Against Celsus 3.33

Celsus showed that he had read quite a few Greek histories when he cited the story of Cleomedes of Astypalaea, who, he related, went into a chest and, though shut up inside it, was not found inside, but by some divine fate had flown out, when some people broke open the chest to seize him. If this is a fiction, as it seems to be, it is not comparable with what concerns Jesus. For no token of their reported divinity is found in human life, whereas for Jesus there are the churches of those who have been helped, the prophecies spoken about him, the healings done in his name, and the knowledge and word with wisdom concerning him found among those who have taken care to rise above bare faith and search out the meaning in the divine Scriptures, according to the precepts of Jesus, who said, “Search the Scriptures,” and according to the intent of Paul, who taught that we must “know how to answer each one” as is fitting, and also of the one who said: “Always ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you for a reason for the faith that is in you.” But if he wishes it to be granted that it is not a fiction, let him say for what purpose the superhuman power made him fly out of the chest by some divine fate. If he presents something worthy of note and a purpose worthy of God that bestowed such a thing on Cleomedes, we shall decide what to say to him. But if he is at a loss to say anything even plausible on the matter, clearly, since no reason is found, we shall either disparage the story to those who have not accepted it and charge it with being untrue, or we shall say that some daemon did something to the man of Astypalaea like what sorcerers show by deceiving the eyes; Celsus thinks that an oracle declared of him that by some divine fate he flew out of the chest.