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glory; since all things were good and beautiful, being testified according to the most true testimony of the beautiful One, he said, "behold, it is good," he who is the privation of all evil and all wickedness, and so that, from the fact that all is good, the argument concerning wickedness devised among men might be refuted, so that he might utterly destroy every supposition of those who were introducing the evil-natured doctrine. Then coming to man, he did not say that he was good, not that man was evil, the most excellent beyond all things created upon the earth, the one created by God with ineffable wisdom to rule, to whom God was about to hand over the lordship of all things created by him, as he says, "Let us make man in our image and after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over the creeping things of the earth and the cattle and the wild beasts and all the things that are upon the earth." But since he was created in the image of God, the divine scripture was content with so great a dignity, not having need of any further addition. For if he possessed the image of goodness itself, I mean, of the Lord God, creator of all creation and good, from whom is every fount of goodness, from whom the good exists in all things, how did he still have need of testimony to hear that, behold, he is good, when he possessed the image of the good One himself? But later, at the completion of all things, after making the whole creation, the divine word, having set a seal on all things, set forth the same testimony, saying, "And God saw all that he had made, and behold, it was very good," saying it with the addition of "very"—and this happened to be the sixth day and the seventh of rest—so that having destroyed the root of the opinion concerning evil, one might no longer find a pretext to dare this: to conceive of wickedness as eternal. For the same argument concerning this has been refuted. For evil was nowhere, since all things were very good and had come from a good God and had been testified to. 19. The designation of matter is twofold. For the one, as I said, according to the mind of the sinner is the name of an operation and of consuming corruption. But we are accustomed to call matter 3.43 that which is for the adornment of each thing for those working the arts *, so to speak, matter of wood, matter for pottery, matter of gold, matter of silver. And matter is also said to be of the working in bodies, that which is gathered from the corruption † of wickedness. Therefore let the recently arrived prophet and the one promising things from before the ages * say—for such a one dared even to call himself the Paraclete Spirit; and at another time, as I said, he proclaims himself an apostle of Jesus Christ, having never put on the form of a dove nor the Paraclete Spirit sent from heaven to the apostles as a garment of incorruptible power *, which the Only-Begotten promised to send, having specified that "not many days hence," but immediately upon his ascension, as he said, "If I go away, he will come." And immediately in the upper room "they were filled with the Holy Spirit," when they returned from the Mount of Olives, according to what is written, "And there appeared to them tongues of fire being distributed," and the house was filled as if with a mighty wind, and the Spirit sat upon each of them, and they spoke in tongues the wonderful works of God, and each one heard in his own language. And they were from every nation under heaven, and each one was comforted through the Spirit," both the apostles through the gift and all the nations through the proclamation of the wonderful teaching of God. For if the Paraclete Spirit, which the Lord promised to the disciples, happened to be this charlatan, the truly mad one and eponymous with his own name, the apostles passed away deprived of the promise, they 3.44 who heard from the unfailing Lord, "you will receive the gift of the Holy 3.44 Spirit, not many days from now." and the deceiver will be found bearing false witness against Christ, as though he had not fulfilled the things said by him.

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δόξαν· τῶν πάντων ἀγαθῶν ὄντων καὶ καλῶν μαρτυρουμένων κατὰ τὴν τοῦ καλοῦ ἀληθεστάτην μαρτυρίαν τὸ «ἰδοὺ καλὸν» ἔλεγε, ὁ στέρησις ὢν παντὸς κακοῦ καὶ πάσης κακίας, καὶ ἵνα ἀπὸ τοῦ καλὸν εἶναι τὸ πᾶν ἀναιρῆται ὁ περὶ κακίας ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἐπινενοημένος λόγος, ἵνα τὴν πᾶσαν ὑπόληψιν τῶν τὴν κακότροπον διδασκαλίαν παρεισφερόντων παντάπασιν ἀνέλοι. εἶτα ἐλθὼν ἐπὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον οὐκ εἶπεν ὅτι καλόν, οὐχ ὅτι κακὸν ὁ ἄνθρωπος, τὸ ἐξοχώτατον παρὰ πάντα τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐκτισμένα, τὸ ἐπὶ τῷ ἄρχειν ἐκ θεοῦ ἐκτισμένον σοφίᾳ ἀρρήτῳ, ᾧ ἔμελλε παραδιδόναι θεὸς τὴν δεσποτείαν τῶν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ πάντων ἐκτισμένων, ὥς φησι «ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον κατ' εἰκόνα ἡμετέραν καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν, καὶ ἀρχέτωσαν τῶν ἰχθύων τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ τῶν πετεινῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῶν ἑρπετῶν τῆς γῆς καὶ κτηνῶν καὶ θηρίων καὶ πάντων τῶν ὄντων ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς». ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ κατ' εἰκόνα θεοῦ ἐκτίσθη, ἠρκέσθη τὸ θεῖον γράμμα τῷ τοσούτῳ ἀξιώματι, μὴ χρείαν ἔχοντι προσθήκης ἔτι. εἰ γὰρ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀγαθότητος εἶχε κεκτημένος τὴν εἰκόνα, φημὶ δὲ τοῦ κυρίου θεοῦ, πάσης κτίσεως δημιουργοῦ καὶ ἀγαθοῦ, ἐξ οὗ πᾶσα πηγὴ ἀγαθωσύνης, ἐξ οὗ τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐν πᾶσιν ὑπάρχει, πῶς ἔτι χρείαν εἶχε μαρτυρίας τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι ὅτι ἰδοὺ καλόν, ὁπότε τὴν εἰκόνα αὐτοῦ τοῦ καλοῦ εἶχε κεκτημένος; ἐς ὕστερον δὲ ἐπὶ τέλει τῶν ὅλων, μετὰ τὸ ποιῆσαι πᾶσαν δημιουργίαν, ἐπισφραγισάμενος ὁ θεῖος λόγος τοῖς πᾶσι τὴν αὐτὴν μαρτυρίαν προὔθετο φάσκων «καὶ εἶδεν ὁ θεὸς πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησε, καὶ ἰδοὺ καλὰ λίαν», μετὰ προσθήκης τοῦ λίαν εἰπών-αὕτη δὲ ἐτύγχανεν ἕκτη ἡμέρα καὶ ἑβδόμη καταπαύσεως-, ἵνα τὴν ῥίζαν τῆς περὶ τοῦ κακοῦ δόξης ἀνελὼν μηκέτι εὕροι πρόφασίν τις τοῦτο τολμῆσαι, ἀιδιάζουσαν τὴν κακίαν διανοεῖσθαι. ἀνῄρηται γὰρ ὁ αὐτὸς περὶ ταύτης λόγος. οὐδαμοῦ γὰρ ἦν τὸ κακὸν, πάντων καλῶν ὄντων λίαν καὶ ἐκ θεοῦ ἀγαθοῦ γεγενημένων καὶ μεμαρτυρημένων. 19. Ὕλης δὲ διττὴ ἡ ὀνομασία. τὸ μὲν γάρ, ὡς ἔφην, κατὰ τὸν νοῦν τοῦ ἀλιτηρίου ἐστὶν ἐνεργείας καὶ φθορᾶς ἀναλωτικῆς ὄνομα. ὕλην 3.43 δὲ εἰώθαμεν λέγειν τὴν εἰς κόσμησιν ἑκάστου πράγματος τοῖς τὰς τέχνας ἐργαζομένοις *, ὡς εἰπεῖν ὕλη ξύλων, ὕλη πηλουργίας, ὕλη χρυσοῦ, ὕλη ἀργύρου. λέγεται δὲ ὕλη καὶ τῆς ἐργασίας ἐν τοῖς σώμασιν ἡ ἀπὸ φθαρμάτων † κακώσεως συναγομένη. λεγέτω τοίνυν ὁ πρόσφατος ἥκων μάντις καὶ τὰ πρὸ αἰώνων ἐπαγγελλόμενος * ἐτόλμησε γὰρ ὁ τοιοῦτος καὶ πνεῦμα παράκλητον ἑαυτὸν λέγειν· ἄλλοτε δὲ ἀπόστολον Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἑαυτόν, ὡς ἔφην, ἐπιφημίζει, οὔτε εἶδος περιστερᾶς ποτε ἐνδυσάμενος οὐδὲ τὸ ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ εἰς ἔνδυμα ἀφθαρσίας δύναμιν * τοῖς ἀποστόλοις πεμφθὲν πνεῦμα παράκλητον, ὃ ἐπηγγείλατο πέμπειν ὁ μονογενής, «οὐ μετὰ πολλὰς ἡμέρας» ἐκεῖνο ὁρισάμενος, ἀλλὰ εὐθὺς αὐτοῦ ἀνελθόντος, ὡς ἔλεγεν «ἐὰν ἐγὼ ἀπέλθω, ἐκεῖνος ἐλεύσεται». καὶ εὐθὺς ἐν τῷ ὑπερῴῳ «ἐπλήσθησαν πνεύματος ἁγίου», ἐν τῷ ἀνακάμψαι αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄρους τῶν ἐλαιῶν, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον «καὶ ὤφθησαν αὐτοῖς γλῶσσαι πυρὸς διαμεριζόμεναι», καὶ ὁ οἶκος ἐνεπλήσθη ὥσπερ πνοῆς βιαίας, καὶ ἐπεκάθισε τὸ πνεῦμα ἐφ' ἕκαστον αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐλάλουν γλώσσαις τὰ θαυμάσια τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ ἕκαστος ἤκουσε τῇ ἰδίᾳ γλώσσῃ. ἦσαν δὲ ἀπὸ παντὸς γένους τῶν ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανόν, καὶ ἕκαστος διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος παρεκαλοῦντο», οἵ τε ἀπόστολοι διὰ τῆς δωρεᾶς καὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη διὰ τῆς ἐνηχήσεως τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ θαυμαστῆς διδασκαλίας. εἰ γὰρ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ παράκλητον, ὅπερ ἐπηγγείλατο τοῖς μαθηταῖς ὁ κύριος, ὁ ἀγύρτης οὗτος ἐτύγχανεν, ὁ ἐμμανὴς ἀληθῶς καὶ φερώνυμος τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἐπωνυμίας, παρῆλθον οἱ ἀπόστολοι στερηθέντες τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, οἱ 3.44 ἀκούσαντες παρὰ τοῦ ἀψευδοῦς κυρίου «λήψεσθε τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ ἁγίου 3.44 πνεύματος, οὐ μετὰ πολλὰς ταύτας ἡμέρας». καὶ εὑρεθήσεται ὁ ἀπατεὼν τοῦ Χριστοῦ καταψευδόμενος, ὡς μὴ πληρώσαντος τὰ αὐτῷ εἰρημένα.