Episode 24: The Intellectual Attacks on Second-Century Christianity

We are back with another episode (which you can find here) and of course another blog post with the content from this week’s post!

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A welcoming door in Emmaus, PA

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I will post the content for last week’s post later on tomorrow, but I was away and quite unable to do that for last week’s show. My apologies. Where was I?

One of the several nice bass who came to say high to me while fishing last week.

Without further reminiscences, the texts from Lucian of Antioch and Celsus.

Lucian of Antioch from his The Death of Peregrinus Proteus

Then, as this was impossible, every other form of attention was shown him, not in any casual way but with assiduity; and from the very break of day aged widows and orphan children could be seen waiting near the prison, while their officials even slept inside with him after bribing the guards. Then elaborate meals were brought in, and sacred books of theirs were read aloud, and excellent Peregrinus for he still went by that name-was called by them ‘the new Socrates’. Indeed, people came even from the cities in Asia, sent by the Christians at their common expense, to succour and defend and encourage the hero. They show incredible speed whenever any such public action is taken; for in no time they lavish their all. So it was then in the case of Peregrinus; much money came to him from them by reason of his imprisonment, and he procured not a little revenue from it. The poor wretches have convinced themselves, first and foremost, that they are going to be immortal and live for all time, in consequence of which they despise death and even willingly give themselves into custody, most of them. Furthermore, their first lawgiver persuaded them that they are all brothers of one another after they have transgressed once for all by denying the Greek gods and by worshipping that crucified sophist himself and living under his laws. Therefore they despise all things indiscriminately and consider them common property, receiving such doctrines traditionally without any definite evidence. So if any charlatan and trickster, able to profit by occasions, come among them, he quickly acquires sudden wealth by imposing upon simple folk38 (tr. A. M. Harmon, Lucian, v, pp. 13-15).

Celsus as reproduced in Origen’s Contra Celsum, on why should Rome follow such a seemingly frail god.

You will surely not say that if the Romans were convinced by you and were to neglect their customary honours to both gods and men and were to call upon your Most High, or whatever name you prefer, He would come down and fight on their side, and they would have no need for any other defense. In earlier times also the same God made these promises and some far greater than these, so you say, to those who pay regard to him. But see how much help he has been to both them and you. Instead of being masters of the whole world, they have been left no land or home of any kind. While in your case, if anyone does still wander about in secret, yet he is sought out and condemned to death.

Celsus on the absurdity of thinking humans are at all like or akin to God

for the race of Jews and Christians to duster like bats or ants coming out of a nest, or frogs holding council round a marsh, or worms assembling in some filthy comer, disagreeing with one another about which of them are the worse sinners. They say: ‘God shows and proclaims everything to us beforehand, and He has even deserted the whole world and the motion of the heavens, and disregarded the vast earth to give attention to us alone; and He sends messengers to us alone and never stops sending them and seeking that we may be with Him for ever’. {Christians were}: like worms who say: ‘There is God first, and we are next after Him in rank since He has made us entirely like God, and all things have been put under us, earth, water, air, and stars; and all things.

Celsus on the subversive nature of Christianity’s obscurantist Fideism

In private houses also we see wool-workers, cobblers, laundry workers, and the most illiterate and bucolic yokels, who would not dare to say anything at all in front of their elders and more intelligent masters. But whenever they get hold of children in private and some stupid women with them, they let out some astounding Statements as, for example, that they must not pay any attention to their father and schoolteachers, but must obey them; they say that these talk nonsense and have no understanding, and that in reality they neither know nor are able to do anything good, but are taken up with mere empty chatter. But they alone, they say, know the right way to live, and if the children would believe them, they would become happy and make their home happy as well. And if just as they are speaking they see one of the school-teachers coming, or some intelligent person, or even the father himself, the more cautious of them flee in all directions; but the more reckless urge the children on to rebel. They whisper to them that in the presence of their father and their schoolmasters they do not feel able to explain anything to the children, since they do not want to have anything to do with the silly and obtuse teachers who are totally corrupted and far gone in wickedness and who inflict punishment on the children. But, if they like, they should leave father and their schoolmasters, and go along with the women and little children who are their playfellows to the wool dresser’ s shop, or to the cobbler’s or the washerwoman’s shop, that they may learn perfection. And by saying this they persuade them (trs. H. Chadwick).