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Of the Manichaeans

Alexander of Lycopolis

Chapter 26

About this work

Author: Alexander of Lycopolis

Chapter XXVI.—The Much-Talked-of Fire of the Manichæans; That Fire Matter Itself.

That fire, endowed indeed with the power of burning

,

yet

possessing

no

light

,

which

is

outside

the

world

,

in

what

region

has

it

place

?

For

if

it

is

in

the

world

,

why

does

the

world

hitherto

continue

safe

?

For

if

at

some

time

or

other

it

is

to

destroy

it

,

by

approaching

it

,

now

also

it

is

conjoined

with

it

.

But

if

it

be

apart

from

it

,

as

it

were

on

high

in

its

own

region

,

what

will

hereafter

happen

to

make

it

descend

upon

the

world

?

Or

in

what

way

will

it

leave

its

own

place

,

and

by

what

necessity

and

violence

?

And

what

substance

of

fire

can

be

conceived

without

fuel

,

and

how

can

what

is

moist

serve

as

fuel

to

it

,

unless

what

is

rather

physiologically

said

about

this

does

not

fall

within

the

province

of

our

present

disquisition

?

But

this

is

quite

manifest

from

what

has

been

said

.

For

the

fire

existing

outside

the

world

is

just

that

which

they

call

matter

,

since

the

sun

and

the

moon

,

being

the

purest

of

the

pure

,

by

their

divine

virtue

,

are

separate

and

distinct

from

that

fire

,

no

part

of

them

being

left

in

it

.

This

fire

is

matter

itself

,

absolutely

and

per

se

,

entirely

removed

from

all

admixture

with

the

divine

virtue

.

Wherefore

when

the

world

has

been

emptied

of

all

the

divine

virtue

which

is

opposed

to

it

,

and

again

a

fire

of

this

sort

shall

be

left

remaining

,

how

then

shall

the

fire

either

destroy

anything

,

or

be

consumed

by

it

?

For

,

from

that

which

is

like

,

I

do

not

see

in

what

way

corruption

is

to

take

place

.

For

what

matter

will

become

when

the

divine

virtue

has

been

separated

from

it

,

this

it

was

before

that

the

divine

virtue

was

commingled

with

it

.

If

indeed

matter

is

to

perish

when

it

is

bereft

of

the

divine

virtue

,

why

did

it

not

perish

before

it

came

in

contact

with

the

divine

virtue

,

or

any

creative

energy

?

Was

it

in

order

that

matter

might

successively

perish

,

and

do

this

ad

infinitum

?

And

what

is

the

use

of

this

?

For

that

which

had

not

place

from

the

first

volition

,

how

shall

this

have

place

from

one

following

?

or

what

reason

is

there

for

God

to

put

off

things

which

,

not

even

in

the

case

of

a

man

,

appears

to

be

well

?

For

as

regards

those

who

deliberate

about

what

is

impossible

,

this

is

said

to

happen

to

them

,

that

they

do

not

wish

for

that

which

is

possible

.

But

if

nothing

else

,

they

speak

of

God

transcending

substance

,

and

bring

Him

forward

as

some

new

material

,

and

that

not

such

as

intelligent

men

always

think

to

be

joined

with

Him

,

but

that

which

investigation

discovers

either

to

be

not

existing

at

all

,

or

to

be

the

extreme

of

all

things

,

and

which

can

with

difficulty

be

conceived

of

by

the

human

mind

.

For

this

fire

,

devoid

of

light

,

is

it

of

more

force

than

matter

,

which

is

to

be

left

desolate

by

divine

virtue

,

or

is

it

of

less

?

And

if

it

is

of

less

,

how

will

it

overcome

that

which

is

of

more

?

but

if

it

is

of

more

,

it

will

be

able

to

bring

it

back

to

itself

,

being

of

the

same

nature

;

yet

will

it

not

destroy

it

,

as

neither

does

the

Nile

swallow

up

the

streams

that

are

divided

off

from

it

.