Against Celsus 8.62
Summary: Celsus finally admits that oracles are works of earthly demons bound to blood and incense, as Christians said; Christians would rather be sick and unfortunate with a pure conscience than healthy through serving demons.
Greek text · Koetschau 2:277–278
Πολλὰ δὲ Κέλσος ἐν τοῖς πρὸ τούτων εἰπὼν. μέχρι χρηστηρίων καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ μαντεῖα αὐτῶν ἀναπέμψας ἡμᾶς ὡς θεῶν. νῦν κρεῖττον πεποίηκεν ὁμολογήσας ὅτι οἱ μέλλουσαν τύχην ἀνθρώπῳ καὶ πόλει προλέγοντες καὶ ὅσοι περὶ τὰς θνητὰς πράξεις περίγειοι δαίμονές εἰσι, γενέσει συντετηκότες καὶ προσηλωμένοι αἵματι καὶ κνίσσῃ καὶ μελῳδίαις καὶ ἄλλοις τισὶ τοιούτοις προσδεδεμένοι, κρεῖττον τούτων οὐδὲν δυνάμενοι. καὶ εἰκὸς ὅτι. ἡνίκα ἱστάμεθα πρὸς Κέλσον, θεολογοῦντα τὰ χρηστήρια καὶ τὰς παρὰ τοῖς νομιζομένοις θεοῖς θεραπείας, ἀσεβεῖς τις ἡμᾶς ὑπελάμβανε, τοὺς λέγοντας δαιμόνων εἶναι ταῦτʼ ἔργα. κατασπώντων εἰς τὰ γενέσεως πράγματα τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ψυχάς· ἀλλὰ νῦν ὁ ἐκεῖνα περὶ ἡμῶν ὑπολαβὼν πειθέσθω καλῶς λεγομένοις τοῖς ὑπὸ Χριστιανῶν καταγγελλομένοις, ὁρῶν ὅτι καὶ ὁ κατὰ Χριστιανῶν γράφων ταῦτα νῦν ἐπὶ τέλει ὡσπερεὶ νικώμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ τῆς ἀληθείας πνεύματος ἀνέγραψε. κἂν λέγῃ οὖν Κέλσος τούτοις ἀφοσιωτέον, ἐφʼ ὅσον συμφέρει, πάντῃ γὰρ τοῦτο ποιεῖν οὐχ αἱρεῖ λόγος· οὐκ ἀφοσιωτέον δαιμονίοις. συντετηκόσι κνίσσαις καὶ αἵμασιν, οὔτε τὸ θεῖον ὅσον ἐφʼ ἡμῖν μολυντέον, κατάγουσιν αὐτὸ ἐπὶ μοχθηροὺς δαίμονας. εἰ δʼ ἠκριβώκει Κέλσος τὴν τοῦ συμφέροντος ἔννοιαν καὶ ἑωράκει ὅτι τὸ κυρίως συμφέρον ἀρετή ἐστι καὶ ἡ κατʼ ἀρετὴν πρᾶξις, οὐκ ἂν τὸ ἐφʼ ὅσον συμφέρει ἔταξεν ἐπὶ τῶν τοιῶνδε καὶ, ὡς αὐτὸς ὡμολόγησε, δαιμόνων. ἡμεῖς οὖν αἱρούμεθα. εἰ μέλλει διὰ θεραπείας τοιούτων δαιμόνων ἡ ὑγίεια ἡμῖν παραγίνεσθαι καὶ ἡ ἐν βιωτικοῖς εὐτυχία, νοσεῖν μᾶλλον καὶ ἐν βιωτικοῖς δυστυχεῖν μετὰ συνειδότος τοῦ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν τῶν ὅλων καθαρῶς εὐσεβοῦς, ἤπερ μετὰ τοῦ σχίζεσθαι καὶ ἀποπίπτειν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἐσχάτως νοσεῖν καὶ κακοδαιμονεῖν ὑγιαίνειν τῷ σώματι καὶ ἐν βιωτικοῖς ἀπαλλάσσειν εὐτυχέστερον· καὶ τῷ ἀπροσδεεῖ γε παντὸς οὑτινοσοῦν πλὴν τῆς ἀνθρώπων σωτηρίας καὶ παντὸς λογικοῦ προσελθετέον. ἢ τοῖς χρῄζουσι κνίσσης καὶ αἵματος.
English · Claude translation
Celsus, having said much before this, even referring us to oracles and their divinations as those of gods, has now done better in admitting that those who foretell future fortune to a man or a city, and all that concern mortal affairs, are earthly demons, absorbed in generation, riveted to blood and the savour of fat and melodies and bound to other such things, able to do nothing better than these. And it is likely that, when we opposed Celsus, who spoke of the oracles and of the worship paid to those considered gods as divine, someone supposed us impious for saying that these are works of demons drawing down the souls of men to the things of generation; but now let whoever supposed this of us be persuaded by what Christians proclaim well, seeing that even the one writing these things against Christians has now at the end written them as though overcome by the spirit of truth. Even if Celsus says, then, “One must perform these rites as far as it is expedient, for reason does not choose to do this altogether,” we must not perform rites to demons absorbed in the savour of fat and blood, nor must we defile the divine, as far as lies in us, by bringing it down to wicked demons. If Celsus had examined exactly the notion of what is expedient, and had seen that what is properly expedient is virtue and action according to virtue, he would not have set “as far as it is expedient” in connection with such beings, and demons at that, as he himself admitted. We, then, choose, if health and prosperity in the affairs of life are to come to us through the service of such demons, rather to be sick and unfortunate in the affairs of life with a conscience purely pious toward the God of the universe, than to be healthy in body and fare more prosperously in the affairs of life while being divided and falling away from God and being utterly sick in soul and wretched. And we must draw near to him who lacks nothing whatever except the salvation of men and of every rational being, rather than to those who need the savour of fat and blood.
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Origen, Cels. 8.62 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/8/62/).
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Origen, Cels. 8.62 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-celsum/8/62/).
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