RUFINUS SELF ADMISSION OF FOLLOWING HIS “...PREDECESSORS...” AND “...OTHERS BEFORE...” HIM AND HE WAS AMONG “...MANY...” WHO CORRUPTED ORIGEN'S TEXT'S
A
self admission by Rufinus.
Yet
another Tri{3}nitarian tampering and corrupting Origen's writings.
But
once again Rufinus said there were “...others...” and that he was
not the “...first...” that he was the last “...of many...”:
RUFINUS
OF AQUILEIA (circa. 340-410 C.E.):
“...That in my translation I
SHOULD FOLLOW AS FAR AS POSSIBLE - ( THE
RULE ) - OBSERVED BY MY - (
PREDECESSORS
),{*} and especially by that distinguished man whom I
have mentioned above, who, after translating into Latin more than
seventy of those treatises of Origen which are styled Homilies and a
considerable number also of his writings on the apostles, in which a
good many “stumbling-blocks” are found in the original Greek, SO
SMOOTHED AND CORRECTED THEM IN HIS TTRANSLATION, THAT A LATIN READER
WOULD MEET WITH NOTHING WHICH COULD APPEAR DISCORDANT WITH - ( OUR )
- ( BELIEF ). His example, therefore, we follow, to the best
of our ability; if not with equal power of eloquence, yet at least
with the same strictness of rule, TAKING CARE -
( NOT TO REPRODUCE ) - THOSE EXPRESSIONS OCCURING IN THE WORKS OF
ORIGEN WHICH ARE INCONSISTENT AND OPPOSED TO EACH OTHER. The
cause of these variations we have explained more freely in the
Apologeticus, which Pamphilus wrote in defence of the works of
Origen, where we added a brief tract, in which we showed, I think, by
unmistakeable proofs, that his books had been corrupted in numerous
places by heretics and malevolent persons, and especially those books
of which you now require me to undertake the translation, i.e., the
books which may be entitled De Principiis or De Principatibus, and
which are indeed in other respects full of obscurities and
difficulties. For he there discusses those subjects with respect to
which philosophers, after spending all their lives upon them, have
been unable to discover anything. But here our author strove, as much
as in him lay, to turn to the service of religion the belief in a
Creator, and the rational nature of created beings, which the latter
had degraded to purposes of wickedness. IF,
THEREFORE, - ( WE ) - HAVE FOUND ANYWHERE IN HIS WRITINGS, - ( ANY
STATEMENT ) - OPPOSED TO THAT VIEW, which elsewhere in his
works he had himself piously laid down REGARDING
- ( THE TRINITY ), - ( WE ) - HAVE EITHER - ( OMITTED IT ), - AS
BEING CORRUPT, AND NOT THE COMPOSITION OF ORIGEN, OR - ( WE ) - HAVE
- ( BROUGHT IT FORWARD AGREEABLY TO ) - THE RULE WHICH - ( WE ) -
FREQUENTLY FIND AFFIRMED BY HIMSELF. If, indeed, in his desire
to pass rapidly on, he has, as speaking to persons of skill and
knowledge, sometimes expressed himself obscurely, we have, in order
that the passage might be clearer, - ( ADDED )
- WHAT - ( WE ) - HAD READ MORE FULLY STATED ON THE SAME SUBJECT IN
HIS OTHER WORKS, keeping explanation in view, but adding
nothing of our own, but simply restoring to him what was his,
although occurring in other portions of his writings...” -
(Preface to the Translations of Origen’s Books Περὶ
᾽Αρχῶν Addressed to Macarius, at Pinetum, a.d.
397. Translated by The Hon. and Rev. William Henry Fremantle, M.A.
Canon of Canterbury, Fellow and Tutor of Baliol College, Oxford.
Under the editorial supervision of Philip Schaff, D.D., LL.D.,
Professor of Church History in the Union Theological Semimary, New
York, and Henry Wace, D.D., Principal of King's College, London
Published in 1892 by Philip Schaff, New York: Christian Literature
Publishing Co.)
[FOOTNOTE
*]: Refering to Jerome Epistle
61, To Vigilantius.
RUFINUS
OF AQUILEIA (circa. 340-410 C.E.): “...Now [7.] as to another
matter. I am told that objections have been raised against me
because, forsooth, at the request of some of my brethren, I
translated certain works of Origen from Greek into Latin. I suppose
that every one sees that it is only through ill will that this is
made a matter of blame. For, if there is any offensive statement in
the author, why is this to be twisted into a fault of the translator?
I was asked to exhibit in Latin what stands written in the Greek
text; and I did nothing more than fit the Latin words to the Greek
ideas. If, therefore, there is anything to praise in these ideas, the
praise does not belong to me; and similarly as to anything to which
blame may attach. I
ADMIT THAT - ( I ) - ( PUT ) - SOMETHING OF - ( MY OWN ) - ( INTO ) -
THE WORK; AS I STATED IN MY
PREFACE, I USED ( MY OWN ) - DISCRETION IN -
( CUTTING OUT ) - NOT A FEW PASSAGES;
but only those as to which I had come to suspect that the thing had
not been so stated by Origen himself; and the statement appeared to
me in these cases to have been inserted by others, because in other
places I had found the author state the matter in a catholic sense. I
entreat you therefore, holy, venerable and saintly father, not to
permit a storm of ill will to be raised against me because of this,
nor to sanction the employment of partisanship and of
calumny--weapons which ought never to be used in the Church of God.
Where can simple faith and innocence be safe if they are not
protected in the Church? I AM NOT A DEFENDER OR
A CHAMPION OF ORIGEN; - ( NOR AM I THE FIRST ) - WHO HAS TRANSLATED
HIS WORKS. -
( OTHER(S) ) - BEFORE ME HAD DONE - ( THE VERY SAME THING ), - AND I
DID IT, THE LAST - ( OF MANY ),
- AT THE REQUEST OF MY BRETHREN. If an order is to be given
that such translations are not to be made, such an order holds good
for the future, not the past; but if those are to be blamed who have
made these translations before any such order was given, the blame
must begin with those who took the first step. [8.] As for me, I
declare in Christ's name that I never held, nor ever will hold, any
other faith but that which I have set forth above, that is, the faith
which is held by the Church of Rome, by that of Alexandria, and by my
own church of Aquileia; and which is also preached at Jerusalem; and
if there is any one who believes otherwise, whoever he may be, let
him be Anathema. But those who through mere ill will and malice
engender dissensions and offences among their brethren, and cause
them to stumble, shall give account of it in the day of judgment...”
- (Section 7-8; “Rufinus' Apology in defence of himself - sent
to Anastasius, Bishop of the city of Rome,” Translated by The Hon.
and Rev. William Henry Fremantle, M.A. Canon of Canterbury, Fellow
and Tutor of Baliol College, Oxford. Under the editorial supervision
of Philip Schaff, D.D., LL.D., Professor of Church History in the
Union Theological Semimary, New York, and Henry Wace, D.D., Principal
of King's College, London Published in 1892 by Philip Schaff, New
York: Christian Literature Publishing Co.)
