Reading Scripture: Types and Figures
Origen of Alexandria, Against Celsus 43
He goes on to claim that we mock those who worship Zeus, because a tomb of his is displayed in Crete, and that we show no less reverence for the one who came from that tomb — all without understanding how or why the Cretans act as they do. In these remarks he is actually defending the Cretans, Zeus, and the tomb itself, appealing to allegorical meanings by which the myth about Zeus is said to have been invented; at the same time he accuses us, even though we acknowledge that our Jesus was buried and also affirm that he rose from the tomb — a claim the Cretans no longer make about Zeus.
Since he appears to be arguing for the Cretan tomb of Zeus on the grounds that we do not know how or that the Cretans do such things, we will point out that even the Cyrenaean Callimachus, who read countless poems and examined nearly all of Greek history, found no allegorical interpretation in the traditions concerning Zeus and his tomb. Consequently, he also rebukes the Cretans in the hymn he wrote to Zeus, declaring: "Cretans are always liars; for they built a tomb for you, Lord, but you did not die, for you are eternal." The one who said "you did not die, for you are eternal" thereby denied the burial of Zeus in Crete and asserted that the beginning of death occurred with Zeus. But the beginning of death is earthly birth; he puts it this way: "On Parrhasia, Rhea bore you, having lain with him." He ought to have seen that, since he denied the birth of Zeus in Crete because of the tomb there, it followed from the Arcadian birth that the one born must also die. Callimachus says the same sort of thing on these matters: "Zeus, they say you were born in the mountains of Ida, Zeus, and they say you were born in Arcadia; which ones, Father, lied? Cretans are always liars" — and so on.
It was Celsus who brought us to these points. He is ignorant about Jesus, and while he accepts the written accounts that Jesus died and was buried, he treats the resurrection as a fabrication — despite myriads of prophets who foretold it and many signs of his appearance after death.
Greek
Μετὰ ταῦτα λέγει περὶ ἡμῶν ὅτι καταγελῶμεν τῶν προσκυνούντων τὸν Δία, ἐπεὶ τάφος αὐτοῦ ἐν Κρήτῃ δείκνυται, καὶ οὐδὲν ἧττον σέβομεν τὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ τάφου. οὐκ εἰδότες, πῶς καὶ καθὸ Κρῆτες τὸ τοιοῦτον ποιοῦσιν. ὅρα οὖν ὅτι ἐν τούτοις ἀπολογεῖται μὲν περὶ Κρητῶν καὶ τοῦ Διὸς καὶ τοῦ τάφου αὐτοῦ. αἰνιττόμενος τροπικὰς ὑπονοίας, καθ᾿ ἃς πεπλάσθαι λέγεται ὁ περὶ τοῦ Διὸς μῦθος· ἡμῶν δὲ κατηγορεῖ, ὁμολογούντων μὲν τετάφθαι τὸν ἡμέτερον Ἰησοῦν φασκόντων δὲ καὶ ἐγηγέρθαι αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ τάφου, ὅπερ Κρῆτες οὐκέτι περὶ τοῦ Διὸς ἱστοροῦσιν. ἐπεὶ δὲ δοκεῖ συναγορεύειν τῷ ἐν Κρήτῃ τάφῳ τοῦ Διὸς λέγων· ὅπως μὲν καὶ καθότι Κρῆτες τοῦτο ποιοῦσιν, οὐκ εἰδότες, φήσομεν ὅτι καὶ ὁ Κυρηναῖος Καλλίμαχος, πλεῖστα ὅσα ἀναγνοὺς ποιήματα καὶ ἱστορίαν σχεδὸν πᾶσαν ἀναλεξάμενος Ἑλληνικὴν, οὐδεμίαν οἶδε τροπολογίαν ἐν τοῖς περὶ Διὸς καὶ τοῦ τάφου αὐτοῦ. διὸ καὶ ἐγκαλεῖ τοῖς Κρησὶν ἐν τῷ εἰς τὸν Δία γραφέντι αὐτῷ ὕμνῳ λέγων· Κρῆτες ἀεὶ ψεῦσται· καὶ γὰρ τάφον, ὦ ἄνα. σεῖο Κρῆτες ἐτεκτήναντο· σὺ δ᾿ οὐ θάνες. ἐσσὶ γὰρ αἰεί. καὶ ὁ εἰπὼν „σὺ δ᾿ οὐ θάνες, ἐσσὶ γὰρ αἰεὶ.“ ἀρνησάμενος τὴν ἐν Κρήτῃ ταφὴν τοῦ Διὸς, τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ θανάτου ἱστορεῖ γεγονέναι περὶ τὸν Δία. ἀρχὴ δὲ θανάτου ἡ ἐπὶ γῆς γένεσις· λέγει δὲ οὕτως· ἐν δέ σε Παῤῥασίοις Ῥείη τέκεν εὐνηθεῖσα. ἐχρῆν δ᾿ αὐτὸν, ὡς ἠρνήσατο τὴν ἐν Κρήτῃ γένεσιν τοῦ Διὸς διὰ τὸν τάφον αὐτοῦ, ὁρᾶν ὅτι ἠκολούθει τῇ ἐν Ἀρκαδίᾳ γενέσει αὐτοῦ τὸ καὶ ἀποθανεῖν τὸν γεγεννημένον. τοιαῦτα δὲ καὶ περὶ τούτων λέγει ὁ Καλλίμαχος· Ζεῦ. σὲ μὲν Ἰδαίοισιν ἐν οὔρεσί φασι γενέσθαι, Ζεῦ, σὲ δ᾿ ἐν Ἀρκαδίῃ· πότεροι, πάτερ, ἐψεύσαντο; Κρῆτες ἀεὶ ψεῦσται· καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. εἰς ταῦτα δ᾿ ἡμᾶς ἤγαγεν ὁ Κέλσος. ἀγνωμονῶν περὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ καὶ συγκατατιθέμενος μὲν τοῖς γεγραμμένοις, ὅτι ἀπέθανε καὶ ἐτάφη, πλάσμα δ᾿ ἡγούμενος εἶναι ὅτι καὶ ἀνέστη ἀπὸ τῶν νεκρῶν, καὶ ταῦτα μυρίων προφητῶν καὶ τοῦτο προειρηκότων καὶ πολλῶν ὄντων σημείων τῆς μετὰ θάνατον ἐπιφανείας αὐτοῦ.