Against Celsus 5.64

He seems to me to have misheard both the apostle's words that say, "In later times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the hypocrisy of liars whose own conscience is seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by the faithful," and those who have used these words of the apostle against those who have debased the things of Christianity. That is why Celsus said that some among the Christians are called "cauteries of the ear." He says also that some are called "riddles," which we have not come across. It is true that the word "stumbling block" occurs often in these writings, which we are accustomed to use of those who pervert the simpler and easily deceived from sound teaching. As for "certain Sirens dancing lewdly and sophistical, sealing up the ears and giving swine's heads to those who obey them," we do not know of any so named, nor, I think, does anyone else among those of our faith or in the sects. But this man, who professes to know everything, says such things too: "And you will hear," he says, "all of them, though so divided and refuting one another most shamefully in their quarrels, saying: 'The world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.'" This seems to be the only thing Celsus remembers from Paul; for why do we not also quote countless other things written, such as: "For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh; for the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly but powerful for God for the destruction of strongholds, destroying reasonings and every high thing raised up against the knowledge of God"?