Required reading
Ante-Nicene Fathers (Vol 4) (Available from Amazon or free here) - Commence Book II of Origen against Celsus by reading up to Chapter XXXVII.
My summary
Today we begin reading the second book of Origen's rebuttal of the work of Celsus.
In particular, Origen defends:
(i) Christian observance of the law;
(ii) Christ's power, holiness, foreknowledge, sufferings, death and resurrection.
What grabbed me
Origen is certainly making a firm defense.
I liked this challenge to Celsus: 'But what promise did Jesus make which He did not perform? Let Celsus produce any instance of such, and make good his charge. But he will be unable to do so, especially since it is from mistakes, arising either from misapprehension of the Gospel narratives, or from Jewish stories, that he thinks to derive the charges which he brings against Jesus or against ourselves. Moreover, again, when the Jew says, "We both found him guilty, and condemned him as deserving of death," let them show how they who sought to concoct false witness against Him proved Him to be guilty. Was not the great charge against Jesus, which His accusers brought forward, this, that He said, "I am able to destroy the temple of God, and after three days to raise it up again?" But in so saying, He spake of the temple of His body; while they thought, not being able to understand the meaning of the speaker, that His reference was to the temple of stone, which was treated by the Jews with greater respect than He was who ought to have been honoured as the true Temple of God—the Word, and the Wisdom, and the Truth.'
If Jesus is guilty of sin, what is the charge?
Next week's reading
Conclude Book II of Origen against Celsus.
Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
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