The attack of the ancient philosopher Celsus on Jesus and Christianity

Arriving at Jerusalem, Jesus addresses his disciples and makes an excellent accusation, blasting the Pharisees and the teachers of the law.

“There is nothing covered that will not be uncovered, and nothing hidden that will not be known. So what you say in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you whisper in the dark will be revealed in public ”(Luke 12: 2-3).

The accusation naturally angered the priests of the city: “While Jesus was saying this, the scribes and Pharisees began to show great hostility and to provoke him with many questions; they set traps for him, trying to snatch something out of his mouth. , in order to accuse him ”(Luke 11: 53-54).

But what was Christ talking about? And how did he come to possess such knowledge that he directly threatens men with great power in their hands?

For some scholars, this is the key point in his mortal life Jesus Christ’s.

It was the last week of his earthly ministry, and it took place in Jerusalem. The developments would be cataclysmic and it all started with the triumphant entry of Jesus into the city…

The art of submission

In the 2nd century AD, the Greek national philosopher Kelsos wrote the work “True Speech” (170-180 AD), an important book of anti-Christian warfare citing a number of older sources.

The tribulation caused a commotion and many asked the great Alexandrian theologian Origen to write an answer in Celsus’ book.

Origen Adamantios answered word for word almost to the “True Word” with his own “Against Celsus”, quoting excerpts from the words of Celsus, thus saving his words (the “True Word” is not saved, but is quoted for the most part part of it in the apologetic book of Origen).

What is of great interest to biblical scholars is the reference to Celsus, based on early Christian sources, that it was poverty that brought Jesus to Egypt. As a carpenter’s son, he might find a job there.

In Egypt he learned “some arts for which the Egyptians are famous. “Then, returning from there, he considered himself so important, knowing that he possessed these arts, that he came to declare himself God,” as Kelsos accuses him.

In the same verse, Celsus narrates the art that the Egyptians possessed well, the submission: “These magicians make animals appear to move, which are not actually animals, but simply appear as such in the imagination.”

Like the magicians of Egypt, Jesus was known for his ability to exorcise demons and heal the mentally ill.

The same art of submission was practiced by Jesus, as Celsus accuses him, and thus he managed to make his impressive exorcisms. THE hypnotism after all, he was not at all unknown to the Egyptians.

Jesus would have known for sure that the Egyptians used such deceptive techniques for political purposes. Hypnosis and submission were powerful weapons and if Christ possessed them, then he could unlock the seven-sealed secrets of the Jerusalem priesthood as he threatens them.

“Heal the sick of that city, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come upon you,'” he also called his 70 disciples (Luke 10: 9).

The triumphal entry into Jerusalem

Not coincidentally, Jesus chose to appear in Jerusalem during his feast Jewish Passover. As he entered the city, the crowd greeted him triumphantly, believing that the Messiah had arrived.

“As Jesus approached the point where he descended from the Mount of Olives, the multitude of his disciples began to glorify God with a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen. “Blessed is the king who comes sent by the Lord!” They said. “Peace in heaven, and glory to the Most High God” (Luke 19: 37-38).

The people solemnly welcomed Jesus on his donkey.

“Most of the crowd were laying their clothes on the street, while others were cutting and laying branches from the trees. And the multitude that went before him, and they that followed, cried, saying, Glory to David’s son! Blessed is he who comes sent by the Lord!

Glory to the Most High God! When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil. “Who is he?” They asked. The multitude said, “This is the prophet Jesus of Nazareth of Galilee” (Matthew 21: 8-11).

Such a warm welcome could not help but attract the attention of the clergy, who did not just look favorably on this terrifying display of worship in the person of Jesus. And so fatally when “Jesus came to the temple and was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him and said, ‘By what authority do you do these things?’ And who hath given you this authority? ” (Matthew 21:23).

The Romans were then the undisputed masters of the region, using the local kings as their proxies. But on that fateful day, he was also present the governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate.

Pilate as we know him is one of the three main characters who plotted the crucifixion of Christ.

The other two were the high priest Caiaphas, leader of the Great Jewish Congress, and Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee, whom Jesus called “the fox” (Luke 13:32).

Jesus spoke as he felt, accusing Caiaphas and him Antipa as hypocrites: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye build tombs for the prophets, and garnish the memorial of the righteous of Israel. “If we lived,” you say, “in the time of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in the murder of the prophets.” So you confess that you are the descendants of those who killed the prophets. So now complete what your ancestors started. Snakes, offspring of a viper, how will you escape the final crisis and hell? ” (Matthew 23: 29-33).

The tombs that Jesus speaks of refer to Temple of Solomon, which was built to house the Ark of the Covenant, in which were kept the stone tablets with the 10 Commandments that God gave to Moses.

Jesus’ words are very harsh here, the priesthood accuses that it was the blood of Moses that was shed by the ancestors of Caiaphas and Antipas. Joseph “Caiaphas” came from the third tribe of Israel, from Jacob’s third son, Levi.

The ancestors of Herod Antipas came from the Kingdom of Edom (Idumea), where Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro (Raguel), was born. Jesus would surely have heard as a Jew that Moses had been killed by Rachel on the Mount of God.

Raguel, who had also mastered the ancient Egyptian art of submission, used magic and hypnosis to manipulate the world and enjoy the jealous power with which he lived his life as a nomadic leader.

In this line of thought, the descendants of Levi, the Levites, eminent priests and omnipotent, covered up the murder of Moses by essentially rewriting the Old Testament.

The accusations could not go unanswered

It was Jesus’ special education that led him to invoke history with him Moses. Whatever implied that Jesus knew about the secrets kept by Caiaphas and Antipas were probably the ones who endorsed his fate. Both of them would not let him reveal the dark secrets of their ancestors.

If the people came to believe that their ancestors had killed the prophet and judge Moses, their fate would not be good. But it was very dangerous for them to answer him, to lift the glove in the explosive accusations he made against them.

“Jerusalem Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those whom God sends you!” (Matthew 23:37), Jesus cried again. The scribes and Pharisees they remained silent.

Caiaphas and Antipas understood that they had to get the troublemaker out of the way. They decided to arrest him and put him through a mock trial.

The fact that Jesus referred to Moses is confirmed by another fact. Seeking a pretext for the execution of Jesus, Caiaphas asked him if he really was son of God. Christ affirmed this: “But Jesus held his peace. The high priest said to him, “I exorcise you in the name of the true God, tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” “I am,” Jesus tells him, “as you yourself said. And I say unto you, That ye shall soon see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of God, coming in the clouds of heaven ” (Matthew 26: 63-64).

What did Caiaphas do then? He tore his clothes, “then the high priest tore his clothes in indignation” (Matthew 26:65). But since the time of Moses, it has been forbidden for a high priest to tear his garments (a sign of mourning in Judaism).

With this theatrical move, which, however, had its symbolism, Caiaphas responded: “” This is a blasphemy against God. What do we need the witnesses now? Yes, you just heard his blasphemous words. What decision are you making? ”. And they answered, “He is guilty and must be killed.” Caiaphas did it, Jesus would be silent forever.

Many biblical scholars argue that the crucifixion of Jesus connected with the very story of Moses. He was crucified during the Jewish Passover, which is associated with the liberation of the Israelites from Egypt, with the help of Moses.

Proponents of this theory tell us that Jesus blamed the Levites and the Edomites for Moses’ death, knowing that such accusations would cause panic among them.

He knew that the high priests would be forced to react spasmodically. Even if it ended in his earthly death…