Against Celsus 5.4
Summary: Christians believe in angels who carry prayers up and blessings down, and who are sometimes called 'gods' in Scripture, but prayer and worship go to God alone through Christ the High Priest.
Greek text · Koetschau 2:4
Ἐπεὶ δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα, ὡς ἀποκριναμένων ἂν Ἰουδαίων ἢ Χριστιανῶν περὶ τῶν πρὸς ἀνθρώπους καταβαινόντων ὅτι εἶεν ἄγγελοι, φησίν· εἰ δέ τινας ἀγγέλους φατὲ, καὶ προσεπερωτᾷ λέγων· τίνας τούτους λέγετε; θεοὺς ἢ ἄλλο τι γένος; εἶτα πάλιν οἱονεὶ ἀποκριναμένους ἄγει ὅτι ἄλλο τι ὡς εἰκὸς, τοὺς δαίμονας· φέρε καὶ ταῦτα κατανοήσωμεν. ὁμολογουμένως μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἀγγέλους φαμὲν, „λειτουργικὰ“ ὄντας „πνεύματα“ καὶ „εἰς διακονίας ἀποστελλόμενα διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν“, ἀναβαίνειν μὲν προσάγοντας τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐντεύξεις ἐν τοῖς καθαρωτάτοις τοῦ κόσμου χωρίοις ἐπουρανίοις ἢ καὶ τοῖς τούτων καθαρωτέροις ὑπερουρανίοις, καταβαίνειν δʼ αὖ ἐκεῖθεν φέροντας ἑκάστῳ κατʼ ἀξίαν τῶν ἀπὸ θεοῦ τι αὐτοῖς διακονεῖν τοῖς εὐεργετουμένοις προστασσομένων. τούτους δὴ ἀγγέλους ἀπὸ τοῦ ἔργου αὐτῶν μεμαθηκότες καλεῖν, εὑρίσκομεν αὐτοὺς διὰ τὸ θείους εἶναι καὶ „θεοὺς“ ἐν ταῖς ἱεραῖς ποτε ὀνομαζομένους γραφαῖς, ἀλλʼ οὐχ ὥστε προστάσσεσθαι ἡμῖν τοὺς διακονοῦντας καὶ φέροντας ἡμῖν τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ σέβειν καὶ προσκυνεῖν ἀντὶ τοῦ θεοῦ. πᾶσαν μὲν γὰρ δέησιν καὶ προσευχὴν καὶ ἔντευξιν καὶ εὐχαριστίαν ἀναπεμπτέον τῷ ἐπὶ πᾶσι θεῷ διὰ τοῦ ἐπὶ πάντων ἀγγέλων ἀρχιερέως, ἐμψύχου λόγου καὶ θεοῦ. δεησόμεθα δὲ καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ λόγου καὶ ἐντευξόμεθα αὐτῷ καὶ εὐχαριστήσομεν καὶ προσευξόμεθα δὲ, ἐὰν δυνώμεθα κατακούειν τῆς περὶ προσευχῆς κυριολεξίας καὶ καταχρήσεως.
English · Claude translation
Since after this, as if Jews or Christians would answer about those who come down to human beings that they are angels, he says: "And if you speak of certain angels," and asks further: "Whom do you call these, gods or some other race?" and then again brings us in as though answering: "Some other race, probably: the demons," come, let us consider this too. We do indeed acknowledge that there are angels, "ministering spirits sent out for service for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation," who ascend bearing the petitions of human beings to the purest heavenly regions of the world, or even to the super-heavenly regions purer still, and who descend again from there bearing to each, according to his worth, something of what God commands them to minister to those who receive his benefits. These, having learned to call them angels from their work, we find sometimes named even "gods" in the holy Scriptures because they are divine; but not in such a way that we are commanded to reverence and worship, instead of God, those who minister and bring us the things of God. For every request, prayer, petition, and thanksgiving must be sent up to the God over all through the High Priest who is above all angels, the living Word and God. And we will make requests of the Word himself, and petition him, and give thanks, and also pray to him, if we are able to understand the proper and the looser use of the term "prayer."
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotation is Heb 1:14. The four kinds of prayer echo 1 Tim 2:1; "High Priest" echoes Heb 4:14. Origen distinguishes prayer in the strict sense (to the Father) from its looser sense, as in his On Prayer 15.
Cite this passage
Origen, Cels. 5.4 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/5/4/).
Plain text
Origen, Cels. 5.4 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/5/4/).
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