Sundays with the Fathers -- December 28 (First after Christmas)

The Passage: John 1:1-18*

The Father: Origen

The Issue: How can Christians claim to know God and in what way do they expect to be saved by God?

The Text: "Accordingly, if Celsus were to ask us how we think we know God, and how we shall be saved by Him, we would answer that the WORD of God, which entered into those who seek Him, or who accept Him when He appears, is able to make known and to reveal the Father, who was not seen (by any one) before the appearance of the WORD. And who else is able to save and conduct the soul of man to the God of all things, save God the WORD, who, “being in the beginning with God,” became flesh for the sake of those who had cleaved to the flesh, and had become as flesh, that He might be received by those who could not behold Him, inasmuch as He was the Word, and was with God, and was God?

This WORD, speaking in human form and described as "flesh," calls to himself all those who are flesh that he might first cause them to be transformed according to the WORD made flesh and after that lead them up to see him as he was before he became "flesh." so that they, profiting therefrom and making progress beyond their initiation, would say: "Even though we once regarded Christ from a human point of view, we regard him thus no longer." He has therefore "become flesh," and having become "flesh," "he pitched his tent among us" and is not outside of us. And after tabernacling and dwelling in us, he did not remain in his first form, but bringing us up to the "high mountain", showed us his glorified form and the brilliance of his garments.

And not His own form alone, but that also of the spiritual law, which is Moses, seen in glory along with Jesus. He showed to us, moreover, all prophecy, which did not perish even after His incarnation, but was received up into heaven, and whose symbol was Elijah. And he who beheld these things could say, “We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." Celsus, then, has exhibited considerable ignorance in the imaginary answer to his question which he puts into our mouth, “How we think we can know God? and how we know we shall be saved by Him?” for our answer is what we have just stated."

- Contra Celsum 6.68


* So I'm chickening out by going for a gospel passage two weeks in a row -- but seriously, who can pass up the chance to use John 1?!