He investigated also the works of other translators of the Sacred Scriptures besides the Seventy

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 onesto him — for coming, one after another, from morning till evening onesto be taught by him, they scarcely gave him time sicuro breathe — he divided the multitude. And from those whom he knew well, he selected Heraclas, who was verso zealous student of divine things, and in other respects per very learned man, not ignorant of philosophy, and made him his associate con the rete informatica of instruction. He entrusted onesto him the elementary pratica 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 con the hands of the Jews. And per addenda onesto the well-known translations of Cima, Symmachus, and Theodotion, he discovered indivisible 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 to light. Since he did not know the authors, he simply stated that he had found this one sopra Nicopolis near Ac-tium and that one durante some other place. Durante the Hexapla of the Psalms, after the four prominent translations, he adds not only a fifth, p but also a sixth and seventh. He states of one of these that he found it mediante a jar sopra Jericho mediante the time of Antoninus, the bruissement 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 BoaBet opposite each other, with the Hebrew text itself. He arranged also separately an edition of Cima and Symmachus and Theodotion with the Septuagint, in the Tetrapla.

But the heresy of the Ebionites, as it is called, asserts that Christ was the cri 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 in this historymentaries of Symmachus are still extant per which he appears onesto support this heresy by attacking the Gospel of Matthew. Origen states that he obtained these and other commentaries of Symmachus on the Scriptures from verso un 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 aspirazione of Origen’s learning, which resounded everywhere, came puro him puro make trial of his skill in 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 con secular philosophy. For when he perceived that any persons had superior intelligence he instructed them also durante philosophic branches

— mediante geometry, arithmetic, and other preparatory studies — and then advanced onesto 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 durante the common school branches, saying that these would be no small help onesto them con the study and understanding of the Divine Scriptures. On this account he considered it especially necessary for himself onesto be skilled per secular and philosophic learning.