Demons and false accusations

We warn you beforehand to be on your guard, so that the demons we have accused do not deceive you and turn you away from reading and understanding what we say at all. They struggle to keep you as slaves and servants; sometimes through appearances in dreams and sometimes through magical tricks they subdue all who make no effort for their own salvation. In the same way, after being persuaded by the Logos, we turned away from them and follow the one unbegotten God through his Son. We who once delighted in sexual immorality now embrace self-control alone. We who once practiced magic have dedicated ourselves to the good and unbegotten God. We who valued above everything the means of acquiring money and possessions now bring what we have into a common fund and share with everyone in need. We who hated and killed one another and, because of different customs, would not share a hearth with people of another race, now, since the appearance of Christ, live at the same table with them, pray for our enemies, and try to persuade those who hate us unjustly, so that by living according to Christ’s good instructions they may have good hope of receiving the same things as we do from God, the Lord of all. But so that we may not seem to be using sophistry with you, we thought it right, before giving our demonstration, to recall a few of Christ’s own teachings. It is for you, as powerful rulers, to examine whether we have truly been taught these things and teach them. His sayings were brief and concise, for he was no sophist; rather, his word was the power of God.