Against Celsus 4.70
Summary: God may use the wicked for the good of the whole, as a city uses condemned criminals for public works, but they remain blameworthy, as Paul's vessels of honor and dishonor show.
Greek text · Koetschau 1:339–340
Ἔθηκε δέ τινα λόγον ὁ Κέλσος περὶ τῶν κακῶν τοιοῦτον, ὅτι κἂν σοί τι δοκῇ κακὸν, οὔπω δῆλον εἰ κακόν ἐστιν· οὐ γὰρ οἶσθα ὅ τι ἢ σοὶ ἢ ἄλλῳ ἢ τῷ ὅλῳ συμφέρει. καὶ ἔχει μέν τι ὁ λόγος εὐλαβὲς, ὑπονοεῖ δὲ καὶ τὴν τῶν κακῶν φύσιν οὐ πάντῃ εἶναι μοχθηρὰν διὰ τὸ ἐνδέχεσθαι τῷ ὅλῳ συμφέρειν τὸ νομιζόμενον ἐν τοῖς καθʼ ἕκαστον εἶναι κακόν. πλὴν ἵνα μὴ παρακούσας τις τοῦ λεγομένου ἐπιτριβῆς εὕρῃ ἀφορμὴν. ὡς καὶ τῆς κακίας αὐτοῦ χρησίμου τυγχανούσης τῷ παντὶ ἢ δυναμένης γε εἶναι χρησίμου. λελέξεται ὅτι σῳζομένου τοῦ ἐφʼ ἡμῖν ἑκάστῳ κἂν συγχρήσηται τῇ κακίᾳ τῶν φαύλων εἰς τὴν διάταξιν τοῦ παντὸς ὁ θεὸς, κατατάσσων αὐτοὺς εἰς χρείαν τοῦ παντὸς, οὐδὲν ἧττον ψεκτός τε ἐστὶν ὁ τοιόσδε καὶ ὡς ψεκτὸς κατατέτακται εἰς χρείαν ἀπευκταίαν μὲν ἑκάστῳ χρήσιμον δὲ τῷ παντί. ὡς εἰ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πόλεών τις ἔλεγε τὸν τάδε τινὰ ἡμαρτηκότα καὶ διὰ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα εἴς τινα δημόσια ἔργα χρήσιμα τῷ παντὶ καταδικαζόμενον ποιεῖν μέν τι χρήσιμον τῇ ὅλῃ πόλει, αὐτὸν δὲ γεγονέναι ἐν ἀπευκταίῳ πράγματι καὶ ἐν ᾧ οὐδεὶς τῶν κἂν μέτριον νοῦν ἐχόντων ἐβούλετο γενέσθαι. καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος δὲ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ Παῦλος, διδάσκων ἡμᾶς συνοίσειν μὲν τῇ χρείᾳ τι τοῦ παντὸς καὶ τοὺς φαυλοτάτους, παρʼ ἑαυτοὺς δὲ ἔσεσθαι ἐν τοῖς ἀπευκτοῖς, χρησιμωτάτους δʼ ἔσεσθαι καὶ τοὺς σπουδαιοτάτους τῷ παντὶ, παρʼ ἑαυτῶν αἰτίαν ἐν καλλίστῃ χώρᾳ ταχθησομένους, φησίν· „ἐν μεγάλῃ δʼ οἰκίᾳ οὐκ ἔστι μόνον σκεύη χρυσᾶ καὶ ἀργυρᾶ ἀλλὰ καὶ ξύλινα καὶ ὀστράκινα, καὶ ἃ μὲν εἰς τιμὴν ἃ δὲ εἰς ἀτιμίαν· ἐὰν οὖν τις ἐκκαθάρῃ ἑαυτὸν, ἔσται σκεῦος εἰς τιμὴν, ἡγιασμένον καὶ εὔχρηστον τῷ δεσπότῃ, εἰς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ἡτοιμασμένον.“ καὶ ταῦτα δʼ ἀναγκαίως ὑπολαμβάνω ἐκτεθεῖσθαι πρὸς τὸ κἂν σοί τι δοκῇ κακὸν, οὕπω δῆλον εἰ κακόν· οὐ γὰρ οἶσθα ὅ τι ἢ σοὶ ἢ ἄλλῳ συμφέρει, ἵνα μὴ ἀφορμὴν λαμβάνῃ τις ἐκ τῶν κατὰ τὸν τόπον πρὸς τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν ὡς χρήσιμος τῷ ὅλῳ διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐσόμενος.
English · Claude translation
Celsus put forward an argument about evils of this kind: "Even if something seems evil to you, it is not yet clear whether it is evil; for you do not know what benefits you or another or the whole." The argument has something cautious in it, but it also hints that the nature of evils is not wholly wicked, since what is thought to be evil in individual cases may benefit the whole. However, so that no one who misunderstands what is said may find an occasion for his own ruin, as though his vice too were useful to the universe or could be useful, it will be said that, free will being preserved for each person, even if God makes use of the wickedness of the bad for the ordering of the universe, assigning them to the service of the universe, such a person is no less blameworthy, and has been assigned, as blameworthy, to a service that is undesirable for each individual but useful to the whole. It is as if in cities someone said that a man who had committed certain sins and for his sins had been condemned to some public works useful to all does something useful to the whole city, while he himself has come into an undesirable condition, one in which no one with even moderate sense would wish to be. And Paul, the apostle of Jesus, teaching us that even the very worst will contribute something to the service of the universe but will be, through their own fault, among things undesirable, while the most earnest will be most useful to the universe, and will be placed in the finest position through their own doing, says: "In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and earthenware, some for honour and some for dishonour. If then anyone cleanses himself, he will be a vessel for honour, sanctified and useful to the master, prepared for every good work." I think it necessary to have set this out in answer to "Even if something seems evil to you, it is not yet clear whether it is evil; for you do not know what benefits you or another," so that no one takes occasion from the topic to sin, as though he will be useful to the whole through his sin.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotation is 2 Tim 2:20–21.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (missing breathing and accent in the digital text): τῇ ολῃ πόλει → τῇ ὅλῃ πόλει.
Cite this passage
Origen, Cels. 4.70 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/4/70/).
Plain text
Origen, Cels. 4.70 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/4/70/).
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