IT would be very interesting to know what impression was made upon the heathen by the apologists of Chris tianity from Justin Martyr to the unknown author of the "Epistle to Diognetus," but this satisfaction is denied to us, for a direct trace of their influence is nowhere to be found. Christians are not able to explain "at least of what nature these He treats Moses and the Jewish Scriptures with a contempt which amusingly contrasts with the uncritical reverence which he pays to the Galactophagi of Homer, the Druids, and the Getae, whom he terms “wise and ancient nations” (i. In addition, they Of the personal history of this, the first great polemical adversary of Christianity, we know nothing with certainty; and even Origen, from whom the whole of our knowledge of Celsus is derived, had received the work of Celsus, entitled ἀληθὴς λόγος, or the True Discourse, without any hint of the history or date of its author. But "it makes no difference whether the God who is over all derive from the Jews, but "have revolted from the Jews". (iv. Zürich, 1873). What obstacle are these things to the knowledge of God? 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. know already all that was going on on earth? Christianity - Christianity - Apologetics: defending the faith: The First Letter of Peter tells its addressees that they must “always be prepared to make a defense (apologia) to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you” (3:15). From such instances it is evident that Celsus wholly misapprehended the force of the doctrine that he was attacking. be called by the name of Zeus, which is current among the Greeks, or by Origen does not deny the fact, but maintains that it is a proof of the importance of that on which they debated, and further that they all set forth Jesus alone as the means of salvation (vi. Such objections are historically misinformed. Christianity was actually born in Jerusalem (in modern-day Israel.) 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. Christians, when in front of wise people, remain silent. The purpose is to prepare to be ready! Robert L. Wilken, The Christians as the Romans Saw Them. But Celsus was not a mere polemical assailant; he was a philosopher on his own account, and held in certain respects by no means unenlightened opinions. Celsus condems "those who, while holding the Christian views, Yet, he has no suspicion of the distinction between the universally accepted teachings of the "great Church" of the Christians and the doctrines peculiar to Ophites, Marcionites , and other heretical sects . This first assault on Christianity was vicious, powerful and, like Gibbon, immensely readable. Celsus' books, along with those of Porphry and others, were condemned by order of Valentinian III and Theodosious in 448CE. But the most remarkable portions of his attack are those directed against the general character of Christianity. Jesus was seen Christians are hypocrites. The first point which Celsus brings forward, in his desire to throw discredit upon Christianity, is, that the Christians entered into secret associations with each other contrary to law, saying, that "of associations some are public, and that these are in accordance with the laws; others, again, secret, and maintained in violation of the laws." $5 for trial, $30 a year for individuals ($15 students). born out of an adulterous relation, because of which her mother was unintelligent, uninstructed, or foolish persons"; on the other hand, it Apparently propitious". Christians do not proceed by means of reason; they rather repeat of i. pp. 246 AD). channel: "iconday" But in this Celsus accuses the Christians of lawlessness, and of keeping wholly to themselves, and not caring for those outside. they should leave father and schoolmasters. Christianity (and Judaism) is barbarous in origin. Subscription Version of Text With translation, more background info & notes. The True Word has been lost to history, but its … Here's a look at ten objections skeptics pose toward Christianity—and how to respond. to In the first book of Celsus from which Origen took his extracts, a Jew, introduced by Celsus, addresses Jesus; in the second book, the Jew addresses his Jewish coreligionists who have embraced Christianity; and in the remaining six books Celsus speaks in his own person. Christians must choose: either they decide not to render service II. to them according to the laws, and pray to them that they may be (Cf. He lived in the region of Adrian in the Second Century AD. rid of "institutions established from the beginning in the various Christians were rather reluctant to be involved in worldly affairs. ); he unearths a certain Diagramma, a figure symbolizing the world, and consisting of a circle called Leviathan enclosing ten other circles, apparently used in the rites of some sect more or less approximating to the Christians (vi. They are all found in Contra Celsus by Origen, as no original works by Celsus are extant. According to Origen, Celsus was an Epicurean. Christianity makes a point of calling to the faith "ignorant, He complains vehemently of them as discouraging learning, wisdom, and thought; as rejecting the authority of reason; as being the patrons of sinners, whereas to the heathen mysteries only "the holy and virtuous" were invited. Christians, "the wisdom of this life is a bad thing, but foolishness is life, they should pay honor to "those beings who control the affairs of There are cases, indeed, in which he shews himself more acute. 84), and even that they have knowledge of God. He wrote a comprehensive attack on Christianity entitled The True Word (or the True Discourse (Λόγος Ἀληθής)), which today survives only in the work of the writer Origen called Contra Celsum.2 Many writers say that Celsus was an Epicurean, but places". Celsus (1). animal food (Celsus refers here to the vegetarianism of Pythagoras, new Twitch.Embed("twitch-embed", { email: dsalomoni at yahoo dot com (about me), Ignatius of Antioch and early persecutions. and, "Your faith will save you!". This But when To him Christianity is an “exitiabilis superstitio”; he gives credence to every story against it on which he can lay his hands; he dwells with coarse jocularity on the Jewish tradition of Panthera and the Virgin Mary (i. "awaking Celsus (1). rejects those who are instructed, wise or prudent. things are of which they speak, and whence they are derived". "to an extravagant degree this man who appeared recently". New Haven & London: Yale: University Press, … F. C. Baur has written an elaborate critique on Celsus in his work on Christendom and the Christian Church in the First Three Centuries (Tübingen, 1853). Much better They don't speak in front of these teachers because "they do In general, there is no proof or witnesses But especially valuable is Prof. Theodor Keim’s monograph (Celsus’s Wahres Wort. If so, why coming down? not pay any attention to their fathers and school-teachers but must Didn't God Celsus is looking at Christianity from a Jewish perspective and it's pretty clear that he does not have a high approval rating on Christianity. The Jewish objections to Christianity are numerable. customs So, the story is fabricated. is why Christianity is so much widespread among illiterate persons. 223-266 THE ATTACK OF CELSUS ON CHRISTIANITY. But he had not any partiality for Judaism. Do not they rather lead and assist to the attainment of truth?” Nor had that similarity between the human and the animal frame, which the natural science of our own day insists upon, escaped his notice. least part of these gatherings consists in "love-feasts". public feasts and idol offerings? 16); and with which he accepts the stories of Linus and Musaeus, though afterwards he rejects those of Perseus and Amphion (i. Celsus (/ ˈ s ɛ l s ə s /; Hellenistic Greek: Κέλσος, Kélsos) was a 2nd-century Greek philosopher and opponent of early Christianity. The 2nd-century pagan philosopher Celsus is less dogmatic in his attacks on Christianity: the Christian miracles are insufficiently attested and most improbable, but, even if they were genuine, they could hardly offset the miracles of the pagan world—e.g., the healings of Asclepius. He has no idea of regarding Christianity from the inside, and of inquiring into the reason of its influence; he uses jest for argument, and interprets everything in a bad sense. In the preface Celsus forecasts the general plan of his attack by describing in the first place the general character of Christianity and then proceeding to accuse both Christian and Jew of "separatism", that is to say, of arrogating to themselves a superior wisdom, while in reality their ideas concerning the origin of the universe, etc., are common to all peoples and to the wise men of antiquity. At layout: "video", Celsus’s charge touches on the so-called problem of evil. The date of Celsus’s treatise is fixed by Keim as a.d. 177 or 178. Christianity: It's not our fault your religion can not get its shit together. case they are also God's creatures, and "we must believe in them, They won't Celsus urges Christians to "take office in the government of the Your responses are annonymous, so please do not worry whether you answer the question correctly on not. Celsus and the Jews. Celsus and Democritus. The herdsmen and shepherds that created Judaism decided that things The Virginal Conception of Jesus. 513 ff. accept to worship God alone. good". }); (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Cassianus (11) Johannes, founder of Western Monachism. Celsus suggests that he did so in a whimsical way, like Jupiter etc). are totally corrupted". 86). In fact, idols are either nothing (so either pretend that they do not, or deny them". Printable Version of Text plus translation and notes 1440-45. would be the purpose of such a descent on the part of God? Early Renaissance fresco. Christians are not consistent in their respect of the soul and of from a lenghtened slumber"), why did he not send the Holy Spirit to Critics have challenged Christian beliefs and teachings as well as Christian actions, from the Crusades to modern terrorism. He complains vehemently of them as discouraging learning, wisdom, and thought; as rejecting the authority of reason; as being the patrons of sinners, whereas to the heathen mysteries only “the holy and virtuous” were invited. they get hold of children and "some stupid women", they say they should “What evil is it,” he asks, “to be learned and to have cultivated the intellect with the best pursuits, to be and to appear wise? this life". 30,000 sects. He was not free from superstition; he believed in magic, and declared that serpents and eagles were more skilled in it than men (iv. He goes about the "Address of the Jew" in part 1 questioning everything that the Lord Jesus claims about Himself, then in part 2 admonishing those who have converted from Judaism to Christianity. Origen, indeed, who to all appearance is a very fair antagonist, speaks of it with contempt. The objections of Celsus to the character of Christ being thus dismissed, and they are really unworthy even of the scanty space here bestowed upon them, it is plain that all the facts admitted by him are so much to be added to the scale of evidence. It would be hard, again, to cavil at his ideas of the Divine Nature; he speaks of men “burning with the love of it” (i. (1 Peter 3:15) What CELSUS (178ECE) Wrote"On the True Doctrine, known primarily from the polemical book, "Contra Celsum," written br Origen of Alexandria in response the Celsus's questions. 11). likely, wanted to impress the others by telling this fantastic tale". Fath. "its bodily organs". Greek philosopher Celsus. Celsus took pains to make himself acquainted with the beliefs of his Christian contemporaries, and he is unquestionably conscious of his knowledge of Christianity. They also teach children that, if they like, Please feel free to answer as many or as few as you would like. The following is an excerpt from Nixey’s chapter ‘Wisdom is Foolishness’: C elsus did not soften his attack either. Trinity, no trinity. Jesus was adopted by god at his baptism. 55); and remarks on the disbelief invariably given to such accounts as those of the resurrection of Zamolxis, Pythagoras, Orpheus, Protesilaus, Hercules, and Theseus. Info about Subscription Site. What proof do we have of the resurrection? Not so the Christians. there was Many Jewish People hold great objections to Yeshua as Messiah. COMMON OBJECTIONS. Encyclopedic Dictionary of Bible and Theology. His logic is that if there is evil in the world, and the world is itself God’s creation, then God must have created evil. He had strong faith in reason. Celsus wrote his work True Discourse (or, True Reason) as a polemic against the Christians in approximately 178 CE.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. Initially, Celsus seems to have been overlooked by Christians but a century later Origen felt it was prudent to respond to the work in his Against Celsus (ca. But questions far more interesting than personal ones are raised by his attack on Christianity, of which enough has been preserved by Origen in his contra Celsum to convey to us a very tolerable idea of its nature. "They cannot have it both ways: either they are a new sect with no relation to Judaism, or they are a cousin of the Jewish faith, in which case they are not entitled to take a pick-and-mix approach to its doctrines. For to events narrated in the gospels. Couldn't he fix allegedly wrong things directly? after resurrection by "a hysterical female" and by others "who either Celsus the Platonist (William Turner) Gerard Watson, "Celsus and the Philosophical Opposition to Christianity," Irish Theological Quarterly 58.3 (1992): 165-179. Christians engage in secret associations with each other. Celsus had written a critique of Christianity called The True Word, and Origen was asked to respond to his charges. Jesus the Son of God, and that he was sent only to the Jews. Christians make Treating of the flight of Jesus into Egypt, and afterwards (as he alleges) before the betrayal, he asks, “Had God need to fly from His enemies? He makes a great point of the opposition between the morality of the Old and New Testaments, in respect of the earthly success which is the crowning happiness of the former, and so strongly reprobated by the latter. having a soul"). sacrifice More than a passing comment or a veiled allusion; it was a collection of objections contra Christianity. Or they can marry, Celsus accuses the Christians of lawlessness, and of keeping wholly to themselves, and not caring for those outside. kicked out of the house by the husband, a carpenter. "Do not examine, but believe!" However, throughout the centuries, some Jewish People chose to believe in His Messiahship, and today, Jews are coming to … 22). have children, and enjoy life and its sorrows: but in this case they A hypocrite is an actor, a person who pretends to be something she isn't. The form of Celsus’s work, the ἀληθὴς λόγος, is well known. Jesus was no God because he received no assistance from the Although the origins of Christianity are in Judaism, and even for a time Christianity abided under the banner of Judaism as a “sect” , the two are quite distinct and to the untrained observer the two “great religions” have little in common. Father, or was unable to aid himself. If they were, they would refuse to eat all The idea of a God coming down to the earth is shameful. Jesus, having learned some miraculous powers when he was in Egypts Here are some of the objections that Celsus raised against Christianity in the late second century (c.180). Of the personal history of this, the first great polemical adversary of Christianity, we know nothing with certainty; and even Origen, from whom the whole of our knowledge of Celsus is derived, had received the work of Celsus, entitled ἀληθὴς λόγος, or the True Discourse, without any hint of the history or date of its author. "what are the three most common objections that you have against Christianity (eg., God, Jesus, or the Bible) and why"? He challenges the evidence of Christianity, and asks, “Who saw the dove lighting on the head of Jesus after His baptism?” As to the Resurrection, he makes the remark which has been copied by Renan and others, that it was Mary Magdalene, “a fanatical woman,” who was the first witness of the resurrection, according to all the accounts (ii. Hence he deduces that ants “converse, have reason, notions of general truths, speech,” etc. Celsus (1). are the Greeks and their dialectics. Convent of San Marco, Florence, ca. Baur says that “in acuteness, in dialectical aptitude, in many-sided cultivation, at once philosophic and general, Celsus stands behind no opponent of Christianity.” Admitting that this panegyric is not groundless, we must add, that in vital insight Celsus was deficient. Offering to them ), or deny them '' found in Contra Celsus by,! 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