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being scourged to inflict other blows upon himself, begging to be released from these by a pure remission and by intercession and prayer; 9.9 but neither of things being burned at home, instead of sprinkling extinguishing agents, on the contrary by pouring on oil or pitch raises the flame to an immeasurable height, and being burned it increases the suffering more and waters fire with fire unskillfully. 9.10 Thus, then, by the things the sorcerers strove to do, by these they produced clear proofs that they thought they ought to entertain themselves with fanciful conceit. Indeed, it is not difficult to see at once that even now the jugglers in the theaters are accustomed to doing many more and greater things than these. 9.11 But nevertheless, with these things being clearly exposed as stale by their impromptu power, the narrative voice writes no less: "And the magicians of the Egyptians did likewise with their sorceries." It was necessary, therefore, as the dogmatist Origen legislated, to say: the magicians of the Egyptians did similar things in appearance, but not to say "likewise," so that no one might suppose that it proceeds from a like power. 9.12 For if they were able to do similar things to Moses and his company, then likewise they would have been able to defend themselves against their opponents with equal things, so that the contests on both sides would be evenly matched. But if through what they fashioned they harmed no one, then he has used the word, but the imprints of lifeless fantasy are manifest. 9.13 Just as 20here also the20 writer, by putting forth the name of the magicians and the practices of sorcery, showed that it would not be at all necessary to dispute 20that for the magi each thing is accomplished through doleful curiosity20. 9.14 Such also are the dramas recorded of this story; for he himself, having named a ventriloquist, and then also refuting the impious inventions of divination, and having shown the face of the one divining to be that of a demon-possessed person, he declared completely that each thing was accomplished through counterfeit fantasies. But these things we must understand thus.

10.1 But let us go again, tracing back over the tracks of the arguments. What then? As he asked

the ventriloquist, Saul having said, "20What have you seen20?", first the distraught woman, replying, cries out: "And I have seen gods ascending from the earth." 10.2 For since the devil wished in every way to break the man's neck, having seized him, he tried to show clearly that the demon had under his power not only to bring up one soul of a righteous man, but also all the souls of the holy men together. And he, having armed the army of demons from the opposing side at the same time and having gathered a company in the twinkling of an eye, was boasting, wishing through this also to persuade all that he himself was the god who gathers the others. 10.3 That, then, using his own madness, he is accustomed to deifying himself, Isaiah, refuting him face to face, proclaims with a sacred prophetic voice: "But you said in your heart: I will ascend into heaven, above the stars I will place my throne, I will sit on a high mountain, on the high mountains toward the north, I will ascend above the clouds, I will be like the Most High." 10.4 And the Lord himself testifies to similar things through the prophet Ezekiel, speaking openly: "Because your heart was lifted up, and you said: I am a god, I will dwell in the heart of the sea, but you are a man and not a god." For this, how many punishments he threatens against him, it is easier to see from the underlying texts; but that he relies on such apparitions, boasting each time, has been shown by a divine decree. 10.5 Therefore, if the demon was able to bring up those called gods by name, is it not necessary to think that he who brings them up is greater than those brought up? And if this one surpasses the holy ones, it is consistent to suppose that the arch-demon in turn surpasses this one. 10.6 And if someone should grant these things, he establishes with irrefutable power that he himself is god of gods, who grants such authority to his own servants, so that spirits and souls from

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μαστιζόμενος ἄλλας ἑαυτῷ προσεπιφέρειν πληγάς, ἀνεθῆναι τούτων ἀφέσει καθαρᾷ καὶ πρεσβείᾳ καὶ δεήσει προσλιπαρῶν· 9.9 ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τῶν οἴκοι πιπραμένων, ἀντὶ τοῦ σβεστήρια καταψεκάζειν ὄργανα, τοὐναντίον ἔλαιον ἢ πίτταν ἐπιχέων εἰς ἄμετρον μὲν ὕψος ἐγείρει τὴν φλόγα, φλεγομένη δὲ μεῖζον τὸ πάθος αὔξει καὶ πὺρ ἄρδει κατὰ πυρὸς ἀπειροκάλως. 9.10 οὕτως ἄρα, δι' ὧν ἐφιλοτιμοῦντο πράττειν οἱ φαρμακοί, διὰ τούτων ἐναργεῖς ἐξέφερον ἐλέγχους ὡς οἰησικοπίᾳ φαντασιώδει ψυχαγωγεῖν ᾤοντο δεῖν ἑαυτούς. ἔστιν γοῦν αὐτόθεν οὐ χαλεπῶς ἰδεῖν ὅτι καὶ νυνὶ πολλῷ πλείονα καὶ μείζονα τούτων ἐν τοῖς θεάτροις οἱ ψηφοπαῖκται δρῶσιν εἰωθότως. 9.11 ἀλλ' ὅμως αὐτοσχεδίῳ δυνάμει τούτων ἄντικρυς ἁλισκομένων ἑώλων, οὐδὲν ἧττον ἡ διηγηματικὴ προγράφει φωνή «καὶ ἐποίησαν οἱ ἐπαοιδοὶ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ταῖς φαρμακείαις αὐτῶν ὡσαύτως». ἔδει τοίνυν, ὡς ὁ δογματιστὴς ἐνομοθέτησεν Ὠριγένης, εἰπεῖν· ἐποίησαν δὲ τὰ παραπλήσια τῷ δοκεῖν οἱ ἐπαοιδοὶ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων, ἀλλὰ μὴ λέγειν «ὡσαύτως», ἵνα μή τις ὑπολάβοιεν ἂν ὡς ἐξ ὁμοίας ὁρμᾶται δυνάμεως. 9.12 εἰ γὰρ ὅμοια τοῖς ἀμφὶ Μωσέα πράττειν οἷοί τε ἧσαν, οὐκοῦν ὡσαύτως ἠδύναντο τοὺς ἐναντίους ἀμύνασθαι τοῖς ἴσοις, ὥστε τοὺς ἀγῶνας ἑκατέρωθεν ὑπάρχειν ἀντιπάλους. εἰ δ' οὐδένα δι' ὧν ἐσχημάτιζον ἔβλαπτον, ἀποκέχρηται μὲν ἄρα τῷ ῥήματι, πρόδηλα δὲ τὰ τῆς ἀψύχου φαντασίας ἐκτυπώματα. 9.13 οἷα δὴ 20κἀνταῦθα τὸ τῶν ἐπαοιδῶν ὄνομα προτάξας ὁ20 συγγραφεὺς καὶ τὰ τῆς φαρμακείας ἐπιτηδεύματα, διέδειξεν ὡς οὐ χρεὼν ἂν εἴη τὸ παράπαν ἀμφισβητεῖν 20ὅτι τοῖς μάγοις ἕκαστα περιεργίᾳ διαπράττεται20 γοώδει. 9.14 τοιαῦτα καὶ τὰ τῆσδε τῆς ἱστορίας ἀπογράφεται δράματα· αὐτὸς γὰρ ἐγγαστρίμυθον ὀνομάσας, εἶτα καὶ μαντικῆς εὑρήματα διελέγχων ἀσεβῆ, δαιμονιζομένου τε τὸ πρόσωπον ἀποδείξας εἶναι τὸ μαντευόμενον, αὐτοτελῶς ἐξέφηνεν ὅτι φαντασιοκοπίαις ἕκαστα διεπράττετο κιβδήλοις. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἡμῖν οὕτω νοητέον.

10.1 Ἴωμεν δὲ πάλιν ἐξελίττοντες ἐπὶ τὰ τῶν λόγων ἴχνη. τί οὖν; ὡς ἤρετο

τὴν ἐγγαστρίμυθον ὁ Σαοὺλ τὸ «20τί ἑόρακας20;» εἰπών, ἐν πρώτοις ἡ παραπλὴξ ἀνθυπενέγκασα βοᾷ· «καὶ θεοὺς ἑόρακα ἀναβαίνοντας ἐκ τῆς γῆς». 10.2 ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐβούλετο παντοίως ἐκτραχηλιάσαι τὸν ἄνδρα συναρπάσας ὁ διάβολος, ἐπειρᾶτο δεικνύναι σαφῶς ὅτι τὸ δαιμόνιον ἐπ' ἐξουσίας εἶχεν οὐχὶ μίαν μόνον ἀνάξαι δικαίου ψυχήν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάσας ὁμοῦ τὰς τῶν ἁγίων ἀνδρῶν. ὁ δὲ ἐκ τῶν ἐναντίων τὴν τῶν δαιμόνων ἐν ταὐτῷ στρατιὰν ὁπλίσας καὶ σύνοδον ἐν μιᾷ ῥοπῆς ὥρᾳ συστησάμενος ἐκόμπαζε, πεῖσαι καὶ διὰ τοῦδε τοὺς ἅπαντας ἐθέλων ὡς αὐτὸς εἴη θεὸς ὁ συναγωγεὺς τῶν ἄλλων. 10.3 ὅτι δ' οὖν οἰκείᾳ χρώμενος ἀπονοίᾳ θεοποιεῖν εἴωθεν ἑαυτόν, ὁ μὲν Ἡσαΐας ἀντιπροσώπως ἐλέγχων αὐτὸν ἱεροφωνίᾳ κηρύττει προφητικῇ· «σὺ δὲ εἶπας ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου· εἰς οὐρανὸν ἀναβήσομαι, ἐπάνω τῶν ἀστέρων θήσω τὸν θρόνον μου, καθιῶ ἐν ὄρει ὑψηλῷ ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη τὰ ὑψηλὰ τὰ πρὸς βορρᾶν, ἀναβήσομαι ἐπάνω τῶν νεφελῶν, ἔσομαι ὅμοιος τῷ ὑψίστῳ». 10.4 μαρτυρεῖ δὲ τούτοις ὅμοια καὶ διὰ τοῦ προφήτου φθεγγόμενος Ἰεζεκιὴλ αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος ἄντικρυς· «ἀνθ' ὧν ὑψώθη ἡ καρδία σου, καὶ εἶπας· θεός εἰμι ἐγώ, κατοικιῶ ἐν καρδίᾳ θαλάσσης, σὺ δὲ εἷ ἄνθρωπος καὶ οὐ θεός». ἀντὶ τούτου μὲν ὅσας αὐτῷ τιμωρίας ἀπειλεῖ, ῥᾷόν ἐστιν ἐκ τῶν ὑποκειμένων ἰδεῖν· ὅτι δὲ τοιούτοις ἐπερείδεται φάσμασι κομπολογῶν ἑκάστοτε, θείᾳ δεδήλωται ψηφοφορίᾳ. 10.5 τοιγαροῦν, εἴπερ ὁ δαίμων οἷός τε ἦν ἀνάξαι τοὺς ὀνόματι θεοὺς ἀνακικλησκομένους, οὐκ ἀνάγκη νοεῖν ὅτι μείζων τῶν ἀναγομένων ὁ ἀνάγων ἐστίν; εἰ δὲ προὔχει τῶν ὁσίων οὗτος, ἀκόλουθον ὑπολαμβάνειν ὅτι καὶ τούτου πάλιν αὐτὸς ὁ ἀρχιδαίμων. 10.6 εἰ δὲ ταῦτά τις ἀποδώσειεν, ἀναντιρρήτῳ δυνάμει συνίστησιν ὡς αὐτός ἐστιν θεὸς θεῶν ὁ τοῖς ὑπηρέταις τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ τοιαύτην ἀπονέμων ἐξουσίαν, ὥστε πνεύματα καὶ ψυχὰς ἐξ