Against Celsus 7.23
Summary: Jesus' warnings against wealth, power, and wisdom refer to wealth that distracts, domineering rule, and worldly wisdom, not to the spiritual riches and wisdom that the law promises.
Greek text · Koetschau 2:174–175
Σαφῆ μὲν οὖν καὶ ἐκ τούτων, πῶς Ἰησοῦς ὁ „Ναζωραῖος“ ἄνθρωπος οὐκ ἀντινομοθετεῖ τοῖς περὶ πλούτου καὶ τῶν ἐξισταμένων εἰρημένοις περὶ τοῦ δύσκολον εἶναι πλούσιον εἰσέρχεσθαι εἰς τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ βασιλείαν· εἴτε πλούσιόν τις λαμβάνει ἁπλούστερον τὸν ὑπὸ πλούτου περισπώμενον καὶ ὡς ὑπὸ ἀκάνθης αὐτοῦ ἐμποδιζόμενον φέρειν τοὺς τοῦ λόγου καρποὺς εἴτε καὶ τὸν ἐν τοῖς ψευδέσι δόγμασι πλουτοῦντα, περὶ οὗ ἐν Παροιμίαις γέγραπται· „κρείσσων πτωχὸς δίκαιος ἢ πλούσιος ψεύστης.“ εἰκὸς δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ „ὁ θέλων ἐν ὑμῖν εἶναι πρῶτος ἔστω πάντων διάκονος“ καὶ „οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν ἐθνῶν κατακυριεύουσιν αὐτῶν“ καὶ „οἱ ἐξουσιάζοντες ἐν αὐτοῖς εὐεργέται καλοῦνται“ εἰληφέναι τὸν Κέλσον ὅτι Ἰησοῦς φιλαρχίαν ἐκώλυεν, ἥντινα οὐκ ἐναντίαν εἶναι νομιστέον τοῦ „ἄρξεις σὺ ἐθνῶν πολλῶν, σοῦ δὲ οὐκ ἄρξουσι, “ μάλιστα διὰ τὰ ἀποδεδομένα εἰς τὴν λέξιν. ἑξῆς δὲ τούτοις παραῤῥίπτει περὶ τῆς σοφίας ὁ Κέλσος, οἰόμενος τὸν Ἰησοῦν διδάσκειν μὴ παριτητὸν εἶναι πρὸς τὸν πατέρα τῷ σοφῷ. εἴπωμεν δὲ πρὸς αὐτόν· ποίῳ σοφῷ; εἰ μὲν γὰρ τούτῳ, ὃς πεποίωται κατὰ τὴν λεγομένην σοφίαν „τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, “ οὖσαν μωρίαν „παρὰ τῷ θεῷ.“ καὶ ἡμεῖς φήσομεν μὴ παριτητὸν εἶναι πρὸς τὸν πατέρα τῷ οὕτως σοφῷ· εἰ δὲ σοφίαν τις νοήσαι τὸν Χριστὸν, ἐπεὶ Χριστός ἐστι θεοῦ δύναμις καὶ θεοῦ σοφία, οὐ μόνον παριτητὸν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα τῷ οὕτως σοφῷ λέγομεν εἶναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῷ τῶν μὴ τοιούτων διαφέρειν τὸν κεκοσμημένον χαρίσματί φαμεν λόγῳ „σοφίας“ καλουμένῳ, διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος διδομένῳ.
English · Claude translation
It is clear from this, then, how Jesus, the man “of Nazareth,” does not legislate against what was said about wealth and those who go beyond it, in saying that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God, whether one takes “rich” more simply as the one distracted by wealth and hindered by it, as by thorns, from bearing the fruits of the word, or as the one rich in false doctrines, of whom it is written in Proverbs: “Better a poor righteous man than a rich liar.” Celsus probably took from “Whoever wishes to be first among you, let him be servant of all,” and “The rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,” and “Those in authority over them are called benefactors,” that Jesus forbade love of power; but this must not be thought contrary to “You will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you,” especially in view of our explanation of that saying. Next Celsus throws in something about wisdom, thinking that Jesus teaches that the wise man has no access to the Father. Let us say to him: What kind of wise man? If it is the one formed by what is called the wisdom “of this world,” which is foolishness “with God,” we too will say that the man wise in this way has no access to the Father. But if one understands Christ as wisdom, since Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God, we say not only that the man wise in this way has access to the Father, but also that the one adorned with the gift called the word “of wisdom,” given through the Spirit, far surpasses those who are not.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The passages are Matt 19:23–24, Matt 13:22, Prov 19:22 LXX, Mark 10:44, Luke 22:25, Deut 15:6, 1 Cor 3:19, 1 Cor 1:24, and 1 Cor 12:8.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (missing breathing and accent in the digital text): ουσαν μωρίαν → οὖσαν μωρίαν.
Cite this passage
Origen, Cels. 7.23 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/7/23/).
Plain text
Origen, Cels. 7.23 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/7/23/).
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