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Of the Manichaeans

Alexander of Lycopolis

Chapter 18

About this work

Author: Alexander of Lycopolis

Chapter XVIII.—Dissolution and Inherence According to the Manichæans; This is Well Put, Ad Hominem, with Respect to Manes, Who is Himself in Matter.

This then is the wise assertion which is made by

‹ Chapter 17 Chapter 19 ›

them

—

namely

,

that

as

we

see

that

the

body

perishes

when

the

soul

is

separated

from

it

,

so

also

,

when

virtue

has

left

matter

,

that

which

is

left

,

which

is

matter

,

will

be

dissolved

and

perish

.

First

,

indeed

,

they

do

not

perceive

that

nothing

existent

can

be

destroyed

into

a

nonexistent

.

For

that

which

is

non

-

existent

does

not

exist

.

But

when

bodies

are

disintegrated

,

and

experience

a

change

,

a

dissolution

of

them

takes

place

;

so

that

a

part

of

them

goes

to

earth

,

a

part

to

air

,

and

a

part

to

something

else

.

Besides

,

they

do

not

remember

that

their

doctrine

is

,

that

matter

is

unordered

motion

.

But

that

which

moves

of

itself

,

and

of

which

motion

is

the

essence

,

and

not

a

thing

accidentally

belonging

to

it

—

how

is

it

reasonable

to

say

that

when

virtue

departs

,

that

which

was

,

even

before

virtue

descended

into

it

,

should

cease

to

be

?

Nor

do

they

see

the

difference

,

that

every

body

which

is

devoid

of

soul

is

immoveable

.

For

plants

also

have

a

vegetable

soul

.

But

motion

itself

,

and

yet

unordered

motion

they

assert

to

be

the

essence

of

matter

.

But

it

were

better

,

that

just

as

in

a

lyre

which

sounds

out

of

tune

,

by

the

addition

of

harmony

,

everything

is

brought

into

concord

;

so

the

divine

virtue

when

intermixed

with

that

unordered

motion

,

which

,

according

to

them

,

is

matter

,

should

add

a

certain

order

to

it

in

the

place

of

its

innate

disorder

,

and

should

always

add

it

suitably

to

the

divine

time

.

For

I

ask

,

how

was

it

that

Manichæus

himself

became

fitted

to

treat

of

these

matters

,

and

when

at

length

did

he

enunciate

them

?

For

they

allow

that

he

himself

was

an

admixture

of

matter

,

and

of

the

virtue

received

into

it

.

Whether

therefore

being

so

,

he

said

these

things

in

unordered

motion

,

surely

the

opinion

is

faulty

;

or

whether

he

said

them

by

means

of

the

divine

virtue

,

the

dogma

is

dubious

and

uncertain

;

for

on

the

one

side

,

that

of

the

divine

virtue

,

he

participates

in

the

truth

;

whilst

on

the

side

of

unordered

motion

,

he

is

a

partaker

in

the

other

part

,

and

changes

to

falsehood

.