Chapter XLIX.

Let us notice now what follows, where, expressing in a single word his opinion regarding the Mosaic cosmogony, without offering, however, a single argument in its support, he finds fault with it, saying:  “Moreover, their cosmogony is extremely silly.”1449    μάλα εὐηθική.  Now, if he had produced some credible proofs of its silly character, we should have endeavoured to answer them; but it does not appear to me reasonable that I should be called upon to demonstrate, in answer to his mere assertion, that it is not “silly.”  If any one, however, wishes to see the reasons which led us to accept the Mosaic account, and the arguments by which it may be defended, he may read what we have written upon Genesis, from the beginning of the book up to the passage, “And this is the book of the generation of men,”1450    Cf. Gen. v. 1. where we have tried to show from the holy Scriptures themselves what the “heaven” was which was created in the beginning; and what the “earth,” and the “invisible part of the earth,” and that which was “without form;”1451    ἀκατασκεύαστον. and what the “deep” was, and the “darkness” that was upon it; and what the “water” was, and the “Spirit of God” which was “borne over it;” and what the “light” which was created, and what the “firmament,” as distinct from the “heaven” which was created in the beginning; and so on with the other subjects that follow.  Celsus has also expressed his opinion that the narrative of the creation of man is “exceedingly silly,” without stating any proofs, or endeavouring to answer our arguments; for he had no evidence, in my judgment, which was fitted to overthrow the statement that “man has been made in the image of God.”1452    Cf. Gen. i. 26.  He does not even understand the meaning of the “Paradise” that was planted by God, and of the life which man first led in it; and of that which resulted from accident,1453    τὴν ἐκ περιστάσεως γενομένην. when man was cast forth on account of his sin, and was settled opposite the Paradise of delight.  Now, as he asserts that these are silly statements, let him turn his attention not merely to each one of them (in general), but to this in particular, “He placed the cherubim, and the flaming sword, which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life,”1454    Gen. iii. 24. and say whether Moses wrote these words with no serious object in view, but in the spirit of the writers of the old Comedy, who have sportively related that “Prœtus slew Bellerophon,” and that “Pegasus came from Arcadia.”  Now their object was to create laughter in composing such stories; whereas it is incredible that he who left behind him laws1455    γραφάς. for a whole nation, regarding which he wished to persuade his subjects that they were given by God, should have written words so little to the purpose,1456    ἀπρόσλογα. and have said without any meaning, “He placed the cherubim, and the flaming sword, which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life,” or made any other statement regarding the creation of man, which is the subject of philosophic investigation by the Hebrew sages.

Ἴδωμεν δὲ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, ἐν οἷς μιᾷ λέξει ἀποφηνάμενος καὶ μηδὲ κατὰ τὸ πιθανόν τι λέγων κατηγορεῖ τῆς κατὰ Μωϋσέα κοσμοποιΐας εἰπών· Ἔτι γε μὴν καὶ ἡ κοσμογένεια μάλα εὐηθική. Εἰ μὲν οὖν τὸν φαινόμενον αὐτῷ τρόπον τοῦ εὐηθικὴν εἶναι αὐτὴν καί τινας πιθανότητας προηνέγκατο, κἂν ἠγωνισάμεθα πρὸς αὐτάς· οὐκ εὔλογον δέ μοι φαίνεται πρὸς τὴν ἀπόφασιν αὐτοῦ κατασκευάσαι, τίνα τρόπον οὐκ ἔστιν εὐηθική. Εἰ δέ τις βούλεται τὰ κινήσαντα ἡμᾶς καὶ μετὰ τῆς φανείσης ἀποδείξεως κατασκευασθέντα περὶ τῆς κατὰ Μωϋσέα κοσμοποιΐας θεωρῆσαι, λαβέτω τὰ πραγματευθέντα ἡμῖν εἰς τὴν Γένεσιν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς τοῦ βιβλίου μέχρι τοῦ "Αὕτη ἡ βίβλος γενέσεως ἀνθρώπων", ἐν οἷς πεπειράμεθα ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν θείων γραμμάτων κατασκευάσαι, τίς ὁ "ἐν ἀρχῇ" γενόμενος οὐρανὸς καὶ γῆ καὶ τὸ τῆς γῆς ἀόρατον καὶ ἀκατασκεύαστον, καὶ τίς ἡ ἄβυσσος καὶ τὸ ἐπ' αὐτῆς σκότος, τί τε τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ τὸ ἐπιφερόμενον αὐτῷ "πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ", καὶ τί τὸ γενητὸν "φῶς", τί τε "τὸ στερέωμα" παρὰ τὸν "ἐν ἀρχῇ" γενόμενον οὐρανόν, καὶ οὕτω τὰ ἑξῆς. Ἀπεφήνατο δὲ μάλα εὐηθικὴν εἶναι καὶ τὴν περὶ ἀνθρώπων γενέσεως γραφήν, μήτε τιθεὶς τὰς λέξεις μήτ' ἀγωνιζόμενος πρὸς αὐτάς· οὐ γὰρ εἶχεν οἶμαι λόγους ἀνατρέψαι δυναμέ νους τὸ "κατ' εἰκόνα θεοῦ" πεποιῆσθαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ συνίει τὸν ὑπὸ θεοῦ φυτευθέντα "παράδεισον" καὶ τὴν προηγουμένην ἐν αὐτῷ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ζωὴν καὶ τὴν ἐκ περιστάσεως γενομένην, ἐκβληθέντος διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν καὶ κατοικισθέντος ἐναντίον "τοῦ παραδείσου τῆς τρυφῆς". Ὁ δὲ λέγων μάλα εὐηθικῶς ταῦτ' εἰρῆσθαι πρῶτον ἐπιστη σάτω καὶ ἑκάστῳ μὲν καὶ τῷ δέ· "Ἔταξε τὰ χερουβὶμ καὶ τὴν φλογίνην ῥομφαίαν τὴν στρεφομένην, φυλάσσειν τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς." Εἰ δ' ἄρα μηδὲν νοήσας Μωϋσῆς ἀνέγραψε ταῦτα ἀλλὰ παραπλήσιόν τι ποιῶν οἷς παίζοντες οἱ τῆς ἀρχαίας κωμῳδίας ποιηταὶ ἀνεγράψαντο· Προῖτος ἔγημε Βελλεροφόντην, ὁ δὲ Πήγασος ἦν ἐξ Ἀρκαδίας· ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γελωτοποιεῖν θέλοντες τοιαῦτα συνέταττον, οὐ πιθανὸν δὲ τὸν ὅλῳ ἔθνει γραφὰς καταλιπόντα περὶ ὧν ἐβούλετο πεῖσαι τοὺς νομοθετουμένους ὅτι εἶεν ἐκ θεοῦ, ἀπρόσλογα γεγραφέναι καὶ χωρίς τινος νοῦ εἰρηκέναι τό· "Ἔταξε τὰ χερουβὶμ καὶ τὴν φλογίνην ῥομφαίαν τὴν στρεφομένην, φυλάσσειν τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς" ἢ ἄλλο τι τῶν περὶ τῆς ἀνθρώπων γενέσεως εἰρημένων καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν παρ' Ἑβραίοις σοφῶν πεφιλοσοφημένων.