Chapter LXIII.

I do not understand how Celsus, while admitting the existence of Providence, at least so far as appears from the language of this book, can say that there never existed (at any time) either more or fewer evils, but, as it were, a fixed number; thus annihilating the beautiful doctrine regarding the indefinite884    ἀόριστον. nature of evil, and asserting that evil, even in its own nature,885    καὶ τῷ ἰδίῳ λόγῳ. is infinite.  Now it appears to follow from the position, that there never have been, nor are now, nor ever will be, more or fewer evils in the world; that as, according to the view of those who hold the indestructibility of the world, the equipoise of the elements is maintained by a Providence (which does not permit one to gain the preponderance over the others, in order to prevent the destruction of the world), so a kind of Providence presides, as it were, over evils (the number of which is fixed),886    τοσοῖσδε τυγχάνουσιν. to prevent their being either increased or diminished!  In other ways, too, are the arguments of Celsus concerning evil confuted, by those philosophers who have investigated the subjects of good and evil, and who have proved also from history that in former times it was without the city, and with their faces concealed by masks, that loose women hired themselves to those who wanted them; that subsequently, becoming more impudent, they laid aside their masks, though not being permitted by the laws to enter the cities, they (still) remained without them, until, as the dissoluteness of manners daily increased, they dared even to enter the cities.  Such accounts are given by Chrysippus in the introduction to his work on Good and Evil.  From this also it may be seen that evils both increase and decrease, viz., that those individuals who were called “Ambiguous”887    ᾽Αμφίβολοι. used formerly to present themselves openly to view, suffering and committing all shameful things, while subserving the passions of those who frequented their society; but recently they have been expelled by the authorities.888    ᾽Αγορανόμοι.  And of countless evils which, owing to the spread of wickedness, have made their appearance in human life, we may say that formerly they did not exist.  For the most ancient histories, which bring innumerable other accusations against sinful men, know nothing of the perpetrators of abominable889    ἁῤῥητοποιους οὐκ ἴσασι. crimes.

Οὐκ οἶδα δὲ τίνα τρόπον πρόνοιαν τιθεὶς ὅσον ἐπὶ ταῖς λέξεσι τοῦ βιβλίου τούτου οὔτε πλείονα οὔτ' ἐλάττονα ἀλλ' οἱονεὶ ὡρισμένα φησὶν εἶναι τὰ κακά, ἀναιρῶν δόγμα κάλλισ τον περὶ τοῦ ἀόριστον εἶναι τὴν κακίαν καὶ τὰ κακὰ καὶ τῷ ἰδίῳ λόγῳ ἄπειρα. Καὶ ἔοικε τῷ μήτε ἥττω μήτε πλείονα κακὰ γεγονέναι ἢ εἶναι ἢ ἔσεσθαι ἀκολουθεῖν ὅτι, ὥσπερ κατὰ τοὺς ἄφθαρτον τὸν κόσμον τηροῦντας τὸ ἰσοστάσιον τῶν στοιχείων ἀπὸ τῆς προνοίας γίνεται, οὐκ ἐπιτρεπούσης πλεονεκτεῖν τὸ ἓν αὐτῶν, ἵνα μὴ ὁ κόσμος φθαρῇ· οὕτως οἱονεὶ πρόνοιά τις ἐφέστηκε τοῖς κακοῖς, τοσοῖσδε τυγχά νουσιν, ἵνα μήτε πλείονα γένηται μήτε ἥττονα. Καὶ ἄλλως δ' ἐλέγχεται ὁ τοῦ Κέλσου περὶ τῶν κακῶν λόγος ἀπὸ τῶν ἐξετασάντων φιλοσόφων τὰ περὶ ἀγαθῶν καὶ κακῶν καὶ παραστησάντων καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἱστορίας ὅτι πρῶτον μὲν ἔξω πόλεως καὶ προσωπεῖα περικείμεναι αἱ ἑταῖραι ἐξεμίσθουν ἑαυτὰς τοῖς βουλομένοις, εἶθ' ὕστερον καταφρο νήσασαι ἀπέθεντο τὰ προσωπεῖα καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν νόμων μὴ ἐπιτρεπόμεναι εἰσιέναι εἰς τὰς πόλεις ἔξω ἦσαν αὐτῶν, πλείονος δὲ τῆς διαστροφῆς γινομένης ὁσημέραι ἐτόλμησαν καὶ εἰς τὰς πόλεις εἰσελθεῖν. Ταῦτα δὲ Χρύσιππός φησιν ἐν τῇ περὶ ἀγαθῶν καὶ κακῶν εἰσαγωγῇ. Ὅθεν ὡς τῶν κακῶν πλειόνων καὶ ἡττόνων γινομένων ἔστι λαβεῖν ὅτι οἱ καλούμενοι ἀμφίβολοι ἦσάν ποτε προεστηκότες, πάσχοντες καὶ διατι θέντες καὶ ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῶν εἰσιόντων δουλεύοντες· ὕστερον δὲ οἱ ἀγορανόμοι τούτους ἐξῶσαν. Καὶ περὶ μυρίων δ' ἂν τῶν ἀπὸ κεχυμένης τῆς κακίας ἐπεισελθόντων τῷ βίῳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἔστιν εἰπεῖν ὅτι πρότερον οὐκ ἦν. Αἱ γοῦν ἀρχαιόταται ἱστορίαι, καίτοι γε μυρία ὅσα κατηγοροῦσαι τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων, ἀρρητοποιοὺς οὐκ ἴσασι.