will be separated. For there is one place for the heavy, and another for the intermediate, and for the light, for to the one belongs the above, to another the below, and to another the middle. And of everything spherical, the below is the middle, for from it to every elevated point up to the upper surface, the distance is equal on all sides; and again all heavy things are borne from all directions towards it; wherefore laughter came upon me when I heard that matter, moving disorderly—for this is its nature—arrived in the region of God, which is light and brightness and all such things. But if the one is body and the other is bodiless, first, only that which is body is movable; then, if they are unmixed, each is separate according to its own nature, but if one is mixed with the other, it would be either soul or mind or an accident; for only in this way can bodiless things be present to be mixed with bodies.

9 But how was it borne into the region of God, or from what cause? For according to its nature is the below and darkness, as they say, but contrary to its nature is the above and the light; so that its motion was then contrary to nature, and it suffered something of this sort, as if someone were to throw a stone or a clod of earth upward; wherefore such things, having been lightened for a little while by the force of the one who threw them, having become elevated are brought down to the same place. Who, then, lightened matter into the place above? For through itself and from itself it would not move with this motion, being <contrary to nature> for it; but it must endure force, in order to be lifted up to the place above, just like the stone and the clod. But they leave nothing else with it, except God. It is clear, then, what follows from the argument, that according to them God by force and necessity made it rise up to himself. And yet if matter is evil, its appetites are surely of such a kind; and the appetite for evil is base, but that for the good is altogether excellent. But if matter desired the bright and the light, the desire is not base; just as not even <if> someone being in vice should ever after desire virtue. For on the contrary, it is a matter of accusation for an excellent one to come into desire of the base; just as if they were to say God desires the evils belonging to matter. For indeed the goods of God are not to be supposed such as wealth and much land and much gold, of which the transfer from men to another becomes less for the one who possessed them. But if one must conceive any image of these things at all, I think one might rightly compare wisdom and knowledge. Just as, therefore, neither wisdom is diminished, nor knowledge, nor those who have them, if another partakes of the same things, so it is not reasonable that God would envy matter its desire for the good—if indeed according to them it desired this.

10 And they have far surpassed the myth-makers, who either cut off the genitals of Uranus, or compose the plots against Cronus by his son so that he himself might seize power, or again make Cronus swallow his sons and then be deceived by the image of the stone. For how are the things said by them not of such a kind, when they relate a direct war of matter against God, and do not, however, say these things through allegory, as Homer makes Zeus rejoice at the war of the gods against each other in the Iliad, hinting that the cosmos is composed of dissimilar things, fitted to one another and both conquering and being conquered. And these things have been said by me, since I know such men, that whenever they are at a loss for proofs, they gather some things from all sides from the poets and make these an apology for their own opinions. But they would not have suffered these things, if with some care they had encountered whatsoever it was. And indeed all evils have been driven away from the divine company, but especially jealousy and envy; but these men leave them with the

5

ἔσται κεχωρισμένον. ἄλλος γὰρ τῷ βαρεῖ καὶ ἄλλος τῷ μέσῳ καὶ τῷ κούφῳ τόπος, τῷ μὲν γὰρ τὸ ἄνω τῷ δὲ τὸ κάτω τῷ δὲ τὸ μέσον. παντὸς δὲ σφαιροειδοῦς τὸ κάτω μέσον ἐστίν, ἀπὸ γὰρ αὐτοῦ πρὸς πᾶν τὸ μετέωρον ἄχρι τῆς ἄνω ἐπιφανείας πάντοθέν ἐστιν ἡ ἀπόστασις ἴση· καὶ πάντα πάλιν τὰ βαρέα πανταχόθεν φέρεται ἐπ' αὐτά· διὸ καὶ γέλωτός μοι ἐπῆλθεν ἀκούσαντι ὅτι κινουμένη ἡ ὕλη ἀτάκτως τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτῇ κατὰ φύσιν εἰς τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ἀφίκετο χώραν, ἥ ἐστι φῶς καὶ λαμπρὸν καὶ πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτα. εἰ δὲ τὸ μὲν σῶμα τὸ δὲ ἀσώμα τον, πρῶτον μὲν ὅ ἐστιν σῶμα μόνον κινητόν ἐστιν· ἔπειτα δὲ εἰ μὲν ἄμικτά ἐστιν, χωρὶς ἑκάτερον κατὰ τὴν οἰκείαν φύσιν, εἰ δὲ μέμικται τὸ ἕτερον τῷ ἑτέρῳ, ἢ ψυχὴ ἢ νοῦς ἢ συμβεβηκὸς ἂν εἴη· οὕτω γὰρ μόνον τὰ ἀσώματα τοῖς σώμασι πάρεστι μίγνυσθαι.

9 Ἀλλὰ πῶς ἠνέχθη εἰς τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ χώραν ἢ ἐκ ποίας αἰτίας; κατὰ φύσιν μὲν γὰρ αὐτῇ τὸ κάτω καὶ τὸ σκότος, ὥς φασιν, παρὰ φύσιν δὲ τὸ ἄνω καὶ τὸ φῶς· ὥστε παρὰ φύσιν τότε γέγονεν αὐτῇ ἡ κίνη σις καὶ τοιοῦτόν τι πέπονθεν, οἷον εἰ λίθον τις ἢ βῶλον γῆς εἰς τὸ ἄνω ῥίψειεν· διὸ δὴ ὀλίγον τὰ τοιαῦτα κουφισθέντα ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ ῥίψαντος βίας μετέωρα γεγονότα εἰς τὸν αὐτὸν καταφέρεται τόπον. τὴν οὖν ὕλην τίς ἐκούφισεν εἰς τὸν ἄνω τόπον; δι' αὑτὴν μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἐξ αὑτῆς οὐκ ἂν κινοῖτο ταύτην τὴν κίνησιν <παρὰ φύσιν> αὐτῇ ὑπάρχουσαν· δεῖ δὲ αὐτὴν ὑπομεῖναι βίαν, ἵνα εἰς τὸν ἄνω τόπον μετεω ρισθῇ, καθάπερ ὁ λίθος καὶ ἡ βῶλος. ἀλλ' ἕτερον μὲν οὐδὲν σὺν αὐτῇ ἀπολείπουσιν, τὸν θεὸν δέ. φανερὸν οὖν τὸ ἐκ τοῦ λόγου συμβαῖνον, ὅτι κατ' αὐ τοὺς ὁ θεὸς βίᾳ καὶ ἀνάγκῃ ταύτην μετέωρον ἐποίησεν ὡς αὑτόν. Καὶ μὴν εἰ κακὸν ἡ ὕλη, πάντως πού εἰσιν αὐτῆς καὶ ὀρέξεις τοιαῦται· ἔστι δὲ ἡ μὲν τοῦ κακοῦ ὄρεξις φαύλη, ἡ δὲ τοῦ καλοῦ πάνυ σπουδαία. εἰ δὲ τοῦ λαμπροῦ καὶ τοῦ φωτὸς ἐπεθύμησεν ἡ ὕλη, οὐ φαύλη ἡ ἐπιθυμία· καθάπερ οὐδὲ <εἰ> ἐν κακίᾳ τις ὢν μετὰ ταῦτά ποτε ἐπιθυμήσειεν ἀρετῆς. τοὐναντίον γὰρ ἐν ἐγκλήματι, τὸ σπουδαῖόν τινα τοῦ φαύλου εἰς ἐπιθυμίαν ἐλθεῖν· καθάπερ ἂν εἰ τὸν θεὸν φαῖεν ὀρέγεσθαι τῶν τῇ ὕλῃ προσόντων κακῶν. οὐ γὰρ δὴ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀγαθὰ τοιαῦτα ὑποληπτέον, οἷόν ἐστιν ὁ πλοῦ τος καὶ ἡ πολλὴ γῆ καὶ ὁ πολὺς χρυσός, ὧν ἐλάττων γίνεται τῷ κεκτημένῳ ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων εἰς ἕτερον μετάστασις. ἀλλ' εἴ τινα τούτων ὅλως εἰκόνα ἐπινοῆσαι δεῖ, τὴν σοφίαν οἶμαι δικαίως ἄν τις παραβάλοι καὶ τὰς ἐπιστήμας. ὥσπερ οὖν οὔτε ἡ σοφία ἐλαττοῦται οὔτε ἡ ἐπιστήμη οὔτε οἱ αὐτὰς ἔχοντες, ἂν ἕτερος τῶν αὐτῶν μεταλάβῃ, οὕτως οὐδὲ τὸν θεὸν εὔλογον φθο νῆσαι τῇ ὕλῃ τῆς τοῦ καλοῦ ὀρέξεως-εἰ δὴ κατ' αὐτοὺς ὠρέχθη τούτου.

10 Πολὺ δὲ τοὺς μυθοποιοὺς ὑπερβεβλήκασιν τοὺς ἢ τὰ τοῦ Οὐρανοῦ αἰδοῖα τέμνοντας, ἢ τὰς ἐπιβουλὰς κατὰ τοῦ Κρόνου ὑπὸ τοῦ υἱοῦ συντιθέντας ἵνα αὐτὸς κατάσχῃ τὴν ἀρχήν, ἢ ποιοῦντας πάλιν τὸν Κρόνον τοὺς υἱοὺς καταπίνειν εἶτα διαμαρτάνοντα διὰ τῆς τοῦ λίθου εἰκόνος. πῶς γὰρ τὰ λεγόμενα ὑπ' αὐτῶν οὐ τοιαῦτα, ὅταν πόλεμον ἄντικρυς τῆς ὕλης πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ὑφηγήσωνται καὶ μηδὲ ταῦτα μέντοι δι' ὑπονοίας λέγωσιν, καθάπερ Ὅμηρος χαίρειν ποιεῖ τὸν ∆ία ἐπὶ τῷ τῶν θεῶν πολέμῳ πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐν Ἰλιάδι, αἰνιτ τόμενος τὸ ἐξ ἀνομοίων τὸν κόσμον συγκεῖσθαι, ἡρμο σμένων πρὸς ἄλληλα καὶ νικώντων τε καὶ νικωμένων. καὶ ταῦτά μοι εἴρηται, ἐπειδὴ γιγνώσκω τοὺς τοιούτους, ἐπειδὰν ἀποδείξεων ἀπορῶσιν, ἔνι πανταχόθεν ἀπὸ τῶν ποιήσεων συμφέροντας καὶ ἀπολογίαν ταῦτα ὑπὲρ τῶν ἰδίων δοξῶν ποιουμένους. οὐκ ἂν δὲ ταῦτα ἐπε πόνθεσαν, εἰ μετά τινος φροντίδος ᾧτινι δήποτε ἐνε τύγχανον. Καὶ μὴν πάντα μὲν τὰ κακὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ θείου χοροῦ ἀπελήλαται, ὁ ζῆλος δὲ μάλιστα καὶ ὁ φθόνος· κατα λείπουσι δὲ οὗτοι αὐτὰ παρὰ τῷ

5