Origen of Alexandria, Against Celsus

Accordingly, let us pass on to another charge made by Celsus, who is not even acquainted with the words (of our sacred books), but who, from misunderstanding them, has said that “we declare the wisdom that is among men to be foolishness with God;” Paul having said that “the wisdom of the world is foolishness with God.”1262 Cf. 1 Cor. iii. 19. Celsus says that “the reason of this has been stated long ago.” And the reason he imagines to be, “our desire to win over by means of this saying the ignorant and foolish alone.” But, as he himself has intimated, he has said the same thing before; and we, to the best of our ability, replied to it. Notwithstanding this, however, he wished to show that this statement was an invention1263 πεπλασμένον ἡμῖν. of ours, and borrowed from the Grecian sages, who declare that human wisdom is of one kind, and divine of another. And he quotes the words of Heraclitus, where he says in one passage, that “man’s method of action is not regulated by fixed principles, but that of God is;”1264 ἦθος γὰρ ἀνθρώπειον μὲν οὐκ ἔχει γνώμας, θεῖον δὲ ἔχει. and in another, that “a foolish man listens to a demon, as a boy does to a man.” He quotes, moreover, the following from the Apology of Socrates, of which Plato was the author: “For I, O men of Athens, have obtained this name by no other means than by my wisdom. And of what sort is this wisdom? Such, probably, as is human; for in that respect I venture to think that I am in reality wise.”1265 Cf. Plato’s Apolog., v. Such are the passages adduced by Celsus. But I shall subjoin also the following from Plato’s letter to Hermeas, and Erastus, and Coriscus: “To Erastus and Coriscus I say, although I am an old man, that, in addition to this noble knowledge of ‘forms’ (which they possess), they need a wisdom, with regard to the class of wicked and unjust persons, which may serve as a protective and repelling force against them. For they are inexperienced, in consequence of having passed a large portion of their lives with us, who are moderate1266 μετρίων ὄντων. individuals, and not wicked. I have accordingly said that they need these things, in order that they may not be compelled to neglect the true wisdom, and to apply themselves in a greater degree than is proper to that which is necessary and human.”

∆ιὸ μεταβαίνομεν ἐπ' ἄλλην Κέλσου κατηγορίαν, οὐδὲ τὰς λέξεις ἡμῶν εἰδότος ἀλλ' ἐκ παρακουσματίων φήσαντος ὅτι φαμὲν τὴν ἐν ἀνθρώποις σοφίαν μωρίαν εἶναι παρὰ θεῷ, τοῦ Παύλου λέγοντος· "Ἡ σοφία τοῦ κόσμου μωρία παρὰ θεῷ ἐστι." Καί φησιν ὁ Κέλσος ὅτι ἡ τούτου αἰτία καὶ πάλαι εἴρηται. Οἴεται δὲ αἰτίαν εἶναι τὸ βούλεσθαι, ἡμᾶς διὰ τῆς λέξεως ταύτης τοὺς ἀπαιδεύτους καὶ ἠλιθίους προσάγεσθαι μόνους. Ἀλλ' ὡς καὶ αὐτὸς ἐσημειώσατο, ταὐτὸ εἶπεν ἀνωτέρω, καὶ ἡμεῖς πρὸς τὸν λόγον κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν ἡμῖν ἀπηντήσαμεν. Ὅμως μέντοι ἐβουλήθη καὶ τοῦτο δεῖξαι πεπλασμένον ἡμῖν καὶ ληφθὲν ἀπὸ τῶν παρ' Ἕλλησι σοφῶν, ἄλλην μὲν εἶναι φησάντων τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην σοφίαν ἄλλην δὲ τὴν θείαν. Καὶ ἐκτίθεταί γε Ἡρακλείτου λέξεις, μίαν μέν, ἐν ᾗ φησιν· "Ἦθος γὰρ ἀνθρώπειον μὲν οὐκ ἔχει γνώμας, θεῖον δὲ ἔχει", ἑτέραν δέ· "Ἀνὴρ νήπιος ἤκουσε πρὸς δαίμονος ὅκως περ παῖς πρὸς ἀνδ ρός." Ἐκτίθεται δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς Πλάτωνος γεγραμμένης Σωκράτους ἀπολογίας ταῦτα· "Ἐγὼ γάρ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, δι' οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἢ διὰ σοφίαν τοῦτο τὸ ὄνομα ἔσχηκα. Ποίαν δὲ σοφίαν ταύτην; Ἥπερ ἐστὶν ἴσως ἀνθρωπίνη σοφία· τῷ ὄντι γὰρ κινδυνεύω ταύτην εἶναι σοφός." Ἃ μὲν οὖν ἐκτίθεται ὁ Κέλσος ταῦτά ἐστιν. Ἐγὼ δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς πρὸς Ἑρμείαν καὶ Ἔραστον καὶ Κορίσκον Πλάτωνος ἐπιστολῆς καὶ ταῦτα παραθήσομαι· "Ἐράστῳ δὲ καὶ Κορίσκῳ πρὸς τῇ τῶν εἰδῶν σοφίᾳ τῇ καλῇ ταύτῃ φημὶ ἐγὼ καίπερ γέρων ὢν προσδεῖν σοφίας τῆς περὶ τοὺς πονηροὺς καὶ ἀδίκους φυλακτικῆς καί τινος ἀμυντικῆς δυνάμεως. Ἄπειροι γάρ εἰσι διὰ τὸ μεθ' ἡμῶν μετρίων ὄντων καὶ οὐ κακῶν συχνὸν διατετριφέναι τοῦ βίου· διὸ δὴ τούτων προσδεῖν εἶπον, ἵνα μὴ ἀναγκάζωνται τῆς ἀληθινῆς μὲν ἀμελεῖν σοφίας, τῆς δ' ἀνθρωπίνης τε καὶ ἀναγκαίας ἐπιμελεῖσθαι μειζόνως ἢ δεῖ."