Constantine the Deacon

ABOUT THE SAME YEAR

CONSTANTINE THE DEACON

NOTITIA

(Angelo Mai, *Spicilegium Romanum*, vol. X, Prolegomena p. iii, and p. 94.)

In the seventh general synod, celebrated in the city of Nicaea in the year 788 for the assertion of the honor of the holy images, a fragment was recited from a panegyrical oration on all the martyrs, by Constantine, deacon and chartophylax of the Church of Constantinople. An author of such an early time, brought forward by an ecumenical synod as a weighty and credible witness, impelled my mind to investigate whether it might perhaps be preserved in the Vatican codices (that is, in the literary treasury of the world); which I truly did not hope for with a rash effort. For first, I found this very long discourse in a codex of approximately the tenth century, written in most beautiful letters; yet something was missing at the end, the membranes having been consumed by the ravages of time. Then, lest anything be lacking to such a good find, I chanced upon another codex, about two centuries later, in which the entire discourse was contained. The greater part of our edition, therefore, flowed from the nobler codex, while the lesser, or rather the smallest part, came from the more recent one.

Now, regarding the author Constantine, I have nothing to say, since not even Allatius, who first mentions him in his *Diatriba de Simeonibus*, p. 81, provided any information about him. For the rest, he appears to be a man of the Justinian age, that is, two hundred years older than the synod by which he is praised: for it does not seem likely, as I think, that the authority of a very recent man would have been invoked by the synod. Indeed, what the panegyrical oration itself is like, our book now demonstrates; and that all may know it, we have also endowed it with Latinity.

It is the author's purpose to compile a certain summary history of the persecutions from the infinite acts of the martyrs that were circulating; then to relate the interrogations conducted before pagan tribunals, and also the disputations of the martyrs with the judges, conducted with no small vigor of eloquence; then to graphically expose the numberless kinds of tortures, and to celebrate the wonderful fortitude of the martyrs; to narrate their prayers to God and the help obtained; finally, to sing an epinicion as a hymn, and to implore the intercession of the blessed champions, now received into heaven, for the struggling Church. This is the sum of the Constantinian oration, which we have decided should be dedicated to the glory of the martyrs.

CONSTANTINE THE DEACON AND CHARTOPHYLAX OF THE MOST HOLY CHURCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE: ENCOMIUM FOR ALL THE GLORIOUS AND ALL-PRAISEWORTHY MARTYRS WHO SUFFERED FOR CHRIST OUR GOD THROUGHOUT THE INHABITED WORLD

^A 1. The festivals of Christ, insofar as they illuminate the light of the economy wrought for our sake, surpassing human understanding by the difficulty of their subject, exceed all power of speech and vanquish every excellence and magnificence of praise. Yet the notable and most splendid festival of the valiant athletes of piety which is now being celebrated, although it clearly outstrips all equal encomiums by the illustrious magnitude of its worth, nevertheless calls all eyes to behold and all tongues to proclaim its glory; and by the law of both spirit and body it unites us to those chosen by God, that we might imitate their greatest achievements. But come now, let the inhabited world present itself to me as a theater, filled with every age and every nation, and convened by that magniloquent herald, King David, who cries out: "Come and see the works of the Lord, what wonders he has wrought on the earth, making wars to cease unto the ends of the earth"¹.

^B 2. For since the morbid disaster befell our progenitors in Paradise, at which time the serpent breathed into them the bitter venom of deceit through the bite of envy, so that the beauty of immortality was immediately darkened for them, and they lost that life devoid of sorrow and labor; since, I say, these things came to pass in this way, and the evil, spreading like a malignant flow, pervaded the whole race—whence it resulted that it fell into an incurable disease, neither by cauteries applied at various times with great forbearance and goodness [of]

^A nor by incisions, nor by being brought back to health as if by some astringent drugs; for neither did they attend to the mildness of the remedy—the salvation contrived through word, law, and wonders—so as to be delivered from the incurable corruption of the wound, death having reigned even until Moses, and upon those who had not sinned, as says the Apostle [Rom. v, 14]. The best guardian of our nature, like some father who loves his children, seeking to recall those who had cast him off and had gone lame from their proper paths, went forward wisely to the healing of the fracture. For, putting on the form of the one who was sick, He who was Himself free from every stain both took away our sins and bore our infirmities. And by the abundance of His wisdom and understanding, employing a certain strange and paradoxical way, through passion He procured for us impassibility; and cleansing the wounds festering in our souls ^B with His blood, and cutting away the decay with the cross, He extinguished the whole of burning worldly sin, and stilled the swelling of our pains. And having destroyed death, He brought us back again to the ancient life, having made us whole. And truly sound, and such as it was fitting that those who had received such great care from such a healer should be, we were strengthened and shone forth. But so that the wicked one might not attack us again, being naked and unguarded, and strike more severely and harm those who had been healed, the Redeemer equipped us for battle with the panoply of the Spirit, arming us splendidly and on every side. For upon our head He placed the helmet of salvation, He clothed us with the breastplate of justice, and having girt our loins with the belt of truth, and shod our feet in the preparation of the Gospel of peace, He thus placed in our hands the sword of the Spirit, ^C which is the word of God, and the shield of faith, by which we shall be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the wicked one. Thereafter, having infused very great strength and made us secure on all sides for the battle, He established our race fearless against every plot of the serpent.

3. But the tyrannical nature was not to remain quiet at these things, nor could it contain the throes of its envy. For, having conceived labor, the arrogant one very quickly gave birth to iniquity. For immediately, as if [calling together] its own troop, it armed the apostate power, easily subjecting to itself with the weapons and machines of impiety all those who did not wish to be enrolled in the divine phalanx. Therefore, having taken to itself as allies kings and consuls and generals and toparchs, leaders and tyrants, and those under authorities and the rulers of regions, peoples and tribes and tongues, from the east and the west, from the north and the sea, it stirred up the war against the pious. ^D Those men, setting forth fire and bonds and iron, and digging pits, and bringing in wild beasts, and displaying before their adversaries the form of every kind of instrument of torture, while affording a terrible sight to the cowardly and the weak

^A but to the steadfast and noble, they were a source of courage, emboldening the crowd of men and, by the power and might of that tyranny of impiety, they fashioned a variegated and many-branched battle line.

4. But none the less were those set in opposition, the champions of the faith, who were enrolled in the divine catalogue, and who, excelling the impious in strength of body, training in virtues, and experience of labors, and being diverse in either sex, in every age, in differences of pursuits, in choices of life, and in strangeness of languages and homelands, nonetheless joined their phalanx in harmonious spirits. For their throng was to them like a varied meadow, garlanded and gleaming with multi-colored flowers—young men and virgins, old men with the juniors. For even the female sex, invigorated with masculine strength and, forgetful of its own nature, emulated the virile loftiness of soul through the ardor of its purpose. ^B A multitude of children, too, in the smallness of their nature but in the wholeness of their understanding, filled out the testudo; and there were among them rulers and the ruled, masters arrayed with slaves, the ignoble and the illustrious, the humble and the noble, all of them at once Greeks and barbarians, Macedonians and Thessalians, Paeonians and Illyrians, Laconians and those dwelling around the Euxine Sea, Thracians and Byzantines, and the Cimmerians by the Bosporus, Bithynians and Cappadocians, Phrygians and Carians, Lycians, Galatians, Isaurians, Lydians, and Pisidians, and Pamphylians, Lycaonians and Cilicians, Scythians and Persians, Bactrians, Colchians and Assyrians, Parthians and Medes, Elamites, Osrhoenians and Blemmyes, Indians and Ethiopians, Israelites and ^C Egyptians, Syrians and Palestinians, Cypriots, Cretans and Rhodians, Aeolians and Ionians, Phoenicians and Arabs, Romans, Cyrenaeans and Libyans, Dacians and Getae, and Sarmatians, Celts and Vandals, and Iberians; furthermore, Moabites and Ammonites, Canaanites and Hittites, Amorites and Perizzites, Hivites and Girgashites, and Jebusites, and those dwelling in the British islands, and at Gades, and, as the Book of Acts says, from every nation under heaven they were marshaled. And soon, with the martial trumpet sounding and calling the athletes into the midst as true champions, they cast off their material garments and put on Christ, for whose sake the agony was taking place; and, giving one another the saving name as a watchword, they marched courageously into the dangers. And having engaged with the unconquerable boldness of their adversaries, the noble heroes, while falling, routed their enemies, and being slain by wounds, they despoiled their slayers, who were covered in shame beyond expectation and defeated by the noble deeds of the dead bodies. And the victory was somehow paradoxical and inverted; for the victor was proclaimed not the one who had slaughtered in killing, but he who was dead by wounds. ^D For there was a struggle between them: the one side, that they might die fighting for the Good; the others, that they might drag the noble athletes to themselves, and, having conquered those addicted to idols by their own authority and artifices, might deliver them from their torments and seduce them to their own side. Thus, therefore, our victors raised a splendid trophy throughout the whole world, binding the strong, and after death, celebrating a notable triumph in Christ.

5. Let us now see how and from whence this struggle began, and the artifice of the wrestling, and what and how great was the magnitude of the contests. Fire was kindled upon the altars before the idols, and the things necessary for the sacrifice were present: stacte, myrrh, frankincense, kinds of victims, and libations. Meanwhile, royal edicts were posted throughout every city, proclaiming the impious dogma of the Gentiles and undermining the true faith of the Christians. ^B And they commanded everyone, both strangers and citizens, to renounce true religion and to offer worship to the creature instead of the Creator. Those who did not yield to such decrees were to be subjected to every kind of torment, to exchange life for death, with no compassion for any age or status, nor was any pity shown to women or children—whether on account of the weakness of their nature or the simplicity of their judgment. Thrones and tribunals were set up in the most prominent public places, upon which the judges sat, commanding with haste that what was ordered be fulfilled. A multitude of executioners and guards stood around, ready to obey the commands of the governors instantly. There were also present crowds of peoples and nations, some to sacrifice, and others to watch what was being done.

6. ^C For there had been devised various and multiform kinds of torments, fabricated in many ways from every material and art, bringing horror and fear to those who saw them even before the trial: pincers, grids, cauldrons, swords, and stakes, bonds and scourges, fetters and racks; moreover, awls and claws, scrapers, levers, wheels, and stretching-frames, and very many other malicious inventions of the impious, devised to terrify those who looked upon them. Troops of lions, bears, boars, and panthers were also captured for the devouring of bodies; the caverns of the earth, palpable darkness, the freezing air, and the depths of the sea also served them. Furthermore, fire, nourished by pitch, naphtha, tow, and brushwood, was raised into a most great flame. And the creation, which is deified, was recklessly forced by human will to serve in the tormenting of the pious; and the element which was once worshiped and held in honor by the Gentiles was now servilely employed in the vexing of bodies. Finally, the herald raised a loud cry, exhorting them to sacrifice to demons, and neither to confess Christ, nor to delay or put off the sacrifice. ^D

7. A great flood of impiety, therefore, at that time inundated the inhabited world, like a river carrying away souls devoid of root and fruit, together with bodies—like certain falling trees—and sending them into one precipice of destruction. Animal sacrifices and smokes from the smell of burning fat were offered abundantly to the idols in the streets and temples, portending the future—though not yet realized—overthrow and dissolution of those who offered them. Everything was shrouded in the darkness of ignorance and impiety.

^A And a certain misty cloud of error troubled the eyes of the impious, not so much because they did not wish, as because they were unable to be illuminated by the light of truth and knowledge. For some, not even when called, willingly submitted to the commands, and became the authors of their own slaughter; others, displaying a mixed and destructive intent, still hesitated regarding the sacrifice and deliberated; others, puffed up by flatteries and overcome by the love of money, or captivated by the desire for glory, debased their own souls to these abominations; others, though they suffered violence, since for even a short moment they did not resist the threats of the tyrants, became traitors to their own salvation. And what need to speak of the darkness of that time, and that manifold theater of confusion, and the cauldron of all the difficulties of men who were almost ignorant of themselves and divided, irrationally in their intentions, and leaning upon no firm foundation of hope? But some raged and acted madly with boldness even against the truth, and in the end acted impiously in vain; others leaned now here and now there in the duplicity of their thoughts and in the unstable and unsteady disposition concerning good things.

8. But not so those who were truly lovers of the Good, and who had kept the King’s image undefiled and unhurt, the victorious martyrs who had long since consecrated their souls to God, and then offered their bodies to be sacrificed, distinguished as they were in both beauty and strength. ^B Indeed, they were not enslaved by the wandering judgment of the enemies, nor did they change or conform themselves to the time and power, nor, as some might say, did they become half-laboring and half-vile, departing from duty and limping in their mind. Rather, for as long as the tyrants did not urge them toward apostasy and compel them to offer sacrifice, they kept silence after the manner of athletes, sharpening their souls and preparing themselves for the contests, passing the day and night in fasts and prayers, educating themselves in other exercises of virtue, and training more laboriously against the passions, and subduing the body, and fighting the inner war in the best way, they prepared for themselves the external fight as a very easy one. But when the time called them to the wrestling-grounds, they went forth without delay—armed certainly not in body, but fenced about with faith and the daring of their intention—ready ^C to rush into the arena; and they stood bright and rejoicing before their adversaries, signaling to those who saw them the manliness of their soul and its dauntless spirit toward any of the hardships whatsoever. Toward them, the presiding tyrants looked with a sharp and Titanic rage, and (so that we might encompass their dialogues, both in common and one by one, in a summary fashion as in a type) they began to harass the athletes with such questions as these—saying, "Who are you, and whence have you come, you who, when you ought to revere authority and royal seats, are instead elated ^D either in mutual exhortations, or in prayers to God, or finally in various kinds of tortures and deaths?" For it could not be otherwise that he should act, who was composing a general eulogy of all the martyrs.

^A And with bold spirit, do you stand before the judges' benches? They demanded that they should state their condition, their way of life, their kind of religion, and what they thought about the worship of idols. But they, with a tranquil state of mind and in gentle words, thus made their timely apology to them:

9. “We, judges, indeed, have obtained the same nature as you, yet we were not born of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God the Father, who also deigned to grant us both to be and to be called Christians; for this name is common to us all. ^B Our country, moreover, and our nurse is the glorious city of God, the rational mother Zion, which the Most High Lord established. Our race, and those who share our tribe and our brotherhood, are the first minds which surround God—homogeneous indeed with us insofar as they too were created from nothing by God, but equal in what pertains to the harmonious pursuit of religion and the observance of justice; although on account of the excellence of their dignity and the purity and simplicity of their nature, and because they came forth before all from the divine light, they are adorned with greater glory than we. ^C Our condition, furthermore, and our endeavor consists in this, that we should exercise prudence, fortitude, justice, and temperance, which are the heads of virtue, through which, always doing what is good, we more eagerly seek the true life. Our religion, moreover, is piety, and not to set the creature in opposition to the Creator, nor to hold the truth in unrighteousness, nor to change the image of the incorruptible God into the likeness of the image of mortal man and of birds and quadrupeds and serpents, but to remain within the boundaries of unswerving knowledge, knowing the difference between the Creator and the creature. ^D We confess Him in three persons: the Father who begat without beginning; the Son, likewise begotten without beginning, and then for our sake made man in time; and the Holy Spirit, who vivifies and sanctifies all, yet in one substance, and deity, and power, and lordship. We deem all other things to be servants and subject, as many as are conceived and believed by the mind, both visible and invisible. Now, what we think concerning the pursuit of idols is settled in a few words: namely, that these are like harmful and deadly poisons, and the most savage of serpents, whose malicious bites, however, hurt more lightly than the idols themselves, since those reach only as far as bodies and fragile matter, while these set on fire the bodies and souls themselves, tearing them apart and devouring them, more bitterly and more violently.”

10. It happened that the hostile ones, having heard these words, restrained their anger, which was already breaking forth, so that they might not appear to be suddenly overcome by passion. “But why,” they said, “having abandoned the distinctive marks of the flesh and the life and manner of living upon the earth through which you would make yourselves manifest, have you become babblers who toss about before us strange and unaccustomed words as if they were magic?"

^A — But concerning the things you have confessed to worship, and concerning the things you have insolently and boldly reviled, we shall ^B examine hereafter; for you should not think that we would endure such great babbling and absurdity of words.

"And what, then," said the champions, "could be a greater or more manifest token for those who are ignorant, to show who we are and by what distinguishing marks we differ from other mortals? For as regards our clay-like matter, dense and composite, we differ from you in nothing, but in the same forms and shapes we exhibit a common likeness, so far as the nature of these is visible in the common form; and we are denoted by the same names in bulk, magnitude, and size. Finally, our life is subject to birth and death just as yours is. But as regards the soul, we are separated from you by a great interval; for we are not peers in the likeness of our lives or characters, nor in the rationale of our movements, our pursuits, or our wills. It is evident, therefore, that if we wished to demonstrate ourselves to you by earthly signs, we would be clouding what is proper with what is common. But because we wished to exhibit to you a pure and unadulterated image of our life, and to bring into the light that which is hidden and not immediately apparent regarding our way of life—so that you might gaze upon a clear and distinct understanding of us—we could not be shown otherwise than by thus testifying to the truth, having traced out for you a naked image of those [principles] in which we live and move and have our being. ^C Furthermore, you yourselves would not deny that the soul, though bound to an inferior body, yet acts as its guide and master, and by the excellence of its nature rules the matter subject to it at its own will, so long as it maintains its own dignity. If, therefore, anyone prides himself not so much on the ornaments of the superior part, but delights miserably in the obscure veil of the flesh as if it were some great thing, he appears by a foolish judgment to choose what is worse and to prefer the created thing to virtue itself. Wherefore we wish you to be persuaded that we have not done this rashly, nor absurdly, nor maliciously or fraudulently, but most opportunely have we impressed the rationale of our life upon your minds as if by a pattern. It remains that you should approach the investigation concerning our religion, as you have threatened; for we are prepared to render an account to anyone who asks us concerning the hope that is in us."

11. To these things the judges replied: "Well does it become you not to treat these matters lightly, in which we also are greatly concerned: but what is the reason for your innovation in religion and this novelty of dogmas? For you bring certain strange things into our ears, pushing aside the ancestral belief concerning the gods, established for so long by time, custom, and law. ^D For by the gods is this whole universe held together from discordant and opposite parts, and bound by a law of friendship and order into harmony and consensus, and to the preservation and security of our life. By what reason, then, are you led, having abandoned so great a multitude of gods, to adhere to three only, and these unknown gods, recently feigned and fabricated by you? And if it is permitted for you to name a trinity on the authority of Homer,

^A according to the saying, "all things are divided into three parts," it is not right to divide the creation and to relish one part of it while altogether casting away the rest. For even if the poet has assigned the beginnings of the universe to some principal and, as it were, leading powers as to certain first causes, he does not thereby dismiss the other gods from the care of affairs; but throughout his whole poem he introduces them both deliberating together concerning what is to be done, and feasting together, and governing together, and fighting in war, and bringing aid, and performing all things for which one might consider them to be greatest gods, ordering and disposing of the creation by their providence; whom, therefore, it is necessary to solicit and to render favorable by offering honors. Having, therefore, rid yourselves of the error that possesses you, as if it were a pestilence, change your minds, being enlightened as to what is good, and hearken to those who counsel you; for we still spare you, and we pity your folly; and therefore we hold the conversation more leniently, laying aside the swelling of authoritative power and compelling you, in the manner of a pedagogue, toward what is useful to you. ^B

12. And how would it be shown that you simulate athletes, being master craftsmen and authoritative, if you do not lavishly nourish and instruct us with such words? You who think so very magnificently and gloriously about these greatest matters, that you truly require that we be turned back by the rod of some pedagogue; and this you count as gracious and humane, that you converse with us not in anger, but gently. ^C But since you have kept this promise inviolate up to this point, and no passion has intervened, come, let us together examine the most serious and critical matters, weighing our arguments as if in a scale and upon a balance; and that which outweighs shall win, and we shall follow the victor. And first, if you please, let us treat of the antiquity of religion.

13. Our teaching hands down that the first man, having been divinely instructed in the knowledge of the Existent One, was most theological and most wise. Having been led astray from this high contemplation by the malice and envy of the devil, and having inclined his mind toward the earthly, he became dim-sighted regarding the most subtle and pure vision according to the intellect, ^D and a thick cloud of the forgetting of good things overshadowed him; and thus, having lost his light-like eyes, he stood outside the bright life in paradise. Thenceforth, to his descendants, the light of the theological ray shone more dimly and indistinctly, as through a lattice. But Abraham, who is called our forefather, excelling in the love of wisdom, and having become, through much inquiry and still more by faith, as far as was possible, a recipient of the more perfect things, was initiated more clearly and radiantly into the doctrines concerning the Trinity and our sacred religion; to whom eventually, by his own intellect.

the mystery of the one Person of the Trinity—that is, God the Word, incarnate in later ages—was symbolically pre-indicated. After him, Moses, having been deigned worthy of the vision of God, and having received the written law, imparted more expressively to the people the knowledge of the "Existing One." From that point, this light, flowing forth bit by bit, grew until the Son of the Father, having conversed with us in the flesh, wrought salvation upon the earth; from whom we possess the perfection of precise faith, no longer in shadows and images, but with unveiled face beholding the glory of the Lord. Thus, therefore, was the proclamation of the truth announced to us, surpassing your mythical doctrines by the antiquity of its time. For Abraham shone forth around the times of Ninus, while Moses lived during the reign of Orthopolis among the Sicyonians, who preceded the so-called ^A double-natured Cecrops. But that "father of men and gods" of yours, Zeus, was fashioned as a god by that very Cecrops. And from him, in succession, the rest of your flock of gods came into being; and from this, the disasters at Ilium and the blindness of Homeric poetry took their rise; and stones and wood were abundantly transformed into gods, and assumed whatever form they pleased according to the skill and will of the craftsmen. Why, then, do you not give your names to a religion supported by consistent and historical ^B authority, and, laying aside beastly opinions, embrace the evident truth, attending to the unerring faith proclaimed long ago and to the things confessed?

14. "And whence," the judges asked, "will you provide the proofs for the things mentioned?" "This, on the one hand," the martyrs answered, "we demonstrate from our sacred Books; but this we also establish toward the truth from many of your own historians, writers, and philosophers. For Eupolemus and Artabanus, and furthermore Demetrius and Porphyry, and very many others—whom we omit because of their great number—bore witness to the antiquity of Moses." Let us not, therefore, having been created in the image of God and adorned with the gift of free will, fall away toward irrationality, and, like swine wallowing, shun the grace of the pure fountains, rolling instead in the mud and material error of ^C deception, failing to choose the better part. For it is truly base, and very absurd and foolish, for a nature endowed with mind and soul, and honored with the gift of reason and abounding in so many privileges of virtue, to ground its hopes of life in bronze and wood, and—with matter that is trodden underfoot and servile—to become, in a certain sense, a stone through the irrational impulses of one's own mind.

15. "Then do you think, O men," the judges said, "that we make our salvation ^D to consist in bronze and stones..."

and do not look instead to a providential power that holds all things together, from which all the best things come to us?"

"And how is it," the martyrs replied, "that sculptors and stonemasons manufacture a multitude of statues by shaping them into various forms and fastening them into temples? And you, for your part, honor these things with sacrifices and ask them for the resolution of your problems? And why do your tyrants also persecute us? Is not the Deity, whom you speak of, depicted in images? Why then do you revile us for being superstitious, when you are yourselves disposed toward the same practices? Since, therefore, O judges, you introduce an accusation concerning images against us—an accusation ^A that is easily refuted—come, let us also deliver you from this error and ambiguity."

16. We do not imagine that the Deity, which is simple and incomprehensible, is expressed by certain forms and shapes, nor do we consider that the supersubstantial and beginningless Essence ^B is to be honored with wax or wood. But because, when the first man was defeated by the apostate and bold power through his fall, there was need of a helper who would raise him up (for the prostrate nature could not by itself reform and restore itself, while its enemy was pressing upon it, whose tyranny could only be dispelled by a second contest), the Creator himself, the one God the Word of the Trinity, just as formerly he had ^C no helper in creating the creature, so now, when he was about to restore the corrupted image, did not entrust this reparation to any other. Rather, using his own operative power, he undertook the struggle on our behalf in human form; for this was in a certain way appropriate to God, to conduct the struggle ^D on equal terms with the enemy.

Since, however, every combatant is accustomed to overcome an adversary in one of three ways, namely, by fraud, by law, or by tyranny, our champion, having completely omitted the first and the last as being inept and not suitable for himself, nor useful or profitable for those on whose behalf the contest was taking place (for fraud begets a false victory, while overcoming the adversary in a dishonest manner, and tyranny prevails by irrational force, entering into the struggle without equity), chose the remaining method and decided that the contest should be carried out according to the law. Taking flesh from the fallen lump, endowed with a rational and intellectual soul, while remaining what he was and losing none of his own properties, he received into himself everything that constitutes human nature, except for sin. He did not appear in the flesh by phantasy, nor did he overcome the devil with his divinity alone (for the former would have been deceitful and, as it were, cowardly, while the latter would have been tyrannical and violent), but, having put on nothing other than the fallen nature, he defeated him who had conquered by deceit with the supreme law of justice, first of all by [passing through] all human passions, though without sin...

I say, by hunger and thirst, by toils, and tears, and sweat, and agony, and stripes, and corruption, and death—so that, by these things incident to him, he might quickly destroy them, just as in a melting furnace all that is superfluous and spurious is consumed, and might cleanse the human race of every stain, and [man] might remain as he was before the fall. Finally, rising from the dead and ascending into heaven, and announcing that he would come again as Judge, he thereby assured us of the certainty of the resurrection of bodies and of the perpetual incorruptibility of that same nature. ^B Him, therefore, in the form in which he appeared and moved among men, we represent in images, refreshing the memory of the salvation wrought by him through this divine archetype; but we do not, as you do, force various forms upon the eyes or fashion figures according to whim. For among you, one god is bearded, another feminine, another hermaphrodite, one already advanced and past his youth, another with a still-flourishing appearance, and, to speak summarily, multiform and diverse images of gods have been devised by you. Whence, then, did you learn that they should be depicted in such a way?

17. ^C “But if it so happens,” the judges said, “that the forms of the gods vary, this is according to the exhibition of [their] images. But there is a certain diviner doctrine handed down to us, which raises our mind to a purer and more sublime contemplation, and leads it to the archetype, and does not allow it to be cast down and scattered toward the lowliness and fragmentation of matter, or to dwell on the variety of colors—things which it is neither lawful nor pious for us to explain to you, as you are uninitiated and strangers. But if you would be bold enough to become initiates and partakers of our sacred rites, we would reveal everything to you, and we would have nothing hidden. For that we depict one [god] as older and another as younger, your own opinion agrees with this, you who call them Father and Son; for it is evident that the parent is understood to be and exists before his offspring.”

18. ^D “Let these things be,” said the athletes, “and let the gods be, according to you, represented in human form through metaphor and imagination, and let them be understood symbolically. But how could a dog-headed god be allegorized, or a horned one, or a satyr, or a half-beast, or a hermaphrodite, when the ideas of divine things, even if they are perceptible, ought to be full of dignity, unless perhaps we wish to be in peril regarding the summit of our hoped-for salvation? For it is truly impious, and by no means appropriate for rational men, to characterize the Divine through base symbols, to impose a canine aspect upon the primary and better nature, and to bark against Providence. And as for calling a god older or younger, that is an abomination to us; for these are things of created temporal...

^A nature, and to the nature that is without beginning and eternal, none of these pertain, as our discourse shows; for the Divine is beyond every time and beginning and every property that is understood among created things, even if we do, through the weakness and humility of our nature, sometimes call It by such names in their season, as appropriate. Neither, therefore, will the Father be conceived of without the Son, nor the Son without the Father, if we truly wish to use seemly and truthful language, just as fire is not to be thought of without brilliance, nor the sun without its ray; so that, in a brief image and one that is far removed from the truth, we may contemplate, as far as is permitted, those things which are beyond understanding.

19. ^B Therefore, in glorifying the Father as without beginning, we confess also the begotten Son, and the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father; for it was not right that we should contemplate the Divine as being deprived of Word and Spirit. And these we say are not powers flowing in Him, nor, as happens with us, dissolute, but we believe them to be inherent in the very substance itself; and while they are distinguished as regards their personal idioms, we adore them as conjoined in one nature and divinity. For neither in a simple and incomposite substance, and one which by no account admits of change, will any man of sound mind say that either the Begotten or the Proceeding is changed into the primitive Cause; for that which is simple will in no wise whatever receive anything heterogeneous into itself; otherwise, a composition would be seen in it, and it would have fallen away from its simplicity. How, then, is that strictly divine, which is altered and changed? Or how again will that which is in need of another for the completion of its own wholeness ^C make others perfect? Furthermore, take care that you do not scrutinize the mode of generation and precession, nor think of it in a material and low-minded fashion. For if the Divine is uncircumscribed, invisible, and incomprehensible to the mind, as being infinite and formless, in what among its own properties shall it henceforth be searched out or discerned? This is the most theological definition and doctrine concerning the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, set forth by us in brief discourse.

20. "But among us also," said the judges, "one divinity is known and believed in the distinction of persons." "As for the words," replied the athletes, "we do not deny that this opinion is maintained by you, but do not proceed further; for in reality, you stand far removed from the sense of the words you have put forward. ^D For how is that which is one, if it struggles and fights against itself and is in a state of disorder and discord, and if one part rules while another is tyrannized? For clearly, we cannot understand how the Titanic sufferings, and the wars of the gods at Ilium, and the Cronian child-devourings, and the drives of fathers and their bonds, and a divided power in the ruling of provinces and the allotment of regions, allow that which is unified and the same to be the one divinity. Recognize, therefore, that you have been deceived; for this discourse of your belief, being struck by the force of the truth, has utterly collapsed and vanished."

21. Having heard these things, the tyrannical judges...

^A, unable to bear the refutation of the unconquered athletes, are said to have cast off the mask of hypocrisy, and by the demeanor of their bodies and the movements of their faces, signifying the naked and uncovered anger of their souls, they shouted at the athletes more loudly than usual, like those who have lost their senses, saying: "It is not you who are the authors of this absurd and blasphemous discourse against the gods, but we ourselves, who in our kindness have nurtured your madness, and have corrupted what is right and just, while giving the opportunity for audacity to you, who are enemies of both gods and men. For there is within you madness and insanity, along with a loquacious tongue, which possesses a congenital and all-encompassing folly, and can utter nothing pious: beyond that which thoughtlessness is accustomed to accompany an unrestrained mind, and audacity erupts into sudden movements, and you might sooner restrain a fire from burning than a reckless mouth, a fan of novelty. But now, seeing the judgment hanging over you and the danger impending, and the avenging hand still stretched out and raised, which from natural clemency and pity is sluggish and delays for punishment, putting aside so many twisted, labyrinthine digressions of words and opinions leading to the precipice, direct your steps to the royal and beaten path; that is, sacrifice to the unconquered gods, to whom honor and gratitude are due from the whole human race, by the name of benevolence toward their providence, and finally obey the commands of the august emperors. For you know that an immortal punishment is proposed for those who refuse." ^B

22. Having heard these things, the athletes were not terrified, but as if in a contest, they exhibited the greatness and ambitious spirit of their souls, and while suppressing the swelling anger of the impious and softening the harshness of their purpose, with a modest manner, a firm posture of the body, and a measured voice, they answered: "That which you, judges, call 'multi-loquacity,' the love of your salvation has rendered for us accurate and very beneficial; besides that, it was fitting that our words should be consistent with your interrogations; for the dialogue and the discussion established between us was not about minor matters. But since madness prevails over what is honorable, and pride inflates your mind, and you do not move rightly; deign to pause briefly still, and answer our questions. To which gods, and in what manner do you order us to sacrifice?" ^C The others, answering immediately, said: "Without doubt to Zeus, and his children, and to Neptune, to Juno, and to the mother of the gods, appeasing them with the slaughter of tame victims and with incense, and rendering the rest of the worship."

23. "O the laughter," the martyrs responded, "how we admire the sharpness of your wit! For you, who commonly differ in each nation not only in the manner of sacrifices, ^D and are by no means in agreement with one another,

^A but also failing to hold the same belief concerning the Divine, you still force us to be in agreement, as if it were not possible to be impious in any other way unless you also dragged others into your error! It is unreasonable and utterly perverse for those who are in a sick and diseased state in their own homes to devise healing for others—a thing which it is not appropriate for you to attempt; just as it is not for a city that is dangerous and seditious to grant peace to its neighbor, being itself discredited by the example it offers. For if we were to agree with some of you, then certainly he who held the opposite view would claim that his own way is the most excellent and most beneficial, and would seek to win over the hearer with persuasive words; and then another would do the same, and yet another would perform similar acts, and thus the Divine would never cease to be torn apart and transposed for us into outlandish errors by authors of contradictory and opposing opinions, until the mind, exhausted, would fall into atheism, sating itself on such great falsehood and deceit.

For why? Are not your gods ^B among some of you those very ones you have mentioned, while among others they are monkeys and goats and ibises and crocodiles and cats, and the flow of the Nile, and the Memphitic Apis, a god grazing on grass and lowing, and prayed to before his death, but lamented and pitied after his decay, the same one both sacred and putrefying at once, having attained either state depending on the time? And among some, water and fire and horses and tamed serpents are thought to be gods presiding over our nature; while among others, a sword, and a tree thick and shady; and among others, a fly, ^C the most corrupt and weakest of insects. And how you even differ and disagree in your sacrifices! For some sacrifice men, others sacrifice animals; others dedicate their sacrifice with fruits sprung from the earth; and others only wash their hands with water; and others think they serve by cutting their bodies with swords, with the blood flowing out; and what need is there to speak of the incompatible and disparate, and more than numberable, kinds and differences in religions and sacrifices among all!

24. ^D "But, to pass over the other gods, and to attach ourselves to those who are considered more venerable by most of you, would it be right to sacrifice to adulterous gods, and to those who take pleasure in incestuous unions contrary to the law of nature, to pathics, to half-men, and those who fall into incurable calamities? And how could this be reasonable to those who are endowed with a sound mind? For if even we, for no matter what reason, were to comply with you in these things, the laws would immediately rise up against us and cry out with loud shouts that those who have been caught in wicked outrages must be punished by us. But we wish to imitate God, who is the first cause of good things, since the definition of philosophy, according to your Plato, is likeness to God as far as is possible for man; hence it is impossible to choose the saving path. For whichever way we turn, we lean toward death; for if we obey the laws, we shall not sacrifice to the gods, whom we shall not even judge to be gods; but if towards the gods we—

^A shall be obedient, we shall pay the penalty to the laws. Being, therefore, driven about and flooded on all sides by the multifarious storm of your arguments, and being dashed against the hidden rocks of impiety, we shall the more quickly cast anchor in the calm and tranquil harbor, and we shall make the true God our helmsman and helper, as indeed we have already done; through whom we have also gained access by faith into this grace, in which we stand and boast in hope of the glory of God, under whom we shall also safely preserve the burden of our struggles. To Him we shall offer a sacrifice of righteousness, an offering and whole burnt offerings. And if there is need of victims for the whole burnt offering, we shall offer our own bodies as a living victim, well-pleasing, performing our reasonable service, ^B and not entrusting the hope of life to the blood of irrational creatures; but instead of incense, we have brought forward the sweet-smelling faith of the soul, a perfumer’s powder, a composition breathing forth and rising unimpeded to the rational altar, being freed from all smoky and corrupt exhalation, effusion, and dissipation. This is the crown of our words and the sum of the whole dialogue.

25. ^C « Therefore, you have us as neither obeying those who command, nor terrified by those who threaten; for we are arrayed against you with word and courage, armed with faith and hope; and by the one we overturn the strength of your problems, and by the other we ward off fear. Thus you have us. For bonds, and racks, and scourges, and the edge of the sword, and tyrannical power, and death—which is not to be withstood by many—we count as equal to the bubbles that rise in the water, which are quickly puffed away by the breath that expands and holds them, or to those who are brought onto the stage by prestidigitators, who with a deceptive trick mark their bodies with feigned stripes and with laughter pretend to be in pain, casting a veil over the truth. Do not therefore hold out fears and threats to us as if they were something great; for we fear none of these terrible things; nor, if anything of the kind should happen, shall we for that reason cast away piety, from which the strength not to give in to these horrors reaches us. »

26. ^D As these missiles were shot from a kind of catapult, they struck accurately against the tower of our adversaries, which they had built together for evil out of the worthless material of a depraved religion, with its foundation overturned and all the vanity of their words driven away by the firm and polished stones of truth, and their blasphemous language confounded by the pure and divinely inspired voices of the martyrs; subsequently, the verbal contest of the heathens was reduced to a stalemate; and, being in danger so easily and shamefully concerning their profane doctrine, which they had gathered with much labor, they returned to their innate art, that is, cruelty, which was now the only instrument of vengeance left to them; and hence, instead of the natural shame which comes to those who are falling, they were flushed over their whole faces with livid spots of anger and raged with monstrous movements of spirit, no longer accounting...

the humanitarian spirit as being proper to humans, but rather something appropriate to the brutalization of one's own kind.

^B 27. And first, indeed, they ordered the garments of the athletes to be removed, and that they should stand exposed without any covering at all. And some, as though they were revilers of their race, shamelessly reveled in the sight of the hidden and blameless limbs; and that which nature had reserved for itself—more than any other secret thing—they took pleasure in as a disgrace to them. But the martyrs, for their part, signified the tranquility of their soul, which was truly philosophical, through the quiet of their limbs. And it seems to me that virtue, circulating in the midst of the athletes, covered their nakedness in such a way that even for those of the female sex looking upon them, they were not at all affected, on account of their pure and unwavering disposition of mind. And in this the pious demonstrated that the Scripture speaks the truth, that for the first-formed in paradise it was the same before the transgression. For they were, it says, both naked, Adam and his wife, and were not ashamed [Gen. II, 25]: although even now, after the disobedience and the fall, the same has happened to their descendants with a greater degree of decency, in that, struggling in corruptible and gross flesh, they have preserved the impulses of the flesh and the nobility of the soul. Then, having stretched the back of the unconquered toward the lashes, they ordered their minions to lacerate them with claws right down to the bones and marrow; and indeed, all was accomplished faster than the word itself, and the one doing it anticipated the one ordering it in his eagerness. For there was an equal rivalry for both in exceeding one another in wickedness, and that one was considered best by them who showed himself the more savage in the demonstration of cruelties. Therefore, the sound of the lashes and the muffled noise could be heard, as the tyrants and the executioners themselves roared and raged with shouting, and the gathered rabble of the crowds standing around made the court resonate with discordant tongues and many-voiced clamor. But the martyrs, in turn, sounded forth with much more noble and harmonious voices; in place of laments and groans there was psalmody and prayers, and above all, acts of thanksgiving to God; and instead of entreaties and supplications toward the tyrants, there was rather mutual exhortation and encouragement toward one another, using such words as these:

28. "Men together with women, young and old, who by divine calling engage in this double contest (for it is at once spiritual and material), and who expose ourselves to dangers for Christ, let us readily shake off the heavy burden of our bodies, so that we may more easily attain victory and strip ourselves naked from the onslaught of the enemies; and instead of breastplates and shields, let the very wounds become our defense, which, the more violently and swiftly they strike, the more safely they will guard us; the floods of blood will wall us in, and like a moat set against the adversaries, the abundance of the inundation will overwhelm their minds; let us break the opposing assault with patience. Let us not abandon our leader, God, who in the midst...

our station, but in battle itself fights. We are a strong phalanx, like an unassailable wall; let us not dissolve our dense array of shields through any fear. Let no one fall into the crime of desertion. With angels as spectators, and with Christ, the first martyr, presiding over the struggle, let us contest this combat. Let us not lose heart at any misfortune that may occur, for Christ knows how to assist those who suffer, because of what He Himself has endured. Let one soul, as it were, be formed in all of us, even if we differ in outward appearances; for we were all baptized in one Spirit into one body. Let us interchange our natures with one another, ^B while each retains their own properties, so that we may obtain an equal recompense of reward: let the male be like the female, regarding the sincere worship of divine religion, and let the female act like a man in constancy and strenuousness against adversity; let the young man arm himself with the mature sense of the elder, and the elderly man grow young with the vigor of purpose. Let no one seem shallower than another. For if we differ from one another in the currents of flowing clay—in wealth, of course, and nobility of birth, and in ornaments of dignity, just as gold, silver, skins, hair-cloth, and carpets differ among themselves—nevertheless, we have all been brought together into one sacred offering, and we have all been fashioned as one tabernacle of election, or ark of safety, deemed worthy to carry the Name that is above every name before the nations and kings.

29. ^C Sighs and sorrows have followed the pleasure of the ancestors in paradise: let us change the order, let us acquire delights through labors, and a lasting reality through that which is perishing. Let no one prefer the love of kinsmen to the love of God; let us not lower our spirits regarding humble and earthly things; let us impart to one another the duties of kinship; let the son be in the place of a parent to his parent, and let the father act as a son toward his own offspring; the one by affection of mind, the other by obedience toward what is beneficial; and let the law of subjection be common, and let each of us please his neighbor in good for building up; and let one instruct with words and show the way, while another provides a good example by deed; and let us all, by turns, supply corporal utility to our neighbors in a spiritual habit of life. We have been caught by the nets of Christ in the bitter sea of this life; let us not be cast out as useless and vile, fluttering and slipping from the snares, ^D and falling back into the turbulent and salt life of our former wanton conduct; but rather let us die in the net in which we have been caught, so that we may be stored for keeping in divine vessels, as is said in the Gospel. Let us consider the tortures of tyrants to be nothing other than instruments for the healing of our diseases: lashes suppress the swelling of disobedience and wipe away the discharges of corruption; fire consumes the dry fuel of malice, and reduces the body to dust for a more divine restoration and for the preparation of glory; let the sword amputate the luxury of desires and evacuate the redundancy of pride; let the sharpness of the nails, as if sprinkled on a brass emblem...

scrape away the filth of sin from us, and make the image more clear and more golden.

30. «But why is there a need to say everything? By toil let us destroy toil, [and] by the present, the future; and let us prefer the life of life [to death], the unending [life] to the temporal, which no one could barter otherwise, save by abandoning the one and desiring the other. Why do we not buy the precious pearl with all that we possess? And what, of the things we possess, is more beautiful and more precious than the body? Let us add this, I say, to the rest of the price. For not even so shall we have made a just valuation of the purchase. The struggle is twofold, brothers, and twofold are we, and we are drawn up for a most hostile battle. For the war is against both mind and sense, and we are of spirit and flesh; and those who fight [us]—some shoot invisibly from on high in the darkness, while others stand against us, clashing and striking, being of the same nature and status as ourselves. Let us therefore look around on every side, that we may not somewhere fall asleep unto death in some part, in the midst of a many-sided and cunning struggle, and because of the weapons and machines on either side, lest one of the enemies say: 'I have prevailed against them.' For those who afflict us, if we falter, will rejoice; so that even to incline slightly is the total ruin of everything, and a betrayal of the victory. Since, therefore, we have been entrusted to keep watch, let us stay awake a little longer; for the Bridegroom will come to us, and, observing our affection and weighing our labor in a just balance, He will bestow a large and abundant reward. Indeed, the world will offer us to the Redeemer as the firstfruits of its threshing floor. For let this be known to us, that through the purging of our bodies and blood, we shall be a new leaven and salt for the whole mass of our race, which will be one [leavened] mass and seasoned; and thus, by the divine fire, that is, the Spirit, it will be baked into bread suitable for perfect life, lacking the old and raw leaven of malice and wickedness. Let us, therefore, glorify God in our body and in our spirit, which are God’s.

31. Strengthening one another with these inciting and stimulating words, as iron is tempered by water after fire, the most noble and bravest martyrs, as is fitting, endured nonetheless unmoved and unshaken by the blows, their constancy of soul in no way yielding. When the tyrants saw them wasting away in their flesh and flowing down with blood, they mocked them, saying: 'How does this first trial stand with you, O most blessed ones?' And the martyrs replied to them: 'How, in turn, have things according to hope come to pass for us? And having become above all the things which you deem fearful, we fear one thing, O judges: lest perhaps, changing your opinion contrary to what is customary, you become more mild and grow numb with pity for our bodies regarding the inflicting of tortures.' 'We shall show you anew,' the tyrants said, 'how we are changed.' Then, therefore, having moved their entire force, with fury as their leader...

^A shielding them, they rushed upon the unconquered athletes, and commanded their ministers to bring every form of torture to bear upon them. Everything, therefore, was at hand, both horrible to behold and unspeakable to relate—fire, wild beasts, the sword—and nothing at all of those terrors was wanting, with madness seething and impiety laughing at the things being done.

32. At that time, then, it was possible to see the athletes suffering the most pitiable things and bearing them most bravely: the tearing of flesh, the crushing of bones, the cutting of nerves, the dismembering of limbs, the spasms of fibers, the wrenching of joints, the flaying of bodies, the extraction of marrow, the tearing of vitals, the gouging of eyes, the breaking of legs, and the melting and mangling of the whole body. What words could describe, as if in a painting, that ^B terrible and manifold theatrical exhibition, or imprint it upon the minds of all? One might fittingly say that those sufferings were a sort of storm, agitated by tempests and monstrous thunderbolts—that is, by tortures—or that these punishments were in no way inferior or milder than the infernal torments that await the impious. Also, it was to be seen that the executioners themselves, like furies, were invading the martyrs, manifesting the power of their wicked depravity, terrifying them with baneful devices, and torturing them with dire inventions. For one outstripping another with his own inventions, they strove to take the prize, ^C all eagerly and concordantly running toward the single goal of their ruin. And finally, their reward was shame and disgrace, having obeyed the wicked serpent and the cowardly warlord; for the order of things was reversed into a paradoxical miracle: for the torturers themselves were overcome by weakness, numbing, and paralysis of limbs, and moreover by tremors, dizziness, and faintness of heart, having been exhausted by much labor and the vain devising of tortures.

33. But the champions of the faith were rather strengthened by their sufferings, and from their labors they received strength, and being hardened by so many dangers and the multitude of tortures, they shone like the sun ^D and became white as snow; and thus with noble confidence they cried out to their adversaries: 'Whence has such blindness of error fallen upon the pupils of your mind? Who has turned your souls from the right duty? Do you not clearly see that you are being punished even worse than men condemned without stripes? We, however, are exercised by these tortures as if by sportive games in a wrestling school or gymnasium, that we may acquire greater health and beauty in the Spirit. Where are your artfully composed speeches, your poetic fables, and your abundance of learning? Do not all things fall silent and become stifled before the simple word of truth? If, therefore, your word is neither firm nor secure, and the works of your tyranny are shattered upon the bulwark of faith, and you have already turned your backs, veiling your faces out of shame, why do you not join yourselves to us who are being persecuted as fugitives, that, being conquered rather than holding power, you may attain glory? For to us, indeed, victory [comes] from this

^A source, in that obscure insignificance is better than infamous glory, and magnanimous modesty better than petty rule, and untroubled humility better than precarious heights. Therefore, follow our footsteps, and having wiped away the marks of ignorance, we shall rewrite for you the divine law of knowledge with the pen of the Spirit on the wax tablets of your hearts; reading it close at hand, you will learn to do well, being unlearned in evil. Let the present tribunal become a school for you; be corrected by this example. Who among all of you has such a love of life as that which possesses us for the sake of Christ? To us, the fire is no different from snow; the iron is worn down by our limbs, as if falling upon adamantine bodies; the executioners are weakened and almost faint, unless some strength from above is sprinkled upon them in view of our endurance. ^B Obedient to the divine law, we even pray for you who persecute us, wishing for you to be partakers of the gifts of Christ; for the divine ransom was also given for you, toward the raising up from captivity. As long as you are on earth, strive to redeem the punishments that await you under the earth. No one, once the bond of life is severed, will confess in Hades after the separation. You are bound in servile fetters by the unjust deeds of your hands; through our bonds, if you so choose, you will be loosed. Do not delay, then, nor be discouraged; for salvation is ready at hand and effortless. Wash yourselves, become clean; this is the head of all good things, by kindly bowing your neck to the light yoke of the Gospel, and casting off from yourselves the heavy load of sins. But if, under the guise of friendship, you take these words to be the cause of cowardice and unmanliness, then sharpen the swords, stoke the fire more fiercely, and set the torturers, without rest, upon us. Such is the magnanimity and fortitude that resides in us!

34. After the martyrs had spoken these things, and the salutary discourse had vanished, meeting the ears of the hearers as if they were those of a deaf adder, then the tyrants, discharging their final dart, having abandoned every artifice of malice with which they had exhausted themselves, commanded that those noble ones be led away to punishment, ^D directing that they be put to death by various means. But these truly unconquered athletes of the faith, hastening toward the prizes of victory and their resolution in Christ, when they had arrived at the appointed places, having obtained a brief delay from their guards, bowed their bodies to the ground, but directed their minds toward heaven, and offered these thanksgivings, prayers, and supplications to him who was able to save them from death, with a loud cry and tears.

35. "We give thanks to you, Master and eternal Savior and Creator of all, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of partition, the enmity, in your flesh, and has created the two in yourself into one—

^A you have revealed to us the stadium of witness, a place more delightful than the paradise of our ancestors, granting us the enjoyment therein. For, having been sanctified richly by the ripe fruit of virtues through trials, we have tasted even that tree of life which it was not granted to Adam to touch; and we have seen that Christ is the Lord, because we have stripped off the coats of skin, torn asunder by the sword and by scourges. And behold, we have clothed ourselves with the ancient beauty of unashamed nakedness, dragging along no remnant of mud or corruption, because we have defeated the serpent not by cunning, but by a lawful struggle; and those former things have been put right by the latter. For he was hindered and fell, but we have risen and have been set upright as a secure bulwark of the human race. For by you, who are few in number and weak, we have been girded with power; for your might does not consist in a multitude, nor does your power consist in the strong; but you ^B are the God of the humble, and the helper of the weak. Wherefore, having founded the house of the soul upon you, the immovable rock, we have repelled the idolatrous storms, and the rivers of apostasy that burst forth like a flood, and the attacks of the spirits of wickedness. Then also, having plowed the thorn-bearing earth of our flesh by the working of your commandments, and having watered with streams of blood the seed cast into it by our labors, instead of thistles we have caused a noble fruit of wounds to spring up, which increases into a manifold harvest in the summer; which neither the scorching heat of the old transgression will wither, nor winged spirits consume, nor yet will the thorns of circumstances choke. And now, not by the call of parents have we been led to the sacrifice, but self-called have we come to meet the slaughter, ^C offering our body as a sacrifice like a ram, that it might be reckoned a fatter and more perfect burnt offering of cleansed souls. And may we be received today as a great offering, even if we fall short of the worthiness. For every sacrifice is small for the odor of fragrance, and every bit of fat is least for the consummation of such a sacrifice; but he who fears the Lord becomes great in every way.

36. ^D Make us a holy temple, bearing within a censer, and a lampstand, and a table, the vessels of the sanctuary; so that, on the one hand, our prayer may be directed before you as incense; on the other, the light of our works may shine for men; and by our sacrifice and offering we may be faithfully consumed for those who hunger. But against the dark nature and envious one, the prince of darkness, the ruler of this world, the devil, who strives to contend over our bodies, may our guardian angel rebuke him, so that, having passed cleanly through the air from the ambush of the plotters, and having been tested by the divine fire, we may be found to be gold and silver and precious stones, through works that remain and are not consumed; and thus, being presented blameless before your face, we may obtain the promised reward, the kingdom of heaven, and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified, and the crown of righteousness, and the possession of your glory for ever. But may our first reward be the salvation of the human race

^A and its conversion and illumination. Loosen the bonds of those constrained by the chains of sin, open the eyes that have been darkened and blinded by false religion, and lift up those who are prostrate in unbelief. May our ashes scatter the whole demonic phalanx from the world like dust; let the diseases of the sick be consumed by our blood; let our bodies overshadow their souls as a cloud does the light; and deign to be present to all who call upon you through us, O Lord. Command the storm of temptations, so that it may become a tranquil breeze, and may all be led to the harbor of your will. Let there be one flock, ordered by you through the energy of the Spirit, subject to Christ the Shepherd, and may your people rejoice in you. Yes, God the Liberator and Lord of mercy, may your eyes and ears be open to the supplication of your servants. ≫

37. And when the prayer had reached its end for them, these noble ones rose from the ground, turned to the gathered multitude, and cried out with a loud voice: « Men and brethren, and you among us who fear God, the message of salvation has been sent to you; you have been saved by grace. For you who were once far off have now become near through the blood of Christ. Consider the time to be contracted; the deadline of human life is brief, the path is slippery, and those who afflict us have multiplied; stumbling-blocks are set on the road for those runningwell, and the haughty hunters and leaders of wickedness hide the snares of the passions. Do not stumble your feet on their slippery path. There is need of sweat and labor. Beloved, walk honestly as in the day; keep the faith unstained; restrain the smoothness of pleasure with the roughness of life. Let the tongue meditate on justice, and the praise of the Creator all the day long; let the ear be stopped against base rumors. Since you are sojourners and strangers, according to the divine admonition, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. My children, it is the last hour, the end of all things has drawn near. If anyone has not been sealed with the seal of the Spirit, let him be marked by the light of baptism, and let him anoint the mental threshold and the doorposts of his senses with the immaculate blood; for not otherwise shall he escape the destroyer. Let no one despair of salvation; take confidence from our struggles; our wounds are set before you as a beautiful example. For were we not clothed in flesh just as you are? Were we not knit together with nerves and bones just like you, and do we not breathe the same air? Yet, knowing that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the future glory which will be revealed in us, we have endured this grave struggle of torments bravely and steadfastly, and we have suffered the plundering of our goods with joy; and finally, as you see, we proceed to death with alacrity. Therefore, be imitators of us, just as we also are of Christ, who condemned sin by his cross and passion. »

38. When these things had been said, the executioners standing by the martyrs

spurred one another on toward the completion of the requested punishment, and they urged on the victors, who indeed cheerfully offered themselves to be slaughtered: and some were consumed by the fire of coals, others endured death by the noose; some were slaughtered by the sword, others the abyss of the sea received; some were crushed by the teeth of beasts, others were exhausted by hunger, others were sawn asunder, and others were crushed in mills: all, in short, choosing death in the Lord, found their rest.

59. O holy souls! O sacred bodies! O precious and divine gift, more estimable than gold and topaz! O inns of Christ, dwellings of the Spirit, vessels of virtues! Those elements from which you were composed at the time you were born—the matter of the body—you shall certainly recover again, after the dissolution of this compound, having been sanctified by the reception of the reward! O blessed multitude, and manifold splendor shining as one in the soul! With what triumphal proclamations shall we celebrate you, O victors, who have acted beyond nature? With what eternal trophies of memory, or with what immortal and flourishing crowns of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs shall we magnificently encircle you? You have rendered honor to your parents according to the norm of the Gospel; for by your sufferings, you covered the shame of your forefathers, freed your progenitors from disgrace, and made yourselves the dispensers of joy instead of mourning to human nature. You have turned the earth into heaven, having appeared as a serene sunrise, a morning of righteousness, and stars shining in every place, making your steps firm in the straight path of the commandments. Neither a father wailing, nor a mother tearing her hair, nor children crying, nor kinsmen lamenting, nor friends groaning could soften your constancy. For not only with the persecutors, but also with nature itself you fought, and you conquered that invincible thing which bends even the savagery of wild beasts and poisonous snakes to mercy: nature, I say, which tyrannically dominates in living creatures, being powerful by an innate force which it adheres to necessarily always and everywhere. However, you established a kinship among yourselves, bound by the common bond of suffering; and you effected a wondrous union, mingling blood with blood in the communion of torments. No love of wealth, no love of happiness dimmed your love toward God; for the probity of faith was gold to you; for abundance of wealth, the spirit of humility; and the reproach of Christ you held in higher price than worldly treasures: for you looked to the reward, knowing that you had a better and abiding substance in the heavens: for you, the boasting of glory was dishonor for Christ; cheerfulness was the contrition of the heart; the satiety of delights was continence; the beauty of the body is believed by you to be the mortification of the passions; strength is the grace in weakness and perfection.

40. You, who were called in the final hour, like those in the vineyard, bore the labor; for truly<

^A you have proven yourselves greater than the first progenitor through your works; for you kept the commandments of Christ. You offered a most holy gift, exceeding the sacrifice of Abel, namely the burnt offering of your souls; and from there you were translated to immortality beyond Enoch; you fashioned for yourselves an ark of the incorruptible wood of the virtues, stronger than that of Noah, through which you were saved from the suffocation of idols. Abraham perceived the mystery of the Trinity in type and shadow, but you, by undertaking contests for the Trinity, have become the most loud-voiced heralds of the truth. You were sacrificed more excellently than Isaac, having completed the sacrifice by your own slaughter; you surpassed the guileless manner of life of Jacob with the guilelessness of your own resolve; you made your own disposition toward goodness conform to the Lord’s teaching with the innocence of doves; and having built up the Church as a glorious house, you offered up your own wounds as food to the Father, God, as though slaughtering the body of humility like a kid, from whom you also received the blessing, life unto the aeon. By your self-control you surpassed Joseph, for you ^B shook off the unbridled glory of the pseudo-gods in both deeds and appearances, and you cast off from the body the surrounding tunic—the intellect—to the tyrants of fornication. You endured the temptations of Job, and what is greater than in his case, holding out against the cruelties even unto death. You were glorified more than Moses, having both received and kept the law of grace and truth, and having passed through the bloody and red sea of that other religion with unmoistened feet, you attained the land of promise, the heavenly Jerusalem; first, however, in many signs and wonders in the desert life of piety, you made your own strength known to the adversaries, and you trampled and extinguished by your death the boldness of the biting serpents that lay in wait for the heel. In place of the hand-made robe of Aaron, you put on the righteousness of Christ in a manner holy; and you cleansed the people not with the blood of lambs, but with your own. The walls of the impious ^C and the cities of the enemy—the talkative and opposing tongues, and the empty wisdom—you tore down with the trumpet of your dogmas. You were shown to be more manifest than the generalship of Jesus [Joshua], and more holy than Samuel; and most god-suitably, for you were not offered to God by a mother, but by yourselves, given not unto life but unto death, so that you might live the life that is immortal. You cast down the conceptual Goliath, not with a sling like David, but with Christ, the stone rejected by men. And by your perils, crushing the head of the ruling dragon, so, like certain triumphant victors crowned for great feats of bravery, surpassing the course of Ilium and the ascent of Elijah in the chariot ^D into the heights, you have traversed the gates of the heavens, moving more lightly and more nimbly, carried upward by your virtues, and being escorted by athletic exploits; and now you dance in chorus before the true tabernacle with the myriads of angels, the festal assembly, and the church of the firstborn (12).

^B Therefore it has come to pass that you give a share of your own brightness to those of the same race as you, drawing from the radiance of the intellectual fountain; for indeed you have been established for the common human race as supervisors of souls, physicians of bodies, a pillar of faith, the perfection of the priesthood, the forgiveness of sins, base and support of the Churches, a remedy for diseases, a rest for travelers, a rudder for those sailing, an aid to the needy, a reinforcement for those fighting, an uplifting for the fallen, a recovery for the suffering, a guide for the strayed, a foundation for those walking rightly, a consolation for the sorrowful, a strong aid for all, and the safeguard of firm hope.

^B 42. But we, O sacred sheepfold, if we have decided to honor the athletes worthily, let us become partners in the martyrs’ struggles, let us resist the passions that cause suffering, and let us shed forth fountains of tears like streams of blood. Let fasting torment the body and squeeze out the thickness of its matter. May the flame of the passions be incinerated by the inextinguishable lamps of good works. Let us cut down the tyranny of impiety and sin with the two-edged sword of right doctrine and with the weapons of true faith, nor let us prohibit our lips from preaching the righteous law of God; so that, at all times imitating the contests of the martyrs, we may obtain equal rewards.

43. We have offered these things to you, O mystics of intellectual worship, heirs of Christ, divine lights, chosen people, and glorious martyrs, as if they were gifts sprung up from the thorns of our weak words; may you incline toward these and receive the humble fruit of our husbandry, measuring our undertaking not by [your] worthiness, but by our ^C powers—this which we have composed for you not without the sweat of our brow. For we are neither sufficiently learned nor gifted with such talent as is needed to proclaim such deeds or sayings. Otherwise, we are also slothful, and toward all things more useful, we are always torpid and sleepy. But we have wedded labor to our will, supplementing the lack of precise skill with diligent study. Wipe away for us the mire of sins, and those evil remnants and dregs like those of tainted wine, which this unclean and bitter age carries with it and nurtures in its filth. But may what remains of life for us be well governed by the weapons of righteousness of the right hand and the left, and be preserved for us quiet and pleasant. And when we depart from here and escape from these ^D tumults, may we be numbered among the saved by the common Judge, and may we obtain this recompense for the presentation of this humble gift of ours; in Christ our Lord himself, to whom is the honor with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and always and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

ANNO DOMINI CDXXVII. DISPUTATIONS OF PHOTINUS THE MANICHAEAN AND PAUL THE CHRISTIAN.

MONITUM

DISPUTATION I. On the creation of souls.

By the command of the two lords, Flavius Justin and Justinian, ever Augusti, ^A a disputation was set in motion between Photius the Manichaean and Paul the Persian Christian, under the most illustrious prefect Theodore. The disputation concerned the Manichaean and Christian doctrine; the advocate of the Manichaean doctrine was a certain teacher of that sect, and the Christian advocate was another person among those mentioned. The disputation, therefore, was set in motion as follows:

MANICHAEAN. Since it is agreed between you and me that these souls are rational and intellectual, from whence, then, do they derive their existence? Is it from the divine substance, since this also is agreed upon by us, or from somewhere else?

CHRISTIAN. Are you asking now, according to the opinion ^B of the Christians, from whence souls possess their own existence, or in some other sense?

M. Whichever way you like. Tell me, then, whence are souls?

CH. The terms "whence" and "from what" are understood by me in many ways; for they are taken as meaning "from a subject," or "by one who makes," or in other ways. When things have a varied meaning, they must be clarified. Tell me, therefore, the meaning of the words "whence" and "from," and are you understanding them as [coming] from the divine substance?

M. I understand it as from a subject.

CH. Souls are not from a subject, neither from the divine substance nor from anywhere else.

M. But if they are "from something," are souls from God?

CH. Indeed, as from the Creator, that is, by the Creator; for there will be according

to usage ^A a more useful preposition instead of "by." M. It seems to me you are saying souls were made by God "from non-existence." CH. You have rightly understood what had not yet been said by me, but was agreed upon. M. Neither common custom nor right reason has acknowledged or will ever acknowledge that anything can come to be from non-existence. CH. The human mind and common custom are regulated by the things among us. Question yourself, then, if you will, what notion you maintain regarding God: is it as with a man equal to others, or as with one unequal, and that by way of excess or defect? M. I do not say God is the equal of men, nor inferior, but absolutely greater. CH. From what premise, then, do you say that nothing can come to be from non-existence? M. From the fact that we never see this happen. CH. Among whom, pray? M. Among us men. CH. If, then, you do not hold God to be on an equal level with men, why do you try to demonstrate that the things of God are equal to our own? M. Where have I done this? CH. In saying that no thing can come to be from non-existence by God, just as is also the case among men.

M. I do not know with what malice you pour forth these words; but I know what I have received from ^B our forefathers and what I constantly maintain: that nothing can ever come to be from non-existence. For if anything were to come to be from non-existence, it will dissolve into non-existence; for everything that comes to be from something has a dissolution back into that from which it was generated. CH. Therefore your opinion does not derive its force from the fact that nothing can come to be from non-existence. But that which has arisen from nothing should not be dissolved into nothing is not an absurd thing to fear. For if from the very nature of nothingness absolutely nothing is generated, but rather this is brought about by the power of the Creator, which ^C is able both to produce and to bestow perseverance upon the product, it follows that just as the production happened not by its own nature but by the will of the producer, so the perseverance of the things created is preserved not by nature, but by the same will of the one who made them. Otherwise, from where have you learned that what has come from nothing must be dissolved into nothing, since in your opinion, nothing has ever arisen from nothing, nor been dissolved into nothing? M. I learned this from the fact that things which come to be from a subject are wont to be dissolved into that same subject. CH. If you speak this way, then according to your opinion, "subject" and "that which is not a subject" are the same. M. How so? CH. Do non-existents underlie those things which have come to be from non-existence, just as an existent underlies those things which have come to be from existents, or do you say it otherwise? M. If anything comes to be ^D from non-existents, the non-existents underlie that which has come to be from them, just as existents underlie those things which have come to be from them. CH. So according to you, those things which are not, indeed are; and the disagreement between us is not one of realities, but of words. M. The disagreement is in reality; but because you affirm what is impossible to be possible, asserting that something comes to be from non-existents, I am compelled to speak outside my own intention. CH. If the expression "from non-existents" offends you, I will not use these words again in this disputation with you, but I will transfer the sense of the aforementioned expression into another word, and I will clearly declare my own mind, which from the

^A non-existent [things] I cherish, I shall set forth. M. Explain your mind in whatever manner of speech you wish. Ch. The souls were made by the Creator without any underlying subject. For in the sense that there is no subject from which the souls were made, the expression "from non-existent things" was used by me; wherefore things that have not come from non-existent things do not underlie [them], as things that are from existent things underlie [existent things], nor will they be resolved into non-existent things as things that are from existent things [are resolved] into existent things; for they are held together by divine power, as it has been said.

M. Since you also attempt to subvert by dialectical means the things that rest on common sense and right reason, ^B as a man of demonstration—not using reputable arguments, but attending to the existence of things—show if the souls have come to be from non-existent things. Ch. I will gladly fulfill what is asked, if you will answer a few things while being questioned. M. Ask whatever you wish. Ch. Does the divisive method avail for the choice and distinction of things, or not? M. Indeed it does. Ch. Therefore, using the divisive method—the one acknowledged by me and by you as sufficient for the choice and distinction of things—I shall demonstrate the proposed matter. M. Fulfill your promise. Ch. The soul, being incorporeal, rational, and intellectual (for this is agreed upon between me and you), exists either from the divine substance, or from some other subject, or from non-existent things, or it is eternal of itself; for it is not possible for the proposed argument to be divided in any other way. ^C Unless perhaps you mean it otherwise? M. These parts of the division are most true, and it is impossible for anything to be added to this division. Ch. What then? If it should be demonstrated that souls are neither from God, nor from any subject, nor eternal and of themselves, is it not necessary to conclude that they have come to be from non-existent things? M. Certainly, even if someone were unwilling, if these things are demonstrated, he will confess that souls are from non-existent things. Ch. Do you wish us, then, first to demonstrate that souls are not from the divine substance? M. Demonstrate this first. Ch. Whence is the demonstration of things taken? From the existence of the things themselves, or from somewhere else? M. From nothing else at all but from the existence of the things themselves. Ch. We say, therefore, that the qualities inherent in God and those in the soul are not different from each other? M. These things are spoken wisely, and therefore I am pleased with them. Ch. ^D Is God entirely impeccable, or does He sin in some way? M. God is in every way impeccable. Ch. Does the soul, then, have the same status, or does it sin in some way?

The Manichæan answered nothing to this; but the Christian, after the silence, said: Even if you are silent, fearing for the whole matter, God is nevertheless of necessity in every way impeccable; the soul is not in every way impeccable; therefore, the soul is not of the divine substance. M. The general conclusion is not gathered consequently from these premises. Ch. Refute it, if the matter stands as you say. M. I am bound in chains and cannot. Ch. Even if the body is bound, yet the soul is not cast into chains; but according to your own view, through the abasement and pressure of the body—which is evil by its own nature—the soul is rather uplifted. Dispute therefore

^A in chains rather than without them, since the body is humbled by such things, and the soul on that account becomes high-minded. M. If I were assisted by the authorities, I would dispute; but since I am supported by no help from them, I ought to keep silence. Ch. Are you a teacher of the Manichaeans? M. I acknowledge that I am. Ch. Do the teachers of the Manichaeans suffer for the truth, or do you say otherwise? M. I say they suffer for the truth, as it seems to me. Ch. Did the blessed Apostle Paul have the help of authorities when he was encircled by chains, or, because he did not have it, did he neglect his own teaching while he was in chains? The Manichaean remaining silent here also, did not answer. Ch. If you are silent, not wishing to converse, I do not see the reason; nevertheless, I shall not omit the remaining demonstrations, for I have not yet set forth all the arguments by which it is shown that souls are not from the substance of God. M. Speak as much as you wish; for I listen gladly, especially if I am not forced to converse, for a certain infirmity has befallen me. Ch. The divine substance is indivisible; but souls are parts of the divine substance, as you say. Either, therefore, the indivisible substance will be divided, which is absurd, or souls are not from the divine substance. ^B M. Just as filings are from gold, and rays from the sun, so also are souls from God. Ch. I do not know how you converse—not being forced—now excusing yourself on account of infirmity, and now running to dispute like another Momus; yet I shall examine what has been said by you. Are the filings from gold due to cutting and division, or not? M. They are parts of gold. Ch. Do you say the same also concerning God? M. The same. Ch. How then is the divine substance indivisible, if it is divided into several parts, like gold in the filings? M. By reason of substance, the divine substance is indivisible; yet by reason of a certain mode, it is divisible. Ch. By what reason, then, is the divine substance divided, since it is truly indivisible?

Manichaeus was silent, answering nothing. After a short ^C silence, the Christian said: Even though you are silent, I shall nevertheless make known to those present this remarkable method asserted by you, by which God, being in Himself indivisible, is divided. M. It is yours to speak or not to speak. Ch. Among the Manichaeans there is one principle that is good, and another that is evil, both being eternal. In the lapse of time, however, a certain wrath and war arose between these principles; not by the will of either, but from the principle of evil. For as they themselves narrate, that will, seeing its own kingdom being seized and overturned by the light of truth; the good God, in turn, perceiving that the evil was opposed to Him, and that if it were not in the least restrained and He consulted the interests of His own affairs, it would come to pass that He would suffer ambushes from the opposite, so with calculations reckoned ^D within Himself, He deliberated, namely, that He should emit from Himself certain parts of His own substance, and cast them against the opposite principle; which He did in fact perform. This, however, having received the divine particles (whether the Manichaeans call them parts, or some one thing, or segments, or however else they choose to speak), it established in its own abyss, having within itself the divine fragments; this then is the explanation held by the adversary and the Manichaeans

But if this hypothesis, which is in no need of being overturned, were to be overturned, the economy of the Manichaeans would also collapse. And if their economy is overturned, the divine substance remains indivisible forever, having been violated by the Manichaean hypothesis which forced it into a division. Now, since it has thus been overturned, did the good God, or the divine substance, act in this way because, being stronger than evil, He feared evil, or because He was its equal, or because He was weaker? Now, if it be said that it was because He was stronger, the statement is absurd, for He would not have feared the weaker being had He been stronger. But if it were because He was equal, then evil would be equal in power to the good; yet even they themselves do not claim this. But if He feared it because He was weaker, that is even more absurd, for they themselves indeed confess that evil is stronger than the good. By this division, ^A seeing that the dogma maintained by them is absurd, both their economy and the cause of it vanish; and it is not even the case that the divine substance, being indivisible, was divided on account of a non-existent economy. Otherwise, if God is indivisible by reason of His substance, it follows that souls are in no way from God in regard to their substance, as the Manichaeans affirm. And this is how these matters stand.

I have also other things to say concerning the matter at hand. They are as follows: if the divine substance dwells in a mortal and corruptible body as if it were in need of it, then certainly the soul is not of the divine substance. Furthermore, the soul will at some time suffer forgetfulness of the things of which it has knowledge, whereas God will never suffer forgetfulness of the things of which He has knowledge; therefore, the soul is not of the divine substance. Further, God in no way needs senses—that is, sight, hearing, smell, or taste—for the ^B accomplishment of His own operations, whereas souls do need them; therefore, souls do not pertain to the divine substance.

M. The soul was formerly reason, and was hearing, and was sight, and was taste, and was touch; but now, having been cast into the body, it has become acoustic by hearing, and rational by reason, and tactile by touch, and odorous by smell.

Ch. First of all, as has been shown, it was not previously reason, or hearing, or sight, or smell, or taste, or touch, and this has been assumed based on a hypothesis without demonstration. Furthermore, is God Himself reason, from whom the soul proceeds, so that the soul is also reason existing from God, or do you speak of it in some other way?

M. Both God is reason, and hearing, and the rest; and the soul, ^C before it was cast into the body, was such as God is.

Ch. Every reason is the reason of something, and every hearing is the hearing of something; and if God is hearing and reason, God will be found to be the God of someone else, and there will be some God before the good God, whose reason He is; a thing which is judged to be absurd even by you.

The Manichaean, having fallen silent here too, made no answer. The Christian, after the silence, said: Since the sequence of the argument caused the second example of the rays and the sun to be passed over, we must consider that as well. The rays exist simultaneously with the disk, and the disk is the cause of the rays; but souls do not exist with God ^D always, but on account of the economy

^A, as the adversary himself says, they have been brought into existence at some time. Therefore, souls are not from God as rays are from the sun. Furthermore, rays which are from the disk are in no way resolved into the substance of the disk; but souls, according to the one disputing against us, are resolved back into Him from whom they were made. Therefore, souls do not proceed from God by the same principle as rays from the sun. And by these arguments it has been demonstrated to me that souls are not of the divine substance; and that they are not from any subject is also clear. For if the soul is incorporeal and rational, and nothing incorporeal or rational comes from some underlying subject, it is clear that neither is the soul. But indeed, neither is it eternal of itself, for it is subjected to the needs of the body, whether it is glorifying God or giving thanks. But if it had not been made by God, it would owe Him nothing. But it does owe; therefore it was made by God. For it does not owe glory and thanksgiving to God as happens among men, but it owes these by the very fact that it was made by Him. If, therefore, it is neither from the divine substance, nor from any subject, nor is it eternal of itself, it is clear that it is from non-existent things—that is, without any subject—and has been made by God ^B as Creator. The End, with God.

SECOND DISPUTATION. Concerning the two principles of the Manichaeans.

Next, in the second disputation, with one day having intervened by the agreement of both parties, the following matters were moved. MANICHAEUS ^C: Today I will play the part of one who questions, since in the previous dialogue our matters were examined. CHRISTIAN: Our matters were indeed examined in the previous dialogue, as you have said, but not all of them. For it was necessary to first treat everything with a fitting inquiry, and only then to make a beginning of our own matters. But since it pleases you that ours should be weighed before the proper examination of your doctrine, ask as you wish. M.: What matters do you think should be treated now? Ch.: He who learns should be the one to ask, not he who discourses. M.: Then I prefer to learn now, rather than to discourse. Ch.: Do you cede to me, then, the role of teacher? M.: I cede it indeed. Ch.: Among us Christians ^D, and among others as well, this chapter exists and is held as firm: namely, that there are some things within our own power. Therefore, since you have preferred the role of a student, you must admit this first. But if you also wish to know the demonstration of the stated matter, I shall attempt to speak. After the stated chapter and its demonstration, I will also gladly expound to you, since you are willing, the remaining chapters of our dogmas, with the demonstrations proper to each. M.: You are making the beginning of your teaching from the middle of things, and not from the beginning. Ch.: Is it the duty of the one learning, or of the teacher, or of anyone else, to say what would be a useful beginning of instruction for the learner? M.: It is the teacher’s. Ch.: It is mine, therefore, to make the beginning of teaching as I wish. M.: Since you said above that some things are in our power, say first who we are. Ch.: This is the speech of one who discourses, not of one who learns. M.: I am not only learning, but also discoursing. Ch.: Repeat the interrogation. M. Who

^A are we? Ch.: We are men by nature. M.: I do not wish to learn this, but whether we are composite or simple? Ch.: This was not contained in the former interrogation; but since it is contained in the second, I say thus: in our opinion we are composite; in yours, it is otherwise. M.: In what way are men not composite among us? Ch.: From what is man composed? From similar parts or from dissimilar ones? M.: From dissimilar. Ch.: From all sensible things, or also from some intellectual ones? M.: From intellectual ones also. Ch.: Among you, since intellectual parts are segments of the divine substance, they can in no way come together for composition with contraries; for contraries come to composition with contraries through certain intermediate things or an intermediate. But there is nothing ^B, according to your opinion, between good and evil. Therefore, according to your opinion, good will not come to composition with evil. M.: I do not understand how you say that among us Manichaeans men are to be believed not to be composite. But answer me this, whether among you men are really believed to be composite? Ch.: Entirely so, according to our opinion, men are composite. M.: And from what is man composed? Ch.: First, indeed, from body and soul; secondly, the souls themselves consist of their own parts, if it is permissible to name parts in souls; and the body is formed from the four elements.

Disputation With Photinus the Manichaean

M.: Is the substance of bodies the most general, or not? Ch.: Of what bodies? M.: Of all. Ch.: By the reasoning of the universal, the substance of bodies is most general. M.: Is the substance of souls also ^C most general? Ch.: Of what, I ask again, do you speak? M.: Of humans, clearly. Ch.: By the reasoning of the universal, this also exists as most general. M.: If, therefore, the substance of bodies is most general, and the substance of souls is intellectual and most general, then of necessity two unoriginated principles are concluded. Ch.: The conclusion that lies upon your preceding premises does not follow from them. M.: How? Ch.: Is the substance of plants most general according to the reasoning of plants, or not? M.: It is most general. Ch.: And is the substance of elements most general according to the reasoning of elements? M.: This also is most general. Ch.: If, therefore, because the substance of bodies is most general, and another is that of souls, there are two principles, because the substance of plants is also most general, and another that of elements, it would ^D behove you to speak of more than two principles in these cases also. Otherwise, if substance, insofar as it is substance, does not differ from substance, but is the same substance of all things, then one principle is established if, certainly, a principle is defined by that which it is. M.: Every substance, insofar as it is substance, is believed to be the same. Ch.: When is a substance most general? Whether when it is understood relatively to bodies and souls, or when it is viewed insofar as it is substance? M.: When it is understood by the reasoning of substance, the substance is most general. Ch.: If, therefore, from the fact that the substance of bodies is most general and that of souls, there are two principles, from the fact that substance is most general rather by the reasoning of itself, there is therefore one principle.

^A M. Speak more instructively if there is anything within our own power. Ch. Among us Christians, the division of existing things is more or less as follows: some of them are within our own power, and others depend upon the nature of things; and of those within our own power, we are creators and authors, whereas of those that depend upon nature, God is the cause and creator. M. What do you call things within our own power, and what do you call those which depend upon the nature of things? Ch. Those are within our own power which are forbidden or commanded by law, for which a recompense is defined: evil things, such as impiety and sin; and good things, such as piety and virtue. M. Whence come evil things? Ch. From choice. M. Whence comes choice? Ch. From the soul. M. Whence comes the soul? Ch. In your opinion, from the divine substance. And thus evil things also come from the divine substance, according to your judgment. In my opinion, however, the soul comes from non-existent things, and evil things themselves likewise come from non-existent things.

^B M. What has been said by you against our opinion rests on no reason. I shall undertake to demonstrate that not even according to our opinion are evil things from the divine substance. For since the soul is compelled, not choosing, it is said that evil things are from the soul. Ch. Where is the soul from? M. From the divine substance. Ch. Do you admit that the soul carries the divine substance with it? M. It does indeed carry it. Ch. Is there anything stronger than the divine substance, capable of compelling the divine substance? At this point, the Manichaean was silenced and answered nothing. But the Christian said again: Do you wish to admit that anything is within our own power? M. By no means; for those things which are thought to be within our own power exist by participation in pre-existing substances. For just as the heat in us does not have its existence in itself, but exists by participation in the heat that is in fire; and our coldness does not exist of itself, but by participation in the substance of water; so also our evil things exist by participation in the good principle. Ch. Does our body participate ^C in fire and water by nature, or do you say it is otherwise? M. By nature. Ch. Is it forbidden by law, or rather commanded, according to what is present in nature by necessity? I do not understand what you mean. Ch. Since what is clear seems obscure to you, the matter shall be clarified by examples. Just as the heat in us is not commanded to our nature by law—for it is present by its own nature; and just as the faculty of speech is created not by law, but by nature; but our evil, that is to say, adultery, or fornication, or anything of that sort, or our good, that is to say, piety and virtue—the former are forbidden by law, the latter are commanded. If, therefore, we possessed these things by participation in the same way as we do heat and cold, then both human and divine law would be superfluous. Moreover, in no way has punishment or reward been defined for things that are natural and necessary; but for those things which are within our own power, both punishments and rewards have been prescribed. Therefore, these things do not happen by nature, as happens with heat and cold. But if they are not by nature, then they are by choice; and if they are by choice, then what is within our own power—which was our point of inquiry—has now been demonstrated. ^D M. Although you have cunningly proved that something is within our own power, yet as for those things which are truly evil by their own nature,

^A nor will you ever be able to refute or deny these things. ^B Ch. But what do you consider to be evil in the nature of things? Man. The bodies of deceased animals decay, and before the decay they exhale such a stench that friends and enemies alike are offended by it. I pass over the fact that even before the stench, which is the prelude to dissolution, certain foul-smelling sores occur in our bodies; in fact, even excrement and urine have an odor of this kind. Ch. And yet, if they are indeed evil by your judgment, the soul is the cause of these evils. Man. How so? Ch. Stones and wood are also bodies, and by your judgment, they are of evil matter—both the earth and the wood. Yet there is as little soul in these as possible, by your own reckoning, and no one considers these to be foul-smelling. But in the bodies of animals, where a stench follows, the soul dwells, according to you, more significantly. And the soul is the cause of the connection of bodies. Yet dissolution follows the connection of bodies, for if there were no composition, there would be no dissolution. Therefore, the soul is the cause of the composition, and dissolution follows the composition, and thus the soul is the cause of the dissolution. But if stench is the prelude to dissolution, then the soul is the cause of the stench as well. And if the alteration of food does not occur in stones or wood, but does occur in the bodies of animals, it is evidently through the power of the soul that the alteration of food happens in animals. And if this is so, then the soul is also the cause of the stench of excrement, and by the same reasoning, of sores as well. The Manichæan, being greatly disturbed at this point too, said nothing.

DIALOGUE THREE

Concerning the divine Scriptures of both Testaments.

After three days, the dialogue was resumed; for as they had met for the third time, the following discussion was set in motion. Manichæan: Why, when both you and I praise the divine Scriptures and discuss them, do you disregard the things written in the holy Scripture that support our dogmas? Christian: What things from the teaching of the Scripture do you consider to be said in support of your dogmas? M. Paul says that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, does he not? Ch. That he says this, I know; but that this fact stands in support of your dogmas, I do not know. M. To whom does it better correspond to exclude from the kingdom of God not only flesh, but all visible things as well, according to Paul's statement, than to us Manichæans? Ch. It is our endeavor even more than yours to exclude flesh from the kingdom of God. M. What then? Do you also condemn flesh and exclude it from God's creatures? It seems to me that I use the word "flesh" differently than you do. Tell me, therefore, how you define what flesh is. M. That which we bear, and other animals. Ch. Neither the Apostle nor I have called this "flesh." M. From where is it evident that the Apostle did not call this flesh, but something else? Ch. From the Apostle himself. M. Where does the Apostle say this? Ch. In the words: "Neither doth corruption inherit incorruption."

- ^A

Third Disputation

...

what manner? ^A Ch. Is sin present as an inhabitant, of necessity and by violence, according to the Manichaean dogmas, being in the soul, which is good and of the divine substance? M. There is such a sin. Ch. Is such a sin then denounced? M. It is denounced. Ch. How, then, is the soul, which possesses the sin, denounced along with the sin? M. I do not know how craftily you have escaped from this argument as well. ^B Ch. What, furthermore, do you say concerning the Old Testament, since Christ everywhere in his very works, and the Apostle in his words, denounced the Old Testament? M. I cannot recount all the things that have to do with the denunciation of the Old Testament in a continuous series, since our discourse is by questioning and answering; but if you wish, I will set them forth bit by bit. Ch. Say bit by bit what things from the Old Testament seem to you to be open to censure. M. Is it of the Apostle that it is said: "The law worketh wrath," or not? Ch. It is of Paul the Apostle, and it contains great praise for the Old Testament. M. If it contains praise, nothing in the world would be found that contains censure. Ch. You are making yourself a legislator, not an interlocutor; for it was the rule of the dialogue that you should ask how these words contain praise, not that you should advance a contrary opinion. M. Come, say then how those words are turned to the praise of the Old Testament. Ch. Because indeed the Old Testament distinguishes the good from the bad; clearly taking both according to the intention, and it remained steadfast in the improvements or failings of men; it praised those who did right and deemed them worthy of rewards; but it punished those who sinned and brought wrath upon them. Therefore, rather than the men who sinned, or those who did right, because of their own wickedness, the law appeared to bring the punishment of wrath; and by this line of reasoning the law is said to work wrath. M. As you please; and do you take "The law entered that the offense might abound" in the same sense? Ch. It is consistent that the word of truth, on account of the exceeding force of its truth, should bring back even those who want to wander astray into the same path. ^C M. Did Christ observe the Jewish Sabbaths in his own practice, or did he dissolve them? Ch. He both observed and dissolved them; he observed them for a time, but he dissolved them when the time of the Old Testament had already passed. M. How long was the time of the Old Testament, and when did it cease? Ch. Up to the baptism, Christ, living in the age of the Old Testament, performed all its duties, fulfilling the Mosaic law for our sake. But after he had received baptism, he made the beginning of grace and offered the doctrines of the New Testament to men. Therefore, we find neither a dissolution of the ordinances by Christ before baptism, nor the observance of the ordinances after baptism. ^D The Manichaean, having remained silent here as well, answered nothing. On the following day, the Christian, when the confession which the Manichaean had presented to the governor had been read to him, and he had found therein the God of the Old Testament

^A, asked the Manichaean again: "Is there one God of the Old Testament and another of the New, or is it one and the same?" M. "There is one and then another; for one is good and the other is evil; one is benevolent, the other is malicious." Ch. "Do you follow what is written in the New Testament as if spoken by the good and benevolent God, or do you say something else?" M. "I follow it." Ch. "If, therefore, according to you, the God of the Old Testament is one, and the God of the New is another, and since Moses is the author of the Old Testament, how did Jesus in the New Testament say: 'For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me'? And how did Paul also write in the Epistle to the Romans: 'Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith'?" M. "Who is the creator of darkness?" Ch. "According to the Manichaeans, the good God." M. "How?" Ch. "Who made heaven and earth? Was it not the good God?" M. "I say so." Ch. "And is not the darkness contained within these?" M. "They are certainly contained within them." Ch. "He, therefore, who made the things that contain, why should He not also have made what is contained?" M. "There is another darkness beyond what is visible, outside the heaven and the earth; and this lies between them." Ch. "Where did our discussion arise—from things commonly visible to all, or from the Manichaean hypothesis?" M. "From common understanding, obviously." Ch. "Does common understanding, then, recognize another darkness outside the heaven and the earth, of which the one visible to us is a part, or is this a Manichaean opinion?" M. "Those things ^B which are in accordance with common custom and right reasoning, and which were worthy of being treated and refuted by testimonies from Divine Scripture, and which seemed to favor our dogmas—these I have accurately inquired into, learned, and accepted; but I cannot depart from my long and ancient prejudice and opinion." Ch. "It was my duty to prove the truth and refute the falsehood; yet it is not in my power to determine the will of men, for man is created with free will."

THE PROPOSITION OF PHOTINUS THE MANICHAEAN, AND THE RESPONSE OF PAUL THE PERSIAN

If things contrary are never said to be opposed to themselves, but it is necessary that they be opposed to others—as, for instance, 'above' is not said to be opposed to itself, but to 'below'; and courage is not said to be opposed to itself, but to cowardice; furthermore, whatever the opposing things may be, it is necessary that the things contrasted with them be of such a nature; for instance, ^D if that which is above be a substance, it is necessary that that which is below be also a substance; and again, if...

^A that which is above be [a manifestation of a] quality, it is necessary that that which is below be also [a manifestation of a] quality. ^B How then, if the good is contrasted with the wicked, and the wicked with the good, and the virtuous with the bad, and the bad with the virtuous, is it not necessary, when the good exists, that the wicked also exist, and when the virtuous exists, that the bad also exist? And again, if the good or the virtuous be a substance, [must not] the wicked and the bad also be a substance? And if one of these be a quality, must not the other also be a quality? For if the good or the virtuous exists, but the wicked or the bad does not exist, to what can the good or the virtuous be contrasted, when that to which it is contrasted neither exists nor can be spoken of? Which is absurd. And how, too, can the distinction between contraries be true, namely, that the good is contrasted with the wicked, if the one exists but the other does not? If these things are so, as the truth itself bears witness and the aforesaid [arguments] demonstrate, how do they not lie who say that there are not two unbegotten principles, one good and one wicked, and one virtuous and the other bad? And if they who abolish the two principles are lying, how is it not necessary for those who have concerned themselves with living in accordance with the truth to profess the dogma of two principles?

Response.

^A Evil is opposed to good: whatever, therefore, exists, is opposed to something: an uncreated and evil principle, therefore, exists. Oh, the keenness of the man who strives to have the truth as his companion in life! For him, words with many meanings have only one; that which is temporal, he treats as absolute; the distinction of opposites, which brings about the existence of things different from one another, he takes as meaning without qualification that there is an uncreated principle. The total sum of the syllogism is as contrary to the proposition as, in their opinion, evil is contrary to the good principle. These things, so that I may not seem to calumniate, I will explain. "Good" is spoken of in two ways: for one thing is eternal, another is made. Evil is also double: one is properly so called, the other so in name only. Although each of these is divided in many ways, we are not yet speaking of this other matter. But the interrogator assumes indiscriminately—or rather, he pronounces everything as if it were eternal, saying something like this: If good is opposed to evil, and evil to good—not having said what sort ^B of thing is good, nor what sort is evil. Furthermore, evil is opposed to created good, indeed, as the proposition suggests, but not to the eternal good; yet he takes even this as universal, although it is partial. Furthermore, from the fact that evil is distinguished from good, and good from evil, he concludes that they exist simultaneously, saying thus: For if good exists, but evil does not exist, to what could good be opposed? As if it were impossible for something to be prior, and then to be distinguished from something else, he supposes evil to be something that exists, and absolutely introduces it as eternal and coexisting with God, in these words: If these things are so, as the truth confirms, is it not necessary to establish the dogma of two principles? Then, when he ought to have concluded from the given propositions that evil exists, he concludes by saying this: Therefore, an uncreated evil principle exists.

What do you say, my friend? As if, if anything exists, it is the same and solely a principle, and uncreated. What, then, shall we make of plants, what of individual living creatures, grammar, ^C rhetoric, philosophy, the remaining natures and arts, not to enumerate them individually? Are you not ashamed to call these principles, too, inasmuch as they exist? And how can there be two principles, and not rather many, that are uncreated? Where has that noble religion of the Manichaeans gone, if there are many principles, and not two uncreated ones? Let it be that nothing is contrary to itself, but only to its peer. Let it be that substance or accident are the counterparts of contraries. Let it be that evil exists and is opposed to good. Let it be that the distinction between these is true. How, from this, do you establish the dogma of two uncreated principles? What had you said in your earlier propositions? What necessity had you established from which this follows? They say that evil is that which is opposed to good. But there are many things mutually contrary to ^D each other—a fire that burns, as you say, is opposed to suffocating water; and water to fire; the moist to the dry, the dry to the moist; corruption to generation, and generation to corruption: yet you do not from this decree that there are many uncreated principles. How, then, are all of these things—although they are naturally contrary to one another—capable of coming from one principle...

and can the good and the evil, since they are contrary, not coexist? Furthermore, how is it, my friend, that you do not perceive that almost all the sages of ancient times, in their discussion about evil, conceded that it is indeed something that exists and is contrary to the good, but disputed with one another as to how or whence it came to be? These men, indeed, did so; but to you, the existence of evil is the cause of it, while its opposition is like its mode. In truth, you consider the whole thing to be just one single thing. ^A

Professedly, these things would suffice as a response to the foregoing propositions. Nevertheless, I have compiled certain chapters that, in one way, concede that evil is contrary to the good, but at the same time demonstrate that evil is neither an uncreated principle nor does it coexist with God; in another way, they show that what is contrary to the good is not evil; and sometimes they prove that, even from the statements of the Manichaeans, it is not necessary to dogmatize two uncreated principles; and sometimes they necessarily dogmatize regarding the good and the evil, establishing what it is for something to be, and what it is for something to be contrary to another. ^B

1. For to be something is in itself, but to be contrary is in relation to another. And what is in itself precedes what is in relation to another; what is in relation to another follows what is in itself. How? Because evil is contrary to the good, and the good to the evil, it is necessary that they coexist; and if it is not necessary that they coexist because they are contrary to each other, it is necessary to dogmatize two uncreated principles. For it is necessary that uncreated principles coexist with one another.

2. If, just as the knowledge of contraries arises from comparison, so also the existence of contraries consists in the comparison of distinct things, why should contraries not provide a mutual cause for one another? And if contraries are causes of each other, why should the good not be the cause of evil, and vice versa? Which is absurd. ^C

3. If the existence of contraries arises from the comparison of them, how does the distinction of opposites force the contraries to coexist with one another?

4. If God knows the present and the past no more than the things that are yet to be, why is it impossible for Him to distinguish, just as He does with present and already past things, so also with those that are yet to be? And if it is not impossible for God to distinguish toward those things that are yet to be, why, because the good is distinguished from evil, is it necessary for evil to be uncreated? ^D

5. If what is uncreated, that is, what is eternal, is prior to what is created, and what is created, that is, what did not exist at first but came to be afterward, is posterior, and what is uncreated is distinguished from what is created; how is it that, by some logic, the uncreated was not distinguished from the created before anything was generated? And if it is possible, by some logic, for the uncreated to be distinguished from what does not yet exist, how is it impossible in some way for that which is the eternal good to be distinguished from that which is not yet evil?

^B 7. The good and the uncreated—by potentiality, the one signifies a disposition, the other a privation. And in this they differ from one another; but in the mode of distinction, they in no way differ. For since how the good [is understood], in the same way also the uncreated is distinguished in God.

8. If it is possible for created things, insofar as they are created, and things without a beginning, insofar as they are without a beginning, to be eternal, then it will also be possible for the eternal, insofar as it is eternal, to be created and to have a beginning. But if the second is impossible, the first also becomes impossible.

9. If every genesis is known to the soul, as you think, yet the soul does not always exist in matter, how will the genesis of the soul be eternal, if it does not occur without a soul?

10. If the genesis of the soul is one idea, and that which is without a soul is another; and the genesis of the soul is known, while that which is without a soul is unknown; why does it not make its proofs from unknown things, demonstrating its proposition from another genesis besides the one that is known?

^C 11. If God is uncreated because no created things existed, and without a beginning because he lacks things that have a beginning, and upright because he is not perverted, and good because he is not evil; and if he is distinguished from created things because he does not have creators, and from things with a beginning because no one gives him an origin; then because he is neither perverted nor evil, he is distinguished from the perverted and the evil.

12. If it is possible for God to be uncreated before created things, and yet not be distinguished from things with a beginning, then it will also be possible for him to be good before the perverted, and not be distinguished from the perverted, and to be good before the evil, and not be distinguished from the evil.

13. If it is fitting for God, being good, to be distinguished by necessity from his own evil, and being uncreated, from those things that come into being from him; then it is much more fitting for him to be distinguished from those things [which are] his by creation, and from those things that will come into being from him by choice.

14. If the elements are from one principle, as you say, and yet these oppose one another, how, through the opposition of contraries, is it necessary that there be two uncreated principles? For these things, although naturally contrary to one another, are from one matter, according to you.

15. If, just as the elements are opposed to one another, so also is the good to the evil; then conversely both will be from one principle.

^A 1. If, just as generation and corruption are opposed to one another, so are the (two) principles, then they will be the beginning and end of some subject.

2. If, just as light and darkness are opposed to one another, so are the two principles, they will change their own places alternately.

3. If, just as disease is opposed to health, so the evil is opposed to the good, and vice versa, they will be habits of one subject.

4. If, just as white and black are opposed to one another, the principles will be an accident of some subject.

5. If, just as virtue is opposed to vice, the two principles are opposed to one another, they will be a right action or a fault of some subject.

16. If the two principles are not opposed to one another as elements are to elements, nor as generation and corruption, nor as white and black, nor as light and darkness, nor as disease and health, nor as virtue and vice—for contraries are opposed in these ways among us.

17. If the evil principle of the Manichaeans is opposed to the good principle in a hostile manner, but not so to those which come from itself—it therefore maintains peace with those that spring from it, while it wages war with the good principle; but if this is so, how do those that spring from it oppose one another hostilely? For that which has a peaceful relation with those springing from it surely does not beget things that war with one another. ^B

18. If none of the opposed things is opposed to two contrary things, how does the evil principle, being one, oppose itself to both the good principle and to those that are from it?

19. If what is said is true, as it is indeed true, that contraries are not opposed to themselves but to others, how does the evil principle oppose itself according to you? And if none of the contrary things is opposed to itself and also to another, how does the evil principle oppose itself and also the good one? For then there would be a principle from a principle, which is absurd. ^C

20. If it does not befit God to do contrary things according to the need of those who are being generated, how does it befit Him to generate something from Himself for His own need? And if he who acts for the need of others is not in want, but he who acts for his own need is in want, how then is the god of the Manichaeans not in want, having generated for his own need, as they say?

21. If the evil principle shares with the good principle in being, and in when it is, and in where it is, just as water also shares with fire in being and in being an element—yet is opposed to it only in regard to evil and good, just as fire is to water only in regard to heat—both principles will be from one principle; for both fire and water are from one principle. ^D

22. If none of the contrary things adorns that which is joined to it, neither by necessity nor by need, and the good principle adorned the matter by necessity; then the matter will not be contrary to the good principle. But if the matter...

is not contrary, then what is that which is without a beginning and a contrary evil?

23. If the combination of contraries of necessity reveals both, they will not be from contrary principles. For in as much as they differ by nature, in so much they are united by notion. ^A

24. If plants and animals are produced from the opposition of the elements; but nothing arises from the opposition of the principles, then the principles do not oppose one another as the elements do, as you claim.

25. If evil is not honored equally as God, being dogmatized as co-existing with God, because in created things there are things equal in time, but unequal in honor—and if the nature of a short life is observed, they are nevertheless more honorable than long-lived ones; how will there not ^B be something prior to the unbegotten that has ordered the unbegotten principles?

26. For all created things are governed according to the order which the Creator has established. Of those for whom life is not immortal, death is opposed to their life; and of those for whom the good is not immutable, evil is opposed to their good. But he whose life is immortal, to this life death is not opposed; and to whom the good is immutable, to this good evil is not opposed.

27. Of those whose existence is by generation, their good is also by nature; and of those for whom the good is by creation, for them evil is by opposition. But if the good is by nature, for them evil is not by opposition. ^C

28. If the eternal good wills that there be eternal evil, then it follows that the evil itself is also eternal. But if it does not will it to be, and yet it exists and it knows it, then the eternal good suffers against its will, and it will not have a contrary evil; for nothing that is contrary is entirely free from passion.

29. What kind of good does the questioner know, to which he says evil is opposed? And what kind of evil does he know, to which he claims the good is opposed? Are created things therefore unbegotten? But if they are unbegotten, let him show that temperance is unbegotten, ^D and continence, and justice, and furthermore even adultery, fornication, and the love of boys. And if these are created, why, because evil is opposed to the good of created things, must it necessarily follow that evil is also opposed to the created thing of God?

30. If those things which happen to created things happen to God by necessity, and these things do happen to the created, such as generation, corruption, need, sin, and to speak summarily, passions, why do these same things not happen to God? But if the things that happen to created things do not happen to God by necessity, why, because evil is opposed to the good among created things, must it necessarily follow that evil is also opposed to the good of God?

31. If God is the good principle and is unbegotten, and God is also the evil one, as you say, and yet these things do not happen to both, why is it necessary for these things to happen both to the unbegotten good and to the begotten?

^A 32. If in created things the digression from the good often becomes the beginning of evil, and the cessation of evil often becomes the beginning of the good, why should the good of God, as it is unbegotten, so also be immutable, and [yet] not have its opposite, evil?

33. If evil is nothing other than a digression into the opposite part, and God is free from this, how, of a thing of which He has no possession, will He have the opposition?

34. If, according to the substance of the pre-existing principles in created things, there is both good and evil, just as from pre-existing elements in things that are produced [there is] both heat and cold, the substances from which good and evil are [composed] will be from one principle; for water and fire, from which heat and cold are, are from one principle, according to you. ^B

35. If, according to the participation of pre-existing principles, there is both the good and the evil in created things, how do we deem as worthy of punishment those who have transgressed, and as worthy of enjoyment those who have done well? And if, just as by participation we have evil, how is it that we deem one who is feverish worthy of pity and compassion, but the one who is angry worthy of blame and punishment?

36. If no one forbids by law those things which, by the participation of pre-existing principles in nature, happen of necessity—for these things happen of necessity—why do divine and human laws forbid injustice or impiety? ^C

37. If things forbidden by law as evil, such as blasphemy, injustice, and simply speaking, impiety and sin, for which punishment has been decreed, do not occur at all apart from the soul, how is the soul not the cause of the evils forbidden by law, for which punishment is also decreed? And if the soul is the cause of the evils forbidden by law, how is it not from the soul that there are evils forbidden by law? And if this is so, how does he who asks whence evils are have knowledge of existing things?

38. If we sin unwillingly, and are justified without choosing, why are we punished as if we had sinned by our own will, and why do we enjoy good things as if we had been justified by our own choice? And if both are by will, why is not both from the will? ^D

39. If it is better to act by physical necessity than to work with unconstrained power, then the matter that acts according to physical necessity is better than God who acts with power. But if it is worse to act by necessity than to work unconstrainedly, why do the Manichaeans turn men away from what is better, depriving them of the power of choice?

40. If, according to the Manichaeans, the blameless God is blameworthy because, foreknowing those who would do evil, He brought them forth, then the God of the Manichaeans is truly blameworthy because, foreknowing the sons who would act impiously, He brought them forth from Himself; and if the God of the Manichaeans, foreknowing the impieties of His own sons, brought them forth, and in bringing them forth is not the cause of [their] impieties; how, foreknowing...

^A the transgressions of men who were to be, and bringing forth those who would perform them, is He not the cause of their transgressions?

41. If the good God had made men powerless to do either good or evil, and He Himself had performed both in them, then God Himself would have been the cause of human good and evil. But if He made men capable of both, they themselves are the causes of both.

42. Good is spoken of in two ways: that which is in the true God, and that which is in created things. And that which is in the true God is again understood in two ways: that which is by nature, and that which is by creation; that by nature, which represents the excellence of His substance; that by creation, which is observed in the creation and providence ^B of existing things. But the good in created things is partly natural, partly voluntary, and finally [pertaining to] use. It is natural, indeed, as the creations themselves—for that which is viewed in creation is the same as that which is in the nature of created things; but by use, as wealth, authority, poverty. Wherefore such things are sometimes evils, and sometimes not. Voluntary [good], however, is like piety, justice, and virtue in general; and finally, [pertaining to] use, [we speak of] the serpent insofar as it is harmful, fever, famine, the punishment for sins, and the like, as things that instruct toward piety. Evils, too, are considered in two ways: namely, properly and by designation. Properly, [we speak of] impiety and sin; by designation, [we speak of] the serpent, famine, fever, the punishment for sins, earthquakes, and things similar to these; which in truth ^C are good, as they educate those who suffer them toward piety, but are reckoned as evils by us; just as, to be sure, bloodletting and the use of medicine are thought of as evils by those who suffer them, but are good in truth. For among good things themselves, some are good in themselves, and others are good on account of the consequences [that flow] from them.

MANICHAEAN BLASPHEMIES

43. These things being thus, the Manichaeans despise that [good] which represents the excellence of the divine substance, asserting it to be equal to evil, and fashioning it as needy and weak; but the good which is observed in creation and providence they alienate from the good God, calling the beneficence by the name of malice. They further contend that our nature and the use of life are the effect of the evil principle; and they slander the things that lead to virtue or make us better, as though they were outflows of malice; they define ^D virtue itself and vice as a state of stupidity of nature, and not as actions of the will. Now, if those who hold such dogmas boast that they are companions of the truth, let the Manichaeans by all means be the foster-children of the truth. But if the whole [argument] is to the contrary, let each one understand the necessary conclusion.

44. If the good is a substance, the good man will necessarily be accidental. And if the evil is a substance, the evil man will be accidental. But if the good man is a substance, the good will be accidental; and if the evil man is a substance, the evil will be accidental; and the same reasoning applies to the good and the evil.

^A By accidental, I mean here not that which happens naturally and of necessity to substances, but that which happens by choice in the actions of rational creatures. 45. If one ought to have the most accurate knowledge of the truth, yet the impiety of Manes, being ignorant of the origin of evils, relies upon irreligion, why are those who adhere to the corrupt sect of Manes so enamored of ignorance and irreligion?

CHRISTIAN PROPOSITIONS AGAINST THE MANICHAEANS

that the names and the different locutions regarding God denote one thing, on account of the unity of the essence, which is lacking in all variety? ^B

5. But if there is no distinction between the two principles, and they lie adjacent to one another like light to shadow, or as the sun is adjacent to every body, but not inherent, or commingled, or infused in it: first, how will the better principle not be the cause of the existence of the worse, just as light is of shadow? Second, how will the worse not enjoy the better, just as bodies enjoy the sun?

6. If the Trinity is called a Trinity in names and numbers, but unity in nature—and nature brought about the unity, but necessity brought about the Trinity—how did necessity not compel nature? And if necessity did compel nature, how is God He who is compelled? But if it did not compel, how did necessity bring about the Trinity of names?

7. If necessity, from which comes the Trinity, comes from matter, and the things that come to be by consequence are referred to the first cause, according to you, why will matter not be the cause of the Trinity? But if necessity, by which the Trinity exists, is not from matter, tell me whence comes the necessity by which the Trinity exists? ^C

8. If God is in every way impeccable, but the soul is not in every way impeccable, how is the soul the same as God? And if nothing becomes impeccable in essence contrary to nature, how has the soul, which is impeccable in essence, become peccable contrary to nature?

9. If Manichaeans are saved by knowledge and faith, why do they need the sealing of oil? And if it is possible for those who use the sealing of oil with faith and knowledge to be saved, how is it impossible for those who approach with faith and knowledge the baptism of water to be saved? ^D

10. If by the account of essence all divine souls are equally good, and the account of their essence suffers neither subtraction nor increment: first, how do the Manichaeans become good through virtue? Then, how, if the soul becomes bad from being good by any account, does it not lose the essence it previously had? For, according to them, good and evil are essence.

11. If the Divine Scriptures transfer the designation of mortality from natural bodily death to immortal souls which are dead in sins contrary to nature, how do they not transfer the name of resurrection from the natural resurrection of the dead to immortal souls? For the truth of things—whence the metaphor itself is taken—takes precedence over didactic metaphors. And if Jesus never takes a metaphor from things that do not exist in accordance with nature at all, how from that which never was, as you say,

^A did He transfer the designation of resurrection to souls?

12. If Jesus truthfully called Himself the Son of God, why did He not truthfully call Himself the Son of Man? And if He did not truthfully call Himself the Son of Man, how did He truthfully name Himself the Son of God? If, however, He spoke as the truth in calling Himself both, why is He not both?

13. If Jesus, in following the Jewish custom in some things, taught men well, why was His Father not good, who, observing the custom of the ancients, guided the Hebrews toward piety? And if, setting aside the childishness of the hearers, the remaining parts of the Old Testament are very good, why is the Old Testament not from the good God?

14. If the Manichaeans do not err by saying that the divine substance—or rather, that which consists of the divine substance—ought to be delivered to eternal punishment for sins committed by necessity, how do the children of truth err when they assert that those who were indeed made by God, but who sinned by their own free will, should be punished? And if it is just to say that there is an end to the punishment of the wicked, why is it unjust to say that there is an end to the punishment of souls and bodies? ^B

15. If generation is evil, why is corruption not good? And if growth is evil, why is diminution not noble? And if corruption is evil, why is generation not noble? And if diminution is evil, why is growth not good? And if it is admissible for some thing to be evil by coming into existence and being destroyed, and for things opposite to one another in substance to grow and diminish, tell me why it is not admissible for both good and evil to be praiseworthy in some respect? ^C

16. If the divine soul, being in a body, is bound by two chains—one by the incorporeal evil that is connatural to bodies, and the other by the body itself—and if it is more tolerable to be bound by one chain than by two, as the facts themselves attest: why do those who slaughter irrational animals and cut down men like trees not do well? For they release the soul from one bond and affliction. And if the soul is bound to matter, first of all, how, since matter itself is a bond, is it bound by a contrary bond? Furthermore, how, being simple in its substance, is it necessarily bound to a body? For everything that possesses a simple substance is free from necessary bonds. I await your response to these matters.

On the Truly Good.

The good in God is substance; in created things, it is a certain operation occurring externally, and it exists as an accident, accomplished through deeds or contemplation. ^D Now, humans living in the flesh realize the good through deeds, while intellectual powers realize it through contemplation and prayer. Since, therefore, the good is an accident in created things, existence necessarily precedes the good in them. For the good must be, as it were, in the place of that which is proposed,

that such a contingent property may be perceived in it, whether it be separable or otherwise. But as regards the uncreated God, since He is always God, He is also always good. For there is not one thing in Him that is His essence and another that is His goodness; rather, His very essence possesses goodness. From what has been said, therefore, it is manifest to all that evil is not opposed to God, who is substantially good; for nothing is strictly opposed to substance. But evil is opposed to the contingent good which is perceived in created things. For that which is brought about by an evil act is opposed to that which is brought about by a good act.

On operation.

Every operation has its substance in the very fact that it is being brought about; for operation does not exist before the motion or act of the one operating, nor does it remain after the act. It often merely leaves behind the completed thing for the memory of the act. Therefore, act is operation. Moreover, every act is the act of some substance, nor does it exist without substance.

On evil.

Evil has a double meaning: for sometimes it signifies harm, and at other times it signifies sin. And while sin is evil in the proper sense, harm is called evil only improperly. For harm is not always evil; often it even becomes the cause of salvation, whether a physical disease occurs, or some external accident happens to us harmfully. If, however, these were evils in the proper sense, and not rather corrective measures devised by God’s providence to set men straight, they would not be the cause of any good. But as things are, their expectation often restricts us, and it instills the fear of God in those who are prone to sin, and it wards off the error of guilt, and it rouses us to pray to God—whether we fear a wild beast, or a serpent, or war, or famine, or any infirmity, or slander, or a trap contrived by the wicked will of men, which is properly evil, and is imputed as sin to the one who does it, but not properly as sin to the one who suffers it. These do not have the character of true evil; rather, for those who are strong in God, they procure the greatest glory, and they treasure up good things and eternal rewards from God. Let no one, therefore, be led astray by calling harm "evil" in the proper sense. For if that which causes harm were evil, and not rather instructive and an incitement to justice and every kind of virtue, then no one should beat a son who is sinning; no one should praise a magistrate who condemns a robber to death by the sword, or who, by judicial sentence, hands him over to be devoured by wild beasts; no one should praise a physician who cuts away a rotting ulcer with iron, because it torments the sick person; no one should permit theriac to be compounded from vipers, since the Manichaeans declare that reptiles are evil. But those ignorant revilers are unaware that whatever is not useless for the purpose for which God created it is7 good. Why are they not altogether...

good, even if some of them do not possess [the nature of] an essence, but rather occur merely from a natural weakness?

Natural phenomena part occur by the necessity of nature. By the necessity of nature, I mean those things which occur of themselves and against our will by nature—as, for example, dying, and the growth of living things up to a determined age. Some things, however, occur by a natural sequence, yet it is possible for them not to occur—for example, procreation through union; for this is among the things that are contingent, since procreation does not invariably follow union. All these things, therefore, that happen by the necessity of nature are accomplished without sin, even by human beings endowed with reason. But those things that may or may not happen are, in the case of irrational nature, devoid of blame, whatever the operation may be; for they do not possess reason by which to examine their actions. In the case of human beings, however, ^B regulated by reason, these things are sometimes actually evil, whenever right reason does not lead the action, having been weakened by our lethargy or altogether crippled by [the lure of] pleasures. For sin is the choice and use of those things which can naturally both happen and not happen, [when committed] by rational beings [in the manner of] the irrational.

Virtue in a human being is the ability to do something while being incited by natural motion, yet if it should be inappropriate to do what is happening, or [even if it were] entirely happening, it is the ability to abstain from the practice of such things by using a rational governor, and to trample upon the lure of pleasure.

But they say: "Why did God not make us incapable of sinning, so that we would not be able to sin voluntarily?" But those who put forward such things seem to be angry that God did not make them stones and wood, and to be indignant at the Benefactor because He created human beings rational, rather than incapable of choosing between good and evil. But if they say: "It behooved us to be made rational and to have a discernment of good and evil, but [at the same time] to remain immovable in the practice of good," they seem to me to seek nothing other than that we should not be human beings, but should be endowed ^C with the same nature as God. For God alone is unable to perform what is truly evil; whence the Apostle says: *Since it is impossible for God to lie* (Heb. VI, 18). For wickedness is a kind of weakness observable in created things; but in the Uncreated, what trace of weakness could there be? And if we were of the same nature as God, we would no longer be creatures ourselves, but would be gods by nature, just as He is God.

Concerning darkness.

Darkness, therefore, must be defined as a certain obscurity of the air, [a state of] deprivation of light, not something subsisting as an essence; or a place where bodies are shadowed by obstruction; or, to speak more simply, a place devoid of light.

Syllogisms of the Holy Fathers.

(These exist in the little work of Didymus of Alexandria Against the Manichaeans, in volume XXXIX of our Patrologia, and among the works of St. Gregory of Nyssa.)