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| Chapter XXXVIII
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Chapter
XXXVIII.
Our noble (friend), moreover, not satisfied with
the objections which he has drawn from the diagram, desires, in order
to strengthen his accusations against us, who have nothing in common
with it, to introduce certain other charges, which he adduces from the
same (heretics), but yet as if they were from a different source.
His words are: “And that is not the least of their marvels,
for there are between the upper circles—those that are above the
heavens—certain inscriptions of which they give the
interpretation, and among others two words especially, ‘a greater
and a less,’ which they refer to Father and Son.”4473
| 4473 ἄλλα
τε, καὶ δύο
ἄττα, μεῖζον
τε καὶ
μικρότερον
υἱοῦ καὶ
πατρός. | Now, in the diagram referred to, we
found the greater and the lesser circle, upon the diameter of which was
inscribed “Father and Son;” and between the greater circle
(in which the lesser was contained) and another4474
| 4474 For ἄλλους, the textual reading,
Gelenius, with the approval of Boherellus, proposes καὶ ἄλλου
συγκειμένου,
which has been followed in the translation. |
composed of two circles,—the outer one of which was yellow, and
the inner blue,—a barrier inscribed in the shape of a
hatchet. And above it, a short circle, close to the greater of
the two former, having the inscription “Love;” and lower
down, one touching the same circle, with the word
“Life.” And on the second circle, which was
intertwined with and included two other circles, another figure, like a
rhomboid, (entitled) “The foresight of wisdom.” And
within their point of common section was “The nature of
wisdom.” And above their point of common section was a
circle, on which was inscribed “Knowledge;” and lower down
another, on which was the inscription,
“Understanding.” We have introduced these matters
into our reply to Celsus, to show to our readers that we know better
than he, and not by mere report, those things, even although we also
disapprove of them. Moreover, if those who pride themselves upon
such matters profess also a kind of magic and sorcery,—which, in
their opinion, is the summit of wisdom,—we, on the other hand,
make no affirmation about it, seeing we never have discovered anything
of the kind. Let Celsus, however, who has been already often
convicted of false witness and irrational accusations, see whether he
is not guilty of falsehood in these also, or whether he has not
extracted and introduced into his treatise, statements taken from the
writings of those who are foreigners and strangers to our Christian
faith.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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