48

being pure of each of these is observed in the middle of the adjacent evils and is a virtue. 2.289 In the same way all other things too, as many as are pursued for the better, are somehow situated between evil neighbors. Wisdom holds the middle ground between cleverness and guilelessness. Neither the prudence of the serpent is praiseworthy, nor the guilelessness of the dove, if one had to take each of these by itself alone. But the state blended from the middle of these two becomes a virtue. The one deficient in moderation is licentious; the one who exceeds it has his conscience seared, as the Apostle defines. For the one is poured out unrestrainedly in pleasures, while the other abhors even marriage equally with adultery. But the state observed in the middle of these is moderation.

2.290 But since, as the Lord says, this world lies in the evil one, and what is opposed to virtue, which is wickedness, is foreign to those who follow the law, the one who journeys safely through this world in life will complete this necessary course of virtue, if he keeps to the highway truly worn and whitened by virtue, nowhere turning aside to the adjacent trackless ways through vice. 2.291 But since, as has been said, the plot of the adversary ascends with the ascent of virtue, finding opportunities for each one's deviation into evil, then when the people had grown to a greater degree in the life according to God, the adversary engages in another plot, like those skilled in warfare, who, judging the battle line of the more powerful to be hard to conquer in a frontal attack, out-general the adversary with certain ambushes and snares. Thus the general of wickedness no longer leads his force out face to face against those strengthened by law and virtue, but works out his plot by certain ambushes in secret. 2.292 He therefore calls sorcery into an alliance against those plotted against by him, which the history says was a certain soothsayer and diviner who, from some demonic power, had a harmful ability against his opponents, and who was hired by the ruler of the Midianites to harm through a curse those living for God, but who turned the curse into a blessing. But we understand through the consequence of what has been considered before that not even sorcery is effective against those living in virtue, but that those fortified by divine aid prevail over every plot. 2.293 For that the aforementioned person practiced the divination of augury is testified by the history in which it says that he held the divinations in his hand and was counseled by the omens, and before these things, that through the braying of the donkey he was taught about the task set before him, whose voice, because he was accustomed to be counseled by the voices of irrational animals through some demonic power, the Scripture narrated as if it were articulate, showing that those preoccupied with such deception of demons go so far as to accept as reason the teaching that came to them from the observation of a certain kind, from the voice of irrational animals, by attending to which, through the very things by which he was deceived, he was taught the invincible power of those against whom he was hired. 2.294 For also in the gospel history the band of demons, the legion, was prepared for resistance to the authority of the Lord. But when he who has power over all things drew near, it cries out his surpassing power and does not conceal the truth, that this is the divine nature, who in the fitting times will bring punishment upon those who have sinned. For the voice of the demons says: We know who you are, the Holy One of God, and that you have come before the time to torment us. This indeed also happened then, when the demonic power accompanying the soothsayer taught Balaam the invincible and irresistible power of the people. 2.295 But we say, fitting the history to what has been previously examined, that against those living in virtue the

48

ἑκατέρου τούτων καθαρεῦον ἐν μέσῳ τε τῶν παρακειμένων κακιῶν θεωρεῖται καὶ ἀρετή ἐστι. 2.289 Κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα, ὅσα πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον σπουδάζεται, μεσολαβεῖταί πως τοῖς κακοῖς γειτονήμασιν. Ἡ σοφία δεινότητός τε καὶ ἀκεραιότητος τὸ μέσον ἔχει. Οὔτε τοῦ ὄφεως τὸ φρόνιμον ἐπαινετόν, οὔτε τῆς περιστερᾶς τὸ ἀκέραιον, εἰ ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ μόνου δέοι λαμβάνειν τούτων ἑκάτερον. Ἀλλ' ἡ διὰ μέσου τῶν δύο τούτων σύγκρατος ἕξις ἀρετὴ γίνεται. Ὁ ἐλλιπὴς κατὰ τὴν σωφροσύνην ἀκόλαστος, ὁ πλεονάζων κεκαυτηρίασται τὴν συνείδησιν, καθὼς ὁρίζεται ὁ Ἀπόστολος. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ταῖς ἡδοναῖς ἀνέδην ἐκκέχυται, ὁ δὲ καὶ τὸν γάμον ἴσα τῇ μοιχείᾳ βδελύσσεται. Ἡ δὲ διὰ μέσου τούτων θεωρουμένη ἕξις σωφροσύνη ἐστίν.

2.290 Ἐπεὶ δέ, καθώς φησιν ὁ Κύριος, ὁ κόσμος οὗτος ἐν τῷ πονηρῷ κεῖται, ἀλλόφυλον δὲ τοῖς ἑπομένοις τῷ νόμῳ τὸ τῇ ἀρετῇ ἀντικείμενον, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἡ πονηρία, ὁ διὰ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου κατὰ τὸν βίον ὁδοιπορῶν ἀσφαλῶς τὴν ἀναγκαίαν ταύτην τῆς ἀρετῆς διανύσει πορείαν, εἰ τὴν λεωφόρον ὄντως τὴν ὑπὸ τῆς ἀρετῆς τριφθεῖσάν τε καὶ λευκαινομένην ὁδὸν φυλάσσοι, μηδαμοῦ πρὸς τὰς παρα κειμένας ἀνοδίας διὰ κακίαν παρατρεπόμενος. 2.291 Ἐπεὶ δέ, καθὼς εἴρηται, τῇ ἀνόδῳ τῆς ἀρετῆς καὶ ἡ ἐπιβουλὴ τοῦ ἀντικειμένου συναναβαίνει, καταλλήλως ἑκάστου τῆς εἰς τὸ κακὸν παρατροπῆς τὰς ἀφορμὰς ἐξευρίσκουσα, τότε πρὸς μεῖζον τοῦ λαοῦ ἐν τῷ κατὰ Θεὸν βίῳ αὐξήσαντος, ἄλλης ἐπιβουλῆς ὁ ἀντικείμενος ἅπτεται κατὰ τοὺς δεινοὺς τὰ πολεμικά, οἳ τὴν κατὰ στόμα παράταξιν τῶν πλεονεκ τούντων κατὰ τὴν δύναμιν δυσκαταγώνιστον κρίναντες, λόχοις τισὶ καὶ ἐνέδραις καταστρατηγοῦσι τὸν ἀντικείμενον. Οὕτως ὁ τῆς κακίας στρατηγὸς ἐπὶ τῶν νόμῳ καὶ ἀρετῇ δυναμωθέντων οὐκέτι κατὰ πρόσωπον ἀντεξάγει τὴν δύναμιν, ἀλλ' ἐνέδραις τισὶ κατὰ τὸ ἀφανὲς τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν ἐξεργάζεται. 2.292 Καλεῖ τοίνυν εἰς συμμαχίαν κατὰ τῶν ἐπιβουλευομένων παρ' αὐτοῦ τὴν γοητείαν, ἣν ἡ μὲν ἱστορία φησὶ μάντιν εἶναί τινα καὶ οἰωνιστὴν ἔκ τινος ἐνεργείας δαιμόνων βλαπ τικὴν δήπου δύναμιν ἔχοντα κατὰ τῶν ὑπεναντίων καὶ μισθωθέντα παρὰ τοῦ κρατοῦντος τῶν Μαδιανιτῶν ἐφ' ᾧ τε βλάψαι διὰ κατάρας τοὺς τῷ Θεῷ ζῶντας τοῦτον τρέψαι τὴν κατάραν εἰς εὐλογίαν. Ἡμεῖς δὲ νοοῦμεν διὰ τοῦ ἀκο λούθου τῶν προτεθεωρημένων τὸ μηδὲ τὴν γοητείαν ἐνεργὸν κατὰ τῶν ἐν ἀρετῇ ζώντων εἶναι, ἀλλὰ πάσης ὑπερισχύειν ἐπιβουλῆς τοὺς διὰ τῆς θείας βοηθείας ὠχυρωμένους. 2.293 Τὸ γὰρ τὴν οἰωνοσκοπικὴν ἐπιτηδεύειν μαντείαν τὸν μνημονευ θέντα μαρτυρεῖται παρὰ τῆς ἱστορίας ἐν οἷς φησιν τά τε μαντεῖα διὰ χειρὸς ἔχειν αὐτὸν καὶ παρὰ τῶν οἰωνῶν συμβουλεύεσθαι καὶ πρό γε τούτων ὅτι διὰ τοῦ ὀγκηθμοῦ τῆς ὄνου τὰ περὶ τῆς προκειμένης αὐτῷ σπουδῆς ἐδιδάσκετο, ἧς τὸν φθόγγον, διὰ τὸ συνήθως αὐτὸν ταῖς τῶν ἀλόγων φωναῖς κατά τινα δαιμονίαν ἐνέργειαν συμβουλεύεσθαι, ὡς ἔναρθρον ἡ Γραφὴ διηγήσατο, ἐνδεικνυμένη ὅτι τοὺς προειλημμένους τῇ τοιαύτῃ τῶν δαιμόνων ἀπάτῃ μέχρι τούτων φθάνειν ὡς ἀντὶ λόγου δέχεσθαι τὴν ἐκ τῆς ποιᾶς παρατηρήσεως γενομένην αὐτοῖς ἐκ τῆς φωνῆς τῶν ἀλόγων διδασκαλίαν, ᾗ προσχών, δι' αὐτῶν ὧν ἠπατᾶτο τὸ ἄμαχον τῆς καθ' ὧν ἐμισθώθη δυνάμεως ἐξεπαιδεύθη. 2.294 Καὶ γὰρ ἐν τῇ εὐαγγελικῇ ἱστορίᾳ παρεσκεύαστο μὲν 2.294 εἰς ἀντίστασιν τῆς τοῦ Κυρίου ἐξουσίας τὸ συγκρότημα τῶν δαιμόνων, ἡ λεγεών. Πλησιάσαντος δὲ τοῦ ἔχοντος κατὰ πάντων τὸ κράτος, βοᾷ τὴν ὑπερέχουσαν δύναμιν καὶ οὐκ ἐπικρύπτεται τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν ἡ θεία φύσις, ὁ ἐν τοῖς καθήκουσι χρόνοις ἐπάξων τοῖς ἡμαρτηκόσι τὴν κόλασιν. Λέγει γὰρ ἡ τῶν δαιμόνων φωνή· οἴδαμέν σε τίς εἶ, ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ὅτι ἦλθες πρὸ καιροῦ βασανίσαι ἡμᾶς. Ὃ δὴ καὶ τότε ἐγένετο, τῆς παρεπομένης τῷ μάντει δαιμονίας δυνάμεως τὸ ἄμαχόν τε καὶ ἀνανταγώνιστον τοῦ λαοῦ τὸν Βαλαὰμ διδασκούσης. 2.295 Ἡμεῖς δέ φαμεν, τοῖς προεξητασμένοις τὴν ἱστορίαν ἁρμόζοντες, κατὰ τῶν ἐν ἀρετῇ ζώντων τὸν