"besought Him that He would depart from their coasts" (Matt.
8:31-34). Therefore it seems unfitting that He should have worked
such like miracles.

_On the contrary,_ this was foretold (Zech. 13:2), where it is
written: "I will take away . . . the unclean spirit out of the earth."

_I answer that,_ The miracles worked by Christ were arguments for the
faith which He taught. Now, by the power of His Godhead He was to
rescue those who would believe in Him, from the power of the demons;
according to John 12:31: "Now shall the prince of this world be cast
out." Consequently it was fitting that, among other miracles, He
should also deliver those who were obsessed by demons.

Reply Obj. 1: Just as men were to be delivered by Christ from the
power of the demons, so by Him were they to be brought to the
companionship of the angels, according to Col. 1:20: "Making peace
through the blood of His cross, both as to the things on earth and
the things that are in heaven." Therefore it was not fitting to show
forth to men other miracles as regards the angels, except by angels
appearing to men: as happened in His Nativity, His Resurrection, and
His Ascension.

Reply Obj. 2: As Augustine says (De Civ. Dei ix): "Christ was known
to the demons just as much as He willed; and He willed just as far as
there was need. But He was known to them, not as to the holy angels,
by that which is eternal life, but by certain temporal effects of His
power." First, when they saw that Christ was hungry after fasting
they deemed Him not to be the Son of God. Hence, on Luke 4:3, "If
Thou be the Son of God," etc., Ambrose says: "What means this way of
addressing Him? save that, though He knew that the Son of God was to
come, yet he did not think that He had come in the weakness of the
flesh?" But afterwards, when he saw Him work miracles, he had a sort
of conjectural suspicion that He was the Son of God. Hence on Mk.
1:24, "I know who Thou art, the Holy one of God," Chrysostom [*Victor
of Antioch. Cf. Catena Aurea] says that "he had no certain or firm
knowledge of God's coming." Yet he knew that He was "the Christ
promised in the Law," wherefore it is said (Luke 4:41) that "they
knew that He was Christ." But it was rather from suspicion than from
certainty that they confessed Him to be the Son of God. Hence Bede
says on Luke 4:41: "The demons confess the Son of God, and, as stated
farther on, 'they knew that He was Christ.' For when the devil saw
Him w