Against Celsus 8.75
Summary: Instead of holding civic office, Christians serve in the church, the other country founded by God's Word in every city, whose rulers are chosen for ability and good life and serve under compulsion from Christ, caring for those within and without.
Greek text · Koetschau 2:292
Προτρέπει δʼ ἡμᾶς Κέλσος καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ ἄρχειν τῆς πατρίδος, ἐὰν δέῃ καὶ τοῦτο ποιεῖν ἕνεκεν σωτηρίας νόμων καὶ εὐσεβείας. ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐν ἑκάστῃ πόλει ἄλλο σύστημα πατρίδος κτισθὲν λόγῳ θεοῦ ἐπιστάμενοι τοὺς δυνατοὺς λόγῳ καὶ βίῳ ὑγιεῖ χρωμένους ἄρχειν ἐπὶ τὸ ἄρχειν ἐκκλησιῶν παρακαλοῦμεν; οὐκ ἀποδεχόμενοι μὲν τοὺς φιλάρχους βιαζόμενοι δὲ τοὺς διὰ πολλὴν μετριότητα τὴν κοινὴν φροντίδα τῆς ἐκκλησίας τοῦ θεοῦ μὴ βουλομένους προπετῶς ἀναδέξασθαι· καὶ οἱ καλῶς ἄρχοντες ἡμῶν βιασθέντες ὑπάρχουσι. τοῦ μεγάλου βασιλέως ἀναγκάζοντος, ὃν πεπείσμεθα εἶναι υἱὸν θεοῦ λόγον θεόν. καὶ εἰ ἄρχουσιν οἱ καλῶς ἄρχοντες ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ τῆς κατὰ θεὸν πατρίδος (λέγω δὲ τῆς ἐκκλησίας), λεγόμενοι ἢ (βιαζόμενοι), καὶ ἄρχουσι κατὰ τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ προστεταγμένα, οὐδὲν παρὰ τοῦτο μολύνοντες τῶν θετῶν νόμων. καὶ οὐ φεύγοντές γε τὰς κοινοτέρας τοῦ βίου λειτουργίας Χριστιανοὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα περιΐστανται ἀλλὰ τηροῦντες ἑαυτοὺς θειοτέρᾳ καὶ ἀναγκαιοτέρᾳ λειτουργίᾳ ἐκκλησίας θεοῦ ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἀναγκαίως ἅμα καὶ δικαίως ἡγούμενοι καὶ πάντων πεφροντικότες, τῶν μὲν ἔνδον, ἵνʼ ὁσημέραι βέλτιον βιῶσι, τῶν δὲ δοκούντων ἔξω, ἵνα γένωνται ἐν τοῖς σεμνοῖς τῆς θεοσεβείας λόγοις καὶ ἔργοις καὶ οὕτω θεὸν ἀληθῶς σέβοντες καὶ πολλοὺς ὅση δύναμις παιδεύοντες ἀνακραθῶσι τῷ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγῳ καὶ τῷ θείῳ νόμῳ καὶ οὕτως ἑνωθῶσι τῷ ἐπὶ πᾶσι θεῷ διὰ τοῦ ἑνοῦντος αὐτῷ υἱοῦ θεοῦ λόγου καὶ σοφίας καὶ ἀληθείας καὶ δικαιοσύνης πάντα τὸν προτετραμμένον ἐπὶ τὸ κατὰ θεὸν ἐν πᾶσι ζῆν.
English · Claude translation
Celsus also urges us to take office in our country, if this too must be done for the preservation of the laws and of piety. But we, knowing that in each city there is another organization of a country founded by the Word of God, call those able in speech and who live soundly to rule over the churches; not accepting those who love power, but constraining those who, from great modesty, do not wish rashly to take on the common care of the church of God. And those of us who rule well are rulers under constraint, compelled by the great King, whom we are persuaded is the Son of God, God the Word. And if those who rule well in the church of the country according to God (I mean the church) are called or constrained to rule, they rule according to what God has commanded, and in doing so they defile none of the established laws. And it is not to shirk the more common services of life that Christians avoid such offices, but to keep themselves for the more divine and more necessary service of the church of God for the salvation of men; leading both necessarily and justly, and caring for all: for those within, that they may live better day by day, and for those who seem to be outside, that they may come to be in the holy words and deeds of worship of God, and so, truly worshipping God and educating many as far as they can, may be blended with the Word of God and the divine law, and so be united to the God over all through the Son of God, the Word, Wisdom, Truth, and Righteousness, who unites to him everyone who has been turned to living in all things according to God.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- “Rule over the churches” refers to church office (bishops and presbyters). The words “called or constrained” (λεγόμενοι ἢ βιαζόμενοι) are partly an editorial supplement; the sense is uncertain.
Cite this passage
Origen, Cels. 8.75 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/8/75/).
Plain text
Origen, Cels. 8.75 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/8/75/).
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