The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1885-07-15

"Surely, you will say, that when he
could not persuade those that were
here, he went to Hades, to persuade
those that were there''-alluding to
l Peter iii: 10.
The Jew is again introduced argu.
ing against Jesus-that he pretended
to be born of virgin-then he re.
proaches him with his birth in Jew
ish village, and of a poor woman OF
that country, who subsisted by the la
bors of her hands-and he says she
was put away by her husband, who
was a carpenter by trade, he having
discovered that she was guilty of adul-
terry. Elsewhere CELSIUS speaks OF Mary
as ga seamstress."
In another place he speaks of Jesus
"taking to himself ten or eleven affects,
vile publicans and sailors, with whom
he went about, getting his subsistence
in a base and shameful manner"
Touching the miracles of Jesus, he
pretends to grant that they may be
true, but goes on to instance the tricks
of the Egyptians and other imposters,
and then asks: because they do such
things, must we therefore esteem them
to be Gods sons? or must we not
rather say that these are the articles of
wicked and miserable men?" He in
sinuates that Jesus learned magical
arts in Egypt.
The Jew argues, referring to the
crucifixion, that cit became not God
to flee, nor to be taken, and executed
least of all to be deserted and be-
trayed by his companions"
And CELSIUS What god, or de-
mon, or wise man, who foreknew that
such things were to happen to him,
would not have avoided them, if he
could?"
Speaking of the resurrection-"Wh
saw all this" he asks, "but a distract
ed woman, and one or two more of the
same imposture, and some dreamers,
who fancied they saw things as they
desired to have them?"
Again-"If he could be hid why
was there voice from heaven, declar-
ing him to be the Son of God? And if
he would not be hid, why did he suf-
fer? why did he die?"
In the matter of prophecy, he says:
"The Pythian, the Dodonean, the Clar-
ian, the Branchidian, the Ammonium
oracles, by whose directions colonies
have been planted all over the world,
must pass for nothing; but the OBJ
scure Jewish predictions, said or not
said, the like to which are still prac-
tised in Phenicia and Palestine, are
thought to be wonderful, and immuta-
bly, certain"
We have reproduced these passages
from this ancient heather writer-the
first champion that broke lance with
the new system that was destined to
spread over Europe-becanse it is in
structive to look back (and most of our
readers have not access to the ponder
GUS works Of Lardner and such writers)
and see how an intelligent and cultured
man of the second century looked at
Christianity. One thing that strikes
us is that he saw nothing attractive in
the character of Jesus, and seems to
have been wholly insensible to the
charm of moral purity which charac-
terises the gospels. He talks, as we
perceive now, like blind man.
His labored work failed to convince
the Roman world, and in one hundred
and fifty years after his death this de-
spised Jewish superstition which he
derided so, was the established religion
of the empire of the Caesars.
Many others have followed him since
Pagan and Infdel but the crucifed
Galilean will not die in the hearts of
men-his image will not vanish from
the eyes of a lost and ruined race.
Still he survives the attacks of each
succeeding century, and the works and
the very names Of his assailants are
forgotten; and still the presses of the
British and Foreign, and the Ameri-
can, Bible Societies are busy night and
day striking off in all the languages of
bn tvor1J ,,arr, oc,..uo r.