Against Celsus, Book III · §40 · Origen of Alexandria

Common notions against idols

See whether the teachings of our faith, which from the first agree with the common notions, do not win over those who listen fair-mindedly to what is said. For even though perversion, with a great deal of instruction pleading its case, has been able to plant in the many the doctrine that statues are gods, and that things made of gold and silver and ivory and stone are worthy of worship, the common notion nevertheless requires us to understand that God is in no way perishable matter, and is not honoured when he is given shape by men in lifeless materials, as though these were made “in the image” of him (Genesis 1:26), or were some kind of symbol of him.

That is why it is said at once about statues “that they are not gods” (Acts 19:26), and about such works of craft that they bear no comparison with the Maker; and a few things are said about the God who is over all, who made, holds together, and governs the universe. And at once the rational soul, as though recognising what is akin to it, casts away what until then it had supposed to be gods, and takes up a natural love for its Creator. Through its love for him, it also welcomes with the warmest regard the one who first set these things before all the nations through the disciples he had trained, whom he sent out with divine power and authority to proclaim the word about God and his kingdom (Luke 9:1–2).

Greek

Ὅρα δὲ εἰ μὴ τὰ τῆς πίστεως ἡμῶν ταῖς κοιναῖς ἐννοίαις ἀρχῆθεν συναγορεύοντα μετατίθησι τοὺς εὐγνωμόνως ἀκούοντας τῶν λεγομένων. εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἡ διαστροφὴ δεδύνηται, πολλῆς αὐτῇ κατηχήσεως συναγορευούσης, τοῖς πολλοῖς ἐμφυτεῦσαι τὸν περὶ ἀγαλμάτων λόγον ὡς θεῶν καὶ τὸν περὶ τῶν γενομένων ἐκ χρυσοῦ καὶ ἀργύρου καὶ ἐλέφαντος καὶ λίθου ὡς προσκυνήσεως ἀξίων· ἀλλ᾿ ἡ κοινὴ ἔννοια ἀπαιτεῖ ἐννοεῖν ὅτι θεὸς οὐδαμῶς ἐστιν ὕλη φθαρτὴ οὐδὲ τιμᾶται ἐν ἀψύχοις ὕλαις ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων μορφούμενος, ὡς „κατ᾿ εἰκόνα“ ἤ τινα σύμβολα ἐκείνου γινομέναις. διόπερ εὐθέως λέγεται τὰ περὶ ἀγαλμάτων, „ὅτι οὐκ εἰσὶ θεοὶ,“ καὶ τὰ περὶ τῶν τοιούτων δημιουργημάτων, ὅτι οὐκ εἰσὶ συγκριτὰ πρὸς τὸν δημιουργὸν, ὀλίγα τε περὶ τοῦ ἐπὶ πᾶσι θεοῦ δημιουργήσαντος καὶ συνέχοντος καὶ κυβερνῶντος τὰ ὅλα. καὶ εὐθέως ὡσπερεὶ τὸ συγγενὲς ἐπιγνοῦσα ἡ λογικὴ ψυχὴ ἀποῤῥίπτει μὲν ἃ τέως ἐδόξαζεν εἶναι θεοὺς φίλτρον δ᾿ ἀναλαμβάνει φυσικὸν τὸ πρὸς τὸν κτίσαντα, καὶ διὰ τὸ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον φίλτρον ὑπεραποδέχεται καὶ τὸν ταῦτα πρῶτον πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι παραστήσαντα δι᾿ ὧν κατεσκεύασε μαθητῶν, οὓς ἐξέπεμψε μετὰ θείας δυνάμεως καὶ ἐξουσίας κηρύξαι τὸν περὶ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ λόγον.

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About this text

Origen answers the charges Celsus makes in his own voice: that Jews and Christians quarrel over an ass’s shadow, that the Church began in revolt and splits into sects, and that Jesus is no greater than the heroes and wonder-workers of the Greeks. He then defends the Gospel’s call to sinners and the unlearned, showing that Christians welcome the wise as well and lead each hearer from healing to the deeper teaching.

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 in an independent review. No earlier English translation was consulted.

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Translated from Koetschau GCS 2 – 3 (1899) — Greek (Greek · Book III, chapters 1 – 81)

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