The Deception of Demons and the Flight of Thoughts
Seek the insight of your pastoral staff. How is it that angels and demons exist alongside our world, while we do not exist alongside theirs? For we can no longer join angels to God, nor do we intend to make more unclean demons. And how was the Morning Star, rising early in the earth, cast down, regarding the sea as a refuge and Tartarus of the abyss as a prisoner, while he boils the abyss like bronze, disturbing all through his malice and desiring to rule all? The insight of these things utterly terrifies the demon and makes him flee from all his intrusion. But these things happen only to those purified in solitude, seeing how the words of events unfold. The unclean do not know the insight of these things, nor would they hear them even if they learned from others, due to much dust and noise caused by passions during war. For it is necessary to somewhat quiet the intrusion of the foreigners, so that only Goliath meets our David. Likewise, we shall use this division and this kind of war against all unclean thoughts.
Chapter 40. Regarding unclean demons: some test man as a man, while others disturb man as an irrational animal; the former, casting themselves alongside, implant in us thoughts of vainglory, or pride, or envy, or accusation, which touch nothing of the irrational; the latter, approaching, stir up anger or desire according to nature. For these passions are common to us and to irrational animals, covered by the rational nature. Therefore the Holy Spirit also says, regarding those falling into human thoughts: 'I said: You are gods, and all are sons of the Most High; yet as men you die, and as one of the rulers you fall' (Psalm 82:6). And regarding those moved irrationally, what does He say? 'Do not become like a horse or a mule, which have no understanding, to pull their jaws with bit and bridle, which are not near to you' (Psalm 32:9). And the soul that sins, this one dies. It is evident that men, dying as men, will be buried by men...
And they die like irrational animals, namely, being fallen, they shall be eaten by vultures or crows, whose young ones either call upon the Lord, or are nourished in blood. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Chapter 22. When some of the impure thoughts are quickly driven away, let us seek the cause from where this has happened; whether because of the scarcity of the matter, it being difficult to find the material, or because of the apathy approaching us, the enemies were not able against us? For example, if one of those retreating is suggested by a demon to believe in the spiritual governance of the first city, this one is evident that he will not delay, imagining this thought, and the cause becomes known from the things said; but if it happens of any city, and by chance, and is similarly thought, this one is blessed with apathy. Similarly, regarding the other thoughts, such a method will be found when being examined. These things are necessary to know for our readiness and power, so that we may see whether we have passed the Jordan (Joshua 3) and are near the city of the Phoenicians, or are still traveling in the wilderness and are being struck by foreigners.
For the demon appears to me very diverse in his love of money, and resourceful for deception, who, having often been constricted by the extremity of renunciation, immediately pretends to be a steward and a lover of the poor, and receives guests more sincerely than those not yet present, and sends service to others who are lacking, and visits the city prisons, and redeems those being sold as slaves, and clings to rich women, and shows those who ought to fare well how to do so, and again admonishes others to dismiss a heavy purse having possessed, and thus, having deceived the soul little by little, he subjects it to the thought of money itself, and delivers it to the demon of vainglory.
Chapter 23. As he brings in a multitude of those glorifying the Lord in these economies, and brings forward some who are slightly conversing about priesthood, he quickly predicts the death of the existing priest, and how he will not escape even if he performs ten thousand, and thus the wretched mind, having entered into these thoughts, fights against those who have not accepted them, and those who...
Greek
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
About this text
A deep look at how harmful thoughts like greed and pride lead to spiritual downfall, with Bible quotes to guide self-reflection.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.