§52. Wars, &c., roused by demons, lulled by Christianity.

Who then is He that has done this, or who is He that has united in peace men that hated one another, save the beloved Son of the Father, the common Saviour of all, even Jesus Christ, Who by His own love underwent all things for our salvation? For even from of old it was prophesied of the peace He was to usher in, where the Scripture says: “They153    Isa. ii. 4. shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their pikes into sickles, and nation shall not take the sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” 2. And this is at least not incredible, inasmuch as even now those barbarians who have an innate savagery of manners, while they still sacrifice to the idols of their country, are mad against one another, and cannot endure to be a single hour without weapons: 3. but when they hear the teaching of Christ, straightway instead of fighting they turn to husbandry, and instead of arming their hands with weapons they raise them in prayer, and in a word, in place of fighting among themselves, henceforth they arm against the devil and against evil spirits, subduing these by self-restraint and virtue of soul. 4. Now this is at once a proof of the divinity of the Saviour, since what men could not learn among idols154    St. Augustine, Civ. D. IV. xvi. commenting on the fact that the temple of ‘Repose’ (Quies) at Rome was not within the city walls, suggests ‘qui illam turbam colere perseveraret…dœmoniorum, eum Quietem habere non posse.’ they have learned from Him; and no small exposure of the weakness and nothingness of demons and idols. For demons, knowing their own weakness, for this reason formerly set men to make war against one another, lest, if they ceased from mutual strife, they should turn to battle against demons. 5. Why, they who become disciples of Christ, instead of warring with each other, stand arrayed against demons by their habits and their virtuous actions: and they rout them, and mock at their captain the devil; so that in youth they are self-restrained, in temptations endure, in labours persevere, when insulted are patient, when robbed make light of it: and, wonderful as it is, they despise even death and become martyrs of Christ.

Τίς οὖν ὁ ταῦτα ποιήσας, ἢ τίς ὁ τοὺς μισοῦντας ἀλλήλους εἰς εἰρήνην συνάψας, εἰ μὴ ὁ ἀγαπητὸς τοῦ Πατρὸς Υἱός, ὁ κοινὸς πάντων Σωτὴρ Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, ὃς τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ἀγάπῃ πάντα ὑπὲρ τῆς ἡμῶν σωτηρίας ὑπέστη; Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἄνωθεν ἦν προφητευόμενον περὶ τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ πρυτανευομένης εἰρήνης, λεγούσης τῆς γραφῆς· “Συγκό ψουσι τὰς μαχαίρας αὐτῶν εἰς ἄροτρα, καὶ τὰς ζιβύνας αὐτῶν εἰς δρέπανα, καὶ οὐ λήψεται ἔθνος ἐπ' ἔθνος μάχαιραν, καὶ οὐ μὴ μάθωσιν ἔτι πολεμεῖν.” Καὶ οὐκ ἄπιστόν γε τοιοῦτον, ὅπου καὶ νῦν οἱ τὸ ἄγριον τῶν τρόπων ἔμφυτον ἔχοντες βάρβαροι, ἔτι μὲν θύοντες παρ' αὐτοῖς τοῖς εἰδώλοις, μαίνονται κατ' ἀλλήλων, καὶ χωρὶς ξίφους οὐδεμίαν ὥραν ἀνέχονται μένειν. Ὅτε δὲ τῆς Χριστοῦ διδασκαλίας ἀκούουσιν, εὐθέως ἀντὶ μὲν πολέμων εἰς γεωργίαν τρέπονται, ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ ξίφεσι τὰς χεῖρας ὁπλίζειν, εἰς εὐχὰς ἐκτείνουσι· καὶ ὅλως, ἀντὶ τοῦ πολεμεῖν πρὸς ἑαυτούς, λοιπὸν κατὰ διαβόλου καὶ κατὰ δαιμόνων ὁπλίζονται, σωφροσύνῃ καὶ ψυχῆς ἀρετῇ τούτους καταπολεμοῦντες. Τοῦτο δὲ τῆς μὲν θειότητος τοῦ Σωτῆρός ἐστι γνώρισμα· ὅτι ὃ μὴ δεδύνηνται ἐν εἰδώλοις μαθεῖν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, τοῦτο παρ' αὐτοῦ μεμαθήκασι· τῆς δὲ δαιμόνων καὶ τῆς εἰδώλων ἀσθενείας καὶ οὐθενείας ἔλεγχος οὐκ ὀλίγος ἐστὶν οὗτος. Εἰδότες γὰρ ἑαυτῶν οἱ δαίμονες τὴν ἀσθένειαν, διὰ τοῦτο συνέβαλον πάλαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους καθ' ἑαυτῶν πολεμεῖν, ἵνα μὴ παυσάμενοι τῆς κατ' ἀλλήλων ἔριδος, εἰς τὴν κατὰ δαιμόνων μάχην ἐπιστρέψωσιν. Ἀμέλει, μὴ πολεμοῦντες πρὸς ἑαυτούς, οἱ Χριστῷ μαθητευόμενοι κατὰ δαιμόνων τοῖς τρόποις καὶ ταῖς κατ' ἀρετὴν πράξεσιν ἀντιπαρατάσσονται, καὶ τούτους μὲν διώκουσι, τὸν δὲ τούτων ἀρχηγὸν διάβολον καταπαίζουσιν, ὥστε ἐν νεότητι μὲν σωφρονεῖν, ἐν πειρασμοῖς δὲ ὑπομένειν, ἐν πόνοις δὲ καρτερεῖν, καὶ ὑβριζομένους μὲν ἀνέχεσθαι, ἀποστερουμένους δὲ καταφρονεῖν, καὶ τό γε θαυμαστόν, ὅτι καὶ θανάτου καταφρονοῦσι, καὶ γίνονται μάρτυρες Χριστοῦ.