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sometimes evil for murdering, and then again good for doing good. And these names are attached to the substance from its accidents, which are not the substance itself; for neither is murder the substance, nor again adultery, nor any of the similar evils; but just as from grammar one is called a grammarian, and from rhetoric an orator, and from medicine a physician, the substance being neither medicine, nor rhetoric, nor grammar, but taking its designation from its accidents, from which it seems to be so named while being neither of them, so it seems to me that the substance also acquires a name from the things that seem to be evil, while being neither of them. 7.22.31 And in the same way, consider, if you fashion in your mind some other cause of evils for men, that he too, insofar as he operates in these things and prompts the doing of evils, is himself evil from what he does. For this is why he is called evil, because he is the maker of evils. But what one does, one is not oneself, but they are his activities, from which he receives the designation of being called evil. 7.22.32 For if we were to say that he is what he does, and he does murders and adulteries and thefts and such similar things, he will be these things; but if he is these things, and these things have their existence when they happen, but when not happening they also cease to be, and these things are done by men, then men will be the makers of these things and 7.22.33 the cause of their being and of their no longer being. But if you say these are his activities, it is from what he does that he has his being evil, not from what he is as a substance. And we said evil is so called from the accidents of the substance, which are not the substance, as a physician from medicine. 7.22.34 But if he is evil from what he does, he exists as evil, and what he does has a beginning of being, then he also began to be evil, and these evils also began. And if this is so, he will not be unoriginatedly evil, nor will evils be ungenerated, if you say they are generated by him. 7.22.35 You seem to me, my friend, to have made the argument against your companion sufficiently; for from the premises he adopted in the argument, you seemed to conclude well. For in truth, if matter happened to be without quality, and God is the creator of qualities, 7.22.36 and evils are qualities, then God will be the maker of evils. Let this argument, then, be well stated against him, but to me it seems false to say that matter is without quality; for it is not even possible to say of any substance whatever that it is without quality. For even in saying it is without quality, he reveals its quality, describing what kind of thing 7.22.37 matter is, which is a form of quality. Therefore, if you please, take up the argument with me from the beginning. For to me it seems that matter has qualities unoriginatedly. For thus I say that evils also come from its effluence, so that God may be without cause of evils, but matter be the cause of them all. 7.22.38 I accept your eagerness, my friend, and I praise your diligence in argument. For it is truly fitting for every lover of learning not to assent simply and at random to what is said, but to make a precise examination of the arguments. For even if the one inquiring, by defining unreasonably, has given an occasion to the interlocutor to conclude as he wishes, this will not also persuade the hearer, but if anything seems possible to be said well, he will say this; whereupon one of two things will happen: for either, upon hearing, he will be completely benefited 7.22.39 with respect to what he seems to be moved by, or he will refute the interlocutor as not speaking the truth. But you do not seem to me to have rightly said that matter has qualities from the beginning. For if this is so, of what will God be the maker? For if we say of substance, we say this pre-exists; 7.22.40 and if again of qualities, that these also exist. Therefore, since substance and qualities both exist, it seems to me superfluous to call God a creator. But so that I may not seem to be constructing some argument for myself, answer now when you are asked, in what way do you say God is a creator? Is it that he turned the substances into the

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μὲν κακὸν διὰ τὸ φονεύειν, ποτὲ δ' αὖ πάλιν διὰ τὸ εὐεργετεῖν ἀγαθόν. καὶ προσπλέκεται ταῦτα τὰ ὀνόματα τῇ οὐσίᾳ ἐκ τῶν συμβεβηκότων αὐτῇ, ἅτινα οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτή· οὔτε γὰρ ὁ φόνος ἐστὶν ἡ οὐσία οὔτ' αὖ πάλιν ἡ μοιχεία οὔτε τι τῶν ὁμοίων κακῶν· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἀπὸ τῆς γραμματικῆς ὁ γραμματικὸς λέγεται καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ῥητορικῆς ὁ ῥήτωρ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἰατρικῆς ὁ ἰατρός, τῆς οὐσίας οὔτ' ἰατρικῆς οὔσης οὔτε μὴν ῥητορικῆς οὔτε γραμματικῆς, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῶν συμβεβηκότων αὐτῇ τὴν προσηγορίαν λαμβανούσης, ἀφ' ὧν οὕτως ὀνομάζεσθαι δοκεῖ οὐδ' ὁπότερον αὐτῶν οὖσα, ὁμοίως μοι φαίνεται καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν δοκούντων εἶναι κακῶν τὴν οὐσίαν ὄνομα προσλαμβάνειν οὐδ' ὁπότερον οὖσαν αὐτῶν. 7.22.31 καί μοι ὁμοίως ἐπινόησον, εἴ τινα ἕτερον ἀναπλάττεις ἐν τῷ νῷ τῶν κακῶν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις αἴτιον, ὡς κἀκεῖνος, καθὸ ἐν τούτοις ἐνεργεῖ καὶ ὑποβάλλει ποιεῖν τὰ κακά, ἔστι καὶ αὐτὸς κακὸς ἐξ ὧν ποιεῖ. διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ κἀκεῖνος κακὸς εἶναι λέγεται, ὅτι τῶν κακῶν ἐστι ποιητής. ἃ δέ τις ποιεῖ, οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτός, ἀλλ' αἱ ἐνέργειαι αὐτοῦ, ἀφ' ὧν τὴν προσηγορίαν τοῦ κακὸς λέγεσθαι λαμβάνει. 7.22.32 εἰ γὰρ αὐτὸν ὑπάρχειν εἴποιμεν ἃ ποιεῖ, ποιεῖ δὲ φόνους καὶ μοιχείας καὶ κλοπὰς καὶ ὅσα τούτοις ὅμοια, αὐτὸς ἔσται ταῦτα· εἰ δὲ ταῦτ' ἐστὶν αὐτός, ταῦτα δ' ὅτε γίνεται τὴν σύστασιν ἔχει, οὐ γινόμενα δὲ καὶ τοῦ εἶναι παύεται, γίνεται δὲ ταῦτα πρὸς ἀνθρώπων, ἔσονται τούτων οἱ ἄνθρωποι ποιηταὶ καὶ 7.22.33 τοῦ εἶναι καὶ τοῦ μηκέτ' εἶναι αἴτιοι. εἰ δὲ ταῦτα ἐνεργείας αὐτοῦ φῄς, ἐξ ὧν ποιεῖ τὸ κακὸς εἶναι ἔχει, οὐκ ἐξ ὧν ἐστιν οὐσία. κακὸν δὲ εἴπομεν λέγεσθαι ἀπὸ τῶν συμβεβηκότων τῇ οὐσίᾳ, ἅτινα οὐκ ἔστιν ἡ οὐσία, ὡς ἀπὸ τῆς ἰατρικῆς 7.22.34 ὁ ἰατρός. εἰ δὲ ἐξ ὧν ἐνεργεῖ κακός, ὑπάρχει κακός, ἃ δὲ ἐνεργεῖ ἀρχὴν τοῦ εἶναι λαμβάνει, ἤρξατο κἀκεῖνος εἶναι κακός, ἤρξατο δὲ καὶ ταυτὶ τὰ κακά. εἰ δὲ οὕτως ἔχει, οὐκ ἔσται ἀνάρχως κακὸς οὐδὲ ἀγένητα τὰ κακὰ τῷ γενητὰ πρὸς αὐτοῦ εἶναι φάναι. 7.22.35 Τὸν μὲν πρὸς τὸν ἑταῖρον, ὦ φίλε, λόγον ἱκανῶς μοι πεποιηκέναι δοκεῖς· ἐξ ὧν γὰρ προὔλαβε τῷ λόγῳ, ἐκ τούτων συνάγειν ἔδοξας καλῶς. ὡς ἀληθῶς γάρ, εἰ ἄποιος ἐτύγχανεν ἡ ὕλη, τῶν δὲ ποιοτήτων δημιουργὸς ὑπάρχει ὁ θεός, 7.22.36 ποιότητες δὲ τὰ κακά, τῶν κακῶν ἔσται ποιητὴς ὁ θεός. οὗτος μὲν οὖν ὁ λόγος πρὸς ἐκεῖνον εἰρήσθω καλῶς, ἐμοὶ δὲ ψεῦδος δοκεῖ τὴν ὕλην ἄποιον εἶναι λέγειν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔνεστιν εἰπεῖν περὶ ἡστινοσοῦν οὐσίας ὡς ἔστιν ἄποιος. καὶ γὰρ ἐν ᾧ ἄποιον εἶναι λέγει, τὴν ποιότητα αὐτῆς μηνύει, ὁποία ἐστὶν ἡ 7.22.37 ὕλη διαγραφόμενος, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ποιότητος εἶδος. ὅθεν, εἴ σοι φίλον ἐστίν, ἄνωθεν ἔχου πρὸς ἐμὲ τοῦ λόγου. ἐμοὶ γὰρ ἡ ὕλη ἀνάρχως ποιότητας ἔχειν δοκεῖ. οὕτως γὰρ καὶ τὰ κακὰ ἐκ τῆς ἀπορροίας αὐτῆς εἶναι λέγω, ἵνα τῶν κακῶν ὁ μὲν θεὸς ἀναίτιος ᾖ, τούτων δὲ ἁπάντων ἡ ὕλη αἰτία. 7.22.38 Τὴν μὲν προθυμίαν τὴν σὴν ἀποδέχομαι, ὦ φίλε, καί σου τὴν ἐν τοῖς λόγοις σπουδὴν ἐπαινῶ. προσῆκε γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς ἕκαστον τῶν φιλομαθῶν μὴ ἁπλῶς καὶ ὡς ἔτυχε συγκατατίθεσθαι τοῖς λεγομένοις, ἀλλ' ἀκριβῆ ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἐξέτασιν τῶν λόγων. οὐδὲ γὰρ εἰ ὁ προσζητῶν παρὰ λόγον ὁρισάμενος ἀφορμὴν παρέσχε τῷ προσδιαλεγομένῳ συνάγειν ὡς θέλει, τοῦτο καὶ τὸν ἀκροατὴν πείσει, ἀλλ' εἴ τι δοκεῖ δυνατὸν εἶναι λέγεσθαι καλῶς, τοῦτο λέξει· παρ' ὃ δυοῖν θάτερον ἔσται· ἢ γὰρ καὶ πρὸς ὃ κινεῖσθαι δοκεῖ ἀκούσας τέλεον ὠφελη7.22.39 θήσεται, ἢ τὸν προσδιαλεγόμενον ἐλέγξει οὐ τἀληθῆ λέγοντα. οὐ δοκεῖς δέ μοι δεόντως εἰρηκέναι τὴν ὕλην ἄνωθεν ποιότητας ἔχειν. εἰ γὰρ τοῦθ' οὕτως ἔχει, τίνος ἔσται ποιητὴς ὁ θεός; εἴτε γὰρ οὐσίας ἐροῦμεν, προεῖναι ταύτην 7.22.40 φαμέν· εἴτ' αὖ πάλιν ποιοτήτων, καὶ ταύτας ὑπάρχειν. οὐκοῦν οὐσίας τε οὔσης καὶ ποιοτήτων περιττὸν εἶναί μοι δοκεῖ δημιουργὸν λέγειν τὸν θεόν. ἵνα δὲ μὴ ἐμαυτῷ κατασκευάζειν τινὰ δόξω λόγον, ἀπόκριναι νῦν ἐρωτώμενος, τίνι τρόπῳ δημιουργὸν εἶναι φῂς τὸν θεόν; πότερον ὅτι τὰς οὐσίας ἔτρεψεν εἰς τὸ