{"author":null,"backreferences":[{"context_html":"<p class=\"c005\">14. This being the state of the case, we shall sketch out,\r\nas if by way of illustration and pattern, what may occur to\r\nus with regard to the manner in which Holy Scripture is to\r\nbe understood on these several points, repeating in the first\r\ninstance, and pointing out this fact, that the Holy Spirit, by\r\nthe providence and will of God, through the power of His\r\nonly-begotten Word, who was in the beginning God with\r\nGod, enlightened the ministers of truth, the prophets and\r\napostles, to understand the mysteries of those things or\r\ncauses which take place among men, or with respect to men.<a id=\"r925\"></a><a class=\"c007 pginternal\" href=\"#f925\"><sup>[925]</sup></a>\r\nAnd by “men,” I now mean souls that are placed in bodies,\r\nwho, relating those mysteries that are known to them, and\r\nrevealed through Christ, as if they were a kind of human\r\ntransactions, or handing down certain legal observances and\r\ninjunctions, described them figuratively;<a id=\"r926\"></a><a class=\"c007 pginternal\" href=\"#f926\"><sup>[926]</sup></a> not that any one\r\nwho pleased might view these expositions as deserving to be\r\ntrampled under foot, but that he who should devote himself\r\nwith all chastity, and sobriety, and watchfulness, to studies\r\nof this kind, might be able by this means to trace out the\r\nmeaning of the Spirit of God, which is perhaps lying profoundly\r\nburied, and the context, which may be pointing again\r\nin another direction than the ordinary usage of speech would\r\nindicate. And in this way he might become a sharer in the\r\nknowledge of the Spirit, and a partaker in the divine counsel,\r\nbecause the soul cannot come to the perfection of knowledge\r\notherwise than by inspiration of the truth of the divine\r\nwisdom. Accordingly, it is of God, <i>i.e.</i> of the Father, and\r\nof the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, that these men, filled\r\nwith the Divine Spirit, chiefly treat; then the mysteries\r\nrelating to the Son of God—how the Word became flesh,\r\nand why He descended even to the assumption of the form\r\nof a servant—are the subject, as I have said, of explanation\r\nby those persons who are filled with the Divine Spirit. It\r\nnext followed, necessarily, that they should instruct mortals\r\nby divine teaching, regarding rational creatures, both those\r\nof heaven and the happier ones of earth; and also [should\r\nexplain] the differences among souls, and the origin of these\r\ndifferences; and then should tell what this world is, and why\r\nit was created; whence also sprung the great and terrible\r\nwickedness which extends over the earth. And whether that\r\nwickedness is found on this earth only, or in other places, is\r\na point which it was necessary for us to learn from divine\r\nteaching. Since, then, it was the intention of the Holy Spirit\r\nto enlighten with respect to these and similar subjects, those\r\nholy souls who had devoted themselves to the service of the\r\ntruth, this object was kept in view, in the second place,\r\nviz. for the sake of those who either could not or would not\r\ngive themselves to this labour and toil by which they might\r\ndeserve to be instructed in or to recognise things of such\r\nvalue and importance, to wrap up and conceal, as we said\r\nbefore, in ordinary language, under the covering of some\r\nhistory and narrative of visible things, hidden mysteries.\r\nThere is therefore introduced the narrative of the visible\r\ncreation, and the creation and formation of the first man;\r\nthen the offspring which followed from him in succession,\r\nand some of the actions which were done by the good among\r\nhis posterity, are related, and occasionally certain crimes also,\r\nwhich are stated to have been committed by them as being\r\nhuman; and afterwards certain unchaste or wicked deeds also\r\nare narrated as being the acts of the wicked. The description\r\nof battles, moreover, is given in a wonderful manner,\r\nand the alternations of victors and vanquished, by which certain\r\nineffable mysteries are made known to those who know\r\nhow to investigate statements of that kind. By an admirable\r\ndiscipline of wisdom, too, the law of truth, even of the\r\nprophets, is implanted in the Scriptures of the law, each of\r\nwhich is woven by a divine art of wisdom, as a kind of\r\ncovering and veil of spiritual truths; and this is what we\r\nhave called the “body” of Scripture, so that also, in this\r\nway, what we have called the covering of the letter, woven\r\nby the art of wisdom, might be capable of edifying and\r\nprofiting many, when others would derive no benefit.</p>","headings":["The Writings of Origen, Vol. 1 of 2","ORIGEN DE PRINCIPIIS.","BOOK IV.","FROM THE LATIN."],"marker_anchor":null,"paragraph_id":"pg70561-paragraph-314"}],"canonical_references":[],"date_end":null,"date_start":null,"deduplication_fingerprint":"7c81f36866ae9484dc72081f4f94f94a50cb253333a1e18486b970936649667b","edition_title":"The writings of Origen, Vol. 1 (of 2)","edition_translators":["Frederick Crombie"],"edition_year":1869,"explicit_reference_candidates":[],"headings":[],"id":"pg70561-f926","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 1869 English translation; translator died 1889. Electronic transcription subject to Project Gutenberg reuse terms.","source_anchor":"f926","source_ebook":70561,"source_html":"<div class=\"footnote\" id=\"f926\">\n<p class=\"c006\"><span class=\"label\"><a class=\"pginternal\" href=\"#r926\">926</a>. </span><span lang=\"la\">Figuraliter describebant.</span></p>\n</div>","source_sha256":"de125e213d16053354f22b34a1c8d477ac23f201e660e4f4841b2ed7e05bb367","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/70561/pg70561-images.html#f926","text_sha256":"22373fe942ccce95dddbe4aa8bd94a0394ced2da039c44ad723e23e461ee9d78","verified":false,"work_id":null}