Against Celsus 8.69

Then Celsus, not listening to himself, having said something inconsistent with “For if all were to do the same as you,” says: “Surely you will not say that if the Romans, persuaded by you, neglect their customary duties to gods and men and call upon your Most High, or whoever you like, he will come down and fight for them, and they will need no other defence. For formerly too the same God promised those who paid heed to him these things and much greater than these, as you say; and you see how much he has helped them and you. Of them, instead of being masters of the whole earth, not even a clod of earth or a hearth is left; and of you, if one still wanders about in hiding, he is sought out for the penalty of death.” Since he asks, as a hypothesis, what would happen if the Romans, persuaded by the teaching of Christians, neglected their duties to the customary gods and their former human laws and worshipped the Most High, hear what we think about this. We say that if “two” of us “agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by the Father” of the righteous “who is in heaven”; for God rejoices in the agreement of rational beings and turns away from disagreement. What must we think, then, if not only, as now, very few agree, but the whole empire of the Romans? For they will pray to the Word who formerly said to the Hebrews when they were pursued by the Egyptians, “The Lord will fight for you, and you shall be silent”; and praying in complete agreement they will be able to destroy far more enemies who pursue them than those destroyed by the prayer of Moses crying to God and of those with him. And if what God promised to those who keep the law has not come about, it has not failed because God lied, but because the promises were made on conditions, namely keeping the law and living according to the law. And if neither a clod nor a hearth is left to the Jews who received the promises on conditions, the blame must be laid on all their lawlessness, and especially on that against Jesus.