"Celsus was only one writer in a long tradition of Roman writers and
philosophers who wrote and spoke out against Christianity, feeling that
their doctrines were either inscrutable or downright foolish."
"Most Romans could not understand the Christians' insistence on their
own superiority and their insistence upon their apparently exclusive
path to salvation. They could also not understand Christianity’s claims
that they were a unique religion with a long history reaching back to
antiquity, when the Roman philosophers knew that Christianity had broken
off from Judaism relatively recently and still used ancient Jewish
texts both to formulate their theology and to support their religious
claims."
"Celsus’ first main point in his True Word was to refute the validity of
Christianity. In his opinion Christian theology was based on an
amalgamation of false eastern philosophical ideas hastily tied together.
He stated that Christians would “weave together erroneous opinions
drawn from ancient sources and trumpet them aloud”.[6] Celsus gave a
point by point critique of Christian doctrine, and why it should not
have been believed by anyone."
"what now makes up the Christian Bible- Celsus found very insipid and
unappealing compared to Greek and Roman legends of powerful and colorful
gods. Celsus also found Christian philosophy lacking when compared to
secular philosophy, and declared that “things are stated much better
among the Greeks”.[7] Celsus used Plato as the representative for Greek
philosophers and, according to him, when comparing the two philosophical
traditions Christianity appeared far worse, as "Plato is not guilty of
boasting and falsehood",[8] a crime which Celsus obviously feels is a
trademark of Christian theologians. The only connection Celsus made
between Greek philosophy and Christianity was when he asserted that
“Jesus perverted the words of the philosopher”[9] (i.e. Plato)."
"In his opinion, the main tenet of Christianity was “Do not ask questions, just believe” and “Thy faith will save thee".[13]"
"Celsus complained that Christianity was a phenomenon limited primarily
to the lower class. He claimed that Christians actively sought out and
converted the ignorant, uneducated, and lower class, as they were the
only people who would believe in such a ridiculous theology and blindly
follow its doctrines.[14] If an individual was from the upper class, and
therefore well educated and naturally of good character, they would not
be converted because they could not possibly believe in the absurd
assumptions one had to in order to be considered “Christian”."
"Celsus declared that Christians convert by “lead[ing] on wicked men by
empty hopes, and to persuade them to despise better things, saying that
if they refrain from them it will be better…”."
"Celsus’ main argument against Christianity, and why he attacked it with
such vigor, was that he considered it a divisive and destructive force
that would harm both the Roman Empire and society."
"Celsus listed many reasons for how his Roman readers could easily
deduce that Christianity was endangering their unity and the stability
of the Empire. Christianity originated from Judaism, whose adherents,
although living within the Empire, had already revolted against Roman
rule several times. The Christian community then became further divided
amongst themselves, and Celsus complained that “matters are determined
in different ways by the various sects”.[18] This dissension between
different factions within Christianity proved to the Romans that
Christians who could not even draw together under their own shared
beliefs were naturally a divisive people and not only caused friction
within their own philosophy but would disrupt the unity of the Empire.
Finally Celsus and other Roman writers believed that “Christians are
dangerous precisely because they put the advancement of their beliefs
above the common good and the welfare of the state”"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_True_Word
