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of war. And the cities (he says) now firmly established I will shake and shatter with my own power, and the whole inhabited world I will take in my hand, like a nest. For what effort is it, to seize in the hand unfledged nestlings being warmed in the nest by the birds that raise them, who can use neither wing nor foot for flight? Then, intensifying both his contempt for men and exalting his own power, not even as a nest (he says) [will I take] the inhabited world, but as abandoned eggs (he says), so will I take it. And there is no one who will escape me, or speak against me. 10.241 So then, according to the letter, the ruler of the Assyrians will say these things, puffed up in his mind because of his success against Judea and Samaria, and believing he will capture all the nations by an attack, and that he will have no one who will raise a hand against him, but that all the borders of the nations will be thrown into confusion by his power, and that the whole inhabited world will be shaken by the fear of his arrival; and that the one who comes to blows is more easily captured than the young of a bird, and will be more easily taken up by his power traversing the whole inhabited world under the sun, than as one might take eggs, bereft of the bird that warms and gives them life. But since the arrogance is as it were greater than befits a man, some have thought that these words are fitting for the one who is truly arrogant, the one who was stiff-necked against the Almighty, the insubordinate and apostate, and who in his own evil caused to apostatize with him the evil spirits that followed him. For that one thinks himself to have a great mind and imagines that he surveys the heights and threatens to place the whole inhabited world under himself; who indeed, when the Lord asked where he had come from, did not refrain from saying, "Having gone around the world under the sun and walked about the world under heaven, I am here." This one dared also to show the Lord of all creation the kingdoms of the earth and to say, "All these things are mine; now then, if you fall down and worship me, I will give them to you." Perhaps, then, the discourse alludes to the king of the Assyrians, the ruler of this age; for the Lord also names him ruler of this age, saying, "Now is the ruler of this world cast out." And a little after: "I will no longer speak much with you; for the ruler of the world comes, and in me he has nothing." But since there are many rulers, certain ethnarchs, appointed for the protection and preservation of each nation under them, as Moses says in the ode: "When the Most High divided the nations, when he scattered the sons of Adam, he set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the Angels of God." And again the Apostle says: "But we speak wisdom, not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age; but we speak the wisdom of God, which none of the rulers of this age knew." And again in Daniel, a ruler of the Persians and a ruler of the Greeks is written. For the Angel says to him: "And I came because of your words. And the ruler of the kingdom of the Persians stood opposite me." "And behold, Michael, one of the chief rulers, came to help me, and I left him there with the ruler of the kingdom of the Persians." And a little after: "And I was going forth (he says) and the ruler of the Greeks was coming." Therefore, if these things are spoken from the person of the devil, his arrogance is directed not against men, but against intelligible or certain powers. 10.242 Shall the axe be glorified without the one who chops with it? Or shall the saw be exalted without the one who draws it? Likewise if one should lift up a rod, or a staff. The discourse is a refutation of the arrogance of the ruler of the Assyrians. Why do you think highly of yourself, as one who chops down nations and destroys the dynasties of cities? For thus also might the axe think highly of itself, as one felling the tallest trees to the ground, and the saw, as one dividing the compact and united parts of the wood. But neither does the axe chop without hands, nor the saw without one who draws it and for some need artfully cuts down the timbers,

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πολέμου. Καὶ τὰς νῦν (φησὶ) καθιδρυμένας παγίως πόλεις σείσω καὶ κλονήσω τῇ ἐμαυτοῦ δυνάμει καὶ τὴν οἰκου μένην ὅλην καταλήψομαι τῇ χειρὶ, ὡς νοσσιάν. Ποῖος γὰρ πόνος, νεοσσοὺς ἀπτῆνας ἐπὶ τῆς καλιᾶς θαλπομένους παρὰ τῶν ἐκτρεφόντων αὐτοὺς ὀρνίθων καταλαβεῖν τῇ χειρὶ, μήτε πτερῷ χρῆσθαι, μήτε ποσὶ πρὸς φυγὴν δυναμένων; Εἶτα ἐπιτείνων καὶ τὴν καταφρόνησιν τὴν εἰς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ὑπεραίρων δύναμιν, οὐδὲ ὡς νοσσιὰν (φησὶ) τὴν οἰκουμένην, ἀλλ' ὡς ὠὰ (φησὶν) ἐγκαταλελειμμένα, οὕτω λήψομαι. Καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὃς διαφεύξεταί με, ἢ ἀντείπῃ μοι. 10.241 Ὡς μὲν οὖν πρὸς τὴν λέξιν, ὁ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ἄρχων ταῦτα ἐρεῖ διὰ τὴν κατὰ τῆς Ἰουδαίας καὶ Σαμαρείας εὐ ημερίαν ὑπερφυσηθεὶς τὴν διάνοιαν, καὶ ἡγούμενος πάντα ἐξ ἐπιδρομῆς αἱρήσειν τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ μηδένα ἕξειν τὸν χεῖρας ἀνταίροντα, ἀλλὰ πάντα μὲν ὅρια ἐθνῶν τῇ δυνάμει αὐτοῦ συγχυθήσεσθαι, δονεῖσθαι δὲ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην τῷ φόβῳ τῆς ἐπιδημίας αὐτοῦ· τὸν δὲ εἰς χεῖρας ἐρχόμενον, εὐαλω τότερον εἶναι νεοττῶν ὄρνιθος, ῥᾷον δὲ ἀρθήσεσθαι τῇ δυ νάμει αὐτοῦ ἐφοδενούσῃ τὴν ὑφ' ἡλίῳ πᾶσαν οἰκουμένην, ἢ ὡς ἄν τις λάβοι ὠὰ, ἔρημα τῆς θαλπούσης αὐτὰ καὶ ζωο γονούσης ὄρνιθος. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἡ ὑπερηφανία ὥσπερ μείζων ἐστὶν ἢ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον, πρέπειν τινὲς ἐνόμισαν τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα τῷ ἀλη θῶς ὑπερηφάνῳ, τῷ τραχηλιάσαντι κατὰ τοῦ Παντοκράτορος, τῷ ἀνυποτάκτῳ καὶ ἀποστάτῃ, καὶ εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ κακίαν συναποστήσαντι αὐτῷ τὰ συνεπακολουθήσαντα αὐτῷ πονηρὰ πνεύματα. Ἐκεῖνος γὰρ ἑαυτὸν καὶ νοῦν οἴεται μέγαν καὶ φαντάζεται τὰ ὑψηλὰ περισκοπεῖν καὶ ἀπειλεῖ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν ποιήσασθαι· ὅς γε οὐδὲ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἐρωτήσαντι, πόθεν πάρεστι, παρῃτήσατο εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Περιελ θὼν τὴν ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον καὶ ἐμπεριπατήσας τὴν ὑπ' οὐρανὸν, πάρειμι. Οὗτος ἐτόλμησε καὶ τῷ Κυρίῳ πάσης τῆς κτίσεως δεῖξαι τὰς βασιλείας τῆς γῆς καὶ εἰπεῖν, ὅτι ταῦτα πάντα ἐμά ἐστι· Νῦν οὖν, ἐὰν πεσὼν προσκυνήσῃς μοι, σοὶ δώσω. Τάχα οὖν τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Ἀσσυρίων, τὸν ἄρχοντα τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, ὁ λόγος αἰνίττεται· καὶ γὰρ ὁ Κύριος ἄρχοντα ὀνο μάζει τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, λέγων· Νῦν ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου τούτου βληθήσεται ἔξω. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· Οὐκέτι πολλὰ λα λήσω μεθ' ὑμῶν· ἔρχεται γὰρ ὁ τοῦ κόσμου ἄρχων, καὶ ἐν ἐμοὶ οὐκ ἔχει οὐδέν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ πολλοὶ ἄρχοντες, οἱ ἐθνάρχαι τινὲς, διατε ταγμένοι πρὸς φυλακὴν καὶ διατήρησιν τοῦ ὑφ' ἑαυτῶν ἑκάστου ἔθνους, καθ' ἅ φησιν ὁ Μωϋσῆς ἐν τῇ ᾠδῇ· Ὅτε διεμέριζεν ὁ Ὕψιστος ἔθνη, ὡς διέσπειρεν υἱοὺς Ἀδὰμ, ἔστησεν ὅρια ἐθνῶν κατὰ ἀριθμὸν Ἀγγέλων Θεοῦ. Καὶ πάλιν ὁ Ἀπόστολός φησι· Σοφίαν δὲ λαλοῦμεν, οὐ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, οὐδὲ τῶν ἀρχόντων τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου· ἀλλὰ λα λοῦμεν Θεοῦ σοφίαν, ἣν οὐδεὶς τῶν ἀρχόντων τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἔγνωκε. Καὶ πάλιν ἐν τῷ ∆ανιὴλ, ἄρχων τις Περ σῶν καὶ ἄρχων Ἑλλήνων ἀναγέγραπται. Λέγει γὰρ πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ Ἄγγελος· Καὶ ἐγὼ ἦλθον ἐν τοῖς λόγοις σου. Καὶ ὁ ἄρχων τῆς βασιλείας Περσῶν εἱστήκει ἐξεναντίας μου. Καὶ ἰδοὺ Μιχαὴλ, εἷς τῶν ἀρχόντων τῶν πρώτων, ἦλθε βοηθῆσαί μοι, καὶ αὐτὸν κατέλιπον ἐκεῖ, μετὰ τοῦ ἄρχοντος βασιλείας Περσῶν. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· Καὶ ἐγὼ ἐξεπορευόμην (φησὶ) καὶ ὁ ἄρχων τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἤρχετο. Μήποτε οὖν ἐὰν ᾖ ταῦτα ἐκ προσώπου διαβόλου λεγόμενα, ἡ ὑπερηφανία αὐτοῦ οὐ κατὰ ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλὰ κατὰ νοητῶν ἤ τινων δυ νάμεων γινομένη. 10.242 Μὴ δοξασθήσεται ἀξίνη ἄνευ τοῦ κόπτοντος ἐν αὐτῇ; ἢ ὑψωθήσεται πρίων ἄνευ τοῦ ἕλκοντος αὐτόν; ὡσαύ τως ἄν τις ἄρῃ ῥάβδον, ἢ ξύλον. Ἐλεγκτικὸς τῆς ὑπερηφανίας τοῦ ἄρχοντος τῶν Ἀσσυ ρίων ὁ λόγος. Τί φρονεῖς ἐπὶ σεαυτῷ, ὡς κόπτοντι ἔθνη καὶ καθαιροῦντι τὰς δυναστείας τῶν πόλεων; Ἢ οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ἡ ἀξίνη μέγα φρονοίη, ὡς τὰ ὑπέρογκα τῶν δένδρων εἰς γῆν καταβάλλουσα, καὶ ὁ πρίων, ὡς τὰ συνεστῶτα καὶ ἡνω μένα τῶν ξύλων διαιρῶν. Ἀλλ' οὔτε ἡ ἀξίνη ἄνευ τῶν χειρῶν κόπτει, οὔτε ὁ πρίων ἄνευ τοῦ ἕλκοντος αὐτὸν καὶ εἰς χρείαν τινὰ τεχνικῶς καθαιροῦντος τὰ ξύλα,