- That all men, and even devils, shall be saved at the last.
Saint Jerome, who had expressed a somewhat unguarded admiration of Origen for his work in
establishing the text of the Old Testament, found it prudent, subsequently, to expend much time
and vehemence in repudiating his theological errors.
Origen's aberrations were not only theological; in his youth he was guilty of an irreparable error
through a too literal interpretation of the text: "There be eunuchs, which have made themselves
eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake." * This method of escaping the temptations of the flesh,
which Origen rashly adopted, has been condemned by the Church; moreover it made him ineligible
for holy orders, although some ecclesiastics seem to have thought otherwise, thereby giving rise to
unedifying controversies.
Origen's longest work is a book entitled Against Celsus. Celsus was the author of a book (now
lost) against Christianity, and Origen set to work to answer him point by point. Celsus begins by
objecting to
* Matthew XIX, 12.-327-Christians because they belong to illegal associations; this Origen does not deny, but claims to
be a virtue, like tyrannicide. He then comes to what is no doubt the real basis for the dislike of
Christianity: Christianity, says Celsus, comes from the Jews, who are barbarians; and only
Greeks can extract sense out of the teachings of barbarians. Origen replies that any one coming
from Greek philosophy to the Gospels would conclude that they are true, and supply a
demonstration satisfying to the Greek intellect. But, further, "The Gospel has a demonstration
of its own, more divine than any established by Grecian dialectics. And this diviner method is
called by the apostle the 'manifestation of the Spirit and of power; of 'the Spirit,' on account of
the prophecies, which are sufficient to produce faith in any one who reads them, especially in
those things which relate to Christ; and of 'power,' because of the signs and wonders which we
must believe to have been performed, both on many other grounds, and on this, that traces of
them are still preserved among those who regulate their lives by the precepts of the Gospel." *
This passage is interesting, as showing already the twofold argument for belief which is
characteristic of Christian philosophy. On the one hand, pure reason, rightly exercised, suffices
to establish the essentials of the Christian faith, more especially God, immortality, and free will.
But on the other hand the Scriptures prove not only these bare essentials, but much more; and
the divine inspiration of the Scriptures is proved by the fact that the prophets foretold the
coming of the Messiah, by the miracles, and by the beneficent effects of belief on the lives of
the faithful. Some of these arguments are now considered out of date, but the last of them was
still employed by William James. All of them, until the Renaissance, were accepted by every
Christian philosopher.
Some of Origen's arguments are curious. He says that magicians invoke the "God of Abraham,"
often without knowing who He is; but apparently this invocation is specially potent. Names are
essential in magic; it is not indifferent whether God is called by His Jewish, Egyptian,
Babylonian, Greek, or Brahman name. Magic formulæ lose their efficacy when translated. One
is led to suppose that the magicians of the time used formulæ from all known religions, but if
Origen is