Against Celsus 5.15
Summary: The final fire is not God cooking the world but a purifying and healing fire that burns away only the 'wood, hay, and straw' of sin, as Paul, Malachi, Ezekiel, and Isaiah indicate.
Greek text · Koetschau 2:16–17
Ὅρα δὴ ἐντεῦθεν ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς πῶς τὴν καὶ παρʼ Ἑλλήνων τισὶν οὐκ εὐκαταφρονήτως φιλοσοφήσασιν εἰσαγομένην τοῦ κόσμου ἐκπύρωσιν μετὰ χλεύης διαβάλλων θέλει ἡμᾶς ὡσπερεὶ μάγειρον ποιοῦντας τὸν θεὸν εἰσάγειν τὰ περὶ τῆς ἐκπυρώσεως· οὐ συνιδὼν ὅτι, ὥσπερ Ἑλλήνων τισὶν ἔδοξε (τάχα παρὰ τοῦ ἀρχαιοτάτου ἔθνους Ἑβραίων λαβοῦσι), τὸ πῦρ καθάρσιον ἐπάγεται τῷ κόσμῳ εἰκὸς δʼ ὅτι καὶ ἑκάστῳ τῶν δεομένων τῆς διὰ τοῦ πυρὸς δίκης ἅμα καὶ ἰατρείας· καίοντος μὲν καὶ οὐ κατακαίοντος τοὺς μὴ ἔχοντας ὕλην δεομένην ἀναλοῦσθαι ὑπʼ ἐκείνου τοῦ πυρὸς, καίοντος δὲ καὶ κατακαίοντος τοὺς ἐν τῇ διὰ τῶν πράξεων καὶ λόγων καὶ νοημάτων τροπικῶς λεγομένῃ οἰκοδομῇ „ξύλα, χόρτον ἢ καλάμην“ οἰκοδομήσαντας. φασὶ δʼ οἱ θεῖοι λόγοι τὸν κύριον „ὡς πῦρ χωνευτηρίου καὶ ὡς ποίαν πλυνόντων“ ἑκάστῳ τῶν δεομένων ἐπιδημήσειν διὰ τὸ ἀναμεμῖχθαι οἱονεὶ φαύλην χυτὴν ὕλην τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς κακίας, δεομένων δὲ λέγω πυρὸς, οἱονεὶ χωνεύοντος τοὺς ἀναμεμιγμένους „χαλκῷ“ „καὶ κασσιτέρῳ καὶ μολίβδῳ.“ καὶ ταῦτα τὸν βουλόμενον ἔστιν ἀπὸ τοῦ προφήτου Ἰεζεκιὴλ μαθεῖν. ὅτι δὲ οὐχ ὡς μάγειρόν φαμεν τὸ πῦρ ἐπιφέρειν τὸν θεὸν ἀλλʼ ὡς θεὸν εὐεργέτην τῶν χρῃζόντων πόνου καὶ πυρὸς, μαρτυρήσει καὶ ὁ προφήτης Ἡσαΐας ἐν ᾧ γέγραπται λελέχθαι πρός τι ἔθνος ἁμαρτωλόν· „ὅτι ἔχεις ἄνθρακας πυρὸς, καθίσαι ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς· οὗτοι ἔσονταί σοι βοήθεια.“ οἰκονομούμενος δʼ ὁ λόγος ἁρμόζοντα πλήθεσιν ἐντευξομένοις τῇ γραφῇ ἐπικεκρυμμένως μετὰ σοφίας λέγει τὰ σκυθρωπὰ εἰς φόβον τῶν μὴ δυναμένων ἄλλως ἐπιστρέψειν ἀπὸ τῆς χύσεως τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων· πλὴν καὶ οὕτως ὁ τηρῶν εὑρήσει ἐμφαινόμενον τὸ ἀπὸ τῶν σκυθρωπῶν καὶ ἐπιπόνων ἐπαγόμενον τοῖς ἀλγοῦσι τέλος. ἀρκεῖ δʼ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος παραθέσθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἡσαΐου τό· „ἕνεκεν τοῦ ἐμοῦ ὀνόματος δείξω σοι τὸν θυμόν μου, καὶ τὰ ἔνδοξά μου ἐπάξω ἐπὶ σὲ, ἵνα μὴ ἐξολοθρεύσω σε.“ ἠναγκάσθημεν δὲ τὰ μὴ ἁρμόζοντα τοῖς ἁπλούστερον πιστεύουσι καὶ δεομένοις τῆς ἁπλουστέρας ἐν λόγοις οἰκονομίας αἰνίξασθαι, ἵνα μὴ δοκῶμεν ἀνεξέλεγκτον ἐᾶν τὴν τοῦ Κέλσου κατηγορίαν, λέγοντος· ἐπειδὰν ὁ θεὸς ὥσπερ μάγειρος ἐπενέγκῃ τὸ πῦρ.
English · Claude translation
See, then, from the very beginning how, slandering with mockery the conflagration of the world that is also introduced by some of the Greeks who have philosophized in no contemptible way, he wishes us to be introducing the doctrine of the conflagration as though we made God a cook. He does not see that, as some of the Greeks thought (perhaps having taken it from the most ancient nation of the Hebrews), fire is brought upon the world as a purifier, and probably also upon each of those who need both punishment and healing through fire: a fire that burns but does not consume those who have no material that needs to be destroyed by that fire, but burns and consumes those who, in the building spoken of figuratively, made of actions and words and thoughts, have built with "wood, hay, or straw." The divine words say that the Lord will come to each of those who need it "like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap," because there has been mixed in with them, as it were, a base molten material from vice; those needing fire, I mean, as it were melting down those mixed with "bronze and tin and lead." Whoever wishes can learn this from the prophet Ezekiel. And that we do not say God brings fire like a cook, but as God the benefactor of those who need toil and fire, the prophet Isaiah too will testify, in whom it is written that it was said to a sinful nation: "Because you have coals of fire, sit upon them; these will be a help to you." But the Word, arranging things suitably for the multitudes who will read Scripture, speaks the grim things with wisdom in a hidden way, to frighten those who cannot otherwise turn from the flood of their sins; yet even so the attentive reader will find indicated the end brought about for those who suffer through grim and painful things. It is enough for the present to cite from Isaiah: "For my name's sake I will show you my anger, and I will bring my glorious things upon you, so that I may not utterly destroy you." We have been compelled to hint at things not suited to those who believe more simply and who need a simpler handling in words, so that we might not seem to leave unrefuted Celsus's accusation when he says: "when God, like a cook, brings on the fire."
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations and allusions are 1 Cor 3:12, Mal 3:2, Ezek 22:18–22, Isa 47:14–15 (LXX), and Isa 48:9–11 (LXX, loosely). The Stoics taught a periodic world-conflagration. Origen's view that the fire heals is his own; he signals that it is not for simple believers.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (misread letters in the digital text): ῾Πσαΐας → Ἡσαΐας.
Cite this passage
Origen, Cels. 5.15 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/5/15/).
Plain text
Origen, Cels. 5.15 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/5/15/).
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