on the same subject in his\nother works, keeping explanation in view, but adding nothing of our own,\nbut simply restoring to him what was his, although occurring in other\nportions of his writings.\n\nThese remarks, therefore, by way of admonition, I have made in the\npreface, lest slanderous individuals perhaps should think that they had\na second time discovered matter of accusation. But let perverse and\ndisputatious men have a care what they are about. For we have in the\nmeantime undertaken this heavy labour, if God should aid your prayers,\nnot to shut the mouths of slanderers (which is impossible, although God\nperhaps will do it), but to afford material to those who desire to\nadvance in the knowledge of these things. And, verily, in the presence\nof God the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, I adjure and\nbeseech every one, who may either transcribe or read these books, by his\nbelief in the kingdom to come, by the mystery of the resurrection from\nthe dead, and by that everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his\nangels, that, as he would not possess for an eternal inheritance that\nplace where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, and where their fire\nis not quenched and their worm dieth not, he add nothing to Scripture,\nand take nothing away from it, and make no insertion or alteration, but\nthat he compare his transcript with the copies from which he made it,\nand make the emendations and distinctions according to the letter, and\nnot have his manuscript incorrect or indistinct, lest the difficulty of\nascertaining the sense, from the indistinctness of the copy, should\ncause greater difficulties to the readers.\n\nFootnote 1:\n\n Jerome is the person alluded to.\n\nFootnote 2:\n\n Cant. i. 4.\n\n\n\n\n ORIGEN DE PRINCIPIIS.\n\n\n PREFACE.\n\n\n1. All who believe and are assured that grace and truth were obtained\nthrough Jesus Christ, and who know Christ to be the truth, agreeably to\nHis own declaration, \u201cI am the truth,\u201d[3] derive the knowledge which\nincites men to a good and happy life from no other source than from the\nvery words and teaching of Christ. And by the words of Christ we do not\nmean those only which He spake when He became man and tabernacled in the\nflesh; for before that time, Christ, the Word of God, was in Moses and\nthe prophets. For without the Word of God, how could they have been able\nto prophesy of Christ? And were it not our purpose to confine the\npresent treatise within the limits of all attainable brevity, it would\nnot be difficult to show, in proof of this statement, out of the Holy\nScriptures, how Moses or the prophets both spake and performed all they\ndid through being filled with the Spirit of Christ. And therefore I\nthink it sufficient to quote this one testimony of Paul from the Epistle\nto the Hebrews, in which he says: \u201cBy faith Moses, when he was come to\nyears, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh\u2019s daughter; choosing\nrather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the\npleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater\nriches than the treasures of the Egyptians.\u201d[4] Moreover, that after His\nascension into heaven He spake in His apostles, is shown by Paul in\nthese words: \u201cOr do you seek a proof of Christ, who speaketh in me?\u201d[5]\n\n2. Since many, however, of those who profess to believe in Christ differ\nfrom each other, not only in small and trifling matters, but also on\nsubjects of the highest importance, as _e.g._ regarding God, or the Lord\nJesus Christ, or the Holy Spirit; and not only regarding these, but also\nregarding others which are created existences, viz. the powers[6] and\nthe holy virtues;[7] it seems on that account necessary first of all to\nfix a definite limit and to lay down an unmistakeable rule regarding\neach one of these, and then to pass to the investigation of other\npoints. For as we ceased to seek for truth (notwithstanding the\nprofessions of many among Greeks and Barbarians to make it known) among\nall who claimed it for erroneous opinions, after we had come to believe\nthat Christ was the Son of God, and were persuaded that we must learn it\nfrom Himself; so, seeing there are many who think they hold the opinions\nof Christ, and yet some of these think differently from their\npredecessors, yet as the teaching of the church, transmitted in orderly\nsuccession from the apostles, and remaining in the churches to the\npresent day, is still preserved, that alone is to be accepted as truth\nwhich differs in no respect from ecclesiastical and apostolical\ntradition.\n\n3. Now it ought to be known that the holy apostles, in preaching the\nfaith of Christ, delivered themselves with the utmost clearness on\ncertain points which they believed to be necessary to every one, even to\nthose who seemed somewhat dull in the investigation of divine knowledge;\nleaving, however, the grounds of their statements to be examined into by\nthose who should deserve the excellent gifts of the Spirit, and who,\nespecially by means of the Holy Spirit Himself, should obtain the gift\nof language, of wisdom, and of knowledge: while on other subjects they\nmerely stated the fact that things were so, keeping silence as to the\nmanner or origin of their existence; clearly in order that the more\nzealous of their successors, who should be lovers of wisdom, might have\na subject of exercise on which to display the fruit of their\ntalents,\u2014those persons, I mean, who should prepare themselves to be fit\nand worthy receivers of wisdom.\n\n4. The particular points[8] clearly delivered in the teaching of the\napostles are as follow:\n\n_First_, That there is one God, who created and arranged all things, and\nwho, when nothing existed, called all things into being\u2014God from the\nfirst creation and foundation of the world\u2014the God of all just men, of\nAdam, Abel, Seth, Enos, Enoch, Noe, Sem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the\ntwelve patriarchs, Moses, and the prophets; and that this God in the\nlast days, as He had announced beforehand by His prophets, sent our Lord\nJesus Christ to call in the first place Israel to Himself, and in the\nsecond place the Gentiles, after the unfaithfulness of the people of\nIsrael. This just and good God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,\nHimself gave the law, and the prophets, and the gospels, being also the\nGod of the apostles and of the Old and New Testaments.\n\n_Secondly_, That Jesus Christ Himself, who came [into the world], was\nborn of the Father before all creatures; that, after He had been the\nservant of the Father in the creation of all things\u2014\u201cFor by Him were all\nthings made\u201d[9]\u2014He in the last times, divesting Himself [of His glory],\nbecame a man, and was incarnate although God, and while made a man\nremained the God which He was; that He assumed a body like to our own,\ndiffering in this respect only, that it was born of a virgin and of the\nHoly Spirit: that this Jesus Christ was truly born, and did truly\nsuffer, and did not endure this death common [to man] in appearance\nonly, but did truly die; that He did truly rise from the dead; and that\nafter His resurrection He conversed with His disciples, and was taken up\n[into heaven].\n\nThen, _thirdly_, the apostles related that the Holy Spirit was\nassociated in honour and dignity with the Father and the Son. But in His\ncase it is not clearly distinguished whether He is to be regarded as\nborn or innate,[10] or also as a Son of God or not: for these are points\nwhich have to be inquired into out of sacred Scripture according to the\nbest of our ability, and which demand careful investigation. And that\nthis Spirit inspired each one of the saints, whether prophets or\napostles; and that there was not one Spirit in the men of the old\ndispensation, and another in those who were inspired at the advent of\nChrist, is most clearly taught throughout the churches.\n\n5. After these points, also, the apostolic teaching is that the soul,\nhaving a substance[11] and life of its own, shall, after its departure\nfrom the world, be rewarded according to its deserts, being destined to\nobtain either an inheritance of eternal life and blessedness, if its\nactions shall have procured this for it, or to be delivered up to\neternal fire and punishments, if the guilt of its crimes shall have\nbrought it down to this: and also, that there is to be a time of\nresurrection from the dead, when this body, which now \u201cis sown in\ncorruption, shall rise in incorruption,\u201d and that which \u201cis sown in\ndishonour will rise in glory.\u201d[12] This also is clearly defined in the\nteaching of the church, that every rational soul is possessed of\nfree-will and volition; that it has a struggle to maintain with the\ndevil and his angels, and opposing influences,[13] because they strive\nto burden it with sins; but if we live rightly and wisely, we should\nendeavour to shake ourselves free of a burden of that kind. From which\nit follows, also, that we understand ourselves not to be subject to\nnecessity, so as to be compelled by all means, even against our will, to\ndo either good or evil. For if we are our own masters, some influences\nperhaps may impel us to sin, and others help us to salvation; we are not\nforced, however, by any necessity either to act rightly or wrongly,\nwhich those persons think is the case who say that the courses and\nmovements of the stars are the cause of human actions, not only of those\nwhich take place beyond the influence of the freedom of the will, but\nalso of those which are placed within our own power. But with respect to\nthe soul, whether it is derived from the seed by a process of\ntraducianism, so that the reason or substance of it may be considered as\nplaced in the seminal particles of the body themselves, or whether it\nhas any other beginning; and this beginning itself, whether it be by\nbirth or not, or whether bestowed upon the body from without or no, is\nnot distinguished with sufficient clearness in the teaching of the\nchurch.\n\n6. Regarding the devil and his angels, and the opposing influences, the\nteaching of the church has laid down that these beings exist indeed; but\nwhat they are, or how they exist, it has not explained with sufficient\nclearness. This opinion, however, is held by most, that the devil was an\nangel, and that, having become an apostate, he induced as many of the\nangels as possible to fall away with himself, and these up to the\npresent time are called his angels.\n\n7. This also is a part of the church\u2019s teaching, that the world was made\nand took its beginning at a certain time, and is to be destroyed on\naccount of its wickedness. But what existed before this world, or what\nwill exist after it, has not become certainly known to the many, for\nthere is no clear statement regarding it in the teaching of the church.\n\n8. Then, finally, that the Scriptures were written by the Spirit of God,\nand have a meaning, not such only as is apparent at first sight, but\nalso another, which escapes the notice of most. For those [words] which\nare written are the forms of certain mysteries,[14] and the images of\ndivine things. Respecting which there is one opinion throughout the\nwhole church, that the whole law is indeed spiritual; but that the\nspiritual meaning which the law conveys is not known to all, but to\nthose only on whom the grace of the Holy Spirit is bestowed in the word\nof wisdom and knowledge.\n\nThe term \u1f00\u03c3\u03ce\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03bf\u03bd, _i.e._ incorporeal, is disused and unknown, not only\nin many other writings, but also in our own Scriptures. And if any one\nshould quote it to us out of the little treatise entitled _The Doctrine\nof Peter_,[15] in which the Saviour seems to say to His disciples, \u201cI am\nnot an incorporeal demon,\u201d[16] I have to reply, in the first place, that\nthat work is not included among ecclesiastical books; for we can show\nthat it was not composed either by Peter or by any other person inspired\nby the Spirit of God. But even if the point were to be conceded, the\nword \u1f00\u03c3\u03ce\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03bf\u03bd there does not convey the same meaning as is intended by\nGreek and Gentile authors when incorporeal nature is discussed by\nphilosophers. For in the little treatise referred to he used the phrase\n\u201cincorporeal demon\u201d to denote that that form or outline of demoniacal\nbody, whatever it is, does not resemble this gross and visible body of\nours; but, agreeably to the intention of the author of the treatise, it\nmust be understood to mean that He had not such a body as demons have,\nwhich is naturally fine,[17] and thin as if formed of air (and for this\nreason is either considered or called by many incorporeal), but that He\nhad a solid and palpable body. Now, according to human custom,\neverything which is not of that nature is called by the simple or\nignorant incorporeal; as if one were to say that the air which we\nbreathe was incorporeal, because it is not a body of such a nature as\ncan be grasped and held, or can offer resistance to pressure.\n\n9. We shall inquire, however, whether the thing which Greek philosophers\ncall \u1f00\u03c3\u03ce\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03bf\u03bd, or \u201cincorporeal,\u201d is found in holy Scripture under\nanother name. For it is also to be a subject of investigation how God\nHimself is to be understood,\u2014whether as corporeal, and formed according\nto some shape, or of a different nature from bodies,\u2014a point which is\nnot clearly indicated in our teaching. And the same inquiries have to be\nmade regarding Christ and the Holy Spirit, as well as respecting every\nsoul, and everything possessed of a rational nature.\n\n10. This also is a part of the teaching of the church, that there are\ncertain angels of God, and certain good influences, which are His\nservants in accomplishing the salvation of men. When these, however,\nwere created, or of what nature they are, or how they exist, is not\nclearly stated. Regarding the sun, moon, and stars, whether they are\nliving beings or without life, there is no distinct deliverance.\n\nEvery one, therefore, must make use of elements and foundations of this\nsort, according to the precept, \u201cEnlighten yourselves with the light of\nknowledge,\u201d[18] if he would desire to form a connected series and body\nof truths agreeably to the reason of all these things, that by clear and\nnecessary statements he may ascertain the truth regarding each\nindividual topic, and form, as we have said, one body of doctrine, by\nmeans of illustrations and arguments,\u2014either those which he has\ndiscovered in holy Scripture, or which he has deduced by closely tracing\nout the consequences and following a correct method.\n\nFootnote 3:\n\n John xiv. 6.\n\nFootnote 4:\n\n Heb. xi. 24-26.\n\nFootnote 5:\n\n 2 Cor. xiii. 3.\n\nFootnote 6:\n\n Dominationes.\n\nFootnote 7:\n\n Virtutes.\n\nFootnote 8:\n\n Species.\n\nFootnote 9:\n\n John i. 3.\n\nFootnote 10:\n\n Innatus. The words which Rufinus has rendered \u201cnatus an innatus\u201d are\n rendered by Jerome in his Epistle to Avitus (94 _alias_ 59), \u201cfactus\n an infectus.\u201d Criticising the errors in the first book of the\n _Principles_, he says: \u201cOrigen declares the Holy Spirit to be third in\n dignity and honour after the Father and the Son; and although\n professing ignorance whether he were created or not (factus an\n infectus), he indicated afterwards his opinion regarding him,\n maintaining that nothing was uncreated except God the Father.\u201d Jerome,\n no doubt, read \u03b3\u03b5\u03bd\u03b7\u03c4\u1f78\u03c2 \u1f22 \u1f00\u03b3\u03ad\u03bd\u03b7\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2, and Rufinus \u03b3\u03b5\u03bd\u03bd\u03b7\u03c4\u1f78\u03c2 \u1f22\n \u1f00\u03b3\u03ad\u03bd\u03bd\u03b7\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2.\u2014R.\n\nFootnote 11:\n\n Substantia.\n\nFootnote 12:\n\n 1 Cor. xv. 42.\n\nFootnote 13:\n\n Virtutes.\n\nFootnote 14:\n\n Sacramentorum.\n\nFootnote 15:\n\n Eusebius (_Eccles. Hist._ iii. c. 36), treating of Ignatius, quotes\n from his Epistle to the Church of Smyrna as follows: \u201cWriting to the\n Smyrn\u00e6ans, he (Ignatius) has also employed words respecting Jesus, I\n know not whence they are taken, to the following effect: \u2018But I know\n and believe that He was seen after the resurrection; and when He came\n to Peter and his companions, He said to them, Take and handle me, and\n see that I am not an incorporeal spirit.\u2019\u201d Jerome, in his catalogue of\n ecclesiastical writers, says the words are a quotation from the Gospel\n of the Nazarenes, a work which he had recently translated. Origen here\n quotes them, however, from _The Doctrine of Peter_, on which Ru\u00e6us\n remarks that the words might be contained in both of these apocryphal\n works.\n\nFootnote 16:\n\n D\u00e6monium.\n\nFootnote 17:\n\n Subtile.\n\nFootnote 18:\n\n Hos. x. 12. The words in the text are not the rendering of the\n authorized version, but that of the Septuagint, which has \u03c6\u03c9\u03c4\u03af\u03c3\u03b1\u03c4\u03b5\n \u1f11\u03b1\u03c5\u03c4\u03bf\u1fd6\u03c2 \u03c6\u1ff6\u03c2 \u03b3\u03bd\u03ce\u03c3\u03b5\u03c9\u03c2. Where the Masoretic text has \u05d5\u05b0\u05e2\u05b5\u05ea (_et tempus_)\n Origen evidently read \u05d3\u05b7\u05bc\u05e2\u05b7\u05ea (_scientia_), the similarity of _Vau_ and\n _Daleth_ accounting for the error of the transcriber.\n\n\n\n\n BOOK I.\n\n\n CHAPTER I.\n ON GOD.\n\n\n1. I know that some will attempt to say that, even according to the\ndeclarations of our own Scriptures, God is a body, because in the\nwritings of Moses they find it said, that \u201cour God is a consuming\nfire;\u201d[19] and in the Gospel according to John, that \u201cGod is a Spirit,\nand they who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.\u201d[20]\nFire and spirit, according to them, are to be regarded as nothing else\nthan a body. Now, I should like to ask these persons what they have to\nsay respecting that passage where it is declared that God is light; as\nJohn writes in his epistle, \u201cGod is light, and in Him there is no\ndarkness at all.\u201d[21] Truly He is that light which illuminates the whole\nunderstanding of those who are capable of receiving truth, as is said in\nthe thirty-sixth Psalm, \u201cIn Thy light we shall see light.\u201d[22] For what\nother light of God can be named, \u201cin which any one sees light,\u201d save an\ninfluence of God, by which a man, being enlightened, either thoroughly\nsees the truth of all things, or comes to know God Himself, who is\ncalled the truth? Such is the meaning of the expression, \u201cIn Thy light\nwe shall see light;\u201d _i.e._ in Thy word and wisdom, which is Thy Son, in\nHimself we shall see Thee the Father. Because He is called light, shall\nHe be supposed to have any resemblance to the light of the sun? Or how\nshould there be the slightest ground for imagining, that from that\ncorporeal light any one could derive the cause of knowledge, and come to\nthe understanding of the truth?\n\n2. If, then, they acquiesce in our assertion, which reason itself has\ndemonstrated, regarding the nature of light, and acknowledge that God\ncannot be understood to be a body in the sense that light is, similar\nreasoning will hold true of the expression \u201ca consuming fire.\u201d For what\nwill God consume in respect of His being fire? Shall He be thought to\nconsume material substance, as wood, or hay, or stubble? And what in\nthis view can be called worthy of the glory of God, if He be a fire,\nconsuming materials of that kind? But let us reflect that God does\nindeed consume and utterly destroy; that He consumes evil thoughts,\nwicked actions, and sinful desires, when they find their way into the\nminds of believers; and that, inhabiting along with His Son those souls\nwhich are rendered capable of receiving His word and wisdom, according\nto His own declaration, \u201cI and the Father shall come, and we shall make\nour abode with him,\u201d[23] He makes them, after all their vices and\npassions have been consumed, a holy temple, worthy of Himself. Those,\nmoreover, who, on account of the expression \u201cGod is a Spirit,\u201d think\nthat He is a body, are to be answered, I think, in the following manner.\nIt is the custom of sacred Scripture, when it wishes to designate\nanything opposed to this gross and solid body, to call it spirit, as in\nthe expression, \u201cThe letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life,\u201d[24]\nwhere there can be no doubt that by \u201cletter\u201d are meant bodily things,\nand by \u201cspirit\u201d intellectual things, which we also term \u201cspiritual.\u201d The\napostle, moreover, says, \u201cEven unto this day, when Moses is read, the\nveil is upon their heart: nevertheless, when it shall turn to the Lord,\nthe veil shall be taken away: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there\nis liberty.\u201d[25] For so long as any one is not converted to a spiritual\nunderstanding, a veil is placed over his heart, with which veil, _i.e._\na gross understanding, Scripture itself is said or thought to be\ncovered: and this is the meaning of the statement that a veil was placed\nover the countenance of Moses when he spoke to the people, _i.e._ when\nthe law was publicly read aloud. But if we turn to the Lord, where also\nis the word of God, and where the Holy Spirit reveals spiritual\nknowledge, then the veil is taken away, and with unveiled face we shall\nbehold the glory of the Lord in the holy Scriptures.\n\n3. And since many saints participate in the Holy Spirit, He cannot\ntherefore be understood to be a body, which being divided into corporeal\nparts, is partaken of by each one of the saints; but He is manifestly a\nsanctifying power, in which all are said to have a share who have\ndeserved to be sanctified by His grace. And in order that what we say\nmay be more easily understood, let us take an illustration from things\nvery dissimilar. There are many persons who take a part in the\nscience[26] or art of medicine: are we therefore to suppose that those\nwho do so take to themselves the particles of some body called medicine,\nwhich is placed before them, and in this way participate in the same? Or\nmust we not rather understand that all who with quick and trained minds\ncome to understand the art and discipline itself, may be said to be\npartakers of the art of healing? But these are not to be deemed\naltogether parallel instances in a comparison of medicine to the Holy\nSpirit, as they have been adduced only to establish that that is not\nnecessarily to be considered a body, a share in which is possessed by\nmany individuals. For the Holy Spirit differs widely from the method or\nscience of medicine, in respect that the Holy Spirit is an intellectual\nexistence,[27] and subsists and exists in a peculiar manner, whereas\nmedicine is not at all of that nature.\n\n4. But we must pass on to the language of the Gospel itself, in which it\nis declared that \u201cGod is a Spirit,\u201d and where we have to show how that\nis to be understood agreeably to what we have stated. For let us inquire\non what occasion these words were spoken by the Saviour, before whom He\nuttered them, and what was the subject of investigation. We find,\nwithout any doubt, that He spoke these words to the Samaritan woman,\nsaying to her, who thought, agreeably to the Samaritan view, that God\nought to be worshipped on Mount Gerizim, that \u201cGod is a Spirit.\u201d For the\nSamaritan woman, believing Him to be a Jew, was inquiring of Him whether\nGod ought to be worshipped in Jerusalem or on this mountain; and her\nwords were, \u201cAll our fathers worshipped on this mountain, and ye say\nthat in Jerusalem is the place where we ought to worship.\u201d[28] To this\nopinion of the Samaritan woman, therefore, who imagined that God was\nless rightly or duly worshipped, according to the privileges of the\ndifferent localities, either by the Jews in Jerusalem or by the\nSamaritans on Mount Gerizim, the Saviour answered that he who would\nfollow the Lord must lay aside all preference for particular places, and\nthus expressed Himself: \u201cThe hour is coming when neither in Jerusalem\nnor on this mountain shall the true worshippers worship the Father. God\nis a Spirit, and they who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in\ntruth.\u201d[29] And observe how logically He has joined together the spirit\nand the truth: He called God a Spirit, that He might distinguish Him\nfrom bodies; and He named Him the truth, to distinguish Him from a\nshadow or an image. For they who worshipped in Jerusalem worshipped God\nneither in truth nor in spirit, being in subjection to the shadow or\nimage of heavenly things; and such also was the case with those who\nworshipped on Mount Gerizim.\n\n5. Having refuted, then, as well as we could, every notion which might\nsuggest that we were to think of God as in any degree corporeal, we go\non to say that, according to strict truth, God is incomprehensible, and\nincapable of being measured.[30] For whatever be the knowledge which we\nare able to obtain of God, either by perception or reflection, we must\nof necessity believe that He is by many degrees far better than what we\nperceive Him to be. For, as if we were to see any one unable to bear a\nspark of light, or the flame of a very small lamp, and were desirous to\nacquaint such a one, whose vision could not admit a greater degree of\nlight than what we have stated, with the brightness and splendour of the\nsun, would it not be necessary to tell him that the splendour of the sun\nwas unspeakably and incalculably better and more glorious than all this\nlight which he saw? So our understanding, when shut in by the fetters of\nflesh and blood, and rendered, on account of its participation in such\nmaterial substances, duller and more obtuse, although, in comparison\nwith our bodily nature, it is esteemed to be far superior, yet, in its\nefforts to examine and behold incorporeal things, scarcely holds the\nplace of a spark or lamp. But among all intelligent, that is,\nincorporeal beings, what is so superior to all others\u2014so unspeakably and\nincalculably superior\u2014as God, whose nature cannot be grasped or seen by\nthe power of any human understanding, even the purest and brightest?\n\n6. But it will not appear absurd if we employ another similitude to make\nthe matter clearer. Our eyes frequently cannot look upon the nature of\nthe light itself\u2014that is, upon the substance of the sun; but when we\nbehold his splendour or his rays pouring in, perhaps, through windows or\nsome small openings to admit the light, we can reflect how great is the\nsupply and source of the light of the body. So, in like manner, the\nworks of Divine Providence and the plan of this whole world are a sort\nof rays, as it were, of the nature of God, in comparison with His real\nsubstance and being. As, therefore, our understanding is unable of\nitself to behold God Himself as He is, it knows the Father of the world\nfrom the beauty of His works and the comeliness of His creatures. God,\ntherefore, is not to be thought of as being either a body or as existing\nin a body, but as an uncompounded intellectual nature,[31] admitting\nwithin Himself no addition of any kind; so that He cannot be believed to\nhave within Him a greater and a less, but is such that He is in all\nparts \u039c\u03bf\u03bd\u03ac\u03c2, and, so to speak, \u1f19\u03bd\u03ac\u03c2, and is the mind and source from\nwhich all intellectual nature or mind takes its beginning. But mind, for\nits movements or operations, needs no physical space, nor sensible\nmagnitude, nor bodily shape, nor colour, nor any other of those adjuncts\nwhich are the properties of body or matter. Wherefore that simple and\nwholly intellectual nature[32] can admit of no delay or hesitation in\nits movements or operations, lest the simplicity of the divine nature\nshould appear to be circumscribed or in some degree hampered by such\nadjuncts, and lest that which is the beginning of all things should be\nfound composite and differing, and that which ought to be free from all\nbodily intermixture, in virtue of being the one sole species of Deity,\nso to speak, should prove, instead of being one, to consist of many\nthings. That mind, moreover, does not require space in order to carry on\nits movements agreeably to its nature, is certain from observation of\nour own mind. For if the mind abide within its own limits, and sustain\nno injury from any cause, it will never, from diversity of situation, be\nretarded in the discharge of its functions; nor, on the other hand, does\nit gain any addition or increase of mobility from the nature of\nparticular places. And here, if any one were to object, for example,\nthat among those who are at sea, and tossed by its waves, the mind is\nconsiderably less vigorous than it is wont to be on land, we are to\nbelieve that it is in this state, not from diversity of situation, but\nfrom the commotion or disturbance of the body to which the mind is\njoined or attached. For it seems to be contrary to nature, as it were,\nfor a human body to live at sea; and for that reason it appears, by a\nsort of inequality of its own, to enter upon its mental operations in a\nslovenly and irregular manner, and to perform the acts of the intellect\nwith a duller sense, in as great degree as those who on land are\nprostrated with fever; with respect to whom it is certain, that if the\nmind do not discharge its functions as well as before, in consequence of\nthe attack of disease, the blame is to be laid not upon the place, but\nupon the bodily malady, by which the body, being disturbed and\ndisordered, renders to the mind its customary services under by no means\nthe well-known and natural conditions: for we human beings are animals\ncomposed of a union of body and soul, and in this way [only] was it\npossible for us to live upon the earth. But God, who is the beginning of\nall things, is not to be regarded as a composite being, lest perchance\nthere should be found to exist elements prior to the beginning itself,\nout of which everything is composed, whatever that be which is called\ncomposite. Neither does the mind require bodily magnitude in order to\nperform any act or movement; as when the eye by gazing upon bodies of\nlarger size is dilated, but is compressed and contracted in order to see\nsmaller objects. The mind, indeed, requires magnitude of an intellectual\nkind, because it grows, not after the fashion of a body, but after that\nof intelligence. For the mind is not enlarged, together with the body,\nby means of corporal additions, up to the twentieth or thirtieth year of\nlife; but the intellect is sharpened by exercises of learning, and the\npowers implanted within it for intelligent purposes are called forth;\nand it is rendered capable of greater intellectual efforts, not being\nincreased by bodily additions, but carefully polished by learned\nexercises. But these it cannot receive immediately from boyhood, or from\nbirth, because the framework of limbs which the mind employs as organs\nfor exercising itself is weak and feeble; and it is unable to bear the\nweight of its own operations, or to exhibit a capacity for receiving\ntraining.\n\n7. If there are any now who think that the mind itself and the soul is a\nbody, I wish they would tell me by way of answer how it receives reasons\nand assertions on subjects of such importance\u2014of such difficulty and\nsuch subtlety? Whence does it derive the power of memory? and whence\ncomes the contemplation of invisible[33] things? How does the body\npossess the faculty of understanding incorporeal existences? How does a\nbodily nature investigate the processes of the various arts, and\ncontemplate the reasons of things? How, also, is it able to perceive and\nunderstand divine truths, which are manifestly incorporeal? Unless,\nindeed, some should happen to be of opinion, that as the very bodily\nshape and form of the ears or eyes contributes something to hearing and\nto sight, and as the individual members, formed by God, have some\nadaptation, even from the very quality of their form, to the end for\nwhich they were naturally appointed; so also he may think that the shape\nof the soul or mind is to be understood as if created purposely and\ndesignedly for perceiving and understanding individual things, and for\nbeing set in motion by vital movements. I do not perceive, however, who\nshall be able to describe or state what is the colour of the mind, in\nrespect of its being mind, and acting as an intelligent existence.\nMoreover, in confirmation and explanation of what we have already\nadvanced regarding the mind or soul\u2014to the effect that it is better than\nthe whole bodily nature\u2014the following remarks may be added. There\nunderlies every bodily sense a certain peculiar sensible substance,[34]\non which the bodily sense exerts itself. For example, colours, form,\nsize, underlie vision; voices and sound, the sense of hearing; odours,\ngood or bad, that of smell; savours, that of taste; heat or cold,\nhardness or softness, roughness or smoothness, that of touch. Now, of\nthose senses enumerated above, it is manifest to all that the sense of\nmind is much the best. How, then, should it not appear absurd, that\nunder those senses which are inferior, substances should have been\nplaced on which to exert their powers, but that under this power, which\nis far better than any other, _i.e._ the sense of mind, nothing at all\nof the nature of a substance should be placed, but that a power of an\nintellectual nature should be an accident, or consequent upon bodies?\nThose who assert this, doubtless do so to the disparagement of that\nbetter substance which is within them; nay, by so doing, they even do\nwrong to God Himself, when they imagine He may be understood by means of\na bodily nature, so that according to their view He is a body, and that\nwhich may be understood or perceived by means of a body; and they are\nunwilling to have it understood that the mind bears a certain\nrelationship to God, of whom the mind itself is an intellectual image,\nand that by means of this it may come to some knowledge of the nature of\ndivinity, especially if it be purified and separated from bodily matter.\n\n8. But perhaps these declarations may seem to have less weight with\nthose who wish to be instructed in divine things out of the holy\nScriptures, and who seek to have it proved to them from that source how\nthe nature of God surpasses the nature of bodies. See, therefore, if the\napostle does not say the same thing, when, speaking of Christ, he\ndeclares, that \u201cHe is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of\nevery creature.\u201d[35] Not, as some suppose, that the nature of God is\nvisible to some and invisible to others: for the apostle does not say\n\u201cthe image of God invisible\u201d to men or \u201cinvisible\u201d to sinners, but with\nunvarying constancy pronounces on the nature of God in these words: \u201cthe\nimage of the invisible God.\u201d Moreover, John in his Gospel, when\nasserting that \u201cno one hath seen God at any time,\u201d[36] manifestly\ndeclares to all who are capable of understanding, that there is no\nnature to which God is visible: not as if He were a being who was\nvisible by nature, and merely escaped or baffled the view of a frailer\ncreature, but because by the _nature_ of His being it is impossible for\nHim to be seen. And if you should ask of me what is my opinion regarding\nthe Only-begotten Himself, whether the nature of God, which is naturally\ninvisible, be not visible even to Him, let not such a question appear to\nyou at once to be either absurd or impious, because we shall give you a\nlogical reason. It is one thing to see, and another to know: to see and\nto be seen is a property of bodies; to know and to be known, an\nattribute of intellectual being. Whatever, therefore, is a property of\nbodies, cannot be predicated either of the Father or of the Son; but\nwhat belongs to the nature of deity is common to the Father and the\nSon.[37] Finally, even He Himself, in the Gospel, did not say that no\none has _seen_ the Father, save the Son, nor any one the Son, save the\nFather; but His words are: \u201cNo one _knoweth_ the Son, save the Father;\nnor any one the Father, save the Son.\u201d[38] By which it is clearly shown,\nthat whatever among bodily natures is called seeing and being seen, is\ntermed, between the Father and the Son, a knowing and being known, by\nmeans of the power of knowledge, not by the frailness of the sense of\nsight. Because, then, neither seeing nor being seen can be properly\napplied to an incorporeal and invisible nature, neither is the Father,\nin the Gospel, said to be seen by the Son, nor the Son by the Father,\nbut the one is said to be known by the other.\n\n9. Here, if any one lay before us the passage where it is said, \u201cBlessed\nare the pure in heart, for they shall see God,\u201d[39] from that very\npassage, in my opinion, will our position derive additional strength;\nfor what else is seeing God in heart, but, according to our exposition\nas above, understanding and knowing Him with the mind? For the names of\nthe organs of sense are frequently applied to the soul, so that it may\nbe said to see with the eyes of the heart, _i.e._ to perform an\nintellectual act by means of the power of intelligence. So also it is\nsaid to hear with the ears when it perceives the deeper meaning of a\nstatement. So also we say that it makes use of teeth, when it chews and\neats the bread of life which cometh down from heaven. In like manner,\nalso, it is said to employ the services of other members, which are\ntransferred from their bodily appellations, and applied to the powers of\nthe soul, according to the words of Solomon, \u201cYou will find a divine\nsense.\u201d[40] For he knew that there were within us two kinds of senses:\nthe one mortal, corruptible, human; the other immortal and intellectual,\nwhich he now termed divine. By this divine sense, therefore, not of the\neyes, but of a pure heart, which is the mind, God may be seen by those\nwho are worthy. For you will certainly find in all the Scriptures, both\nold and new, the term \u201cheart\u201d repeatedly used instead of \u201cmind,\u201d _i.e._\nintellectual power. In this manner, therefore, although far below the\ndignity of the subject, have we spoken of the nature of God, as those\nwho understand it under the limitation of the human understanding. In\nthe next place, let us see what is meant by the name of Christ.\n\nFootnote 19:\n\n Deut. iv. 24.\n\nFootnote 20:\n\n John iv. 24.\n\nFootnote 21:\n\n 1 John i. 5.\n\nFootnote 22:\n\n Ps. xxxvi. 9.\n\nFootnote 23:\n\n John xiv. 23.\n\nFootnote 24:\n\n 2 Cor. iii. 6.\n\nFootnote 25:\n\n 2 Cor. iii. 15-17.\n\nFootnote 26:\n\n Disciplina.\n\nFootnote 27:\n\n Subsistentia.\n\nFootnote 28:\n\n John iv. 20.\n\nFootnote 29:\n\n John iv. 23, 24.\n\nFootnote 30:\n\n \u201cIn\u00e6stimabilem.\u201d\n\nFootnote 31:\n\n \u201cSimplex intellectualis natura.\u201d\n\nFootnote 32:\n\n \u201cNatura illa simplex et tota mens.\u201d\n\nFootnote 33:\n\n Some read \u201cvisible.\u201d\n\nFootnote 34:\n\n \u201cSubstantia qu\u00e6dam sensibilis propria.\u201d\n\nFootnote 35:\n\n Col. i. 15.\n\nFootnote 36:\n\n John i. 18.\n\nFootnote 37:\n\n \u201cConstat inter Patrem et Filium.\u201d\n\nFootnote 38:\n\n Matt. xi. 27.\n\nFootnote 39:\n\n Matt. v. 8.\n\nFootnote 40:\n\n Cf. Prov. ii. 5.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER II.\n ON CHRIST.\n\n\n1. In the first place, we must note that the nature of that deity which\nis in Christ in respect of His being the only-begotten Son of God is one\nthing, and that human nature which He assumed in these last times for\nthe purposes of the dispensation [of grace] is another. And therefore we\nhave first to ascertain what the only-begotten Son of God is, seeing He\nis called by many different names, according to the circumstances and\nviews of individuals. For He is termed Wisdom, according to the\nexpression of Solomon: \u201cThe Lord created me\u2014the beginning of His ways,\nand among His works, before He made any other thing; He founded me\nbefore the ages. In the beginning, before He formed the earth, before He\nbrought forth the fountains of waters, before the mountains were made\nstrong, before all the hills, He brought me forth.\u201d[41] He is also\nstyled First-born, as the apostle has declared: \u201cwho is the first-born\nof every creature.\u201d[42] The first-born, however, is not by nature a\ndifferent person from the Wisdom, but one and the same. Finally, the\nApostle Paul says that \u201cChrist [is] the power of God and the wisdom of\nGod.\u201d[43]\n\n2. Let no one, however, imagine that we mean anything impersonal[44]\nwhen we call Him the wisdom of God; or suppose, for example, that we\nunderstand Him to be, not a living being endowed with wisdom, but\nsomething which makes men wise, giving itself to, and implanting itself\nin, the minds of those who are made capable of receiving His virtues and\nintelligence. If, then, it is once rightly understood that the\nonly-begotten Son of God is His wisdom hypostatically[45] existing, I\nknow not whether our curiosity ought to advance beyond this, or\nentertain any suspicion that that \u1f51\u03c0\u03cc\u03c3\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2 or _substantia_ contains\nanything of a bodily nature, since everything that is corporeal is\ndistinguished either by form, or colour, or magnitude. And who in his\nsound senses ever sought for form, or colour, or size, in wisdom, in\nrespect of its being wisdom? And who that is capable of entertaining\nreverential thoughts or feelings regarding God, can suppose or believe\nthat God the Father ever existed, even for a moment of time,[46] without\nhaving generated this Wisdom? For in that case he must say either that\nGod was unable to generate Wisdom before He produced her, so that He\nafterwards called into being her who formerly did not exist, or that He\npossessed the power indeed, but\u2014what cannot be said of God without\nimpiety\u2014was unwilling to use it; both of which suppositions, it is\npatent to all, are alike absurd and impious: for they amount to this,\neither that God advanced from a condition of inability to one of\nability, or that, although possessed of the power, He concealed it, and\ndelayed the generation of Wisdom. Wherefore we have always held that God\nis the Father of His only-begotten Son, who was born indeed of Him, and\nderives from Him what He is, but without any beginning, not only such as\nmay be measured by any divisions of time, but even that which the mind\nalone can contemplate within itself, or behold, so to speak, with the\nnaked powers of the understanding. And therefore we must believe that\nWisdom was generated before any beginning that can be either\ncomprehended or expressed. And since all the creative power of the\ncoming creation[47] was included in this very existence of Wisdom\n(whether of those things which have an original or of those which have a\nderived existence), having been formed beforehand and arranged by the\npower of foreknowledge; on account of these very creatures which had\nbeen described, as it were, and prefigured in Wisdom herself, does\nWisdom say, in the words of Solomon, that she was created the beginning\nof the ways of God, inasmuch as she contained within herself either the\nbeginnings, or forms, or species of all creation.\n\n3. Now, in the same way in which we have understood that Wisdom was the\nbeginning of the ways of God, and is said to be created, forming\nbeforehand and containing within herself the species and beginnings of\nall creatures, must we understand her to be the Word of God, because of\nher disclosing to all other beings, _i.e._ to universal creation, the\nnature of the mysteries and secrets which are contained within the\ndivine wisdom; and on this account she is called the Word, because she\nis, as it were, the interpreter of the secrets of the mind. And\ntherefore that language which is found in the _Acts of Paul_,[48] where\nit is said that \u201chere is the Word a living being,\u201d appears to me to be\nrightly used. John, however, with more sublimity and propriety, says in\nthe beginning of his Gospel, when defining God by a special definition\nto be the Word, \u201cAnd God was the Word,[49] and this was in the beginning\nwith God.\u201d Let him, then, who assigns a beginning to the Word or Wisdom\nof God, take care that he be not guilty of impiety against the\nunbegotten Father Himself, seeing he denies that He had always been a\nFather, and had generated the Word, and had possessed wisdom in all\npreceding periods, whether they be called times or ages, or anything\nelse that can be so entitled.\n\n4. This Son, accordingly, is also the truth and life of all things which\nexist. And with reason. For how could those things which were created\nlive, unless they derived their being from life? or how could those\nthings which are, truly exist, unless they came down from the truth? or\nhow could rational beings exist, unless the Word or reason had\npreviously existed? or how could they be wise, unless there were wisdom?\nBut since it was to come to pass that some also should fall away from\nlife, and bring death upon themselves by their declension\u2014for death is\nnothing else than a departure from life\u2014and as it was not to follow that\nthose beings which had once been created by God for the enjoyment of\nlife should utterly perish, it was necessary that, before death, there\nshould be in existence such a power as would destroy the coming death,\nand that there should be a resurrection, the type of which was in our\nLord and Saviour, and that this resurrection should have its ground in\nthe wisdom and word and life of God. And then, in the next place, since\nsome of those who were created were not to be always willing to remain\nunchangeable and unalterable in the calm and moderate enjoyment of the\nblessings which they possessed, but, in consequence of the good which\nwas in them being theirs not by nature or essence, but by accident, were\nto be perverted and changed, and to fall away from their position,\ntherefore was the Word and Wisdom of God made the Way. And it was so\ntermed because it leads to the Father those who walk along it.\n\nWhatever, therefore, we have predicated of the wisdom of God, will be\nappropriately applied and understood of the Son of God, in virtue of His\nbeing the Life, and the Word, and the Truth, and the Resurrection: for\nall these titles are derived from His power and operations, and in none\nof them is there the slightest ground for understanding anything of a\ncorporeal nature which might seem to denote either size, or form, or\ncolour; for those children of men which appear among us, or those\ndescendants of other living beings, correspond to the seed of those by\nwhom they were begotten, or derive from those mothers, in whose wombs\nthey are formed and nourished, whatever that is, which they bring into\nthis life, and carry with them when they are born.[50] But it is\nmonstrous and unlawful to compare God the Father, in the generation of\nHis only-begotten Son, and in the substance[51] of the same, to any man\nor other living thing engaged in such an act; for we must of necessity\nhold that there is something exceptional and worthy of God which does\nnot admit of any comparison at all, not merely in things, but which\ncannot even be conceived by thought or discovered by perception, so that\na human mind should be able to apprehend how the unbegotten God is made\nthe Father of the only-begotten Son. Because His generation is as\neternal and everlasting as the brilliancy which is produced from the\nsun. For it is not by receiving the[52] breath of life that He is made a\nSon, by _any outward act_, but by His own nature.\n\n5. Let us now ascertain how those statements which we have advanced are\nsupported by the authority of holy Scripture. The Apostle Paul says,\nthat the only-begotten Son is the \u201cimage of the invisible God,\u201d and \u201cthe\nfirst-born of every creature.\u201d[53] And when writing to the Hebrews, he\nsays of Him that He is \u201cthe brightness of His glory, and the express\nimage of His person.\u201d[54] Now, we find in the treatise called the Wisdom\nof Solomon the following description of the wisdom of God: \u201cFor she is\nthe breath of the power of God, and the purest efflux[55] of the glory\nof the Almighty.\u201d[56] Nothing that is polluted can therefore come upon\nher. For she is the splendour of the eternal light, and the stainless\nmirror of God\u2019s working, and the image of His goodness. Now we say, as\nbefore, that Wisdom has her existence nowhere else save in Him who is\nthe beginning of all things: from whom also is derived everything that\nis wise, because He Himself is the only one who is by nature a Son, and\nis therefore termed the Only-begotten.\n\n6. Let us now see how we are to understand the expression \u201cinvisible\nimage,\u201d that we may in this way perceive how God is rightly called the\nFather of His Son; and let us, in the first place, draw our conclusions\nfrom what are customarily called images among men. That is sometimes\ncalled an image which is painted or sculptured on some material\nsubstance, such as wood or stone; and sometimes a child is called the\nimage of his parent, when the features of the child in no respect belie\ntheir resemblance to the father. I think, therefore, that that man who\nwas formed after the image and likeness of God may be fittingly compared\nto the first illustration. Respecting him, however, we shall see more\nprecisely, God willing, when we come to expound the passage in Genesis.\nBut the image of the Son of God, of whom we are now speaking, may be\ncompared to the second of the above examples, even in respect of this,\nthat He is the invisible image of the invisible God, in the same manner\nas we say, according to the sacred history, that the image of Adam is\nhis son Seth. The words are, \u201cAnd Adam begat Seth in his own likeness,\nand after his own image.\u201d[57] Now this image contains the unity of\nnature and substance belonging to Father and Son. For if the Son do, in\nlike manner, all those things which the Father doth, then, in virtue of\nthe Son doing all things like the Father, is the image of the Father\nformed in the Son, who is born of Him, like an act of His will\nproceeding from the mind. And I am therefore of opinion that the will of\nthe Father ought alone to be sufficient for the existence of that which\nHe wishes to exist. For in the exercise of His will He employs no other\nway than that which is made known by the counsel of His will. And thus\nalso the existence[58] of the Son is generated by Him. For this point\nmust above all others be maintained by those who allow nothing to be\nunbegotten, _i.e._ unborn, save God the Father only. And we must be\ncareful not to fall into the absurdities of those who picture to\nthemselves certain emanations, so as to divide the divine nature into\nparts, and who divide God the Father as far as they can, since even to\nentertain the remotest suspicion of such a thing regarding an\nincorporeal being is not only the height of impiety, but a mark of the\ngreatest folly, it being most remote from any intelligent conception\nthat there should be any physical division of any incorporeal nature.\nRather, therefore, as an act of the will proceeds from the\nunderstanding, and neither cuts off any part nor is separated or divided\nfrom it, so after some such fashion is the Father to be supposed as\nhaving begotten the Son, His own image; namely, so that, as He is\nHimself invisible by nature, He also begat an image that was invisible.\nFor the Son is the Word, and therefore we are not to understand that\nanything in Him is cognisable by the senses. He is wisdom, and in wisdom\nthere can be no suspicion of anything corporeal. He is the true light,\nwhich enlightens every man that cometh into this world; but He has\nnothing in common with the light of this sun. Our Saviour, therefore, is\nthe image of the invisible God, inasmuch as compared with the Father\nHimself He is the truth: and as compared with us, to whom He reveals the\nFather, He is the image by which we come to the knowledge of the Father,\nwhom no one knows save the Son, and he to whom the Son is pleased to\nreveal Him. And the method of revealing Him is through the\nunderstanding. For He by whom the Son Himself is understood,\nunderstands, as a consequence, the Father also, according to His own\nwords: \u201cHe that hath seen me, hath seen the Father also.\u201d[59]\n\n7. But since we quoted the language of Paul regarding Christ, where he\nsays of Him that He is \u201cthe brightness of the glory of God, and the\nexpress figure of his person,\u201d[60] let us see what idea we are to form\nof this. According to John, \u201cGod is light.\u201d The only-begotten Son,\ntherefore, is the glory of this light, proceeding inseparably from [God]\nHimself, as brightness does from light, and illuminating the whole of\ncreation. For, agreeably to what we have already explained as to the\nmanner in which He is the Way, and conducts to the Father; and in which\nHe is the Word, interpreting the secrets of wisdom, and the mysteries of\nknowledge, making them known to the rational creation; and is also the\nTruth, and the Life, and the Resurrection,\u2014in the same way ought we to\nunderstand also the meaning of His being the brightness: for it is by\nits splendour that we understand and feel what light itself is. And this\nsplendour, presenting itself gently and softly to the frail and weak\neyes of mortals, and gradually training, as it were, and accustoming\nthem to bear the brightness of the light, when it has put away from them\nevery hindrance and obstruction to vision, according to the Lord\u2019s own\nprecept, \u201cCast forth the beam out of thine eye,\u201d[61] renders them\ncapable of enduring the splendour of the light, being made in this\nrespect also a sort of mediator between men and the light.\n\n8. But since He is called by the apostle not only the brightness of His\nglory, but also the express figure of His person or _subsistence_,[62]\nit does not seem idle to inquire how there can be said to be another\nfigure of that person besides the person of God Himself, whatever be the\nmeaning of person and subsistence. Consider, then, whether the Son of\nGod, seeing He is His Word and Wisdom, and alone knows the Father, and\nreveals Him to whom He will (_i.e._ to those who are capable of\nreceiving His word and wisdom), may not, in regard of this very point of\nmaking God to be understood and acknowledged, be called the figure of\nHis person and subsistence; that is, when that Wisdom, which desires to\nmake known to others the means by which God is acknowledged and\nunderstood by them, describes Himself first of all, it may by so doing\nbe called the express figure of the person of God. In order, however, to\narrive at a fuller understanding of the manner in which the Saviour is\nthe figure of the person or subsistence of God, let us take an instance,\nwhich, although it does not describe the subject of which we are\ntreating either fully or appropriately, may nevertheless be seen to be\nemployed for this purpose only, to show that the Son of God, who was in\nthe form of God, divesting Himself [of His glory], makes it His object,\nby this very divesting of Himself, to demonstrate to us the fulness of\nHis deity. For instance, suppose that there were a statue of so enormous\na size as to fill the whole world, and which on that account could be\nseen by no one; and that another statue were formed altogether\nresembling it in the shape of the limbs, and in the features of the\ncountenance, and in form and material, but without the same immensity of\nsize, so that those who were unable to behold the one of enormous\nproportions, should, on seeing the latter, acknowledge that they had\nseen the former, because it preserved all the features of its limbs and\ncountenance, and even the very form and material, so closely, as to be\naltogether undistinguishable from it; by some such similitude, the Son\nof God, divesting Himself of His equality with the Father, and showing\nto us the way to the knowledge of Him, is made the express image of His\nperson: so that we, who were unable to look upon the glory of that\nmarvellous light when placed in the greatness of His Godhead, may, by\nHis being made to us brightness, obtain the means of beholding the\ndivine light by looking upon the brightness. This comparison, of course,\nof statues, as belonging to material things, is employed for no other\npurpose than to show that the Son of God, though placed in the very\ninsignificant form of a human body, in consequence of the resemblance of\nHis works and power to the Father, showed that there was in Him an\nimmense and invisible greatness, inasmuch as He said to His disciples,\n\u201cHe who sees me, sees the Father also;\u201d and, \u201cI and the Father are one.\u201d\nAnd to these belong also the similar expression, \u201cThe Father is in me,\nand I in the Father.\u201d\n\n9. Let us see now what is the meaning of the expression which is found\nin the Wisdom of Solomon, where it is said of Wisdom that \u201cit is a kind\nof breath of the power of God, and the purest efflux of the glory of the\nOmnipotent, and the splendour of eternal light, and the spotless mirror\nof the working or power of God, and the image of His goodness.\u201d[63]\nThese, then, are the definitions which He gives of God, pointing out by\neach one of them certain attributes which belong to the Wisdom of God,\ncalling wisdom the power, and the glory, and the everlasting light, and\nthe working, and the goodness of God. He does not say, however, that\nwisdom is the breath of the glory of the Almighty, nor of the\neverlasting light, nor of the working of the Father, nor of His\ngoodness, for it was not appropriate that breath should be ascribed to\nany one of these; but, with all propriety, he says that wisdom is the\nbreath of the power of God. Now, by the power of God is to be understood\nthat by which He is strong; by which He appoints, restrains, and governs\nall things visible and invisible; which is sufficient for all those\nthings which He rules over in His providence; among all which He is\npresent, as if one individual. And although the breath of all this\nmighty and immeasurable power, and the vigour itself produced, so to\nspeak, by its own existence, proceed from the power itself, as the will\ndoes from the mind, yet even this will of God is nevertheless made to\nbecome the power of God.[64]\n\nAnother power accordingly is produced, which exists with properties of\nits own,\u2014a kind of breath, as Scripture says, of the primal and\nunbegotten power of God, deriving from Him its being, and never at any\ntime non-existent. For if any one were to assert that it did not\nformerly exist, but came afterwards into existence, let him explain the\nreason why the Father, who gave it being, did not do so before. And if\nhe shall grant that there was once a beginning, when that breath\nproceeded from the power of God, we shall ask him again, why not even\nbefore the beginning, which he has allowed; and in this way, ever\ndemanding an earlier date, and going upwards with our interrogations, we\nshall arrive at this conclusion, that as God was always possessed of\npower and will, there never was any reason of propriety or otherwise,\nwhy He may not have always possessed that blessing which He desired. By\nwhich it is shown that that breath of God\u2019s power always existed, having\nno beginning save God Himself. Nor was it fitting that there should be\nany other beginning save God Himself, from whom it derives its birth.\nAnd according to the expression of the apostle, that Christ \u201cis the\npower of God,\u201d[65] it ought to be termed not only the breath of the\npower of God, but power out of power.\n\n10. Let us now examine the expression, \u201cWisdom is the purest efflux of\nthe glory of the Almighty;\u201d and let us first consider what the glory of\nthe omnipotent God is, and then we shall also understand what is its\nefflux. As no one can be a father without having a son, nor a master\nwithout possessing a servant, so even God cannot be called omnipotent\nunless there exist those over whom He may exercise His power; and\ntherefore, that God may be shown to be almighty, it is necessary that\nall things should exist. For if any one would have some ages or portions\nof time, or whatever else he likes to call them, to have passed away,\nwhile those things which were afterwards made did not yet exist, he\nwould undoubtedly show that during those ages or periods God was not\nomnipotent, but became so afterwards, viz. from the time that He began\nto have persons over whom to exercise power; and in this way He will\nappear to have received a certain increase, and to have risen from a\nlower to a higher condition; since there can be no doubt that it is\nbetter for Him to be omnipotent than not to be so. And now how can it\nappear otherwise than absurd, that when God possessed none of those\nthings which it was befitting for Him to possess, He should afterwards,\nby a kind of progress, come into the possession of them? But if there\nnever was a time when He was not omnipotent, of necessity those things\nby which He receives that title must also exist; and He must always have\nhad those over whom He exercised power, and which were governed by Him\neither as king or prince, of which we shall speak more fully in the\nproper place, when we come to discuss the subject of the creatures. But\neven now I think it necessary to drop a word, although cursorily, of\nwarning, since the question before us is, how wisdom is the purest\nefflux of the glory of the Almighty, lest any one should think that the\ntitle of Omnipotent was anterior in God to the birth of Wisdom, through\nwhom He is called Father, seeing that Wisdom, which is the Son of God,\nis the purest efflux of the glory of the Almighty. Let him who is\ninclined to entertain this suspicion hear the undoubted declaration of\nScripture pronouncing, \u201cIn wisdom hast Thou made them all,\u201d[66] and the\nteaching of the gospel, that \u201cby Him were all things made, and without\nHim nothing was made;\u201d[67] and let him understand from this that the\ntitle of Omnipotent in God cannot be older than that of Father; for it\nis through the Son that the Father is almighty. But from the expression\n\u201cglory of the Almighty,\u201d of which glory Wisdom is the efflux, this is to\nbe understood, that Wisdom, through which God is called Omnipotent, has\na share in the glory of the Almighty. For through Wisdom, which is\nChrist, God has power over all things, not only by the authority of a\nruler, but also by the voluntary obedience of subjects. And that you may\nunderstand that the omnipotence of Father and Son is one and the same,\nas God and the Lord are one and the same with the Father, listen to the\nmanner in which John speaks in the Apocalypse: \u201cThus saith the Lord God,\nwhich is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.\u201d[68] For\nwho else was \u201cHe which is to come\u201d than Christ? And as no one ought to\nbe offended, seeing God is the Father, that the Saviour is also God; so\nalso, since the Father is called omnipotent, no one ought to be offended\nthat the Son of God is also called omnipotent. For in this way will that\nsaying be true which He utters to the Father, \u201cAll mine are Thine, and\nThine are mine, and I am glorified in them.\u201d[69] Now, if all things\nwhich are the Father\u2019s are also Christ\u2019s, certainly among those things\nwhich exist is the omnipotence of the Father; and doubtless the\nonly-begotten Son ought to be omnipotent, that the Son also may have all\nthings which the Father possesses. \u201cAnd I am glorified in them,\u201d He\ndeclares. For \u201cat the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of things in\nheaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and every\ntongue shall confess that the Lord Jesus is in the glory of God the\nFather.\u201d[70] Therefore He is the efflux of the glory of God in this\nrespect, that He is omnipotent\u2014the pure and limpid Wisdom\nherself\u2014glorified as the efflux of omnipotence or of glory. And that it\nmay be more clearly understood what the glory of omnipotence is, we\nshall add the following. God the Father is omnipotent, because He has\npower over all things, _i.e._ over heaven and earth, sun, moon, and\nstars, and all things in them. And He exercises His power over them by\nmeans of His Word, because at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow,\nboth of things in heaven, and things on earth, and things under the\nearth. And if every knee is bent to Jesus, then, without doubt, it is\nJesus to whom all things are subject, and He it is who exercises power\nover all things, and through whom all things are subject to the Father;\nfor through wisdom, _i.e._ by word and reason, not by force and\nnecessity, are all things subject. And therefore His glory consists in\nthis very thing, that He possesses all things, and this is the purest\nand most limpid glory of omnipotence, that by reason and wisdom, not by\nforce and necessity, all things are subject. Now the purest and most\nlimpid glory of wisdom is a convenient expression to distinguish it from\nthat glory which cannot be called pure and sincere. But every nature\nwhich is convertible and changeable, although glorified in the works of\nrighteousness or wisdom, yet by the fact that righteousness or wisdom\nare accidental qualities, and because that which is accidental, may also\nfall away, its glory cannot be called sincere and pure. But the Wisdom\nof God, which is His only-begotten Son, being in all respects incapable\nof change or alteration, and every good quality in Him being essential,\nand such as cannot be changed and converted, His glory is therefore\ndeclared to be pure and sincere.\n\n11. In the third place, wisdom is called the splendour of eternal light.\nThe force of this expression we have explained in the preceding pages,\nwhen we introduced the similitude of the sun and the splendour of its\nrays, and showed to the best of our power how this should be understood.\nTo what we then said we shall add only the following remark. That is\nproperly termed everlasting or eternal which neither had a beginning of\nexistence, nor can ever cease to be what it is. And this is the idea\nconveyed by John when he says that \u201cGod is Light.\u201d Now His wisdom is the\nsplendour of that light, not only in respect of its being light, but\nalso of being everlasting light, so that His wisdom is eternal and\neverlasting splendour. If this be fully understood, it clearly shows\nthat the existence of the Son is derived from the Father, but not in\ntime, nor from any other beginning, except, as we have said, from God\nHimself.\n\n12. But wisdom is also called the stainless mirror of the \u1f10\u03bd\u03ad\u03c1\u03b3\u03b5\u03b9\u03b1 or\nworking of God. We must first understand, then, what the working of the\npower of God is. It is a sort of vigour, so to speak, by which God\noperates either in creation, or in providence, or in judgment, or in the\ndisposal and arrangement of individual things, each in its season. For\nas the image formed in a mirror unerringly reflects all the acts and\nmovements of him who gazes on it, so would Wisdom have herself to be\nunderstood when she is called the stainless mirror of the power and\nworking of the Father: as the Lord Jesus Christ also, who is the Wisdom\nof God, declares of Himself when He says, \u201cThe works which the Father\ndoeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.\u201d[71] And again He says, that\nthe Son cannot do anything of Himself, save what He sees the Father do.\nAs therefore the Son in no respect differs from the Father in the power\nof His works, and the work of the Son is not a different thing from that\nof the Father, but one and the same movement, so to speak, is in all\nthings, He therefore named Him a stainless mirror, that by such an\nexpression it might be understood that there is no dissimilarity\nwhatever between the Son and the Father. How, indeed, can those things\nwhich are said by some to be done after the manner in which a disciple\nresembles or imitates his master, or according to the view that those\nthings are made by the Son in bodily material which were first formed by\nthe Father in their spiritual essence, agree with the declarations of\nScripture, seeing in the Gospel the Son is said to do not similar\nthings, but the _same_ things in a similar manner?\n\n13. It remains that we inquire what is the \u201cimage of His goodness;\u201d and\nhere, I think, we must understand the same thing which we expressed a\nlittle ago, in speaking of the image formed by the mirror. For He is the\nprimal goodness, doubtless, out of which the Son is born, who, being in\nall respects the image of the Father, may certainly also be called with\npropriety the image of His goodness. For there is no other second\ngoodness existing in the Son, save that which is in the Father. And\ntherefore also the Saviour Himself rightly says in the Gospel, \u201cThere is\nnone good save one only, God the Father,\u201d that by such an expression it\nmay be understood that the Son is not of a different goodness, but of\nthat only which exists in the Father, of whom He is rightly termed the\nimage, because He proceeds from no other source but from that primal\ngoodness, lest there might appear to be in the Son a different goodness\nfrom that which is in the Father. Nor is there any dissimilarity or\ndifference of goodness in the Son. And therefore it is not to be\nimagined that there is a kind of blasphemy, as it were, in the words,\n\u201cThere is none good save one only, God the Father,\u201d as if thereby it may\nbe supposed to be denied that either Christ or the Holy Spirit was good.\nBut, as we have already said, the primal goodness is to be understood as\nresiding in God the Father, from whom both the Son is born and the Holy\nSpirit proceeds, retaining within them, without any doubt, the nature of\nthat goodness which is in the source whence they are derived. And if\nthere be any other things which in Scripture are called good, whether\nangel, or man, or servant, or treasure, or a good heart, or a good tree,\nall these are so termed catachrestically,[72] having in them an\naccidental, not an essential goodness. But it would require both much\ntime and labour to collect together all the titles of the Son of God,\nsuch _e.g._ as the true light, or the door, or the righteousness, or the\nsanctification, or the redemption, and countless others; and to show for\nwhat reasons each one of them is so given. Satisfied, therefore, with\nwhat we have already advanced, we go on with our inquiries into those\nother matters which follow.\n\nFootnote 41:\n\n Prov. viii. 22-25. The reading in the text differs considerably from\n that of the Vulgate.\n\nFootnote 42:\n\n Col. i. 15.\n\nFootnote 43:\n\n 1 Cor. i. 24.\n\nFootnote 44:\n\n Aliquid insubstantivum.\n\nFootnote 45:\n\n Substantialiter.\n\nFootnote 46:\n\n Ad punctum alicujus momenti.\n\nFootnote 47:\n\n Omnis virtus ac deformatio futur\u00e6 creatur\u00e6.\n\nFootnote 48:\n\n This work is mentioned by Eusebius, Hist. Eccles. B. iii. ch. iii. and\n xxv., as among the spurious writings current in the church. The _Acts\n of Paul and Thecla_ was a different work from the _Acts of Paul_. The\n words quoted, \u201cHic est verbum animal vivens,\u201d seem to be a corruption\n from Heb. iv. 12, \u03b6\u1ff6\u03bd \u03b3\u1f70\u03c1 \u1f41 \u03bb\u03cc\u03b3\u03bf\u03c2 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u0398\u03b5\u03bf\u1fe6.\n\nFootnote 49:\n\n Or, \u201cand the Word was God.\u201d\n\nFootnote 50:\n\n \u201cQuoniam hi qui videntur apud nos hominum filii, vel ceterorum\n animalium, semini eorum a quibus seminati sunt respondent, vel carum\n quarum in utero formantur ac nutriuntur, habent ex his quidquid illud\n est quod in lucem hanc assumunt, ac deferunt processuri.\u201d Probably the\n last two words should be \u201cdeferunt processuris\u201d\u2014\u201cand hand it over to\n those who are destined to come forth from them,\u201d _i.e._ to their\n descendants.\n\nFootnote 51:\n\n Subsistentia. Some would read here, \u201csubstantia.\u201d\n\nFootnote 52:\n\n Per adoptionem Spiritus. The original words here were probably\n \u03b5\u1f30\u03c3\u03c0\u03bf\u03af\u03b7\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03c0\u03bd\u03b5\u03cd\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2, and Rufinus seems to have mistaken the\n allusion to Gen. ii. 7. To \u201cadoption,\u201d in the technical theological\n sense, the words in the text cannot have any reference.\u2014SCHNITZER.\n\nFootnote 53:\n\n Col. i. 15.\n\nFootnote 54:\n\n Heb. i. 3.\n\nFootnote 55:\n\n \u1f00\u03c0\u03cc\u1fe4\u1fe5\u03bf\u03b9\u03b1.\n\nFootnote 56:\n\n Wisd. vii. 25.\n\nFootnote 57:\n\n Gen. v. 3.\n\nFootnote 58:\n\n Subsistentia.\n\nFootnote 59:\n\n John xiv. 9.\n\nFootnote 60:\n\n Heb. i. 3.\n\nFootnote 61:\n\n Luke vi. 42.\n\nFootnote 62:\n\n Heb. i. 3. Substanti\u00e6 vel subsistenti\u00e6.\n\nFootnote 63:\n\n Wisd. vii. 25, 26.\n\nFootnote 64:\n\n \u201cHujus ergo totius virtutis tant\u00e6 et tam immens\u00e6 vapor, et, ut ita\n dicam, vigor ipse in propri\u00e2 subsistenti\u00e2 effectus, quamvis ex ipsa\n virtute velut voluntas ex mente procedat, tamen et ipsa voluntas Dei\n nihilominus Dei virtus efficitur.\u201d\n\nFootnote 65:\n\n 1 Cor. i. 24.\n\nFootnote 66:\n\n Ps. civ. 24.\n\nFootnote 67:\n\n John i. 3.\n\nFootnote 68:\n\n Rev. i. 8.\n\nFootnote 69:\n\n John xvii. 10.\n\nFootnote 70:\n\n Phil. ii. 10, 11.\n\nFootnote 71:\n\n John v. 19.\n\nFootnote 72:\n\n Abusive.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER III.\n ON THE HOLY SPIRIT.\n\n\n1. The next point is to investigate as briefly as possible the subject\nof the Holy Spirit. All who perceive, in whatever manner, the existence\nof Providence, confess that God, who created and disposed all things, is\nunbegotten, and recognise Him as the parent of the universe. Now, that\nto Him belongs a Son, is a statement not made by us only; although it\nmay seem a sufficiently marvellous and incredible assertion to those who\nhave a reputation as philosophers among Greeks and Barbarians, by some\nof whom, however, an idea of His existence seems to have been\nentertained, in their acknowledging that all things were created by the\nword or reason of God. We, however, in conformity with our belief in\nthat doctrine, which we assuredly hold to be divinely inspired, believe\nthat it is possible in no other way to explain and bring within the\nreach of human knowledge this higher and diviner reason as the Son of\nGod, than by means of those Scriptures alone which were inspired by the\nHoly Spirit, _i.e._ the gospels and epistles, and the law and the\nprophets, according to the declaration of Christ Himself. Of the\nexistence of the Holy Spirit no one indeed could entertain any\nsuspicion, save those who were familiar with the law and the prophets,\nor those who profess a belief in Christ. For although no one is able to\nspeak with certainty of God the Father, it is nevertheless possible for\nsome knowledge of Him to be gained by means of the visible creation and\nthe natural feelings of the human mind; and it is possible, moreover,\nfor such knowledge to be confirmed from the sacred Scriptures. But with\nrespect to the Son of God, although no one knoweth the Son save the\nFather, yet it is from sacred Scripture also that the human mind is\ntaught how to think of the Son; and that not only from the New, but also\nfrom the Old Testament, by means of those things which, although done by\nthe saints, are figuratively referred to Christ, and from which both His\ndivine nature, and that human nature which was assumed by Him, may be\ndiscovered.\n\n2. Now, what the Holy Spirit is, we are taught in many passages of\nScripture, as by David in the fifty-first Psalm, when he says, \u201cAnd take\nnot Thy Holy Spirit from me;\u201d[73] and by Daniel, where it is said, \u201cThe\nHoly Spirit which is in thee.\u201d[74] And in the New Testament we have\nabundant testimonies, as when the Holy Spirit is described as having\ndescended upon Christ, and when the Lord breathed upon His apostles\nafter His resurrection, saying, \u201cReceive the Holy Spirit;\u201d[75] and the\nsaying of the angel to Mary, \u201cThe Holy Spirit will come upon thee;\u201d[76]\nthe declaration by Paul, that no one can call Jesus Lord, save by the\nHoly Spirit.[77] In the Acts of the Apostles, the Holy Spirit was given\nby the imposition of the apostles\u2019 hands in baptism.[78] From all which\nwe learn that the person of the Holy Spirit was of such authority and\ndignity, that saving baptism was not complete except by the authority of\nthe most excellent Trinity of them all, _i.e._ by the naming of Father,\nSon, and Holy Spirit, and by joining to the unbegotten God the Father,\nand to His only-begotten Son, the name also of the Holy Spirit. Who,\nthen, is not amazed at the exceeding majesty of the Holy Spirit, when he\nhears that he who speaks a word against the Son of man may hope for\nforgiveness; but that he who is guilty of blasphemy against the Holy\nSpirit has not forgiveness, either in the present world or in that which\nis to come![79]\n\n3. That all things were created by God, and that there is no creature\nwhich exists but has derived from Him its being, is established from\nmany declarations of Scripture; those assertions being refuted and\nrejected which are falsely alleged by some respecting the existence\neither of a matter co-eternal with God, or of unbegotten souls, in which\nthey would have it that God implanted not so much the power of\nexistence, as equality and order. For even in that little treatise\ncalled _The Pastor or Angel of Repentance_, composed by Hermas, we have\nthe following: \u201cFirst of all, believe that there is one God who created\nand arranged all things; who, when nothing formerly existed, caused all\nthings to be; who Himself contains all things, but Himself is contained\nby none.\u201d[80] And in the book of Enoch also we have similar\ndescriptions. But up to the present time we have been able to find no\nstatement in holy Scripture in which the Holy Spirit could be said to be\nmade or created,[81] not even in the way in which we have shown above\nthat the divine wisdom is spoken of by Solomon, or in which those\nexpressions which we have discussed are to be understood of the life, or\nthe word, or the other appellations of the Son of God. The Spirit of\nGod, therefore, which was borne upon the waters, as is written in the\nbeginning of the creation of the world, is, I am of opinion, no other\nthan the Holy Spirit, so far as I can understand; as indeed we have\nshown in our exposition of the passages themselves, not according to the\nhistorical, but according to the spiritual method of interpretation.\n\n4. Some indeed of our predecessors have observed, that in the New\nTestament, whenever the Spirit is named without that adjunct which\ndenotes quality, the Holy Spirit is to be understood; as _e.g._ in the\nexpression, \u201cNow the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, and peace;\u201d[82]\nand, \u201cSeeing ye began in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect in the\nflesh?\u201d[83] We are of opinion that this distinction may be observed in\nthe Old Testament also, as when it is said, \u201cHe that giveth His Spirit\nto the people who are upon the earth, and Spirit to them who walk\nthereon.\u201d[84] For, without doubt, every one who walks upon the earth\n(_i.e._ earthly and corporeal beings) is a partaker also of the Holy\nSpirit, receiving it from God. My Hebrew master also used to say that\nthose two seraphim in Isaiah, which are described as having each six\nwings, and calling to one another, and saying, \u201cHoly, holy, holy is the\nLord God of hosts,\u201d[85] were to be understood of the only-begotten Son\nof God and of the Holy Spirit. And we think that that expression also\nwhich occurs in the hymn of Habakkuk, \u201cIn the midst either of the two\nliving things, or of the two lives, Thou wilt be known,\u201d[86] ought to be\nunderstood of Christ and of the Holy Spirit. For all knowledge of the\nFather is obtained by revelation of the Son through the Holy Spirit, so\nthat both of these beings which, according to the prophet, are called\neither \u201cliving things\u201d or \u201clives,\u201d exist as the ground of the knowledge\nof God the Father. For as it is said of the Son, that \u201cno one knoweth\nthe Father but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal Him,\u201d[87] the\nsame also is said by the apostle of the Holy Spirit, when he declares,\n\u201cGod hath revealed them to us by His Holy Spirit; for the Spirit\nsearcheth all things, even the deep things of God;\u201d[88] and again in the\nGospel, when the Saviour, speaking of the divine and profounder parts of\nHis teaching, which His disciples were not yet able to receive, thus\naddresses them: \u201cI have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot\nbear them now; but when the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, is come, He will\nteach you all things, and will bring all things to your remembrance,\nwhatsoever I have said unto you.\u201d[89] We must understand, therefore,\nthat as the Son, who alone knows the Father, reveals Him to whom He\nwill, so the Holy Spirit, who alone searches the deep things of God,\nreveals God to whom He will: \u201cFor the Spirit bloweth where He\nlisteth.\u201d[90] We are not, however, to suppose that the Spirit derives\nHis knowledge through revelation from the Son. For if the Holy Spirit\nknows the Father through the Son\u2019s revelation, He passes from a state of\nignorance into one of knowledge; but it is alike impious and foolish to\nconfess the Holy Spirit, and yet to ascribe to Him ignorance. For even\nalthough something else existed before the Holy Spirit, it was not by\nprogressive advancement that He came to be the Holy Spirit; as if any\none should venture to say, that at the time when He was not yet the Holy\nSpirit He was ignorant of the Father, but that after He had received\nknowledge He was made the Holy Spirit. For if this were the case, the\nHoly Spirit would never be reckoned in the unity of the Trinity, _i.e._\nalong with the unchangeable Father and His Son, unless He had always\nbeen the Holy Spirit. When we use, indeed, such terms as \u201calways\u201d or\n\u201cwas,\u201d or any other designation of time, they are not to be taken\nabsolutely, but with due allowance; for while the significations of\nthese words relate to time, and those subjects of which we speak are\nspoken of by a stretch of language as existing in time, they\nnevertheless surpass in their real nature all conception of the finite\nunderstanding.\n\n5. Nevertheless it seems proper to inquire what is the reason why he who\nis regenerated by God unto salvation has to do both with Father and Son\nand Holy Spirit, and does not obtain salvation unless with the\nco-operation of the entire Trinity; and why it is impossible to become\npartaker of the Father or the Son without the Holy Spirit. And in\ndiscussing these subjects, it will undoubtedly be necessary to describe\nthe special working of the Holy Spirit, and of the Father and the Son. I\nam of opinion, then, that the working of the Father and of the Son takes\nplace as well in saints as in sinners, in rational beings and in dumb\nanimals; nay, even in those things which are without life, and in all\nthings universally which exist; but that the operation of the Holy\nSpirit does not take place at all in those things which are without\nlife, or in those which, although living, are yet dumb; nay, is not\nfound even in those who are endued indeed with reason, but are engaged\nin evil courses, and not at all converted to a better life. In those\npersons alone do I think that the operation of the Holy Spirit takes\nplace, who are already turning to a better life, and walking along the\nway which leads to Jesus Christ, _i.e._ who are engaged in the\nperformance of good actions, and who abide in God.\n\n6. That the working of the Father and the Son operates both in saints\nand in sinners, is manifest from this, that all who are rational beings\nare partakers of the word, _i.e._ of reason, and by this means bear\ncertain seeds, implanted within them, of wisdom and justice, which is\nChrist. Now, in Him who truly exists, and who said by Moses, \u201cI am what\nI am,\u201d[91] all things, whatever they are, participate; which\nparticipation in God the Father is shared both by just men and sinners,\nby rational and irrational beings, and by all things universally which\nexist. The Apostle Paul also shows truly that all have a share in\nChrist, when he says, \u201cSay not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into\nheaven? (_i.e._ to bring Christ down from above;) or who shall descend\ninto the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But\nwhat saith the Scripture? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and\nin thy heart.\u201d[92] By which he means that Christ is in the heart of all,\nin respect of His being the word or reason, by participating in which\nthey are rational beings. That declaration also in the Gospel, \u201cIf I had\nnot come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin; but now they have\nno excuse for their sin,\u201d[93] renders it manifest and patent to all who\nhave a rational knowledge of how long a time man is without sin, and\nfrom what period he is liable to it, how, by participating in the word\nor reason, men are said to have sinned, viz. from the time they are made\ncapable of understanding and knowledge, when the reason implanted within\nhas suggested to them the difference between good and evil; and after\nthey have already begun to know what evil is, they are made liable to\nsin, if they commit it. And this is the meaning of the expression, that\n\u201cmen have no excuse for their sin,\u201d viz. that, from the time the divine\nword or reason has begun to show them internally the difference between\ngood and evil, they ought to avoid and guard against that which is\nwicked: \u201cFor to him who knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it\nis sin.\u201d[94] Moreover, that all men are not without communion with God,\nis taught in the Gospel thus, by the Saviour\u2019s words: \u201cThe kingdom of\nGod cometh not with observation; neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo\nthere! but the kingdom of God is within you.\u201d[95] But here we must see\nwhether this does not bear the same meaning with the expression in\nGenesis: \u201cAnd He breathed into his face the breath of life, and man\nbecame a living soul.\u201d[96] For if this be understood as applying\ngenerally to all men, then all men have a share in God.\n\n7. But if this is to be understood as spoken of the Spirit of God, since\nAdam also is found to have prophesied of some things, it may be taken\nnot as of general application, but as confined to those who are saints.\nFinally, also, at the time of the flood, when all flesh had corrupted\ntheir way before God, it is recorded that God spoke thus, as of\nundeserving men and sinners: \u201cMy Spirit shall not abide with those men\nfor ever, because they are flesh.\u201d[97] By which it is clearly shown that\nthe Spirit of God is taken away from all who are unworthy. In the Psalms\nalso it is written: \u201cThou wilt take away their spirit, and they will\ndie, and return to their earth. Thou wilt send forth Thy Spirit, and\nthey shall be created, and Thou wilt renew the face of the earth;\u201d[98]\nwhich is manifestly intended of the Holy Spirit, who, after sinners and\nunworthy persons have been taken away and destroyed, creates for Himself\na new people, and renews the face of the earth, when, laying aside,\nthrough the grace of the Spirit, the old man with his deeds, they begin\nto walk in newness of life. And therefore the expression is competently\napplied to the Holy Spirit, because He will take up His dwelling, not in\nall men, nor in those who are flesh, but in those whose land[99] has\nbeen renewed. Lastly, for this reason was the grace and revelation of\nthe Holy Spirit bestowed by the imposition of the apostles\u2019 hands after\nbaptism. Our Saviour also, after the resurrection, when old things had\nalready passed away, and all things had become new, Himself a new man,\nand the first-born from the dead, His apostles also being renewed by\nfaith in His resurrection, says, \u201cReceive the Holy Spirit.\u201d[100] This is\ndoubtless what the Lord the Saviour meant to convey in the Gospel, when\nHe said that new wine cannot be put into old bottles, but commanded that\nthe bottles should be made new, _i.e._ that men should walk in newness\nof life, that they might receive the new wine, _i.e._ the newness of\ngrace of the Holy Spirit. In this manner, then, is the working of the\npower of God the Father and of the Son extended without distinction to\nevery creature; but a share in the Holy Spirit we find possessed only by\nthe saints. And therefore it is said, \u201cNo man can say that Jesus is\nLord, but by the Holy Ghost.\u201d[101] And on one occasion, scarcely even\nthe apostles themselves are deemed worthy to hear the words, \u201cYe shall\nreceive the power of the Holy Ghost coming upon you.\u201d[102] For this\nreason, also, I think it follows that he who has committed a sin against\nthe Son of man is deserving of forgiveness; because if he who is a\nparticipator of the word or reason of God cease to live agreeably to\nreason, he seems to have fallen into a state of ignorance or folly, and\ntherefore to deserve forgiveness; whereas he who has been deemed worthy\nto have a portion of the Holy Spirit, and who has relapsed, is, by this\nvery act and work, said to be guilty of blasphemy against the Holy\nSpirit. Let no one indeed suppose that we, from having said that the\nHoly Spirit is conferred upon the saints alone, but that the benefits or\noperations of the Father and of the Son extend to good and bad, to just\nand unjust, by so doing give a preference to the Holy Spirit over the\nFather and the Son, or assert that His dignity is greater, which\ncertainly would be a very illogical conclusion. For it is the\npeculiarity of His grace and operations that we have been describing.\nMoreover, nothing in the Trinity can be called greater or less, since\nthe fountain of divinity alone contains all things by His word and\nreason, and by the Spirit of His mouth sanctifies all things which are\nworthy of sanctification, as it is written in the Psalm: \u201cBy the word of\nthe Lord were the heavens strengthened, and all their power by the\nSpirit of His mouth.\u201d[103] There is also a special working of God the\nFather, besides that by which He bestowed upon all things the gift of\nnatural life. There is also a special ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ\nto those upon whom He confers by nature the gift of reason, by means of\nwhich they are enabled to be rightly what they are. There is also\nanother grace of the Holy Spirit, which is bestowed upon the deserving,\nthrough the ministry of Christ and the working of the Father, in\nproportion to the merits of those who are rendered capable of receiving\nit. This is most clearly pointed out by the Apostle Paul, when\ndemonstrating that the power of the Trinity is one and the same, in the\nwords, \u201cThere are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit; there are\ndiversities of administrations, but the same Lord; and there are\ndiversities of operations, but it is the same God who worketh all in\nall. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit\nwithal.\u201d[104] From which it most clearly follows that there is no\ndifference in the Trinity, but that which is called the gift of the\nSpirit is made known through the Son, and operated by God the Father.\n\u201cBut all these worketh that one and the self-same Spirit, dividing to\nevery one severally as He will.\u201d[105]\n\n8. Having made these declarations regarding the unity of the Father, and\nof the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, let us return to the order in which\nwe began the discussion. God the Father bestows upon all, existence; and\nparticipation in Christ, in respect of His being the word of reason,\nrenders them rational beings. From which it follows that they are\ndeserving either of praise or blame, because capable of virtue and vice.\nOn this account, therefore, is the grace of the Holy Ghost present, that\nthose beings which are not holy in their essence may be rendered holy by\nparticipating in it. Seeing, then, that firstly, they derive their\nexistence from God the Father; secondly, their rational nature from the\nWord; thirdly, their holiness from the Holy Spirit,\u2014those who have been\npreviously sanctified by the Holy Spirit are again made capable of\nreceiving Christ, in respect that He is the righteousness of God; and\nthose who have earned advancement to this grade by the sanctification of\nthe Holy Spirit, will nevertheless obtain the gift of wisdom according\nto the power and working of the Spirit of God. And this I consider is\nPaul\u2019s meaning, when he says that to \u201csome is given the word of wisdom,\nto others the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit.\u201d And\nwhile pointing out the individual distinction of gifts, he refers the\nwhole of them to the source of all things in the words, \u201cThere are\ndiversities of operations, but one God who worketh all in all.\u201d[106]\nWhence also the working of the Father, which confers existence upon all\nthings, is found to be more glorious and magnificent, while each one, by\nparticipation in Christ, as being wisdom, and knowledge, and\nsanctification, makes progress, and advances to higher degrees of\nperfection; and seeing it is by partaking of the Holy Spirit that any\none is made purer and holier, he obtains, when he is made worthy, the\ngrace of wisdom and knowledge, in order that, after all stains of\npollution and ignorance are cleansed and taken away, he may make so\ngreat an advance in holiness and purity, that the nature which he\nreceived from God may become such as is worthy of Him who gave it to be\npure and perfect, so that the being which exists may be as worthy as He\nwho called it into existence. For, in this way, he who is such as his\nCreator wished him to be, will receive from God power always to exist,\nand to abide for ever. That this may be the case, and that those whom He\nhas created may be unceasingly and inseparably present with Him, who IS,\nit is the business of wisdom to instruct and train them, and to bring\nthem to perfection by confirmation of His Holy Spirit and unceasing\nsanctification, by which alone are they capable of receiving God. In\nthis way, then, by the renewal of the ceaseless working of Father, Son,\nand Holy Spirit in us, in its various stages of progress, shall we be\nable at some future time perhaps, although with difficulty, to behold\nthe holy and the blessed life, in which (as it is only after many\nstruggles that we are able to reach it) we ought so to continue, that no\nsatiety of that blessedness should ever seize us; but the more we\nperceive its blessedness, the more should be increased and intensified\nwithin us the longing for the same, while we ever more eagerly and\nfreely receive and hold fast the Father, and the Son, and the Holy\nSpirit. But if satiety should ever take hold of any one of those who\nstand on the highest and perfect summit of attainment, I do not think\nthat such an one would suddenly be deposed from his position and fall\naway, but that he must decline gradually and little by little, so that\nit may sometimes happen that if a brief lapsus take place, and the\nindividual quickly repent and return to himself, he may not utterly fall\naway, but may retrace his steps, and return to his former place, and\nagain make good that which had been lost by his negligence.\n\nFootnote 73:\n\n Ps. li. 11.\n\nFootnote 74:\n\n Dan. iv. 8.\n\nFootnote 75:\n\n John xx. 22.\n\nFootnote 76:\n\n Luke i. 35.\n\nFootnote 77:\n\n 1 Cor. xii. 3.\n\nFootnote 78:\n\n Acts viii. 18.\n\nFootnote 79:\n\n Cf. Matt. xii. 32 and Luke xii. 10.\n\nFootnote 80:\n\n Cf. _Herm\u00e6 Past._ Vis. v. Mandat. 12.\n\nFootnote 81:\n\n Per quem Spiritus Sanctus factura esse vel creatura diceretur.\n\nFootnote 82:\n\n Gal. v. 22.\n\nFootnote 83:\n\n Gal. iii. 3.\n\nFootnote 84:\n\n Isa. xlii. 5.\n\nFootnote 85:\n\n Isa. vi. 3.\n\nFootnote 86:\n\n Hab. iii. 2.\n\nFootnote 87:\n\n Luke x. 22.\n\nFootnote 88:\n\n 1 Cor. ii. 10.\n\nFootnote 89:\n\n Cf. John xvi. 12, 13, and xiv. 26.\n\nFootnote 90:\n\n John iii. 8.\n\nFootnote 91:\n\n Ex. iii. 14.\n\nFootnote 92:\n\n Rom. x. 6-8.\n\nFootnote 93:\n\n John xv. 22.\n\nFootnote 94:\n\n Jas. iv. 17.\n\nFootnote 95:\n\n Luke xvii. 20, 21.\n\nFootnote 96:\n\n Gen. ii. 7.\n\nFootnote 97:\n\n Gen. vi. 3.\n\nFootnote 98:\n\n Ps. civ. 29, 30.\n\nFootnote 99:\n\n Terra.\n\nFootnote 100:\n\n John xx. 22.\n\nFootnote 101:\n\n 1 Cor. xii. 3.\n\nFootnote 102:\n\n Acts i. 8.\n\nFootnote 103:\n\n Ps. xxxiii. 6.\n\nFootnote 104:\n\n 1 Cor. xii. 4-7.\n\nFootnote 105:\n\n 1 Cor. xii. 11.\n\nFootnote 106:\n\n 1 Cor. xii. 6.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER IV.\n ON DEFECTION, OR FALLING AWAY.\n\n\n1. To exhibit the nature of defection or falling away, on the part of\nthose who conduct themselves carelessly, it will not appear out of place\nto employ a similitude by way of illustration. Suppose, then, the case\nof one who had become gradually acquainted with the art or science, say\nof geometry or medicine, until he had reached perfection, having trained\nhimself for a lengthened time in its principles and practice, so as to\nattain a complete mastery over the art: to such an one it could never\nhappen, that, when he lay down to sleep in the possession of his skill,\nhe should awake in a state of ignorance. It is not our purpose to adduce\nor to notice here those accidents which are occasioned by any injury or\nweakness, for they do not apply to our present illustration. According\nto our point of view, then, so long as that geometer or physician\ncontinues to exercise himself in the study of his art and in the\npractice of its principles, the knowledge of his profession abides with\nhim; but if he withdraw from its practice, and lay aside his habits of\nindustry, then, by his neglect, at first a few things will gradually\nescape him, then by and by more and more, until in course of time\neverything will be forgotten, and be completely effaced from the memory.\nIt is possible, indeed, that when he has first begun to fall away, and\nto yield to the corrupting influence of a negligence which is small as\nyet, he may, if he be aroused and return speedily to his senses, repair\nthose losses which up to that time are only recent, and recover that\nknowledge which hitherto had been only slightly obliterated from his\nmind. Let us apply this now to the case of those who have devoted\nthemselves to the knowledge and wisdom of God, whose learning and\ndiligence incomparably surpass all other training; and let us\ncontemplate, according to the form of the similitude employed, what is\nthe acquisition of knowledge, or what is its disappearance, especially\nwhen we hear from the apostle what is said of those who are perfect,\nthat they shall behold face to face the glory of the Lord in the\nrevelation of His mysteries.\n\n2. But in our desire to show the divine benefits bestowed upon us by\nFather, Son, and Holy Spirit, which Trinity is the fountain of all\nholiness, we have fallen, in what we have said, into a digression,\nhaving considered that the subject of the soul, which accidentally came\nbefore us, should be touched on, although cursorily, seeing we were\ndiscussing a cognate topic relating to our rational nature. We shall,\nhowever, with the permission of God through Jesus Christ and the Holy\nSpirit, more conveniently consider in the proper place the subject of\nall rational beings, which are distinguished into three genera and\nspecies.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER V.\n ON RATIONAL NATURES.\n\n\n1. After the dissertation, which we have briefly conducted to the best\nof our ability, regarding the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, it follows\nthat we offer a few remarks upon the subject of rational natures, and on\ntheir species and orders, or on the offices as well of holy as of\nmalignant powers, and also on those which occupy an intermediate\nposition between these good and evil powers, and as yet are placed in a\nstate of struggle and trial. For we find in holy Scripture numerous\nnames of certain orders and offices, not only of holy beings, but also\nof those of an opposite description, which we shall bring before us, in\nthe first place; and the meaning of which we shall endeavour, in the\nsecond place, to the best of our ability, to ascertain. There are\ncertain holy angels of God whom Paul terms \u201cministering spirits, sent\nforth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.\u201d[107] In the\nwritings also of St. Paul himself we find him designating them, from\nsome unknown source, as thrones, and dominions, and principalities, and\npowers; and after this enumeration, as if knowing that there were still\nother rational offices[108] and orders besides those which he had named,\nhe says of the Saviour: \u201cWho is above all principality, and power, and\nmight, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this\nworld, but also in that which is to come.\u201d[109] From which he shows that\nthere were certain beings besides those which he had mentioned, which\nmay be named indeed in this world, but were not now enumerated by him,\nand perhaps were not known by any other individual; and that there were\nothers which may not be named in this world, but will be named in the\nworld to come.\n\n2. Then, in the next place, we must know that every being which is\nendowed with reason, and transgresses its statutes and limitations, is\nundoubtedly involved in sin by swerving from rectitude and justice.\nEvery rational creature, therefore, is capable of earning praise and\ncensure: of praise, if, in conformity to that reason which he possesses,\nhe advance to better things; of censure, if he fall away from the plan\nand course of rectitude, for which reason he is justly liable to pains\nand penalties. And this also is to be held as applying to the devil\nhimself, and those who are with him, and are called his angels. Now the\ntitles of these beings have to be explained, that we may know what they\nare of whom we have to speak. The name, then, of Devil, and Satan, and\nWicked One, who is also described as Enemy of God, is mentioned in many\npassages of Scripture. Moreover, certain angels of the devil are\nmentioned, and also a prince of this world, who, whether the devil\nhimself or some one else, is not yet clearly manifest. There are also\ncertain princes of this world spoken of as possessing a kind of wisdom\nwhich will come to nought; but whether these are those princes who are\nalso the principalities with whom we have to wrestle, or other beings,\nseems to me a point on which it is not easy for any one to pronounce.\nAfter the principalities, certain powers also are named with whom we\nhave to wrestle, and carry on a struggle even against the princes of\nthis world and the rulers of this darkness. Certain spiritual powers of\nwickedness also, in heavenly places, are spoken of by Paul himself.\nWhat, moreover, are we to say of those wicked and unclean spirits\nmentioned in the gospel? Then we have certain heavenly beings called by\na similar name, but which are said to bend the knee, or to be about to\nbend the knee, at the name of Jesus; nay, even things on earth and\nthings under the earth, which Paul enumerates in order. And certainly,\nin a place where we have been discussing the subject of rational\nnatures, it is not proper to be silent regarding ourselves, who are\nhuman beings, and are called rational animals; nay, even this point is\nnot to be idly passed over, that even of us human beings certain\ndifferent orders are mentioned in the words, \u201cThe portion of the Lord is\nHis people Jacob; Israel is the cord of His inheritance.\u201d[110] Other\nnations, moreover, are called a part of the angels; since \u201cwhen the Most\nHigh divided the nations, and dispersed the sons of Adam, He fixed the\nboundaries of the nations according to the number of the angels of\nGod.\u201d[111] And therefore, with other rational natures, we must also\nthoroughly examine the reason of the human soul.\n\n3. After the enumeration, then, of so many and so important names of\norders and offices, underlying which it is certain that there are\npersonal existences, let us inquire whether God, the creator and founder\nof all things, created certain of them holy and happy, so that they\ncould admit no element at all of an opposite kind, and certain others so\nthat they were made capable both of virtue and vice; or whether we are\nto suppose that He created some so as to be altogether incapable of\nvirtue, and others again altogether incapable of wickedness, but with\nthe power of abiding only in a state of happiness, and others again such\nas to be capable of either condition. In order, now, that our first\ninquiry may begin with the names themselves, let us consider whether the\nholy angels, from the period of their first existence, have always been\nholy, and are holy still, and will be holy, and have never either\nadmitted or had the power to admit any occasion of sin. Then in the next\nplace, let us consider whether those who are called holy principalities\nbegan from the moment of their creation by God to exercise power over\nsome who were made subject to them, and whether these latter were\ncreated of such a nature, and formed for the very purpose of being\nsubject and subordinate. In like manner, also, whether those which are\ncalled powers were created of such a nature and for the express purpose\nof exercising power, or whether their arriving at that power and dignity\nis a reward and desert of their virtue. Moreover, also, whether those\nwhich are called thrones or seats gained that stability of happiness at\nthe same time with their coming forth into being,[112] so as to have\nthat possession from the will of the Creator alone; or whether those\nwhich are called dominions had their dominion conferred on them, not as\na reward for their proficiency, but as the peculiar privilege of their\ncreation,[113] so that it is something which is in a certain degree\ninseparable from them, and natural. Now, if we adopt the view that the\nholy angels, and the holy powers, and the blessed seats, and the\nglorious virtues, and the magnificent dominions, are to be regarded as\npossessing those powers and dignities and glories in virtue of their\nnature,[114] it will doubtless appear to follow that those beings which\nhave been mentioned as holding offices of an opposite kind must be\nregarded in the same manner; so that those principalities with whom we\nhave to struggle are to be viewed, not as having received that spirit of\nopposition and resistance to all good at a later period, or as falling\naway from good through the freedom of the will, but as having had it in\nthemselves as the essence of their being from the beginning of their\nexistence. In like manner also will it be the case with the powers and\nvirtues, in none of which was wickedness subsequent or posterior to\ntheir first existence. Those also whom the apostle termed rulers and\nprinces of the darkness of this world, are said, with respect to their\nrule and occupation of darkness, to fall not from perversity of\nintention, but from the necessity of their creation. Logical reasoning\nwill compel us to take the same view with regard to wicked and malignant\nspirits and unclean demons. But if to entertain this view regarding\nmalignant and opposing powers seem to be absurd, as it is certainly\nabsurd that the cause of their wickedness should be removed from the\npurpose of their own will, and ascribed of necessity to their Creator,\nwhy should we not also be obliged to make a similar confession regarding\nthe good and holy powers, that, viz., the good which is in them is not\ntheirs by essential being, which we have manifestly shown to be the case\nwith Christ and the Holy Spirit alone, as undoubtedly with the Father\nalso? For it was proved that there was nothing compound in the nature of\nthe Trinity, so that these qualities might seem to belong to it as\naccidental consequences. From which it follows, that in the case of\nevery creature it is a result of his own works and movements, that those\npowers which appear either to hold sway over others or to exercise power\nor dominion, have been preferred to and placed over those whom they are\nsaid to govern or exercise power over, and not in consequence of a\npeculiar privilege inherent in their constitutions, but on account of\nmerit.\n\n4. But that we may not appear to build our assertions on subjects of\nsuch importance and difficulty on the ground of inference alone, or to\nrequire the assent of our hearers to what is only conjectural, let us\nsee whether we can obtain any declarations from holy Scripture, by the\nauthority of which these positions may be more credibly maintained. And,\nfirstly, we shall adduce what holy Scripture contains regarding wicked\npowers; we shall next continue our investigation with regard to the\nothers, as the Lord shall be pleased to enlighten us, that in matters of\nsuch difficulty we may ascertain what is nearest to the truth, or what\nought to be our opinions agreeably to the standard of religion. Now we\nfind in the prophet Ezekiel two prophecies written to the prince of\nTyre, the former of which might appear to any one, before he heard the\nsecond also, to be spoken of some man who was prince of the Tyrians. In\nthe meantime, therefore, we shall take nothing from that first prophecy;\nbut as the second is manifestly of such a kind as cannot be at all\nunderstood of a man, but of some superior power which had fallen away\nfrom a higher position, and had been reduced to a lower and worse\ncondition, we shall from it take an illustration, by which it may be\ndemonstrated with the utmost clearness, that those opposing and\nmalignant powers were not formed or created so by nature, but fell from\na better to a worse position, and were converted into wicked beings;\nthat those blessed powers also were not of such a nature as to be unable\nto admit what was opposed to them if they were so inclined and became\nnegligent, and did not guard most carefully the blessedness of their\ncondition. For if it is related that he who is called the prince of Tyre\nwas amongst the saints, and was without stain, and was placed in the\nparadise of God, and adorned also with a crown of comeliness and beauty,\nis it to be supposed that such an one could be in any degree inferior to\nany of the saints? For he is described as having been adorned with a\ncrown of comeliness and beauty, and as having walked stainless in the\nparadise of God: and how can any one suppose that such a being was not\none of those holy and blessed powers which, as being placed in a state\nof happiness, we must believe to be endowed with no other honour than\nthis? But let us see what we are taught by the words of the prophecy\nthemselves. \u201cThe word of the Lord,\u201d says the prophet, \u201ccame to me,\nsaying, Son of man, take up a lamentation over the prince of Tyre, and\nsay to him, Thus saith the Lord God, Thou hast been the seal of a\nsimilitude, and a crown of comeliness among the delights of paradise;\nthou wert adorned with every good stone or gem, and wert clothed with\nsardonyx, and topaz, and emerald, and carbuncle, and sapphire, and\njasper, set in gold and silver, and with agate, amethyst, and\nchrysolite, and beryl, and onyx: with gold also didst thou fill thy\ntreasures, and thy storehouses within thee. From the day when thou wert\ncreated along with the cherubim, I placed thee in the holy mount of God.\nThou wert in the midst of the fiery stones: thou wert stainless in thy\ndays, from the day when thou wert created, until iniquities were found\nin thee: from the greatness of thy trade, thou didst fill thy\nstorehouses with iniquity, and didst sin, and wert wounded from the\nmount of God. And a cherub drove thee forth from the midst of the\nburning stones; and thy heart was elated because of thy comeliness, thy\ndiscipline was corrupted along with thy beauty: on account of the\nmultitude of thy sins, I cast thee forth to the earth before kings; I\ngave thee for a show and a mockery on account of the multitude of thy\nsins, and of thine iniquities: because of thy trade thou hast polluted\nthy holy places. And I shall bring forth fire from the midst of thee,\nand it shall devour thee, and I shall give thee for ashes and cinders on\nthe earth in the sight of all who see thee: and all who know thee among\nthe nations shall mourn over thee. Thou hast been made destruction, and\nthou shalt exist no longer for ever.\u201d[115] Seeing, then, that such are\nthe words of the prophet, who is there that on hearing, \u201cThou wert a\nseal of a similitude, and a crown of comeliness among the delights of\nparadise,\u201d or that \u201cFrom the day when thou wert created with the\ncherubim, I placed thee in the holy mount of God,\u201d can so enfeeble the\nmeaning as to suppose that this language is used of some man or saint,\nnot to say the prince of Tyre? Or what fiery stones can he imagine in\nthe midst of which any man could live? Or who could be supposed to be\nstainless from the very day of his creation, and wickedness being\nafterwards discovered in him, it be said of him then that he was cast\nforth upon the earth? For the meaning of this is, that He who was not\nyet on the earth is said to be cast forth upon it: whose holy places\nalso are said to be polluted. We have shown, then, that what we have\nquoted regarding the prince of Tyre from the prophet Ezekiel refers to\nan adverse power, and by it it is most clearly proved that that power\nwas formerly holy and happy; from which state of happiness it fell from\nthe time that iniquity was found in it, and was hurled to the earth, and\nwas not such by nature and creation. We are of opinion, therefore, that\nthese words are spoken of a certain angel who had received the office of\ngoverning the nation of the Tyrians, and to whom also their souls had\nbeen entrusted to be taken care of. But what Tyre, or what souls of\nTyrians, we ought to understand, whether that Tyre which is situated\nwithin the boundaries of the province of Ph\u0153nicia, or some other of\nwhich this one which we know on earth is the model; and the souls of the\nTyrians, whether they are those of the former or those which belong to\nthat Tyre which is spiritually understood, does not seem to be a matter\nrequiring examination in this place; lest perhaps we should appear to\ninvestigate subjects of so much mystery and importance in a cursory\nmanner, whereas they demand a labour and work of their own.\n\n5. Again, we are taught as follows by the prophet Isaiah regarding\nanother opposing power. The prophet says, \u201cHow is Lucifer, who used to\narise in the morning, fallen from heaven! He who assailed all nations is\nbroken and beaten to the ground. Thou indeed saidst in thy heart, I\nshall ascend into heaven; above the stars of heaven shall I place my\nthrone; I shall sit upon a lofty mountain, above the lofty mountains\nwhich are towards the north; I shall ascend above the clouds; I shall be\nlike the Most High. Now shalt thou be brought down to the lower world,\nand to the foundations of the earth. They who see thee shall be amazed\nat thee, and shall say, This is the man who harassed the whole earth,\nwho moved kings, who made the whole world a desert, who destroyed\ncities, and did not unloose those who were in chains. All the kings of\nthe nations have slept in honour, every one in his own house; but thou\nshalt be cast forth on the mountains, accursed with the many dead who\nhave been pierced through with swords, and have descended to the lower\nworld. As a garment clotted with blood, and stained, will not be clean;\nneither shalt thou be clean, because thou hast destroyed my land and\nslain my people: thou shalt not remain for ever, most wicked seed.\nPrepare thy sons for death on account of the sins of thy father, lest\nthey rise again and inherit the earth, and fill the earth with wars. And\nI shall rise against them, saith the Lord of hosts, and I shall cause\ntheir name to perish, and their remains, and their seed.\u201d[116] Most\nevidently by these words is he shown to have fallen from heaven, who\nformerly was Lucifer, and who used to arise in the morning. For if, as\nsome think, he was a nature of darkness, how is Lucifer said to have\nexisted before? Or how could he arise in the morning, who had in himself\nnothing of the light? Nay, even the Saviour Himself teaches us, saying\nof the devil, \u201cBehold, I see Satan fallen from heaven like\nlightning.\u201d[117] For at one time he was light. Moreover our Lord, who is\nthe truth, compared the power of His own glorious advent to lightning,\nin the words, \u201cFor as the lightning shineth from the height of heaven\neven to its height again, so will the coming of the Son of man be.\u201d[118]\nAnd notwithstanding He compares him to lightning, and says that he fell\nfrom heaven, that He might show by this that he had been at one time in\nheaven, and had had a place among the saints, and had enjoyed a share in\nthat light in which all the saints participate, by which they are made\nangels of light, and by which the apostles are termed by the Lord the\nlight of the world. In this manner, then, did that being once exist as\nlight before he went astray, and fell to this place, and had his glory\nturned into dust, which is peculiarly the mark of the wicked, as the\nprophet also says; whence, too, he was called the prince of this world,\n_i.e._ of an earthly habitation: for he exercised power over those who\nwere obedient to his wickedness, since \u201cthe whole of this world\u201d\u2014for I\nterm this place of earth, world\u2014\u201clieth in the wicked one,\u201d[119] and in\nthis apostate. That he is an apostate, _i.e._ a fugitive, even the Lord\nin the book of Job says, \u201cThou wilt take with a hook the apostate\ndragon,\u201d _i.e._ a fugitive.[120] Now it is certain that by the dragon is\nunderstood the devil himself. If then they are called opposing powers,\nand are said to have been once without stain, while spotless purity\nexists in the essential being of none save the Father, Son, and Holy\nSpirit, but is an accidental quality in every created thing; and since\nthat which is accidental may also fall away, and since those opposite\npowers once were spotless, and were once among those which still remain\nunstained, it is evident from all this that no one is pure either by\nessence or nature, and that no one was by nature polluted. And the\nconsequence of this is, that it lies within ourselves and in our own\nactions to possess either happiness or holiness; or by sloth and\nnegligence to fall from happiness into wickedness and ruin, to such a\ndegree that, through too great proficiency, so to speak, in wickedness\n(if a man be guilty of so great neglect), he may descend even to that\nstate in which he will be changed into what is called an \u201copposing\npower.\u201d\n\nFootnote 107:\n\n Heb. i. 14.\n\nFootnote 108:\n\n Officia.\n\nFootnote 109:\n\n Eph. i. 21.\n\nFootnote 110:\n\n Deut. xxxii. 9.\n\nFootnote 111:\n\n Deut. xxxii. 8. The Septuagint here differs from the Masoretic text.\n\nFootnote 112:\n\n Simul cum substanti\u00e6 su\u00e6 prolatione\u2014at the same time with the\n emanation of their substance.\n\nFootnote 113:\n\n Conditionis pr\u00e6rogativa.\n\nFootnote 114:\n\n Substantialiter.\n\nFootnote 115:\n\n Ezek. xxviii. 11-19.\n\nFootnote 116:\n\n Isa. xiv. 12-22.\n\nFootnote 117:\n\n Luke x. 18.\n\nFootnote 118:\n\n Matt. xxiv. 27.\n\nFootnote 119:\n\n 1 John v. 19.\n\nFootnote 120:\n\n Job xl. 20.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER VI.\n ON THE END OR CONSUMMATION.\n\n\n1. An end or consummation would seem to be an indication of the\nperfection and completion of things. And this reminds us here, that if\nthere be any one imbued with a desire of reading and understanding\nsubjects of such difficulty and importance, he ought to bring to the\neffort a perfect and instructed understanding, lest perhaps, if he has\nhad no experience in questions of this kind, they may appear to him as\nvain and superfluous; or if his mind be full of preconceptions and\nprejudices on other points, he may judge these to be heretical and\nopposed to the faith of the church, yielding in so doing not so much to\nthe convictions of reason as to the dogmatism of prejudice. These\nsubjects, indeed, are treated by us with great solicitude and caution,\nin the manner rather of an investigation and discussion, than in that of\nfixed and certain decision. For we have pointed out in the preceding\npages those questions which must be set forth in clear dogmatic\npropositions, as I think has been done to the best of my ability when\nspeaking of the Trinity. But on the present occasion our exercise is to\nbe conducted, as we best may, in the style of a disputation rather than\nof strict definition.\n\nThe end of the world, then, and the final consummation, will take place\nwhen every one shall be subjected to punishment for his sins; a time\nwhich God alone knows, when He will bestow on each one what he deserves.\nWe think, indeed, that the goodness of God, through His Christ, may\nrecall all His creatures to one end, even His enemies being conquered\nand subdued. For thus says holy Scripture, \u201cThe Lord said to my Lord,\nSit Thou at my right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy\nfootstool.\u201d[121] And if the meaning of the prophet\u2019s language here be\nless clear, we may ascertain it from the Apostle Paul, who speaks more\nopenly, thus: \u201cFor Christ must reign until He has put all enemies under\nHis feet.\u201d[122] But if even that unreserved declaration of the apostle\ndo not sufficiently inform us what is meant by \u201cenemies being placed\nunder His feet,\u201d listen to what he says in the following words, \u201cFor all\nthings must be put under Him.\u201d What, then, is this \u201cputting under\u201d by\nwhich all things must be made subject to Christ? I am of opinion that it\nis this very subjection by which we also wish to be subject to Him, by\nwhich the apostles also were subject, and all the saints who have been\nfollowers of Christ. For the name \u201csubjection,\u201d by which we are subject\nto Christ, indicates that the salvation which proceeds from Him belongs\nto His subjects, agreeably to the declaration of David, \u201cShall not my\nsoul be subject unto God? From Him cometh my salvation.\u201d[123]\n\n2. Seeing, then, that such is the end, when all enemies will be subdued\nto Christ, when death\u2014the last enemy\u2014shall be destroyed, and when the\nkingdom shall be delivered up by Christ (to whom all things are subject)\nto God the Father; let us, I say, from such an end as this, contemplate\nthe beginnings of things. For the end is always like the beginning: and,\ntherefore, as there is one end to all things, so ought we to understand\nthat there was one beginning; and as there is one end to many things, so\nthere spring from one beginning many differences and varieties, which\nagain, through the goodness of God, and by subjection to Christ, and\nthrough the unity of the Holy Spirit, are recalled to one end, which is\nlike unto the beginning: all those, viz., who, bending the knee at the\nname of Jesus, make known by so doing their subjection to Him: and these\nare they who are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth: by which\nthree classes the whole universe of things is pointed out, those, viz.,\nwho from that one beginning were arranged, each according to the\ndiversity of his conduct, among the different orders, in accordance with\ntheir desert; for there was no goodness in them by essential being, as\nin God and His Christ, and in the Holy Spirit. For in the Trinity alone,\nwhich is the author of all things, does goodness exist in virtue of\nessential being; while others possess it as an accidental and perishable\nquality, and only then enjoy blessedness, when they participate in\nholiness and wisdom, and in divinity itself. But if they neglect and\ndespise such participation, then is each one, by fault of his own\nslothfulness, made, one more rapidly, another more slowly, one in a\ngreater, another in a less degree, the cause of his own downfall. And\nsince, as we have remarked, the lapse by which an individual falls away\nfrom his position is characterized by great diversity, according to the\nmovements of the mind and will, one man falling with greater ease,\nanother with more difficulty, into a lower condition; in this is to be\nseen the just judgment of the providence of God, that it should happen\nto every one according to the diversity of his conduct, in proportion to\nthe desert of his declension and defection. Certain of those, indeed,\nwho remained in that beginning which we have described as resembling the\nend which is to come, obtained, in the ordering and arrangement of the\nworld, the rank of angels; others that of influences, others of\nprincipalities, others of powers, that they may exercise power over\nthose who need to have power upon their head. Others, again, received\nthe rank of thrones, having the office of judging or ruling those who\nrequire this; others dominion, doubtless, over slaves; all of which are\nconferred by Divine Providence in just and impartial judgment according\nto their merits, and to the progress which they had made in the\nparticipation and imitation of God. But those who have been removed from\ntheir primal state of blessedness have not been removed irrecoverably,\nbut have been placed under the rule of those holy and blessed orders\nwhich we have described; and by availing themselves of the aid of these,\nand being remoulded by salutary principles and discipline, they may\nrecover themselves, and be restored to their condition of happiness.\nFrom all which I am of opinion, so far as I can see, that this order of\nthe human race has been appointed in order that in the future world, or\nin ages to come, when there shall be the new heavens and new earth,\nspoken of by Isaiah, it may be restored to that unity promised by the\nLord Jesus in His prayer to God the Father on behalf of His disciples:\n\u201cI do not pray for these alone, but for all who shall believe on me\nthrough their word: that they all may be one, as Thou, Father, art in\nme, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us;\u201d[124] and again,\nwhen He says: \u201cThat they may be one, even as we are one; I in them, and\nThou in me, that they may be made perfect in one.\u201d[125] And this is\nfurther confirmed by the language of the Apostle Paul: \u201cUntil we all\ncome in the unity of the faith to a perfect man, to the measure of the\nstature of the fulness of Christ.\u201d[126] And in keeping with this is the\ndeclaration of the same apostle, when he exhorts us, who even in the\npresent life are placed in the church, in which is the form of that\nkingdom which is to come, to this same similitude of unity: \u201cThat ye all\nspeak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that\nye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same\njudgment.\u201d[127]\n\n3. It is to be borne in mind, however, that certain beings who fell away\nfrom that one beginning of which we have spoken, have sunk to such a\ndepth of unworthiness and wickedness as to be deemed altogether\nundeserving of that training and instruction by which the human race,\nwhile in the flesh, are trained and instructed with the assistance of\nthe heavenly powers; and continue, on the contrary, in a state of enmity\nand opposition to those who are receiving this instruction and teaching.\nAnd hence it is that the whole of this mortal life is full of struggles\nand trials, caused by the opposition and enmity of those who fell from a\nbetter condition without at all looking back, and who are called the\ndevil and his angels, and the other orders of evil, which the apostle\nclassed among the opposing powers. But whether any of these orders who\nact under the government of the devil, and obey his wicked commands,\nwill in a future world be converted to righteousness because of their\npossessing the faculty of freedom of will, or whether persistent and\ninveterate wickedness may be changed by the power of habit into nature,\nis a result which you yourself, reader, may approve of, if neither in\nthese present worlds which are seen and temporal, nor in those which are\nunseen and are eternal, that portion is to differ wholly from the final\nunity and fitness of things. But in the meantime, both in those temporal\nworlds which are seen, as well as in those eternal worlds which are\ninvisible, all those beings are arranged, according to a regular plan,\nin the order and degree of their merits; so that some of them in the\nfirst, others in the second, some even in the last times, after having\nundergone heavier and severer punishments, endured for a lengthened\nperiod, and for many ages, so to speak, improved by this stern method of\ntraining, and restored at first by the instruction of the angels, and\nsubsequently by the powers of a higher grade, and thus advancing through\neach stage to a better condition, reach even to that which is invisible\nand eternal, having travelled through, by a kind of training, every\nsingle office of the heavenly powers. From which, I think, this will\nappear to follow as an inference, that every rational nature may, in\npassing from one order to another, go through each to all, and advance\nfrom all to each, while made the subject of various degrees of\nproficiency and failure according to its own actions and endeavours, put\nforth in the enjoyment of its power of freedom of will.\n\n4. But since Paul says that certain things are visible and temporal, and\nothers besides these invisible and eternal, we proceed to inquire how\nthose things which are seen are temporal\u2014whether because there will be\nnothing at all after them in all those periods of the coming world, in\nwhich that dispersion and separation from the one beginning is\nundergoing a process of restoration to one and the same end and\nlikeness; or because, while the form of those things which are seen\npasses away, their essential nature is subject to no corruption. And\nPaul seems to confirm the latter view, when he says, \u201cFor the fashion of\nthis world passeth away.\u201d[128] David also appears to assert the same in\nthe words, \u201cThe heavens shall perish, but Thou shalt endure; and they\nall shall wax old as a garment, and Thou shalt change them like a\nvesture, and like a vestment they shall be changed.\u201d[129] For if the\nheavens are to be changed, assuredly that which is changed does not\nperish, and if the fashion of the world passes away, it is by no means\nan annihilation or destruction of their material substance that is shown\nto take place, but a kind of change of quality and transformation of\nappearance. Isaiah also, in declaring prophetically that there will be a\nnew heaven and a new earth, undoubtedly suggests a similar view. For\nthis renewal of heaven and earth, and this transmutation of the form of\nthe present world, and this changing of the heavens, will undoubtedly be\nprepared for those who are walking along that way which we have pointed\nout above, and are tending to that goal of happiness to which, it is\nsaid, even enemies themselves are to be subjected, and in which God is\nsaid to be \u201call and in all.\u201d And if any one imagine that at the end\nmaterial, _i.e._ bodily, nature will be entirely destroyed, he cannot in\nany respect meet my view, how beings so numerous and powerful are able\nto live and to exist without bodies, since it is an attribute of the\ndivine nature alone\u2014_i.e._ of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit\u2014to exist\nwithout any material substance, and without partaking in any degree of a\nbodily adjunct. Another, perhaps, may say that in the end every bodily\nsubstance will be so pure and refined as to be like the \u00e6ther, and of a\ncelestial purity and clearness. How things will be, however, is known\nwith certainty to God alone, and to those who are His friends through\nChrist and the Holy Spirit.\n\nFootnote 121:\n\n Ps. cx. 1.\n\nFootnote 122:\n\n 1 Cor. xv. 25.\n\nFootnote 123:\n\n Ps. lxii. 1.\n\nFootnote 124:\n\n John xvii. 20, 21.\n\nFootnote 125:\n\n John xvii. 22, 23.\n\nFootnote 126:\n\n Eph. iv. 13.\n\nFootnote 127:\n\n 1 Cor. i. 10.\n\nFootnote 128:\n\n 1 Cor. vii. 31.\n\nFootnote 129:\n\n Ps. cii. 26.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER VII.\n ON INCORPOREAL AND CORPOREAL BEINGS.\n\n\n1. The subjects considered in the previous chapter have been spoken of\nin general language, the nature of rational beings being discussed more\nby way of intelligent inference than strict dogmatic definition, with\nthe exception of the place where we treated, to the best of our ability,\nof the persons of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We have now to ascertain\nwhat those matters are which it is proper to treat in the following\npages according to our dogmatic belief, _i.e._ in agreement with the\ncreed of the church. All souls and all rational natures, whether holy or\nwicked, were formed or created, and all these, according to their proper\nnature, are incorporeal; but although incorporeal, they were\nnevertheless created, because all things were made by God through\nChrist, as John teaches in a general way in his Gospel, saying, \u201cIn the\nbeginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.\nThe same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and\nwithout Him was nothing made.\u201d[130] The Apostle Paul, moreover,\ndescribing created things by species and numbers and orders, speaks as\nfollows, when showing that all things were made through Christ: \u201cAnd in\nHim were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth,\nvisible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or\nprincipalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and in Him:\nand He is before all, and He is the head.\u201d[131] He therefore manifestly\ndeclares that in Christ and through Christ were all things made and\ncreated, whether things visible, which are corporeal, or things\ninvisible, which I regard as none other than incorporeal and spiritual\npowers. But of those things which he had termed generally corporeal or\nincorporeal, he seems to me, in the words that follow, to enumerate the\nvarious kinds, viz. thrones, dominions, principalities, powers,\ninfluences.\n\nThese matters now have been previously mentioned by us, as we are\ndesirous to come in an orderly manner to the investigation of the sun,\nand moon, and stars by way of logical inference, and to ascertain\nwhether they also ought properly to be reckoned among the principalities\non account of their being said to be created in \u1f08\u03c1\u03c7\u1f70\u03c2, _i.e._ for the\ngovernment of day and night; or whether they are to be regarded as\nhaving only that government of day and night which they discharge by\nperforming the office of illuminating them, and are not in reality chief\nof that order of principalities.\n\n2. Now, when it is said that all things were made by Him, and that in\nHim were all things created, both things in heaven and things on earth,\nthere can be no doubt that also those things which are in the firmament,\nwhich is called heaven, and in which those luminaries are said to be\nplaced, are included amongst the number of heavenly things. And\nsecondly, seeing that the course of the discussion has manifestly\ndiscovered that all things were made or created, and that amongst\ncreated things there is nothing which may not admit of good and evil,\nand be capable of either, what are we to think of the following opinion\nwhich certain of our friends entertain regarding sun, moon, and stars,\nviz. that they are unchangeable, and incapable of becoming the opposite\nof what they are? Not a few have held that view even regarding the holy\nangels, and certain heretics also regarding souls, which they call\nspiritual natures.\n\nIn the first place, then, let us see what reason itself can discover\nrespecting sun, moon, and stars,\u2014whether the opinion, entertained by\nsome, of their unchangeableness be correct,\u2014and let the declarations of\nholy Scripture, as far as possible, be first adduced. For Job appears to\nassert that not only may the stars be subject to sin, but even that they\nare actually not clean from the contagion of it. The following are his\nwords: \u201cThe stars also are not clean in Thy sight.\u201d[132] Nor is this to\nbe understood of the splendour of their physical substance, as if one\nwere to say, for example, of a garment, that it is not clean; for if\nsuch were the meaning, then the accusation of a want of cleanness in the\nsplendour of their bodily substance would imply an injurious reflection\nupon their Creator. For if they are unable, through their own diligent\nefforts, either to acquire for themselves a body of greater brightness,\nor through their sloth to make the one they have less pure, how should\nthey incur censure for being stars that are not clean, if they receive\nno praise because they are so?\n\n3. But to arrive at a clearer understanding on these matters, we ought\nfirst to inquire after this point, whether it is allowable to suppose\nthat they are living and rational beings; then, in the next place,\nwhether their souls came into existence at the same time with their\nbodies, or seem to be anterior to them; and also whether, after the end\nof the world, we are to understand that they are to be released from\ntheir bodies; and whether, as we cease to live, so they also will cease\nfrom illuminating the world. Although this inquiry may seem to be\nsomewhat bold, yet, as we are incited by the desire of ascertaining the\ntruth as far as possible, there seems no absurdity in attempting an\ninvestigation of the subject agreeably to the grace of the Holy Spirit.\n\nWe think, then, that they may be designated as living beings, for this\nreason, that they are said to receive commandments from God, which is\nordinarily the case only with rational beings. \u201cI have given a\ncommandment to all the stars,\u201d[133] says the Lord. What, now, are these\ncommandments? Those, namely, that each star, in its order and course,\nshould bestow upon the world the amount of splendour which has been\nentrusted to it. For those which are called \u201cplanets\u201d move in orbits of\none kind, and those which are termed \u1f00\u03c0\u03bb\u03b1\u03bd\u03b5\u1fd6\u03c2 are different. Now it\nmanifestly follows from this, that neither can the movement of that body\ntake place without a soul, nor can living things be at any time without\nmotion. And seeing that the stars move with such order and regularity,\nthat their movements never appear to be at any time subject to\nderangement, would it not be the height of folly to say that so orderly\nan observance of method and plan could be carried out or accomplished by\nirrational beings? In the writings of Jeremiah, indeed, the moon is\ncalled the queen of heaven.[134] Yet if the stars are living and\nrational beings, there will undoubtedly appear among them both an\nadvance and a falling back. For the language of Job, \u201cthe stars are not\nclean in His sight,\u201d seems to me to convey some such idea.\n\n4. And now we have to ascertain whether those beings which in the course\nof the discussion we have discovered to possess life and reason, were\nendowed with a soul along with their bodies at the time mentioned in\nScripture, when \u201cGod made two great lights, the greater light to rule\nthe day, and the lesser light to rule the night, and the stars\nalso,\u201d[135] or whether their spirit was implanted in them, not at the\ncreation of their bodies, but from without, after they had been already\nmade. I, for my part, suspect that the spirit was implanted in them from\nwithout; but it will be worth while to prove this from Scripture: for it\nwill seem an easy matter to make the assertion on conjectural grounds,\nwhile it is more difficult to establish it by the testimony of\nScripture. Now it may be established conjecturally as follows. If the\nsoul of a man, which is certainly inferior while it remains the soul of\na man, was not formed along with his body, but is proved to have been\nimplanted strictly from without, much more must this be the case with\nthose living beings which are called heavenly. For, as regards man, how\ncould the soul of him, viz. Jacob, who supplanted his brother in the\nwomb, appear to be formed along with his body? Or how could his soul, or\nits images, be formed along with his body, who, while lying in his\nmother\u2019s womb, was filled with the Holy Ghost? I refer to John leaping\nin his mother\u2019s womb, and exulting because the voice of the salutation\nof Mary had come to the ears of his mother Elisabeth. How could his soul\nand its images be formed along with his body, who, before he was created\nin the womb, is said to be known to God, and was sanctified by Him\nbefore his birth? Some, perhaps, may think that God fills individuals\nwith His Holy Spirit, and bestows upon them sanctification, not on\ngrounds of justice and according to their deserts, but undeservedly. And\nhow shall we escape that declaration: \u201cIs there unrighteousness with\nGod? God forbid!\u201d[136] or this: \u201cIs there respect of persons with\nGod?\u201d[137] For such is the defence of those who maintain that souls come\ninto existence with bodies. So far, then, as we can form an opinion from\na comparison with the condition of man, I think it follows that we must\nhold the same to hold good with heavenly beings, which reason itself and\nscriptural authority show us to be the case with men.\n\n5. But let us see whether we can find in holy Scripture any indications\nproperly applicable to these heavenly existences. The following is the\nstatement of the Apostle Paul: \u201cThe creature was made subject to vanity,\nnot willingly, but by reason of Him who subjected the same in hope,\nbecause the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of\ncorruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.\u201d[138] To\nwhat vanity, pray, was the creature made subject, or what creature is\nreferred to, or how is it said \u201cnot willingly,\u201d or \u201cin hope of what?\u201d\nAnd in what way is the creature itself to be delivered from the bondage\nof corruption? Elsewhere, also, the same apostle says: \u201cFor the\nexpectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of\nGod.\u201d[139] And again in another passage, \u201cAnd not only we, but the\ncreation itself groaneth together, and is in pain until now.\u201d[140] And\nhence we have to inquire what are the groanings, and what are the pains.\nLet us see then, in the first place, what is the vanity to which the\ncreature is subject. I apprehend that it is nothing else than the body;\nfor although the body of the stars is ethereal, it is nevertheless\nmaterial. Whence also Solomon appears to characterize the whole of\ncorporeal nature as a kind of burden which enfeebles the vigour of the\nsoul in the following language: \u201cVanity of vanities, saith the Preacher;\nall is vanity. I have looked, and seen all the works that are done under\nthe sun; and, behold, all is vanity.\u201d[141] To this vanity, then, is the\ncreature subject, that creature especially which, being assuredly the\ngreatest in this world, holds also a distinguished principality of\nlabour, _i.e._ the sun, and moon, and stars, are said to be subject to\nvanity, because they are clothed with bodies, and set apart to the\noffice of giving light to the human race. \u201cAnd this creature,\u201d he\nremarks, \u201cwas subjected to vanity not willingly.\u201d For it did not\nundertake a voluntary service to vanity, but because it was the will of\nHim who made it subject, and because of the promise of the Subjector to\nthose who were reduced to this unwilling obedience, that when the\nministry of their great work was performed, they were to be freed from\nthis bondage of corruption and vanity when the time of the glorious\nredemption of God\u2019s children should have arrived. And the whole of\ncreation, receiving this hope, and looking for the fulfilment of this\npromise now, in the meantime, as having an affection for those whom it\nserves, groans along with them, and patiently suffers with them, hoping\nfor the fulfilment of the promises. See also whether the following words\nof Paul can apply to those who, although not willingly, yet in\naccordance with the will of Him who subjected them, and in hope of the\npromises, were made subject to vanity, when he says, \u201cFor I could wish\nto be dissolved,\u201d or \u201cto return and be with Christ, which is far\nbetter.\u201d[142] For I think that the sun might say in like manner, \u201cI\nwould desire to be dissolved,\u201d or \u201cto return and be with Christ, which\nis far better.\u201d Paul indeed adds, \u201cNevertheless, to abide in the flesh\nis more needful for you;\u201d while the sun may say, \u201cTo abide in this\nbright and heavenly body is more necessary, on account of the\nmanifestation of the sons of God.\u201d The same views are to be believed and\nexpressed regarding the moon and stars.\n\nLet us see now what is the freedom of the creature, or the termination\nof its bondage. When Christ shall have delivered up the kingdom to God\neven the Father, then also those living things, when they shall have\nfirst been made the kingdom of Christ, shall be delivered, along with\nthe whole of that kingdom, to the rule of the Father, that when God\nshall be all in all, they also, since they are a part of all things, may\nhave God in themselves, as He is in all things.\n\nFootnote 130:\n\n John i. 1-3.\n\nFootnote 131:\n\n Col. i. 16-18.\n\nFootnote 132:\n\n Job xxv. 5.\n\nFootnote 133:\n\n Isa. xlv. 12.\n\nFootnote 134:\n\n Jer. vii. 18.\n\nFootnote 135:\n\n Gen. i. 16.\n\nFootnote 136:\n\n Rom. ix. 14.\n\nFootnote 137:\n\n Rom. ii. 11.\n\nFootnote 138:\n\n Cf. Rom. viii. 20, 21.\n\nFootnote 139:\n\n Rom. viii. 19.\n\nFootnote 140:\n\n Rom. viii. 22, cf. 23.\n\nFootnote 141:\n\n Eccles. i. 1, 14.\n\nFootnote 142:\n\n Phil. i. 23.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER VIII.\n ON THE ANGELS.\n\n\n1. A similar method must be followed in treating of the angels; nor are\nwe to suppose that it is the result of accident that a particular office\nis assigned to a particular angel: as to Raphael, _e.g._, the work of\ncuring and healing; to Gabriel, the conduct of wars; to Michael, the\nduty of attending to the prayers and supplications of mortals. For we\nare not to imagine that they obtained these offices otherwise than by\ntheir own merits, and by the zeal and excellent qualities which they\nseverally displayed before this world was formed; so that afterwards, in\nthe order of archangels, this or that office was assigned to each one,\nwhile others deserved to be enrolled in the order of angels, and to act\nunder this or that archangel, or that leader or head of an order. All of\nwhich things were disposed, as I have said, not indiscriminately and\nfortuitously, but by a most appropriate and just decision of God, who\narranged them according to deserts, in accordance with His own approval\nand judgment: so that to one angel the church of the Ephesians was to be\nentrusted; to another, that of the Smyrn\u00e6ans; one angel was to be\nPeter\u2019s, another Paul\u2019s; and so on through every one of the little ones\nthat are in the church, for such and such angels as even daily behold\nthe face of God must be assigned to each one of them;[143] and there\nmust also be some angel that encampeth round about them that fear\nGod.[144] All of which things, assuredly, it is to be believed, are not\nperformed by accident or chance, or because they [the angels] were so\ncreated, lest on that view the Creator should be accused of partiality;\nbut it is to be believed that they were conferred by God, the just and\nimpartial Ruler of all things, agreeably to the merits and good\nqualities and mental vigour of each individual spirit.\n\n2. And now let us say something regarding those who maintain the\nexistence of a diversity of spiritual natures, that we may avoid falling\ninto the silly and impious fables of such as pretend that there is a\ndiversity of spiritual natures both among heavenly existences and human\nsouls, and for that reason allege that they were called into being by\ndifferent creators; for while it seems, and is really, absurd that to\none and the same creator should be ascribed the creation of different\nnatures of rational beings, they are nevertheless ignorant of the cause\nof that diversity. For they say that it seems inconsistent for one and\nthe same creator, without any existing ground of merit, to confer upon\nsome beings the power of dominion, and to subject others again to\nauthority; to bestow a principality upon some, and to render others\nsubordinate to rulers. Which opinions indeed, in my judgment, are\ncompletely rejected by following out the reasoning explained above, and\nby which it was shown that the cause of the diversity and variety among\nthese beings is due to their conduct, which has been marked either with\ngreater earnestness or indifference, according to the goodness or\nbadness of their nature, and not to any partiality on the part of the\nDisposer. But that this may more easily be shown to be the case with\nheavenly beings, let us borrow an illustration from what either has been\ndone or is done among men, in order that from visible things we may, by\nway of consequence, behold also things invisible.\n\nPaul and Peter are undoubtedly proved to have been men of a spiritual\nnature. When, therefore, Paul is found to have acted contrary to\nreligion, in having persecuted the church of God, and Peter to have\ncommitted so grave a sin as, when questioned by the maid-servant, to\nhave asserted with an oath that he did not know who Christ was, how is\nit possible that these\u2014who, according to those persons of whom we speak,\nwere spiritual beings\u2014should fall into sins of such a nature, especially\nas they are frequently in the habit of saying that a good tree cannot\nbring forth evil fruits? And if a good tree cannot produce evil fruit,\nand as, according to them, Peter and Paul were sprung from the root of a\ngood tree, how should they be deemed to have brought forth fruits so\nwicked? And if they should return the answer which is generally\ninvented, that it was not Paul who persecuted, but some other person, I\nknow not whom, who was in Paul; and that it was not Peter who uttered\nthe denial, but some other individual in him; how should Paul say, if he\nhad not sinned, that \u201cI am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I\npersecuted the church of God?\u201d[145] Or why did Peter weep most bitterly,\nif it were another than he who sinned? From which all their silly\nassertions will be proved to be baseless.\n\n3. According to our view, there is no rational creature which is not\ncapable both of good and evil. But it does not follow, that because we\nsay there is no nature which may not admit evil, we therefore maintain\nthat every nature has admitted evil, _i.e._ has become wicked. As we may\nsay that the nature of every man admits of his being a sailor, but it\ndoes not follow from that, that every man will become so; or, again, it\nis possible for every one to learn grammar or medicine, but it is not\ntherefore proved that every man is either a physician or a grammarian;\nso, if we say that there is no nature which may not admit evil, it is\nnot necessarily indicated that it has done so. For, in our view, not\neven the devil himself was incapable of good; but although capable of\nadmitting good, he did not therefore also desire it, or make any effort\nafter virtue. For, as we are taught by those quotations which we adduced\nfrom the prophets, there was once a time when he was good, when he\nwalked in the paradise of God between the cherubim. As he, then,\npossessed the power either of receiving good or evil, but fell away from\na virtuous course, and turned to evil with all the powers of his mind,\nso also other creatures, as having a capacity for either condition, in\nthe exercise of the freedom of their will, flee from evil, and cleave to\ngood. There is no nature, then, which may not admit of good or evil,\nexcept the nature of God\u2014the fountain of all good things\u2014and of Christ;\nfor it is wisdom, and wisdom assuredly cannot admit folly; and it is\nrighteousness, and righteousness will never certainly admit of\nunrighteousness; and it is the Word, or Reason, which certainly cannot\nbe made irrational; nay, it is also the light, and it is certain that\nthe darkness does not receive the light. In like manner, also, the\nnature of the Holy Spirit, being holy, does not admit of pollution; for\nit is holy by nature, or essential being. If there is any other nature\nwhich is holy, it possesses this property of being made holy by the\nreception or inspiration of the Holy Spirit, not having it by nature,\nbut as an accidental quality, for which reason it may be lost, in\nconsequence of being accidental. So also a man may possess an accidental\nrighteousness, from which it is possible for him to fall away. Even the\nwisdom which a man has is still accidental, although it be within our\nown power to become wise, if we devote ourselves to wisdom with the zeal\nand effort of our life; and if we always pursue the study of it, we may\nalways be participators of wisdom: and that result will follow either in\na greater or less degree, according to the desert of our life or the\namount of our zeal. For the goodness of God, as is worthy of Him,\nincites and attracts all to that blissful end, where all pain, and\nsadness, and sorrow fall away and disappear.\n\n4. I am of opinion, then, so far as appears to me, that the preceding\ndiscussion has sufficiently proved that it is neither from want of\ndiscrimination, nor from any accidental cause, either that the\n\u201cprincipalities\u201d hold their dominion, or the other orders of spirits\nhave obtained their respective offices; but that they have received the\nsteps of their rank on account of their merits, although it is not our\nprivilege to know or inquire what those acts of theirs were, by which\nthey earned a place in any particular order. It is sufficient only to\nknow this much, in order to demonstrate the impartiality and\nrighteousness of God, that, conformably with the declaration of the\nApostle Paul, \u201cthere is no acceptance of persons with Him,\u201d[146] who\nrather disposes everything according to the deserts and moral progress\nof each individual. So, then, the angelic office does not exist except\nas a consequence of their desert; nor do \u201cpowers\u201d exercise power except\nin virtue of their moral progress; nor do those which are called\n\u201cseats,\u201d _i.e._ the powers of judging and ruling, administer their\npowers unless by merit; nor do \u201cdominions\u201d rule undeservedly, for that\ngreat and distinguished order of rational creatures among celestial\nexistences is arranged in a glorious variety of offices. And the same\nview is to be entertained of those opposing influences which have given\nthemselves up to such places and offices, that they derive the property\nby which they are made \u201cprincipalities,\u201d or \u201cpowers,\u201d or rulers of the\ndarkness of the world, or spirits of wickedness, or malignant spirits,\nor unclean demons, not from their essential nature, nor from their being\nso created, but have obtained these degrees in evil in proportion to\ntheir conduct, and the progress which they made in wickedness. And that\nis a second order of rational creatures, who have devoted themselves to\nwickedness in so headlong a course, that they are unwilling rather than\nunable to recall themselves; the thirst for evil being already a\npassion, and imparting to them pleasure. But the third order of rational\ncreatures is that of those who are judged fit by God to replenish the\nhuman race, _i.e._ the souls of men, assumed in consequence of their\nmoral progress into the order of angels; of whom we see some assumed\ninto the number: those, viz., who have been made the sons of God, or the\nchildren of the resurrection, or who have abandoned the darkness, and\nhave loved the light, and have been made children of the light; or those\nwho, proving victorious in every struggle, and being made men of peace,\nhave been the sons of peace, and the sons of God; or those who,\nmortifying their members on the earth, and, rising above not only their\ncorporeal nature, but even the uncertain and fragile movements of the\nsoul itself, have united themselves to the Lord, being made altogether\nspiritual, that they may be for ever one spirit with Him, discerning\nalong with Him each individual thing, until they arrive at a condition\nof perfect spirituality, and discern all things by their perfect\nillumination in all holiness through the word and wisdom of God, and are\nthemselves altogether undistinguishable by any one.\n\nWe think that those views are by no means to be admitted, which some are\nwont unnecessarily to advance and maintain, viz. that souls descend to\nsuch a pitch of abasement that they forget their rational nature and\ndignity, and sink into the condition of irrational animals, either large\nor small; and in support of these assertions they generally quote some\npretended statements of Scripture, such as, that a beast, to which a\nwoman has unnaturally prostituted herself, shall be deemed equally\nguilty with the woman, and shall be ordered to be stoned; or that a bull\nwhich strikes with its horns, shall be put to death in the same way; or\neven the speaking of Balaam\u2019s ass, when God opened its mouth, and the\ndumb beast of burden, answering with human voice, reproved the madness\nof the prophet. All of which assertions we not only do not receive, but,\nas being contrary to our belief, we refute and reject. After the\nrefutation and rejection of such perverse opinions, we shall show, at\nthe proper time and place, how those passages which they quote from the\nsacred Scriptures ought to be understood.\n\n\n\n\n FRAGMENT FROM THE FIRST BOOK OF THE DE PRINCIPIIS.\n Translated by Jerome in his Epistle to Avitus.\n\n\n\u201cIt is an evidence of great negligence and sloth, that each one should\nfall down to such (a pitch of degradation), and be so emptied, as that,\nin coming to evil, he may be fastened to the gross body of irrational\nbeasts of burden.\u201d\n\n\n ANOTHER FRAGMENT FROM THE SAME.\n Translated in the same Epistle to Avitus.\n\n\n\u201cAt the end and consummation of the world, when souls and rational\ncreatures shall have been sent forth as from bolts and barriers,[147]\nsome of them walk slowly on account of their slothful habits, others fly\nwith rapid flight on account of their diligence. And since all are\npossessed of free-will, and may of their own accord admit either of good\nor evil, the former will be in a worse condition than they are at\npresent, while the latter will advance to a better state of things;\nbecause different conduct and varying wills will admit of a different\ncondition in either direction, _i.e._ angels may become men or demons,\nand again from the latter they may rise to be men or angels.\u201d\n\nFootnote 143:\n\n Matt. xviii. 10.\n\nFootnote 144:\n\n Ps. xxxiv. 7. Tum demum per singulos minimorum, qui sunt in ecclesi\u00e2,\n qui vel qui adscribi singulis debeant angeli, qui etiam quotidie\n videant faciem Dei; sed et quis debeat esse angelus, qui circumdet in\n circuitu timentium Deum.\n\nFootnote 145:\n\n 1 Cor. xv. 9.\n\nFootnote 146:\n\n Cf. Rom. ii. 11.\n\nFootnote 147:\n\n De quibusdam repagulis atque carceribus. There is an allusion here to\n the race-course and the mode of starting the chariots.\n\n\n\n\n BOOK II.\n\n\n CHAPTER I.\n ON THE WORLD.\n\n\n1. Although all the discussions in the preceding book have had reference\nto the world and its arrangements, it now seems to follow that we should\nspecially re-discuss a few points respecting the world itself, _i.e._\nits beginning and end, or those dispensations of Divine Providence which\nhave taken place between the beginning and the end, or those events\nwhich are supposed to have occurred before the creation of the world, or\nare to take place after the end.\n\nIn this investigation, the first point which clearly appears is, that\nthe world in all its diversified and varying conditions is composed not\nonly of rational and diviner natures, and of a diversity of bodies, but\nof dumb animals, wild and tame beasts, of birds, and of all things which\nlive in the waters;[148] then, secondly, of places, _i.e._ of the heaven\nor heavens, and of the earth or water, as well as of the air, which is\nintermediate, and which they term \u00e6ther, and of everything which\nproceeds from the earth or is born in it. Seeing, then,[149] there is so\ngreat a variety in the world, and so great a diversity among rational\nbeings themselves, on account of which every other variety and diversity\nalso is supposed to have come into existence, what other cause than this\nought to be assigned for the existence of the world, especially if we\nhave regard to that end by means of which it was shown in the preceding\nbook that all things are to be restored to their original condition? And\nif this should seem to be logically stated, what other cause, as we have\nalready said, are we to imagine for so great a diversity in the world,\nsave the diversity and variety in the movements and declensions of those\nwho fell from that primeval unity and harmony in which they were at\nfirst created by God, and who, being driven from that state of goodness,\nand drawn in various directions by the harassing influence of different\nmotives and desires, have changed, according to their different\ntendencies, the single and undivided goodness of their nature into minds\nof various sorts?[150]\n\n2. But God, by the ineffable skill of His wisdom, transforming and\nrestoring all things, in whatever manner they are made, to some useful\naim, and to the common advantage of all, recalls those very creatures\nwhich differed so much from each other in mental conformation to one\nagreement of labour and purpose; so that, although they are under the\ninfluence of different motives, they nevertheless complete the fulness\nand perfection of one world, and the very variety of minds tends to one\nend of perfection. For it is one power which grasps and holds together\nall the diversity of the world, and leads the different movements\ntowards one work, lest so immense an undertaking as that of the world\nshould be dissolved by the dissensions of souls. And for this reason we\nthink that God, the Father of all things, in order to ensure the\nsalvation of all His creatures through the ineffable plan of His word\nand wisdom, so arranged each of these, that every spirit, whether soul\nor rational existence, however called, should not be compelled by force,\nagainst the liberty of his own will, to any other course than that to\nwhich the motives of his own mind led him (lest by so doing the power of\nexercising free-will should seem to be taken away, which certainly would\nproduce a change in the nature of the being itself); and that the\nvarying purposes of these would be suitably and usefully adapted to the\nharmony of one world, by some of them requiring help, and others being\nable to give it, and others again being the cause of struggle and\ncontest to those who are making progress, amongst whom their diligence\nwould be deemed more worthy of approval, and the place of rank obtained\nafter victory be held with greater certainty, which should be\nestablished by the difficulties of the contest.[151]\n\n3. Although the whole world is arranged into offices of different kinds,\nits condition, nevertheless, is not to be supposed as one of internal\ndiscrepancies and discordances; but as our one body is provided with\nmany members, and is held together by one soul, so I am of opinion that\nthe whole world also ought to be regarded as some huge and immense\nanimal, which is kept together by the power and reason of God as by one\nsoul. This also, I think, is indicated in sacred Scripture by the\ndeclaration of the prophet, \u201cDo not I fill heaven and earth? saith the\nLord;\u201d[152] and again, \u201cThe heaven is my throne, and the earth is my\nfootstool;\u201d[153] and by the Saviour\u2019s words, when He says that we are to\nswear \u201cneither by heaven, for it is God\u2019s throne; nor by the earth, for\nit is His footstool.\u201d[154] To the same effect also are the words of\nPaul, in his address to the Athenians, when he says, \u201cIn Him we live,\nand move, and have our being.\u201d[155] For how do we live, and move, and\nhave our being in God, except by His comprehending and holding together\nthe whole world by His power? And how is heaven the throne of God, and\nthe earth His footstool, as the Saviour Himself declares, save by His\npower filling all things both in heaven and earth, according to the\nLord\u2019s own words? And that God, the Father of all things, fills and\nholds together the world with the fulness of His power, according to\nthose passages which we have quoted, no one, I think, will have any\ndifficulty in admitting. And now, since the course of the preceding\ndiscussion has shown that the different movements of rational beings,\nand their varying opinions, have brought about the diversity that is in\nthe world, we must see whether it may not be appropriate that this world\nshould have a termination like its beginning. For there is no doubt that\nits end must be sought amid much diversity and variety; which variety,\nbeing found to exist in the termination of the world, will again furnish\nground and occasion for the diversities of the other world which is to\nsucceed the present.\n\n4. If now, in the course of our discussion, it has been ascertained that\nthese things are so, it seems to follow that we next consider the nature\nof corporeal being, seeing the diversity in the world cannot exist\nwithout bodies. It is evident from the nature of things themselves, that\nbodily nature admits of diversity and variety of change, so that it is\ncapable of undergoing all possible transformations, as _e.g._ the\nconversion of wood into fire, of fire into smoke, of smoke into air, of\noil into fire. Does not food itself, whether of man or of animals,\nexhibit the same ground of change? For whatever we take as food, is\nconverted into the substance of our body. But how water is changed into\nearth or into air, and air again into fire, or fire into air, or air\ninto water, although not difficult to explain, yet on the present\noccasion it is enough merely to mention them, as our object is to\ndiscuss the nature of bodily matter. By matter, therefore, we understand\nthat which is placed under bodies, viz. that by which, through the\nbestowing and implanting of qualities, bodies exist; and we mention four\nqualities\u2014heat, cold, dryness, humidity. These four qualities being\nimplanted in the \u1f55\u03bb\u03b7, or matter (for matter is found to exist in its own\nnature without those qualities before mentioned), produce the different\nkinds of bodies. Although this matter is, as we have said above,\naccording to its own proper nature without qualities, it is never found\nto exist without a quality. And I cannot understand how so many\ndistinguished men have been of opinion that this matter, which is so\ngreat, and possesses such properties as to enable it to be sufficient\nfor all the bodies in the world which God willed to exist, and to be the\nattendant and slave of the Creator for whatever forms and species He\nwished in all things, receiving into itself whatever qualities He\ndesired to bestow upon it, was uncreated, _i.e._ not formed by God\nHimself, who is the creator of all things, but that its nature and power\nwere the result of chance. And I am astonished that they should find\nfault with those who deny either God\u2019s creative power or His\nprovidential administration of the world, and accuse them of impiety for\nthinking that so great a work as the world could exist without an\narchitect or overseer; while they themselves incur a similar charge of\nimpiety in saying that matter is uncreated, and co-eternal with the\nuncreated God. According to this view, then, if we suppose for the sake\nof argument that matter did not exist, as these maintain, saying that\nGod could not create anything when nothing existed, without doubt He\nwould have been idle, not having matter on which to operate, which\nmatter they say was furnished Him not by His own arrangement, but by\naccident; and they think that this, which was discovered by chance, was\nable to suffice Him for an undertaking of so vast an extent, and for the\nmanifestation of the power of His might, and by admitting the plan of\nall His wisdom, might be distinguished and formed into a world. Now this\nappears to me to be very absurd, and to be the opinion of those men who\nare altogether ignorant of the power and intelligence of uncreated\nnature. But that we may see the nature of things a little more clearly,\nlet it be granted that for a little time matter did not exist, and that\nGod, when nothing formerly existed, caused those things to come into\nexistence which He desired, why are we to suppose that God would create\nmatter either better or greater, or of another kind, than that which He\ndid produce from His own power and wisdom, in order that that might\nexist which formerly did not? Would He create a worse and inferior\nmatter, or one the same as that which they call uncreated? Now I think\nit will very easily appear to any one, that neither a better nor\ninferior matter could have assumed the forms and species of the world,\nif it had not been such as that which actually did assume them. And does\nit not then seem impious to call that uncreated, which, if believed to\nbe formed by God, would doubtless be found to be such as that which they\ncall uncreated?\n\n5. But that we may believe on the authority of holy Scripture that such\nis the case, hear how in the book of Maccabees, where the mother of\nseven martyrs exhorts her son to endure torture, this truth is\nconfirmed; for she says, \u201cI ask of thee, my son, to look at the heaven\nand the earth, and at all things which are in them, and beholding these,\nto know that God made all these things when they did not exist.\u201d[156] In\nthe book of the Shepherd also, in the first commandment, he speaks as\nfollows: \u201cFirst of all believe that there is one God who created and\narranged all things, and made all things to come into existence, and out\nof a state of nothingness.\u201d[157] Perhaps also the expression in the\nPsalms has reference to this: \u201cHe spake, and they were made; He\ncommanded, and they were created.\u201d[158] For the words, \u201cHe spake, and\nthey were made,\u201d appear to show that the substance of those things which\nexist is meant; while the others, \u201cHe commanded, and they were created,\u201d\nseem spoken of the qualities by which the substance itself has been\nmoulded.\n\nFootnote 148:\n\n The words \u201cin aquis\u201d are omitted in Redepenning\u2019s edition.\n\nFootnote 149:\n\n The original of this sentence is found at the close of the Emperor\n Justinian\u2019s epistle to Menas, patriarch of Constantinople, and,\n literally translated, is as follows: \u201cThe world being so very varied,\n and containing so many different rational beings, what else ought we\n to say was the cause of its existence than the diversity of the\n falling away of those who decline from unity (\u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u1f11\u03bd\u03ac\u03b4\u03bf\u03c2) in different\n ways?\u201d\u2014RU\u00c6US. Lommatzsch adds a clause not contained in the note of\n the Benedictine editor: \u201cand sometimes the soul selects the life that\n is in water\u201d (\u1f14\u03bd\u03c5\u03b4\u03c1\u03bf\u03bd).\n\nFootnote 150:\n\n Lit. \u201cinto various qualities of minds.\u201d\n\nFootnote 151:\n\n \u201cEt diversi motus propositi earum (rationabilium subsistentiarum) ad\n unius mundi consonantiam competenter atque utiliter aptarentur, dum\n ali\u00e6 juvari indigent, ali\u00e6 juvare possunt, ali\u00e6 vero proficientibus\n certamina atque agones movent, in quibus eorum probabilior haberetur\n industria, et certior post victoriam reparati gradus statio teneretur,\n qu\u00e6 per difficultates laborantium constitisset.\u201d\n\nFootnote 152:\n\n Jer. xxiii. 24.\n\nFootnote 153:\n\n Isa. lxvi. 1.\n\nFootnote 154:\n\n Matt. v. 34.\n\nFootnote 155:\n\n Acts xvii. 28.\n\nFootnote 156:\n\n 2 Mac. vii. 28.\n\nFootnote 157:\n\n _Herm\u00e6 Past._ B. ii.; cf. Apostolic Fathers (Ante-Nicene Library), p.\n 349.\n\nFootnote 158:\n\n Ps. cxlviii. 5.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER II.\n ON THE PERPETUITY OF BODILY NATURE.\n\n\n1. On this topic some are wont to inquire whether, as the Father\ngenerates an uncreated Son, and brings forth a Holy Spirit, not as if He\nhad no previous existence, but because the Father is the origin and\nsource of the Son or Holy Spirit, and no anteriority or posteriority can\nbe understood as existing in them; so also a similar kind of union or\nrelationship can be understood as subsisting between rational natures\nand bodily matter. And that this point may be more fully and thoroughly\nexamined, the commencement of the discussion is generally directed to\nthe inquiry whether this very bodily nature, which bears the lives and\ncontains the movements of spiritual and rational minds, will be equally\neternal with them, or will altogether perish and be destroyed. And that\nthe question may be determined with greater precision, we have, in the\nfirst place, to inquire if it is possible for rational natures to remain\naltogether incorporeal after they have reached the summit of holiness\nand happiness (which seems to me a most difficult and almost impossible\nattainment), or whether they must always of necessity be united to\nbodies. If, then, any one could show a reason why it was possible for\nthem to dispense wholly with bodies, it will appear to follow, that as a\nbodily nature, created out of nothing after intervals of time, was\nproduced when it did not exist, so also it must cease to be when the\npurposes which it served had no longer an existence.\n\n2. If, however, it is impossible for this point to be at all maintained,\nviz. that any other nature than the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit can\nlive without a body, the necessity of logical reasoning compels us to\nunderstand that rational natures were indeed created at the beginning,\nbut that material substance was separated from them only in thought and\nunderstanding, and appears to have been formed for them, or after them,\nand that they never have lived nor do live without it; for an\nincorporeal life will rightly be considered a prerogative of the Trinity\nalone. As we have remarked above, therefore, that material substance of\nthis world, possessing a nature admitting of all possible\ntransformations, is, when dragged down to beings of a lower order,\nmoulded into the crasser and more solid condition of a body, so as to\ndistinguish those visible and varying forms of the world; but when it\nbecomes the servant of more perfect and more blessed beings, it shines\nin the splendour of celestial bodies, and adorns either the angels of\nGod or the sons of the resurrection with the clothing of a spiritual\nbody, out of all which will be filled up the diverse and varying state\nof the one world. But if any one should desire to discuss these matters\nmore fully, it will be necessary, with all reverence and fear of God, to\nexamine the sacred Scriptures with greater attention and diligence, to\nascertain whether the secret and hidden sense within them may perhaps\nreveal anything regarding these matters; and something may be discovered\nin their abstruse and mysterious language, through the demonstration of\nthe Holy Spirit to those who are worthy, after many testimonies have\nbeen collected on this very point.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER III.\n ON THE BEGINNING OF THE WORLD, AND ITS CAUSES.\n\n\n1. The next subject of inquiry is, whether there was any other world\nbefore the one which now exists; and if so, whether it was such as the\npresent, or somewhat different, or inferior; or whether there was no\nworld at all, but something like that which we understand will be after\nthe end of all things, when the kingdom shall be delivered up to God,\neven the Father; which nevertheless may have been the end of another\nworld,\u2014of that, namely, after which this world took its beginning; and\nwhether the various lapses of intellectual natures provoked God to\nproduce this diverse and varying condition of the world. This point\nalso, I think, must be investigated in a similar way, viz. whether after\nthis world there will be any [system of] preservation and amendment,\nsevere indeed, and attended with much pain to those who were unwilling\nto obey the word of God, but a process through which, by means of\ninstruction and rational training, those may arrive at a fuller\nunderstanding of the truth who have devoted themselves in the present\nlife to these pursuits, and who, after having had their minds purified,\nhave advanced onwards so as to become capable of attaining divine\nwisdom; and after this the end of all things will immediately follow,\nand there will be again, for the correction and improvement of those who\nstand in need of it, another world, either resembling that which now\nexists, or better than it, or greatly inferior; and how long that world,\nwhatever it be that is to come after this, shall continue; and if there\nwill be a time when no world shall anywhere exist, or if there has been\na time when there was no world at all; or if there have been, or will be\nseveral; or if it shall ever come to pass that there will be one\nresembling another, like it in every respect, and indistinguishable from\nit.\n\n2. That it may appear more clearly, then, whether bodily matter can\nexist during intervals of time, and whether, as it did not exist before\nit was made, so it may again be resolved into non-existence, let us see,\nfirst of all, whether it is possible for any one to live without a body.\nFor if one person can live without a body, all things also may dispense\nwith them; seeing our former treatise has shown that all things tend\ntowards one end. Now, if all things may exist without bodies, there will\nundoubtedly be no bodily substance, seeing there will be no use for it.\nBut how shall we understand the words of the apostle in those passages,\nin which, discussing the resurrection of the dead, he says, \u201cThis\ncorruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on\nimmortality. When this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and\nthis mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass\nthe saying which is written, Death is swallowed up in victory! Where, O\ndeath, is thy victory? O death, thy sting has been swallowed up: the\nsting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.\u201d[159] Some\nsuch meaning, then, as this seems to be suggested by the apostle. For\ncan the expression which he employs, \u201cthis corruptible,\u201d and \u201cthis\nmortal,\u201d with the gesture, as it were, of one who touches or points out,\napply to anything else than to bodily matter? This matter of the body,\nthen, which is now corruptible shall put on incorruption when a perfect\nsoul, and one furnished with the marks[160] of incorruption, shall have\nbegun to inhabit it. And do not be surprised if we speak of a perfect\nsoul as the clothing of the body (which, on account of the Word of God\nand His wisdom, is now named incorruption), when Jesus Christ Himself,\nwho is the Lord and Creator of the soul, is said to be the clothing of\nthe saints, according to the language of the apostle, \u201cPut ye on the\nLord Jesus Christ.\u201d[161] As Christ, then, is the clothing of the soul,\nso for a kind of reason sufficiently intelligible is the soul said to be\nthe clothing of the body, seeing it is an ornament to it, covering and\nconcealing its mortal nature. The expression, then, \u201cThis corruptible\nmust put on incorruption,\u201d is as if the apostle had said, \u201cThis\ncorruptible nature of the body must receive the clothing of\nincorruption\u2014a soul possessing in itself incorruptibility,\u201d because it\nhas been clothed with Christ, who is the Wisdom and Word of God. But\nwhen this body, which at some future period we shall possess in a more\nglorious state, shall have become a partaker of life, it will then, in\naddition to being immortal, become also incorruptible. For whatever is\nmortal is necessarily also corruptible; but whatever is corruptible\ncannot also be said to be mortal. We say of a stone or a piece of wood\nthat it is corruptible, but we do not say that it follows that it is\nalso mortal. But as the body partakes of life, then because life may be,\nand is, separated from it, we consequently name it mortal, and according\nto another sense also we speak of it as corruptible. The holy apostle\ntherefore, with remarkable insight, referring to the general first cause\nof bodily matter, of which [matter], whatever be the qualities with\nwhich it is endowed (now indeed carnal, but by and by more refined and\npure, which are termed spiritual), the soul makes constant use, says,\n\u201cThis corruptible must put on incorruption.\u201d And in the second place,\nlooking to the special cause of the body, he says, \u201cThis mortal must put\non immortality.\u201d Now, what else will incorruption and immortality be,\nsave the wisdom, and the word, and the righteousness of God, which\nmould, and clothe, and adorn the soul? And hence it happens that it is\nsaid, \u201cThe corruptible will put on incorruption, and the mortal\nimmortality.\u201d For although we may now make great proficiency, yet as we\nonly know in part, and prophesy in part, and see through a glass,\ndarkly, those very things which we seem to understand, this corruptible\ndoes not yet put on incorruption, nor is this mortal yet clothed with\nimmortality; and as this training of ours in the body is protracted\ndoubtless to a longer period, up to the time, viz., when those very\nbodies of ours with which we are enveloped may, on account of the word\nof God, and His wisdom and perfect righteousness, earn incorruptibility\nand immortality, therefore is it said, \u201cThis corruptible must put on\nincorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.\u201d\n\n3. But, nevertheless, those who think that rational creatures can at any\ntime lead an existence out of the body, may here raise such questions as\nthe following. If it is true that this corruptible shall put on\nincorruption, and this mortal put on immortality, and that death is\nswallowed up at the end; this shows that nothing else than a material\nnature is to be destroyed, on which death could operate, while the\nmental acumen of those who are in the body seems to be blunted by the\nnature of corporeal matter. If, however, they are out of the body, then\nthey will altogether escape the annoyance arising from a disturbance of\nthat kind. But as they will not be able immediately to escape all bodily\nclothing, they are just to be considered as inhabiting more refined and\npurer bodies, which possess the property of being no longer overcome by\ndeath, or of being wounded by its sting; so that at last, by the gradual\ndisappearance of the material nature, death is both swallowed up, and\neven at the end exterminated, and all its sting completely blunted by\nthe divine grace which the soul has been rendered capable of receiving,\nand has thus deserved to obtain incorruptibility and immortality. And\nthen it will be deservedly said by all, \u201cO death, where is thy victory?\nO death, where is thy sting? The sting of death is sin.\u201d If these\nconclusions, then, seem to hold good, it follows that we must believe\nour condition at some future time to be incorporeal; and if this is\nadmitted, and all are said to be subjected to Christ, this\n[incorporeity] also must necessarily be bestowed on all to whom the\nsubjection to Christ extends; since all who are subject to Christ will\nbe in the end subject to God the Father, to whom Christ is said to\ndeliver up the kingdom; and thus it appears that then also the need of\nbodies will cease.[162] And if it ceases, bodily matter returns to\nnothing, as formerly also it did not exist.\n\nNow let us see what can be said in answer to those who make these\nassertions. For it will appear to be a necessary consequence that, if\nbodily nature be annihilated, it must be again restored and created;\nsince it seems a possible thing that rational natures, from whom the\nfaculty of free-will is never taken away, may be again subjected to\nmovements of some kind, through the special act of the Lord Himself,\nlest perhaps, if they were always to occupy a condition that was\nunchangeable, they should be ignorant that it is by the grace of God and\nnot by their own merit that they have been placed in that final state of\nhappiness; and these movements will undoubtedly again be attended by\nvariety and diversity of bodies, by which the world is always adorned;\nnor will it ever be composed [of anything] save of variety and\ndiversity,\u2014an effect which cannot be produced without a bodily matter.\n\n4. And now I do not understand by what proofs they can maintain their\nposition, who assert that worlds sometimes come into existence which are\nnot dissimilar to each other, but in all respects equal. For if there is\nsaid to be a world similar in all respects [to the present], then it\nwill come to pass that Adam and Eve will do the same things which they\ndid before: there will be a second time the same deluge, and the same\nMoses will again lead a nation numbering nearly six hundred thousand out\nof Egypt; Judas will also a second time betray the Lord; Paul will a\nsecond time keep the garments of those who stoned Stephen; and\neverything which has been done in this life will be said to be\nrepeated,\u2014a state of things which I think cannot be established by any\nreasoning, if souls are actuated by freedom of will, and maintain either\ntheir advance or retrogression according to the power of their will. For\nsouls are not driven on in a cycle which returns after many ages to the\nsame round, so as either to do or desire this or that; but at whatever\npoint the freedom of their own will aims, thither do they direct the\ncourse of their actions. For what these persons say is much the same as\nif one were to assert that if a medimnus of grain were to be poured out\non the ground, the fall of the grain would be on the second occasion\nidentically the same as on the first, so that every individual grain\nwould lie for the second time close beside that grain where it had been\nthrown before, and so the medimnus would be scattered in the same order,\nand with the same marks as formerly; which certainly is an impossible\nresult with the countless grains of a medimnus, even if they were to be\npoured out without ceasing for many ages. So therefore it seems to me\nimpossible for a world to be restored for the second time, with the same\norder and with the same amount of births, and deaths, and actions; but\nthat a diversity of worlds may exist with changes of no unimportant\nkind, so that the state of another world may be for some unmistakeable\nreasons better [than this], and for others worse, and for others again\nintermediate. But what may be the number or measure of this I confess\nmyself ignorant, although, if any one can tell it, I would gladly learn.\n\n5. But this world, which is itself called an age, is said to be the\nconclusion of many ages. Now the holy apostle teaches that in that age\nwhich preceded this, Christ did not suffer, nor even in the age which\npreceded that again; and I know not that I am able to enumerate the\nnumber of anterior ages in which He did not suffer. I will show,\nhowever, from what statements of Paul I have arrived at this\nunderstanding. He says, \u201cBut now once in the consummation of ages, He\nwas manifested to take away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.\u201d[163] For\nhe says that He was once made a victim, and in the consummation of ages\nwas manifested to take away sin. Now that after this age, which is said\nto be formed for the consummation of other ages, there will be other\nages again to follow, we have clearly learned from Paul himself, who\nsays, \u201cThat in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of\nHis grace in His kindness towards us.\u201d[164] He has not said, \u201cin the age\nto come,\u201d nor \u201cin the two ages to come,\u201d whence I infer that by his\nlanguage many ages are indicated. Now if there is something greater than\nages, so that among created beings certain ages may be understood, but\namong other beings which exceed and surpass visible creatures, [ages\nstill greater] (which perhaps will be the case at the restitution of all\nthings, when the whole universe will come to a perfect termination),\nperhaps that period in which the consummation of all things will take\nplace is to be understood as something more than an age. But here the\nauthority of holy Scripture moves me, which says, \u201cFor an age and\nmore.\u201d[165] Now this word \u201cmore\u201d undoubtedly means something greater\nthan an age; and see if that expression of the Saviour, \u201cI will that\nwhere I am, these also may be with me; and as I and Thou are one, these\nalso may be one in us,\u201d[166] may not seem to convey something more than\nan age and ages, perhaps even more than ages of ages,\u2014that period, viz.,\nwhen all things are now no longer in an age, but when God is in all.\n\n6. Having discussed these points regarding the nature of the world to\nthe best of our ability, it does not seem out of place to inquire what\nis the meaning of the term world, which in holy Scripture is shown\nfrequently to have different significations. For what we call in Latin\n_mundus_, is termed in Greek \u03ba\u03cc\u03c3\u03bc\u03bf\u03c2, and \u03ba\u03cc\u03c3\u03bc\u03bf\u03c2 signifies not only a\nworld, but also an ornament. Finally, in Isaiah, where the language of\nreproof is directed to the chief daughters of Sion, and where he says,\n\u201cInstead of an ornament of a golden head, thou wilt have baldness on\naccount of thy works,\u201d[167] he employs the same term to denote ornament\nas to denote the world, viz. \u03ba\u03cc\u03c3\u03bc\u03bf\u03c2. For the plan of the world is said\nto be contained in the clothing of the high priest, as we find in the\nWisdom of Solomon, where he says, \u201cFor in the long garment was the whole\nworld.\u201d[168] That earth of ours, with its inhabitants, is also termed\nthe world, as when Scripture says, \u201cThe whole world lieth in\nwickedness.\u201d[169] Clement indeed, a disciple of the apostles, makes\nmention of those whom the Greeks called \u1f08\u03bd\u03c4\u03af\u03c7\u03b8\u03bf\u03bd\u03b5\u03c2, and other parts of\nthe earth, to which no one of our people can approach, nor can any one\nof those who are there cross over to us, which he also termed worlds,\nsaying, \u201cThe ocean is impassable to men; and those are worlds which are\non the other side of it, which are governed by these same arrangements\nof the ruling God.\u201d[170] That universe which is bounded by heaven and\nearth is also called a world, as Paul declares: \u201cFor the fashion of this\nworld will pass away.\u201d[171] Our Lord and Saviour also points out a\ncertain other world besides this visible one, which it would indeed be\ndifficult to describe and make known. He says, \u201cI am not of this\nworld.\u201d[172] For, as if He were of a certain other world, He says, \u201cI am\nnot of this world.\u201d Now, of this world we have said beforehand, that the\nexplanation was difficult; and for this reason, that there might not be\nafforded to any an occasion of entertaining the supposition that we\nmaintain the existence of certain images which the Greeks call \u201cideas:\u201d\nfor it is certainly alien to our [writers] to speak of an incorporeal\nworld existing in the imagination alone, or in the fleeting world of\nthoughts; and how they can assert either that the Saviour comes from\nthence, or that the saints will go thither, I do not see. There is no\ndoubt, however, that something more illustrious and excellent than this\npresent world is pointed out by the Saviour, at which He incites and\nencourages believers to aim. But whether that world to which He desires\nto allude be far separated and divided from this, either by situation,\nor nature, or glory; or whether it be superior in glory and quality, but\nconfined within the limits of this world (which seems to me more\nprobable), is nevertheless uncertain, and in my opinion an unsuitable\nsubject for human thought. But from what Clement seems to indicate when\nhe says, \u201cThe ocean is impassable to men, and those worlds which are\nbehind it,\u201d speaking in the plural number of the worlds which are behind\nit, which he intimates are administered and governed by the same\nprovidence of the Most High God, he appears to throw out to us some\ngerms of that view by which the whole universe of existing things,\ncelestial and super-celestial, earthly and infernal, is generally called\none perfect world, within which, or by which, other worlds, if any there\nare, must be supposed to be contained. For which reason he wished the\nglobe of the sun or moon, and of the other bodies called planets, to be\neach termed worlds. Nay, even that pre-eminent globe itself which they\ncall the non-wandering (\u1f00\u03c0\u03bb\u03b1\u03bd\u1fc6), they nevertheless desire to have\nproperly called world. Finally, they summon the book of Baruch the\nprophet to bear witness to this assertion, because in it the seven\nworlds or heavens are more clearly pointed out. Nevertheless, above that\nsphere which they call non-wandering (\u1f00\u03c0\u03bb\u03b1\u03bd\u1fc6), they will have another\nsphere to exist, which they say, exactly as our heaven contains all\nthings which are under it, comprehends by its immense size and\nindescribable extent the spaces of all the spheres together within its\nmore magnificent circumference; so that all things are within it, as\nthis earth of ours is under heaven. And this also is believed to be\ncalled in the holy Scriptures the good land, and the land of the living,\nhaving its own heaven, which is higher, and in which the names of the\nsaints are said to be written, or to have been written, by the Saviour;\nby which heaven that earth is confined and shut in, which the Saviour in\nthe Gospel promises to the meek and merciful. For they would have this\nearth of ours, which formerly was named \u201cDry,\u201d to have derived its\nappellation from the name of that earth, as this heaven also was named\nfirmament from the title of that heaven. But we have treated at greater\nlength of such opinions in the place where we had to inquire into the\nmeaning of the declaration, that in the beginning \u201cGod made the heavens\nand the earth.\u201d For another heaven and another earth are shown to exist\nbesides that \u201cfirmament\u201d which is said to have been made after the\nsecond day, or that \u201cdry land\u201d which was afterwards called \u201cearth.\u201d\nCertainly, what some say of this world, that it is corruptible because\nit was made, and yet is not corrupted, because the will of God, who made\nit and holds it together lest corruption should rule over it, is\nstronger and more powerful than corruption, may more correctly be\nsupposed of that world which we have called above a \u201cnon-wandering\u201d\nsphere, since by the will of God it is not at all subject to corruption,\nfor the reason that it has not admitted any causes of corruption, seeing\nit is the world of the saints and of the thoroughly purified, and not of\nthe wicked, like that world of ours. We must see, moreover, lest perhaps\nit is with reference to this that the apostle says, \u201cWhile we look not\nat the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for\nthe things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are unseen\nare eternal. For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle\nwere dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands,\neternal in the heavens.\u201d[173] And when he says elsewhere, \u201cBecause I\nshall see the heavens, the works of Thy fingers,\u201d[174] and when God\nsaid, regarding all things visible, by the mouth of His prophet, \u201cMy\nhand has formed all these things,\u201d[175] He declares that that eternal\nhouse in the heavens which He promises to His saints was not made with\nhands, pointing out, doubtless, the difference of creation in things\nwhich are seen and in those which are not seen. For the same thing is\nnot to be understood by the expressions, \u201cthose things which are not\nseen,\u201d and \u201cthose things which are invisible.\u201d For those things which\nare invisible are not only not seen, but do not even possess the\nproperty of visibility, being what the Greeks call \u1f00\u03c3\u03ce\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1, _i.e._\nincorporeal; whereas those of which Paul says, \u201cThey are not seen,\u201d\npossess indeed the property of being seen, but, as he explains, are not\nyet beheld by those to whom they are promised.\n\n7. Having sketched, then, so far as we could understand, these three\nopinions regarding the end of all things, and the supreme blessedness,\nlet each one of our readers determine for himself, with care and\ndiligence, whether any one of them can be approved and adopted.[176] For\nit has been said that we must suppose either that an incorporeal\nexistence is possible, after all things have become subject to Christ,\nand through Christ to God the Father, when God will be all and in all;\nor that when, notwithstanding all things have been made subject to\nChrist, and through Christ to God (with whom they formed also one\nspirit, in respect of spirits being rational natures), then the bodily\nsubstance itself also being united to most pure and excellent spirits,\nand being changed into an ethereal condition in proportion to the\nquality or merits of those who assume it (according to the apostle\u2019s\nwords, \u201cWe also shall be changed\u201d), will shine forth in splendour; or at\nleast that when the fashion of those things which are seen passes away,\nand all corruption has been shaken off and cleansed away, and when the\nwhole of the space occupied by this world, in which the spheres of the\nplanets are said to be, has been left behind and beneath,[177] then is\nreached the fixed abode of the pious and the good situated above that\nsphere, which is called non-wandering (\u1f00\u03c0\u03bb\u03b1\u03bd\u03ae\u03c2), as in a good land, in a\nland of the living, which will be inherited by the meek and gentle; to\nwhich land belongs that heaven (which, with its more magnificent extent,\nsurrounds and contains that land itself) which is called truly and\nchiefly heaven, in which heaven and earth, the end and perfection of all\nthings, may be safely and most confidently placed,\u2014where, viz., these,\nafter their apprehension and their chastisement for the offences which\nthey have undergone by way of purgation, may, after having fulfilled and\ndischarged every obligation, deserve a habitation in that land; while\nthose who have been obedient to the word of God, and have henceforth by\ntheir obedience shown themselves capable of wisdom, are said to deserve\nthe kingdom of that heaven or heavens; and thus the prediction is more\nworthily fulfilled, \u201cBlessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the\nearth;\u201d[178] and, \u201cBlessed are the poor in spirit, for they shall\ninherit the kingdom of heaven;\u201d[179] and the declaration in the Psalm,\n\u201cHe shall exalt thee, and thou shalt inherit the land.\u201d[180] For it is\ncalled a descent to this earth, but an exaltation to that which is on\nhigh. In this way, therefore, does a sort of road seem to be opened up\nby the departure of the saints from that earth to those heavens; so that\nthey do not so much appear to abide in that land, as to inhabit it with\nan intention, viz., to pass on to the inheritance of the kingdom of\nheaven, when they have reached that degree of perfection also.\n\nFootnote 159:\n\n 1 Cor. xv. 53-56; cf. Hos. xiii. 14 and Isa. xxv. 8.\n\nFootnote 160:\n\n Dogmatibus. Schnitzer says that \u201cdogmatibus\u201d here yields no sense. He\n conjectures \u03b4\u03b5\u03b9\u03b3\u03bc\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9, and renders \u201cproofs,\u201d \u201cmarks.\u201d\n\nFootnote 161:\n\n Rom. xiii. 14.\n\nFootnote 162:\n\n This passage is found in Jerome\u2019s epistle to Avitus; and, literally\n translated, his rendering is as follows: \u201cIf these (views) are not\n contrary to the faith, we shall perhaps at some future time live\n without bodies. But if he who is perfectly subject to Christ is\n understood to be without a body, and all are to be subjected to\n Christ, we also shall be without bodies when we have been completely\n subjected to Him. If all have been subjected to God, all will lay\n aside their bodies, and the whole nature of bodily things will be\n dissolved into nothing; but if, in the second place, necessity shall\n demand, it will again come into existence on account of the fall of\n rational creatures. For God has abandoned souls to struggle and\n wrestling, that they may understand that they have obtained a full and\n perfect victory, not by their own bravery, but by the grace of God.\n And therefore I think that for a variety of causes are different\n worlds created, and the errors of those refuted who contend that\n worlds resemble each other.\u201d A fragment of the Greek original of the\n above is found in the epistle of Justinian to the patriarch of\n Constantinople. \u201cIf the things subject to Christ shall at the end be\n subjected also to God, all will lay aside their bodies; and then, I\n think, there will be a dissolution (\u1f00\u03bd\u03ac\u03bb\u03c5\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2) of the nature of bodies\n into non-existence (\u03b5\u1f30\u03c2 \u03c4\u1f78 \u03bc\u1f74 \u1f44\u03bd), to come a second time into\n existence, if rational (beings) should again gradually come down\n (\u1f51\u03c0\u03bf\u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1\u03b2\u1fc7).\u201d\n\nFootnote 163:\n\n Heb. ix. 26.\n\nFootnote 164:\n\n Eph. ii. 7.\n\nFootnote 165:\n\n In s\u00e6culum et adhuc.\n\nFootnote 166:\n\n Cf. John xvii. 24, 21, 22.\n\nFootnote 167:\n\n Cf. Isa. iii. 24. Origen here quotes the Septuagint, which differs\n both from the Hebrew and the Vulgate: \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u1f00\u03bd\u03c4\u1f76 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03ba\u03cc\u03c3\u03bc\u03bf\u03c5 \u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u03ba\u03b5\u03c6\u03b1\u03bb\u1fc6\u03c2\n \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03c7\u03c1\u03c5\u03c3\u03af\u03bf\u03c5 \u03c6\u03b1\u03bb\u03ac\u03ba\u03c1\u03c9\u03bc\u03b1 \u1f15\u03be\u03b5\u03b9\u03c2 \u03b4\u03b9\u1f70 \u03c4\u1f70 \u1f14\u03c1\u03b3\u03b1.\n\nFootnote 168:\n\n Wisd. xviii. 24. Poderis, lit. \u201creaching to the feet.\u201d\n\nFootnote 169:\n\n 1 John v. 19.\n\nFootnote 170:\n\n Clemens Rom. i. Ep. ad Cor. c. 20.\n\nFootnote 171:\n\n 1 Cor. vii. 31.\n\nFootnote 172:\n\n John xvii. 16.\n\nFootnote 173:\n\n 2 Cor. iv. 18-v. 1.\n\nFootnote 174:\n\n Ps. viii. 3.\n\nFootnote 175:\n\n Isa. lxvi. 2.\n\nFootnote 176:\n\n This passage is found in Jerome\u2019s letter to Avitus, and, literally\n translated, is as follows: \u201cA threefold suspicion, therefore, is\n suggested to us regarding the end, of which the reader may examine\n which is the true and the better one. For we shall either live without\n a body, when, being subject to Christ, we shall be subject to God, and\n God shall be all in all; or, as things subject to Christ will be\n subject along with Christ Himself to God, and enclosed in one\n covenant, so all substance will be reduced to the best quality and\n dissolved into an ether, which is of a purer and simpler nature; or at\n least that sphere which we have called above \u1f00\u03c0\u03bb\u03b1\u03bd\u1fc6, and whatever is\n contained within its circumference (_circulo_), will be dissolved into\n nothing, but that one by which the anti-zone (\u1f00\u03bd\u03c4\u03b9\u03b6\u03ce\u03bd\u03b7) itself is held\n together and surrounded will be called a good land; and, moreover,\n another sphere which surrounds this very earth itself with its\n revolution, and is called heaven, will be preserved for a habitation\n of the saints.\u201d\n\nFootnote 177:\n\n Omnique hoc mundi statu, in quo planetarum dicuntur sph\u00e6r\u00e6,\n supergresso atque superato.\n\nFootnote 178:\n\n Matt. v. 5.\n\nFootnote 179:\n\n Matt. v. 3.\n\nFootnote 180:\n\n Ps. xxxvii. 34.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER IV.\n THE GOD OF THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS, AND THE FATHER OF OUR LORD JESUS\n CHRIST, IS THE SAME GOD.\n\n\n1. Having now briefly arranged these points in order as we best could,\nit follows that, agreeably to our intention from the first, we refute\nthose who think that the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is a different\nGod from Him who gave the answers of the law to Moses, or commissioned\nthe prophets, who is the God of our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.\nFor in this article of faith, first of all, we must be firmly grounded.\nWe have to consider, then, the expression of frequent recurrence in the\nGospels, and subjoined to all the acts of our Lord and Saviour, \u201cthat it\nmight be fulfilled which was spoken by this or that prophet,\u201d it being\nmanifest that the prophets are the prophets of that God who made the\nworld. From this therefore we draw the conclusion, that He who sent the\nprophets, Himself predicted what was to be foretold of Christ. And there\nis no doubt that the Father Himself, and not another different from Him,\nuttered these predictions. The practice, moreover, of the Saviour or His\napostles, frequently quoting illustrations from the Old Testament, shows\nthat they attribute authority to the ancients. The injunction also of\nthe Saviour, when exhorting His disciples to the exercise of kindness,\n\u201cBe ye perfect, even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect; for He\ncommands His sun to rise upon the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on\nthe just and on the unjust,\u201d[181] most evidently suggests even to a\nperson of feeble understanding, that He is proposing to the imitation of\nHis disciples no other God than the maker of heaven and the bestower of\nthe rain. Again, what else does the expression, which ought to be used\nby those who pray, \u201cOur Father who art in heaven,\u201d[182] appear to\nindicate, save that God is to be sought in the better parts of the\nworld, _i.e._ of His creation? Further, do not those admirable\nprinciples which He lays down respecting oaths, saying that we ought not\nto \u201cswear either by heaven, because it is the throne of God; nor by the\nearth, because it is His footstool,\u201d[183] harmonize most clearly with\nthe words of the prophet, \u201cHeaven is my throne, and the earth is my\nfootstool?\u201d[184] And also when casting out of the temple those who sold\nsheep, and oxen, and doves, and pouring out the tables of the\nmoney-changers, and saying, \u201cTake these things hence, and do not make my\nFather\u2019s house a house of merchandise,\u201d[185] He undoubtedly called Him\nhis Father, to whose name Solomon had raised a magnificent temple. The\nwords, moreover, \u201cHave ye not read what was spoken by God to Moses: I am\nthe God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; He is\nnot a God of the dead, but of the living,\u201d[186] most clearly teach us,\nthat He called the God of the patriarchs (because they were holy, and\nwere alive) the God of the living, the same, viz., who had said in the\nprophets, \u201cI am God, and besides me there is no God.\u201d[187] For if the\nSaviour, knowing that He who is written in the law is the God of\nAbraham, and that it is the same who says, \u201cI am God, and besides me\nthere is no God,\u201d acknowledges that very one to be His Father who is\nignorant of the existence of any other God above Himself, as the\nheretics suppose, He absurdly declares Him to be His Father who does not\nknow of a greater God. But if it is not from ignorance, but from deceit,\nthat He says there is no other God than Himself, then it is a much\ngreater absurdity to confess that His Father is guilty of falsehood.\nFrom all which this conclusion is arrived at, that He knows of no other\nFather than God, the Founder and Creator of all things.\n\n2. It would be tedious to collect out of all the passages in the Gospels\nthe proofs by which the God of the law and of the Gospels is shown to be\none and the same. Let us touch briefly upon the Acts of the\nApostles,[188] where Stephen and the other apostles address their\nprayers to that God who made heaven and earth, and who spoke by the\nmouth of His holy prophets, calling Him the \u201cGod of Abraham, of Isaac,\nand of Jacob;\u201d the God who \u201cbrought forth His people out of the land of\nEgypt.\u201d Which expressions undoubtedly clearly direct our understandings\nto faith in the Creator, and implant an affection for Him in those who\nhave learned piously and faithfully thus to think of Him; according to\nthe words of the Saviour Himself, who, when He was asked which was the\ngreatest commandment in the law, replied, \u201cThou shalt love the Lord thy\nGod with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.\nAnd the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as\nthyself.\u201d And to these He added: \u201cOn these two commandments hang all the\nlaw and the prophets.\u201d[189] How is it, then, that He commends to him\nwhom He was instructing, and was leading to enter on the office of a\ndisciple, this commandment above all others, by which undoubtedly love\nwas to be kindled in him towards the God of that law, inasmuch as such\nhad been declared by the law in these very words? But let it be granted,\nnotwithstanding all these most evident proofs, that it is of some other\nunknown God that the Saviour says, \u201cThou shalt love the Lord thy God\nwith all thy heart,\u201d etc. etc. How, in that case, if the law and the\nprophets are, as they say, from the Creator, _i.e._ from another God\nthan He whom He calls good, shall that appear to be logically said which\nHe subjoins, viz. that \u201con these two commandments hang the law and the\nprophets?\u201d For how shall that which is strange and foreign to God depend\nupon Him? And when Paul says, \u201cI thank my God, whom I serve in my spirit\nfrom my forefathers with pure conscience,\u201d[190] he clearly shows that he\ncame not to some new God, but to Christ. For what other forefathers of\nPaul can be intended, except those of whom he says, \u201cAre they Hebrews?\nso am I: are they Israelites? so am I.\u201d[191] Nay, will not the very\npreface of his Epistle to the Romans clearly show the same thing to\nthose who know how to understand the letters of Paul, viz. what God he\npreaches? For his words are: \u201cPaul, the servant of Jesus Christ, called\nto be an apostle, set apart to the gospel of God, which He had promised\nafore by His prophets in the holy Scriptures concerning His Son, who was\nmade of the seed of David according to the flesh, and who was declared\nto be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by\nthe resurrection from the dead of Christ Jesus our Lord,\u201d[192] etc.\nMoreover, also the following, \u201cThou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox\nthat treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? or saith he it\naltogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that\nhe that plougheth should plough in hope, and he that thresheth in hope\nof partaking of the fruits.\u201d[193] By which he manifestly shows that God,\nwho gave the law on our account, _i.e._ on account of the apostles,\nsays, \u201cThou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the\ncorn;\u201d whose care was not for oxen, but for the apostles, who were\npreaching the gospel of Christ. In other passages also, Paul, embracing\nthe promises of the law, says, \u201cHonour thy father and thy mother, which\nis the first commandment with promise; that it may be well with thee,\nand that thy days may be long upon the land, the good land, which the\nLord thy God will give thee.\u201d[194] By which he undoubtedly makes known\nthat the law, and the God of the law, and His promises, are pleasing to\nhim.\n\n3. But as those who uphold this heresy are sometimes accustomed to\nmislead the hearts of the simple by certain deceptive sophisms, I do not\nconsider it improper to bring forward the assertions which they are in\nthe habit of making, and to refute their deceit and falsehood. The\nfollowing, then, are their declarations. It is written, that \u201cno man\nhath seen God at any time.\u201d[195] But that God whom Moses preaches was\nboth seen by Moses himself, and by his fathers before him; whereas He\nwho is announced by the Saviour has never been seen at all by any one.\nLet us therefore ask them and ourselves whether they maintain that he\nwhom they acknowledge to be God, and allege to be a different God from\nthe Creator, is visible or invisible. And if they shall say that he is\nvisible, besides being proved to go against the declaration of\nScripture, which says of the Saviour, \u201cHe is the image of the invisible\nGod, the first-born of every creature,\u201d[196] they will fall also into\nthe absurdity of asserting that God is corporeal. For nothing can be\nseen except by help of form, and size, and colour, which are special\nproperties of bodies. And if God is declared to be a body, then He will\nalso be found to be material, since every body is composed of matter.\nBut if He be composed of matter, and matter is undoubtedly corruptible,\nthen, according to them, God is liable to corruption! We shall put to\nthem a second question. Is matter made, or is it uncreated, _i.e._ not\nmade? And if they shall answer that it is not made, _i.e._ uncreated, we\nshall ask them if one portion of matter is God, and the other part the\nworld? But if they shall say of matter that it is made, it will\nundoubtedly follow that they confess Him whom they declare to be God to\nhave been made!\u2014a result which certainly neither their reason nor ours\ncan admit. But they will say, God is invisible. And what will you do? If\nyou say that He is invisible by nature, then neither ought He to be\nvisible to the Saviour. Whereas, on the contrary, God, the Father of\nChrist, is said to be seen, because \u201che who sees the Son,\u201d he says,\n\u201csees also the Father.\u201d[197] This certainly would press us very hard,\nwere the expression not understood by us more correctly of\nunderstanding, and not of seeing. For he who has understood the Son will\nunderstand the Father also. In this way, then, Moses too must be\nsupposed to have seen God, not beholding Him with the bodily eye, but\nunderstanding Him with the vision of the heart and the perception of the\nmind, and that only in some degree. For it is manifest that He, viz.,\nwho gave answers to Moses, said, \u201cYou shall not see my face, but my\nhinder parts.\u201d[198] These words are, of course, to be understood in that\nmystical sense which is befitting divine words, those old wives\u2019 fables\nbeing rejected and despised which are invented by ignorant persons\nrespecting the anterior and posterior parts of God. Let no one indeed\nsuppose that we have indulged any feeling of impiety in saying that even\nto the Saviour the Father is not visible. Let him consider the\ndistinction which we employ in dealing with heretics. For we have\nexplained that it is one thing to see and to be seen, and another to\nknow and to be known, or to understand and to be understood.[199] To\nsee, then, and to be seen, is a property of bodies, which certainly will\nnot be appropriately applied either to the Father, or to the Son, or to\nthe Holy Spirit, in their mutual relations with one another. For the\nnature of the Trinity surpasses the measure of vision, granting to those\nwho are in the body, _i.e._ to all other creatures, the property of\nvision in reference to one another. But to a nature that is incorporeal\nand for the most part intellectual, no other attribute is appropriate\nsave that of knowing or being known, as the Saviour Himself declares\nwhen He says, \u201cNo man knoweth the Son, save the Father; nor does any one\nknow the Father, save the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal\nHim.\u201d[200] It is clear, then, that He has not said, \u201cNo one has seen the\nFather, save the Son;\u201d but, \u201cNo one knoweth the Father, save the Son.\u201d\n\n4. And now, if, on account of those expressions which occur in the Old\nTestament, as when God is said to be angry or to repent, or when any\nother human affection or passion is described, [our opponents] think\nthat they are furnished with grounds for refuting us, who maintain that\nGod is altogether impassible, and is to be regarded as wholly free from\nall affections of that kind, we have to show them that similar\nstatements are found even in the parables of the Gospel; as when it is\nsaid, that he who planted a vineyard, and let it out to husbandmen, who\nslew the servants that were sent to them, and at last put to death even\nthe son, is said in anger to have taken away the vineyard from them, and\nto have delivered over the wicked husbandmen to destruction, and to have\nhanded over the vineyard to others, who would yield him the fruit in its\nseason. And so also with regard to those citizens who, when the head of\nthe household had set out to receive for himself a kingdom, sent\nmessengers after him, saying, \u201cWe will not have this man to reign over\nus;\u201d[201] for the head of the household having obtained the kingdom,\nreturned, and in anger commanded them to be put to death before him, and\nburned their city with fire. But when we read either in the Old\nTestament or in the New of the anger of God, we do not take such\nexpressions literally, but seek in them a spiritual meaning, that we may\nthink of God as He deserves to be thought of. And on these points, when\nexpounding the verse in the second Psalm, \u201cThen shall He speak to them\nin His anger, and trouble them in His fury,\u201d[202] we showed, to the best\nof our poor ability, how such an expression ought to be understood.\n\nFootnote 181:\n\n Matt. v. 48, 49.\n\nFootnote 182:\n\n Matt. vi. 9.\n\nFootnote 183:\n\n Matt. v. 34, 35.\n\nFootnote 184:\n\n Isa. lxvi. 1.\n\nFootnote 185:\n\n John ii. 16.\n\nFootnote 186:\n\n Matt. xxii. 32; cf. Ex. iii. 6.\n\nFootnote 187:\n\n Isa. xlv. 6.\n\nFootnote 188:\n\n Acts vii.\n\nFootnote 189:\n\n Matt. xxii. 37, 39, 40.\n\nFootnote 190:\n\n 2 Tim. i. 3.\n\nFootnote 191:\n\n 2 Cor. xi. 22.\n\nFootnote 192:\n\n Rom. i. 1-4.\n\nFootnote 193:\n\n 1 Cor. ix. 9, 10; cf. Deut. xxv. 4.\n\nFootnote 194:\n\n Eph. vi. 2, 3; cf. Ex. xx. 12.\n\nFootnote 195:\n\n John i. 18.\n\nFootnote 196:\n\n Col. i. 15.\n\nFootnote 197:\n\n John xiv. 9.\n\nFootnote 198:\n\n Ex. xxxiii. 20, cf. 23.\n\nFootnote 199:\n\n Aliud sit videre et videri, et aliud n\u00f4sse et nosci, vel cognoscere\n atque cognosci.\n\nFootnote 200:\n\n Matt. xi. 27.\n\nFootnote 201:\n\n Luke xix. 14.\n\nFootnote 202:\n\n Ps. ii. 5.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER V.\n ON JUSTICE AND GOODNESS.\n\n\n1. Now, since this consideration has weight with some, that the leaders\nof that heresy (of which we have been speaking) think they have\nestablished a kind of division, according to which they have declared\nthat justice is one thing and goodness another, and have applied this\ndivision even to divine things, maintaining that the Father of our Lord\nJesus Christ is indeed a good God, but not a just one, whereas the God\nof the law and the prophets is just, but not good; I think it necessary\nto return, with as much brevity as possible, an answer to these\nstatements. These persons, then, consider goodness to be some such\naffection as would have benefits conferred on all, although the\nrecipient of them be unworthy and undeserving of any kindness; but here,\nin my opinion, they have not rightly applied their definition, inasmuch\nas they think that no benefit is conferred on him who is visited with\nany suffering or calamity. Justice, on the other hand, they view as that\nquality which rewards every one according to his deserts. But here,\nagain, they do not rightly interpret the meaning of their own\ndefinition. For they think that it is just to send evils upon the wicked\nand benefits upon the good; _i.e._ so that, according to their view, the\njust God does not appear to wish well to the bad, but to be animated by\na kind of hatred against them. And they gather together instances of\nthis, wherever they find a history in the Scriptures of the Old\nTestament, relating, _e.g._, the punishment of the deluge, or the fate\nof those who are described as perishing in it, or the destruction of\nSodom and Gomorrha by a shower of fire and brimstone, or the falling of\nall the people in the wilderness on account of their sins, so that none\nof those who had left Egypt were found to have entered the promised\nland, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb. Whereas from the New\nTestament they gather together words of compassion and piety, through\nwhich the disciples are trained by the Saviour, and by which it seems to\nbe declared that no one is good save God the Father only; and by this\nmeans they have ventured to style the Father of the Saviour Jesus Christ\na good God, but to say that the God of the world is a different one,\nwhom they are pleased to term just, but not also good.\n\n2. Now I think they must, in the first place, be required to show, if\nthey can, agreeably to their own definition, that the Creator is just in\npunishing according to their deserts, either those who perished at the\ntime of the deluge, or the inhabitants of Sodom, or those who had\nquitted Egypt, seeing we sometimes behold committed crimes more wicked\nand detestable than those for which the above-mentioned persons were\ndestroyed, while we do not yet see every sinner paying the penalty of\nhis misdeeds. Will they say that He who at one time was just has been\nmade good? Or will they rather be of opinion that He is even now just,\nbut is patiently enduring human offences, while that then He was not\neven just, inasmuch as He exterminated innocent and sucking children\nalong with cruel and ungodly giants? Now, such are their opinions,\nbecause they know not how to understand anything beyond the letter;\notherwise they would show how it is literal justice for sins to be\nvisited upon the heads of children to the third and fourth generation,\nand on children\u2019s children after them. By us, however, such things are\nnot understood literally; but, as Ezekiel taught[203] when relating the\nparable, we inquire what is the inner meaning contained in the parable\nitself. Moreover, they ought to explain this also, how He is just, and\nrewards every one according to his merits, who punishes earthly-minded\npersons and the devil, seeing they have done nothing worthy of\npunishment. For they could not do any good if, according to them, they\nwere of a wicked and ruined nature. For as they style Him a judge, He\nappears to be a judge not so much of actions as of natures; and if a bad\nnature cannot do good, neither can a good nature do evil. Then, in the\nnext place, if He whom they call good is good to all, He is undoubtedly\ngood also to those who are destined to perish. And why does He not save\nthem? If He does not desire to do so, He will be no longer good; if He\ndoes desire it, and cannot effect it, He will not be omnipotent. Why do\nthey not rather hear the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Gospels,\npreparing fire for the devil and his angels? And how shall that\nproceeding, as penal as it is sad, appear to be, according to their\nview, the work of the good God? Even the Saviour Himself, the Son of the\ngood God, protests in the Gospels, and declares that \u201cif signs and\nwonders had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented[204]\nlong ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.\u201d And when He had come near to\nthose very cities, and had entered their territory, why, pray, does He\navoid entering those cities, and exhibiting to them abundance of signs\nand wonders, if it were certain that they would have repented, after\nthey had been performed, in sackcloth and ashes? But as He does not do\nthis, He undoubtedly abandons to destruction those whom the language of\nthe Gospel shows not to have been of a wicked or ruined nature, inasmuch\nas it declares they were capable of repentance. Again, in a certain\nparable of the Gospel, where the king enters in to see the guests\nreclining at the banquet, he beheld a certain individual not clothed\nwith wedding raiment, and said to him, \u201cFriend, how camest thou in\nhither, not having a wedding garment?\u201d and then ordered his servants,\n\u201cBind him hand and foot, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be\nweeping and gnashing of teeth.\u201d[205] Let them tell us who is that king\nwho entered in to see the guests, and finding one amongst them with\nunclean garments, commanded him to be bound by his servants, and thrust\nout into outer darkness. Is he the same whom they call just? How then\nhad he commanded good and bad alike to be invited, without directing\ntheir merits to be inquired into by his servants? By such procedure\nwould be indicated, not the character of a just God who rewards\naccording to men\u2019s deserts, as they assert, but of one who displays\nundiscriminating goodness towards all. Now, if this must necessarily be\nunderstood of the good God, _i.e._ either of Christ or of the Father of\nChrist, what other objection can they bring against the justice of God\u2019s\njudgment? Nay, what else is there so unjust charged by them against the\nGod of the law as to order him who had been invited by His servants,\nwhom He had sent to call good and bad alike, to be bound hand and foot,\nand to be thrown into outer darkness, because he had on unclean\ngarments?\n\n3. And now, what we have drawn from the authority of Scripture ought to\nbe sufficient to refute the arguments of the heretics. It will not,\nhowever, appear improper if we discuss the matter with them shortly, on\nthe grounds of reason itself. We ask them, then, if they know what is\nregarded among men as the ground of virtue and wickedness, and if it\nappears to follow that we can speak of virtues in God, or, as they\nthink, in these two Gods. Let them give an answer also to the question,\nwhether they consider goodness to be a virtue; and as they will\nundoubtedly admit it to be so, what will they say of injustice? They\nwill never certainly, in my opinion, be so foolish as to deny that\njustice is a virtue. Accordingly, if virtue is a blessing, and justice\nis a virtue, then without doubt justice is goodness. But if they say\nthat justice is not a blessing, it must either be an evil or an\nindifferent thing. Now I think it folly to return any answer to those\nwho say that justice is an evil, for I shall have the appearance of\nreplying either to senseless words, or to men out of their minds. How\ncan that appear an evil which is able to reward the good with blessings,\nas they themselves also admit? But if they say that it is a thing of\nindifference, it follows that since justice is so, sobriety also, and\nprudence, and all the other virtues, are things of indifference. And\nwhat answer shall we make to Paul, when he says, \u201cIf there be any\nvirtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things, which ye have\nlearned, and received, and heard, and seen in me?\u201d[206] Let them learn,\ntherefore, by searching the holy Scriptures, what are the individual\nvirtues, and not deceive themselves by saying that that God who rewards\nevery one according to his merits, does, through hatred of evil,\nrecompense the wicked with evil, and not because those who have sinned\nneed to be treated with severer remedies, and because He applies to them\nthose measures which, with the prospect of improvement, seem\nnevertheless, for the present, to produce a feeling of pain. They do not\nread what is written respecting the hope of those who were destroyed in\nthe deluge; of which hope Peter himself thus speaks in his first\nepistle: \u201cThat Christ, indeed, was put to death in the flesh, but\nquickened by the Spirit, by which He went and preached to the spirits\nwho were kept in prison, who once were unbelievers, when they awaited\nthe long-suffering of God in the days of Noah, when the ark was\npreparing, in which a few, _i.e._ eight souls, were saved by water.\nWhereunto also baptism by a like figure now saves you.\u201d[207] And with\nregard to Sodom and Gomorrha, let them tell us whether they believe the\nprophetic words to be those of the Creator God\u2014of Him, viz., who is\nrelated to have rained upon them a shower of fire and brimstone. What\ndoes Ezekiel the prophet say of them? \u201cSodom,\u201d he says, \u201cshall be\nrestored to her former condition.\u201d[208] But why, in afflicting those who\nare deserving of punishment, does He not afflict them for their\ngood?\u2014who also says to Chaldea, \u201cThou hast coals of fire, sit upon them;\nthey will be a help to thee.\u201d[209] And of those also who fell in the\ndesert, let them hear what is related in the seventy-eighth Psalm, which\nbears the superscription of Asaph; for he says, \u201cWhen He slew them, then\nthey sought Him.\u201d[210] He does not say that some sought Him after others\nhad been slain, but he says that the destruction of those who were\nkilled was of such a nature that, when put to death, they sought God. By\nall which it is established, that the God of the law and the Gospels is\none and the same, a just and good God, and that He confers benefits\njustly, and punishes with kindness; since neither goodness without\njustice, nor justice without goodness, can display the [real] dignity of\nthe divine nature.\n\nWe shall add the following remarks, to which we are driven by their\nsubtleties. If justice is a different thing from goodness, then, since\nevil is the opposite of good, and injustice of justice, injustice will\ndoubtless be something else than an evil; and as, in your opinion, the\njust man is not good, so neither will the unjust man be wicked; and\nagain, as the good man is not just, so the wicked man also will not be\nunjust. But who does not see the absurdity, that to a good God one\nshould be opposed that is evil; while to a just God, whom they allege to\nbe inferior to the good, no one should be opposed! For there is none who\ncan be called unjust, as there is a Satan who is called wicked. What,\nthen, are we to do? Let us give up the position which we defend, for\nthey will not be able to maintain that a bad man is not also unjust, and\nan unjust man wicked. And if these qualities be indissolubly inherent in\nthese opposites, viz. injustice in wickedness, or wickedness in\ninjustice, then unquestionably the good man will be inseparable from the\njust man, and the just from the good; so that, as we speak of one and\nthe same wickedness in malice and injustice, we may also hold the virtue\nof goodness and justice to be one and the same.\n\n4. They again recall us, however, to the words of Scripture, by bringing\nforward that celebrated question of theirs, affirming that it is\nwritten, \u201cA bad tree cannot produce good fruits; for a tree is known by\nits fruit.\u201d[211] What, then, is their position? What sort of tree the\nlaw is, is shown by its fruits, _i.e._ by the language of its precepts.\nFor if the law be found to be good, then undoubtedly He who gave it is\nbelieved to be a good God. But if it be just rather than good, then God\nalso will be considered a just legislator. The Apostle Paul makes use of\nno circumlocution, when he says, \u201cThe law is good; and the commandment\nis holy, and just, and good.\u201d[212] From which it is clear that Paul had\nnot learned the language of those who separate justice from goodness,\nbut had been instructed by that God, and illuminated by His Spirit, who\nis at the same time both holy, and good, and just; and speaking by whose\nSpirit he declared that the commandment of the law was holy, and just,\nand good. And that he might show more clearly that goodness was in the\ncommandment to a greater degree than justice and holiness, repeating his\nwords, he used, instead of these three epithets, that of goodness alone,\nsaying, \u201cWas then that which is good made death unto me? God\nforbid.\u201d[213] As he knew that goodness was the _genus_ of the virtues,\nand that justice and holiness were _species_ belonging to the _genus_,\nand having in the former verses named _genus_ and _species_ together, he\nfell back, when repeating his words, on the _genus_ alone. But in those\nwhich follow he says, \u201cSin wrought death in me by that which is good,\u201d\nwhere he sums up generically what he had beforehand explained\nspecifically. And in this way also is to be understood the declaration,\n\u201cA good man, out of the good treasure of his heart, bringeth forth good\nthings; and an evil man, out of the evil treasure, bringeth forth evil\nthings.\u201d[214] For here also he assumed that there was a _genus_ in good\nor evil, pointing out unquestionably that in a good man there were both\njustice, and temperance, and prudence, and piety, and everything that\ncan be either called or understood to be good. In like manner also he\nsaid that a man was wicked who should without any doubt be unjust, and\nimpure, and unholy, and everything which singly makes a bad man. For as\nno one considers a man to be wicked without these marks of wickedness\n(nor indeed can he be so), so also it is certain that without these\nvirtues no one will be deemed to be good. There still remains to them,\nhowever, that saying of the Lord in the Gospel, which they think is\ngiven them in a special manner as a shield, viz. \u201cThere is none good but\none, God the Father.\u201d[215] This word they declare is peculiar to the\nFather of Christ, who, however, is different from the God who is Creator\nof all things, to which Creator he gave no appellation of goodness. Let\nus see now if, in the Old Testament, the God of the prophets and the\nCreator and Legislator of the world is not called good. What are the\nexpressions which occur in the Psalms? \u201cHow good is God to Israel, to\nthe upright in heart!\u201d[216] and, \u201cLet Israel now say that He is good,\nthat His mercy endureth for ever;\u201d[217] the language in the Lamentations\nof Jeremiah, \u201cThe Lord is good to them that wait for Him, to the soul\nthat seeketh Him.\u201d[218] As therefore God is frequently called good in\nthe Old Testament, so also the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is styled\njust in the Gospels. Finally, in the Gospel according to John, our Lord\nHimself, when praying to the Father, says, \u201cO just Father, the world\nhath not known Thee.\u201d[219] And lest perhaps they should say that it was\nowing to His having assumed human flesh that He called the Creator of\nthe world \u201cFather,\u201d and styled Him \u201cJust,\u201d they are excluded from such a\nrefuge by the words that immediately follow, \u201cThe world hath not known\nThee.\u201d But, according to them, the world is ignorant of the good God\nalone. For the world unquestionably recognises its Creator, the Lord\nHimself saying that the world loveth what is its own. Clearly, then, He\nwhom they consider to be the good God, is called just in the Gospels.\nAny one may at leisure gather together a greater number of proofs,\nconsisting of those passages, where in the New Testament the Father of\nour Lord Jesus Christ is called just, and in the Old also, where the\nCreator of heaven and earth is called good; so that the heretics, being\nconvicted by numerous testimonies, may perhaps some time be put to the\nblush.\n\nFootnote 203:\n\n Ezek. xviii. 3.\n\nFootnote 204:\n\n P\u0153nitentiam egissent.\n\nFootnote 205:\n\n Matt. xxii. 12, 13.\n\nFootnote 206:\n\n Phil. iv. 8, 9.\n\nFootnote 207:\n\n 1 Pet. iii. 18-21.\n\nFootnote 208:\n\n Ezek. xvi. 55, cf. 53.\n\nFootnote 209:\n\n Isa. xlvii. 14, 15. The Septuagint here differs from the Hebrew: \u1f14\u03c7\u03b5\u03b9\u03c2\n \u1f04\u03bd\u03b8\u03c1\u03b1\u03ba\u03b1\u03c2 \u03c0\u03c5\u03c1\u03cc\u03c2, \u03ba\u03ac\u03b8\u03b9\u03c3\u03b1\u03b9 \u1f10\u03c0\u2019 \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u03bf\u03cd\u03c2, \u03bf\u1f57\u03c4\u03bf\u03b9 \u1f14\u03c3\u03bf\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9 \u03c3\u03bf\u03b9 \u03b2\u03bf\u03ae\u03b8\u03b5\u03b9\u03b1.\n\nFootnote 210:\n\n Ps. lxxviii. 34.\n\nFootnote 211:\n\n Matt. vii. 18, cf. xii. 33.\n\nFootnote 212:\n\n Rom. vii. 12.\n\nFootnote 213:\n\n Rom. vii. 13.\n\nFootnote 214:\n\n Matt. xii. 35.\n\nFootnote 215:\n\n Matt. xix. 17.\n\nFootnote 216:\n\n Ps. lxxiii. 1.\n\nFootnote 217:\n\n Ps. cxviii. 2.\n\nFootnote 218:\n\n Lam. iii. 25.\n\nFootnote 219:\n\n John xvii. 25: Juste Pater.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER VI.\n ON THE INCARNATION OF CHRIST.\n\n\n1. It is now time, after this cursory notice of these points, to resume\nour investigation of the incarnation of our Lord and Saviour, viz. how\nor why He became man. Having therefore, to the best of our feeble\nability, considered His divine nature from the contemplation of His own\nworks rather than from our own feelings, and having nevertheless beheld\n(with the eye) His visible creation while the invisible creation is seen\nby faith, because human frailty can neither see all things with the\nbodily eye nor comprehend them by reason, seeing we men are weaker and\nfrailer than any other rational beings (for those which are in heaven,\nor are supposed to exist above the heaven, are superior), it remains\nthat we seek a being intermediate between all created things and God,\n_i.e._ a Mediator, whom the Apostle Paul styles the \u201cfirst-born of every\ncreature.\u201d[220] Seeing, moreover, those declarations regarding His\nmajesty which are contained in holy Scripture, that He is called the\n\u201cimage of the invisible God, and the first-born of every creature,\u201d and\nthat \u201cin Him were all things created, visible and invisible, whether\nthey be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers, all things\nwere created by Him, and in Him: and He is before all things, and by Him\nall things consist,\u201d[221] who is the head of all things, alone having as\nhead God the Father; for it is written, \u201cThe head of Christ is\nGod;\u201d[222] seeing clearly also that it is written, \u201cNo one knoweth the\nFather, save the Son, nor doth any one know the Son, save the\nFather\u201d[223] (for who can know what wisdom is, save He who called it\ninto being? Or who can understand clearly what truth is, save the Father\nof truth? Who can investigate with certainty the universal nature of His\nWord, and of God Himself, which nature proceeds from God, except God\nalone, with whom the Word was), we ought to regard it as certain that\nthis Word, or Reason (if it is to be so termed), this Wisdom, this\nTruth, is known to no other than the Father only; and of Him it is\nwritten, that \u201cI do not think that the world itself could contain the\nbooks which might be written,\u201d[224] regarding, viz., the glory and\nmajesty of the Son of God. For it is impossible to commit to writing\n[all] those particulars which belong to the glory of the Saviour. After\nthe consideration of questions of such importance concerning the being\nof the Son of God, we are lost in the deepest amazement that such a\nnature, pre-eminent above all others, should have divested itself of its\ncondition of majesty and become man, and tabernacled amongst men, as the\ngrace that was poured upon His lips testifies, and as His heavenly\nFather bore Him witness, and as is confessed by the various signs and\nwonders and miracles[225] that were performed by Him; who also, before\nthat appearance of His which He manifested in the body, sent the\nprophets as His forerunners, and the messengers of His advent; and after\nHis ascension into heaven, made His holy apostles, men ignorant and\nunlearned, taken from the ranks of tax-gatherers or fishermen, but who\nwere filled with the power of His divinity, to itinerate throughout the\nworld, that they might gather together out of every race and every\nnation a multitude of devout believers in Himself.\n\n2. But of all the marvellous and mighty acts related of Him, this\naltogether surpasses human admiration, and is beyond the power of mortal\nfrailness to understand or feel, how that mighty power of divine\nmajesty, that very Word of the Father, and that very wisdom of God, in\nwhich were created all things, visible and invisible, can be believed to\nhave existed within the limits of that man who appeared in Judea; nay,\nthat the Wisdom of God can have entered the womb of a woman, and have\nbeen born an infant, and have uttered wailings like the cries of little\nchildren! And that afterwards it should be related that He was greatly\ntroubled in death, saying, as He Himself declared, \u201cMy soul is\nsorrowful, even unto death;\u201d[226] and that at the last He was brought to\nthat death which is accounted the most shameful among men, although He\nrose again on the third day. Since, then, we see in Him some things so\nhuman that they appear to differ in no respect from the common frailty\nof mortals, and some things so divine that they can appropriately belong\nto nothing else than to the primal and ineffable nature of Deity, the\nnarrowness of human understanding can find no outlet; but, overcome with\nthe amazement of a mighty admiration, knows not whither to withdraw, or\nwhat to take hold of, or whither to turn. If it think of a God, it sees\na mortal; if it think of a man, it beholds Him returning from the grave,\nafter overthrowing the empire of death, laden with its spoils. And\ntherefore the spectacle is to be contemplated with all fear and\nreverence, that the truth of both natures may be clearly shown to exist\nin one and the same Being; so that nothing unworthy or unbecoming may be\nperceived in that divine and ineffable substance, nor yet those things\nwhich were done be supposed to be the illusions of imaginary\nappearances. To utter these things in human ears, and to explain them in\nwords, far surpasses the powers either of our rank, or of our intellect\nand language. I think that it surpasses the power even of the holy\napostles; nay, the explanation of that mystery may perhaps be beyond the\ngrasp of the entire creation of celestial powers. Regarding Him, then,\nwe shall state, in the fewest possible words, the contents of our creed\nrather than the assertions which human reason is wont to advance; and\nthis from no spirit of rashness, but as called for by the nature of our\narrangement, laying before you rather [what may be termed] our\nsuspicions than any clear affirmations.\n\n3. The Only-begotten of God, therefore, through whom, as the previous\ncourse of the discussion has shown, all things were made, visible and\ninvisible, according to the view of Scripture, both made all things, and\nloves what He made. For since He is Himself the invisible image of the\ninvisible God, He conveyed invisibly a share in Himself to all His\nrational creatures, so that each one obtained a part of Him exactly\nproportioned to the amount of affection with which he regarded Him. But\nsince, agreeably to the faculty of free-will, variety and diversity\ncharacterized the individual souls, so that one was attached with a\nwarmer love to the Author of its being, and another with a feebler and\nweaker regard, that soul (_anima_) regarding which Jesus said, \u201cNo one\nshall take my life (_animam_) from me,\u201d[227] inhering, from the\nbeginning of the creation, and afterwards, inseparably and indissolubly\nin Him, as being the Wisdom and Word of God, and the Truth and the true\nLight, and receiving Him wholly, and passing into His light and\nsplendour, was made with Him in a pre-eminent degree[228] one spirit,\naccording to the promise of the apostle to those who ought to imitate\nit, that \u201che who is joined in the Lord is one spirit.\u201d[229] This\nsubstance of a soul, then, being intermediate between God and the\nflesh\u2014it being impossible for the nature of God to intermingle with a\nbody without an intermediate instrument\u2014the God-man is born, as we have\nsaid, that substance being the intermediary to whose nature it was not\ncontrary to assume a body. But neither, on the other hand, was it\nopposed to the nature of that soul, as a rational existence, to receive\nGod, into whom, as stated above, as into the Word, and the Wisdom, and\nthe Truth, it had already wholly entered. And therefore deservedly is it\nalso called, along with the flesh which it had assumed, the Son of God,\nand the Power of God, the Christ, and the Wisdom of God, either because\nit was wholly in the Son of God, or because it received the Son of God\nwholly into itself. And again, the Son of God, through whom all things\nwere created, is named Jesus Christ and the Son of man. For the Son of\nGod also is said to have died\u2014in reference, viz., to that nature which\ncould admit of death; and He is called the Son of man, who is announced\nas about to come in the glory of God the Father, with the holy angels.\nAnd for this reason, throughout the whole of Scripture, not only is the\ndivine nature spoken of in human words, but the human nature is adorned\nby appellations of divine dignity. More truly indeed of this than of any\nother can the statement be affirmed, \u201cThey shall both be in one flesh,\nand are no longer two, but one flesh.\u201d[230] For the Word of God is to be\nconsidered as being more in one flesh with the soul than a man with his\nwife. But to whom is it more becoming to be also one spirit with God,\nthan to this soul which has so joined itself to God by love as that it\nmay justly be said to be one spirit with Him?\n\n4. That the perfection of his love and the sincerity of his deserved\naffection[231] formed for it this inseparable union with God, so that\nthe assumption of that soul was not accidental, or the result of a\npersonal preference, but was conferred as the reward of its virtues,\nlisten to the prophet addressing it thus: \u201cThou hast loved\nrighteousness, and hated wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath\nanointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.\u201d[232] As a\nreward for its love, then, it is anointed with the oil of gladness;\n_i.e._ the soul of Christ along with the Word of God is made Christ.\nBecause to be anointed with the oil of gladness means nothing else than\nto be filled with the Holy Spirit. And when it is said \u201cabove thy\nfellows,\u201d it is meant that the grace of the Spirit was not given to it\nas to the prophets, but that the essential fulness of the Word of God\nHimself was in it, according to the saying of the apostle, \u201cIn whom\ndwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.\u201d[233] Finally, on this\naccount he has not only said, \u201cThou hast loved righteousness;\u201d but he\nadds, \u201cand Thou hast hated wickedness.\u201d For to have hated wickedness is\nwhat the Scripture says of Him, that \u201cHe did no sin, neither was any\nguile found in His mouth,\u201d[234] and that \u201cHe was tempted in all things\nlike as we are, without sin.\u201d[235] Nay, the Lord Himself also said,\n\u201cWhich of you will convince me of sin?\u201d[236] And again He says with\nreference to Himself, \u201cBehold, the prince of this world cometh, and\nfindeth nothing in me.\u201d[237] All which [passages] show that in Him there\nwas no sense of sin; and that the prophet might show more clearly that\nno sense of sin had ever entered into Him, he says, \u201cBefore the boy\ncould have knowledge to call upon father or mother, He turned away from\nwickedness.\u201d[238]\n\n5. Now, if our having shown above that Christ possessed a rational soul\nshould cause a difficulty to any one, seeing we have frequently proved\nthroughout all our discussions that the nature of souls is capable both\nof good and evil, the difficulty will be explained in the following way.\nThat the nature, indeed, of His soul was the same as that of all others\ncannot be doubted, otherwise it could not be called a soul were it not\ntruly one. But since the power of choosing good and evil is within the\nreach of all, this soul which belonged to Christ elected to love\nrighteousness, so that in proportion to the immensity of its love it\nclung to it unchangeably and inseparably, so that firmness of purpose,\nand immensity of affection, and an inextinguishable warmth of love,\ndestroyed all susceptibility (_sensum_) for alteration and change; and\nthat which formerly depended upon the will was changed by the power of\nlong custom into nature; and so we must believe that there existed in\nChrist a human and rational soul, without supposing that it had any\nfeeling or possibility of sin.\n\n6. To explain the matter more fully, it will not appear absurd to make\nuse of an illustration, although on a subject of so much difficulty it\nis not easy to obtain suitable illustrations. However, if we may speak\nwithout offence, the metal iron is capable of cold and heat. If, then, a\nmass of iron be kept constantly in the fire, receiving the heat through\nall its pores and veins, and the fire being continuous and the iron\nnever removed from it, it become wholly converted into the latter; could\nwe at all say of this, which is by nature a mass of iron, that when\nplaced in the fire, and incessantly burning, it was at any time capable\nof admitting cold? On the contrary, because it is more consistent with\ntruth, do we not rather say, what we often see happening in furnaces,\nthat it has become wholly fire, seeing nothing but fire is visible in\nit? And if any one were to attempt to touch or handle it, he would\nexperience the action not of iron, but of fire. In this way, then, that\nsoul which, like an iron in the fire, has been perpetually placed in the\nWord, and perpetually in the Wisdom, and perpetually in God,[239] is God\nin all that it does, feels, and understands, and therefore can be called\nneither convertible nor mutable, inasmuch as, being incessantly heated,\nit possessed immutability from its union with the Word of God. To all\nthe saints, finally, some warmth from the Word of God must be supposed\nto have passed; and in this soul the divine fire itself must be believed\nto have rested, from which some warmth may have passed to others.\nLastly, the expression, \u201cGod, thy God, anointed thee with the oil of\ngladness above thy fellows,\u201d[240] shows that that soul is anointed in\none way with the oil of gladness, _i.e._ with the word of God and\nwisdom; and his fellows, _i.e._ the holy prophets and apostles, in\nanother. For they are said to have \u201crun in the odour of his\nointments;\u201d[241] and that soul was the vessel which contained that very\nointment of whose fragrance all the worthy prophets and apostles were\nmade partakers. As, then, the substance of an ointment is one thing and\nits odour another, so also Christ is one thing and His fellows another.\nAnd as the vessel itself, which contains the substance of the ointment,\ncan by no means admit any foul smell; whereas it is possible that those\nwho enjoy its odour may, if they remove a little way from its fragrance,\nreceive any foul odour which comes upon them: so, in the same way, was\nit impossible that Christ, being as it were the vessel itself, in which\nwas the substance of the ointment, should receive an odour of an\nopposite kind, while they who are His \u201cfellows\u201d will be partakers and\nreceivers of His odour, in proportion to their nearness to the vessel.\n\n7. I think, indeed, that Jeremiah the prophet, also, understanding what\nwas the nature of the wisdom of God in him, which was the same also\nwhich he had assumed for the salvation of the world, said, \u201cThe breath\nof our countenance is Christ the Lord, to whom we said, that under His\nshadow we shall live among the nations.\u201d[242] And inasmuch as the shadow\nof our body is inseparable from the body, and unavoidably performs and\nrepeats its movements and gestures, I think that he, wishing to point\nout the work of Christ\u2019s soul, and the movements inseparably belonging\nto it, and which accomplished everything according to His movements and\nwill, called this the shadow of Christ the Lord, under which shadow we\nwere to live among the nations. For in the mystery of this assumption\nthe nations live, who, imitating it through faith, come to salvation.\nDavid also, when saying, \u201cBe mindful of my reproach, O Lord, with which\nthey reproached me in exchange for Thy Christ,\u201d[243] seems to me to\nindicate the same. And what else does Paul mean when he says, \u201cYour life\nis hid with Christ in God;\u201d[244] and again in another passage, \u201cDo you\nseek a proof of Christ, who speaketh in me?\u201d[245] And now he says that\nChrist was hid in God. The meaning of which expression, unless it be\nshown to be something such as we have pointed out above as intended by\nthe prophet in the words \u201cshadow of Christ,\u201d exceeds, perhaps, the\napprehension of the human mind. But we see also very many other\nstatements in holy Scripture respecting the meaning of the word\n\u201cshadow,\u201d as that well-known one in the Gospel according to Luke, where\nGabriel says to Mary, \u201cThe Spirit of the Lord shall come upon thee, and\nthe power of the Highest shall overshadow thee.\u201d[246] And the apostle\nsays with reference to the law, that they who have circumcision in the\nflesh, \u201cserve for the similitude and shadow of heavenly things.\u201d[247]\nAnd elsewhere, \u201cIs not our life upon the earth a shadow?\u201d[248] If, then,\nnot only the law which is upon the earth is a shadow, but also all our\nlife which is upon the earth is the same, and we live among the nations\nunder the shadow of Christ, we must see whether the truth of all these\nshadows may not come to be known in that revelation, when no longer\nthrough a glass, and darkly, but face to face, all the saints shall\ndeserve to behold the glory of God, and the causes and truth of things.\nAnd the pledge of this truth being already received through the Holy\nSpirit, the apostle said, \u201cYea, though we have known Christ after the\nflesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more.\u201d[249]\n\nThe above, meanwhile, are the thoughts which have occurred to us, when\ntreating of subjects of such difficulty as the incarnation and deity of\nChrist. If there be any one, indeed, who can discover something better,\nand who can establish his assertions by clearer proofs from holy\nScriptures, let his opinion be received in preference to mine.\n\nFootnote 220:\n\n Col. i. 15.\n\nFootnote 221:\n\n Col. i. 16, 17.\n\nFootnote 222:\n\n 1 Cor. xi. 3.\n\nFootnote 223:\n\n Matt. xi. 27.\n\nFootnote 224:\n\n John xxi. 25.\n\nFootnote 225:\n\n Virtutibus, probably for \u03b4\u03c5\u03bd\u03ac\u03bc\u03b5\u03c3\u03b9\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 226:\n\n Matt. xxvi. 38.\n\nFootnote 227:\n\n John x. 18. \u201cNo other soul which descended into a human body has\n stamped on itself a pure and unstained resemblance of its former\n stamp, save that one of which the Saviour says, \u2018No one will take my\n soul from me, but I lay it down of myself.\u2019\u201d\u2014Jerome, _Epistle to\n Avitus_, p. 763.\n\nFootnote 228:\n\n Principaliter.\n\nFootnote 229:\n\n 1 Cor. vi. 17.\n\nFootnote 230:\n\n Gen. ii. 24; cf. Mark x. 8.\n\nFootnote 231:\n\n Meriti affectus.\n\nFootnote 232:\n\n Ps. xlv. 7.\n\nFootnote 233:\n\n Col. ii. 9.\n\nFootnote 234:\n\n Isa. liii. 9.\n\nFootnote 235:\n\n Heb. iv. 15.\n\nFootnote 236:\n\n John viii. 46.\n\nFootnote 237:\n\n John xiv. 30.\n\nFootnote 238:\n\n This quotation is made up of two different parts of Isaiah: chap.\n viii. 4, \u201cBefore the child shall have knowledge to cry, My father and\n my mother;\u201d and chap. vii. 16, \u201cBefore the child shall know to refuse\n the evil, and choose the good.\u201d\n\nFootnote 239:\n\n Semper in verbo, semper in sapientia, semper in Deo.\n\nFootnote 240:\n\n Ps. xlv. 7.\n\nFootnote 241:\n\n Illi enim in odore unguentorum ejus circumire dicuntur; perhaps an\n allusion to Song of Sol. i. 3 or to Ps. xlv. 8.\n\nFootnote 242:\n\n Lam. iv. 20.\n\nFootnote 243:\n\n Ps. lxxxix. 50, 51.\n\nFootnote 244:\n\n Col. iii. 3.\n\nFootnote 245:\n\n 2 Cor. xiii. 3.\n\nFootnote 246:\n\n Luke i. 35.\n\nFootnote 247:\n\n Heb. viii. 5.\n\nFootnote 248:\n\n Job viii. 9.\n\nFootnote 249:\n\n 2 Cor. v. 16.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER VII.\n ON THE HOLY SPIRIT.\n\n\n1. As, then, after those first discussions which, according to the\nrequirements of the case, we held at the beginning regarding the Father,\nSon, and Holy Spirit, it seemed right that we should retrace our steps,\nand show that the same God was the creator and founder of the world, and\nthe Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, _i.e._ that the God of the law and\nof the prophets and of the gospel was one and the same; and that, in the\nnext place, it ought to be shown, with respect to Christ, in what manner\nHe who had formerly been demonstrated to be the Word and Wisdom of God\nbecame man; it remains that we now return with all possible brevity to\nthe subject of the Holy Spirit.\n\nIt is time, then, that we say a few words to the best of our ability\nregarding the Holy Spirit, whom our Lord and Saviour in the Gospel\naccording to John has named the Paraclete. For as it is the same God\nHimself, and the same Christ, so also is it the same Holy Spirit who was\nin the prophets and apostles, _i.e._ either in those who believed in God\nbefore the advent of Christ, or in those who by means of Christ have\nsought refuge in God. We have heard, indeed, that certain heretics have\ndared to say that there are two Gods and two Christs, but we have never\nknown of the doctrine of two Holy Spirits being preached by any\none.[250] For how could they maintain this out of Scripture, or what\ndistinction could they lay down between Holy Spirit and Holy Spirit, if\nindeed any definition or description of Holy Spirit can be discovered?\nFor although we should concede to Marcion or to Valentinus that it is\npossible to draw distinctions in the question of Deity, and to describe\nthe nature of the good God as one, and that of the just God as another,\nwhat will he devise, or what will he discover, to enable him to\nintroduce a distinction in the Holy Spirit? I consider, then, that they\nare able to discover nothing which may indicate a distinction of any\nkind whatever.\n\n2. Now we are of opinion that every rational creature, without any\ndistinction, receives a share of Him in the same way as of the Wisdom\nand of the Word of God. I observe, however, that the chief advent of the\nHoly Spirit is declared to men, after the ascension of Christ to heaven,\nrather than before His coming into the world. For, before that, it was\nupon the prophets alone, and upon a few individuals\u2014if there happened to\nbe any among the people deserving of it\u2014that the gift of the Holy Spirit\nwas conferred; but after the advent of the Saviour, it is written that\nthe prediction of the prophet Joel was fulfilled, \u201cIn the last days it\nshall come to pass, and I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and\nthey shall prophesy,\u201d[251] which is similar to the well-known statement,\n\u201cAll nations shall serve Him.\u201d[252] By the grace, then, of the Holy\nSpirit, along with numerous other results, this most glorious\nconsequence is clearly demonstrated, that with regard to those things\nwhich were written in the prophets or in the law of Moses, it was only a\nfew persons at that time, viz. the prophets themselves, and scarcely\nanother individual out of the whole nation, who were able to look beyond\nthe mere corporeal meaning and discover something greater, _i.e._\nsomething spiritual, in the law or in the prophets; but now there are\ncountless multitudes of believers who, although unable to unfold\nmethodically and clearly the results of their spiritual\nunderstanding,[253] are nevertheless most firmly persuaded that neither\nought circumcision to be understood literally, nor the rest of the\nSabbath, nor the pouring out of the blood of an animal, nor that answers\nwere given by God to Moses on these points. And this method of\napprehension is undoubtedly suggested to the minds of all by the power\nof the Holy Spirit.\n\n3. And as there are many ways of apprehending Christ, who, although He\nis wisdom, does not act the part or possess the power of wisdom in all\nmen, but only in those who give themselves to the study of wisdom in\nHim; and who, although called a physician, does not act as one towards\nall, but only towards those who understand their feeble and sickly\ncondition, and flee to His compassion that they may obtain health; so\nalso I think is it with the Holy Spirit, in whom is contained every kind\nof gifts. For on some is bestowed by the Spirit the word of wisdom, on\nothers the word of knowledge, on others faith; and so to each individual\nof those who are capable of receiving Him, is the Spirit Himself made to\nbe that quality, or understood to be that which is needed by the\nindividual who has deserved to participate.[254] These divisions and\ndifferences not being perceived by those who hear Him called Paraclete\nin the Gospel, and not duly considering in consequence of what work or\nact He is named the Paraclete, they have compared Him to some common\nspirits or other, and by this means have tried to disturb the churches\nof Christ, and so excite dissensions of no small extent among brethren;\nwhereas the Gospel shows Him to be of such power and majesty, that it\nsays the apostles could not yet receive those things which the Saviour\nwished to teach them until the advent of the Holy Spirit, who, pouring\nHimself into their souls, might enlighten them regarding the nature and\nfaith of the Trinity. But these persons, because of the ignorance of\ntheir understandings, are not only unable themselves logically to state\nthe truth, but cannot even give their attention to what is advanced by\nus; and entertaining unworthy ideas of His divinity, have delivered\nthemselves over to errors and deceits, being depraved by a spirit of\nerror, rather than instructed by the teaching of the Holy Spirit,\naccording to the declaration of the apostle, \u201cFollowing the doctrine of\ndevils, forbidding to marry, to the destruction and ruin of many, and to\nabstain from meats, that by an ostentatious exhibition of stricter\nobservance they may seduce the souls of the innocent.\u201d[255]\n\n4. We must therefore know that the Paraclete is the Holy Spirit, who\nteaches truths which cannot be uttered in words, and which are, so to\nspeak, unutterable, and \u201cwhich it is not lawful for a man to\nutter,\u201d[256] _i.e._ which cannot be indicated by human language. The\nphrase \u201cit is not lawful\u201d is, we think, used by the apostle instead of\n\u201cit is not possible;\u201d as also is the case in the passage where he says,\n\u201cAll things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all\nthings are lawful for me, but all things edify not.\u201d[257] For those\nthings which are in our power because we may have them, he says are\nlawful for us. But the Paraclete, who is called the Holy Spirit, is so\ncalled from His work of consolation, _paraclesis_ being termed in Latin\n_consolatio_. For if any one has deserved to participate in the Holy\nSpirit by the knowledge of His ineffable mysteries, he undoubtedly\nobtains comfort and joy of heart. For since he comes by the teaching of\nthe Spirit to the knowledge of the reasons of all things which\nhappen\u2014how or why they occur\u2014his soul can in no respect be troubled, or\nadmit any feeling of sorrow; nor is he alarmed by anything, since,\nclinging to the Word of God and His wisdom, he through the Holy Spirit\ncalls Jesus Lord. And since we have made mention of the Paraclete, and\nhave explained as we were able what sentiments ought to be entertained\nregarding Him; and since our Saviour also is called the Paraclete in the\nEpistle of John, when he says, \u201cIf any of us sin, we have a Paraclete\nwith the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and He is the propitiation\nfor our sins;\u201d[258] let us consider whether this term Paraclete should\nhappen to have one meaning when applied to the Saviour, and another when\napplied to the Holy Spirit. Now Paraclete, when spoken of the Saviour,\nseems to mean intercessor. For in Greek, Paraclete has both\nsignifications\u2014that of intercessor and comforter. On account, then, of\nthe phrase which follows, when he says, \u201cAnd He is the propitiation for\nour sins,\u201d the name Paraclete seems to be understood in the case of our\nSaviour as meaning intercessor; for He is said to intercede with the\nFather because of our sins. In the case of the Holy Spirit, the\nParaclete must be understood in the sense of comforter, inasmuch as He\nbestows consolation upon the souls to whom He openly reveals the\napprehension of spiritual knowledge.\n\nFootnote 250:\n\n According to Pamphilus in his _Apology_, Origen, in a note on Tit.\n iii. 10, has made a statement the opposite of this. His words are:\n \u201cBut there are some also who say, that it was one Holy Spirit who was\n in the prophets, and another who was in the apostles of our Lord Jesus\n Christ.\u201d\u2014RU\u00c6US.\n\nFootnote 251:\n\n Joel ii. 28.\n\nFootnote 252:\n\n Ps. lxxii. 11.\n\nFootnote 253:\n\n Qui licet non omnes possint per ordinem atque ad liquidum spiritualis\n intelligenti\u00e6 explanare consequentiam.\n\nFootnote 254:\n\n Ita per singulos, qui eum capere possunt, hoc efficitur, vel hoc\n intelligitur ipse Spiritus, quo indiget ille, qui eum participare\n meruerit. Schnitzer renders, \u201cAnd so, in every one who is susceptible\n of them, the Spirit is exactly that which the receiver chiefly needs.\u201d\n\nFootnote 255:\n\n 1 Tim. iv. 1-3.\n\nFootnote 256:\n\n 2 Cor. xii. 4.\n\nFootnote 257:\n\n 1 Cor. x. 23.\n\nFootnote 258:\n\n 1 John ii. 1, 2.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER VIII.\n ON THE SOUL (ANIMA).\n\n\n1. The order of our arrangement now requires us, after the discussion of\nthe preceding subjects, to institute a general inquiry regarding the\nsoul;[259] and, beginning with points of inferior importance, to ascend\nto those that are of greater. Now, that there are souls[260] in all\nliving things, even in those which live in the waters, is, I suppose,\ndoubted by no one. For the general opinion of all men maintains this;\nand confirmation from the authority of holy Scripture is added, when it\nis said that \u201cGod made great whales, and every living creature[261] that\nmoveth which the waters brought forth after their kind.\u201d[262] It is\nconfirmed also from the common intelligence of reason, by those who lay\ndown in certain words a definition of soul. For soul is defined as\nfollows: a substance \u03c6\u03b1\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03c4\u03b9\u03ba\u1f74 and \u1f41\u03c1\u03bc\u03b7\u03c4\u03b9\u03ba\u1f74, which may be rendered into\nLatin, although not so appropriately, _sensibilis et mobilis_.[263] This\ncertainly may be said appropriately of all living beings, even of those\nwhich abide in the waters; and of winged creatures too, this same\ndefinition of _anima_ may be shown to hold good. Scripture also has\nadded its authority to a second opinion, when it says, \u201cYe shall not eat\nthe blood, because the life[264] of all flesh is its blood; and ye shall\nnot eat the life with the flesh;\u201d[265] in which it intimates most\nclearly that the blood of every animal is its life. And if any one now\nwere to ask how it can be said with respect to bees, wasps, and ants,\nand those other things which are in the waters, oysters and cockles, and\nall others which are without blood, and are most clearly shown to be\nliving things, that the \u201clife of all flesh is the blood,\u201d we must\nanswer, that in living things of that sort the force which is exerted in\nother animals by the power of red blood is exerted in them by that\nliquid which is within them, although it be of a different colour; for\ncolour is a thing of no importance, provided the substance be endowed\nwith life.[266] That beasts of burden or cattle of smaller size are\nendowed with souls,[267] there is, by general assent, no doubt whatever.\nThe opinion of holy Scripture, however, is manifest, when God says, \u201cLet\nthe earth bring forth the living creature after its kind, four-footed\nbeasts, and creeping things, and beasts of the earth after their\nkind.\u201d[268] And now with respect to man, although no one entertains any\ndoubt, or needs to inquire, yet holy Scripture declares that \u201cGod\nbreathed into his countenance the breath of life, and man became a\nliving soul.\u201d[269] It remains that we inquire respecting the angelic\norder whether they also have souls, or are souls; and also respecting\nthe other divine and celestial powers, as well as those of an opposite\nkind. We nowhere, indeed, find any authority in holy Scripture for\nasserting that either the angels, or any other divine spirits that are\nministers of God, either possess souls or are called souls, and yet they\nare felt by very many persons to be endowed with life. But with regard\nto God, we find it written as follows: \u201cAnd I will put my soul upon that\nsoul which has eaten blood, and I will root him out from among his\npeople;\u201d[270] and also in another passage, \u201cYour new moons, and\nsabbaths, and great days, I will not accept; your fasts, and holidays,\nand festal days, my soul hateth.\u201d[271] And in the twenty-second Psalm,\nregarding Christ\u2014for it is certain, as the Gospel bears witness, that\nthis Psalm is spoken of Him\u2014the following words occur: \u201cO Lord, be not\nfar from helping me; look to my defence: O God, deliver my soul from the\nsword, and my beloved one from the hand of the dog;\u201d[272] although there\nare also many other testimonies respecting the soul of Christ when He\ntabernacled in the flesh.\n\n2. But the nature of the incarnation will render unnecessary any inquiry\ninto the soul of Christ. For as He truly possessed flesh, so also He\ntruly possessed a soul. It is difficult indeed both to feel and to state\nhow that which is called in Scripture the soul of God is to be\nunderstood; for we acknowledge that nature to be simple, and without any\nintermixture or addition. In whatever way, however, it is to be\nunderstood, it seems, meanwhile, to be named the soul of God; whereas\nregarding Christ there is no doubt. And therefore there seems to me no\nabsurdity in either understanding or asserting some such thing regarding\nthe holy angels and the other heavenly powers, since that definition of\nsoul appears applicable also to them. For who can rationally deny that\nthey are \u201csensible and moveable?\u201d But if that definition appear to be\ncorrect, according to which a soul is said to be a substance rationally\n\u201csensible and moveable,\u201d the same definition would seem also to apply to\nangels. For what else is in them than rational feeling and motion? Now\nthose beings who are comprehended under the same definition have\nundoubtedly the same substance. Paul indeed intimates that there is a\nkind of animal-man[273] who, he says, cannot receive the things of the\nSpirit of God, but declares that the doctrine of the Holy Spirit seems\nto him foolish, and that he cannot understand what is to be spiritually\ndiscerned. In another passage he says it is sown an animal body, and\narises a spiritual body, pointing out that in the resurrection of the\njust there will be nothing of an animal nature. And therefore we inquire\nwhether there happen to be any substance which, in respect of its being\n_anima_, is imperfect. But whether it be imperfect because it falls away\nfrom perfection, or because it was so created by God, will form the\nsubject of inquiry when each individual topic shall begin to be\ndiscussed in order. For if the animal man receive not the things of the\nSpirit of God, and because he is animal, is unable to admit the\nunderstanding of a better, _i.e._ of a divine nature, it is for this\nreason perhaps that Paul, wishing to teach us more plainly what that is\nby means of which we are able to comprehend those things which are of\nthe Spirit, _i.e._ spiritual things, conjoins and associates with the\nHoly Spirit an understanding[274] rather than a soul.[275] For this, I\nthink, he indicates when he says, \u201cI will pray with the spirit, I will\npray with the understanding also; I will sing with the spirit, I will\nsing with the understanding also.\u201d[276] And he does not say that \u201cI will\npray with the soul,\u201d but with the spirit and the understanding. Nor does\nhe say, \u201cI will sing with the soul,\u201d but with the spirit and the\nunderstanding.\n\n3. But perhaps this question is asked, If it be the understanding which\nprays and sings with the spirit, and if it be the same which receives\nboth perfection and salvation, how is it that Peter says, \u201cReceiving the\nend of your faith, even the salvation of your souls?\u201d[277] If the soul\nneither prays nor sings with the spirit, how shall it hope for\nsalvation? or when it attains to blessedness, shall it be no longer\ncalled a soul?[278] Let us see if perhaps an answer may be given in this\nway, that as the Saviour came to save what was lost, that which formerly\nwas said to be lost is not lost when it is saved; so also, perhaps, this\nwhich is saved is called a soul, and when it has been placed in a state\nof salvation will receive a name from the Word that denotes its more\nperfect condition. But it appears to some that this also may be added,\nthat as the thing which was lost undoubtedly existed before it was lost,\nat which time it was something else than destroyed, so also will be the\ncase when it is no longer in a ruined condition. In like manner also,\nthe soul which is said to have perished will appear to have been\nsomething at one time, when as yet it had not perished, and on that\naccount would be termed soul, and being again freed from destruction, it\nmay become a second time what it was before it perished, and be called a\nsoul. But from the very signification of the name soul which the Greek\nword conveys, it has appeared to a few curious inquirers that a meaning\nof no small importance may be suggested. For in sacred language God is\ncalled a fire, as when Scripture says, \u201cOur God is a consuming\nfire.\u201d[279] Respecting the substance of the angels also it speaks as\nfollows: \u201cWho maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers a burning\nfire;\u201d[280] and in another place, \u201cThe angel of the Lord appeared in a\nflame of fire in the bush.\u201d[281] We have, moreover, received a\ncommandment to be \u201cfervent in spirit;\u201d[282] by which expression\nundoubtedly the Word of God is shown to be hot and fiery. The prophet\nJeremiah also hears from Him, who gave him his answers, \u201cBehold, I have\ngiven my words into thy mouth a fire.\u201d[283] As God, then, is a fire, and\nthe angels a flame of fire, and all the saints are fervent in spirit,\nso, on the contrary, those who have fallen away from the love of God are\nundoubtedly said to have cooled in their affection for Him, and to have\nbecome cold. For the Lord also says, that, \u201cbecause iniquity has\nabounded, the love of many will grow cold.\u201d[284] Nay, all things,\nwhatever they are, which in holy Scripture are compared with the hostile\npower, the devil is said to be perpetually finding cold; and what is\nfound to be colder than he? In the sea also the dragon is said to reign.\nFor the prophet[285] intimates that the serpent and dragon, which\ncertainly is referred to one of the wicked spirits, is also in the sea.\nAnd elsewhere the prophet says, \u201cI will draw out my holy sword upon the\ndragon the flying serpent, upon the dragon the crooked serpent, and will\nslay him.\u201d[286] And again he says: \u201cEven though they hide from my eyes,\nand descend into the depths of the sea, there will I command the\nserpent, and it shall bite them.\u201d[287] In the book of Job also, he is\nsaid to be the king of all things in the waters.[288] The prophet[289]\nthreatens that evils will be kindled by the north wind upon all who\ninhabit the earth. Now the north wind is described in holy Scripture as\ncold, according to the statement in the book of Wisdom, \u201cThat cold north\nwind;\u201d[290] which same thing also must undoubtedly be understood of the\ndevil. If, then, those things which are holy are named fire, and light,\nand fervent, while those which are of an opposite nature are said to be\ncold; and if the love of many is said to wax cold; we have to inquire\nwhether perhaps the name soul, which in Greek is termed \u03c8\u03c5\u03c7\u03ae, be so\ntermed from growing cold[291] out of a better and more divine condition,\nand be thence derived, because it seems to have cooled from that natural\nand divine warmth, and therefore has been placed in its present\nposition, and called by its present name. Finally, see if you can easily\nfind a place in holy Scripture where the soul is properly mentioned in\nterms of praise: it frequently occurs, on the contrary, accompanied with\nexpressions of censure, as in the passage, \u201cAn evil soul ruins him who\npossesses it;\u201d[292] and, \u201cThe soul which sinneth, it shall die.\u201d[293]\nFor after it has been said, \u201cAll souls are mine; as the soul of the\nfather, so also the soul of the son is mine,\u201d[294] it seemed to follow\nthat He would say, \u201cThe soul that doeth righteousness, it shall be\nsaved,\u201d and \u201cThe soul which sinneth, it shall die.\u201d But now we see that\nHe has associated with the soul what is censurable, and has been silent\nas to that which was deserving of praise. We have therefore to see if,\nperchance, as we have said is declared by the name itself, it was called\n\u03c8\u03c5\u03c7\u03ae, _i.e._ _anima_, because it has waxed cold from the fervour of just\nthings,[295] and from participation in the divine fire, and yet has not\nlost the power of restoring itself to that condition of fervour in which\nit was at the beginning. Whence the prophet also appears to point out\nsome such state of things by the words, \u201cReturn, O my soul, unto thy\nrest.\u201d[296] From all which this appears to be made out, that the\nunderstanding, falling away from its status and dignity, was made or\nnamed soul; and that, if repaired and corrected, it returns to the\ncondition of the understanding.[297]\n\n4. Now, if this be the case, it seems to me that this very decay and\nfalling away of the understanding is not the same in all, but that this\nconversion into a soul is carried to a greater or less degree in\ndifferent instances, and that certain understandings retain something\neven of their former vigour, and others again either nothing or a very\nsmall amount. Whence some are found from the very commencement of their\nlives to be of more active intellect, others again of a slower habit of\nmind, and some are born wholly obtuse, and altogether incapable of\ninstruction. Our statement, however, that the understanding is converted\ninto a soul, or whatever else seems to have such a meaning, the reader\nmust carefully consider and settle for himself, as these views are not\nto be regarded as advanced by us in a dogmatic manner, but simply as\nopinions, treated in the style of investigation and discussion. Let the\nreader take this also into consideration, that it is observed with\nregard to the soul of the Saviour, that of those things which are\nwritten in the Gospel, some are ascribed to it under the name of soul,\nand others under that of spirit. For when it wishes to indicate any\nsuffering or perturbation affecting Him, it indicates it under the name\nof soul; as when it says, \u201cNow is my soul troubled;\u201d[298] and, \u201cMy soul\nis sorrowful, even unto death;\u201d[299] and, \u201cNo man taketh my soul[300]\nfrom me, but I lay it down of myself.\u201d[301] Into the hands of His Father\nHe commends not His soul, but His spirit; and when He says that the\nflesh is weak, He does not say that the soul is willing, but the spirit:\nwhence it appears that the soul is something intermediate between the\nweak flesh and the willing spirit.\n\n5. But perhaps some one may meet us with one of those objections which\nwe have ourselves warned you of in our statements, and say, \u201cHow then is\nthere said to be also a soul of God?\u201d To which we answer as follows:\nThat as with respect to everything corporeal which is spoken of God,\nsuch as fingers, or hands, or arms, or eyes, or feet, or mouth, we say\nthat these are not to be understood as human members, but that certain\nof his powers are indicated by these names of members of the body; so\nalso we are to suppose that it is something else which is pointed out by\nthis title\u2014soul of God. And if it is allowable for us to venture to say\nanything more on such a subject, the soul of God may perhaps be\nunderstood to mean the only-begotten Son of God. For as the soul, when\nimplanted in the body, moves all things in it, and exerts its force over\neverything on which it operates; so also the only-begotten Son of God,\nwho is His Word and Wisdom, stretches and extends to every power of God,\nbeing implanted in it; and perhaps to indicate this mystery is God\neither called or described in Scripture as a body. We must, indeed, take\ninto consideration whether it is not perhaps on this account that the\nsoul of God may be understood to mean His only-begotten Son, because He\nHimself came into this world of affliction, and descended into this\nvalley of tears, and into this place of our humiliation; as He says in\nthe Psalm, \u201cBecause Thou hast humiliated us in the place of\naffliction.\u201d[302] Finally, I am aware that certain critics, in\nexplaining the words used in the Gospel by the Saviour, \u201cMy soul is\nsorrowful, even unto death,\u201d have interpreted them of the apostles, whom\nHe termed His soul, as being better than the rest of His body. For as\nthe multitude of believers is called His body, they say that the\napostles, as being better than the rest of the body, ought to be\nunderstood to mean His soul.\n\nWe have brought forward as we best could these points regarding the\nrational soul, as topics of discussion for our readers, rather than as\ndogmatic and well-defined propositions. And with respect to the souls of\nanimals and other dumb creatures, let that suffice which we have stated\nabove in general terms.\n\nFootnote 259:\n\n Anima.\n\nFootnote 260:\n\n Anim\u00e6.\n\nFootnote 261:\n\n Animam animantium.\n\nFootnote 262:\n\n Gen. i. 21: \u03c0\u1fb6\u03c3\u03b1\u03bd \u03c8\u03c5\u03c7\u1f74\u03bd \u03b6\u03ce\u03c9\u03bd, Sept.\n\nFootnote 263:\n\n Erasmus remarks, that \u03c6\u03b1\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03c4\u03b9\u03ba\u03ae may be rendered _imaginitiva_, which\n is the understanding: \u1f41\u03c1\u03bc\u03b7\u03c4\u03b9\u03ba\u03ae, _impulsiva_, which refers to the\n affections (Schnitzer).\n\nFootnote 264:\n\n Animam.\n\nFootnote 265:\n\n Lev. xvii. 14: \u03c8\u03c5\u03c7\u1f74 \u03c0\u03ac\u03c3\u03b7\u03c2 \u03c3\u03b1\u03c1\u03ba\u1f76\u03c2 \u03b1\u1f36\u03bc\u03b1 \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u1f14\u03c3\u03c4\u03b9, Sept.\n\nFootnote 266:\n\n Vitalis.\n\nFootnote 267:\n\n Animantia.\n\nFootnote 268:\n\n Gen. i. 24, living creature, _animam_.\n\nFootnote 269:\n\n Gen. ii. 7, _animam viventem_.\n\nFootnote 270:\n\n Lev. xvii. 10. It is clear that in the text which Origen or his\n translator had before him he must have read \u03c8\u03c5\u03c7\u03ae instead of \u03c0\u03c1\u03cc\u03c3\u03c9\u03c0\u03bf\u03bd:\n otherwise the quotation would be inappropriate (Schnitzer).\n\nFootnote 271:\n\n Isa. i. 13, 14.\n\nFootnote 272:\n\n Ps. xxii. 20, 21, unicam meam, \u03bc\u03bf\u03bd\u03bf\u03b3\u03b5\u03bd\u1fc6 \u03bc\u03bf\u03c5.\n\nFootnote 273:\n\n Animalem.\n\nFootnote 274:\n\n Mens.\n\nFootnote 275:\n\n Anima.\n\nFootnote 276:\n\n 1 Cor. xiv. 15.\n\nFootnote 277:\n\n 1 Pet. i. 9.\n\nFootnote 278:\n\n These words are found in Jerome\u2019s Epistle to Avitus, and, literally\n translated, are as follow: \u201cWhence infinite caution is to be employed,\n lest perchance, after souls have obtained salvation and come to the\n blessed life, they should cease to be souls. For as our Lord and\n Saviour came to seek and to save what was lost, that it might cease to\n be lost; so the soul which was lost, and for whose salvation the Lord\n came, shall, when it has been saved, cease to be a soul. This point in\n like manner must be examined, whether, as that which has been lost was\n at one time not lost, and a time will come when it will be no longer\n lost; so also at some time a soul may not have been a soul, and a time\n may be when it will by no means continue to be a soul.\u201d A portion of\n the above is also found, in the original Greek, in the Emperor\n Justinian\u2019s letter to Menas, Patriarch of Constantinople.\n\nFootnote 279:\n\n Deut. iv. 24.\n\nFootnote 280:\n\n Ps. civ. 4; cf. Heb. i. 7.\n\nFootnote 281:\n\n Ex. iii. 2.\n\nFootnote 282:\n\n Rom. xii. 11.\n\nFootnote 283:\n\n Cf. Jer. i. 9. The word \u201cfire\u201d is found neither in the Hebrew nor in\n the Septuagint.\n\nFootnote 284:\n\n Matt. xxiv. 12.\n\nFootnote 285:\n\n Cf. Ezek. xxxii. 2 seqq.\n\nFootnote 286:\n\n Isa. xxvii. 1.\n\nFootnote 287:\n\n Amos ix. 3.\n\nFootnote 288:\n\n Job xli. 34.\n\nFootnote 289:\n\n Jer. i. 14.\n\nFootnote 290:\n\n Ecclus. xliii. 20.\n\nFootnote 291:\n\n \u03c8\u03c5\u03c7\u03ae from \u03c8\u03cd\u03c7\u03b5\u03c3\u03b8\u03b1\u03b9.\n\nFootnote 292:\n\n Ecclus. vi. 4.\n\nFootnote 293:\n\n Ezek. xviii. 4, cf. 20.\n\nFootnote 294:\n\n Ezek. xviii. 4, 19.\n\nFootnote 295:\n\n \u201cBy falling away and growing cold from a spiritual life, the soul has\n become what it now is, but is capable also of returning to what it was\n at the beginning, which I think is intimated by the prophet in the\n words, \u2018Return, O my soul, unto thy rest,\u2019 so as to be wholly\n this.\u201d\u2014_Epistle of Justinian to Patriarch of Constantinople_.\n\nFootnote 296:\n\n Ps. cxvi. 7.\n\nFootnote 297:\n\n \u201cThe understanding (\u039d\u03bf\u1f7a\u03c2) somehow, then, has become a soul, and the\n soul, being restored, becomes an understanding. The understanding\n falling away, was made a soul, and the soul, again, when furnished\n with virtues, will become an understanding. For if we examine the case\n of Esau, we may find that he was condemned because of his ancient sins\n in a worse course of life. And respecting the heavenly bodies we must\n inquire, that not at the time when the world was created did the soul\n of the sun, or whatever else it ought to be called, begin to exist,\n but before that it entered that shining and burning body. We may hold\n similar opinions regarding the moon and stars, that, for the foregoing\n reasons, they were compelled, unwillingly, to subject themselves to\n vanity on account of the rewards of the future; and to do, not their\n own will, but the will of their Creator, by whom they were arranged\n among their different offices.\u201d\u2014_Jerome\u2019s Letter to Avitus._ From\n these, as well as other passages, it may be seen how widely Rufinus\n departed in his translation from the original.\n\nFootnote 298:\n\n John xii. 27.\n\nFootnote 299:\n\n Matt. xxvi. 38.\n\nFootnote 300:\n\n Animam.\n\nFootnote 301:\n\n John x. 18.\n\nFootnote 302:\n\n Ps. xliv. 19.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER IX.\n ON THE WORLD AND THE MOVEMENTS OF RATIONAL CREATURES, WHETHER GOOD OR\n BAD; AND ON THE CAUSES OF THEM.\n\n\n1. But let us now return to the order of our proposed discussion, and\nbehold the commencement of creation, so far as the understanding can\nbehold the beginning of the creation of God. In that commencement,[303]\nthen, we are to suppose that God created so great a number of rational\nor intellectual creatures (or by whatever name they are to be called),\nwhich we have formerly termed understandings, as He foresaw would be\nsufficient. It is certain that He made them according to some definite\nnumber, predetermined by Himself: for it is not to be imagined, as some\nwould have it, that creatures have not a limit, because where there is\nno limit there can neither be any comprehension nor any limitation. Now\nif this were the case, then certainly created things could neither be\nrestrained nor administered by God. For, naturally, whatever is infinite\nwill also be incomprehensible. Moreover, as Scripture says, \u201cGod has\narranged all things in number and measure;\u201d[304] and therefore number\nwill be correctly applied to rational creatures or understandings, that\nthey may be so numerous as to admit of being arranged, governed, and\ncontrolled by God. But measure will be appropriately applied to a\nmaterial body; and this measure, we are to believe, was created by God\nsuch as He knew would be sufficient for the adorning of the world.\nThese, then, are the things which we are to believe were created by God\nin the beginning, _i.e._ before all things. And this, we think, is\nindicated even in that beginning which Moses has introduced in terms\nsomewhat ambiguous, when he says, \u201cIn the beginning God made the heaven\nand the earth.\u201d[305] For it is certain that the firmament is not spoken\nof, nor the dry land, but that heaven and earth from which this present\nheaven and earth which we now see afterwards borrowed their names.\n\n2. But since those rational natures, which we have said above were made\nin the beginning, were created when they did not previously exist, in\nconsequence of this very fact of their non-existence and commencement of\nbeing, are they necessarily changeable and mutable; since whatever power\nwas in their substance was not in it by nature, but was the result of\nthe goodness of their Maker. What they are, therefore, is neither their\nown nor endures for ever, but is bestowed by God. For it did not always\nexist; and everything which is a gift may also be taken away, and\ndisappear. And a reason for removal will consist in the movements of\nsouls not being conducted according to right and propriety. For the\nCreator gave, as an indulgence to the understandings created by Him, the\npower of free and voluntary action, by which the good that was in them\nmight become their own, being preserved by the exertion of their own\nwill; but slothfulness, and a dislike of labour in preserving what is\ngood, and an aversion to and a neglect of better things, furnished the\nbeginning of a departure from goodness. But to depart from good is\nnothing else than to be made bad. For it is certain that to want\ngoodness is to be wicked. Whence it happens that, in proportion as one\nfalls away from goodness, in the same proportion does he become involved\nin wickedness. In which condition, according to its actions, each\nunderstanding, neglecting goodness either to a greater or more limited\nextent, was dragged into the opposite of good, which undoubtedly is\nevil. From which it appears that the Creator of all things admitted\ncertain seeds and causes of variety and diversity, that He might create\nvariety and diversity in proportion to the diversity of understandings,\n_i.e._ of rational creatures, which diversity they must be supposed to\nhave conceived from that cause which we have mentioned above. And what\nwe mean by variety and diversity is what we now wish to explain.\n\n3. Now we term world everything which is above the heavens, or in the\nheavens, or upon the earth, or in those places which are called the\nlower regions, or all places whatever that anywhere exist, together with\ntheir inhabitants. This whole, then, is called world. In which world\ncertain beings are said to be super-celestial, _i.e._ placed in happier\nabodes, and clothed with heavenly and resplendent bodies; and among\nthese many distinctions are shown to exist, the apostle, _e.g._, saying,\n\u201cThat one is the glory of the sun, another the glory of the moon,\nanother the glory of the stars; for one star differeth from another star\nin glory.\u201d[306] Certain beings are called earthly, and among them,\n_i.e._ among men, there is no small difference; for some of them are\nBarbarians, others Greeks; and of the Barbarians some are savage and\nfierce, and others of a milder disposition. And certain of them live\nunder laws that have been thoroughly approved; others, again, under laws\nof a more common or severe kind;[307] while some, again, possess customs\nof an inhuman and savage character, rather than laws. And certain of\nthem, from the hour of their birth, are reduced to humiliation and\nsubjection, and brought up as slaves, being placed under the dominion\neither of masters, or princes, or tyrants. Others, again, are brought up\nin a manner more consonant with freedom and reason: some with sound\nbodies, some with bodies diseased from their early years; some defective\nin vision, others in hearing and speech; some born in that condition,\nothers deprived of the use of their senses immediately after birth, or\nat least undergoing such misfortune on reaching manhood. And why should\nI repeat and enumerate all the horrors of human misery, from which some\nhave been free, and in which others have been involved, when each one\ncan weigh and consider them for himself? There are also certain\ninvisible powers to which earthly things have been entrusted for\nadministration; and amongst them no small difference must be believed to\nexist, as is also found to be the case among men. The Apostle Paul\nindeed intimates that there are certain lower powers,[308] and that\namong them, in like manner, must undoubtedly be sought a ground of\ndiversity. Regarding dumb animals, and birds, and those creatures which\nlive in the waters, it seems superfluous to inquire; since it is certain\nthat these ought to be regarded not as of primary, but of subordinate\nrank.\n\n4. Seeing, then, that all things which have been created are said to\nhave been made through Christ, and in Christ, as the Apostle Paul most\nclearly indicates, when he says, \u201cFor in Him and by Him were all things\ncreated, whether things in heaven or things on earth, visible and\ninvisible, whether they be thrones, or powers, or principalities, or\ndominions; all things were created by Him, and in Him;\u201d[309] and as in\nhis Gospel John indicates the same thing, saying, \u201cIn the beginning was\nthe Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God: the same was\nin the beginning with God: all things were made by Him; and without Him\nwas not anything made;\u201d[310] and as in the Psalm also it is written, \u201cIn\nwisdom hast Thou made them all;\u201d[311]\u2014seeing, then, Christ is, as it\nwere, the Word and Wisdom, and so also the Righteousness, it will\nundoubtedly follow that those things which were created in the Word and\nWisdom are said to be created also in that righteousness which is\nChrist; that in created things there may appear to be nothing\nunrighteous or accidental, but that all things may be shown to be in\nconformity with the law of equity and righteousness. How, then, so great\na variety of things, and so great a diversity, can be understood to be\naltogether just and righteous, I am sure no human power or language can\nexplain, unless as prostrate suppliants we pray to the Word, and Wisdom,\nand Righteousness Himself, who is the only-begotten Son of God, and who,\npouring Himself by His graces into our senses, may deign to illuminate\nwhat is dark, to lay open what is concealed, and to reveal what is\nsecret; if, indeed, we should be found either to seek, or ask, or knock\nso worthily as to deserve to receive when we ask, or to find when we\nseek, or to have it opened to us when we knock. Not relying, then, on\nour own powers, but on the help of that Wisdom which made all things,\nand of that Righteousness which we believe to be in all His creatures,\nalthough we are in the meantime unable to declare it, yet, trusting in\nHis mercy, we shall endeavour to examine and inquire how that great\nvariety and diversity in the world may appear to be consistent with all\nrighteousness and reason. I mean, of course, merely reason in general;\nfor it would be a mark of ignorance either to seek, or of folly to give,\na special reason for each individual case.\n\n5. Now, when we say that this world was established in the variety in\nwhich we have above explained that it was created by God, and when we\nsay that this God is good, and righteous, and most just, there are\nnumerous individuals, especially those who, coming from the school of\nMarcion, and Valentinus, and Basilides, have heard that there are\nsouls of different natures, who object to us, that it cannot consist\nwith the justice of God in creating the world to assign to some of His\ncreatures an abode in the heavens, and not only to give such a better\nhabitation, but also to grant them a higher and more honourable\nposition; to favour others with the grant of principalities; to bestow\npowers upon some, dominions on others; to confer upon some the most\nhonourable seats in the celestial tribunals; to enable some to shine\nwith more resplendent glory, and to glitter with a starry splendour;\nto give to some the glory of the sun, to others the glory of the moon,\nto others the glory of the stars; to cause one star to differ from\nanother star in glory. And, to speak once for all, and briefly, if the\nCreator God wants neither the will to undertake nor the power to\ncomplete a good and perfect work, what reason can there be that, in\nthe creation of rational natures, _i.e._ of beings of whose existence\nHe Himself is the cause, He should make some of higher rank, and\nothers of second, or third, or of many lower and inferior degrees? In\nthe next place, they object to us, with regard to terrestrial beings,\nthat a happier lot by birth is the case with some rather than with\nothers; as one man, _e.g._, is begotten of Abraham, and born of the\npromise; another, too, of Isaac and Rebekah, and who, while still in\nthe womb, supplants his brother, and is said to be loved by God before\nhe is born. Nay, this very circumstance,\u2014especially that one man is\nborn among the Hebrews, with whom he finds instruction in the divine\nlaw; another among the Greeks, themselves also wise, and men of no\nsmall learning; and then another amongst the Ethiopians, who are\naccustomed to feed on human flesh; or amongst the Scythians, with whom\nparricide is an act sanctioned by law; or amongst the people of\nTaurus, where strangers are offered in sacrifice,\u2014is a ground of\nstrong objection. Their argument accordingly is this: If there be this\ngreat diversity of circumstances, and this diverse and varying\ncondition by birth, in which the faculty of free-will has no scope\n(for no one chooses for himself either where, or with whom, or in what\ncondition he is born); if, then, this is not caused by the difference\nin the nature of souls, _i.e._ that a soul of an evil nature is\ndestined for a wicked nation, and a good soul for a righteous nation,\nwhat other conclusion remains than that these things must be supposed\nto be regulated by accident and chance? And if that be admitted, then\nit will be no longer believed that the world was made by God, or\nadministered by His providence; and as a consequence, a judgment of\nGod upon the deeds of each individual will appear a thing not to be\nlooked for. In which matter, indeed, what is clearly the truth of\nthings is the privilege of Him alone to know who searches all things,\neven the deep things of God.\n\n6. We, however, although but men, not to nourish the insolence of the\nheretics by our silence, will return to their objections such answers as\noccur to us, so far as our abilities enable us. We have frequently\nshown, by those declarations which we were able to produce from the holy\nScriptures, that God, the Creator of all things, is good, and just, and\nall-powerful. When He in the beginning created those beings which He\ndesired to create, _i.e._ rational natures, He had no other reason for\ncreating them than on account of Himself, _i.e._ His own goodness. As He\nHimself, then, was the cause of the existence of those things which were\nto be created, in whom there was neither any variation nor change, nor\nwant of power, He created all whom He made equal and alike, because\nthere was in Himself no reason for producing variety and diversity. But\nsince those rational creatures themselves, as we have frequently shown,\nand will yet show in the proper place, were endowed with the power of\nfree-will, this freedom of will incited each one either to progress by\nimitation of God, or reduced him to failure through negligence. And\nthis, as we have already stated, is the cause of the diversity among\nrational creatures, deriving its origin not from the will or judgment of\nthe Creator, but from the freedom of the individual will. Now God, who\ndeemed it just to arrange His creatures according to their merit,\nbrought down these different understandings into the harmony of one\nworld, that He might adorn, as it were, one dwelling, in which there\nought to be not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and\nclay (and some indeed to honour, and others to dishonour), with those\ndifferent vessels, or souls, or understandings. And these are the\ncauses, in my opinion, why that world presents the aspect of diversity,\nwhile Divine Providence continues to regulate each individual according\nto the variety of his movements, or of his feelings and purpose. On\nwhich account the Creator will neither appear to be unjust in\ndistributing (for the causes already mentioned) to every one according\nto his merits; nor will the happiness or unhappiness of each one\u2019s\nbirth, or whatever be the condition that falls to his lot, be deemed\naccidental; nor will different creators, or souls of different natures,\nbe believed to exist.\n\n7. But even holy Scripture does not appear to me to be altogether silent\non the nature of this secret, as when the Apostle Paul, in discussing\nthe case of Jacob and Esau, says: \u201cFor the children being not yet born,\nneither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according\nto election might stand, not of works, but of Him who calleth, it was\nsaid, The elder shall serve the younger, as it is written, Jacob have I\nloved, but Esau have I hated.\u201d[312] And after that, he answers himself,\nand says, \u201cWhat shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God?\u201d\nAnd that he might furnish us with an opportunity of inquiring into these\nmatters, and of ascertaining how these things do not happen without a\nreason, he answers himself, and says, \u201cGod forbid.\u201d[313] For the same\nquestion, as it seems to me, which is raised concerning Jacob and Esau,\nmay be raised regarding all celestial and terrestrial creatures, and\neven those of the lower world as well. And in like manner it seems to\nme, that as he there says, \u201cThe children being not yet born, neither\nhaving done any good or evil,\u201d so it might also be said of all other\nthings, \u201cWhen they were not yet\u201d created, \u201cneither had yet done any good\nor evil, that the decree of God according to election may stand,\u201d that\n(as certain think) some things on the one hand were created heavenly,\nsome on the other earthly, and others, again, beneath the earth, \u201cnot of\nworks\u201d (as they think), \u201cbut of Him who calleth,\u201d what shall we say\nthen, if these things are so? \u201cIs there unrighteousness with God? God\nforbid.\u201d As, therefore, when the Scriptures are carefully examined\nregarding Jacob and Esau, it is not found to be unrighteousness with God\nthat it should be said, before they were born, or had done anything in\nthis life, \u201cthe elder shall serve the younger;\u201d and as it is found not\nto be unrighteousness that even in the womb Jacob supplanted his\nbrother, if we feel that he was worthily beloved by God, according to\nthe deserts of his previous life, so as to deserve to be preferred\nbefore his brother; so also is it with regard to heavenly creatures, if\nwe notice that diversity was not the original condition of the creature,\nbut that, owing to causes that have previously existed, a different\noffice is prepared by the Creator for each one in proportion to the\ndegree of his merit, on this ground, indeed, that each one, in respect\nof having been created by God an understanding, or a rational spirit,\nhas, according to the movements of his mind and the feelings of his\nsoul, gained for himself a greater or less amount of merit, and has\nbecome either an object of love to God, or else one of dislike to Him;\nwhile, nevertheless, some of those who are possessed of greater merit\nare ordained to suffer with others for the adorning of the state of the\nworld, and for the discharge of duty to creatures of a lower grade, in\norder that by this means they themselves may be participators in the\nendurance of the Creator, according to the words of the apostle: \u201cFor\nthe creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of\nhim who hath subjected the same in hope.\u201d[314] Keeping in view, then,\nthe sentiment expressed by the apostle, when, speaking of the birth of\nEsau and Jacob, he says, \u201cIs there unrighteousness with God? God\nforbid,\u201d I think it right that this same sentiment should be carefully\napplied to the case of all other creatures, because, as we formerly\nremarked, the righteousness of the Creator ought to appear in\neverything. And this, it appears to me, will be seen more clearly at\nlast, if each one, whether of celestial or terrestrial or infernal\nbeings, be said to have the causes of his diversity in himself, and\nantecedent to his bodily birth. For all things were created by the Word\nof God, and by His Wisdom, and were set in order by His Justice. And by\nthe grace of His compassion He provides for all men, and encourages all\nto the use of whatever remedies may lead to their cure, and incites them\nto salvation.\n\n8. As, then, there is no doubt that at the day of judgment the good will\nbe separated from the bad, and the just from the unjust, and all by the\nsentence of God will be distributed according to their deserts\nthroughout those places of which they are worthy, so I am of opinion\nsome such state of things was formerly the case, as, God willing, we\nshall show in what follows. For God must be believed to do and order all\nthings and at all times according to His judgment. For the words which\nthe apostle uses when he says, \u201cIn a great house there are not only\nvessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and of earth, and some to\nhonour and some to dishonour;\u201d[315] and those which he adds, saying, \u201cIf\na man purge himself, he will be a vessel unto honour, sanctified and\nmeet for the Master\u2019s use, unto every good work,\u201d[316] undoubtedly point\nout this, that he who shall purge himself when he is in this life, will\nbe prepared for every good work in that which is to come; while he who\ndoes not purge himself will be, according to the amount of his impurity,\na vessel unto dishonour, _i.e._ unworthy. It is therefore possible to\nunderstand that there have been also formerly rational vessels, whether\npurged or not, _i.e._ which either purged themselves or did not do so,\nand that consequently every vessel, according to the measure of its\npurity or impurity, received a place, or region, or condition by birth,\nor an office to discharge, in this world. All of which, down to the\nhumblest, God providing for and distinguishing by the power of His\nwisdom, arranges all things by His controlling judgment, according to a\nmost impartial retribution, so far as each one ought to be assisted or\ncared for in conformity with his deserts. In which certainly every\nprinciple of equity is shown, while the inequality of circumstances\npreserves the justice of a retribution according to merit. But the\ngrounds of the merits in each individual case are only recognised truly\nand clearly by God Himself, along with His only-begotten Word, and His\nWisdom, and the Holy Spirit.\n\nFootnote 303:\n\n The original of this passage is found in Justinian\u2019s Epistle to Menas,\n Patriarch of Constantinople, _apud finem_. \u201cIn that beginning which is\n cognisable by the understanding, God, by His own will, caused to exist\n as great a number of intelligent beings as was sufficient; for we must\n say that the power of God is finite, and not, under pretence of\n praising Him, take away His limitation. For if the divine power be\n infinite, it must of necessity be unable to understand even itself,\n since that which is naturally illimitable is incapable of being\n comprehended. He made things therefore so great as to be able to\n apprehend and keep them under His power, and control them by His\n providence; so also He prepared matter of such a size (\u03c4\u03bf\u03c3\u03b1\u03cd\u03c4\u03b7\u03bd \u1f55\u03bb\u03b7\u03bd)\n as He had the power to ornament.\u201d\n\nFootnote 304:\n\n Wisd. xi. 20: \u201cThou hast ordered all things in measure, and number,\n and weight.\u201d\n\nFootnote 305:\n\n Gen. i. 1.\n\nFootnote 306:\n\n 1 Cor. xv. 41.\n\nFootnote 307:\n\n Vilioribus et asperioribus.\n\nFootnote 308:\n\n Inferna.\n\nFootnote 309:\n\n Col. i. 16.\n\nFootnote 310:\n\n John i. 1, 2.\n\nFootnote 311:\n\n Ps. civ. 24.\n\nFootnote 312:\n\n Rom. ix. 11, 12.\n\nFootnote 313:\n\n The text runs, \u201cRespondet sibi ipse, et ait,\u201d on which Ru\u00e6us remarks\n that the sentence is incomplete, and that \u201cabsit\u201d probably should be\n supplied. This conjecture has been adopted in the translation.\n\nFootnote 314:\n\n Rom. viii. 20, 21.\n\nFootnote 315:\n\n 2 Tim. ii. 20.\n\nFootnote 316:\n\n 2 Tim. ii. 21.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER X.\n ON THE RESURRECTION, AND THE JUDGMENT, THE FIRE OF HELL, AND\n PUNISHMENTS.\n\n\n1. But since the discourse has reminded us of the subjects of a future\njudgment and of retribution, and of the punishments of sinners,\naccording to the threatenings of holy Scripture and the contents of the\nchurch\u2019s teaching\u2014viz., that when the time of judgment comes,\neverlasting fire, and outer darkness, and a prison, and a furnace, and\nother punishments of like nature, have been prepared for sinners\u2014let us\nsee what our opinions on these points ought to be. But that these\nsubjects may be arrived at in proper order, it seems to me that we ought\nfirst to consider the nature of the resurrection, that we may know what\nthat [body] is which shall come either to punishment, or to rest, or to\nhappiness; which question in other treatises which we have composed\nregarding the resurrection we have discussed at greater length, and have\nshown what our opinions were regarding it. But now, also, for the sake\nof logical order in our treatise, there will be no absurdity in\nre-stating a few points from such works, especially since some take\noffence at the creed of the church, as if our belief in the resurrection\nwere foolish, and altogether devoid of sense; and these are principally\nheretics, who, I think, are to be answered in the following manner. If\nthey also admit that there is a resurrection of the dead, let them\nanswer us this, What is that which died? Was it not a body? It is of the\nbody, then, that there will be a resurrection. Let them next tell us if\nthey think that we are to make use of bodies or not. I think that when\nthe Apostle Paul says, that \u201cit is sown a natural body, it will arise a\nspiritual body,\u201d[317] they cannot deny that it is a body which arises,\nor that in the resurrection we are to make use of bodies. What then? If\nit is certain that we are to make use of bodies, and if the bodies which\nhave fallen are declared to rise again (for only that which before has\nfallen can be properly said to rise again), it can be a matter of doubt\nto no one that they rise again, in order that we may be clothed with\nthem a second time at the resurrection. The one thing is closely\nconnected with the other. For if bodies rise again, they undoubtedly\nrise to be coverings for us; and if it is necessary for us to be\ninvested with bodies, as it is certainly necessary, we ought to be\ninvested with no other than our own. But if it is true that these rise\nagain, and that they arise \u201cspiritual\u201d bodies, there can be no doubt\nthat they are said to rise from the dead, after casting away corruption\nand laying aside mortality; otherwise it will appear vain and\nsuperfluous for any one to arise from the dead in order to die a second\ntime. And this, finally, may be more distinctly comprehended thus, if\none carefully consider what are the qualities of an animal body, which,\nwhen sown into the earth, recovers the qualities of a spiritual body.\nFor it is out of the animal body that the very power and grace of the\nresurrection educe the spiritual body, when it transmutes it from a\ncondition of indignity to one of glory.\n\n2. Since the heretics, however, think themselves persons of great\nlearning and wisdom, we shall ask them if every body has a form of some\nkind, _i.e._ is fashioned according to some shape. And if they shall say\nthat a body is that which is fashioned according to no shape, they will\nshow themselves to be the most ignorant and foolish of mankind. For no\none will deny this, save him who is altogether without any learning. But\nif, as a matter of course, they say that every body is certainly\nfashioned according to some definite shape, we shall ask them if they\ncan point out and describe to us the shape of a spiritual body; a thing\nwhich they can by no means do. We shall ask them, moreover, about the\ndifferences of those who rise again. How will they show that statement\nto be true, that there is \u201cone flesh of birds, another of fishes; bodies\ncelestial, and bodies terrestrial; that the glory of the celestial is\none, and the glory of the terrestrial another; that one is the glory of\nthe sun, another the glory of the moon, another the glory of the stars;\nthat one star differeth from another star in glory, and that so is the\nresurrection of the dead?\u201d[318] According to that gradation, then, which\nexists among heavenly bodies, let them show to us the differences in the\nglory of those who rise again; and if they have endeavoured by any means\nto devise a principle that may be in accordance with the differences in\nheavenly bodies, we shall ask them to assign the differences in the\nresurrection by a comparison of earthly bodies. Our understanding of the\npassage indeed is, that the apostle, wishing to describe the great\ndifference among those who rise again in glory, _i.e._ of the saints,\nborrowed a comparison from the heavenly bodies, saying, \u201cOne is the\nglory of the sun, another the glory of the moon, another the glory of\nthe stars.\u201d And wishing again to teach us the differences among those\nwho shall come to the resurrection, without having purged themselves in\nthis life, _i.e._ sinners, he borrowed an illustration from earthly\nthings, saying, \u201cThere is one flesh of birds, another of fishes.\u201d For\nheavenly things are worthily compared to the saints, and earthly things\nto sinners. These statements are made in reply to those who deny the\nresurrection of the dead, _i.e._ the resurrection of bodies.\n\n3. We now turn our attention to some of our own [believers], who, either\nfrom feebleness of intellect or want of proper instruction, adopt a very\nlow and abject view of the resurrection of the body. We ask these\npersons in what manner they understand that an animal body is to be\nchanged by the grace of the resurrection, and to become a spiritual one;\nand how that which is sown in weakness will arise in power; how that\nwhich is planted in dishonour will arise in glory; and that which was\nsown in corruption, will be changed to a state of incorruption. Because\nif they believe the apostle, that a body which arises in glory, and\npower, and incorruptibility, has already become spiritual, it appears\nabsurd and contrary to his meaning to say that it can again be entangled\nwith the passions of flesh and blood, seeing the apostle manifestly\ndeclares that \u201cflesh and blood shall not inherit the kingdom of God, nor\nshall corruption inherit incorruption.\u201d But how do they understand the\ndeclaration of the apostle, \u201cWe shall all be changed?\u201d This\ntransformation certainly is to be looked for, according to the order\nwhich we have taught above; and in it, undoubtedly, it becomes us to\nhope for something worthy of divine grace; and this we believe will take\nplace in the order in which the apostle describes the sowing in the\nground of a \u201cbare grain of corn, or of any other fruit,\u201d to which \u201cGod\ngives a body as it pleases Him,\u201d as soon as the grain of corn is dead.\nFor in the same way also our bodies are to be supposed to fall into the\nearth like a grain; and (that germ being implanted in them which\ncontains the bodily substance) although the bodies die, and become\ncorrupted, and are scattered abroad, yet by the word of God, that very\ngerm which is always safe in the substance of the body, raises them from\nthe earth, and restores and repairs them, as the power which is in the\ngrain of wheat, after its corruption and death, repairs and restores the\ngrain into a body having stalk and ear. And so also to those who shall\ndeserve to obtain an inheritance in the kingdom of heaven, that germ of\nthe body\u2019s restoration, which we have before mentioned, by God\u2019s command\nrestores out of the earthly and animal body a spiritual one, capable of\ninhabiting the heavens; while to each one of those who may be of\ninferior merit, or of more abject condition, or even the lowest in the\nscale, and altogether thrust aside, there is yet given, in proportion to\nthe dignity of his life and soul, a glory and dignity of\nbody,\u2014nevertheless in such a way, that even the body which rises again\nof those who are to be destined to everlasting fire or to severe\npunishments, is by the very change of the resurrection so incorruptible,\nthat it cannot be corrupted and dissolved even by severe punishments.\nIf, then, such be the qualities of that body which will arise from the\ndead, let us now see what is the meaning of the threatening of eternal\nfire.\n\n4. We find in the prophet Isaiah, that the fire with which each one is\npunished is described as his own; for he says, \u201cWalk in the light of\nyour own fire, and in the flame which ye have kindled.\u201d[319] By these\nwords it seems to be indicated that every sinner kindles for himself the\nflame of his own fire, and is not plunged into some fire which has been\nalready kindled by another, or was in existence before himself. Of this\nfire the fuel and food are our sins, which are called by the Apostle\nPaul wood, and hay, and stubble.[320] And I think that, as abundance of\nfood, and provisions of a contrary kind and amount, breed fevers in the\nbody, and fevers, too, of different sorts and duration, according to the\nproportion in which the collected poison[321] supplies material and fuel\nfor disease (the quality of this material, gathered together from\ndifferent poisons, proving the causes either of a more acute or more\nlingering disease); so, when the soul has gathered together a multitude\nof evil works, and an abundance of sins against itself, at a suitable\ntime all that assembly of evils boils up to punishment, and is set on\nfire to chastisements; when the mind itself, or conscience, receiving by\ndivine power into the memory all those things of which it had stamped on\nitself certain signs and forms at the moment of sinning, will see a kind\nof history, as it were, of all the foul, and shameful, and unholy deeds\nwhich it has done, exposed before its eyes: then is the conscience\nitself harassed, and, pierced by its own goads, becomes an accuser and a\nwitness against itself. And this, I think, was the opinion of the\nApostle Paul himself, when he said, \u201cTheir thoughts mutually accusing or\nexcusing them in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus\nChrist, according to my gospel.\u201d[322] From which it is understood that\naround the substance of the soul certain tortures are produced by the\nhurtful affections of sins themselves.\n\n5. And that the understanding of this matter may not appear very\ndifficult, we may draw some considerations from the evil effects of\nthose passions which are wont to befall some souls, as when a soul is\nconsumed by the fire of love, or wasted away by zeal or envy, or when\nthe passion of anger is kindled, or one is consumed by the greatness of\nhis madness or his sorrow; on which occasions some, finding the excess\nof these evils unbearable, have deemed it more tolerable to submit to\ndeath than to endure perpetually torture of such a kind. You will ask\nindeed whether, in the case of those who have been entangled in the\nevils arising from those vices above enumerated, and who, while existing\nin this life, have been unable to procure any amelioration for\nthemselves, and have in this condition departed from the world, it be\nsufficient in the way of punishment that they be tortured by the\nremaining in them of these hurtful affections, _i.e._ of the anger, or\nof the fury, or of the madness, or of the sorrow, whose fatal poison was\nin this life lessened by no healing medicine; or whether, these\naffections being changed, they will be subjected to the pains of a\ngeneral punishment. Now I am of opinion that another species of\npunishment may be understood to exist; because, as we feel that when the\nlimbs of the body are loosened and torn away from their mutual supports,\nthere is produced pain of a most excruciating kind, so, when the soul\nshall be found to be beyond the order, and connection, and harmony in\nwhich it was created by God for the purposes of good and useful action\nand observation, and not to harmonize with itself in the connection of\nits rational movements, it must be deemed to bear the chastisement and\ntorture of its own dissension, and to feel the punishments of its own\ndisordered condition. And when this dissolution and rending asunder of\nsoul shall have been tested by the application of fire, a solidification\nundoubtedly into a firmer structure will take place, and a restoration\nbe effected.\n\n6. There are also many other things which escape our notice, and are\nknown to Him alone who is the physician of our souls. For if, on account\nof those bad effects which we bring upon ourselves by eating and\ndrinking, we deem it necessary for the health of the body to make use of\nsome unpleasant and painful drug, sometimes even, if the nature of the\ndisease demand, requiring the severe process of the amputating knife;\nand if the virulence of the disease shall transcend even these remedies,\nthe evil has at last to be burned out by fire; how much more is it to be\nunderstood that God our Physician, desiring to remove the defects of our\nsouls, which they had contracted from their different sins and crimes,\nshould employ penal measures of this sort, and should apply even, in\naddition, the punishment of fire to those who have lost their soundness\nof mind! Pictures of this method of procedure are found also in the holy\nScriptures. In the book of Deuteronomy, the divine word threatens\nsinners with the punishments of fevers, and colds, and jaundice,[323]\nand with the pains of feebleness of vision, and alienation of mind, and\nparalysis, and blindness, and weakness of the reins. If any one, then,\nat his leisure gather together out of the whole of Scripture all the\nenumerations of diseases which in the threatenings addressed to sinners\nare called by the names of bodily maladies, he will find that either the\nvices of souls, or their punishments, are figuratively indicated by\nthem. To understand now, that in the same way in which physicians apply\nremedies to the sick, in order that by careful treatment they may\nrecover their health, God so deals towards those who have lapsed and\nfallen into sin, is proved by this, that the cup of God\u2019s fury is\nordered, through the agency of the prophet Jeremiah,[324] to be offered\nto all nations, that they may drink it, and be in a state of madness,\nand vomit it forth. In doing which, He threatens them, saying, That if\nany one refuse to drink, he shall not be cleansed.[325] By which\ncertainly it is understood that the fury of God\u2019s vengeance is\nprofitable for the purgation of souls. That the punishment, also, which\nis said to be applied by fire, is understood to be applied with the\nobject of healing, is taught by Isaiah, who speaks thus of Israel: \u201cThe\nLord will wash away the filth of the sons or daughters of Zion, and\nshall purge away the blood from the midst of them by the spirit of\njudgment, and the spirit of burning.\u201d[326] Of the Chaldeans he thus\nspeaks: \u201cThou hast the coals of fire; sit upon them: they will be to\nthee a help.\u201d[327] And in other passages he says, \u201cThe Lord will\nsanctify in a burning fire;\u201d[328] and in the prophecies of Malachi he\nsays, \u201cThe Lord sitting will blow, and purify, and will pour forth the\ncleansed sons of Judah.\u201d[329]\n\n7. But that fate also which is mentioned in the Gospels as overtaking\nunfaithful stewards, who, it is said, are to be divided, and a portion\nof them placed along with unbelievers, as if that portion which is not\ntheir own were to be sent elsewhere, undoubtedly indicates some kind of\npunishment on those whose spirit, as it seems to me, is shown to be\nseparated from the soul. For if this Spirit is of divine nature, _i.e._\nis understood to be a Holy Spirit, we shall understand this to be said\nof the gift of the Holy Spirit: that when, whether by baptism, or by the\ngrace of the Spirit, the word of wisdom, or the word of knowledge, or of\nany other gift, has been bestowed upon a man, and not rightly\nadministered, _i.e._ either buried in the earth or tied up in a napkin,\nthe gift of the Spirit will certainly be withdrawn from his soul, and\nthe other portion which remains, that is, the substance of the soul,\nwill be assigned its place with unbelievers, being divided and separated\nfrom that Spirit with whom, by joining itself to the Lord, it ought to\nhave been one spirit. Now, if this is not to be understood of the Spirit\nof God, but of the nature of the soul itself, that will be called its\nbetter part which was made in the image and likeness of God; whereas the\nother part, that which afterwards, through its fall by the exercise of\nfree-will, was assumed contrary to the nature of its original condition\nof purity,\u2014this part, as being the friend and beloved of matter, is\npunished with the fate of unbelievers. There is also a third sense in\nwhich that separation may be understood, this viz., that as each\nbeliever, although the humblest in the church, is said to be attended by\nan angel, who is declared by the Saviour always to behold the face of\nGod the Father, and as this angel was certainly one with the object of\nhis guardianship; so, if the latter is rendered unworthy by his want of\nobedience, the angel of God is said to be taken from him, and then that\npart of him\u2014the part, viz., which belongs to his human nature\u2014being rent\naway from the divine part, is assigned a place along with unbelievers,\nbecause it has not faithfully observed the admonitions of the angel\nallotted it by God.\n\n8. But the outer darkness, in my judgment, is to be understood not so\nmuch of some dark atmosphere without any light, as of those persons who,\nbeing plunged in the darkness of profound ignorance, have been placed\nbeyond the reach of any light of the understanding. We must see, also,\nlest this perhaps should be the meaning of the expression, that as the\nsaints will receive those bodies in which they have lived in holiness\nand purity in the habitations of this life, bright and glorious after\nthe resurrection, so the wicked also, who in this life have loved the\ndarkness of error and the night of ignorance, may be clothed with dark\nand black bodies after the resurrection, that the very mist of ignorance\nwhich had in this life taken possession of their minds within them, may\nappear in the future as the external covering of the body. Similar is\nthe view to be entertained regarding the prison. Let these remarks,\nwhich have been made as brief as possible, that the order of our\ndiscourse in the meantime might be preserved, suffice for the present\noccasion.\n\nFootnote 317:\n\n 1 Cor. xv. 44: natural, animale.\n\nFootnote 318:\n\n 1 Cor. xv. 39-42.\n\nFootnote 319:\n\n Isa. i. 11.\n\nFootnote 320:\n\n 1 Cor. iii. 12.\n\nFootnote 321:\n\n Intemperies.\n\nFootnote 322:\n\n Rom. ii. 13, 16.\n\nFootnote 323:\n\n Aurigine. Deut. xxviii.\n\nFootnote 324:\n\n Cf. Jer. xxv. 15, 16.\n\nFootnote 325:\n\n Cf. Jer. xxv. 28, 29.\n\nFootnote 326:\n\n Isa. iv. 4.\n\nFootnote 327:\n\n Isa. xlvii. 14, 15; _vid._ note, chap. v. \u00a7 3.\n\nFootnote 328:\n\n Isa. x. 17, cf. lxvi. 16.\n\nFootnote 329:\n\n Cf. Mal. iii. 3.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER XI.\n ON COUNTER PROMISES.[330]\n\n\n1. Let us now briefly see what views we are to form regarding promises.\n\nIt is certain that there is no living thing which can be altogether\ninactive and immoveable, but delights in motion of every kind, and in\nperpetual activity and volition; and this nature, I think it evident, is\nin all living things. Much more, then, must a rational animal, _i.e._\nthe nature of man, be in perpetual movement and activity. If, indeed, he\nis forgetful of himself, and ignorant of what becomes him, all his\nefforts are directed to serve the uses of the body, and in all his\nmovements he is occupied with his own pleasures and bodily lusts; but if\nhe be one who studies to care or provide for the general good, then,\neither by consulting for the benefit of the state or by obeying the\nmagistrates, he exerts himself for that, whatever it is, which may seem\ncertainly to promote the public advantage. And if now any one be of such\na nature as to understand that there is something better than those\nthings which seem to be corporeal, and so bestow his labour upon wisdom\nand science, then he will undoubtedly direct all his attention towards\npursuits of that kind, that he may, by inquiring into the truth,\nascertain the causes and reason of things. As therefore, in this life,\none man deems it the highest good to enjoy bodily pleasures, another to\nconsult for the benefit of the community, a third to devote attention to\nstudy and learning; so let us inquire whether in that life which is the\ntrue one (which is said to be hidden with Christ in God, _i.e._ in that\neternal life), there will be for us some such order and condition of\nexistence.\n\n2. Certain persons, then, refusing the labour of thinking, and adopting\na superficial view of the letter of the law, and yielding rather in some\nmeasure to the indulgence of their own desires and lusts, being\ndisciples of the letter alone, are of opinion that the fulfilment of the\npromises of the future are to be looked for in bodily pleasure and\nluxury; and therefore they especially desire to have again, after the\nresurrection, such bodily structures[331] as may never be without the\npower of eating, and drinking, and performing all the functions of flesh\nand blood, not following the opinion of the Apostle Paul regarding the\nresurrection of a spiritual body. And consequently they say, that after\nthe resurrection there will be marriages, and the begetting of children,\nimagining to themselves that the earthly city of Jerusalem is to be\nrebuilt, its foundations laid in precious stones, and its walls\nconstructed of jasper, and its battlements of crystal; that it is to\nhave a wall composed of many precious stones, as jasper, and sapphire,\nand chalcedony, and emerald, and sardonyx, and onyx, and chrysolite, and\nchrysoprase, and jacinth, and amethyst. Moreover, they think that the\nnatives of other countries are to be given them as the ministers of\ntheir pleasures, whom they are to employ either as tillers of the field\nor builders of walls, and by whom their ruined and fallen city is again\nto be raised up; and they think that they are to receive the wealth of\nthe nations to live on, and that they will have control over their\nriches; that even the camels of Midian and Kedar will come, and bring to\nthem gold, and incense, and precious stones. And these views they think\nto establish on the authority of the prophets by those promises which\nare written regarding Jerusalem; and by those passages also where it is\nsaid, that they who serve the Lord shall eat and drink, but that sinners\nshall hunger and thirst; that the righteous shall be joyful, but that\nsorrow shall possess the wicked. And from the New Testament also they\nquote the saying of the Saviour, in which He makes a promise to His\ndisciples concerning the joy of wine, saying, \u201cHenceforth I shall not\ndrink of this cup, until I drink it with you new in my Father\u2019s\nkingdom.\u201d[332] They add, moreover, that declaration, in which the\nSaviour calls those blessed who now hunger and thirst,[333] promising\nthem that they shall be satisfied; and many other scriptural\nillustrations are adduced by them, the meaning of which they do not\nperceive is to be taken figuratively. Then, again, agreeably to the form\nof things in this life, and according to the gradations of the dignities\nor ranks in this world, or the greatness of their powers, they think\nthey are to be kings and princes, like those earthly monarchs who now\nexist; chiefly, as it appears, on account of that expression in the\nGospel: \u201cHave thou power over five cities.\u201d[334] And to speak shortly,\naccording to the manner of things in this life in all similar matters,\ndo they desire the fulfilment of all things looked for in the promises,\nviz. that what now is should exist again. Such are the views of those\nwho, while believing in Christ, understand the divine Scriptures in a\nsort of Jewish sense, drawing from them nothing worthy of the divine\npromises.\n\n3. Those, however, who receive the representations of Scripture\naccording to the understanding of the apostles, entertain the hope that\nthe saints will eat indeed, but that it will be the bread of life, which\nmay nourish the soul with the food of truth and wisdom, and enlighten\nthe mind, and cause it to drink from the cup of divine wisdom, according\nto the declaration of holy Scripture: \u201cWisdom has prepared her table,\nshe has killed her beasts, she has mingled her wine in her cup, and she\ncries with a loud voice, Come to me, eat the bread which I have prepared\nfor you, and drink the wine which I have mingled.\u201d[335] By this food of\nwisdom, the understanding, being nourished to an entire and perfect\ncondition like that in which man was made at the beginning, is restored\nto the image and likeness of God; so that, although an individual may\ndepart from this life less perfectly instructed, but who has done works\nthat are approved of,[336] he will be capable of receiving instruction\nin that Jerusalem, the city of the saints, _i.e._ he will be educated\nand moulded, and made a living stone, a stone elect and precious,\nbecause he has undergone with firmness and constancy the struggles of\nlife and the trials of piety; and will there come to a truer and clearer\nknowledge of that which here has been already predicted, viz. that \u201cman\nshall not live by bread alone, but by every word which proceedeth from\nthe mouth of God.\u201d[337] And they also are to be understood to be the\nprinces and rulers who both govern those of lower rank, and instruct\nthem, and teach them, and train them to divine things.\n\n4. But if these views should not appear to fill the minds of those who\nhope for such results with a becoming desire, let us go back a little,\nand, irrespective of the natural and innate longing of the mind for the\nthing itself, let us make inquiry so that we may be able at last to\ndescribe, as it were, the very forms of the bread of life, and the\nquality of that wine, and the peculiar nature of the principalities, all\nin conformity with the spiritual view of things.[338] Now, as in those\narts which are usually performed by means of manual labour, the reason\nwhy a thing is done, or why it is of a special quality, or for a special\npurpose, is an object of investigation to the mind,[339] while the\nactual work itself is unfolded to view by the agency of the hands; so,\nin those works of God which were created by Him, it is to be observed\nthat the reason and understanding of those things which we see done by\nHim remains undisclosed. And as, when our eye beholds the products of an\nartist\u2019s labour, the mind, immediately on perceiving anything of unusual\nartistic excellence, burns to know of what nature it is, or how it was\nformed, or to what purposes it was fashioned; so, in a much greater\ndegree, and in one that is beyond all comparison, does the mind burn\nwith an inexpressible desire to know the reason of those things which we\nsee done by God. This desire, this longing, we believe to be\nunquestionably implanted within us by God; and as the eye naturally\nseeks the light and vision, and our body naturally desires food and\ndrink, so our mind is possessed with a becoming and natural desire to\nbecome acquainted with the truth of God and the causes of things. Now we\nhave received this desire from God, not in order that it should never be\ngratified or be _capable_ of gratification; otherwise the love of truth\nwould appear to have been implanted by God into our minds to no purpose,\nif it were never to have an opportunity of satisfaction. Whence also,\neven in this life, those who devote themselves with great labour to the\npursuits of piety and religion, although obtaining only some small\nfragments from the numerous and immense treasures of divine knowledge,\nyet, by the very circumstance that their mind and soul is engaged in\nthese pursuits, and that in the eagerness of their desire they outstrip\nthemselves, do they derive much advantage; and, because their minds are\ndirected to the study and love of the investigation of truth, are they\nmade fitter for receiving the instruction that is to come; as if, when\none would paint an image, he were first with a light pencil to trace out\nthe outlines of the coming picture, and prepare marks for the reception\nof the features that are to be afterwards added, this preliminary sketch\nin outline is found to prepare the way for the laying on of the true\ncolours of the painting; so, in a measure, an outline and sketch may be\ntraced on the tablets of our heart by the pencil of our Lord Jesus\nChrist. And therefore perhaps is it said, \u201cUnto every one that hath\nshall be given, and be added.\u201d[340] By which it is established, that to\nthose who possess in this life a kind of outline of truth and knowledge,\nshall be added the beauty of a perfect image in the future.\n\n5. Some such desire, I apprehend, was indicated by him who said, \u201cI am\nin a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with\nChrist, which is far better;\u201d[341] knowing that when he should have\nreturned to Christ he would then know more clearly the reasons of all\nthings which are done on earth, either respecting man, or the soul of\nman, or the mind; or regarding any other subject, such as, for instance,\nwhat is the Spirit that operates, what also is the vital spirit, or what\nis the grace of the Holy Spirit that is given to believers. Then also\nwill he understand what Israel appears to be, or what is meant by the\ndiversity of nations; what the twelve tribes of Israel mean, and what\nthe individual people of each tribe. Then, too, will he understand the\nreason of the priests and Levites, and of the different priestly orders,\nthe type of which was in Moses, and also what is the true meaning of the\njubilees, and of the weeks of years with God. He will see also the\nreasons for the festival days, and holy days, and for all the sacrifices\nand purifications. He will perceive also the reason of the purgation\nfrom leprosy, and what the different kinds of leprosy are, and the\nreason of the purgation of those who lose their seed. He will come to\nknow, moreover, what are the good influences,[342] and their greatness,\nand their qualities; and those too which are of a contrary kind, and\nwhat the affection of the former, and what the strife-causing emulation\nof the latter is towards men. He will behold also the nature of the\nsoul, and the diversity of animals (whether of those which live in the\nwater, or of birds, or of wild beasts), and why each of the genera is\nsubdivided into so many species; and what intention of the Creator, or\nwhat purpose of His wisdom, is concealed in each individual thing. He\nwill become acquainted, too, with the reason why certain properties are\nfound associated with certain roots or herbs, and why, on the other\nhand, evil effects are averted by other herbs and roots. He will know,\nmoreover, the nature of the apostate angels, and the reason why they\nhave power to flatter in some things those who do not despise them with\nthe whole power of faith, and why they exist for the purpose of\ndeceiving and leading men astray. He will learn, too, the judgment of\nDivine Providence on each individual thing; and that, of those events\nwhich happen to men, none occur by accident or chance, but in accordance\nwith a plan so carefully considered, and so stupendous, that it does not\noverlook even the number of the hairs of the heads, not merely of the\nsaints, but perhaps of all human beings, and the plan of which\nprovidential government extends even to caring for the sale of two\nsparrows for a denarius, whether sparrows there be understood\nfiguratively or literally. Now indeed this providential government is\nstill a subject of investigation, but then it will be fully manifested.\nFrom all which we are to suppose, that meanwhile not a little time may\npass by until the reason of those things only which are upon the earth\nbe pointed out to the worthy and deserving after their departure from\nlife, that by the knowledge of all these things, and by the grace of\nfull knowledge, they may enjoy an unspeakable joy. Then, if that\natmosphere which is between heaven and earth is not devoid of\ninhabitants, and those of a rational kind, as the apostle says, \u201cWherein\nin times past ye walked according to the course of this world, according\nto the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now worketh in the\nchildren of disobedience.\u201d[343] And again he says, \u201cWe shall be caught\nup in the clouds to meet Christ in the air, and so shall we ever be with\nthe Lord.\u201d[344]\n\n6. We are therefore to suppose that the saints will remain there until\nthey recognise the twofold mode of government in those things which are\nperformed in the air. And when I say \u201ctwofold mode,\u201d I mean this: When\nwe were upon earth, we saw either animals or trees, and beheld the\ndifferences among them, and also the very great diversity among men; but\nalthough we saw these things, we did not understand the reason of them;\nand this only was suggested to us from the visible diversity, that we\nshould examine and inquire upon what principle these things were either\ncreated or diversely arranged. And a zeal or desire for knowledge of\nthis kind being conceived by us on earth, the full understanding and\ncomprehension of it will be granted after death, if indeed the result\nshould follow according to our expectations. When, therefore, we shall\nhave fully comprehended its nature, we shall understand in a twofold\nmanner what we saw on earth. Some such view, then, must we hold\nregarding this abode in the air. I think, therefore, that all the saints\nwho depart from this life will remain in some place situated on the\nearth, which holy Scripture calls paradise, as in some place of\ninstruction, and, so to speak, class-room or school of souls, in which\nthey are to be instructed regarding all the things which they had seen\non earth, and are to receive also some information respecting things\nthat are to follow in the future, as even when in this life they had\nobtained in some degree indications of future events, although \u201cthrough\na glass darkly,\u201d all of which are revealed more clearly and distinctly\nto the saints in their proper time and place. If any one indeed be pure\nin heart, and holy in mind, and more practised in perception, he will,\nby making more rapid progress, quickly ascend to a place in the air, and\nreach the kingdom of heaven, through those mansions, so to speak, in the\nvarious places which the Greeks have termed spheres, _i.e._ globes, but\nwhich holy Scripture has called heavens; in each of which he will first\nsee clearly what is done there, and in the second place, will discover\nthe reason why things are so done: and thus he will in order pass\nthrough all gradations, following Him who hath passed into the heavens,\nJesus the Son of God, who said, \u201cI will that where I am, these may be\nalso.\u201d[345] And of this diversity of places He speaks, when He says, \u201cIn\nmy Father\u2019s house are many mansions.\u201d He Himself is everywhere, and\npasses swiftly through all things; nor are we any longer to understand\nHim as existing in those narrow limits in which He was once confined for\nour sakes, _i.e._ not in that circumscribed body which He occupied on\nearth, when dwelling among men, according to which He might be\nconsidered as enclosed in some one place.\n\n7. When, then, the saints shall have reached the celestial abodes, they\nwill clearly see the nature of the stars one by one, and will understand\nwhether they are endued with life, or their condition, whatever it is.\nAnd they will comprehend also the other reasons for the works of God,\nwhich He Himself will reveal to them. For He will show to them, as to\nchildren, the causes of things and the power of His creation,[346] and\nwill explain why that star was placed in that particular quarter of the\nsky, and why it was separated from another by so great an intervening\nspace; what, _e.g._, would have been the consequence if it had been\nnearer or more remote; or if that star had been larger than this, how\nthe totality of things would not have remained the same, but all would\nhave been transformed into a different condition of being. And so, when\nthey have finished all those matters which are connected with the stars,\nand with the heavenly revolutions, they will come to those which are not\nseen, or to those whose names only we have heard, and to things which\nare invisible, which the Apostle Paul has informed us are numerous,\nalthough what they are, or what difference may exist among them, we\ncannot even conjecture by our feeble intellect. And thus the rational\nnature, growing by each individual step, not as it grew in this life in\nflesh, and body, and soul, but enlarged in understanding and in power of\nperception, is raised as a mind already perfect to perfect knowledge, no\nlonger at all impeded by those carnal senses, but increased in\nintellectual growth; and ever gazing purely, and, so to speak, face to\nface, on the causes of things, it attains perfection, firstly, viz. that\nby which it ascends to [the truth],[347] and secondly, that by which it\nabides in it, having problems and the understanding of things, and the\ncauses of events, as the food on which it may feast. For as in this life\nour bodies grow physically to what they are, through a sufficiency of\nfood in early life supplying the means of increase, but after the due\nheight has been attained we use food no longer to grow, but to live, and\nto be preserved in life by it; so also I think that the mind, when it\nhas attained perfection, eats and avails itself of suitable and\nappropriate food in such a degree, that nothing ought to be either\ndeficient or superfluous. And in all things this food is to be\nunderstood as the contemplation and understanding of God, which is of a\nmeasure appropriate and suitable to this nature, which was made and\ncreated; and this measure it is proper should be observed by every one\nof those who are beginning to see God, _i.e._ to understand Him through\npurity of heart.\n\nFootnote 330:\n\n Repromissionibus.\n\nFootnote 331:\n\n Carnes.\n\nFootnote 332:\n\n Matt. xxvi. 29.\n\nFootnote 333:\n\n Matt. v. 6.\n\nFootnote 334:\n\n Cf. Luke xix. 19 and 17.\n\nFootnote 335:\n\n Cf. Prov. ix. 1-5.\n\nFootnote 336:\n\n Opera probabilia.\n\nFootnote 337:\n\n Deut. viii. 3.\n\nFootnote 338:\n\n The passage is somewhat obscure, but the rendering in the text seems\n to convey the meaning intended.\n\nFootnote 339:\n\n Versatur in sensu.\n\nFootnote 340:\n\n Luke xix. 26; cf. Matt. xxv. 29.\n\nFootnote 341:\n\n Phil. i. 23.\n\nFootnote 342:\n\n Virtutes.\n\nFootnote 343:\n\n Eph. ii. 2. There is an evident omission of some words in the text,\n such as, \u201cThey will enter into it,\u201d etc.\n\nFootnote 344:\n\n 1 Thess. iv. 17.\n\nFootnote 345:\n\n John xiv. 2.\n\nFootnote 346:\n\n Virtutem su\u00e6 conditionis. Seine Sch\u00f6pferkraft (Schnitzer).\n\nFootnote 347:\n\n In id: To that state of the soul in which it gazes purely on the\n causes of things.\n\n\n\n\n BOOK III.\n\n\n PREFACE OF RUFINUS.\n\n\nReader, remember me in your prayers, that we too may deserve to be made\nemulators of the spirit. The two former books on _The Principles_ I\ntranslated not only at your instance, but even under pressure from you\nduring the days of Lent;[348] but as you, my devout brother Macarius,\nwere not only living near me during that time, but had more leisure at\nyour command than now, so I also worked the harder; whereas I have been\nlonger in explaining these two latter books, seeing you came less\nfrequently from a distant extremity of the city to urge on my labour.\nNow if you remember what I warned you of in my former preface,\u2014that\ncertain persons would be indignant, if they did not hear that we spoke\nsome evil of Origen,\u2014that, I imagine, you have forthwith experienced,\nhas come to pass. But if those demons[349] who excite the tongues of men\nto slander were so infuriated by that work, in which he had not as yet\nfully unveiled their secret proceedings, what, think you, will be the\ncase in this, in which he will expose all those dark and hidden ways, by\nwhich they creep into the hearts of men, and deceive weak and unstable\nsouls? You will immediately see all things thrown into confusion,\nseditions stirred up, clamours raised throughout the whole city, and\nthat individual summoned to receive sentence of condemnation who\nendeavoured to dispel the diabolical darkness of ignorance by means of\nthe light of the gospel lamp.[350] Let such things, however, be lightly\nesteemed by him who is desirous of being trained in divine learning,\nwhile retaining in its integrity the rule of the Catholic faith.[351] I\nthink it necessary, however, to remind you that the principle observed\nin the former books has been observed also in these, viz. not to\ntranslate what appeared contrary to Origen\u2019s other opinions, and to our\nown belief, but to pass by such passages as being interpolated and\nforged by others. But if he has appeared to give expression to any\nnovelties regarding rational creatures (on which subject the essence of\nour faith does not depend), for the sake of discussion and of adding to\nour knowledge, when perhaps it was necessary for us to answer in such an\norder some heretical opinions, I have not omitted to mention these\neither in the present or preceding books, unless when he wished to\nrepeat in the following books what he had already stated in the previous\nones, when I have thought it convenient, for the sake of brevity, to\ncurtail some of these repetitions. Should any one, however, peruse these\npassages from a desire to enlarge his knowledge, and not to raise\ncaptious objections, he will do better to have them expounded by persons\nof skill. For it is an absurdity to have the fictions of poetry and the\nridiculous plays of comedy[352] interpreted by grammarians, and to\nsuppose that without a master and an interpreter any one is able to\nlearn those things which are spoken either of God or of the heavenly\nvirtues, and of the whole universe of things, in which some deplorable\nerror either of pagan philosophers or of heretics is confuted; and the\nresult of which is, that men would rather rashly and ignorantly condemn\nthings that are difficult and obscure, than ascertain their meaning by\ndiligence and study.\n\nFootnote 348:\n\n Diebus quadragesim\u00e6.\n\nFootnote 349:\n\n D\u00e6mones.\n\nFootnote 350:\n\n Evangelic\u00e6 lucern\u00e6 lumine diabolicas ignoranti\u00e6 tenebras.\n\nFootnote 351:\n\n Salv\u00e2 fidei Catholic\u00e6 regula.\n\nFootnote 352:\n\n Com\u0153diarum ridiculas fabulas.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER I.\n\n\n[Transcriber\u2019s Note: As described in the following footnote, the\noriginal book printed the translations from both the Latin and Greek\noriginals. In the original book, the top of each page printed lines from\nthe translation from the Latin, and the bottom of the page printed lines\nfrom the translation from the Greek, and the reader would be able to\ncompare them, with the text for the numbered sections running over\nmultiple printed pages. In this e-book, instead, the Latin translation\nfor an entire numbered section will be printed, followed by that\nparagraph\u2019s Greek translation, and then the next section.]\n\n\n TRANSLATED FROM LATIN OF RUFINUS.\n CHAPTER I.\n ON THE FREEDOM OF THE WILL.[353]\n\n\n1. Some such opinions, we believe, ought to be entertained regarding the\ndivine promises, when we direct our understanding to the contemplation\nof that eternal and infinite world, and gaze on its ineffable joy and\nblessedness. But as the preaching of the church includes a belief in a\nfuture and just judgment of God, which belief incites and persuades men\nto a good and virtuous life, and to an avoidance of sin by all possible\nmeans; and as by this it is undoubtedly indicated that it is within our\nown power to devote ourselves either to a life that is worthy of praise,\nor to one that is worthy of censure, I therefore deem it necessary to\nsay a few words regarding the freedom of the will, seeing that this\ntopic has been treated by very many writers in no mean style. And that\nwe may ascertain more easily what is the freedom of the will, let us\ninquire into the nature of will and of desire.[354]\n\n\n TRANSLATION FROM THE GREEK.\n CHAPTER I.\nON THE FREEDOM OF THE WILL[355], WITH AN EXPLANATION AND INTERPRETATION\n OF THOSE STATEMENTS OF SCRIPTURE WHICH APPEAR TO NULLIFY IT.\n\n\n1. Since in the preaching of the church there is included the doctrine\nrespecting a just judgment of God, which, when believed to be true,\nincites those who hear it to live virtuously, and to shun sin by all\nmeans, inasmuch as they manifestly acknowledge that things worthy of\npraise and blame are within our own power, come and let us discuss by\nthemselves a few points regarding the freedom of the will\u2014a question of\nall others most necessary. And that we may understand what the freedom\nof the will is, it is necessary to unfold the conception of it,[356]\nthat this being declared with precision, the subject may be placed\nbefore us.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n2. Of all things which move, some have the cause of their motion within\nthemselves, others receive it from without: and all those things only\nare moved from without which are without life, as stones, and pieces of\nwood, and whatever things are of such a nature as to be held together by\nthe constitution of their matter alone, or of their bodily\nsubstance.[357] That view must indeed be dismissed which would regard\nthe dissolution of bodies by corruption as motion, for it has no bearing\nupon our present purpose. Others, again, have the cause of motion in\nthemselves, as animals, or trees, and all things which are held together\nby natural life or soul; among which some think ought to be classed the\nveins of metals. Fire, also, is supposed to be the cause of its own\nmotion, and perhaps also springs of water. And of those things which\nhave the causes of their motion in themselves, some are said to be moved\nout of themselves, others by themselves. And they so distinguish them,\nbecause those things are moved out of themselves which are alive indeed,\nbut have no soul;[358] whereas those things which have a soul are moved\nby themselves, when a phantasy,[359] _i.e._ a desire or incitement, is\npresented to them, which excites them to move towards something.\nFinally, in certain things endowed with a soul, there is such a\nphantasy, _i.e._ a will or feeling,[360] as by a kind of natural\ninstinct calls them forth, and arouses them to orderly and regular\nmotion; as we see to be the case with spiders, which are stirred up in a\nmost orderly manner by a phantasy, _i.e._ a sort of wish and desire for\nweaving, to undertake the production of a web, some natural movement\nundoubtedly calling forth the effort to work of this kind. Nor is this\nvery insect found to possess any other feeling than the natural desire\nof weaving; as in like manner bees also exhibit a desire to form\nhoneycombs, and to collect, as they say, aerial honey.[361]\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n2. Of things that move, some have the cause of their motion within\nthemselves; others, again, are moved only from without. Now only\nportable things are moved from without, such as pieces of wood, and\nstones, and all matter that is held together by their constitution\nalone.[362] And let that view be removed from consideration which calls\nthe flux of bodies motion, since it is not needed for our present\npurpose. But animals and plants have the cause of their motion within\nthemselves, and in general whatever is held together by nature and a\nsoul, to which class of things they say that metals also belong. And\nbesides these, fire too is self-moved, and perhaps also fountains of\nwater. Now, of those things which have the cause of their movement\nwithin themselves, some, they say, are moved out of themselves, others\nfrom themselves: things without life, out of themselves; animate things,\nfrom themselves. For animate things are moved from themselves, a\nphantasy[363] springing up in them which incites to effort. And again,\nin certain animals phantasies are formed which call forth an effort, the\nnature of the phantasy[364] stirring up the effort in an orderly manner,\nas in the spider is formed the phantasy of weaving; and the attempt to\nweave follows, the nature of its phantasy inciting the insect in an\norderly manner to this alone. And besides its phantasial nature, nothing\nelse is believed to belong to the insect.[365] And in the bee there is\nformed the phantasy to produce wax.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n3. But since a rational animal not only has within itself these natural\nmovements, but has moreover, to a greater extent than other animals, the\npower of reason, by which it can judge and determine regarding natural\nmovements, and disapprove and reject some, while approving and adopting\nothers, so by the judgment of this reason may the movements of men be\ngoverned and directed towards a commendable life. And from this it\nfollows that, since the nature of this reason which is in man has within\nitself the power of distinguishing between good and evil, and while\ndistinguishing possesses the faculty of selecting what it has approved,\nit may justly be deemed worthy of praise in choosing what is good, and\ndeserving of censure in following that which is base or wicked. This\nindeed must by no means escape our notice, that in some dumb animals\nthere is found a more regular movement[366] than in others, as in\nhunting-dogs or war-horses, so that they may appear to some to be moved\nby a kind of rational sense. But we must believe this to be the result\nnot so much of reason as of some natural instinct,[367] largely bestowed\nfor purposes of that kind. Now, as we had begun to remark, seeing that\nsuch is the nature of a rational animal, some things may happen to us\nhuman beings from without; and these, coming in contact with our sense\nof sight, or hearing, or any other of our senses, may incite and arouse\nus to good movements, or the contrary; and seeing they come to us from\nan external source, it is not within our own power to prevent their\ncoming. But to determine and approve what use we ought to make of those\nthings which thus happen, is the duty of no other than of that reason\nwithin us, _i.e._ of our own judgment; by the decision of which reason\nwe use the incitement, which comes to us from without for that purpose,\nwhich reason approves, our natural movements being determined by its\nauthority either to good actions or the reverse.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n3. The rational animal, however, has, in addition to its phantasial\nnature, also reason, which judges the phantasies, and disapproves of\nsome and accepts others, in order that the animal may be led according\nto them. Therefore, since there are in the nature of reason aids towards\nthe contemplation of virtue and vice, by following which, after\nbeholding good and evil, we select the one and avoid the other, we are\ndeserving of praise when we give ourselves to the practice of virtue,\nand censurable when we do the reverse. We must not, however, be ignorant\nthat the greater part of the nature assigned to all things is a varying\nquantity[368] among animals, both in a greater and a less degree; so\nthat the instinct in hunting-dogs and in war-horses approaches somehow,\nso to speak, to the faculty of reason. Now, to fall under some one of\nthose external causes which stir up within us this phantasy or that, is\nconfessedly not one of those things that are dependent upon ourselves;\nbut to determine that we shall use the occurrence in this way or\ndifferently, is the prerogative of nothing else than of the reason\nwithin us, which, as occasion offers,[369] arouses us towards efforts\ninciting to what is virtuous and becoming, or turns us aside to what is\nthe reverse.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n4. If any one now were to say that those things which happen to us from\nan external cause, and call forth our movements, are of such a nature\nthat it is impossible to resist them, whether they incite us to good or\nevil, let the holder of this opinion turn his attention for a little\nupon himself, and carefully inspect the movements of his own mind,\nunless he has discovered already, that when an enticement to any desire\narises, nothing is accomplished until the assent of the soul is gained,\nand the authority of the mind has granted indulgence to the wicked\nsuggestion; so that a claim might seem to be made by two parties on\ncertain probable grounds as to a judge residing within the tribunals of\nour heart, in order that, after the statement of reasons, the decree of\nexecution may proceed from the judgment of reason.[370] For, to take an\nillustration: if, to a man who has determined to live continently and\nchastely, and to keep himself free from all pollution with women, a\nwoman should happen to present herself, inciting and alluring him to act\ncontrary to his purpose, that woman is not a complete and absolute cause\nor necessity of his transgressing,[371] since it is in his power, by\nremembering his resolution, to bridle the incitements to lust, and by\nthe stern admonitions of virtue to restrain the pleasure of the\nallurement that solicits him; so that, all feeling of indulgence being\ndriven away, his determination may remain firm and enduring. Finally, if\nto any men of learning, strengthened by divine training, allurements of\nthat kind present themselves, remembering forthwith what they are, and\ncalling to mind what has long been the subject of their meditation and\ninstruction, and fortifying themselves by the support of a holier\ndoctrine, they reject and repel all incitement to pleasure, and drive\naway opposing lusts by the interposition of the reason implanted within\nthem.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n4. But if any one maintain that this very external cause is of such a\nnature that it is impossible to resist it when it comes in such a way,\nlet him turn his attention to his own feelings and movements, [and see]\nwhether there is not an approval, and assent, and inclination of the\ncontrolling principle towards some object on account of some specious\narguments.[372] For, to take an instance, a woman who has appeared\nbefore a man that has determined to be chaste, and to refrain from\ncarnal intercourse, and who has incited him to act contrary to his\npurpose, is not a perfect[373] cause of annulling his determination.\nFor, being altogether pleased with the luxury and allurement of the\npleasure, and not wishing to resist it, or to keep his purpose, he\ncommits an act of licentiousness. Another man, again (when the same\nthings have happened to him who has received more instruction, and has\ndisciplined himself[374]), encounters, indeed, allurements and\nenticements; but his reason, as being strengthened to a higher point,\nand carefully trained, and confirmed in its views towards a virtuous\ncourse, or being near to confirmation,[375] repels the incitement, and\nextinguishes the desire.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n5. Seeing, then, that these positions are thus established by a sort of\nnatural evidence, is it not superfluous to throw back the causes of our\nactions on those things which happen to us from without, and thus\ntransfer the blame from ourselves, on whom it wholly lies? For this is\nto say that we are like pieces of wood, or stones, which have no motion\nin themselves, but receive the causes of their motion from without. Now\nsuch an assertion is neither true nor becoming, and is invented only\nthat the freedom of the will may be denied; unless, indeed, we are to\nsuppose that the freedom of the will consists in this, that nothing\nwhich happens to us from without can incite us to good or evil. And if\nany one were to refer the causes of our faults to the natural\ndisorder[376] of the body, such a theory is proved to be contrary to the\nreason of all teaching.[377] For, as we see in very many individuals,\nthat after living unchastely and intemperately, and after being the\ncaptives of luxury and lust, if they should happen to be aroused by the\nword of teaching and instruction to enter upon a better course of life,\nthere takes place so great a change, that from being luxurious and\nwicked men, they are converted into those who are sober, and most chaste\nand gentle; so, again, we see in the case of those who are quiet and\nhonest, that after associating with restless and shameless individuals,\ntheir good morals are corrupted by evil conversation, and they become\nlike those whose wickedness is complete.[378] And this is the case\nsometimes with men of mature age, so that such have lived more chastely\nin youth than when more advanced years have enabled them to indulge in a\nfreer mode of life. The result of our reasoning, therefore, is to show\nthat those things which happen to us from without are not in our own\npower; but that to make a good or bad use of those things which do so\nhappen, by help of that reason which is within us, and which\ndistinguishes and determines how these things ought to be used, _is_\nwithin our power.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n5. Such being the case, to say that we are moved from without, and to\nput away the blame from ourselves, by declaring that we are like to\npieces of wood and stones, which are dragged about by those causes that\nact upon them from without, is neither true nor in conformity with\nreason, but is the statement of him who wishes to destroy[379] the\nconception of free-will. For if we were to ask such an one what was\nfree-will, he would say that it consisted in this, that when purposing\nto do some thing, no external cause came inciting to the reverse. But to\nblame, on the other hand, the mere constitution of the body,[380] is\nabsurd; for the disciplinary reason,[381] taking hold of those who are\nmost intemperate and savage (if they will follow her exhortation),\neffects a transformation, so that the alteration and change for the\nbetter is most extensive,\u2014the most licentious men frequently becoming\nbetter than those who formerly did not seem to be such by nature; and\nthe most savage men passing into such a state of mildness,[382] that\nthose persons who never at any time were so savage as they were, appear\nsavage in comparison, so great a degree of gentleness having been\nproduced within them. And we see other men, most steady and respectable,\ndriven from their state of respectability and steadiness by intercourse\nwith evil customs, so as to fall into habits of licentiousness, often\nbeginning their wickedness in middle age, and plunging into disorder\nafter the period of youth has passed, which, so far as its nature is\nconcerned, is unstable. Reason, therefore, demonstrates that external\nevents do not depend on us, but that it is our own business to use them\nin this way or the opposite, having received reason as a judge and an\ninvestigator[383] of the manner in which we ought to meet those events\nthat come from without.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n6. And now, to confirm the deductions of reason by the authority of\nScripture\u2014viz. that it is our own doing whether we live rightly or not,\nand that we are not compelled, either by those causes which come to us\nfrom without, or, as some think, by the presence of fate\u2014we adduce the\ntestimony of the prophet Micah, in these words: \u201cIf it has been\nannounced to thee, O man, what is good, or what the Lord requires of\nthee, except that thou shouldst do justice, and love mercy, and be ready\nto walk with the Lord thy God.\u201d[384] Moses also speaks as follows: \u201cI\nhave placed before thy face the way of life and the way of death: choose\nwhat is good, and walk in it.\u201d[385] Isaiah, moreover, makes this\ndeclaration: \u201cIf you are willing, and hear me, ye shall eat the good of\nthe land. But if you be unwilling, and will not hear me, the sword shall\nconsume you; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken this.\u201d[386] In the\npsalm, too, it is written: \u201cIf my people had heard me, if Israel had\nwalked in my ways, I would have humbled her enemies to nothing;\u201d[387] by\nwhich he shows that it was in the power of the people to hear, and to\nwalk in the ways of God. The Saviour also saying, \u201cI say unto you,\nResist not evil;\u201d[388] and, \u201cWhoever shall be angry with his brother,\nshall be in danger of the judgment;\u201d[389] and, \u201cWhosoever shall look\nupon a woman to lust after her, hath already committed adultery with her\nin his heart;\u201d[390] and in issuing certain other commands,\u2014conveys no\nother meaning than this, that it is in our own power to observe what is\ncommanded. And therefore we are rightly rendered liable to condemnation\nif we transgress those commandments which we are able to keep. And hence\nHe Himself also declares: \u201cEvery one who hears my words, and doeth them,\nI will show to whom he is like: he is like a wise man who built his\nhouse upon a rock,\u201d etc.[391] So also the declaration: \u201cWhoso heareth\nthese things, and doeth them not, is like a foolish man, who built his\nhouse upon the sand,\u201d etc.[392] Even the words addressed to those who\nare on His right hand, \u201cCome unto me, all ye blessed of my Father,\u201d\netc.; \u201cfor I was an hungered, and ye gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and\nye gave me drink,\u201d[393] manifestly show that it depended upon\nthemselves, that either these should be deserving of praise for doing\nwhat was commanded and receiving what was promised, or those deserving\nof censure who either heard or received the contrary, and to whom it was\nsaid, \u201cDepart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire.\u201d Let us observe also,\nthat the Apostle Paul addresses us as having power over our own will,\nand as possessing in ourselves the causes either of our salvation or of\nour ruin: \u201cDost thou despise the riches of His goodness, and of His\npatience, and of His long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of\nGod leadeth thee to repentance? But, according to thy hardness and\nimpenitent heart, thou art treasuring up for thyself wrath on the day of\njudgment and of the revelation of the just judgment of God, who will\nrender to every one according to his work: to those who by patient\ncontinuance in well-doing seek for glory and immortality, eternal\nlife;[394] while to those who are contentious, and believe not the\ntruth, but who believe iniquity, anger, indignation, tribulation, and\ndistress, on every soul of man that worketh evil, on the Jew first, and\n[afterwards] on the Greek; but glory, and honour, and peace to every one\nthat doeth good, to the Jew first, and [afterwards] to the Greek.\u201d[395]\nYou will find also innumerable other passages in Holy Scripture, which\nmanifestly show that we possess freedom of will. Otherwise there would\nbe a contrariety in commandments being given us, by observing which we\nmay be saved, or by transgressing which we may be condemned, if the\npower of keeping them were not implanted in us.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n6. Now, that it is our business to live virtuously, and that God asks\nthis of us, as not being dependent on Him nor on any other, nor, as some\nthink, upon fate, but as being our own doing, the prophet Micah will\nprove when he says: \u201cIf it has been announced to thee, O man, what is\ngood, or what does the Lord require of thee, except to do justice and to\nlove mercy?\u201d[396] Moses also: \u201cI have placed before thy face the way of\nlife, and the way of death: choose what is good, and walk in it.\u201d[397]\nIsaiah too: \u201cIf you are willing, and hear me, ye shall eat the good of\nthe land; but if ye be unwilling, and will not hear me, the sword will\nconsume you: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.\u201d[398] And in the\nPsalms: \u201cIf my people had heard me, and Israel had walked in my ways, I\nwould have humbled their enemies to nothing, and laid my hand upon those\nthat afflicted them;\u201d[399] showing that it was in the power of His\npeople to hear and to walk in the ways of God. And the Saviour also,\nwhen He commands, \u201cBut I say unto you, Resist not evil;\u201d[400] and,\n\u201cWhosoever shall be angry with his brother, shall be in danger of the\njudgment;\u201d[401] and, \u201cWhosoever shall look upon a woman to lust after\nher, hath already committed adultery with her in his heart;\u201d[402] and by\nany other commandment which He gives, declares that it lies with\nourselves to keep what is enjoined, and that we shall reasonably[403] be\nliable to condemnation if we transgress. And therefore He says in\naddition: \u201cHe that heareth my words, and doeth them, shall be likened to\na prudent man, who built his house upon a rock,\u201d etc. etc.; \u201cwhile he\nthat heareth them, but doeth them not, is like a foolish man, who built\nhis house upon the sand,\u201d etc.[404] And when He says to those on His\nright hand, \u201cCome, ye blessed of my Father,\u201d etc.; \u201cfor I was an\nhungered, and ye gave me to eat; I was athirst, and ye gave me to\ndrink,\u201d[405] it is exceedingly manifest that He gives the promises to\nthese as being deserving of praise. But, on the contrary, to the others,\nas being censurable in comparison with them, He says, \u201cDepart, ye\ncursed, into everlasting fire!\u201d[406] And let us observe how Paul also\nconverses[407] with us as having freedom of will, and as being ourselves\nthe cause of ruin or salvation, when he says, \u201cDost thou despise the\nriches of His goodness, and of His patience, and of His long-suffering;\nnot knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But,\naccording to thy hardness and impenitent heart, thou art treasuring up\nfor thyself wrath on the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous\njudgment of God; who will render to every one according to his works: to\nthose who, by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory and\nimmortality, eternal life; while to those who are contentious, and\nbelieve not the truth, but who believe iniquity, anger, wrath,\ntribulation, and distress, on every soul of man that worketh evil; on\nthe Jew first, and on the Greek: but glory, and honour, and peace to\nevery one that worketh good; to the Jew first, and to the Greek.\u201d[408]\nThere are, indeed, innumerable passages in the Scriptures which\nestablish with exceeding clearness the existence of freedom of will.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n7. But, seeing there are found in the sacred Scriptures themselves\ncertain expressions occurring in such a connection, that the opposite of\nthis may appear capable of being understood from them, let us bring them\nforth before us, and, discussing them according to the rule of\npiety,[409] let us furnish an explanation of them, in order that from\nthose few passages which we now expound, the solution of those others\nwhich resemble them, and by which any power over the will seems to be\nexcluded, may become clear. Those expressions, accordingly, make an\nimpression on very many, which are used by God in speaking of Pharaoh,\nas when He frequently says, \u201cI will harden Pharaoh\u2019s heart.\u201d[410] For if\nhe is hardened by God, and commits sin in consequence of being so\nhardened, the cause of his sin is not himself. And if so, it will appear\nthat Pharaoh does not possess freedom of will; and it will be\nmaintained, as a consequence, that, agreeably to this illustration,\nneither do others who perish owe the cause of their destruction to the\nfreedom of their own will. That expression, also, in Ezekiel, when he\nsays, \u201cI will take away their stony hearts, and will give them hearts of\nflesh, that they may walk in my precepts, and keep my ways,\u201d[411] may\nimpress some, inasmuch as it seems to be a gift of God, either to walk\nin His ways or to keep His precepts,[412] if He take away that stony\nheart which is an obstacle to the keeping of His commandments, and\nbestow and implant a better and more impressible heart, which is called\nnow[413] a heart of flesh. Consider also the nature of the answer given\nin the Gospel by our Lord and Saviour to those who inquired of Him why\nHe spoke to the multitude in parables. His words are: \u201cThat seeing they\nmay not see; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest they\nshould be converted, and their sins be forgiven them.\u201d[414] The words,\nmoreover, used by the Apostle Paul, that \u201cit is not of him that willeth,\nnor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy;\u201d[415] in another\npassage also, \u201cthat to will and to do are of God;\u201d[416] and again,\nelsewhere, \u201cTherefore hath He mercy upon whom He will, and whom He will\nHe hardeneth. Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth He yet find fault?\nFor who shall resist His will? O man, who art thou that repliest against\nGod? Shall the thing formed say to him who hath formed it, Why hast thou\nmade me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump\nto make one vessel unto honour, and another to dishonour?\u201d[417]\u2014these\nand similar declarations seem to have no small influence in preventing\nvery many from believing that every one is to be considered as having\nfreedom over his own will, and in making it appear to be a consequence\nof the will of God whether a man is either saved or lost.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n7. But since certain declarations of the Old Testament and of the New\nlead to the opposite conclusion\u2014namely, that it does not depend on\nourselves to keep the commandments and to be saved, or to transgress\nthem and to be lost\u2014let us adduce them one by one, and see the\nexplanations of them, in order that from those which we adduce, any one\nselecting in a similar way all the passages that seem to nullify\nfree-will, may consider what is said about them by way of explanation.\nAnd now, the statements regarding Pharaoh have troubled many, respecting\nwhom God declared several times, \u201cI will harden Pharaoh\u2019s heart.\u201d[418]\nFor if he is hardened by God, and commits sin in consequence of being\nhardened, he is not the cause of sin to himself; and if so, then neither\ndoes Pharaoh possess free-will. And some one will say that, in a similar\nway, they who perish have not free-will, and will not perish of\nthemselves. The declaration also in Ezekiel, \u201cI will take away their\nstony hearts, and will put in them hearts of flesh, that they may walk\nin my precepts, and keep my commandments,\u201d[419] might lead one to think\nthat it was God who gave the power to walk in His commandments, and to\nkeep His precepts, by His withdrawing the hindrance\u2014the stony heart, and\nimplanting a better\u2014a heart of flesh. And let us look also at the\npassage in the Gospel\u2014the answer which the Saviour returns to those who\ninquired why He spake to the multitude in parables. His words are: \u201cThat\nseeing they might not see; and hearing they may hear, and not\nunderstand; lest they should be converted, and their sins be forgiven\nthem.\u201d[420] The passage also in Paul: \u201cIt is not of him that willeth,\nnor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.\u201d[421] The\ndeclarations, too, in other places, that \u201cboth to will and to do are of\nGod;\u201d[422] \u201cthat God hath mercy upon whom He will have mercy, and whom\nHe will He hardeneth. Thou wilt say then, Why doth He yet find fault?\nFor who hath resisted His will?\u201d \u201dThe persuasion is of Him that calleth,\nand not of us.\u201d[423] \u201cNay, O man, who art thou that repliest against\nGod? Shall the thing formed say to him that hath formed it, Why hast\nthou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same\nlump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?\u201d[424]\nNow these passages are sufficient of themselves to trouble the\nmultitude, as if man were not possessed of free-will, but as if it were\nGod who saves and destroys whom He will.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n8. Let us begin, then, with those words which were spoken to Pharaoh,\nwho is said to have been hardened by God, in order that he might not let\nthe people go; and, along with his case, the language of the apostle\nalso will be considered, where he says, \u201cTherefore He hath mercy on whom\nHe will, and whom He will He hardeneth.\u201d[425] For it is on these\npassages chiefly that the heretics rely, asserting that salvation is not\nin our own power, but that souls are of such a nature as must by all\nmeans be either lost or saved; and that in no way can a soul which is of\nan evil nature become good, or one which is of a virtuous nature be made\nbad. And hence they maintain that Pharaoh, too, being of a ruined\nnature, was on that account hardened by God, who hardens those that are\nof an earthly nature, but has compassion on those who are of a spiritual\nnature. Let us see, then, what is the meaning of their assertion; and\nlet us, in the first place, request them to tell us whether they\nmaintain that the soul of Pharaoh was of an earthly nature, such as they\nterm lost. They will undoubtedly answer that it was of an earthly\nnature. If so, then to believe God, or to obey Him, when his nature\nopposed his so doing, was an impossibility. And if this were his\ncondition by nature, what further need was there for his heart to be\nhardened, and this not once, but several times, unless indeed because it\nwas possible for him to yield to persuasion? Nor could any one be said\nto be hardened by another, save him who of himself was not obdurate. And\nif he were not obdurate of himself, it follows that neither was he of an\nearthly nature, but such an one as might give way when overpowered[426]\nby signs and wonders. But he was necessary for God\u2019s purpose, in order\nthat, for the saving of the multitude, He might manifest in him His\npower by his offering resistance to numerous miracles, and struggling\nagainst the will of God, and his heart being by this means said to be\nhardened. Such are our answers, in the first place, to these persons;\nand by these their assertion may be overturned, according to which they\nthink that Pharaoh was destroyed in consequence of his evil nature.[427]\nAnd with regard to the language of the Apostle Paul, we must answer them\nin a similar way. For who are they whom God hardens, according to your\nview? Those, namely, whom you term of a ruined nature, and who, I am to\nsuppose, would have done something else had they not been hardened. If,\nindeed, they come to destruction in consequence of being hardened, they\nno longer perish naturally, but in virtue of what befalls them. Then, in\nthe next place, upon whom does God show mercy? On those, namely, who are\nto be saved. And in what respect do those persons stand in need of a\nsecond compassion, who are to be saved once by their nature, and so come\nnaturally to blessedness, except that it is shown even from their case,\nthat, because it was possible for them to perish, they therefore obtain\nmercy, that so they may not perish, but come to salvation, and possess\nthe kingdom of the good. And let this be our answer to those who devise\nand invent the fable[428] of good or bad natures, _i.e._ of earthly or\nspiritual souls, in consequence of which, as they say, each one is\neither saved or lost.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n8. Let us begin, then, with what is said about Pharaoh\u2014that he was\nhardened by God, that he might not send away the people; along with\nwhich will be examined also the statement of the apostle, \u201cTherefore\nhath He mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He will He\nhardeneth.\u201d[429] And certain of those who hold different opinions misuse\nthese passages, themselves also almost destroying free-will by\nintroducing ruined natures incapable of salvation, and others saved\nwhich it is impossible can be lost; and Pharaoh, they say, as being of a\nruined nature, is therefore hardened by God, who has mercy upon the\nspiritual, but hardens the earthly. Let us see now what they mean. For\nwe shall ask them if Pharaoh was of an earthy nature; and when they\nanswer, we shall say that he who is of an earthy nature is altogether\ndisobedient to God: but if disobedient, what need is there of his heart\nbeing hardened, and that not once, but frequently? Unless perhaps, since\nit was possible for him to obey (in which case he would certainly have\nobeyed, as not being earthy, when hard pressed by the signs and\nwonders), God needs him to be disobedient to a greater degree,[430] in\norder that He may manifest His mighty deeds for the salvation of the\nmultitude, and therefore hardens his heart. This will be our answer to\nthem in the first place, in order to overturn their supposition that\nPharaoh was of a ruined nature. And the same reply must be given to them\nwith respect to the statement of the apostle. For whom does God harden?\nThose who perish, as if they would obey unless they were hardened, or\nmanifestly those who would be saved because they are not of a ruined\nnature. And on whom has He mercy? Is it on those who are to be saved?\nAnd how is there need of a second mercy for those who have been prepared\nonce for salvation, and who will by all means become blessed on account\nof their nature? Unless perhaps, since they are capable of incurring\ndestruction, if they did not receive mercy, they will obtain mercy, in\norder that they may not incur that destruction of which they are\ncapable, but may be in the condition of those who are saved. And this is\nour answer to such persons.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n9. And now we must return an answer also to those who would have the God\nof the law to be just only, and not also good; and let us ask such in\nwhat manner they consider the heart of Pharaoh to have been hardened by\nGod\u2014by what acts or by what prospective arrangements.[431] For we must\nobserve the conception of a God[432] who in our opinion is both just and\ngood, but according to them only just. And let them show us how a God\nwhom they also acknowledge to be just, can with justice cause the heart\nof a man to be hardened, that, in consequence of that very hardening, he\nmay sin and be ruined. And how shall the justice of God be defended, if\nHe Himself is the cause of the destruction of those whom, owing to their\nunbelief (through their being hardened), He has afterwards condemned by\nthe authority of a judge? For why does He blame him, saying, \u201cBut since\nthou wilt not let my people go, lo, I will smite all the first-born in\nEgypt, even thy first-born,\u201d[433] and whatever else was spoken through\nMoses by God to Pharaoh? For it behoves every one who maintains the\ntruth of what is recorded in Scripture, and who desires to show that the\nGod of the law and the prophets is just, to render a reason for all\nthese things, and to show how there is in them nothing at all derogatory\nto the justice of God, since, although they deny His goodness, they\nadmit that He is a just judge, and creator of the world. Different,\nhowever, is the method of our reply to those who assert that the creator\nof this world is a malignant being, _i.e._ a devil.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n9. But to those who think they understand the term \u201chardened,\u201d we must\naddress the inquiry, What do they mean by saying that God, by His\nworking, hardens the heart, and with what purpose does He do this? For\nlet them observe the conception[434] of a God who is in reality just and\ngood; but if they will not allow this, let it be conceded to them for\nthe present that He is just; and let them show how the good and just\nGod, or the just God only, appears to be just, in hardening the heart of\nhim who perishes because of his being hardened: and how the just God\nbecomes the cause of destruction and disobedience, when men are\nchastened by Him on account of their hardness and disobedience. And why\ndoes He find fault with him, saying, \u201cThou wilt not let my people\ngo;\u201d[435] \u201cLo, I will smite all the first-born in Egypt, even thy\nfirst-born;\u201d[436] and whatever else is recorded as spoken from God to\nPharaoh through the intervention of Moses? For he who believes that the\nScriptures are true, and that God is just, must necessarily endeavour,\nif he be honest,[437] to show how God, in using such expressions, may be\ndistinctly[438] understood to be just. But if any one should stand,\ndeclaring with uncovered head that the Creator of the world was inclined\nto wickedness,[439] we should need other words to answer them.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n10. But since we acknowledge the God who spoke by Moses to be not only\njust, but also good, let us carefully inquire how it is in keeping with\nthe character of a just and good Deity to have hardened the heart of\nPharaoh. And let us see whether, following the example of the Apostle\nPaul, we are able to solve the difficulty by help of some parallel\ninstances: if we can show, _e.g._, that by one and the same act God has\npity upon one individual, but hardens another; not purposing or desiring\nthat he who is hardened should be so, but because, in the manifestation\nof His goodness and patience, the heart of those who treat His kindness\nand forbearance with contempt and insolence is hardened by the\npunishment of their crimes being delayed; while those, on the other\nhand, who make His goodness and patience the occasion of their\nrepentance and reformation, obtain compassion. To show more clearly,\nhowever, what we mean, let us take the illustration employed by the\nApostle Paul in the Epistle to the Hebrews, where he says, \u201cFor the\nearth, which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth\nforth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, will receive blessing\nfrom God; but that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is\nnigh unto cursing, whose end is to be burned.\u201d[440] Now from those words\nof Paul which we have quoted, it is clearly shown that by one and the\nsame act on the part of God\u2014that, viz. by which He sends rain upon the\nearth\u2014one portion of the ground, when carefully cultivated, brings forth\ngood fruits; while another, neglected and uncared for, produces thorns\nand thistles. And if one, speaking as it were in the person of the\nrain,[441] were to say, \u201cIt is I, the rain, that have made the good\nfruits, and it is I that have caused the thorns and thistles to grow,\u201d\nhowever hard[442] the statement might appear, it would nevertheless be\ntrue; for unless the rain had fallen, neither fruits, nor thorns, nor\nthistles would have sprung up, whereas by the coming of the rain the\nearth gave birth to both. Now, although it is due to the beneficial\naction of the rain that the earth has produced herbs of both kinds, it\nis not to the rain that the diversity of the herbs is properly to be\nascribed; but on those will justly rest the blame for the bad seed, who,\nalthough they might have turned up the ground by frequent ploughing, and\nhave broken the clods by repeated harrowing, and have extirpated all\nuseless and noxious weeds, and have cleared and prepared the fields for\nthe coming showers by all the labour and toil which cultivation demands,\nhave nevertheless neglected to do this, and who will accordingly reap\nbriers and thorns, the most appropriate fruit of their sloth. And the\nconsequence therefore is, that while the rain falls in kindness and\nimpartiality[443] equally upon the whole earth, yet, by one and the same\noperation of the rain, that soil which is cultivated yields with a\nblessing useful fruits to the diligent and careful cultivators, while\nthat which has become hardened through the neglect of the husbandman\nbrings forth only thorns and thistles. Let us therefore view those signs\nand miracles which were done by God, as the showers furnished by Him\nfrom above; and the purpose and desires of men, as the cultivated and\nuncultivated soil, which is of one and the same nature indeed, as is\nevery soil compared with another, but not in one and the same state of\ncultivation. From which it follows that every one\u2019s will,[444] if\nuntrained, and fierce, and barbarous, is either hardened by the miracles\nand wonders of God, growing more savage and thorny than ever, or it\nbecomes more pliant, and yields itself up with the whole mind to\nobedience, if it be cleared from vice and subjected to training.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n10. But since they say that they regard Him as a just God, and we as one\nwho is at the same time good and just, let us consider how the good and\njust God could harden the heart of Pharaoh. See, then, whether, by an\nillustration used by the apostle in the Epistle to the Hebrews, we are\nable to prove that by one operation[445] God has mercy upon one man\nwhile He hardens another, although not intending to harden; but,\n[although] having a good purpose, hardening follows as a result of the\ninherent principle of wickedness in such persons,[446] and so He is said\nto harden him who is hardened. \u201cThe earth,\u201d he says, \u201cwhich drinketh in\nthe rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them\nfor whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God; but that which\nbeareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh to cursing, whose end\nis to be burned.\u201d[447] As respects the rain, then, there is one\noperation; and there being one operation as regards the rain, the ground\nwhich is cultivated produces fruit, while that which is neglected and is\nbarren produces thorns. Now, it might seem profane[448] for Him who\nrains to say, \u201cI produced the fruits, and the thorns that are in the\nearth;\u201d and yet, although profane, it is true. For, had rain not fallen,\nthere would have been neither fruits nor thorns; but, having fallen at\nthe proper time and in moderation, both were produced. The ground, now,\nwhich drank in the rain which often fell upon it, and yet produced\nthorns and briers, is rejected and nigh to cursing. The blessing, then,\nof the rain descended even upon the inferior land; but it, being\nneglected and uncultivated, yielded thorns and thistles. In the same\nway, therefore, the wonderful works also done by God are, as it were,\nthe rain; while the differing purposes are, as it were, the cultivated\nand neglected land, being [yet], like earth, of one nature.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n11. But, to establish the point more clearly, it will not be superfluous\nto employ another illustration, as if, _e.g._, one were to say that it\nis the sun which hardens and liquefies, although liquefying and\nhardening are things of an opposite nature. Now it is not incorrect to\nsay that the sun, by one and the same power of its heat, melts wax\nindeed, but dries up and hardens mud:[449] not that its power operates\none way upon mud, and in another way upon wax; but that the qualities of\nmud and wax are different, although according to nature they are one\nthing,[450] both being from the earth. In this way, then, one and the\nsame working upon the part of God, which was administered by Moses in\nsigns and wonders, made manifest the hardness of Pharaoh, which he had\nconceived in the intensity of his wickedness[451], but exhibited the\nobedience of those other Egyptians who were intermingled with the\nIsraelites, and who are recorded to have quitted Egypt at the same time\nwith the Hebrews. With respect to the statement that the heart of\nPharaoh was subdued by degrees, so that on one occasion he said, \u201cGo not\nfar away; ye shall go a three days\u2019 journey, but leave your wives, and\nyour children, and your cattle,\u201d[452] and as regards any other\nstatements, according to which he appears to yield gradually to the\nsigns and wonders, what else is shown, save that the power of the signs\nand miracles was making some impression on him, but not so much as it\nought to have done? For if the hardening were of such a nature as many\ntake it to be, he would not indeed have given way even in a few\ninstances. But I think there is no absurdity in explaining the tropical\nor figurative[453] nature of that language employed in speaking of\n\u201chardening,\u201d according to common usage. For those masters who are\nremarkable for kindness to their slaves, are frequently accustomed to\nsay to the latter, when, through much patience and indulgence on their\npart, they have become insolent and worthless: \u201cIt is I that have made\nyou what you are; I have spoiled you; it is my endurance that has made\nyou good for nothing: I am to blame for your perverse and wicked habits,\nbecause I do not have you immediately punished for every delinquency\naccording to your deserts.\u201d For we must first attend to the tropical or\nfigurative meaning of the language, and so come to see the force of the\nexpression, and not find fault with the word, whose inner meaning we do\nnot ascertain. Finally, the Apostle Paul, evidently treating of such,\nsays to him who remained in his sins: \u201cDespisest thou the riches of His\ngoodness, and forbearance, and long-suffering; not knowing that the\ngoodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? but, after thy hardness and\nimpenitent heart, treasurest up unto thyself wrath on the day of wrath\nand revelation of the righteous judgment of God.\u201d[454] Such are the\nwords of the apostle to him who is in his sins. Let us apply these very\nexpressions to Pharaoh, and see if they also are not spoken of him with\npropriety, since, according to his hardness and impenitent heart, he\ntreasured and stored up for himself wrath on the day of wrath, inasmuch\nas his hardness could never have been declared and manifested, unless\nsigns and wonders of such number and magnificence had been performed.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n11. And as if the sun, uttering a voice, were to say, \u201cI liquefy and dry\nup,\u201d liquefaction and drying up being opposite things, he would not\nspeak falsely as regards the point in question;[455] wax being melted\nand mud being dried by the same heat; so the same operation, which was\nperformed through the instrumentality of Moses, proved the hardness of\nPharaoh on the one hand, the result of his wickedness, and the yielding\nof the mixed Egyptian multitude who took their departure with the\nHebrews. And the brief statement[456] that the heart of Pharaoh was\nsoftened, as it were, when he said, \u201cBut ye shall not go far: ye will go\na three days\u2019 journey, and leave your wives,\u201d[457] and anything else\nwhich he said, yielding little by little before the signs, proves that\nthe wonders made some impression even upon him, but did not accomplish\nall [that they might]. Yet even this would not have happened, if that\nwhich is supposed by the many\u2014the hardening of Pharaoh\u2019s heart\u2014had been\nproduced by God Himself. And it is not absurd to soften down such\nexpressions agreeably to common usage:[458] for good masters often say\nto their slaves, when spoiled by their kindness and forbearance, \u201cI have\nmade you bad, and I am to blame for offences of such enormity.\u201d For we\nmust attend to the character and force of the phrase, and not argue\nsophistically,[459] disregarding the meaning of the expression. Paul\naccordingly, having examined these points clearly, says to the sinner:\n\u201cOr despisest thou the riches of His goodness, and forbearance, and\nlong-suffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to\nrepentance? but, after thy hardness and impenitent heart, treasurest up\nunto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the\nrighteous judgment of God.\u201d[460] Now, let what the apostle says to the\nsinner be addressed to Pharaoh, and then the announcements made to him\nwill be understood to have been made with peculiar fitness, as to one\nwho, according to his hardness and unrepentant heart, was treasuring up\nto himself wrath; seeing that his hardness would not have been proved\nnor made manifest unless miracles had been performed, and miracles, too,\nof such magnitude and importance.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n12. But if the proofs which we have adduced do not appear full enough,\nand the similitude of the apostle seem wanting in applicability,[461]\nlet us add the voice of prophetic authority, and see what the prophets\ndeclare regarding those who at first, indeed, leading a righteous life,\nhave deserved to receive numerous proofs of the goodness of God, but\nafterwards, as being human beings, have fallen astray, with whom the\nprophet, making himself also one, says: \u201cWhy, O Lord, hast Thou made us\nto err from Thy way? and hardened our heart, that we should not fear Thy\nname? Return, for Thy servants\u2019 sake, for the tribes of Thine\ninheritance, that we also for a little may obtain some inheritance from\nThy holy hill.\u201d[462] Jeremiah also employs similar language: \u201cO Lord,\nThou hast deceived us, and we were deceived; Thou hast held [us], and\nThou hast prevailed.\u201d[463] The expression, then, \u201cWhy, O Lord, hast Thou\nhardened our heart, that we should not fear Thy name?\u201d used by those who\nprayed for mercy, is to be taken in a figurative, moral\nacceptation,[464] as if one were to say, \u201cWhy hast Thou spared us so\nlong, and didst not requite us when we sinned, but didst abandon us,\nthat so our wickedness might increase, and our liberty of sinning be\nextended when punishment ceased?\u201d In like manner, unless a horse\ncontinually feel the spur[465] of his rider, and have his mouth abraded\nby a bit,[466] he becomes hardened. And a boy also, unless constantly\ndisciplined by chastisement, will grow up to be an insolent youth, and\none ready to fall headlong into vice. God accordingly abandons and\nneglects those whom He has judged undeserving of chastisement: \u201cFor whom\nthe Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He\nreceiveth.\u201d[467] From which we are to suppose that those are to be\nreceived into the rank and affection of sons, who have deserved to be\nscourged and chastened by the Lord, in order that they also, through\nendurance of trials and tribulations, may be able to say, \u201cWho shall\nseparate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus? shall\ntribulation, or anguish, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or\nsword?\u201d[468] For by all these is each one\u2019s resolution manifested and\ndisplayed, and the firmness of his perseverance made known, not so much\nto God, who knows all things before they happen, as to the rational and\nheavenly virtues,[469] who have obtained a part in the work of procuring\nhuman salvation, as being a sort of assistants and ministers to God.\nThose, on the other hand, who do not yet offer themselves to God with\nsuch constancy and affection, and are not ready to come into His\nservice, and to prepare their souls for trial, are said to be abandoned\nby God, _i.e._ not to be instructed, inasmuch as they are not prepared\nfor instruction, their training or care being undoubtedly postponed to a\nlater time. These certainly do not know what they will obtain from God,\nunless they first entertain the desire of being benefited; and this\nfinally will be the case, if a man come first to a knowledge of himself,\nand feel what are his defects, and understand from whom he either ought\nor can seek the supply of his deficiencies. For he who does not know\nbeforehand of his weakness or his sickness, cannot seek a physician; or\nat least, after recovering his health, that man will not be grateful to\nhis physician who did not first recognise the dangerous nature of his\nailment. And so, unless a man has first ascertained the defects of his\nlife, and the evil nature of his sins, and made this known by confession\nfrom his own lips, he cannot be cleansed or acquitted, lest he should be\nignorant that what he possesses has been bestowed on him by favour, but\nshould consider as his own property what flows from the divine\nliberality, which idea undoubtedly generates arrogance of mind and\npride, and finally becomes the cause of the individual\u2019s ruin. And this,\nwe must believe, was the case with the devil, who viewed as his own, and\nnot as given him by God, the primacy[470] which he held at the time when\nhe was unstained;[471] and thus was fulfilled in him the declaration,\nthat \u201cevery one who exalteth himself shall be abased.\u201d[472] From which\nit appears to me that the divine mysteries were concealed from the wise\nand prudent, according to the statement of Scripture, that \u201cno flesh\nshould glory before God,\u201d[473] and revealed to children\u2014to those,\nnamely, who, after they have become infants and little children, _i.e._\nhave returned to the humility and simplicity of children, then make\nprogress; and on arriving at perfection, remember that they have\nobtained their state of happiness, not by their own merits, but by the\ngrace and compassion of God.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n12. But since such narratives are slow to secure assent,[474] and are\nconsidered to be forced,[475] let us see from the prophetical\ndeclarations also, what those persons say, who, although they have\nexperienced the great kindness of God, have not lived virtuously, but\nhave afterwards sinned. \u201cWhy, O Lord, hast Thou made us to err from Thy\nways? Why hast Thou hardened our heart, so as not to fear Thy name?\nReturn for Thy servants\u2019 sake, for the tribes of Thine inheritance, that\nwe may inherit a small portion of Thy holy mountain.\u201d[476] And in\nJeremiah: \u201cThou hast deceived me, O Lord, and I was deceived; Thou wert\nstrong, and Thou didst prevail.\u201d[477] For the expression, \u201cWhy hast Thou\nhardened our heart, so as not to fear Thy name?\u201d uttered by those who\nare begging to receive mercy, is in its nature as follows: \u201cWhy hast\nThou spared us so long, not visiting us because of our sins, but\ndeserting us, until our transgressions come to a height?\u201d Now He leaves\nthe greater part of men unpunished, both in order that the habits of\neach one may be examined, so far as it depends upon ourselves, and that\nthe virtuous may be made manifest in consequence of the test applied;\nwhile the others, not escaping notice from God\u2014for He knows all things\nbefore they exist\u2014but from the rational creation and themselves, may\nafterwards obtain the means of cure, seeing they would not have known\nthe benefit had they not condemned themselves. It is of advantage to\neach one, that he perceive his own peculiar nature[478] and the grace of\nGod. For he who does not perceive his own weakness and the divine\nfavour, although he receive a benefit, yet, not having made trial of\nhimself, nor having condemned himself, will imagine that the benefit\nconferred upon him by the grace of Heaven is his own doing. And this\nimagination, producing also vanity,[479] will be the cause of a\ndownfall: which, we conceive, was the case with the devil, who\nattributed to himself the priority which he possessed when in a state of\nsinlessness.[480] \u201cFor every one that exalteth himself shall be abased,\u201d\nand \u201cevery one that humbleth himself shall be exalted.\u201d[481] And\nobserve, that for this reason divine things have been concealed from the\nwise and prudent, in order, as says the apostle, that \u201cno flesh should\nglory in the presence of God;\u201d[482] and they have been revealed to\nbabes, to those who after childhood have come to better things, and who\nremember that it is not so much from their own effort, as by the\nunspeakable goodness [of God], that they have reached the greatest\npossible extent of blessedness.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n13. It is therefore by the sentence of God that he is abandoned who\ndeserves to be so, while over some sinners God exercises forbearance;\nnot, however, without a definite principle of action.[483] Nay, the very\nfact that He is long-suffering conduces to the advantage of those very\npersons, since the soul over which He exercises this providential care\nis immortal; and, as being immortal and everlasting, it is not, although\nnot immediately cared for, excluded from salvation, which is postponed\nto a more convenient time. For perhaps it is expedient for those who\nhave been more deeply imbued with the poison of wickedness to obtain\nthis salvation at a later period. For as medical men sometimes, although\nthey could quickly cover over the scars of wounds, keep back and delay\nthe cure for the present, in the expectation of a better and more\nperfect recovery, knowing that it is more salutary to retard the\ntreatment in the cases of swellings caused by wounds, and to allow the\nmalignant humours to flow off for a while, rather than to hasten a\nsuperficial cure, by shutting up in the veins the poison of a morbid\nhumour, which, excluded from its customary outlets, will undoubtedly\ncreep into the inner parts of the limbs, and penetrate to the very\nvitals of the viscera, producing no longer mere disease in the body, but\ncausing destruction to life; so, in like manner, God also, who knows the\nsecret things of the heart, and foreknows the future, in much\nforbearance allows certain events to happen, which, coming from without\nupon men, cause to come forth into the light the passions and vices\nwhich are concealed within, that by their means those may be cleansed\nand cured who, through great negligence and carelessness, have admitted\nwithin themselves the roots and seeds of sins, so that, when driven\noutwards and brought to the surface, they may in a certain degree be\ncast forth and dispersed.[484] And thus, although a man may appear to be\nafflicted with evils of a serious kind, suffering convulsions in all his\nlimbs, he may nevertheless, at some future time, obtain relief and a\ncessation from his trouble; and, after enduring his afflictions to\nsatiety, may, after many sufferings, be restored again to his [proper]\ncondition. For God deals with souls not merely with a view to the short\nspace of our present life, included within sixty years[485] or more, but\nwith reference to a perpetual and never-ending period, exercising His\nprovidential care over souls that are immortal, even as He Himself is\neternal and immortal. For He made the rational nature, which He formed\nin His own image and likeness, incorruptible; and therefore the soul,\nwhich is immortal, is not excluded by the shortness of the present life\nfrom the divine remedies and cures.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n13. It is not without reason, then, that he who is abandoned, is\nabandoned to the divine judgment, and that God is long-suffering with\ncertain sinners; but because it will be for their advantage, with\nrespect to the immortality of the soul and the unending world,[486] that\nthey be not quickly brought[487] into a state of salvation, but be\nconducted to it more slowly, after having experienced many evils. For as\nphysicians, who are able to cure a man quickly, when they suspect that a\nhidden poison exists in the body, do the reverse of healing, making this\nmore certain through their very desire to heal, deeming it better for a\nconsiderable time to retain the patient under inflammation and sickness,\nin order that he may recover his health more surely, than to appear to\nproduce a rapid recovery, and afterwards to cause a relapse, and [thus]\nthat hasty cure last only for a time; in the same way, God also, who\nknows the secret things of the heart, and foresees future events, in His\nlong-suffering, permits [certain events to occur], and by means of those\nthings which happen from without extracts the secret evil, in order to\ncleanse him who through carelessness has received the seeds of sin, that\nhaving vomited them forth when they come to the surface, although he may\nhave been deeply involved in evils, he may afterwards obtain healing\nafter his wickedness, and be renewed.[488] For God governs souls not\nwith reference, let me say, to the fifty[489] years of the present life,\nbut with reference to an illimitable[490] age: for He made the thinking\nprinciple immortal in its nature, and kindred to Himself; and the\nrational soul is not, as in this life, excluded from cure.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n14. But let us take from the Gospels also the similitudes of those\nthings which we have mentioned, in which is described a certain rock,\nhaving on it a little superficial earth, on which, when a seed falls, it\nis said quickly to spring up; but when sprung up, it withers as the sun\nascends in the heavens, and dies away, because it did not cast its root\ndeeply into the ground.[491] Now this rock undoubtedly represents the\nhuman soul, hardened on account of its own negligence, and converted\ninto stone because of its wickedness. For God gave no one a stony heart\nby a creative act; but each individual\u2019s heart is said to become stony\nthrough his own wickedness and disobedience. As, therefore, if one were\nto blame a husbandman for not casting his seed more quickly upon rocky\nground, because seed cast upon other rocky soil was seen to spring up\nspeedily, the husbandman would certainly say in reply: \u201cI sow this soil\nmore slowly, for this reason, that it may retain the seed which it has\nreceived; for it suits this ground to be sown somewhat slowly, lest\nperhaps the crop, having sprouted too rapidly, and coming forth from the\nmere surface of a shallow soil, should be unable to withstand the rays\nof the sun.\u201d Would not he who formerly found fault acquiesce in the\nreasons and superior knowledge of the husbandman, and approve as done on\nrational grounds what formerly appeared to him as founded on no reason?\nAnd in the same way, God, the thoroughly skilled husbandman of all His\ncreation, undoubtedly conceals and delays to another time those[492]\nthings which we think ought to have obtained health sooner, in order\nthat not the outside of things, rather than the inside, may be cured.\nBut if any one now were to object to us that certain seeds do even fall\nupon rocky ground, _i.e._ on a hard and stony heart, we should answer\nthat even this does not happen without the arrangement of Divine\nProvidence; inasmuch as, but for this, it would not be known what\ncondemnation was incurred by rashness in hearing and indifference in\ninvestigation,[493] nor, certainly, what benefit was derived from being\ntrained in an orderly manner. And hence it happens that the soul comes\nto know its defects, and to cast the blame upon itself, and,\nconsistently with this, to reserve and submit itself to training, _i.e._\nin order that it may see that its faults must first be removed, and that\nthen it must come to receive the instruction of wisdom. As, therefore,\nsouls are innumerable, so also are their manners, and purposes, and\nmovements, and appetencies, and incitements different, the variety of\nwhich can by no means be grasped by the human mind; and therefore to God\nalone must be left the art, and the knowledge, and the power of an\narrangement of this kind, as He alone can know both the remedies for\neach individual soul, and measure out the time of its cure. It is He\nalone then who, as we said, recognises the ways of individual men, and\ndetermines by what way He ought to lead Pharaoh, that through him His\nname might be named in all the earth, having previously chastised him by\nmany blows, and finally drowning him in the sea. By this drowning,\nhowever, it is not to be supposed that God\u2019s providence as regards\nPharaoh was terminated; for we must not imagine, because he was drowned,\nthat therefore he had forthwith completely[494] perished: \u201cfor in the\nhand of God are both we and our words; all wisdom, also, and knowledge\nof workmanship,\u201d[495] as Scripture declares. But these points we have\ndiscussed according to our ability, treating of that chapter[496] of\nScripture in which it is said that God hardened the heart of Pharaoh,\nand agreeably to the statement, \u201cHe hath mercy on whom He will have\nmercy, and whom He will He hardeneth.\u201d[497]\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n14. Come now, and let us use the following image[498] from the Gospel.\nThere is a certain rock, with a little surface-soil, on which, if seeds\nfall, they quickly spring up; but when sprung up, as not having root,\nthey are burned and withered when the sun has arisen. Now this rock is a\nhuman soul, hardened on account of its negligence, and converted to\nstone because of its wickedness; for no one receives from God a heart\ncreated of stone, but it becomes such in consequence of wickedness. If\none, then, were to find fault with the husbandman for not sowing his\nseed sooner upon the rocky soil, when he saw other rocky ground which\nhad received seed flourishing, the husbandman would reply, \u201cI shall sow\nthis ground more slowly, casting in seeds that will be able to retain\ntheir hold, this slower method being better for the ground, and more\nsecure than that which receives the seed in a more rapid manner, and\nmore upon the surface.\u201d [The person finding fault] would yield his\nassent to the husbandman, as one who spoke with sound reason, and who\nacted with skill: so also the great Husbandman of all nature postpones\nthat benefit which might be deemed premature,[499] that it may not prove\nsuperficial. But it is probable that here some one may object to us with\nreference to this: \u201cWhy do some of the seeds fall upon the earth that\nhas superficial soil, the soul being, as it were, a rock?\u201d Now we must\nsay, in answer to this, that it was better for this soul, which desired\nbetter things precipitately,[500] and not by a way which led to them, to\nobtain its desire, in order that, condemning itself on this account, it\nmay, after a long time, endure to receive the husbandry which is\naccording to nature. For souls are, as one may say, innumerable; and\ntheir habits are innumerable, and their movements, and their purposes,\nand their assaults, and their efforts, of which there is only one\nadmirable administrator, who knows both the seasons, and the fitting\nhelps, and the avenues, and the ways, viz. the God and Father of all\nthings, who knows how He conducts even Pharaoh by so great events, and\nby drowning in the sea, with which latter occurrence His superintendence\nof Pharaoh does not cease. For he was not annihilated when drowned: \u201cFor\nin the hand of God are both we and our words; all wisdom also, and\nknowledge of workmanship.\u201d[501] And such is a moderate defence with\nregard to the statements that \u201cPharaoh\u2019s heart was hardened,\u201d and that\n\u201cGod hath mercy upon whom He will have mercy, and whom He will He\nhardeneth.\u201d\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n15. Let us now look at those passages of Ezekiel where he says, \u201cI will\ntake away from them their stony heart, and I will put in them a heart of\nflesh, that they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine\nordinances.\u201d[502] For if God, when He pleases, takes away a heart of\nstone and bestows a heart of flesh, that His ordinances may be observed\nand His commandments may be obeyed, it will then appear that it is not\nin our power to put away wickedness. For the taking away of a stony\nheart seems to be nothing else than the removal of the wickedness by\nwhich one is hardened, from whomsoever God pleases to remove it. Nor is\nthe bestowal of a heart of flesh, that the precepts of God may be\nobserved and His commandments obeyed, any other thing than a man\nbecoming obedient, and no longer resisting the truth, but performing\nworks of virtue. If, then, God promises to do this, and if, before He\ntakes away the stony heart, we are unable to remove it from ourselves,\nit follows that it is not in our power, but in God\u2019s only, to cast away\nwickedness. And again, if it is not our doing to form within us a heart\nof flesh, but the work of God alone, it will not be in our power to live\nvirtuously, but it will in everything appear to be a work of divine\ngrace. Such are the assertions of those who wish to prove from the\nauthority of Holy Scripture that nothing lies in our own power. Now to\nthese we answer, that these passages are not to be so understood, but in\nthe following manner. Take the case of one who was ignorant and\nuntaught, and who, feeling the disgrace of his ignorance, should, driven\neither by an exhortation from some person, or incited by a desire to\nemulate other wise men, hand himself over to one by whom he is assured\nthat he will be carefully trained and competently instructed. If he,\nthen, who had formerly hardened himself in ignorance, yield himself, as\nwe have said, with full purpose of mind to a master, and promise to obey\nhim in all things, the master, on seeing clearly the resolute nature of\nhis determination, will appropriately promise to take away all\nignorance, and to implant knowledge within his mind; not that he\nundertakes to do this if the disciple refuse or resist his efforts, but\nonly on his offering and binding himself to obedience in all things. So\nalso the word of God promises to those who draw near to Him, that He\nwill take away their stony heart, not indeed from those who do not\nlisten to His word, but from those who receive the precepts of His\nteaching; as in the Gospels we find the sick approaching the Saviour,\nasking to receive health, and thus at last be cured. And in order that\nthe blind might be healed and regain their sight, their part consisted\nin making supplication to the Saviour, and in believing that their cure\ncould be effected by Him; while His part, on the other hand, lay in\nrestoring to them the power of vision. And in this way also does the\nWord of God promise to bestow instruction by taking away the stony\nheart, _i.e._ by the removal of wickedness, that so men may be able to\nwalk in the divine precepts, and observe the commandments of the law.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n15. Let us look also at the declaration in Ezekiel, which says, \u201cI shall\ntake away their stony hearts, and will put in them hearts of flesh, that\nthey may walk in my statutes and keep my precepts.\u201d[503] For if God,\nwhen He wills, takes away the stony hearts, and implants hearts of\nflesh, so that His precepts are obeyed and His commandments are\nobserved, it is not in our power to put away wickedness. For the taking\naway of the stony hearts is nothing else than the taking away of the\nwickedness, according to which one is hardened, from him from whom God\nwills to take it; and the implanting of a heart of flesh, so that a man\nmay walk in the precepts of God and keep His commandments, what else is\nit than to become somewhat yielding and unresistent to the truth, and to\nbe capable of practising virtues? And if God promises to do this, and\nif, before He takes away the stony hearts, we do not lay them aside, it\nis manifest that it does not depend upon ourselves to put away\nwickedness; and if it is not we who do anything towards the production\nwithin us of the heart of flesh, but if it is God\u2019s doing, it will not\nbe our own act to live agreeably to virtue, but altogether [the result\nof] divine grace. Such will be the statements of him who, from the mere\nwords [of Scripture], annihilates free-will.[504] But we shall answer,\nsaying, that we ought to understand these passages thus: That as a man,\n_e.g._, who happened to be ignorant and uneducated, on perceiving his\nown defects, either in consequence of an exhortation from his teacher,\nor in some other way, should spontaneously give himself up to him whom\nhe considers able to introduce[505] him to education and virtue; and, on\nhis yielding himself up, his instructor promises that he will take away\nhis ignorance, and implant instruction, not as if it contributed nothing\nto his training, and to the avoiding of ignorance, that he brought\nhimself to be healed, but because the instructor promised to improve him\nwho desired improvement; so, in the same way, the word of God promises\nto take away wickedness, which it calls a stony heart, from those who\ncome to it, not if they are unwilling, but [only] if they submit\nthemselves to the Physician of the sick, as in the Gospels the sick are\nfound coming to the Saviour, and asking to obtain healing, and so are\ncured. And, let me say, the recovery of sight by the blind is, so far as\ntheir request goes, the act of those who believe that they are capable\nof being healed; but as respects the restoration of sight, it is the\nwork of our Saviour. Thus, then, does the word of God promise to implant\nknowledge in those who come to it, by taking away the stony and hard\nheart, which is wickedness, in order that one may walk in the divine\ncommandments, and keep the divine injunctions.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n16. There is next brought before us that declaration uttered by the\nSaviour in the Gospel: \u201cThat seeing they may see, and not perceive; and\nhearing they may hear, and not understand; lest they should happen to be\nconverted, and their sins be forgiven them.\u201d[506] On which our opponent\nwill remark: \u201cIf those who shall hear more distinctly are by all means\nto be corrected and converted, and converted in such a manner as to be\nworthy of receiving the remission of sins, and if it be not in their own\npower to hear the word distinctly, but if it depend on the Instructor to\nteach more openly and distinctly, while he declares that he does not\nproclaim to them the word with clearness, lest they should perhaps hear\nand understand, and be converted, and be saved, it will follow,\ncertainly, that their salvation is not dependent upon themselves. And if\nthis be so, then we have no free-will either as regards salvation or\ndestruction.\u201d Now were it not for the words that are added, \u201cLest\nperhaps they should be converted, and their sins be forgiven them,\u201d we\nmight be more inclined to return the answer, that the Saviour was\nunwilling that those individuals whom He foresaw would not become good,\nshould understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, and that\ntherefore He spoke to them in parables; but as that addition follows,\n\u201cLest perhaps they should be converted, and their sins be forgiven\nthem,\u201d the explanation is rendered more difficult. And, in the first\nplace, we have to notice what defence this passage furnishes against\nthose heretics who are accustomed to hunt out of the Old Testament any\nexpressions which seem, according to their view, to predicate severity\nand cruelty of God the Creator, as when He is described as being\naffected with the feeling of vengeance or punishment, or by any of those\nemotions, however named, from which they deny the existence of goodness\nin the Creator; for they do not judge of the Gospels with the same mind\nand feelings, and do not observe whether any such statements are found\nin them as they condemn and censure in the Old Testament. For\nmanifestly, in the passage referred to, the Saviour is shown, as they\nthemselves admit, not to speak distinctly, for this very reason, that\nmen may not be converted, and when converted, receive the remission of\nsins. Now, if the words be understood according to the letter merely,\nnothing less, certainly, will be contained in them than in those\npassages which they find fault with in the Old Testament. And if they\nare of opinion that any expressions occurring in such a connection in\nthe New Testament stand in need of explanation, it will necessarily\nfollow that those also occurring in the Old Testament, which are the\nsubject of censure, may be freed from aspersion by an explanation of a\nsimilar kind, so that by such means the passages found in both\nTestaments may be shown to proceed from one and the same God. But let us\nreturn, as we best may, to the question proposed.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n16. There was after this the passage from the Gospel, where the Saviour\nsaid, that for this reason did He speak to those without in parables,\nthat \u201cseeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand; lest\nthey should be converted, and their sins be forgiven them.\u201d[507] Now,\nour opponent will say, \u201cIf some persons are assuredly converted on\nhearing words of greater clearness, so that they become worthy of the\nremission of sins, and if it does not depend upon themselves to hear\nthese words of greater clearness, but upon him who teaches, and he for\nthis reason does not announce them to them more distinctly, lest they\nshould see and understand, it is not within the power of such to be\nsaved; and if so, we are not possessed of free-will as regards salvation\nand destruction.\u201d Effectual, indeed, would be the reply to such\narguments, were it not for the addition, \u201cLest they should be converted,\nand their sins be forgiven them,\u201d\u2014namely, that the Saviour did not wish\nthose who were not to become good and virtuous to understand the more\nmystical [parts of His teaching], and for this reason spake to them in\nparables; but now, on account of the words, \u201cLest they should be\nconverted, and their sins be forgiven them,\u201d the defence is more\ndifficult. In the first place, then, we must notice the passage in its\nbearing on the heretics, who hunt out those portions from the Old\nTestament where is exhibited, as they themselves daringly assert, the\ncruelty[508] of the Creator of the world[509] in His purpose of avenging\nand punishing the wicked,[510] or by whatever other name they wish to\ndesignate such a quality, so speaking only that they may say that\ngoodness does not exist in the Creator; and who do not deal with the New\nTestament in a similar manner, nor in a spirit of candour,[511] but pass\nby places similar to those which they consider censurable in the Old\nTestament. For manifestly, and according to the Gospel, is the Saviour\nshown, as they assert, by His former words, not to speak distinctly for\nthis reason, that men might not be converted, and, being converted,\nmight become deserving of the remission of sins: which statement of\nitself is nothing inferior[512] to those passages from the Old Testament\nwhich are objected to. And if they seek to defend the Gospel, we must\nask them whether they are not acting in a blameworthy manner in dealing\ndifferently with the same questions; and, while not stumbling against\nthe New Testament, but seeking to defend it, they nevertheless bring a\ncharge against the Old regarding similar points, whereas they ought to\noffer a defence in the same way of the passages from the New. And\ntherefore we shall force them, on account of the resemblances, to regard\nall as the writings of one God. Come, then, and let us, to the best of\nour ability, furnish an answer to the question submitted to us.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n17. We said formerly, when discussing the case of Pharaoh, that\nsometimes it does not lead to good results for a man to be cured too\nquickly, especially if the disease, being shut up within the inner parts\nof the body, rage with greater fierceness. Whence God, who is acquainted\nwith secret things, and knows all things before they happen, in His\ngreat goodness delays the cure of such, and postpones their recovery to\na remoter period, and, so to speak, cures them by not curing them, lest\na too favourable state of health[513] should render them incurable. It\nis therefore possible that, in the case of those to whom, as being\n\u201cwithout,\u201d the words of our Lord and Saviour were addressed, He, seeing\nfrom His scrutiny of the hearts and reins that they were not yet able to\nreceive teaching of a clearer type, veiled by the covering of language\nthe meaning of the profounder mysteries, lest perhaps, being rapidly\nconverted and healed, _i.e._ having quickly obtained the remission of\ntheir sins, they should again easily slide back into the same disease\nwhich they had found could be healed without any difficulty. For if this\nbe the case, no one can doubt that the punishment is doubled, and the\namount of wickedness increased; since not only are the sins which had\nappeared to be forgiven repeated, but the court[514] of virtue also is\ndesecrated when trodden by deceitful and polluted beings,[515] filled\nwithin with hidden wickedness. And what remedy can there ever be for\nthose who, after eating the impure and filthy food of wickedness, have\ntasted the pleasantness of virtue, and received its sweetness into their\nmouths, and yet have again betaken themselves to the deadly and\npoisonous provision of sin? And who doubts that it is better for delay\nand a temporary abandonment to occur, in order that if, at some future\ntime, they should happen to be satiated with wickedness, and the filth\nwith which they are now delighted should become loathsome, the word of\nGod may at last be appropriately made clear to them, and that which is\nholy be not given to the dogs, nor pearls be cast before swine, which\nwill trample them under foot, and turn, moreover, and rend and assault\nthose who have proclaimed to them the word of God? These, then, are they\nwho are said to be \u201cwithout,\u201d undoubtedly by way of contrast with those\nwho are said to be \u201cwithin,\u201d and to hear the word of God with greater\nclearness. And yet those who are \u201cwithout\u201d do hear the word, although it\nis covered by parables, and overshadowed by proverbs. There are others,\nalso, besides those who are without, who are called Tyrians, and who do\nnot hear at all, respecting whom the Saviour knew that they would have\nrepented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes, if the miracles\nperformed among others had been done amongst them, and yet these do not\nhear those things which are heard even by those who are \u201cwithout:\u201d and I\nbelieve, for this reason, that the rank of such in wickedness was far\nlower and worse than that of those who are said to be \u201cwithout,\u201d _i.e._\nwho are not far from those who are within, and who have deserved to hear\nthe word, although in parables; and because, perhaps, their cure was\ndelayed to that time when it will be more tolerable for them on the day\nof judgment, than for those before whom those miracles which are\nrecorded were performed, that so at last, being then relieved from the\nweight of their sins, they may enter with more ease and power of\nendurance upon the way of safety. And this is a point which I wish\nimpressed upon those who peruse these pages, that with respect to topics\nof such difficulty and obscurity we use our utmost endeavour, not so\nmuch to ascertain clearly the solutions of the questions (for every one\nwill do this as the Spirit gives him utterance), as to maintain the rule\nof faith in the most unmistakeable manner,[516] by striving to show that\nthe providence of God, which equitably administers all things, governs\nalso immortal souls on the justest principles, [conferring rewards]\naccording to the merits and motives of each individual; the present\neconomy of things[517] not being confined within the life of this world,\nbut the pre-existing state of merit always furnishing the ground for the\nstate that is to follow,[518] and thus by an eternal and immutable law\nof equity, and by the controlling influence of Divine Providence, the\nimmortal soul is brought to the summit of perfection. If one, however,\nwere to object to our statement, that the word of preaching was\npurposely put aside by certain men of wicked and worthless character,\nand [were to inquire] why the word was preached to those over whom the\nTyrians, who were certainly despised, are preferred in comparison (by\nwhich proceeding, certainly, their wickedness was increased, and their\ncondemnation rendered more severe, that they should hear the word who\nwere not to believe it), they must be answered in the following manner:\nGod, who is the Creator of the minds of all men, foreseeing complaints\nagainst His providence, especially on the part of those who say, \u201cHow\ncould we believe when we neither beheld those things which others saw,\nnor heard those words which were preached to others? in so far is the\nblame removed from us, since they to whom the word was announced, and\nthe signs manifested, made no delay whatever, but became believers,\noverpowered by the very force of the miracles;\u201d wishing to destroy the\ngrounds for complaints of this kind, and to show that it was no\nconcealment of Divine Providence, but the determination of the human\nmind which was the cause of their ruin, bestowed the grace of His\nbenefits even upon the unworthy and the unbelieving, that every mouth\nmight indeed be shut, and that the mind of man might know that all the\ndeficiency was on its own part, and none on that of God; and that it\nmay, at the same time, be understood and recognised that he receives a\nheavier sentence of condemnation who has despised the divine benefits\nconferred upon him than he who has not deserved to obtain or hear them,\nand that it is a peculiarity of divine compassion, and a mark of the\nextreme justice of its administration, that it sometimes conceals from\ncertain individuals the opportunity of either seeing or hearing the\nmysteries of divine power, lest, after beholding the power of the\nmiracles, and recognising and hearing the mysteries of its wisdom, they\nshould, on treating them with contempt and indifference, be punished\nwith greater severity for their impiety.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n17. We asserted also, when investigating the subject of Pharaoh, that\nsometimes a rapid cure is not for the advantage of those who are healed,\nif, after being seized by troublesome diseases, they should easily get\nrid of those by which they had been entangled. For, despising the evil\nas one that is easy of cure, and not being on their guard a second time\nagainst falling into it, they will be involved in it [again]. Wherefore,\nin the case of such persons, the everlasting God, the Knower of secrets,\nwho knows all things before they exist, in conformity with His goodness,\ndelays sending them more rapid assistance, and, so to speak, in helping\nthem does not help, the latter course being to their advantage. It is\nprobable, then, that those \u201cwithout,\u201d of whom we are speaking, having\nbeen foreseen by the Saviour, according to our supposition, as not\n[likely] to prove steady in their conversion,[519] if they should hear\nmore clearly the words that were spoken, were [so] treated by the\nSaviour as not to hear distinctly the deeper [things of His\nteaching],[520] lest, after a rapid conversion, and after being healed\nby obtaining remission of sins, they should despise the wounds of their\nwickedness, as being slight and easy of healing, and should again\nspeedily relapse into them. And perhaps also, suffering punishment for\ntheir former transgressions against virtue, which they had committed\nwhen they had forsaken her, they had not yet filled up the [full] time;\nin order that, being abandoned by the divine superintendence, and being\nfilled[521] to a greater degree by their own evils which they had sown,\nthey may afterwards be called to a more stable repentance; so as not to\nbe quickly entangled again in those evils in which they had formerly\nbeen involved when they treated with insolence the requirements of\nvirtue, and devoted themselves to worse things. Those, then, who are\nsaid to be \u201cwithout\u201d (manifestly by comparison with those \u201cwithin\u201d), not\nbeing very far from those \u201cwithin,\u201d while those \u201cwithin\u201d hear clearly,\ndo themselves hear indistinctly, because they are addressed in parables;\nbut nevertheless they do hear. Others, again, of those \u201cwithout,\u201d who\nare called Tyrians, although it was foreknown that they would have\nrepented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes, had the Saviour come\nnear their borders, do not hear even those words which are heard by\nthose \u201cwithout\u201d (being, as is probable, very far inferior in merit to\nthose \u201cwithout\u201d[522]), in order that at another season, after it has\nbeen more tolerable for them than for those who did not receive the word\n(among whom he mentioned also the Tyrians), they may, on hearing the\nword at a more appropriate time, obtain a more lasting repentance. But\nobserve whether, besides our desire to investigate [the truth], we do\nnot rather strive to maintain an attitude of piety in everything\nregarding God and His Christ,[523] seeing we endeavour by every means to\nprove that, in matters so great and so peculiar regarding the varied\nprovidence of God, He takes an oversight of the immortal soul. If,\nindeed, one were to inquire regarding those things that are objected to,\nwhy those who saw wonders and who heard divine words are not benefited,\nwhile the Tyrians would have repented if such had been performed and\nspoken amongst them; and should ask, and say, Why did the Saviour\nproclaim such to these persons, to their own hurt, that their sin might\nbe reckoned to them as heavier? we must say, in answer to such an one,\nthat He who understands the dispositions[524] of all those who find\nfault with His providence\u2014[alleging] that it is owing to it that they\nhave not believed, because it did not permit them to see what it enabled\nothers to behold, and did not arrange for them to hear those words by\nwhich others, on hearing them, were benefited\u2014wishing to prove that\ntheir defence is not founded on reason, He grants those advantages which\nthose who blame His administration asked; in order that, after obtaining\nthem, they may notwithstanding be convicted of the greatest impiety in\nnot having even then yielded themselves to be benefited, and may cease\nfrom such audacity; and having been made free in respect to this very\npoint, may learn that God occasionally, in conferring benefits upon\ncertain persons, delays and procrastinates, not conferring the favour of\nseeing and hearing those things which, when seen and heard, would render\nthe sin of those who did not believe, after acts so great and peculiar,\nheavier and more serious.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n18. Let us now look to the expression, \u201cIt is not of him that willeth,\nnor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.\u201d[525] For our\nopponents assert, that if it does not depend upon him that willeth, nor\non him that runneth, but on God that showeth mercy, that a man be saved,\nour salvation is not in our own power. For our nature is such as to\nadmit of our either being saved or not, or else our salvation rests\nsolely on the will of Him who, if He wills it, shows mercy, and confers\nsalvation. Now let us inquire, in the first place, of such persons,\nwhether to desire blessings be a good or evil act; and whether to hasten\nafter good as a final aim[526] be worthy of praise. If they were to\nanswer that such a procedure was deserving of censure, they would\nevidently be mad; for all holy men both desire blessings and run after\nthem, and certainly are not blameworthy. How, then, is it that he who is\nnot saved, if he be of an evil nature, desires blessings, and runs after\nthem, but does not find them? For they say that a bad tree does not\nbring forth good fruits, whereas it is a good fruit to desire blessings.\nAnd how is the fruit of a bad tree good? And if they assert that to\ndesire blessings, and to run after them, is an act of indifference,[527]\n_i.e._ neither good nor bad, we shall reply, that if it be an\nindifferent act to desire blessings, and to run after them, then the\nopposite of that will also be an indifferent act, viz. to desire evils,\nand to run after them; whereas it is certain that it is not an\nindifferent act to desire evils, and to run after them, but one that is\nmanifestly wicked. It is established, then, that to desire and follow\nafter blessings is not an indifferent, but a virtuous proceeding.\n\nHaving now repelled these objections by the answer which we have given,\nlet us hasten on to the discussion of the subject itself, in which it is\nsaid, \u201cIt is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of\nGod that showeth mercy.\u201d[528] In the book of Psalms\u2014in the songs of\nDegrees, which are ascribed to Solomon\u2014the following statement occurs:\n\u201cExcept the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it;\nexcept the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.\u201d[529] By\nwhich words he does not indeed indicate that we should cease from\nbuilding or watching over the safe keeping of that city which is within\nus; but what he points out is this, that whatever is built without God,\nand whatever is guarded without Him, is built in vain, and guarded to no\npurpose. For in all things that are well built and well protected, the\nLord is held to be the cause either of the building or of its\nprotection. As if, _e.g._, we were to behold some magnificent structure\nand mass of splendid building reared with beauteous architectural skill,\nwould we not justly and deservedly say that such was built not by human\npower, but by divine help and might? And yet from such a statement it\nwill not be meant that the labour and industry of human effort were\ninactive, and effected nothing at all. Or again, if we were to see some\ncity surrounded by a severe blockade of the enemy, in which threatening\nengines were brought against the walls, and the place hard pressed by a\nvallum, and weapons, and fire, and all the instruments of war, by which\ndestruction is prepared, would we not rightly and deservedly say, if the\nenemy were repelled and put to flight, that the deliverance had been\nwrought for the liberated city by God? And yet we would not mean, by so\nspeaking, that either the vigilance of the sentinels, or the alertness\nof the young men,[530] or the protection of the guards, had been\nwanting. And the apostle also must be understood in a similar manner,\nbecause the human will alone is not sufficient to obtain salvation; nor\nis any mortal running able to win the heavenly [rewards], and to obtain\nthe prize of our high calling[531] of God in Christ Jesus, unless this\nvery good will of ours, and ready purpose, and whatever that diligence\nwithin us may be, be aided or furnished with divine help. And therefore\nmost logically[532] did the apostle say, that \u201cit is not of him that\nwilleth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy;\u201d in the\nsame manner as if we were to say of agriculture what is actually\nwritten: \u201cI planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then\nneither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God\nthat giveth the increase.\u201d[533] As, therefore, when a field has brought\ngood and rich crops to perfect maturity, no one would piously and\nlogically assert that the husbandman had made those fruits, but would\nacknowledge that they had been produced by God; so also is our own\nperfection brought about, not indeed by our remaining inactive and\nidle,[534] [but by some activity on our part]: and yet the consummation\nof it will not be ascribed to us, but to God, who is the first and chief\ncause of the work. So, when a ship has overcome the dangers of the sea,\nalthough the result be accomplished by great labour on the part of the\nsailors, and by the aid of all the art of navigation, and by the zeal\nand carefulness of the pilot, and by the favouring influence of the\nbreezes, and the careful observation of the signs of the stars, no one\nin his sound senses would ascribe the safety of the vessel, when, after\nbeing tossed by the waves, and wearied by the billows, it has at last\nreached the harbour in safety, to anything else than to the mercy of\nGod. Not even the sailors or pilot venture to say, \u201cI have saved the\nship,\u201d but they refer all to the mercy of God; not that they feel that\nthey have contributed no skill or labour to save the ship, but because\nthey know that while they contributed the labour, the safety of the\nvessel was ensured by God. So also in the race of our life we ourselves\nmust expend labour, and bring diligence and zeal to bear; but it is from\nGod that salvation is to be hoped for as the fruit of our labour.\nOtherwise, if God demand none of our labour, His commandments will\nappear to be superfluous. In vain, also, does Paul blame some for having\nfallen from the truth, and praise others for abiding in the faith; and\nto no purpose does he deliver certain precepts and institutions to the\nchurches: in vain, also, do we ourselves either desire or run after what\nis good. But it is certain that these things are not done in vain; and\nit is certain that neither do the apostles give instructions in vain,\nnor the Lord enact laws without a reason. It follows, therefore, that we\ndeclare it to be in vain, rather, for the heretics to speak evil of\nthese good declarations.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n18. Let us look next at the passage: \u201cSo, then, it is not of him that\nwilleth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.\u201d[535]\nFor they who find fault say: If \u201cit is not of him that willeth, nor of\nhim that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy,\u201d salvation does not\ndepend upon ourselves, but upon the arrangement[536] made by Him who has\nformed[537] us such as we are, or on the purpose[538] of Him who showeth\nmercy when He pleases. Now we must ask these persons the following\nquestions: Whether to desire what is good is virtuous or vicious; and\nwhether the desire to run in order to reach the goal in the pursuit of\nwhat is good be worthy of praise or censure? And if they shall say that\nit is worthy of censure, they will return an absurd answer;[539] since\nthe saints desire and run, and manifestly in so acting do nothing that\nis blameworthy. But if they shall say that it is virtuous to desire what\nis good, and to run after what is good, we shall ask them how a\nperishing nature desires better things;[540] for it is like an evil tree\nproducing good fruit, since it is a virtuous act to desire better\nthings. They will give [perhaps] a third answer, that to desire and run\nafter what is good is one of those things that are indifferent,[541] and\nneither beautiful[542] nor wicked. Now to this we must say, that if to\ndesire and to run after what is good be a thing of indifference, then\nthe opposite also is a thing of indifference, viz. to desire what is\nevil, and to run after it. But it is not a thing of indifference to\ndesire what is evil, and to run after it. And therefore also, to desire\nwhat is good, and to run after it, is not a thing of indifference. Such,\nthen, is the defence which I think we can offer to the statement, that\n\u201cit is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that\nshoweth mercy.\u201d[543] Solomon says in the book of Psalms (for the song of\nDegrees[544] is his, from which we shall quote the words): \u201cUnless the\nLord build the house, they labour in vain that build it; except the Lord\nkeep the city, the watchman waketh in vain:\u201d[545] not dissuading us from\nbuilding, nor teaching us not to keep watch in order to guard the city\nin our soul, but showing that what is built without God, and does not\nreceive a guard from Him, is built in vain and watched to no purpose,\nbecause God might reasonably be entitled the Lord of the building; and\nthe Governor of all things, the Ruler of the guard of the city. As,\nthen, if we were to say that such a building is not the work of the\nbuilder, but of God, and that it was not owing to the successful effort\nof the watcher, but of the God who is over all, that such a city\nsuffered no injury from its enemies, we should not be wrong,[546] it\nbeing understood that something also had been done by human means, but\nthe benefit being gratefully referred to God who brought it to pass; so,\nseeing that the [mere] human desire is not sufficient to attain the end,\nand that the running of those who are, as it were, athletes, does not\nenable them to gain the prize of the high calling of God in Christ\nJesus\u2014for these things are accomplished with the assistance of God\u2014it is\nwell said that \u201cit is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth,\nbut of God that showeth mercy.\u201d As if also it were said with regard to\nhusbandry what also is actually recorded: \u201cI planted, Apollos watered;\nand God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth anything,\nneither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.\u201d[547] Now we\ncould not piously assert that the production of full crops was the work\nof the husbandman, or of him that watered, but the work of God. So also\nour own perfection is brought about, not as if we ourselves did\nnothing;[548] for it is not completed[549] by us, but God produces the\ngreater part of it. And that this assertion may be more clearly\nbelieved, we shall take an illustration from the art of navigation. For\nin comparison with the effect of the winds,[550] and the mildness of the\nair,[551] and the light of the stars, all co-operating in the\npreservation of the crew, what proportion[552] could the art of\nnavigation be said to bear in the bringing of the ship into\nharbour?\u2014since even the sailors themselves, from piety, do not venture\nto assert often that they had saved the ship, but refer all to God; not\nas if they had done nothing, but because what had been done by\nProvidence was infinitely[553] greater than what had been effected by\ntheir art. And in the matter of our salvation, what is done by God is\ninfinitely greater than what is done by ourselves; and therefore, I\nthink, is it said that \u201cit is not of him that willeth, nor of him that\nrunneth, but of God that showeth mercy.\u201d For if in the manner which they\nimagine we must explain the statement,[554] that \u201cit is not of him that\nwilleth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy,\u201d the\ncommandments are superfluous; and it is in vain that Paul himself blames\nsome for having fallen away, and approves of others as having remained\nupright, and enacts laws for the churches: it is in vain also that we\ngive ourselves up to desire better things, and in vain also [to attempt]\nto run. But it is not in vain that Paul gives such advice, censuring\nsome and approving of others; nor in vain that we give ourselves up to\nthe desire of better things, and to the chase after things that are\npre-eminent. They have accordingly not well explained the meaning of the\npassage.[555]\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n19. After this there followed this point, that \u201cto will and to do are of\nGod.\u201d[556] Our opponents maintain that if to will be of God, and if to\ndo be of Him, or if, whether we act or desire well or ill, it be of God,\nthen in that case we are not possessed of free-will. Now to this we have\nto answer, that the words of the apostle do not say that to will evil is\nof God, or that to will good is of Him; nor that to do good or evil is\nof God; but his statement is a general one, that to will and to do are\nof God. For as we have from God this very quality, that we are men,[557]\nthat we breathe, that we move; so also we have from God [the faculty] by\nwhich we will, as if we were to say that our power of motion is from\nGod,[558] or that the performing of these duties by the individual\nmembers, and their movements, are from God. From which, certainly, I do\nnot understand this, that because the hand moves, _e.g._ to punish\nunjustly, or to commit an act of theft, the act is of God, but only that\nthe power of motion[559] is from God; while it is our duty to turn those\nmovements, the power of executing which we have from God, either to\npurposes of good or evil. And so what the apostle says is, that we\nreceive indeed the power of volition, but that we misuse the will either\nto good or evil desires. In a similar way, also, we must judge of\nresults.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n19. Besides these, there is the passage, \u201cBoth to will and to do are of\nGod.\u201d[560] And some assert that, if to will be of God, and to do be of\nGod, and if, whether we will evil or do evil, these [movements] come to\nus from God, then, if so, we are not possessed of free-will. But again,\non the other hand, when we will better things, and do things that are\nmore excellent,[561] seeing that willing and doing are from God, it is\nnot we who have done the more excellent things, but we only appeared [to\nperform them], while it was God that bestowed them;[562] so that even in\nthis respect we do not possess free-will. Now to this we have to answer,\nthat the language of the apostle does not assert that to will evil is of\nGod, or to will good is of Him (and similarly with respect to doing\nbetter and worse); but that to will in a general[563] way, and to run in\na general way, [are from Him]. For as we have from God [the property] of\nbeing living things and human beings, so also have we that of willing\ngenerally, and, so to speak, of motion in general. And as, possessing\n[the property] of life and of motion, and of moving, _e.g._ these\nmembers, the hands or the feet, we could not rightly say[564] that we\nhad from God this species of motion,[565] whereby we moved to strike, or\ndestroy, or take away another\u2019s goods, but that we had received from Him\nsimply the generic[566] power of motion, which we employed to better or\nworse purposes; so we have obtained from God [the power] of acting, in\nrespect of our being living things, and [the power] to will from the\nCreator,[567] while we employ the power of will, as well as that of\naction, for the noblest objects, or the opposite.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n20. But with respect to the declaration of the apostle, \u201cTherefore hath\nHe mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He will He hardeneth. Thou\nwilt say then unto me, Why doth He yet find fault? For who hath resisted\nHis will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall\nthe thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?\nHath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one\nvessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?\u201d[568] Some one will\nperhaps say, that as the potter out of the same lump makes some vessels\nto honour, and others to dishonour, so God creates some men for\nperdition, and others for salvation; and that it is not therefore in our\nown power either to be saved or to perish; by which reasoning we appear\nnot to be possessed of free-will. We must answer those who are of this\nopinion with the question, Whether it is possible for the apostle to\ncontradict himself? And if this cannot be imagined of an apostle, how\nshall he appear, according to them, to be just in blaming those who\ncommitted fornication in Corinth, or those who sinned, and did not\nrepent of their unchastity, and fornication, and uncleanness, which they\nhad committed? How, also, does he greatly praise those who acted\nrightly, like the house of Onesiphorus, saying, \u201cThe Lord give mercy to\nthe house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed\nof my chain: but, when he had come to Rome, he sought me out very\ndiligently, and found me. The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy\nof the Lord in that day.\u201d[569] Now it is not consistent with apostolic\ngravity to blame him who is worthy of blame, _i.e._ who has sinned, and\ngreatly to praise him who is deserving of praise for his good works; and\nagain, as if it were in no one\u2019s power to do any good or evil, to say\nthat it was the Creator\u2019s doing that every one should act virtuously or\nwickedly, seeing He makes one vessel to honour, and another to\ndishonour. And how can he add that statement, \u201cWe must all stand before\nthe judgment-seat of Christ, that every one of us may receive in his\nbody, according to what he hath done, whether it be good or bad?\u201d[570]\nFor what reward of good will be conferred on him who could not commit\nevil, being formed by the Creator to that very end? or what punishment\nwill deservedly be inflicted on him who was unable to do good in\nconsequence of the creative act of his Maker?[571] Then, again, how is\nnot this opposed to that other declaration elsewhere, that \u201cin a great\nhouse there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood\nand of earth, and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man\ntherefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour,\nsanctified, and meet for the Master\u2019s use, prepared unto every good\nwork.\u201d[572] He, accordingly, who purges himself, is made a vessel unto\nhonour, while he who has disdained to cleanse himself from his impurity\nis made a vessel unto dishonour. From such declarations, in my opinion,\nthe cause of our actions can in no degree be referred to the Creator.\nFor God the Creator makes a certain vessel unto honour, and other\nvessels to dishonour; but that vessel which has cleansed itself from all\nimpurity He makes a vessel unto honour, while that which has stained\nitself with the filth of vice He makes a vessel unto dishonour. The\nconclusion from which, accordingly, is this, that the cause of each\none\u2019s actions is a pre-existing one; and then every one, according to\nhis deserts, is made by God either a vessel unto honour or dishonour.\nTherefore every individual vessel has furnished to its Creator out of\nitself the causes and occasions of its being formed by Him to be either\na vessel unto honour or one unto dishonour. And if the assertion appear\ncorrect, as it certainly is, and in harmony with all piety, that it is\ndue to previous causes that every vessel be prepared by God either to\nhonour or to dishonour, it does not appear absurd that, in discussing\nremoter causes in the same order, and in the same method, we should come\nto the same conclusion respecting the nature of souls, and [believe]\nthat this was the reason why Jacob was beloved before he was born into\nthis world, and Esau hated, while he still was contained in the womb of\nhis mother.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n20. Still the declaration of the apostle will appear to drag us to the\nconclusion that we are not possessed of freedom of will, in which,\nobjecting against himself, he says, \u201cTherefore hath He mercy on whom He\nwill have mercy, and whom He will He hardeneth. Thou wilt say then unto\nme, Why doth He yet find fault? For who hath resisted His will? Nay but,\nO man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed\nsay to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the\npotter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto\nhonour, and another unto dishonour?\u201d[573] For it will be said: If the\npotter of the same lump make some vessels to honour and others to\ndishonour, and God thus form some men for salvation and others for ruin,\nthen salvation or ruin does not depend upon ourselves, nor are we\npossessed of free-will. Now we must ask him who deals so with these\npassages, whether it is possible to conceive of the apostle as\ncontradicting himself. I presume, however, that no one will venture to\nsay so. If, then, the apostle does not utter contradictions, how can he,\naccording to him who so understands him, reasonably find fault,\ncensuring the individual at Corinth who had committed fornication, or\nthose who had fallen away, and had not repented of the licentiousness\nand impurity of which they had been guilty? And how can he bless those\nwhom he praises as having done well, as he does the house of Onesiphorus\nin these words: \u201cThe Lord give mercy to the house of Onesiphorus; for he\noft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain: but, when he was in\nRome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me. The Lord grant to\nhim that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day.\u201d[574] It is not\nconsistent for the same apostle[575] to blame the sinner as worthy of\ncensure, and to praise him who had done well as deserving of approval;\nand again, on the other hand, to say, as if nothing depended on\nourselves, that the cause was in the Creator[576] why the one vessel was\nformed to honour, and the other to dishonour. And how is this statement\ncorrect:[577] \u201cFor we must all appear before the judgment-seat of\nChrist; that every one may receive the things done in his body,\naccording to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad,\u201d[578] since\nthey who have done evil have advanced to this pitch of wickedness[579]\nbecause they were created vessels unto dishonour, while they that have\nlived virtuously have done good because they were created from the\nbeginning for this purpose, and became vessels unto honour? And again,\nhow does not the statement made elsewhere conflict with the view which\nthese persons draw from the words which we have quoted (that it is the\nfault of the Creator that one vessel is in honour and another in\ndishonour), viz. \u201cthat in a great house there are not only vessels of\ngold and silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and\nsome to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself, he shall be a\nvessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the Master\u2019s use, and\nprepared unto every good work;\u201d[580] for if he who purges himself\nbecomes a vessel unto honour, and he who allows himself to remain\nunpurged[581] becomes a vessel unto dishonour, then, so far as these\nwords are concerned, the Creator is not at all to blame. For the Creator\nmakes vessels of honour and vessels of dishonour, not from the beginning\naccording to His foreknowledge,[582] since He does not condemn or\njustify beforehand[583] according to it; but [He makes] those into\nvessels of honour who purged themselves, and those into vessels of\ndishonour who allowed themselves to remain unpurged: so that it results\nfrom older causes[584] [which operated] in the formation of the vessels\nunto honour and dishonour, that one was created for the former\ncondition, and another for the latter. But if we once admit that there\nwere certain older causes [at work] in the forming of a vessel unto\nhonour, and of one unto dishonour, what absurdity is there in going back\nto the subject of the soul, and [in supposing] that a more ancient cause\nfor Jacob being loved and for Esau being hated existed with respect to\nJacob before his assumption of a body, and with regard to Esau before he\nwas conceived in the womb of Rebecca?\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n21. Nay, that very declaration, that from the same lump a vessel is\nformed both to honour and to dishonour, will not push us hard; for we\nassert that the nature of all rational souls is the same, as one lump of\nclay is described as being under the treatment of the potter. Seeing,\nthen, the nature of rational creatures is one, God, according to the\nprevious grounds of merit,[585] created and formed out of it, as the\npotter out of the one lump, some persons to honour and others to\ndishonour. Now, as regards the language of the apostle, which he utters\nas if in a tone of censure, \u201cNay but, O man, who art thou that repliest\nagainst God?\u201d he means, I think, to point out that such a censure does\nnot refer to any believer who lives rightly and justly, and who has\nconfidence in God, _i.e._ to such an one as Moses was, of whom Scripture\nsays that \u201cMoses spake, and God answered him by a voice;\u201d[586] and as\nGod answered Moses, so also does every saint answer God. But he who is\nan unbeliever, and loses confidence in answering before God owing to the\nunworthiness of his life and conversation, and who, in relation to these\nmatters, does not seek to learn and make progress, but to oppose and\nresist, and who, to speak more plainly, is such an one as to be able to\nsay those words which the apostle indicates, when he says, \u201cWhy, then,\ndoes He yet find fault? for who will resist His will?\u201d\u2014to such an one\nmay the censure of the apostle rightly be directed, \u201cNay but, O man, who\nart thou that repliest against God?\u201d This censure accordingly applies\nnot to believers and saints, but to unbelievers and wicked men.\n\nNow, to those who introduce souls of different natures,[587] and who\nturn this declaration of the apostle to the support of their own\nopinion, we have to reply as follows: If even they are agreed as to what\nthe apostle says, that out of the one lump are formed both those who are\nmade to honour and those who are made to dishonour, whom they term of a\nnature that is to be saved and destroyed, there will then be no longer\nsouls of different natures, but one nature for all. And if they admit\nthat one and the same potter may undoubtedly denote one Creator, there\nwill not be different creators either of those who are saved, or of\nthose who perish. Now, truly, let them choose whether they will have a\ngood Creator to be intended who creates bad and ruined men, or one who\nis not good, who creates good men and those who are prepared to honour.\nFor the necessity of returning an answer will extort from them one of\nthese two alternatives. But according to our declaration, whereby we say\nthat it is owing to preceding causes that God makes vessels either to\nhonour or to dishonour, the approval of God\u2019s justice is in no respect\nlimited. For it is possible that this vessel, which owing to previous\ncauses was made in this world to honour, may, if it behave negligently,\nbe converted in another world, according to the deserts of its conduct,\ninto a vessel unto dishonour: as again, if any one, owing to preceding\ncauses, was formed by his Creator in this life a vessel unto dishonour,\nand shall mend his ways and cleanse himself from all filth and vice, he\nmay, in the new world, be made a vessel to honour, sanctified and\nuseful, and prepared unto every good work. Finally, those who were\nformed by God in this world to be Israelites, and who have lived a life\nunworthy of the nobility of their race, and have fallen away from the\ngrandeur of their descent, will, in the world to come, in a certain\ndegree[588] be converted, on account of their unbelief, from vessels of\nhonour into vessels of dishonour; while, on the other hand, many who in\nthis life were reckoned among Egyptian or Idumean vessels, having\nadopted the faith and practice of Israelites, when they shall have done\nthe works of Israelites, and shall have entered the church of the Lord,\nwill exist as vessels of honour in the revelation of the sons of God.\nFrom which it is more agreeable to the rule of piety to believe that\nevery rational being, according to his purpose and manner of life, is\nconverted, sometimes from bad to good, and falls away sometimes from\ngood to bad: that some abide in good, and others advance to a better\ncondition, and always ascend to higher things, until they reach the\nhighest grade of all; while others, again, remain in evil, or, if the\nwickedness within them begin to spread itself further, they descend to a\nworse condition, and sink into the lowest depth of wickedness. Whence\nalso we must suppose that it is possible there may be some who began at\nfirst indeed with small offences, but who have poured out wickedness to\nsuch a degree, and attained such proficiency in evil, that in the\nmeasure of their wickedness they are equal even to the opposing powers:\nand again, if, by means of many severe administrations of punishment,\nthey are able at some future time to recover their senses, and gradually\nattempt to find healing for their wounds, they may, on ceasing from\ntheir wickedness, be restored to a state of goodness. Whence we are of\nopinion that, seeing the soul, as we have frequently said, is immortal\nand eternal, it is possible that, in the many and endless periods of\nduration in the immeasurable and different worlds, it may descend from\nthe highest good to the lowest evil, or be restored from the lowest evil\nto the highest good.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n21. And at the same time, it is clearly shown that, as far as regards\nthe underlying nature,[589] as there is one [piece of] clay which is\nunder the hands of the potter, from which piece vessels are formed unto\nhonour and dishonour; so the one nature of every soul being in the hands\nof God, and, so to speak, there being [only] one lump of reasonable\nbeings,[590] certain causes of more ancient date led to some being\ncreated vessels unto honour, and others vessels unto dishonour. But if\nthe language of the apostle convey a censure when he says, \u201cNay but, O\nman, who art thou that repliest against God?\u201d it teaches us that he who\nhas confidence before God, and is faithful, and has lived virtuously,\nwould not hear the words, \u201cWho art thou that repliest against God?\u201d Such\nan one, _e.g._, as Moses was, \u201cFor Moses spake, and God answered him\nwith a voice;\u201d[591] and as God answers Moses, so does a saint also\nanswer God. But he who does not possess this confidence, manifestly,\neither because he has lost it, or because he investigates these matters\nnot from a love of knowledge, but from a desire to find fault,[592] and\nwho therefore says, \u201cWhy does He yet find fault? for who hath resisted\nHis will?\u201d would merit the language of censure, which says, \u201cNay but, O\nman, who art thou that repliest against God?\u201d Now to those who introduce\ndifferent natures, and who make use of the declaration of the apostle\n[to support their view], the following must be our answer. If they\nmaintain[593] that those who perish and those who are saved are formed\nof one lump, and that the Creator of those who are saved is the Creator\nalso of them who are lost, and if He is good who creates not only\nspiritual but also earthy [natures] (for this follows from their view),\nit is nevertheless possible that he who, in consequence of certain\nformer acts of righteousness,[594] had now been made a vessel of honour,\nbut who had not [afterwards] acted in a similar manner, nor done things\nbefitting a vessel of honour, was converted in another world into a\nvessel of dishonour; as, on the other hand, it is possible that he who,\nowing to causes more ancient than the present life, was here a vessel of\ndishonour, may after reformation become in the new creation \u201ca vessel of\nhonour, sanctified and meet for the Master\u2019s use, prepared unto every\ngood work.\u201d And perhaps those who are now Israelites, not having lived\nworthily of their descent, will be deprived of their rank, being\nchanged, as it were, from vessels of honour into those of dishonour; and\nmany of the present Egyptians and Idumeans who came near to Israel, when\nthey shall have borne fruit to a larger extent, shall enter into the\nchurch of the Lord, being no longer accounted Egyptians and Idumeans,\nbut becoming Israelites: so that, according to this view, it is owing to\ntheir [varying] purposes that some advance from a worse to a better\ncondition, and others fall from better to worse; while others, again,\nare preserved in a virtuous course, or ascend from good to better; and\nothers, on the contrary, remain in a course of evil, or from bad become\nworse, as their wickedness flows on.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n22. But since the words of the apostle, in what he says regarding\nvessels of honour or dishonour, that \u201cif a man therefore purge himself,\nhe will be a vessel unto honour, sanctified and meet for the Master\u2019s\nservice, and prepared unto every good work,\u201d appear to place nothing in\nthe power of God, but all in ourselves; while in those in which he\ndeclares that \u201cthe potter hath power over the clay, to make of the same\nlump one vessel to honour, another to dishonour,\u201d he seems to refer the\nwhole to God,\u2014it is not to be understood that those statements are\ncontradictory, but the two meanings are to be reduced to agreement, and\none signification must be drawn from both, viz. that we are not to\nsuppose either that those things which are in our own power can be done\nwithout the help of God, or that those which are in God\u2019s hand can be\nbrought to completion without the intervention of our acts, and desires,\nand intention; because we have it not in our own power so to will or do\nanything, as not to know that this very faculty, by which we are able to\nwill or to do, was bestowed on us by God, according to the distinction\nwhich we indicated above. Or again, when God forms vessels, some to\nhonour and others to dishonour, we are to suppose that He does not\nregard either our wills, or our purposes, or our deserts, to be the\ncauses of the honour or dishonour, as if they were a sort of matter from\nwhich He may form the vessel of each one of us either to honour or to\ndishonour; whereas the very movement of the soul itself, or the purpose\nof the understanding, may of itself suggest to him, who is not unaware\nof his heart and the thoughts of his mind, whether his vessel ought to\nbe formed to honour or to dishonour. But let these points suffice, which\nwe have discussed as we best could, regarding the questions connected\nwith the freedom of the will.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n22. But since the apostle in one place does not pretend that the\nbecoming of a vessel unto honour or dishonour depends upon God, but\nrefers back the whole to ourselves, saying, \u201cIf, then, a man purge\nhimself, he will be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, meet for the\nMaster\u2019s use, and prepared unto every good work;\u201d and elsewhere does not\neven pretend that it is dependent upon ourselves, but appears to\nattribute the whole to God, saying, \u201cThe potter hath power over the\nclay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour and another to\ndishonour;\u201d and as his statements are not contradictory, we must\nreconcile them, and extract one complete statement from both. Neither\ndoes our own power,[595] apart from the knowledge[596] of God, compel us\nto make progress; nor does the knowledge of God [do so], unless we\nourselves also contribute something to the good result; nor does our own\npower, apart from the knowledge of God, and the use of the power that\nworthily belongs to us,[597] make a man become [a vessel] unto honour or\ndishonour; nor does the will of God alone[598] form a man to honour or\ndishonour, unless He hold our will to be a kind of matter that admits of\nvariation,[599] and that inclines to a better or worse course of\nconduct. And these observations are sufficient to have been made by us\non the subject of free-will.\n\nFootnote 353:\n\n The whole of this chapter has been preserved in the original Greek,\n which is _literally_ translated in corresponding portions on each\n page, so that the differences between Origen\u2019s own words and the\n amplifications and alterations of the paraphrase of Rufinus may be at\n once patent to the reader.\n\nFootnote 354:\n\n Natura ipsius arbitrii voluntatisque.\n\nFootnote 355:\n\n \u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u1f76 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u03b5\u03be\u03bf\u03c5\u03c3\u03af\u03bf\u03c5.\n\nFootnote 356:\n\n \u03c4\u1f74\u03bd \u1f14\u03bd\u03bd\u03bf\u03b9\u03b1\u03bd \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u1f00\u03bd\u03b1\u03c0\u03c4\u03cd\u03be\u03b1\u03b9.\n\nFootnote 357:\n\n Qu\u00e6cunque hujusmodi sunt, qu\u00e6 solo habitu materi\u00e6 su\u00e6 vel corporum\n constant.\n\nFootnote 358:\n\n Non tamen animantia sunt.\n\nFootnote 359:\n\n Phantasia.\n\nFootnote 360:\n\n Voluntas vel sensus.\n\nFootnote 361:\n\n Mella, ut aiunt, aeria congregandi. Rufinus seems to have read, in the\n original, \u1f00\u03b5\u03c1\u03bf\u03c0\u03bb\u03b1\u03c3\u03c4\u03b5\u1fd6\u03bd instead of \u03ba\u03b7\u03c1\u03bf\u03c0\u03bb\u03b1\u03c3\u03c4\u03b5\u1fd6\u03bd,\u2014an evidence that he\n followed in general the worst readings (Redepenning).\n\nFootnote 362:\n\n \u1f51\u03c0\u1f78 \u1f15\u03be\u03b5\u03c9\u03c2 \u03bc\u03cc\u03bd\u03b7\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 363:\n\n \u03c6\u03b1\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03af\u03b1\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 364:\n\n \u03c6\u03cd\u03c3\u03b5\u03c9\u03c2 \u03c6\u03b1\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03c4\u03b9\u03ba\u1fc6\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 365:\n\n \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03bf\u1f50\u03b4\u03b5\u03bd\u1f78\u03c2 \u1f04\u03bb\u03bb\u03bf\u03c5 \u03bc\u03b5\u03c4\u1f70 \u03c4\u1f74\u03bd \u03c6\u03b1\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03c4\u03b9\u03ba\u1f74\u03bd \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03c6\u03cd\u03c3\u03b9\u03bd \u03c0\u03b5\u03c0\u03b9\u03c3\u03c4\u03b5\u03c5\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03bf\u03c5 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6\n \u03b6\u03ce\u03bf\u03c5.\n\nFootnote 366:\n\n Ordinatior quidem motus.\n\nFootnote 367:\n\n Incentivo quodam et naturali motu.\n\nFootnote 368:\n\n \u03c0\u03bf\u03c3\u1ff6\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 369:\n\n \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u1f70 \u03c4\u1f70\u03c2 \u1f00\u03c6\u03bf\u03c1\u03bc\u1f70\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 370:\n\n Ita ut etiam verisimilibus quibusdam causis intra cordis nostri\n tribunalia velut judici residenti ex utr\u00e2que parte adhiberi videatur\n assertio, ut causis prius expositis gerendi sententia de rationis\n judicio proferatur.\n\nFootnote 371:\n\n Causa ei perfecta et absoluta vel necessitas pr\u00e6varicandi.\n\nFootnote 372:\n\n \u03b4\u03b9\u1f70 \u03c4\u03ac\u03c3\u03b4\u03b5 \u03c4\u1f70\u03c2 \u03c0\u03b9\u03b8\u03b1\u03bd\u03cc\u03c4\u03b7\u03c4\u03b1\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 373:\n\n \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u03bf\u03c4\u03b5\u03bb\u03ae\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 374:\n\n \u1f20\u03c3\u03ba\u03b7\u03ba\u03cc\u03c4\u03b9.\n\nFootnote 375:\n\n \u1f10\u03b3\u03b3\u03cd\u03c2 \u03b3\u03b5 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03b2\u03b5\u03b2\u03b1\u03b9\u03c9\u03b8\u1fc6\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9 \u03b3\u03b5\u03b3\u03b5\u03bd\u03b7\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 376:\n\n Naturalem corporis intemperiem; \u03c8\u03b9\u03bb\u1f74\u03bd \u03c4\u1f74\u03bd \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03ba\u03b5\u03c5\u03ae\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 377:\n\n Contra rationem totius eruditionis. In the Greek, \u201ccontra rationem\u201d is\n expressed by \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u1f70 \u03c4\u1f78 \u1f10\u03bd\u03b1\u03c1\u03b3\u03ad\u03c2 \u1f10\u03c3\u03c4\u03b9; and the words \u03bb\u03cc\u03b3\u03bf\u03c5 \u03c0\u03b1\u03b9\u03b4\u03b5\u03c5\u03c4\u03b9\u03ba\u03bf\u1fe6\n (rendered by Rufinus \u201ctotius eruditionis,\u201d and connected with \u201ccontra\n rationem\u201d) belong to the following clause.\n\nFootnote 378:\n\n Quibus nihil ad turpitudinem deest.\n\nFootnote 379:\n\n \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u03b1\u03c7\u03b1\u03c1\u03ac\u03c4\u03c4\u03b5\u03b9\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 380:\n\n \u03c8\u03b9\u03bb\u1f74\u03bd \u03c4\u1f74\u03bd \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03ba\u03b5\u03c5\u03ae\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 381:\n\n \u03bb\u03cc\u03b3\u03bf\u03c5 \u03c0\u03b1\u03b9\u03b4\u03b5\u03c5\u03c4\u03b9\u03ba\u03bf\u1fe6.\n\nFootnote 382:\n\n \u1f21\u03bc\u03b5\u03c1\u03cc\u03c4\u03b7\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 383:\n\n \u1f10\u03be\u03b5\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03c4\u03ae\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 384:\n\n Mic. vi. 8.\n\nFootnote 385:\n\n Deut. xxx. 15.\n\nFootnote 386:\n\n Isa. i. 19, 20.\n\nFootnote 387:\n\n Ps. lxxxi. 13, 14.\n\nFootnote 388:\n\n Matt. v. 39.\n\nFootnote 389:\n\n Matt. v. 22.\n\nFootnote 390:\n\n Matt. v. 28.\n\nFootnote 391:\n\n Matt. vii. 24.\n\nFootnote 392:\n\n Matt. vii. 26.\n\nFootnote 393:\n\n Matt. xxv. 34 sq.\n\nFootnote 394:\n\n The words in the text are: His qui secundum patientiam boni operis,\n gloria et incorruptio, qui qu\u00e6runt vitam eternam.\n\nFootnote 395:\n\n Rom. ii. 4-10.\n\nFootnote 396:\n\n Mic. vi. 8.\n\nFootnote 397:\n\n Cf. Deut. xxx. 15, 16, cf. 19.\n\nFootnote 398:\n\n Isa. i. 19, 20.\n\nFootnote 399:\n\n Ps. lxxx. 13, 14.\n\nFootnote 400:\n\n Matt. v. 39.\n\nFootnote 401:\n\n Matt. v. 22.\n\nFootnote 402:\n\n Matt. vii. 24.\n\nFootnote 403:\n\n \u03b5\u1f50\u03bb\u03cc\u03b3\u03c9\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 404:\n\n Cf. Matt. vii. 26.\n\nFootnote 405:\n\n Matt. xxv. 34.\n\nFootnote 406:\n\n Matt. xxv. 35.\n\nFootnote 407:\n\n \u03b4\u03b9\u03b1\u03bb\u03ad\u03b3\u03b5\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9.\n\nFootnote 408:\n\n Rom. ii. 4-10.\n\nFootnote 409:\n\n Secundum pietatis regulam.\n\nFootnote 410:\n\n Ex. iv. 21, etc.\n\nFootnote 411:\n\n Ezek. xi. 19, 20.\n\nFootnote 412:\n\n Justificationes.\n\nFootnote 413:\n\n The word \u201cnow\u201d is added, as the term \u201cflesh\u201d is frequently used in the\n New Testament in a bad sense (Redepenning).\n\nFootnote 414:\n\n Mark iv. 12.\n\nFootnote 415:\n\n Rom. ix. 16.\n\nFootnote 416:\n\n Phil. ii. 13.\n\nFootnote 417:\n\n Rom. ix. 18 sq.\n\nFootnote 418:\n\n Ex. iv. 21, cf. vii. 3.\n\nFootnote 419:\n\n Ezek. xi. 19, 20.\n\nFootnote 420:\n\n Cf. Matt. iv. 12 and Luke viii. 10.\n\nFootnote 421:\n\n Rom. ix. 16.\n\nFootnote 422:\n\n Cf. Phil. ii. 13.\n\nFootnote 423:\n\n Gal. v. 8.\n\nFootnote 424:\n\n Rom. ix. 20, 21.\n\nFootnote 425:\n\n Rom. ix. 18.\n\nFootnote 426:\n\n Obstupefactus.\n\nFootnote 427:\n\n Naturaliter.\n\nFootnote 428:\n\n Commentitias fabulas introducunt.\n\nFootnote 429:\n\n Cf. Rom. ix. 18.\n\nFootnote 430:\n\n \u03c7\u03c1\u1fc4\u03b6\u03b5\u03b9 \u03b4\u1f72 \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u1f41 \u0398\u03b5\u1f78\u03c2 ... \u1f10\u03c0\u1f76 \u03c0\u03bb\u03b5\u1fd6\u03bf\u03bd \u1f00\u03c0\u03b5\u03b9\u03b8\u03bf\u1fe6\u03bd\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 431:\n\n Quid faciente vel quid prospiciente.\n\nFootnote 432:\n\n Prospectus et intuitus Dei. Such is the rendering of \u1f14\u03bd\u03bd\u03bf\u03b9\u03b1 by\n Rufinus.\n\nFootnote 433:\n\n Ex. ix. 17, cf. xi. 5 and xii. 12.\n\nFootnote 434:\n\n \u1f10\u03bd\u03bd\u03bf\u03af\u03b1\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 435:\n\n Cf. Ex. iv. 23 and ix. 17.\n\nFootnote 436:\n\n Cf. Ex. xii. 12.\n\nFootnote 437:\n\n \u03b5\u1f50\u03b3\u03bd\u03c9\u03bc\u03bf\u03bd\u1fc7.\n\nFootnote 438:\n\n \u03c4\u03c1\u03b1\u03bd\u1ff6\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 439:\n\n \u1f00\u03c0\u03bf\u03b3\u03c1\u03b1\u03c8\u03ac\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03cc\u03c2 \u03c4\u03b9\u03c2 \u03b3\u03c5\u03bc\u03bd\u1fc7 \u03c4\u1fc7 \u03ba\u03b5\u03c6\u03b1\u03bb\u1fc7 \u1f35\u03c3\u03c4\u03b1\u03c4\u03bf \u03c0\u03c1\u1f78\u03c2 \u03c4\u1f78 \u03c0\u03bf\u03bd\u03b7\u03c1\u1f78\u03bd \u03b5\u1f36\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9 \u03c4\u1f78\u03bd\n \u03b4\u03b7\u03bc\u03b9\u03bf\u03c5\u03c1\u03b3\u03cc\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 440:\n\n Heb. vi. 7, 8.\n\nFootnote 441:\n\n Ex person\u00e2 imbrium.\n\nFootnote 442:\n\n Dure.\n\nFootnote 443:\n\n Bonitas et \u00e6quitas imbrium.\n\nFootnote 444:\n\n Propositum.\n\nFootnote 445:\n\n \u1f10\u03bd\u03b5\u03c1\u03b3\u03b5\u03af\u1fb3.\n\nFootnote 446:\n\n \u03b4\u03b9\u1f70 \u03c4\u1f78 \u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u03ba\u03b1\u03ba\u03af\u03b1\u03c2 \u1f51\u03c0\u03bf\u03ba\u03b5\u03af\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03bf\u03bd \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u2019 \u1f11\u03b1\u03c5\u03c4\u03bf\u1fd6\u03c2 \u03ba\u03b1\u03ba\u03bf\u1fe6.\n\nFootnote 447:\n\n Heb. vi. 7, 8.\n\nFootnote 448:\n\n \u03b4\u03cd\u03c3\u03c6\u03b7\u03bc\u03bf\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 449:\n\n Limum.\n\nFootnote 450:\n\n Cum utique secundum naturam unum sit.\n\nFootnote 451:\n\n Maliti\u00e6 su\u00e6 intentione conceperat.\n\nFootnote 452:\n\n Cf. Ex. viii. 27-29.\n\nFootnote 453:\n\n Tropum vel figuram sermonis.\n\nFootnote 454:\n\n Rom. ii. 4, 5.\n\nFootnote 455:\n\n \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u1f70 \u03c4\u1f78 \u1f51\u03c0\u03bf\u03ba\u03b5\u03af\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03bf\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 456:\n\n \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c4\u1f78 \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u1f70 \u03c4\u1f78 \u03b2\u03c1\u03b1\u03c7\u1f7a \u03b4\u1f72 \u1f00\u03bd\u03b1\u03b3\u03b5\u03b3\u03c1\u03ac\u03c6\u03b8\u03b1\u03b9.\n\nFootnote 457:\n\n Cf. Ex. viii. 28, 29.\n\nFootnote 458:\n\n \u03bf\u1f50\u03ba \u1f04\u03c4\u03bf\u03c0\u03bf\u03bd \u03b4\u1f72 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u1f00\u03c0\u1f78 \u03c3\u03c5\u03bd\u03b7\u03b8\u03b5\u03af\u03b1\u03c2 \u03c4\u1f70 \u03c4\u03bf\u03b9\u03b1\u1fe6\u03c4\u03b1 \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u03b1\u03bc\u03c5\u03b8\u03ae\u03c3\u03b1\u03c3\u03b8\u03b1\u03b9.\n\nFootnote 459:\n\n \u03c3\u03c5\u03ba\u03bf\u03c6\u03b1\u03bd\u03c4\u03b5\u1fd6\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 460:\n\n Rom. ii. 4, 5.\n\nFootnote 461:\n\n Et apostolic\u00e6 similitudinis parum munimenti habere adhuc videtur\n assertio.\n\nFootnote 462:\n\n Isa. lxiii. 17, 18. Here the Septuagint differs from the Masoretic\n text.\n\nFootnote 463:\n\n Jer. xx. 7.\n\nFootnote 464:\n\n Morali utique tropo accipiendum.\n\nFootnote 465:\n\n Ferratum calcem.\n\nFootnote 466:\n\n Frenis ferratis.\n\nFootnote 467:\n\n Heb. xii. 6.\n\nFootnote 468:\n\n Rom. viii. 35.\n\nFootnote 469:\n\n Rationabilibus c\u0153lestibusque virtutibus.\n\nFootnote 470:\n\n Primatus.\n\nFootnote 471:\n\n Immaculatus.\n\nFootnote 472:\n\n Luke xviii. 14.\n\nFootnote 473:\n\n 1 Cor. i. 29.\n\nFootnote 474:\n\n \u03b4\u03c5\u03c3\u03c0\u03b5\u03b9\u03b8\u03b5\u1fd6\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 475:\n\n \u03b2\u03af\u03b1\u03b9\u03bf\u03b9.\n\nFootnote 476:\n\n Isa. lxiii. 17, 18.\n\nFootnote 477:\n\n Jer. xx. 7.\n\nFootnote 478:\n\n \u1f30\u03b4\u03b9\u03cc\u03c4\u03b7\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 479:\n\n \u03c6\u03c5\u03c3\u03af\u03c9\u03c3\u03b9\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 480:\n\n \u1f04\u03bc\u03c9\u03bc\u03bf\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 481:\n\n Cf. Luke xiv. 11.\n\nFootnote 482:\n\n Cf. 1 Cor. i. 29.\n\nFootnote 483:\n\n Non tamen sine cert\u00e2 ratione.\n\nFootnote 484:\n\n Digeri. The rendering \u201cdispersed\u201d seems to agree best with the meaning\n intended to be conveyed.\n\nFootnote 485:\n\n In the Greek the term is \u03c0\u03b5\u03bd\u03c4\u03b7\u03ba\u03bf\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1\u03b5\u03c4\u03af\u03b1\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 486:\n\n \u03c4\u1f78\u03bd \u1f04\u03c0\u03b5\u03b9\u03c1\u03bf\u03bd \u03b1\u1f30\u1ff6\u03bd\u03b1.\n\nFootnote 487:\n\n \u03c3\u03c5\u03bd\u03b5\u03c1\u03b3\u03b7\u03b8\u1fc6\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9.\n\nFootnote 488:\n\n \u1f00\u03bd\u03b1\u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u03b9\u03c7\u03b5\u03b9\u03c9\u03b8\u1fc6\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9.\n\nFootnote 489:\n\n \u03c0\u03b5\u03bd\u03c4\u03b7\u03ba\u03bf\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1\u03b5\u03c4\u03af\u03b1\u03bd. Rufinus has \u201c_sexaginta_ annos.\u201d\n\nFootnote 490:\n\n \u1f00\u03c0\u03ad\u03c1\u03b1\u03bd\u03c4\u03bf\u03bd \u03b1\u1f30\u1ff6\u03bd\u03b1.\n\nFootnote 491:\n\n Cf. Matt. xiii. 5, 6.\n\nFootnote 492:\n\n H\u00e6c.\n\nFootnote 493:\n\n Perscrutationis improbitas.\n\nFootnote 494:\n\n Substantialiter.\n\nFootnote 495:\n\n Wisd. vii. 16.\n\nFootnote 496:\n\n Capitulum.\n\nFootnote 497:\n\n Rom. ix. 18.\n\nFootnote 498:\n\n \u03b5\u1f30\u03ba\u03cc\u03bd\u03b9.\n\nFootnote 499:\n\n \u03c4\u03ac\u03c7\u03b9\u03bf\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 500:\n\n \u03c0\u03c1\u03bf\u03c0\u03b5\u03c4\u03ad\u03c3\u03c4\u03b5\u03c1\u03bf\u03bd, \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03bf\u1f50\u03c7\u1f76 \u1f41\u1ff7\u03c9 \u1f10\u03c0\u2019 \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u1f70 \u1f41\u03b4\u03b5\u03c5\u03c3\u03ac\u03c3\u1fc3.\n\nFootnote 501:\n\n Cf. Wisd. vii. 16.\n\nFootnote 502:\n\n Ezek. xi. 19, 20.\n\nFootnote 503:\n\n Ezek. xi. 19, 20.\n\nFootnote 504:\n\n \u1f00\u03c0\u1f78 \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u03c8\u03b9\u03bb\u1ff6\u03bd \u1fe5\u03b7\u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u03c4\u1f78 \u1f10\u03c6\u2019 \u1f21\u03bc\u1fd6\u03bd \u1f00\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9\u03c1\u1ff6\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 505:\n\n \u03c7\u03b5\u03b9\u03c1\u03b1\u03b3\u03c9\u03b3\u03ae\u03c3\u03b5\u03b9\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 506:\n\n Mark iv. 12.\n\nFootnote 507:\n\n Mark iv. 12.\n\nFootnote 508:\n\n \u1f60\u03bc\u03cc\u03c4\u03b7\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 509:\n\n \u03b4\u03b7\u03bc\u03b9\u03bf\u03c5\u03c1\u03b3\u03bf\u1fe6.\n\nFootnote 510:\n\n \u1f21 \u1f00\u03bc\u03c5\u03bd\u03c4\u03b9\u03ba\u1f74 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u1f00\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1\u03c0\u03bf\u03b4\u03bf\u03c4\u03b9\u03ba\u1f74 \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u03c7\u03b5\u03b9\u03c1\u03cc\u03bd\u03c9\u03bd \u03c0\u03c1\u03bf\u03b1\u03af\u03c1\u03b5\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 511:\n\n \u03b5\u1f50\u03b3\u03bd\u03c9\u03bc\u03cc\u03bd\u03c9\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 512:\n\n \u03bf\u1f50\u03b4\u03b5\u03bd\u1f78\u03c2 \u1f14\u03bb\u03b1\u03c4\u03c4\u03bf\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 513:\n\n Prospera sanitas.\n\nFootnote 514:\n\n Aula.\n\nFootnote 515:\n\n Mentes.\n\nFootnote 516:\n\n Evidentissim\u00e2 assertione pietatis regulam teneamus.\n\nFootnote 517:\n\n Dispensatio humana.\n\nFootnote 518:\n\n Futuri status causam pr\u00e6stat semper anterior meritorum status.\n\nFootnote 519:\n\n \u1f11\u03c9\u03c1\u03b1\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03bf\u03c5\u03c2 \u03bf\u1f50 \u03b2\u03b5\u03b2\u03b1\u03af\u03bf\u03c5\u03c2 \u1f14\u03c3\u03b5\u03c3\u03b8\u03b1\u03b9 \u1f10\u03bd \u03c4\u1fc7 \u1f10\u03c0\u03b9\u03c3\u03c4\u03c1\u03bf\u03c6\u1fc7.\n\nFootnote 520:\n\n \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u03b2\u03b1\u03b8\u03c5\u03c4\u03ad\u03c1\u03c9\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 521:\n\n \u1f10\u03c0\u1f76 \u03c0\u03bb\u03b5\u1fd6\u03bf\u03bd \u1f10\u03bc\u03c6\u03bf\u03c1\u03b7\u03b8\u03ad\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 522:\n\n \u1f61\u03c2 \u03b5\u1f30\u03ba\u1f78\u03c2 \u03bc\u1fb6\u03bb\u03bb\u03bf\u03bd \u03c0\u03cc\u03c1\u03c1\u03c9 \u1f44\u03bd\u03c4\u03b5\u03c2 \u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u1f00\u03be\u03af\u03b1\u03c2 \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u1f14\u03be\u03c9.\n\nFootnote 523:\n\n \u03b5\u1f30 \u03bc\u1f74 \u03bc\u1fb6\u03bb\u03bb\u03bf\u03bd \u1f21\u03bc\u03b5\u1fd6\u03c2 \u03c0\u03c1\u1f78\u03c2 \u03c4\u1ff7 \u1f10\u03be\u03b5\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03c4\u03b9\u03ba\u1ff7 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c4\u1f78 \u03b5\u1f50\u03c3\u03b5\u03b2\u1f72\u03c2 \u03c0\u03ac\u03bd\u03c4\u03b7 \u1f00\u03b3\u03c9\u03bd\u03b9\u03b6\u03cc\u03bc\u03b5\u03b8\u03b1\n \u03c4\u03b7\u03c1\u03b5\u1fd6\u03bd \u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u1f76 \u0398\u03b5\u03bf\u1fe6, etc.\n\nFootnote 524:\n\n \u03b4\u03b9\u03b1\u03b8\u03ad\u03c3\u03b5\u03b9\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 525:\n\n Rom. ix. 16.\n\nFootnote 526:\n\n Ad finem boni.\n\nFootnote 527:\n\n Medium est velle bona.\n\nFootnote 528:\n\n Rom. ix. 16.\n\nFootnote 529:\n\n Ps. cxxvi. 1.\n\nFootnote 530:\n\n Procinctum juvenum.\n\nFootnote 531:\n\n Supern\u00e6 vocationis.\n\nFootnote 532:\n\n Valde consequenter.\n\nFootnote 533:\n\n 1 Cor. iii. 6, 7.\n\nFootnote 534:\n\n \u201cNostra perfectio non quidem nobis cessantibus et otiosis efficitur.\u201d\n There is an ellipsis of some such words as, \u201cbut by activity on our\n part.\u201d\n\nFootnote 535:\n\n Rom. ix. 16.\n\nFootnote 536:\n\n \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03ba\u03b5\u03c5\u1fc6\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 537:\n\n \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03ba\u03b5\u03c5\u03ac\u03c3\u03b1\u03bd\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 538:\n\n \u03c0\u03c1\u03bf\u03b1\u03b9\u03c1\u03ad\u03c3\u03b5\u03c9\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 539:\n\n \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u1f70 \u03c4\u1f74\u03bd \u1f10\u03bd\u03ac\u03c1\u03b3\u03b5\u03b9\u03b1\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 540:\n\n \u03c4\u1f70 \u03ba\u03c1\u03b5\u03af\u03c4\u03c4\u03bf\u03bd\u03b1.\n\nFootnote 541:\n\n \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u03bc\u03ad\u03c3\u03c9\u03bd \u1f10\u03c3\u03c4\u03af.\n\nFootnote 542:\n\n \u1f00\u03c3\u03c4\u03b5\u1fd6\u03bf\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 543:\n\n Rom. ix. 16.\n\nFootnote 544:\n\n \u1fa0\u03b4\u1f74 \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u1f00\u03bd\u03b1\u03b2\u03b1\u03b8\u03bc\u1ff6\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 545:\n\n Ps. cxxvi. 1.\n\nFootnote 546:\n\n \u03bf\u1f50\u03ba \u1f04\u03bd \u03c0\u03c4\u03b1\u03af\u03bf\u03b9\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 547:\n\n 1 Cor. iii. 6, 7.\n\nFootnote 548:\n\n \u1f21 \u1f21\u03bc\u03b5\u03c4\u03ad\u03c1\u03b1 \u03c4\u03b5\u03bb\u03b5\u03af\u03c9\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2 \u03bf\u1f50\u03c7\u1f76 \u03bc\u03b7\u03b4\u1f72\u03bd \u1f21\u03bc\u1ff6\u03bd \u03c0\u03c1\u03b1\u03be\u03ac\u03bd\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd \u03b3\u03af\u03bd\u03b5\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9.\n\nFootnote 549:\n\n \u1f00\u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u03c4\u03af\u03b6\u03b5\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9.\n\nFootnote 550:\n\n \u03c0\u03bd\u03bf\u03ae\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 551:\n\n \u03b5\u1f50\u03ba\u03c1\u03b1\u03c3\u03af\u03b1\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 552:\n\n \u1f00\u03c1\u03b9\u03b8\u03bc\u03cc\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 553:\n\n \u03b5\u1f30\u03c2 \u1f51\u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u03b2\u03bf\u03bb\u1f74\u03bd \u03c0\u03bf\u03bb\u03bb\u03b1\u03c0\u03bb\u03ac\u03c3\u03b9\u03bf\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 554:\n\n \u1f10\u03ba\u03bb\u03b1\u03bc\u03b2\u03ac\u03bd\u03b5\u03b9\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 555:\n\n \u1f10\u03be\u03b5\u03b9\u03bb\u03b7\u03c6\u03ac\u03c3\u03b9 \u03c4\u1f70 \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u1f70 \u03c4\u1f78\u03bd \u03c4\u03cc\u03c0\u03bf\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 556:\n\n Cf. Phil. ii. 13.\n\nFootnote 557:\n\n Hoc ipsum, quod homines sumus.\n\nFootnote 558:\n\n Sicut dicamus, quod movemur, ex Deo est.\n\nFootnote 559:\n\n Hoc ipsum, quod movetur.\n\nFootnote 560:\n\n Cf. Phil. ii. 13.\n\nFootnote 561:\n\n \u03c4\u1f70 \u03b4\u03b9\u03b1\u03c6\u03ad\u03c1\u03bf\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1.\n\nFootnote 562:\n\n \u1f21\u03bc\u03b5\u1fd6\u03c2 \u03bc\u1f72\u03bd \u1f10\u03b4\u03cc\u03be\u03b1\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd, \u1f41 \u03b4\u1f72 \u0398\u03b5\u1f78\u03c2 \u03c4\u03b1\u1fe6\u03c4\u03b1 \u1f10\u03b4\u03c9\u03c1\u03ae\u03c3\u03b1\u03c4\u03bf.\n\nFootnote 563:\n\n \u03c4\u1f78 \u03ba\u03b1\u03b8\u03cc\u03bb\u03bf\u03c5 \u03b8\u03ad\u03bb\u03b5\u03b9\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 564:\n\n \u03b5\u1f50\u03bb\u03cc\u03b3\u03c9\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 565:\n\n \u03c4\u1f78 \u03b5\u1f30\u03b4\u03b9\u03ba\u1f78\u03bd \u03c4\u03cc\u03b4\u03b5.\n\nFootnote 566:\n\n \u03c4\u1f78 \u03bc\u1f72\u03bd \u03b3\u03b5\u03bd\u03b9\u03ba\u1f78\u03bd, \u03c4\u1f78 \u03ba\u03b9\u03bd\u03b5\u1fd6\u03c3\u03b8\u03b1\u03b9.\n\nFootnote 567:\n\n \u03b4\u03b7\u03bc\u03b9\u03bf\u03c5\u03c1\u03b3\u03bf\u1fe6.\n\nFootnote 568:\n\n Rom. ix. 18-21.\n\nFootnote 569:\n\n 2 Tim. i. 16-18.\n\nFootnote 570:\n\n 2 Cor. v. 10.\n\nFootnote 571:\n\n Ex ips\u00e2 conditoris creatione.\n\nFootnote 572:\n\n 2 Tim. ii. 20, 21.\n\nFootnote 573:\n\n Rom. ix. 18-21.\n\nFootnote 574:\n\n 2 Tim. i. 16-18.\n\nFootnote 575:\n\n \u03bf\u1f50 \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u1f70 \u03c4\u1f78\u03bd \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u1f78\u03bd \u03b4\u1f74 \u1f00\u03c0\u03cc\u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u03bb\u03cc\u03bd \u1f10\u03c3\u03c4\u03b9.\n\nFootnote 576:\n\n \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u1f70 \u03c4\u1f74\u03bd \u03b1\u1f30\u03c4\u03af\u03b1\u03bd \u03c4\u03bf\u1f7a \u03b4\u03b5\u03bc\u03b9\u03bf\u03c5\u03c1\u03b3\u03bf\u1fe6.\n\nFootnote 577:\n\n \u1f51\u03b3\u03b9\u03ad\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 578:\n\n 2 Cor. v. 10.\n\nFootnote 579:\n\n \u1f10\u03c0\u1f76 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6\u03c4\u03bf \u03c0\u03c1\u03ac\u03be\u03b5\u03c9\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 580:\n\n 2 Tim. ii. 20, 21.\n\nFootnote 581:\n\n \u1f00\u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u03b9\u03ba\u03ac\u03b8\u03b1\u03c1\u03c4\u03bf\u03bd \u1f11\u03b1\u03c5\u03c4\u1f78\u03bd \u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u03b9\u03ca\u03b4\u03ce\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 582:\n\n \u03c0\u03c1\u03cc\u03b3\u03bd\u03c9\u03c3\u03b9\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 583:\n\n \u03c0\u03c1\u03bf\u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1\u03ba\u03c1\u03af\u03bd\u03b5\u03b9 \u1f24 \u03c0\u03c1\u03bf\u03b4\u03b9\u03ba\u03b1\u03b9\u03bf\u1fd6.\n\nFootnote 584:\n\n \u1f10\u03ba \u03c0\u03c1\u03b5\u03c3\u03b2\u03c5\u03c4\u03ad\u03c1\u03c9\u03bd \u03b1\u1f30\u03c4\u03b9\u1ff6\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 585:\n\n Secundum pr\u00e6cedentes meritorum causas.\n\nFootnote 586:\n\n Ex. xix. 19.\n\nFootnote 587:\n\n Diversas animarum naturas.\n\nFootnote 588:\n\n Quodammodo.\n\nFootnote 589:\n\n \u1f41\u03c3\u03bf\u03bd \u1f10\u03c0\u1f76 \u03c4\u1fc7 \u1f51\u03c0\u03bf\u03ba\u03b5\u03b9\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u1fc3 \u03c6\u03cd\u03c3\u03b5\u03b9.\n\nFootnote 590:\n\n \u1f11\u03bd\u1f78\u03c2 \u03c6\u03c5\u03c1\u03b1\u03bc\u03ac\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2 \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u03bb\u03bf\u03b3\u03b9\u03ba\u1ff6\u03bd \u1f51\u03c0\u03bf\u03c3\u03c4\u03ac\u03c3\u03b5\u03c9\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 591:\n\n Cf. Ex. xix. 19.\n\nFootnote 592:\n\n \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u1f70 \u03c6\u03b9\u03bb\u03bf\u03bd\u03b5\u03b9\u03ba\u03af\u03b1\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 593:\n\n \u03c3\u03ce\u03b6\u03bf\u03c5\u03c3\u03b9.\n\nFootnote 594:\n\n \u1f10\u03ba \u03c0\u03c1\u03bf\u03c4\u03ad\u03c1\u03c9\u03bd \u03c4\u03b9\u03bd\u1ff6\u03bd \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03bf\u03c1\u03b8\u03c9\u03bc\u03ac\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 595:\n\n \u03c4\u1f78 \u1f10\u03c6\u2019 \u1f21\u03bc\u1fd6\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 596:\n\n \u1f10\u03c0\u03b9\u03c3\u03c4\u03ae\u03bc\u03b7; probably in the sense of \u03c0\u03c1\u03cc\u03b3\u03bd\u03c9\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 597:\n\n \u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1\u03c7\u03c1\u03ae\u03c3\u03b5\u03c9\u03c2 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u2019 \u1f00\u03be\u03af\u03b1\u03bd \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u1f10\u03c6\u2019 \u1f21\u03bc\u1fd6\u03bd. \u201cNec sine usu liberi\n nostri arbitrii, quod peculiare nobis et meriti nostri est\u201d\n (Redepenning).\n\nFootnote 598:\n\n \u03bf\u1f54\u03c4\u03b5 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u1f10\u03c0\u1f76 \u03c4\u1ff7 \u0398\u03b5\u1ff7 \u03bc\u03cc\u03bd\u03bf\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 599:\n\n \u1f55\u03bb\u03b7\u03bd \u03c4\u03b9\u03bd\u1f70 \u03b4\u03b9\u03b1\u03c6\u03bf\u03c1\u1fb6\u03c2.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER II.\n ON THE OPPOSING POWERS.\n\n\n1. We have now to notice, agreeably to the statements of Scripture, how\nthe opposing powers, or the devil himself, contends with the human race,\ninciting and instigating men to sin. And in the first place, in the book\nof Genesis,[600] the serpent is described as having seduced Eve;\nregarding whom, in the work entitled _The Ascension of Moses_[601] (a\nlittle treatise, of which the Apostle Jude makes mention in his\nepistle), the archangel Michael, when disputing with the devil regarding\nthe body of Moses, says that the serpent, being inspired by the devil,\nwas the cause of Adam and Eve\u2019s transgression. This also is made a\nsubject of inquiry by some, viz. who the angel was that, speaking from\nheaven to Abraham, said, \u201cNow I know that thou fearest God, and on my\naccount hast not spared thy beloved son, whom thou lovedst.\u201d[602] For he\nis manifestly described as an angel who said that he knew then that\nAbraham feared God, and had not spared his beloved son, as the Scripture\ndeclares, although he did not say that it was on account of God that\nAbraham had done this, but on his, that is, the speaker\u2019s account. We\nmust also ascertain who that is of whom it is stated in the book of\nExodus that he wished to slay Moses, because he was taking his departure\nfor Egypt;[603] and afterwards, also, who he is that is called the\ndestroying[604] angel, as well as he who in the book of Leviticus is\ncalled Apopomp\u00e6us, _i.e._ Averter, regarding whom Scripture says, \u201cOne\nlot for the Lord, and one lot for Apopomp\u00e6us, _i.e._ the Averter.\u201d[605]\nIn the first book of Kings, also, an evil spirit is said to\nstrangle[606] Saul; and in the third book, Micaiah the prophet says, \u201cI\nsaw the Lord of Israel sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven\nstanding by Him, on His right hand and on His left. And the Lord said,\nWho will deceive Achab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at\nRamoth-gilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that\nmanner. And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and\nsaid, I will deceive him. And the Lord said to him, Wherewith? And he\nsaid, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all\nhis prophets. And he said, Thou shalt deceive him, and prevail also: go\nforth, and do so quickly. And now therefore the Lord hath put a lying\nspirit in the mouth of all thy prophets: the Lord hath spoken evil\nconcerning thee.\u201d[607] Now by this last quotation it is clearly shown\nthat a certain spirit, from his own [free] will and choice, elected to\ndeceive [Achab], and to work a lie, in order that the Lord might mislead\nthe king to his death, for he deserved to suffer. In the first book of\nChronicles also it is said, \u201cThe devil, Satan, stood up against Israel,\nand provoked David to number the people.\u201d[608] In the Psalms, moreover,\nan evil angel is said to harass[609] certain persons. In the book of\nEcclesiastes, too, Solomon says, \u201cIf the spirit of the ruler rise up\nagainst thee, leave not thy place; for soundness will restrain many\ntransgressions.\u201d[610] In Zechariah[611] we read that the devil stood on\nthe right hand of Joshua, and resisted him. Isaiah says that the sword\nof the Lord arises against the dragon, the crooked[612] serpent.[613]\nAnd what shall I say of Ezekiel, who in his second vision prophesies\nmost unmistakeably to the prince of Tyre regarding an opposing power,\nand who says also that the dragon dwells in the rivers of Egypt?[614]\nNay, with what else are the contents of the whole work which is written\nregarding Job occupied, save with the [doings] of the devil, who asks\nthat power may be given him over all that Job possesses, and over his\nsons, and even over his person? And yet the devil is defeated through\nthe patience of Job. In that book the Lord has by His answers imparted\nmuch information regarding the power of that dragon which opposes us.\nSuch, meanwhile, are the statements made in the Old Testament, so far as\nwe can at present recall them, on the subject of hostile powers being\neither named in Scripture, or being said to oppose the human race, and\nto be afterwards subjected to punishment.\n\nLet us now look also to the New Testament, where Satan approaches the\nSaviour, and tempts Him: wherein also it is stated that evil spirits and\nunclean demons, which had taken possession of very many, were expelled\nby the Saviour from the bodies of the sufferers, who are said also to be\nmade free by Him. Even Judas, too, when the devil had already put it in\nhis heart to betray Christ, afterwards received Satan wholly into him;\nfor it is written, that after the sop \u201cSatan entered into him.\u201d[615] And\nthe Apostle Paul teaches us that we ought not to give place to the\ndevil; but \u201cput on,\u201d he says, \u201cthe armour of God, that ye may be able to\nresist the wiles of the devil:\u201d[616] pointing out that the saints have\nto \u201c_wrestle_ not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,\nagainst powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,\nagainst spiritual wickedness in high places.\u201d[617] Nay, he says that the\nSaviour even was crucified by the princes of this world, who shall come\nto nought,[618] whose wisdom also, he says, he does not speak. By all\nthis, therefore, holy Scripture teaches us that there are certain\ninvisible enemies that fight against us, and against whom it commands us\nto arm ourselves. Whence, also, the more simple among the believers in\nthe Lord Christ are of opinion, that all the sins which men have\ncommitted are caused by the persistent efforts of these opposing powers\nexerted upon the minds of sinners, because in that invisible struggle\nthese powers are found to be superior [to man]. For if, for example,\nthere were no devil, no single human being[619] would go astray.\n\n2. We, however, who see the reason [of the thing] more clearly, do not\nhold this opinion, taking into account those [sins] which manifestly\noriginate as a necessary consequence of our bodily constitution.[620]\nMust we indeed suppose that the devil is the cause of our feeling hunger\nor thirst? Nobody, I think, will venture to maintain that. If, then, he\nis not the cause of our feeling hunger and thirst, wherein lies the\ndifference when each individual has attained the age of puberty, and\nthat period has called forth the incentives of the natural heat? It will\nundoubtedly follow, that as the devil is not the cause of our feeling\nhunger and thirst, so neither is he the cause of that appetency which\nnaturally arises at the time of maturity, viz. the desire of sexual\nintercourse. Now it is certain that this cause is not always so set in\nmotion by the devil that we should be obliged to suppose that bodies\nwould not possess a desire for intercourse of that kind if the devil did\nnot exist. Let us consider, in the next place, if, as we have already\nshown, food is desired by human beings, not from a suggestion of the\ndevil, but by a kind of natural instinct, whether, if there were no\ndevil, it were possible for human experience to exhibit such restraint\nin partaking of food as never to exceed the proper limits; _i.e._ that\nno one would either take otherwise than the case required, or more than\nreason would allow; and so it would result that men, observing due\nmeasure and moderation in the matter of eating, would never go wrong. I\ndo not think, indeed, that so great moderation could be observed by men\n(even if there were no instigation by the devil inciting thereto), as\nthat no individual, in partaking of food, would go beyond due limits and\nrestraint, until he had learned to do so from long usage and experience.\nWhat, then, is the state of the case? In the matter of eating and\ndrinking it was possible for us to go wrong, even without any incitement\nfrom the devil, if we should happen to be either less temperate or less\ncareful [than we ought]; and are we to suppose, then, in our appetite\nfor sexual intercourse, or in the restraint of our natural desires, our\ncondition is not something similar?[621] I am of opinion, indeed, that\nthe same course of reasoning must be understood to apply to other\nnatural movements, as those of covetousness, or of anger, or of sorrow,\nor of all those generally which through the vice of intemperance exceed\nthe natural bounds of moderation. There are therefore manifest reasons\nfor holding the opinion, that as in good things the human will[622] is\nof itself weak to accomplish any good (for it is by divine help that it\nis brought to perfection in everything); so also, in things of an\nopposite nature we receive certain initial elements, and, as it were,\nseeds of sins, from those things which we use agreeably to nature;[623]\nbut when we have indulged them beyond what is proper, and have not\nresisted the first movements to intemperance, then the hostile power,\nseizing the occasion of this first transgression, incites and presses us\nhard in every way, seeking to extend our sins over a wider field, and\nfurnishing us human beings with occasions and beginnings of sins, which\nthese hostile powers spread far and wide, and, if possible, beyond all\nlimits. Thus, when men at first for a little desire money, covetousness\nbegins to grow as the passion increases, and finally the fall into\navarice takes place. And after this, when blindness of mind has\nsucceeded passion, and the hostile powers, by their suggestions, hurry\non the mind, money is now no longer desired, but stolen, and acquired by\nforce, or even by shedding human blood. Finally, a confirmatory evidence\nof the fact that vices of such enormity proceed from demons, may be\neasily seen in this, that those individuals who are oppressed either by\nimmoderate love, or incontrollable anger, or excessive sorrow, do not\nsuffer less than those who are bodily vexed by devils. For it is\nrecorded in certain histories, that some have fallen into madness from a\nstate of love, others from a state of anger, not a few from a state of\nsorrow, and even from one of excessive joy; which results, I think, from\nthis, that those opposing powers, _i.e._ those demons, having gained a\nlodgment in their minds which has been already laid open to them by\nintemperance, have taken complete possession of their sensitive\nnature,[624] especially when no feeling of the glory of virtue has\naroused them to resistance.\n\n3. That there are certain sins, however, which do not proceed from the\nopposing powers, but take their beginnings from the natural movements of\nthe body, is manifestly declared by the Apostle Paul in the passage:\n\u201cThe flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh:\nand these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the\nthings that ye would.\u201d[625] If, then, the flesh lust against the Spirit,\nand the Spirit against the flesh, we have occasionally to wrestle\nagainst flesh and blood, _i.e._ as being men, and walking according to\nthe flesh, and not capable of being tempted by greater than human\ntemptations; since it is said of us, \u201cThere hath no temptation taken\nyou, but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not\nsuffer you to be tempted above that ye are able.\u201d[626] For as the\npresidents of the public games do not allow the competitors to enter the\nlists indiscriminately or fortuitously, but after a careful examination,\npairing in a most impartial consideration either of size or age, this\nindividual with that\u2014boys, _e.g._, with boys, men with men, who are\nnearly related to each other either in age or strength; so also must we\nunderstand the procedure of divine providence, which arranges on most\nimpartial principles all who descend into the struggles of this human\nlife, according to the nature of each individual\u2019s power, which is known\nonly to Him who alone beholds the hearts of men: so that one individual\nfights against one temptation of the flesh,[627] another against a\nsecond; one is exposed to its influence for so long a period of time,\nanother only for so long; one is tempted by the flesh to this or that\nindulgence, another to one of a different kind; one has to resist this\nor that hostile power, another has to combat two or three at the same\ntime; or at one time this hostile influence, at another that; at some\nparticular date having to resist one enemy, and at another a different\none; being, after the performance of certain acts, exposed to one set of\nenemies, after others to a second. And observe whether some such state\nof things be not indicated by the language of the apostle: \u201cGod is\nfaithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above what ye are\nable,\u201d[628] _i.e._ each one is tempted in proportion to the amount of\nhis strength or power of resistance.[629] Now, although we have said\nthat it is by the just judgment of God that every one is tempted\naccording to the amount of his strength, we are not therefore to suppose\nthat he who is tempted ought by all means to prove victorious in the\nstruggle; in like manner as he who contends in the lists, although\npaired with his adversary on a just principle of arrangement, will\nnevertheless not necessarily prove conqueror. But unless the powers of\nthe combatants are equal, the prize of the victor will not be justly\nwon; nor will blame justly attach to the vanquished, because He allows\nus indeed to be tempted, but not \u201cbeyond what we are able:\u201d for it is in\nproportion to our strength that we are tempted; and it is not written\nthat, in temptation, He will make also a way to escape so as that we\nshould bear it, but a way to escape so as that we should be able to bear\nit.[630] But it depends upon ourselves to use either with energy or\nfeebleness this power which He has given us. For there is no doubt that\nunder every temptation we have a power of endurance, if we employ\nproperly the strength that is granted us. But it is not the same thing\nto possess the _power_ of conquering and to be victorious, as the\napostle himself has shown in very cautious language, saying, \u201cGod will\nmake a way to escape, that you may be _able_ to bear it,\u201d[631] not that\nyou _will_ bear it. For many do not sustain temptation, but are overcome\nby it. Now God enables us not to sustain [temptation], [otherwise there\nwould appear to be no struggle], but to have the _power_ of sustaining\nit.[632] But this power which is given us to enable us to conquer may be\nused, according to our faculty of free-will, either in a diligent\nmanner, and then we prove victorious, or in a slothful manner, and then\nwe are defeated. For if such a power were wholly given us as that we\nmust by all means prove victorious, and never be defeated, what further\nreason for a struggle could remain to him who cannot be overcome? Or\nwhat merit is there in a victory, where the power of successful\nresistance[633] is taken away? But if the possibility of conquering be\nequally conferred on us all, and if it be in our own power how to use\nthis possibility, _i.e._ either diligently or slothfully, then will the\nvanquished be justly censured, and the victor be deservedly lauded. Now\nfrom these points which we have discussed to the best of our power, it\nis, I think, clearly evident that there are certain transgressions which\nwe by no means commit under the pressure of malignant powers; while\nthere are others, again, to which we are incited by instigation on their\npart to excessive and immoderate indulgence. Whence it follows that we\nhave to inquire how those opposing powers produce these incitements\nwithin us.\n\n4. With respect to the thoughts which proceed from our heart, or the\nrecollection of things which we have done, or the contemplation of any\nthings or causes whatever, we find that they sometimes proceed from\nourselves, and sometimes are originated by the opposing powers; not\nseldom also are they suggested by God, or by the holy angels. Now such a\nstatement will perhaps appear incredible,[634] unless it be confirmed by\nthe testimony of holy Scripture. That, then, thoughts arise within\nourselves, David testifies in the Psalms, saying, \u201cThe thought of a man\nwill make confession to Thee, and the rest of the thought shall observe\nto Thee a festival day.\u201d[635] That this, however, is also brought about\nby the opposing powers, is shown by Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes\nin the following manner: \u201cIf the spirit of the ruler rise up against\nthee, leave not thy place; for soundness restrains great offences.\u201d[636]\nThe Apostle Paul also will bear testimony to the same point in the\nwords: \u201cCasting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth\nitself against the knowledge of Christ.\u201d[637] That it is an effect due\nto God, nevertheless, is declared by David, when he says in the Psalms,\n\u201cBlessed is the man whose help is in Thee, O Lord, Thy ascents (are) in\nhis heart.\u201d[638] And the apostle says that \u201cGod put it into the heart of\nTitus.\u201d[639] That certain thoughts are suggested to men\u2019s hearts either\nby good or evil angels, is shown both by the angel that accompanied\nTobias, and by the language of the prophet, where he says, \u201cAnd the\nangel who spoke in me answered.\u201d[640] The book of the Shepherd[641]\ndeclares the same, saying that each individual is attended by two\nangels; that whenever good thoughts arise in our hearts, they are\nsuggested by the good angel; but when of a contrary kind, they are the\ninstigation of the evil angel. The same is declared by Barnabas in his\nepistle,[642] where he says there are two ways, one of light and one of\ndarkness, over which he asserts that certain angels are placed,\u2014the\nangels of God over the way of light, the angels of Satan over the way of\ndarkness. We are not, however, to imagine that any other result follows\nfrom what is suggested to our heart, whether good or bad, save a\n[mental] commotion only, and an incitement instigating us either to good\nor evil. For it is quite within our reach, when a malignant power has\nbegun to incite us to evil, to cast away from us the wicked suggestions,\nand to resist the vile inducements, and to do nothing that is at all\ndeserving of blame. And, on the other hand, it is possible, when a\ndivine power calls us to better things, not to obey the call; our\nfreedom of will being preserved to us in either case. We said, indeed,\nin the foregoing pages, that certain recollections of good or evil\nactions were suggested to us either by the act of divine providence or\nby the opposing powers, as is shown in the book of Esther, when\nArtaxerxes had not remembered the services of that just man Mordecai,\nbut, when wearied out with his nightly vigils, had it put into his mind\nby God to require that the annals of his great deeds should be read to\nhim; whereon, being reminded of the benefits received from Mordecai, he\nordered his enemy Haman to be hanged, but splendid honours to be\nconferred on him, and impunity from the threatened danger to be granted\nto the whole of the holy nation. On the other hand, however, we must\nsuppose that it was through the hostile influence of the devil that the\nsuggestion was introduced into the minds of the high priests and the\nscribes which they made to Pilate, when they came and said, \u201cSir, we\nremember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three\ndays I will rise again.\u201d[643] The design of Judas, also, respecting the\nbetrayal of our Lord and Saviour, did not originate in the wickedness of\nhis mind alone. For Scripture testifies that the \u201cdevil had already put\nit into his heart to betray Him.\u201d[644] And therefore Solomon rightly\ncommanded, saying, \u201cKeep thy heart with all diligence.\u201d[645] And the\nApostle Paul warns us: \u201cTherefore we ought to give the more earnest heed\nto the things which we have heard, lest perhaps we should let them\nslip.\u201d[646] And when he says, \u201cNeither give place to the devil,\u201d[647] he\nshows by that injunction that it is through certain acts, or a kind of\nmental slothfulness, that room is made for the devil, so that, if he\nonce enter our heart, he will either gain possession of us, or at least\nwill pollute the soul, if he has not obtained the entire mastery over\nit, by casting on us his fiery darts; and by these we are sometimes\ndeeply wounded, and sometimes only set on fire. Seldom indeed, and only\nin a few instances, are these fiery darts quenched, so as not to find a\nplace where they may wound, _i.e._ when one is covered by the strong and\nmighty shield of faith. The declaration, indeed, in the Epistle to the\nEphesians, \u201cWe wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against\nprincipalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of\nthis world, against spiritual wickedness in high places,\u201d[648] must be\nso understood as if \u201cwe\u201d meant, \u201cI Paul, and you Ephesians, and all who\nhave not to wrestle against flesh and blood:\u201d for such have to struggle\nagainst principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of\nthis world, not like the Corinthians, whose struggle was as yet against\nflesh and blood, and who had been overtaken by no temptation but such as\nis common to man.\n\n5. We are not, however, to suppose that each individual has to contend\nagainst all these [adversaries]. For it is impossible for any man,\nalthough he were a saint, to carry on a contest against all of them at\nthe same time. If that indeed were by any means to be the case, as it is\ncertainly impossible it should be so, human nature could not possibly\nbear it without undergoing entire destruction.[649] But as, for example,\nif fifty soldiers were to say that they were about to engage with fifty\nothers, they would not be understood to mean that one of them had to\ncontend against the whole fifty, but each one would rightly say that\n\u201cour battle was against fifty,\u201d all against all; so also this is to be\nunderstood as the apostle\u2019s meaning, that all the athletes and soldiers\nof Christ have to wrestle and struggle against all the adversaries\nenumerated,\u2014the struggle having, indeed, to be maintained against all,\nbut by single individuals either with individual powers, or at least in\nsuch manner as shall be determined by God, who is the just president of\nthe struggle. For I am of opinion that there is a certain limit to the\npowers of human nature, although there may be a Paul, of whom it is\nsaid, \u201cHe is a chosen vessel unto me;\u201d[650] or a Peter, against whom the\ngates of hell do not prevail; or a Moses, the friend of God: yet not one\nof them could sustain, without destruction to himself,[651] the whole\nsimultaneous assault of these opposing powers, unless indeed the might\nof Him alone were to work in him, who said, \u201cBe of good cheer, I have\novercome the world.\u201d[652] And therefore Paul exclaims with confidence,\n\u201cI can do all things through Christ, who strengtheneth me;\u201d[653] and\nagain, \u201cI laboured more abundantly than they all; yet not I, but the\ngrace of God which was with me.\u201d[654] On account, then, of this power,\nwhich certainly is not of human origin, operating and speaking in him,\nPaul could say, \u201cFor I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor\nangels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things\nto come, nor height, nor depth, nor power, nor any other creature, shall\nbe able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus\nour Lord.\u201d[655] For I do not think that human nature can alone of itself\nmaintain a contest with angels, and with the powers of the height and of\nthe abyss,[656] and with any other creature; but when it feels the\npresence of the Lord dwelling within it, confidence in the divine help\nwill lead it to say, \u201cThe Lord is my light, and my salvation; whom shall\nI fear? The Lord is the protector of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?\nWhen the enemies draw near to me, to eat my flesh, my enemies who\ntrouble me, they stumbled and fell. Though an host encamp against me, my\nheart shall not fear; though war should rise against me, in Him shall I\nbe confident.\u201d[657] From which I infer that a man perhaps would never be\nable of himself to vanquish an opposing power, unless he had the benefit\nof divine assistance. Hence, also, the angel is said to have wrestled\nwith Jacob. Here, however, I understand the writer to mean, that it was\nnot the same thing for the angel to have wrestled _with_ Jacob, and to\nhave wrestled _against_ him; but the angel that wrestles with him is he\nwho was present with him in order to secure his safety, who, after\nknowing also his moral progress, gave him in addition the name of\nIsrael, _i.e._ he is _with_ him in the struggle, and assists him in the\ncontest; seeing there was undoubtedly another angel against whom he\ncontended, and against whom he had to carry on a contest. Finally, Paul\nhas not said that we wrestle _with_ princes, or _with_ powers, but\n_against_ principalities and powers. And hence, although Jacob wrestled,\nit was unquestionably _against_ some one of those powers which, Paul\ndeclares, resist and contend with the human race, and especially with\nthe saints. And therefore at last the Scripture says of him that \u201che\nwrestled with the angel, and had power with God,\u201d so that the struggle\nis supported by help of the angel, but the prize of success conducts the\nconqueror to God.\n\n6. Nor are we, indeed, to suppose that struggles of this kind are\ncarried on by the exercise of bodily strength, and of the arts of the\nwrestling school;[658] but spirit contends with spirit, according to the\ndeclaration of Paul, that our struggle is against principalities, and\npowers, and the rulers of the darkness of this world. Nay, the following\nis to be understood as the nature of the struggles; when, _e.g._, losses\nand dangers befall us, or calumnies and false accusations are brought\nagainst us, it not being the object of the hostile powers that we should\nsuffer these [trials] only, but that by means of them we should be\ndriven either to excess of anger or sorrow, or to the last pitch of\ndespair; or at least, which is a greater sin, should be forced, when\nfatigued and overcome by any annoyances, to make complaints against God,\nas one who does not administer human life justly and equitably; the\nconsequence of which is, that our faith may be weakened, or our hopes\ndisappointed, or we may be compelled to give up the truth of our\nopinions, or be led to entertain irreligious sentiments regarding God.\nFor some such things are written regarding Job, after the devil had\nrequested God that power should be given him over his goods. By which\nalso we are taught, that it is not by any accidental attacks that we are\nassailed, whenever we are visited with any such loss of property, nor\nthat it is owing to chance when one of us is taken prisoner, or when the\ndwellings in which those who are dear to us are crushed to death, fall\nin ruins; for, with respect to all these occurrences, every believer\nought to say, \u201cThou couldst have no power at all against me, except it\nwere given thee from above.\u201d[659] For observe that the house of Job did\nnot fall upon his sons until the devil had first received power against\nthem; nor would the horsemen have made an irruption in three bands,[660]\nto carry away his camels or his oxen, and other cattle, unless they had\nbeen instigated by that spirit to whom they had delivered themselves up\nas the servants of his will. Nor would that fire, as it seemed to be, or\nthunderbolt, as it has been considered, have fallen upon the sheep of\nthe patriarch, until the devil had said to God, \u201cHast Thou not made a\nhedge about all that is without and within his house, and around all the\nrest of his property? But now put forth Thy hand, and touch all that he\nhath, [and see] if he do not renounce Thee to Thy face.\u201d[661]\n\n7. The result of all the foregoing remarks is to show, that all the\noccurrences in the world which are considered to be of an intermediate\nkind, whether they be mournful or otherwise, are brought about, not\nindeed by God, and yet not without Him; while He not only does not\nprevent those wicked and opposing powers that are desirous to bring\nabout these things [from accomplishing their purpose], but even permits\nthem to do so, although only on certain occasions and to certain\nindividuals, as is said with respect to Job himself, that for a certain\ntime he was made to fall under the power of others, and to have his\nhouse plundered by unjust persons. And therefore holy Scripture teaches\nus to receive all that happens as sent by God, knowing that without Him\nno event occurs. For how can we doubt that such is the case, viz. that\nnothing comes to man without [the will of] God, when our Lord and\nSaviour declares, \u201cAre not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of\nthem shall not fall on the ground without your Father who is in\nheaven.\u201d[662] But the necessity of the case has drawn us away in a\nlengthened digression on the subject of the struggle waged by the\nhostile powers against men, and of those sadder events which happen to\nhuman life, _i.e._ its temptations\u2014according to the declaration of Job,\n\u201cIs not the whole life of man upon the earth a temptation?\u201d[663]\u2014in\norder that the manner of their occurrence, and the spirit in which we\nshould regard them, might be clearly shown. Let us notice next, how men\nfall away into the sin of false knowledge, or with what object the\nopposing powers are wont to stir up conflict with us regarding such\nthings.\n\nFootnote 600:\n\n Gen. iii.\n\nFootnote 601:\n\n This apocryphal work, entitled in Hebrew \u05e4\u05d8\u05d9\u05e8\u05ea \u05de\u05e9\u05d4, and in Greek\n \u1f00\u03bd\u03ac\u03bb\u03b7\u03c8\u03b9\u03c2, or \u1f00\u03bd\u03ac\u03b2\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2 \u039c\u03c9\u03c5\u03c3\u03ad\u03c9\u03c2, is mentioned by several ancient\n writers; _e.g._ by Athanasius, in his _Synopsis Sacr\u00e6 Scriptur\u00e6_;\n Nicephorus Constantinopolitanus in his _Stichometria_, appended to the\n _Chronicon_ of Eusebius (where he says the \u1f08\u03bd\u03ac\u03bb\u03b7\u03c8\u03b9\u03c2 contained 1400\n verses), in the Acts of the Council of Nice, etc. etc. (Ru\u00e6us).\n\nFootnote 602:\n\n Gen. xxii. 12. The reading in the text is according to the Septuagint\n and Vulgate, with the exception of the words \u201cquem dilexisti,\u201d which\n are an insertion.\n\nFootnote 603:\n\n Cf. Ex. iv. 24-26.\n\nFootnote 604:\n\n Ex. xii. 23, exterminator. _Percussor_, Vulgate; \u1f40\u03bb\u03bf\u03b8\u03c1\u03b5\u03cd\u03c9\u03bd, Sept.\n\nFootnote 605:\n\n Lev. xvi. 8. \u1f08\u03c0\u03bf\u03c0\u03bf\u03bc\u03c0\u03b1\u1fd6\u03bf\u03c2 is the reading of the Sept., \u201cCaper\n emissarius\u201d of the Vulgate, \u05e2\u05b0\u05b7\u05d6\u05b8\u05d0\u05d6\u05b5\u05bd\u05dc of the Masoretic text. Cf.\n F\u00fcrst and Gesenius _s.v._ Rufinus translates Apopomp\u00e6us by\n \u201ctransmissor.\u201d\n\nFootnote 606:\n\n 1 Sam. xviii. 10, effocare. Septuagint has \u1f14\u03c0\u03b5\u03c3\u03b5; Vulgate, \u201cinvasit;\u201d\n the Masoretic text \u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05e6\u05b0\u05dc\u05b7\u05d7, fell on.\n\nFootnote 607:\n\n 1 Kings xxii. 19-23.\n\nFootnote 608:\n\n 1 Chron. i. 1.\n\nFootnote 609:\n\n Atterere.\n\nFootnote 610:\n\n Eccles. x. 4, \u201cFor yielding pacifieth great offences.\u201d The words in\n the text are, \u201cQuoniam sanitas compescet multa peccata.\u201d The Vulgate\n has, \u201cCuratio faciet cessare peccata maxima.\u201d The Septuagint reads,\n \u1f3c\u03b1\u03bc\u03b1 \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1\u03c0\u03b1\u03cd\u03c3\u03b5\u03b9 \u1f01\u03bc\u03b1\u03c1\u03c4\u03af\u03b1\u03c2 \u03bc\u03b5\u03b3\u03ac\u03bb\u03b1\u03c2; while the Masoretic text has\n \u05de\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05e4\u05b5\u05bc\u05d0 (curatio).\n\nFootnote 611:\n\n Zech. iii. 1.\n\nFootnote 612:\n\n Perversum.\n\nFootnote 613:\n\n Isa. xxvii. 1.\n\nFootnote 614:\n\n Ezek. xxviii. 12 sq.\n\nFootnote 615:\n\n Cf. John xiii. 27.\n\nFootnote 616:\n\n Eph. vi. 13.\n\nFootnote 617:\n\n Eph. vi. 12.\n\nFootnote 618:\n\n Cf. 1 Cor. ii. 6.\n\nFootnote 619:\n\n Nemo hominum omnino.\n\nFootnote 620:\n\n Ex corporali necessitate descendunt.\n\nFootnote 621:\n\n Quod non simile aliquid pateremur?\n\nFootnote 622:\n\n Propositum.\n\nFootnote 623:\n\n Qu\u00e6 in usu naturaliter habentur.\n\nFootnote 624:\n\n Sensum eorum penitus possederint.\n\nFootnote 625:\n\n Gal. v. 17.\n\nFootnote 626:\n\n 1 Cor. x. 13.\n\nFootnote 627:\n\n Carnem talem.\n\nFootnote 628:\n\n 1 Cor. x. 13.\n\nFootnote 629:\n\n Pro virtutis su\u00e6 quantitate, vel possibilitate.\n\nFootnote 630:\n\n Nec tamen scriptum est, quia faciet in tentatione etiam exitum\n sustinendi, sed exitum ut sustinere possimus.\n\nFootnote 631:\n\n 1 Cor. x. 13.\n\nFootnote 632:\n\n Ut sustinere possimus.\n\nFootnote 633:\n\n Repugnandi vincendique.\n\nFootnote 634:\n\n Fabulosum.\n\nFootnote 635:\n\n Ps. lxxvi. 10. Such is the reading of the Vulgate and of the\n Septuagint. The authorized version follows the Masoretic text.\n\nFootnote 636:\n\n Eccles. x. 4; cf. note 7, p. 223.\n\nFootnote 637:\n\n 2 Cor. x. 5.\n\nFootnote 638:\n\n Ps. lxxxiv. 5. The words in the text are: Beatus vir, cujus est\n susceptio apud te, Domine, adscensus in corde ejus. The Vulgate reads:\n Beatus vir, cujus est auxilium abs te: ascensiones in corde suo\n disposuit. The Septuagint the same. The Masoretic text has \u05de\u05b0\u05e1\u05b4\u05dc\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\n (\u201cfestival march or procession:\u201d F\u00fcrst). Probably the Septuagint and\n Vulgate had \u05de\u05b7\u05e2\u05b0\u05b7\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea before them, the similarity between Samech and\n Ayin accounting for the error in transcription.\n\nFootnote 639:\n\n 2 Cor. viii. 16.\n\nFootnote 640:\n\n Zech. i. 14. The Vulgate, Septuagint, and Masoretic text all have \u201cin\n me,\u201d although the authorized version reads \u201cwith me.\u201d\n\nFootnote 641:\n\n _Shepherd of Hermas_, Command. vi. 2. See Ante-Nicene Library, vol.\n _Apostolic Fathers_, p. 359.\n\nFootnote 642:\n\n _Epistle of Barnabas_, Ante-Nicene Library, vol. _Apostolic Fathers_,\n p. 131, etc.\n\nFootnote 643:\n\n Matt. xxvii. 63.\n\nFootnote 644:\n\n John xiii. 2.\n\nFootnote 645:\n\n Prov. iv. 23.\n\nFootnote 646:\n\n Heb. ii. 1.\n\nFootnote 647:\n\n Eph. iv. 27.\n\nFootnote 648:\n\n Eph. vi. 12.\n\nFootnote 649:\n\n Sine maxima subversione sui.\n\nFootnote 650:\n\n Acts ix. 15.\n\nFootnote 651:\n\n Sine aliqu\u00e2 pernicie sui.\n\nFootnote 652:\n\n John xvi. 33.\n\nFootnote 653:\n\n Phil. iv. 13.\n\nFootnote 654:\n\n 1 Cor. xv. 10.\n\nFootnote 655:\n\n Rom. viii. 38, 39. The word \u201cvirtus,\u201d \u03b4\u03cd\u03bd\u03b1\u03bc\u03b9\u03c2, occurring in the text,\n is not found in the _text. recept._ Tischendorf reads \u0394\u03cd\u03bd\u03b1\u03bc\u03b5\u03b9\u03c2 _in\n loco_ (edit. 7). So also Codex Sinaiticus.\n\nFootnote 656:\n\n Excelsa et profunda.\n\nFootnote 657:\n\n Ps. xxvii. 1-3.\n\nFootnote 658:\n\n Pal\u00e6stric\u00e6 artis exercitiis.\n\nFootnote 659:\n\n John xix. 11.\n\nFootnote 660:\n\n Tribus ordinibus.\n\nFootnote 661:\n\n Cf. Job i. 10, 11. \u201cNisi in faciem benedixerit tibi.\u201d The Hebrew verb\n \u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05e8\u05b7\u05da\u05b4\u05bc has the double signification of \u201cblessing\u201d and \u201ccursing.\u201d Cf.\n Davidson\u2019s _Commentary on Job_, p. 7. Septuag. \u03b5\u1f50\u03bb\u03bf\u03b3\u03ae\u03c3\u03b5\u03b9.\n\nFootnote 662:\n\n Matt. x. 29.\n\nFootnote 663:\n\n Cf. Job vii. 1. The Septuagint reads, \u03c0\u03cc\u03c4\u03b5\u03c1\u03bf\u03bd \u03bf\u1f50\u03c7\u1f76 \u03c0\u03b5\u03b9\u03c1\u03b1\u03c4\u03ae\u03c1\u03b9\u03bf\u03bd, etc.;\n the Vulgate, \u201cmilitia;\u201d the Masoretic text has \u05e6\u05b8\u05d1\u05b8\u05d0. Cf. Davidson\u2019s\n _Commentary on Job_, _in loc._\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER III.\n ON THREEFOLD WISDOM.\n\n\n1. The holy apostle, wishing to teach us some great and hidden truth\nrespecting science and wisdom, says, in the first Epistle to the\nCorinthians: \u201cWe speak wisdom among them that are perfect; yet not the\nwisdom of this world, nor of the princes of the world, that come to\nnought: but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden\nwisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: which none\nof the princes of the world knew: for had they known it, they would not\nhave crucified the Lord of glory.\u201d[664] In this passage, wishing to\ndescribe the different kinds of wisdom, he points out that there is a\nwisdom of this world, and a wisdom of the princes of this world, and\nanother wisdom of God. But when he uses the expression \u201cwisdom of the\nprinces of this world,\u201d I do not think that he means a wisdom common to\nall the princes of this world, but one rather that is peculiar to\ncertain individuals among them. And again, when he says, \u201cWe speak the\nwisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained\nbefore the world unto our glory,\u201d[665] we must inquire whether his\nmeaning be, that this is the same wisdom of God which was hidden from\nother times and generations, and was not made known to the sons of men,\nas it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets, and which\nwas also that wisdom of God before the advent of the Saviour, by means\nof which Solomon obtained his wisdom, and in reference to which the\nlanguage of the Saviour Himself declared, that what He taught was\ngreater than Solomon, in these words, \u201cBehold, a greater than Solomon is\nhere,\u201d[666]\u2014words which show, that those who were instructed by the\nSaviour were instructed in something higher than the knowledge of\nSolomon. For if one were to assert that the Saviour did indeed Himself\npossess greater knowledge, but did not communicate more to others than\nSolomon did, how will that agree with the statement which follows: \u201cThe\nqueen of the south shall rise up in the judgment, and condemn the men of\nthis generation, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the\nwisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here?\u201d[667]\nThere is therefore a wisdom of this world, and also probably a wisdom\nbelonging to each individual prince of this world. But with respect to\nthe wisdom of God alone, we perceive that this is indicated, that it\noperated to a less degree in ancient and former times, and was\n[afterwards] more fully revealed and manifested through Christ. We shall\ninquire, however, regarding the wisdom of God in the proper place.\n\n2. But now, since we are treating of the manner in which the opposing\npowers stir up those contests, by means of which false knowledge is\nintroduced into the minds of men, and human souls led astray, while they\nimagine that they have discovered wisdom, I think it necessary to name\nand distinguish the wisdom of this world, and of the princes of this\nworld, that by so doing we may discover who are the fathers of this\nwisdom, nay, even of these kinds of wisdom.[668] I am of opinion,\ntherefore, as I have stated above, that there is another wisdom of this\nworld besides those [different kinds of] wisdom[669] which belong to the\nprinces of this world, by which wisdom those things seem to be\nunderstood and comprehended which belong to this world. This wisdom,\nhowever, possesses in itself no fitness for forming any opinion either\nrespecting divine things,[670] or the plan of the world\u2019s government, or\nany other subjects of importance, or regarding the training for a good\nor happy life; but is such as deals wholly with the art of poetry,\n_e.g._, or that of grammar, or rhetoric, or geometry, or music, with\nwhich also, perhaps, medicine should be classed. In all these subjects\nwe are to suppose that the wisdom of this world is included. The wisdom\nof the princes of this world, on the other hand, we understand to be\nsuch as the secret and occult philosophy, as they call it, of the\nEgyptians, and the astrology of the Chaldeans and Indians, who make\nprofession of the knowledge of high things,[671] and also that manifold\nvariety of opinion which prevails among the Greeks regarding divine\nthings. Accordingly, in the holy Scriptures we find that there are\nprinces over individual nations; as in Daniel[672] we read that there\nwas a prince of the kingdom of Persia, and another prince of the kingdom\nof Gr\u00e6cia, who are clearly shown, by the nature of the passage, to be\nnot human beings, but certain powers. In the prophecies of Ezekiel,[673]\nalso, the prince of Tyre is unmistakeably shown to be a kind of\nspiritual power. When these, then, and others of the same kind,\npossessing each his own wisdom, and building up his own opinions and\nsentiments, beheld our Lord and Saviour professing and declaring that He\nhad for this purpose come into the world, that all the opinions of\nscience, falsely so called, might be destroyed, not knowing what was\nconcealed within Him, they forthwith laid a snare for Him: for \u201cthe\nkings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers assembled together,\nagainst the Lord and His Christ.\u201d[674] But their snares being\ndiscovered, and the plans which they had attempted to carry out being\nmade manifest when they crucified the Lord of glory, therefore the\napostle says, \u201cWe speak wisdom among them that are perfect, but not the\nwisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, who are brought\nto nought, which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they\nknown it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.\u201d[675]\n\n3. We must, indeed, endeavour to ascertain whether that wisdom[676] of\nthe princes of this world, with which they endeavour to imbue men, is\nintroduced into their minds by the opposing powers, with the purpose of\nensnaring and injuring them, or only for the purpose of deceiving them,\n_i.e._ not with the object of doing any hurt to man; but, as these\nprinces of this world esteem such opinions to be true, they desire to\nimpart to others what they themselves believe to be the truth: and this\nis the view which I am inclined to adopt. For as, to take an\nillustration, certain Greek authors, or the leaders of some heretical\nsect, after having imbibed an error in doctrine instead of the truth,\nand having come to the conclusion in their own minds that such is the\ntruth, proceed, in the next place, to endeavour to persuade others of\nthe correctness of their opinions; so, in like manner, are we to suppose\nis the procedure of the princes of this world, in which to certain\nspiritual powers has been assigned the rule over certain nations, and\nwho are termed on that account the princes of this world. There are\nbesides, in addition to these princes, certain special energies[677] of\nthis world, _i.e._ spiritual powers, which bring about certain effects,\nwhich they have themselves, in virtue of their freedom of will, chosen\nto produce, and to these belong those princes who practise the wisdom of\nthis world: there being, for example, a peculiar energy and power, which\nis the inspirer of poetry; another, of geometry; and so a separate\npower, to remind us of each of the arts and professions of this kind.\nLastly, many Greek writers have been of opinion that the art of poetry\ncannot exist without madness;[678] whence also it is several times\nrelated in their histories, that those whom they call poets[679] were\nsuddenly filled with a kind of spirit of madness. And what are we to say\nalso of those whom they call diviners,[680] from whom, by the working of\nthose demons who have the mastery over them, answers are given in\ncarefully constructed verses? Those persons, too, whom they term Magi or\nMalevolent,[681] frequently, by invoking demons over boys of tender\nyears, have made them repeat poetical compositions which were the\nadmiration and amazement of all. Now these effects we are to suppose are\nbrought about in the following manner: As holy and immaculate souls,\nafter devoting themselves to God with all affection and purity, and\nafter preserving themselves free from all contagion of evil\nspirits,[682] and after being purified by lengthened abstinence, and\nimbued with holy and religious training, assume by this means a portion\nof divinity, and earn the grace of prophecy, and other divine gifts; so\nalso are we to suppose that those who place themselves in the way of the\nopposing powers, _i.e._ who purposely admire and adopt their manner of\nlife and habits,[683] receive their inspiration, and become partakers of\ntheir wisdom and doctrine. And the result of this is, that they are\nfilled with the working of those spirits to whose service they have\nsubjected themselves.\n\n4, With respect to those, indeed, who teach differently regarding Christ\nfrom what the rule of Scripture allows, it is no idle task to ascertain\nwhether it is from a treacherous purpose that these opposing powers, in\ntheir struggles to prevent a belief in Christ, have devised certain\nfabulous and impious doctrines; or whether, on hearing the word of\nChrist, and not being able to cast it forth from the secrecy of their\nconscience, nor yet to retain it pure and holy, they have, by means of\nvessels that were convenient to their use,[684] and, so to speak,\nthrough their prophets, introduced various errors contrary to the rule\nof Christian truth. Now we are to suppose rather that apostate and\nrefugee powers,[685] which have departed from God out of the very\nwickedness of their mind and will,[686] or from envy of those for whom\nthere is prepared (on their becoming acquainted with the truth) an\nascent to the same rank, whence they themselves had fallen, did, in\norder to prevent any progress of that kind, invent these errors and\ndelusions of false doctrine. It is then clearly established, by many\nproofs, that while the soul of man exists in this body, it may admit\ndifferent energies, _i.e._ operations, from a diversity of good and evil\nspirits. Now, of wicked spirits there is a twofold mode of operation:\n_i.e._ when they either take complete and entire possession of the\nmind,[687] so as to allow their captives[688] the power neither of\nunderstanding nor feeling; as, for instance, is the case with those\ncommonly called possessed,[689] whom we see to be deprived of reason,\nand insane (such as those were who are related in the Gospel to have\nbeen cured by the Saviour); or when by their wicked suggestions they\ndeprave a sentient and intelligent soul with thoughts of various kinds,\npersuading it to evil, of which Judas is an illustration, who was\ninduced at the suggestion of the devil to commit the crime of treason,\naccording to the declaration of Scripture, that \u201cthe devil had already\nput it into the heart of Judas Iscariot to betray Him.\u201d[690]\n\nBut a man receives the energy, _i.e._ the working, of a good spirit,\nwhen he is stirred and incited to good, and is inspired to heavenly or\ndivine things; as the holy angels and God Himself wrought in the\nprophets, arousing and exhorting them by their holy suggestions to a\nbetter course of life, yet so, indeed, that it remained within the will\nand judgment of the individual, either to be willing or unwilling to\nfollow the call to divine and heavenly things. And from this manifest\ndistinction, it is seen how the soul is moved by the presence of a\nbetter spirit, _i.e._ if it encounter no perturbation or alienation of\nmind whatever from the impending inspiration, nor lose the free control\nof its will; as, for instance, is the case with all, whether prophets or\napostles, who ministered to the divine responses without any\nperturbation of mind. Now, that by the suggestions of a good spirit the\nmemory of man is aroused to the recollection of better things, we have\nalready shown by previous instances, when we mentioned the cases of\nMordecai and Artaxerxes.\n\n5. This too, I think, should next be inquired into, viz. what are the\nreasons why a human soul is acted on at one time by good [spirits], and\nat another by bad: the grounds of which I suspect to be older than the\nbodily birth of the individual, as John [the Baptist] showed by his\nleaping and exulting in his mother\u2019s womb, when the voice of the\nsalutation of Mary reached the ears of his mother Elisabeth; and as\nJeremiah the prophet declares, who was known to God before he was formed\nin his mother\u2019s womb, and before he was born was sanctified by Him, and\nwhile yet a boy received the grace of prophecy.[691] And again, on the\nother hand, it is shown beyond a doubt, that some have been possessed by\nhostile spirits from the very beginning of their lives: _i.e._, some\nwere born with an evil spirit; and others, according to credible\nhistories, have practised divination[692] from childhood. Others have\nbeen under the influence of the demon called Python, _i.e._ the\nventriloquial spirit, from the commencement of their existence. To all\nwhich instances, those who maintain that everything in the world is\nunder the administration of divine providence (as is also our own\nbelief), can, as it appears to me, give no other answer, so as to show\nthat no shadow of injustice rests upon the divine government, than by\nholding that there were certain causes of prior existence, in\nconsequence of which the souls, before their birth in the body,\ncontracted a certain amount of guilt in their sensitive nature, or in\ntheir movements, on account of which they have been judged worthy by\nDivine Providence of being placed in this condition. For a soul is\nalways in possession of free-will, as well when it is in the body as\nwhen it is without it; and freedom of will is always directed either to\ngood or evil. Nor can any rational and sentient being, _i.e._ a mind or\nsoul, exist without some movement either good or bad. And it is probable\nthat these movements furnish grounds for merit even before they do\nanything in this world; so that on account of these merits or grounds\nthey are, immediately on their birth, and even before it, so to speak,\nassorted by Divine Providence for the endurance either of good or evil.\n\nLet such, then, be our views respecting those events which appear to\nbefall men, either immediately after birth, or even before they enter\nupon the light. But as regards the suggestions which are made to the\nsoul, _i.e._ to the faculty of human thought, by different spirits, and\nwhich arouse men to good actions or the contrary, even in such a case we\nmust suppose that there sometimes existed certain causes anterior to\nbodily birth. For occasionally the mind, when watchful, and casting away\nfrom it what is evil, calls to itself the aid of the good; or if it be,\non the contrary, negligent and slothful, it makes room through\ninsufficient caution for these spirits, which, lying in wait secretly\nlike robbers, contrive to rush into the minds of men when they see a\nlodgment made for them by sloth; as the Apostle Peter says, \u201cthat our\nadversary the devil goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may\ndevour.\u201d[693] On which account our heart must be kept with all\ncarefulness both by day and night, and no place be given to the devil;\nbut every effort must be used that the ministers of God\u2014those spirits,\nviz., who were sent to minister to them who are called to be heirs of\nsalvation[694]\u2014may find a place within us, and be delighted to enter\ninto the guest-chamber[695] of our soul, and dwelling within us may\nguide us by their counsels; if, indeed, they shall find the habitation\nof our heart adorned by the practice of virtue and holiness. But let\nthat be sufficient which we have said, as we best could, regarding those\npowers which are hostile to the human race.\n\nFootnote 664:\n\n 1 Cor. ii. 6-8.\n\nFootnote 665:\n\n 1 Cor. ii. 7.\n\nFootnote 666:\n\n Matt. xii. 42.\n\nFootnote 667:\n\n Matt. xii. 42.\n\nFootnote 668:\n\n Sapientiarum harum.\n\nFootnote 669:\n\n Sapientias illas.\n\nFootnote 670:\n\n De divinitate.\n\nFootnote 671:\n\n De scienti\u00e2 excelsi pollicentium.\n\nFootnote 672:\n\n Cf. Dan. x.\n\nFootnote 673:\n\n Cf. Ezek. xxvi.\n\nFootnote 674:\n\n Ps. ii. 2.\n\nFootnote 675:\n\n 1 Cor. ii. 6-8.\n\nFootnote 676:\n\n Ist\u00e6 sapienti\u00e6.\n\nFootnote 677:\n\n Energi\u00e6.\n\nFootnote 678:\n\n Insania.\n\nFootnote 679:\n\n Vates.\n\nFootnote 680:\n\n Divinos.\n\nFootnote 681:\n\n Magi vel malefici.\n\nFootnote 682:\n\n D\u00e6monum.\n\nFootnote 683:\n\n Id est, industria vita, vel studio amico illis et accepto.\n\nFootnote 684:\n\n Per vasa opportuna sibi.\n\nFootnote 685:\n\n Apostat\u00e6 et refug\u00e6 virtutes.\n\nFootnote 686:\n\n Propositi.\n\nFootnote 687:\n\n Penitus ex integro.\n\nFootnote 688:\n\n Eos quos obsederint.\n\nFootnote 689:\n\n Energumenos.\n\nFootnote 690:\n\n John xix. 2.\n\nFootnote 691:\n\n Jer. i. 5, 6.\n\nFootnote 692:\n\n Divinasse.\n\nFootnote 693:\n\n 1 Pet. v. 8.\n\nFootnote 694:\n\n Heb. i. 14.\n\nFootnote 695:\n\n Hospitium.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER IV.\n ON HUMAN TEMPTATIONS.\n\n\n1. And now the subject of human temptations must not, in my opinion, be\npassed over in silence, which take their rise sometimes from flesh and\nblood, or from the wisdom of flesh and blood, which is said to be\nhostile to God. And whether the statement be true which certain allege,\nviz. that each individual has as it were two souls, we shall determine\nafter we have explained the nature of those temptations, which are said\nto be more powerful than any of human origin, _i.e._ which we sustain\nfrom principalities and powers, and from the rulers of the darkness of\nthis world, and from spiritual wickedness in high places, or to which we\nare subjected from wicked spirits and unclean demons. Now, in the\ninvestigation of this subject, we must, I think, inquire according to a\nlogical method whether there be in us human beings, who are composed of\nsoul and body and vital spirit, some other element, possessing an\nincitement of its own, and evoking a movement towards evil. For a\nquestion of this kind is wont to be discussed by some in this way:\nwhether, viz., as two souls are said to co-exist within us, the one is\nmore divine and heavenly and the other inferior; or whether, from the\nvery fact that we inhere in bodily structures which according to their\nown proper nature are dead, and altogether devoid of life (seeing it is\nfrom us, _i.e._ from our souls, that the material body derives its life,\nit being contrary and hostile to the spirit), we are drawn on and\nenticed to the practice of those evils which are agreeable to the body;\nor whether, thirdly (which was the opinion of some of the Greek\nphilosophers), although our soul is one in substance, it nevertheless\nconsists of several elements, and one portion of it is called rational\nand another irrational, and that which is termed the irrational part is\nagain separated into two affections\u2014those of covetousness and passion.\nThese three opinions, then, regarding the soul, which we have stated\nabove, we have found to be entertained by some, but that one of them,\nwhich we have mentioned as being adopted by certain Grecian\nphilosophers, viz. that the soul is tripartite, I do not observe to be\ngreatly confirmed by the authority of holy Scripture; while with respect\nto the remaining two there is found a considerable number of passages in\nthe holy Scriptures which seem capable of application to them.\n\n2. Now, of these opinions, let us first discuss that which is maintained\nby some, that there is in us a good and heavenly soul, and another\nearthly and inferior; and that the better soul is implanted within us\nfrom heaven, such as was that which, while Jacob was still in the womb,\ngave him the prize of victory in supplanting his brother Esau, and which\nin the case of Jeremiah was sanctified from his birth, and in that of\nJohn was filled by the Holy Spirit from the womb. Now, that which they\nterm the inferior soul is produced, they allege, along with the body\nitself out of the seed of the body, whence they say it cannot live or\nsubsist beyond the body, on which account also they say it is frequently\ntermed flesh. For the expression, \u201cThe flesh lusteth against the\nspirit,\u201d[696] they take to be applicable not to the flesh, but to this\nsoul, which is properly the soul of the flesh. From these words,\nmoreover, they endeavour notwithstanding to make good the declaration in\nLeviticus: \u201cThe life of all flesh is the blood thereof.\u201d[697] For, from\nthe circumstance that it is the diffusion of the blood throughout the\nwhole flesh which produces life in the flesh, they assert that this\nsoul, which is said to be the life of all flesh, is contained in the\nblood. This statement, moreover, that the flesh struggles against the\nspirit, and the spirit against the flesh; and the further statement,\nthat \u201cthe life of all flesh is the blood thereof,\u201d is, according to\nthese writers, simply calling the wisdom of the flesh by another name,\nbecause it is a kind of material spirit, which is not subject to the law\nof God, nor can be so, because it has earthly wishes and bodily desires.\nAnd it is with respect to this that they think the apostle uttered the\nwords: \u201cI see another law in my members, warring against the law of my\nmind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my\nmembers.\u201d[698] And if one were to object to them that these words were\nspoken of the nature of the body, which indeed, agreeably to the\npeculiarity of its nature, is dead, but is said to have sensibility, or\nwisdom,[699] which is hostile to God, or which struggles against the\nspirit; or if one were to say that, in a certain degree, the flesh\nitself was possessed of a voice, which should cry out against the\nendurance of hunger, or thirst, or cold, or of any discomfort arising\neither from abundance or poverty,\u2014they would endeavour to weaken and\nimpair the force of such [arguments], by showing that there were many\nother mental perturbations[700] which derive their origin in no respect\nfrom the flesh, and yet against which the spirit struggles, such as\nambition, avarice, emulation, envy, pride, and others like these; and\nseeing that with these the human mind or spirit wages a kind of contest,\nthey lay down as the cause of all these evils, nothing else than this\ncorporal soul, as it were, of which we have spoken above, and which is\ngenerated from the seed by a process of traducianism. They are\naccustomed also to adduce, in support of their assertion, the\ndeclaration of the apostle, \u201cNow the works of the flesh are manifest,\nwhich are these, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry,\npoisonings,[701] hatred, contentions, emulations, wrath, quarrelling,\ndissensions, heresies, sects, envyings, drunkenness, revellings, and the\nlike;\u201d[702] asserting that all these do not derive their origin from the\nhabits or pleasures of the flesh, so that all such movements are to be\nregarded as inherent in that substance which has not a soul, _i.e._ the\nflesh. The declaration, moreover, \u201cFor ye see your calling, brethren,\nhow that not many wise men among you according to the flesh are\ncalled,\u201d[703] would seem to require to be understood as if there were\none kind of wisdom, carnal and material, and another according to the\nspirit, the former of which cannot indeed be called wisdom, unless there\nbe a soul of the flesh, which is wise in respect of what is called\ncarnal wisdom. And in addition to these passages they adduce the\nfollowing: \u201cSince the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit\nagainst the flesh, so that we cannot do the things that we would.\u201d[704]\nWhat are these things now respecting which he says, \u201cthat we cannot do\nthe things that we would?\u201d It is certain, they reply, that the spirit\ncannot be intended; for the will of the spirit suffers no hindrance. But\nneither can the flesh be meant, because if it has not a soul of its own,\nneither can it assuredly possess a will. It remains, then, that the will\nof this soul be intended which is capable of having a will of its own,\nand which certainly is opposed to the will of the spirit. And if this be\nthe case, it is established that the will of the soul is something\nintermediate between the flesh and the spirit, undoubtedly obeying and\nserving that one of the two which it has elected to obey. And if it\nyield itself up to the pleasures of the flesh, it renders men carnal;\nbut when it unites itself with the spirit, it produces men of the\nspirit, and who on that account are termed spiritual. And this seems to\nbe the meaning of the apostle in the words, \u201cBut ye are not in the\nflesh, but in the spirit.\u201d[705]\n\nWe have accordingly to ascertain what is this very will [intermediate]\nbetween flesh and spirit, besides that will which is said to belong to\nthe flesh or the spirit. For it is held as certain, that everything\nwhich is said to be a work of the spirit is [a product of] the will of\nthe spirit, and everything that is called a work of the flesh [proceeds\nfrom] the will of the flesh. What else then, besides these, is that will\nof the soul which receives a separate name,[706] and which will, the\napostle being opposed to our executing, says: \u201cYe cannot do the things\nthat ye would?\u201d By this it would seem to be intended, that it ought to\nadhere to neither of these two, _i.e._ to neither flesh nor spirit. But\nsome one will say, that as it is better for the soul to execute its own\nwill than that of the flesh; so, on the other hand, it is better to do\nthe will of the spirit than its own will. How, then, does the apostle\nsay, \u201cthat ye cannot do the things that ye would?\u201d Because in that\ncontest which is waged between flesh and spirit, the spirit is by no\nmeans certain of victory, it being manifest that in very many\nindividuals the flesh has the mastery.\n\nBut since the subject of discussion on which we have entered is one of\ngreat profundity, which it is necessary to consider in all its\nbearings,[707] let us see whether some such point as this may not be\ndetermined: that as it is better for the soul to follow the spirit when\nthe latter has overcome the flesh, so also, if it seem to be a worse\ncourse for the former to follow the flesh in its struggles against the\nspirit, when the latter would recall the soul to its influence, it may\nnevertheless appear a more advantageous procedure for the soul to be\nunder the mastery of the flesh than to remain under the power of its own\nwill. For, since it is said to be neither hot nor cold, but to continue\nin a sort of tepid condition, it will find conversion a slow and\nsomewhat difficult undertaking. If indeed it clung to the flesh, then,\nsatiated at length, and filled with those very evils which it suffers\nfrom the vices of the flesh, and wearied as it were by the heavy burdens\nof luxury and lust, it may sometimes be converted with greater ease and\nrapidity from the filthiness of matter to a desire for heavenly things,\nand [to a taste for] spiritual graces. And the apostle must be supposed\nto have said, that \u201cthe spirit contends against the flesh, and the flesh\nagainst the spirit, so that we cannot do the things that we would\u201d\n(those things, undoubtedly, which are designated as being beyond the\nwill of the spirit, and the will of the flesh), meaning (as if we were\nto express it in other words) that it is better for a man to be either\nin a state of virtue or in one of wickedness, than in neither of these;\nbut that the soul, before its conversion to the spirit, and its union\nwith it,[708] appears during its adherence to the body, and its\nmeditation of carnal things, to be neither in a good condition nor in a\nmanifestly bad one, but resembles, so to speak, an animal. It is better,\nhowever, for it, if possible, to be rendered spiritual through adherence\nto the spirit; but if that cannot be done, it is more expedient for it\nto follow even the wickedness of the flesh, than, placed under the\ninfluence of its own will, to retain the position of an irrational\nanimal.\n\nThese points we have now discussed, in our desire to consider each\nindividual opinion, at greater length than we intended, that those views\nmight not be supposed to have escaped our notice which are generally\nbrought forward by those who inquire whether there is within us any\nother soul than this heavenly and rational one, which is naturally\nopposed to the latter, and is called either the flesh, or the wisdom of\nthe flesh, or the soul of the flesh.\n\n4. Let us now see what answer is usually returned to these statements by\nthose who maintain that there is in us one movement, and one life,\nproceeding from one and the same soul, both the salvation and the\ndestruction of which are ascribed to itself as a result of its own\nactions. And, in the first place, let us notice of what nature those\ncommotions[709] of the soul are which we suffer, when we feel ourselves\ninwardly drawn in different directions; when there arises a kind of\ncontest of thoughts in our hearts, and certain probabilities are\nsuggested us, agreeably to which we lean now to this side, now to that,\nand by which we are sometimes convicted of error, and sometimes approve\nof our acts.[710] It is nothing remarkable, however, to say of wicked\nspirits, that they have a varying and conflicting judgment, and one out\nof harmony with itself, since such is found to be the case in all men,\nwhenever, in deliberating upon an uncertain event, counsel is taken, and\nmen consider and consult what is to be chosen as the better and more\nuseful course. It is not therefore surprising that, if two probabilities\nmeet, and suggest opposite views, they should drag the mind in contrary\ndirections. For example, if a man be led by reflection to believe and to\nfear God, it cannot then be said that the flesh contends against the\nspirit; but, amidst the uncertainty of what may be true and\nadvantageous, the mind is drawn in opposite directions. So, also, when\nit is supposed that the flesh provokes to the indulgence of lust, but\nbetter counsels oppose allurements of that kind, we are not to suppose\nthat it is one life which is resisting another, but that it is the\ntendency of the nature of the body, which is eager to empty out and\ncleanse the places filled with seminal moisture; as, in like manner, it\nis not to be supposed that it is any opposing power, or the life of\nanother soul, which excites within us the appetite of thirst, and impels\nus to drink, or which causes us to feel hunger, and drives us to satisfy\nit. But as it is by the natural movements of the body that food and\ndrink are either desired or rejected,[711] so also the natural seed,\ncollected together in course of time in the various vessels, has an\neager desire to be expelled and thrown away, and is so far from never\nbeing removed, save by the impulse of some exciting cause, that it is\neven sometimes spontaneously emitted. When, therefore, it is said that\n\u201cthe flesh struggles against the spirit,\u201d these persons understand the\nexpression to mean that habit or necessity, or the delights of the\nflesh, arouse a man, and withdraw him from divine and spiritual things.\nFor, owing to the necessity of the body being drawn away, we are not\nallowed to have leisure for divine things, which are to be eternally\nadvantageous. So again, the soul, devoting itself to divine and\nspiritual pursuits, and being united to the spirit, is said to fight\nagainst the flesh, by not permitting it to be relaxed by indulgence, and\nto become unsteady through the influence of those pleasures for which it\nfeels a natural delight. In this way, also, they claim to understand the\nwords, \u201cThe wisdom of the flesh is hostile to God,\u201d[712] not that the\nflesh really has a soul, or a wisdom of its own. But as we are\naccustomed to say, by an abuse[713] of language, that the earth is\nthirsty, and wishes to drink in water, this use of the word \u201cwishes\u201d is\nnot proper, but catachrestic,\u2014as if we were to say again, that this\nhouse wants to be rebuilt,[714] and many other similar expressions; so\nalso is the wisdom of the flesh to be understood, or the expression,\nthat \u201cthe flesh lusteth against the spirit.\u201d They generally connect with\nthese the expression, \u201cThe voice of thy brother\u2019s blood crieth unto me\nfrom the ground.\u201d[715] For what cries unto the Lord is not properly the\nblood which was shed; but the blood is said improperly to cry out,\nvengeance being demanded upon him who had shed it. The declaration also\nof the apostle, \u201cI see another law in my members, warring against the\nlaw of my mind,\u201d[716] they so understand as if he had said, That he who\nwishes to devote himself to the word of God is, on account of his bodily\nnecessities and habits, which like a sort of law are ingrained in the\nbody, distracted, and divided, and impeded, lest, by devoting himself\nvigorously to the study of wisdom, he should be enabled to behold the\ndivine mysteries.\n\n5. With respect, however, to the following being ranked among the works\nof the flesh, viz. heresies, and envyings, and contentions, or other\n[vices], they so understand the passage, that the mind, being rendered\ngrosser in feeling, from its yielding itself to the passions of the\nbody, and being oppressed by the mass of its vices, and having no\nrefined or spiritual feelings, is said to be made flesh, and derives its\nname from that in which it exhibits more vigour and force of will.[717]\nThey also make this further inquiry, \u201cWho will be found, or who will be\nsaid to be, the creator of this evil sense, called the sense of the\nflesh?\u201d Because they defend the opinion that there is no other creator\nof soul and flesh than God. And if we were to assert that the good God\ncreated anything in His own creation that was hostile to Himself, it\nwould appear to be a manifest absurdity. If, then, it is written, that\n\u201ccarnal wisdom is enmity against God,\u201d[718] and if this be declared to\nbe a result of creation, God Himself will appear to have formed a nature\nhostile to Himself, which cannot be subject to Him nor to His law, as if\nit were [supposed to be] an animal of which such qualities are\npredicated. And if this view be admitted, in what respect will it appear\nto differ from that of those who maintain that souls of different\nnatures are created, which, according to their natures,[719] are\ndestined either to be lost or saved? But this is an opinion of the\nheretics alone, who, not being able to maintain the justice of God on\ngrounds of piety, compose impious inventions of this kind. And now we\nhave brought forward to the best of our ability, in the person of each\nof the parties, what might be advanced by way of argument regarding the\nseveral views, and let the reader choose out of them for himself that\nwhich he thinks ought to be preferred.\n\nFootnote 696:\n\n Gal. v. 17.\n\nFootnote 697:\n\n Lev. xvii. 14.\n\nFootnote 698:\n\n Rom. vii. 23.\n\nFootnote 699:\n\n Sensum vel sapientiam.\n\nFootnote 700:\n\n Passiones anim\u00e6.\n\nFootnote 701:\n\n Veneficia. \u03a6\u03b1\u03c1\u03bc\u03b1\u03ba\u03b5\u03af\u03b1. \u201cWitchcraft,\u201d auth. version.\n\nFootnote 702:\n\n Gal. v. 19-21.\n\nFootnote 703:\n\n 1 Cor. i. 26.\n\nFootnote 704:\n\n Gal. v. 17.\n\nFootnote 705:\n\n Rom. viii. 9.\n\nFootnote 706:\n\n The text here is very obscure, and has given some trouble to\n commentators. The words are: \u201cQu\u00e6 ergo ista est pr\u00e6ter h\u00e6c voluntas\n anim\u00e6 qu\u00e6 extrinsecus nominatur,\u201d etc. Redepenning understands\n \u201cextrinsecus\u201d as meaning \u201cseorsim,\u201d \u201cinsuper,\u201d and refers to a note of\n Origen upon the Epistle to the Romans (tom. i. p. 466): \u201cEt idcirco\n _extrinsecus_ eam (animam, corporis et spiritus mentione fact\u00e2, Rom.\n i. 3, 4) apostolus non nominat, sed carnem tantum vel spiritum,\u201d etc.\n Schnitzer supposes that in the Greek the words were, \u03a4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u1f14\u03be\u03c9\n \u03ba\u03b1\u03bb\u03bf\u03c5\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03b7\u03c2, where \u1f14\u03be\u03c9 is to be taken in the sense of \u03ba\u03ac\u03c4\u03c9, so that the\n expression would mean \u201canima inferior.\u201d\n\nFootnote 707:\n\n In qu\u00e2 necesse est ex singulis quibusque partibus qu\u00e6 possunt moveri\n discutere.\n\nFootnote 708:\n\n Priusquam\u2014unum efficiatur cum eo.\n\nFootnote 709:\n\n Passiones.\n\nFootnote 710:\n\n Quibus nunc quidem arguimur, nunc vero nosmet ipsos amplectimur.\n\nFootnote 711:\n\n Evacuantur.\n\nFootnote 712:\n\n Cf. Rom. viii. 2.\n\nFootnote 713:\n\n Abusive.\n\nFootnote 714:\n\n Recomponi vult.\n\nFootnote 715:\n\n Gen. iv. 10.\n\nFootnote 716:\n\n Rom. vii. 23.\n\nFootnote 717:\n\n Plus studii vel propositi.\n\nFootnote 718:\n\n Rom. viii. 7.\n\nFootnote 719:\n\n Naturaliter.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER V.\n THAT THE WORLD TOOK ITS BEGINNING IN TIME.\n\n\n1. And now, since there is one of the articles of the church[720] which\nis held principally in consequence of our belief in the truth of our\nsacred history, viz. that this world was created and took its beginning\nat a certain time, and, in conformity to the cycle of time[721] decreed\nto all things, is to be destroyed on account of its corruption, there\nseems no absurdity in re-discussing a few points connected with this\nsubject. And so far, indeed, as the credibility of Scripture is\nconcerned, the declarations on such a matter seem easy of proof. Even\nthe heretics, although widely opposed on many other things, yet on this\nappear to be at one, yielding to the authority of Scripture.\n\nConcerning, then, the creation of the world, what portion of Scripture\ncan give us more information regarding it, than the account which Moses\nhas transmitted respecting its origin? And although it comprehends\nmatters of profounder significance than the mere historical narrative\nappears to indicate, and contains very many things that are to be\nspiritually understood, and employs the letter, as a kind of veil, in\ntreating of profound and mystical subjects; nevertheless the language of\nthe narrator shows that all visible things were created at a certain\ntime. But with regard to the consummation of the world, Jacob is the\nfirst who gives any information, in addressing his children in the\nwords: \u201cGather yourselves together unto me, ye sons of Jacob, that I may\ntell you what shall be in the last days,\u201d or \u201cafter the last days.\u201d[722]\nIf, then, there be \u201clast days,\u201d or a period \u201csucceeding the last days,\u201d\nthe days which had a beginning must necessarily come to an end. David,\ntoo, declares: \u201cThe heavens shall perish, but Thou shalt endure; yea,\nall of them shall wax old as doth a garment: as a vesture shalt Thou\nchange them, and they shall be changed: but Thou art the same, and Thy\nyears shall have no end.\u201d[723] Our Lord and Saviour, indeed, in the\nwords, \u201cHe who made them at the beginning, made them male and\nfemale,\u201d[724] Himself bears witness that the world was created; and\nagain, when He says, \u201cHeaven and earth shall pass away, but my words\nshall not pass away,\u201d[725] He points out that they are perishable, and\nmust come to an end. The apostle, moreover, in declaring that \u201cthe\ncreature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him\nwho hath subjected the same in hope, because the creature itself also\nshall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious\nliberty of the children of God,\u201d[726] manifestly announces the end of\nthe world; as he does also when he again says, \u201cThe fashion of this\nworld passeth away.\u201d[727] Now, by the expression which he employs, \u201cthat\nthe creature was made subject to vanity,\u201d he shows that there was a\nbeginning to this world: for if the creature were made subject to vanity\non account of some hope, it was certainly made subject from a cause; and\nseeing it was from a cause, it must necessarily have had a beginning:\nfor, without some beginning, the creature could not be subject to\nvanity, nor could that [creature] hope to be freed from the bondage of\ncorruption, which had not begun to serve. But any one who chooses to\nsearch at his leisure, will find numerous other passages in holy\nScripture in which the world is both said to have a beginning and to\nhope for an end.\n\n2. Now, if there be any one who would here oppose either the authority\nor credibility of our Scriptures,[728] we would ask of him whether he\nasserts that God can, or cannot, comprehend all things? To assert that\nHe cannot, would manifestly be an act of impiety. If then he answer, as\nhe must, that God comprehends all things, it follows from the very fact\nof their being capable of comprehension, that they are understood to\nhave a beginning and an end, seeing that which is altogether without any\nbeginning cannot be at all comprehended. For however far understanding\nmay extend, so far is the faculty of comprehending illimitably withdrawn\nand removed when there is held to be no beginning.\n\n3. But this is the objection which they generally raise: they say, \u201cIf\nthe world had its beginning in time, what was God doing before the world\nbegan? For it is at once impious and absurd to say that the nature of\nGod is inactive and immoveable, or to suppose that goodness at one time\ndid not do good, and omnipotence at one time did not exercise its\npower.\u201d Such is the objection which they are accustomed to make to our\nstatement that this world had its beginning at a certain time, and that,\nagreeably to our belief in Scripture, we can calculate the years of its\npast duration. To these propositions I consider that none of the\nheretics can easily return an answer that will be in conformity with the\nnature of their opinions. But we can give a logical answer in accordance\nwith the standard of religion,[729] when we say that not then for the\nfirst time did God begin to work when He made this visible world; but\nas, after its destruction, there will be another world, so also we\nbelieve that others existed before the present came into being. And both\nof these positions will be confirmed by the authority of holy Scripture.\nFor that there will be another world after this, is taught by Isaiah,\nwho says, \u201cThere will be a new heavens, and a new earth, which I shall\nmake to abide in my sight, saith the Lord;\u201d[730] and that before this\nworld others also existed is shown by Ecclesiastes, in the words: \u201cWhat\nis that which hath been? Even that which shall be. And what is that\nwhich has been created? Even this which is to be created: and there is\nnothing altogether new under the sun. Who shall speak and declare, Lo,\nthis is new? It hath already been in the ages which have been before\nus.\u201d[731] By these testimonies it is established both that there were\nages[732] before our own, and that there will be others after it. It is\nnot, however, to be supposed that several worlds existed at once, but\nthat, after the end of this present world, others will take their\nbeginning; respecting which it is unnecessary to repeat each particular\nstatement, seeing we have already done so in the preceding pages.\n\n4. This point, indeed, is not to be idly passed by, that the holy\nScriptures have called the creation of the world by a new and peculiar\nname, terming it \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1\u03b2\u03bf\u03bb\u03ae, which has been very improperly translated\ninto Latin by \u201cconstitutio;\u201d for in Greek \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1\u03b2\u03bf\u03bb\u03ae signifies rather\n\u201cdejicere,\u201d _i.e._ to cast downwards,\u2014a word which has been, as we have\nalready remarked, improperly translated into Latin by the phrase\n\u201cconstitutio mundi,\u201d as in the Gospel according to John, where the\nSaviour says, \u201cAnd there will be tribulation in those days, such as was\nnot since the beginning of the world;\u201d[733] in which passage \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1\u03b2\u03bf\u03bb\u03ae is\nrendered by beginning (_constitutio_), which is to be understood as\nabove explained. The apostle also, in the Epistle to the Ephesians, has\nemployed the same language, saying, \u201cWho hath chosen us before the\nfoundation of the world;\u201d[734] and this foundation he calls \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1\u03b2\u03bf\u03bb\u03ae, to\nbe understood in the same sense as before. It seems worth while, then,\nto inquire what is meant by this new term; and I am, indeed, of\nopinion[735] that, as the end and consummation of the saints will be in\nthose [ages] which are not seen, and are eternal, we must conclude (as\nfrequently pointed out in the preceding pages), from a contemplation of\nthat very end, that rational creatures had also a similar beginning. And\nif they had a beginning such as the end for which they hope, they\nexisted undoubtedly from the very beginning in those [ages] which are\nnot seen, and are eternal. And if this is so, then there has been a\ndescent from a higher to a lower condition, on the part not only of\nthose souls who have deserved the change by the variety of their\nmovements, but also on that of those who, in order to serve the whole\nworld, were brought down from those higher and invisible spheres to\nthese lower and visible ones, although against their will\u2014\u201cBecause the\ncreature was subjected to vanity, not willingly, but because of him who\nsubjected the same in hope;\u201d[736] so that both sun, and moon, and stars,\nand angels might discharge their duty to the world, and to those souls\nwhich, on account of their excessive mental defects, stood in need of\nbodies of a grosser and more solid nature; and for the sake of those for\nwhom this arrangement was necessary, this visible world was also called\ninto being. From this it follows, that by the use of the word \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1\u03b2\u03bf\u03bb\u03ae,\na descent from a higher to a lower condition, shared by all in common,\nwould seem to be pointed out. The hope indeed of freedom is entertained\nby the whole of creation\u2014of being liberated from the corruption of\nslavery\u2014when the sons of God, who either fell away or were scattered\nabroad,[737] shall be gathered together into one, or when they shall\nhave fulfilled their other duties in this world, which are known to God\nalone, the Disposer of all things. We are, indeed, to suppose that the\nworld was created of such quality and capacity as to contain not only\nall those souls which it was determined should be trained in this world,\nbut also all those powers which were prepared to attend, and serve, and\nassist them. For it is established by many declarations that all\nrational creatures are of one nature: on which ground alone could the\njustice of God in all His dealings with them be defended, seeing every\none has the reason in himself, why he has been placed in this or that\nrank in life.\n\n5. This arrangement of things, then, which God afterwards appointed (for\nHe had, from the very origin of the world, clearly perceived the reasons\nand causes affecting those who, either owing to mental deficiencies,\ndeserved to enter into bodies, or those who were carried away by their\ndesire for visible things, and those also who, either willingly or\nunwillingly, were compelled, [by Him who subjected the same in hope], to\nperform certain services to such as had fallen into that condition), not\nbeing understood by some, who failed to perceive that it was owing to\npreceding causes, originating in free-will, that this variety of\narrangement had been instituted by God, they have concluded that all\nthings in this world are directed either by fortuitous movements or by a\nnecessary fate, and that nothing is within the power of our own will.\nAnd, therefore, also they were unable to show that the providence of God\nwas beyond the reach of censure.\n\n6. But as we have said that all the souls who lived in this world stood\nin need of many ministers, or rulers, or assistants; so, in the last\ntimes, when the end of the world is already imminent and near, and the\nwhole human race is verging upon the last destruction, and when not only\nthose who were governed by others have been reduced to weakness, but\nthose also to whom had been committed the cares of government, it was no\nlonger such help nor such defenders that were needed, but the help of\nthe Author and Creator Himself was required to restore to the one the\ndiscipline of obedience, which had been corrupted and profaned, and to\nthe other the discipline of rule. And hence the only-begotten Son of\nGod, who was the Word and the Wisdom of the Father, when He was in the\npossession of that glory with the Father, which He had before the world\nwas, divested Himself[738] of it, and, taking the form of a servant, was\nmade obedient unto death, that He might teach obedience to those who\ncould not otherwise than by obedience obtain salvation. He restored also\nthe laws of rule and government[739] which had been corrupted, by\nsubduing all enemies under His feet, that by this means (for it was\nnecessary that He should reign until He had put all enemies under His\nfeet, and destroyed the last enemy\u2014death) He might teach rulers\nthemselves moderation in their government. As He had come, then, to\nrestore the discipline, not only of government, but of obedience, as we\nhave said, accomplishing in Himself first what He desired to be\naccomplished by others, He became obedient to the Father, not only to\nthe death of the cross, but also, in the end of the world, embracing in\nHimself all whom He subjects to the Father, and who by Him come to\nsalvation, He Himself, along with them, and in them, is said also to be\nsubject to the Father; all things subsisting in Him, and He Himself\nbeing the Head of all things, and in Him being the salvation and the\nfulness of those who obtain salvation. And this consequently is what the\napostle says of Him: \u201cAnd when all things shall be subjected to Him,\nthen shall the Son also Himself be subject to Him that put all things\nunder Him, that God may be all in all.\u201d\n\n7. I know not, indeed, how the heretics, not understanding the meaning\nof the apostle in these words, consider the term \u201csubjection\u201d degrading\nas applied to the Son; for if the propriety of the title be called in\nquestion, it may easily be ascertained from making a contrary\nsupposition. Because if it be not good to be in subjection, it follows\nthat the opposite will be good, viz. not to be in subjection. Now the\nlanguage of the apostle, according to their view, appears to indicate by\nthese words, \u201cAnd when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall\nthe Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under\nHim,\u201d[740] that He, who is not now in subjection to the Father, will\nbecome subject to Him when the Father shall have first subdued all\nthings unto Him. But I am astonished how it can be conceived to be the\nmeaning, that He who, while all things are not yet subdued to Him, is\nnot Himself in subjection, should\u2014at a time when all things have been\nsubdued to Him, and when He has become King of all men, and holds sway\nover all things\u2014be supposed then to be made subject, seeing He was not\nformerly in subjection; for such do not understand that the subjection\nof Christ to the Father indicates that our happiness has attained to\nperfection, and that the work undertaken by Him has been brought to a\nvictorious termination, seeing He has not only purified the power of\nsupreme government over the whole of creation, but presents to the\nFather the principles of the obedience and subjection of the human race\nin a corrected and improved condition.[741] If, then, that subjection be\nheld to be good and salutary by which the Son is said to be subject to\nthe Father, it is an extremely rational and logical inference to deduce\nthat the subjection also of enemies, which is said to be made to the Son\nof God, should be understood as being also salutary and useful; as if,\nwhen the Son is said to be subject to the Father, the perfect\nrestoration of the whole of creation is signified, so also, when enemies\nare said to be subjected to the Son of God, the salvation of the\nconquered and the restoration of the lost is in that understood to\nconsist.\n\n8. This subjection, however, will be accomplished in certain ways, and\nafter certain training, and at certain times; for it is not to be\nimagined that the subjection is to be brought about by the pressure of\nnecessity (lest the whole world should then appear to be subdued to God\nby force), but by word, reason, and doctrine; by a call to a better\ncourse of things, by the best systems of training, by the employment\nalso of suitable and appropriate threatenings, which will justly impend\nover those who despise any care or attention to their salvation and\nusefulness. In a word, we men also, in training either our slaves or\nchildren, restrain them by threats and fear while they are, by reason of\ntheir tender age, incapable of using their reason; but when they have\nbegun to understand what is good, and useful, and honourable, the fear\nof the lash being over, they acquiesce through the suasion of words and\nreason in all that is good. But how, consistently with the preservation\nof freedom of will in all rational creatures, each one ought to be\nregulated, _i.e._ who they are whom the word of God finds and trains, as\nif they were already prepared and capable of it; who they are whom it\nputs off to a later time; who these are from whom it is altogether\nconcealed, and who are so situated as to be far from hearing it; who\nthose, again, are who despise the word of God when made known and\npreached to them, and who are driven by a kind of correction and\nchastisement to salvation, and whose conversion is in a certain degree\ndemanded and extorted; who those are to whom certain opportunities of\nsalvation are afforded, so that sometimes, their faith being proved by\nan answer alone,[742] they have unquestionably obtained\nsalvation;[743]\u2014from what causes or on what occasions these results take\nplace, or what the divine wisdom sees within them, or what movements of\ntheir will leads God so to arrange all these things, is known to Him\nalone, and to His only-begotten Son, through whom all things were\ncreated and restored, and to the Holy Spirit, through whom all things\nare sanctified, who proceedeth from the Father,[744] to whom be glory\nfor ever and ever. Amen.\n\nFootnote 720:\n\n De ecclesiasticis definitionibus unum.\n\nFootnote 721:\n\n Consummationem s\u00e6culi.\n\nFootnote 722:\n\n Gen. xlix. 1. The Vulgate has, \u201cIn diebus novissimis;\u201d the Septuag.\n \u1f18\u03c0\u2019 \u1f10\u03c3\u03c7\u03ac\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u1f21\u03bc\u03b5\u03c1\u1ff6\u03bd;\u201d the Masoretic text, \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05d0\u05b7\u05d7\u05b2\u05e8\u05b4\u05a5\u05d9\u05ea.\n\nFootnote 723:\n\n Ps. cii. 26, 27.\n\nFootnote 724:\n\n Matt. xix. 4.\n\nFootnote 725:\n\n Matt. xxiv. 35.\n\nFootnote 726:\n\n Rom. viii. 20, 21.\n\nFootnote 727:\n\n 1 Cor. vii. 31.\n\nFootnote 728:\n\n Auctoritate Scriptur\u00e6 nostr\u00e6, vel fidei.\n\nFootnote 729:\n\n Regulam pietatis.\n\nFootnote 730:\n\n Cf. Isa. lxvi. 22.\n\nFootnote 731:\n\n Cf. Eccles. i. 9. The text is in conformity with the Septuag.: \u03a4\u03af \u03c4\u1f78\n \u03b3\u03b5\u03b3\u03bf\u03bd\u03cc\u03c2; \u0391\u1f50\u03c4\u1f78 \u03c4\u1f78 \u03b3\u03b5\u03bd\u03b7\u03c3\u03cc\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03bf\u03bd. \u039a\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c4\u03af \u03c4\u1f78 \u03c0\u03b5\u03c0\u03bf\u03b9\u03b7\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03bf\u03bd; \u0391\u1f50\u03c4\u1f78 \u03c4\u1f78\n \u03c0\u03bf\u03b9\u03b7\u03b8\u03b7\u03c3\u03cc\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03bf\u03bd. \u039a\u03b1\u1f76 \u03bf\u1f50\u03ba \u1f14\u03c3\u03c4\u03b9\u03bd \u03c0\u1fb6\u03bd \u03c0\u03c1\u03cc\u03c3\u03c6\u03b1\u03c4\u03bf\u03bd \u1f51\u03c0\u1f78 \u03c4\u1f78\u03bd \u1f25\u03bb\u03b9\u03bf\u03bd. \u1f4b\u03c2 \u03bb\u03b1\u03bb\u03ae\u03c3\u03b5\u03b9\n \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u1f10\u03c1\u03b5\u1fd6\u00b7 \u1f3c\u03b4\u03b5 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6\u03c4\u03bf \u03ba\u03b1\u03b9\u03bd\u03cc\u03bd \u1f10\u03c3\u03c4\u03b9\u03bd, \u1f24\u03b4\u03b7 \u03b3\u03ad\u03b3\u03bf\u03bd\u03b5\u03bd \u1f10\u03bd \u03c4\u03bf\u1fd6\u03c2 \u03b1\u1f30\u1ff6\u03c3\u03b9\u03bd \u03c4\u03bf\u1fd6\u03c2\n \u03b3\u03b5\u03bd\u03bf\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03bf\u03b9\u03c2 \u1f00\u03c0\u1f78 \u1f14\u03bc\u03c0\u03c1\u03bf\u03c3\u03b8\u03b5\u03bd \u1f21\u03bc\u1ff6\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 732:\n\n S\u00e6cula.\n\nFootnote 733:\n\n Matt. xxiv. 21.\n\nFootnote 734:\n\n Eph. i. 4.\n\nFootnote 735:\n\n The following is Jerome\u2019s version of this passage (Epistle to Avitus):\n \u201cA divine habitation, and a true rest above (_apud superos_), I think\n is to be understood, where rational creatures dwelt, and where, before\n their descent to a lower position, and removal from invisible to\n visible [worlds], and fall to earth, and need of gross bodies, they\n enjoyed a former blessedness. Whence God the Creator made for them\n bodies suitable to their humble position, and created this visible\n world, and sent into the world ministers for the salvation and\n correction of those who had fallen: of whom some were to obtain\n certain localities, and be subject to the necessities of the world;\n others were to discharge with care and attention the duties enjoined\n upon them at all times, and which were known to God, the Arranger [of\n all things]. And of these, the sun, moon, and stars, which are called\n \u2018creature\u2019 by the apostle, received the more elevated places of the\n world. Which \u2018creature\u2019 was made subject to vanity, in that it was\n clothed with gross bodies, and was open to view; and yet was subject\n to vanity, not voluntarily, but because of the will of Him who\n subjected the same in hope.\u201d And again: \u201cWhile others, whom we believe\n to be angels, at different places and times, which the Arranger alone\n knows, serve the government of the world.\u201d And a little further on:\n \u201cWhich order of things is regulated by the providential government of\n the whole world; some powers falling down from a loftier position,\n others gradually sinking to earth: some falling voluntarily, others\n being cast down against their will: some undertaking, of their own\n accord, the service of stretching out the hand to those who fall;\n others being compelled to persevere for so long a time in the duty\n which they have undertaken.\u201d And again: \u201cWhence it follows that, on\n account of the various movements, various worlds also are created; and\n after this world which we now inhabit, there will be another greatly\n dissimilar. But no other being save God alone, the Creator of all\n things, can arrange the deserts [of all], both to the time to come and\n to that which preceded, suitably to the differing lapses and advances\n [of individuals], and to the rewards of virtues or the punishment of\n vices, both in the present and in the future, and in all [times], and\n to conduct them all again to one end: for He knows the causes why He\n allows some to enjoy their own will, and to fall from a higher rank to\n the lowest condition; and why He begins to visit others, and bring\n them back gradually, as if by giving them His hand, to their pristine\n state, and placing them in a lofty position\u201d (Ru\u00e6us).\n\nFootnote 736:\n\n Cf. Rom. viii. 20, 21.\n\nFootnote 737:\n\n Dispersi.\n\nFootnote 738:\n\n Exinanivit semet ipsum.\n\nFootnote 739:\n\n Regendi regnandique.\n\nFootnote 740:\n\n 1 Cor. xv. 28.\n\nFootnote 741:\n\n Cum non solum regendi ac regnandi summam, quam in universam\n emendaverit creaturam, verum etiam obedienti\u00e6 et subjectione correcta\n reparataque humani generis Patri offerat instituta.\n\nFootnote 742:\n\n By a profession of faith in baptism.\n\nFootnote 743:\n\n Indubitatam ceperit salutem.\n\nFootnote 744:\n\n It was not until the third Synod of Toledo, A.D. 589, that the\n \u201cFilioque\u201d clause was added to the Creed of Constantinople,\u2014this\n difference forming, as is well known, one of the dogmatic grounds for\n the disunion between the Western and Eastern Churches down to the\n present day, the latter church denying that the Spirit proceedeth from\n the Father _and_ the Son.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER VI.\n ON THE END OF THE WORLD.\n\n\n1. Now, respecting the end of the world and the consummation of all\nthings, we have stated in the preceding pages, to the best of our\nability, so far as the authority of Holy Scripture enabled us, what we\ndeem sufficient for purposes of instruction; and we shall here only\nadd a few admonitory remarks, since the order of investigation has\nbrought us back to the subject. The highest good, then, after the\nattainment of which the whole of rational nature is seeking, which is\nalso called the end of all blessings,[745] is defined by many\nphilosophers as follows: The highest good, they say, is to become as\nlike to God as possible. But this definition I regard not so much as a\ndiscovery of theirs, as a view derived from holy Scripture. For this\nis pointed out by Moses, before all other philosophers, when he\ndescribes the first creation of man in these words: \u201cAnd God said, Let\nus make man in our own image, and after our likeness;\u201d[746] and then\nhe adds the words: \u201cSo God created man in His own image: in the image\nof God created He him; male and female created He them, and He blessed\nthem.\u201d[747] Now the expression, \u201cIn the image[748] of God created He\nhim,\u201d without any mention of the word \u201clikeness,\u201d[749] conveys no\nother meaning than this, that man received the dignity of God\u2019s image\nat his first creation; but that the perfection of his likeness has\nbeen reserved for the consummation,\u2014namely, that he might acquire it\nfor himself by the exercise of his own diligence in the imitation of\nGod, the possibility of attaining to perfection being granted him at\nthe beginning through the dignity of the divine image, and the perfect\nrealization of the divine likeness being reached in the end by the\nfulfilment of the [necessary] works. Now, that such is the case, the\nApostle John points out more clearly and unmistakeably, when he makes\nthis declaration: \u201cLittle children, we do not yet know what we shall\nbe; but if a revelation be made to us from the Saviour, ye will say,\nwithout any doubt, we shall be like Him.\u201d[750] By which expression he\npoints out with the utmost certainty, that not only was the end of all\nthings to be hoped for, which he says was still unknown to him, but\nalso the likeness to God, which will be conferred in proportion to the\ncompleteness of our deserts. The Lord Himself, in the Gospel, not only\ndeclares that these same results are future, but that they are to be\nbrought about by His own intercession, He Himself deigning to obtain\nthem from the Father for His disciples, saying, \u201cFather, I will that\nwhere I am, these also may be with me; and as Thou and I are one, they\nalso may be one in us.\u201d[751] In which the divine likeness itself\nalready appears to advance, if we may so express ourselves, and from\nbeing merely similar, to become the same,[752] because undoubtedly in\nthe consummation or end God is \u201call and in all.\u201d And with reference to\nthis, it is made a question by some[753] whether the nature of bodily\nmatter, although cleansed and purified, and rendered altogether\nspiritual, does not seem either to offer an obstruction towards\nattaining the dignity of the [divine] likeness, or to the property of\nunity,[754] because neither can a corporeal nature appear capable of\nany resemblance to a divine nature, which is certainly incorporeal;\nnor can it be truly and deservedly designated one with it, especially\nsince we are taught by the truths of our religion that that which\nalone is one, viz. the Son with the Father, must be referred to a\npeculiarity of the [divine] nature.\n\n2. Since, then, it is promised that in the end God will be all and in\nall, we are not, as is fitting, to suppose that animals, either sheep or\nother cattle, come to that end, lest it should be implied that God dwelt\neven in animals, whether sheep or other cattle; and so, too, with pieces\nof wood or stones, lest it should be said that God is in these also. So,\nagain, nothing that is wicked must be supposed to attain to that end,\nlest, while God is said to be in all things, He may also be said to be\nin a vessel of wickedness. For if we now assert that God is everywhere\nand in all things, on the ground that nothing can be empty of God, we\nnevertheless do not say that He is now \u201call things\u201d in those in whom He\nis. And hence we must look more carefully as to what that is which\ndenotes the perfection of blessedness and the end of things, which is\nnot only said to be God in all things, but also \u201call in all.\u201d Let us\nthen inquire what all those things are which God is to become in all.\n\n3. I am of opinion that the expression, by which God is said to be \u201call\nin all,\u201d means that He is \u201call\u201d in each individual person. Now He will\nbe \u201call\u201d in each individual in this way: when all which any rational\nunderstanding, cleansed from the dregs of every sort of vice, and with\nevery cloud of wickedness completely swept away, can either feel, or\nunderstand, or think, will be wholly God; and when it will no longer\nbehold or retain anything else than God, but when God will be the\nmeasure and standard of all its movements; and thus God will be \u201call,\u201d\nfor there will no longer be any distinction of good and evil, seeing\nevil nowhere exists; for God is all things, and to Him no evil is near:\nnor will there be any longer a desire to eat from the tree of the\nknowledge of good and evil, on the part of him who is always in the\npossession of good, and to whom God is all. So then, when the end has\nbeen restored to the beginning, and the termination of things compared\nwith their commencement, that condition of things will be re-established\nin which rational nature was placed, when it had no need to eat of the\ntree of the knowledge of good and evil; so that when all feeling of\nwickedness has been removed, and the individual has been purified and\ncleansed, He who alone is the one good God becomes to him \u201call,\u201d and\nthat not in the case of a few individuals, or of a considerable number,\nbut He Himself is \u201call in all.\u201d And when death shall no longer anywhere\nexist, nor the sting of death, nor any evil at all, then verily God will\nbe \u201call in all.\u201d But some are of opinion that that perfection and\nblessedness of rational creatures, or natures, can only remain in that\nsame condition of which we have spoken above, _i.e._ that all things\nshould possess God, and God should be to them all things, if they are in\nno degree prevented by their union with a bodily nature. Otherwise they\nthink that the glory of the highest blessedness is impeded by the\nintermixture of any material substance.[755] But this subject we have\ndiscussed at greater length, as may be seen in the preceding pages.\n\n4. And now, as we find the apostle making mention of a spiritual body,\nlet us inquire, to the best of our ability, what idea we are to form of\nsuch a thing. So far, then, as our understanding can grasp it, we\nconsider a spiritual body to be of such a nature as ought to be\ninhabited not only by all holy and perfect souls, but also by all those\ncreatures which will be liberated from the slavery of corruption.\nRespecting the body also, the apostle has said, \u201cWe have a house not\nmade with hands, eternal in the heavens,\u201d[756] _i.e._ in the mansions of\nthe blessed. And from this statement we may form a conjecture, how pure,\nhow refined, and how glorious are the qualities of that body, if we\ncompare it with those which, although they are celestial bodies, and of\nmost brilliant splendour, were nevertheless made with hands, and are\nvisible to our sight. But of that body it is said, that it is a house\nnot made with hands, but eternal in the heavens. Since, then, those\nthings \u201cwhich are seen are temporal, but those things which are not seen\nare eternal,\u201d[757] all those bodies which we see either on earth or in\nheaven, and which are capable of being seen, and have been made with\nhands, but are not eternal, are far excelled in glory by that which is\nnot visible, nor made with hands, but is eternal. From which comparison\nit may be conceived how great are the comeliness, and splendour, and\nbrilliancy of a spiritual body; and how true it is, that \u201ceye hath not\nseen, nor ear heard, nor hath it entered into the heart of man to\nconceive, what God hath prepared for them that love Him.\u201d[758] We ought\nnot, however, to doubt that the nature of this present body of ours may,\nby the will of God, who made it what it is, be raised to those qualities\nof refinement, and purity, and splendour [which characterize the body\nreferred to], according as the condition of things requires, and the\ndeserts of our rational nature shall demand. Finally, when the world\nrequired variety and diversity, matter yielded itself with all docility\nthroughout the diverse appearances and species of things to the Creator,\nas to its Lord and Maker, that He might educe from it the various forms\nof celestial and terrestrial beings. But when things have begun to\nhasten to that consummation that all may be one, as the Father is one\nwith the Son, it may be understood as a rational inference, that where\nall are one, there will no longer be any diversity.\n\n5. The last enemy, moreover, who is called death, is said on this\naccount to be destroyed, that there may not be anything left of a\nmournful kind when death does not exist, nor anything that is adverse\nwhen there is no enemy. The destruction of the last enemy, indeed, is to\nbe understood, not as if its substance, which was formed by God, is to\nperish, but because its mind and hostile will, which came not from God,\nbut from itself, are to be destroyed. Its destruction, therefore, will\nnot be its non-existence, but its ceasing to be an enemy, and [to be]\ndeath. For nothing is impossible to the Omnipotent, nor is anything\nincapable of restoration[759] to its Creator: for He made all things\nthat they might exist, and those things which were made for existence\ncannot cease to be. For this reason also will they admit of change and\nvariety, so as to be placed, according to their merits, either in a\nbetter or worse position; but no destruction of substance can befall\nthose things which were created by God for the purpose of permanent\nexistence.[760] For those things which agreeably to the common opinion\nare believed to perish, the nature either of our faith or of the truth\nwill not permit us to suppose to be destroyed. Finally, our flesh is\nsupposed by ignorant men and unbelievers to be destroyed after death, in\nsuch a degree that it retains no relic at all of its former substance.\nWe, however, who believe in its resurrection, understand that a change\nonly has been produced by death, but that its substance certainly\nremains; and that by the will of its Creator, and at the time appointed,\nit will be restored to life; and that a second time a change will take\nplace in it, so that what at first was flesh [formed] out of earthly\nsoil, and was afterwards dissolved by death, and again reduced to dust\nand ashes (\u201cFor dust thou art,\u201d[761] it is said, \u201cand to dust shalt thou\nreturn\u201d), will be again raised from the earth, and shall after this,\naccording to the merits of the indwelling soul, advance to the glory of\na spiritual body.\n\n6. Into this condition, then, we are to suppose that all this bodily\nsubstance of ours will be brought, when all things shall be\nre-established in a state of unity, and when God shall be all in all.\nAnd this result must be understood as being brought about, not suddenly,\nbut slowly and gradually, seeing that the process of amendment and\ncorrection will take place imperceptibly in the individual instances\nduring the lapse of countless and unmeasured ages, some outstripping\nothers, and tending by a swifter course towards perfection,[762] while\nothers again follow close at hand, and some again a long way behind; and\nthus, through the numerous and uncounted orders of progressive beings\nwho are being reconciled to God from a state of enmity, the last enemy\nis finally reached, who is called death, so that he also may be\ndestroyed, and no longer be an enemy. When, therefore, all rational\nsouls shall have been restored to a condition of this kind, then the\nnature of this body of ours will undergo a change into the glory of a\nspiritual body. For as we see it not to be the case with rational\nnatures, that some of them have lived in a condition of degradation\nowing to their sins, while others have been called to a state of\nhappiness on account of their merits; but as we see those same souls who\nhad formerly been sinful, assisted, after their conversion and\nreconciliation to God, to a state of happiness; so also are we to\nconsider, with respect to the nature of the body, that the one which we\nnow make use of in a state of meanness, and corruption, and weakness, is\nnot a different body from that which we shall possess in incorruption,\nand in power, and in glory; but that the same body, when it has cast\naway the infirmities in which it is now entangled, shall be transmuted\ninto a condition of glory, being rendered spiritual, so that what was a\nvessel of dishonour may, when cleansed, become a vessel unto honour, and\nan abode of blessedness. And in this condition, also, we are to believe,\nthat by the will of the Creator it will abide for ever without any\nchange, as is confirmed by the declaration of the apostle, when he says,\n\u201cWe have a house, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.\u201d For the\nfaith of the church does not admit the view of certain Grecian\nphilosophers, that there is besides the body, composed of four elements,\nanother fifth body, which is different in all its parts, and diverse\nfrom this our present body; since neither out of sacred Scripture can\nany produce the slightest suspicion of evidence for such an opinion, nor\ncan any rational inference from things allow the reception of it,\nespecially when the holy apostle manifestly declares, that it is not new\nbodies which are given to those who rise from the dead, but that they\nreceive those identical ones which they had possessed when living,\ntransformed from an inferior into a better condition. For his words are:\n\u201cIt is sown an animal body, it will rise a spiritual body: it is sown in\ncorruption, it will arise in incorruption: it is sown in weakness, it\nwill arise in power: it is sown in dishonour, it will arise in\nglory.\u201d[763] As, therefore, there is a kind of advance in man, so that\nfrom being first an animal being, and not understanding what belongs to\nthe Spirit of God, he reaches by means of instruction the stage of being\nmade a spiritual being, and of judging all things, while he himself is\njudged by no one; so also, with respect to the state of the body, we are\nto hold that this very body which now, on account of its service to the\nsoul, is styled an animal body, will, by means of a certain progress,\nwhen the soul, united to God, shall have been made one spirit with Him\n(the body even then ministering, as it were, to the spirit), attain to a\nspiritual condition and quality, especially since, as we have often\npointed out, bodily nature was so formed by the Creator, as to pass\neasily into whatever condition He should wish, or the nature of the case\ndemand.\n\n7. The whole of this reasoning, then, amounts to this: that God created\ntwo general natures,\u2014a visible, _i.e._ a corporeal nature; and an\ninvisible nature, which is incorporeal. Now these two natures admit of\ntwo different permutations. That invisible and rational nature changes\nin mind and purpose, because it is endowed with freedom of will, and is\non this account found sometimes to be engaged in the practice of good,\nand sometimes in that of the opposite. But this corporeal nature admits\nof a change in substance; whence also God, the arranger of all things,\nhas the service of this matter at His command in the moulding, or\nfabrication, or re-touching of whatever He wishes, so that corporeal\nnature may be transmuted, and transformed into any forms or species\nwhatever, according as the deserts of things may demand; which the\nprophet evidently has in view when he says, \u201cIt is God who makes and\ntransforms all things.\u201d[764]\n\n8. And now the point for investigation is, whether, when God shall be\nall in all, the whole of bodily nature will, in the consummation of all\nthings, consist of one species, and the sole quality of body be that\nwhich shall shine in the indescribable glory which is to be regarded as\nthe future possession of the spiritual body. For if we rightly\nunderstand the matter, this is the statement of Moses in the beginning\nof his book, when he says, \u201cIn the beginning God created the heavens and\nthe earth.\u201d[765] For this is the beginning of all creation: to this\nbeginning the end and consummation of all things must be recalled,\n_i.e._ in order that that heaven and that earth may be the habitation\nand resting-place of the pious; so that all the holy ones, and the meek,\nmay first obtain an inheritance in that land, since this is the teaching\nof the law, and of the prophets, and of the gospel. In which land I\nbelieve there exist the true and living forms of that worship which\nMoses handed down under the shadow of the law; of which it is said, that\n\u201cthey serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things\u201d[766]\u2014those,\nviz., who were in subjection in the law. To Moses himself also was the\ninjunction given, \u201cLook that thou make them after the form and pattern\nwhich were showed thee on the mount.\u201d[767] From which it appears to me,\nthat as on this earth the law was a sort of schoolmaster to those who by\nit were to be conducted to Christ, in order that, being instructed and\ntrained by it, they might more easily, after the training of the law,\nreceive the more perfect principles of Christ; so also another earth,\nwhich receives into it all the saints, may first imbue and mould them by\nthe institutions of the true and everlasting law, that they may more\neasily gain possession of those perfect institutions of heaven, to which\nnothing can be added; in which there will be, of a truth, that gospel\nwhich is called everlasting, and that Testament, ever new, which shall\nnever grow old.\n\n9. In this way, accordingly, we are to suppose that at the consummation\nand restoration of all things, those who make a gradual advance, and who\nascend [in the scale of improvement], will arrive in due measure and\norder at that land, and at that training which is contained in it, where\nthey may be prepared for those better institutions to which no addition\ncan be made. For, after His agents and servants, the Lord Christ, who is\nKing of all, will Himself assume the kingdom; _i.e._, after instruction\nin the holy virtues, He will Himself instruct those who are capable of\nreceiving Him in respect of His being wisdom, reigning in them until He\nhas subjected them to the Father, who has subdued all things to Himself,\n_i.e._ that when they shall have been made capable of receiving God, God\nmay be to them all in all. Then accordingly, as a necessary consequence,\nbodily nature will obtain that highest condition[768] to which nothing\nmore can be added. Having discussed, up to this point, the quality of\nbodily nature, or of spiritual body, we leave it to the choice of the\nreader to determine what he shall consider best. And here we may bring\nthe third book to a conclusion.\n\nFootnote 745:\n\n Finis omnium: \u201cbonorum\u201d understood.\n\nFootnote 746:\n\n Gen. i. 26.\n\nFootnote 747:\n\n Gen. i. 27, 28.\n\nFootnote 748:\n\n Imago.\n\nFootnote 749:\n\n Similitudo.\n\nFootnote 750:\n\n Cf. 1 John iii. 2.\n\nFootnote 751:\n\n Cf. John xvii. 24, cf. 21.\n\nFootnote 752:\n\n Ex simili unum fieri.\n\nFootnote 753:\n\n Jerome, in his Epistle to Avitus, No. 94, has the passage thus:\n \u201cSince, as we have already frequently observed, the beginning is\n generated again from the end, it is a question whether then also there\n will be bodies, or whether existence will be maintained at some time\n without them when they shall have been annihilated, and thus the life\n of incorporeal beings must be believed to be incorporeal, as we know\n is the case with God. And there is no doubt that if all the bodies\n which are termed visible by the apostle, belong to that sensible\n world, the life of incorporeal beings will be incorporeal.\u201d And a\n little after: \u201cThat expression, also, used by the apostle, \u2018The whole\n creation will be freed from the bondage of corruption into the\n glorious liberty of the children of God\u2019 (Rom. viii. 21), we so\n understand, that we say it was the first creation of rational and\n incorporeal beings which is not subject to corruption, because it was\n not clothed with bodies; for wherever bodies are, corruption\n immediately follows. But afterwards it will be freed from the bondage\n of corruption, when they shall have received the glory of the sons of\n God, and God shall be all in all.\u201d And in the same place: \u201cThat we\n must believe the end of all things to be incorporeal, the language of\n the Saviour Himself leads us to think, when He says, \u2018As I and Thou\n are one, so may they also be one in us\u2019 (John xvii. 21). For we ought\n to know what God is, and what the Saviour will be in the end, and how\n the likeness of the Father and the Son has been promised to the\n saints; for as they are one in Him, so they also are one in them. For\n we must adopt the view, either that the God of all things is clothed\n with a body, and as we are enveloped with flesh, so He also with some\n material covering, that the likeness of the life of God may be in the\n end produced also in the saints; or if this hypothesis is unbecoming,\n especially in the judgment of those who desire, even in the smallest\n degree, to feel the majesty of God, and to look upon the glory of His\n uncreated and all-surpassing nature, we are forced to adopt the other\n alternative, and despair either of attaining any likeness to God, if\n we are to inhabit for ever the same bodies, or if the blessedness of\n the same life with God is promised to us, we must live in the same\n state as that in which God lives.\u201d All these points have been omitted\n by Rufinus as erroneous, and statements of a different kind here and\n there inserted instead (Ru\u00e6us).\n\nFootnote 754:\n\n Ad unitatis proprietatem.\n\nFootnote 755:\n\n \u201cHere the honesty of Rufinus in his translation seems very suspicious;\n for Origen\u2019s well-known opinion regarding the sins and lapses of\n blessed spirits he here attributes to others. Nay, even the opinion\n which he introduces Origen as ascribing to others, he exhibits him as\n refuting a little further on, sec. 6, in these words: \u2018And in this\n condition [of blessedness] we are to believe that, by the will of the\n Creator, it will abide for ever without any change,\u2019 etc. I suspect,\n therefore, that all this is due to Rufinus himself, and that he has\n inserted it, instead of what is found in the beginning of the chapter,\n sec. 1, and which in Jerome\u2019s Epistle to Avitus stands as follows:\n \u2018Nor is there any doubt that, after certain intervals of time, matter\n will again exist, and bodies be formed, and a diversity be established\n in the world, on account of the varying wills of rational creatures,\n who, after [enjoying] perfect blessedness down to the end of all\n things, have gradually fallen away to a lower condition, and received\n into them so much wickedness, that they are converted into an opposite\n condition, by their unwillingness to retain their original state, and\n to preserve their blessedness uncorrupted. Nor is this point to be\n suppressed, that many rational creatures retain their first condition\n (_principium_) even to the second and third and fourth worlds, and\n allow no room for any change within them; while others, again, will\n lose so little of their pristine state, that they will appear to have\n lost almost nothing, and some are to be precipitated with great\n destruction into the lowest pit. And God, the disposer of all things,\n when creating His worlds, knows how to treat each individual agreeably\n to his merits, and He is acquainted with the occasions and causes by\n which the government (_gubernacla_) of the world is sustained and\n commenced; so that he who surpassed all others in wickedness, and\n brought himself completely down to the earth, is made in another\n world, which is afterwards to be formed, a devil, the beginning of the\n creation of the Lord (Job xl. 19), to be mocked by the angels who have\n lost the virtue of their original condition\u2019 (_exordii\n virtutem_).\u201d\u2014RU\u00c6US.\n\nFootnote 756:\n\n 1 Cor. v. 1.\n\nFootnote 757:\n\n 2 Cor. iv. 18.\n\nFootnote 758:\n\n 1 Cor. ii. 9; cf. Isa. lxiv. 4.\n\nFootnote 759:\n\n Insanabile.\n\nFootnote 760:\n\n Ut essent et permanerent.\n\nFootnote 761:\n\n Gen. iii. 19.\n\nFootnote 762:\n\n Ad summa.\n\nFootnote 763:\n\n 1 Cor. xv. 28.\n\nFootnote 764:\n\n Cf. Ps. cii. 25, 26.\n\nFootnote 765:\n\n Gen. i. 1.\n\nFootnote 766:\n\n Heb. viii. 5.\n\nFootnote 767:\n\n Ex. xxv. 40.\n\nFootnote 768:\n\n Jerome (Epistle to Avitus, No. 94) says that Origen, \u201cafter a most\n lengthened discussion, in which he asserts that all bodily nature is\n to be changed into attenuated and spiritual bodies, and that all\n substance is to be converted into one body of perfect purity, and more\n brilliant than any splendour (_mundissimum et omni splendore purius_),\n and such as the human mind cannot now conceive,\u201d adds at the last,\n \u201cAnd God will be \u2018all in all,\u2019 so that the whole of bodily nature may\n be reduced into that substance which is better than all others, into\n the divine, viz., than which none is better.\u201d From which, since it\n seems to follow that God possesses a body, although of extreme tenuity\n (_licet tenuissimum_), Rufinus has either suppressed this view, or\n altered the meaning of Origen\u2019s words (Ru\u00e6us).\n\n\n\n\n BOOK IV.\n\n\n[Transcriber\u2019s Note: The following chapter was printed in the original\nbook with the translation from the Latin on the top of the page, and the\ntranslation from the Greek on the bottom. In this e-book, instead, the\nLatin translation for an entire numbered section will be printed,\nfollowed by that section\u2019s Greek translation.]\n\n\n CHAPTER I.\n THAT THE SCRIPTURES ARE DIVINELY INSPIRED.\n\n TRANSLATED FROM THE LATIN OF RUFINUS.\n\n\n1. But as it is not sufficient, in the discussion of matters of such\nimportance, to entrust the decision to the human senses and to the human\nunderstanding, and to pronounce on things invisible as if they were seen\nby us,[769] we must, in order to establish the positions which we have\nlaid down, adduce the testimony of Holy Scripture. And that this\ntestimony may produce a sure and unhesitating belief, either with regard\nto what we have still to advance, or to what has been already stated, it\nseems necessary to show, in the first place, that the Scriptures\nthemselves are divine, _i.e._ were inspired by the Spirit of God. We\nshall therefore with all possible brevity draw forth from the Holy\nScriptures themselves, such evidence on this point as may produce upon\nus a suitable impression, [making our quotations] from Moses, the first\nlegislator of the Hebrew nation, and from the words of Jesus Christ, the\nAuthor and Chief of the Christian religious system.[770] For although\nthere have been numerous legislators among the Greeks and Barbarians,\nand also countless teachers and philosophers who professed to declare\nthe truth, we do not remember any legislator who was able to produce in\nthe minds of foreign nations an affection and a zeal [for him] such as\nled them either voluntarily to adopt his laws, or to defend them with\nall the efforts of their mind. No one, then, has been able to introduce\nand make known what seemed to himself the truth, among, I do not say\nmany foreign nations, but even amongst the individuals of one single\nnation, in such a manner that a knowledge and belief of the same should\nextend to all. And yet there can be no doubt that it was the wish of the\nlegislators that their laws should be observed by all men, if possible;\nand of the teachers, that what appeared to themselves to be truth,\nshould become known to all. But knowing that they could by no means\nsucceed in producing any such mighty power within them as would lead\nforeign nations to obey their laws, or have regard to their statements,\nthey did not venture even to essay the attempt, lest the failure of the\nundertaking should stamp their conduct with the mark of imprudence. And\nyet there are throughout the whole world\u2014throughout all Greece, and all\nforeign countries\u2014countless individuals who have abandoned the laws of\ntheir country, and those whom they had believed to be gods, and have\nyielded themselves up to the obedience of the law of Moses, and to the\ndiscipleship and worship of Christ; and have done this, not without\nexciting against themselves the intense hatred of the worshippers of\nimages, so as frequently to be exposed to cruel tortures from the\nlatter, and sometimes even to be put to death. And yet they embrace, and\nwith all affection preserve, the words and teaching of Christ.\n\n\n CHAPTER I.\n\n ON THE INSPIRATION OF HOLY SCRIPTURE, AND HOW THE SAME IS TO BE READ\n AND UNDERSTOOD, AND WHAT IS THE REASON OF THE UNCERTAINTY IN IT; AND\n OF THE IMPOSSIBILITY OR IRRATIONALITY OF CERTAIN THINGS IN IT, TAKEN\n ACCORDING TO THE LETTER.\n\n TRANSLATION FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n [The translation from the Greek is designedly literal, that the\n difference between the original and the paraphrase of Rufinus may be\n more clearly seen.]\n\n\n1. Since, in our investigation of matters of such importance, not\nsatisfied with the common opinions, and with the clear evidence of\nvisible things,[771] we take in addition, for the proof of our\nstatements, testimonies from what are believed by us to be divine\nwritings, viz. from that which is called the Old Testament, and that\nwhich is styled the New, and endeavour by reason to confirm our faith;\nand as we have not yet spoken of the Scriptures as divine, come and let\nus, as if by way of an epitome, treat of a few points respecting them,\nlaying down those reasons which lead us to regard them as divine\nwritings. And before making use of the words of the writings themselves,\nand of the things which are exhibited in them, we must make the\nfollowing statement regarding Moses and Jesus Christ,\u2014the lawgiver of\nthe Hebrews, and the Introducer of the saving doctrines according to\nChristianity. For, although there have been very many legislators among\nthe Greeks and Barbarians, and teachers who announced opinions which\nprofessed to be the truth, we have heard of no legislator who was able\nto imbue other nations with a zeal for the reception of his words; and\nalthough those who professed to philosophize about truth brought forward\na great apparatus of apparent logical demonstration, no one has been\nable to impress what was deemed by him the truth upon other nations, or\neven on any number of persons worth mentioning in a single nation. And\nyet not only would the legislators have liked to enforce those laws\nwhich appeared to be good, if possible, upon the whole human race, but\nthe teachers also to have spread what they imagined to be truth\neverywhere throughout the world. But as they were unable to call men of\nother languages and from many nations to observe their laws, and accept\ntheir teaching, they did not at all attempt to do this, considering not\nunwisely the impossibility of such a result happening to them. Whereas\nall Greece, and the barbarous part of our world, contains innumerable\nzealots, who have deserted the laws of their fathers and the established\ngods, for the observance of the laws of Moses and the discipleship of\nthe words of Jesus Christ; although those who clave to the law of Moses\nwere hated by the worshippers of images, and those who accepted the\nwords of Jesus Christ were exposed, in addition, to the danger of death.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n2. And we may see, moreover, how that religion itself grew up in a short\ntime, making progress by the punishment and death of its worshippers, by\nthe plundering of their goods, and by the tortures of every kind which\nthey endured; and this result is the more surprising, that even the\nteachers of it themselves neither were men of skill,[772] nor very\nnumerous; and yet these words are preached throughout the whole world,\nso that Greeks and Barbarians, wise and foolish, adopt the doctrines of\nthe Christian religion.[773] From which it is no doubtful inference,\nthat it is not by human power or might that the words of Jesus Christ\ncome to prevail with all faith and power over the understandings and\nsouls of all men. For, that these results were both predicted by Him,\nand established by divine answers proceeding from Him, is clear from His\nown words: \u201cYe shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake,\nfor a testimony against them and the Gentiles.\u201d[774] And again: \u201cThis\ngospel of the kingdom shall be preached among all nations.\u201d[775] And\nagain: \u201cMany shall say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not eaten\nand drunk in Thy name, and in Thy name cast out devils? And I will say\nunto them, Depart from me, ye workers of iniquity, I never knew\nyou.\u201d[776] If these sayings, indeed, had been so uttered by Him, and yet\nif these predictions had not been fulfilled, they might perhaps appear\nto be untrue,[777] and not to possess any authority. But now, when His\ndeclarations do pass into fulfilment, seeing they were predicted with\nsuch power and authority, it is most clearly shown to be true that He,\nwhen He was made man, delivered to men the precepts of salvation.[778]\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n2. And if we observe how powerful the word has become in a very few\nyears, notwithstanding that against those who acknowledged Christianity\nconspiracies were formed, and some of them on its account put to death,\nand others of them lost their property, and that, notwithstanding the\nsmall number of its teachers,[779] it was preached everywhere throughout\nthe world, so that Greeks and Barbarians, wise and foolish, gave\nthemselves up to the worship that is through Jesus,[780] we have no\ndifficulty in saying that the result is beyond any human power,[781]\nJesus having taught with all authority and persuasiveness that His word\nshould not be overcome; so that we may rightly regard as oracular\nresponses[782] those utterances of His, such as, \u201cYe shall be brought\nbefore governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and\nthe Gentiles;\u201d[783] and, \u201cMany shall say unto me in that day, Lord,\nLord, have we not eaten in Thy name, and drunk in Thy name, and in Thy\nname cast out devils? And I shall say unto them, Depart from me, ye\nworkers of iniquity, I never knew you.\u201d[784] Now it was perhaps [once]\nprobable that, in uttering these words, He spoke them in vain, so that\nthey were not true; but when that which was delivered with so much\nauthority _has_ come to pass, it shows that God, having really become\nman, delivered to men the doctrines of salvation.[785]\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n3. What, then, are we to say of this, which the prophets had beforehand\nforetold of Him, that princes would not cease from Judah, nor leaders\nfrom between his thighs, until He should come for whom it has been\nreserved (viz. the kingdom), and until the expectation of the Gentiles\nshould come? For it is most distinctly evident from the history itself,\nfrom what is clearly seen at the present day, that from the times of\nChrist onwards there were no kings amongst the Jews. Nay, even all those\nobjects of Jewish pride,[786] of which they vaunted so much, and in\nwhich they exulted, whether regarding the beauty of the temple or the\nornaments of the altar, and all those sacerdotal fillets and robes of\nthe high priests, were all destroyed together. For the prophecy was\nfulfilled which had declared, \u201cFor the children of Israel shall abide\nmany days without king and prince: there shall be no victim, nor altar,\nnor priesthood, nor answers.\u201d[787] These testimonies, accordingly, we\nemploy against those who seem to assert that what is spoken in Genesis\nby Jacob refers to Judah; and who say that there still remains a prince\nof the race of Judah\u2014he, viz., who is the prince of their nation, whom\nthey style Patriarch[788]\u2014and that there cannot fail [a ruler] of his\nseed, who will remain until the advent of that Christ whom they picture\nto themselves. But if the prophet\u2019s words be true, when he says, \u201cThe\nchildren of Israel shall abide many days without king, without prince;\nand there shall be no victim, nor altar, nor priesthood;\u201d[789] and if,\ncertainly, since the overthrow of the temple, victims are neither\noffered, nor any altar found, nor any priesthood exists, it is most\ncertain that, as it is written, princes have departed from Judah, and a\nleader from between his thighs, until the coming of him for whom it has\nbeen reserved. It is established, then, that he is come for whom it has\nbeen reserved, and in whom is the expectation of the Gentiles. And this\nmanifestly seems to be fulfilled in the multitude of those who have\nbelieved on God through Christ out of the different nations.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n3. And what need is there to mention also that it was predicted of\nChrist[790] that then would the rulers fail from Judah, and the leaders\nfrom his thighs,[791] when He came for whom it is reserved (the kingdom,\nnamely); and that the expectation of the Gentiles should dwell in the\nland?[792] For it is clearly manifest from the history, and from what is\nseen at the present day, that from the times of Jesus there were no\nlonger any who were called kings of the Jews;[793] all those Jewish\ninstitutions on which they prided themselves\u2014I mean those arrangements\nrelating to the temple and the altar, and the offering of the service,\nand the robes of the high priest\u2014having been destroyed. For the prophecy\nwas fulfilled which said, \u201cThe children of Israel shall sit many days,\nthere being no king, nor ruler, nor sacrifice, nor altar, nor\npriesthood, nor responses.\u201d[794] And these predictions we employ to\nanswer those who, in their perplexity as to the words spoken in Genesis\nby Jacob to Judah, assert that the Ethnarch,[795] being of the race of\nJudah, is the ruler of the people, and that there will not fail some of\nhis seed, until the advent of that Christ whom they figure to their\nimagination. But if \u201cthe children of Israel are to sit many days without\na king, or ruler, or altar, or priesthood, or responses;\u201d and if, since\nthe temple was destroyed, there exists no longer sacrifice, nor altar,\nnor priesthood, it is manifest that the ruler _has_ failed out of Judah,\nand the leader from between his thighs. And since the prediction\ndeclares that \u201cthe ruler shall not fail from Judah, and the leader from\nbetween his thighs, until what is reserved for him shall come,\u201d it is\nmanifest that He is come to whom [belongs] what is reserved\u2014the\nexpectation of the Gentiles. And this is clear from the multitude of the\nheathen who have believed on God through Jesus Christ.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n4. In the song of Deuteronomy,[796] also, it is prophetically declared\nthat, on account of the sins of the former people, there was to be an\nelection of a foolish nation,\u2014no other, certainly, than that which was\nbrought about by Christ; for thus the words run: \u201cThey have moved me to\nanger with their images, and I will stir them up to jealousy; I will\narouse them to anger against a foolish nation.\u201d[797] We may therefore\nevidently see how the Hebrews, who are said to have excited God\u2019s anger\nby means of those [idols], which are no gods, and to have aroused His\nwrath by their images, were themselves also excited to jealousy by means\nof a foolish nation, which God hath chosen by the advent of Jesus Christ\nand His disciples. For the following is the language of the apostle:\n\u201cFor ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men among you\nafter the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble (are called): but God\nhas chosen the foolish things of the world, and the things which are\nnot, to destroy the things which formerly existed.\u201d[798] Carnal Israel,\ntherefore, should not boast; for such is the term used by the apostle:\n\u201cNo flesh, I say, should glory in the presence of God.\u201d[799]\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n4. And in the song in Deuteronomy,[800] also, it is prophetically made\nknown that, on account of the sins of the former people,[801] there was\nto be an election of foolish nations, which has been brought to pass by\nno other than by Jesus. \u201cFor they,\u201d He says, \u201cmoved me to jealousy with\nthat which is not God, they have provoked me to anger with their idols;\nand I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people, and\nwill provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.\u201d[802] Now it is\npossible to understand with all clearness how the Hebrews, who are said\nto have moved God to jealousy by that which is not God, and to have\nprovoked Him to anger by their idols, were [themselves] aroused to\njealousy by that which was not a people\u2014the foolish nation, namely,\nwhich God chose by the advent of Jesus Christ and His disciples. We see,\nindeed, \u201cour calling, that not many wise men after the flesh, not many\nmighty, not many noble (are called); but God hath chosen the foolish\nthings of the world to confound the wise; and base things, and things\nthat are despised, hath God chosen, and things that are not, to bring to\nnought the things which formerly existed;\u201d[803] and let not the Israel\naccording to the flesh, which is called by the apostle \u201cflesh,\u201d boast in\nthe presence of God.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n5. What are we to say, moreover, regarding those prophecies of Christ\ncontained in the Psalms, especially the one with the superscription, \u201cA\nsong for the Beloved;\u201d[804] in which it is stated that \u201cHis tongue is\nthe pen of a ready writer; fairer than the children of men;\u201d that \u201cgrace\nis poured into His lips?\u201d Now, the indication that grace has been poured\nupon His lips is this, that, after a short period had elapsed\u2014for He\ntaught only during a year and some months\u2014the whole world, nevertheless,\nbecame filled with His doctrine, and with faith in His religion. There\narose, then, \u201cin His days righteous men, and abundance of peace,\u201d[805]\nabiding even to the end, which end is entitled \u201cthe taking away of the\nmoon;\u201d and \u201cHis dominion shall extend from sea to sea, and from the\nriver to the ends of the earth.\u201d[806] There was a sign also given to the\nhouse of David. For a virgin conceived, and bare Emmanuel, which, when\ninterpreted, signifies, \u201cGod with us: know it, O nations, and be\novercome.\u201d[807] For we are conquered and overcome, who are of the\nGentiles, and remain as a kind of spoils of His victory, who have\nsubjected our necks to His grace. Even the place of His birth was\npredicted in the prophecies of Micah, who said, \u201cAnd thou, Bethlehem,\nland of Judah, art by no means small among the leaders of Judah: for out\nof thee shall come forth a Leader, who shall rule my people\nIsrael.\u201d[808] The weeks of years, also, which the prophet Daniel had\npredicted, extending to the leadership of Christ,[809] have been\nfulfilled. Moreover, He is at hand, who in the book of Job[810] is said\nto be about to destroy the huge beast, who also gave power to His own\ndisciples to tread on serpents and scorpions, and on all the power of\nthe enemy, without being injured by him. But if any one will consider\nthe journeys of Christ\u2019s apostles throughout the different places, in\nwhich as His messengers they preached the gospel, he will find that both\nwhat they ventured to undertake is beyond the power of man, and what\nthey were enabled to accomplish is from God alone. If we consider how\nmen, on hearing that a new doctrine was introduced by these, were able\nto receive them; or rather, when desiring often to destroy them, they\nwere prevented by a divine power which was in them, we shall find that\nin this nothing was effected by human strength, but that the whole was\nthe result of the divine power and providence,\u2014signs and wonders,\nmanifest beyond all doubt, bearing testimony to their word and doctrine.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n5. And what are we to say regarding the prophecies of Christ in the\nPsalms, there being a certain ode with the superscription \u201cFor the\nBeloved,\u201d[811] whose \u201ctongue\u201d is said to be the \u201cpen of a ready writer,\nwho is fairer than the sons of men,\u201d since \u201cgrace was poured on His\nlips?\u201d For a proof that grace was poured on His lips is this, that\nalthough the period of His teaching was short\u2014for He taught somewhere\nabout a year and a few months\u2014the world has been filled with His\nteaching, and with the worship of God [established] through Him. For\nthere arose \u201cin His days righteousness and abundance of peace,\u201d[812]\nwhich abides until the consummation, which has been called the taking\naway of the moon; and He continues \u201cruling from sea to sea, and from the\nrivers to the ends of the earth.\u201d[813] And to the house of David has\nbeen given a sign: for the Virgin bore, and was pregnant,[814] and\nbrought forth a son, and His name is Emmanuel, which is, \u201cGod with us;\u201d\nand as the same prophet says, the prediction has been fulfilled, \u201cGod\n[is] with us; know it, O nations, and be overcome; ye who are strong, be\nvanquished:\u201d[815] for we of the heathen have been overcome and\nvanquished, we who have been taken by the grace of His teaching. The\nplace also of His birth has been foretold in [the prophecies of] Micah:\n\u201cFor thou, Bethlehem,\u201d he says, \u201cland of Judah, art by no means the\nleast among the rulers of Judah; for out of thee shall come forth a\nRuler, who shall rule my people Israel.\u201d[816] And according to Daniel,\nseventy weeks were fulfilled until [the coming of] Christ the\nRuler.[817] And He came, who, according to Job,[818] has subdued the\ngreat fish,[819] and has given power to His true disciples to tread upon\nserpents and scorpions, and all the power of the enemy,[820] without\nsustaining any injury from them. And let one notice also the universal\nadvent of the apostles sent by Jesus to announce the gospel, and he will\nsee both that the undertaking was beyond human power, and that the\ncommandment came from God. And if we examine how men, on hearing new\ndoctrines, and strange words, yielded themselves up to these teachers,\nbeing overcome, amid the very desire to plot against them, by a divine\npower that watched over these [teachers], we shall not be incredulous as\nto whether they also wrought miracles, God bearing witness to their\nwords both by signs, and wonders, and divers miracles.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n6. These points now being briefly established, viz. regarding the deity\nof Christ, and the fulfilment of all that was prophesied respecting Him,\nI think that this position also has been made good, viz. that the\nScriptures themselves, which contained these predictions, were divinely\ninspired,\u2014those, namely, which had either foretold His advent, or the\npower of His doctrine, or the bringing over of all nations [to His\nobedience]. To which this remark must be added, that the divinity and\ninspiration both of the predictions of the prophets and of the law of\nMoses have been clearly revealed and confirmed, especially since the\nadvent of Christ into the world. For before the fulfilment of those\nevents which were predicted by them, they could not, although true and\ninspired by God, be shown to be so, because they were as yet\nunfulfilled. But the coming of Christ was a declaration that their\nstatements were true and divinely inspired, although it was certainly\ndoubtful before that whether there would be an accomplishment of those\nthings which had been foretold.\n\nIf any one, moreover, consider the words of the prophets with all the\nzeal and reverence which they deserve, it is certain that, in the\nperusal and careful examination thus given them, he will feel his mind\nand senses touched by a divine breath, and will acknowledge that the\nwords which he reads were no human utterances, but the language of God;\nand from his own emotions he will feel that these books were the\ncomposition of no human skill, nor of any mortal eloquence, but, so to\nspeak, of a style that is divine.[821] The splendour of Christ\u2019s advent,\ntherefore, illuminating the law of Moses by the light of truth, has\ntaken away that veil which had been placed over the letter [of the law],\nand has unsealed, for every one who believes upon Him, all the blessings\nwhich were concealed by the covering of the word.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n6. And while we thus briefly[822] demonstrate the deity of Christ, and\n[in so doing] make use of the prophetic declarations regarding Him, we\ndemonstrate at the same time that the writings which prophesied of Him\nwere divinely inspired; and that those documents which announced His\ncoming and His doctrine were given forth with all power and authority,\nand that on this account they obtained the election from the\nGentiles.[823], We must say, also, that the divinity of the prophetic\ndeclarations, and the spiritual nature of the law of Moses, shone forth\nafter the advent of Christ. For before the advent of Christ it was not\naltogether possible to exhibit manifest proofs of the divine inspiration\nof the ancient Scriptures; whereas His coming led those who might\nsuspect the law and the prophets not to be divine, to the clear\nconviction that they were composed by [the aid of] heavenly grace. And\nhe who reads the words of the prophets with care and attention, feeling\nby the very perusal the traces of the divinity[824] that is in them,\nwill be led by his own emotions to believe that those words which have\nbeen deemed to be the words of God are not the compositions of men. The\nlight, moreover, which was contained in the law of Moses, but which had\nbeen concealed by a veil, shone forth at the advent of Jesus, the veil\nbeing taken away, and those blessings, the shadow of which was contained\nin the letter, coming forth gradually to the knowledge [of men].\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n7. It is, however, a matter attended with considerable labour, to point\nout, in every instance, how and when the predictions of the prophets\nwere fulfilled, so as to appear to confirm those who are in doubt,\nseeing it is possible for every one who wishes to become more thoroughly\nacquainted with these things, to gather abundant proofs from the records\nof the truth themselves. But if the sense of the letter, which is beyond\nman, does not appear to present itself at once, on the first glance, to\nthose who are less versed in divine discipline, it is not at all to be\nwondered at, because divine things are brought down somewhat slowly to\n[the comprehension of] men, and elude the view in proportion as one is\neither sceptical or unworthy. For although it is certain that all things\nwhich exist in this world, or take place in it, are ordered by the\nprovidence of God, and certain events indeed do appear with sufficient\nclearness to be under the disposal of His providential government, yet\nothers again unfold themselves so mysteriously and incomprehensibly,\nthat the plan of Divine Providence with regard to them is completely\nconcealed; so that it is occasionally believed by some that particular\noccurrences do not belong to [the plan of] Providence, because the\nprinciple eludes their grasp, according to which the works of Divine\nProvidence are administered with indescribable skill; which principle of\nadministration, however, is not equally concealed from all. For even\namong men themselves, one individual devotes less consideration to it,\nanother more; while by every man, He who is on earth, whoever is the\ninhabitant of heaven, is more acknowledged.[825] And the nature of\nbodies is clear to us in one way, that of trees in another, that of\nanimals in a third; the nature of souls, again, is concealed in a\ndifferent way; and the manner in which the diverse movements of rational\nunderstandings are ordered by Providence, eludes the view of men in a\ngreater degree, and even, in my opinion, in no small degree that of the\nangels also. But as the existence of divine providence is not refuted by\nthose especially who are certain of its existence, but who do not\ncomprehend its workings or arrangements by the powers of the human mind;\nso neither will the divine inspiration of holy Scripture, which extends\nthroughout its body, be believed to be non-existent, because the\nweakness of our understanding is unable to trace out the hidden and\nsecret meaning in each individual word, the treasure of divine wisdom\nbeing hid in the vulgar and unpolished vessels of words,[826] as the\napostle also points out when he says, \u201cWe have this treasure in earthen\nvessels,\u201d[827] that the virtue of the divine power may shine out the\nmore brightly, no colouring of human eloquence being intermingled with\nthe truth of the doctrines. For if our books induced men to believe\nbecause they were composed either by rhetorical arts or by the wisdom of\nphilosophy, then undoubtedly our faith would be considered to be based\non the art of words, and on human wisdom, and not upon the power of God;\nwhereas it is now known to all that the word of this preaching has been\nso accepted by numbers throughout almost the whole world, because they\nunderstood their belief to rest not on the persuasive words of human\nwisdom, but on the manifestation of the Spirit and of power. On which\naccount, being led by a heavenly, nay, by a more than heavenly power, to\nfaith and acceptance,[828] that we may worship the sole Creator of all\nthings as our God, let us also do our utmost endeavour, by abandoning\nthe language of the elements of Christ, which are but the first\nbeginnings of wisdom, to go on to perfection, in order that that wisdom\nwhich is given to them who are perfect, may be given to us also. For\nsuch is the promise of him to whom was entrusted the preaching of this\nwisdom, in the words: \u201cHowbeit we speak wisdom among them that are\nperfect; yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this\nworld, who will be brought to nought;\u201d[829] by which he shows that this\nwisdom of ours has nothing in common, so far as regards the beauty of\nlanguage, with the wisdom of this world. This wisdom, then, will be\ninscribed more clearly and perfectly on our hearts, if it be made known\nto us according to the revelation of the mystery which has been hid from\neternity,[830] but now is manifest through the Scriptures of prophecy,\nand the advent of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to whom be glory\nfor ever. Amen. Many, not understanding the Scriptures in a spiritual\nsense, but incorrectly,[831] have fallen into heresies.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n7. It would be tedious now to enumerate the most ancient prophecies\nrespecting each future event, in order that the doubter, being impressed\nby their divinity, may lay aside all hesitation and distraction, and\ndevote himself with his whole soul to the words of God. But if in every\npart of the Scriptures the superhuman element of thought[832] does not\nseem to present itself to the uninstructed, that is not at all\nwonderful; for, with respect to the works of that providence which\nembraces the whole world, some show with the utmost clearness that they\nare works of providence, while others are so concealed as to seem to\nfurnish ground for unbelief with respect to that God who orders all\nthings with unspeakable skill and power. For the artistic plan[833] of a\nprovidential Ruler is not so evident in those matters belonging to the\nearth, as in the case of the sun, and moon, and stars; and not so clear\nin what relates to human occurrences, as it is in the souls and bodies\nof animals,\u2014the object and reason of the impulses, and phantasies and\nnatures of animals, and the structure of their bodies, being carefully\nascertained by those who attend to these things.[834] But as [the\ndoctrine of] providence is not at all weakened[835] (on account of those\nthings which are not understood) in the eyes of those who have once\nhonestly accepted it, so neither is the divinity of Scripture, which\nextends to the whole of it, [lost] on account of the inability of our\nweakness to discover in every expression the hidden splendour of the\ndoctrines veiled in common and unattractive phraseology.[836] For we\nhave the treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power\nof God may shine forth, and that it may not be deemed to proceed from us\n[who are but] human beings. For if the hackneyed[837] methods of\ndemonstration [common] among men, contained in the books [of the Bible],\nhad been successful in producing conviction, then our faith would\nrightly have been supposed to rest on the wisdom of men, and not on the\npower of God; but now it is manifest to every one who lifts up his eyes,\nthat the word and preaching have not prevailed among the multitude \u201cby\npersuasive words of wisdom, but by demonstration of the Spirit and of\npower.\u201d[838] Wherefore, since a celestial or even a super-celestial\npower compels us to worship the only Creator, let us leave the doctrine\nof the beginning of Christ, _i.e._ the elements,[839] and endeavour to\ngo on to perfection, in order that the wisdom spoken to the perfect may\nbe spoken to us also. For he who possesses it promises to speak wisdom\namong them that are perfect, but another wisdom than that of this world,\nand of the rulers of this world, which is brought to nought. And this\nwisdom will be distinctly stamped[840] upon us, and will produce a\nrevelation of the mystery that was kept silent in the eternal ages,[841]\nbut now has been manifested through the prophetic Scriptures, and the\nappearance of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for\never and ever. Amen.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n8. These particulars, then, being briefly stated regarding the\ninspiration of the sacred Scriptures by the Holy Spirit, it seems\nnecessary to explain this point also, viz. how certain persons, not\nreading them correctly, have given themselves over to erroneous\nopinions, inasmuch as the procedure to be followed, in order to attain\nan understanding of the holy writings, is unknown to many. The Jews, in\nfine, owing to the hardness of their heart, and from a desire to appear\nwise in their own eyes, have not believed in our Lord and Saviour,\njudging that those statements which were uttered respecting Him ought to\nbe understood literally, _i.e._ that He ought in a sensible and visible\nmanner to preach deliverance to the captives, and first build a city\nwhich they truly deem the city of God, and cut off at the same time the\nchariots of Ephraim,[842] and the horse from Jerusalem; that He ought\nalso to eat butter and honey,[843] in order to choose the good before He\nshould come to know how to bring forth evil.[844] They think, also, that\nit has been predicted that the wolf\u2014that four-footed animal\u2014is, at the\ncoming of Christ, to feed with the lambs, and the leopard to lie down\nwith kids, and the calf and the bull to pasture with lions, and that\nthey are to be led by a little child to the pasture; that the ox and the\nbear are to lie down together in the green fields, and that their young\nones are to be fed together; that lions also will frequent stalls with\nthe oxen, and feed on straw. And seeing that, according to history,\nthere was no accomplishment of any of those things predicted of Him, in\nwhich they believed the signs of Christ\u2019s advent were especially to be\nobserved, they refused to acknowledge the presence of our Lord Jesus\nChrist; nay, contrary to all the principles of human and divine\nlaw,[845] _i.e._ contrary to the faith of prophecy, they crucified Him\nfor assuming to Himself the name of Christ. Thereupon the heretics,\nreading that it is written in the law, \u201cA fire has been kindled in mine\nanger;\u201d[846] and that \u201cI the Lord am a jealous [God], visiting the sins\nof the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth\ngeneration;\u201d[847] and that \u201cit repenteth me that I anointed Saul to be\nking;\u201d[848] and, \u201cI am the Lord, who make peace and create evil;\u201d[849]\nand again, \u201cThere is not evil in a city which the Lord hath not\ndone;\u201d[850] and, \u201cEvils came down from the Lord upon the gates of\nJerusalem;\u201d[851] and, \u201cAn evil spirit from the Lord plagued Saul;\u201d[852]\nand reading many other passages similar to these, which are found in\nScripture, they did not venture to assert that these were not the\nScriptures of God, but they considered them to be the words of that\ncreator God whom the Jews worshipped, and who, they judged, ought to be\nregarded as just only, and not also as good; but that the Saviour had\ncome to announce to us a more perfect God, who, they allege, is not the\ncreator of the world,\u2014there being different and discordant opinions\namong them even on this very point, because, when they once depart from\na belief in God the Creator, who is Lord of all, they have given\nthemselves over to various inventions and fables, devising certain\n[fictions], and asserting that some things were visible, and made by one\n[God], and that certain other things were invisible, and were created by\nanother, according to the vain and fanciful suggestions of their own\nminds. But not a few also of the more simple of those, who appear to be\nrestrained within the faith of the church, are of opinion that there is\nno greater God than the Creator, holding in this a correct and sound\nopinion; and yet they entertain regarding Him such views as would not be\nentertained regarding the most unjust and cruel of men.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n8. Having spoken thus briefly[853] on the subject of the divine\ninspiration of the holy Scriptures, it is necessary to proceed to the\n[consideration of the] manner in which they are to be read and\nunderstood, seeing numerous errors have been committed in consequence of\nthe method in which the holy documents[854] ought to be examined,[855]\nnot having been discovered by the multitude. For both the hardened in\nheart, and the ignorant persons[856] belonging to the circumcision, have\nnot believed on our Saviour, thinking that they are following the\nlanguage of the prophecies respecting Him, and not perceiving in a\nmanner palpable to their senses[857] that He had proclaimed liberty to\nthe captives, nor that He had built up what they truly consider the city\nof God, nor cut off \u201cthe chariots of Ephraim, and the horse from\nJerusalem,\u201d[858] nor eaten butter and honey, and, before knowing or\npreferring the evil, had selected the good.[859] And thinking, moreover,\nthat it was prophesied that the wolf\u2014the four-footed animal\u2014was to feed\nwith the lamb, and the leopard to lie down with the kid, and the calf\nand bull and lion to feed together, being led by a little child, and\nthat the ox and bear were to pasture together, their young ones growing\nup together, and that the lion was to eat straw like the ox:[860] seeing\nnone of these things visibly accomplished during the advent of Him who\nis believed by us to be Christ, they did not accept our Lord Jesus; but,\nas having called Himself Christ improperly,[861] they crucified Him. And\nthose belonging to heretical sects reading this [statement], \u201cA fire has\nbeen kindled in mine anger;\u201d[862] and this, \u201cI am a jealous God,\nvisiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children unto the third\nand fourth generation;\u201d[863] and this, \u201cI repent of having anointed Saul\nto be king;\u201d[864] and this, \u201cI am a God that maketh peace, and createth\nevil;\u201d[865] and, among others, this, \u201cThere is not wickedness in the\ncity which the Lord hath not done;\u201d[866] and again this, \u201cEvils came\ndown from the Lord upon the gates of Jerusalem;\u201d[867] and, \u201cAn evil\nspirit from the Lord plagued Saul;\u201d[868] and countless other passages\nlike these\u2014they have not ventured to disbelieve these as the Scriptures\nof God; but believing them to be the [words] of the Demiurge, whom the\nJews worship, they thought that as the Demiurge was an imperfect and\nunbenevolent God, the Saviour had come to announce a more perfect Deity,\nwho, they say, is not the Demiurge, being of different opinions\nregarding Him; and having once departed from the Demiurge, who is the\nonly uncreated God, they have given themselves up to fictions, inventing\nto themselves hypotheses, according to which they imagine that there are\nsome things which are visible, and certain other things which are not\nvisible, all which are the fancies of their own minds. And yet, indeed,\nthe more simple among those who profess to belong to the church have\nsupposed that there is no deity greater than the Demiurge, being right\nin so thinking, while they imagine regarding Him such things as would\nnot be believed of the most savage and unjust of mankind.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n9. Now the reason of the erroneous apprehension of all these points on\nthe part of those whom we have mentioned above, is no other than this,\nthat holy Scripture is not understood by them according to its\nspiritual, but according to its literal meaning. And therefore we shall\nendeavour, so far as our moderate capacity will permit, to point out to\nthose who believe the holy Scriptures to be no human compositions, but\nto be written by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and to be transmitted\nand entrusted to us by the will of God the Father, through His\nonly-begotten Son Jesus Christ, what appears to us, who observe things\nby a right way of understanding,[869] to be the standard and discipline\ndelivered to the apostles by Jesus Christ, and which they handed down in\nsuccession to their posterity, the teachers of the holy church. Now,\nthat there are certain mystical economies[870] indicated in holy\nScripture, is admitted by all, I think, even the simplest of believers.\nBut what these are, or of what kind they are, he who is rightly minded,\nand not overcome with the vice of boasting, will scrupulously[871]\nacknowledge himself to be ignorant. For if any one, _e.g._, were to\nadduce the case of the daughters of Lot, who seem, contrary to the law\nof God,[872] to have had intercourse with their father, or that of the\ntwo wives of Abraham, or of the two sisters who were married to Jacob,\nor of the two handmaids who increased the number of his sons, what other\nanswer could be returned than that these were certain mysteries,[873]\nand forms of spiritual things, but that we are ignorant of what nature\nthey are? Nay, even when we read of the construction of the tabernacle,\nwe deem it certain that the written descriptions are the figures of\ncertain hidden things; but to adapt these to their appropriate\nstandards, and to open up and discuss every individual point, I consider\nto be exceedingly difficult, not to say impossible. That that\ndescription, however, is, as I have said, full of mysteries, does not\nescape even the common understanding. But all the narrative portion,\nrelating either to the marriages, or to the begetting of the children,\nor to battles of different kinds, or to any other histories whatever,\nwhat else can they be supposed to be, save the forms and figures of\nhidden and sacred things? As men, however, make little effort to\nexercise their intellect, or imagine that they possess knowledge before\nthey really learn, the consequence is that they never begin to have\nknowledge; or if there be no want of a desire, at least, nor of an\ninstructor, and if divine knowledge be sought after, as it ought to be,\nin a religious and holy spirit, and in the hope that many points will be\nopened up by the revelation of God\u2014since to human sense they are\nexceedingly difficult and obscure\u2014then, perhaps, he who seeks in such a\nmanner will find what it is lawful[874] to discover.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n9. Now the cause, in all the points previously enumerated, of the false\nopinions, and of the impious statements or ignorant assertions[875]\nabout God, appears to be nothing else than the not understanding the\nScripture according to its spiritual meaning, but the interpretation of\nit agreeably to the mere letter. And therefore, to those who believe\nthat the sacred books are not the compositions of men, but that they\nwere composed by inspiration[876] of the Holy Spirit, agreeably to the\nwill of the Father of all things through Jesus Christ, and that they\nhave come down to us, we must point out the ways [of interpreting them]\nwhich appear [correct] to us, who cling to the standard[877] of the\nheavenly church of Jesus Christ according to the succession of the\napostles. Now, that there are certain mystical economies made known by\nthe holy Scriptures, all\u2014even the most simple of those who adhere to the\nword\u2014have believed; but what these are, candid and modest individuals\nconfess that they know not. If, then, one were to be perplexed about the\nintercourse of Lot with his daughters, and about the two wives of\nAbraham, and the two sisters married to Jacob, and the two handmaids who\nbore him children, they can return no other answer than this, that these\nare mysteries not understood by us. Nay, also, when the [description of\nthe] fitting out of the tabernacle is read, believing that what is\nwritten is a type,[878] they seek to adapt what they can to each\nparticular related about the tabernacle,\u2014not being wrong so far as\nregards their belief that the tabernacle is a type of _something_, but\nerring sometimes in adapting the description of that of which the\ntabernacle is a type, to some special thing in a manner worthy of\nScripture. And all the history that is considered to tell of marriages,\nor the begetting of children, or of wars, or any histories whatever that\nare in circulation among the multitude, they declare to be types; but of\nwhat in each individual instance, partly owing to their habits\nnot being thoroughly exercised\u2014partly, too, owing to their\nprecipitation\u2014sometimes, even when an individual does happen to be well\ntrained and clear-sighted, owing to the excessive difficulty of\ndiscovering things on the part of men,\u2014the nature of each particular\nregarding these [types] is not clearly ascertained.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n10. But lest this difficulty perhaps should be supposed to exist only in\nthe language of the prophets, seeing the prophetic style is allowed by\nall to abound in figures and enigmas, what do we find when we come to\nthe Gospels? Is there not hidden there also an inner, namely a divine\nsense, which is revealed by that grace alone which he had received who\nsaid, \u201cBut we have the mind of Christ, that we might know the things\nfreely given to us by God. Which things also we speak, not in the words\nwhich man\u2019s wisdom teaches, but which the Spirit teacheth?\u201d[879] And if\none now were to read the revelations which were made to John, how amazed\nwould he not be that there should be contained within them so great an\namount of hidden, ineffable mysteries,[880] in which it is clearly\nunderstood, even by those who cannot comprehend _what_ is concealed,\nthat _something_ certainly _is_ concealed. And yet are not the epistles\nof the apostles, which seem to some to be plainer, filled with meanings\nso profound, that by means of them, as by some small receptacle,[881]\nthe clearness of incalculable light[882] appears to be poured into those\nwho are capable of understanding the meaning of divine wisdom? And\ntherefore, because this is the case, and because there are many who go\nwrong in this life, I do not consider that it is easy to pronounce,\nwithout danger, that any one knows or understands those things, which,\nin order to be opened up, need the key of knowledge; which key, the\nSaviour declared, lay with those who were skilled in the law. And here,\nalthough it is a digression, I think we should inquire of those who\nassert that before the advent of the Saviour there was no truth among\nthose who were engaged in the study of the law, how it could be said by\nour Lord Jesus Christ that the keys of knowledge were with them, who had\nthe books of the prophets and of the law in their hands. For thus did He\nspeak: \u201cWoe unto you, ye teachers of the law, who have taken away the\nkey of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them who wished to\nenter in ye hindered.\u201d[883]\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n10. And what need is there to speak of the prophecies, which we all know\nto be filled with enigmas and dark sayings? And if we come to the\nGospels, the exact understanding of these also, as being the mind of\nChrist, requires the grace that was given to him who said, \u201cBut we have\nthe mind of Christ, that we might know the things freely given to us by\nGod. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man\u2019s wisdom\nteacheth, but which the Spirit teacheth.\u201d[884] And who, on reading the\nrevelations made to John, would not be amazed at the unspeakable\nmysteries therein concealed, and which are evident [even] to him who\ndoes not comprehend what is written? And to what person, skilful in\ninvestigating words, would the epistles of the apostles seem to be clear\nand easy of understanding, since even in them there are countless\nnumbers of most profound ideas, which, [issuing forth] as by an\naperture, admit of no rapid comprehension?[885] And therefore, since\nthese things are so, and since innumerable individuals fall into\nmistakes, it is not safe in reading [the Scriptures] to declare that one\neasily understands what needs the key of knowledge, which the Saviour\ndeclares is with the lawyers. And let those answer who will not allow\nthat the truth was with these before the advent of Christ, how the key\nof knowledge is said by our Lord Jesus Christ to be with those who, as\nthey allege, had not the books which contain the secrets[886] of\nknowledge, and perfect mysteries.[887] For His words run thus: \u201cWoe unto\nyou, ye lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye have\nnot entered in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye\nhindered.\u201d[888]\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n11. But, as we had begun to observe, the way which seems to us the\ncorrect one for the understanding of the Scriptures, and for the\ninvestigation of their meaning, we consider to be of the following kind:\nfor we are instructed by Scripture itself in regard to the ideas which\nwe ought to form of it. In the Proverbs of Solomon we find some such\nrule as the following laid down, respecting the consideration of holy\nScripture: \u201cAnd do thou,\u201d he says, \u201cdescribe these things to thyself in\na threefold manner, in counsel and knowledge, and that thou mayest\nanswer the words of truth to those who have proposed them to thee.\u201d[889]\nEach one, then, ought to describe in his own mind, in a threefold\nmanner, the understanding of the divine letters,\u2014that is, in order that\nall the more simple individuals may be edified, so to speak, by the very\nbody of Scripture; for such we term that common and historical sense:\nwhile, if some have commenced to make considerable progress, and are\nable to see something more [than that], _they_ may be edified by the\nvery soul of Scripture. Those, again, who are perfect, and who resemble\nthose of whom the apostle says, \u201cWe speak wisdom among them that are\nperfect, but not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this\nworld, who will be brought to nought; but we speak the wisdom of God,\nhidden in a mystery, which God hath decreed before the ages unto our\nglory;\u201d[890]\u2014all such as these may be edified by the spiritual law\nitself (which has a shadow of good things to come), as if by the Spirit.\nFor as man is said to consist of body, and soul, and spirit, so also\ndoes sacred Scripture, which has been granted by the divine bounty[891]\nfor the salvation of man; which we see pointed out, moreover, in the\nlittle book of _The Shepherd_, which seems to be despised by some, where\nHermas is commanded to write two little books, and afterwards to\nannounce to the presbyters of the church what he learned from the\nSpirit. For these are the words that are written: \u201cAnd you will write,\u201d\nhe says, \u201ctwo books; and you will give the one to Clement, and the other\nto Grapte.[892] And let Grapte admonish the widows and orphans, and let\nClement send through all the cities which are abroad, while you will\nannounce to the presbyters of the church.\u201d Grapte, accordingly, who is\ncommanded to admonish the orphans and widows, is the pure understanding\nof the letter itself; by which those youthful minds are admonished, who\nhave not yet deserved to have God as their Father, and are on that\naccount styled orphans. They, again, are the widows, who have withdrawn\nthemselves from the unjust man, to whom they had been united contrary to\nlaw; but who have remained widows, because they have not yet advanced to\nthe stage of being joined to a heavenly Bridegroom. Clement, moreover,\nis ordered to send into those cities which are abroad what is written to\nthose individuals who already are withdrawing from the letter,\u2014as if the\nmeaning were to those souls who, being built up by this means, have\nbegun to rise above the cares of the body and the desires of the flesh;\nwhile he himself, who had learned from the Holy Spirit, is commanded to\nannounce, not by letter nor by book, but by the living voice, to the\npresbyters of the church of Christ, _i.e._ to those who possess a mature\nfaculty of wisdom, capable of receiving spiritual teaching.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n11. The way, then, as it appears to us, in which we ought to deal with\nthe Scriptures, and extract from them their meaning, is the following,\nwhich has been ascertained from the Scriptures themselves. By Solomon in\nthe Proverbs we find some such rule as this enjoined respecting the\ndivine doctrines of Scripture:[893] \u201cAnd do thou portray them in a\nthreefold manner, in counsel and knowledge, to answer words of truth to\nthem who propose them to thee.\u201d[894] The individual ought, then, to\nportray the ideas of holy Scripture in a threefold manner upon his own\nsoul; in order that the simple man may be edified by the \u201cflesh,\u201d as it\nwere, of the Scripture, for so we name the obvious sense; while he who\nhas ascended a certain way [may be edified] by the \u201csoul,\u201d as it were.\nThe perfect man, again, and he who resembles those spoken of by the\napostle, when he says, \u201cWe speak wisdom among them that are perfect, but\nnot the wisdom of the world, nor of the rulers of this world, who come\nto nought; but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden\nwisdom, which God hath ordained before the ages, unto our glory,\u201d[895]\n[may receive edification] from the spiritual law, which has a shadow of\ngood things to come. For as man consists of body, and soul, and spirit,\nso in the same way does Scripture, which has been arranged to be given\nby God for the salvation of men. And therefore we deduce this also from\na book which is despised by some\u2014_The Shepherd_\u2014in respect of the\ncommand given to Hermas to write two books, and after so doing to\nannounce to the presbyters of the church what he had learned from the\nSpirit. The words are as follow: \u201cYou will write two books, and give one\nto Clement, and one to Grapte. And Grapte shall admonish the widows and\nthe orphans, and Clement will send to the cities abroad, while you will\nannounce to the presbyters of the church.\u201d[896] Now Grapte, who\nadmonishes the widows and the orphans, is the mere letter [of\nScripture], which admonishes those who are yet children in soul, and not\nable to call God their Father, and who are on that account styled\norphans,\u2014admonishing, moreover, those who no longer have an unlawful\nbridegroom,[897] but who remain widows, because they have not yet become\nworthy of the [heavenly] Bridegroom; while Clement, who is already\nbeyond the letter, is said to send what is written to the cities abroad,\nas if we were to call these the \u201csouls,\u201d who are above [the influence\nof] bodily [affections] and degraded[898] ideas,\u2014the disciple of the\nSpirit himself being enjoined to make known, no longer by letters, but\nby living words, to the presbyters of the whole church of God, who have\nbecome grey[899] through wisdom.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n12. This point, indeed, is not to be passed by without notice, viz. that\nthere are certain passages of Scripture where this \u201cbody,\u201d as we termed\nit, _i.e._ this inferential historical sense,[900] is not always found,\nas we shall prove to be the case in the following pages, but where that\nwhich we termed \u201csoul\u201d or \u201cspirit\u201d can only be understood. And this, I\nthink, is indicated in the Gospels, where there are said to be placed,\naccording to the manner of purification among the Jews, six\nwater-vessels, containing two or three firkins[901] a-piece; by which,\nas I have said, the language of the Gospel seems to indicate, with\nrespect to those who are secretly called by the apostle \u201cJews,\u201d that\nthey are purified by the word of Scripture,\u2014receiving indeed sometimes\ntwo firkins, _i.e._ the understanding of the \u201csoul\u201d or \u201cspirit,\u201d\naccording to our statement as above; sometimes even three [firkins],\nwhen in the reading [of Scripture] the \u201cbodily\u201d sense, which is the\n\u201chistorical,\u201d may be preserved for the edification of the people. Now\nsix water-vessels are appropriately spoken of, with regard to those\npersons who are purified by being placed in the world; for we read that\nin six days\u2014which is the perfect number\u2014this world and all things in it\nwere finished. How great, then, is the utility of this first\n\u201chistorical\u201d sense which we have mentioned, is attested by the multitude\nof all believers, who believe with adequate faith and simplicity, and\ndoes not need much argument, because it is openly manifest to all;\nwhereas of that sense which we have called above the \u201csoul,\u201d as it were,\nof Scripture, the Apostle Paul has given us numerous examples in the\nfirst Epistle to the Corinthians. For we find the expression, \u201cThou\nshalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn.\u201d[902]\nAnd afterwards, when explaining what precept ought to be understood by\nthis, he adds the words: \u201cDoth God take care for oxen? or saith He it\naltogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written; that\nhe who plougheth should plough in hope, and he that thresheth, in hope\nof partaking.\u201d[903] Very many other passages also of this nature, which\nare in this way explained of the law, contribute extensive information\nto the hearers.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n12. But as there are certain passages of Scripture which do not at all\ncontain the \u201ccorporeal\u201d sense, as we shall show in the following\n[paragraphs], there are also places where we must seek only for the\n\u201csoul,\u201d as it were, and \u201cspirit\u201d of Scripture. And perhaps on this\naccount the water-vessels containing two or three firkins a-piece are\nsaid to lie for the purification of the Jews, as we read in the Gospel\naccording to John: the expression darkly intimating, with respect to\nthose who [are called] by the apostle \u201cJews\u201d secretly, that they are\npurified by the word of Scripture, receiving sometimes two firkins,\n_i.e._, so to speak, the \u201cpsychical\u201d and \u201cspiritual\u201d sense; and\nsometimes three firkins, since some have, in addition to those already\nmentioned, also the \u201ccorporeal\u201d sense, which is capable of [producing]\nedification. And six water-vessels are reasonably [appropriate] to those\nwho are purified in the world, which was made in six days\u2014the perfect\nnumber. That the first \u201csense,\u201d then, is profitable in this respect,\nthat it is capable of imparting edification, is testified by the\nmultitudes of genuine and simple believers; while of that interpretation\nwhich is referred back to the \u201csoul,\u201d there is an illustration in Paul\u2019s\nfirst Epistle to the Corinthians. The expression is, \u201cThou shalt not\nmuzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn;\u201d[904] to which he\nadds, \u201cDoth God take care of oxen? or saith He it altogether for our\nsakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this was written: that he that plougheth\nshould plough in hope, and that he who thresheth, in hope of\npartaking.\u201d[905] And there are numerous interpretations adapted to the\nmultitude which are in circulation, and which edify those who are unable\nto understand profounder meanings, and which have somewhat the same\ncharacter.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n13. Now a \u201cspiritual\u201d interpretation is of this nature: when one is able\nto point out what are the heavenly things of which these serve as the\npatterns and shadow, who are Jews \u201caccording to the flesh,\u201d and of what\nthings future the law contains a shadow, and any other expressions of\nthis kind that may be found in holy Scripture; or when it is a subject\nof inquiry, what is that wisdom hidden in a mystery which \u201cGod ordained\nbefore the world for our glory, which none of the princes of this world\nknew;\u201d[906] or the meaning of the apostle\u2019s language, when, employing\ncertain illustrations from Exodus or Numbers, he says: \u201cThese things\nhappened to them in a figure,[907] and they are written on our account,\non whom the ends of the ages have come.\u201d[908] Now, an opportunity is\nafforded us of understanding of what those things which happened to them\nwere figures, when he adds: \u201cAnd they drank of that spiritual rock which\nfollowed them, and that rock was Christ.\u201d[909] In another epistle also,\nwhen referring to the tabernacle, he mentions the direction which was\ngiven to Moses: \u201cThou shalt make [all things] according to the pattern\nwhich was showed thee in the mount.\u201d[910] And writing to the Galatians,\nand upbraiding certain individuals who seem to themselves to read the\nlaw, and yet without understanding it, because of their ignorance of the\nfact that an allegorical meaning underlies what is written, he says to\nthem in a certain tone of rebuke: \u201cTell me, ye who desire to be under\nthe law, do ye not hear the law? For it is written that Abraham had two\nsons; the one by a bond maid, the other by a free woman. But he who was\nof the bond woman was born according to the flesh; but he of the free\nwoman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the\ntwo covenants.\u201d[911] And here this point is to be attended to, viz. the\ncaution with which the apostle employs the expression, \u201cYe who are under\nthe law, do ye not hear the law?\u201d Do ye not _hear_, _i.e._ do ye not\nunderstand and know? In the Epistle to the Colossians, again, briefly\nsumming up and condensing the meaning of the whole law, he says: \u201cLet no\nman therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of holy\ndays, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath, which are a shadow of\nthings to come.\u201d[912] Writing to the Hebrews also, and treating of those\nwho belong to the circumcision, he says: \u201cThose who serve to the example\nand shadow of heavenly things.\u201d[913] Now perhaps, through these\nillustrations, no doubt will be entertained regarding the five books of\nMoses, by those who hold the writings of the apostle, as divinely\ninspired. And if they require, with respect to the rest of the history,\nthat those events which are contained in it should be considered as\nhaving happened for an ensample to those of whom they are written, we\nhave observed that this also has been stated in the Epistle to the\nRomans, where the apostle adduces an instance from the third book of\nKings, saying, \u201cI have left me seven thousand men who have not bowed the\nknee to Baal;\u201d[914] which expression Paul understood as figuratively\nspoken of those who are called Israelites according to the election, in\norder to show that the advent of Christ had not only now been of\nadvantage to the Gentiles, but that very many even of the race of Israel\nhad been called to salvation.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n13. But the interpretation is \u201cspiritual,\u201d when one is able to show of\nwhat heavenly things the Jews \u201caccording to the flesh\u201d served as an\nexample and a shadow, and of what future blessings the law contains a\nshadow. And, generally, we must investigate, according to the apostolic\npromise, \u201cthe wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained\nbefore the world for the glory\u201d of the just, which \u201cnone of the princes\nof this world knew.\u201d[915] And the same apostle says somewhere, after\nreferring to certain events mentioned as occurring in Exodus and\nNumbers, \u201cthat these things happened to them figuratively, but that they\nwere written on our account, on whom the ends of the world are\ncome.\u201d[916] And he gives an opportunity for ascertaining of what things\nthese were patterns, when he says: \u201cFor they drank of the spiritual rock\nthat followed them, and that rock was Christ.\u201d[917] And in another\nepistle, when sketching the various matters relating to the tabernacle,\nhe used the words: \u201cThou shalt make everything according to the pattern\nshowed thee in the mount.\u201d[918] Moreover, in the Epistle to the\nGalatians, as if upbraiding those who think that they read the law, and\nyet do not understand it, judging that those do not understand it who do\nnot reflect that allegories are contained under what is written, he\nsays: \u201cTell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the\nlaw? For it is written, Abraham had two sons; the one by the bond maid,\nthe other by the free woman. But he who was by the bond maid was born\naccording to the flesh; but he of the free woman was by promise. Which\nthings are an allegory:[919] for these are the two covenants,\u201d and so\non. Now we must carefully observe each word employed by him. He says:\n\u201cYe who desire to be under the law,\u201d not \u201cYe that are under the law;\u201d\nand, \u201cDo ye not _hear_ the law?\u201d\u2014\u201chearing\u201d being understood to mean\n\u201c_comprehending_\u201d and \u201c_knowing_.\u201d And in the Epistle to the Colossians,\nbriefly abridging the meaning of the whole legislation, he says: \u201cLet no\nman therefore judge you in meat, and in drink, or in respect of a\nfestival, or of a new moon, or of Sabbaths, which are a shadow of things\nto come.\u201d[920] Moreover, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, discoursing of\nthose who belong to the circumcision, he writes: \u201cwho serve for an\nensample and shadow of heavenly things.\u201d[921] Now it is probable that,\nfrom these illustrations, those will entertain no doubt with respect to\nthe five books of Moses, who have once given in their adhesion to the\napostle, as divinely inspired;[922] but do you wish to know, with regard\nto the rest of the history, if it also happened as a pattern? We must\nnote, then, the expression in the Epistle to the Romans, \u201cI have left to\nmyself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to Baal,\u201d[923]\nquoted from the third book of Kings, which Paul has understood as\nequivalent [in meaning] to those who are Israelites according to\nelection, because not only were the Gentiles benefited by the advent of\nChrist, but also certain of the race of God.[924]\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n14. This being the state of the case, we shall sketch out, as if by way\nof illustration and pattern, what may occur to us with regard to the\nmanner in which Holy Scripture is to be understood on these several\npoints, repeating in the first instance, and pointing out this fact,\nthat the Holy Spirit, by the providence and will of God, through the\npower of His only-begotten Word, who was in the beginning God with God,\nenlightened the ministers of truth, the prophets and apostles, to\nunderstand the mysteries of those things or causes which take place\namong men, or with respect to men.[925] And by \u201cmen,\u201d I now mean souls\nthat are placed in bodies, who, relating those mysteries that are known\nto them, and revealed through Christ, as if they were a kind of human\ntransactions, or handing down certain legal observances and injunctions,\ndescribed them figuratively;[926] not that any one who pleased might\nview these expositions as deserving to be trampled under foot, but that\nhe who should devote himself with all chastity, and sobriety, and\nwatchfulness, to studies of this kind, might be able by this means to\ntrace out the meaning of the Spirit of God, which is perhaps lying\nprofoundly buried, and the context, which may be pointing again in\nanother direction than the ordinary usage of speech would indicate. And\nin this way he might become a sharer in the knowledge of the Spirit, and\na partaker in the divine counsel, because the soul cannot come to the\nperfection of knowledge otherwise than by inspiration of the truth of\nthe divine wisdom. Accordingly, it is of God, _i.e._ of the Father, and\nof the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, that these men, filled with the\nDivine Spirit, chiefly treat; then the mysteries relating to the Son of\nGod\u2014how the Word became flesh, and why He descended even to the\nassumption of the form of a servant\u2014are the subject, as I have said, of\nexplanation by those persons who are filled with the Divine Spirit. It\nnext followed, necessarily, that they should instruct mortals by divine\nteaching, regarding rational creatures, both those of heaven and the\nhappier ones of earth; and also [should explain] the differences among\nsouls, and the origin of these differences; and then should tell what\nthis world is, and why it was created; whence also sprung the great and\nterrible wickedness which extends over the earth. And whether that\nwickedness is found on this earth only, or in other places, is a point\nwhich it was necessary for us to learn from divine teaching. Since,\nthen, it was the intention of the Holy Spirit to enlighten with respect\nto these and similar subjects, those holy souls who had devoted\nthemselves to the service of the truth, this object was kept in view, in\nthe second place, viz. for the sake of those who either could not or\nwould not give themselves to this labour and toil by which they might\ndeserve to be instructed in or to recognise things of such value and\nimportance, to wrap up and conceal, as we said before, in ordinary\nlanguage, under the covering of some history and narrative of visible\nthings, hidden mysteries. There is therefore introduced the narrative of\nthe visible creation, and the creation and formation of the first man;\nthen the offspring which followed from him in succession, and some of\nthe actions which were done by the good among his posterity, are\nrelated, and occasionally certain crimes also, which are stated to have\nbeen committed by them as being human; and afterwards certain unchaste\nor wicked deeds also are narrated as being the acts of the wicked. The\ndescription of battles, moreover, is given in a wonderful manner, and\nthe alternations of victors and vanquished, by which certain ineffable\nmysteries are made known to those who know how to investigate statements\nof that kind. By an admirable discipline of wisdom, too, the law of\ntruth, even of the prophets, is implanted in the Scriptures of the law,\neach of which is woven by a divine art of wisdom, as a kind of covering\nand veil of spiritual truths; and this is what we have called the \u201cbody\u201d\nof Scripture, so that also, in this way, what we have called the\ncovering of the letter, woven by the art of wisdom, might be capable of\nedifying and profiting many, when others would derive no benefit.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n14. This being the state of the case, we have to sketch what seem to us\nto be the marks of the [true] understanding of Scriptures. And, in the\nfirst place, this must be pointed out, that the object of the Spirit,\nwhich by the providence of God, through the Word who was in the\nbeginning with God, illuminated the ministers of truth, the prophets and\napostles, was especially [the communication] of ineffable mysteries\nregarding the affairs of men (now by men I mean those souls that make\nuse of bodies), in order that he who is capable of instruction may by\ninvestigation, and by devoting himself to the study of the profundities\nof meaning contained in the words, become a participator of all the\ndoctrines of his counsel. And among those matters which relate to souls\n(who cannot otherwise obtain perfection apart from the rich and wise\ntruth of God), the [doctrines] belonging to God and His only-begotten\nSon are necessarily laid down as primary, viz. of what nature He is, and\nin what manner He is the Son of God, and what are the causes of His\ndescending even to [the assumption of] human flesh, and of complete\nhumanity; and what, also, is the operation of this [Son], and upon whom\nand when exercised. And it was necessary also that the subject of\nkindred beings, and other rational creatures, both those who are divine\nand those who have fallen from blessedness, together with the reasons of\ntheir fall, should be contained in the divine teaching; and also that of\nthe diversities of souls, and of the origin of these diversities, and of\nthe nature of the world, and the cause of its existence. We must learn\nalso the origin of the great and terrible wickedness which overspreads\nthe earth, and whether it is confined to this earth only, or prevails\nelsewhere. Now, while these and similar objects were present to the\nSpirit, who enlightened the souls of the holy ministers of the truth,\nthere was a second object, for the sake of those who were unable to\nendure the fatigue of investigating matters so important, viz. to\nconceal the doctrine relating to the previously mentioned subjects, in\nexpressions containing a narrative which conveyed an announcement\nregarding the things of the visible creation,[927] the creation of man,\nand the successive descendants of the first men until they became\nnumerous; and other histories relating the acts of just men, and the\nsins occasionally committed by these same men as being human beings, and\nthe wicked deeds, both of unchastity and vice, committed by sinful and\nungodly men. And what is most remarkable, by the history of wars, and of\nthe victors, and the vanquished, certain mysteries are indicated to\nthose who are able to test these statements. And more wonderful still,\nthe laws of truth are predicted by the written legislation;\u2014all these\nbeing described in a connected series, with a power which is truly in\nkeeping with the wisdom of God. For it was intended that the covering\nalso of the spiritual truths\u2014I mean the \u201cbodily\u201d part of\nScripture\u2014should not be without profit in many cases, but should be\ncapable of improving the multitude, according to their capacity.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n15. But as if, in all the instances of this covering (_i.e._ of this\nhistory), the logical connection and order of the law had been\npreserved, we would not certainly believe, when thus possessing the\nmeaning of Scripture in a continuous series, that anything else was\ncontained in it save what was indicated on the surface; so for that\nreason divine wisdom took care that certain stumbling-blocks, or\ninterruptions,[928] to the historical meaning should take place, by the\nintroduction into the midst [of the narrative] of certain\nimpossibilities and incongruities; that in this way the very\ninterruption of the narrative might, as by the interposition of a bolt,\npresent an obstacle to the reader, whereby he might refuse to\nacknowledge the way which conducts to the ordinary meaning; and being\nthus excluded and debarred from it, we might be recalled to the\nbeginning of another way, in order that, by entering upon a narrow path,\nand passing to a loftier and more sublime road, he might lay open the\nimmense breadth of divine wisdom.[929] This, however, must not be\nunnoted by us, that as the chief object of the Holy Spirit is to\npreserve the coherence of the spiritual meaning, either in those things\nwhich ought to be done or which have been already performed, if He\nanywhere finds that those events which, according to the history, took\nplace, can be adapted to a spiritual meaning, He composed a texture of\nboth kinds in one style of narration, always concealing the hidden\nmeaning more deeply; but where the historical narrative could not be\nmade appropriate to the spiritual coherence of the occurrences, He\ninserted sometimes certain things which either did not take place or\ncould not take place; sometimes also what might happen, but what did\nnot: and He does this at one time in a few words, which, taken in their\n\u201cbodily\u201d meaning, seem incapable of containing truth, and at another by\nthe insertion of many. And this we find frequently to be the case in the\nlegislative portions, where there are many things manifestly useful\namong the \u201cbodily\u201d precepts, but a very great number also in which no\nprinciple of utility is at all discernible, and sometimes even things\nwhich are judged to be impossibilities. Now all this, as we have\nremarked, was done by the Holy Spirit in order that, seeing those events\nwhich lie on the surface can be neither true nor useful, we may be led\nto the investigation of that truth which is more deeply concealed, and\nto the ascertaining of a meaning worthy of God in those Scriptures which\nwe believe to be inspired by Him.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n15. But since, if the usefulness of the legislation, and the sequence\nand beauty[930] of the history, were universally evident of itself,[931]\nwe should not believe that any other thing could be understood in the\nScriptures save what was obvious, the word of God has arranged that\ncertain stumbling-blocks, as it were, and offences, and impossibilities,\nshould be introduced into the midst of the law and the history, in order\nthat we may not, through being drawn away in all directions by the\nmerely attractive nature of the language,[932] either altogether fall\naway from the [true] doctrines, as learning nothing worthy of God, or,\nby not departing from the letter, come to the knowledge of nothing more\ndivine. And this also we must know, that the principal aim being to\nannounce the \u201cspiritual\u201d connection in those things that are done, and\nthat ought to be done, where the Word found that things done according\nto the history could be adapted to these mystical senses, He made use of\nthem, concealing from the multitude the deeper meaning; but where, in\nthe narrative of the development of super-sensual things,[933] there did\nnot follow the performance of those certain events, which was already\nindicated by the mystical meaning, the Scripture interwove in the\nhistory [the account of] some event that did not take place, sometimes\nwhat could not have happened; sometimes what could, but did not. And\nsometimes a few words are interpolated which are not true in their\nliteral acceptation,[934] and sometimes a larger number. And a similar\npractice also is to be noticed with regard to the legislation, in which\nis often to be found what is useful in itself, and appropriate to the\ntimes of the legislation; and sometimes also what does not appear to be\nof utility; and at other times impossibilities are recorded for the sake\nof the more skilful and inquisitive, in order that they may give\nthemselves to the toil of investigating what is written, and thus attain\nto a becoming conviction of the manner in which a meaning worthy of God\nmust be sought out in such subjects.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n16. Nor was it only with regard to those Scriptures which were composed\ndown to the advent of Christ that the Holy Spirit thus dealt; but as\nbeing one and the same Spirit, and proceeding from one God, He dealt in\nthe same way with the evangelists and apostles. For even those\nnarratives which He inspired them to write were not composed without the\naid of that wisdom of His, the nature of which we have above explained.\nWhence also in them were intermingled not a few things by which, the\nhistorical order of the narrative being interrupted and broken up, the\nattention of the reader might be recalled, by the impossibility of the\ncase, to an examination of the inner meaning. But, that our meaning may\nbe ascertained by the facts themselves, let us examine the passages of\nScripture. Now who is there, pray, possessed of understanding, that will\nregard the statement as appropriate,[935] that the first day, and the\nsecond, and the third, in which also both evening and morning are\nmentioned, existed without sun, and moon, and stars\u2014the first day even\nwithout a sky? And who is found so ignorant as to suppose that God, as\nif He had been a husbandman, planted trees in paradise, in Eden towards\nthe east, and a tree of life in it, _i.e._ a visible and palpable tree\nof wood,[936] so that any one eating of it with bodily teeth should\nobtain life, and, eating again of another tree, should come to the\nknowledge of good and evil? No one, I think, can doubt that the\nstatement that God walked in the afternoon in paradise, and that Adam\nlay hid under a tree, is related figuratively in Scripture, that some\nmystical meaning may be indicated by it. The departure of Cain from the\npresence of the Lord will manifestly cause a careful reader to inquire\nwhat is the presence of God, and how any one can go out from it. But not\nto extend the task which we have before us beyond its due limits, it is\nvery easy for any one who pleases to gather out of holy Scripture what\nis recorded indeed as having been done, but what nevertheless cannot be\nbelieved as having reasonably and appropriately occurred according to\nthe historical account. The same style of scriptural narrative occurs\nabundantly in the Gospels, as when the devil is said to have placed\nJesus on a lofty mountain, that he might show Him from thence all the\nkingdoms of the world, and the glory of them. How could it literally\ncome to pass, either that Jesus should be led up by the devil into a\nhigh mountain, or that the latter should show Him all the kingdoms of\nthe world (as if they were lying beneath his bodily eyes, and adjacent\nto one mountain), _i.e._ the kingdom of the Persians, and Scythians, and\nIndians? or how could he show in what manner the kings of these kingdoms\nare glorified by men? And many other instances similar to this will be\nfound in the Gospels by any one who will read them with attention, and\nwill observe that in those narratives which appear to be literally\nrecorded, there are inserted and interwoven things which cannot be\nadmitted historically, but which may be accepted in a spiritual\nsignification.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n16. It was not only, however, with the [Scriptures composed] before the\nadvent [of Christ] that the Spirit thus dealt; but as being the same\nSpirit, and [proceeding] from the one God, He did the same thing both\nwith the evangelists and the apostles,\u2014as even these do not contain\nthroughout a pure history of events, which are interwoven indeed\naccording to the letter, but which did not actually occur.[937] Nor even\ndo the law and the commandments wholly convey what is agreeable to\nreason. For who that has understanding will suppose that the first, and\nsecond, and third day, and the evening and the morning, existed without\na sun, and moon, and stars? and that the first day was, as it were, also\nwithout a sky? And who is so foolish as to suppose that God, after the\nmanner of a husbandman, planted a paradise in Eden, towards the east,\nand placed in it a tree of life, visible and palpable, so that one\ntasting of the fruit by the bodily teeth obtained life? and again, that\none was a partaker of good and evil by masticating what was taken from\nthe tree? And if God is said to walk in the paradise in the evening, and\nAdam to hide himself under a tree, I do not suppose that any one doubts\nthat these things figuratively indicate certain mysteries, the history\nhaving taken place in appearance, and not literally.[938] Cain also,\nwhen going forth from the presence of God, certainly appears to\nthoughtful men as likely to lead the reader to inquire what is the\npresence of God, and what is the meaning of going out from Him. And what\nneed is there to say more, since those who are not altogether blind can\ncollect countless instances of a similar kind recorded as having\noccurred, but which did not literally[939] take place? Nay, the Gospels\nthemselves are filled with the same kind of narratives; _e.g._ the devil\nleading Jesus up into a high mountain, in order to show Him from thence\nthe kingdoms of the whole world, and the glory of them. For who is there\namong those who do not read such accounts carelessly, that would not\ncondemn those who think that with the eye of the body\u2014which requires a\nlofty height in order that the parts lying [immediately] under and\nadjacent may be seen\u2014the kingdoms of the Persians, and Scythians, and\nIndians, and Parthians, were beheld, and the manner in which their\nprinces are glorified among men? And the attentive reader may notice in\nthe Gospels innumerable other passages like these, so that he will be\nconvinced that in the histories that are literally recorded,\ncircumstances that did not occur are inserted.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n17. In the passages containing the commandments also, similar things are\nfound. For in the law Moses is commanded to destroy every male that is\nnot circumcised on the eighth day, which is exceedingly\nincongruous,[940] since it would be necessary, if it were related that\nthe law was executed according to the history, to command those parents\nto be punished who did not circumcise their children, and also those who\nwere the nurses of little children. The declaration of Scripture now is,\n\u201cThe uncircumcised male, _i.e._ who shall not have been circumcised,\nshall be cut off from his people.\u201d[941] And if we are to inquire\nregarding the impossibilities of the law, we find an animal called the\ngoat-stag,[942] which cannot possibly exist, but which, as being in the\nnumber of clean beasts, Moses commands to be eaten; and a griffin,[943]\nwhich no one ever remembers or heard of as yielding to human power, but\nwhich the legislator forbids to be used for food. Respecting the\ncelebrated[944] observance of the Sabbath also he thus speaks: \u201cYe shall\nsit, every one in your dwellings; no one shall move from his place on\nthe Sabbath-day.\u201d[945] Which precept it is impossible to observe\nliterally; for no man can sit a whole day so as not to move from the\nplace where he sat down. With respect to each one of these points now,\nthose who belong to the circumcision, and all who would have no more\nmeaning to be found in sacred Scripture than what is indicated by the\nletter, consider that there should be no investigation regarding the\ngoat-stag, and the griffin, and the vulture; and they invent some empty\nand trifling tales about the Sabbath, drawn from some traditional\nsources or other, alleging that every one\u2019s place is computed to him\nwithin two thousand cubits.[946] Others, again, among whom is Dositheus\nthe Samaritan, censure indeed expositions of this kind, but themselves\nlay down something more ridiculous, viz. that each one must remain until\nthe evening in the posture, place, or position in which he found himself\non the Sabbath-day; _i.e._ if found sitting, he is to sit the whole day,\nor if reclining, he is to recline the whole day. Moreover, the\ninjunction which runs, \u201cBear no burden on the Sabbath-day,\u201d[947] seems\nto me an impossibility. For the Jewish doctors, in consequence of these\n[prescriptions], have betaken themselves, as the holy apostle says, to\ninnumerable fables, saying that it is not accounted a burden if a man\nwear shoes without nails, but that it is a burden if shoes with nails be\nworn; and that if it be carried on one shoulder, they consider it a\nburden; but if on both, they declare it to be none.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n17. And if we come to the legislation of Moses, many of the laws\nmanifest the irrationality, and others the impossibility, of their\nliteral[948] observance. The irrationality [in this], that the people\nare forbidden to eat vultures, although no one even in the direst\nfamines was [ever] driven by want to have recourse to this bird; and\nthat children eight days old, which are uncircumcised, are ordered to be\nexterminated from among their people, it being necessary, if the law\nwere to be carried out at all literally with regard to these, that their\nfathers, or those with whom they are brought up, should be commanded to\nbe put to death. Now the Scripture says: \u201cEvery male that is\nuncircumcised, who shall not be circumcised on the eighth day, shall be\ncut off from among his people.\u201d[949] And if you wish to see\nimpossibilities contained in the legislation, let us observe that the\ngoat-stag is one of those animals that cannot exist, and yet Moses\ncommands us to offer it as being a clean beast; whereas a griffin, which\nis not recorded ever to have been subdued by man, the lawgiver forbids\nto be eaten. Nay, he who carefully considers [the famous injunction\nrelating to] the Sabbath, \u201cYe shall sit each one in your dwellings; let\nno one go out from his place on the seventh day,\u201d[950] will deem it\nimpossible to be literally observed: for no living being is able to sit\nthroughout a whole day, and remain without moving from a sitting\nposition. And therefore those who belong to the circumcision, and all\nwho desire that no meaning should be exhibited, save the literal one, do\nnot investigate at all such subjects as those of the goat-stag and\ngriffin and vulture, but indulge in foolish talk on certain points,\nmultiplying words and adducing tasteless[951] traditions; as, for\nexample, with regard to the Sabbath, saying that two thousand cubits is\neach one\u2019s limit.[952] Others, again, among whom is Dositheus the\nSamaritan, condemning such an interpretation, think that in the position\nin which a man is found on the Sabbath-day, he is to remain until\nevening. Moreover, the not carrying of a burden on the Sabbath-day is an\nimpossibility; and therefore the Jewish teachers have fallen into\ncountless absurdities,[953] saying that a shoe of such a kind was a\nburden, but not one of another kind; and that a sandal which had nails\nwas a burden, but not one that was without them; and in like manner what\nwas borne on one shoulder [was a load], but not that which was carried\non both.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n18. And now, if we institute a similar examination with regard to the\nGospels, how shall it appear otherwise than absurd to take the\ninjunction literally, \u201cSalute no man by the way?\u201d[954] And yet there are\nsimple individuals, who think that our Saviour gave this command to His\napostles! How, also, can it appear possible for such an order as this to\nbe observed, especially in those countries where there is a rigorous\nwinter, attended by frost and ice, viz. that one should possess \u201cneither\ntwo coats, nor shoes?\u201d[955] And this, that when one is smitten on the\nright cheek, he is ordered to present the left also, since every one who\nstrikes with the _right_ hand smites the _left_ cheek? This precept also\nin the Gospels must be accounted among impossibilities, viz. that if the\nright eye \u201coffend\u201d thee, it is to be plucked out; for even if we were to\nsuppose that bodily eyes were spoken of, how shall it appear\nappropriate, that when both eyes have the property of sight, the\nresponsibility of the \u201coffence\u201d should be transferred to one eye, and\nthat the right one? Or who shall be considered free of a crime of the\ngreatest enormity, that lays hands upon himself? But perhaps the\nepistles of the Apostle Paul will appear to be beyond this. For what is\nhis meaning, when he says, \u201cIs any man called, being circumcised? Let\nhim not become uncircumcised.\u201d[956] This expression indeed, in the first\nplace, does not on careful consideration seem to be spoken with\nreference to the subject of which he was treating at the time, for this\ndiscourse consisted of injunctions relating to marriage and to chastity;\nand these words, therefore, will have the appearance of an unnecessary\naddition to such a subject. In the second place, however, what objection\nwould there be, if, for the sake of avoiding that unseemliness which is\ncaused by circumcision, a man were able to become uncircumcised?[957]\nAnd, in the third place, that is altogether impossible.\n\nThe object of all these statements on our part, is to show that it was\nthe design of the Holy Spirit, who deigned to bestow upon us the sacred\nScriptures, to show that we were not to be edified by the letter alone,\nor by everything in it,\u2014a thing which we see to be frequently impossible\nand inconsistent; for in that way not only absurdities, but\nimpossibilities, would be the result; but that we are to understand that\ncertain occurrences were interwoven in this \u201cvisible\u201d history, which,\nwhen considered and understood in their inner meaning, give forth a law\nwhich is advantageous to men and worthy of God.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n18. And if we go to the Gospel and institute a similar examination, what\nwould be more irrational than [to take literally the injunction],\n\u201cSalute no man by the way,\u201d[958] which simple persons think the Saviour\nenjoined on the apostles? The command, moreover, that the right cheek\nshould be smitten, is most incredible, since every one who strikes,\nunless he happen to have some bodily defect,[959] smites the _left_\ncheek with his _right_ hand. And it is impossible to take [literally,\nthe statement] in the Gospel about the \u201coffending\u201d of the right eye.\nFor, to grant the possibility of one being \u201coffended\u201d by the sense of\nsight, how, when there are two eyes that see, should the blame be laid\nupon the right eye? And who is there that, condemning himself for having\nlooked upon a woman to lust after her, would rationally transfer the\nblame to the right eye alone, and throw _it_ away? The apostle,\nmoreover, lays down the law, saying, \u201cIs any man called, being\ncircumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised.\u201d[960] In the first place,\nany one will see that he does not utter these words in connection with\nthe subject before him. For, when laying down precepts on marriage and\npurity, how will it not appear that he has introduced these words at\nrandom?[961] But, in the second place, who will say that a man does\nwrong who endeavours to become uncircumcised, if that be possible, on\naccount of the disgrace that is considered by the multitude to attach to\ncircumcision?\n\nAll these statements have been made by us, in order to show that the\ndesign of that divine power which gave us the sacred Scriptures is, that\nwe should not receive what is presented by the letter alone (such things\nbeing sometimes not true in their literal acceptation, but absurd and\nimpossible), but that certain things have been introduced into the\nactual history and into the legislation that are useful in their literal\nsense.[962]\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n19. Let no one, however, entertain the suspicion that we do not believe\nany history in Scripture to be real, because we suspect certain events\nrelated in it not to have taken place; or that no precepts of the law\nare to be taken literally, because we consider certain of them, in which\neither the nature or possibility of the case so requires, incapable of\nbeing observed; or that we do not believe those predictions which were\nwritten of the Saviour to have been fulfilled in a manner palpable to\nthe senses; or that His commandments are not to be literally obeyed. We\nhave therefore to state in answer, since we are manifestly so of\nopinion, that the truth of the history may and ought to be preserved in\nthe majority of instances. For who can deny that Abraham was buried in\nthe double cave[963] at Hebron, as well as Isaac and Jacob, and each of\ntheir wives? Or who doubts that Shechem was given as a portion to\nJoseph?[964] or that Jerusalem is the metropolis of Judea, on which the\ntemple of God was built by Solomon?\u2014and countless other statements. For\nthe passages which hold good in their historical acceptation are much\nmore numerous than those which contain a purely spiritual meaning. Then,\nagain, who would not maintain that the command to \u201chonour thy father and\nthy mother, that it may be well with thee,\u201d[965] is sufficient of itself\nwithout any spiritual meaning, and necessary for those who observe it?\nespecially when Paul also has confirmed the command by repeating it in\nthe same words. And what need is there to speak of the prohibitions,\n\u201cThou shalt not commit adultery,\u201d \u201cThou shalt not steal,\u201d \u201cThou shalt\nnot bear false witness,\u201d[966] and others of the same kind? And with\nrespect to the precepts enjoined in the Gospels, no doubt can be\nentertained that very many of these are to be literally observed, as\n_e.g._ when our Lord says, \u201cBut I say unto you, Swear not at all;\u201d[967]\nand when He says, \u201cWhosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her,\nhath committed adultery with her already in his heart;\u201d[968] the\nadmonitions also which are found in the writings of the Apostle Paul,\n\u201cWarn them that are unruly, comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak,\nbe patient towards all men,\u201d[969] and very many others. And yet I have\nno doubt that an attentive reader will, in numerous instances, hesitate\nwhether this or that history can be considered to be literally true or\nnot; or whether this or that precept ought to be observed according to\nthe letter or no. And therefore great pains and labour are to be\nemployed, until every reader reverentially understand that he is dealing\nwith divine and not human words inserted in the sacred books.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n19. But that no one may suppose that we assert respecting the whole that\nno history is real[970] because a certain one is not; and that no law is\nto be literally observed, because a certain one, [understood] according\nto the letter, is absurd or impossible; or that the statements regarding\nthe Saviour are not true in a manner perceptible to the senses;[971] or\nthat no commandment and precept of his ought to be obeyed;\u2014we have to\nanswer that, with regard to certain things, it is perfectly clear to us\nthat the historical account is true; as that Abraham was buried in the\ndouble cave at Hebron, as also Isaac and Jacob, and the wives of each of\nthem; and that Shechem was given as a portion to Joseph;[972] and that\nJerusalem is the metropolis of Judea, in which the temple of God was\nbuilt by Solomon; and innumerable other statements. For the passages\nthat are true in their historical meaning are much more numerous than\nthose which are interspersed with a purely spiritual signification. And\nagain, who would not say that the command which enjoins to \u201chonour thy\nfather and thy mother, that it may be well with thee,\u201d[973] is useful,\napart from all allegorical meaning,[974] and ought to be observed, the\nApostle Paul also having employed these very same words? And what need\nis there to speak of the [prohibitions], \u201cThou shalt not commit\nadultery,\u201d \u201cThou shalt not kill,\u201d \u201cThou shalt not steal,\u201d \u201cThou shalt\nnot bear false witness?\u201d[975] And again, there are commandments\ncontained in the Gospel which admit of no doubt whether they are to be\nobserved according to the letter or not; _e.g._ that which says, \u201cBut I\nsay unto you, Whoever is angry with his brother,\u201d[976] and so on. And\nagain, \u201cBut I say unto you, Swear not at all.\u201d[977] And in the writings\nof the apostle the literal sense is to be retained: \u201cWarn them that are\nunruly, comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak, be patient towards\nall men;\u201d[978] although it is possible for those ambitious of a deeper\nmeaning to retain the profundities of the wisdom of God, without setting\naside the commandment in its literal meaning.[979] The careful [reader],\nhowever, will be in doubt[980] as to certain points, being unable to\nshow without long investigation whether this history so deemed literally\noccurred or not, and whether the literal meaning of this law is to be\nobserved or not. And therefore the exact reader must, in obedience to\nthe Saviour\u2019s injunction to \u201csearch the Scriptures,\u201d[981] carefully\nascertain in how far the literal meaning is true, and in how far\nimpossible; and so far as he can, trace out, by means of similar\nstatements, the meaning everywhere scattered through Scripture of that\nwhich cannot be understood in a literal signification.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n20. The understanding, therefore, of holy Scripture which we consider\nought to be deservedly and consistently maintained, is of the following\nkind. A certain nation is declared by holy Scripture to have been chosen\nby God upon the earth, which nation has received several names: for\nsometimes the whole of it is termed Israel, and sometimes Jacob; and it\nwas divided by Jeroboam son of Nebat into two portions; and the ten\ntribes which were formed under him were called Israel, while the two\nremaining ones (with which were united the tribe of Levi, and that which\nwas descended from the royal race of David) was named Judah. Now the\nwhole of the country possessed by that nation, which it had received\nfrom God, was called Judea, in which was situated the metropolis,\nJerusalem; and it is called metropolis, being as it were the mother of\nmany cities, the names of which you will frequently find mentioned here\nand there in the other books of Scripture, but which are collected\ntogether into one catalogue in the book of Joshua the son of Nun.[982]\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n20. Since, therefore, as will be clear to those who read, the connection\ntaken literally is impossible, while the sense preferred[983] is not\nimpossible, but even the true one, it must be our object to grasp the\nwhole meaning, which connects the account of what is literally\nimpossible in an intelligible manner with what is not only not\nimpossible, but also historically true, and which is allegorically\nunderstood, in respect of its not having literally occurred.[984] For,\nwith respect to holy Scripture, our opinion is that the whole of it has\na \u201cspiritual,\u201d but not the whole a \u201cbodily\u201d meaning, because the bodily\nmeaning is in many places proved to be impossible. And therefore great\nattention must be bestowed by the cautious reader on the divine books,\nas being divine writings; the manner of understanding which appears to\nus to be as follows:\u2014The Scriptures relate that God chose a certain\nnation upon the earth, which they call by several names. For the whole\nof this nation is termed Israel, and also Jacob. And when it was divided\nin the times of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the ten tribes related as\nbeing subject to him were called Israel; and the remaining two, along\nwith the tribe of Levi, being ruled over by the descendants of David,\nwere named Judah. And the whole of the territory which the people of\nthis nation inhabited, being given them by God, receives the name of\nJudah, the metropolis of which is Jerusalem,\u2014a metropolis, namely, of\nnumerous cities, the names of which lie scattered about in many other\npassages [of Scripture], but are enumerated together in the book of\nJoshua the son of Nun.[985]\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n21. This, then, being the state of the case, the holy apostle desiring\nto elevate in some degree, and to raise our understanding above the\nearth, says in a certain place, \u201cBehold Israel after the flesh;\u201d[986] by\nwhich he certainly means that there is another Israel which is not\naccording to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. And again in\nanother passage, \u201cFor they are not all Israelites who are of\nIsrael.\u201d[987]\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n21. Such, then, being the state of the case, the apostle, elevating our\npower of discernment [above the letter], says somewhere, \u201cBehold Israel\nafter the flesh,\u201d[988] as if there were an Israel \u201caccording to the\nSpirit.\u201d And in another place he says, \u201cFor they who are the children of\nthe flesh are not the children of God;\u201d nor are \u201cthey all Israel who are\nof Israel;\u201d[989] nor is \u201che a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is that\n\u2018circumcision\u2019 which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew who is one\n\u2018inwardly;\u2019 and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and\nnot in the letter.\u201d[990] For if the judgment respecting the \u201cJew\ninwardly\u201d be adopted, we must understand that, as there is a \u201cbodily\u201d\nrace of Jews, so also is there a race of \u201cJews inwardly,\u201d the soul\nhaving acquired this nobility for certain mysterious reasons. Moreover,\nthere are many prophecies which predict regarding Israel and Judah what\nis about to befall them. And do not such promises as are written\nconcerning them, in respect of their being mean in expression, and\nmanifesting no elevation [of thought], nor anything worthy of the\npromise of God, need a mystical interpretation? And if the \u201cspiritual\u201d\npromises are announced by visible signs, then they to whom the promises\nare made are not \u201ccorporeal.\u201d And not to linger over the point of the\nJew who is a Jew \u201cinwardly,\u201d nor over that of the Israelite according to\nthe \u201cinner man\u201d\u2014these statements being sufficient for those who are not\ndevoid of understanding\u2014we return to our subject, and say that Jacob is\nthe father of the twelve patriarchs, and they of the rulers of the\npeople; and these, again, of the other Israelites. Do not, then, the\n\u201ccorporeal\u201d Israelites refer their descent to the rulers of the people,\nand the rulers of the people to the patriarchs, and the patriarchs to\nJacob, and those still higher up; while are not the \u201cspiritual\u201d\nIsraelites, of whom the \u201ccorporeal\u201d Israelites were the type, sprung\nfrom the families, and the families from the tribes, and the tribes from\nsome one individual whose descent is not of a \u201ccorporeal\u201d but of a\nbetter kind,\u2014he, too, being born of Isaac, and he of Abraham,\u2014all going\nback to Adam, whom the apostle declares to be Christ? For every\nbeginning of those families which have relation to God as to the Father\nof all, took its commencement lower down with Christ, who is next to the\nGod and Father of all,[991] being thus the Father of every soul, as Adam\nis the father of all men. And if Eve also is intended by the apostle to\nrefer to the church, it is not surprising that Cain, who was born of\nEve, and all after him, whose descent goes back to Eve, should be types\nof the church, inasmuch as in a pre-eminent sense they are all descended\nfrom the church.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n22. Being taught, then, by him that there is one Israel according to the\nflesh, and another according to the Spirit, when the Saviour says, \u201cI am\nnot sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,\u201d[992] we do not\nunderstand these words as those do who savour of earthly things, _i.e._\nthe Ebionites, who derive the appellation of \u201cpoor\u201d from their very name\n(for \u201cEbion\u201d means \u201cpoor\u201d in Hebrew[993]); but we understand that there\nexists a race of souls which is termed \u201cIsrael,\u201d as is indicated by the\ninterpretation of the name itself: for Israel is interpreted to mean a\n\u201cmind,\u201d or \u201cman seeing God.\u201d The apostle, again, makes a similar\nrevelation respecting Jerusalem, saying, \u201cThe Jerusalem which is above\nis free, which is the mother of us all.\u201d[994] And in another of his\nepistles he says: \u201cBut ye are come unto mount Zion, and to the city of\nthe living God, and to the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable\ncompany of angels, and to the church of the first-born which is written\nin heaven.\u201d[995] If, then, there are certain souls in this world who are\ncalled Israel, and a city in heaven which is called Jerusalem, it\nfollows that those cities which are said to belong to the nation of\nIsrael have the heavenly Jerusalem as their metropolis; and that,\nagreeably to this, we understand as referring to the whole of Judah (of\nwhich also we are of opinion that the prophets have spoken in certain\nmystical narratives), any predictions delivered either regarding Judea\nor Jerusalem, or invasions of any kind, which the sacred histories\ndeclare to have happened to Judea or Jerusalem. Whatever, then, is\neither narrated or predicted of Jerusalem, must, if we accept the words\nof Paul as those of Christ speaking in him, be understood as spoken in\nconformity with his opinion regarding that city which he calls the\nheavenly Jerusalem, and all those places or cities which are said to be\ncities of the holy land, of which Jerusalem is the metropolis. For we\nare to suppose that it is from these very cities that the Saviour,\nwishing to raise us to a higher grade of intelligence, promises to those\nwho have well managed the money entrusted to them by Himself, that they\nare to have power over ten or five cities. If, then, the prophecies\ndelivered concerning Judea, and Jerusalem, and Judah, and Israel, and\nJacob, not being understood by us in a carnal sense, signify certain\ndivine mysteries, it certainly follows that those prophecies also which\nwere delivered either concerning Egypt, or the Egyptians, or Babylonia\nand the Babylonians, and Sidon and the Sidonians, are not to be\nunderstood as spoken of that Egypt which is situated on the earth, or of\nthe earthly Babylon, Tyre, or Sidon. Nor can those predictions which the\nprophet Ezekiel delivered concerning Pharaoh king of Egypt, apply to any\nman who may seem to have reigned over Egypt, as the nature of the\npassage itself declares. In a similar manner also, what is spoken of the\nprince of Tyre cannot be understood of any man or king of Tyre. And how\ncould we possibly accept, as spoken of a man, what is related in many\npassages of Scripture, and especially in Isaiah, regarding\nNebuchadnezzar? For he is not a man who is said to have \u201cfallen from\nheaven,\u201d or who was \u201cLucifer,\u201d or who \u201carose in the morning.\u201d But with\nrespect to those predictions which are found in Ezekiel concerning\nEgypt, such as that it is to be destroyed in forty years, so that the\nfoot of man should not be found within it, and that it should suffer\nsuch devastation, that throughout the whole land the blood of men should\nrise to the knees, I do not know that any one possessed of understanding\ncould refer this to that earthly Egypt which adjoins Ethiopia. But let\nus see whether it may not be understood more fittingly in the following\nmanner: viz. that as there is a heavenly Jerusalem and Judea, and a\nnation undoubtedly which inhabits it, and is named Israel; so also it is\npossible that there are certain localities near to these which may seem\nto be called either Egypt, or Babylon, or Tyre, or Sidon, and that the\nprinces of these places, and the souls, if there be any, that inhabit\nthem, are called Egyptians, Babylonians, Tyrians, and Sidonians. From\nwhom also, according to the mode of life which they lead there, a sort\nof captivity would seem to result, in consequence of which they are said\nto have fallen from Judea into Babylonia or Egypt, from a higher and\nbetter condition, or to have been scattered into other countries.\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n22. Now, if the statements made to us regarding Israel, and its tribes\nand its families, are calculated to impress us, when the Saviour says,\n\u201cI was not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,\u201d[996] we\ndo not understand the expression as the Ebionites do, who are poor in\nunderstanding (deriving their name from the poverty of their\nintellect\u2014Ebion signifying \u201cpoor\u201d in Hebrew), so as to suppose that the\nSaviour came specially to the \u201ccarnal\u201d Israelites; for \u201cthey who are the\nchildren of the flesh are not the children of God.\u201d[997] Again, the\napostle teaches regarding Jerusalem as follows: \u201cThe Jerusalem which is\nabove is free, which is the mother of us all.\u201d[998] And in another\nepistle: \u201cBut ye are come unto mount Zion, and to the city of the living\nGod, to the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,\nto the general assembly and to the church of the first-born which are\nwritten in heaven.\u201d[999] If, then, Israel is among the race of\nsouls,[1000] and if there is in heaven a city of Jerusalem, it follows\nthat the cities of Israel have for their metropolis the heavenly\nJerusalem, and it consequently is the metropolis of all Judea. Whatever,\ntherefore, is predicted of Jerusalem, and spoken of it, if we listen to\nthe words of Paul as those of God, and of one who utters wisdom, we must\nunderstand the Scriptures as speaking of the heavenly city, and of the\nwhole territory included within the cities of the holy land. For perhaps\nit is to these cities that the Saviour refers us, when to those who have\ngained credit by having managed their \u201cpounds\u201d well, He assigns the\npresidency over five or ten cities. If, therefore, the prophecies\nrelating to Judea, and Jerusalem, and Israel, and Judah, and Jacob, not\nbeing understood by us in a \u201ccarnal\u201d sense, indicate some such mysteries\n[as already mentioned], it will follow also that the predictions\nconcerning Egypt and the Egyptians, Babylon and the Babylonians, Tyre\nand the Tyrians, Sidon and the Sidonians, or the other nations, are\nspoken not only of these \u201cbodily\u201d Egyptians, and Babylonians, and\nTyrians, and Sidonians, but also of their \u201cspiritual\u201d [counterparts].\nFor if there be \u201cspiritual\u201d Israelites, it follows that there are also\n\u201cspiritual\u201d Egyptians and Babylonians. For what is related in Ezekiel\nconcerning Pharaoh king of Egypt does not at all apply to the case of a\ncertain man who ruled or was said to rule over Egypt, as will be evident\nto those who give it careful consideration. Similarly, what is said\nabout the ruler of Tyre cannot be understood of a certain man who ruled\nover Tyre. And what is said in many places, and especially in Isaiah, of\nNebuchadnezzar, cannot be explained of that individual. For the man\nNebuchadnezzar neither fell from heaven, nor was he the morning star,\nnor did he arise upon the earth in the morning. Nor would any man of\nunderstanding interpret what is said in Ezekiel about Egypt\u2014viz. that in\nforty years it should be laid desolate, so that the footstep of man\nshould not be found thereon, and that the ravages of war should be so\ngreat that the blood should run throughout the whole of it, and rise to\nthe knees\u2014of that Egypt which is situated beside the Ethiopians whose\nbodies are blackened by the sun.\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n23. For perhaps as those who, departing this world in virtue of that\ndeath which is common to all, are arranged, in conformity with their\nactions and deserts\u2014according as they shall be deemed worthy\u2014some in the\nplace which is called \u201chell,\u201d[1001] others in the bosom of Abraham, and\nin different localities or mansions; so also from those places, as if\ndying there, if the expression can be used,[1002] do they come down from\nthe \u201cupper world\u201d[1003] to this \u201chell.\u201d For that \u201chell\u201d to which the\nsouls of the dead are conducted from this world, is, I believe, on\naccount of this distinction, called the \u201clower hell\u201d by Scripture, as is\nsaid in the book of Psalms: \u201cThou hast delivered my soul from the lowest\nhell.\u201d[1004] Every one, accordingly, of those who descend to the earth\nis, according to his deserts, or agreeably to the position which he\noccupied there, ordained to be born in this world, in a different\ncountry, or among a different nation, or in a different mode of life, or\nsurrounded by infirmities of a different kind, or to be descended from\nreligious parents, or parents who are not religious; so that it may\nsometimes happen that an Israelite descends among the Scythians, and a\npoor Egyptian is brought down to Judea. And yet our Saviour came to\ngather together the lost sheep of the house of Israel; and as many of\nthe Israelites did not accept His teaching, those who belonged to the\nGentiles were called. From which it will appear to follow, that those\nprophecies which are delivered to the individual nations ought to be\nreferred rather to the souls, and to their different heavenly mansions.\nNay, the narratives of the events which are said to have happened either\nto the nation of Israel, or to Jerusalem, or to Judea, when assailed by\nthis or that nation, cannot in many instances be understood as having\nactually[1005] occurred, and are much more appropriate to those nations\nof souls who inhabit that heaven which is said to pass away, or who even\nnow are supposed to be inhabitants of it.\n\nIf now any one demand of us clear and distinct declarations on these\npoints out of holy Scripture, we must answer that it was the design of\nthe Holy Spirit, in those portions which appear to relate the history of\nevents, rather to cover and conceal the meaning: in those passages,\n_e.g._, where they are said to go down into Egypt, or to be carried\ncaptive to Babylonia, or when in these very countries some are said to\nbe brought to excessive humiliation, and to be placed under bondage to\ntheir masters; while others, again, in these very countries of their\ncaptivity, were held in honour and esteem, so as to occupy positions of\nrank and power, and were appointed to the government of provinces;\u2014all\nwhich things, as we have said, are kept hidden and covered in the\nnarratives of holy Scripture, because \u201cthe kingdom of heaven is like a\ntreasure hid in a field; which when a man findeth, he hideth it, and for\njoy thereof goeth away and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that\nfield.\u201d[1006] By which similitude, consider whether it be not pointed\nout that the very soil and surface, so to speak, of Scripture\u2014that is,\nthe literal meaning\u2014is the field, filled with plants and flowers of all\nkinds; while that deeper and profounder \u201cspiritual\u201d meaning are the very\nhidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge which the Holy Spirit by Isaiah\ncalls the dark and invisible and hidden treasures, for the finding out\nof which the divine help is required: for God alone can burst the brazen\ngates by which they are enclosed and concealed, and break in pieces the\niron bolts and levers by which access is prevented to all those things\nwhich are written and concealed in Genesis respecting the different\nkinds of souls, and of those seeds and generations which either have a\nclose connection with Israel[1007] or are widely separated from his\ndescendants; as well as what is that descent of seventy souls into\nEgypt, which seventy souls became in that land as the stars of heaven in\nmultitude. But as not all of them were the light of this world\u2014\u201cfor all\nwho are of Israel are not Israel\u201d[1008]\u2014they grow from being seventy\nsouls to be an important people,[1009] and as the \u201csand by the sea-shore\ninnumerable.\u201d\n\n\n FROM THE GREEK.\n\n\n23. And perhaps as those here, dying according to the death common to\nall, are, in consequence of the deeds done here, so arranged as to\nobtain different places according to the proportion of their sins, if\nthey should be deemed worthy of the place called Hades;[1010] so those\nthere dying, so to speak, descend into this Hades, being judged\ndeserving of different abodes\u2014better or worse\u2014throughout all this space\nof earth, and [of being descended] from parents of different\nkinds,[1011] so that an Israelite may sometimes fall among Scythians,\nand an Egyptian descend into Judea. And yet the Saviour came to gather\ntogether the lost sheep of the house of Israel; but many of the\nIsraelites not having yielded to His teaching, those from the Gentiles\nwere called.... And these points, as we suppose, have been concealed in\nthe histories. For \u201cthe kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hid in a\nfield; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof\ngoeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.\u201d[1012] Let us\nnotice, then, whether the apparent and superficial and obvious meaning\nof Scripture does not resemble a field filled with plants of every kind,\nwhile the things lying in it, and not visible to all, but buried, as it\nwere, under the plants that are seen, are the hidden treasures of wisdom\nand knowledge; which the Spirit through Isaiah[1013] calls dark and\ninvisible and concealed, God alone being able to break the brazen gates\nthat conceal them, and to burst the iron bars that are upon the gates,\nin order that all the statements in the book of Genesis may be\ndiscovered which refer to the various genuine kinds, and seeds, as it\nwere, of souls, which stand nearly related to Israel, or at a distance\nfrom it; and the descent into Egypt of the seventy souls, that they may\nthere become as the \u201cstars of heaven in multitude.\u201d But since not all\nwho are of them are the light of the world\u2014\u201cfor not all who are of\nIsrael are Israel\u201d[1014]\u2014they become from seventy souls as the \u201csand\nthat is beside the sea-shore innumerable.\u201d\n\n[Transcriber\u2019s Note: This is the end of the Greek section in the\noriginal book.]\n\n\n FROM THE LATIN.\n\n\n24. This descent of the holy fathers into Egypt will appear as granted\nto this world by the providence of God for the illumination of others,\nand for the instruction of the human race, that so by this means the\nsouls of others might be assisted in the work of enlightenment. For to\nthem was first granted the privilege of converse with God, because\ntheirs is the only race which is said to see God; this being the\nmeaning, by interpretation, of the word \u201cIsrael.\u201d[1015] And now it\nfollows that, agreeably to this view, ought the statement to be accepted\nand explained that Egypt was scourged with ten plagues, to allow the\npeople of God to depart, or the account of what was done with the people\nin the wilderness, or of the building of the tabernacle by means of\ncontributions from all the people, or of the wearing of the priestly\nrobes, or of the vessels of the public service, because, as it is\nwritten, they truly contain within them the \u201cshadow and form of heavenly\nthings.\u201d For Paul openly says of them, that \u201cthey serve unto the example\nand shadow of heavenly things.\u201d[1016] There are, moreover, contained in\nthis same law the precepts and institutions, according to which men are\nto live in the holy land. Threatenings also are held out as impending\nover those who shall transgress the law; different kinds of\npurifications are moreover prescribed for those who required\npurification, as being persons who were liable to frequent pollution,\nthat by means of these they may arrive at last at that one purification\nafter which no further pollution is permitted. The very people are\nnumbered, though not all; for the souls of children are not yet old\nenough to be numbered according to the divine command: nor are those\nsouls who cannot become the head of another, but are themselves\nsubordinated to others as to a head, who are called \u201cwomen,\u201d who\ncertainly are not included in that numbering which is enjoined by God;\nbut they alone are numbered who are called \u201cmen,\u201d by which it might be\nshown that the women could not be counted separately,[1017] but were\nincluded in those called men. Those, however, especially belong to the\nsacred number, who are prepared to go forth to the battles of the\nIsraelites, and are able to fight against those public and private\nenemies[1018] whom the Father subjects to the Son, who sits on His right\nhand that He may destroy all principality and power, and by means of\nthese bands of His soldiery, who, being engaged in a warfare for God, do\nnot entangle themselves in secular business, He may overturn the kingdom\nof His adversary; by whom the shields of faith are borne, and the\nweapons of wisdom brandished; among whom also the helmet of hope and\nsalvation gleams forth, and the breastplate of brightness fortifies the\nbreast that is filled with God. Such soldiers appear to me to be\nindicated, and to be prepared for wars of this kind, in those persons\nwho in the sacred books are ordered by God\u2019s command to be numbered. But\nof these, by far the more perfect and distinguished are shown to be\nthose of whom the very hairs of the head are said to be numbered. Such,\nindeed, as were punished for their sins, whose bodies fell in the\nwilderness, appear to possess a resemblance to those who had made indeed\nno little progress, but who could not at all, for various reasons,\nattain to the end of perfection; because they are reported either to\nhave murmured, or to have worshipped idols, or to have committed\nfornication, or to have done some evil work which the mind ought not\neven to conceive. I do not consider the following even to be without\nsome mystical meaning,[1019] viz. that certain [of the Israelites],\npossessing many flocks and animals, take possession by anticipation of a\ncountry adapted for pasture and the feeding of cattle, which was the\nvery first that the right hand of the Hebrews had secured in war.[1020]\nFor, making a request of Moses to receive this region, they are divided\noff by the waters of the Jordan, and set apart from any possession in\nthe holy land. And this Jordan, according to the form of heavenly\nthings, may appear to water and irrigate thirsty souls, and the senses\nthat are adjacent to it.[1021] In connection with which, even this\nstatement does not appear superfluous, that Moses indeed hears from God\nwhat is described in the book of Leviticus, while in Deuteronomy it is\nthe people that are the auditors of Moses, and who learn from him what\nthey could not hear from God. For as Deuteronomy is called, as it were,\nthe second law, which to some will appear to convey this signification,\nthat when the first law which was given through Moses had come to an\nend, so a second legislation seems to have been enacted, which was\nspecially transmitted by Moses to his successor Joshua, who is certainly\nbelieved to embody a type[1022] of our Saviour, by whose second law\u2014that\nis, the precepts of the Gospel\u2014all things are brought to perfection.\n\n25. We have to see, however, whether this deeper meaning may not perhaps\nbe indicated, viz. that as in Deuteronomy the legislation is made known\nwith greater clearness and distinctness than in those books which were\nfirst written, so also by that advent of the Saviour which He\naccomplished in His state of humiliation, when He assumed the form of a\nservant, that more celebrated and renowned second advent in the glory of\nHis Father may not be pointed out, and in it the types of Deuteronomy\nmay be fulfilled, when in the kingdom of heaven all the saints shall\nlive according to the laws of the everlasting gospel; and as in His\ncoming now He fulfilled that law which has a shadow of good things to\ncome, so also by that [future] glorious advent will be fulfilled and\nbrought to perfection the shadows of the present advent. For thus spake\nthe prophet regarding it: \u201cThe breath of our countenance, Christ the\nLord, to whom we said, that under Thy shadow we shall live among the\nnations;\u201d[1023] at the time, viz., when He will more worthily transfer\nall the saints from a temporal to an everlasting gospel, according to\nthe designation, employed by John in the Apocalypse, of \u201can everlasting\ngospel.\u201d[1024]\n\n26. But let it be sufficient for us in all these matters to adapt our\nunderstanding to the rule of religion, and so to think of the words of\nthe Holy Spirit as not to deem the language the ornate composition of\nfeeble human eloquence, but to hold, according to the scriptural\nstatement, that \u201call the glory of the King is within,\u201d[1025] and that\nthe treasure of divine meaning is enclosed within the frail vessel of\nthe common letter. And if any curious reader were still to ask an\nexplanation of individual points, let him come and hear, along with\nourselves, how the Apostle Paul, seeking to penetrate by help of the\nHoly Spirit, who searches even the \u201cdeep things\u201d of God, into the depths\nof divine wisdom and knowledge, and yet, unable to reach the end, so to\nspeak, and to come to a thorough knowledge, exclaims in despair and\namazement, \u201cOh the depth of the riches of the knowledge and wisdom of\nGod!\u201d[1026] Now, that it was from despair of attaining a perfect\nunderstanding that he uttered this exclamation, listen to his own words:\n\u201cHow unsearchable are God\u2019s judgments! and His ways, how past finding\nout!\u201d[1027] For he did not say that God\u2019s judgments were difficult to\ndiscover, but that they were altogether inscrutable; nor that it was\n[simply] difficult to trace out His ways, but that they were altogether\npast finding out. For however far a man may advance in his\ninvestigations, and how great soever the progress that he may make by\nunremitting study, assisted even by the grace of God, and with his mind\nenlightened, he will not be able to attain to the end of those things\nwhich are the object of his inquiries. Nor can any created mind deem it\npossible in any way to attain a full comprehension [of things]; but\nafter having discovered certain of the objects of its research, it sees\nagain others which have still to be sought out. And even if it should\nsucceed in mastering these, it will see again many others succeeding\nthem which must form the subject of investigation. And on this account,\ntherefore, Solomon, the wisest of men, beholding by his wisdom the\nnature of things, says, \u201cI said, I will become wise; and wisdom herself\nwas made far from me, far further than it was; and a profound depth who\nshall find?\u201d[1028] Isaiah also, knowing that the beginnings of things\ncould not be discovered by a mortal nature, and not even by those\nnatures which, although more divine than human, were nevertheless\nthemselves created or formed; knowing then, that by none of these could\neither the beginning or the end be discovered, says, \u201cTell the former\nthings which have been, and we know that ye are gods; or announce what\nare the last things, and then we shall see that ye are gods.\u201d[1029] For\nmy Hebrew teacher also used thus to teach, that as the beginning or end\nof all things could be comprehended by no one, save only our Lord Jesus\nChrist and the Holy Spirit, so under the form of a vision Isaiah spake\nof two seraphim alone, who with two wings cover the countenance of God,\nand with two His feet, and with two do fly, calling to each other\nalternately, and saying, \u201cHoly, holy, holy is the Lord God of Sabaoth;\nthe whole earth is full of Thy glory.\u201d[1030] That the seraphim alone\nhave both their wings over the face of God, and over His feet, we\nventure to declare as meaning that neither the hosts of holy angels, nor\nthe \u201choly seats,\u201d nor the \u201cdominions,\u201d nor the \u201cprincipalities,\u201d nor the\n\u201cpowers,\u201d can fully understand the beginning of all things, and the\nlimits of the universe. But we are to understand that those \u201csaints\u201d\nwhom the Spirit has enrolled, and the \u201cvirtues,\u201d approach very closely\nto those very beginnings, and attain to a height which the others cannot\nreach; and yet whatever it be that these \u201cvirtues\u201d have learned through\nrevelation from the Son of God and from the Holy Spirit\u2014and they will\ncertainly be able to learn very much, and those of higher rank much more\nthan those of a lower\u2014nevertheless it is impossible for them to\ncomprehend all things, according to the statement, \u201cThe most part of the\nworks of God are hid.\u201d[1031] And therefore also it is to be desired that\nevery one, according to his strength, should ever stretch out to those\nthings that are before, \u201cforgetting the things that are behind,\u201d both to\nbetter works and to a clearer apprehension and understanding, through\nJesus Christ our Saviour, to whom be glory for ever!\n\n27. Let every one, then, who cares for truth, be little concerned about\nwords and language, seeing that in every nation there prevails a\ndifferent usage of speech; but let him rather direct his attention to\nthe meaning conveyed by the words, than to the nature of the words that\nconvey the meaning, especially in matters of such importance and\ndifficulty: as, _e.g._, when it is an object of investigation whether\nthere is any \u201csubstance\u201d in which neither colour, nor form, nor touch,\nnor magnitude is to be understood as existing visible to the mind alone,\nwhich any one names as he pleases; for the Greeks call such \u1f00\u03c3\u03ce\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03bf\u03bd,\n_i.e._ \u201cincorporeal,\u201d while holy Scripture declares it to be\n\u201cinvisible,\u201d for Paul calls Christ the \u201cimage of the invisible God,\u201d and\nsays again, that by Christ were created all things \u201cvisible and\ninvisible.\u201d And by this it is declared that there are, among created\nthings, certain \u201csubstances\u201d that are, according to their peculiar\nnature, invisible. But although these are not themselves \u201ccorporeal,\u201d\nthey nevertheless make use of bodies, while they are themselves better\nthan any bodily substances. But that \u201csubstance\u201d of the Trinity which is\nthe beginning and cause of all things, \u201cfrom which are all things, and\nthrough which are all things, and in which are all things,\u201d cannot be\nbelieved to be either a body or in a body, but is altogether\nincorporeal. And now let it suffice to have spoken briefly on these\npoints (although in a digression, caused by the nature of the subject),\nin order to show that there are certain things, the meaning of which\ncannot be unfolded at all by any words of human language, but which are\nmade known more through simple apprehension than by any properties of\nwords. And under this rule must be brought also the understanding of the\nsacred Scripture, in order that its statements may be judged not\naccording to the worthlessness of the letter, but according to the\ndivinity of the Holy Spirit, by whose inspiration they were caused to be\nwritten.\n\n\n SUMMARY [OF DOCTRINE] REGARDING THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE HOLY\n SPIRIT, AND THE OTHER TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THE PRECEDING PAGES.\n\n\n28. It is now time, after the rapid consideration which to the best of\nour ability we have given to the topics discussed, to recapitulate, by\nway of summing up what we have said in different places, the individual\npoints, and first of all to restate our conclusions regarding the\nFather, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.\n\nSeeing God the Father is invisible and inseparable from the Son, the Son\nis not generated from Him by \u201cprolation,\u201d as some suppose. For if the\nSon be a \u201cprolation\u201d of the Father (the term \u201cprolation\u201d being used to\nsignify such a generation as that of animals or men usually is), then,\nof necessity, both He who \u201cprolated\u201d and He who _was_ \u201cprolated\u201d are\ncorporeal. For we do not say, as the heretics suppose, that some part of\nthe substance of God was converted into the Son, or that the Son was\nprocreated by the Father out of things non-existent,[1032] _i.e._ beyond\nHis own substance, so that there once was a time when He did not exist;\nbut, putting away all corporeal conceptions, we say that the Word and\nWisdom was begotten out of the invisible and incorporeal without any\ncorporeal feeling, as if it were an act of the will proceeding from the\nunderstanding. Nor, seeing He is called the Son of [His] love, will it\nappear absurd if in this way He be called also the Son of [His] will.\nNay, John also indicates that \u201cGod is Light,\u201d[1033] and Paul also\ndeclares that the Son is the splendour of everlasting light.[1034] As\nlight, accordingly, could never exist without splendour, so neither can\nthe Son be understood to exist without the Father; for He is called the\n\u201cexpress image of His person,\u201d and the Word and Wisdom. How, then, can\nit be asserted that there once was a time when He was not the Son? For\nthat is nothing else than to say that there was once a time when He was\nnot the Truth, nor the Wisdom, nor the Life, although in all these He is\njudged to be the perfect essence of God the Father; for these things\ncannot be severed from Him, or even be separated from His essence. And\nalthough these qualities are said to be many in understanding,[1035] yet\nin their nature and essence they are one, and in them is the fulness of\ndivinity. Now this expression which we employ\u2014\u201cthat there never was a\ntime when He did not exist\u201d\u2014is to be understood with an allowance. For\nthese very words \u201cwhen\u201d or \u201cnever\u201d have a meaning that relates to time,\nwhereas the statements made regarding Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are\nto be understood as transcending all time, all ages, and all eternity.\nFor it is the Trinity alone which exceeds the comprehension not only of\ntemporal but even of eternal intelligence; while other things which are\nnot included in it[1036] are to be measured by times and ages. This Son\nof God, then, in respect of the Word being God, which was in the\nbeginning with God, no one will logically suppose to be contained in any\nplace; nor yet in respect of His being \u201cWisdom,\u201d or \u201cTruth,\u201d or the\n\u201cLife,\u201d or \u201cRighteousness,\u201d or \u201cSanctification,\u201d or \u201cRedemption:\u201d for\nall these properties do not require space to be able to act or to\noperate, but each one of them is to be understood as meaning those\nindividuals who participate in His virtue and working.\n\n29. Now, if any one were to say that, through those who are partakers of\nthe \u201cWord\u201d of God, or of His \u201cWisdom,\u201d or His \u201cTruth,\u201d or His \u201cLife,\u201d\nthe Word and Wisdom itself appeared to be contained in a place, we\nshould have to say to him in answer, that there is no doubt that Christ,\nin respect of being the \u201cWord\u201d or \u201cWisdom,\u201d or all other things, was in\nPaul, and that he therefore said, \u201cDo you seek a proof of Christ\nspeaking in me?\u201d[1037] and again, \u201cI live, yet not I, but Christ liveth\nin me.\u201d[1038] Seeing, then, He was in Paul, who will doubt that He was\nin a similar manner in Peter and in John, and in each one of the saints;\nand not only in those who are upon the earth, but in those also who are\nin heaven? For it is absurd to say that Christ was in Peter and in Paul,\nbut not in Michael the archangel, nor in Gabriel. And from this it is\ndistinctly shown that the divinity of the Son of God was not shut up in\nsome place; otherwise it would have been in it only, and not in another.\nBut since, in conformity with the majesty of its incorporeal nature, it\nis confined to no place; so, again, it cannot be understood to be\nwanting in any. But this is understood to be the sole difference, that\nalthough He is in different individuals as we have said\u2014as Peter, or\nPaul, or Michael, or Gabriel\u2014He is not in a similar way in all beings\nwhatever. For He is more fully and clearly, and, so to speak, more\nopenly in archangels than in other holy men.[1039] And this is evident\nfrom the statement, that when all who are saints have arrived at the\nsummit of perfection, they are said to be made like, or equal to, the\nangels, agreeably to the declaration in the Gospels.[1040] Whence it is\nclear that Christ is in each individual in as great a degree as the\namount of his deserts allows.[1041]\n\n30. Having, then, briefly restated these points regarding the nature of\nthe Trinity, it follows that we notice shortly this statement also, that\n\u201cby the Son\u201d are said to be created \u201call things that are in heaven, and\nthat are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or\ndominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him,\nand for Him; and He is before all, and all things consist by Him, who is\nthe head.\u201d[1042] In conformity with which John also in his Gospel says:\n\u201cAll things were created by Him; and without Him was not anything\nmade.\u201d[1043] And David, intimating that the mystery of the entire\nTrinity was [concerned] in the creation of all things, says: \u201cBy the\nWord of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the\nSpirit of His mouth.\u201d[1044]\n\nAfter these points we shall appropriately remind [the reader] of the\nbodily advent and incarnation of the only-begotten Son of God, with\nrespect to whom we are not to suppose that all the majesty of His\ndivinity is confined within the limits of His slender body, so that all\nthe \u201cword\u201d of God, and His \u201cwisdom,\u201d and \u201cessential truth,\u201d and \u201clife,\u201d\nwas either rent asunder from the Father, or restrained and confined\nwithin the narrowness of His bodily person, and is not to be considered\nto have operated anywhere besides; but the cautious acknowledgment of a\nreligious man ought to be between the two, so that it ought neither to\nbe believed that anything of divinity was wanting in Christ, nor that\nany separation at all was made from the essence of the Father, which is\neverywhere. For some such meaning seems to be indicated by John the\nBaptist, when he said to the multitude in the bodily absence of Jesus,\n\u201cThere standeth one among you whom ye know not: He it is who cometh\nafter me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose.\u201d[1045]\nFor it certainly could not be said of Him, who was absent, so far as His\nbodily presence is concerned, that He was standing in the midst of those\namong whom the Son of God was not bodily present.\n\n31. Let no one, however, suppose that by this we affirm that some\nportion of the divinity of the Son of God was in Christ, and that the\nremaining portion was elsewhere or everywhere, which may be the opinion\nof those who are ignorant of the nature of an incorporeal and invisible\nessence. For it is impossible to speak of the parts of an incorporeal\nbeing, or to make any division of them; but He is in all things, and\nthrough all things, and above all things, in the manner in which we have\nspoken above, _i.e._ in the manner in which He is understood to be\neither \u201cwisdom,\u201d or the \u201cword,\u201d or the \u201clife,\u201d or the \u201ctruth,\u201d by which\nmethod of understanding all confinement of a local kind is undoubtedly\nexcluded. The Son of God, then, desiring for the salvation of the human\nrace to appear unto men, and to sojourn among them, assumed not only a\nhuman body, as some suppose, but also a soul resembling our souls indeed\nin nature, but in will and power[1046] resembling Himself, and such as\nmight unfailingly accomplish all the desires and arrangements of the\n\u201cword\u201d and \u201cwisdom.\u201d Now, that He had a soul,[1047] is most clearly\nshown by the Saviour in the Gospels, when He said, \u201cNo man taketh my\nlife from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay down my\nlife, and I have power to take it again.\u201d[1048] And again, \u201cMy soul is\nsorrowful even unto death.\u201d[1049] And again, \u201cNow is my soul\ntroubled.\u201d[1050] For the \u201cWord\u201d of God is not to be understood to be a\n\u201csorrowful and troubled\u201d soul, because with the authority of divinity He\nsays, \u201cI have power to lay down my life.\u201d Nor yet do we assert that the\nSon of God was in that soul as He was in the soul of Paul or Peter and\nthe other saints, in whom Christ is believed to speak as He does in\nPaul. But regarding all these we are to hold, as Scripture declares, \u201cNo\none is clean from filthiness, not even if his life lasted but a single\nday.\u201d[1051] But this soul which was in Jesus, before it knew the evil,\nselected the good; and because He loved righteousness, and hated\niniquity, therefore God \u201canointed Him with the oil of gladness above His\nfellows.\u201d[1052] He is anointed, then, with the oil of gladness when He\nis united to the \u201cword\u201d of God in a stainless union, and by this means\nalone of all souls was incapable of sin, because it was capable of\n[receiving] well and fully the Son of God; and therefore also it is one\nwith Him, and is named by His titles, and is called Jesus Christ, by\nwhom all things are said to be made. Of which soul, seeing it had\nreceived into itself the whole wisdom of God, and the truth, and the\nlife, I think that the apostle also said this: \u201cOur life is hidden with\nChrist in God; but when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then\nshall we also appear with Him in glory.\u201d[1053] For what other Christ can\nbe here understood, who is said to be hidden in God, and who is\nafterwards to appear, except Him who is related to have been anointed\nwith the oil of gladness, _i.e._ to have been filled with God\nessentially,[1054] in whom He is now said to be hidden? For on this\naccount is Christ proposed as an example to all believers, because as He\nalways, even before He knew evil at all, selected the good, and loved\nrighteousness, and hated iniquity, and therefore God anointed Him with\nthe oil of gladness; so also ought each one, after a lapse or sin, to\ncleanse himself from his stains, making Him his example, and, taking Him\nas the guide of his journey, enter upon the steep way of virtue, that so\nperchance by this means, as far as possible we may, by imitating Him, be\nmade partakers of the divine nature, according to the words of\nScripture: \u201cHe that saith that he believeth in Christ, ought so to walk,\nas He also walked.\u201d[1055]\n\nThis \u201cword,\u201d then, and this \u201cwisdom,\u201d by the imitation of which we are\nsaid to be either wise or rational [beings], becomes \u201call things to all\nmen, that it may gain all;\u201d and because it is made weak, it is therefore\nsaid of it, \u201cThough He was crucified through weakness, yet He liveth by\nthe power of God.\u201d[1056] Finally, to the Corinthians who were weak, Paul\ndeclares that he \u201cknew nothing, save Jesus Christ, and Him\ncrucified.\u201d[1057]\n\n32. Some, indeed, would have the following language of the apostle\napplied to the soul itself, as soon as it had assumed flesh from\nMary,[1058] viz., \u201cWho, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery\nto be equal with God, but divested Himself [of His glory],[1059] taking\nupon Himself the form of a servant;\u201d[1060] since He undoubtedly restored\nit to the form of God by means of better examples and training, and\nrecalled it to that fulness of which He had divested Himself.\n\nAs now by participation in the Son of God one is adopted as a son,[1061]\nand by participating in that wisdom which is in God is rendered wise, so\nalso by participation in the Holy Spirit is a man rendered holy and\nspiritual. For it is one and the same thing to have a share in the Holy\nSpirit, which is [the Spirit] of the Father and the Son, since the\nnature of the Trinity is one and incorporeal. And what we have said\nregarding the participation of the soul is to be understood of angels\nand heavenly powers in a similar way as of souls, because every rational\ncreature needs a participation in the Trinity.\n\nRespecting also the plan of this visible world\u2014seeing one of the most\nimportant questions usually raised is as to the manner of its\nexistence\u2014we have spoken to the best of our ability in the preceding\npages, for the sake of those who are accustomed to seek the grounds of\ntheir belief in our religion, and also for those who stir against us\nheretical questions, and who are accustomed to bandy about[1062] the\nword \u201cmatter,\u201d which they have not yet been able to understand; of which\nsubject I now deem it necessary briefly to remind [the reader].\n\n33. And, in the first place, it is to be noted that we have nowhere\nfound in the canonical Scriptures,[1063] up to the present time, the\nword \u201cmatter\u201d used for that substance which is said to underlie bodies.\nFor in the expression of Isaiah, \u201cAnd he shall devour \u1f55\u03bb\u03b7,\u201d _i.e._\nmatter, \u201clike hay,\u201d[1064] when speaking of those who were appointed to\nundergo their punishments, the word \u201cmatter\u201d was used instead of \u201csins.\u201d\nAnd if this word \u201cmatter\u201d should happen to occur in any other passage,\nit will never be found, in my opinion, to have the signification of\nwhich we are now in quest, unless perhaps in the book which is called\nthe Wisdom of Solomon, a work which is certainly not esteemed\nauthoritative by all. In that book, however, we find written as follows:\n\u201cFor Thy almighty hand, that made the world out of shapeless matter,\nwanted not means to send among them a multitude of bears and fierce\nlions.\u201d[1065] Very many, indeed, are of opinion that the matter of which\nthings are made is itself signified in the language used by Moses in the\nbeginning of Genesis: \u201cIn the beginning God made heaven and earth; and\nthe earth was invisible, and not arranged:\u201d[1066] for by the words\n\u201cinvisible and not arranged\u201d Moses would seem to mean nothing else than\nshapeless matter. But if this be truly matter, it is clear then that the\noriginal elements of bodies[1067] are not incapable of change. For those\nwho posited \u201catoms\u201d\u2014either those particles which are incapable of\nsubdivision, or those which are subdivided into equal parts\u2014or any one\nelement, as the principles of bodily things, could not posit the word\n\u201cmatter\u201d in the proper sense of the term among the first principles of\nthings. For if they will have it that matter underlies every body\u2014a\nsubstance convertible or changeable, or divisible in all its parts\u2014they\nwill not, as is proper, assert that it exists without qualities. And\nwith them we agree, for we altogether deny that matter ought to be\nspoken of as \u201cunbegotten\u201d or \u201cuncreated,\u201d agreeably to our former\nstatements, when we pointed out that from water, and earth, and air or\nheat, different kinds of fruits were produced by different kinds of\ntrees; or when we showed that fire, and air, and water, and earth were\nalternately converted into each other, and that one element was resolved\ninto another by a kind of mutual consanguinity; and also when we proved\nthat from the food either of men or animals the substance of the flesh\nwas derived, or that the moisture of the natural seed was converted into\nsolid flesh and bones;\u2014all which go to prove that the substance of the\nbody is changeable, and may pass from one quality into all others.\n\n34. Nevertheless we must not forget that a substance never exists\nwithout a quality, and that it is by an act of the understanding alone\nthat this [substance] which underlies bodies, and which is capable of\nquality, is discovered to be matter. Some indeed, in their desire to\ninvestigate these subjects more profoundly, have ventured to assert that\nbodily nature[1068] is nothing else than qualities. For if hardness and\nsoftness, heat and cold, moisture and aridity, be qualities; and if,\nwhen these or other [qualities] of this sort be cut away, nothing else\nis understood to remain, then all things will appear to be \u201cqualities.\u201d\nAnd therefore also those persons who make these assertions have\nendeavoured to maintain, that since all who say that matter was\nuncreated will admit that qualities were created by God, it may be in\nthis way shown that even according to them matter was not uncreated;\nsince qualities constitute everything, and these are declared by all\nwithout contradiction to have been made by God. Those, again, who would\nmake out that qualities are superimposed from without upon a certain\nunderlying matter, make use of illustrations of this kind: _e.g._ Paul\nundoubtedly is either silent, or speaks, or watches, or sleeps, or\nmaintains a certain attitude of body; for he is either in a sitting, or\nstanding, or recumbent position. For these are \u201caccidents\u201d belonging to\nmen, without which they are almost never found. And yet our conception\nof man does not lay down any of these things as a definition of him; but\nwe so understand and regard him by their means, that we do not at all\ntake into account the reason of his [particular] condition either in\nwatching, or in sleeping, or in speaking, or in keeping silence, or in\nany other action that must necessarily happen to men.[1069] If any one,\nthen, can regard Paul as being without all these things which are\ncapable of happening, he will in the same way also be able to understand\nthis underlying [substance] without qualities. When, then, our mind puts\naway all qualities from its conception, and gazes, so to speak, upon the\nunderlying element alone, and keeps its attention closely upon it,\nwithout any reference to the softness or hardness, or heat or cold, or\nhumidity or aridity of the substance, then by means of this somewhat\nsimulated process of thought[1070] it will appear to behold matter clear\nfrom qualities of every kind.\n\n35. But some one will perhaps inquire whether we can obtain out of\nScripture any grounds for such an understanding of the subject. Now I\nthink some such view is indicated in the Psalms, when the prophet\nsays, \u201cMine eyes have seen thine imperfection;\u201d[1071] by which the\nmind of the prophet, examining with keener glance the first principles\nof things, and separating in thought and imagination only between\nmatter and its qualities, perceived the imperfection of God, which\ncertainly is understood to be perfected by the addition of qualities.\nEnoch also, in his book, speaks as follows: \u201cI have walked on even to\nimperfection;\u201d[1072] which expression I consider may be understood in\na similar manner, viz. that the mind of the prophet proceeded in its\nscrutiny and investigation of all visible things, until it arrived at\nthat first beginning in which it beheld imperfect matter [existing]\nwithout \u201cqualities.\u201d For it is written in the same book of Enoch, \u201cI\nbeheld the whole of matter;\u201d[1073] which is so understood as if he had\nsaid: \u201cI have clearly seen all the divisions of matter which are\nbroken up from one into each individual species either of men, or\nanimals, or of the sky, or of the sun, or of all other things in this\nworld.\u201d After these points, now, we proved to the best of our power in\nthe preceding pages that all things which exist were made by God, and\nthat there was nothing which was not made, save the nature of the\nFather, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and that God, who is by\nnature good, desiring to have those upon whom He might confer\nbenefits, and who might rejoice in receiving His benefits, created\ncreatures worthy [of this], _i.e._ who were capable of receiving Him\nin a worthy manner, who, He says, are also begotten by Him as his\nsons. He made all things, moreover, by number and measure. For there\nis nothing before God without either limit or measure. For by His\npower He comprehends all things, and He Himself is comprehended by the\nstrength of no created thing, because that nature is known to itself\nalone. For the Father alone knoweth the Son, and the Son alone knoweth\nthe Father, and the Holy Spirit alone searcheth even the deep things\nof God. All created things, therefore, _i.e._ either the number of\nrational beings or the measure of bodily matter, are distinguished by\nHim as being within a certain number or measurement; since, as it was\nnecessary for an intellectual nature to employ bodies, and this nature\nis shown to be changeable and convertible by the very condition of its\nbeing created (for what did not exist, but began to exist, is said by\nthis very circumstance to be of mutable nature), it can have neither\ngoodness nor wickedness as an essential, but only as an accidental\nattribute of its being. Seeing, then, as we have said, that rational\nnature was mutable and changeable, so that it made use of a different\nbodily covering of this or that sort of quality, according to its\nmerits, it was necessary, as God foreknew there would be diversities\nin souls or spiritual powers, that He should create also a bodily\nnature the qualities of which might be changed at the will of the\nCreator into all that was required. And this bodily nature must last\nas long as those things which require it as a covering: for there will\nbe always rational natures which need a bodily covering; and there\nwill therefore always be a bodily nature whose coverings must\nnecessarily be used by rational creatures, unless some one be able to\ndemonstrate by arguments that a rational nature can live without a\nbody. But how difficult\u2014nay, how almost impossible\u2014this is for our\nunderstanding, we have shown in the preceding pages, in our discussion\nof the individual topics.\n\n36. It will not, I consider, be opposed to the nature of our\nundertaking, if we restate with all possible brevity our opinions on the\nimmortality of rational natures. Every one who participates in anything,\nis unquestionably of one essence and nature with him who is partaker of\nthe same thing. For example, as all eyes participate in the light, so\naccordingly all eyes which partake of the light are of one nature; but\nalthough every eye partakes of the light, yet, inasmuch as one sees more\nclearly, and another more obscurely, every eye does not equally share in\nthe light. And again, all hearing receives voice or sound, and therefore\nall hearing is of one nature; but each one hears more rapidly or more\nslowly, according as the quality of his hearing is clear and sound. Let\nus pass now from these sensuous illustrations to the consideration of\nintellectual things. Every mind which partakes of intellectual light\nought undoubtedly to be of one nature with every mind which partakes in\na similar manner of intellectual light. If the heavenly virtues, then,\npartake of intellectual light, _i.e._ of divine nature, because they\nparticipate in wisdom and holiness, and if human souls have partaken of\nthe same light and wisdom, and thus are mutually of one nature and of\none essence,\u2014then, since the heavenly virtues are incorruptible and\nimmortal, the essence of the human soul will also be immortal and\nincorruptible. And not only so, but because the nature of Father, and\nSon, and Holy Spirit, of whose intellectual light alone all created\nthings have a share, is incorruptible and eternal, it is altogether\nconsistent and necessary that every substance which partakes of that\neternal nature should last for ever, and be incorruptible and eternal,\nso that the eternity of divine goodness may be understood also in this\nrespect, that they who obtain its benefits are also eternal. But as, in\nthe instances referred to, a diversity in the participation of the light\nwas observed, when the glance of the beholder was described as being\nduller or more acute, so also a diversity is to be noted in the\nparticipation of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, varying with the degree\nof zeal or capacity of mind. If such were not the case,[1074] we have to\nconsider whether it would not seem to be an act of impiety to say that\nthe mind which is capable of [receiving] God should admit of a\ndestruction of its essence;[1075] as if the very fact that it is able to\nfeel and understand God could not suffice for its perpetual existence,\nespecially since, if even through neglect the mind fall away from a pure\nand complete reception of God, it nevertheless contains within it\ncertain seeds of restoration and renewal to a better understanding,\nseeing the \u201cinner,\u201d which is also called the \u201crational\u201d man, is renewed\nafter \u201cthe image and likeness of God, who created him.\u201d And therefore\nthe prophet says, \u201cAll the ends of the earth shall remember, and turn\nunto the Lord; and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before\nThee.\u201d[1076]\n\n37. If any one, indeed, venture to ascribe essential corruption to him\nwho was made after the image and likeness of God, then, in my opinion,\nthis impious charge extends even to the Son of God Himself, for He is\ncalled in Scripture the image of God.[1077] Or he who holds this opinion\nwould certainly impugn the authority of Scripture, which says that man\nwas made in the image of God; and in him are manifestly to be discovered\ntraces of the divine image, not by any appearance of the bodily frame,\nwhich is corruptible, but by mental wisdom, by justice, moderation,\nvirtue, wisdom, discipline; in fine, by the whole band of virtues, which\nare innate in the essence of God, and which may enter into man by\ndiligence and imitation of God; as the Lord also intimates in the\nGospel, when He says, \u201cBe ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is\nmerciful;\u201d[1078] and, \u201cBe ye perfect, even as your Father also is\nperfect.\u201d[1079] From which it is clearly shown that all these virtues\nare perpetually in God, and that they can never approach to or depart\nfrom Him, whereas by men they are acquired only slowly, and one by one.\nAnd hence also by these means they seem to have a kind of relationship\nwith God; and since God knows all things, and none of things\nintellectual in themselves can elude His notice[1080] (for God the\nFather alone, and His only-begotten Son, and the Holy Spirit, not only\npossess a knowledge of those things which they have created, but also of\nthemselves), a rational understanding also, advancing from small things\nto great, and from things visible to things invisible, may attain to a\nmore perfect knowledge. For it is placed in the body, and advances from\nsensible things themselves, which are corporeal, to things that are\nintellectual. But lest our statement that things intellectual are not\ncognisable by the senses should appear unbecoming, we shall employ the\ninstance of Solomon, who says, \u201cYou will find also a divine\nsense;\u201d[1081] by which he shows that those things which are intellectual\nare to be sought out not by means of a bodily sense, but by a certain\nother which he calls \u201cdivine.\u201d And with this sense must we look on each\nof those rational beings which we have enumerated above; and with this\nsense are to be understood those words which we speak, and those\nstatements to be weighed which we commit to writing. For the divine\nnature knows even those thoughts which we revolve within us in silence.\nAnd on those matters of which we have spoken, or on the others which\nfollow from them, according to the rule above laid down, are our\nopinions to be formed.\n\nFootnote 769:\n\n Visibiliter de invisibilibus pronunciare.\n\nFootnote 770:\n\n Principis Christianorum religionis et dogmatis.\n\nFootnote 771:\n\n \u03c4\u1fc7 \u1f10\u03bd\u03b1\u03c1\u03b3\u03b5\u03af\u1fb3 \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u03b2\u03bb\u03b5\u03c0\u03bf\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03c9\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 772:\n\n Satis idonei.\n\nFootnote 773:\n\n Religionem Christian\u00e6 doctrin\u00e6.\n\nFootnote 774:\n\n Matt. x. 18.\n\nFootnote 775:\n\n Cf. Matt. xxiv. 14.\n\nFootnote 776:\n\n Cf. Matt. vii. 22, 23.\n\nFootnote 777:\n\n Fortasse minus vera esse viderentur.\n\nFootnote 778:\n\n Salutaria pr\u00e6cepta.\n\nFootnote 779:\n\n \u03bf\u1f50\u03b4\u1f72 \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u03b4\u03b9\u03b4\u03b1\u03c3\u03ba\u03ac\u03bb\u03c9\u03bd \u03c0\u03bb\u03b5\u03bf\u03bd\u03b1\u03b6\u03cc\u03bd\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 780:\n\n \u03c4\u1fc7 \u03b4\u03b9\u1f70 \u1f38\u03b7\u03c3\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03b8\u03b5\u03bf\u03c3\u03b5\u03b2\u03b5\u03af\u1fb3.\n\nFootnote 781:\n\n \u03bc\u03b5\u1fd6\u03b6\u03bf\u03bd \u1f24 \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u1f70 \u1f04\u03bd\u03b8\u03c1\u03c9\u03c0\u03bf\u03bd \u03c4\u1f78 \u03c0\u03c1\u1fb6\u03b3\u03bc\u03b1 \u03b5\u1f34\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9.\n\nFootnote 782:\n\n \u03c7\u03c1\u03b7\u03c3\u03bc\u03bf\u1f7a\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 783:\n\n Matt. x. 18.\n\nFootnote 784:\n\n Cf. Matt. vii. 22, 23.\n\nFootnote 785:\n\n \u03c3\u03c9\u03c4\u03ae\u03c1\u03b9\u03b1 \u03b4\u03cc\u03b3\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1.\n\nFootnote 786:\n\n Ill\u00e6 omnes ambitiones Judaic\u00e6.\n\nFootnote 787:\n\n Cf. Hos. iii. 4.\n\nFootnote 788:\n\n On the Patriarch of the Jews, cf. Milman\u2019s _History of the Jews_, vol.\n ii. p. 399 sq., and vol. iii. p. 7 sq.\n\nFootnote 789:\n\n Deut. xxxii.\n\nFootnote 790:\n\n \u03c0\u03c1\u03bf\u03b5\u03c6\u03b7\u03c4\u03cd\u03b8\u03b7 \u1f41 \u03a7\u03c1\u03b9\u03c3\u03c4\u03cc\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 791:\n\n \u1f10\u03ba \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u03bc\u03b7\u03c1\u1ff6\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 792:\n\n \u1f10\u03c0\u03b9\u03b4\u03b7\u03bc\u03b7\u03c3\u1fc7.\n\nFootnote 793:\n\n \u03bf\u1f54\u03ba \u1f14\u03c4\u03b9 \u03b2\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03bb\u03b5\u1fd6\u03c2 \u1f38\u03bf\u03c5\u03b4\u03b1\u03af\u03b1\u03bd \u1f10\u03c7\u03c1\u03b7\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03af\u03c3\u03b1\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 794:\n\n Cf. Hos. iii. 4. Quoted from the Septuagint.\n\nFootnote 795:\n\n Termed by Rufinus \u201cPatriarch.\u201d\n\nFootnote 796:\n\n Deut. xxxii.\n\nFootnote 797:\n\n Deut. xxxii. 21.\n\nFootnote 798:\n\n 1 Cor. i. 26-28. Qu\u00e6 erant prius.\n\nFootnote 799:\n\n 1 Cor. i. 29.\n\nFootnote 800:\n\n Deut. xxxii.\n\nFootnote 801:\n\n \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03c0\u03c1\u03bf\u03c4\u03ad\u03c1\u03bf\u03c5 \u03bb\u03b1\u03bf\u1fe6.\n\nFootnote 802:\n\n Deut. xxxii. 21.\n\nFootnote 803:\n\n Cf. 1 Cor. i. 26-28. \u201cThe things which formerly existed, \u03c4\u1f70 \u03c0\u03c1\u03cc\u03c4\u03b5\u03c1\u03bf\u03bd\n \u1f44\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1.\u201d\n\nFootnote 804:\n\n Ps. xliv. 2, 3.\n\nFootnote 805:\n\n Cf. Ps. lxxii. 7.\n\nFootnote 806:\n\n Ps. lxxii. 8.\n\nFootnote 807:\n\n Cf. Isa. viii. 8, 9. Quoted from the Septuagint.\n\nFootnote 808:\n\n Cf. Mic. v. 2 and Matt. ii. 6.\n\nFootnote 809:\n\n Cf. Dan. ix. 4. Ad ducem Christum; \u201cTo Messiah the Prince,\u201d auth.\n vers.\n\nFootnote 810:\n\n The allusion is perhaps to Job xli. 1.\n\nFootnote 811:\n\n Ps. xlv. 42.\n\nFootnote 812:\n\n Ps. lxxii. 7.\n\nFootnote 813:\n\n Ps. lxxii. 8.\n\nFootnote 814:\n\n \u1f14\u03c4\u03b5\u03ba\u03b5 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u1f10\u03bd \u03b3\u03b1\u03c3\u03c4\u03c1\u1f76 \u1f14\u03c3\u03c7\u03b5, \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u1f14\u03c4\u03b5\u03ba\u03b5\u03bd \u03c5\u1f31\u03cc\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 815:\n\n Cf. Isa. viii. 8, 9. Quoted from the Septuagint.\n\nFootnote 816:\n\n Cf. Mic. v. 2 with Matt. ii. 6.\n\nFootnote 817:\n\n Cf. Dan. ix. 24.\n\nFootnote 818:\n\n Cf. Job xl. and xli.\n\nFootnote 819:\n\n \u03c4\u1f78 \u03bc\u03ad\u03b3\u03b1 \u03ba\u1fc6\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 820:\n\n Cf. Luke x. 19.\n\nFootnote 821:\n\n Divino, ut ita dixerim, cothurno.\n\nFootnote 822:\n\n \u1f61\u03c2 \u1f10\u03bd \u1f10\u03c0\u03b9\u03c4\u03bf\u03bc\u1fc7.\n\nFootnote 823:\n\n \u03b4\u03b9\u1f70 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6\u03c4\u03bf \u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u1f00\u03c0\u1f78 \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u1f10\u03b8\u03bd\u1ff6\u03bd \u1f10\u03ba\u03bb\u03bf\u03b3\u1fc6\u03c2 \u03ba\u03b5\u03ba\u03c1\u03b1\u03c4\u03b7\u03ba\u03cc\u03c4\u03b1.\n\nFootnote 824:\n\n \u1f34\u03c7\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2 \u1f10\u03bd\u03b8\u03bf\u03c5\u03c3\u03b9\u03b1\u03c3\u03bc\u03bf\u1fe6.\n\nFootnote 825:\n\n \u201cNam et inter ipsos homines ab alio minus, ab alio amplius\n consideratur: plus vero ab omni homine, qui in terris est, quis-quis\n ille est c\u0153li habitator, agnoscitur.\u201d The translation of Rufinus, as\n Redepenning remarks, seems very confused. Probably also the text is\n corrupt. The Greek without doubt gives the genuine thought of Origen.\n By omitting the _ab_ we approximate to the Greek, and get: \u201cbut he,\n whoever he be, who is inhabitant of heaven, is better known than any\n man who is on the earth;\u201d or according to the punctuation in the old\n editions, \u201cbut he who is inhabitant of heaven is better known than any\n man on earth, whoever he be.\u201d\n\nFootnote 826:\n\n In vilioribus et incomptis verborum vasculis.\n\nFootnote 827:\n\n Cf. 2 Cor. iv. 7.\n\nFootnote 828:\n\n Ad fidem credulitatemque.\n\nFootnote 829:\n\n 1 Cor. ii. 6.\n\nFootnote 830:\n\n Temporibus eternis.\n\nFootnote 831:\n\n Male.\n\nFootnote 832:\n\n \u03c4\u1f78 \u1f51\u03c0\u1f72\u03c1 \u1f04\u03bd\u03b8\u03c1\u03c9\u03c0\u03bf\u03bd \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u03bd\u03bf\u03b7\u03bc\u03ac\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 833:\n\n \u1f41 \u03c4\u03b5\u03c7\u03bd\u03b9\u03ba\u1f78\u03c2 \u03bb\u03cc\u03b3\u03bf\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 834:\n\n \u03a3\u03c6\u03cc\u03b4\u03c1\u03b1 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03c0\u03c1\u1f78\u03c2 \u03c4\u03af \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u1f15\u03bd\u03b5\u03ba\u03b1 \u03c4\u03af\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2 \u03b5\u1f51\u03c1\u03b9\u03c3\u03ba\u03bf\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03bf\u03c5 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fd6\u03c2 \u03c4\u03bf\u03cd\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd\n \u1f10\u03c0\u03b9\u03bc\u03b5\u03bb\u03bf\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03bf\u03b9\u03c2, \u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u1f76 \u03c4\u1f70\u03c2 \u1f41\u03c1\u03bc\u1f70\u03c2, \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c4\u1f70\u03c2 \u03c6\u03b1\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03af\u03b1\u03c2, \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c6\u03cd\u03c3\u03b5\u03b9\u03c2 \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u03b6\u03ce\u03c9\u03bd,\n \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c4\u1f70\u03c2 \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03ba\u03b5\u03c5\u1f70\u03c2 \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u03c3\u03c9\u03bc\u03ac\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 835:\n\n \u03c7\u03c1\u03b5\u03bf\u03ba\u03bf\u03c0\u03b5\u1fd6\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9.\n\nFootnote 836:\n\n \u1f10\u03bd \u03b5\u1f50\u03c4\u03b5\u03bb\u03b5\u1fd6 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03b5\u1f50\u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1\u03c6\u03c1\u03bf\u03bd\u03ae\u03c4\u1ff3 \u03bb\u03ad\u03be\u03b5\u03b9.\n\nFootnote 837:\n\n \u03ba\u03b1\u03b8\u03b7\u03bc\u03b1\u03be\u03b5\u03c5\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9.\n\nFootnote 838:\n\n 2 Cor. ii. 4.\n\nFootnote 839:\n\n \u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u03b9\u03c7\u03b5\u03b9\u03ce\u03c3\u03b5\u03c9\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 840:\n\n \u1f10\u03bd\u03c4\u03c5\u03c0\u03c9\u03b8\u03ae\u03c3\u03b5\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9.\n\nFootnote 841:\n\n \u03c7\u03c1\u03cc\u03bd\u03bf\u03b9\u03c2 \u03b1\u1f30\u03c9\u03bd\u03af\u03bf\u03b9\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 842:\n\n Cf. Zech. ix. 10.\n\nFootnote 843:\n\n Cf. Isa. vii. 15.\n\nFootnote 844:\n\n Ut priusquam cognosceret proferre malum, eligeret bonum.\n\nFootnote 845:\n\n Contra jus fasque.\n\nFootnote 846:\n\n Cf. Jer. xv. 14.\n\nFootnote 847:\n\n Cf. Ex. xxv. 5.\n\nFootnote 848:\n\n Cf. 1 Sam. xv. 11.\n\nFootnote 849:\n\n Cf. Isa. xlv. 7.\n\nFootnote 850:\n\n Cf. Amos iii. 16.\n\nFootnote 851:\n\n Cf. Mic. i. 12.\n\nFootnote 852:\n\n Cf. 1 Sam. xviii. 10.\n\nFootnote 853:\n\n \u1f61\u03c2 \u1f10\u03bd \u1f10\u03c0\u03b9\u03b4\u03c1\u03bf\u03bc\u1fc7.\n\nFootnote 854:\n\n \u03c4\u1f70 \u1f05\u03b3\u03b9\u03b1 \u1f00\u03bd\u03b1\u03b3\u03bd\u03ce\u03c3\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1.\n\nFootnote 855:\n\n \u03c0\u1ff6\u03c2 \u03b4\u03b5\u1fd6 \u1f10\u03c6\u03bf\u03b4\u03b5\u03cd\u03b5\u03b9\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 856:\n\n \u03bf\u1f31 \u1f30\u03b4\u03b9\u1ff6\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9 \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u1f10\u03ba \u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u03b9\u03c4\u03bf\u03bc\u1fc6\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 857:\n\n \u03b1\u1f30\u03c3\u03b8\u03b7\u03c4\u1ff6\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 858:\n\n Cf. Zech. ix. 10.\n\nFootnote 859:\n\n Cf. Isa. vii. 15.\n\nFootnote 860:\n\n Cf. Isa. xi. 6, 7.\n\nFootnote 861:\n\n \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u1f70 \u03c4\u1f78 \u03b4\u03ad\u03bf\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 862:\n\n Cf. Jer. xv. 14.\n\nFootnote 863:\n\n Cf. Ex. xxv. 5.\n\nFootnote 864:\n\n Cf. 1 Sam. xv. 11.\n\nFootnote 865:\n\n Cf. Isa. xlv. 7.\n\nFootnote 866:\n\n Cf. Amos iii. 6.\n\nFootnote 867:\n\n Cf. Mic. i. 12.\n\nFootnote 868:\n\n Cf. 1 Sam. xvi. 15.\n\nFootnote 869:\n\n The text, as it stands, is probably corrupt: \u201cPropter quod conabimur\n pro mediocritate sensus nostri his, qui credunt Scripturas sanctas non\n humana verba aliqua esse composita, sed sancti Spiritus inspiratione\n conscripta, et voluntate Dei patris per unigenitum filium suum Jesum\n Christum nobis quoque esse tradita et commissa, qu\u00e6 nobis videntur,\n recta via intelligenti\u00e6 observantibus, demonstrare illam regulam et\n disciplinam, quam ab Jesu Christo traditam sibi apostoli per\n successionem posteris quoque suis, sanctam ecclesiam docentibus,\n tradiderunt.\u201d\n\nFootnote 870:\n\n Dispensationes.\n\nFootnote 871:\n\n Religiosius.\n\nFootnote 872:\n\n Contra fas.\n\nFootnote 873:\n\n Sacramenta qu\u00e6dam.\n\nFootnote 874:\n\n Fas.\n\nFootnote 875:\n\n \u1f30\u03b4\u03b9\u03c9\u03c4\u03b9\u03ba\u1ff6\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 876:\n\n \u1f10\u03c0\u03b9\u03c0\u03bd\u03bf\u03af\u03b1\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 877:\n\n \u03ba\u03b1\u03bd\u03cc\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 878:\n\n \u03c4\u03cd\u03c0\u03bf\u03c5\u03c2 \u03b5\u1f36\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9 \u03c4\u1f70 \u03b3\u03b5\u03b3\u03c1\u03b1\u03bc\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03b1.\n\nFootnote 879:\n\n Cf. 1 Cor. ii. 16 and 12, 11.\n\nFootnote 880:\n\n Tantam occultationem ineffabilium sacramentorum.\n\nFootnote 881:\n\n Per breve quoddam receptaculum.\n\nFootnote 882:\n\n Immens\u00e6 lucis claritas.\n\nFootnote 883:\n\n Luke xi. 52.\n\nFootnote 884:\n\n 1 Cor. ii. 12, 13, and 16 ad fin.\n\nFootnote 885:\n\n \u039c\u03c5\u03c1\u03af\u03c9\u03bd \u1f45\u03c3\u03c9\u03bd \u03ba\u1f00\u03ba\u03b5\u1fd6, \u1f61\u03c2 \u03b4\u03b9\u2019 \u1f40\u03c0\u1fc6\u03c2, \u03bc\u03b5\u03b3\u03af\u03c3\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c0\u03bb\u03b5\u03af\u03c3\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd \u03bd\u03bf\u03b7\u03bc\u03ac\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd \u03bf\u1f50\n \u03b2\u03c1\u03b1\u03c7\u03b5\u1fd6\u03b1\u03bd \u1f00\u03c6\u03bf\u03c1\u03bc\u1f74\u03bd \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u03b5\u03c7\u03cc\u03bd\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 886:\n\n \u1f00\u03c0\u03cc\u1fe4\u1fe5\u03b7\u03c4\u03b1.\n\nFootnote 887:\n\n \u03c0\u03b1\u03bd\u03c4\u03b5\u03bb\u1fc6 \u03bc\u03c5\u03c3\u03c4\u03ae\u03c1\u03b9\u03b1.\n\nFootnote 888:\n\n Luke xi. 52.\n\nFootnote 889:\n\n Cf. Prov. xxii. 20, 21. The Masoretic text reads, \u05d4\u05b2\u05dc\u05b9\u05a4\u05d0 \u05db\u05b8\u05ea\u05b7\u05a3\u05d1\u05b0\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\n \u05dc\u05b0\u05ad\u05da\u05b8 \u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u0591\u05d9\u05dd (\u05e9\u05dc\u05e9\u05d5\u05dd) \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05de\u0596\u05d5\u05b9\u05e2\u05b5\u05e6\u05b9\u05a3\u05ea \u05d5\u05b8\u05d3\u05b8\u05bd\u05e2\u05b7\u05ea \u05c3 \u05dc\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b9\u05d3\u05b4\u05bd\u05d9\u05e2\u05b2\u05da\u05b8\u0597\n \u05e7\u05b9\u05ad\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05d8\u05b0 \u05d0\u05b1\u05de\u05b6\u0591\u05ea \u05dc\u05b0\u05d4\u05b8\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05a5\u05d9\u05d1 \u05d0\u05b2\u05de\u05b8\u05e8\u05b4\u05a5\u05d9\u05dd \u05d0\u05b1\u059d\u05de\u05b6\u0597\u05ea \u05dc\u05b0\u05e9\u05b9\u05c1\u05dc\u05b0\u05d7\u05b6\u05bd\u05d9\u05da\u05b8 .\n\nFootnote 890:\n\n 1 Cor. ii. 6, 7.\n\nFootnote 891:\n\n Largitione.\n\nFootnote 892:\n\n Cf. Ante-Nicene Library, vol. containing \u201cApostolic Fathers,\u201d p. 331\n and note.\n\nFootnote 893:\n\n The Septuagint: \u039a\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c3\u1f7a \u03b4\u1f72 \u1f00\u03c0\u03cc\u03b3\u03c1\u03b1\u03c8\u03b1\u03b9 \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u1f70 \u03c3\u03b5\u03b1\u03c5\u03c4\u1ff7 \u03c4\u03c1\u03b9\u03c3\u03c3\u1ff6\u03c2 \u03b5\u1f30\u03c2 \u03b2\u03bf\u03c5\u03bb\u1f74\u03bd \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76\n \u03b3\u03bd\u1ff6\u03c3\u03b9\u03bd \u1f10\u03c0\u1f76 \u03c4\u1f78 \u03c0\u03bb\u03ac\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2 \u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u03ba\u03b1\u03c1\u03b4\u03af\u03b1\u03c2 \u03c3\u03bf\u03c5\u00b7 \u03b4\u03b9\u03b4\u03ac\u03c3\u03ba\u03c9 \u03bf\u1f56\u03bd \u03c3\u03b5 \u1f00\u03bb\u03b7\u03b8\u1fc6 \u03bb\u03cc\u03b3\u03bf\u03bd \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76\n \u03b3\u03bd\u1ff6\u03c3\u03b9\u03bd \u1f00\u03bb\u03b7\u03b8\u1fc6 \u1f51\u03c0\u03b1\u03ba\u03bf\u03cd\u03b5\u03b9\u03bd, \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u1f00\u03c0\u03bf\u03ba\u03c1\u03af\u03bd\u03b5\u03c3\u03b8\u03b1\u03af \u03c3\u03b5 \u03bb\u03cc\u03b3\u03bf\u03c5\u03c2 \u1f00\u03bb\u03b7\u03b8\u03b5\u03af\u03b1\u03c2 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fd6\u03c2\n \u03c0\u03c1\u03bf\u03b2\u03b1\u03bb\u03bb\u03bf\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03bf\u03b9\u03c2 \u03c3\u03bf\u03b9. The Vulgate reads: Ecce, descripsi eam tibi\n tripliciter in cogitationibus et scientia, ut ostenderem tibi\n firmitatem et eloquia veritatis, respondere ex his illis, qui miserunt\n te.\n\nFootnote 894:\n\n Cf. note 1, _ut supra_.\n\nFootnote 895:\n\n 1 Cor. ii. 6, 7.\n\nFootnote 896:\n\n Cf. Ante-Nicene Library, vol. \u201cApostolic Fathers,\u201d p. 331 and note.\n\nFootnote 897:\n\n \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u03b1\u03bd\u03cc\u03bc\u1ff3 \u03bd\u03c5\u03bc\u03c6\u03af\u1ff3.\n\nFootnote 898:\n\n \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u03ba\u03ac\u03c4\u03c9 \u03bd\u03bf\u03b7\u03bc\u03ac\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 899:\n\n \u03c0\u03b5\u03c0\u03bf\u03bb\u03b9\u03c9\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03bf\u03b9\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 900:\n\n Consequentia historialis intelligenti\u00e6.\n\nFootnote 901:\n\n Metretes.\n\nFootnote 902:\n\n Cf. 1 Cor. ix. 9 and Deut. xxv. 4.\n\nFootnote 903:\n\n Cf. 1 Cor. ix. 9, 10.\n\nFootnote 904:\n\n Cf. 1 Cor. ix. 9 and Deut. xxv. 4.\n\nFootnote 905:\n\n 1 Cor. ix. 9, 10.\n\nFootnote 906:\n\n Cf. 1 Cor. ii. 7.\n\nFootnote 907:\n\n In figur\u00e2. Greek (_text. recept._) \u03c4\u03cd\u03c0\u03bf\u03b9. Lachmann reads \u03c4\u03c5\u03c0\u03b9\u03ba\u1ff6\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 908:\n\n 1 Cor. x. 11.\n\nFootnote 909:\n\n 1 Cor. x. 4.\n\nFootnote 910:\n\n Cf. Ex. xxv. 40 and Heb. viii. 5.\n\nFootnote 911:\n\n Gal. iv. 21-24.\n\nFootnote 912:\n\n Col. ii. 16.\n\nFootnote 913:\n\n Heb. viii. 5.\n\nFootnote 914:\n\n Rom. xi. 4; cf. 1 Kings xix. 18.\n\nFootnote 915:\n\n Cf. 1 Cor. ii. 6, 7, 8.\n\nFootnote 916:\n\n 1 Cor. x. 11.\n\nFootnote 917:\n\n 1 Cor. x. 4.\n\nFootnote 918:\n\n Cf. Ex. xxv. 40 and Heb. viii. 5.\n\nFootnote 919:\n\n \u1f00\u03bb\u03bb\u03b7\u03b3\u03bf\u03c1\u03bf\u03cd\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03b1.\n\nFootnote 920:\n\n Col. ii. 16.\n\nFootnote 921:\n\n Heb. viii. 5.\n\nFootnote 922:\n\n \u1f61\u03c2 \u03b8\u03b5\u1fd6\u03bf\u03bd \u1f04\u03bd\u03b4\u03c1\u03b1.\n\nFootnote 923:\n\n Rom. xi. 4; cf. 1 Kings xix. 18.\n\nFootnote 924:\n\n \u03c4\u03b9\u03bd\u1f70\u03c2 \u1f00\u03c0\u1f78 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03b8\u03b5\u1fd6\u03bf\u03c5 \u03b3\u03ad\u03bd\u03bf\u03c5\u03c2, _i.e._ Israelites.\n\nFootnote 925:\n\n Qu\u00e6 inter homines, vel de hominibus geruntur.\n\nFootnote 926:\n\n Figuraliter describebant.\n\nFootnote 927:\n\n \u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u1f76 \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u03b1\u1f30\u03c3\u03b8\u03b7\u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u03b4\u03b7\u03bc\u03b9\u03bf\u03c5\u03c1\u03b3\u03b7\u03bc\u03ac\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 928:\n\n Intercapedines.\n\nFootnote 929:\n\n Ut ita celsioris cujusdam et eminentioris tramitis per angusti callis\n ingressum immensam divin\u00e6 scienti\u00e6 latitudinem pandat.\n\nFootnote 930:\n\n \u03b3\u03bb\u03b1\u03c6\u03c5\u03c1\u03cc\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 931:\n\n \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u03cc\u03b8\u03b5\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 932:\n\n \u1f51\u03c0\u1f78 \u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u03bb\u03ad\u03be\u03b5\u03c9\u03c2 \u1f11\u03bb\u03ba\u03cc\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03bf\u03b9 \u03c4\u1f78 \u1f00\u03b3\u03c9\u03b3\u1f78\u03bd \u1f04\u03ba\u03c1\u03b1\u03c4\u03bf\u03bd \u1f10\u03c7\u03bf\u03cd\u03c3\u03b7\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 933:\n\n \u1f10\u03bd \u03c4\u1fc7 \u03b4\u03b9\u03b7\u03b3\u03ae\u03c3\u03b5\u03b9 \u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u1f76 \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u03bd\u03bf\u03b7\u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u1f00\u03ba\u03bf\u03bb\u03bf\u03c5\u03b8\u03af\u03b1\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 934:\n\n \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u1f70 \u03c4\u1f78 \u03c3\u1ff6\u03bc\u03b1.\n\nFootnote 935:\n\n Consequenter, alii \u201cconvenienter.\u201d\n\nFootnote 936:\n\n Lignum.\n\nFootnote 937:\n\n \u039f\u1f50\u03b4\u1f72 \u03c4\u03bf\u03cd\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd \u03c0\u03ac\u03bd\u03c4\u03b7 \u1f04\u03ba\u03c1\u03b1\u03c4\u03bf\u03bd \u03c4\u1f74\u03bd \u1f31\u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u03c1\u03af\u03b1\u03bd \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u03c0\u03c1\u03bf\u03c3\u03c5\u03c6\u03b1\u03c3\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03c9\u03bd \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u1f70 \u03c4\u1f78\n \u03c3\u03c9\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03b9\u03ba\u1f78\u03bd \u1f10\u03c7\u03cc\u03bd\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd, \u03bc\u1f74 \u03b3\u03b5\u03b3\u03b5\u03bd\u03b7\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03c9\u03bd \u03bf\u1f50\u03b4\u1f72 \u03c4\u1f74\u03bd \u03bd\u03bf\u03bc\u03bf\u03b8\u03b5\u03c3\u03af\u03b1\u03bd \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c4\u1f70\u03c2 \u1f10\u03bd\u03c4\u03bf\u03bb\u1f70\u03c2\n \u03c0\u03ac\u03bd\u03c4\u03c9\u03c2 \u03c4\u1f78 \u03b5\u1f54\u03bb\u03bf\u03b3\u03bf\u03bd \u1f10\u03bc\u03c6\u03b1\u03af\u03bd\u03bf\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1. One MS. reads \u03b3\u03b5\u03b3\u03b5\u03bd\u03b7\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03b7\u03bd, referring to\n \u1f31\u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u03c1\u03af\u03b1\u03bd, on which one editor remarks, \u201cHic et in sequentibus imploro\n fidem codicum!\u201d\n\nFootnote 938:\n\n \u03b4\u03b9\u1f70 \u03b4\u03bf\u03ba\u03bf\u03cd\u03c3\u03b7\u03c2 \u1f31\u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u03c1\u03af\u03b1\u03c2 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03bf\u1f50 \u03c3\u03c9\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03b9\u03ba\u1ff6\u03c2 \u03b3\u03b5\u03b3\u03b5\u03bd\u03b7\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03b7\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 939:\n\n \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u1f70 \u03c4\u1f74\u03bd \u03bb\u03ad\u03be\u03b9\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 940:\n\n Inconsequens.\n\nFootnote 941:\n\n Cf. Gen. xvii. 14.\n\nFootnote 942:\n\n Tragelaphus; \u201cwild goat,\u201d auth. vers. Deut. xiv. 5; Heb. \u05d0\u05b7\u05e7\u05bc\u05a5\u05d5\u05b9, \u1f05\u03c0\u03b1\u03be\n \u03bb\u03b5\u03b3.\n\nFootnote 943:\n\n Gryphus; \u201cossifrage,\u201d auth. vers. Lev. xi. 13; Heb. \u05e4\u05b6\u05bc\u0594\u05e8\u05b6\u05e1.\n\nFootnote 944:\n\n Opinatissim\u00e2.\n\nFootnote 945:\n\n Cf. Ex. xvi. 29.\n\nFootnote 946:\n\n Ulnas.\n\nFootnote 947:\n\n Jer. xvii. 21.\n\nFootnote 948:\n\n \u1f45\u03c3\u03bf\u03bd \u1f10\u03c0\u1f76 \u03c4\u1ff7 \u03ba\u03b1\u03b8\u2019 \u1f11\u03b1\u03c5\u03c4\u03bf\u1f7a\u03c2 \u03c4\u03b7\u03c1\u03b5\u1fd6\u03c3\u03b8\u03b1\u03b9.\n\nFootnote 949:\n\n Gen. xvii. 14.\n\nFootnote 950:\n\n Ex. xvi. 29.\n\nFootnote 951:\n\n \u03c8\u03c5\u03c7\u03c1\u1f70\u03c2 \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u03b1\u03b4\u03cc\u03c3\u03b5\u03b9\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 952:\n\n \u03c4\u03cc\u03c0\u03bf\u03bd \u1f11\u03ba\u03ac\u03c3\u03c4\u1ff3 \u03b5\u1f36\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9 \u03b4\u03b9\u03c3\u03c7\u03b9\u03bb\u03af\u03bf\u03c5\u03c2 \u03c0\u03ae\u03c7\u03b5\u03b9\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 953:\n\n \u0395\u1f30\u03c2 \u1f00\u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u03b1\u03bd\u03c4\u03bf\u03bb\u03bf\u03b3\u03af\u03b1\u03bd \u1f10\u03bb\u03b7\u03bb\u03cd\u03b8\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9.\n\nFootnote 954:\n\n Luke x. 4.\n\nFootnote 955:\n\n Luke x. 4.\n\nFootnote 956:\n\n 1 Cor. vii. 18.\n\nFootnote 957:\n\n Secundo vero, quid obesset, si obsc\u0153nitatis vitand\u00e6 causa ejus, qu\u00e6 ex\n circumcisione est, posset aliquis revocare pr\u00e6putium?\n\nFootnote 958:\n\n Luke x. 4.\n\nFootnote 959:\n\n \u03b5\u1f30 \u03bc\u1f74 \u1f04\u03c1\u03b1 \u03c0\u03b5\u03c0\u03bf\u03bd\u03b8\u03ce\u03c2 \u03c4\u03b9 \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u1f70 \u03c6\u03cd\u03c3\u03b9\u03bd \u03c4\u03c5\u03b3\u03c7\u03ac\u03bd\u03bf\u03b9.\n\nFootnote 960:\n\n 1 Cor. vii. 18.\n\nFootnote 961:\n\n \u03b5\u1f30\u03ba\u1fc6.\n\nFootnote 962:\n\n \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c4\u1fc7 \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u1f70 \u03c4\u1f78 \u1fe5\u03b7\u03c4\u1f78\u03bd \u03c7\u03c1\u03b7\u03c3\u03af\u03bc\u03c9\u03bd \u03bd\u03bf\u03bc\u03bf\u03b8\u03b5\u03c3\u03af\u1fb3.\n\nFootnote 963:\n\n Duplici spelunca.\n\nFootnote 964:\n\n Cf. Gen. xlviii. 22 and Josh. xxiv. 32.\n\nFootnote 965:\n\n Cf. Ex. xx. 12 and Eph. vi. 2, 3.\n\nFootnote 966:\n\n Cf. Ex. xx. 13.\n\nFootnote 967:\n\n Cf. Matt. v. 22.\n\nFootnote 968:\n\n Matt. v. 28.\n\nFootnote 969:\n\n 1 Thess. v. 14.\n\nFootnote 970:\n\n \u03b3\u03ad\u03b3\u03bf\u03bd\u03b5\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 971:\n\n \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u1f70 \u03c4\u1f78 \u03b1\u1f30\u03c3\u03b8\u03b7\u03c4\u03cc\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 972:\n\n Cf. Gen. xlviii. 22 and Josh. xxiv. 32.\n\nFootnote 973:\n\n Ex. xx. 12 and Eph. vi. 2, 3.\n\nFootnote 974:\n\n \u03c7\u03c9\u03c1\u1f76\u03c2 \u03c0\u03ac\u03c3\u03b7\u03c2 \u1f00\u03bd\u03b1\u03b3\u03c9\u03b3\u1fc6\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 975:\n\n Cf. Ex. xx. 12 and Eph. vi. 2, 3.\n\nFootnote 976:\n\n Cf. Ex. xx. 13.\n\nFootnote 977:\n\n Matt. v. 22.\n\nFootnote 978:\n\n 1 Thess. v. 14.\n\nFootnote 979:\n\n \u0395\u1f30 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u1f70 \u03c4\u03bf\u1f76\u03c2 \u03c6\u03b9\u03bb\u03bf\u03c4\u03b9\u03bc\u03bf\u03c4\u03ad\u03c1\u03bf\u03b9\u03c2 \u03b4\u03cd\u03bd\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9 \u03c3\u03ce\u03b6\u03b5\u03b9\u03bd \u1f15\u03ba\u03b1\u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u03bd \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd, \u03bc\u03b5\u03c4\u1f70 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6\n \u03bc\u1f74 \u1f00\u03b8\u03b5\u03c4\u03b5\u1fd6\u03c3\u03b8\u03b1\u03b9 \u03c4\u1f74\u03bd \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u1f70 \u03c4\u1f78 \u1fe5\u03b7\u03c4\u1f78\u03bd \u1f10\u03bd\u03c4\u03bf\u03bb\u1f74\u03bd, \u03b2\u03ac\u03b8\u03b7 \u0398\u03b5\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03c3\u03bf\u03c6\u03af\u03b1\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 980:\n\n \u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u03b9\u03b5\u03bb\u03ba\u03c5\u03c3\u03b8\u03ae\u03c3\u03b5\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9.\n\nFootnote 981:\n\n John v. 39.\n\nFootnote 982:\n\n In libro Jesu Naue.\n\nFootnote 983:\n\n \u1f41 \u03c0\u03c1\u03bf\u03b7\u03b3\u03bf\u03cd\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 984:\n\n \u1f4d\u03bb\u03bf\u03bd \u03c4\u1f78\u03bd \u03bd\u03bf\u1fe6\u03bd \u03c6\u03b9\u03bb\u03bf\u03c4\u03b9\u03bc\u03b7\u03c4\u03ad\u03bf\u03bd \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1\u03bb\u03b1\u03bc\u03b2\u03ac\u03bd\u03b5\u03b9\u03bd, \u03c3\u03c5\u03bd\u03b5\u03af\u03c1\u03bf\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1 \u03c4\u1f78\u03bd \u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u1f76 \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u1f70\n \u03c4\u1f74\u03bd \u03bb\u03ad\u03be\u03b9\u03bd \u1f00\u03b4\u03c5\u03bd\u03ac\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd \u03bb\u03cc\u03b3\u03bf\u03bd \u03bd\u03bf\u03b7\u03c4\u1ff6\u03c2 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fd6\u03c2 \u03bf\u1f50 \u03bc\u03cc\u03bd\u03bf\u03bd \u03bf\u1f50\u03ba \u1f00\u03b4\u03c5\u03bd\u03ac\u03c4\u03bf\u03b9\u03c2, \u1f00\u03bb\u03bb\u1f70 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76\n \u1f00\u03bb\u03b7\u03b8\u03ad\u03c3\u03b9 \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u1f70 \u03c4\u1f74\u03bd \u1f31\u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u03c1\u03af\u03b1\u03bd, \u03c3\u03c5\u03bd\u03b1\u03bb\u03bb\u03b7\u03b3\u03bf\u03c1\u03bf\u03c5\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03bf\u03b9\u03c2 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fd6\u03c2 \u1f45\u03c3\u03bf\u03bd \u1f10\u03c0\u1f76 \u03c4\u1fc7 \u03bb\u03ad\u03be\u03b5\u03b9,\n \u03bc\u1f74 \u03b3\u03b5\u03b3\u03b5\u03bd\u03b7\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03bf\u03b9\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 985:\n\n \u1f10\u03bd \u1f38\u03b7\u03c3\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03c4\u1ff7 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u039d\u03b1\u03c5\u1fc6.\n\nFootnote 986:\n\n 1 Cor. x. 18.\n\nFootnote 987:\n\n Rom. ix. 6.\n\nFootnote 988:\n\n 1 Cor. x. 18.\n\nFootnote 989:\n\n Rom. ix. 6, 8.\n\nFootnote 990:\n\n Rom. ii. 28.\n\nFootnote 991:\n\n \u03a0\u1fb6\u03c3\u03b1 \u03b3\u1f70\u03c1 \u1f00\u03c1\u03c7\u1f74 \u03c0\u03b1\u03c4\u03c1\u03b9\u1ff6\u03bd \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u1f61\u03c2 \u03c0\u03c1\u1f78\u03c2 \u03c4\u1f78\u03bd \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u1f45\u03bb\u03c9\u03bd \u0398\u03b5\u1f78\u03bd, \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03c9\u03c4\u03ad\u03c1\u03c9 \u1f00\u03c0\u1f78 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6\n \u03a7\u03c1\u03b9\u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u1f24\u03c1\u03be\u03b1\u03c4\u03bf \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03bc\u03b5\u03c4\u1f70 \u03c4\u1f78\u03bd \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u1f45\u03bb\u03c9\u03bd \u0398\u03b5\u1f78\u03bd \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c0\u03b1\u03c4\u03ad\u03c1\u03b1.\n\nFootnote 992:\n\n Matt. xv. 24.\n\nFootnote 993:\n\n Ebion, Heb. \u05d0\u05b6\u05d1\u05b0\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05df, (from \u05d0\u05b8\u05d1\u05b8\u05d4 , to desire), lit. \u201cwishing,\u201d\n \u201cdesiring;\u201d secondarily, \u201cpoor.\u201d\n\nFootnote 994:\n\n Gal. iv. 26.\n\nFootnote 995:\n\n Cf. Heb. xii. 22, 23.\n\nFootnote 996:\n\n Matt. xv. 24.\n\nFootnote 997:\n\n Rom. ix. 8.\n\nFootnote 998:\n\n Gal. iv. 26.\n\nFootnote 999:\n\n Heb. xii. 22, 23.\n\nFootnote 1000:\n\n \u1f10\u03bd \u03c8\u03c5\u03c7\u1ff6\u03bd \u03b3\u03ad\u03bd\u03b5\u03b9.\n\nFootnote 1001:\n\n Infernus.\n\nFootnote 1002:\n\n Velut illic, si dici potest, morientes.\n\nFootnote 1003:\n\n A superis.\n\nFootnote 1004:\n\n Cf. Ps. xxx. 4 and Deut. xxxii. 22.\n\nFootnote 1005:\n\n Corporaliter.\n\nFootnote 1006:\n\n Matt. xiii. 44.\n\nFootnote 1007:\n\n Ad propinquitatem pertinent Israel.\n\nFootnote 1008:\n\n Rom. ix. 6.\n\nFootnote 1009:\n\n Ex ipsis Septuaginta animabus fiunt aliqui.\n\nFootnote 1010:\n\n \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03ba\u03b1\u03bb\u03bf\u03c5\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03bf\u03c5 \u03c7\u03c9\u03c1\u03af\u03bf\u03c5 \u1f85\u03b4\u03bf\u03c5.\n\nFootnote 1011:\n\n \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u1f70 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fd6\u03c3\u03b4\u03b5, \u1f24 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fd6\u03c3\u03b4\u03b5 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fd6\u03c2 \u03c0\u03b1\u03c4\u03c1\u03ac\u03c3\u03b9.\n\nFootnote 1012:\n\n Matt. xii. 44.\n\nFootnote 1013:\n\n Cf. Isa. xlv. 3.\n\nFootnote 1014:\n\n Rom. ix. 6.\n\nFootnote 1015:\n\n Cf. Gen. xxxii. 29.\n\nFootnote 1016:\n\n Heb. viii. 5.\n\nFootnote 1017:\n\n Extrinsecus.\n\nFootnote 1018:\n\n Hostes inimicosque.\n\nFootnote 1019:\n\n Ne illud quidem sacramento aliquo vacuum puto.\n\nFootnote 1020:\n\n Quem primum omnium Israelitici belli dextra defenderat.\n\nFootnote 1021:\n\n Rigare et inundare animas sitientes, et sensus adjacentes sibi.\n\nFootnote 1022:\n\n Formam.\n\nFootnote 1023:\n\n Lam. iv. 20.\n\nFootnote 1024:\n\n Cf. Rev. xiv. 6.\n\nFootnote 1025:\n\n Omnis gloria regis intrinsecus est. Heb., Sept., and Vulgate all read,\n \u201cdaughter of the king.\u201d Probably the omission of \u201cfili\u00e6\u201d in the text\n may be due to an error of the copyists.\n\nFootnote 1026:\n\n Rom. xi. 33.\n\nFootnote 1027:\n\n Rom. xi. 33.\n\nFootnote 1028:\n\n The Septuagint reads: \u0395\u1f36\u03c0\u03b1 \u03a3\u03bf\u03c6\u03b9\u03c3\u03b8\u03ae\u03c3\u03bf\u03bc\u03b1\u03b9\u00b7 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03b1\u1f55\u03c4\u03b7 \u1f10\u03bc\u03b1\u03ba\u03c1\u03cd\u03bd\u03b8\u03b7 \u1f00\u03c0\u2019 \u1f10\u03bc\u03bf\u1fe6\u00b7\n \u03bc\u03b1\u03ba\u03c1\u1f70\u03bd \u1f51\u03c0\u1f72\u03c1 \u03b4\u2019 \u1f26\u03bd, \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03b2\u03b1\u03b8\u1f7a \u03b2\u03ac\u03b8\u03bf\u03c2\u00b7 \u03c4\u03af\u03c2 \u03b5\u1f51\u03c1\u03ae\u03c3\u03b5\u03b9 \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u03cc. The Vulgate\n translates this literally.\n\nFootnote 1029:\n\n Cf. Isa. xli. 22, 23.\n\nFootnote 1030:\n\n Isa. vi. 3.\n\nFootnote 1031:\n\n Cf. Ecclus. xvi. 21.\n\nFootnote 1032:\n\n Ex nullis substantibus.\n\nFootnote 1033:\n\n 1 John i. 5.\n\nFootnote 1034:\n\n Cf. Heb. i. 3.\n\nFootnote 1035:\n\n Qu\u00e6 quidem quamvis intellectu multa esse dicantur.\n\nFootnote 1036:\n\n Qu\u00e6 sunt extra Trinitatem.\n\nFootnote 1037:\n\n Cf. 2 Cor. xiii. 3.\n\nFootnote 1038:\n\n Gal. ii. 20.\n\nFootnote 1039:\n\n Quam in aliis sanctis viris. \u201cAliis\u201d is found in the MSS., but is\n wanting in many editions.\n\nFootnote 1040:\n\n Cf. Matt. xxii. 30 and Luke xx. 36.\n\nFootnote 1041:\n\n Unde constat in singulis quibusque tantum effici Christum, quantum\n ratio indulserit meritorum.\n\nFootnote 1042:\n\n Cf. Col. i. 16-18.\n\nFootnote 1043:\n\n John i. 3.\n\nFootnote 1044:\n\n Ps. xxxiii. 6.\n\nFootnote 1045:\n\n Cf. John i. 26, 27.\n\nFootnote 1046:\n\n Proposito vero et virtute similem sibi.\n\nFootnote 1047:\n\n Animam.\n\nFootnote 1048:\n\n John x. 18.\n\nFootnote 1049:\n\n Matt. xxvi. 38.\n\nFootnote 1050:\n\n John xii. 27.\n\nFootnote 1051:\n\n Cf. Job xv. 14.\n\nFootnote 1052:\n\n Ps. xlv. 7.\n\nFootnote 1053:\n\n Cf. Col. iii. 3.\n\nFootnote 1054:\n\n Substantialiter.\n\nFootnote 1055:\n\n Cf. 1 John ii. 6.\n\nFootnote 1056:\n\n 2 Cor. xiii. 4.\n\nFootnote 1057:\n\n 1 Cor. ii. 2.\n\nFootnote 1058:\n\n De Maria corpus assumsit.\n\nFootnote 1059:\n\n Semet ipsum exinanivit.\n\nFootnote 1060:\n\n Phil. ii. 6, 7.\n\nFootnote 1061:\n\n In filium adoptatur.\n\nFootnote 1062:\n\n Ventilare.\n\nFootnote 1063:\n\n In Scripturis canonicis.\n\nFootnote 1064:\n\n Isa. x. 17, \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c6\u03ac\u03b3\u03b5\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9 \u1f61\u03c3\u03b5\u1f76 \u03c7\u03cc\u03c1\u03c4\u03bf\u03bd \u03c4\u1f74\u03bd \u1f55\u03bb\u03b7\u03bd, Sept. The Vulgate\n follows the Masoretic text.\n\nFootnote 1065:\n\n Wisd. xi. 17.\n\nFootnote 1066:\n\n Gen. i. 2, \u201cinvisibilis et incomposita;\u201d \u201cinanes et vacua,\u201d Vulg.\n\nFootnote 1067:\n\n Initia corporum.\n\nFootnote 1068:\n\n Naturam corpoream.\n\nFootnote 1069:\n\n Nec tamen sensus noster manifeste de eo aliquid horum definit, sed ita\n eum per h\u00e6c intelligimus, vel consideramus, ut non omnino rationem\n status ejus comprehendamus, vel in eo, quod vigilat, vel in eo, quod\n dormit, aut in quo loquitur, vel tacet, et si qua alia sunt, qu\u00e6\n accidere necesse est hominibus.\n\nFootnote 1070:\n\n Tunc simulat\u00e2 quodammodo cogitatione.\n\nFootnote 1071:\n\n Ps. cxxxix. 16, \u03c4\u1f78 \u1f00\u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03ad\u03c1\u03b3\u03b1\u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u03bd \u03bc\u03bf\u03c5 \u03b5\u1f34\u03b4\u03bf\u03c3\u03b1\u03bd \u03bf\u1f31 \u1f40\u03c6\u03b8\u03b1\u03bb\u03bc\u03bf\u03af \u03c3\u03bf\u03c5, Sept.;\n \u201cImperfectum tuum viderunt oculi tui,\u201d Vulg. (same as in the text.)\n \u05d2\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05b0\u05de\u05b4\u05a4\u05d9 \u05e8\u05b8\u0598\u05d0\u05a4\u05d5\u05bc \u05e2\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05b6\u0597\u05d9\u05da\u05b8\u2014\u201cThine eyes did see my substance, yet\n being imperfect,\u201d auth. vers. Cf. Gesenius and F\u00fcrst, _s.v._ \u05e0\u05bc\u05dc\u05b6\u05dd.\n\nFootnote 1072:\n\n Ambulavi usque ad imperfectum; cf. Book of Enoch, chap. xvii.\n\nFootnote 1073:\n\n Universas materias perspexi; cf. Book of Enoch, chap. xvii.\n\nFootnote 1074:\n\n Alioquin.\n\nFootnote 1075:\n\n Substantialem interitum.\n\nFootnote 1076:\n\n Ps. xxii. 27.\n\nFootnote 1077:\n\n Cf. Col. i. 15 and 2 Cor. iv. 4.\n\nFootnote 1078:\n\n Luke vi. 36.\n\nFootnote 1079:\n\n Matt. v. 48.\n\nFootnote 1080:\n\n Nihil eum rerum intellectualium ex se lateat.\n\nFootnote 1081:\n\n Cf. Prov. ii. 5, \u1f10\u03c0\u03af\u03b3\u03bd\u03c9\u03c3\u03b9\u03bd \u0398\u03b5\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03b5\u1f51\u03c1\u03ae\u03c3\u03b5\u03b9\u03c2, Sept. Scientiam Dei\n invenies, Vulg. \u05d3\u05b7\u0596\u05e2\u05b7\u05ea \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b4\u05a3\u05d9\u05dd \u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05de\u05b0\u05e6\u05b8\u05bd\u05d0.\n\n\n\n\n I.\u2014INDEX OF SUBJECTS.\n\n\n _Acts of Paul, The_, quoted, 20.\n\n Ages, the, 85.\n\n Angels, the doctrine of the church respecting, 7;\n how referred to by Paul, 45;\n inquiries respecting, 47;\n a particular office assigned to each, 65;\n diversities among, the results of merit, 66;\n capable of good or evil, 67, 69;\n the substance of, 122, 123.\n\n Annihilation of material substances not possible, 58.\n\n Animal man, the, 120, 121.\n\n \u1f08\u03bd\u03c4\u03af\u03c7\u03b8\u03bf\u03bd\u03b5\u03c2, 86.\n\n Apopomp\u00e6us, 223.\n\n Apostles, the, the subjects of their preaching, 3, etc.\n\n Artaxerxes and Mordecai, 231.\n\n _Ascension of Moses, The_, quoted, 222.\n\n \u1f08\u03c3\u03ce\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03bf\u03bd, 5.\n\n\n _Barnabas, The Epistle of_, quoted, 231.\n\n Blessedness, the future, of the saints, not carnal, 145, 146;\n but spiritual, 147-153.\n\n Body, the, can rational creatures live without, 80, 82;\n to be made incorruptible and immortal, resurrection of the, 137;\n varieties in the resurrection body, 138;\n a word to weak believers about the resurrection body, 139, etc.\n\n Bodily nature, its perpetuity, 77-79.\n\n Breath of the power of God, the, 26-28.\n\n Brightness of the Father\u2019s glory, Christ the, 24.\n\n\n Christ, the words of, 1;\n apostolical doctrine respecting, 3;\n the only-begotten Son of God, 18;\n the wisdom of God, 18, 19, 20;\n the eternal generation of, 19, 22;\n generated by the divine will, 23;\n the image of the invisible God, 23, 24;\n the brightness of the glory of God, 24, 25;\n the figure of God\u2019s person or subsistence, 25;\n the breath of the power of God, 26;\n the efflux of God\u2019s glory, 28;\n the splendour of eternal light, 30;\n the stainless mirror of God\u2019s \u1f10\u03bd\u03ad\u03c1\u03b3\u03b5\u03b9\u03b1, 31;\n the image of God\u2019s goodness, 31, 32;\n the incarnation of, 105-112;\n the wonder of the incarnation of, 106, 107;\n His union with God, 108;\n His union with God the reward of His love, 109;\n possessed a human and rational soul, 110, 111;\n anointed with the oil of joy, 111, 112;\n and Moses as lawgivers, 275, etc.;\n predicted, 279, etc., 285, etc.;\n all the majesty of His divinity not confined within the limits of His\n body, 345-347.\n\n Christianity, the power of, 277, etc.\n\n Clement of Rome, quoted, 86, 87.\n\n Clothing, the, of the soul and of the body, 81.\n\n Conflict, the, with the powers of evil, 232, etc.\n\n Consummation, the, 53-59.\n\n Corporeal and incorporeal beings, 59-65.\n\n Corporeity, will it ever be destroyed? 82, etc.\n\n Corruptible, the, putting on incorruption, 80, 81.\n\n Creation, the, of the world in time, 253, etc.;\n objection to the creation of the world in time answered, 255;\n the peculiar term used in Scripture to express, 256-258.\n\n Creatures, the, subjected to vanity, 63-65, 257, 258.\n\n Creatures made by God in the beginning, 126;\n changeable and mutable, 128;\n varieties of, 129, 130.\n\n\n Darkness, outer, 144.\n\n Darkness, the rulers and powers of, have obtained their degrees of evil\n through their own conduct, 69.\n\n Death, the last enemy, destroyed, 268, 269.\n\n Defection, the, of men, 43.\n\n Desire of knowledge to be satisfied in a future state, 146-151.\n\n Deuteronomy, 338, 339.\n\n Devil, the, and his angels, the doctrine of the church respecting, 5;\n the titles of, 45;\n not incapable of goodness, 68;\n the agency of, as set forth in the Old Testament, 222;\n as revealed in the New Testament, 224;\n not the prompter to all sins\u2014man would go astray if there were no\n devil, 227-229;\n how he and his allied powers tempt, 229;\n the contest against, 232, etc.\n\n _Doctrine of Peter, The_, the apocryphal work so named, quoted, 6.\n\n\n Ebionite, meaning of the name, 329.\n\n Efflux of the glory of God, Christ the, 28.\n\n End, the, 53;\n when it will come, 54;\n and the beginning, 55;\n what shall be after, 58;\n admonitory remarks respecting, 262-273.\n\n Enemy, the last, destroyed, 268, 269.\n\n _Enoch, The Book of_, quoted, 352.\n\n Eternal generation, the, of Christ, 19, 23.\n\n Evil or good, every rational nature except God\u2019s capable of either, 68.\n\n Evil beings made such by themselves, in their respective degrees, 69.\n\n\n Fallen spirits, 57;\n the restoration of, 57, 58.\n\n Falling away described, 43, etc.\n\n Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a summary of doctrine concerning, 342,\n etc.\n\n Figure of the Father\u2019s person, Christ the, 25.\n\n Fire, eternal, the threatening of, 40-43.\n\n Fire, God a consuming, 9.\n\n Flesh and spirit, 245-248.\n\n Food, spiritual, 147.\n\n Foundation of the world, the, 256.\n\n Free-will, 4, 132, 133;\n asserted fully, 157, etc.;\n able to resist external causes, 161;\n proved from Scripture, 165, etc.;\n passages of Scripture apparently opposed to, explained, 168-221.\n\n\n Generation, eternal, the, of Christ, 19, 22;\n effected by the divine will, 23.\n\n God, apostolic doctrine respecting, 3;\n a Spirit, 8-11;\n light, _ibid._;\n fire, 9;\n incomprehensible, 11;\n revealed in His works, 12, 13;\n simple and uncompounded in His nature, 12, 15;\n His nature surpasses natural bodies,\u2014this proved from Scripture, 15,\n 16;\n invisible\u2014how said to be seen, 16, 17;\n omnipotent, 28, 30;\n nature of His power, 31;\n created all things, 34;\n the, of the law and the prophets the same as the Father of Jesus\n Christ, 91-97;\n not a body, 91;\n anthropopathic expressions respecting, in the Old Testament\n explained, 96, 97;\n the justice and goodness of, 97-105;\n the soul of, 125, 126;\n nothing happens without, 235;\n what was He doing before He created the world? 256;\n the image of, 23, 24, 262, 263;\n in the end, all in all, 264, 265.\n\n Goodness, divine, 32;\n and justice, 97, etc.;\n consistent with the infliction of punishment, 98, etc.\n\n Gospels, the, not all pure history, 315, 317, 320.\n\n\n Hardening, the, of Pharaoh\u2019s heart, 171, etc., 176-191.\n\n Heaven, 88, 89, 90.\n\n Heavenly bodies, the, animated and endowed with souls, 59-65.\n\n Heavens, the, 152.\n\n Hebrew master, the, of Origen, cited, 35.\n\n _Hermas, The Pastor of_, quoted, 34, 35, 230, 301.\n\n Holy Spirit, the, the apostolic doctrine of, 3;\n what, 10;\n the existence of, 33;\n what He has taught in Scripture, 34;\n not created, 35;\n one of the two seraphim of Isaiah, 34;\n reveals God, 36;\n the nature of His working as distinguished from that of the Father\n and the Son, 37-40, 41, 43;\n taken from the unworthy, 39;\n dwells in the renewed, 39, 40;\n bestowed on the saints, 40;\n one, 114;\n every rational creature receives a share of, 114, 115;\n the advent of, after the ascension of Christ, 115;\n gifts of, 116;\n the Paraclete, 116, 117.\n\n\n Image, the, of God, man made in, 262-264.\n\n Image of God\u2019s goodness, Christ the, 32.\n\n Image of the invisible God, Christ the, 23, 24.\n\n Immortality, the, of rational natures, 353.\n\n Incarnation, the, of Christ, 105;\n the wonder of, 106, 107;\n the intermediacy of Christ\u2019s soul between the flesh and God in, 108,\n 109;\n the assumption of that soul in the, the reward of its virtues, 109;\n difficulty of Christ possessing a human soul removed, 110;\n the subject illustrated, 111, 112.\n\n Incorporeal, meaning of the term, 5, 6.\n\n Inspiration, the, of the Scriptures, 274, 285.\n\n Interpretation of the promises, the, not literal, but spiritual,\n 143-148.\n\n Interpretation of the Scriptures, the true method, 291-323.\n\n Israel, the carnal and spiritual, 327.\n\n\n Jacob, and Esau, 133, 134;\n wrestles with an angel, 234.\n\n Jesus, His conversation with the Samaritan woman, 11.\n\n Justice and goodness, their harmony and consistency, 97-105.\n\n\n \u039a\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1\u03b2\u03bf\u03bb\u03ae, 256, 258.\n\n Knowledge, the increase of, in the future state, 148-151.\n\n \u039a\u03cc\u03c3\u03bc\u03bf\u03c2, 86.\n\n\n Law, the, of Moses, the irrationality and impossibility of some of its\n precepts taken literally, 317-320.\n\n Light, God is, 8, 31.\n\n Literal interpretation, the, of the promises condemned, 143-145;\n of some of the laws of Moses impossible, 317, etc.\n\n Lucifer, his fall from heaven, 51-53.\n\n\n New heavens and new earth, 56, 58.\n\n\n Only-begotten Son of God, Christ the, 18;\n His self-abasement, 259.\n\n Opposing powers, or powers of darkness, the, 222, etc.;\n our conflict with, 232, etc.\n\n\n Parables, why Jesus spake in, 195-202.\n\n Paraclete, the, 114, 116.\n\n Paradise, the, prepared for departed saints, 151.\n\n Passions, the, which affect the soul, 141.\n\n _Pastor_, or _Angel of Repentance_, of Hermas, quoted, 34, 35.\n\n Paul, his desire to depart, 149, 150.\n\n Pharaoh, the hardening of the heart of, 171-191.\n\n Planets, the, 87.\n\n Potter, the, his power over the clay, 211, etc.\n\n Predictions respecting India, Egypt, and Babylon, etc., 331, 332.\n\n Pre-existence, the, of rational creatures, 256-258.\n\n Principalities and powers of darkness, 68-70.\n\n Promises, the, of future good, not to be interpreted literally and\n carnally, 145-153.\n\n \u03a8\u03c5\u03c7\u03ae, 123.\n\n Punishment, future, 140, etc.\n\n\n Qualities always belong to substances, not substance, 350, 351.\n\n\n Rational natures, various, 44, 45;\n capable of sin, 45;\n evil, 45, 46;\n whether any were created so as to be incapable of sin, or incapable\n of virtue, 46, 47;\n the glory of some and the wickedness of others, not original and\n essential to their being, but the result of desert, 48, 69;\n this proved from Scripture, 48-53;\n never sink into the condition of irrational animals, 70;\n can they lead an existence out of the body, 82;\n the immortality of, 353, etc.\n\n Restoration, the, of fallen beings, 56, 57.\n\n Resurrection, the, of the body, 136;\n weak believers instructed on the subject, 139.\n\n\n Samaritan woman, the, Jesus converses with, 11.\n\n Scriptures, the, the teaching of the church respecting, 5;\n the inspiration of, 274, etc., 285, etc;\n the superhuman element in, does not present itself to the\n uninstructed, 287-290;\n how to be regarded and understood, 291, 294, 299;\n a three-fold sense in, 300;\n the soul of, 303-308;\n the mysteries contained in, 308, etc.;\n stumbling-blocks in, 212;\n all not pure history, but some to be mystically understood, 313-322;\n in regard to many things the historical and literal sense the true\n one, 323;\n passages true in their historical meaning more numerous than those\n which are to be spiritually understood, 324;\n the need of careful search to distinguish what is literal and what is\n not, 325;\n our duty to grasp the whole meaning of, 326.\n\n Seeing God, how to be understood, 16, 17.\n\n Sense, and the senses, 15.\n\n Seraphim, the, 340, 341.\n\n Seraphim, the two, of Isaiah, 35.\n\n _Shepherd of Hermas, The_, quoted, 34, 35, 230, 301.\n\n Sin, incentives to, 226.\n\n Son, the only-begotten, of God, Christ the, 18;\n self-abasement of, 257;\n subjection of, to the Father, 260-262;\n the generation of, 342, 343;\n the advent and incarnation of, 345-347.\n\n Soul, the, apostolic teaching respecting, 4;\n various sorts of, 118, 119;\n of angels, 119;\n of God, 119, 120;\n a lost, 121, 122;\n and spirit of Christ, 125;\n why acted on sometimes by evil and sometimes by good spirits, 242,\n etc.;\n has man two souls, 244, etc.;\n three theories discussed, 247-252.\n\n Soul, meaning of the word, 123, 124.\n\n Spirit, what, 9.\n\n Spirits, wicked, their mode of operation, 241;\n good, their agency, 242.\n\n Spiritual body, the, what, 266, 267.\n\n Splendour of the eternal light, Christ the, 30.\n\n Stony heart, the, how taken away, 191, etc.\n\n Stumbling-blocks designedly placed in the Scriptures, 312.\n\n Subjection, the, of the Son to the Father, 260, etc.\n\n Substance, 350.\n\n Sun, the, and other planets endowed with life and souls, 59-65.\n\n\n Temptations proportioned to the strength of the tempted, 227-229;\n human, treated of at large, 244, etc.\n\n Things in heaven, earth, and the under world, 57.\n\n Thoughts, how suggested, 229, 230.\n\n Threefold sense of Scripture, the, 300, etc.\n\n Thrones, dominions, etc., 56.\n\n Trinity, the, the unity and operations of the persons of, 37-41;\n the sum of the doctrine concerning, 342, etc.\n\n Typical interpretations, 306.\n\n Tyre, the prince of, 49-51.\n\n\n Vanity, the creature made subject to, 63-65, 257, 258.\n\n Variety of creatures in the world, 128;\n accordance of this variety with righteousness and reason, 131, etc.;\n this variety brought to pass by the free-will of individuals,\n 132-136.\n\n Veil on the heart, the, what, 9.\n\n Vessels to honour and to dishonour, 213.\n\n\n Will, the, free, 4, 132, 133;\n asserted fully, 157, etc.;\n able to resist external causes, 161;\n its freedom proved from Scripture, 165, etc.\n\n Wisdom, threefold, 237;\n of the world, 238;\n of the princes of the world, 239.\n\n Wisdom of God, Christ the, 19, 20, 26, 28.\n\n Words not to be specially considered by searchers after truth, but the\n meaning of, 339, 341.\n\n Words of Christ, the, 1.\n\n Working, the, of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit respectively, 37-43.\n\n World, the, church doctrine respecting, 5;\n the great variety in, 72;\n cause of the variety in, 72, 73;\n unity of, in diversity, 73, 74;\n the oneness of, proved from Scripture, 75;\n the matter of, its transformations and qualities, 75;\n the matter of, not uncreated, 76, 77;\n the beginning of, was there one before, and shall there be one after,\n 79;\n this, the conclusion of many ages, 85;\n different meanings of the word in Scripture, 86;\n the end of, three opinions concerning, 89, 90;\n comprehensiveness of, and variety of creatures in, 128-130;\n the accordance of this variety in, with righteousness and reason,\n 131, etc.;\n the cause of the variety in, 134-136;\n had its beginning in time, 253;\n shall come to an end, 255, etc.;\n another shall exist after this, 255;\n end of, 262.\n\n Worlds, the, not similar, but dissimilar, 84.\n\n\n II.\u2014INDEX OF TEXTS.\n\n\n Gen. i. 1, 127, 271\n i. 2, 349\n i. 16, 62\n i. 24, 110\n i. 26, 262\n i. 27, 28, 263\n ii. 7, 39\n ii. 24, 109\n iii., 222\n iii. 19, 269\n iv. 10, 251\n v. 3, 23, 119\n vi. 3, 39\n xvii. 14, 318\n xlviii. 22, 323\n xlix. 1, 253\n\n Ex. iii. 2, 122\n iii. 6, 92\n iii. 14, 38\n iv. 21, 169\n iv. 23, 175\n iv. 24-26, 222\n vii. 3, 169\n viii. 28, 29, 179\n ix. 12, 175\n ix. 17, 175\n xii. 23, 223\n xvi. 29, 319\n xix. 19, 216\n xx. 12, 94, 324 _bis._\n xx. 13, 324\n xxiii. 20, 96\n xxv. 5, 293\n xxv. 40, 272\n xxxii., 281\n xxxii. 21, 281\n xxxv. 40, 306\n\n Lev. xvi. 18, 223\n xvii. 10, 119\n xvii. 14, 118, 246\n\n Deut. iv. 24, 8, 122\n viii. 3, 148\n xxv. 4, 94, 304\n xxviii., 142, 304\n xxx. 15, 16, 19, 165\n xxxii. 8, 46\n xxxii. 9, 46\n\n Josh. xxiv. 32, 323\n\n 1 Sam. xv. 11, 293\n xvi. 15, 293\n xviii. 10, 293\n\n 1 Kings xix. 18, 308\n xxii. 19-23, 223\n\n Job i. 10,11, 235\n vii. 1, 236\n viii. 12, 113\n xv. 14, 347\n xxv. 5, 61\n xl., 284\n xl. 20, 53\n xli., 284\n xli. 34, 123\n\n Ps. ii. 2, 239\n ii. 5, 97\n viii. 3, 89\n xxii. 20, 21, 120\n xxvii. 1-3, 234\n xxxiii. 6, 40, 345\n xxxiv. 7, 66\n xxxvi. 9, 8\n xxxvii. 34, 90\n xliv. 19, 126\n xlv. 1, 2, 282\n xlv. 7, 109, 111, 347\n xlv. 8, 111\n li. 11, 34\n lxii. 1, 54\n lxxii. 7, 283\n lxxii. 8, 283\n lxxii. 11, 115\n lxxiii. 1, 104\n lxxvi. 10, 230\n lxxviii. 34, 102\n lxxx. 13, 14, 166\n lxxxiv. 5, 230\n lxxxix. 50, 51, 112\n xcvii. 6, 124\n cii. 26, 27, 254, 271\n cii. 46, 58\n civ. 4, 122\n civ. 24, 29, 130\n civ. 29, 30, 39\n cx. 1, 54\n cxviii. 2, 104\n cxxvi. 1, 205\n cxxxix. 16, 351\n cxlviii. 5, 77\n\n Prov. ii. 5, 17, 355\n iv. 23, 232\n viii. 22-25, 18\n ix. 1-5, 255\n xxii. 20, 21, 300\n\n Eccles. i. 1-14, 64\n i. 9, 255\n x. 4, 223, 230\n\n Song i. 3, 11\n\n Isa. i. 11, 140\n i. 13, 14, 119\n i. 19, 20, 165\n iii. 24, 86\n iv. 4, 143\n vi. 3, 25, 340\n vii. 15, 292\n vii. 16, 110\n viii. 4, 110\n viii. 8, 9, 283\n x. 17, 143, 349\n xi. 6, 7, 292\n xiv. 12-22, 52\n xxv. 8, 80\n xxvii. 1, 123, 224\n xli. 22, 23, 340\n xlii. 5, 35\n xlv. 3, 335\n xlv. 6, 92\n xlv. 7, 293\n xlv. 12, 61\n xlvii. 14, 15, 102, 143\n liii. 9, 110\n lxiii. 17, 18, 182\n lxiv. 8, 267\n lxvi. 1, 74, 92\n lxvi. 2, 89\n lxvi. 16, 143\n lxvi. 22, 255\n\n Jer. i. 5, 6, 242\n i. 9, 122\n i. 14, 123\n vii. 18, 62\n xv. 14, 293\n xx. 7, 182\n xxiii. 24, 74\n xxv. 15, 16, 143\n xxv. 28, 29, 143\n\n Lam. iii. 25, 104\n iv. 20, 112, 339\n\n Ezek. i. 19, 20, 169\n xi. 19, 20, 191\n xvi. 55, 102\n xviii. 3, 99\n xviii. 4, 123\n xviii. 4, 19, 123\n xxvi., 239\n xxviii. 11-19, 50\n xxviii. 12, 224\n xxxii. 2, 123\n\n Dan. iv. 8, 34\n ix. 24, 284\n x., 239\n\n Hos. iii. 4, 279\n x. 12, 7\n xiii. 14, 80\n\n Joel ii. 28, 115\n\n Amos iii. 6, 293\n ix. 3, 123\n\n Mic. i. 12, 293\n v. 2, 284\n vi. 8, 165\n\n Hab. iii. 2, 36\n\n Zech. i. 14, 230\n iii. 1, 224\n ix. 10, 292\n\n Mal. iii. 3, 143\n\n\n APOCRYPHA.\n\n Wisd. vii. 16, 191\n vii. 25, 22\n vii. 25, 26, 26\n xi. 17, 349\n xi. 20, 127\n xviii. 24, 86\n\n Ecclus. vi. 4, 123\n xvi. 21, 341\n xliii. 20, 77\n\n 2 Macc. vii. 28, 77\n\n\n\n Matt. ii. 6, 284\n iv. 12, 170\n v. 3, 90\n v. 5, 90\n v. 6, 146\n v. 8, 17\n v. 22, 166, 325\n v. 28, 325\n v. 34, 74\n v. 34, 35, 92\n v. 39, 166\n v. 48, 355\n v. 48, 49, 91\n vi. 9, 92\n vii. 18, 103\n vii. 22, 23, 278\n vii. 24, 166\n vii. 26, 167\n x. 18, 278\n x. 29, 236\n xi. 27, 16, 96, 106\n xii. 32, 34\n xii. 33, 103\n xii. 35, 104\n xii. 42, 237, 238\n xii. 44, 334\n xv. 24, 329\n xviii. 10, 66\n xix. 14, 254\n xix. 17, 104\n xxii. 12, 13, 100\n xxii. 30, 345\n xxii. 32, 92\n xxii. 37, 39, 40, 93\n xxiv. 12, 122\n xxiv. 14, 278\n xxiv. 21, 256\n xxiv. 27, 52\n xxiv. 35, 254\n xxv. 29, 149\n xxv. 34, 167\n xxv. 35, 167\n xxvi. 3, 105\n xxvi. 29, 146\n xxvi. 38, 125, 346\n xxvii. 63, 235\n\n Mark iv. 12, 194\n x. 8, 109\n\n Luke i. 35, 34, 113\n vi. 36, 355\n vi. 42, 25\n viii. 10, 170\n x. 4, 320\n x. 18, 52\n x. 19, 284\n x. 22, 36\n xi. 52, 299\n xii. 10, 34\n xiv. 11, 185\n xvii. 20, 21, 38\n xix. 14, 97\n xix. 17, 19, 147\n xix. 26, 149\n xx. 36, 345\n\n John i. 1, 2, 130\n i. 1-3, 59\n i. 3, 3, 29, 345\n i. 18, 16, 95\n i. 26, 27, 346\n ii. 16, 92\n iii. 8, 36\n iv. 19, 31\n iv. 20, 10\n iv. 21, 8\n iv. 23, 24, 10\n v. 39, 325\n viii. 46, 110\n x. 18, 108, 125, 346\n xii. 27, 125, 346\n xiii. 2, 232\n xiii. 27, 224\n xiv. 2, 152\n xiv. 6, 1\n xiv. 9, 24, 93\n xiv. 23, 9\n xiv. 26, 35\n xiv. 30, 110\n xv. 22, 38\n xvi. 12, 13, 36\n xvi. 33, 233\n xvii. 10, 29\n xvii. 16, 87\n xvii. 20, 21, 56\n xvii. 22, 23, 56\n xvii. 24 (21, 22), 85, 263\n xvii. 25, 104\n xix. 2, 242\n xix. 11, 235\n xx. 22, 34, 39\n\n Acts i. 8, 40\n vii., 98\n viii. 18, 34\n ix. 15, 233\n xvii. 28, 74\n\n Rom. i. 1-4, 94\n i. 3, 4, 248\n ii. 4, 5, 181\n ii. 4-10, 168\n ii. 11, 63, 69\n ii. 13-16, 141\n ii. 28, 327\n vii. 12, 103\n vii. 13, 103\n vii. 23, 246, 251\n viii. 2, 251\n viii. 7, 252\n viii. 9, 247\n viii. 19, 63\n viii. 20, 21, 63, 135, 254, 258, 264\n viii. 22, 63\n viii. 38, 39, 233\n ix. 6, 336\n ix. 6-8, 327\n ix. 8, 329\n ix. 11, 12, 133\n ix. 14, 63\n ix. 16, 170, 203\n ix. 18, 171\n ix. 20, 21, 171\n x. 6-8, 38\n xi. 4, 308\n xi. 33, 339 _bis._\n xii. 11, 122\n xiii. 14, 81\n\n 1 Cor. i. 15, 18\n i. 24, 18, 28\n i. 26, 247\n i. 26-28, 282\n i. 29, 185\n ii. 2, 348\n ii. 6, 225\n ii. 6, 7, 301\n ii. 6-8, 237, 239, 304\n ii. 7, 237\n ii. 9, 267\n ii. 10, 36\n ii. 11, 12, 13, 298\n iii. 6, 7, 207\n iii. 12, 146\n v. 1, 267\n vi. 17, 108\n vii. 18, 321\n vii. 31, 58, 86\n ix. 9, 304\n ix. 9, 10, 305\n x. 4, 306\n x. 11, 306\n x. 13, 227, 228, 229\n x. 18, 327\n x. 23, 117\n xi. 3, 106\n xii. 3, 34, 40\n xii. 4-7, 41\n xii. 6, 42\n xii. 11, 41\n xiv. 15, 121\n xv. 9, 67\n xv. 10, 233\n xv. 25, 54\n xv. 28, 260, 270\n xv. 39-42, 138\n xv. 41, 129\n xv. 42, 4\n xv. 44, 137\n xv. 53-56, 80\n\n 2 Cor. i. 10, 56\n ii. 4, 116, 289\n iii. 6, 9\n iii. 15-17, 9\n iv. 4, 355\n iv. 18, 89, 267\n v. 1, 89\n v. 10, 213\n v. 13, 113\n viii. 16, 230\n ix. 9, 10, 94\n x. 5, 230\n xi. 22, 94\n xiii. 3, 3, 112, 344\n xiii. 4, 348\n\n Gal. ii. 20, 344\n iii. 3, 35\n iv. 26, 329\n v. 8, 171\n v. 17, 227, 245, 247\n v. 19-21, 247\n v. 22, 35\n\n Eph. i. 4, 256\n i. 21, 45\n ii. 2, 151\n iv. 7, 85\n iv. 13, 56\n iv. 27, 232\n vi. 2, 3, 94, 324\n vi. 12, 225, 232\n vi. 13, 224\n\n Phil. i. 23, 64, 129\n ii. 6, 7, 348\n ii. 10, 11, 29\n ii. 13, 170, 209\n iv. 8, 9, 101\n iv. 13, 233\n\n Col. i. 15, 22, 95, 105, 355\n i. 16, 130\n i. 16, 17, 106\n i. 16-18, 59\n ii. 9, 110\n ii. 16, 307\n iii. 3, 112, 347\n\n 1 Thess. iv. 17, 151\n v. 14, 325\n\n 1 Tim. iv. 1-3, 116\n\n 2 Tim. i. 3, 93\n i. 16-18, 212\n ii. 20, 135\n ii. 20, 21, 214\n ii. 21, 135\n\n Heb. i. 3, 22, 24, 25, 343\n i. 7, 122\n i. 14, 45, 244\n ii. 1, 232\n iv. 12, 20\n iv. 15, 110\n vi. 7, 8, 177\n viii. 5, 113, 271, 306, 307\n ix. 26, 85\n xi. 24-26, 1\n xii. 22, 23, 330\n\n Jas. iv. 17, 38\n\n 1 Pet. i. 9, 121\n iii. 18-21, 102\n v. 8, 244\n\n 1 John i. 5, 8, 343\n ii. 1, 2, 117\n ii. 6, 347\n iii. 2, 263\n v. 19, 52, 86\n\n Rev. i. 8, 29\n xiv. 6, 339\n\n\n\n\n LETTERS.\n\n\n\n\n A LETTER TO ORIGEN FROM AFRICANUS ABOUT THE HISTORY OF SUSANNA.\n\n\nGreeting, my lord and son, most worthy Origen, from Africanus. In your\nsacred discussion with Agnomon you referred to that prophecy of Daniel\nwhich is related of his youth. This at that time, as was meet, I\naccepted as genuine. Now, however, I cannot understand how it escaped\nyou that this part of the book is spurious. For, in sooth, this section,\nalthough apart from this it is elegantly written, is plainly a more\nmodern forgery. There are many proofs of this. When Susanna is condemned\nto die, the prophet is seized by the Spirit, and cries out that the\nsentence is unjust. Now, in the first place, it is always in some other\nway that Daniel prophesies\u2014by visions, and dreams, and an angel\nappearing to him, never by prophetic inspiration. Then, after crying out\nin this extraordinary fashion, he detects them in a way no less\nincredible, which not even Philistion the play-writer would have\nresorted to. For, not satisfied with rebuking them through the Spirit,\nhe placed them apart, and asked them severally where they saw her\ncommitting adultery. And when the one said, \u201cUnder a holm-tree\u201d\n(_prinos_), he answered that the angel would saw him asunder\n(_prisein_); and in a similar fashion menaced the other who said, \u201cUnder\na mastich-tree\u201d (_schinos_), with being rent asunder (_schisthenai_).\nNow, in Greek, it happens that \u201cholm-tree\u201d and \u201csaw asunder,\u201d and \u201crend\u201d\nand \u201cmastich-tree\u201d sound alike; but in Hebrew they are quite distinct.\nBut all the books of the Old Testament have been translated from Hebrew\ninto Greek.\n\n2. Moreover, how is it that they who were captives among the Chald\u00e6ans,\nlost and won at play,[1082] thrown out unburied on the streets, as was\nprophesied of the former captivity, their sons torn from them to be\neunuchs, and their daughters to be concubines, as had been prophesied;\nhow is it that such could pass sentence of death, and that on the wife\nof their king Joakim, whom the king of the Babylonians had made partner\nof his throne? Then if it was not this Joakim, but some other from the\ncommon people, whence had a captive such a mansion and spacious garden?\nBut a more fatal objection is, that this section, along with the other\ntwo at the end of it, is not contained in the Daniel received among the\nJews. And add that, among all the many prophets who had been before,\nthere is no one who has quoted from another word for word. For they had\nno need to go a-begging for words, since their own were true; but this\none, in rebuking one of those men, quotes the words of the Lord: \u201cThe\ninnocent and righteous shalt thou not slay.\u201d From all this I infer that\nthis section is a later addition. Moreover, the style is different. I\nhave struck the blow; do you give the echo; answer, and instruct me.\nSalute all my masters. The learned all salute thee. With all my heart I\npray for your and your circle\u2019s health.\n\nFootnote 1082:\n\n Nolte would change \u1f20\u03c3\u03c4\u03c1\u03b1\u03b3\u03b1\u03bb\u03c9\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03bf\u03b9 (or \u1f00\u03c3\u03c4\u03c1\u03b1\u03b3\u03b1\u03bb\u03ce\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03bf\u03b9, as Wetsten. has\n it), which is a \u1f05\u03c0\u03b1\u03be \u03b5\u1f30\u03c1\u03b7\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03bf\u03bd, into \u03c3\u03c4\u03c1\u03b1\u03b3\u03b3\u03b1\u03bb\u03ce\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03bf\u03b9 or\n \u1f10\u03c3\u03c4\u03c1\u03b1\u03b3\u03b3\u03b1\u03bb\u03c9\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03bf\u03b9, \u201cstrangled.\u201d He compares Tob. ii. 3.\n\n\n\n\n A LETTER FROM ORIGEN TO AFRICANUS.\n\n\nOrigen to Africanus, a beloved brother in God the Father, through Jesus\nChrist, His holy child, greeting. Your letter, from which I learn what\nyou think of the Susanna in the book of Daniel, which is used in the\nchurches, although apparently somewhat short, presents in its few words\nmany problems, each of which demands no common treatment, but such as\noversteps the character of a letter, and reaches the limits of a\ndiscourse. And I, when I consider, as best I can, the measure of my\nintellect, that I may know myself, am aware that I am wanting in the\naccuracy necessary to reply to your letter; and that the more, that the\nfew days I have spent in Nicomedia have been far from sufficient to send\nyou an answer to all your demands and queries even after the fashion of\nthe present epistle. Wherefore pardon my little ability, and the little\ntime I had, and read this letter with all indulgence, supplying anything\nI may omit.\n\n2. You begin by saying, that when, in my discussion with our friend\nBassus, I used the Scripture which contains the prophecy of Daniel when\nyet a young man in the affair of Susanna, I did this as if it had\nescaped me that this part of the book was spurious. You say that you\npraise this passage as elegantly written, but find fault with it as a\nmore modern composition, and a forgery; and you add that the forger has\nhad recourse to something which not even Philistion the play-writer\nwould have used in his puns between _prinos_ and _prisein_, _schinos_\nand _schisis_, which words as they sound in Greek can be used in this\nway, but not in Hebrew. In answer to this, I have to tell you what it\nbehoves us to do in the cases not only of the History of Susanna, which\nis found in every church of Christ in that Greek copy which the Greeks\nuse, but is not in the Hebrew, or of the two other passages you mention\nat the end of the book containing the history of Bel and the Dragon,\nwhich likewise are not in the Hebrew copy of Daniel; but of thousands of\nother passages also which I found in many places when with my little\nstrength I was collating the Hebrew copies with ours. For in Daniel\nitself I found the word \u201cbound\u201d followed in our versions by very many\nverses which are not in the Hebrew at all, beginning (according to one\nof the copies which circulate in the churches) thus: \u201cAnanias, and\nAzarias, and Misael prayed and sang unto God,\u201d down to \u201cO, all ye that\nworship the Lord, bless ye the God of gods. Praise Him, and say that His\nmercy endureth for ever and ever. And it came to pass, when the king\nheard them singing, and saw them that they were alive.\u201d Or, as in\nanother copy, from \u201cAnd they walked in the midst of the fire, praising\nGod and blessing the Lord,\u201d down to \u201cO, all ye that worship the Lord,\nbless ye the God of gods. Praise Him, and say that His mercy endureth to\nall generations.\u201d[1083] But in the Hebrew copies the words, \u201cAnd these\nthree men, Sedrach, Misach, and Abdenego fell down bound into the midst\nof the fire,\u201d are immediately followed by the verse, \u201cNabouchodonosor\nthe king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto\nhis counsellors.\u201d For so Aquila, following the Hebrew reading, gives it,\nwho has obtained the credit among the Jews of having interpreted the\nScriptures with no ordinary care, and whose version is most commonly\nused by those who do not know Hebrew, as the one which has been most\nsuccessful. Of the copies in my possession whose readings I gave, one\nfollows the Seventy, and the other Theodotion; and just as the History\nof Susanna which you call a forgery is found in both, together with the\npassages at the end of Daniel, so they give also these passages,\namounting, to make a rough guess, to more than two hundred verses.\n\n3. And in many other of the sacred books I found sometimes more in our\ncopies than in the Hebrew, sometimes less. I shall adduce a few\nexamples, since it is impossible to give them all. Of the book of Esther\nneither the prayer of Mardochaios nor that of Esther, both fitted to\nedify the reader, is found in the Hebrew. Neither are the letters;[1084]\nnor the one written to Amman about the rooting up of the Jewish nation,\nnor that of Mardochaios in the name of Artaxerxes delivering the nation\nfrom death. Then in Job, the words from \u201cIt is written, that he shall\nrise again with those whom the Lord raises,\u201d to the end, are not in the\nHebrew, and so not in Aquila\u2019s edition; while they are found in the\nSeptuagint and in Theodotion\u2019s version, agreeing with each other at\nleast in sense. And many other places I found in Job where our copies\nhave more than the Hebrew ones, sometimes a little more, and sometimes a\ngreat deal more: a little more, as when to the words, \u201cRising up in the\nmorning, he offered burnt-offerings for them according to their number,\u201d\nthey add, \u201cone heifer for the sin of their soul;\u201d and to the words, \u201cThe\nangels of God came to present themselves before God, and the devil came\nwith them,\u201d \u201cfrom going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and\ndown in it.\u201d Again, after \u201cThe Lord gave, the Lord has taken away,\u201d the\nHebrew has not, \u201cIt was so, as seemed good to the Lord.\u201d Then our copies\nare very much fuller than the Hebrew, when Job\u2019s wife speaks to him,\nfrom \u201cHow long wilt thou hold out? And he said, Lo, I wait yet a little\nwhile, looking for the hope of my salvation,\u201d down to \u201cthat I may cease\nfrom my troubles, and my sorrows which compass me.\u201d For they have only\nthese words of the woman, \u201cBut say a word against God, and die.\u201d\n\n4. Again, through the whole of Job there are many passages in the Hebrew\nwhich are wanting in our copies, generally four or five verses, but\nsometimes, however, even fourteen, and nineteen, and sixteen. But why\nshould I enumerate all the instances I collected with so much labour, to\nprove that the difference between our copies and those of the Jews did\nnot escape me? In Jeremiah I noticed many instances, and indeed in that\nbook I found much transposition and variation in the readings of the\nprophecies. Again, in Genesis, the words, \u201cGod saw that it was good,\u201d\nwhen the firmament was made, are not found in the Hebrew, and there is\nno small dispute among them about this; and other instances are to be\nfound in Genesis, which I marked, for the sake of distinction, with the\nsign the Greeks call an obelisk, as on the other hand I marked with an\nasterisk those passages in our copies which are not found in the Hebrew.\nWhat needs there speak of Exodus, where there is such diversity in what\nis said about the tabernacle and its court, and the ark, and the\ngarments of the high priest and the priests, that sometimes the meaning\neven does not seem to be akin? And, forsooth, when we notice such\nthings, we are forthwith to reject as spurious the copies in use in our\nchurches, and enjoin the brotherhood to put away the sacred books\ncurrent among them, and to coax the Jews, and persuade them to give us\ncopies which shall be untampered with, and free from forgery! Are we to\nsuppose that that Providence which in the sacred Scriptures has\nministered to the edification of all the churches of Christ, had no\nthought for those bought with a price,[1085] for whom Christ died; whom,\nalthough his Son, God who is love spared not, but gave Him up for us\nall, that with Him He might freely give us all things?[1086]\n\n5. In all these cases consider whether it would not be well to remember\nthe words, \u201cThou shalt not remove the ancient landmarks which thy\nfathers have set.\u201d[1087] Nor do I say this because I shun the labour of\ninvestigating the Jewish Scriptures, and comparing them with ours, and\nnoticing their various readings. This, if it be not arrogant to say it,\nI have already to a great extent done to the best of my ability,\nlabouring hard to get at the meaning in all the editions and various\nreadings;[1088] while I paid particular attention to the interpretation\nof the Seventy, lest I might be found to accredit any forgery to the\nchurches which are under heaven, and give an occasion to those who seek\nsuch a starting-point for gratifying their desire to slander the common\nbrethren, and to bring some accusation against those who shine forth in\nour community. And I make it my endeavour not to be ignorant of their\nvarious readings, lest in my controversies with the Jews I should quote\nto them what is not found in their copies, and that I may make some use\nof what is found there, even although it should not be in our\nScriptures. For if we are so prepared for them in our discussions, they\nwill not, as is their manner, scornfully laugh at Gentile believers for\ntheir ignorance of the true reading as they have them. So far as to the\nHistory of Susanna not being found in the Hebrew.\n\n6. Let us now look at the things you find fault with in the story\nitself. And here let us begin with what would probably make any one\naverse to receiving the history: I mean the play of words between\n_prinos_ and _prisis_, _schinos_ and _schisis_. You say that you can see\nhow this can be in Greek, but that in Hebrew the words are altogether\ndistinct. On this point, however, I am still in doubt; because, when I\nwas considering this passage (for I myself saw this difficulty), I\nconsulted not a few Jews about it, asking them the Hebrew words for\n_prinos_ and _prisein_, and how they would translate _schinos_ the tree,\nand how _schisis_. And they said that they did not know these Greek\nwords _prinos_ and _schinos_, and asked me to show them the trees, that\nthey might see what they called them. And I at once (for the truth\u2019s\ndear sake) put before them pieces of the different trees. One of them\nthen said, that he could not with any certainty give the Hebrew name of\nanything not mentioned in Scripture, since, if one was at a loss, he was\nprone to use the Syriac word instead of the Hebrew one; and he went on\nto say, that some words the very wisest could not translate. \u201cIf, then,\u201d\nsaid he, \u201cyou can adduce a passage in any Scripture where the _schinos_\nis mentioned, or the _prinos_, you will find there the words you seek,\ntogether with the words which have the same sound; but if it is nowhere\nmentioned, we also do not know it.\u201d This, then, being what the Hebrews\nsaid to whom I had recourse, and who were acquainted with the history, I\nam cautious of affirming whether or not there is any correspondence to\nthis play of words in the Hebrew. Your reason for affirming that there\nis not, you yourself probably know.\n\n7. Moreover, I remember hearing from a learned Hebrew, said among\nthemselves to be the son of a wise man, and to have been specially\ntrained to succeed his father, with whom I had intercourse on many\nsubjects, the names of these elders, just as if he did not reject the\nHistory of Susanna, as they occur in Jeremia as follows: \u201cThe Lord make\nthee like Zedekias and Achiab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the\nfire, for the iniquity they did in Israel.\u201d[1089] How, then, could the\none be sawn asunder by an angel, and the other rent in pieces? The\nanswer is, that these things were prophesied not of this world, but of\nthe judgment of God, after the departure from this world. For as the\nlord of that wicked servant who says, \u201cMy lord delayeth his coming,\u201d and\nso gives himself up to drunkenness, eating and drinking with drunkards,\nand smiting his fellow-servants, shall at his coming \u201ccut him asunder,\nand appoint him his portion with the unbelievers,\u201d[1090] even so the\nangels appointed to punish will accomplish these things (just as they\nwill cut asunder the wicked steward of that passage) on these men, who\nwere called indeed elders, but who administered their stewardship\nwickedly. One will saw asunder him who was waxen old in wicked days, who\nhad pronounced false judgment, condemning the innocent, and letting the\nguilty go free;[1091] and another will rend in pieces him of the seed of\nChanaan, and not of Judah, whom beauty had deceived, and whose heart\nlust had perverted.[1092]\n\n8. And I knew another Hebrew, who told about these elders such\ntraditions as the following: that they pretended to the Jews in\ncaptivity, who were hoping by the coming of Christ to be freed from the\nyoke of their enemies, that they could explain clearly the things\nconcerning Christ, ... and that they so deceived the wives of their\ncountrymen.[1093] Wherefore it is that the prophet Daniel calls the one\n\u201cwaxen old in wicked days,\u201d and says to the other, \u201cThus have ye dealt\nwith the children of Israel; but the daughters of Juda would not abide\nyour wickedness.\u201d\n\n9. But probably to this you will say, Why then is the \u201cHistory\u201d not in\ntheir Daniel, if, as you say, their wise men hand down by tradition such\nstories? The answer is, that they hid from the knowledge of the people\nas many of the passages which contained any scandal against the elders,\nrulers, and judges, as they could, some of which have been preserved in\nuncanonical writings (Apocrypha). As an example, take the story told\nabout Esaias, and guaranteed by the Epistle to the Hebrews, which is\nfound in none of their public books. For the author of the Epistle to\nthe Hebrews, in speaking of the prophets, and what they suffered, says,\n\u201cThey were stoned, they were sawn asunder, they were slain with the\nsword.\u201d[1094] To whom, I ask, does the \u201csawn asunder\u201d refer (for by an\nold idiom, not peculiar to Hebrew, but found also in Greek, this is said\nin the plural, although it refers to but one person)? Now we know very\nwell that tradition says that Esaias the prophet was sawn asunder; and\nthis is found in some apocryphal work, which probably the Jews have\npurposely tampered with, introducing some phrases manifestly incorrect,\nthat discredit might be thrown on the whole.\n\nHowever, some one hard pressed by this argument may have recourse to the\nopinion of those who reject this epistle as not being Paul\u2019s; against\nwhom I must at some other time use other arguments to prove that it is\nPaul\u2019s. At present I shall adduce from the Gospel what Jesus Christ\ntestifies concerning the prophets, together with a story which He refers\nto, but which is not found in the Old Testament, since in it also there\nis a scandal against unjust judges in Israel. The words of our Saviour\nrun thus: \u201cWoe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye\nbuild the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the\nrighteous, and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would\nnot have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.\nWherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of\nthem which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your\nfathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the\ndamnation of Gehenna? Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and\nwise men, and scribes; and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and\nsome of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them\nfrom city to city: that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed\nupon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of\nZacharias, son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the\naltar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this\ngeneration.\u201d And what follows is of the same tenor: \u201cO Jerusalem,\nJerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are\nsent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together,\neven as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!\nBehold, your house is left unto you desolate.\u201d[1095]\n\nLet us see now if in these cases we are not forced to the conclusion,\nthat while the Saviour gives a true account of them, none of the\nScriptures which could prove what He tells are to be found. For they who\nbuild the tombs of the prophets and garnish the sepulchres of the\nrighteous, condemning the crimes their fathers committed against the\nrighteous and the prophets, say, \u201cIf we had been in the days of our\nfathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the\nprophets.\u201d[1096] In the blood of what prophets, can any one tell me? For\nwhere do we find anything like this written of Esaias, or Jeremias, or\nany of the twelve, or Daniel? Then about Zacharias the son of Barachias,\nwho was slain between the temple and the altar, we learn from Jesus\nonly, not knowing it otherwise from any Scripture. Wherefore I think no\nother supposition is possible, than that they who had the reputation of\nwisdom, and the rulers and elders, took away from the people every\npassage which might bring them into discredit among the people. We need\nnot wonder, then, if this history of the evil device of the licentious\nelders against Susanna is true, but was concealed and removed from the\nScriptures by men themselves not very far removed from the counsel of\nthese elders.\n\nIn the Acts of the Apostles also, Stephen, in his other testimony, says,\n\u201cWhich of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have\nslain them which showed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye\nhave been now the betrayers and murderers.\u201d[1097] That Stephen speaks\nthe truth, every one will admit who receives the Acts of the Apostles;\nbut it is impossible to show from the extant books of the Old Testament\nhow with any justice he throws the blame of having persecuted and slain\nthe prophets on the fathers of those who believed not in Christ. And\nPaul, in the first Epistle to the Thessalonians, testifies this\nconcerning the Jews: \u201cFor ye, brethren, became followers of the churches\nof God which in Judea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered\nlike things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews; who\nboth killed the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted\nus; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men.\u201d[1098] What I\nhave said is, I think, sufficient to prove that it would be nothing\nwonderful if this history were true, and the licentious and cruel attack\nwas actually made on Susanna by those who were at that time elders, and\nwritten down by the wisdom of the Spirit, but removed by these rulers of\nSodom,[1099] as the Spirit would call them.\n\n10. Your next objection is, that in this writing Daniel is said to have\nbeen seized by the Spirit, and to have cried out that the sentence was\nunjust; while in that writing of his which is universally received he is\nrepresented as prophesying in quite another manner, by visions and\ndreams, and an angel appearing to him, but never by prophetic\ninspiration. You seem to me to pay too little heed to the words, \u201cAt\nsundry times, and in divers manners, God spake in time past unto the\nfathers by the prophets.\u201d[1100] This is true not only in the general,\nbut also of individuals. For if you notice, you will find that the same\nsaints have been favoured with divine dreams and angelic appearances and\n[direct] inspirations. For the present it will suffice to instance what\nis testified concerning Jacob. Of dreams from God he speaks thus: \u201cAnd\nit came to pass, at the time that the cattle conceived, that I saw them\nbefore my eyes in a dream, and, behold, the rams and he-goats which\nleaped upon the sheep and the goats, white-spotted, and speckled, and\ngrisled. And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob.\nAnd I said, What is it? And he said, Lift up thine eyes and see, the\ngoats and rams leaping on the goats and sheep, white-spotted, and\nspeckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. I\nam God, who appeared unto thee in the place of God, where thou\nanointedst to me there a pillar, and vowed a vow there to me: now arise,\nget thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy\nkindred.\u201d[1101]\n\nAnd as to an appearance (which is better than a dream), he speaks as\nfollows about himself: \u201cAnd Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a\nman with him until the breaking of the day. And he saw that he prevailed\nnot against him, and he touched the breadth of his thigh; and the\nbreadth of Jacob\u2019s thigh grew stiff while he was wrestling with him. And\nhe said to him, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not\nlet thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy\nname? And he said, Jacob. And he said to him, Thy name shall be called\nno more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: for thou hast prevailed\nwith God, and art powerful with men. And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell\nme thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my\nname? And he blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place\nVision of God: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is\npreserved. And the sun rose, when the vision of God passed by.\u201d[1102]\nAnd that he also prophesied by inspiration, is evident from this\npassage: \u201cAnd Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves\ntogether, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days.\nGather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto\nIsrael your father. Reuben, my first-born, my might, and the beginning\nof my children, hard to be born, hard and stubborn. Thou wert wanton,\nboil not over like water; because thou wentest up to thy father\u2019s bed;\nthen defiledst thou the couch to which thou wentest up.\u201d[1103] And so\nwith the rest: it was by inspiration that the prophetic blessings were\npronounced. We need not wonder, then, that Daniel sometimes prophesied\nby inspiration, as when he rebuked the elders sometimes, as you say, by\ndreams and visions, and at other times by an angel appearing unto him.\n\n11. Your other objections are stated, as it appears to me, somewhat\nirreverently, and without the becoming spirit of piety. I cannot do\nbetter than quote your very words: \u201cThen, after crying out in this\nextraordinary fashion, he detects them in a way no less incredible,\nwhich not even Philistion the play-writer would have resorted to. For,\nnot satisfied with rebuking them through the Spirit, he placed them\napart, and asked them severally where they saw her committing adultery;\nand when the one said, \u2018Under a holm-tree\u2019 (_prinos_), he answered that\nthe angel would saw him asunder (_prisein_); and in a similar fashion\nthreatened the other, who said, \u2018Under a mastich-tree\u2019 (_schinos_), with\nbeing rent asunder.\u201d\n\nYou might as reasonably compare to Philistion the play-writer, a story\nsomewhat like this one, which is found in the third book of Kings, which\nyou yourself will admit to be well written. Here is what we read in\nKings:\n\n\u201cThen there appeared two women that were harlots before the king, and\nstood before him. And the one woman said, To me, my lord, I and this\nwoman dwell in one house; and we were delivered in the house. And it\ncame to pass, the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman\nwas delivered also: and we were together; there is no one in our house\nexcept us two. And this woman\u2019s child died in the night; because she\noverlaid it. And she arose at midnight, and took my son from my arms.\nAnd thine handmaid slept. And she laid it in her bosom, and laid her\ndead child in my bosom. And I arose in the morning to give my child\nsuck, and he was dead; but when I had considered it in the morning,\nbehold, it was not my son which I did bear. And the other woman said,\nNay; the dead is thy son, but the living is my son. And the other said,\nNo; the living is my son, but the dead is thy son. Thus they spake\nbefore the king. Then said the king, Thou sayest, This is my son that\nliveth, and thy son is the dead: and thou sayest, Nay; but thy son is\nthe dead, and my son is the living. And the king said, Bring me a sword.\nAnd they brought a sword before the king. And the king said, Divide the\nliving child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.\nThen spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king (for her\nbowels yearned after her son), and she said, To me, my lord, give her\nthe living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be\nneither mine nor thine, but divide it. Then the king answered and said,\nGive the child to her which said, Give her the living child, and in no\nwise slay it: for she is the mother of it. And all Israel heard of the\njudgment which the king had judged; and they feared the face of the\nking: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to do\njudgment.\u201d[1104]\n\nFor if we were at liberty to speak in this scoffing way of the\nScriptures in use in the churches, we should rather compare this story\nof the two harlots to the play of Philistion than that of the chaste\nSusanna. And just as the people would not have been persuaded if Solomon\nhad merely said, \u201cGive this one the living child, for she is the mother\nof it;\u201d so Daniel\u2019s attack on the elders would not have been sufficient\nhad there not been added the condemnation from their own mouth, when\nboth said that they had seen her lying with the young man under a tree,\nbut did not agree as to what kind of tree it was. And since you have\nasserted, as if you knew for certain, that Daniel in this matter judged\nby inspiration (which may or may not have been the case), I would have\nyou notice that there seem to me to be some analogies in the story of\nDaniel to the judgment of Solomon, concerning whom the Scripture\ntestifies that the people saw that the wisdom of God was in him to do\njudgment.[1105] This might be said also of Daniel, for it was because\nwisdom was in him to do judgment that the elders were judged in the\nmanner described.\n\n12. I had nearly forgotten an additional remark I have to make about the\n_prino-prisein_ and _schino-schisein_ difficulty; that is, that in our\nScriptures there are many etymological fancies, so to call them, which\nin the Hebrew are perfectly suitable, but not in the Greek. It need not\nsurprise us, then, if the translators of the History of Susanna\ncontrived it so that they found out some Greek words, derived from the\nsame root, which either corresponded exactly to the Hebrew form (though\nthis I hardly think possible), or presented some analogy to it. Here is\nan instance of this in our Scripture. When the woman was made by God\nfrom the rib of the man, Adam says, \u201cShe shall be called woman, because\nshe was taken out of her husband.\u201d Now the Jews say that the woman was\ncalled \u201c_Essa_,\u201d and that \u201ctaken\u201d is a translation of this word, as is\nevident from \u201c_chos isouoth essa_,\u201d which means, \u201cI have taken the cup\nof salvation;\u201d[1106] and that \u201c_is_\u201d means \u201cman,\u201d as we see from \u201c_Hesre\na\u00efs_,\u201d which is, \u201cBlessed is the man.\u201d[1107] According to the Jews,\nthen, \u201c_is_\u201d is \u201cman,\u201d and \u201c_essa_\u201d \u201cwoman,\u201d because she was taken out\nof her husband (_is_). It need not then surprise us if some interpreters\nof the Hebrew \u201cSusanna,\u201d which had been concealed among them at a very\nremote date, and had been preserved only by the more learned and honest,\nshould have either given the Hebrew word for word, or hit upon some\nanalogy to the Hebrew forms, that the Greeks might be able to follow\nthem. For in many other passages we can find traces of this kind of\ncontrivance on the part of the translators, which I noticed when I was\ncollating the various editions.\n\n13. You raise another objection, which I give in your own words:\n\u201cMoreover, how is it that they, who were captives among the Chald\u00e6ans,\nlost and won at play, thrown out unburied on the streets, as was\nprophesied of the former captivity, their sons torn from them to be\neunuchs, and their daughters to be concubines, as had been prophesied;\nhow is it that such could pass sentence of death, and that on the wife\nof their king Joakim, whom the king of the Babylonians had made partner\nof his throne? Then, if it was not this Joakim, but some other from the\ncommon people, whence had a captive such a mansion and spacious garden?\u201d\n\nWhere you get your \u201clost and won at play, and thrown out unburied on the\nstreets,\u201d I know not, unless it is from Tobias; and Tobias (as also\nJudith), we ought to notice, the Jews do not use. They are not even\nfound in the Hebrew Apocrypha, as I learned from the Jews themselves.\nHowever, since the churches use Tobias, you must know that even in the\ncaptivity some of the captives were rich and well to do. Tobias himself\nsays, \u201cBecause I remembered God with all my heart; and the Most High\ngave me grace and beauty in the eyes of Nemessarus, and I was his\npurveyor; and I went into Media, and left in trust with Gabael, the\nbrother of Gabrias at Ragi, a city of Media, ten talents of\nsilver.\u201d[1108] And he adds, as he were a rich man, \u201cIn the days of\nNemessarus I gave many alms to my brethren. I gave my bread to the\nhungry, and my clothes to the naked: and if I saw any of my nation dead,\nand cast outside the walls of Nineve, I buried him; and if king\nSenachereim had slain any when he came fleeing from Judea, I buried them\nprivily (for in his wrath he killed many).\u201d Think whether this great\ncatalogue of Tobias\u2019 good deeds does not betoken great wealth and much\nproperty, especially when he adds, \u201cUnderstanding that I was sought for\nto be put to death, I withdrew myself for fear, and all my goods were\nforcibly taken away.\u201d[1109]\n\nAnd another captive, Dachiacharus, the son of Ananiel, the brother of\nTobias, was set over all the exchequer of the kingdom of king Acherdon;\nand we read, \u201cNow Achiacharus was cup-bearer and keeper of the signet,\nand steward and overseer of the accounts.\u201d[1110]\n\nMardochaios, too, frequented the court of the king, and had such\nboldness before him, that he was inscribed among the benefactors of\nArtaxerxes.\n\nAgain we read in Esdras, that Neemias, a cup-bearer and eunuch of the\nking, of Hebrew race, made a request about the rebuilding of the temple,\nand obtained it; so that it was granted to him, with many more, to\nreturn and build the temple again. Why then should we wonder that one\nJoakim had garden, and house, and property, whether these were very\nexpensive or only moderate, for this is not clearly told us in the\nwriting?\n\n14. But you say, \u201cHow could they who were in captivity pass sentence of\ndeath?\u201d asserting, I know not on what grounds, that Susanna was the wife\nof a king, because of the name Joakim. The answer is, that it is no\nuncommon thing, when great nations become subject, that the king should\nallow the captives to use their own laws and courts of justice. Now, for\ninstance, that the Romans rule, and the Jews pay the half-shekel to\nthem, how great power by the concession of C\u00e6sar the ethnarch has; so\nthat we, who have had experience of it, know that he differs in little\nfrom a true king! Private trials are held according to the law, and some\nare condemned to death. And though there is not full licence for this,\nstill it is not done without the knowledge of the ruler, as we learned\nand were convinced of when we spent much time in the country of that\npeople. And yet the Romans only take account of two tribes, while at\nthat time besides Juda there were the ten tribes of Israel. Probably the\nAssyrians contented themselves with holding them in subjection, and\nconceded to them their own judicial processes.\n\n15. I find in your letter yet another objection in these words: \u201cAnd\nadd, that among all the many prophets who had been before, there is no\none who has quoted from another word for word. For they had no need to\ngo a-begging for words, since their own were true. But this one, in\nrebuking one of these men, quotes the words of the Lord, \u2018The innocent\nand righteous shalt thou not slay.\u2019\u201d I cannot understand how, with all\nyour exercise in investigating and meditating on the Scriptures, you\nhave not noticed that the prophets continually quote each other almost\nword for word. For who of all believers does not know the words in\nEsaias? \u201cAnd in the last days the mountain of the Lord shall be\nmanifest, and the house of the Lord on the top of the mountains, and it\nshall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall come unto it.\nAnd many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the\nmountain of the Lord, unto the house of the God of Jacob; and He will\nteach us His way, and we will walk in it: for out of Zion shall go forth\na law, and a word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He shall judge among\nthe nations, and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their\nswords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks: nation\nshall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any\nmore.\u201d[1111]\n\nBut in Micah we find a parallel passage, which is almost word for word:\n\u201cAnd in the last days the mountain of the Lord shall be manifest,\nestablished on the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above\nthe hills; and people shall hasten unto it. And many nations shall come,\nand say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of\nthe God of Jacob; and they will teach us His way, and we will walk in\nHis paths: for a law shall go forth from Zion, and a word of the Lord\nfrom Jerusalem. And He shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong\nnations; and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their\nspears into pruning-hooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against\nnation, neither shall they learn war any more.\u201d[1112]\n\nAgain, in First Chronicles, the psalm which is put in the hands of Asaph\nand his brethren to praise the Lord, beginning, \u201cGive thanks unto the\nLord, call upon His name,\u201d[1113] is in the beginning almost identical\nwith Ps. civ., down to \u201cand do my prophets no harm;\u201d and after that it\nis the same as Ps. xcv., from the beginning of that psalm, which is\nsomething like this, \u201cPraise the Lord all the earth,\u201d down to \u201cFor He\ncometh to judge the earth.\u201d (It would have taken up too much time to\nquote more fully; so I have given these short references, which are\nsufficient for the matter before us.) And you will find the law about\nnot bearing a burden on the Sabbath-day in Jeremia, as well as in\nMoses.[1114] And the rules about the passover, and the rules for the\npriests, are not only in Moses, but also at the end of Ezekiel.[1115] I\nwould have quoted these, and many more, had I not found that from the\nshortness of my stay in Nicomedia my time for writing you was already\ntoo much restricted.\n\nYour last objection is, that the style is different. This I cannot see.\n\nThis, then, is my defence. I might, especially after all these\naccusations, speak in praise of this history of Susanna, dwelling on it\nword by word, and expounding the exquisite nature of the thoughts. Such\nan encomium, perhaps, some of the learned and able students of divine\nthings may at some other time compose. This, however, is my answer to\nyour strokes, as you call them. Would that I could instruct you! But I\ndo not now arrogate that to myself. My lord and dear brother Ambrosius,\nwho has written this at my dictation, and has, in looking over it,\ncorrected as he pleased, salutes you. His faithful spouse, Marcella, and\nher children, also salute you. Also Anicetus. Do you salute our dear\nfather Apollinarius, and all our friends.\n\nFootnote 1083:\n\n The Song of the Three Holy Children in the Apocrypha.\n\nFootnote 1084:\n\n This should probably be corrected, with Pat. Jun., into, \u201cNor are the\n letters, _neither_,\u201d etc.\n\nFootnote 1085:\n\n 1 Cor. vi. 20; Rom. xiv. 15.\n\nFootnote 1086:\n\n Rom. viii. 32.\n\nFootnote 1087:\n\n Prov. xxii. 28.\n\nFootnote 1088:\n\n Origen\u2019s most important contribution to biblical literature was his\n elaborate attempt to rectify the text of the Septuagint by collating\n it with the Hebrew original and other Greek versions. On this he spent\n twenty-eight years, during which he travelled through the East\n collecting materials. The form in which he first issued the result of\n his labours was that of the _Tetrapla_, which presented in four\n columns the texts of the LXX., Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion. He\n next issued the _Hexapla_, in which the Hebrew text was given, first\n in Hebrew and then in Greek letters. Of some books he gave two\n additional Greek versions, whence the title _Octapla_; and there was\n even a seventh Greek version added for some books. Unhappily this\n great work, which extended to nearly fifty volumes, was never\n transcribed, and so perished (Kitto, _Cycl._).\n\nFootnote 1089:\n\n Jer. xxix. 22.\n\nFootnote 1090:\n\n Luke xii. 45, 46.\n\nFootnote 1091:\n\n Susanna 52, 53.\n\nFootnote 1092:\n\n Susanna 56.\n\nFootnote 1093:\n\n Et utrumque sigillatim in quamcunque mulierem incidebat, et cui vitium\n afferre cupiebat, ei secreto affirmasse sibi a Deo datum gignere\n Christum. Hinc spe gignendi Christum decepta mulier, sui copiam\n decipienti faciebat, et sic civium uxores stuprabant seniores Achib et\n Sedekias.\n\nFootnote 1094:\n\n Heb. xi. 38.\n\nFootnote 1095:\n\n Matt. xxiii. 29-36.\n\nFootnote 1096:\n\n Matt. xxiii. 30.\n\nFootnote 1097:\n\n Acts vii. 52.\n\nFootnote 1098:\n\n 1 Thess. ii. 14-16.\n\nFootnote 1099:\n\n Isa. i. 10.\n\nFootnote 1100:\n\n Heb. i. 1.\n\nFootnote 1101:\n\n Gen. xxxi. 10.\n\nFootnote 1102:\n\n Gen. xxxii. 24.\n\nFootnote 1103:\n\n Gen. xlix. 1.\n\nFootnote 1104:\n\n 1 Kings iii. 16-28.\n\nFootnote 1105:\n\n 1 Kings iii. 28.\n\nFootnote 1106:\n\n Ps. cxv. 13.\n\nFootnote 1107:\n\n Ps. i. 1.\n\nFootnote 1108:\n\n Tob. i. 12.\n\nFootnote 1109:\n\n Tob. i. 19.\n\nFootnote 1110:\n\n Tob. i. 22.\n\nFootnote 1111:\n\n Isa. ii. 2.\n\nFootnote 1112:\n\n Mic. iv. 1.\n\nFootnote 1113:\n\n 1 Chron. xvi. 8.\n\nFootnote 1114:\n\n Ex. xxxv. 2; Num. xv. 32; Jer. xvii. 21-24.\n\nFootnote 1115:\n\n In Levit. _passim_; Ezek. xliii. xliv. xlv. xlvi.\n\n\n\n\n A LETTER FROM ORIGEN TO GREGORY.[1116]\n\n\nGreeting in God, my most excellent sir, and venerable son Gregory, from\nOrigen. A natural readiness of comprehension, as you well know, may, if\npractice be added, contribute somewhat to the contingent end, if I may\nso call it, of that which any one wishes to practise. Thus, your natural\ngood parts might make of you a finished Roman lawyer or a Greek\nphilosopher, so to speak, of one of the schools in high reputation. But\nI am anxious that you should devote all the strength of your natural\ngood parts to Christianity for your end; and in order to this, I wish to\nask you to extract from the philosophy of the Greeks what may serve as a\ncourse of study or a preparation for Christianity, and from geometry and\nastronomy what will serve to explain the sacred Scriptures, in order\nthat all that the sons of the philosophers are wont to say about\ngeometry and music, grammar, rhetoric, and astronomy, as fellow-helpers\nto philosophy, we may say about philosophy itself, in relation to\nChristianity.\n\n2. Perhaps something of this kind is shadowed forth in what is written\nin Exodus from the mouth of God, that the children of Israel were\ncommanded to ask from their neighbours, and those who dwelt with them,\nvessels of silver and gold, and raiment, in order that, by spoiling the\nEgyptians, they might have material for the preparation of the things\nwhich pertained to the service of God. For from the things which the\nchildren of Israel took from the Egyptians the vessels in the holy of\nholies were made,\u2014the ark with its lid, and the cherubim, and the\nmercy-seat, and the golden coffer, where was the manna, the angels\u2019\nbread. These things were probably made from the best of the Egyptian\ngold. An inferior kind would be used for the solid golden candlestick\nnear the inner veil, and its branches, and the golden table on which\nwere the pieces of shewbread, and the golden censer between them. And if\nthere was a third and fourth quality of gold, from it would be made the\nholy vessels; and the other things would be made of Egyptian silver. For\nwhen the children of Israel dwelt in Egypt, they gained this from their\ndwelling there, that they had no lack of such precious material for the\nutensils of the service of God. And of the Egyptian raiment were\nprobably made all those things which, as the Scripture mentions, needed\nsewed and embroidered work, sewed with the wisdom of God, the one to the\nother, that the veils might be made, and the inner and the outer courts.\nAnd why should I go on, in this untimely digression, to set forth how\nuseful to the children of Israel were the things brought from Egypt,\nwhich the Egyptians had not put to a proper use, but which the Hebrews,\nguided by the wisdom of God, used for God\u2019s service? Now the sacred\nScripture is wont to represent as an evil the going down from the land\nof the children of Israel into Egypt, indicating that certain persons\nget harm from sojourning among the Egyptians, that is to say, from\nmeddling with the knowledge of this world, after they have subscribed to\nthe law of God, and the Israelitish service of Him. Ader[1117] at least,\nthe Idum\u00e6an, so long as he was in the land of Israel, and had not tasted\nthe bread of the Egyptians, made no idols. It was when he fled from the\nwise Solomon, and went down into Egypt, as it were flying from the\nwisdom of God, and was made a kinsman of Pharaoh by marrying his wife\u2019s\nsister, and begetting a child, who was brought up with the children of\nPharaoh, that he did this. Wherefore, although he did return to the land\nof Israel, he returned only to divide the people of God, and to make\nthem say to the golden calf, \u201cThese be thy gods, O Israel, which brought\nthee up from the land of Egypt.\u201d And I may tell you from my experience,\nthat not many take from Egypt only the useful, and go away and use it\nfor the service of God; while Ader the Idum\u00e6an has many brethren. These\nare they who, from their Greek studies, produce heretical notions, and\nset them up, like the golden calf, in Bethel, which signifies \u201cGod\u2019s\nhouse.\u201d In these words also there seems to me an indication that they\nhave set up their own imaginations in the Scriptures, where the word of\nGod dwells, which is called in a figure Bethel. The other figure, the\nword says, was set up in Dan. Now the borders of Dan are the most\nextreme, and nearest the borders of the Gentiles, as is clear from what\nis written in Joshua, the son of Nun. Now some of the devices of these\nbrethren of Ader, as we call them, are also very near the borders of the\nGentiles.\n\n3. Do you then, my son, diligently apply yourself to the reading of the\nsacred Scriptures. Apply yourself, I say. For we who read the things of\nGod need much application, lest we should say or think anything too\nrashly about them. And applying yourself thus to the study of the things\nof God, with faithful prejudgments such as are well pleasing to God,\nknock at its locked door, and it will be opened to you by the porter, of\nwhom Jesus says, \u201cTo him the porter opens.\u201d[1118] And applying yourself\nthus to the divine study, seek aright, and with unwavering trust in God,\nthe meaning of the holy Scriptures, which so many have missed. Be not\nsatisfied with knocking and seeking; for prayer is of all things\nindispensable to the knowledge of the things of God. For to this the\nSaviour exhorted, and said not only, \u201cKnock, and it shall be opened to\nyou; and seek, and ye shall find,\u201d[1119] but also, \u201cAsk, and it shall be\ngiven unto you.\u201d[1120] My fatherly love to you has made me thus bold;\nbut whether my boldness be good, God will know, and His Christ, and all\npartakers of the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ. May you also be\na partaker, and be ever increasing your inheritance, that you may say\nnot only, \u201cWe are become partakers of Christ,\u201d[1121] but also partakers\nof God.\n\nFootnote 1116:\n\n This Gregory, styled the Wonder-worker, was afterwards bishop of\n Neo-C\u00e6sarea.\n\nFootnote 1117:\n\n Origen evidently confounds Hadad the Edomite, of 1 Kings xii. 14, with\n Jeroboam.\n\nFootnote 1118:\n\n John x. 3.\n\nFootnote 1119:\n\n Matt. vii. 7.\n\nFootnote 1120:\n\n Luke xi. 9.\n\nFootnote 1121:\n\n Heb. iii. 14.\n\n\n\n\n ORIGEN CONTRA CELSUM.\n\n\n\n\n ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS.\n BOOK I.\n\n\n PREFACE.\n\n\n1. When false witnesses testified against our Lord and Saviour Jesus\nChrist, He remained silent; and when unfounded charges were brought\nagainst Him, He returned no answer, believing that His whole life and\nconduct among the Jews were a better refutation than any answer to the\nfalse testimony, or than any formal defence against the accusations. And\nI know not, my pious Ambrosius,[1122] why you wished me to write a reply\nto the false charges brought by Celsus against the Christians, and to\nhis accusations directed against the faith of the churches in his\ntreatise; as if the facts themselves did not furnish a manifest\nrefutation, and the doctrine a better answer than any writing, seeing it\nboth disposes of the false statements, and does not leave to the\naccusations any credibility or validity. Now, with respect to our Lord\u2019s\nsilence when false witness was borne against Him, it is sufficient at\npresent to quote the words of Matthew, for the testimony of Mark is to\nthe same effect. And the words of Matthew are as follow: \u201cAnd the high\npriest and the council sought false witness against Jesus to put Him to\ndeath, but found none, although many false witnesses came forward. At\nlast two false witnesses came and said, This fellow said, I am able to\ndestroy the temple of God, and after three days to build it up. And the\nhigh priest arose, and said to Him, Answerest thou nothing to what these\nwitness against thee? But Jesus held His peace.\u201d[1123] And that He\nreturned no answer when falsely accused, the following is the statement:\n\u201cAnd Jesus stood before the governor; and he asked Him, saying, Art thou\nthe king of the Jews? And Jesus said to him, Thou sayest. And when He\nwas accused of the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing. Then\nsaid Pilate unto Him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness\nagainst thee? And He answered him to never a word, insomuch that the\ngovernor marvelled greatly.\u201d[1124]\n\n2. It was, indeed, matter of surprise to men even of ordinary\nintelligence, that one who was accused and assailed by false testimony,\nbut who was able to defend Himself, and to show that He was guilty of\nnone of the charges [alleged], and who might have enumerated the\npraiseworthy deeds of His own life, and His miracles wrought by divine\npower, so as to give the judge an opportunity of delivering a more\nhonourable judgment regarding Him, should not have done this, but should\nhave disdained such a procedure, and in the nobleness of His nature have\ncontemned His accusers.[1125] That the judge would, without any\nhesitation, have set Him at liberty if He had offered a defence, is\nclear from what is related of him when he said, \u201cWhich of the two do ye\nwish that I should release unto you, Barabbas or Jesus, who is called\nChrist?\u201d[1126] and from what the Scripture adds, \u201cFor he knew that for\nenvy they had delivered Him.\u201d[1127] Jesus, however, is at all times\nassailed by false witnesses, and, while wickedness remains in the world,\nis ever exposed to accusation. And yet even now He continues silent\nbefore these things, and makes no audible answer, but places His defence\nin the lives of His genuine disciples, which are a pre-eminent\ntestimony, and one that rises superior to all false witness, and refutes\nand overthrows all unfounded accusations and charges.\n\n3. I venture, then, to say that this \u201capology\u201d which you require me to\ncompose will somewhat weaken that defence [of Christianity] which rests\non facts, and that power of Jesus which is manifest to those who are not\naltogether devoid of perception. Notwithstanding, that we may not have\nthe appearance of being reluctant to undertake the task which you have\nenjoined, we have endeavoured, to the best of our ability, to suggest,\nby way of answer to each of the statements advanced by Celsus, what\nseemed to us adapted to refute them, although his arguments have no\npower to shake the faith of any [true] believer. And forbid, indeed,\nthat any one should be found who, after having been a partaker in such a\nlove of God as was [displayed] in Christ Jesus, could be shaken in his\npurpose by the arguments of Celsus, or of any such as he. For Paul, when\nenumerating the innumerable causes which generally separate men from the\nlove of Christ and from the love of God in Christ Jesus (to all of\nwhich, the love that was in himself rose superior), did not set down\nargument among the grounds of separation. For observe that he says,\nfirstly: \u201cWho shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall\ntribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or\nperil, or sword? (as it is written, For Thy sake we are killed all the\nday long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.) Nay, in all\nthese things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved\nus.\u201d[1128] And secondly, when laying down another series of causes which\nnaturally tend to separate those who are not firmly grounded in their\nreligion, he says: \u201cFor I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor\nangels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things\nto come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to\nseparate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our\nLord.\u201d[1129]\n\n4. Now, truly, it is proper that _we_ should feel elated because\nafflictions, or those other causes enumerated by Paul, do not separate\nus [from Christ]; but not that Paul and the other apostles, and any\nother resembling them, [should entertain that feeling], because they\nwere far exalted above such things when they said, \u201cIn all these things\nwe are _more_ than conquerors through Him that loved us,\u201d[1130] which is\na stronger statement than that they are simply \u201cconquerors.\u201d But if it\nbe proper for apostles to entertain a feeling of elation in not being\nseparated from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord, that\nfeeling will be entertained by them because neither death, nor life, nor\nangels, nor principalities, nor any of the things that follow, can\nseparate them from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.\nAnd therefore I do not congratulate that believer in Christ whose faith\ncan be shaken by Celsus\u2014who no longer shares the common life of men, but\nhas long since departed\u2014or by any apparent plausibility of\nargument.[1131] For I do not know in what rank to place him who has need\nof arguments written in books in answer to the charges of Celsus against\nthe Christians, in order to prevent him from being shaken in his faith,\nand confirm him in it. But nevertheless, since in the multitude of those\nwho are considered believers some such persons might be found as would\nhave their faith shaken and overthrown by the writings of Celsus, but\nwho might be preserved by a reply to them of such a nature as to refute\nhis statements and to exhibit the truth, we have deemed it right to\nyield to your injunction, and to furnish an answer to the treatise which\nyou sent us, but which I do not think that any one, although only a\nshort way advanced in philosophy, will allow to be a \u201cTrue Discourse,\u201d\nas Celsus has entitled it.\n\n5. Paul, indeed, observing that there are in Greek philosophy certain\nthings not to be lightly esteemed, which are plausible in the eyes of\nthe many, but which represent falsehood as truth, says with regard to\nsuch: \u201cBeware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit,\nafter the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not\nafter Christ.\u201d[1132] And seeing that there was a kind of greatness\nmanifest in the words of the world\u2019s wisdom, he said that the words of\nthe philosophers were \u201caccording to the rudiments of the world.\u201d No man\nof sense, however, would say that those of Celsus were \u201caccording to the\nrudiments of the world.\u201d Now those words, which contained some element\nof deceitfulness, the apostle named \u201cvain deceit,\u201d probably by way of\ndistinction from a deceit that was not \u201cvain;\u201d and the prophet Jeremiah\nobserving this, ventured to say to God, \u201cO Lord, Thou hast deceived me,\nand I was deceived; Thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed.\u201d[1133]\nBut in the language of Celsus there seems to me to be no deceitfulness\nat all, not even that which is \u201cvain;\u201d such deceitfulness, viz., as is\nfound in the language of those who have founded philosophical sects, and\nwho have been endowed with no ordinary talent for such pursuits. And as\nno one would say that any ordinary error in geometrical demonstrations\nwas intended to deceive, or would describe it for the sake of exercise\nin such matters;[1134] so those opinions which are to be styled \u201cvain\ndeceit,\u201d and the \u201ctradition of men,\u201d and \u201caccording to the rudiments of\nthe world,\u201d must have some resemblance to the views of those who have\nbeen the founders of philosophical sects, [if such titles are to be\nappropriately applied to them].\n\n6. After proceeding with this work as far as the place where Celsus\nintroduces the Jew disputing with Jesus, I resolved to prefix this\npreface to the beginning [of the treatise], in order that the reader of\nour reply to Celsus might fall in with it first, and see that this book\nhas been composed not for those who are thorough believers, but for such\nas are either wholly unacquainted with the Christian faith, or for those\nwho, as the apostle terms them, are \u201cweak in the faith;\u201d regarding whom\nhe says, \u201cHim that is weak in the faith receive ye.\u201d[1135] And this\npreface must be my apology for beginning my answer to Celsus on one\nplan, and carrying it on on another. For my first intention was to\nindicate his principal objections, and then briefly the answers that\nwere returned to them, and subsequently to make a systematic treatise of\nthe whole discourse.[1136] But afterwards, circumstances themselves\nsuggested to me that I should be economical of my time, and that,\nsatisfied with what I had already stated at the commencement, I should\nin the following part grapple closely, to the best of my ability, with\nthe charges of Celsus. I have therefore to ask indulgence for those\nportions which follow the preface towards the beginning of the book. And\nif you are not impressed by the powerful arguments which succeed, then,\nasking similar indulgence also with respect to them, I refer you, if you\nstill desire an argumentative solution of the objections of Celsus, to\nthose men who are wiser than myself, and who are able by words and\ntreatises to overthrow the charges which he brings against us. But\nbetter is the man who, although meeting with the work of Celsus, needs\nno answer to it at all, but who despises all its contents, since they\nare contemned, and with good reason, by every believer in Christ,\nthrough the Spirit that is in him.\n\nFootnote 1122:\n\n This individual is mentioned by Eusebius (_Eccles. Hist._ b. vi. c.\n 18) as having been converted from the heresy of Valentinus to the\n faith of the church by the efforts of Origen.\n\nFootnote 1123:\n\n Cf. Matt. xxvi. 59-62.\n\nFootnote 1124:\n\n Cf. Matt. xxvii. 11-14.\n\nFootnote 1125:\n\n \u039c\u03b5\u03b3\u03b1\u03bb\u03bf\u03c6\u03c5\u1ff6\u03c2 \u1f51\u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u03b5\u03c9\u03c1\u03b1\u03ba\u03ad\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9 \u03c4\u03bf\u1f7a\u03c2 \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03b7\u03b3\u03cc\u03c1\u03bf\u03c5\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 1126:\n\n Cf. Matt. xxvii. 17.\n\nFootnote 1127:\n\n Cf. Matt. xxvii. 18.\n\nFootnote 1128:\n\n Rom. viii. 35-37.\n\nFootnote 1129:\n\n Rom. viii. 38, 39.\n\nFootnote 1130:\n\n Rom. viii. 37, \u1f51\u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u03bd\u03b9\u03ba\u1ff6\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 1131:\n\n \u1f20 \u03c4\u03b9\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2 \u03c0\u03b9\u03b8\u03b1\u03bd\u03cc\u03c4\u03b7\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2 \u03bb\u03cc\u03b3\u03bf\u03c5.\n\nFootnote 1132:\n\n Col. ii. 8.\n\nFootnote 1133:\n\n Cf. Jer. xx. 7.\n\nFootnote 1134:\n\n \u039a\u03b1\u1f76 \u1f65\u03c3\u03c0\u03b5\u03c1 \u03bf\u1f50 \u03c4\u1f78 \u03c4\u03c5\u03c7\u1f78\u03bd \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u03c8\u03b5\u03c5\u03b4\u03bf\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03c9\u03bd \u1f10\u03bd \u03b3\u03b5\u03c9\u03bc\u03b5\u03c4\u03c1\u03b9\u03ba\u03bf\u1fd6\u03c2 \u03b8\u03b5\u03c9\u03c1\u03ae\u03bc\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\n \u03c8\u03b5\u03c5\u03b4\u03bf\u03b3\u03c1\u03b1\u03c6\u03bf\u03cd\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03bf\u03bd \u03c4\u03b9\u03c2 \u1f04\u03bd \u03bb\u03ad\u03b3\u03bf\u03b9, \u1f22 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u1f00\u03bd\u03b1\u03b3\u03c1\u03ac\u03c6\u03bf\u03b9 \u03b3\u03c5\u03bc\u03bd\u03b1\u03c3\u03af\u03bf\u03c5 \u1f15\u03bd\u03b5\u03ba\u03b5\u03bd \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6\n \u1f00\u03c0\u1f78 \u03c4\u03bf\u03b9\u03bf\u03cd\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd. Cf. note of Ru\u00e6us _in loc._\n\nFootnote 1135:\n\n Rom. xiv. 1.\n\nFootnote 1136:\n\n \u03c3\u03c9\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03bf\u03c0\u03bf\u03b9\u1fc6\u03c3\u03b1\u03b9.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter I.\n\n\nThe first point which Celsus brings forward, in his desire to throw\ndiscredit upon Christianity, is, that the Christians entered into secret\nassociations with each other contrary to law, saying, that \u201cof\nassociations some are public, and that these are in accordance with the\nlaws; others, again, secret, and maintained in violation of the laws.\u201d\nAnd his wish is to bring into disrepute what are termed the\n\u201clove-feasts\u201d[1137] of the Christians, as if they had their origin in\nthe common danger, and were more binding than any oaths. Since, then, he\nbabbles about the public law, alleging that the associations of the\nChristians are in violation of it, we have to reply, that if a man were\nplaced among Scythians, whose laws were unholy,[1138] and having no\nopportunity of escape, were compelled to live among them, such an one\nwould with good reason, for the sake of the law of truth, which the\nScythians would regard as wickedness,[1139] enter into associations\ncontrary to their laws, with those like-minded with himself; so, if\ntruth is to decide, the laws of the heathens which relate to images, and\nan atheistical polytheism, are \u201cScythian\u201d laws, or more impious even\nthan these, if there be any such. It is not irrational, then, to form\nassociations in opposition to existing laws, if done for the sake of the\ntruth. For as those persons would do well who should enter into a secret\nassociation in order to put to death a tyrant who had seized upon the\nliberties of a state, so Christians also, when tyrannized over by him\nwho is called the devil, and by falsehood, form leagues contrary to the\nlaws of the devil, against his power, and for the safety of those others\nwhom they may succeed in persuading to revolt from a government which\nis, as it were, \u201cScythian,\u201d and despotic.\n\nFootnote 1137:\n\n \u03c4\u1f74\u03bd \u03ba\u03b1\u03bb\u03bf\u03c5\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03b7\u03bd \u1f00\u03b3\u03ac\u03c0\u03b7\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 1138:\n\n \u1f00\u03b8\u03ad\u03c3\u03bc\u03bf\u03c5\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 1139:\n\n \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u03b1\u03bd\u03bf\u03bc\u03af\u03b1\u03bd.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter II.\n\n\nCelsus next proceeds to say, that the system of doctrine, viz. Judaism,\nupon which Christianity depends, was barbarous in its origin. And with\nan appearance of fairness, he does not reproach Christianity[1140]\nbecause of its origin among barbarians, but gives the latter credit for\ntheir ability in discovering [such] doctrines. To this, however, he adds\nthe statement, that the Greeks are more skilful than any others in\njudging, establishing, and reducing to practice the discoveries of\nbarbarous nations. Now this is our answer to his allegations, and our\ndefence of the truths contained in Christianity, that if any one were to\ncome from the study of Grecian opinions and usages to the gospel, he\nwould not only decide that its doctrines were true, but would by\npractice establish their truth, and supply whatever seemed wanting, from\na Grecian point of view, to their demonstration, and thus confirm the\ntruth of Christianity. We have to say, moreover, that the gospel has a\ndemonstration of its own, more divine than any established by Grecian\ndialectics. And this diviner method is called by the apostle the\n\u201cmanifestation of the Spirit and of power:\u201d of \u201cthe Spirit,\u201d on account\nof the prophecies, which are sufficient to produce faith in any one who\nreads them, especially in those things which relate to Christ; and of\n\u201cpower,\u201d because of the signs and wonders which we must believe to have\nbeen performed, both on many other grounds, and on this, that traces of\nthem are still preserved among those who regulate their lives by the\nprecepts of the gospel.\n\nFootnote 1140:\n\n \u03c4\u1ff7 \u03bb\u03cc\u03b3\u1ff3.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter III.\n\n\nAfter this, Celsus proceeding to speak of the Christians teaching and\npractising their favourite doctrines in secret, and saying that they do\nthis to some purpose, seeing they escape the penalty of death which is\nimminent, he compares their dangers with those which were encountered by\nsuch men as Socrates for the sake of philosophy; and here he might have\nmentioned Pythagoras as well, and other philosophers. But our answer to\nthis is, that in the case of Socrates the Athenians immediately\nafterwards repented; and no feeling of bitterness remained in their\nminds regarding him, as also happened in the history of Pythagoras. The\nfollowers of the latter, indeed, for a considerable time established\ntheir schools in that part of Italy called Magna Gr\u00e6cia; but in the case\nof the Christians, the Roman Senate, and the princes of the time, and\nthe soldiery, and the people, and the relatives of those who had become\nconverts to the faith, made war upon their doctrine, and would have\nprevented [its progress], overcoming it by a confederacy of so powerful\na nature, had it not, by the help of God, escaped the danger, and risen\nabove it, so as [finally] to defeat the whole world in its conspiracy\nagainst it.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter IV.\n\n\nLet us notice also how he thinks to cast discredit upon our system of\nmorals,[1141] alleging that it is only common to us with other\nphilosophers, and no venerable or new branch of instruction. In reply to\nwhich we have to say, that unless all men had naturally impressed upon\ntheir minds sound ideas of morality, the doctrine of the punishment of\nsinners would have been excluded by those who bring upon themselves the\nrighteous judgments of God. It is not therefore matter of surprise that\nthe same God should have sown in the hearts of all men those truths\nwhich He taught by the prophets and the Saviour, in order that at the\ndivine judgment every man may be without excuse, having the\n\u201crequirements[1142] of the law written upon his heart,\u201d\u2014a truth\nobscurely alluded to by the Bible[1143] in what the Greeks regard as a\nmyth, where it represents God as having with His own finger written down\nthe commandments, and given them to Moses, and which the wickedness of\nthe worshippers of the calf made him break in pieces, as if the flood of\nwickedness, so to speak, had swept them away. But Moses having again\nhewn tables of stone, God wrote the commandments a second time, and gave\nthem to him; the prophetic word preparing the soul, as it were, after\nthe first transgression, for the writing of God a second time.\n\nFootnote 1141:\n\n \u03c4\u1f78\u03bd \u1f20\u03b8\u03b9\u03ba\u1f78\u03bd \u03c4\u03cc\u03c0\u03bf\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 1142:\n\n \u03c4\u1f78 \u03b2\u03bf\u03cd\u03bb\u03b7\u03bc\u03b1 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03bd\u03cc\u03bc\u03bf\u03c5.\n\nFootnote 1143:\n\n \u1f41 \u03bb\u03cc\u03b3\u03bf\u03c2.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter V.\n\n\nTreating of the regulations respecting idolatry as being peculiar to\nChristianity, Celsus establishes their correctness, saying that the\nChristians do not consider those to be gods that are made with hands, on\nthe ground that it is not in conformity with right reason [to suppose]\nthat images, fashioned by the most worthless and depraved of workmen,\nand in many instances also provided by wicked men, can be [regarded as]\ngods. In what follows, however, wishing to show that this is a common\nopinion, and one not first discovered by Christianity, he quotes a\nsaying of Heraclitus to this effect: \u201cThat those who draw near to\nlifeless images, as if they were gods, act in a similar manner to those\nwho would enter into conversation with houses.\u201d Respecting this, then,\nwe have to say, that ideas were implanted in the minds of men like the\nprinciples of morality, from which not only Heraclitus, but any other\nGreek or barbarian, might by reflection have deduced the same\nconclusion; for he states that the Persians also were of the same\nopinion, quoting Herodotus as his authority. We also can add to these\nZeno of Citium, who in his _Polity_ says: \u201cAnd there will be no need to\nbuild temples, for nothing ought to be regarded as sacred, or of much\nvalue, or holy, which is the work of builders and of mean men.\u201d It is\nevident, then, with respect to this opinion [as well as others], that\nthere has been engraven upon the hearts of men by the finger of God a\nsense of the duty that is required.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter VI.\n\n\nAfter this, through the influence of some motive which is unknown to me,\nCelsus asserts that it is by the names of certain demons, and by the use\nof incantations, that the Christians appear to be possessed of\n[miraculous] power; hinting, I suppose, at the practices of those who\nexpel evil spirits by incantations. And here he manifestly appears to\nmalign the gospel. For it is not by incantations that Christians seem to\nprevail [over evil spirits], but by the name of Jesus, accompanied by\nthe announcement of the narratives which relate to Him; for the\nrepetition of these has frequently been the means of driving demons out\nof men, especially when those who repeated them did so in a sound and\ngenuinely believing spirit. Such power, indeed, does the name of Jesus\npossess over evil spirits, that there have been instances where it was\neffectual, when it was pronounced even by bad men, which Jesus Himself\ntaught [would be the case], when He said: \u201cMany shall say to me in that\nday, In Thy name we have cast out devils, and done many wonderful\nworks.\u201d[1144] Whether Celsus omitted this from intentional malignity, or\nfrom ignorance, I do not know. And he next proceeds to bring a charge\nagainst the Saviour Himself, alleging that it was by means of sorcery\nthat He was able to accomplish the wonders which He performed; and that\nforeseeing that others would attain the same knowledge, and do the same\nthings, making a boast of doing them by help of the power of God, He\nexcludes such from His kingdom. And his accusation is, that if they are\njustly excluded, while He Himself is guilty of the same practices, He is\na wicked man; but if He is not guilty of wickedness in doing such\nthings, neither are they who do the same as He. But even if it be\nimpossible to show by what power Jesus wrought these miracles, it is\nclear that Christians employ no spells or incantations, but the simple\nname of Jesus, and certain other words in which they repose faith,\naccording to the Holy Scriptures.\n\nFootnote 1144:\n\n Cf. Matt. vii. 22.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter VII.\n\n\nMoreover, since he frequently calls the Christian doctrine a secret\nsystem [of belief], we must confute him on this point also, since almost\nthe entire world is better acquainted with what Christians preach than\nwith the favourite opinions of philosophers. For who is ignorant of the\nstatement that Jesus was born of a virgin, and that He was crucified,\nand that His resurrection is an article of faith among many, and that a\ngeneral judgment is announced to come, in which the wicked are to be\npunished according to their deserts, and the righteous to be duly\nrewarded? And yet the mystery of the resurrection, not being\nunderstood,[1145] is made a subject of ridicule among unbelievers. In\nthese circumstances, to speak of the Christian doctrine as a _secret_\nsystem, is altogether absurd. But that there should be certain\ndoctrines, not made known to the multitude, which are [revealed] after\nthe exoteric ones have been taught, is not a peculiarity of Christianity\nalone, but also of philosophic systems, in which certain truths are\nexoteric and others esoteric. Some of the hearers of Pythagoras were\ncontent with his _ipse dixit_; while others were taught in secret those\ndoctrines which were not deemed fit to be communicated to profane and\ninsufficiently prepared ears. Moreover, all the mysteries that are\ncelebrated everywhere throughout Greece and barbarous countries,\nalthough held in secret, have no discredit thrown upon them, so that it\nis in vain that he endeavours to calumniate the secret doctrines of\nChristianity, seeing he does not correctly understand its nature.\n\nFootnote 1145:\n\n The words, as they stand in the text of Lommatzsch, are, \u1f00\u03bb\u03bb\u1f70 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03bc\u1f74\u03bd\n \u03bd\u03bf\u03b7\u03b8\u1f72\u03bd \u03c4\u1f78 \u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u1f76 \u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u1f00\u03bd\u03b1\u03c3\u03c4\u03ac\u03c3\u03b5\u03c9\u03c2 \u03bc\u03c5\u03c3\u03c4\u03ae\u03c1\u03b9\u03bf\u03bd. Ru\u00e6us would read \u03bc\u1f74 instead\n of \u03bc\u03ae\u03bd. This emendation has been adopted in the translation.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter VIII.\n\nIt is with a certain eloquence,[1146] indeed, that he appears to\nadvocate the cause of those who bear witness to the truth of\nChristianity by their death, in the following words: \u201cAnd I do not\nmaintain that if a man, who has adopted a system of good doctrine, is to\nincur danger from men on that account, he should either apostatize, or\nfeign apostasy, or openly deny his opinions.\u201d And he condemns those who,\nwhile holding the Christian views, either pretend that they do not, or\ndeny them, saying that \u201che who holds a certain opinion ought not to\nfeign recantation, or publicly disown it.\u201d And here Celsus must be\nconvicted of self-contradiction. For from other treatises of his it is\nascertained that he was an Epicurean; but here, because he thought that\nhe could assail Christianity with better effect by not professing the\nopinions of Epicurus, he pretends that there is a something better in\nman than the earthly part of his nature, which is akin to God, and says\nthat \u201cthey in whom this element, viz. the soul, is in a healthy\ncondition, are ever seeking after their kindred nature, meaning God, and\nare ever desiring to hear something about Him, and to call it to\nremembrance.\u201d Observe now the insincerity of his character! Having said\na little before, that \u201cthe man who had embraced a system of good\ndoctrine ought not, even if exposed to danger on that account from men,\nto disavow it, or pretend that he had done so, nor yet openly disown\nit,\u201d he now involves himself in all manner of contradictions. For he\nknew that if he acknowledged himself an Epicurean, he would not obtain\nany credit when accusing those who, in any degree, introduce the\ndoctrine of Providence, and who place a God over the world. And we have\nheard that there were two individuals of the name of Celsus, both of\nwhom were Epicureans; the earlier of the two having lived in the time of\nNero, but this one in that of Adrian, and later.\n\nFootnote 1146:\n\n \u03b4\u03b5\u03b9\u03bd\u03cc\u03c4\u03b7\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter IX.\n\n\nHe next proceeds to recommend, that in adopting opinions we should\nfollow reason and a rational guide,[1147] since he who assents to\nopinions without following this course is very liable to be deceived.\nAnd he compares inconsiderate believers to Metragyrt\u00e6, and soothsayers,\nand Mithr\u00e6, and Sabbadians, and to anything else that one may fall in\nwith, and to the phantoms of Hecate, or any other demon or demons. For\nas amongst such persons are frequently to be found wicked men, who,\ntaking advantage of the ignorance of those who are easily deceived, lead\nthem away whither they will, so also, he says, is the case among\nChristians. And he asserts that certain persons who do not wish either\nto give or receive a reason for their belief, keep repeating, \u201cDo not\nexamine, but believe!\u201d and, \u201cYour faith will save you!\u201d And he alleges\nthat such also say, \u201cThe wisdom of this life is bad, but that\nfoolishness is a good thing!\u201d To which we have to answer, that if it\nwere possible for all to leave the business of life, and devote\nthemselves to philosophy, no other method ought to be adopted by any\none, but this alone. For in the Christian system also it will be found\nthat there is, not to speak at all arrogantly, at least as much of\ninvestigation into articles of belief, and of explanation of dark\nsayings, occurring in the prophetical writings, and of the parables in\nthe Gospels, and of countless other things, which either were narrated\nor enacted with a symbolical signification,[1148] [as is the case with\nother systems]. But since the course alluded to is impossible, partly on\naccount of the necessities of life, partly on account of the weakness of\nmen, as only a very few individuals devote themselves earnestly to\nstudy,[1149] what better method could be devised with a view of\nassisting the multitude, than that which was delivered by Jesus to the\nheathen? And let us inquire, with respect to the great multitude of\nbelievers, who have washed away the mire of wickedness in which they\nformerly wallowed, whether it were better for them to believe without a\nreason, and [so] to have become reformed and improved in their habits,\nthrough the belief that men are chastised for sins, and honoured for\ngood works; or not to have allowed themselves to be converted on the\nstrength of mere faith, but [to have waited] until they could give\nthemselves to a thorough examination of the [necessary] reasons. For it\nis manifest that, [on such a plan], all men, with very few exceptions,\nwould not obtain this [amelioration of conduct] which they have obtained\nthrough a simple faith, but would continue to remain in the practice of\na wicked life. Now, whatever other evidence can be furnished of the\nfact, that it was not without divine intervention that the philanthropic\nscheme of Christianity was introduced among men, this also must be\nadded. For a pious man will not believe that even a physician of the\nbody, who restores the sick to better health, could take up his abode in\nany city or country without divine permission, since no good happens to\nmen without the help of God. And if he who has cured the _bodies_ of\nmany, or restored them to better health, does not effect his cures\nwithout the help of God, how much more He who has healed the _souls_ of\nmany, and has turned them [to virtue], and improved their nature, and\nattached them to God who is over all things, and taught them to refer\nevery action to His good pleasure, and to shun all that is displeasing\nto Him, even to the least of their words or deeds, or even of the\nthoughts of their hearts?\n\nFootnote 1147:\n\n \u03bb\u03cc\u03b3\u1ff3 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03bb\u03bf\u03b3\u03b9\u03ba\u1ff7 \u1f41\u03b4\u03b7\u03b3\u1ff7.\n\nFootnote 1148:\n\n \u03c3\u03c5\u03bc\u03b2\u03bf\u03bb\u03b9\u03ba\u1ff6\u03c2 \u03b3\u03b5\u03b3\u03b5\u03bd\u03b7\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03c9\u03bd, \u1f22 \u03bd\u03b5\u03bd\u03bf\u03bc\u03bf\u03b8\u03b5\u03c4\u03b7\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03c9\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 1149:\n\n \u03c3\u03c6\u03cc\u03b4\u03c1\u03b1 \u1f40\u03bb\u03af\u03b3\u03c9\u03bd \u1f10\u03c0\u1f76 \u03c4\u1f78\u03bd \u03bb\u03cc\u03b3\u03bf\u03bd \u1f80\u03c4\u03c4\u03cc\u03bd\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter X.\n\n\nIn the next place, since our opponents keep repeating those statements\nabout faith, we must say that, considering it as a useful thing for the\nmultitude, we admit that we teach those men to believe without reasons,\nwho are unable to abandon all other employments, and give themselves to\nan examination of arguments; and our opponents, although they do not\nacknowledge it, yet practically do the same. For who is there that, on\nbetaking himself to the study of philosophy, and throwing himself into\nthe ranks of some sect, either by chance,[1150] or because he is\nprovided with a teacher of that school, adopts such a course for any\nother reason, except that he _believes_ his particular sect to be\nsuperior to any other? For, not waiting to hear the arguments of all the\nother philosophers, and of all the different sects, and the reasons for\ncondemning one system and for supporting another, he in this way elects\nto become a Stoic, _e.g._, or a Platonist, or a Peripatetic, or an\nEpicurean, or a follower of some other school, and is thus borne,\nalthough they will not admit it, by a kind of irrational impulse to the\npractice, say of Stoicism, to the disregard of the others; despising\neither Platonism, as being marked by greater humility than the others;\nor Peripateticism, as more human, and as admitting with more\nfairness[1151] than other systems the blessings of human life. And some\nalso, alarmed at first sight[1152] about the doctrine of providence,\nfrom seeing what happens in the world to the vicious and to the\nvirtuous, have rashly concluded that there is no divine providence at\nall, and have adopted the views of Epicurus and Celsus.\n\nFootnote 1150:\n\n \u1f00\u03c0\u03bf\u03ba\u03bb\u03b7\u03c1\u03c9\u03c4\u03b9\u03ba\u1ff6\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 1151:\n\n \u03bc\u1fb6\u03bb\u03bb\u03bf\u03bd \u03b5\u1f50\u03b3\u03bd\u03c9\u03bc\u03cc\u03bd\u03c9\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 1152:\n\n \u1f00\u03c0\u1f78 \u03c0\u03c1\u03ce\u03c4\u03b7\u03c2 \u03c0\u03c1\u03bf\u03c3\u03b2\u03bf\u03bb\u1fc6\u03c2.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XI.\n\n\nSince, then, as reason teaches, we must repose faith in some one of\nthose who have been the introducers of sects among the Greeks or\nbarbarians, why should we not rather believe in God who is over all\nthings, and in Him who teaches that worship is due to God alone, and\nthat other things are to be passed by, either as non-existent, or as\nexisting indeed, and worthy of honour, but not of worship and reverence?\nAnd respecting these things, he who not only believes, but who\ncontemplates things with the eye of reason, will state the\ndemonstrations that occur to him, and which are the result of careful\ninvestigation. And why should it not be more reasonable, seeing all\nhuman things are dependent upon faith, to believe God rather than them?\nFor who enters on a voyage, or contracts a marriage, or becomes the\nfather of children, or casts seed into the ground, without believing\nthat better things will result from so doing, although the contrary\nmight and sometimes does happen? And yet the belief that better things,\neven agreeably to their wishes, will follow, makes all men venture upon\nuncertain enterprises, which may turn out differently from what they\nexpect. And if the hope and belief of a better future be the support of\nlife in every uncertain enterprise, why shall not this faith rather be\nrationally accepted by him who believes on better grounds than he who\nsails the sea, or tills the ground, or marries a wife, or engages in any\nother human pursuit, in the existence of a God who was the Creator of\nall these things, and in Him who with surpassing wisdom and divine\ngreatness of mind dared to make known this doctrine to men in every part\nof the world, at the cost of great danger, and of a death considered\ninfamous, which He underwent for the sake of the human race; having also\ntaught those who were persuaded to embrace His doctrine at the first, to\nproceed, under the peril of every danger, and of ever impending death,\nto all quarters of the world to ensure the salvation of men?\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XII.\n\n\nIn the next place, when Celsus says in express words, \u201cIf they would\nanswer me, not as if I were asking for information, for I am acquainted\nwith all their opinions, but because I take an equal interest in them\nall, it would be well. And if they will not, but will keep reiterating,\nas they generally do, \u2018Do not investigate,\u2019 etc., they must, he\ncontinues, explain to me at least of what nature these things are of\nwhich they speak, and whence they are derived,\u201d etc. Now, with regard to\nhis statement that he \u201cis acquainted with all our doctrines,\u201d we have to\nsay that this is a boastful and daring assertion; for if he had read the\nprophets in particular, which are full of acknowledged difficulties, and\nof declarations that are obscure to the multitude, and if he had perused\nthe parables of the Gospels, and the other writings of the law and of\nthe Jewish history, and the utterances of the apostles, and had read\nthem candidly, with a desire to enter into their meaning, he would not\nhave expressed himself with such boldness, nor said that he \u201cwas\nacquainted with all their doctrines.\u201d Even we ourselves, who have\ndevoted much study to these writings, would not say that \u201cwe were\nacquainted with everything,\u201d for we have a regard for truth. Not one of\nus will assert, \u201cI know all the doctrines of Epicurus,\u201d or will be\nconfident that he knows all those of Plato, in the knowledge of the fact\nthat so many differences of opinion exist among the expositors of these\nsystems. For who is so daring as to say that he knows all the opinions\nof the Stoics or of the Peripatetics? Unless, indeed, it should be the\ncase that he has heard this boast, \u201cI know them all,\u201d from some ignorant\nand senseless individuals, who do not perceive their own ignorance, and\nshould thus imagine, from having had such persons as his teachers, that\nhe was acquainted with them all. Such an one appears to me to act very\nmuch as a person would do who had visited Egypt (where the Egyptian\n_savans_, learned in their country\u2019s literature, are greatly given to\nphilosophizing about those things which are regarded among them as\ndivine, but where the vulgar, hearing certain myths, the reasons of\nwhich they do not understand, are greatly elated because of their\nfancied knowledge), and who should imagine that he is acquainted with\nthe whole circle of Egyptian knowledge, after having been a disciple of\nthe ignorant alone, and without having associated with any of the\npriests, or having learned the mysteries of the Egyptians from any other\nsource. And what I have said regarding the learned and ignorant among\nthe Egyptians, I might have said also of the Persians; among whom there\nare mysteries, conducted on rational principles by the learned among\nthem, but understood in a symbolical sense by the more superficial of\nthe multitude.[1153] And the same remark applies to the Syrians, and\nIndians, and to all those who have a literature and a mythology.\n\nFootnote 1153:\n\n \u03a0\u03b1\u03c1\u2019 \u03bf\u1f37\u03c2 \u03b5\u1f30\u03c3\u03b9 \u03c4\u03b5\u03bb\u03b5\u03c4\u03b1\u1f76, \u03c0\u03c1\u03b5\u03c3\u03b2\u03b5\u03c5\u03cc\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9 \u03bc\u1f72\u03bd \u03bb\u03bf\u03b3\u03b9\u03ba\u1ff6\u03c2 \u1f51\u03c0\u1f78 \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u2019 \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u03bf\u1fd6\u03c2\n \u03bb\u03bf\u03b3\u03af\u03c9\u03bd, \u03c3\u03c5\u03bc\u03b2\u03bf\u03bb\u03b9\u03ba\u1ff6\u03c2 \u03b4\u1f72 \u03b3\u03b9\u03bd\u03cc\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9 \u1f51\u03c0\u1f78 \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u2019 \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u03bf\u1fd6\u03c2 \u03c0\u03bf\u03bb\u03bb\u1ff6\u03bd \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76\n \u1f10\u03c0\u03b9\u03c0\u03bf\u03bb\u03b1\u03b9\u03bf\u03c4\u03ad\u03c1\u03c9\u03bd. For \u03b3\u03b9\u03bd\u03cc\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9 Ru\u00e6us prefers \u03b3\u03b9\u03bd\u03c9\u03c3\u03ba\u03cc\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9, which is\n adopted in the translation.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XIII.\n\n\nBut since Celsus has declared it to be a saying of many Christians, that\n\u201cthe wisdom of this life is a bad thing, but that foolishness is good,\u201d\nwe have to answer that he slanders the gospel, not giving the words as\nthey actually occur in the writings of Paul, where they run as follow:\n\u201cIf any one among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a\nfool, that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is\nfoolishness with God.\u201d[1154] The apostle, therefore, does not say simply\nthat \u201cwisdom is foolishness with God,\u201d but \u201cthe wisdom of _this world_.\u201d\nAnd again, not, \u201cIf any one among you seemeth to be wise, let him become\na fool universally;\u201d but, \u201clet him become a fool _in this world_, that\nhe may become wise.\u201d We term, then, \u201cthe wisdom of this world,\u201d every\nfalse system of philosophy, which, according to the Scriptures, is\nbrought to nought; and we call foolishness good, not without\nrestriction, but when a man becomes foolish as to _this world_. As if we\nwere to say that the Platonist, who believes in the immortality of the\nsoul, and in the doctrine of its metempsychosis,[1155] incurs the charge\nof folly with the Stoics, who discard this opinion; and with the\nPeripatetics, who babble about the subtleties of Plato; and with the\nEpicureans, who call it superstition to introduce a providence, and to\nplace a God over all things. Moreover, that it is in agreement with the\nspirit of Christianity, of much more importance to give our assent to\ndoctrines upon grounds of reason and wisdom than on that of faith\nmerely, and that it was only in certain circumstances that the latter\ncourse was desired by Christianity, in order not to leave men altogether\nwithout help, is shown by that genuine disciple of Jesus, Paul, when he\nsays: \u201cFor after that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew\nnot God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them\nthat believe.\u201d[1156] Now by these words it is clearly shown that it is\nby the wisdom of God that God ought to be known. But as this result did\nnot follow, it pleased God a second time to save them that believe, not\nby \u201cfolly\u201d _universally_, but by such foolishness as depended on\npreaching. For the preaching of Jesus Christ as crucified is the\n\u201cfoolishness\u201d of preaching, as Paul also perceived, when he said, \u201cBut\nwe preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling-block, and to the\nGreeks foolishness; but to them who are called, both Jews and Greeks,\nChrist the power of God, and wisdom of God.\u201d[1157]\n\nFootnote 1154:\n\n 1 Cor. iii. 18, 19.\n\nFootnote 1155:\n\n \u03bc\u03b5\u03c4\u03b5\u03bd\u03c3\u03c9\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03ce\u03c3\u03b5\u03c9\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 1156:\n\n \u1f1c\u03c4\u03b9 \u03b4\u1f72 \u1f45\u03c4\u03b9 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u1f70 \u03c4\u1f78 \u03c4\u1ff7 \u03bb\u03cc\u03b3\u1ff3 \u1f00\u03c1\u03ad\u03c3\u03ba\u03bf\u03bd, \u03c0\u03bf\u03bb\u03bb\u1ff7 \u03b4\u03b9\u03b1\u03c6\u03ad\u03c1\u03b5\u03b9 \u03bc\u03b5\u03c4\u1f70 \u03bb\u03cc\u03b3\u03bf\u03c5 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76\n \u03c3\u03bf\u03c6\u03af\u03b1\u03c2 \u03c3\u03c5\u03b3\u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1\u03c4\u03af\u03b8\u03b5\u03c3\u03b8\u03b1\u03b9 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fd6\u03c2 \u03b4\u03cc\u03b3\u03bc\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03bd, \u1f24\u03c0\u03b5\u03c1 \u03bc\u03b5\u03c4\u1f70 \u03c8\u03b9\u03bb\u1fc6\u03c2 \u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u03c0\u03af\u03c3\u03c4\u03b5\u03c9\u03c2\u00b7 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76\n \u1f45\u03c4\u03b9 \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u1f70 \u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u03af\u03c3\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03bd \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6\u03c4\u2019 \u1f10\u03b2\u03bf\u03c5\u03bb\u03ae\u03b8\u03b7 \u1f41 \u03bb\u03cc\u03b3\u03bf\u03c2, \u1f35\u03bd\u03b1 \u03bc\u1f74 \u03c0\u03ac\u03bd\u03c4\u03b7 \u1f00\u03bd\u03c9\u03c6\u03b5\u03bb\u03b5\u1fd6\u03c2\n \u1f10\u03ac\u03c3\u1fc3 \u03c4\u03bf\u1f7a\u03c2 \u1f00\u03bd\u03b8\u03c1\u03ce\u03c0\u03bf\u03c5\u03c2\u00b7 \u03b4\u03b7\u03bb\u03bf\u1fd6 \u1f41 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u1f38\u03b7\u03c3\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03b3\u03bd\u03ae\u03c3\u03b9\u03bf\u03c2 \u03bc\u03b1\u03b8\u03b7\u03c4\u1f74\u03c2, etc.\n\nFootnote 1157:\n\n 1 Cor. i. 23, 24.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XIV.\n\n\nCelsus, being of opinion that there is to be found among many nations a\ngeneral relationship of doctrine, enumerates all the nations which gave\nrise to such and such opinions; but for some reason, unknown to me, he\ncasts a slight upon the Jews, not including them amongst the others, as\nhaving either laboured along with them, and arrived at the same\nconclusions, or as having entertained similar opinions on many subjects.\nIt is proper, therefore, to ask him why he gives credence to the\nhistories of barbarians and Greeks respecting the antiquity of those\nnations of whom he speaks, but stamps the histories of this nation alone\nas false. For if the respective writers related the events which are\nfound in these works in the spirit of truth, why should we distrust the\nprophets of the Jews alone? And if Moses and the prophets have recorded\nmany things in their history from a desire to favour their own system,\nwhy should we not say the same of the historians of other countries? Or,\nwhen the Egyptians or their histories speak evil of the Jews, are they\nto be believed on that point; but the Jews, when saying the same things\nof the Egyptians, and declaring that they had suffered great injustice\nat their hands, and that on this account they had been persecuted by\nGod, are to be charged with falsehood? And this applies not to the\nEgyptians alone, but to others; for we shall find that there was a\nconnection between the Assyrians and the Jews, and that this is recorded\nin the ancient histories of the Assyrians. And so also the Jewish\nhistorians (I avoid using the word \u201cprophets,\u201d that I may not appear to\nprejudge the case) have related that the Assyrians were enemies of the\nJews. Observe at once, then, the arbitrary procedure of this individual,\nwho believes the histories of these nations on the ground of their being\nlearned, and condemns others as being wholly ignorant. For listen to the\nstatement of Celsus: \u201cThere is,\u201d he says, \u201can authoritative account from\nthe very beginning, respecting which there is a constant agreement among\nall the most learned nations, and cities, and men.\u201d And yet will not\ncall the Jews a learned nation in the same way in which he does the\nEgyptians, and Assyrians, and Indians, and Persians, and Odrysians, and\nSamothracians, and Eleusinians.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XV.\n\n\nHow much more impartial than Celsus is Numenius the Pythagorean, who has\ngiven many proofs of being a very eloquent man, and who has carefully\ntested many opinions, and collected together from many sources what had\nthe appearance of truth; for, in the first book of his treatise _On the\nGood_, speaking of those nations who have adopted the opinion that God\nis incorporeal, he enumerates the Jews also among those who hold this\nview; not showing any reluctance to use even the language of their\nprophets in his treatise, and to give it a metaphorical signification.\nIt is said, moreover, that Hermippus has recorded in his first book, _On\nLawgivers_, that it was from the Jewish people that Pythagoras derived\nthe philosophy which he introduced among the Greeks. And there is extant\na work by the historian Hecat\u00e6us, treating of the Jews, in which so high\na character is bestowed upon that nation for its learning, that\nHerennius Philo, in his treatise on the Jews, has doubts, in the first\nplace, whether it is really the composition of the historian; and says,\nin the second place, that if really his, it is probable that he was\ncarried away by the plausible nature of the Jewish history, and so\nyielded his assent to their system.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XVI.\n\n\nI must express my surprise that Celsus should class the Odrysians, and\nSamothracians, and Eleusinians, and Hyperboreans among the most ancient\nand learned nations, and should not deem the Jews worthy of a place\namong such, either for their learning or their antiquity, although there\nare many treatises in circulation among the Egyptians, and Ph\u0153nicians,\nand Greeks, which testify to their existence as an ancient people, but\nwhich I have considered it unnecessary to quote. For any one who chooses\nmay read what Flavius Josephus has recorded in his two books, _On the\nAntiquity of the Jews_, where he brings together a great collection of\nwriters, who bear witness to the antiquity of the Jewish people; and\nthere exists the _Discourse to the Greeks_ of Tatian the younger, in\nwhich with very great learning he enumerates those historians who have\ntreated of the antiquity of the Jewish nation and of Moses. It seems,\nthen, to be not from a love of truth, but from a spirit of hatred, that\nCelsus makes these statements, his object being to asperse the origin of\nChristianity, which is connected with Judaism. Nay, he styles the\nGalactophagi of Homer, and the Druids of the Gauls, and the Get\u00e6, most\nlearned and ancient tribes, on account of the resemblance between their\ntraditions and those of the Jews, although I know not whether any of\ntheir histories survive; but the Hebrews alone, as far as in him lies,\nhe deprives of the honour both of antiquity and learning. And again,\nwhen making a list of ancient and learned men who have conferred\nbenefits upon their contemporaries [by their deeds], and upon posterity\nby their writings, he excluded Moses from the number; while of Linus, to\nwhom Celsus assigns a foremost place in his list, there exist neither\nlaws nor discourses which produced a change for the better among any\ntribes; whereas a whole nation, dispersed throughout the entire world,\nobey the laws of Moses. Consider, then, whether it is not from open\nmalevolence that he has expelled Moses from his catalogue of learned\nmen, while asserting that Linus, and Mus\u00e6us, and Orpheus, and\nPherecydes, and the Persian Zoroaster, and Pythagoras, discussed these\ntopics, and that their opinions were deposited in books, and have thus\nbeen preserved down to the present time. And it is intentionally also\nthat he has omitted to take notice of the myth, embellished chiefly by\nOrpheus, in which the gods are described as affected by human weaknesses\nand passions.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XVII.\n\n\nIn what follows, Celsus, assailing the Mosaic history, finds fault with\nthose who give it a tropical and allegorical signification. And here one\nmight say to this great man, who inscribed upon his own work the title\nof a _True Discourse_, \u201cWhy, good sir, do you make it a boast to have it\nrecorded that the gods should engage in such adventures as are described\nby your learned poets and philosophers, and be guilty of abominable\nintrigues, and of engaging in wars against their own fathers, and of\ncutting off their secret parts, and should dare to commit and to suffer\nsuch enormities; while Moses, who gives no such accounts respecting God,\nnor even regarding the holy angels, and who relates deeds of far less\natrocity regarding men (for in his writings no one ever ventured to\ncommit such crimes as Kronos did against Uranus, or Zeus against his\nfather, or that of the father of men and gods, who had intercourse with\nhis own daughter), should be considered as having deceived those who\nwere placed under his laws, and to have led them into error?\u201d And here\nCelsus seems to me to act somewhat as Thrasymachus the Platonic\nphilosopher did, when he would not allow Socrates to answer regarding\njustice, as he wished, but said, \u201cTake care not to say that utility is\njustice, or duty, or anything of that kind.\u201d For in like manner Celsus\nassails (as he thinks) the Mosaic histories, and finds fault with those\nwho understand them allegorically, at the same time bestowing also some\npraise upon those who do so, to the effect that they are more impartial\n[than those who do not]; and thus, as it were, he prevents by his cavils\nthose who are able to show the true state of the case from offering such\na defence as they would wish to offer.[1158]\n\nFootnote 1158:\n\n \u039f\u1f31\u03bf\u03bd\u03b5\u1f76 \u03ba\u03c9\u03bb\u03cd\u03b5\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9 \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03b7\u03b3\u03bf\u03c1\u03ae\u03c3\u03b1\u03c2, \u1f61\u03c2 \u03b2\u03bf\u03cd\u03bb\u03b5\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9, \u1f00\u03c0\u03bf\u03bb\u03bf\u03b3\u03b5\u1fd6\u03c3\u03b8\u03b1\u03b9 \u03c4\u03bf\u1f7a\u03c2 \u03b4\u03c5\u03bd\u03b1\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03bf\u03c5\u03c2\n \u1f61\u03c2 \u03c0\u03ad\u03c6\u03c5\u03ba\u03b5\u03bd \u1f14\u03c7\u03b5\u03b9\u03bd \u03c4\u1f70 \u03c0\u03c1\u03ac\u03b3\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1. We have taken \u03ba\u03c9\u03bb\u03cd\u03b5\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9 as middle. Some\n propose \u03ba\u03c9\u03bb\u03cd\u03b5\u03b9. And we have read \u03b2\u03bf\u03cd\u03bb\u03bf\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9, a lection which is given\n by a second hand in one MS.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XVIII.\n\n\nAnd challenging a comparison of book with book, I would say, \u201cCome now,\ngood sir, take down the poems of Linus, and of Mus\u00e6us, and of Orpheus,\nand the writings of Pherecydes, and carefully compare these with the\nlaws of Moses\u2014histories with histories, and ethical discourses with laws\nand commandments\u2014and see which of the two are the better fitted to\nchange the character of the hearer on the very spot, and which to\nharden[1159] him in his wickedness; and observe that your series of\nwriters display little concern for those readers who are to peruse them\nat once unaided,[1160] but have composed their philosophy (as you term\nit) for those who are able to comprehend its metaphorical and\nallegorical signification; whereas Moses, like a distinguished orator\nwho meditates some figure of Rhetoric, and who carefully introduces in\nevery part language of twofold meaning, has done this in his five books:\nneither affording, in the portion which relates to morals, any handle to\nhis Jewish subjects for committing evil; nor yet giving to the few\nindividuals who were endowed with greater wisdom, and who were capable\nof investigating his meaning, a treatise devoid of material for\nspeculation. But of your learned poets the very writings would seem no\nlonger to be preserved, although they would have been carefully\ntreasured up if the readers had perceived any benefit [likely to be\nderived from them]; whereas the works of Moses have stirred up many, who\nwere even aliens to the manners of the Jews, to the belief that, as\nthese writings testify, the first who enacted these laws and delivered\nthem to Moses, was the God who was the Creator of the world. For it\nbecame the Creator of the universe, after laying down laws for its\ngovernment, to confer upon His words a power which might subdue all men\nin every part of the earth. And this I maintain, having as yet entered\ninto no investigation regarding Jesus, but still demonstrating that\nMoses, who is far inferior to the Lord, is, as the _Discourse_ will\nshow, greatly superior to your wise poets and philosophers.\u201d\n\nFootnote 1159:\n\n \u1f18\u03c0\u03b9\u03c4\u03c1\u03af\u03c8\u03b1\u03b9. Other readings are \u1f10\u03c0\u03b9\u03c3\u03c4\u03c1\u03ad\u03c8\u03b1\u03b9 and \u1f00\u03c0\u03bf\u03c3\u03c4\u03c1\u03ad\u03c8\u03b1\u03b9, which convey\n the opposite meaning.\n\nFootnote 1160:\n\n \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u03cc\u03b8\u03b5\u03bd.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XIX.\n\n\nAfter these statements, Celsus, from a secret desire to cast discredit\nupon the Mosaic account of the creation, which teaches that the world is\nnot yet ten thousand years old, but very much under that, while\nconcealing his wish, intimates his agreement with those who hold that\nthe world is uncreated. For, maintaining that there have been, from all\neternity, many conflagrations and many deluges, and that the flood which\nlately took place in the time of Deucalion is comparatively modern, he\nclearly demonstrates to those who are able to understand him, that, in\nhis opinion, the world was uncreated. But let this assailant of the\nChristian faith tell us by what arguments he was compelled to accept the\nstatement that there have been many conflagrations and many cataclysms,\nand that the flood which occurred in the time of Deucalion, and the\nconflagration in that of Ph\u00e6thon, were more recent than any others. And\nif he should put forward the dialogues of Plato [as evidence] on these\nsubjects, we shall say to him that it is allowable for us also to\nbelieve that there resided in the pure and pious soul of Moses, who\nascended above all created things, and united himself to the Creator of\nthe universe, and who made known divine things with far greater\nclearness than Plato, or those other wise men [who lived] among the\nGreeks and Romans, a spirit which was divine. And if he demand of us our\nreasons for such a belief, let him first give grounds for his own\nunsupported assertions, and then we shall show that this view of ours is\nthe correct one.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XX.\n\n\nAnd yet, against his will, Celsus is entangled into testifying that the\nworld is comparatively modern, and not yet ten thousand years old, when\nhe says that the Greeks consider those things as ancient, because, owing\nto the deluges and conflagrations, they have not beheld or received any\nmemorials of older events. But let Celsus have, as his authorities for\nthe myth regarding the conflagrations and inundations, those persons\nwho, in his opinion, are the most learned of the Egyptians, traces of\nwhose wisdom are to be found in the worship of irrational animals, and\nin arguments which prove that such a worship of God is in conformity\nwith reason, and of a secret and mysterious character. The Egyptians,\nthen, when they boastfully give their own account of the divinity of\nanimals, are to be considered wise; but if any Jew, who has signified\nhis adherence to the law and the lawgiver, refer everything to the\nCreator of the universe, and the only God, he is, in the opinion of\nCelsus and those like him, deemed inferior to him who degrades the\nDivinity not only to the level of rational and mortal animals, but even\nto that of irrational also!\u2014a view which goes far beyond the mythical\ndoctrine of transmigration, according to which the soul falls down from\nthe summit of heaven, and enters into the body of brute beasts, both\ntame and savage! And if the Egyptians related fables of this kind, they\nare believed to convey a philosophical meaning by their enigmas and\nmysteries; but if Moses compose and leave behind him histories and laws\nfor an entire nation, they are to be considered as empty fables, the\nlanguage of which admits of no allegorical meaning!\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XXI.\n\n\nThe following is the view of Celsus and the Epicureans: \u201cMoses having,\u201d\nhe says, \u201clearned the doctrine which is to be found existing among wise\nnations and eloquent men, obtained the reputation of divinity.\u201d Now, in\nanswer to this we have to say, that it may be allowed him that Moses did\nindeed hear a somewhat ancient doctrine, and transmitted the same to the\nHebrews; that if the doctrine which he heard was false, and neither\npious nor venerable, and if notwithstanding, he received it and handed\nit down to those under his authority, he is liable to censure; but if,\nas you assert, he gave his adherence to opinions that were wise and\ntrue, and educated his people by means of them, what, pray, has he done\ndeserving of condemnation? Would, indeed, that not only Epicurus, but\nAristotle, whose sentiments regarding providence are not so impious [as\nthose of the former], and the Stoics, who assert that God is a body, had\nheard such a doctrine! Then the world would not have been filled with\nopinions which either disallow or enfeeble the action of providence, or\nintroduce a corrupt corporeal principle, according to which the god of\nthe Stoics is a body, with respect to whom they are not afraid to say\nthat he is capable of change, and may be altered and transformed in all\nhis parts, and, generally, that he is capable of corruption, if there be\nany one to corrupt him, but that he has the good fortune to escape\ncorruption, because there is none to corrupt. Whereas the doctrine of\nthe Jews and Christians, which preserves the immutability and\nunalterableness of the divine nature, is stigmatized as impious, because\nit does not partake of the profanity of those whose notions of God are\nmarked by impiety, but because it says in the supplication addressed to\nthe Divinity, \u201cThou art the same,\u201d[1161] it being, moreover, an article\nof faith that God has said, \u201cI change not.\u201d[1162]\n\nFootnote 1161:\n\n Ps. cii. 27.\n\nFootnote 1162:\n\n Mal. iii. 6.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XXII.\n\n\nAfter this, Celsus, without condemning circumcision as practised by the\nJews, asserts that this usage was derived from the Egyptians; thus\nbelieving the Egyptians rather than Moses, who says that Abraham was the\nfirst among men who practised the rite. And it is not Moses alone who\nmentions the name of Abraham, assigning to him great intimacy with God;\nbut many also of those who give themselves to the practice of the\nconjuration of evil spirits, employ in their spells the expression \u201cGod\nof Abraham,\u201d pointing out by the very name the friendship [that existed]\nbetween that just man and God. And yet, while making use of the phrase\n\u201cGod of Abraham,\u201d they do not know who Abraham is! And the same remark\napplies to Isaac, and Jacob, and Israel; which names, although\nconfessedly Hebrew, are frequently introduced by those Egyptians who\nprofess to produce some wonderful result by means of their knowledge.\nThe rite of circumcision, however, which began with Abraham, and was\ndiscontinued by Jesus, who desired that His disciples should not\npractise it, is not before us for explanation; for the present occasion\ndoes not lead us to speak of such things, but to make an effort to\nrefute the charges brought against the doctrine of the Jews by Celsus,\nwho thinks that he will be able the more easily to establish the falsity\nof Christianity, if, by assailing its origin in Judaism, he can show\nthat the latter also is untrue.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XXIII.\n\n\nAfter this, Celsus next asserts that \u201cThose herdsmen and shepherds who\nfollowed Moses as their leader, had their minds deluded by vulgar\ndeceits, and so supposed that there was one God.\u201d Let him show, then,\nhow, after this irrational departure, as he regards it, of the herdsmen\nand shepherds from the worship of many gods, he himself is able to\nestablish the multiplicity of deities that are found amongst the Greeks,\nor among those other nations that are called Barbarian. Let him\nestablish, therefore, the existence of Mnemosyne, the mother of the\nMuses by Zeus; or of Themis, the parent of the Hours; or let him prove\nthat the ever naked Graces can have a real, substantial existence. But\nhe will not be able to show, from any actions of theirs, that these\nfictitious representations[1163] of the Greeks, which have the\nappearance of being invested with bodies, are [really] gods. And why\nshould the fables of the Greeks regarding the gods be true, any more\nthan those of the Egyptians for example, who in their language know\nnothing of a Mnemosyne, mother of the nine Muses; nor of a Themis,\nparent of the Hours; nor of a Euphrosyne, one of the Graces; nor of any\nother of these names? How much more manifest (and how much better than\nall these inventions!) is it that, convinced by what we see, in the\nadmirable order of the world, we should worship the Maker of it as the\none Author of one effect, and which, as being wholly in harmony with\nitself, cannot on that account have been the work of many makers; and\nthat we should believe that the whole heaven is not held together by the\nmovements of many souls, for one is enough, which bears the whole of the\nnon-wandering[1164] sphere from east to west, and embraces within it all\nthings which the world requires, and which are not self-existing! For\nall are parts of the world, while God is no part of the whole. But God\ncannot be imperfect, as a part is imperfect. And perhaps profounder\nconsideration will show, that as God is not a part, so neither is He\nproperly the whole, since the whole is composed of parts; and reason\nwill not allow us to believe that the God who is over all is composed of\nparts, each one of which cannot do what all the other parts can.\n\nFootnote 1163:\n\n \u1f00\u03bd\u03b1\u03c0\u03bb\u03ac\u03c3\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1.\n\nFootnote 1164:\n\n \u03c4\u1f74\u03bd \u1f00\u03c0\u03bb\u03b1\u03bd\u1fc6.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XXIV.\n\n\nAfter this he continues: \u201cThese herdsmen and shepherds concluded that\nthere was but one God, named either the Highest, or Adonai, or the\nHeavenly, or Sabaoth, or called by some other of those names which they\ndelight to give this world; and they knew nothing beyond that.\u201d And in a\nsubsequent part of his work he says, that \u201cIt makes no difference\nwhether the God who is over all things be called by the name of Zeus,\nwhich is current among the Greeks, or by that, _e.g._, which is in use\namong the Indians or Egyptians.\u201d Now, in answer to this, we have to\nremark that this involves a deep and mysterious subject\u2014that, viz.,\nrespecting the nature of names: it being a question whether, as\nAristotle thinks, names were bestowed by arrangement, or, as the Stoics\nhold, by nature; the first words being imitations of things, agreeably\nto which the names were formed, and in conformity with which they\nintroduce certain principles of etymology; or whether, as Epicurus\nteaches (differing in this from the Stoics), names were given by\nnature,\u2014the first men having uttered certain words varying with the\ncircumstances in which they found themselves. If, then, we shall be able\nto establish, in reference to the preceding statement, the nature of\npowerful names, some of which are used by the learned amongst the\nEgyptians, or by the Magi among the Persians, and by the Indian\nphilosophers called Brahmans, or by the Saman\u00e6ans, and others in\ndifferent countries; and shall be able to make out that the so-called\nmagic is not, as the followers of Epicurus and Aristotle suppose, an\naltogether uncertain thing, but is, as those skilled in it prove, a\nconsistent system, having words which are known to exceedingly few; then\nwe say that the name Sabaoth, and Adonai, and the other names treated\nwith so much reverence among the Hebrews, are not applicable to any\nordinary created things, but belong to a secret theology which refers to\nthe Framer of all things. These names, accordingly, when pronounced with\nthat attendant train of circumstances which is appropriate to their\nnature, are possessed of great power; and other names, again, current in\nthe Egyptian tongue, are efficacious against certain demons who can only\ndo certain things; and other names in the Persian language have\ncorresponding power over other spirits; and so on in every individual\nnation, for different purposes. And thus it will be found that, of the\nvarious demons upon the earth, to whom different localities have been\nassigned, each one bears a name appropriate to the several dialects of\nplace and country. He, therefore, who has a nobler idea, however small,\nof these matters, will be careful not to apply differing names to\ndifferent things; lest he should resemble those who mistakenly apply the\nname of God to lifeless matter, or who drag down the title of \u201cthe Good\u201d\nfrom the First Cause, or from virtue and excellence, and apply it to\nblind Plutus, and to a healthy and well-proportioned mixture of flesh\nand blood and bones, or to what is considered to be noble birth.[1165]\n\nFootnote 1165:\n\n \u1f18\u03c0\u1f76 \u03c4\u1f78\u03bd \u03c4\u03c5\u03c6\u03bb\u1f78\u03bd \u03c0\u03bb\u03bf\u1fe6\u03c4\u03bf\u03bd, \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u1f10\u03c0\u1f76 \u03c4\u1f74\u03bd \u03c3\u03b1\u03c1\u03ba\u1ff6\u03bd \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03b1\u1f31\u03bc\u03ac\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u1f40\u03c3\u03c4\u03ad\u03c9\u03bd\n \u03c3\u03c5\u03bc\u03bc\u03b5\u03c4\u03c1\u03af\u03b1\u03bd \u1f10\u03bd \u1f51\u03b3\u03b5\u03af\u1fb3 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03b5\u1f50\u03b5\u03be\u03af\u1fb3, \u1f24 \u03c4\u1f74\u03bd \u03bd\u03bf\u03bc\u03b9\u03b6\u03bf\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03b7\u03bd \u03b5\u1f50\u03b3\u03ad\u03bd\u03b5\u03b9\u03b1\u03bd.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XXV.\n\n\nAnd perhaps there is a danger as great as that which degrades the name\nof \u201cGod,\u201d or of \u201cthe Good,\u201d to improper objects, in changing the name of\nGod according to a secret system, and applying those which belong to\ninferior beings to greater, and _vice versa_. And I do not dwell on\nthis, that when the name of Zeus is uttered, there is heard at the same\ntime that of the son of Kronos and Rhea, and the husband of Hera, and\nbrother of Poseidon, and father of Athene, and Artemis, who was guilty\nof incest with his own daughter Persephone; or that Apollo immediately\nsuggests the son of Leto and Zeus, and the brother of Artemis, and\nhalf-brother of Hermes; and so with all the other names invented by\nthese wise men of Celsus, who are the parents of these opinions, and the\nancient theologians of the Greeks. For what are the grounds for deciding\nthat he should on the one hand be properly called Zeus, and yet on the\nother should not have Kronos for his father and Rhea for his mother? And\nthe same argument applies to all the others that are called gods. But\nthis charge does not at all apply to those who, for some mysterious\nreason, refer the word Sabaoth, or Adonai, or any of the other names to\nthe [true] God. And when one is able to philosophize about the mystery\nof names, he will find much to say respecting the titles of the angels\nof God, of whom one is called Michael, and another Gabriel, and another\nRaphael, appropriately to the duties which they discharge in the world,\naccording to the will of the God of all things. And a similar philosophy\nof names applies also to our Jesus, whose name has already been seen, in\nan unmistakeable manner, to have expelled myriads of evil spirits from\nthe souls and bodies [of men], so great was the power which it exerted\nupon those from whom the spirits were driven out. And while still upon\nthe subject of names, we have to mention that those who are skilled in\nthe use of incantations, relate that the utterance of the same\nincantation in its proper language can accomplish what the spell\nprofesses to do; but when translated into any other tongue, it is\nobserved to become inefficacious and feeble. And thus it is not the\nthings signified, but the qualities and peculiarities of words, which\npossess a certain power for this or that purpose. And so on such grounds\nas these we defend the conduct of the Christians, when they struggle\neven to death to avoid calling God by the name of Zeus, or to give Him a\nname from any other language. For they either use the common\nname\u2014God\u2014indefinitely, or with some such addition as that of the \u201cMaker\nof all things,\u201d \u201cthe Creator of heaven and earth\u201d\u2014He who sent down to\nthe human race those good men, to whose names that of God being added,\ncertain mighty works are wrought among men. And much more besides might\nbe said on the subject of names, against those who think that we ought\nto be indifferent as to our use of them. And if the remark of Plato in\nthe _Philebus_ should surprise us, when he says, \u201cMy fear, O Protagoras,\nabout the names of the gods is no small one,\u201d seeing Philebus in his\ndiscussion with Socrates had called pleasure a \u201cgod,\u201d how shall we not\nrather approve the piety of the Christians, who apply none of the names\nused in the mythologies to the Creator of the world? And now enough on\nthis subject for the present.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XXVI.\n\n\nBut let us see the manner in which this Celsus, who professes to know\neverything, brings a false accusation against the Jews, when he alleges\nthat \u201cthey worship angels, and are addicted to sorcery, in which Moses\nwas their instructor.\u201d Now, in what part of the writings of Moses he\nfound the lawgiver laying down the worship of angels, let him tell, who\nprofesses to know all about Christianity and Judaism; and let him show\nalso how sorcery can exist among those who have accepted the Mosaic law,\nand read the injunction, \u201cNeither seek after wizards, to be defiled by\nthem.\u201d[1166] Moreover, he promises to show afterwards \u201chow it was\nthrough ignorance that the Jews were deceived and led into error.\u201d Now,\nif he had discovered that the ignorance of the Jews regarding Christ was\nthe effect of their not having heard the prophecies about Him, he would\nshow with truth how the Jews fell into error. But without any wish\nwhatever that this should appear, he views as Jewish errors what are no\nerrors at all. And Celsus having promised to make us acquainted, in a\nsubsequent part of his work, with the doctrines of Judaism, proceeds in\nthe first place to speak of our Saviour as having been the leader of our\ngeneration, in so far as we are Christians,[1167] and says that \u201ca few\nyears ago he began to teach this doctrine, being regarded by Christians\nas the Son of God.\u201d Now, with respect to this point\u2014His prior existence\na few years ago\u2014we have to remark as follows. Could it have come to pass\nwithout divine assistance, that Jesus, desiring during these years to\nspread abroad His words and teaching, should have been so successful,\nthat everywhere throughout the world, not a few persons, Greeks as well\nas Barbarians, learned as well as ignorant, adopted His doctrine, so\nthat they struggled even to death in its defence, rather than deny it,\nwhich no one is ever related to have done for any other system? I\nindeed, from no wish to flatter[1168] Christianity, but from a desire\nthoroughly to examine the facts, would say that even those who are\nengaged in the healing of numbers of sick persons, do not attain their\nobject\u2014the cure of the body\u2014without divine help; and if one were to\nsucceed in delivering souls from a flood of wickedness, and excesses,\nand acts of injustice, and from a contempt of God, and were to show, as\nevidence of such a result, one hundred persons improved in their natures\n(let us suppose the number to be so large), no one would reasonably say\nthat it was without divine assistance that he had implanted in those\nhundred individuals a doctrine capable of removing so many evils. And if\nany one, on a candid consideration of these things, shall admit that no\nimprovement ever takes place among men without divine help, how much\nmore confidently shall he make the same assertion regarding Jesus, when\nhe compares the former lives of many converts to His doctrine with their\nafter conduct, and reflects in what acts of licentiousness and injustice\nand covetousness they formerly indulged, until, as Celsus, and they who\nthink with him, allege, \u201cthey were deceived,\u201d and accepted a doctrine\nwhich, as these individuals assert, is destructive of the life of men;\nbut who, from the time that they adopted it, have become in some way\nmeeker, and more religious, and more consistent, so that certain among\nthem, from a desire of exceeding chastity, and a wish to worship God\nwith greater purity, abstain even from the permitted indulgences of\n[lawful] love.\n\nFootnote 1166:\n\n Lev. xix. 31.\n\nFootnote 1167:\n\n \u1f69\u03c2 \u03b3\u03b5\u03bd\u03bf\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03bf\u03c5 \u1f21\u03b3\u03b5\u03bc\u03cc\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2 \u03c4\u1fc7 \u03ba\u03b1\u03b8\u1f78 \u03a7\u03c1\u03b9\u03c3\u03c4\u03b9\u03b1\u03bd\u03bf\u03af \u1f10\u03c3\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd \u03b3\u03b5\u03bd\u03ad\u03c3\u03b5\u03b9 \u1f21\u03bc\u1ff6\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 1168:\n\n \u03bf\u1f50 \u03ba\u03bf\u03bb\u03b1\u03ba\u03b5\u03cd\u03c9\u03bd.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XXVII.\n\n\nAny one who examines the subject will see that Jesus attempted and\nsuccessfully accomplished works beyond the reach of human power. For\nalthough, from the very beginning, all things opposed the spread of His\ndoctrine in the world,\u2014both the princes of the times, and their chief\ncaptains and generals, and all, to speak generally, who were possessed\nof the smallest influence, and in addition to these, the rulers of the\ndifferent cities, and the soldiers, and the people,\u2014yet it proved\nvictorious, as being the Word of God, the nature of which is such that\nit cannot be hindered; and becoming more powerful than all such\nadversaries, it made itself master of the whole of Greece, and a\nconsiderable portion of barbarian lands, and converted countless numbers\nof souls to His religion. And although, among the multitude of converts\nto Christianity, the simple and ignorant necessarily outnumbered the\nmore intelligent, as the former class always does the latter, yet\nCelsus, unwilling to take note of this, thinks that this philanthropic\ndoctrine, which reaches to every soul under the sun, is vulgar,[1169]\nand on account of its vulgarity and its want of reasoning power,\nobtained a hold only over the ignorant. And yet he himself admits that\nit was not the simple alone who were led by the doctrine of Jesus to\nadopt His religion; for he acknowledges that there were amongst them\nsome persons of moderate intelligence, and gentle disposition, and\npossessed of understanding, and capable of comprehending allegories.\n\nFootnote 1169:\n\n \u1f30\u03b4\u03b9\u03c9\u03c4\u03b9\u03ba\u03ae\u03bd.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XXVIII.\n\n\nAnd since, in imitation of a rhetorician training a pupil, he introduces\na Jew, who enters into a personal discussion with Jesus, and speaks in a\nvery childish manner, altogether unworthy of the grey hairs of a\nphilosopher, let me endeavour, to the best of my ability, to examine his\nstatements, and show that he does not maintain, throughout the\ndiscussion, the consistency due to the character of a Jew. For he\nrepresents him disputing with Jesus, and confuting Him, as he thinks, on\nmany points; and in the first place, he accuses Him of having \u201cinvented\nhis birth from a virgin,\u201d and upbraids Him with being \u201cborn in a certain\nJewish village, of a poor woman of the country, who gained her\nsubsistence by spinning, and who was turned out of doors by her husband,\na carpenter by trade, because she was convicted of adultery; that after\nbeing driven away by her husband, and wandering about for a time, she\ndisgracefully gave birth to Jesus, an illegitimate child, who having\nhired himself out as a servant in Egypt on account of his poverty, and\nhaving there acquired some miraculous powers, on which the Egyptians\ngreatly pride themselves, returned to his own country, highly elated on\naccount of them, and by means of these proclaimed himself a God.\u201d Now,\nas I cannot allow anything said by unbelievers to remain unexamined, but\nmust investigate everything from the beginning, I give it as my opinion\nthat all these things worthily harmonize with the predictions that Jesus\nis the Son of God.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XXIX.\n\n\nFor birth is an aid towards an individual\u2019s becoming famous, and\ndistinguished, and talked about; viz., when a man\u2019s parents happen to be\nin a position of rank and influence, and are possessed of wealth, and\nare able to spend it upon the education of their son, and when the\ncountry of one\u2019s birth is great and illustrious; but when a man having\nall these things against him is able, notwithstanding these hindrances,\nto make himself known, and to produce an impression on those who hear of\nhim, and to become distinguished and visible to the whole world, which\nspeaks of him as it did not do before, how can we help admiring such a\nnature as being both noble in itself, and devoting itself to great\ndeeds, and possessing a courage which is not by any means to be\ndespised? And if one were to examine more fully the history of such an\nindividual, why should he not seek to know in what manner, after being\nreared up in frugality and poverty, and without receiving any complete\neducation, and without having studied systems and opinions by means of\nwhich he might have acquired confidence to associate with multitudes,\nand play the demagogue, and attract to himself many hearers, he\nnevertheless devoted himself to the teaching of new opinions,\nintroducing among men a doctrine which not only subverted the customs of\nthe Jews, while preserving due respect for their prophets, but which\nespecially overturned the established observances of the Greeks\nregarding the Divinity? And how could such a person\u2014one who had been so\nbrought up, and who, as his calumniators admit, had learned nothing\ngreat from men\u2014have been able to teach, in a manner not at all to be\ndespised, such doctrines as he did regarding the divine judgment, and\nthe punishments that are to overtake wickedness, and the rewards that\nare to be conferred upon virtue; so that not only rustic and ignorant\nindividuals were won by his words, but also not a few of those who were\ndistinguished by their wisdom, and who were able to discern the hidden\nmeaning in those more common doctrines, as they were considered, which\nwere in circulation, and which secret meaning enwrapped, so to speak,\nsome more recondite signification still? The Seriphian, in Plato, who\nreproaches Themistocles after he had become celebrated for his military\nskill, saying that his reputation was due not to his own merits, but to\nhis good fortune in having been born in the most illustrious country in\nGreece, received from the good-natured Athenian, who saw that his native\ncountry did contribute to his renown, the following reply: \u201cNeither\nwould I, had I been a Seriphian, have been so distinguished as I am, nor\nwould you have been a Themistocles, even if you had had the good fortune\nto be an Athenian!\u201d And now, our Jesus, who is reproached with being\nborn in a village, and that not a Greek one, nor belonging to any nation\nwidely esteemed, and being despised as the son of a poor labouring\nwoman, and as having on account of his poverty left his native country\nand hired himself out in Egypt, and being, to use the instance already\nquoted, not only a Seriphian, as it were, a native of a very small and\nundistinguished island, but even, so to speak, the meanest of the\nSeriphians, has yet been able to shake[1170] the whole inhabited world\nnot only to a degree far above what Themistocles the Athenian ever did,\nbut beyond what even Pythagoras or Plato, or any other wise man in any\npart of the world whatever, or any prince or general, ever succeeded in\ndoing.\n\nFootnote 1170:\n\n \u03c3\u03b5\u1fd6\u03c3\u03b1\u03b9.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XXX.\n\n\nNow, would not any one who investigated with ordinary care the nature of\nthese facts, be struck with amazement at this man\u2019s victory?\u2014with his\ncomplete success in surmounting by his reputation all causes that tended\nto bring him into disrepute, and with his superiority over all other\nillustrious individuals in the world? And yet it is a rare thing for\ndistinguished men to succeed in acquiring a reputation for several\nthings at once. For one man is admired on account of his wisdom, another\nfor his military skill, and some of the barbarians for their marvellous\npowers of incantation, and some for one quality, and others for another;\nbut not many have been admired and acquired a reputation for many things\nat the same time; whereas this man, in addition to his other merits, is\nan object of admiration both for his wisdom, and for his miracles, and\nfor his power of government. For he persuaded some to withdraw\nthemselves from their laws, and to secede to him, not as a tyrant would\ndo, nor as a robber, who arms[1171] his followers against men; nor as a\nrich man, who bestows help upon those who come to him; nor as one of\nthose who confessedly are deserving of censure; but as a teacher of the\ndoctrine regarding the God of all things, and of the worship which\nbelongs to Him, and of all moral precepts which are able to secure the\nfavour of the Supreme God to him who orders his life in conformity\ntherewith. Now, to Themistocles, or to any other man of distinction,\nnothing happened to prove a hindrance to their reputation; whereas to\nthis man, besides what we have already enumerated, and which are enough\nto cover with dishonour the soul of a man even of the most noble nature,\nthere was that apparently infamous death of crucifixion, which was\nenough to efface his previously acquired glory, and to lead those who,\nas they who disavow his doctrine assert, were formerly deluded by him to\nabandon their delusion, and to pass condemnation upon their deceiver.\n\nFootnote 1171:\n\n Gelenius reads \u1f41\u03c0\u03bb\u03af\u03b6\u03c9\u03bd (instead of \u1f00\u03bb\u03b5\u03af\u03c6\u03c9\u03bd), which has been adopted in\n the translation.\n\n\n Chapter XXXI.\n\n\nAnd besides this, one may well wonder how it happened that the\ndisciples\u2014if, as the calumniators of Jesus say, they did not see him\nafter his resurrection from the dead, and were not persuaded of his\ndivinity\u2014were not afraid to endure the same sufferings with their\nmaster, and to expose themselves to danger, and to leave their native\ncountry to teach, according to the desire of Jesus, the doctrine\ndelivered to them by him. For I think that no one who candidly examines\nthe facts would say that these men devoted themselves to a life of\ndanger for the sake of the doctrine of Jesus, without a profound belief\nwhich he had wrought in their minds of its truth, not only teaching them\nto conform to his precepts, but others also, and to conform, moreover,\nwhen manifest destruction to life impended over him who ventured to\nintroduce these new opinions into all places and before all audiences,\nand who could retain as his friend no human being who adhered to the\nformer opinions and usages. For did not the disciples of Jesus see, when\nthey ventured to prove not only to the Jews from their prophetic\nScriptures that this is he who was spoken of by the prophets, but also\nto the other heathen nations, that he who was crucified yesterday or the\nday before underwent this death voluntarily on behalf of the human\nrace,\u2014that this was analogous to the case of those who have died for\ntheir country in order to remove pestilence, or barrenness, or tempests?\nFor it is probable that there is in the nature of things, for certain\nmysterious reasons which are difficult to be understood by the\nmultitude, such a virtue that one just man, dying a voluntary death for\nthe common good, might be the means of removing wicked spirits, which\nare the cause of plagues, or barrenness, or tempests, or similar\ncalamities. Let those, therefore, who would disbelieve the statement\nthat Jesus died on the cross on behalf of men, say whether they also\nrefuse to accept the many accounts current both among Greeks and\nBarbarians, of persons who have laid down their lives for the public\nadvantage, in order to remove those evils which had fallen upon cities\nand countries? Or will they say that such events actually happened, but\nthat no credit is to be attached to that account which makes this\nso-called man to have died to ensure the destruction of a mighty evil\nspirit, the ruler of evil spirits, who had held in subjection the souls\nof all men upon earth? And the disciples of Jesus, seeing this and much\nmore (which, it is probable, they learned from Jesus in private), and\nbeing filled, moreover, with a divine power (since it was no mere\npoetical virgin that endowed them with strength and courage, but the\ntrue wisdom and understanding of God), exerted all their efforts \u201cto\nbecome distinguished among all men,\u201d not only among the Argives, but\namong all the Greeks and Barbarians alike, and \u201cso bear away for\nthemselves a glorious renown.\u201d[1172]\n\nFootnote 1172:\n\n Cf. Homer\u2019s _Iliad_, book v. 2, 3.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XXXII.\n\n\nBut let us now return to where the Jew is introduced, speaking of the\nmother of Jesus, and saying that \u201cwhen she was pregnant she was turned\nout of doors by the carpenter to whom she had been betrothed, as having\nbeen guilty of adultery, and that she bore a child to a certain soldier\nnamed Panthera;\u201d and let us see whether those who have blindly concocted\nthese fables about the adultery of the virgin with Panthera, and her\nrejection by the carpenter, did not invent these stories to overturn His\nmiraculous conception by the Holy Ghost: for they could have falsified\nthe history in a different manner, on account of its extremely\nmiraculous character, and not have admitted, as it were against their\nwill, that Jesus was born of no ordinary human marriage. It was to be\nexpected, indeed, that those who would not believe the miraculous birth\nof Jesus would invent some falsehood. And their not doing this in a\ncredible manner, but [their] preserving the fact that it was not by\nJoseph that the Virgin conceived Jesus, rendered the falsehood very\npalpable to those who can understand and detect such inventions. Is it\nat all agreeable to reason, that he who dared to do so much for the\nhuman race, in order that, as far as in him lay, all the Greeks and\nBarbarians, who were looking for divine condemnation, might depart from\nevil, and regulate their entire conduct in a manner pleasing to the\nCreator of the world, should not have had a miraculous birth, but one\nthe vilest and most disgraceful of all? And I will ask of them as\nGreeks, and particularly of Celsus, who either holds or not the\nsentiments of Plato, and at any rate quotes them, whether He who sends\nsouls down into the bodies of men, degraded Him who was to dare such\nmighty acts, and to teach so many men, and to reform so many from the\nmass of wickedness in the world, to a birth more disgraceful than any\nother, and did not rather introduce Him into the world through a lawful\nmarriage? Or is it not more in conformity with reason, that every soul,\nfor certain mysterious reasons (I speak now according to the opinion of\nPythagoras, and Plato, and Empedocles, whom Celsus frequently names), is\nintroduced into a body, and introduced according to its deserts and\nformer actions? It is probable, therefore, that this soul also which\nconferred more benefit by its residence in the flesh than that of many\nmen (to avoid prejudice, I do not say \u201call\u201d), stood in need of a body\nnot only superior to others, but invested with all excellent qualities.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XXXIII.\n\n\nNow if a particular soul, for certain mysterious reasons, is not\ndeserving of being placed in the body of a wholly irrational being, nor\nyet in that of one purely rational, but is clothed with a monstrous\nbody, so that reason cannot discharge its functions in one so fashioned,\nwhich has the head disproportioned to the other parts, and altogether\ntoo short; and another receives such a body that the soul is a little\nmore rational than the other; and another still more so, the nature of\nthe body counteracting to a greater or less degree the reception of the\nreasoning principle; why should there not be also some soul which\nreceives an altogether miraculous body, possessing some qualities common\nto those of other men, so that it may be able to pass through life with\nthem, but possessing also some quality of superiority, so that the soul\nmay be able to remain untainted by sin? And if there be any truth in the\ndoctrine of the physiognomists, whether Zopyrus, or Loxus, or Polemon,\nor any other who wrote on such a subject, and who profess to know in\nsome wonderful way that all bodies are adapted to the habits of the\nsouls, must there have been for that soul which was to dwell with\nmiraculous power among men, and work mighty deeds, a body produced, as\nCelsus thinks, by an act of adultery between Panthera and the Virgin?!\nWhy, from such unhallowed intercourse there must rather have been\nbrought forth some fool to do injury to mankind,\u2014a teacher of\nlicentiousness and wickedness, and other evils; and not of temperance,\nand righteousness, and the other virtues.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XXXIV.\n\n\nBut it was, as the prophets also predicted, from a virgin that there was\nto be born, according to the promised sign, one who was to give His name\nto the fact, showing that at His birth God was to be with man. Now it\nseems to me appropriate to the character of a Jew to have quoted the\nprophecy of Isaiah, which says that Emmanuel was to be born of a virgin.\nThis, however, Celsus, who professes to know everything, has not done,\neither from ignorance or from an unwillingness (if he had read it and\nvoluntarily passed it by in silence) to furnish an argument which might\ndefeat his purpose. And the prediction runs thus: \u201cAnd the Lord spake\nagain unto Ahaz, saying, Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it\neither in the depth or in the height above. But Ahaz said, I will not\nask, neither will I tempt the Lord. And he said, Hear ye now, O house of\nDavid; is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my\nGod also? Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign. Behold, a\nvirgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel,\nwhich is, being interpreted, God with us.\u201d[1173] And that it was from\nintentional malice that Celsus did not quote this prophecy, is clear to\nme from this, that although he makes numerous quotations from the Gospel\naccording to Matthew, as of the star that appeared at the birth of\nChrist, and other miraculous occurrences, he has made no mention at all\nof this. Now, if a Jew should split words, and say that the words are\nnot, \u201cLo, a virgin,\u201d but, \u201cLo, a young woman,\u201d[1174] we reply that the\nword \u201cOlmah\u201d\u2014which the Septuagint have rendered by \u201ca virgin,\u201d and\nothers by \u201ca young woman\u201d\u2014occurs, as they say, in Deuteronomy, as\napplied to a \u201cvirgin,\u201d in the following connection: \u201cIf a damsel that is\na virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city,\nand lie with her; then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of\nthat city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the\ndamsel,[1175] because she cried not, being in the city; and the man,\nbecause he humbled his neighbour\u2019s wife.\u201d[1176] And again: \u201cBut if a man\nfind a betrothed damsel in a field, and the man force her, and lie with\nher: then the man only that lay with her shall die: but unto the\ndamsel[1177] ye shall do nothing; there is in her no sin worthy of\ndeath.\u201d\n\nFootnote 1173:\n\n Cf. Isa. vii. 10-14 with Matt. i. 23.\n\nFootnote 1174:\n\n \u03bd\u03b5\u1fb6\u03bd\u03b9\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 1175:\n\n \u03bd\u03b5\u1fb6\u03bd\u03b9\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 1176:\n\n Cf. Deut. xxii. 23, 24.\n\nFootnote 1177:\n\n \u03c4\u1fc7 \u03bd\u03b5\u03ac\u03bd\u03b9\u03b4\u03b9.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XXXV.\n\n\nBut that we may not seem, because of a Hebrew word, to endeavour to\npersuade those who are unable to determine whether they ought to believe\nit or not, that the prophet spoke of this man being born of a virgin,\nbecause at his birth these words, \u201cGod with us,\u201d were uttered, let us\nmake good our point from the words themselves. The Lord is related to\nhave spoken to Ahaz thus: \u201cAsk a sign for thyself from the Lord thy God,\neither in the depth or height above;\u201d[1178] and afterwards the sign is\ngiven, \u201cBehold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son.\u201d[1179] What\nkind of sign, then, would that have been\u2014a young woman who was not a\nvirgin giving birth to a child? And which of the two is the more\nappropriate as the mother of Immanuel (_i.e._ \u201cGod with us\u201d),\u2014whether a\nwoman who has had intercourse with a man, and who has conceived after\nthe manner of women, or one who is still a pure and holy virgin? Surely\nit is appropriate only to the latter to produce a being at whose birth\nit is said, \u201cGod with us.\u201d And should he be so captious as to say that\nit is to Ahaz that the command is addressed, \u201cAsk for thyself a sign\nfrom the Lord thy God,\u201d we shall ask in return, who in the times of Ahaz\nbore a son at whose birth the expression is made use of, \u201cImmanuel,\u201d\n_i.e._ \u201cGod with us?\u201d And if no one can be found, then manifestly what\nwas said to Ahaz was said to the house of David, because it is written\nthat the Saviour was born of the house of David according to the flesh;\nand this sign is said to be \u201cin the depth or in the height,\u201d since \u201cHe\nthat descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens,\nthat He might fill all things.\u201d[1180] And these arguments I employ as\nagainst a Jew who believes in prophecy. Let Celsus now tell me, or any\nof those who think with him, with what meaning the prophet utters either\nthese statements about the future, or the others which are contained in\nthe prophecies? Is it with any foresight of the future or not? If with a\nforesight of the future, then the prophets were divinely inspired; if\nwith no foresight of the future, let him explain the meaning of one who\nspeaks thus boldly regarding the future, and who is an object of\nadmiration among the Jews because of his prophetic powers.\n\nFootnote 1178:\n\n Cf. Isa. vii. 11.\n\nFootnote 1179:\n\n Isa. vii. 14.\n\nFootnote 1180:\n\n Cf. Eph. iv. 10.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XXXVI.\n\n\nAnd now, since we have touched upon the subject of the prophets, what we\nare about to advance will be useful not only to the Jews, who believe\nthat they spake by divine inspiration, but also to the more candid among\nthe Greeks. To these we say that we must necessarily admit that the Jews\nhad prophets, if they were to be kept together under that system of law\nwhich had been given them, and were to believe in the Creator of the\nworld, as they had learned, and to be without pretexts, so far as the\nlaw was concerned, for apostatizing to the polytheism of the heathen.\nAnd we establish this necessity in the following manner. \u201cFor the\nnations,\u201d as it is written in the law of the Jews itself, \u201cshall hearken\nunto observers of times, and diviners;\u201d[1181] but to that people it is\nsaid: \u201cBut as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not suffered thee so to\ndo.\u201d[1182] And to this is subjoined the promise: \u201cA prophet shall the\nLord thy God raise up unto thee from among thy brethren.\u201d[1183] Since,\ntherefore, the heathen employ modes of divination either by oracles or\nby omens, or by birds, or by ventriloquists, or by those who profess the\nart of sacrifice, or by Chaldean genealogists\u2014all which practices were\nforbidden to the Jews\u2014this people, if they had no means of attaining a\nknowledge of futurity, being led by the passion common to humanity of\nascertaining the future, would have despised their own prophets, as not\nhaving in them any particle of divinity; and would not have accepted any\nprophet after Moses, nor committed their words to writing, but would\nhave spontaneously betaken themselves to the divining usages of the\nheathen, or attempted to establish some such practices amongst\nthemselves. There is therefore no absurdity in their prophets having\nuttered predictions even about events of no importance, to soothe those\nwho desire such things, as when Samuel prophesies regarding three\nshe-asses which were lost,[1184] or when mention is made in the third\nbook of Kings respecting the sickness of a king\u2019s son.[1185] And why\nshould not those who desired to obtain auguries from idols be severely\nrebuked by the administrators of the law among the Jews?\u2014as Elijah is\nfound rebuking Ahaziah, and saying, \u201cIs it because there is not a God in\nIsrael that ye go to inquire of Baalzebub, god of Ekron?[1186]\u201d\n\nFootnote 1181:\n\n Cf. Deut. xviii. 14.\n\nFootnote 1182:\n\n Cf. Deut. xviii. 14.\n\nFootnote 1183:\n\n Cf. Deut. xviii. 15.\n\nFootnote 1184:\n\n Cf. 1 Sam. ix. 10.\n\nFootnote 1185:\n\n Cf. 1 Kings xiv. 12.\n\nFootnote 1186:\n\n Cf. 2 Kings i. 3.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XXXVII.\n\n\nI think, then, that it has been pretty well established not only that\nour Saviour was to be born of a virgin, but also that there were\nprophets among the Jews who uttered not merely general predictions about\nthe future,\u2014as _e.g._ regarding Christ and the kingdoms of the world,\nand the events that were to happen to Israel, and those nations which\nwere to believe on the Saviour, and many other things concerning\nHim,\u2014but also prophecies respecting particular events; as, for instance,\nhow the asses of Kish, which were lost, were to be discovered, and\nregarding the sickness which had fallen upon the son of the king of\nIsrael, and any other recorded circumstance of a similar kind. But as a\nfurther answer to the Greeks, who do not believe in the birth of Jesus\nfrom a virgin, we have to say that the Creator has shown, by the\ngeneration of several kinds of animals, that what He has done in the\ninstance of one animal, He could do, if it pleased Him, in that of\nothers, and also of man himself. For it is ascertained that there is a\ncertain female animal which has no intercourse with the male (as writers\non animals say is the case with vultures), and that this animal, without\nsexual intercourse, preserves the succession of race. What\nincredibility, therefore, is there in supposing that, if God wished to\nsend a divine teacher to the human race, He caused Him to be born in\nsome manner different from the common?[1187] Nay, according to the\nGreeks themselves, all men were not born of a man and woman. For if the\nworld has been created, as many even of the Greeks are pleased to admit,\nthen the first men must have been produced not from sexual intercourse,\nbut from the earth, in which spermatic elements existed; which, however,\nI consider more incredible than that Jesus was born like other men, so\nfar as regards the half of his birth. And there is no absurdity in\nemploying Grecian histories to answer Greeks, with the view of showing\nthat we are not the only persons who have recourse to miraculous\nnarratives of this kind. For some have thought fit, not in regard to\nancient and heroic narratives, but in regard to events of very recent\noccurrence, to relate as a possible thing that Plato was the son of\nAmphictione, Ariston being prevented from having marital intercourse\nwith his wife until she had given birth to him with whom she was\npregnant by Apollo. And yet these are veritable fables, which have led\nto the invention of such stories concerning a man whom they regarded as\npossessing greater wisdom and power than the multitude, and as having\nreceived the beginning of his corporeal substance from better and\ndiviner elements than others, because they thought that this was\nappropriate to persons who were too great to be human beings. And since\nCelsus has introduced the Jew disputing with Jesus, and tearing in\npieces, as he imagines, the fiction of His birth from a virgin,\ncomparing the Greek fables about Danae, and Melanippe, and Auge, and\nAntiope, our answer is, that such language becomes a buffoon, and not\none who is writing in a serious tone.\n\nFootnote 1187:\n\n \u03a0\u03b5\u03c0\u03bf\u03af\u03b7\u03ba\u03b5\u03bd \u1f00\u03bd\u03c4\u1f76 \u03c3\u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03b9\u03ba\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03bb\u03cc\u03b3\u03bf\u03c5, \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u1f10\u03ba \u03bc\u03af\u03be\u03b5\u03c9\u03c2 \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u1f00\u1fe4\u1fe5\u03ad\u03bd\u03c9\u03bd \u03c4\u03b1\u1fd6\u03c2\n \u03b3\u03c5\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9\u03be\u1f76, \u1f04\u03bb\u03bb\u1ff3 \u03c4\u03c1\u03cc\u03c0\u1ff3 \u03b3\u03b5\u03bd\u03ad\u03c3\u03b8\u03b1\u03b9 \u03c4\u1f78\u03bd \u03bb\u03cc\u03b3\u03bf\u03bd \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03c4\u03b5\u03c7\u03b8\u03b7\u03c3\u03bf\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03bf\u03c5.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XXXVIII.\n\n\nBut, moreover, taking the history, contained in the Gospel according to\nMatthew, of our Lord\u2019s descent into Egypt, he refuses to believe the\nmiraculous circumstances attending it, viz. either that the angel gave\nthe divine intimation, or that our Lord\u2019s quitting Judea and residing in\nEgypt was an event of any significance; but he invents something\naltogether different, admitting somehow the miraculous works done by\nJesus, by means of which He induced the multitude to follow Him as the\nChrist. And yet he desires to throw discredit on them, as being done by\nhelp of magic and not by divine power; for he asserts \u201cthat he (Jesus),\nhaving been brought up as an illegitimate child, and having served for\nhire in Egypt, and then coming to the knowledge of certain miraculous\npowers, returned from thence to his own country, and by means of those\npowers proclaimed himself a God.\u201d Now I do not understand how a magician\nshould exert himself to teach a doctrine which persuades us always to\nact as if God were to judge every man for his deeds; and should have\ntrained his disciples, whom he was to employ as the ministers of his\ndoctrine, in the same belief. For did the latter make an impression upon\ntheir hearers, after they had been so taught to work miracles; or was it\nwithout the aid of these? The assertion, therefore, that they did no\nmiracles at all, but that, after yielding their belief to arguments\nwhich were not at all convincing, like the wisdom of Grecian\ndialectics,[1188] they gave themselves up to the task of teaching the\nnew doctrine to those persons among whom they happened to take up their\nabode, is altogether absurd. For in what did they place their confidence\nwhen they taught the doctrine and disseminated the new opinions? But if\nthey indeed wrought miracles, then how can it be believed that magicians\nexposed themselves to such hazards to introduce a doctrine which forbade\nthe practice of magic?\n\nFootnote 1188:\n\n This difficult passage is rendered in the Latin translation: \u201cbut\n that, after they had believed [in Christ], they with no adequate\n supply of arguments, such as is furnished by the Greek dialectics,\n gave themselves up,\u201d etc.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XXXIX.\n\n\nI do not think it necessary to grapple with an argument advanced not in\na serious but in a scoffing spirit, such as the following: \u201cIf the\nmother of Jesus was beautiful, then the God whose nature is not to love\na corruptible body, had intercourse with her because she was beautiful;\u201d\nor, \u201cIt was improbable that the God would entertain a passion for her,\nbecause she was neither rich nor of royal rank, seeing no one, even of\nher neighbours, knew her.\u201d And it is in the same scoffing spirit that he\nadds: \u201cWhen hated by her husband, and turned out of doors, she was not\nsaved by divine power, nor was her story believed. Such things, he says,\nhave no connection with the kingdom of heaven.\u201d In what respect does\nsuch language differ from that of those who pour abuse on others on the\npublic streets, and whose words are unworthy of any serious attention?\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XL.\n\n\nAfter these assertions, he takes from the Gospel of Matthew, and perhaps\nalso from the other Gospels, the account of the dove alighting upon our\nSaviour at His baptism by John, and desires to throw discredit upon the\nstatement, alleging that the narrative is a fiction. Having completely\ndisposed, as he imagined, of the story of our Lord\u2019s birth from a\nvirgin, he does not proceed to deal in an orderly manner with the\naccounts that follow it; since passion and hatred observe no order, but\nangry and vindictive men slander those whom they hate, as the feeling\ncomes upon them, being prevented by their passion from arranging their\naccusations on a careful and orderly plan. For if he had observed a\nproper arrangement, he would have taken up the Gospel, and, with the\nview of assailing it, would have objected to the first narrative, then\npassed on to the second, and so on to the others. But now, after the\nbirth from a virgin, this Celsus, who professes to be acquainted with\nall our history, attacks the account of the appearance of the Holy\nSpirit in the form of a dove at the baptism. He then, after that, tries\nto throw discredit upon the prediction that our Lord was to come into\nthe world. In the next place, he runs away to what immediately follows\nthe narrative of the birth of Jesus\u2014the account of the star, and of the\nwise men who came from the east to worship the child. And you yourself\nmay find, if you take the trouble, many confused statements made by\nCelsus throughout his whole book; so that even in this account he may,\nby those who know how to observe and require an orderly method of\narrangement, be convicted of great rashness and boasting, in having\ninscribed upon his work the title of _A True Discourse_,\u2014a thing which\nis never done by a learned philosopher. For Plato says, that it is not\nan indication of an intelligent man to make strong assertions respecting\nthose matters which are somewhat uncertain; and the celebrated\nChrysippus even, who frequently states the reasons by which he is\ndecided, refers us to those whom we shall find to be abler speakers than\nhimself. This man, however, who is wiser than those already named, and\nthan all the other Greeks, agreeably to his assertion of being\nacquainted with everything, inscribed upon his book the words, _A True\nDiscourse_!\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XLI.\n\n\nBut, that we may not have the appearance of intentionally passing by his\ncharges through inability to refute them, we have resolved to answer\neach one of them separately according to our ability, attending not to\nthe connection and sequence of the nature of the things themselves, but\nto the arrangement of the subjects as they occur in his book. Let us\ntherefore notice what he has to say by way of impugning the bodily\nappearance of the Holy Spirit to our Saviour in the form of a dove. And\nit is a Jew who addresses the following language to Him whom we\nacknowledge to be our Lord Jesus: \u201cWhen you were bathing,\u201d says the Jew,\n\u201cbeside John, you say that what had the appearance of a bird from the\nair alighted upon you.\u201d And then this same Jew of his, continuing his\ninterrogations, asks, \u201cWhat credible witness beheld this appearance? or\nwho heard a voice from heaven declaring you to be the Son of God? What\nproof is there of it, save your own assertion, and the statement of\nanother of those individuals who have been punished along with you?\u201d\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XLII.\n\n\nBefore we begin our reply, we have to remark that the endeavour to show,\nwith regard to almost any history, however true, that it actually\noccurred, and to produce an intelligent conception regarding it, is one\nof the most difficult undertakings that can be attempted, and is in some\ninstances an impossibility. For suppose that some one were to assert\nthat there never had been any Trojan war, chiefly on account of the\nimpossible narrative interwoven therewith, about a certain Achilles\nbeing the son of a sea-goddess Thetis and of a man Peleus, or Sarpedon\nbeing the son of Zeus, or Ascalaphus and Ialmenus the sons of Ares, or\n\u00c6neas that of Aphrodite, how should we prove that such was the case,\nespecially under the weight of the fiction attached, I know not how, to\nthe universally prevalent opinion that there was really a war in Ilium\nbetween Greeks and Trojans? And suppose, also, that some one disbelieved\nthe story of \u0152dipus and Jocasta, and of their two sons Eteocles and\nPolynices, because the sphinx, a kind of half-virgin, was introduced\ninto the narrative, how should we demonstrate the reality of such a\nthing? And in like manner also with the history of the Epigoni, although\nthere is no such marvellous event interwoven with it, or with the return\nof the Heracleid\u00e6, or countless other historical events. But he who\ndeals candidly with histories, and would wish to keep himself also from\nbeing imposed upon by them, will exercise his judgment as to what\nstatements he will give his assent to, and what he will accept\nfiguratively, seeking to discover the meaning of the authors of such\ninventions, and from what statements he will withhold his belief, as\nhaving been written for the gratification of certain individuals. And we\nhave said this by way of anticipation respecting the whole history\nrelated in the Gospels concerning Jesus, not as inviting men of\nacuteness to a simple and unreasoning faith, but wishing to show that\nthere is need of candour in those who are to read, and of much\ninvestigation, and, so to speak, of insight into the meaning of the\nwriters, that the object with which each event has been recorded may be\ndiscovered.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XLIII.\n\n\nWe shall therefore say, in the first place, that if he who disbelieves\nthe appearance of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove had been\ndescribed as an Epicurean, or a follower of Democritus, or a\nPeripatetic, the statement would have been in keeping with the character\nof such an objector. But now even this Celsus, wisest of all men, did\nnot perceive that it is to a Jew, who believes more incredible things\ncontained in the writings of the prophets than the narrative of the\nappearance of the dove, that he attributes such an objection! For one\nmight say to the Jew, when expressing his disbelief of the appearance,\nand thinking to assail it as a fiction, \u201cHow are you able to prove, sir,\nthat the Lord spake to Adam, or to Eve, or to Cain, or to Noah, or to\nAbraham, or to Isaac, or to Jacob, those words which He is recorded to\nhave spoken to these men?\u201d And, to compare history with history, I would\nsay to the Jew, \u201cEven your own Ezekiel writes, saying, \u2018The heavens were\nopened, and I saw a vision of God.\u2019[1189] After relating which, he adds,\n\u2018This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord; and\nHe said to me,\u2019\u201d[1190] etc. Now, if what is related of Jesus be false,\nsince we cannot, as you suppose, clearly prove it to be true, it being\nseen or heard by himself alone, and, as you appear to have observed,\nalso by one of those who were punished, why should we not rather say\nthat Ezekiel also was dealing in the marvellous when he said, \u201cThe\nheavens were opened,\u201d etc.? Nay, even Isaiah asserts, \u201cI saw the Lord of\nhosts sitting on a throne, high and lifted up; and the seraphim stood\nround about it: the one had six wings, and the other had six\nwings.\u201d[1191] How can we tell whether he really saw them or not? Now, O\nJew, you have believed these visions to be true, and to have been not\nonly shown to the prophet by a diviner Spirit, but also to have been\nboth spoken and recorded by the same. And who is the more worthy of\nbelief, when declaring that the heavens were opened before him, and that\nhe heard a voice, or beheld the Lord of Sabaoth sitting upon a throne\nhigh and lifted up,\u2014whether Isaiah and Ezekiel or Jesus? Of the former,\nindeed, no work has been found equal to those of the latter; whereas the\ngood deeds of Jesus have not been confined solely to the period of His\ntabernacling in the flesh, but up to the present time His power still\nproduces conversion and amelioration of life in those who believe in God\nthrough Him. And a manifest proof that these things are done by His\npower, is the fact that, although, as He Himself said, and as is\nadmitted, there are not labourers enough to gather in the harvest of\nsouls, there really is nevertheless such a great harvest of those who\nare gathered together and conveyed into the everywhere existing\nthreshing-floors and churches of God.\n\nFootnote 1189:\n\n Cf. Ezek. i. 1.\n\nFootnote 1190:\n\n Cf. Ezek. i. 28 and ii. 1.\n\nFootnote 1191:\n\n Cf. Isa. vi. 1, 2.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XLIV.\n\n\nAnd with these arguments I answer the Jew, not disbelieving, I who am a\nChristian, Ezekiel and Isaiah, but being very desirous to show, on the\nfooting of our common belief, that this man is far more worthy of credit\nthan they are when He says that He beheld such a sight, and, as is\nprobable, related to His disciples the vision which He saw, and told\nthem of the voice which He heard. But another party might object, that\nnot all those who have narrated the appearance of the dove and the voice\nfrom heaven heard the accounts of these things from Jesus, but that that\nSpirit which taught Moses the history of events before his own time,\nbeginning with the creation, and descending down to Abraham his father,\ntaught also the writers of the Gospel the miraculous occurrence which\ntook place at the time of Jesus\u2019 baptism. And he who is adorned with the\nspiritual gift,[1192] called the \u201cword of wisdom,\u201d will explain also the\nreason of the heavens opening, and the dove appearing, and why the Holy\nSpirit appeared to Jesus in the form of no other living thing than that\nof a dove. But our present subject does not require us to explain this,\nour purpose being to show that Celsus displayed no sound judgment in\nrepresenting a Jew as disbelieving, on such grounds, a fact which has\ngreater probability in its favour than many events in which he firmly\nreposes confidence.\n\nFootnote 1192:\n\n \u03c7\u03b1\u03c1\u03af\u03c3\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03b9.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XLV.\n\n\nAnd I remember on one occasion, at a disputation held with certain Jews\nwho were reputed learned men, having employed the following argument in\nthe presence of many judges: \u201cTell me, sirs,\u201d I said, \u201csince there are\ntwo individuals who have visited the human race, regarding whom are\nrelated marvellous works surpassing human power\u2014Moses, viz., your own\nlegislator, who wrote about himself, and Jesus our teacher, who has left\nno writings regarding Himself, but to whom testimony is borne by the\ndisciples in the Gospels\u2014what are the grounds for deciding that Moses is\nto be believed as speaking the truth, although the Egyptians slander him\nas a sorcerer, and as appearing to have wrought his mighty works by\njugglery, while Jesus is not to be believed because you are His\naccusers? And yet there are nations which bear testimony in favour of\nboth: the Jews to Moses; and the Christians, who do not deny the\nprophetic mission of Moses, but proving from that very source the truth\nof the statement regarding Jesus, accept as true the miraculous\ncircumstances related of Him by His disciples. Now, if ye ask us for the\nreasons of our faith in Jesus, give yours first for believing in Moses,\nwho lived before Him, and then we shall give you ours for accepting the\nlatter. But if you draw back, and shirk a demonstration, then we,\nfollowing your own example, decline for the present to offer any\ndemonstration likewise. Nevertheless, admit that ye have no proof to\noffer for Moses, and then listen to our defence of Jesus derived from\nthe law and the prophets. And now observe what is almost incredible! It\nis shown from the declarations concerning Jesus, contained in the law\nand the prophets, that both Moses and the prophets were truly prophets\nof God.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XLVI.\n\n\nFor the law and the prophets are full of marvels similar to those\nrecorded of Jesus at His baptism, viz. regarding the dove and the voice\nfrom heaven. And I think the wonders wrought by Jesus are a proof of the\nHoly Spirit\u2019s having then appeared in the form of a dove, although\nCelsus, from a desire to cast discredit upon them, alleges that He\nperformed only what He had learned among the Egyptians. And I shall\nrefer not only to His miracles, but, as is proper, to those also of the\napostles of Jesus. For they could not without the help of miracles and\nwonders have prevailed on those who heard their new doctrines and new\nteachings to abandon their national usages, and to accept their\ninstructions at the danger to themselves even of death. And there are\nstill preserved among Christians traces of that Holy Spirit which\nappeared in the form of a dove. They expel evil spirits, and perform\nmany cures, and foresee certain events, according to the will of the\nLogos. And although Celsus, or the Jew whom he has introduced, may treat\nwith mockery what I am going to say, I shall say it nevertheless,\u2014that\nmany have been converted to Christianity as if against their will, some\nsort of spirit having suddenly transformed their minds from a hatred of\nthe doctrine to a readiness to die in its defence, and having appeared\nto them either in a waking vision or a dream of the night. Many such\ninstances have we known, which, if we were to commit to writing,\nalthough they were seen and witnessed by ourselves, we should afford\ngreat occasion for ridicule to unbelievers, who would imagine that we,\nlike those whom they suppose to have invented such things, had ourselves\nalso done the same. But God is witness of our conscientious desire, not\nby false statements, but by testimonies of different kinds, to establish\nthe divinity of the doctrine of Jesus. And as it is a Jew who is\nperplexed about the account of the Holy Spirit having descended upon\nJesus in the form of a dove, we would say to him, \u201cSir, who is it that\nsays in Isaiah, \u2018And now the Lord hath sent me and His Spirit?\u2019\u201d[1193]\nIn which sentence, as the meaning is doubtful\u2014viz. whether the Father\nand the Holy Spirit sent Jesus, or the Father sent both Christ and the\nHoly Spirit\u2014the latter is correct. For, because the Saviour was sent,\nafterwards the Holy Spirit was sent also, that the prediction of the\nprophet might be fulfilled; and as it was necessary that the fulfilment\nof the prophecy should be known to posterity, the disciples of Jesus for\nthat reason committed the result to writing.\n\nFootnote 1193:\n\n Cf. Isa. xlviii. 16.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XLVII.\n\n\nI would like to say to Celsus, who represents the Jew as accepting\nsomehow John as a Baptist, who baptized Jesus, that the existence of\nJohn the Baptist, baptizing for the remission of sins, is related by one\nwho lived no great length of time after John and Jesus. For in the 18th\nbook of his _Antiquities of the Jews_, Josephus bears witness to John as\nhaving been a Baptist, and as promising purification to those who\nunderwent the rite.[1194] Now this writer, although not believing in\nJesus as the Christ, in seeking after the cause of the fall of Jerusalem\nand the destruction of the temple, whereas he ought to have said that\nthe conspiracy against Jesus was the cause of these calamities befalling\nthe people, since they put to death Christ, who was a prophet, says\nnevertheless\u2014being, although against his will, not far from the\ntruth\u2014that these disasters happened to the Jews as a punishment for the\ndeath of James the Just, who was a brother of Jesus (called Christ),\u2014the\nJews having put him to death, although he was a man most distinguished\nfor his justice. Paul, a genuine disciple of Jesus, says that he\nregarded this James as a brother of the Lord, not so much on account of\ntheir relationship by blood, or of their being brought up together, as\nbecause of his virtue and doctrine.[1195] If, then, he says that it was\non account of James that the desolation of Jerusalem was made to\novertake the Jews, how should it not be more in accordance with reason\nto say that it happened on account [of the death] of Jesus Christ, of\nwhose divinity so many churches are witnesses, composed of those who\nhave been converted from a flood of sins, and who have joined themselves\nto the Creator, and who refer all their actions to His good pleasure?\n\nFootnote 1194:\n\n Cf. Joseph. _Antiq._ book xviii. c. x. sec. 2.\n\nFootnote 1195:\n\n Cf. Gal. i. 19.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XLVIII.\n\n\nAlthough the Jew, then, may offer no defence for himself in the\ninstances of Ezekiel and Isaiah, when we compare the opening of the\nheavens to Jesus, and the voice that was heard by Him, to the similar\ncases which we find recorded in Ezekiel and Isaiah, or any other of the\nprophets, we nevertheless, so far as we can, shall support our position,\nmaintaining that, as it is a matter of belief that in a _dream_\nimpressions have been brought before the minds of many, some relating to\ndivine things, and others to future events of this life, and this either\nwith clearness or in an enigmatic manner,\u2014a fact which is manifest to\nall who accept the doctrine of providence; so how is it absurd to say\nthat the mind which could receive impressions in a _dream_ should be\nimpressed also in a waking vision, for the benefit either of him on whom\nthe impressions are made, or of those who are to hear the account of\nthem from him? And as in a dream we fancy that we hear, and that the\norgans of hearing are actually impressed, and that we see with our\neyes\u2014although neither the bodily organs of sight nor hearing are\naffected, but it is the mind alone which has these sensations\u2014so there\nis no absurdity in believing that similar things occurred to the\nprophets, when it is recorded that they witnessed occurrences of a\nrather wonderful kind, as when they either heard the words of the Lord\nor beheld the heavens opened. For I do not suppose that the visible\nheaven was actually opened, and its physical structure divided, in order\nthat Ezekiel might be able to record such an occurrence. Should not,\ntherefore, the same be believed of the Saviour by every intelligent\nhearer of the Gospels?\u2014although such an occurrence may be a\nstumbling-block to the simple, who in their simplicity would set the\nwhole world in movement, and split in sunder the compact and mighty body\nof the whole heavens. But he who examines such matters more profoundly\nwill say, that there being, as the Scripture calls it, a kind of general\ndivine perception which the blessed man alone knows how to discover,\naccording to the saying of Solomon, \u201cThou shalt find the knowledge of\nGod;\u201d[1196] and as there are various forms of this perceptive power,\nsuch as a faculty of vision which can naturally see things that are\nbetter than bodies, among which are ranked the cherubim and seraphim;\nand a faculty of hearing which can perceive voices which have not their\nbeing in the air; and a sense of taste which can make use of living\nbread that has come down from heaven, and that giveth life unto the\nworld; and so also a sense of smelling, which scents such things as\nleads Paul to say that he is a sweet savour of Christ unto God;[1197]\nand a sense of touch, by which John says that he \u201chandled with his hands\nof the Word of life;\u201d[1198]\u2014the blessed prophets having discovered this\ndivine perception, and seeing and hearing in this divine manner, and\ntasting likewise, and smelling, so to speak, with no sensible organs of\nperception, and laying hold on the Logos by faith, so that a healing\neffluence from it comes upon them, saw in this manner what they record\nas having seen, and heard what they say they heard, and were affected in\na similar manner to what they describe when eating the roll of a book\nthat was given them.[1199] And so also Isaac smelled the savour of his\nson\u2019s divine garments,[1200] and added to the spiritual blessing these\nwords: \u201cSee, the savour of my son is as the savour of a full field which\nthe Lord blessed.\u201d[1201] And similarly to this, and more as a matter to\nbe understood by the mind than to be perceived by the senses, Jesus\ntouched the leper,[1202] to cleanse him, as I think, in a two-fold\nsense,\u2014freeing him not only, as the multitude heard, from the visible\nleprosy by visible contact, but also from that other leprosy, by His\ntruly divine touch. It is in this way, accordingly, that John testifies\nwhen he says, \u201cI beheld the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove,\nand it abode upon Him. And I knew Him not; but He that sent me to\nbaptize with water, the same said to me, Upon whom you will see the\nSpirit descending, and abiding on Him, the same is He that baptizeth\nwith the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bear witness, that this is the Son\nof God.\u201d[1203] Now it was to Jesus that the heavens were opened; and on\nthat occasion no one except John is recorded to have seen them opened.\nBut with respect to this opening of the heavens, the Saviour,\nforetelling to His disciples that it would happen, and that they would\nsee it, says, \u201cVerily, verily, I say unto you, Ye shall see the heavens\nopened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of\nman.\u201d[1204] And so Paul was carried away into the third heaven, having\npreviously seen it opened, since he was a disciple of Jesus. It does\nnot, however, belong to our present object to explain why Paul says,\n\u201cWhether in the body, I know not; or whether out of the body, I know\nnot: God knoweth.\u201d[1205] But I shall add to my argument even those very\npoints which Celsus imagines, viz. that Jesus Himself related the\naccount of the opening of the heavens, and the descent of the Holy\nSpirit upon Him at the Jordan in the form of a dove, although the\nScripture does not assert that He said that He saw it. For this great\nman did not perceive that it was not in keeping with Him who commanded\nHis disciples on the occasion of the vision on the mount, \u201cTell what ye\nhave seen to no man, until the Son of man be risen from the dead,\u201d[1206]\nto have related to His disciples what was seen and heard by John at the\nJordan. For it may be observed as a trait of the character of Jesus,\nthat He on all occasions avoided unnecessary talk about Himself; and on\nthat account said, \u201cIf I speak of myself, my witness is not true.\u201d[1207]\nAnd since He avoided unnecessary talk about Himself, and preferred to\nshow by acts rather than words that He was the Christ, the Jews for that\nreason said to Him, \u201cIf thou art the Christ, tell us plainly.\u201d[1208] And\nas it is a Jew who, in the work of Celsus, uses the language to Jesus\nregarding the appearance of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, \u201cThis\nis your own testimony, unsupported save by one of those who were sharers\nof your punishment, whom you adduce,\u201d it is necessary for us to show him\nthat such a statement is not appropriately placed in the mouth of a Jew.\nFor the Jews do not connect John with Jesus, nor the punishment of John\nwith that of Christ. And by this instance, this man who boasts of\nuniversal knowledge is convicted of not knowing what words he ought to\nascribe to a Jew engaged in a disputation with Jesus.\n\nFootnote 1196:\n\n Cf. Prov. ii. 5.\n\nFootnote 1197:\n\n Cf. 2 Cor. ii. 15.\n\nFootnote 1198:\n\n Cf. 1 John i. 1.\n\nFootnote 1199:\n\n Cf. Ezek. iii. 2, 3.\n\nFootnote 1200:\n\n \u1f68\u03c3\u03c6\u03c1\u03ac\u03bd\u03b8\u03b7 \u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u1f40\u03c3\u03bc\u1fc6\u03c2 \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03c5\u1f31\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03b8\u03b5\u03b9\u03bf\u03c4\u03ad\u03c1\u03c9\u03bd \u1f31\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03af\u03c9\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 1201:\n\n Cf. Gen. xxvii. 27.\n\nFootnote 1202:\n\n Cf. Matt. viii. 3.\n\nFootnote 1203:\n\n Cf. John i. 32-34.\n\nFootnote 1204:\n\n Cf. John i. 52.\n\nFootnote 1205:\n\n Cf. 2 Cor. xii. 2.\n\nFootnote 1206:\n\n Cf. Matt. xvii. 9.\n\nFootnote 1207:\n\n John v. 31.\n\nFootnote 1208:\n\n John x. 24.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter XLIX.\n\n\nAfter this he wilfully sets aside, I know not why, the strongest\nevidence in confirmation of the claims of Jesus, viz. that His coming\nwas predicted by the Jewish prophets\u2014Moses, and those who succeeded as\nwell as preceded that legislator\u2014from inability, as I think, to meet the\nargument that neither the Jews nor any other heretical sect refuse to\nbelieve that Christ was the subject of prophecy. But perhaps he was\nunacquainted with the prophecies relating to Christ. For no one who was\nacquainted with the statements of the Christians, that many prophets\nforetold the advent of the Saviour, would have ascribed to a Jew\nsentiments which it would have better befitted a Samaritan or a Sadducee\nto utter; nor would the Jew in the dialogue have expressed himself in\nlanguage like the following: \u201cBut my prophet once declared in Jerusalem,\nthat the Son of God will come as the Judge of the righteous and the\nPunisher of the wicked.\u201d Now it is not one of the prophets merely who\npredicted the advent of Christ. But although the Samaritans and\nSadducees, who receive the books of Moses alone, would say that there\nwere contained in them predictions regarding Christ, yet certainly not\nin Jerusalem, which is not even mentioned in the times of Moses, was the\nprophecy uttered. It were indeed to be desired, that all the accusers of\nChristianity were equally ignorant with Celsus, not only of the facts,\nbut of the bare letter of Scripture, and would so direct their assaults\nagainst it, that their arguments might not have the least available\ninfluence in shaking, I do not say the faith, but the little faith of\nunstable and temporary believers. A Jew, however, would not admit that\nany prophet used the expression, \u201cThe \u2018Son of God\u2019 will come;\u201d for the\nterm which they employ is, \u201cThe \u2018Christ of God\u2019 will come.\u201d And many a\ntime indeed do they directly interrogate us about the \u201cSon of God,\u201d\nsaying that no such being exists, or was made the subject of prophecy.\nWe do not of course assert that the \u201cSon of God\u201d is not the subject of\nprophecy; but we assert that he most inappropriately attributes to the\nJewish disputant, who would not allow that He was, such language as, \u201cMy\nprophet once declared in Jerusalem that the \u2018Son of God\u2019 will come.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n Chapter L.\n\n\nIn the next place, as if the only event predicted were this, that He was\nto be \u201cthe Judge of the righteous and the Punisher of the wicked,\u201d and\nas if neither the place of His birth, nor the sufferings which He was to\nendure at the hands of the Jews, nor His resurrection, nor the wonderful\nworks which He was to perform, had been made the subject of prophecy, he\ncontinues: \u201cWhy should it be you alone, rather than innumerable others,\nwho existed after the prophecies were published, to whom these\npredictions are applicable?\u201d And desiring, I know not how, to suggest to\nothers the possibility of the notion that they themselves were the\npersons referred to by the prophets, he says that \u201csome, carried away by\nenthusiasm, and others having gathered a multitude of followers, give\nout that the Son of God is come down from heaven.\u201d Now we have not\nascertained that such occurrences are admitted to have taken place among\nthe Jews. We have to remark then, in the first place, that many of the\nprophets have uttered predictions in all kinds of ways[1209] regarding\nChrist; some by means of dark sayings, others in allegories or in some\nother manner, and some also in express words. And as in what follows he\nsays, in the character of the Jew addressing the converts from his own\nnation, and repeating emphatically and malevolently, that \u201cthe\nprophecies referred to the events of his life may also suit other events\nas well,\u201d we shall state a few of them out of a greater number; and with\nrespect to these, any one who chooses may say what he thinks fitted to\nensure a refutation of them, and which may turn away intelligent\nbelievers from the faith.\n\nFootnote 1209:\n\n \u03c0\u03b1\u03bd\u03c4\u03bf\u03b4\u03b1\u03c0\u1ff6\u03c2 \u03c0\u03c1\u03bf\u03b5\u1fd6\u03c0\u03bf\u03bd.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter LI.\n\n\nNow the Scripture speaks, respecting the place of the Saviour\u2019s\nbirth\u2014that the Ruler was to come forth from Bethlehem\u2014in the following\nmanner: \u201cAnd thou Bethlehem, house of Ephrata, art not the least among\nthe thousands of Judah: for out of thee shall He come forth unto me who\nis to be Ruler in Israel; and His goings forth have been of old, from\neverlasting.\u201d[1210] Now this prophecy could not suit any one of those\nwho, as Celsus\u2019 Jew says, were fanatics and mob-leaders, and who gave\nout that they had come from heaven, unless it were clearly shown that He\nhad been born in Bethlehem, or, as another might say, had come forth\nfrom Bethlehem to be the leader of the people. With respect to the birth\nof Jesus in Bethlehem, if any one desires, after the prophecy of Micah\nand after the history recorded in the Gospels by the disciples of Jesus,\nto have additional evidence from other sources, let him know that, in\nconformity with the narrative in the Gospel regarding His birth, there\nis shown at Bethlehem the cave where He was born, and the manger in the\ncave where He was wrapped in swaddling-clothes. And this sight is\ngreatly talked of in surrounding places, even among the enemies of the\nfaith, it being said that in this cave was born that Jesus who is\nworshipped and reverenced by the Christians. Moreover, I am of opinion\nthat, before the advent of Christ, the chief priests and scribes of the\npeople, on account of the distinctness and clearness of this prophecy,\ntaught that in Bethlehem the Christ was to be born. And this opinion had\nprevailed also extensively among the Jews; for which reason it is\nrelated that Herod, on inquiring at the chief priests and scribes of the\npeople, heard from them that the Christ was to be born in Bethlehem of\nJudea, \u201cwhence David was.\u201d It is stated also in the Gospel according to\nJohn, that the Jews declared that the Christ was to be born in\nBethlehem, \u201cwhence David was.\u201d[1211] But after our Lord\u2019s coming, those\nwho busied themselves with overthrowing the belief that the place of His\nbirth had been the subject of prophecy from the beginning, withheld such\nteaching from the people; acting in a similar manner to those\nindividuals who won over those soldiers of the guard stationed around\nthe tomb who had seen Him arise from the dead, and who instructed these\neye-witnesses to report as follows: \u201cSay that his disciples, while we\nslept, came and stole him away. And if this come to the governor\u2019s ears,\nwe shall persuade him, and secure you.\u201d[1212]\n\nFootnote 1210:\n\n Cf. Mic. v. 2 and Matt. ii. 6.\n\nFootnote 1211:\n\n Cf. John vii. 42.\n\nFootnote 1212:\n\n Cf. Matt. xxviii. 13, 14.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter LII.\n\n\nStrife and prejudice are powerful instruments in leading men to\ndisregard even those things which are abundantly clear; so that they who\nhave somehow become familiar with certain opinions, which have deeply\nimbued their minds, and stamped them with a certain character, will not\ngive them up. For a man will abandon his habits in respect to other\nthings, although it may be difficult for him to tear himself from them,\nmore easily than he will surrender his opinions. Nay, even the former\nare not easily put aside by those who have become accustomed to them;\nand so neither houses, nor cities, nor villages, nor intimate\nacquaintances, are willingly forsaken when we are prejudiced in their\nfavour. This, therefore, was a reason why many of the Jews at that time\ndisregarded the clear testimony of the prophecies, and miracles which\nJesus wrought, and of the sufferings which He is related to have\nendured. And that human nature is thus affected, will be manifest to\nthose who observe that those who have once been prejudiced in favour of\nthe most contemptible and paltry traditions of their ancestors and\nfellow-citizens, with difficulty lay them aside. For example, no one\ncould easily persuade an Egyptian to despise what he had learned from\nhis fathers, so as no longer to consider this or that irrational animal\nas a god, or not to guard against eating, even under the penalty of\ndeath, of the flesh of such an animal. Now, if in carrying our\nexamination of this subject to a considerable length, we have enumerated\nthe points respecting Bethlehem, and the prophecy regarding it, we\nconsider that we were obliged to do this, by way of defence against\nthose who would assert that if the prophecies current among the Jews\nregarding Jesus were so clear as we represent them, why did they not at\nHis coming give in their adhesion to His doctrine, and betake themselves\nto the better life pointed out by Him? Let no one, however, bring such a\nreproach against believers, since he may see that reasons of no light\nweight are assigned by those who have learned to state them, for their\nfaith in Jesus.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter LIII.\n\n\nAnd if we should ask for a second prophecy, which may appear to us to\nhave a clear reference to Jesus, we would quote that which was written\nby Moses very many years before the advent of Christ, when he makes\nJacob, on his departure from this life, to have uttered predictions\nregarding each of his sons, and to have said of Judah along with the\nothers: \u201cThe ruler will not fail from Judah, and the governor from his\nloins, until that which is reserved for him come.\u201d[1213] Now, any one\nmeeting with this prophecy, which is in reality much older than Moses,\nso that one who was not a believer might suspect that it was not written\nby him, would be surprised that Moses should be able to predict that the\nprinces of the Jews, seeing there are among them twelve tribes, should\nbe born of the tribe of Judah, and should be the rulers of the people;\nfor which reason also the whole nation are called Jews, deriving their\nname from the ruling tribe. And, in the second place, one who candidly\nconsiders the prophecy, would be surprised how, after declaring that the\nrulers and governors of the people were to proceed from the tribe of\nJudah, he should determine also the limit of their rule, saying that\n\u201cthe ruler should not fail from Judah, nor the governor from his loins,\nuntil there should come that which was reserved for him, and that He is\nthe expectation of the Gentiles.\u201d[1214] For He came for whom these\nthings were reserved, viz. the Christ of God, the ruler of the promises\nof God. And manifestly He is the only one among those who preceded, and,\nI might make bold to say, among those also who followed Him, who was the\nexpectation of the Gentiles; for converts from among all the Gentile\nnations have believed on God through Him, and that in conformity with\nthe prediction of Isaiah, that in His name the Gentiles had hoped: \u201cIn\nThy name shall the Gentiles hope.\u201d[1215] And this man said also to those\nwho are in prison, as every man is a captive to the chains of his sins,\n\u201cCome forth;\u201d and to the ignorant, \u201cCome into the light:\u201d these things\nalso having been thus foretold: \u201cI have given Thee for a covenant of the\npeople, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate\nheritage; saying to the prisoners, Go forth; and to them that are in\ndarkness, Show yourselves.\u201d[1216] And we may see at the appearing of\nthis man, by means of those who everywhere throughout the world have\nreposed a simple faith in Him, the fulfilment of this prediction: \u201cThey\nshall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all the beaten\ntracks.\u201d[1217]\n\nFootnote 1213:\n\n Cf. Gen. xlix. 10, \u1f15\u03c9\u03c2 \u1f02\u03bd \u1f14\u03bb\u03b8\u1fc3 \u03c4\u1f70 \u1f00\u03c0\u03bf\u03ba\u03b5\u03af\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03b1 \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u1ff7. This is one of the\n passages of the Septuagint which Justin Martyr charges the Jews with\n corrupting; the true reading, according to him, being \u1f15\u03c9\u03c2 \u1f02\u03bd \u1f14\u03bb\u03b8\u1fc3 \u1fa7\n \u1f00\u03c0\u03cc\u03ba\u03b5\u03b9\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9. Cf. Justin Martyr, _Dialogue with Trypho_, Ante-Nicene Lib.\n p. 251.\n\nFootnote 1214:\n\n Cf. Gen. xlix. 10.\n\nFootnote 1215:\n\n Isa. xlii. 4.\n\nFootnote 1216:\n\n Cf. Isa. xlix. 8, 9.\n\nFootnote 1217:\n\n Isa. xlix. 9.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter LIV.\n\n\nAnd since Celsus, although professing to know all about the Gospel,\nreproaches the Saviour because of His sufferings, saying that He\nreceived no assistance from the Father, or was unable to aid Himself; we\nhave to state that His sufferings were the subject of prophecy, along\nwith the cause of them; because it was for the benefit of mankind that\nHe should die on their account,[1218] and should suffer stripes because\nof His condemnation. It was predicted, moreover, that some from among\nthe Gentiles would come to the knowledge of Him (among whom the prophets\nare not included); and it had been declared that He would be seen in a\nform which is deemed dishonourable among men. The words of prophecy run\nthus: \u201cLo, my Servant shall have understanding, and shall be exalted and\nglorified, and raised exceedingly high. In like manner, many shall be\nastonished at Thee; so Thy form shall be in no reputation among men, and\nThy glory among the sons of men. Lo, many nations shall marvel because\nof Him; and kings shall close their mouths: because they, to whom no\nmessage about Him was sent, shall see Him; and they who have not heard\nof Him, shall have knowledge of Him.\u201d[1219] \u201cLord, who hath believed our\nreport? and to whom was the arm of the Lord revealed? We have reported,\nas a child before Him, as a root in a thirsty ground. He has no form nor\nglory; and we beheld Him, and He had not any form nor beauty: but His\nappearance was without honour, and deficient more than that of all men.\nHe was a man under suffering, and who knew how to bear sickness: because\nHis countenance was averted, He was treated with disrespect, and was\nmade of no account. This man bears our sins, and suffers pain on our\nbehalf; and we regarded Him as in trouble, and in suffering, and as\nill-treated. But He was wounded for our sins, and bruised for our\niniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him; by His stripes\nwe were healed. We all, like sheep, wandered from the way. A man\nwandered in his way, and the Lord delivered Him on account of our sins;\nand He, because of His evil treatment, opens not His mouth. As a sheep\nwas He led to slaughter; and as a lamb before her shearer is dumb, so He\nopens not His mouth. In His humiliation His judgment was taken away. And\nwho shall describe His generation? because His life is taken away from\nthe earth; because of the iniquities of my people was He led unto\ndeath.\u201d[1220]\n\nFootnote 1218:\n\n \u1f51\u03c0\u1f72\u03c1 \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd.\n\nFootnote 1219:\n\n Cf. Isa. lii. 13-15 in the Septuagint version (Roman text).\n\nFootnote 1220:\n\n Cf. Isa. liii. 1-8 in the Septuagint version (Roman text).\n\n\n\n\n Chapter LV.\n\n\nNow I remember that, on one occasion, at a disputation held with certain\nJews, who were reckoned wise men, I quoted these prophecies; to which my\nJewish opponent replied, that these predictions bore reference to the\nwhole people, regarded as _one individual_, and as being in a state of\ndispersion and suffering, in order that many proselytes might be gained,\non account of the dispersion of the Jews among numerous heathen nations.\nAnd in this way he explained the words, \u201cThy form shall be of no\nreputation among men;\u201d and then, \u201cThey to whom no message was sent\nrespecting him shall see;\u201d and the expression, \u201cA man under suffering.\u201d\nMany arguments were employed on that occasion during the discussion to\nprove that these predictions regarding one particular person were not\nrightly applied by them to the whole nation. And I asked to what\ncharacter the expression would be appropriate, \u201cThis man bears our sins,\nand suffers pain on our behalf;\u201d and this, \u201cBut he was wounded for our\nsins, and bruised for our iniquities;\u201d and to whom the expression\nproperly belonged, \u201cBy his stripes were we healed.\u201d For it is manifest\nthat it is they who had been sinners, and had been healed by the\nSaviour\u2019s sufferings (whether belonging to the Jewish nation or converts\nfrom the Gentiles), who use such language in the writings of the prophet\nwho foresaw these events, and who, under the influence of the Holy\nSpirit, applied these words to a person. But we seemed to press them\nhardest with the expression, \u201cBecause of the iniquities of my people was\nhe led away unto death.\u201d For if the people, according to them, are the\nsubject of the prophecy, how is the man said to be led away to death\nbecause of the iniquities of the people of God, unless he be a different\nperson from that people of God? And who is this person save Jesus\nChrist, by whose stripes they who believe on Him are healed, when \u201cHe\nhad spoiled the principalities and powers (that were over us), and had\nmade a show of them openly on His cross?\u201d At another time we may explain\nthe several parts of the prophecy, leaving none of them unexamined. But\nthese matters have been treated at greater length, necessarily as I\nthink, on account of the language of the Jew, as quoted in the work of\nCelsus.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter LVI.\n\n\nNow it escaped the notice of Celsus, and of the Jew whom he has\nintroduced, and of all who are not believers in Jesus, that the\nprophecies speak of two advents of Christ: the former characterized by\nhuman suffering and humility, in order that Christ, being with men,\nmight make known the way that leads to God, and might leave no man in\nthis life a ground of excuse, in saying that he knew not of the judgment\nto come; and the latter, distinguished only by glory and divinity,\nhaving no element of human infirmity intermingled with its divine\ngreatness. To quote the prophecies at length would be tedious; and I\ndeem it sufficient for the present to quote a part of the forty-fifth\nPsalm, which has this inscription, in addition to others, \u201cA Psalm for\nthe Beloved,\u201d where God is evidently addressed in these words: \u201cGrace is\npoured into Thy lips: therefore God will bless Thee for ever and ever.\nGird Thy sword on Thy thigh, O mighty One, with Thy beauty and Thy\nmajesty. And stretch forth, and ride prosperously, and reign, because of\nThy truth, and meekness, and righteousness; and Thy right hand shall\nlead Thee marvellously. Thine arrows are pointed, O mighty One; the\npeople will fall under Thee in the heart of the enemies of the\nKing.\u201d[1221] But attend carefully to what follows, where He is called\nGod: \u201cFor Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of\nrighteousness is the sceptre of Thy kingdom. Thou hast loved\nrighteousness, and hated iniquity: therefore God, even Thy God, hath\nanointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.\u201d[1222] And\nobserve that the prophet, speaking familiarly to God, whose \u201cthrone is\nfor ever and ever,\u201d and \u201ca sceptre of righteousness the sceptre of His\nkingdom,\u201d says that this God has been anointed by a God who was His God,\nand anointed, because more than His fellows He had loved righteousness\nand hated iniquity. And I remember that I pressed the Jew, who was\ndeemed a learned man, very hard with this passage; and he, being\nperplexed about it, gave such an answer as was in keeping with his\nJudaistic views, saying that the words, \u201cThy throne, O God, is for ever\nand ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Thy kingdom,\u201d are\nspoken of the God of all things; and these, \u201cThou hast loved\nrighteousness and hated iniquity, therefore Thy God hath anointed Thee,\u201d\netc., refer to the Messiah.[1223]\n\nFootnote 1221:\n\n Ps. xlv. 2-5.\n\nFootnote 1222:\n\n Ps. xlv. 6, 7.\n\nFootnote 1223:\n\n \u03c0\u03c1\u1f78\u03c2 \u03c4\u1f78\u03bd \u03a7\u03c1\u03b9\u03c3\u03c4\u03cc\u03bd.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter LVII.\n\n\nThe Jew, moreover, in the treatise, addresses the Saviour thus: \u201cIf you\nsay that every man, born according to the decree of Divine Providence,\nis a son of God, in what respect should you differ from another?\u201d In\nreply to whom we say, that every man who, as Paul expresses it, is no\nlonger under fear, as a schoolmaster, but who chooses good for its own\nsake, is \u201ca son of God;\u201d but this man is distinguished far and wide\nabove every man who is called, on account of his virtues, a son of God,\nseeing He is, as it were, a kind of source and beginning of all such.\nThe words of Paul are as follow: \u201cFor ye have not received the spirit of\nbondage again to fear; but ye have received the spirit of adoption,\nwhereby we cry, Abba, Father.\u201d[1224] But, according to the Jew of\nCelsus, \u201ccountless individuals will convict Jesus of falsehood, alleging\nthat those predictions which were spoken of him were intended of them.\u201d\nWe are not aware, indeed, whether Celsus knew of any who, after coming\ninto this world, and having desired to act as Jesus did, declared\nthemselves to be also the \u201csons of God,\u201d or the \u201cpower\u201d of God. But\nsince it is in the spirit of truth that we examine each passage, we\nshall mention that there was a certain Theudas among the Jews before the\nbirth of Christ, who gave himself out as some great one, after whose\ndeath his deluded followers were completely dispersed. And after him, in\nthe days of the census, when Jesus appears to have been born, one Judas,\na Galilean, gathered around him many of the Jewish people, saying he was\na wise man, and a teacher of certain new doctrines. And when he also had\npaid the penalty of his rebellion, his doctrine was overturned, having\ntaken hold of very few persons indeed, and these of the very humblest\ncondition. And after the times of Jesus, Dositheus the Samaritan also\nwished to persuade the Samaritans that he was the Christ predicted by\nMoses; and he appears to have gained over some to his views. But it is\nnot absurd, in quoting the extremely wise observation of that Gamaliel\nnamed in the book of Acts, to show how those persons above mentioned\nwere strangers to the promise, being neither \u201csons of God\u201d nor \u201cpowers\u201d\nof God, whereas Christ Jesus was truly the Son of God. Now Gamaliel, in\nthe passage referred to, said: \u201cIf this counsel or this work be of men,\nit will come to nought\u201d (as also did the designs of those men already\nmentioned after their death); \u201cbut if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow\nthis doctrine, lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.\u201d[1225]\nThere was also Simon the Samaritan magician, who wished to draw away\ncertain by his magical arts. And on that occasion he was successful; but\nnow-a-days it is impossible to find, I suppose, thirty of his followers\nin the entire world, and probably I have even overstated the number.\nThere are exceedingly few in Palestine; while in the rest of the world,\nthrough which he desired to spread the glory of his name, you find it\nnowhere mentioned. And where it is found, it is found quoted from the\nActs of the Apostles; so that it is to Christians that he owes this\nmention of himself, the unmistakeable result having proved that Simon\nwas in no respect divine.\n\nFootnote 1224:\n\n Rom. viii. 16.\n\nFootnote 1225:\n\n Cf. Acts v. 38, 39.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter LVIII.\n\n\nAfter these matters this Jew of Celsus, instead of the Magi mentioned in\nthe Gospel, says that \u201cChaldeans are spoken of by Jesus as having been\ninduced to come to him at his birth, and to worship him while yet an\ninfant as a God, and to have made this known to Herod the tetrarch; and\nthat the latter sent and slew all the infants that had been born about\nthe same time, thinking that in this way he would ensure his death among\nthe others; and that he was led to do this through fear that, if Jesus\nlived to a sufficient age, he would obtain the throne.\u201d See now in this\ninstance the blunder of one who cannot distinguish between Magi and\nChaldeans, nor perceive that what they profess is different, and so has\nfalsified the Gospel narrative. I know not, moreover, why he has passed\nby in silence the cause which led the Magi to come, and why he has not\nstated, according to the scriptural account, that it was a star seen by\nthem in the east. Let us see now what answer we have to make to these\nstatements. The star that was seen in the east we consider to have been\na new star, unlike any of the other well-known planetary bodies, either\nthose in the firmament above or those among the lower orbs, but\npartaking of the nature of those celestial bodies which appear at times,\nsuch as comets, or those meteors which resemble beams of wood, or\nbeards, or wine jars, or any of those other names by which the Greeks\nare accustomed to describe their varying appearances. And we establish\nour position in the following manner.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter LIX.\n\n\nIt has been observed that, on the occurrence of great events, and of\nmighty changes in terrestrial things, such stars are wont to appear,\nindicating either the removal of dynasties or the breaking out of wars,\nor the happening of such circumstances as may cause commotions upon the\nearth. But we have read in the _Treatise on Comets_ by Chaeremon the\nStoic, that on some occasions also, when _good_ was to happen, comets\nmade their appearance; and he gives an account of such instances. If,\nthen, at the commencement of new dynasties, or on the occasion of other\nimportant events, there arises a comet so called, or any similar\ncelestial body, why should it be matter of wonder that at the birth of\nHim who was to introduce a new doctrine to the human race, and to make\nknown His teaching not only to Jews, but also to Greeks, and to many of\nthe barbarous nations besides, a star should have arisen? Now I would\nsay, that with respect to comets there is no prophecy in circulation to\nthe effect that such and such a comet was to arise in connection with a\nparticular kingdom or a particular time; but with respect to the\nappearance of a star at the birth of Jesus there is a prophecy of Balaam\nrecorded by Moses to this effect: \u201cThere shall arise a star out of\nJacob, and a man shall rise up out of Israel.\u201d[1226] And now, if it\nshall be deemed necessary to examine the narrative about the Magi, and\nthe appearance of the star at the birth of Jesus, the following is what\nwe have to say, partly in answer to the Greeks, and partly to the Jews.\n\nFootnote 1226:\n\n Cf. Num. xxiv. 17 (Septuag.).\n\n\n\n\n Chapter LX.\n\n\nTo the Greeks, then, I have to say that the Magi, being on familiar\nterms with evil spirits, and invoking them for such purposes as their\nknowledge and wishes extend to, bring about such results only as do not\nappear to exceed the superhuman power and strength of the evil spirits,\nand of the spells which invoke them, to accomplish; but should some\ngreater manifestation of divinity be made, then the powers of the evil\nspirits are overthrown, being unable to resist the light of divinity. It\nis probable, therefore, that since at the birth of Jesus \u201ca multitude of\nthe heavenly host,\u201d as Luke records, and as I believe, \u201cpraised God,\nsaying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good-will\ntowards men,\u201d the evil spirits on that account became feeble, and lost\ntheir strength, the falsity of their sorcery being manifested, and their\npower being broken; this overthrow being brought about not only by the\nangels having visited the terrestrial regions on account of the birth of\nJesus, but also by the power of Jesus Himself, and His innate divinity.\nThe Magi, accordingly, wishing to produce the customary results, which\nformerly they used to perform by means of certain spells and sorceries,\nsought to know the reason of their failure, conjecturing the cause to be\na great one; and beholding a divine sign in the heaven, they desired to\nlearn its signification. I am therefore of opinion that, possessing as\nthey did the prophecies of Balaam, which Moses also records, inasmuch as\nBalaam was celebrated for such predictions, and finding among them the\nprophecy about the star, and the words, \u201cI shall show him to him, but\nnot now; I deem him happy, although he will not be near,\u201d[1227] they\nconjectured that the man whose appearance had been foretold along with\nthat of the star, had actually come into the world; and having\npredetermined that he was superior in power to all demons, and to all\ncommon appearances and powers, they resolved to offer him homage. They\ncame, accordingly, to Judea, persuaded that some king had been born; but\nnot knowing over what kingdom he was to reign, and being ignorant also\nof the place of his birth, bringing gifts, which they offered to him as\none whose nature partook, if I may so speak, both of God and of a mortal\nman,\u2014gold, viz., as to a king; myrrh, as to one who was mortal; and\nincense, as to a God; and they brought these offerings after they had\nlearned the place of His birth. But since He was a God, the Saviour of\nthe human race, raised far above all those angels which minister to men,\nan angel rewarded the piety of the Magi for their worship of Him, by\nmaking known to them that they were not to go back to Herod, but to\nreturn to their own homes by another way.\n\nFootnote 1227:\n\n Cf. Num. xxiv. 17 (Septuag.).\n\n\n\n\n Chapter LXI.\n\n\nThat Herod conspired against the child (although the Jew of Celsus does\nnot believe that this really happened), is not to be wondered at. For\nwickedness is in a certain sense blind, and would desire to defeat fate,\nas if it were stronger than it. And this being Herod\u2019s condition, he\nboth believed that a king of the Jews had been born, and yet cherished a\npurpose contradictory of such a belief; not seeing that the child is\nassuredly either a king and will come to the throne, or that he is not\nto be a king, and that his death, therefore, will be to no purpose. He\ndesired accordingly to kill Him, his mind being agitated by contending\npassions on account of his wickedness, and being instigated by the blind\nand wicked devil who from the very beginning plotted against the\nSaviour, imagining that He was and would become some mighty one. An\nangel, however, perceiving the course of events, intimated to Joseph,\nalthough Celsus may not believe it, that he was to withdraw with the\nchild and His mother into Egypt, while Herod slew all the infants that\nwere in Bethlehem and the surrounding borders, in the hope that he would\nthus destroy Him also who had been born King of the Jews. For he saw not\nthe sleepless guardian power that is around those who deserve to be\nprotected and preserved for the salvation of men, of whom Jesus is the\nfirst, superior to all others in honour and excellence, who was to be a\nKing indeed, but not in the sense that Herod supposed, but in that in\nwhich it became God to bestow a kingdom,\u2014for the benefit, viz., of those\nwho were to be under His sway, who was to confer no ordinary and\nunimportant blessings, so to speak, upon His subjects, but who was to\ntrain them and to subject them to laws that were truly from God. And\nJesus, knowing this well, and denying that He was a king in the sense\nthat the multitude expected, but declaring the superiority of His\nkingdom, says: \u201cIf my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants\nfight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom\nnot of this world.\u201d[1228] Now, if Celsus had seen this, he would not\nhave said: \u201cBut if, then, this was done in order that you might not\nreign in his stead when you had grown to man\u2019s estate; why, after you\ndid reach that estate, do you not become a king, instead of you, the Son\nof God, wandering about in so mean a condition, hiding yourself through\nfear, and leading a miserable life up and down?\u201d Now, it is not\ndishonourable to avoid exposing one\u2019s self to dangers, but to guard\ncarefully against them, when this is done, not through fear of death,\nbut from a desire to benefit others by remaining in life, until the\nproper time come for one who has assumed human nature to die a death\nthat will be useful to mankind. And this is plain to him who reflects\nthat Jesus died for the sake of men,\u2014a point of which we have spoken to\nthe best of our ability in the preceding pages.\n\nFootnote 1228:\n\n Cf. John xviii. 36.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter LXII.\n\n\nAnd after such statements, showing his ignorance even of the number of\nthe apostles, he proceeds thus: \u201cJesus having gathered around him ten or\neleven persons of notorious character, the very wickedest of\ntax-gatherers and sailors, fled in company with them from place to\nplace, and obtained his living in a shameful and importunate manner.\u201d\nLet us to the best of our power see what truth there is in such a\nstatement. It is manifest to us all who possess the Gospel narratives,\nwhich Celsus does not appear even to have read, that Jesus selected\ntwelve apostles, and that of these Matthew alone was a tax-gatherer;\nthat when he calls them indiscriminately sailors, he probably means\nJames and John, because they left their ship and their father Zebedee,\nand followed Jesus; for Peter and his brother Andrew, who employed a net\nto gain their necessary subsistence, must be classed not as sailors, but\nas the Scripture describes them, as fishermen. The Lebes[1229] also, who\nwas a follower of Jesus, may have been a tax-gatherer; but he was not of\nthe number of the apostles, except according to a statement in one of\nthe copies of Mark\u2019s Gospel.[1230] And we have not ascertained the\nemployments of the remaining disciples, by which they earned their\nlivelihood before becoming disciples of Jesus. I assert, therefore, in\nanswer to such statements as the above, that it is clear to all who are\nable to institute an intelligent and candid examination into the history\nof the apostles of Jesus, that it was by help of a divine power that\nthese men taught Christianity, and succeeded in leading others to\nembrace the word of God. For it was not any power of speaking, or any\norderly arrangement of their message, according to the arts of Grecian\ndialectics or rhetoric, which was in them the effective cause of\nconverting their hearers. Nay, I am of opinion that if Jesus had\nselected some individuals who were wise according to the apprehension of\nthe multitude, and who were fitted both to think and speak so as to\nplease them, and had used such as the ministers of His doctrine, He\nwould most justly have been suspected of employing artifices, like those\nphilosophers who are the leaders of certain sects, and consequently the\npromise respecting the divinity of His doctrine would not have\nmanifested itself; for had the doctrine and the preaching consisted in\nthe persuasive utterance and arrangement of words, then faith also, like\nthat of the philosophers of the world in their opinions, would have been\nthrough the wisdom of men, and not through the power of God. Now, who is\nthere, on seeing fishermen and tax-gatherers, who had not acquired even\nthe merest elements of learning (as the Gospel relates of them, and in\nrespect to which Celsus believes that they speak the truth, inasmuch as\nit is their own ignorance which they record), discoursing boldly not\nonly among the Jews of faith in Jesus, but also preaching Him with\nsuccess among other nations, would not inquire whence they derived this\npower of persuasion, as theirs was certainly not the common method\nfollowed by the multitude? And who would not say that the promise,\n\u201cFollow me, and I will make you fishers of men,\u201d[1231] had been\naccomplished by Jesus in the history of His apostles by a sort of divine\npower? And to this also, Paul, referring in terms of commendation, as we\nhave stated a little above, says: \u201cAnd my speech and my preaching was\nnot with enticing words of man\u2019s wisdom, but in demonstration of the\nSpirit and of power; that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of\nmen, but in the power of God.\u201d[1232] For, according to the predictions\nin the prophets, foretelling the preaching of the gospel, \u201cthe Lord gave\nthe word in great power to them who preached it, even the King of the\npowers of the Beloved,\u201d[1233] in order that the prophecy might be\nfulfilled which said, \u201cHis word shall run very swiftly.\u201d[1234] And we\nsee that \u201cthe voice of the apostles of Jesus has gone forth into all the\nearth, and their words to the end of the world.\u201d[1235] On this account\nare they who hear the word powerfully proclaimed filled with power,\nwhich they manifest both by their dispositions and their lives, and by\nstruggling even to death on behalf of the truth; while some are\naltogether empty, although they profess to believe in God through Jesus,\ninasmuch as, not possessing any divine power, they have the appearance\nonly of being converted to the word of God. And although I have\npreviously mentioned a Gospel declaration uttered by the Saviour, I\nshall nevertheless quote it again, as appropriate to the present\noccasion, as it confirms both the divine manifestation of our Saviour\u2019s\nforeknowledge regarding the preaching of His gospel, and the power of\nHis word, which without the aid of teachers gains the mastery over those\nwho yield their assent to persuasion accompanied with divine power; and\nthe words of Jesus referred to are, \u201cThe harvest is plenteous, but the\nlabourers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He\nwill send forth labourers into His harvest.\u201d[1236]\n\nFootnote 1229:\n\n \u039b\u03b5\u03b2\u03b7\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 1230:\n\n Cf. Mark iii. 18 with Matt. x. 3.\n\nFootnote 1231:\n\n Matt. iv. 19.\n\nFootnote 1232:\n\n Cf. 1 Cor. ii. 4, 5.\n\nFootnote 1233:\n\n Cf. Ps. lxviii. 11 (Septuag.).\n\nFootnote 1234:\n\n Ps. cxlvii. 15.\n\nFootnote 1235:\n\n Ps. xix. 4.\n\nFootnote 1236:\n\n Matt. ix. 37, 38.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter LXIII.\n\n\nAnd since Celsus has termed the apostles of Jesus men of infamous\nnotoriety, saying that they were tax-gatherers and sailors of the vilest\ncharacter, we have to remark, with respect to this charge, that he\nseems, in order to bring an accusation against Christianity, to believe\nthe Gospel accounts only where he pleases, and to express his disbelief\nof them, in order that he may not be forced to admit the manifestations\nof Divinity related in these same books; whereas one who sees the spirit\nof truth by which the writers are influenced, ought, from their\nnarration of things of inferior importance, to believe also the account\nof divine things. Now in the general Epistle of Barnabas, from which\nperhaps Celsus took the statement that the apostles were notoriously\nwicked men, it is recorded that \u201cJesus selected His own apostles, as\npersons who were more guilty of sin than all other evil-doers.\u201d[1237]\nAnd in the Gospel according to Luke, Peter says to Jesus, \u201cDepart from\nme, O Lord, for I am a sinful man.\u201d[1238] Moreover, Paul, who himself\nalso at a later time became an apostle of Jesus, says in his Epistle to\nTimothy, \u201cThis is a faithful saying, that Jesus Christ came into the\nworld to save sinners, of whom I am the chief.\u201d[1239] And I do not know\nhow Celsus should have forgotten or not have thought of saying something\nabout Paul, the founder, after Jesus, of the churches that are in\nChrist. He saw, probably, that anything he might say about that apostle\nwould require to be explained, in consistency with the fact that, after\nbeing a persecutor of the church of God, and a bitter opponent of\nbelievers, who went so far even as to deliver over the disciples of\nJesus to death, so great a change afterwards passed over him, that he\npreached the gospel of Jesus from Jerusalem round about to Illyricum,\nand was ambitious to carry the glad tidings where he needed not to build\nupon another man\u2019s foundation, but to places where the gospel of God in\nChrist had not been proclaimed at all. What absurdity, therefore, is\nthere, if Jesus, desiring to manifest to the human race the power which\nHe possesses to heal souls, should have selected notorious and wicked\nmen, and should have raised them to such a degree of moral excellence,\nthat they became a pattern of the purest virtue to all who were\nconverted by their instrumentality to the gospel of Christ?\n\nFootnote 1237:\n\n Epistle of Barnabas, chap. v. (Cf. Ante-Nicene Library, vol. Apostolic\n Fathers, p. 108.)\n\nFootnote 1238:\n\n Luke v. 8.\n\nFootnote 1239:\n\n Cf. 1 Tim. i. 15.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter LXIV.\n\n\nBut if we were to reproach those who have been converted with their\nformer lives, then we would have occasion to accuse Ph\u00e6do also, even\nafter he became a philosopher; since, as the history relates, he was\ndrawn away by Socrates from a house of bad fame[1240] to the pursuits of\nphilosophy. Nay, even the licentious life of Polemo, the successor of\nXenocrates, will be a subject of reproach to philosophy; whereas even in\nthese instances we ought to regard it as a ground of praise, that\nreasoning was enabled, by the persuasive power of these men, to convert\nfrom the practice of such vices those who had been formerly entangled by\nthem. Now among the Greeks there was only one Ph\u00e6do, I know not if there\nwere a second, and one Polemo, who betook themselves to philosophy,\nafter a licentious and most wicked life; while with Jesus there were not\nonly at the time we speak of, the twelve disciples, but many more at all\ntimes, who, becoming a band of temperate men, speak in the following\nterms of their former lives: \u201cFor we ourselves also were sometimes\nfoolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures,\nliving in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after\nthat the kindness and love of God our Saviour towards man appeared, by\nthe washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which He\nshed upon us richly,\u201d[1241] we became such as we are. For \u201cGod sent\nforth His Word and healed them, and delivered them from their\ndestructions,\u201d[1242] as the prophet taught in the book of Psalms. And in\naddition to what has been already said, I would add the following: that\nChrysippus, in his treatise on the _Cure of the Passions_, in his\nendeavours to restrain the passions of the human soul, not pretending to\ndetermine what opinions are the true ones, says that according to the\nprinciples of the different sects are those to be cured who have been\nbrought under the dominion of the passions, and continues: \u201cAnd if\npleasure be an end, then by it must the passions be healed; and if there\nbe three kinds of chief blessings, still, according to this doctrine, it\nis in the same way that those are to be freed from their passions who\nare under their dominion;\u201d whereas the assailants of Christianity do not\nsee in how many persons the passions have been brought under restraint,\nand the flood of wickedness checked, and savage manners softened by\nmeans of the gospel. So that it well became those who are ever boasting\nof their zeal for the public good, to make a public acknowledgment of\ntheir thanks to that doctrine which by a new method led men to abandon\nmany vices, and to bear their testimony at least to it, that even though\nnot the truth, it has at all events been productive of benefit to the\nhuman race.\n\nFootnote 1240:\n\n \u1f00\u03c0\u1f78 \u03bf\u1f30\u03ba\u03ae\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2. Such is the reading in the text of Lommatzsch. H\u0153schel\n and Spencer read \u1f00\u03c0\u1f78 \u03bf\u1f30\u03ba\u03ae\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2 \u1f10\u03c4\u03b5\u03af\u03bf\u03c5, and Ru\u00e6us proposes \u1f11\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9\u03c1\u03af\u03bf\u03c5.\n\nFootnote 1241:\n\n Cf. Tit. iii. 3-6.\n\nFootnote 1242:\n\n Cf. Ps. cvii. 20.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter LXV.\n\n\nAnd since Jesus, in teaching His disciples not to be guilty of rashness,\ngave them the precept, \u201cIf they persecute you in this city, flee ye into\nanother; and if they persecute you in the other, flee again into a\nthird,\u201d[1243] to which teaching He added the example of a consistent\nlife, acting so as not to expose Himself to danger rashly, or\nunseasonably, or without good grounds; from this Celsus takes occasion\nto bring a malicious and slanderous accusation,\u2014the Jew whom he brings\nforward saying to Jesus, \u201cIn company with your disciples you go and hide\nyourself in different places.\u201d Now similar to what has thus been made\nthe ground of a slanderous charge against Jesus and His disciples, do we\nsay was the conduct recorded of Aristotle. This philosopher, seeing that\na court was about to be summoned to try him, on the ground of his being\nguilty of impiety on account of certain of his philosophical tenets\nwhich the Athenians regarded as impious, withdrew from Athens, and fixed\nhis school in Chalcis, defending his course of procedure to his friends\nby saying, \u201cLet us depart from Athens, that we may not give the\nAthenians a handle for incurring guilt a second time, as formerly in the\ncase of Socrates, and so prevent them from committing a second act of\nimpiety against philosophy.\u201d He further says, \u201cthat Jesus went about\nwith his disciples, and obtained his livelihood in a disgraceful and\nimportunate manner.\u201d Let him show wherein lay the disgraceful and\nimportunate element in their manner of subsistence. For it is related in\nthe Gospels, that there were certain women who had been healed of their\ndiseases, among whom also was Susanna, who from their own possessions\nafforded the disciples the means of support. And who is there among\nphilosophers, that, when devoting himself to the service of his\nacquaintances, is not in the habit of receiving from them what is\nneedful for his wants? Or is it only in them that such acts are proper\nand becoming; but when the disciples of Jesus do the same, they are\naccused by Celsus of obtaining their livelihood by disgraceful\nimportunity?\n\nFootnote 1243:\n\n Cf. Matt. x. 23.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter LXVI.\n\n\nAnd in addition to the above, this Jew of Celsus afterwards addresses\nJesus: \u201cWhat need, moreover, was there that you, while still an infant,\nshould be conveyed into Egypt? Was it to escape being murdered? But then\nit was not likely that a God should be afraid of death; and yet an angel\ncame down from heaven, commanding you and your friends to flee, lest ye\nshould be captured and put to death! And was not the great God, who had\nalready sent two angels on your account, able to keep you, His only Son,\nthere in safety?\u201d From these words Celsus seems to think that there was\nno element of divinity in the human body and soul of Jesus, but that His\nbody was not even such as is described in the fables of Homer; and with\na taunt also at the blood of Jesus which was shed upon the cross, he\nadds that it was not\n\n \u201cIchor, such as flows in the veins of the blessed gods.\u201d[1244]\n\nWe now, believing Jesus Himself, when He says respecting His divinity,\n\u201cI am the way, and the truth, and the life,\u201d[1245] and employs other\nterms of similar import; and when He says respecting His being clothed\nwith a human body, \u201cAnd now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you\nthe truth,\u201d[1246] conclude that He was a kind of compound being. And so\nit became Him who was making provision for His sojourning in the world\nas a human being, not to expose Himself unseasonably to the danger of\ndeath. And in like manner it was necessary that He should be taken away\nby His parents, acting under the instructions of an angel from heaven,\nwho communicated to them the divine will, saying on the first occasion,\n\u201cJoseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife;\nfor that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost;\u201d[1247] and on\nthe second, \u201cArise, and take the young child, and His mother, and flee\ninto Egypt; and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will\nseek the young child to destroy Him.\u201d[1248] Now, what is recorded in\nthese words appears to me to be not at all marvellous. For in either\npassage of Scripture it is stated that it was in a dream that the angel\nspoke these words; and that in a dream certain persons may have certain\nthings pointed out to them to do, is an event of frequent occurrence to\nmany individuals,\u2014the impression on the mind being produced either by an\nangel or by some other thing. Where, then, is the absurdity in believing\nthat He who had once become incarnate, should be led also by human\nguidance to keep out of the way of dangers? Not indeed from any\nimpossibility that it should be otherwise, but from the moral fitness\nthat ways and means should be made use of to ensure the safety of Jesus.\nAnd it was certainly better that the child Jesus should escape the snare\nof Herod, and should reside with His parents in Egypt until the death of\nthe conspirator, than that Divine Providence should hinder the free will\nof Herod in his wish to put the child to death, or that the fabled\npoetic helmet of Hades should have been employed, or anything of a\nsimilar kind done with respect to Jesus, or that they who came to\ndestroy Him should have been smitten with blindness like the people of\nSodom. For the sending of help to Him in a very miraculous and\nunnecessarily public manner, would not have been of any service to Him\nwho wished to show that as a man, to whom witness was borne by God, He\npossessed within that form which was seen by the eyes of men some higher\nelement of divinity,\u2014that which was properly the Son of God\u2014God the\nWord\u2014the power of God, and the wisdom of God\u2014He who is called the\nChrist. But this is not a suitable occasion for discussing the composite\nnature of the incarnate Jesus; the investigation into such a subject\nbeing for believers, so to speak, a sort of private question.\n\nFootnote 1244:\n\n Cf. _Iliad_, v. 340.\n\nFootnote 1245:\n\n John xiv. 6.\n\nFootnote 1246:\n\n Cf. John viii. 40.\n\nFootnote 1247:\n\n Cf. Matt. i. 20.\n\nFootnote 1248:\n\n Cf. Matt. ii. 13.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter LXVII.\n\n\nAfter the above, this Jew of Celsus, as if he were a Greek who loved\nlearning, and were well instructed in Greek literature, continues: \u201cThe\nold mythological fables, which attributed a divine origin to Perseus,\nand Amphion, and \u00c6acus, and Minos, were not believed by us.\nNevertheless, that they might not appear unworthy of credit, they\nrepresented the deeds of these personages as great and wonderful, and\ntruly beyond the power of man; but what hast thou done that is noble or\nwonderful either in deed or in word? Thou hast made no manifestation to\nus, although they challenged you in the temple to exhibit some\nunmistakeable sign that you were the Son of God.\u201d In reply to which we\nhave to say: Let the Greeks show to us, among those who have been\nenumerated, any one whose deeds have been marked by a utility and\nsplendour extending to after generations, and which have been so great\nas to produce a belief in the fables which represented them as of divine\ndescent. But these Greeks can show us nothing regarding those men of\nwhom they speak, which is even inferior by a great degree to what Jesus\ndid; unless they take us back to their fables and histories, wishing us\nto believe them without any reasonable grounds, and to discredit the\nGospel accounts even after the clearest evidence. For we assert that the\nwhole habitable world contains evidence of the works of Jesus, in the\nexistence of those churches of God which have been founded through Him\nby those who have been converted from the practice of innumerable sins.\nAnd the name of Jesus can still remove distractions from the minds of\nmen, and expel demons, and also take away diseases; and produce a\nmarvellous meekness of spirit and complete change of character, and a\nhumanity, and goodness, and gentleness in those individuals who do not\nfeign themselves to be Christians for the sake of subsistence or the\nsupply of any mortal wants, but who have honestly accepted the doctrine\nconcerning God and Christ, and the judgment to come.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter LXVIII.\n\n\nBut after this, Celsus, having a suspicion that the great works\nperformed by Jesus, of which we have named a few out of a great number,\nwould be brought forward to view, affects to grant that those statements\nmay be true which are made regarding His cures, or His resurrection, or\nthe feeding of a multitude with a few loaves, from which many fragments\nremained over, or those other stories which Celsus thinks the disciples\nhave recorded as of a marvellous nature; and he adds: \u201cWell, let us\nbelieve that these were actually wrought by you.\u201d But then he\nimmediately compares them to the tricks of jugglers, who profess to do\nmore wonderful things, and to the feats performed by those who have been\ntaught by Egyptians, who in the middle of the market-place, in return\nfor a few obols, will impart the knowledge of their most venerated arts,\nand will expel demons from men, and dispel diseases, and invoke the\nsouls of heroes, and exhibit expensive banquets, and tables, and dishes,\nand dainties having no real existence, and who will put in motion, as if\nalive, what are not really living animals, but which have only the\nappearance of life. And he asks, \u201cSince, then, these persons can perform\nsuch feats, shall we of necessity conclude that they are \u2018sons of God,\u2019\nor must we admit that they are the proceedings of wicked men under the\ninfluence of an evil spirit?\u201d You see that by these expressions he\nallows, as it were, the existence of magic. I do not know, however, if\nhe is the same who wrote several books against it. But, as it helped his\npurpose, he compares the [miracles] related of Jesus to the results\nproduced by magic. There would indeed be a resemblance between them, if\nJesus, like the dealers in magical arts, had performed His works only\nfor show; but now there is not a single juggler who, by means of his\nproceedings, invites his spectators to reform their manners, or trains\nthose to the fear of God who are amazed at what they see, nor who tries\nto persuade them so to live as men who are to be justified[1249] by God.\nAnd jugglers do none of these things, because they have neither the\npower nor the will, nor any desire to busy themselves about the\nreformation of men, inasmuch as their own lives are full of the grossest\nand most notorious sins. But how should not He who, by the miracles\nwhich He did, induced those who beheld the excellent results to\nundertake the reformation of their characters, manifest Himself not only\nto His genuine disciples, but also to others as a pattern of most\nvirtuous life, in order that His disciples might devote themselves to\nthe work of instructing men in the will of God, and that the others,\nafter being more fully instructed by His word and character than by His\nmiracles, as to how they were to direct their lives, might in all their\nconduct have a constant reference to the good pleasure of the universal\nGod? And if such were the life of Jesus, how could any one with reason\ncompare Him with the sect of impostors, and not, on the contrary,\nbelieve, according to the promise, that He was God, who appeared in\nhuman form to do good to our race?\n\nFootnote 1249:\n\n \u1f61\u03c2 \u03b4\u03b9\u03ba\u03b1\u03b9\u03c9\u03b8\u03b7\u03c3\u03bf\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03bf\u03c5\u03c2.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter LXIX.\n\n\nAfter this, Celsus, confusing together the Christian doctrine and the\nopinions of some heretical sect, and bringing them forward as charges\nthat were applicable to all who believe in the divine word, says: \u201cSuch\na body as yours could not have belonged to God.\u201d Now, in answer to this,\nwe have to say that Jesus, on entering into the world, assumed, as one\nborn of a woman, a human body, and one which was capable of suffering a\nnatural death. For which reason, in addition to others, we say that He\nwas also a great wrestler;[1250] having, on account of His human body,\nbeen tempted in all respects like other men, but no longer as men, with\nsin as a consequence, but being altogether without sin. For it is\ndistinctly clear to us that \u201cHe did no sin, neither was guile found in\nHis mouth; and as one who knew no sin,\u201d God delivered Him up as pure for\nall who had sinned. Then Celsus says: \u201cThe body of God would not have\nbeen so generated as you, O Jesus, were.\u201d He saw, besides, that if, as\nit is written, it had been born, His body somehow might be even more\ndivine than that of the multitude, and in a certain sense a body of God.\nBut he disbelieves the accounts of His conception by the Holy Ghost, and\nbelieves that He was begotten by one Panthera, who corrupted the Virgin,\n\u201cbecause a God\u2019s body would not have been so generated as you were.\u201d But\nwe have spoken of these matters at greater length in the preceding\npages.\n\nFootnote 1250:\n\n \u03bc\u03ad\u03b3\u03b1\u03bd \u1f00\u03b3\u03c9\u03bd\u03b9\u03c3\u03c4\u03ae\u03bd.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter LXX.\n\n\nHe asserts, moreover, that \u201cthe body of a god is not nourished with such\nfood [as was that of Jesus],\u201d since he is able to prove from the Gospel\nnarratives both that He partook of food, and food of a particular kind.\nWell, be it so. Let him assert that He ate the passover with His\ndisciples, when He not only used the words, \u201cWith desire have I desired\nto eat this passover with you,\u201d but also actually partook of the same.\nAnd let him say also, that He experienced the sensation of thirst beside\nthe well of Jacob, and drank of the water of the well. In what respect\ndo these facts militate against what we have said respecting the nature\nof His body? Moreover, it appears indubitable that after His\nresurrection He ate a piece of fish; for, according to our view, He\nassumed a [true] body, as one born of a woman. \u201cBut,\u201d objects Celsus,\n\u201cthe body of a god does not make use of such a voice as that of Jesus,\nnor employ such a method of persuasion as he.\u201d These are, indeed,\ntrifling and altogether contemptible objections. For our reply to him\nwill be, that he who is believed among the Greeks to be a god, viz. the\nPythian and Didymean Apollo, makes use of such a voice for his Pythian\npriestess at Delphi, and for his prophetess at Miletus; and yet neither\nthe Pythian nor Didymean is charged by the Greeks with not being a god,\nnor any other Grecian deity whose worship is established in one place.\nAnd it was far better, surely, that a god should employ a voice which,\non account of its being uttered with power, should produce an\nindescribable sort of persuasion in the minds of the hearers.\n\n\n\n\n Chapter LXXI.\n\n\nContinuing to pour abuse upon Jesus as one who, on account of his\nimpiety and wicked opinions, was, so to speak, hated by God, he asserts\nthat \u201cthese tenets of his were those of a wicked and God-hated\nsorcerer.\u201d And yet, if the name and the thing be properly examined, it\nwill be found an impossibility that man should be hated by God, seeing\nGod loves all existing things, and \u201chateth nothing of what He has made,\u201d\nfor He created nothing in a spirit of hatred. And if certain expressions\nin the prophets convey such an impression, they are to be interpreted in\naccordance with the general principle by which Scripture employs such\nlanguage with regard to God as if He were subject to human affections.\nBut what reply need be made to him who, while professing to bring\nforward credible statements, thinks himself bound to make use of\ncalumnies and slanders against Jesus, as if He were a wicked sorcerer?\nSuch is not the procedure of one who seeks to make good his case, but of\none who is in an ignorant and unphilosophic state of mind, inasmuch as\nthe proper course is to state the case, and candidly to investigate it;\nand, according to the best of his ability, to bring forward what occurs\nto him with regard to it. But as the Jew of Celsus has, with the above\nremarks, brought to a close his charges against Jesus, so we also shall\nhere bring to a termination the contents of our first book in reply to\nhim. And if God bestow the gift of that truth which destroys all\nfalsehood, agreeably to the words of the prayer, \u201cCut them off in thy\ntruth,\u201d[1251] we shall begin, in what follows, the consideration of the\nsecond appearance of the Jew, in which he is represented by Celsus as\naddressing those who have become converts to Jesus.\n\nFootnote 1251:\n\n Ps. liv. 5.\n\n MURRAY AND GIBB, EDINBURGH, PRINTERS TO HER MAJESTY\u2019S STATIONERY\n OFFICE.\n\n\n\n\n \u25cf Transcriber\u2019s Notes:\n \u25cb Text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_).\n \u25cb Footnotes have been moved to follow the chapters in which they are\n referenced.","title":"The writings of Origen, Vol. 1 (of 2)","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":181676}