How Christians lead for their country
And if Celsus wants us to lead armies for our country as well, let him know that we do this too, and not so as to be seen by men or to win empty glory from them by doing it (Matthew 6:1). For in our secret place, in the very ruling part of the soul, prayers are sent up, as from priests, for those in our country (Matthew 6:6).
Christians do more good to their countries than the rest of mankind. They educate the citizens and teach them to be devout toward God, the guardian of the city, and they take up into a divine and heavenly city those who have lived well in the least of cities. To them it might be said: in a very small city “you were faithful” (Luke 19:17); come also to the great one, where “God has taken his stand in the assembly of gods, and in their midst he judges gods” (Psalm 82:1), and he numbers you too among them, if you no longer die like a man nor fall “like one of the rulers” (Psalm 82:7).
Greek
Εἰ δὲ βούλεται ἡμᾶς ὁ Κέλσος καὶ στρατηγεῖν (ὑπὲρ) πατρίδος. ἴστω ὅτι καὶ ταῦτα ποιοῦμεν, οὐ πρὸς τὸ βλέπεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ κενοδοξεῖν ἐπ᾿ αὐτῶν ταῦτα πράττοντες· ἐν γὰρ τῷ κρυπτῷ ἡμῶν κατ᾿ αὐτὸ τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν εὐχαί εἰσιν, ἀναπεμπόμεναι ὡς ἀπὸ ἱερέων ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐν τῇ πατρίδι ἡμῶν. Χριστιανοὶ δὲ μᾶλλον εὐεργετοῦσι τὰς πατρίδας ἢ οἱ λοιποὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, παιδεύοντες τοὺς πολίτας καὶ εὐσεβεῖν διδάσκοντες εἰς τὸν πολιέα θεὸν, ἀναλαμβάνοντες εἰς θείαν τινὰ καὶ ἐπουράνιον πόλιν τοὺς ἐν ταῖς ἐλαχίσταις πόλεσι καλῶς βιώσαντας· πρὸς οὓς λέγοιτο ἄν· (ἐν) ἐλαχίστῃ πόλει „πιστὸς ἐγένου,“ ἧκε καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν μεγάλην, ὅπου „θεὸς ἔστη ἐν συναγωγῇ θεῶν, ἐν μέσῳ δὲ θεοὺς διακρίνει,“ καὶ σὲ συναριθμῶν αὐτοῖς, ἐὰν μηκέτι ὡς ἄνθρωπος ἀποθνῄσκῃς μηδ᾿ „ὡς εἷς τῶν ἀρχόντων“ πίπτῃς.