ourteen of Origen's homilies on Ezekiel. Of
these not one passage in the original language of Origen is known to be
in existence. We must now, therefore, either receive the existing
translations generally as Origen's, (whether they are Jerome's
translations or not,) or we must consider Origen's homilies on Ezekiel
as altogether lost to us. But supposing that we receive these works as
containing, on the whole, traditionary translations of Origen, the
genuineness of any one passage may yet become the subject of fair
criticism. And whilst some persons reject whole masses of them
altogether, the history of his works cannot but suggest some very
perplexing points of suspicion and doubt.

[Footnote 57: See Benedictine edition, vol. iii. p. 351. and
Eusebius, Eccl. Hist. lib. vi. c. 6. there referred to.] {156}

The great body of his homilies, Origen probably delivered extempore in
the early part of his ministry to the Christians of Caesarea. Eusebius
tells us, that not before Origen had reached his sixtieth year did he
sanction the notaries (persons well known to history and corresponding
to the short-hand writers[58] of the present day) in publishing any of
his homilies. [Eccles. Hist. lib. vi. c. 36.] But the Benedictine
editor, De la Rue, conceives that those men might surreptitiously and
against the preacher's wishes have published some of Origen's homilies.
Be this as it may. Suppose that the homilies on Ezekiel were published
by Origen himself, and were translated by Jerome himself, our doubts are
not removed even by that supposition. The same editor in the same
preface tells us, "It is known to the learned that it was Jerome's
habit, in translating Greek, sometimes to insert some things of his
own[59]." Not that I for a moment conceive the passage under
consideration to have come in its Latin dress from the pen of Jerome;
for my conviction being that it is an interpolation of a much later
date, I mention the circumstance to show, that even when Jerome, with
his professed accuracy, is the translator, we can in no case feel sure
that we are reading the exact and precise sentiments of Origen.

[Footnote 58: The Latin word "notarius" (notary) does not come
so near as our own English expression, "short-hand writer," to
the Greek word used by Eusebius,--"tachygraphus,"
"quick-writer." The report of Eusebius as to the homilies of
Origen having been delivered extempore, and taken down by these