{"author":null,"backreferences":[{"context_html":"<p class=\"c006\">But even this rational light itself ought not to be worshipped\r\nby him who beholds and understands the true light, by sharing\r\nin which these also are enlightened; nor by him who beholds\r\nGod, the Father of the true light,—of whom it has been said,\r\n“God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.”<a id=\"r877\"></a><a class=\"c008 pginternal\" href=\"#f877\"><sup>[877]</sup></a> Those,\r\nindeed, who worship sun, moon, and stars because their light is\r\nvisible and celestial, would not bow down to a spark of fire or a\r\nlamp upon earth, because they see the incomparable superiority\r\nof those objects which are deemed worthy of homage to the\r\n<span class=\"pageno\" id=\"Page_279\">279</span>light of sparks and lamps. So those who understand that God\r\nis light, and who have apprehended that the Son of God is\r\n“the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the\r\nworld,” and who comprehend also how He says, “I am the light\r\nof the world,” would not rationally offer worship to that which\r\nis, as it were, a spark in sun, moon, and stars, in comparison\r\nwith God, who is light of the true light. Nor is it with a view\r\nto depreciate these great works of God’s creative power, or to\r\ncall them, after the fashion of Anaxagoras, “fiery masses,”<a id=\"r878\"></a><a class=\"c008 pginternal\" href=\"#f878\"><sup>[878]</sup></a>\r\nthat we thus speak of sun, and moon, and stars; but because\r\nwe perceive the inexpressible superiority of the divinity of God,\r\nand that of His only-begotten Son, which surpasses all other\r\nthings. And being persuaded that the sun himself, and moon,\r\nand stars pray to the Supreme God through His only-begotten\r\nSon, we judge it improper to pray to those beings who themselves\r\noffer up prayers [to God], seeing even they themselves\r\nwould prefer that we should send up our requests to the God\r\nto whom they pray, rather than send them downwards to themselves,\r\nor apportion our power of prayer<a id=\"r879\"></a><a class=\"c008 pginternal\" href=\"#f879\"><sup>[879]</sup></a> between God and\r\nthem. And here I may employ this illustration, as bearing\r\nupon this point: Our Lord and Saviour, hearing Himself on\r\none occasion addressed as “Good Master,”<a id=\"r880\"></a><a class=\"c008 pginternal\" href=\"#f880\"><sup>[880]</sup></a> referring him who\r\nused it to His own Father, said, “Why callest thou me good?\r\nThere is none good but one, that is, God the Father.”<a id=\"r881\"></a><a class=\"c008 pginternal\" href=\"#f881\"><sup>[881]</sup></a> And\r\nsince it was in accordance with sound reason that this should\r\nbe said by the Son of His Father’s love, as being the image of\r\nthe goodness of God, why should not the sun say with greater\r\nreason to those that bow down to him, Why do you worship\r\nme? “for thou wilt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only\r\nshalt thou serve;”<a id=\"r882\"></a><a class=\"c008 pginternal\" href=\"#f882\"><sup>[882]</sup></a> for it is He whom I and all who are with\r\nme serve and worship. And although one may not be so\r\nexalted [as the sun], nevertheless let such an one pray to the\r\nWord of God (who is able to heal him), and still more to His\r\nFather, who also to the righteous of former times “sent His\r\nword, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.”<a id=\"r883\"></a><a class=\"c008 pginternal\" href=\"#f883\"><sup>[883]</sup></a></p>","headings":["The writings of Origen, Vol. 2 of 2","BOOK V.","Chapter XI."],"marker_anchor":null,"paragraph_id":"pg70693-paragraph-338"}],"canonical_references":[],"date_end":null,"date_start":null,"deduplication_fingerprint":"dfd6268637cfad08dd00109e1a7bbfa488c888f2612f45c1dc89dd556af1344a","edition_title":"The writings of Origen, Vol. 2 (of 2)","edition_translators":["Frederick Crombie","W. H. Cairns"],"edition_year":1872,"explicit_reference_candidates":[{"book":"1JN","chapter":1,"kind":"unreviewed","source_notation":"1 John i. 5","verse":5,"verse_end":5}],"headings":[],"id":"pg70693-f877","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":"f877","source_ebook":70693,"source_html":"<div class=\"footnote\" id=\"f877\">\n<p class=\"c007\"><span class=\"label\"><a class=\"pginternal\" href=\"#r877\">877</a>. </span><abbr class=\"spell\">Cf.</abbr> 1 John <abbr title=\"one\">i.</abbr> 5.</p>\n</div>","source_sha256":"76ed9a9fd752c1d5095189e38fe3dcbbea0fd23d6be719db17360e4da14552fa","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/70693/pg70693-images.html#f877","text_sha256":"ffc376d4e774fa6bba02d8461a8031f7a234689784768121c6344dce769f9ccf","verified":false,"work_id":null}