that is light, shall I say darkness? Rather, therefore, as I said, that which has not yet been illuminated of the air must be called darkness. 11. But if one were to investigate the nature of light by logical methods, darkness will not be the opposite of light, but rather darkness is a privation. And light will be shown to be a corporeal and subsisting substance through the reflection that comes from it; for reflections belong only to bodies. For that which is refracted makes an angle, and an angle is a magnitude, and magnitude is demonstrated in a line, a surface, and a body. But light is neither a line nor a surface; for each of these is unable to pass through every solid body. For in a line there is one dimension, describing a length without breadth. And a surface has two dimensions, considered in length and breadth. How then could these pass through a solid body, when light always does this and instantaneously, without any extension of time, mixing itself by a certain swift impulse throughout the whole with the subtle and most rarefied nature of the air? It remains, therefore, that light is three-dimensional, which is a property of bodies. Moses testifies that light is a body. For he enumerated it in the creation of bodies, recording after the establishment of heaven and earth the first voice of God, 'Let there be light.' 12. But if Scripture is accustomed to call God light, do not imagine from this that light is incorporeal, since the divine is incorporeal. For God is named by the brighter and most beautiful things among us, not being these, | but having transcended their substance much and immeasurably, as great as is the difference of the maker from that which is made. Therefore, the divine Scripture is accustomed to name God light according to a very faint example. For since God, being the cause of all knowledge, gives himself to intellectual beings for comprehension, both supplying understanding and, through his own grace and provision, being known to them as far as possible, so also perceptible light, being the cause of seeing, coming to the eyes, it itself first falls under sight, from this the divinely-inspired teaching in an example named God light, describing for those bound in the thickness of the body, through perceptible examples, him who is beyond sense and thought. 13. And let this much be said concerning darkness and light, lest as the argument proceeds indefinitely the investigation of what follows escapes us. For they say that the good and the evil exist uncreated, contrary to one another and in no way able to come together; to whom it is possible to say: You err, not knowing how to distinguish the nature of things; for the contrariety of qualities is known in created things, not in uncreated things. For in created things, as having received their generation from non-being, it is possible to see a difference of generation; for the generation of things that have come to be is not one, whence it is likely that contrariety will be found in the differences, naturally concerning the mixture and surface of the body, and by choice concerning the activities of the soul, which we are accustomed to call virtue and vice. But what difference could one ever find of uncreatedness, so as to assign contrariety to uncreated things? If, therefore, matter is uncreated according to you, who dare to say anything, and God is uncreated, both happen to be good; for I would never be so mad as to affirm, according to you, contrariety to uncreated things. 14. But in order that I may also refute you from your own admitted nonsense, how is the worse, which you say is matter, subjected to the better, who is God even according to you, if they are equally uncreated and original principles? And how could matter be evil by nature, if it receives the

ὄντος φωτὸς εἴπω τὸ σκότος; Μᾶλλον οὖν, ὡς εἶπον, τὸ μήπω πεφωτι- σμένον τοῦ ἀέρος σκότος ὀνομαστέον. 11. Εἰ δέ τις καὶ λογικαῖς μεθόδοις τὴν τοῦ φωτὸς ἐξερευνήσειε φύσιν, οὐκ ἐναντίον ἔσται τὸ σκότος πρὸς τὸ φῶς, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον στέρησις τὸ σκότος. Τὸ δὲ φῶς οὐσία σωματικὴ καὶ ὑφεστῶσα δειχθήσεται διὰ τῆς ἐξ αὐτοῦ γινομένης ἀντανακλάσεως· αἱ γὰρ ἀντανακλάσεις μόνων σω- μάτων ὑπάρχουσιν. Τὸ γὰρ κλώμενον γωνίαν ποιεῖ, γωνία δὲ μέγεθος, τὸ δὲ μέγεθος ἐν γραμμῇ τε καὶ ἐπιφανείᾳ καὶ σώματι δείκνυται. Ἀλλὰ τὸ φῶς οὐκ ἔστι γραμμὴ οὔτε μὴν ἐπιφάνεια· ἑκάτερον γὰρ τούτων διὰ παντὸς τοῦ στερεοῦ σώματος φοιτᾶν ἀδυνατεῖ. Μία γὰρ ἐν γραμμῇ τυγχάνει διάστασις μῆκος ἀπλατὲς διαγράφουσα. Ἡ δὲ ἐπιφάνεια δύο ἔχει τὰς διαστάσεις ἐν μήκει καὶ πλάτει θεωρουμένας. Πῶς οὖν αὗται διὰ στερεοῦ σώματος διαφοιτήσειαν, τοῦ φωτὸς ἀεὶ τοῦτο ποιοῦντος καὶ ἀκαριαίως, ἄνευ χρονικῆς παρατάσεως, ὀξείᾳ τινὶ ῥοπῇ ἀνακιρναμένου δι' ὅλου τῇ τοῦ ἀέρος λεπτῇ τε καὶ ἀραιοτάτῃ φύσει; Λείπεται τοίνυν τριχῇ διαστατὸν εἶναι τὸ φῶς, ὅπερ ἴδιον σωμάτων ὑπάρχει. Μωϋσῆς μαρτυρεῖ ὅτι σῶμα τὸ φῶς. Ἐν γὰρ τῇ τῶν σωμάτων ἐξηρίθμησε δημιουργίᾳ, μετὰ τὴν οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς σύστασιν πρώτην φωνὴν θεοῦ τὸ Γενηθήτω φῶς ἀναγραψάμενος. 12. Εἰ δὲ τὸν θεὸν φῶς καλεῖν εἴωθεν ἡ γραφή, μὴ παρὰ τοῦτο φαντάζου ἀσώματον εἶναι τὸ φῶς, ἐπειδὴ τὸ θεῖον ἀσώμα- τον. Τοῖς γὰρ παρ' ἡμῖν φαιδροτέροις τε καὶ καλλίστοις ὁ θεὸς ὀνομάζεται, οὐ ταῦτα τυγχάνων, | ἀλλὰ πολύ τε καὶ ἀμέτρως τούτων ὑπεραναβεβηκὼς τὴν οὐσίαν, ὅση τοῦ ποιοῦντος πρὸς τὸ γινόμενον ὑπάρχει διαφορά. Κατὰ παράδειγμα τοίνυν ἀμυδρότα- τον τὸν θεὸν εἴωθε φῶς ὀνομάζειν ἡ θεία γραφή. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ θεός, πάσης γνώσεως αἴτιος ὤν, ταῖς νοεραῖς οὐσίαις αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν δίδωσι πρὸς κατανόησιν, χορηγῶν τε τὸ νοεῖν καὶ διὰ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ χάριτός τε καὶ χορηγίας, ὡς οἷόν τε, ταύταις ἐπιγινωσκό- μενος, οὕτω δὴ καὶ τὸ αἰσθητὸν φῶς αἴτιον τοῦ ὁρᾶν ἐπιγινόμενον τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτὸ πρῶτον ὑποπίπτει τῇ θέᾳ, ἐντεῦθεν ἡ θεόπνευστος διδασκαλία ἐν παραδείγματι φῶς τὸν θεὸν ἐπωνό- μασε, τοῖς τῷ παχεῖ τοῦ σώματος ἐνδεδεμένοις διὰ τῶν αἰσθητῶν παραδειγμάτων τὸν ὑπὲρ αἴσθησιν καὶ διανόησιν ὑπογράφουσα. 13. Καὶ περὶ μὲν σκότους καὶ φωτὸς ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον εἰρήσθω, μήπως εἰς ἄπειρον τοῦ λόγου διεξιόντος τῶν ἐφεξῆς ἡ ζήτησις ἡμᾶς διαλάθῃ. Φασὶ γὰρ τὸ ἀγαθόν τε καὶ κακὸν ἀγενήτως ὑπάρχειν, ἀλλήλοις ἐναντία καὶ οὐδαμῶς συμβῆναι δυνάμενα· πρὸς οὕς ἐστιν εἰπεῖν· Πλανᾶσθε, μὴ διακρίνειν εἰδότες τῶν πραγμάτων τὴν φύσιν· ἡ γὰρ τῶν ποιοτήτων ἐναντιότης ἐν τοῖς γενητοῖς, οὐκ ἐν τοῖς ἀγενήτοις γνωρίζεται. Ἐν μὲν γὰρ τοῖς γενητοῖς ὡς ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων εἰληφόσι τὴν γένεσιν διαφορὰν γενέ- σεώς ἐστιν ἰδεῖν· οὐ γὰρ μία τῶν γεγονότων ἐστὶν ἡ γένεσις, ὅθεν εἰκότως ἐν ταῖς διαφοραῖς ἐναντιότης εὑρεθήσεται, φυσικῶς μὲν περὶ τὴν τοῦ σώματος κρᾶσίν τε καὶ ἐπιφάνειαν, αὐθαιρέτως δὲ περὶ τὰς τῆς ψυχῆς ἐνεργείας, ἃς ἀρετήν τε καὶ κακίαν ὀνομάζειν εἰώθαμεν. Ἀγενησίας δὲ ποίαν τις διαφορὰν εὕροι ποτέ, ὥστε καὶ ἐναντιότητα διδόναι τοῖς ἀγενήτοις; Εἰ οὖν ἡ ὕλη ἀγένητος καθ' ὑμᾶς, ὡς πάντα τολμῶντας εἰπεῖν, ἀγένητος δὲ καὶ ὁ θεός, ἄμφω ἀγαθοὶ τυγχάνουσιν· οὐ γὰρ ἂν μανείην καθ' ὑμᾶς ἐναντιότητα τοῖς ἀγενήτοις ἐπιφημίσαι ποτέ. 14. Ἵνα δὲ καὶ ἐκ τῶν ὡμολογημένων ὑμῖν φληνάφων ὑμᾶς ἀπελέγξω, πῶς τὸ χεῖρον, ἣν ὕλην εἶναί φατε, ὑποτάττεται τῷ βελτίονι, ὅς ἐστι θεὸς καὶ καθ' ὑμᾶς, εἴπερ ἐπ' ἴσης εἰσὶν ἀγένητα καὶ ἀρχηγετικά; Πῶς δ' ἂν εἴη φύσει κακὸν ἡ ὕλη, εἰ δέχεται τὸ