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He called us brothers to the Father, as if giving back in return those whom he had received; to whom He also says: "Those whom you gave me out of the world were yours, and you gave them to me." According to that: "Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance." Through these children, he says, there will be signs and wonders; whence the others have rendered it thus: Behold I and the children whom the Lord has given me, for signs and for wonders in Israel. For He gave them to me, he says, to work wonders through them; to whom also the Savior said, sending them to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, "Heal the sick, cast out demons, freely you have received, freely give." Through which signs also the calling of the nations came to be. For to change from ignorance to knowledge, and from vice to virtue, and for Churches of God to be established everywhere on earth, have become clear signs of God's grace. Which are from the Lord of Sabaoth. And who else is Lord of hosts, than the one called the commander of the power of God, by whom signs are given to the children who have believed in him? concerning whom, as they were saying, "Hosanna in the highest," he says it was spoken, that "Out of the mouth of babes and infants you have perfected praise." Concerning whom, confessing to the Father, he says that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding, and have revealed them to babes. Calling the mystical children babes, those who through discipleship obtained the revelation of the mysteries, to whom He who dwells in Zion on the heavenly mountain revealed them. About which the Apostle says: "You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem." 1993 ιθκβʹ. 9And if they say to you: Seek the ventriloquists, and those who speak from the earth, the ones who speak empty things, who speak from the belly. Will not a nation seek its God? Why will they seek the dead concerning the living9? etc. Emmanuel weaves a catechetical discourse for those accounted as children, leading them away from the ancient superstition, as being taught by him. For if relatives [he says] or friends should urge you to return to your former error, do not be persuaded by their counsel, under the pretext of foreknowledge. For demons work these things for the destruction of those who are involved. For they have the power both to heal afflictions and to foretell; the one, because they are more perceptive of the more material properties, such as the quality of herbs and their application to one another; the other, because they are the first to see things that have happened, and they supposedly present them as things that will be. For instance, knowing the things decreed concerning Saul and made public by God's decision, they fashioned the face of Samuel and related it as their own decision. He says the ventriloquists speak from the earth. For they utter nothing heavenly; which she who speaks to Saul also confesses, 'I see gods ascending from the earth.' For they profess to bring up the souls of the dead for the manifestation of the things being sought; whom he also calls speakers of vain things and speakers from the belly; whom they name Pythons; perhaps also as speaking from their own heart. For he fabricates the lie, aiming at the will of those present. And so might they also be called whose God is their belly, even if they feign piety and teach, wishing to fill it. For they speak empty things, not speaking from conviction. For he who does not do and yet teaches, is not trustworthy for edification. But the phrase, 'Will not a nation seek its God?' is spoken as a question and perhaps with the ellipsis of, 'say to them'. For if each nation, even if in error, nevertheless clings to its own God. What should those who have unerring knowledge do, but seek their own God, and not ask about matters from those deprived of all life? either speaking of the idols, or of those who have truly fallen away from life, such as the demons through their apostasy, not having the living word of God in themselves; or also that it is absurd to ask those who lie in the earth concerning those who are still living. For all such sorcery revolves around tombs. But the phrase, 'why do they seek?' is from one who is indignant at their folly, because of

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ἀδελφοὺς ἡμᾶς προσηγόρευσεν τῷ Πατρὶ καθάπερ ἀντιδιδοὺς οὓς ἐδέξατο· πρὸς ὃν καί φησιν· "Οὓς ἔδωκάς μοι ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου, σοὶ ἦσαν, κἀμοὶ αὐτοὺς ἔδωκας." Κατὰ τό· "Αἴτησαι παρ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου." ∆ιὰ τούτων δὲ τῶν παιδίων, φησὶν, ἔσται σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα· ὅθεν οὕτως ἐξέδωκαν οἱ λοιποί· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ καὶ τὰ παιδία, ἃ δέδωκέν μοι ὁ Κύριος, εἰς σημεῖα, καὶ εἰς τέρατα ἐν Ἰσραήλ. Ἔδωκε γάρ μοι, φησὶν, αὐτὰ θαυματουργεῖν δι' αὐτῶν· οἷς καὶ ἔλεγεν ὁ Σωτὴρ πρὸς τὰ ἀπολωλότα πρόβατα οἴκου Ἰσραὴλ ἀποστέλλων αὐτὰ, "Ἀσθενοῦντας θεραπεύετε, δαίμονας ἐκβάλλετε, δωρεὰν ἐλάβετε, δωρεὰν δότε." ∆ι' ὧν σημείων καὶ ἡ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐγίνετο κλῆσις. Τὸ γὰρ ἐξ ἀγνοίας εἰς γνῶσιν, καὶ πρὸς ἀρετὴν ἐκ κακίας μεταβαλεῖν, Ἐκκλησίας τε Θεοῦ πανταχοῦ συστῆναι τῆς γῆς, Θεοῦ χάριτος ἐναργῆ σημεῖα καθέστηκεν. Ἅπερ ἐστὶ παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου σαβαώθ. Τίς δὲ ἄλλος τῶν στρατιωτῶν Κύριος, ἢ ὁ λεγόμενος ἀρχιστράτηγος τῆς δυνάμεως τοῦ Θεοῦ, παρ' οὗ δέδοται τοῖς παιδίοις τὰ σημεῖα τοῖς εἰς αὐτὸν πεπιστευκόσιν; περὶ ὧν αὐτὸς λεγόντων· "Ὡσαννᾶ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις," εἰρῆσθαι, φησὶ τὸ, ὅτι "Ἐκ στόματος νηπίων καὶ θηλαζόντων κατηρτίσω αἶνον." Περὶ ὧν ἐξομολογούμενος τῷ Πατρὶ, φησὶν, ὅτι ἔκρυψας ταῦτα ἀπὸ σοφῶν καὶ συνετῶν, καὶ ἀπεκάλυψας αὐτὰ νηπίοις. Τὰ μυστικὰ παιδία νηπίους καλῶν τοὺς διὰ τῆς μαθητείας τῆς ἀποκαλύψεως τῶν μυστηρίων τυχόντας, οἷς ἀπεκάλυψεν ὁ ἐν Σιὼν κατοικῶν τῷ ἐπουρανίῳ ὄρει. Περὶ οὗ φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος· "Προσεληλύθατε Σιὼν ὄρει καὶ πόλει Θεοῦ ζῶντος, Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐπουρανίῳ." 1993 ιθκβʹ. 9Καὶ ἐὰν εἴπωσι πρὸς ὑμᾶς· Ζητήσατε τοὺς ἐγγαστριμύθους, καὶ τοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς φωνοῦντας, τοὺς κενολογοῦντας, οἳ ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας φωνοῦσιν. Οὐκ ἔθνος πρὸς Θεὸν αὐτοῦ ἐκζητήσουσι; Τί ἐκζητήσουσι περὶ τῶν ζώντων τοὺς νεκρούσ9; κ.τ.λ. Κατηχητικὸν ἐξυφαίνει λόγον ὁ Ἐμμανουὴλ τοῖς εἰς τέκνα λελογισμένοις, τῆς ἀρχαίας ἀπάγων αὐτοὺς δεισιδαιμονίας, ὡς ὄντας αὐτοῦ διδακτούς. Εἰ γὰρ συγγενεῖς ὑμᾶς [φησὶν] ἢ φίλοι παρακαλοῖεν ἐπὶ τὴν προτέραν πλάνην ἐπανελθεῖν, μὴ πείθεσθε τῇ συμβουλῇ, προφάσει προγνώσεως. Ταῦτα γὰρ ἐνεργοῦσιν ἐπὶ καταστροφῇ τῶν γινομένων οἱ δαίμονες. Καὶ πάθη γὰρ θεραπεύειν, καὶ προλέγειν ἰσχύουσι· τὸ μὲν, διὰ τὸ διορατικώτεροι εἶναι τῶν ὑλικωτέρων ἰδιωμάτων, οἷον βοτανῶν ποιότητος καὶ κατ' ἀλλήλου προσαγωγῆς· τὸ δὲ, τὸ πρώτους ὁρᾷν τὰ γεγενημένα, καὶ ὡς ἐσόμενα δῆθεν προβάλλεσθαι. Οἷον γνόντες τὰ τετυπωμένα περὶ Σαοὺλ ἀποφάσει τε δημοσιευθέντα Θεοῦ, τὸ τοῦ Σαμουὴλ σχηματισάμενοι πρόσωπον, ὡς ἰδίαν ἀπόφασιν ἀφηγήσαντο. Ἀπὸ γῆς δὲ φωνεῖν τοὺς ἐγγαστριμύθους φησίν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὐράνιον φθέγγονται· ὅπερ ὁμολογεῖ καὶ ἡ λέγουσα πρὸς Σαοὺλ, Ὁρῶ θεοὺς ἀναβαίνοντας ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς. Ψυχὰς γὰρ ἐπαγγέλλονται τετελευτηκότων ἀνάγειν εἰς τὴν τῶν ζητουμένων φανέρωσιν· οὓς καὶ ματαιολόγους λέγει καὶ φωνοῦντας ἐκ κοιλίας· οὓς ὀνομάζουσι πυθῶνας· τάχα καὶ ὡς ἀπὸ καρδίας ἑαυτῶν φθεγγομένους. Ἀναπλάττει γὰρ τὸ ψεῦδος, τοῦ τῶν παρόντων θελήματος στοχαζόμενος. Λέγοιντο δ' ἂν οὕτω, καὶ ὧν ὁ Θεὸς ἡ κοιλία, κἂν εὐλάβειαν ὑποκρίνοιντο καὶ διδάσκοιεν, πληρῶσαι ταύτην ἐθέλοντες. Κενολογοῦσι γὰρ, οὐκ ἀπὸ διαθέσεως λέγοντες. Ὁ γὰρ μὴ ποιῶν καὶ διδάσκων, πρὸς ὠφέλειαν οὐκ ἀξιόπιστος. Τὸ δὲ, οὐκ ἔθνος πρὸς Θεὸν αὐτοῦ ἐκζητήσουσιν; Κατ' ἐρώτησιν εἴρηται καὶ κατ' ἔλλειψιν ἴσως τοῦ, λέγετε πρὸς αὐτούς. Εἰ γὰρ ἕκαστον ἔθνος, εἰ καὶ πεπλανημένως, ὅμως δ' οὖν τοῦ ἰδίου Θεοῦ περιέχεται. Τοὺς τὴν ἀπλανῆ γνῶσιν ἔχοντάς τι ποιητέον, ἢ τὸν ἑαυτῶν ἐκζητῆσαι Θεὸν, μηδὲ ἐρωτᾷν περὶ πραγμάτων τοὺς ἁπάσης ἑτερημέρους ζωῆς; ἢ περὶ τῶν εἰδώλων λέγων, ἢ περὶ τῶν τῆς ὄντως ἐκπεπτωκότων ζωῆς, ὁποῖοι διὰ τῆς ἀποστασίας οἱ δαίμονες, μὴ ἔχοντες ἐν ἑαυτοῖς τὸν ζῶντα τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγον· ἢ καὶ ὅτι ἄτοπον περὶ τῶν ἔτι ζώντων ἐπερωτᾷν τοὺς ἐν τῇ γῇ κειμένους. Πᾶσα γὰρ ἡ τοιαύτη μαγγανεία περὶ τὰ μνήματα στρέφεται. Τὸ δὲ, τί ἐκζητοῦσιν; δυσανασχετοῦντός ἐστιν ἐπὶ τῇ τούτων ἀνοίᾳ, δι'