Against Celsus 6.2
Summary: Plain Scripture has helped far more people than Plato's polished prose, because God gives power to those who preach, as Paul and the Psalms say.
Greek text · Koetschau 2:71–72
Ταῦτα δέ μοι λέλεκται ἀπολογουμένῳ περὶ τῆς κατηγορουμένης ὑπὸ Κέλσου καὶ ἑτέρων ἐν λέξεσιν εὐτελείας τῶν γραφῶν, ἀμαυροῦσθαι δοκούσης ὑπὸ τῆς ἐν συνθέσει λέξεως λαμπρότητος· ἐπεὶ οἱ καθʼ ἡμᾶς προφῆται Ἰησοῦς τε καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι αὐτοῦ ἐνεῖδον τρόπῳ ἀπαγγελίας, οὐ τὰ ἀληθῆ μόνον περιεχούσης ἀλλὰ καὶ δυναμένης ἐπαγαγέσθαι τοὺς πολλοὺς, ἕως προτραπέντες καὶ εἰσαχθέντες ἕκαστος κατὰ δύναμιν ἀναβῶσιν ἐπὶ τὰ ἐν ταῖς δοκούσαις εἶναι εὐτελέσι λέξεσιν ἀποῤῥήτως εἰρημένα. καὶ εἰ χρή γε τολμήσαντα εἰπεῖν, ὀλίγους μὲν ὤνησεν, εἴ γε ὤνησεν, ἡ περικαλλὴς καὶ ἐπιτετηδευμένη Πλάτωνος καὶ τῶν παραπλησίως φρασάντων λέξις· πλείονας δὲ ἡ τῶν εὐτελέστερον ἅμα καὶ πραγματικῶς καὶ ἐστοχασμένως τῶν πολλῶν διδαξάντων καὶ γραψάντων. ἔστι γοῦν ἰδεῖν τὸν μὲν Πλάτωνα ἐν χερσὶ τῶν δοκούντων εἶναι φιλολόγων μόνον, τὸν δὲ Ἐπίκτητον καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν τυχόντων καὶ ῥοπὴν πρὸς τὸ ὠφελεῖσθαι ἐχόντων θαυμαζόμενον, αἰσθομένων τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν λόγων αὐτοῦ βελτιώσεως. καὶ ταῦτά γε οὐκ ἐγκαλοῦντες Πλάτωνί φαμεν (ὁ γὰρ πολὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων κόσμος χρησίμως καὶ τοῦτον ἤνεγκεν) ἀλλὰ καὶ δεικνύντες τὸ βούλημα τῶν εἰπόντων τό· „καὶ ὁ λόγος μου καὶ τὸ κήρυγμά μου οὐκ ἐν πειθοῖς σοφίας λόγοις ἀλλʼ ἐν ἀποδείξει πνεύματος καὶ δυνάμεως, ἵνʼ ἡ πίστις ἡμῶν μὴ ᾖ ἐν σοφίᾳ ἀνθρώπων ἀλλʼ ἐν δυνάμει θεοῦ.“ φησὶ δʼ ὁ θεῖος λόγος οὐκ αὔταρκες εἶναι τὸ λεγόμενον, κἂν καθʼ αὐτὸ ἀληθὲς καὶ πιστικώτατον ᾖ, πρὸς τὸ καθικέσθαι ἀνθρωπίνης ψυχῆς, ἐὰν μὴ καὶ δύναμίς τις θεόθεν δοθῇ τῷ λέγοντι καὶ χάρις ἐπανθήσῃ τοῖς λεγομένοις, καὶ αὕτη οὐκ ἀθεεὶ ἐγγινομένη τοῖς ἀνυσίμως λέγουσι. φησὶ γοῦν ὁ προφήτης ἐν ἑξηκοστῷ καὶ ἑβδόμῳ ψαλμῷ ὅτι „κύριος δώσει ῥῆμα τοῖς εὐαγγελιζομένοις δυνάμει πολλῇ.“ ἵνʼ οὖν ἐπί τινων δοθῇ τὰ αὐτὰ δόγματα εἶναι Ἕλλησι καὶ τοῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ λόγου ἡμῶν, ἀλλʼ οὔτι γε καὶ τὰ αὐτὰ δύναται πρὸς τὸ ὑπαγαγέσθαι καὶ διαθεῖναι ψυχὰς κατὰ ταῦτα. διόπερ οἱ ἰδιῶται ὡς πρὸς φιλοσοφίαν Ἑλληνικὴν μαθηταὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἐκπεριῆλθον πολλὰ ἔθνη τῆς οἰκουμένης, διατιθέντες, ὡς ὁ λόγος ἐβούλετο, κατʼ ἀξίαν ἕκαστον τῶν ἀκουόντων· (οἳ) καὶ ἀνάλογον τῇ ῥοπῇ τοῦ αὐτεξουσίου αὐτῶν πρὸς ἀποδοχὴν τοῦ καλοῦ πολλῷ βελτίους ἐγένοντο.
English · Claude translation
I have said this in defence against the charge brought by Celsus and others concerning the plainness of style in the Scriptures, which seems to be put in the shade by the brilliance of elegant composition. For our prophets, Jesus and his apostles, had regard to a manner of expression that not only contains the truth but is also able to win over the many, until, once encouraged and brought in, each according to his ability ascends to the things spoken in an ineffable way in words that seem plain. And if one may venture to say it, the very beautiful and studied style of Plato and of those who wrote in a similar way has benefited few, if indeed it has benefited any; but the style of those who taught and wrote more plainly, yet practically and with an eye to the many, has benefited more. One can see, at any rate, that Plato is in the hands only of those who are thought to be lovers of letters, while Epictetus is admired even by ordinary people who have an inclination to be helped, since they perceive the improvement that comes from his discourses. We say this not to find fault with Plato (for the great world of mankind has usefully produced him too), but to show the intention of those who said: “My speech and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that our faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” The divine word says that what is spoken, even if it is true in itself and most persuasive, is not sufficient to reach the human soul unless some power is also given from God to the speaker and grace blossoms on what is said, and this grace itself does not come to those who speak effectively without God. So the prophet says in the sixty-seventh Psalm: “The Lord will give a word to those who preach the good news with great power.” Grant, then, that in some cases the same doctrines are found among the Greeks and among those of our faith; yet they do not have the same power to win souls and dispose them accordingly. That is why the disciples of Jesus, unlearned as far as Greek philosophy is concerned, went round many nations of the world, disposing each of their hearers, as the Word wished, according to his worth; and these, in proportion to the inclination of their free will toward accepting the good, became much better.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are 1 Cor 2:4–5 (Origen reads “our faith”) and Ps 68:11 (67:12 LXX). Epictetus is the Stoic teacher (d. ca. 135).
Cite this passage
Origen, Cels. 6.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/6/2/).
Plain text
Origen, Cels. 6.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/6/2/).
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