Against Celsus 7.2
Summary: Celsus claims that Christians who keep the God of the Jews can only fall back on prophecy, and Origen turns to defend the prophets.
Greek text · Koetschau 2:153–154
Πρόκειται δὲ νῦν τῷ Κέλσῳ κατηγορῆσαι τοῦ φάσκοντος λόγου ὑπὸ τῶν παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις προφητῶν προφητεύεσθαι τὰ περὶ τὸν Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν. καὶ πρῶτόν γε κατʼ ἀρχὰς ἐξετάζομεν ὧν οἴεται τοὺς μὲν ἄλλον εἰσηγουμένους θεὸν παρὰ τὸν Ἰουδαίων θεὸν μηδαμῶς δύνασθαι ἀπαντᾶν πρὸς τὰς ἐπαπορήσεις αὐτοῦ, ἡμᾶς δὲ, τοὺς τὸν αὐτὸν τηρήσαντας θεὸν, καταφεύγειν ἐπὶ τὴν διὰ τῶν προφητευομένων περὶ Χριστοῦ ἀπολογίαν. καί φησι πρὸς ταῦτα· ἴδωμεν ὅπῃ ἐφευρήσουσι παραίτησιν· οἱ μὲν ἄλλον εἰσηγούμενοι θεὸν οὐδεμίαν, οἱ δὲ τὸν αὐτὸν αὖθις τὸ αὐτὸ ἐροῦσιν, ἐκεῖνο δὴ τὸ σοφὸν, ὅτι ἐχρῆν οὕτως γενέσθαι· τεκμήριον δὲ, πάλαι γὰρ ταῦτα προείρητο. φήσομεν δὲ πρὸς ταῦτα ὅτι οὕτως ἐστὶν ἀσθενῆ τὰ εἰρημένα περὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ καὶ Χριστιανῶν ἐν τοῖς ὀλίγῳ πρὸ τούτων, ὡς καὶ τοὺς ἄλλον εἰσηγουμένους θεὸν καὶ τοῦτο πράττοντας ἀσεβῶς εὐχερέστατα ὑπαντῆσαι πρὸς τὰ ὑπὸ Κέλσου λεγόμενα. καὶ εἰ μὴ ἄτοπον ἦν ἀφορμὰς διδόναι τοῖς ἀσθενεστέροις πρὸς παραδοχὴν χειρόνων δογμάτων, καὶ ἡμεῖς ἂν τοῦτο πεποιήκειμεν, ἵνʼ ἐλέγξωμεν ψεῦδος τὸ περὶ τοῦ τοὺς ἄλλον εἰσηγουμένους θεὸν μηδεμίαν ἔχειν ἀπολογίαν πρὸς τὰ ὑπὸ Κέλσου λελεγμένα· νυνὶ δὲ ἡμεῖς φέρε περὶ τῶν προφητῶν πρὸς τοῖς ἀνωτέρω εἰρημένοις ἀπολογησώμεθα.
English · Claude translation
Celsus's purpose now is to accuse the teaching that says the things about Christ Jesus were prophesied by the prophets among the Jews. First, at the outset, we examine his statement that those who introduce another God besides the God of the Jews cannot answer his objections at all, while we who have kept the same God take refuge in the defence drawn from the prophecies about Christ. He says to this: Let us see what excuse they will find. Those who introduce another God will have none; and those who keep the same God will say the same thing again, that clever saying, that it had to happen so; and the proof is that it had been foretold long ago. To this we shall say that what he said a little earlier about Jesus and the Christians is so weak that even those who introduce another God, and do so impiously, could very easily answer what Celsus says. And if it were not absurd to give the weaker occasion to accept worse doctrines, we too would have done this, to prove false his statement that those who introduce another God have no defence against what Celsus says. But as it is, let us make our defence concerning the prophets, in addition to what was said above.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- “Those who introduce another God” are Marcion and his followers.
Cite this passage
Origen, Cels. 7.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/7/2/).
Plain text
Origen, Cels. 7.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/7/2/).
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