CELSUS, pagan philosopher, an antagonist of the Christian religion in the 2d century. He is believed to have been the same Celsus, friend of Lucian, to whom is inscribed Lucian's satiri cal sketch of the life of the noted impostor and pseudo-thaumaturgus Alexander of Abonotichus, entitled
No work of Celsus has come down to us in its integrity or in its original form, but his
fixion is undisputed and was a fact of public notoriety; if he rose from the dead, why did he not make the fact equally notorious and public? With such objections Celsus attacks the Christian faith in the first half of his work; in the second half he speaks in the person of a Grecian philosopher. Whatever is true and good in the Christian system exists already in the schools of philosophy; therefore, let the Christians abandon their narrow sectarianism and separatism and combine with all good and wise men in upholding the principles of good government. Celsus then advances philosophi cal arguments against the credibility of the Christian mysteries, in particular the Incarna tion. God cannot assume a mortal body either in reality or in appearance only: not really, for that would be contrary to his nature; not in appearance, for that would be a fraud. But the idea of an incarnation of God is absurd: what could be gained by an incarnation? Cer tainly no advantage for .God; but neither for men: do men know God better for seeing him in bodily form? Did God a little while ago waken from sleep and resolve to save a few men from sin, leaving the mass of mankind to go down to hell? In his closing appeal he makes overtures for peace with the Christians, urging them to be good citizens and to retain their own private beliefs if they like, but to conform outwardly to the state religion. Con sult Pelagaud,
sur Celse'; Moeller, W., 'History of the Christian Church) (Vol. I, pp. 169ff) ; Harnack, A., 'Expansion of Christian ity> (Vol. II, 129 ff); Froude, J. A., 'Short Stories> (No. 4).