57. You do not believe our
writings, and we do not believe yours. We devise falsehoods
concerning Christ, you say; and you put forth baseless and false
statements concerning your gods: for no god has descended from
heaven, or in his own person and life has sketched out your system, or
in a similar way thrown discredit on our system and our
ceremonies. These were written by men; those, too, were written
by men—set forth in human speech; and whatever you seek to say
concerning our writers, remember that about yours, too, you will find
these things said with equal force. What is contained in your
writings you wish to be treated as true; those things, also, which are
attested in our books, you must of necessity confess to be true. You accuse our system of falsehood; we, too, accuse yours of falsehood. But ours is more ancient, say you, therefore most credible and trustworthy; as if, indeed, antiquity were not the most fertile source of errors, and did not herself put forth those things which in discreditable fables have attached the utmost infamy to the gods. For could not falsehoods have been both spoken and believed ten thousand years ago, or is it not most probable that that which is near to our own time should be more credible than that which is separated by a long term of years? For these of ours are brought forward on the faith of witnesses, those of yours on the ground of opinions; and it is much more natural that there should be less invention in matters of recent occurrence, than in those far removed in the darkness of antiquity.