Against Celsus 7.43
Summary: Plato does not say God is nameless, only hard to declare to many; Christians say God is seen by the pure in heart and through Christ, the image of the invisible God, not by bodily sight.
Greek text · Koetschau 2:193–194
Ἀλλὰ καὶ λέγων ὁ Πλάτων ὅτι τὸν „εὑρόντα ἀδύνατόν“ ἐστιν „εἰς πάντας λέγειν“ „τὸν ποιητὴν καὶ πατέρα τοῦ παντὸς, “ ἄῤῥητον μὲν καὶ ἀκατονόμαστον οὔ φησιν αὐτὸν εἶναι ῥητὸν δʼ ὄντα εἰς ὀλίγους δύνασθαι λέγεσθαι. εἶθʼ ὥσπερ ἐπιλαθόμενος ὧν παρέθετο Πλάτωνος λέξεων ὁ Κέλσος φησὶν ἀκατονόμαστον εἶναι θεὸν τούτοις· ἐπειδὴ δὲ τούτου χάριν ἐξηύρηται σοφοῖς ἀνδράσιν, ὡς ἂν τοῦ ἀκατονομάστου καὶ πρώτου λάβοιμέν τινα ἐπίνοιαν. ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐ μόνον τὸν θεὸν ἄῤῥητον εἶναί φαμεν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτερα τῶν μετʼ αὐτόν· ἅπερ βιασάμενος ὁ Παῦλος σημῆναί φησι τό· „ἤκουσεν ἄῤῥητα ῥήματα, ἃ οὐκ ἐξὸν ἀνθρώπῳ λαλῆσαι, “ τῷ „ἤκουσεν“ ἀντὶ τοῦ συνῆκε χρησάμενος ἀνάλογον τῷ „ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω.“ „τὸν ποιητὴν“ δὴ „καὶ πατέρα τοῦ παντὸς“ ἡμεῖς φαμεν ἰδεῖν „ἔργον.“ βλέπεται δὲ οὐ μόνον κατὰ τὸ „μακάριοι οἱ καθαροὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ, ὅτι αὐτοὶ τὸν θεὸν ὄψονται, “ ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τὸ λεγόμενον ὑπὸ τῆς εἰκόνος „τοῦ ἀοράτου θεοῦ“ ἐν τῷ „ὁ ἑωρακὼς ἐμὲ ἑώρακε τὸν πατέρα τὸν πέμψαντά με.“ ἐν τούτοις γὰρ οὐδεὶς ἂν νοῦν ἔχων φήσειεν ὅτι ἀναφέρων ταῦτα ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐπὶ τὸ αἰσθητὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ βλεπόμενον τοῖς ἀνθρώποις σῶμα εἶπε τό· „ὁ ἑωρακὼς ἐμὲ ἑώρακε τὸν πατέρα τὸν πέμψαντά με“· ἔσονται γὰρ κατὰ τοῦτο ἑωρακότες τὸν πατέρα θεὸν καὶ πάντες οἱ λέγοντες· „σταύρου σταύρου αὐτὸν“ καὶ ὁ ἐξουσίαν κατὰ τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου αὐτοῦ Πιλᾶτος λαβὼν, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἄτοπον. ὅτι δὲ τὸ „ὁ ἑωρακὼς ἐμὲ ἑώρακε τὸν πατέρα τὸν πέμψαντά με“ οὐκ ἐπὶ τὴν κοινοτέραν ἐκδοχὴν ἀναφέρεται, δῆλον ἐκ τοῦ εἰρῆσθαι τῷ Φιλίππῳ· „τοσούτῳ χρόνῳ μεθʼ ὑμῶν εἰμι, καὶ οὐκ ἔγνωκάς με, Φίλιππε;“ τοῦτο δʼ εἴρηκεν αὐτῷ ἀξιώσαντι καὶ λέγοντι· „δεῖξον ἡμῖν τὸν πατέρα, καὶ ἀρκεῖ ἡμῖν.“ νοήσας τις οὖν πῶς δεῖ ἀκούειν περὶ μονογενοῦς θεοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, τοῦ πρωτοτόκου „πάσης κτίσεως, “ καθότι „ὁ λόγος“ γέγονε „σὰρξ, “ ὄψεται πῶς ἰδών τις τὴν εἰκόνα „τοῦ ἀοράτου θεοῦ“ γνώσεται „τὸν πατέρα καὶ ποιητὴν τοῦδε τοῦ παντός.“
English · Claude translation
But Plato, when he says that “having found” “the maker and father of the universe” it is “impossible to declare him to all,” does not say that he is ineffable and nameless, but that, being expressible, he can be declared to a few. Then, as though forgetting the words of Plato which he quoted, Celsus says that God is nameless in these words: “But since for this reason wise men have devised it, so that we might gain some notion of the nameless and first being.” We, however, say that not only God is ineffable but also other things that come after him; which Paul, striving to indicate, says: “He heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter,” using “heard” for “understood,” as in “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” We say that it is “a task” to see “the maker and father of the universe.” But he is seen not only according to “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God,” but also according to what is said by the image “of the invisible God” in “He who has seen me has seen the Father who sent me.” For in these words no one with sense would say that Jesus said “He who has seen me has seen the Father who sent me” with reference to his sensible body, visible to men; for on that view all who said “Crucify, crucify him” would have seen God the Father, and Pilate too, who received authority over his humanity, which is absurd. That “He who has seen me has seen the Father who sent me” is not to be taken in the more common sense is clear from what was said to Philip: “Have I been with you so long, and you do not know me, Philip?” He said this to him when he asked, saying, “Show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Whoever, then, has understood how one must take what is said of the only-begotten God, the Son of God, the firstborn “of all creation,” and how “the Word” became “flesh,” will see how by seeing the image “of the invisible God” one will know “the father and maker of this universe.”
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are Plato, Timaeus 28c, 2 Cor 12:4, Matt 11:15 (and parallels), Matt 5:8, Col 1:15, John 14:9 with 12:45, Luke 23:21 (John 19:6), John 14:9, John 14:8, and John 1:14. The saying “He who has seen me has seen the Father who sent me” combines John 14:9 and John 12:45.
Cite this passage
Origen, Cels. 7.43 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/7/43/).
Plain text
Origen, Cels. 7.43 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/7/43/).
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