Apologetics -- History -- Early church, ca. 30-600; Celsus (Platonic philosopher), active 180; Theology -- History -- Early Church, ca. 30-600
is considered to be a god when speaking, and making himself heard
through the Pythian priestess; so, according to our view, it was the
Logos God, and Son of the God of all things, who spake in Jesus these
words, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life;” and these, “I am the
door;” and these, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven;”
and other expressions similar to these. We therefore charge the Jews
with not acknowledging Him to be God, to whom testimony was borne in
many passages by the prophets, to the effect that He was a mighty power,
and a God next to[60] the God and Father of all things. For we assert
that it was to Him the Father gave the command, when in the Mosaic
account of the creation He uttered the words, “Let there be light,” and
“Let there be a firmament,” and gave the injunctions with regard to
those other creative acts which were performed; and that to Him also
were addressed the words, “Let us make man in our own image and
likeness;” and that the Logos, when commanded, obeyed all the Father’s
will. And we make these statements not from our own conjectures, but
because we believe the prophecies circulated among the Jews, in which it
is said of God, and of the works of creation, in express words, as
follows: “He spake, and they were made; He commanded, and they were
created.”[61] Now if God gave the command, and the creatures were
formed, who, according to the view of the spirit of prophecy, could he
be that was able to carry out such commands of the Father, save Him who,
so to speak, is the living Logos and the Truth? And that the Gospels do
not consider him who in Jesus said these words, “I am the way, and the
truth, and the life,” to have been of so circumscribed a nature,[62] as
to have an existence nowhere out of the soul and body of Jesus, is
evident both from many considerations, and from a few instances of the
following kind which we shall quote. John the Baptist, when predicting
that the Son of God was to appear immediately, not in that body and
soul, but as manifesting Himself everywhere, says regarding Him: “There
stands in the midst of you One whom ye know not, who cometh after
me.”[63] For if he had thought that the Son of God was only there, where
was the visible body of Jesus, how could he have said, “There stands in
the midst of you One whom ye know not?” And Jesus Himself, in raising
the minds of His disciples to higher thoughts of the Son of God, says:
“Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the
midst of you.”[64] And of the same nature is His promise to His
disciples: “Lo, I am with you alway, even to the end of the world.”[65]
And we quote these passages, making no distinction between the Son of
God and Jesus. For the soul and body of Jesus formed, after the
οἰκονομία, one being with the Logos of God. Now if, according to Paul’s
teaching, “he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit,”[66] every one
who understands what being joined to the Lord is, and who has been
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