Chapter XLIV.

Celsus supposes that we may arrive at a knowledge of God either by combining or separating certain things after the methods which mathematicians call synthesis and analysis, or again by analogy, which is employed by them also, and that in this way we may as it were gain admission to the chief good.  But when the Word of God says, “No man knoweth the Father but the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him,”1707    Matt. xi. 27. He declares that no one can know God but by the help of divine grace coming from above, with a certain divine inspiration.  Indeed, it is reasonable to suppose that the knowledge of God is beyond the reach of human nature, and hence the many errors into which men have fallen in their views of God.  It is, then, through the goodness and love of God to mankind, and by a marvellous exercise of divine grace to those whom He saw in His foreknowledge, and knew that they would walk worthy of Him who had made Himself known to them, and that they would never swerve from a faithful attachment to His service, although they were condemned to death or held up to ridicule by those who, in ignorance of what true religion is, give that name to what deserves to be called anything rather than religion.  God doubtless saw the pride and arrogance of those who, with contempt for all others, boast of their knowledge of God, and of their profound acquaintance with divine things obtained from philosophy, but who still, not less even than the most ignorant, run after their images, and temples, and famous mysteries; and seeing this, He “has chosen the foolish things of this world”1708    1 Cor. i. 27.—the simplest of Christians, who lead, however, a life of greater moderation and purity than many philosophers—“to confound the wise,” who are not ashamed to address inanimate things as gods or images of the gods.  For what reasonable man can refrain from smiling when he sees that one who has learned from philosophy such profound and noble sentiments about God or the gods, turns straightway to images and offers to them his prayers, or imagines that by gazing upon these material things he can ascend from the visible symbol to that which is spiritual and immaterial.1709    [Vol. ii. p. 186, this series.]  But a Christian, even of the common people, is assured that every place forms part of the universe, and that the whole universe is God’s temple.  In whatever part of the world he is, he prays; but he rises above the universe, “shutting the eyes of sense, and raising upwards the eyes of the soul.”  And he stops not at the vault of heaven; but passing in thought beyond the heavens, under the guidance of the Spirit of God, and having thus as it were gone beyond the visible universe, he offers prayers to God.  But he prays for no trivial blessings, for he has learnt from Jesus to seek for nothing small or mean, that is, sensible objects, but to ask only for what is great and truly divine; and these things God grants to us, to lead us to that blessedness which is found only with Him through His Son, the Word, who is God.

Κέλσος μὲν οὖν ἤτοι τῇ συνθέσει τῇ ἐπὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἀνάλογον τῇ παρὰ τοῖς γεωμέτραις καλουμένῃ συνθέσει ἢ τῇ ἀπὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἀναλύσει ἢ καὶ ἀναλογίᾳ ἀνάλογον τῇ παρὰ τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἀναλογίᾳ οἴεται γινώσκεσθαι τὸν θεόν, ἐπὶ τὰ πρόθυρα εἰ ἄρα τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ δυναμένου τινὸς οὕτως ἐλθεῖν· ὁ δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος εἰπών· "Οὐδεὶς ἔγνω τὸν πατέρα εἰ μὴ ὁ υἱὸς καὶ ᾧ ἂν ὁ υἱὸς ἀποκαλύψῃ" θείᾳ τινὶ χάριτι, οὐκ ἀθεεὶ ἐγγινομένῃ τῇ ψυχῇ ἀλλὰ μετά τινος ἐνθουσιασμοῦ, ἀποφαίνεται γινώσκεσθαι τὸν θεόν. Καὶ γὰρ εἰκὸς μείζονα μὲν ἢ κατὰ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην φύσιν εἶναι τὴν γνῶσιν τοῦ θεοῦ–διὸ καὶ τὰ τοσαῦτα παρ' ἀνθρώποις ἐστὶ περὶ θεοῦ σφάλματα–χρηστότητι δὲ καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ παραδόξῳ καὶ θειοτέρᾳ χάριτι φθάνειν τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ γνῶσιν ἐπὶ τοὺς προγνώσει τοῦ θεοῦ προκαταληφθέντας ὅτι ἀξίως βιώσουσι τοῦ ἐγνωσμένου, οὐδαμῶς παραχαράτ τοντες τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν εὐσέβειαν, οὔτε ἂν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγνοούντων ὅ τι ποτέ ἐστιν εὐσέβεια καὶ πᾶν ὅ τι ποτ' οὖν μᾶλλον ἀναπλαττόντων εἶναι τὴν εὐσέβειαν ἢ ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἡ εὐσέβεια τὴν ἐπὶ θανάτῳ ἀπάγωνται, οὔτε ἂν καταγελαστότατοι εἶναι νομίζωνται. Ὁρῶν δ' οἶμαι ὁ θεὸς καὶ τὴν ἀλαζονείαν ἢ τὴν πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους ὑπεροψίαν τῶν μεγάλα μὲν φρονούντων ἐπὶ τῷ ἐγνωκέναι τὸν θεὸν καὶ ἀπὸ φιλοσοφίας τὰ θεῖα μεμαθηκέναι παραπλησίως δὲ τοῖς ἀπαιδευτοτάτοις ἐπὶ τὰ ἀγάλματα καὶ τοὺς νεὼς αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ θρυλούμενα μυστήρια ἀγόντων "ἐξελέξατο" "τὰ μωρὰ τοῦ κόσμου", τοὺς ἐν Χριστιανοῖς ἁπλουστάτους καὶ πολλῶν φιλοσόφων μετριώτερον καὶ καθαρώτερον βιοῦντας, "ἵνα καταισχύνῃ τοὺς σοφούς", οὐκ αἰδουμένους ἐν τῷ τοῖς ἀψύχοις προσομιλεῖν ὡς θεοῖς ἢ θεῶν εἰκόσιν. Τίς γὰρ νοῦν ἔχων οὐ καταγελάσεται τοῦ μετὰ τοὺς τηλικούτους καὶ τοσούτους ἐν φιλοσοφίᾳ περὶ θεοῦ ἢ θεῶν λόγους ἐνορῶντος τοῖς ἀγάλμασιν καὶ ἤτοι αὐτοῖς ἀναπέμ ποντος τὴν εὐχὴν ἢ διὰ τῆς τούτων ὄψεως ἐφ' ὃν φαντάζεται δεῖν ἀναβαίνειν ἀπὸ τοῦ βλεπομένου καὶ συμβόλου ὄντος ἀναφέροντός γε ἐπὶ τὸν νοούμενον; Χριστιανὸς δὲ καὶ ὁ ἰδιώτης πάντα μὲν τόπον τοῦ κόσμου πέπεισται εἶναι μέρος τοῦ ὅλου, ναοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ ὄντος τοῦ παντὸς κόσμου· "ἐν παντὶ" δὲ "τόπῳ" εὐχόμενος, μύσας τοὺς τῆς αἰσθήσεως ὀφθαλμοὺς καὶ ἐγείρας τοὺς τῆς ψυχῆς, ὑπεραναβαίνει τὸν ὅλον κόσμον. Καὶ οὐδ' ἐπὶ τὴν ἁψῖδα ἵσταται τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ἀλλ' εἰς τὸν ὑπερουράνιον γενόμενος τῇ διανοίᾳ τόπον, ὁδηγούμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ θείου πνεύματος καὶ ὡσπερεὶ ἔξω τοῦ κόσμου τυγχάνων ἀναπέμπει οὐ περὶ τῶν τυχόντων τὴν εὐχὴν τῷ θεῷ· ἔμαθε γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ μηδὲν μικρόν, τουτέστιν αἰσθητόν, ζητεῖν ἀλλὰ μόνα τὰ μεγάλα καὶ ἀληθῶς θεῖα, ὅσα συμβάλλεται διδόμενα ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ πρὸς τὸ ὁδεῦσαι ἐπὶ τὴν παρ' αὐτῷ διὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ λόγου ὄντος θεοῦ μακαριότητα.