1-2 Senses Historical, Allegorical, and Moral.
(Eccles. Hier. v. part 1.) is a figure of
future glory. In the New Law too
the things that were done in our Head
are signs of the things that we ought
to do ourselves. Therefore in so far
as the particulars of the Old Law sig-
nify those which are of the New Law,
this is an allegorical sense, but in so
far as all that was done in Christ, or in
those things which represent Christ, is
significant of what we ourselves ought
to do, it is a moral sense ; and so far
as they signify the things that are in
eternal glory, it is an anagogical or
celestial sense. And since the literal
sense is that which the Author intends,
but the Author of Holy Scripture is
God, Who comprehends all things at
once in His intelligence, ' it is not in-
consistent,' as St. Augustine says in
his Confessions, b. xii. (see caps. 18,
19, 20, 24, 31.) ' that there should be
more meanings than one, even accord-
ing to the literal sense, in one and the
same letter of Holy Writ.' " The word
' anagogical' is used by Origen merely
to describe a mystical sense in general,
here it expresses a sense that belongs
to the state and condition of things in
heaven. According to the distinction
made by our Lord, iii. 12. " If I have
told you earthly things, and ye believe
not, how shall ye believe if I tell you
ofheavenly things ^" The earthly things
being the circumstances of ,the Christian
covenant, as the heavenly things truths
concerning God and things in heaven.
The Rationale of this manifold sense
of Scripture is contained in this account
of Origen. *' Which things being so,
we have to give a sketch of the many
lines of the interpretation of the Scrip-
tures as they appear to us. And first
it must be shewn how that the scope
and aim of the Spirit, Which in
God's Providence through the Word,
Which was in the beginning with God,
enlightened the ministers of truth, the
Prophets and Apostles, was fiist and
foremost that which concerned the in-
effable mysteries of things relating to
men; and by men I here mean, souls
making use of bodies ; that whosoever
is fitted to be instructed, by searching
diligently and ap}ilying hirast-lf through
the words to the inmost depth of the
sense, may be made partaker of all the
determinations of His counsel. But
with reference to things concerning the
souls of men, which cannot otherwise
obtain perfection than by the richness
and wisdom of the truth concerning
God, that is nc essarily set in the first
order, which concerns God and His
oniy-l3egotten Son ; what sort of na-
ture He is of, and in what way He is
the Son ofGod, and what are the causes
of His having descended even so far as
to human Flesh, and to have entirely
taken Man on Himself; and what is
His working and toward whom, and
when it takes place, and of necessity,
as concerning kindred subjects, about
the other rational creatures also, both
those diviner ones, and those that are
fallen from their blessed estate, and the
causes of this their fall, it behoved
that a place should be assigned in the
words of divine instruction ; and about
the difference of souls, and whence
these differences have arisen, and what
the world is, and wherefore it came to
subsist; and further,whence that great
and exceeding wickedness is which is
spread over the earth, and whether not
only on earth, but elsewhere also, it is
needful for us to learn. All these
same and the like being present to the
Spirit that illumines the souls ofthe holy
s.^rvants ofthe truth, itwas a secondary
aim, for the sake of those that could not
undeigo the pains required for finding
out these things, to hide the revelation
concerning the aforementioned interms
presenting a record giving an account
of the works of creation that are objects
of sense, and the creation of men, and
those that were begotten in succession
from those that were first up to a great
number, and in other historicalaccounts
relating the deeds of the righteous, and
the sins of these same done at any time
forasmuch as they were but men, and
the evil deeds, and bad passions, and
selfish outrages of lawless and ungodly
men. And in a most marvellous man-
ner, by the history of wars, and of the
conquerors and the conquered, certain
particulars of ineffable things are re-
vealed to those that are able to prove
these mysteries; and >till more wonder-
fully, through the written delivery of
the law, the laws of truth are proplie-
tically delivered ; all being written down
in sequence with a power truly worthy
of the Divine wisdom. For it was de-
signed to make the very clothing of spi-
ritual things, I mean the bodily portion
ofthe Scriptures, not profitless in many,
but calculated to better the generality of
men, in proportion as they comprehend
it." Origen de Princ. I. iv. c. 14.
Origen's theory is more fully brought
out and exliibitcd by his definition of
these beings for whom H. S. was given
7a,{ ;^^&;^evaf i^u;^as eufiUfftv, ' souls