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Of the Manichaeans

Alexander of Lycopolis

Chapter 7

About this work

Author: Alexander of Lycopolis

Chapter VII.—Motion Vindicated from the Charge of Irregularity; Circular; Straight; Of Generation and Corruption; Of Alteration, and Quality Affecting Sense.

There is added to the discourse an appendix quite foreign

‹ Chapter 6 Chapter 8 ›

to

it

.

For

you

may

reasonably

speak

of

motion

not

existing

.

And

what

,

also

,

is

the

matter

of

motion

?

Is

it

straight

or

circular

?

Or

does

it

take

place

by

a

process

of

change

,

or

by

a

process

of

generation

and

corruption

?

The

circular

motion

,

indeed

,

is

so

orderly

and

composite

,

that

it

is

ascribed

to

the

order

of

all

created

things

;

nor

does

this

,

in

the

Manichæan

system

,

appear

worthy

to

be

impugned

,

in

which

move

the

sun

and

the

moon

,

whom

alone

,

of

the

gods

,

they

say

that

they

venerate

.

But

as

regards

that

which

is

straight

:

to

this

,

also

,

there

is

a

bound

when

it

reaches

its

own

place

.

For

that

which

is

earthly

ceases

entirely

from

motion

,

as

soon

as

it

has

touched

the

earth

.

And

every

animal

and

vegetable

makes

an

end

of

increasing

when

it

has

reached

its

limit

.

Therefore

the

stoppage

of

these

things

would

be

more

properly

the

death

of

matter

,

than

that

endless

death

,

which

is

,

as

it

were

,

woven

for

it

by

them

.

But

the

motion

which

arises

by

a

process

of

generation

and

corruption

it

is

impossible

to

think

of

as

in

harmony

with

this

hypothesis

,

for

,

according

to

them

,

matter

is

unbegotten

.

But

if

they

ascribe

to

it

the

motion

of

alteration

,

as

they

term

it

,

and

that

by

which

we

suffer

change

by

a

quality

affecting

the

sense

,

it

is

worth

while

to

consider

how

they

come

to

say

this

.

For

this

seems

to

be

the

principal

thing

that

they

assert

,

since

by

matter

it

comes

to

pass

,

as

they

say

,

that

manners

are

changed

,

and

that

vice

arises

in

the

soul

.

For

in

altering

,

it

will

always

begin

from

the

beginning

;

and

,

proceeding

onwards

,

it

will

reach

the

middle

,

and

thus

will

it

attain

unto

the

end

.

But

when

it

has

reached

the

end

,

it

will

not

stand

still

,

at

least

if

alteration

is

its

essence

.

But

it

will

again

,

by

the

same

route

,

return

to

the

beginning

,

and

from

thence

in

like

manner

to

the

end

;

nor

will

it

ever

cease

from

doing

this

.

As

,

for

instance

,

if

α

and

γ

suffer

alteration

,

and

the

middle

is

β

,

α

by

being

changed

,

will

arrive

at

β

,

and

from

thence

will

go

on

to

γ

.

Again

returning

from

the

extreme

γ

to

β

,

it

will

at

some

time

or

other

arrive

at

α

;

and

this

goes

on

continuously

.

As

in

the

change

from

black

,

the

middle

is

dun

,

and

the

extreme

,

white

.

Again

,

in

the

contrary

direction

,

from

white

to

dun

,

and

in

like

manner

to

black

;

and

again

from

white

the

change

begins

,

and

goes

the

same

round

.

Notes

1
τὸ ἄτακτον.