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Contra Celsum

13.

Εἰ δὲ ταῦτ' ἔχει ἀκολουθίαν, πῶς οὐχὶ ὁμοίως ἀπολογησόμεθα καὶ περὶ τῶν ἐν Χριστιανοῖς αἱρέσεων; Περὶ ὧν πάνυ θαυμασίως ὁ Παῦλος εἰρηκέναι μοι δοκεῖ τό· «Δεῖ γὰρ καὶ αἱρέσεις ἐν ὑμῖν εἶναι, ἵνα οἱ δόκιμοι φανεροὶ γένωνται ἐν ὑμῖν.» Ὡς γὰρ δόκιμος ἐν ἰατρικῇ ὁ διὰ τὸ γυμνάσασθαι ἐν ποικίλαις αἱρέσεσι καὶ εὐγνωμόνως ἐξητακέναι τὰς πλείονας ἑλόμενος τὴν διαφέρουσαν, καὶ ὡς ὁ πάνυ προκόπτων ἐν φιλοσοφίᾳ ἀπὸ τοῦ πλείονα ἐγνωκέναι ἐγγυμνασάμενος αὐτοῖς καὶ τῷ κρατήσαντι προσθέμενος λόγῳ· οὕτως εἴποιμ' ἂν καὶ τὸν ἐπιμελῶς ἐνιδόντα ταῖς ἰουδαϊσμοῦ καὶ χριστιανισμοῦ αἱρέσεσι σοφώτατον Χριστιανὸν γενέσθαι. Ὁ δ' ἐγκαλῶν τῷ λόγῳ διὰ τὰς αἱρέσεις ἐγκαλέσαι ἂν καὶ τῇ Σωκράτους διδασκαλίᾳ, ἀφ' οὗ τῆς διατριβῆς πολλαὶ γεγόνασιν οὐ τὰ αὐτὰ φρονούντων σχολαί· ἀλλὰ καὶ Πλάτωνος ἐγκαλέσαι ἄν τις τοῖς δόγμασι δι' Ἀριστοτέλην, ἀποφοιτήσαντα τῆς διατριβῆς αὐτοῦ ἐν καινοτομίαις· περὶ οὗ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀνωτέρω εἰρήκαμεν. Δοκεῖ δέ μοι ὁ Κέλσος ἐγνωκέναι τινὰς αἱρέσεις μηδὲ τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ Ἰησοῦ κοινωνούσας ἡμῖν. Τάχα γὰρ περιήχητο περὶ τῶν καλουμένων Ὀφιανῶν καὶ τῶν Καϊανῶν, καὶ εἴ τις ἄλλη τοιαύτη ἐξ ὅλων ἀποφοιτήσασα τοῦ Ἰησοῦ συνέστη γνώμη· πλὴν οὐδὲν τοῦτο πρὸς τὸ ἐγκλητέον εἶναι τὸν Χριστιανῶν λόγον.]

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Origen Against Celsus

Chapter XIII.

Now, if these arguments hold good, why should we not defend, in the same way, the existence of heresies in Christianity? And respecting these, Paul appears to me to speak in a very striking manner when he says, "For there must be heresies among you, that they who are approved may be made manifest among you." ¹ For as that man is "approved" in medicine who, on account of his experience in various (medical) heresies, and his honest examination of the majority of them, has selected the preferable system,--and as the great proficient in philosophy is he who, after acquainting himself experimentally with the various views, has given in his adhesion to the best,--so I would say that the wisest Christian was he who had carefully studied the heresies both of Judaism and Christianity. Whereas he who finds fault with Christianity because of its heresies would find fault also with the teaching of Socrates, from whose school have issued many others of discordant views. Nay, the opinions of Plato might be chargeable with error, on account of Aristotle's having separated from his school, and founded a new one,--on which subject we have remarked in the preceding book. But it appears to me that Celsus has become acquainted with certain heresies which do not possess even the name of Jesus in common with us. Perhaps he had heard of the sects called Ophites and Cainites, or some others of a similar nature, which had departed in all points from the teaching of Jesus. And yet surely this furnishes no ground for a charge against the Christian doctrine.