Inspiration 25 4. Origen. “It is the doctrine acknowledged by all Chris- tians, and evidently preached in the churches, that the Holy Spirit, inspired the Saints, Prophets and Apostles, and was present in those of old time, as in those He inspired at the Coming of Christ; for Christ, the Word of God, was in Moses when he wrote, and in the Prophets, and by His Spirit He did speak to them all things. The records of the Gospels are the Oracles of the Lord, pure Oracles, purified as silver seven times tried. They are without error, since they were accurately written, by the eo-operation of the Holy Spirit,” “It is good to adhere to the words of Paul and the Apostles, as to God and our Lord Jesus Christ. There are many writings, but only one Book; four Evangelists, but only one Gospel. All the Sacred Writings breathe the same full- ness. There is nothing, in the Law, the Prophets, the Gos- pel, the Apostles, that did not come from the fullness of God. Whoever has received these Scriptures as inspired by the Creator of the world, must expect to find in them all the dif- ficulties which meet those who investigate the system of the universe. But God’s hand is not destroyed by our ignorance on particular points. The divinity of the Scriptures remains undisturbed by our weakness. It is a point in the teach- ing of the Church, that the Scriptures were written by the Spirit of God, and on this the opinion of the whole Church is one. All things that are written are true. He who is a student of God’s Oracles must place himself under the teach- ing of God.” So much for this Father of “Biblical Criticism,” mighty in the Church. 5. Augustine. The view of the Holy Scriptures held by Augustine was that held by Tertullian, Cyprian and all Fa- thers of the North African Church. No view of verbal inspiration could be more rigid. “The Scriptures are the letters of God, the voice of God, the writings of God.” “The writers record the words of God. Christ spoke by Moses, for He was the Spirit of the Creator, and all the
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