Chapter XXVIII.

And since this Jew of Celsus makes it a subject of reproach that Christians should make use of the prophets, who predicted the events of Christ’s life, we have to say, in addition to what we have already advanced upon this head, that it became him to spare individuals, as he says, and to expound the prophecies themselves, and after admitting the probability of the Christian interpretation of them, to show how the use which they make of them may be overturned.217    The original here is probably corrupt:  ῞Οτι ἐχρῆν αὐτὸν (ὣς φησι) φειδόμενον ἀνθρώπων αὐτὰς ἐκθέσθαι τὰς προφητείας, καὶ συναγορεύσαντα ταῖς πιθανότησιν αὐτῶν, τὴν φαινομένην αὐτῶν ἀνατροπὴν τῆς χρήσεως τῶν προφητικῶν ἐκθέσθαι.  For φειδόμενον Boherellus would read κηδόμενον, and τὴν φαινομένην αὐτῷ ἀνατροπήν.  For in this way he would not appear hastily to assume so important a position on small grounds, and particularly when he asserts that the “prophecies agree with ten thousand other things more credibly than with Jesus.”  And he ought to have carefully met this powerful argument of the Christians, as being the strongest which they adduce, and to have demonstrated with regard to each particular prophecy, that it can apply to other events with greater probability than to Jesus.  He did not, however, perceive that this was a plausible argument to be advanced against the Christians only by one who was an opponent of the prophetic writings; but Celsus has here put in the mouth of a Jew an objection which a Jew would not have made.  For a Jew will not admit that the prophecies may be applied to countless other things with greater probability than to Jesus; but he will endeavour, after giving what appears to him the meaning of each, to oppose the Christian interpretation, not indeed by any means adducing convincing reasons, but only attempting to do so.

Ἐπεὶ δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα καὶ τὸ προφήταις χρῆσθαι Χριστιανοὺς προκηρύξασι τὰ περὶ Ἰησοῦ ὀνειδίζει ὁ παρὰ τῷ Κέλσῳ Ἰουδαῖος, φήσομεν πρὸς τοῖς ἀνωτέρω εἰς τοῦτο λελεγμένοις καὶ ὅτι ἐχρῆν αὐτόν, ὥς φησι, φειδόμενον ἀν θρώπων, αὐτὰς ἐκθέσθαι τὰς προφητείας καὶ συναγορεύσαντα ταῖς πιθανότησιν αὐτῶν τὴν φαινομένην αὐτῷ ἀνατροπὴν τῆς χρήσεως τῶν προφητικῶν ἐκθέσθαι. Οὕτω γὰρ ἂν ἔδοξε μὴ συναρπάζειν τηλικοῦτον κεφάλαιον διὰ λεξειδίων ὀλίγων, καὶ μάλιστα ἐπεί φησι μυρίοις ἄλλοις ἐφαρμοσθῆναι δύνασθαι πολὺ πιθανώτερον τὰ προφητικὰ ἢ τῷ Ἰησοῦ. Καὶ ἐχρῆν γε αὐτὸν πρὸς τὴν κρατήσασαν Χριστιανῶν ταύτην ὡς ἰσχυροτάτην ἀπόδειξιν στῆναι ἐπιμελῶς καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην προφητείαν ἐκθέσθαι, πῶς ἄλλοις ἐφαρμοσθῆναι δύναται πολὺ πιθανώτερον ἢ τῷ Ἰησοῦ. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ συνεῖδεν ὅτι τοῦτ' εἰ ἄρα πιθανὸν ἦν ὑπό τινος λέγεσθαι κατὰ Χριστιανῶν, ὑπὸ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων τῶν προφητικῶν γραμμάτων πιθανὸν τάχα ἦν· νυνὶ δὲ ὅπερ Ἰουδαῖος ἂν οὐκ εἶπε περιέθηκεν ὁ Κέλσος τῷ τοῦ Ἰουδαίου προσώπῳ. Οὐ συγκαταθήσεται γὰρ ὁ Ἰουδαῖος ὅτι μυρίοις ἐφαρμοσθῆναι δύναται τὰ προφη τικὰ πολὺ πιθανώτερον ἢ τῷ Ἰησοῦ, ἀλλὰ περὶ ἑκάστου τὴν φαινομένην αὐτῷ διήγησιν ἀποδιδοὺς στῆναι πειράσεται πρὸς τὴν τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἐκδοχήν, οὐ πάντως μὲν πιστικὰ λέγων πειρώμενος δὲ τὸ τοιοῦτο ποιεῖν.