Origen's Zeal and his Elevation to the Presbyterate.

AT that time Origen began his commentaries on the Divine Scriptures, being urged thereto by Ambrose, (1) who employed innumerable incentives, not only exhorting him by word, but also furnishing abundant means. For he dictated to more than seven amanuenses, who relieved each other at appointed times. And he employed no fewer copyists, besides girls who were skilled in elegant writing. For all these Ambrose furnished the necessary expense in abundance, manifesting himself an inexpressible earnestness in diligence and zeal for the divine oracles, by which he especially pressed him on to the preparation of his commentaries. While these things were in progress, Urbanus, (2) who had been for eight years bishop of the Roman church, was succeeded by Pontianus, (3) and Zebinus (4) succeeded Philetus (5) in Antioch. At this time Origen was sent to Greece on account of a pressing necessity in connection with ecclesiastical affairs, (6) and went through Palestine, and was ordained as presbyter in Caesarea by the bishops of that country. The matters that were agitated concerning him on this account, and the decisions on these matters by those who presided over the churches, besides the other works concerning the divine word which he published while in his prime, demand a separate treatise. We have written of them to some extent in the second book of the Defense which we have composed in his behalf. (7)

CHAPTER XXIV.

The Commentaries which he prepared at Alexandria.

IT may be well to add that in the sixth book of his exposition of the Gospel of John (1) he states that he prepared the first five while in Alexandria. Of his work on the entire Gospel only twenty-two volumes have come down to us. In the ninth of those on Genesis, (2) of which there are twelve in all, he states that not only the preceding eight had been composed at Alexandria, but also those on the first twenty-five Psalms (3) and on Lamentations. (4) Of these last five volumes have reached us. In them he mentions also his books On the Resurrection, (5) of which there are two. He wrote also the books De Principiis (6) before leaving Alexandria; and the discourses entitled Stromata, (7) ten in number, he composed in the same city during the reign of Alexander, as the notes by his own hand preceding the volumes indicate.

CHAPTER XXV.

His Review of the Canonical Scriptures.

WHEN expounding the first Psalm, (1) he gives a catalogue of the sacred Scriptures of the Old Testament (2) as follows:

"It should be stated that the canonical books, as the Hebrews have handed them down, are twenty-two; corresponding with the number of their letters." Farther on he says:

"The twenty-two books of the Hebrews are the following: That which is called by us Genesis, but by the Hebrews, from the beginning of the book, Bresith, (3) which means, 'In the beginning'; Exodus, Welesmoth, (3a) that is, 'These are the names'; Leviticus, Wikra, 'And he called'; Numbers, Ammesphekodeim; Deuteronomy, Eleaddebareim, ' These are the words'; Jesus, the son of Nave, Josoue ben Noun; Judges and Ruth, among them in one book, Saphateim; the First and Second of Kings, among them one, Samouel, that is, 'The called of God'; the Third and Fourth of Kings in one, Wammelch David, that is, 'The kingdom of David'; of the Chronicles, the First and Second in one, Dabreiamein, that is, 'Records of days'; Esdras, (4) First and Second in one, Ezra, that is, 'An assistant'; the book of Psalms, Spharthelleim; the Proverbs of Solomon, Me-loth; Ecclesiastes, Koelth; the Song of Songs (not, as some suppose, Songs of Songs), Sir Hassirim; Isaiah, Jessia; Jeremiah, with Lamentations and the epistle in one, Jeremia; Daniel, Daniel; Ezekiel, Jezekiel; Job, Job; Esther, Esther. And besides these there are the Maccabees, which are entitled Sarbeth Sabanaiel. (5) He gives these in the above-mentioned work.

In his first book on Matthew's Gospel, (6) maintaining the Canon of the Church, he testifies that he knows only four Gospels, writing as follows:

"Among the four Gospels, (7) which are the only indisputable ones in the Church of God under heaven, I have learned by tradition that the first was written by Matthew, who was once a publican, but afterwards an apostle of Jesus Christ, and it was prepared for the converts from Judaism, and published in the Hebrew language. (8) The second is by Mark, who composed it according to the instructions of Peter, (9) who in his Catholic epistle acknowledges him as a son, saying, 'The church that is at Babylon elected together with you, saluteth you, and so doth Marcus, my son.' (10) And the third by Luke, the Gospel commended by Paul, (11) and composed for Gentile converts. Last of all that by John." (12)

In the fifth book of his Expositions of John's Gospel, he speaks thus concerning the epistles of the apostles: (13) "But he who was 'made sufficient to be a minister of the New Testament, not of the letter, but of the Spirit,' (14) that is, Paul, who 'fully preached the Gospel from Jerusalem and round about even unto Illyricum,' (15) did not write to all the churches which he had instructed and to those to which he wrote he sent but few lines. (16) And Peter, on whom the Church of Christ is built, 'against which the gates of hell shall not prevail,' (17) has left one acknowledged epistle; perhaps also a second, but this is doubtful. (18) Why need we speak of him who reclined upon the bosom of Jesus, (19) John, who has left us one Gospel, (20) though he confessed that he might write so many that the world could not contain them? (21) And he wrote also the Apocalypse, but was commanded to keep silence and not to write the words of the seven thunders. (22) He has left also an epistle of very few lines; perhaps also a second and third; but not all consider them genuine, and together they do not contain a hundred lines."

In addition he makes the following statements 11 in regard to the Epistle to the Hebrews (23) in his Homilies upon it:

"That the verbal style of the epistle entitled 'To the Hebrews,' is not rude like the language of the apostle, who acknowledged himself 'rude in speech,' (24) that is, in expression; but that its diction is purer Greek, any one who has the power to discern differences of phraseology will acknowledge. Moreover, that the thoughts of the epistle are admirable, and not inferior to the acknowledged apostolic writings, any one who carefully examines the apostolic text (25) will admit." Farther on he adds:

"If I gave my opinion, I should say that the thoughts are those of the apostle, but the diction and phraseology are those of some one who remembered the apostolic teachings, and wrote down at his leisure what had been said by his teacher. Therefore if any church holds that this epistle is by Paul, let it be commended for this. For not without reason have the ancients handed it down as Paul's. But who wrote the epistle, in truth, God knows. The statement of some who have gone before us is that Clement, bishop of the Romans, wrote the epistle, and of others that Luke, the author of the Gospel and the Acts, wrote it." But let this suffice on these matters.

CHAPTER XXVI.

Heraclas becomes Bishop of Alexandria.

IT was in the tenth year of the above-mentioned reign that Origen removed from Alexandria to Caesarea, (1) leaving the charge of the catechetical school in that city to Heraclas. Not long afterward Demetrius, bishop of the church of Alexandria, died, having held the office for forty-three full years, (2) and Heraclas succeeded him. At this time Firmilianus, (3) bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, was conspicuous.

CHAPTER XXVII.

How the Bishops regarded Origen.

HE was so earnestly affected toward Origen, that he urged him to come to that country for the benefit of the churches, and moreover he visited him in Judea, remaining with him for some time, for the sake of improvement in divine things. And Alexander, (1) bishop of Jerusalem, and Theoctistus, (2) bishop of Caesarea, at-tended on him constantly, (3) as their only teacher, and allowed (4) him to expound the Divine Scriptures, and to perform the other duties pertaining to ecclesiastical discourse. (5)

CHAPTER XXVIII.

The Persecution under Maximinus.

THE Roman emperor, Alexander, having finished his reign in thirteen years, was succeeded by Maximinus Caesar. (1) On account of his hatred toward the household of Alexander, (2) which contained many believers, he began a persecution, commanding that only the rulers of the churches should be put to death, as responsible for the Gospel teaching. Thereupon Origen composed his work On Martyrdom, (3) and dedicated it to Ambrose and Protoctetus, (4) a presbyter of the parish of Caesarea, because in the persecution there had come upon them both unusual hardships, in which it is reported that they were eminent in confession during the reign of Maximinus, which lasted but three years. Origen has noted this as the time of the persecution in the twenty-second book of his Commentaries on John, and in several epistles. (5)