{"author":null,"backreferences":[{"context_html":"<p class=\"c006\">In the next place, in answer to the human race, who perceive\r\ntheir own superiority, which far exceeds that of the irrational\r\nanimals, he says: “With respect to your assertion, that\r\nGod gave you the power to capture wild beasts, and to make\r\nyour own use of them, we would say that, in all probability,\r\nbefore cities were built, and arts invented, and societies such\r\nas now exist were formed, and weapons and nets employed,\r\nmen were generally caught and devoured by wild beasts, while\r\nwild beasts were very seldom captured by men.” Now, in\r\nreference to this, observe that although men catch wild beasts,\r\nand wild beasts make prey of men, there is a great difference\r\nbetween the case of such as by means of their understanding\r\nobtain the mastery over those whose superiority consists in their\r\nsavage and cruel nature, and that of those who do not make\r\nuse of their understanding to secure their safety from injury\r\nby wild beasts. But when Celsus says, “before cities were\r\nbuilt, and arts invented, and societies such as now exist were\r\nformed,” he appears to have forgotten what he had before said,\r\nthat “the world was uncreated and incorruptible, and that it\r\nwas only the things on earth which underwent deluges and conflagrations,\r\nand that all these things did not happen at the same\r\ntime.” Now let it be granted that these admissions on his\r\npart are entirely in harmony with our views, though not at all\r\nwith him and his statements made above; yet what does it all\r\navail to prove that in the beginning men were mostly captured\r\nand devoured by wild beasts, while wild beasts were never\r\ncaught by men? For, since the world was created in conformity\r\nwith the will of Providence, and God presided over the\r\n<span class=\"pageno\" id=\"Page_246\">246</span>universe of things, it was necessary that the elements<a id=\"r785\"></a><a class=\"c008 pginternal\" href=\"#f785\"><sup>[785]</sup></a> of the\r\nhuman race should at the commencement of its existence be\r\nplaced under some protection of the higher powers, so that\r\nthere might be formed from the beginning a union of the\r\ndivine nature with that of men. And the poet of Ascra, perceiving\r\nthis, sings:</p>","headings":["The writings of Origen, Vol. 2 of 2","BOOK IV.","Chapter LXXIX."],"marker_anchor":null,"paragraph_id":"pg70693-paragraph-302"}],"canonical_references":[],"date_end":null,"date_start":null,"deduplication_fingerprint":"d4b5a6abcf70bf63c7aec16098a947b7da9956e46d369f73e9d8ec03c185beae","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-f785","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":"f785","source_ebook":70693,"source_html":"<div class=\"footnote\" id=\"f785\">\n<p class=\"c007\"><span class=\"label\"><a class=\"pginternal\" href=\"#r785\">785</a>. </span><span lang=\"grc\">ζώπυρα.</span></p>\n</div>","source_sha256":"76ed9a9fd752c1d5095189e38fe3dcbbea0fd23d6be719db17360e4da14552fa","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/70693/pg70693-images.html#f785","text_sha256":"43c7a45508ba5495f1258a110776b2dccce5c08ffec527866523b337623565b3","verified":false,"work_id":null}