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a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners; and wisdom was justified by her children.” But how was wisdom justified by her children? But of those who understand the words of wisdom, as he says also in the prophet “Who is wise and will understand these things? For the ways of the Lord are straight, and he who has a word of wisdom, will also know these things, but the impious will grow weak in them.” 67. For he grew weak and was impious truly, Manes with the impious in the divine and heavenly words. For the savior said a little before “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven,” and here again “the ruler of this world will be cast down.” And if the word was about Satan who had already fallen, what need was there for him to be cast down again? But you will surely say, into the abyss. Where then was the Lord to be exalted? For if he was to be exalted from the abyss, * for like compared to like produces the balance of the phrase. But when was he exalted on the earth? For he spoke about the lifting up of the cross and about ascending to heaven, that he might draw all to himself. and for what reason being above did he not draw them, but has come upon the earth? For it was necessary for him to come and take upon himself the form of men, so that first that holy vessel, which he took from Mary, he might exalt in himself, having refashioned for himself the holy body, God the Word having come from above from the bosom of the Father, so that in his own body he might exalt it, and being exalted in it, draw like persons to himself. But who is the ruler of this world? But as it says “the whole world lies in the evil one,” not meaning heaven, not the earth, not sun, not moon, not plants, not sea, not mountains, not air, not clouds, not wind, not stars, not birds, nor any of the created things, may it not be, but the world * of 3.108 men, the pride of the mind, the audacity of arrogance, the boastfulness of the exaltation of men; this was the ruler of this world who fell down, pride. “For you,” he says, “receive glory from one another, but I do not seek my own glory.” For how did pride not fall, how was the ruler of the world not shattered, when Herod guarded and judged the judge of the living and the dead and Lord, while Pilate presided, an attendant striking his jaw, Judas betraying, Caiaphas judging, Jews spitting upon him, soldiers striking the head of him who is able with a nod to roll up heaven and earth? This pride and audacity and glory of the men of the world, this was the ruler of the world, who fell to the ground. For all those of dignities in this world who are in pre-eminence have their rule through insolence, through audacity and glory and pride, none of which is found in the Savior. “For a smoking flax he will not quench and a bruised reed he will not break.” 68. And I have much to say about this. But again the same Manes says that “the god,” he says, “of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, so that the light of the gospel might not shine on them.” If there is a god of this world, what then was the Savior doing, coming into what belongs to another? And if he desired what belongs to another, this is not the act of a good or just one; but if for the sake of saving he came for what was not his own, but another's, this is also the act of some flatterer wishing to win over those of his neighbor. And if he came to save the things of the god of this age at all, then he does a favor to the god of the world himself, by trying to save his own vessels. And if the god of this age at all consents to his own being saved through the Savior, then he is good, even if he is not able to save, rejoicing in the salvation of his own. And so there will be one fellowship of goodness, because the one who is able saves, while the one not able to save his own rejoices over those who are being saved, considering it a gain to have his own things saved by the one who saves well.

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φάγος καὶ οἰνοπότης, φίλος τελωνῶν καὶ ἁμαρτωλῶν· καὶ ἐδικαιώθη ἡ σοφία ἀπὸ τῶν τέκνων αὐτῆς». πῶς δὲ ἡ σοφία ἐδικαιώθη ἀπὸ τῶν τέκνων αὐτῆς; ἀλλὰ τῶν συνιέντων τὰ τῆς σοφίας ῥήματα, ὡς λέγει καὶ ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ «τίς συνετὸς καὶ συνήσει ταῦτα; ὅτι εὐθεῖαι αἱ ὁδοὶ κυρίου, καὶ ᾧ λόγος σοφίας, καὶ γνώσεται ταῦτα, ἀσεβεῖς δὲ ἀσθενήσουσιν ἐν αὐταῖς». 67. Ἠσθένησε γὰρ καὶ ἠσέβησεν ὡς ἀληθῶς ὁ Μάνης μετὰ τῶν ἀσεβῶν ἐν τοῖς θείοις καὶ ἐπουρανίοις λόγοις. ὁ σωτὴρ γὰρ ἔλεγε πρὸ μικροῦ «ἐθεώρουν τὸν σατανᾶν ὡς ἀστραπὴν πεσόντα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ», καὶ ὧδε πάλιν «ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου τούτου βληθήσεται κάτω». καὶ εἰ περὶ τοῦ σατανᾶ ἦν ὁ λόγος τοῦ ἤδη πεπτωκότος, τίς ἦν χρεία πάλιν βάλλεσθαι κάτω; ἀλλὰ πάντως ἐρεῖς εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον. ποῦ οὖν ἔμελλεν ὑψοῦσθαι ὁ κύριος; εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀβύσσου ἔμελλεν ὑψοῦσθαι, * τὸ γὰρ ὅμοιον τῷ ὁμοίῳ παρεκτεινόμενον τὰ ἰσόρροπα τῆς φράσεως ἀπεργάζεται. πότε δὲ ἐν τῇ γῇ ὑψώθη; ἔλεγε γὰρ περὶ τοῦ ὑψώματος τοῦ σταυροῦ καὶ περὶ τοῦ εἰς οὐρανὸν ἀνιέναι, ἵνα πάντας ἀνελκύσῃ πρὸς ἑαυτόν. καὶ τίνι λόγῳ ἄνω τυγχάνων οὐκ ἀνείλκυσεν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐλήλυθεν; ἔδει γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐλθεῖν καὶ τὸ εἶδος τῶν ἀνθρώπων εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἀναδέξασθαι, ἵνα πρῶτον αὐτὸ τὸ σκεῦος τὸ ἅγιον, ὃ ἀπὸ Μαρίας εἴληφεν ὑψώσῃ ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἀναπλάσας ἑαυτῷ τὸ ἅγιον σῶμα, θεὸς ἄνωθεν Λόγος ἐλθὼν ἐκ κόλπων πατρῴων, ἵνα ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ σώματι ὑψῶσαι ἐν αὐτῷ ὑψωθεὶς τοὺς ὁμοίους ἑλκύσῃ πρὸς ἑαυτόν. τίς δέ ἐστιν ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου τούτου; ἀλλὰ ὡς λέγει «πᾶς ὁ κόσμος ἐν τῷ πονηρῷ κεῖται», οὐκ οὐρανὸν λέγων, οὐ τὴν γῆν, οὐχ ἥλιον, οὐ σελήνην, οὐ φυτά, οὐ θάλασσαν, οὐκ ὄρη, οὐκ ἀέρα, οὐ νέφη, οὐκ ἄνεμον, οὐκ ἄστρα, οὐ πτηνά, οὐδέν τι τῶν ἐκτισμένων, μὴ γένοιτο, ἀλλ' ὁ κόσμος * τῶν 3.108 ἀνθρώπων, ἡ ὑπερηφανία τῆς ἐννοίας, τὸ θράσος τοῦ τύφου, ἡ ἀλαζονεία τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπάρσεως· οὗτος ἦν ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου τούτου ὃς ἐξέπεσε κάτω, ἡ ὑπερηφανία. «ὑμεῖς» γάρ φησι «δόξαν παρὰ ἀλλήλων λαμβάνετε, ἐγὼ δὲ οὐ ζητῶ τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ δόξαν». πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἔπεσεν ἡ ὑπερηφανία, πῶς οὐκ ἐθραύσθη ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου, Ἡρῴδου μὲν φυλάττοντος καὶ κρίνοντος τὸν κριτὴν ζώντων καὶ νεκρῶν καὶ κύριον, Πιλάτου δὲ προκαθεζομένου, ὑπηρέτου ῥαπίζοντος τὴν σιαγόνα, Ἰούδα παραδιδόντος, Καϊάφα δικάζοντος, Ἰουδαίων κατεμπτυόντων, στρατιωτῶν κολαφιζόντων κεφαλὴν τοῦ δυναμένου νεύματι εἰλῆσαι οὐρανὸν καὶ γῆν; αὕτη ἡ ὑπερηφανία καὶ τὸ θράσος καὶ ἡ δόξα τῶν ἀνθρώπων τοῦ κόσμου, οὗτος ἦν ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου, ὁ πεσὼν χαμαί. πάντες γὰρ οἱ τῶν ἀξιωμάτων ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ ἐν ὑπεροχῇ τυγχάνοντες τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔχουσι διὰ τῶν φρυαγμάτων, διὰ τοῦ θράσους καὶ κύδους καὶ ὑπερηφανίας, ὧν οὐδὲν ἐν τῷ σωτῆρι εὕρηται. «λίνον γὰρ τυφόμενον οὐ σβέσει καὶ κάλαμον τεθραυσμένον οὐ κατεάξει.» 68. Καὶ πολλά μοι ἔστι περὶ τούτου λέγειν. πάλιν δέ φησιν ὁ αὐτὸς Μάνης ὅτι «ὁ θεός» φησί «τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἐτύφλωσε τὰ νοήματα τῶν ἀπίστων, τοῦ μὴ καταυγάσαι εἰς τὸν φωτισμὸν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου». εἰ ἔνι ὁ θεὸς τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, τί ἄρα ἐλθὼν ὁ σωτὴρ ἐποίει εἰς τὰ ἀλλότρια; καὶ εἰ μὲν τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἐφίετο, οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτο ἀγαθοῦ οὔτε δικαίου· εἰ δὲ ἕνεκεν τοῦ σῶσαι ἦλθεν οὐκ ἴδια, ἀλλ' ἀλλότρια, τοῦτο καὶ κόλακος τυγχάνει τινὸς βουλομένου προσεπαίρειν τοὺς τοῦ πέλας. καὶ εἰ ὅλως τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἦλθε σῶσαι, ἄρα αὐτῷ τῷ θεῷ τοῦ κόσμου τὴν χάριν κατατίθεται, ἴδια αὐτοῦ σκεύη πειρώμενος σῴζειν. καὶ εἰ ὅλως συγκατατίθεται ὁ θεὸς τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἐπὶ τοῖς αὐτοῦ διὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος σῳζομένοις, ἄρα ἀγαθός ἐστιν, εἰ καὶ μὴ δύναται σῴζειν, χαίρων ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν ἰδίων σωτηρίᾳ. καὶ ἔσται λοιπὸν μία κοινωνία τῆς ἀγαθότητος, ὅτι ὁ μὲν δυνάμενος σῴζει, ὁ δὲ μὴ δυνάμενος τὰ ἴδια σῴζειν χαίρει ἐπὶ τοῖς σῳζομένοις, κέρδος τὰ ἴδια ἡγούμενος παρὰ τοῦ καλῶς σῴζοντος σῳζόμενα ἔχειν.