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Of the Manichaeans

Alexander of Lycopolis

Chapter 20

About this work

Author: Alexander of Lycopolis

Chapter XX.—The Divine Virtue in the View of the Same Manichæus Corporeal and Divisible; The Divine Virtue Itself Matter Which Becomes Everything; This is Not Fitting.

I, indeed, besides all these things, wonder

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that

they

do

not

perceive

that

they

are

making

the

divine

virtue

to

be

corporeal

,

and

dividing

it

,

as

it

were

,

into

parts

.

For

why

,

as

in

the

case

of

matter

,

is

not

the

divine

virtue

also

passible

and

divisible

throughout

,

and

from

one

of

its

parts

the

sun

made

,

and

from

another

the

moon

?

For

clearly

this

is

what

they

assert

to

belong

to

the

divine

virtue

;

and

this

is

what

we

said

was

the

property

of

matter

,

which

by

itself

is

nothing

,

but

when

it

has

received

form

and

qualities

,

everything

is

made

which

is

divided

and

distinct

.

If

,

therefore

,

as

from

one

subject

,

the

divine

virtue

,

only

the

sun

and

the

moon

have

their

beginning

,

and

these

things

are

different

,

why

was

anything

else

made

?

But

if

all

things

are

made

,

what

follows

is

manifest

,

that

divine

virtue

is

matter

,

and

that

,

too

,

such

as

is

made

into

forms

.

But

if

nothing

else

but

the

sun

and

moon

are

what

was

created

by

the

divine

virtue

,

then

what

is

intermixed

with

all

things

is

the

sun

and

moon

;

and

each

of

the

stars

is

the

sun

and

moon

,

and

each

individual

animal

of

.

those

who

live

on

land

,

and

of

fowls

,

and

of

creatures

amphibious

.

But

this

,

not

even

those

who

exhibit

juggling

tricks

would

admit

,

as

,

I

think

,

is

evident

to

every

one

.