a rational animal, receptive of mind and knowledge; for according to them, even irrational creatures will be shown to be receptive of mind and knowledge; but only _m_a_n_ _is_ _t_h_e_ _i_m_a_g_e_ _a_n_d_ _l_i_k_e_n_e_s_s_ _o_f_ _G_o_d_, and I mean by man not the one who does 15.2 things similar to animals, but the one who has advanced far from humanity toward God himself. And concerning this, we have composed a more precise account in *On Animals*, but now the current subject must be addressed: what sort of thing is the image and likeness according to God. The incomparable is nothing other than being itself, while the comparable is nothing other than the similar. The perfect God, then, is fleshless, but man is flesh; the bond of the flesh is soul, and the flesh is relative to the soul. And if such a form of constitution should be as a _t_e_m_p_l_e_, _G_o_d_ wishes _t_o_ _d_w_e_l_l_ in it through the indwelling _S_p_i_r_i_t_; but if the tabernacle is not 15.3 of such a kind, man surpasses the beasts only in articulate speech, and in other respects his way of life is the same as theirs, not being a likeness of God. But all demons do not possess flesh; their constitution is spiritual, as of fire and air. Therefore, the bodies of demons are easily seen only by those guarded by the Spirit of God, but by the others not at all, I mean by the psychical. For the lesser is not able to apprehend the greater. For this reason, therefore, the substance of demons has no _p_l_a_c_e_ _f_o_r_ _r_e_p_e_n_t_a_n_c_e_. For they are emanations of matter and wickedness, and matter wished to have dominion over the soul; and according to free will, 15.4 some have delivered the laws of death to men; but men, after the loss of immortality, have conquered death by the death that is through faith, and through repentance a calling has been granted to them, according to the word that says: _f_o_r_ _t_h_e_y_ _w_e_r_e_ _m_a_d_e_ _a_ _l_i_t_t_l_e_ _l_o_w_e_r_ _t_h_a_n_ _t_h_e_ _a_n_g_e_l_s_. But it is possible for everyone who has been conquered to conquer again, by rejecting the constitution of death; and what this is will be easily understood by those men who wish for what is immortal. 16.1 But the demons who command men are not the souls of men. For how could they become active even after death separately, unless a man, while living, were to become foolish and powerless, and then, having become dead, be believed to receive a more active power? But neither is this so, as we have shown in other places, and it is difficult to think that the immortal [soul], being hindered by the parts of the body, becomes more intelligent when it has departed from it. For demons, raging with Bacchic fury against men through their own malice, turn aside their minds, which are inclined downwards, with various and false theatrical displays, so that they may be unable to be lifted up toward the journey in the heavens. But neither are the things in the world hidden from us, and 16.2 to you the divine [nature] of the one who makes souls immortal will be easy to comprehend *** having come to you. Demons are also seen by the psychical, when at times they show themselves to men, so that they may be thought to be something, or even to harm [men] as if they were enemies, being evil friends in their intent, or may provide to those like themselves the occasions for worship directed toward them. For if it were possible for them, they would certainly have dragged down heaven along with the rest of creation; but as it is, they do not do this at all, for they are unable; but with the matter below they war against the matter that is like themselves. And if anyone should wish to conquer them, let him renounce matter; for _a_r_m_o_r_e_d_ with the _b_r_e_a_s_t_p_l_a_t_e_ of the heavenly _S_p_i_r_i_t_, he will be able to save everything 16.3 that is contained by it. There are, then, both diseases and disorders of the matter within us; but the demons themselves, when these things happen, ascribe the causes of them to themselves, attacking whenever illness takes hold. And at other times they themselves, with the storm of their own foolishness, shake the condition of the body; but being struck by the word of God's power, they depart in fear, and the sick person is healed. 17.1 For concerning

ζῶον λογικὸν νοῦ καὶ ἐπιστήμης δεκτικόν· δειχθήσεται γὰρ κατ' αὐτοὺς καὶ τὰ ἄλογα νοῦ καὶ ἐπιστήμης δεκτικά· μόνος δὲ ὁ _ἄ_ν_θ_ρ_ω_π_ο_ς_ _ε_ἰ_κ_ὼ_ν_ _κ_α_ὶ_ _ὁ_μ_ο_ί_ω_σ_ι_ς_ _τ_ο_ῦ_ _θ_ε_ο_ῦ, λέγω δὲ ἄνθρωπον οὐχὶ τὸν ὅμοια τοῖς ζώοις 15.2 πράττοντα, ἀλλὰ τὸν πόρρω μὲν τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος πρὸς αὐτὸν δὲ τὸν θεὸν κεχωρηκότα. καὶ περὶ μὲν τούτου ἐν τῷ Περὶ ζώων ἀκριβέστερον ἡμῖν συντέτακται, τὸ δὲ νῦν συνέχον ῥητέον ποταπή τίς ἐστιν ἡ κατὰ θεὸν εἰκὼν καὶ ὁμοίωσις. τὸ μὲν ἀσύγκριτον οὐδέν ἐστιν ἕτερον ἢ αὐτὸ τὸ ὄν, τὸ δὲ συγκρινόμενον οὔτι ἕτερον ἢ τὸ παρόμοιον. ἄσαρκος μὲν οὖν ὁ τέλειος θεός, ἄνθρωπος δὲ σάρξ· δεσμὸς δὲ τῆς σαρκὸς ψυχή, σχετικὴ δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς ἡ σάρξ. τὸ δὲ τοιοῦτον τῆς συστάσεως εἶδος εἰ μὲν ὡς _ν_α_ὸ_ς εἴη, _κ_α_τ_ο_ι_κ_ε_ῖ_ν ἐν αὐτῷ _θ_ε_ὸ_ς βούλεται διὰ τοῦ πρεσβεύοντος _π_ν_ε_ύ_μ_α_τ_ο_ς· τοιούτου δὲ μὴ ὄντος 15.3 τοῦ σκηνώματος προὔχει τῶν θηρίων ὁ ἄνθρωπος κατὰ τὴν ἔναρθρον φωνὴν μόνον, τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ τῆς αὐτῆς ἐκείνοις διαίτης ἐστίν, οὐκ ὢν ὁμοίωσις τοῦ θεοῦ. δαίμονες δὲ πάντες σαρκίον μὲν οὐ κέκτηνται, πνευματικὴ δέ ἐστιν αὐτοῖς ἡ σύμπηξις ὡς πυρὸς καὶ ἀέρος. μόνοις γοῦν τοῖς πνεύματι θεοῦ φρουρουμένοις εὐσύνοπτα καὶ τὰ τῶν δαιμόνων ἐστὶ σώματα, τοῖς λοιποῖς δὲ οὐδαμῶς, λέγω δὲ τοῖς ψυχικοῖς. τὸ γὰρ ἔλαττον κατάληψιν οὐκ ἰσχύει ποιεῖσθαι τοῦ κρείττονος. διὰ τοῦτο γοῦν ἡ τῶν δαιμόνων ὑπόστασις οὐκ ἔχει _μ_ε_τ_α_ν_ο_ί_α_ς_ _τ_ό_π_ο_ν. τῆς γὰρ ὕλης καὶ πονηρίας εἰσὶν ἀπαυγάσματα, ὕλη δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς κατεξουσιάζειν ἠθέλησεν· καὶ κατὰ τὸ αὐτεξούσιον 15.4 οἱ μὲν θανάτου νόμους τοῖς ἀνθρώποις παραδεδώκασιν· οἱ δὲ ἄνθρωποι μετὰ τὴν τῆς ἀθανασίας ἀποβολὴν θανάτῳ τῷ διὰ πίστεως τὸν θάνατον νενικήκασιν, καὶ διὰ μετανοίας κλῆσις αὐτοῖς δεδώρηται κατὰ τὸν εἰπόντα λόγον· _ἐ_π_ε_ι_δ_ὴ_ _β_ρ_α_χ_ύ_ _τ_ι_ _π_α_ρ_'_ _ἀ_γ_γ_έ_λ_ο_υ_ς_ _ἠ_λ_α_τ_τ_ώ_θ_η_σ_α_ν. δυνατὸν δὲ παντὶ τῷ νενικημένῳ πάλιν νικᾶν, τοῦ θανάτου τὴν σύστασιν παραιτούμενον· τίς δέ ἐστιν αὕτη, εὐσύνοπτον ἔσται τοῖς βουλομένοις ἀνθρώποις τὸ ἀθάνατον. 16.1 ∆αίμονες δὲ οἱ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐπιτάττοντες οὔκ εἰσιν αἱ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ψυχαί. πῶς γὰρ ἂν γένοιντο δραστικαὶ καὶ μετὰ τὸ ἀποθανεῖν χωρὶς εἰ μὴ ζῶν μὲν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἀνόητος καὶ ἀδύνατος γένοιτο, νεκρὸς δὲ γενόμενος λοιπὸν δραστικωτέρας πιστεύοιτο μεταλαμβάνειν δυνάμεως; ἀλλ' οὔτε τοῦθ' οὕτως ἐστίν, ὡς ἐν ἄλλοις ἀπεδείξαμεν, καὶ χαλεπὸν οἴεσθαι τὴν ἀθάνατον ὑπὸ τῶν τοῦ σώματος μερῶν ἐμποδιζομένην φρονιμωτέραν, ἐπειδὰν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ μεταναστῇ, γίνεσθαι. δαίμονες γὰρ τῇ σφῶν κακοηθείᾳ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐμβακχεύοντες, ποικίλαις καὶ ἐψευσμέναις δραματουργίαις τὰς γνώμας αὐτῶν παρατρέπουσι κάτω νενευκυίας, ὅπως μεταρσιοῦσθαι πρὸς τὴν ἐν οὐρανοῖς πορείαν ἐξαδυνατῶσιν. ἀλλ' οὔτε ἡμᾶς τὰ ἐν κόσμῳ λέληθε, καὶ 16.2 ὑμῖν εὐκατάληπτον ἔσται τὸ θεῖον τῆς ἀπαθανατιζούσης τὰς ψυχὰς *** ὑμῖν προσελθούσης. Βλέπονται δὲ καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ψυχικῶν οἱ δαίμονες, ἔσθ' ὅτε τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἑαυτοὺς ἐκείνων δεικνύντων, ἵνα τε νομισθῶσιν εἶναί τινες ἢ καί τι βλάψωσι καθάπερ πολεμίους, φίλοι κακοὶ τὴν γνώμην ὑπάρχοντες, ἢ τῆς εἰς αὐτοὺς θρησκείας τοῖς ὁμοίοις αὐτοῖς τὰς ἀφορμὰς παράσχωσιν. εἰ γὰρ δυνατὸν αὐτοῖς, πάντως ἂν καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν συνάμα τῇ λοιπῇ ποιήσει καθείλκυσαν· νῦν δὲ τοῦτο μὲν πράττουσιν οὐδαμῶς· ἀδυνατοῦσι γάρ· ὕλῃ δὲ τῇ κάτω πρὸς τὴν ὁμοίαν αὐτοῖς ὕλην πολεμοῦσιν. τούτους δὲ νικᾶν ἄν τις θελήσῃ, τὴν ὕλην παραιτησάσθω· _θ_ώ_ρ_α_κ_ι γὰρ _π_ν_ε_ύ_μ_α_τ_ο_ς ἐπουρανίου _κ_α_θ_ω_π_λ_ι_σ_μ_έ_ν_ο_ς πᾶν 16.3 τὸ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ περιεχόμενον σῶσαι δυνατὸς ἔσται. εἰσὶν μὲν οὖν καὶ νόσοι καὶ στάσεις τῆς ἐν ἡμῖν ὕλης· δαίμονες δὲ αὐτοὶ τούτων τὰς αἰτίας, ἐπειδὰν συμβαίνωσιν, ἑαυτοῖς προσγράφουσιν, ἐπιόντες ὁπόταν καταλαμβάνῃ κάματος. ἔστι δὲ ὅτε καὶ αὐτοὶ χειμῶνι τῆς σφῶν ἀβελτερίας κραδαίνουσιν τὴν ἕξιν τοῦ σώματος· οἳ λόγῳ θεοῦ δυνάμεως πληττόμενοι δεδιότες ἀπίασιν, καὶ ὁ κάμνων θεραπεύεται. 17.1 Περὶ γὰρ