Chapter LXXXIII.

After Celsus has finished speaking of the bees, in order to depreciate (as far as he can) the cities, and constitutions, and governments, and sovereignties not only of us Christians, but of all mankind, as well as the wars which men undertake on behalf of their native countries, he proceeds, by way of digression, to pass a eulogy upon the ants, in order that, while praising them, he may compare the measures which men take to secure their subsistence with those adopted by these insects,945    παραβάλῃ τῷ λόγῳ πρὸς τοὺς μύρμηκας.  “Verba:  τᾷ λόγῳ πρὸς τοὺς μύρμηκας addititia videntur et recidenda.”—Ruæus. and so evince his contempt for the forethought which makes provision for winter, as being nothing higher than the irrational providence of the ants, as he regards it.  Now might not some of the more simple-minded, and such as know not how to look into the nature of all things, be turned away (so far, at least, as Celsus could accomplish it) from helping those who are weighed down with the burdens (of life), and from sharing their toils, when he says of the ants, that “they help one another with their loads, when they see one of their number toiling under them?”  For he who needs to be disciplined by the word, but who does not at all understand946    ἐπαΐων. its voice, will say:  “Since, then, there is no difference between us and the ants, even when we help those who are weary with bearing their heavy burdens, why should we continue to do so to no purpose?”  And would not the ants, as being irrational creature, be greatly puffed up, and think highly of themselves, because their works were compared to those of men? while men, on the other hand, who by means of their reason are enabled to hear how their philanthropy947    τὸ κοινωνικόν. towards others is contemned, would be injured, so far as could be effected by Celsus and his arguments:  for he does not perceive that, while he wishes to turn away from Christianity those who read his treatise, he turns away also the sympathy of those who are not Christians from those who bear the heaviest burdens (of life).  Whereas, had he been a philosopher, who was capable of perceiving the good which men may do each other, he ought, in addition to not removing along with Christianity the blessings which are found amongst men, to have lent his aid to co-operate (if he had it in his power) with those principles of excellence which are common to Christianity and the rest of mankind.  Moreover, even if the ants set apart in a place by themselves those grains which sprout forth, that they may not swell into bud, but may continue throughout the year as their food, this is not to be deemed as evidence of the existence of reason among ants, but as the work of the universal mother, Nature, which adorned even irrational animals, so that even the most insignificant is not omitted, but bears traces of the reason implanted in it by nature.  Unless, indeed, by these assertions Celsus means obscurely to intimate (for in many instances he would like to adopt Platonic ideas) that all souls are of the same species, and that there is no difference between that of a man and those of ants and bees, which is the act of one who would bring down the soul from the vault of heaven, and cause it to enter not only a human body, but that of an animal.  Christians, however, will not yield their assent to such opinions:  for they have been instructed before now that the human soul was created in the image of God; and they see that it is impossible for a nature fashioned in the divine image to have its (original) features altogether obliterated, and to assume others, formed after I know not what likeness of irrational animals.

Εἰπὼν δ' ὁ Κέλσος περὶ τῶν μελισσῶν, ἵνα τὸ ὅσον ἐφ' ἑαυτῷ ἐξευτελίσῃ ἡμῶν οὐ Χριστιανῶν μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντων ἀνθρώπων τὰς πόλεις καὶ τὰς πολιτείας καὶ τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἡγεμονίας καὶ τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῶν πατρίδων πολέμους, ἑξῆς ἐπιφέρει διεξιὼν μυρμήκων ἐγκώμιον· ὅπως τῷ περὶ ἐκείνων ἐγκωμίῳ τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων οἰκονομικὸν περὶ τὴν τροφὴν καταβάλῃ [καὶ] τῷ λόγῳ τῷ πρὸς τοὺς μύρμηκας καὶ τὸ τῶν χειμαδίων προνοητικὸν καταρρίψῃ ὡς οὐδὲν πλέον τῆς ἀλόγου τῶν μυρμήκων ἐν οἷς ἐκεῖνος νομίζει προνοίας. Τίνα δ' οὐκ ἂν τῶν ἁπλουστέρων ἀνθρώπων καὶ οὐκ ἐπισταμένων ἐνορᾶν τῇ φύσει πάντων πραγμάτων ἀποτρέψαι τὸ ὅσον ἐφ' ἑαυτῷ ὁ Κέλσος ἀπὸ τοῦ τοῖς βαρουμένοις ὑπὸ φορτίων βοηθεῖν καὶ κοινωνεῖν ἐκείνοις τῶν καμάτων, λέγων περὶ μυρμήκων ὡς ἂν ἀλλήλοις τῶν φορτίων, ἐπειδάν τινα κάμνοντα ἴδωσιν, ἐπιλαμβάνωνται; Ἐρεῖ γὰρ ὁ δεόμενος τῆς διὰ λόγου παιδεύσεως καὶ μηδαμῶς ἐπαΐων αὐτῆς· ἐπεὶ τοίνυν μηδὲν διαφέρομεν μυρμήκων, καὶ ὅτε τοῖς κάμνουσι διὰ τὸ φέρειν βαρύτατα φορτία βοηθοῦμεν, τί μάτην τὸ τοιοῦτον ποιοῦμεν; Καὶ οἱ μὲν μύρμηκες, ἅτε ἄλογα ζῷα τυγχάνοντες, οὐκ ἂν ἐπαρθεῖεν πρὸς τὸ μέγα φρονῆσαι διὰ τὸ παραβάλλεσθαι ἀνθρώποις τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν· οἱ δ' ἄνθρωποι διὰ τὸν λόγον ἀκοῦσαι δυνηθέντες, τίνα τρόπον εὐτελίζεται αὐτῶν τὸ κοινωνικόν, βλαβεῖεν ἂν τὸ ὅσον ἐπὶ τῷ Κέλσῳ καὶ τοῖς λόγοις αὐτοῦ, οὐκ ἰδόντι ὅτι χριστιανισμοῦ ἀποτρέψαι θέλων τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας αὐτοῦ τῇ γραφῇ ἀποτρέπει καὶ τῶν οὐ Χριστιανῶν τὸ πρὸς τοὺς φέροντας τὰ βαρύτατα τῶν φορτίων συμπαθές. Ἐχρῆν δ' αὐτόν, εἴπερ ἦν κἂν φιλόσοφος αἰσθανόμενος τοῦ κοινωνικοῦ, πρὸς τῷ μὴ συναναιρεῖν τῷ χριστιανισμῷ τὰ χρήσιμα τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις καὶ συνεργεῖν, εἰ οἷόν τ' ἦν, τοῖς κοινοῖς ἐν χριστιανισμῷ πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους ἀνθρώπους καλοῖς. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τῶν ἀποτιθεμένων καρπῶν τὰς ἐκφύσεις ἀπεκτι θέασιν οἱ μύρμηκες, ἵνα μὴ σπαργῷεν, μένοιεν δὲ δι' ἔτους αὐτοῖς εἰς τροφήν, οὐ λογισμὸν εἶναι ἐν μύρμηξι τούτων αἴτιον ὑπονοητέον ἀλλὰ τὴν παμμήτορα φύσιν, καὶ τὰ ἄλογα κοσμήσασαν, ὡς μηδὲ τοὐλάχιστον καταλιπεῖν, μηδαμῶς φέρον ἴχνος τοῦ ἀπὸ τῆς φύσεως λόγου. Εἰ μὴ ἄρα διὰ τούτων λεληθότως βούλεται ὁ Κέλσος–καὶ γὰρ ἐν πολλοῖς πλατωνίζειν θέλει–ὁμοειδῆ εἶναι πᾶσαν ψυχήν, καὶ μηδὲν διαφέρειν τὴν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τῆς τῶν μυρμήκων καὶ τῶν μελισσῶν· ὅπερ κατάγοντός ἐστι τὴν ψυχὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ἁψίδων τοῦ οὐρανοῦ οὐκ ἐπὶ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον σῶμα μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ λοιπά. Τούτοις δ' οὐ πείσονται Χριστιανοί, προκατειληφότες τὸ "κατ' εἰκόνα" γεγονέναι θεοῦ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην ψυχὴν καὶ ὁρῶντες ὅτι ἀμήχανόν ἐστι τὴν "κατ' εἰκόνα" θεοῦ δεδημιουργημένην φύσιν πάντῃ ἀπαλεῖψαι τοὺς χαρακτῆρας αὐτῆς καὶ ἄλλους ἀναλαβεῖν οὐκ οἶδα κατ' εἰκόνας τίνων γεγενημένους ἐν τοῖς ἀλόγοις.