Sayings of Desert Fathers 184
I heard that Abba Poemen and many of the fathers uttered this saying: ‘The snake-charmer does not know the force of the words he speaks but the beast hears and knows: it is rendered obedient and subservient.’ That is how it is with us; even if we do not know the force of the words we are saying, yet the demons hear and retreat in fear.
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The House of Vines 
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It means that as much as I prefer Porphyry on other matters, I think that Iamblichos’ take on theourgia is probably the correct position. Specifically his belief that the voces magicae and barbarous names should remain untranslated, for the following reasons:
“It is not the understanding of the meanings of these words that produces their effects, but the utterance of them as sounds, and the connection they establish with divine powers.” (De Mysteriis, Book VII)
Religion is a different matter entirely.
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Interesting.
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