Origen, AGAINST CELSUS, Part V, Complete

Translated from the Greek original by Frederick Crombie.

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Page 9

He does not even understand the meaning of the "Paradise" that was planted by God, and of the life which man first led in it; and of that which resulted from accident, [4529] when man was cast forth on account of his sin, and was settled opposite the Paradise of delight. Now, as he asserts that these are silly statements, let him turn his attention not merely to each one of them (in general), but to this in particular, "He placed the cherubim, and the flaming sword, which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life," [4530] and say whether Moses wrote these words with no serious object in view, but in the spirit of the writers of the old Comedy, who have sportively related that "Proetus slew Bellerophon," and that "Pegasus came from Arcadia." Now their object was to create laughter in composing such stories; whereas it is incredible that he who left behind him laws [4531] for a whole nation, regarding which he wished to persuade his subjects that they were given by God, should have written words so little to the purpose, [4532] and have said without any meaning, "He placed the cherubim, and the flaming sword, which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life," or made any other statement regarding the creation of man, which is the subject of philosophic investigation by the Hebrew sages.

[4529] ten ek peristaseos genomenen.

[4530] Gen. iii. 24.

[4531] graphas.

[4532] aprosloga.

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