Celsus | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Roman Empire |
| Other names | Kélsos |
| Occupation | Philosopher |
| Notable work | The True Word |
| Era | Ancient philosophy |
| Region | Western philosophy |
| School | Possibly Platonism, Aristotelianism, Epicureanism or Eclecticism |
| Language | Greek |
Main interests | Theology |
Celsus (/ˈsɛlsəs/; Hellenistic Greek: Κέλσος, Kélsos; fl. AD 175–177) was a 2nd-century Roman philosopher and opponent of early Christianity.[1][2][3] His literary work, The True Word (also Account, Doctrine or Discourse; Greek: Hellenistic Greek: Λόγος Ἀληθής),[4][5] survives exclusively in quotations from it in Contra Celsum, a refutation written in 248 by Origen of Alexandria.[3] The True Word is the earliest known comprehensive criticism of Christianity.[3]
Hanegraaff[6] has argued that The True Word was written shortly after the death of Justin Martyr (who was possibly the first Christian apologist), and was probably a response to his work.[6] Origen stated that Celsus was from the first half of the 2nd century AD, although the majority of modern scholars have come to a general consensus that Celsus probably wrote around AD 170 to 180.[7][8]
- ^ Young, Frances M. (2006). "Monotheism and Christology". In Mitchell, Margaret M.; Young, Frances M. (eds.). The Cambridge History of Christianity: Origins to Constantine. Vol. 1. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 452–470. ISBN 978-0-521-81239-9.
- ^ Chisholm 1911, p. 609.
- ^ a b c Gottheil, Richard; Krauss, Samuel (1906). "CELSUS (Kέλσος)". Jewish Encyclopedia. Kopelman Foundation. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
- ^ Hoffmann p.29
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
docwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Hanegraaff p.22
- ^ Hoffmann 1987, pp. 30–32
- ^ Chadwick, H., Origen: Contra Celsum, CUP (1965), p. xxviii. The arguments for the date depend on factors such as the state of the art of gnosticism, possible references to the Augusti, appeals to defense against barbarian invasion, and the possibility of identifying the persecution described by Celsus with a historical one.