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neither would the demons formerly theologized by all the nations 4.21.2 be good, but would be banished far away from the good. Therefore they might justly be called fighters against God and impious, having corrupted all of life, from which from of old no one but only our savior and lord, the Christ of God, has provided the escape for all men, preaching the good news at once to all, both Greeks and barbarians, of a cure for the ancestral disease and freedom from the bitter and most ancient slavery; to which the word of the evangelical demonstration urges us to hasten, crying with a great voice for all to hear: «The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me; he has sent me to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to heal the brokenhearted.» and again: «to bring out from bonds 4.21.3 those who are fettered and from the house of imprisonment those who sit in darkness.» For from above of old, the truly divine oracles among the Hebrews prophesied these things, evangelizing the redemption of us who were formerly blind in our souls and fettered by the intricate bonds of evil demons. Wherefore, having the eyes of our mind enlightened by the saving word, and having become temperate, intelligent, and pious, and free from all evils, we will neither sacrifice nor be slaves to the gods acknowledged by the nations, who indeed formerly tyrannized over us; but having been led and brought by the teaching of our savior to the one and true God, who is indeed master and nourisher, savior and benefactor, and moreover maker and creator and king of all, we will consider him alone the true God and to him alone will we render the fitting reverence, honoring him alone and worshiping him alone, not as is pleasing to the demons, but as has been delivered by him who was sent down from him, the savior of all men, 4.21.4 through his evangelical teaching. And worshiping God in this way, we will pursue and drive away from ourselves, far from fearing, the evil demons through purity and a clean manner and a temperate and all-virtuous life, which indeed has been ordained by our savior; for it was acknowledged that they are unable to approach a pure soul because of the dissimilarity. But neither will we need divination and oracles, nor will we examine the entrails of animals, nor will we meddle with any of the things that are effected through demonic 4.21.5 agency. For the word of Christ has commanded us to practice abstaining from those things for whose sake these things are eagerly pursued by the many, and urged us to desire only those things, concerning which in truth no seer nor entrails of animals will reveal what is clear, but only the Word of God himself, who dwells in the true inward parts of those who are able to receive him within themselves through the utmost purity of soul. Concerning which he says somewhere in the holy scriptures: «I will dwell in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.» 4.21.6 These things, then, from the passage on sacrifices, are a refutation of the wickedness of the demons. But hear what the author of *On Abstinence from Animal Food* relates again about the same things, expressly confessing that the evil demons, being imprinted in various shapes and characterizing all sorts of forms, escape notice and deceive the many among men. For, he says, by putting on the masks of good beings and winning over the multitudes by kindling the desires of men, they wish to be called the highest gods. And he says they have grown so strong as to deceive even the wisest of the Greeks, both poets and philosophers, whom he also confesses to have been the cause of the perversion of the multitude; and that from them all sorcery is constituted and things for the pleasure of men are procured through them; and how they wish to be gods, though they are worthless demons; and how the power that presides over them seems to be the greatest god. Porphyry indeed relates all these things in this manner: 4.22.1 23.

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εἶεν ἂν οὔτε ἀγαθοὶ δαίμονες οἱ πάλαι πρὸς τῶν ἐθνῶν 4.21.2 ἁπάντων θεολογούμενοι, πορρωτάτω δὲ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἐξῳκισμένοι. διὸ καὶ ἐνδίκως θεομάχοι τινὲς καὶ ἀσεβεῖς λεχθεῖεν, τὸν πάντα λυμηνάμενοι βίον, ὧν ἐξ αἰῶνος οὐδεὶς ἢ μόνος ὁ σωτὴρ καὶ κύριος ἡμῶν ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ θεοῦ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις τὴν φυγὴν προεξένησεν, εὐαγγελιζόμενος ὁμοῦ πάντας Ἕλληνάς τε καὶ βαρβάρους θεραπείαν τῆς πατρικῆς νόσου καὶ τῆς πικρᾶς καὶ παλαιοτάτης δουλείας ἐλευθερίαν· ἐφ' ἣν σπεύδειν ὁ τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς ἀποδείξεως παρορμᾷ λόγος, μεγάλῃ τῇ φωνῇ τοῖς πᾶσιν εἰς ἐξάκουστον βοῶν· «πνεῦμα κυρίου ἐπ' ἐμέ, οὗ εἵνεκεν ἔχρισέν με, εὐαγγελίσασθαι πτωχοῖς ἀπέσταλκέν με, κηρῦξαι αἰχμαλώτοις ἄφεσιν καὶ τυφλοῖς ἀνάβλεψιν, ἰάσασθαι τοὺς συντετριμμένους τὴν καρδίαν.» καὶ πάλιν· «ἐξαγαγεῖν ἐκ δε4.21.3 σμῶν πεπεδημένους καὶ ἐξ οἴκου φυλακῆς καθημένους ἐν σκότει.» ταῦ τα γὰρ ἄνωθεν ἐκ παλαιοῦ τὰ θεῖα ὡς ἀληθῶς παρ' Ἑβραίοις ἐθέσπιζεν λόγια, τὴν ἡμῶν τῶν πάλαι τυφλῶν τὰς ψυχὰς καὶ δαιμόνων πονηρῶν πολυπλόκοις δεσμοῖς πεπεδημένων ἀπολύτρωσιν εὐαγγελιζόμενα. ὅθεν εἰκότως τοὺς τῆς διανοίας ὀφθαλμοὺς πρὸς τοῦ σωτηρίου καταυγασθέντες λόγου, σώφρονές τε καὶ συνετοὶ καὶ εὐλαβεῖς γενόμενοι καὶ πάντων ἐλεύθεροι κακῶν, οὔτε θύσομεν οὔτε δουλεύσομεν τοῖς τῶν ἐθνῶν νενομισμένοις θεοῖς, οἳ δὴ καὶ ἡμῶν τὸ πρὶν κατετυράννουν· ἀχθέντες δὲ καὶ προσαχθέντες ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν διδασκαλίας τῷ μόνῳ καὶ ἀληθεῖ θεῷ, τῷ δὴ καὶ δεσπότῃ καὶ τροφεῖ σωτῆρί τε καὶ εὐεργέτῃ καὶ ἔτι ποιητῇ καὶ δημιουργῷ καὶ παμβασιλεῖ τῶν ὅλων, μόνον τοῦτον ἀληθῆ θεὸν ἡγησόμεθα καὶ μόνῳ τὸ προσῆκον ἀπονεμοῦμεν σέβας, μόνον γεραίροντες καὶ μόνον αὐτὸν εὐσεβοῦντες, οὐχ ᾗ τοῖς δαίμοσιν φίλον, ἀλλ' ᾗ τῷ πρὸς αὐτοῦ καταπεμφθέντι πάντων ἀνθρώ4.21.4 πων σωτῆρι διὰ τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς αὐτοῦ διδασκαλίας παραδέδοται. ταύτη δὲ θεοσεβοῦντες διώξομεν καὶ ἀπελάσομεν ἑαυτῶν, πολλοῦ δεῖ φοβηθησόμεθα, τοὺς πονηροὺς δαίμονας δι' ἁγνείας καὶ καθαροῦ τρόπου βίου τε σώφρονος καὶ παναρέτου, τοῦ δὴ πρὸς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν διωρισμένου· καθαρᾷ γὰρ μὴ δύνασθαι ψυχῇ πλησιάζειν διὰ τὸ ἀνόμοιον ὡμολογεῖτο. ἀλλ' οὐδὲ μαντείας καὶ χρησμῶν δεησόμεθα οὐδὲ σπλάγχνα ζῴων διερευνήσομεν οὐδέ τι τῶν διὰ δαιμονικῆς κινήσεως ἐνεργουμένων πολυπραγμονήσο4.21.5 μεν. ὧν γὰρ ἕνεκα ταῦτα τοῖς πολλοῖς σπουδάζεται, τούτων ἡμῖν ἀφίστασθαι μελετᾶν ὁ τοῦ Χριστοῦ λόγος διεστείλατο, μόνων δὲ ἐκείνων ἐφίεσθαι προὔτρεψεν, περὶ ὧν ἀληθῶς μάντις μὲν οὐδεὶς οὐδὲ σπλάγχνα ζῴων μηνύσει τὸ σαφές, αὐτὸς δὲ μόνος ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος, ὁ ἐν τοῖς ἀληθινοῖς ἐνοικῶν σπλάγχνοις τῶν οἵων τε αὐτὸν δι' ἄκραν ψυχῆς καθαρότητα ἔνδον ἐν ἑαυτοῖς χωρεῖν. περὶ ὧν φησί που ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς γράμμασιν· «ἐνοικήσω ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐμπεριπατήσω καὶ ἔσομαι αὐτῶν θεός, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἔσονταί μοι λαός.» 4.21.6 Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν τὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ περὶ θυσιῶν τόπου ἀπελεγκτικὰ τῆς τῶν δαιμόνων μοχθηρίας. ἄκουε δὲ οἷα περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν αὖθις ὁ Περὶ τῆς τῶν ἐμψύχων ἀποχῆς συγγραφεὺς ἱστορεῖ, διαρρήδην ὁμολογῶν τοὺς πονηροὺς δαίμονας ἐν σχήμασι πλείοσιν ἐντυπουμένους καὶ παντοίας μορφὰς χαρακτηρίζοντας λανθάνειν καὶ ἐξαπατᾶν τοὺς πολλοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. ἀγαθῶν γάρ, φησίν, ὑποδυόμενοι πρόσωπα καὶ προσεταιριζόμενοι τὰ πλήθη διὰ τοῦ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐκκαίειν, τοὺς ἀνωτάτω θεοὺς ἑαυτοὺς ἐπιφημίζεσθαι βούλονται. τοσοῦτόν τε αὐτούς φησιν ἰσχῦσαι ὡς ἀπατῆσαι καὶ τοὺς σοφωτάτους τῶν Ἑλλήνων ποιητάς τε καὶ φιλοσόφους, οὓς καὶ ὁμολογεῖ τῆς τοῦ πλήθους γεγονέναι διαστροφῆς αἰτίους· ὅτι τε ἐξ αὐτῶν πᾶσα γοητεία συνέστη καὶ τὰ πρὸς ἡδονὴν ἀνθρώποις δι' αὐτῶν προξενεῖται· ὅπως τε θεοὶ εἶναι βούλονται, δαίμονες ὄντες φαῦλοι· καὶ ὡς ἡ προεστῶσα αὐτῶν δύναμις δοκεῖ θεὸς εἶναι ὁ μέγιστος. ταῦτα δὴ ὁ Πορφύριος πάντα τοῦτον ἱστορεῖ τὸν τρόπον· 4.22.1 κγʹ.