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The blessed Paul, a Christ-bearing man, looking to his goal, said: I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of Jesus Christ; therefore, the holy one, aiming at the good, never did evil.

6 Some of the Greeks, therefore, having strayed from the way and not knowing Christ, have declared that wickedness exists in substance and by itself, erring in these two respects: either depriving the Creator of being the maker of all things that exist; for he would not be Lord of existing things, if according to them wickedness has a substance and essence of its own; or again, wishing him to be the maker of all things, they will of necessity grant him to be the maker of evil also; for according to them evil is also among the things that exist. But this would appear absurd and impossible; for evil is not from the good, nor is it in it, nor through it; since it would no longer be good if its nature were mixed, or if it became a cause of evil. And those from the heresies, having fallen away from the teaching of the church and having been shipwrecked concerning the faith, these also madly assert that evil has a substance; and they invent for themselves, besides the true Father of Christ, another god, and this one unbegotten, the maker of evil and the originator of wickedness, who is also the creator of creation. But one might easily refute them both from the scriptures and from human reason itself, from which they, having invented these things, are mad. Therefore, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ says in his own gospels, confirming the words of Moses, that the Lord God is one; and, I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. But if God is one, and he is Lord of heaven and earth, how could there be another god besides this one? And where will their supposed god be, since the one and true God fills all things within the compass of heaven and earth? And how could there be another maker of those things of which God the Father of Christ is himself Lord, according to the Savior's voice? Unless, perhaps, they should say that the evil one is able to become lord of the things of the good God, as in an equal balance. But if they say this, see into how great an impiety they fall; for among those who have equal power, the superior and stronger would not be found. For if one exists against the will of the other, the power and weakness of both are equal; equal, because they overcome each other's will in existing; but it is a weakness of both that things turn out contrary to their will, against their desire; for the good exists against the mind of the evil, and the evil exists against the will of the good.

7 Besides; for one might also say this to them: if the visible things are works of the evil one, what is the work of the good one? For nothing appears except the creation of the creator alone. And what is the sign of the good one's existence, there being no works of his through which he might be known? For the creator is known from his works. And how could there be two opposites to each other at all, or what is it that divides them, so that they may be separate from each other? For it is impossible for them to exist together, because they are destructive of each other. Nor could one be in the other, because of the unmixable and dissimilar nature of them. Therefore, that which divides them will appear to be a third, and this a God. But of what nature would this third be? Whether of the good, or of the evil? It will appear uncertain. For it is impossible for it to be of both. Since, therefore, such a thought of theirs is shown to be unsound, it is necessary for the truth of the church's knowledge to shine through: that evil is not from God, nor in God, nor has it existed from the beginning, nor is it any substance of its own. But men, by a deprivation of the imagination of the good, began to conceive for themselves and to invent things that are not, and whatever they wish. For just as someone, when the sun is shining and all the earth is illuminated by its light, by shutting his eyes, might imagine darkness for himself when there is no darkness, and then walk about wandering as if in darkness, often falling and going over cliffs, thinking not

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χριστοφόρος ἀνὴρ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος ἀποβλέπων ἔλεγε· Κατὰ σκοπὸν διώκω, εἰς τὸ βραβεῖον τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ· σκοπῶν γοῦν τὸ καλὸν ὁ ἅγιος, οὐδέποτε τὸ κακὸν ἐποίει.

6 Ἑλλήνων μὲν οὖν τινες, πλανηθέντες τῆς ὁδοῦ, καὶ τὸν Χριστὸν οὐκ ἐγνωκότες, ἐν ὑποστάσει καὶ καθ' ἑαυτὴν εἶναι τὴν κακίαν ἀπεφήναντο, ἁμαρτάνοντες κατὰ δύο ταῦτα· ἢ τὸν ∆ημιουργὸν ἀποστεροῦντες τοῦ εἶναι ποιητὴν τῶν ὄντων· οὐκ ἂν γὰρ εἴη τῶν ὄντων Κύριος, εἴ γε κατ' αὐτοὺς ἡ κακία ὑπόστασιν ἔχει καθ' ἑαυτὴν καὶ οὐσίαν· ἢ πάλιν, θέλοντες αὐτὸν ποιητὴν εἶναι τῶν ὅλων, ἐξ ἀνάγκης καὶ τοῦ κακοῦ δώσουσιν εἶναι· ἐν γὰρ τοῖς οὖσι καὶ τὸ κακὸν κατ' αὐτούς ἐστι. τοῦτο δὲ ἄτοπον καὶ ἀδύνατον ἂν φανείη· οὐ γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ καλοῦ τὸ κακόν, οὐδὲ ἐν αὐτῷ ἐστιν, οὐδὲ δι' αὐτοῦ· ἐπεὶ οὐκέτι καλὸν ἂν εἴη μεμιγμένην ἔχον τὴν φύσιν, ἢ αἴτιον γινόμενον κακοῦ. Οἱ δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν αἱρέσεων, ἐκπεσόντες τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς διδα σκαλίας, καὶ περὶ τὴν πίστιν ναυαγήσαντες, καὶ οὗτοι μὲν ὑπόστασιν τοῦ κακοῦ παραφρονοῦσιν εἶναι· ἀναπλάττονται δὲ ἑαυτοῖς παρὰ τὸν ἀληθινὸν τοῦ Χριστοῦ Πατέρα θεὸν ἕτερον, καὶ τοῦτον ἀγέννητον τοῦ κακοῦ ποιητὴν καὶ τῆς κακίας ἀρχηγόν, τὸν καὶ τῆς κτίσεως δημιουργόν. τούτους δὲ εὐχερῶς ἄν τις ἐλέγξειεν ἔκ τε τῶν γραφῶν καὶ ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς ἐν ἀνθρώποις διανοίας, ἀφ' ἧς καὶ ταῦτα ἀναπλα σάμενοι μαίνονται. ὁ μὲν οὖν Κύριος καὶ Σωτὴρ ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ἐν τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ εὐαγγελίοις φησὶ βεβαιῶν τὰ Μωϋσέως ῥήματα, ὅτι Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς εἷς ἐστι· καί, Ἐξομολογοῦμαί σοι, Πάτερ, Κύριε τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς. εἰ δὲ εἷς ἐστιν ὁ Θεός, καὶ οὗτος οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς Κύριος, πῶς ἄλλος ἂν εἴη θεὸς παρὰ τοῦτον; ποῦ δὲ καὶ ἔσται ὁ κατ' αὐτοὺς θεός, τὰ πάντα τοῦ μόνου καὶ ἀληθινοῦ Θεοῦ πληροῦντος κατὰ τὴν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς περίληψιν; πῶς δὲ καὶ ἄλλος ἂν εἴη ποιητής, ὧν αὐτὸς ὁ Θεὸς καὶ Πατὴρ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐστι Κύριος κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος φωνήν; εἰ μὴ ἄρα, ὡς ἐν ἰσοστασίῳ, καὶ τῶν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν φαῦλον δύνασθαι γενέσθαι κύριον εἴποιεν. ἀλλ' ἐὰν τοῦτο λέγωσιν, ὅρα εἰς ὅσην ἀσέβειαν ἐκπίπτουσιν· ἐν γὰρ τοῖς τὰ ἴσα δυναμένοις τὸ ὑπερέχον καὶ κρεῖττον οὐκ ἂν εὑρεθείη. καὶ γὰρ εἰ μὴ θέλοντος τοῦ ἑτέρου, τὸ ἕτερον ἔστιν· ἴση ἀμφοτέρων ἡ δύναμις καὶ ἡ ἀσθένειά ἐστιν· ἴση μέν, ὅτι νικῶσιν ἀλλήλων τὴν βούλησιν ἐν τῷ εἶναι· ἀσθένεια δὲ ἀμφοτέρων ἐστίν, ὅτι μὴ βουλομένοις αὐτοῖς παρὰ γνώμην ἀποβαίνει τὰ πράγματα· ἔστι γὰρ καὶ ὁ ἀγαθὸς παρὰ γνώμην τοῦ φαύλου, ἔστι καὶ ὁ φαῦλος παρὰ βούλησιν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ.

7 Ἄλλως τε· καὶ τοῦτο γὰρ ἄν τις αὐτοῖς εἴποι· εἰ τὰ φαινόμενα ἔργα τοῦ φαύλου ἐστί, τί τὸ ἔργον τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ; φαίνεται γὰρ οὐδὲν πλὴν μόνης τῆς τοῦ δημιουργοῦ κτίσεως. τί δὲ καὶ τοῦ εἶναι τὸν ἀγαθὸν γνώρισμα, οὐκ ὄντων αὐτοῦ ἔργων δι' ὧν ἂν γνωσθείη; ἐκ γὰρ τῶν ἔργων ὁ δημιουργὸς γινώσκεται. πῶς δὲ ὅλως καὶ δύο ἂν εἴη ἐναντία ἀλλήλων, ἢ τί τὸ διαιροῦν ἐστι ταῦτα, ἵνα χωρὶς ἀλλήλων γένωνται; εἶναι γὰρ αὐτὰ ἅμα ἀδύνατον, διὰ τὸ ἀναιρετικὰ ἀλλήλων εἶναι. ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἕτερον ἐν ἑτέρῳ δυνηθείη ἂν εἶναι διὰ τὸ ἄμικτον καὶ ἀνόμοιον αὐτῶν τῆς φύσεως. οὐκοῦν ἐκ τρίτου τὸ διαιροῦν φανήσε ται, καὶ αὐτὸ Θεός. ἀλλὰ ποίας ἂν εἴη καὶ τὸ τρίτον φύσεως; πότερον τῆς τοῦ καλοῦ, ἢ τοῦ φαύλου; ἄδηλον φανήσεται. τῆς γὰρ ἀμφοτέρων εἶναι αὐτό, ἀδύνατον. Σαθρᾶς δὴ τοίνυν τῆς τοιαύτης αὐτῶν διανοίας φαινομένης, ἀνάγκη τὴν ἀλήθειαν διαλάμπειν τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς γνώσεως· ὅτι τὸ κακὸν οὐ παρὰ Θεοῦ οὐδὲ ἐν Θεῷ οὔτε ἐξ ἀρχῆς γέγονεν, οὔτε οὐσία τίς ἐστιν αὐτοῦ. ἀλλὰ ἄνθρωποι κατὰ στέρησιν τῆς τοῦ καλοῦ φαντασίας ἑαυτοῖς ἐπινοεῖν ἤρξαντο καὶ ἀναπλάττειν τὰ οὐκ ὄντα, καὶ ἅπερ βούλονται. ὡς γὰρ ἄν τις ἡλίου φαίνοντος, καὶ πάσης τῆς γῆς τῷ φωτὶ τούτου καταλαμπομένης, καμμύων τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς, σκότος ἑαυτῷ ἐπινοῇ οὐκ ὄντος σκότους, καὶ λοιπὸν ὡς ἐν σκότει πλανώ μενος περιπατῇ, πολλάκις πίπτων καὶ κατὰ κρημνῶν ὑπάγων, νομίζων οὐκ