Against Celsus 5.50
Summary: The Jews were once favored and protected by God, as Alexander's homage to the high priest shows; that favor has now passed to Christians, whom Rome cannot destroy because God defends them.
Textual problem in this passage: the printed text is uncertain or disputed here. See the notes.
Greek text · Koetschau 2:54–55
Ἔτι δὲ περὶ Ἰουδαίων ἀποφαινόμενος ὁ Κέλσος φησίν· οὐδʼ εὐδοκιμεῖν παρὰ τῷ θεῷ καὶ στέργεσθαι διαφόρως τι τῶν ἄλλων τούτους εἰκὸς, καὶ πέμπεσθαι μόνοις αὐτοῖς ἐκεῖθεν ἀγγέλους, οἷον δή τινα μακάρων χώραν λαχοῦσιν· ὁρῶμεν γὰρ αὐτοὺς καὶ τὴν χώραν τίνων ἠξίωνται. ἐλέγξομεν οὖν καὶ τοῦτο, λέγοντες ὅτι τὸ εὐδοκιμηκέναι τὸ ἔθνος τοῦτο παρὰ θεῷ δηλοῦται καὶ ἐκ τοῦ τὸν ἐπὶ πᾶσι θεὸν καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων τῆς ἡμετέρας πίστεως Ἑβραίων καλεῖσθαι θεόν. καὶ ὡς εὐδοκιμοῦντές γε ὅσον οὐκ ἐγκατελείποντο, καίτοι γε ὀλίγοι τυγχάνοντες τὸν ἀριθμὸν, διετέλουν φρουρούμενοι ὑπὸ θείας δυνάμεως, ὡς μηδʼ ἐπὶ Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ Μακεδόνος παθεῖν τι αὐτοὺς ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ, καίτοι γε μὴ βουληθέντας διά τινας συνθήκας καὶ ὅρκους ἀναλαμβάνειν ὅπλα κατὰ τοῦ Δαρείου. τότε φασὶ καὶ τὸν Ἰουδαίων ἀρχιερέα ἐνδύντα τὴν ἱερατικὴν στολὴν προσκεκυνῆσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀλεξάνδρου, φάσκοντος ὦφθαι αὐτῷ τούτῳ τῷ σχήματι † ἑωρακέναι τινὰ, ἐπαγγελλόμενον αὐτῷ „κατὰ τοὺς ὕπνους“ ὑποτάξειν τὴν Ἀσίαν ὅλην. ἡμεῖς οὖν οἱ Χριστιανοί φαμεν τὸ μὲν εὐδοκιμεῖν παρὰ τῷ θεῷ καὶ στέργεσθαι διαφόρως τι τῶν ἄλλων πάνυ ἐκείνοις συμβεβηκέναι, ταύτην δὲ τὴν οἰκονομίαν μεταβεβηκέναι καὶ τὴν χάριν ἐφʼ ἡμᾶς, μεταστήσαντος τὴν ἐν Ἰουδαίοις δύναμιν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν πιστεύσαντας (αὐ)τῷ Ἰησοῦ. διὸ πολλὰ βουληθέντες Ῥωμαῖοι κατὰ Χριστιανῶν ἐπὶ τῷ κωλῦσαι αὐτοὺς ἔτι εἶναι οὐ δεδύνηνται· ἦν γὰρ ὑπερμαχοῦσα αὐτῶν θεία χεὶρ καὶ βουλομένη τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ λόγον ἀπὸ μιᾶς τῆς κατὰ τὴν Ἰουδαίαν γῆν γωνίας ἐπισπεῖραι ὅλῳ τῷ γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων.
English · Claude translation
Still pronouncing on the Jews, Celsus says: "Nor is it likely that they are in favour with God and loved in any way differently from others, and that angels are sent from there to them alone, as though they had been allotted some land of the blessed; for we see what sort of fortune both they and their land have been thought worthy of." We will refute this too, saying that this nation's being in favour with God is shown also by the fact that the God over all is called the God of the Hebrews even by those alien to our faith. And, being in favour, as long as they were not forsaken, although they were few in number, they continued to be guarded by divine power, so that not even in the time of Alexander of Macedon did they suffer anything from him, although, because of certain treaties and oaths, they had refused to take up arms against Darius. They say that at that time the high priest of the Jews, having put on his priestly robe, was even bowed to by Alexander, who said that someone in this very dress had appeared to him and promised him "in his sleep" that he would subdue all Asia. We Christians, then, say that being in favour with God and loved in a way different from others did indeed belong to them; but that this dispensation and the grace have passed over to us, since Jesus transferred the power that was among the Jews to those from the nations who believed in him. That is why the Romans, though they have wished to do much against the Christians to prevent their continuing to exist, have not been able to; for a divine hand was fighting for them, wishing to sow the Word of God from one corner of the land of Judaea among the whole human race.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The story of Alexander and the high priest is told by Josephus, Antiquities 11.329–336. The text is corrupt at the dagger (†): ὦφθαι αὐτῷ ("had appeared to him") is followed by ἑωρακέναι τινὰ ("had seen someone"), probably a doublet or the remnant of a lost phrase; the translation gives the sense, which is clear. The parenthetical (αὐ)τῷ is the editor's supplement.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (misspelling in the digital text): δυνάμενως → δυνάμεως.
Cite this passage
Origen, Cels. 5.50 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/5/50/).
Plain text
Origen, Cels. 5.50 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/5/50/).
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