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Of the Manichaeans

Alexander of Lycopolis

Chapter 5

About this work

Author: Alexander of Lycopolis

Chapter V.—The Worship of the Sun and Moon Under God; Support Sought for the Manichæans in the Grecian Fables; The Authority of the Scriptures and Faith Despised by the Manichæans.

These things are the principal of what they say and

‹ Chapter 4 Chapter 6 ›

think

.

And

they

honour

very

especially

the

sun

and

moon

,

not

as

gods

,

but

as

the

way

by

which

it

is

possible

to

attain

unto

God

.

But

when

the

divine

virtue

has

been

entirely

separated

off

,

they

say

that

the

exterior

fire

will

fall

,

and

burn

up

both

itself

and

all

else

that

is

left

of

matter

.

Those

of

them

who

are

better

educated

,

and

not

unacquainted

with

Greek

literature

,

instruct

us

from

their

own

resources

.

From

the

ceremonies

and

mysteries

,

for

instance

:

by

Bacchus

,

who

was

cut

out

from

the

womb

,

is

signified

that

the

divine

virtue

is

divided

into

matter

by

the

Titans

,

as

they

say

;

from

the

poet’s

fable

of

the

battle

with

the

Giants

,

is

indicated

that

not

even

they

were

ignorant

of

the

rebellion

of

matter

against

God

.

I

indeed

will

not

deny

,

that

these

things

are

not

sufficient

to

lead

away

the

minds

of

those

who

receive

words

without

examining

them

,

since

the

deception

caused

by

discourse

of

this

sort

has

drawn

over

to

itself

some

of

those

who

have

pursued

the

study

of

philosophy

with

me

;

but

in

what

manner

I

should

approach

the

thing

to

examine

into

it

,

I

am

at

a

loss

indeed

.

For

their

hypotheses

do

not

proceed

by

any

legitimate

method

,

so

that

one

might

institute

an

examination

in

accordance

with

these

;

neither

are

there

any

principles

of

demonstrations

,

so

that

we

may

see

what

follows

on

these

;

but

theirs

is

the

rare

discovery

of

those

who

are

simply

said

to

philosophize

.

These

men

,

taking

to

themselves

the

Old

and

New

Scriptures

,

though

they

lay

it

down

that

these

are

divinely

inspired

,

draw

their

own

opinions

from

thence

;

and

then

only

think

they

are

refuted

,

when

it

happens

that

anything

not

in

accordance

with

these

is

said

or

done

by

them

.

And

what

to

those

who

philosophize

after

the

manner

of

the

Greeks

,

as

respects

principles

of

demonstration

,

are

intermediate

propositions

;

this

,

with

them

,

is

the

voice

of

the

prophets

.

But

here

,

all

these

things

being

eliminated

,

and

since

those

matters

,

which

I

before

mentioned

,

are

put

forward

without

any

demonstration

,

and

since

it

is

necessary

to

give

an

answer

in

a

rational

way

,

and

not

to

put

forward

other

things

more

plausible

,

and

which

might

prove

more

enticing

,

my

attempt

is

rather

troublesome

,

and

on

this

account

the

more

arduous

,

because

it

is

necessary

to

bring

forward

arguments

of

a

varied

nature

.

For

the

more

accurate

arguments

will

escape

the

observation

of

those

who

have

been

convinced

beforehand

by

these

men

without

proof

,

if

,

when

it

comes

to

persuasion

,

they

fall

into

the

same

hands

.

For

they

imagine

that

they

proceed

from

like

sources

.

There

is

,

therefore

,

need

of

much

and

great

diligence

,

and

truly

of

God

,

to

be

the

guide

of

our

argument

.