Preface to Pamphilus’s Apology for Origen

Pamphilus’s Apology for Origen forms the sixth book of a work he undertook together with Eusebius of Caesarea, the church historian. Pamphilus was a great collector of books and a learned man, but Eusebius was the chief writer. Pamphilus was put to death in the last persecution, the one under Galerius. Later, Eusebius fell under suspicion of Arianism, and those who disliked Origen tried to separate Pamphilus from any connection with the work. Yet, in spite of Jerome’s violent protests, there seems no reason to doubt that Pamphilus was joined with Eusebius throughout the work, and that he actually wrote the sixth book. The translation of this Apology was made first, and was sent out with a preface that runs as follows: [a]

Macarius, “a man greatly beloved,” your desire to know the truth has moved you to make a request of me. It will bring you the blessing that goes with knowing the truth, but it will win me the greatest anger from those who consider themselves wronged whenever anyone does not think evil of Origen. It is true that you have not asked for my own opinion of him, but for that of the holy martyr Pamphilus, and you have asked to have the book he is said to have written in Greek in Origen’s defense translated for you into Latin. Even so, I do not doubt that some will think themselves wronged if I say anything in his defense, even in another man’s words. [d]

I beg them to do nothing in a spirit of presumption and prejudice; and, since we must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, not to refuse to hear the truth spoken, or they may do wrong through ignorance. Let them consider that to wound the consciences of their weaker brothers by false accusations is to sin against Christ. So let them not lend their ears to the accusers, nor seek an account of another man’s faith from a third party, especially when they are given the chance to know it personally and directly, and when the substance and quality of each man’s faith is to be known from his own confession. For so the Scripture says: “With the heart one believes, leading to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made, leading to salvation”; and, “By his words each man will be counted righteous, and by his word he will be condemned.” Origen’s opinions on the various parts of Scripture are clearly set out in the present work. As for why we find certain places where he contradicts himself, an explanation will be offered in the short document added after it.

For my own part, I hold what has been handed down to us from the holy fathers: that the Holy Trinity is coeternal, and of one single nature, power and substance; that the Son of God in these last times was made man, suffered for our transgressions, and rose again from the dead in the very flesh in which he suffered, and by this gave the hope of the resurrection to the whole human race. When we speak of the resurrection of the flesh, we do not do it with any evasions, as certain people slanderously report. We believe that it is this very flesh in which we now live that will rise again: not one kind of flesh instead of another, nor a different body from the body of this flesh. When we speak of the body rising, we do so in the words of the apostle, for he himself used this word; and when we speak of the flesh, our confession is that of the creed. It is an absurd invention of malice to think that the human body is something different from the flesh. However, whether we speak of what is to rise as the flesh, as the common faith does, or as the body, as the apostle does, this we must believe: that, as the apostle clearly states, what rises will rise in power and in glory. It will rise an incorruptible and a spiritual body, for “corruption cannot inherit incorruption.” We must maintain this superiority of the body, or flesh, that is to be. But with this proviso, we must hold that the resurrection of the flesh is complete and entire. On the one hand we must maintain that the flesh is the same flesh; on the other we must take nothing away from the dignity and glory of the incorruptible and spiritual body. For that is how the Scripture speaks.

This is what the reverend Bishop John preaches at Jerusalem; this we confess and hold together with him. If anyone either believes or teaches otherwise, or hints that we believe differently from this statement of our faith, let him be anathema. Let this, then, be taken as a record of our belief by anyone who wants to know it. Whatever we read and whatever we do is in keeping with this account of our faith. We follow the words of the apostle, “testing all things, holding fast what is good, keeping away from every form of evil.” “And as many as walk by this rule, peace be on them, and on the Israel of God.”