Against Celsus 3.20
Summary: Origen challenges Celsus to read Paul's letters attentively, confident that he would either admire Paul's profound thought in plain language or make himself ridiculous.
Greek text · Koetschau 1:217
Καί φαμεν τοῖς ὁμονοοῦσι τῷ Κέλσῳ ὅτι οὐδεμίαν ἆρα φανταζόμενος ὑπερέχουσαν σοφίαν ὁ Παῦλος ἐπηγγέλλετο „σοφίαν“ λαλεῖν „ἐν τοῖς τελείοις“; ἐπειδὰν δὲ κατὰ τὸ ἑαυτοῦ θρασὺ φήσῃ ὅτι οὐδὲν ἔχων σοφὸν ταῦτα ἐπηγγέλλετο, ἀνταποκρινούμεθα αὐτῷ λέγοντες· πρῶτον σαφήνισον τοῦ ταῦτα λέγοντος τὰς ἐπιστολὰς καὶ ἐνατενίσας τῷ βουλήματι ἑκάστης ἐν αὐταῖς λέξεως, φέρʼ εἰπεῖν τῇ πρὸς Ἐφεσίους καὶ πρὸς Κολασσαεῖς καὶ τῇ πρὸς Θεσσαλονικεῖς καὶ Φιλιππησίους καὶ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους. ἀμφότερα δεῖξον, καὶ ὅτι νενόηκας τοὺς Παύλου λόγους καὶ ὅτι παραστῆσαι ἔχεις εὐήθεις τινὰς ἢ ἠλιθίους. ἐὰν γὰρ ἐπιδῷ ἑαυτὸν τῇ μετὰ τοῦ προσέχειν ἀναγνώσει, εὖ οἶδʼ ὅτι ἢ θαυμάσεται τὸν νοῦν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς, ἐν ἰδιωτικῇ λέξει μεγάλα περινοοῦντος. ἢ μὴ θαυμάσας αὐτὸς καταγέλαστος φανεῖται, εἴτε διηγούμενος ὡς νενοηκὼς τὸ βούλημα τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἢ καὶ ἀντιλέγειν καὶ ἀνατρέπειν πειρώμενος ἃ ἐφαντάσθη αὐτὸν νενοηκέναι.
English · Claude translation
And we say to those who agree with Celsus: did Paul, then, imagining no surpassing wisdom, profess to speak “wisdom among the perfect”? When, with his usual rashness, he says that Paul professed this while having nothing wise, we shall answer him, saying: “First explain the letters of the one who says this, and, fixing your eyes on the intent of each expression in them, say in the letter to the Ephesians, to the Colossians, to the Thessalonians, to the Philippians, and to the Romans, show both: that you have understood Paul's words, and that you can show some of them to be foolish or silly.” For if he gives himself to reading them attentively, I know well that either he will marvel at the man's mind, which comprehends great things in ordinary language, or, if he does not marvel, he himself will appear ridiculous, whether in expounding the man's intent as though he had understood it, or in trying to contradict and overturn what he imagined he had understood.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotation is 1 Cor 2:6.
Cite this passage
Origen, Cels. 3.20 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/3/20/).
Plain text
Origen, Cels. 3.20 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/3/20/).
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