Chapter 6

§ 1.

Further: how were either the Angels or the Maker of the world ignorant of the First God, being as they were in His own regions, and creatures of His, and preserved by Him? He might indeed be invisible to them,¹ by reason of His excellency, but unknown He could in no wise be, by reason of His Providence. Yea, and however widely they might be separated from Him (as they say) in a downward line; yet, His Dominion being spread over all, they must needs have known Him ruling over them and have been aware of this at least, that He Who created them is Lord of all. For the combination in Him of Invisibility and Power helps all greatly to realize and perceive His most mighty and Almighty excellence.² Wherefore, although no man knoweth the Father, save the Son, nor the Son, save the Father, and those to whom the Son hath revealed Him; yet thus much all know, the reason fixed in their minds acting upon them, and instructing them:—that there is One God, the Lord of all.

§ 2.

And for this cause all things submit, when appeal is made to the Most High and Almighty One:³ and by Invocation of Him, even before our Lord’s Advent, men used to be saved both from the worst of spirits, and from all kinds of dæmons, and from the whole apostate Power. Not as though the earthly spirits or dæmons had seen Him, but because they knew of the existence of Him Who is God over all, the Invocation of Whom did and doth cause trembling in every creature, in Principality, and Power, and every inferior Virtue. Or shall we say, that while those who are subject to the Roman Empire, though they have never seen the Emperor, but are widely separated from him by sea and land, recognize, because of his dominion, him who has the chief place in sovereignty over them; the Angels on the other hand who were above us, or he whom they call Artificer of the world, fail to recognise the Almighty, when even dumb animals tremble and give way at that invocation? And they are all subject to the name of our Lord, though of course they have not seen Him: so also are they subject to the appellation⁴ of “Him Who made and ordered all,” He being no other than the very Creator of the world.⁵ And accordingly the Jews even to this day expel dæmons by this very form of address, because all things fear, when He is invoked Who made them.

§ 3.

Except therefore they will have the Angels more irrational than the dumb animals,⁶ they will find that although they had not seen Him Who is God over all, yet they must needs have been aware of His Power and Dominion. For it will seem ridiculous indeed, if they affirm themselves who are on earth, to know the God above all Whom they never saw; and suffer not Him Who by their account made them and all the world, being as He is in the highest and above the Heavens, to know what is known to themselves, whose place is in the regions below. Unless haply they say that the Deep whom they talk of is under the earth in Tartarus, and that accordingly they first knew him, before the Angels who dwell on high: going on to such great folly, as to pronounce the Artificer of the world beside himself. Yea, they are indeed to be pitied, affirming that he in so extreme madness knew neither his Mother, nor her seed, nor the Pleroma of the Æons, nor the First Father, nor what his own handyworks were: but that they are images of the things which are within the Pleroma, the Saviour having secretly wrought upon him that they should be so made in honour of those who are on high.