Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) - Volume 3.djvu/63

ORIGENES. to the carelessness or mistake of the writers or transcribers, than to any variation in the order of the versions in different copies of the Heofctpla; for this appears to have been so fixed as to have sug- gested the common mode of referring to them by their place in the arrangement. The Qui?iia, Sejcia, &c. versions, are anonymous ; at least the authors are not known. Jerome {Adt Rufin. ii. 34, ed. Vallars.) calls the authors of the Quinia and Sexta, Jews ; yet a citation from the Editio Sexta, which citation Jerome himself has given in Latin, shows that the author of that version was a Chris- tian. Josephus, author of the //y/>o?M»2es^icott (Jo- seph us, No. 12] mentions a current report that t!ie author of the Editio Quinia was a woman. The author of the Editio Septima was probably a Jew. (Montfauc. Praelim. in Hexapla^ cap. viii. § 5.) These three versions are far less literal than the other four versions ; the Sexta, in parti- cular, has some amplifications of most unauthorized character. Beside the compilation and arrangement of so valuable a critical apparatus as these versions, Origen added marginal notes, containing, among other things, an explanation of tiie Hebrew names. There is reason to think that he occasionally gave in his marginal notes a Greek version of the read- ings of the Syriac and Samaritan versions, of the former in various books, of the latter in the Penta- teuch only. Certainly such readings are found, not only in extant MS. where the Hexapla is cited, but in the citations of it by the fathers of the fourth and fifth centuries. It is to be observed also that Origen did not content himself with giving the text of the Septuagint as it stood in his own time, deeming it to have been much corrupted by the carelessness or unscrupulous alterations or additions or omissions of transcribers. (Origen. Comment, in Matth. apud Hodium, De Text. Originalibus, lib. iii. c. iv. § 8.) He amended the text chiefly by the aid of Theodotion's version, allowing the received reading to remain, but marking his proposed alter- ations or additions with an asterisk (*), and pre- fixing an obelus (-i-) to such words or passages as lie thought should be omitted. The use of another mark, the lemniscus ( -; — or r; — ), which he is said to have employed, can only be conjectured : the account of its use given by Epiphanius {De Me}isur. et Pondeiib. c. viii.), is evidently erroneous. Origen's revision of the text of the Septuagint was regarded by succeeding generations as the standard ; it was frequently transcribed, and Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions made from it. In the preparation of this most laborious and valuable work, Origen was encouraged by the ex- hortations and supported by the wealth of his friend Ambrose. It is probable that, from the labour and cost required, comparatively few tran- scripts were ever made ; though there were a suffi- cient number for the leading ecclesiastical writers of succeeding ages to have access to it ; as Pam- philus, Eusebius of Caesareia, (these two are said to have corrected the text of the work, and Eusebius added Scholia,) Athanasius, Theodorus of Hera- cleia, the Arian, Diodorus of Tarsus, Epiphanius, Rufinus, Jerome, Chrysostom, Theodoret, Proco- pius of Gaza, &c. Others of the fathers employed the work less frequently ; and some borrowed their acquaintance with its various readings from the citations of their predecessors, Origen's own copies of the Tetrapki and Hexapla, with tlie corrections ORIGENES. SI and S'cholia of Origen himself and of Pamphilus and Eusebius, long remained in the library of the martyr Pamphilus at Caesareia ; and were probably destroyed in the seventh century, either at the capture of that city by Chosroes II. the Persian, or its subsequent capture by the Saracens. The few transcripts that were made have perished also, and the work, as compiled by Origen, has been long lost. Numerous fragments have, however, been preserved in the writings of the fathers. Many of these, con- taining scraps of the versions of Aquila and the other Greek translators, collected by Petrus Morinus, were inserted by Flaminius Nobilius in the beautiful and valuable edition of the Septuagint, fol. Rome, 1587. These fragments, and some additional ones, with learned notes, Avere prepared for publication by Jo- annes Drusius, and published after his death with this title, Veterum [nterpretum Graecorum in totum V. T. Fragmenta^ 4to. Arnheim, 1622. But the most complete edition is that of tlie learned Bene- dictine Montfaucon — He^aplorum Oriyenis quae supersunt, 2 vols. fol. Paris, 1714. Montfaucon re- tained the arrangement of the versions adopted by Origen, and also his asterisks and obeli, wherever they were found in the MSS. employed for the edition ; and added a Latin version both to the Hebrew text (for which he employed that of Santes Pagninus or of Arias Montanus with slight alterations, and also the Vulgate ), and to the Greek versions. He prefixed a valuable Praefatio and Prae- liminaria, to which we have been much indebted, and added to the edition several A^iecdota, or unpub- lished fragments of Origen and others, and a Greek and a Hebrew Lexicon to the Hexapla. An edi- tion based on that of Montfaucon was published in 2 vols, 8vo. Leipzig and Lubec, 1769, 1 770, under the editorship of C. F. Bahrdt : it omitted the Hebrew text in Greek letters, the Latin versions, iheA7iec- dota, or previously unpublished extracts from Origen and others, and many of the notes. Bahrdt pro- fessed to correct the text, and increased it by some additional fragments ; and he added notes of his own to those which he retained of Montfaucon's. Bahrdt's preface intimated his purpose of preparing a Lexicon to the work, but it is not subjoined to the copy now before us, nor can we find that it was ever published. II. 'E|7j77jTtKa, Exegetical works. These compre- hend three classes. (Hieronym. Praef. in Translai. Ilomil. Origen. in Jerem. et Ezech.) 1. To/xoi, which Jerome renders Volumina, containing ample com- mentaries, in which he gave full scope to his intel- lect. 2. 2x<^^ta, Scholia ; brief notes on detached passages, designed, to clear up obscurities and re- move difficulties. 3. Homiliae, popular expositions, delivered chiefly at Caesareia ; and in the latter part of his life (i. e. after his sixtieth year, a. d. 246), extemporaneously, being taken down at the time of delivery by persons employed for the purpose. Of the To/iot there are few remains. Of the Scholia a number have been collected chiefly from the citations of the fathers, and are given by Delarue under the title of "E.Koyal, Selecta. Of the Homiliae a few are extant in the original, and many more in the Latin versions (not very faithful however) of Rufinus, Jerome, and others. Our space does not allow us to give an enumeration of Origen's Exegetical works, but they will be found in Delarue's edition of his works. In his various expositions Origen sought to extract from the Sacred Wntings their hisUmoUj E 2