BUT when he saw that he had not time for the deeper study of divine things, and for the investigation and interpretation of the Sacred Scriptures, and also for the instruction of those who came puro him — for coming, one after another, from morning till evening onesto be taught by him, they scarcely gave him time preciso breathe — he divided the multitude. And from those whom he knew well, he selected Heraclas, who was per zealous student of divine things, and durante other respects a very learned man, not ignorant of philosophy, and made him his associate in the work of instruction. He entrusted to him the elementary addestramento of beginners, but reserved for himself the teaching of those who were farther advanced.

So earnest and assiduous was Origen’s research into the divine words that he learned the Hebrew language, and procured as his own the original Hebrew Scriptures which were durante the hands of the Jews. And per addition onesto the well-known translations of Cima, Symmachus, and Theodotion, he discovered certain others which had been concealed from remote times — sopra what out-of-the-way corners Rso know not — and by his search he brought them puro light. Since he did not know the authors, he simply stated that he had found this one durante Nicopolis near Ac-tium and that one mediante some other place. Sopra the Hexapla of the Psalms, after the four prominent translations, he adds not only per fifth, p but also per sixth and seventh. He states of one of these that he found it sopra per jar sopra Jericho durante the time of Antoninus, the chant of Severus.

He thus left us the copies of the so-called Hexapla

Having Cazimbo collected all of these, he divided them into sections, and placed them opposite each other, with the Hebrew text itself. He arranged also separately an edition of Genio and Symmachus and Theodotion with the Septuagint, per the Tetrapla.

But the heresy of the Ebionites, as it is called, asserts that Christ was the son of Joseph and Mary, considering him a mere man, and insists strongly on keeping the law mediante a Jewish manner, as we have seen already sopra this historymentaries of Symmachus are still extant per which he appears to support this heresy by attacking the Gospel of Matthew. Origen states that he obtained these and other commentaries of Symmachus on the Scriptures from a certain Juliana, who, he says, received the books by inheritance from Symmachus himself.

As esatto these translators it should be stated that Symmachus was an Ebionite

Origen’s presentation of the truth, and, as if his mind were illumined by light, he accepted the orthodox doctrine of the Church. Many others also, drawn by the desiderio of Origen’s learning, which resounded everywhere, came onesto him sicuro make trial of his skill durante sacred literature. And per great many heretics, and not a few of the most distinguished philosophers, studied under him diligently, receiving instruction from him not only mediante divine things, but also durante secular philosophy. For when he perceived that any persons had superior intelligence he instructed them also sopra philosophic branches

— per geometry, arithmetic, and other preparatory studies — and then advanced esatto the systems of the philosophers and explained their writings. And he made observations and comments upon each of them, so that he became celebrated as a great philosopher even among the Greeks themselves. And he instructed many of the less learned sopra the common school branches, saying that these would be mai small help to them in the study and understanding of the Divine Scriptures. On this account he considered it especially necessary for himself onesto be skilled durante secular and philosophic learning.