Against Celsus 1.69
Summary: Christ truly took a human body, born of a woman and tempted like us but without sin; Celsus's objection rests on his belief in the Panthera story.
Greek text · Koetschau 1:123–124
Μετὰ ταῦτα φύρων τὸν λόγον καὶ τὰ ὑπὸ αἱρέσεώς τινος λεγόμενα ὡς κοινὰ Χριστιανῶν ἐγκλήματα πᾶσι τοῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ θείου προσάγων λόγου φησὶν ὅτι θεοῦ οὐκ ἂν εἴη τοιοῦτον σῶμα, οἷον τὸ σόν. ἀλλʼ ἡμεῖς πρὸς ταῦτα σῶμα αὐτὸν λέγομεν ἀνειληφέναι ὡς ἀπὸ θηλείας τῷ βίῳ ἐπιδημήσαντα ἀνθρώπινον καὶ θανάτου ἀνθρωπίνου δεκτικόν. διὸ πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις αὐτόν φαμεν καὶ μέγαν ἀγωνιστὴν γεγονέναι, διὰ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον σῶμα „πεπειρασμένον“ μὲν ὁμοίως πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις „κατὰ πάντα“ οὐκέτι δʼ ὡς ἄνθρωποι μεθʼ ἁμαρτίας ἀλλὰ πάντῃ „χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας.“ τρανῶς γὰρ ἡμῖν φαίνεται „ὅτι ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἐποίησεν, οὐδὲ εὑρέθη δόλος ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ“· καὶ „μὴ γνόντα“ αὐτὸν „ἁμαρτίαν“ ὡς καθαρὸν παρέδωκεν ὑπὲρ πάντων τῶν ἡμαρτηκότων ὁ θεός. εἶτα ὁ Κέλσος φησὶν ὅτι οὐκ ἂν εἴη θεοῦ σῶμα τὸ οὕτω σπαρὲν, ὡς σὺ, ὦ Ἰησοῦ, ἐσπάρης. πλὴν ὑπείδετο ὅτι εἰ, ὡς γέγραπται, γεγέννητο, δύναταί πως εἶναι τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ καὶ θειότερον παρὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς καὶ κατά τι σημαινόμενον θεοῦ σῶμα. ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἀπιστεῖ τοῖς ἀναγραφεῖσι περὶ τῆς ἐξ ἁγίου πνεύματος συλλήψεως αὐτοῦ καὶ πιστεύει αὐτὸν ὑπό τινος Πανθήρα φθείραντος τὴν παρθένον ἐσπάρθαι· διόπερ εἶπεν ὅτι οὐκ ἂν εἴη θεοῦ σῶμα οὕτω σπαρὲν, ὡς σὺ ἐσπάρης. ἀλλὰ γὰρ περὶ τούτων ἐν τοῖς ἀνωτέρω πλείονα εἰρήκαμεν.
English · Claude translation
After this, confusing the argument and bringing against all who come from the divine word, as common charges of Christians, things said by some sect, he says: "The body of a god would not be such as yours." To this we say that he took a body, coming into life from a woman, a human body capable of human death. That is why, among other things, we say he became a great contender: because his human body was "tempted in every respect" like all human beings, yet no longer as human beings are, with sin, but wholly "without sin." For it is clearly evident to us that "he committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth"; and God handed him over, as pure, who "knew no sin," for all who have sinned. Then Celsus says: "The body of a god would not be so begotten as you, Jesus, were begotten." However, he suspected that if he had been born as is written, his body could in some way be more divine than that of the many, and in some sense a body of God. But he disbelieves what is recorded about his conception by the Holy Spirit and believes that he was begotten by a certain Panthera who seduced the virgin; that is why he said, "The body of a god would not be so begotten as you were begotten." But we have spoken more about this above.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are Heb 4:15, 1 Pet 2:22 (Isa 53:9), and 2 Cor 5:21. The "sect" (αἵρεσις) whose views Celsus attacks as common to all Christians is not named; it may be one holding that Christ's body was only apparent (docetism).
Cite this passage
Origen, Cels. 1.69 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/1/69/).
Plain text
Origen, Cels. 1.69 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/1/69/).
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