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Of the Manichaeans

Alexander of Lycopolis

Chapter 12

About this work

Author: Alexander of Lycopolis

Chapter XII.—The Destruction of Evil by the Immission of Virtue Rejected; Because from It Arises No Diminution of Evil; Zeno’s Opinion Discarded, that the World Will Be Burnt Up by Fire from the Sun.

But that God sent virtue into matter is asserted without

‹ Chapter 11 Chapter 13 ›

any

proof

,

and

it

altogether

wants

probability

.

Yet

it

is

right

that

this

should

have

its

own

explanation

.

The

reason

of

this

they

assert

,

indeed

,

to

be

that

there

might

be

no

more

evil

,

but

that

all

things

should

become

good

.

It

was

necessary

for

virtue

to

be

intermingled

with

evil

,

after

the

manner

of

the

athletes

,

who

,

clasped

in

a

firm

embrace

,

overcome

their

adversaries

,

in

order

that

,

by

conquering

evil

,

it

might

make

it

to

cease

to

exist

.

But

I

think

it

far

more

dignified

and

worthy

of

the

excellence

of

God

,

at

the

first

conception

of

things

existent

,

to

have

abolished

matter

.

But

I

think

they

could

not

allow

this

,

because

that

something

evil

is

found

existing

,

which

they

call

matter

.

But

it

is

not

any

the

more

possible

that

things

should

cease

to

be

such

as

they

are

,

in

order

that

one

should

admit

that

some

things

are

changed

into

that

which

is

worse

.

And

it

is

necessary

that

there

should

be

some

perception

of

this

,

because

these

present

things

have

in

some

manner

or

other

suffered

diminution

,

in

order

that

we

might

have

better

hopes

for

the

future

.

For

well

has

it

been

answered

to

the

opinion

of

Zeno

of

Citium

,

who

thus

argued

that

the

world

would

be

destroyed

by

fire

:

“

Everything

which

has

anything

to

burn

will

not

cease

from

burning

until

it

has

consumed

the

whole

;

and

the

sun

is

a

fire

,

and

will

it

not

burn

what

it

has

?

”

Whence

he

made

out

,

as

he

imagined

,

that

the

universe

would

be

destroyed

by

fire

.

But

to

him

a

facetious

fellow

is

reported

to

have

said

,

“

But

I

indeed

yesterday

,

and

the

year

before

,

and

a

long

time

ago

,

have

seen

,

and

now

in

like

manner

do

I

see

,

that

no

injury

has

been

experienced

by

the

sun

;

and

it

is

reasonable

that

this

should

happen

in

time

and

by

degrees

,

so

that

we

may

believe

that

at

some

time

or

other

the

whole

will

be

burnt

up

.

”

And

to

the

doctrine

of

Manichæus

,

although

it

rests

upon

no

proof

,

I

think

that

the

same

answer

is

apposite

,

namely

,

that

there

has

been

no

diminution

in

the

present

condition

of

things

,

but

what

was

before

in

the

time

of

the

first

man

,

when

brother

killed

brother

,

even

now

continues

to

be

;

the

same

wars

,

and

more

diverse

desires

.

Now

it

would

be

reasonable

that

these

things

,

if

they

did

not

altogether

cease

,

should

at

least

be

diminished

,

if

we

are

to

imagine

that

they

are

at

some

time

to

cease

.

But

while

the

same

things

come

from

them

,

what

is

our

expectation

of

them

for

the

future

?