On the True Doctrine
by .., Joseph Hoffman
This is an annotated translation of On True Doctrine, a polemic written in the second century by the Greek philosopher Celsus, one of the early opponents of the Christian church. Celsus' work survives only as it is quoted by the Christian writer Origen, in his Contra Celsum, an extended refutation of Celsus' arguments.
Paperback
English
Brand New
Publisher Description
The works of many early critics of the Christian church were burned by ruling emperors or otherwise destroyed in the second and third centuries, but the writings of the Greek pagan philosopher, Celsus, have survived indirectly through his eloquent opponent Origen of Alexandria. In his apologetical treatise, Contra Celsum, Origen argues against the ideas set forth by Celsus and quotes from Celsus' The True Doctrine at length. Through this treatise, Celsus has come to represent the detached pagan voice of the ages. In this translation, Professor Hoffmann has, for the first time, painstakingly reconstructed the main order of the philosopher's argument. Celsus' discourse shows him to be an eclectic philosopher--a dabbler in various schools of thought, including Platonism and Stoicism, and a student of the history and religious customs of many nations. Hoffman supplements this definitive translation with an informative introduction, summarizing Celsus' premises and placing the identity of Celsus in its historical context.
Author Biography
R. Joseph Hoffman is at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Review
"[An] important contribution to the wealth of patristic texts scholars are making available to English readers....Published and arranged in such a way that readers can get a fairly clear and coherent picture of Celsus' argument."--Review and Expositor
Long Description
The works of many early critics of the Christian church were burned by ruling emperors or otherwise destroyed in the second and third centuries, but the writings of the Greek pagan philosopher, Celsus, have survived indirectly through his eloquent opponent Origen of Alexandria. In his apologetical treatise, Contra Celsum, Origen argues against the ideas set forth by Celsus and quotes from Celsus' The True Doctrine at length. Through this treatise, Celsus has come to represent the detached pagan voice of the ages. In this translation, Professor Hoffmann has, for the first time, painstakingly reconstructed the main order of the philosopher's argument. Celsus' discourse shows him to be an eclectic philosopher--a dabbler in various schools of thought, including Platonism and Stoicism, and a student of the history and religious customs of many nations. Hoffman supplements this definitive translation with an informative introduction, summarizing Celsus' premises and placing the identity of Celsus in its historical context.
Review Text
"[An] important contribution to the wealth of patristic texts scholars are making available to English readers....Published and arranged in such a way that readers can get a fairly clear and coherent picture of Celsus' argument."--Review and Expositor
Review Quote
"The first complete translation of Christianity's most ardent second-century critic....Highly readable."--Free Inquiry
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