Against Celsus 5.44

Since Celsus wishes to make the venerable things of the Jews common with the laws of certain nations, come, let us consider these too. He thinks that the doctrine about heaven differs in no way from that about God, and says that the Persians, like the Jews, perform sacrifices to Zeus, going up to the highest mountains. He does not see that, as the Jews knew one God, so they had one holy house of prayer, one altar of whole burnt offerings, one altar of incense, and one high priest of God. The Jews, then, had nothing in common with the Persians, who go up to the highest mountains, which are many, and perform sacrifices that have nothing like those under the law of Moses, according to which the priests of the Jews served "a copy and shadow of the heavenly things," explaining in secret the intent of the law concerning the sacrifices and what they were symbols of. Let the Persians, then, call the whole circle of heaven Zeus; but we say that heaven is neither Zeus nor God, since we know that even some beings lower than God have risen above the heavens and all perceptible nature. And so we understand: "Praise God, you heavens of heavens, and the water above the heavens; let them praise the name of the Lord."