Testimonia

{"author":null,"backreferences":[{"context_html":"<p class=\"c006\">Let us now see what follows. “Let us pass on,” says he, “to\r\nanother point. They cannot tolerate temples, altars, or images.\r\nIn this they are like the Scythians, the nomadic tribes of Libya,\r\n<span class=\"pageno\" id=\"Page_483\">483</span>the Seres who worship no god, and some other of the most barbarous\r\nand impious nations in the world. That the Persians\r\nhold the same notions is shown by Herodotus in these words: ‘I\r\nknow that among the Persians it is considered unlawful to erect\r\nimages, altars, or temples; but they charge those with folly who\r\ndo so, because, as I conjecture, they do not, like the Greeks,\r\nsuppose the gods to be of the nature of men.’<a id=\"r1553\"></a><a class=\"c008 pginternal\" href=\"#f1553\"><sup>[1553]</sup></a> Heraclitus\r\nalso says in one place: ‘Persons who address prayers to these\r\nimages act like those who speak to the walls, without knowing\r\nwho the gods or the heroes are.’ And what wiser lesson have\r\nthey to teach us than Heraclitus? He certainly plainly enough\r\nimplies that it is a foolish thing for a man to offer prayers to\r\nimages, whilst he knows not who the gods and heroes are. This\r\nis the opinion of Heraclitus; but as for them, they go further,\r\nand despise without exception all images. If they merely mean\r\nthat the stone, wood, brass, or gold which has been wrought by\r\nthis or that workman cannot be a god, they are ridiculous with\r\ntheir wisdom. For who, unless he be utterly childish in his\r\nsimplicity, can take these for gods, and not for offerings consecrated\r\nto the service of the gods, or images representing them?\r\nBut if we are not to regard these as representing the Divine\r\nBeing, seeing that God has a different form, as the Persians\r\nconcur with them in saying, then let them take care that they\r\ndo not contradict themselves; for they say that God made man\r\nHis own image, and that He gave him a form like to Himself.\r\nHowever, they will admit that these images, whether they are\r\nlike or not, are made and dedicated to the honour of certain\r\nbeings. But they will hold that the beings to whom they are\r\ndedicated are not gods, but demons, and that a worshipper of\r\nGod ought not to worship demons.”</p>","headings":["The writings of Origen, Vol. 2 of 2","BOOK VII.","Chapter LXII."],"marker_anchor":null,"paragraph_id":"pg70693-paragraph-539"}],"canonical_references":[],"date_end":null,"date_start":null,"deduplication_fingerprint":"dee7265137bcdf1d54fb1621c73500544e1b216674a10abc28ed927dc4eacdbe","edition_title":"The writings of Origen, Vol. 2 (of 2)","edition_translators":["Frederick Crombie","W. H. Cairns"],"edition_year":1872,"explicit_reference_candidates":[],"headings":[],"id":"pg70693-f1553","license_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html","public_import_allowed":false,"record_kind":"original-editor-translator-note","review_required":["work and recension attribution","original-work chronology","Bible reference numbering and citation kind","English edition rights and attribution"],"review_status":"needs_review","rights_evidence":"Project Gutenberg metadata: Public domain in the USA. Existing 1872 English edition; listed translators died 1889 and 1872. Electronic transcription subject to Project Gutenberg reuse terms.","source_anchor":"f1553","source_ebook":70693,"source_html":"<div class=\"footnote\" id=\"f1553\">\n<p class=\"c007\"><span class=\"label\"><a class=\"pginternal\" href=\"#r1553\">1553</a>.  </span><abbr title=\"Herodotus\">Herod.</abbr> <abbr title=\"one\">i.</abbr> 131.</p>\n</div>","source_sha256":"76ed9a9fd752c1d5095189e38fe3dcbbea0fd23d6be719db17360e4da14552fa","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/70693/pg70693-images.html#f1553","text_sha256":"a5950cb3908fb309c9e28c71d1e78a4b0a1c8abae8688cc86065392649266804","verified":false,"work_id":null}

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