Chapter XXXIV.

Celsus would also have us to offer first-fruits to demons.  But we would offer them to Him who said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself upon the earth.”1832    Gen. i. 11.  And to Him to whom we offer first-fruits we also send up our prayers, “having a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God,” and “we hold fast this profession”1833    Heb. iv. 14. as long as we live; for we find God and His only-begotten Son, manifested to us in Jesus, to be gracious and kind to us.  And if we would wish to have besides a great number of beings who shall ever prove friendly to us, we are taught that “thousand thousands stood before Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand ministered unto Him.”1834    Dan. vii. 10.  And these, regarding all as their relations and friends who imitate their piety towards God, and in prayer call upon Him with sincerity, work along with them for their salvation, appear unto them, deem it their office and duty to attend to them, and as if by common agreement they visit with all manner of kindness and deliverance those who pray to God, to whom they themselves also pray:  “For they are all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for those who shall be heirs of salvation.”1835    Heb. i. 14.  Let the learned Greeks say that the human soul at its birth is placed under the charge of demons:  Jesus has taught us not to despise even the little ones in His Church, saying, “Their angels do always behold the face of My Father which is in heaven.”1836    Matt. xviii. 10.  And the prophet says, “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them.”1837    Ps. xxxiv. 7.  We do not, then, deny that there are many demons upon earth, but we maintain that they exist and exercise power among the wicked, as a punishment of their wickedness.  But they have no power over those who “have put on the whole armour of God,” who have received strength to “withstand the wiles of the devil,”1838    Eph. vi. 11. and who are ever engaged in contests with them, knowing that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”1839    Eph. vi. 12.

Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπαρχὰς Κέλσος μὲν δαιμονίοις ἀνατιθέναι βούλεται, ἡμεῖς δὲ τῷ εἰπόντι· "Βλαστησάτω ἡ γῆ βοτάνην χόρτου, σπεῖρον σπέρμα κατὰ γένος καὶ καθ' ὁμοιότητα, καὶ ξύλον κάρπιμον ποιοῦν καρπόν, οὗ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ κατὰ γένος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς." Ὧ δὲ τὰς ἀπαρχὰς ἀποδίδομεν, τούτῳ καὶ τὰς εὐχὰς ἀναπέμπομεν, "ἔχοντες ἀρχιερέα μέγαν, διεληλυθότα τοὺς οὐρανούς, Ἰησοῦν τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ", καὶ κρατοῦμεν "τῆς ὁμολογίας", ἕως ἂν ζῶμεν, φιλανθρώπου τυγχάνοντες τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ μονογενοῦς αὐτοῦ, ἐν Ἰησοῦ ἡμῖν φανερουμένου. Εἰ δὲ καὶ πλῆθος ποθοῦμεν ὧν φιλανθρώπων τυγχάνειν θέλομεν, μανθάνομεν "Ὅτι χίλιαι χιλιάδες παρειστήκεισαν αὐτῷ, καὶ μύριαι μυριάδες ἐλειτούργουν αὐτῷ", αἵτινες ὡς συγγενεῖς καὶ φίλους τοὺς μιμουμένους τὴν εἰς θεὸν αὐτῶν εὐσέβειαν ὁρῶντες συμπράττουσιν αὐτῶν τῇ σωτηρίᾳ τῶν ἐπικαλουμένων τὸν θεὸν καὶ γνησίως εὐχομένων, ἐπιφαινόμενοι καὶ οἰόμενοι αὐτοῖς δεῖν ἐπακούειν καὶ ὥσπερ ἐξ ἑνὸς συνθήματος ἐπιδημεῖν ἐπ' εὐεργεσίᾳ καὶ σωτηρίᾳ τῶν εὐχομένων θεῷ, ᾧ καὶ αὐτοὶ εὔχονται. Καὶ γὰρ "Πάντες εἰσὶ λειτουργικὰ πνεύματα, εἰς διακονίαν ἀποστελ λόμενα διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν". Ἑλλήνων μὲν οὖν οἱ σοφοὶ λεγέτωσαν δαίμονας εἰληχέναι τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην ψυχὴν ἀπὸ γενέσεως· ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ἡμᾶς ἐδίδαξε μηδὲ "τῶν" ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ "μικρῶν" καταφρο νεῖν, λέγων ὅτι "Οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτῶν διὰ παντὸς βλέπουσι τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς", καὶ ὁ προφήτης δέ φησιν ὅτι "Παρεμβαλεῖ ἄγγελος κυρίου κύκλῳ τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτὸν καὶ ῥύσεται αὐτούς". Οὐκ ἀναιροῦμεν οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς τὸ πολλοὺς εἶναι δαίμονας ἐπὶ γῆς ἀλλά φαμεν εἶναι μὲν αὐτοὺς καὶ δύνασθαι ἐν τοῖς φαύλοις διὰ τὴν ἐκείνων κακίαν, μηδὲν δὲ δύνασθαι πρὸς τοὺς ἐνδυσαμένους "τὴν πανοπλίαν τοῦ θεοῦ" καὶ ἀναλαβόντας ἰσχὺν "πρὸς τὸ" ἀντιστῆναι "πρὸς τὰς μεθοδείας τοῦ διαβόλου" καὶ μελετῶντας ἀεὶ τὰ ἐκείνων παλαίσματα τῷ ἐγνωκέναι "Ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς ἀρχάς, πρὸς τὰς ἐξουσίας, πρὸς τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τούτου, πρὸς τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις".