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Origen Against Celsus

Chapter LXXIII.

In the next place, Celsus urges us "to help the king with all our might, and to labour with him in the maintenance of justice, to fight for him; and if he requires it, to fight under him, or lead an army along with him." To this our answer is, that we do, when occasion requires, give help to kings, and that, so to say, a divine help, "putting on the whole armour of God." ¹ And this we do in obedience to the injunction of the apostle, "I exhort, therefore, that first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority;" ² and the more any one excels in piety, the more effective help does he render to kings, even more than is given by soldiers, who go forth to fight and slay as many of the enemy as they can. And to those enemies of our faith who require us to bear arms for the commonwealth, and to slay men, we can reply: "Do not those who are priests at certain shrines, and those who attend on certain gods, as you account them, keep their hands free from blood, that they may with hands unstained and free from human blood offer the appointed sacrifices to your gods; and even when war is upon you, you never enlist the priests in the army. If that, then, is a laudable custom, how much more so, that while others are engaged in battle, these too should engage as the priests and ministers of God, keeping their hands pure, and wrestling in prayers to God on behalf of those who are fighting in a righteous cause, and for the king who reigns righteously, that whatever is opposed to those who act righteously may be destroyed!" And as we by our prayers vanquish all demons who stir up war, and lead to the violation of oaths, and disturb the peace, we in this way are much more helpful to the kings than those who go into the field to fight for them. And we do take our part in public affairs, when along with righteous prayers we join self-denying exercises and meditations, which teach us to despise pleasures, and not to be led away by them. And none fight better for the king than we do. We do not indeed fight under him, although he require it; but we fight on his behalf, forming a special army--an army of piety--by offering our prayers to God.

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Contra Celsum

73.

Εἶθ' ἑξῆς προτρέπεται ἡμᾶς ὁ Κέλσος ἀρήγειν τῷ βασιλεῖ παντὶ σθένει καὶ συμπονεῖν αὐτῷ τὰ δίκαια καὶ ὑπερμαχεῖν αὐτοῦ καὶ συστρατεύειν αὐτῷ, ἂν ἐπείγῃ, καὶ συστρατηγεῖν. Λεκτέον δὲ καὶ πρὸς ταῦτα ὅτι ἀρήγομεν κατὰ καιρὸν τοῖς βασιλεῦσι θείαν, ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω, ἄρηξιν, καὶ «πανοπλίαν» ἀναλαμβάνοντες «θεοῦ». Καὶ ταῦτα ποιοῦμεν πειθόμενοι ἀποστολικῇ φωνῇ λεγούσῃ· «Παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς πρῶτον ποιεῖσθαι δεήσεις, προσευχάς, ἐντεύξεις, εὐχαριστίας ὑπὲρ πάντων ἀνθρώπων, ὑπὲρ βασιλέων καὶ πάντων τῶν ἐν ὑπεροχῇ ὄντων.» Καὶ ὅσῳ γε τὶς εὐσεβέστερός ἐστι, τοσούτῳ ἀνυτικώτερος ἐν τῷ ἀρήγειν τοῖς βασιλεύουσι παρὰ τοὺς εἰς τὰς παρατάξεις ἐξιόντας στρατιώτας καὶ ἀναιροῦντας οὓς ἂν δύνωνται τῶν πολεμίων.

Εἶτα δὲ καὶ ταῦτ' εἴποιμεν ἂν πρὸς τοὺς ἀλλοτρίους τῆς πίστεως καὶ ἀξιοῦντας ἡμᾶς στρατεύεσθαι ὑπὲρ τοῦ κοινοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπους ἀναιρεῖν ὅτι καὶ οἱ καθ' ὑμᾶς ἱερεῖς ἀγαλμάτων τινῶν καὶ νεωκόροι ὧν νομίζετε θεῶν τηροῦσιν ἑαυτῶν ἀμίαντον τὴν δεξιὰν διὰ τὰς θυσίας, ἵν' ἀναιμάκτοις χερσὶ καὶ καθαραῖς ἀπὸ φόνων προσάγωσι τὰς νενομισμένας θυσίας οἷς φατε θεοῖς· καὶ οὐ δή που πολέμου καταλαβόντος καὶ τοὺς ἱερεῖς στρατεύετε. Εἰ οὖν τοῦτ' εὐλόγως γίνεται, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἄλλων στρατευομένων καὶ οὗτοι στρατεύονται ὡς ἱερεῖς τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ θεραπευταί, καθαρὰς μὲν τηροῦντες τὰς δεξιὰς ἀγωνιζόμενοι δὲ διὰ τῶν πρὸς θεὸν εὐχῶν ὑπὲρ τῶν δικαίως στρατευομένων καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ δικαίως βασιλεύοντος, ἵνα τὰ ἐναντία πάντα καὶ ἐχθρὰ τοῖς δικαίως πράττουσι καθαιρεθῇ; Ἡμεῖς δὲ καὶ ταῖς εὐχαῖς πάντας δαίμονας, τοὺς ἐγείροντας τὰ πολεμικὰ καὶ ὅρκους συγχέοντας καὶ τὴν εἰρήνην ταράσσοντας, καθαιροῦντες μᾶλλον βοηθοῦμεν τοῖς βασιλεύουσιν ἤπερ οἱ δοκοῦντες στρατεύεσθαι. Συμπονοῦμεν δὲ τοῖς κοινοῖς πράγμασιν οἱ μετὰ δικαιοσύνης ἀναφέροντες προσευχάς, σὺν ἀσκήσεσι καὶ μελέταις διδασκούσαις καταφρονεῖν ἡδονῶν καὶ μὴ ἄγεσθαι ὑπ' αὐτῶν. Ἡμεῖς καὶ μᾶλλον ὑπερμαχοῦμεν τοῦ βασιλέως· καὶ οὐ συστρατευόμεθα μὲν αὐτῷ, κἂν ἐπείγῃ, στρατευόμεθα δὲ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ ἴδιον στρατόπεδον εὐσεβείας συγκροτοῦντες διὰ τῶν πρὸς τὸ θεῖον ἐντεύξεων.