Demons do not belong to God
Since Celsus says in these words that the demons too belong to God, and that for this reason we must trust them, and offer acceptable sacrifices to them according to the laws, and pray to them, so that they may be well disposed, we must teach those who are willing about this point too: the word of God is unwilling to call anything wicked God’s possession, since it judges such a thing unworthy of so great a Lord. That is why not all men are called men of God, but only those who are worthy of God, such as Moses (Deuteronomy 33:1) and Elijah (1 Kings 17:24), and anyone else who is recorded as “a man of God,” or who is like those so recorded.
So too not all angels are said to be “angels of God,” but only the blessed ones; while those who turned aside to wickedness are named angels of the devil (Matthew 25:41), just as wicked men are called men of sin (2 Thessalonians 2:3), or sons of pestilence (1 Samuel 2:12), or sons of unrighteousness. Among men, then, some are good and some are wicked, and for this reason some are said to be “of God” and others of the devil (1 John 3:10); and among “angels” too, some are “of God” and others of the evil one. But demons are not divided in two in this way, for all of them are shown to be wicked.
For this reason we will say that Celsus’s argument is false when he says: “But if there are certain demons, clearly these too belong to God.” Or else let anyone who wishes show either that the division made concerning men and angels is not sound, or that an account like it can be demonstrated in the case of demons as well. But if this cannot be done, it is plain that the demons do not belong to God; for their ruler is not God, but, as the divine words say, “Beelzebul” (Matthew 12:24).
Greek
Ἐπεὶ δέ φησιν ἐν τούτοις ὁ Κέλσος ὅτι καὶ οἱ δαίμονές εἰσι τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πιστευτέον ἐστὶν αὐτοῖς καὶ καλλιερητέον κατὰ νόμους καὶ προσευκτέον, ἵν᾿ εὐμενεῖς ὦσι, διδακτέον καὶ περὶ τούτου τοὺς βουλομένους ὅτι ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος οὐδὲν τῶν φαύλων ἀναγορεύειν βούλεται κτῆμα θεοῦ τυγχάνειν, ἀνάξιον αὐτὸ κρίνων τηλικούτου κυρίου. διόπερ οὐ πάντες μὲν ἄνθρωποι χρηματίζουσιν ἄνθρωποι θεοῦ, μόνοι δὲ οἱ ἄξιοι τοῦ θεοῦ· ὁποῖος ἦν Μωϋσῆς καὶ Ἠλίας, καὶ εἴ τις, ἄλλος ἀναγέγραπται „ἄνθρωπος θεοῦ“ ἢ παραπλήσιός ἐστι τοῖς ἀναγεγραμμένοις. οὕτως δὲ καὶ οὐ πάντες ἄγγελοι „ἄγγελοι“ λέγονται εἶναι „τοῦ θεοῦ“ ἀλλὰ μόνοι οἱ μακάριοι, οἱ δ᾿ ἐκτραπέντες ἐπὶ τὴν κακίαν ἄγγελοι τοῦ διαβόλου ὀνομάζονται, ὥσπερ οἱ φαῦλοι ἄνθρωποι ἄνθρωποι ἁμαρτίας ἢ υἱοὶ λοιμοὶ ἢ υἱοὶ ἀδικίας. ἐπεὶ οὖν καὶ ἄνθρωποι οἱ μέν εἰσι σπουδαῖοι οἱ δὲ φαῦλοι, διὸ καὶ οἱ μὲν „τοῦ θεοῦ“ οἱ δὲ τοῦ διαβόλου εἶναι λέγονται, ἀλλὰ καὶ „ἄγγελοι“ οἱ μὲν „τοῦ θεοῦ“ οἱ δὲ τοῦ πονηροῦ, δαίμονες δὲ οὐκέτι διχῶς, πάντες γὰρ ἀποδείκνυνται εἶναι φαῦλοι· διὰ τοῦτο φήσομεν ψευδῆ εἶναι τὸν Κέλσου· λόγον εἰπόντος τό· εἰ δ᾿ εἰσί τινες δαίμονες. δηλονότι καὶ οὗτοι τοῦ θεοῦ· ἢ δεικνύτω ὁ βουλόμενος μὴ λόγον ὑγιῆ εἶναι τὴν περὶ ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἀγγέλων διαίρεσιν, ἢ λόγον ἔχοντα παραπλήσιον δύνασθαι ἀποδείκνυσθαι καὶ ἐπὶ δαιμόνων. Εἰ δὲ τοῦτ᾿ ἀμήχανον, δῆλον ὅτι οὔτε τοῦ θεοῦ εἰσιν οἱ δαίμονες· οὐ γὰρ ἄρχων αὐτῶν ὁ θεὸς ἀλλ᾿, ὥς φασιν οἱ θεῖοι λόγοι, ὁ „Βεελζεβούλ“·