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their leader. And we know the good God to be the creator of good things, so named by all who are of sound mind. Therefore, He did not create a nature that was unable to do any good, but brought forth only evil against its will. But if God neither created an evil nature, for as He is good, He is a maker of good things, nor does He endure to punish unjustly, for He is just and a lawgiver of justice, but He does punish the devil and those who serve under him, then the devil and those of his company are evil by choice. For just as the good God created man good from the beginning, but by their own free will some preserved uncorrupted the nature they had received, while others declined toward the worse, and corrupted the divine characteristics, and made those who were godlike into beasts; so the devil and the horde of demons, having come into being with the other incorporeal 83.476 beings, did not emulate their goodwill toward the Lord God, but having received the passion of pride and arrogance, turned to the worse, and fell from their former station. And the divine Apostle has made this clear when legislating concerning episcopal ordination: "Not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil." For by these words he intimates that pride was the cause of the devil's fall. And writing to the Ephesians, he showed that before he turned to the worse, he had been entrusted with the governance of the air. "According to the prince," he says, "of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience." But having fallen from his former rank, he has as ministers those who speak against God. And the Lord also said in the holy Gospels: "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven." And in another place, "He," he says, "was a murderer from the beginning, and has not stood in the truth." And this shows that, having turned away from the truth, he chose what is contrary to the truth. And the blessed prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel have used similar enigmatic sayings. For this is what is meant by: "I will set my throne above the stars, and I will be like the Most High, and I will take the whole world as a nest, and I will take it up as abandoned eggs." And Ezekiel, through the prince of Tyre, alludes to the apostate prince who worked in him. And he speaks thus: "Thus says the Lord Adonai: You are the seal of resemblance, full of wisdom, and a crown of beauty, and you were in the delight of the paradise of God, you were clothed with every precious stone." Then having enumerated the kinds of stones, he added: "From the day you were created with the cherub anointed by God who tabernacles, and I placed you on the holy mountain of God. You came into being amidst fiery stones, you walked blameless in your days, from the day you were created, until iniquities were found in you. For from the abundance of your trafficking, you filled your storehouses with lawlessness, and you sinned, and you were wounded; From the mountain of God the overshadowing cherub cast you out from the midst of the fiery stones. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty. Your knowledge was corrupted with your beauty. Because of the multitude of your sins, I cast you to the ground, I gave you before kings to be made an example. Because of the multitude of your lawlessness, and the injustices of your trade, I have profaned your sanctuary. I will bring forth a fire from the midst of you; it shall devour you." This 83.477 prophetic word showed the devil was created good from the beginning, but voluntarily accepted the inclination to the worse, and increased his wickedness by evil devices. For he called the trafficking and the trade the contrivances of wickedness. He made an example of him, having exposed his weakness, and commanded him to be trodden underfoot by those who formerly worshiped him. For His is the voice: "Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of

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τὸν ἐκείνων ἡγούμενον. Καὶ ἀγαθῶν ἐπιστάμεθα δημιουργὸν τὸν ἀγαθὸν Θεὸν παρὰ τῶν εὖ φρονούντων ἁπάντων ὀνομαζόμενον. Οὔ κουν ἐδημιούργησε φύσιν, δράσαι μὲν οὐδὲν ἀγαθὸν δυναμένην, κακίαν δὲ μόνην παρὰ γνώμην ὠδίνου σαν. Εἰ δὲ μήτε φύσιν πονηρὰν ἐδημιούργησεν ὁ Θεὸς, ἀγαθῶν γάρ ἐστιν ὡς ἀγαθὸς ποιητὴς, μήτε ἀδίκως κολάζειν ἀνέχεται, δίκαιος γάρ ἐστι καὶ δι καιοσύνης νομοθέτης, κολάζει δὲ τὸν διάβολον καὶ τοὺς ὑπ' ἐκείνῳ τελοῦντας, γνώμῃ ἄρα πονηρὸς ὁ διάβολος καὶ οἱ τῆς ἐκείνου συμμορίας. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀγαθὸν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀγαθὸς ἐδημιούρ γησεν ὁ Θεὸς, αὐθαιρέτῳ δὲ γνώμῃ οἱ μὲν ἐφύλαξαν ἀκήρατον ἣν ἔλαβον φύσιν· οἱ δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον ἀπ έκλιναν, καὶ τοὺς θείους χαρακτῆρας διέφθειραν, καὶ τοὺς θεοειδεῖς θηριώδεις ἀπέφηναν· οὕτως ὁ διάβολος καὶ τῶν δαιμόνων τὸ στίφος σὺν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀσωμά 83.476 τοις γενόμενοι, τὴν μὲν ἐκείνων περὶ τὸν ∆εσπότην Θεὸν οὐκ ἐζήλωσαν εὔνοιαν, τὸ δὲ τοῦ τύφου καὶ τῆς ἀλαζονείας εἰσδεξάμενοι πάθος, ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον ἐτρά πησαν, καὶ τῆς προτέρας ἐξέπεσον λήξεως. Καὶ τοῦτο δεδήλωκεν ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος, περὶ τῆς ἐπισκοπικῆς χειροτονίας νομοθετῶν· "Μὴ νεόφυτον, ἵνα μὴ τυ φωθεὶς εἰς κρῖμα ἐμπέσῃ τοῦ διαβόλου." ∆ιὰ γὰρ τῶνδε τῶν λόγων αἰνίττεται, ὡς τῆς ἐκπτώσεως τῷ διαβόλῳ τύφος ἐγένετο πρόξενος. Καὶ Ἐφεσίοις δὲ γράφων, παρεδήλωσεν ὡς πρὶν ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον τραπῆναι, τὴν τοῦ ἀέρος οἰκονομίαν ἐπεπίστευτο. "Κατὰ τὸν ἄρχοντα γὰρ, φησὶ, τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ ἀέρος, τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ νῦν ἐνεργοῦντος ἐν τοῖς υἱοῖς τῆς ἀπειθείας." Τῆς δὲ προτέρας τάξεως ἐκπε σὼν, ὑπουργοὺς ἔχει τοὺς ἀντιλέγοντας τῷ Θεῷ. Καὶ ὁ Κύριος δὲ ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγελίοις ἔφη· "Εἶ δον τὸν Σατανᾶν ὡς ἀστραπὴν πεσόντα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ." Καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ χωρίῳ, "Ἐκεῖνος, φη σὶν, ἀνθρωποκτόνος ἦν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς, καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ οὐχ ἕστηκε." Τοῦτο δὲ παραδηλοῖ, ὡς τῆς ἀληθείας ἐκτραπεὶς, τἀναντία τῇ ἀληθείᾳ προείλετο. Καὶ οἱ μακάριοι δὲ προφῆται Ἡσαΐας καὶ Ἰεζεκιὴλ παραπλησίοις αἰνίγμασι κέχρηνται. Τοῦτο γὰρ σημαίνει τό· "Ἐπάνω τῶν ἄστρων θήσω τὸν θρόνον μου, καὶ ἔσομαι ὅμοιος τῷ Ὑψίστῳ, καὶ καταλήψομαι τὴν οἰκουμένην ὡς νοσσιὰν, καὶ ὡς καταλελειμμένα ὠὰ ἀρῶ." Καὶ ὁ Ἰεζεκιὴλ διὰ τοῦ ἄρχοντος Τύρου τὸν ἀποστάτην ἄρχοντα αἰνίττεται τὸν ἐνεργήσαντα ἐκείνῳ. Λέγει δὲ οὕτως· "Τάδε λέγει Κύριος Ἀδω ναΐ· Σὺ ἐκσφράγισμα ὁμοιώσεως, πλήρης σοφίας, καὶ στέφανος κάλλους, καὶ ἐν τῇ τρυφῇ τοῦ παραδείσου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐγενήθης, πάντα λί θον ἐνδέδυσαι." Εἶτα τῶν λίθων ἀπαριθμή σας τὰ εἴδη, ἐπήγαγεν· "Ἀφ' ἧς ἡμέρας κατεσκευά σθης μετὰ τοῦ χερουβεὶμ κεχρισμένος παρὰ Θεοῦ τοῦ κατασκηνοῦντος, καὶ ἔθηκά σε ἐν ὄρει ἁγίῳ Θεοῦ. Ἐγεννήθης ἐν μέσῳ λίθων πυρίνων, ἐπορεύθης ἄμωμος σὺ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις σου, ἀφ' ἧς ἡμέρας ἐκτίσθης σὺ, ἕως οὗ εὑρέθη τὰ ἀδικήματα ἐν σοί. Ἀπὸ γὰρ πλήθους περιδρομῆς σου, ἔπλησας τὰ τα μιεῖά σου ἀνομίας, καὶ ἥμαρτες, καὶ ἐτραυματί σθης· Ἀπὸ ὄρους τοῦ Θεοῦ κατήγαγέ σε τὸ χερουβεὶμ τὸ συσκιάζον ἐκ μέσου λίθων πυρίνων. Ὑψώθη ἡ καρδία σου ἐπὶ τῷ κάλλει σου. ∆ιεφθάρη ἡ ἐπιστήμη σου μετὰ τοῦ κάλλους σου. ∆ιὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν σου, ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ἔῤῥιψά σε, ἐναντίον βασιλέων ἔδωκά σε παραδειγματισθῆναι. ∆ιὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἀνομιῶν σου, καὶ τῶν ἀδικιῶν τῆς ἐμπο ρίας σου, ἐβεβήλωσα ἁγιασμόν σου. Ἐξάγω πῦρ ἐν μέσῳ σου· τοῦτο καταφάγεταί σε." Οὗτος ὁ 83.477 προφητικὸς λόγος ἔδειξε τὸν διάβολον ἐξ ἀρχῆς μὲν ἀγαθὸν γεγενημένον, ἑκουσίως δὲ τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον ῥοπὴν εἰσδεξάμενον, ταῖς δὲ κακομηχανίαις τὴν πο νηρίαν αὐξήσαντα. Τὴν γὰρ περιδρομὴν, καὶ τὴν ἐμπορίαν, τὰς τῆς πονηρίας ἐπινοίας ἐκάλεσε. Τοῦ τον παρεδειγμάτισεν, ἐλέγξας αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀσθένειαν, καὶ πατεῖσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν πάλαι προσκυνούντων ἐκέ λευσεν. Αὐτοῦ γάρ ἐστι φωνή· "Ἰδοὺ δέδωκα ὑμῖν ἐξουσίαν πατεῖν ἐπάνω ὄφεων καὶ σκορπίων, καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν