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being taken up, it is united to the spirit as to a kinsman (which is the soul of man), but the material part of the food, having been united to the body, remains in it as a terrible poison. Wherefore, self-sufficiency is good in all things. But some of the evil-doing demons lie in wait in another way, not even showing at the beginning that they exist, so that no effort may be made against them, but at an opportune time, on a pretext of anger, or love, or something else, they suddenly abuse the body either with a sword or a noose or a cliff or some other thing, and they establish the souls deceived by them, who have been mingled [with them], to be punished in the end, as we said, having gone into the purifying fire. And others, being ambushed in other ways, do not come to us, being deceived by the thoughts of the evil-doing demons, as if they were suffering these things from the gods themselves on account of their neglect towards them, and that they are able to reconcile them with sacrifices, and that they ought not to approach us, but on the contrary to flee and to hate. And yet they hate and flee those who rather pity them and pursue them for their benefit. Therefore, hating and fleeing us, they are ambushed, not knowing from whence it comes to them to think things contrary to their salvation; for neither can we compel them when they are unwilling to incline towards salvation (since we do not now have such great authority over them), nor can they of themselves understand the evil thought of the demon (for they do not know from where the evil thoughts are suggested to them). And there are [these], whom the demons frighten by appearing in whatever forms they wish. And at other times they also prescribe cures for the sick, and so they win the reputation of gods from those who have been deceived beforehand, and they escape the notice of the many that they are demons, but not us who know their mystery, for what reason they do such things, transforming themselves in dreams over those over whom they have authority. And some they frighten, but to others they give oracles and demand sacrifices and command them to feast with them, so that they may drink up their souls along with them. For as terrible serpents draw sparrows to themselves with their breath, so too they draw to their own will those who partake of their table (being mixed with their mind through the food and drink), transforming themselves in a dream according to the forms of the idols, so that they might increase the deception. For the idol is neither a living being nor does it have a divine spirit, but the demon who appeared made use of the form. To how many others have they appeared similarly in a dream, and meeting one another while awake and comparing the dream, they did not agree? So that dream is no longer an epiphany, but it is either of a demon or the products of a soul that renders the forms to passing fears and desire; for the mind, being struck with fear, brings forth the forms through dreams. But if you think that the idols, being as if animate, are able to effect such things, having placed them on a balance, the beam being equal, and having put the counter-weight on the other scale, demand that they become either heavier or lighter, and if it happens thus, they are animate; but it does not happen; but if it should be, such a thing is not yet a god. For this can happen by the finger of a demon. And worms move,

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προσληφθεῖσα, αὐτὴ μὲν ὡς συγγενεῖ ἑνοῦται τῷ πνεύματι (ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἀνθρώπου ψυχή), τὸ δὲ τῆς τροφῆς ὑλῶδες τῷ σώματι ἑνωθὲν ὡς δεινὸς αὐτῷ ὑπολείπεται ἰός. διὸ ἐπὶ πάντων καλὸν ἡ αὐτάρκεια. τινὲς δὲ τῶν κακούργων δαιμόνων ἄλλως ἐνεδρεύουσιν, τὴν ἀρχὴν οὐδὲ ὅτι εἰσὶν ἐνφαίνοντες, ὅπως ἡ κατ' αὐτῶν σπουδὴ μὴ γένηται, εὐκαίρως δὲ ὀργῆς προφάσει, ἔρωτος ἢ ἄλλου τινὸς ἤτοι ξίφει ἢ βρόχῳ ἢ κρημνῷ ἢ ἑτέρῳ τινὶ τὸ σῶμα αἰφνιδίως ἐνυβρίζουσιν καὶ εἰς τέλος κολασθησο- μένας καθιστᾶσιν τῶν ἀνακεκραμένων τὰς ἠπατημένας αὐτοῖς ψυχάς, ὡς ἔφαμεν, εἰς τὸ καθάρσιον χωρήσαντες πῦρ. ἄλλοι δὲ ἄλλως ἐνεδρευό- μενοι οὐ προσίασιν ἡμῖν, ταῖς τῶν κακούργων δαιμόνων ἐνθυμήσεσιν ἀπατώμενοι ὡς ὑπὸ μὲν τῶν θεῶν αὐτῶν ταῦτα πάσχοντες διὰ τὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἀμέλειαν, θυσίαις δὲ αὐτοὺς διαλλάσσειν δυνάμενοι, καὶ ὅτι μὴ χρὴ αὐτοὺς ἡμῖν προσιέναι, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον φεύγειν καὶ μισεῖν. καὶ ὁμῶς μισοῦσιν καὶ φεύγουσιν τοὺς μᾶλλον ἐλεῶντας καὶ ἐπ' εὐεργε- σίᾳ αὐτοὺς διώκοντας. μισοῦντες οὖν καὶ φεύγοντες ἡμᾶς ἐνεδρεύ- ονται, οὐκ εἰδότες πόθεν αὐτοῖς τὰ ἐναντία τῇ αὐτῶν σωτηρίᾳ φρονεῖν γίνεται· οὔτε γὰρ ἡμεῖς αὐτοὺς μὴ βουλομένους πρὸς σωτηρίαν νεῦσαι βιάσασθαι δυνάμεθα (ἐπεὶ μὴ τοσαύτην νῦν κατ' αὐτῶν ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν) οὔτε αὐτοὶ ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν τὴν κακὴν τοῦ δαίμονος ἐνθύμησιν νοῆσαι δύ- νανται (οὐ γὰρ ἴσασιν ὅθεν αὐτοῖς αἱ τῶν κακῶν ἐνθυμήσεις ὑποβάλλον- ται). εἰσὶν δὲ [οὗτοι], οὓς οἱ δαίμονες καθ' ἃς βούλονται μορφὰς ἐπι- φαινόμενοι φοβοῦσιν. ἔσθ' ὅτε δὲ καὶ τοῖς νοσοῦσιν θεραπείας συντάσ- σουσιν καὶ οὕτως τοῖς προηπατημένοις θεῶν δόξαν ἀποφέρονται καὶ τοῦ δαίμονας εἶναι τοὺς πολλοὺς λανθάνουσιν, ἀλλ' οὐχ ἡμᾶς τοὺς εἰδότας αὐτῶν τὸ μυστήριον, τίνος ἕνεκα τοιαῦτα πράττουσιν, ἑαυτοὺς κατ' ὄναρ καθ' ὧν τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἔχουσι μεταμορφοῦντες. καὶ οὓς μὲν φοβοῦσιν, οἷς δὲ χρηματίζουσιν καὶ θυσίας ἀπαιτοῦσιν καὶ συνεστιᾶσθαι κελεύουσιν, ἵνα αὐτῶν τὰς ψυχὰς συνπίνωσιν. ὡς γὰρ οἱ δεινοὶ ὄφεις τοῖς αὑτῶν πνεύμασιν τοὺς στρουθοὺς ἐπισπῶνται, οὕτω καὶ αὐτοὶ τοὺς μεταλαμβάνοντας τῆς αὐτῶν τραπέζης (διά γε τῶν βρωτῶν καὶ ποτῶν ἀνακραθέντες αὐτῶν τῷ νῷ) εἰς τὸ ἴδιον αὐτῶν ἐπισπῶνται βού- λημα, μεταμορφοῦντες ἑαυτοὺς κατ' ὄναρ κατὰ τὰς τῶν ξοάνων ἰδέας, ἵνα τὴν πλάνην αὐξήσωσιν. τὸ γὰρ ξόανον οὔτε ζῷόν ἐστιν οὔτε θεῖον ἔχει πνεῦμα, ὁ δὲ ὀφθεὶς δαίμων τῇ μορφῇ ἀπεχρήσατο. πόσοις κατ' ὄναρ ὁμοίως ἄλλοις ὤφθησαν καὶ ὕπαρ συναντήσαντες ἀλλήλοις [πρὸς] τὸ κατ' ὄναρ ἀντιβάλλοντες οὐ συνεφώνησαν; ὥστε οὐκέτι ὄναρ ἐπιφάνεια ἐκεῖνό ἐστιν, ἀλλ' ἢ δαίμονός ἐστιν ἢ ψυχῆς [τὰ] ἐπιγενήματα τοῖς παριοῦσι φόβοις καὶ ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἀποδιδούσης τὰς ἰδέας· ἡ γὰρ φόβῳ τὸν νοῦν πληγεῖσα, διὰ ὀνείρων τὰς ἰδέας ἀποκυίσκει. εἰ δὲ τὰ ξόανα οἴεσθε ὡς ἔνπνοα ὑπάρ- χοντα τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐνεργεῖν δύνασθαι, ἐπὶ ζυγοῦ ἐπιστήσαντες αὐτά, ἴσου ὄντος τοῦ κανόνος, τὸ ἀντίρροπον ἐπὶ τῆς ἑτέρας πλάστιγγος θέντες, ἀξιώσατε αὐτὰ ἢ ὁλκότερα γενέσθαι ἢ κουφότερα, καὶ οὕτως ἐὰν γένη- ται, ἔνπνοά ἐστιν· ἀλλ' οὐ γίνεται· εἰ δὲ ἔσται, οὔπω τὸ τοιοῦτο θεός ἐστιν. καὶ γὰρ δακτύλῳ δαίμονος τοῦτο γενέσθαι δύναται. καὶ σκώληκες κινοῦνται,