7

for the struggles. But since the holy angels care for us, and attend to us; but the devil works against our salvation, and concerning the same matter, that is, man, they oppose one another; they are said to stand together, while God 64.524 oversees the things being done; and we conquer, or are defeated, not by the power of those opposing, nor by the weakness of those allied with us, but by our own choice. For with both sides urging us to their own, the holy angels to good things, and the wicked demons to evil things, our choice, being honored with free will, proceeds to whichever side it wishes. For neither does God compel, having honored us with free will, nor does the devil possess any coercive power over us, but it is by choice that we either succeed or sin, inclining towards angels or demons. "And the Lord said to the devil, 'From where have you come?'" But why then does the devil stand present with the angelic ministry, and in the midst of the holy spirits, the unclean one speaks freely? Neither did the angels stand before God bodily, nor did Satan; but every service is called a presentation; as a creature of God, therefore, the devil also is commanded to do what is required; for even if he has rebelled in his intention, still he lies under the yoke of servitude, and is commanded as an executioner to carry out what is ordered. And just as rulers among us, when they summon someone with honor, send honorable men, but when they drag someone with dishonor, they send certain cruel soldiers; so also God sends ministering angels to the saints for salvation, but when He wishes to punish, He entrusts it to the evil-doing powers. Whence also Paul delivered the one who had transgressed in Corinth to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, and others again, that they might not blaspheme. "And the devil answered the Lord and said: 'Having gone through the earth and walked up and down in it, I am here.'" By advancing the discourse through question and answer, Scripture has more clearly delineated the truth, and cuts off every pretext of the shameless. For what it says the devil said to God, he did not say, but thought; for he was not granted this freedom of speech. But from his saying that he goes about everywhere, he first becomes his own accuser, as no longer having a firm stance, but wanders about everywhere unsteadily, having undertaken the battle against all men. Then we learn that the inhabited world is filled with both demons and angels, and that both are under the authority of God, and that angels come to God to receive a command; but the devil will be able to do nothing that pleases him, without having received permission from above. For even if he has rebelled and is outside of serving God, nevertheless fear lies upon him like a bridle, and he is not permitted to use his own authority. But see, those ones come like servants, reporting the things being 64.525 done; but this one has nothing to say. Heaven, therefore, is inaccessible to this wicked demon, and he is not everywhere present at the same time, but in sequence And 'under heaven,' he says, to allude also to the desert, and whatever lies under heaven, and the airy place; and he wanders through the uninhabited part also, perhaps by some dispensation of God, so that he might not constantly trouble our race. "And the Lord said to him, 'Have you considered in your mind my servant Job?'" From this we learn that God wanted Job to be tested, like one having a noble athlete; for for this reason He asks the devil, that He might give him an occasion for the contest, but He did not wish to provide the occasion Himself, lest He seem to be some ambitious person. But see how, little by little, the manner of the conversation is exposed; for it no longer shows him making a report of words, but that 'Have you considered in your mind?' which as

7

πρὸς τὰ παλαίσματα. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οἱ ἅγιοι ἄγγελοι κήδονται ἡμῶν, καὶ περιέπουσιν· ὁ δὲ διάβολος ἀντιπράττει τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ σωτηρίᾳ, καὶ περὶ τὸ αὐτὸ πρᾶγμα, τουτέστι τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἀντιφέρονται ἀλλήλοις· ὁμοῦ παρεστάναι λέγονται, τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ 64.524 πραττόμενα ἐφορῶντος· νικῶμεν δὲ ἡμεῖς, ἢ ἡττώμεθα, οὐ παρὰ [τὴν] τῶν ἀντιπραττόντων δύναμιν, ἢ τὴν τῶν συμμαχούντων ἀδυναμίαν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν προαίρεσιν. Ἑκατέρων γὰρ εἰς ἑαυτοὺς προτρεπόντων, τῶν μὲν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων εἰς τὰ ἀγαθὰ, τῶν δὲ ἀλιτηρίων δαιμόνων εἰς τὰ φαῦλα, ἡ ἡμετέρα προαίρεσις τῷ αὐτεξουσίῳ τετιμημένη, εἰς ὃ ἂν θελήσῃ μέρος προχωρεῖ. Οὔτε γὰρ Θεὸς βιάζεται, τιμήσας ἡμᾶς τῷ αὐτεξουσίῳ, οὔτε διάβολος ἀναγκαστικήν τινα δύναμιν κέκτηται καθ' ἡμῶν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ προαίρεσιν εἴτε κατορθοῦμεν, ἢ ἁμαρτάνομεν, ἀγγέλοις, ἢ δαίμοσι προσκλινόμενοι. «Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος τῷ διαβόλῳ, Πόθεν παραγέγονας;» Τί δὲ ἄρα σὺν τῇ ἀγγελικῇ λειτουργίᾳ παρίσταται καὶ ὁ διάβολος, καὶ ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἁγίων πνευμάτων, τὸ ἀκάθαρτον παῤῥησιάζεται; Οὔτε οἱ ἄγγελοι τῷ Θεῷ σωματικῶς παρέστησαν, οὔτε ὁ Σατανᾶς· ἀλλὰ πᾶσα ὑπουργία, παράστασις λέγεται· ὡς κτίσμα οὖν Θεοῦ, καὶ ὁ διάβολος κελεύεται ποιεῖν τὰ καθήκοντα· εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἀφηνίασε τῇ προθέσει, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τὸν ζυγὸν κεῖται τῆς δουλείας, καὶ κελεύεται ὡς δήμιος πρᾶξαι τὰ προσταττόμενα. Καὶ ὥσπερ οἱ παρ' ἡμῖν ἄρχοντες, ὅταν μέν τινα μετὰ τιμῆς καλῶσι, τοὺς ἐντίμους ἀποστέλλουσιν, ὅταν δὲ μετὰ ἀτιμίας ἕλκωσιν, ὠμούς τινας στρατιώτας πέμπουσιν· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Θεὸς, τοῖς μὲν ἁγίοις ἀποστέλλει διακόνους ἀγγέλους εἰς σωτηρίαν, ὅταν δὲ τιμωρήσασθαι βούλεται, ταῖς κακοποιοῖς ἐπιτρέπει δυνάμεσιν. Ὅθεν καὶ Παῦλος τὸν ἐν Κορίνθῳ παρανομήσαντα, τῷ Σατανᾷ Παραδίδωσιν εἰς ὄλεθρον τῆς σαρκὸς, καὶ ἄλλους πάλιν, ἵνα μὴ βλασφημῶσιν. «Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ διάβολος τῷ Κυρίῳ εἶπε· Περιελθὼν τὴν γῆν καὶ ἐμπεριπατήσας τὴν ὑπ' οὐρανὸν, πάρειμι.» ∆ιὰ τοῦ κατ' ἐρώτησιν καὶ ἀπόκρισιν προαγαγέσθαι τὸν λόγον, μᾶλλον διέγραψε τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἡ Γραφὴ, καὶ πᾶσαν ἐκκόπτει τῶν ἀναισχύντων τὴν πρόφασιν. Ἃ γὰρ λέγει πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν εἰρηκέναι τὸν διάβολον, οὐκ εἶπε μὲν, ἐνεθυμήθη δέ· οὐ γὰρ αὐτῷ μετέστη παῤῥησίας ταύτης. Ἐκ δὲ τοῦ λέγειν, ὅτι πανταχοῦ περίεισι, πρῶτα μὲν ἑαυτοῦ κατήγορος γίνεται, ὡς οὐκ ἔτι βεβαίαν ἔχει τὴν ἔνστασιν, ἀλλ' ἀστάτως πανταχοῦ περιφέρεται, τὴν κατὰ πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἀναδεξάμενος μάχην. Ἔπειτα μανθάνομεν, ὅτι καὶ δαιμόνων καὶ ἀγγέλων ἡ οἰκουμένη πεπλήρωται, καὶ ὅτι ἑκάτεροι ὑπὸ τὴν ἐξουσίαν εἰσὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ὅτι ἄγγελοι μὲν παραγίνονται πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἐπίταγμα δεχόμενοι· διάβολος δὲ οὐδὲν δυνήσεται ποιῆσαι τῶν καθ' ἡδονὴν αὐτῷ, μὴ συγχώρησιν ἄνωθεν λαβών. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἀφηνίασε, καὶ ἔξω τοῦ θεραπεύειν ἐστὶ τὸν Θεὸν, ἀλλ' ὅμως ὁ φόβος ἔγκειται καθάπερ χαλινὸς, καὶ οὐ συγχωρεῖται τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ χρήσασθαι τῇ ἑαυτοῦ. Ἀλλ' ὅρα, ἐκεῖνοι μὲν παραγίνονται καθάπερ οἰκέται, ἀναφέροντες τὰ 64.525 πραττόμενα· οὗτος δὲ οὐδὲν ἔχει εἰπεῖν. Ὁ οὐρανὸς τοίνυν ἄβατος τῷ πονηρῷ δαίμονι τούτῳ, καὶ οὐδὲ κατὰ ταυτὸν πανταχοῦ πάρεστιν, ἀλλ' ἐκ περιόδου Τὴν ὑπ' οὐρανὸν δὲ, φησὶν, ἵνα αἰνίξηται καὶ τὴν ἔρημον, καὶ εἴ τι ὑπόκειται τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ τὸν ἀέριον τόπον· περινοστεῖ δὲ καὶ τὴν ἀοίκητον, κατά τινα ἴσως οἰκονομίαν Θεοῦ, ὡς ἂν μὴ διαπαντὸς ἐνοχλοίη ἡμῶν τῷ γένει. «Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ Κύριος, Προσέσχες τῇ διανοίᾳ σου, κατὰ τοῦ θεράποντός μου Ἰώβ;» Ἐκ τούτου μανθάνομεν, ὅτι ἐβούλετο μὲν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν Ἰὼβ πειρασθῆναι, καθάπερ τις ἀθλητὴν ἔχων γενναῖον· διὰ γὰρ τοῦτο ἐρωτᾷ τὸν διάβολον, ἵνα αὐτῷ δῷ ἀφορμὴν τῆς πάλης, οὐκ ἤθελε δὲ αὐτὸς παρασχεῖν τὴν ἀφορμὴν, ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ φιλότιμός τις εἶναι. Ὅρα δὲ, πῶς κατὰ μικρὸν ὁ τῆς διαλέξεως τρόπος ἐλέγχεται· οὐκέτι γὰρ δεικνύει ῥημάτων αὐτὸν ἀπαγγελίαν ποιούμενον, ἀλλ' ὅτι Προσέσχες τῇ διανοίᾳ σου; ἢν ὡς