Things too great to be written
Celsus also sets out another passage from Plato’s letter, which runs as follows: “If it had seemed to me that these things could be adequately written and spoken for the many, what finer thing could I have done in my life than to write what is of great benefit to humankind and to bring nature to light for all?” (Plato, Seventh Letter 341d). So let us discuss this too, briefly. Whether Plato had something more sublime than what he wrote, and more divine than what he left behind, or not, we leave to each person to examine as best he can. But we show that our prophets too had in mind certain things greater than what is written, which they did not write down.
For Ezekiel receives a roll “of a book”, written “in front” and behind, in which there was “lamentation and song and woe” (Ezekiel 2:9–10); and at the command of the Word he eats the book, so that he might not write it down and betray it to the unworthy (Ezekiel 3:1–3). John too is recorded to have seen and done something similar (Revelation 10:9–10). And Paul too “heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter” (2 Corinthians 12:4). And Jesus, who is greater than all of these, is said to have “spoken” the word of God “to the disciples” “privately” (Mark 4:33–34), especially in times of retreat; but what he said has not been recorded. For it did not “seem” to them that these things “could be adequately written for the many” or “spoken”.
And if it is not tasteless to tell the truth about such great men, I say that these men saw better than Plato, from the thoughts they received by the grace of God, which things are “to be written” and how they are “to be written”, and which are by no means “to be written for the many”, and which are “to be spoken” and which are not of that kind. And again John, teaching us the difference between what is to be written and what is not, says that he heard seven thunders teaching him about certain things and forbidding him to commit their words to writing (Revelation 10:3–4).
Greek
Ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ ἄλλην λέξιν οὕτως ἔχουσαν ἐκτίθεται ἀπὸ τῆς Πλάτωνος ἐπιστολῆς ὁ Κέλσος· „εἰ δέ μοι ἐφαίνετο γραπτέα τε ἱκανῶς εἶναι πρὸς τοὺς πολλοὺς καὶ ῥητὰ, τί κάλλιον ἐπέπρακτο ἂν ἡμῖν ἐν τῷ βίῳ ἢ τοῖς τε ἀνθρώποις μέγα ὄφελος γράψαι καὶ τὴν φύσιν εἰς φῶς τοῖς πᾶσι προαγαγεῖν;“ φέρε καὶ περὶ τούτου βραχέα διαλεχθῶμεν, πότερον μὲν εἶχέ τι Πλάτων σεμνότερον ὧν ἔγραψε καὶ θειότερον ὧν κατέλιπεν ἢ μὴ, καταλιπόντες ἑκάστῳ ἐξετάζειν κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν, δεικνύντες (δ᾿) ὅτι καὶ οἱ καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς προφῆται ἐφρόνουν τινὰ μείζονα γραμμάτων, ἅπερ οὐκ ἔγραψαν. ὁ μὲν γὰρ Ἰεζεκιὴλ κεφαλίδα λαμβάνει „βιβλίου,“ γεγραμμένην „ἔμπροσθεν“ καὶ ὄπισθεν, ἐν ᾗ „θρῆνος“ ἦν „καὶ μέλος καὶ οὐαὶ,“ καὶ προστάξαντος αὐτῷ τοῦ λόγου κατεσθίει τὴν βίβλον, ἵν᾿ αὐτὴν μὴ γράψῃ καὶ προδῷ ἀναξίοις· καὶ ὁ Ἰωάννης δὲ τὸ παραπλήσιον ἀναγέγραπται ἑωρακέναι καὶ πεποιηκέναι· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος „ἤκουσεν ἄῤῥητα ῥήματα, ἃ οὐκ ἐξὸν ἀνθρώπῳ λαλῆσαι.“ ὁ δὲ πάντων τούτων κρείσσων Ἰησοῦς ὅτι μὲν „ἐλάλει“ τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ λόγον „τοῖς μαθηταῖς“ „κατ᾿ ἰδίαν“ καὶ μάλιστα ἐν ταῖς ἀναχωρήσεσιν εἴρηται, τίνα δ᾿ ἦν ἃ ἔλεγεν, οὐκ ἀναγέγραπται. οὐ γὰρ „ἐφαίνετο“ αὐτοῖς „γραπτέα ἱκανῶς εἶναι“ ταῦτα „πρὸς τοὺς πολλοὺς“ οὐδὲ „ῥητά.“ καὶ, εἰ μὴ φορτικὸν εἰπεῖν περὶ τῶν τηλικούτων ἀνδρῶν τὸ ἀληθὲς, φημὶ ὅτι μᾶλλον Πλάτωνος οὗτοι ἑώρων ἀφ᾿ ὧν ἐλάμβανον χάριτι θεοῦ νοημάτων, τίνα μὲν τὰ „γραπτέα“ καὶ πῶς „γραπτέα“ τίνα δὲ οὐδαμῶς „γραπτέα“ τοὺς πολλοὺς,“ καὶ τίνα μὲν „ῥητὰ“ τίνα δὲ οὐ τοιαῦτα. πάλιν τε αὖ ὁ Ἰωάννης, διδάσκων ἡμᾶς γραπτέων καὶ οὐ γραπτέων διαφορὰν, ἑπτὰ βροντῶν φησιν ἀκηκοέναι περί τινων διδασκουσῶν αὐτὸν καὶ ἀπαγορευουσῶν γραφῇ παραδοῦναι τοὺς λόγους αὐτῶν.