{"author":null,"backreferences":[{"context_html":"<p class=\"c006\">But again, how did he who said, “Since a divine Spirit\r\ninhabited the body [of Jesus], it must certainly have been\r\ndifferent from that of other beings in respect of grandeur, or\r\nvoice, or strength, or impressiveness, or persuasiveness,” not\r\nobserve the changing relation of His body according to the\r\ncapacity of the spectators (and therefore its corresponding\r\nutility), inasmuch as it appeared to each one of such a nature\r\nas it was requisite for him to behold it? Moreover, it is not a\r\nsubject of wonder that the matter, which is by nature susceptible\r\nof being altered and changed, and of being transformed\r\ninto anything which the Creator chooses, and is capable of\r\n<span class=\"pageno\" id=\"Page_420\">420</span>receiving all the qualities which the Artificer desires, should\r\nat one time possess a quality, agreeably to which it is said,\r\n“He had no form nor beauty,” and at another, one so glorious,\r\nand majestic, and marvellous, that the spectators of such surpassing\r\nloveliness—three disciples who had ascended [the\r\nmount] with Jesus—should fall upon their faces. He will say,\r\nhowever, that these are inventions, and in no respect different\r\nfrom myths, as are also the other marvels related of Jesus;\r\nwhich objection we have answered at greater length in what\r\nhas gone before. But there is also something mystical in this\r\ndoctrine, which announces that the varying appearances of\r\nJesus are to be referred to the nature of the divine Word, who\r\ndoes not show Himself in the same manner to the multitude\r\nas He does to those who are capable of following Him to the\r\nhigh mountain which we have mentioned; for to those who\r\nstill remain below, and are not yet prepared to ascend, the\r\nWord “has neither form nor beauty,” because to such persons\r\nHis form is “without honour,” and inferior to the words given\r\nforth by men, which are figuratively termed “sons of men.”\r\nFor we might say that the words of philosophers—who are\r\n“sons of men”—appear far more beautiful than the Word of\r\nGod, who is proclaimed to the multitude, and who also exhibits\r\n[what is called] the “foolishness of preaching,” and on\r\naccount of this apparent “foolishness of preaching” those who\r\nlook at this alone say, “We saw Him, but He had no form\r\nnor beauty.” To those, indeed, who have received power to\r\nfollow Him, in order that they may attend Him even when\r\nHe ascends to the “lofty mount,” He <i>has</i> a diviner appearance,\r\nwhich they behold, if there happens to be [among them] a\r\nPeter, who has received within himself the edifice of the\r\nchurch based upon the Word, and who has gained such\r\na habit [of goodness] that none of the gates of Hades will\r\nprevail against him, having been exalted by the Word from the\r\ngates of death, that he may “publish the praises of God in the\r\ngates of the daughter of Sion,” and any others who have derived\r\ntheir birth from impressive preaching,<a id=\"r1414\"></a><a class=\"c008 pginternal\" href=\"#f1414\"><sup>[1414]</sup></a> and who are not at all\r\ninferior to “sons of thunder.” But how can Celsus and the\r\nenemies of the divine Word, and those who have not examined\r\n<span class=\"pageno\" id=\"Page_421\">421</span>the doctrines of Christianity in the spirit of truth, know the\r\nmeaning of the different appearances of Jesus? And I refer\r\nalso to the different stages of His life, and to any actions\r\nperformed by Him before His sufferings, and after His resurrection\r\nfrom the dead.</p>","headings":["The writings of Origen, Vol. 2 of 2","BOOK VI.","Chapter LXXVII."],"marker_anchor":null,"paragraph_id":"pg70693-paragraph-472"}],"canonical_references":[],"date_end":null,"date_start":null,"deduplication_fingerprint":"cacd7b4203b482ff9727f091ed5c780f8f51a8686270c91da43296bab91254d4","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-f1414","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":"f1414","source_ebook":70693,"source_html":"<div class=\"footnote\" id=\"f1414\">\n<p class=\"c007\"><span class=\"label\"><a class=\"pginternal\" href=\"#r1414\">1414</a>. </span><span lang=\"grc\">καὶ εἴ τινές εἰσιν ἐκ λόγων τὴν γένεσιν λαχόντες μεγαλοφώνων.</span></p>\n</div>","source_sha256":"76ed9a9fd752c1d5095189e38fe3dcbbea0fd23d6be719db17360e4da14552fa","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/70693/pg70693-images.html#f1414","text_sha256":"54d268ed7601a9f43dab811b679b852f549cee4c0e530a7cf133f09bda349e2b","verified":false,"work_id":null}