Origenis Contra Celsum Libri Octo Ejusdem Philocalia. Gulielmus Spencerus, Cantabrigiensis, [...]. Cantabrigiae: John Field, 1658.
THE VERY RARE FIRST EDITION OF WILLIAM SPENCER'S EDITION OF ORIGEN'S CONTRA CELSUM, THE MOST INFLUENTIAL OF ALL CHRISTIAN APOLOGETIC WORKS.
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FIRST EDITION of William Spencer's edition of Origen, very rare, with the text in double column in both Greek and Latin, reprinted multiple times, the second arriving in 1677.
Contra Celsum, preserved entirely in Greek, is a major apologetics work by the Church Father Origen of Alexandria, written in around 248 AD, countering the writings of Celsus, a pagan philosopher and controversialist who had written a scathing attack on Christianity in his treatise 'The True Word'.
In the book, Origen systematically refutes each of Celsus's arguments point-by-point and argues that the Christian faith has a rational basis. Origen draws heavily on the teachings of Plato and argues that Christianity and Greek philosophy are not incompatible. Origen maintains that philosophy contains much that is true and admirable, but that the Bible contains far greater wisdom than anything Greek philosophers could ever grasp.
Contra Celsum became the most influential of all early Christian apologetics works; before it was written, Christianity was seen by many as merely a folk religion for the illiterate and uneducated, but Origen raised it to a level of academic respectability. Eusebius admired Contra Celsum so much that in his Contra Hieroclem, he declared that Contra Celsum provided an adequate rebuttal to all criticisms the church would ever face. The compilers of the Philokalia in the fourth century AD relied extensively on Contra Celsum and almost one seventh of the entire text of the Philokalia is directly quoted from it.
Contra Celsum is considered to be one of the most important works of early Christian apologetics; the church historian Eusebius lauded it as an adequate rebuttal to all criticisms the church would ever face, and it continued to be cited throughout late antiquity.
An exceptionally rare book; a copy is held at the very famous Hereford Cathedral chained library and so is clearly a book of great collecting calibre.
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Size: 185 x 242 mm (approx.)
Condition:
[(1), t.p., *2-*4, A1-A2, 428pp, 1ff (blank), t.p., 4pp, 110pp, h.t., 98pp, 1ff, 4o1-4o4, (a1)-(d2), (1)]
Contemporary fine panelled full calf binding, very attractive indeed. A truly beautiful copy of this very rare first edition. Retaining its original tooled morocco label, the spine decorated in blind in compartments between raised bands. Front joints cracked, but with both boards securely attached, the binding secure, and without shelf lean. Page edges coloured red contemporaneously, top edge dulled as typical. Without any attached bookplates or ownership inscriptions. Text block exceptionally clean throughout, mildly toned as typical, else internally excellent. All three sections collate as complete. This example contains all three sections, where the latter two are often lacking. An exceptional copy of a very rare first edition of perhaps the most important work in Christian apologetics, and a very important Early Church Father.
[ESTC R6493]
