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Acts of Disputation

Archelaus

Chapter 17

About this work

Author: Archelaus

Section 17

17. Manes said: Let it first be allowed on your

‹ Chapter 16 Chapter 18 ›

side

that

there

is

an

alien

root

of

wickedness

,

which

God

has

not

planted

,

and

then

I

shall

tell

you

its

fruits

.

Archelaus

said

:

Truth’s

reckoning

does

not

make

any

such

requirement

;

and

I

shall

not

admit

to

you

that

there

is

a

root

of

any

such

evil

tree

,

of

the

fruit

whereof

no

one

has

ever

tasted

.

But

just

as

,

when

a

man

desires

to

make

any

purchase

,

he

does

not

produce

the

money

unless

he

first

ascertains

by

tasting

the

object

whether

it

is

of

a

dry

or

a

moist

species

,

so

I

shall

not

admit

to

you

that

the

tree

is

evil

and

utterly

corrupt

,

unless

the

quality

of

its

fruit

is

first

exhibited

;

for

it

is

written

,

that

“

the

tree

is

known

by

its

fruits

.

”

Tell

us

,

therefore

,

O

Manes

,

what

fruit

is

yielded

by

that

tree

which

is

called

evil

,

or

of

what

nature

it

is

,

and

what

virtue

it

is

,

that

we

may

also

believe

with

you

that

the

root

of

that

same

tree

is

of

that

character

which

you

ascribe

to

it

.

Manes

said

:

The

root

indeed

is

evil

,

and

the

tree

is

most

corrupt

,

but

the

increase

is

not

from

God

.

Moreover

,

fornications

,

adulteries

,

murders

,

avarice

,

and

all

evil

deeds

,

are

the

fruits

of

that

evil

root

.

Archelaus

said

:

That

we

may

credit

you

when

you

say

that

these

are

the

fruits

of

that

evil

root

,

give

us

a

taste

of

these

things

;

for

you

have

pronounced

the

substance

of

this

tree

to

be

ungenerate

,

the

fruits

of

which

are

produced

after

its

own

likeness

.

Manes

said

:

The

very

unrighteousness

which

subsists

in

men

offers

the

proof

itself

,

and

in

avarice

too

you

may

taste

that

evil

root

.

Archelaus

said

:

Well

,

then

,

as

you

have

stated

the

question

,

those

iniquities

which

prevail

among

men

are

fruits

of

this

tree

.

Manes

said

:

Quite

so

.

Archelaus

proceeded

:

If

these

,

then

,

are

the

fruits

,

that

is

to

say

,

the

wicked

deeds

of

men

,

it

will

follow

that

the

men

themselves

will

hold

the

place

of

the

root

and

of

the

tree

;

for

you

have

declared

that

they

produce

fruits

of

this

nature

.

Manes

said

:

That

is

my

statement

.

Archelaus

answered

:

Not

well

say

you

,

That

is

my

statement

:

for

surely

that

cannot

be

your

statement

;

otherwise

,

when

men

cease

from

sinning

,

this

tree

of

wickedness

will

appear

to

be

unfruitful

.

Manes

said

:

What

you

say

is

an

impossibility

;

for

even

though

one

or

another

,

or

several

,

were

to

cease

sinning

,

there

would

yet

be

others

doing

evil

still

.

Archelaus

said

:

If

it

is

at

all

possible

for

one

or

another

,

or

several

,

as

you

admit

,

not

to

sin

,

it

is

also

possible

for

all

to

do

the

same

;

for

they

are

all

of

one

parent

,

and

are

all

men

of

one

lump

.

And

,

not

to

follow

at

my

ease

those

affirmations

which

you

have

so

confusedly

made

through

all

their

absurdities

,

I

shall

conclude

their

refutation

by

certain

unmistakeable

counter

-

arguments

.

Do

you

allege

that

the

fruits

of

the

evil

root

and

the

evil

tree

are

the

deeds

of

men

,

that

is

to

say

,

fornications

,

adulteries

,

perjuries

,

murders

,

and

other

similar

things

?

Manes

said

:

I

do

.

Archelaus

said

:

Well

,

then

,

if

it

happened

that

the

race

of

men

was

to

die

off

the

face

of

the

earth

,

so

that

they

should

not

be

able

to

sin

any

more

,

the

substance

of

that

tree

would

then

perish

,

and

it

would

bear

fruit

no

more

.

Manes

said

:

And

when

will

that

take

place

of

which

you

speak

?

Archelaus

said

:

What

is

in

the

future

I

know

not

,

for

I

am

but

a

man

;

nevertheless

I

shall

not

leave

these

words

of

yours

unexamined

.

What

say

you

of

the

race

of

men

?

Is

it

unbegotten

,

or

is

it

a

production

?

Manes

said

:

It

is

a

production

.

Archelaus

said

:

If

man

is

a

production

,

who

is

the

parent

of

adultery

and

fornication

,

and

such

other

things

?

Whose

fruit

is

this

?

Before

man

was

made

,

who

was

there

to

be

a

fornicator

,

or

an

adulterer

,

or

a

murderer

?

Manes

said

:

But

if

the

man

is

fashioned

of

the

evil

nature

,

it

is

manifest

that

he

is

such

a

fruit

,

albeit

he

may

sin

,

albeit

he

may

not

sin

;

whence

also

the

name

and

race

of

men

are

once

for

all

and

absolutely

of

this

character

,

whether

they

may

do

what

is

righteous

or

what

is

unrighteous

.

Archelaus

said

:

Well

,

we

may

also

take

notice

of

that

matter

.

If

,

as

you

aver

,

the

wicked

one

himself

made

man

,

why

is

it

that

he

practises

his

malignity

on

him

?

Notes

1
Matt. vii. 16.
2
Ingenitam.
3
The text gives “quoniam quod futurum est nescio, homo enim sum, non tamen,” etc. Routh suggests “quonam? quod futurum,” etc. = What has that to do with the matter? The future I know not, etc.
4
The text is, “sed homo a mala natura plasmatus manifestum est quia ipse sit fructus,” etc.