40

d. They are called evil: Not simply the being called, but the being in nature must be sought. And this, 'inasmuch as they are not,' must be understood thus: They have not come to be by a perversion of the goods given to them from God, both of states and of activities, which having put aside, they have become evil, according to which they did not receive being.

a. And of non-being: How those who desire non-being desire evil, must be stated thus. God is being above beings, and so truth is being, since truth is also God (14S_184>; therefore it is reasonable that what is opposed to truth is falsehood, and is not being; for it is completely outside of God; being not even an image of truth; for it has no good from God. But since it persuades some that it is something at all, it will be a dark and faint phantom of things that are in any way. Therefore it is also a phantom in actuality, and a falsehood in actuality, that is, truly and really a falsehood; whence also in actuality non-being, it is not being, and is really non-being. Therefore, just as in the case of things that are falsely, and this whole being a falsehood, the falsehood, when removed, removes the entire substance of the thing, so also one who loves falsehood, like the demons, loves non-being, and in being, that is, in the truth he has not stood, as Truth itself says. Therefore the demons, as Jesus says, "being liars, and fathers of the lie," neither are, and they desire non-being, when they also desire the evil of falsehood.

b. § 24. But if to be made evil: Note, that to associate with evil things with the forethought of making them good also is not evil, according to what was said: "I became to the lawless as lawless, that I might win the lawless also." And we said above in the fifth chapter, that there is not a complete privation of the good in beings, since there would have been a complete corruption even of corruption itself, but according to a partial lack of the good. Therefore, according to this, neither does the soul have complete evil, but will have some, and some it will not have; and the good is substantial, but the evil from without. But even so someone will say that the impediment (14S_186> to its own natural activity is evil for the soul. Even if, then, the impediment was from without, nevertheless the soul, being prevented from seeing as if in darkness, will do evil things. To which it must be said, that from what has been said the impediment is found to be productive of evil, but not evil-in-itself; for wickedness is not the primary evil, but a form of evil, just as virtue is a certain co-worker towards the good, not indeed the primary good.

c. Evil, as being evil: That is, evil is not some substance, nor is it seen in things that are according to substance as being completive of it, as power and activity is evil; and the entire purpose of the father concerning this is seen towards such a rendering of the concept.

But as a deficiency: How evil is understood. d. § 25. But not even in animals: Because evil is not in irrational animals, since

they are neither evil by nature, nor are their dispositions evil, such as anger, desire, rash imagination.

e. For if you should take away: That the dispositions of irrational animals are natural, just as anger for a lion and for reptiles, and barking for dogs; whence as natural, they are not evil.

s. § 26. But not even in the whole: Nature is a divine art proceeding according to a state into generation, the results of which divine art are plants and animals and fruits and the changes of the elements into one another, being a principle of motion and of rest. Just as, therefore, in the case of wax-modellers and those who pursue the plastic arts, there must be something remaining in them, that is, reason and mind, who through hands make their own works, so also in the case of the nature of all things, there is something remaining in them, that is, the power, not working through hands, but being the will and thought of God, (14S_188> proceeding as an art into the generation of things that grow; for nature does not need some things to remain, and others to be moved; for matter is that which is moved into generation, and that which moves it is the

40

δ. Λέγονται κακοί: Οὐχ ἁπλῶς τό λέγεσθαι, ἀλλά τό ὄν τῇ φύσει ζητητέον. Τό δέ, 'καθό οὔκ εἰσιν', οὕτω νοητέον· Οὐ γεγόνασιν ἐπί παρατροπῇ τῶν θεόθεν αὐτοῖς δεδομένων ἀγαθῶν, ἕξεων τε καί ἐνεργειῶν, ἥντινα ἀποθέμενοι, γεγόνασι κακοί, καθ' ἥν οὔκ εἰσι τό εἶναι λαχόντες.

α. Καί τοῦ μή ὄντος: Πῶς οἱ τοῦ μή ὄντος ἐφιέμενοι τοῦ κακοῦ ἐφίενται, λεκτέον οὕτως. Ὁ Θεός ὄν ἐστιν ὑπέρ τά ὄντα, καί ἡ ἀλήθεια οὖν τό ὄν ἐστιν, ἐπειδή καί ἡ ἀλήθεια ὁ Θεός (14S_184> ἐστίν· εἰκότως οὖν τό ἀντικείμενον τῇ ἀληθείᾳ ψεῦδός ἐστι, μήτε ὄν· ἔξω γάρ ἐστι τοῦ Θεοῦ παντελῶς· μήτε εἰκών ἀληθείας ὄν· οὐδέν γάρ ἀγαθόν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἔχει. Ἐπειδή δέ πείθει τινάς ὅλως εἶναί τι, ἔσται σκοτεινόν καί ἀμυδρόν τῶν ὁπωσοῦν ὄντων εἴδωλον. ∆ιό καί ἐνεργείᾳ εἴδωλον, καί ἐνεργείᾳ ψεῦδος, τουτέστιν ἀληθινῶς καί ὄντως ψεῦδος· ὅθεν καί ἐνεργείᾳ μή ὄν, οὐκ ὄν ἐστι, καί ὄντως μή ὄν. Τοιγαροῦν ὥσπερ καί ἐπί τῶν ψευδῶς ὄντων, καί τό ὅλον τοῦτο ψεῦδος ὄντων, τό ψεῦδος, ἀναιρεθέν, πᾶσαν τήν οὐσίαν τοῦ πράγματος ἀναιρεῖ, οὕτω καί ὁ τοῦ ψεύδους ἐρῶν, ὥσπερ οἱ δαίμονες, τοῦ μή ὄντος ἐρᾷ, καί ἐν τῷ ὄντι, τουτέστιν ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ οὐχ ἔστηκεν, ὡς αὐτή ἡ Ἀλήθειά φησιν. Οἱ οὖν δαίμονες, καθώς φησιν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, «ψεῦσται ὄντες, καί πατέρες τοῦ ψεύδους», οὔτε εἰσί, καί τοῦ μή ὄντος ἐφίενται, ὅταν καί κακοῦ ἐφίενται τοῦ ψεύδους.

β. § 24. Εἰ δέ τό κακύνεσθαι: Σημείωσαι, ὅτι τό συγγίνεσθαι κακοῖς ἐπί προνοίᾳ τοῦ καί αὐτά ἀγαθύνεσθαι οὐ κακόν, κατά τό εἰρημένον· «ἐγενόμην τοῖς ἀνόμοις ὡς ἄνομος, ἵνα καί ἀνόμους κερδήσω». Ἔφημεν δέ καί ἀνωτέρω ἐν τῷ ε' κεφαλαίῳ, μή παντελῆ στέρησιν γενέσθαι τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὖσιν, ἐπεί καί παντελής ἐγένετο ἄν φθορά καί αὐτῆς τῆς φθορᾶς, ἀλλά κατ' ἔλλειψιν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ μερικήν. Οὐκοῦν κατά τοῦτο οὔτε ἡ ψυχή παντελές ἔχει τό κακόν, ἀλλά τό μέν ἕξει, τό δέ οὐχ ἕξει· καί τό μέν ἀγαθόν οὐσιῶδες, τό δέ κακόν ἔξωθεν. Ἀλλά καί οὕτως ἐρεῖ τις κακόν εἶναι τῇ ψυχῆ τόν ἐμποδισμόν (14S_186> τῆς οἰκείας κατά φύσιν ἐνεργείας. Εἰ καί ἔξωθεν τοίνυν ἦν ὁ ἐμποδισμός, ἀλλ' οὖν ὡς ἐν σκότῳ βλέπειν κωλυομένη ψυχή, ποιήσει κακά. Πρός ὅ λεκτέον, ὅτι ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων εὑρίσκεται ὁ ἐμποδισμός ποιητικόν κακοῦ, οὐ μήν αὐτόκακον· οὐ γάρ ἡ κακία πρῶτον κακόν, ἀλλ' εἶδος κακοῦ, ὥσπερ ἡ ἀρετή συνεργόν τί ἐστι πρός ἀγαθόν, οὔ τοι πρῶτον ἀγαθόν.

γ. Τό κακόν, ὡς ὄν κακόν: Τουτέστιν οὐκ οὐσία τις τό κακόν, ἀλλ' οὐδέ ἐν τοῖς κατ' οὐσίαν οὖσι ὡς συμπληρωτικόν ταύτης ὁρᾶται, ὥσπερ δύναμις καί ἐνέργεια τό κακόν· καί πρός τήν τοιαύτην τῆς ἐννοίας ἀπόδοσιν ὁ πᾶς περί τούτου σκοπός ὁρᾶται τοῦ πατρός.

Ἀλλ' ὡς ἔλλειψις: Πῶς νοεῖται τό κακόν. δ. § 25. Ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἐν ζώοις: Ὅτι οὔτε ἐν ζώοις ἀλόγοις ἐστί τό κακόν, ἐπεί

μήτε φύσει κακά εἰσιν, ἀλλ' οὔτε αἱ σχέσεις αὐτῶν κακαί, οἷον θυμός, ἐπιθυμία, φαντασία προπετής.

ε. Εἰ γάρ ἀνέλοις: Ὅτι φυσικαί εἰσιν αἱ σχέσεις τῶν ἀλόγων, ὥσπερ λέοντι καί ἑρπετοῖς ὁ θυμός, καί κυσί τό ὑλακτικόν· ὅθεν ὡς φυσικαί, οὔτε κακαί.

ς. § 26. Ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἐν τῇ ὅλῃ: Φύσις ἐστί καθ' ἕξιν θεία τέχνη εἰς γένεσιν προϊοῦσα, ἧς θείας τέχνης τά ἀποτελέσματα φυτά τε καί ζῶα καί καρποί καί τῶν στοιχείων εἰς ἄλληλα μεταβολαί, ἀρχή κινήσεως οὖσα καί στάσεως. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἐπί τῶν κηροπλαστῶν καί τῶν τάς πλαστικάς μετιόντων τέχνας δεῖ εἶναί τι ἐν αὐτοῖς μένον, τουτέστι λόγον καί νοῦν, οἵ διά χειρῶν ποιοῦσι τά ἑαυτῶν ἔργα, οὕτω καί ἐπί τῆς φύσεως τῶν ὅλων, ἔστι τι ἐν αὐτοῖς μένον, τουτέστι ἡ δύναμις, οὐ διά χειρῶν ἐργαζομένη, ἀλλά βούλησις καί διανόησις οὖσα Θεοῦ, (14S_188> προϊοῦσα οἷον τέχνη εἰς γένεσιν τῶν φυομένων· οὐ γάρ δεῖται ἡ φύσις τινῶν μενόντων, ἑτέρων δέ ὡς κινουμένων· ἡ γάρ ὕλη ἐστίν ἡ εἰς γένεσιν κινουμένη, τό δέ κινοῦν αὐτήν ὁ