make friends with one another again, and I supplied them with food. And then I told the old man after three days to bring his son again to me here; " and," said I, "I will. attend to him." And they saluted me, and went their way.
113. And when they were gone I ordered Omias to be brought forward, and said to him: " Tell me how you know this; " and he answered: " We demons ascend into the firmament of heaven, and fly about among the stars. And we hear the sentences which go forth upon the souls of men, and forthwith we come, and whether by force of influence *, or by fire, or by sword, or by some accident, we veil our act of destruction; and if a man does not die by some untimely disaster or by violence, then we demons transform ourselves in such a way as to appear to men and be worshipped in our human nature."
114. I therefore, having heard this, glorified the Lord God, and again I questioned the demon, saying: " Tell me how ye can ascend into heaven, being demons, and amidst the stars and holy angels intermingle." And he answered: "Just as things are fulfilled in heaven, so also on earth (are fulfilled) the types * of all of them. For there are principalities, authorities, world -rulers', and we demons fly about in the air; and we hear the voices of the heavenly beings, and survey all the powers. And as having no ground (basis) on which to alight and rest, we lose strength and fall off like leaves from trees. And men seeing us imagine that the stars are falling from heaven. But it is not really so, king; but we fall because of our weakness, and because we have nowhere anything to lay hold of; and so we fall down like lightnings* in the depth of night and suddenly. And we set cities in flames and fire the fields. For the stars have firm foundations in the heaven, like the sun and the moon."
115. And I Solomon, having heard this, ordered the demon to be guarded for five days. And after the five days I recalled the old man, and was about to question him. But he came to me in grief and with black face. And I said to him: " Tell me, old man, where is thy son? And what means this garb? " And he answered: " Lo, I am become childless, and sit by my son's grave in despair. For it is already two days that he is dead." But I Solomon, on hearing that, and knowing that the demon Omias had told me the truth, glorified the God of Israel.
116. And the queen of the south saw all this, and marvelled,
' Ivvamdq. ' Cp. Heb. viii. 5.
' Cp. Eom. viii. 38.
- Luke X. 18: "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven." Jude 13 aOTipet nav^Tai ofs o fo<foj tov <7k6tovs (h rdv alufa TeT^pt]Ttu.
