Jesus is not like sorcerers or robbers
Next, somehow or other, he says something very silly: “If, when you come up with absurd defences by which you have been ridiculously deceived, you think that you are truly making a defence, what prevents you from thinking that others as well, all who have been condemned and come to a more miserable end, are greater and more divine messengers than he?” But it is plain to anyone that Jesus, who suffered what is recorded, is openly and clearly unlike those who came to a more miserable end because of sorcery or any other charge whatever. For no one can point to a work of sorcerers that has turned souls from the many sins found among men and from the flood of vice.
And since the Jew in Celsus also compares him to robbers and says: “One could, with like shamelessness, say also of a robber and murderer who had been punished that this man was no robber but a god, for he foretold to his fellow robbers that he would suffer such things as he did suffer,” it might be said, first, that it is not because he foretold that he would suffer such things that we think of Jesus as we do, and boldly declare it of him as one who has come down to us from God. Second, we say that even these things were in some way foretold in the Gospels, since God “was numbered with the lawless” (Luke 22:37; Isaiah 53:12) in the judgment of lawless men, who wanted rather a robber released, the one who had been thrown into prison “for sedition” “and murder” (Luke 23:18–19; John 18:40), and Jesus crucified, and who crucified him between two robbers (Matthew 27:38).
And in his genuine disciples, who bear witness to the truth, Jesus is always crucified with robbers and suffers among men the same condemnation as they do. And we say that if these men, who for the sake of their piety toward the Creator accept every outrage and every kind of death so as to keep that piety sincere and pure according to the teaching of Jesus, are in any way like robbers, then it is clear that Jesus also, the father of such teaching, is reasonably compared by Celsus to robber chiefs. But neither he, who died for the common good, nor these, who suffer such things for piety and alone of all men are plotted against because of the way of honouring the divine that has been shown to them, are put to death justly; nor was the plot against Jesus anything but impious.
Greek
Ἑξῆς δὲ τούτοις οὐκ οἶδ᾿ ὅπως σφόδρα εὔηθες λέγει ὅτι, εἴπερ ἀτόπους ἀπολογίας εὑρίσκοντες, ἐφ᾿ αἷς καταγελάστως ἐξηπατήθητε, οἴεσθε ἀληθῶς ἀπολογεῖσθαι, τί κωλύει καὶ ἄλλους, ὅσοι καταγνωσθέντες κακοδαιμονέστερον ἀπήλλαξαν, μείζονας νομίζειν εἶναι καὶ θειοτέρους τούτους ἀγγέλους; ὅτι δ᾿ ἄντικρυς καὶ σαφῶς οὐδὲν ὅμοιον ἔχει ὁ παθὼν τὰ ἀναγεγραμμένα Ἰησοῦς τοῖς κακοδαιμονέστερον ἀπαλλάξασι διὰ γοητείαν ἢ ὁτιδήποτε ἔγκλημα ἄλλο, παντί τῳ δῆλον. οὐδὲ γὰρ δύναταί τις παραστῆσαι γοήτων ἔργον ἐπιστρέψαν ψυχὰς ἀπὸ τῶν πολλῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἁμαρτημάτων καὶ τῆς κατὰ τὴν κακίαν χύσεως. ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ λῃσταῖς αὐτὸν παραβαλὼν ὁ παρὰ τῷ Κέλσῳ Ἰουδαῖός φησιν ὅτι δύναιτο ἄν τις ὁμοίως ἀναισχυντῶν καὶ περὶ λῃστοῦ καὶ ἀνδροφόνου κολασθέντος εἰπεῖν ὅτι οὗτός γε οὐχὶ λῃστὴς ἀλλὰ θεὸς ἦν· προεῖπε γὰρ τοῖς συλλῄσταις ὅτι πείσεται τοιαῦτα, οἷα δὴ πέπονθε· λέγοιτ᾿ ἂν πρῶτον μὲν ὅτι οὐ παρὰ τὸ προειρηκέναι αὐτὸν ταῦτα πείσεσθαι τοιαῦτα ὑπολαμβάνομεν περὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, ὁποῖα καὶ φρονοῦντες παῤῥησιαζόμεθα ἐν αὐτῷ ὡς ἀπὸ θεοῦ ἡμῖν κατεληλυθότι· δεύτερον δὲ καὶ ταῦτα λέγομεν ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις προειρῆσθαί πως, ἐπεὶ „μετὰ ἀνόμων ἐλογίσθη“ ὁ θεὸς παρὰ τοῖς ἀνόμοις, λῃστὴν μᾶλλον τὸν „διὰ στάσιν“ „καὶ φόνον“ βληθέντα εἰς φυλακὴν βουλομένοις ἀπολυθῆναι τὸν δ᾿ Ἰησοῦν σταυρῶσαι, καὶ σταυρώσασιν αὐτὸν μεταξὺ λῃστῶν δύο. καὶ ἀεὶ δ᾿ ἐν τοῖς γνησίοις μαθηταῖς καὶ μαρτυροῦσι τῇ ἀληθείᾳ ὁ Ἰησοῦς συσταυροῦται λῃσταῖς καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν αὐτοῖς παρὰ ἀνθρώποις καταδίκην πάσχει. καί φαμεν ὅτι, εἴπερ οὗτοι ὅμοιόν τι λῃσταῖς ἔχουσιν οἱ διὰ τὴν εἰς τὸν δημιουργὸν εὐσέβειαν, ἵνα αὐτὴν εἰλικρινῆ καὶ καθαρὰν διαφυλάξωσι κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ διδασκαλίαν, πᾶσαν αἰκίαν καὶ πάντας θανάτους ἀναδεχόμενοι, δῆλον ὅτι καὶ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ὁ πατὴρ τῆς τοιαύτης διδασκαλίας, εὐλόγως ὑπὸ τοῦ Κέλσου λῃστάρχαις παραβάλλεται. ἀλλ᾿ οὔτ᾿ ἐκεῖνος κατὰ τὸ κοινωνικὸν ἀποθνῄσκων οὔθ᾿ οὗτοι δι᾿ εὐσέβειαν ταῦτα πάσχοντες καὶ μόνοι πάντων ἀνθρώπων διὰ τὴν φανεῖσαν αὐτοῖς ὁδὸν τῆς εἰς τὸ θεῖον τιμῆς ἐπιβουλευόμενοι οὐκ ἀδίκως ἀναιροῦνται, οὔθ᾿ ὁ Ἰησοῦς οὐκ ἀσεβῶς ἐπεβουλεύθη.