Origen of Alexandria, Against Celsus 48

Origen of Alexandria · c. 185–c. 254 AD

Even if the Jew refuses to defend Ezekiel and Isaiah, we ourselves claim the passages about the heavens opening for Jesus, the voice he heard, and the similar visions recorded in Ezekiel, Isaiah, or any other prophet. We will present our argument with all the force we can muster, arguing that just as many people believe they have experienced dreams — some more divine, some foretelling everyday future events, whether plainly or in riddles — and this is evident to everyone who accepts divine providence, so why should it seem absurd that the ruling faculty of the mind, while dreaming, can shape a vision that proves useful either to the dreamer or to those who hear his report? In the same way, we experience a dream as if we were hearing and seeing with physical ears and eyes, yet neither our bodily hearing nor our sight is actually engaged; rather, it is the ruling faculty that undergoes these impressions. Therefore it is not absurd that such things happened to the prophets, since Scripture records that they saw paradoxical visions, heard the Lord’s words, and beheld heavens opening. For I do not suppose that the physical heaven was literally torn open and Jesus’ body divided so that Ezekiel could write such things. Perhaps, then, we should accept a similar explanation for the Savior as well, even if it offends simpler people who, in their simplicity, disturb the world by tearing apart the unified body of the whole heaven. But the one who examines this more deeply will say that, since there exists a certain divine, generic faculty of perception — which only the blessed discover, as Solomon says, 'You will find divine sense' — and since this faculty has distinct modes: a vision capable of seeing realities superior to bodies, in which the cherubim and seraphim are revealed; a hearing that perceives voices not borne on air; a taste that partakes of living bread come down from heaven giving life to the world; a smell that discerns such things, as Paul says, 'the fragrance of Christ to God' (2 Cor 2:15); and a touch, as John says, 'we have touched with our hands concerning the word of life' (1 John 1:1) — the blessed prophets, having found this divine sense, saw divinely, heard divinely, tasted and smelled divinely, so to speak, and were touched by the Word through faith, so that its outflow came to them and healed them. Thus they saw what they wrote they saw, heard what they said they heard, and underwent similar experiences as they recorded, eating the 'scroll' given to them in a book (Ezek 2:8–3:3). Likewise Isaac 'smelled the smell of his son's garments' and pronounced a spiritual blessing: 'Behold, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed' (Gen 27:27). In a parallel way, Jesus 'touched' the leper to cleanse him — as I think, in two ways: not only removing the sensory leprosy by sensory touch, but also the other leprosy by his truly divine touch. Thus John testified, saying, 'I saw the Spirit descending like a dove from heaven, and it remained on him. I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, "He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit." And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God' (John 1:32–34). And the heavens were opened to Jesus; at that time no one except John is recorded as having seen the heavens opened. But Jesus, foretelling this future event to his disciples, said, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man' (John 1:51). And thus Paul was caught up to the third heaven, having first seen it opened, since he was a disciple of Jesus. To explain now why Paul says, 'Whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows' (2 Cor 12:2–3), is not the present task. I will also add the points that Celsus thinks Jesus himself spoke about the opening of the heavens and the Holy Spirit descending on him in the form of a dove by the Jordan; yet Scripture does not present Jesus as saying he saw this. Celsus did not notice that this does not accord with the command Jesus gave the disciples on the mountain of the vision: 'Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead' (Matt 17:9) — that the things seen and heard by John at the Jordan were told to the disciples. It is evident from Jesus' character everywhere that he avoided self-praise; for this reason he said, 'Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true' (John 5:31). And he avoided self-praise in his works as well, preferring to demonstrate by deeds rather than words that he is the Christ; that is why the Jews said to him, 'If you are the Christ, tell us plainly' (John 10:24). Now since the speaker in Celsus' dialogue who addresses Jesus about the Spirit in the form of a dove is a Jew — saying, 'except that you say and bring along one of your followers' — it is necessary for Celsus to show that this language fits a Jewish character. For the Jews do not connect John with Jesus, nor John's punishment with Jesus' punishment. And so in this Celsus is refuted, he who boasted that he knew everything but did not know what words to put into the mouth of a Jewish character addressing Jesus.

Greek

Εἰ καὶ μὴ ἀπολογήσεται οὖν ὁ Ἰουδαῖος περὶ Ἰεζεκιὴλ καὶ Ἡσαΐου, κοινοποιούντων ἡμῶν τὰ περὶ τῆς ἀνοίξεως τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐπὶ Ἰησοῦ καὶ τῆς ἀκουσθείσης αὐτῷ φωνῆς καὶ τὰ ὅμοια εὑρισκόντων ἐν τῷ Ἰεζεκιὴλ ἀναγεγραμμένα καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἡσαΐᾳ ἢ καί τινι ἄλλῳ προφήτῃ. ἡμεῖς γε τὸν λόγον ὅση δύναμις ἡμῖν παραστήσομεν λέγοντες ὅτι, ὥσπερ ὄναρ πεπίστευται πολλοὺς πεφαντασι ῶσθαι τινὰ μὲν θειότερα τινὰ δὲ περὶ μελλόντων βιωτικῶν ἀναγγέλλοντα εἴτε σαφῶς εἴτε καὶ δι᾿ αἰνιγμάτων, καὶ τοῦτ᾿ ἐναργές ἐστι παρὰ πᾶσι τοῖς παραδεξαμένοις πρόνοιαν, οὕτως τί ἄτοπον τὸ τυποῦν τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν ἐν ὀνείρῳ δύνασθαι αὐτὸ τυποῦν καὶ ὕπαρ πρὸς τὸ χρήσιμον τῷ ἐν ᾧ τυποῦται ἢ τοῖς παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἀκουσομένοις; καὶ ὥσπερ φαντασίαν λαμβάνομεν ὄναρ ἀκούειν καὶ πλήσσεσθαι τὴν αἰσθητὴν ἀκοὴν καὶ ὁρᾶν δι᾿ ὀφθαλμῶν, οὔτε τῶν τοῦ σώματος ὀφθαλμῶν οὔτε τῆς ἀκοῆς πλησσομένης ἀλλὰ τοῦ ἡγεμονικοῦ ταῦτα πάσχοντος, οὕτως οὐδὲν ἄτοπον τοιαῦτα γεγονέναι ἐπὶ τῶν προφητῶν, ὅτε ἀναγέγραπται ἑωρακέναι τινὰ αὐτοὺς παραδοξότερα ἢ ἀκηκοέναι λόγους κυρίου ἢ τεθεωρηκέναι οὐρανοὺς ἀνοιγομένους. ἐγὼ γὰρ οὐχ ὑπολαμβάνω τὸν αἰσθητὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνεῷχθαι καὶ τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ ἀνοιγνύμενον διῃρῆσθαι, ἵνα ἀναγράψῃ τὸ τοιοῦτον Ἰεζεκιήλ. μή ποτ᾿ οὖν καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος τὸν φρονίμως ἀκούοντα τῶν εὐαγγελίων τὸ ὅμοιον ἐκδεκτέον, κἂν προσκόπτῃ τὸ τοιοῦτον τοῖς ἁπλουστέροις, οἳ διὰ πολλὴν ἁπλότητα κινοῦσι τὸν κόσμον, σχίζοντες τὸ τηλικοῦτον σῶμα ἡνωμένον τοῦ παντὸς οὐρανοῦ. ὁ δὲ βαθύτερον τὸ τοιοῦτον ἐξετάζων ἐρεῖ ὅτι οὔσης, ὡς ἡ γραφὴ ὠνόμασε, θείας τινὸς γενικῆς αἰσθήσεως, ἣν μόνος ὁ μακάριος εὑρίσκει ἤδη κατὰ τὸ λεγόμενον καὶ παρὰ τῷ Σολομῶντι· „ὅτι αἴσθησιν θείαν εὑρήσεις,“ καὶ ὄντων εἰδῶν ταύτης τῆς αἰσθήσεως, ὁράσεως πεφυκυίας βλέπειν τὰ κρείττονα σωμάτων πράγματα, ἐν οἷς δηλοῦται τὰ χερουβὶμ ἢ τὰ σεραφὶμ, καὶ ἀκοῆς ἀντιληπτικῆς φωνῶν οὐχὶ ἐν ἀέρι τὴν οὐσίαν ἐχουσῶν, καὶ γεύσεως χρωμένης ἄρτῳ ζῶντι καὶ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καταβεβηκότι καὶ ζωὴν διδόντι τῷ κόσμῳ, οὕτω δὲ καὶ ὀσφρήσεως ὀσφραινομένης τοιῶνδε, καθὸ „Χριστοῦ εὐωδία“ λέγει εἶναι „τῷ θεῷ“ Παῦλος, καὶ ἁφῆς, καθ᾿ ἣν Ἰωάννης φησὶ ταῖς χερσὶν ἐψηλαφηκέναι „περὶ τοῦ λόγου τῆς ζωῆς“· οἱ μακάριοι προφῆται τὴν θείαν αἴσθησιν εὑρόντες καὶ βλέποντες θείως καὶ ἀκούοντες θείως καὶ γευόμενοι ὁμοίως καὶ ὀσφραινόμενοι, ἵν᾿ οὕτως ὀνομάσω, αἰσθήσει οὐκ αἰσθητῇ καὶ ἁπτόμενοι τοῦ λόγου μετὰ πίστεως, ὥστ᾿ ἀποῤῥοὴν αὐτοῦ ἥκειν εἰς αὐτοὺς θεραπεύσουσαν αὐτοὺς, οὕτως ἑώρων ἃ ἀναγράφουσιν ἑωρακέναι καὶ ἤκουον ἃ λέγουσιν ἀκηκοέναι καὶ τὰ παραπλήσια ἔπασχον, ὡς ἀνέγραφον, ἐσθίοντες „κεφαλίδα“ διδομένην αὐτοῖς βιβλίου. οὕτω δὲ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ „ὠσφράνθη τῆς ὀσμῆς τῶν“ τοῦ υἱοῦ θειοτέρων „ἱματίων“ καὶ ἐπεῖπε πνευματικῇ εὐλογίᾳ τό· „ἰδοὺ ὀσμὴ τοῦ υἱοῦ μου ὡς ὀσμὴ ἀγροῦ πλήρους, ὃν εὐλόγησεν ὁ κύριος.“ παραπλησίως δὲ τούτοις καὶ νοητῶς μᾶλλον ἢ αἰσθητῶς Ἰησοῦς „ηψατο“ τοῦ λεπροῦ, ἵν᾿ αὐτὸν καθαρίσῃ, ὡς ἐγὼ οἶμαι, διχῶς, ἀπαλλάττων αὐτὸν οὐ μόνον, ὡς οἱ πολλοὶ ἀκούουσι, λέπρας αἰσθητῆς δι᾿ αἰσθητῆς ἁφῆς ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἄλλης διὰ τῆς ὡς ἀληθῶς θείας αὐτοῦ ἁφῆς, οὕτως οὖν „ἐμαρτύρησεν Ἰωάννης λέγων ὅτι τεθέαμαι τὸ πνεῦμα καταβαῖνον ὡς περιστερὰν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ἔμεινεν ἐπ᾿ αὐτόν. κἀγὼ οὐκ ᾔδειν αὐτὸν, ἀλλ᾿ ὁ πέμψας με βαπτίζειν ἐν τῷ ὕδατι, ἐκεῖνός μοι εἶπεν· ἐφ᾿ ὃν ἂν ἴδῃς τὸ πνεῦμα καταβαῖνον καὶ μένον ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸν, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ βαπτίζων ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ, κἀγὼ ἑώρακα, καὶ μεμαρτύρηκα ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ.“ καὶ τῷ Ἰησοῦ γε ἠνοίχθησαν οἱ οὐρανοί· καὶ τότε μὲν πλὴν Ἰωάννου οὐδεὶς ἀναγέγραπται ἑωρακέναι ἀνοιχθέντας τοὺς οὐρανούς. τοῦτο δὲ τὸ ἀνοιχθῆναι τοὺς οὐρανοὺς προλέγων τοῖς μαθηταῖς ὁ σωτὴρ ἐσόμενον ὀψομένοις αὐτό φησιν· „ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ὄψεσθε τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνεῳγότα καὶ τοὺς ἀγγέλους τοῦ θεοῦ ἀναβαίνοντας καὶ καταβαίνοντας ἐπὶ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου.“ καὶ οὕτως Παῦλος ἡρπάγη εἰς τρίτον οὐρανὸν, πρότερον ἰδὼν αὐτὸν ἀνοιχθέντα, ἐπεὶ μαθητὴς ἦν Ἰησοῦ. διηγήσασθαι δὲ νῦν, διὰ τί ὁ Παῦλος λέγει τό· „εἴτε ἐν σώματι οὐκ οἶδα, εἴτε ἐκτὸς τοῦ σώματος οὐκ οἶδα, ὁ θεὸς οἶδεν,“ οὐ τοῦ παρόντος ἐστὶ καιροῦ. ἔτι δὲ προσθήσω τῷ λόγῳ καὶ αὐτὰ, ἃ οἴεται ὁ Κέλσος, ὅτι αὐτὸς Ἰησοῦς εἶπε τὰ περὶ τὴν ἄνοιξιν τῶν οὐρανῶν καὶ τὸ καταβὰν πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸν (ἐν) εἴδει περιστερᾶς παρὰ τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ· τῆς γραφῆς τοῦτο οὐ παραστησάσης, ὅτι αὐτὸς εἶπε τοῦτο ἑωρακέναι. οὐ συνεῖδε δ᾿ ὁ γενναιότατος ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι κατὰ τὸν εἰπόντα τοῖς μαθηταῖς ἐπὶ τῇ ἐν τῷ ὄρει ὀπτασίᾳ· „μηδενὶ εἴπητε τὸ ὅραμα, ἕως ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστῇ,“ εἰρηκέναι τοῖς μαθηταῖς τὸ παρὰ τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ ὀφθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰωάννου καὶ ἀκουσθέν, ἐνιδεῖν δὲ ἔστι καὶ τῷ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἤθει πανταχοῦ περιϊσταμένου τὴν περιαυτολογίαν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο λέγοντος „κἂν ἐγὼ εἴπω περὶ ἐμαυτοῦ, ἡ μαρτυρία μου οὐκ ἔστιν ἀληθής.“ καὶ ἐπὶ περιΐστατο τὴν περιαυτολογίαν καὶ τοῖς ἔργοις μᾶλλον ἐβούλετο δηλοῦν εἶναι Χριστὸς ἤπερ τῇ λέξει, διὰ τοῦτό φασιν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι πρὸς αὐτόν· „εἰ σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς, εἰπὲ ἡμῖν παῤῥησίᾳ.“ ἐπεὶ δὲ Ἰουδαῖός ἐστιν ὁ παρὰ τῷ Κέλσῳ λέγων τῷ Ἰησοῦ περὶ τῶν κατὰ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἐν εἴδει περιστρᾶς τό· πλὴν ὅτι σὺ φῂς καί τινα ἕνα ἐπάγῃ τῶν μετὰ σοῦ κεκολασμένων, ἀναγκαῖον αὐτῷ παραστῆσαι ὅτι καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ οἰκείως τῷ Ἰουδαϊκῷ προσώπῳ περιέθηκεν. οὐδὲ γὰρ συνάπτουσι τὸν Ἰωάννην οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι τῷ Ἰησοῦ καὶ τὴν Ἰωάννου τῇ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ κολάσει. καὶ ἐν τούτῳ οὖν ἐλέγχεται ὁ πάντ᾿ ἀλαζονευσάμενος εἰδέναι μὴ ἐγνωκὼς, τίνα προσάψῃ ῥήματα τῷ Ἰουδαϊκῷ πρὸς τὸν Ἰησοῦν προσώπῳ.

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