Against Celsus 6.67

Here Celsus said something true: that someone, having heard his words, answers, seeing that his words are words of darkness, “You cast darkness over my eyes.” Celsus and those like him wish to cast darkness over our eyes; but we, by the light of the Word, dispel the darkness of impious doctrines. A Christian might say to Celsus, who says nothing clear or striking, “I see nothing clearly in your words.” Celsus, then, does not lead us out of darkness into bright light, but wishes to move us from light into darkness, making “darkness light and light darkness,” and falling under what Isaiah well said in this way: “Woe to those who make darkness light and light darkness.” But we, since the Word has opened the eyes of our soul, seeing the difference between light and darkness, choose by every means to stand in the light and do not wish to be near the darkness at all. The true light, being living, knows to whom its brilliance should be shown and to whom only light, not displaying its own brightness because of the weakness that still remains in the other's eyes. And if we must speak at all of sight suffering and being harmed, whose eyes should we say suffer this but those of the one held fast by ignorance of God and hindered by his passions from seeing the truth? Christians, then, by no means think they are blinded by the words of Celsus or of anyone estranged from piety. But let those who perceive that they are being blinded by following crowds that go astray and nations that keep festival to demons come to the Word who gives eyes, so that, like the poor and blind men lying by the road who were healed by Jesus because they said to him, “Son of David, have mercy on me,” they too may receive mercy and get back their eyes, new and beautiful, such as the Word of God would create.