Testimonia

{"author":null,"backreferences":[{"context_html":"<p class=\"c006\">Our noble opponent, however, not observing how many\r\nphilosophers there are who admit the existence of Providence,\r\n<span class=\"pageno\" id=\"Page_247\">247</span>and who hold that Providence created all things for the sake\r\nof rational beings, overturns as far as he can those doctrines\r\nwhich are of use in showing the harmony that prevails in these\r\nmatters between Christianity and philosophy; nor does he see\r\nhow great is the injury done to religion from accepting the\r\nstatement that before God there is no difference between a\r\nman and an ant or a bee, but proceeds to add, that “if men\r\nappear to be superior to irrational animals on this account, that\r\nthey have built cities, and make use of a political constitution,\r\nand forms of government, and sovereignties,<a id=\"r788\"></a><a class=\"c008 pginternal\" href=\"#f788\"><sup>[788]</sup></a> this is to say\r\nnothing to the purpose, for ants and bees do the same. Bees,\r\nindeed, have a sovereign, who has followers and attendants; and\r\nthere occur among them wars and victories, and slaughterings\r\nof the vanquished,<a id=\"r789\"></a><a class=\"c008 pginternal\" href=\"#f789\"><sup>[789]</sup></a> and cities and suburbs, and a succession of\r\nlabours, and judgments passed upon the idle and the wicked;\r\nfor the drones are driven away and punished.” Now here he\r\ndid not observe the difference that exists between what is done\r\nafter reason and consideration, and what is the result of an\r\nirrational nature, and is purely mechanical. For the origin of\r\nthese things is not explained by the existence of any rational\r\nprinciple in those who make them, because they do not possess\r\nany such principle; but the most ancient Being, who is also the\r\nSon of God, and the King of all things that exist, has created\r\nan irrational nature, which, as being irrational, acts as a help to\r\nthose who are deemed worthy of reason. Cities, accordingly,\r\nwere established among men, with many arts and well-arranged\r\nlaws; while constitutions, and governments, and sovereignties\r\namong men are either such as are properly so termed, and\r\nwhich exemplify certain virtuous tendencies and workings, or\r\nthey are those which are improperly so called, and which were\r\ndevised, so far as could be done, in imitation of the former:\r\nfor it was by contemplating these that the most successful\r\nlegislators established the best constitutions, and governments,\r\nand sovereignties. None of these things, however, can be\r\nfound among irrational animals, although Celsus may transfer\r\n<span class=\"pageno\" id=\"Page_248\">248</span>rational names, and arrangements which belong to rational\r\nbeings, as cities and constitutions, and rulers and sovereignties,\r\neven to ants and bees; in respect to which matters, however, ants\r\nand bees merit no approval, because they do not act from reflection.\r\nBut we ought to admire the divine nature, which extended\r\neven to irrational animals the capacity, as it were, of imitating\r\nrational beings, perhaps with a view of putting rational beings\r\nto shame; so that by looking upon ants, for instance, they\r\nmight become more industrious and more thrifty in the management\r\nof their goods; while, by considering the bees, they\r\nmight place themselves in subjection to their Ruler, and take\r\ntheir respective parts in those constitutional duties which are\r\nof use in ensuring the safety of cities.</p>","headings":["The writings of Origen, Vol. 2 of 2","BOOK IV.","Chapter LXXXI."],"marker_anchor":null,"paragraph_id":"pg70693-paragraph-304"}],"canonical_references":[],"date_end":null,"date_start":null,"deduplication_fingerprint":"e1563fef9c367810e5c13b1c101eb54a85adf440aa0e5428b5b60d3b86835187","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-f789","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":"f789","source_ebook":70693,"source_html":"<div class=\"footnote\" id=\"f789\">\n<p class=\"c007\"><span class=\"label\"><a class=\"pginternal\" href=\"#r789\">789</a>.  </span><span lang=\"grc\">τῶν ἡττημένων αἱρέσεις.</span> <span lang=\"la\">“Nota αἱρέσεις hoc loco sumi pro internecionibus,\r\ncædibus. Haud scio an alibi reperiatur pari significatu. Forte etiam\r\nscribendum καθαιρέσεις.”</span>—<span class=\"sc\">Ruæus.</span></p>\n</div>","source_sha256":"76ed9a9fd752c1d5095189e38fe3dcbbea0fd23d6be719db17360e4da14552fa","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/70693/pg70693-images.html#f789","text_sha256":"39d91b54600a8e7eb9e04dfdb67935ac175ba3bfbe13e66b2a22fc9d7561d87f","verified":false,"work_id":null}

references: [] | work_id: | origin: existing-private-derived-record | source: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/70693/pg70693-images.html#f789