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but he profits from all sides, but the foolish one will suffer loss, as also the holy prophet says, “Who is wise and will understand these things? And he to whom the word of the Lord is, and he will know them, that the ways of the Lord are straight, but the impious will grow weak in them?” For we have found also among those called naturalists, or rather we ourselves see, that the race of beetles, called by some bylaroi, has a custom of rolling about in stench and dung; and this is both food and work for them, but for others this same filthy food of theirs [leads] to heaviness and foul odor *. And for bees this dung and stench is death, but for the bylaroi it is work and food and business. But for bees, on the contrary, sweet smells and flowers and perfumes are for refreshment, possession 2.84 and food, for work and for business, but for the aforementioned beetles, or bylaroi, such things are the opposite. For whoever wishes to test them, as the naturalists say, by taking some perfume, I mean opobalsam or nard, and bringing it to the beetles, causes their death; for they die immediately, not bearing the sweet fragrance. So also these men, desiring lewdness and fornication and evil, have their hope in wicked things, but when they approach the holy bath and the sweet fragrance, they die, blaspheming against God and rejecting his lordship. 4. But we shall refute them from one or two testimonies. For even if there are what are called principalities and powers, these have not come into being apart from God, especially in the heavens. For Scripture knows to speak of angels and archangels, not appointed for opposition, but “ministering spirits sent forth to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation.” For indeed on earth in each kingdom there are many authorities, but under one king. “For the existing authorities have been appointed by God,” as the apostle says; “therefore whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed. For rulers are not against the good, but for the good, and they are not against the truth, but for the truth. Do you wish, he says, not to fear the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from it. For it does not bear the sword in vain; for it is a servant appointed by God for this very thing to the one who does evil.” And you see how this worldly authority is appointed by God, and has received the authority of the sword; and not from any other source, but from God for vengeance. And we cannot say because there are principalities and powers in the world that their king is not king, but that there are indeed principalities and powers, and there is also their king. As, therefore, we see on earth—for it has been shown that the authorities are not opposed to the king, but are subordinate for 2.85 the administration of the whole kingdom and for the good order of the earth, where there are murders and battles, ignorances and teachings, good laws and transgressions, and for this reason there are authorities, so that for the well-ordered arrangement of the administration of the whole world all things may be well-ordered and managed by God, -so also in heaven, and especially and exceptionally there, where there is no envy, no jealousy, no transgression, no opposition, no sedition, no oath, no robbery, nor any other such thing, authorities are appointed for another business. And what do I mean, but for the rhythm of the hymn, for the pure doxology above, for which our ungrudging God and King willed to grant to each of those made by him a fitting glory, so that the radiant and incomprehensible and wonderful nature of his kingdom might always be glorified. Clearly, then, those men have been deceived, having been ignorant of the grace of God. 5. But these men say, as I have indicated above, that the devil is the son of the seventh power, that is, of Sabaoth. And that Sabaoth is the god of the Jews, and the devil is his evil son, who being on earth opposes his own father. And

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ἀλλ' ἢ πανταχόθεν κερδαίνει, ἀσύνετος δὲ ζημιωθήσεται, ὡς καὶ ὁ ἅγιος προφήτης λέγει «τίς συνετὸς καὶ συνήσει ταῦτα; καὶ ᾧ λόγος κυρίου ἐστί, καὶ γνώσεται αὐτά, ὅτι εὐθεῖαι αἱ ὁδοὶ κυρίου, ἀσεβεῖς δὲ ἀσθενήσουσιν ἐν αὐταῖς;» εὕρομεν γὰρ καὶ παρὰ τοῖς καλουμένοις φυσιολόγοις, μᾶλλον δὲ ἡμεῖς αὐτοὶ ὁρῶμεν, ὡς τὸ τῶν κανθάρων γένος τὸ παρά τισι βυλάρων καλούμενον, συνήθειαν ἔχει ἐν τῇ δυσωδίᾳ καὶ κόπρῳ ἀνακυλίεσθαι· καὶ αὕτη αὐτοῖς τροφή τε καὶ ἐργασία, ἄλλοις δὲ τὴν αὐτὴν τούτων βορβορώδη τροφὴν εἰς μὲν ἐπάχθειαν καὶ δυσοδμίαν *. καὶ μελίσσαις μὲν αὕτη ἡ κόπρος καὶ δυσωδία θάνατος, βυλάροις δέ ἐστιν ἐργασία καὶ τροφὴ καὶ πραγματεία. ταῖς δὲ μελίσσαις τοὐναντίον ἡ εὐοδμία καὶ τὰ ἄνθη καὶ τὰ μύρα εἰς ἀναψυχήν, κτῆσιν 2.84 τε καὶ ἐδωδήν, εἰς ἐργασίαν τε καὶ πραγματείαν, τοῖς δὲ κανθάροις τοῖς προειρημένοις εἴτ' οὖν βυλάροις ἐναντία τὰ τοιαῦτα. ὁ γὰρ βουλόμενος τούτους δοκιμάσαι, ὥς φασιν οἱ φυσιολόγοι, ἀπὸ μύρου φημὶ δὲ ὀποβαλσάμου ἢ νάρδου λαβὼν καὶ προσενέγκας τοῖς κανθάροις θάνατον αὐτοῖς ἐμποιεῖ· εὐθὺς γὰρ τελευτῶσι, μὴ φέροντες τὴν εὐωδίαν. οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι τῆς μὲν λαγνείας καὶ πορνείας καὶ κακίας ὀρεγόμενοι εἰς τὰ πονηρὰ ἔχουσι τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἐλπίδα, πλησιάσαντες δὲ τῷ ἁγίῳ λουτρῷ καὶ τῇ εὐοδμίᾳ ἀποθνῄσκουσιν, εἰς τὸν θεὸν βλασφημοῦντες καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ κυριότητα ἀθετοῦντες. 4. Ἐκ μιᾶς δὲ ἢ δύο μαρτυριῶν αὐτοὺς ἀνατρέψομεν. εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἀρχαὶ καὶ ἐξουσίαι εἰσὶ καλούμεναι, οὐκ ἐκτὸς θεοῦ αὗται γεγόνασι, μάλιστα ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. οἶδεν γὰρ ἡ γραφὴ λέγειν ἀγγέλους καὶ ἀρχαγγέλους, οὐκ εἰς ἐναντιότητα τεταγμένους, ἀλλὰ «λειτουργικὰ πνεύματα εἰς διακονίαν ἀποστελλόμενα διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν». καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καθ' ἑκάστην βασιλείαν πολλαὶ ἀρχαί, ἀλλὰ ὑπὸ ἕνα βασιλέα. «αἱ γὰρ οὖσαι ἐξουσίαι ἐκ θεοῦ τεταγμέναι εἰσίν», ὡς λέγει ὁ ἀπόστολος· «ὥστε οὖν ὁ ἀνθιστάμενος τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ διαταγῇ ἀνθέστηκεν. οἱ γὰρ ἄρχοντες οὐκ εἰσὶ κατὰ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, ἀλλὰ ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, καὶ οὐκ εἰσὶ κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας, ἀλλὰ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας. θέλεις δέ, φησί, τὴν ἐξουσίαν μὴ φοβεῖσθαι; τὸ καλὸν ποίει καὶ ἕξεις ἔπαινον ἐξ αὐτῆς. οὐ γὰρ εἰκῆ τὴν μάχαιραν φορεῖ· διάκονος γάρ ἐστιν εἰς αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἐκ θεοῦ τεταγμένος τῷ τὸ κακὸν πράττοντι». καὶ ὁρᾷς ὡς ἡ ἐξουσία αὕτη ἡ κοσμικὴ ἐκ θεοῦ τέτακται, καὶ μαχαίρας ἔλαβε τὴν ἐξουσίαν· οὐκ ἀλλαχόθεν δέ ποθεν, ἀλλὰ ἐκ θεοῦ εἰς ἐκδίκησιν. καὶ οὐ δυνάμεθα λέγειν διὰ τὸ εἶναι ἀρχὰς καὶ ἐξουσίας ἐν κόσμῳ τὸν βασιλέα τούτων μὴ εἶναι βασιλέα, ἀλλὰ εἶναι μὲν τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξουσίας, εἶναι δὲ καὶ τὸν τούτων βασιλέα. ὡς οὖν ἐπὶ γῆς ὁρῶμεν δέδεικται γάρ οὐκ ἐναντίας τὰς ἀρχὰς τῷ βασιλεῖ, ἀλλ' ὑποτεταγμένας εἰς 2.85 διοίκησιν παντὸς τοῦ βασιλείου καὶ εἰς εὐταξίαν γῆς, ἔνθα φόνοι καὶ μάχαι, ἄγνοιαί τε καὶ διδασκαλίαι, εὐνομίαι τε καὶ παρανομίαι, καὶ τούτου χάριν εἰσὶν ἐξουσίαι, ἵνα εἰς εὔτακτον σύνταξιν τῆς τοῦ παντὸς κόσμου διοικήσεως τὰ πάντα ἐκ θεοῦ καλῶς καταταχθῇ καὶ οἰκονομηθῇ, -οὕτω καὶ ἐν οὐρανῷ, μάλιστα δὲ ἐξαιρέτως ἐκεῖ, ἔνθα οὐ φθόνος οὐ ζῆλος οὐ παρανομία οὐκ ἐναντιότης οὐ στάσις οὐχ ὅρκος οὐχ ἁρπαγὴ οὐδέ τι ἕτερον τῶν τοιούτων, ἐξουσίαι τεταγμέναι εἰσὶ δι' ἄλλην πραγματείαν. ποίαν δέ φημι, ἀλλ' ἢ διὰ τὸν ῥυθμὸν τοῦ ὕμνου, διὰ τὴν ἄνω ἀκήρατον δοξολογίαν, δι' ἣν ἠθέλησεν ὁ ἄφθονος ἡμῶν θεὸς καὶ βασιλεὺς χαρίσασθαι ἑκάστῳ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γεγενημένων δόξαν προσήκουσαν, ἵνα τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας τὸ φαιδρὸν καὶ ἀκατάληπτον καὶ ἔκπληκτον ἀεὶ δοξάζηται. σαφῶς τοίνυν ἐκεῖνοι πεπλάνηνται, τὴν χάριν τοῦ θεοῦ ἀγνοήσαντες. 5. Φασὶ δὲ οὗτοι, ὡς καὶ ἄνω μοι προδεδήλωται, τὸν διάβολον εἶναι υἱὸν τῆς ἑβδόμης ἐξουσίας τουτέστι τοῦ Σαβαώθ. εἶναι δὲ τὸν Σαβαὼθ θεὸν τῶν Ἰουδαίων, τὸν δὲ διάβολον πονηρὸν αὐτοῦ υἱόν, ὄντα δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐναντιοῦσθαι τῷ ἰδίῳ πατρί. καὶ