Thanks due to God, not to demons
Celsus, then, thinks that men perform the duties that befit life, until they are released from their bonds, when they render the sacrifices, according to the customs of the many, to each of the gods recognized in each city. He has not understood what exact piety takes to be truly fitting. We, however, say that the one who performs what befits life is the one who remembers who the Creator is and what is pleasing to him, and who does all things in order to please God.
And again, Celsus does not want us to be ungrateful toward the demons here, since he thinks we owe them thank-offerings. But we, setting out clearly the teaching on thanksgiving, say that we do nothing ungrateful toward beings who do us no good but, on the contrary, stand against us, when we do not sacrifice to them, nor even serve them. What we guard against is being ungrateful toward God, whose benefits fill us. We are his creatures, cared for by him in whatever state his judgment has placed us, and beyond this life we look for the hopes that come from him. And we have a token of our thanksgiving to God: the bread called “Eucharist”, that is, “Thanksgiving”.
Nor, as we said above as well, do demons have the management of the things created for our needs. Therefore we do nothing unjust when we partake of created things and do not sacrifice to those to whom they do not belong. And if we perceive that it is not some demons but angels who are set over the fruits of the earth and the birth of living creatures, we speak well of them and call them blessed, since God has entrusted them with what is useful to our race. Yet we do not give them the honour owed to God; for neither does God wish this, nor do those entrusted with such tasks themselves. Indeed, they welcome us more when we refrain from sacrificing to them than if we sacrificed; for they have no need of the fumes that rise from the earth.
Greek
Κέλσος μὲν οὖν οἴεται τῷ βίῳ λειτουργεῖν τὰ πρέποντα. μέχρι ἂν τῶν δεσμῶν ἀπολυθῶσιν ἄνθρωποι, ἐπὰν κατὰ τὰ νενομισμένα τοῖς πολλοῖς τὰς θυσίας τις ἀποδιδῷ ἑκάστῳ τῶν κατὰ πόλιν νομιζομένων θεῶν, οὐ νοήσας τὸ ἀληθῶς πρέπον ὑπὸ τῆς ἀκριβοῦς εὐσεβείας ὑπολαμβανόμενον· ἡμεῖς δέ φαμεν τῷ βίῳ λειτουργεῖν μετὰ τῶν πρεπόντων τὸν μεμνημένον, τίς τε ὁ δημιουργήσας καὶ τίνα τὰ ἐκείνῳ φίλα, καὶ πάντα πράττοντα πρὸς τὸ φίλον τῷ θεῷ. καὶ πάλιν Κέλσος μὲν οὐ θέλει ἡμᾶς ἀχαρίστους εἶναι πρὸς τοὺς τῇδε δαίμονας, οἰόμενος ἡμᾶς ὀφείλειν αὐτοῖς χαριστήρια· καὶ ἡμεῖς δὲ τρανοῦντες τὸν περὶ εὐχαριστίας λόγον φαμὲν πρὸς τοὺς μηδὲν εὐεργετοῦντας ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου ἱσταμένους μηδὲν ἀχάριστον ἡμᾶς ποιεῖν, ὅταν αὐτοῖς μὴ θύωμεν ἀλλὰ μηδὲ θεραπεύωμεν αὐτούς. ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀχάριστοι εἶναι πρὸς τὸν θεὸν περιϊστάμεθα, οὗ τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν πλήρεις ἐσμὲν, καὶ δημιουργήματα ὄντες αὐτοῦ καὶ προνοούμενοι ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ κριθέντες ὅπως ποτὲ εἶναι καὶ ἔξω τοῦ βίου τὰς παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἐλπίδας ἐκδεχόμενοι. ἔστι δὲ καὶ σύμβολον ἡμῖν τῆς πρὸς θεὸν εὐχαριστίας ἄρτος „εὐχαριστία“ καλούμενος. ἀλλ᾿ οὐδὲ δαίμονες ἔχουσιν, ὡς καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀνωτέρω ἐλέγομεν, τὴν οἰκονομίαν τῶν πρὸς τὰς ἡμετέρας χρείας δεδημιουργημένων· διὸ οὐδ᾿ ἄδικόν τι πράττομεν μετέχοντες τῶν δημιουργημάτων καὶ τοῖς μὴ προσήκουσιν αὐτοῖς μὴ θύοντες. κἂν ἴδωμεν δὲ μὴ δαίμονάς τινας ἀγγέλους δὲ τεταγμένους ἐπὶ τῶν τῆς γῆς καρπῶν καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς τῶν ζῴων γενέσεως, εὐφημοῦμεν αὐτοὺς καὶ μακαρίζομεν, ἐγχειρισθέντας ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ τὰ χρήσιμα τῷ γένει ἡμῶν· οὐ μὴν τὴν ὀφειλομένην πρὸς θεὸν τιμὴν τούτοις ἀπονέμομεν, οὔτε γὰρ ὁ θεὸς τοῦτο βούλεται οὔτ᾿ αὐτοὶ οἱ τὰ τοιάδε ἐγκεχειρισμένοι. καὶ ἀποδέχονταί γε ἡμᾶς φυλασσομένους αὐτοῖς θύειν ἢ θύοντας· οὐδὲ γὰρ χρῄζουσιν ἐκεῖνοι τῶν ἀπὸ γῆς ἀναθυμιωμένων.