Celsus accordingly, as not understanding the doctrine relat- ing to the Spirit of God (^ for the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually dis- cerned"?), weaves together [such a web] as pleases himself,’ ima- gining that we, in calling God a Spirit, differ in no respect in this particular from the Stoics among the Greeks, who main- tain that “ God is a Spirit, diffused through all things, and containing all things within Himself.” Now the superintend- ence and providence of God does extend through all things, but not in the way that spirit does, according to the Stoics. Providence indeed contains all things that are its objects, and comprehends them all, but not as a containing body includes its contents, because they also are “ body," * but as a divine power does it comprehend what it contains. According to the philosophers of the Porch, indeed, who assert that principles are “corporeal,” and who on that account make all things perishable, and who venture even to make the God of all things capable of perishing, the very Word of God, who descends even to the lowest of mankind, would be—did it not appear to them to be too gross an incongruity? — nothing else than a * corporeal” spirit; whereas, in our opinion,—who endeavour to demonstrate that the rational soul is superior to all “ cor poreal " nature, and that it is an invisible substance, and incorporeal,—God the Word, by whom all things were made, who came, in order that all things might be made by the Word, not to men only, but to what are deemed the very lowest of things, under the dominion of nature alone, would be no body. The Stoics, then, may consign all things to destruction by fire; we, however, know of no incorporea] substance that is destructible . 1 Of. 2 Cor. iii. 17. 3 Cf. 1 Cor. ii. 14. 8. ἑαντῷ συνάπτει. 4 οὐχ ὡς σώμα δὲ περιέχον περιέχει, ὅτι καὶ σῶρεα ἔστι τὸ σερπχόμενον. 5 raw ἐπεμφαῖνον.
Boox νι. ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. 415 by fire, nor [do we believe] that the soul of man, or the sub- stance of “angels,” or of “ thrones,” or * dominions,” or * principalities,” or “ powers,” can be dissolved by fire.
. CHAPTEB LXXII.
. CHAPTEB LXXII.
It is therefore in vain that Celsus asserts, as one who knows not the nature of the Spirit of God, that “as the Son of God, who existed in a human body, is a Spirit, this very Son of God would not be immortal" He next becomes confused in his statements, as if there were some of us who did not admit that God is a Spirit, but maintain that only with regard to His Son, and he thinks that he can answer us by saying that there “ is no kind of spirit which lasts for ever.” This is much the same as if, when we term God a “consuming fire,” he were to say that there “is no kind of fire which lasts for ever;" notobserv- ing the sense in which we say that our God is a fire, and what. the things are which He consumes, viz. sins, and wickedness. For it becomes a God of goodness, after each individual has shown, by his efforts, what kind of combatant he has been, to consume vice by the fire of His chastisements. He proceeds, in the next place, to assume what we do not maintain, that ** God must necessarily have given up the ghost;” from which also it follows that Jesus could not have risen again with His body. For God would not have received back the spirit which He had surrendered after it had been stained by contact with the body. It is foolish, however, for us to answer statements as ours which were never made by us.
CHAPTER LXEXIII.
CHAPTER LXEXIII.
He proceeds to repeat himself, and after saying a great deal which he had said before, and ridiculing the birth of God from & virgin, ——to which we have already replied as we best could, — he adds the following: *If God had wished to send down His Spirit from Himself, what need was there to breathe it into the womb of a woman? For as one who knew already how to form men, He could also have fashioned a body for this person, without casting His own Spirit into so much pollution;? and in this way He would not have been received with incredulity, if l εἰς τοσοῦτον μίασμα.
416 ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. [Book v1.
He had derived His existence immediately from above.” He has made these remarks, because he knows not the pure and virgin birth, unaccompanied by any corruption, of that body which was to minister to the salvation of men. For, quoting the sayings of the Stoics,' and affecting not to know the doctrine about “things indifferent," he thinks that the divine nature was cast amid pollution, and was stained either by being in the body of a woman, until a body was formed around it, or by assuming a body. And in this he acts like those who imagine that the sun's rays are polluted by dung and by foul-smelling bodies, and do not remain pure amid such things. If, however, according to the view of Celsus, the body of Jesus had been fashioned without generation, those who beheld the body would at once have believed that it had not been formed by genera- tion; and yet an object, when seen, does not at the same time indicate the nature of that from which it has derived its origin. For example, suppose that there were some honey [placed be- fore one] which had not been manufactured by bees, no one could tell from the taste or sight that it was not their work- manship, because the honey which comes from bees does not make known its origin by the senses,” but experience alone can tell that it does not proceed from them. In the same way, too, experience teaches that wine comes from the vine, for taste does not enable us to distinguish [the wine] which comes from the vine. In the same manner, therefore, the visible? body does not make known the manner of its existence. And you will be induced to accept this view,* by [regarding] the heavenly bodies, whose existence and splendour we perceive as we gaze at them; and yet, I presume, their appearance does not suggest to us whether they are created or uncreated; and accordingly different opinions have existed on these points. And yet those who say that they are created are not agreed as to the manner of their creation, for their appearance does not suggest it, although the force of reason’ may have discovered that they are created, and how their creation was effected.
1 Cf. Book iv. cc. 14 and 68. 3 τῇ αἰσθήσει τὴν ἀρχὴν. 8 τὸ αἰσθητὸν σῶμα. 4 χροσαχθήσῃ δὲ τῷ λεγορεένῳ.
ὅ χἃν βιασάμενος ὁ λόγος εὕρῃ.
Booz v1.] ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. 417 CHAPTER LXXIV.
After this he returns to the subject of Marcion’s opinions (having already spoken frequently of them), and states some of them correctly, while others he has misunderstood; these, however, it is not necessary for us to answer or refute. Again, after this he brings forward the various arguments that may be urged on Marcion’s behalf, and also against him, enumerating what the opinions are which exonerate him from the charges, and what expose him to them; and when he desires to support the statement which declares that Jesus has been the subject of prophecy,—in order to found a charge against Marcion and his followers,—he distinctly asks, * How could he, who was punished in such a manner, be shown to be God’s Son, unless these things had been predicted of him?” He next proceeds to jest, and, as his custom is, to pour ridicule upon the subject, introducing * two sons of God, one the son of the Creator,’ and the other the son of Marcion’s God; and he portrays their single com- bats, saying that the Theomachies of the Fathers are like the battles between quails;? or that the Fathers, becoming useless through age, and falling into their dotage,? do not meddle at all with one another, but leave their sons to fight it out." The remark which he made formerly we will turn against himself: * What old woman would not be ashamed to lull a child to sleep with such stories as he has inserted in the work which he entitles A True Discourse? For when he ought seriously * to apply himself to argument, he leaves serious argument aside, and betakes himself to jesting and buffoonery, imagining that he is writing mimes or scoffing verses; not observing that such a method of procedure defeats his purpose, which is to make us abandon Christianity and give in our adherence to his opinions, which, perhaps, had they been stated with some degree of gravity, would have appeared more likely to convince, whereas, since he continues to ridicule, and scoff, and play the buffoon, we answer that it is because he has no argument of weight (for such he neither had, nor could understand) that he has betaken himself to such drivelling.””
1 τοῦ δηροιουργοῦ. 3 ὀρτύγων. δ ληροῦντας. 4 πραγματιχῶς.
5 ἰσεμινολόγει. 8 σεμινῶν λόγων. 7 χοσαύτην φλυαρίαν ORIG.—VOL. II. 2D 418 ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. [Book vx.
CHAPTER LXXV.
To the preceding remarks he adds the following: “Since a divine Spirit inhabited the body [of Jesus], it must certainly have been different from that of other beings, in respect of grandeur, or beauty, or strength, or voice, or impressiveness,! or persuasiveness. Por it is impossible that He, to whom was imparted some divine quality beyond other beings, should not differ from others; whereas this person did not differ in any respect from another, but was, as they report, little, and ill- favoured, and ignoble."? Now it is evident by these words, that when Celsus wishes to bring a charge against Jesus, he adduces the sacred writings, as one who believed them to be writings apparently fitted to afford a handle for a charge against Him; but wherever, in the same writings, statements would appear to be made opposed to those charges which are adduced, he pretends not even to know them! There are, indeed, ad- mitted to be recorded some statements respecting the body of Jesus having been * ill-favoured;" not, however, “ignoble,” as has been stated, nor is there any certain evidence that he was “ little.’ The language of Isaiah runs as follows, who pro- phesied regarding Him that He would come and visit the mul- titude, not in comeliness of form, nor in any surpassing: beauty: * Lord, who hath believed our report, and to whom wa: the arm of the Lord revealed? He made announcement before Him, as a child, as a root in a thirsty ground. He has no form nor glory, and we beheld Him, and He had no form no: beauty; but His form was without honour, and inferior to tbat of the sons of men."? These passages, then, Celsus listen«d to, be- cause he thought they were of use to him in bringing a charge against Jesus; but he paid no attention to the worls of the 45th Psalm, and why it is then said, * Gird Thy sword upon Thy thigh, O most mighty, with Thy comeliness an | beauty, and continue, and prosper, and reign."
CHAPTER LXXVI. Let it be supposed, however, that he had not reac the pro- 3 Cf. Ige. liii. 1-9 (LXX.). * Cf. Ps. xlv. 8, 4 (1 KX.).
Boo v] | ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. 419 phecy, or that he fad read it, but had been drawn away by those who misinterpreted it as not being spoken of Jesus Christ. What has he to say of the Gospel, in the narratives of which Jesus ascended up into a high mountain, and was transfigured before the disciples, and was seen in glory, when both Moses and Elias, * being seen in glory, spake of the decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem?" or when the prophet says, * We beheld Him, and He had no form nor beauty,” etc.? and Celsus accepts this prophecy as referring to Jesus, being blinded in so accepting it, and not seeing that it is a great proof that the Jesus who appeared to be * without form" was the Son of God, that His very appearance should have been made the subject of prophecy many years before His birth. But if another prophet speak of His comeliness and beauty, he will no longér accept the prophecy as referring to Christ! And if it were to be clearly ascertained from the Gospels that: * He had no form nor beauty, but that His appearance was without honour, and inferior to that of the sons of men," it might be said that it was not with reference to the prophetic writings, but to the Gospels, that Celsus made his remarks. But now, as neither the Gospels nor the apostolic writings in- dicate that “ He had no form nor beauty,” it is evident that we must accept the declaration of the prophets as true of Christ, and this will prevent the charge against Jesus from being advanced."
CHAPTER LXXVII.
CHAPTER LXXVII.
But again, how did he who said, “Since a divine Spirit inhabited the body [of Jesus], it must certainly have been different from that of other beings in respect of grandeur, or voice, or strength, or impressiveness, or persuasiveness," not observe the changing relation of His body according to the capacity of the spectators (and therefore its corresponding utility), inasmuch as it appeared to each one of such a nature as it was requisite for him to behold it? Moreover, it is not a subject of wonder that the matter, which is by nature suscep- tible of being altered and changed, and of being transformed into anything which the Creator chooses, and is capable of 1 προβαίνειν.
420 ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. [Boor vr.
receiving all the qualities which the Artificer desires, should at one time possess a quality, agreeably to which it is said, *« He had no form nor beauty,” and at another, one so glorious, and majestic, and marvellous, that the spectators of such sur- passing loveliness —three disciples who had ascended [the mount] with Jesus—should fall upon their faces. He will say, however, that these are inventions, and in no respect different from myths, as are also the other marvels related of Jesus; which objection we have answered at greater length in what has gone before. But there is also something mystical in this doctrine, which announces that the varying appearances of Jesus are to be referred to the nature of the divine Word, who does not show Himself in the same manner to the multitude as He does to those who are capable of following Him to the high mountain which we have mentioned; for to those who still remain below, and are not yet prepared to ascend, the Word “has neither form nor beauty,” because to such persons His form is “ without honour,” and inferior to the words given forth by men, which are figuratively termed “sons of men.” For we might say that the words of philosophers—who are * sons of men "—appear far more beautiful than the Word of God, who is proclaimed to the multitude, and who also ex- hibits [what is called] the “ foolishness of preaching,” and on account of this apparent “ foolishness of preaching” those who look at this alone say, * We saw Him, but He had no form nor beauty." "To those, indeed, who have received power to follow Him, in order that they may attend Him even when He ascends to the “lofty mount,” He has a diviner appearance, which they behold, if there happens to be [among them] a Peter, who has received within himself the edifice of the church based upon the Word, and who has gained such a habit [of goodness] that none of the gates of Hades will prevail against him, having been exalted by the Word from the gates of death, that he may “ publish the praises of God in the gates of the daughter of Sion,” and any others who have derived their birth from impressive preaching,’ and who are not at all inferior to ‘‘sons of thunder.” But how can Celsus and the enemies of the divine Word, and those who have not examined 1 xai εἴ τινὲς εἶσιν ix λόγων τὴν γένεσιν λαχόντες μεγαλοφώνων.
Book v1. ] ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. 421 the doctrines of Christianity in the spirit of truth, know the meaning of the different appearances of Jesus? And I refer also to the different stages of His life, and to any actions performed by Him before His sufferings, and after His resur- rection from the dead.
CHAPTER LXXVIII.
Celsus next makes certain observations of the following nature: “ Again, if God, like Jupiter in the comedy, should, on awaking from a lengthened slumber, desire to rescue the human race from evil, why did He send this Spirit of which you speak into one corner [of the earth]? He ought to have breathed it alike into many bodies, and have sent them out into all the world. Now the comic poet, to cause laughter in the theatre, wrote that Jupiter, after awakening, despatched Mercury to the Athenians and Lacedzemonians; but do not . you think that you have made the Son of God more ridiculous in sending Him to the Jews?" Observe in such language as this the irreverent character of Celsus, who, unlike a philo- sopher, takes the writer of a comedy, whose business is to cause laughter, and compares our God, the Creator of all things, to the being who, as represented in the play, on awak- ing, despatches Mercury [on an errand]! We stated, indeed, in what precedes, that it was not as if awakening from a lengthened slumber that God sent Jesus to the human race, who has now, for good reasons, fulfilled the economy of His incarnation, but who has always conferred benefits upon the human race. For no noble deed has ever been performed amongst men, where the divine Word did not visit the souls of those who were capable, although for a little time, of admitting such operations of the divine Word. Moreover, the advent of Jesus apparently to one corner [of the earth] was founded on good reasons, since it was necessary that He who was the sub- ject of prophecy should make His appearance among those who had become acquainted with the doctrine of one God, and who perused the writings of His prophets, and who had come to know the announcement of Christ, and that He should come to them at a time when the Word was about to be diffused from one corner over the whole world.
422 ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. [Book vr.
CHAPTER LXXIX.
And therefore there was no need that there should every- where exist many bodies, and many spirits like Jesus, in order that the whole world of men might be enlightened by the Word of God. For the one Word was enough, having arisen as the * Sun of righteousness,” to send forth from Judea His coming rays into the soul of all who were willing to receive Him. But if any one desires to see many bodies filled with a divine Spirit, similar to the one Christ, ministering to the salvation of men everywhere, let him take note of those who teach the gospel of Jesus in all lands in soundness of doctrine and uprightness of life, and who are themselves termed “ christs” by the Holy Scriptures, in the passage, * Touch not mine anointed,’ and do not my prophets any harm."? For as we have heard that Antichrist cometh, and yet have learned that there are many antichrists in the world, in the same way, knowing that Christ has come, we see that, owing to Him, there are many christs in the world, who, like Him, have loved righteousness and hated iniquity, and therefore God, the God of Christ, anointed them also with the “ oil of gladness.” But inasmuch as He loved righteousness and hated iniquity above those who were His partners? He also obtained the first-fruits of His anointing, and, if we must so term it, the entire unction of the oil of glad- ness; while they who were His partners shared also in His unction, in proportion to their individual capacity. Therefore, since Christ is the head of the church, so that Christ and the church form one body, the ointment descended from the head to the beard of Aaron,—the symbols of the perfect man,—and this ointment in its descent reached to the very skirt of his garment. This is my answer to the irreverent language of Celsus when he says, “ He ought to have breathed [His Spirit] alike into many bodies, and have sent it forth into all the world." The comic poet, indeed, to cause laughter, has represented Jupiter asleep and awaking from slumber, and despatching Mercury to the Greeks; but the Word, knowing that the nature of God is unaffected by sleep, may teach us that God administers in 1 ray χριστῶν pov. 3 Cf. 1 Chron. xvi. 22 and Ps. cv. 15. 3 Tous μετόχου; αὐτοῦ.
Book v1. | ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. 428 due season, and as right reason demands, the affairs of the world. It is not, however, a matter of surprise that, owing to the greatness and incomprehensibility! of the divine judgments, ignorant persons should make mistakes, and Celsus among them. There is therefore nothing ridiculous in the Son of God having been sent to the Jews, amongst whom the prophets had ap- peared, in order that, making a commencement among them in a bodily shape, He might arise with might and power upon a world of souls, which no longer desired to remain deserted by God.
CHAPTER LXXX.
After this, it seemed proper to Celsus to term the Chaldeans a most divinely-inspired nation from the very earliest times? from whom the delusive system of astrology? has spread abroad among men. Nay, he ranks the Magi also in the same cate- gory, from whom the art of magic derived its name and has been transmitted to other nations, to the corruption and de- struction of those who employ it. In the preceding part of this work, [we mentioned] that, in the opinion even of Celsus, the Egyptians also were guilty of error, because they had indeed solemn enclosures around what they considered their temples, while within them there was nothing save apes, or crocodiles, or goats, or asps, or some other animal; but on the present occasion it pleases him to speak of the Egyptian people too as most divinely inspired, and that, too, from the earliest times, — perhaps because they made war upon the Jews from an early date. The Persians, moreover, who marry their own mothers, and have intercourse with their own daughters, are, in the opinion of Celsus, an inspired race; nay, even the Indians are so, some of whom, in the preceding, he mentioned as eaters of human flesh. 'Tothe Jews, however, especially those of ancient times, who employ none of these practices, he did not merely refuse the name of inspired, but declared that they would imme- diately perish. And this prediction he uttered respecting them, as being doubtless endued with prophetic power, not observing that the whole history of the Jews, and their ancient and vene- rable polity, were administered by God; and that it is by their 1 δυσδιηγήτονς rà; κρίσεις. 2 ἐξ ἀρχῆς. S γενεθλιαλογία.
494 ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. [Booz vr.
fall that salvation has come to the Gentiles, and that “ their fall is the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles,"! until the fulness of the Gentiles come, that after that the whole of Israel, whom Celsus does not know, may be saved.
CHAPTER LXXXI.
CHAPTER LXXXI.
I do not understand, however, how he should say of God, that although “ knowing all things, He was not aware of this, that He was sending His Son amongst wicked men, who were both to be guilty of sin, and to inflict punishment upon Him." Certainly he appears, in the present instance, to have forgotten that all the sufferings which Jesus was to undergo were fore- seen by the Spirit of God, and foretold by His prophets; from which it does not follow that “ God did not know that He was sending His Son amongst wicked and sinful men, who were also to inflict punishment upon Him.” He immediately adds, . however, that “ our defence on this point is that all these things were predicted.” But as our sixth book has now attained suffi- cient dimensions, we shall stop here, and begin, God willing, the argument of the seventh, in which we shall consider the reasons which he thinks furnish an answer to our statement, that everything regarding Jesus was foretold by the prophets; and as these are numerous, and require to be answered at length, we wished neither to cut the subject short, in conse- quence of the size of the present book, nor, in order to avoid doing so, to swell this sixth book beyond its proper proportions.
BOOK VII.
CHAPTER I.
BN the six former books we have endeavoured, reverend M brother Ambrosius, according to our ability to meet the charges brought by Celsus against the Chris- tians, and have as far as possible passed over nothing without first subjecting it to a full and close examination. And now, while we enter upon the seventh book, we call upon God through Jesus Christ, whom Celsus accuses, that He who is the truth of God would shed light into our hearts and scatter the darkness of error, in accordance with that saying of the prophet which we now offer as our prayer, “ Destroy them by Thy truth.”’ For it is evidently the words and reasonings opposed to the truth that God destroys by His truth; so that when these are destroyed, all who are delivered from deception may go on with the prophet to say, “1 will freely sacrifice unto Thee,"? and may offer to the Most High a reasonable and smokeless sacrifice.
CHAPTER II.