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| About the Demon that Dwelt in the Woman.
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About the Demon
that Dwelt in the Woman.
And the apostle went into the city, all the multitude
accompanying him; and he thought of going to the parents of the young
man whom, when killed by the dragon, he had brought to life; for they
earnestly entreated him to come to them, and to enter into their
house.
And a certain woman, exceedingly beautiful, suddenly
uttered a loud cry, saying: O apostle of the new God, who hast
come into India, and servant of that holy and only good God—for
through thee he is proclaimed the Saviour of the souls that come unto
him, and through thee he heals the bodies of those that are punished by
the enemy, and thou hast become the cause of life to all who turn to
him—order me to be brought before thee, that I may declare to
thee what has happened to me, and that perhaps there may be hope to me
from thee and those who stand
beside thee may have more and more hope in the God whom thou
proclaimest. For I am not a little tormented by the adversary,
who has assailed me for now a period of five years. As a woman, I
formerly sat down in peace, and peace encompassed me on all sides and I
had nothing to trouble me, for of nothing else2362
had I a care. And it happened on
one of the days as I was coming forth from the bath, there met me one
like a man troubled and disturbed; and his voice and utterance seemed
to me to be indistinct and very weak. And he said, standing over
against me, Thou and I shall be in one love, and we shall have
intercourse with each other, as a man is coupled with his wife.
And I answered him, saying, To my betrothed I consented not, entreating
him not to marry me; and to thee, wishing to have intercourse with me
as it were in adultery, how shall I give myself up? And having
thus spoken, I went away from him. And to my maid I said, Hast
thou seen the young man and his shamelessness, how shamelessly and
boldly he talks to me? And she said to me, It was an old man I
saw talking with thee. And when I was in my own house, and had
supped, my mind suggested to me some suspicion, and especially because
he had appeared to me in two forms. I fell asleep, having this
same thing in my thoughts. And he came that night, and made me
share in his filthy commerce. And I saw him when it was day, and
fled from him; but, according to his wont, he came at night and abused
me. And now, as thou seest me, I have been tormented by him five
years, and he has not departed from me. But I know and am
persuaded that even demons, and spirits, and avenging deities, are
subject to thee, and tremble at thy prayer. Pray, then, for me,
and drive away from me the demon that torments me, that I also may
become free, and may be brought to my former nature, and I shall
receive the gift2363
that has been
granted to my kindred.
And the apostle said: O irrepressible
wickedness! O the shamelessness of the enemy! O the
sorcerer that is never at rest! O the ill-favoured one, bring to
subjection the well-favoured! O the many-formed one! He
appears just as he may wish, but his essence cannot be changed. O
offspring of the crafty and insatiable one! O bitter tree, which
also his fruits are like! O thou who art of the devil, who fights
over those who do not belong to him! O thou who art of the deceit
that uses shamelessness! O thou who art of the wickedness that
creeps like a serpent, and art thyself his kindred! And when the
apostle had thus spoken the fiend stood before him, no one seeing him
but the woman and the apostle, and with a very loud voice he said in
the hearing of all: What have we to do with thee, O apostle of
the Most High? What have we to do with thee, O servant of Jesus
Christ? What have we to do with thee, O thou that sittest in
council with the Holy Spirit. Wherefore dost thou wish to destroy
us, when our time has not yet come? On what account dost thou
wish to take away our power? for until the present hour we have had
hope and time left us.2364
What
have we to do with thee? Thou hast power over thine own, and we
over our own. Why dost thou wish to use tyranny against us, and
especially thou who teachest others not to use tyranny? Why dost
thou want those who do not belong to thee, as if thou wert not
satisfied with thine own? Why dost thou liken thyself to the Son
of God, who has done us hurt? For thou art like him altogether,
just as if thou hadst been brought forth by him. For we thought
to bring him also under the yoke, like the rest; but he turned, and
held us under his hand. For we did not know him; but he deceived
us by the form which he had put on, and his poverty and his want; for
when we saw him such, we thought him to be a man clothed with flesh,
not knowing that it was he who makes men live. And he gave us
power over our own, and, in the time in which we live, not to let our
own go, but to employ ourselves about them. But thou wishest to
get more than is necessary, or than has been given thee, and to
overpower us.
And having thus spoken, the demon wept,
saying: I let thee go, my most lovely yoke-fellow,2365
whom I found long ago and was at rest; I
leave thee, my beloved and trusty sister, in whom I was well
pleased. What I shall do I know not, or whom I shall call upon to
hear me and protect me. I know what I shall do. I shall go
to some place where the fame of this man has not been heard, and
perhaps I shall call thee, my beloved, by a new name.2366
| 2366 i.e., get another
instead of thee, my beloved. | And lifting up his voice, he
said: Abide in peace, having received an asylum with a greater
than I; but I, as I have said, will go away and seek thy like, and if I
find her not I shall again return to thee: for I know that when
thou art beside this man, thou hast an asylum in him; but when he has
gone away, thou shalt be as thou wast before he made his appearance,
and him indeed wilt thou forget, and to me there will again be
opportunity and boldness; but now I am afraid of the name of him who
has delivered thee. And having thus said, the demon
disappeared. And just when he had disappeared, fire and smoke
were seen there, and all there present were struck with
amazement.
And the
apostle seeing this, said to them: Nothing strange or unusual has
that demon shown, but his own nature, in which also he shall be burnt
up; for the fire shall consume him, and the smoke of him shall be
scattered abroad. And he began to say: O Jesus Christ, the
secret mystery which has been revealed to us, Thou art He who
disclosest to us all manner of mysteries, who hast set me apart from
all my companions, and who hast told me three words with which I am set
on fire, and I cannot tell them to others; O Jesus, man slain, dead,
buried; Jesus, God of God, and Saviour who bringest the dead to life,
and healest those who are diseased; O Jesus, who appearest to be in
want, and savest as if in want of nothing, catching the fishes for the
morning and the evening meal, and establishing all in abundance with a
little bread; Jesus, who didst rest from the toil of the journey as a
man, and walk upon the waves as God;2367
| 2367 Matt. xiv. 17; John xxi. 11; John iv. 6;
Matt. xiv. 25. | Jesus
Most High, voice arising from perfect compassion, Saviour of all, the
right hand of the light overthrowing him that is wicked in his own
kind, and bringing all his kind into one place; Thou who art only
begotten, the first-born of many brethren,2368
God of God Most High, man despised
until now; Jesus Christ, who overlookest us not when we call upon Thee;
who hast been shown forth to all in Thy human life; who for our sakes
hast been judged and kept in prison, and freest all that are in bonds;
who hast been called a deceiver,2369
and who
deliverest Thine own from deception: I entreat Thee in behalf of
those standing and entreating Thee, and those that believe in Thee; for
they pray to obtain Thy gifts, being of good hope in Thine aid,
occupying Thy place of refuge in Thy majesty; they give audience, so as
to hear from us the words that have been spoken to them. Let Thy
peace come and dwell in them, that they may be purified from their
former deeds, and may put off the old man with his deeds, and put on
the new now declared to them by me.2370
And having laid his hands on them, he blessed
them, saying: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be upon you for
ever!2371
And they said, Amen. And
the woman begged of him, saying: Apostle of the Most High, give
me the seal, that that foe may not come back upon me again. Then
he made her come near him; and putting his hand upon her, he sealed her
in the name of Father, and Son, and Holy Ghost. And many others
also were sealed along with her. And the apostle ordered his
servant2372
to set out a
table; and they set out a bench2373
| 2373 συμψέλλιον, which is not Greek, is obviously the Latin
subsellium. | which
they found there. And having spread a linen cloth upon it, he put
on it the bread of the blessing. And the apostle standing by it,
said: Jesus Christ, Son of God, who hast deemed us worthy to
communicate of the Eucharist of Thy sacred body and honourable blood,
behold, we are emboldened by the thanksgiving2374
and invocation of Thy sacred name;
come now, and communicate with us. And he began to say:
Come, perfect compassion; come, communion with mankind; come, Thou that
knowest the mysteries of the chosen one; come, Thou that communicatest
in all the combats2375
of the noble
combatant; come, peace that revealest the great things of all
greatness; come, Thou that disclosest secrets, and makest manifest
things not to be spoken; the sacred dove which has brought forth twin
young; come, thou secret mother; come, Thou who art manifest in Thy
deeds, and givest joy and rest to those who are united to Thee; come
and communicate with us in this Eucharist, which we make in Thy name,
and in the love2376
in which we
are united in calling upon Thee.2377
And having thus said, he made the sign of the cross upon the bread, and
broke it, and began to distribute it. And first he gave it to the
woman, saying: This shall be to thee for remission of sins, and
the ransom of everlasting transgressions. And after her, he gave
also to all the others who had received the seal.
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