[ Diabolikos ]

 Diabolical . This is Athan. s judgment about the Arians. vid. Decr. § 5 fin. Orat. ii. § 38, 74. iii. § 17. Ep. Æg. § 4-6. de Sent. Dion. 27 fin., where he says, Who then will continue to call these men Christians, whose leader is the devil, and not rather diabolical? and he adds, not only Christ s foes in fight, [ christomachoi ], but diabolical also. Again, though the diabolical men rave, Orat. iii. § 8; friends of the devil, and his spirits. ad Ep. Æg. 5.

 In Orat. iii. § 8, there seems an allusion to false accusation or lying (which is the proper meaning of the word [ diaballon ]), as occurring shortly before. And so in Apol. ad Const. when he calls Magnentius [ diabolos ], it is as being a traitor, 17; and soon after he says that his accuser was [ ton diabolou tropon analabon ], where the word has no article, and [ diabeblemai ] and [ dieblethen ] have preceded; vid. also Hist. Ar. 52 fin. And so in Sent. D. 3, 4, his speaking of the Arians  father the devil, is explained by [ tous pateras diaballonton ] and [ tes eis ton episkopon diaboles ].

 Another reason of his so accounting them, was their atrocious cruelty towards Catholics; this leads him elsewhere to break out, O new heresy, that has put on the whole devil in irreligious doctrine and conduct ! Hist. Arian. § 66; also Alexander, diabolical, ap. Theod. Hist. 1. 3, p. 731; satanical, ibid. p. 741. vid. also Socr. i. 9, p. 30 fin. Hilar. contr. Coust. 17.