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Origen Against Celsus

Origen of Alexandria

Book 2 · Chapter 41

About this work

A detailed reply to the pagan critic Celsus that defends Christian Scripture, worship, history, miracles, moral life, and claims about Jesus within the intellectual world of the Roman Empire.

Author: Origen of Alexandria
Date: c. AD 248
Origin: Caesarea
Genre: Apology

In the person of the Jew, Celsus continues to

‹ Book 2 · Chapter 40 Book 2 · Chapter 42 ›

find

fault

with

Jesus

,

alleging

that

“

he

did

not

show

himself

to

be

pure

from

all

evil

.

”

Let

Celsus

state

from

what

“

evil

”

our

Lord

did

not

,

show

Himself

to

be

pure

.

If

he

means

that

,

He

was

not

pure

from

what

is

properly

termed

“

evil

,

”

let

him

clearly

prove

the

existence

of

any

wicked

work

in

Him

.

But

if

he

deems

poverty

and

the

cross

to

be

evils

,

and

conspiracy

on

the

part

of

wicked

men

,

then

it

is

clear

that

he

would

say

that

evil

had

happened

also

to

Socrates

,

who

was

unable

to

show

himself

pure

from

evils

.

And

how

great

also

the

other

band

of

poor

men

is

among

the

Greeks

,

who

have

given

themselves

to

philosophical

pursuits

,

and

have

voluntarily

accepted

a

life

of

poverty

,

is

known

to

many

among

the

Greeks

from

what

is

recorded

of

Democritus

,

who

allowed

his

property

to

become

pasture

for

sheep

;

and

of

Crates

,

who

obtained

his

freedom

by

bestowing

upon

the

Thebans

the

price

received

for

the

sale

of

his

possessions

.

Nay

,

even

Diogenes

himself

,

from

excessive

poverty

,

came

to

live

in

a

tub

;

and

yet

,

in

the

opinion

of

no

one

possessed

of

moderate

understanding

,

was

Diogenes

on

that

account

considered

to

be

in

an

evil

(

sinful

)

condition

.