Evil or good, every rational nature except God's capable of either, 68.
Evil beings made such by them- selves, in their respective degrees, Fallen spirits, 57; the restoration of, D7, OS.
Falling away described, 43, ete.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a sum- mary of doctrine concerning, 342, ete.
Fivure of the Father’s person, Christ | Fire, eternal, the threatening of, 40- Fire, God a consuming, 9.
rr ee Goodness, INDEX OF SUBJECTS.
Flesh and spint, 245-248, Food, spiritual, 1-47.
Foundation of the world, the, 256.
Free-will, 4, 132, 133; asserted fully, 157, etce.; able to resist external causes, 161; proved from Scrip- ture, 165, etc.; passages of Serip- ture apparently opposed to, ex- plained, 165-221.
Generation, eternal, the, of Christ, 19, 22; effected by the divine will, God, apostolic doctrine respecting, 3; a Spirit, 8-11; heht, wdeul.; fire, 9; incomprehensible, 11; revealed in His works, 12, 13; simple and uncompounded in His nature, 12, 15; His nature surpasses natural bodies,—this proved from Scrip- ture, 15, 163 invisi to be seen, 16, 17; omnipotent, 28, 30; nature of His power, 31; created all things, 34; the, of the law and the prophets the same as the Father of Jesus Christ, 91-97; not a body, 91; anthropepathic expressions respecting, in the Old Testament explained, 9b, 97; the justice and goodness of, 97-100 5 the soul of, 125, 126; nothing happens without, 250; What was He doing before He created the world? 256; the image of, 23, 24, 262, 205; in the end, all in all, divine, 32; and justice, 97, etc.; consistent with the in- fliction of punishment, 8, ete.
Gospels, the, not all pure history, Hardening, the, of Pharaoh's heart, Heavenly Wiles: the, animated and endowed with ‘souls, 0-60. Heavens, the, 152.
' Hebrew master, the, of Origen, cited, aos Ifermas, The Pastor of, quoted, 34, Holy Spirit, the, the apostolic doc- trine of, 3; what, 10; the exist- ence of, 33; what He has taught in Scripture, 34; not created, 35; one of the two scraphim of Isaiah, ioe, a INDEX OF SUBJECTS.
S4; reveals God, 36; the nature of His working as distinguished from that of the Father and the Son, 37-40, 41, 43; taken from the unworthy, 39; dwells in the renewed, 30, 40; bestowed on the saints, 40; one, 114; every rational creature receives a share of, 114, 115; the advent of, after the as- | ccnsion of Christ, 115; gifts of, 116; the Paraclete, 116, 117.
TImave, the, of God, man made in, Image of God’s goodness, Christ the, Imaze of the invisible God, Christ Immortality, the, of rational natures, dod.
Thcarnation, the, of Christ, 105; the wonder of, 106, 107; the inter- mediacy of Christ’s soul between the ticsh and God in, 105, 109; the assumption of that soul in the, the reward of its virtues, 109; ditliculty of Christ possessing a human soul removed, 110; the subject illustrated, 111, 112.
TIncorporeal, meaning of the term, Inspiration, the, of the Scriptures, Interpretation of the promises, the, not literal, but spiritual, 145- Interpretation of the Scriptures, the true method, 291-423.
Isracl, the carnal and spiritual, 327, Jacoh, and Esau, 133, 134; wrestles with an angel, 25-6 Jesus, His conversation with the Samaritan woman, 11.
Justice and goodness, their harmony and consistency, 97-105.
Knowledge, the increase of, in the future state, 145-1051.
Kécurs, Sb.
Law, the, of Moses, the irrationality and impossibility of some of its precepts taken literally, 317-320, Light, God is, 8, 31.
Literal interpretation, the, of the promises condemned, 143-145; of some of the laws of Moses impos- sible, 317, etc.
Lucifer, his fall from heaven, 51-53.
New heavens and new earth, 56, 58.
Only -begotten Son of God, Christ the, 18; His self-abasement, 259. Opposing powers, or powers of dark- ness, the, 222, ete.; our contlict with, 252, ete.
Parables, why Jesus spake in, 195- Paraclete, the, 114, 116.
Daradise, the, prepared for departed saints, lol.
Passions, the, which affect the soul, Pastor, or Angel of Repentance, of Hermas, quoted, 34, 35.
Paul, his desire to depart, 149, 150.
Pharaoh, the hardening of the heart Planets, the, 87.
Potter, the, his power over the clay, Predictions respecting India, Egypt, and Babylon, ete., 531, 352.
Pre-existence, the, of rational crea- Principalities and powers of dark- Promises, the, of future good, not to be interpreted literally and car- Work, 123.
Punishment, future, 110, etc.
Qualities always belong to sub- stances, not substance, 350, 351.
Rational natures, various, 44, 45; capable of sin, 45; evil, 45, 46; whether any were create so as to be incapable of sin, or incapable of virtue, 46, 47; the glory of some and the wickedness of others, not original and essential to their being, but the result of desert, 48, 69; this proved from Scripture, 48-53; never sink into the condi- tion of irrational animals, 70; can they lead an existence out of the body, 82; the immortality of, 353, , ete.
860 | INDEX OF SUBJECTS.
Restoration, the, of fallen beings, Resurrection, the, of the body, 136; weak believers instructed on the subject, 139.
Samaritan woman, the, Jesus con- verses with, 11].
Scriptures, the, the teaching of the church respecting, 5; the inspira- tion of, 274, etc., 285, etc; the superhuman element in, does not present itself to the uninstructed, 287-290; how to be regarded and understood, 291, 294, 299; a three- fold sense in, 300; the soul of, 303- 3U8; the mysterics contained in, 308, etc.; stumbling-blocks in, 212; all not pure history, but some to be mystically understood, 313-322; in regard to many things the his- torical and litera! sense the true one, 323; passages true in their historical meaning more numerous than those which are to be spiri- tually understood, 324; the need of careful search to distinguish what is literal and what is not, 325; our duty to grasp the whole meaning of, 326.
Seeing God, how to be understood, Sense, and the senses, 15.
Seraphim, the, 340, 341.
Seraphim, the two, of Isaiah, 35.
Shepherd of Hermas, The, quoted, Sin, incentives to, 226.
Son, the only- begotten, of God, ‘Christ the, 18; self-abasement of, 257; subjection of, to the Father, 260-262; the generation of, 342, 343; the advent and incarnation Soul, the, apostolic teaching respect- ing, 4; various sorts of, 118, 119; a lost, 121, 122; and spirit of Christ, 125; why acted on some- times by evil and sometimes by good spirits, 242, etc.; has man two souls, 244, etc.; three theories | discussed, 247-252. Soul, meaning of the word, 123, 124. Spirit, what, 9. Spirits, wicked, their mode of opcra- tion, 241; good, their agency, 242.
Spiritual body, the, what, 266, 267.
Splendour of the eternal light, Christ Stony heart, the, how taken away, Stumbling-blocks designedly placed in the Scriptures, 312.
Subjection, the, of the Son to the Father, 260, etc.
Substance, 350..
Sun, the, and other planets endowcd with life and souls, 59-65.
Temptations proportioned to the strength of the tempted, 227-224; human, treated of at large, 244, etc.
Things in heaven, earth, and the under world, 57.
Thoughts, how suggested, 229, 230.
Threefold sense of Scripture, the, Thrones, dominions, etc., 56.
Trinity, the, the unity and opera- tions of the persons of, 37-41; the sum of the doctrine concerning, Typical interpretations, 306.
Tyre, the prince of, 49-51.
Vanity, the creature made subject Variety of creatures in the world, 128; accordance of this variety with righteousness and reason, 1:31, etc.; this variety brought to pass by the free-will of individuals, 152- Veil on the heart, the, what, 9.
Vessels to honour and to dishonour, Will, the, free, 4, 132, 133; assert- ed fully, 157, etc.; able to resist external causes, 161; its free- dom proved from Scripture, 165, etc.
Wisdom, threefold, 237; of the world, 238; of the princes of the world, 239.
Wisdom of God, Christ the, 19, 20, Words not to be specially considered by searchers after truth, but the meaning of, 339, 341.
Words of Christ, the, 1.
INDEX OF TEXTS.
Working, the, of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit respectively, 37- 43 World, the, church doctrine respect- ing, 5; the great variety in, 72; cause of the variety in, 72, 73; unity of, in diversity, 73, 74; the oneness of, proved from Scripture, 75; the matter of, its transforma- tions and qualities, 75; the matter of, not uncreated, 76, 77; the be- ginning of, was there one before, and shall there be one after, 79; 85; different meanings of the word in Scripture, 86; the end of, three opinions concerning, 89, 90; com- prehensiveness of, and variety of creatures in, 128-130; the accord- ance of this variety in, with right- eousness and reason, 131, etc.; the cause of the variety in, 134-136; had its beginning in time, 253; shall come to an end, 25%, etc.; another shall exist after this, 255; end of, 262, Worlds, the, not similar, but disthis, the conclusion of many ages, similar, 84. II—INDEX OF TEXTS.
Ps. xxxvil. 34, xhiv. 19, xlv. 7, xlv. 8, Ixxu. 8,. xxii. 11, Ixxi. J, Ixxvi. 10, Ixxvill. 34, Ixxxiv. 5, xlv. 3, INDEX OF TEXTS.
to > 64 1] 86 ot Ate oe SO vod 92 Isa. xlv. 12,. lii. 9, lxiv. 8,. Ixvi. 1,. Ixvi. 2, Ixvi. 16, xxviii, 11-19, xxvill, 12, XXX. 2, Dan. iv. 8, x.
Via, Hab. iii. 2, iii. I, Mal. iu. 3, APOCRYPIIA.
Wisd. vii. 16, Ecclus. vi. 4, PAGE b1 89 ie Yee 62 Pall i 74 14 lo?
99 50 94 je 34 Os 0 7 SO 1d Aas | OS 30 oe4 2 pal 26 86 Ecclus. xvi. 21, 2 Mace. vii. 28, Matt. ii. 6, d to tp Do oes Aadd<< RE Stee ou NX XVUL 10, XXIV. 12, xxiv. 14, xxiv. 21, Kxiv. 27, xxiv. 35, xxvi. 29, xxvi. 38, Mark iv. 12, INDEX OF TEXTS.
John i. J, 2.
i.
Vill. 4b, Xill. 2” xiv. 2 Xiv. X1V. XIV. xiv. Xv.
6, a e Xv. on": XVl.
XVI. XVH. XVil. XVil. XV. XVil.
XIX. XIX.
lee i. li. li. ii.
9.
INDEX OF TEXTS.
4) Col.
Gal. ii, XV Vids --~« ee 1 Thess. iv. 17, INDEX OF TEXTS.
PAGE 20 . lo aS Heb. viii. 5,.
A LETTER TO ORIGEN FROM AFRICANUS ABOUT THE HISTORY OF SUSANNA.
Wie ] RIEETING, my lord and son, most worthy Origen, 4g R884) from Africanus. In your sacred discussion with ie BY Agnomon you referred to that prophecy of Daniel which is related of his youth. This at that time, as was mect, I accepted as genuine. Now, however, I cannot understand how it escaped you that this part of the book is spurious. For, in sooth, this section, although apart from this it is elegantly written, is plainly a more modern forgery. There are many proofs of this. When Susanna is condemned to die, the prophet is seized by the Spirit, and cries out that the sentence is unjust. Now, in the first place, it is always in some other way that Daniel prophesies—by visions, and dreams, and an angel appearing to him, never by prophetic inspira- tion. Then, after crying out in this extraordinary fashion, he detects them in a way no less incredible, which not even Philistion the play-writer would have resorted to. For, not satisfied with rebuking them through the Spirit, he placed them apart, and asked them severally where they saw her committing adultery. And when the one said, “ Under a holm-tree” (prinos), he answered that the angel would saw him asunder (prisein); and in a similar fashion menaced the other who said, “ Under a mastich-tree” (schinos), with being rent asunder (schisthenat). Now, in Greek, it happens that ‘“holm-tree” and “saw asunder,” and “rend” and “ mastich- tree” sound alike; but in Hebrew they are quite distinct. But all the books of the Old Testament have been translated from Hebrew into Greck. ORIG. 2A 370 AFRICANUS TO ORIGEN.
2. Moreover, how is it that they who were captives among the Chaldzeans, lost and won at play,’ thrown out unburied on the streets, as was prophesicd of the former captivity, their sons torn from them to be eunuchs, and their daughters to be concubines, as had been prophesied; how is it that such could pass sentence of death, and that on the wife of their king Joakim, whom the king of the Babylonians had made partner of his throne? Then if it was not this Joakim, but some other from the common people, whence had a captive such a mansion and spacious garden? But a more fatal objection is, that this section, along with the other two at the end of it, is not contained in the Daniel received among the Jews. And add that, among all the many prophets who had been before, there is no one who has quoted from another word for word. For they had no need to go a-begging for words, since their own were true; but this one, in rebuking one of those men, quotes the words of the Lord: “The innocent and righteous shalt thou not slay.” From all this I infer that this section is a later addition. Moreover, the style is different. I have struck the blow; do you give the echo; answer, and instruct me. Salute all my masters. The learned all salute thee. With all my heart I pray for your and your circle’s health.
1 Nolte would change jerpeyarupeve (or dotpayarwusvos, as Wetsten. has it), which is a awa sipruevoy, into orpayyeaousvos OF toTpayyaru- uévos, ‘* strangled.” He compares Tob. ii. 3.
A LETTER FROM ORIGEN TO AFRICANUS.
mn Gteonee ey RIGEN to Africanus, a beloved brother in God the Father, through Jesus Christ, His holy child, greeting. Your letter, from which I learn what you think of the Susanna in the book of Daniel, which is used in the churches, although apparently somewhat short, presents in its few words many problems, each of which demands no common treatment, but such as oversteps the character of a lIctter, and reaches the limits of a discourse. And I, when I consider, as best I can, the measure of my intellect, that I may know myself, am aware that I am wanting in the accuracy necessary to reply to your letter; and that the more, that the few days I have spent in Nico- media have been far from sufficient to send you an answer to all your demands and queries even after the fashion of the present epistle. Wherefore pardon my little ability, and the little time I had, and read this letter with all indulgence, supplying anything I may omit.
2. You begin by saying, that when, in my discussion with our friend Bassus, I used the Scripture which con- tains the prophecy of Daniel when yet a young man in the affair of Susanna, I did this as if it had escaped me that this part of the book was spurious. You say that you praise this passage as elegantly written, but find fault with it as a more modern composition, and a forgery; and you add that the forger has had recourse to something which not even Philistion the play-writer would have used in his puns be- tween prinos and prisein, schinos and schisis, which words as they sound in Greek can be used in this way, but not in Hebrew. In answer to this, I have to tell you what it beor? ORIGEN TO AFRICANUS.
hoves us to do in the cases not only of the Ilistory of Susanna, which is found in every church of Christ in that Greek copy which the Grecks use, but is not in the Hebrew, or of the two other passages you mention at the end of the book containing the history of Bel and the Dragon, which likewise are not in the Hebrew copy of Daniel; but of thousands of other passages also which I found in many places when with my little strength I was collating the Hebrew copics with ours. For in Daniel itself I found the word “bound” fol- lowed in our versions by very many verses which are not in the Hebrew at all, beginning (according to one of the copies which circulate in the churches) thus: ‘ Ananias, and Azarias, and Misael prayed and sang unto God,” down to “Q, all ye that worship the Lord, bless ye the God of gods. Praise Him, and say that His mercy endureth for ever and ever. And it came to pass, when the king heard them sing- ing, and saw them that they were alive.” Or, as in another copy, from “And they walked in the midst of the fire, praising God and blessing the Lord,” down to “ O, all ye that worship the Lord, bless ye the God of gods. Praise Him, and say that His mercy endureth to all generations.” * But in the Hebrew copies the words, “ And these three men, Sedrach, Misach, and Abdencgo fell down bound into the midst of the fire,” are immediately followed by the verse, “ Nabouchodo- nosor the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors.” For so Aquila, following the Hebrew reading, gives it, who has obtained the credit among the Jews of having interpreted the Scriptures with no ordi- nary care, and whose version is most commonly used by those who do not know Hebrew, as the one which has been most successful. Of the copics in my possession whose readings I gave, one follows the Seventy, and the other Theodotion; and just as the Iistory of Susanna which you call a forgery is found in both, together with the passages at the end of Daniel, so they give also these passages, amounting, to make a rough guess, to more than two hundred verses.
3. And in many other of the sacred books I found some- 1 The Song of the Three Holy Children in the Apocrypha.
ORIGEN TO AFRICANUS. O13 times more in our copies than in the Hebrew, sometimes less. I shall adduce a few examples, since it is impossible to give them all. Of the book of Esther neither the prayer of Mar- dochaios nor that of Esther, both fitted to edify the reader, is found in the Hebrew. Neither are the letters;! nor the one written to Amman about the rooting up of the Jewish nation, nor that of Mardochaios in the name of Artaxerxes delivering the nation from death. Then in Job, the words from “ It is written, that he shall rise again with those whom the Lord raises,’ to the end, are not in the Hebrew, and so not in Aquila’s edition; while they are found in the Septuagint and in Theodotion’s version, agreeing with each other at Icast in sense. And many other places I found in Job where our copies have more than the Hebrew ones, sometimes a little more, and sometimes a great deal more: a little more, as when to the words, “ Rising up in the morning, he offered burnt- offerings for them according to their number,” they add, “one heifer for the sin of their soul;” and to the words, “ The angels of God came to present themselves before God, and thie devil came with them,” “from going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.” Again, after “The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away,” the Hebrew has not, “It was so, as seemed good to the Lord.” Then our copies are very much fuller than the Hebrew, when Job's wife speaks to him, from “ Flow long wilt thou hold out? And he said, Lo, I wait yet a little while, looking for the hope of my salvation,” down to “that I may cease from my troubles, and my sorrows which compass me.” For they have only these words of the woman, “But say a word against God, and die.”
4, Again, through the whole of Job there are many passages in the Hebrew which are wanting in our copies, generally four or five verses, but sometimes, however, even fourteen, and nineteen, and sixteen. But why should I enumerate all the instances I collected with so much labour, to prove that the difference between our copies and those of the Jews did 1 This should probably be corrected, with Pat. Jun., into, ‘‘ Nor are the letters, neither,” ete.
374 ORIGEN TO AFRICANUS.
not escape me? In Jeremiah I noticed many instances, and indeed in that book I found much transposition and variation in the readings of the prophecies. Again, in Genesis, the words, “ God saw that it was good,” when the firmament was made, are not found in the Hebrew, and there is no small dispute among them about this; and other instances are to be found in Genesis, which I marked, for the sake of distinction, with the sign the Grecks call an obelisk, as on the other hand I marked with an asterisk those passages in our copies which are not found in the Hebrew. What needs there speak of Exodus, where there is such diversity in what is said about the tabernacle and its court, and the ark, and the gar- ments of the high priest and the priests, that sometimes the meaning even does not seem to be akin? And, forsooth, when we notice such things, we are forthwith to reject as spurious the copies in use in our churches, and enjoin the brotherhood to put away the sacred books current among them, and to coax the Jews, and persuade them to give us copies which shall be untampered with, and free from forgery! Are we to suppose that that Providence which in the sacred Scriptures has ministered to the edification of all the churches of Christ, had no thought for those bought with a price,’ for whom Christ died; whom, although his Son, God who is love spared not, but gave Him up for us all, that with Him He might freely give us all things?° 5. In all these cases consider whether it would not be well to remember the words, “ Thou shalt not remove the ancient Jandmarks which thy fathers have set.”* Nor do I say this because I shun the labour of investigating the Jewish Scrip- tures, and comparing them with ours, and noticing their various readings. This, if it be not arrogant to say it, I have already toa great extent done to the best of my ability, labouring hard to get at the meaning in all the editions and various readings;* while I paid particular attention to the interpre- 2 Rom. viii. 32. 8 Prov. xxii. 28.
* Origen’s most important contribution to biblical literature was his elaborate attempt to rectify the text of the Septuagint by collating it ORIGEN TO AFRICANUS. 375 tation of the Seventy, lest I might be found to accredit any forgery to the churches which are under heaven, and give an occasion to those who seek such a starting-point for gratifying their desire to slander the common brethren, and to bring some accusation against those who shine forth in our community. And I make it my endeavour not to be ignorant of their various readings, lest in my controversies with the Jews I should quote to them what is not found in their copies, and that I may make some use of what is found there, even although it should not be in our Scriptures. For if we are so prepared for them in our discussions, they will not, as is their manner, scornfully laugh at Gentile believers for their ignorance of the true reading as they have them. So far as to the History of Susanna not being found in the Hebrew. 6. Let us now look at the things you find fault with in the story itself. And here Iet us begin with what would pro- bably make any one averse to receiving the history: I mean the play of words between princs and prisis, schinos and schists. You say that you can see how this can be in Greek, but that in Hebrew the words are altogether distinct. On this point, however, I am still in doubt; because, when I was considering this passage (for I myself saw this difficulty), I consulted not a few Jews about it, asking them the Iebrew words for prinos and prisein, and how they would translate schinos the tree, and how schisis. And they said that they did not know these Greek words prinos and schinos, and asked me to show them the trees, that they might see what they called them. And I at once (for the truth’s dear sake) put before them pieces of the different trees, One of them with the Hebrew original and other Greek versions. On this he spent twenty-eight years, during which he travelled through the East collect- ing materials. The form in which he first issued the result of his labours was that of the 7etrapla, which presented in four columns the texts of the LXX., Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion. He next issued the Hezxapla, in which the Hebrew text was given, first in Hebrew and then in Greck letters. Of some books he gave two additional Greek versions, whence the title Octapla; and there was even a seventh Greek version added for some books. Unhappily this great work, which extended to nearly fifty volumes, was never transcribed, and so perished (Kitto, Cycl.).
376 ORIGEN TO AFRICANUS.
then said, that he could not with any certainty give the Hebrew name of anything not mentioned in Scripture, since, if one was at a loss, he was prone to use the Syriac word instead of the Hebrew one; and he went on to say, that some words the very wisest could not translate. “ If, then,” said he, ‘“ you can adduce a passage in any Scripture where the schinos is mentioned, or the prinos, you will find there the words you seck, together with the words which have the same sound; but if it is nowhere mentioned, we also do not know it.” This, then, being what the Hebrews said to whom I had recourse, and who were acquainted with the history, I am cautious of affirming whether or not there is any correspond- ence to this play of words in the Hebrew. Your reason for affirming that there is not, you yourself probably know.
7. Moreover, 1 remember hearing from a learned Hebrew, said among themselves to be the son of a wise man, and to have been specially trained to succeed his father, with whoim I had intercourse on many subjects, the names of these elders, just as if he did not reject the History of Susanna, as they occur in Jeremia as follows: “ The Lord make thee like Zedekias and Achiab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire, for the iniquity they did in Israel.” How, then, could the one be sawn asunder by an angel, and the other rent in pieces? The answer is, that these things were pro- phesied not of this world, but of the judgment of God, after the departure from this world. For as the lord of that wicked servant who says, % My lord delayeth his coming,” and so gives himself up to drunkenness, eating and drinking with drunkards, and smiting his fellow-servants, shall at his coming “ cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers,’? even so the angels appointed to punish wiil accomplish these things (just as they will cut asunder the wicked steward of that passage) on these men, who were called indeed elders, but who administered their stewardship wickedly. One will saw asunder him who was waxen old in wicked days, who had pronounced false judgment, con- demning the innocent, and letting the guilty go free;* and ORIGEN YO AFRICANUS. O77 another will rend in pieces him of the secd of Chanaan, and not of Judah, whom beauty had deceived, and whose heart lust had perverted.’
8. And I knew another Hebrew, who told about these elders such traditions as the following: that they pretended to the Jews in captivity, who were hoping by the coming of Christ to be freed from the yoke of their enemies, that they could explain clearly the things concerning Christ,...and that they so deceived the wives of their countrymen.? Where- fore it is that the prophet Daniel calls the one “ waxen old in wicked days,” and says to the other, “ Thus have ye dealt with the children of Israel; but the daughters of Juda would not abide your wickedness.”
9. But probably to this you will say, Why then is the “ EHis- tory” not in their Daniel, if, as you say, their wise men hand down by tradition such stories? The answer is, that they hid from the knowledge of the people as many of the passages which contained any scandal against the elders, rulers, and judges, as they could, some of which have been preserved in uncanonical writings (Apocrypha). As an example, take the story told about Esaias, and guaranteed by the Epistle to the Hebrews, which is found in none of their public books. For the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, in speaking of the prophets, and what they suffered, says, “ They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, they were slain with the sword.”® To whom, I ask, does the “ sawn asunder” refer (for by an old idiom, not peculiar to Hebrew, but found also in Greek, this is said in the plural, although it refers to but one per- son)? Now we know very well that tradition says that Esaias the prophet was sawn asunder; and this is found in some apocryphal work, which probably the Jews have pur- 1 Susanna 56.
2 Et utrumque sigillatim in quamcunque mulierem incidebat, et cui vitium afferre cupicbat, ci secreto affirmasse sibi a Deo datum gignere Christum. Hinc spe gignendi Christum decepta mulier, sui copiam decipienti faciebat, et sic civium uxores stuprabant seniores Achib et Sedekias.
378 ORIGEN TO AFRICANUS.
posely tampered with, introducing some phrases manifestly incorrect, that discredit might be thrown on the whole.