Deuteronomy 18:11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Palladius. You are correct, for the Divine Scripture instructs us to detest such abominations. It is written: ‘When thou shalt enter into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, then thou shalt not learn to do the abominations which these nations have done: thou shalt not have with thee him that leadeth his son or his daughter through the fire, a soothsayer, a fortune-teller, a sorcerer, a charmer, or one that conjures spirits, nor a questioner of the dead: for every one that doeth these things is abominable before the Lord’ (Deuteronomy 18:9-12). Just after that, it states, ‘Be blameless before the Lord your God; for these nations whom you cast out listen to fortune-tellers and soothsayers, but to you, the Lord your God has not given you that. A prophet shall the Lord thy God raise up unto thee from among thee, from among thy brethren, as I am’ (Deuteronomy 18:13-16).

Cyril. Well said, my friend. Therefore, we shall not heed the interpreters of omens or the questioners of the dead, nor shall we regard the flight patterns of birds—whether they move to the right or left, or west or east—as significant, for this ignorance stems from profound folly. Instead, we acknowledge Christ as our leader, who was made like us for our sake, and from Him, we will receive knowledge of what is necessary, remaining in His presence without separation and entirely rejecting the deceptions of demons. For it naturally belongs to God to create and revitalize everything, and likewise, to possess all knowledge. His essence uniquely encompasses the understanding of the future and the fullness of all knowledge. Do you not find that what I have said is both wise and true?

Palladius. Indeed, I do.

Cyril. Therefore, it would be a sin against Him and a misrepresentation of His supreme glory to believe that vile and impure spirits are integral to what He embodies and embellishes. Those who harbor such foolish notions may erroneously assume that Satan has the power to create, if we attribute to him the most excellent attributes inherent to the nature of God, particularly the ability to foresee. Do you not agree?

Palladius. Absolutely. For Isaiah’s voice declares to those who ascribe divine qualities to creatures, ‘Remember this, and show yourselves men; take this, ye apostates, to heart; remember the things of old, from the beginning of the world; for I am God, and there is no other; there is none like Me. I declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure’ (Isaiah 46:8-10). This serves as a clear indication that no other being is a true and natural God besides Him, for He can declare the outcome before it actually occurs.

Cyril. Well put, Palladius. However, I wish for us to reflect anew: if we truly belong to those who desire to live righteously and in accordance with the Gospel, how can we follow the allure of false prophecies? If we give credence to their words as if they held any truth, will we not ultimately dismiss the words of our Savior as false? For He addressed the arrogant Jews, saying, ‘Your father is the devil, and you wish to fulfill the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own; for he is a liar, and the father of lies’ (John 8:44). How can a liar ever speak the truth? And how can someone who does not abide in the truth ever refrain from speaking error? It is clear, then, Palladius, that by attributing truth to the words of demons, we are accusing Christ of falsehood and asserting that Truth itself speaks lies.

Palladius. That is indeed a profound observation.

Cyril. Additionally, I would emphasize that Christ instructs us not to accept the utterances of unclean spirits, even if they attempt to convey an inconvenient truth.

Palladius. How can this be justified?

Cyril. Have you not heard the holy Evangelists recounting how the demons approached Christ, exclaiming loudly, ‘Leave us alone! What do you have to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? You have come to destroy us! I know who you are, the Holy One of God’ (Mark 1:24)? It is noted that He ‘forbade them to say that they knew He was the Christ’ (Luke 4:41). One may rightfully question: why did Christ prohibit them, even when they proclaimed truth? The answer lies in our understanding; we learn that we should not cling to their words, even if they attempt to declare the truth. For by intertwining falsehood with truth, they mislead their listeners, much in the way that a person might mix honey with bitter substances to mask the bitterness while retaining the poison.

Palladius. It is, without a doubt, perilous to heed the deceits of soothsayers.

Cyril. And shall we not also regard it with abhorrence when people seek purification through fire, water, or other such means?

Palladius. Certainly. The Divine Scripture explicitly states, ‘He that leadeth his son or his daughter through the fire shall not be with thee’ (Deuteronomy 18:10).

Cyril. How wonderful it is that the law has made this proclamation, forbidding such acts! It seems evident that this practice is rooted in absurdity and lacks rational foundation. How can fire serve any beneficial purpose for us? Or how can torchlight lift a sinner from his sin? The impurity of metals may be eradicated by fire, but how can it cleanse the impurity of the intellect and soul? This reasoning is plainly ludicrous and seems to stem from fanciful tales.

Palladius. Indeed.

Cyril. I would gladly address those who invented these disgraceful rituals among the Hellenes, asking them: what are you trying to accomplish, you noble and wise men, as you inflict torment upon Titius, whom you believe to have come from the earth, by placing vultures upon him to peck at his liver because he was led astray by a woman’s beauty? Why do you claim that Tantalus is punished by a stone, spinning tales that he endures this for the indulgences of his tongue? Why do you bind Ixion to a wheel that churns endlessly, asserting that he suffers this for the deceit that offends your gods? Meanwhile, you liberate yourselves and others with the most despicable crimes from justice through fire and laurel or olive branches, proclaiming absolution from guilt even to those who have committed the gravest offenses. Why do you impose endless torment on Titius for the absence of fire? According to your legends, Prometheus, whom you celebrate as the giver of fire to humanity, though he is a myth, is portrayed as bound with unbreakable chains, suffering along with Titius, assaulted by the very same vultures.

Palladius. Today we have accurately discerned the foolishness of these claims.

Cyril. Indeed, it must be noted that purification by fire should be considered, not just for them, but also for those consumed by lust toward your daughters or wives, committing acts they ought not. Shouldn’t they also be forgiven by fire and released from the judge’s sentence? Yet for others, the courts swiftly apply legal actions, and the law, which abhors sin, is invoked against those who perpetuate the most disgraceful lives. How do you, in such foolishness, consider yourself free from all taint when you indulge in entertainment devoid of substance and morality, selecting as your role models those who have shed their dignity and adopted the mannerisms of the opposite sex? How then can one be purified from such corruption? Your actions liken to someone attempting to mask their foulness with fragrant oils, believing they have done something commendable while harboring repugnance.

Palladius. Well articulated; I concur with your assertions.

Cyril. I shall refrain from discussing the madness of their purification today, yet it is evident idolaters live the most irrational and ignorant lives, failing to understand true purification and the essence of defilement. Acts such as adultery and even more egregious acts—sodomy, murder, malice, false accusations, deceit, and perjury—are the true impurities that corrupt the soul and body and cannot be washed away. Fire or water will not cleanse them. They neglect to realize that these vices pollute the soul while fearing contamination from lifeless corpses, dishonoring natural laws. Comically, they avoid food, considering it unreasonable to engage with it, and rush to perform rituals of purification when coming into contact, mistakenly believing that mere avoidance will render them holy. They are so consumed by this misguided belief that one could rightly say, ‘Woe unto you, hypocrites, for you strain at a gnat and swallow a camel’ (Matthew 23:23-24). Focusing on trivial concerns while ignoring the true causes of defilement, they react excessively to things posing no actual threat, that if one ventured into a grave and touched a dead body, they would shave their head and cleanse themselves, fearing contamination they do not comprehend. Even then, their whispers and incantations represent a form of sorcery.

In this context, the divine Moses conveyed to us the higher laws, continuously contrasting these fallacies and categorizing incantation alongside poisoning, declaring, ‘Let there be no soothsayer, diviner, fortune-teller, sorcerer, enchanter, charmer, invoker of spirits, sorcerer, or questioner of the dead among you’ (Deuteronomy 18:10-11). Although spells are indeed vile and wicked, some out of ignorance choose to honor them, believing those who practice them, invoking the name of the Lord of hosts while casting spells on the sick, somehow redeem these actions. This fallacy leads them deeper into darkness of mind, as it is a grave error. When we utter the name ‘Lord of hosts,’ we are calling upon the one true God, intending to honor Him, yet they frivolously allocate this sacred name to their absurd entertainments and those claiming to perform miracles, misappropriating glory due to the one true God. The legion of demons forever stands in opposition to God and seeks to deceive. Thus, we should not let their treacherous words sway us but strive to distance ourselves from their lies and refrain from the entreaties of malignant forces masquerading as miraculous healers who demand compensation for their nonsensical assertions.

If you find yourself unwell, genuinely hold these sacred names, which the Divine Scripture attributes to God, and pray for yourself. In doing so, you shall find healing and give glory to God rather than to unclean spirits. Let us recall what the Divine Scripture assures: ‘If any of you are sick, let him call for the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord shall restore him; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven’ (James 5:14-15).

Palladius. Thus, divination through birds and incantations must be condemned along with other practices rejected by God as shameful and abominable.