Conclusion

Athenagoras' and Tatian's demonologies are similar in many ways. Both stress the importance of the equivalence between demons and pagan gods.5^[454] Tatian does not quote the Psalms,^[455] but his demonology section refers to their role in worship.

By linking mental illness to a non-human cause, Tatian uses a well-known medical tradition regarding sacred sickness, by which he tries to explain pos­session as presented in the Gospels and in other Christian writings of his time. This conclusion is very different from Athenagoras' perspective: both of them observe that demons act on the human mind, but, while in Tatian this is tied to sickness, Athenagoras seems to explain that demons can affect humans at any time, by acting on their mind, and it is only their inclination towards good or evil that enables humans to accept or resist these effects. Demonic interven­tion, according to Athenagoras, does not cause a disease, but can reveal the evil tendency of the person affected by it. His use of Hellenistic philosophy thus allows him to find a rational way of explaining demonic action. The action of demons, which for Tatian can cause a physical attack (or at least something comparable), is for Athenagoras a way in which a person can exercise free will, by choosing between true or false representations.

Even if the ways by which demons work are quite different, there is a very important common point, well attested by the end of the second century: demons can affect humans only if humans themselves allow them to enter by avoiding human rationality and Christian knowledge. These two closely related elements are necessary to give humans the spiritual armour that can protect them, as Erma's Shepard suggested. The battle between good and evil is internal, and each person has the necessary power to defeat evil.^[456]

This idea, well developed by Origen, explains why demons exist after Christ's victory.6² The aim of the apologists, therefore, seems the same for Origen and Clemens: to alleviate the terror demons create among both Christians and pagans.6³