Chapter XVIII.

I thought it right to quote these few instances from a much larger number of passages, in which our sacred writers express their ideas regarding God, in order to show that, to those who have eyes to behold the venerable character of Scripture, the sacred writings of the prophets contain things more worthy of reverence than those sayings of Plato which Celsus admires.  Now the declaration of Plato, quoted by Celsus, runs as follows:  “All things are around the King of all, and all things exist for his sake, and he is the cause of all good things.  With things of the second rank he is second, and with those of the third rank he is third.  The human soul, accordingly, is eager to learn what these things are, looking to such things as are kindred to itself, none of which is perfect.  But as regards the King and those things which I mentioned, there is nothing which resembles them.”1303    Cf. Plato, Epist., ii., ad Dionys.  I might have mentioned, moreover, what is said of those beings which are called seraphim by the Hebrews, and described in Isaiah,1304    Cf. Isa. vi. 2. who cover the face and feet of God, and of those called cherubim, whom Ezekiel1305    Cf. Ezek. i. and x. has described, and the postures of these, and of the manner in which God is said to be borne upon the cherubim.  But since they are mentioned in a very mysterious manner, on account of the unworthy and the indecent, who are unable to enter into the great thoughts and venerable nature of theology, I have not deemed it becoming to discourse of them in this treatise.

Ταῦτα δ' ἡγησάμην βραχέα ἀπὸ πλείστων ὅσων τῶν περὶ θεοῦ τοῖς ἱεροῖς ἀνδράσι νενοημένων παραθέσθαι, δεικνὺς ὅτι τῶν θαυμασθέντων ὑπὸ Κέλσου πλατωνικῶν λόγων ἔχει τι σεμνότερον τοῖς ἔχουσιν ὀφθαλμούς, βλέπειν τὰ σεμνὰ τῶν γραφῶν δυναμένους, τὰ ἱερὰ τῶν προφητῶν γράμματα. Ἔχει δ' ἡ Πλάτωνος λέξις, ἣν ὁ Κέλσος ἐξέθετο, τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον· "Περὶ τὸν πάντων βασιλέα πάντ' ἐστί, καὶ ἐκείνου ἕνεκα πάντα, καὶ ἐκεῖνο αἴτιον ἁπάντων καλῶν. ∆εύτερον δὲ περὶ τὰ δεύτερα, καὶ τρίτον περὶ τὰ τρίτα. Ἡ οὖν ἀνθρωπίνη ψυχὴ περὶ αὐτὰ ὀρέγεται μαθεῖν, ποῖα ἄττα ἐστί, βλέπουσα εἰς τὰ αὑτῆς συγγενῆ, ὧν οὐδὲν ἱκανῶς ἔχει. Τοῦ δὴ βασιλέως πέρι καὶ ὧν εἶπον, οὐδέν ἐστι τοιοῦτον." Ἐδυνάμην δὲ παραθέσθαι τὰ περὶ τῶν παρ' Ἑβραίοις καλουμένων "σεραφίμ", ἀναγεγραμμένων ἐν τῷ Ἡσαΐᾳ, καλυπτόντων "τὸ πρόσωπον" καὶ "τοὺς πόδας" τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ τὰ περὶ τῶν ὀνομαζομένων "χερου βίμ", ἃ διέγραψεν ὁ Ἰεζεκιήλ, καὶ τῶν ὡσανεὶ σχημάτων αὐτῶν, καὶ τίνα τρόπον ὀχεῖσθαι λέγεται ἐπὶ τῶν χερουβὶμ ὁ θεός· ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ πάνυ κεκρυμμένως εἴρηται διὰ τοὺς ἀναξίους καὶ ἀσέμνους, μὴ δυναμένους παρακολουθῆσαι μεγαλονοίᾳ καὶ σεμνότητι θεολογίας, οὐχ ἡγησάμην πρέπον εἶναι ἐν τῷ συγγράμματι τούτῳ περὶ αὐτῶν διαλεχθῆναι.