Jesus laid down his own soul
Next Celsus also spoke of the man of Clazomenae and, on the story told of him, added: “Do they not say this, that his soul often left his body and wandered about without a body? And men did not think him a god either.” To this too we shall say that perhaps some wicked demons arranged for such things to be written down (for I do not believe that they also arranged for them to happen), so that the things prophesied about Jesus and the things said by him might either be slandered as fictions like those, or not be greatly marvelled at, as having nothing more than the others.
Now my Jesus said of his own soul, which was parted from the body not by the necessity common to men but by the extraordinary authority given to him over this also: “No one takes my soul from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it again” (John 10:18). For since he had “authority to lay it down,” he laid it down when he said, “Father, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34) and, “crying out with a loud voice, he gave up the spirit” (Matthew 27:50). In this he forestalled the executioners in charge of the crucified, who cut the legs of those crucified, and cut them for this reason, that they may not suffer punishment any longer (compare John 19:31–33).
And he took up “his soul” again when he showed himself to his disciples, having foretold it in their presence to the Jews who did not believe him: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). And “he was speaking of the temple of his body” (John 2:21). The prophets too had proclaimed such a thing beforehand in many places, and in this one: “Moreover my flesh also will dwell in hope; for you will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor will you let your Holy One see corruption” (Psalm 16:9–10; Acts 2:26–27).
Greek
Ἐπεὶ δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα καὶ περὶ τοῦ Κλαζομενίου ὁ Κέλσος εἶπε προσθεὶς ἐπὶ τῆς κατ᾿ αὐτὸν ἱστορίας· μῶν οὐ τοῦτό φασιν, ὡς ἄρα ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ πολλάκις ἀπολιποῦσα τὸ σῶμα περιεπόλει ἀσώματος; καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦτον ἐνόμισαν θεὸν οἱ ἄνθρωποι. καὶ πρὸς τοῦτο φήσομεν ὅτι τάχα πονηροί τινες δαίμονες τοιαῦτα ᾠκονόμησαν ἀναγραφῆναι (οὐ γὰρ πιστεύω ὅτι καὶ γενέσθαι ᾠκονόμησαν). ἵνα τὰ προφητευθέντα περὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ καὶ τὰ λεχθέντα ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἤτοι ὡς πλάσματα ὅμοια ἐκείνοις διαβάλληται, η ὡς οὐδὲν πλεῖον ἑτέρων ἔχοντα μὴ πάνυ θαυμάζηται. ἔλεγε δὴ ὁ ἐμὸς Ἰησοῦς περὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ψυχῆς. οὐ κατὰ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον χρεὼν χωριζομένης τοῦ σώματος ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν δοθεῖσαν αὐτῷ καὶ περὶ τούτου παράδοξον ἐξουσίαν, τό· „οὐδεὶς αἴρει τὴν ψυχήν μου ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ, ἀλλ᾿ ἐγὼ τίθημι αὐτὴν ἀπ᾿ ἐμαυτοῦ. ἐξουσίαν ἔχω θεῖναι αὐτὴν, καὶ πάλιν ἐξουσίαν ἔχω λαβεῖν αὐτήν.“ ἐπεὶ γὰρ „ἐξουσίαν“ εἶχε „θεῖναι αὐτὴν.“ ἔθηκε μὲν. ἡνίκα εἶπε· „πάτερ, ἱνατί με ἐγκατέλιπες;“ καὶ „κράξας φωνῇ μεγάλῃ ἀφῆκε τὸ πνεῦμα,“ προλαβὼν τοὺς ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνασκολοπιζομένων δημίους. ὑποτέμνοντας τὰ σκέλη τῶν σταυρουμένων καὶ διὰ τοῦθ᾿ ὑποτέμνοντας, ἵνα μὴ ἐπὶ πλέον τιμωρίαν τίσωσιν. ἔλαβε δὲ „τὴν ψυχὴν“, ὅτε ἑαυτὸν ἐνεφάνισε τοῖς μαθηταῖς, προειπὼν ἐπ᾿ αὐτῶν τοῖς ἀπιστοῦσιν αὐτῷ Ἰουδαίοις· „λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον, κἀγὼ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερῶ αὐτόν.“ καὶ „ἔλεγέ γε τοῦτο περὶ τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ.“ καὶ τῶν προφητῶν προκηρυξάντων τὸ τοιοῦτο διὰ πλειόνων καὶ διὰ τοῦ· „ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἡ σάρξ μου κατασκηνώσει ἐπ᾿ ἐλπίδι· ὅτι οὐκ ἐγκαταλείψεις τὴν ψυχήν μου εἰς τὸν ᾅδην οὐδὲ δώσεις τὸν ὅσιόν σου ἰδεῖν διαφθοράν.“