self, the whole simultaneous host of adverse powers, unless the might indeed of Him alone were to work in him, who said, 'Have confidence, I have overcome the world.' (John xvi. 33.)"-De Princip. L. iii. c. 2, n. 5, p. 141. De la Rue, Paris, 1733. Migne's Ed.

"This they see, if any be a Peter who has obtained the building of the Church in himself by the Word, and has acquired such a habit, as that no gate of hell shall prevail against him; being raised by the Word from the gates of death, that he may declare all the praises of God in the gates of the daughter of Sion.' (Ps. ix. 15.)"-Ib. c. Cels. vi. 77, p. 691.

"See what is said by the Lord to that great foundation of the Church, and to the most solid rock upon which Christ founded the Church; 'O thou of little faith, why didst thou doubt ?' (Matt. xvi. 31.)"-Ib. T. ii. Hom. 5. in Exod. n. 4. p. 145.

"My substance is nothing before thee.' (Ps xxxviii. 6.) In comparison with God, even though I be Peter, against whom the gates of hell shall not prevail,' my substance is nothing before thee." -Ib. T. ii. Select. in Ps. 38. Hom. ii. 10, p. 695.

6

"Jesus came into the quarters of Cesarea Philippi, and He asked His disciples.' (Matt. xvi. 13.) Jesus asked His disciples, Whom men say that He is;' but we may learn, from the answer of the apostles, the various opinions that were then amongst the Jews concerning our Saviour....Now, the Jews, as deserving the veil over their hearts, had false opinions concerning Jesus. But Peter, as not a disciple of flesh and blood, but one who had also made way for the revelation of the Father who is in heaven, confessed that He was the Christ. It was, therefore, a great thing even what was said by Peter to the

Saviour, thus, Thou art the Christ,' it not being known by the Jews that He was the Christ; but it was a greater, that he knew that He was not only the Christ, but also The Son of the living God.'. And, haply, if, what Simon Peter answering said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God,' we say as Peter said,—' flesh and blood not having revealed it' to us, but the light having shone upon our hearts from the Father who is in heaven,'-we too may become what Peter also became; called blessed in like manner as he; for that the causes of his being called blessed have come also to us, in that flesh and blood' have not revealed to us that 'Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God,' but the Father in heaven, from heaven, that we may become citizens of heaven, has revealed to us a revelation that leads up to heaven, those who have taken off the veil from their hearts, and have taken up the Spirit of wisdom of God and of revelation.' (Ephes. i. 17.) But if we have also said, as Peter, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God,' not as having been revealed to us by 'flesh and blood,' but because the light has shone upon our hearts from the Father in heaven,' we become Peter, then may be said to us by the Word, Thou art Peter,' and the rest. For, every disciple of Christ is a rock,' of which they drank, who drank of the spiritual rock that followed them,' (1 Cor. x. 4.); and upon every such rock every ecclesiastical word (logos) is built, and the conversation that is in accordance with it. For, in each one of the perfect, who have the assemblage of the words that make up the blessedness of words, and of works and of thoughts, is the Church that is built up by God. But if thou thinkest, that, on that one Peter alone, the whole Church is built by God, what wilt thou say concerning John, that 'son of thunder,' or of each one of the apostles ?

Besides, shall we dare to say, that against Peter individually the 'gates of hell shall not prevail', but against the rest of the apostles, and perfect men, they shall prevail ? But does not that saying, "The gates of hell shall not prevail against it; and that, Upon this rock I will build my Church,' both happen to all, and each of them? And are then the keys of heaven' given by the Lord to Peter alone, and shall no other of the blessed receive them? But if that, I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven' is common also to the others, how not also all the things both spoken before and those spoken after as if addressed to Peter? For also here, there seem to be addressed as if to Peter, the words, Whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth shall be bound also in heaven,' and what follows. But in the Gospel according to John, the Saviour, giving the Holy Ghost to the disciples by breathing, says, 'Receive ye the Holy Ghost,' and the rest. (St. John xx. 22.)...' Thou art Peter,' and the rest, down to and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.' Which does this 'It' refer to ? Is it to the rock' upon which Christ builds the Church, or to the Church ?' For the phrase is ambiguous. Or is it that they are, as it were, one and the same thing, the rock' and 'the Church ?' This, I think, is the real fact; for neither against 'the rock' upon which Christ builds His Church, nor against the Church shall the gates of hell prevail....The Church, as the building of Christ, who wisely built His house upon a rock,' (Matt. vii. 24,) is not susceptible of the gates of hell,' which, prevailing indeed against everyone who is out of the rock and the Church, have no power against her."-Tom. iii. Comment. in Matt. Tom. xii. n. 9, 10, 11, p. 522-6.

"Though the gates of hell are many, and hardly to be counted, not one 'gate of hell' shall prevail

against the rock,' or against the Church which Christ built upon it."-Ib. n. 12. p. 527.

"But since they who claim the place of the Episcopate, make use of this saying, (Matt. xvi. 19,) as Peter, and, having received from the Saviour the keys of the kingdom of heaven,' teach that both whatsoever has been bound,' that is condemned, by them, is also bound in heaven,' and that whatsoever has received remission from them is also 'loosed in heaven,' it is to be said that they speak soundly; if they have the work on account of which it was said to that same Peter, Thou art Peter;' and if they be such as to have the Church built upon them by Christ, and this may be reasonably referred to them. But the gates of hell' ought not to prevail against' him, who wishes to bind and loose.' But if he is bound fast with the cords of his own sins,' (Prov. v. 22), in vain does he both bind and loose.'...But if any one, not being a Peter, and not having the things named there, thinks, like Peter, to bind on earth,' so as that what is bound' is bound in heaven,' and to 'loose on earth,' so as that what is loosed' is loosed in heaven,' he is 'puffed up with pride,' not knowing the will of the scriptures, and, 'puffed up with pride, he has fallen into the snare of the devil.' (1 Tim. iii. 6, 7.)”—Ib. in Matt. T. xii. n. 14, p. 531-2.*

"On that same day the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Who is the greater in the kingdom of heaven ?' (Matt. xviii. 1.) We must not suffer the design of the Evangelist, in the words 'on that same

*To one not familiar with Origen's manner, or rather settled system, of interpretation, the above will seem strange, forced, far-fetched, and embarrassing. In the "Faith of Catholics," vol. I. p. 345-6, note 1, will be found an outline of his method; and, if that work were not out of print, I should content myself with referring the reader to what is said there;

day,' to pass unexamined...Jesus, therefore, had come together with His disciples to Capharnaum. There, they who received the didrachma came to Peter,' and asked him, 'Doth not your master pay the didrachma ?' (Matt. xvii. 23.) Then, when Peter had answered them, and said Yes, Jesus, having assigned a reason for paying the tribute money, sends Peter to draw out with the hook a fish, in the mouth of which he declares a stater would be found, to be given for Himself and Peter. (v. 26.) It seems, therefore, to me, that they, considering that this was a very great honour to Peter on the part of Jesus, as having adjudged him greater

but, under the circumstances, it may be well to reproduce part of that note here. 1. "According to him (Origen) there is a literal, a moral, and a mystical meaning in Scripture. 2. Only one of these meanings is to be found in some passages, whilst others are both literal and mystical. 3. The literal meaning suffices for the ordinary reader. 4. And yet he asserts that every book, both of the Old and New Testament, presents, if taken in a literal sense, what is false, absurd, and even impossible. (T. i. L. iv. de Princip. n. 15, 16, 18.-T. iii. Hom. vi. in Is. et passim.) 5. It is difficult, not to say impossible, to discover clearly the mystical sense of scripture, (De Princip. L. iv. n. 9,) and, as a general rule, the Scriptures are replete with difficulties and obscurity. (T. i. Fragm. x. Strom. p. 41; De Princip. L. iv. n. 7; T. ii. Hom. 27 in Numer. p. 374-5.) The following is a specimen of Origen's language, when speaking of a merely literal interpretation of the words of Scripture: If we abide by the letter, and take what is written in the law according as, whether by the Jews or by the great bulk of men, it is understood, I blush to declare and confess that God should have given such laws. For human laws, those of the Romans, or of the Lacedemonians, will be seen to be more elegant and rational. But if the law of God be taken. according to that sense which the Church teaches, then will it be plainly pre-eminent above all human laws, and be believed to be truly the law of God.' (T. ii. Hom. 7, in Levit. n. 5, p. 226.)"