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| Chapter XLIX
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Chapter
XLIX.
Let us notice now what follows, where, expressing
in a single word his opinion regarding the Mosaic cosmogony, without
offering, however, a single argument in its support, he finds fault
with it, saying: “Moreover, their cosmogony is extremely
silly.”4525
Now, if he
had produced some credible proofs of its silly character, we should
have endeavoured to answer them; but it does not appear to me
reasonable that I should be called upon to demonstrate, in answer to
his mere assertion, that it is not
“silly.” If any one, however, wishes to see the
reasons which led us to accept the Mosaic account, and the
arguments by which it
may be defended, he may read what we have written upon Genesis, from
the beginning of the book up to the passage, “And this is the
book of the generation of men,”4526
where we have tried to show from the holy Scriptures themselves what
the “heaven” was which was created in the beginning; and
what the “earth,” and the “invisible part of the
earth,” and that which was “without form;”4527
and what the “deep” was, and the
“darkness” that was upon it; and what the
“water” was, and the “Spirit of God” which was
“borne over it;” and what the “light” which was
created, and what the “firmament,” as distinct from the
“heaven” which was created in the beginning; and so on with
the other subjects that follow. Celsus has also expressed his
opinion that the narrative of the creation of man is “exceedingly
silly,” without stating any proofs, or endeavouring to answer our
arguments; for he had no evidence, in my judgment, which was fitted to
overthrow the statement that “man has been made in the image of
God.”4528
He does not
even understand the meaning of the “Paradise” that was
planted by God, and of the life which man first led in it; and of that
which resulted from accident,4529
| 4529 τὴν ἐκ
περιστάσεως
γενομένην. | when man was cast
forth on account of his sin, and was settled opposite the Paradise of
delight. Now, as he asserts that these are silly statements, let
him turn his attention not merely to each one of them (in general), but
to this in particular, “He placed the cherubim, and the flaming
sword, which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of
life,”4530
and say whether
Moses wrote these words with no serious object in view, but in the
spirit of the writers of the old Comedy, who have sportively related
that “Prœtus slew Bellerophon,” and that
“Pegasus came from Arcadia.” Now their object was to
create laughter in composing such stories; whereas it is incredible
that he who left behind him laws4531
for a whole
nation, regarding which he wished to persuade his subjects that they
were given by God, should have written words so little to the
purpose,4532
and have said
without any meaning, “He placed the cherubim, and the flaming
sword, which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of
life,” or made any other statement regarding the creation of man,
which is the subject of philosophic investigation by the Hebrew
sages.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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