Letter 728

To the same persons. You have said that in these days you have been afflicted by the blasphemous and irrational notions which the utterly base demons have introduced to you. And this is no wonder; for, having been defeated by you in their earlier intrigues, the condemned ones, who are to be punished by that ineffable fire which has power to lay hold even of the fleshless nature, have now resolved to wage war in such a manner. And many will be those who will then mourn and grieve, when we ourselves rejoice, in return for the fact that we are now humbled and have already had to contend with countless afflictions. For they shall be made to vanish and laid desolate, those demons who are eager to blot us out from among the saved and to lay us desolate. Therefore in due power let us speak to them the prophetic word: "Thus says the Lord: I have heard your blasphemies, when you said, The mountains of Jerusalem are desolate, and they have been given to us as food; and you have cried out words against me, and I have heard the things shouted in your hearts. Therefore, as I live, says the Lord, I will deal with you according to your enmity and according to your jealousy, because you have hated the monks and pursued men who are poor and needy and contrite in heart, to put them to death. You loved cursing, and it shall come upon you; and you did not desire blessing, and it shall be removed far from you. But I will touch the mountains, so that they may smoke, and I will flash forth the unspeakable lightning, and you shall be scattered. Burning coals shall fall upon you - upon you enemies who have raised yourselves up in wickedness as high as heaven and have exalted your necks; and being cast down by the God-sent fire you shall suffer wretchedly, and you shall not endure. For I will utterly destroy your memorial from the earth, and you shall know me, that I alone am mighty, the Lord God of all. Thus says the Lord: In the rejoicing of all the earth I will make you desolate, because you rejoiced and exulted over my inheritance when it was humbled, and over my Israelites when they were made to vanish. So shall I make desolate the spiritual Mount Seir, and all Idumea shall be consumed." [The passage adapts Ezekiel 35, the prophecy against Mount Seir and Edom, applying it to the demons.] Directing these and similar sayings of the holy Scripture against those who hate us, we shall be comforted in heart.

Εἴρηκατε πάνυ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ταύταις τεθλῖφθαι ὑπὸ τῶν βλασφήμων, καὶ ἀλόγων ἐνθυμημάτων, ὧν εἰσήγαγον ὑμῖν οἱ πάμφαυλοι δαίμονες. Καὶ οὐ θαῦμα· νικηθέντες γὰρ παρ’ ὑμῶν ἐπὶ ταῖς προτέραις σκαιωρίαις, νῦν τοιούτῳ τρόπῳ πολεμεῖν ἐδοκίμασαν οἱ κατάκριτοι καὶ κολασθησόμενοι τῷ ἀρρήτῳ ἐκείνῳ πυρί, τῷ δυναμένῳ καὶ τῆς ἀσάρκου καθάψασθαι φύσεως, καὶ πολλοὶ πενθήσοντες τηνικαῦτα καὶ λυπηθησόμενοι, ὅταν ἡμεῖς εὐφραινώμεθα, ἀνθ’ ὧν νῦν ἐταπεινώθημεν, καὶ προωμιλήσαμεν ταῖς μυρίαις κακώσεσιν. Ἀφανισθήσονται γὰρ καὶ ἐρημωθήσονται· δαίμονες, οἵτινες ἡμᾶς ἐξαφανίσαι ἀπὸ τῶν σωζομένων καὶ ἐρημῶσαι σπουδάζουσι. Δυνάμει τοίνυν ἂν πρὸς αὐτοὺς τὸ προφητικὸν εἴπωμεν· « Τάδε λέγει Κύριος· Ἤκουσα τῶν βλασφημιῶν ὑμῶν λεγόντων, ὅτι Ἔρημά ἐστι τὰ ὄρη τῆς Ἰερουσαλήμ, καὶ ἡμῖν ἐδόθησαν εἰς κατάβρωμα, καὶ ἐβοήσατε κατ’ ἐμοῦ λόγους, καὶ ἀκήκοα ἐγὼ τὰ ἐγκάρδια κραζόμενα. Διὰ τοῦτο ζῶ ἐγώ, λέγει Κύριος· Ὅτι ποιήσω ὑμῖν κατὰ τὴν ἔχθραν ὑμῶν, καὶ κατὰ τὸν ζῆλον ὑμῶν, ἐκ τοῦ μεμισηκέναι τοὺς μοναχούς, καὶ καταδιώξειν ἀνθρώπους πένητας, καὶ πτωχούς, καὶ κατανενυγμένους τῇ καρδίᾳ, τοῦ θανατῶσαι αὐτούς· Ἠγαπήσατε κατάραν, καὶ ἥξει ὑμῖν, καὶ οὐκ ἠθελήσατε εὐλογίαν, καὶ μακρυνθήσεται ἀφ’ ὑμῶν. Ἐγὼ δὲ ἄψομαι τῶν ὀρέων, ὅπως ἂν καπνισθῶσι, καὶ ἀστράψω τὴν ἄφατον ἀστραπήν, καὶ διασκορπισθήσεσθε. Πεσοῦνται ἐφ’ ὑμᾶς ἄνθρακες· τοὺς τῇ κακίᾳ μέχρι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κορυφωθέντας ἐχθρούς, καὶ ὑψηλαυχήσαντας· καὶ καταβληθέντες τῷ θεοπέμπτῳ πυρὶ ταιλαιπωρήσετε, καὶ οὐ μὴ ὑποστῆτε. Ἐξολοθρεύσω γὰρ ἐκ γῆς τὸ μνημόσυνον ὑμῶν, καὶ γνώσεσθέ με, ὅτι μόνος ἐγὼ δυνατός εἰμι Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τῶν ὅλων. Τάδε λέγει Κύριος· Ἐν τῇ εὐφροσύνῃ πάσης τῆς γῆς, ἐρήμους ὑμᾶ, ποιήσω, διότι ἐπεχάρτη καὶ εὐφράνθητε ταπεινωθείσῃ τῇ κληρονομίᾳ μου, καὶ ἀφανισθείσῃ τοῖς Ἰσραηλείταις μου. Οὕτως ποιήσω ἔρημον τὸ ὄρος Σιεὶρ τὸ νοούμενον, καὶ πᾶσα Ἰδουμαία ἐξαναλωθήσεται. » Ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα τῆς ἁγίας Γραφῆς ῥητὰ πρὸς τοὺς ἐχθαίροντας ἡμῖν ἀποτεινόμενοι, παρακληθησόμεθα τὴν καρδίαν.