Celsus on serving more than one master
In what came before, he raised the question against us why we do not worship demons; and we answered what he said about demons according to what seemed to us the intent of the divine word. Then, next after that, he brings us in as saying, in answer to his question, since he wants us to worship the demons too, that the same man cannot “serve” several “masters” (Matthew 6:24). This, he thinks, is the voice of sedition, the voice of those who, as he himself called them, “wall themselves off and break away from the rest of mankind.” He supposes that those who say this are, as far as in them lies, projecting their own passion onto God.
That is why he thinks it holds good among men that one who serves someone could not reasonably “serve” another man too, since one of the two would be harmed by the divided service; and that one who has already sworn alliance with someone should not swear alliance with another as well, since that would harm the first; and that it is reasonable not to serve at the same time various heroes and demons of that kind. But in the case of God, whom neither harm nor grief can reach, he thinks it unreasonable to guard against worshipping several gods, as one does in matters concerning men and heroes and demons of this kind. He also says that the one who worships several gods, by worshipping some one of the beings that belong to the great God, in this too does what is dear to Him; and he adds that no one may be honoured to whom this has not been given by Him. “Therefore,” he says, “one who honours and reverences all who are His does not grieve God, to whom they all belong.”
Greek
Ἐπηπόρησε δὲ ἐν τοῖς πρὸ τούτων πρὸς ἡμᾶς. διὰ τί δαίμονας οὐ θεραπεύομεν· καὶ πρὸς ἃ εἶπε περὶ δαιμόνων ἀπηντήσαμεν κατὰ τὸ φαινόμενον ἡμῖν βούλημα τοῦ θείου λόγου. εἶθ᾿ ἑξῆς ἐκείνοις ἡμᾶς εἰσάγει λέγοντας πρὸς τὴν ἐπαπόρησιν αὐτοῦ. θέλοντος ἡμᾶς καὶ τοὺς δαίμονας θεραπεύειν, ὅτι οὐχ οἷόν τε „δουλεύειν“ τὸν αὐτὸν πλείοσι „κυρίοις.“ τοῦτο δ᾿, ὡς οἴεται, στάσεως εἶναι φωνὴν τῶν, ὡς αὐτὸς ὠνόμασεν, ἀποτειχιζόντων ἑαυτοὺς καὶ ἀποῤῥηγνύντων ἀπὸ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀνθρώπων. νομίζει δὲ τοὺς τοῦτο λέγοντας τὸ ὅσον ἐφ᾿ ἑαυτοῖς ἀπομάττεσθαι τὸ σφέτερον πάθος εἰς τὸν θεόν. διὸ καὶ ἐπὶ μὲν ἀνθρώπων χώραν ἔχειν οἴεται τὸν δουλεύοντά τινι μὴ ἂν εὐλόγως καὶ ἄλλῳ „δουλεύειν“ ἀνθρώπῳ, ὡς βλαπτομένου τοῦ ἑτέρου ἀπὸ τῆς διαφόρου δουλείας, μηδὲ τὸν φθάσαντα συνομωμοκέναι τινὶ συνομνύειν καὶ ἑτέρῳ ὡς βλάπτοντα, (καὶ) λόγον ἔχειν τὸ μὴ δουλεύειν ἅμα διαφόροις ἥρωσι καὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις δαίμοσιν· ἐπὶ δὲ θεοῦ, πρὸς ὃν οὔτε βλάβη τις οὔτε λύπη φθάνει, ἄλογον νομίζει τὸ φυλάττεσθαι ὁμοίως τοῖς περὶ ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἡρώων καὶ τοιῶνδε δαιμόνων θεραπεύειν θεοὺς πλείονας. φησὶ δὲ καὶ τὸν θεραπεύοντα θεοὺς πλείονας τῷ ἕν τι τῶν τοῦ μεγάλου θεραπεύειν φίλον καὶ ἐν τούτῳ ἐκείνῳ ποιεῖν καὶ προστίθησιν ὅτι οὐδ᾿ ἔξεστι τιμᾶσθαί τινι ᾧ μὴ ἐξ ἐκείνου τοῦτο δέδοται. διότι τιμῶν τις καὶ σέβων, φησὶ, τοὺς ἐκείνου πάντας οὐ λυπεῖ τὸν θεὸν, οὗ πάντες εἰσίν.