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Of the Manichaeans

Alexander of Lycopolis

Chapter 3

About this work

Author: Alexander of Lycopolis

Chapter III.—The Fancies of Manichæus Concerning Matter.

It came to pass on a time that matter conceived

‹ Chapter 2 Chapter 4 ›

a

desire

to

attain

to

the

superior

region

;

and

when

it

had

arrived

there

,

it

admired

the

brightness

and

the

light

which

was

with

God

.

And

,

indeed

,

it

wished

to

seize

on

for

itself

the

place

of

pre

-

eminence

,

and

to

remove

God

from

His

position

.

God

,

moreover

,

deliberated

how

to

avenge

Himself

upon

matter

,

but

was

destitute

of

the

evil

necessary

to

do

so

,

for

evil

does

not

exist

in

the

house

and

abode

of

God

.

He

sent

,

therefore

,

the

power

which

we

call

the

soul

into

matter

,

to

permeate

it

entirely

.

For

it

will

be

the

death

of

matter

,

when

at

length

hereafter

this

power

is

separated

from

it

.

So

,

therefore

,

by

the

providence

of

God

,

the

soul

was

commingled

with

matter

,

an

unlike

thing

with

an

unlike

.

Now

by

this

commingling

the

soul

has

contracted

evil

,

and

labours

under

the

same

infirmity

as

matter

.

For

,

just

as

in

a

corrupted

vessel

,

the

contents

are

oftentimes

vitiated

in

quality

,

so

,

also

the

soul

that

is

in

matter

suffers

some

such

change

,

and

is

deteriorated

from

its

own

nature

so

as

to

participate

in

the

evil

of

matter

.

But

God

had

compassion

upon

the

soul

,

and

sent

forth

another

power

,

which

we

call

Demiurge

,

that

is

,

the

Creator

of

all

things

;

and

when

this

power

had

arrived

,

and

taken

in

hand

the

creation

of

the

world

,

it

separated

from

matter

as

much

power

as

from

the

commingling

had

contracted

no

vice

and

stain

,

and

hence

the

sun

and

moon

were

first

formed

;

but

that

which

had

contracted

some

slight

and

moderate

stain

,

this

became

the

stars

and

the

expanse

of

heaven

.

Of

the

matter

from

which

the

sun

and

the

moon

was

separated

,

part

was

cast

entirely

out

of

the

world

,

and

is

that

fire

in

which

,

indeed

,

there

is

the

power

of

burning

,

although

in

itself

it

is

dark

and

void

of

light

,

being

closely

similar

to

night

.

But

in

the

rest

of

the

elements

,

both

animal

and

vegetable

,

in

those

the

divine

power

is

unequally

mingled

.

And

therefore

the

world

was

made

,

and

in

it

the

sun

and

moon

who

preside

over

the

birth

and

death

of

things

,

by

separating

the

divine

virtue

from

matter

,

and

transmitting

it

to

God

.

Notes

1
δημιουργὸς.