{"author":null,"backreferences":[{"context_html":"<p class=\"c006\">Now, since we are upon the subject of Peter, and of the\r\nteachers of Christianity to the circumcision, I do not deem it\r\nout of place to quote a certain declaration of Jesus taken from\r\nthe Gospel according to John, and to give the explanation of\r\nthe same. For it is there related that Jesus said: “I have yet\r\nmany things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.\r\nHowbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide\r\nyou into all the truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but\r\nwhatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak.”<a id=\"r40\"></a><a class=\"c008 pginternal\" href=\"#f40\"><sup>[40]</sup></a> And when\r\nwe inquire what were the “many things” referred to in the\r\npassage which Jesus had to say to His disciples, but which\r\nthey were not then able to bear, I have to observe that, probably\r\nbecause the apostles were Jews, and had been trained\r\nup according to the letter of the Mosaic law, He was unable\r\nto tell them what was the true law, and how the Jewish worship\r\nconsisted in the pattern and shadow of certain heavenly\r\nthings, and how future blessings were foreshadowed by the\r\ninjunctions regarding meats and drinks, and festivals, and new\r\nmoons, and sabbaths. These were many of the subjects which\r\nHe had to explain to them; but as He saw that it was a work\r\nof exceeding difficulty to root out of the mind opinions that\r\nhave been almost born with a man, and amid which he has\r\nbeen brought up till he reached the period of maturity, and\r\n<span class=\"pageno\" id=\"Page_4\">4</span>which have produced in those who have adopted them the\r\nbelief that they are divine, and that it is an act of impiety to\r\noverthrow them; and to demonstrate by the superiority of\r\nChristian doctrine, that is, by the truth, in a manner to\r\nconvince the hearers, that such opinions were but “loss and\r\ndung,” He postponed such a task to a future season—to that,\r\nnamely, which followed His passion and resurrection. For the\r\nbringing of aid unseasonably to those who were not yet capable\r\nof receiving it, might have overturned the idea which they had\r\nalready formed of Jesus, as the Christ, and the Son of the\r\nliving God. And see if there is not some well-grounded\r\nreason for such a statement as this, “I have many things to\r\nsay unto you, but ye cannot bear them now;” seeing there are\r\nmany points in the law which require to be explained and\r\ncleared up in a spiritual sense, and these the disciples were in\r\na manner unable to bear, having been born and brought up\r\namongst Jews. I am of opinion, moreover, that since these\r\nrites were typical, and the truth was that which was to be\r\ntaught them by the Holy Spirit, these words were added,\r\n“When He is come who is the Spirit of truth, He will lead\r\nyou into all the truth;” as if He had said, into all the truth\r\nabout those things which, being to you but types, ye believed\r\nto constitute a true worship which ye rendered unto God.\r\nAnd so, according to the promise of Jesus, the Spirit of truth\r\ncame to Peter, saying to him, with regard to the four-footed\r\nbeasts, and creeping things of the earth, and fowls of the air:\r\n“Arise, Peter; kill, and eat.” And the Spirit came to him\r\nwhile he was still in a state of superstitious ignorance; for he\r\nsaid, in answer to the divine command, “Not so, Lord; for I\r\nhave never yet eaten anything common or unclean.” He instructed\r\nhim, however, in the true and spiritual meaning of\r\nmeats, by saying, “What God hath cleansed, that call not thou\r\ncommon.” And so, after that vision, the Spirit of truth, which\r\nconducted Peter into all the truth, told him the many things\r\nwhich he was unable to bear when Jesus was still with him in\r\nthe flesh. But I shall have another opportunity of explaining\r\nthose matters, which are connected with the literal acceptation\r\nof the Mosaic law.</p>","headings":["The writings of Origen, Vol. 2 of 2","BOOK II.","Chapter II."],"marker_anchor":null,"paragraph_id":"pg70693-paragraph-41"}],"canonical_references":[],"date_end":null,"date_start":null,"deduplication_fingerprint":"c2a5597dd524157dc4a134ca1f4f82859e23a75a8688f3f5fec003ade6f6106d","edition_title":"The writings of Origen, Vol. 2 (of 2)","edition_translators":["Frederick Crombie","W. H. Cairns"],"edition_year":1872,"explicit_reference_candidates":[{"book":"JHN","chapter":16,"kind":"unreviewed","source_notation":"John xvi. 12","verse":12,"verse_end":12}],"headings":[],"id":"pg70693-f40","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":"f40","source_ebook":70693,"source_html":"<div class=\"footnote\" id=\"f40\">\n<p class=\"c007\"><span class=\"label\"><a class=\"pginternal\" href=\"#r40\">40</a>. </span>John <abbr title=\"sixteen\">xvi.</abbr> 12, 13.</p>\n</div>","source_sha256":"76ed9a9fd752c1d5095189e38fe3dcbbea0fd23d6be719db17360e4da14552fa","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/70693/pg70693-images.html#f40","text_sha256":"b5a28d996bd008861407eaa67201b403249ce8a22d4dd14e7cdc0c8f3a6a0563","verified":false,"work_id":null}