Chapter XXVII.

And Christians have nothing to fear, even if demons should not be well-disposed to them; for they are protected by the Supreme God, who is well pleased with their piety, and who sets His divine angels to watch over those who are worthy of such guardianship, so that they can suffer nothing from demons.  He who by his piety possesses the favour of the Most High, who has accepted the guidance of Jesus, the “Angel of the great counsel,”1816    Isa. ix. 6 (LXX.). being well contented with the favour of God through Christ Jesus, may say with confidence that he has nothing to suffer from the whole host of demons.  “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?  Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear.”1817    Ps. xxvii. 1, 3.  So much, then, in reply to those statements of Celsus:  “If they are demons, they too evidently belong to God, and they are to be believed, to be sacrificed to according to the laws, and prayers are to be offered to them that they may be propitious.”

Οὐδὲ γάρ, κἂν μὴ ὦσιν αὐτοῖς εὐμενεῖς οἱ δαίμονες, πάσχειν ἄν τι ὑπ' αὐτῶν δύναιντο, φρουρούμενοι ὑπὸ τοῦ εὐμενοῦς αὐτοῖς διὰ τὴν εὐσέβειαν ἐπὶ πᾶσι θεοῦ καὶ τοὺς θείους αὐτοῦ ἀγγέλους ἐφιστάντος τοῖς ἀξίοις τοῦ φρου ρεῖσθαι, ἵνα μηδὲν πάσχωσιν ἀπὸ τῶν δαιμόνων. Ὁ δ' ἔχων τὸν ἐπὶ πᾶσι θεὸν διὰ τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν εὐσέβειαν εὐμενῆ καὶ διὰ τὸ τὸν τῆς "μεγάλης βουλῆς" ἄγγελον τοῦ θεοῦ παραδεδέχθαι κύριον Ἰησοῦν, ἀρκούμενος τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ εὐμενείᾳ λέγοι ἂν θαρρῶν ὡς οὐδὲν πεισόμενος ἀπὸ παντὸς τοῦ τῶν δαιμόνων στρατοπέδου· "Κύριος φωτισμός μου καὶ σωτήρ μου, τίνα φοβηθήσομαι; Κύριος ὑπερασπιστὴς τῆς ζωῆς μου, ἀπὸ τίνος δειλιάσω;" Ἐρεῖ δὲ καὶ τό· "Ἐὰν παρατάξηται ἐπ' ἐμὲ παρεμβολή, οὐ φοβη θήσεται ἡ καρδία μου." Τοσαῦτα καὶ εἰς τὸ εἰ δ' εἰσί τινες δαίμονες, δηλονότι καὶ οὗτοι τοῦ θεοῦ εἰσιν, [οἷς] καὶ πιστευ τέον καὶ καλλιερητέον κατὰ νόμους καὶ προσευκτέον, ἵν' εὐμενεῖς ὦσιν.