The mills of the gods and the justice of God
We, for our part, whatever we may say about punishment, do turn many from their sins through the teaching about punishment. But let us consider what sort of answer the priest of Apollo or of Zeus gives in Celsus’s account: “Late,” he says, “grind the mills of the gods, even to children’s children, who may be born later.”
See how much better than this are the words, “Fathers shall not die for children, nor shall sons die for fathers; each shall die for his own sin” (Deuteronomy 24:16), and this, “The one who ate the sour grape shall have his teeth set on edge” (Jeremiah 31:30), and this, “A son shall not bear the unrighteousness of his father, and a father shall not bear the unrighteousness of his son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the lawlessness of the lawless shall be upon him” (Ezekiel 18:20).
But if anyone says that the words, “repaying the sins of fathers upon children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me” (Deuteronomy 5:9; compare Exodus 20:5), are like “to children’s children, who may be born later,” let him learn that in Ezekiel such a saying is called a “parable” (Ezekiel 18:2–3), where the prophet blames those who say, “The fathers ate a sour grape, and the children’s teeth were set on edge” (Ezekiel 18:2; compare Jeremiah 31:29), and to this is added, “As I live, says the Lord” (Ezekiel 18:3), “but each shall die for his own sin” (Jeremiah 31:30). This is not the right time to explain what the parable means about “sins” being repaid “to the third and fourth generation.”
Greek
Καὶ ἡμεῖς μὲν ὅ τι ποτὲ περὶ κολάσεως λέγοντες καὶ διὰ τῆς περὶ κολάσεως διδασκαλίας πολλοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἐπιστρέφομεν· ὁ δὲ κατὰ τὸν Κέλσον ἱερεὺς τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος ἢ τοῦ Διὸς οἷα ἀποκρίνεται, κατανοήσωμεν· ὀψὲ, φησὶ, θεῶν ἀλέουσι μύλοι, καὶ ἐς παίδων παῖδας, τοί κεν μετόπισθε γένωνται. ὅρα δὲ ὅσῳ τούτου βέλτιον τὸ „οὐκ ἀποθανοῦνται πατέρες ὑπὲρ τέκνων, οὐδὲ υἱοὶ ἀποθανοῦνται ὑπὲρ πατέρων· ἕκαστος τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ἑαυτοῦ ἀποθανεῖται“ καὶ τοῦτο „τοῦ φαγόντος τὸν ὄμφακα αἱμωδιάσουσιν οἱ ὀδόντες αὐτοῦ“ καὶ τὸ „υἱὸς οὐ λήψεται ἀδικίαν πατρὸς, καὶ πατὴρ οὐ λήψεται ἀδικίαν υἱοῦ· δικαιοσύνη δικαίου ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸν ἔσται, καὶ ἀνομία ἀνόμου ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸν ἔσται.“ ἐὰν δέ τις ὅμοιον εἶναι λέγῃ τῷ ἐς παίδων παῖδας, τοί κεν μετόπισθε γένωνται τὸ „ἀποδιδοὺς ἁμαρτίας πατέρων ἐπὶ τέκνα ἐπὶ τρίτην καὶ τετάρτην γενεὰν τοῖς μισοῦσί (με) ,“ μαθέτω ὅτι ἐν τῷ Ἰεζεκιὴλ „παραβολὴ“ τὸ τοιοῦτον εἶναι λέλεκται, αἰτιωμένῳ τοὺς λέγοντας· „οἱ πατέρες ἔφαγον ὄμφακα, καὶ οἱ ὀδόντες τῶν τέκνων ᾑμωδίασαν,“ ᾧ ἐπιφέρεται· „ζῶ ἐγὼ, λέγει κύριος,“ „ἀλλ᾿ ἢ ἕκαστος τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ἁμαρτίᾳ ἀποθανεῖται.“ οὐ κατὰ τὸν παρόντα δὲ καιρόν ἐστι διηγήσασθαι, τί σημαίνει ἡ περὶ τοῦ „ (ἐπὶ) τρίτην καὶ τετάρτην γενεὰν“ ἀποδίδοσθαι τὰς „ἁμαρτίας“ παραβολή.