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Of the Manichaeans

Alexander of Lycopolis

Chapter 25

About this work

Author: Alexander of Lycopolis

Chapter XXV.—The Manichæan Abstinence from Living Things Ridiculous; Their Madness in Abhorring Marriage; The Mythology of the Giants; Too Allegorical an Exposition.

They abstain also from living things. If, indeed

‹ Chapter 24 Chapter 26 ›

,

the

reason

of

their

abstinence

were

other

than

it

is

,

it

ought

not

to

be

too

curiously

investigated

.

But

if

they

do

so

for

this

reason

,

that

the

divine

virtue

is

more

or

less

absent

or

present

to

them

,

this

their

meaning

is

ridiculous

.

For

if

plants

be

more

material

,

how

is

it

in

accordance

with

reason

to

use

that

which

is

inferior

for

food

and

sustenance

?

or

,

if

there

be

more

of

the

divine

virtue

in

them

,

how

are

things

of

this

sort

useful

as

food

,

when

the

soul’s

faculty

of

nourishing

and

making

increase

is

more

corporeal

?

Now

in

that

they

abstain

from

marriage

and

the

rites

of

Venus

,

fearing

lest

by

the

succession

of

the

race

the

divine

virtue

should

dwell

more

in

matter

,

I

wonder

how

in

thinking

so

they

allow

of

themselves

?

For

if

neither

the

providence

of

God

suffices

,

both

by

generations

and

by

those

things

which

are

always

and

in

the

same

manner

existent

,

to

separate

off

the

divine

virtue

from

matter

,

what

can

the

cunning

and

subtlety

of

Manichæus

effect

for

that

purpose

?

For

assuredly

by

no

giant’s

co

-

operation

does

assistance

come

to

God

,

in

order

by

the

removal

of

generations

to

make

the

retreat

of

the

divine

virtue

from

matter

quick

and

speedy

.

But

what

the

poets

say

about

the

giants

is

manifestly

a

fable

.

For

those

who

lay

it

down

about

these

,

bring

forward

such

matters

in

allegories

,

by

a

species

of

fable

hiding

the

majesty

of

their

discourse

;

as

,

for

instance

,

when

the

Jewish

history

relates

that

angels

came

down

to

hold

intercourse

with

the

daughters

of

men

;

for

this

saying

signifies

that

the

nutritive

powers

of

the

soul

descended

from

heaven

to

earth

.

But

the

poets

who

say

that

they

,

when

they

had

emerged

in

full

armour

from

the

earth

,

perished

immediately

after

they

stirred

up

rebellion

against

the

gods

,

in

order

that

they

might

insinuate

the

frail

and

quickly

-

perishing

constitution

of

the

body

,

adorn

their

poetry

in

this

way

for

the

sake

of

refreshing

the

soul

by

the

strangeness

of

the

occurrence

.

But

these

,

understanding

nothing

of

all

this

,

wheresoever

they

can

get

hold

of

a

paralogism

from

whatsoever

quarter

it

comes

,

greedily

seize

on

it

as

a

God

-

send

,

and

strive

with

all

their

arts

to

overturn

truth

by

any

means

.

Notes

1
Gen. vi. 2.