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Very many have held this opinion, and said that God had taken the starting points of creation from a pre-existing matter. Come now, then, let us demonstrate in this chapter also the nobility of the ecclesiastical dogmas. 5. -On matter. Those men, then, as I said, say that all things were created from a pre-existing matter, and, calling it co-eternal with God, they name God its cause; however, they do not define it as evil, according to the impiety of Marcion and Manes. For they consider it the greatest blasphemy to say that God is the maker of evil things. And those men perhaps have some excuse, having neither heard the words of the prophets, nor had the divine apostles as guides, but having entrusted the knowledge of existing things to their reasoning alone. But these men, what penalties worthy of their impiety could they pay, who have enjoyed the divine Gospels, yet have run away from their light, and have embraced the darkness just like bats? They ought to have at least upheld the opinion of these philosophers, since they have stopped their ears, and were unwilling to listen to the oracles of the divine Spirit, and to introduce matter, but not to call it evil. And this is proof of the weakness of human reasoning. For since every art among men requires a pre-existing matter—pottery of clay, architecture of stones and bricks, carpentry and shipbuilding of wood, weaving of wool, and leatherworking of hides, and painting and plastering of colors, and, to speak concisely, each art of its proper materials—the foolish ones supposed that God also is unable to create without matter, and did not understand how great is the difference between man and God, and how it is not possible for the image to have all that the archetype has, and that man, as an image, creates from existing things, but God creates both from existing things and from non-existing things. And this the divine Scripture has clearly taught us. For the Apostle says: "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible." And again: "Who calls into existence the things that do not exist." And he who wrote the account of the world's creation clearly taught what things the Creator made from non-existing things, and what things from existing things; and that He made the heaven and the earth and the other elements from non-existing things. "For in the beginning," it says, "God made the heaven and the earth." And the light He likewise created from non-existing things. 83.465 "For God said," it says, "Let there be light; and there was light." But the firmament He produced from things that had already come into being. "For He said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the water, and let it divide the waters from the waters." And He commanded the seeds and the plants to sprout from the earth. "For He said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed after its kind, and after its likeness, and the fruit tree yielding fruit, whose seed is in itself after its likeness according to its kind upon the earth." Thus also He produced the kinds of irrational animals: from the waters those that travel by air, and those that live in the waters, and those called amphibians. "For He said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven." And from the earth the quadrupeds and reptiles. "For," it says, "Let the earth bring forth the living creature, quadrupeds, reptiles, and beasts." But man He made from existing and non-existing things. For He formed the body by taking dust from the earth, but the soul He created from non-existing things. For the soul is not, according to the impious doctrine of Marcion, of the same substance as God who made it, but was created from non-existing things; for with the greatest ease He creates whatever He wishes. For the power of the Maker is not limited to things that have already come into being

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πλεῖστοι, τῆσδε τῆς δόξης γεγένηνται, καὶ ἐξ ὑποκειμένης δὲ ὕλης ἔφασαν τὸν Θεὸν εἰληφέναι τῆς δημιουργίας τὰς ἀφορμάς. Φέρε τοίνυν, κἀν τῷδε τῷ κεφαλαίῳ τὴν τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν δογμάτων εὐγένειαν ἐπιδείξωμεν. Εʹ. -Περὶ ὕλης. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν, ὡς ἔφην, ἐξ ὑποκειμένης ὕλης τὰ πάντα δημιουργηθῆναί φασι, καὶ συναΐδιον αὐτὴν τῷ Θεῷ λέγοντες, αἴτιον αὐτῆς τὸν Θεὸν ὀνομάζουσιν· οὐ μὴν αὐτὴν κακὴν ὁρίζονται κατὰ τὴν Μαρκίωνος καὶ τοῦ Μάνεντος ἀσέβειαν· μεγίστην γὰρ βλασφη μίαν νομίζουσι τὸ φάναι τὸν Θεὸν εἶναι κακῶν ποιητήν. Καὶ ἐκεῖνοι μὲν ἴσως ἔχουσι συγγνώμην τινὰ, μήτε προφητικῶν ἐπακούσαντες λόγων, μήτε τοὺς θείους ἀποστόλους ποδηγοὺς ἐσχηκότες, μόνοις δὲ τοῖς λογισμοῖς τὴν τῶν ὄντων ἐπιτρέψαντες γνῶσιν. Οὗτοι δὲ ποίας ἂν τίσειαν δίκας τῆς ἀσεβείας ἀξίας, τῶν μὲν θείων ἀπολαύσαντες Εὐαγγελίων, τὸ δὲ τούτων ἀποδράσαντες φῶς, καὶ τὸ σκότος ἀσπασά μενοι ταῖς νυκτερίσι παραπλησίως; Ἔδει δὲ αὐτοὺς τὴν γοῦν τῶν φιλοσόφων τούτων κρατῦναι δόξαν, ἐπειδὴ τὰς ἀκοὰς ἔβυσαν, καὶ τῶν τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος ἐπακοῦσαι λογίων οὐκ ἠβουλήθησαν, καὶ τὴν μὲν ὕλην εἰσαγαγεῖν, μὴ πονηρὰν δὲ καλέσαι. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ τῆς τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων λογισμῶν ἀσθενείας τεκμήριον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πᾶσα τέχνη παρὰ ἀνθρώποις ὕλης ὑποκειμένης προσδεῖται, καὶ κεραμευτικὴ μὲν πηλοῦ, οἰκοδομικὴ δὲ λίθων καὶ πλίνθων, ξύλων δὲ ἡ τεκτονικὴ καὶ ναυπηγικὴ, καὶ ἐρίων ἡ ὑφαντικὴ, καὶ ἡ σκυτοτομικὴ δὲ δερμάτων, καὶ ζωγραφία καὶ γυψοποιητικὴ χρωμάτων, καὶ συλλήβδην εἰπεῖν ἑκάστη τέχνη τῶν προσφόρων ὑλῶν, ὑπέλαβον οἱ ἀνόητοι καὶ τὸν Θεὸν μὴ δύνασθαι ὕλης δίχα δημιουρ γεῖν, καὶ οὐ συνεῖδον ὅσον ἀνθρώπου καὶ Θεοῦ τὸ διάφορον, καὶ ὡς οὐχ οἷόν τε τὴν εἰκόνα πάντα ἔχειν ὅσα τὸ ἀρχέτυπον, καὶ ὅτι ἄνθρωπος μὲν, ὡς εἰκὼν ἐξ ὄντων δημιουργεῖ, Θεὸς δὲ καὶ ἐξ ὄντων καὶ ἐκ μὴ ὄντων. Καὶ τοῦτο σαφῶς ἡμᾶς ἐδίδαξεν ἡ θεία Γραφή. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Ἀπόστολος φησί· "Πίστει νοοῦμεν κατηρτίσθαι τοὺς αἰῶνας ῥήματι Θεοῦ, εἰς τὸ μὴ ἐκ φαινομένων τὰ βλεπόμενα γεγονέναι." Καὶ πάλιν· "Ὁ καλῶν τὰ μὴ ὄντα ὡς ὄντα." Ὁ δὲ τὴν κοσμογένειαν συγγράψας σαφῶς ἐδίδαξε, τίνα μὲν ἐκ μὴ ὄντων, τίνα δὲ ἐξ ὄντων ἐποίησεν ὁ ∆ημιουργός· καὶ ὅτι τὸν μὲν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ τὰ ἄλλα στοιχεῖα ἐκ μὴ ὄντων πεποίηκεν. "Ἐν ἀρχῇ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν." Καὶ τὸ φῶς δὲ ὡσαύτως ἐκ μὴ ὄντων ἐδημιούργησεν. 83.465 "Εἶπεν γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ Θεός· Γενηθήτω φῶς· καὶ ἐγένετο φῶς." Τὸ δὲ στερέωμα ἐκ τῶν ἤδη γεγενη μένων παρήγαγε. "Γενηθήτω γὰρ, ἔφη, στερέωμα ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ ὕδατος, καὶ ἔστω διαχωρίζον ἀνὰ μέσον ὕδατος καὶ ὕδατος." Καὶ τὰ σπέρματα δὲ καὶ τὰ φυτὰ ἐκ γῆς βλαστῆσαι προσέταξε. "Βλαστησάτω γὰρ, ἔφη, ἡ γῆ βοτάνην χόρτου, σπεῖρον σπέρμα κατὰ γένος, καὶ καθ' ὁμοιότητα, καὶ ξύλον κάρπιμον ποι οῦν καρπὸν, οὗ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ καθ' ὁμοιότητα κατὰ γένος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς." Οὕτω καὶ τῶν ἀλόγων ζώων τὰ γένη παρήγαγεν· ἐκ μὲν τῶν ὑδά των τὰ ἀεροπόρα, καὶ τὰ ἐν τοῖς ὕδασι διαιτώμενα, καὶ τὰ ἀμφίβια προσαγορευόμενα. "Ἐξαγαγέτω γὰρ, ἔφη, τὰ ὕδατα, ἑρπετὰ ψυχῶν ζωσῶν, καὶ πετεινὰ πετόμενα κατὰ τὸ στερέωμα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ." Ἐκ δὲ τῆς γῆς τὰ τετράποδα καὶ ἑρπετά. "Ἐξαγαγέτω γὰρ, φησὶν, ἡ γῆ ψυχὴν ζῶσαν, τετράποδα, ἑρπετὰ καὶ κτήνη." Τὸν δὲ ἄνθρωπον ἐξ ὄντων καὶ μὴ ὄντων ἐποίησε. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ σῶμα διέπλασε χοῦν λαβὼν ἀπὸ γῆς, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν ἐκ μὴ ὄντων ἐδημιούργησεν. Οὐ γὰρ κατὰ τὸν δυσσεβῆ Μαρ κίωνος λόγον ὁμοούσιός ἐστιν ἡ ψυχὴ τοῦ πεποιηκό τος Θεοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐκ μὴ ὄντων ἐκτίσθη· ῥᾷστα γὰρ ὅσα ἂν θέλῃ δημιουργεῖ. Οὐ γὰρ τοῖς ἤδη γεγενημέ νοις τοῦ Ποιητοῦ τὴν δύναμιν