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Lent Day 24: Athanasius: Life of Anthony: Chaps. 31-40

...ptions of demons who try to cause the faithful to stumble and be fooled by their power. You don't often hear much taught on this area of Christian spirituality these days, at least, not in the church circles I've been a part of in the last few years, and not in so much depth as you can read here. But even from my own various experiences with this, I can attest to what Anthony is teaching and explaining here, and it really goes to show the level of deception that demons bring. Athanasius is writing this biography nearly 1700 years or so ago, and yet the demonic trickery explained here is really no different than what I've seen myself in my own short lifetime—...

Lent Day 23: Athanasius: Life of Anthony: Chaps. 21-30

...ptions of demons, Anthony explains how the more Christians press into God and keeping good discipline for living a Christ-like life, the more often demons will throw temptations and evil thoughts our way to try and distract us and cause us to stumble. But with prayer and fasting we can overcome and strengthen our resolve against their attacks, which we'll need since once we defeat the weaker demons by our faith, they will come with stronger powers to try and bring fear through terrible visions and dreams and false prophecies. But through the power of Christ, these demons are displaced “like serpents and scorpions to be trodden underfoot by us Christians”. B...

Lent: Day 12 - Justin Martyr: First Apology, Chaps. 1-11

...e in fact demons deceiving the people, calling themselves by different names to be worshipped. Apparently Socrates was killed by men driven with evil passion from demons for trying “to bring these things to light, and deliver men from the demons” and charged “as an atheist and a profane person” — a charge which was similar to what the Christians were accused of. Here Justin does a nice contrast between the reasoning used by the Greeks in condemning Socrates, and the pure Reason (Jesus) which condemns them all for following demons. The word play is lost in English, but the word for “reason” is logos and so he says that the Greeks used their own rea...

Lent Day 26: Athanasius: Life of Anthony: Chaps. 51-60

...m and the demons fleeing. They “heard tumults, many voices, and, as it were, the clash of arms … and [Anthony] also fighting as though against visible beings” since he wrestled not against ‘flesh and blood’ “but against opposing demons” as Athanasius learned from those who visited him during these times. At other times, demons would make appearances to try and bring fear and to shake his trust in Christ, or they would cause all the hyenas nearby to come and surround Anthony. But, not fearing the Evil One and having his mind set on Christ, he rebuked them and commanded they leave in the name of the Lord if they were sent by demons, which they did...

Lent Day 27: Athanasius: Life of Anthony: Chaps. 61-70

...edom from demons, but he “used to ask that no one should wonder at him for this; but should rather marvel at the Lord for having granted to us men to know Him as far as our powers extended.” Two examples are given of a time when Anthony was asked to visit some monks on a boat, and there was a stench so bad in that place that Anthony said it was unusual and not natural. The people on board just said it was due to the cargo of meat, but as Anthony preached, a boy in the crowd yelled out and Anthony rebuked the demon in him, setting the boy free and with it, the stench left. The other time was of an official who had been possessed so badly that he would not kn...

Lent Day 28: Athanasius: Life of Anthony: Chaps. 71-80

...that even demons feared Anthony”. Another time some more Greek philosophers came to mock Anthony for his lack of learning with regards to reading and writing. So he asked them, “which is first, mind or letters?” to which they obviously replied, “mind”, saying it was “the inventor of letters”. So Anthony said to them that whoever has “a sound mind hath not need of letters” and at this they marvelled at him since he reasoned so well despite his appearance and lack of education from living in the mountains. Philosophers try to mock the Cross At another time, some more Greek philosophers came and tried to mock the beliefs of the Christians for t...