Apologetics -- History -- Early church, ca. 30-600; Celsus (Platonic philosopher), active 180; Theology -- History -- Early Church, ca. 30-600
We shall add the following remarks, to which we are driven by their
subtleties. If justice is a different thing from goodness, then, since
evil is the opposite of good, and injustice of justice, injustice will
doubtless be something else than an evil; and as, in your opinion, the
just man is not good, so neither will the unjust man be wicked; and
again, as the good man is not just, so the wicked man also will not be
unjust. But who does not see the absurdity, that to a good God one
should be opposed that is evil; while to a just God, whom they allege to
be inferior to the good, no one should be opposed! For there is none who
can be called unjust, as there is a Satan who is called wicked. What,
then, are we to do? Let us give up the position which we defend, for
they will not be able to maintain that a bad man is not also unjust, and
an unjust man wicked. And if these qualities be indissolubly inherent in
these opposites, viz. injustice in wickedness, or wickedness in
injustice, then unquestionably the good man will be inseparable from the
just man, and the just from the good; so that, as we speak of one and
the same wickedness in malice and injustice, we may also hold the virtue
of goodness and justice to be one and the same.
4. They again recall us, however, to the words of Scripture, by bringing
forward that celebrated question of theirs, affirming that it is
written, “A bad tree cannot produce good fruits; for a tree is known by
its fruit.”[211] What, then, is their position? What sort of tree the
law is, is shown by its fruits, _i.e._ by the language of its precepts.
For if the law be found to be good, then undoubtedly He who gave it is
believed to be a good God. But if it be just rather than good, then God
also will be considered a just legislator. The Apostle Paul makes use of
no circumlocution, when he says, “The law is good; and the commandment
is holy, and just, and good.”[212] From which it is clear that Paul had
not learned the language of those who separate justice from goodness,
but had been instructed by that God, and illuminated by His Spirit, who
is at the same time both holy, and good, and just; and speaking by whose
Spirit he declared that the commandment of the law was holy, and just,
and good. And that he might show more clearly that goodness was in the
commandment to a greater degree than justice and holiness, repeating his
words, he used, instead of these three epithets, that of goodness alone,
saying, “Was then that which is good made death unto me? God
forbid.”[213] As he knew that goodness was the _genus_ of the virtues,
and that justice and holiness were _species_ belonging to the _genus_,
and having in the former verses named _genus_ and _species_ together, he
fell back, when repeating his words, on the _genus_ alone. But in those
which follow he says, “Sin wrought death in me by that which is good,”
where he sums up generically what he had beforehand explained
specifically.
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