Introduction
Origen was the son of Christian parents and a disciple of Clement. His father was martyred, which helped inspire his desire to teach and share the good news. Although Origen was a philosopher, he knew that there was great danger in leaving the Christian faith and following the popular philosophies, such as Gnosticism.
Origen strays from what Christianity usually teaches because he philosophizes about things that are briefly mentioned in the Bible (such as creation and the fall of mankind). There are no blatant contradictions in his known works, and for philosophy and contemplation sake, he has helped us think about what has happened before the recorded scriptures and after them. For many reasons, Origen refuted popular philosophies of his time. His Christian upbringing and his salvation were obviously key factors. Similarly, today many theologians and evangelists speak out against the heretics of the late 20th century.
In the fourth book written by Origen, he attacks some views held by a philosopher named Celsus. Celsus apparently had numerous followers and a less than factual interpretation of many Biblical principles. With wit and genius, Origen tried to combat Celsus and turn people to the truth.
Celsus' Fallacy
Origen's fourth book begins by directly attacking Celsus' assertions about the Christian faith. Celsus is proclaiming that Jesus Christ has not come and will not come. This was unpopular to the mainstream Christians and religious Jews because both have separate belief systems. The Christians believe in a Christ who has come and will come again one day. The religious Jews firmly believe that Jesus will be coming in the future, but has not come, yet. Celsus' view was probably popular with people who did not receive or believe the words that were passed from person to person about Jesus Christ. These words, along with hand written copies of parts of the un-canonized Bible were the only words of truth the people had at this time. Heretical sects most likely loved Celsus. His words on this subject can be summed up by his quotation, "But that certain Christians and (all) Jews should maintain, the former that there has already descended, the latter that there will descend, upon the earth a certain God, or Son of a God, who will make the inhabitants of the earth righteous, is a most shameless assertion, and one the refutation of which does not need many words."
"What is the meaning of such a descent on the part of God?" is Celsus' rhetorical and literal question. By bringing up this question, it shows how far Celsus was from being saved or understanding the plan of God for sanctification and salvation. As Christians, it is nonsense to propose that we could become like Christ or go to Heaven without Him coming to Earth and saving us by fulfilling prophecies. However, we must remember that the Bible had not yet been canonized and it wasn't too far after Christ had died on the cross and risen from the dead. Today, people are reluctant to believe every word of the Bible. Imagine how skeptical people were when things were being passed around by word-of-mouth and old pieces of handwritten parchment! Incidentally, Origen refutes Celsus further by saying that we are people that God loves, therefore He sends instructors to us to teach and prod us on to godliness (See 2 Timothy 2:15 and Hebrews 10:24). For example, Moses came to instruct the Jews. Jeremiah came to instruct many different rebellious people. Jesus came to instruct everyone. Evangelists have come to instruct listeners, and so forth. Having sympathy for Celsus and other less faithful Christians, he says there are many diversities amongst those who serve God, and they are few in number who are perfect and pure ambassadors of the truth, and who produce a complete reformation, as did Moses and the prophets." Although Origen did not speak about salvation in this breath, I think he would agree with James when he said "faith without works is dead" (James 2:20).
The Concept of Change
Do Christians need to change during their lifetime and become more like Christ? Did Jesus Christ come to end the Jewish way of the Old Testament and finalize the plan of God? Celsus didn't think so when he said, "If you were to change a single one, even the least, of things on earth, all things would be overturned and disappear." However, Jesus did come to show us how God wanted us to live and go to Heaven! Change is a word with many meanings. God cannot change, however sometimes it looks like He changes His mind (See Hebrews 13:8). A good example of how God seemingly changed His mind was the story of Ninevah and Jonah. In God's perfect judgment, He decided to destroy the town of Ninevah. Nonetheless, after they repented, God opted for His perfect mercy. Sometimes life is shown to us like a tapestry. We see the loose threads and the messy side quite often. But when God shows us the top of the beautiful tapestry (plan) He is weaving, we appreciate it and understand it. Change is imperative in the lives of Christians, regardless of whether or not we know or appreciate the plan of God (See Jeremiah 29:11 and John 14:21).
The Necessity of Jesus Christ
In the seventh chapter, Origen criticized Celsus criticism of the necessity and purpose of Jesus Christ. "...after so long a period of time, then, did God now bethink himself of making men live righteous lives, but neglect to do so before?" At first glance, this statement seems ridiculous, however it begs the answer to the question, "Why did God 'neglect' to send Jesus to earth earlier?" From a Christian perspective, God is a perfect God and He knows what He is doing (See Psalm 18:30). Jesus was sent at the right time. The world needed a Savior. The Jews had conquered Jerusalem and the stage was set. Everything was in place for the culmination of the prophecies of the prophets. Many books have been written on the prophecies that Jesus fulfilled. See "The Promise of Bible Prophecy" by Hal Lindsey for more on this subject.
Before Jesus came, God had a plan for the Jews which included many important things like the leaving of Egypt and the conquering of the Jebusites in Jerusalem. If we are to be scared or worried about Celsus' assertion, then we'd be arguing with the perfect timing and perfect mind of God (See 1 Corinthians 2:16). God has had a perfect plan since the beginning and Jesus waited in Heaven until it was best for Him to come to earth (See Genesis 1:26 and John 1:1).
Jesus Christ's Return
The erroneous statement by Celsus, mentioned by Origen in his eleventh chapter, is this, "The belief has spread among them, from a misunderstanding of the accounts of these occurrences, that after lengthened cycles of time, and the returns and conjunctions of planets, conflagrations and floods are wont to happen....the lapse of time, agreeably to the vicissitude of all things, requires a conflagration and this made them give utterance to the erroneous opinion that God will descend, bringing fire like a torturer." The language used here leads one to believe several things. Celsus could have been afraid of God (possibly due to his lack of faith) and he desires to spark a flame in the hearts of unbelievers. Additionally, Celsus has a poor understanding of the occurrences in Revelation.Contrary to Celsus' assertions, God won't be coming to earth to "torture" people, but Jesus will return to Earth after the rapture and judgment of this planet. Christ will not come back like a torturer, but like a judge (See Revelation 20:9 and 2 Timothy 4:1, 8). A view of God coming down to torture people was obviously an unpopular one among Christians and Jews. However, for philosophers who were not holding a canonized Bible, we should have sympathy and recognize blasphemy by comparing it to the Word of truth - the Bible.
Conclusion
Origen refutes Celsus' arguments well. When one has a standard such as the Bible, it isn't too difficult to dispute blatant blasphemy. Like the cream rises to the top, what is right and true will shine through.
Using scriptures and reason, Origen's philosophy and counter-arguments have been substantiated. Although people listened to Celsus and followed his teachings, Origen was much closer to mainstream Christianity. Conservative, traditional Christianity was not the goal for Origen, however. He wanted to explore the truth and philosophize about the unwritten and unknown things. Celsus, on the other hand, appears to us as a figure who is interested in tearing down the validity of Christian beliefs. He also seems like a man who wants to cause a sort of insurrection.
