Origen: Against Celsus, Books I–VIII

Cf. Deut. iv. 24; ix. 3 .

Cf. Dan. vii. 10 .

Cf. Mal. iii. 2 .

Cf. 1 Cor. iii. 12 .

σωματικῶς .

Cf. 1 Cor. iii. 13–15 .

τὴν τοῦ χρυσοῦ (ἵν᾽ οὕτως ὀνομάσω), φύσιν τῆς ψυχῆς, ἢ τὴν ἀργύρου, δολωσάντων .

[See note supra , cap. x. S.]

῾Ο Θεὸς ἀγαθός ἐστι, καὶ καλὸς, καὶ εὐδαίμων, καὶ ἐν τῷ καλλίστῳ καὶ ἀρίστῳ .

κατάβασιν .

τῆ προνοίᾳ καὶ τῇ οἰκονομίᾳ .

Ps. cii. 27 .

Mal. iii. 6 .

ἡγεμονικόν .

The reading in the text is, ἐπὶ μέρους γίνεται αὐτῆς , which is thus corrected by Guietus: ἐπιμερὴς γίνεται αὐτὸς .

Cf. Phil. ii. 6, 7 .

Cf. 1 Pet. ii. 22 .

Cf. 2 Cor. v. 21 .

[Gieseler cites this chapter (and cap. xix. infra ) to show that Origen taught that the Logos did not assume a human body. Could words be stronger to the contrary? “He becomes, as it were, flesh ,” is used below to guard against transmutation.]

προηγουμένην .

ἄτιμον .

ἐκλεῖπον .

[The transfiguration did not conflict with his mortal nature, nor the incarnation with his immortality .]

τί ἀκολουθεῖ .

[Such are the accommodations reflected upon by Gieseler. See Book III. cap. lxxix., supra .]

τί ἄτοπον .

Phil. ii. 5–9 .

ὅμως δ᾽ ἀπολογησόμεθα, ὅτι οὐ φῂς, ὦ Κέλσε, ὧς ἐν φαρμάκου μοίρα ποτὲ δίδοται χρῆσθαι τῷ πλανᾷν καὶ τῷ ψεύδεσθαι ;

προηγουμένως, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ περιστάσεως .

Cf. Plato in the Timæus , and book iii., de Legibus .

σαφής .

᾽Επὰν τὸ προκείμενον ᾖ παραστῆσαι καὶ τὰ τῆς κατὰ τὸν τόπον ἱσνορίας τίνα ἔχοι λόγον, καὶ τὰ τῆς περὶ αὐτοῦ ἀναγωγῆς .

Otus and Ephialtes. Cf. Smith’s Dict. of Myth. and Biog ., s.v.

Cf. Hom., Odyss ., xi. 305.

[Demonstrated by Justin, vol. i. pp. 277, 278, this series.]

ἁγιστείας .

ἐπεσκοπήθησαν .

Θεῖόν τι καὶ ἱερὸν χρῆμα γεγονέναι τὸν ᾽Ιησοῦν .

οὐδ᾽ ἀποκατασταθήσονται . [A very bold and confident assertion this must have seemed sixteen hundred years ago.]

καὶ ἁρμόζοντας τῇ πανταχοῦ καθεστώσῃ πολιτείᾳ .

ὑπὸ οἰκείων καὶ ὁμοήθων .

τὴν οὐράνιον φοράν .

ἐμπολιτεύεται .

ἐξευτελίζοντες .

εὐτελέσι .

οὐκ ἐν σώματι κρίνεται .

γύπες : γρύπες ?

καὶ κατὰ πᾶσαν ἀρετὴν πεποίωται .

The allusion may possibly be to his flight from the field of Chæronea, or to his avarice, or to the alleged impurity of his life, which is referred to by Plutarch in his Lives of the Ten Orators .— Spencer .

ἀφορμὰς ἔχον πρὸς ἀρετήν .

ὑποτυπώσεις .

τὰ αὐτόθεν πᾶσι προφαινόμενα δόγματα Χριστιανῶν καὶ ᾽Ιουδαίων .

φαντασίᾳ δ᾽ εὐσεβείας .

ἢ καὶ τὰ δημιουργἠματα .

λίθων καὶ ξύλων .

διαρκεῖν .

ὑπὸ λογικῶν πιθανοτήτων .

την οὐράνιον φοράν .

βδελύσσεται .

Cf. Wisd. of Solom. xi. 26, xii. 1, 2 .

Ps. xxxiii. 5 .

Ecclus. xviii. 13 .

Cf. Matt. v. 45 .

Cf. 1 Tim. iv. 10 .

Cf. 1 John ii. 2 .

Cf. Rom. v. 8 .

Cf. Rom. v. 7 .

τιμιώτερα .

Cf. Ps. lxxxii. 1 .

δαιμόνια . Cf. Ps. xcvi. 5 .

Cf. Ps. lxxxii. 1 .

1 Cor. viii. 5, 6 .

Cf. Matt. xxii. 30 .

Cf. Luke xx. 36 .

Cf. 1 John iii. 2 .

καὶ τοῦτό γ᾽ ἂν ἑρμηνεύοιμι, τὸ “ἡμεῖς” λέγων ἀντὶ τοῦ οἱ λογικοὶ, καὶ ἔτι μᾶλλον, οἱ σπουδαῖοι λογικοί .

ὥστε καὶ ἡ αὐτὴ ἀνθρώπου καὶ Θεοῦ . Cf. Cicero, de Leg ., i.: “Jam vero virtus eadem in homine ac deo est, neque ullo alio in genio præterea. Est autem virtus nihil aliud, quam in se perfecta, et ad summum perducta natura. Est igitur homini cum Deo similitudo.” Cf. also Clemens Alex., Strom ., vii. c. 14: Οὐ γὰρ, καθάπερ οἱ Στωϊκοὶ, ἁθέως, πάνυ τὴν αὐτὴν ἀρετὴν ἀνθρώπου λέγομεν καὶ Θεοῦ . [See vol. ii. p. 549. S.] Cf. Theodoret, Serm ., xi.— Spencer .

Cf. Matt. v. 48 .

Cf. Gen. i. 26 .

Cf. Gen. i. 27 .

Cf. 1 Cor. xv. 41, 42 .

Cf. Dan. xii. 3 .

Cf. Matt. xx. 27 .

Cf. Eurip., Phœniss. , 546, 547.

βωμολόχος .

καὶ ἀμείβουσι σώματα .

Cf. 1 Cor. ii. 11 .

Cf. Rom. i. 19 .

Rom. i. 21–23 .

οὔτ᾽ ἐν λόγῳ οὔτ᾽ ἐν ἀριθμῷ αὐτούς ποτε γεγενημένους .

ἐπολιτεύετο .

[See note on Book III. cap. lxxvi. supra , and to vol. iii. p. 76, this series.]

Cf. Deut. iv. 16–18 .

Cf. Deut. iv. 19 .

πολιτεία .

οὐδὲ φαίνεσθαι θηλυδρίαν οἷόν τ᾽ ἦν .

οἵ τινες διὰ τὸ καθαρὸν ἦθος, καὶ τὸ ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον .

θείᾳ μοίρᾳ .

καίτοιγε πάντα κάλων κινήσαντες .

ἀπὸ πρώτης σπορᾶς γοήτων καὶ πλάνων ἀνθρώπων .

παρεξηούμενοι .

[This formula he regards as an adumbration of the Triad (see our vol. ii. p. 101): thus, “the God of Abraham” = Fatherhood; “of Isaac” = Sonship; “of Jacob” = Wisdom, and the Founder of the New Israel.]

εἴτε καὶ αὐτόθεν σεμνύνουσαν ἐν ἀποῤῥήτοις τοὺς ἄνδρας, εἴτε καὶ δι᾽ ὑπονοιῶν αἰνισσμένην τινὰ μεγάλα καὶ θαυμάσια τοῖς θεωρῆσαι αὐτὰ δυναμένοις ;

μυστικῆς ἀναγραφῆς .

ἐροῦμέν τε· ὅτι μήποτε τὸ καὶ ὑφ᾽ ὑμῶν παραλαμβάνεσθαι τὰ ὀνόματα τῶν τριῶν τούτων γεναρχῶν τοῦ ἔθνους, τῇ ἐναργείᾳ καταλαμβανόντων, οὐκ εὐκαταφρόνητα ἀνύεσθαι ἐκ τῆς κατεπικλήσεως αὐτῶν, παρίστησι τὸ θεῖον τῶν ἀνδρῶν . Guietus would expunge the words τῇ ἐναργείᾳ καταλαμβανόντων .

[See p. 511, supra , on the formula of benediction and exorcism, and compare Num. vi. 24 .]

κατὰ δὲ Κέλσον, οὐ παριστάντα . Libri editi ad oram ὡς παριστάντα .

γενναίως .

παρεξηγούμενοι .

παρέῤῥιψε .

συγκύψαντες .

ἀμουσότατα .

Cf. Plato, de Repub ., book ii. etc.

ἐπὶ τῆς πλάσεως .

Cf. Job x. 8 and Ps. cxix. 73 .

σχῆμα .

κακοήθειαν .

πλάσεως .

Gen. ii. 7 ; Heb. ויפָאַפְ , LXX. πρόσωπον .

ἐμφυσώμενον .

Wisd. of Solom. xii. 1 .

Cf. Gen. ii. 21, 22 .

ἀντὶ τοῦ πυρός .

χωρὶς παντὸς λόγου καί τινος ἐπικρύψεως .

μοχθίζειν .

Hesiod, Works and Days , i. 73–114 (Elton’s translation [in substance. S.]).

Hesiod, Works and Days , i.125–134 (Elton’s translation [in substance. S.]).

“ μῦθόν τινα ” παραπλήσιον τοῖς παραδιδομένοις ταῖς γραυσίν .

παράδεισος .

Penia, poverty; Porus, abundance.

διὰ τὴν αὑτῆς ἀπορίαν .

ἐν τοῖς ἐκείνης γενεθλίοις .

ἐν τοιαῦτῃ τύχῃ καθέστηκε .

σκληρὸς καὶ αὐχμηρός .

ἐνδείᾳ .

σύντονος .

δεινός .

καὶ φρονήσεως ἐπιθυμητὴς καὶ πόριμος .

δεινὸς γόης .

[Plato, Symposion , xxiii. p. 203. S.]

Boherellus, quem Ruæus sequitur, in notis; “Ante voces: τίνα τρόπον , videtur deesse: θαυμάσονται , aut quid simile.”— Lommatzsch .

τὸ λεγόμενον .

εὐκαταφρονήτων .

φυσιολογεῖ Μωϋσῆς τὰ περὶ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου φύσεως .

Cf. 1 Cor. xv. 22 with Rom. v. 14 .

οὐκ ἔστι καθ᾽ ἧς οὐ λέγεται .

πτεροῤῥυούσης . This is a correction for πτεροφυούσης , the textual reading in the Benedictine and Spencer’s edd.

ἀλλόκοτον .

κορώνη .

παραχαράττοντες καὶ ῥᾳδιουργοῦντες .

τῷ δυνάμει λέγεσθαι τὰ μέτρα .

[This question, which is little short of astounding, illustrates the marvellous reach and play of Origen’s fancy at times. See note supra , p. 262. S.]

παραχαράττοντες καὶ ῥᾳδιουργοῦντες .

Cf. Matt. xxi. 43 .

ἔξωρον .

Cf. Gen. iv. 8 .

Cf. Gen. xxvii. 41 .

ἄγχιστα δὲ τούτοις πᾶσι συμπολιτεύομενον .

θειότητα .

ἐῤῥωμένως .

Cf. Gen. xxx. 42 (LXX.). “The feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s” (Auth. Vers.).

Cf. Gen. xxx. 43 .

Cf. 1 Cor. x. 11 .

παρ᾽ οἷς τὰ ποικίλα ἤθη ἐπίσημα γενόμενα, τῷ λογῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ πολιτεύεται, δοθέντα κτῆσις τῷ τροπικῶς καλουμένῳ ᾽Ιακώβ : ἐπίσημα is the term employed to denote the “spotted” cattle of Laban, and is here used by Origen in its figurative sense of “distinguished,” thus playing on the double meaning of the word.

φρέατα .

λάκκους .

τὴν ἐνυπάρχουσαν γῆν καὶ ἀρχὴν τῶν ποτίμων ἀγαθῶν . Boherellus proposes: τὴν ἐνυπάρχουσαν πηγὴν καὶ ἀρχὴν τῶν ποτίμων ὑδάτων .

Cf. Prov. v. 15–17 .

Cf. Gen. xxvi. 15 .

νυμφας .

Cf. Gal. iv. 21–24 .

τὰ ἀπεμφαίνοντα .

Gen. xix. 17 .

οἱ ἐπιτυγχάνοντές γε αὐτῶν .

οὐκ εὐκαταφρόνητος αὐτοῖς .

ζώπυρον .

βουλήματι .

ἔχει δέ τινα καὶ καθ᾽ αὑτὸ άπολογίαν . [Our Edinburgh translator gives a misleading rendering here. Origen throughout this part of his argument is reasoning ad hominem , and has shown that Greek philosophy sustains this idea.]

Cf. Homer, Iliad , vi. 160.

ὁσίας ἕνεκεν .

κατὰ τὴν πρώτην ἐκδοχήν .