Against Celsus 4.42

Celsus threw in the matter of the dove to seem to have read the book of Genesis, though he could say nothing to prove that the story of the dove was fictitious. Then, as is his custom, to paraphrase what is written in a more ridiculous way, he changed “the raven” into a crow, and thinks that Moses wrote these things by recklessly altering the story of Deucalion among the Greeks; unless perhaps he thinks the writing is not even Moses' but that of several people; for this is what “counterfeiting and recklessly altering the story of Deucalion” indicates, and this: “For I do not think they expected these things would come to light.” But how did those who gave writings to a whole nation not expect them to come to light, when they even prophesied that this worship of God would be proclaimed to all the nations? And when Jesus said to the Jews, “The kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation producing its fruits,” what else was he arranging than to bring to light himself, by divine power, the whole Jewish Scripture, which contains mysteries of the kingdom of God? Then, if they read the theogonies of the Greeks and the stories about the twelve gods, they dignify them with allegories; but if they want to ridicule ours, they say they were simply told as myths to little children.