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TITLE 25. -Concerning the devil, that is, Satan and the demons. It happened that an evil spirit was upon Saul, David would take the

harp, and played with his hand, and Saul would be refreshed, and the evil spirit would depart from him. The devil stood in Israel, and incited David to number Israel. The power of Satan is on the navel of his belly. He has set his tail like a cypress, and his sinews are woven together like a rope. His breath is coals, and his heart is hardened like iron. Who will uncover the face of his garment, and who will enter into the fold of his breastplate? Who will open the doors of his mouth before his face? Around his teeth is fear, his inwards are shields of bronze. Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and firebrands are scattered. Out of his nostrils comes smoke of a furnace burning with fire of coals. His breath will kindle coals, and a flame comes forth from his mouth. Destruction runs before him. His bed is sharp spits, and all the gold of the sea under him is like countless mud. The Lord showed me Joshua the priest standing before the face of the angel of the Lord, and the devil stood at his right hand. And the angel said to the devil: The Lord will rebuke you, devil, even he who has chosen Jerusalem. How has the morning star, who rises early, fallen from heaven, he who sends to all the nations has been crushed to the earth? But you said in your heart: I will ascend into heaven; I will set my throne above the stars of heaven. I will sit on a high mountain, upon the high mountains towards the north I will ascend, above the clouds; I will be like the Most High. But now you shall descend into Hades, and to the foundations of the earth. Those who see you will marvel at you, and will say: Is this the man who provokes the earth, who shakes kings, who made the whole world a wilderness, and overthrew its cities, and did not release those in captivity. All the kings of the earth have slept in honor, each man in his own house. But you shall be cast out on the mountains as a loathsome corpse, with many of the dead pierced with the sword, going down to Hades. For as a garment stained with blood will not be clean, neither will you be clean; because you have destroyed my land, and you have slain my people, says the Lord. Deceit is in his hand, and he will be magnified in his heart, and by deceit he will corrupt many, and he will stand for the destruction of many. By the envy of the devil, death entered into the world. Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil; and after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was afterward hungry. And the tempter came to him and said: If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread. But he answered and said: It is written: 95.1408 Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Then the devil takes him to the holy city, and sets him on the pinnacle of the temple, and says to him: If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down. Jesus said to him: It is written: You shall not tempt the Lord your God. Again, the devil takes him to a very high mountain, and shows him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and says to him: All these things I will give to you, if you fall down and worship me. Then Jesus says to him: Get behind me, Satan. For it is written: You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve. And the Lord said to the seventy: I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour; whom you resist, steadfast in the faith. The Lord, hindering us from receiving the evil counsels of the devil, says, Today, if you hear his voice

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ΤΙΤΛ. ΚΕʹ. -Περὶ διαβόλου, ἤτοι Σατανᾶ καὶ δαιμόνων. Ἐγενήθη ἐν τῷ εἶναι πνεῦμα πονηρὸν ἐπὶ Σαοὺλ, ἐλάμβανε ∆αβὶδ τὴν

κινύραν, καὶ ἔψαλλεν ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀνέψυχε Σαοὺλ, καὶ ἀφίστατο ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ πονηρόν. Ἔστη διάβολος ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐπέσεισε τὸν ∆αβὶδ ἀριθμῆσαι τὸν Ἰσραήλ. Ἡ δύναμις τοῦ Σατανᾶ ἐπ' ὀμφαλοῦ γαστρός. Ἔστησεν οὐρὰν αὐτοῦ ὡς κυπαρίσσου, τὰ δὲ νεῦρα αὐτοῦ συμπέπλεκται ὥσπερ σχοινίον. Ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ ἄνθρακες, ἡ δὲ καρδία αὐτοῦ πέπηγεν ὥσπερ σίδηρος. Τίς ἀποκαλύψει πρόσωπον ἐνδύσεως αὐτοῦ, εἰς δὲ πτύξιν θώρακος αὐτοῦ τίς εἰσέλθοι; Πύλας στόματος πρὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ τίς ἀνοίξει; Κύκλῳ ὀδόντων αὐτοῦ φόβος, τὰ ἔγκατα αὐτοῦ ἀσπίδες χαλκαῖ. Ἐκ στόματος αὐτοῦ ἐκπορεύονται λαμπάδες καιόμεναι, καὶ διαῤῥιπτοῦνται ἐσχάραι πυρός. Ἐκ μυκτήρων αὐτοῦ ἐκπορεύεται καπνὸς καμίνου καιομένης πυρὶ ἀνθράκων. Ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ ἄνθρακας φλέξει, φλὸξ δὲ ἐκ στόματος αὐτοῦ ἐκπορεύεται. Ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ προτρέχει ἀπώλεια. Ἡ στρωμνὴ αὐτοῦ ὀβελίσκοι ὀξεῖς, πᾶς δὲ χρυσὸς θαλάσσης ὑπ' αὐτὸν ὥσπερ πηλὸς ἀμύθητος. Ἔδειξέ μοι Κύριος Ἰησοῦν τὸν ἱερέα ἑστῶτα πρὸ προσώπου ἀγγέλου Κυρίου, καὶ ὁ διάβολος εἰστήκει ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ. Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ ἄγγελος πρὸς τὸν διάβολον· Ἐπιτιμήσει Κύριος ἐν σοὶ, διάβολε, καὶ ὁ ἐκλεξάμενος τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ. Πῶς ἔπεσεν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἑωσφόρος, ὁ πρωῒ ἀνατέλλων, συνετρίβη εἰς τὴν γῆν, ὁ ἀποστέλλων πρὸς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη; Σὺ δὲ εἶπας ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου· Εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀναβήσομαι· ἐπάνω τῶν ἄστρων τοῦ οὐρανοῦ θήσω τὸν θρόνον μου. Καθίσω ἐν ὄρει ὑψηλῷ, ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη τὰ ὑψηλὰ πρὸς βοῤῥᾶν ἀναβήσομαι, ἐπάνω τῶν νεφελῶν· ἔσομαι ὅμοιος τῷ Ὑψίστῳ. Νῦν δὲ εἰς ᾅδου καταβήσῃ, καὶ εἰς τὰ θεμέλια τῆς γῆς. Οἱ ἰδόντες σε θαυμάσουσιν ἐπὶ σοὶ, καὶ ἐροῦσιν· Οὗτος ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ παροξύνων τὴν γῆν, σείων βασιλεῖς, ὁ θεὶς τὴν οἰκουμένην ὅλην ἔρημον, καὶ τὰς πόλεις καθεῖλεν, τοὺς δὲ ἐν ἀπαγωγῇ οὐκ ἔλυσεν. Πάντες οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς ἐκοιμήθησαν ἐν τιμῇ, ἄνθρωπος ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ. Σὺ δὲ ῥιφήσῃ ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσιν ὡς νεκρὸς ἐβδελυγμένος, μετὰ πολλῶν τεθνηκότων ἐκκεκεντημένων μαχαίρᾳ, καταβαινόντων εἰς ᾅδου. Ὃν τρόπον γὰρ ἱμάτιον ἐν αἵματι πεφυρμένον οὐκ ἔσται καθαρὸν, οὐδὲ ἔσῃ καθαρός· διόπερ τὴν γῆν μου ἀπώλεσας, καὶ τὸν λαόν μου ἀπέκτεινας, λέγει Κύριος. ∆όλος ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ μεγαλυνθήσεται, καὶ δόλῳ διαφθερεῖ πολλοὺς, καὶ ἐπ' ἀπωλείᾳ πολλῶν στήσεται. Φθόνῳ διαβόλου θάνατος εἰς τὸν κόσμον εἰσῆλθεν. Τότε Ἰησοῦς ἀνήχθη ὑπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος εἰς τὴν ἔρημον πειρασθῆναι ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου· καὶ νηστεύσας ἡμέρας τεσσαράκοντα, καὶ μʹ νύκτας, ὕστερον ἐπείνασε. Καὶ προσελθὼν αὐτῷ ὁ πειράζων, εἶπεν· Εἰ Υἱὸς εἶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, εἰπὲ ἵνα οἱ λίθοι οὗτοι ἄρτοι γένωνται. Ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπε· Γέγραπται· 95.1408 Οὐκ ἐν ἄρτῳ μόνῳ ζήσεται ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλ' ἐν παντὶ ῥήματι ἐκπορευομένῳ διὰ στόματος Θεοῦ. Τότε παραλαμβάνει αὐτὸν ὁ διάβολος εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν πόλιν, καὶ ἵστησιν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὸ πτερύγιον τοῦ ἱεροῦ, καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ· Εἰ Υἱὸς εἶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, βάλε σεαυτὸν κάτω. Εἶπε δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Γέγραπται· Οὐκ ἐκπειράσεις Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου. Πάλιν παραλαμβάνει αὐτὸν ὁ διάβολος εἰς ὄρος ὑψηλὸν λίαν, καὶ δείκνυσιν αὐτῷ πάσας τὰς βασιλείας τοῦ κόσμου καὶ τὴν δόξαν αὐτῶν, καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ· Ταῦτα πάντα σοι δώσω, ἐὰν πεσὼν προσκυνήσῃς μοι. Τότε λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Ὕπαγε ὀπίσω μου, Σατανᾶ. Γέγραπται γάρ· Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου προσκυνήσεις, καὶ αὐτῷ μόνῳ λατρεύσεις. Εἶπε δὲ τοῖς ἑβδομήκοντα ὁ Κύριος· Ἐθεώρουν τὸν Σατανᾶ ὡς ἀστραπὴν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ πεσόντα. Ἰδοὺ δίδωμι ὑμῖν τὴν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ πατεῖν ἐπάνω ὄφεων καὶ σκορπίων, καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ. Ἀντίστητε τῷ διαβόλῳ, καὶ φεύξεται ἀφ' ὑμῶν. Νήψατε, γρηγορήσατε, ὅτι ἀντίδικος ὑμῶν διάβολος ὡς λέων ὠρυόμενος περιπατεῖ, ζητῶν τίνα καταπίῃ· ᾧ ἀντίστητε στερεοὶ ἐν πίστει. Τὰς πονηρὰς τοῦ διαβόλου συμβουλίας ἀποκωλύων ἡμᾶς ὁ Κύριος δέξασθαι, Σήμερον, φησὶν, ἐὰν τῆς φωνῆς