A Letter from Origen to Africanus.

 2.  You begin by saying, that when, in my discussion with our friend Bassus, I used the Scripture which contains the prophecy of Daniel when yet a you

 3.  And in many other of the sacred books I found sometimes more in our copies than in the Hebrew, sometimes less.  I shall adduce a few examples, sin

 4.  Again, through the whole of Job there are many passages in the Hebrew which are wanting in our copies, generally four or five verses, but sometime

 5.  In all these cases consider whether it would not be well to remember the words, “Thou shalt not remove the ancient landmarks which thy fathers hav

 6.  Let us now look at the things you find fault with in the story itself.  And here let us begin with what would probably make any one averse to rece

 7.  Moreover, I remember hearing from a learned Hebrew, said among themselves to be the son of a wise man, and to have been specially trained to succe

 8.  And I knew another Hebrew, who told about these elders such traditions as the following:  that they pretended to the Jews in captivity, who were h

 9.  But probably to this you will say, Why then is the “History” not in their Daniel, if, as you say, their wise men hand down by tradition such stori

 10.  Your next objection is, that in this writing Daniel is said to have been seized by the Spirit, and to have cried out that the sentence was unjust

 11.  Your other objections are stated, as it appears to me, somewhat irreverently, and without the becoming spirit of piety.  I cannot do better than

 12.  I had nearly forgotten an additional remark I have to make about the prino-prisein and schino-schisein Essa chos isouoth essa is Hesre aïs is ess

 13.  You raise another objection, which I give in your own words:  “Moreover, how is it that they, who were captives among the Chaldeans, lost and won

 14.  But you say, “How could they who were in captivity pass sentence of death?” asserting, I know not on what grounds, that Susanna was the wife of a

 15.  I find in your letter yet another objection in these words:  “And add, that among all the many prophets who had been before, there is no one who

 Your last objection is, that the style is different.  This I cannot see.

10.  Your next objection is, that in this writing Daniel is said to have been seized by the Spirit, and to have cried out that the sentence was unjust; while in that writing of his which is universally received he is represented as prophesying in quite another manner, by visions and dreams, and an angel appearing to him, but never by prophetic inspiration.  You seem to me to pay too little heed to the words, “At sundry times, and in divers manners, God spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets.”20    Heb. i. 1.  This is true not only in the general, but also of individuals.  For if you notice, you will find that the same saints have been favoured with divine dreams and angelic appearances and (direct) inspirations.  For the present it will suffice to instance what is testified concerning Jacob.  Of dreams from God he speaks thus:  “And it came to pass, at the time that the cattle conceived, that I saw them before my eyes in a dream, and, behold, the rams and he-goats which leaped upon the sheep and the goats, white-spotted, and speckled, and grisled.  And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob.  And I said, What is it?  And he said, Lift up thine eyes and see, the goats and rams leaping on the goats and sheep, white-spotted, and speckled, and grisled:  for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee.  I am God, who appeared unto thee in the place of God, where thou anointedst to Me there a pillar, and vowedst a vow there to Me:  now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.”21    Gen. xxxi. 10–13.

And as to an appearance (which is better than a dream), he speaks as follows about himself:  “And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.  And he saw that he prevailed not against him, and he touched the breadth of his thigh; and the breadth of Jacob’s thigh grew stiff while he was wrestling with him.  And he said to him, Let me go, for the day breaketh.  And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.  And he said unto him, What is thy name?  And he said, Jacob.  And he said to him, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name:  for thou hast prevailed with God, and art powerful with men.  And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me thy name.  And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name?  And he blessed him there.  And Jacob called the name of the place Vision of God:  for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.  And the sun rose, when the vision of God passed by.”22    Gen. xxxii. 24–31.  And that he also prophesied by inspiration, is evident from this passage:  “And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days.  Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.  Reuben, my first-born, my might, and the beginning of my children, hard to be born, hard and stubborn.  Thou wert wanton, boil not over like water; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou the couch to which thou wentest up.”23    Gen. xlix. 1–4.  And so with the rest:  it was by inspiration that the prophetic blessings were pronounced.  We need not wonder, then, that Daniel sometimes prophesied by inspiration, as when he rebuked the elders sometimes, as you say, by dreams and visions, and at other times by an angel appearing unto him.

Πρὸς τούτοις ἔφασκες, ὅτι ὁ Δανιὴλ ὑπὸ μὲν τῆς Γραφῆς ταύτης λέγεται Πνεύματι ληφθεὶς ἐκβεβοηκέναι, ὡς ἀδίκως ἡ ἀπόφασις ἔχοι, ἡ δὲ φερομένη ὁμολογουμένως ὑπ' αὐτοῦ Γραφὴ ἄλλῳ τρόπῳ περιέχει αὐτὸν προφητεύοντα, τουτέστιν ὁράμασι, καὶ ὀνείροις, καὶ ἀγγέλου ἐπιφανείᾳ: οὐδαμοῦ δὲ ἐπιπνοίᾳ προφητικῇ. Σὺ δέ μοι ἔοικας μὴ πάνυ τετηρηκέναι τὸ, «Πολυμερῶς καὶ πολυτρόπως πάλαι τὸν Θεὸν λελαληκέναι τοῖς πατράσιν ἐν τοῖς προφήταις,» οὐ μόνον ἐν τοῖς πᾶσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς καθ' ἕνα. Παρατηρήσας δὲ εὑρήσεις τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἁγίοις καὶ ἐνύπνια γενόμενα θεῖα καὶ ἐπιφανείας ἀγγελικὰς, καὶ ἐπιπνοίας. Ἀρκεῖ δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος μαρτυρίαις χρήσασθαι τοῖς περὶ τοῦ Ἰακὼβ γεγραμμένοις: ὃς περὶ μὲν θείων ἐνυπνίων τοιαῦτα διηγεῖται: «Καὶ ἐγένετο, ἡνίκα ἐνεκίσσων τὰ πρόβατα, καὶ εἶδον ἐν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς μου αὐτὰ ἐν ὕπνῳ, καὶ ἰδοὺ οἱ τράγοι καὶ οἱ κριοὶ ἀναβαίνοντες ἦσαν ἐπὶ τὰ πρόβατα καὶ τὰς αἶγας, διάλευκοι, καὶ ποικίλοι, καὶ σποδοειδεῖς ῥαντοί. Καὶ εἶπέ μοι ὁ ἄγγελος τοῦ Θεοῦ καθ' ὕπνον: Ἰακώβ. Ἐγὼ δὲ εἶπον: Τί ἐστι; καὶ εἶπεν: Ἀνάβλεψον τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς σου, καὶ ἴδε τοὺς τράγους καὶ τοὺς κριοὺς ἀναβαίνοντας ἐπὶ τὰ πρόβατα καὶ τὰς αἶγας, διαλεύκους, καὶ ποικίλους, καὶ σποδοειδεῖς ῥαντούς: ἑώρακα γὰρ ὅσα σοι Λάβαν ποιεῖ. Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ὀφθείς σοι ἐν τόπῳ Θεοῦ, οὗ ἤλειψάς μοι ἐκεῖ στήλην, καὶ ηὔξω μοι ἐκεῖ εὐχήν. Νῦν οὖν ἀνάστηθι καὶ ἔξελθε ἐκ τῆς γῆς ταύτης, καὶ ἄπελθε εἰς τὴν γῆν τῆς γεννήσεώς σου.» Περὶ δὲ ἐπιφανείας ὕπαρ κρείττονος, ταῦτα περὶ αὐτοῦ εἴρηται: «Ὑπελείφθη δὲ Ἰακὼβ μόνος: καὶ ἐπάλαιεν ἄνθρωπος μετ' αὐτοῦ ἕως πρωΐ. Εἶδε δὲ, ὅτι οὐ δύναται πρὸς αὐτὸν, καὶ ἥψατο τοῦ πλάτους τοῦ μηροῦ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐνάρκησε τὸ πλάτος τοῦ μηροῦ Ἰακὼβ, ἐν τῷ παλαίειν αὐτὸν μετ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ: Ἀπόστειλόν με: ἀνέβη γὰρ ὁ ὄρθρος. Ὁ δὲ εἶπεν: Οὐ μή σε ἀποστείλω, ἐὰν μή με εὐλογήσῃς. Εἶπε δὲ αὐτῷ: Τί τὸ ὄνομά σου; Ὁ δὲ εἶπεν: Ἰακώβ: εἶπε δὲ αὐτῷ: Οὐ κληθήσεται ἔτι τὸ ὄνομά σου Ἰακὼβ, ἀλλ' Ἰσραὴλ ἔσται τὸ ὄνομά σου, ὅτι ἐνίσχυσας μετὰ Θεοῦ, καὶ μετὰ ἀνθρώπων δυνατός. Ἠρώτησε δὲ Ἰακὼβ, καὶ εἶπεν: Ἀνάγγειλόν μοι τὸ ὄνομά σου: καὶ εἶπεν: Ἵνα τί τοῦτο ἐρωτᾷς τὸ ὄνομά μου; Καὶ εὐλόγησεν αὐτὸν ἐκεῖ. Καὶ ἐκάλεσεν Ἰακὼβ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ τόπου ἐκείνου Εἶδος Θεοῦ: Εἶδον γὰρ Θεὸν πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον, καὶ ἐσώθη μου ἡ ψυχή. Ἀνέτειλε δὲ ὁ ἥλιος, ἡνίκα παρῆλθε τὸ εἶδος τοῦ Θεοῦ.» Ὅτι δὲ καὶ ἐξ ἐπιπνοίας προφητεύει, δῆλον ἐκ τούτων: «Ἐκάλεσε δὲ Ἰακὼβ τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ καὶ εἶπε: Συνάχθητε, ἵνα ἀπαγγείλω ὑμῖν τί ἀποβήσεται ὑμῖν ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν: ἀθροίσθητε καὶ ἀκούσατε υἱοὶ Ἰακὼβ, ἀκούσατε Ἰσραὴλ τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν: Ῥουβὶμ πρωτότοκός μου, σὺ ἰσχύς μου, καὶ ἀρχὴ τέκνων μου, σκληρὸς φέρεσθαι καὶ σκληρὸς αὐθάδης: ἐξύβρισας, ὡς ὕδωρ μὴ ἐκζέσῃς: ἀνέβης γὰρ ἐπὶ τὴν κοίτην τοῦ πατρός σου: τότε ἐμίανας τὴν στρωμνὴν, οὗ ἀνέβης.» Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς λοιποὺς αἱ εὐλογίαι προφητεῖαι οὖσαι ἐξ ἐπιπνοίας εἴρηνται. Οὐδὲν τοίνυν θαυμαστὸν καὶ τὸν Δανιὴλ, ὁτὲ μὲν ἐξ ἐπιπνοίας λελαληκέναι τὸν κατὰ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων ἔλεγχον, ὁτὲ δὲ ἐνυπνίοις, ὡς καὶ σὺ φὴς, ἢ ὁράσει τε, καὶ ἄλλοτε γεγονέναι αὐτῷ ἀγγέλου ἐπιφάνειαν.