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have sorcerers conceived? But our Savior and Lord did not merely conceive of it, and not dare to attempt it, nor attempt it, and not succeed, 3.6.32 but with one word and one voice, saying to his own disciples, "Go and make disciples of all nations in my name, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you," he added the deed to the word, and immediately in a short time every race of Greeks and barbarians was made disciples, and laws were sown among all the nations contrary to the superstition of the ancients, laws hostile to demons and enemies of all polytheistic error, laws that brought moderation to Scythians and Persians and the other barbarians, and that turned them from every lawless and beastly way of life, laws that overturned the age-old customs among the Greeks themselves, and that proclaimed a new and true piety. 3.6.33 What then, was anything like this or similar ever dared by the sorcerers of old before the time of Jesus or even after, that one could reasonably say he was aided by others in matters of sorcery? But if one could name no one who has become like him—for no one was the cause for him of so great a virtue—it is time therefore to confess that a certain strange and divine nature has visited this life, by which alone and for the first time things never before remembered among men have been accomplished. But let these things also have an end here. 3.6.34 But again one must turn to the opponent, and ask if he has ever seen with his eyes or known by hearing of sorcerers and magicians practicing sorcery without libations and sacrifices and the invocation and presence of demons. Can anyone then bring such a slander against our Savior, or against his words, or against those who to this day emulate his life? Is it not clear even to a blind man that we who think the things of Jesus practice the very opposite of these things, daring rather to give up our soul to death than a sacrifice to demons, and sooner departing from life than enduring to be enslaved to wicked demons. 3.6.35 And who does not know how it is our custom, with the very name of Jesus and with the purest prayers, to drive out every work of demons? Thus the word of Jesus and the teaching from him has made us all much stronger than this invisible power, and has made us enemies and foes of demons, not friends nor associates, much less prepared us to be obedient and subject to them. 3.6.36 How then could he who brought us forth as such have himself been a slave of demons? How could he have sacrificed to wicked spirits? Or how did he call upon demons as helpers in his miracles, when to this very day every demon and every unclean spirit, as if facing one of the punishing and tormenting powers of its own nature, shudders at the name of Jesus, and withdraws and yields to the power of the name? 3.6.37 Just as, then, long ago during the time he was visiting this life, not bearing his presence, one after another cried out from different places: "Ah, what have we to do with you, Jesus, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?" But a man who gives his mind entirely to sorcery, and who in every way attempts forbidden things, would he not be clearly unholy in his manner, and polluted, and shameful, and godless, and unjust, and impious? And being such, from where or how could he teach others about piety, or about moderation, or about the knowledge of God, or about the judgment-seat and judgment of the God over all? Will he not advocate the opposite of all these things, acting in accordance with his own wickedness, and will he not deny God and God's providence and God's judgment, and will he not mock the words about virtue and about the immortality of the soul? 3.6.38 If, then, any such things were to be seen in our Savior and Lord, there would be nothing to say; but if in every deed and word he is shown invoking God the Father, the creator of all, and preparing his disciples to be such, and if he himself is temperate and a teacher of temperate words, and if he is a maker and herald of justice and truth and philanthropy and all virtue

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γοήτων διανενόηται; ὁ δὲ σωτὴρ καὶ κύριος ἡμῶν οὐκ ἐνενόησεν μέν, οὐ τετόλμηκεν δὲ ἐπιχειρῆσαι, ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἐπεχείρησεν μέν, οὐ κατώρθωσεν δέ, 3.6.32 ἑνὶ δὲ ῥήματι καὶ μιᾷ φωνῇ φήσας πρὸς τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ μαθητὰς «πορευθέντες μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου, διδάσκοντες αὐτοὺς τηρεῖν πάντα ὅσα ἐνετειλάμην ὑμῖν», ἔργον ἐπῆγε τῷ λόγῳ, αὐτίκα τε ἐμαθητεύετο ἐν ὀλίγῳ πᾶν γένος Ἑλλήνων ὁμοῦ καὶ βαρβάρων, καὶ νόμοι πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι κατεσπείροντο ἐναντίοι τῇ τῶν παλαιῶν δεισιδαιμονίᾳ, νόμοι δαιμόνων πολέμιοι καὶ πάσης ἐχθροὶ πολυθέου πλάνης, νόμοι Σκυθῶν καὶ Περσῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων βαρβάρων σωφρονισταί, ἐπιστρεπτικοί τε πάσης ἐκθέσμου καὶ θηριώδους διαίτης, νόμοι τῶν ἐξ αἰῶνος παρ' αὐτοῖς Ἕλλησιν ἐθῶν ἀνατρεπτικοί, καινῆς δὲ καὶ ἀληθοῦς εὐσεβείας καταγγελτικοί. 3.6.33 Τί δῆτα οὖν τοῖς πάλαι γόησιν πρὸ τῶν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ χρόνων ἢ καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα τοιοῦτον ἢ καὶ παραπλήσιον τετόλμηται, ὡς εἰκότως φάναι αὐτὸν παρ' ἑτέρων ὠφελῆσθαι τὰ τῆς γοητείας; εἰ δ' οὐδένα ἄν τις ἔχοι λέγειν αὐτῷ γεγονέναι ὅμοιον οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἦν αὐτῷ αἴτιος τῆς τοσαύτης ἀρετῆς, ὥρα τοιγαροῦν ὁμολογεῖν ξένην τινὰ καὶ θείαν φύσιν ἐπιδεδημηκέναι τῷ βίῳ, ᾗ μόνῃ καὶ πρώτῃ τὰ μηδεπώποτε παρ' ἀνθρώποις μνημονευθέντα κατώρθωται. ἀλλὰ καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ὧδε τέλος ἐχέτω. 3.6.34 Πάλιν δ' ἐπὶ τὸν δι' ἐναντίας ἰτέον, ἐρωτητέον τε εἴ ποτε ὀφθαλμοῖς εἶδεν ἢ ἀκοῇ ἔγνω γόητάς τε καὶ φαρμακέας δίχα σπονδῶν καὶ θυμάτων καὶ δαιμόνων ἐπικλήσεώς τε καὶ παρουσίας γοητεύοντας. μή τι οὖν καὶ κατὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, ἢ κατὰ τῶν αὐτοῦ λόγων, ἢ κατὰ τῶν εἰσέτι νῦν ζηλούντων τὸν αὐτοῦ βίον, ἔχει τις τοιαύτην ἐπιφέρειν διαβολήν; οὐχὶ καὶ τυφλῷ δῆλον ὡς πᾶν τοὐναντίον τούτοις ἡμεῖς οἱ τὰ Ἰησοῦ φρονοῦντες ἐπιτηδεύομεν, θᾶττον μὲν θανάτῳ τὴν ψυχὴν ἢ δαίμοσιν θυσίαν προέσθαι τολμῶντες, θᾶττον δὲ τῆς ζωῆς ἐξιστάμενοι ἢ τοῖς πονηροῖς δαίμοσιν δουλωθῆναι ὑπομένοντες. 3.6.35 τίς δ' οὐκ οἶδεν, ὅπως σὺν αὐτῇ τῇ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ προσηγορίᾳ καὶ σὺν εὐχαῖς καθαρωτάταις πᾶν τὸ δαιμόνων ἔργον ἀπελαύνειν ἡμῖν φίλον ἐστίν; οὕτως ὁ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ λόγος καὶ ἡ παρ' αὐτοῦ διδασκαλία πολὺ κρείττους τῆς ἀοράτου ταύτης δυνάμεως πάντας ἡμᾶς ἀπειργάσατο, ἐχθρούς τε δαιμόνων καὶ πολεμίους, ἀλλ' οὐ φίλους οὐδὲ συνήθεις, πολλοῦ δεῖ ὑπηκόους καὶ ὑποχειρίους εἶναι παρεσκεύασεν. 3.6.36 ὁ δὴ τοιούτους ἡμᾶς προαγαγὼν πῶς ἂν αὐτὸς δοῦλος ἐγεγόνει δαιμόνων; πῶς δ' ἂν τοῖς πονηροῖς πνεύμασιν ἔθυσεν; ἢ πῶς βοηθοὺς δαίμονας ἐπεκαλέσατο ἐν ταῖς παραδοξοποιίαις, ὁπότε εἰσέτι δεῦρο πᾶς δαίμων καὶ πᾶν ἀκάθαρτον πνεῦμα, ὥς τι τῶν κολαστικῶν καὶ βασανιστικῶν τῆς οἰκείας φύσεως, τοῦ Ἰησοῦ τὸ ὄνομα φρίττει, ὑπεξίσταταί τε καὶ παραχωρεῖ τῇ τῆς προσηγορίας δυνάμει; 3.6.37 ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ πάλαι καθ' ὃν ἐπεδήμει τῷ βίῳ χρόνον, μὴ φέροντες αὐτοῦ τὴν παρουσίαν, ἄλλος ἄλλοθεν ἐβόα· «ἔα, τί ἡμῖν καὶ σοί, Ἰησοῦ, υἱὲ τοῦ θεοῦ; ἦλθες πρὸ καιροῦ βασανίσαι ἡμᾶς»; Ἀνὴρ δὲ ὅλως γοητείᾳ προσέχων τὸν νοῦν, καὶ πάντως γέ που ἀπειρημένοις πράγμασιν ἐγχειρῶν, ἆρ' οὐκ ἂν εἴη δῆλος ἀνόσιος ὢν τὸν τρόπον καὶ μιαρὸς καὶ αἰσχρὸς καὶ ἄθεος καὶ ἄδικος καὶ ἀσεβής; τοιοῦτος δὲ ὢν πόθεν ἢ πῶς τὰ περὶ εὐσεβείας διδάξειεν ἂν ἑτέρους, ἢ τὰ περὶ σωφροσύνης, ἢ τὰ περὶ θεοῦ γνώσεως, ἢ τὰ περὶ δικαιωτηρίου καὶ κρίσεως τοῦ ἐπὶ πάντων θεοῦ; οὐχὶ τούτων ἁπάντων τὰ ἐναντία πρεσβεύσει, ἀκόλουθα τῇ ἑαυτοῦ μοχθηρίᾳ πράττων, καὶ θεὸν μὲν ἀρνήσεται καὶ θεοῦ πρόνοιαν καὶ θεοῦ κρίσιν, χλευάσει δὲ τοὺς περὶ ἀρετῆς καὶ τοὺς περὶ ψυχῆς ἀθανασίας λόγους; 3.6.38 εἰ μὲν δὴ τοιαῦτά τινα ἦν ἰδεῖν καὶ περὶ τὸν σωτῆρα καὶ κύριον ἡμῶν, οὐδὲν ἂν ἦν εἰπεῖν· εἰ δ' ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ πράγματι καὶ λόγῳ τὸν πάντων δημιουργὸν πατέρα θεὸν ἀνακαλούμενος ἀποδείκνυται καὶ τοὺς φοιτητὰς τοιούτους εἶναι παρασκευάζων, καὶ εἰ σώφρων αὐτὸς καὶ σωφρόνων λόγων διδάσκαλος, καὶ εἰ ποιητὴς καὶ κῆρυξ δικαιοσύνης καὶ ἀληθείας καὶ φιλανθρωπίας καὶ ἀρετῆς ἁπάσης