One and the same God
Then, in what follows, as though he were reviling Christians, accusing those who called the God of Moses and of his law accursed, and supposing that those who say this are Christians, he says: “What could be more foolish or more mad than this senseless wisdom? For what mistake did the lawgiver of the Jews make? And how is it that you claim for yourself his account of the world’s origin, or the law of the Jews, by means of some figurative allegory, as you call it, and yet praise against your will, most impious man, the Creator of the world, who promised them everything, who promised to increase their race to the ends of the earth and to raise them from the dead in their very flesh and blood, and who inspired the prophets? And then you revile him again? But when you are pressed by these people, you confess that you worship the same God; yet when your teacher Jesus and Moses of the Jews lay down contrary laws, you seek another god in place of this one and of the Father.”
In these words too this most noble philosopher Celsus plainly slanders Christians, saying that the same people, whenever the Jews press them, confess the same God as theirs, but whenever Jesus lays down laws contrary to Moses, seek another in his place. For whether we are in discussion with Jews or among ourselves, we know one and the same God, whom the Jews also worshipped of old and now profess to worship, and we in no way act impiously toward him.
Nor do we say that God will raise the dead in their very flesh and blood, as was said earlier. For we do not say that what is sown “in corruption” and “in dishonour” and “in weakness”, a “natural body”, rises such as it was sown (1 Corinthians 15:42–44). But on these matters we have spoken sufficiently earlier.
Greek
Εἶθ᾿ ἑξῆς ὡς Χριστιανοῖς λοιδορούμενος καὶ κατηγορῶν τῶν κατηραμένον εἰπόντων τὸν Μωϋσέως καὶ τοῦ κατ᾿ αὐτὸν νόμου θεὸν καὶ οἰόμενος Χριστιανοὺς εἶναι τοὺς ταῦτα λέγοντάς φησι· τί ἂν ἠλιθιώτερον ἢ μανικώτερον ταύτης τῆς ἀναισθήτου σοφίας γένοιτο; τί γὰρ ἐσφάλετο ὁ Ἰουδαίων νομοθέτης; καὶ πῶς τὴν ἐκείνου κοσμογένειαν σαυτῷ διά τινος, ὡς φῂς, τυ πώδους ἀλληγορίας λαμβάνεις ἢ τὸν Ἰουδαίων νόμον, ἐπαινεῖς δὲ ἄκων, ὦ δυσσεβέστατε, τὸν τοῦ κόσμου δημιουργὸν, τὸν πάντα ὑποσχόμενον αὐτοῖς, τὸν τὸ γένος αὐτῶν αὐξήσειν μέχρι περάτων γῆς ἐπαγειλάμενον καὶ ἀναστήσειν ἐκ νεκρῶν αὐτῇ σαρκὶ καὶ αἵματι καὶ τοῖς προφήταις ἐμπνέοντα. καὶ πάλιν τοῦτον λοιδορεῖς; ἀλλ᾿ ὅταν μὲν ὑπὸ τούτων βιάζῃ, τὸν αὐτὸν θεὸν σέβειν ὁμολογεῖς· ὅταν δὲ τὰ ἐναντία ὁ σὸς διδάσκαλος Ἰησοῦς καὶ ὁ Ἰουδαίων Μωϋσῆς νομοθετῇ, θεὸν ἄλλον ἀντὶ τούτου καὶ τοῦ πατρὸς ζητεῖς. καὶ ἐν τούτοις δὴ ὁ γενναιότατος φιλόσοφος Κέλσος σαφῶς Χριστιανοὺς συκοφαντεῖ. λέγων τοὺς αὐτοὺς, ἡνίκα μὲν ἂν Ἰουδαῖοι αὐτοὺς βιάζωνται, τὸν αὐτὸν αὐτοῖς θεὸν ὁμολογεῖν· ὅταν δὲ τὰ ἐναντία Ἰησοῦς Μωϋσεῖ νομοθετῇ, ἄλλον ἀντὶ τούτου ζητεῖν. εἴτε γὰρ Ἰουδαίοις διαλεγόμενοι εἴτε καθ᾿ ἑαυτοὺς ὄντες ἕνα καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ἴσμεν, ὃν καὶ πάλαι ἔσεβον Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ νῦν σέβειν ἐπαγγέλλονται θεὸν, οὐδαμῶς εἰς αὐτὸν ἀσεβοῦντες. ἀλλ᾿ οὐδ᾿ ἀναστήσειν ἐκ νεκρῶν αὐτῇ σαρκὶ καὶ αἵματί φαμεν τὸν θεὸν, ὡς ἐν τοῖς ἀνωτέρω λέλεκται· οὐ γὰρ τὸ σπειρόμενον „ἐν φθορᾷ“ καὶ „ἐν ἀτιμίᾳ“ καὶ „ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ“ „σῶμα ψυχικόν“ φαμεν ἀνίστασθαι, ὁποῖον ἐσπάρη. ἀλλὰ γὰρ περὶ τούτων ἐν τοῖς ἀνωτέρω μετρίως ἡμῖν λέλεκται.