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him vinegar to drink, mingled with gall. And when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink." He also as manifestly refers to John xix. 28-30, " After this-that the scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus saith: I thirst." And when a spunge filled with vinegar was reached up to his mouth, it is said, he received the vinegar, and then said: "It is finished. And bowing his head, he gave up the ghost." So that Celsus, in this short passage, referred to St. John's account of the vinegar given to our Lord, at the conclusion of his crucifixion, as well as to the vinegar, and the gall, presented to him when they were going to crucify him: but in neither is there any just ground for reflections upon

Jesus.

25. Celsus, in a rude and abusive manner, says: "What' 'difference can there be for a God to eat the flesh of lambs, ' and drink gall and vinegar, or to eat any other impurity?' It is likely, that Celsus here refers to our Saviour's eating the paschal lamb with the disciples. Origen answers: We do not say, that God ate the flesh of lambs: but Jesus, being clothed with a body, might eat it.'

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26. But, says Origen, what the Jew in Celsus affirms, is a downright lie: That he was put to death, and suffered, having convinced no man in his lifetime, not so much as • his disciples.'

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It is, however, very true, that few believed in Jesus then, in comparison of them who believed in him afterwards. Celsus pretends, that the disciples did not believe in Jesus, because they forsook him in the time of his last sufferings.

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27. They who conversed with him when alive, and heard his voice, and followed him as their master, when they saw him under punishment, and dying, were so far 'from dying with him, or for him, or being induced to despise sufferings, that they denied they were his disciples : "but now-a-days you die with him.'

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Celsus here refers to the timorousness of the disciples, and particularly to Peter's denying Christ. It is no great wonder, that they were all greatly sbaken at the sight of the sufferings of Jesus: which, at that time, they could be hardly induced to think should befall the Messiah. But

Concerning our Saviour's thirst upon the cross, see sermon on that subject in the ninth volume of this work, p. 290.

* Επει φησι, τι γαρ αλλο ην Θεῳ το προβατων σαρκας εσθίειν, και χολήν, η οξος πίνειν, πλην σκατοφάγειν. L. vii. sect. 13. p. 340.

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* Θεος δε καθ' ἡμας προβατων σαρκας εκ ησθιεν. Ίνα γαρ και δοξη, ότι ησθιεν ὡς σωμα φόρων, ὁ Ιησες ησθιεν. Ibid.

" L. ii. sect. 35. p. 83.

▾ L. ii. sect.. 45. p. 86.

they afterwards preached him boldly, with the hazard of all that is dear in this world; which shows, that they had good evidence of his resurrection from the dead: otherwise, they would never have resumed their courage. And as the disciples were afterwards undaunted in professing and preaching the name of Jesus; so the christians in the time of Celsus were in the right to die with Christ, or for him, rather than deny him.

Celsus seems to have had an eye to one or more texts of St. Paul's epistles: as 2 Tim. ii. 11, 12, “It is a faithful saying. For if we die with him, we shall also live with him :" and what follows.

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Celsus here bears testimony to the fortitude of the christians in his time. It is manifest from this passage, that many did then die for Christ, rather than deny him and it is not a little strange, that a learned man, a man of extensive knowledge and understanding, should ridicule, and make a jest of the grievous and unrighteous sufferings of innocent men, and of their patience under them. But so it was. Such was the contempt which was then the lot of the followers of Jesus. And Celsus, having taken it into his head to enter into controversy with them, and thenceforward considering them as enemies, made no scruple to ridicule men, who according to his own confession, were arrived at such exalted virtue, as" to despise sufferings, and endure death patiently, rather than speak and act against conviction.

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28. Having mentioned several Greek stories, generally, if not universally, allowed to be fables and fictions, Celsus says: But let us consider, whether any one that has really died, ever rose again in the same body: unless you think, 'that the stories of others are indeed, as well as seem to be, fables; whilst your fable is probable and credible, be6 cause of his voice on the cross, when he expired, and the earthquake, and the darkness; and because that when he was living he could not defend himself, but after he was dead, be arose, and showed the marks of his punishment, and how his hands had been pierced. But who saw all this? Why, a distracted woman, as you say, and one or 'two more of the same imposture, and some dreamers, who 'fancied they saw things as they desired to have them; the same that has happened to innumerable people.' See Matt. xxvii. 50, 51; John xx. 10-18.

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-8τε ὑπεραπέθανον αυτ8, εδε κολασεων καταφρονειν επείσθησαν νυν δε ύμεις αυτῳ συναποθνησκετε. Cels. ibid.

55. p. 94.

× L. ii. se t.

The wonderful things attending the death of Jesus, here taken notice of by Celsus, his loud voice just before he expired, Matt. xxvii. 50; Mark xv. 37, 39; Luke xxiii. 46. the earthquake, and the darkness, are proofs that Jesus was an extraordinary person. And I think that the showing of the prints of the nails in his hands, and appearing again alive to a woman, and others, who knew him, were good proofs that he was risen from the dead, and in the same body that had lived and died. There is no evidence that they were dreamers or governed by fancy; they saw Jesus awake, and by day-light, distinctly, again and again, after he had been publicly crucified, and died. And his resurrection from the grave is an argument that he suffered voluntarily, and that he was not destitute of power, as Celsus insinuates, to help himself in his life-time, if he had seen fit so to do.

Celsus says, Jesus showed himself to one woman. But he showed himself afterwards to several women, and to his disciples. Celsus knew this very well; but it was to his purpose, it seems, to use the singular rather than the plural number. That Celsus was well acquainted with the gospels, is apparent; he knows what seems to his disadvantage; and therefore he calls this woman, meaning Mary Magdalene, a distracted woman: referring to the seven demons that were in her; but it should be considered, that these demons had been cast out long ago, and she was now very sober when she saw Jesus after his resurrection.

St. John, ch. xx. 11-18. gives the most particular account of Mary Magdalene's seeing our Lord, and conversing with him, after he was risen from the dead; indeed St. Mark, xvi. 9, 10, 11. says, " Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven demons." But whether Celsus had here an eye to St. Mark's gospel, I cannot determine; for he might refer only to St. John's account of our Lord's showing himself to Mary, and apply to her the character of a distracted woman, from a remembrance of what he had read concerning her in St. Luke's gospel, ch. viii. 1, 2.

Beside the texts already taken notice of, Celsus may be supposed to refer to Luke xxiv. 39, "Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself:" and to our Lord's showing himself to Thomas, as related, John xx. 24-29.

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29. Butz Celsus says; If he would make manifest his

* Την επι τε σκυλοπος αυτ8 φωνην, οτ' απεπνει. Cels. ubi supr.

2 L. ii. sect. 67. p. 101.

divine power, he should have shown himself to them ' that derided him, and to him that condemned him, and indeed to all; for surely he had no reason to fear any 'mortal now, after he had died, and, as you say, was a • God.'

To which I would answer: It would have been very mean in Jesus to show himself to his judge, and to his deriders: it is unspeakably below the character of one, who had pub licly wrought so many wonderful works, as Jesus had done, and who, after having been crucified, was really raised from the dead it might likewise have been called insulting them. As for showing himself to all, it is absurd and preposterous: Jesus showed himself to the most proper persons, [and to as many as was fit,] by appearing to those who best knew him. To show himself to such as did not well know before, might have been reckoned officious, and impertinent, and vain-boasting. Finally, the works wrought in his name afterwards, by those who attested his resurrection and exaltation, were better evidences of his being risen from the dead, than showing himself to all the world would have been. They make out the most satisfactory, and most durable testimony to this important fact.

From the objections made by Celsus, we learu, however, that the history, which we now have in our gospels, is the same which the christians at that time had. Jesus, in our gospels, does not show himself to all, but to his disciples and acquaintance, of whom there were once "five hundred " together, 1 Cor. xv. 6, probably at a place in Galilee, where he was best known, and which he had before appointed, Matt. xviii. 16, 17.

Moreover, all Celsus's attacks, in his argument against the christians, are against our gospels: which manifests the great esteem they were in. If he confuted those books, he knew he overturned the faith founded on them.

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30. He goes on. When he was neglected in the body, he was continually preaching to all men: but when he should have given full assurance to all men, he shows him'self privately to one woman, and his associates.'

He did once show himself to one woman only, and to his disciples, when met together privately. But that is not all, as Celsus would insinuate: for he also showed himself to several women, Matt. xxviii. 1–9, and to the disciples, and others with them, several times openly. And, as before said, he appointed a place in Galilee, where they might see him. Matt. xxviii. 16. And it cannot be doubted, but that there a L. ii. sect. 70. p. 104.

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were great numbers who saw him there. From his appointing before hand a certain place for meeting his disciples and followers, it is manifest, that he was not shy of showing himself to those who had known him in his lifetime.

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31. Again he says; When he was punished, he was seen by all; but when risen, by one; the contrary to ' which ought rather to have been.

Any one may perceive, that Celsus affects unfairly to diminish the number of those who saw Jesus after he was risen. He here pretends that Jesus appeared to one only; whereas before, he owned that he had appeared to his associates, or companions. I am glad, however, that Celsus owns, Jesus preached to all in his life-time, and that he died publicly before all the world; for there must have been some good reasons to induce men to believe in a person, who was himself well known, and his doctrine well known, and who had been publicly crucified.

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32. If he would be hid, why was there a voice from 'heaven, declaring him to be the Son of God? [Matt. xvii. 5.] And if he would not be hid, why did he suffer? why • did he die?"

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I imagine that in this place Celsus refers to our Lord's transfiguration in the mount, and to what our Lord says, Matt. xvii. 9, “And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying: Tell the vision to no man, till the Son of man be risen again from the dead." Some while ago Celsus referred to the voice from heaven at Christ's baptism: now he refers to the voice from heaven, when he was on the mount.

So that there were divers testimonies given from heaven, in favour of Jesus, in the beginning, and in the progress of his ministry; and in the end he died. I need not stay to show the consistence of these things. Nor was he left without witness during the time of his ignominious sufferings.

33. We have now traced, even in Celsus,, the history of our Lord's nativity, baptism, preaching, miracles, death, and resurrection; all agreeable to our evangelists.

It will be next incumbent upon us to observe what he says of christian principles, and of the grounds and reasons upon which they acted.

b L. ii. sect. 70. p. 104.

c L. ii. sect. 72. p. 105.

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