Celsus’s own warning against demon worship
Celsus, at any rate, suspected that those who have learned such things slide into magic, and he somehow sensed that harm would come to those who heard them. So he says: “One must, however, guard against this: that no one, by keeping company with these beings, should be wholly absorbed in their worship, and, coming to love the body and turning away from higher things, be held fast by forgetfulness. For perhaps we ought not to disbelieve wise men, who say that most of the earthly demons are fused with the world of becoming, nailed to blood and the smoke of sacrifice and to songs, and bound to other such things, and could do nothing better than heal a body and foretell the coming fortune of a man and of a city; and all that concerns mortal affairs, this they know and can do.”
Since the danger of slipping in this matter is so great, as even the enemy bears witness to the truth of God, how much better it is, free from any fear of being absorbed into such demons, or of loving the body, turning away from higher things and being held fast by forgetfulness of higher things, to entrust oneself to the God over all through Jesus Christ, who gave us such teaching, and to ask from Him all help and the protection of holy angels and of the righteous, so that they may rescue us from the earthly demons. These are fused with the world of becoming, nailed to blood and the smoke of sacrifice, drawn by outlandish songs and bound to other such things, and, as even Celsus admits, can do nothing better than heal the body.
But I would say that it is not even clear that these demons, however they are served, can heal bodies. Rather, if a person wishes to live in a simpler and more ordinary way, he should see to the healing of the body by medical means; but if he wishes to live better than the many, by piety toward the God over all and by prayers to Him.
Greek
Ὑπιδόμενος γοῦν ὁ Κέλσος τὸν εἰς μαγείαν ὄλισθον τῶν τὰ τοιαῦτα μεμαθηκότων καὶ συναισθηθείς πως βλάβης περὶ τοὺς ἀκούοντας ἐσομένης φησίν· ἐκεῖνο μέντοι φυλακτέον, ὅπως μή τις συνὼν τούτοις τῇ θεραπείᾳ τῇ περὶ αὐτὰ συντακῇ, φιλοσωματήσας τε καὶ τῶν κρειττόνων ἀποστραφεὶς λήθῃ κατασχεθῇ. χρὴ γὰρ ἴσως οὐκ ἀπιστεῖν ἀνδράσι σοφοῖς. οἳ δή φασι διότι τῶν μὲν περιγείων δαιμόνων τὸ πλεῖστον γενέσει συντετηκὸς καὶ προσηλωμένον αἵματι καὶ κνίσσῃ καὶ μελῳδίαις καὶ ἄλλοις τισὶ τοιούτοις προσδεδεμένον κρεῖττον οὐδὲν δύναιτ᾿ ἂν τοῦ θεραπεῦσαι σῶμα καὶ μέλλουσαν τύχην ἀνθρώπῳ καὶ πόλει προειπεῖν, καὶ ὅσα περὶ τὰς θνητὰς πράξεις ταῦτα ἴσασί τε καὶ δύνανται. τηλικούτου οὖν ὀλίσθου περὶ τὸν τόπον ὄντος, ὡς καὶ ὁ ἐχθρὸς τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀληθείᾳ μαρτυρεῖ. πόσῳ βέλτιον χωρὶς πάσης ὑφοράσεως ὑπὲρ τοῦ συντακῆναι τοιούτοις δαίμοσιν ἢ φιλοσωματῆσαι καὶ τὰ κρείττονα ἀποστραφῆναι καὶ ὑπὸ λήθης τῆς τῶν κρειττόνων κατασχεθῆναι τὸ ἑαυτὸν ἐμπιστεῦσαι τῷ ἐπὶ πᾶσι θεῷ διὰ τοῦ τὴν τοιαύτην ἡμῖν διδασκαλίαν ὑποθεμένου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἀπ᾿ ἐκείνου αἰτεῖν πᾶσαν βοήθειαν καὶ φρουρὰν τὴν ἀπὸ ἁγίων ἀγγέλων καὶ δικαίων, ἵν᾿ ἡμᾶς ῥύσωνται ἀπὸ τῶν περιγείων δαιμόνων καὶ γενέσει συντετηκότων καὶ αἵματι καὶ κνίσσῃ προσηλωμένων καὶ ἀλλοκότοις μελῳδίαις ἀγομένων καὶ ἄλλοις τοιούτοις προσδεδεμένων, ὁμολογουμένως μὲν καὶ κατὰ τὸν Κέλσον κρεῖττον οὐδὲν δυναμένων τοῦ θεραπεῦσαι τὸ σῶμα. ἐγὼ δ᾿ εἴποιμ᾿ ἂν ὅτι οὐδ᾿ ἐναργές ἐστι τὸ τοὺς δαίμονας τούτους ὅπως ποτὲ θεραπευομένους δύνασθαι θεραπεύειν τὰ σώματα· ἀλλὰ χρὴ τὴν θεραπείαν τῶν σωμάτων, εἰ μὲν ἁπλούστερον βούλοιτό τις ζῆν καὶ κοινότερον, ἐφόδῳ ἰατρικῇ θεραπεύειν, εἰ δὲ βέλτιον παρὰ τοὺς πολλοὺς. εὐσεβείᾳ τῇ εἰς τὸν ἐπὶ πᾶσι θεὸν καὶ ταῖς πρὸς ἐκεῖνον εὐχαῖς.