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to speak and to refute his error. 64. And again he takes up this saying that “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it,” that, he says, the darkness persecuted the light, as the evil rulers persecuted and made war against the divinity. But if the light, being warred against, is persecuted by the darkness, then the darkness is stronger than the light, since it flees from the face of the darkness and does not stand its ground, being pursued because the darkness is stronger. But it is not so. For the light does not flee from before the darkness, but “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” But if the darkness did not overcome the light, this differs greatly from the mind of Manes, who says that it not only seized it, but also snatched away its full armor from it. How then did that which according to him is declared to have snatched away the full armor not overcome the light at all? And how does the light, being pursued, shine of its own free will in the darkness? But since the minds of men were darkened by the murkiness of sin, God first sent 3.104 the law, shining as with a lamp shining nearby, as Peter says in his epistle, “paying attention to the prophetic word as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the morning star arises and the day dawns in your hearts.” For from there the light shines in the darkness, the law having been given “in the hand of a mediator” through the faithful servant of God, Moses. For this reason, since from the beginning the light was first shining like a spark in the natural law, which Enoch, having seen, pleased the Lord, by which Abel, being guided, pleased the Lord, by which Noah, having understood the way, found grace before God, by which Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness, then the light, having passed from a spark-like manner, added the brightness of “a lamp shining in a dark place”; that is, “the light shines in the darkness,” the commandment of God and the mind according to goodness, shining in the hearts of the faithful, in the midst of the clouded mind because of the base and evil things that have occurred among men, both idolatry and denial of God, both murders and adultery and the others. But when the great luminary came, “the true light, which enlightens every man coming into the world; he was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world did not know him; he who came to his own, and his own did not receive him; but as many as received him, he gave them power to become children of God.” And you see this light, in what darkness it shines and what darkness did not overcome it? That the good, always being sent from God to the mind of men and shining in the world, is not defeated by sin. 65. In a similar way, again the same Manes takes up what the Savior said: “The kingdom of heaven is like a householder, who sowed good seed in his field. And while men were sleeping, an enemy came and sowed tares. Then his servants say to him: Did you not sow good seed in the field? And he said, yes. From where then are the tares? And answering, he said, an enemy has done this. And the servants said to him: Do you want us then to go and root out the tares? And he said to them: No, lest 3.105 while rooting out the tares you also root out the wheat. But let them be until the time of the harvest, and I will say to the reapers: Gather the tares and bind them in bundles, but put the wheat in the granary, and prepare the tares to be burned with unquenchable fire.” And when his disciples in the house said: “Tell us the parable of the tares,” he explains and does not hide it, so that he might not allow the deceiver to have a hold against the truth. Therefore the Lord answers clearly and says, “The one who sowed the good seed is God. But the field is the world, the tares are the

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λέγειν καὶ ἐλέγχειν τὴν πλάνην τούτου. 64. Πάλιν δὲ ἐπιλαμβάνεται τῆς λέξεως ταύτης ὅτι «τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει καὶ ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν,» ὅτι, φησίν, ἐδίωκε τὸ σκότος τὸ φῶς, ὡς τῶν πονηρῶν ἀρχόντων διωκόντων καὶ πολεμούντων τὴν θεότητα. εἰ δὲ πολεμούμενον τὸ φῶς διώκεται ὑπὸ τοῦ σκότους, ἄρα δυνατώτερόν ἐστι τοῦ φωτὸς τὸ σκότος, ἐπειδὴ ἀποδιδράσκει ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ σκότους καὶ οὐχ ὑφίσταται στῆναι ἰνδαλλόμενον διὰ τὸ δυνατώτερον σκότος. ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτως ἔχει. οὐδὲ γὰρ τὸ φῶς φεύγει ἀπ' ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ σκότους, ἀλλὰ «τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει καὶ ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν». εἰ δὲ σκοτία οὐ κατέλαβε τὸ φῶς, πολὺ τοῦτο διαλλάττει παρὰ τὸν νοῦν τοῦ Μάνη, τοῦ λέγοντος ὅτι οὐ μόνον κατείληφεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πανοπλίαν παρ' αὐτοῦ ἀφήρπασε. πῶς τοίνυν τὸ παρ' αὐτῷ καταγγελλόμενον ἡρπακέναι πανοπλίαν οὐδ' ὅλως κατέλαβε τὸ φῶς; πῶς δὲ τὸ φῶς διωκόμενον αὐτοπροαιρέσει φαίνει ἐν τῷ σκότει; ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἐσκοτισμέναι ἦσαν αἱ διάνοιαι τῶν ἀνθρώπων διὰ τὴν θόλωσιν τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἀπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς πρῶτον 3.104 τὸν νόμον, φωτίζων ὡς ἐν λύχνῳ παραφαίνοντι, ὥς φησιν Πέτρος ἐν τῇ ἐπιστολῇ «προσέχοντες τῷ προφητικῷ λόγῳ ὡς λύχνῳ φαίνοντι ἐν αὐχμηρῷ τόπῳ, ἕως φωσφόρος ἀνατείλῃ καὶ ἡμέρα καταυγάσῃ ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν». ἐκεῖθεν γὰρ τὸ φῶς ἐν τῷ σκότει φαίνει, ὁ νόμος δοθεὶς «ἐν χειρὶ μεσίτου» διὰ τοῦ πιστοῦ θεράποντος τοῦ θεοῦ Μωυσέως. διὰ τοῦτο ἐπειδὴ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνέκαθεν πρῶτον ἦν τὸ φῶς φαῖνον ὥσπερ σπινθὴρ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ τῷ κατὰ φύσιν, ὃ θεασάμενος Ἐνὼχ εὐηρέστησε τῷ κυρίῳ, δι' οὗ καθοδηγούμενος ὁ Ἄβελ εὐηρέστησε τῷ κυρίῳ, δι' οὗ εὗρε Νῶε χάριν ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ κατανοήσας τὴν ὁδόν, δι' οὗ Ἀβραὰμ ἐπίστευσε τῷ θεῷ καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην, εἶτα παρελθὸν τὸ φῶς ἀπὸ σπινθηροειδοῦς τρόπου προσέθετο φαιδρότητι «λύχνου φανέντος ἐν αὐχμηρῷ τόπῳ»· τουτέστι «τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει», ἡ ἐντολὴ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἡ κατὰ τὴν ἀγαθότητα διάνοια, φωτίζουσα ἐν καρδίᾳ πιστῶν, ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς τεθολωμένης διανοίας διὰ τῶν ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις γεγονότων φαύλων καὶ κακῶν πραγμάτων, εἰδωλολατρείας τε καὶ ἐπαρνησιθεΐας, φόνων τε καὶ μοιχείας καὶ τῶν ἄλλων. ὅτε δὲ ἦλθεν ὁ μέγας φωστήρ, «τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινόν, ὃ φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον· ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἦν, καὶ ὁ κόσμος δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ ὁ κόσμος αὐτὸν οὐκ ἔγνω· ὁ εἰς τὰ ἴδια ἐλθών, καὶ οἱ ἴδιοι αὐτὸν οὐ παρέλαβον· ὅσοι δὲ ἔλαβον αὐτὸν, ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν τέκνα θεοῦ γενέσθαι». καὶ ὁρᾷς τοῦτο τὸ φῶς ἐν ποίᾳ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει καὶ ποία σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν; ὅτι τὸ ἀγαθόν, ἀεὶ παρὰ θεοῦ πεμπόμενον τῇ διανοίᾳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ φωτίζον ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας οὐχ ἥττηται. 65. Τὸ ὅμοιον δὲ πάλιν ἐπιλαμβάνεται ὁ αὐτὸς Μάνης ἀπὸ τοῦ τὸν σωτῆρα εἰρηκέναι «ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀνθρώπῳ οἰκοδεσπότῃ, ὃς ἔσπειρε εἰς τὸν ἀγρὸν αὐτοῦ καλὸν σπέρμα. καὶ καθευδόντων τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐχθρὸς ἄνθρωπος ἦλθε καὶ ἔσπειρε ζιζάνια. εἶτα λέγουσιν αὐτῷ οἱ δοῦλοι αὐτοῦ· οὐχὶ καλὸν σπέρμα ἔσπειρας ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ; ὁ δὲ ἔφη, ναί. πόθεν οὖν τὰ ζιζάνια; ὁ δὲ ἀποκρινάμενος εἶπεν, ἐχθρὸς ἄνθρωπος τοῦτο ἐποίησεν. οἱ δὲ δοῦλοι πρὸς αὐτὸν εἶπον· θέλεις οὖν ἀπελθόντες ἐκριζώσωμεν τὰ ζιζάνια; ὁ δὲ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἔφη· οὔ, μή 3.105 πως ἐκριζοῦντες τὰ ζιζάνια ἐκριζώσητε καὶ τὸν σῖτον. ἀλλ' ἄφετε ἕως καιροῦ τοῦ θερισμοῦ, καὶ ἐρῶ τοῖς θερισταῖς· συλλέξατε τὰ ζιζάνια καὶ δήσατε δεσμάς, τὸν δὲ σῖτον ἀπόθεσθε ἐν τῇ ἀποθήκῃ, καὶ ἑτοιμάσατε τὰ ζιζάνια εἰς τὸ κατακαῆναι πυρὶ ἀσβέστῳ». τῶν δὲ μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας λεγόντων· «εἰπὲ ἡμῖν τὴν παραβολὴν τῶν ζιζανίων», ὁ δὲ ἐπιλύει καὶ οὐ κρύπτει, ἵνα μὴ συγχωρήσῃ τῷ ἀπατεῶνι κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας λαβὴν ἔχειν. ἀποκρίνεται οὖν σαφῶς ὁ κύριος καὶ λέγει «ὁ τὸ καλὸν σπέρμα σπείρας ἐστὶν ὁ θεός. ὁ δὲ ἀγρός ἐστιν ὁ κόσμος, τὰ ζιζάνιά εἰσιν οἱ