Chapter LVIII.

But those who, in the opinion of Celsus, resemble the workers in wool in private houses, and the leather-cutters, and fullers, and uneducated rustics, will, he alleges, in the presence of father or teachers be unwilling to speak, or unable to explain to the boys anything that is good.  In answer to which, we would say, What kind of father, my good sir, and what kind of teacher, do you mean?  If you mean one who approves of virtue, and turns away from vice, and welcomes what is better, then know, that with the greatest boldness will we declare our opinions to the children, because we will be in good repute with such a judge.  But if, in the presence of a father who has a hatred of virtue and goodness, we keep silence, and also before those who teach what is contrary to sound doctrine, do not blame us for so doing, since you will blame us without good reason.  You, at all events, in a case where fathers deemed the mysteries of philosophy an idle and unprofitable occupation for their sons, and for young men in general, would not, in teaching philosophy, make known its secrets before worthless parents; but, desiring to keep apart those sons of wicked parents who had been turned towards the study of philosophy, you would observe the proper seasons, in order that the doctrines of philosophy might reach the minds of the young men.  And we say the same regarding our teachers.  For if we turn (our hearers) away from those instructors who teach obscene comedies and licentious iambics, and many other things which neither improve the speaker nor benefit the hearers (because the latter do not know how to listen to poetry in a philosophic frame of mind, nor the former how to say to each of the young men what tends to his profit), we are not, in following such a course, ashamed to confess what we do.  But if you will show me teachers who train young men for philosophy, and who exercise them in it, I will not from such turn away young men, but will try to raise them, as those who have been previously exercised in the whole circle of learning and in philosophical subjects, to the venerable and lofty height of eloquence which lies hid from the multitude of Christians, where are discussed topics of the greatest importance, and where it is demonstrated and shown that they have been treated philosophically both by the prophets of God and the apostles of Jesus.

Οἱ δὲ παρὰ τῷ Κέλσῳ παραπλήσιοι τοῖς ἐν ταῖς οἰκίαις ἐριουργοῖς ὅμοιοι δὲ καὶ τοῖς σκυτοτόμοις καὶ κναφεῦσι καὶ ἀπαιδευτοτάτοις ἀγροίκοις παρόντος μὲν πατρὸς καὶ διδασκάλων οὐδέν φησι λέγειν ἐθελήσουσιν οὐδὲ δυνήσονται τοῖς παισὶν ἑρμηνεύειν ἀγαθόν. Καὶ πρὸς τοῦτο δ' ἐροῦμεν· ποίου φῄς, ὦ οὗτος, πατρὸς καὶ ποίου διδασκάλου; Εἰ μὲν τοῦ ἀρετὴν ἀποδεχομένου καὶ κακίαν ἀποστρεφομένου καὶ ἀσπαζομένου τὰ κρείττονα, ἄκουε ὅτι καὶ μάλα θαρροῦντες ὡς εὐδοκιμοῦντες παρὰ τῷ τοιούτῳ κριτῇ ἐροῦμεν τοῖς παισὶ τὰ ἡμέτερα. Εἰ δ' ἐνώπιον πατρὸς διαβεβοημένου πρὸς ἀρετὴν καὶ καλοκἀγαθίαν σιωπῶμεν καὶ τῶν τὰ ἐναντία τῷ ὑγιεῖ λόγῳ διδασκόντων, τοῦτο μηδ' ἡμῖν ἐγκάλει, οὐ γὰρ εὐλόγως ἐγκαλεῖς. Καὶ σὺ γοῦν τὰ φιλοσοφίας ὄργια τοῖς νέοις καὶ υἱοῖς, πατέρων ἀργὸν πρᾶγμα καὶ ἀνωφελὲς νομιζόντων φιλοσοφίαν, παραδιδοὺς τοῖς παισὶν οὐκ ἐπὶ τῶν φαύλων πατέρων ἐρεῖς· ἀλλὰ βουλόμενος χωρίζεσθαι τοὺς προτραπέντας ἐπὶ φιλοσοφίαν υἱοὺς τῶν μοχθηρῶν πατέρων ἐπιτηρήσεις καιρούς, ἵνα καθί κωνται οἱ φιλοσοφίας λόγοι τῶν νέων. Καὶ περὶ τῶν διδασ κάλων δὲ τὰ αὐτὰ φήσομεν. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἀποτρέπομεν διδασκάλων διδασκόντων τὰ ἄσεμνα τῆς κωμῳδίας καὶ τοὺς ἀκολάστους τῶν ἰάμβων καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα, ἃ μήτε τὸν λέγοντα ἐπιστρέφει μήτε τοὺς ἀκούοντας ὠφελεῖ, καὶ μὴ εἰδότων φιλοσόφως ἀκούειν ποιημάτων καὶ ἐπιλέγειν ἑκάστοις τὰ συντείνοντα εἰς ὠφέλειαν τῶν νέων, τοῦτο ποιοῦντες οὐκ αἰσχυνόμεθα ὁμολογεῖν τὸ πραττόμενον· εἰ δὲ παραστήσεις μοι διδασκάλους πρὸς φιλοσοφίαν προπαιδεύοντας καὶ ἐν φιλοσοφίᾳ γυμνάζοντας, οὐκ ἀποτρέψω μὲν ἀπὸ τούτων τοὺς νέους πειράσομαι δὲ προγυμνασαμένους αὐτοὺς ὡς ἐν ἐγκυκλίοις μαθήμασι καὶ τοῖς φιλοσοφουμένοις ἀναβιβάσαι ἐπὶ τὸ σεμνὸν καὶ ὑψηλὸν τῆς λεληθυίας τοὺς πολλοὺς Χριστιανῶν μεγαλοφωνίας, περὶ τῶν μεγίστων καὶ ἀναγκαιο τάτων διαλαμβανόντων καὶ ἀποδεικνύντων καὶ παριστάντων αὐτὰ πεφιλοσοφῆσθαι παρὰ τοῖς τοῦ θεοῦ προφήταις καὶ τοῖς τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἀποστόλοις.