19

mysteries. They abide in heaven and have one work: to hymn God and to minister to His divine will. And as the most holy and most sacred and most theological Dionysius the Areopagite says: "All theology, that is, the divine scripture, has named nine celestial essences; these the divine initiator divides into three triadic orders. And he says that the first is the one that is ever around God and is handed down as being closely and immediately united to Him: that of the six-winged Seraphim and the many-eyed Cherubim and the most holy Thrones, the second, that of the Dominions and the Powers and the Authorities, and the third and last, that of the Principalities and Archangels and Angels." Some, therefore, say that they came into being before all creation, as Gregory the Theologian says: "First He conceives the angelic and heavenly powers, and the conception was a work"; but others, that it was after the first heaven came to be. But all confess that it was before the creation of man. But I agree with Gregory the Theologian; for it was fitting that the intellectual essence should first be created, and then the sensible, and then from both, man. But as many as say that the angels are creators of any essence whatsoever, these are the mouth of their father, the devil; for being creatures, they are not creators. For God is the maker and provider and sustainer of all things, He alone being uncreated, Who is hymned and glorified in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

18 Concerning the devil and demons From these angelic powers

the leader of the earthly order, who was entrusted by God with the guardianship of the earth, not having become evil by nature, but being good and having come into being for good, and having in himself not a trace of evil from the Creator, did not endure the illumination and the honor which the Creator bestowed upon him, by a choice of his free will he was turned from what is according to nature to what is contrary to nature, and was lifted up against God Who made him, wishing to rebel against Him, and being the first to depart from good, he fell into evil; for evil is nothing other than the privation of good, just as darkness is the privation of light. For the good is intellectual light, and likewise evil is intellectual darkness. Having been created light, therefore, by the Creator, and having become good—"for God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good"—by his free will he became darkness. And an infinite multitude of the angels set under him were drawn away with him and followed him and fell with him. Therefore, being of the same nature as the angels, they became evil by choice, willingly turning aside from good to evil. They have, then, no authority or power against anyone unless permitted by God for a providential purpose, as in the case of Job, and as is written in the Gospel concerning the swine. But when God's permission is given, they have power and are changed and transformed, according to their fancy, into whatever form they wish. And neither the angels nor the demons know future things, yet they foretell them, the angels when God reveals it to them and commands them to foretell; whence, whatever they say, comes to pass. The demons also foretell, sometimes seeing things that happen at a distance, sometimes conjecturing, whence they also often lie; they should not be believed, even if they often speak the truth, in the manner we have said. They also know the scriptures. All wickedness, therefore, was devised by them, and the impure passions. And they have been permitted to attack man, but they have no power to compel anyone; for it is in our power to receive the attack or not to receive it. Wherefore, for the devil and his demons has been prepared the unquenchable fire, the eternal punishment, and for those who follow him. But it is necessary to know that what death is for men, the fall is for angels; for after the fall there is no repentance for them, just as there is not for men after death.

19

μυστήρια. Ἐν οὐρανῷ διατρίβουσι καὶ ἓν ἔργον ἔχουσιν ὑμνεῖν τὸν θεὸν καὶ λειτουργεῖν τῷ θείῳ αὐτοῦ θελήματι. Καθὼς δὲ ὁ ἁγιώτατος καὶ ἱερώτατος καὶ θεολογικώτατός φησι ∆ιονύσιος ὁ Ἀρεοπαγίτης· «Πᾶσα ἡ θεολογία ἤγουν ἡ θεία γραφὴ τὰς οὐρανίους οὐσίας ἐννέα κέκληκε, ταύτας ὁ θεῖος ἱεροτελεστὴς εἰς τρεῖς ἀφορίζει τριαδικὰς διακοσμήσεις. Καὶ πρώτην μὲν εἶναί φησι τὴν περὶ θεὸν οὖσαν ἀεὶ καὶ προσεχῶς καὶ ἀμέσως ἡνῶσθαι παραδεδομένην τὴν τῶν ἑξαπτερύγων Σεραφὶμ καὶ τῶν πολυομμάτων Χερουβὶμ καὶ τῶν ἁγιωτάτων Θρόνων, δευτέραν δὲ τὴν τῶν Κυριοτήτων καὶ τῶν ∆υνάμεων καὶ τῶν Ἐξουσιῶν, τρίτην δὲ καὶ τελευταίαν τὴν τῶν Ἀρχῶν καὶ Ἀρχαγγέλωνκαὶ Ἀγγέλων». Τινὲς μὲν οὖν φασιν, ὅτι πρὸ πάσης κτίσεως ἐγένοντο, ὡς ὁ θεολόγος λέγει Γρηγόριος· «Πρῶτον ἐννοεῖ τὰς ἀγγελικὰς δυνάμεις καὶ οὐρανίους, καὶ τὸ ἐννόημα ἔργον ἦν»· ἕτεροι δέ, ὅτι μετὰ τὸ γενέσθαι τὸν πρῶτον οὐρανόν. Ὅτι δὲ πρὸ τῆς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου πλάσεως, πάντες ὁμολογοῦσιν. Ἐγὼ δὲ τῷ θεολόγῳ Γρηγορίῳ συντίθεμαι· ἔπρεπε γὰρ πρῶτον τὴν νοερὰν οὐσίαν κτισθῆναι καὶ οὕτω τὴν αἰσθητὴν καὶ τότε ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Ὅσοι δέ φασι τοὺς ἀγγέλους δημιουργοὺς τῆς οἱασδήποτε οὐσίας, οὗτοι στόμα εἰσὶ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῶν, τοῦ διαβόλου· κτίσμα γὰρ ὄντες οὔκ εἰσι δημιουργοί. Πάντων δὲ ποιητὴς καὶ προνοητὴς καὶ συνοχεὺς ὁ θεός ἐστιν, ὁ μόνος ἄκτιστος, ὁ ἐν πατρὶ καὶ υἱῷ καὶ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι ὑμνούμενός τε καὶ δοξαζόμενος.

18 Περὶ διαβόλου καὶ δαιμόνων Ἐκ τούτων τῶν ἀγγελικῶν δυνάμεων

πρωτοστάτης τῆς περιγείου τάξεως καὶ τῆς γῆς τὴν φυλακὴν ἐγχειρισθεὶς παρὰ θεοῦ οὐ φύσει πονηρὸς γεγονώς, ἀλλ' ἀγαθὸς ὢν καὶ ἐπ' ἀγαθῷ γενόμενος καὶ μηδ' ὅλως ἐν ἑαυτῷ παρὰ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ κακίας ἐσχηκὼς ἴχνος, μὴ ἐνέγκας τόν τε φωτισμὸν τήν τε τιμήν, ἣν αὐτῷ ὁ δημιουργὸς ἐδωρήσατο, αὐτεξουσίῳ προαιρέσει ἐτράπη ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ φύσιν εἰς τὸ παρὰ φύσιν καὶ ἐπήρθη κατὰ τοῦ πεποιηκότος αὐτὸν θεοῦ ἀντᾶραι αὐτῷ βουληθεὶς καὶ πρῶτος ἀποστὰς τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἐν τῷ κακῷ ἐγένετο· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἕτερόν ἐστι τὸ κακὸν εἰ μὴ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ στέρησις, ὥσπερ καὶ τὸ σκότος φωτός ἐστι στέρησις. Τὸ γὰρ ἀγαθὸν φῶς ἐστι νοητόν, ὁμοίως καὶ τὸ κακὸν σκότος ἐστὶ νοητόν. Φῶς οὖν κτισθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ καὶ ἀγαθὸς γεγονώς -»καὶ γὰρ εἶδεν ὁ θεὸς πάντα, ὅσα ἐποίησε, καὶ ἰδοὺ καλὰ λίαν»- αὐτεξουσίῳ θελήματι σκότος ἐγένετο. Συναπεσπάσθη δὲ καὶ ἠκολούθησεν αὐτῷ καὶ συνέπεσε πλῆθος ἄπειρον τῶν ὑπ' αὐτῷ τεταγμένων ἀγγέλων. Τῆς αὐτῆς τοιγαροῦν φύσεως τοῖς ἀγγέλοις ὑπάρχοντες κακοὶ γεγόνασι τὴν προαίρεσιν ἑκουσίως ἐκ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ πρὸς τὸ κακὸν ἐκκλίναντες. Οὐκ ἔχουσι τοίνυν ἐξουσίαν κατά τινος οὐδὲ ἰσχὺν εἰ μὴ ἐκ θεοῦ οἰκονομικῶς συγχωρούμενοι, ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰώβ, καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῶν χοίρων ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ γέγραπται. Παραχωρήσεως δὲ θεοῦ γινομένης καὶ ἰσχύουσι καὶ μεταβάλλονται καὶ μετασχηματίζονται, εἰς οἷον θέλουσι σχῆμα κατὰ φαντασίαν. Καὶ τὰ μὲν μέλλοντα οὐδὲ οἱ ἄγγελοι οὐδὲ οἱ δαίμονες οἴδασιν, ὅμως προλέγουσιν, οἱ μὲν ἄγγελοι τοῦ θεοῦ αὐτοῖς ἀποκαλύπτοντος καὶ προλέγειν κελεύοντος· ὅθεν, ὅσα λέγουσι, γίνονται. Προλέγουσι δὲ καὶ οἱ δαίμονες, ποτὲ μὲν τὰ μακρὰν γινόμενα βλέποντες, ποτὲ δὲ στοχαζόμενοι, ὅθεν καὶ τὰ πολλὰ ψεύδονται· οἷς οὐ δεῖ πιστεύειν, κἂν ἀληθεύωσι πολλάκις, οἵῳ τρόπῳ εἰρήκαμεν. Οἴδασι δὲ καὶ τὰς γραφάς. Πᾶσα οὖν κακία ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐπενοήθη καὶ τὰ ἀκάθαρτα πάθη. Καὶ προσβάλλειν μὲν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ συνεχωρήθησαν, βιάζεσθαι δέ τινα οὐκ ἰσχύουσιν· ἐν ἡμῖν γάρ ἐστι δέξασθαι τὴν προσβολὴν ἢ μὴ δέξασθαι. ∆ιὸ τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ τοῖς δαίμοσιν αὐτοῦ ἡτοίμασται τὸ πῦρ τὸ ἄσβεστον, ἡ κόλασις ἡ αἰώνιος, καὶ τοῖς ἑπομένοις αὐτῷ. Χρὴ δὲ γινώσκειν, ὅτι, ὅπερ ἐστὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὁ θάνατος, τοῦτο τοῖς ἀγγέλοις ἡ ἔκπτωσις· μετὰ γὰρ τὴν ἔκπτωσιν οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῖς μετάνοια, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις μετὰ τὸν θάνατον.