Against Celsus 1.13
Summary: Paul did not call all wisdom evil but only "the wisdom of this world"; reasoned faith is better than simple faith, but God saves through the "foolishness" of preaching Christ crucified.
Greek text · Koetschau 1:65–66
Ἐπεὶ δʼ ὁ Κέλσος ἔθηκεν ὡς λεγόμενον ὑπὸ πολλῶν Χριστιανῶν „κακὸν μέν γε ἡ ἐν τῷ βίῳ σοφία ἀγαθὸν δʼ ἡ μωρία“. λεκτέον ὅτι συκοφαντεῖ τὸν λόγον. μὴ ἐκθέμενος αὐτὴν τὴν παρὰ τῷ Παύλῳ κειμένην λέξιν οὕτως ἔχουσαν· „εἴ τις δοκεῖ σοφὸς εἶναι ἐν ὑμῖν, ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ μωρὸς γενέσθω. ἵνα γένηται σοφός· ἡ γὰρ σοφία τοῦ κόσμου τούτου μωρία παρὰ θεῷ ἐστιν.“ οὐκοῦν ὁ μὲν ἀπόστολός φησιν οὐχ ἁπλῶς· „ἡ σοφία μωρία παρὰ θεῷ ἐστιν.“ ἀλλʼ „ἡ σοφία τοῦ κόσμου τούτου.“ καὶ πάλιν οὐκ „εἴ τις δοκεῖ σοφὸς εἶναι ἐν ὑμῖν“ ἁπαξαπλῶς „μωρὸς γενέσθω, “ ἀλλʼ „ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ μωρὸς γενέσθω, ἵνα γένηται σοφός.“ „σοφίαν“ οὖν „τούτου τοῦ αἰῶνος“ λέγομεν τὴν κατὰ τὰς γραφὰς καταργουμένην πᾶσαν ψευδοδοξοῦσαν φιλοσοφίαν· καὶ μωρίαν λέγομεν ἀγαθὸν οὐκ ἀπολελυμένως, ἀλλʼ ὅτε τις τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ γίνεται „μωρός“· ὡς εἰ λέγοιμεν καὶ τὸν Πλατωνικὸν, πιστεύοντα τῇ ἀθανασίᾳ τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ τοῖς περὶ αὐτῆς λεγομένοις περὶ μετενσωματώσεως, μωρίαν ἀνειληφέναι ὡς πρὸς τοὺς Στωϊκοὺς διασύροντας τὴν τούτων συγκατάθεσιν, καὶ ὡς πρὸς Περιπατητικοὺς θρυλοῦντας τὰ Πλάτωνος „τερετίσματα, “ καὶ ὡς πρὸς Ἐπικουρείους δεισιδαιμονίαν ἐγκαλοῦντας τοῖς εἰσάγουσι πρόνοιαν καὶ θεὸν ἐφιστᾶσι τοῖς ὅλοις. ἔτι δὲ ὅτι καὶ κατὰ τὸ τῷ λόγῳ ἀρέσκον πολλῷ διαφέρει μετὰ λόγου καὶ σοφίας συγκατατίθεσθαι τοῖς δόγμασιν ἤπερ μετὰ ψιλῆς τῆς πίστεως, καὶ ὅτι κατὰ περίστασιν καὶ τοῦτʼ ἐβουλήθη ὁ λόγος, ἵνα μὴ πάντῃ ἀνωφελεῖς ἐάσῃ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, δηλοῖ ὁ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ γνήσιος μαθητὴς Παῦλος εἰπών· „ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ οὐκ ἔγνω ὁ κόσμος διὰ τῆς σοφίας τὸν θεὸν, εὐδόκησεν ὁ θεὸς διὰ τῆς μωρίας τοῦ κηρύγματος σῶσαι τοὺς πιστεύοντας.“ σαφῶς οὖν διὰ τούτων δηλοῦται ὅτι ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐχρῆν γινώσκεσθαι τὸν θεόν. καὶ ἐπεὶ μὴ τοῦτο γεγένηται οὕτως, δεύτερον εὐδόκησεν ὁ θεὸς σῶσαι τοὺς πιστεύοντας οὐχ ἁπαξαπλῶς διὰ μωρίας ἀλλὰ διὰ μωρίας ὅσον ἐπὶ κηρύγματι. αὐτόθεν γὰρ κηρυσσόμενος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ἐσταυρωμένος μωρία ἐστὶ κηρύγματος· ὡς καὶ ὁ συναισθόμενος αὐτοῦ λέγει Παῦλος ἐν τῷ· „ἡμεῖς δὲ κηρύσσομεν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἐσταυρωμένον, Ἰουδαίοις μὲν σκάνδαλον ἔθνεσι δὲ μωρίαν, αὐτοῖς δὲ τοῖς κλητοῖς, Ἰουδαίοις τε καὶ Ἕλλησι, Χριστὸν θεοῦ δύναμιν καὶ θεοῦ σοφίαν.“
English · Claude translation
Since Celsus has set down as a saying of many Christians, "The wisdom in life is an evil, and foolishness a good," we must say that he slanders the teaching, not quoting the actual text found in Paul, which runs thus: "If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become a fool, that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God." So the apostle does not say simply, "Wisdom is foolishness with God," but "the wisdom of this world." And again, not "If anyone among you thinks he is wise, let him become a fool" without qualification, but "let him become a fool in this age, that he may become wise." So by "the wisdom of this age" we mean all philosophy holding false opinions, which according to the Scriptures is brought to nothing; and we call foolishness good not absolutely, but when someone becomes "a fool" to this age. It is as if we were to say that the Platonist, who believes in the immortality of the soul and in what is said about it concerning transmigration, has taken up foolishness in the eyes of the Stoics, who ridicule assent to these things, and of the Peripatetics, who harp on Plato's "twitterings," and of the Epicureans, who charge with superstition those who introduce providence and set God over the universe. Further, that even according to the mind of the Word it is far better to assent to doctrines with reason and wisdom than with simple faith, and that the Word wished this latter too only by force of circumstances, so as not to leave human beings entirely without help, is shown by Jesus' genuine disciple Paul, who said: "For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased through the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe." It is clearly shown by these words that God ought to have been known in the wisdom of God; and since this did not happen, God was pleased, as a second course, to save those who believe, not by foolishness simply, but by foolishness so far as preaching is concerned. For Jesus Christ crucified, when preached at the outset, is the foolishness of preaching, as Paul too, perceiving this, says: "But we preach Jesus Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are 1 Cor 3:18–19, 1:21, and 1:23–24. Aristotle called Plato's Forms "twitterings" (τερετίσματα), Posterior Analytics 1.22 (83a33).
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (missing letter): Ἰουδαίος μὲν σκάνδαλον → Ἰουδαίοις μὲν σκάνδαλον.
Cite this passage
Origen, Cels. 1.13 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/1/13/).
Plain text
Origen, Cels. 1.13 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/1/13/).
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