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| Chapter LVIII
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Chapter
LVIII.
But Celsus challenges the account also that an
angel rolled away the stone from the sepulchre where the body of Jesus
lay, acting like a lad at school, who should bring a charge against any
one by help of a string of commonplaces. And, as if he had
discovered some clever objection to the narrative, he remarks:
“The Son of God, then, it appears, could not open his tomb, but
required the aid of another to roll away the stone.” Now,
not to overdo the discussion of this matter, or to have the appearance
of unreasonably introducing philosophical remarks, by explaining the
figurative meaning at present, I shall simply say of the narrative
alone, that it does appear in itself a more respectful proceeding, that
the servant and inferior should have rolled away the stone, than that
such an act should have been performed by Him whose resurrection was to
be for the advantage of mankind. I do not speak of the desire of
those who conspired against the Word, and who wished to put Him to
death, and to show to all men that He was dead and
non-existent,4254
| 4254 καὶ τὸ μηδὲν
τυγχάνοντα. | that His tomb
should not be opened, in order that no one might behold the Word alive
after their conspiracy; but the “Angel of God” who came
into the world for the salvation of men, with the help of another
angel, proved more powerful than the conspirators, and rolled away the
weighty stone, that those who deemed the Word to be dead might be
convinced that He is not with the “departed,” but is alive,
and precedes those who are willing to follow Him, that He may manifest
to them those truths which come after those which He formerly showed
them at the time of their first entrance (into the school of
Christianity), when they were as yet incapable of receiving deeper
instruction. In the next place, I do not understand what advantage
he thinks will accrue to his purpose when he ridicules the account of
“the angel’s visit to Joseph regarding the pregnancy of
Mary;” and again, that of the angel to warn the parents “to
take up the new-born Child, whose life was in danger, and to flee with
it into Egypt.” Concerning these matters, however, we have
in the preceding pages answered his statements. But what does
Celsus mean by saying, that “according to the Scriptures, angels
are recorded to have been sent to Moses, and others as
well?” For it appears to me to contribute nothing to his
purpose, and especially because none of them made any effort to
accomplish, as far as in his power, the conversion of the human race
from their sins. Let it be granted, however, that other angels
were sent from God, but that he came to announce something of greater
importance (than any others who preceded him); and when the Jews had
fallen into sin, and corrupted their religion, and had done unholy
deeds, transferred the kingdom of God to other husbandmen, who in all
the Churches take special care of themselves,4255
| 4255 ἑαυτῶν. Guietus would read
αὐτῶν, to
agree with τῶν
ἐκκλησιῶν. |
and use every endeavour by means of a holy life, and by a doctrine
conformable thereto, to win over to the God of all things those who
would rush away from the teaching of Jesus.4256
| 4256 Instead of τὰς ἀπὸ
τῆς
διδασκαλίας
τοῦ ᾽Ιησοῦ
ἁφορμάς, Boherellus
conjectures τοὺς…ἀφορμῶντας,
which has been adopted in the translation. | E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
|
