---
title: "Fathers of the Third Century: Tertullian, Minucius Felix, Commodian and Origen"
author: "Various Church Fathers"
translator: "S. Thelwall and others; A. Cleveland Coxe (ed.)"
languages: [en]
shelf: "Church Fathers"
section: 78 of 199
url: https://scriptura.si/works/church-fathers-tertullian-minucius-felix-commodian-origen/78/
cite: "Various Church Fathers, tr. S. Thelwall and others; A. Cleveland Coxe (ed.), Fathers of the Third Century: Tertullian, Minucius Felix, Commodian and Origen, section 78. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/church-fathers-tertullian-minucius-felix-commodian-origen/78/"
---

# Fathers of the Third Century: Tertullian, Minucius Felix, Commodian and Origen

*Various Church Fathers, tr. S. Thelwall and others; A. Cleveland Coxe (ed.)*

Tertullian, Minucius Felix, Commodian, and Origen's On First Principles and Against Celsus.

## 78. Of the Harmony of the Fathers of the Old and New Testaments · 5 of 10

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/church-fathers-tertullian-minucius-felix-commodian-origen/78/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/church-fathers-tertullian-minucius-felix-commodian-origen/78/#p-N

[¶0] Submiss was wont Christ’s future suffering

[¶1] 170 To sing: which prophecy spontaneously

[¶2] His thankless lawless People did perform:

[¶3] Whom God had promised that in time to come,

[¶4] Fruit of his womb, a holy progeny,

[¶5] He would on his sublime throne set: the Lord’s

[¶6] 175 Fixt faith did all that He had promised.

[¶7] Corrector of an inert People rose

[¶8] Emulous Hezekiah; who restored

[¶9] Iniquitous forgetful men the Law:

[¶10] All these God’s mandates of old time he first

[¶11] 180 Bade men observe, who ended war by prayers,

[¶12] Not by steel’s point: he, dying, had a grant

[¶13] Of years and times of life made to his tears:

[¶14] Deservedly such honour his career

[¶15] Obtained.

[¶16] With zeal immense, Josiah, prince

[¶17] 185 Himself withal, in like wise acted: none

[¶18] So much, before or after!—Idols he

[¶19] Dethroned; destroyed unhallowed temples; burned

[¶20] With fire priests on their altars; all the bones

[¶21] Of prophets false updug; the altars burned,

[¶22] 190 The carcases to be consumed did serve

[¶23] For fuel!

[¶24] To the praise of signal faith,

[¶25] Noble Elijah, (memorable fact!)

[¶26] Was rapt; who hath not tasted yet death’s dues;

[¶27] Since to the orb he is to come again.

[¶28] 195 His faith unbroken, then, chastening with stripes

[¶29] People and frenzied king, (who did desert

[¶30] The Lord’s best service), and with bitter flames

[¶31] The foes, shut up the stars; kept in the clouds

[¶32] The rain; showed all collectively that God

[¶33] 200 Is; made their error patent;—for a flame,

[¶34] Coming with force from heaven at his prayers,

[¶35] Ate up the victim’s parts, dripping with flood,

[¶36] Upon the altar:—often as he willed,

[¶37] So often from on high rushed fire; the stream

[¶38] 205 Dividing, he made pathless passable;

[¶39] And, in a chariot raised aloft, was borne

[¶40] To paradise’s hall.

[¶41] Disciple his

[¶42] Elisha was, succeeding to his lot:

[¶43] Who begged to take to him Elijah’s lot

[¶44] 210 In double measure; so, with forceful stripe,