John of Damascus, Against Manichaeans

at last having returned to its own place along with the souls of those who did not believe in Manes. But perhaps it will rise up again. 68 Tell us, O Manichaeans: Was Matter, when it was previously at rest, good or evil? If it was evil, then later, by rebelling, it became good. But if it was good at first, it was later evil. Then, having rebelled against itself and having moved in a disorderly way and having come to the borders of the light, if it indeed saw the immaterial light, how is it blind? And how can matter see immaterial light? But if it understood, how is it irrational and without intellect? And if, according to you, it loved, how is it soulless? And how is it evil? For to love the good is not evil. And how is it without intellect and without wisdom, having gone out from its own place, not like an irrational creature, but like an excellent and well-ordered general, and having taken a worthy spoil of the light and having returned to its own place? And how do you also call vile that which received and contained the good? For things receptive of good are not contrary nor hostile. And again: If matter seized a part of God, matter is active and creative, but the nature of the good is passive and fluid. But if the one desired the good, and the good gave a part of himself to the evil, both were changed; for the evil desired the good and became good, and the good, having allowed itself to be mixed with the evil, became evil. And again: Was the good harmed by the seizure and the mixture, or did it harm, or did it benefit, or was it benefited? If it was benefited, that which benefited it is active and good, and that which was benefited is lesser and passive. But if it was harmed, so also that which was harmed is passive and that which harmed it is more powerful. But if it harmed, it is evil. But if it benefited, the good is envious, being grieved and resentful, handing over matter to fire, and by the excess of its resentment also a part of itself along with it. But if it neither harmed nor was harmed, nor benefited nor was benefited, in the first place, it is inactive; for the good, wherever it may be, benefits, if it has good activity; and in the second place, unjust, because having neither been benefited nor harmed, it will punish matter which did no wrong. But if, according to you, God is angered and grieved because matter loved him and partook of him, let no one love him. But if, as you say, God, knowing that matter was coming against him, willingly allowed a part of himself to be seized by it, so that having confined its motion he might punish it, casting it like a lump into Gehenna, first, for what reason did he not immediately melt it down and hand it over to Gehenna? But if he was not able except in such a way, why does he blame us for not resisting the evil one, when he himself betrayed our souls through weakness? Then, when you speak of Gehenna, will you say this is consubstantial with the good, or consubstantial with the evil one, or another substance, and no longer two, but three. For if it is of the good, how does it punish? For Gehenna is not good. But if it is of the evil one, it does not punish evil; for nothing punishes itself. But if it is something else besides the two, there are three principles and not two, or it was brought from non-being into being. And if this is so, why do we not come straight to the point and say that all things were brought from non-being into being? That which is unbegun is unchangeable; for change is for that which was not before to later come to be. And those things whose being is from change are by nature changeable; but those whose being did not begin from change, but is unbegun, are by nature unchangeable. How then did we come to be from the unbegun substances? For unless they also are such as we are, they too are men. But if they are such, how were they changed? Therefore we are not from the unbegun substances, but from non-being. If matter and evil are an unbegun and eternal principle, having from itself its being and all that it has—that is, tyranny and strength and wickedness—it will have these things unchangeably. How then will he who feared it so much, as to allow a part of himself to become its captive, be able at last to overcome it? 69 A Manichaean: Why did God, foreknowing the devil, that he was about to turn from

ἔσχατον πρὸς τὸ ἴδιον παλινδρομήσασα μετὰ καὶ τῶν ψυχῶν τῶν μὴ πιστευσασῶν τῷ Μάνεντι. Ἀλλὰ τυχὸν καὶ πάλιν ἀναστήσεται. 68 Εἴπατε ἡμῖν, ὦ Μανιχαῖοι· Ἡ ὕλη ἡσυχάζουσα τὸ πρότερον καλὴ ἦν ἢ κακή; Εἰ μὲν κακή, ὕστερον στασιάσασα καλὴ ἐγένετο. Εἰ δὲ πρῶτον καλή, ὕστερον κακή. Εἶτα στασιάσασα πρὸς ἑαυτὴν καὶ ἀτάκτως κινηθεῖσα καὶ ἐλθοῦσα εἰς τὰ τοῦ φωτὸς ὅρια, εἰ μὲν ἐθεάσατο τὸ ἄυλον φῶς, πῶς τυφλή; Πῶς δὲ καὶ ὕλη ἄυλον φῶς θεάσεται; Εἰ δὲ ἐνόησε, πῶς ἄλογος καὶ ἄνους; Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἠράσθη καθ' ὑμᾶς, πῶς ἄψυχος; Πῶς δὲ κακή; Τὸ γὰρ ἐρῶν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ οὐ κακόν. Πῶς δὲ ἄνους καὶ ἄσοφος ἡ ἐκβᾶσα ἐκ τῶν αὐτῆς, ὥσπερ ζῷον οὐκ ἄλογον, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἄριστος στρατηγὸς καὶ εὔτακτος, καὶ λαβοῦσα ἀξιόλογον λάφυρον τοῦ φωτὸς καὶ εἰς τὰ ἑαυτῆς ὑποστρέψασα; Πῶς δὲ καὶ φαύλην λέγετε τὴν τὸ ἀγαθὸν δεξαμένην καὶ χωρήσασαν; Τὰ γὰρ δεκτικὰ ἀγαθοῦ οὐκ ἐναντία οὐδὲ πολέμια. Καὶ πάλιν· Εἰ ἡ ὕλη ἀφήρπασε μέρος τοῦ θεοῦ, δραστήριος μὲν καὶ ποιητικὴ ἡ ὕλη, παθητὴ δὲ καὶ ῥευστὴ ἡ φύσις τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ. Εἰ δὲ ἐκείνη μὲν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἐπεθύμησεν, ὁ δὲ ἀγαθὸς μέρος αὑτοῦ ἔδωκε τῷ κακῷ, ἀμφότερα ἐτράπησαν· καὶ τὸ κακὸν γὰρ ἐπεθύμησε τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ καὶ ἀγαθὸν ἐγένετο, καὶ τὸ ἀγαθὸν δεξάμενον μιγῆναι τῷ κακῷ κακὸν ἐγένετο. Καὶ πάλιν· Ἐβλάβη τὸ ἀγαθὸν ὑπὸ τῆς ἁρπαγῆς καὶ τῆς μίξεως ἢ ἔβλαψεν, ἢ ὠφέλησεν ἢ ὠφελήθη; Εἰ μὲν ὠφελήθη, ἐνεργὸν καὶ ἀγαθὸν τὸ ὠφελῆσαν καὶ ἧττον τὸ ὠφεληθὲν καὶ παθητόν. Εἰ δὲ ἐβλάβη, καὶ οὕτω παθητὸν τὸ βλαβὲν καὶ ἐπικρατέστερον τὸ βλάψαν. Εἰ δὲ ἔβλαψε, κακόν ἐστι. Εἰ δὲ ὠφέλησε, φθονερὸς ὁ ἀγαθός, λυπηθεὶς καὶ μνησίκακος, πυρὶ παραδοὺς τὴν ὕλην καὶ τῇ ὑπερβολῇ τῆς μνησικακίας καὶ ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ μέρος σὺν αὐτῇ. Εἰ δὲ οὐδὲ ἔβλαψεν οὐδὲ ἐβλάβη οὐδὲ ὠφέλησεν οὐδὲ ὠφελήθη, πρῶτον μὲν ἀνενέργητον· τὸ γὰρ ἀγαθόν, ἔνθα ἂν γένηται, ὠφελεῖ, ἐὰν ἔχῃ ἀγαθὴν ἐνέργειαν· δεύτερον δὲ ἄδικον, ὅτι μηδὲ ὠφεληθεὶς μηδὲ βλαβεὶς κολάσει τὴν μηδὲν ἀδικήσασαν ὕλην. Εἰ δὲ διὰ τὸ ἐρασθῆναι αὐτοῦ τὴν ὕλην καὶ μετασχεῖν αὐτοῦ ὀργίζεται ὁ θεὸς καὶ λυπεῖται καθ' ὑμᾶς, μηδεὶς ἐρασθῇ αὐτοῦ. Εἰ δέ, ὥς φατε, γνοὺς ὁ θεὸς τὴν ὕλην ἐπερχομένην αὐτῷ ἑκὼν συνεχώρησεν ἁρπαγῆναι μέρος αὐτοῦ ὑπ' αὐτῆς, ἵνα αὐτῆς τὴν κίνησιν περιγράψας τιμωρήσηται ὥσπερ βόλον ἐντήξας τῇ γεέννῃ, πρῶτον μέν, τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐκ εὐθέως ἔτηξε καὶ παρέδωκεν αὐτὴν τῇ γεέννῃ; Εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἐδύνατο εἰ μὴ τρόπῳ τοιούτῳ, ἡμῖν τί μέμφεται μὴ ἀνθισταμένοις τῷ πονηρῷ, αὐτὸς προδοὺς τὰς ψυχὰς ἡμῶν διὰ ἀδυναμίαν; Εἶτα γέενναν λέγοντες ἢ ὁμοούσιον τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ταύτην ἐρεῖτε ἢ ὁμοούσιον τοῦ πονηροῦ ἢ ἄλλην οὐσίαν, καὶ οὐκέτι δύο, ἀλλὰ τρεῖς. Εἰ γὰρ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, πῶς κολάζει; Οὐκ ἀγαθὴ γὰρ ἡ γέεννα. Εἰ δὲ τοῦ πονηροῦ, οὐ κολάζει τὸ πονηρόν· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἑαυτὸ κολάζει. Εἰ δὲ ἕτερόν τι παρὰ τὰ δύο, τρεῖς ἀρχαὶ καὶ οὐ δύο, ἢ ἐκ μὴ ὄντος εἰς τὸ εἶναι παρήχθη. Καὶ εἰ τοῦτο, διὰ τί μὴ πρὸς τὴν εὐθεῖαν ἐρχόμενοι εἴπομεν, ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος εἰς τὸ εἶναι παρῆχθαι τὰ πάντα; Τὸ ἄναρχον ἄτρεπτον· τροπὴ γάρ ἐστι τὸ μὴ πρότερον ὄντα ὕστερον γενέσθαι. Ὧν δὲ τὸ εἶναι ἀπὸ τροπῆς, τρεπτά εἰσι φύσει· ὧν δὲ εἶναι οὐκ ἀπὸ τροπῆς ἤρξατο, ἀλλ' ἄναρχον, ἄτρεπτα φύσει. Πῶς οὖν ἐκ τῶν ἀνάρχων οὐσιῶν ἐγενόμεθα; Εἰ μὴ γὰρ καὶ αὐταὶ τοιαῦταί εἰσιν, οἷοι ἡμεῖς, ἄνθρωποι καὶ αὐτοί. Εἰ δὲ τοιαῦται, πῶς ἐτράπησαν; Οὐκ ἐκ τῶν ἀνάρχων τοίνυν οὐσιῶν ἡμεῖς, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος. Εἰ ἄναρχος ἀρχὴ καὶ ἀίδιος ἡ ὕλη καὶ ἡ κακία ἐξ ἑαυτῆς ἔχουσα τὸ εἶναι καὶ ὅσα ἔχει, τουτέστι τὴν τυραννίδα καὶ τὴν ἰσχὺν καὶ τὴν κακίαν, ἄτρεπτα ταῦτα ἕξει. Πῶς οὖν ὁ τοσοῦτον αὐτὴν φοβηθείς, ὥστε παραχωρῆσαι μέρος ἑαυτοῦ αἰχμάλωτον ὑπ' αὐτῆς γενέσθαι, ἐσχάτως αὐτῆς περιγενέσθαι δυνήσεται; 69 Μανιχαῖος· ∆ιὰ τί προγινώσκων ὁ θεὸς τὸν διάβολον, ὅτι ἔμελλε τρέπεσθαι ἐκ