Deliver Us From the Evil One

In these three texts, the bishops – known together as the Cappadocians – refer to the devil with equal brevity but to different ends. In the first instance, the devil threatens the unity of the church. In the second, he proves the Spirit’s power, and in the third, his wily ways prompt an utterance of grief. These references to the devil were not taken from sermons directly concerned with demonology or spiritual warfare, but occur in writings on matters seemingly unrelated to the devil: choosing a bishop, the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, and equitable taxation.