CHAPTER XLVII.
Celsus, after what has been said, goes on as follows: “I can tell how the very thing occurred, viz. that they should call him ‘Son of God.’ Men of ancient times termed this world, as being born of God, both his child and his son.* Both the one and other ‘Son of God, then, greatly resembled each other. He is therefore of opinion that we employed the ex- pression “Son of God,” having perverted* what is said of the world, as being born of God, and being His “Son,” and “a God." For he was unable so to consider the times of Moses and the prophets, as to see that the Jewish prophets predicted generally that there was a “Son of God” long before the Greeks and those men of ancient time of whom Celsus speaks. Nay, he would not even quote the passage in the letters of Plato, to which we referred in the preceding pages, concerning Him who so beautifully arranged this world, as being the Son of God; lest he too should be compelled by Plato, whom he often men- tions with respect, to admit that the architect of this world is the Son of God, and that His Father is the first God and Sove- 1 Cf. Dan. viii. 23-25 (LXX). 3 Οὐ, 2 Thess. ii. 4. ὃ Cf. Dan. ix. 27.
4 χαϊδά τε αὐτοῦ καὶ ἠΐϑεον. 5 χαραποιήσαντας.
Book vi. ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. 389 reign Ruler over all things. Nor is it at all wonderful if we maintain that the soul of Jesus is made one with so great a Son of God through the highest union with Him, being no longer in a state of separation from Him. For the sacred language of Holy Scripture knows of other things also, which, although “ dual” in their own nature, are considered to be, and really are, “one” in respect to one another. It is said of husband and wife, “They are no longer twain, but one flesh;"! and of the perfect man, and of him who is joined to the true Lord, Word, and Wisdom, and Truth, that * he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit."? And if he who **is joined to the Lord is one spirit,” who has been joined to the Lord, the Very Word, and Wisdom, and Truth, and Righteousness, in a more intimate union, or even in a manner at all approaching to it than the soul of Jesus? And if this be so, then the soul of Jesus and God the Word— the first-born of every creature—are no longer two, [but one].
CHAPTER XLVIII.
CHAPTER XLVIII.
In the next place, when the philosophers of the Porch, who assert that the virtue of God and man is the same, maintain that the God who is over all things is not happier than their wise man, but that the happiness of both is equal, Celsus neither ridicules nor scoffs at their opinion. If, however, Holy Scripture says that the perfect man is joined to and made one with the Very Word by means of virtue, so that we infer that the soul of Jesus is not separated from the first-born of all creation, he laughs at Jesus being called * Son of God," not observing what is said of Him with a secret and mystical signi- fication in the Holy Scriptures. But that we may win over to the reception of our views those who are willing to accept the inferences which flow from our doctrines, and to be benefited thereby, we say that the Holy Scriptures declare the body of Christ, animated by the Son of God, to be the whole church of God, and the members of this body—considered as a whole —to consist of those who are believers; since, as a soul vivifies and moves the body, which of itself has not the natural power of motion like a living being, so the Word, arousing and moving the whole body, the church, to befitting action, awakens, more- 390 ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. [Book vi.
over, each individual member belonging to the church, so that they do nothing apart from the Word. Since all this, then, follows by a train of reasoning not to be depreciated, where is the difficulty in maintaining that, as the soul of Jesus is joined in a perfect and inconceivable manner with the very Word, so the person of Jesus, generally speaking,’ is not sepa- rated from the only-begotten and first-born of all creation, and is not a different being from Him? But enough here on this subject.
CHAPTER XLIX.
Let us notice now what follows, where, expressing in a sinple word his opinion regarding the Mosaic cosmogony, without offering, however, a single argument in its support, he finds fault with it, saying: * Moreover, their cosmogony is extremely silly.”? Now, if he had produced some credible proofs of its silly character, we should have endeavoured to answer them; but it does not appear to me reasonable that I should be called upon to demonstrate, in answer to his mere assertion, that it is not “silly.” If any one, however, wishes to see the reasons which led us to accept the Mosaic account, and the arguments by which it may be defended, he may read what we have written upon Genesis, from the beginning of the book up to the pas sage, “ And this is the book of the generation of men,”* where we have tried to show from the Holy Scriptures themselves what the * heaven" was which was created in the beginning; and what the “earth,” and the “invisible part of the earth,” and that which was “without form;”* and what the “deep” was, and the “ darkness” that was upon it; and what the “ water” was, and the “Spirit of God” which was “borne over it;” and what the “light” which was created, and what the “ firmament,” as distinct from the “heaven” which was created in the beginning; and so on with the other subjects that follow. Celsus has also expressed his opinion that the narrative of the creation of man is “exceedingly silly,” without stating any proofs, or endeavouring to answer our argi- ments; for he had no evidence, in my judgment, which was 1 gralaxras. 3 κάλα sunding. 3 Cf. Gen. v. 1. 4 κατασκεύαστον.
Book v1. } ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. 891 fitted to overthrow the statement that “‘ man has been made in the image of God.” He does not even understand the mean- ing of the * Paradise" that was planted by God, and of the life which man first led in it; and of that which resulted from accident when man was cast forth on account of his sin, and was settled opposite the Paradise of delight. Now, as he asserts. that these are silly statements, let him turn his attention not merely to each one of them [in general], but to this in parti- cular, * He placed the cherubim, and the flaming sword, which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life,"* and say whether Moses wrote these words with no serious object in view, but in the spirit of the writers of the old Comedy, who have sportively related that * Proetus slew Bellerophon,” and that “‘ Pegasus came from Arcadia.” Now their object was to create laughter in composing such stories; whereas it is in- credible that he who left behind him laws‘ for a whole nation, regarding which he wished to persuade his subjects that they were given by God, should have written words so little to the purpose, and have said without any meaning, “ He placed the cherubim, and the flaming sword, which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life," or made any other state- ment regarding the creation of man, which is the subject of philosophic investigation by the Hebrew sages.
CHAPTER L.
CHAPTER L.
In the next place, Celsus, after heaping together, simply as mere assertions, the varying opinions of some of the ancients regarding the world, and the origin of man, alleges that * Moses and the prophets, who have left to us our books, not knowing at all what the nature of the world is, and of man, have woven together a web of sheer nonsense." If he had shown, now, how it appeared to him that the Holy Scriptures contained * sheer nonsense," we should have tried to demolish the argu- ments which appeared to him to establish their nonsensical character; but on the present occasion, following his own ex- ample, we also sportively give it as our opinion that Celsus, 1 Cf. Gen. i. 26. 3 τὴν ix χεριστάσεως γενομένην. 8 Gen. iii. 24. 4 γραφάς. 5 ἀπρόσλογα. 6 συνθεῖναι λῆρον βαθύν.
892 ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. [Boox v1.
knowing nothing at all about the nature of the meaning and language of the prophets, composed a work which contained * sheer nonsense," and boastfully gave it the title of a “ true discourse.” And since he makes the statements about the “ days of creation” ground of accusation,—as if he understood them clearly and correctly, some of which elapsed before the creation of light and heaven, and sun, and moon, and stars, and some of them after the creation of these,—we shall only make this observation, that Moses must then have forgotten that he had said a little before, * that in six days the creation of the world had been finished,” and that in consequence of this act of for- getfulness he subjoins to these words the following: “This is the book of the creation of man, in the day when God made the heaven and the earth!” But it is not in the least credible, that after what he had said respecting the six days, Moses should immediately add, without a special meaning, the words, * jn the day that God made the heavens and the earth;” and if any one thinks that these words may be referred to the state- ment, * In the beginning, God made the heaven and the earth," let him observe that before the words, “ Let tliere be light, and there was light,” and these, “ God called the light day,” it has been stated that “in the beginning God made the heaven and the earth.”
CHAPTER LI.
CHAPTER LI.
On the present occasion, however, it is not our object to enter into an explanation of the subject of intelligent and sensible beings,’ nor of the manner irt which the different kinds’ of days were allotted to both sorts, nor to investigate the details which belong to the subject, for we should need whole treatises for the exposition of the Mosaic cosmogony; and that work we had already performed, to the best of our ability, a consider- able time before the commencement of this answer to Celsus, when we discussed with such measure of capacity as we then possessed the question of the Mosaic cosmogony of the six days. We must keep in mind, however, that the Word pro- mises to the righteous through the mouth of Isaiah, that days Δ ὅτι τίς Kors στιν | Φύσις τοῦ νοῦ, xal τοῦ ἐν Toig προφήταις λόγου. ’ 3 χερὶ νοητῶν καὶ αἰσθητῶν. δ αἱ Φύσεις τῶν ἡμερῶν.
Book vi. } ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. 393 will come! when not the sun, but the Lord Himself, will be to them an everlasting light, and God will be their glory? And it is from misunderstanding, I think, some pestilent heresy which gave an erroneous interpretation to the words, “ Let there be light," as if they were the expression of a wish? merely on the part of the Creator, that Celsus made the remark: * The Creator did not borrow light from above, like those persons who kindle their lamps at those of their neighbours.” Mis- understanding, moreover, another impious heresy, he has said: * If, indeed, there did exist an accursed god opposed to the great God, who did this contrary to his approval, why did he lend him the hight?” So far are we from offering a defence of such puerilities, that we desire, on the contrary, distinctly to arraign the statements of these heretics us erroneous, and to undertake to refute, not those of their opinions with which we are unacquainted, as Celsus does, but those of which we have attained an accurate knowledge, derived in part from the state- ments of their own adherents, and partly from a careful perusal of their writings.
CHAPTER LII.
CHAPTER LII.
Celsus proceeds as follows: “ With regard to the origin of the world and its destruction, whether it 1s to be regarded as uncreated and indestructible, or as created indeed, but not de- structible, or the reverse, I at present say nothing.” For this reason we too say nothing on these points, as the work in hand does not require it. Nor do we allege that the Spirit of the universal God mingled itself in things here below as in things alien to itself, as might appear from the expression, * The Spirit of God moved upon the water;" nor do we assert that certain wicked devices directed against His Spirit, as if by a different creator from the great God, and which were tolerated by the Supreme Divinity, needed to be completely frustrated. And, accordingly, I have nothing further to say to those ὅ who utter such absurdities; nor to Celsus, who does not refute them with ability. For he ought either not to have mentioned such matters at all, or else, in keeping with that character for Σ ὁ» καταστάσει ἔσισθαι ἡμέρας. —? Cf. Ign. 1x. 15. 9 εὐκτικῶρ. 4 ὡς ἐν εἰλλοτρίοις τοὺς τῆδι. ὅ μακρὸν χομιρέτωσαν.
894 ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. [Boox vr.
philanthropy which he assumes, have carefully set them forth, and then endeavoured to rebut these impious assertions. Nor have we ever heard that the great God, after giving his spirit to the creator, demands it back again. Proceeding next fool- ishly to assail these impious assertions, he asks: * What god gives anything with the intention of demanding it back? For it is the mark of a needy person to demand back [what he has given], whereas God stands in need of nothing.” To this he adds, as if saying something clever against certain parties: € Why, when he lent [his spirit], was he ignorant that he was lending it to an evil being?” He asks, further: * Why does he pass without notice! a wicked creator who was counterworking his purposes? ” CHAPTER 1.111.
In the next place, mixing up together various heresies, and not observing that some statements are the utterances of one heretical sect, and others of a different one, he brings forward the objections which we raised against Marcion) And, pro- bably, having heard them from some paltry and ignorant individuals,* he assails the very arguments which combat them, but not in a way that shows much intelligence. Quot- ing then our arguments against Marcion, and not observing that it is against Marcion that he is speaking, he asks: ** Why does he send secretly, and destroy the works which he has created? Why does he secretly employ force, and persuasion, and deceit? Why does he allure those who, as ye assert, bave been condemned or accused by him, and carry them away like a slave-dealer? Why does he teach them to steal away from their Lord? Why to flee from their father? Why does he claim them for himself against the father's will? Why does he profess to be the father of strange children t " To these questions he subjoins the following remark, as if by way of expressing his surprise: * * Venerable, indeed, is the 3 The textual reading is, d xó τίνων εὐτελῶ; xal ἰδιωτικῶς, for which Ruseus reads, daó viov εὐτελῶν xal ἰδιωτικῶν, which emendation has been adopted in the translation.
4 οἱονεὶ θαυμωστικῶς.
Book vt.] ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. 995 god who desires to be the father of those sinners who are con- demned by another [god], and of the needy,’ and, as them- selves say, of the very offscourings? [of men], and who is unable to capture and punish his messenger, who escaped from him!” After this, as if addressing us who acknowledge that this world is not the work of a different and strange god, he continues in the following strain: “ If these are his works, how is it that God created evil? And how is it that he can- not persuade and admonish [men]? And how is it that he repents on account of the ingratitude and wickedness of men? He finds fault, moreover, with his own handwork,* and hates, and threatens, and destroys his own offspring? Whither can he transport them out of this world, which he himself has made?” Now it does not appear to me that by these remarks he makes clear what “evil” is; and although there have been among the Greeks many sects who differ as to the nature of good and evil, he hastily concludes, as if it were a consequence of our maintaining that this world also is a work of the uni- versal God, that in our judgment God is the author of evil. Let it be, however, regarding evil as it may—whether created by God or not—it nevertheless follows only as a result when you compare the principal design. And I am greatly surprised if the inference regarding God's authorship of evil, which he thinks follows from our maintaining that this world also is the work of the universal God, does not follow too from his own statements. For one might say to Celsus: *If these are His works, how is it that God created evil? and how is it that He cannot persuade and admonish men?” It is indeed the greatest error in reasoning to accuse those who are of different opinions of holding unsound doctrines, when the accuser him- self is much more liable to the same charge with regard to his own.
CHAPTER LIV.
Let us see, then, briefly what Holy Scripture has to say re- garding good and evil, and what answer we are to return to the questions, “ How is it that God created evil?” and, “ How 1 ἀκλήρων. 3 σκνυβάλων. 5. τέχνην. * ix παρακολουθήσεως γεγένηται THs πρὸς τὸ προηγούμενοι.
896 ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. [Boox v1.
is He incapable of persuading and admonishing men?” Now, according to Holy Scripture, properly speaking, virtues and virtuous actions are good, as, properly speaking, the reverse of these are evil. We shall be satisfied with quoting on the pre- sent occasion some verses from the 34th Psalm, to the following effect: ^ They that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. Come, ye children, hearken unto me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good."! Now, the injunctions to “depart from evil, and to do good,” do not refer either to corporeal evils or corporeal blessings, as they are termed by some, nor to external things at all, but to blessings and evils of 8 spiritual kind; since he who departs from such evils, and performs such virtuous actions, will, as one who desires the true life, come to the enjoyment of it; and as one loving to see “ good days,” in which the word of righteousness will be the Sun, he will see them, God taking him away from this “ present evil world,” 5 and from those evil days concerning which Paul said: “ Redeeming the time, be- cause the days are evil.” ® CHAPTER LY.
CHAPTER LY.
Passages, indeed, might be found where corporeal and exter- nal [benefits] are improperly called “ good,”—those things, viz., which contribute to the natural life, while those which do the reverse are termed “evil.” It is in this sense that Job says to his wife: “If we have received good at the hand of the Lord, shall we not also receive evil δ᾽" ὃ Since, then, there is found in the sacred Scriptures, in a certain passage, this state- ment put into the mouth of God, * I make peace, and create evil;"5 and again another, where it is said of Him that “ evil came down from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem, the noise of chariots and horsemen,""— passages which have disturbed many readers of Scripture, who are unable to see what Scrip- 4 χαταχρηστικώτερον. 5 Cf. Job ii. 10. $ Cf. Isa. xlv. 7.
? Cf. Mic. i. 12, 13. The rendering of the Heb. in the first clause of the thirteenth verse is different from that of the LXX.
Book vz] ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. $97 ture means by “ good” and “ evil,” —it is probable that Celsus, being perplexed thereby, gave utterance to the question, “ How is it that God created evil?” or, perhaps, having heard some one discussing the matters relating to it in an ignorant manner, he made this statement which we have noticed. We, on the other hand, maintain that “ evil,” or * wickedness,” and the actions which proceed from it, were not created by God. For if God created that which is really evil, how was it possible that the pro- clamation regarding [the last] judgment should be confidently announced,’ which informs us that the wicked are to be punished for their evil deeds in proportion to the amount of their wicked- ness, while those who have lived a virtuous life, or performed virtuous actions, will be in the enjoyment of blessedness, and will receive rewards from God? I am well aware that those who would daringly assert that these evils were created by God will quote certain expressions of Scripture [in their support], because we are not able to show one consistent series? of pas- sages; for although Scripture [generally] blames the wicked and approves of the righteous, it nevertheless contains some statements which, although comparatively? few in number, seem to disturb the minds of ignorant readers of Holy Scrip- ture. I have not, however, deemed it appropriate to my present treatise to quote on the present occasion those discordant statements, which are many in number,‘ and their explanations, which would require a long arrray of proofs. Evils, then, if those be meant which are properly so called, were not created by God; but some, although few in comparison with the order of the whole world, have resulted from His principal works, as there follow from the chief works of the carpenter such things as spiral shavings and sawdust,’ or as architects might appear to be the cause of the rubbish which lies around their buildings in the form of the filth which drops from the stones and the plaster.
1 παῤῥησίαν ἔχειν. 3 ὕφος.
3 ὀλίγα must be taken comparatively, on account of the πολλά; that fol- lows afterwards.
4 χολλάς. See note 8. 5 χὰ ἱλικοειδὴ ξίσματα καὶ xpicpore.
6 cà παρακείμεναι.
898 ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. [Boox vr, CHAPTER LVI.
99 If we speak, however, of what are called “ corpor and * external" evils,—which are improperly so termed,—then it may be granted that there are occasions when some of these have been called into existence by God, in order that by their means the conversion of certain individuals might be effected. And what absurdity would follow from such a course? For as, if we should hear those sufferings’ improperly termed “ evils ” which are inflicted by fathers, and instructors, and pedagogues upon those who are under their care, or upon patients who are operated upon or cauterized by tlie surgeons in order to effect a cure, we were to say that a father was ill-treating his son, or pedagogues and instructors their pupils, or physicians their patients, no blame would be laid upon the operators or chas- tisers; 80, in the same way, if God is said to bring upon men such evils for the conversion and cure of those who need this discipline, there would be no absurdity in the view, nor would * evils come down from the Lord upon the gates of Jerusalem,"? —which evils consist of the punishments inflicted upon the Israelites by their enemies with a view to their conversion; nor would one visit * with a rod the transgressions of those who for- sake the law of the Lord, and their iniquities with stripes;”’* nor could it be said, “ Thou hast coals of fire to set upon them; they shall be to thee a help." * In the same way also we explain the expressions, * I, who make peace, and create evil;"5 for He calls into existence “ corporeal” or “external” evils, while purifying and training those who would not be disciplined by the word and sound doctrine. This, then, is our answer to the question, * How is it that God created evil?”
CHAPTER LVII.
With respect to the question, * How is he incapable of per- suading and admonishing men?” it has been already stated that, if such an objection were really a ground of charge, then the objection of Celsus might be brought against those who accept the doctrine of providence. Any one might answer the charge Book vi. ] ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. 399 that God is incapable of admonishing men; for He conveys His admonitions throughout the whole of Scripture, and by means of those persons who, through God’s gracious appointment, are the instructors of His hearers. Unless, indeed, some peculiar ‘meaning be understood to attach to the word “ admonish,” as if it signified both to penetrate into the mind of the person admonished, and to make him hear the words of his! instruc- tor, which is contrary to the usual meaning of the word. To the objection, * How is he incapable of persuading?"—which also might be brought against all who believe in providence,— we have to make the following remarks. Since the expression . to be persuaded” belongs to those words which are termed, so to speak, “ reciprocal"? (compare the phrase “to shave a man," when he makes an effort to submit himself to the barber?), there is for this reason needed not merely the effort of him who persuades, but also the submission, so to speak, which is to be yielded to the persuader, or the acceptance of what is said by him. And therefore it must not be said that it is because God is incapable of persuading men that they are not persuaded, but because they will not accept the faithful words of God. And if one were to apply this expression to men who are the “ artificers of persuasion,"* he would not be wrong; for it is possible for a man who has thoroughly learned the prin- ciples of rhetoric, and who employs them properly, to do his utmost to persuade, and yet appear to fail, because he cannot overcome the will of him who ought to yield to his persuasive arts. Moreover, that persuasion does not come from God, although persuasive words may be uttered by him, is distinctly taught by Paul, when he says: * This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you." 5 Such also is the view indicated by these words: “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land; but if ye refuse and rebel, a sword shall de- vour you."* For that one may [really] desire what is addressed to him by one who admonishes, and may become deserving of l τὸ καὶ ἐπιτυγχάνειν iv τῷ νουθετουμένῳ xal ἀκούειν τὸν τοῦ διδάσκοντος λόγον.
2 ὡσπερεὶ τῶν καλουμένων οντιπεκονθότων ἔστιν.
3 ἀνάλογον τῷ χείρεσθαι ἄνθρωπον, ἐνεργοῦντα τὸ arespix si» ἑαυτὸν τῷ κείροντι.
400 ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. [Book vt.
those promises of God which he hears, it is necessary to secure the will of the hearer, and his inclination to what is addressed to him. And therefore it appears to me, that in the book of Deuteronomy the following words are uttered with peculiar emphasis: “ And now, O Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, and to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to keep His command- ments"! — CHAPTER LVIII.
CHAPTER LVIII.
There is next to be answered the following query: * And how is it that he repents when men become ungrateful and wicked; and finds fault with his own handwork, and hates, and threatens, and destroys his own offspring?” Now Celsus here calumniates and falsifies what is written in the book of Genesis to the following effect: * And the Lord God, seeing that the wickedness of men upon the earth was increasing, and that every one in his heart carefully meditated to do evil continually, was grieved? He had made man upon the earth. And God meditated in His heart, and said, I will destroy man, whom I have made, from the face of the earth, both man and beast, and creeping thing, and fowl of the air, because I am grieved? that I made them;"* quoting words which are not written in Scripture, as if they conveyed the meaning of what was actually written. For there is no mention in these words of the repentance of God, nor of His blaming and hating His own handwork. And if there is the appearance of God threatening the catastrophe of the deluge, and thus destroying His own children in it, we have to answer that, as the soul of man is immortal, the supposed threatening has for its object the conversion of the hearers, while the destruction of men by the flood is a purification of the earth, as certain among the Greek philosophers of no mean repute have indicated by the expression: * When the gods purify the earth." * And with