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to rule. And to some are given different shapes of nature 2.444 and forms, as many as the solid and visible nature brought forth at God's command; but to him the God-like and God-resembling, and in all things made exactly according to that original image of the Father and the Only-begotten. "For God made man, in the image of God he made him"; wherefore he also took care for the preservation of his own statue, that it might not be easily captured by corruption, just as the makers of statues do. For they have not only cared for the beauty of the statues and their comeliness, so that they might be exceedingly beautiful in a magnificent way, but they also take forethought for the immortality, as far as is possible for them, of their creations, so that they may be preserved for a long time without being destroyed, just as Phidias. For he, after constructing the Pisan idol—and this was of ivory—commanded oil to be poured around the feet in front of the statue, preserving it, to the best of his ability, immortal. And so, if the makers of handmade things do this, would God the master craftsman, who can do all things and make things from non-being, not all the more his own rational statue, man, have contrived by every necessity for it to be altogether indestructible and immortal, but allowed it, being so dishonorably dissolved, to be given over to destruction and corruption, the one which he deemed worthy to make with his own hands in a special way, shaping it in his own image and after his 2.445 likeness, the ornament of the world, for whose sake the world also came into being? It cannot be said. For it would lead to foolishness to think this, being lifted up. 28. But perhaps not having applied yourselves to what has now been said, O Aglaophon, you will say: and how, if according to you the living being was immortal from its birth, has it become mortal, since the immortal ought to be unchangeably that which it is, not changing or departing into the more shameful and mortal nature? For it is impossible, since it is not * immortal. Because, I shall say, having been made with free will for the choice of the good and having received this ordinance, the hater of good came upon it and envied it out of jealousy. "For God created man for incorruption, and made him an image of his own eternity." And for "God did not make death, neither does he take pleasure in the destruction of the living"; "but by the envy of the devil death entered into the world," as Wisdom also testifies through Solomon. From where, then, is death? It must be said again, if God did not make death. If from envy, and how was envy stronger than the will of God? But this is blasphemous, we shall say. From where, then, is envy? the objector will say. For if from the devil, then why did the devil come to be? If he came to be, is the one who made him also the cause of his being evil? But God is in every way blameless for evils for all; therefore the devil is uncreated, and if uncreated, also impassible and indestructible and without need. For all these things must of necessity belong to the uncreated, but the devil is brought to naught and is punished. And that which is punished is altered 2.446 and suffers, but the uncreated is impassible, therefore the devil is not uncreated, but created. But if he is created and everything that has come into being came from some beginning and has a creator, then there is some creator of the devil. And is that one also uncreated or created? But the uncreated must be understood to be one only, God; for there can absolutely be no other creator at all besides him; "I," for he says, "am the first and I am after these things, and besides me there is no other God." Nor can anything be altered or created contrary to his will. For the Son also confesses that he "can do nothing of himself," "unless he sees the Father doing something"; "for whatever," he says, "the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner." Nor indeed is there anything hostile or opposed to him or an anti-god; since if anything acted against God, it would have ceased to be, its substance having been dissolved by the power of God and

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δεσπόζειν. καὶ τοῖς μὲν διάφορα σχήματα φύσεως 2.444 δίδονται καὶ μορφαί, ὁπόσας ἡ στερέμνιος καὶ ὁρατὴ φύσις κελεύοντος θεοῦ ἐγέννησε· τῷ δὲ τὸ θεοειδὲς καὶ θεοείκελον καὶ πάντα πρὸς ἐκείνην ἀπηκριβωμένον τὴν πρωτότυπον τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ μονογενοῦς εἰκόνα. «ἐποίησε γὰρ ὁ θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον, κατ' εἰκόνα θεοῦ ἐποίησεν αὐτόν»· διὸ καὶ ἐμέλησεν αὐτῷ τῆς τοῦ σφετέρου ἀγάλματος διαμονῆς, ἵνα μὴ εὐάλωτον ᾖ πρὸς διαφθοράν, καθάπερ καὶ τῶν ἀνδριάντων τοῖς δημιουργοῖς. οὐ γὰρ μόνον τοῦ κάλλους τῶν ἀγαλμάτων αὐτοῖς καὶ τῆς εὐπρεπείας αὐτῶν πεφρόντισται, ὅπως ὦσι περικαλλῆ μεγαλοπρεπῶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς εἰς τὸ δυνατὸν σφίσιν αὐτοῖς ἀθανασίας τῶν δημιουργημάτων πρόνοιαν ποιοῦνται, εἰς τὸ εἰς μακραίωνα χρόνον διασῴζεσθαι μὴ λυόμενα, καθάπερ καὶ Φειδίας. οὗτος γὰρ μετὰ τὸ κατασκευάσαι τὸ Πισαῖον εἴδωλον ἐξ ἐλέφαντος δὲ τοῦτο ἦν ἔλαιον ἐκχεῖσθαι προσέταξεν ἀμφὶ τοὺς πόδας ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ ἀγάλματος, ἀθάνατον εἰς δύναμιν φυλάσσων αὐτό. καὶ τοίνυν εἰ τῶν χειροκμήτων οὕτως οἱ δημιουργοί, θεὸς ὁ ἀριστοτέχνας, ὃς πάντα δύναται καὶ ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων ποιεῖν, οὐ μᾶλλον τὸ ἄγαλμα τὸ λογικὸν ἑαυτοῦ, τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἀνώλεθρον καὶ ἀθάνατον εἶναι τὸ παράπαν ἐξ ἁπάσης ἀνάγκης ἐμηχανήσατο, ἀλλ' εἴασεν οὕτως ἀτιμότατα λυόμενον ὀλέθρῳ παραδίδοσθαι καὶ φθορᾷ, ὃ διαφερόντως ἠξίωσε ταῖς ἑαυτοῦ ποιῆσαι χερσίν, κατ' εἰκόνα μορφοποιήσας αὐτὸ καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν τὴν 2.445 ἑαυτοῦ, τὸν κόσμον τοῦ κόσμου, δι' ὃ καὶ ὁ κόσμος ἐγένετο; οὐκ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν. ἀπῄει γὰρ εἰς ἀφροσύνην ἐπαρθέντα φρονῆσαι τοῦτο. 28. Ἀλλ' ἴσως μὴ ἐπιστήσαντες ἑαυτοὺς πρὸς τὰ λεχθέντα νῦν, ὦ Ἀγλαοφῶν, λέξετε· καὶ πῶς, εἰ ἀθάνατον ἦν ἐκ γενέσεως καθ' ὑμᾶς τὸ ζῷον, γεγένηται θνητόν, ὁπότε τὸ ἀθάνατον ἀμεταστρόφως τοῦτο ὅ ἐστιν εἶναι χρή, μὴ μεταπῖπτον ἢ ἐξιστανόμενον εἰς τὴν αἰσχίονα καὶ θνητὴν φύσιν; ἀμήχανον γάρ, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἔστιν * ἀθάνατον. ἐπειδή, λέξω, γενόμενον αὐτεξούσιον πρὸς τὴν αἵρεσιν τοῦ καλοῦ καὶ τοῦτον τὸν θεσμὸν εἰληφὸς ὁ μισόκαλος ἐπιστὰς ἐβάσκανε φθονῶν. «ὁ γὰρ θεὸς ἔκτισε τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐπὶ ἀφθαρσίᾳ καὶ εἰκόνα τῆς ἰδίας ἀιδιότητος ἐποίησεν αὐτόν». καὶ γὰρ «ὁ θεὸς θάνατον οὐκ ἐποίησεν οὐδὲ τέρπεται ἐπ' ἀπωλείᾳ ζώντων»· «φθόνῳ δὲ διαβόλου θάνατος εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον», καθάπερ καὶ ἡ σοφία διὰ Σολομῶνος μαρτυρεῖ. πόθεν οὖν ὁ θάνατος; πάλιν δὴ λέγεσθαι ἀνάγκη, εἰ μὴ θάνατον ἐποίησεν ὁ θεός. εἰ ἀπὸ τοῦ φθόνου, καὶ πῶς ὁ φθόνος τῆς βουλήσεως μᾶλλον ἴσχυσε τοῦ θεοῦ; ἀλλὰ τοῦτο δύσφημον, λέξομεν. πόθεν οὖν ὁ φθόνος; ὁ ἀντιλέγων ἐρεῖ. εἰ γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου, καὶ διὰ τί διάβολος ἐγένετο; εἰ ἐγένετο, καὶ ὁ ποιήσας αὐτόν ἐστιν αἴτιος τοῦ εἶναι κακόν; ἀλλὰ ἀναίτιος παντάπασι κακῶν πᾶσιν ὁ θεός· ἀγένητος ἄρα ὁ διάβολος, καὶ εἰ ἀγένητος, καὶ ἀπαθὴς καὶ ἀνώλεθρος καὶ ἀνενδεής. τῷ γὰρ ἀγενήτῳ ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἅπαντα ταῦτα ὑπάρχειν δεῖ, ὁ δὲ διάβολος καταργεῖται καὶ κολάζεται. τὸ δὲ κολαζόμενον ἀλλοι2.446 οῦται καὶ πάσχει, ἀπαθὲς δὲ τὸ ἀγένητον, οὐκ ἄρα ἀγένητος, ἀλλὰ γενητὸς ὁ διάβολος. εἰ δὲ γενητὸς καὶ πᾶν τὸ γεγενημένον ἀπό τινος ἀρχῆς ἐγένετο καὶ ἔστιν αὐτοῦ δημιουργός, ἔστιν ἄρα τις δημιουργὸς τοῦ διαβόλου. καὶ πότερον κἀκεῖνος ἀγένητός ἐστιν ἢ γενητός; ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀγένητον ἓν εἶναι μόνον νοεῖσθαι χρὴ τὸν θεόν· οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶναι τὸ σύνολον ὅλως ἐκ παντὸς τὸ παράπαν ἕτερος δημιουργὸς δύναται πλὴν αὐτοῦ· «ἐγώ», γάρ φησιν, «πρῶτος καὶ ἐγὼ μετὰ ταῦτα, καὶ πλὴν ἐμοῦ ἄλλος θεὸς οὐκ ἔστιν». οὐδὲ μετασκευάζεσθαί τι ἢ κτίζεσθαι παρὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ δύναται βουλήν. καὶ γὰρ ὁ υἱὸς «οὐδὲν ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ δύνασθαι ποιεῖν» ὁμολογεῖ, «ἐὰν μή τι βλέπῃ τὸν πατέρα ποιοῦντα»· «ἃ γὰρ ἄν», φησίν, «ὁ πατὴρ ποιῇ, ταῦτα καὶ ὁ υἱὸς ὁμοίως ποιεῖ». οὐδὲ μὴν πολέμιόν τι ἢ ἀντίξουν αὐτῷ ἢ ἀντίθεόν ἐστιν· ἐπεὶ κἂν εἰ ἀντέπρασσέν τι τῷ θεῷ, ἐπαύσατο ἂν τοῦ εἶναι, λυθείσης αὐτοῦ τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ δυνάμει καὶ