Chapter XVI.—Vain Display of Power by the Demons.

But the demons49    [For a learned and valuable comparison of early patristic Demonologies, see Kaye’s Justin Martyr, pp. 201–210.] who rule over men are not the souls of men; for how should these be capable of action after death? unless man, who while living was void of understanding and power, should be believed when dead to be endowed with more of active power. But neither could this be the case, as we have shown elsewhere.50    Perhaps in his treatise “On Animals.” And it is difficult to conceive that the immortal soul, which is impeded by the members of the body, should become more intelligent when it has migrated from it. For the demons, inspired with frenzy against men by reason of their own wickedness, pervert their minds, which already incline downwards, by various deceptive scenic representations, that they may be disabled from rising to the path that leads to heaven. But from us the things which are in the world are not hidden, and the divine is easily apprehended by us if the power that makes souls immortal visits us. The demons are seen also by the men possessed of soul, when, as sometimes, they exhibit themselves to men, either that they may be thought to be something, or as evil-disposed friends may do harm to them as to enemies, or afford occasions of doing them honour to those who resemble them. For, if it were possible, they would without doubt pull down heaven itself with the rest of creation. But now this they can by no means effect, for they have not the power; but they make war by means of the lower matter against the matter that is like themselves. Should any one wish to conquer them, let him repudiate matter. Being armed with the breastplate51    Comp. Eph. vi. 13, 14, 17. of the celestial Spirit, he will be able to preserve all that is encompassed by it. There are, indeed, diseases and disturbances of the matter that is in us; but, when such things happen, the demons ascribe the causes of them to themselves, and approach a man whenever disease lays hold of him. Sometimes they themselves disturb the habit of the body by a tempest of folly; but, being smitten by the word of God, they depart in terror, and the sick man is healed.

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.