in  the  following  fashion :  "  Although  he  could
state  many  things  regarding  the  events  of  the
Bife  of  Jesus  which  are  true,  and  not  like  those
ivhich  are  recorded  by  the  disciples,  he  willingly
lomits  them."  What,  then,  are  those  true  state-
ments, unlike  the  accounts  in  the  Gospels,  which
the  Jew  of  Celsus  passes  by  without  mention?
Or  is  he  only  employing  what  appears  to  be  a
figure  of  speech,**  in  pretending  to  have  some-
thing to  say,  while  in  reality  he  had  nothing
to  produce  beyond  the  Gospel  narrative  which
could  impress  the  hearer  with  a  feeling  of  its
truth,  and  furnish  a  clear  ground  of  accusation
against  Jesus  and  His  doctrine  ?  And  he  charges
the  disciples  with  having  invented  the  statement
that  Jesus  foreknew  and  foretold  all  that  hap-
pened to  Him ;  but  the  truth  of  this  statement
we  shall  establish,  although  Celsus  may  not  like
it,  by  means  of  many  other  predictions  uttered
by  the  Saviour,  in  which  He  foretold  what  would
befall  the  Christians. in  after  generations. And
who  is  there  who  would  not  be  astonished  at
this  prediction :  "  Ye  shall  be  brought  before
governors  and  kings  for  My  sake,  for  a  testimony
against  them  and  the  Gentiles ; "  s  and  at  any
others  which  He  may  have  delivered  respecting
the  future  persecution  of  His  disciples?  For
what  system  of  opinions  ever  existed  among
men  on  account  of  which  others  are  punished,
so  that  any  one  of  the  accusers  of  Jesus  could
say  that,  foreseeing  the  impiety  or  falsity  of  his
opinions  to  be  the  ground  of  an  accusation
against  them,  he  thought  that  this  would  re-
dound to  his  credit,  that  he  had  so  predicted
regarding  it  long  before ?  Now  if  any  desene
to  be  brought,  on  account  of  their  opinions,
before  governors  and  kings,  what  others  are  they,
save  the  Epicureans,  who  altogether  deny  the
existence  of  providence?  And  also  the  Peri-
patetics, who  say  that  prayers  are  of  no  avail,
and  sacrifices  offered  as  to  the  Divinity?  But
some  one  will  say  that  the  Samaritans  suffer  per-
secution because  of  their  religion. In  answer
to  whom  we  shall  state  that^  the  Sicarians,**  on
account  of  the  practice  of  circumcision,  as  muti-
lating themselves  contrary  to  the  established
laws  and  the  customs  permitted  to  the  Je^'s
alone,  are  put  to  death. 