Origen of Alexandria, Against Celsus

But what promise did Jesus make which He did not perform? Let Celsus produce any instance of such, and make good his charge. But he will be unable to do so, especially since it is from mistakes, arising either from misapprehension of the Gospel narratives, or from Jewish stories, that he thinks to derive the charges which he brings against Jesus or against ourselves. Moreover, again, when the Jew says, “We both found him guilty, and condemned him as deserving of death,” let them show how they who sought to concoct false witness against Him proved Him to be guilty. Was not the great charge against Jesus, which His accusers brought forward, this, that He said, “I am able to destroy the temple of God, and after three days to raise it up again?”177 δεινότητος. Matt. xxvi. 61. But in so saying, He spake of the temple of His body; while they thought, not being able to understand the meaning of the speaker, that His reference was to the temple of stone, which was treated by the Jews with greater respect than He was who ought to have been honoured as the true Temple of God—the Word, and the Wisdom, and the Truth. And who can say that “Jesus attempted to make His escape by disgracefully concealing Himself?” Let any one point to an act deserving to be called disgraceful. And when he adds, “he was taken prisoner,” I would say that, if to be taken prisoner implies an act done against one’s will, then Jesus was not taken prisoner; for at the fitting time He did not prevent Himself falling into the hands of men, as the Lamb of God, that He might take away the sin of the world. For, knowing all things that were to come upon Him, He went forth, and said to them, “Whom seek ye?” and they answered, “Jesus of Nazareth;” and He said unto them, “I am He.” And Judas also, who betrayed Him, was standing with them. When, therefore, He had said to them, “I am He,” they went backwards and fell to the ground. Again He asked them, “Whom seek ye?” and they said again, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I told you I am He; if then ye seek Me, let these go away.”178 John xviii. 4 sqq. Nay, even to Him who wished to help Him, and who smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his ear, He said: “Put up thy sword into its sheath: for all they who draw the sword shall perish by the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot even now pray to My Father, and He will presently give Me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?”179 Matt. xxvi. 52–54. And if any one imagines these statements to be inventions of the writers of the Gospels, why should not those statements rather be regarded as inventions which proceeded from a spirit of hatred and hostility against Jesus and the Christians? and these the truth, which proceed from those who manifest the sincerity of their feelings towards Jesus, by enduring everything, whatever it may be, for the sake of His words? For the reception by the disciples of such power of endurance and resolution continued even to death, with a disposition of mind that would not invent regarding their Teacher what was not true, is a very evident proof to all candid judges that they were fully persuaded of the truth of what they wrote, seeing they submitted to trials so numerous and so severe, for the sake of Him whom they believed to be the Son of God.

Τί δὲ καὶ ἐπηγγείλατο ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ οὐκ ἐποίησε, παραστησάτω καὶ ἀποδειξάτω ὁ Κέλσος. Ἀλλ' οὐ δυνήσεται, μάλιστα ἐπεὶ εἴτ' ἐκ παρακουσμάτων εἴτε καὶ ἐξ ἀναγνωσ μάτων εὐαγγελικῶν εἴτ' ἐκ διηγημάτων ἰουδαϊκῶν οἴεται φέρειν ἃ λέγει κατὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἢ καθ' ἡμῶν. Ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ πάλιν ὁ Ἰουδαῖός φησιν ὅτι καὶ ἐλέγξαντες αὐτὸν καὶ καταγνόντες ἠξιοῦμεν κολάζεσθαι, δεικνύτωσαν, πῶς αὐτὸν ἤλεγξαν οἱ ζητοῦντες ψευδομαρτυρίας κατασκευάσαι αὐτῷ· εἰ μὴ ἄρα ὁ μέγας ἔλεγχος κατὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἦν, ὃν εἶπον οἱ κατήγοροι, ὅτι "Οὗτος ἔφη· ∆ύναμαι καταλῦσαι τὸν ναὸν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ διὰ τριῶν ἡμερῶν ἀναστῆσαι"· ἐπεὶ αὐτὸς μὲν "ἔλεγε περὶ τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ", ἐκεῖνοι δ' ᾤοντο ὡς μὴ εἰδότες ἀκούειν κατὰ τὸ βούλημα τοῦ λέγοντος ὅτι περὶ τοῦ λιθίνου αὐτῷ ναοῦ ὁ λόγος ἦν, τοῦ τετιμημένου παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις μᾶλλον, ἢ ὡς ἐχρῆν τιμᾶσθαι τὸν ὡς ἀληθῶς ναὸν θεοῦ τοῦ λόγου καὶ τῆς σοφίας καὶ τῆς ἀληθείας. Λεγέτω δέ τις, πῶς ἐπονειδιστότατα κρυπτόμενος διεδίδρασκεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς· τὸ γὰρ ὀνείδους ἄξιόν τις παραστη σάτω. Ἀλλ' ἐπεί φησι καὶ ὅτι ἑάλω, εἴποιμ' ἂν ὅτι, εἴπερ τὸ ἁλῶναι ἀκούσιόν ἐστιν, οὐχ ἑάλω ὁ Ἰησοῦς· ἑαυτὸν γὰρ ἐν ἐπιτηδείῳ καιρῷ εἰς χεῖρας ἀνθρώπων γενέσθαι οὐκ ἐκώλυσεν ὡς "ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ", ἵν' ἄρῃ "τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου". "Εἰδὼς γοῦν πάντα τὰ ἐρχόμενα ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἐξῆλθε καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· Τίνα ζητεῖτε; Οἱ δ' ἀπεκρίθησαν· Ἰησοῦν τὸν Ναζωραῖον. Λέγει δὲ αὐτοῖς· Ἐγώ εἰμι. Εἱστήκει δὲ καὶ Ἰούδας ὁ παραδιδοὺς αὐτὸν μετ' αὐτῶν. Ὡς οὖν εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Ἐγώ εἰμι, ἀπῆλθον εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω καὶ ἔπεσον χαμαί. Πάλιν οὖν αὐτὸς ἐπηρώτησε· Τίνα ζητεῖτε; Οἱ δὲ εἶπον πάλιν· Ἰησοῦν τὸν Ναζωραῖον. Ἀπεκρίθηαὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Εἶπον ὑμῖν ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι· εἰ οὖν ἐμὲ ζητεῖτε, ἄφετε τούτους ὑπάγειν." Ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τὸν βουλόμενον αὐτῷ βοηθῆσαι καὶ πατάξαντα "τὸν τοῦ ἀρχιερέως δοῦλον" καὶ ἀφελόντα "αὐτοῦ τὸ ὠτίον" εἶπεν· "Ἀπόστρεψον τὴν μάχαιράν σου εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτῆς· πάντες γὰρ οἱ λαβόντες μάχαιραν ἐν μαχαίρᾳ ἀπολοῦνται. Ἢ δοκεῖ σοι ὅτι οὐ δύναμαι ἄρτι παρακαλέσαι τὸν πατέρα μου, καὶ παραστήσει μοι ὧδε πλείους ἢ δώδεκα λεγεῶνας ἀγγέλων; Πῶς οὖν πληρωθῶσιν αἱ γραφαί, ὅτι οὕτως ἔδει γενέσθαι;" Εἰ δὲ πλάσματα τῶν γραψάντων τὰ εὐαγγέλια οἴεταί τις εἶναι καὶ ταῦτα, πῶς οὐχὶ μᾶλλον πλάσματα μέν ἐστι τὰ τῶν ἀπὸ ἔχθους καὶ μίσους τοῦ πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ Χριστιανοὺς λεγόντων, ἀλήθεια δὲ [τὰ] τῶν τὸ γνήσιον τῆς πρὸς τὸν Ἰησοῦν διαθέσεως ἀποδειξαμένων ἐν τῷ πᾶν ὅ τι ποτ' οὖν ὑπομεμενηκέναι διὰ τοὺς λόγους αὐτοῦ; Τοσαύτην γὰρ ὑπομονὴν καὶ ἔνστασιν μέχρι θανάτου ἀνειλη φέναι τοὺς Ἰησοῦ μαθητὰς μετὰ διαθέσεως ἀναπλασσούσης περὶ τοῦ διδασκάλου τὰ μὴ ὄντα .....; Καὶ πολὺ τοῖς εὐγνωμονοῦσι τὸ ἐναργές ἐστι περὶ τοῦ πεπεῖσθαι αὐτοὺς περὶ ὧν ἀνέγραψαν ἐκ τοῦ τηλικαῦτα καὶ τοσαῦτα διὰ τὸν πεπιστευμένον αὐτοῖς εἶναι υἱὸν θεοῦ ὑπομεμενηκέναι.