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of those who do not understand or are not even willing, for these very ones, upon the dissolution of the body, the soul, united with the demon, has the necessity of being carried by it to whatever places it wishes. But the most grievous thing of all is when, in the consummation of all things, the demon is first given over to the cleansing fire, the soul mingled with it has the necessity of itself being ineffably punished, while the demon rejoices. For she, being from light, is tormented, not bearing the alien flame of the fire, but he, being in the substance of his own kind, greatly rejoices, having become an unbreakable bond for the soul desired by him. As for why the demons are eager to enter into the bodies of men, this is the reason. Being spirits and having a desire for food and drink and intercourse, but being unable to partake because they are spirits and need suitable organs for the purpose, they enter the bodies of men, so that, having obtained ministering organs, as it were, they might be able to attain what they wish, whether food, through the man’s teeth, or intercourse, through his genitals. Whence, for the flight of demons, want and fasting and affliction is a most suitable aid. For if they enter into a man's body for the sake of partaking, it is clear that they are put to flight by affliction. But since some, being more terrible, have become contentious and, although they are being punished, remain with the body that is being punished, for this reason it is necessary to flee to God with prayers and supplications, abstaining from every impure occasion, so that the hand of God may be able to touch him for healing, as one who is pure and believing. And it is necessary also in prayers to confess having fled to God and to protest not the disobedience of the demon, but its slowness. For all things are possible for one who believes, but for one who disbelieves, nothing. Whence the demons themselves, knowing the amount of faith of those they master, measure out their own persistence in proportion. For this reason they persist with the unbelieving, they linger with those of little faith, but with those who have believed completely and are doing well they are not able to be present even for a moment's time. For the soul, by faith in God, having been turned as into the nature of water, extinguishes the demon like a spark of fire. It is therefore a labor for each one to conceive of the flight of the demon within him. For mixing themselves with souls, so that someone might neglect his own salvation, they suggest thoughts into the mind of each one towards what they wish. Whence many, not knowing from where they are being acted upon, assent to the evil suggestions of the demons as to the reasoning of their own soul. Wherefore they become more hesitant to come to those who are able to save them and are consumed by the very demons lying in wait for them, being unaware. Therefore by the demons lurking in their souls it is suggested to them to think that it is not a demon vexing them, but a bodily disease (such as either acrid matter or an excess of bile or phlegm or blood, or an inflammation of the membrane of the brain, or something else). But even if this were so, not even it is free from being a form of demon. For the universal and earthy soul, passing through because of all foods, by more nourishment to a greater degree

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μὴ νοούντων ἢ καὶ μὴ βουλομένων, τούτων αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ σώματος λύσει ἡ ψυχὴ τῷ δαίμονι ἡνωμένη ἀνάγκην ἔχει φέρεσθαι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ εἰς οὓς βούλεται τόπους. τὸ δὲ πάντων χαλεπώτατον, ἐπὰν ἐν τῇ τῶν ὅλων συντελείᾳ ὁ δαίμων τὰ πρῶτα εἰς τὸ καθαῖρον πῦρ ἀποδοθῇ, ἡ συγκραθεῖσα αὐτῷ ψυχὴ ἀνάγκην ἔχει αὐτὴ μὲν ἀπορρήτως κολάζεσθαι, ὁ δὲ δαίμων ἥδεσθαι. ἡ γὰρ ἐκ φωτὸς οὖσα τὴν ἀλλόφυλον τοῦ πυρὸς φλόγα μὴ φέρουσα βασανίζεται, ὁ δὲ ἐν τῇ τοῦ γένους αὐτοῦ ὢν οὐσίᾳ μεγάλως ἥδεται, δεσμὸς δύσρηκτος γενόμενος τῆς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ συμπο- θείσης ψυχῆς. τὸ δὲ τοὺς δαίμονας γλίχεσθαι εἰς τὰ ἀνθρώπων εἰσδύειν σώματα, αἰτία αὕτη. πνεύματα ὄντες καὶ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἔχοντες εἰς βρωτὰ καὶ ποτὰ καὶ συνουσίαν, μεταλαμβάνειν δὲ μὴ δυνά- μενοι διὰ τὸ πνεύματα εἶναι καὶ δεῖσθαι ὀργάνων τῶν πρὸς τὴν χρῆσιν ἐπιτηδείων, εἰς τὰ ἀνθρώπων εἰσίασιν σώματα, ἵνα ὥσπερ ὑπουργούντων ὀργάνων τυχόντες, ὧν θέλουσιν, ἐπιτυχεῖν δυνατοὶ ὦσιν, εἴτε βρωτῶν, διὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπου ὀδόντων, εἴτε συνουσίας, διὰ τῶν ἐκείνου αἰδοίων. ὅθεν πρὸς τὴν τῶν δαιμόνων φυγὴν ἡ ἔνδεια καὶ ἡ νηστεία καὶ ἡ κακουχία οἰκειότατόν ἐστιν βοήθημα. εἰ γὰρ τοῦ μετα- λαμβάνειν χάριν εἰσέρχονται εἰς ἀνθρώπου σῶμα, δῆλον ὅτι κακουχίᾳ φυγαδεύονται. ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἔνια δεινότερα τυγχάνοντα προσφιλονεική- σαντα καίτοι τιμωρούμενα τῷ τιμωρουμένῳ προσμένει σώματι, διὰ τοῦτο χρὴ προσφεύγειν θεῷ εὐχαῖς καὶ δεήσεσιν ἀπεχομένους τε πάσης ἀκα- θάρτου προφάσεως, ὅπως ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ χεὶρ εἰς ἴασιν αὐτοῦ ἐπιψαῦσαι δυνηθῇ ὡς ἁγνοῦ καὶ πιστεύοντος. δεῖ δὲ καὶ ἐν ταῖς εὐχαῖς τὸ θεῷ προσπεφευγέναι ὁμολογεῖν καὶ διαμαρτύρεσθαι τὴν τοῦ δαίμονος οὐκ ἀπείθειαν, ἀλλὰ βραδυτῆτα. πάντα γὰρ τῷ πιστεύοντι γίνεται, ἀπιστοῦντι δὲ οὐδέν. ὅθεν αὐτοὶ οἱ δαίμονες, εἰδότες ὧν ἐπικρατοῦσιν τῆς πίστεως τὴν ποσότητα, ἀναλογοῦσαν ἐπιμετροῦσιν αὐτῶν τὴν ἐπιμονήν. διὰ τοῦτο τοῖς ἀπιστοῦσιν ἐπιμένουσιν, τοῖς δὲ δυσπίστοις ἐνβραδύνουσιν, τοῖς δὲ παντάπασιν πιστεύσασι καὶ εὖ πράττουσιν οὐδὲ πρὸς ·οπὴν ὥρας συνεῖναι δύνανται. ἡ γὰρ ψυχὴ τῇ πρὸς θεὸν πίστει ὡς εἰς ὕδα- τος φύσιν τραπεῖσα τὸν δαίμονα ὡς σπινθῆρα πυρὸς ἀποσβέννυσιν. κάματος οὖν ἐστιν ἑκάστῳ ἐννοηθῆναι τὴν τοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ δαίμονος φυγήν. ἀνακιρνάμενοι γὰρ ταῖς ψυχαῖς, ὅπως τις τῆς αὑτοῦ σωτηρίας ἀμελήσῃ, ἐνθυμήσεις πρὸς ἃ βούλονται ὑποβάλλουσιν εἰς τὸν ἑκάστου νοῦν. ὅθεν πολλοὶ οὐκ εἰδότες, πόθεν ἐνεργοῦνται, ταῖς τῶν δαιμόνων κακαῖς ὑπο- βαλλομέναις ἐπινοίαις ὡς τῷ τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτῶν λογισμῷ συντίθενται. διὸ πρὸς τοὺς σσζειν αὐτοὺς δυναμένους ἐλθεῖν ὀκνηρότεροι γίνονται καὶ [τοὺς] ὑπ' αὐτῶν τῶν ἐνεδρευόντων δαιμόνων ἀναλισκόμενοι ἀγνοοῦσιν. ὑπὸ μὲν οὖν τῶν ταῖς ψυχαῖς αὐτῶν ἐνδομυχούντων δαιμόνων ἐπιδίδοται αὐτοῖς ἐνθυμεῖσθαι ὡς οὐ δαίμονος ἐνοχλοῦντος, ἀλλὰ σωματικῆς νόσου (οἷον ἢ ὕλης δριμείας ἢ χολῆς ἢ φλέγματος ἢ αἵματος ἀμετρία ἢ μή- νιγγος φλεγμονῆς ἢ ἄλλου τινός). εἰ δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ἦν, οὐδὲ αὐτὸ ἀπήλλακται δαίμονος εἶδος εἶναι. ἡ γὰρ καθόλου καὶ γεώδης ψυχή, αἰτίᾳ πάντων βρωτῶν διικνουμένη, ὑπὸ τῆς πλείονος τροφῆς ἐπὶ πλεῖον