The Devil and Magic, St. John Chrysostom

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ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM

the DEVIL and MAGIC

by Hieromonk Benedict
of Holy Mount Athos, Greece

PREFACE

In the past few years, much has been said, not only in our country, but in other parts of the world, concerning the existance of Satan and his company.

During the past two years, specifically, all that has occured in the area of Greece convices each honest person that the existence of the devil and his group of followers is not just a simple event or an idea, as some people would prefer to believe, but a hard fact, which all of us should accept.

This volume concerns itself with this burning issue. Burning, not just for our age, but for all ages.

Read the rest of the book's preface below

book size (in cm): 13.5x20
Pages:177
Paperback
Language: English

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Preface	13
Translation note	15
FIRST PART
THE DEVIL
General
Time and reason for his fall	23
The indifference, arrogance and desperation, reason for his fall	24
His envy	24
They are subordinate forces of heaven	25
The existence of battalions of demons	25
His Appellation
a) Ruler of the world and of this age. His place	26
b) Opposer and devil	27
c) "Lion". He is powerless before Christians	28
d) The eternal tempter	29
e) Many named, diversed, polymorphous and evil beast	31
When God allows his attacks against us	33
Evidence of his wichedness	32
Recognizing demons	35
Reason for his existence	36
If we are careful, he becomes cause for spiritual progress	36
Our rewards from our battles against him	37
His place in the original sin
Motivated by envy, he used the snake against man	38
The big fraud	39
The wickedness of the devil	40
The slander of God	41
The bait of equidivinity	42
Why the snake is punished and not the devil	42
His battle against us
Recognizing demons	44
Nothing as filthy	44
His trickery	45
His arrows	46
The suitable time for attack	47
Let's be alert	48
He also fights us with virtues	49
He doesn't force. He intices with deceit and persuasion	50
He doesn't subdue us with his authority	50
He fights us with earthy things	51
He always copies	52
He confuses and overturns everything	52
He makes many attempts	53
He doesn't act suddenly, but in phases	53
He doesn't know if he will win	54
He humbles the human	54
His hatred for mankind	55
He always rejoices at men's downfall	56
When he is most furious	57
When he rejoices and when he is humbled	57
He suffers when he sees a soul removing itself from sin	58
His aim is polytheism and idolatry	58
His cunningness	59
His underhanded methods	59
He doesn't lead to repentance	60
His stronger weapon: Desperation	60
Judas' case	62
He cuts our hopes of God	63
He gives daring to sinning	64
He doesn't present sins clearly	65
Most of all, he damages us by the use of "the tongue"	65
He grants us clay in order to seize our heaven	66
He always persecutes the people of God	67
He mostly fights against Monastics	68
He persecutes the virtuous	68
He fears prayer	68
His underhandedness at time of prayer	69
He attacks those in seclusion	70
In the end he attacks more violently	71
The irreconcilable hatred and the hard war	72
Great is the gift, great also the war	73
He covers sin with pleasure	74
The example of the birds	75
When does he yield	76
The methods used for his war are the same used for his destruction	77
He is accused by the martyrs	78
He won through woman, and he was defeated by a woman	78
Confronting Him
The cunning enemy	80
We must become Knowledgeable of and avoid his plots	81
We should blockade his entrance with prayer	81
Imitate the archer	82
In order to avoid his traps, proper faith and virtuous lifestyle are needed	82
Beware of his traps	83
His attacks are repulsed by spiritual study	83
His enemies: the acts of light and virtue	84
He doesn't approach whenever the Law of God exists	84
We should not disregard those things of smaller importance	85
When he causes something bad, he renders brilliant those who endure him	85
Many things happen because of our idifference	86
When we do not get hit, he receives the blow	87
Christ's Commandments and those of the devil	88
His concern for our loss and our concern for the salvation of our brethren	89
Sin is worse than the demon	90
If the Lord were not with us...	92
The war is difficult	93
The excuse of the lazy...	93
If love exists...	94
He fights for our final destruction	95
The reasons	96
Our passions weapons against him	97
His eternal enemies	98
Why God hasn't destroyed him	98
It is not proper to have ressive reasoning	100
The devil does bad to himself	100
How he is beneficial to us	101
He doesn't cause all the evil	102
If God didn't allow it, Adam wouldn't have approached	102
The termination of his servants
The end of his subjects	105
In the end, those who serve him become ridiculed	105
When he appears before Christ
His embarrassment before Christ	106
Even if the demons tell us something useful, we should not listen to them	107
Neither out of necessity...	108
He is confronted with tolerance and forbearance	110
He uses his strongest tricks in the end	111
Methods to confront him	112
After the victory over him, the angels will wellcome you	113
He uses the same wiles even nowadays	113
He promises much	114
He even uses relatives	115
His position before Christ	116
His cunning plan for the Resurrection of Christ	117
How he would have usurped the Resurrection of the dead	119
His relationship with the Apostles
When he pronounces the name of God	121
Why the Apostles never accept his withessings	121
The truths he utters are unacceptable	122
He serves the Apostles in their mission	122
The Apostles used him as an executioner	123
They do not accuse the Apostles or Christ	124
Why the devil does not disappear
The security in time of war	125
Why he is called devil and the cunning one	127
Evidence for the absurdity of thought: a) Creation, b) Our members, c) The Cross of Christ, d) The Apostles, e) Our Lord's Presence	129
How he benefits us	133
Never fear	135
SECOND PART
MAGIC
The absurdity of the oracles and of magic	139
The homicides...	140
Through Holy Baptism, the Christians denounce Satan	141
Satanical pomp and its symbols	142
Our hope is Christ Cross	144
"The woman is a Christian..."	144
The worst superstition	145
Demons do not cure	145
Death is preferable...	149
Is your illness too stressful for you? Remember Job	150
Remember the paralytic and Lazarus	152
When God tests you, do not take recourse in his enemies	153
Even if the fever is alleviated, the torture of the conscience is unbelievable	154
Think well of the future reward	157
Remember how much the righteous suffered	158
Do you desire the true martyrdom?	159
The devil is a killer of men	160
Rely on fear of God	161
The sick who do not invite magicians, are crowned as martyrs	162
The same of those who lose money and glorify God	163
How a loss becomes beneficial	164
Why things foretold by oracles happen	166
If they knew something, they should have foretold of their fate	167
Evidence of little faith and lack of faith	168
Wiles of the devil which bring death to the soul	170
"I am so-and-so's soul..."	171
Conclusion	175

Preface

In the past few years, much has been said, not only in our country, but in other parts of the world, concerning the existance of Satan and his company.

This volume concerns itself with this burning issue. Burning, not just for our age, but for all ages.

Saint John Chrysostom, the great teacher, sociologist, economist, educator of children, dogmatologist, interpreter of the Holy Writings, and many other things, did not omit to concern himself with the sleepless enemy of man's salvation.

In the texts which follow, he teaches us about this incorporeal force, which because of pride, fell from heaven and due to sheer envy, tempted man to rebel against God, His Father. Since then, there exists a hard and implacable war and an irreconcilable hatred. The Saint teaches us the way in which we should journey in order to execute this...a battle of many facets. He confronts those who assert that if the devil did not exist, man's salvation would be easier, and also those who contend that demons are those who govern the human sphere.

He combats those Christians who desire to belong to Christ and to the devil. Those who want to be church-goers, but who simultaneously want to visit a medium whenever some problem presents itself. That is when they abandon Christ and The Church and run to His enemies.

It appears though, that even in His time, there occured such activities which take place today. Therefore, Saint John Chrysostom's writings are timeless.

He answers those who ask "where does the devil learn some secrets and mysteries", an how have the things that "the old lady" said come true. Thus, it battles sorcery and witchcraft, and the impostor, who even in those times was at his peak.

In addition, he stresses that the wiles used by the devil and his powers of prognosis are useless before a faithful member of The Church, just as when the devil himself seems like a small, harmless sparrow when facing one who is striving for his salvation...

Hiermonk Benedict
New Skiti, Holy Mount Athos

The Devil and Magic, St. John Chrysostom

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Contents

Preface

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