Against Celsus, Book II · §50 · Origen of Alexandria

Paul on the lawless one and lying wonders

Paul too, in the Second Letter to the Thessalonians, declares how there will one day be revealed “the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, presenting himself as God” (2 Thessalonians 2:3–4). And again he says to the Thessalonians: “And now you know what restrains, so that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only the one who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord God will slay with the breath of his mouth and will destroy by the appearing of his coming. The lawless one’s coming is by the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all the deceit of unrighteousness among those who are perishing” (2 Thessalonians 2:6–10). Setting out also the reason why the lawless one is allowed to come into this life, he says: “Because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. And for this reason God sends them a working of error, so that they believe the lie, in order that all may be judged who did not believe the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thessalonians 2:10–12).

Let someone tell us, then, whether anything in the Gospel or in the apostle can give ground for suspecting that sorcery is being foretold in this passage. Anyone who wishes may also draw from Daniel the prophecy about the antichrist (compare Daniel 7:24–26; 8:23–25; 11:36). But Celsus falsifies the words of Jesus: though Jesus did not say, “others will come using similar powers, wicked men and sorcerers,” Celsus himself says that he said such a thing. For just as the power of the enchanters in Egypt was not like the wondrous grace in Moses, but the outcome proved that the works of the Egyptians were trickery while those of Moses were divine (Exodus 7:10–12; 8:18–19), so the works of the antichrists, and of those who make a show of mighty works as though they were disciples of Jesus, are said to be signs and wonders “of falsehood” (2 Thessalonians 2:9), prevailing “with all the deceit of unrighteousness for those who are perishing” (2 Thessalonians 2:10); whereas the works of Christ and of his disciples bore as their fruit not deceit but the salvation of souls. For who could reasonably say that a better life, one that day by day reduces wickedness, comes from deceit?

Greek

Καὶ ὁ Παῦλος δ᾿ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Θεσσαλονικεῖς ἐπιστολῇ δευτέρᾳ ἀποφαίνεται. τίνα τρόπον ἀποκαλυφθήσεταί ποτε „ὁ ἄνθρωπος τῆς ἀνομίας, ὁ υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας, ὁ ἀντικείμενος καὶ ὑπεραιρόμενος ἐπὶ πάντα λεγόμενον θεὸν ἢ σέβασμα, ὥστ᾿ αὐτὸν εἰς τὸν ναὸν τοῦ θεοῦ καθίσαι, ἀποδεικνύοντα ἑαυτὸν ὅτι ἐστὶ θεός.“ καὶ πάλιν φησὶ τοῖς Θεσσαλονικεῦσι· „καὶ νῦν τὸ κατέχον οἴδατε, εἰς τὸ ἀποκαλυφθῆναι αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ καιρῷ. τὸ γὰρ μυστήριον ἤδη ἐνεργεῖται τῆς ἀνομίας, μόνον ὁ κατέχων ἄρτι ἕως ἐκ μέσου γένηται· καὶ τότε ἀποκαλυφθήσεται ὁ ἄνομος, ὃν κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἀνελεῖ τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ καὶ καταργήσει τῇ ἐπιφανείᾳ τῆς παρουσίας αὐτοῦ, οὗ ἐστιν ἡ παρουσία κατ᾿ ἐνέργειαν τοῦ σατανᾶ ἐν πάσῃ δυνάμει καὶ σημείοις καὶ τέρασι ψεύδους καὶ ἐν πάσῃ ἀπάτῃ ἀδικίας ἐν τοῖς ἀπολλυμένοις.“ ἐκτιθέμενος δὲ καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τοῦ ἐπιτρέπεσθαι τὸν ἄνομον ἐπιδημεῖν τῷ βίῳ φησίν· „ἀνθ᾿ ὧν τὴν ἀγάπην τῆς ἀληθείας οὐκ ἐδέξαντο εἰς τὸ σωθῆναι αὐτούς. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πέμπει αὐτοῖς ὁ θεὸς ἐνέργειαν πλάνης εἰς τὸ πιστεῦσαι αὐτοὺς τῷ ψεύδει. ἵνα κριθῶσιν ἅπαντες οἱ μὴ πιστεύσαντες τῇ ἀληθείᾳ ἀλλ᾿ εὐδοκήσαντες ἐν τῇ ἀδικίᾳ.“ λεγέτω τις οὖν ἡμῖν. εἰ δύναταί τι τῶν ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ ἢ τῶν παρὰ τῷ ἀποστόλῳ χώραν παρέχειν ὑπονοίας γοητείας προαγορευομένης κατὰ τὸν τόπον. παρέσται δὲ τῷ βουλομένῳ καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ Δανιὴλ ἐκλαβεῖν τὴν περὶ τοῦ ἀντιχρίστου προφητείαν. καταψεύδεται δὲ τῶν λόγων Ἰησοῦ, ἐπεὶ μὴ εἰπόντος αὐτοῦ· διότι παρέσονται ἕτεροι δυνάμεσιν ὁμοίαις χρώμενοι, κακοὶ καὶ γόητες, αὐτός φησιν αὐτὸν εἰρηκέναι τὸ τοιοῦτον. ὡς γὰρ οὐχ ὁμοία δύναμις ἡ τῶν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ἐπαοιδῶν τῇ ἐν τῷ Μωϋσεῖ παραδόξῳ χάριτι, ἀλλὰ τὸ τέλος διήλεγχε τὰ μὲν τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ὄντα μαγγανείας τὰ δὲ τοῦ Μωϋσέως θεῖα· οὕτως τὰ μὲν τῶν ἀντιχρίστων καὶ τῶν προσποιουμένων δυνάμεις ὡς μαθητῶν Ἰησοῦ σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα λέγεται εἶναι „ψεύδους.“ „ἐν πάσῃ ἀπάτῃ ἀδικίας τοῖς ἀπολλυμένοις“ ἰσχύοντα, τὰ δὲ τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ καρπὸν ἔσχεν οὐκ ἀπάτην ἀλλὰ σωτηρίαν ψυχῶν. Τίς γὰρ τὸν κρείττονα βίον καὶ συστέλλοντα τὰ τῆς κακίας ὁσημέραι ἐπὶ τὸ ἔλαττον εὐλόγως φησὶν ἀπὸ ἀπάτης γίνεσθαι;

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About this text

Origen answers the Jew whom Celsus brings on stage to speak against the Jews who believe in Jesus, and shows that they have not left the law of their fathers. He goes on to defend Jesus’ foreknowledge of his betrayal, the reality of his suffering and death, and his resurrection, and argues that no mere man could have won so much of the world.

Base text: Koetschau, GCS 2–3 (1899), via the Perseus digital text. The English is a fresh translation from that Greek, chapter by chapter (2.1–79), with an independent clause-by-clause review against the Greek. Crombie and Chadwick were not used.

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Translated from Koetschau GCS 2 – 3 (1899) — Greek (Greek · Book II, chapters 1 – 79)

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