Against Celsus 1.8
Summary: Celsus praises constancy under persecution, yet hides his own Epicurean views to seem more credible, and so contradicts himself.
Greek text · Koetschau 1:60–61
Ἔοικε δὲ μετὰ δεινότητος συναγορεύειν πως τοῖς μαρτυροῦσι τῷ χριστιανισμῷ μέχρι θανάτου λέγων· καὶ οὐ τοῦτο λέγω, ὡς χρὴ τὸν ἀγαθοῦ δόγματος περιεχόμενον, εἰ μέλλει διʼ αὐτὸ κινδυνεύειν παρʼ ἀνθρώποις, ἀποστῆναι τοῦ δόγματος ἢ πλάσασθαι ὡς ἀφέστηκεν ἢ ἔξαρνον γενέσθαι. καὶ καταγινώσκει γε τῶν φρονούντων μὲν τὰ χριστιανισμοῦ προσποιουμένων δὲ μὴ φρονεῖν ἢ ἀρνουμένων, λέγων μὴ δεῖν τὸν ἐν τῷ δόγματι πλάσασθαι ὡς ἀφέστηκεν ἢ ἔξαρνον αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι. ἐλεγκτέον δὴ ὡς τὰ ἐναντία ἑαυτῷ λέγοντα τὸν Κέλσον. εὑρίσκεται μὲν γὰρ ἐξ ἄλλων συγγραμμάτων Ἐπικούρειος ὤν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ διὰ τὸ δοκεῖν εὐλογώτερον κατηγορεῖν τοῦ λόγου μὴ ὁμολογῶν τὰ Ἐπικούρου προσποιεῖται κρεῖττόν τι τοῦ γηΐνου εἶναι ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ συγγενὲς θεοῦ καί φησιν ὅτι οἷς τοῦτο εὖ ἔχει, τουτέστιν ἡ ψυχὴ, πάντη ἐφίεται τοῦ συγγενοῦς, λέγει δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ ἀκούειν ἀεί τι (καὶ) ἀναμιμνήσκεσθαι περὶ ἐκείνου ποθοῦσιν. ὅρα οὖν τὸ νόθον αὐτοῦ τῆς ψυχῆς, ὅτι προειπὼν, ὡς χρὴ τὸν ἀγαθοῦ δόγματος περιεχόμενον, καὶ εἰ μέλλει διʼ αὐτὸ κινδυνεύειν παρʼ ἀνθρώποις, μὴ ἀφίστασθαι τοῦ δόγματος μηδὲ πλάσασθαι ὡς ἀφέστηκε μηδʼ ἔξαρνον γενέσθαι, αὐτὸς τοῖς ἐναντίοις πᾶσι περιπίπτει. ᾔδει γὰρ ὅτι ὁμολογῶν Ἐπικούρειος εἶναι οὐκ ἂν ἔχοι τὸ ἀξιόπιστον ἐν τῷ κατηγορεῖν τῶν ὅπως ποτὲ πρόνοιαν εἰσαγόντων καὶ θεὸν ἐφιστάντων τοῖς οὖσι. δύο δὲ παρειλήφαμεν Κέλσους γεγονέναι Ἐπικουρείους, τὸν μὲν πρότερον κατὰ Νέρωνα τοῦτον δὲ κατὰ Ἀδριανὸν καὶ κατωτέρω.
English · Claude translation
He seems, with some cleverness, to plead in a way on behalf of those who bear witness to Christianity even to death, saying: "And I do not say that one who holds a good doctrine, if he is going to be in danger among men because of it, must abandon the doctrine or pretend to have abandoned it or deny it." He even condemns those who hold Christian views but pretend not to, or deny them, saying that one who holds the doctrine ought not to pretend to have abandoned it or deny it. Celsus must be shown to contradict himself. For from other writings he is found to be an Epicurean; but here, because he seems to accuse the teaching more reasonably if he does not admit Epicurus's views, he pretends that there is in man something better than the earthly, akin to God, and he says that "those in whom this is in good condition"—that is, the soul—"strive in every way for what is akin to them" (he means God), "and long always to hear something about him and to be reminded of him." See, then, the spuriousness of his soul: having said beforehand that one who holds a good doctrine, even if he is going to be in danger among men because of it, must not abandon the doctrine nor pretend to have abandoned it nor deny it, he himself falls into all the opposite faults. For he knew that if he admitted he was an Epicurean he would have no credibility in accusing those who in any way introduce providence and set God over what exists. We have learned that there were two Epicureans named Celsus, the earlier in the time of Nero, and this one in the time of Hadrian and later.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- Origen's identification of Celsus as an Epicurean is doubtful; the views Celsus expresses throughout are largely Platonist, and Origen himself later hesitates. The date "in the time of Hadrian and later" is Origen's; modern scholars usually date The True Word ca. 175–180.
Cite this passage
Origen, Cels. 1.8 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/1/8/).
Plain text
Origen, Cels. 1.8 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/1/8/).
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