Philocalia
they laid down the toils of faith. For them, indeed, nearly their whole life was spent in showing the most holy and sovereign Trinity to be of equal h
to attempt to correct the sayings of scripture for consistency, greatly preserving for those who are able to understand the coherence of the thought.
Free Will. 20. On good and evil things, and that these are in things subject to choice and in things not subject to choice, and according to the teach
rulers spoken of from Judah and leaders [from] his loins, when he for whom it is reserved, that is, the kingdom, shall come, and the expectation of th
And he came who according to Job subdued the great sea monster, and who gave authority to his genuine disciples to tread upon snakes and scorpions, an
that is, of the elementary teaching, to be brought to perfection, so that the wisdom spoken to the perfect may also be spoken to us. For he who posses
of the wives of Abraham, and of two sisters married to Jacob, and of two handmaids who bore children by him, they will say nothing else than that thes
orphans but Clement will send to the cities abroad and you will report to the presbyters of the church. For Grapte, who admonishes the widows and th
of new moons or of sabbaths which are a shadow of things to come. And further, also in the [epistle] to the Hebrews, speaking of those of the circumc
to things that have happened and things to be done, wherever the Word found things that had happened according to history which could be applied to th
Moses commands us to offer but a griffin has never been recorded to have been subject to man, which the lawgiver forbids to be eaten. But even the fa
to his brother, and so on and: But I say to you, do not swear at all. and in the Apostle the saying must be observed: Warn those who are unruly, comf
Isaac, he too having descended from Abraham, with all being traced back to Adam, whom the apostle says is Christ? For every beginning of families that
he came to gather the lost sheep of the house of Israel and when many from Israel did not yield to his teaching, those from the Gentiles are also cal
fleeing the allegory in these things, and thinking that the letter has been written for its own sake, they will stand by the will of the Holy Spirit w
behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered, to open the book and its seven seals. 2.2 But concerning its being sealed on
holy, for one who perceives the weakness of our race, and that it is impossible for us to grasp the principles of God's art, contemplated with all acc
It is. from the fifth volume of the commentary on the Gospel of John, on the prologue. Since you are not content for us to have undertaken the present
of many theorems, of which each theorem is a part of the whole discourse. But those outside this, promising to contain any kind of discussion and decl
the things before, he has understood the entire scripture as one book, understood as very sweet in the beginning when one chews it, but bitter in the
to the gospel or to himself or to the apostles. But one who has been educated in the music of God, being wise in deeds and words, and for this reason
he might change it, leading it to the singular. For having read: “They wept and entreated me ” and: “In the house of On they found me ” he might say t
of angels in the hand of a mediator and in the passage: So that the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by f
to others. And if we carefully observe this, we are freed from many errors and misinterpretations. It is necessary, therefore, to know that the word
in unbelief, confusion, outside. From the 20th book on Ezekiel. Thus says the Lord Lord: behold, I will judge between sheep and sheep, between rams a
For there are certain powers in us, of which the better ones are nourished by these, as it were, incantations, being kindred to them, and though we do
so that having despoiled the Egyptians, they might find material for the construction of the things received for the worship of God. For from the thin
His Christ would also know, and he who partakes of the spirit of God and the spirit of Christ. May you partake, and may you always increase your parti
of a spotted robe and of countless other things, one who takes the pains can find not a few examples. But we have made this digression, in order that
arising in those who speak effectively. For the prophet says in the sixty-seventh psalm, that the Lord will give a word to those who preach the gospel
knowing the first good, wrote indeed, as of God manifesting himself to the worthy and suitable, that God appeared, so to speak, to Abraham, or to Isaa
to the prophets of the Jews or to the oracles of the Christians the argument must be constructed in this way, from a certain example concerning foods
the concept of forbearance is corrupted by the meanness of the words, but in this too Celsus slanders the Word, saying: “But concerning these and othe
three apostles. But he will say that these things are fabrications and in no way different from myths, just as are the other wonderful things about Je
who are in no way lacking intelligible thunder. 15.19 And his garments below are different, they are not white, they are not as the light if you go u
admittedly more numerous but I think also among barbarians, as many as profess to practice medicine. And again, since philosophy, professing truth an
to think and to speak and to do, when reviled, we bless when persecuted, we endure when defamed, we entreat and we would not say things that may an
brother of Artemis, and paternal brother of Hermes and as many other things as the wise fathers of Celsus's doctrines and the ancient theologians of
of the name of Isaac, and something is revealed from the voice of Jacob and if indeed the one who calls or the one who adjures names the God of Abrah
as they wish, so he says it also happens among Christians. And he says that some, not even wishing to give or receive a reason for what they believe,
to seek proofs. And how is it not more reasonable, since all human affairs depend on faith, to trust God rather than them? For who sails, or marries,
I know the Stoic, or all the Peripatetic doctrines? unless perhaps, having heard the phrase for I know all things from some insensitive laymen who w
a profession was apparent since the word and the preaching were in the persuasive wisdom of phrasing and composition of words and faith would have b
to remove from such great evils those who were preoccupied in them. And among the Greeks a certain Phaedo, and I know not if a second, and one Polemon
We will say that the story about Aristotle is also a slander against Jesus and his disciples for when he saw that a court was about to be assembled a
And indeed one of the prophets, Hosea, says at the end of his words: Who is wise, and will understand these things? Or prudent, and will know them? Bu
that he might bring to nothing things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence some have been moved to suppose that no one educated or wi
inviting them. which certain of the Cynics especially have done, discoursing in public to those who happen to be present. Will they then say that thes
a gathering of prudent men would never be addressed, but where they see boys and a crowd of household slaves and a throng of foolish men, there to bri
of the riddles and of the things said with concealment in the law and prophets and gospels, which you have despised as containing nothing of value, no
of stone as being worthy of worship but the common conception demands we understand that God is in no way corruptible matter, nor is he honored in in
to say to those who, through hatred for the hated, accuse them of things for which their dearest friends are praised. For just as in their case hatred
for food, and others for shelter. For it was better for those not intending to seek divine things and to philosophize to be in want, so as to use thei
to be captured by them? For if indeed the world came to be by providence, and God presides over all things it was necessary that the first sparks of
among them their succession, because men have need of honey for many things, for the healing of suffering bodies and as a purifying food. But what is
Indeed, when they meet, they converse with each other, which is why they do not miss their paths therefore, there is among them a fulfillment of disc
to have granted aids, because neither wisdom nor reason is in them, but a certain natural constitution for such things for the sake of the animals' pr
divination and after this to set forth the defense more clearly and demonstratively to reject the arguments of those who do away with such kinds of
mantic birds and the other irrational animals and conceptions of the divine and foreknowledge concerning future things, would have revealed such thing
taken as an example of the worst things, and never is a wolf or a fox named in connection with a good thing. It seems, then, that there is a certain f
For none of the irrational animals has a conception of God. And it is a falsehood that irrational animals are nearer to divine communion since even
to act, he would not have said that storks are more pious than men. Furthermore, as if standing up for the piety of the irrational animals, Celsus int
has the cause of movement, animals and plants and simply all things that are held together by nature and soul, among which they say are also minerals.
being driven out of what is solemn and stable so that they change to licentiousness, often beginning their licentiousness in the middle of their life
someone that in like manner those who are perishing are not of free will nor will they perish by their own fault. And what is said in Ezekiel: I will
to Pharaoh? For it is necessary for one who believes that the scriptures are true and that God is just, if he is fair-minded, to struggle with how in
narratives are also considered violent, let us see also from prophetic discourse, what those say who have experienced the great goodness of God, and h
One might blame the farmer for not casting the seeds sooner upon the rocky ground, seeing some other rocky ground that has received the seeds and is f
21.15 After this was the passage from the gospel, when the savior said that for this reason he speaks to those outside in parables, that seeing they m
that they would have long ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes, when the savior came near their borders, they do not even hear the things of t
we might stumble, while it is understood that something has happened in a human way, but the good deed is thankfully referred to God the perfecter th
thus? Or does not the potter have authority over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor, and another for dishonor? For someone will
O man, who are you who answers back to God? 21.22 But to those who introduce natures and use the saying, these things must be said: if they preserve t
those who were allotted to be overseers of the earth established laws for those who were being legislated for, cooperating with the lawgivers. It seem
different relations and laws see if temperance will not consequently be one of the relatives, and courage and prudence and knowledge and the other vi
the voice of his neighbor. And the Lord scattered them from there over the face of all the earth, and they stopped building the city and the tower. Fo
in proportion to the sins of those who had obtained the other lands, first, having been punished to a lesser degree and paid the penalty, as if discip
blessings for none of these things will any longer reasonably come to be. And if one were to look at the consequences for himself of what he teaches,
in a prophetic book which makes clear beforehand the things concerning Judas the traitor, to suppose, having learned what was to be, seeing it being f
king of the Macedonians, and Ptolemy who ruled Egypt, who was surnamed Lagos, it is thus prophesied: And behold, a he-goat came from the west over the
that what is in our power can be preserved. 23.8 To these we must say that when God applies himself to the beginning of the creation of the world, sin
hearing they will turn back or they will persist in their own sins just as it is said in Jeremiah: Perhaps they will hear and repent. For God does no
in the psalm, whose beginning is: O God, do not be silent about my praise for the mouth of the sinner and the mouth of the deceitful has been opened
taking the hour of this man’s birth, they ascertain how each of the wandering stars is perpendicularly aligned, either with this degree of the zodiac
of the father and that of the mother and that of his wife and of his sons and of the servants and of the dearest friends, and perhaps also of the murd
the intelligible dodecatemorion being one thing, and the, as it were, formation another and they say the results are found not from the formation, bu
Pharaoh was for the demonstration of the power of God and the proclamation of his name in all the earth, consider how great a demonstration of God's p
of men that not at every hour are some of the stars well-positioned and others ill-positioned for it is an even, varied circle, having infinite prete
a place for withdrawal. But if anyone should say that matter is in God, it is necessary to examine likewise, whether as though he were separating hims
If you have something to say, begin your speech. For if our inquiry were born of contention, I would not have thought it right to define evils a secon
God is the creator. Let this argument, therefore, be well addressed to him but to me it seems a falsehood to say that matter is without quality. For
and to turn that to the better, seems to me to be worthy of incurring blame, having left a part of matter to be evil to the destruction of the part wh
it was opposed to itself. Thus since opposites exist, it is shown that matter does not exist. These things have been drawn from the 7th book of the Ev
of their coming into being and as knowing all things before their coming into being he foreknew and predestined some to be conformed to the image of
he will discipline his body and bring it into subjection, being careful lest, having preached to others, he himself should become disqualified, and th
events teaching that we must choose justice and temperance and prudence and courage and the actions according to them, but shun their opposites. There
accomplishing by the very act of working, they were doing good to men and delivering them from evils. And those who say such things will pass on to th
For the just man did not give his money at interest and did not take bribes against the innocent and: He who does these things will not be shaken for
of providence, according to the good temper of the airs and the bearing of sufficient rain so the good of the rational being is a mixture of both his
for God to effect a hardening of anyone's heart, and to effect a hardening for the purpose of the one being hardened disobeying the will of the one ha
being destroyed. Yet this also must be inquired into, because the apostle, using the words from here, says: Therefore, He has mercy on whom He wills,
to do something alien to the profession of physicians, leading him who should be healed to inflammations and abscesses so I think God also said: But
to punish him for the sins against Abner the son of Ner, and to kill him for his offenses then he adds: And you will bring down his gray head in peac
man shall live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. But observe in these things that God afflicts and tests, so that the things in each
from the text that the heart of Pharaoh was hardened how is he just who hardened the heart of the king so that he would not send away his people, and
three apostles. But he will say that these things are fabrications and in no way different from myths, just as are the other wonderful things about Jesus. 15.15 To this it must be said that to wish to establish almost any history as having actually happened, even if it is true, and to produce a convincing impression about it, is one of the most difficult things, and in some cases impossible. For come, let someone say that the Trojan War did not happen, especially because an impossible story has been interwoven about the birth of a certain Achilles as the son of the sea-goddess Thetis and of the man Peleus, or Sarpedon as son of Zeus, or Ascalaphus and Ialmenus as sons of Ares, or Aeneas as son of Aphrodite; how could we establish such a thing, especially being hard pressed by the fiction—woven in I know not how—to the universally held opinion about the Trojan War between the Greeks and Trojans having truly happened? And come, let someone disbelieve the story of Oedipus and Jocasta and their children born from both, Eteocles and Polyneices, because the Sphinx, a certain mixed-virgin creature, has been woven into the story; how could we prove such a thing? But the one who reads histories with good judgment and wishes to keep himself undeceived even in them will judge what things he will assent to, and what he will interpret allegorically, examining the intention of those who fabricated such things; and what things he will disbelieve, as having been written down to gratify certain people. And we have said this in anticipation concerning the whole history of Jesus recorded in the Gospels, not summoning the more intelligent to a bare and irrational faith, but wishing to show that there is need of good judgment for those who will read them, and of much examination and, so to speak, of an entrance into the intention of the writers, in order that it may be discovered with what mind each thing was written. 15.16 But Celsus seems, when he wishes to bring an accusation against the doctrine, to believe what is written; but in order that he may not accept the divinity which is revealed and proclaimed in the same books, to disbelieve the Gospels; whereas he ought, seeing the love of truth of the writers from their record of the worse things, to believe also concerning the more divine things. 15.17 For if they were not lovers of truth, but, as Celsus thinks, recorders of fabrications, they would not have written that Peter denied or that the disciples of Jesus were scandalized. For who, even if such things happened, refuted the account, because it turned out this way? And yet it was probable that these things should have been kept silent by men wishing to teach those who read the Gospels to despise death for the confession of Christianity. But now, seeing that the word would powerfully prevail over men, they set down even such things as these, which, I know not how, would not harm those who read them nor give an occasion for denial. 15.18 And the account has something more mystical, reporting that the different forms of Jesus are referred to the nature of the divine Word, not appearing in the same way to the many and to those who are able to follow him to a high mountain, as we have explained. For to those who are still below and are not yet prepared to ascend, the Word has no form nor beauty; for his form to such people is without honor, and lacking in comparison to the words produced by men, which are tropically called in these instances sons of men. For we would say that the words of the philosophers, being sons of men, appear much more beautiful than the Word of God preached to the many, which also manifests the foolishness of preaching; and because of the apparent foolishness of the preaching, those who see only this say: 'We saw him, and he had no form nor beauty.' But to those, however, who from following him have received power for following him as he ascends to the high mountain, he has a more divine form; which they see, if one is a Peter who has received the building of the church upon himself from the Word, and having taken up such a state that no gate of Hades will prevail against him, having been lifted up through the Word from the gates of death, so that he might declare all the praises of God in the gates of the daughter of Zion; and if there are any who have received their birth from words of a loud voice,
τρεῖς ἀποστόλους. ἀλλ' ἐρεῖ ταῦτ' εἶναι πλάσματα καὶ μύθων οὐδὲν διαφέροντα, ὡς καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τῶν περὶ Ἰησοῦ παραδόξων. 15.15
Πρὸς τοῦτο δὲ λεκτέον ὅτι σχεδὸν πᾶσαν ἱστορίαν, κἂν ἀληθὴς ᾖ, βούλεσθαι κατασκευάζειν ὡς γεγενημένην, καὶ καταληπτικὴν ἐμποιῆσαι
περὶ αὐτῆς φαντασίαν, τῶν σφό δρα ἐστὶ χαλεπωτάτων, καὶ ἐν ἐνίοις ἀδύνατον. φέρε γάρ τινα λέγειν μὴ γεγονέναι τὸν Ἰλιακὸν
πόλεμον, μά λιστα διὰ τὸ ἀδύνατον προσπεπλέχθαι λόγον περὶ τοῦ γεγενῆσθαί τινα Ἀχιλλέα θαλασσίας θεᾶς Θέτιδος υἱὸν καὶ ἀνθρώπου
Πηλέως, ἢ Σαρπηδόνα ∆ιὸς, ἢ Ἀσκάλαφον καὶ Ἰάλμενον Ἄρεος, ἢ Αἰνείαν Ἀφροδίτης· πῶς ἂν κατασκευάσαιμεν τὸ τοιοῦτον, μάλιστα
θλιβόμενοι ὑπὸ τοῦ οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως παρυφανθέντος πλάσματος τῇ κεκρατηκυίᾳ παρὰ πᾶσι δόξῃ περὶ τοῦ ἀληθῶς γεγονέναι τὸν ἐν Ἰλίῳ
πόλεμον Ἑλ- λήνων καὶ Τρώων; φέρε δὲ καί τινα ἀπιστεῖν περὶ Οἰδί ποδος καὶ Ἰοκάστης καὶ τῶν γεννηθέντων ἀπὸ ἀμφοτέρων Ἐτεοκλέους
καὶ Πολυνείκους, διὰ τὸ προσπεπλέχθαι τῷ λόγῳ τὴν Σφίγγα μιξοπάρθενόν τινα· πῶς ἂν τὸ τοιοῦτον ἀποδείξαιμεν; ἀλλ' ὁ εὐγνωμόνως
ἐντυγχάνων ταῖς ἱστο ρίαις καὶ βουλόμενος ἑαυτὸν τηρεῖν καὶ ἐν ἐκείναις ἀνεξαπά τητον κρινεῖ, τίσι μὲν συγκαταθήσεται, τίνα
δὲ τροπολογή σει, τὸ βούλημα ἐρευνῶν τῶν ἀναπλασαμένων τὰ τοιάδε· καὶ τίσιν ἀπιστήσει, ὡς διὰ τὴν πρός τινας χάριν ἀναγε γραμμένοις.
καὶ τοῦτο προλαβόντες δι' ὅλην τὴν φερομέ νην ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις περὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἱστορίαν εἰρήκαμεν, οὐκ ἐπὶ ψιλὴν πίστιν
καὶ ἄλογον τοὺς ἐντρεχεστέρους ἐκ καλούμενοι, ἀλλὰ βουλόμενοι παραστῆσαι ὅτι εὐγνωμο σύνης χρεία τοῖς ἐντευξομένοις καὶ πολλῆς
ἐξετάσεως καὶ, ἵν' οὕτως ὀνομάσω, εἰσόδου εἰς τὸ βούλημα τῶν γραψάντων, ἵν' εὑρεθῇ ποίᾳ διανοίᾳ ἕκαστον γέγραπται. 15.16 Ἔοικεν
δὲ ὁ Κέλσος, ἵνα μὲν ἐγκαλέσῃ τῷ λόγῳ, πιστεύειν ὅπου θέλει τοῖς γεγραμμένοις· ἵνα δὲ τὴν ἐμ φαινομένην θειότητα ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς
βιβλίοις ἀπαγγελλο μένην μὴ παραδέξηται, ἀπιστεῖν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις· δέον τὸ φιλάληθες ἰδόντα τῶν γραψάντων ἐκ τῆς περὶ τῶν
χειρό νων ἀναγραφῆς πιστεῦσαι καὶ περὶ τῶν θειοτέρων. 15.17 Εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἦσαν φιλαλήθεις ἀλλ', ὡς οἴεται Κέλ σος, πλάσματα ἀναγράφοντες,
οὐκ ἂν Πέτρον ἀνέγραψαν ἀρνησάμενον ἢ τοὺς μαθητὰς Ἰησοῦ σκανδαλιζομένους. τίς γὰρ, εἰ καὶ γέγονε τοιαῦτα, ἤλεγξε τὸν λόγον,
ὅτι οὕτως ἀπήντησε; καί τοί γε κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς ἐχρῆν σεσιωπῆσθαι ταῦτα ἀνθρώποις βουλομένοις διδάσκειν τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας τοῖς
εὐαγγελίοις θανάτου καταφρονεῖν ὑπὲρ τῆς ὁμολογίας τοῦ χριστιανισμοῦ. νυνὶ δ' ὁρῶντες ὅτι ὁ λόγος δυνάμει κρατήσει τῶν ἀνθρώπων
ἔθηκαν καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα, οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως οὐ βλάψοντα τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας οὐδὲ πρόφασιν δώσοντα ἀρνήσεως. 15.18 Ἔχει δέ τι καὶ μυστικώτερον
ὁ λόγος, ἀπαγγέλ λων τὰς τοῦ Ἰησοῦ διαφόρους μορφὰς ἀναφέρεσθαι ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ θείου λόγου φύσιν, οὐχ ὁμοίως φαινομένου τοῖς
τε πολλοῖς καὶ τοῖς ἀκολουθεῖν αὐτῷ εἰς ὑψηλὸν, ὃ ἀποδεδώ καμεν, ὄρος δυναμένοις. τοῖς μὲν γὰρ ἔτι κάτω τυγχάνουσι καὶ μηδέπω
ἐπὶ τὸ ἀναβαίνειν παρεσκευασμένοις ὁ λόγος οὐκ ἔχει εἶδος οὐδὲ κάλλος· τὸ γὰρ εἶδος αὐτοῦ τοῖς τοιού τοις ἐστὶν ἄτιμον, καὶ
ἐκλεῖπον παρὰ τοὺς ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων γεγενημένους λόγους, τροπικῶς ἐν τούτοις καλουμένους υἱοὺς ἀνθρώπων. εἴποιμεν γὰρ ἂν πολλῷ
ὡραιοτέρους φαίνεσθαι τοὺς τῶν φιλοσοφούντων λόγους, ὄντας υἱοὺς ἀνθρώπων, παρὰ τὸν τοῖς πολλοῖς κηρυσσόμενον τοῦ θεοῦ λόγον,
ὃς ἐμφαίνει καὶ μωρίαν κηρύγματος· καὶ διὰ τὴν ἐμφαινομένην μωρίαν τοῦ κηρύγματος λέγουσιν οἱ τοῦτο μόνον θεωροῦντες· Εἴδομεν
αὐτὸν, καὶ οὐκ εἶχεν εἶδος οὐδὲ κάλλος. τοῖς μέντοι ἐκ τοῦ ἀκολουθεῖν αὐτῷ δύναμιν ἀνειληφόσι πρὸς τὸ ἕπεσθαι καὶ ἀναβαίνοντι
αὐτῷ εἰς τὸ ὑψηλὸν ὄρος, θειοτέραν μορφὴν ἔχει· ἣν βλέπουσιν, εἴ τίς ἐστι Πέτρος χωρήσας τὴν τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐν ἑαυτῷ οἰκοδο
μὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ λόγου, καὶ τοσαύτην ἕξιν ἀναλαβὼν ὡς μηδεμίαν πύλην ᾅδου κατισχύσειν αὐτοῦ, ὑψωθέντος διὰ τὸν λόγον ἐκ τῶν πυλῶν
τοῦ θανάτου, ὅπως ἂν ἐξαγγείλῃ πάσας τὰς αἰνέσεις τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν ταῖς πύλαις τῆς θυγατρὸς Σιών· καὶ εἴ τινές εἰσιν ἐκ λόγων τὴν
γένεσιν λαβόντες μεγαλοφώνων,
