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Address to the Greeks

Tatian

Chapter 16

About this work

Tatian attacks Greek claims to cultural and philosophical superiority, defends Christian teaching about God, creation, resurrection, and ethics, and argues for the antiquity of biblical wisdom.

Author: Tatian
Date: c. AD 165–175
Origin: Rome or the eastern Mediterranean
Genre: Apology

Vain Display of Power by the Demons.

But the demons who rule over men are not the

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souls

of

men

;

for

how

should

these

be

capable

of

action

after

death

?

unless

man

,

who

while

living

was

void

of

understanding

and

power

,

should

be

believed

when

dead

to

be

endowed

with

more

of

active

power

.

But

neither

could

this

be

the

case

,

as

we

have

shown

elsewhere

.

And

it

is

difficult

to

conceive

that

the

immortal

soul

,

which

is

impeded

by

the

members

of

the

body

,

should

become

more

intelligent

when

it

has

migrated

from

it

.

For

the

demons

,

inspired

with

frenzy

against

men

by

reason

of

their

own

wickedness

,

pervert

their

minds

,

which

already

incline

downwards

,

by

various

deceptive

scenic

representations

,

that

they

may

be

disabled

from

rising

to

the

path

that

leads

to

heaven

.

But

from

us

the

things

which

are

in

the

world

are

not

hidden

,

and

the

divine

is

easily

apprehended

by

us

if

the

power

that

makes

souls

immortal

visits

us

.

The

demons

are

seen

also

by

the

men

possessed

of

soul

,

when

,

as

sometimes

,

they

exhibit

themselves

to

men

,

either

that

they

may

be

thought

to

be

something

,

or

as

evil

-

disposed

friends

may

do

harm

to

them

as

to

enemies

,

or

afford

occasions

of

doing

them

honour

to

those

who

resemble

them

.

For

,

if

it

were

possible

,

they

would

without

doubt

pull

down

heaven

itself

with

the

rest

of

creation

.

But

now

this

they

can

by

no

means

effect

,

for

they

have

not

the

power

;

but

they

make

war

by

means

of

the

lower

matter

against

the

matter

that

is

like

themselves

.

Should

any

one

wish

to

conquer

them

,

let

him

repudiate

matter

.

Being

armed

with

the

breastplate

of

the

celestial

Spirit

,

he

will

be

able

to

preserve

all

that

is

encompassed

by

it

.

There

are

,

indeed

,

diseases

and

disturbances

of

the

matter

that

is

in

us

;

but

,

when

such

things

happen

,

the

demons

ascribe

the

causes

of

them

to

themselves

,

and

approach

a

man

whenever

disease

lays

hold

of

him

.

Sometimes

they

themselves

disturb

the

habit

of

the

body

by

a

tempest

of

folly

;

but

,

being

smitten

by

the

word

of

God

,

they

depart

in

terror

,

and

the

sick

man

is

healed

.

Notes

49
[For a learned and valuable comparison of early patristic Demonologies, see Kaye’s Justin Martyr, pp. 201–210.]
50
Perhaps in his treatise “On Animals.”
51
Comp. Eph. vi. 13, 14, 17.