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Of the Manichaeans

Alexander of Lycopolis

Chapter 1

About this work

Author: Alexander of Lycopolis

Chapter I.—The Excellence of the Christian Philosophy; The Origin of Heresies Amongst Christians.

The philosophy of the Christians is termed simple. But

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it

bestows

very

great

attention

to

the

formation

of

manners

,

enigmatically

insinuating

words

of

more

certain

truth

respecting

God

;

the

principal

of

which

,

so

far

as

any

earnest

serious

purpose

in

those

matters

is

concerned

,

all

will

have

received

when

they

assume

an

efficient

cause

,

very

noble

and

very

ancient

,

as

the

originator

of

all

things

that

have

existence

.

For

Christians

leaving

to

ethical

students

matters

more

toilsome

and

difficult

,

as

,

for

instance

,

what

is

virtue

,

moral

and

intellectual

;

and

to

those

who

employ

their

time

in

forming

hypotheses

respecting

morals

,

and

the

passions

and

affections

,

without

marking

out

any

element

by

which

each

virtue

is

to

be

attained

,

and

heaping

up

,

as

it

were

,

at

random

precepts

less

subtle

—

the

common

people

,

hearing

these

,

even

as

we

learn

by

experience

,

make

great

progress

in

modesty

,

and

a

character

of

piety

is

imprinted

on

their

manners

,

quickening

the

moral

disposition

which

from

such

usages

is

formed

,

and

leading

them

by

degrees

to

the

desire

of

what

is

honourable

and

good

.

But this being divided into many questions by the number of those who come after, there arise many, just as is the case with those who are devoted to dialectics, some more skilful than others, and, so to speak, more sagacious in handling nice and subtle questions; so that now they come forward as parents and originators of sects and heresies. And by these the formation of morals is hindered and rendered obscure; for those do not attain unto certain verity of discourse who wish to become the heads of the sects, and the common people is to a greater degree excited to strife and contention. And there being no rule nor law by which a solution may be obtained of the things which are called in question, but, as in other matters, this ambitious rivalry running out into excess, there is nothing to which it does not cause damage and injury.

Notes

2
[Note the practical character of Christian ethics, which he so justly contrasts with the ethical philosophy of the heathen. This has been finely pointed out by the truly illustrious William Wilberforce in his Practical View, cap. ii. (Latin note), p. 25, ed. London, 1815.]
3
ἐν τοῖς ἐριστικοῖς. The philosophers of the Megarean school, who were devoted to dialectics, were nicknamed οἱ ᾽Εριστικοί. See Diog. Lærtius.