Against Celsus 4.53
Summary: Celsus contradicts himself in calling the dialogue worthy of both pity and hatred; Scripture's writers were sincere witnesses, and no teaching improves people as effectively as faith that God sees every word, deed, and thought.
Greek text · Koetschau 1:325–326
Οὐκ οἶδα δʼ ὅπως τὰ ἄμικτα καὶ οὐ πεφυκότα ἅμα συμβαίνειν ἀνθρωπίνῃ φύσει συναγαγὼν εἶπε τὸ βιβλίον ἐκεῖνο ἐλέους καὶ μίσους ἄξιον εἶναι. πᾶς γὰρ ὁμολογήσει τὸν ἐλεούμενον μὴ μισεῖσθαι, ὅτʼ ἐλεεῖται, καὶ τὸν μισούμενον μὴ ἐλεεῖσθαι, ὅτε μισεῖται. διὰ τοῦτο δὲ μὴ προκεῖσθαι ἐλέγχειν φησὶ ταῦτα ὁ Κέλσος, ἐπεὶ οἴεται αὐτὰ παντί που δῆλα εἶναι καὶ πρὸ τοῦ ἐπαγομένου λογικῶς ἐλέγχου ὡς φαῦλα καὶ ἐλέους καὶ μίσους ἄξια. παρακαλοῦμεν δὲ τὸν ἐντυγχάνοντα τῇ ἀπολογίᾳ ταύτῃ πρὸς τὴν Κέλσου κατηγορίαν γεγραμμένῃ ἀνασχέσθαι καὶ ἐπακοῦσαι τῶν συγγραμμάτων ἡμῶν καὶ ὅση δύναμις ἐκ τῶν γεγραμμένων στοχάσασθαι τῆς προαιρέσεως τῶν γραψάντων καὶ τῆς συνειδήσεως καὶ τῆς διαθέσεως· εὑρήσει γὰρ ἄνδρας, διαπύρως περὶ ὧν ὑπειλήφασι διατεινομένους, τινὰς δὲ ἐμφαίνοντας καὶ τὸ ἱστορίαν ἑωραμένην καὶ καταληφθεῖσαν ἀναγράφειν ὡς παράδοξον καὶ γραφῆς ἀξίαν ἐπὶ ὠφελείᾳ τῶν ἀκουσομένων. ἢ τολμάτω τις λέγειν μὴ πάσης ὠφελείας εἶναι πηγὴν καὶ ἀρχὴν τὸ πιστεῦσαι τῷ τῶν ὅλων θεῷ καὶ πάντα πράττειν κατʼ ἀναφορὰν τοῦ ἐκείνῳ ἀρέσκειν περὶ οὑτινοσοῦν καὶ μηδὲν ἀπάρεστον αὐτῷ μηδʼ ἐνθυμεῖσθαι, ὡς οὐ μόνον λόγων καὶ ἔργων ἀλλὰ καὶ διαλογισμῶν κριθησομένων. καὶ τίς ἂν ἄλλος λόγος ἐπιστρεφέστερον προσάγοι τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην φύσιν τῷ εὖ ζῆν ὡς ἡ πίστις ἢ ἡ διάληψις περὶ τοῦ πάντʼ ἐφορᾶν τὸν ἐπὶ πᾶσι θεὸν τὰ ὑφʼ ἡμῶν λεγόμενα καὶ πραττόμενα ἀλλὰ καὶ λογιζόμενα; παραβαλέτω γὰρ ὁ βουλόμενος ἄλλην ὁδὸν, ἐπιστρέφουσαν ἅμα καὶ βελτιοῦσαν οὐ μόνον ἕνα που καὶ δεύτερον ἀλλʼ ὅση δύναμις καὶ πλείστους ὅσους, ἵνα τις τῇ παραθέσει ἀμφοτέρων τῶν ὁδῶν ἀκριβῶς κατανοήσῃ τὸν διατιθέντα πρὸς τὸ καλὸν λόγον.
English · Claude translation
I do not know how he combined things that cannot be mixed and do not naturally occur together in human nature, and said that book was worthy of pity and hatred. For everyone will admit that one who is pitied is not hated when he is pitied, and one who is hated is not pitied when he is hated. Celsus says that it is not his task to refute these things because he thinks they are surely clear to everyone as bad, and worthy of pity and hatred, even before a reasoned refutation is brought. But we urge the reader of this defense, written against Celsus's accusation, to have patience and to listen to our writings, and as far as possible to conjecture from what is written the purpose, conscience, and disposition of those who wrote them. For he will find men contending ardently for what they believed, and some showing that they are recording a history they saw and grasped as marvelous and worth writing for the benefit of those who would hear it. Or let anyone dare to say that it is not the source and beginning of every benefit to believe in the God of the universe, to do everything with reference to pleasing him in every matter whatever, and not even to think anything displeasing to him, since not only words and deeds but also thoughts will be judged. And what other teaching could bring human nature more effectively to a good life than the faith or conviction that the God over all sees what we say and do and even what we think? Let whoever wishes compare another way that turns and improves at once not just one or two people but as many as possible, so that by comparing both ways one may accurately perceive the teaching that disposes people toward the good.
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Cite this passage
Origen, Cels. 4.53 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/4/53/).
Plain text
Origen, Cels. 4.53 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/4/53/).
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