Barnabas, in which it is stated "that Jesus chose men as his apostles who
were guilty of sin more than all other evil doers."(7) He relies upon the
words of Peter, when he says, "Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O
Lord."(8)

Paul, in like manner, says in his epistle to Timothy,(9) "This is a
faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came
into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief."

But it is just in this that Origen recognises the divine power of the
personality and the teaching of Christ, that by means of it men who had
been deeply sunken in sins could be raised to a new life; and he declares
it to be unjust that those who repented of their early sins, and had
entered into a pure life, well pleasing to God, should be reproached with
their previous sinfulness. In this respect he makes, indeed, no
distinction between the apostles and such men as Phaedon and Polemo, who
were rescued from the mire of their sins through philosophy; and he
recognises in the teaching of Christ a still greater force, because it had
proved its saving and sanctifying power without any of the arts of
learning and eloquence. What the apostles were, and what they became
through the influence of the Gospel, Origen himself explains in the words
of Paul, "For we also were aforetime foolish, disobedient, deceived,
serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, and hating
one another."(10)

He attributes it as an honour to the apostles that, even if their
self-accusations were extravagant, they had so openly acknowledged their
sins, in order to place the saving influence of the Gospel in a clearer
light. But the fact itself, that the apostles had been sinful and despised
men, Origen honestly admits. We also know with what true humanity Christ
himself treated the adulteress: how he challenged the Pharisees, if they
themselves were free from sin, to cast the first stone at her. And who
does not admire the aged Pharisees who silently withdrew, one after the
other, from the oldest to the youngest, without casting a stone? Have we
many such Pharisees in our time? Jesus, however, dismissed the adulteress
with the compassionate words, "Sin no more." That such a course toward
sin-laden mankind by one who knew no sin, made a deep impression on the
masses, is perfectly intelligible. We see a remarkable parallel in the
first appearance of Buddha and his disciples in India. He, too, was
reproached for invit