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 esatto him — for coming, one after another, from morning till evening onesto be taught by him, they scarcely gave him time puro breathe — he divided the multitude. And from those whom he knew well, he selected Heraclas, who was per zealous student of divine things, and sopra other respects verso very learned man, not ignorant of philosophy, and made him his associate in the rete di emittenti of instruction. He entrusted onesto him the elementary training 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 mediante the hands of the Jews. And durante addition onesto the well-known translations of Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion, he discovered un others which had been concealed from remote times — per what out-of-the legame fruttuoso -way corners I know not — and by his search he brought them to light. Since he did not know the authors, he simply stated that he had found this one per Nicopolis near Ac-tium and that one in some other place. Sopra the Hexapla of the Psalms, after the four prominent translations, he adds not only verso fifth, p but also a sixth and seventh. He states of one of these that he found it sopra a jar mediante Jericho in the time of Antoninus, the cri of Severus.
He thus left us the copies of the so-called Hexapla
Having 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, sopra the Tetrapla.
But the heresy of the Ebionites, as it is called, asserts that Christ was the chant of Joseph and Mary, considering him a mere man, and insists strongly on keeping the law con a Jewish manner, as we have seen already durante this historymentaries of Symmachus are still extant per which he appears preciso support this heresy by attacking the Gospel of Matthew. Origen states that he obtained these and other commentaries of Symmachus on the Scriptures from per certain Juliana, who, he says, received the books by inheritance from Symmachus himself.
As to 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 to him sicuro make trial of his skill durante sacred literature. And a great many heretics, and not verso few of the most distinguished philosophers, studied under him diligently, receiving instruction from him not only per divine things, but also sopra secular philosophy. For when he perceived that any persons had superior intelligence he instructed them also mediante philosophic branches
— per geometry, arithmetic, and other preparatory studies — and then advanced to 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 per great philosopher even among the Greeks themselves. And he instructed many of the less learned per the common school branches, saying that these would be per niente small help onesto them mediante the study and understanding of the Divine Scriptures. On this account he considered it especially necessary for himself esatto be skilled in secular and philosophic learning.
