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Chapter
LXVII.
The remark, indeed, was true which Celsus made,
that any one, on hearing his words, would answer, seeing that his words
are words of darkness, “You pour darkness before my
eyes.” Celsus verily, and those like him, do desire to pour
darkness before our eyes: we, however, by means of the light of
the Word, disperse the darkness of their impious opinions. The
Christian, indeed, could retort on Celsus, who says nothing that is
distinct or true, “I see nothing that is distinct among all
your statements.” It is not, therefore, “out
of darkness” into “the brightness of light” that
Celsus leads us forth: he wishes, on the contrary, to transport
us from light into darkness, making the darkness light and the light
darkness, and exposing himself to the woe well described by the prophet
Isaiah in the following manner: “Woe unto them that put
darkness for light, and light for darkness.”4628 But we, the eyes of whose soul have
been opened by the Word, and who see the difference between light and
darkness, prefer by all means to take our stand “in the
light,” and will have nothing to do with darkness at all.
The true light, moreover, being endued with life, knows to whom his
full splendours are to be manifested, and to whom his light; for he
does not display his brilliancy on account of the still existing
weakness in the eyes of the recipient. And if we must speak at
all of “sight being affected and injured,” what other eyes
shall we say are in this condition, than his who is involved in
ignorance of God, and who is prevented by his passions from seeing the
truth? Christians, however, by no means consider that they are
blinded by the words of Celsus, or any other who is opposed to the
worship of God. But let those who perceive that they are blinded
by following multitudes who are in error, and tribes of those who keep
festivals to demons, draw near to the Word, who can bestow the gift of
sight,4629 in order that, like
those poor and blind who had thrown themselves down by the wayside, and
who were healed by Jesus because they said to Him, “Son of David,
have mercy upon me,” they too may receive mercy and recover their
eyesight,4630 fresh and
beautiful, as the Word of God can create it.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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