{"author":null,"backreferences":[{"context_html":"<p class=\"c006\">Let us now see on what grounds Celsus urges us to make\r\nuse of the idol offerings and the public sacrifices in the public\r\nfeasts. His words are, “If these idols are nothing, what harm\r\nwill there be in taking part in the feast? On the other hand, if\r\nthey are demons, it is certain that they too are God’s creatures,\r\nand that we must believe in them, sacrifice to them according\r\nto the laws, and pray to them that they may be propitious.”\r\nIn reference to this statement, it would be profitable for us to\r\ntake up and clearly explain the whole passage of the First\r\nEpistle to the Corinthians, in which Paul treats of offerings\r\nto idols.<a id=\"r1607\"></a><a class=\"c008 pginternal\" href=\"#f1607\"><sup>[1607]</sup></a> The apostle draws from the fact that “an idol is\r\nnothing in the world,” the consequence that it is injurious to\r\nuse things offered to idols; and he shows to those who have\r\nears to hear on such subjects, that he who partakes of things\r\noffered to idols is worse than a murderer, for he destroys his\r\nown brethren, for whom Christ died. And further, he maintains\r\nthat the sacrifices are made to demons; and from that\r\nhe proceeds to show that those who join the table of demons\r\nbecome associated with the demons; and he concludes that a\r\nman cannot both be a partaker of the table of the Lord and\r\nof the table of demons. But since it would require a whole\r\ntreatise to set forth fully all that is contained on this subject\r\nin the Epistle to the Corinthians, we shall content ourselves\r\nwith this brief statement of the argument; for it will be\r\nevident to any one who carefully considers what has been said,\r\nthat even if idols are nothing, nevertheless it is an awful thing\r\nto join in idol festivals. And even supposing that there are\r\nsuch beings as demons to whom the sacrifices are offered, it\r\nhas been clearly shown that we are forbidden to take part in\r\nthese festivals, when we know the difference between the table\r\n<span class=\"pageno\" id=\"Page_512\">512</span>of the Lord and the table of demons. And knowing this, we\r\nendeavour as much as we can to be always partakers of the\r\nLord’s table, and beware to the utmost of joining at any time\r\nthe table of demons.</p>","headings":["The writings of Origen, Vol. 2 of 2","BOOK VIII.","Chapter XXIV."],"marker_anchor":null,"paragraph_id":"pg70693-paragraph-571"}],"canonical_references":[],"date_end":null,"date_start":null,"deduplication_fingerprint":"4e537d504ac84994211ba3f20d2358d309091787ed71faa4c2096c65f102d526","edition_title":"The writings of Origen, Vol. 2 (of 2)","edition_translators":["Frederick Crombie","W. H. Cairns"],"edition_year":1872,"explicit_reference_candidates":[{"book":"1CO","chapter":8,"kind":"unreviewed","source_notation":"1 Cor. viii. 4","verse":4,"verse_end":4}],"headings":[],"id":"pg70693-f1607","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":"f1607","source_ebook":70693,"source_html":"<div class=\"footnote\" id=\"f1607\">\n<p class=\"c007\"><span class=\"label\"><a class=\"pginternal\" href=\"#r1607\">1607</a>. </span>1 <abbr title=\"Corinthians\">Cor.</abbr> <abbr title=\"eight\">viii.</abbr> 4, 11.</p>\n</div>","source_sha256":"76ed9a9fd752c1d5095189e38fe3dcbbea0fd23d6be719db17360e4da14552fa","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/70693/pg70693-images.html#f1607","text_sha256":"8b047a6cf240242fad1c898e2144db3d9be7ff338425fff23f2e2e5da2f6d1f1","verified":false,"work_id":null}