I think indeed that all the saints, fighting against these spirits that incite to sin, conquering them and overcoming each one of them, diminish the army of the demons and, as it were, kill very many of them. For example, when someone has overcome the spirit of sexual immorality by living chastely and modestly, it is no longer permitted for that spirit, conquered by that saint, to attack another man again; but just as those spirits begged Jesus not to be sent into the abyss — which the Lord granted for the present, for the sake of the present stage of his plan — so it seems consistent that each wicked spirit, when conquered by the saints, is led away either into the abyss or into the outer darkness or into whatever place it deserves, by Christ the just judge, who presides over the contest of mortals in this life. And hence it is that, now that a very great number of demons have been removed, the nations are set free to come to faith; which they would by no means be allowed to do if the legions of demons remained whole as they had been before. But if what we say seems hard to anyone, that many demons are occupied with each sinner, or if he thinks it a made-up story, let him return to the authority of the Gospel, and he will find that the man who lived among the tombs, suffering from a demon, when asked by the Savior, “What is your name?” answered, “Legion; for we are many demons,” he says. Why, then, does it seem strange if individual demons are assigned to individual kinds of sin, when it is written that a whole legion of demons was in one man? I remember that I said something similar in those places where we were expounding the verse of the psalm in which it is written: “In the mornings I killed all the sinners of the land, to destroy from the city of the Lord all who work iniquity.” So too it is said that two-edged swords are in the hands of the righteous, undoubtedly to kill the hostile powers. And I think that a stronger proof of what we have said can be brought from that statement of the apostle Paul, when he says: “And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.” For if Satan is one, how can he be crushed under the feet of the servants of God and then be at work again? For if he has been crushed, and crushed by God, he certainly cannot work any longer. Perhaps, then, we must think that there are as many Satans as there are those who do the works of Satan. For this seems to me to be indicated also in Wisdom, where it is said that “when the ungodly man curses Satan, he curses his own soul.”⁠a And in a short book called the Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs, although it is not held in the canon, we find this idea: individual Satans are to be understood in individual sinners.⁠b The meaning of his name, as people who know Hebrew explain, seems to make the same point more clearly. For Satan means “adversary.” All, then, who oppose the will of God can be called Satan. We have said these things because of what is written: “The Lord strengthened their hearts to come out to battle against Israel, so that they might be exterminated.” Blessed, then, is he who holds the spiritual sword unceasingly and does not withdraw it from the necks of these enemies of whom we spoke above, as the prophet Jeremiah too says: “Cursed is the man who does the works of the Lord negligently and keeps back his sword from the blood of the enemies.” If we understand this according to the letter, we will have to shed blood unceasingly. The Jews, who are wholly flesh and blood, think this and become cruel and implacable, saying that a curse is laid on those who cease from shedding blood; and therefore their feet are swift to shed blood. But let such an understanding seem right to them, since they are flesh and blood; as for me, may the Lord grant that I never neglect the works of the Lord nor withdraw the spiritual sword of the word of God from the blood of the hostile powers, but put them to death in each of my hearers. And they are killed in you only if, having heard these things, you do not do their works.