Jesus as Sorcerer
Exploring Some Aspects of the Controversy between Celsus and Origen
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4312/keria.24.2.43-54Keywords:
Celsus, Origen, witchcraft, miracles, anti-Christian polemics, Christian apologeticsAbstract
The thaumaturgic and exorcistic activity of Jesus of Nazareth has been interpreted by some opponents of Christianity as witchcraft. This is particularly true of the pamphlet The True Word, written around 180, in which a Middle Platonic philosopher, Celsus, claims that Jesus was a γόης, that is, a sorcerer. On the basis of the extant fragments of The True Word, the article first presents Celsus’ accusations of sorcery and then discusses Origen’s refutation of these accusations in his treatise Against Celsus. Whereas Celsus identifies wonder-working with sorcery, Origen presents a set of criteria that enables one to discern between the two. The existence of these criteria shows that Origen implicitly acknowledges the ambivalence of wonder-working. Nevertheless, the criteria also reveal that the concept of witchcraft is highly relational.
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