Chapter XXXII.

But as Celsus next mentions the case of the Clazomenian, subjoining to the story about him this remark, “Do they not report that his soul frequently quitted his body, and flitted about in an incorporeal form? and yet men did not regard him as a god,” we have to answer that probably certain wicked demons contrived that such statements should be committed to writing (for I do not believe that they contrived that such a thing should actually take place), in order that the predictions regarding Jesus, and the discourses uttered by Him, might either be evil spoken of, as inventions like these, or might excite no surprise, as not being more remarkable than other occurrences.  But my Jesus said regarding His own soul (which was separated from the body, not by virtue of any human necessity, but by the miraculous power which was given Him also for this purpose):  “No one taketh my life from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.”467    Cf. John x. 18.  For as He had power to lay it down, He laid it down when He said, “Father, why hast Thou forsaken Me?  And when He had cried with a loud voice, He gave up the ghost,”468    Cf. Matt. xxvii. 46–50. anticipating the public executioners of the crucified, who break the legs of the victims, and who do so in order that their punishment may not be further prolonged.  And He “took His life,” when He manifested Himself to His disciples, having in their presence foretold to the unbelieving Jews, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again,”469    Cf. John ii. 19. and “He spake this of the temple of His body;” the prophets, moreover, having predicted such a result in many other passages of their writings, and in this, “My flesh also shall rest in hope:  for Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption.”470    Ps. xvi. 9, 10.

Ἐπεὶ δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα καὶ περὶ τοῦ Κλαζομενίου ὁ Κέλσος εἶπε προσθεὶς ἐπὶ τῆς κατ' αὐτὸν ἱστορίας· Μῶν οὐ τοῦτό φασιν, ὡς ἄρα ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ πολλάκις ἀπολιποῦσα τὸ σῶμα περιεπόλει ἀσώματος; Καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦτον ἐνόμισαν θεὸν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, καὶ πρὸς τοῦτο φήσομεν ὅτι τάχα πονηροί τινες δαίμονες τοιαῦτα ᾠκονόμησαν ἀναγραφῆναι–οὐ γὰρ πιστεύω ὅτι καὶ γενέσθαι ᾠκονόμησαν–, ἵνα τὰ προφητευ θέντα περὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ καὶ τὰ λεχθέντα ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἤτοι ὡς πλάσματα ὅμοια ἐκείνοις διαβάλληται, ἢ ὡς οὐδὲν πλεῖον ἑτέρων ἔχοντα μὴ πάνυ θαυμάζηται. Ἔλεγε δὴ ὁ ἐμὸς Ἰησοῦς περὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ψυχῆς, οὐ κατὰ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον χρεὼν χωριζομένης τοῦ σώματος ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν δοθεῖσαν αὐτῷ καὶ περὶ τούτου παράδοξον ἐξουσίαν, τό· "Οὐδεὶς αἴρει τὴν ψυχήν μου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐγὼ τίθημι αὐτὴν ἀπ' ἐμαυτοῦ. Ἐξουσίαν ἔχω θεῖναι αὐτήν, καὶ πάλιν ἐξουσίαν ἔχω λαβεῖν αὐτήν." Ἐπεὶ γὰρ "ἐξουσίαν" εἶχε "θεῖναι αὐτήν", ἔθηκε μέν, ἡνίκα εἶπε· "Πάτερ, ἱνατί με ἐγκα τέλιπες;" καὶ "Κράξας φωνῇ μεγάλῃ ἀφῆκε τὸ πνεῦμα", προλαβὼν τοὺς ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνασκολοπιζομένων δημίους, ὑποτέμνοντας τὰ σκέλη τῶν σταυρουμένων καὶ διὰ τοῦθ' ὑποτέμνοντας, ἵνα μὴ ἐπὶ πλέον τιμωρίαν τίσωσιν. Ἔλαβε δὲ "τὴν ψυχήν", ὅτε ἑαυτὸν ἐνεφάνισε τοῖς μαθηταῖς, προειπὼν ἐπ' αὐτῶν τοῖς ἀπιστοῦσιν αὐτῷ Ἰουδαίοις· "Λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον, κἀγὼ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερῶ αὐτόν." Καὶ "Ἔλεγέ γε τοῦτο περὶ τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ", καὶ τῶν προφητῶν προκηρυξάντων τὸ τοιοῦτο διὰ πλειόνων καὶ διὰ τοῦ· "Ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἡ σάρξ μου κατασ κηνώσει ἐπ' ἐλπίδι· ὅτι οὐκ ἐγκαταλείψεις τὴν ψυχήν μου εἰς τὸν ᾅδην οὐδὲ δώσεις τὸν ὅσιόν σου ἰδεῖν διαφθοράν."