The False Spirit and Ahab

Did he suddenly become an unannounced messenger, not transforming from one form to another, becoming at once an angel, a witness, and a warlord, entering into the inner parts of men? But it has seemed to many that such a form is unclear; therefore, let us follow the traces of the third of the Kingdoms.

It appears then that the prophet Micah is being questioned by Ahab; but since he was compelled to speak the truth without entreaty, he said he had seen the Lord sitting on a throne, and then also heavenly hosts standing around him, both on the right and in a favorable state; and at the same time as the history of the sight and the voice, he said he had heard someone say: 'Who will deceive Ahab and ascend to Remmon-Gilead and fall there?' (1 Kings 22:21). And then he says (omitting the middle parts to say what is sought): 'A spirit went out and stood before the Lord and said: I will deceive him.'

And as the Lord, having reflected, rebuked, 'In whom?'; he implies again: 'I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' To these things, indeed, the Superior has said: 'You will deceive, and indeed you can; and now behold,' he says, 'go out and do so.' And the prophet, recounting these very things to the king, immediately brings forth: 'God has given a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets, and the Lord has spoken against you evil things.'

Therefore, if it is necessary to understand that it is not good, but that this spirit of lying is evil, it follows to assume that this is a diabolical instrument. And if this is primarily demonstrated to be so, then he had heard beforehand how the defiled Ahab was destined to die while retreating from war; for the lie was worthy of instigating the occurrence of war, so that he might bring about the destruction of the unrighteous shamefully.

Thus through these things it is demonstrated by the works that the devil has learned how evils are brought upon the unrighteous, since he himself is the dramatist of all the enemies. Regarding Saul, whatever he joined to the sayings of Samuel from himself, he not only likely lied, but also blasphemed impiously.

From this point, the first slander is convicted: first, that it is according to imitation, just as the Lord said to the thief who confessed the kingdom of his, 'today you shall be with me' (Luke 23:43) saying 'in paradise,' so too the deceiver said to Saul, having fulfilled his prophecies, 'tomorrow you shall be with me and Jonathan your son.' Second, he intends to show through these things that the righteous differs in nothing from the unrighteous, skillfully cutting away the intentions of the pious.

No one seems to be ignorant that no fellowship coexists with the faithful alongside the unfaithful, or again how the one having indulged in wealth responded far from the lifestyle of Lazarus, even though he did nothing similar to him. But this one never shared anything with the suffering one, not even the slightest thing, neither crumbs nor sweepings falling to the ground, nor did he pity the man with wounds, having not driven him further from the earth with lashes.

But nonetheless, since both changed their destination, the one reached the bosom of the forefather Abraham, and the other was given to the sleepless ones in flames of fire. As he was being tortured in Hades, he saw the forefather from afar, and he also perceives 'Lazarus in his bosom'; being burned by the very flame, he cried out worthily to Abraham to send the poor man to him; for it was necessary that, arriving, Lazarus might dip the tip of his finger in water and cool his tongue, breathing on him a moist moisture; thus, the son suffering in fiery pains, he sent such requests with entreaty. Since the forefather, responding in speech, [each to each in each part...]