Against Celsus 6.52
Summary: Origen leaves aside the question of the world's origin and rejects as heretical, not Christian, the idea of a lower Creator to whom the high God lent his Spirit, which Celsus attacks.
Greek text · Koetschau 2:123
Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα Κέλσος φησίν· ἐγὼ δὲ περὶ μὲν γενέσεως κόσμου καὶ φθορᾶς, ἢ ὡς ἀγένητος καὶ ἄφθαρτος, ἢ ὡς γενητὸς μὲν ἄφθαρτος δὲ, ἢ ὡς τὸ ἔμπαλιν, οὐδὲν περὶ τοῦδε νυνὶ λέγω. διόπερ οὐδʼ ἡμεῖς περὶ τῶνδε νυνὶ λέγομεν· οὐ γὰρ ἡ προκειμένη σύνταξις τοῦτʼ ἀπαιτεῖ. ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ πνεῦμα τοῦ ἐπὶ πᾶσι θεοῦ φαμεν ὡς ἐν ἀλλοτρίοις τοῖς τῇδε γεγονέναι κατὰ τὸ „πνεῦμα θεοῦ ἐπεφέρετο ἐπάνω τοῦ ὕδατος, “ οὐδὲ κακῶς μηχανώμενά τινα ὡς ὑπὸ ἑτέρου τοῦ δημιουργοῦ παρὰ τὸν μέγαν θεὸν κατὰ τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτοῦ φαμεν, ἀνεχομένου τοῦ ἀνωτέρω θεοῦ, δεδεῆσθαι καθαιρέσεως. διόπερ μακρὰν χαιρέτωσαν οἱ ταῦτα λέγοντες καὶ ὁ μὴ πραγματικῶς αὐτῶν κατηγορῶν Κέλσος· ἐχρῆν γὰρ αὐτὸν ἢ μὴ μνημονεῦσαι τῶν τοιούτων ἢ κατὰ τὸ δοκοῦν αὐτῷ φιλάνθρωπον ἐκθέσθαι αὐτὰ ἐπιμελῶς καὶ ἀγωνίσασθαι πρὸς τὰ ἀσεβῶς ὑπʼ αὐτῶν λεγόμενα. οὐδʼ ὅτι δεδωκὼς ὁ μέγας θεὸς τῷ δημιουργῷ τὸ πνεῦμα ἀπαιτεῖ αὐτὸ ἀκηκόαμεν πώποτε. εἶθʼ ἑξῆς ἀσεβέσι λόγοις μωρῶς ἐγκαλῶν φησι· τίς θεὸς δίδωσί τι ὡς ἀπαιτήσων; δεομένου γὰρ τὸ ἀπαιτεῖν, δεῖται δὲ οὐδενὸς ὁ θεός. καὶ τούτοις προστίθησιν ὡς σοφὸν δή τι κατά τινων λέγων· διὰ τί, ὁπηνίκα ἐκίχρα, κακῷ κιχρῶν ἠγνόει; λέγει δὲ καὶ τό· τί περιορᾷ πονηρὸν δημιουργὸν ἀντιπράττοντα ἑαυτῷ;
English · Claude translation
After this Celsus says: About the origin and destruction of the world, whether it is ungenerated and indestructible, or generated but indestructible, or the reverse, I say nothing about this now. Therefore we too say nothing about these things now, for the present treatise does not require it. But neither do we say that the Spirit of the God over all came to be in the things here as though in things alien to him, according to the words “the Spirit of God moved over the water”; nor do we say that certain things contrived wickedly against his Spirit by another, the Creator, distinct from the great God, with the higher God putting up with it, needed to be destroyed. Therefore let those who say such things go their way, far off, and Celsus too, who does not accuse them in a businesslike way; for he ought either not to have mentioned such things at all, or, in keeping with what he regards as love of mankind, to have set them out carefully and contended against the impious things they say. Nor have we ever heard that the great God, having given the Spirit to the Creator, asks for it back. Then next, foolishly charging these impious teachings, he says: What god gives something in order to ask it back? For asking back belongs to one in need, but God needs nothing. And he adds to this, as though saying something clever against certain people: Why, when he lent it, did he not know he was lending to an evil being? He also says: Why does he overlook an evil Creator working against him?
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotation is Gen 1:2. The views Celsus attacks resemble those of Marcion and some Gnostic groups.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (missing accent in the digital text): κατὰ το „πνεῦμα → κατὰ τὸ „πνεῦμα; κατα τὸ δοκοῦν → κατὰ τὸ δοκοῦν.
Cite this passage
Origen, Cels. 6.52 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/6/52/).
Plain text
Origen, Cels. 6.52 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/6/52/).
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