Celsus’s two choices
Next Celsus says: “Reason makes us choose one of two courses. If they refuse to give the overseers of these things the service that befits them, then they should neither take a husband nor take a wife nor raise children nor do anything else in life, but depart from here one and all, leaving no seed behind, so that such a race might be wholly wiped out from the earth. But if they are going to take wives and have children and taste the fruits and share in the things of life and bear the evils appointed for them — for this is the way of nature, that all men experience evils; for evils must exist, and they have no other place (see Plato, Theaetetus 176a) — then they must render the fitting honours to those who have been entrusted with these things, and perform the duties that befit life until they are released from their bonds, so that they may not also seem ungrateful toward these beings. For it is unjust to share in what they possess and contribute nothing to them.”
To this too we say that no departure from life seems reasonable to us except that alone which is for the sake of piety and virtue: when those who are thought to sit as judges, or who seem to have power over our life, set before us one of two things, either to live while doing what is contrary to the commands of Jesus, or to die while obeying his words.
But God has also allowed us to marry, since not all can receive what is better, that is, complete purity (Matthew 19:11); and he has charged those who marry to rear without fail what is born to them, and not to destroy the children given by providence. And this does not conflict with our refusal to obey the demons who have the earth as their domain; for, armed with the whole armour of God (Ephesians 6:11), we stand as athletes of piety against the race of demons that plot against us.
Greek
Ἑξῆς δὲ τούτοις φησὶν ὁ Κέλσος· δυοῖν θάτερον αἱρεῖ λόγος. εἰ μὲν ἀπαξιοῦσι θεραπεύειν τὰ εἰκότα τούτων δὲ ἐπιστάτας, μήτ᾿ εἰς ἀνδρὸς ἰέναι μήτ᾿ ἄγεσθαι γυναῖκα μήτ᾿ ἀναιρεῖσθαι τέκνα μήτ᾿ ἄλλο πράττειν μηδὲν ἐν τῷ βίῳ. χωρεῖν δ᾿ ἔνθεν πασσυδὶ μηδὲν σπέρμα ἐλλειπομένους. ὡς αν ἐρημωθείη πάμπαν ἐπὶ γῆς τὸ τοιοῦτον γένος· εἰ δὲ καὶ γυναῖκας ἄξονται καὶ παῖδας ποιήσονται καὶ καρπῶν γεύσονται καὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ βίῳ μεθέξουσι καὶ κακῶν τῶν ἐπιτεταγμένων ἀνέξονται (φύσις μὲν γὰρ αὕτη πάντας ἀνθρώπους πειρᾶσθαι κακῶν· εἶναι μὲν γὰρ ἀνάγκη κακὰ, χώραν δ᾿ ἄλλην οὐκ ἔχει), ἀποδοτέον δὴ τὰς προσηκούσας τοῖς ταῦτ᾿ ἐπιτετραμμένοις τιμὰς καὶ τῷ βίῳ λειτουργητέον τὰ πρέποντα. μέχρι ἂν τῶν δεσμῶν ἀπολυθῶσι, μὴ καὶ ἀχάριστοι πρὸς τούσδε εἶναι δοκῶσι. καὶ γὰρ ἄδικον μετέχοντας ὧν οἵδε ἔχουσι μηδὲν αὐτοῖς συντελεῖν. φαμὲν δὲ καὶ πρὸς ταῦτα ὅτι εὔλογος ἐξαγωγὴ οὐδεμία ἡμῖν εἶναι δοκεῖ εἰ μὴ ἡ δι᾿ εὐσέβειαν καὶ ἀρετὴν μόνη. ἐπὰν ὑπὸ τῶν δικάζειν νομιζομένων ἢ ἐξουσίαν τοῦ ζῆν ἡμῶν ἔχειν δοκούντων τὸ ἕτερον προτείνηται, ἢ τὸ ζῆν μετὰ τοῦ παρὰ τὰ διατεταγμένα ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ πράττειν ἢ τὸ ἀποθνῄσκειν μετὰ τοῦ πείθεσθαι τοῖς λόγοις αὐτοῦ. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄγεσθαι γυναῖκα ἐπέτρεψεν ἡμῖν ὁ θεὸς, ὡς οὐ πάντων χωρούντων τὸ διαφέρον τουτέστι τὸ πάντῃ καθαρὸν, καὶ ἀγομένοις γυναῖκας τὰ γεννώμενα πάντως τρέφειν καὶ μὴ ἀναιρεῖν τὰ ὑπὸ τῆς προνοίας διδόμενα τέκνα. καὶ οὐ μάχεται ταῦτα τῷ μὴ πείθεσθαι ἡμᾶς τοῖς νεμομένοις τὴν γῆν δαιμονίοις· ὁπλισάμενοι γὰρ τῇ πανοπλίᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ ἱστάμεθα ὡς ἀθληταὶ εὐσεβείας πρὸς τὸ τῶν ἐπιβουλευόντων ἡμῖν δαιμόνων γένος.