Against Celsus 4.24
Summary: Human greatness is not measured by bodily size, or elephants would surpass humans; rational beings excel by reason, and angels by perfected reason and virtue.
Greek text · Koetschau 1:293–294
Πρὸς ταῦτα δὴ πυνθανόμεθα τῶν ἀποδεχομένων τὰ οὕτω καθʼ ἡμῶν εἰρημένα καί φαμεν· ἆρα πάντας ἀνθρώπους ὁρμαθὸν εἶναι νυκτερίδων ἢ μύρμηκας ἢ βατράχους ἢ σκώληκας ὑπολαμβάνετε διὰ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ὑπεροχήν; ἢ τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους ἀνθρώπους εἰς τὴν προκειμένην εἰκόνα μὴ παραλαμβάνετε ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ λογικὸν καὶ τοὺς καθεστῶτας νόμους τηρεῖτε αὐτοὺς ἀνθρώπους. Χριστιανοὺς δὲ καὶ Ἰουδαίους διὰ τὰ μὴ ἀρέσκοντα ὑμῖν αὐτῶν δόγματα ἐξευτελίζοντες τούτοις τοῖς ζῴοις παραβεβλήκατε; καὶ ὁπότερόν γε ἂν εἴπητε πρὸς τὴν πεῦσιν ἡμῶν, ἀποκρινούμεθα ἀποδεικνύναι πειρώμενοι οὐ δεόντως λελέχθαι περὶ τῶν πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἢ περὶ ἡμῶν τὰ τοιαῦτα. ἔστω γὰρ ὑμᾶς πρῶτον λέγειν ὅτι πάντες ἄνθρωποι ὡς πρὸς θεὸν τοῖς εὐτελέσι τούτοις παραβάλλονται ζῴοις. ἐπεὶ μηδαμῶς ἐστιν αὐτῶν ἡ μικρότης συγκριτὴ τῇ ὑπεροχῇ τοῦ θεοῦ. ποία δὴ μικρότης; ἀποκρίνασθέ μοι, ὦ οὗτοι. εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἡ τῶν σωμάτων, ἀκούσατε ὅτι τὸ ὑπερέχον καὶ τὸ ἐνδέον ὡς πρὸς ἀλήθειαν δικάζουσαν οὐκ ἐν σώματι κρίνεται· οὕτω γὰρ γρῦπες καὶ ἐλέφαντες ἡμῶν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἔσονται κρείττους, καὶ γὰρ μείζους καὶ ἰσχυρότεροι καὶ πολυχρονιώτεροι οὗτοι· ἀλλʼ οὐδεὶς ἂν τῶν εὖ φρονούντων λέγοι κρείττονα εἶναι διὰ τὰ σώματα τάδε τὰ ἄλογα τῶν λογικῶν (πολὺ γὰρ εἰς ὑπεροχὴν ἀνάγει ὁ λόγος τὸ λογικὸν παρὰ πάντα τὰ ἄλογα) ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ τὰ σπουδαῖα καὶ μακάρια, εἴτε, ὡς ὑμεῖς φατε, οἱ ἀγαθοὶ δαίμονες εἴτε. ὡς ἡμῖν ἔθος ὀνομάζειν. οἱ τοῦ θεοῦ ἄγγελοι ἢ αἱ ὁποιαιδηποτοῦν ὑπερέχουσαι τῶν ἀνθρώπων φύσεις· ἀλλʼ ἐπεὶ τὸ ἐν αὐτοῖς λογικὸν τετελείωται καὶ κατὰ πᾶσαν ἀρετὴν πεποίωται.
English · Claude translation
To this we ask those who accept what is said against us in this way, and we say: Do you consider all men a cluster of bats, or ants, or frogs, or worms, because of the greatness of God? Or do you not include other men in the image before us, but, because of their reason and the established laws, keep them as men, while you belittle Christians and Jews because of their doctrines that do not please you and compare them to these animals? Whichever of the two you give in answer to our question, we shall reply by trying to show that such things are not rightly said either about all men or about us. Suppose first that you say that all men, compared with God, are likened to these lowly animals, since their smallness is in no way comparable with God's greatness. What smallness, pray? Answer me, sirs. If that of their bodies, hear that superiority and inferiority, when truth is judge, are not decided by the body; for in that case griffins and elephants will be superior to us men, since they are larger, stronger, and longer-lived. But no one in his right mind would say that these irrational creatures are superior to rational ones because of their bodies (for reason raises the rational far above all irrational things); nor are the good and blessed beings superior because of their bodies, whether, as you say, the good daemons, or, as we are accustomed to call them, the angels of God, or whatever natures surpass men; but they are superior because the reason in them has been perfected and formed in every virtue.
About this passage
Notes
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (wrong breathing and accent in the digital text): πολὺ γὰρ εἶς ὑπεροχὴν → πολὺ γὰρ εἰς ὑπεροχὴν.
Cite this passage
Origen, Cels. 4.24 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/4/24/).
Plain text
Origen, Cels. 4.24 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/4/24/).
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