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having gone, you only confirm this, that he exists. But in contriving these things you deceive yourself, not knowing that if it is blasphemy to be precise about the evil one, the fault happens to be mine, the accuser, not yours, the advocate for God. And if what is being sought is unwritten and for this reason you do not wish to seek it, there are some sufficient ways, able to show the things sought no less than the scriptures. For example, is it not necessary for the evil one (whom you too say exists) to be either generated or ungenerated? And Peter said: It is necessary. And Simon: Therefore if he is generated, he has been made by the very God who made all things, either born as a living creature or brought forth substantially and having come to be externally by mixture. For if the matter from which he came to be was external to him, being either animate or inanimate, or he came to be through God himself or from himself or even from non-existent things, he is one of the relative things or he always was. Therefore, since every way for his discovery has, I think, been set out here, it is necessary that by proceeding along some one of them he be found; therefore one who is seeking his origin must travel each way, and having found the cause, must understand that he is under blame. Is it not so? What do you think? And Peter: It seems to me, if he is shown to have been made by God, that it is not yet necessary for the maker to be under blame, lest his usefulness be found more necessary than all things; but if he should be proven not to have been made, as always existing, not even in this is the Creator blameworthy, since he is the superior of all things, even if he has not been able to put an end to an unoriginated principle because it is not in its nature, or being able, he does not destroy him, judging it unjust to put an end to that which has not received a beginning, and to pardon that which is evil by nature because it cannot become something else, even if it might have the desire to become so. But if, wishing to make it good, he could not, even so he is good, because he wishes to, but is not able; and in that in which he is unable, he is the most able of all, because the ability is not left to another. But if there is some other who is able and does not set things right, in that, being able, he does not set things right, he is confessed to be evil, not stopping him, as though taking pleasure in the things done by him. But if he himself is also unable, he is superior who, though unable, does not hesitate to benefit us as far as is possible. And Simon: When, having discussed with you each of the points I have proposed, I show you the cause of evil, then I will both answer what you have said and prove that the God you call blameless is under blame. And Peter: Since, from what you have uttered from the beginning, I perceive you are zealous for nothing other than to subject God to blame as the author of evil, I have chosen to accompany you on all the ways you wish, to show that God is beyond all blame. And Simon said: These things you say as one who loves the God you have believed in, but you do not speak the truth. And Peter: But you, as an evil man hating the God whom you have not known, utter blasphemous words. And Simon: Remember that you compared me to the author of evil. And Peter: I confess, I lied in comparing you to the evil one; for I was compelled by my inability to find one equal to you or even worse. For this reason I compared you to the evil one; for you happen to be much more evil than the author of evil himself. For no one can show that the evil one has spoken against God, but all of us present bear witness that you speak against him boldly. And Simon: He who seeks the truth owes nothing to anyone except

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βὴς τοῦτο μόνον βεβαιοῖς ὅτι ἔστιν. ταῦτα δὲ μηχανώμενος σεαυτὸν ἀπατᾷς, οὐκ εἰδὼς ὅτι εἰ βλασφημία ἐστὶν περὶ πονηροῦ ἀκριβοῦν, ἡ αἰτία περὶ ἐμὲ τὸν κατήγορον τυγχάνει, οὐ περὶ σὲ τὸν συνηγοροῦντα τῷ θεῷ. καὶ εἰ ἄγραφόν ἐστιν τὸ ζητούμενον καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ζητεῖν οὐ θέλεις, εἰσίν τινες ὁδοὶ ἱκαναί, δυνάμεναι οὐχ ἧττον γραφῶν δεῖξαι τὰ ζητούμενα. αὐτίκα γοῦν οὐκ ἀνάγκη τὸν πονηρόν (ὃν καὶ σὺ φὴς ὑπάρχειν) ἢ γενητὸν εἶναι ἢ ἀγένητον; καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· Ἀνάγκη. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· Oὐκοῦν εἰ γενητός ἐστιν, ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ τὰ πάντα πεποιηκότος γέγονεν θεοῦ, ἢ ὡς ζῷον γεννηθεὶς ἢ οὐσιωδῶς προβληθεὶς καὶ ἔξω τῇ κράσει συμ βεβηκώς. εἰ γὰρ ἐκτὸς ἦν αὐτοῦ ἡ ὕλη ἔμψυχος οὖσα ἢ ἄψυχος, ὅθεν γέγονεν, ἢ δι' αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ ἢ ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ ἢ καὶ ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων συμ- βέβηκεν, τῶν πρὸς τί ἐστιν ἢ αἰεὶ ἦν. πάσης οὖν ὁδοῦ ὡς οἶμαι ἐνταῦθα διῃρημένης πρὸς τὴν εὕρεσιν αὐτοῦ, ἀνάγκη μιᾷ τινι αὐτῶν ὁδεύουσιν εὑρετὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι· ἑκάστην οὖν ὁδεῦσαι δεῖ ζητοῦντα γένεσιν καὶ εὑρόντα τὸν αἴτιον ὑπὸ μέμψιν αὐτὸν εἶναι νοεῖν. ἦ γάρ; πῶς σοὶ δοκεῖ; Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· Ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ, ἐὰν ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ φανῇ γεγονώς, μήπω δεῖν τὸν ποιήσαντα ὑπὸ μέμψιν εἶναι, μήπως τὸ χρήσιμον αὐτοῦ πάντων ἀναγκαιότερον εὑρεθείη· εἰ δὲ καὶ μὴ γεγονὼς ἀποδειχθείη ὡς αἰεὶ ὤν, οὐδὲ ἐν τούτῳ ὁ δημιουργὸς μεμπτός, ἐπεὶ τῶν ὅλων ἐστὶν ὁ κρείττων, εἰ καὶ ἀνάρχῳ ἀρχῇ τέλος ἐπιθεῖναι διὰ τὸ μὴ φύσιν ἔχειν οὐ δεδύνηται, ἢ δυνατὸς ὢν οὐκ ἀναιρεῖ αὐτόν, ἄδικον κρίνας ἀρχὴν μὴ εἰληφότι τέλος ἐπιθεῖναι, καὶ κακῷ πεφυκότι συγγνῶναι διὰ τὸ ἄλλο τι γενέσθαι μὴ δύνασθαι, καὶ εἰ τοῦ γενέσθαι τὸ ἐπιθυμεῖν ἔχοι. εἰ δὲ ἀγαθὸν ποιῆσαι θέλων μὴ δύναιτο, καὶ οὕτως ἀγαθός ἐστιν, ὅτι θέλει μέν, οὐ δύναται δέ· καὶ ἐν ᾧ ἀδυνατεῖ πάντων ἐστὶ δυνατώτατος, ὅτι μὴ ἑτέρῳ τὸ δυνατὸν καταλεί- πεται. εἰ δὲ ἔστιν τις ἕτερος δυνατὸς καὶ μὴ κατορθῶν, ἐν ᾧ δυνατὸς ὢν μὴ κατορθοῖ, πονηρὸς ὢν ὡμολόγηται, μὴ παύων αὐτὸν ὡς τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γινομένοις ἡδόμενος. εἰ δὲ οὐδὲ αὐτὸς δύναται, κρείττων ὁ πρὸς τῷ ἀδυνατεῖν κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν ἡμᾶς εὐεργετεῖν οὐκ ὀκνῶν. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· Ὅταν εἰς ἕκαστον ὧν προέτεινα διαλεχθείς σοι τῆς κακίας τὸν αἴτιον δείξω, τότε σοι καὶ πρὸς ἃ εἴρηκας ἀποκρινοῦμαι καὶ ὃν φὴς θεὸν ἄμεμπτον ὑπὸ μέμψιν εἶναι ἀποδείξω. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· Ἐπειδὴ ἀφ' ὧν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς φθέγγῃ συννοῶ σε μηδὲν ἕτερον σπουδάζοντα ἢ ὡς κα- κίας ἡγεμόνα τὸν θεὸν ὑποβάλλειν μέμψει, προῄρημαι πάσαις αἷς βούλῃ ὁδοῖς συνοδεύων δεῖξαι θεὸν πάσης μέμψεως ἐκτὸς ὄντα. καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη· Ταῦτα ὡς ἀγαπῶν θεὸν ὃν νενόμικας λέγεις, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀληθεύεις. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· Σὺ δὲ ὡς κακὸς μισῶν θεὸν ὃν ἠγνόησας, βλασφήμους ἀφίης φωνάς. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· Μνημόνευε ὅτι με κακίας ἡγεμόνι παρείκα σας. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· Ὁμολογῶ, ἐψευσάμην παρεικάσας σε τῷ πονηρῷ· ἠναγκάσθην γὰρ ἐπὶ τῷ μὴ εὑρεῖν τὸν σοὶ ἴσον ἢ καὶ χείρονα. τούτου ἕνεκα τῷ πονηρῷ σε παρείκασα· σὺ γὰρ καὶ τοῦ τῆς κακίας ἡγεμόνος πολλῷ πονηρότερος τυγχάνεις· τὸν γὰρ πονηρὸν οὐδεὶς κατειπόντα θεοῦ δεῖξαι δύναται, σὲ δὲ τολμηρῶς καταλέγοντα οἱ πάντες παρόντες ἱστοροῦμεν. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· Ὁ ἀλήθειαν ζητῶν οὐδὲν οὐδενὶ ὀφείλει παρὰ