Arguments Of Celsus, Porphyry, And The Emperor Julian, Against The Christians Part 5

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and much more to a.s.sert, any thing impious concerning G.o.d. But if any one should order us to celebrate the Sun or Minerva, we ought most gladly to sing hymns to their praise. For thus you will appear to venerate the supreme G.o.d in a greater degree *, if you also celebrate these powers: for piety when it pa.s.ses through all things becomes more perfect."

EXTRACTS FROM, AND INFORMATION RELATIVE TO, THE TREATISE OF PORPHYRY AGAINST THE CHRISTIANS

[Ill.u.s.tration: Porphyry]

This work of Porphyry consisted of Fifteen Books, and is unfortunately lost. It is frequently mentioned by the Fathers of the Church, from whose writings the following particulars are collected.

The First Book appears to have contained a development of the contrariety of the Scriptures, and proofs that they did not proceed from Divinity, but from men. To this end Porphyry especially adduces what Paul writes to the Galatians, chap. ii.

* For as the ineffable principle of things possesses all power and the highest power, he first produced from himself beings most transcendently allied to himself; and therefore, by venerating these, the highest G.o.d will be in a greater degree venerated, as being a greater veneration of his power.

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viz. that "when Peter came to Antioch, he withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed." Hence Porphyry infers, "that the Apostles, and indeed the chief of them, did not publicly study the salvation of all men, but that each of them was privately attentive to his own renown." This the Fathers testify in more than one place. See the Commentary of Jerome on the above-mentioned Epistle. Jerome also, in his 89th Epistle to Augustin, informs us that Porphyry says, "that Peter and Paul opposed each other in a puerile contest, and that Paul was envious of the virtue of Peter."

The Third Book treated of the interpretation of the Scriptures, in which Porphyry condemned the mode of explaining them adopted by the commentators, and especially the allegories of Origen. This is evident from a long extract from this work of Porphyry given by Eusebius in Hist. Eccl. lib. i. cap. 13.

The Fourth Book treated of the Mosaic history and the antiquities of the Jews, as we learn from Eusebius, Proep. Evang. lib. i. cap. 9, and from Theo-doret, Serm. ii. Therap.

But the Twelfth Book was the most celebrated of all, in which Porphyry strenuously opposes the

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prophecy of Daniel. Of this work Jerome thus speaks in the Preface to his Commentary on that prophet: "Porphyry's twelfth book is against the prophet Daniel, as he was unwilling to admit that it was written by that prophet, but contends that it was composed by a person in Judaea named Epiphanes, and who lived in the time of Antiochus. Hence he says, that Daniel does not so much narrate future as past events. Lastly, he a.s.serts, that whatever is related as far as to the reign of Antiochus contains a true history; but that all that is said posterior to this time, as the writer was ignorant of futurity, is false."

The Thirteenth Book also, according to Jerome*, was written against the same prophet; in which book, speaking of the "abomination of desolation," as it is called by Daniel, (when standing in the sacred place,) he says many reproachful things of the Christians.

The same Jerome likewise, in Epist. ci., ad Pam-machium, testifies, that Porphyry accuses the history of the Evangelists of falsehood, and says**

that Christ, after he had told his brethren that he should

* Vid. lib. iv. Comment, in 24 Cap. Matth.

** Lib. ii. adversus Pelagianos.

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not go up to the feast of tabernacles, yet afterwards went up to it (John vii.). Hence Porphyry accuses him of inconstancy and mutability.

Jerome's observation on this is curious, viz. "Nesciens omnia scandala ad carnem esse referenda."

Jerome adds (in Lib. Qua.s.st. Hebraic, in Genesin) "that Porphyry calumniates the Evangelists for making a miracle to the ignorant, by a.s.serting that Christ walked on the sea, calling the lake Genezareth the sea." He likewise says, that Porphyry called the miracles which were performed at the sepulchres of the martyrs, "the delusions of evil demons."

The following remarkable pa.s.sage from one of the lost writings of Porphyry relative to the Christians, is preserved by Augustin in his Treatise De Civit. lib. xix. cap. 23.

"Sunt spiritus terreni minimi loco terreno quodam malorum daemonum potestati subjecti. Ab his sapientes Hebraeorum, quorum unus iste etiam Jesus fuit, sicut audivisti divina Apollonis oracula quae superius dicta sunt. Ab his ergo _Hebaei_ dsemonibus pessimis et minoribus spiritibus vetabant religiosos, et ipsis vacare prohibebant: venerari autem magis coelestes Deos, amplius autem venerari Deum patrem. Hoc autem et Dii praecipiunt, et in

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superioibus ostendimus, quemadmodum animadvertere ad Deum monent, et ilium colere ubique imperant. Verum indocti et impiae naturae, quibus vere Fatum non concessit a Dius dona obtinere, neque habere Jovis immortalis not.i.tiam, non audientes Deos et divinos viros; Deos quidem omnes recusaverunt, prohibitos autem daemones non solum nullis odiis insequi, sed etiam revereri delegerunt. Deum autem simulantes se colere, ea sola per quae Deus adoratur, non agunt. Nam Deus quidem utpote omnium pater nullius indiget: sed n.o.bis est bene, c.u.m eum per just.i.tiam et cast.i.tatem, aliasque virtutes adoramus, ipsam vitam precem ad ipsum fa-cientes, per imitationem et inquisitionem de ipso. Inquisitio enim purgat, imitatio deificat affectionem ad ipsum operando."

i. e. "There are terrene spirits of the lowest order, who in a certain terrene place are subject to the power of evil demons. From these were derived the wise men of the Hebrews, of whom Jesus also was one; as you have heard the divine oracles of Apollo above mentioned a.s.sert. From these worst of demons therefore, and lesser spirits of the _Hebrew_, the oracles forbid the religious, and prohibit from paying attention to them, but exhort them rather to venerate the celestial G.o.ds, and still more the father of the G.o.ds. And we have above

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shown how the G.o.ds admonish us to look to Divinity, and everywhere command us to worship him. But the unlearned and impious natures, to whom Fate has not granted truly to obtain gifts from the G.o.ds, and to have a knowledge of immortal Jupiter,--these not attending to the G.o.ds and divine men, reject indeed all the G.o.ds, and are so far from hating prohibited demons, that they even choose to reverence them*. But pretending that they worship G.o.d, they do not perform those things through which alone G.o.d is adored. For G.o.d, indeed, as being the father of all things, is not in want of any thing; but it is well with us when we adore him through justice and continence, and the other

*The Platonic philosopher Sall.u.s.t, in his golden book On the G.o.ds and the World, says, alluding to the Christians, cap.

18, "Impiety, which invades some places of the earth, and which will often subsist in future, ought not to give any disturbance to the worthy mind; for things of this kind do not affect, nor can religious honours be of any advantage to the G.o.ds; and the soul from its middle nature is not always able to pursue that which is right Besides, it is not improbable that impiety is a species of punishment; for those who have known and at the same time despised the G.o.ds, we may reasonably suppose will in another life be deprived of the knowledge of their nature. And those who have honoured their proper sovereigns as G.o.ds, shall be cut off from the divinities, as the punishment of their impiety."

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virtues, making our life a prayer to him through the imitation and investigation of him. For investigation purifies, but imitation deifies the affection of the mind by energizing about divinity."

The following extract from Porphyry concerning a pestilence which raged for many years at Rome, and could not be mitigated by any sacrifices, is preserved by Theodoret: "[--------]." i. e. "The Christians now wonder that the city has been for so many years attacked by disease, the advent [or manifest appearance] of Esculapius and the other G.o.ds no longer existing. For Jesus being now reverenced and worshiped, no one any longer derives any public benefit from the G.o.ds."

A FRAGMENT OF THE THIRTY-FOURTH BOOK OF DIODORUS SICULUS.

"King Antiochus besieged Jerusalem; but the Jews resisted him for some time. When, however, all their provision was spent, they were forced to send amba.s.sadors to him to treat on terms. Many of his friends persuaded him to storm the city, and

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to root out the whole nation of the Jews; because they only, of all people, hated to converse with any of another nation, and treated all of them as enemies. They likewise suggested to him, that the ancestors of the Jews were driven out of Egypt as impious and hateful to the G.o.ds.

For their bodies being overspread and infected with the itch and leprosy, they brought them together into one place by way of expiation, and as profane and wicked wretches expelled them from their coasts.

Those too that were thus expelled seated themselves about Jerusalem, and being afterwards embodied into one nation, called the nation of the Jews, their hatred of all other men descended with their blood to posterity. Hence they made strange laws, entirely different from those of other nations. In consequence of this, they will neither eat nor drink with any one of a different nation, nor wish him any prosperity.

For, say they, Antiochus, surnamed Epiphanes, having subdued the Jews, entered into the temple of G.o.d, into which by their law no one was permitted to enter but the priest. Here, when he found the image of a man with a long beard carved in stone sitting on an a.s.s, he conceived it to be Moses who built Jerusalem, established the nation, and made all their impious customs and practises legal: for these abound in hatred and enmity to all other men. Antiochus, therefore, abhorring this

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their contrariety to all other nations, used his utmost endeavour to abrogate their laws. In order to effect this, he sacrificed a large hog at the image of Moses and at the altar of G.o.d that stood in the outward court, and sprinkled them with the blood of the sacrifice. He commanded likewise that the sacred books, whereby they were taught to hate all other nations, should be sprinkled with the broth made of the hog's flesh. And he extinguished the lamp called by them immortal, which was continually burning in the temple. Lastly, he compelled the high priest and the other Jews to eat swine's flesh. Afterwards, when Antiochus and his friends had deliberately considered these things, they urged him to root out the whole nation, or at least to abrogate their laws and compel them to change their former mode of conducting themselves in common life. But the king being generous and of a mild disposition, received hostages and pardoned the Jews. He demolished, however, the walls of Jerusalem, and took the tribute that was due."

FROM MANETHO RESPECTING THE ISRAELITES.

"While such was the state of things in Ethiopia, the people of Jerusalem, having come down with the defiled of the Egyptians, treated the inhabitants in such an unholy manner, that those who witnessed

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their impieties, believed that their joint sway was more execrable than that which the shepherds had formerly exercised. For they not only set fire to the cities and villages, but committed every kind of sacrilege, and destroyed the images of the G.o.ds, and roasted and fed upon those sacred animals that were worshipped; and having compelled the priests and prophets to kill and sacrifice them, they cast them naked out of the country. It is said also that the priest who ordained their polity and laws was by birth of Heliopolis, and his name Osarsiph, from Osons the G.o.d of Heliopolis; but that when he went over to these people, his name was changed, and he was called Moses."

Manetho again says: "After this, Amenophis returned from Ethiopia with a great force, and Rampses also his son with other forces; and encountering the shepherds and defiled people, they defeated and slew mult.i.tudes of them, add pursued them to the bounds of Syria."--Joseph contn App. lib. i. cap. 26, & 27.