Chapter LXXXV.—He proves that Christ is the Lord of Hosts from Ps. xxiv.,
and from his authority over demons.
“Moreover, some of you venture to expound the prophecy which runs, ‘Lift up your
gates, ye rulers; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, that the King of glory may enter,’516
as if it referred likewise to Hezekiah, and others of you [expound it] of Solomon; but neither
to the latter nor to the former, nor, in short, to any of your kings, can it be proved to have
reference, but to this our Christ alone, who appeared without comeliness, and inglorious,
as Isaiah and David and all the Scriptures said; who is the Lord of hosts, by the will of the
Father who conferred on Him [the dignity]; who also rose from the dead, and ascended to
heaven, as the Psalm and the other Scriptures manifested when they announced Him to be
Lord of hosts; and of this you may, if you will, easily be persuaded by the occurrences which
take place before your eyes. For every demon, when exorcised in the name of this very Son
of God —who is the First-born of every creature, who became man by the Virgin, who
suffered, and was crucified under Pontius Pilate by your nation, who died, who rose from
the dead, and ascended into heaven —is overcome and subdued. But though you exorcise
any demon in the name of any of those who were amongst you—either kings, or righteous
men, or prophets, or patriarchs—it will not be subject to you. But if any of you exorcise it
in [the name of] the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, it will
perhaps be subject to you. Now assuredly your exorcists, I have said,517 make use of craft
when they exorcise, even as the Gentiles do, and employ fumigations and incantations.518
But that they are angels and powers whom the word of prophecy by David [commands] to
lift up the gates, that He who rose from the dead, Jesus Christ, the Lord of hosts, according
to the will of the Father, might enter, the word of David has likewise showed; which I shall
again recall to your attention for the sake of those who were not with us yesterday, for whose
benefit, moreover, I sum up many things I said yesterday. And now, if I say this to you, al-
though I have repeated it many times, I know that it is not absurd so to do. For it is a ridicu-
lous thing to see the sun, and the moon, and the other stars, continually keeping the same
course, and bringing round the different seasons; and to see the computer who may be asked
how many are twice two, because he has frequently said that they are four, not ceasing to
say again that they are four; and equally so other things, which are confidently admitted, to
be continually mentioned and admitted in like manner; yet that he who founds his discourse
on the prophetic Scriptures should leave them and abstain from constantly referring to the
516 Ps. xxiv. 7.
517 Chap. lxxvi.
518 κατάδεσμοι, by some thought to be verses by which evil spirits, once expelled, were kept from returning.
Plato (Rep.) speaks of incantations by which demons were summoned to the help of those who practised such
rites; but Justin refers to them only as being expelled. Others regard them as drugs.
Chapter LXXXV.—He proves that Christ is the Lord of Hosts from Ps. xxiv., and from his authority over demons.
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Chapter LXXXV.—He proves that Christ is the Lord of Hosts from Ps. xxiv.,…