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each of the things that come into being proceeds from its own kind. If, therefore, he says, it is neither unbegotten, nor has it come into being from God, from where does it have its nature? For that evils exist, no one who partakes of life will deny. What then do we say? That evil is not a living and ensouled substance, but a disposition in the soul contrary to virtue, arising in the slothful from the falling away from the good. 2.5 Therefore, do not look for evil outside; nor imagine some primordial nature of wickedness; but let each one recognize himself as the author of his own malice. For of the things that happen, some come to us by nature, such as old age and infirmities; others by chance, such as irrational circumstances that occur from external causes, often of a somber nature or even of a brighter one; like the discovery of a treasure for one digging a well, or the encounter with a rabid dog for one hurrying to the marketplace; and others are in our power, such as mastering our desires, or not curbing our pleasures; such as restraining anger, or laying hands on one who provoked you; telling the truth, or lying; being of a gentle and moderate character, or swollen and lifted up with arrogance. Therefore, for those things of which you yourself are master, do not seek their origins elsewhere, but recognize that evil in the proper sense has its beginning from volitional failings. For if it were involuntary, and not in our power, such great fear from the laws would not be hanging over wrongdoers, nor would the punishments of the courts be so inescapable, measuring out to evildoers what they deserve. Let these things have been said by me concerning evil in the proper sense. For sickness and poverty and dishonor and death, and whatever things are grievous to men, it is not yet right to count these in the category of evils, because we do not even count their opposites among the greatest of goods; of which some are from nature, and others appear to have befallen many for their benefit. Therefore, silencing for the present every figurative and allegorical interpretation, let us accept the concept of darkness simply and without speculation, following the will of Scripture. But the argument inquires whether darkness was created together with the world, and if it is more ancient than light, and why the inferior is older. We say, therefore, that this darkness did not subsist in essence, but is a condition concerning the air, arising from the privation of light. Of what light, then, was the place in the world suddenly found to be devoid, so that darkness was upon the water? We reason, therefore, that if anything existed before the constitution of this perceptible and corruptible world, it was clearly in light. For neither the ranks of angels, nor all the heavenly hosts, nor, in short, if there is anything named or unnameable of the rational natures, and of the ministering spirits, did they live in darkness, but they had their proper state in light and in all spiritual joy. And no one will dispute these things, at least no one who awaits the super-celestial light in the promises of good things, concerning which Solomon says: 'Light for the righteous is forever'; and the Apostle: 'Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us for a share of the inheritance of the saints in light.' For if those who are condemned are sent into the outer darkness, it is clear that those who have done things worthy of acceptance have their rest in the super-cosmic light. Since, therefore, heaven came into being by the command of God, stretched at once around those things contained within by its own circumference, having a continuous body, able to separate the things within from the things without, it necessarily rendered the place left within it lightless, having cut off the light from without. For three things must concur for a shadow: light, a body, and a lightless place. Therefore, the darkness within the world was produced by the shadow of the celestial body. But understand what is said from a clear example, of one at steadfast midday setting up for himself a tent of dense and opaque material, and shutting himself up in an impromptu darkness. Suppose, therefore, that darkness to be of such a kind, not pre-existing

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τῶν ὁμογενῶν ἕκαστον τῶν γινομένων προέρχεται. Εἰ τοίνυν, φησὶ, μήτε ἀγέννητον, μήτε παρὰ Θεοῦ γεγονὸς, πόθεν ἔχει τὴν φύσιν; Τὸ γὰρ εἶναι τὰ κακὰ οὐδεὶς ἀντερεῖ τῶν μετεχόντων τοῦ βίου. Τί οὖν φαμέν; Ὅτι τὸ κακόν ἐστιν οὐχὶ οὐσία ζῶσα καὶ ἔμψυχος, ἀλλὰ διάθεσις ἐν ψυχῇ ἐναντίως ἔχουσα πρὸς ἀρετὴν, διὰ τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ καλοῦ ἀπόπτωσιν τοῖς ῥᾳθύμοις ἐγγινομένη. 2.5 Μὴ τοίνυν ἔξωθεν τὸ κακὸν περισκόπει· μηδὲ ἀρχέ γονόν τινα φύσιν πονηρίας φαντάζου· ἀλλὰ τῆς ἐν ἑαυτῷ κακίας ἕκαστος ἑαυτὸν ἀρχηγὸν γνωριζέτω. Ἀεὶ γὰρ τῶν γινομένων τὰ μὲν ἐκ φύσεως ἡμῖν ἐπιγίνεται, οἷον γῆρας καὶ ἀσθένειαι· τὰ δὲ ἀπὸ ταυτομάτου, οἷον αἱ ἄλογοι περιπτώσεις ἀλλοτρίαις ἀρχαῖς ἐπισυμβαίνουσαι, σκυθρωπῶν τινων πολλάκις ἢ καὶ τῶν φαιδροτέρων· ὡς τῷ φρέαρ ὀρύσσοντι ἡ τοῦ θησαυροῦ εὕρεσις, ἢ τῷ πρὸς τὴν ἀγορὰν ὡρμημένῳ ἡ τοῦ λυσσῶντος κυνὸς ἔντευξις· τὰ δὲ ἐφ' ἡμῖν τυγχάνει, ὡς τὸ κρατῆσαι τῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν, ἢ μὴ κολάσαι τὰς ἡδονάς· ὡς τὸ κατασχεῖν ὀργῆς, ἢ χεῖρας ἐπαφεῖναι τῷ παροξύναντι· ἀληθεύειν, ἢ ψεύδεσθαι· ἐπιεικῆ τὸ ἦθος εἶναι καὶ μέτριον, ἢ ὑπέρογκον καὶ ἀλαζονείαις ὑπεραι ρόμενον. Ὧν τοίνυν αὐτὸς εἶ κύριος, τούτων τὰς ἀρχὰς μὴ ζητήσῃς ἑτέρωθεν, ἀλλὰ γνώριζε τὸ κυρίως κακὸν ἐκ τῶν προαιρετικῶν ἀποπτωμάτων τὴν ἀρχὴν εἰληφός. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν εἴπερ ἀκούσιον ἦν, καὶ μὴ ἐφ' ἡμῖν, τοσοῦτος μὲν ἐκ τῶν νόμων ὁ φόβος τοῖς ἀδικοῦσιν ἐπήρτητο, οὕτω δὲ ἀπαραίτητοι τῶν δικαστηρίων αἱ κολάσεις, τὸ πρὸς ἀξίαν τοῖς κακούργοις ἀντιμετροῦσαι. Ταῦτα δέ μοι εἰρήσθω περὶ τοῦ κυρίως κακοῦ. Νόσον γὰρ καὶ πενίαν καὶ ἀδοξίαν καὶ θάνατον, καὶ ὅσα λυπηρὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, οὔπω καὶ ἐν τῇ μοίρᾳ τῶν κακῶν καταλογίζεσθαι ἄξιον, διὰ τὸ μηδὲ τὰ ἀντικείμενα τούτοις, ἐν τοῖς μεγίστοις ἡμᾶς τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀριθμεῖν· ὧν τὰ μὲν ἐκ φύσεώς ἐστι, τὰ δὲ καὶ συμφερόντως πολλοῖς ἀπαντήσαντα φαίνεται. Πᾶσαν οὖν τροπικὴν καὶ δι' ὑπονοίας ἐξήγησιν ἔν γε τῷ παρόντι κατασιγάσαντες, τοῦ σκότους τὴν ἔννοιαν ἁπλῶς καὶ ἀπεριεργάστως, ἑπόμενοι τῷ βουλήματι τῆς Γραφῆς, ἐκδεξώμεθα. Ἐπιζητεῖ δὲ ὁ λόγος, εἰ συγκατεσκευάσθη τῷ κόσμῳ τὸ σκότος, καὶ εἰ ἀρχαιότερον τοῦ φωτὸς, καὶ διὰ τί τὸ χεῖρον πρεσβύτερον; Λέγομεν τοίνυν καὶ τοῦτο τὸ σκότος μὴ κατ' οὐσίαν ὑφεστη κέναι, ἀλλὰ πάθος εἶναι περὶ τὸν ἀέρα στερήσει φωτὸς ἐπιγινόμενον. Ποίου τοίνυν φωτὸς ἄμοιρος αἰφνιδίως ὁ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τόπος εὑρέθη, ὥστε τὸ σκότος ἐπάνω εἶναι τοῦ ὕδατος; Λογιζόμεθα τοίνυν ὅτι, εἴπερ τι ἦν πρὸ τῆς τοῦ αἰσθητοῦ τούτου καὶ φθαρτοῦ κόσμου συστάσεως, ἐν φωτὶ ἂν ἦν δηλονότι. Οὔτε γὰρ αἱ τῶν ἀγγέλων ἀξίαι, οὔτε πᾶσαι αἱ ἐπουράνιοι στρατιαὶ, οὔτε ὅλως εἴ τι ἐστὶν ὠνομασμένον ἢ ἀκατονόμαστον τῶν λογικῶν φύσεων, καὶ τῶν λειτουργικῶν πνευμάτων ἐν σκότῳ διῆγεν, ἀλλ' ἐν φωτὶ καὶ πάσῃ εὐφρο σύνῃ πνευματικῇ τὴν πρέπουσαν ἑαυτοῖς κατάστασιν εἶχε. Καὶ τούτοις οὐδεὶς ἀντερεῖ, οὔκουν ὅστις γε τὸ ὑπερου ράνιον φῶς ἐν ταῖς τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐπαγγελίαις ἐκδέχεται, περὶ οὗ Σολομών φησι· Φῶς δικαίοις διὰ παντός· καὶ ὁ ἀπόσ τολος· Εὐχαριστοῦντες Πατρὶ τῷ ἱκανώσαντι ἡμᾶς ἐν τῇ μερίδι τοῦ κλήρου τῶν ἁγίων ἐν τῷ φωτί. Εἰ γὰρ οἱ καταδι καζόμενοι πέμπονται εἰς τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον, δηλονότι οἱ τὰ τῆς ἀποδοχῆς ἄξια εἰργασμένοι, ἐν τῷ ὑπερκοσμίῳ φωτὶ τὴν ἀνάπαυσιν ἔχουσιν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐγένετο ὁ οὐρανὸς προστάγματι Θεοῦ ἀθρόως περιταθεὶς τοῖς ἐντὸς ὑπὸ τῆς οἰκείας αὐτοῦ περιφερείας ἀπειλημμένοις, σῶμα ἔχων συνεχὲς, ἱκανὸν τῶν ἔξω διαστῆσαι τὰ ἔνδον, ἀναγκαίως τὸν ἐναπολειφθέντα αὐτῷ τόπον ἀφεγγῆ κατέστησε, τὴν ἔξωθεν αὐγὴν διακόψας. Τρία γὰρ δεῖ συνδραμεῖν ἐπὶ τῆς σκιᾶς, τὸ φῶς, τὸ σῶμα, τὸν ἀλαμπῆ τόπον. Τὸ τοίνυν ἐγκόσμιον σκότος τῇ σκιᾷ τοῦ οὐρανίου σώματος παρυπέστη. Νόησον δέ μοι ἀπὸ παραδείγματος ἐναργοῦς τὸ λεγόμενον, ἐν σταθηρᾷ μεσημβρίᾳ σκηνήν τινα ἐκ πυκνῆς καὶ στεγανῆς ὕλης ἑαυτῷ περιστήσαντα, καὶ ἐν σκότῳ αὐτοσχεδίῳ ἑαυτὸν καθειργνύντα. Τοιοῦτον οὖν κἀκεῖνο τὸ σκότος ὑπόθου, οὐ προηγουμένως