, 1874-11-08
CELSIUS ",TRuE W0RD.1

CELSIUS ".TRuE WoRD.o
CELSIUS WAHREs WORT. vou DR.. Tuxopoa
hE1A- Zurich 18TH
The first literary attack made On Christianity
WAS that Of Lucan in the Perigrenus Proleus,-a
satire on Christian martyrdom. The second WAS
that OF CELSIUS in his Ale1hes Logos, or the 'Trne
Word," now for the first time restored, and
translated into q modern language Hitherto
scholars have had only such fragments OF Gel
sus' work IL were contained in the reply made to
it by O1igen. Thanks to the labors Of Prof
Keim, OF the Uniye1slty Of Zurich they now have
the whole.
CELSIUS Was very different man from his pre-
decessor Lucian. Luciau was 3 mere scofer.
CELSIUS IVES philosopher, and man Of immense
eru6iion. Lucian was only literary. CELSIUS was
scientific IS well as literary. For Christianity
he had, it is true, nothing but contempt. To
him it Was only msss Of supershtions. But he
dreaded more than he scorned it. He loved the
ancient gods and their temples; and his book is
at once IN apology for heatheniam and An attack
upon Christianity.
In this age Of the world, only 100 years after
the appearance OF Celsus' book, when 60 many
critics. philosophers, and scientists are dealing
their blows fast and heavy at Christianity, it Ia
exceedingly interesting to look back to tho be-
ginning OF the intellectual conflict between the
Kingdom of Heaven and the environng and
opposing forces. The war between them has
been long and earnest, and is far from ended.
Christianity seems to havo more vitality. to-day
than it had in the days OF Celsua. Its prospects
Of life Ere At least - crest as when the ''Ttue
Word " Of the learned Pagan WAS written. It
has survived the attacks Of CELSIUS and of his
SUCCESSORS Porphy1y, Hierocles. and Julian. It
has weathered the storms Of medimval skepti-
cisn. It has lived through tho periods OF En-
glish Deism, French Indaelity German Ration
alism. It may outlive Evolution and the Cosmic
philosophy. But the contest goes o. Ransn
and Iyudall continue the fight begun by CELSIUS.
They are, it may be, moro formidable than he;
but the Christianity they have to deal with is
more formidable antagonist than he had to en-
counter. The Ale1hes Logos Of CELSIUS was
masterpiece Of learning, logic, SARCASM, elo-
quence, and invective for the period in which it
WAS produced It is, for that matter, MASTER
piece still.
But it did no more to arrest the onward march
OF Christianity than does bulrush to stop tho
flow Of the Nile. It was . straw used to roll
back Niagara And who knows but that
&,Vut EEALd utuC6 4AA4 36ko ANAAGS6 1G2oI6
the British Association at Belfast may not be
made the subject of similar remark It may
remain Ike Celaus' work, fossil argument in
the museum OF NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., able, By
no meaus destitute OF merit, but Intellectual TO
arrest the great movement. AL this Ee say
without passing any Judgment On the divine
character OF Christianity. The institution that
has outlived the attacks made it for 1000
q TrA tn& H.
work itself.
It ia evident from Ceaus' book that he waa, On
the whole, PlatoniBt; his standpoint that OF
the Platonic philosophy. Yet he teaches doc
triues hardly zeconcilable with those of his
master; as, for instance. the eternity Of matter,
the existence Of good and an evil principle, the
unity Of nature OF man and the lower animals,
and the mortality Of the soul. It Was impossi-
bic that pe1son Of the extensive reading Of
Celsus should pin his faith to Plato alone. He
showe great familiarity with the writings Of
Pythagoras, Heraclitua. Empedok1es, and other
philosophers; With the religious systems Of the
Egyptians, Aasyrians, Indians, Persians, Sa-
mothracians. Hyperboreans; Of the Drulds, 20
roastrians, and others His acquaintance with
Greek literature was not confined 70 the philoso-
phers. With the poets, dramatlsts, and
historians he waa equally at home. Ho
had studied the customs and opinions Of tho
people Of Ill nations, not excepting those Of
China and Japan. He was ve1sed in Natural
History, in the science Of Music, and in Magic
His acquaintance with Judaism and Christianity |
WAS not confined to books. He had studied the |
lives OF the jews and Christians about him. !
Moaheim thinks he associaied with Christians, |
pretending to be Christian himself. It would |
sean that he had more than once attempted to |
reason with individual Christians On the subject
OF their faith He relates how tho Christians of |
his day were wont to meet inquiries into tho |
truth Of Christianity; no" they invited them to |
believe and not to inquire, and assured them |
that Faith would eave them; that the wisdom OF |
the world vas evil; that they were crucided to
the world, and the world crucihed to them
He SCENE to have been better acquainted with !!
the first and second books Of the Pentateuch |
than with any other portions Of the Old Testa-
ment; and in them he finds ample source of |
merrirnent The Let there be light" the story
Of Ewes creation from rib OF Adam, OF the
temptation by tho Serpent Of the Deluge, the
Tower Of Babel, Of Jonah and the whale, Of Dan
Ie1 IN the lions den afford him An opportunity to
display Ill the resources Of his wit and sarcasna
To him they vera al aa incredible and improb-
able ~ they are to the modern skaptic; and he
speaks Of them pretty much Is thousands now
do. He had read the Gospels. both canonica1
and apocryphal, and apparently without drawing
my distinction between them.
Ceiazs' hoax - rsstorsd BY Pfaf. Kahn n d.