Against Celsus, Book VIII · §3 · Origen of Alexandria

The gods whom Scripture knows

Before we go on to what follows, let us see whether we are not right to accept the saying, “No one can serve two masters,” to which is added, “for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to the one and despise the other,” and next to it, “You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). Our defence calls us to a deeper and secret teaching about gods and lords.

For the divine Scripture knows that the Lord is great above “all the gods” (Psalm 135:5). By “gods” here we do not understand those worshipped among the nations, since we have learned that “all the gods of the nations are demons” (Psalm 96:5). We understand “gods” of whom the prophetic word knows a certain assembly, with the God over all judging between them and assigning to each the work proper to him. For “God stood in the assembly of gods; in their midst He will judge between gods” (Psalm 82:1). For He is also “the God of gods, the Lord,” who through the Son “called the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting” (Psalm 50:1). And we are commanded to give thanks “to the God of gods” (Psalm 136:2), having also learned that “God is not the God of the dead but of the living” (Matthew 22:32). These things are said not only through the passages set out here but through countless others.

Greek

Ἴδωμεν δὴ πρὸ τῶν ἑξῆς εἰ μὴ εὐλόγως ἀποδεχόμεθα τὴν „οὐδεὶς δύναται δυσὶ κυρίοις δουλεύειν“ φωνὴν, ᾗ ἐπιφέρεται τὸ „ἢ γὰρ τὸν ἕνα μισήσει καὶ τὸν ἕτερον ἀγαπήσει, ἢ ἑνὸς ἀνθέξεται καὶ τοῦ ἑτέρου καταφρονήσει,“. καὶ ἑξῆς αὐτῷ τὸ „οὐ δύνασθε θεῷ δουλεύειν καὶ μαμωνᾷ.“ καλεῖ δ᾿ ἡμᾶς ἡ ἀπολογία εἰς βαθύτερόν τινα καὶ ἀπόῤῥητον περὶ θεῶν καὶ κυρίων λόγον. ἐπίσταται γὰρ ἡ θεία γραφὴ τὸν μέγαν εἶναι κύριον παρὰ „πάντας τοὺς θεούς“· ἐν οἷς „θεοὺς“ οὐ τοὺς προσκυνουμένους ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐξακούομεν, ἅτε μαθόντες ὅτι „πάντες οἱ θεοὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν δαιμόνια,“ ἀλλὰ „θεοὺς,“ ὧν οἶδέ τινα συναγωγὴν ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος. καὶ τὸν ἐπὶ πᾶσι θεὸν τούτους διακρίνοντα καὶ διατασσόμενον ἑκάστῳ τὸ οἰκεῖον αὐτῷ ἔργον. „ὁ θεὸς“ γὰρ „ἔστη ἐν συναγωγῇ θεῶν, ἐν μέσῳ δὲ θεοὺς διακρινεῖ.“ καὶ γάρ ἐστι „θεὸς θεῶν κύριος.“ ος διὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ „ἐκάλεσε τὴν γῆν ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν ἡλίου ἕως δυσμῶν.“ καὶ προστασσόμεθα ἐξομολογεῖσθαι „τῷ θεῷ τῶν θεῶν,“ μαθόντες καὶ τὸ „ὁ θεὸς οὐκ ἔστι νεκρῶν ἀλλὰ ζώντων“· ἅπερ δὴ λέγεται οὐ μόνον διὰ τῶν ἐκκειμένων ἀλλὰ καὶ δι᾿ ἄλλων μυρίων.

Report a mistake in this passage

About this text

Celsus urges Christians to honour the demons as servants of the one God, to share in the public feasts and sacrificial meals, and to support the emperor by oath, office and military service. Origen answers that no one can serve two masters, that Christians keep a feast to God at all times and honour Him in living temples, and that they help the emperor most by their prayers and serve their country by governing the churches.

Translated from the Greek of Koetschau, GCS 2–3 (1899), via the Perseus digital text, which serves as the base text. Each chapter was translated from the Greek and then checked clause by clause against it: chapters 1–75 in an independent review, the closing chapter 76 in the translator's own second pass. No earlier English translation was consulted.

Printed text used

Translated from Koetschau GCS 2 – 3 (1899) — Greek (Greek · Book VIII, chapters 1 – 76)

We have not yet re-checked this work against its source. We made this study translation with AI help. No scholar has yet certified it as faithful and complete. Open Greek on any section to see the source text. It is not a critical edition.

Report a mistake