John of Damascus, Against Manichaeans

creation because things that are corrupted or created cannot be co-eternal with the one who corrupts or creates them is true. But you say that nothing is brought from non-being into being, but that evil is destructive and consuming of itself, so that it, having the potential both to destroy and to be destroyed, and not in actuality, was incomplete. But that which proceeds from incompleteness to perfection is not without beginning; for if that which is unchangeable is without beginning, that which is changeable is not without beginning. And again: What is first of matter, its substance or its corruption? And if corruption, it is impossible for it to exist before being consumed. But if its substance pre-existed its corruption, it is substance and existence rather than corruption, and there was once incorruptibility not having corruption as its opposite, and corruption is not without beginning. But if its substance was always consuming itself, how did it bring forth its fruits? If it consumed partially, it is not completely destructive nor completely corruptible and not completely evil. But if, being destructive, it ceased to destroy itself, either destroying is evil and it turned from evil to good, or destroying is good and from good it became evil. If matter is evil, but it destroyed itself, it is good; for that which destroys evil is good. And again, say: Was matter light or darkness? And if light, it is of the substance of the good; and behold, one principle and not two. But if darkness, how does darkness see? For if it sees, it has light. But if it does not have light, it is blind, and how did it see the light? And how will darkness be in the luminous and not be dissolved? Or "what fellowship has light with darkness?" And again: Did matter live or not? And if it did not live, how was it moved? For everything that does not have life is motionless. But if it lived, it either has life from itself or from elsewhere. And if from itself, it was life and not death. But if it got life from elsewhere, either from the good, then how is he good who gives life to evil? But if from another, there will not be two, but three. And again: Was matter without beginning from itself, or did it come to be from another. And if it came to be from another, it is not without beginning. But if it was without beginning, it always had being and never had non-being. How then do you call it corruption and death? For corruption provides non-being, but matter never had non-being; for it always was, as you say. How then can it give what it does not have? And again: Generation and corruption are opposites. For generation is a leading from non-being into being, but corruption is a dissolution from being into non-being. If then matter, according to you, is corruption, how does it make fruits and beget? And again: Complete corruption also destroys itself; for if it constitutes itself, it is not complete corruption. But if it also destroys itself, it will not exist. 64 The good (agathon) is so called from all things "running excessively" (agan thein) toward it, which is also by nature lovable and desirable, which all things naturally desire. But evil is desire contrary to nature, that is, when we desire something other than what is naturally desirable. "Therefore, of all things, both good and evil, the beginning and end is the good; for the sake of the good are all things, both those that are good and those that are contrary; for even these things we do, desiring the good. For no one does what he does while looking to evil. Therefore evil does not have subsistence, but parasubsistence, coming into being for the sake of the good and not for its own sake;" for everything that comes to be, comes to be either for the sake of the good or for the sake of a supposed good. 65 A prophet is deceived by God either by God allowing him to be deceived according to the worthiness of his desire, or by foretelling and God doing other things, contrary to what he foretold, he is said to have been deceived by God, that is, to have been shown to be a deceiver. 66 Tell us then, O Manichaeans: Was matter, which you call evil and darkness and corruption and death, without beginning and eternal, a substance or an accident? And if a substance, was it a body, such as earth, water, air, fire, or incorporeal, such as God, angel, soul, or composed of body and incorporeal? And if a body, it was motionless; for every body is soulless and

δημιουργίαν διὰ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι τὰ φθειρόμενα ἢ δημιουργούμενα συναΐδια εἶναι τῷ φθείροντι ἢ δημιουργοῦντι ἀληθές. Ἀλλ' ὑμεῖς οὐδὲν ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος εἰς τὸ εἶναι παραχθῆναι λέγετε, ἀλλ' αὐτὴν ἑαυτῆς εἶναι τὴν κακίαν φθαρτικὴν καὶ ἀναλωτικήν, ὥστε αὕτη δυνάμει ἔχουσα τό τε φθείρειν καὶ φθείρεσθαι, καὶ οὐκ ἐνεργείᾳ ἀτελὴς ἦν. Τὸ δὲ ἐξ ἀτελοῦς προκόπτον εἰς τελειότητα οὐκ ἄναρχον· εἰ γὰρ τὸ ἄτρεπτον ἄναρχον, τὸ τρεπόμενον οὐκ ἄναρχον. Καὶ πάλιν· Τί πρῶτον τῆς ὕλης, ἡ οὐσία αὐτῆς ἢ ἡ φθορά; Καὶ εἰ μὲν ἡ φθορά, ἀδύνατον αὐτὴν ὑπάρξαι πρὸ τοῦ εἶναι ἀναλισκομένην. Εἰ δὲ ἡ οὐσία αὐτῆς προϋπῆρξε τῆς φθορᾶς, οὐσία μᾶλλον καὶ ὕπαρξίς ἐστι καὶ οὐ φθορὰ καὶ ἦν ἀφθαρσία ποτὲ μὴ ἔχουσα ἐναντίαν τὴν φθορὰν καὶ οὐκ ἄναρχος ἡ φθορά. Εἰ δὲ ἀεὶ ἦν ἡ οὐσία αὐτῆς ἀναλίσκουσα ἑαυτήν, πῶς προήγαγε τοὺς καρπούς; Εἰ μερικῶς ἀνήλισκεν, οὐ παντελῶς φθαρτικὴ οὐδὲ παντελῶς φθαρτὴ καὶ οὐ τελέως κακή. Εἰ δὲ φθαρτικὴ οὖσα ἐπαύσατο τοῦ ἑαυτὴν φθείρειν, ἢ κακὸν τὸ φθείρειν καὶ ἐκ κακοῦ εἰς ἀγαθὸν ἐτράπη ἢ ἀγαθὸν τὸ φθείρειν καὶ ἐξ ἀγαθοῦ γέγονε κακή. Εἰ ἡ ὕλη κακία, ἑαυτὴν δὲ ἔφθειρεν, ἀγαθή· τὸ γὰρ φθεῖρον τὸ κακὸν ἀγαθόν. Καὶ πάλιν εἴπατε· Ἡ ὕλη φῶς ἦν ἢ σκότος; Καὶ εἰ μὲν φῶς, τῆς οὐσίας τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ· καὶ ἰδοὺ μία ἀρχὴ καὶ οὐ δύο. Εἰ δὲ σκότος, πῶς τὸ σκότος θεωρεῖ; Εἰ γὰρ θεωρεῖ, φῶς ἔχει. Εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἔχει φῶς, τυφλόν ἐστι, καὶ πῶς εἶδε τὸ φῶς; Πῶς δὲ καὶ σκότος ἔσται ἐν τῷ φωτεινῷ καὶ οὐ λυθήσεται; Ἢ «ποία κοινωνία φωτὶ πρὸς σκότος;» Καὶ πάλιν· Ἡ ὕλη ἔζη ἢ οὔ; Καὶ εἰ μὲν οὐκ ἔζη, πῶς ἐκινήθη; Πᾶν γὰρ τὸ μὴ ἔχον ζωὴν ἀκίνητον. Εἰ δὲ ἔζη, ἢ ἐξ αὐτῆς ἔχει τὴν ζωὴν ἢ ἀλλαχόθεν. Καὶ εἰ μὲν ἐξ ἑαυτῆς, ζωὴ ἦν καὶ οὐ θάνατος. Εἰ δὲ ἀλλαχόθεν ἔσχε τὴν ζωήν, ἢ ἐκ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, καὶ πῶς ἀγαθὸς ὁ ζωώσας τὴν κακίαν; Εἰ δὲ ἐξ ἄλλου, οὐκ ἔσονται δύο, ἀλλὰ τρεῖς. Καὶ πάλιν· Ἡ ὕλη ἀφ' ἑαυτῆς ἦν ἄναρχος ἢ ἐξ ἄλλου ἐγένετο. Καὶ εἰ μὲν ἐξ ἄλλου ἐγένετο, οὐκ ἄναρχος. Εἰ δὲ ἄναρχος ἦν, πάντοτε εἶχε τὸ εἶναι καὶ οὐδέποτε ἔσχε τὸ μὴ εἶναι. Πῶς δὲ λέγετε αὐτὴν φθορὰν καὶ θάνατον; Ἡ γὰρ φθορὰ τὸ μὴ εἶναι παρέχει, ἡ δὲ ὕλη οὐκ ἔσχε ποτὲ τὸ μὴ εἶναι· ἀεὶ γὰρ ἦν, ὡς λέγετε. Πῶς οὖν, ὃ οὐκ ἔχει, δύναται δοῦναι; Καὶ πάλιν· Ἡ γένεσις καὶ ἡ φθορὰ ἐναντία. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ γένεσις ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος εἰς τὸ εἶναι παραγωγή, ἡ δὲ φθορὰ ἐκ τοῦ ὄντος εἰς τὸ μὴ εἶναι διάλυσις. Εἰ οὖν ἡ ὕλη καθ' ὑμᾶς φθορά, πῶς ποιεῖ καρποὺς καὶ γεννᾷ; Καὶ πάλιν· Ἡ φθορὰ ἡ παντελὴς καὶ ἑαυτὴν φθείρει· εἰ γὰρ ἑαυτὴν συνιστᾷ, οὐ παντελὴς φθορά. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἑαυτὴν φθείρει, οὐκ ἔσται. 64 Ἀγαθὸν λέγεται παρὰ τὸ ἄγαν θεῖν πάντα πρὸς αὐτό, ὃ καὶ φύσει ἐστὶν ἐραστὸν καὶ ἐφετόν, οὗ φυσικῶς πάντα ἐφίεται. Κακὸν δέ ἐστιν ἡ παρὰ φύσιν ἔφεσις, τουτέστιν ὅταν ἑτέρου τινὸς παρὰ τὸ φύσει ἐφετὸν ἐφιέμεθα. «Πάντων οὖν καὶ τῶν καλῶν καὶ τῶν κακῶν ἀρχὴ καὶ τέλος ἐστὶ τὸ ἀγαθόν· τοῦ γὰρ ἀγαθοῦ ἕνεκα πάντα, καὶ ὅσα ἀγαθὰ καὶ ὅσα ἐναντία· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ταῦτα πράττομεν τὸ ἀγαθὸν ποθοῦντες. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ εἰς τὸ κακὸν ἀποβλέπων ποιεῖ, ἅπερ ποιεῖ. ∆ιὸ οὐδὲ ὑπόστασιν ἔχει τὸ κακόν, ἀλλὰ παρυπόστασιν, τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἕνεκα καὶ οὐχ ἑαυτοῦ γινόμενον·» πᾶν γὰρ γινόμενον ἢ δι' ἀγαθὸν γίνεται ἢ διὰ νομιζόμενον ἀγαθόν. 65 Πλανᾶται ὑπὸ θεοῦ προφήτης ἢ τοῦ θεοῦ παραχωροῦντος αὐτὸν πλανηθῆναι κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν τῆς ἐπιθυμίας αὐτοῦ ἢ προλέγων καὶ τοῦ θεοῦ ἄλλα ποιοῦντος, παρ' ἃ προεῖπε, πεπλανῆσθαι λέγεται ὑπὸ θεοῦ, τουτέστι πλάνος ἀποδεδεῖχθαι. 66 Εἴπατε οὖν ἡμῖν, ὦ Μανιχαῖοι· Ἡ ὕλη, ἣν λέγετε κακίαν καὶ σκότος καὶ φθορὰν καὶ θάνατον, ἄναρχον καὶ ἀίδιον, οὐσία ἦν ἢ συμβεβηκός; Καὶ εἰ μὲν οὐσία, ἢ σῶμα ἦν, οἷον γῆ, ὕδωρ, ἀήρ, πῦρ, ἢ ἀσώματον, οἷον θεός, ἄγγελος, ψυχή, ἢ ἐκ σώματος καὶ ἀσωμάτου σύνθετος. Καὶ εἰ μὲν σῶμα, ἀκίνητος ἦν· πᾶν γὰρ σῶμα ἄψυχον καὶ