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| Preface of Rufinus.
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Book
III.
Preface of Rufinus.
Reader, remember me in
your prayers, that we too may deserve to be made emulators of the
spirit. The two former books on The Principles I
translated not only at your instance, but even under pressure from you
during the days of Lent;2270
| 2270 Diebus
quadragesimæ. | but as you, my
devout brother Macarius, were not only living near me during that time,
but had more leisure at your command than now, so I also worked the
harder; whereas I have been longer in explaining these two latter
books, seeing you came less frequently from a distant extremity of the
city to urge on my labour. Now if you remember what I warned you
of in my former preface,—that certain persons would be indignant,
if they did not hear that we spoke some evil of Origen,—that, I
imagine, you have forthwith experienced, has come to pass. But if
those demons2271
who excite the
tongues of men to slander were so infuriated by that work, in which he
had not as yet fully unveiled their secret proceedings, what, think
you, will be the case in this, in which he will expose all those dark
and hidden ways, by which they creep into the hearts of men, and
deceive weak and unstable souls? You will immediately see all
things thrown into confusion, seditions stirred up, clamours raised
throughout the whole city, and that individual summoned to receive
sentence of condemnation who endeavoured to dispel the diabolical
darkness of ignorance by means of the light of the Gospel
lamp.2272
| 2272 Evangelicæ
lucernæ lumine diabolicas ignorantiæ tenebras. | Let such things, however, be lightly
esteemed by him who is desirous of being trained in divine learning,
while retaining in its integrity the rule of the Catholic
faith.2273
| 2273 Salvâ fidei
Catholicæ regula. [This remonstrance of Rufinus deserves
candid notice. He reduces the liberties he took with his author
to two heads: (1) omitting what Origen himself contradicts, and
(2) what was interpolated by those who thus vented their own heresies
under a great name. “To our own belief,” may mean
what is contrary to the faith, as reduced to technical formula, at
Nicæa; i.e., Salva regula fidei. Note examples in the
parallel columns following.] | I think it
necessary, however, to remind you that the principle observed in the
former books has been observed also in these, viz., not to translate
what appeared contrary to Origen’s other opinions, and to our own
belief, but to pass by such passages as being interpolated and forged
by others. But if he has appeared to give expression to any
novelties regarding rational creatures (on which subject the essence of
our faith does not depend), for the sake of discussion and of adding to
our knowledge, when perhaps it was necessary for us to answer in such
an order some heretical opinions, I have not omitted to mention these
either in the present or preceding books, unless when he wished to
repeat in the following books what he had already stated in the
previous ones, when I have thought it convenient, for the sake of
brevity, to curtail some of these repetitions. Should any one,
however, peruse these passages from a desire to enlarge his knowledge,
and not to raise captious objections, he will do better to have them
expounded by persons of skill. For it is an absurdity to have the
fictions of poetry and the ridiculous plays of comedy2274
| 2274 Comœdiarum
ridiculas fabulas. | interpreted by grammarians, and to suppose
that without a master and an interpreter any one is able to learn those
things which are spoken either of God or of the heavenly virtues, and
of the whole universe of things, in which some deplorable error either
of pagan philosophers or of heretics is confuted; and the result of
which is, that men would rather rashly and ignorantly condemn things
that are difficult and obscure, than ascertain their meaning by
diligence and study.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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