Against Celsus 2.19
Summary: Origen rejects Celsus's argument that the betrayal and denial could not have been foretold, since a prediction is shown true by its fulfilment.
Greek text · Koetschau 1:147–148
Ἐπιπόλαιον δὲ καὶ τό· ἤδη γάρ που καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἐπιβουλευόμενός τε καὶ προαισθόμενος ἐὰν προείπῃ τοῖς ἐπιβουλεύουσιν, ἀποτρέπονται καὶ φυλάσσονται· πολλοὶ γὰρ καὶ προαισθομένοις τοῖς ἐπιβουλευομένοις ἐπεβούλευσαν. ἑξῆς ὡσπερεὶ τὸ συμπέρασμα ἐπάγων τῷ λόγῳ φησίν· οὔκουν ἐπειδὴ προείρητο ταῦτα, γέγονεν, ἀδύνατον γάρ· ἀλλʼ ἐπειδὴ γέγονε, ψεῦδος ἐλέγχεται τὸ προειρηκέναι· πάντῃ γὰρ ἀμήχανον τοὺς προακούσαντας ἔτι προδοῦναι καὶ ἀρνήσασθαι. ἀνατραπεῖσι δὲ τοῖς προειρημένοις συνανετράπη καὶ τὸ συμπέρασμα τό· (οὐκ) ἐπεὶ προείρητο ταῦτα, γέγονε. φαμὲν δʼ ὅτι καὶ γέγονεν, ὡς δυνατὸν, καὶ ἐπεὶ γέγονεν. ἀληθὲς δείκνυται τὸ προειρηκέναι· τὸ γὰρ περὶ μελλόντων ἀληθὲς ταῖς ἐκβάσεσι κρίνεται. ψεῦδος οὖν τὸ ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ οὕτως εἰρημένον. ὅτι ψεῦδος ἐλέγχεται τὸ προειρηκέναι, καὶ μάτην λέλεκται τῷ Κέλσῳ τό· πάντῃ γὰρ ἀμήχανον τοὺς προακούσαντας ἔτι προδοῦναι καὶ ἀρνήσασθαι.
English · Claude translation
Superficial too is this: “For already, surely, even a man who is plotted against, if he learns of it beforehand and tells the plotters in advance, turns them back and puts them on their guard.” For many have plotted against people who knew of it beforehand. Next, as if drawing the conclusion of his argument, he says: “So these things did not happen because they had been foretold, for that is impossible; but since they happened, the claim that they were foretold is proved false. For it is utterly impossible that those who heard it beforehand should still betray and deny.” Now that his premises have been overturned, the conclusion too is overturned with them: “(Not) because these things were foretold did they happen.” We say that they both happened, since it was possible, and that because they happened the foretelling is shown to be true; for what is said about the future is judged true by the outcome. His statement, then, is false: that the foretelling is proved false. And Celsus's words, “For it is utterly impossible that those who heard it beforehand should still betray and deny,” were said in vain.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The bracketed “(not)” is the editor's supplement. The sentence introduced by φαμὲν (“we say”) is compressed in the Greek; the sense is that the events both happened and prove the prediction true.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (missing accent and breathing in the digital text): φαμὲν δʼ οτι → φαμὲν δʼ ὅτι.
Cite this passage
Origen, Cels. 2.19 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/2/19/).
Plain text
Origen, Cels. 2.19 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/2/19/).
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