Testimonia

{"author":null,"backreferences":[{"context_html":"<p class=\"c005\">But let us see the manner in which this Celsus, who professes\r\nto know everything, brings a false accusation against\r\nthe Jews, when he alleges that “they worship angels, and\r\nare addicted to sorcery, in which Moses was their instructor.”\r\nNow, in what part of the writings of Moses he\r\nfound the lawgiver laying down the worship of angels, let\r\nhim tell, who professes to know all about Christianity and\r\nJudaism; and let him show also how sorcery can exist\r\namong those who have accepted the Mosaic law, and read\r\nthe injunction, “Neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by\r\nthem.”<a id=\"r1166\"></a><a class=\"c007 pginternal\" href=\"#f1166\"><sup>[1166]</sup></a> Moreover, he promises to show afterwards “how it\r\nwas through ignorance that the Jews were deceived and led\r\ninto error.” Now, if he had discovered that the ignorance\r\nof the Jews regarding Christ was the effect of their not\r\nhaving heard the prophecies about Him, he would show\r\nwith truth how the Jews fell into error. But without any\r\nwish whatever that this should appear, he views as Jewish\r\nerrors what are no errors at all. And Celsus having promised\r\nto make us acquainted, in a subsequent part of his\r\nwork, with the doctrines of Judaism, proceeds in the first\r\nplace to speak of our Saviour as having been the leader of\r\nour generation, in so far as we are Christians,<a id=\"r1167\"></a><a class=\"c007 pginternal\" href=\"#f1167\"><sup>[1167]</sup></a> and says that\r\n“a few years ago he began to teach this doctrine, being\r\nregarded by Christians as the Son of God.” Now, with\r\nrespect to this point—His prior existence a few years ago—we\r\nhave to remark as follows. Could it have come to pass\r\nwithout divine assistance, that Jesus, desiring during these\r\nyears to spread abroad His words and teaching, should have\r\n<span class=\"pageno\" id=\"Page_425\">425</span>been so successful, that everywhere throughout the world,\r\nnot a few persons, Greeks as well as Barbarians, learned as\r\nwell as ignorant, adopted His doctrine, so that they struggled\r\neven to death in its defence, rather than deny it, which no\r\none is ever related to have done for any other system? I\r\nindeed, from no wish to flatter<a id=\"r1168\"></a><a class=\"c007 pginternal\" href=\"#f1168\"><sup>[1168]</sup></a> Christianity, but from a\r\ndesire thoroughly to examine the facts, would say that even\r\nthose who are engaged in the healing of numbers of sick\r\npersons, do not attain their object—the cure of the body—without\r\ndivine help; and if one were to succeed in\r\ndelivering souls from a flood of wickedness, and excesses,\r\nand acts of injustice, and from a contempt of God, and\r\nwere to show, as evidence of such a result, one hundred\r\npersons improved in their natures (let us suppose the number\r\nto be so large), no one would reasonably say that it was\r\nwithout divine assistance that he had implanted in those\r\nhundred individuals a doctrine capable of removing so many\r\nevils. And if any one, on a candid consideration of these\r\nthings, shall admit that no improvement ever takes place\r\namong men without divine help, how much more confidently\r\nshall he make the same assertion regarding Jesus, when he\r\ncompares the former lives of many converts to His doctrine\r\nwith their after conduct, and reflects in what acts of licentiousness\r\nand injustice and covetousness they formerly indulged,\r\nuntil, as Celsus, and they who think with him,\r\nallege, “they were deceived,” and accepted a doctrine which,\r\nas these individuals assert, is destructive of the life of men;\r\nbut who, from the time that they adopted it, have become in\r\nsome way meeker, and more religious, and more consistent,\r\nso that certain among them, from a desire of exceeding\r\nchastity, and a wish to worship God with greater purity,\r\nabstain even from the permitted indulgences of [lawful] love.</p>","headings":["The Writings of Origen, Vol. 1 of 2","ORIGEN CONTRA CELSUM.","ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS. BOOK I.","Chapter XXVI."],"marker_anchor":null,"paragraph_id":"pg70561-paragraph-424"}],"canonical_references":[],"date_end":null,"date_start":null,"deduplication_fingerprint":"f010cd46b8b438ba5239107a3fba810d7c65f92b27c18dfb6a838c17109b20f1","edition_title":"The writings of Origen, Vol. 1 (of 2)","edition_translators":["Frederick Crombie"],"edition_year":1869,"explicit_reference_candidates":[],"headings":[],"id":"pg70561-f1167","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 1869 English translation; translator died 1889. Electronic transcription subject to Project Gutenberg reuse terms.","source_anchor":"f1167","source_ebook":70561,"source_html":"<div class=\"footnote\" id=\"f1167\">\n<p class=\"c006\"><span class=\"label\"><a class=\"pginternal\" href=\"#r1167\">1167</a>.  </span><span lang=\"grc\">Ὡς γενομένου ἡγεμόνος τῇ καθὸ Χριστιανοί ἐσμεν γενέσει ἡμῶν.</span></p>\n</div>","source_sha256":"de125e213d16053354f22b34a1c8d477ac23f201e660e4f4841b2ed7e05bb367","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/70561/pg70561-images.html#f1167","text_sha256":"6db234f8c5b4636c3f4217b6b91070ea8ad55f7291fafe54969ab885a8619daf","verified":false,"work_id":null}

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