Rulers And Devils

Ἐγὼ ἐπὶ σὲ, Φαραὼ, βασιλεῦ Αἰγύπτου. Ὁ μεν Φὰραὼ ἧν μὲν ἀληθὴς ἄνθρωπος βασιλεὺς ταύτης τῆς Αἰγύπτου, τῆς παρὰ τὸν Νεῖλον ποταμόν· ὁ καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ τότε θλίβων, καὶ τὰ βρέφη αὐτῶν πνίγων· ἐπεῖχε δὲ λόγον τοῦ διαβόλου· καὶ ἔκαστος δὲ βασιλεὺς ἱστορούμενος ὅμοιος τούτῳ, τινὸς διαβολικῆς καὶ ἀποστατικῆς δυνάμεως ἐπέχει λόγον. Καὶ τοῦτο δηλοῖ τὸ, Ἰδου ἐγὼ ἐπὶ σὲ τὸν δράκοντα τὸν μέγαν, τὸν ἐγκαθήμενον ἐν μέσῳ τῷ ποταμῷ Αἰγύπτου, καὶ τὰ ἐξῆς. Ταῦτα δὲ οὐκ ἔχει λόγον αἰσθητῶς ἐπ' ἀνθρώπου λέγεσθαι. Ὠριγένης, Ἐκλογαι Εἰς Τον Ἰεζεκιηλ, Κεφ ΚΘ' Source: Migne PG 13.821d

'Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt.' 1 Certainly Pharaoh was a man of that Egypt which is beside the river Nile, a king who afflicted the sons of Israel and murdered their children, but he is yet a type of the devil, as is any ruler who is similar to him, who is a type of the diabolical and rebellious power. And so he declares: 'Behold I am against you, great dragon, who sits in the midst of the river of Egypt.' 1 and what follows. For there is no reason that these things speak of some particular man. Origen, On Ezekiel, Fragment 1 Ezek 29.3