Apologetics -- History -- Early church, ca. 30-600; Celsus (Platonic philosopher), active 180; Theology -- History -- Early Church, ca. 30-600
Continuation of the subject—chap. i. Celsus repeats his denial that no
God, or son of God, has either come, or will come, to earth; that if
certain angels did come, by what name are they to be called? whether by
that of gods or some other race of beings? in all probability such
angels were demons: Refutation—chaps. ii.-v. Celsus proceeds to express
surprise that the Jews should worship heaven and angels, and yet pass by
the heavenly bodies, as the sun and moon; which procedure is, according
to his view, most unreasonable: Refutation—chaps. vi.-x. Defence of
Christians against the same charge—chaps. x.-xiii. Celsus declares the
Christian belief in the future conflagration of the world, in the
salvation of the righteous, in the resurrection of the body, most
foolish and irrational, alleging that this belief is not held by some of
the Christian believers, and adducing certain considerations regarding
the character of God and the nature of bodies which render such things
impossible—chap. xiv. Refutation in detail of these objections—chaps.
xv.-xxiv. Examination of Celsus’ statement that the various quarters of
the earth were from the beginning allotted to different superintending
spirits, and that in this way the administration of the world is carried
on—chaps. xxv.-xxviii. Considerations of a profounder kind may be stated
regarding the original distribution of the various quarters of the earth
among different superintending spirits, which considerations may be
shown to be free from the absurd consequences which would follow from
the views of Celsus; enumeration of these—chaps. xxix.-xxxiii. Statement
of Celsus regarding the request of the people of Marea and Apis to the
oracle of Ammon, as related by Herodotus, and the inference which he
seems to draw from it and other similar instances adduced by him,
examined and refuted—chaps. xxxiv.-xxxix. Examination of Celsus’
quotation from Pindar, that “Law is king of all things”—chap. xl. Celsus
goes on to state objections which apply to Jews much more than to
Christians, viz. that the Jewish doctrine regarding heaven is not
peculiar to them, but has long ago been received by the Persians; and
proceeds to observe that it makes no difference by what name the Supreme
Being is called; nor are the Jews to be deemed holier than other nations
because abstaining from swine’s flesh, etc. Detailed examination and
refutation of these statements—chaps. xli.-xlix. Celsus denies that the
Jews were regarded by God with greater favour than other nations:
Answer—chap. l. Statement of Celsus that, admitting Jesus to have been
an angel, He was not the first who came to visit men, for the histories
relate that there have been many instances, several of which he
enumerates—chap. lii. Refutation—chaps. liii.-lviii. Conclusion of
Celsus that Jews and Christians have the same God, and that the latter
adopt the Jewish accounts regarding the six days; other points of
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