LIII. Τῆς δὲ μοχθηρίας τῶν ̓Ιουδαϊκῶν γραφῶν οὐκ ἀπόστασιν, λύσιν δέ τινες εὑρεῖν προθυμηθέντες, ἐπ ̓ ἐξηγήσεις ἐτράποντο ἀσυγκλώστους καὶ ἀναρμόστους τοῖς γεγραμμένοις, οὐκ ἀπολογίαν μᾶλλον ὑπὲρ τῶν ὀθνείων, 5 παραδοχὴν δὲ καὶ ἔπαινον τοῖς οἰκείοις φερούσας. αἰνίγματα γὰρ τὰ φανερῶς παρὰ Μωϋσεῖ λεγόμενα εἶναι κομπάσαντες, καὶ ἐπιθειάσαντες ὡς θεσπίσματα πλήρη κρυφίων μυστηρίων, διά τε τοῦ τύφου τὸ κριτικὸν τῆς ψυχῆς καταγοητεύσαντες, ἐπάγουσιν ἐξηγήσεις. LIV. EUSEBIUS, Hist. Eccles. vi. 19. ̓́Ετι πρὸς τούτοις περὶ τῆς πρὸς ̔Εβραίους ἐπιστολῆς ἐν ταῖς εἰς αὐτὴν ὁμιλίαις ταῦτα διαλαμβάνει· “Οτι ὁ χαρακτὴρ τῆς λέξεως τῆς πρὸς ̔Εβραίους ἐπιγεγραμμένης ἐπιστολῆς οὐκ ἔχει τὸ ἐν λόγῳ ἰδιωτικὸν τοῦ ἀποστόλου, ὁμολογήσαντος ἑαυτὸν ὁ ἰδιώτην εἶναι τῷ 15 λόγῳ, τουτέστι τῇ φράσει, ἀλλὰ ἐστὶν ἡ ἐπιστολὴ συνθέσει τῆς λέξεως ̔Ελληνικωτέρα, πᾶς ὁ ἐπιστάμενος κρίνειν φράσεων διαφορὰς ὁμολογήσαι ἄν. πάλιν τε αὖ ὅτι τὰ νοήματα τῆς ἐπιστολῆς θαυμάσιά ἐστι, καὶ οὐ δεύτερα τῶν ἀποστολικῶν ὁμολογουμένων γραμμάτων, καὶ 3ο τοῦτο ἂν συμφήσαι εἶναι ἀληθὲς πᾶς ὁ προσέχων τῇ ἀναγνώσει τῇ ἀποστολικῇ. Τούτοις μεθ ̓ ἕτερα ἐπιφέρει λέγων· Ἐγὼ δὲ ἀποφαινόμενος εἴποιμ ̓ ἄν, ὅτι τὰ μὲν νοήματα τοῦ ἀποστόλου ἐστίν, ἡ δὲ φράσις καὶ ἡ σύνθεσις 25 ἀπομνημονεύσαντός τινος τὰ ἀποστολικά, καὶ ὡσπερεί σχολιογραφήσαντός τινος τὰ εἰρημένα ὑπὸ τοῦ διδασκάλου. εἴ τις οὖν ἐκκλησία ἔχει ταύτην τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ὡς Παύ λου, αὕτη εὐδοκιμείτω καὶ ἐπὶ τούτῳ. οὐ γὰρ εἰκῇ οἱ Porphyry's Objections to Allegorical Interpretations. SOME persons, desiring to find a solution of the baseness of the Jewish Scriptures rather than abandon them, have had recourse to interpretations inconsistent and incongruous with the words written, which explanations instead of supplying a defence of the foreigners, contain rather 5 approval and praise of themselves. For they boast that the plain words of Moses are enigmas, and regard them as oracles full of hidden mysteries; and having bewildered the mental judgement by their folly, they foist interpretations on them. Origen on the Authorship of the Epistle to the Hebrews. N. L. In addition Origen makes the following statements in regard to the Epistle to the Hebrews in his Homilies upon it: 10 'That the verbal style of the epistle entitled "To the Hebrews," is not rude like the language of the Apostle, 15 who acknowledged himself “rude in speech," that is, in expression; but that its diction is purer Greek, any one who has the power to discern differences of phraseology will acknowledge. Moreover, that the thoughts of the epistle are admirable, and not inferior to the acknow- 20 ledged Apostolic writings, any one who carefully examines the Apostolic text will admit.' Farther on he adds: 'If I gave my opinion, I should say that the thoughts are those of the Apostle, but the diction and phraseology 25 are those of some one who remembered the Apostolic teachings, and wrote down at his leisure what had been said by his teacher. Therefore if any Church holds that this epistle is by Paul, let it be commended for this. For ἀρχαῖοι ἄνδρες ὡς Παύλου αὐτὴν παραδεδώκασι. τίς δὲ ὁ γράψας τὴν ἐπιστολήν, τὸ μὲν ἀληθὲς Θεὸς οἶδεν. ἡ δὲ εἰς ἡμᾶς φθάσασα ἱστορία, ὑπό τινων μὲν λεγόντων, ὅτι Κλήμης ὁ γενόμενος ἐπίσκοπος ̔Ρωμαίων 5 ἔγραψε τὴν ἐπιστολήν, ὑπό τινων δέ, ὅτι Λουκᾶς ὁ γράψας τὸ εὐαγγέλιον καὶ τὰς Πράξεις. Ibid. vi. 25. 10 15 20 25 30 Τοῖς ἐπὶ τῶν θυσιῶν ᾑρη μένοις κώμης) 'Αλεξάνδρου) Νήσου ὀφρύι δεξιᾷ καὶ ἀεὶ ροῦσιν ὑμεῖν κατὰ να ἔθυσα καὶ ἔ[πιον] or [σπεισα] 1 Brackets ( ) indicate contractions; clams [ ] supply defects in the MS. not without reason have the ancients handed it down as Paul's. But who wrote the epistle, in truth God knows. The statement of some who have gone before us is that Clement, bishop of the Romans, wrote the epistle, and of others that Luke, the author of the Gospel and 5 the Acts, wrote it. N. L. A Libellus of the Decian Persecution. To the officers in charge of the sacrifices of the village of Alexander's Isle, from Aurelius Diogenes, the son of Satabus, of the village of Alexander's Isle, aged about 72, with a scar on his right eyebrow. I have always sacri- 10 ficed to the gods; and now in your presence, according to the commands, I have sacrificed and made a libation and tasted of the victims; and I desire you to subscribe. Fare ye well. I, Aurelius Diogenes, have delivered this... I, Mys[... the son of...]non', [saw him] sacrificing, and have subscribed In the first year of Imperator Caesar Caius Messius Quintus Trajanus Decius Pius Felix Augustus, on Epiphi 2 (=June 26, 250). The parts in clams will show the sort of matter which must have occupied the space. 15 20 LV. Νοουατιανῷ μὲν γὰρ εὐλόγως ἀπεχθανόμεθα, διακόψαντι τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, καί τινας τῶν ἀδελφῶν εἰς ἀσεβείας καὶ βλασφημίας ἑλκύσαντι, καὶ περὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ διδασκαλίαν ἀνοσιωτάτην ἐπεισκυκλήσαντι, καὶ τὸν χρηστότατον 5 Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ὡς ἀνηλεῆ συκοφαντοῦντι, ἐπὶ πᾶσι δὲ τούτοις τὸ λουτρὸν ἀθετοῦντι τὸ ἅγιον, καὶ τήν τε πρὸ αὐτοῦ πίστιν καὶ ὁμολογίαν ἀνατρέποντι, τό τε Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἐξ αὐτῶν, εἰ καί τις ἦν ἐλπὶς τοῦ παραμεῖναι ἢ καὶ ἐπανελθεῖν πρὸς αὐτούς, παντελῶς 10 φυγαδεύοντι. Ibid. vii. 8. LVI. QUAM unitatem tenere firmiter et vindicare debemus, maxime episcopi qui in ecclesia praesidemus, ut episcopatum quoque ipsum unum atque indivisum probemus. Nemo fraternitatem mendacio fallat, nemo fidem veritatis 15 perfida prevaricatione corrumpat. Episcopatus unus est, cuius a singulis in solidum pars tenetur. Ecclesia una est, quae in multitudinem latius incremento fecunditatis extenditur, quomodo solis multi radii sed lumen unum, et rami arboris multi sed robur unum tenaci radice fundatum, 20 et cum de fonte uno rivi plurimi defluunt, numerositas licet diffusa videatur exundantis copiae largitate, unitas tamen servatur in origine. . . . Qui reliquit ecclesiam Christi alienus est, profanus est, hostis est. Habere non potest Deum patrem qui ecclesiam non habet matrem. Si potuit 25 evadere quisquis extra arcam Noe fuit, et qui extra eccle siam fuerit evadet. CYPRIAN, De Cath. Eccles. Unitate, 5. |
