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of those men. There shall not be found in you one who purifies his son or his daughter in fire, one who practices divination, and observes omens and interprets signs, a sorcerer casting spells, a ventriloquist and a sign-interpreter and one who inquires of the dead. For everyone who does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God. For on account of these abominations the Lord your God will destroy them from before your face. You shall be perfect before the Lord your God.” 4.10.8 Such were these and countless other godly teachings and precepts that God the Word formerly ordained for them through Moses, as in introductions to the pious life, delivering to them elements through symbols and a certain shadowy and bodily worship, in the circumcision of the body and in certain other things of this kind accomplished on the earth. 4.10.9 But as time went on, not even one of the prophets after him was strong enough for the healing of life's evils, because of an excess of wickedness, and the demonic activity daily drove things to a greater pitch, so that even the Hebrew nation itself was carried away with the corruption of the godless, then at last the Savior and Physician of all things Himself comes down to men, and, assisting His own angels on behalf of the salvation of men, the Father having previously promised to grant this to Him, as He Himself teaches in the Psalms, saying: “The Lord said to me, You are my Son, today I have begotten you; Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession.” 4.10.10 No longer, therefore, only the righteous and discerning Israel, nor indeed only His own inheritance, but all the nations on earth, which were formerly allotted to many angels and were wallowing in all kinds of impieties, having brought under His own authority, He was present to all, proclaiming knowledge of and friendship with His Father, promising both release from and forgiveness of their former ignorances and sins. 4.10.11 Which He also clearly proclaimed, saying: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” 4.10.12 And indeed He was present to His own angels, those very ones formerly set over the nations, visiting them. And they, immediately recognizing very precisely their own helper and Lord, came to Him with great joy and ministered to Him, just as the holy scripture of the gospel teaches, saying, “and angels came and ministered to Him”, when also “a multitude of the heavenly host praising God” said: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men”. 4.10.13 These, therefore, as His own angels needing His alliance, He took up in this way; but those that had long been flitting about the haunts of men, the wicked demons and the races of savage and cruel spirits, who were oppressing those on earth both unseen and seen, and the ruler of evil among them, that terrible and vengeful one, He turned back and subdued with great and divine power, so that some of them, becoming aware, said: “Ha! What have we to do with you, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” 4.10.14 And these indeed He tormented mightily by what He did and taught, but the whole human race He healed and cured with the gentle and mild remedies of His words and with His meek and persuasive teachings, and He delivered them from all kinds of diseases and sufferings of bodies no less than of souls, setting free all who came to Him from ancient superstition and the terrors of polytheistic error and from a shameful and dissolute way of life, transferring and changing those who paid heed to Him from a dissolute life to a temperate one, from impiety to piety, and from injustice to righteousness, yes, and indeed from the tyranny of bitter demons to the divinely-inspired grasp of true piety, and in addition to these things, holding out the gates of heavenly life and of the teaching of piety to the nations throughout the whole world. and to such an extent

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ἐκείνων. οὐχ εὑρεθήσεται ἐν σοὶ καθαίρων τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἢ τὴν θυγατέρα αὐτοῦ ἐν πυρί, μαντευόμενος μαντείας, καὶ κληδονιζόμενος καὶ οἰωνιζόμενος, φαρμακὸς ἐπᾴδων, ἐγγαστρίμυθος καὶ τερατοσκόπος καὶ ἐπερωτῶν τοὺς νεκρούς. ἔστι γὰρ βδέλυγμα κυρίῳ τῷ θεῷ σου πᾶς ποιῶν ταῦτα. ἕνεκεν γὰρ τῶν βδελυγμάτων τούτων κύριος ὁ θεός σου ἐξολοθρεύσει αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ προσώπου σου. τέλειος ἔσῃ ἐναντίον κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ σου.» 4.10.8 τοιαῦτα μὲν καὶ μυρία ἄλλα θεοσεβῆ διδάγματά τε καὶ παραγγέλματα διὰ Μωσέως αὐτοῖς ὁ θεὸς λόγος τὸ πρὶν ἐνομοθέτει, ὡς ἐν εἰσαγωγαῖς τοῦ κατὰ εὐσέβειαν βίου παραδιδοὺς αὐτοῖς στοιχεῖα διὰ συμβόλων καί τινος σκιώδους καὶ σωματικῆς λατρείας, ἐν σώματος περιτομῇ καί τινων ἄλλων τοιουτοτρόπων ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς συντελουμένων. 4.10.9 Ὡς δὲ τοῦ χρόνου προϊόντος οὐδεὶς τοσοῦτον καὶ τῶν μετ' αὐτὸν προφητῶν εἰς ἄκεσιν τῶν τοῦ βίου κακῶν δι' ὑπερβολὴν κακίας ἔσθενεν, ἤλαυνέν τε ὁσημέραι εἰς μείζονα τὰ τῆς δαιμονικῆς ἐνεργείας, ὡς καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ Ἑβραίων ἔθνος τῇ τῶν ἀθέων συναπαχθῆναι φθορᾷ, αὐτὸς ἤδη λοιπὸν ὁ σωτὴρ καὶ ἰατρὸς τῶν ὅλων κάτεισιν εἰς ἀνθρώπους, καὶ τοῖς οἰκείοις ἀγγέλοις ἐπαμύνων ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων σωτηρίας, τοῦτ' αὐτῷ τοῦ πατρὸς δωρήσεσθαι προϋποσχομένου, ὥσπερ οὖν αὐτὸς ἐν Ψαλμοῖς διδάσκει λέγων· «κύριος εἶπεν πρός με, υἱός μου εἶ σύ, ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε· αἴτησαι παρ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου, καὶ τὴν κατάσχεσίν σου τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς.» 4.10.10 οὐκέτι γοῦν μόνον τὸν δίκαιον καὶ διορατικὸν Ἰσραήλ, οὐδέ γε μόνον τὸν οἰκεῖον κλῆρον, πάντα δὲ τὰ ἐπὶ γῆς ἔθνη, τὰ πρότερον πλείοσιν ἀγγέλοις κεκληρωμένα καὶ παντοίαις ἀσεβείαις κεκαλινδημένα, ὑπὸ τὴν οἰκείαν ὑποβαλὼν ἐξουσίαν, παρῆν τοῖς πᾶσιν τὴν πρὸς τὸν αὐτοῦ πατέρα γνῶσίν τε καὶ φιλίαν ἐπικηρυκευόμενος, λύσιν τε καὶ ἄφεσιν τῶν πρὶν ἀγνοημάτων καὶ ἁμαρτημάτων ὑπισχνούμενος. 4.10.11 ὃ καὶ σαφῶς ἐκήρυττε λέγων· «οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν οἱ ἰσχύοντες ἰατροῦ, ἀλλ' οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες. οὐκ ἦλθον καλέσαι δικαίους, ἀλλὰ ἁμαρτωλοὺς εἰς μετάνοιαν.» 4.10.12 καὶ δὴ παρῆν τοῖς οἰκείοις ἀγγέλοις, αὐτοῖς δὴ τοῖς πρὶν ἐφεστῶσιν τῶν ἐθνῶν, ἐπιθεωρούμενος. οἱ δὲ αὐτίκα τὸν σφῶν βοηθὸν καὶ κύριον εὖ μάλα ἀκριβῶς ἐπιγνόντες, περιχαρεῖς προσῆλθον καὶ διηκόνουν αὐτῷ, ὥσπερ ἡ ἱερὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου διδάσκει γραφή, «καὶ προσῆλθον ἄγγελοι καὶ διηκόνουν αὐτῷ», φήσασα, ὅτε καὶ «πλῆθος στρατιᾶς οὐρανίου αἰνούντων τὸν θεὸν» ἔλεγον· «δόξα ἐν ὑψίστοις θεῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη, ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκία». 4.10.13 τούτους μὲν οὖν ὡς οἰκείους ἀγγέλους τῆς αὐτοῦ δεομένους συμμαχίας ταύτῃ πη ἀνελάμβανεν· τοὺς δέ γε πάλαι ἀμφὶ τὰς ἀνθρώπων διατριβὰς πωτωμένους, ἀφανῶς τε καὶ ἐμφανῶς τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς καταδυναστεύοντας δαίμονας ἀλιτηρίους καὶ πνευμάτων ἀγρίων καὶ ἀπηνῶν γένη, τόν τε ἐν τούτοις τῆς κακίας ἐξάρχοντα, τὸν δεινὸν ἐκεῖνον καὶ ἀλάστορα, μεγάλῃ καὶ ἐνθέῳ δυνάμει τροπούμενος ἐχειροῦτο, ὥς τινας συναισθομένους αὐτῶν λέγειν· «ἔα, τί ἡμῖν καὶ σύ, υἱὲ τοῦ θεοῦ; ἦλθες πρὸ καιροῦ βασανίσαι ἡμᾶς;» 4.10.14 Καὶ τούσδε μὲν δι' ὧν ἔπραττεν καὶ ἐδίδασκεν ἰσχυρῶς ᾐκίζετο, πᾶν δὲ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον γένος τοῖς διὰ λόγων ἡμέροις καὶ προσηνέσι φαρμάκοις ταῖς τε πραέσι καὶ προτρεπτικαῖς αὐτοῦ διδασκαλίαις ἰᾶτο καὶ ἐθεράπευεν, νόσων τε παντοίων καὶ παθῶν οὐχ ἧττον σωμάτων ἢ ψυχῶν ἀπήλλαττεν, παλαιᾶς τε δεισιδαιμονίας καὶ δειμάτων πολυθέου πλάνης τῆς τε αἰσχρᾶς καὶ ἀκολάστου διαίτης πάντας τοὺς προσιόντας ἐλευθέρους ἀφείς, μεθιστῶν τε καὶ μεταβάλλων τοὺς αὐτῷ προσανέχοντας ἐκ μὲν ἀκολασίας ἐπὶ σώφρονα βίον, ἐκ δὲ ἀσεβείας ἐπὶ εὐσέβειαν καὶ ἐξ ἀδικίας ἐπὶ δικαιοσύνην, ναὶ μὴν καὶ ἐκ τῆς τῶν πικρῶν δαιμόνων δυναστείας ἐπὶ τὴν ἔνθεον κατάληψιν τῆς ἀληθοῦς εὐσεβείας, καὶ πρὸς ἐπὶ τούτοις πύλας οὐρανίου ζωῆς καὶ τῆς κατ' εὐσέβειαν διδασκαλίας τοῖς καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης ἔθνεσιν προϊσχόμενος. καὶ εἰς τοσοῦτόν