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that those things which once were no longer exist, but that other things have come into being beside them, or that he preserved those substances which existed before this, but changed their qualities? 7.22.41 It does not seem to me that any change of substances has occurred; for to say this seems absurd to me; but I say that a certain change of the qualities has occurred, by which I say that God is a creator, and just as one might say a house has been made from stones, concerning which it is not possible to say that they no longer remain stones in substance, the stones having become a house. 7.22.42 For I say that the house has come into being by the quality of its composition, obviously the former quality of the stones having been changed. So it seems to me that God also, while the substance remained, made a certain change of its qualities, according to which I say the generation of this world was brought about by God. 7.22.43 Since, then, you say that a certain change of the qualities was brought about by God, answer me, as I wish to ask a few things. Tell me then if it seems likewise to you that evils are qualities of substances? It seems so. 7.22.44 Were these qualities in matter from the beginning, or did they have a beginning of their being? I say that these qualities coexist ungenerately with matter. 7.22.45 Do you not say that God has made a certain change of the qualities? I say this. 7.22.46 Was it, then, for the better or for the worse? It seems to me to say for the better. 7.22.47 Therefore, if evils are qualities of matter, and God changed its qualities for the better, whence is it necessary to seek for evils? For the qualities did not remain as they once were by nature. Or if at first there were no evil qualities, but you say that from being changed by God such qualities concerning matter came to be, God will be the cause of evils, having changed qualities that were not 7.22.48 evil into being evil; or does it not seem to you that God changed the evil qualities for the better, but you say that the remaining and only those qualities, as many as happened to be indifferent for the sake of adornment, were changed by God? This is how I have held it from the beginning. 7.22.49 How then do you say that he has left the worthless qualities as they were? Was it because he was able to abolish them but did not wish to, or because he did not have the ability? For if you say he was able, but did not wish to, it is necessary to say he is the cause of these things, because being able to make evils not to be, he allowed them 7.22.50 to remain as they were, and especially when he began to create matter. For if he had no concern for matter at all, he would not be the cause of what he allowed to remain; but since he fashioned one part of it, but left another part as it was, being able to change those parts also for the better, it seems to me he deserves to incur blame, having left a part 7.22.51 of matter to be wicked for the destruction of the part he fashioned. But indeed it seems to me that the greatest wrongs have been done against this part, that very part of matter which he fashioned, which now perceives evils. For if one were to examine matters precisely, he will find that matter has now suffered a worse fate than its former disorder. For before it was distinguished, it was not even able to perceive evils; but now each of its parts receives a perception of 7.22.52 evils. And take for me the example in the case of man. For before he was formed into an image and became a living being by the art of the creator, he had from nature the quality of not perceiving any evils; but from the time he becomes a man by God, he also gains the perception of approaching evil, and this, which you say happened by God for the benefit of matter, is found rather to have accrued to it 7.22.53 for the worse. But if you say that evils have not ceased because of God's inability to abolish them, you will be saying that God is powerless. And this powerlessness will be either because he is weak by nature or because he is overcome by fear, 7.22.54 having been enslaved by something stronger. If, then, you will dare to say that God is weak by nature, it seems to me you are risking salvation itself; but if because he is overcome by fear by

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μηκέθ' ὑπάρχειν ἐκείνας αἵπερ ἦσάν ποτε, ἀλλ' ἑτέρας παρ' αὐτὰς γενέσθαι, ἢ ὅτι τὰς μὲν οὐσίας ἐφύλαξεν ἐκείνας αἵπερ ἦσαν πρὸ τούτου, τὰς δὲ ποιότητας ἔτρεψεν αὐτῶν; 7.22.41 Οὔ τι μοι δοκεῖ ἀλλαγήν τινα οὐσιῶν γεγονέναι· καὶ γὰρ ἄτοπον τοῦτο λέγειν μοι φαίνεται· τροπὴν δέ τινα τῶν ποιοτήτων γεγονέναι φημί, καθ' ἣν δημιουργὸν εἶναι λέγω τὸν θεόν, καὶ ὥσπερ εἰ τύχοι λέγειν ἐκ λίθων οἰκίαν γεγονέναι, ἐφ' ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν ὡς οὐκέτι λίθοι μένουσι τῇ οὐσίᾳ, οἰκία 7.22.42 γενόμενοι οἱ λίθοι. τῇ γὰρ ποιότητι τῆς συνθέσεως τὴν οἰκίαν γεγονέναι φημί, τραπείσης δηλονότι τῆς προτέρας τῶν λίθων ποιότητος. οὕτω μοι δοκεῖ καὶ τὸν θεόν, ὑπομενούσης τῆς οὐσίας, τροπήν τινα τῶν ποιοτήτων αὐτῆς πεποιηκέναι, καθ' ἣν τὴν τοῦδε τοῦ κόσμου γένεσιν πρὸς τοῦ θεοῦ γεγονέναι λέγω. 7.22.43 Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν τροπήν τινα τῶν ποιοτήτων πρὸς τοῦ θεοῦ γεγονέναι φῄς, ἀπόκριναί μοι βραχέα πυθέσθαι προαιρουμένῳ. λέγε δὴ εἰ ὁμοίως καὶ σοὶ δοκεῖ τὰ κακὰ ποιότητας εἶναι τῶν οὐσιῶν; ∆οκεῖ. 7.22.44 Ἄνωθεν δὲ ἦσαν αἱ ποιότητες αὗται ἐν τῇ ὕλῃ, ἢ ἀρχὴν ἔσχον τοῦ εἶναι; Συνεῖναί φημι ἀγενήτως τῇ ὕλῃ ταυτασὶ τὰς ποιότητας. 7.22.45 Οὐχὶ δὲ τὸν θεὸν φῂς τροπήν τινα τῶν ποιοτήτων πεποιηκέναι; Τοῦτό φημι. 7.22.46 Πότερον οὖν εἰς τὸ κρεῖττον ἢ εἰς τὸ χεῖρον; Εἰς τὸ κρεῖττον λέγειν μοι δοκεῖ. 7.22.47 Οὐκοῦν εἰ ποιότητες τῆς ὕλης τὰ κακά, τὰς δὲ ποιότητας αὐτῆς εἰς τὸ κρεῖττον ἔτρεψεν ὁ θεός, πόθεν τὰ κακὰ ζητεῖν ἀνάγκη; οὐ γὰρ ἔμειναν αἱ ποιότητες ὁποῖαί ποτ' ἦσαν τῇ φύσει. ἢ εἰ μὲν πρότερον οὐκ ἦσαν ποιότητες κακαί, ἐκ δὲ τοῦ τραπῆναι πρὸς τοῦ θεοῦ τὰς πρώτας τοιαύτας περὶ τὴν ὕλην γεγονέναι ποιότητας φῄς, αἴτιος ἔσται τῶν κακῶν ὁ θεός, τρέψας τὰς οὐκ 7.22.48 οὔσας ποιότητας κακὰς εἰς τὸ εἶναι κακάς· ἢ τὰς μὲν κακὰς ποιότητας εἰς τὸ κρεῖττον οὐ δοκεῖ σοι τρέψαι τὸν θεόν, τὰς δὲ λοιπὰς καὶ μόνας, ὅσαι ἀδιάφοροι ἐτύγχανον τῆς διακοσμήσεως ἕνεκα, πρὸς τοῦ θεοῦ τετράφθαι λέγεις; Οὕτως ἄνωθεν ἔσχον ἐγώ. 7.22.49 Πῶς τοίνυν αὐτὸν τὰς τῶν φαύλων ποιότητας ὡς εἶχον καταλελοιπέναι λέγεις; πότερον δυνάμενον μὲν κἀκείνας ἀνελεῖν, οὐ βουληθέντα δέ, ἢ τὸ δύνασθαι μὴ ἔχοντα; εἰ μὲν γὰρ δυνάμενον λέξεις, οὐ βουληθέντα δέ, αὐτὸν αἴτιον τούτων εἰπεῖν ἀνάγκη, ὅτι δυνάμενος ποιῆσαι μὴ εἶναι κακὰ συνεχώρησεν αὐτὰ 7.22.50 μένειν ὡς ἦν, καὶ μάλιστα ὅτε δημιουργεῖν τὴν ὕλην ἤρξατο. εἰ γὰρ μηδ' ὅλως ἔμελεν αὐτῷ τῆς ὕλης, οὐκ ἂν αἴτιος ἦν ὧν συνεχώρει μένειν· ἐπεὶ δὲ μέρος μέν τι αὐτῆς ἐδημιούργει, μέρος δέ τι οὕτως εἴα, δυνάμενος κἀκεῖνα τρέπειν εἰς τὸ κρεῖττον, αἰτίαν ὀφλισκάνειν ἄξιος εἶναί μοι δοκεῖ, καταλιπὼν μέρος 7.22.51 ὕλης εἶναι πονηρὸν ἐπ' ὀλέθρῳ οὗ ἐδημιούργησε μέρους. ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τὰ μέγιστα κατὰ τοῦτο τὸ μέρος ἠδικῆσθαί μοι δοκεῖ, τοῦθ' ὅπερ κατεσκεύασε τῆς ὕλης μέρος ἀντιλαμβανόμενον τὰ νῦν τῶν κακῶν. εἰ γάρ τις ἐξετάζοι ἐπ' ἀκριβὲς τὰ πράγματα, χαλεπώτερον νῦν εὑρήσει τὴν ὕλην πεπονθυῖαν τῆς προτέρας ἀκοσμίας. πρὶν γὰρ αὐτὴν διακριθῆναι, τὸ μηδὲ αἰσθέσθαι τῶν κακῶν παρῆν αὐτῇ· νυνὶ δὲ ἕκαστον τῶν μερῶν αὐτῆς αἴσθησιν λαμβάνει τῶν 7.22.52 κακῶν. καί μοι ἐπ' ἀνθρώπου τὸ παράδειγμα λάβε. πρὶν γὰρ εἰκονισθῇ καὶ ζῷον γένηται τῇ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ τέχνῃ, τὸ μηθενὸς ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι τῶν κακῶν παρὰ τῆς φύσεως εἶχεν· ἀφ' οὗ δὲ πρὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ἄνθρωπος γίνεται, καὶ τὴν αἴσθησιν τοῦ προσπελάζοντος κακοῦ προσλαμβάνει, καὶ τοῦθ', ὅπερ ἐπὶ εὐεργεσίᾳ τῆς ὕλης πρὸς τοῦ θεοῦ γεγονέναι λέγεις, εὑρίσκεται μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τῷ 7.22.53 χείρονι προσγενόμενον αὐτῇ. εἰ δ' ἐκ τοῦ μὴ δύνασθαι τὸν θεὸν ἀνελεῖν τὰ κακὰ τὸ μὴ πεπαῦσθαι λέγεις, ἀδύνατον τὸν θεὸν φήσεις ὑπάρχειν. τὸ δὲ ἀδύνατον ἤτοι τῷ φύσει ἀσθενῆ ὑπάρχειν αὐτὸν ἔσται ἢ τῷ νικᾶσθαι τῷ φόβῳ 7.22.54 δεδουλωμένον πρός τινος κρείττονος. εἰ μὲν οὖν τὸν θεὸν φύσει ἀσθενῆ ὄντα τολμήσεις εἰπεῖν, περὶ τῆς σωτηρίας αὐτῆς κινδυνεύειν μοι δοκεῖς· εἰ δὲ τῷ νικᾶσθαι φόβῳ πρὸς