belief], we must confute him on this point also, since
almost the entire world is better acquainted with what Christians preach
than with the favourite opinions of philosophers. For who is ignorant
of the statement that Jesus was born of a virgin, and that He was
crucified, and that His resurrection is an article of faith among many,
and that a general judgment is announced to come, in which the wicked
are to be punished according to their deserts, and the righteous to be
duly rewarded? And yet the Mystery of the resurrection, not being
understood, is made a subject of ridicule among unbelievers. In these
circumstances, to speak of the Christian doctrine as a _secret_ system,
is altogether absurd. But that there should be certain doctrines, not
made known to the multitude, which are [revealed] after the exoteric
ones have been taught, is not a peculiarity of Christianity alone, but
also of philosophic systems, in which certain truths are exoteric and
others esoteric. Some of the hearers of Pythagoras were content with his
_ipse dixit_; while others were taught in secret those doctrines which
were not deemed fit to be communicated to profane and insufficiently
prepared ears. Moreover, all the Mysteries that are celebrated
everywhere throughout Greece and barbarous countries, although held in
secret, have no discredit thrown upon them, so that it is in vain he
endeavours to calumniate the secret doctrines of Christianity, seeing
that he does not correctly understand its nature."[125]

It is impossible to deny that, in this important passage, Origen
distinctly places the Christian Mysteries in the same category as those
of the Pagan world, and claims that what is not regarded as a discredit
to other religions should not form a subject of attack when found in
Christianity.

Still writing against Celsus, he declares that the secret teachings of
Jesus were preserved in the Church, and refers specifically to the
explanations that He gave to His disciples of His parables, in answering
Celsus' comparison of "the inner Mysteries of the Church of God" with
the Egyptian worship of animals. "I have not yet spoken of the
observance of all that is written in the Gospels, each one of which
contains much doctrine difficult to be understood, not merely by the
multitude, but even by certain of the more intelligent, including a
very profound explanation of the parables which Jesus delivered to
'those without,' while reserving the exhibiti