Against Celsus 8.39
Summary: Celsus retorts that Christ's persecutors go unpunished; Origen says the retort fails, since Christians do not mock statues, Christ is God's Word and not a demon, and judgment will come on the incurably wicked in due time.
Greek text · Koetschau 2:253–254
Περιθεὶς δʼ ἡμῖν τοιούτους λόγους καὶ συκοφαντῶν Χριστιανοὺς, οὐ λέγοντας τὰ τοιαῦτα, ἑαυτῷ ἀπολογίαν πορίζειν νομίζει, παίγνιον μᾶλλον ἢ ἀπολογίαν τυγχάνουσαν, ἐν ᾗ φησιν ὡς πρὸς ἡμᾶς· οὐχ ὁρᾷς οὖν, ὦ βέλτιστε, ὅτι καὶ τὸν σὸν δαίμονα καταστάς τις οὐ βλασφημεῖ μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ πάσης γῆς καὶ θαλάσσης ἐκκηρύττει καὶ σὲ τὸν καθωσιωμένον ὥσπερ ἄγαλμα αὐτῷ δήσας ἀπάγει καὶ ἀνασκολοπίζει· καὶ ὁ δαίμων ἢ, ὡς σὺ φῂς, ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ παῖς οὐδὲν αὐτὸν ἀμύνεται; χώραν δʼ εἶχεν ἡ ἀπολογία αὕτη, εἰ τοιούτοις λόγοις, ὁποίους ἡμᾶς ἀνέγραψε λέγοντας, ἐχρώμεθα· καίτοι γε οὐδʼ οὕτως ἀληθῆ ἔλεγε, δαίμονα εἰπὼν τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ. κατὰ μὲν οὖν ἡμᾶς, τοὺς λέγοντας πάντας δαίμονας εἶναι φαύλους, οὐ δαίμων ὁ τοὺς τοσούσδε ἐπιστρέψας πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἀλλὰ θεὸς λόγος καὶ θεοῦ παῖς· κατὰ δὲ Κέλσον, μηδὲν ἐμφήναντα περὶ φαύλων δαιμόνων οὐκ οἶδʼ ὅπως ἐπιλαθόμενον ἑαυτοῦ, δαίμων ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἴρηται. ὕστερον μέντοι γε τὰ λεγόμενα περὶ τῶν ἀσεβῶν φθάσει μετὰ πάντα τὰ φάρμακα, ἅπερ οὐ προσήκαντο, ἐπὶ τοὺς καταλαμβανομένους ἐν τῇ, ὡς ἂν εἴποι τις, ἀνιάτῳ κακίᾳ.
English · Claude translation
Having attributed such words to us and slandered Christians, who do not say such things, he thinks he provides himself with a defence, which is rather a joke than a defence, where he says as though to us: “Do you not see, then, my good man, that someone even stands up to your demon and not only blasphemes him but banishes him from every land and sea, and binds you, who are dedicated to him like a statue, leads you away and impales you; and the demon, or, as you say, the Son of God, does not avenge himself on him at all?” This defence would have had force if we used such words as he recorded us as saying; and even so he would not have spoken the truth in calling the Son of God a demon. On our view, since we say that all demons are wicked, the one who has turned so many to God is not a demon but God the Word and God's Son; but according to Celsus, who has said nothing about wicked demons, Jesus has been called a demon, I do not know how, as though he had forgotten himself. Later, however, what is said about the impious will come, after all the remedies which they did not accept, upon those found in what one might call incurable wickedness.
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Cite this passage
Origen, Cels. 8.39 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/8/39/).
Plain text
Origen, Cels. 8.39 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/8/39/).
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