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so much that those in authority say to this one, Come, and he comes, and to another, Go, and he goes, so also the one who has given himself to God, being faithful, is heard by merely speaking to demons and passions, and demons withdraw, being much stronger than those who command them. For by an ineffable power God subjects the mind of each one to whom he wishes. For just as many governors with all their legions and cities fear Caesar, though he is a man, since the heart of each one hastens to honor the image of the universe (for by God's will, all things being enslaved by fear, it does not know the cause), so also every pathogenic spirit honors and flees the one who takes refuge in God and who bears righteous faith like an image of him in his heart, being made to fear in some natural way. But nevertheless, even if all demons with all the passions flee from you, it is not in this alone that you should rejoice, but in the fact that, on account of your pleasing God, your names are inscribed in heaven as those who live forever. Thus also the divine Holy Spirit rejoices that man has conquered death; for driving out demons serves for the healing of another. But we say these things not as denying that one ought to help others, but that one must not, being blinded by this, neglect oneself. But at times demons flee certain lawless men on account of a revered name, and both the one who cast them out and <the one> who observed it are ensnared. The one who cast them out, as if honored for righteousness, not knowing the demon's evil deed (for it has both honored the name and, by its flight, has enveloped the impious one in a conceit of righteousness, and deceived him from repenting), while the one who observed, by consorting with the caster-out as with a pious man and hastening to a similar way of life, is destroyed. And sometimes they also pretend to flee oaths not directed to God, so that having deceived them, whenever they wish they may des-
We want you to know this, therefore, that if anyone does not willingly give himself to a dem-
of the king of peace, forever enjoying the ineffable good things. But for the present, having washed in a perpetual river or spring, or even in the sea, in the thrice-blessed name, you will be able not only to cast out the spirits dwelling within you, but you yourselves, by no longer sinning and by believing in God without doubting, will cast out the evil spirits and cruel demons of others, along with their terrible passions. And sometimes, just by your looking at them, they will flee; for they know those who have given themselves to God, and so, honoring them, they flee in fear, just as yesterday you saw how, when I undertook after the discourse to pray for the sufferers, they [the passions] cried out in reverence for religion, being unable to endure for even a short time. Do not think, therefore, that we, being of another nature, for this reason do not fear demons. For we are of the same nature as you, but not of the same religion. Therefore, being not just much better but entirely superior to you, we do not begrudge you becoming such, but on the contrary advise it, knowing that it unknowingly honors and fears all these things in those who have become intimate with God. For in the same way that the soldiers under Caesar's chiliarch know to honor the one who has received it on account of the authority of the one who gave it,
troy.
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τοσοῦτον ὥστ' ἂν τοὺς ἐφεστῶτας λέγειν τούτῳ· Ἐλθέ, καὶ ἔρχεσθαι καὶ ἄλλῳ· Πορεύου, καὶ πορεύεσθαι, οὕτως καὶ ὁ θεῷ ἑαυτὸν ἀποδούς, πιστὸς ὤν, δαίμοσίν τε καὶ πάθεσιν μόνον λέγων ἀκούεται, καὶ ὑποχω- ροῦσιν δαίμονες πολὺ ἰσχυρότεροι ὄντες τῶν κελευόντων. ἀφράστῳ γὰρ δυνάμει τὸν ἑκάστου νοῦν ὁ θεὸς ὑποτάσσει ᾧ βούλεται. ὡς γὰρ τὸν Καίσαρα πεφόβηνται ὄντα ἄνθρωπον πολλοὶ ἡγεμόνες μετὰ πασῶν τῶν παρεμβολῶν καὶ πόλεων, τῆς ἑκάστου καρδίας <τὴν> τῶν ὅλων εἰκόνα προ- τιμᾶν σπευδούσης (θεοῦ γὰρ βουλῇ τὰ πάντα δεδουλωμένα φόβῳ τὴν αἰτίαν οὐκ οἶδεν), οὕτω καὶ τὸν θεῷ προσφεύγοντα καὶ τὴν δικαίαν πίστιν ὥσπερ εἰκόνα αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ αὐτοῦ βαστάζοντα καρδίᾳ πάντα τὰ παθοποιὰ πνεύματα τιμᾷ καὶ φεύγει, φυσικῇ τινι ὁδῷ πεφοβημένα. Ἀλλ' ὅμως κἂν πάντες δαίμονες μετὰ πάντων τῶν παθῶν ὑμᾶς φεύγωσιν, οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τούτῳ μόνον χαίρειν, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ δι' εὐαρεστίαν τὰ ὀνόματα ὑμῶν ἐν οὐρανῷ ὡς ἀεὶ ζώντων ἀναγραφῆναι. οὕτω καὶ τὸ θεῖον ἅγιον πνεῦμα χαίρει ὅτι τὸν θάνατον νενίκηκεν ἄνθρωπος· τὸ γὰρ δαίμονας φυγαδεύειν εἰς τὴν ἄλλου ἴασιν γίνεται. ταῦτα δὲ λέγομεν οὐχ ὡς ἀρνούμενοι τὸ μὴ δεῖν ἄλλοις βοηθεῖν, ἀλλ' ὅτι μὴ χρὴ ἐπὶ τούτῳ τυφωθέντας ἑαυτῶν ἀμελεῖν. ἔσθ' ὅτε δέ τινας ἀνόμους ἄνδρας δαίμονες φεύγουσιν δι' ὄνομα τίμιον καὶ ἐνεδρεύονται ὅ τε ἀπελάσας καὶ <ὁ> ἱστορήσας· ὁ μὲν ἀπελάσας ὡς διὰ δικαιοσύνην προτιμηθεὶς οὐκ εἰδὼς τοῦ δαίμονος τὸ κακοῦργον (ἅμα τε γὰρ τὸ ὄνομα τετίμηκεν καὶ τῇ φυγῇ τὸν ἀσεβῆ εἰς οἴησιν δικαιοσύνης περιβαλὼν τοῦ μὴ μετανοεῖν ἠπάτησεν), ὁ δὲ ἱστορήσας ὡς εὐσεβεῖ συνχρησάμενος τῷ ἀπελάσαντι πρὸς τὴν ὁμοίαν πολιτείαν σπεύσας ἀπόλλυται. ἐνίοτε δὲ καὶ τοὺς μὴ θεῷ προσκειμένους ὅρκους φεύγειν ὑποκρίνονται, ἵν' ἀπατήσαντες αὐτοὺς ὅτε θελήσωσιν ἀνέ-
Καὶ τοῦτο οὖν ὑμᾶς εἰδέναι βουλόμεθα ὅτι, ἐὰν μή τις ἑκὼν ἑαυτὸν δαί-
εἰρήνης βασιλέως εἰσαεὶ τῶν ἀπορρήτων ἀπολαύοντες ἀγαθῶν. ἐν δὲ τῷ παρ- όντι, ἀενάῳ ποταμῷ ἢ πηγῇ ἐπεί γε κἂν θαλάσσῃ ἀπολουσάμενοι ἐπὶ τῇ τρισμακαρίᾳ ἐπονομασίᾳ οὐ μόνον τὰ ἐνδομυχοῦντα ὑμῖν πνεύματα ἀπελάσαι δυνήσεσθε, ἀλλ' αὐτοὶ μηκέτι ἁμαρτάνοντες καὶ θεῷ ἀνενδοιά- στως πιστεύοντες τὰ ἄλλων κακὰ πνεύματα καὶ δαιμόνια χαλεπὰ σὺν τοῖς δεινοῖς πάθεσιν ἀπελάσετε. ἐνίοτε δὲ μόνον ἐνιδόντων ὑμῶν φεύ- ξονται· ἴσασιν γὰρ τοὺς ἀποδεδωκότας ἑαυτοὺς τῷ θεῷ, διὸ τιμῶντες αὐτοὺς πεφοβημένοι φεύγουσιν, ὥσπερ ἐχθὲς ἑωράκατε πῶς ἐμοῦ ἀνα- θεμένου μετὰ τὴν προσομιλίαν εὔξασθαι ὑπὲρ τῶν πασχόντων, αὐτὰ [τὰ πάθη] τῇ πρὸς τὴν θρησκείαν τιμῇ ἀνέκραγεν, βραχεῖαν ὥραν στέξαι μὴ δυνηθέντα. μὴ οὖν νομίσητε ὅτι ἡμεῖς ἄλλης φύσεως ὄντες κατὰ τοῦτο δαίμονας οὐ φοβούμεθα. τῆς γὰρ αὐτῆς ὑμῖν ἐσμεν φύσεως, ἀλλ' οὐ θρησκείας. διὸ ὑμῶν οὐ πολύ, ἀλλὰ τὸ πᾶν κρείττονες ὄντες καὶ ὑμᾶς τοιούτους γενέσθαι οὐ φθονοῦμεν, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον συμβουλεύομεν, εἰδότες ὅτι τοὺς θεῷ προσοικειωθέντας ταῦτα πάντα ἀγνώστως προτιμᾷ καὶ φοβεῖται. ὅνπερ γὰρ τρόπον Καίσαρος χιλιάρχῳ οἱ ὑποκείμενοι στρατιῶται διὰ τὴν τοῦ δεδωκότος ἐξουσίαν τὸν εἰληφότα οἴδασι τιμᾶν
λωσιν.