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they assert it to be. But, he says, the good god allowed a part of himself, having been seized by it, to become a captive, in order that he might contain it and limit it from advancing further into his own boundaries. If matter is without beginning, unbegotten, incorporeal, without quality, and invisible, and likewise the good god, and all things are from their substance, how are the things that have come from them seen? For that which proceeds from an incorporeal and invisible substance will surely be incorporeal and invisible. And before this, if both the two substances are without beginning and unbegotten and eternal, and we are from them, not having been brought into being from non-being by them, but from their substance, we are without beginning and eternal; for the offspring of each substance is consubstantial with the substance that begot it; of the eternal, eternal; of the unbegotten, unbegotten; of that without beginning, without beginning. And again: If our constitution is from the substance of the good and of the evil, we are not creatures, but children, and there is no creation in the world. And again: If it is impossible for the substance of the good to be turned to evil or to think or do evil at all, and impossible for the evil one to be turned and to think or do anything good; -and our soul is of the good-, it is impossible for our soul to think anything base and for our body to do good. But we see many souls thinking evil things, like those of the Manichaeans, and many bodies doing good things, like those of the saints. And again: If the evil one is composite, of the incorporeal and the corporeal, and the good one likewise, and our soul is of the substance of the good, but the body of the evil one, then our soul will be composite, of the incorporeal and the corporeal, and our body also. And again: If matter is without beginning, if it is incorporeal, how did it come forth from an incorporeal substance? For that which is without beginning is entirely unchangeable; things that are by nature simple are not naturally united. How then did a mixture occur? And again: If matter is composite, of the incorporeal and the corporeal, and the corporeal is contrary to the incorporeal, who is it that united the contraries? For contraries would not have associated with contraries, being joined together amicably into one fabric and one hypostasis, if the power of the creator had not brought them together into one. Matter, therefore, being composite, has received its being from the divine word. And again: Is matter corruption, or corruptible? For corruption corrupts and is not corrupted, but the corruptible is corrupted by corruption; and the corruptible, that is, that which is being corrupted, is matter. 62 What is that which corrupts, or corruption, or corruptible? For corruption is the dissolution of things that have been put together. And that which brings on corruption corrupts, and the composite thing that is being dissolved is corrupted. And that which corrupts and that which is being corrupted are substances, but corruption is an accident, observed in the dissolution of things put together, neither pre-existing nor remaining after the dissolution. 63 What then is matter: that which corrupts, or corruption, or corruptible? And if you should say that it is that which corrupts, say, what does it corrupt if not the good? For you say nothing else except matter and the good. If then there were two, matter corrupts, and the good generates, or matter is constituted, but the good is corrupted and perishes. But if it corrupts itself, know that nothing is destructive of itself; and if it did corrupt itself, it would have consumed itself and driven itself into non-existence. And how can that which is being corrupted be without beginning? But if it is corruptible, by what is it corrupted if not by the good, and the good will be a corrupter. But if it is corruption, by what is it actualized and does it exist? For corruption is dissolution, as we have said. Who then is the one dissolving and what is the thing being dissolved? But that matter cannot be corruption and a corruptible substance is known from this: for the corruptible substance precedes and pre-exists as a composite hypostasis. But corruption supervenes after the composition, dissolving the things that have been composed. How then did the substance of matter have corruption concurrent and consubstantial with it? But perhaps you will say that corruption once was not in actuality, but in potentiality, and likewise the corruptible. But know that to be destructive or creative, but not yet to actualize destruction or the

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εἶναι φάσκουσι. Συνεχώρησε δέ, φησίν, ὁ ἀγαθὸς θεὸς μέρος ἑαυτοῦ ὑπ' αὐτῆς ἁρπασθὲν αἰχμάλωτον γενέσθαι, ὅπως αὐτὴν περιγράψῃ καὶ περιορίσῃ τοῦ μὴ περαιτέρω προβαίνειν εἰς τὰ ἑαυτοῦ ὅρια. Εἰ ἄναρχος, ἀγένητος, ἀσώματος, ἄποιος, ἀόρατος ἡ ὕλη, ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ ἀγαθὸς θεός, ἐκ δὲ τῆς οὐσίας αὐτῶν τὰ πάντα, πῶς ὁρῶνται τὰ ἐξ αὐτῶν γενόμενα; Τὸ γὰρ ἐξ ἀσωμάτου καὶ ἀοράτου οὐσίας προερχόμενον ἀσώματον πάντως ἔσται καὶ ἀόρατον. Καὶ πρὸ τούτου, εἰ καὶ αἱ δύο οὐσίαι ἄναρχοι καὶ ἀγένητοι καὶ ἀίδιοι, ἐξ αὐτῶν δέ ἐσμεν ἡμεῖς οὐκ ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος εἰς τὸ εἶναι ὑπ' αὐτῶν παραχθέντες, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας αὐτῶν, ἄναρχοι καὶ ἀίδιοί ἐσμεν ἡμεῖς· ἑκάστης γὰρ οὐσίας γέννημα ὁμοούσιον τῇ γεννησάσῃ οὐσίᾳ· ἀιδίου ἀίδιον, ἀγεννήτου ἀγέννητον, ἀνάρχου ἄναρχον. Καὶ πάλιν· Εἰ ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ καὶ τοῦ πονηροῦ ἡ σύστασις ἡμῶν, οὐ κτίσματα, ἀλλὰ τέκνα ἐσμέν, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι κτίσις ἐν κόσμῳ. Καὶ πάλιν· Εἰ ἀδύνατον τραπῆναι τὴν οὐσίαν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ εἰς πονηρὸν καὶ ὅλως λογίσασθαι ἢ πρᾶξαι πονηρὸν καὶ ἀδύνατον τὸν πονηρὸν τραπῆναι καὶ λογίσασθαι ἢ πρᾶξαί τι ἀγαθόν· -ἡ δὲ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ-, ἀδύνατόν ἐστι τὴν ψυχὴν ἡμῶν λογίσασθαι φαῦλόν τι καὶ τὸ σῶμα ἡμῶν πρᾶξαι ἀγαθόν. Ἀλλ' ὁρῶμεν πολλὰς ψυχὰς λογιζομένας πονηρὰ ὡς τὰς τῶν Μανιχαίων καὶ πολλὰ σώματα ποιοῦντα ἀγαθὰ ὡς τὰ τῶν ἁγίων. Καὶ πάλιν· Εἰ καὶ ὁ πονηρὸς σύνθετός ἐστιν ἐξ ἀσωμάτου καὶ σώματος καὶ ὁ ἀγαθὸς ὁμοίως καὶ ἡ μὲν ψυχὴ ἡμῶν τῆς οὐσίας τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἐστι, τὸ δὲ σῶμα τοῦ πονηροῦ, καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν σύνθετος ἔσται ἐξ ἀσωμάτου καὶ σώματος καὶ τὸ σῶμα ἡμῶν. Καὶ πάλιν· Εἰ ἄναρχος ἡ ὕλη, εἰ μὲν ἀσώματος, πῶς ἐξ ἀσωμάτου οὐσίας προῆλθε; Τὸ γὰρ ἄναρχον, πάντως ἄτρεπτον· τὰ φύσει ἁπλᾶ οὐ πέφυκεν ἑνοῦσθαι. Πῶς οὖν ἐγένετο σύγκρασις; Καὶ πάλιν· Εἰ σύνθετος ἡ ὕλη ἐξ ἀσωμάτου καὶ σώματος, τὸ δὲ σῶμα ἐναντίον τῷ ἀσωμάτῳ, τίς ὁ ἑνώσας τὰ ἐναντία; Οὐκ ἂν γὰρ τὰ ἐναντία τοῖς ἐναντίοις ὡμίλει φιλικῶς συναπτόμενα εἰς ἓν ὕφος καὶ μίαν ὑπόστασιν, εἰ μὴ ἡ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ δύναμις εἰς ἓν αὐτὰ συνεβίβασεν. Ἡ ὕλη ἄρα σύνθετος οὖσα ὑπὸ θείου λόγου τὸ εἶναι εἴληφε. Καὶ πάλιν· Ἡ ὕλη φθορά ἐστιν ἢ φθαρτή; Ἡ μὲν γὰρ φθορὰ φθείρει καὶ οὐ φθείρεται, τὸ δὲ φθαρτὸν φθείρεται ὑπὸ τῆς φθορᾶς· καὶ τὸ μὲν φθαρτόν, τουτέστιν τὸ φθειρόμενον, ἡ ὕλη. 62 Τί ἐστι φθεῖρον ἢ φθορὰ ἢ φθαρτή; Φθορὰ μὲν γάρ ἐστιν ἡ τῶν συντεθέντων διάλυσις. Φθείρει δὲ ὁ τὴν φθορὰν ἐπάγων, φθείρεται δὲ τὸ διαλυόμενον σύνθετον. Καὶ τὸ μὲν φθεῖρον καὶ φθειρόμενον οὐσίαι εἰσίν, ἡ δὲ φθορὰ συμβεβηκὸς ἐν τῷ λύεσθαι τὰ συντεθέντα θεωρουμένη καὶ οὔτε προϋπάρχουσα οὔτε μετὰ τὸ λυθῆναι διαμένουσα. 63 Τί οὖν ἐστιν ἡ ὕλη, φθείρουσα ἢ φθορὰ ἢ φθαρτή; Καὶ εἰ μὲν εἴπητε, ὅτι φθείρουσα, εἴπατε, τί φθείρει εἰ μὴ τὸν ἀγαθόν; Οὐδὲν γὰρ λέγετε ἕτερον εἰ μὴ τὴν ὕλην καὶ τὸν ἀγαθόν. Εἰ οὖν δύο ἦσαν, φθείρει ἡ ὕλη, γενεσιουργεῖ δὲ ὁ ἀγαθός, ἢ ἡ μὲν ὕλη συνίσταται, φθείρεται δὲ καὶ ἀπόλλυται ὁ ἀγαθός. Εἰ δὲ ἑαυτὴν φθείρει, γνῶτε, ὡς οὐδὲν ἑαυτοῦ ἐστιν φθαρτικόν· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἑαυτὸ ἔφθειρεν, ἀνάλωσεν ἂν ἑαυτὸ καὶ εἰς ἀνυπαρξίαν ἤλασε. Πῶς δὲ καὶ τὸ φθειρόμενον ἄναρχον; Εἰ δὲ φθαρτή, ὑπὸ τίνος φθείρεται εἰ μὴ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, καὶ ἔσται ὁ ἀγαθὸς φθορεύς. Εἰ δὲ φθορά ἐστιν, ὑπὸ τίνος ἐνεργεῖται καὶ ἔστιν; Ἡ γὰρ φθορὰ διάλυσίς ἐστιν, ὡς εἴπομεν. Τίς οὖν ὁ διαλύων καὶ τί τὸ διαλυόμενον; Ὅτι δὲ οὐ δύναται ἡ ὕλη φθορὰ εἶναι καὶ φθαρτὴ οὐσία, ἐντεῦθεν γνωστόν· ἡ μὲν γὰρ φθαρτὴ οὐσία προηγεῖται καὶ προϋφίσταται ὡς συντεθεῖσα ὑπόστασις. Ἡ δὲ φθορὰ ἐπιγίνεται μετὰ τὴν σύνθεσιν λύουσα τὰ συντεθειμένα. Πῶς δὲ καὶ ἦν ἡ οὐσία τῆς ὕλης σύνδρομον καὶ συνουσιωμένην ἔχουσα τὴν φθοράν; Ἀλλ' ἴσως ἐρεῖτε, ὅτι ἦν ποτε οὐκ ἐνεργείᾳ φθορά, ἀλλὰ δυνάμει, ὁμοίως καὶ φθαρτόν. Ἀλλὰ γνῶτε, ὅτι τὸ μὲν εἶναι φθαρτικὸν ἢ δημιουργικόν, μήπω δὲ ἐνεργεῖν τὴν φθορὰν ἢ τὴν