Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume IV/Origen/Origen Against Celsus/Book III/Chapter XX

Chapter XX.

And we say to those who hold similar opinions to those of Celsus:&#160; &#8220;Paul then, we are to suppose, had before his mind the idea of no pre-eminent wisdom when he professed to speak wisdom among them that are perfect?&#8221;&#160; Now, as he spoke with his customary boldness when in making such a profession he said that he was possessed of no wisdom, we shall say in reply:&#160; first of all examine the Epistles of him who utters these words, and look carefully at the meaning of each expression in them&#8212;say, in those to the Ephesians, and Colossians, and Thessalonians, and Philippians, and Romans,&#8212;and show two things, both that you understand Paul&#8217;s words, and that you can demonstrate any of them to be silly or foolish.&#160; For if any one give himself to their attentive perusal, I am well assured either that he will be amazed at the understanding of the man who can clothe great ideas in common language; or if he be not amazed, he will only exhibit himself in a ridiculous light, whether he simply state the meaning of the writer as if he had comprehended it, or try to controvert and confute what he only imagined that he understood!