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Of the Manichaeans

Alexander of Lycopolis

Chapter 4

About this work

Author: Alexander of Lycopolis

Chapter IV.—The Moon’s Increase and Wane; The Manichæan Trifling Respecting It; Their Dreams About Man and Christ; Their Foolish System of Abstinence.

He ordained this, forsooth, to supply to the

‹ Chapter 3 Chapter 5 ›

Demiurge

,

or

Creator

,

another

power

which

might

attract

to

the

splendour

of

the

sun

;

and

the

thing

is

manifest

,

as

one

might

say

,

even

to

a

blind

person

.

For

the

moon

in

its

increase

receives

the

virtue

which

is

separated

from

matter

,

and

during

the

time

of

its

augmentation

comes

forth

full

of

it

.

But

when

it

is

full

,

in

its

wanings

,

it

remits

it

to

the

sun

,

and

the

sun

goes

back

to

God

.

And

when

it

has

done

this

,

it

waits

again

to

receive

from

another

full

moon

a

migration

of

the

soul

to

itself

,

and

receiving

this

in

the

same

way

,

it

suffers

it

to

pass

on

to

God

.

And

this

is

its

work

continually

,

and

in

every

age

.

And

in

the

sun

some

such

image

is

seen

,

as

is

the

form

of

man

.

And

matter

ambitiously

strove

to

make

man

from

itself

by

mingling

together

all

its

virtue

,

so

that

it

might

have

some

portion

of

soul

.

But

his

form

contributed

much

to

man’s

obtaining

a

greater

share

,

and

one

beyond

all

other

animals

,

in

the

divine

virtue

.

For

he

is

the

image

of

the

divine

virtue

,

but

Christ

is

the

intelligence

.

Who

,

when

He

had

at

length

come

from

the

superior

region

,

dismissed

a

very

great

part

of

this

virtue

to

God

.

And

at

length

being

crucified

,

in

this

way

He

furnished

knowledge

,

and

fitted

the

divine

virtue

to

be

crucified

in

matter

.

Because

,

therefore

,

it

is

the

Divine

will

and

decree

that

matter

should

perish

,

they

abstain

from

those

things

which

have

life

,

and

feed

upon

vegetables

,

and

everything

which

is

void

of

sense

.

They

abstain

also

from

marriage

and

the

rites

of

Venus

,

and

the

procreation

of

children

,

that

virtue

may

not

strike

its

root

deeper

in

matter

by

the

succession

of

race

;

nor

do

they

go

abroad

,

seeking

to

purify

themselves

from

the

stain

which

virtue

has

contracted

from

its

admixture

with

matter

.

Notes

1
δημιουργὸς.