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Ante-Nicene Fathers

Fathers

Ante-Nicene Fathers

ANF Volume 4: Fathers of the Third Century: Tertullian Part Fourth; Minucius Felix; Commodian; Origen

Schaff English

Edited by Philip Schaff

Nineteenth-century public-domain English.

Public domain. Not a modern critical edition.

Contents

  1. Title Pages
  2. Introductory Notice
  3. Tertullian: Part Fourth
    1. On the Pallium
      1. Time Changes Nations' Dresses--and Fortunes
      2. The Law of Change, or Mutation, Universal
      3. Beasts Similarly Subject to the Law of Mutation
      4. Change Not Always Improvement
      5. Virtues of the Mantle. It Pleads in Its Own Defence
      6. Further Distinctions, and Crowning Glory, of the Pallium
      7. Elucidations
    2. On the Apparel of Women
      1. Book I
        1. Introduction. Modesty in Apparel Becoming to Women, in Memory of the Introduction of Sin into the World Through a Woman
        2. The Origin of Female Ornamentation, Traced Back to the Angels Who Had Fallen
        3. Concerning the Genuineness of “The Prophecy of Enoch.”
        4. Waiving the Question of the Authors, Tertullian Proposes to Consider the Things on Their Own Merits
        5. Gold and Silver Not Superior in Origin or in Utility to Other Metals
        6. Of Precious Stones and Pearls
        7. Rarity the Only Cause Which Makes Such Things Valuable
        8. The Same Rule Holds with Regard to Colours. God's Creatures Generally Not to Be Used, Except for the Purposes to Which He Has Appointed Them
        9. God's Distribution Must Regulate Our Desires, Otherwise We Become the Prey of Ambition and Its Attendant Evils
      2. II
        1. Introduction. Modesty to Be Observed Not Only in Its Essence, But in Its Accessories
        2. Perfect Modesty Will Abstain from Whatever Tends to Sin, as Well as from Sin Itself. Difference Between Trust and Presumption. If Secure Ourselves, We Must Not Put Temptation in the Way of Others. We Must Love Our Neighbour as Ourself
        3. Grant that Beauty Be Not to Be Feared: Still It is to Be Shunned as Unnecessary and Vainglorious
        4. Concerning the Plea of “Pleasing the Husband.”
        5. Some Refinements in Dress and Personal Appearance Lawful, Some Unlawful. Pigments Come Under the Latter Head
        6. Of Dyeing the Hair
        7. Of Elaborate Dressing of the Hair in Other Ways, and Its Bearing Upon Salvation
        8. Men Not Excluded from These Remarks on Personal Adornment
        9. Excess in Dress, as Well as in Personal Culture, to Be Shunned. Arguments Drawn from I Cor. VII
        10. Tertullian Refers Again to the Question of the Origin of All These Ornaments and Embellishments
        11. Christian Women, Further, Have Not the Same Causes for Appearing in Public, and Hence for Dressing in Fine Array as Gentiles. On the Contrary, Their Appearance Should Always Distinguish Them from Such
        12. Such Outward Adornments Meretricious, and Therefore Unsuitable to Modest Women
        13. It is Not Enough that God Know Us to Be Chaste: We Must Seem So Before Men. Especially in These Times of Persecution We Must Inure Our Bodies to the Hardships Which They May Not Improbably Be Called to Suffer
      3. Elucidation
    3. On the Veiling of Virgins
      1. Truth Rather to Be Appealed to Than Custom, and Truth Progressive in Its Developments
      2. Before Proceeding Farther, Let the Question of Custom Itself Be Sifted
      3. Gradual Development of Custom, and Its Results. Passionate Appeal to Truth
      4. Of the Argument Drawn from 1 Cor. XI. 5-16
      5. Of the Word Woman, Especially in Connection with Its Application to Eve
      6. The Parallel Case of Mary Considered
      7. Of the Reasons Assigned by the Apostle for Bidding Women to Be Veiled
      8. The Argument E Contrario
      9. Veiling Consistent with the Other Rules of Discipline Observed by Virgins and Women in General
      10. If the Female Virgins are to Be Thus Conspicuous, Why Not the Male as Well?
      11. The Rule of Veiling Not Applicable to Children
      12. Womanhood Self-Evident, and Not to Be Concealed by Just Leaving the Head Bare
      13. If Unveiling Be Proper, Why Not Practise It Always, Out of the Church as Well as in It?
      14. Perils to the Virgins Themselves Attendant Upon Not-Veiling
      15. Of Fascination
      16. Tertullian, Having Shown His Defence to Be Consistent with Scripture, Nature, and Discipline, Appeals to the Virgins Themselves
      17. An Appeal to the Married Women
      18. Elucidations
    4. To His Wife
      1. I
        1. Design of the Treatise. Disavowal of Personal Motives in Writing It
        2. Marriage Lawful, But Not Polygamy
        3. Marriage Good: Celibacy Preferable
        4. Of the Infirmity of the Flesh, and Similar Pleas
        5. Of the Love of Offspring as a Plea for Marriage
        6. Examples of Heathens Urged as Commendatory of Widowhood and Celibacy
        7. The Death of a Husband is God's Call to the Widow to Continence. Further Evidences from Scripture and from Heathenism
        8. Conclusion
      2. Book II
        1. Reasons Which Led to the Writing of This Second Book
        2. Of the Apostle's Meaning in 1 Cor. VII. 12-14
        3. Remarks on Some of the “Dangers and Wounds” Referred to in the Preceding Chapter
        4. Of the Hindrances Which an Unbelieving Husband Puts in His Wife's Way
        5. Of Sin and Danger Incurred Even with a “Tolerant” Husband
        6. Danger of Having to Take Part in Heathenish Rites, and Revels
        7. The Case of a Heathen Whose Wife is Converted After Marriage with Him Very Different, and Much More Hopeful
        8. Arguments Drawn Even from Heathenish Laws to Discountenance Marriage with Unbelievers. The Happiness of Union Between Partners in the Faith Enlarged on in Conclusion
      3. Elucidation
    5. On Exhortation to Chastity
      1. Introduction. Virginity Classified Under Three Several Species
      2. The Blame of Our Misdeeds Not to Be Cast Upon God. The One Power Which Rests with Man is the Power of Volition
      3. Of Indulgence and Pure Volition. The Question Illustrated
      4. Further Remarks Upon the Apostle's Language
      5. Unity of Marriage Taught by Its First Institution, and by the Apostle's Application of that Primal Type to Christ and the Church
      6. The Objection from the Polygamy of the Patriarchs Answered
      7. Even the Old Discipline Was Not Without Precedents to Enforce Monogamy. But in This as in Other Respects, the New Has Brought in a Higher Perfection
      8. If It Be Granted that Second Marriage is Lawful, Yet All Things Lawful are Not Expedient
      9. Second Marriage a Species of Adultery, Marriage Itself Impugned, as Akin to Adultery
      10. Application of the Subject. Advantages of Widowhood
      11. The More the Wives, the Greater the Distraction of the Spirit
      12. Excuses Commonly Urged in Defence of Second Marriage. Their Futility, Especially in the Case of Christians, Pointed Out
      13. Examples from Among the Heathen, as Well as from the Church, to Enforce the Foregoing Exhortation
      14. Elucidation
    6. On Monogamy
      1. Different Views in Regard to Marriage Held by Heretics, Psychic, and Spiritualists
      2. The Spiritualists Vindicated from the Charge of Novelty
      3. The Question of Novelty Further Considered in Connection with the Words of the Lord and His Apostles
      4. Waiving Allusion to the Paraclete, Tertullian Comes to the Consideration of the Ancient Scriptures, and Their Testimony on the Subject in Hand
      5. Connection of These Primeval Testimonies with Christ
      6. The Case of Abraham, and Its Bearing on the Present Question
      7. From Patriarchal, Tertullian Comes to Legal, Precedents
      8. From the Law Tertullian Comes to the Gospel. He Begins with Examples Before Proceeding to Dogmas
      9. From Examples Tertullian Passes to Direct Dogmatic Teachings. He Begins with the Lord's Teaching
      10. St. Paul's Teaching on the Subject
      11. Further Remarks Upon St. Paul's Teaching
      12. The Explanation of the Passage Offered by the Psychics Considered
      13. Further Objections from St. Paul Answered
      14. Even If the Permission Had Been Given by St. Paul in the Sense Which the Psychics Allege, It Was Merely Like the Mosaic Permission of Divorce--A Condescension to Human Hard-Heartedness
      15. Unfairness of Charging the Disciples of the New Prophecy with Harshness. The Charge Rather to Be Retorted Upon the Psychics
      16. Weakness of the Pleas Urged in Defence of Second Marriage
      17. Heathen Examples Cry Shame Upon This “Infirmity of the Flesh.”
      18. Elucidations
    7. On Modesty
      1. Chapter I
      2. God Just as Well as Merciful; Accordingly, Mercy Must Not Be Indiscriminate
      3. An Objection Anticipated Before the Discussion Above Promised is Commenced
      4. Adultery and Fornication Synonymous
      5. Of the Prohibition of Adultery in the Decalogue
      6. Examples of Such Offences Under the Old Dispensation No Pattern for the Disciples of the New. But Even the Old Has Examples of Vengeance Upon Such Offences
      7. Of the Parables of the Lost Ewe and the Lost Drachma
      8. Of the Prodigal Son
      9. Certain General Principles of Parabolic Interpretation. These Applied to the Parables Now Under Consideration, Especially to that of the Prodigal Son
      10. Repentance More Competent to Heathens Than to Christians
      11. From Parables Tertullian Comes to Consider Definite Acts of the Lord
      12. Of the Verdict of the Apostles, Assembled in Council, Upon the Subject of Adultery
      13. Of St. Paul, and the Person Whom He Urges the Corinthians to Forgive
      14. The Same Subject Continued
      15. The Same Subject Continued
      16. General Consistency of the Apostle
      17. Consistency of the Apostle in His Other Epistles
      18. Answer to a Psychical Objection
      19. Objections from the Revelation and the First Epistle of St. John Refuted
      20. From Apostolic Teaching Tertullian Turns to that of Companions of the Apostles, and of the Law
      21. Of the Difference Between Discipline and Power, and of the Power of the Keys
      22. Of Martyrs, and Their Intercession on Behalf of Scandalous Offenders
      23. Elucidations
    8. On Fasting
      1. Connection of Gluttony and Lust. Grounds of Psychical Objections Against the Montanists
      2. Arguments of the Psychics, Drawn from the Law, the Gospel, the Acts, the Epistles, and Heathenish Practices
      3. The Principle of Fasting Traced Back to Its Earliest Source
      4. The Objection is Raised, Why, Then, Was the Limit of Lawful Food Extended After the Flood? The Answer to It
      5. Proceeding to the History of Israel, Tertullian Shows that Appetite Was as Conspicuous Among Their Sins as in Adam's Case. Therefore the Restraints of the Levitical Law Were Imposed
      6. The Physical Tendencies of Fasting and Feeding Considered. The Cases of Moses and Elijah
      7. Further Examples from the Old Testament in Favour of Fasting
      8. Examples of a Similar Kind from the New
      9. From Fasts Absolute Tertullian Comes to Partial Ones and Xerophagies
      10. Of Stations, and of the Hours of Prayer
      11. Of the Respect Due to “Human Authority;” And of the Charges of “Heresy” And “Pseudo-Prophecy.”
      12. Of the Need for Some Protest Against the Psychics and Their Self-Indulgence
      13. Of the Inconsistencies of the Psychics
      14. Reply to the Charge of “Galaticism.“
      15. Of the Apostle's Language Concerning Food
      16. Instances from Scripture of Divine Judgments Upon the Self-Indulgent; And Appeals to the Practices of Heathens
      17. Conclusion
      18. Elucidations
    9. De Fuga in Persecutione
      1. De Fuga in Persecutione
      2. Elucidations
    10. Appendix
      1. A Strain of Jonah the Prophet
      2. A Strain of Sodom
      3. Genesis
      4. A Strain of the Judgment of the Lord
      5. Five Books in Reply to Marcion
        1. Of the Divine Unity, and the Resurrection of the Flesh
        2. Of the Harmony of the Old and New Laws
        3. Of the Harmony of the Fathers of the Old and New Testaments
        4. Of Marcion's Antitheses
        5. General Reply to Sundry of Marcion's Heresies
      6. Note
      7. Elucidations
  4. Minucius Felix
    1. Introductory Note
    2. The Octavius of Minucius Felix
      1. Argument: Minucius Relates How Delightful to Him is the Recollection of the Things that Had Happened to Him with Octavius While He Was Associated with Him at Rome, and Especially of This Disputation
      2. Argument: The Arrival of Octavius at Rome During the Time of the Public Holidays Was Very Agreeable to Minucius. Both of Them Were Desirous of Going to the Marine Baths of Ostia, with Cæcilius Associated with Them as a Companion of Minucius. On Their Way Together to the Sea, Cæcillus, Seeing an Image of Serapis, Raises His Hand to His Mouth, and Worships It
      3. Argument: Octavius, Displeased at the Act of This Superstitious Man, Sharply Reproaches Minucius, on the Ground that the Disgrace of This Wicked Deed is Reflected Not Less on Himself, as Cæcilius' Host, Than on Cæcilius
      4. Argument: Cæcilius, Somewhat Grieved at This Kind of Rebuke Which for His Sake Minucius Had Had to Bear from Octavius, Begs to Argue with Octavius on the Truth of His Religion. Octavius with His Companion Consents, and Minucius Sits in the Middle Between Cæcilius and Octavius
      5. Argument: Cæcilius Begins His Argument First of All by Reminding Them that in Human Affairs All Things are Doubtful and Uncertain, and that Therefore It is to Be Lamented that Christians, Who for the Most Part are Untrained and Illiterate Persons, Should Dare to Determine on Anything with Certainty Concerning the Chief of Things and the Divine Majesty: Hence He Argues that the World is Governed by No Providence, and Concludes that It is Better to Abide by the Received Forms of Religion
      6. Argument: The Object of All Nations, and Especially of the Romans, in Worshipping Their Divinities, Has Been to Attain for Their Worship the Supreme Dominion Over the Whole Earth
      7. Argument: That the Roman Auspices and Auguries Have Been Neglected with Ill Consequences, But Have Been Observed with Good Fortune
      8. Argument: The Impious Temerity of Theodorus, Diagoras, and Protagoras is Not at All to Be Acquiesced In, Who Wished Either Altogether to Get Rid of the Religion of the Gods, or at Least to Weaken It. But Infinitely Less to Be Endured is that Skulking and Light-Shunning People of the Christians, Who Reject the Gods, and Who, Fearing to Die After Death, Do Not in the Meantime Fear to Die
      9. Argument: The Religion of the Christians is Foolish, Inasmuch as They Worship a Crucified Man, and Even the Instrument Itself of His Punishment. They are Said to Worship the Head of an Ass, and Even the Nature of Their Father. They are Initiated by the Slaughter and the Blood of an Infant, and in Shameless Darkness They are All Mixed Up in an Uncertain Medley
      10. Argument: Whatever the Christians Worship, They Strive in Every Way to Conceal: They Have No Altars, No Temples, No Acknowledged Images. Their God, Like that of the Jews, is Said to Be One, Whom, Although They are Neither Able to See Nor to Show, They Think Nevertheless to Be Mischievous, Restless, and Unseasonably Inquisitive
      11. Argument: Besides Asserting the Future Conflagration of the Whole World, They Promise Afterwards the Resurrection of Our Bodies: and to the Righteous an Eternity of Most Blessed Life; To the Unrighteous, of Extreme Punishment
      12. Argument: Moreover, What Will Happen to the Christians Themselves After Death, May Be Anticipated from the Fact that Even Now They are Destitute of All Means, and are Afflicted with the Heaviest Calamities and Miseries
      13. Argument: Cæcilius at Length Concludes that the New Religion is to Be Repudiated; And that We Must Not Rashly Pronounce Upon Doubtful Matters
      14. Argument: With Something of the Pride of Self-Satisfaction, Cæcilius Urges Octavius to Reply to His Arguments; And Minucius with Modesty Answers Him, that He Must Not Exult at His Own by No Means Ordinary Eloquence, and at the Harmonious Variety of His Address
      15. Argument: Cæcilius Retorts Upon Minucius, with Some Little Appearance of Being Hurt, that He is Foregoing the Office of a Religious Umpire, When He is Weakening the Force of His Argument. He Says that It Should Be Left to Octavius to Confute All that He Had Advanced
      16. Argument: Octavius Arranges His Reply, and Trusts that He Shall Be Able to Dilute the Bitterness of Reproach with the River of Truthful Words. He Proceeds to Weaken the Individual Arguments of Cæcilius. Nobody Need Complain that the Christians, Unlearned Though They May Be, Dispute About Heavenly Things Because It is Not the Authority of Him Who Argues, But the Truth of the Argument Itself, that Should Be Considered
      17. Argument: Man Ought Indeed to Know Himself, But This Knowledge Cannot Be Attained by Him Unless He First of All Acknowledges the Entire Scope of Things, and God Himself. And from the Constitution and Furniture of the World Itself, Every One Endowed with Reason Holds that It Was Established by God, and is Governed and Administered by Him
      18. Argument: Moreover, God Not Only Takes Care of the Universal World, But of Its Individual Parts. That by the Decree of the One God All Things are Governed, is Proved by the Illustration of Earthly Empires. But Although He, Being Infinite and Immense--And How Great He Is, is Known to Himself Alone--Cannot Either Be Seen or Named by Us, Yet His Glory is Beheld Most Clearly When the Use of All Titles is Laid Aside
      19. Argument: Moreover, the Poets Have Called Him the Parent of Gods and Men, the Creator of All Things, and Their Mind and Spirit. And, Besides, Even the More Excellent Philosophers Have Come Almost to the Same Conclusion as the Christians About the Unity of God
      20. Argument: But If the World is Ruled by Providence and Governed by the Will of One God, an Ignorant Antipathy Ought Not to Carry Us Away into the Error of Agreement with It: Although Delighted with Its Own Fables, It Has Brought in Ridiculous Traditions. Nor is It Shown Less Plainly that the Worship of the Gods Has Always Been Silly and Impious, in that the Most Ancient of Men Have Venerated Their Kings, Their Illustrious Generals, and Inventors of Arts, on Account of Their Remarkable Deeds, No Otherwise Than as Gods
      21. Argument: Octavius Attests the Fact that Men Were Adopted as Gods, by the Testimony of Euhemerus, Prodicus, Persæus, and Alexander the Great, Who Enumerate the Country, the Birthdays, and the Burial-Places of the Gods. Moreover He Sets Forth the Mournful Endings, Misfortunes, and Deaths of the Gods. And, in Addition, He Laughs at the Ridiculous and Disgusting Absurdities Which the Heathens Continually Allege About the Form and Appearance of Their Gods
      22. Argument: Moreover, These Fables, Which at First Were Invented by Ignorant Men, Were Afterwards Celebrated by Others, and Chiefly by Poets, Who Did No Little Mischief to the Truth by Their Authority. By Fictions of This Kind, and by Falsehoods of a Yet More Attractive Nature, the Minds of Young People are Corrupted, and Thence They Miserably Grow Old in These Beliefs, Although, on the Other Hand, the Truth is Obvious to Them If They Will Only Seek After It
      23. Argument: Although the Heathens Acknowledge Their Kings to Be Mortal, Yet They Feign that They are Gods Even Against Their Own Will, Not Because of Their Belief in Their Divinity, But in Honour of the Power that They Have Exerted. Yet a True God Has Neither Rising Nor Setting. Thence Octavius Criticises the Images and Shrines of the Gods
      24. Argument: He Briefly Shows, Moreover, What Ridiculous, Obscene, and Cruel Rites Were Observed in Celebrating the Mysteries of Certain Gods
      25. Argument: Then He Shows that Cæcilius Had Been Wrong in Asserting that the Romans Had Gained Their Power Over the Whole World by Means of the Due Observance of Superstitions of This Kind. Rather the Romans in Their Origin Were Collected by Crime, and Grew by the Terrors of Their Ferocity. And Therefore the Romans Were Not So Great Because They Were Religious, But Because They Were Sacrilegious with Impunity
      26. Argument: The Weapon that Cæcilius Had Slightly Brandished Against Him, Taken from the Auspices and Auguries of Birds, Octavius Retorts by Instancing the Cases of Regulus, Mancinus, Paulus, and Cæsar. And He Shows by Other Examples, that the Argument from the Oracles is of No Greater Force Than the Others
      27. Argument: Recapitulation. Doubtless Here is a Source of Error: Demons Lurk Under the Statues and Images, They Haunt the Fanes, They Animate the Fibres of the Entrails, Direct the Flights of Birds, Govern the Lots, Pour Forth Oracles Involved in False Responses. These Things Not from God; But They are Constrained to Confess When They are Adjured in the Name of the True God, and are Driven from the Possessed Bodies. Hence They Flee Hastily from the Neighbourhood of Christians, and Stir Up a Hatred Against Them in the Minds of the Gentiles Who Begin to Hate Them Before They Know Them
      28. Argument: Nor is It Only Hatred that They Arouse Against the Christians, But They Charge Against Them Horrid Crimes, Which Up to This Time Have Been Proved by Nobody. This is the Work of Demons. For by Them a False Report is Both Set on Foot and Propagated. The Christians are Falsely Accused of Sacrilege, of Incest, of Adultery, of Parricide; And, Moreover, It is Certain and True that the Very Same Crimes, or Crimes Like to or Greater Than These, are in Fact Committed by the Gentiles Themselves
      29. Argument: Nor is It More True that a Man Fastened to a Cross on Account of His Crimes is Worshipped by Christians, for They Believe Not Only that He Was Innocent, But with Reason that He Was God. But, on the Other Hand, the Heathens Invoke the Divine Powers of Kings Raised into Gods by Themselves; They Pray to Images, and Beseech Their Genii
      30. Argument: The Story About Christians Drinking the Blood of an Infant that They Have Murdered, is a Barefaced Calumny. But the Gentiles, Both Cruelly Expose Their Children Newly Born, and Before They are Born Destroy Them by a Cruel Abortion. Christians are Neither Allowed to See Nor to Hear of Manslaughter
      31. Argument: The Charge of Our Entertainments Being Polluted with Incest, is Entirely Opposed to All Probability, While It is Plain that Gentiles are Actually Guilty of Incest. The Banquets of Christians are Not Only Modest, But Temperate. In Fact, Incestuous Lust is So Unheard Of, that with Many Even the Modest Association of the Sexes Gives Rise to a Blush
      32. Argument: Nor Can It Be Said that the Christians Conceal What They Worship Because They Have No Temples and No Altars, Inasmuch as They are Persuaded that God Can Be Circumscribed by No Temple, and that No Likeness of Him Can Be Made. But He is Everywhere Present, Sees All Things, Even the Most Secret Thoughts of Our Hearts; And We Live Near to Him, and in His Protection
      33. Argument: That Even If God Be Said to Have Nothing Availed the Jews, Certainly the Writers of the Jewish Annals are the Most Sufficient Witnesses that They Forsook God Before They Were Forsaken by Him
      34. Argument: Moreover, It is Not at All to Be Wondered at If This World is to Be Consumed by Fire, Since Everything Which Has a Beginning Has Also an End. And the Ancient Philosophers are Not Averse from the Opinion of the Probable Burning Up of the World. Yet It is Evident that God, Having Made Man from Nothing, Can Raise Him Up from Death into Life. And All Nature Suggests a Future Resurrection
      35. Argument: Righteous and Pious Men Shall Be Rewarded with Never-Ending Felicity, But Unrighteous Men Shall Be Visited with Eternal Punishment. The Morals of Christians are Far More Holy Than Those of the Gentiles
      36. Argument: Fate is Nothing, Except So Far as Fate is God. Man's Mind is Free, and Therefore So is His Action: His Birth is Not Brought into Judgment. It is Not a Matter of Infamy, But of Glory, that Christians are Reproached for Their Poverty; And the Fact that They Suffer Bodily Evils is Not as a Penalty, But as a Discipline
      37. Argument: Tortures Most Unjustly Inflicted for the Confession of Christ's Name are Spectacles Worthy of God. A Comparison Instituted Between Some of the Bravest of the Heathens and the Holy Martyrs. He Declares that Christians Do Not Present Themselves at Public Shows and Processions, Because They Know Them, with the Greatest Certainty, to Be No Less Impious Than Cruel
      38. Argument: Christians Abstain from Things Connected with Idol Sacrifices, Lest Any One Should Think Either that They Yield to Demons, or that They are Ashamed of Their Religion. They Do Not Indeed Despise All the Colour and Scent of Flowers, for They are Accustomed to Use Them Scattered About Loosely and Negligently, as Well as to Entwine Their Necks with Garlands; But to Crown the Head of a Corpse They Think Superfluous and Useless. Moreover, with the Same Tranquillity with Which They Live They Bury Their Dead, Waiting with a Very Certain Hope the Crown of Eternal Felicity. Therefore Their Religion, Rejecting All the Superstitions of the Gentiles, Should Be Adopted as True by All Men
      39. Argument: When Octavius Had Finished This Address, Minucius and Cæcilius Sate for Some Time in Attentive and Silent Wonder. And Minucius Indeed Kept Silence in Admiration of Octavius, Silently Revolving What He Had Heard
      40. Argument: Then Cæcilius Exclaims that He is Vanquished by Octavius; And That, Being Now Conqueror Over Error, He Professes the Christian Religion. He Postpones, However, Till the Morrow His Training in the Fuller Belief of Its Mysteries
      41. Argument: Finally, All are Pleased, and Joyfully Depart: Cæcilius, that He Had Believed; Octavius, that He Had Conquered; And Minucius, that the Former Had Believed, and the Latter Had Conquered
      42. Elucidations
  5. Commodianus
    1. The Instructions of Commodianus
      1. Introductory Note
      2. Preface
      3. God's Indignation
      4. The Worship of Demons
      5. Saturn
      6. Jupiter
      7. Of the Same Jupiter's Thunderbolt
      8. Of the Septizonium and the Stars
      9. Of the Sun and Moon
      10. Mercury
      11. Neptune
      12. Apollo the Soothsaying and False
      13. Father Liber--Bacchus
      14. The Unconquered One
      15. Sylvanus
      16. Hercules
      17. Of the Gods and Goddesses
      18. Of Their Images
      19. Of Ammydates and the Great God
      20. Of the Vain Nemesiaci
      21. The Titans
      22. The Montesiani
      23. The Dulness of the Age
      24. Of Those Who are Everywhere Ready
      25. Of Those Who Live Between the Two
      26. They Who Fear and Will Not Believe
      27. To Those Who Resist the Law of Christ the Living God
      28. O Fool, Thou Dost Not Die to God
      29. The Righteous Rise Again
      30. To the Wicked and Unbelieving Rich Man
      31. Rich Men, Be Humble
      32. To Judges
      33. To Self-Pleasers
      34. To the Gentiles
      35. Moreover, to Ignorant Gentiles
      36. Of the Tree of Life and Death
      37. Of the Foolishness of the Cross
      38. The Fanatics Who Judaize
      39. To the Jews
      40. Also to the Jews
      41. Again to the Same
      42. Of the Time of Antichrist
      43. Of the Hidden and Holy People of the Almighty Christ, the Living God
      44. Of the End of This Age
      45. Of the First Resurrection
      46. Of the Day of Judgment
      47. To Catechumens
      48. To the Faithful
      49. O Faithful, Beware of Evil
      50. To Penitents
      51. Who Have Apostatized from God
      52. Of Infants
      53. Deserters
      54. To the Soldiers of Christ
      55. Of Fugitives
      56. Of the Seed of the Tares
      57. To the Dissembler
      58. That Worldly Things are Absolutely to Be Avoided
      59. That the Christian Should Be Such
      60. To the Matrons of the Church of the Living God
      61. To the Same Again
      62. In the Church to All the People of God
      63. To Him Who Wishes for Martyrdom
      64. The Daily War
      65. Of the Zeal of Concupiscence
      66. They Who Give from Evil
      67. Of a Deceitful Peace
      68. To Ministers
      69. To God's Shepherds
      70. I Speak to the Elder-Born
      71. To Visit the Sick
      72. To the Poor in Health
      73. That Sons are Not to Be Bewailed
      74. Of Funeral Pomp
      75. To the Clerks
      76. Of Those Who Gossip, and of Silence
      77. To the Drunkards
      78. To the Pastors
      79. To the Petitioners
      80. The Name of the Man of Gaza
      81. Elucidation
  6. Origen
    1. Introductory Note
      1. Preface
      2. Life
      3. Exegetical Works
      4. Critical Works
      5. Apologetical Works
      6. Dogmatic Works
      7. Practical Works
      8. Editions of Origin
    2. Prefatory Notice
    3. Prologue of Rufinus
    4. Origen De Principiis
      1. Preface
      2. Book I
        1. On God
        2. On Christ
        3. On the Holy Spirit
        4. On Defection, or Falling Away
        5. On Rational Natures
        6. On the End or Consummation
        7. On Incorporeal and Corporeal Beings
        8. On the Angels
        9. Fragment from the First Book of the de Principiis
        10. Another Fragment from the Same
      3. Book II
        1. On the World
        2. On the Perpetuity of Bodily Nature
        3. On the Beginning of the World, and Its Causes
        4. The God of the Law and the Prophets, and the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, is the Same God
        5. On Justice and Goodness
        6. On the Incarnation of Christ
        7. On the Holy Spirit
        8. On the Soul (Anima)
        9. On the World and the Movements of Rational Creatures, Whether Good or Bad; And on the Causes of Them
        10. On the Resurrection, and the Judgment, the Fire of Hell, and Punishments
        11. On Counter Promises
      4. Book III
        1. Preface of Rufinus
        2. Chapter I. translated from the Latin of Rufinus: On the Freedom of the Will
        3. Chapter I. translated from the Greek: On the Freedom of the Will, With an Explanation and Interpretation of Those Statements of Scripture Which Appear to Nullify It
        4. On the Opposing Powers
        5. On Threefold Wisdom
        6. On Human Temptations
        7. That the World Took Its Beginning in Time
        8. On the End of the World
      5. IV
        1. Chapter I., Sections 1-23 translated from the Latin of Rufinus: That the Scriptures are Divinely Inspired
        2. Chapter I., Sections 1-23 translated from the Greek: On the Inspiration of Holy Scripture, and How the Same is to be Read and Understood, and What is the Reason of the Uncertainty in it; and of the Impossibility or Irrationality of Certain Things in it, Taken According to the Letter
        3. Sections 24-End translated from the Latin
      6. Elucidations
    5. A Letter to Origen from Africanus About the History of Susanna
    6. A Letter from Origen to Africanus
    7. A Letter from Origen to Gregory
      1. A Letter from Origen to Gregory
      2. Elucidation
    8. Origen Against Celsus
      1. I
        1. Preface
        2. Chapter I
        3. Chapter II
        4. Chapter III
        5. Chapter IV
        6. Chapter V
        7. Chapter VI
        8. Chapter VII
        9. Chapter VIII
        10. Chapter IX
        11. Chapter X
        12. Chapter XI
        13. Chapter XII
        14. Chapter XIII
        15. Chapter XIV
        16. Chapter XV
        17. Chapter XVI
        18. Chapter XVII
        19. Chapter XVIII
        20. Chapter XIX
        21. Chapter XX
        22. Chapter XXI
        23. Chapter XXII
        24. Chapter XXIII
        25. Chapter XXIV
        26. Chapter XXV
        27. Chapter XXVI
        28. Chapter XXVII
        29. Chapter XXVIII
        30. Chapter XXIX
        31. Chapter XXX
        32. Chapter XXXI
        33. Chapter XXXII
        34. Chapter XXXIII
        35. Chapter XXXIV
        36. Chapter XXXV
        37. Chapter XXXVI
        38. Chapter XXXVII
        39. Chapter XXXVIII
        40. Chapter XXXIX
        41. Chapter XL
        42. Chapter XLI
        43. Chapter XLII
        44. Chapter XLIII
        45. Chapter XLIV
        46. Chapter XLV
        47. Chapter XLVI
        48. Chapter XLVII
        49. Chapter XLVIII
        50. Chapter XLIX
        51. Chapter L
        52. Chapter LI
        53. Chapter LII
        54. Chapter LIII
        55. Chapter LIV
        56. Chapter LV
        57. Chapter LVI
        58. Chapter LVII
        59. Chapter LVIII
        60. Chapter LIX
        61. Chapter LX
        62. Chapter LXI
        63. Chapter LXII
        64. Chapter LXIII
        65. Chapter LXIV
        66. Chapter LXV
        67. Chapter LXVI
        68. Chapter LXVII
        69. Chapter LXVIII
        70. Chapter LXIX
        71. Chapter LXX
        72. Chapter LXXI
      2. Book II
        1. Chapter I
        2. Chapter II
        3. Chapter III
        4. Chapter IV
        5. Chapter V
        6. Chapter VI
        7. Chapter VII
        8. Chapter VIII
        9. Chapter IX
        10. Chapter X
        11. Chapter XI
        12. Chapter XII
        13. Chapter XIII
        14. Chapter XIV
        15. Chapter XV
        16. Chapter XVI
        17. Chapter XVII
        18. Chapter XVIII
        19. Chapter XIX
        20. Chapter XX
        21. Chapter XXI
        22. Chapter XXII
        23. Chapter XXIII
        24. Chapter XXIV
        25. Chapter XXV
        26. Chapter XXVI
        27. Chapter XXVII
        28. Chapter XXVIII
        29. Chapter XXIX
        30. Chapter XXX
        31. Chapter XXXI
        32. Chapter XXXII
        33. Chapter XXXIII
        34. Chapter XXXIV
        35. Chapter XXXV
        36. Chapter XXXVI
        37. Chapter XXXVII
        38. Chapter XXXVIII
        39. Chapter XXXIX
        40. Chapter XL
        41. Chapter XLI
        42. Chapter XLII
        43. Chapter XLIII
        44. Chapter XLIV
        45. Chapter XLV
        46. Chapter XLVI
        47. Chapter XLVII
        48. Chapter XLVIII
        49. Chapter XLIX
        50. Chapter LI
        51. Chapter LII
        52. Chapter LIII
        53. Chapter LIV
        54. Chapter LV
        55. Chapter LVI
        56. Chapter LVII
        57. Chapter LVIII
        58. Chapter LIX
        59. Chapter LX
        60. Chapter LXI
        61. Chapter LXII
        62. Chapter LXIII
        63. Chapter LXIV
        64. Chapter LXV
        65. Chapter LXVI
        66. Chapter LXVII
        67. Chapter LXVIII
        68. Chapter LXIX
        69. Chapter LXX
        70. Chapter LXXI
        71. Chapter LXXII
        72. Chapter LXXIII
        73. Chapter LXXIV
        74. Chapter LXXV
        75. Chapter LXXVI
        76. Chapter LXXVII
        77. Chapter LXXVIII
        78. Chapter LXXIX
      3. Book III
        1. Chapter I
        2. Chapter II
        3. Chapter III
        4. Chapter IV
        5. Chapter V
        6. Chapter VI
        7. Chapter VII
        8. Chapter VIII
        9. Chapter IX
        10. Chapter X
        11. Chapter XI
        12. Chapter XII
        13. Chapter XIII
        14. Chapter XIV
        15. Chapter XV
        16. Chapter XVI
        17. Chapter XVII
        18. Chapter XVIII
        19. Chapter XIX
        20. Chapter XX
        21. Chapter XXI
        22. Chapter XXII
        23. Chapter XXIII
        24. Chapter XXIV
        25. Chapter XXV
        26. Chapter XXVI
        27. Chapter XXVII
        28. Chapter XXVIII
        29. Chapter XXIX
        30. Chapter XXX
        31. Chapter XXXI
        32. Chapter XXXII
        33. Chapter XXXIII
        34. Chapter XXXIV
        35. Chapter XXXV
        36. Chapter XXXVI
        37. Chapter XXXVII
        38. Chapter XXXVIII
        39. Chapter XXXIX
        40. Chapter XL
        41. Chapter XLI
        42. Chapter XLII
        43. Chapter XLIII
        44. Chapter XLIV
        45. Chapter XLV
        46. Chapter XLVI
        47. Chapter XLVII
        48. Chapter XLVIII
        49. Chapter XLIX
        50. Chapter L
        51. Chapter LI
        52. Chapter LII
        53. Chapter LIII
        54. Chapter LIV
        55. Chapter LV
        56. Chapter LVI
        57. Chapter LVII
        58. Chapter LVIII
        59. Chapter LIX
        60. Chapter LX
        61. Chapter LXI
        62. Chapter LXII
        63. Chapter LXIII
        64. Chapter LXIV
        65. Chapter LXV
        66. Chapter LXVI
        67. Chapter LXVII
        68. Chapter LXVIII
        69. Chapter LXIX
        70. Chapter LXX
        71. Chapter LXXI
        72. Chapter LXXII
        73. Chapter LXXIII
        74. Chapter LXXIV
        75. Chapter LXXV
        76. Chapter LXXVI
        77. Chapter LXXVII
        78. Chapter LXXVIII
        79. Chapter LXXIX
        80. Chapter LXXX
        81. Chapter LXXXI
      4. Book IV
        1. Chapter I
        2. Chapter II
        3. Chapter III
        4. Chapter IV
        5. Chapter V
        6. Chapter VI
        7. Chapter VII
        8. Chapter VIII
        9. Chapter IX
        10. Chapter X
        11. Chapter XI
        12. Chapter XII
        13. Chapter XIII
        14. Chapter XIV
        15. Chapter XV
        16. Chapter XVI
        17. Chapter XVII
        18. Chapter XVIII
        19. Chapter XIX
        20. Chapter XX
        21. Chapter XXI
        22. Chapter XXII
        23. Chapter XXIII
        24. Chapter XXIV
        25. Chapter XXV
        26. Chapter XXVI
        27. Chapter XXVII
        28. Chapter XXVIII
        29. Chapter XXIX
        30. Chapter XXX
        31. Chapter XXXI
        32. Chapter XXXII
        33. Chapter XXXIII
        34. Chapter XXXIV
        35. Chapter XXXV
        36. Chapter XXXVI
        37. Chapter XXXVII
        38. Chapter XXXVIII
        39. Chapter XXXIX
        40. Chapter XL
        41. Chapter XLI
        42. Chapter XLII
        43. Chapter XLIII
        44. Chapter XLIV
        45. Chapter XLV
        46. Chapter XLVI
        47. Chapter XLVII
        48. Chapter XLVIII
        49. Chapter XLIX
        50. Chapter L
        51. Chapter LI
        52. Chapter LII
        53. Chapter LIII
        54. Chapter LIV
        55. Chapter LV
        56. Chapter LVI
        57. Chapter LVII
        58. Chapter LVIII
        59. Chapter LIX
        60. Chapter LX
        61. Chapter LXI
        62. Chapter LXII
        63. Chapter LXIII
        64. Chapter LXIV
        65. Chapter LXV
        66. Chapter LXVI
        67. Chapter LXVII
        68. Chapter LXVIII
        69. Chapter LXIX
        70. Chapter LXX
        71. Chapter LXXI
        72. Chapter LXXII
        73. Chapter LXXIII
        74. Chapter LXXIV
        75. Chapter LXXV
        76. Chapter LXXVI
        77. Chapter LXXVII
        78. Chapter LXXVIII
        79. Chapter LXXIX
        80. Chapter LXXX
        81. Chapter LXXXI
        82. Chapter LXXXII
        83. Chapter LXXXIII
        84. Chapter LXXXIV
        85. Chapter LXXXV
        86. Chapter LXXXVI
        87. Chapter LXXXVII
        88. Chapter Lxxxviii
        89. Chapter LXXXIX
        90. Chapter XC
        91. Chapter XCI
        92. Chapter XCII
        93. Chapter XCIII
        94. Chapter XCIV
        95. Chapter XCV
        96. Chapter XCVI
        97. Chapter XCVII
        98. Chapter XCVIII
        99. Chapter XCIX
        100. Elucidation
      5. Book V
        1. Chapter I
        2. Chapter II
        3. Chapter III
        4. Chapter IV
        5. Chapter V
        6. Chapter VI
        7. Chapter VII
        8. Chapter VIII
        9. Chapter IX
        10. Chapter X
        11. Chapter XI
        12. Chapter XII
        13. Chapter XIII
        14. Chapter XIV
        15. Chapter XV
        16. Chapter XVI
        17. Chapter XVII
        18. Chapter XVIII
        19. Chapter XIX
        20. Chapter XX
        21. Chapter XXI
        22. Chapter XXII
        23. Chapter XXIII
        24. Chapter XXIV
        25. Chapter XXV
        26. Chapter XXVI
        27. Chapter XXVII
        28. Chapter XXVIII
        29. Chapter XXIX
        30. Chapter XXX
        31. Chapter XXXI
        32. Chapter XXXII
        33. Chapter XXXIII
        34. Chapter XXXIV
        35. Chapter XXXV
        36. Chapter XXXVI
        37. Chapter XXXVII
        38. Chapter XXXVIII
        39. Chapter XXXIX
        40. Chapter XL
        41. Chapter XLI
        42. Chapter XLII
        43. Chapter XLIII
        44. Chapter XLIV
        45. Chapter XLV
        46. Chapter XLVI
        47. Chapter XLVII
        48. Chapter XLVIII
        49. Chapter XLIX
        50. Chapter L
        51. Chapter LI
        52. Chapter LII
        53. Chapter LIII
        54. Chapter LIV
        55. Chapter LV
        56. Chapter LVI
        57. Chapter LVII
        58. Chapter LVIII
        59. Chapter LIX
        60. Chapter LX
        61. Chapter LXI
        62. Chapter LXII
        63. Chapter LXIII
        64. Chapter LXIV
        65. Chapter LXV
      6. Book VI
        1. Chapter I
        2. Chapter II
        3. Chapter III
        4. Chapter IV
        5. Chapter V
        6. Chapter VI
        7. Chapter VII
        8. Chapter VIII
        9. Chapter IX
        10. Chapter X
        11. Chapter XI
        12. Chapter XII
        13. Chapter XIII
        14. Chapter XIV
        15. Chapter XV
        16. Chapter XVI
        17. Chapter XVII
        18. Chapter XVIII
        19. Chapter XIX
        20. Chapter XX
        21. Chapter XXI
        22. Chapter XXII
        23. Chapter XXIII
        24. Chapter XXIV
        25. Chapter XXV
        26. Chapter XXVI
        27. Chapter XXVII
        28. Chapter XXVIII
        29. Chapter XXIX
        30. Chapter XXX
        31. Chapter XXXI
        32. Chapter XXXII
        33. Chapter XXXIII
        34. Chapter XXXIV
        35. Chapter XXXV
        36. Chapter XXXVI
        37. Chapter XXXVII
        38. Chapter XXXVIII
        39. Chapter XXXIX
        40. Chapter XL
        41. Chapter XLI
        42. Chapter XLII
        43. Chapter XLIII
        44. Chapter XLIV
        45. Chapter XLV
        46. Chapter XLVI
        47. Chapter XLVII
        48. Chapter XLVIII
        49. Chapter XLIX
        50. Chapter L
        51. Chapter LI
        52. Chapter LII
        53. Chapter LIII
        54. Chapter LIV
        55. Chapter LV
        56. Chapter LVI
        57. Chapter LVII
        58. Chapter LVIII
        59. Chapter LIX
        60. Chapter LX
        61. Chapter LXI
        62. Chapter LXII
        63. Chapter LXIII
        64. Chapter LXIV
        65. Chapter LXV
        66. Chapter LXVI
        67. Chapter LXVII
        68. Chapter LXVIII
        69. Chapter LXIX
        70. Chapter LXX
        71. Chapter LXXI
        72. Chapter LXXII
        73. Chapter LXXIII
        74. Chapter LXXIV
        75. Chapter LXXV
        76. Chapter LXXVI
        77. Chapter LXXVII
        78. Chapter LXXVIII
        79. Chapter LXXIX
        80. Chapter LXXX
        81. Chapter LXXXI
      7. Book VII
        1. Chapter I
        2. Chapter II
        3. Chapter III
        4. Chapter IV
        5. Chapter V
        6. Chapter VI
        7. Chapter VII
        8. Chapter VIII
        9. Chapter IX
        10. Chapter X
        11. Chapter XI
        12. Chapter XII
        13. Chapter XIII
        14. Chapter XIV
        15. Chapter XV
        16. Chapter XVI
        17. Chapter XVII
        18. Chapter XVIII
        19. Chapter XIX
        20. Chapter XX
        21. Chapter XXI
        22. Chapter XXII
        23. Chapter XXIII
        24. Chapter XXIV
        25. Chapter XXV
        26. Chapter XXVI
        27. Chapter XXVII
        28. Chapter XXVIII
        29. Chapter XXIX
        30. Chapter XXX
        31. Chapter XXXI
        32. Chapter XXXII
        33. Chapter XXXIII
        34. Chapter XXXIV
        35. Chapter XXXV
        36. Chapter XXXVI
        37. Chapter XXXVII
        38. Chapter XXXVIII
        39. Chapter XXXIX
        40. Chapter XL
        41. Chapter XLI
        42. Chapter XLII
        43. Chapter XLIII
        44. Chapter XLIV
        45. Chapter XLV
        46. Chapter XLVI
        47. Chapter XLVII
        48. Chapter XLVIII
        49. Chapter XLIX
        50. Chapter L
        51. Chapter LI
        52. Chapter LII
        53. Chapter LIII
        54. Chapter LIV
        55. Chapter LV
        56. Chapter LVI
        57. Chapter LVII
        58. Chapter LVIII
        59. Chapter LIX
        60. Chapter LX
        61. Chapter LXI
        62. Chapter LXII
        63. Chapter LXIII
        64. Chapter LXIV
        65. Chapter LXV
        66. Chapter LXVI
        67. Chapter LXVII
        68. Chapter LXVIII
        69. Chapter LXIX
        70. Chapter LXX
      8. Book VIII
        1. Chapter I
        2. Chapter II
        3. Chapter III
        4. Chapter IV
        5. Chapter V
        6. Chapter VI
        7. Chapter VII
        8. Chapter VIII
        9. Chapter IX
        10. Chapter X
        11. Chapter XI
        12. Chapter XII
        13. Chapter XIII
        14. Chapter XIV
        15. Chapter XV
        16. Chapter XVI
        17. Chapter XVII
        18. Chapter XVIII
        19. Chapter XIX
        20. Chapter XX
        21. Chapter XXI
        22. Chapter XXII
        23. Chapter XXIII
        24. Chapter XXIV
        25. Chapter XXV
        26. Chapter XXVI
        27. Chapter XXVII
        28. Chapter XXVIII
        29. Chapter XXIX
        30. Chapter XXX
        31. Chapter XXXI
        32. Chapter XXXII
        33. Chapter XXXIII
        34. Chapter XXXIV
        35. Chapter XXXV
        36. Chapter XXXVI
        37. Chapter XXXVII
        38. Chapter XXXVIII
        39. Chapter XXXIX
        40. Chapter XL
        41. Chapter XLI
        42. Chapter XLII
        43. Chapter XLIII
        44. Chapter XLIV
        45. Chapter XLV
        46. Chapter XLVI
        47. Chapter XLVII
        48. Chapter XLVIII
        49. Chapter XLIX
        50. Chapter L
        51. Chapter LI
        52. Chapter LII
        53. Chapter LIII
        54. Chapter LIV
        55. Chapter LV
        56. Chapter LVI
        57. Chapter LVII
        58. Chapter LVIII
        59. Chapter LIX
        60. Chapter LX
        61. Chapter LXI
        62. Chapter LXII
        63. Chapter LXIII
        64. Chapter LXIV
        65. Chapter LXV
        66. Chapter LXVI
        67. Chapter LXVII
        68. Chapter LXVIII
        69. Chapter LXIX
        70. Chapter LXX
        71. Chapter LXXI
        72. Chapter LXXII
        73. Chapter LXXIII
        74. Chapter LXXIV
        75. Chapter LXXV
        76. Chapter LXXVI
  7. Indexes
    1. Index of Scripture References
    2. Greek Words and Phrases
    3. Hebrew Words and Phrases
    4. Index of Pages of the Print Edition