Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume IV/Origen/Origen Against Celsus/Book VII/Chapter XXIII

Chapter XXIII.

From what has been said, it is clear then that Jesus, &#8220;the man of Nazareth,&#8221; did not promulgate laws opposed to those just considered in regard to riches, when He said, &#8220;It is hard for the rich man to enter into the kingdom of God;&#8221; whether we take the word &#8220;rich&#8221; in its simplest sense, as referring to the man whose mind is distracted by his wealth, and, as it were, entangled with thorns, so that he brings forth no spiritual fruit; or whether it is the man who is rich in the sense of abounding in false notions, of whom it is written in the Proverbs, &#8220;Better is the poor man who is just, than the rich man who is false.&#8221; &#160; Perhaps it is the following passages which have led Celsus to suppose that Jesus forbids ambition to His disciples:&#160; &#8220;Whoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all;&#8221; &#8220;The princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them,&#8221; and &#8220;they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors.&#8221; &#160; But there is nothing here inconsistent with the promise, &#8220;Thou shalt rule over many nations, and they shall not rule over thee,&#8221; especially after the explanation which we have given of these words.&#160; Celsus next throws in an expression in regard to wisdom, as though he thought that, according to the teaching of Christ, no wise man could come to the Father.&#160; But we would ask in what sense he speaks of a wise man.&#160; For if he means one who is wise in &#8220;the wisdom of this world,&#8221; as it is called, &#8220;which is foolishness with God,&#8221; then we would agree with him in saying that access to the Father is denied to one who is wise in that sense.&#160; But if by wisdom any one means Christ, who is &#8220;the power and wisdom of God,&#8221; far from such a wise man being refused access to the Father, we hold that he who is adorned by the Holy Spirit with that gift which is called &#8220;the word of wisdom,&#8221; far excels all those who have not received the same grace.