Judgment and the Second Coming
Origen of Alexandria, Against Celsus 6.79
Therefore, there was no need for many bodies to exist everywhere and for many spirits analogous to Jesus so that the entire human world might be enlightened by the word of God; one word was enough, rising like the 'sun of righteousness' (Malachi 4:2) to send forth its rays from Judea ahead of itself to the souls of those willing to receive it. But if anyone longs to see many bodies filled with the divine Spirit, serving analogously to that one Christ for the salvation of people everywhere, let him observe those who teach the word of Jesus everywhere in a healthy and upright way—people who are themselves called 'Christs' by the divine Scriptures, as it says, 'Do not touch my Christs, and do not harm my prophets' (Psalm 105:15). And just as we have heard that 'the antichrist is coming' (1 John 2:18) and have also learned that 'many antichrists' are in the world (1 John 2:22), so too, knowing that Christ has appeared, we see that many have become Christs in the world—those who have loved 'righteousness and' hated 'lawlessness' (Psalm 45:7); and for this reason 'God, the God' of Christ 'has anointed them with the oil of joy' (Psalm 45:7). But Christ himself, having loved 'righteousness and' hated 'lawlessness' on behalf of 'his companions' (Psalm 45:7), received the firstfruits of the anointing, and, if one may speak this way, the whole anointing of the 'oil of joy.' His companions, each according to their capacity, have shared in his anointing as well. Therefore, since Christ is the 'head' of the 'church' (Ephesians 5:23), so that Christ and the church are one body, the 'ointment on the head' (Psalm 133:2) has flowed down 'to the beard'—the symbol of the perfect man Aaron—and has reached 'flowing down' to 'the hem of his garment' (Psalm 133:2). I have said all this in response to the shameless claim of Celsus, who insisted that many similar bodies should have been sent out to fill the whole world. The comedian mocks Zeus by portraying him asleep, then waking and sending Hermes to the Greeks; but the Word, knowing the ever-wakeful nature of God, teaches us that God orders the world's affairs at the proper times, as reason requires. It is not surprising, then, if the 'uneducated' souls are led astray by the magnitude and inscrutability of God's judgments, and Celsus along with them. Consequently, it is not laughable that the Son of God was sent to the Jews—among whom the prophets were born—so that from there he might rise bodily with power and spiritually, shining upon the world of souls that no longer wished to remain deserted by God.
Greek
Διὸ καὶ χρεία οὐκ ἦν πολλὰ γενέσθαι πανταχοῦ σώματα καὶ πολλὰ ἀνάλογον τῷ Ἰησοῦ πνεύματα, ἵν᾿ ἡ πᾶσα τῶν ἀνθρώπων οἰκουμένη φωτισθῇ τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ θεοῦ. ἤρκει γὰρ ὁ εἷς λόγος, ὡς „δικαιοσύνης ἥλιος“ ἀνατείλας, ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἐκπέμψαι τὰς ἐπὶ τὴν ψυχὴν τῶν βουλομένων αὐτὸν παραδέξασθαι φθανούσας αὐγάς. εἰ δὲ καὶ πολλά τις ποθεῖ σώματα πεπληρωμένα θείου πνεύματος ἰδεῖν, ἀνάλογον ἐκείνῳ τῷ ἑνὶ Χριστῷ διακονούμενα τῇ πανταχοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων σωτηρίᾳ, κατανοείτω τοὺς πανταχοῦ ὑγιῶς καὶ μετὰ βίου ὀρθοῦ διδάσκοντας τὸν Ἰησοῦ λόγον, Χριστοὺς καὶ αὐτοὺς ὑπὸ τῶν θείων γραφῶν καλουμένους ἐν τῷ „μὴ ἅπτεσθε τῶν Χριστῶν μου, καὶ ἐν τοῖς προφήταις μου μὴ πονηρεύεσθε.“ καὶ γὰρ ὥσπερ ἠκούσαμεν „ὅτι ἀντίχριστος ἔρχεται,“ καὶ οὐδὲν ἧττον μεμαθήκαμεν ὅτι „ἀντίχριστοι πολλοί“ εἰσιν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ· τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ὅτι Χριστὸς ἐπιδεδήμηκε γνόντες θεωροῦμεν ὅτι δι᾿ αὐτὸν πολλοὶ Χριστοὶ γεγόνασιν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, οἵτινες ἀνάλογον ἐκείνῳ ἠγάπησαν „δικαιοσύνην καὶ“ ἐμίσησαν „ἀδικίαν· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἔχρισε“ καὶ αὐτοὺς „ὁ θεὸς, ὁ θεὸς“ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, „ἐλαίῳ ἀγαλλιάσεως.“ ἀλλ᾿ ἐκεῖνος μὲν οὖν ὑπὲρ „τοὺς μετόχους“ αὐτοῦ ἀγαπήσας „δικαιοσύνην καὶ“ μισήσας „ἀνομίαν“ καὶ τὴν ἀπαρχὴν εἴληφε τοῦ χρίσματος καὶ, εἰ χρὴ οὕτως ὀνομάσαι, ὅλον τὸ χρῖσμα τοῦ τῆς „ἀγαλλιάσεως“ ἐλαίου· οἱ δὲ μέτοχοι αὐτοῦ, ἕκαστος ὡς κεχώρηκε, μετέσχον καὶ τοῦ χρίσματος αὐτοῦ. διόπερ, ἐπεὶ Χριστὸς „κεφαλή“ ἐστι „τῆς ἐκκλησίας,“ ὡς εἶναι ἓν σῶμα Χριστὸν καὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, τὸ „μύρον ἐπὶ κεφαλῆς“ καταβέβηκεν „ἐπὶ τὸν πώγωνα,“ τὰ σύμβολα τοῦ τελείου ἀνδρὸς „Ἀαρὼν,“ καὶ ἔφθασε „καταβαῖνον“ τοῦτο τὸ „μύρον“ „ἐπὶ τὴν ὤαν τοῦ ἐνδύματος αὐτοῦ.“ καὶ ταῦτα δέ μοι λέλεκται πρὸς τὸν ἄσεμνον τοῦ Κέλσου λόγον εἰπόντος· δέον πολλὰ ὁμοίως διαφυσῆσαι σώματα καὶ κατὰ πᾶσαν ἀποστεῖλαι τὴν οἰκουμένην. ὁ μὲν οὖν κωμῳδὸς γελωτοποιῶν τὸν Δία κοιμώμενον πεποίηκέ τε καὶ διϋπνιζόμενον καὶ πέμποντα πρὸς τοὺς Ἕλληνας τὸν Ἑρμῆν· ὁ δὲ λόγος, ἄϋπνον ἐπιστάμενος φύσιν τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ, διδασκέτω ἡμᾶς ὅτι κατὰ καιροὺς οἰκονομεῖ τὰ τοῦ κόσμου πράγματα ὁ θεὸς, ὡς ἀπαιτεῖ τὸ εὔλογον. οὐ θαυμαστὸν δὲ εἰ διὰ τὸ μεγάλας εἶναι καὶ δυσδιηγήτους τὰς κρίσεις τοῦ θεοῦ αἱ „ἀπαίδευτοι“ πλανῶνται „ψυχαὶ,“ καὶ Κέλσος σὺν αὐταῖς. οὐδὲν οὖν καταγέλαστόν ἐστιν ἐν τῷ Ἰουδαίοις, παρ᾿ οἷς γεγόνασιν οἱ προφῆται, πεπέμφθαι τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ· ἵν᾿ ἐκεῖθεν ἀρξάμενος σωματικῶς δυνάμει καὶ πνεύματι ἀνατείλῃ τῇ μηκέτι βουλομένῃ ἐρήμῳ θεοῦ τυγχάνειν οἰκουμένῃ ψυχῶν.