The First Apology

And the devils, indeed, having heard this cleansing preached by the prophet, urged those who enter their temples and are about to approach with libations and burnt-offerings to also sprinkle themselves; and they cause them to wash completely before they enter the shrines where their images are placed. The command given by the priests to those who enter and worship in the temples to take off their shoes is an imitation by the devils of what happened to the prophet Moses. At that time, when Moses was instructed to go down to Egypt to lead the Israelites out, and while he was tending the flocks of his maternal uncle in the land of Arabia, our Christ spoke to him through a fire in a bush and said, "Take off your shoes and come near and listen." When he had taken off his shoes and approached, he heard that he was to go down into Egypt and lead the Israelites out; and he received great power from Christ, who spoke to him in the form of fire, and went down and led the people out, performing great and marvelous deeds. If you wish to know these details, you can learn them accurately from his writings.