Lesson plan
Celsus
, Contra Celsum (Cambridge, 1676 edition) Celsus ( ; , Kélsos; ) was a 2nd-century Greek philosopher and opponent of early Christianity. His literary work The True Word (also Account, Doctrine or Discourse; Greek: ) survives exclusively via quotations in Contra Celsum, a refutation written in 248 by Origen of Alexandria. The True Word is the earliest known comprehensive criticism of Christianity and Judaism. Hanegraaff has argued that The True Word was written shortly after the death of Justin Martyr (who was possibly the first Christian apologist), and was probably a response to his work. Origen stated that Celsus was from the first half of the 2nd century AD, although the majority of modern scholars have come to a general consensus that Celsus probably wrote around AD 170 to 180.
Article summary
, Contra Celsum (Cambridge, 1676 edition) Celsus ( ; , Kélsos; ) was a 2nd-century Greek philosopher and opponent of early Christianity. His literary work The True Word (also Account, Doctrine or Discourse; Greek: ) survives exclusively via quotations in Contra Celsum, a refutation written in 248 by Origen of Alexandria. The True Word is the earliest known comprehensive criticism of Christianity and Judaism. Hanegraaff has argued that The True Word was written shortly after the death of Justin Martyr (who was possibly the first Christian apologist), and was probably a response to his work. Origen stated that Celsus was from the first half of the 2nd century AD, although the majority of modern scholars have come to a general consensus that Celsus probably wrote around AD 170 to 180.
Key claims
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.