{"author":null,"backreferences":[{"context_html":"<p class=\"c006\">But Celsus challenges the account also that an angel rolled\r\naway the stone from the sepulchre where the body of Jesus\r\nlay, acting like a lad at school, who should bring a charge\r\nagainst any one by help of a string of commonplaces. And, as if\r\nhe had discovered some clever objection to the narrative, he remarks:\r\n“The Son of God, then, it appears, could not open his\r\n<span class=\"pageno\" id=\"Page_328\">328</span>tomb, but required the aid of another to roll away the stone.”\r\nNow, not to overdo the discussion of this matter, or to have the\r\nappearance of unreasonably introducing philosophical remarks,\r\nby explaining the figurative meaning at present, I shall simply\r\nsay of the narrative alone, that it does appear in itself a more\r\nrespectful proceeding, that the servant and inferior should have\r\nrolled away the stone, than that such an act should have been\r\nperformed by Him whose resurrection was to be for the advantage\r\nof mankind. I do not speak of the desire of those who\r\nconspired against the Word, and who wished to put Him to death,\r\nand to show to all men that He <i>was</i> dead and non-existent,<a id=\"r1011\"></a><a class=\"c008 pginternal\" href=\"#f1011\"><sup>[1011]</sup></a>\r\nthat His tomb should not be opened, in order that no one might\r\nbehold the Word alive after their conspiracy; but the “Angel\r\nof God” who came into the world for the salvation of men,\r\nwith the help of another angel, proved more powerful than\r\nthe conspirators, and rolled away the weighty stone, that those\r\nwho deemed the Word to be dead might be convinced that He\r\nis not with the “departed,” but is alive, and precedes those who\r\nare willing to follow Him, that He may manifest to them those\r\ntruths which come after those which He formerly showed them\r\nat the time of their first entrance [into the school of Christianity],\r\nwhen they were as yet incapable of receiving deeper\r\ninstruction. In the next place, I do not understand what\r\nadvantage he thinks will accrue to his purpose when he ridicules\r\nthe account of “the angel’s visit to Joseph regarding the\r\npregnancy of Mary;” and again, that of the angel to warn\r\nthe parents “to take up the new-born child, whose life was\r\nin danger, and to flee with it into Egypt.” Concerning these\r\nmatters, however, we have in the preceding pages answered\r\nhis statements. But what does Celsus mean by saying, that\r\n“according to the Scriptures, angels are recorded to have been\r\nsent to Moses, and others as well?” For it appears to me to\r\ncontribute nothing to his purpose, and especially because none\r\nof them made any effort to accomplish, as far as in his power,\r\nthe conversion of the human race from their sins. Let it be\r\ngranted, however, that other angels were sent from God, but\r\nthat he came to announce something of greater importance\r\n[than any others who preceded him]; and when the Jews had\r\n<span class=\"pageno\" id=\"Page_329\">329</span>fallen into sin, and corrupted their religion, and had done\r\nunholy deeds, transferred the kingdom of God to other\r\nhusbandmen, who in all the churches take special care of\r\nthemselves,<a id=\"r1012\"></a><a class=\"c008 pginternal\" href=\"#f1012\"><sup>[1012]</sup></a> and use every endeavour by means of a holy life,\r\nand by a doctrine conformable thereto, to win over to the God\r\nof all things those who would rush away from the teaching of\r\nJesus.<a id=\"r1013\"></a><a class=\"c008 pginternal\" href=\"#f1013\"><sup>[1013]</sup></a></p>","headings":["The writings of Origen, Vol. 2 of 2","BOOK V.","Chapter LVIII."],"marker_anchor":null,"paragraph_id":"pg70693-paragraph-386"}],"canonical_references":[],"date_end":null,"date_start":null,"deduplication_fingerprint":"7f8da9b8bb35ece07158bb2319036c12904536ca620ef4dc3c7b2114b9f6c1e1","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-f1011","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":"f1011","source_ebook":70693,"source_html":"<div class=\"footnote\" id=\"f1011\">\n<p class=\"c007\"><span class=\"label\"><a class=\"pginternal\" href=\"#r1011\">1011</a>. </span><span lang=\"grc\">καὶ τὸ μηδὲν τυγχάνοντα.</span></p>\n</div>","source_sha256":"76ed9a9fd752c1d5095189e38fe3dcbbea0fd23d6be719db17360e4da14552fa","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/70693/pg70693-images.html#f1011","text_sha256":"001adf13c3cc334357ed2958d9233660db1578f44b37822172f7756410543dd4","verified":false,"work_id":null}