Matter takes the qualities God wills
See, then, whether we should side with a man who brings such doctrines to his accusation of Christians, and abandon the argument that allows a difference among bodies because of the qualities laid upon bodies and found in them. For we too know that there are “both heavenly bodies and earthly bodies,” and that the “glory” of “heavenly” bodies is one thing and that of “earthly” bodies another (1 Corinthians 15:40); nor is it the same even among the “heavenly” ones, for “the glory of the sun is one thing, and the glory of the stars another,” and among the stars themselves “star differs from star in glory” (1 Corinthians 15:41). That is why, since we accept the resurrection “of the dead,” we say that changes take place in the qualities that are in bodies. For some of them, sown “in corruption, are raised in incorruption” (1 Corinthians 15:42); sown “in dishonour, are raised in glory”; and sown “in weakness, are raised in power” (1 Corinthians 15:43); and bodies sown natural are raised spiritual (1 Corinthians 15:44).
All of us who have accepted providence establish that the underlying matter can receive whatever qualities the Creator wills. By God’s will there is now such-and-such a quality in this matter, and afterwards another, let us say, better and different. There are also fixed courses for the changes in bodies, from the time the world has existed and for as long as it exists — whether a new and different course will take their place after the destruction of the world, which our writings call the consummation (Matthew 24:3), I do not know. Since that is so, it is no wonder if at present, as most people say, a serpent arises from a dead man, reshaped out of his spinal marrow, and a bee from an ox, a wasp from a horse, a beetle from an ass, and, in short, worms from most things. Celsus thinks this proves that none of these is a work of God, and that the qualities, ordered from I know not where so that these arise from those, are not the work of some divine reason that changes the qualities in matter.
Greek
Ὅρα οὖν εἰ δεῖ τῷ μετὰ τοιούτων δογμάτων κατηγοροῦντι Χριστιανῶν προσθέσθαι καταλείποντα λόγον, διαφορὰν διδόντα διὰ τὰς ἐπικειμένας ποιότητας τοῖς σώμασι καὶ περὶ τὰ σώματα. ἴσμεν γὰρ καὶ ἡμεῖς ὅτι ἐστὶ „καὶ σώματα ἐπουράνια καὶ σώματα ἐπίγεια,“ καὶ ἄλλη μὲν „ἐπουρανίων“ σωμάτων „δόξα“ ἄλλη δὲ „ἐπιγείων,“ καὶ οὐδὲ τῶν „ἐπουρανίων“ ἡ αὐτή· „ἄλλη“ γὰρ „δόξα ἡλίου“ „καὶ ἄλλη δόξα ἀστέρων,“ καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς δὲ τοῖς ἄστροις „ἀστὴρ ἀστέρος διαφέρει ἐν δόξῃ.“ διὸ καὶ τὴν ἀνάστασιν „τῶν νεκρῶν“ ἀποδεχόμενοι μεταβολάς φαμεν γίνεσθαι ποιοτήτων τῶν ἐν σώμασιν· ἐπεὶ σπειρόμενά τινα αὐτῶν „ἐν φθορᾷ ἐγείρεται ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ,“ καὶ σπειρόμενα „ἐν ἀτιμίᾳ ἐγείρεται ἐν δόξῃ,“ καὶ σπειρόμενα „ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ ἐγείρεται ἐν δυνάμει,“ καὶ σπειρόμενα σώματα ψυχικὰ ἐγείρεται πνευματικά. περὶ δὲ τοῦ τὴν ὑποκειμένην ὕλην δεκτικὴν εἶναι ποιοτήτων, ὧν ὁ δημιουργὸς βούλεται, πάντες οἱ πρόνοιαν παραδεξάμενοι κατασκευάζομεν· καὶ βουλομένου μὲν θεοῦ ποιότης τοιαδὶ νῦν ἐστι περὶ τήνδε τὴν ὕλην ἑξῆς δὲ τοιαδὶ, φέρ᾿ εἰπεῖν, βελτίων καὶ διαφέρουσα. ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ ὁδοί εἰσι τεταγμέναι τῶν ἐν σώμασι μεταβολῶν, ἐξ οὗ κόσμος ἐστὶ καὶ ἐς ὅσον ἐστὶν, οὐκ οἶδα εἰ καινῆς διαδεξαμένης ὁδοῦ καὶ ἀλλοίας μετὰ τὴν τοῦ κόσμου φθορὰν, καὶ ἣν οἱ ἡμέτεροι λόγοι ὀνομάζουσι συντέλειαν, οὐ θαυμαστὸν εἰ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος ἐξ ἀνθρώπου νεκροῦ μεταπλασσόμενος ὄφις, ὡς οἱ πολλοί φασι, γίνεται ἀπὸ τοῦ νωτιαίου μυελοῦ καὶ ἐκ βοὸς μέλισσα καὶ ἐξ ἵππου σφὴξ καὶ ἐξ ὄνου κάνθαρος καὶ ἁπαξαπλῶς ἐκ τῶν πλείστων σκώληκες. οἴεται δὲ τοῦτο ὁ Κέλσος κατασκευαστικὸν εἶναι τοῦ μηδὲν τούτων ἔργον εἶναι θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ τὰς ποιότητας, οὐκ οἶδ᾿ ὁπόθεν οὕτω τεταγμένας ἐκ τῶνδε τάσδε γίνεσθαι, οὐχὶ θείου τινὸς λόγου ἔργον εἶναι, τὰς ἐν τῇ ὕλῃ ποιότητας ἀμείβοντος.