may occur. And so far are they from
being able to raise the dead, as the Lord raised them (and the
Apostles did by means of prayer, as has been frequently done in the
brotherhood on account of some necessity--the entire church in that
particular locality entreating with much fasting and prayer, the
spirit of the dead man has returned, and he has been bestowed in
answer to the prayers of the saints--) that they do not even believe
that this could possibly be done." He further says: "Others again heal
the sick by laying their hands upon them, and they are made whole.
Yea, moreover, as I have said, the dead even have been raised up, and
remained among us for many years."

The great Origen (185-254), writing when he would be certain to have
his words most severely criticised, says, after referring to the
miracles of the apostles: "And there are still preserved among
Christians traces of that Holy Spirit which appeared in the form of a
dove. They expel evil spirits, and perform many cures, and foresee
certain events, according to the will of the Logos." In another of his
works we find the following: "For they [the Jews] have no longer
prophets or miracles, traces of which to a considerable extent are
still found among Christians, and some of them more remarkable than
ever have existed among the Jews; and these we ourselves have
witnessed."

As has already been seen, different methods were used by various
healers, and we must not omit a brief account of healing by unction.
The very definite instructions laid down in the Epistle of James were
evidently strictly carried out in the early church, but the first
definite mention of anointing after that made by Mark and James is
found in the writings of Tertullian (160-220). He speaks of the pagan
emperor Severus being graciously mindful of Christians: "For he sought
out the Christian Proculus, surnamed Torpacion, the steward of
Euhodias, and in gratitude for his having once cured him by
anointing, he kept him in his palace till the day of his death."[59]

If the Christians anointed pagans it is legitimate to suppose that
they also anointed fellow-Christians, and that if this was performed
without special mention about the end of the second century, it must
have been common from the time of James to that period. It is probable
that during the first seven centuries of our era the practice of
praying with the sick and anointing them with oil never ceased. There
may be some objecti