An invented seal and an accursed God
Next, after what he says about the diagram, Celsus, without having even half-heard what members of the Church call the seal, sets out on his own some strange things and an exchange of words: that the one who puts on the seal is called father, and the one who is sealed is called young one and son, and answers, “I have been anointed with white ointment from the tree of life” (compare Genesis 2:9). We have not heard that this is done even among the sects.
Then he even fixes a number, said to be given by those who hand down the seal: seven angels, who stand on either side by the soul as it departs from the body, some of them angels of light, the others of those called “of the rulers”. And he says that the ruler of those called “of the rulers” is called an accursed god.
Then, seizing on the phrase, he rightly accuses those who dare to say this; and for this reason we too share the indignation of those who blame such people, if indeed there are any who call the God of the Jews accursed, the God who sends rain and thunder, the Creator of this world, the God of Moses and of the account of the world’s making that Moses gave.
But Celsus seems to have intended by this something not fair-minded, but, out of his unphilosophical hatred of us, utterly unfair. For he wanted to set against us those unacquainted with our teaching who read his work, as though we called the good Creator of this world an accursed god. And he seems to me to have done much the same as the Jews, who, when the teaching of Christianity first began, spread slander about the word: that Christians sacrifice a little child and partake of its flesh; and again, that those who follow the word, wishing to do the works of darkness, put out the light, and each lies with whatever woman happens to be beside him. This slander, against all reason, once held sway over very great numbers, persuading those who were strangers to the word that Christians are such people; and even now it still deceives some, who because of such stories turn away from coming even into the simplest conversation with Christians.
Greek
Ἑξῆς δὲ τοῖς περὶ τοῦ διαγράμματος μηδὲ παρακούσας τῶν περὶ τῆς καλουμένης παρὰ τοῖς ἐκκλησιαστικοῖς σφραγῖδος ἑαυτῷ τινα ἐκτίθεται ἀλλόκοτα καὶ ἀμοιβαίας φωνὰς, ὡς τοῦ μὲν τὴν σφραγῖδα περιτιθέντος καλουμένου πατρὸς, τοῦ δὲ σφραγιζομένου λεγομένου νέου καὶ υἱοῦ καὶ ἀποκρινομένου· κέχρισμαι χρίσματι λευκῷ ἐκ ξύλου ζωῆς, ὅπερ οὐδ᾿ ἐν τοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν αἱρέσεων ἠκούσαμεν γίνεσθαι. εἶτα καὶ ἀριθμὸν ὁρίζει λεγόμενον ὑπὸ τῶν παραδιδόντων τὴν σφραγῖδα ἀγγέλων ἑπτὰ, ἑκατέρωθεν τῇ ψυχῇ τοῦ ἀπαλλαττομένου σώματος ἐφισταμένων, τῶν μὲν τοῦ φωτὸς ἑτέρων δὲ τῶν ὀνομαζομένων ἁρχοντικῶν, καὶ λέγει τὸν ἄρχοντα τῶν ὀνομαζομένων ἀρχοντικῶν λέγεσθαι θεὸν κατηραμένον. εἶτ᾿ ἐπιλαβόμενος τῆς λέξεως εὐλόγως κατηγορεῖ τῶν τοῦτο τολμώντων λέγειν· τούτου δ᾿ ἕνεκα καὶ ἡμεῖς συναγανακτοῦμεν τοῖς μεμφομένοις τοὺς τοιούτους. εἰ δή τινες εἰσὶ λέγοντες θεὸν κατηραμένον τὸν Ἰουδαίων, τὸν ὕοντα καὶ βροντῶντα καὶ τοῦδε τοῦ κόσμου δημιουργὸν καὶ Μωϋσέως καὶ τῆς κατ᾿ αὐτὸν κοσμοποιΐας θεόν. ἀλλ᾿ ἔοικε βεβουλῆσθαί τι διὰ τούτων ὁ Κέλσος οὐκ εὔγνωμον ἀλλ᾿ ἀπὸ τοῦ καθ᾿ ἡμῶν ἀφιλοσόφου μίσους πάνυ ἀγνωμονέστατον. ἐβουλήθη γὰρ τοὺς ἀπείρους τῶν ἡμετέρων ἐντυχόντας αὐτοῦ τῇ γραφῇ πολεμῶσαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ὡς θεὸν κατηραμένον λέγοντας τὸν τοῦδε τοῦ κόσμου καλὸν δημιουργόν. καὶ δοκεῖ μοι παραπλήσιον Ἰουδαίοις πεποιηκέναι, τοῖς κατὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν (τῆς) τοῦ χριστιανισμοῦ διδασκαλίας κατασκεδάσασι δυσφημίαν τοῦ λόγου, ὡς ἄρα καταθύσαντες παιδίον μεταλαμβάνουσιν αὐτοῦ τῶν σαρκῶν, καὶ πάλιν ὅτι οἱ ἀπὸ τοῦ λόγου τὰ τοῦ σκότου πράττειν βουλόμενοι σβεννύουσι μὲν τὸ φῶς. ἕκαστος δὲ τῇ παρατυχούσῃ μίγνυται· ἥτις δυσφημία παραλόγως πάλαι μὲν πλείστων ὅσων ἐκράτει πείθουσα τοὺς ἀλλοτρίους τοῦ λόγου ὅτι τοιοῦτοί εἰσι Χριστιανοὶ, καὶ νῦν δὲ ἔτι ἀπατᾷ τινας ἀποτρεπομένους διὰ τὰ τοιαῦτα κἂν εἰς κοινωνίαν ἁπλουστέραν λόγων ἥκειν πρὸς Χριστιανούς.