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| Chapter LXV
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Chapter LXV.
But since he asserts that “you may hear all
those who differ so widely saying, ‘The world is crucified to me,
and I unto the world,’” we shall show the falsity of such a
statement. For there are certain heretical sects which do not
receive the Epistles of the Apostle Paul, as the two sects of
Ebionites, and those who are termed Encratites.4278
| 4278 [Irenæus, vol. i.
p. 353.] | Those, then, who do not regard the
apostle as a holy and wise man, will not adopt his language, and say,
“The world is crucified to me, and I unto the world.”
And consequently in this point, too, Celsus is guilty of
falsehood. He continues, moreover, to linger over the accusations
which he brings against the diversity of sects which exist, but does
not appear to me to be accurate in the language which he employs, nor
to have carefully observed or understood how it is that those
Christians who have made progress in their studies say that they are
possessed of greater knowledge than the Jews; and also, whether they
acknowledge the same Scriptures, but interpret them differently, or
whether they do not recognise these books as divine. For we find
both of these views prevailing among the sects. He then
continues: “Although they have no foundation for the
doctrine, let us examine the system itself; and, in the first place,
let us mention the corruptions which they have made through ignorance
and misunderstanding, when in the discussion of elementary principles
they express their opinions in the most absurd manner on things which
they do not understand, such as the following.” And then,
to certain expressions which are continually in the mouths of the believers in
Christianity, he opposes certain others from the writings of the
philosophers, with the object of making it appear that the noble
sentiments which Celsus supposes to be used by Christians have been
expressed in better and clearer language by the philosophers, in order
that he might drag away to the study of philosophy those who are caught
by opinions which at once evidence their noble and religious
character. We shall, however, here terminate the fifth book, and
begin the sixth with what follows.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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