Part 3 (1/2)

* See on this subject the Treatise of Plutarch respecting Isis and Osiris.

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to be noticed by their G.o.d; manifesting by this, that they alone wish and are able to persuade the ign.o.ble, the insensate, slaves, stupid women, and little children and fools.

”We may see in the forum infamous characters and jugglers* collected together, who dare not show their tricks to intelligent men; but when they perceive a lad, and a crowd of slaves and stupid men, they endeavour to ingratiate themselves with such characters as these.

”We also may see in their own houses, wool-weavers, shoemakers, fullers, and the most illiterate and rustic men, who dare not say any thing in the presence of more elderly and wiser fathers of families; but when they meet with children apart from their parents, and certain stupid women with them, then they discuss something of a wonderful nature; such as that it is not proper to pay attention to parents and preceptors, but that they should be persuaded by them. For, say they, your parents and preceptors are delirious and stupid, and neither know what is truly good, nor are able to effect it, being prepossessed with trifles of an unusual nature. They

* Celsus, as we are informed by Origen, compares the Christians with men of this description.

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add, that they alone know how it is proper to live, and that if children are persuaded by them, they will be blessed, and also the family to which they belong. At the same time likewise that they say this, if they see any one of the wiser teachers of erudition approaching, or the father of the child to whom they are speaking, such of them as are more cautious defer their discussion to another time; but those that are more audacious, urge the children to shake off the reins of parental authority, whispering to them, that when their fathers and preceptors are present, they neither wish nor are able to unfold to children what is good, as they are deterred by the folly and rusticity of these men, who are entirely corrupted, are excessively depraved, and would punish them [their true admonishers]. They further add, that if they wish to be instructed by them, it is requisite that they should leave their parents and preceptors, and go with women and little children, who are their playfellows, to the conclave of women, or to the shoemaker's or fuller's shop, that they may obtain perfection [by embracing their doctrines].

”That I do not however accuse the Christians more bitterly than truth compels, may be conjectured from hence, that the criers who call men to other mysteries proclaim as follows: 'Let him approach,

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whose hands are pure, and whose words are wise.' And again, others proclaim: 'Let him approach, who is pure from all wickedness, whose soul is not conscious of any evil, and who leads a just and upright life.'

And these things are proclaimed by those who promise a purification from error. Let us now hear who those are that are called to the Christian mysteries. '_Whoever is a sinner, whoever is unwise, whoever is a fool, and whoever, in short, is miserable, him the kingdom of G.o.d will receive_.' Do you not therefore call a sinner, an unjust man, a thief, a housebreaker, a wizard, one who is sacrilegious, and a robber of sepulchres? What other persons would the crier nominate, who should call robbers together?

”G.o.d, according to the Christians, descended to men; and, as consequent to this, it was fancied that he had left his own proper abode.

”G.o.d, however, being unknown among men [as the Christians say], and in consequence of this appearing to be in a condition inferior to that of a divine being, was not willing to be known, and therefore made trial of those who believed and of those who did not believe in him; just as men who have become recently rich, call on G.o.d as a witness of their abundant and entirely mortal ambition.

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”The Christians have a.s.serted nothing paradoxical or new concerning a deluge or a conflagration, but have perverted the doctrine of the Greeks and barbarians, that in long periods of time, and recursions and concursions of the stars, conflagrations and deluges take place; and also that after the last deluge, which was that of Deucalion, the period required, conformably to the mutation of wholes, a conflagration*.

This the Christians, however, have perverted by representing G.o.d as descending with fire as a spy.

”Again, we will repeat and confirm by many arguments, an a.s.sertion which has nothing in it novel, but was formerly universally acknowledged. G.o.d is good, is beautiful and blessed, and his very nature consists in that which is most beautiful and the best. If therefore he descended to men, his nature must necessarily be changed. But the change must be from good to evil, and from the beautiful to the base, from felicity to infelicity, and from that which is most excellent to that which is most worthless. Who, however, would choose to be thus changed? Besides, to be changed and transformed pertains to that which is naturally mortal; but an invariable

* See Taylor's translation of Proclus on the Timaeus of Plato, Book I.

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sameness of subsistence is the prerogative of an immortal nature. Hence G.o.d could never receive a mutation of this kind*.

”Either G.o.d is in reality changed, as the Christians say, into a mortal body,--and we have before shown that this is impossible; or he himself is not changed, but he causes those who behold him to think that he is, and thus falsifies himself, and involves others in error. Deception, however, and falsehood are indeed otherwise evil, and can only be [properly] employed by any one as a medicine, either in curing friends that are diseased or have some vicious propensity, or those that are insane, or for the purpose of avoiding danger from enemies. But no one who has vicious propensities, or is insane, is dear to Divinity.

Nor does G.o.d fear any one, in order that by wandering he may escape danger**.

* See a most admirable defence of the immutability of Divinity, by Proclus, in Taylor's Introduction to the Second and Third Books of Plato's Republic, in vol. i. of his translation of Plato's Works. See also Taylor's note at the end of vol. iii. of his translation of Pausanias, p. 235.

** The original of this sentence is, [--------] the latter part of which, [--------], is thus, erroneously translated by Spencer, ”ut imposture opus habeat ad evadendum periculum.”

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”The Christians, adding to the a.s.sertions of the Jews, say that the son of G.o.d came on account of the sins of the Jews; and that the Jews, punis.h.i.+ng Jesus and causing him to drink _gall_, raised the _bile_ of G.o.d against them.”

Celsus after this, in his usual way deriding both Jews and Christians, compares all of them to a mult.i.tude of bats, or to ants coming out of their holes, or to frogs seated about a marsh, or to earthworms that a.s.semble in a corner of some muddy place, and contend with each other which of them are most noxious. He likewise represents them as saying, ”G.o.d has manifested and predicted all things to us; and deserting the whole world and the celestial circulation, and likewise paying no attention to the widely-extended earth, he regards our concerns alone, to us alone sends messengers, and he will never cease to explore by what means we may always a.s.sociate with him.” He likewise resembles us to earthworms acknowledging that G.o.d exists; and he says that we earthworms, i. e. the Jews and Christians, being produced by G.o.d after him, are entirely similar to him. All things too are subject to us, earth and water, the air and the stars, and are ordained to be subservient to us*. Afterwards