If the Romans prayed with one accord
Then Celsus, not hearing himself as he says things that do not hang together in the words, “For if all were to do the same as you,” says: “Surely you will not say this: that if the Romans, persuaded by you, were to neglect their customary duties toward gods and men and call upon your Most High, or whoever you like, he will come down and fight for them, and they will need no other help. For before this too the same God, as you say, promised these things and far greater ones to those who gave heed to him; and you see how much he has helped both them and you. Of them, instead of their being masters of the whole earth, not so much as a clod of soil or a hearth is left; and of you, if any still wanders about in hiding, yet he is hunted down to be punished with death.”
But since he asks, by way of supposition, what would happen if the Romans, persuaded by the doctrine of the Christians, were to neglect their duties toward the customary gods and the former laws among men and worship the Most High, hear what we hold about this. We say that if “two” of us “agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by the Father” of the righteous, “who is in heaven” (Matthew 18:19) — for God rejoices in the concord of rational beings and turns away from discord — what must we think if not only a very few, as now, were to agree, but the whole empire under the Romans? For they will pray to the Word who said long ago to the Hebrews when the Egyptians were pursuing them: “The Lord will fight for you, and you shall keep silent” (Exodus 14:14). And praying in complete concord they will be able to destroy far more enemies who pursue them than those whom the prayer of Moses and of those with him brought down, when he cried out to God (compare Exodus 14:15).
If the things that God promised to those who keep the law have not come about, they have failed to come about not because God lies, but because the promises were made on conditions, the conditions of keeping the law and living according to the law. And if neither clod nor hearth is left to the Jews, who received the promises on conditions, the blame must be laid on all their transgression of the law, and above all on their transgression against Jesus.
Greek
Εἶτα ἑαυτοῦ μὴ ἀκούσας ὁ Κέλσος, τὰ ἀνακόλουθα εἰπόντος τῷ εἰ γὰρ τὸ αὐτό σοι ποιήσειαν ἅπαντες, φησίν· οὐ μὲν δὴ τοῦτο φήσεις. ὡς, ἂν πεισθέντες σοι Ῥωμαῖοι καὶ τῶν νενομισμένων αὐτοῖς πρὸς θεούς τε καὶ ἀνθρώπους ἀμελήσαντες τὸν σὸν Ὕψιστον, ἢ ὅντινα βούλει, προσκαλέσωνται. καταβὰς ὑπερμαχεῖται αὐτῶν, καὶ οὐδεμιᾶς ἄλλης ἀλκῆς δεήσει. καὶ γὰρ πρότερον ὁ αὐτὸς θεὸς τοῖς προσέχουσιν αὐτῷ ταῦτά τε καὶ πολὺ μείζω τούτων, ὡς ὑμεῖς φατε, ὑπισχνούμενος ὁρᾶτε ὅσα ὠφέλησεν ἐκείνους τε καὶ ὑμᾶς· ὧν τοῖς μὲν ἀντὶ (τοῦ) γῆς ἁπάσης εἶναι δεσπόταις οὐδ᾿ ὁποία τις βῶλος οὐδ᾿ ἑστία λείπεται, ὑμῶν δὲ κἂν πλανᾶταί τις ἔτι λανθάνων, ἀλλὰ ζητεῖται πρὸς θανάτου δίκην. ἐπεὶ δὲ καθ᾿ ὑπόθεσιν ζητεῖ, εἰ πεισθέντες Ῥωμαῖοι τῷ Χριστιανῶν λόγῳ, τῶν πρὸς τοὺς νενομισμένους θεοὺς ἀμελήσαντες καὶ τῶν κατὰ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους προτέρων νόμων, τὸν Υψιστον σέβοιντο, τί ἂν ἀπαντήσαι· ἄκουε τί ἀρέσκει περὶ τούτων ἡμῖν. φαμὲν ὅτι, εἴπερ, „ἂν δύο συμφωνῶσιν“ ἐξ ἡμῶν „ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς περὶ παντὸς πράγματος, οὗ ἐὰν αἰτήσωνται γενήσεται αὐτοῖς παρὰ τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς πατρὸς“ τῶν δικαίων· χαίρει γὰρ συμφωνίᾳ τῶν λογικῶν ζῴων ὁ θεὸς καὶ ἐκτρέπεται τὴν διαφωνίαν· τί χρὴ νομίζειν, εἰ μὴ μόνον ὡς νῦν πάνυ ὀλίγοι συμφωνοῖεν ἀλλὰ πᾶσα ἡ ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων ἀρχή; εὔξονται γὰρ τῷ καὶ πρότερον εἰπόντι πρὸς τοὺς Ἑβραίους καταδιωκομένους ὑπὸ Αἰγυπτίων λόγῳ· „κύριος πολεμήσει ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν, καὶ ὑμεῖς σιγήσεσθε,“ καὶ μετὰ πάσης συμφωνίας εὐξάμενοι πολλῷ πλείονας δυνήσονται καταλῦσαι ἐχθροὺς ἐπιδιώκοντας, ἢ οὓς καθεῖλεν ἡ Μωϋσέως πρὸς τὸν θεὸν βοῶντος καὶ τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ εὐχή. ἃ δ᾿ ὑπέσχετο ὁ θεὸς τοῖς τηροῦσι τὸν νόμον εἰ μὴ γεγένηται, οὐ τῷ ψεύδεσθαι τὸν θεὸν οὐ γεγένηται ἀλλὰ τῷ ἐπὶ συνθήκαις γεγονέναι τὰς ἐπαγγελίας, ταῖς περὶ τοῦ τηρεῖν τὸν νόμον καὶ τὸν κατὰ τὸν νόμον βίον. καὶ εἰ οὔτε βῶλος οὔθ᾿ ἑστία Ἰουδαίοις καταλείπεται τοῖς τὰς ἐπαγγελίας ἐπὶ συνθήκαις εἰληφόσιν, αἰτιατέον πᾶσαν μὲν αὐτῶν τὴν παρανομίαν ἐξαιρέτως δὲ τὴν κατὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ.