Apologetics -- History -- Early church, ca. 30-600; Celsus (Platonic philosopher), active 180; Theology -- History -- Early Church, ca. 30-600
He will be unable, however, to show any such; while we promise, openly
and not in secret, that _they_ will be happy who live according to the
word of God, and who look to Him in all things, and who do everything,
whatever it is, as if in the presence of God. Are these the instructions
of workers in wool, and of leather-cutters, and fullers, and uneducated
rustics? But such an assertion he cannot make good.
Footnote 410:
Παράστησον τοὺς διδασκάλους ἄλλους παρὰ τοὺς φιλοσοφίας διδασκάλους, ἢ
τοὺς κατὰ τὶ τῶν χρησίμων πεποιημένους.
Chapter LVIII.
But those who, in the opinion of Celsus, resemble the workers in wool in
private houses, and the leather-cutters, and fullers, and uneducated
rustics, will, he alleges, in the presence of father or teachers be
unwilling to speak, or unable to explain to the boys anything that is
good. In answer to which, we would say, What kind of father, my good
sir, and what kind of teacher, do you mean? If you mean one who approves
of virtue, and turns away from vice, and welcomes what is better, then
know, that with the greatest boldness will we declare our opinions to
the children, because we will be in good repute with such a judge. But
if, in the presence of a father who has a hatred of virtue and goodness,
we keep silence, and also before those who teach what is contrary to
sound doctrine, do not blame us for so doing, since you will blame us
without good reason. You, at all events, in a case where fathers deemed
the mysteries of philosophy an idle and unprofitable occupation for
their sons, and for young men in general, would not, in teaching
philosophy, make known its secrets before worthless parents; but,
desiring to keep apart those sons of wicked parents who had been turned
towards the study of philosophy, you would observe the proper seasons,
in order that the doctrines of philosophy might reach the minds of the
young men. And we say the same regarding our teachers. For if we turn
[our hearers] away from those instructors who teach obscene comedies and
licentious iambics, and many other things which neither improve the
speaker nor benefit the hearers (because the latter do not know how to
listen to poetry in a philosophic frame of mind, nor the former how to
say to each of the young men what tends to his profit), we are not, in
following such a course, ashamed to confess what we do. But if you will
show me teachers who train young men for philosophy, and who exercise
them in it, I will not from such turn away young men, but will try to
raise them, as those who have been previously exercised in the whole
circle of learning and in philosophical subjects, to the venerable and
lofty height of eloquence which lies hid from the multitude of
Christians, where are discussed topics of the greatest importance, and
where it is demonstrated and shown that they have been treated
philosophically both by the prophets of God and the apostles of Jesus.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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