Against Celsus 8.14
Summary: Christians know from Scripture that Jesus is truly the Son of the Father, the radiance of his glory; he is the leader of peace, not sedition, and the Father is greater than the Son.
Greek text · Koetschau 2:231–232
Ἐπεὶ δέ φησι πάλιν ὁ Κέλσος ὅτι, εἰ διδάξαις αὐτοὺς ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν οὗτος ἐκείνου παῖς, ἀλλʼ ἐκεῖνός γε πάντων πατὴρ, ὃν μόνον ὡς ἀληθῶς δεῖ σέβειν· οὐκ ἂν ἔτι θέλοιεν, εἰ μὴ καὶ τοῦτον, ὅσπερ ἐστὶν αὐτοῖς τῆς στάσεως ἀρχηγέτης. καὶ ὠνόμασάν γε τοῦτον θεοῦ υἱὸν, οὐχ ὅτι τὸν θεὸν σφόδρα σέβουσιν, ἀλλʼ ὅτι τοῦτον σφόδρα αὔξουσιν, ἡμεῖς μὲν οὖν μαθόντες, τίς ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ ὅτι „ἀπαύγασμά“ ἐστι „τῆς δόξης καὶ χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ“ καὶ „ἀτμὶς“ μὲν „τῆς θεοῦ δυνάμεως ἀπόῤῥοια δὲ τῆς τοῦ παντοκράτορος δόξης εἰλικρινὴς“ ἔτι δὲ „ἀπαύγασμα“ „φωτὸς ἀϊδίου καὶ ἔσοπτρον ἀκηλίδωτον τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ ἐνεργείας καὶ εἰκὼν τῆς ἀγαθότητος αὐτοῦ, “ ἴσμεν ὅτι οὗτος υἱὸς ἐξ ἐκείνου, καὶ ἐκεῖνος τούτου πατήρ. καὶ οὐδὲν ἀπρεπές ἐστιν ἐν τῷ λόγῳ οὐδὲ ἀνάρμοστον θεῷ, τοιοῦτον υἱὸν μονογενῆ ὑφιστάντι. καὶ οὐκ ἂν μεταπείσηταί τις ἡμᾶς ὅτι οὐχ υἱὸς ὁ τοιοῦτος τοῦ ἀγεννήτου θεοῦ ἐστι καὶ πατρός. εἰ δέ τινων παρήκουσε Κέλσος, μὴ ὁμολογούντων τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ υἱὸν εἶναι τοῦ δημιουργήσαντος τόδε τὸ πᾶν, αὐτὸς ἂν εἰδείη καὶ οἱ συγκατατιθέμενοι τοιούτῳ λόγῳ. οὐ στάσεως οὖν ἀρχηγέτης ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀλλὰ πάσης εἰρήνης. ὁ εἰπὼν τοῖς μαθηταῖς· „εἰρήνην ἀφίημι ὑμῖν, εἰρήνην τὴν ἐμὴν δίδωμι ὑμῖν.“ εἶτʼ ἐπείπερ ἠπίστατο τοὺς τοῦ κόσμου καὶ οὐ θεοῦ ἀνθρώπους προσπολεμήσοντας ἡμῖν, προσέθηκεν ἐκείνοις τὸ „οὐ καθὼς ὁ κόσμος δίδωσιν εἰρήνην, κἀγὼ δίδωμι ὑμῖν εἰρήνην.“ θαῤῥοῦμεν δὲ διʼ αὐτὸν, κἂν θλιβώμεθα ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, εἰπόντα· „ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ θλῖψιν ἔχετε· ἀλλὰ θαρσεῖτε, ἐγὼ νενίκηκα τὸν κόσμον.“ καὶ τοῦτόν φαμεν εἶναι υἱὸν θεοῦ· θεοῦ δὲ, ὃν, εἰ δεῖ ταῖς λέξεσιν ἀκολουθῆσαι Κέλσου, σφόδρα σέβομεν, καὶ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ σφόδρα ηὐξημένον ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς γινώσκομεν. ἔστω δέ τινας ὡς ἐν πλήθει πιστευόντων καὶ δεχομένων διαφωνίαν διὰ τὴν προπέτειαν ὑποτίθεσθαι τὸν σωτῆρα εἶναι τὸν μέγιστον ἐπὶ πᾶσι θεὸν, ἀλλʼ οὔτι γε ἡμεῖς τοιοῦτο(ν. οἱ) πειθόμενοι αὐτῷ λέγοντι· „ὁ πατὴρ ὁ πέμψας με μείζων μου ἐστί“· διόπερ (οὐ)χ ὅν νῦν πατέρα καλοῦμεν ὑποβάλοιμεν (ἂν). ὡς Κέλσος ἡμᾶς συκοφαντῶν (φησι), τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ θεοῦ.
English · Claude translation
Since Celsus says again, “If you were to teach them that this man is not his Son, but that he is the Father of all, whom alone one ought truly to worship, they would no longer be willing, unless they worship this man too, who is the leader of their sedition. And they called him Son of God not because they greatly reverence God, but because they greatly exalt this man”: we, having learned who the Son of God is, and that he is “the radiance of his glory and the exact representation of his subsistence,” and “a breath of the power of God and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty,” and further “a radiance of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God, and an image of his goodness,” know that he is Son from the Father, and the Father is his Father. There is nothing unfitting in this teaching, nor unbecoming to God, who has given subsistence to such an only-begotten Son. And no one could persuade us that such a one is not the Son of the unbegotten God and Father. If Celsus has heard some who do not confess that the Son of God is the Son of the Creator of this universe, that is for him and for those who agree with such a teaching to answer for. Jesus, then, is the leader not of sedition but of all peace, who said to his disciples, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” Then, since he knew that the men of the world and not of God would make war on us, he added to these words, “Not as the world gives peace do I give you peace.” And we take courage because of him, even if we are afflicted in the world, since he said, “In the world you have affliction; but take courage, I have overcome the world.” And we say that he is the Son of God, of the God whom, to follow Celsus's words, we greatly reverence; and we know that his Son has been greatly exalted by the Father. Granted that there may be some, as in a multitude of believers who admit differences of opinion, who through rashness suppose that the Saviour is the greatest God over all; but we do not, since we believe him when he says, “The Father who sent me is greater than I.” That is why we would not subject him whom we now call Father to the Son of God, as Celsus slanderously claims.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are Heb 1:3, Wis 7:25–26, John 14:27, John 16:33, and John 14:28. Those who deny that the Son is the Son of the Creator are the Marcionites and some Gnostics. Several letters of the last sentence are editorial supplements of a damaged text.
Cite this passage
Origen, Cels. 8.14 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/8/14/).
Plain text
Origen, Cels. 8.14 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/8/14/).
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