Josephusarguedthat，sincethereweretwenty-twolettersintheHebrewalphabet，theremustbetwenty-twosacredbooksintheOldTestament；otherJewishauthoritiesthoughtthatthereshouldbetwenty-fourbooks，onaccountofthetwenty-fourwatchesinthetemple。St。Jeromewaveredbetweentheargumentbaseduponthetwenty-twolettersintheHebrewalphabetandthatsuggestedbythetwenty-foureldersintheApocalypse。HilaryofPoitiersarguedthattheremustbetwenty-fourbooks，onaccountofthetwenty-fourlettersintheGreekalphabet。Origenfoundanargumentfortheexistenceofexactlyfourgospelsintheexistenceofjustfourelements。Irenaeusinsistedthattherecouldbeneithermorenorfewerthanfourgospels，sincetheearthhasfourquarters，theairfourwinds，andthecherubimfourfaces；andhedenouncedthosewhodeclinedtoacceptthisreasoningas“vain，ignorant，andaudacious。”[465]
[465]ForJeromeandOrigen，seenotesonpagesfollowing。ForIrenaeus，seeIrenaeus，AdversusHoeres。，lib。iii，cap。xi，S8。
Forthegeneralsubject，seeSanday，Inspiration，p。115；alsoFarrarandH。P。Smithasabove。ForarecentveryfullandverycuriousstatementfromaRomanCatholicauthorityregardingviewscherishedintheolderChurchastothesymbolismofnumbers，seeDetzel，ChristlicheIconographie，FreiburginBresigau，Bandi，Einleitung，p。4。
Butduringthefirsthalfofthethirdcenturycameonewhoexercisedastillstrongerinfluenceinthisdirection——agreatmanwho，whilerenderingpreciousservices，didmorethananyothertofastenupontheChurchasystemwhichhasbeenoneofitsheaviestburdensformorethansixteenhundredyears：thiswasOrigen。Yethispurposewasnobleandhisworkbasedonprofoundthought。Hehadtomeettheleadingphilosophersofthepaganworld，toreplytotheirargumentsagainsttheOldTestament，andespeciallytobreaktheforceoftheirtauntsagainstitsimputationofhumanform，limitations，passions，weaknesses，andevenimmoralitiestotheAlmighty。
StartingwithamistakentranslationofaverseinthebookofProverbs，OrigenpresentedasabasisforhismainstructuretheideaofathreefoldsenseofScripture：theliteral，themoral，andthemystic——correspondingtothePlatonicconceptionofthethreefoldnatureofman。Asresultsofthiswehavesuchmasterpiecesashisproof，fromthefifthverseofchapterxxvofJob，thatthestarsarelivingbeings，andfromthewell-knownpassageinthenineteenthchapterofSt。Matthewhiswarrantforself-mutilation。Buthisgreattriumphswereintheallegoricalmethod。ByitsusetheBiblewasspeedilymadeanoracleindeed，or，rather，abookofriddles。AlistofkingsintheOldTestamentthusbecomesanenumerationofsins；thewaterpotsofstone，“containingtwoorthreefirkinsapiece。”atthemarriageofCana，signifytheliteral，moral，andspiritualsenseofScripture；theassuponwhichtheSaviourrodeonhistriumphalentryintoJerusalembecomestheOldTestament，thefoaltheNewTestament，andthetwoapostleswhowenttoloosethemthemoralandmysticalsenses；blindBartimeusthrowingoffhiscoatwhilehasteningtoJesus，opensawholetreasuryoforacularmeanings。