{"author":null,"backreferences":[{"context_html":"<p class=\"c006\">For which reason, whatever else there may be in the writings\r\nof Moses which excites my wonder, I would say that the following\r\nis worthy of admiration, viz. that Moses, having observed\r\nthe varying natures of animals, and having either learned from\r\nGod what was peculiar to them, and to the demons which are\r\nkindred to each of the animals, or having himself ascertained\r\nthese things by his own wisdom, has, in arranging the different\r\nkinds of animals, pronounced all those which are supposed\r\nby the Egyptians and the rest of mankind to possess\r\nthe power of divination to be unclean, and, as a general rule,\r\nall that are not of that class to be clean. And amongst the\r\nunclean animals mentioned by Moses are the wolf, and fox, and\r\nserpent, and eagle, and hawk, and such like. And, generally\r\nspeaking, you will find that not only in the law, but also in\r\nthe prophets, these animals are employed as examples of all\r\nthat is most wicked; and that a wolf or a fox is never mentioned\r\nfor a good purpose. Each species of demon, consequently,\r\nwould seem to possess a certain affinity with a certain\r\nspecies of animal. And as among men there are some who\r\nare stronger than others, and this not at all owing to their\r\nmoral character, so, in the same way, some demons will be\r\nmore powerful in things indifferent than others;<a id=\"r823\"></a><a class=\"c008 pginternal\" href=\"#f823\"><sup>[823]</sup></a> and one class\r\nof them employs one kind of animal for the purpose of deluding\r\nmen, in accordance with the will of him who is called in\r\nour Scriptures the “prince of this world,” while others predict\r\nfuture events by means of another kind of animal. Observe,\r\n<span class=\"pageno\" id=\"Page_261\">261</span>moreover, to what a pitch of wickedness the demons proceed, so\r\nthat they even assume the bodies of weasels in order to reveal\r\nthe future! And now, consider with yourself whether it is better\r\nto accept the belief that it is the Supreme God and His Son\r\nwho stir up the birds and the other living creatures to divination,\r\nor that those who stir up these creatures, and not human\r\nbeings (although they are present before them), are wicked,\r\nand, as they are called by our Scriptures, unclean demons.</p>","headings":["The writings of Origen, Vol. 2 of 2","BOOK IV.","Chapter XCIII."],"marker_anchor":null,"paragraph_id":"pg70693-paragraph-318"}],"canonical_references":[],"date_end":null,"date_start":null,"deduplication_fingerprint":"fd94f3a80163d301e8b8cbd8fcc31961b6456b2513346a4bc680b724520b733c","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-f823","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":"f823","source_ebook":70693,"source_html":"<div class=\"footnote\" id=\"f823\">\n<p class=\"c007\"><span class=\"label\"><a class=\"pginternal\" href=\"#r823\">823</a>. </span><span lang=\"grc\">ἐν μέσοις.</span></p>\n</div>","source_sha256":"76ed9a9fd752c1d5095189e38fe3dcbbea0fd23d6be719db17360e4da14552fa","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/70693/pg70693-images.html#f823","text_sha256":"7c348ef6224d88f3ddcb670879ae66b562e57d05e53a1f1892b4105844172610","verified":false,"work_id":null}