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from Origen's Against Celsus, * Book 1, ch. 48. Translated by W. H. Cairns, Greek Fonts ||| Origen Home Page
S in a dream we fancy that we hear, and that the organs of hearing are actually impressed, and that we see with our eyes-although neither the bodily organs of sight nor hearing are affected, but it is the mind alone which has these sensations - so there is no absurdity in believing that similar things occurred to the prophets, when it is recorded that they witnessed occurrences of a rather wonderful kind, as when they either heard the words of the Lord or beheld the heavens opened. For I do not suppose that the visible heaven was actually opened, and its physical structure divided, in order that Ezekiel might be able to record such an occurrence. Should not, therefore, the same be believed of the Saviour by every intelligent hearer of the Gospels? - although such an occurrence may be a stumbling-block to the simple, who in their simplicity would set the whole world in movement, and split in sunder the compact and mighty body of the whole heavens. |
αἴσθησιν θείαν εὑρήσεις Ὥσπερ φαντασίαν λαμβάνομεν ὄναρ ἀκούειν καὶ πλήσσεσθαι τὴν αἰσθητὴν ἀκοὴν καὶ ὁρᾶν δι΄ ὀφθαλμῶν͵ οὔτε τῶν τοῦ σώματος ὀφθαλμῶν οὔτε τῆς ἀκοῆς πλησσομένης ἀλλὰ τοῦ ἡγεμονικοῦ ταῦτα πάσχοντος͵ οὕτως οὐδὲν ἄτοπον τοιαῦτα γεγονέναι ἐπὶ τῶν προφητῶν͵ ὅτε ἀναγέγραπται ἑωρακέναι τινὰ αὐτοὺς παραδοξότερα ἢ ἀκηκοέναι λόγους Κυρίου ἢ τεθεωρηκέναι οὐρανοὺς ἀνοιγομένους. Ἐγὼ γὰρ οὐχ ὑπολαμβάνω τὸν αἰσθητὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνεῷχθαι καὶ τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ ἀνοιγνύμενον διῃρῆσθαι͵ ἵνα ἀναγράψῃ τὸ τοιοῦτον Ἰεζεκιήλ. Μή ποτ΄ οὖν καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος τὸν φρονίμως ἀκούοντα τῶν εὐαγγελίων τὸ ὅμοιον ἐκδεκτέον͵ κἂν προσκόπτῃ τὸ τοιοῦτον τοῖς ἁπλουστέροις͵ οἳ διὰ πολλὴν ἁπλότητα κινοῦσι τὸν κόσμον͵ σχίζοντες τὸ τηλικοῦτον σῶμα ἡνωμένον τοῦ παντὸς οὐρανοῦ. |
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Reference address : https://ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/fathers/origen-perception.asp