Fast forward to 2019, nearly 1,900 years later and Celsus ⦠Celsus warned that Christianity could have disastrous effects for civic life-namely that Christians did not have the common good of all people in mind and that their reliance on superstition instead of reason would set mankind back. Celsusâs charge touches on the so-called problem of evil. He wrote that some Jews said Jesus' father was actually a Roman soldier named Pantera. [3] On The True Doctrine is the earliest known comprehensive criticism of Christianity. Is it not, then, a miserable inference, to conclude from the same works that the one is God and the other sorcerers? But nearly all we know of it (up to 90 percent of the original) is included in Origen of Alexandriaâs Contra Celsum (âAgainst Celsusâ). Celsus's own beliefs, the "true doctrine" referenced in his title, is that of Platonism which from a modern materialist perspective has its own issues of supernatural and thus ⦠If that, then, is a laudable custom, how much more so, that while others are engaged in battle, these too should engage as the priests and ministers of God, keeping their hands pure, and wrestling in prayers to God on behalf of those who are fighting in a righteous cause, and for the king who reigns righteously, that whatever is opposed to those who act righteously may be destroyed!" Celsus wrote his work True Discourse(or, True Reason) as a polemic against the Christians in approximately 178 CE. As an anti-Christian Greek philosopher, Celsus mounted an attack on Christianity. All the issues involved are still highly relevant. Celsus goes on to say: "We must not disobey the ancient writer [Homer], who said long ago, 'Let one be king, whom the son of crafty Saturn appointed ;'" and adds: "If you set aside this maxim, you will deservedly suffer for it at the hands of the king. [28] Celsus attacks the Christians as feeding off faction and disunity, and accuses them of converting the vulgar and ignorant, while refusing to debate wise men. On The True Doctrine is the earliest known comprehensive criticism of Christianity. Celsus on the True Doctrine: A Discourse Against the Christians: Celsus: Amazon.com.mx: Libros It seemed as if it ere common knowledge the transgressions that Jesus mother had committed with the Roman. Übersetzt und erklärt von Horacio E. Lona. 1), hrsg. We shall now proceed to the next statement of Celsus, and examine it with care: "If in obedience to the traditions of their fathers they abstain from such victims, they must also abstain from all animal food, in accordance with the opinions of Pythagoras, who thus showed his respect for the soul and its bodily organs. One of the highlights of that time period is the vibrant interaction between Christians and their critics. Or, on the other hand, if they will take wives, and bring up children, and taste of the fruits of the earth, and partake of all the blessings of life, and bear its appointed sorrows (for nature herself hath allotted sorrows to all men; for sorrows must exist, and earth is the only place for them), then must they discharge the duties of life until they are released from its bonds, and render due honour to those beings who control the affairs of this life, if they would not show themselves ungrateful to them. Celsus had written a critique of Christianity called The True Word, and Origen was asked to respond to his charges. So that Jesus himself does not deny that these works at least are not at all divine, but are the acts of wicked men; and being compelled by the force of truth, he at the same time not only laid open the doings of others, but convicted himself of the same acts. Let us next notice the statements of Celsus, which follow the preceding, and which are as follow: "As the Jews, then, became a peculiar people, and enacted laws in keeping with the customs of their country, and maintain them up to the present time, and observe a mode of worship which, whatever be its nature, is yet derived from their fathers, they act in these respects like other men, because each nation retains its ancestral customs, whatever they are, if they happen to be established among them. God is good, and beautiful, and blessed, and that in the best and most beautiful degree. Celsus Arguments Against Christianity Essay 1677 Words | 7 Pages. "[25] Celsus shows himself familiar with the story of Jewish origins. However, Celsus' harshest criticism was reserved for Christians, who "wall themselves off and break away from the rest of mankind". However, few are aware that extrabiblical texts also cite a supernatural aspect of Jesusâ ministry. Origen wrote Contra Celsum at the request of his patron, a wealthy Christian named Ambrose, who insisted that a Christian needed to write a response to Celsus. CELSUS (c. A.D. 178), an eclectic Platonist and opponent of Christianity known mainly through the reputation of his work, The True Word (or Account; aX r1Ot s Xh yos), brought to light in 248 by Origen who in his Against Celsus quotes, paraphrases and reproduces about nine-tenths of it. Celsus's late second century "On the True Doctrine: A Discourse Against the Christians," is one of the most remarkable and thorough-going arguments ever written against the core beliefs and practices of Christianity, ancient or modern. It is the nature of a mortal, indeed, to undergo change and remoulding, but of an immortal to remain the same and unaltered. Celsusâs most famous literary work The True Word is now lost. [4][7] Origen's work has survived and thereby preserved Celsus' work with it. Show More. Celsus anticipated the objections that have been raised by modern rationalists and evolutionists. A second-century Roman philosopher credited with producing the first extensive written attack on the Christian faith . [31], https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Celsus&oldid=995585595, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference, Articles containing Hellenistic Greek-language text, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from February 2018, Articles incorporating a citation from the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia with Wikisource reference, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia without a Wikisource reference, Wikipedia articles with CANTIC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SELIBR identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with Trove identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Die »Wahre Lehre« des Kelsos. For he has himself acknowledged that these are not the works of a divine nature, but the inventions of certain deceivers, and of thoroughly wicked men. [3] It was written between about 175[6] and 177,[7] shortly after the death of Justin Martyr (who was possibly the first Christian apologist), and was probably a response to his work. It is generally supposed that Celsus was a Roman. Further, Celsus argues that Christian doctrine twisted the Greek concept of immortality of the soul into the resurrection. 19th Century engraving of Flavius Josephus by William Whiston Bust of 2nd Century Philosopher. Celsus' writing is one of the few writings made in response to christian claims that survives today in any form; the church, beginning with its first alliances with Roman power in Constantine's time, never took criticisms lightly; anyone with the audacity to question their claims was branded a "heretic," and their books were banned and burned, often alongside their authors. And if those who govern in the Church, and are called rulers of the divine nation--that is, the Church--rule well, they rule in accordance with the divine commands, and never suffer themselves to be led astray by worldly policy. θήÏ), which survives exclusively in Origen's quotations from it in Contra Celsum.This work, c. 177 is the earliest known comprehensive attack on Christianity. [9], Celsus seems to have been interested in Ancient Egyptian religion,[10] and he seemed to know of Hellenistic Jewish logos-theology, both of which suggest The True Doctrine was composed in Alexandria. One such early exchange took place between the church father Origen and a Greek philosopher named Celsus. [13][14], Celsus writes that "there is an ancient doctrine [archaios logos] which has existed from the beginning, which has always been maintained by the wisest nations and cities and wise men". After this it is superfluous for us to wish to offer a reply to such statements of Celsus as the following: "For why is it an evil to have been educated, and to have studied the best opinions, and to have both the reality and appearance of wisdom? Celsus On the True Doctrine. It seemed as if it ere common knowledge the transgressions that Jesus mother had committed with the Roman. Celsus next makes certain observations of the following nature: "Again, if God, like Jupiter in the comedy, should, on awaking from a lengthened slumber, desire to rescue the human race from evil, why did He send this Spirit of which you speak into one corner (of the earth)? Yet he further criticizes Christian practices as alien, and by extension, a threat to traditional Roman culture. Celsus also urges us to "take office in the government of the country, if that is required for the maintenance of the laws and the support of religion." But if he come down among men, he must undergo a change, and a change from good to evil, from virtue to vice, from happiness to misery, and from best to worst. It was said that Jesus was born to a virgin and God himself. He asserts, "We see, indeed, in private houses workers in wool and leather, and fullers, and persons of the most uninstructed and rustic character, not venturing to utter a word in the presence of their elders and wiser masters; but when they get hold of the children privately, and certain women as ignorant as themselves, they pour forth wonderful statements, to the effect that they ought not to give heed to their father and to their teachers, but should obey them; that the former are foolish and stupid, and neither know nor can perform anything that is really good, being preoccupied with empty trifles; that they alone know how men ought to live, and that, if the children obey them, they will both be happy themselves, and will make their home happy also. Let us now see on what grounds Celsus urges us to make use of the idol offerings and the public sacrifices in the public feasts. Highly critical of several specific facts in Christian theology, the philosopher sought to unravel the religion by pulling at the errors he saw. His logic is that if there is evil in the world, and the world is itself Godâs creation, then God must have created evil. They take charge of all--of those that are within, that they may day by day lead better lives, and of those that are without, that they may come to abound in holy words and in deeds of piety; and that, while thus worshipping God truly, and training up as many as they can in the same way, they may be filled with the word of God and the law of God, and thus be united with the Supreme God through His Son the Word, Wisdom, Truth, and Righteousness, who unites to God all who are resolved to conform their lives in all things to the law of God. Celsus (/ˈsɛlsəs/; Hellenistic Greek: Κέλσος, Kélsos) was a 2nd-century Greek philosopher and opponent of early Christianity. 57). This second century opponent of Christianity argued against the Christian idea of a divine creation of man. Since accuracy was essential to his refutation of The True Doctrine,[22] most scholars agree that Origen is a reliable source for what Celsus said. And we do take our part in public affairs, when along with righteous prayers we join self-denying exercises and meditations, which teach us to despise pleasures, and not to be led away by them. | download | Z-Library. And such an arrangement appears to be advantageous, not only because it has occurred to the mind of other nations to decide some things differently, but also because it is a duty to protect what has been established for the public advantage; and also because, in all probability, the various quarters of the earth were from the beginning allotted to different superintending spirits, and were thus distributed among certain governing powers, and in this manner the administration of the world is carried on. In the next place, Celsus urges us "to help the king with all our might, and to labour with him in the maintenance of justice, to fight for him; and if he requires it, to fight under him, or lead an army along with him." The book was suppressed by the growing Christian community,[8] and banned in 448 AD by order of Valentinian III and Theodosius II, along with Porphyry's 15 books attacking the Christians, The Philosophy from Oracles, so no complete copies are extant,[4][5] but it can be reconstructed from Origen's detailed account of it in his 8 volume refutation, which quotes Celsus extensively. He leaves Jews and Moses out of those he cites (Egyptians, Syrians, Celsus divided the work into two sections, the one in which objections are put in the mouth of a Jewish interlocutor and the other in which Celsus speaks as the pagan philosopher that he is. His words are, "If these idols are nothing, what harm will there be in taking part in the feast? Perhaps the most famous⦠It was said that Jesus was born to a virgin and God himself. The work of Celsus has been saved through its refu1 Xrj fa \6yos. [20][21], Origen wrote his refutation in 248. One of Celsus' most bitter complaints is of the refusal of Christians to cooperate with civil society, and their contempt for local customs and the ancient religions. 57). Celsus was a Greek writer in the second century who criticized Christianity as a threat to the stable communities and worldview that the "pagan" religious and social system sought to uphold. [29] As for their opinions regarding their sacred mission and exclusive holiness, Celsus responds by deriding their insignificance, comparing them to a swarm of bats, or ants creeping out of their nest, or frogs holding a symposium round a swamp, or worms in conventicle in a corner of the mud. After these points Celsus quotes some objections against the doctrine of Jesus, made by a very few individuals who are considered Christians, not of the more intelligent, as he supposes, but of the more ignorant class, and asserts that "the following are the rules laid down by them. Celsus condemned the Christians for gathering in secret in order to practice, and. [27] It is an earnest and striking appeal on behalf of unity and mutual toleration. Celsus Excerpt from the Lexham Bible Dictionary , the most advanced Bible dictionary. Celsus views Christianity as, thus, a conspicuous and obnoxious species of internal flight from the order and reality of the great civic world, so that one will likely find its adherents skulking, rodent- or worm-like, in the dark corners of the worldly house. He wrote, âChristians entered into secret associations with each other contrary to lawâ (Celsus 1.1). Sometimes quoting, sometimes paraphrasing, sometimes merely referring, Origen reproduces and replies to Celsus' arguments. It was written between about 175 and 177, shortly after the death of Justin Martyr(who was possibly the ⦠[11] Celsus wrote at a time when Christianity was being persecuted. His words are, "God is the God of all alike; He is good, He stands in need of nothing, and He is without jealousy. θήÏ, Logos AlÄthÄs), which survives exclusively in quotations from it in Contra Celsum, a refutation written in 248 by Origen of Alexandria. [23][24], Biblical scholar Arthur J. Droge has written that it is incorrect to refer to Celsus' perspective as polytheism. [15][16] In addition, Celsus addressed the miracles of Jesus, holding that "Jesus performed his miracles by sorcery (γοητεία)":[17][18][19], O light and truth! ⦠2005 (, This page was last edited on 21 December 2020, at 21:23. Celsus wrote that some Jews said Jesus' father was a Roman soldier named Pantera. If they refuse to render due service to the gods, and to respect those who are set over this service, let them not come to manhood, or marry wives, or have children, or indeed take any share in the affairs of life; but let them depart hence with all speed, and leave no posterity behind them, that such a race may become extinct from the face of the earth. Celsus felt the doctrine of the resurrection was based on an incorrect interpretation of reincarnation. Captured by Marie-Lan Nguyen / Wikimedia Commons Most people are at least somewhat familiar with Jesusâ miracles as described in the Bible. CELSUS 4 arguments against Christianity Misty Fleming Paper 1 The first of 4 arguments I believe to be of importance is that of the virgin birth. And this service is at once necessary and right. On the contrary to what the Christian religion believes Celsus says that Jesus was born to a mother who was a spinner, and his legitimate father a Roman soldier, Panthera (Celsus pg. And those who rule over us well are under the constraining influence of the great King, whom we believe to be the Son of God, God the Word. Indians, Persians, Odrysians, Samothracians, Eleusinians, Hyperboreans, Galactophagoi, Druids, and Getae), and instead blames Moses for the corruption of the ancient religion: "the goatherds and shepherds who followed Moses as their leader were deluded by clumsy deceits into thinking that there was only one God, [and] without any rational cause ... these goatherds and shepherds abandoned the worship of many gods". What hindrance does this offer to the knowledge of God? ocr-64 p-64 224 THE ATTACK OF CELSUS ON CHRISTIANITY. Instead, he was an "inclusive" or "qualitative" monotheist, as opposed to the Jewish "exclusive" or "quantitative" monotheism;[6] historian Wouter Hanegraaff explains that "the former has room for a hierarchy of lower deities which do not detract from the ultimate unity of the One. Jesus claims to be born of a virgin in the town of Bethlehem. Celsus's tract `On the True Doctrine - A Discourse Against the Christians' could be partly recovered from the treatise by Origin of Alexandria `Contra Celsum'. [26][clarification needed] Conceding that Christians are not without success in business (infructuosi in negotiis), Celsus wants them to be good citizens, to retain their own belief but worship the emperors and join their fellow citizens in defending the empire. And it is not for the purpose of escaping public duties that Christians decline public offices, but that they may reserve themselves for a diviner and more necessary service in the Church of God--for the salvation of men. We do not indeed fight under him, although he require it; but we fight on his behalf, forming a special army--an army of piety--by offering our prayers to God. CELSUS 4 arguments against Christianity Misty Fleming Paper 1 The first of 4 arguments I believe to be of importance is that of the virgin birth. The remarks which we have made not only answer the statements of Celsus regarding the superintending spirits, but anticipate in some measure what he afterwards brings forward, when he says: "Let the second party come forward; and I shall ask them whence they come, and whom they regard as the originator of their ancestral customs. [12] Origen indicates that Celsus was an Epicurean living under the Emperor Hadrian. But let us look at what Celsus next with great ostentation announces in the following fashion: "And again," he says, "let us resume the subject from the beginning, with a larger array of proofs. On the contrary to what the Christian religion believes Celsus says that Jesus was born to a mother who was a spinner, and his legitimate father a Roman soldier, Panthera (Celsus pg. He is one of several writers named Celsus who appeared as opponents of Christianity in the second century; he is probably the Celsus who was known as a friend of Lucian, although some doubt this, because Lucian's friend was an Epicurean, and the author of the "True Discourse" shows himself a Platonist. Celsus's work may be divided as follows: a preface, an attack on Christianity from the point of view of Judaism, an attack on Christianity from the point of view of philosophy, a refutation of Christian teachings in detail, and an appeal to Christians to adopt paganism. But we recognise in each state the existence of another national organization founded by the Word of God, and we exhort those who are mighty in word and of blameless life to rule over Churches. The first critique that is offered by Celsus is the secrecy of Christians. v. N. Brox, K. Niederwimmer, H. E. Lona, F. R. Prostmeier, J. Ulrich. 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