of the age in which they lived; when they appear also to have been men of unspotted characters, and give evident proofs of honesty and integrity.

CHAP. XXXVIII.

ORIGEN.

1. His history and character. II. III. Select passages of Origen. IV. V. VI. Three catalogues of the books of the N. T. VII. Of the four gospels. VIII. Acts of the Apostles. IX. St. Paul's epistles. X. The epistle to the Hebrews. XI. The epistle of St. James. XII. First and second of St. Peter. XIII. St. John's three epistles. XIV. St. Jude's epistle. XV. The Revelation. XVI. Whether Origen says, that from the beginning christians were divided about the books of scripture. XVII. A passage containing a general enumeration of the books of the New Testament. XVIII. General titles and divisions of the books of scripture. XIX. Respect for them. XX. Reading them recommended. XXI. Publicly read. XXII. The inquiry, whether Origen received as scripture any books not in the present canon, proposed. XXIII. Of ecclesiastical writings cited by Origen, St. Barnabas's epistle; St. Clement's; The Recognitions; the Shepherd of Hermas; St. Ignatius. XXIV. Spurious and apocryphal writings; apocryphal gospels in general; the gospel according to the Hebrews; the gospel according to Peter; the doctrine and preaching of Peter; Acts of Paul; an anonymous book. XXV. Jewish apocryphal books; Tobit, Judith, Ecclesiasticus, Susanna, Maccabees; the books of Enoch; the Twelve Patriarchs; the Ascension of Moses; anonymous pieces: apocryphal writings said to be referred to in the N. T. XXVI. Remarks upon the foregoing citations. XXVII. Select various readings. XXVIII. Explications of texts. XXIX. General observations

upon the scriptures of the New Testament. XXX. Whether Origen thought that St. Matthew wrote in Hebrew. XXXI. Sum of his testimony.

e

c

a

I. ORIGEN was born in Egypt, in the year of our Lord 184, or 185, that is, the fifth, or the sixth of the emperor Commodus, and died in the sixty-ninth or seventieth d year of his age, in the year of Christ 253. Porphyry f affirins, that Origen was born of Gentile parents, and educated in the Gentile religion; but that afterwards, when he was grown up, he embraced the christian religion. This is flatly contradicted by Eusebius, who was a great admirer of Origen, and wrote his history at large, which he collected partly from Origen's own epistles, and partly from the relations of his scholars, who lived to his time. And I suppose that none have observed in Origen's remaining works any evidences of his having been a heathen; which certainly would have appeared, if Porphyry had spoken truth in this matter.

Eusebius informs us, that Leonides, Origen's father, took great care of his education; and that in his childhood he raised the greatest expectations from his quick improvement in several parts of knowledge, especially of the holy scriptures; so that he often gave his father some trouble by his inquiries into the profounder meaning of them. His father seemingly reproved him before his face, bidding him to content himself with the plain obvious sense of the words, and not to aspire to things above his age; but at the same time he was exceedingly pleased: and it is reported that Leonides has stood by his son as he slept, and uncovering his breast kissed it with reverence, as honoured with the indwelling of the divine spirit, accounting himself extremely happy in a child of such attainments.

a

We have no very particular information who were

Pagi, Crit. in Baron. 202. n. vi.

b Basnag. Ann. 203. n. xii. Tillemont, Origene, art. ii.

• Vixit usque ad Gallum et Volusianum, id est, usque ad Ixix. ætatis зuæ annum, et mortuus est Tyri, in quâ urbe et sepultus est.

cap. 54. Vid. et Phot. Cod. 118. col. 297.

Hieron. de Vir. Ill.

d Ωριγενης εν τετῳ [Γαλλῳ] ένος δεοντα της ζωης έβδομηκοντα αποπλησας ETN TEXEUTA. Eus. H. E. 1. vii. cap. 1.

e Pagi, 253. n. 23. Basn. 203. n. xii. Tillem. Mem. Origene, art. 25. f Ωριγένης δε ̔Ελλην εν έλλησι παιδευθείς λόγοις, προς το βαρβαρον εξωKELλE TOλμημα. Ap. Eus. vi. cap. 19. p. 220. B.

Yevσaμevy de oapwc. Eus. ibid. p. 220. D.

* L. vi. c. 2. p. 201. C.

p. 202. C. D. 203. A.

Vid. Eus. ibid. c. 2.

Origen's masters. It is undoubted, however, that Clement,k then catechist at Alexandria, was one. He likewise heard for some time, occasionally at least, the celebrated philosopher Ammonius Saccas, as Porphyry relates expressly, and owns that Origen made good proficience in the knowledge of philosophy under that master. Theodoret mentions the same thing as a common report. But it must have been long after this time, when Örigen himself had been catechist some while, as may be concluded from what he says in a fragment of a letter preserved" in Eusebius, where he defends himself against those who accused him of too great affection for secular literature. Basnage thinks, Origen might be then about 30 years of age.

There was another of this name among the disciples of Ammonius, and one of the most eminent of them. It is certain that he ought to be distinguished from our Origen: he published but two pieces, and the latter of them in the reign of Gallienus, after the death of him whose history we are now writing.

Leonides suffered martyrdom in the year 202, the tenth of Severus, leaving behind him a wife and seven children, of which Origen was the oldest, but not quite seventeen years of age. In the very beginning of this persecution, Origen showed great zeal for christianity, and was ready to offer himself to martyrdom. Being detained at home by the prudent care of his mother, he sent a letter to his father in prison, earnestly entreating him to be constant.

* Ως και τον Ωριγένην των φοιτητων αυτε παιδα οντα γενέσθαι. Eus. 1. vi. cap. 6. 1 Ακροατης γαρ ούτος Αμμωνία το πλείτην εν τοις καθ' ἡμας χρόνοις επίδοσιν εν φιλοσοφια εσχηκοτος γεγονώς" εις μεν την των λόγων εμπειρίαν, πολλην παρα το διδασκαλε την ωφελειαν εκτήσατο. Porphyr. ap. Eus. 1. vi. cap. 19. p. 220. A. m Theodoret. Gr. Aff. 1. vi. p. 573. D. n Eus. 1. vi. c. 19. p. 221. B. Conf. cap. 18. fin. • Ann. 203. n. 15.

P Vid. Vales. Annot. p. 120. in Eus. 1. vi. c. 19. Huet. Origenian. 1. i. cap. 1. num. vii. et Fabric. Bibl. Gr. T. v. p. 213. et T. iv. p. 97. in not. ad Porphyr. cap. 3. de Vit. Plotini; et Tillemont, Mem. Ecc. T. iii. P. ii. p. 86. Ammone Saccas. Vid. et Pagi, Crit. Ann. 246. n. ii.

Vid. Porphyr. de Vit. Plotin. cap. 3, et 20.

* Ως δε ηδη αυτῳ ὁ πατηρ μαρτυρίῳ τετελειωτο, και βραχύτεροις αδελφοις τον αριθμον ἑξ, ἑπτακαιδέκατον 8 πληρες αγων ετος καταλείπεται. Eus. I. vi. cap. 3. p. 203. B. Vid. et cap. 1. Origenes, qui et Adamantius, decimo Severi Pertinacis anno adversum christianos persecutione commotâ, a Leonide patre, Christi martyrio coronato, cum sex fratribus, et matre viduâ, pauper relinquitur, annos natus circiter decem et septem: rem enim familiarem, ob confessionem Christi, fiscus occupaverat. Hieron. De V. I. cap. 54. in.

Διαπέμπεται τῳ πατρι προτρεπτικωτατην περι μαρτυρια συνταξας επισολήν, εν ἡ κατα λεξιν αυτῷ παραινεί, λεγων· Επεχε, μη δι' ήμας αλλο τι φρονησης. Eus. ibid. c. 2. p. 102. B. C.

Eusebius has preserved but one line of it; but, as Tillemont justly observes, it is worth many volumes: Take heed, father, that you do not change your mind for our sake.'

Upon the death of Leonides, the family was reduced to great straits, the estate being confiscated. Origen however was taken care of by a rich and honourable lady of Alexandria: but in a short time he was able to provide for himself by teaching grammar.

At this time the chair of the catechetical school was empty. Nor was there any one at Alexandria to teach the principles of the christian religion; the terror of the persecution had caused so many to abscond, or flee out of the city. There came then some heathens to Origen, desiring to be taught by him the christian doctrine. The first of these, as he writes himself, was Plutarch, who, after having lived well, obtained the honour of martyrdom. The second was Heraclas, Plutarch's brother, who was bishop of Alexandria after the death of Demetrius. Origen was " not above eighteen years of age when he was set over the catechetical school by appointment of Demetrius; in which office he was eminently useful, and besides gained the universal esteem of the faithful, by his frequent visits, and other kind offices, to the confessors in prison, whether strangers or of his particular acquaintance.

X

W

Having alone the whole care of the school, and the number of his disciples increasing, he left off teaching grammar, and confined himself entirely to religious instructions; in which he continued to be so successful, that there were no less than seven of his scholars who suffered martyrdom, one of which was a woman.

There must have been at that time no stated salary for the president of that school at Alexandria; and Origen was unwilling to receive a gratuity from those whom he instructed in the rudiments of the christian religion. For,' as Eusebius says,prudently considering with himself how he might be able to stand in no need of assistance

6

Eus. ib. p. 203. B. C.

Ετος δ' ηγεν

6

Eus. ibid. c. 3. p. 204. A. ▾ Ibid. A. B. οκτωκαιδέκατον, καθ ̓ ὁ τε της κατηχήσεως προεςη διδασκαλεις, κ. λ. Eus. ibid. p. 204. Β. D. Hic, Alexandriæ dispersâ ecclesiâ, decimo octavo ætatis suæ anno karnyno aggressus, postea a Demetrio, ejus urbis episcopo, in locum Clementis presbyteri confirmatus, per multos annos floruit. Hieron. de Vir. Ill. ibid.

X Επειδη δε έωρα φοιτητας ήδη πλειες προσιόντας αυτῳ μόνη της το κατη χειν διατριβης ύπο Δημητρις τε της εκκλησίας προεσωτος επιτετραμμένης, κ. λ. ld. cap. 3. 205. B. y Ibid. cap. 4, 5.

P.

2

Cap. 3.

p.

205. C.

'from others, he sold all his volumes of ancient authors, which he had collected with great care, and contented himself with four oboli [or five-pence] to be paid him ' daily by the purchaser.'

Not long after this, or however whilst he was but young, in the 21st year of his age, as is supposed, of Christ 205 or 206, he was guilty of that rash and indiscreet action so well known. For being in his early youth obliged to teach women as well as men, and being desirous to put himself out of the reach of scandal, and to deliver himself from temptations, he was induced to fulfil upon himself, in a literal sense, the saying of our Saviour, Matt. xix. 12, where he speaks of those who "make themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven." It might be said, by way of apology for him, that those words have been so understood also by others: but, as the action is in itself unjustifiable, so Origen was afterwards convinced of his error, and publicly confuted in his writings the literal interpretation of that text, in such a manner as to show that he condemned himself; saying, beside other things, But we, who once understood Christ according to the flesh, and according to the letter, but now knowing him no more in that manner, approve not of that interpretation,' which he there mentions.

6

6

Notwithstanding his important employment in the school, Origen went to Rome in the time of Zephyrinus, bishop of that city, having a desire, as he somewhere writes, to see the most ancient church of the Romaus.' Having made there a short stay, he returned to Alexandria, and applied himself again with the greatest diligence to his ordinary work of teaching the principles of religion; Demetrius still favouring his endeavours, and even quickening his zeal by earnest exhortations to promote the edification of the church. The exact time of this journey cannot be determined, only it must have been performed before 217; some thinks about the year 213.

Origen finding that he was not able to apply himself to the study of the scriptures, and the interpretation of them, as he desired, and to satisfy all those who from morning till evening came flocking to the school, took in Heraclas