Article March 22, 1930 Issue

History Repeats Itself

MABEL S. THOMSON

An incident taken from the history of the Christian church in the second century, which seems remarkably applicable as an example at the present moment in the history of Christian Science, may serve to remind Christian Scientists of the evanescent nature of error in its attacks upon Truth, and show that the wise course may be to wait patiently until error brings about its own destruction.

Somewhere about the year 178 a.d. a certain Celsus, a brilliant writer, who was not so much a philosopher as a man of the world devoted to the Roman Empire and its ideas, took upon himself to make a fierce attack upon Christianity in a book which he entitled "The True Word." According to the author of one of the modern university textbooks on church history, Celsus' main objection to the new religion was not so much with regard to its doctrine as concerning the fact that it made its appeal to the weak, the poor, the unfortunate, to women and children; in fact, it was not respectable. In his opinion, any new ideas should first approach the educated, the rich, the wise, and find favor with them before disturbing the multitude. The writer continues, "He was specially bitter against the claim of Christianity to be the universal religion, and specially anxious to bring contempt upon the Founder, and to this end made use of calumnies spread about by the Jews as to his origin and his life."

A writer on the same subject in the Encyclopædia Britannica says: "It is of course easy to see that Celsus had no apprehension of the spiritual needs even of his own day which it was the Christian purpose to satisfy, that he could not grasp anything of the new life enjoyed by the poor in spirit. ... He is bound to admit that Christianity has been stated reasonably; against the moral teaching of Jesus he can only bring the lame charge of plagiarism."

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