already contains the sayings: [Greek: kalon eleemoune hos
metanoia hamartias kreisson nesteia proseuches, eleemosune de amphoteron
... eleemosune gar kouphisma hamartias ginetai] (16. 4; similar
expressions occur in the "Shepherd"). But they only show how far back we
find the origin of these injunctions borrowed from Jewish proverbial
wisdom. One cannot say that they had no effect at all on Christian life
in the 2nd century; but we do not yet find the idea that ascetic
performances are a sacrifice offered to a wrathful God. Martyrdom seems
to have been earliest viewed as a performance which expiated sins. In
Tertullian's time the theory, that it was on a level with baptism (see
Melito, 12. Fragment in Otto, Corp. Apol. IX. p. 418: [Greek: duo
suneste ta aphesin amartemata parechomena, pathos dia Christon kai
baptisma]), had long been universally diffused and was also exegetically
grounded. In fact, men went a step further and asserted that the merits
of martyrs could also benefit others. This view had likewise become
established long before Tertullian's day, but was opposed by him (de
pudic 22), when martyrs abused the powers universally conceded to them.
Origen went furthest here; see exhort. ad mart. 50: [Greek: hosper timio
haimati tou Iesou egorasthemen ... houtos to timio haimati ton marturon
agorasthesontai tines]; Hom. X. in Num. c. II.: "ne forte, ex quo
martyres non fiunt et hostiae sanctorum non offeruntur pro peccatis
nostris, peccatorum nostrorum remissionem non mereamur." The origin of
this thought is, on the one hand, to be sought for in the wide-spread
notion that the sufferings of an innocent man benefit others, and, on
the other, in the belief that Christ himself suffered in the martyrs
(see, e.g., ep. Lugd. in Euseb., H. E. V. 1. 23, 41).]

[Footnote 271: In the East it was Origen who introduced into
Christianity the rich treasure of ancient ideas that had become
associated with sacrifices. See Bigg's beautiful account in "The
Christian Platonists of Alexandria," Lect. IV.-VI.]

[Footnote 272: Moreover, Tertullian (Scorp. 6) had already said:
"Quomodo multae mansiones apud patrem, si non pro varietate meritorum."]

[Footnote 273: See c. 1: "Nam cum dominus adveniens sanasset illa, quae
Adam portaverit vulnera et venena serpentis antiqua curasset, legem
dedit sano et praecepit, ne ultra iam peccaret, ne quid peccanti gravius
eveniret: coartati eramus et in augustum innocentiae praescriptione
conclusi,