The Deception of Demons and the Flight of Thoughts
…your shepherd’s bag, and seek the contemplation of this: how angels and demons approach our world, but we do not approach their worlds; for we can no longer join angels to God, nor do we choose to make demons more unclean. And how Lucifer, rising early, was cast down to the earth, and deems the sea as an ointment-jar, and Tartarus of the abyss as a captive, and boils the abyss like bronze, troubling all through his evil and wishing to rule all? For the contemplation of these things greatly wounds the demon and puts all his host to flight. But these things happen only to those gradually purified, who in some measure see the logoi of what has come to be. But the impure do not know the contemplation of these things, nor would they be heeded even if they chanted what they learned from others, since much dust and tumult arise through the passions in the war. For the host of the foreigners must by all means quiet down a little, so that Goliath alone may meet our David. Likewise let us use this division and this kind of war against all impure thoughts.
Chapter 21. Of the unclean demons, some tempt man as man, and others trouble man as an irrational animal; the first, approaching, cast into us notions of vainglory or pride or envy or accusation, which touch nothing of the irrational; but the second, drawing near, stir up thumos or desire contrary to nature. For these passions happen to be common to us and to the irrational animals, being covered by the rational nature. Wherefore the Holy Spirit also says to those falling into human thoughts: ‘I said: You are gods, and all sons of the Most High; but you die as men, and fall as one of the rulers’ (Ps 82:6). And to those moved irrationally, what does He say? ‘Do not become like a horse and mule, which have no understanding; with bit and bridle you must hold their jaws, who do not come near you’ (Ps 32:9).
But the soul that sins, it shall die. It is clear that men, dying as men, will be buried by men; but those put to death as irrational — that is, falling — will be eaten by vultures or crows, whose young, some call upon the Lord, while others are defiled in blood. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Chapter 22. When some of the unclean thoughts are quickly put to flight, let us seek the cause whence this happened: whether because of the scarcity of the thing — the matter being hard to obtain — or because, through the dispassion present in us, the enemies had no strength against us? For example, if one of the recluses should be prompted by a demon to be entrusted with the spiritual governance of the first city, it is clear that he will not linger imagining this thought, and the cause becomes known from what is said; but if one becomes entrusted of any city whatever, and reckons likewise, such a one is blessed in dispassion. Likewise such a manner will be found when examined in the case of the other thoughts. These things one must know for our eagerness and power, so that we may see whether we have crossed the Jordan and are near the city of the Phoenicians, or still dwell in the desert and are beaten by the foreigners.
For the demon of love of money seems to me very manifold and resourceful for deception; often, when straitened by extreme renunciation, he immediately plays the steward and lover of the poor, and receives guests not yet present more genuinely, and sends service to others who are lacking, and visits the city prisons, and supposedly ransoms those being sold, and attaches himself to rich women, and points out those who ought to receive benefit, and again advises others who possess a fat purse to renounce it, and thus, having deceived the soul little by little, subjects it to thoughts of love of money, and hands it over to the demon of vainglory.
Chapter 23. He brings in a multitude of those glorifying the Lord for these stewardships, and putting forward some who gradually converse about priesthood, he then foretells the quick death of the existing priest, and adds that he would not escape even if he did ten thousand things; and thus the wretched mind, bound by these thoughts, quarrels with those of men who have not accepted them, but with those who…
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ποιμενικοῦ σου κωδίου, καὶ τούτου ζήτει τὴν θεωρίαν. Πῶς ἄγγελοι μὲν, καὶ δαίμονες τῷ ἡμετέρῳ παραβάλ79.1224 λουσι κόσμῳ, ἡμεῖς δὲ τοῖς αὐτῶν κόσμοις οὐ παραβάλλομεν· οὔτε γὰρ ἀγγέλους Θεῷ συνάπτειν πλέον δυνάμεθα, οὔτε δαίμονας ἀκαθάρτους μᾶλλον ποιεῖν προαιρούμεθα. Καὶ πῶς ὁ Ἑωσφόρος ὁ πρωῒ ἀνατέλλων εἰς τὴν γῆν κατεῤῥίφη, καὶ ἥγηται μὲν τὴν θάλασσαν ὡς ἐξάλειπτρον, τὸν δὲ Τάρταρον τῆς ἀβύσσου ὥσπερ αἰχμάλωτον, ἀναζεῖ δὲ τὴν ἄβυσσον ὥσπερ χαλκίον, πάντας ἐκταράσσων διὰ τῆς κακίας αὐτοῦ, καὶ πάντων ἄρχειν βουλόμενος; Τούτων γὰρ τῶν πραγμάτων ἡ θεωρία πάνυ τιτρώσκει τὸν δαίμονα, καὶ πᾶσαν αὐτοῦ τὴν παρεμβολὴν φυγαδεύει. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν τῶν ἠρέμα κεκαθαρμένων μόνων συμβαίνει, καὶ βλεπόντων ποσῶς τοὺς λόγους τῶν γεγονότων. Οἱ δὲ ἀκάθαρτοι τὴν θεωρίαν τούτων οὐκ ἴσασιν, οὐδὲ εἰ μαθόντες παρ' ἑτέρων κατεπᾴδοιεν ἀκουσθήσονται, πολλοῦ κονιορτοῦ, καὶ θορύβου διὰ τὰ πάθη συνισταμένου κατὰ τὸν πόλεμον. ∆εῖ γὰρ πάντως τὴν παρεμβολὴν τῶν ἀλλοφύλων μικρὸν ἠρεμῆσαι, ἵνα μόνον ὁ Γολιὰθ ἀπαντήσῃ τῷ ἡμετέρῳ ∆αβίδ. Ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ τῇ διαιρέσει, καὶ τῷ εἴδει τούτῳ τοῦ πολέμου χρησώμεθα καὶ ἐπὶ πάντων ἀκαθάρτων λογισμῶν. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΚΑʹ. Τῶν ἀκαθάρτων δαιμόνων, οἱ μὲν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὡς ἄνθρωπον ἐκπειράζουσιν, οἱ δὲ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὡς ζῶον ἄλογον ἐκταράσσουσι, καὶ οἱ μὲν πρῶτοι παραβάλλοντες, κενοδοξίας, ἢ ὑπερηφανίας ἢ φθόνου, ἢ κατηγορίας ἡμῖν ἐμβάλλουσι νοήματα, ἅπερ οὐδενὸς ἅπτεται τῶν ἀλόγων· οἱ δὲ δεύτεροι, προσεγγίζοντες, θυμὸν, ἢ ἐπιθυμίαν παρὰ φύσιν κινοῦσι. Ταῦτα γὰρ τὰ πάθη κοινὰ ἡμῶν, καὶ τῶν ἀλόγων ζώων τυγχάνουσιν, ὑπὸ τῆς λογικῆς καλυπτόμενα φύσεως. ∆ιὸ λέγει καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, πρὸς μὲν τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις περιπίπτοντας λογισμοῖς, «Ἐγὼ εἶπα· Θεοί ἐστε, καὶ υἱοὶ Ὑψίστου πάντες· ὑμεῖς δὲ ὡς ἄνθρωποι ἀποθνήσκετε, καὶ ὡς εἷς τῶν ἀρχόντων πίπτετε.» Πρὸς δὲ τοὺς κινουμένους ἀλόγως, τί φησι; «Μὴ γίνεσθε ὡς ἵππος, καὶ ἡμίονος, οἷς οὐκ ἔστι σύνεσις, ἐν κημῷ καὶ χαλινῷ τὰς σιαγόνας αὐτῶν ἄγξαι, τῶν μὴ ἐγγιζόντων πρὸς σέ.» Ἡ δὲ ψυχὴ ἡ ἁμαρτάνουσα, αὕτη ἀποθανεῖται. Πρόδηλον, ὅτι οἱ μὲν ἄνθρωποι ὡς ἄνθρωποι ἀποθνήσκοντες, ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων ταφήσονται, οἱ δὲ ὡς ἄλογοι θανατούμενοι, ἤτοι πίπτοντες, ὑπὸ γυπῶν, ἢ κοράκων βρωθήσονται, ὧν οἱ νεοσσοὶ, οἱ μὲν ἐπικαλοῦνται τὸν Κύριον, οἱ δὲ φύρονται ἐν αἵμασιν. Ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκούειν, ἀκουέτω. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΚΒʹ. Ὅταν τινὲς τῶν ἀκαθάρτων λογισμῶν ταχέως φυγαδευθῶσιν, ζητήσωμεν τὴν αἰτίαν πόθεν τοῦτο συμβέβηκε· πότερον διὰ τὴν σπάνιν τοῦ 9 πράγματος, τοῦ δυσπόριστον εἶναι τὴν ὕλην, ἢ διὰ τὴν προσοῦσαν ἡμῖν ἀπάθειαν οὐκ ἴσχυσαν καθ' ἡμῶν οἱ ἐχθροί; Οἷον, εἴ τις τῶν ἀναχωρούντων ἐνθυμηθείη ὑπὸ δαίμονος, τῆς πρώτης πόλεως πνευματικὴν κυβέρνησιν ‹79.1225› πιστευθῆναι, οὗτος δῆλον, ὅτι οὐ χρονίσει τὸν λογισμὸν τοῦτον φανταζόμενος, καὶ ἡ αἰτία ἐκ τῶν λεγομένων γίνεται γνώριμος· εἰ δέ τις πόλεως, καὶ τῆς τυχούσης γίνεται, καὶ ὁμοίως λογίζεται, οὗτος μακάριος τῆς ἀπαθείας ἐστίν. Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων λογισμῶν εὑρεθήσεται ὁ τοιοῦτος τρόπος ἐξεταζόμενος. Ταῦτα δὲ ἀναγκαῖον εἰδέναι πρὸς τὴν ἡμετέραν προθυμίαν, καὶ δύναμιν, ἵνα εἴδωμεν, πότερον ἢ τὸν Ἰορδάνην παρήλθομεν, καὶ ἐγγύς ἐσμεν τῆς πόλεως τῶν Φοινίκων, ἢ ἔτι ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ διάγομεν, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων τυπτόμεθα. Πάνυ γὰρ ποικίλος μοι φαίνεται τῆς φιλαργυρίας ὁ δαίμων, καὶ πρὸς ἀπάτην εὐμήχανος, ὃς πολλάκις στενωθεὶς ὑπὸ τῆς ἄκρας ἀποταγῆς, τὸν οἰκονόμον εὐθὺς, καὶ φιλόπτωχον ὑποκρίνεται, καὶ τοὺς μηδέπω παρόντας ὑποδέχεται ξένους γνησιώτερον, καὶ ἄλλοις λειπομένοις ἀποστέλλει διακονίαν, καὶ δεσμωτήρια πόλεως ἐπισκέπτεται, καὶ τοὺς πιπρασκομένους δῆθεν ἐξαγοράζει, γυναιξί τε κολλᾶται πλουσίαις, καὶ τοὺς εὖ παθεῖν ὀφείλοντας ὑποδείκνυσι, καὶ ἄλλους πάλιν ἀποτάξασθαι νουθετεῖ βαλάντιον ἀδρὸν κεκτημένους, καὶ οὕτως ἐξαπατήσας κατὰ μικρὸν τὴν ψυχὴν, τῆς φιλαργυρίας αὐτὴν λογισμοῖς ὑποβάλλει, καὶ τῷ τῆς κενοδοξίας παραδίδωσι δαίμονι ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΚΓʹ. Ὡς πλῆθος εἰσάγει τῶν δοξαζόντων ἐπὶ ταῖς οἰκονομίαις ταύταις τὸν Κύριον, καί τινας κατ' ὀλίγον περὶ ἱερωσύνης συλλαλοῦντας προβάλλων λοιπὸν προμαντεύεται ταχὺν θάνατον τοῦ ὄντος ἱερέως, καὶ ὡς οὐκ ἂν ἐκφύγῃ μυρία ποιήσας προστίθησι, καὶ οὕτως ὁ ταλαίπωρος νοῦς ἐνδεθεὶς τούτοις τοῖς λογισμοῖς, τοῖς μὲν μὴ καταδεξαμένοις τῶν ἀνθρώπων διαμάχεται, τοῖς δὲ τοῦτο