without foundation, whoever wishes may learn; for should any one collect and compare their copies one with another, he would find them greatly at variance among themselves. For the copies of Asclepiodotus will be found to differ from those of Theodotus. Copies of many you may find in abundance, altered, by the eagerness of their disciples to insert each one his own corrections, as they call them, i. e. their corruptions. Again, the copies of Hermophilus do not agree with these, for those of Appollonius are not consistent with themselves. For one may compare those which were prepared before by them, with those which they afterwards perverted for their own objects, and you will find them widely differing. But what a stretch of audacity this aberration indicates, it is hardly probable themselves can be ignorant. For either they do not believe that the holy Scriptures were uttered by the holy Spirit, and they are thus infidels, or they deem themselves wiser than the holy Spirit, and what alternative is there but to pronounce them dæmoniacs? For neither can they deny that they have been guilty of the daring act, when the copies were written with their own hand, nor did they receive such Scriptures from those by whom they were instructed in the elements of the faith; nor can they show copies from which they were transcribed. But some of them did not even deign, or think it worth while, to mutilate the Scriptures, but directly denying the law and the prophets by their lawless and impious doctrine, under the pretext of grace, they sunk down to the lowest depths of perdition." But let this suffice on this subject.

BOOK VI.

CHAPTER I.

The persecution under Severus.

BUT when Severus raised a persecution against the churches, there were illustrious testimonies given by the combatants of religion in all the churches every where. They particularly abounded in Alexandria, whilst the heroic wrestlers from Egypt and Thebais were escorted thither as to a mighty theatre of God, where, by their invincible patience under various tortures and modes of death, they were adorned with crowns from heaven. Among these was Leonides, said to be the father of Origen, who was beheaded, and left his son behind yet very young. His early predilection for the divine word, as instructed by his father, it is not out of place here briefly to state, so much the more especially as his fame is celebrated by many.

CHAPTER II.

The education of Origen, from his earliest youth.

ONE might, indeed, say much in attempting to write the life of the man at school, for the subject respecting him would require a particular and separate work. Nevertheless, for the present, we shall endeavour by abridging the most of the materials, as briefly as possible to relate some few events respecting him, and adduce the facts from certain epistles and histories which have come down to our own day, by those of his familiar friends who are yet living. The life of Origen, indeed, appears to me worthy of being recorded, even from his tender infancy. It was

in the tenth year of the reign of Severus, when Alexandria and the rest of Egypt was under the government of his viceroy Lætus, and the churches there were under the episcopal administration of Demetrius, the successor of Julian, that the kindled flame of persecution blazed forth mightily, and many thousands were crowned with martyrdom.

It was then, too, that the love of martyrdom so powerfully seized the soul of Origen, though yet an almost infant boy, that he advanced so close to encounter danger, and was eager to leap forward and rush upon the conflict. And indeed, there had been now but little wanting, and the termination of his life had not been far off, unless the heavenly providence of God for the benefit of vast numbers, had, by means of his mother, interposed an impediment to his eager desire. She, indeed, at first, implored and entreated him to spare a mother's tenderness regarding him, but seeing him only the more vehemently bent upon it, as he understood that his father was taken and kept a prisoner, and he was wholly borne away by the desire of becoming a martyr, his mother concealed his clothes in order to compel him to remain at home. But when he saw that there was no other course for him to pursue, as his great zeal was far beyond his years, he could not remain inactive, but sent to his father a most encouraging letter on martyrdom, in which he encourages him, saying, "take heed, (father) not to change thy mind on account of us." This may serve as the first specimen that we mention of Origen's shrewdness, and his genuine devotedness to piety. For he had even then made no little progress in the doctrine of faith, as he had been conversant with the holy Scriptures even when a child. He had been considerably trained in them by his father, who, besides the study of the liberal sciences, had also carefully stored his mind with these. First of all, therefore, before he studied the Grecian literature, he led him to frequent exercise in the study of sacred things,, appointing him to commit and repeat some passages every day; and these things were not unwillingly done by the child, but studies most cheerfully performed with great diligence. So that it was not sufficient for him merely to read what was simple and obvious in the sacred

mean.

books, but he sought also what was beyond this, into the deeper senses of the text, and was busily employed in such speculations even at that age; so that he gave his father trouble, by his questions what forsooth the passage of the inspired Scriptures should He, indeed, to appearance, rebuked him to his face, telling him not to inquire into things beyond his age, nor to search beyond the obvious meaning of Scriptures. But he, greatly delighted in his own mind, gave most hearty thanks to Almighty God, the author of all good, that he had honoured him to be the father of such a child. And they say, that frequently, when standing over his sleeping boy, he would uncover his breast, and as a shrine consecrated by the divine Spirit, he reverently kissed it and congratulated himself upon his favoured offspring. These and other similar circumstances are related of Origen when yet a boy. But now, as his father had ended his days a martyr, he is left in this bereaved condition with his mother and younger brothers, in number six, when he was yet in his seventeenth year. And as his father's property was forfeited to the imperial treasury, he was reduced with his relatives to great straits for the necessaries of life. But he was honoured with a provision from God. For he found a kind reception and retreat with a certain lady of great wealth and distinction; but who at the same time patronized a certain celebrated man who was an advocate of the heretics then existing in Alexandria. This man was a native of Antioch, and was taken home by the lady as an adopted son, and was treated with the greatest kindness by her. But as Origen thus necessarily associated with him, he thenceforth gave him strong specimens of his orthodox faith. As great numbers not only of heretics but ours also, induced by the apparent eloquence of the man, collected to hear this Paul, for that was his name, he could never be induced to join with him in prayer, observing even from a boy that rule of the church, and as he himself says, somewhere, abominating the inculcation of heretical doctrines. But as he had been instructed by his father in Greek literature, and after his death devoted himself more ardently to the sole study of literature, so that he acquired a tolerable acquaintance with philology, he devoted himself not long after his father's

death to this study, and young as he was, he thus acquired sutficient to supply his necessary wants in abundance.

CHAPTER III.

When a very young man he preached the Gospel.

BUT whilst he was thus engaged with his school where he abode, as he somewhere states, and there was no one at Alexandria that applied himself to give instruction in the principles of the faith, but all driven away by the threatening aspect of persecution, some of the Gentiles came to him with a mind to hear the word of God. The first of whom, he states, was Plutarch; who, after a life of piety, was also crowned with divine martyrdom. The second was Heraclas, the brother of Plutarch, who, indeed, having given abundant proof of a life of retired contemplation and discipline, was deemed worthy of the episcopate of Alexandria after Demetrius. But he was in his eighteenth year when he conducted the school for elementary instruction in the faith, in which also he made great proficiency under the persecutions of Aquila governor of Alexandria; where, also, he obtained a celebrated name with all the believers, on account of that cordiality and promptness which he exhibited to all the martyrs, whether known to him or not. For not only was he with them when in bonds, nor only until the last of their trial at the tribunal; but, even after this, when led away to die, he conversed freely with these holy martyrs, and advanced in the face of danger. So, that as he boldly proceeded, and with great freedom saluted the brethren with a kiss, the infuriate multitude who stood around had more than once almost overwhelmed him (with stones), had he not this once experienced the helping hand of God, and wonderfully escaped. But this same celestial grace, at one time and another, again and again, and indeed no one can tell how often, in consequence of his great zeal for the doctrine of Christ, and his fearlessness, as often protected him in danger. So great, indeed, was