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Of the Manichaeans

Alexander of Lycopolis

Chapter 2

About this work

Author: Alexander of Lycopolis

Chapter II.—The Age of Manichæus, or Manes; His First Disciples; The Two Principles; Manichæan Matter.

So in these matters also, whilst in novelty of

‹ Chapter 1 Chapter 3 ›

opinion

each

endeavours

to

show

himself

first

and

superior

,

they

brought

this

philosophy

,

which

is

simple

,

almost

to

a

nullity

.

Such

was

he

whom

they

call

Manichæus

,

a

Persian

by

race

,

my

instructor

in

whose

doctrine

was

one

Papus

by

name

,

and

after

him

Thomas

,

and

some

others

followed

them

.

They

say

that

the

man

lived

when

Valerian

was

emperor

,

and

that

he

served

under

Sapor

,

the

king

of

the

Persians

,

and

having

offended

him

in

some

way

,

was

put

to

death

.

Some

such

report

of

his

character

and

reputation

has

come

to

me

from

those

who

were

intimately

acquainted

with

him

.

He

laid

down

two

principles

,

God

and

Matter

.

God

he

called

good

,

and

matter

he

affirmed

to

be

evil

.

But

God

excelled

more

in

good

than

matter

in

evil

.

But

he

calls

matter

not

that

which

Plato

calls

it

,

which

becomes

everything

when

it

has

received

quality

and

figure

,

whence

he

terms

it

all

-

embracing

—

the

mother

and

nurse

of

all

things

;

nor

what

Aristotle

calls

an

element

,

with

which

form

and

privation

have

to

do

,

but

something

beside

these

.

For

the

motion

which

in

individual

things

is

incomposite

,

this

he

calls

matter

.

On

the

side

of

God

are

ranged

powers

,

like

handmaids

,

all

good

;

and

likewise

,

on

the

side

of

matter

are

ranged

other

powers

,

all

evil

.

Moreover

,

the

bright

shining

,

the

light

,

and

the

superior

,

all

these

are

with

God

;

while

the

obscure

,

and

the

darkness

,

and

the

inferior

are

with

matter

.

God

,

too

,

has

desires

,

but

they

are

all

good

;

and

matter

,

likewise

,

which

are

all

evil

.

Notes

1
Manes, or Manichæus, lived about a.d. 240. He was a Persian by birth, and this accounts for the Parseeism which can be detected in his teaching. He was probably ordained a priest, but was afterwards expelled from the Christian community, and put to death by the Persian government. His tenets spread considerably, and were in early youth embraced by St. Augustine. [See Confess., iii. 6.]
2
Plato, Timæus, 51.
3
In substance, but not in words, Aristotle, Met., Book Λ 4 (1070´ b).