life for a better? and do they not desire slaves to learn philo- sophy? Must we find fault, then, with philosophers who have exhorted slaves to the practice of virtue? with Pythagoras for having so done with Zamolxis, Zeno with Perseus, and with those who recently encouraged Epictetus to the study of philosophy? Is it indeed permissible for you, O Greeks, to call youths and slaves and foolish persons to the study of philosophy, but if we do so, we do not act from philanthropic motives in wishing to heal every rational nature with the medicine of reason, and to bring them into fellowship with God, the Creator of all things? These remarks, then, may suffice im answer to what are slanders rather than accusations! on the part of Celsus.
CHAPTER LY.
CHAPTER LY.
But as Celsus delights to heap up calumnies against us, and, in addition to those which he has already uttered, has added others, let us examine these also, and see whether it be the Christians or Celsus who have reason to be ashamed of what is said. He asserts, 4^ We see, indeed, in private houses workers in wool and leather, and fullers, and persons of the most uninstructed and rustic character, not venturing to utter a word in the presence of their elders and wiser masters;? but when they get hold of the children privately, and certain women as ignorant as themselves, they pour forth wonderful statements, to the effect that they ought not to give heed to their father and to their teachers, but should obey them; that the former are foolish and stupid, and neither know nor can perform anything that is really good, being preoccupied with empty tnfles; that they alone know how men ought to live, and that, if the children obey them, they will both be happy themselves, and will make their home happy also. And while thus speaking, if they see one of the instructors of youth 1 λοιδορίας μᾶλλον ἢ κατηγορίας.
2 The allusion is to the practice of wealthy Greeks and Romans having among their slaves artificers of various kinds, for whose service there was constant demand in the houses and villas of the rich, and who therefore had their residence in or near the dwelling of their master. Many of these artificers seem, from the language of Celsus, to have been converts to Christianity.
186 ᾿ ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. [Book rir.
approaching, or one of the more intelligent class, or even the father himself, the more timid among them become afraid, while the more forward incite the children to throw off the yoke, whispering that in the presence of father and teachers they neither will nor can explain to them any good thing, seeing they turn away with aversion from the silliness and stupidity of such persons as being altogether corrupt, and far advanced in wickedness, and such as would inflict punishment upon them; but that if they wish [to avail themselves of their aid,] they must leave their father and their instructors, and go with the women and their playfellows to the women's apart- ments, or to the leather shop, or to the fuller's shop, that they may attain to perfection;—and by words like these they gain them over."
CHAPTER LVI.
CHAPTER LVI.
Observe now how by such statements he depreciates those amongst us who are teachers of the word, and who strive in every way to raise the soul to the Creator of all things, and who show that we ought to despise things "sensible, and * temporal," and * visible" and to do our utmost to reach communion with God, and the contemplation of things that are “intelligent,” and “invisible,” and a blessed life with God, and the friends of God; comparing them to * workers in wool in private houses, and to leather-cutters, and to fullers, and to the most rustic of mankind, who carefully incite young boys to wickedness, and women to forsake their fathers and teachers, and follow them.” Now let Celsus point out from what wise parent, or from what teachers, we keep away children and women, and let him ascertain by comparison among those children and women who are adherents of our doctrine, whether ‘any of the opinions which they formerly-heard are better than ours, and in what manner we draw away children and women from noble and venerable studies, and incite them to worse things. But he will not be able to make good any such charge against us, seeing that, on the contrary, we turn away women from a dissolute life, and from being at variance with those with whom they live, from all mad desires after theatres and dancing, and from superstition; while we train to habits of self- Book 111. ] ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. 137 restraint boys just reaching the age of puberty, and feeling a desire for sexual pleasures, pointing out to them not only the disgrace which attends those sins, but also the state to which the soul of the wicked is reduced through practices of that kind, and the judgments which it will suffer, and the punish- ments which will be inflicted.
CHAPTER LVII.
CHAPTER LVII.
But who are the teachers whom we call triflers and fools, whose defence is undertaken by Celsus, as of those who teach better things? [I know not,] unless he deem those to be good instructors of women, and no triflers, who invite them to super- stition and to unchaste spectacles, and those, moreover, to be teachers not devoid of sense who lead young men to the com- munion of all those disorderly acts which we know are often committed by them. We indeed call away these also, as far as we can, from the dogmas of philosophy to our worship of God, by showing forth its excellence and purity. But as Celsus, by his statements, has declared that we do not do so, but that we call only the foolish, I would say to him, “If you had charged us with withdrawing from the study of philosophy those who were already preoccupied with it, you would not have spoken the truth, and yet your charge would have had an appearance of probability; but when you now say that we draw away our adherents from good teachers, show who are those other teachers save the teachers of philosophy, or those who have been appointed to give instruction in some useful branch of study.”!
He will be unable, however, to show any such; while we promise, openly and not in secret, that they will be happy who live according to the word of God, and who look to Him in all things, and who do everything, whatever it is, as if in the pre- sence of God. Are these the instructions of workers in wool, and of leather-cutters, and fullers, and uneducated rustics? But such an assertion he cannot make good.
CHAPTER LVIII.
But those who, in the opinion of Celsus, resemble the 1 Tlapaornooy τοὺς διδασκάλους ἄλλους παρὼ τοὺς Φιλοσοφία; διδασκάλους, ἢ τοὺς xara τὶ τῶν χρησίμων πεποιημένους.
138 ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. [Boox m.
workers in wool in private houses, and the leather-cutters, and fullers, and uneducated rustics, will, he alleges, in the presence of father or teachers be unwilling to speak, or unable to explain to the boys anything that is good. In answer to which, we would say, What kind of father, my good sir, and what kind of teacher, do you mean? If you mean one who approves of virtue, and turns away from vice, and welcomes what is better, then know, that with the greatest boldness will we declare our opinions to the children, because we will be in good repute with ' such a judge. But if, in the presence of a father who has a hatred of virtue and goodness, we keep silence, and also before ' those who teach what is contrary to sound doctrine, do not blame us for so doing, since you will blame us without good reason. You, at all events, in a case where fathers deemed the mysteries of philosophy an idle and unprofitable occupation for their sons, and for young men in general, would not, in teaching philosophy, make known its secrets before worthless parents; but, desiring to keep apart those sons of wicked parents who had been turned towards the study of philosophy, you would observe the proper seasons, in order that the doctrines of philosophy might reach the minds of the young men. And we say the same regarding our teachers. For if we turn [our hearers} away from those instructors who teach obscene comedies and licentious iambics, and many other things which neither improve the speaker nor benefit the hearers (because the latter do not know how to listen to poetry in a philosophic frame of mind, nor the former how to say to each of the young men what tends to his profit), we are not, in following such a course, ashamed to confess what we do. But if you will show me teachers who train young men for philosophy, and who exercise them in it, I will not from such turn away young men, but will try to raise them, as those who have been previously exercised in the whole circle of learning and in philosophical subjects, to the venerable and lofty height of eloquence which lies hid from the multitude of Christians, where are discussed topics of the greatest importance, and where it is demonstrated and shown that they have been treated philo- sophically both by the prophets of God and the apostles of Jesus.
Boox ur] ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. 139 CHAPTER LIX.
Immediately after this, Celsus, perceiving that he has slan- dered us with too great bitterness, as if by way of defence expresses himself as follows: “ That I bring no heavier charge than what the truth compels me, any one may see from the following remarks. Those who invite to participation in other mysteries, make proclamation as follows: ‘ Every one who has clean hands, and a prudent tongue;'! others again thus: ‘He who is pure from all pollution, and whose soul is conscious of no evil, and who has lived well and justly.’ Such is the proclama- tion made by those who promise purification from sins. Bat let us hear what kind of persons these Christians invite. Every one, they say, who is a sinner, who is devoid of understanding, who is a child, and, to speak generally, whoever is unfortunate, him will the kingdom of God receive. Do you not call him a sinner, then, who is unjust, and a thief, and a housebreaker, and a poisoner, and a committer of sacrilege, and a robber of the dead? What others would a man invite if he were issuing a proclamation for an assembly of robbers?” Now, in answer to such statements, we say that it is not the same thing to invite those who are sick ín soul to be cured, and those who are iz health to the knowledge and study of divine things. We, how- ever, keeping both these things in view, at first invite all men to be healed, and exhort those who are sinners to come to the consideration of the doctrines which teach men not to sin, and those who are devoid of understanding to those which beget wisdom, and those who are children to rise in their thoughts to manhood, and those who are simply? unfortunate to good fortune,” or—which is the more appropriate term to use—to blessednessí And when those who have been turned towards virtue have made progress, and have shown that they have been purified by the word, and have led as far as they can a better life, then and not before do we invite them to participation in our mysteries. “ For we speak wisdom among them that are perfect.” 5 1. φωνὴν συνετός. 3 ἁπλῶς. 3 εὐδαιμονίαν.
4 μακαριότητα. 5 Οἱ, 1 Cor. ii. 6.
140 ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. [Boox ur.
CHAPTER LX.
And as we teach, moreover, that “wisdom will not enter into the soul of a base man, nor dwell in a body that is involved in sin,” * we say, Whoever has clean hands, and therefore lifts up holy hands to God, and by reason of being occupied with elevated and heavenly things, can say, “The lifting up of my hands is as the evening sacrifice,”? let him come to us; and whoever has a wise tongue through meditating on the law of the Lord day and night, and by “reason of habit has his senses exercised to discern between good and evil,” let him have no reluctance in coming to the strong and rational sustenance which is adapted to those who are athletes in piety and every virtue. And since the grace of God is with all those who love with a pure affection the teacher of the doctrines of immor- tality, whoever is pure not only from all defilement, but from what are regarded as lesser transgressions, let him be boldly initiated in the mysteries of Jesus, which properly are made known only to the holy and the pure. The initiated of Celsus accordingly says, * Let him whose soul is conscious of no evil come.” But he who acts as initiator, according to the precepts of Jesus, will say to those who have been purified in heart, * He whose soul has, for a long time, been conscious of no evil, and especially since he yielded himself to the healing of the word, let such an one hear the doctrines which were spoken in ‘private by Jesus to His genuine disciples.’ Therefore in the comparison which he institutes between the procedure of the initiators into the Grecian mysteries, and the teachers of the doctrine of Jesus, he does not know the difference between inviting the wicked to be healed, and initiating those already purified into the sacred mysteries!
CHAPTER LXI.
Not to participation tn mysteries, then, and to fellowship in the wisdom hidden tn a mystery, which God ordained before the world to the glory of His saints do we invite the wicked man, and the thief, and the housebreaker, and the poisoner, and the committer of sacrilege, and the plunderer of the dead, and all Wisd. Solom. i. 4. 3 Cf. Ps. cxli. 2. 8 Cf. 1 Cor. ii. 7.
Boox 111.] ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. 141 those others whom Celsus may enumerate in his exaggerating style, but such as these we invite to be healed. For there are in the divinity of the word some helps towards the cure of those who are sick, respecting which the word says, “They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick;”? others, again, which to the pure in soul and body exhibit “the revela- tion of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest by the Scriptures of the pro- phets,"? and “by the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,"? which * appearing" is manifested to each one of those who are perfect, and which enlightens the reasonf in the true* knowledge of things. But as he exaggerates the charges against us, adding, after his list of those vile individuals whom he has mentioned, this remark, * What other persons would a robber summon to himself by proclamation?" we answer such a question by saying that a robber summons around him indivi- duals of such a character, in order to make use of their villany against the men whom they desire to slay and plunder. A Christian, on the other hand, even though he invite those whom the robber invites, invites them to a very different vocation, viz. to bind up these wounds by His word, and to apply to the soul, festering amid evils, the drugs obtained from the word, and which are analogous to the wine and oil, and plasters, and other healing appliances which belong to the art of medicine.
CHAPTER LXII.
CHAPTER LXII.
In the next place, throwing a slur* upon the exhortations spoken and written to those who have led wicked lives, and which invite them to repentance and reformation of heart, he asserts that we say “that it was to sinners that God has been sent.” Now this statement of his is much the same as if he were to find fault with certain persons for saying that on account of the sick who were living in a city, a physician had been sent them by a very benevolent monarch. God the Word was sent, indeed, as a physician to sinners, but as a teacher of divine mysteries to those who are already pure and who sin no more. But Celsus, unable to see this distinction, —for he had no 4 τὸ ἡγεμονικόν. 5 ἀψευδῆ. 8 συχοφαντῶν.
142 ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. [Boom nr desire to be animated with a love of truth,—remarks, “Why was he not sent to those who were without sin? What evil is . it not to have committed sin?” To which we reply, that if by those “who were without sin” he means these who sin no more, then our Saviour Jesus was sent even to such, but not as a physician. While if by those “ who were without sin" he means such as have never at any time sinned,—for he made no distinction in his statement,—we reply that it is impossible for a man thus to be without sin. And this we say, excepting, of course, the man understood to be in Christ Jesus," who “did no sin.” It is with a malicious intent, indeed, that Celsus says of us that we assert that “God will receive the unrighteous man if he humble himself on account of his wickedness, but that He will not receive the righteous man, although he look up to Him, [adorned] with virtue from the beginning." Now we assert that it is impossible for a man to look up to God [adorned] with virtue from the beginning. For wickedness must neces- sarily first exist in men. As Paul also says, “ When the com- mandment came, sin revived, and I died."? Moreover, we do not teach regarding the unrighteous man, that it is sufficient for him to humble himself on account of his wickedness in order to his being accepted by God, but that God will accept him if, after passing condemnation upon himself for his past conduct, he walk humbly on account of it, and in a becoming manner for the time to come.
CHAPTER LXIII.
After this, not understanding how it has been said that € every one who exalteth himself shall be abased;”* nor (although taught even by Plato) that “the good and virtuous man walketh humbly and orderly;" and ignorant, moreover, that we give the injunction, * Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time;”* he says that “those persons who preside properly over a trial make those individuals who bewail before them their evil deeds to cease from their piteous wailings, lest their decisions should be determined rather by compassion than by a regard to truth; 1 ὑπεξαιρομένου τοῦ xara τὸν Ζησοῦν νοουμένον οἐνθρώπον.
Boox u1.] ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. 143 whereas God does not decide in accordance with truth, but in. accordance with flattery.” Now, what words of flattery and piteous wailing are contained in the Holy Scriptures when the ' sinner says in his prayers to God, “I have acknowledged my sin, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transpression to the Lord,” etc. etc.? For is he able to show that a procedure of this kind is not adapted to the conversion of sinners, who humble themselves in their prayers under the hand of God? And, becoming confused by his effort to accuse us, he contradicts himself; appearing at one time to know a man “without sin," and ^a righteous man, who can look up to God [adorned] with virtue from the beginning;" and at another time accepting our statement that there is no man altogether righteous, or without sin;? for, as if he admitted its truth, he remarks, “This is indeed apparently true, that somehow the human race is naturally inclined to sin." In the next place, as if all men were not invited by the word, he says, ^ All men, then, without distinction, ought to be invited, since all indeed are sinners.’ And yet, in the preceding pages, we have pointed out the words of Jesus: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”* All men, there- fore, labouring and being heavy laden on account of the nature of sin, are invited to the rest spoken of in the word of God, * for God sent His word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” ἡ CHAPTER LXIV.
But since he says, in addition to this, * What is this pre- ference of sinners over others?” and makes other remarks of a similar nature, we have to reply that absolutely a sinner is not preferred before one who is not a sinner; but that sometimes a sinner, who has become conscious of his own sin, and for that reason comes to repentance, being humbled on account of his sins, is preferred before one 1 πρὸς κολακείαν.
2 In the text it is put interrogatively: τίς ἄνθρωπος τελέως δίκαιος;. ἢ τίς azanaptnros; The allusion seems to be to Job xv. 14: τίς yao ὧν βροτὸς, ὕτι ἔσται ἄμερατος; ἢ ὡς; ἰσόροεενο; δίκαιος γεννητὸς γυναικός.
144 ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. [Book rr.
who is accounted a lesser sinner, but who does not consider himself one, but exalts himself on the ground of certain good qualities which he thinks he possesses, and is greatly elated on their account. Ánd this is manifest to those who are wiling to peruse the Gospels in a spirit of fairness, by the parable of the publican, who said, “Be merciful to me a sinner,” and of the Pharisee who boasted with a certain wicked self-conceit in the words, * I thank ‘Thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this pub- lican.”? For Jesus subjoins to His narrative of them both the words: “This man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."* We utter no blasphemy, then, against God, neither are we guilty of falsehood, when we teach that every man, whoever he may be, is conscious of human infirmity in comparison with the greatness of God, and that we must ever ask from Him, who alone is able to supply our deficiencies, what is wanting to our [mortal] nature.
CHAPTER LXV.
CHAPTER LXV.
He imagines, however, that we utter these exhortations for the conversion of sinners, because we are able to gain over no one who is really good and righteous, and therefore open our gates to the most unholy and abandoned of men. But if any one will fairly observe our assemblies, we can present a greater number of those who have been converted from not a very wicked life, than of those who have committed the most abominable sins. For naturally those who are conscious to themselves of better things, desire that those promises may be true which are declared by God regarding the reward of the righteous, and thus assent more readily to the statements [of Scripture] than those do who have led very wicked lives, and who are prevented by their very consciousness [of evil] from admitting that they will be punished by the Judge of all with such punishment as befits those who have sinned so greatly, and as would not be inflicted by the Judge of all contrary to right reason.‘ Sometimes, also, when very abandoned men are willing 1 Luke xviii. 13. 2 Luke xviii. 11. 3 Luke xviii. 14. * xai οὐ παρὼ τὸν ὀρθὸν λόγον προσάγοιτο ὑπὸ TOU ἐπὶ πᾶσι δικαστοῦ.
Boox 111. ] ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. 145 to accept the doctrine of [future] punishment, on account of the hope which is based upon repentance, they are prevented from so doing by their habit of sinning, being constantly dipped, and, as it were, dyed in wickedness, and possessing no longer the power to turn from it easily to a proper life, and one regulated according to right reason. And although Celsus observes this, he nevertheless, I know not why, expresses him- self in the following terms: “ And yet, indeed, it is manifest to every one that no one by chastisement, much less by merciful treatment, could effect a complete change in those who are sinners both by nature and custom, for to change nature is an exceedingly difficult thing. But they who are without sin are partakers of a better life.”
CHAPTER LXVI.
CHAPTER LXVI.
Now here Celsus appears to me to have committed a great error, in refusing to those who are sinners by nature, and also by habit, the possibility of a complete transformation, alleging that they cannot be cured even by punishment. For it clearly appears that all men are inclined to sin by nature, and some not only by nature but by practice, while not all men are incap- able of an entire transformation. For there are found in every philosophical sect, and in the word of God, persons who are related to have undergone so great a change that they may be proposed as a model of excellence of life. Among the names of the heroic age some mention Hercules and Ulysses, among those of later times, Socrates, and of those who have lived very recently, Musonius.! Not only against us, then, did Celsus utter the calumny, when he said that “ it was manifest to every one that those who were given to sin by nature and habit could not by any means—even by punishments—be completely changed for the better," but also against the noblest names in philosophy, who have not denied that the recovery of virtue was a possible thing for men. But although he did not express his meaning with exactness, we shall nevertheless, though giving his words a more favourable construction, convict him of unsound reasoning. For his words were: “Those who are inclined to 1 He is said to have been either a Babylonian or Tyrrhenian, and to have lived in the reign of Nero. Cf. Philostratus, iv. 12.— RUJEUS.
ORIG.— VOL, JI. K 146 ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. [Boox rr.
sin by nature and habit, no one could completely reform even by chastisement;" and his words, as we understood them, we refuted to the best of our ability.’
CHAPTER LXVII.
It is probable, however, that he meant to convey some such meaning as this, that those who were both by nature and habit given to the commission of those sins which are committed by the most abandoned of men, could not be completely trans- formed even by punishment. And yet this is shown to be false from the history of certain philosophers. For who is there that would not rank among the most abandoned of men the indivi- dual who somehow submitted to yield himself to his master, when he placed him in a brothel,’ that he might allow himself to be polluted by any one who liked? And yet such a circum- stance is related of Phedo! And who will not agree that he who burst, accompanied with a flute-player and a party of revellers, his profligate associates, into the school of the vener- able Xenocrates, to insult a man who was the admiration of his friends, was not one of the greatest miscreants? among man- kind? Yet, notwithstanding this, reason was powerful enough to effect their conversion, and to enable them to make such progress in philosophy, that the one was deemed worthy by Plato to recount the discourse of Socrates on immortality, and to record his firmness in prison, when he evinced his contempt of the hemlock, and with all fearlessness and tranquillity of mind treated of subjects so numerous and important, that it is difficult even for those to follow them who are giving their utmost attention, and who are disturbed by no distraction; while Polemon, on the other hand, who from a profligate became a man of most temperate life, was successor in the school of Xeno crates, so celebrated for his venerable character. Celsus then does not speak the truth when he says “that sinners by nature and habit cannot be completely reformed even by chastisement.”