"His miracles, _granted to be true_, were nothing more than the common works of those _enchanters_, who, for a few _oboli_, will perform greater deeds in the midst of the Forum, calling up the souls of heroes, exhibiting sumptuous banquets, and tables covered with food, which have no reality. Such things do not prove these jugglers to be sons of God; nor do Christ's miracles."[271:2] Celsus, in common with most of the Grecians, looked upon Christianity as a _blind faith_, that shunned the light of reason. In speaking of the Christians, he says: "They are forever repeating: 'Do not examine. _Only believe_, and thy _faith_ will make thee blessed. _Wisdom_ is a bad thing in life; _foolishness_ is to be preferred.'"[272:1] He jeers at the fact that _ignorant men_ were allowed to preach, and says that "weavers, tailors, fullers, and the most illiterate and rustic fellows," set up to teach strange paradoxes. "They openly declared that none but the ignorant (were) fit disciples for the God they worshiped," and that one of their rules was, "let no man that is learned come among us."[272:2] The _miracles_ claimed to have been performed by the Christians, he attributed to _magic_,[272:3] and considered--as we have seen above--their miracle performers to be on the same level with all Gentile magicians. He says that the "wonder-workers" among the Christians "rambled about to play tricks at fairs and markets," that they never appeared in the circles of the wiser and better sort, but always took care to intrude themselves among the ignorant and uncultured.[272:4] "The magicians in Egypt (says he), cast out evil spirits, cure diseases by a breath, call up the spirits of the dead, make inanimate things move as if they were alive, and so influence some uncultured men, that they produce in them whatever sights and sounds they please. But because they do such things shall we consider them the sons of God? Or shall we call such things the tricks of pitiable and wicked men?"[272:5] He believed that Jesus was like all these other wonder-workers, that is, simply a _necromancer_, and that he learned his magical arts in Egypt.[272:6] All philosophers, during the time of the Early Fathers, answered the claims that Jesus performed miracles, in the same manner. "They even ventured to call him a _magician_ and a deceiver of the people," says Justin Martyr,[272:7] and St. Augustine asserted that it was generally believed that Jesus had been initiated in _magical art_ in Egypt, and that he had written books concerning magic, one of which was called "_Magia Jesu Christi_."[272:8] In the Clementine Recognitions, the charge is brought against Jesus that he did not perform his miracles as a Jewish prophet, but as a magician, an initiate of the heathen temples.[272:9]