Against Celsus 6.36
Summary: Origen gives biblical meanings for some of Celsus's phrases, such as death being destroyed and the gates of righteousness, and points out that the tree of life comes from Genesis, not from Jesus' trade.
Greek text · Koetschau 2:105–106
Παυόμενον δὲ ἐν κόσμῳ θάνατον, ὅταν ἀποθάνῃ ἡ τοῦ κόσμου ἁμαρτία, λέγοιμεν ἂν ἡμεῖς τὸ παρὰ τῷ ἀποστόλῳ μυστικὸν διηγούμενοι οὕτως ἔχον· ὅταν δὲ „πάντας τοὺς ἐχθροὺς“ ὑποτάξῃ „ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ“. τότε „ἔσχατος ἐχθρὸς καταργεῖται ὁ θάνατος.“ λέλεκται δὲ καί· „ὅταν τὸ φθαρτὸν τοῦτο ἐνδύσηται ἀφθαρσίαν“, „τότε γενήσεται ὁ λόγος ὁ γεγραμμένος· κατεπόθη ὁ θάνατος εἰς νῖκος.“ κάθοδον δὲ αὖθις στενὴν τάχα οἱ τὴν μετενσωμάτωσιν εἰσάγοντες φήσουσιν. αὐτομάτως δὲ ἀνοιγομένας πύλας λελέχθαι οὐκ ἀπίθανόν ἐστιν ὑπό τινων αἰνισσομένων καὶ διηγουμένων τὸ „ἀνοίξατέ μοι πύλας δικαιοσύνης. ἵνʼ εἰσελθὼν ἐν αὐταῖς ἐξομολογήσωμαι τῷ κυρίῳ· αὕτη ἡ πύλη τοῦ κυρίου. δίκαιοι εἰσελεύσονται ἐν αὐτῇ.“ καὶ πάλιν ἐν ἐνάτῳ ψαλμῷ λέγεται· „ὁ ὑψῶν με ἐκ τῶν πυλῶν τοῦ θανάτου, ὅπως ἂν ἐξαγγείλω πάσας τὰς αἰνέσεις σου ἐν ταῖς πύλαις τῆς θυγατρὸς Σιών.“ πύλας δὲ „θανάτου“ τὰς ἐπὶ τὴν ἀπώλειαν φερούσας ἁμαρτίας φησὶν εἶναι ὁ λόγος, ὥσπερ καὶ „πύλας Σιὼν“ ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου τὰς καλὰς πράξεις· οὕτω δὲ καὶ „πύλας δικαιοσύνης“, ὅπερ ἴσον ἐστὶ τῷ „τὰς πύλας τῆς ἀρετῆς“· αὗται δὲ ἐξ ἑτοίμου ἀνοίγονται τῷ μεταδιώκοντι τὰς κατʼ ἀρετὴν πράξεις. περὶ δὲ τοῦ τῆς ζωῆς ξύλου εὐκαιρότερόν τις διηγήσεται ἑρμηνεύων τὰ περὶ τὸν ἐν τῇ Γενέσει ἀναγεγραμμένον παράδεισον τοῦ θεοῦ φυτευόμενον ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ. πολλάκις μὲν οὖν ἐχλεύασεν ὁ Κέλσος ἣν οὐκ ἐνόησεν ἀνάστασιν· νῦν δʼ οὐκ ἀρκεσθεὶς τοῖς εἰρημένοις φησὶ λέγεσθαι ἀνάστασιν σαρκὸς ἀπὸ ξύλου, παρακούσας οἶμαι τοῦ συμβολικῶς εἰρημένου, ὅτι διὰ ξύλου θάνατος καὶ διὰ ξύλου ζωὴ, θάνατος μὲν κατὰ τὸν Ἀδὰμ ζωὴ δὲ κατὰ τὸν Χριστόν. εἶτα παίζων τὰ περὶ τοῦ ξύλου ἀπὸ δύο τόπων αὐτὸ χλευάζει λέγων διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὸ παραλαμβάνεσθαι, ἤτοι ἐπεὶ σταυρῷ ἐνηλώθη ὁ διδάσκαλος ἡμῶν ἢ ἐπεὶ τέκτων ἦν τὴν τέχνην, οὐχ ὁρῶν ὅτι τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς ἐν τοῖς Μωϋσέως ἀναγέγραπται γράμμασιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ οὐ βλέπων ὅτι οὐδαμοῦ τῶν ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις φερομένων εὐαγγελίων „τέκτων“ αὐτὸς ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀναγέγραπται.
English · Claude translation
As for death ceasing in the world when the sin of the world dies, we might say this ourselves, expounding the mystical saying of the apostle, which runs: when “he has put all enemies under his feet,” then “the last enemy, death, is destroyed.” It is also said: “When this corruptible puts on incorruption,” “then shall come to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory.” A narrow way down again perhaps those who introduce the transmigration of souls will speak of. And it is not unlikely that gates opening of themselves are spoken of by some who interpret figuratively the saying: “Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter by them and give thanks to the Lord; this is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter by it.” And again in the ninth Psalm it is said: “You who lift me up from the gates of death, that I may declare all your praises in the gates of the daughter of Zion.” The word says that the gates “of death” are the sins that lead to destruction, just as, conversely, the “gates of Zion” are good actions; and so also “gates of righteousness,” which is equivalent to “the gates of virtue”; and these are readily opened to the one who pursues virtuous actions. As for the tree of life, someone will discuss it more appropriately when interpreting what is recorded in Genesis about the paradise planted by God. Celsus has often mocked the resurrection, which he did not understand; but now, not content with what he has said, he says that a resurrection of the flesh from the tree is spoken of, having misunderstood, I think, the symbolic saying that through a tree came death and through a tree life: death in Adam, life in Christ. Then, making fun of what concerns the tree, he mocks it from two sides, saying that it is brought in for this reason, either because our teacher was nailed to a cross or because he was a carpenter by trade. He does not see that the tree of life is recorded in the writings of Moses, nor does he notice that nowhere in the Gospels current in the churches is Jesus himself described as a carpenter.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The passages are 1 Cor 15:25–26, 1 Cor 15:54, Ps 118:19–20 (117:19–20 LXX), Ps 9:13–14 (9:14–15 LXX), Gen 2:9, and 1 Cor 15:22. Origen's claim that no Gospel calls Jesus a carpenter reflects his text of Mark 6:3, which apparently read “the son of the carpenter” (as Matt 13:55); most manuscripts of Mark read “the carpenter.”
Cite this passage
Origen, Cels. 6.36 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/6/36/).
Plain text
Origen, Cels. 6.36 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/6/36/).
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