Against Celsus 2.28
Summary: Origen criticizes Celsus for dismissing the argument from prophecy without examining a single prophecy, and for putting into a Jew's mouth what no Jew would say.
Greek text · Koetschau 1:156–157
Ἐπεὶ δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα καὶ τὸ προφήταις χρῆσθαι Χριστιανοὺς προκηρύξασι τὰ περὶ Ἰησοῦ ὀνειδίζει ὁ παρὰ τῷ Κέλσῳ Ἰουδαῖος, φήσομεν πρὸς τοῖς ἀνωτέρω εἰς τοῦτο λελεγμένοις καὶ ὅτι ἐχρῆν αὐτὸν. ὥς φησι, φειδόμενον ἀνθρώπων, αὐτὰς ἐκθέσθαι τὰς προφητείας καὶ συναγορεύσαντα ταῖς πιθανότησιν αὐτῶν τὴν φαινομένην αὐτῷ ἀνατροπὴν τῆς χρήσεως τῶν προφητικῶν ἐκθέσθαι. οὕτω γὰρ ἂν ἔδοξε μὴ συναρπάζειν τηλικοῦτον κεφάλαιον διὰ λεξειδίων ὀλίγων, καὶ μάλιστα ἐπεί φησι μυρίοις ἄλλοις ἐφαρμοσθῆναι δύνασθαι πολὺ πιθανώτερον τὰ προφητικὰ ἢ τῷ Ἰησοῦ. καὶ ἐχρῆν γε αὐτὸν πρὸς τὴν κρατήσασαν Χριστιανῶν ταύτην ὡς ἰσχυροτάτην ἀπόδειξιν στῆναι ἐπιμελῶς καὶ καθʼ ἑκάστην προφητείαν ἐκθέσθαι, πῶς ἄλλοις ἐφαρμοσθῆναι δύναται πολὺ πιθανώτερον ἢ τῷ Ἰησοῦ. ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ συνεῖδεν ὅτι τοῦτʼ εἰ ἄρα πιθανὸν ἦν ὑπό τινος λέγεσθαι κατὰ Χριστιανῶν. ὑπὸ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων τῶν προφητικῶν γραμμάτων πιθανὸν τάχα ἦν· νυνὶ δὲ ὅπερ Ἰουδαῖος ἂν οὐκ εἶπε περιέθηκεν ὁ Κέλσος τῷ τοῦ Ἰουδαίου προσώπῳ. οὐ συγκαταθήσεται γὰρ ὁ Ἰουδαῖος ὅτι μυρίοις ἐφαρμοσθῆναι δύναται τὰ προφητικὰ πολὺ πιθανώτερον ἢ τῷ Ἰησοῦ. ἀλλὰ περὶ ἑκάστου τὴν φαινομένην αὐτῷ διήγησιν ἀποδιδοὺς στῆναι πειράσεται πρὸς τὴν τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἐκδοχὴν. οὐ πάντως μὲν πιστικὰ λέγων πειρώμενος δὲ τὸ τοιοῦτο ποιεῖν.
English · Claude translation
Since after this the Jew in Celsus also reproaches Christians for appealing to the prophets who proclaimed beforehand what concerned Jesus, we shall say, in addition to what was said on this above, that he ought, sparing people as he claims, to have set out the prophecies themselves, and, after conceding their plausibility, to have set out what seemed to him the refutation of the use made of the prophetic writings. For in this way he would not have seemed to snatch at so great a question with a few trifling words, especially since he says that the prophecies can be applied to countless others much more plausibly than to Jesus. He ought to have taken a careful stand against this proof, which has prevailed among Christians as the strongest, and to have shown, prophecy by prophecy, how it can be applied to others much more plausibly than to Jesus. But he did not even see that, if this could plausibly be said against Christians by anyone, it could perhaps plausibly be said by those who are strangers to the prophetic writings; as it is, Celsus has put into the mouth of the Jew what a Jew would not say. For the Jew will not agree that the prophecies can be applied to countless others much more plausibly than to Jesus; but, giving what seems to him the interpretation of each, he will try to stand against the Christians' understanding, not saying things that are altogether convincing, but trying to do so.
About this passage
Cite this passage
Origen, Cels. 2.28 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/2/28/).
Plain text
Origen, Cels. 2.28 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/2/28/).
Download citation:BibTeX ·RIS (Zotero, EndNote)
Whole work:BibTeX ·RIS ·Markdown text