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Contra Celsum

9.

Ἦλθεν οὖν, κἂν μὴ βούληται Κέλσος, μετὰ πολλοὺς προφήτας ἐπανορθουμένους τὰ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἐκείνου ἐπανορθωτὴς ὅλου τοῦ κόσμου ὁ Χριστός, οὐ δεόμενος κατὰ τὴν προτέραν οἰκονομίαν τῆς κατ' ἀνθρώπων χρήσεως μαστίγων καὶ δεσμῶν καὶ βασανιστηρίων· ἤρκει γὰρ ἡ διδασκαλία, ὅτε «ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων τοῦ σπείρειν», ἵνα σπείρῃ τὸν λόγον πανταχοῦ. Εἰ δ' ἐπιστήσεται τις χρόνος, περιγράφων τὸν κόσμον ἀναγκαίαν περιγραφὴν τῷ αὐτὸν ἀρχὴν ἐσχηκέναι, καὶ ἐπιστήσεταί τι τέλος τῷ κόσμῳ καὶ μετὰ τὸ τέλος δικαία περὶ πάντων κρίσις· δεήσει μὲν τὸν φιλοσοφοῦντα τὰ τοῦ λόγου κατασκευάζειν μετὰ παντοδαπῶν ἀποδείξεων, τῶν τε ἀπὸ τῶν θείων γραμμάτων καὶ τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐν τοῖς λόγοις ἀκολουθίας, δεήσει δὲ τὸν πολὺν καὶ ἁπλούστερον καὶ μὴ δυνάμενον παρακολουθεῖν τοῖς ποικιλωτάτοις τῆς σοφίας τοῦ θεοῦ θεωρήμασιν, ἐμπιστεύσαντα ἑαυτὸν θεῷ καὶ τῷ σωτῆρι τοῦ γένους ἡμῶν, τούτου μᾶλλον ἀρκεσθῆναι τῷ «Αὐτὸς ἔφα» ἢ ἄλλου οὑτινοσοῦν.

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Origen Against Celsus

Chapter IX.

There came, then, although Celsus may not wish to admit it, after the numerous prophets who were the reformers of that well-known Israel, the Christ, the Reformer of the whole world, who did not need to employ against men whips, and chains, and tortures, as was the case under the former economy. For when the sower went forth to sow, the doctrine sufficed to sow the word everywhere. But if there is a time coming which will necessarily circumscribe the duration of the world, by reason of its having had a beginning, and if there is to be an end to the world, and after the end a just judgment of all things, it will be incumbent on him who treats the declarations of the Gospels philosophically, to establish these doctrines by arguments of all kinds, not only derived directly from the sacred Scriptures, but also by inferences deducible from them; while the more numerous and simpler class of believers, and those who are unable to comprehend the many varied aspects of the divine wisdom, must entrust themselves to God, and to the Saviour of our race, and be contented with His "ipse dixit," ¹ instead of this or any other demonstration whatever.