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A Letter from Origen to Africanus

Origen of Alexandria

Section 7

About this work

Origen responds to Julius Africanus’s objections to the story of Susanna, defending its ecclesial use and discussing textual differences between Greek and Hebrew forms of Daniel.

Author: Origen of Alexandria
Date: c. AD 240
Origin: Caesarea
Genre: Letter

7. Moreover, I remember hearing from a

‹ Section 6 Section 8 ›

learned

Hebrew

,

said

among

themselves

to

be

the

son

of

a

wise

man

,

and

to

have

been

specially

trained

to

succeed

his

father

,

with

whom

I

had

intercourse

on

many

subjects

,

the

names

of

these

elders

,

just

as

if

he

did

not

reject

the

History

of

Susanna

,

as

they

occur

in

Jeremias

as

follows

:

“

The

Lord

make

thee

like

Zedekias

and

Achiab

,

whom

the

king

of

Babylon

roasted

in

the

fire

,

for

the

iniquity

they

did

in

Israel

.

”

How

,

then

,

could

the

one

be

sawn

asunder

by

an

angel

,

and

the

other

rent

in

pieces

?

The

answer

is

,

that

these

things

were

prophesied

not

of

this

world

,

but

of

the

judgment

of

God

,

after

the

departure

from

this

world

.

For

as

the

lord

of

that

wicked

servant

who

says

,

“

My

lord

delayeth

his

coming

,

”

and

so

gives

himself

up

to

drunkenness

,

eating

and

drinking

with

drunkards

,

and

smiting

his

fellow

-

servants

,

shall

at

his

coming

“

cut

him

asunder

,

and

appoint

him

his

portion

with

the

unbelievers

,

”

even

so

the

angels

appointed

to

punish

will

accomplish

these

things

(

just

as

they

will

cut

asunder

the

wicked

steward

of

that

passage

)

on

these

men

,

who

were

called

indeed

elders

,

but

who

administered

their

stewardship

wickedly

.

One

will

saw

asunder

him

who

was

waxen

old

in

wicked

days

,

who

had

pronounced

false

judgment

,

condemning

the

innocent

,

and

letting

the

guilty

go

free

;

and

another

will

rend

in

pieces

him

of

the

seed

of

Chanaan

,

and

not

of

Judah

,

whom

beauty

had

deceived

,

and

whose

heart

lust

had

perverted

.

Notes

8
Jer. xxix. 22, 23.
9
Luke xii. 45, 46.
10
Susanna 52, 53.
11
Susanna 56.