Against Celsus 2.15

Celsus says that "the disciples of Jesus, having nothing to plead about an obvious fact, devised this: to say that he foreknew everything"—not noticing, or not wishing to notice, the truthfulness of the writers, who admitted both that Jesus foretold to the disciples, "All of you will be offended because of me this night," and that he spoke truly when they were offended; and that he prophesied to Peter, "Before the cock crows you will deny me three times," and that Peter denied him three times. For if they had not been lovers of truth, but, as Celsus thinks, were recording inventions, they would not have recorded Peter denying him or Jesus' disciples being offended. For even if these things happened, who would have proved the account wrong by showing that it happened so? Indeed, in all likelihood, such things should have been kept silent by men who wished to teach the readers of the Gospels to despise death for the confession of Christianity. But as it is, seeing that the teaching would prevail over human beings by its power, they set down even such things, which, I do not know how, would not harm the readers or give them an excuse for denial.