115

presenting certain apparitions, or having counsel for a bodily ailment, or foretelling the future. Demons are able to perceive such things; concerning the ailments of the body, because they are more discerning of material properties, and they observe the qualities of herbs, and what from them is suitable for ailments. And concerning future things, they often foretell things that have already happened, but are not yet known to us, announcing them to us as if they were yet to be. For instance, if one of us, having heard of someone's arrival, were to announce it to one expecting it as a future event, hunting through deceit for the reputation that comes from seeming to be a prophet. Thus also the demons announce the things that have been decreed, the things made public by God's decision, often to those who are easily disposed toward deceit. As also the ventriloquist announced to Saul through the demons the coming defeat. For they were demons who disguised themselves in the person of Samuel, who, because they had heard of the condemnation against Saul, relate as their own decision the one brought forth from God. Therefore the nations often urge us toward the deceits of the demons, saying: Seek out the ventriloquists, those who speak from the earth. For they do not dare to say that their words are from heaven. As also that woman in the books of Kings, speaking with Saul, said, "I see gods ascending from the earth." For such is the device of the ventriloquists; they profess to bring up the souls of the dead for a manifestation of the things being sought. Then he brings forward his own opinion, which he holds concerning such devices, and declares them to be vain talkers, saying: "Those who speak empty things, who speak from the belly," that is, speaking from their own will. For he does not speak, having been taught from another source, but having fabricated the lie in his own heart, guessing at the will of those who see, he says what serves him for the deception of the foolish. 8.220 Or perhaps they speak from the belly, "whose god is their belly," who do all things for the sake of the pleasure in eating and drinking. So one would not err in calling ventriloquists and those who speak from the belly those who fashion a teaching for the sake of filling the stomach, and who put on for themselves a form of piety; who, because they do not bring forth their words from disposition, speak empty things. Rightly so; for he who does not do, and yet teaches, is untrustworthy for edification. And the phrase, "Will not a nation seek its God," is such as this, that each nation brings to its own god the inquiry about which it wishes to learn. And the reading should be formed interrogatively for the clarity of the saying: "Will not a nation seek its god?" So that those outside our worship, in accordance with the gods they supposed to be gods, also bring their inquiries. For having supposed their gods to be dead, they question them concerning the living. And he says "dead," meaning either lifeless idols, stones and wood, and bronze and gold; or he says "dead" meaning those who have cast off the true life through apostasy. Or perhaps also the whole practice of the so-called ventriloquists revolves around tombs, and from there has the power of its sorcery. Then, being indignant at the folly of the idolaters, the discourse says: "Why do they seek the dead concerning the living?" Why do you, an ensouled being, worship the stone? Why do you, a rational being, question the deaf? Do you plead on behalf of your living child to one that has no life, that is deprived of life, that is breathless? Even if you go to an oracle, even if you devise purifications, you have gone to the dead, who have themselves lost life and who are about to work death in you through disobedience. 8.221 He has given a law for a help, that they might say: "Not like this word, concerning which it is not possible to give gifts for it." Do not be meddlesome about the future, but arrange the present things for usefulness. For what profit is there from you anticipating the knowledge? If what is to come will be good, it will come, even if you do not know beforehand; but if it is grievous, what

115

φαντασίας τινὰς περιισ τώντων, ἢ συμβουλὴν ἐχούσας πάθους σωματικοῦ, ἢ προαγο ρευούσας τὸ μέλλον. ∆ύνανται δὲ τὰ τοιαῦτα συνορᾷν οἱ δαίμονες· περὶ μὲν τὰ τοῦ σώματος πάθη, διὰ τὸ διορατι κώτεροι εἶναι τῶν ὑλικῶν ἰδιωμάτων, καὶ ἐπισκέφθαι ποιό τητας βοτανῶν, καὶ τὸ ἀπ' αὐτῶν πρὸς τὰ πάθη κατάλ ληλον. Περὶ δὲ τῶν μελλόντων πολλάκις προλέγουσι τὰ ἤδη γενό μενα, ἡμῖν δὲ μήπω ἐγνωσμένα, ὡς ἐσόμενα ἡμῖν ἀναγγέλ λουσιν. Οἷον εἴ τις καὶ παρ' ἡμῶν ἀκούσας παρουσίαν τινὸς, ταύτην τῷ προσδοκῶντι ὡς μέλλουσαν ἀναγγέλλοι, τὴν ἐκ τοῦ δοκεῖν προφήτης εἶναι δόξαν δι' ἀπάτης θηρώμενος. Οὕτω καὶ οἱ δαίμονες τὰ διατετυπωμένα, τὰ ἀποφάσει Θεοῦ δημοσιευ θέντα, ἀνήγγειλαν πολλάκις τοῖς πρὸς ἀπάτην εὐκόλως ἔχουσιν. Ὡς καὶ ἡ ἐγγαστρίμυθος τῷ Σαοὺλ διὰ τῶν δαι μόνων ἀνήγγειλε τὴν μέλλουσαν ἧτταν. ∆αίμονες γὰρ ἦσαν οἱ κατασχηματίζοντες ἑαυτοὺς εἰς τὸ τοῦ Σαμουὴλ πρόσ ωπον, οἳ διὰ τὸ ἀκηκοέναι τῆς ἐπὶ τῷ Σαοὺλ κατακρί σεως, ὡς ἰδίαν ἀπόφασιν τὴν ἐξενεχθεῖσαν παρὰ Θεοῦ διη γοῦνται. Ἐπὶ οὖν τὰς ἐκ τῶν δαιμόνων ἀπάτας προτρέπονται ἡμᾶς πολλάκις τὰ ἔθνη, λέγοντες· ἐκζητήσατε τοὺς ἐγγασ τριμύθους, τοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς φωνοῦντας. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τολμῶσιν εἰπεῖν ἐξ οὐρανῶν αὐτῶν εἶναι τὰ ῥήματα. Ὡς καὶ ἡ ἐν ταῖς Βασιλείαις ἐκείνη διαλεγομένη τῷ Σαοὺλ ἔλεγεν, ὅτι Ὁρῶ ἐγὼ θεοὺς ἀναβαίνοντας ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς. Τοιαύτη γὰρ ἡ τῶν ἐγγαστριμύθων ἐπίνοια· ψυχὰς ἐπαγγέλλονται τετε λευτηκότων ἀνάγειν εἰς φανέρωσιν τῶν ἐπιζητουμένων· εἶτα τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γνώμην ἐπιφέρει, ἣν ἔχει περὶ τῶν τοιού των ἐπινοιῶν, καὶ ἀποφαίνεται αὐτοὺς ματαιολόγους, εἰ πών· Τοὺς κενολογοῦντας, οἳ ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας φωνοῦσιν, ἤτοι ἀπὸ τοῦ θελήματος ἑαυτῶν φθεγγόμενοι. Οὐ γὰρ ἑτέ ρωθεν διδαχθεὶς λέγει, ἀλλὰ ἀναπλάσας ἐν τῇ ἑαυτοῦ καρδίᾳ τὸ ψεῦδος, τοῦ θελήματος τῶν ὁρώντων παραστοχαζόμενος, λέγει τὰ πρὸς ἀπάτην τῶν ἀνοήτων αὐτῷ χρησιμεύοντα. 8.220 Ἢ τάχα ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας φωνοῦσιν, Ὧν ὁ θεὸς ἡ κοιλία, οἱ πάντα πραγματευόμενοι, τῆς ἐν τῷ ἐσθίειν καὶ πίνειν ἕνεκεν ἡδονῆς. Ὥστε οὐκ ἄν τις ἁμάρτοι, εἰπὼν ἐγ γαστριμύθους καὶ ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας φωνοῦντας τοὺς ὑπὲρ τοῦ τὴν γαστέρα πληρῶσαι διδασκαλίαν σχηματιζομένους, καὶ εὐλαβείας ἑαυτοῖς περιτιθέντας μορφήν· οἳ διὰ τὸ μὴ ἀπὸ διαθέσεως τοὺς λόγους προφέρεσθαι, κενολογοῦσιν. Εἰ κότως· ὁ γὰρ μὴ ποιῶν, καὶ διδάσκων, ἀναξιόπιστός ἐστιν εἰς ὠφέλειαν. Τὸ δὲ Οὐκ ἔθνος πρὸς Θεὸν αὐτοῦ ἐκζητή σουσι, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν, ὅτι ἕκαστον ἔθνος τῷ ἑαυτοῦ θεῷ προσάγει τὴν, περὶ οὗ βούλεται, μαθεῖν ζήτησιν. Καὶ ἐρω τηματικῶς χρὴ τυποῦσθαι τὴν ἀνάγνωσιν πρὸς τὴν σαφή νειαν τοῦ ῥητοῦ· Οὐχὶ ἔθνος πρὸς θεὸν αὐτοῦ ἐκζητήσουσιν; Ὥστε τοὺς ἔξω τῆς καθ' ἡμᾶς θεραπείας, ἀκολούθως τοῖς θεοῖς, οὓς ὑπέθεντο εἶναι θεοὺς, καὶ τὰς ἐπερωτήσεις προσ άγειν. Νεκροὺς γὰρ θεοὺς ὑποθέμενοι, αὐτοὺς ἐπερωτῶσι περὶ τῶν ζώντων. Νεκροὺς δὲ λέγει, ἤτοι τὰ ἄψυχα εἴδωλα, λίθους καὶ ξύλα, καὶ χαλκὸν καὶ χρυσόν· ἢ νεκροὺς λέγει τοὺς τὴν ζωὴν τὴν ἀληθινὴν διὰ τῆς ἀποστασίας ἀποβεβλη κότας. Ἢ τάχα καὶ πᾶσα τῶν ἐγγαστριμύθων λεγομένων ἡ πραγματεία, περὶ τὰ μνήματα στρέφεται, κἀκεῖθεν ἔχει τῆς μαγγανείας τὴν δύναμιν. Εἶτα δυσανασχετῶν ἐπὶ τῇ ἀνοίᾳ τῶν εἰδωλολατρούντων ὁ λόγος φησί· Τί ἐκζητή σουσι περὶ τῶν ζώντων τοὺς νεκρούς; Τί προσκυνεῖς τὸν λίθον, ὁ ἔμψυχος; τί ἐρωτᾶς τὸν κωφὸν, ὁ λογικός; Ὑπὲρ τοῦ παιδὸς ἱκετεύεις τοῦ ζῶντος τὸν ζωὴν οὐκ ἔχοντα, τὸν ζωῆς ἐστερημένον, τὸν ἄπνουν; Κἂν εἰς μαντεῖον ἀπέλθῃς, κἂν καθαρμοὺς περινοῇς, πρὸς νεκροὺς ἀπῆλθες, καὶ αὐτοὺς τὴν ζωὴν ἀπολωλεκότας καὶ σοὶ μέλλοντας διὰ τῆς παρακοῆς τὴν νέκρωσιν ἐμποιεῖν. 8.221 Νόμον δέδωκεν εἰς βοήθειαν, ἵνα εἴπωσιν· Οὐχ ὡς τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο, περὶ οὗ οὐκ ἔστι δῶρα δοῦναι περὶ αὐτοῦ. Μὴ πολυπραγμόνει τὸ μέλλον, ἀλλὰ τὰ παρόντα πρὸς τὸ χρήσιμον διατίθεσο. Τί γὰρ ὄφελος ἐκ τοῦ προλαβεῖν σε τὴν γνῶσιν; Εἰ μὲν ἀγαθὸν ἔσται τὸ ἐσόμενον, ἥξει, κἂν μὴ προγνῷς· εἰ δὲ λυπηρὸν, τί