Kelsos

Under the name Celsus, a work of polemic against Christianity titled "True Discourse" has reached us indirectly through Origen's response. As with most authors of the early post-Christian centuries, our information about Celsus's life is minimal, especially since his work faced relentless persecution during the Middle Ages. The same fate befell all works of polemic against Christianity, which were systematically destroyed and disappeared from all libraries during the early centuries of its dominance. During these centuries, several opponents of Christianity appeared under this name. Although it is not entirely clear who the author of "True Discourse" is, research tends to show that it is Celsus, the Platonic philosopher who lived in the 2nd century AD during the reign of Marcus Aurelius, with his writing activity placed between 175-180 AD.