Against Celsus 6.65
Summary: Origen qualifies Celsus's claims that God cannot be reached by reason or named: God is known through the divine Word, and though no name captures him, words can point toward him.
Greek text · Koetschau 2:135–136
Ὁ μὲν οὖν Κέλσος περὶ θεοῦ φησιν ὅτι ἐξ αὐτοῦ τὰ πάντα, ἀπολύσας οὐκ οἶδʼ ὅπως τὰ πάντα αὐτοῦ· ὁ δʼ ἡμέτερος Παῦλος „ἐξ αὐτοῦ“ λέγει „καὶ διʼ αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν τὰ πάντα, “ παριστὰς τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς τῶν πάντων ὑποστάσεως ἐν τῷ „ἐξ αὐτοῦ“ καὶ τὴν συνοχὴν ἐν τῷ „διʼ αὐτοῦ“ καὶ τὸ τέλος ἐν τῷ „εἰς αὐτόν.“ ἀληθῶς δὲ ἐξ οὐδενὸς ὁ θεός. ἐπεὶ δέ φησιν ὅτι οὐδὲ λόγῳ ἐφικτὸς, διαστέλλομαι τὸ σημαινόμενον καί φημι· εἰ μὲν λόγῳ τῷ ἐν ἡμῖν, εἴτε ἐνδιαθέτῳ εἴτε καὶ προφορικῷ, καὶ ἡμεῖς φήσομεν ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἐφικτὸς τῷ λόγῳ ὁ θεός· εἰ δὲ νοήσαντες τὸ „ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος“ ἀποφαινόμεθα ὅτι τούτῳ τῷ λόγῳ ἐφικτός ἐστιν ὁ θεὸς, οὐ μόνῳ αὐτῷ καταλαμβανόμενος ἀλλὰ καὶ ᾧ ἂν αὐτὸς ἀποκαλύψῃ τὸν πατέρα, ψευδοποιήσομεν τὴν Κέλσου λέξιν φάσκοντος· οὐδὲ λόγῳ ἐφικτός ἐστιν ὁ θεός. καὶ τὸ οὐκ ὀνομαστὸς δὲ διαστολῆς δεῖται. εἰ μὲν γὰρ, ὅτι οὐδὲν τῶν ἐν λέξεσι καὶ σημαινομένοις δύναται παραστῆσαι τὰς ἰδιότητας τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀληθές ἐστι τὸ λεγόμενον, εἴ γε καὶ πολλαὶ ποιότητες οὐκ εἰσὶν ὀνομασταί. τίς γὰρ δύναται ὀνόμασι διαφορὰν δοῦναι ποιότητος γλυκύτητος φοίνικος καὶ γλυκύτητος ἰσχάδος; τίς δὲ ὀνόματι δύναται διαστείλασθαι καὶ παραστῆσαι τὴν ἑκάστου ἰδίαν ποιότητα; οὐδὲν οὖν θαυμαστὸν, εἰ οὐκ ἔστιν οὕτως ὀνομαστὸς ὁ θεός. εἰ δὲ τὸ ὀνομαστὸν λαμβάνεις καθὸ οἷόν τε ἐστὶν ὀνόμασι παραστῆσαί τι τῶν περὶ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ χειραγωγῆσαι τὸν ἀκροατὴν καὶ ποιῆσαι νοῆσαι περὶ θεοῦ κατὰ τὸ ἐφικτὸν τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ φύσει τινὰ τῶν περὶ αὐτοῦ, οὐδὲν ἄτοπον λέγειν αὐτὸν ὀνομαστόν. οὕτω δὲ διαστελούμεθα καὶ τὸ οὐδὲν γὰρ πέπονθεν ὀνόματι καταληπτόν. ἀληθὲς δὲ καὶ τὸ ἔξω παντὸς πάθους εἶναι τὸν θεόν. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ταύτῃ.
English · Claude translation
Celsus, then, says of God that all things come from him, having detached, I do not know how, “all things” from him. But our Paul says: “From him and through him and to him are all things,” showing the beginning of the existence of all things in “from him,” their holding together in “through him,” and their end in “to him.” And truly God himself is derived from nothing. And since Celsus says, Nor is he attainable by reason, I distinguish the meaning and say: if he means by the reason within us, whether the inward or the spoken word, we too will say that God is not attainable by reason. But if, understanding “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” we declare that God is attainable by this Word, being comprehended not by him alone but also by anyone to whom he reveals the Father, we shall prove false Celsus's saying, Nor is God attainable by reason. The words He is not nameable also need distinguishing. If it means that nothing in words and meanings can express the properties of God, the statement is true, since even many qualities cannot be named. For who can express by names the difference between the quality of sweetness of a date and the sweetness of a dried fig? Who can distinguish by a name and represent the particular quality of each? It is not surprising, then, if God is not nameable in this sense. But if you take nameable to mean that it is possible to represent something about him by names, so as to lead the hearer by the hand and make him understand some things about God so far as is attainable by human nature, there is nothing absurd in saying he is nameable. In the same way we shall distinguish the words For he has experienced nothing that can be grasped by a name. It is true too that God is beyond all passion. So much for this.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The passages are Rom 11:36, John 1:1, and Matt 11:27. The short phrases “all things come from him,” “nor is he attainable by reason,” “he is not nameable,” and “he has experienced nothing that can be grasped by a name” are Celsus's. Logos plays on “reason” and “the Word.”
Cite this passage
Origen, Cels. 6.65 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/6/65/).
Plain text
Origen, Cels. 6.65 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/6/65/).
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