Jesus and the sorcerers
Next, Celsus, wary of the great works that will be shown to have been done by Jesus, of which we have mentioned a few out of many, pretends to grant that everything recorded is true: the healings, or the raising from the dead, or the few loaves that fed many people and left much over (Matthew 14:17–20), or whatever other marvels he thinks the disciples invented and recorded. And he adds to them: “Come, let us believe that these things were done by you.”
And at once he puts them on a level with the works of sorcerers, as though these promised still more wonderful things, and with the feats performed by those who learned from the Egyptians, who sell their solemn lore for a few obols in the middle of the market-place, drive demons out of people, blow away diseases, call up the souls of heroes, display costly dinners, tables, cakes and dishes that do not exist, and make things move as though they were alive, though they are not truly living things but only appear so to the imagination. And he says: “Since those men do these things, shall we then have to think them sons of God? Or must we say that these are the practices of wicked and wretched men?”
You see how by these words he in effect admits that magic exists. I do not know whether he is the same man who wrote several books against magic. In any case, since it serves his present purpose, he likens what is recorded of Jesus to the works of magic. And they would be alike if Jesus, like the conjurers, had gone no further than a display. But as it is, none of the sorcerers uses what he does to call those who watch to the reform of their characters, nor trains in the fear of God those who are astonished at the spectacle, nor tries to persuade those who saw it to live as people who are to be justified by God. Sorcerers do none of these things, because they cannot, or do not even wish or want to concern themselves with the amendment of human beings, being themselves full of the most shameful and infamous sins.
But he, by the wonders he worked, called those who saw what was happening to the reform of their characters; how, then, is it not likely that he offered himself, not only to his genuine disciples but to the others as well, as an example of the best life? His purpose was that the disciples should be spurred on to teach people according to the will of God, and that the others, taught more fully how one ought to live by his word, or by his character and his wonders as well, should do everything with the aim of pleasing the God who is over all. If such was the life of Jesus, how could anyone reasonably compare him with the sorcerers in their aims, and not believe, as is proclaimed of him, that he is God who appeared in a human body for the good of our race?
Greek
Ἑξῆς δὲ τούτοις ὁ Κέλσος ὑπιδόμενος τὰ ἐπιδειχθησόμενα ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ γεγενημένα μεγάλα, περὶ ὧν ὀλίγα ἀπὸ πολλῶν εἰρήκαμεν, προσποιεῖται συγχωρεῖν ἀληθῆ εἶναι ὅσα περὶ θεραπειῶν ἢ ἀναστάσεως ἢ περὶ ἄρτων ὀλίγων θρεψάντων πολλοὺς ἀναγέγραπται, ἀφ᾿ ὧν λείψανα πολλὰ καταλέλειπται, ἢ ὅσα ἄλλα οἴεται τερατευσαμένους τοὺς μαθητὰς ἱστορηκέναι, καὶ ἐπιφέρει αὐτοῖς· φέρε πιστεύσωμεν εἶναί σοι ταῦτ᾿ εἰργασμένα. καὶ εὐθέως κοινοποιεῖ αὐτὰ πρὸς τὰ ἔργα τῶν γοήτων, ὡς ὑπισχνουμένων θαυμασιώτερα, καὶ πρὸς τὰ ὑπὸ τῶν μαθόντων ἀπὸ Αἰγυπτίων ἐπιτελούμενα, ἐν μέσαις ἀγοραῖς ὀλίγων ὀβολῶν ἀποδομένων τὰ σεμνὰ μαθήματα καὶ δαίμονας ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπων ἐξελαυνόντων καὶ νόσους ἀποφυσώντων καὶ ψυχὰς ἡρώων ἀνακαλούντων δεῖπνά τε πολυτελῆ καὶ τραπέζας καὶ πέμματα καὶ ὄψα τὰ οὐκ ὄντα δεικνύντων καὶ ὡς ζῷα κινούντων οὐκ ἀληθῶς ὄντα ζῷα ἀλλὰ μέχρι φαντασίας φαινόμενα τοιαῦτα, καὶ φησιν· ἆρ᾿ ἐπεὶ ταῦτα ποιοῦσιν ἐκεῖνοι, δεήσει ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς ἡγεῖσθαι υἱοὺς εἶναι θεοῦ; ἢ λεκτέον αὐτὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα εἶναι ἀνθρώπων πονηρῶν καὶ κακοδαιμόνων; ὁρᾷς ὡς διὰ τούτων οἱονεὶ παραδέχεται μαγείαν εἶναι, οὐκ οἶδα εἰ ὁ αὐτὸς ὢν τῷ γράψαντι κατὰ μαγείας βιβλία πλείονα· πλὴν ὡς χρήσιμον αὐτῷ εἰς τὰ προκείμενα τοῖς ἀπὸ μαγείας ὁμοιοῖ τὰ περὶ Ἰησοῦ ἱστορούμενα. καὶ ἦν ἂν ὅμοια, εἰ μέχρι ἀποδείξεως ὁμοίως τοῖς μαγγανεύουσιν ἔφθανεν δείξας· νυνὶ δὲ οὐδεὶς μὲν τῶν γοήτων δι᾿ ὧν ποιεῖ ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν ἠθῶν ἐπανόρθωσιν καλεῖ τοὺς θεασαμένους οὐδὲ φόβῳ θεοῦ παιδαγωγεῖ τοὺς καταπλαγέντας τὰ θεάματα οὐδὲ πειρᾶται πείθειν οὕτω ζῆν τοὺς ἰδόντας, ὡς δικαιωθησομένους ὑπὸ θεοῦ· καὶ οὐδὲν τούτων ποιοῦσι γόητες, ἐπειδὴ οὐ δύνανται ἢ μηδὲ βούλονται μηδὲ θέλουσι πραγματεύσασθαι τὰ περὶ τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων διορθώσεως, ἅτε καὶ αὐτοὶ πλήρεις ὄντες αἰσχίστων καὶ ἐπιῤῥητοτάτων ἁμαρτημάτων· ὁ δὲ δι᾿ ὧν ἐποίει παραδόξων ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν ἠθῶν ἐπανόρθωσιν τοὺς θεωροῦντας τὰ γινόμενα καλῶν, πῶς οὐκ εἰκὸς ὅτι παρεῖχεν ἑαυτὸν οὐ μόνον τοῖς γνησίοις αὐτοῦ μαθηταῖς ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς παράδειγμα ἀρίστου βίου; ἵνα καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ προτραπῶσιν ἐπὶ τὸ διδάσκειν κατὰ τὸ τοῦ θεοῦ βούλημα τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ πλέον διδαχθέντες ἀπὸ τοῦ λόγου ἢ καὶ τοῦ ἤθους καὶ τῶν παραδόξων, ὡς χρὴ βιοῦν, πάντα πράττωσι κατ᾿ ἀναφορὰν τοῦ ἀρέσκειν τῷ ἐπὶ πᾶσι θεῷ. εἰ δὲ τοιοῦτος ἦν ὁ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ βίος, πῶς εὐλόγως ἄν τις αὐτὸν τῇ προαιρέσει τῶν γοήτων παραβάλοι καὶ μὴ κατ᾿ ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ θεὸν εἶναι πιστεύοι ἐν ἀνθρωπίνῳ φανέντα σώματι ἐπ᾿ εὐεργεσίᾳ τοῦ γένους ἡμῶν;