Against Celsus 1.59
Summary: Comets were thought to mark great events, and Balaam prophesied a star at the Messiah's birth, so the star of Bethlehem is fitting.
Greek text · Koetschau 1:110
Ἐπὶ μεγάλοις τετήρηται πράγμασι καὶ μεγίσταις μεταβολαῖς τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς ἀνατέλλειν τοὺς τοιούτους ἀστέρας, σημαίνοντας ἢ μεταστάσεις βασιλειῶν ἢ πολέμους ἢ ὅσα δύναται ἐν ἀνθρώποις συμβῆναι, σεῖσαι τὰ ἐπὶ γῆς δυνάμενα. ἀνέγνωμεν δʼ ἐν τῷ περὶ κομητῶν Χαιρήμονος τοῦ Στωϊκοῦ συγγράμματι, τίνα τρόπον ἔσθʼ ὅτε καὶ ἐπὶ Χρηστοῖς ἐσομένοις κομῆται ἀνέτειλαν, καὶ ἐκτίθεται τὴν περὶ τούτων ἱστορίαν. εἴπερ οὖν ἐπὶ βασιλείαις καιναῖς ἢ ἄλλοις μεγάλοις συμπτώμασιν ἐπὶ γῆς ἀνατέλλει ὁ καλούμενος κομήτης ἤ τις τῶν παραπλησίων ἀστὴρ, τί θαυμαστὸν ἐπὶ τῇ γενέσει τοῦ καινοτομεῖν μέλλοντος ἐν τῷ γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ διδασκαλίαν ἐπεισάγειν οὐ μόνον Ἰουδαίοις ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἕλλησι πολλοῖς δὲ καὶ τοῖς βαρβάρων ἔθνεσιν ἀστέρα ἀνατεταλκέναι; ἐγὼ δʼ εἴποιμʼ ἂν ὅτι περὶ μὲν τῶν κομητῶν οὐδεμία προφητεία φέρεται, ὡς ὅτι κατὰ τήνδε τὴν βασιλείαν ἢ τούσδε τοὺς χρόνους ἀνατελεῖ τοιόσδε κομήτης· περὶ δὲ τοῦ ἐπὶ τῇ γενέσει τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἀνατείλαντος ἐπροφήτευσε Βαλαὰμ λέγων, ὡς ἀνέγραψε Μωϋσῆς· „ἀνατελεῖ ἄστρον ἐξ Ἰακὼβ, καὶ ἀναστήσεται ἄνθρωπος ἐξ Ἰσραήλ.“ εἰ δὲ δεήσει καὶ τὰ περὶ τῶν μάγων ἀναγραφέντα ἐπὶ τῇ γενέσει τοῦ Ἰησοῦ καὶ τοῦ ὦφθαι τὸν ἀστέρα ἐξετάσαι, τοιαῦτα ἂν εἴποιμεν, τινὰ μὲν πρὸς Ἕλληνας ἄλλα δὲ πρὸς Ἰουδαίους.
English · Claude translation
It has been observed that such stars rise at great events and very great changes on earth, signifying either the transfer of kingdoms, or wars, or whatever can happen among human beings capable of shaking things on earth. And we have read in the treatise On Comets by Chaeremon the Stoic how comets have sometimes appeared also when good things were to come, and he sets out the history of these. If, then, at new kingdoms or other great events on earth the so-called comet, or some similar star, rises, what wonder is it that at the birth of one who was to bring newness into the human race, and introduce a teaching not only to Jews but also to Greeks and to many barbarian nations, a star rose? I would say that no prophecy is current about comets, that such-and-such a comet will rise in such-and-such a kingdom or at such-and-such times; but about the one that rose at the birth of Jesus, Balaam prophesied, saying, as Moses recorded: "A star shall rise out of Jacob, and a man shall rise up out of Israel." And if we must also examine what is recorded about the magi at the birth of Jesus and the appearance of the star, we would say the following, some things to Greeks and others to Jews.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- Chaeremon the Stoic (1st cent.), On Comets, is lost. The quotation is Num 24:17 (LXX).
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray period inside the quotation): ἐξ Ἰακὼβ. καὶ → ἐξ Ἰακὼβ, καὶ.
Cite this passage
Origen, Cels. 1.59 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/1/59/).
Plain text
Origen, Cels. 1.59 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/1/59/).
Download citation:BibTeX ·RIS (Zotero, EndNote)
Whole work:BibTeX ·RIS ·Markdown text