In the second century the Greek philosopher, Celsus, wrote an invaluable book about Christianity based on a variety of older, now lost, sources. A Christian writer, Origen, (fl. 247 AD) wrote a reply to Celsus' book, quoting from it extensively. Of special interest is the revealing statement that poverty forced Jesus to travel to Egypt where the son of a carpenter might find work. It was there that he learned: "…certain arts for which the Egyptians are