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lurking and enslaving the souls of the Egyptians with every error of superstition, perceiving a certain foreign and divine power visiting them, they were immediately shaken, suffering agitation and turmoil within themselves, and their heart and their intellectual power were defeated within themselves, yielding and being conquered by the power that invisibly drove them on and, like a fire, consumed them with an ineffable word. 6.20.12 But at that time the demons suffered these things invisibly at the incarnate visit of our Savior Jesus Christ to Egypt, but when after this the gospel concerning him was at last preached openly to the Egyptians, as also to the other nations, and his invisible power was present with his apostles, secretly cooperating with them and working with them and proclaiming through them his pious teaching, exhorting them to worship the one and only true God, and turning away from the demons those who had long been deceived, 6.20.13 then at last, for the Egyptians, as also for the other nations, sedition and civil war arose, with some departing from the polytheistic error and running to the word of Christ, and others warring against them from the opposite side and being driven to frenzy by their own demons, so that even brothers were divided from each other and the dearest friends went through the sword for the sake of the teaching of Christ. Wherefore the oracle says: "And Egyptians shall rise up against Egyptians, and a man shall war against his brother and a man against his neighbor." 6.20.14 And our Savior himself confirms the prophetic prediction, saying in the Gospels: "Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death," 6.20.15 and again: "Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I tell you, no, but rather division. For from now on five in one house will be divided, three against two and two against three. Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." 6.20.16 For how would these things differ from the prophetic voice saying at the coming of the Lord to Egypt that "Egyptians will rise up against Egyptians and a man will war against his brother"? And the "law" of the new covenant of Christ was raised up "against the law" of polytheistic superstition, and the law of the idolatrous nations warring against the teaching of Christ, and the "city" and polity of the church in Christ rose up against the polities of the unbelieving nations. 6.20.17 Therefore it is said: "city against city and law against law." And in addition to these things, it is possible to see all the idolatrous Egyptians and the spirit of idolatry working in them being troubled even now, and plotting many things against the teaching of Christ, so that they might extinguish it and make it disappear from among men, but being scattered by God, who said in the prophecy: "And the spirit of the Egyptians within them shall be troubled, and I will scatter their counsel." 6.20.18 And inquiring about and "questioning" countless things against us in both oracles and divinations of "their gods," and the demons lurking in the images, and the "ventriloquists" who were formerly very powerful among them, they gain nothing more from them. 6.20.19 Wherefore the word says: "And they will question their gods and their images and the ventriloquists." But they will obtain no help at all, he says, who flee for refuge to those who are mistakenly thought to be their gods, especially when God hands them over to harsh lords and kings, at the time when, obeying their demons and being energized by them, they stir up persecutions against the church of God. 6.20.20

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ἐμφωλεύοντες καὶ τὰς τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ψυχὰς πάσῃ δεισιδαιμονίας πλάνῃ καταδουλούμενοι, συναισθόμενοι ξένης τινὸς καὶ ἐνθέου δυνάμεως ἐπιδημούσης αὐτοῖς, αὐτίκα συνεκινοῦντο, σάλον καὶ κλόνον ἐν ἑαυτοῖς πάσχοντες, ἥ τε καρδία αὐτῶν καὶ ἡ διανοητικὴ δύναμις ἡττᾶτο ἔνδον ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, ὑποχωροῦσα καὶ νικωμένη ὑπὸ τῆς ἀοράτως συνελαυνούσης καὶ πυρὸς δίκην ἀρρήτῳ λόγῳ φλεγούσης αὐτοὺς δυνάμεως. 6.20.12 ἀλλὰ τότε μὲν ἀοράτως οἱ δαίμονες ταῦτ' ἔπασχον ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς τὴν Αἴγυπτον ἐνσάρκῳ ἐπιδημίᾳ, ἐπειδὴ δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα γυμνῶς ἤδη λοιπὸν τὸ περὶ αὐτοῦ εὐαγγέλιον τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς ἔθνεσιν, ἐκηρύττετο, ἥ τε ἀόρατος αὐτοῦ δύναμις σὺν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις αὐτοῦ παρῆν, ἀφανῶς συμπράττουσα αὐτοῖς καὶ συνεργοῦσα καὶ καταγγέλλουσα δι' αὐτῶν τὴν εὐσεβῆ διδασκαλίαν αὐτοῦ, μόνον τὸν ἕνα καὶ μόνον ἀληθῆ θεὸν εὐσεβεῖν παρακελευομένη, τῶν δὲ δαιμόνων τοὺς πάλαι πεπλανημένους ἀφιστῶσα, 6.20.13 ἐνταῦθα λοιπὸν ἤδη Αἰγυπτίοις, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς ἔθνεσιν, στάσις καὶ πόλεμος ἐμφύλιος συνίστατο, τῶν μὲν ἀναχωρούντων τῆς πολυθέου πλάνης καὶ τῷ τοῦ Χριστοῦ λόγῳ προστρεχόντων, τῶν δὲ ἐξ ἐναντίας τούτοις πολεμούντων καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν οἰκείων δαιμόνων ἐξοιστρουμένων, ὡς καὶ ἀδελφοὺς ἀλλήλων διίστασθαι καὶ τοὺς φιλτάτους διὰ ξιφῶν χωρεῖν τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ διδασκαλίας ἕνεκεν. διό φησιν ὁ χρησμός· «καὶ ἐπεγερθήσονται Αἰγύπτιοι ἐπ' Αἰγυπτίους καὶ πολεμήσει ἄνθρωπος τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἄνθρωπος τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ». 6.20.14 πιστοῦται δὲ τὴν προφητικὴν πρόρρησιν καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ σωτὴρ ἡμῶν, φάσκων ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις· «παραδώσει ἀδελφὸς ἀδελφὸν εἰς θάνατον καὶ πατὴρ τέκνον, καὶ ἐπαναστήσονται τέκνα ἐπὶ γονεῖς καὶ θανατώσουσιν αὐτούς», 6.20.15 καὶ αὖθις· «μὴ νομίσητε ὅτι ἦλθον εἰρήνην δοῦναι ἐν τῇ γῇ, οὐχὶ λέγω ὑμῖν, ἀλλ' ἢ διαμερισμόν. ἔσονται γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν πέντε ἐν οἴκῳ ἑνί, τρεῖς διαμεμερισμένοι ἐπὶ δυσὶν καὶ δύο ἐπὶ τρισίν· διαμερισθήσονται πατὴρ ἐπὶ υἱῷ καὶ υἱὸς ἐπὶ πατρί, μήτηρ ἐπὶ τὴν θυγατέρα, καὶ θυγάτηρ ἐπὶ τὴν μητέρα, πενθερὰ ἐπὶ τὴν νύμφην, καὶ νύμφη ἐπὶ τὴν πενθεράν». 6.20.16 τί γὰρ ταῦτα τῆς προφητικῆς διαφέροι ἂν φωνῆς ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ κυρίου εἰς Αἴγυπτον παρουσίᾳ λεγούσης «ἐπεγερθήσεσθαι Αἰγυπτίους κατ' Αἰγυπτίων καὶ πολεμήσειν ἄνθρωπον τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ»; καὶ «νόμος» δὲ ὁ τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης τοῦ Χριστοῦ «ἐπὶ νόμον» τὸν τῆς πολυθέου δεισιδαιμονίας ἠγείρετο, ὅ τε τῶν εἰδωλολατρῶν ἐθνῶν νόμος τὴν Χριστοῦ πολεμῶν διδασκαλίαν, «πόλις» τε καὶ πολιτεία τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ ἐκκλησίας τοῖς τῶν ἀπίστων ἐθνῶν πολιτεύμασιν ἐπανίστατο. 6.20.17 διὸ λέλεκται· «πόλις ἐπὶ πόλιν καὶ νόμος ἐπὶ νόμον». ἔστιν δὲ ἐπὶ τούτοις τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους πάντας τοὺς εἰδωλολάτρας τό τε ἐνεργοῦν ἐν αὐτοῖς τῆς εἰδωλολατρίας πνεῦμα συνιδεῖν ταραττομένους εἰσέτι νῦν, καὶ πολλὰ μὲν βουλευομένους κατὰ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ διδασκαλίας, ὡς ἂν σβέσοιεν αὐτὴν καὶ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἀφανίσοιεν, διασκεδαννυμένους δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, φήσαντος ἐν τῇ προφητείᾳ· «καὶ ταραχθήσεται τὸ πνεῦμα τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ τὴν βουλὴν αὐτῶν διασκεδάσω». 6.20.18 μυρία δὲ ὅσα πυνθανόμενοι καὶ «ἐπερωτῶντες» καθ' ἡμῶν ἔν τε χρησμοῖς καὶ μαντείαις «τοὺς θεοὺς αὐτῶν», καὶ τοὺς ἐν τοῖς ἀγάλμασιν ἐμφωλεύοντας δαίμονας, τούς τε πάλαι ἐν αὐτοῖς πολλὰ δυναμένους «ἐγγαστριμύθους», οὐδέν τι πλέον ἐξ αὐτῶν ἔχουσιν. 6.20.19 διό φησιν ὁ λόγος· «καὶ ἐπερωτήσουσι τοὺς θεοὺς αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ ἀγάλματα αὐτῶν καὶ τοὺς ἐγγαστριμύθους». ἀλλ' οὐδεμιᾶς γάρ, φησίν, τεύξονται βοηθείας οἱ ἐπὶ τοὺς πεπλανημένως δοκοῦντας αὐτῶν εἶναι θεοὺς καταφεύγοντες, τότε μάλιστα αὐτοὺς τοῦ θεοῦ κυρίοις σκληροῖς καὶ βασιλεῦσιν παραδιδόντος, ὅτε τοῖς δαίμοσιν αὐτῶν πειθόμενοι καὶ ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἐνεργούμενοι τοὺς κατὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας τοῦ θεοῦ διωγμοὺς ἐπεγείρουσιν. 6.20.20