Of Scholarship, Piety, and Community: Origen's Purpose(s) in Contra Celsum

Ayres, Lewis

Abstract

This essay considers the implied self-portrait of the Christian scholar that Origen offers in his response to Celsus. That self-portrait both shows the Christian scholar to be one whose panoply of skills should be recognized as the equal of the non-Christian scholar, and yet also the Christian scholar claims a place within a community of those – including the martyrs – who can only but seem irrational and quintessentially unscholarly to Celsus.

Citation

Ayres, L. (2021). Of Scholarship, Piety, and Community: Origen's Purpose(s) in Contra Celsum. In J. Carleton Paget, & S. Gathercole (Eds.), Celsus in His World: Philosophy, Polemic and Religion in the Second Century (36-68). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108957861.003

• Online Publication Date: Nov 18, 2021
• Publication Date: 2021-11
• Deposit Date: Oct 15, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 15, 2021
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Pages: 36-68
• Book Title: Celsus in His World: Philosophy, Polemic and Religion in the Second Century
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108957861.003
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1652788