§48. Further facts. Christian continence of virgins and ascetics. Martyrs. The power of the Cross against demons and magic. Christ by His Power shews Himself more than a man, more than a magician, more than a spirit. For all these are totally subject to Him. Therefore He is the Word of God.

Now these arguments of ours do not amount merely to words, but have in actual experience a witness to their truth. 2. For let him that will, go up and behold the proof of virtue in the virgins of Christ and in the young men that practise holy chastity150    Cf. Hist. Arian. 25, Apol. Const. 33., and the assurance of immortality in so great a band of His martyrs. 3. And let him come who would test by experience what we have now said, and in the very presence of the deceit of demons and the imposture of oracles and the marvels of magic, let him use the Sign of that Cross which is laughed at among them, and he shall see how by its means demons fly, oracles cease, all magic and witchcraft is brought to nought. 4. Who, then, and how great is this Christ, Who by His own Name and Presence casts into the shade and brings to nought all things on every side, and is alone strong against all, and has filled the whole world with His teaching? Let the Greeks tell us, who are pleased to laugh, and blush not. 5. For if He is a man, how then has one man exceeded the power of all whom even themselves bold to be gods, and convicted them by His own power of being nothing? But if they call Him a magician, how can it be that by a magician all magic is destroyed, instead of being confirmed? For if He conquered particular magicians, or prevailed over one only, it would be proper for them to hold that He excelled the rest by superior skill; 6. but if His Cross has won the victory over absolutely all magic, and over the very name of it, it must be plain that the Saviour is not a magician, seeing that even those demons who are invoked by the other magicians fly from Him as their Master. 7. Who He is, then, let the Greeks tell us, whose only serious pursuit is jesting. Perhaps they might say that He, too, was a demon, and hence His strength. But say this as they will, they will have the laugh against them, for they can once more be put to shame by our former proofs. For how is it possible that He should be a demon who drives the demons out? 8. For if He simply drove out particular demons, it might properly be held that by the chief of demons He prevailed against the lesser, just as the Jews said to Him when they wished to insult Him. But if, by His Name being named, all madness of the demons is uprooted and chased away, it must be evident that here, too, they are wrong, and that our Lord and Saviour Christ is not, as they think, some demoniacal power. 9. Then, if the Saviour is neither a man simply, nor a magician, nor some demon, but has by His own Godhead brought to nought and cast into the shade both the doctrine found in the poets and the delusion of the demons and the wisdom of the Gentiles, it must be plain and will be owned by all, that this is the true Son of God, even the Word and Wisdom and Power of the Father from the beginning. For this is why His works also are no works of man, but are recognised to be above man, and truly God’s works, both from the facts in themselves, and from comparison with [the rest of] mankind.

Ταῦτα δὲ τὰ λεγόμενα παρ' ἡμῶν οὐκ ἄχρι λόγων ἐστίν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς πείρας ἔχει τὴν τῆς ἀληθείας μαρτυρίαν. Παρίτω γὰρ ὁ βουλόμενος καὶ θεωρείτω τῆς μὲν ἀρετῆς τὸ γνώρισμα ἐν ταῖς Χριστοῦ παρθένοις καὶ ἐν τοῖς σωφροσύνην ἁγνεύουσι νεωτέροις, τῆς δὲ ἀθανασίας τὴν πίστιν ἐν τῷ τοσούτῳ τῶν μαρτύρων αὐτοῦ χορῷ. Ἡκέτω δὲ καὶ ὁ πεῖραν τῶν προλεχθέντων βουλόμενος λαβεῖν, καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῆς τῆς φαντασίας τῶν δαιμόνων, καὶ τῆς τῶν μαντείων ἀπάτης, καὶ τῶν τῆς μαγείας θαυμάτων, χρησάσθω τῷ σημειῷ τοῦ γελωμένου παρ' αὐτοῖς σταυροῦ, τὸν Χριστὸν ὀνομάσας μόνον, καὶ ὄψεται πῶς δι' αὐτοῦ δαίμονες μὲν φεύγουσι, μαντεῖα δὲ παύεται, μαγεία δὲ πᾶσα καὶ φαρμακεία κατήργηται. Τίς οὖν ἄρα καὶ πηλίκος ἐστὶν οὗτος ὁ Χριστός, ὁ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ὀνομασίᾳ καὶ παρουσίᾳ τὰ πάντα πανταχόθεν ἐπισκιάσας καὶ καταργήσας, καὶ μόνος κατὰ πάντων ἰσχύων, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην τῆς ἑαυτοῦ διδασκαλίας πληρώσας; Λεγέτωσαν οἱ πάνυ γελῶντες καὶ οὐκ ἐρυθριῶντες Ἕλληνες. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἄνθρωπός ἐστι, καὶ πῶς εἷς ἄνθρωπος τὴν πάντων τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς θεῶν δύναμιν ὑπερῆρε, καὶ οὐδὲν ἐκείνους ὄντας τῇ ἑαυτοῦ δυνάμει διήλεγξεν; Εἰ δὲ μάγον αὐτὸν λέγουσι, πῶς οἷόν τέ ἐστιν ὑπὸ μάγου καταργεῖσθαι πᾶσαν τὴν μαγείαν, καὶ μὴ μᾶλλον συνίσ τασθαι; Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἀνθρώπους μάγους ἐνίκα, ἢ καθ' ἑνὸς ἴσχυε μόνου, καλῶς ἂν ἐνομίσθη παρ' αὐτοῖς κρείττονι τέχνῃ τὴν τῶν ἄλλων ὑπερβάλλων. Εἰ δὲ κατὰ πάσης ἁπλῶς μαγείας καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτῆς ἤρατο τὴν νίκην ὁ τούτου σταυρός, δῆλον ἂν εἴη μὴ εἶναι μάγον τὸν Σωτῆρα, ὃν καὶ οἱ παρὰ τῶν ἄλλων μάγων ἐπικαλούμενοι δαίμονες ὡς δεσπότην φεύγουσι. Τίς οὖν ἄρα ἐστὶ λεγέ τωσαν οἱ μόνον ἐν τῷ χλευάζειν ἔχοντες τὴν σπουδὴν Ἕλληνες. Ἴσως ἂν φήσαιεν δαίμονα καὶ αὐτὸν γεγενῆσθαι, καὶ οὕτως ἰσχύειν. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ πάνυ λέγοντες ὀφλήσουσι χλεύην, πάλιν ταῖς προτέραις ἀποδείξεσι δυσωπεῖσθαι δυνάμενοι. Πῶς γὰρ οἷόν τέ ἐστι δαίμονα εἶναι τὸν τοὺς δαίμονας ἀπελαύνοντα; Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἁπλῶς δαίμονας ἤλαυνε, καλῶς ἂν ἐνομίσθη τῷ ἄρχοντι τῶν δαιμονίων ἰσχύειν αὐτὸν κατὰ τῶν ἐλαττόνων, ὁποῖα καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι θέλοντες αὐτὸν ὑβρίζειν ἔλεγον αὐτῷ. Εἰ δὲ πᾶσα τῶν δαιμόνων μανία ἐξίσταται τῇ τούτου ὀνομασίᾳ καὶ διώκεται, φανερὸν ἂν εἴη καὶ ἐν τούτῳ πλανᾶσθαι αὐτούς, καὶ μὴ εἶναι ὡς νομίζουσι δαιμονικήν τινα δύναμιν τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν καὶ Σωτῆρα Χριστόν. Οὐκοῦν εἰ μήτε ἄνθρωπος ἁπλῶς μήτε μάγος μήτε δαίμων τίς ἐστιν ὁ Σωτήρ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν παρὰ ποιηταῖς ὑπόνοιαν καὶ δαιμόνων φαντασίαν καὶ Ἑλλήνων σοφίαν τῇ ἑαυτοῦ θειότητι κατή ργησε καὶ ἐπεσκίασε, φανερὸν ἂν εἴη καὶ παρὰ πᾶσιν ὁμολογηθήσεται ὅτι οὗτος ἀληθῶς Θεοῦ Υἱός ἐστι, Λόγος καὶ Σοφία καὶ ∆ύναμις τοῦ Πατρὸς ὑπάρχων. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γὰρ οὐδὲ ἀνθρώπινά ἐστιν αὐτοῦ τὰ ἔργα, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον, καὶ Θεοῦ τῷ ὄντι γινώσκεται ταῦτα, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν φαινομένων καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς πρὸς ἀνθρώπους συγκρίσεως.