Against Celsus 2.12
Summary: Betrayal by a follower proves nothing against a teacher: Aristotle turned on Plato and Chrysippus on Cleanthes, yet no one blames their teachers.
Greek text · Koetschau 1:140–141
Παιδαριώδη δέ μοι δοκεῖ καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα, ὅτι στρατηγὸς μὲν ἀγαθὸς καὶ πολλῶν μυριάδων ἡγησάμενος οὐδεπώποτε προὐδόθη, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ λῄσταρχος πονηρὸς καὶ παμπονήρων ἄρχων, ὠφέλιμος τοῖς συνοῦσιν εἶναι δοκῶν· αὐτὸς δὲ προδοθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν ὑπʼ αὐτῷ οὔτε ὡς στρατηγὸς ἦρξεν ἀγαθὸς, οὔτʼ ἀπατήσας τοὺς μαθητὰς κἂν τὴν ὡς πρὸς λῄσταρχον, ἵνʼ οὕτως ὀνομάσω, εὔνοιαν ἐνεποίησε τοῖς ἀπατηθεῖσι. πολλὰς γὰρ ἄν τις εὕροι ἱστορίας περὶ στρατηγῶν προδοθέντων ὑπὸ τῶν οἰκείων καὶ λῃσταρχῶν ἁλόντων διὰ τοὺς μὴ τηρήσαντας τὰς πρὸς αὐτοὺς συνθήκας. ἀλλʼ ἔστω μηδένα στρατηγῶν προδεδόσθαι ἢ λῃσταρχῶν· τί τοῦτο συμβάλλεται πρὸς τὸ κατὰ Ἰησοῦ εἶναι τὸ ἕνα τῶν φοιτητῶν προδότην αὐτοῦ γεγονέναι; ἐπεὶ δὲ φιλοσοφίαν προβάλλεται ὁ Κέλσος, πυθοίμεθʼ ἂν αὐτοῦ ὅτι ἆρα Πλάτωνος ἦν κατηγορία τὸ μετὰ εἴκοσιν ἔτη τῆς παρʼ αὐτῷ ἀκροάσεως ἀποφοιτήσαντα τὸν Ἀριστοτέλη κατηγορηκέναι μὲν τοῦ περὶ τῆς ἀθανασίας τῆς ψυχῆς λόγου, Πλάτωνος δὲ „τερετίσματα“ τὰς ἰδέας ὠνομακέναι; ἔτι δὲ προσαποροῦντες καὶ τοιαῦτα λέγοιμεν ἄν· ἆρα Πλάτων οὐκέτι δυνατὸς ἦν ἐν διαλεκτικῇ οὐδʼ ἱκανὸς παραστῆσαι τὰ νενοημένα, ἐπεὶ ἀπεφοίτησεν αὐτοῦ Ἀριστοτέλης, καὶ παρὰ τοῦτο ψευδῆ τὰ Πλάτωνός ἐστι δόγματα; ἢ δύναται καὶ ἀληθοῦς ὄντος Πλάτωνος, ὡς ἂν λέγοιεν οἱ κατʼ αὐτὸν φιλοσοφοῦντες, Ἀριστοτέλης πονηρὸς καὶ ἀχάριστος πρὸς τὸν διδάσκαλον γεγονέναι; ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Χρύσιππος πολλαχοῦ τῶν συγγραμμάτων ἑαυτοῦ φαίνεται καθαπτόμενος Κλεάνθους, καινοτομῶν παρὰ τὰ ἐκείνῳ δεδογμένα, γενομένῳ αὐτοῦ διδασκάλῳ ἔτι νέου καὶ ἀρχὰς ἔχοντος φιλοσοφίας. καίτοι γε Ἀριστοτέλης μὲν εἴκοσιν ἔτεσι λέγεται πεφοιτηκέναι Πλάτωνι, οὐκ ὀλίγον δὲ χρόνον καὶ ὁ Χρύσιππος παρὰ τῷ Κλεάνθει πεποιῆσθαι τὰς διατριβάς· ὁ δὲ Ἰούδας παρὰ τῷ Ἰησοῦ οὐδὲ τρία διέτριψεν ἔτη. ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν γεγραμμένων ἐν τοῖς βίοις τῶν φιλοσόφων πολλὰ ἄν τις εὕροι τοιαῦτα, ἐφʼ οἷς ἐγκαλεῖ τῷ Ἰησοῦ διὰ τὸν Ἰούδαν ὁ Κέλσος. οἱ δὲ Πυθαγόρειοι κενοτάφια ᾠκοδόμουν τοῖς μετὰ τὸ προτραπῆναι ἐπὶ φιλοσοφίαν παλινδρομήσασιν ἐπὶ τὸν ἰδιωτικὸν βίον· καὶ οὐ παρὰ τοῦτο ἀσθενὴς ἦν λόγῳ καὶ ἀποδείξεσι Πυθαγόρας καὶ οἱ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ.
English · Claude translation
Childish too, it seems to me, are such things as this: that "a good general who led many thousands was never betrayed, nor even a wicked robber chief, the leader of utter villains, who seemed useful to his companions; but he, betrayed by those under him, neither ruled as a good general, nor, having deceived his disciples, produced in those deceived even the goodwill, so to speak, that robbers have toward their chief." For one could find many stories of generals betrayed by their own men and of robber chiefs caught through those who did not keep their agreements with them. But suppose no general or robber chief was ever betrayed: what does it contribute to the case against Jesus that one of his pupils became his betrayer? Since Celsus parades philosophy, we would ask him: was it an accusation against Plato that Aristotle, after twenty years of hearing him, left him and attacked the argument for the immortality of the soul, and called Plato's Forms "twitterings"? And, raising further difficulties, we might say this: was Plato no longer capable in dialectic, nor able to present his thoughts, because Aristotle left him, and are Plato's doctrines false for this reason? Or can Plato be right, as those who philosophize according to him would say, while Aristotle became wicked and ungrateful to his teacher? Chrysippus too is seen in many places in his writings to attack Cleanthes, introducing innovations against his views, though Cleanthes had been his teacher when he was still young and beginning philosophy. Yet Aristotle is said to have studied with Plato for twenty years, and Chrysippus spent no short time with Cleanthes; but Judas did not spend even three years with Jesus. And from what is written in the lives of the philosophers one could find many things like those for which Celsus blames Jesus on account of Judas. The Pythagoreans used to build cenotaphs for those who, after being turned to philosophy, ran back to ordinary life; and Pythagoras and his followers were not weak in argument and demonstration for that reason.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- On Aristotle's twenty years with Plato see Diogenes Laertius 5.9; "twitterings" is Aristotle, Posterior Analytics 1.22 (83a33). Chrysippus's criticisms of Cleanthes are reported in Diogenes Laertius 7.179. On the Pythagorean cenotaphs see Clement, Stromata 5.9.57.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray period inside the sentence): φιλοσοφοῦντες. Ἀριστοτέλης → φιλοσοφοῦντες, Ἀριστοτέλης.
Cite this passage
Origen, Cels. 2.12 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/2/12/).
Plain text
Origen, Cels. 2.12 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/2/12/).
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