FROM THE LATIN. Judea, and Jerusalem, and Judah, and Israel, and Jacob, not being understood by us in a carnal sense, signify certain divine mysteries, it certainly follows that those prophecies also which were delivered either concerning Egypt, or the Egyp- tians, or Babylonia and the Babylonians, and Sidon and the Sidonians, are not to be understood as spoken of that Egypt which is situated on the earth, or of the earthly Babylon, Tyre, or Sidon. Nor can those predictions which the pro- phet Ezekiel delivered concerning Pharaoh king of Egypt, apply to any man who may seem to have reigned over Egypt, as the nature of the passage itself declares. In a similar manner also, what is spoken of the prince of Tyre cannot be understood of any man or king of Tyre. And how could we possibly accept, as spoken of a man, what is related in many passages of Scripture, and especially in Isaiah, regarding Nebuchadnezzar? For he is not a man who is said to have “fallen from heaven,” or who was “ Lucifer,” or who “ arose in the morning.” But with respect to those predictions which are found in Ezekiel concerning Egypt, such as that it is to be destroyed in forty years, so that the foot of man should - not be found within it, and that it should suffer such devas- FROM THE GREEK. cities that the Saviour refers us, when to those who have gained credit by having managed their “ pounds” well, He assigns the presidency over five or ten cities. If, therefore, the prophecies relating to Judea, and Jerusalem, and Israel, and Judah, and Jacob, not being understood by us in a “carnal” sense, indicate some such mysteries [as already mentioned], it will follow also that the predictions concern- ing Egypt and the Egyptians, Babylon and the Babylonians, Tyre and the Tyrians, Sidon and the Sidonians, or the other nations, are spoken not only of these “bodily” Egyptians, and Babylonians, and Tyrians, and Sidonians, but also of their “spiritual” [counterparts]. For if there be “ spiritual” Israelites, it follows that there are also “spiritual”? Egyptians and Babylonians. For what is related in Ezekiel concerning 302 ORIGEN DE PRINCIPIIS. [Book tv.
FROM THE LATIN. tation, that throughout the whole land the blood of men should rise to the knees, I do not know that any one possessed of understanding could refer this to that earthly Egypt which adjoins Ethiopia. But let us see whether it may not be understood more fittingly in the following manner: viz. that as there is a heavenly Jerusalem and Judea, and a nation undoubtedly which inhabits it, and is named Israel; so also it is possible that there are certain localities near to these which may seem to be called either Egypt, or Babylon, or Tyre, or Sidon, and that the princes of these places, and the souls, if there be any, that inhabit them, are called Egyptians, Babylonians, Tyrians, and Sidonians. From whom also, according to the mode of life which they lead there, a sort of captivity would seem to result, in consequence of which they are said to have fallen from Judea into Babylonia or Egypt, from a higher and better condition, or to have been scattered into other countries. 23. For perhaps as those who, departing this world in FROM THE GREEK, Pharaoh king of Egypt does not at all apply to the case of a certain man who ruled or was said to rule over Egypt, as will be evident to those who give it careful consideration. Similarly, what is said about the ruler of Tyre cannot be understood of a certain man who ruled over Tyre. And what is said in many places, and especially in Isaiah, of Nebuchadnezzar, cannot be explained of that individual.
For the man Nebuchadnezzar neither fell from heaven, nor was he the morning star, nor did he arise upon the earth in the morning. Nor would any man of understanding interpret what is said in Ezekiel about Egypt—viz. that in forty years it should be laid desolate, so that the footstep of man should not be found thereon, and that the ravages of war should be so great that the blood should run throughout the whole of it, and rise to the knees—of that Egypt which is situated beside the Ethiopians whose bodies are blackened by the sun. 23. And perhaps as those here, dying according to the Cuar. 1.] ORIGEN DE PRINCIPIIS. 333 FROM THE LATIN.
virtue of that death which is common to all, are arranged, in conformity with their actions and deserts—according as they shall be deemed worthy—some in the place which is called “hell,”? others in the bosom of Abraham, and in different localities or mansions; so also from those places, as if dying there, if the expression can be used,’ do they come down from the “upper world”? to this “hell.” For that “ hell” to which the souls of the dead are conducted from this world, is, I believe, on account of this distinction, called the “lower hell” by Scripture, as is said in the book of Psalms: “ Thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.”* Every one, accordingly, of those who descend to the earth is, according to his deserts, or agreeably to the position which he occupied there, ordained to be born in this world, in a different country, or among a different nation, or in a different mode of life, or surrounded by infirmities of a different kind, or to be descended from religious parents, or parents who are not reli- gious; so that it may sometimes happen that an Israelite descends among the Scythians, and a poor Egyptian is brought down to Judea. And yet our Saviour came to gather together the lost sheep of the house of Israel; and as many of the Israelites did not accept His teaching, those who 1 Infernus. 2 Velut illic, si dici potest, moricntes. 3 A supcris. * Cf. Ps. xxx. 4 and Deut. xxxii. 22.
FROM THE GREEK. | death common to all, are, in consequence of the decds done here, so arranged as to obtain different places according to the proportion of their sins, if they should be deemed worthy of the place called Hades;* so those there dying, so to speak, descend into this Hades, being judged deserving of different abodes—better or worse—throughout all this space of earth, and [of being descended] from parents of different kinds,’ so that an Israelite may sometimes fall among Scythians, and an Egyptian descend into Judea. And yet the Saviour 1 rod xarovpetvou xuplou adov. 2 nal rape Toicds, § Toigds Toig warpdaat.
334 ORIGEN DE PRINCIPIIS. [Book tv.
FROM THE LATIN., belonged to the Gentiles were called. From which it will appear to follow, that those prophecies which are delivered to the individual nations ought to be referred rather to the souls, and to their different heavenly mansions. Nay, the nar- ratives of the events which are said to have happened either to the nation of Israel, or to Jerusalem, or to Judea, when assailed by this or that nation, cannot in many instances be understood as having actually’ occurred, and are much more appropriate to those nations of souls who inhabit that heaven which is said to pass away, or who even now are supposed to be inhabitants of it.
If now any one demand of us clear and distinct declara- tions on these points out of holy Scripture, we must answer that it was the design of the Holy Spirit, in those portions which appear to relate the history of events, rather to cover and conceal the meaning: in those passages, e.g., where they are said to go down into Egypt, or to be carried captive to Babylonia, or when in these very countries some are said to be brought to excessive humiliation, and to be placed under bondage to their masters; while others, again, in these very countries of their captivity, were held in honour and esteem, so as to occupy positions of rank and power, and were appointed to the government of provinces;—all which things, as we have said, are kept hidden and covered in the narra- 1 Corporaliter.
FROM THE GREEK. came to gather together the lost sheep of the house of Israel; but many of the Israelites not having yielded to His teach- ing, those from the Gentiles were called...And these points, as we suppose, have been concealed in the histories. For “the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.” Let us notice, then, whether the apparent and super- ficial and obvious meaning of Scripture does not resemble a 1 Matt. xii. 44.
Cup. I. | ORIGEN DE PRINCIPIIS. 335 FROM THE LATIN.
tives of holy Scripture, because “ the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hid in a field; which when a man findeth, he hideth it, and for joy thereof goeth away and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.’ By which similitude, con- sider whether it be not pointed out that the very soil and surface, so to speak, of Scripture—that is, the literal mean- ing—is the field, filled with plants and flowers of all kinds; while that deeper and profounder “spiritual” meaning are the very hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge which the Holy Spirit by Isaiah calls the dark and invisible and hidden treasures, for the finding out of which the divine help is required: for God alone can burst the brazen gates by which they are enclosed and concealed, and break in pieces the iron bolts and levers by which access is prevented to all those things which are written and concealed in Genesis respecting the different kinds of souls, and of those seeds and generations which either have a close connection with Israel? or are widely separated from his descendants; as well as what is that descent of seventy souls into Egypt, which seventy souls became in that land as the stars of heaven in multitude. But as not all of them were the licht of this world—“ for all who are of Israel are not Israel”*—they 1 Matt. xiii. 44. 3 Ad propinquitatem pertinent Israel.
FROM THE GREEK. field filled with plants of every kind, while the things lying in it, and not visible to all, but buried, as it were, under the plants that are seen, are the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge; which the Spirit through Isaiah * calls dark and invisible and concealed, God alone being able to break the brazen gates that conceal them, and to burst the iron bars that are upon the gates, in order that all the statements in the book of Genesis may be discovered which refer to the various genuine kinds, and seeds, as it were, of souls, which stand nearly related to Israel, or at a distance from it; and the descent into Eyypt of the seventy souls, that they may there 1 Cf. Isa. xlv. 3.
356 ORIGEN DE PRINCIPIIS. [Book rv.
FROM THE LATIN, grow from being seventy souls to be an important people,' and as the “sand by the sea-shore innumerable.”
24. This descent of the holy fathers into Egypt will appear as granted to this world by the providence of God for the illumination of others, and for the instruction of the human race, that so by this means the souls of others might be assisted in the work of enlightenment. For to them was first granted the privilege of converse with God, because theirs is the only race which is said to see God; this being the meaning, by interpretation, of the word “ Israel.” ” And now it follows that, agreeably to this view, ought the statement to be accepted and explained that Egypt was scourged with ten plagues, to allow the people of God to depart, or the account of what was done with the people in the wilderness, or of the building of the tabernacle by means of contributions from all the people, or of the wearing of the priestly robes, or of the vessels of the public service, because, as it is written, they truly contain within them the “ shadow and form of heavenly things.” For Paul openly says of them, that “they serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things.’* There are, moreover, contained in this same law the precepts and institutions, according to which men are to live in the holy land. Threatenings also are held out as impending over those who shall transgress the Jaw; different kinds of purifications are moreover prescribed for those who required purification, as being persons who were liable to frequent pollution, that by means of these they may arrive at last at that one purification after whicli no further pollution is permitted. The very people are num- 1 Ex ipsis Septuaginta animabus fiunt aliqui. 2 Cf. Gen. xxxii. 29. 3 Heb. viii. 5.
FROM THE GREEK. become as the “stars of heaven in multitude.” But since not all who are of them are the light of the world—“ for not all who are of Israel are Israel” ’—they become from seventy souls as the “sand that is beside the sea-shore innumerable.”
Cuar. 1. | ORIGEN DE PRINCIPIIS. 337 FROM THE LATIN, bered, though not all; for the souls of children are not yet old enough to be numbered according to the divine command: nor are those souls who cannot become the head of another, but are themselves subordinated to others as to a head, who are called “ women,” who certainly are not included in that numbering which is enjoined by God; but they alone are numbered who are called “men,” by which it might be shown that the women could not be counted separately,’ but were included in those called men. Those, however, especially belong to the sacred number, who are prepared to go forth to the battles of the Israelites, and are able to fight against those public and private enemies? whom the Father subjects to the Son, who sits on His right hand that He may destroy all principality and power, and by means of these bands of His soldiery, who, being engaged in a warfare for God, do not entangle themselves in secular business, He may overturn the kingdom of His adversary; by whom the shields of faith are borne, and the weapons of wisdom bran- dished; among whom also the helmet of hope and salvation gleams forth, and the breastplate of brightness fortifies the breast that is filled with God. Such soldiers appear to me to be indicated, and to be prepared for wars of this kind, in those persons who in the sacred books are ordered by God’s command to be numbered. But of these, by far the more perfect and distinguished are shown to be those of whom the very hairs of the head are said to be numbered. Such, indeed, as were punished for their sins, whose bodies fell in the wilderness, appear to possess a resemblance to those who had made indeed no little progress, but who could not at all, for various reasons, attain to the end of perfection; because they are reported either to have mur- mured, or to have worshipped idols, or to have committed fornication, or to have done some evil work which the mind ought not even to conceive. I do not consider the following even to be without some mystical meaning,” viz. that certain 1 Extrinsecus. 2 Hostes inimicosque. * Ne illud quidem sacramento aliquo vacuum puto. ORIG. Y 338 ORIGEN DE PRINCIPIIS. [Book rv.
FROM THE LATIN.
[of the Israelites], possessing many flocks and animals, take possession by anticipation of a country adapted for pasture and the feeding of cattle, which was the very first that the right hand of the Hebrews had secured in war.’ For, making a request of Moses to receive this region, they are divided off by the waters of the Jordan, and set apart from any possession in the holy land. And this Jordan, accord- ing to the form of heavenly things, may appear to water and irrigate thirsty souls, and the senses that are adjacent to it.2 In connection with which, even this statement does not appear superfluous, that Moses indeed hears from God what is described in the book of Leviticus, while in Deute- ronomy it is the people that are the auditors of Moses, and who learn from him what they could not hear from God. For as Deuteronomy is called, as it were, the second law, which to some will appear to convey this signification, that when the first law which was-given through Moses had come to an end, so a second legislation seems to have been enacted, which was specially transmitted by Moses to his successor Joshua, whio is certainly believed to embody a type® of our Saviour, by whose second law—that is, the precepts of the Gospel—all things are brought to pefection. 25. We have to see, however, whether this deeper meaning — may not perhaps be indicated, viz. that as in Deuteronomy the legislation is made known with greater clearness and distinctness than in those books which were first written, so also by that advent of the Saviour which He accomplislied in His state of humiliation, when He assumed the form of a servant, that more celebrated and renowned second advent in the glory of His Father may not be pointed out, and in it the types of Deuteronomy may be fulfilled, when in the kingdom of heaven all the saints shall live according to the laws of the everlasting gospel; and as in His coming now He fulfilled that law which has a shadow of good things to 1 Quem primum omnium Jsraelitici belli dextra defenderat.
2 Rigare et inundare animas sitientes, et sensus adjacentes sibi. 3 Formam.
Cuap. 1. | ORIGEN DE PRINCIPHS. | 339 FROM THE LATIN, come, so also by that [future] glorious advent will be ful- filled and brought to perfection the shadows of the present advent. For thus spake the prophet regarding it: “The breath of our countenance, Christ the Lord, to whom we said, that under Thy shadow we shall live among the nations;”? at the time, viz., when He will more worthily transfer all the saints from a temporal to an everlasting gospel, according to the designation, employed by John in the Apocalypse, of “an everlasting gospel.””
26. But let it be sufficient for us in all these matters to adapt our understanding to the rule of religion, and so to think of the words of the Holy Spirit as not to deem the language the ornate composition of feeble human eloquence, but to hold, according to the scriptural statement, that “ all the glory of the King is within,’® and that the treasure of divine meaning is enclosed within the frail vessel of the common letter. And if any curious reader were still to ask an explanation of individual points, let him come and hear, along with ourselves, how the Apostle Paul, seeking to penetrate by help of the Holy Spirit, who searches even the “deep things” of God, into the depths of divine wisdom and knowledge, and yet, unable to reach the end, so to speak, and to come to a thorough knowledge, exclaims in despair and amazement, “ Oh the depth of the riches of the know- ledge and wisdom of God!”* Now, that it was from despair of attaining a perfect understanding that he uttered this exclamation, listen to his own words: “ How unsearchable are God’s judgments! and His ways, how past finding out!’’° For he did not say that God’s judgments were difficult to discover, but that they were altogether inscrutable; nor that it was [simply] difficult to trace out His ways, but that they were altogether past finding out. For however far a man 3 Omnis gloria regis intrinsecus est. Heb., Scpt., and Vulgate all read, ‘‘daughter of the king.” Probably the omission of ‘‘ filix” in the text may be due to an error of the copyists.
340 ORIGEN DE PRINCIPIIS. [Book rv.
FROM THE LATIN, may advance in his investigations, and how great soever the progress that he may make by unremitting study, assisted even by the grace of God, and with his mind enlightened, he will not be able to attain to the end of those things which are the object of his inquiries. Nor can any created mind deem it possible in any way to attain a full comprehension [of things]; but after having discovered certain of the objects of its research, it sees again others which have still to be sought out. And even if it should succeed in mastering these, it will see again many others succeeding them which must form the subject of investigation. And on this ac- count, therefore, Solomon, the wisest of men, beholding by his wisdom the nature of things, says, “ I said, I will become wise; and wisdom herself was made far from me, far further than it was; and a profound depth who shall find?”’ Isaiah also, knowing that the beginnings of things could not be dis- covered by a mortal nature, and not even by those natures which, although more divine than human, were nevertheless themselves created or formed; knowing then, that by none of these could either the beginning or the end be discovered, says, “Tell the former things which have been, and we know that ye are gods; or announce what are the last things, and then we shall see that ye are gods.”* For my Hebrew teacher also used thus to teach, that as the beginning or end of all things could be comprehended by no one, save only our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, so under the form of a vision Isaiah spake of two seraphim alone, who with two wings cover the countenance of God, and with two His feet, and with two do fly, calling to each other alternately, and saying, “ Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of Sabaoth; the whole earth is full of Thy glory.”* That the seraphim alone have both their wings over the face of God, and over His feet, we venture to declare as meaning that 1 The Septuagint reads: Elva YoQ:cdjcouasr xal avrn iaxpurdn ar tov" paxpav vrip 3 gv, xal Baby Babos rig supyost avro. The Vulgate translates this literally.
a es Pa — ——meen, Cuap. 1. | ORIGEN DE PRINCIPIHS. 341 FROM THE LATIN, neither the hosts of holy angels, nor the “holy seats,” nor the “dominions,” nor the “ principalities,’ nor the “ powers,” can fully understand the beginning of all things, and the limits of the universe. But we are to understand that those “saints” whom the Spirit has enrolled, and the “ virtues,” approach very closely to those very beginnings, and attain to a height which the others cannot reach; and yet whatever it be that these “ virtues” have learned through revelation from the Son of God and from the Holy Spirit—and they will certainly be able to learn very much, and those of higher rank much more than those of a lower—nevertheless it is impossible for them to comprehend all things, according to the statement, “‘ The most part of the works of God are hid.”* And therefore also it is to be desired that every one, accord- ing to his strength, should ever stretch out to those things that are before, “forgetting the things that are behind,” both to better works and to a clearer apprehension and understanding, through Jesus Christ our Saviour, to whom be glory for ever!
27. Let every one, then, who cares for truth, be little concerned about words and language, seeing that in every nation there prevails a different usage of speech; but let him rather direct his attention to the meaning conveyed by the words, than to the nature of the words that convey the meaning, especially in matters of such importance and difficulty: as, eg., when it is an object of investigation whether there is any “substance” in which neither colour, nor form, nor touch, nor magnitude is to be understood as existing visible to the mind alone, which any one names as he pleases; for the Greeks call such dcw@patoy, t.e. “ incor- poreal,” while holy Scripture declares it to be “ invisible,” for Paul calls Christ the “image of the invisible God,” and says again, that by Christ were created all things “ visible and invisible.” And by this it is declared that there are, among created things, certain “ substances” that are, accord- ing to their peculiar nature, invisible. But although these 1 Cf. Ecclus. xvi. 21.
342 ORIGEN DE PRINCIPUHS. [Book rv.
FROM THE LATIN.
are not themselves “ corporeal,” they nevertheless make use of bodies, while they are themselves better than any bodily substances. But that “substance” of the Trinity which is the beginning and cause of all things, “from which are all things, and through which are all things, and in which are all things,” cannot be believed to be either a body or ina body, but is altogether incorporeal. And now let it suffice to have spoken briefly on these points (although in a digression, caused by the nature of the subject), in order to show that there are certain things, the meaning of which cannot be unfolded at all by any words of human language, but which are made known more through simple apprehension than by any properties of words. And under this rule must be brought also the understanding of the sacred Scripture, in order that its statements may be judged not according to the worthlessness of the letter, but according to the divinity of the Holy Spirit, by whose inspiration they were caused to be written.
SUMMARY [OF DOCTRINE] REGARDING THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND THE OTHER TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THE PRECEDING PAGES.
28. It is now time, after the rapid consideration which to the best of our ability we have given to the topics discussed, to recapitulate, by way of summing up what we have said in different places, the individual points, and first of all to restate our conclusions regarding the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. | Seeing God the Father is invisible and inseparable from the Son, the Son is not generated from Him by “ prolation,” as some suppose. For if the Son be a “ prolation” of the Father (the term “ prolation” being used to signify such a generation as that of animals or men usually is), then, of ‘necessity, both He who “prolated” and He who was “prolated” are corporeal. For we do not say, as the heretics suppose, that some part of the substance of God was converted into the Cuap. I. | ORIGEN DE PRINCIPIIS. 343 FROM THE LATIN.
Son, or that the Son was procreated by the Father out of things non-existent,’ t.e. beyond His own substance, so that - there once was a time when He did not exist; but, putting away all corporeal conceptions, we say that the Word and Wisdom was begotten out of the invisible and incorporeal with- out any corporeal feeling, as if it were an act of the will pro- ceeding from the understanding. Nor, seeing He is called the Son of [His] love, will it appear absurd if in this way He be called also the Son of [His] will. Nay, John also indicates that “God is Light,”? and Paul also declares that the Son is the splendour of everlasting light.’ As light, accordingly, could never exist without splendour, so neither can the Son be understood to:exist without the Father; for He is called the “express image of His person,”* and the Word and Wisdom. How, then, can it be asserted that there once was a time when He was not the Son? For that is nothing else than to say that there was once a time when He was not the Truth, nor the Wisdom, nor the Life, although in all these He is judged to be the perfect essence of God the Father; for these things cannot be severed from Him, or even be separated from His essence. And although these qualities are said to be many in understanding,* yet in their nature and essence they are one, and in them is the fulness of divinity. Now this expression which we employ—“ that there never was a time when He did not exist” —is to be understood with an allowance. For these very words “when” or “never” have a meaning that relates to time, whereas the statements made regarding Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are to be understood as transcending all time, all ages, and all eternity. For it is the Trinity alone which exceeds the comprehension not only of temporal but even of eternal intelligence; while other things which are not included in it’ are to be measured by times and ages. This Son of God, then, in respect of the Word being God, which was in the beginning with God, no 1 Ex nullis substantibus. 21 Johni. 5. 8 Cf. Heb. i. 8. * Qu quidem quamvis intellectu multa esse dicantur. 5 Que sunt extra Trinitatem.
344 ORIGEN DE PRINCIPIIS. [ Book 1v.
FROM THE LATIN.
one will logically suppose to be contained in any place; nor yet in respect of His being “ Wisdom,” or “ Truth,” or the “ Life,” or “ Righteousness,” or “ Sanctification,” or “ Re- demption:” for all these properties do not require space to be able to act or to operate, but each one of them is to be understood as meaning those individuals who participate in His virtue and working.
29. Now, if any one were.to say that, through those who are partakers of the “ Word” of God, or of His “ Wisdom,” or His “ Truth,” or His “ Life,” the Word and Wisdom itself appeared to be contained in a place, we should have to say to him in answer, that there is no doubt that Christ, in respect of being the “ Word” or “ Wisdom,” or all other things, was in Paul, and that he therefore said, “ Do you’ seek a proof of Christ speaking in me?”? and again, “TI live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.”? Seeing, then, He was in Pan, who will doubt that He was in a similar manner in Peter and in John, and in each one of the saints; and not only in those who are upon the earth, but in those also who are in heaven? For it is absurd to say that Christ was in Peter and in Paul, but not in Michael the archangel, nor in Gabriel. And from this it is distinctly shown that the divinity of the Son of God was not shut up in some place; otherwise it would have been in it only, and not in another. But since, in conformity with the majesty of its incorporeal nature, it is confined to no place; so, again, it cannot be understood to be wanting in any. But this is understood to be the sole difference, that although He is in different individuals as we have said—as Peter, or Paul, or Michael, or Gabriel— He is not in a similar way in all beings whatever. For He is more fully and clearly, and, so to speak, more openly in archangels than in other holy men.2 And this is evident