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should the saints by all spiritual {and} warlike methods cast him down, he does not feel it, but is again the same. For the sling is a stone-thrower. 41, 21 But he laughs at a fiery shaking. Fiery is the God-loving life as it is fervent in spirit. He says, therefore, that even if someone should shake him completely with a God-loving life, he no less scorns and mocks it. 41, 22 His bed is sharp spikes. For he rests upon painful and uneven things. 41, 22 And all the gold of the sea upon him is like untold mire. While the Lord says: Mine is the gold and mine is the silver, this one, lying, professes that these things are his own; for which reason he also said to the Savior, lying: All these things I will give you, if you fall down and worship me. He professes, therefore, to have gold like untold mire; and by "of the sea" he seems to mean: "of the world." The world is understood in this way, so that he may say that he falsely claims to be clothed with all the gold of the world. 41, 23 He makes the sea boil like a cauldron. Since his soul is fire, he makes this whole life boil up, 378 stirring it up and throwing it into confusion. 41, 23-24 He considers the sea as ointment, and Tartarus of the abyss as a captive; he has reckoned the abyss as a promenade. Vainly boasting, he thinks he is able to do these things. Indeed, through Isaiah he is seen saying: I will seize the whole inhabited world in my hand as a nest, and I will take it away as abandoned eggs. For since a very great power was given to him by nature by the Lord who created him, he became arrogant and began to reason such things, so as to boast greatly and to say: Above the stars of heaven I will set my throne, I will be like the Most High. For this reason he has fallen from heaven; for I saw Satan, says the Lord, fallen like lightning from heaven. He was also cast out of the earth when the Lord became man. But he no longer had authority over the air, since our Savior cleansed the air when He ascended the cross that guards the world. But neither does he have authority over Hades, since our God and Savior has loosed the prison of Hades. Having therefore been driven out of all the places which the vain one hoped to control, he has no place left, except the outer darkness, which has been prepared for him and his angels. 41, 25 There is nothing upon the earth like him. He said well: upon the earth, since he has been cast out from the vaults of heaven. And "like" refers either to strength, or to impetuosity, or to evil. 41, 25 made to be mocked by my angels. 379 But nevertheless, he says, such a great one as this is mocked by the holy angels and by those who have chosen the angelic life. 41, 26 He sees every high thing. For he is entirely pride, considering nothing humble. 41, 26 He is king of all that are in the waters. Of those pursuing the wet and flowing and hedonistic life. Therefore let us pray that sin may not reign over us, saying to our God and Father with tears: Your kingdom come, your will be done, so that with God reigning in us, the tyrannical dominion may have no place. These things, then, we have considered concerning the passages, having been guided by the older ones. But to those who say that the dragon described by the word is a perceptible sea monster, we will say this much: if such a sea monster truly exists, learn that by analogy with the beasts we often consider both the devil himself and wicked men. And concerning the demons the Savior said: Behold, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. And sending to Herod he said: Tell that fox, hinting at the craftiness of his character and his thievery, so that the beasts hold a certain type of the devil, just as wicked men also do. But if such a beast does not exist, then what is said about the devil is understood not by analogy, but 380 personally, and your argument, of those who believe that what does not exist does exist, will come to nothing,

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ἂν οἱ ἅγιοι διὰ πάντων τῶν πνευματικῶν {καὶ} πολεμίων τρόπων καταβάλωσιν αὐτόν, οὐκ αἰσθάνεται, ἀλλὰ πάλιν ὁ αὐτός ἐστιν. πετροβόλον γάρ ἐστιν ἡ σφενδόνη. 41, 21 καταγελᾷ δὲ σεισμοῦ πυρφόρου. πυρφόρος ὁ θεοφιλὴς βίος ὡς ζέων τῷ πνεύματι. φησὶν οὖν, ὅτι κἂν κατὰ πάντα βίῳ θεοφιλεῖ συσσείσῃ τις αὐτόν, οὐδὲν ἧττον καταφρονεῖ καὶ καταπαίζει. 41, 22 ἡ στρωμνὴ αὐτοῦ ὀβελίσκοι ὀξεῖς. ἐπὶ γὰρ τοῖς ὀδυνηροῖς καὶ ἀνωμάλοις πράγμασιν ἐπαναπαύεται. 41, 22 πᾶς δὲ χρυσὸς θαλάσσης ἐπ' αὐτὸν ὥσπερ πηλὸς ἀμύθητος. τοῦ κυρίου λέγοντος· ἐμόν ἐστι τὸ χρυσίον καὶ ἐμόν ἐστι τὸ ἀργύριον οὗτος ψευδολογῶν ἐπαγγέλλεται ἴδια αὐτοῦ εἶναι ταῦτα· διὸ καὶ ἔλεγε τῷ σωτῆρι ψευδόμενος· ταῦτά σοι πάντα δώσω, ἐὰν πεσὼν προσκυνήσῃς μοι. ἐπαγγέλλεται οὖν ἔχειν χρυσὸν ὡς πηλὸν ἀμύθητον· θαλάσσης δὲ ἔοικε λέγειν· τοῦ κόσμου. οὕτω δὲ ὁ κόσμος ἐκλαμβάνεται, ἵνα εἴπῃ, ὅτι συκοφαντεῖ ὡς πάντα τὸν χρυσὸν τοῦ κόσμου περιβεβλημένος. 41, 23 ἀναζεῖ τὴν θάλασσαν ὥσπερ χαλκεῖον. ἐπειδὴ ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ πῦρ ἐστιν, πάντα τὸν βίον τοῦτον ἐκβράσσει 378 ἀνακινῶν καὶ ἐκταράσσων. 41, 2324 ἡγεῖται δὲ τὴν θάλασσαν ὥσπερ ἐξάλειπτρον, τὸν δὲ τάρταρον τῆς ἀβύσσου ὥσπερ αἰχμάλωτον· ἐλογίσατο ἄβυσσον εἰς περίπατον. ταῦτα κεναυχῶν νομίζει δύνασθαι. ἀμέλει καὶ διὰ Ἡσαίου φαίνεται λέγων· τὴν οἰκουμένην ὅλην καταλήψομαι τῇ χειρὶ ὡς νοσσιάν, καὶ ὡς καταλελειμμένα ᾠὰ ἀρῶ. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐδόθη τις αὐτῷ μεγίστη δύναμις κατὰ φύσιν ὑπὸ τοῦ κτίσαντος αὐτὸν κυρίου, ὑπερηφανεύσατο καὶ τοιαῦτα ἤρξατο διαλέγεσθαι, ὡς καὶ μεγαλορρημονεῖν καὶ λέγειν· ἐπάνω τῶν ἄστρων τοῦ οὐρανοῦ θήσω τὸν θρόνον μου, ἔσομαι ὅμοιος τῷ ὑψίστῳ. διὰ τοῦτο πέπτωκε μὲν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· ἐθεώρουν γὰρ τὸν Σατανᾶν, φησὶν ὁ κύριος, ὡς ἀστραπὴν πεπτωκότα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. ἐξεβλήθη δὲ καὶ ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἐνανθρωπήσαντος τοῦ κυρίου. ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τοῦ ἀέρος ἔτι τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἔσχεν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν τὸν ἀέρα καθαίροντος, ὅτε ἐπὶ τὸν κοσμοφύλακα σταυρὸν ἀνέδραμεν. ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τοῦ ᾅδου τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἔχει λύσαντος τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν τοῦ ᾅδου τὸ δεσμωτήριον. πάντων οὖν ἐξωσθεὶς τῶν τόπων, ὧν κρατήσειν ὁ μάταιος ἤλπιζεν, οὐδένα ὑπολελειμμένον ἔχει τόπον, εἰ μὴ τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον, τὸ ἡτοιμασμένον αὐτῷ καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ. 41, 25 οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὅμοιον αὐτῷ οὐδέν. καλῶς εἶπεν· ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἐπειδὴ τῶν οὐρανίων ἀψίδων ἐκβέβληται. τὸ δὲ ὅμοιον ἢ κατὰ τὴν ἰσχὺν ἢ κατὰ τὴν ἰταμότητα ἢ τὴν κακίαν. 41, 25 πεποιημένον ἐγκαταπαίζεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων μου. 379 ἀλλ' ὅμως, φησίν, ὁ τοιοῦτος καὶ τηλικοῦτος ὑπὸ τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων καὶ τῶν τὸν ἰσάγγελον βίον ἑλομένων καταπαίζεται. 41, 26 πᾶν ὑψηλὸν ὁρᾷ. ὅλος γάρ ἐστιν ὑπερηφανία οὐδὲν ταπεινὸν λογιζόμενος. 41, 26 αὐτὸς δὲ βασιλεὺς πάντων τῶν ἐν τοῖς ὕδασιν. τῶν τὸν ὑγρὸν καὶ διαρρέοντα καὶ ἡδονικὸν μετιόντων βίον. διόπερ ἡμεῖς εὐξώμεθα μὴ βασιλεύσειν ἡμῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν πρὸς τὸν ἡμῶν θεὸν καὶ πατέρα μετὰ δακρύων λέγοντες· ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου, γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου, ἵνα τοῦ θεοῦ βασιλεύοντος ἐν ἡμῖν μηδένα ἔχῃ τόπον ἡ τυραννικὴ δυναστεία. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν εἰς τοὺς τόπους ἐθεωρήσαμεν ἐκ τῶν παλαιοτέρων ὁδηγηθέντες. πρὸς δὲ τοὺς λέγοντας κῆτος αἰσθητὸν εἶναι τὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου διαγραφέντα δράκοντα τοσαῦτα μὲν ἐροῦμεν· εἰ μὲν ὄντως ἔστι κῆτος τοιοῦτον, μανθάνετε, ὡς ἐξ ὁμοιώσεως τῶν θηρίων θεωροῦμεν πολλάκις καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν διάβολον καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τοὺς πονηρούς. καὶ περὶ μὲν τῶν δαιμόνων εἶπεν ὁ σωτήρ· ἰδοὺ δέδωκα ὑμῖν ἐξουσίαν πατεῖν ἐπάνω ὄφεων καὶ σκορπίων καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ. πρὸς δὲ τὸν Ἡρώδην ἐκπέμπων ἔλεγεν· εἴπατε τῇ ἀλώπεκι ταύτῃ τὸ δολερὸν τοῦ ἤθους αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπίκλοπον αἰνιττόμενος, ὥστε τύπον τινὰ ἔχουσι τοῦ διαβόλου τὰ θηρία, καθάπερ καὶ τῶν πονηρῶν ἀνθρώπων. εἰ δὲ μὴ ἔστι τοιοῦτον θηρίον, οὐκέτι ἐξ ὁμοιώσεως, ἀλλ' αὐτο 380 προσώπως περὶ τοῦ διαβόλου τὰ εἰρημένα νοοῦνται, καὶ ὁ ὑμέτερος εἰς τὸ μηδὲν οἰχήσεται λόγος δοξαζόντων ὑφεστάναι τὸ μὴ ὑφεστηκός,