Chapter LXVII.

To the best of our ability, therefore, as in a treatise of this nature, we have answered the objection, that “if Jesus had really wished to manifest his divine power, he ought to have shown himself to those who ill-treated him, and to the judge who condemned him, and to all without reservation.”  There was, however, no obligation on Him to appear either to the judge who condemned Him, or to those who ill-treated Him.  For Jesus spared both the one and the other, that they might not be smitten with blindness, as the men of Sodom were when they conspired against the beauty of the angels entertained by Lot.  And here is the account of the matter:  “But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.  And they smote the men who were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great; so that they wearied themselves to find the door.”313    Cf. Gen. xix. 10, 11.  [Also Jude 7, “strange (or other) flesh.”]  Jesus, accordingly, wished to show that His power was divine to each one who was capable of seeing it, and according to the measure of His capability.  And I do not suppose that He guarded against being seen on any other ground than from a regard to the fitness of those who were incapable of seeing Him.  And it is in vain for Celsus to add, “For he had no longer occasion to fear any man after his death, being, as you say, a God; nor was he sent into the world at all for the purpose of being hid.”  Yet He was sent into the world not only to become known, but also to be hid.  For all that He was, was not known even to those to whom He was known, but a certain part of Him remained concealed even from them; and to some He was not known at all.  And He opened the gates of light to those who were the sons of darkness and of night, and had devoted themselves to becoming the sons of light and of the day.  For our Saviour Lord, like a good physician, came rather to us who were full of sins, than to those who were righteous.

Ἀπελογησάμεθα οὖν κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν ἡμῖν ὡς ἐν τοιούτῳ συγγράμματι πρὸς τὸ ἐχρῆν, εἴπερ ὄντως ἐκφῆναι θείαν δύναμιν ἤθελεν, αὐτοῖς τοῖς ἐπηρεάσασι καὶ τῷ καταδικάσαντι καὶ ὅλως πᾶσιν ὀφθῆναι. Οὐκ ἐχρῆν οὖν τῷ καταδικάσαντι αὐτὸν ὀφθῆναι οὐδὲ τοῖς ἐπηρεάσασιν. Ἐφείδετο γὰρ καὶ τοῦ καταδικάσαντος καὶ τῶν ἐπηρεα σάντων ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ἵνα μὴ παταχθῶσιν "ἀορασίᾳ", ὁποίᾳ οἱ ἐν Σοδόμοις ἐπατάχθησαν, ἡνίκα ἐπεβούλευον τῇ ὥρᾳ τῶν ξενισθέντων παρὰ τῷ Λὼτ ἀγγέλων. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ δηλοῦται διὰ τούτων· "Ἐκτείναντες δὲ οἱ ἄνδρες τὰς χεῖρας ἐσπάσαντο τὸν Λὼτ πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς εἰς τὸν οἶκον, καὶ τὴν θύραν ἀπέκλεισαν· τοὺς δὲ ἄνδρας τοὺς ἐπὶ τῇ θύρᾳ τοῦ οἴκου ἐπάταξαν ἀορασίᾳ ἀπὸ μικροῦ ἕως μεγάλου· καὶ παρελύθησαν ζητοῦντες τὴν θύραν." Ἐκφῆναι οὖν ἐβούλετο τὴν δύναμιν ἑαυτοῦ ὁ Ἰησοῦς θείαν οὖσαν ἑκάστῳ τῶν δυναμένων αὐτὴν ἰδεῖν, καὶ κατὰ τὸ μέτρον ἰδεῖν ἃ ἐχώρει. Καὶ οὐ δή που δι' ἄλλο ἐφυλάξατο ὀφθῆναι ἢ διὰ τὰς δυνάμεις τῶν μὴ χωρούντων αὐτὸν ἰδεῖν. Καὶ μάτην παρελήφθη τῷ Κέλσῳ τὸ οὐ γὰρ δὴ ἔτι ἐφοβεῖτό τινα ἀνθρώπων ἀποθανὼν καί, ὥς φατε, θεὸς ὤν, οὐδ' ἐπὶ τοῦτ' ἐπέμφθη τὴν ἀρχήν, ἵνα λάθῃ. Ἐπέμφθη γὰρ οὐ μόνον, ἵνα γνωσθῇ, ἀλλ' ἵνα καὶ λάθῃ. Οὐ γὰρ πᾶν, ὃ ἦν, καὶ οἷς ἐγινώσκετο ἐγινώσκετο, ἀλλά τι αὐτοῦ ἐλάνθανεν αὐτούς· τισὶ δ' οὐδ' ὅλως ἐγινώσκετο. Καὶ ἀνέῳξε δὲ "φωτὸς" πύλας τοῖς γενομένοις μὲν "σκότους" καὶ "νυκτὸς" υἱοῖς, ἐπιδεδωκόσι δὲ ἑαυτοὺς εἰς τὸ γενέσθαι υἱοὺς "ἡμέρας" καὶ "φωτός". Καὶ ἦλθε σωτὴρ ὁ κύριος ἡμῖν μᾶλλον ὡς ἰατρὸς ἀγαθὸς τοῖς ἁμαρτιῶν μεστοῖς ἢ τοῖς δικαίοις.