Based on the research, here are citable sources on Celsus's acknowledgment of Christian demonology:
## Primary Source (Essential)
Origen, Contra Celsum (Against Celsus), written c. 248 CE
- This is your main source—Celsus's original True Word (c. 170-180 CE) survives only through Origen's quotations
- Key passages: Book 1, chapters 25, 46; Book 7, chapter 4 (where Origen discusses Celsus's concessions about exorcism)
- Available in English translation by Henry Chadwick (Cambridge University Press, 1953/1980) — widely considered the standard scholarly edition
## Secondary Sources Found in Research
1. Lausanne Movement — "Possession and Exorcism in the Literature of the Ancient Church and the New Testament"
- States: "The critic of Christianity, Celsus, speaks of the power over the demons that the Christians seem to possess, and both Origen and Tertullian say that the pagans used to fetch a Christian when they wanted help for a possessed person"
- URL: lausanne.org/content/historical-overview-1
2. Dr. Jim's Essential Bible Teaching — "Healings and Deliverances in Early Church Fathers"
- Documents Tertullian's statements about exorcism authority and references Celsus/Origen interaction
- URL: drjimsebt.com (search for early church fathers exorcism)
3. Grokipedia — "List of Exorcists"
- Notes: "Origen (c. 184-253 AD), in Contra Celsum (book 1, chapters 25, 46; book 7, chapter 4), documents exorcisms by ordinary believers over possessed pagans and idolaters, noting demons' terror at Christ's invocation"
- URL: grokipedia.com/page/List_of_exorcists
## Recommended Academic Works
- Henry Chadwick, Origen: Contra Celsum (Cambridge, 1980) — includes extensive introduction on Celsus
- R. Joseph Hoffmann, Celsus: On the True Doctrine (Oxford, 1987) — a reconstruction of Celsus's arguments
- John Granger Cook, The Interpretation of the New Testament in Greco-Roman Paganism (2000) — discusses pagan acknowledgments of Christian miracles
The Chadwick translation of Contra Celsum is the most authoritative source you can cite directly.