Origen: Against Celsus, Books I–VIII

Chapter XXIV.

In reply to these, we ask of those who accept such aspersions as are scattered against us, Do you regard all men as a collection of bats, or as frogs, or as worms, in consequence of the pre-eminence of God or do you not include the rest of mankind in this proposed comparison, but on account of their possession of reason, and of the established laws, treat them as men, while you hold cheap ^{Edition note 1} Christians and Jews, because their opinions are distasteful to you, and compare them to the animals above mentioned?

And whatever answer you may return to our question, we shall reply by endeavouring to show that such assertions are most unbecoming, whether spoken of all men in general, or of us in particular. For, let it be supposed that you say justly that all men, as compared with God, are (rightly) likened to these worthless ^{Edition note 2} animals, since their littleness is not at all to be compared with the superiority of God, what then do you mean by littleness? Answer me, good sirs.

If you refer to littleness of body, know that superiority and inferiority, if truth is to be judge, are not determined by a bodily standard. ^{Edition note 3} For, on such a view, vultures ^{Edition note 4} and elephants would be superior to us men; for they are larger, and stronger, and longer-lived than we. But no sensible person would maintain that these irrational creatures are superior to rational beings, merely on account of their bodies: for the possession of reason raises a rational being to a vast superiority over all irrational creatures.

Even the race of virtuous and blessed beings would admit this, whether they are, as ye say, good demons, or, as we are accustomed to call them, the angels of God, or any other natures whatever superior to that of man, since the rational faculty within them has been made perfect, and endowed with all virtuous qualities. ^{Edition note 5}