Testimonia

{"author":null,"backreferences":[{"context_html":"<p class=\"c006\">I do not understand how Celsus should deem it of advantage,\r\nin writing a treatise against us, to adopt an opinion which\r\nrequires at least much plausible reasoning to make it appear,\r\nas far as he can do so, that “the course of mortal things is the\r\nsame from beginning to end, and that the same things must\r\nalways, according to the appointed cycles, recur in the past,\r\n<span class=\"pageno\" id=\"Page_233\">233</span>present, and future.” Now, if this be true, our free-will is\r\nannihilated.<a id=\"r749\"></a><a class=\"c008 pginternal\" href=\"#f749\"><sup>[749]</sup></a> For if, in the revolution of mortal things, the\r\nsame events must perpetually occur in the past, present, and\r\nfuture, according to the appointed cycles, it is clear that, of\r\nnecessity, Socrates will always be a philosopher, and be condemned\r\nfor introducing strange gods and for corrupting the\r\nyouth. And Anytus and Melitus must always be his accusers,\r\nand the council of the Areopagus must ever condemn him to\r\ndeath by hemlock. And in the same way, according to the\r\nappointed cycles, Phalaris must always play the tyrant, and\r\nAlexander of Pheræ commit the same acts of cruelty, and\r\nthose condemned to the [torture of the brazen] bull of Phalaris\r\ncontinually pour forth their wailings from it. But if these\r\nthings be granted, I do not see how our free-will can be preserved,\r\nor how praise or blame can be administered with propriety.\r\nWe may say further to Celsus, in answer to such a\r\nview, that “if the course of mortal things be always the same\r\nfrom beginning to end, and if, according to the appointed\r\ncycles, the same events must always occur in the past, present,\r\nand future,” then, according to the appointed cycles, Moses\r\nmust again come forth from Egypt with the Jewish people,\r\nand Jesus again come to dwell in human life, and perform the\r\nsame actions which, [according to this view], he has done not\r\nonce, but countless times, as the periods have revolved. Nay,\r\nChristians too will be the same in the appointed cycles; and\r\nCelsus will again write this treatise of his, which he has done\r\ninnumerable times before!</p>","headings":["The writings of Origen, Vol. 2 of 2","BOOK IV.","Chapter LXVII."],"marker_anchor":null,"paragraph_id":"pg70693-paragraph-288"}],"canonical_references":[],"date_end":null,"date_start":null,"deduplication_fingerprint":"a6bdfdacfb1acfd92767b7cfc66626af49879ad402f7f4695b95ee6bb5124f47","edition_title":"The writings of Origen, Vol. 2 (of 2)","edition_translators":["Frederick Crombie","W. H. Cairns"],"edition_year":1872,"explicit_reference_candidates":[],"headings":[],"id":"pg70693-f749","license_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html","public_import_allowed":false,"record_kind":"original-editor-translator-note","review_required":["work and recension attribution","original-work chronology","Bible reference numbering and citation kind","English edition rights and attribution"],"review_status":"needs_review","rights_evidence":"Project Gutenberg metadata: Public domain in the USA. Existing 1872 English edition; listed translators died 1889 and 1872. Electronic transcription subject to Project Gutenberg reuse terms.","source_anchor":"f749","source_ebook":70693,"source_html":"<div class=\"footnote\" id=\"f749\">\n<p class=\"c007\"><span class=\"label\"><a class=\"pginternal\" href=\"#r749\">749</a>.  </span><span lang=\"grc\">τὸ ἐφ’ ἡμῖν ἀνῄρηται.</span></p>\n</div>","source_sha256":"76ed9a9fd752c1d5095189e38fe3dcbbea0fd23d6be719db17360e4da14552fa","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/70693/pg70693-images.html#f749","text_sha256":"5cefdf09ddd7e74c0db361244428be543d79778d8a8245decc56ddc23a8cdcca","verified":false,"work_id":null}

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