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Of the Manichaeans

Alexander of Lycopolis

Chapter 9

About this work

Author: Alexander of Lycopolis

Chapter IX.—The Ridiculous Fancies of the Manichæans About the Motion of Matter Towards God; God the Author of the Rebellion of Matter in the Manichæan Sense; The Longing of Matter for Light and Brightness Good; Divine Good None the Less for Being Communicated.

But in what manner, and from what cause,

‹ Chapter 8 Chapter 10 ›

was

matter

brought

to

the

region

of

God

?

for

to

it

by

nature

belong

the

lower

place

and

darkness

,

as

they

say

;

and

the

upper

region

and

light

are

contrary

to

its

nature

.

Wherefore

there

is

then

attributed

to

it

a

supernatural

motion

;

and

something

of

the

same

sort

happens

to

it

,

as

if

a

man

were

to

throw

a

stone

or

a

lump

of

earth

upwards

;

in

this

way

,

the

thing

being

raised

a

little

by

the

force

of

the

person

throwing

,

when

it

has

reached

the

upper

regions

,

falls

back

again

into

the

same

place

.

Who

,

then

,

hath

raised

matter

to

the

upper

region

?

Of

itself

,

indeed

,

and

from

itself

,

it

would

not

be

moved

by

that

motion

which

belongs

to

it

.

It

is

necessary

,

then

,

that

some

force

should

be

applied

to

it

for

it

to

be

borne

aloft

,

as

with

the

stone

and

the

lump

of

earth

.

But

they

leave

nothing

else

to

it

but

God

.

It

is

manifest

,

therefore

,

what

follows

from

their

argument

.

That

God

,

according

to

them

,

by

force

and

necessity

,

raised

matter

aloft

to

Himself

.

But

if

matter

be

evil

,

its

desires

are

altogether

evil

.

Now

the

desire

of

evil

is

evil

,

but

the

desire

of

good

is

altogether

good

.

Since

,

then

,

matter

has

desired

brightness

and

light

,

its

desire

is

not

a

bad

one

;

just

as

it

is

not

bad

for

a

man

living

in

vice

,

afterwards

to

come

to

desire

virtue

.

On

the

contrary

,

he

is

not

guiltless

who

,

being

good

,

comes

to

desire

what

is

evil

.

As

if

any

one

should

say

that

God

desires

the

evils

which

are

attaching

to

matter

.

For

the

good

things

of

God

are

not

to

be

so

esteemed

as

great

wealth

and

large

estates

,

and

a

large

quantity

of

gold

,

a

lesser

portion

of

which

remain

with

the

owner

,

if

one

effect

a

transfer

of

them

to

another

.

But

if

an

image

of

these

things

must

be

formed

in

the

mind

,

I

think

one

would

adduce

as

examples

wisdom

and

the

sciences

.

As

,

therefore

,

neither

wisdom

suffers

diminution

nor

science

,

and

he

who

is

endowed

with

these

experiences

no

loss

if

another

be

made

partaker

of

them

;

so

,

in

the

same

way

,

it

is

contrary

to

reason

to

think

that

God

grudges

matter

the

desire

of

what

is

good

;

if

,

indeed

,

with

them

we

allow

that

it

desires

it

.