Celcus, conceding that Christians are not without success in business (infructuosi in negotiis), wants them to be good citizens, to retain their own belief but conform to the state religion.

It is an earnest and striking appeal on behalf of the Empire, and shows the terms offered to the Christian sects, as well as the importance of the various sects at the time.

It is not known how many are Christians at the time of Celsus but, as a comparison, the estimation of Wilken of the Jewish population of the empire to have been about ten percent may be quoted. (Robert Louis Wilken, The Christians as the Romans Saw Them, [Yale: University Press, 2nd edition, 2003])

The Christians are certainly fewer.

It is unlikely their influence throughout CE 100-400 was greater than what the physical evidence reveals.