Continuing to pour abuse upon Jesus as one who, on account of his
impiety and wicked opinions, was, so to speak, hated by God, he asserts
that “these tenets of his were those of a wicked and God-hated
sorcerer.” And yet, if the name and the thing be properly examined, it
will be found an impossibility that man should be hated by God, seeing
God loves all existing things, and “hateth nothing of what He has made,”
for He created nothing in a spirit of hatred. And if certain expressions
in the prophets convey such an impression, they are to be interpreted in
accordance with the general principle by which Scripture employs such
language with regard to God as if He were subject to human affections.
But what reply need be made to him who, while professing to bring
forward credible statements, thinks himself bound to make use of
calumnies and slanders against Jesus, as if He were a wicked sorcerer?
Such is not the procedure of one who seeks to make good his case, but of
one who is in an ignorant and unphilosophic state of mind, inasmuch as
the proper course is to state the case, and candidly to investigate it;
and, according to the best of his ability, to bring forward what occurs
to him with regard to it. But as the Jew of Celsus has, with the above
remarks, brought to a close his charges against Jesus, so we also shall
here bring to a termination the contents of our first book in reply to
him. And if God bestow the gift of that truth which destroys all
falsehood, agreeably to the words of the prayer, “Cut them off in thy
truth,”[1251] we shall begin, in what follows, the consideration of the
second appearance of the Jew, in which he is represented by Celsus as
addressing those who have become converts to Jesus.
Footnote 1251:
Ps. liv. 5.
MURRAY AND GIBB, EDINBURGH, PRINTERS TO HER MAJESTY’S STATIONERY
OFFICE.
● Transcriber’s Notes:
○ Text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_).
○ Footnotes have been moved to follow the chapters in which they are
referenced.