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| Chapter LXVIII
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Chapter
LXVIII.
Accordingly, if Celsus were to ask us how we think
we know God, and how we shall be saved by Him, we would answer that the
Word of God, which entered into those who seek Him, or who accept Him
when He appears, is able to make known and to reveal the Father, who
was not seen (by any one) before the appearance of the Word. And
who else is able to save and conduct the soul of man to the God of all
things, save God the Word, who, “being in the beginning with
God,” became flesh for the sake of those who had cleaved to the
flesh, and had become as flesh, that He might be received by those who
could not behold Him, inasmuch as He was the Word, and was with God,
and was God? And discoursing in human form,4631
and announcing Himself as flesh, He calls to
Himself those who are flesh, that He may in the first place cause them
to be transformed according to the Word that was made flesh, and
afterwards may lead them upwards to behold Him as He was before He
became flesh; so that they, receiving the benefit, and ascending from
their great introduction to Him, which was according to the flesh, say,
“Even if we have known Christ after the flesh, yet henceforth
know we Him no more.”4632
Therefore He
became flesh, and having become flesh, “He tabernacled among
us,”4633
not dwelling
without us; and after tabernacling and dwelling within us, He
did not continue in the form in which He first presented Himself, but
caused us to ascend to the lofty mountain of His word, and showed us
His own glorious form, and the splendour of His garments; and not His
own form alone, but that also of the spiritual law, which is Moses,
seen in glory along with Jesus. He showed to us, moreover, all
prophecy, which did not perish even after His incarnation, but was
received up into heaven, and whose symbol was Elijah. And he who
beheld these things could say, “We beheld His glory, the glory as
of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and
truth.”4634
Celsus, then,
has exhibited considerable ignorance in the imaginary answer to his
question which he puts into our mouth, “How we think we can know
God? and how we know we shall be saved by Him?” for our answer is
what we have just stated.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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