# Against the Manichees - Author: [Titus of Bostra](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/authors/titus-of-bostra/) - Latin title: *Contra Manichaeos* - Date: ca. 360s (approximate) - Source: Paul de Lagarde, ed., Titi Bostreni contra Manichaeos libri quattuor graece (Berlin: Schneider, 1859) (Greek text: Paul de Lagarde (Berlin, 1859); machine-read from a scan of the printed pages) - Translation: Claude, from the original text, unless a passage says otherwise; each passage below gives the translator - Editions and translations: Paul de Lagarde, ed., Titi Bostreni contra Manichaeos libri quattuor syriace (Berlin: Schneider, 1859) (the Syriac of the whole work, not on this site); Titus von Bostra: Contra Manichaeos. Modern editions and translations are cited only (not yet checked) - Work page: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/ - Passages: 150 ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-1/#p-1-1 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 1 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Titus contrasts the church’s way of clearing God of blame for sin, by blaming ourselves, with Mani’s doctrine of an eternal evil principle opposed to God. ### Greek text "οι μὲν οἷς γέγονε διὰ σπουδῆς τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἅμαρτανομένων τὰς αἰτίας ἐξελεῖν θεοῦ, ὅσιός τε καὶ ἀληθὴς γέγονε κατὰ τοῦτο τῶν τοιούτων ὁ σκοπός, εἴγε μὴ διαφυγόντες τὸ προνοεῖν τῶν χαθʼ ἡμᾶς τὸν θεὸν εὐλόγως καὶ φιλαλήθως ἂνθρώποις ἀνέθηκαν τὰ σφῶν αὐτῶν ἁμαρτήματα, ἐπείτοιγε μικρὸν ἰᾶσθαί τι βουληθέντες μείζονι καὶ χαλεπῷ νοσήματι τῆς ἀσεβείας περιέπεσον, εἰς ἄρνησιν τῆς ἐν παντὶ φαινομένης τοῦ θεοῦ προνοίας ἐμπεσόντες — ὁ δὲ Μάνης, ἐκ βαρβάρων [ὧν] καὶ τῆς μανίας αὐτῆς ἐπώνυμος, ἔτι πρὸς ἀσέβειαν βλαβερωτέρῳ φαρμάκῳ κατεχρήσατο. κακίας γὰρ ἀναίτιον ἀποδεῖξαι τὸν θεὸν βουληθεὶς κακίαν παρόμοιον ἀντέστησεν αὐτῷ, ἀγένητον (ὥς φησιν) ἀγενήτῳ, ζῶσαν ζῶντι, ἀεὶ μὲν ἐπανισταμένην καὶ μαχομένην καὶ οὔποτε μὴ οὐχὶ πράγματα παρέχουσαν αὐτῷ, ἀναιρεθῆναι δὲ πρὸς αὐτοῦ παντελῶς μὴ δυναμένην ὡς ἀίδιόν τε καὶ συμπεπληρωμένην τὴν οὐσίαν καὶ ἀγένητον — καὶ καπνὸν (ὡς φασί) φεύγων ἐμπέπτωκεν εἰς τὸ πῦρ. ἵνα γὰρ μὴ τῶν παρʼ ἡμῖν ὡς οἴεται κακῶν ὑπέχειν δοκῇ τὰς αἰτίας ὁ θεός, αὐτός γε ὅλης τινὸς καὶ ὁλοκλήρου παρʼ αὑτῷ κακίας παραπολαύει. τί γάρ; εἰ μαχροθύμως καὶ σοφῶς (ὡς φησι) μεταχειρίζεται, ἀλλʼ ὅμως οὐχ ἀπολέμητος ἄν εἴη κατά γε τὴν τοιαύτην ὑπόθεσιν" οὗ τί ἂν γένοιτο τῶν πρεπόντων περὶ θεοῦ λογισμῶν ἀλλοτριώτερον; ὅτι μὲν γὰρ εὐσεβὲς τῶν παρὰ ἀνθρώποις ἀδικημάτων ἀναίτιον παντὶ σθένει τὸν θεὸν ὁμολογεῖν, πρῶτος πρεσβεύειν ἐσπούδακε τῆς καθολικῆς ἐκκλησίας ὃ λόγος" ζητουμένου δὲ τίνα τρόπον πλημμελοῦμεν ἡμεῖς, τοῦ θεοῦ μὴ βουλομένου, οὐ περὶ μειζόνων κατηγοροῦμεν θεοῦ, περὶ μικροτέρων ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνος ἀπολογεῖσθαι βουλόμενοι, ἀλλʼ αὐτὴν τῆς ἀληθείας τὴν ὁδὸν ἔκ τε τῶν ἁγίων γραφῶν καὶ τῶν κοινῶν ἐννοιῶν ἔχοντες ἀσφαλῶς ὁδεύομεν πρὸς τὴν τοιαύτην ζήτησιν, τῷ γε ἑαυτοῖς φιλαλήθως προσεγκαλεῖν εὐσεβὴ τὴν ἀπόδειξιν τὴν ὑπὲρ θεοῦ ποιούμενοι. οὐ γὰρ ἵνα τῷ λόγῳ διαφεύγωμεν ὧν εἰς ἀλλήλους πλημμελοῦμεν τὰ ἐγκλήματα, προσῆκεν εἰς θεὸν ἀσεβεῖν, πλαττομένους κατʼ αὐτοῦ τὰ πάντων ὑβριστικώτερα καὶ μηδαμῶς ὄντα. πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἰάσιμα τὰ παρὰ ἀνθρώποις ἁμαρτήματα νομίζοντες (ἅτε δὴ μὴ ὡς ἀπὸ τινὸς ἀρχῆς καθʼ ἡμῶν ῥέοντα, ἀλλʼ ἕτερόν τινα τρόπον πρὸς ἡμῶν πραττόμενα, ὃν ὁ λόγος σαφῶς κατὰ καιρὸν ἑρμηνεύσει), οὐ μόνον εἰς θεὸν οὐχ ἀσεβοῦμεν, μὴ τολμῶντες αὐτοῦ καταστοχάζεσθαι χαλεπὴν ἀδυναμίαν τοῦ ἀνθεστάναι κακίᾳ τῇ μὴ οὔσῃ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ πραττόμενα πρὸς ἡμῶν κακίας τρόπῳ παύειν ἐπιχειροῦμεν τῷ γε σαφῶς τοῖς προσέχουσιν ἀποδεικνύναι ὡς τὰ πρὸς ἡμῶν [κατʼ] ἀλήθειαν ἔχοντα τοῦ γίνεσθαι τὴν ἀρχὴν διʼ ἡμῶν ἄν καὶ τέλος τοῦ μὴ γίγνεσθαι λάβοι, εἰ καὶ μὴ παρὰ πᾶσιν. οὐ γὰρ ἐφʼ ἑκάστῳ τὸ χαθʼ ὅλου, ἀλλά γε παρʼ ἑκάστῳ τῶν ἐσπουδακότων" δεῖγμα μέντοι τοῦ χαθʼ ὅλου τὸ ἐφʼ ἑκάστου ἐνδεχόμενον. ### English translation (Claude) Those who have made it their earnest concern to remove from God the causes of the sins committed among men have had in this a holy and true aim, provided that, without evading the truth that God provides for our affairs, they have reasonably and truthfully ascribed to men their own sins; for otherwise, in wishing to heal a small ailment, they fell into a greater and grievous disease of impiety, falling into a denial of God’s providence, which appears in everything. But Mani, who came from among the barbarians and is named after madness itself, used a drug still more harmful, toward impiety. For wishing to show God not responsible for evil, he set up against him an evil of equal rank: unbegotten (as he says) against unbegotten, living against living, always rising up and fighting and never ceasing to give him trouble, yet unable to be wholly destroyed by him, as being eternal, complete in its substance, and unbegotten. And fleeing the smoke (as the saying goes), he has fallen into the fire. For so that God may not seem to bear the responsibility for the evils among us, as he thinks, God himself has his full share of a whole and complete evil beside him. What then? Even if he handles it patiently and wisely (as he says), still on such a hypothesis he would not be free of war. And what could be more foreign to the reasoning that befits God? That it is pious to confess with all one’s strength that God is not responsible for the wrongs done among men, the teaching of the catholic church has been the first to champion. But when it is asked in what way we sin, though God does not will it, we do not accuse God of greater things while wishing to defend him in lesser ones, as that man does. Rather, holding the very road of truth from the holy Scriptures and from the common notions, we travel safely toward that inquiry, and we make the demonstration on God’s behalf a pious one by truthfully accusing ourselves. For it is not fitting, in order to escape by argument the charges for the wrongs we commit against one another, to be impious toward God, fabricating against him the most insulting things of all, things that do not exist at all. Moreover, since we consider the sins among men curable (for they do not flow upon us as from some principle, but are done by us in another way, which the discourse will explain clearly in due time), not only are we not impious toward God, since we do not dare to conjecture in him a grievous inability to withstand an evil that does not exist, but we also try to stop what we do in the manner of evil, by showing clearly to those who pay attention that what truly has its beginning of coming to be through us could also receive through us an end of no longer coming to be, even if not among all. For the whole is not in each person’s power, but it is in each of those who are earnest; yet what is possible in each case is a sample of what is possible for the whole. ### Translation notes - The first words are uncertain in the OCR (the decorated initial is lost); translated by sense. Mani’s name is played on with μανία, “madness”, throughout the work. “[ὧν]” (“being”) and “[κατʼ]” (in “truly”) are bracketed in Lagarde; translated. “Fleeing the smoke he fell into the fire” is a proverb. The “common notions” (κοιναὶ ἔννοιαι) are the conceptions shared by all people, a Stoic term. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.1 (Lagarde 1859, 1; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-1). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-1/#p-1-2 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 2 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Mani’s second principle makes sin seem incurable, encouraging despair and robbing virtuous effort of true praise. ### Greek text ὁ μέντοι βαρβαρικὴν ἀσέβειαν ἐπινοήσας, ἄναρχον κακίαν κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀληθῶς ἀνάρχου καὶ μόνου πλασάμενος καὶ δευτέραν ἀρχὴν ταύτην μανικῶς ὁρισάμενος οὐ μόνον ἐν ἴσῃ τάξει τίθησι κακίαν θεῷ ὥσπερ τιμήσας ταύτην ὁ δῆθεν μισεῖν προελόμενος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀνίατα πάντη τὰ ἐκ τῆς ἀνάρχου ῥέοντα κακὰ ἐπάναγκες φάσκων, ἀδιόρθωτον παρὰ ἀνθρώποις τὴν ἀδικίαν ἐπιβούλως οἴεσθαι ποιεῖ τοὺς πειθομένους αὐτῷ, ὥστε προλήψει τῆς τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἡδονῆς προβάλλεσθαι ἀντὶ τῆς ἐπιστροφῆς τὴν ἀπαγόρευσιν ὡς ἀδύνατον - ἀνάρχου κακίας ἐπισχεῖν τὴν φοράν, πλὴν εἰ μή τις ἐπιθυμίᾳ δόξης (τοῦ δοκεῖν τὸ πλέον ἐκ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἔχειν, ὡς δὴ μυθολογοῦσι) σπουδάσας μὲν κατορθώσειεν ὡς οἷόν τε τὸ μὴ ἅμαρτάνειν, ὡς αὐτόθεν ποιῆσαι δῆλον ὡς οὐχ ἑτέρωθεν, ἀλλὰ παρʼ αὑτοῦ ἐπλημμέλει, ὅμως δʼ ἀπενέγκοιτό τινα δόξαν παρʼ αὐτοῖς ὡς τὴν κρᾶσιν εἴη βελτίων τῆς φύσεως, ὃ μὴ φύσει, πόνῳ δὲ καὶ ἱδρῶτι χρώμενος, ὃς δὴ καὶ ἐπαινεῖσθαι οἴοιτʼ ἄν τοῦ ἀληθοῦς ἐπαίνου στερούμενος. τὴν γὰρ εὐδοξίαν τοῦ πόνου τῆς ἀρετῆς (εἴγε τῆς εὐσεβείας τῆς πρὸς θεὸν [ἔνεκεν] ἠνύετο) καταλιμπάνων ἅρπαγμα ψευδῶς τὸ ἀναγκαῖον τῆς φύσεως ἡγεῖται, τὸ χρήσιμον τῆς φιλοπονίας πρὸς ἀσέβειαν κατὰ θεοῦ μετερχόμενος, ὡς μήτε τὸν ῥᾳστώνῃ προσκείμενον πλήττεσθαι τὸν νοῦν κακοπραγοῦντα, εἴ γε ἄλλῃ τῇ ἀρχῇ λογίζοιτο τὰ πραττόμενα, μήτε τὸν σπουδῇ χρώμενον ἄξιον εἶναι θαυμάζεσθαι, καίτοι λογισμῷ πονοῦντα. ### English translation (Claude) But he who devised a barbarian impiety, fabricating a beginningless evil against the God who alone is truly without beginning, and madly defining it as a second principle, not only places evil in equal rank with God, as though honouring it, he who supposedly chose to hate it, but also, by saying that the evils flowing from the beginningless one are of necessity wholly incurable, treacherously makes those who believe him think that wrongdoing among men cannot be corrected. So, through their prior attachment to the pleasure of sins, they put forward despair instead of conversion, as though it were impossible to check the current of a beginningless evil; unless someone, out of a desire for glory (that of seeming to have the greater share from the good, as they tell their myths), should zealously succeed as far as possible in not sinning, so making plain by that very fact that it was not from elsewhere but from himself that he used to do wrong. Yet he would carry off a certain glory among them, as being better in his make-up than his nature, he who does this not by nature but by toil and sweat, and who would think himself praised while he is deprived of true praise. For abandoning the good repute that belongs to the toil of virtue (if it were achieved for the sake of piety toward God), he falsely treats the necessity of nature as a prize to be seized, turning the usefulness of industry into impiety against God. So neither is the man given to ease struck in his mind when he does evil, if he reckons what is done to the other principle, nor is the man who exerts himself worthy of admiration, though he toils by reasoning. ### Translation notes - “[ἔνεκεν]” (“for the sake of”) is bracketed in Lagarde; translated. The sentence on the man who succeeds in not sinning is involved in the Greek; rendered by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.2 (Lagarde 1859, 2; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-2). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-1/#p-1-3 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 2 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: The Manichees call nearly all creation evil, including wild animals, which Titus promises to show are useful. ### Greek text πρὸς τὸ τῶν πάντων χαλεπώτατον πρὸς ἀσέβειαν κατὰ θεοῦ παιδαγωγηθῆναι. μὴ συνιέντες δὲ οἱ ἀπʼ ἐκείνου τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ δημιουργίας τὸν λόγον, οὐ μόνον τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰς παραλόγους πράξεις ἐξετάσαντες τὸν εἰρημένον τρόπον ἐσφάλησαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλεῖστα τῶν δημιουργημάτων, μᾶλλον δὲ σχεδὸν ἅπαντα, ψόγον οὐδένα κατὰ τὸ ἀληθὲς ἐπιδεχόμενα, διέβαλον, κακὰ δὲ ταῦτα προσεῖπον, τῶν μὲν κρᾶσιν τῶν ἐναντίων (ὥς φασι), κακοῦ τε καὶ ἀγαθοῦ, καταψευσάμενοι, τῶν δὲ μονοειδῇ κακίαν κατειπόντες, καὶ συνέχεαν (τό γε ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς) τὰ πάντα, κακὰ τὰ μηδαμῶς κακὰ προσειπόντες. εἰ μὲν γὰρ τὴν παρὰ ἀνθρώποις ἀδικίαν„ μόνην οὖσαν ἀδικίαν, διέβαλον εἰς κακίαν, ἐχρῆν μὲν καὶ οὕτως ἀσφαλίζεσθαι τοὔνομα καὶ τὴν περὶ αὐτῆς δόξαν ὡς ὑπαρχούσης καὶ μὴ ὑπαρχούσης ἔν τε τῷ πράττεσθαι καὶ μὴ πράττεσθαι, ἥκιστα δὲ ἀρχὴν ἐπεισάγειν αὐτὴν κατὰ θεοῦ, ὅμως δʼ ἄν αὐτοῖς εὐπερίγραπτον ἦν τὸ σφάλμα νυνὶ δὲ σχεδὸν ἅπασαν τὴν δημιουργίαν κακίσαντες ὑπέρογκον τὴν βλασφημίαν κατὰ θεοῦ πεποίηνται καὶ παράγουσιν ὡς ὁμολογούμενα τῷ λόγῳ καὶ πάντα τὰ θηρία καὶ τὰ κνώδαλα, οὐχ οἰόμενοι χρῆναι πρὸς ἀγαθοῦ ταῦτα γεγενῆσθαι, οὐκ ἄχρηστα μόνον (ὡς ὑπειλήφασιν) ὄντα, ἀλλὰ καὶ λίαν ἀνθρώποις βλαβερώτατα, καίτοιγε δειχθῆναι δυνάμενα ὡς μᾶλλον ὠφελιμώτερα ʼ καὶ χρησιμώτερα τυγχάνει ἥπερ τὰ ὄντως ἀνθρώποις λυσιτελεῖν δοκοῦντα. καὶ πολλὰ μὲν καὶ ἕτερα συνείρουσιν εἰς διαβολὴν τῶν ὄντων καὶ τῆς τῶν ὅλων διοικήσεως, ὁ δὲ λόγος οὐδὲν ἀναπόδεικτον τῶν τε εἰρημένων καὶ ῥηθησομένων καταλιπεῖν πειράσεται. ### English translation (Claude) … so as to be led into the most grievous impiety of all against God. And his followers, not understanding the reason of God’s work of creation, not only went astray in the way described by examining the irrational actions of men, but also slandered most created things, or rather nearly all, which in truth admit no blame, and called them evil. Of some they falsely claimed that they are a mixture of opposites (as they say), of evil and good; others they denounced as evil of a single kind; and they confounded everything, as far as in them lay, by calling evil what is in no way evil. For if they had denounced as evil the injustice among men, which alone is injustice, they ought even so to have been careful about the name and about their view of it, as something that exists and does not exist according as it is done or not done, and least of all to introduce it as a principle against God; yet their error would then have been easily kept within bounds. But as it is, by calling nearly the whole creation evil, they have made their blasphemy against God enormous, and they bring forward as conceded in argument all the wild beasts and vermin, thinking that these cannot have been made by a good being, since they are not only useless (as they suppose) but also very harmful to men; and yet these can be shown to be more beneficial and useful than the things that really seem to profit men. They string together many other things too, to slander existing things and the governance of the universe; but the discourse will try to leave nothing undemonstrated of what has been said and will be said. ### Translation notes - The section begins mid-sentence, continuing 1.2. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.3 (Lagarde 1859, 2; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-3). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-1/#p-1-4 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 3 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: The Manichees infer a principle of evil from human sins and from parts of creation, and their ignorance of the visible world leads them into fictions about the invisible. ### Greek text δύο γὰρ ἐναντίων φύσεων κρᾶσιν ἐν τοῖς οὖσι φανταζόμενοι διανέμουσι ταύταις τὰ ὄντα κατὰ τὸ δοκοῦν αὐτοῖς, Πόθεν (λέγοντες) τὰ κακά, εἰ μὴ ἐκ τινὸς ἀρχῆς καὶ ταῦτα “ τυγχάνει; εἰ δέ τις ἐρωτήσειε Ποῖα; συνείρουσι τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἁμαρτήματα καὶ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ δημιουργήματα καὶ αὐτὴν ὅλην τὴν πάνσοφον οἰκονομίαν κακίζουσιν, ὡς, εἴ τι[ς] δείξειε πάντα καλῶς καὶ ἀναγκαίως γεγονέναι καὶ γίγνεσθαι, οἴχεται αὐτοῖς ἐξ ἀνάγκης ὁ περὶ τῆς ἐναντίας ἀρχῆς λόγος. μὴ γὰρ συνιέντες ὅπως ἔχει τὰʼ κάτω, ἐπλάσαντο περὶ τὰ ἄνω — μηδὲ καταλαβόντες τίνα τρόπον διάχειται τὰ ὁρώμενα, ἐσυκοφάντησαν τὸ μὴ ὁρώμενον — καὶ γνῶναι σπουδάσαντες, διὰ τὸ μὴ γνῶναι ἀγνοίᾳ μείζονι περιέπεσον. ὡς γὰρ ἐν σκότει τὴν περὶ τῶν φαινομένων ἔννοιαν ζητοῦντες, οὐ μόνον οὐχ εὗρον ὃ ζητεῖν ἐδόκουν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μεῖζον ἑαυτοῖς τὸ σκότος τῆς ἀγνοίας πεποιήκασιν. ### English translation (Claude) For imagining a mixture of two opposite natures in existing things, they distribute existing things between these as seems good to them, saying, “Whence come evils, unless these too come from some principle?” And if anyone asks, “What evils?”, they string together the sins of men and the works of God’s creation, and they decry the whole all-wise economy itself; since, if anyone should show that all things have come to be and come to be well and of necessity, their account of the opposite principle is necessarily gone. For not understanding how things below are, they made up fictions about the things above; and not grasping how the things seen are ordered, they slandered what is not seen; and in their eagerness to know, through not knowing they fell into greater ignorance. For as though seeking in darkness an understanding of the things that appear, they not only failed to find what they thought they were seeking, but made the darkness of their ignorance greater. ### Translation notes - In “εἴ τι[ς]” the final letter is bracketed in Lagarde; translated as “if anyone”. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.4 (Lagarde 1859, 3; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-4). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-1/#p-1-5 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 3 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Titus sets out his plan: first refute the two principles, then defend creation, providence, and God’s goodness despite human wrongdoing. ### Greek text ἡμεῖς δὲ πρῶτον περὶ τῶν δύο ἐναντίων ἀρχῶν ἃς ὑποτίθενται διαλαβόντες, οὕτως ἥξωμεν πρὸς τὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν ὅλων ἀπόδειξιν ὡς καλῶν καὶ ἀναγκαίων ὄντων ἁπάντων καὶ ἐκείνων (ὡς προλαβὼν ἔφην) μάλιστα καθʼ ὥνπερ πλείστην [τὴν] καταδρομὴν ποιοῦνται ὡς ὁμολογουμένων κακῶν — ἔτι δὲ καὶ [περὶ] τῆς τῶν ὅλων διοικήσεως καὶ διʼ ὧν πικρίαν αὐτῆς ἀγνωμόνως καταψηφίζονται [ὡς τὰ ἀναγκαιότερα οἰκονομούσης — οὐ μήν, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τῶν παρὰ ἀνθρώποις ἀδικημάτων ὡς οὐδὲ διὰ ταῦτα προσῆκε κακίας ἀρχὴν κατὰ θεοῦ φαντάζεσθαι. δειχθήσεται γὰρ ὡς καὶ ταῦτα τοῦ πεποιηκότος ἡμᾶς ἐμφαίνει τὴν ἀγαθότητα καὶ οὔτε κατὰ βούλησιν αὐτοῦ πρὸς ἀνθρώπων γίγνεται οὔτε ἐκ τινὸς αἰτίας ἣ ἀρχῆς χαθʼ ἡμῶν φέρεται. τοιγαροῦν λοιπὸν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς μυθώδους ἀσεβείας αὐτῶν ἔλθωμεν, ἐξετάζοντες, εἰ παραδέχονται γοῦν αἱ κατὰ φύσιν ἔννοιαι δύο ἐναντίας ἀρχὰς τῶν ὄντων. εἰ γὰρ μηδὲ συμφωνούσας δέξαιντʼ ἄν, ἤπου γε μαχομένας; ### English translation (Claude) We, then, shall first deal with the two opposite principles they posit, and so come to the demonstration on behalf of the universe, that all things are good and necessary, and especially (as I said before) those against which they make the greatest attack as admittedly evil; and further concerning the governance of the universe, and the things for which they unfeelingly condemn its harshness, though it arranges what is more necessary; and moreover concerning the wrongs done among men, that not even because of these was it fitting to imagine a principle of evil against God. For it will be shown that these too display the goodness of him who made us, and that they are neither done by men by his will nor borne upon us from some cause or principle. So now let us come to the beginning of their mythical impiety, examining whether the natural notions admit two opposite principles of existing things at all. For if they would not admit even two principles in agreement, how much less warring ones? ### Translation notes - “[τὴν]” and “[περὶ]” are bracketed in Lagarde; translated. A square bracket opens before “ὡς τὰ ἀναγκαιότερα” and is not closed in the OCR. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.5 (Lagarde 1859, 3; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-5). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-1/#p-1-6 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 4 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Titus quotes Mani’s statement of the two opposed, unbegotten principles. ### Greek text γράφων τοίνυν ἐκεῖνος αὐτὸς ὃ χαλεπώτατα μανεὶς ἄρχεται πανταχοῦ" ἦν θεὸς καὶ ὕλη, φῶς καὶ σκότος, ἀγαθὸν καὶ κακόν, ἐν τοῖς πᾶσιν ἄκρως ἐναντία ὡς κατὰ μηδὲν ἐπικοινωνεῖν θάτερον θατέρῳ, ἀγένητά τε καὶ ζῶντα ἄμφω. ### English translation (Claude) That man himself, then, who was most grievously mad, begins everywhere in his writings: “There were God and matter, light and darkness, good and evil, in all things utterly opposed, so that neither shares anything with the other, and both unbegotten and living.” ### Translation notes - A quotation from Mani’s own writings (unidentified work); the statement is reported by Titus in polemic. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.6 (Lagarde 1859, 4; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-6). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-1/#p-1-7 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 4 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: If the two principles are separate, God is bounded by evil, contrary to the common notion that God is everywhere and uncontained. ### Greek text οὐκοῦν ἢ χωρίσει γε ταῦτα ἀπʼ ἀλλήλων ἣ σὺν ἀλλήλοις ὄντα φίλα καὶ οὐδαμῶς ἐναντία φανήσεται. ἀλλὰ δῆλον ὅτι χωρὶς ἀπʼ ἀλλήλων καὶ αὐτὸς ταῦτα εἶναί φησιν. ἄρʼ οὖν συμπεπερασμένον ἑκάτερον θατέρῳ τὴν οὐσίαν ἔσται καὶ οὐδέτερον ἀπεριόριστον; περιορίζειν δὲ κατʼ οὐσίαν τὸν θεὸν καὶ μὴ ἀπέραντον εἰδέναι τε καὶ ὁμολογεῖν πῶς οὐ λίαν ἀσεβές; ὁπότε οὐ μόνον περιορίζεσθαι δόξει τὴν οὐσίαν καὶ περιγράφεσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τῆς κακίας (ὡς ἐκεῖνός φησι) τοῦτο πάσχειν" ὅπερ πρῶτον μὲν τῶν κοινῶν ἐννοιῶν ἐκτός, αἵτινες ὑποβάλλουσιν αὐτὸν γινώσκειν εἶναί τε πανταχοῦ καὶ ἀπερίληπτον ὑπάρχειν τὴν φύσιν. ### English translation (Claude) Then either these will be separated from each other, or, if they are together, they will appear friendly and in no way opposed. But clearly he too says that these are apart from each other. Will each, then, be bounded in its substance by the other, and neither be unlimited? But to bound God in his substance, and not to know and confess him infinite, how is that not very impious? For he will seem not only to be bounded and circumscribed in substance, but also to suffer this from evil (as that man says); which is, first, outside the common notions, which lead us to know that he is everywhere and that his nature cannot be contained. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.7 (Lagarde 1859, 4; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-7). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-1/#p-1-8 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 4 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Separated principles need places, which either make them no longer unbegotten or add further unbegotten things. ### Greek text ἔτι μὴν εἰ ταῦτα διέστηκεν ἀναγκαίως ἀλλήλων, οὐ μόνον θεὸς κατὰ τὴν ἐκείνου μανίαν δόξει τὴν φύσιν περιορίζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ἰδίῳ τόπῳ τυγχάνειν καὶ καταμένειν παραπλησίως τῷ ἐναντίῳ. τὰ γὰρ ὑπʼ ἀλλήλων εἰργόμενα τόποις ἰδίοις δηλαδὴ περιγράφεται. οὐκοῦν ἐξεταστέον. εἰ μὲν πρεσβύτερα τῶν τόπων ἄμφω τὰ ἐναντία ὡς ἀγένητα, ἦν ὅτε πάλιν πρότερον ἐτύγχανε κοινῇ τῆς ἐναντιότητος ἀπηλλαγμένα. εἰ δὲ συναΐδιος ἑκατέρου τῆς οὐσίας ὁ χωρισμός,. προγενέστερος ἑκατέρου τῆς οὐσίας ὁ τόπος ἢ συναγένητος. ἀλλʼ εἰ μὲν προγενέστερος, ὡς ἑκατέρου τόπου βλάστημα δοκεῖν εἶναι ἑκάτερον, οὔτʼ ἀγένητα ταῦτα οὔτε ἀίδια (ὅπερ ὑπάρχειν δόξει τοῖς τόποις ἐξ ὧν ταῦτα). εἰ δὲ συναγένητος, ἔσται πλείω καὶ οὐκέτι δύο τὰ ἀγένητα" ἀνάγκη γὰρ ἕτερα τυγχάνειν ἐκεῖνα παρὰ ταῦτα ἐν οἷς ἐστι ταῦτα ὧν ἄνευ οὐδὲ εἶναι δυνήσεται. ### English translation (Claude) Further, if these necessarily stand apart from each other, God will seem, according to that man’s madness, not only to be bounded in nature but also to exist and remain in a place of his own, like his opposite. For things kept apart by each other are clearly circumscribed by places of their own. Then it must be examined. If both opposites are older than their places, as being unbegotten, there was a time, again, when they were previously both free of opposition. But if the separation is coeternal with the substance of each, the place is either older than the substance of each or co-unbegotten with it. If it is older, so that each seems to be an offshoot of its place, then these are neither unbegotten nor eternal (that will seem to belong rather to the places from which they come). If it is co-unbegotten, the unbegotten things will be more than two; for the things in which these exist, and without which they cannot exist, must necessarily be other than these. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.8 (Lagarde 1859, 4; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-8). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-1/#p-1-9 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 5 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: A boundary between the two principles would be a third unbegotten thing and raises absurd questions of place and extent. ### Greek text πρὸς δὲ τούτοις καὶ μεθόριον ἀμφοτέρων ἀπαιτητέον διεῖργον καὶ διακωλῦον ἑκατέρῳ τὴν πρὸς θάτερον κοινωνίαν, ἵνα μὴ διὰ τῶν τερμάτων αὖθις ἀλλήλοις καταμιγνύμενα τὸν τῆς ἐναντιότητος διαφθείρῃ λόγον. τί τοίνυν ἔσται τὸ διαφράττον καὶ διεῖργον ἄμφω; τρίτου γὰρ τινὸς κατʼ οὐσίαν χρείαν ἔχει παρʼ αὐτοῖς τῆς μυθολογίας τὸ πλάσμα. ἀρʼ οὖν τὸ ἀδαμάντινον τεῖχος ἐροῦσιν ἡμῖν ἤ τι ἕτερον, παραπαίοντες; τῇ τίνος δὲ προνοίᾳ, τοῦθʼ ὁπότε φήσουσι, παρεγκείσεται; ὁποτέρῳ γὰρ τῶν ἐναντίων βουληθεῖεν ἀναθεῖναι τοῦτο ὡς ὕστερόν ποτε παρεμβληθέν, ἄπορος αὐτοῖς ἡ ὑπόθεσις εὑρεθήσεται. πρὸς γὰρ τὸ ἀρχαιότερον ἀναβὰς ὃ λόγος ʼ αὖθις φωράσει τὰ ἐναντία ἀλλήλων ἀχώριστα ὡς οὐδαμῶς ἐναντία. εἰ δὲ μηδετέρου προνοίᾳ τὸ μεθόριον ὃ δηλοῦσιν ὑπάρξαι φήσουσιν, ἕτερον ἀγένητον ἐπεισάγοντες ἐξ ἀνάγκης ὁμολογοῦσι, μηδετέρου τῶν ἐναντίων τῆς οὐσίας μετέχον, ἵνα τῷ πάντη διαλλάττειν χωρίζῃ ταῦτα" καὶ εὑρεθήσονται ὄχλον ἀγενήτων τιθέμενοι δύο φήσαντες εἶναι τὰ ἀγένητα. τὸ μέντοι διεῖργον καὶ μεθόριον, εἴτε δὴ τεῖχος εἴτε γῇ ἄοικος εἴτε καὶ ὅπερ ἄν θέλοιεν, ποῦ μὲν ἄρʼ ἔχει τὴν ἕδραν; ποῦ δὲ τὴν κορυφήν; ἀλλὰ δῆλον ὡς κάτω μὲν τὴν ἔδραν (ποῦ δὴ καὶ πόσον;), ἄνω δὲ τὴν κορυφήν (ποῦ καὶ ἐπὶ πόσον). τὸ γὰρ ἄνω καὶ κάτω δημιουργίας ὀνόμᾶτα πρὸ δημιουργίας. δεῖ μέντοι καὶ βαθύτερον καὶ ὑψηλότερὸν εἶναι τὸ μεθόριον τῆς τῶν χωριζομένων οὐσίας, ἵνα μὴ κάτωθεν ἣ ἄνωθεν ἐλλεῖψαν πάροδον τοῖς ἐναντίοις παράσχῃ πρὸς ἄλληλα. ### English translation (Claude) Besides this, one must also demand a boundary between the two, which separates them and prevents each from communion with the other, lest by mixing with each other again at their borders they destroy the account of their opposition. What, then, will wall off and separate the two? For the fiction of their myth needs some third thing in substance. Will they tell us of the adamantine wall, then, or something else, in their raving? And by whose providence, when they say this, will it have been put in between? For to whichever of the opposites they choose to ascribe it, as put in between later at some time, their hypothesis will be found to lead nowhere. For the argument, going back to the earlier state, will again catch the opposites inseparable from each other, and so in no way opposed. But if they say that the boundary they speak of exists by the providence of neither, they necessarily confess that they are introducing another unbegotten thing, sharing in the substance of neither opposite, so that by differing entirely it may keep them apart; and they will be found positing a crowd of unbegotten things after saying that the unbegotten are two. And this separating boundary, whether a wall or uninhabited land or whatever they like, where does it have its base? Where its top? Clearly its base below (where, and how far?) and its top above (where, and to what height?). For “above” and “below” are names belonging to creation, used before creation. And the boundary must be deeper and higher than the substance of the things separated, lest, falling short below or above, it give the opposites passage to each other. ### Translation notes - The “adamantine wall” is apparently a feature of Manichaean myth as Titus knew it; reported polemically. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.9 (Lagarde 1859, 5; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-9). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-1/#p-1-10 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 5 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: The comparison of the two realms to sun and shadow fails, because a shadow exists only where light is present. ### Greek text εἰ δὲ σκιᾷ καὶ ἡλίῳ παραβάλλοιεν καλοῦσι μεθόριον, οἱήσονται μὲν ὡς οὐδὲν ἐπικοινωνεῖ τῷ ἡλίῳ ἥ σκιά, διελεγχθήσονται δὲ χαλεπῶς πρὸς τοῦ μανέντος ἠπατημένοι. σκιὰ γὰρ ἡλίου κοινωνίᾳ καὶ διʼ ὅλου παρουσίᾳ γένοιτʼ ἄν, ὄγκου τινὸς ἀνέχοντος ἐν μέσῳ καὶ πρὸς θάτερον μέρος αὐτὴν [μὴ] παραπέμποντος. καὶ σκιὰ εἴη ἄν οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ τεκμήριον φωτὸς διὰ τινὸς παρεγχειμένου σώματος ἐμποδιζομένου, ἐπείτοι φωτὸς ἐν νυκτὶ μὴ παρόντος οὐδʼ ἄν σκιὰ μερικὴ γένοιτο. ἄρʼ οὐχ ὅπη σκιά, ἐκεῖ φῶς; τὰ γὰρ ἐπέκεινα τῆς σκιᾶς φωτὶ καταλάμπεται, πλὴν εἰ μή γε τὸ σκιάζον ὕψει τὸ φωτίζον παμπληθεὶ ὑπερβαίνει" κἀν μὴ τὸ γελοιότατον τεῖχος τῷ παραλόγῳ τεθῇ, φῶς ἐν φωτὶ διαιτωμένη φανήσεται ἣ κακία. πῶς γὰρ ἄν γένοιτο σκιά, τοῦ φωτὸς διʼ ὅλου κατὰ τῆς ὅλης ὄντος, εἰ μή τι ἐν μέσῳ γε ἀνέχον καὶ ἀποκλεῖον διʼ ὅλου ποιοῖ αὐτήν; οὗ μὴ παρεγχειμένου καὶ πλεῖστον ὅσον ἀνέχοντος κοινὸν ἀιδίως ἔσται καὶ τῇ κακίᾳ τὸ φῶς. ### English translation (Claude) If they compare what they call the boundary to shadow and sun, they will think that the shadow has no communion with the sun, but they will be sharply refuted as deceived by the madman. For a shadow comes about through communion with the sun and its presence everywhere, when some bulk stands up in between and sends the shadow off to the other side. And a shadow would be nothing else than evidence of light hindered by some interposed body; since at night, when light is not present, not even a partial shadow would arise. Is it not so that where there is shadow, there is light? For what lies beyond the shadow is lit by the light, unless the thing casting the shadow far exceeds in height the thing giving light. And unless the most ridiculous wall is posited, against reason, evil will be seen dwelling in light, light within light. For how could a shadow arise, when the light is present throughout the whole, unless something standing up in between and shutting it out throughout produced it? If that is not put in between, standing up as high as can be, the light will be forever common to evil as well. ### Translation notes - “[μὴ]” (“not”) before “sends … off” is bracketed in Lagarde; it gives no sense with the clause and is left untranslated. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.10 (Lagarde 1859, 5; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-10). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-1/#p-1-11 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 6 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Two co-eternal beings cannot both be principles, and since both are called living, unbegotten substance, they cannot be opposite in substance. ### Greek text αὖθις τὸ μεσημβρινὸν μέρος τῇ κακίᾳ διδόντες ὡς ὄναρ τῆς δημιουργίας δια- γράφουσι. ποῦ γὰρ ἦν μεσημβρία πρὸ μεσημβρίας; ἀτιμότερος δὲ τόπος ἄλλος ἄλλου τῆς δημιουργίας οὐχ ἄν γένοιτο. τὸ γὰρ εὐώνυμον ὁρῶντι πρὸς δύσιν δεξιὸν αὖθις εὑρίσκεται πρὸς ἀνατολὰς ἰδόντι. ἀλλὰ πλείστη μὲν ἢ τοῦδε τοῦ βαρβαρικοῦ δόγματος ἀτοπίας. δύο γὰρ ὅλως ἀρχαὶ πῶς ἄν εἶεν ἢ χληθεῖεν ἀρχαί; ἀρχὴ γὰρ ἔστιν ἦ τε τῶν ὅλων πρεσβυτέρα καὶ τῶν ἁπάντων κρατοῦσα, ὧν οὐδέτερον ὑπάρξειεν ἄν οὐδετέρῳ. σύγχρονα γὰρ ἄμφω καὶ συναγένητα ὄντα τὸν τοῦ προτερεύειν ἀλλήλοις διαφθείρει λόγον. ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἀρχικῆς ἐξουσίας οὐ μόνον ἀλλήλων (ὡς ἐναντία γε) ταῦτα ἐξῃρημένα, ἀλλὰ καὶ φύσει μαχόμενα πῶς ἄν ἔχειν διʼ ὅλου τὸ ἄρχειν νομισθείη; εἰ τοίνυν μηδετέρῳ τούτων διασώζεται τῆς ἀρχῆς ὁ λόγος, πῶς ἄν ἀρχαὶ χληθεῖεν; πῶς δʼ ἄν οἱ φυσικοὶ λογισμοὶ παραδέξαιντʼ ἂν ὑπάρχειν ἐναντία δύο κατʼ οὐσίαν; ὅπου γε πρῶτον μὲν τὸ τῆς οὐσίας ἀμφοτέροίς ὄνομα κοινόν. χαθʼ ὃ τοίνυν πρῶτον ἐκάτερον οὐσία, δῆλον ὡς ὁμονοοῦντα καὶ οὐχ ἐναντία. ἔπειτα ζῷα ἄμφω, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἐπʼ ἴσης ἀγένητα' ὧν δὲ τὰ αὐτὰ ὀνόματα καὶ [ἢ] αὐτὴ ὑπογραφή, τούτων πῶς ἣ οὐσία μαχομένη καὶ ἐναντία; καίτοιγε τὰ ὀνόματα τῶν πραγμάτων ἐστὶ σημαντικά, κατηγορεῖ γὰρ ἑκάστου τὸ τί ἐστιν ἕκαστον ὡς ἐνδέχεται. γνωρίζομεν τοίνυν ὡς δύναμις τοῖς ὀνόμασι τὰ πράγματα. ### English translation (Claude) Again, by giving the southern part to evil they sketch, as in a dream, the plan of creation. For where was the south before there was a south? And no place in creation could be less honourable than another; for what is on the left of one looking west is found again on the right of one looking east. But the absurdity of this barbarian doctrine is very great. For how could there be two principles at all, or how could they be called principles? For a principle is that which is older than the whole and rules over all things, and neither of these could belong to either of them. For both, being contemporaneous and co-unbegotten, destroy the account of priority over each other. And how could these, being excluded from ruling power not only over each other (as opposites) but also fighting by nature, be thought to rule at all? If, then, the account of a principle is preserved for neither, how could they be called principles? And how would natural reasoning admit that two things exist opposite in substance? For, first, the name of substance is common to both. In that respect, then, in which each is first of all a substance, plainly they agree and are not opposite. Then both are living beings, and besides this they are equally unbegotten. And where the names are the same and the description is the same, how can the substance be at war and opposite? Yet names signify things, for they declare of each thing what it is, as far as possible. We recognize, then, that things are what the force of their names says. ### Translation notes - “[ἢ]” is bracketed in Lagarde; it gives no sense here and is not translated. The Manichaean myth places the realm of darkness in the south. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.11 (Lagarde 1859, 6; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-11). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-1/#p-1-12 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 6 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Since both principles have the same description, there can be no opposition or even difference between them. ### Greek text ἆρʼ οὖν εἰ ἑκάτερον τῶν παρὰ τῷ μανέντι νομιζομένων ἐναντίων οὐσία ζῶσά τε καὶ ἀγένητος ὀνομάζεται, οὐ δῆλον ὡς ἐκ βαρβάρων τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς τοιαύτης λαβούσης πλάνης, διέφθαρται παρʼ αὐτοῖς τῶν κοινῶν ἐννοιῶν ἣ ἀκολουθία; ὁλόκληρος γὰρ καὶ ἢ αὐτὴ ἐπʼ ἴσης τυγχάνει ἑκατέρου ὑπογραφή: οὐ μόνον ἐναντιότητος πᾶσαν ὑποψίαν ἐξορίζουσα, ἀλλʼ οὔτε διαφοράν τινα συγχωροῦσα ἐν τοῖς ὀνομαζομένοις ὑπάρχειν. ### English translation (Claude) So then, if each of the things the madman thinks opposites is named a living and unbegotten substance, is it not plain that, since such an error took its beginning from barbarians, the consistency of the common notions has been destroyed among them? For the description of each is entire and exactly the same: it not only banishes all suspicion of opposition, but does not even allow any difference to exist between the things so named. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.12 (Lagarde 1859, 6; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-12). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-1/#p-1-13 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 6 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Opposition belongs to qualities, not to substances, and God, who is simple, has no qualities; two unbegotten beings cannot be opposite. ### Greek text φασὶ δὲ τὸ μὲν ἀγαθόν, τὸ δὲ κακόν, τὰς ποιότητας οἱονεὶ πρὸ τῆς οὐσίας ἐκλαμβάνοντες οἱ τῷ μανέντι συντρέχοντες. τῆς γὰρ οὐσίας ὁμοίως ἐφʼ ἔκατέρου ὀνομαζομένης (οὐσία γὰρ ζῶσά τε καὶ ἀγένητος ἄμφω) περιττὴ λοιπὸν τῆς οἱονεὶ ποιότητος ἣ ἐναντιότης (εἰ γὰρ καὶ μὴ ἁρμόζει ἐπὶ θεοῦ ποιότητα “ὀνομάζειν, ἀλλά γε τῇ ἐννοίᾳ τρόπον τινὰ τὸ εἶναι τοῦ τοιόνδε εἶναι προτερεύει. τὸ δὲ εἶναι σημαίνεται τῷ οὐσία ζῶσά τε καὶ ἀγένητος), πλὴν εἰ μὴ ἰδία φαῖεν ἐπισυμβῆναι τὰ ἐναντία ἑκατέροις, ὅπερ ἐστὶ πάντων ἀνοητότερον " ἀγενήτῳ γὰρ οὐδὲν ἐπισυμβαίνει' ᾧ γὰρ τὸ εἶναι μὴ ἐπισυνέβη, τούτῳ οὐδὲ τὸ τοιῶσδε εἶναι ὃ μὴ εἴη ἐπισυμβαίνει. ποιοτήτων μὲν οὖν ἐναντιότητα ἔστιν ἐν τοῖς οὖσιν εὑρεῖν, οὐσίας δὲ οὐδαμοῦ. λευκὸν γὰρ πρὸς μέλαν ἐναντίως ἔχει, ἑκάτερον δὲ ἐν σώματι τῇ αὐτοῦ οὐσίᾳ. ἔχει μέντοι αὐτὰ πῇ μὲν ἐναντίως πρὸς ἄλληλα, πῇ δὲ οὐχ ἐναντίως. πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ ὑφʼ ἕν γένος ἐστί (χρῶμα γὰρ ἑκάτερα), ἔπειτα εἰ καὶ ἐναντία εἶναι δοκεῖ, ἀλλά γε τῇ ὄψει ποικίλως προσάγει τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν. οὐδέτερον γὰρ αὐτοῖν τῇ ἀσυμμετρίᾳ λυπεῖ ταύτην. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἤδη ἀρετή τε καὶ κακία ἐν ψυχῇ, ὡς ἐναντία μὲν καὶ ταύτα, οὐ μόνον δὲ ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ οὐσίᾳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ἑνὶ γένει προσαγορεύεται (ἕξις γὰρ ἑκατέρα), ἅτινα καὶ ὡς ἐπισυμβαίνοντα ψυχῇ ἐνυπάρχει, ὅθεν καὶ ἀποσυμβαίνειν ἐνδέχεται, τῆς ἐν ἧ ἐστι ταῦτα ἄλλοτε ἄλλως διακειμένης" ὡς εἶναι δῆλον, ὡς ὃ μὲν περὶ τῆς οὐσίας λόγος ἀφώρισται, ὁ δὲ περὶ τῶν ταύτῃ ἐπισυμβαινόντων ἕτερος τυγχάνει. καίτοι τὸ μὲν λευκόν τε καὶ μέλαν ἔστιν ὅτε καὶ ὡς ἀχώριστα ἐνυπάρχει τοῖς ἐν οἷς ἐστι, καὶ ὅμως οὐδεὶς πώποτε ἀπὸ τούτων ὠνόμακεν' ἐκεῖνα, ἐν οἷς ἐστι ταῦτα. οὐδεὶς γὰρ θελήσας γάλα σημῆναι οὐχὶ μᾶλλον πρὸ τοῦ κατὰ τοῦ εἴδους τῆς οὐσίας ὀνόματος κειμένου κατεχρήσατο τὸ τῆς λευκότητος, ἵνα μὴ ἀνθʼ ἑνὸς πολλὰ σημαίνειν δόξῃ οἷς πρόσεστιν. ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ κόρακα οὐ τῷ μέλανι σημαίνομεν, ἀλλὰ τῷ τοῦ ζῴου καὶ τοῦ εἴδους ὀνόματι. αὗται μὲν οὖν καὶ τοιαῦται ἀχώριστοι ποιότητες, ἀρετὴ δὲ καὶ κακία ἐν ψυχῇ τῶν ἐπισυμβαινουσῶν ποιοτήτων εἰσίν, ὡς μᾶλλον προσήκειν μηδαμῶς ἀπὸ τούτων τὴν οὐσίαν δεῖν τὴν ἀνθρώπου κατηγορεῖσθαι, δεῖν δὲ ταύτην ἰδίως σημαίνεσθαι. οὐδεὶς γοῦν τὸ τί ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος ἐκ τῆς ἐνούσης τῷ τινὶ κακίας ἐσήμανεν, ἀλλὰ πρῶτον τῆς οὐσίας τὸ εἶδος εἰπών, εἶτα καὶ τὸ τὶς προσειπὼν ὕστερον κατηγορεῖ τὴν ποιότητα. ποιοτήτων μὲν οὖν (ὃ προλαβὼν εἶπον) εῦροι τις ἄν ἐν τοῖς ὑποβεβηκόσιν ἐναντιότητα τῶν μὲν χωριστῶν, τῶν δὲ καὶ ἀχωρίστωνʼ ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ. θεοῦ πᾶσα μὲν ποιότης ἐκβέβληται, ἐπειδή γε οὐδὲν ὧν καλεῖται ἕτερον παρʼ αὐτόν - (ἁπλοῦς γὰρ καὶ ἀσύνθετός ἐστιν), ὅμως δὲ τῇ ἐννοίᾳ (ὃ προλαβόντες εἴπομεν) προτερεύει τὸ εἶναι τοῦ τοιόνδε εἶναι, διό φαμεν ἀναλαβόντες ὡς, εἰ ἑκάτερα, ἅ φησιν εἶναι ἐναντία, οὐσία ζῶσα τε καὶ ἀγένητος (οὐ γὰρ ἀρνηθεῖεν), ἣ ἄμφω ἀγαθά, ἵνα μᾶλλον πρὸς τὸ εὔφημον εὐσεβῶς διὰ τὸ ὄντως ὃν ἀγαθὸν καὶ τοὐναντίον ὅ φασιν ἔχχηται τὸ μηδαμῶς ὄν" οὐ γὰρ ἀντιστρέφομεν — ἢ ἄμφω κακά. τὸ γὰρ ἀγένητον πάντως ἀγαθόν. αὐτίκα ἀγένητος ὁ θεὸς ὑπάρχων, ἄρα αὐτὸ τὸ μὴ γενηθῆναι ὡς κακὸν ἔχει; οὐδαμῶς, ἀλλʼ ὡς. ἀγαθὸν δηλαδή. τίς οὖν ἢ ἀποκλήρωσις τοῦτʼ αὐτό πρᾶγμά τε καὶ ὄνομα παρὰ μὲν τῷ θεῷ καλόν τε καὶ ἀγαθὸν εἶναι, παρὰ δὲ τῇ κακίᾳ (ὥς φασι) τοὐναντίον, κακόν; γενεᾶς “μὲν γὰρ εὑρεθείη ἄν διαφορά, διαφορὰ μέντοι καὶ οὐκ ἐναντιότης — ἀγενησίας δὲ ποίαν τις ἄν εὖροι διαφορὰν ἤπουγε ἐναντιότητα; διόπερ παντάπασιν ἀδύνατὸν ἀγένητον ἀγενήτῳ ἐναντίον εἶναι. εἰ γάρ τι εἴη, οὐδὲν τῶν αὐτῶν ὀφείλει οὔτε εἶναι οὔτε προσαγορεύεσθαι τῷ ἐναντίῳ, ἵνα ἀκοινώνητον ἡ τοῖς πᾶσι πρὸς τὸ ἐναντίον. εἰ γὰρ μὴ εἴη πάντη ἐναντίον, καθὸ ἐπικοινωνεῖ, οὐχ ἐναντίον. ἐναντίον μέντοι τὸ μὴ ὃν τῷ ὄντιʼ τάχα δὲ οὐδὲ τοῦτο, οὐ γὰρ διαμάχεται. τὸ δὲ ὃν τῷ ὄντι οὐχ ἐναντίον. εἰ δὲ τὸ ὃν τῷ ὄντι πάντως ὁμόλογον, ὃν τὸ καὶ μόνον ἀληθῶς ὃν τοῖς πᾶσι τοῦ εἶναι ἄρχον. ### English translation (Claude) Those who run with the madman say that one is good and the other evil, taking the qualities, as it were, before the substance. For since substance is named alike of each (both are living and unbegotten substance), the opposition of their so-called quality is superfluous. (For even if it is not fitting to name a quality in God, still in thought being in some way comes before being of such a kind; and being is signified by “living and unbegotten substance”.) Unless they say that the opposites came upon each as attributes, which is the most senseless thing of all; for nothing comes upon the unbegotten: to that upon which being did not come, neither does a being of such a kind come, which it was not. Opposition of qualities, then, can be found among existing things, but opposition of substance nowhere. White is opposite to black, but each is in a body, in its own substance. Yet they are opposed to each other in one respect and not in another. For, first, they fall under one genus (each is a colour); then, even if they seem opposite, they offer the eye a varied enjoyment, for neither of them pains it by disproportion. And again, virtue and vice in the soul, though these too are opposites, are said to be not only in the same substance but also in one genus (each is a state), and they are present in the soul as things that come upon it, so that they can also leave it, as the soul in which they are is disposed now one way and now another. So it is plain that the account of the substance is defined on its own, and the account of what comes upon it is another. And white and black are sometimes present inseparably in the things in which they are, and yet no one has ever named those things from them. No one wishing to signify milk has used the name of whiteness rather than the name established for the kind of substance, lest he seem to signify many things instead of one, namely all the things to which whiteness belongs. Nor do we signify a crow by “black”, but by the name of the animal and its kind. These, then, and such as these are inseparable qualities; but virtue and vice in the soul are among the qualities that come upon it, so that it is all the more fitting that the substance of man should in no way be named from them, but signified in its own right. No one, at any rate, has signified what man is from the vice present in some individual; rather, he first states the kind of substance, then adds the individual, and afterwards names the quality. Of qualities, then (as I said before), one may find opposition in lower things, some separable and some inseparable. But from God every quality is excluded, since nothing he is called is other than himself (for he is simple and uncompounded); yet in thought (as we said before) being comes before being of such a kind. Therefore, taking it up again, we say that if each of the things he says are opposite is a living and unbegotten substance (they would not deny it), then either both are good (so that, for reverent speech, the opposite they speak of may be held to be what does not exist at all, because of the one who is truly good; for we do not reverse this), or both are evil. But the unbegotten is wholly good. For example, since God is unbegotten, does he have this very not-having-been-begotten as an evil? By no means; plainly as a good. What allotment, then, makes this very thing and name fair and good in God, but its opposite, evil, in evil (as they say)? For in coming into being a difference might be found (a difference, though not an opposition); but what difference could one find in being unbegotten, much less an opposition? It is therefore wholly impossible for unbegotten to be opposite to unbegotten. For if anything were opposite, it ought neither to be nor to be called anything the same as its opposite, so as to have no communion in anything with it; for if it were not opposite in every way, in so far as it shares, it is not opposite. Opposite, however, is non-being to being; and perhaps not even this, for it does not fight. But being is not opposite to being. And if being wholly agrees with being, it is the one who alone truly is that gives being its beginning in all things. ### Translation notes - A philosophical argument using Aristotelian categories (substance, quality, genus, “state” ἕξις). The clause on reverent speech is obscure in the OCR (ἔχχηται) and is translated by sense. The last sentence is compressed in the Greek and rendered by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.13 (Lagarde 1859, 6; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-13). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-1/#p-1-14 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 8 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: If matter is opposite to God who is truth, it must be falsehood, yet the Manichees hold that it truly exists. ### Greek text φασὶ δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ χρῆναι πάντα τὰ ἐναντία τῷ θεῷ τὴν ὕλην προσαγορεύεσθαι. οἷον ἐὰν καλῶμεν τὸν θεὸν φῶς, τὸ ἐναντίον σκότος, ἐὰν δὲ ἀγαθόν, ἐκεῖνο κακόν" ἐὰν μέντοι καλέσωμεν τὸν θεὸν αὐτοαλήθειαν, δῆλον ὅτι τὸ ἐναντίον ψεῦδος κεκλήσεται. τὸ δὲ ἀληθῶς ὃν (ὡς ὑπειλήφασι) πῶς ἄν εἴη ψεῦδος; τὸ μὲν γὰρ μὴ ὄν, εἰ λέγοιτο εἶναι, ψεῦδος ἂν εἴη" τὸ δὲ ὃν καὶ ἀληθῶς ὄν, αὐτῷ τῷ εἶναι ἀληθεῦον, οὐχ ἄν εἴη ψεῦδος, εἰ γὰρ εἶναι λέγει τις, ἀληθεύει" εἰ δὲ μὴ λέγει ὅτι ἔστιν ἵνα μὴ ἀληθεύσῃ, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ ὅτι οὐχ ἔστιν εἴποι ἄν ἵνα ψεύσηται" κἂν εἴπῃ δὲ ὅτι οὐχ ἔστι, τῇ ἐπινοίᾳ ψεύδεται. οὔκουν αὐτὸ ψεῦδος, ὃν γὰρ ἔστιν ἀληθῶς, ### English translation (Claude) They themselves also say that everything opposite to God must be ascribed to matter. For example, if we call God light, the opposite is darkness; if good, that is evil; and if we call God truth itself, plainly the opposite will be called falsehood. But how could what truly exists (as they suppose matter does) be falsehood? For what does not exist, if it were said to exist, would be a falsehood; but what exists, and truly exists, being true by its very existence, could not be a falsehood. For if someone says it exists, he speaks the truth; and if he does not say that it exists, so as not to speak the truth, still he could not say that it does not exist, so as to lie; and if he does say that it does not exist, he lies in his thought. So it is not itself falsehood, for it truly exists, ### Translation notes - The section ends mid-sentence in the staged text. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.14 (Lagarde 1859, 8; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-14). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-1/#p-1-15 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 8 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: If evil is corruption, it cannot be an eternal, incorruptible substance. ### Greek text ἔπειτα εἰ καλοῖεν τἀγαθὸν ἀφθαρσίαν, φθορὰν ὀνομάσουσιν τὸ κακόν. τίνος δʼ ἂν εἴη φθορὰ ἣ φθορά; τοῦ μὲν γὰρ ἀγαθοῦ ἀδύνατον" εἰ δʼ ἑαυτῆς εἴη φθορά, ἐν πολλοῖς τοῖς αἰῶσι διέφθαρκεν ἑαυτὴν καὶ μάτην αὐτὴν εἶναι φαντάζονται. πῶς δʼ ἂν εἴη φθορά; πάντως γὰρ ἕτερόν τι φθείρει, οὐχ ἑαυτήν. εἰ δὲ ἑαυτήν, οὐδʼ ἄν τὴν ἀρχὴν ὑπέστη. ὀφθήσεται γὰρ ἑαυτὴν φθείρουσα μᾶλλον ἣ οὖσαʼ φθορὰ γὰρ ἄφθαρτος ἀδύνατον κατά γε τὰς κοινὰς ἐπινοίας ἐπινοηθῆναι. ἄφθαρτον δὲ πάντως τὸ ἀγένητον καὶ ἀίδιον, ὅθεν καὶ ἀθάνατον. ἐπάνω γὰρ τοῦ ἀφθάρτου τὸ ἀγένητον. εἰ δὲ τὸ μὴ γενέσθαι πώποτε ὑπάρχει τῇ ὕλῃ, μεῖζον ὄν, πῶς οὐχὶ καὶ τὸ ἔλαττον αὐτῇ προσυπάρξει, τὸ μὴ φθαρῆναι; εἰ δὲ μὴ φθείρεται ὡς ἀΐδιος, οὐδʼ ἄν ἑαυτῆς ὑπάρχει φθορὰ καὶ οὐχ ἄν εἴη οὐσία φθορᾶς. ### English translation (Claude) Then, if they call the good incorruption, they will name evil corruption. But what would corruption be the corruption of? Of the good it is impossible. And if it were the corruption of itself, in the many ages it would have corrupted itself, and they imagine in vain that it exists. And how could it be corruption? For corruption always destroys something else, not itself. If it destroyed itself, it would never have come to subsist at all; for it will be seen to be destroying itself rather than existing, since an incorruptible corruption cannot be conceived according to the common notions. And what is unbegotten and eternal is wholly incorruptible, and therefore also immortal; for to be unbegotten is above being incorruptible. If, then, never having come into being belongs to matter, which is the greater thing, how will the lesser not belong to it as well, not being destroyed? And if it is not destroyed, being eternal, it could not be a corruption of itself, and there would be no substance of corruption. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.15 (Lagarde 1859, 8; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-15). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-1/#p-1-16 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 9 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Titus promises to show that the supposed disorder of the world is the highest order and that so-called evils are either deeds or not evil at all. ### Greek text ὅταν μέντοι τοιούτῶν ἀκούωσι λόγων οἱ ἐκ τοῦ μανέντος ὁρμώμενοι, ἀποροῦντες Πόθεν οὖν (φασί) τὰ κακά; πόθεν δὲ (λέγουσιν) ἣ ἐν τοῖς πράγμασιν ἐμφαινομένη ἀταξία; ἀλλὰ πολλάκις μὲν εἴρηται ὅτι διʼ ἄγνοιαν τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων διαθέσεως καὶ τῆς θείας διοικήσεως γνῶσιν ἐσφαλμένην καὶ βλάσφημον ἑαυτοῖς ἐπραγματεύσαντο. διʼ ἄγνοιαν ὧν γνῶναι ἔδοξαν, ἃ χεῖρον ἔγνωσαν ἣ ἠγνόουν, καὶ ὃ ἐζήτουν ἀληθέστερον ἀπολέσαντες ἡ πρὶν ζητῆσαι" ὃ δὲ λόγος κατὰ καιρὸν μὲν καὶ τὴν παρʼ αὐτοῖς νομιζομένην τῶν πραγμάτων ἀταξίαν εὐταξίαν τὴν ἀνωτάτω, θεοῦ παρέχοντος, ἀποδείξει καὶ τὰ λεγόμενα πρὸς αὐτῶν κακὰ τὰ μὲν ὡς πραττόμενα μόνον, τὰ δὲ κατʼ οὐσίαν ἥκιστά γε ὄντα κακὰ δείξει. ### English translation (Claude) When those who set out from the madman hear such arguments, they are at a loss and say, “Whence, then, come evils? Whence the disorder that appears in things?” But it has often been said that through ignorance of the arrangement of things and of the divine governance they have produced for themselves an erroneous and blasphemous knowledge: through ignorance of the things they thought they knew, which they knew worse than when they were ignorant of them, losing what they sought more truly than before they sought it. But the discourse will in due time, God granting, show that what they regard as the disorder of things is the highest order, and will show that of the things they call evils some are evil only as deeds done, and others are in no way evil in substance. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.16 (Lagarde 1859, 9; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-16). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-1/#p-1-17 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 9 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Titus summarizes Mani’s myth of matter’s assault on the light, the swallowed power, the making of the world, and the moon that carries souls back to the good. ### Greek text ἦν γάρ ποτε (φησίν) ὅτε ἣ ὕλη ἠτάκτει καὶ ἐγέννα καὶ ηὐξάνετο καὶ διετέλει πολλὰς προβαλλομένη δυνάμεῖς. αὐξηθεῖσα τοίνυν ἀνήγετο, οὖχ εἰδυῖα τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ τὴν ὕπαρξινʼ ὡς δὲ ἐπὶ πλέον ἀναχθεῖσα εἶδε τὴν γῆν τε καὶ τὸ φῶς τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, ἐπιβῆναι τοῖς μὴ ἰδίοις ἐπιχειρεῖ. ὁ δὲ ἀγαθὸς δύναμιν ἀποστέλλει τινά, ἡ καὶ ὄνομα τὸ δόξαν αὐτῷ ἐπιτίθησι, φυλάξουσαν μὲν δῆθεν τοὺς ὅρους, τὸ δʼ ἀληθὲς δέλεαρ ἐσομένην εἰς ἀκούσιον τῇ ὕλῃ σωφρονισμόν" ὃ δὴ καὶ γέγονεν. θεασαμένη γὰρ ἡ ὕλη τὴν ἀποσταλεῖσαν δύναμιν, προσεχίσσησε μὲν ὡς ἐρασθεῖσα, ὁρμῇ δὲ πλείονι λαβοῦσα ταύτην κατέπιε καὶ ἐδέθη τρόπον τινὰ ὥσπερ θηρίον. κέχρηνται γὰρ καὶ τῷδε τῷ ὑποδείγματι, ὡς διʼ ἐπῳδῆς τῆς ἀποσταλείσης δυνάμεως ἐκοιμίσθη. γέγονε τοίνυν μίξις καὶ κρᾶσις τοῦτον (φησί) τὸν τρόπον τῆς τε καταποθείσης δυνάμεως τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ καὶ τῆς καταπιούσης ὕλης, καὶ οὕτως ἐξ ἀμφοῖν ἐδημιουργήθη τόδε τὸ πᾶν, ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ δηλαδή" οὐ γὰρ ἄν προὐνόησεν ἣ κακία κόσμου γενέσεως. ἐντεῦθεν δὴ (φασί) τὰ μὲν ἀγαθὰ, τὰ δὲ κακά, τῆς κράσεως ἐκείνης καὶ τῆς συνόδου τοῖν δυοῖν διὰ τῆς ἐναντιότητος τῶν τῇδε πραγμάτων ἐμφαινομένης. ὁρίζεται δὲ ψυχὴν μὲν ἅπασαν εἶναι τῆς μερίδος τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, σῶμα δὲ καὶ τὴν σάρκα τῆς ὅλης, πῇ μὲν κατέχουσαν ὡς ἐν εἰρκτῇ τὴν ψυχήν, πῆ δὲ κατεχομένην ὡς θηρίον πρὸς τῆς ἐπῳδῆς. οὕτω μὲν δὴ σοφισάμενος τὴν ὕλην ὁ ἀγαθὸς κόσμου (φησί) γέγονε δημιουργός, οὐκ ἀντιποιηθείς γε τοῦ δημιουργῇσαι αὐτόν (ἀνθίσταται γὰρ αὐτῷ), ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν ἐπανάστασιν τῆς κακίας, ἣν σωφρονῇσαι διενοήθη. οὐ μέντοι γέγονε δυνατὸν ἐξελεῖν τῆς κακίας τῶν φαινομένων πραγμάτων τὸν ἰόν, ἕπεσθαι δὲ τοῦτον δεικνύμενον ἐκ. τῆς ἀταξίας καὶ τῆς (ὡς ὑπείληφεν) ἀνισότητος τῶν χαθʼ ἡμᾶς, τοῦτον μὲν πλουτεῖν, τοῦτον δὲ πένεσθαι καὶ τὸν μὲν εὐδοξεῖν, τὸν δὲ ἀδοξεῖν καὲ ὅσα τοιαῦτα. τό τε δὴ σπουδαζόμενόν ἐστι τῷ ἀγαθῷ τὴν ψυχὴν ἐλευθερῶσαι τῆς κακίας καὶ ταύτην ἀντλῆσαι τρόπον τινὰ ἐκ τῆς ὕλης" τοῦτο δὲ γίνεσθαι διὰ τῆς σελήνης αὐξανομένης τε καὶ μειουμένης, ὡς ὁρᾶν δοκοῦμεν ἡμεῖς. τὸ γὰρ ἀληθὲς (φησίν) ὑδρίας τρόπον αὐτὴ πληρουμένη ἐκ τῆς κατεχομένης οὐσίας εἰς τὸ ὁμογενὲς ἀγαθὸν κενοῦται. εἰ γὰρ καὶ μὴ τούτοις γε τοῖς ῥήμασιν, ἀλλά γε ταῦτα βούλεται λέγειν, ἅπερ εὐσχημονέστερον πάνυ γε πρὸς ἡμῶν εἴρηται. πλεῖστον γὰρ ὅσον παρʼ αὐτῷ τὸ ἀλλόκοτον ἐν τῇ διηγήσει καὶ τὸ ἀπίθανον. ὅσα μὲν οὖν ἕτερα γραὸς δίκην μυθολογεῖ καὶ γράφει, τῇ Σύρων φωνῇ χρώμενος, ὅπως μὲν ἡ γῆ βαστάζεται, τὸν ποιητικὸν. μὴ διαφυγὼν μῦθον, ὅπως δὲ συνίστανται οἱ ὄμβροι, ὡς ἱδρῶτές εἰσι τῶν ἀρχόντων τῆς ὕλης, ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα τῶν αὐτοῦ παλαισμάτων παρεμπορεύματα περιττὸν ἄν εἴη προφέρειν εἰς ἔλεγχον. χρὴ δὲ ἃ περὶ ἐκάστου παραπαίων γράφει γνώρισμα τοῖς πᾶσιν, ἧκιστά γε ἀνέχεσθαι πρὸς ἀπέραντον φλυαρίαν τὸν λόγον ἐκτείνειν, ὡς ἀρκοῦν αὐτὸ τὸ κεφάλαιον αὐτοῦ τῆς ἀλόγου μανίας διελέγξαντας τῶν ἄλλων καταφρονεῖν. καὶ εἰ μή γε τὸν περὶ προνοίας λόγον συνέβαινε τήνδε τὴν ὑπόθεσιν ἀναγκαίως περιλαμβάνειν, διʼ οὗ προσήκει δεῖξαι ὡς ἅπαντα εὖ τε καὶ θείως τεταγμένα τὴν ἄρρητον τοῦ θεοῦ σοφίαν κηρύττει, γέλως ἄν ἦν δῦ ἀντιρρήσεως γοῦν τινος ἀξιοῦν τὰ προτεθέντα, ἅπερ ἐκτὸς τῶν κοινῶν ἐννοιῶν συμπεφορημένα αὐτόματον ἔχει παρά γε τοῖς ἐχέφροσι τὸν ἔλεγχον. ἤρκει δέ, οὐχ ἔλαττον δείξαντας ὡς οὐδαμῶς ἂν ὑπάρξαιεν ἀρχαὶ δύο καὶ μάλιστα ἐναντίαι, ἤδη περί τε ἀνθρώπου καὶ τῆς ἄλλης δημιουργίας διαλαβεῖν: ὅμως δὲ τὸ κωλῦον οὐδὲν καὶ τῶν προτεθέντων ἰδεῖν τὸ - ἀπίθανον. ### English translation (Claude) “For there was once,” he says, “a time when matter was in disorder, and it begot and grew and went on putting forth many powers. Having grown, then, it was carried upward, not knowing that the good existed. And when, carried up further, it saw the land and the light of the good, it tried to set foot on what was not its own. But the good one sends a certain power, to which he gives the name he pleases, supposedly to guard the borders, but in truth to be a bait that would bring about the unwilling chastening of matter”; and that is what happened. For when matter saw the power that had been sent, it rushed toward it as though in love, and seizing it with greater force it swallowed it, and was bound in a way like a wild beast. For they use this illustration too: that by the incantation of the power that was sent it was put to sleep. In this way, he says, there came about a mixing and blending of the swallowed power of the good and of the matter that swallowed it, and so from both this universe was fashioned, by the good, clearly, for evil would not have planned the making of a world. Hence, they say, some things are good and others evil, since that blending and meeting of the two appears in the opposition of things here. He defines every soul as belonging to the portion of the good, and the body and the flesh as belonging to matter, which in one way holds the soul as in a prison and in another is held like a beast by the incantation. So, having outwitted matter, the good one became (he says) the creator of the world, not because he aspired to create it (for matter resists him), but because of the uprising of evil, which he intended to chasten. Yet it did not prove possible to remove the poison of evil from the visible world, and that it remains is shown, he says, by the disorder and (as he supposes) the inequality of our affairs: that one man is rich and another poor, one honoured and another without honour, and the like. And the good one’s concern is to free the soul from evil and in a way to draw it up out of matter; and this happens through the moon, as it waxes and wanes, as we think we see. For in truth (he says) the moon, like a water jar, is filled from the substance held captive and is emptied into the good of the same kind. Even if he does not say it in these words, this is what he means to say; it has been put by us much more decently, for in him the outlandishness and implausibility of the narrative is very great. The other things he tells like an old woman’s tales and writes in the Syrian tongue (how the earth is carried, where he does not escape the myth of the poets; how rains arise, that they are the sweat of the rulers of matter), these and such sideshows of his contests it would be superfluous to bring forward for refutation. What he writes in his raving about each subject should be made known to all, but we must by no means consent to stretch the discourse into endless prattle; it is enough to refute the main point of his irrational madness and to despise the rest. And if it did not happen that the discourse on providence necessarily includes this hypothesis (for through that discourse it is fitting to show that all things, being well and divinely ordered, proclaim the ineffable wisdom of God), it would be laughable to think the doctrines set out worthy even of a reply; for, heaped together outside the common notions, they carry their own refutation with sensible people. It would have been enough, having shown no less that two principles, and especially two opposite principles, could not exist, to treat at once of man and of the rest of creation; but nothing prevents us from seeing the implausibility of the doctrines set out as well. ### Translation notes - Titus reports the Manichaean cosmogony polemically, saying he has put it more decently than Mani; the quotation marks follow his “he says”. Mani wrote in Syriac (“the Syrian tongue”). The figure who carries the earth in Manichaean myth is compared with the poets’ myth (probably Atlas); identification uncertain. Προσεχίσσησε (“rushed toward”) is uncertain in the OCR; translated by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.17 (Lagarde 1859, 9; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-17). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.18 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-1/#p-1-18 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 10 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Matter’s supposed disorder, growth and late uprising are incoherent whether matter is rational or irrational. ### Greek text ἡτάχτει γάρ, φησίν, ἢ ὕλη ποτέ, ποίαν ἀταξίαν; ἂρά γε καθʼ ἑαυτὴν οὖσα; ἣ κατὰ τίνος; ἀδικία γὰρ ἅπασα ἑαυτῆς οὐχ ἂν γένοιτο ἀδικία, δεῖται δὲ ἑτέρου τινὸς χαθʼ οὖ γένοιτʼ ἄν. ἥ τοίνυν ἑτέρῳ τινὶ μὴ ἐπιχοινωνοῦσα κατὰ τίνος ἠτάχτει; ἣ τίς ὁ λόγος τῆς ἀταξίας αὐτῆς; ἐγέννα μὲν πρῶτον προϊοῦσα καὶ ηὐξάνετο, φησίν. οὐκοῦν ἀιδίως ἣ ἀίδιος ἐγέννα. δυοῖν γὰρ θάτερον" ἣ λογισμῷ τοῦτο πράττουσα κυρία τοῦ βουλήματος ἦν ἢ φύσεως ἀνάγκῃ γεννῶσα οὐχ ἔστιν ὅτε μὴ γεννᾶν ὑπὸ τῆς φύσεως ἠναγκάζετο. ἀλλʼ ἀφαιροῦνται μὲν αὐτῆς καὶ λογισμὸν καὶ γνῶσιν, ἀλόγιστον δὲ φύσιν εἰσάγουσιν. εἰ τοίνυν ἀνάγκῃ φύσεως πρὸς τὰς προβολὰς ἀιδίως ἐφέρετο, ὅσον ἄν τις φαίη τυγχάνειν τὸ ἀφʼ οὗ κατεσχέθη διάστημα τοῦ αἰῶνος ἕως νῦν, δῆλον ὡς ἔτι τούτου μυριοπλασίους αἰῶνας ἢ ἀγένητος ἐγέννα, καὶ χώραν οὐχ ἕξει τὸ καινοτομεῖν τί τὸ ἀΐδιον. ἢ γὰρ φύσει καινοτομήσει καὶ οὐδέποτε τῆς καινοτομίας ἐπέπαυτο, εἰ δὴ τοῦτο καινοτομίαν. δεῖ καλεῖν, ὡς μηδαμῶς χρονικὴν ἀρχὴν ἔχειν τὴν κατʼ αὐτῆς τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ μεταχείρησιν — ἢ λογισμῷ τοῦτο πράττουσα λόγον ἔχει καὶ γνῶσιν, καὶ ἀνατέτραπται τῆς ἀλόγου κακίας ἢ ὑπόθεσις. εἴτε οὖν λογισμῷ εἴτε καὶ ἀλογίστῳ φορᾷ ἐπανίστατο, τίς ὁ λόγος τοὺς. ἀπεράντους αἰῶνας ταύτην παρεῖναι πρὸς τὴν τοιαύτην ἐπανάστασιν; ἀφʼ οὗ γὰρ κατεσχῆσθαί φησιν αὐτὴν ἕως νῦν, στιγμὴ χρόνου γένοιτʼ ἄν, εἰ παραβάλοιτο τοῖς προλαβοῦσιν ἀπείροις αἰῶσι" τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἄρχον καὶ τελειοῦν πεπέρανται, οἱ δὲ παντελῶς ἀπέραντοι ἀΐδιοί τε καὶ ἀγέννητοι. ἔπειτα δὲ εἰ λογισμῷ ἐκαχύνετο πρὸς τὴν ἐπανάστασιν, πῶς οὐχὶ καὶ λογισμῷ διεκόπη τὸ ἀδύνατον τῆς ἐπιχειρήσεως; ὡς οὐχ οἷόν τε ὃν ἐπιδραμεῖν ἀηττήτῳ σοφία; ὅθεν πεφεύγασι προσομολογεῖν αὐτῇ λογισμόν τε καὶ γνῶσιν, ὡς ἂν χώραν ἔχοι τῆς ἐπαναστάσεως τῆς κατὰ θεοῦ τὸ πλάσμα, καὶ ἐπάναγκες ὑπὸ ἀγνοίας καὶ ἀλογίστου͵ “φύσεως ἑλκόμενοι οὐχ ἐκδέξεται ἀπείρους καὶ ἀπεράντους ἄϊῶνας ἑαυτὴν ὁπλίζουσα καὶ δυνάμει περιβάλλουσα, ὡς γενέσθαι πρὸς τὴν τόλμαν προχειροτέραν. εἰ γὰρ δὴ καὶ πλείων ἐγίγνετο οἷς ἐγέννα, ἀλλʼ οὔ τι γε τὴν ὁρμὴν τῆς φύσεως ηὐξάνετο οὐδὲ προσελάμβανέ τι ταύτης τὸ φυσικὸν κίνημα οὐδʼ ἂν ἐδέξατο πρῶτόν γε αὐξηθῆναι καὶ οὕτως ἐπαναστῆναι" τοῦτο γὰρ λογικῆς φύσεως προθέσει πονηρευομένης. πῶς δὲ καὶ αὐξησις τῆς κακίας γένοιτʼ ἄν ἢ προσθήκη τῶν προβολῶν; εἰ γὰρ οἷς γεννᾷ τελειοῦται εἰς κακίαν, ἀτελὴς ἦν ἢ κακία καὶ οὐχ ἦν ἐν, ἀκρότητι κακίας" εἰ δὲ τέλεια καὶ ἄκρα κατὰ τὸν ἴδιον λόγον ἑκάτερα τἀναντία, οὐδαμῶς αὐξάνεσθαι δόξει ἢ κακία διὰ τῶν προβολῶν οὐδὲ θαρσαλεωτέρα γενήσεται, λογικὴ μὴ οὖσα, οὐδὲ πρὸς ἐπικουρίαν ἑαυτῆς παραλήψεται" δόξει γὰρ πρὸ τῆς τεκνώσεως ἀτελὴς γεγονέναι οὐ μόνον πρὸς κακίαν ἣ κακία, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς ἰσχὺν καὶ ῥώμην, ὅπερ ἀλλότριον ἀγεννήτου. ### English translation (Claude) For matter, he says, was once in disorder. What disorder? Being by itself? Or against whom? For no wrongdoing could be wrongdoing against itself; it needs someone else against whom it may be done. Against whom, then, was it disorderly, when it shared in nothing else? Or what is the meaning of its disorder? First, he says, as it went on it begot and grew. Then, being eternal, it begot eternally. For it must be one of two things: either it did this by reasoning and was master of its will, or it begot by necessity of nature and was compelled by its nature never not to beget. But they deny it reasoning and knowledge and introduce an irrational nature. If, then, it was carried eternally by necessity of nature toward its emissions, however long one may say the stretch of time is from when it was restrained until now, plainly the unbegotten one was begetting for ten thousand times as many ages before this, and what is eternal will have no room to begin anything new. For either it will begin something new by nature and never had ceased doing so (if this should even be called something new), so that the good one’s dealing with it has no beginning in time at all; or it did this by reasoning and has reason and knowledge, and the hypothesis of an irrational evil is overturned. Whether, then, it rose up by reasoning or by irrational impulse, what reason was there for it to let endless ages pass before such an uprising? For the time from when he says it was restrained until now would be a point of time compared with the infinite ages before it; for what has a beginning and an end is bounded, but those ages are altogether endless, eternal and unbegotten. Then, if it was stirred to evil by reasoning toward the uprising, how was the impossibility of the attempt not also cut short by reasoning, since it is impossible to overrun invincible wisdom? This is why they have avoided granting it reasoning and knowledge, so that the fiction of the uprising against God may have room. And necessarily, being drawn by ignorance and an irrational nature, it will not wait endless and infinite ages arming itself and surrounding itself with power, so as to become readier for its daring. For even if it became greater by what it begot, it did not increase the impulse of its nature, nor did its natural motion gain anything, nor would it have waited first to grow and then rise up; for that belongs to the purpose of a rational nature doing evil. And how could there be growth of evil, or addition through emissions? For if it is perfected in evil by what it begets, the evil was imperfect and not at the extreme of evil. But if each of the opposites is perfect and extreme by its own definition, evil will by no means seem to grow through its emissions, nor will it become bolder, since it is not rational, nor will it take them on to help itself; for evil will then seem to have been imperfect before it bore offspring, not only in evil but also in strength and might, which is foreign to the unbegotten. ### Translation notes - Ἐκαχύνετο is uncertain in the OCR; translated by sense (“was stirred to evil”). ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.18 (Lagarde 1859, 10; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-18). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-19/#p-1-19 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 11 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Mani says the offspring of matter devoured one another until they saw the light; Titus replies that evil destroying itself would be good order. ### Greek text τὸν δὲ τρόπον τῆς ἐπαναστάσεως εἰσηγούμενος ταύτης, φησίν: ἤλαυνον καὶ κατήσθιον οἱ ἐξ αὐτῆς ἀλλήλους, δεινὰ καὶ χαλεπὰ διατιθέντες" καὶ οὐ πρότερον ἐπαύσαντο ἀλλήλοις ἐπανιστάμενοι, αὐτῇ λέξει φησί, μέχρι οὗ τὸ φῶς ὀψέ ποτε ἐφώρασαν. διωκόμενοι γὰρ ἀπʼ ἀλλήλων, ἀγνοοῦντες μέν, ὅμως δὲ τετολμήκασι καὶ μέχρι τοῦ φωτὸς ἀναχθῆναι. καὶ τί δὴ τούτων ἀπιθανώτερον ἢ μυθωδέστερον; τοὺς μίαν μὲν ἐπιγραφομένους μητέρα, συγγενείᾳ δὲ φύσεως ἡνωμένους ἀλλήλοις ἐπιφύεσθαι μάτην καὶ ἀλλήλων τὰ μέλη κατεσθίειν καὶ μηδέποτε λήγειν τοῦτο δρῶντας; ὅπερ εἰ καὶ ἀληθὲς ἦν, βέλτιον ἦν αὐτοὺς ὑφʼ ἑαυτῶν ἀναλίσκεσθαι καὶ μάτην ὁ ἀνόητος ἀταξίαν καλεῖ τὸ συμφέρον" ταύτης γὰρ μάλιστα τῆς κακίας ὁρίζεται τὴν πρὸ κόσμου ἀταξίαν, ἣν ὥσπερ λυπούμενος τῆς ὕλης οὔτως ὀνομάζει. ὅτι μὴ προσηκόντως ὅφʼ ἑαυτῆς ἀνηλίσκετο. καὶ ὥσπερ τις φίλος ταύτης ἀδημονῶν ἐφʼ οἷς ἑαυτὴν κατέβλαπτεν, ἀταξίαν καλεῖ, ἃ συμφερόντως καθʼ ἑαυτῆς ἔδρα, δέον εὐταξίαν τὴν ἀνωτάτω καλέσαι τὸ φθείρεσθαί γε ὕφʼ ἑαυτοῦ τὸ κακόν. ### English translation (Claude) Explaining the manner of this uprising, he says: “Those who came from it drove and devoured one another, inflicting terrible and grievous things; and they did not stop rising against one another,” he says in these very words, “until at last they caught sight of the light. For pursued by one another, though ignorant, they nonetheless dared to be carried up as far as the light.” And what could be more implausible or more mythical than this? That those who claim one mother and are united by kinship of nature should attack one another for nothing, devour one another’s limbs, and never stop doing it? Even if it were true, it would be better for them to be consumed by themselves, and the fool calls what was advantageous disorder for nothing. For he defines the disorder before the world chiefly as this, the disorder of evil, and he names it so as though he were grieved for matter, because it was being consumed by itself unfittingly. Like a friend of hers, distressed at the harm she did herself, he calls disorder what she did, to advantage, against herself, when he ought to have called evil’s destruction of itself the highest order. ### Translation notes - A verbatim quotation from Mani’s writing, as Titus reports it. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.19 (Lagarde 1859, 11; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-19). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.20 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-19/#p-1-20 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 12 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: If the light stopped evil from destroying itself, the light preserved evil, which would itself be disorder. ### Greek text ὁ δέ, ἠτάχτουν, φησί, καὶ ἠδίκουν ἀλλήλους, τὸ φῶς. δὲ ἰδόντες ἐπαύσαντο. οὐκοῦν ἐπεβούλευσε τῷ συμφέροντι τὸ φῶς, εἴγε τοὺς κακοὺς ἀλλήλων ἐρρύσατο καὶ ὥσπερ φάρμακον ἰατροῦ εὐηργέτησε τοὺς νοσοῦντας. οὐχ ἦν δὲ πρὸς ἀγαθοῦ φείσασθαι τοῦ κακοῦ εἰς τὸ διαμένειν καὶ σώζεσθαι καὶ μὴ ὑφʼ ἑαυτοῦ ἀναλίσκεσθαι" εἰ γὰρ ὑφʼ ἑαυτοῦ δαπανᾶσθαι τοῦτο διεκώλυσεν, ἄντικρυς αὐτὸς διετήρησεν αὐτό" καὶ εἴη ἂν ἀληθέστερον τοῦτο ἀταξία, ὅ φησι τὴν ἀταξίαν πεπαυκέναι. ### English translation (Claude) But he says, “They were in disorder and wronged one another, but when they saw the light they stopped.” Then the light plotted against what was advantageous, if it rescued the wicked from one another and, like a physician’s medicine, did good to the sick. It was not the part of a good being to spare evil so that it remained and was preserved and was not consumed by itself; for if he prevented it from being spent by itself, he plainly preserved it himself. And what he says put an end to the disorder would more truly be disorder. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.20 (Lagarde 1859, 12; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-20). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.21 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-19/#p-1-21 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 12 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Mani’s book says the powers of darkness desired the light; Titus argues that desire for the good is praiseworthy, so the myth contradicts itself. ### Greek text ὅτε τοίνυν (αὐτῇ λέξει φησὶν ἢ παρʼ αὐτοῖς βίβλος) πρὸς ἀλλήλους στασιάζοντες ἐπεπόλασαν καὶ μέχρι τῶν μεθορίων, καὶ τὸ φῶς εἶδον, θέαμά τι κάλλιστον καὶ εὐπρεπέστατον, τότε ὑπὸ τῆς ἐν αὐτοῖς κινήσεως ἐνθουσιῶντες κατὰ τοῦ φωτὸς ἐβουλεύσαντο, τί δὴ ποιήσαντες δύναιντο ἄν αὐτοὺς τῷ κρείττονι συγχεράσαι. τοῦτο δὲ λογίσασθαι οὐχ οἷοί τε ἦσαν, ἀλλʼ ἐπιθυμίᾳ τοῦ κρείττονος ἴδιον θήραμα νομίσαντες αὐτοῖς ἔσεσθαι, πολλοὶ ὄντες ἐπεστρατεύσαντο. λανθάνει δὴ τοῖς τῆς κακίας υἱοῖς τὰ πάντων κάλλιστα προ[σ]μαρτυρῶνʼ εἰ γὰρ τὸ κάλλιστον καὶ εὐπρεπέστατον ἐρασμίως εἶδον καὶ ἐπιθυμήσαντες θήραμα ἴδιον ἐνόμισαν αὐτό, δῆλον ὡς ὀρθοί γε ἦσαν τὴν ὑπόληψιν, ὥστε καὶ βουλεύονται οἱ λόγου μὴ μετέχοντες, ὅπως ἂν ἑαυτοὺς ἐγχεράσαιεν τῷ φωτί. καὶ φθόνου λοιπὸν ἦν τὸ μὴ ἀνεῖναι τούτοις τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν. οὐχ ἕστηκε γὰρ τοῦ μανέντος ὁ λόγος" εἰ γὰρ κατʼ ἀλλήλων ἐμαίνοντο, καὶ ἔδει γε αὐτοὺς καταλιπεῖν ὑπʼ ἀλλήλων φθείρεσθαι" εἰ δὲ ἐπεθύμησαν ὡς ἀστεῖοι τοῦ φωτός, καὶ προσῆκον ἦν αὐτοῖς ἐπιτρέψαι τούτοῦ τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν (ἀστεία γὰρ καὶ ἐπαινετὴ κατὰ φύσιν πάντῶς ἣ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἐπιθυμία), οὗπερ ἀπολαύειν μὲν μὴ ἠδύναντο (ὥς γε ὃ τὰ τοῦ μανέντος συγγράφων φησὶν..ἐπιθυμοῦντες “"), διαφθείρειν δὲ οὐχ οἷοί τε ἦσαν" τοιοῦτο γὰρ πάντως τὸ ἀγαθὸν οἷον μήτε δαπανᾶσθαι μήτε ἄλλως ἐπιβουλεύεσθαι πρὸς τῶν μετεχόντων αὐτοῦς ### English translation (Claude) “When, then,” as the book they use says in these very words, “quarrelling with one another, they came up as far as the borders and saw the light, a most beautiful and comely sight, then, inspired by the motion within them, they took counsel against the light, what they could do to mingle themselves with the better. But they were not able to reason this out; rather, from desire for the better, thinking it would be their own prey, they marched against it, being many.” He fails to notice that he grants the sons of evil the finest qualities of all. For if they looked with love on what was most beautiful and comely, and desiring it thought it their own prey, plainly their judgment was right; so that those who have no share in reason even deliberate how they may mingle themselves with the light. And it would then be envy not to let them enjoy the good. For the madman’s argument does not stand. If they were raging against one another, they ought to have been left to be destroyed by one another; but if they desired the light as people of good taste, it was fitting to allow them to enjoy it (for the desire for the good is in every way of good taste and praiseworthy by nature). They could not enjoy it, desiring it as they did (as the man who writes up the madman’s teaching says), yet they could not destroy it either; for the good is wholly such that it can neither be consumed nor otherwise plotted against by those who share in it. ### Translation notes - A verbatim quotation from the Manichaean book Titus uses. In “προ[σ]μαρτυρῶν” the bracketed letter is Lagarde’s; translated. “The man who writes up the madman’s teaching” is apparently the author of the Manichaean writing Titus quotes; identity uncertain. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.21 (Lagarde 1859, 12; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-21). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.22 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-19/#p-1-22 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 13 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: The myth of the powers of darkness making war on a light they did not know, and the notion of a “land of the good” before creation, are self-contradictory. ### Greek text ἐπεστράτευσαν δὲ ὁμοῦ πάντες. τίνα τρόπον, μὴ εἰδότες τὸν ἀνθιστάμενον; φησὶ γὰρ αὐτὸ τὸ Γράμμα, ἀφʼ οὗ τὰ παρὰ τοῦ μανέντος παρεθήκαμεν, ὡς οὐδʼ ὅτι θεὸς ἐν φωτὶ διῃτᾶτο ἐγίνωσκον οὐδʼ ὅτι τολμήσαντες κατὰ τοῦ οἰκητηρίου τοῦ θεοῦ οὐχ ἔμελλον ἀθῶοί ποτε ἀπαλλαγῆναι. εἰ τοίνυν μὴ ἤδεσαν τὸ κωλῦον ἐναντίον, ἄληγον πάντη τὸ ἐπιστρατεύειν ἐφʼ οἷς οὐχ ἤἥδεσαν κωλυόμενοι. ὁπλίζεσθαι γὰρ εἰκὸς ἦν αὐτούς, ὡς φησί, πυρὶ καὶ σκότῳ, εἰ προήδεσαν τῶν ἀλλοτρίων εἰργόμενοι. ἐπεὶ δὲ παντελῶς ἠγνόουν, οὐχ ἀπιθάνου μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ σαφῶς μαχομένου λόγου ὅπλισίν τε καὶ στρατιὰν διαγράφειν, κατὰ μηδενὸς παντελῶς ἐναντιοῦσθαι προσδοκωμένου. οὐχ ἧττον δὲ ἐναντίον καὶ τὸ πῇ μὲν ἐπιθυμίᾳν πρὸς τὸ φῶς ἐκείνοις γενέσθαι λέγειν, πῇ δὲ παρασκευῇ πολεμικῇ κατʼ αὐτοῦ κεχρῆσθαι τούτους ὁμολογεῖν. ὅπλον γὰρ πάντως πολεμικὸν κατὰ τοῦ ἀνθισταμένου προβάλλεται πολέμῖος ἅπας, οὐ χαθʼ οὗ ἔχει τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἐπάθλου. εἰ τοίνυν μὴ ἦν κατὰ τὴν αὐτῶν ἄγνοιαν ἃ ἀνθιστάμενος, πῶς οὐχ ἐνὰντίον τὸ ἐπιθυμεῖν τῷ πολεμεῖν; πῶς δὲ οὐχὶ λίαν κἀκεῖνο μαχόμενον, εἴγε οἱ μηδέποτε συμφωνήσαντες ἐν τοῖς κατὰ φύσιν ἀλλήλοις συνέπνεον; ὁμοῦ γάρ, φησί, κατὰ τοῦ φωτὸς ἐβουλεύσαντο. οἱ γὰρ τὰ ἀλλήλων μέλη τρεφόμενοι καὶ μηδέποτε τῆς κατʼ ἀλλήλων μανίας παυσάμενοι πῶς ἐν τοῖς παρὰ φύσιν εἰς ἐπιθυμίαν ἅμα καὶ ὀργὴν κατὰ τοῦ κρείττονος συνεφώνησαν; εἰ δὲ ὥνησεν αὐτοὺς ἢ θέα τοῦ φωτός, πῶς οὐχ ἔδει γε πρὸς ἀγαθοῦ πρὸς τελείαν αὐτοὺς τῆς φύσεως μεταβολὴν ξεναγωγηθῆναι τῇ ἐπιτροπῇ τῆς ἐντελοῦς τοῦ κρείττονος ἀπολαύσεως; πῶς δὲ ὥνησεν ἢ θέα τοῦ φανέντος φωτὸς στρατευσαμένους, οἷς τὴν μανίαν οὐκέτι κατʼ ἀλλήλων δεόντως ἐνεργεῖν τοῦτο συνεχώρησε, καθʼ ἑαυτοῦ δὲ παρὰ τὸ δέον ἔτρεψεν. ἀλλὰ πολὺ μὲν ἐν τούτοις τοῖς πλάσμασι τὸ ληρῶδες, ταῦτα δὲ καὶ ἄλλως ἀσύγγνωστα δειχθείη. γῆν γὰρ ὀνομάζουσι τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ. ποίαν δὲ ταύτην πρὸ τῆς δημιουργίας; προλαμβάνει δὴ παρʼ αὐτοῖς τὰ ὀνόματα τῶν πραγμάτων τὴν γένεσιν. πρὶν γὰρ ὁμολογῆσαι τὸν θεὸν πεποιηκέναι, λέγει εἶναι ὁ χαλεπώτατα μανεὶς τὸ μηδέπω γεγενημένον. γῇ γὰρ εἰ μὲν ἐγένετο, ἦν. εἰ δὲ μὴ γενομένη ὑπῆρχε, συναγένητος ἦν τῷ θεῷ. γῆς δὲ τίνα χρείαν εἶχεν ὁ θεὸς γῇ μὴ κεχρημένος; ἀναλογίστως γῆν θεοῦ ὀνομάζει. πρὶν ταύτην εἰπεῖν γεγονέναι. οὐδὲ γὰρ οἷόν τε ἦν πρὸ δημιουργίας μαρτυρῆσαι ταύτῃ τὸ γενέσθαι. ### English translation (Claude) They all marched together. But how, when they did not know who opposed them? For the Writing itself, from which we have cited the madman’s words, says that they did not know that God dwelt in the light, nor that, having dared to attack the dwelling of God, they would never get away unpunished. If, then, they did not know of the opposing hindrance, it is wholly unreasonable that they should campaign against things from which they did not know they were kept. It would have been likely for them to arm themselves, as he says, with fire and darkness, if they had known beforehand that they were kept from what belonged to others. But since they were entirely ignorant, to describe armour and an army against no one at all expected to oppose them belongs to an argument not only implausible but plainly self-contradictory. No less contradictory is it to say in one place that desire for the light came upon them, and to admit in another that they used warlike preparation against it. For every enemy puts forward warlike arms against the one who opposes him, not against the prize he desires. If, then, in their ignorance there was no opponent, how is desiring not contrary to making war? And how is this too not very contradictory: that those who never agreed with one another in what is natural conspired together? “Together,” he says, “they took counsel against the light.” How did those who fed on one another’s limbs and never ceased raging against one another come to agree in what is against nature, in desire and anger at once against the better? And if the sight of the light did them good, how ought they not, by the good one, to have been led over to a complete change of nature by being allowed full enjoyment of the better? And how did the sight of the light that appeared do good to those who went to war, if it no longer let them exercise their madness, as was fitting, against one another, but turned it, improperly, against itself? There is much drivel in these fictions, and they can be shown to be inexcusable in other ways too. For they speak of a land of the good. What land is this, before creation? Among them the names of things come before their coming into being. For before admitting that God has made it, the most grievously mad man says that what had not yet come into being exists. For if the land came into being, it existed only once made; but if it existed without having come into being, it was co-unbegotten with God. And what need had God of land, when he made no use of land? He unreasonably names a land of God before saying that it came into being; for it was not possible to testify to its coming into being before creation. ### Translation notes - “The Writing” (τὸ Γράμμα) is the Manichaean book Titus quotes. Ἄληγον is read as ἄλογον (“unreasonable”), by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.22 (Lagarde 1859, 13; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-22). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.23 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-19/#p-1-23 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 14 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: If darkness saw the light, it must share a nature with it; sight implies likeness, so the opposition of the two principles collapses. ### Greek text ἔπειτα θεοῦ μέν ἐστι ὃ φῶς αἰσθητὸν δημιούργημα, αὐτὸς δὲ φῶς ἄν εἴη νοητόν, οὖχ αἰσθητόν. εἶδεν οὖν ἢ κακία, φησί, τὸ φῶς τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ. εἰ μὲν τὸ αἰσθητὸν φῶς, οὔπω κόσμος οὔτε γένεσις κόσμου· πῶς εἶδε τὸ μηδέπω γεγενημένον; τοῦ γὰρ κεχρημένου μήπω τυγχάνοντος ἀνθρώπου, τίνι χρήσιμον ἦν τὸ φῶς; συγγενῆ γὰρ τῷ χεχρημένῳ τὰ χρήσιμα" οὐ γὰρ δὴ θεῷ χρήσιμον ἦν, ἀπηλλαγμένῳ πάσης αἰσθητῆς μετουσίας. εἰ δὲ αὐτὸν τὸν θεὸν, ὅσπερ ἐστὶ νοερὸν φῶς, πάντως ὁμοιώματι φύσεως εἶδε τὸ ὅμοιον" ἀνάγκη τοίνυν αἰσθητὸν φῶς αὐτὴν ἑωρακέναι" αἰσθητὸν δὲ πρὸ τῶν αἰσθητῶν τίνος χάριν ὑπῆρχε; πῶς δὲ ὅμως σκότος ὁρᾷ φῶς; εἰ γὰρ ἐθεάσατο φῶς, οὐχ ἄν εἴη σκότος· πολλὴν γὰρ ἔχει τὴν κοινωνίαν ἢ αἴσθησις πρὸς τὸ αἰσθητόν φυσικὴ γὰρ ἢ ἐπιβολὴ διʼ ὁμοιότητα τῆς ὄψεως πρὸς τὸ φαινόμενον" αὐτίκα ἀναμάσσεται ἅμα τούτου τὸν χαρακτῆρα διὰ τὴν ἔννομον τῆς φύσεως κοινωνίαν. σῶμα μὲν γὰρ σῶμα δρᾷ, ὅμοιον δὲ τῷ ὁμοίῳ ἐπιβάλλει καὶ οὐχ ἔνεστι τὸ κρεῖττον καὶ ἀναβεβηκὸς τῇ φύσει, καίτοιγε οὐχ ἐναντίως ἔχον, πλὴν ὅτι γε ἀσώματον τῷ ὑποβεβηκότι, ἅτε δὴ σωματικῷ, πάντως οὐχ ὁρατόν. ἂρά γε τὸ ἐναντίον τῷ ἐναντίῳ εἴγε ἐστὶν ἀόρατον, οὐκοῦν συγγενῆ καὶ φίλα καὶ οὐδαμῶς ἐναντίας ἀλλὰ πλῆρες ὀλέθρου [τοῦ] βαρὮ βάρου τὸ πλάσμα" φησὶ γὰρ οὐ μόνον Εἶδεν ἢ ὕλη, ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἐπιβῆναι ἐβουλεύετο, ὥσπερ τινὰ σπουδὴν τιθέμενος ταύτην εἰς ἀπόδειξιν τῆς πρὸς τὸ φῶς κοινωνίας" τάχα καὶ μετέγνωσαν οἱ ἐξ αὐτῆς ὅτι ἐν ἀπλέτοις αἰῶσι τοῖς προλαβοῦσιν ἀπείρατοι ἐγεγόνεισαν τοῦ φωτός. καὶ τίνα τρόπον σκότος μεταποιεῖται φωτός; ἣ τίνος χάριν ἐπελθεῖν τούτῳ γε βούλεται; ἄρα γε ἵνα τὴν φύσιν μεταβάληταιʼ καὶ γένηται φῶς; ἣ ἵνα τραφῇ φωτί, ἐναντίαν τῆς φύσεως τροφήν; ἀλλʼ ἀγνοοῦσα ἐπιβῆναι ἤθελε" καίτοι εἰ μὲν ἔγνω, λόγον εἶχε τὸ μεταποιηθῆναι" οὖσαν δὲ φύσει κακίαν καὶ ἀγνοοῦσαν ἀνατροπὴ παντελὴς τῆς ὑποθέσεως τὸ μὴ καὶ φυγεῖν τὸ ἐναντίον. ### English translation (Claude) Then, the light perceived by the senses is God’s creation, while he himself would be light perceived by the mind, not by the senses. “Evil saw,” he says, “the light of the good.” If it was the light perceived by the senses, there was as yet no world and no coming into being of a world: how did it see what had not yet come into being? For since man, who uses it, did not yet exist, to whom was the light useful? Useful things are akin to those who use them; it was certainly not useful to God, who is free of all share in what is perceived by the senses. But if it saw God himself, who is light for the mind, then it saw its like by likeness of nature; and so it must have seen sensible light. Yet for whose sake did sensible light exist before there were sensible beings? And how, in any case, does darkness see light? If it beheld light, it would not be darkness; for sense has much in common with what it senses, since its grasp is natural, through the likeness of sight to what appears: at once it takes the impress of the object, through the lawful communion of nature. Body sees body, and like grasps like; and what is better and higher in nature, even if it is not opposed, is wholly invisible to what is lower simply because it is incorporeal and the other is bodily. Is the opposite, then, visible to its opposite? If it is not invisible, then they are akin and friendly and in no way opposed. But the barbarian’s fiction is full of ruin. For he says not only “matter saw,” but also “it planned to set foot” on the light, as though making this a serious proof of its communion with the light. Perhaps, too, its offspring regretted that in the boundless ages before they had had no experience of the light. And how does darkness lay claim to light? Or for what reason does it wish to come upon it? To change its nature and become light? Or to be fed by light, a food contrary to its nature? But it wished to set foot on it in ignorance. Yet if it had known, its laying claim would have had a reason; but if it is evil by nature and ignorant, the hypothesis is wholly overturned by its not even fleeing its opposite. ### Translation notes - “[τοῦ]” is bracketed in Lagarde; the words around it (βαρὮ βάρου) are garbled in the OCR and read as “of the barbarian”. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.23 (Lagarde 1859, 14; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-23). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.24 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-19/#p-1-24 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 14 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Matter’s seeing and loving the power of God would prove kinship with it, since sight implies likeness and desire for the good is a mark of goodness. ### Greek text τὸ δὲ δὴ μεῖζον εἰς ἀλογίαν, ἀποσταλεῖσαν δύναμιν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, οὐκέτι φῶς αἰσθητόν ἀλλʼ ὡς ἄν φαίη προβολὴν τοῦ θεοῦ θεασαμένη, προσκισσᾷ μὲν ὡς ἐρῶσα, ὁρμᾷ δὲ καὶ καταπίνει καὶ ταῖς ἰδίαις δυνάμεσι διανέμει. ᾧ δὲ καὶ θεάσασθαι τὸ ἐκ τῆς φύσεως τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ πεμφθὲν ἀδύνατον ἦν, ταύτῃ δυνατόν φησι γεγονέναι καὶ καταπιεῖν τοῦτο" ἐπὶ πλέον γὰρ τῷ αὐτῷ χρήσομαι λόγῳ, ὡς εἰ καὶ μόνον εἶδε τὸ ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας τοῦ θεοῦ προβεβλημένον, ἑτέρου τινὸς οὐκ ἄν δεοίμεθα λόγου πρὸς ἀνατροπὴν τοῦ πλάσματος. εἶδε γὰρ πάντως ὡς ὁμοία τὸ ὅμοιον" τὸ γὰρ πάντη κατὰ φύσιν ὃ ἐναντίον καὶ πρὸς ἄκραν ἐναντιότητα κεχωρηκὸς οὔτʼ ἄν ἴδοι τὸ ἐναντίον οὔτʼ ἄν προσεγγίσειεν αὐτῷ, ἐπειδὴ διαφθείρεται τῆς ἐναντιότητος ὃ λόγος παντελῶς, εἰ καὶ μόνον ἴδοι. τοῦτο δὲ προστίθησι τῶν εἰρημένων ἀτοπώτερον, ἰσχυρῶς ἑαυτῷ μαχόμενος, ἵνα μηδεὶς ἕτερος δεηθῇ πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰπεῖν. φησὶ γάρ. ἠράσθη τῆς φανείσης δυνάμεως, ὥσπερ ἐπιλησθεῖσα παντελῶς τῆς ἰδίας φύσεως" οὐ μὲν δὴ ἐκείνη γε ἥ μὴ οὖσα, ἀλλʼ οὖτοί γε τῶν ἰδίων πλασμάτων. εἰ γὰρ πρὶν ἐπαναστῆναι ταύτην" φασὶ γνῶσιν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ μὴ ἐσχηκέναι, ἵνα μὴ σεμνύνωσιν ἀγαθοῦ γνώσει τὴν παρʼ αὐτοῦ φύσιν διαβεβλημένην, πῶς οὐχ ἄλογον τὴν μὴ ἔχουσαν ἐν αὐτῇ τὸ εἰδέναι ὅτι ἔστι τἀγαθόν, ταύτην καὶ ἰδεῖν δυνηθῆναι καὶ θεασαμένην ἐπιθυμῇῆσαι; μεῖζον γὰρ ἀσυγκρίτως τοῦ γνῶναι ὅτι ἔστι τὸ θεάσασθαι ὄψει τὴν οὐσίαν. αὐτίκα οὐχ ἡμεῖς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων αἱ ἀναβεβηκυῖαι δυνάμεις, ὅτι μὲν ἔστι τἀγαθὸν γινώσκομεν., τῇ γνώσει καὶ μόνῃ πρὸς τὴν εὐσέβειαν τρεφόμενοι, ἀγγέλων δηλαδὴ ἀναβεβηκότων κατὰ τὴν γνῶσιν ὅσον καὶ κατὰ φύσιν" τοῦ δὲ θεοῦ κατʼ οὐσίαν ἰδεῖν οὐθʼ ἡμῖν οὔτε ἐκείνοις μετόν" ὅπου ἡμῖν οὐδʼ ἀγγέλους αὐτούς, ἐν ὅσῳ τὸ κατὰ φύσιν περικείμεθα σῶμα, δυνατὸν ἰδεῖν. δῆλον γὰρ καὶ σαφῶς ὁμολογούμενον ὡς ὃ τὶ βλέπων ὅμοιον ἑαυτῷ ὃν τοῦτο βλέπει. εἰ δέ τις ἀπαιδεύτως οἰηθείη σαθρὸν εἶναι τὸ ῥηθέν (ἐμβλέπομεν γὰρ ἥλιον καὶ σελήνην καὲ ἀστέρας, ἔτι μὴν ὑφʼ ἡμᾶς λίθους χρυσόν τε καὶ ἄργυρον καὶ συνόλως τήν τε θάλασσαν καὶ τὰ ζῷα σύμπαντα, καὶ οὐ δήπου τούτοις ὅμοιοί ἐσμεν), μανθανέτω ὡς εἰ καὶ διάφορα τὰ εἴδη τῶν κατηριθμημένων, ἀλλά γε τούτων ἁπάντων ἀναβεβηκὸς γένος τὸ σῶμα. τῆς γὰρ οὐσίας τὸ μὲν ἀόρατον ὡς ἀσώματον, τὸ δὲ ὁρατὸν ὡς σῶμα. ἢ τοίνυν πρώτη τομὴ πάντα τὰ ταῦτα ὡς ἄν γένος ἀφορίζει. σῶμα τοίνυν σῶμα βλέπει, καὶ καθʼ ὃ σῶμα, ὅμοιον καὶ συγγενὲς τὸ ὁρῶν τῷ ὁρωμένῳ, εἰ καὶ διάφορα τούτων τὰ εἴδη διὰ τὸ ποικίλον καὶ κόσμιον τὸ παντί, ἐπεαίτοι γέλως ἄν εἴη χρυσοῦ τε τὸ ἄνθος, ἐπειδὴ γε κάλλιστον τῇ ὄψει φαίνεται, καὶ αἰθάλης τὸ ἀνανθὲς μὴ ξχάτερον (ὅπερ καὶ ὄντως ἐστῇ χαλεῖσθαι χρῶμα" χρῶμα γάρ, εἰ καὶ διάφορον, ἑκάτερον: ὄψις γὰρ ἡ αὐτὴ ὁμοίως ἑκατέρῳ κοινωνεῖ. οὕτω δὴ πάντα τὰ σώματα ὁρατά, εἰ καὶ διάφορα τῷ εἴδει φάσκομεν. εἰ δὲ σώματα σωμάτων κρείττω, τὸ κωλῦον οὐδέν, πλήν γε σώματα πάντα" ὅθεν οὐδὲ προσκυνητὸν μάλιστα τῷ ὁρῶντι τὸ δρατόν, ὡς καταλαμβανόμενον πρὸς αὐτοῦ. εἰ τοίνυν εἶδε τὸ ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας ἢ ὕλη τοῦ θεοῦ, συγγενείᾳ πλείστῃ τε καὶ ὁμοιότητι πρὸς τὴν θέαν ἦλθε καὶ οὐδὲν πλέον ἐχρῆν πρὸς τὸν ἀσύστατον τουτονὶ μῦθον εἰπεῖν: εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐπεθύμησε τοῦ φανέντος, τὸ πάντων ἄριστον αὐτῇ προσεμαρτύρησεν ὁ ἀνόητος, ὡς κακίαν μὲν ὄνομα τεθεικέναι δοκεῖν, οὐσίαν δὲ ἀγαθὴν προσομολογῆσαιʼ τί γὰρ εἰς ἀπόδειξιν καλοκαγαθίας μεῖζον τοῦ ἐπιθυμῆσαι τἀγαθοῦ; ### English translation (Claude) What goes still further into unreason is this: that when matter beheld the power sent by the good, no longer sensible light but, as he would say, an emission of God, it rushes toward it as though in love, attacks it, swallows it, and distributes it among its own powers. And matter, for which it was impossible even to behold what was sent from the nature of the good, he says became able to swallow it. For I shall use the same argument further: if it had merely seen what was emitted from God’s substance, we would need no other argument to overturn the fiction. For it certainly saw its like, being like it; for what is wholly opposite by nature and has gone to the extreme of opposition could neither see its opposite nor come near it, since the account of opposition is entirely destroyed if it merely sees. And he adds something more absurd than what has been said, fighting hard against himself, so that no one else need speak against him. For he says, “it fell in love with the power that appeared,” as though it had wholly forgotten its own nature; not, indeed, matter, which does not exist, but these men have forgotten their own fictions. For if they say that before its uprising it had no knowledge of the good (so as not to dignify with knowledge of the good the nature they have slandered), how is it not unreasonable that what did not have within itself the knowledge that the good exists should be able to see it, and, having beheld it, to desire it? For to behold the substance with the eye is incomparably greater than to know that it exists. Indeed, not only we but also the higher powers of the angels know that the good exists, being nourished toward piety by that knowledge alone, the angels being higher in knowledge as much as in nature; but to see God in his substance belongs neither to us nor to them. Why, we cannot even see the angels themselves, as long as we are clothed with our natural body. For it is plain and clearly agreed that whoever sees something sees what is like himself. And if someone ignorantly thinks this statement unsound (for we look at the sun and the moon and the stars, and also at things beneath us, stones, gold and silver, and in general the sea and all living things, and we are certainly not like these), let him learn that, even if the kinds of the things listed are different, body is the higher genus of them all. For of substance one part is invisible as incorporeal, and the other visible as body; the first division, then, marks off all these things as a genus. Body, then, sees body, and in so far as it is body the one who sees is like and akin to what is seen, even if their kinds differ, for the variety and order of the whole. It would be laughable to deny that the bloom of gold, since it appears most beautiful to the eye, and the dullness of soot are each what each truly is called, a colour; for each is a colour, even if they differ, since the same sight has communion alike with each. So all bodies are visible, even though we say they differ in kind. And if some bodies are better than others, nothing prevents it; still they are all bodies. That is why what is visible is not at all an object of worship for the one who sees it, since it is grasped by him. If, then, matter saw what came from God’s substance, it came to the sight through very great kinship and likeness, and there would be no need to say anything more against this incoherent myth. And if it also desired what appeared, the fool has testified to the best thing of all in it, so that he seems to have given it the name of evil but to have admitted that its substance is good; for what greater proof of nobility is there than to desire the good? ### Scripture references - John 1:18: echo, low confidence - 1 Tim 6:16: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - No one sees God in his substance, not even the angels: compare John 1:18 and 1 Tim 6:16 (not quoted). ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.24 (Lagarde 1859, 14; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-24). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.25 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-19/#p-1-25 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 16 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: That matter saw, desired, swallowed and holds the divine power proves kinship, not opposition. ### Greek text εἰ δὲ (φησί) καὶ ἐπελάβετο καὶ κατέπιεν, ὡς ἐγκύμων γενέσθαι τῆς ἐναντίας τοῦ θεοῦ οὐσίας, καὶ ταῖς ἰδίαις δυνάμεσι διένειμεν — ὦ τῆς ἀλόγου μανίας. οὐχ εἶδε μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπεθύμησε, καὶ οὐχ ἐπεθύμησε μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ κατέπιε. καὶ οὐ κατέπιε μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ κατέχει. ταῦτα πάντα σαφῶς οὐ τὴν ἐναντιότητα τῆς φύσεως ὁρίζει, ἄκραν δὲ καὶ τὴν ἀνωτάτω συγγένειαν ἀμφοῖν ὁμολογεῖ. εἴτε γὰρ ἀγανακτοῦσα (ὅπερ λογισμοῦ δεῖγμα τυγχάνει) εἴτε καὶ ἐπιθυμοῦσα κατέπιε τὸ φανέν, φύσεως ἄντικρυς κοινωνία ταῦτα γένοιτʼ ἄν. εἰ γὰρ ἄκρως ὑπῆρχεν ἐναντία, συνῆλθεν οὐδαμῶς ἄν ἑκάτερα. ### English translation (Claude) And if (he says) it also seized it and swallowed it, so as to become pregnant with the substance opposite to it, God’s, and distributed it among its own powers: oh, the irrational madness! It not only saw, but also desired; and it not only desired, but also swallowed; and it not only swallowed, but also holds fast. All these things plainly do not define an opposition of nature, but confess the utmost and highest kinship of the two. For whether it swallowed what appeared in indignation (which is a sign of reasoning) or in desire, these things would plainly be a communion of nature. For if they had been utterly opposite, the two would never have come together. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.25 (Lagarde 1859, 16; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-25). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.26 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-19/#p-1-26 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 16 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: The power sent by God could not be swallowed and divided if incorporeal, and if bodily it would have been destroyed. ### Greek text οὐ συνεῖδε δὲ πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις ὃ βάρβαρος οὐδὲ τοῦτο, ὅτι ἢ ἀποσταλεῖσα παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ δύναμις, εἰ μὲν ἀσώματος ἦν, τομὴν οὐδεμίαν παρεδέξατο ἄν, ὡς μηδαμῶς καταδιαιρεθῆναι δύνασθαι κατʼ οὐσίαν εἰς τὰς ἐναντίας δυνάμεις μήτε μὴν καταποθῆναι" τὸ γὰρ ἀσώματον τίνα ἄν χαταποθείη τρόπον; εἰ δὲ σωματική, πᾶν σῶμα κατατεμνόμενον καὶ κατακερματιζόμενον ἀναιρεῖται τρόπον τινὰ καὶ ζῆν οὐκέτι δύναται τὴν ἰδίαν ζωήν. τοιγαροῦν ἢ ἀσώματος ἦν ἢ ἀποσταλεῖσα παρὰ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ δύναμις καὶ οὐδαμῶς οὔτε χατεπόθη οὔτε εἰς πολλοὺς διῃρέθη (καὶ πέπαυται καὶ οὕτω παντελῶς ὁ μῦθος) ἢ σωματική τις ἐτύγχανε καὶ ἀνήρηται πάντη καὶ ἀπόλωλε πρὸς τῆς κακίας, ὅπερ ἐστὶ χαλεπώτερον εἰς ὅβριν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, μᾶλλον δὲ ἰσχυρότερον εἰς ἀνασκευὴν τοῦ μύθου“ σῶμα γὰρ καθʼ ἑαυτὸ διαιρεθὲν καὶ διασκορπισθὲν (νοῦς γὰρ οὐ διαιρεῖται) ποίαν ἔχει τὴν ἰσχύν, ὥστε ὑποτάττειν τὴν κακίαν τὸ τοσαύτην γε βλάβην καὶ ὕβριν εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν φύσιν ὑπομεῖναν, ὡς ἠφανίσθαι καὶ ἀπολωλέναι δοκεῖν" τοῦτο γὰρ ἴδιον σώματος κατατεμνομένου. ### English translation (Claude) Besides the rest, the barbarian did not see this either: that the power sent by God, if it was incorporeal, would have admitted no division, so that it could in no way be divided in substance among the opposing powers, nor indeed be swallowed; for in what way could the incorporeal be swallowed? But if it was bodily, every body that is cut up and broken into small pieces is in a way destroyed and can no longer live its own life. Therefore either the power sent by the good was incorporeal and was neither swallowed nor divided among many (and so the myth is wholly finished), or it was something bodily and has been entirely destroyed and has perished by evil’s doing; which is worse as an insult to the good, or rather stronger as a refutation of the myth. For a body divided and scattered in itself (a mind is not divided) has what strength to subdue evil, when it has suffered such damage and insult to its own nature that it seems to have vanished and perished? For this is what is proper to a body that is cut up. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.26 (Lagarde 1859, 16; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-26). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.27 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-19/#p-1-27 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 16 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: It is absurd that God would give part of his own substance to be captive and to share in sin for ages to protect a land. ### Greek text τὸ δὲ παραλογώτερον, εἰ θελήσας θεὸς γῆν ἐξελέσθαι τῆς κακίας, τὸ ἐκ τῆς ἰδίας φύσεως γυμνὸν προσήκατο εἰς ὅβριν χαλεπὴν καὶ διαφθορὰν αὐτῆς γε τῆς οὐσίας τοσοῦτον αἰῶνα καθεζόμενον κακίᾳ συνοικῆσον καὶ μεθέξον αὐτῆς καὶ συναμαρτῆσον αὐτῇ:. ὅπερ μίαν γοῦν ὥραν ἣ χρόνου στιγμὴν παθεῖν τὴν οὐσίαν τοῦ θεοῦ, ὡς ὑποταγῆναι κακίᾳ καὶ ταύτῃ συναμαρτῆσαι, καὶ πάντων ἀλογώτερον ἂν εἴη. καὶ πόσῳ δὴ βέλτιον ἦν γῆν παραδοθῆναι καὶ μὴ τὴν οὐσίαν τοῦ θεοῦ καταληφθῆναι; εἰ γὰρ οὐχ ἀνεκτὴ πρὸς ἀταξίαν τῆς ὅλης ἣ κατὰ γῆς ἔφοδος, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἀφόρῆτος ἢ τοσαύτη δουλεία καὶ ὑποταγὴ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ φύσεως; καὶ οὐ πρὸς τὸ βραχύτατον; ἀλλὰ πρὸς ὅλον καὶ ἄπλετον αἰῶνα" ὡς τὴν μὲν κακίαν τοῦ ἁμαρτεῖν μὴ πεπαῦσθαι, θεὸν δὲ συναμαρτάνειν αὐτῇ διὰ τῆς ἐξ αὐτοῦ προβεβλημένης δυνάμεως" ὅθεν εἰκὸς οὐδὲ θεὸν πρὸς τὸ συνεξαμαρτάνειν ἐθελῆσαι πέμψαι τῇ κακίᾳ τὸ ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας αὐτοῦ προβεβλημένον οὔτʼ ἐκεῖνο πεισθῆναί τε καὶ ὑπακοῦσαι πρὸς τοσοῦτον ὄλεθρον ἀφικέσθαι, ὥστε πάσης ἀνομίας τε καὶ ἀδικίας ἅμα καὶ δυσσεβείας ἐμπλησθῆναι ὑπὲρ τοῦ γῆν (οὐ τὴν ἤδη ληφθεῖσαν, ἀλλὰ τὴν χαταλαμβάνεσθαι μέλλουσαν) ἐλευθερωθῆναι" ὡς οὐχ οἷόν τε ὃν ἑτέρως ταύτης τὸν θεὸν προστῆναι. ### English translation (Claude) Still more unreasonable is that God, wishing to rescue a land from evil, gave up what came from his own nature, naked, to grievous insult and corruption of its very substance, to sit for so long an age dwelling with evil, sharing in it and sinning with it. For God’s substance to suffer even for one hour or one point of time being subjected to evil and sinning with it would be the most unreasonable thing of all. And how much better would it have been to give up the land than for God’s substance to be captured? For if the attack on the land was intolerable, as being matter’s disorder, how much more unbearable is so great a slavery and subjection of God’s nature, and not for the briefest time but for a whole and boundless age, so that evil has not ceased to sin, and God sins with it through the power emitted from him? So it is likely that God would not even have wished to send to evil what was emitted from his substance so as to sin along with it, nor would that power have been persuaded and obeyed so as to come to such ruin and be filled with every lawlessness, injustice and impiety, for the sake of freeing a land (not one already taken, but one about to be taken), as though God could not protect it in some other way. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.27 (Lagarde 1859, 16; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-27). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.28 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-19/#p-1-28 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 17 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Mani’s myth makes God weak and evil all-powerful, and implicates God in the sins of the captive power. ### Greek text ὅρα ὅσην ἀδυναμίαν καταψεύδεται τοῦ θεοῦ σαφῶς ὃ κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ μανείς, ὥσπερ κτημάτων ὀρφανοῦ τινος προϊστάμενος, οὗ τὴν ἀσθένειαν ἐπάναγκες ὁμολογῆσαι, ἵνα τὰ τῆς συνηγορίας πληρωθῇ. ὡς γὰρ τοὐναντίον τὴν οὐδαμῶς ὑφεστηκυῖαν κακίαν πρεσβεύων, πάντα μὲν αὐτὴν κατὰ θεοῦ δεδρακέναι λέγει, ἐπαναστῆναι, ἐπιβῆναι τοῖς αὐτοῦ θελῆσαι, τέλος τὸ πάντων κατὰ θεοῦ χαλεπώτερον, τῆς οὐσίας αὐτοῦ ἐγκρατῇ σύμπαντα τὸν αἰῶνα γενέσθαι, καὶ κατατεμεῖν ταύτην (ὡς οὐχ ἐνδέχεται) εἰς ἄπειρα τμήματα, ἀποπνίγειν τε καὶ ἀποθλίβειν ἐν ἑαυτῇ καὶ συμμέτοχον ἑαυτῆς ἐν πάσῃ κακοπραγίᾳ καὶ ἀκολασίᾳ ἔχειν: θεὸν δὲ μὴ δυνηθῆναι μήτε τὸν ἴδιον τόπον ἕτερόν τινα τρόπον δραστηρίως ἐξελέσθαι μήτε τὸ ἀναμάρτητον γοῦν ἑαυτῷ πρεπόντως τῇ φύσει τηρῆσαι. ἃ γὰρ τὸ ἐξ αὐτοῦ προβεβλημένον κατʼ οὐσίαν τῇ ὕλῃ συναδικεῖ, ἄντικρυς εἰς αὐτὸν ἀνατρέχει τὸν προβεβλημένον. οὕτω δὴ πᾶσαν δυναστείαν κατὰ θεοῦ τῇ κακίᾳ προσμαρτυρῶν, θεὸν δὲ τὰ πάντων ἀνήκεστα πρὸς αὐτῆς πεπονθέναι λέγει ### English translation (Claude) See how great a weakness the man who raged against God plainly attributes to God, as though he were the guardian of some orphan’s property, whose weakness he must admit in order to make his advocacy complete. For, as if championing the opposite, the evil that has no existence at all, he says that it has done everything against God: that it rose up, wished to set foot on what was his, and finally, the most grievous thing of all against God, became master of his substance for the whole age, cut it up (as cannot happen) into infinite pieces, chokes and crushes it within itself, and has it as its partner in every evil deed and licentiousness; while God was unable either to rescue his own place effectively in some other way, or at least to keep himself sinless, as befits his nature. For the wrongs that what is emitted from him in substance commits together with matter go straight back to him who emitted it. So, testifying that evil has every power against God, he says that God has suffered the most incurable things of all from it. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.28 (Lagarde 1859, 17; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-28). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.29 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-19/#p-1-29 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 17 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Human sins presuppose body and soul joined in a world, so by Mani’s own myth the mixture of good and evil produced evils that matter alone never had. ### Greek text καὶ τολμῶν ἐπάγει ὅτι δὴ κατεκοίμησε τὴν ὕλην ἢ ἀποσταλεῖσα τοῦ θεοῦ δύναμις ὡς τὸ θηρίον ἐπῳδή, οὐ μόνον ἀπιθάνως τὰ ἄκρως ἐναντία τῷ λόγῳ κιρνῶν καὶ τὰ μηδαμῶς κατὰ φύσιν. ἐνδεχόμενα τῷ ἰδίῳ πλάσματι χαριζόμενος. ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὐναντίον ἢ βούλεται καὶ ἐνταῦθα κατασκευάζων (ἐξ ἀμφοῖν μὲν γὰρ τούτοιν φησὶ θεὸν δημιουργῆσαι τόδε τὸ πᾶν, τοῦ δὲ ἀνθρώπου εἶναι μὲν τὸ σῶμα τῆς κακίας, εἶναι δὲ τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, εἴτε μονοειδῇ εἴτε συγκειμένην ἐκ τῶν ἐναντίων), καὶ ταύτῃ, ὡς ἑκάτερον μικρὸν ὕστερον δείξομεν, σύστασιν οὐδεμίαν ἔχον. σῶμα μέντοι καθʼ ἑαυτὸ οὐδὲν τῶν κακῶν οὔτʼ ἐπινοεῖ οὔτε δρᾷ οὔτε γὰρ φονεύει οὔτε μοιχεύει οὔτε λῃστεύει οὔτε ἄλλο τι τῶν ἀδικημάτων ἐργάζεται, ψυχῆς αὐτῷ μὴ παρούσης: καίτοι τούτων καὶ τῶν τοιούτων ἕνεκεν ἐπινενόηται τῷ μανέντι τῆς ἐναντίας ἀρχῆς ἣ ὑπόστασις καὶ τῶν ἐναντίων ἣ κρᾶσις, ὡς ἄν τὸ αἴτιον αὐτῶν εὑρεθείη. εἰ δὲ ἢ κρᾶσις τῆς ψυχῆς τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ πρὸς τὸ σῶμα τοῦ κακοῦ τῶν ἀδικημάτων ἀνθρώποις παρέσχε τὰς ἀφορμάς (χαθʼ ἑαυτὸ γὰρ οὐ πλημμελεῖ σῶμα), βέλτιον ἦν μὴ -συγκραθῆναι τὴν πεπλασμένην τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ δύνᾶμιν τῇ μὴ οὔσῃ κακίᾳ. οὐ γὰρ ἄν τῶν κατὰ ἀνθρώπους ἁμαρτημάτων οὐδὲν ἐπολιτεύετο οὐδʼ ἂν ὑπῆρχεν ὅλως. ποῖος γὰρ ἦν ὃ φόνος, τοῦ φονευομένου μὴ ὄντος, εἴγε μὴ διὰ τῆς τῶν ἐναντίων κράσεως κατὰ τὸν γελοιότατον λόγον ἐγεγόνει κόσμος; ποία δʼ ἄν μοιχεία, τοῦ σώματος μὴ ὄντος μήτε καθʼ ἑαυτὸ γοῦν ἐπιθυμοῦντος, εἰ μὴ ψυχὴ ἡ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ κατεπέμφθη; δυοῖν γὰρ θάτερονʼ ἢ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ οἰκονομίᾳ χρὴ φάσκειν συνελθεῖν τἀναντία, ἵνα γένηται ὡς πρὸς ἀγαθοῦ κόσμοςʼ καὶ ὅλως αὐτὸς αἴτιος ἂν εἴη τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις κακῶν, εἴγε ἐχὼν τῇ κακίᾳ προσεχρήσατο κατὰ τῶν γενησομένων — ἣ ἐβιάσθη πρὸς τῆς κακίας καὶ ἤδη τὰ νικητήρια κατὰ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἀπενήνεχται ἢ κακία. ποῖος γὰρ ἦν (αὖθις λέγω) φόνος, εἰ μήτε ἄνθρωπος ἦν μήτε ξίφος μήτε ἄλλο τι τῶν φονικῶν ἐργαλείων, εἰ μὴ διὰ τῆς συνόδου τῶν ἐναντίων κατεσκευάσθη ὃ κόσμος; ἢ γὰρ ὕλη καθʼ ἑαυτήν, εἰ καὶ πρὸς ἀλλήλους οἱ ἐξ αὐτῆς ἐστασίαζον, φόνον μὲν οὐχ ἤδει" οὐ γὰρ εἶχε θνητόν, ὃν φονεύοι. μοιχείαν ἠγνόει. οὐ γὰρ κατεγγυήσεις γάμων παρʼ αὐτῇ ἐπολιτεύοντο. οὐ μὴν οὐδʼ ἐσυκοφαντεῖτο· οὐδὲ γὰρ ὅλως τὸ κρίνειν εἶχεν, ἄλογος οὖσα. φιλαργυρίας δέ, τῶν κακῶν τῆς ῥίζης, καὶ φιλοδοξίας οὐδὲ ἕως προσηγορίας ἐμέμνητο" ἣ γὰρ φιλαργυρία παρʼ ἀνθρώποις διὰ τὴν χρείαν, ἧς ἠλευθέρωτό γε ἐκείνη" καὶ ἢ φιλοδοξία λογισμοῦ πάθος, ἧς οὐ μετεῖχεν, ἀλόγιστος οὖσα, γαστριμαργία τε καὶ πορνεία καὶ ἀρρενοφθορία παρʼ αὐτῇ χώραν οὐχ εἶχε. καὶ συνόλως πάντα τὰ κακά, ἃ παρὰ ἀνθρώποις ἀναφαίνεται, οὐδαμῶς εἶχεν ἢ ὕλη πρὸ κόσμου, ὥστε οὐχ ἐπεδήθη τῇ συγκράσει, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον κατὰ τὴν ἀνόητον αὐτὴν ὑπόθεσιν, ὥσπερ ἵππος πεδίου λαβομένη, διαθέει πρὸς τὴν ἀδικίαν τῶν κακῶν φερομένη" ἃ γὰρ μηδαμῶς ὑπῆρχε πρὸ κόσμου κακά, ταῦτα ἀφʼ οὗ κόσμος ἐν κόσμῳ ἐμπολιτεύεται. κἂν γὰρ θείη τις κατὰ τὸν ἐκείνου λόγον στασιάσαι καὶ μανῆναι κατʼ ἀλλήλων τοὺς τῆς ὕλης καὶ μυρία ἀλλήλους διαθεῖναι κακὰ καὶ κατὰ τοῦ φωτὸς στρατεῦσαι, οὐ μέντοι τὸν κατάλογον τῶν χατηριθμημένων ἀνθρωπίνων κακῶν ἐκείνοις ὑπάρξαι φαντασθήσεται, ἐπειδή γε οὐδὲ ἐνεδέχετο τὰ ἀνθρώπινα κακὰ πρὶν ἄνθρωπον γενέσθαι πράττεσθαι. καὶ ποῦ ἄν ὁ φάσκων εἴη, ὡς ἐσωφρονίσθη πεδηθεῖσα ἣ κακία, ἣ πρὶν μὲν πεδηθῆναι τῶν κατὰ ἀνθρώπους κακῶν οὐδὲ μεμνημένη. μετὰ δὲ τὸ πεδηθῆναι ἐπὶ τούτοις διαβαλλομένη; τί γὰρ ἔβλαπτε τἀγαθὸν καθʼ ἑαυτὴν ἀτακτοῦσα καὶ μὴ ἔχουσα ᾧ τὴν ἀταξίαν προστρίψηται; τρέψαι μὲν γὰρ τἀγαθὸν οὐδαμῶς οἵα τε ἦν. εἰ δὲ ἐπιβαίνειν ἐπεχείρει τοῖς μὴ ἰδίοις τόποις, ἑτέρως αὐτὴν ἐχρῆν ἀναστεῖλαι τῆς ἀλόγου φορᾶς: ἣ γὰρ χαθʼ ἑαυτῆς πρότερον ἀβλαβῇ τὴν ἀταξίαν ἐνδεικνυμένη νῦν γε δοκεῖ προσειληφέναι τι ἕτερον, καθʼ οὗ ὡς συνόντος τὴν ἀταξίαν βλαβερωτέραν ἐνδείξεται. αὐτίκα καὶ ἄνθρωποι χαθʼ ἑαυτοὺς κακοῦργοι βουλήσονται μέν τι κακὸν δρᾶν, μὴ ἔχοντες δὲ καθʼ οὗ δράσαιεν ἀργοὶ ἄν ἀποδειχθεῖεν. ἀλλήλους δʼ ἄν ἴδοιεν εὐνοϊκῶς συμφωνία τῇ περὶ τὸ κακόν. ἢ δὲ ὕλη οὔτε ἠβούλετο, οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐβουλεύετο ἄλογος οὖσα, οὔτε ἐδύνατο, μόνη καὶ χαθʼ ἑαυτὴν οὖσα. ### English translation (Claude) And he goes on to dare to say that the power sent by God put matter to sleep, as an incantation does a wild beast. Not only does he implausibly mix in his account things utterly opposite, and indulge his own fiction with things that are in no way possible by nature, but here too he establishes the opposite of what he wants. (For he says that God fashioned this universe out of these two, and that of man the body belongs to evil and the soul to the good, whether it is of one kind or compounded of the opposites); and in this too, as we shall show of both points a little later, it has no coherence. A body by itself neither devises nor does any evil: it does not murder, commit adultery, rob, or do any other wrong when the soul is not present to it. Yet it was for the sake of these and such things that the madman devised the existence of the opposite principle and the mixture of opposites, so that their cause might be found. But if the mixing of the soul of the good with the body of evil gave men the occasions for their wrongs (for a body by itself does no wrong), it would have been better for the fabricated power of the good not to be mixed with the evil that does not exist. For then none of the sins among men would have been practised, or existed at all. For what murder would there have been, with no one to be murdered, if the world had not come into being through the mixing of opposites, according to his most ridiculous account? What adultery, with no body, and no body desiring by itself, if the soul of the good had not been sent down? For it is one of two things: either we must say that the opposites came together by the economy of the good, so that a world might come about, as by a good being, and then he himself would be wholly the cause of the evils among men, if he willingly made use of evil against what was to come into being; or he was forced by evil, and evil has already carried off the prize of victory over the good. What murder was there (I say again), if there was neither man nor sword nor any other instrument of murder, unless the world had been framed through the meeting of the opposites? Matter by itself, even if its offspring quarrelled with one another, did not know murder, for it had nothing mortal to murder. It knew nothing of adultery, for betrothals of marriage were not practised among it. Nor was there false accusation in it, for, being irrational, it had no judging at all. Love of money, the root of evils, and love of glory it did not mention even by name; for love of money is found among men because of need, from which matter was free, and love of glory is a passion of reasoning, in which, being irrational, it had no share. Gluttony, sexual immorality and corruption of males had no place in it. And in short, all the evils that appear among men matter did not have at all before the world; so it was not fettered by the mixing, but on the contrary, according to that senseless hypothesis, like a horse that has reached the open plain, it runs freely, carried on toward the injustice of evils. For the evils that did not exist at all before the world have been practised in the world since there has been a world. For even if one grants, as he says, that the beings of matter quarrelled and raged against one another, did countless evils to one another and marched against the light, still no one will imagine that the list of human evils enumerated belonged to them, since human evils could not be done before man came into being. And where is the man who says that evil was chastened by being fettered, when before being fettered it did not even know of the evils among men, and after being fettered it is accused of them? What harm did it do to the good while it was disorderly by itself and had nothing to which to attach its disorder? It was not at all able to turn the good aside. And if it tried to set foot on places not its own, it ought to have been checked from its irrational onrush in some other way. For matter, which before showed a harmless disorder by itself, now seems to have taken on something else, against which, as present with it, it will show a more harmful disorder. So also men who are evildoers, when alone, will wish to do some evil, but having no one to do it against, they would turn out idle; and they would look on one another with goodwill, in agreement about evil. But matter neither willed (for it did not deliberate, being irrational) nor was able, being alone by itself. ### Scripture references - 1 Tim 6:10: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - “Love of money, the root of evils” alludes to 1 Tim 6:10. “Corruption of males” (ἀρρενοφθορία) is sex between men. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.29 (Lagarde 1859, 17; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-29). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.30 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-19/#p-1-30 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 19 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: By his own myth the mixing taught matter to do visible evils, so the “incantation” awakened rather than lulled the beast. ### Greek text ἀρʼ οὖν ἧ καλουμένη πρὸς τοῦ μανέντος ὅλη διὰ τῆς ψυχῆς ὅλην ἀληθεστέραν πρὸς τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ κινδυνεύειν προσειληφέναι δοκεῖ εἰς ἐνέργειαν κακίας, ἣν ἠγνόει" ἐνεκαλεῖτο γὰρ πρὸ κόσμου ἀταξίαν ἄδηλον ἡμῖν καὶ μὴ φαινομένην, ἔμαθε δὲ ἐνεργεῖν δῆλα καὶ φαινόμενα κακά. διύπνισεν ἄρα τὸ θηρίον ἢ ἐπῳδὴ καὶ οὐδαμῶς κατʼ ἐκεῖνον ἐκοίμισεν. ### English translation (Claude) So does what the madman calls matter seem to have taken on, through the soul from the good, a truer matter, to its peril, for the working of an evil it did not know? For before the world it was charged with a disorder that is unclear to us and does not appear, but it learned to work evils that are plain and visible. So the incantation woke the beast up, and did not at all put it to sleep, as he says. ### Translation notes - The first sentence is obscure in the Greek; translated by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.30 (Lagarde 1859, 19; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-30). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.31 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-19/#p-1-31 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 19 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Whether God wished the world or was compelled, Mani’s account makes God the cause of the evils that came with the world. ### Greek text εἰ δὲ λέγοι «οὐχ ἤθελεν ὁ θεὸς γενέσθαι κόσμον“, ἐρωτητέον Καὶ τίς ἣν ὃ βουλόμενος; ἄρα ἣ κακία ἢ μὴ ἐγνωκυῖα; τίς δέ ἐστιν ὁ κατασκευάσας ἐξ ἀμφοῖν τὰ ὄντα; ἣ ὕλη; οὐκοῦν θαυμασία τὴν ἐνέργειαν. ἀλλʼ ἄρα θεὸς οὐχ ἤθελε μέν, ἠναγκάζετο δέ; οὐκοῦν ὑπετάγη μᾶλλον ἣ ὑπέταξε. καὶ περιττὸν κἀκεῖνο θαυμάζειν, τἀγαθοῦ τὴν σοφίαν βιασθεῖσαν εἰς τὴν βλάβην τῶν γενησομένων· ἃ γὰρ οὐδαμῶς ἦν κακὰ πρὶν συνελθεῖν τἀναντία οὔτε μὴν ὄνομα γοῦν αὐτῶν ἐπολιτεύετο, ταῦτα μετὰ κόσμου γένεσιν ἤνθησεν. καὶ πῶς οὐχ ἄτοπον φάσκειν βουλόμενον τὸν θεὸν ἀταξίαν τὴν ἡμῖν γε ἀναπόδεικτον τῆς ὅλης παῦσαι, ἀταξίας ἀποδεικνυμένων κακῶν καὶ φαινομένων ἀνθρώποις παραίτιον γένεσθαι; τὴν μὲν γὰρ ἀταξίαν, ἣν κατεψηφίζετο τῆς ὕλης, λόγῳ μόνον παράγειν, οὐ μὴν καὶ δεῖξαι τοῖς ἔργοις δεδύνηται, τὰ δὲ κακὰ τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς μυθώδους καὶ μὴ ἐνδεχομένης τῶν ἐναντίων κράσεως ὀφθαλμοῖς ὁρῶν ὃ ἀνόητος οὐ καταδύεται" ὥστε βουλόμενος τὸν θεὸν ἀναίτιον τῆς κατὰ ἀνθρώπους ἀδικίας ἀποφῆναι, αἰτιώτατον αὐτὸν ἄντικρυς ὁμολογεῖ πλέον ἣ τοῦτο καὶ μόνον ἐσπούδαζε. ### English translation (Claude) And if he should say, “God did not wish the world to come into being,” we must ask: and who was it who wished it? Evil, which did not even know of it? And who is it who fashioned existing things out of both? Matter? Then its working is admirable. Or did God not wish it, but was compelled? Then he was subjected rather than subjecting. And it is superfluous to wonder at that too: that the wisdom of the good was forced into harming the things that were to come into being. For the things that were not evils at all before the opposites came together, of which not even the name was current, blossomed after the world came into being. And how is it not absurd to say that God, wishing to stop matter’s disorder, which cannot be demonstrated to us, became a contributing cause of evils of disorder that can be demonstrated and are plain to men? For the disorder of which he condemned matter he has only been able to bring forward in words, not to show by deeds; but the evils that come from the mythical and impossible mixing of opposites the fool sees with his eyes and is not ashamed. So, wishing to show God not responsible for the injustice among men, he plainly confesses him most responsible, more than he was ever concerned to show him free of it. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.31 (Lagarde 1859, 19; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-31). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.32 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-19/#p-1-32 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 20 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Sin lies in reason’s choice, not in desire or body; on Mani’s scheme reason belongs to the good, so sin would come from the good. ### Greek text φέρε δὴ τὰ πραττόμενα κακὰ πρὸς ἀνθρώπων κατίδωμεν τίνι προσῆκε φιλαλήθως. ἐπιχειρήσει μὲν γὰρ ἴσως καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς κρᾶσιν εἰσηγήσασθαι τῶν (ὡς ὑπείληφεν) ἐναντίων: εἴτε δὲ αὐτὴ μονοειδὴς ὑπάρχει ἐκ τἀγαθοῦ παρʼ αὐτῷ εἴτε καὶ ἐκ συνθέσεως τῶν ἐναντίων, ἐκ τῆς μερίδος τοὐναντίου τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ῥᾳδίως ἀποδειχθήσεται κατὰ τὴν ἀσεβῆ ταύτην ὑπόθεσιν τὰ κακὰ γινόμενα. ἔστι μὲν οὖν ἀσώματος ἢ ψυχὴ καὶ μηδαμῶς σύνθεσιν κατʼ οὐσίαν καὶ μάλιστα ἐναντίων ἀποδεχομένη" οἱ γὰρ ἐκ διαφόρων συντιθέναι δόξαντες αὐτὴν οὐ τὴν οὐσίαν ποικίλην καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτὴν διαφερομένην εἰσηγήσαντο, ἀλλὰ τὰς ἐνεργείας αὐτῆς ἐκ τῶν δρωμένων ὑπέγραψαν, ἕνα λόγον ἁπλοῦν καὶ περιληπτικὸν αὐτῆς ποιήσασθαι μὴ δυνηθέντες. εἰ γὰρ καὶ ταῖς διαφόραις ποιότησιν, ἃς ἐπιδέχεται, ἄλλοτε ἄλλως διαφέρεται πρὸς ἑαυτήν, ὅμως κατʼ οὐσίαν ἔργον ὑπάρχουσα τοῦ θεοῦ ἀμετάβλητός τε ἐστὶ καὶ οὐχ ἐκ διαφόρων σύγκειται, ἐναντίων μέντοι κράσεων τοσοῦτον ἀφέστηκεν, ὅσον καὶ τοῦ καθʼ ἑαυτὴν σῶμα εἶναι δοκεῖν. θῶμεν δὲ κατὰ τὴν ἐκείνου ψευδολογίαν (εἴγε καὶ τοῦτο λέγειν ἐπιχειροίη), ὡς καὶ ἢ ψυχὴ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου συνέστηκεν ἐξ ἀγαθοῦ καὶ κακοῦ" οὐχὶ τὸ μὲν λογιστικὸν αὐτῆς κατʼ ἐκεῖνον ἀναθετέον τῷ ἀγαθῷ, τὸ δʼ ἀλόγιστον εἴη τῇ κακίᾳ; δῆλον ὡς οὐδὲν ἄν ἕτερον εἰπεῖν ἔχοι. τῆς τοίνυν ἐπιθυμίας κινουμένης σφαλερῶς εἴτε ἐκ μόνου τοῦ σώματος εἴτε καὶ ἐκ τοῦ προσήκοντος τῇ κακίᾳ μέρους τῆς ψυχῆς, ἄρʼ αὐτόματος πρόεισιν ʼἣ πρᾶξις; οὐχὶ δὲ φθάνει μὲν ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ σκέψις καὶ βουλή, ἔπειτα κρίσις καὶ αἵρεσις τῆς πράξεως, καὶ οὕτως εἰς ἔργον ἢ ἐπιθυμία προφέρεται; ἔ[γ]κλημα δὲ κακίας ἐκ τῆς πράξεως, οὐχ ἐκ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας γίγνεται, ὡς εἰ μείνειεν ἐπὶ χώρας ἦ, ἐνθύμησις τῆς ἐπιθυμίας, εἰς ἔργον τῇ αἱρέσει τοῦ λογισμοῦ μὴ προιοῦσα, πρῶτον μὲν ἄν ἁρπα[οσ]θείη θᾶττον, ἐξαπτομένη τε ἅμα καὶ σβεννυμένη, ἔπειτα οὐδαμῶς ἂν ἔγκλημα νομισθείη οὐ μόνον κοινόν, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ κατὰ τὸ ἄκρον τῆς ἀρετῆς εἰ κρίνοιτο. φαίνεται τοίνυν τῷ λογικῷ τῆς ψυχῆς εὐλόγως ἀνατιθέμενα τὰ ἁμαρτήματα καὶ οὔτε τῷ σώματι οὔτε ἄλλῳ μέρει τινὶ ταύτης, ὡς τὴν μὲν ἀλόγιστον κακίαν ʼἀπηλλάχθαι τῆς αἰτίας τῶν παρʼ ἡμῖν κακῶν ἅτε μηδὲ ὑπάρχουσαν, κινδυνεύειν δὲ κατὰ τὸν ἐκείνου λόγον ἐκ τῆς μερίδος τἀγαθοῦ ταῦτα προφέρεσθαι, εἴ γε μὴ ἑτέρῳ χρησαίμεθα φιλαλήθει λόγῳ. εἰ μὲν γὰρ μὴ διαγινώσκουσα τὴν ποιότητα τῆς ἐπιθυμίας, ἐπὶ τὴν πρᾶξιν ἀλογίστως ἐχώρει ἢ ψυχή, διισχυρίσαιτʼ ἄν τις ὡς ἐκ τοῦ ἀλογίστου μέρους φέρεται τὰ παραλόγως πραττόμενα. εἰ δὲ πολλάκις αὐτὸς ὁ λογισμὸς πῇ μὲν αἱρεῖται ὡς ὑποκατακλινόμενος ἑκὼν ἀγωγῇ φαύλῃ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν, πῇ δὲ παραιτεῖται πάλιν, ὅταν φόβος αὐτὸν ὅστις οὖν ἀναστείλῃ ἣ ἐπιθυμία γοῦν ἀρετῆς ἀνθελκούσης πρὸς ἑαυτήν, δῆλον ὡς ὃ λογισμός ἐστιν ὁ μόνος οἰκειούμενος τὰ καλῶς τε καὶ ὡς ἑτέρως πραττόμενα, καὶ πρὸς τοὐναντίον ἐνταῦθα χωρεῖ τῶν ἀποδεικνυμένων τῷ μανέντι κακῶς ἢ ἐξέτασις. οὐδὲν γὰρ τῆς ὕλης (ὡς ἔοικε[ν]) ἐν τοῖς καθʼ ἡμᾶς ἁμάρτημα, ἀλλὰ τῆς ψυχῆς (ἢ τοῦ ταύτης λογιστικοῦ), ἣ τῇ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ μοίρᾳ προσῆκε κατʼ ἐκεῖνον. ### English translation (Claude) Come, then, let us consider truthfully to whom the evils done by men belong. He will perhaps try to introduce a mixture, in the soul too, of what he supposes are opposites. But whether the soul in his view is of one kind, from the good, or compounded of the opposites, it will easily be shown that, on this impious hypothesis, evils come from the portion opposite to evil, that of the good. Now the soul is incorporeal and in no way admits composition in its substance, least of all of opposites. Those who have thought that it is composed of different parts did not introduce a substance that is various and at odds with itself; rather, they described its activities from what it does, being unable to give one simple and comprehensive account of it. For even if by the different qualities it admits it differs from itself at different times, yet in substance, being the work of God, it is unchangeable and not composed of different things, and it is as far from mixtures of opposites as it is from seeming to be a body in itself. But let us grant, following his false account (if he should try to say this too), that the human soul is composed of good and evil. Must not its rational part, in his view, be ascribed to the good, and the irrational to evil? Plainly he could say nothing else. When, then, desire is moved to stumbling, whether from the body alone or also from the part of the soul belonging to evil, does the act come forth of itself? Do not consideration and deliberation come first in man, then judgement and choice of the act, and so desire is carried into deed? And the charge of wickedness arises from the act, not from the desire: if the thought of desire stays where it is and does not go on into deed by the choice of reason, it is, first, quickly snatched away, kindled and quenched at once, and then it would by no means be thought a charge, not only by the common standard but not even if judged by the height of virtue. It appears, then, that sins are reasonably ascribed to the rational part of the soul, and neither to the body nor to any other part of the soul; so that irrational evil is freed from the responsibility for the evils among us, since it does not even exist, and by his own account these evils run the risk of being produced from the portion of the good, unless we use another, truthful account. For if the soul went to the act irrationally without discerning the quality of the desire, one might insist that what is done unreasonably comes from the irrational part. But if reason itself often in one case chooses the desire, willingly yielding to a bad leading, and in another refuses it again, when some fear holds it back or the desire for virtue draws it the other way, plainly reason alone is the one who owns what is done well and what is done otherwise; and here the inquiry goes in the opposite direction to what the madman wrongly tries to prove. For it seems that no sin in our affairs belongs to matter, but to the soul (or to its rational part), which in his view belongs to the portion of the good. ### Translation notes - Bracketed in Lagarde: “ἔ[γ]κλημα”, “ἁρπα[οσ]θείη” (garbled in the OCR) and “ἔοικε[ν]”; translated. The distinction between a passing thought of desire and consent to the act is Titus’s own. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.32 (Lagarde 1859, 20; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-32). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.33 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-19/#p-1-33 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 21 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Self-control consists in reason checking desire, so reason is responsible for both virtue and vice. ### Greek text πρὸς δὲ τούτοις, εἰ τοῖς σωφροσύνην ἀσκοῦσιν ἀκίνητον συνέβαινεν εἶναι τὴν ἕξιν πρὸς ἐπιθυμίαν, ἀπήλλαξεν ἄν τις παρὰ τοῖς ἀκολασταίνουσι τῶν ἐγκλημάτων τὸν λογισμόν, ὡς τῆς ἐπιθυμίας τὸ ὅλον ἀποφερομένης τῶν πραττομένων, ἣν ἄν ἐκεῖνος ἐκ τῆς τοῦ κακοῦ μερίδος φαίη τυγχάνειν. εἰ δέ γε μάλιστα παρὰ τοῖς σωφροσύνης ἀντιποιουμένοις ταύτῃ τὸ ἀσκητικὸν εὔροι τις ἄν, ὅτι λογισμῷ τῆς φύσεως κωλύουσι τὰς ἐπιθυμίας, σαφῶς ἀποδείκνυται ὡς ὁ λογισμός ἐστιν ὁ πλημμελῶν τε καὶ κατορθῶν, ὁ ἑκάτερα εἰδώς, ἀρετήν τε καὶ κακίαν. ### English translation (Claude) Besides this, if it were the case that in those who practise self-control the disposition toward desire were unmoved, one might free reason from the charges among the licentious, as though desire, which he would say belongs to the portion of evil, carried off the whole of what is done. But if one finds the practice of self-control above all in those who lay claim to it in this way, that by reason they check the desires of nature, it is clearly shown that reason is the one that does wrong and does right, the one that knows both virtue and vice. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.33 (Lagarde 1859, 21; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-33). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.34 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-19/#p-1-34 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 21 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: The moral quality of deeds lies in purpose: the same outward act can be just or unjust, and good deeds done for show are blameworthy. ### Greek text διὰ τί μέντοι ἔμφυτος ἡμῖν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἣ ἐπιθυμία, κατὰ καιρὸν ἐροῦμεν, ἀποδεικνύντας γε τοῦτο μάλιστα συντείνειν εἰς θαῦμα τοῦ δημιουργήσαντος. τὸ νῦν δὲ ζητούμενον εἴγε μὴ αὐτάρκως ἀποδέδεικται ὡς οὐδαμῶς ὕλης τινὸς ἢ κακίας ἐστὶν ἔργον τὰ ἡμέτερα πλημμελήματα, τοὐναντίον δὲ μόνου τοῦ λογισμοῦ, ἔνεστι γὰρ καὶ ἑτέρως συστῆναι τῷ λεγομένῳ. ἄρα μή τι ἄλλο φήσειεν εἶναι φόνον ἢ κακόν; πορνείαν τε καὶ μοιχείαν, κλοπήν τε καὶ ψεῦδος; δῆλον ὡς ἔσται μάλιστα κακία. τί οὖν; ἐὰν ὁ δικαστὴς ἀναιρῇ τὸν ἠδικηκότα φονεύσας, φόνος ἄρα νομισθείη; καίτοι τὸ ἔργον ταὐτὸν τοῦ πρὸς βίαν φονεύοντος καὶ τοῦ νόμῳ ἀναιροῦντος, ὁ δὲ σκοπὸς διΐστησι τὸ πραττόμενον. ἀλλὰ καὶ μὴν ἦ, αὐτὴ πρᾶξις πρὸς τὴν ἰδίαν τε καὶ ἀλλοτρίαν τῷ ἀνδρὶ τῆς κοινωνίας, ὃ δὲ λογισμὸς χωρίζει τῷ σκοπῷ τὰ παραπλησίως γινόμενα. ἔτι μὴν τὸ κλέψαι παρὰ τοῦ μανέντος τὰ πρὸς ἐπιβουλὴν αὐτῷ παρακείμενα ἢ ἐργαλεῖα ἡ ὄψα, πῶς οὐχ ἄν δόξειε ταὐτόν γε εἶναι τὸ ἔργον κλοπῇ τῇ διαβεβλημένῃ; οὐ μέντοι ταὐτὸν τῷ λογισμῷ, ἀλλὰ πάντη διάφορον. πρὸς δὲ τούτοις εἰ ἀπαιτοίη μανεὶς ἄνθρωπος ξίφος, ὅπερ παρέθετο νήφων, ὡς ἀναγκαῖον εἶναι τῷ ὑποδεξαμένῳ ψεύσασθαι μὴ εἰληφέναι, κατὰ τί ἄν διαφέροι τοῖς ῥήμασι τὸ ψεῦδος πρὸς τὴν ὄντως ἀγνωμοσύνην, εἰ μὴ τῷ σκοπῷ διακρίνοιτο τῶν ἰσχυριζομένων; δῆλον τοιγαροῦν ἐκ τούτων ὡς οὐδὲ ἢ πρᾶξις ὡς ἐπὶ πολὺ καθʼ ἑαυτὴν δοκιμάζεται, ἀλλʼ ἢ διάνοια καὶ ὃ λογισμὸς τοῦ μετιόντος. εὔροι γὰρ ἄν τις καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀναιτίοις τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον. εἰ γὰρ μεταδοίη τις χρημάτων ἢ τροφῆς τῷ πενομένῳ οὐχ ἐκεῖνον φιλανθρωπευόμενος, τὸν δὲ παρὰ τῶν ὁρώντων ἔπαινον θηρώμενος, πῶς οὐ δῆλον ὡς τὸ μὲν ἔργον κάλ[λ]ιστον καὶ φιλάνθρωπον, ὁ δὲ σκοπὸς λίαν ταπεινὸς καὶ διαβεβλημένος; εἰ δέ τις καὶ προσεύχοιτο μακρὰ καὶ νηστεύοι πυκνά, ἀνθρώποις εὐλάβειαν ἅμα καὶ καρτερίαν ἐπιδεικνύμενος, εὔδηλον ὡς οὐ διὰ τὸ ἔργον ἄν εἰκότως ἐπαινεθείη, διὰ δὲ τὸν νοῦν τῶν πραττομένων ψεχθείη. οὐ μὴν ἀλλʼ εἴ τις ἕτερος σωφρονοίη καὶ τῶν γε πλειόνων ἐπιθυμιῶν ἀπέχοιτο, οὐ πόθῳ τῆς ἀρετῆς, φειδοῖ δὲ χρημάτων, οὐχ εὔδηλον ὡς ὁ τοιοῦτος διὰ πάθος παθῶν ἑτέρων “ὃ κρατεῖ, αὐτὴν δὴ τὴν κατὰ τὸ φαινόμενον καρτερίαν ἀντὶ κακίας τῷ σκοπῷ μετερχόμενος; εἰ τοίνυν πολλάκις καὶ τὰ νομιζόμενα κακὰ τῇ διανοίᾳ τοῦ πράττοντος ἀγαθὰ ἀναφαίνεται ἣ μηδὲ κακά, καὶ τοὐναντίον τὰ ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον ὑπειλημμένα ὡς κακὰ διελέγχεται τῇ αἱρέσει καὶ τῷ σκοπῷ τοῦ μετιόντος, τίς ἄν ἔτι λοιπὸν ἀντιλέγειν ἔχοι ὡς οὐχ αἱ πράξεις ὡς ἐπὶ πολὺ παρά γε τῇ ἀληθείᾳ δοκιμάζονται, ὁ δὲ νοῦς ἐστι τῶν πραττομένων ὁ βασανιζόμενος; ### English translation (Claude) Why the desire for sins is implanted in us we shall say in due time, showing that this above all contributes to the admiration of the Creator. But if what is now sought, that our wrongdoings are in no way the work of any matter or evil but on the contrary of reason alone, has not been sufficiently shown, the point can also be established another way. Would he say that anything else is evil but murder, sexual immorality and adultery, theft and lying? Plainly these will be evil above all. What then? If a judge puts the wrongdoer to death, would that be thought murder? Yet the deed of one who kills by violence and of one who puts to death by law is the same; it is the purpose that distinguishes what is done. And again, the act of intercourse with one’s own wife and with another man’s is the same for the man, but reason, by its purpose, separates things done in like manner. Further, if one steals from a madman the tools or poisons he has ready for a plot, how would the deed not seem the same as the theft that is condemned? Yet to reason it is not the same, but wholly different. Besides, if a man who has gone mad demands back a sword that he deposited while sane, so that the one who received it must lie and say he did not receive it, in what would the lie differ in words from real dishonesty, unless it were distinguished by the purpose of what is asserted? It is plain from this, then, that it is not the act that is mostly judged in itself, but the intention and reasoning of the one who undertakes it. The same principle can be found in blameless deeds too. For if someone gives money or food to the poor man not out of love for him but hunting for praise from those who see, is it not plain that the deed is most beautiful and humane, but the purpose very base and blameworthy? And if someone prays long and fasts often, displaying to men both piety and endurance, it is evident that he would not rightly be praised for the deed but blamed for the mind behind what he does. And again, if another man is self-controlled and abstains from most desires, not from longing for virtue but to spare his money, is it not evident that such a man masters some passions by another passion, pursuing in his purpose this very apparent endurance instead of vice? If, then, things thought evil often appear good, or not evil, by the intention of the one who does them, and on the contrary things taken for better are shown to be evil by the choice and purpose of the one who undertakes them, who could still object that in truth it is not mostly the acts that are judged, but the mind behind what is done that is put to the test? ### Scripture references - Matt 6:1–18: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Almsgiving, prayer and fasting done to be seen recall Matt 6:1–18. The returned sword of a madman is a stock example (compare Plato, Republic 1.331c); not cited by name. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.34 (Lagarde 1859, 21; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-34). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.35 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-35/#p-1-35 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 22 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Since the ruling part of the mind decides the moral quality of acts, Mani’s scheme would make the good the source of sin. ### Greek text ποῖα τοίνυν ἔργα τῇ κακίᾳ λογιούμεθα; τὰ δοκοῦντα εἶναι κακά, ἅπερ ἐστὶν ἀγαθά, ὅτε ἀρετῆς διανοίᾳ πράττεται; ποῖα δὲ τῷ ἀγαθῷ ἀναθήσομεν; τὰ φαινόμενα ἀγαθά, ἅπερ λογισμῷ κακὰ γίνεται; οὐκοῦν ἀποτόμως οὐδέτερα οὐδετέρῳ, μόνον δὲ τὸ λογιστικὸν καὶ ἡγεμονικώτατον τοῦ νοῦ τοῦ πράττοντος διακρινοῦμεν, πότερον ὀρθῶς μετῆλθεν ἢ μὴ τὸ πραττόμενον. τὸ δὲ ἡγεμονικώτατον τῆς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου διανοίας ὅτι παντάπασι προσῆκε κατὰ τὸν ἐκείνου λόγον τῷ βελτίονι μέρει τῆς ψυχῆς, κἂν μυριάκις μαίνοιντο οἱ ἐκ τοῦ μανέντος, οὐχ ἂν ἀρνηθεῖεν. ἄδικον τοιγαροῦν παντελῶς κρίσιν κατὰ τῆς παρʼ αὐτοῦ πεποιημένης ὕλης ἐξενήνοχεν ὁ Μάνης, ἀντιθεὶς ἃ μηδαμῶς αὐτῇ προσῆκεν, εἴγε καὶ ἐτύγχανεν οὖσα τῶν παρὰ ἀνθρώποις πραττομένων αἰτία" τοὐναντίον δὲ μᾶλλον τῆς τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ μερίδος εὐλόγως ἄν νομισθείη, εἴγε ἐναντίως δύο τινές εἰσιν ἀρχαὶ κατὰ τὴν ἐκείνου μανίαν. ### English translation (Claude) What deeds, then, shall we reckon to evil? Those that seem evil, which are good when they are done with the intention of virtue? And what shall we ascribe to the good? Those that appear good, which become evil by the reasoning behind them? Then we shall not assign either strictly to either, but shall judge only the rational and most commanding part of the mind of the one who acts, whether it undertook what was done rightly or not. And that the most commanding part of human thought belongs entirely, by his account, to the better part of the soul, the madman’s followers would not deny even if they went mad ten thousand times over. So Mani has passed a wholly unjust sentence on the matter he himself invented, charging it with things that in no way belong to it, if indeed it were the cause of the things done among men; on the contrary, these would reasonably be thought to belong rather to the portion of the good, if indeed there are two opposite principles, according to his madness. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.35 (Lagarde 1859, 22; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-35). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.36 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-35/#p-1-36 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 23 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: If the captive power is God’s own nature held for ages in matter, the myth makes God the sufferer and matter the victor. ### Greek text σπουδάζειν,δέ φῆσι τὸν θεὸν τὴν καταποθεῖσαν δύναμιν, ἣν καλεῖ ψυχὴν ἁπάντων, αὖθις πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἀναδέξασθαι, ἵνα μὴ τὸ ἑαυτοῦ ἀπεράντως ἀεὶ προσδεδεμένον τῇ ὕλῃ καὶ τιμωρούμενον διατελῇ. τί οὖν τὴν ἀρχὴν παρεβάλετο τοῦτο, ὥστε τοσοῦτον αἰῶνα μηδʼ ἀναπνεῦσαι δυνηθῆναι καὶ πλέον παθεῖν μᾶλλον ἣ δρᾶσαι; εἰ μὲν γὰρ περιεῖχεν ὁ μῦθος, ὡς τοῦ μὲν θεοῦ μηδὲν ὑβρισθέντος εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν οὐσίαν μήτε κατὰ γοῦν τὸ βραχύτατον ἐνσχεθέντος (λίαν ἀπρεπῶς) τῇ ὕλῃ, ἀλλʼ ἑτέρου δή τινος ἀλλοτριωτάτου τῆς αὐτοῦ φύσεως, ἅμα δὲ καὶ εὐθὺς ἐξαιρεθέντος καὶ τούτου, ὡς ἄν τύπῳ μᾶλλον ἢ ὑποχαταχλίσει τὴν τοιαύτην πεποιῆσθαι δοκεῖν μεταχείρησιν, ἔσχεν ἂν τὸ γοῦν πιθανὸν ἐν ψεύδει τὸ πλάσμα — νυνὶ δὲ ἄπλετος μὲν αἰὼν καὶ τοῦτο δή φασιν ἐκ τῆς φύσεως ὃν τοῦ θεοῦ καθειργμένον διατελεῖν, ὡς αὐτὸν εἶναι δοκεῖν τὸν κατεχόμενον τῇ ὁμοιότητι τοῦ κατεχομένου καὶ τῷ γε ἐκ τῆς φύσεως αὐτοῦ τοῦτο τυγχάνειν. ὅθεν καὶ πλείονί γε σπουδῇ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν αὖθις ἀναλέξασθαι τοῦτο ποθεῖ, ἢ δὲ ὕλη ἁπλῇ καὶ ἀπαθὴς ὑπάρχει, ὡς δράσασα μᾶλλον ἢ παθοῦσα. ἐκ τούτων γε δῆλον, ὡς ἅπαντα, ἃ συνέθηκεν ὁ πλάνος, εἰς βλασφημίαν συντέθεικε τοῦ θεοῦ, τοῦ μηδὲν τούτων καθʼ ἑαυτοῦ πεποιηκότος. ### English translation (Claude) He says that God is anxious to take back to himself the swallowed power, which he calls the soul of all things, so that what is his own may not go on being bound to matter and punished endlessly for ever. Why, then, did he risk it in the first place, so that for so long an age it could not even draw breath, and suffered rather than acted? If the myth had held that God suffered no insult to his own substance and was not held fast by matter even for the briefest moment (which would be most unfitting), but that it was something else, utterly foreign to his nature, and that this too was at once rescued, so that he might seem to have carried out such a dealing as a figure rather than by submission, the fiction would have had at least some plausibility in its falsehood. But as it is, they say that a boundless age has passed and that this power, which is from God’s nature, remains shut in; so that he himself seems to be the one held fast, through the likeness of what is held fast and its being from his nature. That is why he longs with greater eagerness to gather it back to himself, while matter remains simple and unaffected, as one that acted rather than suffered. From this it is plain that everything the deceiver put together he composed as blasphemy against God, who did none of these things to himself. ### Translation notes - Ὑποχαταχλίσει is garbled in the OCR; translated by sense (“by submission”). ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.36 (Lagarde 1859, 23; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-36). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.37 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-35/#p-1-37 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 23 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: On the Manichaean view salvation is God recovering his own, which makes God dependent on hope and punished by delay. ### Greek text ἀναλαβεῖν τοίνυν πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἐθέλει καὶ σπουδάζει (φησίν) ἐκείνην τὴν δύναμιν. καὶ τοῦτό γε ἐστὶν ἢ παρʼ αὐτοῖς ἐλπιζομένη σωτηρία καὶ μακαριότης, τὸ ἀποδοθῆναί γε τῷ θεῷ τὸ οἰκεῖον αὐτοῦ. ἄρʼ οὖν αὐτὸς εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἀναμένει τὸ τέλος ἐλπίζων ὡς εὐεργετηθησόμενος, εἴγε μέλλοιτο ἐκ τῆς φύσεως αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἀπολαμβάνειν, ἵνα ἃ κατέλυσεν οἰκοδομήσῃ καὶ πλέον οὐδέν, καὶ τῇ ἐλπίδι τρεφόμενος κάθηται καρτερῶν καὶ πρὸς τὸ τέλος ἀφορῶν, ἵνα ἑαυτὸν τρόπον τινὰ τῆς κακίας ἐλευθερώσῃ; οὗ δὴ βραδύνοντος καὶ μὴ θᾶττον γιγνομένου αὐτὸς ἄν εἴη διὰ τῆς βραδύτητος ὃ τιμωρούμενος. ʼδῆλον γὰρ ὡς οὐδὲ ἐπʼ αὐτῷ τυγχάνει ἣ ταχύτης τοῦ τέλους" πάλαι γὰρ ἄν τούτῳ χρησάμενος τῆς ἐλπίδος ἀπολέλαυκεν. ### English translation (Claude) He wishes, then, and is eager (he says) to take that power back to himself. And this is the salvation and blessedness they hope for: that what is God’s own should be given back to him. Does he then wait for the end for himself, hoping to receive a benefit, if he is to recover the freedom of what is from his nature, so as to build up what he destroyed and nothing more? And does he sit, fed on hope, enduring and looking to the end, so that he may in a way free himself from evil? If that is slow and does not come quickly, he himself would be the one punished by the delay. For plainly the speed of the end is not in his power either; otherwise he would long ago have used it and enjoyed what he hoped for. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.37 (Lagarde 1859, 23; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-37). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.38 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-35/#p-1-38 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 23 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: If the powers of matter made the flesh to hold souls, the end of the world would depend on them, not on the good. ### Greek text ἐπειδὴ καὶ λόγος ἕτερος καταγέλαστός ἐστι τοῦ μανέντος, ὡς οἱ τῆς ὕλης, αἰσθανόμενοι ὅτι κακῶς ἀπολοῦνται, τοῦ φωτὸς κατὰ μικρὸν ἀφαιρουμένου, ἀντεμηχανήσοιντο τῆς σαρκὸς τὴν κατασκευήν, δεσμὸν μέγιστον ταῖς ψυχαῖς, ὥστε δῆλον κατὰ τὸν αὐτοῦ λόγον, ἕως ἄν ἐκεῖνοι τὴν σάρκα κορὴΣ γήσωσιν, ἕως δὴ τούτου αἱ ψυχαὶ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἐνσχεθήσονται, καὶ ἔσται ἐπʼ ἐκείνοις τὸ μὴ περιγραφῆναι χρόνῳ τὸν κόσμον, οὐχὶ δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ ἀγαθῷ τὸ τέλος αὐτοῦ. ### English translation (Claude) For there is another ridiculous account of the madman’s: that the beings of matter, perceiving that they will perish miserably as the light is taken away little by little, devised in return the making of the flesh, the greatest bond for souls. So plainly, by his account, as long as they keep the flesh going, so long will the souls of the good be held fast; and it will be in their power that the world is not bounded in time, and its end will not be in the power of the good. ### Translation notes - ΚορὴΣ γήσωσιν is garbled in the OCR; translated by sense (“keep the flesh going”, perhaps χορηγήσωσιν, “supply”). ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.38 (Lagarde 1859, 23; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-38). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.39 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-35/#p-1-39 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 24 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Mani contradicts himself by making matter share in creation and by saying both that the captive power restrains matter and that its removal will ruin it. ### Greek text τί δʼ ἄν φαίη τις συνορῶν ὡς οὐχ ἴσταταί πω λόγος τῷ μανέντι, ἀλλʼ ὧδε κάκεῖσε μεταγόμενος ὑφʼ ἑαυτοῦ διελέγχεται; τοῦ γὰρ κόσμου δημιουργὸν φάσκων εἶναι τὸν θεὸν, ὅπως οὖν αὖθις τοὺς τῆς ὕλης φησὶν ἀντιτιθέναι αὐτῷ τὴν σάρκα., ὥσπερ θεοῦ μεριζομένου πρὸς ἐκείνους τὴν δημιουργίαν καὶ κατὰ τοῦτο μὲν βίαν ὑπομένοντος, τῇ δὲ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἀντιδόσει τὸ πᾶν, οὐ κατὰ γνώμην ἰδίαν, συμπληροῦντος. ὡς δὲ τῆς ὑποθέσεως ἐπιλελησμένος ὁ πλάνος τῆς ἑαυτοῦ, ὀλέθριον τῇ ὕλῃ φησὶν ἔσεσθαι τῆς κραθείσης αὐτῇ δυνάμεως τὴν ἀφαίρεσιν, διʼ ἧς αὐτὴν ὑπέθετο τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀτακτοῦσαν σωφρονισθῆναι. εἰ γὰρ παροῦσα δεσμεύει τὴν κακίαν, ἀναχωροῦσα πάλιν ἀνίησι καὶ ἔσται λίαν κατὰ τὴν ἀρχαίαν … ### English translation (Claude) What might one say, seeing that the madman’s account never stands still, but, shifted this way and that, is refuted by itself? For while he says that God is the creator of the world, he then says that the beings of matter set up the flesh against him, as though God shared the work of creation with them, and in this suffered violence, and completed the universe by exchange with them, not by his own will. And as though the deceiver had forgotten his own hypothesis, he says that the removal of the power mixed with matter will be ruinous to matter, the power through which he supposed matter, disorderly at first, was chastened. For if by its presence it binds evil, by withdrawing it will let it loose again, and it will be very much according to the old … ### Translation notes - The section breaks off mid-sentence; the text resumes in 1.40 after a gap (marked … in the staged text). ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.39 (Lagarde 1859, 24; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-39). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.40 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-35/#p-1-40 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 24 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: The doctrine that the light is slowly being freed and matter will finally be burned into a clod is incoherent and contradicted by the unchanged order of the world. ### Greek text … τοῦτʼ ἐστὶ χαρᾶς αἰτία καὶ τῇ ὕλῃ ἡ ταύτης ἀφαίρεσις. ἃ οἷα πρὸς ἡδονῆς ἀφαιρουμένης" εἰ τοίνυν οὐ παρὰ τὸ τέλος, ὅμως ἐλπὶς αὐτῇ τυγχάνει, ἵνα πρὸς θεὸν ἐπανέλθῃ, διαζευχθεῖσα αὐτοῦ, τί τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀφωρίζετο, ἄπλετον αἰῶνα ὑποσχεῖν μάταιον πόνον καὶ ῥύπον κακὸν καὶ ἀντὶ Ἰίστης ἐλπίδος καὶ μακαριότητος τίθεσθαι τὸ αὖθις ἀναληφθῆναι; ἥ γὰρ ὕλη οὐδέν γε οὐδαμοῦ δέδεικται σωφρονισθεῖσα, τοὐναντίον μὲν οὖν πλείονος λαβομένη τῆς ἐξουσίας εἰς] πονηρῶν ἔργων ἐπίνοιαν. ἀλλʼ ἔδει (φησί) δεθῆναι ταύτην - ὅταν οὖν ἀποσπασθῇ κατὰ μικρὸν ἢ κατεχομένη δύναμις, τί γενήσεται; εὔδηλον. ὡς αὖθις ἣ ὕλη πρὸς τὴν φυσικὴν ἀταξίαν ἐπανήξει. οὔ φησιν. ἐν γὰρ τῷ τέλει περιγενήσεται ταύτης καὶ βῶλον ἀπεργασάμενος αὐτὴν ὑφʼ ἑαυτῆς φλέγεσθαι παρασκευάσει. τί οὖν τὴν ἀρχὴν μὴ τοῦτο πεποίηκεν; ἄρʼ οὐχ ἐβούλετο ἢ οὐχ ἐδύνατο; εἰ μὲν γὰρ μὴ ἐβούλετο, πῶς αὖθις βουλήσεται; μεταγνοὺς ἢ τὸ βέλτιον ἐπικρίνας; οὐκ ἦν δὲ καὶ ἄλλως πρὸς ἀγαθοῦ μὴ τὴν ἀρχὴν παντελῶς καταργῆσαι κακίαν, εἴγε οἷός τε ἦν. εἰ δὲ μὴ ἠδύνατο, ἀδυναμίας μὲν κίνδυνος ἀνακύπτει κατὰ τοῦ πλασαμένου, πῶς δὲ ὅμως ὕστερόν ποτε΄ δυνήσεται;- ἄρα προσλαβὼν δύναμιν, ἣν μὴ εἶχεν, ἢ αὐξηθεὶς ἢ ἐπιδούς; εἰ γὰρ΄ʼ ἀγένητα ἄμφω τἀναντία, οὐδέτερον οὔτε αὔξησιν οὔτε μείωσιν ἐπιδέχεται. ὅλον τοιγαροῦν ἀσύστατον τοῦ βαρβάρου τὸ πλάσμα. τί δʼ ἄρʼ αἴσθησιν εἰληφέναι φησίν, ὡς τοῦ πλείονος μέρους ἣ τοῦ γοῦν ἐλάττονος ἀποσπασθέντος τῆς συγχραθείσης τῇ ὕλῃ δυνάμεως; εἴγε ἀφʼ οὗ σελήνη αὔξει καὶ μειοῦται, διατελεῖ θεὸς κατὰ βραχὺ τὸ οἰκεῖον ἀπολαμβάνων; καίτοιγε τοσοῦτος παρῆλθεν αἰὼν καὶ οὔτε τὸ ὃ ἀνθρώπινον γένος ἀριθμῷ τῶν ζώντων ἠλάττωται οὔτε ἄλλο τι τῶν τετραπόδων μείωσιν ὑπέστη τινά, ἀλλὰ συνήθως τὰ γιγνόμενα γίγνεται καὶ ἀπογίγνεται καὶ ἔτι μᾶλλον εἰς πλῆθος ἢ ἀνθρωπότης ἐπιδέδωκε. πόθεν τοίνυν ἐκεῖνος ὁ παραπαίων οἴεται ἀφαιρεῖσθαι κατὰ βραχύ, ἣν πλαττόμενός φησι συγχραθῆναι τῇ κακίᾳ δύναμιν, εἴγε τὰ αὐτὰ ὡσαύτως ἔχει κατὰ κόσμον; τὸ αὐτὸ μὲν γὰρ τῆς ἡμέρας μέτρον, τὸ αὐτὸ δὲ τῆς νυκτός" καὶ οὔτε τὸ φῶς ἠλάττωται οὔτε τὸ σκότος ἐπλεόνασενʼ ὁ γὰρ αὐτὸς ἡλίου δρόμος καὶ σελήνης καὶ μία δὴ τάξις ἢ ἐξ ἀρχῆς γενομένη διαμένει. ### English translation (Claude) … this is a cause of joy to matter too, the removal of this power, as of a pleasure taken away. If, then, even if not before the end, there is still hope for it to return to God, having been separated from him, why did he decide in the first place that it should undergo for a boundless age vain toil and evil filth, and set its being taken up again in place of the hope of blessedness? For matter has nowhere been shown to have been chastened at all; on the contrary, it has gained more power for devising wicked deeds. “But it had to be bound,” he says. When, then, the power held captive is drawn out little by little, what will happen? Evidently matter will return to its natural disorder. “No,” he says, “for at the end he will overcome it, and making it a clod he will cause it to be burned up by itself.” Why, then, did he not do this at the beginning? Did he not wish to, or was he not able? If he did not wish to, how will he wish to later? Having changed his mind, or having judged it better? And in any case it was not the part of a good being not to abolish evil wholly at the beginning, if he was able. But if he was not able, the danger of weakness rises up against the one who invented this; and how will he be able to later? By taking on a power he did not have, or by growing or increasing? For if both opposites are unbegotten, neither admits growth or diminution. So the barbarian’s whole fiction is incoherent. And why does he say that it has perceived the greater part, or at least the lesser part, of the power mixed with matter being drawn off, if indeed ever since the moon waxes and wanes God goes on recovering his own little by little? Yet so long an age has passed, and neither has the human race diminished in the number of the living, nor has any kind of four-footed animal undergone any decrease; but what comes to be comes to be and passes away as usual, and humanity has increased even more in number. Whence, then, does that raving man think that the power he invents, which he says was mixed with evil, is being removed little by little, if things in the world stay the same in the same way? The measure of the day is the same, and the same that of the night; neither has the light diminished nor the darkness increased; for the course of the sun and the moon is the same, and the one order established from the beginning remains. ### Translation notes - The section begins after a gap. The Manichaean “clod” (βῶλος) is the final mass into which matter is to be confined; reported polemically. “Εἰς]” in the OCR: a stray closing bracket, ignored. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.40 (Lagarde 1859, 24; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-40). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 1.41 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-35/#p-1-41 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 25 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: The Manichaean teaching that sinful souls are fixed in the final clod makes God punish his own nature, and the picture of God filling the abyss with earth is absurd. ### Greek text ἐρωτητέον δὲ κἀκεῖνο, εἰ αἱ ἁμαρτήσασαι ψυχαὶ καὶ μυρίοις ἐνεχθεῖσαι κακοῖς ἐν τῷ βίῳ τίσουσι δίκην ὧν ἐπλημμέλησαν ἣ οὔ; εἰ μὲν οὖν τίσουσιν, ὃ δὴ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁμολογεῖ, ἐν τῇ βώλῳ ταύτας ἐμπαγήσασθαι ἅμα τῇ κακίᾳ λέγων, εὑρεθήσεται ὃ θεὸς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ φύσιν τιμωρούμενος" - οὗ τί ἂν γένοιτο ἀτοπώτερον; εἰ δὲ ἀτιμώρητοι ἔσονται, οὐκ ἄλυπος καὶ ἀζήμιος μόνον ἢ ἁμαρτία, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλέον ἂν ἔχειν δοκοίη τῆς δικαιοσύνης, εἴγε καὶ ἐν τῷ παρόντι αἰῶνι τὴν ἥδονὴν προσάγοι τῷ μετιόντι καὶ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι τιμωρίας αἰτία μὴ γένοιτο. πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἅπασι θαύμασον αὐτοῦ κἀκεῖνο, ἔνθα φησὶν ὡς τῆς κακίας ἐνταυθοῖ ἀσχολουμένης, θεὸς ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ τὸ βάθος ἀναπληροῖ χώματι, ὅθεν ἀνέκυψεν ἢ ὕλη κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ δεινοτάτην ἔκστασιν μὴ συνιέντος ὡς τὸ ἐπιβαλλόμενον εἰ μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς εἴη τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, τίνα τρόπον ἔχει χώραν ἐν τόπῳ γε ἐναντίῳ; εἰ δὲ ἐκ τῶν μερῶν τῆς κακίας, τὸ οἰκεῖον οὐχ ἐκκλείσει, τὴν αὐτόθεν ὡρμημένην· κάθηται δὲ θεὸς κατὰ τὸν μανέντα διʼ αἰῶνος μεταφέρων χώματα καὶ κατὰ βραχὺ προσχωννύων βάθη τινά. ὦ τῆς ἀλόγου μανίας, πρὸς ἣν ἐν τοῖς πλείοσι καὶ γέλως τὸ γοῦν ἀποκρίνασθαι. ### English translation (Claude) We must also ask this: will the souls that have sinned and been carried into countless evils in this life pay the penalty for their wrongdoing or not? If they will pay it, as he himself admits when he says that they will be fixed in the clod together with evil, God will be found punishing his own nature; and what could be more absurd than that? But if they will go unpunished, sin will not only be painless and without loss, but would seem to have the advantage over righteousness, if in the present age it brings pleasure to the one who pursues it and in the age to come is no cause of punishment. And besides all this, wonder at this too in him, where he says that while evil is busy here, God meanwhile fills up with earth the deep from which matter emerged; in his most dreadful derangement he does not understand that, if what is thrown in is from the land of the good, how does it find room in the opposite place? And if it is from the parts of evil, it will not shut out what is its own, which started from there. And God sits, according to the madman, carrying earth through the age and little by little filling up certain depths. Oh, the irrational madness, to which in most points even to reply is laughable! ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 1.41 (Lagarde 1859, 25; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-41). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-35/#p-2-1 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 25 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Book 2 begins: Titus turns from refuting Mani’s myth to showing that there is one principle and that nothing is evil in substance. ### Greek text Ἄγει δὴ λοιπὸν ἡμᾶς ὁ λόγος ἐπὶ τὴν περὶ θεοῦ σπουδαιολογίαν. παιδιᾶς γὰρ ἴσως διέφερεν οὐδὲν τὰ πρὸς ἀνασκευὴν τῆς ἐκείνου μυθολογίας εἰρημένα. ἵνα οὖν μὴ καὶ γέλωτα ὀφλήσωμεν παρὰ τοῖς ἔμφροσι; πλάσμα λίαν ἀσύστατον περιεργότερον ἐξετάζοντες, ὅσα δὴ εὔρηται μυθιχώτερα τῷ μανέντι (ἔστι δὲ πάμπολ[λ]α) λόγου μηδαμῶς ἀξιώσαντες, ἤδη πειρασόμεθα δεῖξαι ὡς κακία μὲν οὐδαμοῦ κατʼ οὐσίαν ὑπάρχει οὔθʼ ὕλης ἀρχή τις ἄναρχος ἀντιτέταχται θεῷ, μία δὲ ἀρχὴ τῶν ὅλων καὶ εἷς θεὸς ὃ τὰ πάντα δημιουργήσας καλά τε καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ σοφίας ἄξια. καὶ γὰρ δὴ οἱ ἐξ ἐκείνου ἐπειδὰν περὶ τῶν ἀσυστάτων ἀρχῶν ἐν λόγῳ διελε[γ]χθῶσιν, ἐπὶ ταύτην κατάγονται τὴν ἐπαπόρησιν ὡς δυσαπόδεικτον καὶ πολλὰς παρέχουσαν λαβὰς κατὰ τοῦ προ[σ]διαλεγομένου, φάσκοντες Πόθεν οὖν τὰ κακά; ### English translation (Claude) The discourse now leads us to serious discussion about God. For what has been said to overturn that man’s mythology was perhaps no different from play. So, lest we too incur laughter among sensible people by examining too curiously a fiction so incoherent, we shall not think worthy of discussion the many more mythical things the madman has invented (and they are very many), and shall now try to show that evil nowhere exists in substance, that no beginningless principle of matter is set against God, but that there is one principle of the universe and one God who made all things good and worthy of his wisdom. For when his followers have been refuted in argument about their incoherent principles, they fall back on this question, as hard to settle and as offering many handholds against the one who argues with them, saying, “Whence, then, come evils?” ### Translation notes - Beginning of Book 2. In “πάμπολ[λ]α”, “διελε[γ]χθῶσιν” and “προ[σ]διαλεγομένου” the bracketed letters are Lagarde’s; translated. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.1 (Lagarde 1859, 25; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-1). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-35/#p-2-2 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 26 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Titus states his thesis: all things are very good and each has its purpose in the whole; only human injustice is truly evil. ### Greek text φαμὲν δὴ θαρσαλέως ἡμεῖς ὡς ἑνὸς ὄντος θεοῦ τοῦ πάντα δημιουργήσαντος οὐδὲν μὲν κατʼ οὐσίαν ἐν τοῖς οὖσι κακόν, πάντα δὲ καλὰ λίαν καὶ διαφόρως καλὰ καὶ πρὸς ποικίλας χρήσεις κατεσκευασμένα, καὶ τῶν γεγενημένων οὐδὲν ἄνευ λόγου γεγένηται, ἀλλʼ ἕκαστον τῶν ὄντων, μικρῶν τε καὶ μεγάλων, ἐν ἑαυτῷ. ἔχει τοῦ εἶναι τὸν λόγον, τῶν τε ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐν τῇ γῇ καὶ ἐν θαλάττῃ — καὶ ὥσπερ ἄρτιον καὶ ὁλόκληρον σῶμα τῇ συστάσει τῶν μερῶν καὶ μελῶν κατεσκεύασεν ἢ ἄρρητος τοῦ θεοῦ σοφία τόδε τὸ πᾶν, ὥστε ὅπερ ἄν ἀφέλοις τῷ λόγῳ τῶν γενομένων ὡς περιττὸν καὶ τῆς χρείας ἀλλότριον, ἀκρωτηριάζεσθαι ὅλον τὸ σῶμα δοκεῖ, ἐπειδήγε τὸ δοκοῦν ἐν τοῖς οὖσι λίαν εὐκαταφρόνητον συμπληρωτικὸν τῆς τοῦ σώματος τελειότητός ἐστι, καὶ οὐδὲν ἀργὸν ἐν τοῖς οὖσιν οὐδὲ μάτην γεγονὸς οὐδʼ εἰς φιλοτιμίαν περιττὴν παρεγκείμενον, μόνη δὲ εὐλόγως καὶ δικαίως περιττὴ ἢ τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων ἀνθρώπων ἀδικία καὶ ἀληθῶς γε κακία τυγχάνει, οὐ μὴν ἐξ ἀνάρχου κακίας, ἥντινα μὴ οὖσαν ἀπὸ ταύτης γε οὔσης ἐπενόησεν ὁ Μάνης, ὡς ὃ λόγος ἤδη μὲν ἱκανῶς ἠνίξατο τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν, δείξει δὲ σαφέστερον καὶ τοῖς ἑξῆς. διὸ δὴ πρῶτον περὶ τούτου διαλαβόντες, οὕτως ὁδῷ προελευσόμεθα, δεικνύντες ὡς κατʼ οὐσίαν οὐδὲν τῶν ὄντων κακόν, ἀλλὰ μὴν ὅσα κατὰ γενεὰν οἰκονομεῖ ὁ θεός, πρεπόντως γε τῇ ἑαυτοῦ σοφίᾳ καὶ συμφερόντως οἰκονομεῖ τοῖς ὑπὲρ ὧν ταῦτα ποιεῖ. ### English translation (Claude) We say boldly that, since there is one God who made all things, nothing in existing things is evil in substance, but all things are very good, good in different ways, and made for various uses; and nothing that has come into being has come into being without reason, but each existing thing, small and great, has in itself the reason for its being, whether in heaven, on earth or in the sea. And like a sound and complete body, God’s ineffable wisdom has framed this universe by the arrangement of its parts and members, so that whatever you remove in thought from created things as superfluous and foreign to use, the whole body seems to be mutilated; since what seems quite contemptible among existing things helps to complete the perfection of the body, and nothing among existing things is idle, or made in vain, or put in for superfluous display. Only the injustice of sinning men is reasonably and rightly superfluous, and truly evil; yet it does not come from a beginningless evil, which, though it does not exist, Mani imagined as existing, as the discourse has already sufficiently hinted in what came before and will show more clearly in what follows. So, having first dealt with this, we shall proceed in order, showing that nothing that exists is evil in substance, and that whatever God arranges in the course of generation he arranges fittingly for his wisdom and to the advantage of those for whom he does these things. ### Scripture references - Gen 1:31: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - “All things are very good” recalls Gen 1:31. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.2 (Lagarde 1859, 26; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-2). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-35/#p-2-3 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 26 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: God gave man knowledge of good and evil and power over virtue and vice, so sin is acting against reason, which must be exercised like the body. ### Greek text κόσμον τοίνυν κατεσκεύασεν ὁ θεὸς καὶ περὶ τούτου πρὸς οὃς ὁ λόγος οὐ διαχειμάζονται. εἰ γὰρ δὴ καὶ εἰς ἀκοσμίαν κόσμιον ὄντα τὸν κόσμον μεταβάλλουσιν, ἀλλά γε περί τε τρόπου καὶ τῆς αἰτίας τοῦ γενέσθαι ὁμολογοῦσι. τούτῳ δὴ μέρος μὲν ὄντα τοῦ παντός, ὅμως δὲ πολίτην ἐπιστήσας λογικὸν τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὃ θεός, τὰ μὲν ἄλλα ὅσα μήτε πρὸς ἀρετὴν μήτε πρὸς κακίαν ὁρᾷ ἑαυτῷ τετήρηκεν οἰκονομεῖν, ἀρετὴν δὲ μόνον ἢ κακίαν ἐπʼ αὐτῷ εἶναι πεποίηκε, τῇ φύσει προενθεὶς ἑκατέρου τὴν γνῶσιν, ἵνα ὀφθαλμοῦ δίκην ταύτην ἐπαγόμενος οὐ μόνον μετὰ τελείας ἐπιστήμης τὸν βίον ὁδεύῃ, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτουργὸς τῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς κατορθωμάτων ὑπάρχῃ. ἄνθρωπος τοίνυν ἀδικῶν ἁμαρτάνειν ἐγκαλεῖται δικαίως. εἰ μὲν γὰρ πράττει τὴν ἁμαρτίαν οὐ δυνάμενος ἀποσχέσθαι ταύτης, ἄδικον ὑπομένει τὴν μέμφιν " εἰ δέ, ἐξὸν μὴ ποιεῖν, τοὐναντίον ποιεῖ, ὡς ἀδικῶν εὐλόγως ἐγκαλεῖται. καὶ καλῶς γε λόγῳ ἐγκλήματος ἥ ἁμαρτία καλεῖται παρὰ λόγον (ᾧ γε δυνατόν ἐστι χρήσασθαι πανταχοῦ) πραττομένη, ὡς εἶναι ἁμαρτίαν πᾶν. τὸ παρὰ λόγον πραττόμενον, εἰ καὶ ἐκ τῶν κατὰ φύσιν λαμβάνει τὴν ἀφορμήν. τῶν γὰρ κατὰ φύσιν ἧ ἀλόγιστος χρῆσις ποιεῖ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, λόγος δὲ ἐν ἡμῖν δοκιμαστικὸς τῶν κατὰ φύσιν, ὅθεν οὐ λανθάνει πραττομένη. εἰ μὲν τοίνυν πρὸς ἄσκησιν ἀρετῆς τὸν λόγον διαγυμνάζοιμεν τὸν ἐν ἡμῖν ὥσπερ σῶμα, τῇ εὐμέτρῳ κινήσει ὑγιῆ καὶ εὔρωστον τοῦτον ἀπεργαζόμεθαʼ εἰ δὲ γυμνασίας καὶ ἐπιμελείας τοῦτον μὴ ἀξιοῖμεν, ἀσθενῶν ἀμαυρότερος γίνεται καὶ τέλος ἀμελούμενος πηροῦται. ἐφʼ ἡμῖν δὲ τυγχάνει πανταχοῦ λόγῳ τῷ ἐν ἡμῖν κεχρῆσθαι, ὥσπερ οἱ τὴν οἰκοδομικὴν μετιόντες τῷ γνώμονι, πρὸς τὴν ἀρετῆς ἀκρίβειαν, καὶ τοῦτον γεωργεῖν, ὥσπερ τῇ γῇ τὰ καταβαλ[λ]όμενα σπέρματα, ἅπερ ἐπειδὰν ἀμεληθῇ διαφθείρεται. ### English translation (Claude) God, then, made a world, and on this those against whom the discourse is directed are not in dispute. For even if they turn the world, which is ordered, into disorder, yet they agree about the manner and the cause of its coming into being. In this world God set man, a part of the whole but a rational citizen of it; and the other things, which have no bearing on virtue or vice, he has kept for himself to govern, but virtue or vice alone he has made to lie in man’s power, having placed beforehand in his nature the knowledge of each, so that, carrying it with him like an eye, he may not only travel through life with perfect knowledge but also be himself the doer of virtue’s achievements. A man who does wrong, then, is justly charged with sinning. For if he commits sin without being able to keep from it, he incurs unjust blame; but if, being able not to do it, he does the opposite, he is reasonably charged as a wrongdoer. And sin is rightly called a charge when it is done against reason (which can be used everywhere), so that everything done against reason is sin, even if it takes its occasion from what is natural. For it is the irrational use of natural things that makes sin, and there is reason in us that tests natural things; so sin does not go unnoticed when it is done. If, then, we exercise the reason in us for the practice of virtue, as we exercise the body, we make it healthy and strong by well-measured movement; but if we do not think it worth exercise and care, it grows weak and dim and at last, neglected, is maimed. And it lies in our power everywhere to use the reason in us, as builders use the square, for the exactness of virtue, and to cultivate it like seeds sown in the earth, which perish when they are neglected. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.3 (Lagarde 1859, 26; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-3). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-35/#p-2-4 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 27 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Virtue requires the real possibility of vice: self-control and justice mean refraining from what one could do, so God rightly made us able to sin. ### Greek text ἐνταῦθα δὴ τὸ ἀμφίβολον ἀνακύπτει τῆς ζητήσεως. τίνος χάριν τῷ γε τοσούτῳ κινδύνῳ παραβεβλήμεθα, ἐφʼ ἑαυτοῖς ἔχοντες τὸ σπουδάζειν καὶ μή, ὡς μὴ πάντως ἀγαθοὺς ἀποτελεῖσθαι, ἀλλʼ ἣ ὡς ἐπὶ. τὸ πολὺ (οὐ μόνον ἔστιν ὅτε) κακούς. ἀναγκαῖος, οὐχ ἁπλῶς ὠφέλιμος ὃ κίνδυνος, ἐπείτοι τοῦ παντὸς διαμάρτοιμεν ἄν. εἰ γὰρ πεποίηκεν ἡμᾶς ὁ θεὸς ἀδυνάτους πάντη πρὸς ἁμαρτίαν, οὐχ ἂν γεγόναμεν ἀγαθοί. ἀγαθὸς μὲν γὰρ ἐν ἀνθρώποις ὁ δίκαιός τε καὶ σώφρων, ἀπεχόμενος δὲ τῆς ἀδικίας γίνεται δίκαιος καὶ φεύγων ἀκολασίαν σώφρων ἀποτελεῖται. ἥ τοίνυν ἐξουσία τῶν ἐναντίων τὴν κτῆσιν ὡς εἴ τις μὴ ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ ἀκολασίας τυγχάνει, σώφρων οὐχ ἄν γένοιτο· φαίη γὰρ ἄν τις Τίς οἷός τὸ ὧν ποιεῖν ἀκόλαστον οὐ πεποίηκεν; οὐ γὰρ ἀδυναμία ἀκολασίας ποιεῖ σωφροσύνην οὐδὲ ἀσθένεια πρὸς ἀδικίαν ποιεῖ δικαιοσύνην, ἀλλὰ τὸ δύνασθαι μὲν πράττειν, λόγῳ δὲ ἀπέχεσθαι, τοῦτο ἢ ἀρετὴ σωφροσύνης τε καὶ δικαιοσύνης, καὶ οὐχὶ δύνασθαι μόνον, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τῆς φύσεως ἐρεθίζεσθαι, ἵνα τις καὶ ἀληθὴς ἔπαινος ἡ τοῦ μὴ πράττειν αἱρεῖσθαι. αὔτη γὰρ μόνη καὶ οὐχ ἄλλη τις εὑρεθείη παρὰ ἀνθρώποις ἀρετή. θεὸν μὲν γὰρ οὔτε σώφρονα κλητέον οὔτε ἀνδρεῖον καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα (ἐπάνω γὰρ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ἀρετῆς ὑπάρχει" κἀν δίκαιος δὲ καλῆται, ἑτέρως" οὐ γὰρ ὡς ἡμεῖς), ἄνθρωπος δὲ ὅσον ἄνθρωπος πῶς ἂν γένοιτο ἀγαθὸς ζητοῦμεν. ἑκάστῳ γὰρ τῶν γινομένων μέτρον ὥρισται φύσεως ὅπερ ὑπερβῆναι μὲν ἀδύνατον, τὸ δὲ μὴ ὑπολειφθῆναι ἐντελὴς ἀρετή. τί τοίνυν ἀνθρώπῳ μέτρον“΄ὥρισται πρὸς ἀρετὴν καὶ πρὸς τὸ γενέσθαι ἀγαθόν; σωφροσύνη τε καὶ δικαιοσύνη καὶ τἄλλα. ἄνθρωπον γὰρ ὑπὲρ ταῦτα γενέσθαι ἀγαθὸν ἀδύνατον. εἰ δὲ ἢ σωφροσύνη ἐγκράτειά ἐστιν ἡδονῶν, δεῖ τῶν τῆς σωφροσύνης ἐναντίων ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ τυγχάνειν, καθʼ ὧν ἣ ἐγκράτεια, σωφροσύνης ὄνομά τε καὶ ἔργον. τὸ δὲ μὴ εἶναι ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ τῶν ἡδονῶν ἄντικρυς στέρησιν σωφροσύνης ποιεῖ, παραπλησίως δὲ ἔχει δικαιοσύνη καὶ τἄλλα. εἰ δέ τις ἀντιλέγοι ὡς δέον ἡμᾶς ἀνεπιδέκτους εἶναι τῶν ἐναντίων (ἀκολασίας τε καὶ ἀδικίας) ὥσπερ ὁ θεός, οὐδὲν ἕτερον ὁ τοιοῦτος λέγει ἣ ὡς δέον εἶναι ἡμᾶς οὐχ ἀνθρώπους " ὥσπερ ἄν τις ἀετὸν ἄνω που θεωρῶν ὑψηλὸν ἱπτάμενον ἀγανακτοίη κατὰ τῆς ἵππου φύσεως καὶ πικρῶς κακίζοι ταύτην ὡς μὴ παραπλησίαν τῇ τοῦ ἀετοῦ, δέον ἵππον ὡς πρὸς ἵππου φύσιν ἐξετάζειν. ### English translation (Claude) Here the doubtful point of the inquiry arises. Why have we been exposed to so great a danger, having it in our own power to be earnest or not, so that we do not turn out wholly good, but mostly (not merely sometimes) evil? The danger is necessary, not merely useful, since otherwise we would miss everything. For if God had made us wholly unable to sin, we would not have become good. For among men the good man is the just and self-controlled man; and he becomes just by keeping from injustice, and is made self-controlled by fleeing licentiousness. So the power over opposites makes the acquisition possible, since if someone does not have the power to be licentious, he could not become self-controlled; for one might say, “Who is so able to act that he has not acted licentiously?” For inability to be licentious does not make self-control, nor does weakness toward injustice make justice; rather, to be able to act but to refrain by reason, this is the virtue of self-control and justice; and not only to be able, but to be provoked by nature, so that there may be true praise for choosing not to act. For this alone, and no other, can be found among men as virtue. God must not be called self-controlled or brave and the like (for he is above human virtue; and even if he is called just, it is in another sense, not as we are); but we are asking how man, as man, could become good. For to each created thing a measure of nature has been set, which it is impossible to exceed, and not to fall short of it is complete virtue. What measure, then, has been set for man for virtue and for becoming good? Self-control, justice and the rest; for it is impossible for a man to become good beyond these. And if self-control is mastery of pleasures, the opposites of self-control must lie in our power, against which mastery is exercised, the name and work of self-control. Not to have the pleasures in one’s power plainly deprives one of self-control; and the same holds for justice and the rest. And if someone objects that we ought to be incapable of the opposites (licentiousness and injustice), as God is, such a person says nothing else than that we ought not to be human; as if someone, watching an eagle flying high above, were annoyed at the nature of the horse and bitterly blamed it as not like the eagle’s, when he ought to examine a horse according to a horse’s nature. ### Translation notes - The sentence “Who is so able to act …” is garbled in the OCR (Τίς οἷός τὸ ὧν ποιεῖν); translated by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.4 (Lagarde 1859, 27; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-4). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-35/#p-2-5 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 28 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Man is made good only through self-control and justice, which require the presence of their opposites. ### Greek text ἀνθρωπον δὴ πεποίηκεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ψυχὴν δὴ μετὰ σώματος: σωματικὸς γάρ ἐστιν οἰκήτωρ κόσμου. οὗτος τοίνυν ἐὰν γένηται ἀγαθὸς ὅσον χωρεῖ ἀνθρώπου φύσις, εὐδόκιμος ἄν εὑρεθείη. πῶς ἂν οὖν γένοιτο ἄνθρωπος ἀγαθὸς ζητητέον, εἰ πεποίηκεν αὐτόν. οὐκοῦν ἄνθρωπος γένοιτο ἀγαθός, εἰ σώφρων εἴη καὶ δίκαιος. εἰ γὰρ ἔνεστι βελτίω τρόπον ἄνθρωπον γενέσθαι ἀγαθόν, αἰτιατέον τὸν δημιουργήσαντα ὅτι μὴ κατʼ ἐκεῖνον ἀνέδειξε τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀγαθόν. εἰ δὲ ὅσον ἐν ἀνθρώπου φύσει οὐδὲν βέλτιον ἐπιδέοιτο ἂν ἄνθρωπος σωφροσύνης καὶ τῶν ἄλλων; ζητητέον, πῶς αὖθις δυνατόν γε ἄνθρωπον σώφρονά τε καὶ δίκαιον εἶναι. βούλεται γὰρ ταῦτα εἶναι αὐτὸν ὁ δημιουργήσας. οὐκοῦν σωφροσύνη δίχα τῆς τοῦ ἐναντίου παραθέσεως οὐχ ἂν γένοιτο, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ δικαιοσύνη" εἰ δὲ μή, οὐχ ἂν εἴη σωφροσύνη οὔτε δικαιοσύνη. εἰ δὲ μὴ εἴη τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον δυνατὸν γενέσθαι δίκαιόν τε καὶ σώφρονα, οὐκ ἄν ἄλλως γένοιτο ἄνθρωπος δίκαιός τε καὶ σώφρων καὶ τότε εὐλόγως ἄν ὁ δημιουργὸς διαβληθείη ὅτι πεποίηκε δυνατὸν οὐχ εἶναι τὸν ἄνθρωπον γενέσθαι ἀγαθόν, λέγω δὴ σώφρονά τε καὶ δίκαιον, καθʼ ὃν μόνον καὶ οὐδαμῶς ἕτερόν τινα τρόπον εὐδοξήσειν ἔμελλε καὶ ἄξιός γε τῆς τοῦ πεποιηκότος σοφίας ἀποδειχθήσεσθαι. ### English translation (Claude) God made man a man, that is, a soul with a body; for the inhabitant of the world is bodily. If, then, he becomes good as far as human nature allows, he would be found approved. So we must ask how man could become good, if God has made him. Then man would become good if he were self-controlled and just. For if it is possible for man to become good in a better way, the Creator is to be blamed for not making man good in that way. But if, as far as human nature goes, man could need nothing better than self-control and the rest, we must ask again how it is possible for man to be self-controlled and just; for his Creator wishes him to be these. Self-control, then, could not come about without the presence of its opposite, and likewise justice; otherwise there would be neither self-control nor justice. And if it were not possible in this way to become just and self-controlled, man could not become just and self-controlled in any other way; and then the Creator might reasonably be blamed for making it impossible for man to become good, I mean self-controlled and just, the only way, and no other, in which he would win good repute and be shown worthy of the wisdom of the one who made him. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.5 (Lagarde 1859, 28; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-5). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-35/#p-2-6 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 28 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Self-control given by nature would not be self-control, since it consists in resisting pleasures. ### Greek text εἰ δὲ ἐπιμένοι ὁ ἀντιλέγων ὡς ἐχρῆν φύσει καὶ οὐ πόνῳ σώφρονα γενέσθαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον, πάλιν τὸ τί ἐστι σωφροσύνη καταλιμπάνων, ἐπὶ ἀλόγιστον αἵρεσιν ὃ τοιοῦτος ἐκκλίνει, τὸ μὲν ὅτι ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν ἄνευ σωφροσύνης καὶ δικαιοσύνης ἄξιον εἶναι τοῦ πεποιηκότος τιθέμενος, τὸν δὲ τρόπον τῆς κτήσεως τούτων ἐξετάζειν οὐ βουλόμενος, ὅτι δὴ τὸ δεσμῷ φύσεως γινόμενον οὐχ ἄν εἴη σωφροσύνη, ἦτις ἥκιστά γε ἑτέρως ἣ τῇ τῶν ἡδονῶν αντιστάσει γνωρίζεται. … δεῖται ἄρα τῶν ανθισταμένων, ἵνα μαχομένη καὶ κρατοῦσα τούτων κληθῇ καὶ γένηται σωφροσύνη. παραπλησίως δὲ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα. ### English translation (Claude) And if the objector insists that man ought to have become self-controlled by nature and not by toil, he again abandons what self-control is and turns aside to an irrational choice: he grants that without self-control and justice it is impossible to be worthy of the Creator, but he is unwilling to examine the manner of acquiring them; namely, that what comes about by a bond of nature would not be self-control, which is known in no other way than by resistance to pleasures. … It needs, then, things that oppose it, so that by fighting and mastering them it may be called and become self-control. And so too with the rest. ### Translation notes - The staged text marks a gap (…) before the last two sentences. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.6 (Lagarde 1859, 28; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-6). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-35/#p-2-7 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 29 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Man is by nature fair but neither good nor evil; God gave him both freedom and moral knowledge, like a skilled charioteer. ### Greek text οὕτω δὴ κατεσκεύακε τὸν ἄνθρωπον φύσει μὲν οὔτʼ ἀγαθὸν οὔτε κακόν, ἐπιτρέψας δὲ τῷ λογισμῷ τοῦ κρείττονος τὴν αἵρεσιν, εἰ δέ τοι μήτʼ ἀγαθὸν μήτε κακόν, τί ἄν εἴη λοιπὸν ζητεῖται. σκοπητέον τὸ βραχὺ παιδίον τῇ τῶν ἄκρων ἀναιρέσει γνωριζόμενον, λέγω δὴ οὔτʼ ἀγαθὸν οὔτε κακόν. ἣ μὲν γὰρ οὐσία τούτου καλή, τὸ δὲ κατʼ ἀρετὴν ἀγαθὸν οὔπω προσείληφεν. οὕτω δὴ καὶ χρυσὸς φύσει καλός, λόγῳ δὲ ἀρετῆς οὐχ ἀγαθός, ἄψυχος ὦν. καὶ λίθοι τίμιοι παραπλησίως καὶ πάντα τὰ ὄντα, ἕκαστον κατὰ τὸ ἴδιον ἐν ὄψει κάλλος. κατὰ δὴ τοῦτον τὸν λόγον καὶ ἄνθρωπος, καλὸς μὲν καὶ λίαν καλὸς οὐσίᾳ τε καὶ αὐτῷ τῷ εἶναι, τὸ δὲ ἀγαθὸν τὸ διὰ μόνης ἀρετῆς προσγινόμενον πόνῳ κτᾶται" διʼ ὃ θεὸς ἐπʼ αὐτῷ εἶναι τοῦτο πεποίηκεν.. εἰ οὖν ἔδωκε μὲν τὴν ἐξουσίαν, οὗ προεντέθεικε δὲ τῇ φύσει τὴν γνῶσιν ἀρετῆς τε καὶ κακίας, τυφλὸν ἂν ἔδοξεν ἡνίοχον ἐφιστᾶν ἅρματι ὀξυτάτῳ. εἰ δὲ ἅμα συνεκέρασεν ἄμφω, ἐξουσίαν τε πρὸς κτῆσιν τοῦ καλ[λ]ίονος καὶ γνῶσιν πρὸς διάκρισιν καὶ πρὸς ἀσφάλειαν τῆς αἱρέσεως, τεχνίτην μὲν προσανέδειξε τὸν ἡνίοχον νοῦν, ἐλάσει δὲ σῶον οὗτος τὸ ἅρμα τῆς φύσεως, εἴ γε μὴ ὑπνώσας κατὰ τὸ στάδιον ὑπὸ τῶν ἡδονῶν ἀναβληθείη. ### English translation (Claude) So he has made man by nature neither good nor evil, but has entrusted to his reason the choice of the better. And if he is neither good nor evil, what he is remains to be asked. Consider the little child, known by the removal of the extremes, I mean neither good nor evil. Its substance is fair, but it has not yet acquired the good that comes by virtue. So too gold is fair by nature, but not good in the sense of virtue, since it is lifeless; and precious stones likewise, and all existing things, each according to the beauty proper to it to the eye. On this account man too is fair, very fair, in substance and in his very being, but the good, which comes only through virtue, he acquires by toil; and that is why God has made this lie in his power. If, then, he had given the power but had not placed beforehand in his nature the knowledge of virtue and vice, he would have seemed to set a blind charioteer over a very swift chariot. But since he joined both together, power for acquiring the better and knowledge for discerning and for safety in choosing, he made the mind a skilled charioteer as well, and it will drive the chariot of nature safely, unless it falls asleep on the course and is thrown off by pleasures. ### Extrabiblical texts - Plato, Phaedr. 246a (Plato (works)): echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The image of the mind as charioteer recalls Plato, Phaedrus 246a–254e. In “καλ[λ]ίονος” the bracketed letter is Lagarde’s. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.7 (Lagarde 1859, 29; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-7). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-35/#p-2-8 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 29 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Freedom to sin is a benefit, because virtue among men consists chiefly in refusing evil that one could do; God alone is good by pure beneficence. ### Greek text οὐσίᾳ μὲν καὶ φύσει ἄνθρωπος καλὸς ὡς χρυσός, ὡς λίθος τίμιος, ὡς ἔργον θεοῦ, ἀγαθὸς δὲ ἢ τοὐναντίον κακὸς προθέσει. ταῦτα γὰρ αὐτῷ παράκειται μὲν ὡς πραχθῆναι δυνάμεναʼ ποιότητές εἰσιν ἐπισυμβαίνουσαι κατὰ τὴν ἐγγινομένην ἀγωγὴν καὶ τῆς προθέσεως αἵρεσιν, ὡς τὴν κακίαν, ἐν πράξει μόνον συνισταμένην, πρὶν πραχθῆναι μὴ ὑφεστάναι. ἐξουσίαν μέντοι ἔχει κακίας ὃ ἄνθρωπος τῆς πραχθῆναι δυναμένης, οὐχ ἵνα πράξῃ ταύτην, ἀλλʼ ἵνα μὴ πράξας ἄριστος ἀναδειχθῇ. εἰ γὰρ τοῦτο πράττειν τὴν ἐξουσίαν οὐχ εἶχε, φθόνον ἄν ἔδοξεν ὑπέχειν τοῦ δημιουργοῦ πρὸς ἐμπόδιον εὐδοκιμήσεως καὶ πρὸς στέρησιν ἐλευθεριότητος, ὡς οὐχ ἔχων ἐφʼ ἑαυτῷ τὸ γενέσθαι ἀγαθός, ὡς τὸ δοκοῦν μειονέκτημα ἀληθέστατον τυγχάνειν τῆς φύσεως πλεονέκτημα. νῦν μὲν γὰρ ἥκιστα πρὸς βίαν ἢ κακία ἔπεισιν αὐτῷ, μὴ κατʼ οὐσίαν ὑπάρχουσα. εἰ δὲ μὴ εἶχεν ἐξουσίαν αὐτῆς, οὐχ ἄν εἶχεν ἐφʼ ἑαυτῷ τὸ φεύγειν αὐτήν. φεύγει γὰρ οὐχ ὡς ὃν τὸ μὴ ὄν, ἀλλʼ ὡς ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι δυνάμενον. πῶς δʼ ἄν τὸ μισόκακον ἐκτήσατο, κάλλιστον ὄν, εἰ μὴ οἷός τε ὧν τοιαῦτα πράττειν ἑκὼν παρῃτεῖτο; ἀρετὴ γὰρ ἐν ἀνθρώποις σχεδὸν οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἣ κακίας παραίτησις. σώφρων γὰρ ὃ μὴ ἀκόλαστος καὶ δίκαιος ὁ μὴ ἄδικος καὶ τἄλλα παραπλησίως. θεὸς μὲν γὰρ ἀγαθὸς οὐ τῷ μὴ ἀδικεῖν, εἰ καὶ δύναται, ἀλλὰ τῷ μόνον εὐεργετεῖν (διʼ ὃ καὶ μόνος ἀγαθός)" ἐν ἀνθρώποις δὲ τὸ ἀγαθὸν πρῶτον τῇ φυγῇ τοῦ χείρονος συνίσταται, οὗ τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἀναγκαῖον παρακεῖσθαι, ἵνʼ ἐπὶ τῷ βουλομένῳ γενέσθαι ἀγαθῷ τυγχάνῃ τὸ μὴ ποιεῖν αὐτό. κἂν γὰρ ὃ τέλειος προσαπαιτῆται καὶ πράξεις ἀγαθῶν πρὸς τῇ φυγῇ τῶν ἐναντίων, ἀλλὰ μεῖζον εἰς εὐδοκίμησιν ἢ φυγὴ τοῦ χείρονος. οὕτω μὲν γὰρ τὸ μὲν ἄπταιστον παρὰ ἀνθρώποις οὐδαμῶς εὖροι τις ἄν ὡς εὐδοκιμωτέρου τυγχάνοντος διὰ τὴν δυσχέρειαν τοῦ ἀπέχεσθαι τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἐπειδὴ τοῦτον μάλιστα τὸν τρόπον χαρακτηρίζεται ἣ ἀρετή" πρᾶξιν δὲ χρηστὴν καὶ παρὰ τοῖς λίαν πονηροῖς εὑρίσκομεν. δῆλον τοίνυν ὡς ἄνθρωπος εὐεργετεῖται τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ τοῦ πλημμελεῖν, οὗ γε ἀπεχόμενος (καὶ οὐχ ἑτέρως) εὐδοκιμεῖ. ### English translation (Claude) In substance and nature man is fair, like gold, like a precious stone, as a work of God; but he is good, or on the contrary evil, by purpose. These lie before him as things that can be done; they are qualities that come upon him according to the upbringing he receives and the choice of his purpose, so that evil, which consists only in action, does not exist before it is done. Man does have power over evil, which can be done, not in order to do it, but so that by not doing it he may be shown to be excellent. For if he did not have the power to do it, he would have seemed to suffer envy from the Creator, to hinder his good repute and to deprive him of freedom, as not having it in his power to become good; so that what seems a disadvantage is most truly an advantage of nature. As it is, evil comes upon him by no means by force, since it does not exist in substance. But if he did not have power over it, he would not have it in his power to flee it. For he flees non-being not as existing, but as able to come to be by his doing. And how would he have acquired hatred of evil, which is most beautiful, unless, being able to do such things, he willingly refused them? For virtue among men is hardly anything other than refusal of evil: the self-controlled man is the one who is not licentious, the just man the one who is not unjust, and so with the rest. God is good not by not doing wrong, even though he is able, but only by doing good (that is why he alone is good); but among men the good first consists in fleeing the worse, the power over which must be present, so that it may be in the power of one who wishes to become good not to do it. For even if the perfect man is required also to do good deeds besides fleeing their opposites, still fleeing the worse counts for more toward good repute. So one would find no one among men who never stumbles, since that would be more highly esteemed because of the difficulty of keeping from sin, for virtue is characterized above all in this way; but a good deed we find even among the very wicked. It is plain, then, that man is benefited by the power to do wrong, by keeping from which (and in no other way) he wins good repute. ### Scripture references - Mark 10:18: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - “He alone is good” recalls Mark 10:18 and Luke 18:19. The sentence about no one who never stumbles is compressed in the Greek; rendered by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.8 (Lagarde 1859, 29; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-8). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-35/#p-2-9 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 30 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Evil exists only as human deeds; God refrains from evil not through ignorance or inability but by perfect power of not willing it. ### Greek text ἐλευθεριότητι τοιγαροῦν τετίμηται ἄνθρωπος ἀρετῆς τε καὶ κακίας, τούτων φύσει τὴν γνῶσιν ἔχων δυναμένων πραχθῆναι, πρὶν δὲ πραχθῆναι μὴ ὄντων. ποῦ γὰρ ἄν εἴη τὸ πραττόμενον, τοῦ πράττοντος μὴ ὑπάρχοντος; ὥστε γίνεται καὶ ἀπογίνεται κακία πραττομένη καὶ μή. αὐτίκα καὶ θεός, ἀγαθὸς ὧν καὶ μόνον εὐεργετεῖν εἰδώς, κακὸν μὲν οὐδὲν δρᾷ, οὔτε δὲ ἀγνοίᾳ ἀπέχεται κακίας οὔτε ἀδυναμίᾳ πάμπαν κεχώρισται ταύτης. πῶς γὰρ ἀγνοεῖ ὃ διδάσκων μὴ πράττειν αὐτήν; πῶς δὲ εὔλογον διʼ ἀδυναμίαν θεὸν ἀπέχεσθαι κακίας ἡγεῖσθαι; οὐ γὰρ ἀδυναμίᾳ τοῦ ἀδικῆσαι ἀγαθὸς ὁ ἀγαθός, ἀλλὰ τελείᾳ τοῦ μὴ βούλεσθαι δυνάμει. εἰ δὲ λέγοιμεν ὡς οὐ δύναται θεὸς ἄδικόν τι ποιῆσαι, καλῶς δή φαμεν. ### English translation (Claude) Man, therefore, has been honoured with freedom over virtue and vice, having by nature the knowledge of these, which can be done but do not exist before they are done. For where would the deed be, if the doer did not exist? So evil comes to be and ceases to be as it is done and not done. Indeed God too, being good and knowing only how to do good, does no evil; yet he neither keeps from evil through ignorance nor is wholly separated from it through inability. For how is he ignorant of it, he who teaches us not to do it? And how is it reasonable to think that God keeps from evil through inability? For the good one is good not by inability to do wrong, but by the perfect power of not willing it. And if we say that God cannot do anything unjust, we speak rightly. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.9 (Lagarde 1859, 30; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-9). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-35/#p-2-10 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 30 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: God’s inability to do wrong is the perfection of his will, not weakness; in men evil exists only when done. ### Greek text τὸ μέντοι μὴ δύνασθαι οὐ πρὸς ἀσθένειαν ἕλκομεν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἀκρότητα τοῦ μὴ βούλεσθαι καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἀμετάστατον τῆς τοῦ χείρονος παραιτήσεως. ἄτρεπτος γὰρ ὧν τὴν φύσιν ἄτρεπτον ἔχει τὸ μὴ βούλεσθαί τι κακὸν δρᾶσαι, ὥστε δύναται μέν, οὐ δρᾷ δὲ ἀτρέπτῳ τῷ τοῦ μὴ βούλεσθαι φύσει. καὶ οὕτως οὐχ ἔστι κακία παρὰ θεῷ οὐ μόνον τῷ μὴ ὑφεστάναι, ἀλλὰ μηδὲ τῷ πράττεσθαι. ἐπειδὴ δέ πως ἀνθρώποις οὐχ ἔστιν ἄτρεπτος ἢ παραίτησις αὐτῆς (κἂν τις ἀναβεβήκῃ πρὸς ἀρετήν), πραττομένη μόνον εἶναι δοκεῖ, οὐχὶ δὲ καὶ μὴ πραττομένη προὐπάρχει. ### English translation (Claude) Yet we do not take “cannot” to mean weakness, but the height of not willing and the unshakeable refusal of the worse. For being unchangeable in nature, he has an unchangeable not-willing to do any evil, so that he is able, but does not do it, by the unchangeable nature of his not willing. And so there is no evil with God, not only in that it does not exist, but in that it is not even done. But since among men the refusal of evil is in some way not unchangeable (even if someone has risen high in virtue), evil seems to exist only when it is done, and does not exist beforehand when it is not done. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.10 (Lagarde 1859, 30; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-10). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-35/#p-2-11 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 31 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Made in God’s image, man is free; the changes of men toward virtue and vice show that sin is chosen, not natural. ### Greek text οὕτω μὲν δὴ τὸν ἄνθρωπον τετίμηκεν ὃ θεός, κατʼ εἰκόνα ἑαυτοῦ δημιουργήσας αὐτόν, ἵνʼ ὥσπερ αὐτὸς ἐλευθερότητι φύσεως ἀγαθός, οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐλευθερότητι προθέσεως ζηλωτὴς ὑπάρχῃ θεοῦ, οὐχ ἀδυναμίᾳ φύσεως τοῦ ἁμαρτάνειν ἀπεχόμενος, ἐλευθεριότητι δὲ τὴν ἀρετὴν τιμῶν. ταῦτα δὲ σημαίνει μὲν αὐτάρκως καὶ τὸ πολλὰς πολλάκις ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὑρίσκεσθαι πρὸς ἀρετὴν καὶ κακίαν μεταβολάς, οἷς ἂν μηδέτερον τούτων παγίως ἐνυπάρχῃ χρονίῳ συνηθείᾳ. ὅσα μὲν γὰρ φύσεως ἀνάγκῃ δρῶμεν. τούτων μεταβολὴν οὐχ ἐπιδεχόμεθα, ὅσα δὲ λόγῳ προθέσεως ποιοῦμεν, ταῦτα ἄλλοτε ἄλλως ἐν ἡμῖν ἔχει πρὸς τὰς ἐγγινομένας τῇ προθέσει ῥοπάς. οὐ τοίνυν φυσικὸν καὶ ἀναγκαῖον ἀνθρώποις τὸ ἁμαρτεῖν, ἀλλὰ προαιρετικὸν τὸ κακοπραγεῖν. σημαίνει δὲ καὶ ὁ πόνος τῆς ἀρετῆς τὸ προαιρετικὸν τῶν κεκτημένων αὐτήν, οἷς εἴ τι καὶ μικρὸν ἀμελείας ἐγγίνοιτο, κινδυνεύει τὸ κτῆμα, ### English translation (Claude) In this way God has honoured man, making him in his own image, so that, as he himself is good by freedom of nature, so man too may be an emulator of God by freedom of purpose, keeping from sin not by an inability of nature, but honouring virtue in freedom. This is sufficiently indicated also by the fact that many changes toward virtue and vice are often found among men, in those in whom neither of these is fixed by long habit. For what we do by necessity of nature admits no change; but what we do by the reason of our purpose is now one way, now another in us, according to the inclinations that arise in our purpose. Sinning, then, is not natural and necessary for men; doing evil is a matter of choice. And the toil of virtue also indicates the free choice of those who have acquired it: if even a little negligence arises in them, the possession is in danger, ### Scripture references - Gen 1:26–27: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - “In his own image” alludes to Gen 1:26–27. The section ends mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.11 (Lagarde 1859, 31; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-11). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-35/#p-2-12 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 31 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Bad habits are hard but not impossible to break; fear and law restrain sin, showing that sins come from passions and choice, not nature. ### Greek text εἰ δέ τις κατὰ τοῦ λόγου παράγοι τὸν βουλόμενον μὲν ἔστιν ὅτε φαύλων ἀπέχεσθαι, φάσκοντά γε μὴν ἀδυνάτως ἔχειν, μανθανέτω ὡς χρόνιον μὲν καὶ κατὰ σῶμα πάθος οὐ ῥᾳδίως μετακινεῖσθαι πέφυκεν. οὕτω δὴ καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς ἕξις οὐκ ἀγαθὴ χρόνῳ παγεῖσα οὐκ εὔκολον ἔχει τῶν ἐν πολλῇ γε συνηθείᾳ τὴν ἀποφυγήν, πλὴν εἰ μή τι μεῖζον ἀγαθὸν πάθος ἐπεισελθὸν τὸ προλαβὸν ἐκβάλοι. αὐτίκα ὁρμήσας τις πολλάκις ἀσχέτως ἐπὶ φαύλην τινὰ πρᾶξιν, ἢ τὸν ἄνδρα θεασάμενος τῆς γυναικός, μοιχεῦσαι προθέμενος, ἀνεστάλη φόβῳ τῶν ἐλέγχων τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἢ τῶν νόμων ἀναμνησθείς, ἄλλος λῃστεῦσαι προθέμενος. δέει τῆς τιμωρίας τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἐκόλασεν. οὕτω παθῶν ἔργα τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, οὐ φύσεως ἐξανθήματα. τιμῶμεν δὲ πάντες καὶ ἀγαπῶμεν (οἷς ἐπιεικείας μέτεστι) τοὺς νόμους, κολάζοντας ἀπαραιτήτως τοὺς κακοπραγοῦντας. οὕτω ʼ κοινῇ δόξῃ διὰ τῶν ἔργων τιθέμεθα μὴ βιαζομένους φύσει κακοπραγεῖν, αἱρουμένους δὲ προθέσει τῆς κολάσεως ἀξίους ἀποφαίνεσθαι. ### English translation (Claude) And if someone brings forward against the argument the man who sometimes wishes to keep from bad things but says that he is unable, let him learn that a long-standing bodily affliction too is not easily dislodged. So too a bad state of the soul, set hard by time, does not easily escape what it is long accustomed to, unless some greater and good emotion comes in and drives out the former one. For example, someone who has often rushed uncontrollably toward some bad deed, or who has set his mind on adultery, has been checked on seeing the woman’s husband, by fear of his desire being exposed or by remembering the laws; another, set on robbery, has punished his desire by dread of the penalty. So sins are the works of passions, not outgrowths of nature. And all of us who have a share of decency honour and love the laws, which punish evildoers without mercy. So by our deeds we declare by common consent that people are not forced by nature to do evil, but that by choosing it in their purpose they show themselves worthy of punishment. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.12 (Lagarde 1859, 31; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-12). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-35/#p-2-13 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 31 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Thinking of both good and evil shows natural moral knowledge, not two natures; action is decided by choice, and upbringing matters greatly. ### Greek text ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ ἄλλως οἱ ἐκ τοῦ μανέντος πειρῶνται δύο φύσεις ἐναντίας ἡμῖν οὔσας ἀπελέγχειν τῷ ποτὲ μὲν ἡμᾶς ἐνθυμεῖσθαι φαῦλα, ἄλλοτε δὲ ἀγαθά, ἐπισημαντέον ὡς φυσικῆς ἐν ἡμῖν οὔσης τῆς γνώσεως ἑκατέρων, ἀναγκαίως ἐπὶ τὴν ἐνθύμησιν ὧν γινώσκομεν κινούμεθα, ζημιούμενοι μὲν οὐδʼ ὁτιοῦν, κερδαίνοντες δὲ τὸ πᾶν τῇ τοῦ καλλίονος προτιμήσει. πῶς γὰρ ἄν ἣ ἐπὶ τὸ κρεῖττον ἀνθρώποις ἑκούσιος ἐμαρτυρήθη κίνησις, μὴ τῆς ἐνθυμήσεως ἑκατέροις φυσικῶς ἐπιβαλλούσης, ἀδικία τε καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ; ἢ μὲν γὰρ γνῶσις ἀναγκαία πρὸς διάκρισιν, ἥ δὲ ἐνθύμησις ψηλαφᾷ τὰ ἐγνωσμένα, ἢ δὲ πρόθεσις ἐφʼ ὃ βούλεται ῥέπειʼ ταῦτα δὲ οὐχὶ μέρη ψυχῆς διάφορα, ἀλλʼ ὡς ἐνέργειαι ταύτης. οὕτω μέντοι τῷ ἡμετέρῳ ὀφθαλμῷ πρόσεστι φυσικῶς τὸ ὁρᾶν ἄλλο, εἰ τυχοίη πράξεις κακάς τε καὶ ἀγαθάς, καὶ οὐδετέρων αἴτιος ἄν εἴη (διαδέχεται γὰρ ὁ νοῦς τὴν ὄψιν καὶ διακρίνει τὰ ὁρώμενα), οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἢ ἐνθύμησις ὀφθαλμοῦ δίκην ἀναγκαίως κινεῖται πρὸς [τὰ] τὸ γενέσθαι ἐνδεχόμενα, οὐ βιαζομένη πρὸς αὐτὰ τὴν ψυχήν, ἀλλὰ γνώσει φυσικῇ ἐπιβάλλουσα τούτοις. αὐτίκα ἅμα μέν, ἐὰν θέλωμεν, τἀναντία ἐνθυμούμεθα, ἅμα δὲ τἀναντία πράττειν οὐ δυνάμεθα.. οὕτως ἢ μὲν πρᾶξις ἀφώρισται τῇ αἱρέσει τῆς προθέσεως, ἣ δὲ ἐνθύμησις τὴν φυσικὴν γνῶσιν ἀρετῆς τε καὶ κακίας μαρτυρεῖται. εἰ γὰρ μὴ ταῦτα προεγινώσκομεν, οὔτʼ ἄν ἐνεθυμήθημεν οὔτʼ ἂν τὸ κρεῖττον εἰλόμεθα … στερόμενοι τῷ πάντως προαιρεῖσθαι τὸ χεῖρον ἀγωγαῖς φαύλαις προειλημμένοι" διʼ ὃ δὴ μᾶλλον ἀνθρώποις σπουδαστέον περὶ τὴν τῶν παίδων ἀνατροφὴν ἢ γεωργοῖς περὶ τῶν φυτῶν αὔξησιν. τὸ τοίνυν τὴν ἐνθύμησιν ἡμῶν εἰς τεκμήριον λαμβάνειν δύο φύσεων ἐναντίων παραπλήσιον ἄν εἴη ὥσπερ εἴ τις φαίη τῶν χρωμάτων ἁπάντων κρᾶσιν εἶναι τὴν ὄψιν, ἐπειδὴ τούτοις ἅπασιν ἐπιβάλλει. ### English translation (Claude) And since the madman’s followers try in another way too to prove that there are two opposite natures in us, from the fact that we sometimes think of bad things and at other times of good, it must be pointed out that, since the knowledge of both is natural in us, we are necessarily moved to think of what we know, losing nothing at all, but gaining everything by preferring the better. For how could men’s voluntary movement toward the better have been attested, if our thought did not naturally reach out to both, injustice and justice? Knowledge is necessary for discernment; thought feels its way over what is known; and purpose inclines to what it wishes. These are not different parts of the soul, but its activities, as it were. Just as our eye naturally has the power to see one thing or another, it may be bad deeds and good, and would be the cause of neither (for the mind takes over from sight and judges what is seen), so too thought, like the eye, necessarily moves toward what can come to be, not forcing the soul toward it, but reaching out to it by natural knowledge. Indeed we can, if we wish, think of opposites at the same time, but we cannot do opposites at the same time. So action is defined by the choice of purpose, while thought bears witness to the natural knowledge of virtue and vice. For if we did not know these beforehand, we would neither have thought of them nor chosen the better … deprived of it by choosing the worse altogether, taken over beforehand by bad upbringing. That is why men should take more trouble over the upbringing of children than farmers over the growth of plants. To take our thinking, then, as evidence of two opposite natures would be like saying that sight is a mixture of all colours because it reaches out to them all. ### Translation notes - “[τὰ]” is bracketed in Lagarde. The staged text marks a gap (…) in the sentence about choosing the better. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.13 (Lagarde 1859, 31; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-13). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/1-35/#p-2-14 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 32 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Titus sums up: freedom to sin is necessary for virtue, and evil exists only in action, not as a principle. ### Greek text ὅτι μὲν οὖν ἀναγκαίως τὸ ἐξεῖναι ἁμαρτάνειν εἴληφεν ἄνθρωπος, οὕτω γενόμενος ὡς οὐχ ἄν ἑτέρως τὸ κατορθοῦν δύνασθαι κτησάμενος, ὅπερ θεὸς ἀγαθός τε καὶ ἄφθονος ὑπάρχων ἐντέθεικε τῇ φύσει, καὶ ὅτι τέως διά γε τὰ παρὰ ἀνθρώποις ἀδικήματα οὐδεμία ἀνάγκη ὕλην ἄναρχον καὶ κακίαν δοκεῖν ἀντιπαρατάττειν θεῷ οὔτε μὴν ὅλως κατʼ οὐσίαν ὑφεστηκέναι νομίζειν κακίαν, ἀλλʼ ἐν πράξει τὴν ὑπόστασιν ἔχειν, διὰ τῶν προειρημένων ἀποδέδεικται. ### English translation (Claude) That man, then, necessarily received the possibility of sinning, being so made that he could not otherwise acquire the ability to do right, which God, being good and without envy, placed in his nature; and that, so far at least, the wrongs among men give no reason to set a beginningless matter and evil against God, or to think that evil exists in substance at all, rather than having its existence in action: this has been demonstrated by what has been said. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.14 (Lagarde 1859, 32; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-14). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-15/#p-2-15 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 32 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Wealth and poverty are unequal only outwardly; the necessities of life are common to all, and virtue is equally possible and equally demanding for rich and poor. ### Greek text λοιπὸν δὲ περί τε τῆς πανσόφου διοικήσεως τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ περὶ τῶν μάτην εἰς κακίαν πρὸ[ς] τοῦ μανέντος διαβληθέντων δημιουργημάτων ῥητέον ὡς δύναμις. ἀταξίαν δὴ πολλὴν ψηφίζεται τῶν χαθʼ ἡμᾶς πραγμάτων, πλοῦτόν τε καὶ πενίαν, ὑγείαν τε καὶ νόσον ὡς ἄνισα διαβάλλων" ἔτι μὴν καὶ τὸ πολλάκις τὸν μὲν κακοῦργον διαφεύγειν τὴν τῶν νόμων τιμωρίαν, τὸν δʼ ἀναίτιον τιμωρεῖσθαι καὶ τοὺς φαύλους ἔστιν ὅτε τῆς κατὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἀρχῆς ἐπιβαίνειν. ῥητέον τοίνυν ὅτι παρῆκται πρὸς τοῦ δημιουργήσαντος ἄνθρωπος εἰς τὸν βίον ἐμπορευόμενος ἕτερον οὐδὲν ἢ μόνην εὐσέβειάν τε καὶ ἀρετήν. ταῦτα γὰρ κτησάμενος μὲν καλῶς ἄν διανήξαιτο τόνδε τὸν βίον, ἀμελήσας δὲ τούτων χαλεπῶς ἄν διαβαπτισθείη πλανώμενος. τροφὴν δὲ σώματος καὶ ἐνδυμάτων περιβολὴν καὶ τὴν ἄλλην σκέπην δέδωκεν ὁ θεὸς αὐτῷ [οὐ] προηγούμενα δῶρα, ἀλλʼ ὡς ἀναγκαῖα πρὸς τὴν ἐνταῦθα τοῦ εἶναι σύστασιν, ἵνα μετὰ σώματος ὑπάρχων τὸ μὲν ζῆν διὰ τούτων ἔχῃ, τὸ δὲ πονεῖν καὶ κτᾶσθαι τὰ ῥηθέντα ἀόκνως μετίῃ.. φῶς δὲ περιεποίησε σωματικὸν καὶ κατάλληλον αὐτοῦ τῇ φύσει καὶ ἀέρα πρὸς ἀναπνοὴν καὶ ὕδωρ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα δὴ ὅσα ἀναγκαῖα. ταῦτα γὰρ κοινὰ μὲν φυσικῶς ἅπασιν ἀνθρώποις ὑπάρχει παρὰ θεοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἄν τις φαίη ὡς τῷ πένητι ἔλαττον τοῦ φωτὸς μέτεστι[ν] ἣ τῆς τῶν ὑδάτῶν χορηγίας οὔτε μὴν τῆς πρὸς τὸ ζῆν φυσικωτάτης ἀναπνοῆς. καὶ ἀναγκαίαν δὲ τὴν τροφὴν (εἰ καὶ μὴ ἄνευ ἱδρῶτος) πορίζεται. ἀλλʼ ὅμως κοινὸς τοῖς πᾶσι τῆς πρὸς τὸ ἀναγκαίως ζῆν χορηγίας ὃ τρόπος. χρυσός τε καὶ ἄργυρος καὶ λίθοι τίμιοι, παρʼ αὐτοῦ καὶ ταῦτα τοῖς κεκτημένοις ὑπάρχει, οὐ μὴν πλέον τι συμβάλλοιτʼ ἄν πρὸς τὴν προειρημένην ἐμπορίαν, εἰ μὴ καὶ μᾶλλον ἐμποδίσειεν ἄν. ὅμως δὲ οὔτε πενίᾳ ἀνέφικτος ἣ προτεθεῖσα παρὰ θεοῦ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις πορεία οὔτε πλούτῳ μᾶλλον ῥᾳδία, ἀλλʼ ἀμφοτέρως ἔνεστι τοῖς γε σπουδαιοτάτοις τὴν προκειμένην τεμεῖν ὁδόν. πενία μὲν γὰρ διὰ καρτερίας καὶ ἐλευθεριότητος, πλοῦτος δὲ διὰ μετριοφροσύνης καὶ τοῦ προτιμᾶν τῶν δοθέντων τὸν δεδωκότα κατορθώσειεν ἄν τὸ σπουδαζόμενον, ὡς μήτε τὸν πτωχεύοντα δυσχερείας ἄνευ καὶ πόνων ἐπιβάλλειν τῷ κατορθώματι, δεῖσθαι δὲ προσεχείας (εἰ καί τις αὐτῷ πρόσεστιν ἀφροντιστία) πρὸς τὸ μὴ τῆς πτωχείας χάριν ἀνελεύθερόν τι μὲν δρᾶσαι, ἀγανακτήσαντα δὲ πρὸς ταύτην διελέγξαι τὴν οἰκείαν πρόθεσιν ὡς μᾶλλον ἄν θεοῦ τιμῴη τὰ πρὸς αὐτοῦ διδόμενα — μήτε τὴν περιουσίαν πλείστην κεκτημένον ὠνίου τρόπον ἑαυτῷ δύνασθαι εὐσέβειάν τε καὶ ἀρετὴν πορίσασθαι, ἀλλὰ πλείονος ἱδρῶτος πρὸς τοῦτο δεῖσθαι. χειμάζεσθαι γὰρ μᾶλλον τὸν τοιοῦτον εἰκὸς τὴν διάνοιαν, τῇ φροντίδι μεριζόμενον πρός τε τὰ ἐκτὸς πρός τε τὰ περὶ τὴν ψυχήν, ὡς, εἰ μὴ πάρεργον εἶναι παντελῶς τὸν πλοῦτον οἰηθείη, ἔργον δὲ μόνον τὴν πρὸς θεὸν φιλίαν, βαπτισθήσεται πρὸς ἄνοιαν παντελῇ, μὴ συνιεὶς ὡς τὸ πρῶτον καὶ μόνον ἀγαθὸν ἐάσας δουλεύει νεκρῷ πλούτῳ, ὃν ἀπολιπὼν ἄλλοις οἰχήσεται. ἀκίνδυνος μὲν οὖν ἐπʼ ἴσης οὔτε πλουσίῳ οὔτε πένητι τῆς ἀρετῆς ἢ πορεία οὐ μὴν οὐδʼ ἀνέφικτος οὐδενὶ τούτοῖν, ἀλλήλων δὲ διαφέρουσι μόνον τῇ τῶν ἔξωθεν περιβολῇ, μηδὲν ἐχούσῃ πλέον πρὸς τὸ προκείμενον, ### English translation (Claude) It remains to speak, as far as we can, about God’s all-wise governance and about the created things slandered in vain as evil by the madman. He condemns much disorder in our affairs, attacking wealth and poverty, health and sickness, as unequal; and also that often the evildoer escapes the penalty of the laws while the innocent is punished, and that bad men sometimes rise to rule over others. We must say, then, that man was brought into life by his Creator to trade in nothing else but piety and virtue alone. If he acquires these, he will swim well through this life; but if he neglects them, he will be grievously plunged under as he wanders. Food for the body, clothing to wear and other shelter God has given him not as the principal gifts, but as necessary for keeping him in being here, so that, being with a body, he may have life through these, and may pursue without hesitation the toil of acquiring what has been mentioned. And he provided bodily light suited to his nature, air for breathing, water and all the other necessary things. These belong by nature to all men in common from God, and no one could say that the poor man has a smaller share of light or of the supply of water, or of breathing, which is most natural for life. And necessary food he provides (even if not without sweat); still the manner of supplying what is needed for life is common to all. Gold, silver and precious stones also come from him to those who possess them, but they would contribute nothing more to the trade we have spoken of; rather they would hinder it. Yet the journey God set before men is neither out of reach for poverty nor easier for wealth; in either condition the very earnest can cut the road set before them. Poverty by endurance and freedom of spirit, and wealth by moderation and by honouring the giver above his gifts, would achieve what is sought. So the poor man cannot reach the achievement without difficulty and toil, but needs attention (even if he has a certain freedom from care), so as not to do anything servile for the sake of his poverty, nor, being vexed at it, to show by his purpose that he would value God’s gifts more highly than God; and the man who possesses very great wealth cannot procure for himself piety and virtue as by purchase, but needs more sweat for it. For such a man is likely to be more storm-tossed in mind, divided in his concern between external things and the things of the soul; so that, unless he thinks wealth wholly secondary and friendship with God his only work, he will be plunged into utter folly, not understanding that, having left the first and only good, he serves dead wealth, which he will leave to others when he departs. The journey of virtue, then, is equally free of danger for neither rich nor poor, yet out of reach for neither; they differ only in the outward wrappings, which contribute nothing to what is set before them, ### Translation notes - “[οὐ]” before “the principal gifts” is bracketed in Lagarde; translated. In “πρὸ[ς]”, “μέτεστι[ν]” and “καταβαλ[λ]όμενα” the bracketed letters are Lagarde’s. The section ends mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.15 (Lagarde 1859, 32; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-15). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-15/#p-2-16 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 34 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Rich and poor test and train each other; true blessedness is virtue, and in health and pleasure the poor man often has more than the rich. ### Greek text ἀναγκαίως καὶ τοῦτο τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ σοφίας “διαθείσης. ὅ τε γὰρ πένης διαγυμνάζεται πρὸς καρτερίαν, πλοῦτον παρʼ ἄλλῳ βλέπων, καὶ ὃ πλούσιος δοκιμάζεται τὴν γνώμην τῷ τοῦ πτωχεύοντος εὐτελείᾳ. πλοῦτος μὲν γὰρ μὴ παρακειμένης πτωχείας ἄχρηστος (τίνα γὰρ εὖ ποιήσει;) καὶ πενία ἀδόκιμος, μὴ ἀντικειμένου πλούτου. ὅλως δὲ οὔτε τὸ πλουτεῖν μακάριον οὔτε τὸ πένεσθαι ἐλεεινόν, ἐπειδή γε μόνος ἐκεῖνος μακάριος, ᾧ πρόσεστιν ἣ βέβαιος τῆς ψυχῆς κατʼ ἀρετὴν εὐπραγία (κἄν τε πλούσιος κἂν πένης ὑπάρχῃ ὁ τοιοῦτος), ἧς ἕνεκεν πρὸς θεοῦ ἄνθρωπος γεγένηται, ὡς δέον παρὰ μὲν θεοῦ τὸ εἶναι λαβεῖν, παρʼ ἑαυτοῦ δὲ τὸ ἀγαθὸν προσγενέσθαι λαβεῖν, συνεργοῦντος θεοῦ: βούλεται γὰρ θεὸς καὶ παρʼ αὐτοῦ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἔχειν ἄν τὸ λογικὸν ὄντα πρὸς ἔνδοξον παρρησίαν. ὥστε οὐ θαυμάσομεν οὐδὲ μακαριοῦμεν ἄνδρα πλούσιον κακοπραγοῦντα οὐδὲ διαπορήσομεν, ὅτι πλουτεῖ τοιοῦτος ὦν, πρὸς τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ πρόνοιαν. τί γὰρ ὑπάρχει πλέον ἀνδρὶ πονηρῷ πλουτοῦντι; τί δὲ οὐκ ἔλαττον αὐτῷ πρόσεστιν; ἀγρυπνίαι μὲν καὶ κίνδυνοι διὰ τὰ χρήματα, λύπαι δὲ τῶν ἀναλισκομένων μείζους ἥπερ ἡδοναὶ τῶν ποριζομένων. οὐ. γὰρ οὕτω τὸ παρὸν εὐφραίνει, ὡς τὸ ἀπὸν λυπεῖ, καὶ ἀεὶ τὰ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας συναύξεται τῷ πλούτῳ, ὡς τὸν λογισμὸν ἀδιαλείπτως συνοικεῖν ἀσχέτῳ πάθει, τὸ δὲ σῶμα πολλάκις συγκατατήκεσθαι τῷ λογισμῷ. τὸ δὴ δοκοῦν πλεονέκτημα τοῦ περιουσίαν κεκτημένου χαλεπώτερον τυγχάνει ἢ μειονέκτημα. τρυφῶν γὰρ καὶ εὐνῆς ἀπαλότητι χρώμενος εἰς ἀρρωστίας ἔστιν ὅτε ποικίλας ἐμπίπτει, τοῦ πένητος τῇ ξηρότητι τῆς ἀναγκαίας διαίτης τὸ ὑγιαῖνον τῷ σώματι ποριζομένου. καίτοι τίς ἄν φαίη ὡς οὐχὶ τὸ σῶμα τῶν ἐκτὸς προτιμότερον; εἰ δὲ τοῖς τὰ ἀναγκαῖα μετρίοις ἐρρωμενεστέρα τοῦ σώματος ἕξις διαμένει, τοῖς δὲ πρὸς ἄμετρον τρυφὴν κεχαλασμένοις συγκατάγεται καὶ τοῦ σώματος ὃ τόνος, πῶς οὐκ εὔδηλον ὡς κατὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἔλαττον τῆς πενίας ὁ πλοῦτος; πλὴν εἰ μή τις εὑρεθείη καὶ τῶν ἀναγκαίων προσδεής, ὅπερ οὐδέποτε τῷ κατʼ ἀρετὴν σπουδαίῳ συμβαίνει. ἄρα δὲ τῶν πολυτελῶν ἐδεσμάτων ἣ ἡδονὴ συνδιαμένει τῇ αἰσθήσει τῶν ἀεὶ κεχρημένων ἣ δὴ λίαν εὐτελίζεται τῇ χρονίᾳ συνηθείᾳ; ὡς μηδὲν ἔχειν τοὺς τοιούτους πλέον, ὅπερ εἰς τρυφὴν προσαγάγωνται. ἀεὶ γὰρ τὸ σύνηθες εὐκαταφρόνητον. τῷ δὲ πένητι τὸ μὲν εὐτελὲς διὰ τὴν ὑγείαν ἥδιστον, τὸ δὲ πολυτελὲς (εἴ ποτε γένοιτο) ξένον καὶ καινότατον εἰς ἀνειμένην ἀπόλαυσιν· ὥστε κατὰ τοῦτο τοῖς ὀρθοῖς λογισμοῖς ὃ χρώμενος εὔροι ἄν πλέον ἔχοντα τοῦ πλουσίου τὸν πένητα. ### English translation (Claude) … since God’s wisdom has arranged this too of necessity. For the poor man is trained to endurance by seeing wealth with another, and the rich man is tested in his disposition by the poor man’s want. Wealth without poverty beside it is useless (for whom will it benefit?), and poverty is untested without wealth set against it. And in general neither being rich is blessed nor being poor pitiable, since that man alone is blessed who has the firm well-being of the soul according to virtue (whether he is rich or poor), for whose sake man was made by God; so that he must receive being from God, and receive the addition of the good from himself, with God working with him. For God wishes man, being rational, to have something from himself as well, for glorious boldness. So we shall not admire or call blessed a rich man who does evil, nor shall we be perplexed about God’s providence because such a man is rich. For what more has a wicked rich man? And what does he not have less of? Sleepless nights and dangers because of his money, griefs at what is spent greater than the pleasures of what is gained. For what is present does not gladden so much as what is absent grieves; and desire always grows with wealth, so that reason lives constantly with an unbridled passion, and the body often wastes away along with reason. So what seems the advantage of the man of property turns out a worse disadvantage. Living in luxury and the softness of his bed, he sometimes falls into various illnesses, while the poor man gains health for his body by the plainness of his necessary diet. And who would say that the body is not to be valued above external things? If, then, the state of the body remains stronger in those who are moderate in necessities, while in those relaxed by unmeasured luxury the vigour of the body too is brought down, how is it not evident that in this respect too wealth is less than poverty? Unless someone should be found to lack even necessities, which never happens to the man earnest for virtue. And does the pleasure of costly dishes last in the senses of those who always use them, or is it not much cheapened by long habit? So that such people have nothing more to bring in for their luxury; for what is customary is always despised. But to the poor man plain food is most pleasant because of his health, and costly food (if it ever comes) is strange and quite new, for relaxed enjoyment; so that in this respect the man who uses right reasoning would find the poor man to have more than the rich. ### Translation notes - The section begins mid-sentence, continuing 2.15. Some garbled characters at the end of the OCR (ʼὉὃΝΝ) are ignored. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.16 (Lagarde 1859, 34; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-16). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-15/#p-2-17 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 35 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Sickness and health both serve virtue, and the escape of some criminals from punishment makes virtue a matter of hating evil rather than fearing penalties. ### Greek text νόσος δὲ καὶ ὑγεία παραπλησίως ἀναγκαῖα" ἥ τε γὰρ ὑγεία πρὸς ἀδικίαν τοῦ ἔργου τῆς ἀρετῆς ἥ τε νόσος ἔστιν ὅτε πρὸς ἀνατροπὴν ἁμαρτίας. βοηθεῖται γὰρ πολλάκις ὃ λογισμὸς τοῖς ἔξωθεν χ[ωλ]ύμασιν, ἄλλως τε τῶν ἀρρωστημάτων ἢ πεῖρα τῆς τοῦ ὑγιαίνειν εὐεργεσίας ἀναμιμνήσκει πρὸς εὐλάβειαν. ἦν δʼ ἄν καὶ λίαν εὐκαταφρόνητος, εἰ καθʼ ἑαυτὴν καθʼ ὅλου διέμεινε τῷ μηδὲν ἐνδέχεσθαι παρεμποδίζειν αὐτήν. εἰ δʼ ὁ μὲν ἐπιεικὴς νοσοίη, ὑγιαίνοι δὲ ὁ θρασύς, ὃ μὲν κατέχεται τῷ χ[ωλ]ύματι, βοηθούμενος πρὸς τὸ ἄμεμπτον τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ζωῆς, ὁ δὲ παραδέδοται τῷ πλημμελεῖν ὡς ἀπεγνωσμένος, εἰ δʼ αὖθις ὃ θρασὺς καὶ λίαν ἀσεβὴς [νόσῳ] περιπίπτοι, ὁ δὲ ἐπιεικὴς ὑγιαίνοι, ὁ μὲν οὐχ ἵνα βοηθηθῇ πρὸς αἴσθησιν κολάζεται, ἀλλʼ ἵνα χρησιμεύσῃ τοῖς ὁρῶσι πρὸς ὑπόδειγμα, ὃ δὲ ὡς δίχα δεσμῶν ἡμέρως ἀναστρέφειν δυνάμενος ἄνοσος διαμένει. καὶ ὅλως ἑκάτερα πανταχοῦ χρήσιμα καὶ ἄθλιος ὁ τὴν πρόνοιαν ἐντεῦθεν ἀρνούμενος ἢ διαβάλλων" μόνη γὰρ ὀλέθριος ἐκείνη νόσος ἣ τὴν διάθεσιν τῆς ψυχῆς πρὸς ἀποτροπὴν ἀρετῆς κακοῦσα. οἷς οὖν ὁ λογισμὸς ἀθῶος διαμένοι, εἴτʼ οὖν νοσοίη εἴτʼ οὖν καὶ ὑγιαίνοι τὸ σῶμα, αἰσθήσονται ἑκατέρου τὸ χρήσιμον. εἰ γὰρ μὴ πάντως κολάζοι τὸν κακοπραγοῦντα νόσος, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τοὺς νόμους ἔστιν ὅτε διαφεύγουσι κακοῦργοι, ἄρʼ οὖν οὐχ ἄν εἴη διὰ τοῦτο κώλυμα τῆς κακουργίας ὁ νόμος, ἐπειδὴ μὴ διὰ πάντων πρόεισι τῶν ὑποκειμένων, ἣ τὸ θαῦμα τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ σοφίας ἐντεῦθεν ὡς πανταχόθεν ἀναδείκνυται; εἰ μὲν γὰρ πάντως δῆλον ἦν ὡς οὐδαμῶς ἐνδέχεται διαφεύγειν τῶν νόμων τὴν κόλασιν τὸν ὁτιδήποτε τῶν ἀπη[γο]ρευμένων διαπραττόμενον, κίβδηλον ἄν καὶ λίαν ἀδόκιμον ἦν τὸ ἄπρακτον τῆς ἁμαρτίας" πάντες γὰρ ἄν δέει τῆς “τιμωρίας, οὐχὶ μίσει τῆς κακουργίας, ἀπείχοντο. χρὴ δὲ τὸν σπουδαῖον μισεῖν τὸ ποιῆσαι μᾶλλον ἣ [τὸ] παθεῖν, κἂν μὴ δικαίως συμβαίνοι. ἐντεῦθεν διαφεύγουσι τοὺς νόμους τῶν κακούργων οἱ πλείους, ἐπειδή γε κόλασις οὐχ αὕτη τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων ἐστίν, οἴησις δὲ μόνον τιμωρίας. θάνατος γὰρ ὁ κατὰ φύσιν καὶ δίχα κολάσεως ἄν ἐπέλθοι, ὥστε ἄλλη μὲν ἐστὶ τοῖς παρανομοῦσιν ἢ ἄφυκτος τιμωρία. διαφεύγουσι δὲ τὴν ἐφʼ ἡμῶν οἱ πλείους, ἵνα τὸ ἐνδεχόμενον τοῦ λαθεῖν βάσανος γένηται τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου λογισμοῦ, καὶ χαθʼ ὅλου ἐπί τε κλέπτοντος καὶ ψευδομένου καὶ τὰ μείζω τῶν κακῶν δρᾶν ἐπιχειρούντων τὸ ῥηθὲν παρεκτείνεται. ### English translation (Claude) Sickness and health are likewise necessary. For health serves the work of virtue, and sickness sometimes serves to overturn sin. For reason is often helped by external hindrances, and besides, the experience of illness reminds us of the benefit of health, toward reverence. Health would be quite despised if it remained by itself absolutely, with nothing able to hinder it. If the decent man is sick and the reckless man healthy, the one is held back by the hindrance, helped toward the blamelessness of his own life, while the other is given over to wrongdoing as one given up. And if again the reckless and very impious man falls into sickness while the decent man is healthy, the one is punished not to be helped toward awareness, but to serve as an example to those who see; and the other remains free of sickness as one able to live gently without fetters. And in general both are useful everywhere, and wretched is the man who for this reason denies or slanders providence; for the only deadly sickness is the one that corrupts the disposition of the soul so as to turn it from virtue. Those whose reason stays innocent, then, whether their body is sick or healthy, will perceive the usefulness of each. For if sickness does not always punish the evildoer, since evildoers sometimes escape the laws too, would the law then for that reason not be a hindrance to evildoing, since it does not reach all who are subject to it? Or is not the wonder of God’s wisdom shown from this as from every side? For if it were wholly plain that no one who does anything forbidden could escape the punishment of the laws, the absence of sin would be counterfeit and quite untested; for all would keep from it out of dread of the penalty, not out of hatred of evildoing. But the earnest man must hate doing wrong more than suffering it, even if it befalls him unjustly. That is why most evildoers escape the laws: punishment is not this for sinners, but only the appearance of a penalty. For natural death would come even without punishment, so that the inescapable penalty for lawbreakers is another. But most escape our penalty so that the possibility of escaping notice may become a test of human reasoning; and in general what has been said extends to the one who steals, the one who lies, and those who attempt the greater evils. ### Translation notes - In “χ[ωλ]ύμασιν” and “χ[ωλ]ύματι” (κωλύματα, “hindrances”) the bracketed letters are Lagarde’s; “[νόσῳ]” and “[τὸ]” are also bracketed; all translated. The first clause, “health serves the work of virtue”, is uncertain in the OCR (πρὸς ἀδικίαν, perhaps for πρὸς διακονίαν); translated by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.17 (Lagarde 1859, 35; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-17). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.18 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-15/#p-2-18 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 36 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Both the punishment and the escape of evildoers serve providence, and all apparent opposites in life work together to keep the mind alert for virtue. ### Greek text φαίη δʼ ἄν τις ὡς πλέον ἄν ἐβασανίσθη τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἢ πρόθεσις, εἰ μηδεὶς κακοῦργος ἐλεγχόμενος ἐτιμωρεῖτο, γέγονε δὲ τοὐναντίον ἄντικρυς προτροπὴ τοῦ κακοπραγεῖν τὸ μὴ καταλαμβάνεσθαί ποτε πρὸς τῶν νόμων ἐνίους τῶν μετιόντων τὰ κακά· ὅθεν ἑκάτερον ἀναγκαῖον, καὶ τὸ παρεμπίπτειν τὸν κακοῦργον εἰς ἀνατροπῆς ὑπόδειγμα καὶ [τὸ] διαφεύγειν εἰς βάσανον λογισμοῦ. ἐλευθεριάζοντι γὰρ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ πρὸς αἵρεσιν ἀρετῆς καὶ κακίας, οὕτω πρὸς θεοῦ γενομένῳ, ἔξωθεν προσυπάρχει καὶ τὸ βοηθεῖσθαι καὶ ἐρείδεσθαι τρόπον τινὰ τὴν διάνοιαν, οἷον διὰ φόβου καὶ ἀφοβίας, προτροπῶν τε καὶ ἀποτροπῶν, νόσου τε καὶ ὑγείας, πενίας τε καὶ πλούτου. καὶ πάντα τὰ ἀντικεῖσθαι ἀλλήλοις δοκοῦντα συμφώνως πρὸς ἕν τείνει, ὡς ἄν τὸν ἀνθρώπινον νοῦν διαγυμνάζοι. μηδὲν ἀποκαθεύδειν, ἐντεῦθεν δὲ κἀκεῖθεν κατακρουόμενον διεγρηγορέναι πρὸς τὸ ἔργον τῆς εὐσεβείας καὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς. ### English translation (Claude) One might say that men’s purpose would have been tested more if no evildoer were punished when convicted; but on the contrary it has plainly become an encouragement to evildoing that some who pursue evil are never caught by the laws. So both are necessary: that the evildoer should fall into punishment, as an example to turn others back, and that he should escape, as a test of reasoning. For to man, who is free to choose virtue and vice, having been so made by God, there is also from outside help and in a way support for his mind, as through fear and fearlessness, encouragements and discouragements, sickness and health, poverty and wealth. And all the things that seem opposed to one another tend harmoniously to one end, to exercise the human mind, so that it does not fall asleep at all, but, struck from this side and that, stays awake for the work of piety and virtue. ### Translation notes - “[τὸ]” is bracketed in Lagarde; translated. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.18 (Lagarde 1859, 36; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-18). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-15/#p-2-19 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 36 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: The unjust suffering of the righteous, even to death, does not harm them, since they look to greater goods after this life. ### Greek text εἰ δὲ καὶ κολάζεσθαί τινα συμβαίνοι οὐχ ἀναίτιον μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ θαυμάσιον ἄνδρα, καὶ δίκην ἀρετῆς ἀπαιτεῖσθαι τοῦτον, τί ἄν βλάβος προσαγάγοι τῷ πάσχοντι; διελέγχει μὲν γὰρ τοὺς ποιοῦντας, οὐ βλάπτει δὲ τὸν ὑπομένοντα, κἂν ἕως θανάτου φέρηται τὰ τῆς ἀλόγου τιμωρίας. φθάσας γὰρ ὅ γε τοιοῦτος νεκρότητι τὰ πρὸς τὸν βίον μεμελέτηκεν. ᾧ γὰρ μηδὲν μὲν ἡδὺ τῶν τοῖς πολλοῖς ἣ ἀηδές, πῶς οὐχὶ νεκρὸς τοῦ βίου καὶ πρὸ θανάτου ὅ γε τοιοῦτος καθέστηκεν; εἰς χάριν τήν γε νομιζομένην ἐπιβουλὴν δεχόμενος, ἧ μετὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον προσδοκᾷ μείζοσιν ἀγαθοῖς ἐντεύξεσθαι ὧν ἀπολιπεῖν δοκεῖ, ἐφʼ ἃ πρὸς τῶν ἐχθρῶν ταχέως παραπεμπόμενος ὡς εὐεργέτας τοὺς ἐπιβουλεύοντας ἔχει. καὶ ἄλλως ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἀναγκαία τῆς βασάνου ἥ παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ συγχώρησις, ὡς ἄν δοκιμωτέρα τυγχάνοι ἣ αἵρεσις τῆς ἀρετῆς, εἰ μηδὲ θάνατον εὐλαβοῖτο. ### English translation (Claude) And if it should happen that a man not only innocent but admirable is punished, and the penalty is exacted of him for his virtue, what harm would it bring to the sufferer? It convicts those who do it, but does not harm the one who endures it, even if the irrational punishment goes as far as death. For such a man has already practised, by deadness to it, what concerns this life. For to one to whom nothing that the many find pleasant or unpleasant is either, how has such a man not become dead to life even before death? He receives what is thought a plot as a favour, since after the present life he expects to meet greater goods than those he seems to leave; and being quickly sent on to them by his enemies, he has those who plot against him as benefactors. And besides, God’s permitting of torment among men is necessary, so that the choice of virtue may be more approved, if one does not fear even death. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.19 (Lagarde 1859, 36; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-19). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.20 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-15/#p-2-20 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 36 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: God permits wicked rulers as a just punishment of sinful peoples, as Scripture declares. ### Greek text πονηροὺς δὲ καὶ πλεονεκτικοὺς ὅταν ἴδωμεν ἔστιν ὅτε κρατοῦντας καὶ τὰς ἀρχὰς πιστευομένους, ἱστέον ὅτι συγχώρησίς ἐστι καὶ τοῦτο τῆς οἰκονομίας τοῦ θεοῦ. ἐπειδὰν γὰρ τὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας πλεονάζῃ τῶν ἀρχομένων, κόλασις ἄν γένοιτο δικαία τῶν ἀρχόντων ἣ ἀδικία, τιμωρουμένων ἃ πράττουσι καὶ κολαζόντων ἃ ποιοῦσινʼ ὡς ἂν γένοιτο μάλιστα δῆλον ὅτι παρανομία ἀτιμώρητος οὐχ ἔνι. ὀρθότης μὲν δικαστοῦ δόξειεν ἄν, ἐπειδή τι μὴ πράττει κακόν, τοὺς ποιοῦντας κολάζειν" εἰ δʼ αὐτὸς ὁ δικάζων τῶν γε τοιούτων ἀπαρχόμενος τοὺς τὰ αὐτὰ μετιόντας κολάζει καὶ μάλιστα δαψιλέστερον, ὡς ἄν πείθοι μηδὲν - αὐτὸς φαῦλον διαπράττεσθαι, ἄντικρυς κρατοῦν καὶ λίαν φοβερὸν ἀναφαίνεται τὸ δίκαιον πρὸς τὸ δίκην ὑπομένειν τοὺς διὰ σκαιότητα τρόπων τοιούτοις ἄρχουσι δικαίως περιπίπτοντας: ἀποφάσεις γὰρ καὶ τοιαῦται σαφεῖς παρὰ θεοῦ κατὰ τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων ἐν γραφαῖς ταῖς ἁγίαις γεγένηνται. ### English translation (Claude) And when we sometimes see wicked and grasping men in power and entrusted with office, we must know that this too is a permission of God’s economy. For when sin abounds among those who are ruled, the injustice of the rulers becomes a just punishment, as they punish what the people do and chastise what they do; so that it becomes most plain that lawlessness does not go unpunished. It would seem uprightness in a judge to punish those who do wrong, since he himself does no evil; but if the judge himself, taking the lead in such things, punishes those who pursue the same, and more lavishly, so as to persuade people that he himself does nothing bad, justice plainly appears victorious and very terrible, in that those who for their perversity of ways justly fall under such rulers pay the penalty. For such clear sentences from God against sinners are found in the holy Scriptures. ### Scripture references - Hos 13:11: echo, low confidence - Isa 3:4: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The Scriptures Titus has in mind are not named; compare Hos 13:11 and Isa 3:4 (identification uncertain). Σχαιόἢ τηταὰ is garbled in the OCR (σκαιότητα, “perversity”). ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.20 (Lagarde 1859, 36; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-20). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.21 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-15/#p-2-21 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 37 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: God’s providence gives all people the same access to virtue, birth, necessities and death; the world shows variety, not inequality. ### Greek text ὁ μέντοι χαλεπώτατα μανεὶς, ἵνα παρʼ αὐτῷ κρατήσῃ τὸ δόγμα τῆς ἀγενήτου κακίας καὶ τῆς κατὰ θεοῦ βλασφημίας, οὐδὲν ἀσυκοφάντητον καταλέλοιπε τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ διοικήσεως. πολλάκις δὲ ἔστιν ἰδεῖν καὶ δικαίους ἡμαρτηκότας ὑπὸ ἀσεβεῖς γενομένους, ὥσπερ εὐγενῆ παῖδα πατρὶ μὴ πειθόμενον διὰ ξένου τυπτόμενον, ἵνα μετὰ τῆς ἀλγηδόνος τῶν πληγῶν καὶ ἢ ἀτιμία τοῦ διακονουμένου μεταβάλῃ τὸν πλημμελοῦντα. ἕν γάρ τι καὶ μόνον ἔφαμεν καὶ ἀληθές ἐστιν, ὡς ὃ πρὸς θεοῦ γενόμενος ἄνθρωπος ἀπαιτεῖται κατὰ τὸν βίον τὸ συνέσει λογισμοῦ κατορθῶσαι, τὸ. κατὰ μηδὲν ἀδικεῖν τὴν ἀρετήν" ᾧ δή τις προσέχων καὶ μόνῳ, μηδὲν ἕτερόν τι κατὰ τὸν βίον ἔκτ,. τοῦτο τοίνυν εἰ διʼ ὅλου τοῦ περὶ προνοίας λόγου μνημονεύοιτο, οὐδὲν ἄν ὑποπτεύοιτο πρὸς ἀνισότητα καὶ ἀταξίαν τῶν πρὸς θεοῦ διοικουμένων. εἰ μὲν γὰρ εῦροι τις ἄν ὡς ἄλλῳ μὲν ἀνεῖται τῆς εὐσεβοῦς ἀρετῆς ἢ πορεία. ἄλλῳ δὲ ἀποκέκλεισται, ἐνταῦθα πρὸς τὸ νῦν κεφάλαιον τῶν ἀγαθῶν καὶ ἣ ἀνισότης διαβολὴν ἂν ἔχειν ἔδοξε τῆς διοικήσεως" εἰ δὲ διʼ οὗ καὶ μόνου γένοιτʼ ἄν τις ὡς ἀληθῶς μακάριος, τοῦτο κοινὸν ἐπʼ ἴσης πρὸς ἐξουσίαν τοῖς ἅπασι πρόκειται, ποίαν διαφορὰν εἴποιεν ἄν τις (κἀν ἡ φιλαίτιος) ἣ ἀνισότητα, ὁπότε τῶν ἐκτὸς αἱ πλεονεξίαι αὖθις πρὸς ἰσότητα τοῖς λογισμοῖς ἀνακλῶνται; ὡς οὐκ ἔλαττον μὲν ἢ καὶ μᾶλλον ἡδομένου τοῦ πένητος οἷς προσφέρεται τροφίοις τοῦ πλουσίου. καὶ τὰ περὶ σκέπην δὲ ὁμοίως ἔχει, κᾷἀν ἧττον ὑπάρχῃ τίμια. καὶ τύπος αἰσθήσεως τὰ συνήθως. παρακείμενα, ὡς μηδένα τοῦ πλείονος ἐπαισθάνεσθαι, διὰ τῆς συνηθείας τῆς αἰσθήσεως ἀμαυρουμένης, μηδὲ ἄλλον τοῦ ἐλάττόνος, καὶ τούτου διὰ συνηθείας τὸ ἐνδέον πρὸς τὴν αἴσθησιν μὴ ἄγοντος. αὐτίκα βάρβαροι, γυμνοὶ τό τε πλέον τοῦ σώματος διάγοντες καὶ ἄστρωτοι χαθεύδοντες καὶ λυπροῖς ἐδέσμασι διαιτώμενοι, οὐκ ἠνέσχοντο πώποτε καταλιπεῖν τὴν φίλην δίαιταν ὡς διὰ τῆς συνηθείας τὸ ἐνδέον αὐτῶν μηδὲ χαθορῶντες, μᾶλλον ʼδὰ ταύτην μηδʼ ἀπαλιπεῖν οἷοί τε ὄντες" ἢ θᾶττον μὲν ἂν καὶ τὸ ὑγιαίνειν χαταλίποιεν, θᾶττον δʼ ἄν καὶ τὸ πρὸς κρυμοὺς καὶ - ἡλιακὴν φλόγα καρτερεῖν ἀποκτήσαιντο.. καὶ πρός γε τὸ ζῆν οὐδεὶς οὐδενὸς πλέον ἔχει κατὰ τὸν βίον. κοιναὶ μὲν γὰρ πᾶσιν αἱ φυσικαὶ διαναπαύσεις ἀναχλίσεών τε καὶ ὕπνων, κοιναὶ δὲ.} { τροφαὶ καὶ ἀπολαύσεις, εἴ τις τὸ μὲν διάφορον συνετῶς καρέλ- τὴν δὲ χρῆσιν τῇ αἱοθήσει δοχιμαάτοιχοιναὶ δὲ οὐχ ἔλαττὸν ἀκριβῶς καὶ αἴ λύτα! φυχῶν τε καὶ σωμάτων. καὶ μᾶλλον εὐρεθείη τις ἄν τούτων ὑπερβολὴ παρὰ τοῖς Ξλέον τι κατὰ τὸν βίον ἔχειν δοχοῦτινʼ ὥστε καὶ τούτων κατὰ τὸ ἀληθὲς οὕτως ἐχόντων, ποῦ ἄν εἴη τὸ ἄνισον τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ διοικήσεως, ποικιλίαν, οὖχ ἀνισότητα τοῖς καθʼ ἡμᾶς ἀντιθέντος; ἕτερον γὰρ τυγχάνει ποικιλία σοφίας ἐν κόσμῳ διαπρέπουσα καὶ ἕτερον ἀταξία διοικήσεως. εἰ δέ τις εὖρο: ἄν τοὺς μὲν ἀπαθεῖς φύσει τῶν ἀνθρώπων, τοὺς δὲ ἐμπαθεῖς χαθʼ ἑκάτερον, ψυχήν τε καὶ σῶμα. καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἄνευ τροφῆς. [τοὺς δὲ μετὰ τροφῆς.} ἣ τοὺς μὲν ἀνεπιδέκτους κακίας. τοὺς δὲ δεκτικούς, ἔτι πὴν τοὺς μὲν θνητούς, τοὺς δὲ ἀθανάτους, καλῶς ἄν ὃ τοιοῦτος ἀταξίαν τε καὶ ἀνισότητα κατείποι τῆς διοικήσεως, ὡς ἀποκληρώσει τινὶ μᾶλλον ἢ λόγῳ τοῦ θεοῦ τὰ χαθ'ʼ ἡμᾶς διοικοῦντος. εἰ δὲ τρόπος μὲν ὁ αὐτὸς τοῖς πᾶσι γενέσεως, μία δὲ καὶ ἥ αὐτὴ τῆς φύσεως ἢ ἀνατροφή, τῶν δὲ ἀναγκαίων (ὧν ἄνευ συστῆναι ἀδύνατον) κοινὴ τοῖς ἅπασιν ἐπʼ ἴσης ἢ χορηγία, τέλος δὲ τῶν ἁπάντων ὃν καὶ μόνον, τῆς ἰσότητος πρὸς ἄκραν ἀκρίβειαν ἐν ἅπασι φαινομένης, ἢ τυφλὸς παντελῶς ὁ διαβάλλων εἰς ἀταξίαν τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν πρόνοιαν ἣ ἐχθροῖς ὄμμασι χαθορῶν τὰ πράγματα, ἥκιστα πιστεύεται δίκαιος. εἰ γὰρ ἧ διαφορὰ τὴν ἀταξίαν ἔχει, τὸ κόσμιον τῆς ποικιλίας, τεχνίτῃ γε πανσόφῳ λίαν ἁρμόττον, ὁ τοιοῦτος διαβάλλει καὶ προϊὼν κακιζέτω καὶ τὸ ποικίλον τῶν χρωμάτων καὶ τῶν ἐδεσμάτων καὶ πομάτων τὸ διάφορον. ἅπερ ἀναλαμβάνει γε θαυμασίως τὰς αἰσθήσεις τῶν προσφερομένων. ἐντεῦθὲν ἐξῆλθον οἱ λίαν ἀθλιώτατοι πρὸς εἱμαρμένην, τὸ ἄτοπον τῆς ἀνισότητος διὰ ταῖν δυοῖν ἀρχαῖν βεβαιοῦν δοκοῦντες, ἀλλὰ δέδεικται μὲν τοῖς ἔμφροσιν ὡς οὐδεμία τις ἀνισότης ἔνεστιν ἐν τοῖς χαθʼ ἡμᾶς. ### English translation (Claude) But the most grievously mad man, so that his dogma of an unbegotten evil and his blasphemy against God may prevail with him, has left no part of God’s governance unslandered. One can often see righteous men who have sinned coming under the ungodly, like a well-born child who disobeys his father being beaten by a stranger, so that, with the pain of the blows, the disgrace of the one who carries it out may change the offender. For we have said one thing alone, and it is true: that man, made by God, is required in this life to achieve by the understanding of reason the not wronging virtue in anything; and whoever attends to this alone, nothing else in life … If this is remembered throughout the discourse on providence, nothing would be suspected of inequality and disorder in what God governs. For if one should find that the journey of pious virtue is open to one and shut to another, then, as to the present chief of goods, the inequality would seem to have grounds for slandering the governance. But if that by which alone one could truly be blessed lies before all in common, equally within their power, what difference or inequality could anyone speak of (even if he loves to find fault), when the advantages of external things are bent back again to equality by reasoning? For the poor man takes no less, or even more, pleasure in the food he eats than the rich man. And it is the same with shelter, even if it is less costly. And what is habitually at hand shapes perception, so that no one perceives the greater, since perception is dulled by habit, nor another the lesser, since habit does not bring what is lacking to perception. For example, barbarians, who go about naked for the most part, sleep without bedding and live on poor food, have never consented to leave their beloved way of life, since through habit they do not even see what they lack; or rather they could not even leave it, for they would sooner lose their health, and sooner lose their endurance of frost and the blaze of the sun. And as for living, no one has more than anyone else in this life. For the natural rests of lying down and sleep are common to all; common too are food and enjoyments, if one sets aside the difference wisely and tests the use by perception; common no less, exactly, are the pains of souls and bodies; and one might find more excess of these among those who seem to have more in life. Since this is how things truly are, where would the inequality of God’s governance be, when he has set variety, not inequality, in our affairs? For the variety of wisdom that shines out in the world is one thing, and disorder of governance another. If one found some men by nature free of passions, and others subject to passions in both soul and body; some without food and others needing food; or some incapable of evil and others capable; or again some mortal and others immortal, such a man might rightly charge the governance with disorder and inequality, as though God governed our affairs by some allotment rather than by reason. But if the manner of birth is the same for all, and the nurture of nature one and the same, the supply of necessities (without which it is impossible to subsist) common to all alike, and the end of all one and the same, the equality appearing in all things to the utmost exactness, then the one who slanders God’s providence as disorder is either wholly blind or looks at things with hostile eyes and is by no means to be believed just. For if difference means disorder, such a man slanders the order of variety, which so well befits an all-wise craftsman; let him go on to decry also the variety of colours and the difference of foods and drinks, which wonderfully refresh the senses of those who take them. From here the most wretched men set out toward fate, thinking to confirm the absurdity of inequality through the two principles; but it has been shown to sensible people that there is no inequality in our affairs. ### Translation notes - A clause after “nothing else in life” is broken off in the OCR (ἔκτ,). Part of the passage on common food and pains is badly garbled in the OCR (καρέλ-, δοχιμαάτοιχοιναὶ, αἴ λύτα!) and is translated by sense; “[τοὺς δὲ μετὰ τροφῆς.}” is bracketed in Lagarde and translated. Ἐταξίαν is read as ἀταξίαν (“disorder”). ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.21 (Lagarde 1859, 37; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-21). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.22 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-15/#p-2-22 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 38 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Wars arise from greed and are permitted by God; death itself is no evil but a natural transition that ends sin for the wicked and begins crowns for the righteous. ### Greek text ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ τοὺς πολέμους τῇ κακίᾳ προσνέμουσι, τίνα τρόπον εἱμαρμέναι διάφοροι κατʼ αὐτοὺς πολλῶν ἔστιν ὅτε χιλιάδων ὑφʼ ἕνα καιρόν, μᾶλλον δὲ ὑπὸ μίαν ὥραν πιπτουσῶν; ἄρα μία τις εἱμαρμένη συνάπτει τούτους ὑφʼ ἑαυτῇ; καὶ πῶς οὐ πάντη τοῦτό γε ὑπολαμβάνειν γελοιότατον; ὅθεν τὸ μὲν ἄνισον τῆς εἱμαρμένης (τὸ χαλεπὸν τῶν πεπλανημένων νόσημα) χώραν ἐν τοῖς πράγμασιν οὐχ ἔχει, πόλεμοι δὲ τὴν μὲν ἀρχὴν ἐκ πλεονεξίας λαμβάνουσι, τὴν δὲ ἐνέργειαν πρὸς θεοῦ συγχωρουμένην ἔχουσι. κακὸν μὲν γὰρ τούτων ἢ ἀφορμή (λέγω δὴ τῆς πλεονεξίας ἢ ἐπιθυμία), ὅπερ ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλʼ οὐχὶ θεοῦ πλημμέλημα τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν δέδεικται, θάνατος δὲ τῆς φύσεως οὐ κακός. γένεσις γὰρ καὶ θάνατος πρὸς θεοῦ φύσει νενομοθέτηται, οὐ τῶν γε τελευτώντων ἀπολλυμένων, ἀλλὰ τῶν γινομένων τοῖς οὖσι προστιθεμένων: ἀγαθοῦ γὰρ οὐχ ἄν εἴη τὸ μόνοις τοῖς οὖσιν ἀνθρώποις τὸ εἶναί τε καὶ γεγονέναι δωρεῖσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς μὴ ὄντας προκατασκευάζειν τοῖς οὖσιν, ὡς ἄν οἵ τε γενόμενοι διαδραμόντες αὐτάρκως τοῦ βίου τὸ στάδιον, ἀντὶ ἀναπαύσεως τοῦ δρόμου τὸν θάνατον λάβωσιν (οὐχ εἰς ἀπώλειαν αὐτοὺς ἄγοντα, ἀλλʼ ἑτέρωσε κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν ἑκάστου μετάγοντα) οἵ τε μὴ ὄντες πάροδον εἰς τὸ γενέσθαι λάβωσιν. οὐκοῦν θάνατος ὁ τῇ φύσει νενομοθετημένος οὐ πονηρός, κἄν ὁπωσοῦν ἐπίοι. οὐδὲ γὰρ τὸ διάφορον τῶν περιστάσεων διʼ ὧν ἔπεισιν ἐξεταστέον, ἕνα δὲ τρόπον κοινὸν τοῖς πᾶσιν ὄντα γνωστέον, λέγω δὴ τὸ μὴ δίχα περιστάσεώς τινος καὶ ἀνάγκης ἀναχωρεῖν ψυχὴν ἀπὸ σώματος, ἀλλὰ παραμένειν ἕως ἄν τὸ φυσικὸν αὐτῆς καταγώγιον ἀκαθαίρετον διαμένοι. τούτῳ μέντοι τῷ φυσικῷ καὶ κοινῷ συνυπάρχει τι δέος, ὅπερ εἰς τιμωρίας ὑποψίαν ἀναγκαίως παρείληπται, οὐ μέντοι ἐν τοῖς πᾶσιν, ἀλλʼ οἷς γε ἧ διάνοια πρόχειρος εἰς ἁμαρτίαν, πρὸς ἀνατροπὴν ταύτης, ὃ μὲν γὰρ ἔμφρων κατʼ ἀρετὴν ἄρά γε τοῦ πλημμελεῖν καὶ τοῦ οἴεσθαι μοχθηρὸν εἶναι τὸν θάνατον ἀπήλλακται, ὃ δὲ φιλαμαρτήμων ἀπὸ μὲν τῆς αὐτῆς ἀνοίας ἀφʼ ἧσπερ καὶ πλημμελεῖ, τὸν θάνατον εὐλαβεῖται. ἀναγκαῖον μέντοι τῆς ἀνοίας ἔχει τὸ τοιοῦτον παρακολούθημα, ἵνα τὸ ἀδεὲς δεδιώς, ο[ὖ] προσῆκεν ἀληθῶς δεδιέναι (λέγω δὴ τῆς ἁμαρτίας) διαφύγῃ τὴν. βλάβην. ἐπειδὰν οὖν πλεονάσῃ παρʼ ἔθνεσι τὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἧς γε τυγχάνει ἕν εἶδος τὸ τῆς ἀπληστίας, ἑαυτοῖς παραίτια γίγνεται τῆς κατὰ τὸ φαινόμενον τιμωρίας, ἦτις κατὰ "μὲν τὸ ἀληθὲς ὡς οὐχ ἄν εἴη τιμωρία λέλεκται, φύσει κοινῇ κατὰ πάντων ὡρισμένη. εὐεργετεῖ δὲ τούς τε πίπτοντας ἐν πολέμῳ καὶ τοὺς διασωζομένους, τοῖς μὲν ἁμαρτίας τέλος παρέχουσα, τοῖς δὲ ὑπόδειγμα δέους ἐμποιοῦσα" εὐεργετεῖ δὲ κᾷν δίκαιοι τῷ πλήθει συναπέλθωσινʼ ὡς γὰρ τοῖς ἀδίκοις τέλος τῆς ἀδικίας ὁ θάνατος, οὕτω δὴ καὶ δικαίοις ὡς νικηταῖς τρόπον τινὰ στεφάνων ἀρχή" ὥστε θαυμάσιον διὰ τῆς πανσόφου προνοίας τοῦ θεοῦ συμβαίνειʼ τὸ γὰρ δοκοῦν κολάζειν εὐεργετεῖ καὶ οὐδὲ διʼ ὧν αὐτὸς ἄντικρυς κατασκευάζει ἀνιαρῶν εἶναι δοκούντων, ἀλλὰ διʼ ὧν ἀνθρώποις αὐτομολοῦσι συγχωρεῖ" ὥστε πόλεμος οὐχ ἔργον θεοῦ ἀλλὰ συγχώρησις ἀναγκαία, εἰς μὲν ὑποψίαν τιμωρίας κατὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, κατὰ δὲ τὸ ἀληθὲς εἰς τέλος αὐτῆς, ἔνθα κἄν δίκαιος πέσῃ (δίκαιον δὲ πολεμεῖν ἀπεικός) μειζόνως εὐεργετεῖται. μεῖζον γὰρ τοῦ παυθῆναι κακίας τὸ καρπῶν ἀπολαῦσαι τῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς πόνων. ὅπερ εὐσεβέσι μετὰ θάνατον ὑπάρχει. ### English translation (Claude) And since they also assign wars to evil: how, by their account, can different fates apply when many thousands sometimes fall at one time, or rather in one hour? Does some single fate bind them together under itself? And how is it not altogether most ridiculous to suppose this? So the inequality of fate (the grievous disease of those who have gone astray) has no place in reality; wars take their beginning from greed, and have their working by God’s permission. Their occasion is evil (I mean the desire of greed), which has been shown above to be a wrong of men, not of God; but death is not an evil of nature. For birth and death have been laid down by God in nature, not so that those who die may perish, but so that those who are born may be added to those who exist. For it would not be the part of a good being to give existence and having come to be only to the men who exist, but also to prepare those who do not yet exist for those who exist; so that those who have come to be, having run the course of life sufficiently, may receive death as rest from their running (not leading them to destruction, but transferring them elsewhere according to the worth of each), and those who do not exist may receive entry into being. Death laid down in nature, then, is not evil, however it may come. Nor must we examine the different circumstances through which it comes, but recognize one manner common to all: that the soul does not depart from the body without some circumstance and necessity, but stays as long as its natural lodging remains undestroyed. With this natural and common thing goes a certain fear, which has necessarily been taken on as a suspicion of punishment; not in all, but in those whose mind is ready for sin, to overturn it. For the man who is wise according to virtue is freed both from wrongdoing and from thinking death wretched; but the lover of sin fears death from the same folly from which he does wrong. Yet such a consequence of folly is necessary, so that by fearing what is not to be feared he may escape the harm of what he truly ought to fear (I mean sin). When, then, sin abounds among nations, of which greed is one kind, they become the cause for themselves of what appears to be punishment, which in truth, as has been said, would not be punishment, since it is fixed by common nature for all. It benefits both those who fall in war and those who are saved: to the one it gives an end of sin, in the other it produces an example for fear. And it benefits even if righteous men perish along with the multitude: for as death is for the unjust the end of injustice, so for the righteous, as victors, it is in a way the beginning of crowns. So something wonderful happens through God’s all-wise providence: what seems to punish does good, and not through painful things that he himself directly brings about, but through things he permits to men who go over to them of their own accord. So war is not the work of God but a necessary permission: in appearance for the suspicion of punishment against sin, but in truth for its end; and there, even if a righteous man falls (though it is unlikely that a righteous man makes war), he is benefited the more. For it is greater than ceasing from evil to enjoy the fruits of the toils of virtue, which is the lot of the pious after death. ### Translation notes - “Ο[ὖ]” is bracketed in Lagarde; translated. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.22 (Lagarde 1859, 38; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-22). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.23 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-15/#p-2-23 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 40 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Death, appointed for all, is good, ending the toil of the righteous and the sins of the wicked; the blame for war lies with human purpose, not with God. ### Greek text οἱ δὲ πρὸς ταῦτα διαμαχόμενοι, πρὶν τὸ χαθʼ ὅλου διελέγξαι κακόν, τὸ μέρος διαβάλλουσιν. εἰ γὰρ ὡς ἀπὸ κακίας ὑφεστηκυίας καὶ ἀρχῆς ἀνάρχου τοὺς πολέμους ἡμῖν κατακομίζουσιν, αὐτόν γε τὸν θάνατον καὶ μόνον κακίσαι προσῆκον ἦν αὐτοῖς. περιττὸν γὰρ τὰς προφάσεις ἐξετάζειν, τοῦ ἀναγκαίως συμβαίνοντος ἀκρίτου μένοντος. πῶς δʼ ἄν τὸν θάνατον κακίσαι δυνηθεῖεν, ἀπολύοντά γε τῆς ὕλης (κατὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ ἀπατεῶνος) τὴν ψυχήν; ὥστε κατὰ μὲν τὴν κοινὴν δόξαν ἥκιστά γε θάνατος κακόν. τὸ γὰρ ἀναγκαίως τοῖς πᾶσι συμβαῖνον οὐ κακόν. μάτην αὐτὸν διὰ τοὺς πολέμους διαβάλλουσιν, οὐδὲν πλέον ἐπάγοντα τῶν κατὰ φύσιν ἀποκειμένων. εἰ δέ τις τὴν πρόφασιν αὐτὴν τῶν πολέμων κακίζοι, εἴτʼ οὖν ὀργὴν εἴτʼ ἔχθραν εἴτε καὶ πλεονεξίαν, οὐχ ἄν διαμαρτάνοι τοῦ πρέποντος" ἀνθρώποις μέντοι λογιστέον τοῦτό γε, μοχθηρίᾳ προθέσεως οὕτω διατεθειμένοις. ὅτι δὲ ὁ θάνατος ἥκιστα κακός, δειχθείη μάλιστα ἂν ἐκείνως. εἰ γὰρ μὴ κατὰ πάντων ὥριστο, ὅ τε δίκαιος διὰ παντὸς ἄν ἐπόνει πρὸς ἀρετήν, οὐδὲν πλέον τῶν ἱδρώτων καρπούμενος, ὅ τε ἄδικος ἐν ἡδοναῖς ἄν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἀθάνατος διῆγεν" καὶ ἦν ἄν ἑκάτερον λίαν ἄτοπον. ὃ δὲ θάνατος καὶ τὴν ἄδικον ἡδονὴν τῷ πλημμελοῦντι καταστέλλει καὶ τὸν δίκαιον πόνον τῷ δικαιοπραγοῦντι καταπαύσει. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀναγκαῖον ἀνθρώποις τὸ δύνασθαι ἁμαρτάνειν, αἴτιον ὃν τοῦ δύνασθαι κατορθοῦν, ἢ δὲ ἐξουσία παρὰ θεοῦ δοθεῖσα πρὸς τὴν καλοῦ χἀγαθοῦ κτῆσιν παρὰ τοῖς πλείοσι πρὸς τὸ εὔκολον τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀποκλίνει, ὡς θαυμασιωτέραν εἶναι τὴν ἀρετὴν δυσχερείᾳ συγκεκραμένην, ὠφέλιμός γε ὁ θάνατος ἑκατέροις, δικαίῳ τε καὶ ἀδίκῳ, τῷ μὲν ἀνάπαυλαν τῶν πόνων, τῷ δὲ τέλος τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων παρέχων. ἀγαθοῦ τοίνυν εὑρισκομένου (οὐχὶ μόνον μὴ κακοῦ) τοῦ θανάτου, οὐ κατὰ τὸν μανέντος λόγον, ὡς ἀπολύοντος τῆς μὴ οὔσης ὕλης τὴν ψυχὴν, ἀλλὰ τὸν εἰρημένον τρόπον, τοῦ τίνος χάριν ἀρχὴν κακίας ἐπινοήσαιμεν ἂν τοῖς πολέμοις, οὐχὶ δὲ μόνον τὴν ἄδικον πρόθεσιν τῶν χρωμένων διαβαλοῦμεν; τὸ γὰρ ἀποβαῖνον (ὅπερ ἄν τις λογίσαιτο τῇ προνοίᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ) δίκαιον οὐχ ἐκ πολέμου μόνον, ἀλλὰ κατὰ πάντα τρόπον καθʼ ὅλου τῇ φύσει ἀγαθὸν (οὐ μόνον οὐ κακόν) τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν ἀπεδείχθη, ὥστε τὸν πόλεμον διαβλητέον, οὐ τὸν ἀποβαίνοντα θάνατον, συμφερόντως κείμενον, ἀλλὰ τῶν χρωμένων (καὶ μάλιστα μὴ δικαίως) τὴν πρόθεσιν, ἧς ὅ γε προνοῶν τῶν χαθʼ ἡμᾶς ἀναίτιος. ### English translation (Claude) Those who fight against these points slander the part before refuting the evil of the whole. For if they bring wars upon us as coming from an existing evil and a beginningless principle, they ought to have decried death itself alone; for it is superfluous to examine the occasions while what necessarily happens remains unjudged. And how could they decry death, which (by the deceiver’s account) frees the soul from matter? So according to the common view death is by no means evil; for what necessarily happens to all is not evil. They slander it in vain because of wars, since it brings nothing more than what is laid up by nature. But if someone decries the occasion of wars itself, whether anger or enmity or greed, he would not miss what is fitting; but this must be reckoned to men, disposed in this way by the wickedness of their purpose. That death is by no means evil may best be shown thus. If it had not been appointed for all, the righteous man would be toiling for virtue for ever, gaining nothing more from his sweat, and the unjust man would live on immortal in the pleasures of his sins; and each would be quite absurd. But death checks the unjust pleasure of the wrongdoer and brings to rest the just toil of the one who does right. For since it is necessary for men to be able to sin, since this is the cause of being able to do right, and since the power given by God for the acquisition of the noble and good turns aside in most people toward the ease of sin, so that virtue, mixed with difficulty, is all the more admirable, death is useful to both, the righteous and the unjust, giving the one rest from toils and the other an end of sins. Since death, then, is found to be good (not only not evil), not according to the madman’s account, as freeing the soul from the matter that does not exist, but in the way we have said, why should we imagine a principle of evil for wars, and not simply blame the unjust purpose of those who wage them? For what results (which one might reckon to God’s providence) has been shown above to be just, not from war alone, but in every way and in general good by nature (not only not evil); so that war is to be blamed, not the death that results, which is laid down for our advantage, but the purpose of those who wage it (especially unjustly), for which he who provides for our affairs is not responsible. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.23 (Lagarde 1859, 40; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-23). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.24 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-15/#p-2-24 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 41 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Natural disasters are God’s admonitions, like a father’s discipline or a physician’s surgery, rousing people whom prosperity makes forgetful of God. ### Greek text αὖθις ἕτερον εἶδος, ὧν ὃ χαλεπώτατα μανεὶς αἰτιᾶται, σεισμῶν καὶ λοιμῶν καὶ λιμῶν ἀφοριῶν τε καὶ ἀκρίδων καὶ τῶν τοιούτων, ὡς ἐξ ἐναντίας ἀρχῆς καὶ τοῦτο γινόμενον. δῆλον δὲ τοῖς ἅπασιν ὡς ἐν μὲν ταῖς λίαν εὐθυμίαις τε καὶ εὐπραγίαις εἰώθασιν ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολὺ πλὴν ὀλίγων πάντες ἄνθρωποι διακαυνοῦσθαι τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ τοῖς πάθεσιν ὑποκατακλίνεσθαι καὶ μνήμην ἀρετῆς τε καὶ πόνων εὐσεβείας οὐδεμίαν ἔχειν. καὶ τοῦτό εἰκότως τρόπον τινὰ συμβαίνει. ἐπειδὰν γὰρ πλησμονὴ σιτίων τε καὶ ποτῶν ἄμετρος διὰ πολλὴν εὐπορίαν ἀνθρώποις ἐγγένηται, γαστρὸς ἐπὶ πλέον πιαινομένης. παχύνεται μὲν ὁ νοῦς, ὑπτιοῦται δὲ ὃ λογισμός, βαρυνομένη δὲ ἡ ψυχὴ τοῖς ἀλογίστοις πάθεσιν ὑποβάλλεται. εἰ δέ τις συμβαίη τῶν κατειλεγμένων συμφορῶν, ἧττον μὲν γαστρὸς φροντίζουσιν ἄνθρωποι, ἧττον δὲ ταῖς ἡδοναῖς δουλεύουσι, σωφροσύνην τε καὶ εὐσέβειαν (ὅση δύναμις) μεταδιώκουσι καὶ βελτιοῦνται τὸν τρόπον, ὡς οἷόν τε, πιεζόμενοι μᾶλλον ἢ εὐθηνούμενοι. ποῖα τοίνυν προσοίσαιμεν τῇ κακίᾳ κατὰ τὸν ἐκείνου λόγον; τὰ τῇ μὲν αἰσθήσει λυπηρά, τῇ δὲ ἐνεργείᾳ λίαν ὠφέλιμα;. ποῖα δὲ τῷ ἀγαθῷ; τὰ ἡδέα μέν, ἔστι δʼ ὅτε βλαβερώτατα; καὶ πῶς οὐ δόξει παιδαγωγὸς εἶναι μᾶλλον πρὸς ἀρετὴν ἢ κακία τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ; πολλάκις γὰρ οὗς μὴ μετέβαλεν ἐπὶ τὸ κρεῖττον εὐθηνία, μετεποίησέ τις προσπεσοῦσα λύπη καὶ συμφορά. δέονται γὰρ ἄνθρωποι - καὶ τοιούτων τινῶν ἀναμνήσεων κατὰ καιροὺς πρὸς τὸ διεγείρεσθαι τὸν νοῦν καὶ τῆς πλείονος ῥᾳστώνης ἀπαλλάττεσθαι. εἰ μὲν γὰρ εὐθηνο[υ]μένους ἣν ἰδεῖν αὐτοὺς τῶν γοῦν μεγάλων ἀδικημάτων ἀπεχομένους» μετρία δὲ πλημμελοῦντας, ἦν ἄν τις εὔλογος καταδρομὴ ὡς οὐ κατὰ λόγον καὶ τῶν τοιούτων συμβαινόντων" εἰ δὲ πρὸς τελείαν τοῦ χορηγοῦντος λήθην τὴν διηνεκῇ τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἀφθονίαν λαμβάνουσιν, ἀναγκαῖόν ποτε καὶ τὸ διεγείρεσθαι ταῖς συμφοραῖς εἰς μνήμην θεοῦ, ᾧγε προσῆκεν ἀδιάλειπτον τῆς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κηδεμονίας ὁμολογεῖν τὴν χάριν: ὥστε νουθετῶν θεὸς ἀνθρώπους οἰκονομεῖ τὰ τοιαῦτα, οὐχ ὀργῆς τινος πάθει κατεχόμενος, ἀλλὰ κηδεμονίας καὶ τῆς τῶν δεομένων ἐπιστροφῆς μεταποιούμενος" οὐδὲ γὰρ φιλανθρωπίας τῆς ἀνωτάτω καὶ ἀκριβοῦς ἂν εἴη τὸ ὑποκορίζεσθαί γε χρηστότητι τὰ ἀνθρώπινα πάθη καὶ τῷ ἀνεπιπλήκτῳ τὴν αὔξησιν αὐτοῖς ἐπιτρέπειν. τοὐναντίον γὰρ τοῦτο πρὸς ἀπανθρωπίαν ὁρᾷ, εἴγε βουλόμενος τῆς κατὰ τὸ φαινόμενον μὴ ἐξίστασθαι χρηστότητος, ἐπιβούλως συγχωροίη πρὸς ἔκλυσιν κακίας πάντη καταπίπτειν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους. λέγω δὲ τὰ χρηστὰ παρέχων καὶ τὰ νομιζόμενα λυπηρὰ ἀναγκαίως ἐπάγει. οὐδὲ γὰρ πατὴρ πλημμελοῦντα παῖδα τύπτων ἀπάνθρωπος“ τοὐναντίον μὲν οὖν, εἰ μὴ πρὸς ἐπιστροφὴν ἄγοι τοῦτον, οὐ δόξει φειδὼ πατρικὴν ἐνδείκνυσθαι. οὐδέ τέμνων καὶ καίων ἰατρὸς ἑλκῶν νομάς ἀπάνθρωπος, ἀλλʼ ὅσῳ τοῦ λόγου τῆς τέχνης ʼ μεταποιεῖται, τοσούτῳ φειδόμενος τοῦ κάμνοντος προσάγει τὴν ἀλγηδόνα τῶν αὐστηροτέρων βοηθημάτων ὡς ἀπολουμένου μὲν πρὸς τῶν ἑλκῶν τοῦ κάμνοντος, εἰ μὴ τοῦτον βοηθηθείη τὸν τρόπον, σωθησομένου δέ, τομῆς τε καὶ χαυστῆρος εἰ δέοι προσαγομένων. ὥστε κατὰ τὸ ὑπόδειγμα ἄνθρωποί εἰσιν οἱ τά γε ἀνιαρὰ ποιοῦντες χαθʼ ἑαυτῶν μᾶλλον ἢ ὁ θεός, οἱ τὴν χρείαν καὶ τοὺς καιροὺς προθέσει γε οἰκείᾳ προκατασκευάζοντες διὰ τῶν οἰκείων παθῶν. ὡς γὰρ τοῦ χαυτῆρος οὐχ ὃ ἰατρὸς ποιεῖ τὸν καιρόν τε καὶ τὴν χρείαν; ἀλλὰ τὸ ὑποκείμενον ἕλκος καὶ τὸν ἰατρὸν ἐπείγεται καὶ τὸν καυτῆρα καλεῖ, οὕτω δὴ καὶ τὰ ἀνθρώπινα πάθη προκαλεῖται τῶν εἰς θεραπείαν συντεινόντων παρὰ θεοῦ τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν, ἥκιστά γε ἀνεχομένου τῶν ἀνθρώπων (ὡς οἰκείου ἔργου) μὴ διὰ παντὸς προνοεῖν. ἐπέτρεψε μὲν γὰρ ἀνθρώποις τῆς ἀρετῆς καὶ τῆς καλοκαγαθίας ἐλευθέριον ἔχειν τὴν αἵρεσιν. ὑπερείδει μέντοι τὸ πρὸς τὰ πάθη σαθρὸν ἡμῶν διʼ ὦν ἐναργῶς ἔστιν ὅτε νο[υ]θετεῖ καὶ ἐπιπλήττει, οὔτε διηνεκῶς ἐπάγων τὰ αὐστηρότερα, ἵνα μὴ τῇ ἀνάγκῃ τῆς κατηφείας τὸ ἐλευθέριον ἐκβάλῃ, οὔτε ἄφετον πάντη τὴν ὁρμὴν τῆς ῥᾳστώνης ἡμῖν καταλιμπάνων, ἵνα μὴ τὰς προλήψεις τῶν παθῶν ἀνιάτους ἀφίῃ" ἑκάτερα δὲ ἀρρήτῳ σοφίᾳ πρὸς ἀνθρώπων ὠφέλειαν οἰκονομεῖ, ἑκάστου τὸν δέοντα καιρὸν ἐπιστάμενος. ### English translation (Claude) Again, there is another kind of thing that the most grievously mad man blames: earthquakes, plagues, famines, crop failures, locusts and the like, as though this too came from the opposite principle. But it is plain to all that in great cheerfulness and prosperity nearly all men, with few exceptions, are commonly slack in mind, give way to their passions and keep no memory of virtue and of the toils of piety. And this happens, in a way, naturally. For when unmeasured fullness of food and drink comes to men through great abundance, as the belly is fattened, the mind is thickened, reason lies on its back, and the soul, weighed down, is subjected to irrational passions. But if one of the misfortunes listed should happen, men care less for the belly, serve pleasures less, pursue self-control and piety (as far as they can), and improve their ways, as far as possible, when pressed rather than when thriving. Which, then, shall we assign to evil, by his account? The things painful to the senses but very beneficial in their working? And which to the good? The things pleasant, but sometimes most harmful? And how will evil not seem to be a better tutor toward virtue than the good? For often those whom prosperity did not change for the better, some grief or misfortune that befell them has transformed. For men need such reminders at times, to rouse the mind and to be freed from too much ease. If one could see them, when prosperous, keeping at least from great wrongs and erring only moderately, there might be a reasonable attack on such things as happening without reason. But if they take the continual abundance of necessities as occasion for complete forgetfulness of the giver, it is necessary that they sometimes be roused by misfortunes to remember God, to whom we ought to confess unceasing thanks for his care for us. So God arranges such things to admonish men, not seized by any passion of anger, but intent on care and on the conversion of those who need it. For it would not belong to the highest and most exact love for mankind to coax human passions with kindness and let them grow by never rebuking them. On the contrary, that looks toward inhumanity, if, wishing not to depart from apparent kindness, he should treacherously allow men to fall wholly into the dissolution of evil. I say that he who gives good things also brings, of necessity, things thought painful. For a father who beats his erring son is not inhuman; on the contrary, if he did not lead him to conversion, he would not seem to show a father’s care. Nor is a physician who cuts and burns spreading sores inhuman; rather, the more he holds to the reason of his art, the more, sparing the patient, he applies the pain of the harsher remedies, since the patient would perish from his sores if he were not helped in this way, but will be saved if surgery and cautery are applied when needed. So, by this example, it is men who bring painful things upon themselves rather than God, preparing beforehand the need and the occasions by their own purpose, through their own passions. For as it is not the physician who makes the occasion and the need for cautery, but the sore beneath urges the physician on and calls for the cautery, so human passions call forth from God care in what serves their healing, since he by no means allows himself not to provide for men always, as his own work. For he has entrusted to men a free choice of virtue and nobility; yet he props up what is rotten in us toward the passions by the means through which he sometimes plainly admonishes and rebukes, neither bringing the harsher things continually, lest by the necessity of dejection he drive out freedom, nor leaving us wholly unchecked in the impulse to ease, lest he leave the hold of the passions incurable. Both he arranges with ineffable wisdom for men’s benefit, knowing the right time for each. ### Translation notes - In “εὐθηνο[υ]μένους” and “νο[υ]θετεῖ” the bracketed letters are Lagarde’s. Φῦ in “σαθρὸν φῦ ἡμῶν” is a stray OCR mark. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.24 (Lagarde 1859, 41; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-24). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.25 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-15/#p-2-25 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 42 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Calamities turn people to prayer and piety, so they serve souls and are not evils. ### Greek text αὐτίκα ἴδοις ἄν σεισμὸν ἣ ὄμβρων ἔνδειαν ἣ ἀκρίδων ἐπιφοράν, καὶ ἅμα σχεδὸν ἅπαντας ἀνθρώπους πρὸς εὐλάβειαν ἐπικλινομένους καὶ πρὸς ἱκεσίαν τοῦ μεταγαγεῖν τὰ τοιαῦτα δυναμένου. εἰ δὲ τὰ μὲν δοκοῦντα συνήθως ἡδέα καὶ χρηστὰ τὸν ἀνθρώπινον λογισμὸν ὑπτιοῖ, τὰ δὲ ἀνιαρὰ διεγείρει καὶ συστρέφει πρὸς εὐσεβεστέραν κατάστασιν, πῶς οὐχ ἄν τις ἐκεῖνα μὲν ὑπὲρ σωμάτων, ταῦτα δὲ ὑπὲρ ψυχῶν φαίη πρὸς θεοῦ διοικεῖσθαι; ἄρʼ οὖν τὰ διεγείροντα ψυχὰς εἰς εὐσέβειάν τε καὶ ἀρετὴν κλητέον κακά; κἂν γὰρ τῇ αἰσθήσει τῶν ὑποκειμένων ἀνιαρὰ τυγχάνῃ, πρὸς μέντοι σωτηρίαν ἀνθρώπων ἀναγκαίως ἐπάγεται. ### English translation (Claude) For example, you may see an earthquake, or a lack of rain, or an onset of locusts, and at the same time almost all men inclining toward reverence and toward supplication of him who can turn such things away. If, then, what usually seems pleasant and good makes human reason lie back, while painful things rouse it and turn it to a more pious state, how could one not say that God governs the former for the sake of bodies and the latter for the sake of souls? Are the things that rouse souls to piety and virtue, then, to be called evils? Even if they are painful to the senses of those who undergo them, they are brought on of necessity for men’s salvation. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.25 (Lagarde 1859, 42; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-25). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.26 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-15/#p-2-26 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 43 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: By Mani’s own logic calamities that check bodily excess would be good, since they diminish matter; both prosperity and adversity come from the good God. ### Greek text ὁ μέντοι πρὸς ἀλήθειαν [μανεὶς] Μάνης πάντη ἑαυτῷ μαχόμενος ἀγνοεῖ. εἰ γὰρ ἐπιβλαβὴς τῆς ὕλης ἢ αὔξησις, τίς οὐχ ἄν αἴσθοιτο ὡς τοὐναντίον ἢ λέγει συμβαίνει: αὐξηθήσεται μὲν γὰρ αὕτη κατὰ ἀνθρώπων ἀδιαλείπτως εὐθηνουμένων καὶ τρυφαῖς ἐσχολακότων. γαστρὶ καὶ τοῖς μετὰ γαστέρα δουλευόντων — μειωθήσεται δὲ εἰς τὰ μάλιστα διὰ λιμῶν καὶ λοιμῶν καὶ θανάτων, πρό[ο]οδον ταύτῃ μὴ ἐπιτρεπόντων πρὸς ἀδικίαν αὐξήσεως" ὥστε καὶ εἰκὸς ἦν αὐτὸν ἀγαθὰ ταῦτα καλεῖν κατὰ τὴν ὑπόθεσιν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ μᾶλλον ἣ κακά. οὕτω δʼ ἄν ἔδοξε βελτίονος ἐφικέσθαι λόγου, εἰ μὴ πάλιν τὰ ἡδέα πρὸς ἄλλας ἐναντίας ἀρχὰς τῷ λόγῳ φέρων αὖθις κακὰ προσηγόρευσεν. ἀγαθὰ γὰρ ἀμφότερα, λόγῳ πρὸς ἀγαθοῦ θεοῦ ἐπαγόμενα. ὁ δὲ χαίρων τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ πρὸς σύστασιν τῆς ὑφεστώσης (ὡς οἴεται) κακίας λυπεῖται πρὸς τὰς ἐνεργεῖς τοῦ θεοῦ νουθετήσεις, διʼ ὧν ἄνθρωποι βελτιούμενοι πολλάκις, ἔνιοι δὲ τελείως πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον μεταβαλλόμενοι, ἀσύστατόν γε αὐτοῦ τὸ δόγμα τῆς πλάνης ἀποφαίνουσι. ### English translation (Claude) But Mani, truly mad, fights against himself in every way without knowing it. For if the growth of matter is harmful, who would not see that the opposite of what he says happens? Matter will grow in men who prosper continually, have leisure for luxury and serve the belly and what comes after the belly; and it will be diminished most through famines, plagues and deaths, which do not allow it to advance toward the injustice of growth. So it would have been likely for him, by his own hypothesis, to call these things good rather than evil. And he would have seemed to reach a better account in this way, if he had not again ascribed pleasant things in his account to other, opposite principles and called them evil in turn. For both are good, being brought on by reason by the good God. But the man who rejoices in sin, to establish the evil he thinks exists, is grieved at God’s effective admonitions, through which men, often improved, and some wholly changed for the better, show the doctrine of his error to be incoherent. ### Translation notes - “[μανεὶς]” (“mad”) is bracketed in Lagarde; translated (a play on Mani’s name). In “πρό[ο]οδον” the bracketed letter is Lagarde’s. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.26 (Lagarde 1859, 43; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-26). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.27 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-27/#p-2-27 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 43 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: God sometimes withholds his common gifts so that people will ask and give thanks, recognizing him as the giver. ### Greek text πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἅπασι, τῶν συνήθως ὑπὸ θεοῦ δωρουμένων κοινῇ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις [εἰ] μηδεμία ἔστιν ὅτε συνέβαινε κώλυσις, φορᾷ φύσεως ἄν τινος ἀμεταβλήτου τὴν χορηγίαν αὐτῶν ἀνέθεσαν ἄνθρωποι καὶ οὐχ ἄν μὲν δεχόμενοι ταῦτα χάριν ὡμολόγησαν τῷ διδόντι; οὐχ ἄν δὲ ᾔτησαν μὴ ἔχοντες. στέρονται τοιγαροῦν ἐνίοτε πρὸς ὀλίγον ἵνα αἰτήσωσι, καὶ δέχονται αὖθις ἵνα χάριν ὁμολογήσωσι τῷ χορηγοῦντι, γινώσκοντες ὡς αὐτός γε ἐστὶν ὃ παρέχων καὶ οὐ φύσις ἄλλη τις παρὰ τὸν θεὸν ἄκριτός τε καὶ ἀμετάβλητος ἢ χορηγοῦσα. βούλεται δὲ θεὸς εἰδέναι χάριν ἀνθρώπους αὐτῷ, ἵνα ἀξιώτεροι τοῦ λαμβάνειν τὰ παρʼ αὐτοῦ γένωνται; οὐχ ἵνα τι καρπώσηται εἰς ἑαυτόν. βούλεται δὲ ἀγαθὰ τούτους αἰτεῖν, ἵνα δεχόμενοι αἴσθησιν τοῦ χορηγοῦντος ἔχωσι. χαίρει μὲν γὰρ τὰ παρʼ ἑαυτοῦ διδούς, χαίρει δὲ μᾶλλον ἀξίοις διδούς, ὡς τῆς φιλανθρωπίας τρόπον τινὰ ἀτιμαζομένης, εἰ μὴ πρὸς εὐαισθήτους γίνοιτο, εὐλόγου δὲ λίαν ἀποφαινομένης, εἰ πρὸς τὸ δέχεσθαι τὸν χορηγοῦντα ὑπὲρ πάντα ἔχοιεν οἱ δεχόμενοι. ### English translation (Claude) Besides all this, if there were never any hindrance to the things God commonly gives to all men, men would ascribe their supply to the course of some unchangeable nature, and on receiving them they would not give thanks to the giver, nor would they ask when they did not have them. So they are sometimes deprived for a little while so that they may ask, and they receive again so that they may give thanks to the giver, knowing that it is he who provides, and not some other nature beside God, undiscerning and unchangeable, that supplies them. And God wishes men to be grateful to him so that they may become more worthy to receive what is from him, not so that he may gain anything for himself. He wishes them to ask for good things so that, on receiving them, they may be aware of the giver. For he rejoices to give what is his, but rejoices more to give to the worthy; since his love for mankind is in a way dishonoured if it is shown to the unperceiving, but proves very reasonable if those who receive value the giver above all in receiving. ### Translation notes - “[εἰ]” is bracketed in Lagarde; translated. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.27 (Lagarde 1859, 43; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-27). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.28 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-27/#p-2-28 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 43 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: When cities are destroyed in impious times, as recently under the emperor who revived idolatry, death in numbers is still natural and serves to correct the living. ### Greek text κἀν πόλεις δὲ καταπίπτωσιν, ἐπιφυομένης ἀσεβείας (οἷα δὴ καὶ πρώην ἐπὶ τοῦ λίαν ἀσεβήσαντος καὶ τῶν εἰδώλων τὴν πλάνην ἀναμνήσαντος), φθείρεται ἡ ἁμαρτία καὶ μειοῦται ἣ κατὰ θεοῦ πλάνη" θανάτου δὲ κατὰ φύσιν πλέον οὐδὲν γίνεται καὶ ἥκιστα κακὸν τὸ τῆς θείας ἐπιστρεφείας. τοὐναντίον μὲν οὖν ὡς ἐν φαρμάκου εἴδει ἀγαθόν, κακὸν δὲ μόνον τὸ τὴν συμφέρουσαν οἰκονομίαν κακίζειν. ὁ γὰρ παιδοποιΐαν διαβάλλων ὡς αὐξητικὴν τῆς ὕλης, οὗτος θάνατον ἀθρόον κακίζων νοῦν γε ἀνθρώπινον ἄρʼ ἔχειν ἂν δοκοίη, μαχόμενα λίαν ἑαυτῷ φανταζόμενος; ἀλλʼ οὔτε παιδοποιΐα κακή, τὸ ἀείζωον τῷ θνητῷ γένει ποιοῦσα καὶ προστιθεῖσα τῇ δημιουργίᾳ τοὺς γινομένους" οὔτε θάνατος (κἂν πολὺς ἀθρόως ἐπενεχθείη) πονηρός, οὐχ ἐπὶ ζημίᾳ κατὰ ἀνθρώπων ὑπὸ θεοῦ κείμενος, ἀλλʼ ἐπʼ ὠφελείᾳ τῇ ἀνωτάτω δικαίοις τε καὶ ἀδίκοις ὡρισμένος. τὸ δὲ κατὰ μέρος ἑκάστῳ συμβαῖνον φυσικῶς, τοῦτο πολλοῖς ἀθρόως εἰ ἐπέλθοι, κατὰ φύσιν μὲν ἔπεισι καὶ πλέον οὐδέν, τοσούτῳ δὲ τοῦ κατὰ μέρος μείζονα τοῦ οἰκονομοῦντος τὴν κηδεμονίαν σημαίνει, ὅσῳ τὸ μὲν οὐδὲν τεκμήριον κατακρίσεως τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων ἔχει, τὸ δὲ τῇ κατὰ τὸ φαινόμενον ἀγανακτήσει τοὺς μὲν τελευτῶντας τὸν εἰρημένον πάλαι τρόπον εὐεργετεῖ, τοὺς δὲ ζῶντας ἐπιστρέφει, ### English translation (Claude) And if cities fall when impiety springs up (as happened recently in the time of the man who was very impious and revived the error of idols), sin is destroyed and the error against God diminished; nothing more than natural death happens, and divine correction is by no means evil. On the contrary, it is good, like a kind of medicine; and the only evil is to decry the beneficial economy. For the man who slanders the begetting of children as increasing matter, and decries death in great numbers, would he seem to have a human mind, imagining things so contrary to himself? But neither is the begetting of children evil, which makes the mortal race ever-living and adds those born to creation; nor is death (even if much of it comes at once) wicked, since it was not laid down by God for men’s loss but appointed for the highest benefit of righteous and unrighteous alike. What happens naturally to each individually, if it comes upon many at once, comes according to nature and nothing more; but it shows the care of the one who arranges it to be greater than in the individual case, in that the one has no sign of the condemnation of sinners, while the other, by apparent indignation, benefits those who die in the manner described earlier, and turns back the living, ### Translation notes - “The man who was very impious and revived the error of idols” is probably the emperor Julian (361–363), in whose reign several cities were destroyed by earthquakes; identification probable. The section ends mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.28 (Lagarde 1859, 43; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-28). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.29 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-27/#p-2-29 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 44 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: That many remain sinful does not show calamities are useless, any more than fish in the sea show fishing is idle; fear converts some and restrains others. ### Greek text εἰ δέ τις πολλῶν πολλάκις τοιούτων γιγνομένων δείκνυσι τὸν ἀνθρώπινον βίον τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐμπλεκόμενον ἀδικήμασι, παραπλήσιον ἐμοί γε δοκεῖ πάσχειν ὁ τοιοῦτος, [ὡς] εἴ τις ἐν λίμναις καὶ θαλάττῃ τοὺς ἰχθύας ὁρῶν οἴοιτο τὴν ἁλιευτικὴν τέχνην ἀργεῖν, τοὺς θηρωμένους οὐχ ὁρῶν, τοὺς δὲ νηχομένους ἐν τοῖς ὕδασι βλέπων" ἢ ὥσπερ εἴ τις πολλοὺς κάμνοντας ὁρῶν μηδὲν τὴν ἰατρικὴν ἐνέργειαν οἰηθείη. πολλῶν γὰρ εὐεργετουμένων εἰς εὐσέβειάν τε καὶ ἀρετήν, διʼ ὧν ἔστιν ὅτε τὰ φοβερὰ θεὸς οἰκονομεῖ, ὁ φιλαίτιος τὸ μὲν κατορθούμενον ἀρνεῖται, τὸ δὲ φιλόνεικον τῶν πολλῶν εἰς ἁμαρτίαν ὀνειδίζει. καίτοι φαμὲν οὐδʼ ἡμεῖς ἀναγκαστικὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς εἶναι τὰ τοιαῦτα, ἀλλʼ ἀποτρεπτικὰ τοῦ ἁμαρτάνειν τοῖς εὐγνωμονοῦσιν. αὐτίκα πρὸς ὀλίγον ἐπαγόμενα ταχέως ἀποπαύεται, ἵνα μὴ βιάσηται μᾶλλον ἣ πειθοῖ μεταβάλῃ αὖθις δὲ τὰ συνήθη πολιτεύεται, τὸ δόκιμον τῆς προθέσεως τοῖς μεταβαλλομένοις ἐμποιοῦντα, ἵνα καὶ μόνην τῶν ὑποδειγμάτων τὴν μνήμην ἀντʼ ἐρείσματος ἔχοιεν τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἀσθενείας οἱ εὐγνώμονες. ῥητέον δὲ μᾶλλον ὡς εἰ καὶ τῶν τοιούτων συμβαινόντων ὀλίγοι τινὲς καὶ εὐαρίθμητοι τυγχάνουσιν οἱ διαμειβόμενοι, πῶς οὐχ ἄν ἐπέδωκεν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον πονηρίας τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὁ λογισμός, εἴπερ ἢ διὰ τῶν τοιούτων ἀποτροπὴ μὴ ἐπίοι; εἰ δὲ καὶ μηδεὶς ἐντεῦθεν, ὠφελοῖτο (ὅπερ ἠλίθιον εἰπεῖν), βέλτιον ʼἀνθρώπους ἐλέγχεσθαι ὡς μηδὲ τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον ἐνδιδόντας ἣ θεὸν ἀμελείας ἄνʼ αἰτίαν ὑπέχειν ὡς μηκέτι ἐπιστρεφείᾳ χρώμενον" ᾧ χρηστέον λόγῳ κατὰ τῶν μὴ ἐπαισθανομένων. δῆλον γὰρ τοῖς εὐγνώμοσιν ὡς οὐ μόνον πρὸς τὸ τέλειον ἐνίους τῆς πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον μεταβολῆς ὁ φόβος ἄγει, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀπορρήτως μειοῖ τὴν πρὸς ἀδικίαν ὁρμὴν καὶ τόλμαν. ### English translation (Claude) And if someone, since such things often happen, points out that human life is entangled in the same wrongs, such a man seems to me to be in the same case as one who, seeing fish in lakes and the sea, thinks the fisherman’s art is idle, because he does not see those that are caught but sees those swimming in the waters; or as one who, seeing many sick, should think that medicine does nothing. For while many are benefited toward piety and virtue by the means through which God sometimes arranges fearful things, the fault-finder denies what is achieved and reproaches the contentiousness of the many toward sin. Yet we ourselves do not say that such things compel the many, but that they turn the well-disposed away from sinning. Indeed, brought on for a little while, they quickly cease, so as not to force rather than persuade to change; and then the usual things return, producing an approved purpose in those who change, so that the well-disposed may have even the mere memory of the examples as a prop for their weakness. Rather, we must say: if, even when such things happen, those who change are few and easily counted, how far would human reasoning not have advanced in wickedness if the deterrence through such things did not come? And even if no one were benefited from it (which is foolish to say), it is better that men be convicted as not yielding even in this way than that God bear the blame of neglect as no longer using correction; and this argument is to be used against those who do not perceive. For it is plain to the well-disposed that fear not only leads some to the completion of change for the better, but also secretly lessens in others the impulse and daring toward injustice. ### Translation notes - “[ὡς]” is bracketed in Lagarde; translated. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.29 (Lagarde 1859, 44; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-29). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.30 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-27/#p-2-30 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 45 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Titus turns to creation, beginning with darkness and night, which Mani takes as evidence of his realm of darkness. ### Greek text ἔλθωμεν δὴ λοιπὸν καὶ εἰς τὸν περὶ δημιουργίας λόγον, πρὸς τοῦ ἀπατεῶνος συκοφαντουμένης, καὶ πρῶτόν γε περὶ σκότους καὶ νυκτὸς ἐξετάσωμεν, ὅπερ μάλιστα κακίζει, τὴν διάνοιαν ἐσκοτωμένος" σκότος γὰρ ἐν νυκτὶ φαινόμενον ἐκείνου τοῦ σκότους, ὃ Μάνης εἶναι φαντάζεται ὡς ὄν, τεκμήριον τοῦ μὴ ὄντος λαμβάνει, μηδὲν παντελῶς μήτε βλέπων μήτε νοῶν, ἀλλὰ τυφλοῦ δίκην τοῖς πράγμασι προσπταίων. “καὶ καλεῖ σκότος καὶ οἱονεὶ φρίττει ὡς μηδὲ λόγου δεόμενος πρὸς ἀπόδειξιν τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ψευδολογίας, ὡς αὐτόθεν διαβεβοημένου πράγματος τὸ ὄνομα λαμβάνων. ### English translation (Claude) Let us come now to the discussion of creation, which the deceiver slanders, and let us first examine darkness and night, which he decries most of all, darkened as he is in mind. For he takes the darkness that appears at night as evidence of that darkness which Mani imagines exists, as of something that does not exist, seeing and understanding nothing at all, but stumbling against things like a blind man. And he calls it darkness and, as it were, shudders, as though needing no argument to prove his false account, taking the name as of a thing proclaimed by its very self. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.30 (Lagarde 1859, 45; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-30). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.31 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-27/#p-2-31 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 45 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Darkness is not a substance but the absence of light, like a shadow; the sun exists at night, but darkness does not exist by day. ### Greek text ῥητέον τοίνυν ὡς τοῦτο δὴ τὸ σκότος καλεῖται μέν, οὐ μὴν ὑφέστηκε κατʼ οὐσίαν, ἐπισυμβαίνει δὲ χαθʼ ἡμέραν καὶ ἀποσυμβαίνει, παραχολούθημα. καὶ σκιᾶς τρόπον ὑπάρχον. δεδημιούργηται μὲν γὰρ εἰς ὑπόστασιν οὐσίας οὐδαμῶς, κόσμου δὲ δημιουργηθέντος σκιὰ τυγχάνει. ἄνθρωπος τίκτεται μὲν γὰρ καθʼ ἑαυτόν, παραχολουθεῖ δὲ αὐτῷ πρὸς τὸν ὄγκον τοῦ σώματος ἢ σκιά, καὶ οὐ δήπου συγκατεσκευάσθαι δόξειεν ἐν ἑαυτῷ, ἀλλʼ ἐπισυμβαίνει πρὸς τὴν τοῦ σώματος θέσιν καὶ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ φωτὸς περίοδον. οὕτω δὴ καὶ νὺξ καὶ σκότος (σωματικοῦ τοῦ κόσμου δηλαδὴ τυγχάνοντος) παραχολούθημα μόνον ἐστίν, οὐ μὴν δημιουργήματος τρόπον οὐσιῶδες κατεσκεύασται. τοῦ γὰρ ἡλίου τὸν μεθημερινὸν δρόμον περαίνοντος, πρὸς δὲ τὰς ἰδίας ἀναχωρήσεις τρεπομένου, τοῦ κόσμου τὰ ἐντὸς ἐπάναγκες ἅπαντα σκιάζεσθαι, ἔξω τυγχάνοντος τοῦ φωτίζοντος, οὕτω δὴ θεοῦ βουληθόντος διʼ ἃς αἰτίας μικρὸν ὕστερον ὡς δύναμις ἐροῦμεν. αὐτίκα καὶ μεθʼ ἡμέραν. πρὸς τὸ ἀντικείμενον μέρος τῆς τοῦ φωτὸς θέσεως τὰ ἀνέχοντα τῶν σωματικῶν ὄγκων παραπέμπει τὰς σκιὰς καὶ συμμεταβαίνει τῷ φωτὶ πρὸς τοὐναντίον ἢ σκιά. καὶ οὗ μὲν ἕως μεσημβρίας ἥλιος, μετὰ μεσημβρίαν σχιάοὗ δὲ σκιὰ μετὰ μεσημβρίαν, ἥλιος μετὰ ταύτην γίνεται. σκιὰ δὲ ἣ σκιὰ μεθʼ ἡμέραν καὶ οὐ παντελῶς σκότος, ἐπειδὴ τὸ περιέχον πανταχόθεν ἀνεωγὸς καὶ τοῖς σχιαζομένοις τόποις τοῦ φέγγους παρέχει τὴν μετουσίαν. εἰ γοῦν οἶκόν τινα τελείως ἀποκλείσαις ὡς μηδὲ στενὴν γοῦν εἴσοδον καταλιπεῖν τῷ φωτὶ αὐτῷ, νύκτα ποιήσεις καὶ ἐν μεσημβρίᾳ. τοῦτο δὴ καὶ ἐν νυκτὶ γίνεται, πρὸς τοὺς ἰδίους χώρους ἡλίου γενομένου" ὥστε ἥ νὺξ στέρησις ἄν εἴη φωτός. μάθοι δʼ ἄν τις σαφέστερον τὸ γινόμενον, εἰ νοήσειεν ὡς ἐν νυκτὶ μὲν ἐστί ποῦ διαμένων καὶ ὑπάρχων ὁ ἥλιος, μεθʼ ἡμέραν δὲ οὐδαμοῦ τὸ σκότος. ἀλλὰ παντελῶς διαλυόμενον ἀφανίζεται: ὥστε φωτὸς μὲν γέγονεν οὐσία, σκότους δὲ οὐδαμῶς. ### English translation (Claude) We must say, then, that this darkness is indeed called so, but does not exist in substance; it comes and goes daily, existing as a consequence and in the manner of a shadow. It was not created to exist as a substance at all, but when the world was created it is a shadow. A man is born by himself, and the shadow accompanies him according to the bulk of his body; and it would surely not seem to have been made along with him in himself, but it comes about according to the position of the body and the circuit of the light. So too night and darkness (the world being plainly bodily) are only a consequence, not made as something substantial in the manner of a created thing. For when the sun completes its daily course and turns to its own withdrawals, all things inside the world are necessarily shadowed, since what gives light is outside; for so God willed it, for reasons we shall state a little later as far as we can. Indeed, by day too the bodily masses that stand up send their shadows toward the side opposite the position of the light, and the shadow moves round with the light to the opposite side. Where the sun is until noon, there is shadow after noon; and where the shadow is before noon, there the sun comes after it. And the shadow by day is a shadow and not wholly darkness, since the surrounding air, open on every side, gives a share of brightness to the shaded places too. If you shut up a house completely, leaving not even a narrow entrance for the light, you will make night even at noon. This happens at night, when the sun has gone to its own regions; so night would be a privation of light. One would learn what happens more clearly by considering that at night the sun is somewhere, remaining and existing, but by day darkness is nowhere, but is wholly dissolved and vanishes; so light has come into being as a substance, but darkness not at all. ### Translation notes - The sentence on shadow before and after noon is garbled in the OCR; translated by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.31 (Lagarde 1859, 45; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-31). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.32 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-27/#p-2-32 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 46 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Night gives rest equally to all, showing the Creator’s even-handedness. ### Greek text σκοπητέον δʼ ὅμως. νυκτὸς ὅσον τὸ ἀναγκαῖον. ἔστιν ἀνάπαυλα πρῶτον κοινῇ τοῖς πᾶσιν. ὃ γὰρ μεθʼ ἡμέραν ὕπνος τὸ ἀναγκαῖον τῆς νυκτὸς μᾶλλον παραδείκνυσιν, ἧς γε τοσοῦτος ὑπάρχων ὁ χρόνος οὐχ ἱκανὸς διαναπαῦσαι τὰς αἰσθήσεις ἀνθρώποις. καὶ τοῦ μὲν μεθʼ ἡμέραν ὕπνου οὐχ ἴση τοῖς πᾶσι μετοχή. τὸ δὲ ἐν νυκτὶ κοινὸν καὶ ἐπʼ ἴσης τοῖς πᾶσι τῆς διαναπαύσεως τὸ μέτρον, οὐχ ἔχον ἀνωμαλίαν πρὸς τὰ βιωτικὰ πλεονεκτήματαʼ ὅπερ οὐχ ἔλαττον τὴν ἰσότητα τοῦ δημιουργοῦ ὡς πρὸς ἕν γένος τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων μαρτύρεται. ### English translation (Claude) But let us consider how necessary night is. It is first a rest common to all. For sleep by day shows the necessity of night all the more, since night, long as it is, is not enough to rest the senses of men. And not all share equally in sleep by day; but at night the measure of rest is common and equal for all, with no unevenness according to the advantages of life; which bears witness no less to the Creator’s equality toward mankind as one race. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.32 (Lagarde 1859, 46; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-32). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.33 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-27/#p-2-33 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 46 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Night measures time and makes light perceptible and enjoyable by contrast. ### Greek text ἔπειτα εἰ διὰ παντὸς ὑπῆρχεν ἡμέρα ἀδιάδεκτον ἔχουσα τὸ διάστημα, οὐχ ἄν ἐμετρήθη χρόνος, εἰς μέρη μὴ τετμημένος, ἢ δὲ χαθʼ ἡμέραν τοῦ χρόνου τομὴ διὰ τῶν μορίων τούτων καταριθμεῖσθαι ποιεῖ, χωρὶς δὲ χρόνου διαγνώσεως ἄλογος ἂν ἐν τοῖς πλείοσι γέγονεν ἀνθρώποις ὁ βίος. τὸ δὲ δὴ μεῖζον οὐχ ἄν φωτὸς γέγονεν ἀπόλαυσις, σκότους μὴ παρακειμένου τὸν εἰρημένον τρόπον νυκτερινοῦ. φῶς γὰρ σωματικὸν ἀδιάλειπτον οὐδʼ ὅτι φῶς ἐστιν ἐγνώσθη ἄν. πρὸς γὰρ ἀντιδιαστολὴν σκότους φῶς ὠνόμασται καὶ ἔστιν. οὐχ ἄν οὖν θαυμαστόν τι ἦν ὥς ἐστι δημιούργημα φανέν, εἰ μήγε ἢ θέσις τοῦ δοκοῦντος ἀντικεῖσθαι παρεδείκνυεν αὐτό. ὥστε καὶ τἄλλα μὲν πολλὰ χάριν ὁμολογητέον ἐπὶ τῇ νυκτὶ τῷ πανσόφῳ δημιουργῷ, μάλιστα δʼ ὅτι τοῦ φωτὸς ἐμποιεῖ τὴν αἴσθησίν τε καὶ τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν, οὐχ ἄν ἄλλως διαγνωσθέντος ὅτιπερ ἔστιν. ### English translation (Claude) Then, if it were always day, with an uninterrupted stretch, time would not have been measured, not being divided into parts; but the daily division of time makes it possible to count it by these portions, and without the recognition of time the life of most men would have become irrational. And what is more, there would have been no enjoyment of light, if the darkness of night were not beside it in the way described. For uninterrupted bodily light would not even have been known to be light; for light is named and is in contrast to darkness. So there would have been nothing wonderful in its appearing as a created thing, if the position of what seems opposed did not show it. So we must give thanks to the all-wise Creator for many other things in the matter of night, but most of all because it produces the perception and enjoyment of light, which would not otherwise have been recognized for what it is. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.33 (Lagarde 1859, 46; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-33). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.34 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-27/#p-2-34 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 46 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: God made darkness not a substance but something that comes and goes, so that night is useful and blameless. ### Greek text ἀλλʼ ἐκπλαγείη τις ἄν τὴν ἄρρητον τοῦ θεοῦ σοφίαν, ὅτι. τοσούτων καὶ ἔτι πλεόνων ἀναγκαίων τε καὶ χρησίμων διὰ σκότους ἀνθρώποις ὑπαρχόντων, ὅμως δέ, ἐπειδὴ σκότους ἦν ὄνομά τε καὶ πρᾶγμα, οὐ κατεσκεύακεν αὐτὸ κατʼ οὐσίαν, ἀλλὰ συμβαίνειν καὶ ἀποσυμβαίνειν αὐτὸ πεποίηκεν, ἵνα καὶ ὡς ὃν τά τε ῥηθέντα καὶ ἔτι πλείω παρέχῃ καὶ ὡς μὴ ὃν ἥκιστα διαβάλῃ τὸν δημιουργόν. ἄμεμπτος τοιγαροῦν ἣ νύξ,. ἀλλὰ καὶ θαυμασία παντοίως τῇ χρήσει. ### English translation (Claude) But one might be struck by the ineffable wisdom of God: though so many and still more necessary and useful things come to men through darkness, yet, since there was both a name and a thing called darkness, he did not make it in substance, but made it come and go, so that as existing it might provide what has been said and still more, and as not existing it might not at all bring blame on the Creator. Night, therefore, is blameless, and indeed wonderful in its use in every way. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.34 (Lagarde 1859, 46; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-34). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.35 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-27/#p-2-35 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 46 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Crimes done at night are the fault of the criminal’s purpose, not of night, which invites only sleep. ### Greek text φασὶ δὲ λῃστὴν ἐν νυκτὶ κακουργεῖν καὶ τί δὴ πρὸς τὴν νύκτα; εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἐνεδέχετο καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κακοπραγεῖν τοὺς βουλομένους, ἐχρῆν τῆς νυκτὸς διαβάλλεσθαι ὁ τὸν καιρόν" ἐπεὶ δὲ τὴν εὐκαιρίαν τῆς κακουργίας ὁ δρῶν ἀναμένει, κἀν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κἀν ἐν νυκτὶ παραπέσοι, τὴν πρόθεσιν τοῦ δρῶντος, οὐ τὸν καιρὸν αἰτιατέον: πλὴν εἰ νυκτί γε ἐπείθετο, κακοῦργος ἅπας ἐκάθευδεν ἄν· τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ μόνον παρεγγυᾷ. ### English translation (Claude) They say that the robber does his evil at night. And what has that to do with night? If it were not possible for those who wish to do evil also by day, the time of night would have to be blamed; but since the doer waits for the opportunity of evildoing, whether it falls by day or by night, it is the purpose of the doer, not the time, that must be blamed. Besides, if he obeyed the night, every evildoer would have been asleep; for that is all it urges. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.35 (Lagarde 1859, 46; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-35). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.36 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-27/#p-2-36 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 47 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Falsehood, like darkness, has no substance; the possibility of lying exists so that truth may be freely chosen. ### Greek text θεωρητέον δὴ ἐπὶ τούτοις ὡς ἀναλόγως ἀλλήλοις ἀντιχεῖσθαι δοκεῖ φῶς τε καὶ σκότος, ἀλήθειά τε καὶ ψεῦδος. ὅπερ γὰρ φῶς σώματι, τοῦτο ἀλήθεια ψυχῇ, καὶ ὅπερ σκότος ὀφθαλμοῖς, τοῦτο ἄγνοια καὶ ψεῦδος διανοίᾳ. ἄνθρωπος μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ ψυχή τε καὶ σῶμα, παρὰ δὲ θεοῦ πρὸς ἑκάτερον τὴν χορηγίαν ἔχων, διὰ μὲν σώματος σωματικοῦ. φωτὸς ἀπολαύει, διὰ δὲ ψυχῆς νοητῆς ἀληθείας: ὥσπερ δὲ σκότος κατʼ οὐσίαν μὲν οὐχ ὑπάρχει, ἐπιέναι δὲ συγκεχώρηται μόνον, ὡς ἀποδέδεικται, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ψεῦδος ἀπὸ τινὸς μὲν οὐσίας ὑφεστηκυίας, ἣν ἐκεῖνος ἀρχὴν ἀγένητον καλεῖ, οὐ φέρεται οὐδὲ οὐσία τις ἐστὶν ὑφεστηκυῖά τε καὶ ζῶσα, ἐπινοίᾳ δὲ μόνον εἶναι συγκεχώρηται, συμβαίνειν τε καὶ ἀποσυμβαίνειν παραπλησίως τῷ σκότει, καὶ τοῦτο λίαν χρησίμως τε καὶ ἀναγκαίως. εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἐπετέτραπτο ψεύδους ἐπίνοια, ἀδόκιμος ἄν ἦν καὶ ἀβασάνιστος κατʼ ἀνθρώπους τῆς ἀληθείας ἣ αἵρεσις, μάτην δʼ ἄν καὶ ὠνομάζετο, εἰ μὴ τὸ ψεῦδος συγκεχώρητο τῇ ἐπινοίᾳ. οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἄν ἣν φιλαλήθης, εἰ μὴ καὶ τοῦ ψεύδεσθαι τὴν ἐπίνοιαν εἶχεν ἐφʼ ἑαυτῷ. οὔ φημι ὅτι προσκεχαρισμένον ἄν εἴη τῇ ἀληθείᾳ τὸ ψεῦδος, ἀλλʼ ὅτι τῆς ἀληθείας ἢ αἴρεσις οὐχ ἄν γε εἶναι ἐδόκει, εἰ μὴ παρέκειτο τοῦ ψεύδεσθαι ἥ ἐξουσία" ὃ δὴ ὑπὲρ τῶν φιλαλήθων, οὐχ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐστί. δεῖ γὰρ τὸν ἀληθεύοντα ἔχειν ἐφʼ ἑαυτῷ καὶ τὸ ψεύδεσθαι αὐτῷ ἐξεῖναι, οὗ ἀπεχόμενος ἀληθεύει. προσάγει τοίνυν ἀνθρώποις τῆς ἀληθείας τὴν προτίμησιν τὸ ἐξεῖναι ψεύδεσθαι, ὥσπερ φωτὸς ἀνακινεῖ τὴν αἴσθησιν ἢ θέσις τοῦ σκότους. ὥσπερ μέντοι τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει (διαλύει γὰρ αὐτὸ ἐπιόν, ἅτε δὴ μὴ κατʼ οὐσίαν ὑπάρχον), οὕτως καὶ ἢ ἀλήθεια κατὰ τοῦ ψεύδους κρατιστεύουσα διελέγχει παντελῶς αὐτὸ μὴ ὄν, ἐπινοίᾳ τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ τοῦ λογισμοῦ παρεισιὸν εἰς αἵρεσιν ἑαυτῆς. πῶς γὰρ ἄν τις ἀλήθειαν ἕλοιτο, εἰ μὴ καὶ τοῦ ἀντικειμένου τὴν αἵρεσιν ἔχοι ἐφʼ ἑαυτῷ. ### English translation (Claude) We must observe, besides, that light and darkness, truth and falsehood, seem to be opposed to each other in proportion. For what light is to the body, truth is to the soul; and what darkness is to the eyes, ignorance and falsehood are to the mind. For man is nothing else than soul and body, and having from God provision for each, he enjoys bodily light through the body and intelligible truth through the soul. And as darkness does not exist in substance but is only permitted to come on, as has been shown, in the same way falsehood is not carried from some existing substance, which that man calls an unbegotten principle, nor is it a substance existing and living; it is permitted to exist only in thought, coming and going like darkness, and this very usefully and necessarily. For if the thought of falsehood had not been permitted, men’s choice of truth would have been untested and unproved, and it would have been named in vain if falsehood had not been permitted to thought. For no one would be a lover of truth unless he also had in his own power the thought of lying. I do not say that falsehood would be a favour to truth, but that the choice of truth would not seem to exist if the power of lying were not at hand; and this is for the sake of lovers of truth, not for the sake of truth. For the one who speaks truth must have it in his power, and it must be possible for him, to lie, and by keeping from it he speaks truth. So the possibility of lying brings men to prefer truth, as the presence of darkness stirs the perception of light. And as light shines in the darkness (for when it comes it dissolves it, since it does not exist in substance), so truth, prevailing over falsehood, wholly shows it to be non-existent, slipping in through thought by the power of reason, so that truth may be chosen. For how could anyone choose truth if he did not also have in his own power the choice of its opposite? ### Scripture references - John 1:5: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - “Light shines in the darkness” recalls John 1:5. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.36 (Lagarde 1859, 47; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-36). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.37 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-27/#p-2-37 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 47 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: God, who is light and truth itself, freely and unchangeably never wills to lie; falsehood is a human invention, while darkness is a useful work of the Creator. ### Greek text εἰ μὲν οὖν δεῖξαι δυνατὸν ὡς κατʼ οὐσίαν ὑπάρχει τὸ σκότος, οὐχὶ δὲ συμβαίνει καὶ ἀποσυμβαίνει μόνον ὡς εἴρηται, τεθείη ἄν καὶ ψευδὴς οὐσία" εἰ δὲ μήτʼ ἐκεῖνος μήτε ἄλλος δεῖξαι δύναται ὡς τοῦτο δὴ τὸ σκότος οὐχὶ διάλυτόν ἐστι σκιᾶς τρόπον γιγνόμενον, ὡς τὸ μὲν φῶς ὑπάρχειν καὶ ἐν νυκτί, τὸ δὲ σκότος ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μὴ εἶναι, τὸ ἀναλόγως ἔχον αὐτῷ ψεῦδος δῆλον ὡς οὐδʼ αὐτὸ ὑφέστηκεν οὐσίας τρόπον τινά, ἀναγκαίως δὲ μόνον κατʼ ἐπίνοιαν ἐπιγίγνεσθαι συγκεχώρηται πρὸς αἵρεσιν τῆς ἀληθείας. ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὸ φῶς κατʼ οὐσίαν ὑφέστηκε, σαφῶς ἄρα καὶ ἀλήθειαν νομίσειεν ἄν τις κατʼ οὐσίαν ὑφεστάναι, ἵνα τῆς ἀναλογίας σώζηται ἢ ἀκρίβεια. καὶ τί δή τὸ κωλῦον θεὸν αὐτοαλήθειαν εἶναι ἡγεῖσθαί τε καὶ νομίζειν; εἰ γὰρ φῶς ὁ θεός (φῶς δὲ νοητόν, οὐ γὰρ δὴ ὁρατόν), φῶς δῆλον ὡς ἀλήθεια. φῶς γὰρ νοερὸν οὐδὲν ἄλλο πλὴν ἀληθείας, ὅμως δὲ φῶς τε καὶ αὐτοαλήθεια τυγχάνων ὁ θεὸς οὐχ ἀδυναμίᾳ ψεύδους ἀπέχεται, ἀλλὰ μὴ βουλόμενος ψεύσασθαί ποτε. εἰ δέ γε μὴ δύναται (οὐ γὰρ ἄτοπον εἰπεῖν), ἐπειδή γε οὐδέποτε οὐχὶ μὴ βούλεται. οἷς μὲν γὰρ καὶ τὸ βούλεσθαι καὶ τὸ μὴ κατὰ διάφορον τρόπον ἐπισυμβαίνει; τούτοις εὐλόγως καὶ τὸ δύνασθαι ἀφώρισται. θεῷ δέ γε ἐπειδὴ οὐδέποτε συμβαίνει τὸ βούλεσθαι, τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι προσαπτέον, οὕτω μέντοι διὰ τὸ μηδέποτε βούλεσθαι, οὐχὶ διὰ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι τρόπον ἀσθενείας καὶ ἀδυναμίας. τὸ μὲν γὰρ δημιούργημα πεπεδῆσθαι φύσει (λέγω δὴ τὸ σωματικὸν φῶς) οὐχ ἄλογον φάναι, ὡς μὴ ἐπʼ αὐτῷ εἶναι τὸ εἶναι φῶς, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ τῷ ποιήσαντι, τὸν δὲ δημιουργὸν ὑποβεβλῆσθαι φύσεως ἀνάγκῃ λίαν ἄτοπον ἡγεῖσθαι, ὡς μὴ ἐπʼ αὐτῷ εἶναι δοκεῖν τὸ ἀληθεύειν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τῆς φύσεως βεβιάσθαι, καίτοιγε ὅπερ ἐστὶν αὐτὸ μόνον ἐστίν, ἀλλʼ οἷς μὲν ἐδημιούργησε[ν] ἐντέθεικε τὸ φύσει καὶ ἀνάγκῃ εἶναι ὅ εἰσιν, αὐτῷ μέντοι ἐντέθεικεν οὐδεὶς τὸ ἀνάγκῃ εἶναι ἀλήθειαν. οὐκοῦν φύσεως μὲν ἐπάνω ὁ φύσεις κατασκευάσας, αὐτὸς δὲ φύσεως ἀνάγκης ἐλεύθερος. οὕτω γὰρ ἀληθῶς ἀγαθὸς ὁμολογηθήσεται. οὐκοῦν διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων αὐτόψευδος οὐχ ἔστι, ψεύστης δὲ ὃ ψευδόμενος. ἀπὸ γὰρ τοῦ μετιόντος καλεῖται, οὐχ ὁ μετερχόμενος ἀπὸ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος. ψεῦδος γὰρ πρὸ τοῦ ἐπινοοῦντος αὐτὸ οὐχ ἄν εἴη, παραπλησίως δὲ καὶ σκότος οὐ δεδημιούργηται μέν, παρεισέρχεται δέ, σκιὰ τοῦδε τοῦ παντὸς ὑπάρχον, πλὴν ὅσον τὸ μὲν σκότος οὐ μόνον ὑποτρέχειν συγκεχώρηται, ἀλλὰ καὶ λίαν ὠφελίμως, τοῦ δὲ ψεύδους ἣ ἐπίνοια τὴν μὲν αἵρεσιν διασαφεῖ τῆς ἀληθείας παρὰ ἀνθρώποις, προτιμηθεῖσα δὲ τῆς ἀληθείας βλαβερωτάτη ἐστί. καὶ μάλα γε εἰκότως. ψεῦδος γὰρ πρὸς ἀνθρώπων ἐπινοεῖται, σκότος δὲ τὸ σωματικὸν παρὰ θεοῦ κεῖται" δι ὃ χρὴ τὸ μὲν νοοῦντα φεύγειν, τὸ δὲ μὴ λοιδορεῖσθαι, ἀναγκαίως πρὸς τοῦ δημιουργοῦ κείμενον. ### English translation (Claude) If, then, it could be shown that darkness exists in substance, and does not only come and go as has been said, a substance of falsehood might be posited too. But if neither he nor anyone else can show that this darkness is not dissoluble, coming about in the manner of a shadow, so that light exists even at night while darkness does not exist by day, then plainly falsehood, which corresponds to it, does not exist in the manner of a substance either, but has of necessity only been permitted to arise in thought, for the choice of truth. And since light exists in substance, one might clearly think that truth too exists in substance, so that the exactness of the proportion may be kept. And what prevents us from holding and thinking that God is truth itself? For if God is light (light for the mind, for he is not visible), plainly the light is truth; for intellectual light is nothing else than truth. Yet God, being light and truth itself, keeps from falsehood not through inability but because he does not wish ever to lie. And if we say he cannot (for it is not absurd to say it), it is because there is never a time when he does not not-will it. For in those in whom willing and not willing come about in different ways, ability too is reasonably defined; but to God, since willing it never comes about, inability must be ascribed, yet so, because he never wills it, not because he cannot, in the manner of weakness and inability. For it is not unreasonable to say that a created thing (I mean bodily light) is fettered by nature, so that being light is not in its own power but in that of its maker; but it is very absurd to think the Creator subject to the necessity of nature, so that speaking truth seems not to be in his power but forced on him by nature. Yet what he is, he alone is; and in those he created he has placed being what they are by nature and necessity, but no one has placed in him being truth by necessity. So he who made natures is above nature, and he himself is free of the necessity of nature; for so he will be confessed to be truly good. So, from what has been said, there is no falsehood itself, but the liar is the one who lies; for the name comes from the one who pursues it, not the pursuer from what does not exist. For falsehood would not exist before the one who thinks it up; and similarly darkness was not created but comes in, being the shadow of this universe; except that darkness is not only permitted to steal in but is also very useful, while the thought of falsehood makes plain men’s choice of truth, yet, when preferred to truth, is most harmful. And very naturally so: for falsehood is thought up by men, while bodily darkness is laid down by God. That is why we must, with understanding, flee the one, and not revile the other, which has been laid down of necessity by the Creator. ### Scripture references - 1 John 1:5: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - “God is light” recalls 1 John 1:5. In “ἐδημιούργησε[ν]” the bracketed letter is Lagarde’s. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.37 (Lagarde 1859, 47; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-37). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.38 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-27/#p-2-38 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 48 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Wild animals, like a master’s whip, are a necessary reminder that rouses forgetful people to fear God. ### Greek text λοιδορεῖται μὲν οὐ τοῦτο μόνον ὁ τῆς κενωτάτης κατὰ θεοῦ βλασφημίας εὑρετής, ἀλλὰ καὶ ζῴοις τοῖς ἀγρίαν φύσιν παρὰ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ λαχοῦσι, σαφῶς δίκην ἐχθροῦ τὰ πάντα φιλαιτίου - … -. — — - κατὰ τῶν δημιουργημάτων κινούμενος, ἐλέγξει δὲ ὃ λόγος τοῦ ἀπατεῶνος τὴν ἄλογον καὶ ἐν τούτοις βλασφημίαν. θηρία γὰρ ἅπαντα τετράποδά τε καὶ ἑρπετὰ κακίζων παραπλήσιόν τι πάσχειν μοι δοκεῖ, ὥσπερ ἄν εἴ τις φιλαμαρτήμων δοῦλος καὶ λίαν πονηρὸς τὰ μὲν ἄλλα τοῦ δεσπότου αὐτοῦ ἀκαταιτίατα ἀποδέχοιτο, μισοίη δὲ καὶ διαβάλλοι μάστιγά που καὶ μόνον φαινομένην, αὐτῷ γε τῷ μισεῖν ὁ τοιοῦτος δεικνὺς ὡς ἀναγκαῖον τὸ παρακείμενον. ἄνθρωποι γὰρ πρὸς τὴν κατὰ θεοῦ λήθην πρόχειροι τυγχάνοντες, εἰ μηδὲν ἄξιον δέους φαινόμενον εἶχον ἐν δημιουργίᾳ, πλέον μὲν ἄν ἐχωρίσθησαν προθέσει τοῦ θεοῦ, ἠτιάθησαν δὲ οὐχ εὐλόγως, ἅτε δὴ διὰ μηδενὸς τῶν φαινομένων διεγειρόμενοι. εἰ γὰρ δὴ καὶ πρόσεστιν ἡμῖν φύσει τὸ ἐλευθέριον πρὸς αἵρεσιν τοῦ κρείττονος, ἀλλά γε διὰ ῥᾳστώνης ῥᾳδίως εἰς λήθην ἐμπίπτομεν. πολλὰ τοίνυν ἐστὶν ἀναγκαίως τὰ διεγείροντα τῷ δέει πρὸς τὸν θεὸν τὸν ἡμέτερον λογισμόν, ὥσπερ αὖθις πάμπολλα τὰ κινοῦντα τοῦτον διὰ χρηστότητος καὶ ἀπολαύσεως ἀγαθῶν εἰς χάριτος ὁμολογίαν τοῦ δημιουργοῦ. ἑκατέροις γὰρ ἀποπαιδαγωγούμεθα, οἷς τε ὡς ἡδέων ἀπολαύοιμεν καὶ οἷς ὡς διὰ φοβερῶν ἐπιστρεφόμεθα. ### English translation (Claude) The inventor of the emptiest blasphemy against God reviles not only this, but also the animals that have received a wild nature from the Creator, plainly moving against created things like an enemy who finds fault with everything … and the discourse will refute the deceiver’s irrational blasphemy in these things too. For in decrying all wild beasts, four-footed and creeping, he seems to me to be in the same case as a sinful and very wicked slave who accepts his master’s other things as blameless, but hates and slanders a whip that is merely seen somewhere, showing by his very hatred that what lies at hand is necessary. For men, being ready to forget God, if they had nothing in creation that appeared worthy of fear, would have separated themselves still more from God by their purpose, and would not be reasonably blamed, since they were roused by nothing they saw. For even if we have by nature freedom to choose the better, yet through ease we easily fall into forgetfulness. So there are necessarily many things that rouse our reasoning by fear toward God, as again there are very many that move it, by kindness and the enjoyment of good things, to confess thanks to the Creator. For we are trained by both: by those we enjoy as pleasant and by those through which we are turned back as fearful. ### Translation notes - The staged text marks a gap (… and dashes) in the first sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.38 (Lagarde 1859, 48; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-38). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.39 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-27/#p-2-39 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 49 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Wild animals and Mani’s irrational evil alike cannot be evil, since evil requires knowledge, as the pardon given to the delirious shows. ### Greek text φοβερὸν τοίνυν τὸ ἄγριον κατὰ φύσιν, οὐ πονηρόν. πονηρία γὰρ καὶ κακία λογισμοῦ πάθος, ὁρμὴ δὲ φυσικὴ οὕτω κατεσκευασμένη πάσης αἰτίας ἀπήλλακται. θεὸς δὲ φειδόμενος ἀνθρώπων πεποίηκεν ἵνα τῷ δέει τῶν ἀλόγων τὸ λογικὸν τῆς καλοκαγαθίας μεταδιώξωμεν. καὶ κακὸν ἐν τούτοις οὐδέν. ὃ γὰρ μὴ οἶδεν ὅ,τι ἐστίν, πῶς κακόν ἐστιν; ὡς οὐχ ἧττον καὶ οὕτως τῷ μανέντι οὔ καὶ ὁ περὶ τῆς κακίας αὐτῆς (ἣν πλασάμενος ἀρχὴν ἀγένητον καλεῖ) λόγος διελέγχεται. λογισμὸν μὲν γὰρ αὐτῇ καὶ γνῶσιν κακίας οὐ δίδωσιν, ἵνα μὴ καὶ τἀγαθοῦ τὴν αἴσθησιν ἔχουσά γε εὑρεθῇ. οὕτω γὰρ ἀποδειχθείη μὴ οὖσα κακία. γνῶσις γὰρ ἀγαθοῦ μαρτυρία φύσεως οὐ κακῆς, ἀλόγιστον δὲ καὶ γνώσεως ἔρημον αὐτὴν ὁριζόμενος τοῦ ὅπερ ἐστὶ καὶ αὐτὴ τὴν γνῶσιν αὐτὴν ἀφαιρεῖται. εἰ γὰρ αἴσθηται καὶ γνῷ κακυνομένη, αἰσθήσεται πάντως τοῦ ἐναντίου ἀγαθυνομένη. φωρᾶται γὰρ λογισμῷ τὸ κακὸν τῇ αἰσθήσει καὶ τῇ παραθέσει τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, ὡς, εἰ δῆλον ὑπάρχοι τοὐναντίον, κατάδηλον ἔσται. ἔλεγχος γὰρ πᾶν ἐναντίον ἐναντίου, γνώσει μέντοι καὶ κρίσει, ἄνευ δὲ γνώσεως οὐδέτερον θατέρῳ δῆλον. εἰ τοίνυν καὶ ἑαυτὴν ἀγνοεῖ καὶ λογισμῷ μὴ μέτεισι τὸ κακὸν ἥ κακία, οὐχ ἄν εἴη κακία, μάτην δʼ ἄν ἐγκαλοῖτο.. ὁμολογεῖ δὲ ὅτι ἐστὶ λογισμοῦ κακία ἐλευθερουμένη. αὐτίκα φρενήτῃ, ἐν περιστάσει πυρετῶν ἢ ἄλλου τινὸς συμπτώματος, οὖχ εἰδότι ὃ ποιεῖ, συγγινώσκειν ἅπαντες εἰώθαμεν, μᾶλλον μὲν οὖν καὶ εἰς οἶκτον ἐπικαμπτόμεθα, κακίας ἐλευθεροῦντες τὸν μάτην μὲν τύπτοντα, εἰ δὲ ξίφος εῦροι καὶ φονεύοντα. οὕτω γε πᾶσι κατάδηλον καὶ κρίσις αὔτη κοινή τε καὶ φύσεως ἀκολουθία τὸ μὴ κακὸν ὀνομάζειν τὸ οὐχ εἰδὸς ὅ,τι δρᾷ. εἰ τοίνυν μήτε τὸ γιγνῶσκον ἀγαθὸν κληθείη ἀναγκαῖον, μήτε τὸ ἀγνοοῦν ἑαυτὸ ὅ,τι ἐστὶ δόξειεν ἄν εἶναι κακία, τὸ μέν, ὅτι μηδʼ αὐτὸς τίθησι, τὸ δʼ ὅτι πεπλανημένως καὶ ἐκτὸς τῆς κοινῆς δόξης θέμενος δρίζεται. ### English translation (Claude) What is wild by nature, then, is fearful, not wicked. For wickedness and evil are a passion of reasoning, while a natural impulse so constituted is free of all blame. And God, sparing men, has made it so that by fear of irrational animals we may pursue the rational quality of nobility. And there is nothing evil in these. For how can that be evil which does not know what it is? And in this way too the madman’s account of evil itself (which he invented and calls an unbegotten principle) is refuted no less. For he does not grant it reasoning and knowledge of evil, lest it be found to have perception of the good as well; for in this way it would be shown not to be evil, since knowledge of the good is testimony to a nature that is not evil. But in defining it as irrational and void of knowledge, he takes from it even the knowledge of what it itself is. For if it perceived and knew that it was evil, it would certainly perceive its opposite, being made good. For evil is detected by reason through the perception and comparison of the good, so that, if the opposite is plain, it will be evident. For every opposite is the test of its opposite, by knowledge and judgement; without knowledge neither is plain to the other. If, then, evil does not know itself and does not pursue evil by reasoning, it would not be evil, and would be accused in vain. He admits that evil is freed from reasoning. For example, all of us are accustomed to pardon a man in delirium, in the grip of fevers or some other affliction, who does not know what he does; rather we bend to pity, freeing from evil the man who strikes out wildly, and even, if he finds a sword, the man who kills. So it is evident to all, and this is a common judgement and consequence of nature, not to call evil what does not know what it does. If, then, neither what knows must be called good, nor what does not know what it itself is would seem to be evil (the first because he himself does not posit it, the second because he defines it so in error and outside the common view)… ### Translation notes - The last sentence is incomplete and confused in the Greek; translated as it stands. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.39 (Lagarde 1859, 49; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-39). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.40 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-27/#p-2-40 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 50 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Moral blame requires reason and knowledge, so animals are not evil and infants are neither good nor evil. ### Greek text οὕτως οὐδὲ θηρίον οὐδὲν κακόν, λογισμοῦ ἐστερημένον, ἄνθρωπος δὲ κακοήθης κακὸς ἄν εἴη, λογισμῷ μετιὼν ἅπερ ἥκιστα ἀγνοεῖ. ἣ γὰρ τοῦ λογισμοῦ τῆς φύσεως προσθήκη φέρει τῆς κακίας τὸ ἔγκλημα, προκατασκευάζουσα δῆλον εἶναι τὸ πραττόμενον. ἣ δὲ τῆς γνώσεως ἀφαίρεσις ἀφαίρεσις τῆς αἰτίας. οὕτω δὴ γνοὺς μὲν ἄνθρωπος ἄμφω, ἀρετήν τε καὶ κακίαν, ὅπερ ἂν ἕληται (φθάνει γὰρ ἢ γνῶσις τὴν αἵρεσιν), ἀπʼ ἐκείνου καλεῖται" πρὶν δὲ γνῶναι, νήπιος ὑπάρχων, οὐδέτερον τῶν ἄκρων καλεῖται. δῆλον τοίνυν πανταχόθεν ὡς τῷ λογισμῷ καὶ τῇ μετὰ τὴν γνῶσιν αἱρέσει κακίαν τε καὶ ἀρετὴν λογιζόμεθα. τὰ τοίνυν ἀμέτοχα λογισμοῦ θηρία οὐχ ἄν εἴη κακὰ οὐδὲ ἐκ κακίας προενηνεγμένα, ἐπειδήπερ, κἀν ἐκείνη οὕτως ἔχοι, οὐχ ἄν εἴη κακία, ### English translation (Claude) So no wild beast is evil, being deprived of reason; but a man of bad character would be evil, pursuing by reason what he by no means ignores. For the addition of reason to nature brings the charge of evil, making beforehand plain what is being done; and the removal of knowledge is the removal of blame. So man, knowing both virtue and vice, is named from whichever he chooses (for knowledge comes before choice); but before he knows, being an infant, he is called by neither extreme. It is plain from every side, then, that we reckon vice and virtue by reasoning and by the choice that follows knowledge. Wild beasts, then, which have no share in reason, would not be evil, nor brought forth from evil; since, even if evil were so, it would not be evil, ### Translation notes - The section ends mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.40 (Lagarde 1859, 50; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-40). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.41 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-27/#p-2-41 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 50 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Venomous creatures supply medicines and, like a whip in a house, keep people watchful; they are useful, not evil. ### Greek text ἄλλως τε ἴδοις ἂν πολλάκις καὶ τῶν ἑρπετῶν αὐτῶν τὸ χαλεπώτατον, λέγω δὴ τὸν ἰόν, εἰς ἰατρείαν πρὸς τῶν ἀκριβεστάτων ἰατρῶν λαμβανόμενον καὶ τῇ τῶν ἀπομάχεσθαι δυναμένων παραμίξει καθαίροντα τῶν παθῶν ἔστιν ὅτε τὰ χαλεπώτατα, τὰς δὲ σάρκας αὐτὰς ἑτέρων εἰδῶν τε καὶ βοτανῶν συμπλοκῇ φάρμακον ἄριστον σώμασιν ἀποτελούσας, παραπλησίως δὲ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων θηρίων. μέρη γάρ τινα καὶ μέλη καὶ αἷμα καθʼ αὑτὸ πολλάκις εὐεργετοῦσι κάμνοντας. πῶς οὖν ἐκ κακίας ἐστὶ τὰ ἐν μέρει καὶ ὠφελοῦντα; ταῦτα τοιγαροῦν ἅπαντα χρήσιμα μόνον διʼ ἀνθρώπους ἡγητέον οὔτε δὲ ἀγαθὰ οὔτε κακὰ προσαγορευτέον, δέος μόνον ἀνθρώποις ἀναγκαίως ἐμποιοῦντα πρὸς ἐπιστροφὴν τοῦ κρείττονος, καὶ τὸ ἀργὸν αὐτῶν ἀργίας παρὰ ἀνθρώποις κωλυτικόν. κεῖται γὰρ αὐτὰ μάστιγος δίκην φαινομένης ἐν οἴκῳ πρὸς κατασκευὴν εὐλαβείας τῶν οἰκετῶν, εἴ τις ἀργήσειεν ἢ εἴ τις πλημμελοίη τῶν κατὰ τὴν ἑστίαν. ### English translation (Claude) Besides, you may often see even the most grievous thing in creeping creatures, I mean their venom, taken by the most exact physicians for healing, and, mixed with substances able to counter it, sometimes purging the most grievous diseases; and their very flesh, combined with other kinds and herbs, makes an excellent medicine for bodies; and likewise with the other wild beasts. For certain parts and members and blood often benefit the sick by themselves. How, then, do things that are partly beneficial come from evil? All these things, therefore, are to be thought useful only because of men, and called neither good nor evil, since they necessarily produce in men only fear, for turning to the better; and their idleness hinders idleness among men. For they are placed like a whip seen in a house, to produce caution in the servants, if anyone should be idle or do wrong in the household. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.41 (Lagarde 1859, 50; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-41). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.42 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-27/#p-2-42 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 50 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: God’s care uses fears, sickness, loss and even the deaths of children to turn people from sin, governing all by foreknowledge. ### Greek text εἰ δὲ πονηροὺς ἔστιν ἰδεῖν μηδὲν ὑπὸ τούτων βλαπτομένους, θαύμασον τοῦ δεσπότου τὸ ἀνεξίκακον, οὐδὲν δὲ ἧττον νοητέον τὴν παρακειμένην μάστιγα. τοὐναντίον δὲ [εἰ] χρηστοὶ περιπίπτοιεν τούτοις, ἱστέον ὡς ἀγαθοῦ πλημμελοῦντος φείσαιτʼ ἄν πρὸς ἐπιστροφὴν ὁ δεσπότης, οὐχὶ δὲ τοῦ λίαν ἀπεγνωσμένου. ὃ μὲν γὰρ ἰάσιμα πλημμελεῖ, ὁ δὲ τηρεῖται πρὸς ἀνίατον τιμωρίαν. τοιαῦτα γὰρ ὑποδείγματα πάμπολλα ἴδοιμεν ἄν ἐν ταῖς θείαις γραφαῖς ἱστορούμενα. μέλει τοίνυν πάνυ γε θεῷ ἀνθρώπου" ʼ διʼ ὃ παντοίως αὐτῷ τὰ ἀνακινοῦντα πρὸς εὐλάβειαν παρατέθεικεν ὡς μηδὲ τὸν ὕπνον αὐτῶν πυκνοτάτης ὀχλήσεως ἀπηλλάχθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτον διὰ κνωδάλων τινῶν ἐμποδιζόμενον κέντρου δίκην νύττειν τὸν λογισμόν. καὶ πολλά γε τὰ βοηθοῦντα τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ ἀσθενείᾳ, θαυμασίως πρὸς ἀνάμνησιν θεοῦ. διʼ ὧν γὰρ πάσχει σωματικῶς, παθῶν ψυχῆς ἐλευθεροῦται καὶ διʼ ὧν παθεῖν ἂν δυνηθείη, κἄν μὴ πάθῃ, πρὸς εὐλάβειαν ἐπιστρέφεται. καὶ περιπίπτει σωματικοῖς πάθεσιν ἀναγκαίως ἄνθρωπος, ἵνα τὸ χαλεπώτατον καὶ μόνον ὡς ἀληθῶς πάθος διαφύγῃ, τὴν ἅμαρτίαν. τὸ γὰρ ἀνάλγητον ἀκόλαστον καὶ τὸ ἀτιμώρητα ἁμαρτάνον παντελῶς διαφθείρεται. εἰ γὰρ καὶ τοσούτων παρακειμένων εἰς φόβον, ἀφοβίαν ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολὺ νοσοῦσιν ἄνθρωποι, πῶς ἄν συνεῖναι γοῦν ἀλλήλοις ἐδυνήθησαν, εἰ μηδὲν αὐτοῖς κατʼ ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐπήρτητο δέος; μαλάττει τοιγαροῦν καὶ νόσος διάνοιὰν σκληροτέραν καὶ ναυάγιον πολλάκις συμπεσὸν ἐμπόρων ἐπίορκον τρόπον μετέβαλε, πενίά αὖθις κατήνεγκε τὸν ἐπαρθέντα πλούτῳ, παίδων στέρησις ἐσωφρόνισε τὸν διὰ παῖδας πλεονεκτοῦντα. εἰ δὲ μὴ ἐσωφρόνισε, τὸ ὑπόδειγμα τοῖς αἰσθανομένοις παρέσχε. καὶ οἱ μὲν παῖδες ἐβλάβησαν παντελῶς οὐδέν, μᾶλλον μὲν οὖν εὐεργετήθησαν, ἀγωγῆς φαύλων γονέων ἀπαλλαγέντες, τὰ δὲ τῆς πλεονεξίας διελέγχεται. ἄλλων αὖθις εὖ διακειμένων τελευτῶσιν [οἵ υἱοὶ] ἣ ὡς ἀνάξιοι τῶν φυσάντων γενησόμενοι, ἵνα μὴ στήλη κακὴ ἀγαθῶν ἀναστῶσιν — ἢ ἀγαθοί γε τυγχάνοντες, εἰ ἐπὶ πλέον αὐξηθεῖεν, ὡς ἐκ μεταβολῆς γενησόμενοι φαῦλοι, εὐεργετοῦνται μὴ καθʼ ἑαυτῶν διαμένοντες, τῇ προγνώσει τοῦ θεοῦ πάντα διοικοῦντος. ### English translation (Claude) And if one can see wicked men unharmed by these, wonder at the master’s forbearance, but no less consider the whip that lies at hand. And on the contrary, if good men fall in with them, we must know that the master would rather spare, for conversion, a good man who has erred than one wholly given up; for the one errs curably, while the other is kept for incurable punishment. Very many such examples we can see recorded in the divine Scriptures. God, then, cares greatly for man; that is why he has set beside him in every way things that stir him to reverence, so that not even his sleep is free of frequent disturbance, but even this, hindered by certain vermin, pricks the reason like a goad. And many things help human weakness wonderfully toward remembering God. For by what he suffers bodily he is freed from passions of the soul; and by what he could suffer, even if he does not, he is turned to reverence. And man necessarily falls into bodily sufferings so that he may escape the most grievous and only true suffering, sin. For what feels no pain is unrestrained, and what sins unpunished is wholly destroyed. For if, with so many things set before them for fear, men are mostly sick with fearlessness, how could they even have lived with one another if no fear hung before their eyes? So sickness softens a harder mind; a shipwreck has often changed the perjured ways of merchants; poverty in turn has brought down the man lifted up by wealth; loss of children has chastened the man who was greedy for his children’s sake; and if it did not chasten him, it gave an example to those who perceive. And the children were not harmed at all, but rather benefited, being freed from the upbringing of bad parents, and the greed is exposed. Again, when other parents are well disposed, their sons die either because they would become unworthy of those who begot them, so that they may not stand as a bad monument to good parents, or, being good, because if they grew up further they would change and become bad; they are benefited by not remaining to their own harm, since God governs all things by his foreknowledge. ### Translation notes - “[εἰ]” and “[οἵ υἱοὶ]” are bracketed in Lagarde; translated. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.42 (Lagarde 1859, 50; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-42). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.43 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-27/#p-2-43 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 51 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: God shows some reasons for what he permits but hides most, so that people may trust him as friends trust one another, rather than demand proofs. ### Greek text καὶ ἀναγκαῖοί γε λίαν οἱ φόβοι καὶ ποικίλα καὶ ἄπειρα τῷ πλήθει τὰ αἴτια, ὧν δὴ θεὸς οἰκονομεῖ. καὶ τὰ αὐτὰ πολλάκις διὰ ποικίλας προφάσεις συμβαίνει. ὃ μὲν ἀρρωστεῖ διʼ ἁμαρτίας ἐπιστρεφόμενος, ὁ δὲ διʼ ἀρετὴν ἔτι μᾶλλον γυμναζόμενος εἰς μαρτυρίαν, ἄλλος διὰ ὑπερβολὴν κακίας ἐλεγχόμενος. καὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ συμπτώματος ποικίλα τὰ αἴτια. ὃ μὲν ἐκπίπτει πλούτου, μὴ καλῶς χρησάμενος, ἄλλος ὡς καλῶς χρησάμενος φειδοῖ θεοῦ, ἄλλος δὲ πρὸς ἀρετὴν διὰ πενίας γυμναζόμενος, ἕτερος ἑκὼν ῥίπτει τῶν χρημάτων τὸ βάρος ὡς μὴ πρὸς ἀρετὴν ἐμποδίζοιτο. καὶ οὖχ ἄν μέν τις ῥᾳδίως κατίδοι τὴν κατὰ μέρος ἀκρίβειαν ὧν ὁ θεὸς ἀνθρώπων φειδόμενος οἰκονομεῖ. τὰ δὲ ὀλίγα καταλαμβανόμενα πίστις γίνεται τῶν μὴ καταλαμβανομένων. τὰ μὲν γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς ἀνθρώποις σαφηνίζει, ὡς ἄν ἔχοιεν ἀναβάσει κεχρῆσθαι τρόπον τινὰ πρὸς αὐτὸν διʼ ὧν ἐπαισθάνονται. τὰ δὲ πλεῖστα κρύπτει διʼ ἀσαφείας, ἵνα μὴ γένηται τῆς χαθʼ ἑαυτοῦ γε ἀπιστίας διδάσκαλος. οὐδὲ γὰρ προσῆκε τῶν γινομένων ἑκάστου παρὰ θεοῦ τὴν ἀπόδειξιν ἀπαιτεῖν, ἐπείτοι χαλεπωτέρα γίγνεται τῆς ἀγνοίας ἣ τοιαύτη γνῶσις, ὡς διὰ τοῦτο δυσωπουμένου τοῦ νοῦ ὅτι μανθάνοι, ἄλλως δʼ ἄν οὐχ ἄν δεξαμένου πρὸς δικαίαν οἰκονομίαν οὐδὲν ὧν διοικεῖ θεός: βελτίων δὲ ἣ πρὸς θεὸν πίστις τε καὶ διάθεσις καὶ δίχα τοῦ καθορᾶν τὸν νοῦν τῶν πραττομένων θαρρεῖν τῇ τοῦ διοικοῦντος ὀρθότητι, ἐπείτοι τὸ διʼ ἀποδείξεων πανταχοῦ προσβιβάζεσθαι ἀπιστία σαφὴς μᾶλλον ἣ πίστις ἄν εἴη. οὐδὲ φίλους γνησίους πολλοὶ περιεργάζονται, τῷ ἀνεξετάστῳ τῆς συνουσίας τὸ γνήσιον νέμοντες, ὡς ῥᾳδίως ἐπʼ ἀπιστίᾳ διαβαλλόμενοι, εἰ μηδέποτε τὸ θαρρεῖν τούτοις μετά γε τὴν πεῖραν παρέχοιντο. οὕτω δὴ καὶ θεὸς μάλιστα βουλόμενος ἡμᾶς διακεῖσθαι πρὸς ἑαυτόν, οὐχ ἅπασαν τῆς ἑαυτοῦ προνοίας σαφηνίζει τὴν ἐνέργειαν (ἐθέλει γὰρ ἡμᾶς πιστεύειν αὐτῷ) οὐ μὴν οὐδʼ ἅπασαν ἀποκρύπτει, ἀλλὰ διʼ ἐνίων ὑποδειγμάτων ὑπερείδει τρόπον τινὰ τὸν ἡμέτερον νοῦν. οἱ μὲν οὖν εὐγνώμονες τῇ προθέσει καὶ εὐσεβέστατοι ἅμα τε διαίσθονται καὶ τὴν μνήμην ἐς ἀεὶ παραμένοντες διατηροῦσι, γῆς τρόπον ἀγαθῆς σπέρματα δεξαμένης ἀνθοῦντες πρὸς τὰ καλά. οἱ δὲ πλείονι βαρύτητι τῆς συνηθείας τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων κεχωσμένοι τὸν νοῦν ἢ ἑτέρων προλήψει κατὰ θεοῦ πλασμάτων (οἷα δὴ καὶ ὁ Μάνης ἐξήνεγκε καὶ παρʼ ἄλλοις εὔροι τις ἄν) κρούονται μὲν τὴν διάνοιαν, διακρούονται δὲ τῶν ὑποδειγμάτων τὴν αἴσθησιν καὶ τὸ ὄφελος. ταῦτα μὲν προσκείσθω περὶ τῆς καθʼ ὅλουʼ προνοίας τοῦ τῶν ὅλων θεοῦ. ### English translation (Claude) And fears are very necessary, and their causes, which God arranges, are varied and countless in number. And the same things often happen for various reasons. One man is ill, being turned back from his sins; another is exercised still more, for his virtue, toward bearing witness; another is convicted for the excess of his evil. And of the same misfortune the causes vary. One man loses his wealth for not using it well; another, because he used it well, by God’s sparing; another being trained in virtue through poverty; another willingly throws off the weight of his money so as not to be hindered toward virtue. And one could not easily see in detail the exactness of what God arranges in sparing men; but the few things that are grasped become grounds of faith for those not grasped. Some things he himself makes clear to men, so that they may have, as it were, an ascent to him through what they perceive; but most he hides in obscurity, so as not to become the teacher of unbelief toward himself. For it is not fitting to demand of God a demonstration of each thing that happens; since such knowledge becomes worse than ignorance, the mind being put to shame by what it learns, and otherwise not accepting as a just economy anything God governs. Better is faith and disposition toward God, trusting the uprightness of the governor even without seeing the meaning of what is done; since to be brought over everywhere by demonstrations would be plain unbelief rather than faith. Many do not even scrutinize genuine friends, granting genuineness to the unexamined character of their company, since they would easily be accused of distrust if, after testing, they never gave them confidence. So God too, wishing most of all that we be disposed toward him, does not make clear the whole working of his providence (for he wishes us to trust him), nor does he hide it all, but by some examples he in a way props up our mind. The well-disposed in purpose and most pious, then, both perceive and keep the memory for ever, flowering toward what is good like good soil that has received seeds. But those whose mind is buried under the greater weight of the habit of sins, or under the prejudice of other fictions against God (such as Mani brought forth, and such as one could find among others), are struck in mind, but repel the perception and benefit of the examples. Let this be added concerning the general providence of the God of all. ### Scripture references - Matt 13:23: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - “Bearing witness” (μαρτυρία) may mean martyrdom. The good soil recalls the parable of the sower, Matt 13:8, 23. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.43 (Lagarde 1859, 51; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-43). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.44 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-27/#p-2-44 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 52 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Wild animals add fear and variety to creation; every creature is equipped to survive, and no plant is deadly by nature, since animals discern what suits them. ### Greek text ἦν δὲ τὸ ἐξεταζόμενον ἡμῖν περὶ θηρίων ἁπάντων καὶ ἀπεδείκνυτο τοῖς κατὰ φύσιν λογισμοῖς οὔτε κακὰ οὔτε ἐκ κακίας τινὸς ταῦτα, χρήσιμα δὲ λίαν ἀνθρώποις εἰς δέους κατασκευήν. εἰ γὰρ ἅπαντα τὰ κατὰ τὴν δημιουργίαν ἡδέα μόνον ἐτύγχανε καὶ ἱλαρότητος ἔμπλεα καὶ μηδὲν ἦν παντελῶς τὸ ἠρέμα γοῦν ἐκφοβοῦν, χαλεπῶς ἄν ἔδοξαν ἄνθρωποι παιδαγωγεῖσθαι πρὸς ἀφοβίαν. ἔχει δὲ ταῦτα καὶ ποικιλίας κόσμον καὶ τῷ φοβερῷ καταμεμιγμένην τὴν εὐπρέπειαν. αὐτίκα καὶ πρὸς τούτοις ἔστιν ἕτερα, ἃ μήτε τρέφειν ἀνθρώπους ἐπιτήδεια μήτε περιβολὴν ἐνδυμάτων παρέχειν μήτʼ οὖν θηριώδη καὶ ἄγρια τυγχάνει, μόνον δὲ κόσμου τὴν ποικιλίαν ἀναπληροῖ. καὶ δῆλον ὡς ἅπαντα ἥμερά τε καὶ ἄγρια καὶ τὰ μέσως ἔχοντα ἑνὸς ὑποβεβλημένα δημιουργίᾳ τε καὶ βουλήματι διαμένει, τὴν δὲ ἀλληλοφθορίαν διαφεύγοντα καὶ ποικίλοις πλεονεκτήμασιν ἠσφαλισμένα. τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἰσχὺν ἄμαχον ἔχει, τὰ δὲ ἀσθενέστερα τῷ ταχεῖ τῆς φύσεως τὴν σωτηρίαν πορίζεται καὶ ἄλλα ἄλλως ὥπλισται καὶ τὰ δοκοῦντα ἄοπλα τυγχάνειν ἄλλον τινὰ τρόπον μεμηχανημένην ἔχει τὴν ἀσφάλειαν. ἢ γὰρ πτηνῶν ἔλαχε φύσιν ἣ ὑπὸ. γῆν διαλανθάνει. οὕτω τὸ μὲν κόσμιον ὁ δημιουργὸς τῇ ποικιλίᾳ πεπόρισται, ἐπανιστῶν δὲ τὰ διάφορα τοῖς πᾶσι διανέμει τὴν ἀσφάλειαν, ὡς ἄν μηδὲν γένος τούτων ἀσθενείᾳ φύσεως προδοθὲν παραπόληται. οὕτω δὴ καὶ πρὸς τὰς ὥρας ἠμφίεσται περιβολαῖς αὐτομάτοις, θριξί τε πυκναῖς καὶ στερεοῖς δέρμασι, χειμῶνός τε καὶ καύματος ἀποχρούσασθαι τὴν βλάβην ἱκανοῖς, τὴν δὲ ἐπὶ γῆς ἀνάκλισίν τε καὶ ἀνάπαυλαν εὐμαρεστέραν ἀπεργαζομένοις, ὡς αὐτοφυῆ στρώμνην ὑποκεῖσθαι δοκεῖν. καὶ τὰ μὲν ὀλιγογόνια ἔλαχεν ἢ ὡς δυσάλωτα ἣ ὡς πολυχρόνια, τὰ δὲ εὐάλωτα καὶ τῇ καθʼ ἡμέραν χρήσει παραδεδομένα τῇ πολυγονίᾳ διαρκεῖ τε καὶ σώζεται. τροφὰς δὲ ἄλλοτε ἄλλας ἔχει καὶ τοῖς πᾶσιν ἄφθονος ἣ χορηγία πρόκειται. οὕτω γὰρ οὐδὲ τῶν θανασίμων γε εἶναι νομιζομένων βοτανῶν οὐδεμία τῇ φύσει ὀλέθριος γεγένηται. τὸ γὰρ ἄλλῳ γένει βλαβερόν, ἑτέρῳ δὲ ὠφέλιμον, ὀλέθριον καὶ σωτήριον ἅμα τῇ ʼφύσει τοῦτο πῶς ἄν γένοιτο; ἣ δέ γε τῶν χρωμένων γενῶν διαφορὰ τὸ ποικίλον τῆς ἐν τούτοις παρασκευῆς ἀπαιτεῖ, ἵνα καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀλόγοις ἴχνος λόγου δειχθείη νόμῳ τοῦ δημιουργήσαντος. οὐδὲν γὰρ τούτων ἀγνοεῖ τὸ οἰκεῖον ἑαυτῷ οὐδὲ διὰ τὴν ἄλογον καὶ θηριώδη φύσιν ὡς τρόφιμον τὸ ἑαυτοῦ θανάσιμον προσφέρεται, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτοῦ γε ὠφέλιμον ἕκαστον ὁρμᾷ. εἰ γὰρ ἅπασα βοτάνη καὶ ῥίζα τοῖς πᾶσιν ὑπῆρχεν ἐπιτηδεία, ἧττον ἂν ἐδείχθη τοῦ δημιουργήσαντος ὃ νόμος καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀλόγοις κρατῶν. τὸ δὲ βλαβερὸν ἐνίοις, ἑτέροις δὲ ταὐτὸ σωτήριον παρακείμενον, τρανωτέραν τὴν ἐν τοῖς πᾶσι σοφίαν κηρύττει, ὅτι καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀλόγοις φυσική τις ἐστὶ τῶν εἰς τροφὴν παρακειμένων ἣ διάκρισις, ἧς φυσικῶς γε ἑκάστῳ μὴ ἐνούσης, εὐλόγως ἄν τις κατηγόρησε τῶν βλαβερῶν ὡς ἐκ κακίας προενηνεγμένων. εἰ δέ γε προὔλαβεν ἐν τοῖς ζῴοις ἢ φυσικὴ διάκρισις τὴν κρίσιν καὶ τὸ οἰκεῖον ἕκαστον ἐκλέγει, πᾶσα δηλαδὴ βοτάνη καὶ ῥίζα χρήσιμος (εἰ καὶ μὴ τοῖς πᾶσι), ποικίλα δὲ τὰ ποικίλως παρακείμενα. ### English translation (Claude) What we were examining was about all wild beasts, and it was shown by natural reasoning that these are neither evil nor from any evil, but very useful to men for producing fear. For if everything in creation were only pleasant and full of cheerfulness, and there were nothing at all that frightened even gently, men would have seemed to be badly trained toward fearlessness. And these things also have the beauty of variety, and a comeliness mixed with what is fearful. Besides these, there are others that are neither fit to feed men nor provide clothing, nor are they beastly and wild, but only fill out the variety of the world. And plainly all, tame and wild and those in between, remain subject to the creation and will of one, escaping mutual destruction and secured by various advantages. Some have invincible strength; the weaker gain their safety by the speed of their nature; others are armed in other ways; and those that seem unarmed have their safety contrived in some other manner: either they have the nature of birds or hide under the earth. So the Creator has provided order by variety, and by setting up differences distributes safety to all, so that no kind of them may perish, betrayed by weakness of nature. So too they are clothed for the seasons with coverings that grow of themselves, thick hair and tough hides, able to ward off the harm of winter and heat, and making lying down and rest on the ground easier, so that a natural bedding seems to be spread beneath them. And some are given few offspring, either as hard to catch or as long-lived, while those easily caught and given over to daily use last and are preserved by many offspring. They have different foods at different times, and abundant supply lies before all. So too not one of the herbs thought deadly has been made destructive by nature. For how could what is harmful to one kind and beneficial to another be both destructive and saving in its nature? The difference of the kinds that use them requires the variety of provision among them, so that even in irrational creatures a trace of reason may be shown by the law of the Creator. For none of them is ignorant of what is proper to it, nor, through its irrational and beastly nature, does it take what is deadly to itself as food; but each sets out for what is beneficial to it. For if every herb and root were suitable for all, the Creator’s law ruling even in irrational creatures would have been shown less. But that what is harmful to some lies by as saving to others proclaims more clearly the wisdom in all things: that even in irrational creatures there is a natural discernment of what lies at hand for food. If this were not naturally present in each, one might reasonably accuse harmful things of having been brought forth from evil. But if natural discernment in animals comes before judgement, and each chooses what is proper to it, plainly every herb and root is useful (even if not to all), and the things laid out in various ways are various. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.44 (Lagarde 1859, 52; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-44). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.45 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-45/#p-2-45 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 54 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Iron and fire are gifts of the Creator, found by human reason; their misuse is the fault of the user, and death itself, which they may cause, is not evil. ### Greek text περιγραπτέον τοίνυν τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον καὶ τὴν κατὰ τῶν θανασίμων λεγομένων βοτανῶν κατηγορίαν τῷ μανέντι, πάντα διαβάλλειν ἐσπουδακότι. οὕτω γὰρ καὶ σιδήρου καὶ πυρὸς καταψεύδεται, τοὐναντίον ποιῶν καὶ ἐν τούτοις οὗ βούλεται. κατηγορῶν γὰρ τῆς ὕλης (ἣν εἶναι μάτην φαντάζεται) αὖθις ὥσπερ τις προστάτης καὶ συνήγορος αὐτῆς ἀναφέρεται, τοῖς γε δαπανῶσι τὴν ὕλην ὡς κακοῖς ἀπεχθανόμενος. σίδηρος δὲ καὶ πῦρ κατέσπαρται μὲν ἐν γῇ πρὸς τοῦ δημιουργήσαντος, ἐξευρέθη δὲ ἀνθρώπου λογισμῷ κατʼ ἐπιτροπὴν θεοῦ. τούτων γὰρ χωρὶς παντελῶς ἠκρωτηρίαστο ἀνθρώποις ὁ βίος. εἰ γὰρ βλαβερὰ πρὸς τοῦ μανέντος νενόμισται τῷ καταφθείρειν τὰ παραβαλλόμενα σώματα, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὠφέλιμά τε καὶ σωτήρια φανήσεται τῇ ἀναγκαίᾳ χρήσει πρὸς ἅπαντα" εἰ δὲ λανθάνοντα ἐνυπάρχει τῇ δημιουργίᾳ, ἀνθρώπου δὲ ταῦτα λογισμὸς τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐξεῦρε, τίνι λογιστέον τὸν εὑρόντα λογισμόν; ἄρα τῇ μὴ ἐχούσῃ γνῶσιν κακίᾳ τε καὶ ὕλῃ κατʼ ἐκεῖνον ἢ τῷ ἀγαθῷ; ἀλλὰ δῆλον ὡς λογισμοῦ σοφία ἀγαθόν τε καὶ ἀγαθοῦ δῶρον. τίνι δὲ αὐτομάτως ἀφήλατό ποτε σίδηρος ὁ τῇ χρήσει τοῦ λογισμοῦ μόνον ὑποβεβλημένος καὶ πάσῃ τέχνῃ δουλεύων; ἀλλὰ φονεύει, φησί, διʼ αὐτοῦ ἄνθρωπος καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἐργαλεῖον ἥ κακοτεχνία τοῦ χρωμένου, ὡς, εἰ μὴ ἦν ὁ τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον χρώμενος, οὐχ ἄν γε ἔδοξεν εἶναι σίδηρος κακός. εἰ γὰρ βουλεύσαιτο μὲν ὃ φονεὺς δρᾶσαι φόνον, διαμάρτοι δὲ τῆς πράξεως, ἄρά γε οὐ δῆλον ὡς ἣ μὲν πρόθεσις τὸ ἔργον διεπράξατο, ὃ δὲ σίδηρος ἀναμάρτητος; οὕτω δὴ κἄν δράσῃ, οὐχὶ σίδηρος αἴτιος, ἀλλʼ ὁ σιδήρου τῷ τεμεῖν οὐ κατὰ λόγον χρησάμενος. εἰ δὲ ξύλῳ παίσει ἣ λίθῳ κρούσει ἣ χερσὶν ἰδίαις ἀποπνίξει, αὖθις καὶ ταῦτα προσαγορεύσει κακά. καὶ πάντα μᾶλλον αἴτια παρὰ τῷ μανέντι ἣ τὸ ὄντως αἴτιον, ὁ ἑκούσιος λογισμός. τὰ γὰρ ῥηθέντα πάντα μετὰ σιδήρου οὔτʼ ἀγαθὰ οὔτε κακὰ τυγχάνει, ἕλκεται δὲ πρὸς ὃ ἂν βουληθείη ὁ χρώμενος, ἐργαλείων δίκην παρακείμενα καὶ τῷ χρωμένῳ δουλεύοντα, ἅπερ εἰ μὴ παραδέδοτο ἀνθρώπῳ, οὔτʼ ἂν τὰς τέχνας οὕτω διήνυσεν οὔτʼ ἂν τὰς χρήσεις τὰς ἀπʼ αὐτῶν ἔσχεν ἀφθόνους" ὃ δὲ δὴ μεῖζον, ἥκιστα ἄν διεγυμνάσθη πρὸς ἀρετήν. τῷ γὰρ μὴ ἔχειν ἐργαλείων παράθεσιν ἕλκεσθαι δυναμένων πρὸς ἐργασίαν ἀρετῆς τε καὶ κακίας οὐχ ἄν γε ἔσχεν ἐφʼ ἑαυτῷ τῆς ἀρετῆς τὴν προτίμησιν, ὡς ἐς τὰ μάλιστα ἂν ἐζημιῶσθαι καὶ μεγίστης εὐδοκιμήσεως ἐκπεπτωκέναι δοκεῖν, εἴπερ διὰ τοῦτο δοκοίη κακουργίας μὴ ἅπτεσθαι, ὅτι μὴ διʼ ὧν ἄν δράσειεν εὐπόρησεν. τὸ γὰρ παντελῶς ἄπρακτον ἀργόν τε καὶ ἄδοξον. ἀλλʼ ὅρα, φήσειεν ἄν, τὸ ἀποβαῖνον. καὶ πλέον οὐδὲν τοῦ ἀναγκαίου συμβαίνει. θάνατος γὰρ οὐ διὰ φονέως εὕρηται, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τοῦ δημιουργοῦ νενομοθέτηται, καὶ εἴγε τις σπουδάζει σίδηρον καὶ ξύλον καὶ λίθον, πῦρ τε καὶ ὕδωρ καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα ὡς κακοποιὰ διελέγξαι, τῶν ἐργαλείων τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀφέμενος, μόνον τὸ ἀποβαῖνον (λέγω δὴ τὸν θάνατον) διελεγχέτω καὶ δεικνύτω τοῦτον οὐ κατὰ λόγον ὡρισμένον πρὸς τοῦ δημιουργοῦ, καὶ οὕτως ὕστατον κακὰ προσαγορευέτω τὰ κακῶς συναιρούμενα" εἰ δὲ θάνατος ὑπʼ οὐδενὸς ἀναδειχθείη πονηρός, τοὐναντίον μὲν οὖν (ὡς διὰ πολλῶν δέδεικται) καὶ ὠφέλιμός γε τυγχάνει, πῶς οὐ παρέλκει τὰ διʼ ὧν ἄν συμβαίη θάνατος, τούτων ὡς κακῶν φύσει κατηγορεῖν, οὐχ εἰδότων μὲν ἐφʼ ὃ σαλεύεται πρὸς ἑτέρου ᾧ παρεδόθη, πάσης δʼ αἰτίας ἀπηλλαγμένων, δέον τὸν κινοῦντα μόνον αὐτὰ ὅτε μὴ προσῆκεν, ἄνθρωπον, αἰτιᾶσθαι. ### English translation (Claude) In this way, then, we must also dispose of the madman’s accusation against so-called deadly herbs, since he has been eager to slander everything. So too he speaks falsely of iron and fire, doing the opposite of what he wishes in these too. For while accusing matter (which he vainly imagines exists), he again appears as a kind of patron and advocate of it, showing hostility to the things that consume matter as evil. Iron and fire were sown in the earth by the Creator, and found by man’s reasoning with God’s permission; without them human life would have been wholly maimed. If the madman thought them harmful because they destroy the bodies put to them, they will appear much more beneficial and saving by their necessary use for everything. And if they lay hidden in creation and man’s reasoning first found them, to whom must the reasoning that found them be credited? To evil and matter, which have no knowledge, by his account, or to the good? But plainly wisdom of reasoning is a good and a gift of the good. And when did iron ever leap of its own accord at anyone, iron which is subject only to the use of reason and serves every art? “But a man murders with it,” he says. Yet the evil art belongs to the user, not the tool; so that, if there were no one using it in this way, iron would not have seemed evil. For if the murderer plans to commit murder but fails in the deed, is it not plain that his purpose did the deed and the iron is sinless? So too, even if he does it, iron is not the cause, but the one who used iron’s cutting against reason. And if he strikes with wood, or beats with a stone, or strangles with his own hands, he will call these evil too. And with the madman everything is a cause rather than the true cause, voluntary reasoning. For all the things mentioned along with iron are neither good nor evil, but are drawn to whatever the user wishes, lying at hand like tools and serving the user; and if they had not been given to man, he would not have accomplished the arts as he has, nor had their abundant uses; and, what is more, he would hardly have been exercised in virtue. For not having tools at hand that could be drawn to the working of virtue and vice, he would not have had in his power the preference of virtue, so that he would seem to have suffered the greatest loss and to have fallen from the greatest good repute, if he were thought not to touch evildoing only because he lacked the means to do it. For what is wholly inactive is idle and without glory. “But look,” he might say, “at what results.” Nothing more than what is necessary happens. For death was not found by the murderer but laid down by the Creator; and if anyone is eager to prove iron and wood and stone, fire and water and the like to be evildoers, let him leave aside the tools and refute only the result (I mean death), and show that it was not reasonably appointed by the Creator, and so at last call evil the things that wrongly help to bring it about. But if death is shown by no one to be wicked, but on the contrary (as has been shown in many ways) is even beneficial, how is it not superfluous to accuse as evil by nature the things through which death may come, which do not know to what end they are moved by another to whom they were given, and are free of all blame, when one ought to blame only the one who moves them when it is not fitting, man? ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.45 (Lagarde 1859, 54; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-45). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.46 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-45/#p-2-46 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 55 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Human sins cannot change the natural order fixed by God; they only convict the doer, so blame belongs to the user, not the instrument. ### Greek text οὕτω γὰρ πρὸς ἀλήθειαν ἀποδέδεικται μηδὲν μὲν τῶν κατὰ τὴν δημιουργίαν εἶναι κακόν, μόνον δὲ τὸν ἀνθρώπινον λογισμὸν ἐξουσίαν ἀναγκαίως λαμβάνοντα ἔστιν ὅτε πλημμελεῖν, πλημμελοῦντα δὲ διελέγχεσθαι μόνον, ὅτι προτετίμηκε τὸ χεῖρον, μηδὲν δὲ κατὰ τῆς φύσεως καινοτομεῖν δύνασθαι μηδὲ τὰ ἄνω κάτω ἐπʼ αὐτῷ εἶναι ποιεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὸ κατὰ φύσιν μόνον δρᾶν, κἀν παρὰ λόγον κατηγορῆται ποιεῖν, οἷον φόνος θάνατον τὸν κατὰ φύσιν ἐργάζεται, οὐδὲν πλέον ποιῶν τοῦ κατὰ φύσιν ἣ ὅσον ἐλέγξαι τὸν δράσαντα" μοιχεία αὖθις καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα τῷ παραλόγῳ μόνον τοῦ λογισμοῦ κατηγορεῖται, κατὰ δὲ τῆς φύσεως τῆς ὡρισμένης ὑπὸ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ καινοτομεῖν παντελῶς οὐδὲν δύναται, ὡς ἀπαράβατον μὲν εἶναί τε καὶ μένειν τὸν νόμον τοῦ τὴν φύσιν δημιουργήσαντος, ἐν αὐτοῖς δέ που τοῖς κατὰ φύσιν στρέφεσθαι τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, μηδεμίαν ἐπεισάγοντα καινότητα, ἣ ὅτι μόνον τὸν πράττοντα διελέγχει ἑκόντα πλημμελοῦντα, ὡς οὐχ ἄν ἑτέρως δυνηθέντα κατορθοῦν, εἰ μὴ καὶ τό γε ἐναντίον εἶχεν ἐφʼ ἑαυτῷ, οὗ τὴν ἐκούσιον ἀποφυγὴν πρὸς ἀρετῆς κτῆσιν ἔχει. οὐκοῦν ἀκροτάτης ἀνοίας ἔργον μάτην σίδηρον ἢ ξύλον ἤ τι τῶν ἄλλων αἰτιᾶσθαι καὶ μὴ τὸν χρώμενον παραλόγως. ### English translation (Claude) So it has truly been shown that nothing in creation is evil, and that only human reasoning, which necessarily receives power, sometimes does wrong, and in doing wrong is only convicted of having preferred the worse; but that it can make nothing new against nature, nor turn things upside down at its pleasure, but only does what is according to nature, even if it is accused of acting against reason. For example, murder brings about natural death, doing nothing more than what is natural, except that it convicts the doer. Again, adultery and the like are accused only for the unreasonableness of the reasoning, but can make nothing at all new against the nature fixed by the Creator; so that the law of him who made nature is and remains inviolable, and sins turn somehow within natural things themselves, introducing no novelty, except that they convict the doer of doing wrong willingly, since he could not otherwise have done right had he not also had the opposite in his power, the willing avoidance of which he has for the acquisition of virtue. So it is the work of the utmost folly to blame iron or wood or any other thing in vain, and not the one who uses it unreasonably. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.46 (Lagarde 1859, 55; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-46). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.47 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-45/#p-2-47 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 55 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Murder brings about only the death appointed for all; God permits it for various reasons, and death itself is not evil. ### Greek text εἰ δέ τις ζητοίη, διὰ τί φονεύεταί γε ἄνθρωπος, αὖθις μὲν εἰρήσεται τὸ πολλάκις λελεγμένον τὸ Διὰ τί οὖν ὅλως ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἀποθνήσκει; — ὅπερ εἰ δειχθείη κακόν, εὐλόγως ἀνατρέχει κατὰ τοῦ ὁρίσαντος ἣ αἰτία. εἰ δὲ μὴ κακὸν θάνατος, τὴν συγχώρησιν μόνον τοῦ προνοοῦντος τῶν χαθʼ ἡμᾶς ἐξεταστέον, τοῦ χάριν ἄνθρωπος φόνου τρόπῳ περιπίπτει τῷ μὴ κατὰ φύσιν κακῷ θανάτῳ" καὶ εὑρεθείη γʼ ἂν αὕτη κατὰ πολλὰς καὶ ποικίλας αἰτίας συμβαίνουσα, ἃς περίεργον ἄν εἴη καταριθμεῖν. δικαίῳ γὰρ καὶ ἀδίκῳ κατὰ διάφορον αἰτίαν ταὐτὸ συμβαίνει, οὔτε τῷ δικαίῳ πρὸς βλάβην οὔτε τῷ ἀδίκῳ πρὸς τιμωρίαν. οὐ γὰρ ἄν εἴη τιμωρία τὸ κατὰ φύσιν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ὑπόδειγμα ἣ πρὸς κόλασιν ἀνηκέστων κακῶν. καὶ πολλά γε τὰ αἴτια τοῦ συγχωρεῖν θεὸν φονεύεσθαι ἄνθρωπον, δῆλον μέντοι ὡς οὐδὲν πλέον τοῦ κατὰ τῆς φύσεως ὡρισμένου συμβαίνει. κἂν γὰρ διάφορον ἡ τὸ τῆς περιστάσεως, πυρετοῦ τε καὶ πλησμονῆς ἀμέτρου ἣ τοὐναντίον λιμοῦ, ψύχους τε καὶ καύματος, χώματός τε καὶ λιθασμοῦ, ξίφους τε καὶ πυρὸς καὶ ὕδατος, ἀλλά γε ἐν τούτοις ἅπασιν ἕν γε τὸ ἀποβαῖνον. τί δʼ ἄν εἴη τοῦτο; τὸ πρὸς τοῦ δημιουργοῦ καλῶς γε καὶ προσηκόντως ὡρισμένον κατὰ παντὸς τοῦ γένους. ### English translation (Claude) And if someone asks why a man is murdered, we shall say again what has often been said: why, then, does man die at all? If this were shown to be evil, the blame would reasonably go back to the one who appointed it. But if death is not evil, we must examine only the permission of him who provides for our affairs, for what reason a man meets, by way of murder, a death that is not evil by nature; and it would be found to happen for many and various reasons, which it would be superfluous to count. For the same thing happens to the righteous and the unrighteous for different reasons, neither to harm the righteous nor to punish the unrighteous; for what is natural would not be a punishment, but serves as an example or for chastening incurable evils. And there are many reasons why God permits a man to be murdered; yet plainly nothing happens beyond what is fixed for nature. For even if the circumstance differs, fever and unmeasured fullness or on the contrary famine, cold and heat, being buried or stoned, sword and fire and water, in all these the outcome is one. And what is that? What was well and fittingly appointed by the Creator for the whole race. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.47 (Lagarde 1859, 55; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-47). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.48 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-45/#p-2-48 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 56 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: God’s wisdom is not fully accessible to men, who should trust it as they trust a skilled craftsman or a king’s hidden counsels. ### Greek text οὕτω μὲν οὖν καὶ κατὰ πολλοὺς ἑτέρους τρόπους δειχθείη ἄν οὐδὲν τῶν κατὰ τὴν δημιουργίαν κακὸν οὔτε μὴν τῆς θείας οἰκονομίας τι διαβεβλημένον, ἀλλὰ πάντα μὲν ἀρρήτῳ σοφίᾳ γεγενημένα, ἀρρήτῳ δὲ προνοίᾳ διοικούμενα: ὡς οὐκ ἄν εἴη ῥάδιον τῶν πρὸς θεοῦ γινομένων, χρηστῶν τε καὶ αὖθις ἀνιαρῶν εἶναι δοκούντων, τὸν νοῦν καταμανθάνειν. οὐ γὰρ ἐχρῆν γε (ὡς ἔοικε) βατὰ τοῖς πᾶσιν ὑπάρχειν τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ σοφίας τὰ τεκμήρια καὶ τὸν ἄρρητον καὶ ἀκατάληπτον νοῦν πάντη γυμνὸν εἶναι ἀνθρώποις, ὅπου γε καὶ βασιλέως ἀνθρώπου καὶ ἄρχοντος ἔστιν ὅτε τὰ πλεῖστα τῶν βουλευμάτων κέκρυπται, ὡς καὶ τὸ πραττόμενον ἄδηλον εἶναι ὅτῳ λόγῳ πράττεται. οὐ τοίνυν θαῦμα, εἰ ἄνθρωποί μὴ χωροῦσιν ὅλης τῆς διοικήσεως τοῦ θεοῦ τὸν λόγον, οἷς ἁρμόττει καὶ δίχα τοῦ πολυπραγμονεῖν ὑποκεῖσθαι καὶ ἡσυχάζειν καὶ ἥκιστα ἀνταίρειν κατὰ τῆς ἀρρήτου διοικήσεως. πολλάκις γὰρ οὐδὲ τεχνίτην εἴτʼ οὖν οἰκοδομίας ἢ ναυπηγίας ἣ χαλκευτικῆς ἔμπειρον αἰδούμενοι περιεργαζόμεθα, ποιοῦντά γε τὸ οἰκεῖον ἕκαστον, ἀλλὰ τῇ πείρᾳ καταπιστεύσαντες ἐκδεχόμεθα τοὔργον ἰδεῖν. ἔστι δὲ ὅτε καὶ σφαλ[λ]ομένων οὐχ ἐπαισθανόμεθα. τί δʼ ἂν [ε]ΐποιμεν περὶ τῆς ὑπὲρ ἅπαντα νοῦν σοφίας τοῦ θεοῦ, ἣν προσῆκε νοοῦντας καὶ μὴ νοοῦντας ἐκπλήττεσθαί τε καὶ τιμᾶν; ### English translation (Claude) So it could be shown in many other ways too that nothing in creation is evil, and nothing in the divine economy deserves blame, but that all things have come to be by ineffable wisdom and are governed by ineffable providence; so that it would not be easy to learn the meaning of what God does, whether things that seem good or, again, painful. For it was not fitting, it seems, that the evidences of God’s wisdom should be accessible to all, and his ineffable and incomprehensible mind wholly bare to men, when even a human king and ruler sometimes keeps most of his plans hidden, so that even what is done is unclear as to the reason for which it is done. It is no wonder, then, if men cannot contain the reason of God’s whole governance; it befits them to submit without meddling, to keep quiet, and by no means to rise up against the ineffable governance. For often we do not even scrutinize a craftsman experienced in building, shipbuilding or bronze-working, but, respecting him as he does his own work, trusting his experience we wait to see the work; and sometimes we do not even notice when craftsmen make mistakes. What, then, shall we say of the wisdom of God that surpasses every mind, which we ought to be amazed at and honour, whether we understand or not? ### Scripture references - Phil 4:7: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - In “σφαλ[λ]ομένων” and “[ε]ἴποιμεν” the bracketed letters are Lagarde’s. “Surpasses every mind” recalls Phil 4:7. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.48 (Lagarde 1859, 56; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-48). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.49 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-45/#p-2-49 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 56 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Not understanding God’s governance, Mani invented a second principle and ascribed most of God’s works to evil. ### Greek text εἰ δέ τις διὰ τὸ μὴ καταλαμβάνειν τὸν λόγον τῶν πλειόνων πρὸς θεοῦ γιγνομένων ἐκπέσοι πρὸς ἀτόπους κατὰ θεοῦ δόξας, ἀθλιώτατος καὶ λίαν ἀνόητος ὁ τοιοῦτος, αὐτῇ γε τῇ τυφλότητι τῆς ἰδίας διανοίας ὁδηγῷ χρώμενος: ὥσπερ ὁ Μάνης ὃ χαλεπωτάτην μανίαν κατά γε τῶν αὐτῷ πειθομένων ἐπινοήσας, ἐπεὶ μὴ κατέλαβε τίνα τρόπον τὰ χαθʼ ἡμᾶς διοικεῖται, δευτέραν ἀρχὴν ἄναρχον κακίας ἐπλάσατο, ἵνα καὶ τῶν ἄνω σφαλῇ καὶ τὰ κάτω νοῆσαι μὴ συγχωρηθῇ, τοιαῦτα κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων πλαττόμενος οἷά γε τὴν ἀνεξικακίαν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀνωτάτω κηρύττειν. διεῖλε γὰρ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὰ πλεῖστά γε ἀνέθηκε τῇ μὴ οὔσῃ κακίᾳ, παντοίως βλασφημῶν τὸν δημιουργόν, ἐκ κακίας συγκεῖσθαι λέγων τοῦ θεοῦ τὰ κατορθώματα. ### English translation (Claude) But if anyone, because he does not grasp the reason of most of what God does, should fall into absurd opinions against God, such a man is most wretched and very foolish, using the very blindness of his own mind as his guide; like Mani, who devised a most grievous madness against those who believe him: since he did not grasp how our affairs are governed, he fabricated a second, beginningless principle of evil, so that he might go wrong about things above and not be allowed to understand things below, fabricating against the God of all such things as proclaim his supreme forbearance. For he divided up what is God’s and ascribed most of it to the evil that does not exist, blaspheming the Creator in every way by saying that God’s achievements are composed out of evil. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.49 (Lagarde 1859, 56; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-49). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.50 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-45/#p-2-50 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 57 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: The four elements are each simple and dangerous when unmixed, so they cannot be divided between good and evil principles. ### Greek text τί τοίνυν φαίη ἂν περὶ τῶν ἀρχῶν τῶν σωμάτων; τέσσαρες μὲν γὰρ αὗται, ἃ δὴ καὶ καλεῖν εἰώθασιν τέσσαρα στοιχεῖα, ἅπερ ἐναντία μὲν ἀλλήλοις καὶ ἀκριβῶς ἀντικείμενα, οὐδὲν δὲ τούτων ἀποτελεῖν τι χαθʼ ἑαυτὸ δύναται. τί γὰρ ἄν εἴη τὸ ξηρὸν ἄνευ τοῦ ὑγροῦ; ἣ τί δʼ ἄν εἴη τὸ θερμὸν δίχα τοῦ ψυχροῦ; εἰ οὖν τῶν ἐναντίων σύνοδος ἀποτελεῖ σῶμα, ποῖα τῶν τεσσάρων ἐκεῖνος ἀναθήσει τῇ κακίᾳ; ἢ ποῖα τῷ ἀγαθῷ; εἰ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς πᾶσιν ἀγαθοῦ τε καὶ κακοῦ κρᾶσιν φαντάζεται, ἐπάναγκες διελεῖν εἰς δύο τὰ τέσσαρα καὶ ταῦτα εἴτʼ οὖν ἐξ ἴσης διαστῆσαι ἢ τρία πρὸς ἓν χωρίσαι· ἀλλʼ ὅπερ ἄν ἀπονέμοι τῷ ἀγαθῷ, εὑρεθείη ἄν χαθʼ ἑαυτὸ βλάψαι δυνάμενον. οὐδὲν γὰρ τῶν τεσσάρων ἄκρατον καὶ οὐχὶ σφαλερόν. αὐτίκα καὶ ἐν τῇ κράσει τὸ πλεονάζον ὀλέθρου γίνεται τῷ σώματι παραίτιον, ὡς φασὶν οἵ τούτων ἔμπειροι. εἰ τοίνυν τὸ μὲν θερμὸν καθʼ ἑαυτὸ καίει, τὸ δὲ ψυχρὸν ψύχει, ξηραίνει δὲ τὸ ξηρόν, κατακλύζει δὲ τὸ ὑγρόν, ποῖον λογιεῖται τούτων ὁ πλάνος τῷ θεῷ; αὐτὸ μὲν γὰρ ὅλον τὸ σῶμα κρᾶσιν ἔχειν" ἐκ τούτων εἰκὸς διʼ ὧν καὶ σύγκειται καὶ ὑφέστηκεν, ἀφʼ ὦν δὲ ἣ κρᾶσις ἐκ κράσεως εἶναι ἕκαστον οὐχ ἐνδέχεται: ὥστε οὐχ ἔχει λόγον αὐτῶν γε τῶν ἀτόμων στοιχείων ἕκαστον καταμερίζειν εἰς ἐναντίας δύο ἀρχὰς καὶ κρᾶσιν αὐτῶν ἐκάστου εἰσηγεῖσθαι. ποίαν γὰρ ἐπινοήσει τῷ ξηρῷ σύνθεσιν ὃ πλάνος; ποίαν δὲ κρᾶσιν τῷ ἀκράτῳ πυρί; ἢ τίνα συμπλοκὴν τῷ ψυχρῷ, ψυχρῷ διʼ ὅλου τυγχάνοντι; παραπλησίως δὲ καὶ τῷ ὑγρῷ. μονοειδῇ γὰρ καὶ ἀμέριστα σαφῶς ταῦτα τυγχάνει, ὥστε τούτων ἔκαστον οὐδὲ ὑποσταίη χαθʼ ἑαυτό, ἀλλὰ καὶ σὺν ἀλλήλοις ἔχει τὸ εἶναι. ### English translation (Claude) What, then, would he say about the principles of bodies? These are four, which they usually call the four elements; they are opposite to one another and exactly opposed, and none of them can accomplish anything by itself. For what would the dry be without the moist, or the hot without the cold? If, then, the meeting of opposites makes a body, which of the four will he assign to evil, and which to the good? For if he imagines in everything a mixture of good and evil, he must divide the four into two, and either separate them equally or set three against one; but whatever he assigns to the good would be found able to do harm by itself. For none of the four, unmixed, is not dangerous; indeed, even in the mixture, the one in excess becomes a cause of destruction to the body, as those skilled in these things say. If, then, the hot burns by itself, the cold chills, the dry dries and the moist floods, which of these will the deceiver reckon to God? For it is reasonable that the whole body should have a mixture of the things of which it is composed and by which it subsists; but that each of the things from which the mixture comes should itself be from a mixture is impossible. So there is no reason to divide each of the indivisible elements themselves between two opposite principles and to introduce a mixture of each. For what composition will the deceiver devise for the dry? What mixture for unmixed fire? Or what combination for the cold, which is cold throughout? And likewise for the moist. For these are plainly of one kind and indivisible, so that none of them could even subsist by itself, but has its being together with the others. ### Translation notes - The doctrine of the four elements and their qualities (hot, cold, dry, moist) is the common physics of the time. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.50 (Lagarde 1859, 57; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-50). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.51 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-45/#p-2-51 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 57 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Simple elements like fire cannot be split into good and evil parts; on Mani’s logic all would belong to evil, which ruins his own hypothesis. ### Greek text μαίνεται τοιγαροῦν μανίαν χαλεπήν, ὅταν τοῦ πυρὸς τὸ μὲν τὶ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ φάσκει, τὸ δὲ τὶ τοῦ κακοῦ. ποιεῖν δὲ τοῦτο ἐπάναγκες αὐτῷ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ποιοτήτων τῶν στοιχείων καὶ διαιρεῖν τὰ διαίρεσιν μὴ ἐπιδεχόμενα. τὸ γὰρ ξηρὸν διʼ ὅλου ξηρὸν καὶ αὐτοξηρότης ἁπλῇ τε καὶ μονοειδής" καὶ τὸ ψυχρόν, οὐδὲ εἰς ἐπίνοιαν διαιρέσεως ἐλθεῖν δυνάμενον, ἕν τε καὶ ἁπλοῦν διʼ ὅλου τυγχάνον. οὕτω δὴ καὶ τὸ ὑγρὸν καὶ τὸ θερμόν. τί τοίνυν τοῦ πυρὸς ἔσται τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ; καὶ τί τοὐναντίον τοῦ κακοῦ; ὁπότε διαίρεσιν οὐχ ἐπιδέχεται, ἐπειδή γε οὐδὲ κρᾶσιν ἐπεδέξατο, ἄκρατον ὄν. τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἕν σῶμα καὶ διαιρεῖται τῇ γοῦν ἐπινοίᾳ, τὸ δὲ ἄκρατον στοιχεῖον πῶς ἐξ ἐναντίων συγκεῖσθαι δόξειεν ἄν; ποίαν δὲ καὶ ἐναντιότητα λογίσηται ἄν τις ἐν ἀκράτῳ πυρί; εἰ τοίνυν ἕκαστον ἐπισφαλὲς διʼ ὅλου καθʼ ἑαυτό, οὐδὲν αὐτῶν κατὰ τὸν τοῦ μανέντος λόγον ἁρμόσει τῷ ἀγαθῷ, ἀλλὰ πάντα μὲν ἀνακείσεται τῷ κακῷ, οὐχ ἔσται δὲ τὰ σώματα ἐξ ἑτέρου συγκείμενα, ἀλλοτρίως τῇ τοῦ μανέντος ὑποθέσει. ### English translation (Claude) He is mad with a grievous madness, then, when he says that one part of fire belongs to the good and another to evil. And he must do this with the qualities of the elements too, and divide what admits no division. For the dry is dry throughout, dryness itself, simple and of one kind; and the cold cannot even come into the thought of division, being one and simple throughout. So too the moist and the hot. What part of fire, then, will belong to the good, and what, on the contrary, to evil, when it admits no division, since it admitted no mixture either, being unmixed? For a single body can be divided, at least in thought, but how could an unmixed element seem to be composed of opposites? And what opposition could one reckon in unmixed fire? If, then, each element by itself is wholly dangerous, none of them, by the madman’s account, will suit the good; all will be assigned to evil, and bodies will not be composed of the other, contrary to the madman’s hypothesis. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.51 (Lagarde 1859, 57; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-51). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.52 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-45/#p-2-52 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 58 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Fire’s healing and burning are not two natures but one burning power, helpful or harmful according to use. ### Greek text πῶς δὲ αὐτῷ τὸ μὲν τὶ τοῦ πυρὸς δόξει θεραπευτικόν (ὅσον τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ), τὸ δὲ τὶ ὀλέθριον καὶ καυστικόν (ὅσον τοῦ κακοῦ), εἰ μὴ καὶ τῶν σωμάτων κρᾶσιν ἀγαθοῦ τε καὶ κακοῦ μανικῶς ἐφαντάζετο; ὅπερ οἰόμενος ἀναγκασθήσεται ἀπονεῖμαι τῷ ἀγαθῷ τῶν τεσσάρων στοιχείων ἅπερ ἄν θέλοι ὁλόκληρά τε καὶ ἀδιαίρετα, οὕτως ἔχοντα φύσει, καὶ ὀφθήσεται ὁμολογῶν ὑπάρξαι καὶ ἐκ θεοῦ ἄκρατόν τε καὶ καθʼ ἑαυτὸ βλαπτικόν. διαιρεῖ δὲ ὃ ἀνόητος τοῦ πυρὸς τὴν ἀδιαίρετον φύσιν, τὸ θεραπευτικὸν ἕτερον αὐτοῦ λέγων εἶναι καὶ τὸ καυστικὸν ἕτερον, μὴ συνιεὶς ὁ βάρβαρος ὡς ἐν τῇ χρήσει ἢ διαίρεσις, ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἐν τῇ φύσει τοῦ πυρός. τούτου γὰρ ἢ μὲν ἄμετρος ἐγγύτης ἐπιβουλή, ἢ δὲ μετρία διάστασις ἀσφαλῆ γε φέρει τὴν μετουσίαν, ἄλλως τε αὐτὸ δὴ τὸ καυστικὸν τοῦ πυρὸς καὶ μόνον ἀναγκαῖον, ὅπερ καὶ πῦρ τυγχάνει. τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ μαλάττει καὶ τήκει τὰ πρὸς τὴν χρείαν ἀναγκαίως προσφερόμενα, ὡς μηδὲν ἕτερον εἶναι τὸ πῦρ ἢ τὸ καυστικὸν αὐτοῦ, μηδὲν δὲ ἕτερον εἶναι τὸ ἀναγκαῖον ἢ τοῦτο. ὁ δὲ μάτην τὸ πῦρ ἐνυβρίζει, λίαν ἀχάριστος ὧν πρὸς τὰς παρὰ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ τῶν ὅλων εὐεργεσίας. ### English translation (Claude) And how will one part of fire seem to him healing (in so far as it belongs to the good) and another destructive and burning (in so far as it belongs to evil), unless he madly imagined a mixture of good and evil in bodies too? Thinking this, he will be compelled to assign to the good whichever of the four elements he likes, entire and undivided, as they are by nature, and he will be seen admitting that something unmixed and harmful by itself exists even from God. But the fool divides the indivisible nature of fire, saying that its healing part is one thing and its burning part another, the barbarian not understanding that the division lies in the use, not in the nature of fire. For unmeasured nearness to it is dangerous, while a moderate distance gives a safe share in it; and besides, the very burning quality of fire is alone what is necessary, and that is what fire is. For this softens and melts what is brought to it for need; so fire is nothing else than its burning quality, and what is necessary is nothing else than this. But he insults fire in vain, being very ungrateful for the benefits of the Creator of all. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.52 (Lagarde 1859, 58; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-52). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.53 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-45/#p-2-53 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 58 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Assigning all four elements to evil would either make bodies incoherent or credit evil with the Creator’s wisdom. ### Greek text εἰ δέ τις θείη τὰ τέσσαρα στοιχεῖα τῇ κακίᾳ κατʼ ἐκεῖνον προσήκειν, πῶς ἄν ταῦτα μιᾶς φύσεως, ἐναντία γε ὄντα, ὑπάρχειν δοκοίη; εἰ γὰρ αὐτόθεν τὸ θερμόν, τὸ ψυχρὸν ἑτέρωθεν, ἣ ἀνάπαλιν, καὶ οὕτως αὖθις ἐπὶ τῆς ἄλλης συζυγίας, ὥστε ἀσύστατος καὶ ἣ τῶν σωμάτων κρᾶσις κατὰ τὴν τοιαύτην ὑπόθεσιν. εἰ δὲ ἐπινοίᾳ τῆς κακίας ἀναθείη τῶν τεσσάρων τὴν εἰς κατασκευὴν εὕρεσιν, σοφωτάτη γε λίαν ἀναφανήσεται ἡ γνῶσιν καὶ σύνεσιν μὴ κεκτημένη κακία, ὡς καὶ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ τὸ μέγιστον ἀποφέρεσθαι θαῦμα, εἴγε συνεῖδε τίνα ἄν τρόπον ὑποστήσηται. ### English translation (Claude) And if someone should grant that the four elements belong to evil, as he holds, how could they seem to be of one nature, being opposites? For if the hot comes from one place and the cold from another, or the reverse, and so again with the other pair, the mixture of bodies would be incoherent on such a hypothesis. And if he should ascribe to the ingenuity of evil the discovery of the four for the making of the world, evil, which has no mind or understanding, will turn out very wise indeed, so as to carry off even the Creator’s greatest wonder, if it understood how it could make them subsist. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.53 (Lagarde 1859, 58; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-53). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.54 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-45/#p-2-54 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 59 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: The sun is a kind of fire, beneficial at a distance and harmful near; being visible and bodily, it cannot be of God’s substance as Mani claims. ### Greek text ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἥλιον σεμνύνει καὶ ἀμιγῆ εἶναι (ὡς ὑπείληφε) τοῦ κακοῦ διορίζεται, φέρε καὶ περὶ ἡλίου φιλαλήθως κατίδωμεν. ὀφθήσεται γὰρ ἑνὸς τῶν τεσσάρων στοιχείων ὑπάρχων, λέγω δὴ τῆς θερμῆς οὐσίας. οὐ βλάπτει μὲν γὰρ τὰ ὑποκείμενα, μόνον δὲ. θερμαίνει καὶ ὠφελεῖ διὰ τὸ πλεῖστον ἀφεστάναι: οἷς δὲ πλέον προσεγγίζει, καίει τε καὶ ἄγονον τὴν τοιαύτην γῆν ἀπεργάζεται" αὐτίκα καὶ θέρους ὥρᾳ ἄκρατος. προσβαλὼν τῇ γῇ κατὰ μεσημβρίαν οὕτως θερμαίνει ταύτην, ὥστε καυτῆρος δίκην ὑποβεβλῆσθαι δοκεῖν τοὔδαφος τοῖς ἐπιβαίνουσι γυμνοῖς τοῖς ποσί. πολλάκις δὲ καὶ τῇ φλογὶ τῇ ἡλιακῇ παραπεσόντες ἄνθρωποι πολλῷ γε ʼ τῷ καύματι διεφθάρησαν, τὸ παραμυθούμενον ἐγγύθεν μὴ εὑρόντες. μελαίνει δὲ τὰ σώματα καὶ διακαίει, σαφῶς τὰ πυρὸς ἐνεργῶν. μᾶλλον δὲ πυρὸς αὐτὸς γόνιμός ἐστιν, εἴ τις ἐν ἀγγείῳ ὕδωρ ὑελίνῳ ἄντικρυς αὐτῷ προσαγάγοι. συναγομένη γὰρ τῷ διαυγεῖ τοῦ τε ὕδατος καὶ τῆς ὑέλου τῆς ἡλιακῆς ἀκτῖνος ἢ ἀκμὴ καὶ πρὸς στενὸν μὲν παραπεμπομένη προσομιλοῦσα τε ὅλῃ, ῥᾳδίως πυρὸς ἀντιλαμβανομένη, ἅμα τε τίκτει πῦρ καὶ σαφῶς πείθει τὸν μὴ φιλον[ε]ικεῖν ἐθέλοντα ὡς πυρὸς εἶδος μὲν ἐστὶν ὁ ἥλιος, τῶν δὲ τῆς δημιουργίας λαμπρῶν ἔργων ὃ πρῶτος, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τοῦ πυρὸς ἢ φύσις ἁπάντων γε ἄν εὑρεθείη λαμπροτέρα. πάντων γὰρ τῶν ἄλλων στοιχείων κάτω φερομένων τὸ πῦρ μόνον τοῖς μὲν χαυστοῖς ἐπιπηδᾷ, ἄνω δὲ τὰ πάντα τὴν πορείαν ἔχει, λεπτότητι κουφιζόμενον καὶ αὐτόν γε τὸν ἀέρα βαρύτατον ἀπελέγχον τῷ γε ὑπερβαίνειν αὐτόν, ὡς καὶ τούτου λεπτότερον διαφαίνεσθαι συγγενείᾳ τῇ πρὸς τὸν ἥλιον. ὃ τοίνυν Μάνης ἐκθειάζων ὡς τῆς φύσεως ὄντα τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ τὸν ἥλιον, κινδυνεύει πυροειδῇ, μᾶλλον δὲ σαφῶς τοιοῦτον δή τινα τὸν ἀγαθὸν εἰσάγειν. ἥλιος γὰρ τῆς θερμῆς ὑπάρχων οὐσίας τῇ θέσει πυρὸς διαφέρει, τῇ δὲ ἐνεργείᾳ ταὐτὸ δρᾷ, εἰ μὴ τῆς διαστάσεως τὸ μέτρον ἐξῃρεῖτο τὰ παρακείμενα τῆς ἀκμαιοτέρας αὐτοῦ προσβολῆς. ἀλλὰ μὴν κᾷν τοῖς πᾶσιν ἐπίβουλος ἐνομίσθη ζῴοις τε καὶ φυτοῖς, εἰ μὴ συγκατεσκευάσθη γε αὐτῷ παρὰ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ πρὸς ἐπικουρίαν ἕτερα διʼ ὧν τὸ πρὸς ἥλιον ἀσφαλὲς ἡμῖν τε καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ζῴοις ὑπάρχει. ἔστι δὲ ταῦτα καταδύσεις τε καὶ σκέπαι, πρὸς δὲ καὶ φυτοῖς ὑδάτων τε χορηγίαι καὶ ἀνέμων πνοαί. ὥστε καὶ οἱ πέμπτον στοιχεῖον ὁριζόμενοι εἶναι τὸν ἥλιον πρός γε τὰ σαφῆ μὴ φιλον[ε]ικούντων ἐς … … καὶ οὕτως αὐτὸς ὃ χαλεπώτατα μανεὶς τὸν τῶν ὅλων δημιουργὸν βλασφημῶν ἥκιστα πιστευέσθω ἥλιον συγκρίνων θεῷ καὶ ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας αὐτοῦ λέγων εἶναι τοῦτον. πᾶν γὰρ ὁρατὸν (ἅτε δὴ σῶμα τυγχάνον) ἀντιτέταχται φύσει τῷ ἀοράτῳ καὶ ἀσωμάτῳ, οὗ ἔργον μὲν εἶναι δύναται καὶ μάλα γε θαυμάσιον ἔργον, ὁμοιότητα δὲ φύσεως πρὸς αὐτὸν οὐδεμίαν ἔχειν. ### English translation (Claude) And since he reveres the sun and defines it as unmixed (as he supposes) with evil, come, let us consider the sun truthfully too. It will be seen to belong to one of the four elements, I mean the hot substance. It does not harm things beneath it, but only warms and benefits them because it is very far away; but those it comes nearer to it burns, and makes such land barren. Indeed, in summer, falling unmixed on the earth at noon, it heats it so that the ground seems to those who walk on it barefoot to be laid under them like a branding iron. And often men caught in the sun’s blaze have perished in the great heat, finding no relief nearby. It blackens bodies and scorches them, plainly doing the work of fire. Or rather it is itself productive of fire, if one holds water in a glass vessel directly toward it. For the point of the sun’s ray, gathered by the transparency of the water and the glass and sent into a narrow space, meeting with matter easily catches fire, and at once begets fire and clearly persuades anyone unwilling to quarrel that the sun is a kind of fire, and the first of the bright works of creation, since the nature of fire would be found brighter than all things. For while all the other elements are carried downward, fire alone leaps upon what can be burned and takes its course upward through everything, lightened by its fineness, and proves even the air very heavy by rising above it, so that it appears finer than the air too, by kinship with the sun. So Mani, deifying the sun as of the nature of the good, runs the risk of introducing a good one like fire, or rather plainly such. For the sun, being of the hot substance, differs from fire in position but does the same in its working, except that the measure of its distance removes what lies near it from its sharper onset. Indeed, it would have been thought dangerous to all animals and plants if the Creator had not made along with it other things for help, through which we and the other animals are safe from the sun. These are retreats and shelters, and also, for plants, supplies of water and blowings of winds. So even those who define the sun as a fifth element, being unwilling to quarrel against what is plain, … And so let the most grievously mad man, who blasphemes the Creator of all, by no means be believed when he compares the sun with God and says it is from God’s substance. For everything visible (being a body) is by nature opposed to the invisible and incorporeal; it can be his work, and a very wonderful work, but it can have no likeness of nature to him. ### Translation notes - The Manichees honoured the sun as a vessel of the light. Ὕλῃ is read for ὅλῃ (“matter” the ray meets). The staged text marks a gap (… …) after “fifth element”; the fifth element is Aristotle’s aether (not named). In “φιλον[ε]ικεῖν” the bracketed letter is Lagarde’s. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.54 (Lagarde 1859, 59; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-54). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.55 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-45/#p-2-55 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 60 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Mani contradicts himself by honouring the sun while condemning the fruits of the earth that the sun nourishes. ### Greek text ὅσα μὲν οὖν ὁ πλάνος ἐντέθεικεν ἀσεβῇ τοῖς ἰδίοις συγγράμμασι, πολὺ ἄν ἔργον εἴη καταριθμεῖν· λοιδορούμενος γὰρ τοῖς οὖσιν ἅπασιν ὡς κακοῖς, καὶ τοὺς καρποὺς τοὺς ἀπὸ γῆς ἅμα διαβάλλει ὡς θρεπτικοὺς τῆς ὕλης. καὶ ἥλιον μὲν ὑπερθαυμάζει καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ γε εἶναι, ὡς φησί, διορίζεται, ἃ δὲ τρέφει θερμαίνων φυτά τε καὶ σπέρματα, πικρῶς οὐχ αἰσχύνεται κακίζων, ἅπερ οὐκ ἄν συνέστη παντελῶς ἡλίου δίχα, πρὸς θεοῦ γεγενημένου. ὡς γὰρ οὐδὲν ἄν ὥνησεν ἥλιος, εἰ μὴ ὄμβρων ἤρδευον χορηγίαι τὰ φυτὰ καὶ ἀνέμων ὠφελίμων διεσάλευον πνοαί, οὕτως αὖ ὄμβροι καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἡλίου δίχα ὠφέλησεν ἂν οὐδέν. ἄρʼ οὖν ἐκεῖνος ἰσχυρῶς ἑαυτῷ καὶ ὧδε μάχεται, πικρῶς διαβάλλων εἰς κακίαν τοὺς ἀπὸ γῆς καρπούς, διὰ ἡλίου γε αὐξανομένους, ὃν πάνυ θαυμάζει καὶ τιμᾷ. ### English translation (Claude) To count all the impious things the deceiver has put into his writings would be a great task. For reviling all existing things as evil, he also slanders the fruits of the earth as nourishing matter. And while he admires the sun beyond measure and defines it as being from the good, as he says, he is not ashamed to decry bitterly the plants and seeds it nourishes by warming them, which could not exist at all without the sun, which was made by God. For as the sun would have been of no benefit unless supplies of rain watered the plants and blowings of useful winds stirred them, so again rain and the rest would have been of no benefit without the sun. So here too he fights hard against himself, bitterly slandering as evil the fruits of the earth, which grow through the sun that he greatly admires and honours. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.55 (Lagarde 1859, 60; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-55). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.56 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-45/#p-2-56 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 60 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Titus defends rain and the fruits of the earth against Manichaean slander and accuses the Manichees of cursing their bread, rejecting childbearing, and using means to prevent or end pregnancy. ### Greek text τοὺς δὲ ὄμβρους περιττώσεις εἶναι λέγων καὶ τῶν ἀρχόντων τῆς ὕλης ἐρωτιώντων πρὸς τὰς τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ δυνάμεις καὶ οὕτω δὴ καμνόντων ἱδρῶτας αὐτοὺς εἶναι διοριζόμενος, τὸ παρέλκον αὐτῶν (ὡς αὐτὸς οἴεται) καὶ τὸ περιττὸν πειρᾶται δεικνύναι τῷ καὶ τὴν θάλατταν καὶ τὴν ἔρημόν τε καὶ ἄσπορον ὕεσθαι: ὥσπερ τις ἀκριβὴς λογιστὴς κατὰ θεοῦ παρελθὼν ὡς μάτην καὶ ἀσώτως ἀναλίσκοντος τῶν ὑδάτων τὴν παρασκευήν, διʼ ἀκροτάτην ἄνοιαν τὸ πρέπον θεῷ μὴ βλέπων, ὡς εἰ μὲν ἐπτώχευε τοῖς ὕδασι θεός, ἀκριβῇ καὶ τῇ χρείᾳ σύμμετρον ἐποιεῖτο τούτων τὴν ἐπίδοσιν, ἐπειδὴ δὲ πλουτεῖ (καὶ ὅσον γε οὐχ ἄν τις εἰπεῖν δύναιτο) αὐτό γε τοῦτο τὸ ἄφθονον τῆς παρασκευῆς δείκνυσι τὸ καὶ θάλατταν, ἀφʼ ἧς ἀνακομίζε[τα]ι πρὸς ἀέρα τὰ ὕδατα, διὰ νεφῶν ἀρδεύειν. ἧ δὲ ἔρημός τε καὶ ἄσπορος ἀναγκαίως ὕεται πρὸς χορηγίαν πηγῶν, ἔστι δὲ ὅτε καὶ τοῖς παριοῦσιν, ὡς ἄν καὶ αὐτοί γε εὕροιεν ὑδάτων συστήματα. καὶ ὅλως ἄβροχον γῆν ἡλίῳ φλέγεσθαι μόνον οὐ νενομοθέτηκεν ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολύ. ἣ γὰρ διὰ ποταμῶν ἣ ὄμβρων ἅπασα γῇ πρὸς θεοῦ νοτίδος ἀπολαύει. εἴτε τοίνυν μὴ βρέχοι, πρόχειρος εἰς βλασφημίαν ὁ ἀνὴρ καὶ οἱ ἐξ ἐκείνου" εἴτε βρέχοι, οὐχ ἀναχωρεῖ τοῦ μάτην αἰτιᾶσθαι καὶ διαβάλλειν θεόν. κἀν ἄρτον εἰς χεῖρας λάβωσιν, ἀρῶνται πρῶτον οἱ τῆς βλασφημίας μαθηταὶ καὶ οὕτως ἐμπιπλῶνται οἱ ἀχάριστοι καὶ — ν τῆς δημιουργίας οὐδενὸς τὸ ἧττον ἀπολαύοντες ἠκόνηνται μόνοι κατʼ αὐτῆς τὴν γλῶτταν, μᾶλλον δὲ κατὰ τοῦ πεποιηκότος αὐτήν, καὶ ὡς ἔχθιστοι τοῦ θεοῦ μετέχουσι, καὶ πρὸς αὐτό γε τοῦτο ἀγανακτοῦντες, ὅτε τῶν ἐκ τῆς δημιουργίας ἐν χρείᾳ καθεστήκασι. τήν τε παιδογονίαν ὑβρίζοντες τὰς μίξεις αὐτοῖς ἄνευ ὃ ταύτης … συμβαίνειν, δοῦλοί γε ὄντες τῆς ἀναγκαίας διαδοχῆς πρὸς θεοῦ νενομοθετημένης, ἀλλʼ οὐ τῆς ἡδονῆς, ἐχθροί γε τὰ πάντα τῆς ἀληθοῦς καὶ γνησίας ἀρετῆς καὶ τῆς εὐσεβείας ὄντες, ὥσπερ αἰτιώμενοι τὸ ἀείζωον τοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένους καὶ βουλόμενοι αὐτοῦ που στῆναι τὸν δρόμον τῆς φύσεως, νομοθετοῦντες τῷ θεῷ καὶ ἀγανακτοῦντες πρὸς τὴν ἀγαθότητα, διʼ ἣν ἀνεξικάκως ἔχει πρὸς τὴν αὐτῶν βλασφημίαν. καίτοιγε διὰ τοῦτο φυσική τις ἐνέστακται τοῖς σώμασι μίξεως ὄρεξις ὡς μικροῦ [δεῖ] ἀνάγκῃ τῶν τῆς φύσεως κινημάτων φέρεσθαι τὰ ζῷα πρὸς τὴν τῆς διαδοχῆς ἐργασίαν ὑπερβαλλούσῃ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ σοφίᾳ, καὶ τοῦτο θέντος. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ μοχθηραὶ μὲν γυναιξὶν αἱ ὠδῖνες, μοχθηραὶ δὲ ἀνδράσι τε καὶ γυναιξὶ τῶν γινομένων αἱ ἀνατροφαί, ἀναγκαῖον δὲ λίαν αἱ διαδοχαί, ἢ μὲν ὄρεξις φυσικῶς κινεῖται καὶ τρόπον τινὰ βιάζεται, ὁ δὲ λογισμὸς ὁσίως δέχεται προὐργιαιτέραν τῆς ἡδονῆς ποιεῖσθαι τὴν διαδοχήν. καὶ ἀναίτιος τῶν σωμάτων ἣ ἡδονή. εἴγε λογισμῷ καὶ νόμῳ τοῦ ποιήσαντος ἀκολουθοίη. οἱ δὲ τὴν ἡδονὴν πολλάκις καρπούμενοι τὸ ἀπʼ αὐτῆς ἔργον ἀναγκαίως μισοῦσι καὶ παρεγγυῶσι παραγγελίαν ταῖς ἐπαγομέναις ἐφαλλομέναις μαγγανείαις τὰς συλλήψεις [ἐ]κλύειν τε καὶ ῥίπτειν καὶ τοὺς ἐν ὥρᾳ τόκους μὴ ἀναμένειν, ὡς τούτου γε μόνου δεινοῦ καὶ χαλεποῦ τυγχάνοντος, ἐχθροὶ τῆς φύσεως: ἐγηγερμένοι, μᾶλλον δὲ τοῦ ταύτην δημιουργήσαντος, καὶ μανίαν κατὰ τοῦδε τοῦ παντὸς ἐκμαθόντες. ### English translation (Claude) And saying that rains are excretions, and defining them as the sweat of the rulers of matter as they are in love with the powers of the good and so toil, he tries to show their superfluity and waste (as he thinks) from the fact that rain falls on the sea and on the desert and unsown land; like some exact accountant come forward against God, as though God spent his supply of water in vain and wastefully, not seeing, through utter folly, what befits God: that if God were poor in water, he would make an exact distribution of it, measured to need; but since he is rich (more than anyone could say), this very abundance of supply is shown by his watering through clouds even the sea, from which the waters are carried up into the air. And the desert and unsown land are necessarily rained on to supply springs, and sometimes for travellers too, so that they may find gatherings of water. And in general he has not laid down that land without rain should be scorched by the sun, at least for the most part; for all land enjoys moisture from God either through rivers or through rains. So if it does not rain, the man and his followers are ready for blasphemy; and if it rains, they do not stop blaming and slandering God in vain. And when they take bread into their hands, the disciples of blasphemy first curse it, and so the ungrateful fill themselves; and enjoying creation no less than anyone, they alone have sharpened their tongues against it, or rather against him who made it, and they partake of it as God’s bitterest enemies, being vexed at this very thing, that they stand in need of the things of creation. And insulting the begetting of children, they [want] their intercourse to happen without it …, being slaves not of the necessary succession laid down by God but of pleasure, enemies in everything of true and genuine virtue and of piety, as though finding fault with the perpetuity of the human race and wishing the course of nature to stop somewhere, laying down laws for God and vexed at his goodness, because of which he bears their blasphemy with forbearance. Yet it is for this reason that a natural desire for intercourse has been instilled in bodies, so that animals are carried almost by necessity of the motions of nature to the work of succession, by the surpassing wisdom of the Creator, who laid this down too. For since labour pains are grievous for women, and the upbringing of children grievous for men and women, and succession very necessary, desire is moved naturally and in a way compels, while reason piously accepts that succession be made more important than pleasure. And pleasure is blameless in bodies, if it follows reason and the law of the Maker. But they, often reaping the pleasure, necessarily hate the work that comes from it, and give the instruction to loosen and cast out conceptions by sorceries brought in, and not to wait for births in due season, as though this alone were terrible and grievous, roused as enemies of nature, or rather of him who made it, and having learned madness against this universe. ### Translation notes - Titus’s report that the Manichees curse their bread before eating, reject childbearing while enjoying intercourse, and use sorceries (perhaps drugs) to prevent or end pregnancy is hostile polemic; translated exactly. The clause about intercourse “without it” has a gap in the staged text (…), and a word such as “wish” must be supplied. “[δεῖ]” and “[ἐ]κλύειν” are bracketed in Lagarde; translated. In “ἀνακομίζε[τα]ι” the bracketed letters are Lagarde’s. A further gap (— ν) appears before “enjoying creation”. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.56 (Lagarde 1859, 60; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-56). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.57 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-45/#p-2-57 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 61 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Sexual desire exists so that self-control, virginity and celibacy may be real victories of reason and holiness. ### Greek text καὶ διὰ τί, φασίν, ἐνυπάρχει τοῖς σώμασιν ἢ πρὸς τὰς μίξεις ἐπιθυμία; πῶς δʼ ἄν ὑπέστη τῆς ἐν μέρει γε σωφροσύνης τὸ κάλλος ἐν ἀνθρώποις, εἰ μὴ φύσει μὲν ἣν τὸ ἐρεθίζον, λογικῷ δὲ κατεχόμενον; ποῦ δʼ ἄν ἦν παρθενία παρὰ γυναιξὶν ἣ παρʼ ἀνδράσιν ἀπειρογαμία, τὴν κοινὴν σωφροσύνην παρευδοκιμοῦσα, εἰ μὴ λογισμὸς καὶ τὸ πρὸς ἁγιωσύνην φίλτρον εἶχεν; ὅ γε τοῖς φυσικοῖς προσπαλαῖον νικηφόρους ἀναδείξει τοὺς καλῶς τὴν ἔμφυτον ἐπιθυμίαν βιαζομένους, οὐ πρὸς ὕβριν τῆς φύσεως, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἄσκησιν καρτερίας τε καὶ ἁγιωσύνης. ### English translation (Claude) “And why,” they say, “is there desire for intercourse in bodies?” How would the beauty of particular self-control have existed among men, unless there were by nature something that provokes, held in check by reason? And where would virginity be among women, or abstaining from marriage among men, surpassing common self-control, unless reason also had a love for holiness? Wrestling against natural things, it will make victors of those who rightly constrain their innate desire, not to insult nature, but for the practice of endurance and holiness. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.57 (Lagarde 1859, 61; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-57). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.58 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-45/#p-2-58 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 61 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Natural appetites are good in measured, lawful use; sin lies in excess, and fasting is a voluntary training, not a rejection of nature. ### Greek text οὕτω δὴ τροφαῖς τε καὶ πόμασιν ἐνηδόμεθα, οὐ διαβεβλημένην ἡδονὴν καρπούμενοι (φυσικὴ γὰρ καὶ αὔτη) καὶ ὅμως νηστείαις διαγυμναζόμεθα, οὐ κατὰ τῆς φύσεως μελετῶντες τὸ ὑπὲρ φύσιν, ἀλλὰ καρτερίαν μὲν ἀσπαζόμενοι, διὰ δὲ ταπεινώσεως τὸν θεὸν ἐξιλεούμενοι. οὐχ ἄν δὲ νηστείας ἄσκησιν μετήλθομεν, πείνης ἐν τῷ σώματι μὴ ἐνούσης. πανταχοῦ τοίνυν ἣ ὄρεξις προξενεῖ καὶ τῆς συμμέτρου χρήσεως καὶ τῆς κατὰ δύναμιν ἀποχῆς τὴν εὐδοκίμησιν. οὐ γὰρ τῶν κατὰ φύσιν ἢ χρῆσις ποιεῖ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. οἴνου γὰρ τὸ μέτριον εἴη μὲν σωτήριον, μέθης δὲ τὸ κακὸν διὰ τῆς ἀμετρίας εἰσάγεται. παραπλησίως δὲ καὶ τροφῆς τῆς κατὰ φύσιν ἐμμέτρου ἀναίτιος ἢ χρῆσις, γαστριμαργία δὲ τῷ ὑπερβάλλοντι παράλογος ἐλέγχεται. οὕτω δὴ καὶ τῆς πρὸς τὰς μίξεις ὀρέξεως ἢ μὲν νόμιμος χρῆσις καὶ μέτρα γινώσκουσα ἀνέγκλητος παντελῶς, ἡ δὲ παράνομός τε καὶ ἄμετρος τῆς ἀκολασίας προσάγει τὸ ἔγκλημα. ### English translation (Claude) So too we take pleasure in food and drink, reaping a pleasure that is not blameworthy (for it too is natural), and yet we train ourselves by fasts, not practising against nature what is above nature, but embracing endurance and propitiating God through humility. And we would not have taken up the practice of fasting if hunger were not present in the body. Everywhere, then, appetite procures good repute both for moderate use and for abstinence as far as one can. For it is not the use of natural things that makes sin. A moderate amount of wine is healthful, but the evil of drunkenness comes in through excess. Likewise the use of natural food in measure is blameless, while gluttony is convicted as unreasonable by its excess. So too with the appetite for intercourse: its lawful use, which knows measure, is wholly blameless, while the lawless and unmeasured use brings the charge of licentiousness. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.58 (Lagarde 1859, 61; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-58). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.59 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-45/#p-2-59 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 62 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Desire is not evil: its lawful use is blameless and voluntary abstinence is a great virtue, possible only because the opposite is possible. ### Greek text μηδὲν τοίνυν τῷ λογισμῷ μήτε ὁ Μάνης καθεωρακὼς μήτε οἱ ἐξ ἐκείνου, πάντα φέροντες μανικῶς καθύβρισαν ὡς πάσης ἐπιθυμίας οὔσης κακῆς, ἧς τὸ μέτρον μὲν νομίμως ἀναίτιον, ἧἥ. δὲ κατὰ δύναμιν ἀποχὴ καὶ θαυμασίας γε ἀρετῆς εὐδοκίμησις. εἰ γὰρ ἀπεχόμενός τις ἐπαινετὸς παρὰ θεῷ, οὐ κακῶς ἐκεῖνο τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ παράκειται, οὗγε ἢ ἀποχὴ τελείας ἀρετῆς κατόρθωμα· ζημία γὰρ ἦν. εἰ μὴ παρέκειτο ἢ ἀνωτάτω, ὡς οὐ κενὸν διὰ τῆς ἀποχῆς ἀγαθὸν ἀποφανθῆναι. ἄνευ γὰρ τοῦ μὴ ποιῆσαι τοὐναντίον, ἐξὸν ποιῆσαι τὸ κακόν, οὐχ ἔνι τοὐναντίον πεποιηκέναι δοκεῖν τὸ ἀγαθόν, ὡς πολλάκις ἐδείξαμεν. ### English translation (Claude) So, since neither Mani nor his followers have seen anything by reason, they have carried everything off and insulted it madly, as though all desire were evil; whereas its measure, lawfully kept, is blameless, and abstinence as far as one can is the good repute of a wonderful virtue. For if someone who abstains is praiseworthy before God, that thing does not lie badly within his power, the abstinence from which is the achievement of perfect virtue; for it would be a loss if the highest good were not at hand, to be shown not empty through abstinence. For without not doing the opposite, when it is possible to do evil, one cannot seem to have done the opposite, the good, as we have often shown. ### Translation notes - The second sentence is compressed and partly garbled in the Greek; translated by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.59 (Lagarde 1859, 62; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-59). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.60 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-45/#p-2-60 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 62 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Mani’s claim that stones and wood have souls, because they make sounds, is absurd, since sound comes from bodies striking air, not from souls. ### Greek text ὁ δὲ Μάνης τἀγαθόν τε καὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἀτιμάζει, τὴν ἐξουσίαν καὶ τὸ ἐλεύθερον κακίζων. οὐχ αἰσχύνεται δὲ καὶ τοὺς λίθους ἐψυχῶσθαι λέγων καὶ τὰ πάντα ἔμψυχα (καὶ τὰ σαφῶς ἄψυχα) εἰσηγούμενος: ὡς ἀπʼ ἐκείνης δὴ τῆς τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ δυνάμεως ἔτι καὶ ἐν λίθοις κατεχομένης τοσοῦτον κατάγει τὸ παρʼ αὐτῶν τιμώμενον εἰς ὕβριν τε καὶ εὐτέλειαν, ὥστε τὴν φύσιν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ καὶ ἐν λίθοις ἀψύχοις φάσκειν πεπεδῆσθαι" ἅπερ οὕτως ἔχειν διισχυρίζεσθαι ποίας ἂν τις φήσειε μανίας εἶναι τεκμήριον; εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἐν λίθοις κατέχεται τὸ παρὰ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ πεμφθέν, ἤδη νενίκηκεν ἣ κακία τοὐναντίον δεδεμένου τοῦ δῆσαι παραγενομένου. καὶ ποιεῖται τεκμήριον τῆς τῶν λίθων καὶ τῶν ξύλων ψυχῆς τὸν ἐν ἀέρι κτύπον λίθου τε καὶ ῥάβδου, ὥσπερ ἐνάρθρου φωνῆς αὐτῶν πώποτε διακούσας. ἔστι δὲ καὶ παρʼ ἡμῖν τὸ μὲν ἐνθύμημα καὶ ὃ λόγος τῆς ψυχῆς οὐδαμῶς ἀκουόμενον, τὸ δʼ ἐξάκουστον, ἀέρος πληττομένου διὰ τοῦ σωματικοῦ ὀργάνου" ὅπερ δίχα τῆς λογικῆς κινήσεως. καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀλόγως εὕροι τις ἄν βοώντων μέν, ἄναρθρα δέ, ἐπειδὴ λόγου ἐστέρηται. ὡς παντὸς σώματος, κἄν ἄψυχον ἧ, οἰκεῖόν ἐστι τὸ ἦχον ἐμποιεῖν τῇ πρὸς τὸν ἀέρα πληγῇ τὸ γὰρ ἀσώματον οὐχ ἄν ἐξάκουστα φθέγξαιτο· ἀέρα γὰρ οὐ πλήττει, ὀργάνου τοῦ πλήττοντος ἀπηλλαγμένον, ἐπείτοι αἱ ἀσώματοι δυνάμεις ἄψυχοί γε δόξουσιν ἄν, ἐπειδὴ ἐξάκουστον παρʼ αὐτῶν οὐδὲν εἰς ἡμᾶς ἀφικνεῖται. ὅπερ τοίνυν ἐχρῆν τεκμήριον ποιήσασθαι τῶν παντελῶς ἀψύχων ὡς κτυπούντων ἐξ ἀνάγκης εἰς ἀέρα (τοῦτο γὰρ μόνου σώματος, οὐχὶ δὲ ψυχῆς), τοῦτο ψυχώσεως σημεῖον ἔλαβεν. ### English translation (Claude) But Mani dishonours the good and virtue by decrying power and freedom. And he is not ashamed to say that stones have souls and to introduce all things as ensouled (even things plainly soulless), on the ground that the power of the good is still held captive even in stones; so far does he bring down what they honour into insult and cheapness that he says the nature of the good is fettered even in soulless stones. What madness could one say it is evidence of, to insist that these things are so? For if what was sent from the good is held captive even in stones, evil has already conquered, since on the contrary the one who came to bind has been bound. And he makes the noise in the air of a stone and a rod evidence that stones and wood have souls, as though he had ever heard articulate speech from them. Yet in us too the thought and reasoning of the soul are not heard at all, while what is audible comes from air struck through the bodily organ; which happens even without rational movement. One can find it in irrational creatures, which cry out but inarticulately, since they lack reason. So every body, even if soulless, naturally makes a sound by striking the air; for the incorporeal could not utter anything audible, since it does not strike the air, having no organ to strike it; otherwise the incorporeal powers would seem soulless, since nothing audible comes to us from them. So what he should have taken as evidence of things wholly soulless, since they necessarily make noise against the air (for this belongs to body alone, not to soul), he took as a sign of having a soul. ### Translation notes - The Manichaean doctrine of particles of light (the “living soul”) captive in all things, even stones, is reported polemically. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.60 (Lagarde 1859, 62; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-60). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.61 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-45/#p-2-61 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 63 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Animals were given to humans for food and use by their Creator; Manichaean objections to slaughtering them insult the good they claim to honour. ### Greek text ἐντεῦθεν δὴ καὶ τὰ τετράποδα καὶ τὰ πετεινά, ὅσα χρήσεις ἀνθρώποις ἔχει τροφῆς, βαρέως αἰτιᾶται τοὺς θύοντας. ὡς ἐκείνης τῆς δυνάμεως τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ καὶ ταῦτα ψυχούσης καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς κατεχομένης, ὥσπερ σπουδάζων καθυβρίσαι παντοίως ὃν ἀγαθὸν δῆθεν ἀποκαλεῖ. ἐρωτητέον δή, τίνος ἐπιτροπῇ ταῦτα ἀνθρώποις ἐξ ἀρχῆς εἰς τροφὴν παραδέδοται; ἄρά γε τῆς κακίας ὡς ὑβριζούσης τὸ ἀγαθόν; ἀλλʼ οὐχ ἄν γε ἐκείνη τοσοῦτον συνεῖδε πρᾶγμα γνῶσιν μὴ κεκτημένη. οὐ γὰρ ἄλλος δημιουργὸς ἄν εἴη οὐδὲ δημιουργήσας ἐστίν, ὡς φησίν, [ἢ] ὃ θεός, καὶ τὴν δύναμιν ἐκ τῆς ἰδίας φύσεως προβαλλόμενος ἐπὶ σωφρονισμῷ τῆς ὕλης. συνέστη τοίνυν τὰ ζῷα σύμπαντα βουληθέντος τοῦ δημιουργήσαντος, τά τε εἰς τροφὴν ἀνθρώποις ἐπιτήδεια καὶ τὰ μή. ἐπέτρεψεν ἄρα οὐδεὶς ἕτερος ἢ ὃ ποιήσας ἀνθρώποις εἶναι ταῦτα τροφήν. οὐ γὰρ ἄν ἐπέγνω καθʼ ὅλου ἡ φύσις τὸ χρήσιμον ἑαυτῇ μὴ οὕτω νομοθετήσαντος τοῦ πεποιηκότος αὐτήν. αὐτίκα καὶ πλοῦτος φύσει ταῦτα γεγένηται, ὡς μηδέποτε τῆς αὐτῶν χρήσεως διαλειπούσης. "καὶ ὅσῳ γε μᾶλλον ἔνια τῇ χρήσει δαπανᾶται, τοσούτῳ πλέον πολυγονώτερα τυγχάνει. καὶ τὰ μὲν τρέφει μόνον ἀνθρώπους, τὰ δὲ καὶ ἐνδύει, ἄλλα δὲ καὶ ἄλλας χρήσεις παρέχει, δοῦλαʼ φύσει πρὸς τοῦ δημιουργήσαντος ἀνθρώπῳ κατεσκευασμένα: ὅθεν. καὶ ὑποτέτακται καὶ τὰ μεγάλα τῷ ὄγκῳ πράως εἴκοντα καὶ τὰ ἐν ἀέρι τέχνῃ τοῦ λογισμοῦ καθελκόμενα καὶ τὰ ἐν ὕδασιν ἀναγόμενα, καὶ μᾶλλον ἐκεῖνα, ὅσα γε τὸ χρήσιμον ἀνθρώποις ἀποπληροῖ. οὕτω δῆλον ὡς οὐχ ἄνθρωποι ἑαυτοῖς ἐβιάσαντο παρὰ τὸ βούλημα τοῦ δημιουργήσαντος τὰ ἄλογα, ἀλλὰ καὶ νόμος αὐτοῖς ὑπέταξε τοῦ ποιήσαντος ταῦτα. ### English translation (Claude) Hence he also gravely blames those who slaughter the four-footed animals and birds that are useful to men for food, on the ground that that power of the good gives these too their souls and is held captive in them, as though he were eager to insult in every way the one he supposedly calls good. We must ask, then: by whose permission were these given to men for food from the beginning? By evil, as insulting the good? But evil, having no knowledge, would not have understood so great a matter. For there would be no other creator, nor is there, as he says, but God, who also emitted the power from his own nature to chasten matter. All animals, then, came into being by the will of their Creator, both those suitable for men’s food and those not. So no one else but the Maker allowed these to be food for men. For nature as a whole would not have recognized what is useful to it if the one who made it had not so legislated. Indeed these have been made by nature a wealth, so that their use never fails; and the more some are consumed in use, the more prolific they are. Some only feed men, some also clothe them, and others provide other uses, made by the Creator by nature as servants for man. So even those great in bulk are subject to him, yielding gently; those in the air are brought down by the skill of reason; those in the waters are drawn up; and especially those that fulfil what is useful to men. So it is plain that men did not force irrational animals to serve them against the will of the Creator, but the law of their Maker subjected them to men. ### Scripture references - Gen 9:3: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The Manichaean elect abstained from meat because they held that the light was captive in animals; reported polemically. “[ἢ]” is bracketed in Lagarde; translated. Compare Gen 9:2–3 (not quoted). ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.61 (Lagarde 1859, 63; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-61). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.62 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-45/#p-2-62 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 63 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Animals serve humans by the Creator’s design; even the strongest or smallest may harm humans only when God permits, for his purposes. ### Greek text φαίη δʼ ἂν ὃ Μάνης ὡς οὐδὲ βοῦν εὐσεβὲς ἀρόσει παραβεβλῆσθαι τῆς γῆς. ἵνα μὴ καὶ πάνυ καταδουλοῦσθαι δόξειεν ἢ πρὸς τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ πεμφθεῖσα ψυχή. καὶ πῶς ἄν γεωργία συσταίη; πῶς δʼ ἄν τὸ γένος παραμείνειε τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων διαγινόμενον; οὕτω παρὰ τοὺς κοινοὺς λογισμοὺς πάντα κατὰ τῆς δημιουργίας ὃ παντοίως μανεὶς ἐπλάσατο. δοῦλα γὰρ φυσικῶς ἀνθρώπου τὰ ἥμερα ζῷα γεγένηται καὶ τῇ τούτου χρήσει παραβέβληται, δοῦλα δὲ χαθʼ ἕτερον λόγον καὶ τὰ ἀνήμερα πρὸς τῇ ῥηθείσῃ αἰτίᾳ, ὥστε λογισμῷ τὸν ἄνθρωπον πάντων τῶν ἀλόγων κρατιστεύειν. θεοῦ δὲ ἐπιτρέποντος διὰ ποικίλας αἰτίας οὐ λέων μόνον, τὸ ἀλκιμώτατον θηρίον, ἤ τι τῶν ἄλλων θηρίων ἢ ἑρπετῶν. ἀνθρώπου κρατήσειεν ἄν, ἀλλὰ καὶ κώνωψ ἤ τι τῶν ἄλλων βραχυτάτων περιγένοιτο" πλὴν θηρίων φύσις καὶ ἄλλως τὸν εἰρημένον τρόπον εἰς ὄψεις (ἔστιν ὅτε καὶ εἰς πεῖραν) ἀνθρώποις κατὰ διαφόρους αἰτίας ἀναγκαίας ### English translation (Claude) Mani might say that it is not even pious to yoke an ox to plough the land, lest the soul sent by the good should seem to be utterly enslaved. And how could farming exist? How could the human race continue from generation to generation? So, against common reasoning, the man mad in every way fabricated everything against creation. For tame animals have been made by nature servants of man and given over to his use; and the untamed too are servants in another sense, besides the reason stated, so that man by reason prevails over all irrational creatures. And when God permits it for various reasons, not only might a lion, the most valiant beast, or some other wild beast or creeping thing overpower a man, but even a gnat or some other very small creature might get the better of him. Besides, the nature of wild beasts, in the way described, is set before the eyes of men (and sometimes into their experience) for various necessary reasons ### Translation notes - The section ends mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.62 (Lagarde 1859, 63; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-62). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.63 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-63/#p-2-63 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 64 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: The harmony of heaven and earth, sun and seasons, day and night, sea and land shows one law and one Creator, not two warring principles. ### Greek text ἀλλʼ ἐπειδὴ πρὸς ἕκαστον ὧν ἐκεῖνος ἀδολεσχεῖ τε καὶ πλάττεται λῆρος ἄν δόξειεν εἶναι τὸ λέγειν τε καὶ ἀπαντᾶν, θεωρητέον καὶ δίχα λόγου τῷ κεκτημένῳ σύνεσιν, ὅπως μὲν ἑνὸς ἥρμοστο λόγῳ τὰ σύμπαντα, εἷς δὲ νόμος τοῦ δημιουργοῦ κατὰ πάντων κρατεῖ καὶ οὐδὲν ἐν τοῖς οὖσι διαμάχεται οὐδὲ πολέμου τεκμήριον ἢ διχονοίας ἐν τοῖς δημιουργήμασιν ὑποφαίνεται, ἀλλʼ εἰρηνεύει, θεοῦ γε συμπλέκοντος τὰ πάντα πρὸς ἄλληλα ὡς ὑφʼ ἑνὸς λαβόντα τῆς εἰρήνης καὶ τῆς ἡσυχίας τὸ σύνθημα, παρʼ οὗ καὶ τὸ εἶναι τὴν ἀρχὴν τούτοις ὑπῆρξε. συμπνεῖ τε γὰρ τοῖς ἐπὶ γῆς πράγμασιν οὐρανὸς ὕων, ὅταν καιρὸς ἀπαιτῇ, καὶ αὖθις ἀνέχων τὸν ὑετόν, ὅταν δέῃ θερμότητι μόνῃ τελεσφορεῖσθαι τὰ φυτά. ἥλιος δὲ μεταβαίνων νόμῳ τοῦ ποιήσαντος τὰς ὥρας ἐργάζεται, ἐναλλάττων οὐδέποτε ταύτας, μίαν δὲ τὴν τάξιν αὐτῶν ἀπαράβατον δεικνύων. καὶ ἐμμένει γε τῇ φύσει τὸ διάφορον, μία δὲ καὶ ἢ αὐτὴ φαίνεται σύμπνοια τῶν ἄνω τε καὶ τῶν κάτω πρὸς ἀκρίβειαν. νὺξ δὲ πρὸς ἡμέραν ἀστασίαστος διέμεινε τὸν αἰῶνα σύμπαντα, οὐχ ἀλόγῳ φορᾷ τὴν διαδοχὴν πρὸς τὴν ἡμέραν ἔχουσα, ἀλλὰ σοφίᾳ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ, προσθήκαις τε καὶ ἀφαιρέσεσι μετρουμένη καὶ οὐδὲ ταύταις ἄλλοτε ἄλλως, ἀλλὰ δῆλος μὲν τῆς προσθήκης δῆλός τε τῆς ἀφαιρέσεως ὃ καιρός. αὖθις δὲ ἥλιος οὐ βαρύνεται τῆς νυκτὸς τὴν διαδοχὴν οὐδὲ ὕβριν ἡγεῖται τὸν νόμον τοῦ δημιουργήσαντος, ἀλλʼ ἀγαθοῦ δούλου τρόπον τελέσας ἀπνευστὶ τῆς ἡμέρας τὸν δρόμον, ἀναχωρεῖ γε ἦ νόμος αὐτῷ, σπουδῇ κρυπτόμενος, ὡς ἄν τὸ οἰκεῖον μέτρον ἣ νὺξ ἀπολάβῃ. τί δʼ ἄν τις εἴποι περὶ γῆς τε καὶ θαλάττης, ὡς ἕκαστον αὐτοῖν ὅρῳ τινὶ περιγέγραπται; ἀλλʼ ἔστιν ἰδεῖν τὴν θάλατταν κυρτουμένην μὲν τοῖς κύμασι, νόμου δὲ τῆς ἐφόδου κωλυομένην, καὶ ὑπὸ μὲν πνευμάτων βιαίων κατὰ γῆς ὠθουμένην, φόβῳ δὲ τοῦ νόμου εἰς τοὐπίσω ἀνακλωμένην, καίτοιγε οὐχ ἀδαμάντινον τεῖχος αὐτῇ βοηθεῖ πρὸς τὸ μὴ ῥεῦσαι κατὰ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἀπειθῆσαι αὐτῷ τῷ ποιήσαντι, ἀλλʼ ἀρκεῖ περίβολον εἶναι τῇ γῇ πρὸς τὴν θάλατταν ὃ λόγος τοῦ ποιήσαντος, καὶ ψάμμος κατέχει, μᾶλλον δὲ νόμος ἐπέχει καὶ βίαν τῶν ἔξωθεν πνευμάτων καὶ ῥύσιν ὑδάτων, ὥστε καὶ μηδὲν τῆς γῆς κατακλυσθῆναι καὶ φίλα γε εἶναι ὡς ἀλλήλοις ἀδελφὰ [τὰ] δημιουργήματα, ἕνα πρὸς ἀλήθειαν τὸν δημιουργὸν ἐπιγραφόμενα. ### English translation (Claude) But since it would seem drivel to speak and reply to each thing he prattles and fabricates, the one who has understanding must consider, even without argument, how all things have been fitted together by one reason, how one law of the Creator rules over all, and how nothing among existing things is at war, nor does any sign of war or discord appear in created things; rather they are at peace, since God weaves all things together with one another, as having received from one the watchword of peace and quiet, from whom also their being came at the beginning. For heaven breathes together with the things on earth, raining when the season requires, and again holding back the rain when plants must be brought to maturity by heat alone. And the sun, moving by its Maker’s law, produces the seasons, never interchanging them, but showing their one order inviolable. And the difference remains in nature, while one and the same harmony of things above and below appears with exactness. Night has remained without quarrel with day through the whole age, having its succession to the day not by irrational impulse but by the wisdom of the Creator, measured by additions and subtractions, and not even by these now one way and now another, but the time of addition and the time of subtraction are plain. And again the sun is not burdened by the succession of night, nor does it think its Creator’s law an insult; but like a good servant, having finished the course of the day without pausing for breath, it withdraws where its law directs, hiding itself in haste, so that the night may receive its own measure. What could you say of earth and sea, how each of them is bounded by a limit? One can see the sea curved by its waves but hindered by law from its onset, and driven against the land by violent winds but bent back by fear of the law; yet no adamantine wall helps it not to flow over the land and disobey its very Maker, but the word of its Maker suffices as a rampart for the land against the sea; and sand holds it back, or rather law restrains both the violence of the winds from outside and the flow of the waters, so that no part of the land is flooded, and created things are friendly as brothers to one another, truly claiming one Creator. ### Scripture references - Jer 5:22: allusion, medium confidence - Job 38:8–11: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The sea held back by sand and by God’s decree recalls Jer 5:22 and Job 38:8–11. “No adamantine wall” alludes ironically to the Manichaean wall (1.9). “[τὰ]” is bracketed in Lagarde. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.63 (Lagarde 1859, 64; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-63). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.64 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-63/#p-2-64 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 65 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: No star wars against another and no kind of animal destroys another; predation keeps numbers in check by the Creator’s design. ### Greek text τίς γὰρ ἱστόρησε πώποτε ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ μὲν ἀστὴρ ἀστέρι. ἐπανέστη. ἐπὶ γῆς δὲ ζῷα ἑτέρῳ - γένει διεμαχέσατο, ὡς ἐξαλεῖψαι τοῦτο ἣ τοὐναντίον ἐξαλειφθῆναι; ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅσα ἄλλο ἄλλῳ ἔπεισι, καὶ ταῦτα σοφίᾳ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ νενομοθέτηται τὸ πλεονάζον αὐτῶν παραναλίσκειν, ὧν καὶ τὸ εἶναι καὶ τὸ δαπανᾶσθαι ὑπὲρ ἀνθρώπων ἑκάτερα. ### English translation (Claude) For who has ever recorded that in heaven one star rose up against another, or that on earth animals fought another kind so as to wipe it out or, on the contrary, to be wiped out? Even where one animal attacks another, this too has been legislated by the Creator’s wisdom to consume their excess, and both their existence and their being consumed are for the sake of men. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.64 (Lagarde 1859, 65; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-64). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.65 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-63/#p-2-65 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 65 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: The four opposed elements are blended into harmony in every body and came into being together, proclaiming the wisdom of the one unbegotten Creator. ### Greek text εἰ δέ τις ἔλθοι τῷ λόγῳ καὶ πρὸς αὐτὰς τῶν σωμάτων τὰς ἀρχάς, καὶ τέτταρα μὲν στοιχεῖα κατίδοι, τῇ δʼ ἐναντιότητι πρὸς συμφωνίαν κεραννύμενα, πλέον ἄν ἐκπλαγείη τῶν ὄντων τὴν συμφωνίαν ὡς ἀφʼ ἑνός γε ἐχόντων καὶ μόνου τὸ εἶναι. τούτοις γὰρ ἣ ἐναντιότης φιλίας ἀφορμὴ καὶ τὸ μαχόμενον τῆς φύσεως αὐτοῖς εἰρήνης τῆς ἀνωτάτω παραίτιον" ἃ δὴ τέσσαρα μὲν ἐστὶν ἀριθμῷ, ἕν δὲ συνερχόμενον, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἀλλήλων ἐπιδεόμενα πρὸς τὸ εἶναι, καὶ αὐτῇ γε τῇ ἐναντιότητι ἀλλήλοις ἐπικουροῦντα καὶ ἐν ἀλλήλοις κρυπτόμενα καὶ δι ἀλλήλων φαινόμενα. μικρὸν μὲν οὖν εἰπεῖν ὡς οὐχ ἐψύγη τὸ θερμὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ ψυχροῦ οὐδὲ ἐσβέσθη ὑπὸ τοῦ ὑγροῦ οὐδὲ κατεφλέχθη μὲν τὸ ξηρὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ πυρός, κατελύθη δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ ὑγροῦ. σύστασις γὰρ ἀλλήλων ταῦτα καὶ ἀλλήλοις θαυμασίως ἐνδιαιτοῦται. καὶ δόξαι ἄν πῦρ μόνον ὄν, οὐ μέντοι δίχα ὑγροῦ καὶ ξηροῦ, οἷς γε τρεφόμενον διαλάμπει, ὥσπερ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἀλλήλοις ἔνεστιν, ἁφῇ μόνον ἐμφαίνοντα τὴν ἐναντιότητα, οὕτω μέντοι φιλάλληλα ὡς οὐδεμίαν διαφωνίαν ἔχειν δοκεῖν. ταῦτα δὲ τὴν ἄρρητον σοφίαν κηρύττει καὶ σιωπῶντα τοῦ ἑνὸς ἀγενήτου, ὑφʼ οὗ δὴ καὶ γενόμενα συνεκράθη. οὐ γὰρ δὴ σῶμα γένοιτʼ ἄν ἐξ ἑνός τινος καὶ ἁπλοῦ στοιχείου. κράσει γὰρ συσταίη ἄν σῶμα" ποία δὲ κρᾶσις ξηροῦ καὶ μόνου; ποία ὑγροῦ, εἰ καθʼ ἑαυτὸ τυγχάνει; οὐκοῦν ἀναγκαία ἣ ποικιλία πρὸς τὴν ἑνὸς σώματος κρᾶσιν, ἀναγκαία δὲ ἣ τούτων ἐναντιότης ἐπειγομένη πρὸς ἑνότητα εἰς θαῦμα τοῦ δημιουργήσαντος" ἅτινα οὐ πρῶτον καθʼ ἑαυτὰ συνέστη καὶ οὕτως συνῆλθεν, ἀλλὰ τὴν γένεσιν σὺν ἀλλήλοις λαβόντα καὶ ἅμα γενόμενα ταῖς αἰσθήσεσι διεκρίθη. σώματος γὰρ ὑποστάντος καὶ λόγος καὶ νοῦς διέκρινεν αἰσθήσει τὰ συνημμένα, ὥστε τούτων ὕστερον ἣ ἐναντιότης ἐφωράθη τῷ αἰσθήσει τοῦ γενομένου σώματος ὅπερ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐκράθη, οὐ προλαβόντων αὐτῶν πρὸς τὸ εἶναι, ἀλλὰ σύνδρομον αὐτῷ τὸ εἶναι λαβόντων. ### English translation (Claude) And if someone goes in thought to the very principles of bodies and considers the four elements, blended by their opposition into harmony, he would be still more amazed at the harmony of existing things, as having their being from one alone. For in them opposition is the occasion of friendship, and the fighting of their nature is the cause of the highest peace. They are four in number, but come together as one; or rather they need one another in order to exist, and by their very opposition help one another, hiding in one another and appearing through one another. It is a small thing to say that the hot was not chilled by the cold, nor quenched by the moist, nor was the dry burned up by fire or dissolved by the moist. For they are the subsistence of one another and dwell wonderfully in one another. And fire might seem to be alone, yet it is not without the moist and the dry, fed by which it shines; as the others too are in one another, showing their opposition only to touch, yet so fond of one another that they seem to have no discord. These things proclaim, even in silence, the ineffable wisdom of the one unbegotten, by whom they came into being and were blended. For a body could not come from one simple element; a body would subsist by mixture. And what mixture is there of the dry alone? What of the moist, if it is by itself? So variety is necessary for the mixture of one body, and the opposition of these, pressing toward unity, is necessary, for the wonder of the Creator. They did not first subsist by themselves and then come together, but received their coming into being together and, having come into being at once, were distinguished by the senses. For when a body had come to subsist, reason and mind distinguished by perception the things joined; so that their opposition was detected afterwards by perception of the body that had come into being, which was blended from them; they did not exist beforehand, but received their being concurrently with it. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.65 (Lagarde 1859, 65; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-65). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 2.66 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-63/#p-2-66 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 66 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Book 2 concludes: creation’s harmony leaves no room for a second principle, and God’s mixture of kindness and severity trains people toward virtue. ### Greek text τίς ἂν πρὸς ἀξίαν θαυμάσειε τήν τε δύναμιν τοῦ δημιουργοῦ καὶ τὴν συμφωνίαν τῶν γινομένων, ὡς ἄμαχα καὶ εἰρηναῖα τὰ πάντα, πλήν γε ἀνθρώπων ἀδικίας. ε[στήκει οὖν ἢ δημιουργία σύμπασα, κινουμένη μὲν τὴν ἰδίαν καὶ εὔτακτον κίνησιν. ἀκίνητον δὲ διατηροῦσα τὸν ἐφʼ ἑαυτῇ τοῦ πεποιηκότος νόμον. καὶ τίς ἄν ἕλοιτο, εἰ τὰς αἰσθήσεις ὑγιαίνοι τῆς ψυχῆς, τούτων οὕτως ἐχόντων καὶ ἔτι ἀναριθμήτων ἄλλων, ἃ πάντα νοῦν ὑπερβαίνει, ἄλλην μὲν ἀρχὴν τῷ λόγῳ πλάσαι, ἀντεγεῖραι δὲ ταύτην ἀπʼ ἐναντίας τοῦ μόνου ἀγενήτου θεοῦ; σύμφωνον μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἀπαράλλακτον ἀρχὴν ὀνειροπολῆσαι περιττόν, τῆς μιᾶς ἀρχούσης" ἐναντίαν δὲ ὑποπτεῦσαι πάντη μανικόν, τῶν ὅλων συμφωνούντων καὶ ποικιλίᾳ μὲν κεκοσμημένων, σοφίᾳ δὲ τοῦ ποιήσαντος τὸ χρηστὸν καὶ τὸ γαληνὸν μετʼ ἐμβριθείας ἐμφαινόντων, ὡς ἅπασα μὲν χρηστότης ἄκρατος λίαν, ἐπιβλαβής τε καὶ ἄλογος, ἐμβρίθεια δὲ καὶ αὐστηρότης καθʼ ἑαυτήν, χρηστότητος ἀμοιροῦσα, πρὸς ἀγριότητα καὶ ἀπανθρωπίαν ὁρᾷ: ἑκάτερα δὲ παιδεύει τε. καὶ ἡδύνει, τέρπει τε καὶ ἐκφοβεῖ, ἐπαγγέλ[λ]εται χρηστότητα καὶ ἀπειλεῖ φοβερά, προτείνει δώρων ἐλπίδα καὶ παραδείκνυσι τιμωριῶν κίνδυνον, ὡς ἄν ὁ λογισμὸς τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς πολιτευομένων μήτε χαυνότητι τῶν ἡδέων καταβαπτισθῇ πρὸς ἄμετρον ῥᾳστώνην μήτε ἀδιαλείπτῳ δέει τῶν φόβων διεκπλαγεὶς πηρωθῇ. ἀλλʼ ἑκατέρωθεν μετρίως παιδαγωγηθῇ πρὸς εὐλάβειάν τε καὶ ἀρετήν. ### English translation (Claude) Who could worthily admire the power of the Creator and the harmony of what has come to be, how all things are without war and peaceful, except for the injustice of men? The whole creation, then, stands firm, moving its own orderly motion but keeping unmoved the law its Maker set over it. And who, if the senses of his soul were healthy, would choose, when things are so, and with countless others that surpass every mind, to fabricate in his account another principle and raise it up in opposition to the only unbegotten God? To dream of a principle in agreement and identical is superfluous, since the one rules; and to suspect an opposite one is utterly mad, since the universe is in harmony, adorned with variety, and by the wisdom of its Maker shows kindness and serenity together with gravity. For all kindness unmixed is very harmful and irrational, while gravity and severity by itself, without a share of kindness, tends toward savagery and inhumanity; but both together train and please, delight and frighten, promise kindness and threaten fearful things, hold out the hope of gifts and display the danger of punishments, so that the reasoning of those who live on earth may neither be plunged by the slackness of pleasures into unmeasured ease nor be maimed by being stunned by unceasing dread, but may be trained moderately from both sides toward reverence and virtue. ### Translation notes - End of Book 2. In “ε[στήκει” (ἕστηκεν) and “ἐπαγγέλ[λ]εται” the bracketed letters are Lagarde’s. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 2.66 (Lagarde 1859, 66; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-66). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 3.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-63/#p-3-1 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 66 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Book 3 begins: Titus turns to refuting Mani from Scripture, since Mani misleads Christians by using the name of Christ and calling himself the Paraclete and an apostle of Jesus Christ. ### Greek text Τὰ μὲν οὖν ἔμπροσθεν ἔκ τε τῶν πραγμάτων αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν κοινῶν ἐννοιῶν εἰρημένα πάντων ἄν ἴσως καὶ τῶν ἐκτὸς τῆς ἐκκλησίας τὸν νοῦν ἀσφαλίσαιτο μηδαμῶς προσίεσθαι τοῦ μανέντος τὴν κατὰ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ τῶν ὅλων βλασφημίαν, ἐπειδὴ δὲ θήραν ἑτέραν κατὰ τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας μεμελέτηκε δεινήν τε καὶ χαλεπήν, ῥήσεις τινὰς τῶν ἁγίων γραφῶν ἐκβιαζόμενος πρὸς τὴν αὐτοῦ ψευδολογίαν, ὥρα δὴ καὶ τοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν θείων γραφῶν ἐλέγχους κατʼ αὐτοῦ κινῆσαι πρὸς ἀσφάλειαν τῶν πιστευόντων, ταῖς ἀλλοκότοις καὶ λίαν ἀπιθάνοις ἑρμηνείαις ἔστιν ὅτε πρὸς τῶν ἐκείνου πλανωμένων. ποικίλως γὰρ μεθοδεύων ἣν ἐπενόησε συνεργείᾳ τοῦ διαβόλου πλάνην, ἰσχύειν ἐπιχειρεῖ. παρʼ Ἕλλησι μὲν οὐ τὰ ἐκείνων ἀνατρέπων, τὰ δὲ ἐλάττω κακὰ πρὸς μείζονα ἀσεβείας ὄγκον ἐξαίρων, κακοηθέστερον ἑλληνισμὸν ἐφηγεῖται, οἷς σχεδὸν πρὸς ἅπασαν συμπεριαγάμενος φάσιν ὁμοδοξίᾳ κακῶν καὶ σφαλερῶν μαθημάτων τὴν προσθήκην τῶν ἑαυτοῦ πλασμάτων παρεμβάλλει — παρὰ δὲ χριστιανοῖς τὰ χριστιανῶν δῆθεν μετιὼν καὶ πιθανότητι ὀνόματός τε χριστοῦ καὶ ῥημάτων τῆς γραφῆς ἐπιεικείας ἐμφάσει τὸν μὲν λύκον (ὅπερ αὐτός ἐστιν) ἔνδοθεν σκέπων, τὸ δὲ κώδιον ἔξωθεν περιτιθέμενος, ἀπάτη ἀστέρος τῷ ποιμνίῳ γίγνεται, καὶ οὕτω δὴ τοὺς ἧττον ἔμφρονας καταλάμπει. καὶ δὴ προθέμενος καινοτάτην ἀσέβειαν ἐρανίσασθαι παρʼ ἑαυτοῦ τε καὶ παρʼ ἄλλων, ὡς ἄν μηδεὶς τῶν χριστὸν ἐπεγνωκότων ἐξετάζειν γοῦν ἐπιχειροίη τὴν καινότητα τῶν ἠρανισμένων ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ κακῶν, παράκλητον προσεῖπεν ἑαυτόν, ὀνόματος οὐχ ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὲρ ἄγγελον χρήσει τὸ ἀπατηλὸν σκέπων, ἵνα τῷ ἀξιοπίστῳ τῆς προσηγορίας ἀδιακρίτως οἱ καὶ ἄλλως ἀνόητοι δέχωνται τὰ λεγόμενα. ἔστι δʼ ὅτε καὶ ὡς ἀπόστολος Ἰησοῦ χριστοῦ βαρβάροις τὸ γένος ὁ βάρβαρος καὶ γένος καὶ γνώμην τὴν ἀσέβειαν ἐπιστέλλει. καὶ περὶ μὲν τούτων ὕστερον. ### English translation (Claude) What has been said above from the facts themselves and from the common notions might perhaps secure the minds of all, even of those outside the church, so that they would by no means accept the madman’s blasphemy against the Creator of all. But since he has devised another hunt, terrible and grievous, against those who belong to the church, wresting certain sayings of the holy Scriptures to serve his false account, it is time to bring against him the refutations from the divine Scriptures too, for the safety of believers, since some are sometimes led astray by the outlandish and very implausible interpretations of his followers. For pursuing by various methods the error he devised with the cooperation of the devil, he tries to prevail. Among the Greeks he does not overturn their teachings, but raises their lesser evils to a greater mass of impiety and leads them into a more malignant paganism, going along with them in almost every statement and inserting, by agreement in evil and dangerous teachings, the addition of his own fictions. Among Christians, he supposedly follows Christian things, and by the plausibility of the name of Christ and the appearance of decency in the words of Scripture, covering the wolf (which he is) within and putting the fleece on outside, he becomes a deceiving star to the flock, and so dazzles the less sensible. And having resolved to collect a most novel impiety from himself and from others, so that none of those who have come to know Christ should even try to examine the novelty of the evils he gathered, he called himself the Paraclete, covering his deceit by using a name not only above man but above angels, so that by the credibility of the title those who are otherwise foolish might accept what he says without discernment. And sometimes too, as an apostle of Jesus Christ, the barbarian, barbarian in both race and mind, sends his impiety to barbarians. But of these things later. ### Scripture references - Matt 7:15: allusion, high confidence - John 14:16: echo, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Beginning of Book 3. The wolf in a fleece recalls Matt 7:15. Mani claimed to be the Paraclete promised in John 14:16, 26, and began his letters “Mani, apostle of Jesus Christ”. Ἀπάτη ἀστέρος (“a deceiving star”) is uncertain in the OCR; translated by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 3.1 (Lagarde 1859, 66; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/3-1). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 3.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-63/#p-3-2 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 67 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Mani rejects the Old Testament as from evil and keeps only parts of the New Testament, cutting out what does not suit him. ### Greek text τῶν δὲ γραφῶν τὰς μὲν παλαιοτέρας ἀνατίθησι τῇ πρὸς αὐτοῦ λεγομένῃ κακίᾳ, νόμον τε καὶ προφήτας, τὰ δὲ εὐαγγέλια καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης μαθήματα παρὰ μὲν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ (ὡς οἴεται) δεδόσθαι φησίν, οὐδὲ ταῦτα μὴν ὁ τῆς βλασφημίας εὑρετὴς διισχυρίζεται διʼ ὅλου καθαρεύειν τοῦ (ὡς φησίν) ἐναντίου θεοῦ, ἐνυπάρχειν δὲ καὶ τούτοις (ὥσπερ κατὰ τινὰ μῖξιν) πολλὰ τῆς ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ καλουμένης ὕλης καὶ χρῆναι ταῦτα περιελόντα μόνα καθʼ ἑαυτὰ καταλιπεῖν, ἃ τῇ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ μερίδι λογίζεται. οὕτω τῶν ἁγίων γραφῶν τὴν διόρθωσιν (ὡς οἴεται) καθʼ ἑαυτὸν μεταχειριζόμενος καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μάλιστα τολμῶν παράκλητος εἶναι δοκεῖν, τὰ μὲν πλείονα περιγράφει, βραχέα δὲ καταλιπὼν καὶ τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης ποθοῦντα τῶν συγγενῶν λόγων τὴν συμφωνίαν, οἴεται μὲν πᾶσαν ἀσφάλειαν περιτεθεῖσθαι ὡς μόνα δὴ τὰ δυνάμενα προσέλκεσθαι πρὸς ἃ τερατεύεται καταλελοιπώς, οὐδὲν δὲ ἧττον καὶ ταῦτα σαφῶς αὐτοῦ διελέγχει τὴν ἄμετρον μανίαν, ὡς, ἐπειδὰν περὶ αὐτὰ γένηται, θεοῦ παρέχοντος δείξει σαφῶς ὃ λόγος. ### English translation (Claude) Of the Scriptures, he ascribes the older ones, the Law and the Prophets, to what he calls evil; the Gospels and the other teachings of the New Testament he says were given by the good (as he thinks). Yet the inventor of blasphemy does not insist that even these are wholly pure of the opposite God (as he says), but that there are present in them too (as by a kind of mixture) many things of what he calls matter, and that one must remove these and leave alone by themselves those things which he reckons to the portion of the good. So, taking in hand the correction of the holy Scriptures (as he thinks) by himself, and for this reason above all daring to seem to be the Paraclete, he cuts out most things, and leaving a few that lack the agreement of the related words of the New Testament, he thinks he has surrounded himself with complete safety, as having left only what can be drawn to his portents; yet these too clearly refute his unmeasured madness, as the discourse, God granting, will clearly show when it comes to them. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 3.2 (Lagarde 1859, 67; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/3-2). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 3.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-63/#p-3-3 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 67 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Unlike pagans who deny the biblical histories, Mani accepts them but ascribes God’s great works to evil; Titus will show that this is irrational. ### Greek text δεικτέον δὲ πρῶτον, ὅπως ἄλογον ποιεῖται τὴν κατὰ τῶν ἀρχαιοτέρων ἁγίων γραφῶν βλασφημίαν, παλαιοτέροις μὲν αὐτοῦ πονηροῖς ἀνδράσι καὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἀποκηρυχθεῖσι κατὰ τοῦτο συνεναχθείς, τῇ δʼ ἀσεβείᾳ πάντας ἐκείνους ὑπεραλλόμενος. εἰ μὲν οὖν, καθάπερ Ἕλληνες ἀπιστοῦσι παντελῶς ταῖς ἱστορίαις τῶν γραφῶν, οὕτω δὴ κἀκεῖνος ἀπιστῶν ἔφασκε μηδαμῶς ἢ ὡς ἔτυχε τὰ αὐτόθι ἱστορούμενα γεγονέναι, οὔτʼ ἂν ἡμεῖς τι πρὸς αὐτὸν περὶ τούτων ἐκινοῦμεν οὔτʼ ἄν αὐτὸς μείζω τὸν ἔλεγχον διὰ τούτων ὑπέμεινεν. ἐπεὶ δὲ τὴν μὲν ἀλήθειαν αὐτοῖς τοῦ ὄντως γεγονέναι προσομολογεῖ, αἰτίαν δὲ τούτων εἶναι τὴν μὴ οὖσαν κακίαν φησίν, φέρε καὶ νῦν ἀποδείξωμεν, ὅπως τὰς μεγάλας ἐνεργείας ἀνατίθησι καὶ τὰ μείζω θαύματα τῇ διαβαλλομένῃ πρὸς αὐτοῦ κακίᾳ, μὴ νοῶν (ἅτε δὴ τὸν λογισμὸν τυφλώττων) τὰς παραδόξους ἐν ταῖς ἱστορίαις τοῦ θεοῦ, τοῦ δημιουργοῦ τῶν ὅλων, οἰκονομίας. ### English translation (Claude) But first we must show how irrational his blasphemy against the older holy Scriptures is: in this he joins wicked men older than himself, cast out by the church, but he surpasses all of them in impiety. If, then, as the Greeks wholly disbelieve the histories of the Scriptures, he too in disbelief said that what is recorded there did not happen at all or happened by chance, we would not raise anything against him about these, nor would he incur a greater refutation through them. But since he admits that they truly happened, and says that their cause is the evil that does not exist, come, let us now show how he ascribes the great works and the greater wonders to the evil he slanders, not understanding (being blind in his reasoning) the extraordinary economies of God, the Creator of all, in the histories. ### Translation notes - The earlier “wicked men cast out by the church” who rejected the Old Testament are probably Marcion and his followers; not named. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 3.3 (Lagarde 1859, 67; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/3-3). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 3.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-63/#p-3-4 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 68 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Titus introduces a verbatim quotation from a Manichaean chapter on the creation of the first man. ### Greek text φησὶ δὲ πρὸς λέξιν αὐτὴν ἐκεῖνος ἢ ἕτερός τις τῶν ἀπʼ ἐκείνου, ἐπιγράψας. τὸ κεφάλαιον περὶ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης πρωτοπλαστίας- ### English translation (Claude) That man himself, or one of his followers, says word for word, heading the chapter “On the first fashioning of man”: ### Translation notes - Only an introductory sentence (19 words); the quotation follows in 3.5. The short section probably reflects a misplaced chapter marker in Lagarde or the OCR. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 3.4 (Lagarde 1859, 68; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/3-4). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 3.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-63/#p-3-5 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 68 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Titus quotes a Manichaean text: the rulers of matter made human bodies, beginning with Adam, to trap the souls of light. ### Greek text ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔγνωσαν οἱ ἄρχοντες ὡς ἐκ τοῦ παραιρεῖσθαι τὸ ἅπαξ ἁπλῶς ἐμπῖπτον εἰς αὐτοὺς μέρος τοῦ φωτὸς ταχὺς ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς ὁ θάνατος ἥξει, τὴν εἰς τὰ σώματα τῆς ψυχῆς κάθοδον ἐμηχανήσα[ν]το, ἀναδραμεῖν μὲν αὐτὴν μηδʼ ὅλως ζητοῦντες, ἀνελθοῦσαν δὲ μηδὲ τῆς ἄνωθεν λήξεως ἀξίαν εὑρίσκεσθαι, μιάσματα τῆς σαρκὸς “ἀνεχομένην. καὶ μετʼ ὀλίγα" διʼ. ὃ ἕκαστος αὐτῶν (φησί) τῶν τῆς ὕλης ἀρχόντων ὃν τρόπον προείπομεν τῆς γενομένης κινήσεως ἕνεκεν καὶ τοῦ φανέντος πρῶτον ἐπὶ τὴν λύτρωσιν τῆς ψυχῆς, τῆς θύρας πρῶτον ἀνοιγείσης ὑπʼ ἐκπλήξεως … ἄκων καταπέμψας τὴν ἐν αὐτῷ δύναμιν ἐμόρφωσεν ἑαυτὸν εἰς θήραμα ʼ τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ μίμημα αὐτοῦ ἔπλασεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, οὗ δυσαποσπάστως ἔχειν ἠνάγκασεν τὰς ψυχὰς καταχηλουμένας. καὶ τὸ πλάσμα αὐτῶν ἐστι πρῶτον ὁ ʼΑδάμ, ὄργανον ἐπιθυμίας καὶ δέλεαρ τῶν ἄνωθεν ψυχῶν καὶ μηχάνημα τοῦ αὐτὰς εἰς σώματα ἐμπίπτειν. ### English translation (Claude) “For when the rulers knew that, from the taking away of the portion of light that had once fallen into them, death would quickly come upon them, they contrived the descent of the soul into bodies, seeking that it should not rise up again at all, and that, if it did go up, it should not be found worthy of the lot above, bearing the defilements of the flesh.” And a little after: “Therefore each of them,” he says (that is, of the rulers of matter), “in the way we described before, because of the movement that occurred and of the one who first appeared for the redemption of the soul, when the door was first opened in astonishment … unwillingly sent down the power within him, shaped himself as a lure for the soul, and fashioned an image of himself on the earth, to which he compelled the souls, bewitched, to cling inseparably. And the first fashioning of them is Adam, an instrument of desire, a bait for the souls from above, and a device for their falling into bodies.” ### Scripture references - Gen 2:7: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - A verbatim quotation from a Manichaean writing (Mani or a disciple); the staged text marks a gap (…). Μηδʼ is read for ἱκηδʼ (“not at all”). Reported as polemic. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 3.5 (Lagarde 1859, 68; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/3-5). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 3.6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-63/#p-3-6 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 68 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Mani’s myth credits ignorant matter with clever plans that defeat the good. ### Greek text σκοπητέον μὲν δὴ πρῶτον ὅσην σοφίαν προσμαρτυρεῖ τοῖς ἄρχουσιν (ὡς οἴεται) τῆς ὕλης, ἣν ἐπʼ ἀγνοίᾳ πάντη κακίζει, ὡς, ἵνα μὴ ἀφαιρεθῶσι τοῦ προσμιγέντος αὐτοῖς φωτὸς μεμηχανημένοις διὰ σαρκὸς τὴν εἰς αὐτοὺς κάθοδον τῆς ψυχῆς, ἀναδραμεῖν μὲν αὖθις αὐτὴν οὐχ ἐῶντες, εἰ δὲ καὶ ἀναδράμοι, ἀναξίαν ἀποφαίνεσθαι τῶν ἄνω, μεμιασμένην σαρκί, ὡς ἀδύνατον εἶναι πάντη τῷ ἀγαθῷ τὴν παρʼ ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν ὁλόκληρον διασώσασθαι, ταῖς μηχαναῖς τῶν ἀρχόντων τῆς ὕλης ἡττωμένην. ### English translation (Claude) We must first consider how great a wisdom he attributes to the rulers (as he thinks) of matter, which he decries as wholly ignorant: so that, in order not to be deprived of the light mixed with them, they contrived through the flesh the descent of the soul into themselves, not allowing it to run back up again, and, if it did run up, showing it unworthy of things above, defiled by the flesh; so that it is wholly impossible for the good to keep his own soul entire, defeated by the devices of the rulers of matter. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 3.6 (Lagarde 1859, 68; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/3-6). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 3.7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-63/#p-3-7 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 68 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: By saying matter made Adam, Mani ascribes to evil the making of man, the noblest creature in the world. ### Greek text καὶ περὶ μὲν τούτων ἔτι καὶ λέγειν πῶς μὴ γέλως ᾖ; ἐπεὶ δὲ φησὶν ὅτι πλάσμα πρῶτόν ἐστι τῶν ἀρχόντων τῆς ὕλης ὁ Ἀδάμ, ὄργανον ἐπιθυμίας καὶ δέλεαρ τῶν ἄνωθεν ψυχῶν, τέως μεμαθήκαμεν ὅτι σαφῶς πεπλάσθαι πρὸς τῆς μὴ οὔσης ὕλης τὸν ἄνθρωπον λέγει ὁ πανταχοῦ τῇ ὕλῃ καὶ τῇ κακίᾳ τὸ πλέον νέμων προσποιήσει διαβολῆς, καὶ νῦν δὴ ἄνθρωπον αὐτὴν πεποιηκέναι λέγει, τὸ βασιλικώτατον καὶ ἀρχικώτατον πάντων δὴ τῶν ἐν τῷ σωματικῷ κόσμῳ ζῴων, ἅτε δὴ μόνον λογικὸν ὑπάρχον καὶ θαυμάσιον τῷ τε λογισμῷ τῆς φύσεως καὶ τοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασιν. ### English translation (Claude) And how is it not laughable still to speak about these things? But since he says that Adam is the first fashioning of the rulers of matter, an instrument of desire and a bait for the souls from above, we have so far learned that he clearly says man was fashioned by matter, which does not exist; he who everywhere assigns the greater share to matter and evil by pretence of slander now says that matter made man, the most royal and ruling of all the living beings in the bodily world, since he alone is rational and wonderful in the reasoning of his nature and in his pursuits. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 3.7 (Lagarde 1859, 68; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/3-7). ## Titus of Bostra, Against the Manichees 3.8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-63/#p-3-8 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 69 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Titus reports Manichaean objections to Genesis: the commandment to Adam, the serpent as an angel of the good, God’s words in Gen 3:22, Abel’s murder and the flood. ### Greek text ἐπαπορῶν μὲν δὴ καὶ περὶ τοῦ παντὸς κόσμου, τοῦ χάριν ἐγένετο, περὶ δὲ ἀνθρώπου δεικνύειν ἐπιχειρῶν ὡς οὐχ ἔστι πλάσμα θεοῦ, κινεῖ μὲν ἀνοήτως καὶ ἕτερα, πῶς δὲ καὶ ἐντολὴν ἐδίδου (φησίν) ὃ θεὸς τῷ ʼΑδάμ; δυοῖν γὰρ θάτερον" ἣ ἐγίνωσκεν ὡς παραβήσεται καὶ οὐ μάτην μόνον ἐδίδου. ἀλλὰ καὶ αἴτιος αὐτοῦ, ἣ ἀγνοοῦντα λέγειν ἀνάγκη τὸν θεὸν ἀγνοίᾳ περιβεβλῆσθαι, ὡς τὴν ἐντολὴν δεδόσθαι μέν, εἰς ἐπιβουλὴν δὲ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου πρὸς τῆς κακίας (ὡς οἴεται) καὶ οὐδενὸς ἑτέρου, ὠφελῆσθαι δὲ τὰ μέγιστα καὶ ἠλευθερῶσθαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον, πεισθέντα συμβουλῇ τοῦ ὄφεως, ὃν ἄγγελον εἶναι τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ διορίζεται. τυφλὸς μὲν γὰρ ἦν, φησί, γευσάμενος δὲ τοῦ ἀπηγορευμένου εἶδεν ἑαυτὸν ὅτι γυμνὸς ἦν καὶ σκέπῃ τῇ εὑρεθείσῃ κατεχρήσατο καὶ ἔγνω τἀγαθόν τε καὶ τὸ κακόν. οὕτως μάλιστα ὠφέληται, παραβεβηκὼς τὸ πρόσταγμα τοῦ ἐπιβούλως πλάσαντος. πῶς δὲ (φησί) πρέποι θεῷ λέγειν,ἰδοὺ ʼΑδὰμ γέγονεν ὡς εἷς ἐξ ἡμῶν τοῦ γινώσκειν καλὸν καὶ πονηρόν" καὶ νῦν, μήποτε ἐκτείνας τὴν χεῖρα λάβῃ τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς καὶ φάγῃ καὶ ζήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα"; εἰ γὰρ ἐνῆν ἀθανασίαν ἀπολαβεῖν, φθονερὸς δὴ ὁ ἐξελαύνων τοῦ παραδείσου τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ ἀποκλείων αὐτῷ τὴν μετουσίαν τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς, οὗ μετέχων εἰς ἀεὶ τὴν ἀθανασίαν ἔχειν οἷός τε ἦν. ὠνείδισε δὲ καὶ τὸν φόνον τοῦ ʼΑβελ καὶ ἐπιὼν τὸν κατακλυσμὸν προβάλλεται ὡς οὐχ ἄν ἐπενεχθέντα … ### English translation (Claude) Raising doubts about the whole world too, for what purpose it came to be, and trying to show about man that he is not God’s creation, he foolishly raises other questions too: “How did God give a commandment to Adam?” he says. “For it is one of two things: either he knew that Adam would transgress, and so he not only gave it in vain but is the cause of his transgression; or, if he did not know, one must say that God is clothed in ignorance.” So that the commandment was given, but (as he thinks) by evil and nothing else, as a plot against man; and man was benefited in the greatest way and set free by obeying the counsel of the serpent, which he defines as an angel of the good. “For he was blind,” he says, “but having tasted what was forbidden he saw himself, that he was naked, and used the covering he found, and knew good and evil.” So he was most benefited by transgressing the command of the one who had fashioned him treacherously. “And how,” he says, “would it befit God to say, ‘Behold, Adam has become like one of us, in knowing good and evil; and now, lest he stretch out his hand and take of the tree of life and eat and live for ever’? For if it was possible to receive immortality, he who drove the man out of paradise and shut him off from sharing in the tree of life, by sharing in which he could have had immortality for ever, was envious.” He also reproached the murder of Abel, and, going on, put forward the flood as one that would not have been brought … ### Scripture references - Gen 2:17: allusion, high confidence - Gen 3:7: allusion, high confidence - Gen 3:22: quotation, high confidence - Gen 4:8: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 6:17: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The section breaks off at a lacuna in Lagarde’s text. The quotation of Gen 3:22 follows the Septuagint. The Manichaean view of the serpent as a bringer of knowledge from the good is reported polemically. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 3.8 (Lagarde 1859, 69; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/3-8). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 69 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-63/#p-69 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 69 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Titus argues that the demons are not evil by nature but became evil by choice. ### Greek text ἀπὸ τῶν μαθητῶν ʼλέδριστος ἀπὸ τῆς διδασκαλίας γέγονεν. εἰ δὲ βούλεσθε μαθεῖν ὅτι καὶ οἱ δαίμονες αὐτοὶ οὐχ ἀπὸ ῥίζης εἰσὶ κακοὶ οὐδὲ ῥίζαν ἀτοπίας ἔχουσιν, ἀλλὰ κἀκεῖνοι ἀπὸ προαιρέσεως ἐπὶ τοῦτο ἐληλύθασιν, οὐ πονηροὶ τὴν φύσιν ὄντες, οὐχ ἀγνοίᾳ ἐγγεγραμμένοι, οὔτε νὺξ καὶ σκότος τὴν οὐσίαν τυγχάνοντες, ἀλλʼ ἕξει καὶ ἐπιτηδεύμασι τῇ ἐπιχειρήσει τῶν τοιούτων γεγονότες, τὸν λόγον ἐξετάσωμεν. τυφλὴ μὲν οὖν φύσις οὐδὲ ἐν ἐλαχίστῃ καὶ ὀλίγῃ τῇ βλέψει γενήσεται καὶ αὐτὴ ἢ ἄγνοια ### English translation (Claude) … from the disciples … has come from the teaching. And if you wish to learn that the demons themselves too are not evil from the root, nor have a root of perversity, but that they too have come to this by choice, not being wicked by nature, not inscribed in ignorance, nor being night and darkness in substance, but having become such by habit and practices and by undertaking such things, let us examine the argument. A blind nature will not come to even the smallest and slightest sight, and ignorance itself ### Translation notes - From here the staged text is divided by Lagarde’s pages (69–103), since the rest of the Greek has no chapter numbers; this page begins after the lacuna at the end of 3.8 and starts mid-sentence. The first words are garbled in the OCR (ʼλέδριστος) and are not translated. The page ends mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 69 (Lagarde 1859, 69; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/69). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 70 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-63/#p-70 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 70 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: The demons know Christ and beg not to be sent into the abyss, which shows they are rational, not blind by nature, and not akin to the place of punishment. ### Greek text οὐδὲ ῥανίδα γνώσεως ἑαυτῇ προσποιήσεται οὐδὲ νὺξ αὐτὴ καὶ σκότος τὸ οὕτω πεφυκὸς κᾷν εἰς βραχεῖαν λαμπηδόνα μεταποιηθήσεται. φαίνονται δὲ καὶ οἱ δαίμονες καὶ σωτῆρα εἰδότες καὶ κύριον ὁμολογοῦντες,,οἴδαμέν σε τίς εἴ“ λέγοντες..ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος “- εἰδέναι δὲ ἄγνοια οὐ δύναται καὶ βλέπειν τυφλὴ φύσις οὐχ ἰσχύει. ἴσασι καὶ ἀληθεύουσιν εἰδότες καὶ οὐ συκοφαντοῦντες λέγουσι. λέγουσι γὰρ ὄντες κᾷἄν μὴ γνησίᾳ διαθέσει τὴν ἀλήθειαν, οὐκέτι τυφλῇ τῷ φύσει οὔτε τῇ ἀγνοίᾳ κατηγοροῦνται. ἧ[ς] γὰρ ἄν οὐδὲ τὸ ἐλάχιστον ἑώρων. οὔτε ἱκέται ἦσαν οὔτε παρεχώρουν τῷ λεγομένῳ οὔτε διέκριναν τὸν φανέντα ἄλλον τῶν πολλῶν εἶναι καὶ οὐδὲν διαφέρειν αὐτόν τε καὶ αὐτούς. ἰδοὺ γὰρ τὰ ἄλογα ζῷα μεταξὺ σοφῶν τε καὶ ἀσόφων οὐχ ἔχει εἰδέναι ποῖοι σοφοὶ καὶ ποῖοι ἄσοφοι" εἰ δὲ ἔγνωσαν οἱ δαίμονες καὶ διάκρισιν εἰδότες ἀπολέλυνται τοῦ ἀδιακρίτου, διακρίσει τὸ τοιοῦτον ἐπεγνωκότες, ἐλέγχεται καὶ ἐν τούτῳ μὴ φύσις, ἀλλὰ προαίρεσις πρυτανεύουσα. κᾷν γὰρ νοήσῃ προαίρεσις κἄν σφαλῇ, ὅμως τοῦ εἶναι λογικὴ οὐχ ἀπήλλακται, ἀλλʼ ἔχει τοῦτο μὴ διεφθαρμένον. οὕτω καὶ δαίμονες ἐπέγνωσαν αὐτόν, ἐλιπάρησαν, ἱκέτευσαν, ἵνα μὴ ἐπιτάξῃ αὐτοῖς εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον ἀπελθεῖν. εἰ τῆς ἀβύσσου παῖδες ἦσαν, εἰ συγγένειαν πρὸς τὴν ἄβυσσον εἶχον, τί φεύγουσι τὰ συγγενῆ; τί τὴν. οἰκείαν παραιτοῦνται ῥίζαν; μᾶλλον γὰρ ἄν ἠσπάσαντο ἀνάπαυλαν ἑαυτῶν τὴν συγγένειαν ἡγούμενοι" ἐν γὰρ τοῖς συγγενέσιν ἢ ἀνάκτησις γίνεται, ἐν δὲ ξένοις αἱ κακώσεις. μᾶλλον γὰρ ἔδει αὐτοὺς παραιτεῖσθαι τὸν Ἰησοῦν, μᾶλλον δὲ ἔδει αὐτοὺς παραιτεῖσθαι τὸ ἐνταῦθα χωρίον, ἔνθα σπουδαῖοι καὶ ἐπιεικεῖς, ἀσπάζεσθαι δὲ τὴν ἄβυσσον ἣ τὴν ἐν ἀβύσσῳ ἄφιξιν. παραιτούμενοι δὲ καὶ φυλαττόμενοι καὶ ἀπιέναι ἐκεῖ οὐχ ἀνεχόμενοι, ἀλλʼ ἱκετεύοντες τῆς αἰτίας ταύτης χάριν, ἱκανὸν τεκμήριον δεδώκασι μηδεμίαν αὐτοὺς φυσικὴν συγγένειαν πρὸς τὰ κολαστήρια ἔχειν: οὐδέποτε γὰρ οὐδὲν ἑαυτὸ κακοῖ, πᾶν δὲ κακούμενον ὑπʼ ἄλλου κακοῦται. ἀνάγκη γὰρ τὸ κακοῦν μὴ ἑαυτοῦ εἶναι κάκωσιν, ἀλλʼ ἑτέρου του, πεφυκότος πάσχειν ἢ κακοῦσθαι. ἰδοὺ τὸ πῦρ ἑαυτὸ οὐ καίει" ἕτερον γὰρ καὶ οὐχ ἑαυτὸ ἀναλώσει. ἰδοὺ τὸ ὕδωρ ἑαυτὸ οὐ κατακλύζει: τὰ γὰρ ἕτερα κατακλύσαι οἶδεν, ἑαυτὸ δὲ κατακλύσαι οὐχ ἔχει. ἰδοὺ ὃ ἀὴρ ψύχειν ἑαυτὸν οὐχ οἶδεν, ἐπεὶ πᾶν τὸ δρῶν καὶ κακοῦν ἕτερόν τι κακοῖ καὶ λυπεῖ. εἰ δὲ κακὴ ἣ ἄβυσσος καὶ κακοῦνται οἱ δαίμονες ὑπὸ τῆς ἀβύσσου καὶ βασανιστήριον μὲν ἣ ἄβυσσος, ### English translation (Claude) will not claim a drop of knowledge for itself, nor will night itself and darkness, being so by nature, be changed into even a brief brightness. Yet the demons are seen both knowing the Saviour and confessing him Lord, saying, “We know who you are, the Son of the living God.” But ignorance cannot know, and a blind nature has no strength to see. They know, and in knowing they speak truth, and they speak not as slanderers. For they speak the truth, even if not with a genuine disposition; they are no longer accused of a blind nature or of ignorance. For if they saw not even the least, they would not have been suppliants, nor yielded to what was said, nor distinguished the one who appeared as other than the many, but would have thought that he differed in nothing from themselves. For see, irrational animals cannot know, among wise and unwise men, which are wise and which unwise; but if the demons knew, and, knowing how to distinguish, are free of lack of discernment, having recognized such a one by discernment, then here too it is shown that not nature but choice rules. For whether choice understands or errs, it is still not freed from being rational, but has this undestroyed. So the demons too recognized him, besought him, implored him not to command them to go into the abyss. If they were children of the abyss, if they had kinship with the abyss, why do they flee what is akin to them? Why do they refuse their own root? They would rather have welcomed it, thinking kinship a rest for themselves; for recovery comes among kin, and ill-treatment among strangers. They ought rather to have refused Jesus, rather to have refused this place where the earnest and decent are, and to have welcomed the abyss, or arrival in the abyss. But by refusing and guarding themselves and not enduring to go there, but imploring for this reason, they have given sufficient evidence that they have no natural kinship with the places of punishment. For nothing ever harms itself, but everything harmed is harmed by another. For what harms must be the harming not of itself but of something else naturally able to suffer or be harmed. See, fire does not burn itself; it will consume something else, not itself. See, water does not flood itself; it knows how to flood other things, but cannot flood itself. See, the air does not know how to chill itself; since everything that acts and harms harms and grieves something else. But if the abyss is evil and the demons are harmed by the abyss, and the abyss is a place of torment, ### Scripture references - Mark 1:24: quotation, high confidence - Matt 16:16: quotation, medium confidence - Luke 8:31: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The demons’ words combine Mark 1:24 (“We know who you are”) and the confession “the Son of the living God” (Matt 16:16; compare Matt 8:29). The plea not to be sent into the abyss is Luke 8:31. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 70 (Lagarde 1859, 70; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/70). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 71 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-63/#p-71 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 71 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: The abyss was made later as a corrective punishment; since the demons can suffer and fear, they cannot be unbegotten. ### Greek text στρεβλοῦνται δὲ οἱ δαίμονες, οὐκέτι τῷ ὁμοίῳ βασανίζονται, ἀλλʼ ἕτεροι ὄντες ὑπὸ ἑτέρου βασανίζονται, οὐκέτι τῆς φύσεως ταύτης οὐδὲ τῆς οὐσίας: ἑτέρας γὰρ ἐδείχθη οὐσίας ἢ ἄβυσσος.. καὶ ὅτι μὲν οἱ δαίμονες ἑτέρου γένους καὶ ἑτέρας οὐσίας παρὰ τὴν ἄβυσσον, ἱκανὰ τὰ εἰρημένα. καὶ αὕτη δὲ ἢ ἄβυσσος βασανιστήριον μὲν ἐστὶ καὶ κολαστήριον, οὐχ αἰώνιον δὲ οὔτε ἀγέννητον, ἀλλʼ ὕστερόν ποτε γεγενημένον, ὀψέ ποτε πεποιημένον ἀντὶ φαρμάκου καὶ βοηθήματος τοῖς ἡμαρτηκόσιν. ἱεραὶ γὰρ αἱ μάστιγες, φάρμακον οὖσαι τῶν ἡμαρτηκότωνʼ ἱεραὶ αἱ πληγαί, βοηθήματα τυγχάνουσαι τῶν σφαλέντων. οὐ γὰρ ἵνα ὦσι κακοὶ αἱ πληγαὶ γεγόνασιν, ἀλλʼ ὅπως μὴ ὦσι κακοὶ γεγόνασιν αἱ μάστιγες. λυπούμενοι γὰρ τῇ πληγῇ οἱ κακοὶ τῇ μάστιγι κολοβοῦσι τὰ κακά. διὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ τὰς ἀβύσσους μεμφόμεθα, ἀλλʼ οἴδαμεν ὅτι βασανιστήριον καὶ κολαστήριον γεγόνασι. σωφρονισμὸς τῶν ἡμαρτηκότων τυγχάνουσαι. εἰ δὲ βασανιστήριον καὶ στρεβλωτήριον ἣ ἄβυσσος, στρεβλοῦνται δὲ καὶ βασανίζονται οἱ δαίμονες καὶ τὴν οὐσίαν ἔχουσιν εὐπαθῆ πρὸς τὰ βασανιστήρια καὶ δύνανται ἔχειν καὶ ἀλγηδόνα, ὑπόκεινται καὶ τιμωρίᾳ καὶ ἀντίληψιν ἔχουσι τῶν κολάσεων, πῶς ἀγένητοι; πῶς ἀεί; πῶς οὐδέποτε ἤρξαντο; πῶς ἀφʼ ἑαυτῶν εἰσιν οἱ μὴ ἀπαθεῖς, οἱ παθεῖν δυνάμενοι καὶ τιμωρηθῆναι ἰσχύοντες; οὐδέποτε γὰρ τὸ ἀγένητον οὐδὲν πείσεται οὐδὲ ὑπὸ τινὸς τιμωρηθήσεται, ἀλλʼ ἀφʼ ἑαυτοῦ ἀρξάμενον ἑαυτῷ μένει καὶ μὴ ἀφʼ ἑτέρου δεξάμενον τὴν ἀρχὴν οὐδὲ ἀφʼ ἑτέρου τὴν τιμωρίαν λαμβάνει καὶ μὴ ἐπιγραφόμενον τὸν αἴτιον, οὐχ ἐπιγραφήσεται τὸν κολάζοντα, καὶ οὐ κριθήσεται παρʼ ἑτέρου, μὴ παρʼ ἑτέρου ἀρξάμενον καὶ οὐ φοβηθήσεται οὐδένα, παρʼ οὐδενὸς τὸ εἶναι εἰληφός. τί γὰρ καὶ φοβηθήσεται, εἰ τελείαν τὴν σύστασιν ἔχει; εἰ τέλειον τὸν ἀπαρτισμόν; εἰ ἀφʼ ἑαυτοῦ ἀπήρτισται καὶ ἑαυτῷ ἥρμοσται; τὰ γὰρ δυνάμενα παθητὴν ἔχειν τὴν ἁρμονίαν φοβεῖται τὸν δυνάμενον μεταποιεῖν τὰς ἁρμονίας, τὸ δυνάμενον παθεῖν φοβεῖται τὸν δρῶντα. εἰ δὲ φοβοῦνται οἱ δαίμονες καὶ δύνανται παθεῖν, οὐχ ἀγένητοί εἰσιν. τὸ γὰρ ἀγένητον ἀπαθὲς καὶ οὐ δύναται παθεῖν, ἔξω τῆς φύσεως τῶν γενητῶν ὑπάρχον. ὅτι δὲ ἱκετεύουσιν, ἐν αἰσθήσει εἰσὶ καὶ οἴδασιν ὅ εἰσι καὶ οἴδασιν ὅτι δύνανται παθεῖν. οὐ γὰρ ἠγνόησαν ἑαυτούς, οὐχ ἀπαθεῖς ἑαυτοὺς ἐλογίσαντο. τὸ δὲ εἰδέναι τινὰ ἑαυτὸν καὶ μὴ ἠγνοηκέναι αἰσθήσεώς ἐστι σύμβολον καὶ σημεῖον. εἰ δʼ ὅτι εἰσὶν εὐπαθεῖς ἐδειλίασαν καὶ δειλιῶντες ἱκέτευσαν καὶ ἱκέτευον τὸν δυνάμενον, ### English translation (Claude) and the demons are racked there, they are no longer tormented by what is like them, but, being other, they are tormented by another, no longer of this nature or substance; for the abyss has been shown to be of another substance. That the demons are of another kind and another substance than the abyss, what has been said is enough. And this abyss is a place of torment and punishment, but not eternal or unbegotten; it came into being later at some time, was made late, as a medicine and help for those who have sinned. For scourges are sacred, being medicine for those who have sinned; blows are sacred, being helps for those who have fallen. For blows have not come about so that people may be evil, but scourges have come about so that they may not be evil. For the wicked, pained by the blow, cut short their evils by the scourge. That is why we do not blame the abysses either, but know that they have come to be places of torment and punishment, being the chastening of those who have sinned. And if the abyss is a place of torment and racking, and the demons are racked and tormented and have a substance susceptible to torments, and can feel pain, are subject to punishment and perceive their chastisements, how are they unbegotten? How eternal? How did they never begin? How are they from themselves, who are not impassible, who can suffer and are able to be punished? For the unbegotten will never suffer anything, nor be punished by anyone; but having begun from itself it remains for itself, and not having received its beginning from another, it does not receive punishment from another; and not claiming a cause, it will not claim one who chastises, and will not be judged by another, not having begun from another; and it will fear no one, having received its being from no one. For what will it fear, if it has a perfect constitution, a perfect completion, if it was completed from itself and fitted to itself? For things whose harmony can be affected fear the one able to change their harmonies; what can suffer fears the one who acts. And if the demons fear and can suffer, they are not unbegotten. For the unbegotten is impassible and cannot suffer, being outside the nature of begotten things. And that they implore shows that they are in perception, and know what they are, and know that they can suffer. For they were not ignorant of themselves; they did not reckon themselves impassible. And for someone to know himself, and not to be ignorant, is a symbol and sign of perception. And if, because they are susceptible to suffering, they were afraid, and in fear implored, and implored the one who was able, ### Translation notes - Titus’s view that punishment is medicinal (“scourges are sacred”) is stated as his own argument. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 71 (Lagarde 1859, 71; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/71). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 72 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-63/#p-72 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 72 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Degrees of wickedness among demons show choice, not nature; Titus begins to restate the Manichaean myth of the two separated realms in order to refute it. ### Greek text οὖχ ἠγνόησαν τὸν ἰχνεύοντα" αὕτη γὰρ ἣ ἱκεσία αὐτῶν μαρτυρεῖ ὅτι ἤδεισαν τὸν ἰχνεύοντα. καὶ ὅτι μὲν ἦσαν εὐπαθεῖς καὶ παθητοὶ οὐχ ἠγνόησαν, ὅτι δὲ ἐκεῖνος ἦν ὁ ἰχνεύων ὃ κύριος καὶ βασιλεὺς τῶν πραγμάτων, φαίνονται διὰ τῆς ἱκεσίας ἐπιστάμενοι. καὶ ταῦτα περὶ δαιμόνων κατεσκευάσαμεν, ἵνα μηδὲ ὃ περὶ δαιμόνων ἀργῇ λόγος. ἐγχωρεῖ γὰρ καὶ ταῦτα προστιθέναι ὅτι ἢ φύσις ἑαυτῇ ὁμοία ἐστὶ καὶ οὐδεμίαν διαφορὰν πρὸς ἑαυτὴν ἔχει. ἰδοὺ γὰρ τὸ πῦρ ὅλον ὅμοιον ἑαυτῷ, οὐχ ἧττον ἑαυτοῦ θερμὸν οὐδὲ μᾶλλον ἑαυτοῦ, οὐ τὸ μᾶλλον καὶ τὸ ἧττον ἔχει. ἐν γὰρ ταῖς φύσεσι τὸ μᾶλλον καὶ τὸ ἧττον ἀργεῖ" ὅπου δὲ μᾶλλον καὶ ἧττον, οὐκέτι φύσις, ἀλλὰ προαιρέσεως ἐπίδοσις. εἰ δὲ γέγραπται καὶ περὶ δαιμόνων ὅτι, ἀπέρχεται καὶ παραλαμβάνει ἑπτὰ ἕτερα πνεύματα πονηρότερα ἑαυτοῦ“ καὶ φαίνεται ἐκ τοῦ λόγου ἐπίδοσις, ὅτι τὸ μὲν πονηρόν, τὸ δὲ πονηρότερον, διαφορὰ πονηρίας, ποῦ ἔτι φύσις μὴ οὖσα ὁμοία ἑαυτῇ; διαφορᾶς ἐν πονηρίᾳ εὑρισκομένης καὶ τῆς διαφορᾶς μαρτυρούσης τῇ προαιρέσει καὶ μὴ τῇ φύσει. ἅλις μὲν τῶν τοιούτων λόγων, ἐπιχειρήσωμεν δὲ καὶ τὴν μυθοποιΐαν αὐτῶν τὴν πρώτην ὑφηγησάμενοι, τοῖς ἀνασκευαστικοῖς χρήσασθαι λόγοις. κακία, φησίν, ἦν καὶ ἀγένητος ἦν" ἦν δὲ καὶ ὁ θεὸς ἀγαθὸς καὶ μεμερισμένοι τόποι τῆς οἰκήσεως καὶ ἑκάτερος χαθʼ ἑαυτὸν τοῦ ἑτέρου ἀπηλλαγμένος. καὶ ἀφώριστο μὲν κακίας ὃ θεός, ἀφώριστο δὲ καὶ ὁ τῆς κακίας ἄρχων τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἑκάτερος καθʼ ἑαυτὸν ἦν καὶ ἦρχεν ἑκάτερος τῶν ἰδίων καὶ ὠκονόμει ὡς ἐπεφύκει, ὁ μὲν κακὸς κακῶς, ὁ δὲ ἀγαθὸς ἀγαθῶς, ὁ μὲν κακὸς βλάπτων καὶ τὰ ἑαυτοῦ βλάπτων καὶ τοῦ βλάπτειν τὰ ἴδια μὴ ἀπαλλαττόμενος, ὃ δὲ ἀγαθὸς ἀεὶ ἀγαθὸς καὶ ὠφελῶν καὶ τὰ ἑαυτοῦ ὠφελῶν καὶ μηδέποτε μὴ ὠφελῶν. πᾶσα γὰρ ὠφέλεια ἐξ ἀγαθοῦ προήρχετο. ἀνακόλουθα μαθημάτων. ἐμαχέσαντο, τὰ τελευταῖα ἐζήτησαν, εὑρεῖν οὐχ ἠδυνήθησαν, ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς τὴν ἀκολουθίαν μὴ παραδεξάμενοι. καὶ μικρὰ μὲν. ταῦτα καὶ οὐ πολλά, αὐτάρκη δὲ πρὸς τὴν ζήτησιν. τὸν. γὰρ χαρακτῆρα μόνον κεκίνηκα καὶ οὐχ εἰς πλῆθος καταβέβηκα τῶν μαρτυριῶν. τὰ γὰρ συγγενῆ τῶν λεγομένων ζητήσει ὁ ἀναγινώσκων καὶ ἐκ τούτων ἐπὶ τὰ ὅμοια καὶ ἀδελφὰ χωρήσει ἀναγνώσματα. ἡμεῖς δὲ φέρε κατασκευάσωμεν τὸν ἐκείνων λόγον, τὰ δόγματα ἐκείνων παραθέμενοι. πονηρὸς μὲν ἦν ὁ Σατανᾶς, ἀγαθὸς δὲ ἦν ὁ θεός. καὶ οὕτως ἦν. τὸν μῦθον στρέφω, ἵνα τὸν μῦθον δυσωπήσω, καὶ εἰ μὴ παράθωμαι ἃ ἐξηγοῦνται, ἐντρέψαι; τὴν ### English translation (Claude) they were not ignorant of the one who was tracking them; for this supplication of theirs bears witness that they knew the one tracking them. That they were susceptible to suffering and passible they did not ignore; and that the one tracking them was the Lord and King of all things they plainly knew, as their supplication shows. We have set out these things about demons so that the argument about demons too may not be idle. For it is possible to add this too: that a nature is like itself and has no difference from itself. See, fire is wholly like itself, neither less hot than itself nor more; it does not have more and less. For in natures more and less are idle; and where there is more and less, it is no longer nature but progress of choice. And if it is written about demons too that one “goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself,” and progress appears from the saying, that one is wicked and another more wicked, a difference of wickedness, where is there still a nature, since it is not like itself? A difference in wickedness is found, and the difference bears witness to choice and not to nature. Enough of such arguments; let us try, having first set out their first myth-making, to use arguments that overturn it. “There was evil,” he says, “and it was unbegotten; and there was also God, the good, and the places of dwelling were divided, and each by itself was free of the other. God was separated from evil, and the ruler of evil was separated from God, and each was by himself and ruled his own and managed as his nature was: the evil one evilly and the good one well; the evil one harming, and harming his own, and never ceasing to harm his own; the good one always good and beneficial, benefiting his own and never not benefiting. For all benefit came forth from the good.” Inconsistencies of teaching! They fought, they sought the last things, they could not find them, not having received the consequence from the beginning. These things are small and not many, but sufficient for the inquiry; for I have only set out the outline and have not gone down into a multitude of testimonies. The reader will seek things akin to what is said, and from these will go on to similar and kindred readings. But come, let us set out their account, putting forward their doctrines. Satan was wicked, and God was good. And so it was. I turn the myth round, so as to put the myth to shame; and unless I set out what they explain, to put to shame the … ### Scripture references - Matt 12:45: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - “Goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself” is Matt 12:45 (Luke 11:26). The page ends mid-sentence; the last clause is garbled in the OCR (ἐντρέψαι; τὴν) and translated by sense. The change to a plainer, homiletic style in these pages is noted for the editor; the text is translated as staged. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 72 (Lagarde 1859, 72; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/72). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 73 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-63/#p-73 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 73 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Against the Manichaean doctrine of two roots bearing good and evil fruit, Titus points to the apostles, who changed from bad to good, as proof that rational creatures act by choice. ### Greek text μυθοποιΐαν οὐχ ἔχω. ἀγαθὸς μὲν ἦν ὁ θεός, φησί, πονηρὸς δὲ ὁ Σατανᾶς. καὶ ἦν πονηρὸς καὶ οὐδέποτε οὐχ ἦν" ἀεὶ γὰρ ἦν καὶ οὐχ ἀπὸ τινὸς ἦν. ἦν γὰρ καὶ ῥίζα ἦν, φησί. καὶ ἦν κύριος καὶ αὐτὸς ἦν καὶ ῥίζα ἦν καὶ ῥίζα καλὴ καὶ ῥίζα καλῶν καὶ πᾶν καλὸν ἀπὸ τούτου ἐξῆλθε. δύο γὰρ ἦσαν ῥίζαι καὶ δύο προῆλθον πρόοδοι. αἵ πρόοδοι κατάλληλοι ταῖς ῥίζαις. ἀπʼ ἐκείνης τὰ τοιαῦτα καὶ ἀπὸ ταύτης τὰ τοιαῦτα θρυλοῦσι. στῶμεν ἕως τούτων, ἐπιχειρήσωμεν λοιπὸν τὴν ἐξέτασιν καὶ ἴδωμεν συλλογισμοὺς καὶ μνημονεύσωμεν ῥητῶν, ἵνα καὶ τοῖς συλλογισμοῖς συναγάγωμεν καὶ τοῖς ῥητοῖς πείσωμεν. φήσομεν γὰρ πρὸς αὐτούς" ἐπεὶ θεὸς ῥίζα ἦν καὶ ῥίζα καλὴ καὶ καρποὶ καλοὶ ἀπὸ ῥιζῶν καλῶν προηνέχθησαν καὶ ὃ Σατανᾶς ῥίζα ἦν καὶ ῥίζα κακὴ καὶ καρποὶ κακοὶ ἀπὸ ῥίζης κακῆς προηνέχθησαν, τίνος καρποὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι; ἵνα ἐκ τῶν καρπῶν γνῶμεν τὸ ζητούμενον, ὅπερ οὐχ ἀπὸ τῶν ῥιζῶν λαμβάνω. φήσομεν γάρ" ἡ ῥίζα ἡ κακὴ οὐδὲν καλὸν προεξενεγκεῖν οἶδεν οὔτε ἥ ῥίζα ἡ καλὴ οὐδὲν κακὸν προεξενεγκεῖν οἶδε, φαίνονται δὲ οἱ ἀπόστολοι ποτὲ μὲν καλοί, ποτὲ δὲ κακοί, καὶ ὀψὲ μὲν καλοί, ἀρχῆθεν δὲ κακοὶ καὶ μεταβολὴν πεποιημένοι ἀπὸ τῶν κακῶν. εἰ μὲν γὰρ φήσομεν τοῦ Σατανᾶ καρποὺς εἶναι τοὺς ἀποστόλους διὰ τὰ παλαιὰ πταίσματα, δυσωπηθήσονται διὰ τὴν ἀποστολὴν καὶ τὴν τελειότητα τῶν ἀρετῶν — εἰ δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ, τί ἐροῦσι περὶ τῶν πταισμάτων τῶν παλαιῶν καὶ τῆς παλαιᾶς διαβολῆς; δυσωπήσει γὰρ αὐτοὺς τὸ γράμμα καὶ ἐλέγξει αὐτῶν τὴν κρίσιν. εἰ δὲ ἀποροῦντες καὶ εἰπεῖν μὴ δυνάμενοι ἀντερωτῶσι, φάσκοντες δύσκολον εἶναι τὴν λύσιν τῶν προτάσεων καὶ δύσκολον εἶναι τὴν ἀπόδειξιν, φήσομεν καὶ ἡμεῖς οὐ καρποὺς εἶναι τοὺς ἀποστόλους τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ ποιήματα καὶ πλάσματα" οὐ γὰρ ὡς ἀπὸ ῥίζης καρποὶ προηνέχθησαν, ἀλλʼ ὡς ἀπὸ κτιστοῦ καὶ ποιητοῦ κτίσματα καὶ ποιήματα γεγένηνται τοῦ πεποιηκότος, οὐχ ὡς ὁμοούσια τοῦ πεποιηκότος. γενητοὶ γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ ἀγενήτου, ποτὲ οὐχ ὄντες, ὕστερον δὲ πεποιημένοι, τὸ μὲν εἶναι ἀπὸ τοῦ πεποιηκότος λαβόντες, οὐχ οὐσίαι δὲ ἐξ οὐσίας, ἀλλʼ ὑποστάσεις ἐξ ἀγαθότητος τοῦ δημιουργοῦ πεποιημένοι καὶ οὕτω πεποιημένοι, ἵνα προαιρέσει τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔχωσι. φαίνεται οὖν ὁ σωτὴρ λέγων εἴ τις θέλει ὀπίσω μου ἐλθεῖν,“ εἰ θέλεις τέλειος γενέσθαι,“ „εἰ θέλεις ὑγιὴς γενέσθαι.“ εἰ ὁ ποιήσας τοιαῦτα καλεῖ, διʼ οὗ πατὴρ πάντα ἐποίησε, νόει τοῦ πεποιηκότος τὰς φωνάς. ἐν τῷ θέλειν τοὺς νόμους ἔθετο, ἐν τῇ θελήσει τὰ νόμιμα ### English translation (Claude) … I have no myth-making. “God was good,” he says, “and Satan wicked. And he was wicked and there was never a time when he was not; for he always was, and was not from anyone. For he was, and was a root,” he says. “And He was Lord, and he himself was, and was a root, a good root, a root of good things, and everything good came forth from him. For there were two roots, and two processions came forth, the processions corresponding to the roots.” From that one come such things, and from this one such things, they keep repeating. Let us stop there; let us now attempt the examination, look at syllogisms and recall sayings, so that we may both draw conclusions by syllogisms and persuade by sayings. We shall say to them: since God was a root, and a good root, and good fruits were brought forth from good roots, and Satan was a root, and an evil root, and evil fruits were brought forth from an evil root, whose fruits are the apostles? So that from the fruits we may learn what is sought, which I do not take from the roots. For we shall say: the evil root knows how to bring forth nothing good, nor does the good root know how to bring forth anything evil; but the apostles appear sometimes good and sometimes bad, good at last but bad at first, having made a change from evil. If, then, we say that the apostles are fruits of Satan because of their old stumblings, they will be put to shame by their apostleship and the perfection of their virtues; and if of God, what will they say about the old stumblings and the old accusation? For the writing will put them to shame and refute their judgement. And if, at a loss and unable to answer, they ask in return, saying that the solution of the premises is difficult and the proof difficult, we too shall say that the apostles are not fruits of God but works and creatures. For they were not brought forth as fruits from a root, but became creatures and works of their Maker, as from a creator and maker, not as consubstantial with their Maker. For they are begotten from the unbegotten, once not existing, later made, receiving being from their Maker; not substances from a substance, but subsistent beings made by the goodness of the Creator, and made so as to have their principle in choice. So the Saviour is seen saying, “If anyone wishes to come after me,” “If you wish to be perfect,” “Do you wish to become well?” If the one who made these things, through whom the Father made all things, calls in this way, note the words of the Maker. He laid down the laws in willing; in willing he ### Scripture references - Matt 7:17–18: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 16:24: quotation, high confidence - Matt 19:21: quotation, high confidence - John 5:6: quotation, high confidence - John 1:3: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The page begins mid-sentence. The quotations are from a Manichaean source as Titus reports it. The two roots and their fruits recall Matt 7:17–18. The Saviour’s sayings are Matt 16:24, Matt 19:21 and John 5:6; “through whom the Father made all things” recalls John 1:3. “Not as consubstantial (ὁμοούσια) with their Maker” is said of creatures; translated exactly. The page ends mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 73 (Lagarde 1859, 73; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/73). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 74 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/2-63/#p-74 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 74 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Pharaoh’s requests for prayer and Nebuchadnezzar’s recognition of God show that even the worst men had some good, which refutes the idea of evil natures sprung from an evil root. ### Greek text ἀποταμιεύεται, τὴν βούλησιν τῶν πραττόντων χορίαν τῶν πραττομένων ἐπίσταται. ἐμέλει τιμῶν τὴν τῶν πράξεων κοινωνίαν ἀνήρτησεν ἐν τῇ θελήσει ὁ λόγος, ἐὰν θέλητε καὶ εἰσακούσητέ μου, τὰ ἀγαθὰ τῆς γῆς φάγεσθε, ἐὰν δὲ μὴ θέλητε μηδὲ εἰσακούσητέ μου, μάχαιρα ὑμᾶς κατέδεται." ἄτοπον δὲ καὶ τὸν περὶ τῶν φαυλοτάτων καταλιπεῖν λόγον καὶ τὴν περὶ τῶν αἰσχίστως καὶ ἐκδεδιῃτημένως ἀναστρεφόντων καταλιπεῖν ἐξέτασιν, μήπως ἢ ἡμῶν σιωπὴ ἀπόνοιαν χαλεπωτάτην αὐτοῖς κατασκευάσῃ. οὐ σφόδρα διαβάλλουσι τὸν Ναβουχοδονόσορ; οὐ σφόδρα μέμφονται τὸν Φαραώ; οὐ πέρας αἰσχρότητος αὐτοὺς νενομίκασι: τοιαῦτα γὰρ περὶ τῆς ἐκείνων διαγωγῆς ἄνω καὶ κάτω θρυλοῦσιν. εἰ μὲν οὖν ἐν ταῖς διανοίαις ἐκείνων οὐδεμία σπουδὴ φανείη, λόγος ἄν εἴη ἕτερος" εἰ δὲ ἐν τοῖς οὔτω κακοῖς καὶ μέρη εὑρίσκεται καλῶν καὶ αἰσθήσεις καὶ ἀντιλήψεις καὶ μετάμελος καὶ ἱκεσίαι, τί ἔτι φήσουσιν; εἰ γὰρ οὗτος ὃ πάνυ αἴσχιστος φανείη τινὰ μέρη ἔχων ἀρετῆς καὶ τρόπων ἐπιτηδειότητα. τί ἐροῦσιν; ἢ γὰρ τὸν Σατανᾶν μικτὸν ἐξ ἀρετῆς καὶ κακίας ὡς μικτοὺς καρποὺς ἐνεγκόντα φήσουσιν ἢ τούτους καρποὺς μὴ εἶναι τοῦ διαβόλου. οὐκέτι γὰρ οἱ μικτοὶ τοῦ ἀμίκτου εἶεν ἄν καρποὶ οὔτε ῥίζα τὸ ἄμικτον τοῦ μικτοῦ φανήσεται. οὗτοι δὲ καὶ μικτοὶ ἐφάνησαν, χρόνῳ καὶ τὰς ἐπιστήμας λαβόντες καὶ πονηρίᾳ αἱρεθέντες. καὶ φανήσεται κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν λόγον πλάσμα εἶναι λόγου καὶ μὴ ἀληθείας ὑπόστασις. ἰδοὺ γὰρ ὁ μὲν Φαραὼ ἐν ταῖς ἐπιτιμίαις ἐνδίδωσι καὶ ἁπαλύνεται, ἐνδίδωσι τῇ διανοίᾳ καὶ κατατυφθεὶς τὴν ψυχὴν οὐχ ἐπιμένει τῇ τραχύτητι, ἀλλὰ δύο ποιεῖ — καὶ τὴν εὐχὴν αἰτεῖ καὶ κατηγορεῖ τοῦ γενομένου, καὶ οὐ φαίνεται πηρὸς ἥ ψυχὴ ἀλλʼ ἐμβλέπουσα καὶ πρὸς μετάνοιαν χωροῦσα, ἀντιλαμβανομένη δὲ καὶ τῆς αἰτήσεως καὶ ἵκεσίας καὶ λιπαροῦσα εὐχῆς ἕνεκεν. εἰ δὲ ἐπεφύκει κακός, πῶς ἐγνώκει περὶ τῆς εὐχῆς καὶ τῆς μετανοίας; εἰ γὰρ ἢ μετάνοια καλή, καὶ ἢ εὐχὴ καλήʼ εἰ δὲ ἢ φύσις κακή, πῶς ἐμίγη τὸ κακὸν τῷ καλῷ; πῶς δὲ ἐκ κακοῦ καλὸν προηνέχθη; καὶ φαίνονται μὴ εἰδότες ἃ λέγουσιν, ἀλλὰ ἀπαιδεύτῳ γνώμῃ πτύσματα μᾶλλον ῥημάτων ἣ ῥήματα προφερόμενοι. εἰ δὲ καὶ ὁ Ναβουχοδονόσορ, καίτοι χαλεπὸς ὧν τὸ ἦθος καὶ τὴν κάμινον εὐτρεπίσας καὶ τὴν εἰκόνα ποιήσας καὶ τῇ ἀπειλῇ φοβῶν καὶ προσκυνεῖν τὸ ἄγαλμα ἀναγκάζων, ὡς οἱ ἅγιοι ἔνδον ἐβάλλοντο καὶ ὑπεχώρει ἢ φλόξ καὶ τῶν σωμάτων οὐχ ἥπτετο καὶ συναγωγὴ ἣ κάμινος ἐγίνετο καὶ ἀντὶ ὀδυρμῶν ἔνδον ὕμνοι ἐτελοῦντο ### English translation (Claude) stores up what is lawful; he knows the will of those who act as the ground of what is done. Honouring the partnership of deeds, the Word hung it on willing: “If you are willing and listen to me, you will eat the good things of the land; but if you are not willing and do not listen to me, the sword will devour you.” But it would be absurd to leave aside the account of the very worst, and to leave out the examination of those who lived most shamefully and dissolutely, lest our silence produce in them a most grievous folly. Do they not greatly slander Nebuchadnezzar? Do they not greatly blame Pharaoh? Have they not thought them the limit of shamefulness? For they repeat such things up and down about their conduct. If, then, no earnestness appeared in their minds, the account would be different; but if even in those so evil there are found parts of good, perceptions and apprehensions, repentance and supplications, what will they still say? For if this most shameful man should appear to have some parts of virtue and fitness of character, what will they say? Either they will say that Satan is mixed of virtue and vice, as having borne mixed fruits, or that these are not fruits of the devil. For mixed things would no longer be fruits of what is unmixed, nor will the unmixed appear a root of the mixed. And these appeared mixed, having in time received knowledge and been taken by wickedness. And by this argument it will appear a fiction of words and not a reality of truth. For see, Pharaoh under the rebukes gives way and softens; he gives way in his mind, and, struck in soul, does not persist in his harshness but does two things: he asks for prayer and condemns what has happened; and his soul is not seen maimed, but looking and moving to repentance, grasping at request and supplication, and pleading for the sake of prayer. But if he had been evil by nature, how did he know about prayer and repentance? For if repentance is good, prayer too is good; and if his nature was evil, how was evil mixed with good? How was good brought forth from evil? So they seem not to know what they say, but with an uninstructed mind bring forth spittle of words rather than words. And if Nebuchadnezzar too, though harsh in character, having prepared the furnace, made the image, frightened by his threat and compelled people to worship the statue, when the holy men were thrown inside and the flame drew back and did not touch their bodies, and the furnace became a place of assembly, and hymns were sung inside instead of laments, ### Scripture references - Isa 1:19–20: quotation, high confidence - Exod 9:27–28: allusion, high confidence - Dan 3:19–23: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotation is Isa 1:19–20 (Septuagint). Pharaoh’s requests that Moses pray for him are in Exod 8:8, 28; 9:27–28; 10:16–17. The furnace and the hymn of the three young men are Dan 3 (the hymn belongs to the Greek additions, the Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three). The page ends mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 74 (Lagarde 1859, 74; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/74). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 75 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/75/#p-75 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 75 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Nebuchadnezzar’s confession of God after the furnace shows that even the wicked can know the good; evil is not a substance but a sickness, and Satan is fallen, as Isaiah and Christ testify. ### Greek text καὶ οὐκέτι καιομένης σαρκὸς θρῆνος ἐπέμπετο, ἀλλʼ ἐκ πανηγυριζούσης ψυχῆς ἄσμα ἐτελεῖτο, παρέκυψεν ἰδεῖν τὰ ἔνδον, τετίμηται τῇ τοῦ ἀγγέλου θεωρίᾳ. ἀφῆκε φωνὴν „οὐχὶ τρεῖς ἄνδρας ἐνεβάλομεν εἰς τὴν κάμινον; ἰδοὺ τέσσαρας ὁρῶ καὶ τὸν τέταρτον ὡς ὅμοιον υἱῷ θεοῦ.“ εὐθέως γοῦν γράφει ὑπὲρ τούτου νόμον ὁμολογεῖν τὸν θεόν, μαρτυρεῖν τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐξηγητὴς τῆς ὁράσεως γίνεται. διαβάλλομεν οὖν τὰς ἐξηγήσεις ἣ ἐπαινέσομεν; καλὸν τὸ πρεσβεύειν ὑπὲρ χριστοῦ. ἣ ἐν πονηρῷ μέρει αὐτὸ ἐῶμεν; εἰ μὲν γὰρ τὸ πρεσβεύειν τὰ θεῖα λόγια καὶ μάρτυρας εἶναι τῆς ἀληθείας καλόν, ἐπρέσβευσε δὲ καὶ Ναβουχοδονόσορ καὶ ἔγραψε καὶ εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν ἀρχὴν αὐτοῦ ἔπεμψε, λέλυται ἥ φύσις. ἐπιστάμενος γὰρ τὸ καλόν, πρὸς τὴν μάθησιν ἔβλεψε τοῦ καλοῦ. εἰ δὲ ἤμβλυνε τὴν μάθησιν τῇ πρὸς τὴν πονηρίαν διαθέσει, κατηγορεῖται. ἕτερον γὰρ τὸ ὅλως μὴ δύνασθαι ποιεῖν τὸ καλόν, ἕτερον δὲ τὸ εἰδέναι μέν, μὴ δύνασθαι δὲ τῇ πρὸς τὰ πάθη ῥοπῇ ἡττώμενον. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐν ἀνθρώποις καρποὶ τοῦ διαβόλου οὐχ εὑρέθησαν καὶ ἐδυσωπεῖτο αὐτῶν ὃ τρόπος καὶ ἠλέγχθη αὐτῶν ἢ ἀτοπία, ποῦ λοιπὸν τραπῶμεν; εἰ μὴ ἄρα πρὸς τοὺς δαίμονας βαδίσομεν, εἴ γε μὴ ἄρα φήσουσιν, ἀνθρώπων μὲν οὐδεὶς καρπὸς τοῦ διαβόλου, δαίμονες δὲ γόνοι καὶ τοκετὸς μόνοι αὐτοῦ“. καὶ ταῦτα λέγοντες δυσωπηθήσονται μὲν καὶ ἐν τούτῳ, πρῶτον δὲ ἀκουέτωσαν. εἰ οὐδεὶς ἄνθρωπος τέως τοῦ ἑνὸς ἀπολέλυται, οὐδὲν οὖν κοινὸν τῷ Σατανᾷ καὶ τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ, ἀλλὰ πάντων ἀπήλλακται. πάντων γέγονε ξένος, ἐκβέβληται καταπεπομένος καὶ ἔστιν ἁλωτὴ καὶ λυτὴ καὶ λυομένη καὶ ἀναλισκομένη, οὐκέτι τὰ τῶν μὴ ἀφανιζομένων ὑποστήσεται, μὴ ἔχουσα δὲ τὴν φύσιν ἀβλαβῆ καὶ ἀνώλεθρον, οὐκέτι ἀγένητος ὑποπτευθήσεται, μὴ οὖσα δὲ ἀγένητος, οὔτε ἄναρχος οὔτε ἀτελεύτητος φανήσεται ἣ κακία, ἄλλοτε μὲν οὐκ οὖσα, ἄρτι δὲ δοκοῦσα ἐμβομβεῖν. καὶ γὰρ ὅ ἐστιν οὐχ οὐσία ἐστίν, ἀλλὰ νόσημά τι συμβεβηκὸς περὶ τὰς οὐσίας, δυνάμενον τῶν οὐσιῶν καὶ τῶν ὑποστάσεων χωρισθῆναι. ὅτι γὰρ αὐτὸς ὁ ἀπατεὼν ὅπερ ἐστὶ κατὰ πτῶσιν καὶ κατʼ ὄλεθρον τυγχάνει, τῆς πτώσεως καὶ τοῦ ὀλίσθου μαρτυροῦντος τῇ ὑπεξαιρέσει τῶν προύπηργμένων καλῶν, μαρτυρεῖ μὲν Ησαΐας ὁ προφήτης,πῶς ἐξέπεσεν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ὁ ἑωσφόρος, πρωΐ ἀνατέλλων,“ τὴν μὲν τοιάνδε αὐτοῦ κατάστασιν ἔκπτωτον εἰδώς, τὴν δὲ παλαιὰν θεῖαν καὶ διαυγεστάτην τυγχάνουσαν - μαρτυρεῖ δὲ καὶ ὁ σωτήρ, ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ λέγων „ἰδοὺ ὁρῶ ### English translation (Claude) and no longer was a dirge sent up from burning flesh, but a song was performed from a soul keeping festival, he stooped to see what was inside and was honoured with the sight of the angel. He uttered the cry, “Did we not throw three men into the furnace? See, I see four, and the fourth like a son of God.” At once, then, he writes a law about this, to confess God; he becomes a witness to the truth, an interpreter of the vision. Shall we slander his interpretations, then, or praise them? To be an ambassador for Christ is good. Or shall we leave it in the wicked portion? For if to be an ambassador of the divine oracles and a witness to the truth is good, and Nebuchadnezzar was an ambassador, wrote and sent to his whole realm, then the [doctrine of] nature is undone. For knowing the good, he looked toward learning the good. And if he blunted the learning by his disposition toward wickedness, he is accused. For it is one thing to be wholly unable to do good, another to know it but be unable, being overcome by inclination to the passions. And since no fruits of the devil were found among men, and their way was put to shame and their absurdity refuted, where shall we turn now? Unless we go to the demons, if they should say, “No man is a fruit of the devil, but demons alone are his offspring and progeny.” And saying this they will be put to shame in this too; but first let them hear. If no man so far has been freed from the one, then Satan has nothing in common with this life, but is separated from all things. He has become a stranger to all, he has been cast out, swallowed down; and evil is capturable and dissoluble, being dissolved and consumed; it will no longer have the condition of things that do not vanish; and not having a harmless and indestructible nature, it will no longer be suspected of being unbegotten; and not being unbegotten, evil will appear neither without beginning nor without end, once not existing and now seeming to buzz about. For what it is, is not a substance, but a sickness that has befallen substances, able to be separated from substances and subsistent beings. For that the deceiver himself is what he is by a fall and by ruin, the fall and the slip bearing witness by the removal of the goods that existed before, Isaiah the prophet bears witness: “How has the morning star fallen from heaven, rising early!”, knowing his present state as fallen and his old state as divine and most radiant; and the Saviour bears witness too, saying in the Gospel, “See, I see ### Scripture references - Dan 3:24–25: quotation, high confidence - Dan 3:28–29: allusion, high confidence - 2 Cor 5:20: allusion, medium confidence - Isa 14:12: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Nebuchadnezzar’s words are Dan 3:24–25 (Greek Dan 3:91–92); his decree is Dan 3:28–29. “Ambassador for Christ” recalls 2 Cor 5:20. The quotation “How has the morning star fallen from heaven” is Isa 14:12 (Septuagint). The Saviour’s saying continues on the next page (Luke 10:18). “The one” in “freed from the one” is unclear in the OCR (τοῦ ἑνὸς); translated literally. The page ends mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 75 (Lagarde 1859, 75; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/75). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 76 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/75/#p-76 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 76 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Scripture speaks of Satan as fallen from a former height, so he was not evil by nature; and the Manichaean myth of light snatched by darkness makes God passible and Satan impassible. ### Greek text τὸν Σατανᾶν ὡς ἀστραπὴν πεσόντα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ.“ εἰ δὲ οὕτως ἐπεφύκει καὶ οὕτως ἦν, οὐχ ἄν πῆ μὲν πτῶσις, πῇ δὲ ἔκπτωσις ἐκαλεῖτο. τὸ γὰρ πῖπτον ἀπὸ τινὸς στάσεως πίπτει, τὸ δὲ ἐκπῖπτον ἀπὸ τινὸς περιουσίας ἐκβαίνει. εἰ δὲ ἐν πεσοῦσι λέγεται, ἦν ποτε ἐν στάσει καὶ ἑδραιότητι τυγχάνων. εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἐκπεπτωκόσι κατηγορεῖται, οὐ πένης ἦν, οὐχ Ἶρος ἦν ποτε, ὅτε πολλὴν περιουσίαν εἶχεν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τινὰ νόσον στέρησιν ἐκείνης τῆς περιουσίας ὑπομείνας ἐν πεπτωκόσι κρίνεται. ἀμέλει καὶ τὴν περιουσίαν ἥ γραφὴ ὁμολογεῖ. εἰ γὰρ,πῶς ἐξέπεσεν ὃ ἑωσφόρος“ καὶ περιουσία ἦν τὸ ὄνομα καὶ ἑωσφόρος ὧν αὐτὴν τὴν τοῦ ἑωσφόρου ἐνέργειαν καὶ δύναμιν καὶ περιουσίαν καὶ κτῆσιν εἶχε καὶ ταύτης ἐκπεσὼν ταύτης γέγονε κενός, πενητεύει μὲν ἐν τῇ περιουσίᾳ τοῦ ἑωσφόρου, ἀλητεύει δὲ καὶ κινδυνεύει, Ἶρος ὧν καὶ ἔκπτωτος, ὁ πάλαι πολλὴν περιουσίαν ἔχων. εἰ δὲ κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῶν πιπτόντων ἐστὶ καὶ χαμαὶ κειμένων καὶ κυλινδουμένων λοιπὸν ἐν τῷ ἐδάφει, εἱστήκει ποτὲ καὶ ἠδύνατο λέγειν͵, ἑστῶτες ἦσαν οἱ πόδες ἡμῶν ἐν ταῖς αὐλαῖς σου, Ἱερουσαλήμ“, ἠδύνατο ἀκούειν͵, στῆτε περιζωσάμενοι τὰς ὀσφύας ὑμῶν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ“, καὶ δυνάμενος τοῦ ἀκούειν οὐχ ἠσφαλίσατο τὸ εἰρημένον λόγιον „ὁ δοκῶν ἑστάναι βλεπέτω μὴ πέσῃ“, καὶ μηδεμίαν πρὸς τὸ τοιοῦτον πεποιημένος ἀσφάλειαν ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις σήμερον κυλινδεῖται. τὸ γὰρ ἀεὶ χαμαὶ κείμενον οὐχ ἄν πέσῃ (κεῖται γὰρ χαμαί), τὸ δὲ πεπτωκὸς καὶ χαμαὶ γεγονὸς ἀπὸ ἑστηκότων καὶ ἐρ[ηρ]εισμένων παρέλκον ἐπὶ τὸ πεσεῖν ἐλεύσεται, καὶ τὸ ἀεὶ πενητεῦον καὶ οὐδέποτε εἰληφὸς οὐδεμίαν περιουσίαν οὐδέποτε ἐκπεσεῖται. ἀεὶ γὰρ οὐδὲν ἔχει καὶ οὐ δύναται ἐκπεσεῖν, οὐδὲν οὐδέποτε ἐσχηκός. τὸ δὲ ἔκπτωσιν ὑπομεῖναν καὶ πεπονθὸς ἀπὸ πολλῆς περιουσίας καὶ ὑπάρξεως τυγχάνει. καὶ τοιοῦτος μὲν ὃ πρῶτος ἔλεγχος. ἀλλʼ ἐπειδὴ (φασίν) ἔτι προϊοῦσα ἣ κακία καὶ ἑαυτὴν κατατείνουσα καὶ γενομένη πρὸς τῷ φωτὶ ἥρπασεν ἀπὸ τοῦ φωτὸς καὶ κατέπιεν ἀπὸ τοῦ φωτός, φέρε τὴν πρεσβείαν, ἣν ὑπὲρ τοῦ πονηροῦ πεποίηνται κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας, καταλῦσαι μὴ παραιτησώμεθα. ἐπαίρουσι γὰρ τῷ λόγῳ τούτῳ τὴν πονηρίαν, εὐτελίζουσι δὲ τὴν ἀλήθειαν, καὶ νεῦρα μὲν διδόασι τῇ πονηρίᾳ, ἄνευρον δὲ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ὑποτίθενται. εἰ γὰρ ἢ μὲν πονηρία ἥρπασε, τὸ δὲ φῶς ἥρπασται καὶ ἁρπαζόμενον ἔπασχε καὶ πάσχον παθητὸν ἦν, παθητὸς μὲν κατʼ αὐτοὺς ὁ θεός, ἀπαθὴς δὲ ὁ Σατανᾶς, ὁ μὲν δυνάμενος παθεῖν, ὁ δὲ δυνάμενος δρᾶσαι. τοῦ γὰρ φωτὸς ### English translation (Claude) Satan fallen like lightning from heaven.” If he had been so by nature and had always been so, it would not have been called a fall in one place and a falling away in another. For what falls, falls from some standing; and what falls away departs from some wealth. If he is spoken of among the fallen, he was once in a standing and firmness; and if he is accused among those who have fallen away, he was not poor, was not ever an Irus, when he had much wealth, but, having suffered the loss of that wealth through some sickness, he is judged among the beggared. The Scripture certainly admits the wealth. For if “how has the morning star fallen away,” and the name was wealth, and being the morning star he had the very working and power and wealth and possession of the morning star, and falling away from it became empty of it, he is poor in the wealth of the morning star, wanders and is in danger, an Irus and fallen away, he who of old had much wealth. And if, according to the Gospel, he is among those who fall and lie on the ground and roll about now on the earth, he once stood and could say, “Our feet were standing in your courts, O Jerusalem”; he could hear, “Stand, having girded your loins with truth”; and though able to hear, he did not keep safe the saying, “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall,” and having made no provision for such things, he rolls about in them today. For what always lies on the ground could not fall (for it lies on the ground), but what has fallen and come to the ground from those standing and supported must have come to fall; and what is always poor and has never received any wealth will never fall away, for it always has nothing and cannot fall away, never having had anything. But what has undergone and suffered a falling away comes from much wealth and substance. Such is the first refutation. But since (they say) evil, advancing further and stretching itself out and coming near the light, snatched from the light and swallowed from the light, come, let us not refuse to overthrow the advocacy they have made for the wicked one against the truth. For by this account they exalt wickedness and cheapen truth, and give sinews to wickedness, while supposing truth without sinews. For if wickedness snatched, and the light was snatched, and being snatched suffered, and suffering was passible, then by their account God is passible and Satan impassible, the one able to suffer, the other able to act. For since the light ### Scripture references - Luke 10:18: quotation, high confidence - Isa 14:12: quotation, high confidence - Ps 122:2 (121:2 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Eph 6:14: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 10:12: quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Homer, Od. 18.1 (Homer, Odyssey): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The quotation completing the previous page is Luke 10:18. Irus is the beggar of Homer’s Odyssey (book 18), proverbial for poverty. The sayings quoted are Ps 122:2 (LXX 121:2), Eph 6:14 and 1 Cor 10:12. In “ἐρ[ηρ]εισμένων” the bracketed letters are Lagarde’s. The page ends mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 76 (Lagarde 1859, 76; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/76). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 77 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/75/#p-77 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 77 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: If the light could be changed and made forgetful of itself, it was not unbegotten; and if change is possible, God should have changed evil to good rather than allow the good to be captured. ### Greek text ὄντος παθητοῦ καὶ αὐτὸς ἄν εἴη παθητός, οὐχ ἕτερος ὧν παρὰ τὸ φῶς, εἴγε ἠδυνήθη παθεῖν καὶ παθεῖν μὴ ἀφʼ ἑαυτοῦ, ἀλλʼ ὑπὸ τοῦ πολεμίου καὶ μαχομένου, καὶ ἀποστῆναι μὲν ἑαυτοῦ, γενέσθαι δὲ πρὸς τῷ χείρονι. πῶς δὲ καὶ τῶν ἰδίων κεχώρισται ὃ τὴν ἑνωτικὴν φύσιν ἔχων; τὰ γὰρ κατὰ φύσιν πεφυκότα χωρίζεσθαι ἑαυτῶν οὐ πέφυκεν. εἰ δὲ ἀγένητον ἦν τὸ φῶς καὶ ἦνωτο τῷ ἀγενήτῳ, πῶς ποτε χωρισθῆναι δεδύνηται; πῶς δὲ ἀπαλλαγῆναι ἑαυτοῦ καὶ γενέσθαι ἕτερον παρʼ ἑαυτό; εἰ γὰρ ὑπηρέτησε πονηρῷ καὶ βεβιασμένον ὑπὸ τῆς πονηρίας λοιπὸν τὰ πονηρίας ἡρεῖτο καὶ ἔπραττε τὰ πονηρίας καὶ ἠγνόει μὲν ἑαυτὸ καὶ οὐκέτι ἑαυτὸ ἐγνώριζεν. ἀλλʼ ἐπιλῆσμον ἑαυτοῦ ἐγεγόνει, ᾧετο δὲ ἑαυτὸ τοιοῦτον εἶναι οἷόν ἐστι καὶ τὸ πονηρόν, μαχόμενος φανήσεται ὃ λόγος. τὸ γὰρ ἀγένητον οὔτε ἑαυτὸ ἀγνοεῖ οὔτε ἔσται ἕτερον παρʼ ἑαυτό, ἀλλὰ τοιοῦτον διαμένει οἷον ἦν καὶ οὐδέποτε ἑαυτοῦ ἀπαλλαγήσεται, οὐδέποτε τοῦ εἶναι ἀρξάμενον. ἀλλʼ ἐπειδὴ γραώδη καὶ μυδώδη φθέγγονται, οὔτε ἃ λέγουσιν εἰδότες, ἀλλʼ ἀφʼ ὧν λέγουσι δυσωπούμενοι, καὶ τοῦτο προ[σ]γράψωμεν τῷ λόγῳ. ἠδύνατο τὸ φῶς ἀμειφθῆναι καὶ ἕτερον παρʼ ἑαυτὸ γενέσθαι καὶ γενέσθαι πρὸς τῇ πονηρίᾳ καὶ ἑαυτοῦ μὲν ἐπιλαθέσθαι, ποιῆσαι δὲ ὅσα ἣ πονηρία ποιεῖ" ἠδύναντο καὶ οἱ τῆς πονηρίας ἄρχοντες τοῦτο παθεῖν καὶ μᾶλλον μεταβάλλεσθαι ἐπὶ τὸ καλόν" ἰσχυούσης δὲ τῆς μεταβολῆς καὶ δυναμένης τῆς ἀλ[λ]οιώσεως, πῶς οὐχ ἄμεινον ἦν τοῖς κακοῖς μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν μεταβληθῆναι ἢ τοῖς καλοῖς ἐπὶ τὴν κακίαν; πῶς δὲ καὶ ἠνέσχετο ὁ θεὸς καὶ ληφθῆναι τὸ φῶς ἐπέτρεψε; πῶς οὐ κεκώλυκε τὴν ὁρμήν; πῶς τὰ ἴδια οὐχ ἐτήρησε; πῶς δὲ μετὰ τὸ ἀφαιρεθῆναι πρόνοιαν τῶν ἀφαιρεθέντων ποιήσασθαι οὐ βεβούληται; πῶς οὐ προλαβὼν ἐπέσχε τὴν ἐπιχείρησιν; πῶς μᾶλλον ἀνάλωτα οὐ τετήρηκεν, ἀλλὰ ἁλόντα καὶ ληφθέντα βοηθείᾳ οὐ τετίμηκεν; εἰ μὲν εἴασεν ἵνα τὸ φῶς γενόμενον ἐν τοῖς κακοῖς μεταβάλῃ τὰ κακά, ὡς δυναμένων μεταβάλλεσθαι τῶν κακῶν, οὐκέτι τὰ κακὰ φυσικά, δυνάμενα μεταβάλλεσθαι, ἀπὸ τῶν κακῶν ἐνέχυρον τὴν μεταβολὴν κατὰ τῆς φύσεως λαμβάνει. εἰ δὲ ἠπίστατο ὅτι οὐ μετεβάλλετο καὶ ὅτι οὐ πέφυκεν ἀλλοιοῦσθαι, πῶς μάτην εἴασε ζημίαν μὲν ὑπομεῖναι τὸ καλόν, κέρδος δὲ μὴ ἀπονεῖμαι τῷ κακῷ; πῶς δὲ αὐτὰ μὲν τὰ κακὰ οὐκ ἀλλοιοῦσθαι οἶδεν, ἑαυτὸν δὲ καὶ τὰ ἑαυτοῦ καλὰ ἀλλοιούμενα παρεῖδεν; ἄτοπος γὰρ ὅρος οὗτος αὐτὸν μὲν εἶναι ἀλλοιωτὸν διὰ τὸ ἀλλοιοῦσθαι τὰ ἑαυτοῦ, μὴ εἶναι δὲ ἀλλοιουμένην τὴν ὕλην. καὶ τούτου μὲν τοιοῦτος ὃ ### English translation (Claude) is passible, he himself too would be passible, not being other than the light, if indeed it could suffer, and suffer not from itself but from the enemy who fights it, and depart from itself and come to be with the worse. And how is the one who has a unifying nature separated from his own? For things that are by nature are not naturally separated from themselves. If the light was unbegotten and united to the unbegotten, how could it ever be separated? How could it be freed from itself and become other than itself? For if it served the wicked one and, forced by wickedness, then chose the things of wickedness and did the things of wickedness, and was ignorant of itself and no longer recognized itself, but had become forgetful of itself, and thought itself to be such as the wicked is, the account will appear self-contradictory. For the unbegotten neither is ignorant of itself nor will become other than itself, but remains such as it was and will never be freed from itself, never having begun to be. But since they utter old wives’ and moldy tales, not knowing what they say, but put to shame by what they say, let us add this too to the account. The light could be changed and become other than itself, come to be with wickedness, forget itself, and do whatever wickedness does; the rulers of wickedness could also suffer this, and rather be changed to the good. But since the change is in force and alteration is possible, how was it not better for the evil to be changed to virtue rather than the good to vice? And how did God endure it and allow the light to be taken? How did he not check the onrush? How did he not keep his own? How after the removal did he not wish to provide for what was removed? How did he not check the attempt beforehand? How did he not rather keep them uncapturable, and not honour with help those captured and taken? If he allowed it so that the light, coming among the evil, might change the evil, as though evil could be changed, then evil things are no longer natural, being able to change, and from evil things he receives the change as a pledge against nature. But if he knew that it would not change, and that evil is not naturally altered, how did he in vain let the good suffer loss and not bestow gain on the evil? And how does he know that evil things themselves are not altered, but overlooked himself and his own good things being altered? For this is an absurd definition: that he himself is alterable because his own things are altered, while matter is not altered. And of this such is the ### Translation notes - In “προ[σ]γράψωμεν” and “ἀλ[λ]οιώσεως” the bracketed letters are Lagarde’s. Μυδώδη (“moldy”) may be a slip for μυθώδη (“mythical”). Ὅλην is read as ὕλην (“matter”). The page ends mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 77 (Lagarde 1859, 77; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/77). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 78 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/75/#p-78 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 78 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Titus turns to the Manichaean treatment of the Law and the Gospels, which they cut and supplement; then, after a break in the text, he argues that no middle wall or void could separate the two principles. ### Greek text ἔλεγχος, ἵνα πολλὴν συστείλωμεν ὁμιλίαν, τὰς προβολὰς αὐτῶν, τὰς μάχας, τὰς μυθοποιΐας ἐκείνας καὶ γιγαντομαχίας σιωπῶντες, ἵνα καὶ τὰ εἰρημένα περὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς τῶν πραγμάτων δίκην ἀφορμῆς τινος εἰρημένα τυγχάνῃ καὶ σπέρμα τῶν ζητήσεων ὑπάρχῃ. ἐξεργασώμεθα δὲ καὶ τὸν περὶ τὸν νόμον, μετρίως εἰ τὸν περὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς κεκινημένοι λόγον. ἀποδέχεσθαι γὰρ νενομίκασι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, μέμφεσθαι δὲ ἐσπουδάκασι τῷ νόμῳ καὶ τοῖς προφήταις, καὶ πᾶσαν μὲν διαβεβλήκασι τὴν παλαιάν. τιμήσειν δὲ ὑπονενοήκασι τὰ εὐαγγέλια, σχηματιζόμενοι μᾶλλον τὴν τῶν εὐαγγελίων τιμήν, ἵνα τὸν σχηματισμὸν δέλεαρ τῶν ἀπατωμένων λάβωσιν. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐπειδὴ συντέθεινται τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις, τιμᾶν ὁμολογοῦσι τὰ εὐαγγέλια, ἀλλʼ ἐπειδὴ τετίμηται τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ ʼΙησοῦ, προσποιοῦνται. ἔδει γὰρ αὐτούς, εἴγε τὰ εὐαγγέλια ἐτίμων, μὴ περιτέμνειν τὰ εὐαγγέλια, μὴ μέρη τῶν εὐαγγελίων ἐξυφελεῖν, μὴ ἕτερα προσθεῖναι, μήτε λόγῳ μήτε ἰδίᾳ γνώμῃ τὰ εὐαγγέλια προσγράφειν. οὐδὲ γλῶσσα ἔχει τὰ εὐαγγέλια ταῦτα καὶ ἀναγνώσει παραπέμπουσι. προσγεγραφήκασι γοῦν ὅσα βεβούληνται καὶ ἐξυφείλαντο ὅσα κεκρίκασι καὶ λοιπὸν ὀνόματι καὶ ἐν τούτῳ ψεύδονται … αὕτη γὰρ ἣ μέση καὶ ἀδιάφορος οὐδέποτε καθʼ ἑαυτὴν ἔσται, ἀλλʼ ἑκατέρου τὴν μίμησιν λαμβάνει καὶ ἐν μεθέξει ὁποτέρου γενήσεται, καὶ ταύτην ἔχει τὴν ἕξιν, δυναμένη ἐν μεθέξει ὁποτέρου εἶναι. καὶ οὐκέτι ἔσται τειχίον ἄρρηκτον καὶ διοριστικόν, τῆς ἐπιχειρήσεως ἑκατέρου κωλυτικόν. μέσον γὰρ ὃν καὶ μετασχηματιζόμενον τῇ ἑνὸς κοινωνίᾳ, προστίθεται τῷ ᾑρηκότι καὶ ἤτοι θεῖον ἂν ἐγένετο, τὸν θεὸν ἀπομιμησάμενον, ἣ κακόν, τὸ κακὸν ἀποτετυπωμένον. εἰ δὲ τοῦτο ἐγίγνετο, οὐκέτι κακία πρὸς ἀρετήν, ἀλλὰ δύο καθʼ ἑνὸς ἐχώρουν καὶ τὸ ἕτερον ἐπολιορκεῖτο ὑπὸ δύο πιεζόμενον. ὅπου γὰρ ἢ ῥοπὴ τοῦ μέσου ἐγίγνετο, προσθήκης γινομένης διπλάσιος φανεὶς ὁ λόγος κατὰ τοῦ ἑτέρου τὴν ἐπιχείρησιν ἐργάζεται. εἰ δὲ ἐροῦσιν οὐκέτι τειχίον εἶναι τὸ μέσον καὶ διαιροῦν τὸ γειτνιᾶν τὰς οὐσίας καὶ πλησιάζειν ἑαυταῖς, ἀλλʼ εἶναί τι κενὸν καὶ ἀχανὲς μέσον, τῆς διαστάσεως αἴτιον, λέξουσι πάλιν ὃ οὐχ ἴσασι. τί γὰρ ἔστιν ἀχανές, τί δὲ ἔστι κενὸν ἢ ἐπίνοια τοῦ κενοῦ καὶ ἀχανοῦς; εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἔστι τι, οὐχ ἔστι κενὸν οὔτε ἀχανές" εἰ δὲ οὐδέν ἐστι καὶ διὰ τοῦτο κενόν ἐστιν, ὅτι οὐδέν ἐστι, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀχανές, ὅτι οὐδʼ ὅλως ὑπάρχει, πῶς τὰ μὴ ὄντα ὄντα διαιρεῖ; πῶς τὸ μηδʼ ὅλως ὑπάρχον τὰ ὑπάρχοντα καὶ τὰ ὄντα διαστέλλει; τὰ γὰρ μηδαμῇ ### English translation (Claude) refutation, so that we may cut short a long discourse, passing over in silence their emissions, their battles, those myth-makings and battles of giants, so that what has been said about the beginning of things may be said as a kind of starting point and be a seed of inquiries. Let us also work out the account concerning the law, having moderately raised the account concerning the beginning. For they think they accept the Gospel, but are eager to blame the Law and the Prophets, and they have slandered the whole Old Testament. They have pretended to honour the Gospels, putting on rather an honour for the Gospels, so as to take the pretence as a bait for those they deceive. For they do not confess to honour the Gospels because they agree with the Gospels, but because the name of Jesus has been honoured, they pretend. For if they honoured the Gospels, they ought not to circumcise the Gospels, nor take away parts of the Gospels, nor add others, nor write additions to the Gospels by reason or their own opinion. Nor does a tongue hold these Gospels, and they pass them on by reading. At any rate they have added whatever they wished and taken away whatever they judged, and they lie in the name too … For this middle and indifferent thing will never be by itself, but takes the imitation of each, and will come to share in either, and has this state, able to be in participation of either. And it will no longer be an unbreakable and dividing wall, preventing the attack of each. For being in the middle and changing its form by communion with one, it joins the one that has taken it, and would become either divine, imitating God, or evil, having taken the stamp of evil. And if this happened, it would no longer be vice against virtue, but two would move against one, and the other would be besieged, pressed by two. For wherever the middle inclined, the account, appearing doubled by the addition, carries out the attack against the other. And if they say the middle is no longer a wall dividing the substances from neighbouring and approaching one another, but some empty and gaping middle, the cause of separation, they will again say what they do not know. For what is gaping, what is empty, other than a notion of the empty and gaping? If it is something, it is not empty or gaping; but if it is nothing, and for this reason is empty because it is nothing, and for this reason gaping because it does not exist at all, how does what does not exist divide existing things? How does what does not exist at all separate the existing and the real? For things that in no way ### Translation notes - “Circumcise the Gospels” means cutting them down. The sentence “Nor does a tongue hold these Gospels …” is unclear in the OCR and translated literally. At the “…” the subject changes abruptly from the Gospels to the boundary between the two realms; the order of the text here is probably disturbed (in the manuscript or the OCR), and the argument about the Gospels resumes on page 79. Battles of giants (γιγαντομαχίαι) refer to the Manichaean myth, likened to Greek legend. The page ends mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 78 (Lagarde 1859, 78; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/78). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 79 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/75/#p-79 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 79 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: The myth that wickedness destroyed itself and then swallowed the light contradicts its supposed unbegotten nature; after a break, Titus returns to the Manichaean rewriting of the Gospel. ### Greek text μηδαμῶς ὄντα ὑπάρχοντα καὶ ὄντα διακρῖναι οὐ δυνήσεται. καὶ τοιοῦτος. μὲν ἠνέχθη ὃ ἔλεγχος. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἔτι ἐν τῇ πλάνῃ καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀπάτῃ προκόπτοντες ἔτι ἀπατηλότερα καὶ πεπλανημένα ῥήματα προφέρουσι, μὴ σιωπήσωμεν. φασὶ γὰρ ὅτι προἰοῦσα ἢ πονηρία καὶ καθʼ ἑαυτῆς χωροῦσα ἑαυτὴν ἠδίκει καὶ ἑαυτὴν ἐλυμαίνετο, ὡς δὲ ἐπέστη τῷ χωρίῳ τῆς ἀληθείας, ἐξεπλάγη, θαῦμα ἔλαβε τοῦ ἐξαπιναίου φωτός. ἐπελάθετο τῆς ἰδίας μάχης, ἐπέθετο τῷ φανέντι, ἥρπασε φῶς, κατέπιε τὸ θεωρηθέν. ἐνταῦθα λοιπὸν πολὺς ὁ γέλως καὶ μεγάλη ἢ χλεύη, ἐνταῦθα πᾶς πεπάτηται μῦθος ἑλληνικός, νικώμενος τούτῳ τῷ σχήματι. λέγονται γὰρ μῦθοι οἱ μῦθοι, ἀλλʼ ὡς μῦθοι πιστεύονται" οὗτος δέ, εἰ μὲν ὡς ἐλέγετο μῦθος, ὡς μῦθος ἐπιστεύετο, μικρὰν ἄν εἶχε τὴν ζημίαν, νῦν δὲ νικᾷ μὲν τοὺς μύθους, πιστεύεται δὲ παρὰ τοῖς ἄφροσιν ὡς ἀλήθεια. εἰ γὰρ ὡς μεμηνυῖα, ὡς φατέ, καὶ χαθʼ ἑαυτὴν ἑαυτὴν πολιορκοῦσα, ἐφθακυῖα εἰς τὰ οἰκεῖα ὅρια, εἶδε φῶς καὶ κατεπλάγη καὶ ἀπηλλάγη τῆς ἰδίας μάχης καὶ ἐπέθετο τῷ φανέντι [καὶ] ἥρπασε τὸ θεωρηθέν, πῶς οὐχ ἀδύνατοι καὶ ψευδεῖς φανήσονται οἱ λόγοι; πῶς γὰρ ἑαυτὴν ἠδίκει ἢ πονηρία, ἑαυτὴν ἀνήρει, ἑαυτὴν ἠφάνιζεν, ἄρτι μὲν καταπίνουσα, ἄρτι δὲ γεννῶσα, εἴγε ἀγένητος ἦν; ἐλύετο γὰρ ἑαυτὴν ἀναιροῦσα καὶ εἶναι οὐκέτι ἐδύνατο, ἑαυτὴν διαφθείρουσα. εἰ δὲ τὰ μέρη ἑαυτῆς εἶχε διαφθειρόμενα, ποῖον ἐνέχυρον αὔταρκες ὅτι ὅλη οὐ διαφθείρεται, τῶν μερῶν διαφθείρεσθαι πεφυλακότων; εἰ δὲ καὶ ἑαυτὴν ἐγέννα καὶ εἶναι ἤρχετο, ἀρχομένη δὲ τοῦ εἶναι καὶ γεννητὴ ἦν. πῶς ἔτι ἀγένητος; διʼ ὃ οὐκέτι παρʼ ἑτέρου τὸν ἔλεγχον τῆς ἀτόπου δόξης αὐτῶν λήψονται, ἀλλʼ ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκείας φλυαρίας. πολλὰ γὰρ φθεγγόμενοι ἑαυτοῖς μαχόμενοι φθέγγονται καὶ οὐκέτι ἀναμένουσιν ὑφʼ ἑτέρου ἐρυθριᾶν, ἀλλὰ φλυαροῦντες τοῦτο ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκείας προπετείας πάσχουσι. τὸ γὰρ δυνάμενον λύεσθαι καὶ λύσιν ἐπιδεχόμενον καὶ δυνάμενον διαφθείρεσθαι πῶς ἄν εἴη ἀγένητον; πῶς ἄν εἴη ἀφʼ ἑαυτοῦ ὃν; πῶς οὐχ ἀφʼ ἑτέρου ἤρξατο; τοῦ μὲν τοιούτου ἀνωλέθρου καὶ ἀπαθοῦς ὑπάρχοντος, τοῦ δὲ δυναμένου ἀφανίζεσθαι καὶ διαφθείρεσθαι οὐχ ἀφʼ ἑαυτοῦ ὄντος. εἰ δὲ διαφθείρεται, ὡς φατέ, (τοῦτο γὰρ ὁ ὑμέτερος ὁρίζει λόγος, τὸ καταπίνεσθαι ὁμολογῶν) τὸ εἶναι ἀλλοίωσιν καὶ φθορὰν τὴν κατάποσιν τῶν.. … καλοῦσι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τὸ σῶμα τοῦ εὐαγγελίου μὴ τετηρηκότες σῶμα, ἀλλʼ ἕτερον σῶμα γραμμάτων μέχρι τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ εὐαγγελίου φθάνον ### English translation (Claude) exist cannot distinguish existing and real things. And such was the refutation brought. But since, advancing still in error and deceit, they bring forth still more deceitful and erring words, let us not keep silent. For they say that wickedness, advancing and moving against itself, wronged itself and ravaged itself, but when it came to the region of truth, it was struck with amazement and wondered at the sudden light; it forgot its own fighting, attacked what appeared, snatched light, swallowed what it saw. Here there is much laughter and great mockery; here every Greek myth is trampled, defeated by this figure. For myths are told as myths, but believed as myths; but this one, if it were believed as a myth as it is told as a myth, would do little harm; but as it is, it surpasses the myths and is believed by the foolish as truth. For if, as you say, being mad and besieging itself by itself, having reached its own borders, it saw light, was amazed, was freed from its own fighting, attacked what appeared [and] snatched what it saw, how will these accounts not appear impossible and false? For how did wickedness wrong itself, destroy itself, abolish itself, now swallowing, now begetting, if it was unbegotten? For it was being dissolved in destroying itself, and could no longer exist, destroying itself. And if it had its parts destroyed, what sufficient pledge is there that the whole is not destroyed, when the parts have kept being destroyed? And if it begot itself and began to be, then beginning to be it was also begotten. How then still unbegotten? So they will receive the refutation of their absurd opinion not from another but from their own nonsense. For in uttering much they utter things fighting against themselves, and no longer wait to be made to blush by another, but in talking nonsense suffer this from their own rashness. For how could what can be dissolved and admits dissolution and can be destroyed be unbegotten? How could it be from itself? How did it not begin from another? Since such a thing is indestructible and impassible, while what can vanish and be destroyed is not from itself. And if it is destroyed, as you say (for your account defines this, admitting the swallowing), being is alteration and the swallowing of the … destruction … they call the Gospel, not having kept the body of the Gospel as a body, but another body of letters reaching as far as the name of the Gospel, ### Translation notes - “[καὶ]” is bracketed in Lagarde; translated. At the “…” near the end the text breaks and resumes with the argument about the Gospel begun on page 78; the order of the text is probably disturbed here. Πᾶαν is read as ποῖον (“what”), by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 79 (Lagarde 1859, 79; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/79). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 80 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/75/#p-80 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 80 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: The Manichees corrupt the Gospels worse than unbelievers who reject them; Christ cannot be known without the Law and the Prophets, as the parable of Lazarus and the Transfiguration show. ### Greek text πεποιηκότες ταῖς ἰδίαις βουλήσεσι. μεῖζον γὰρ τῶν ἄλλων ἠτιμάκασι τὰ εὐαγγέλια. οἳ μὲν γὰρ οὐ δέχονται καὶ μὴ δεχόμενοι οὐ διαφθείρουσιν, ἀλλὰ μόνον ἀποσείονται, οὐ μὴν καὶ ἐμβατεύουσι τοῖς γράμμασι[ν], οἱ δὲ εἰληφέναι. δοκοῦντες ἐνεβάτευσαν, ἐνεχόρευσαν, ἐνεκαπήλευσαν τοῖς γράμμασι, καὶ γοήτων ἔργα καὶ πονηρῶν δεδράκασιν. ἐκεῖνοι ἠπίστησαν, ψιλῇ τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ κέχρηνται, ἃ μὴ πιστεύουσι φιλολογῆσαι οὐχ ἠνέσχοντο.ʼ οὗτοι ἐν μέσῳ γενόμενοι λύειν τὴν ἁρμονίαν ἐπικεχειρήκασι, καταλύειν τὸν ῥυθμὸν τετολμήκασι [τε]τεχνασμένοις μαθήμασιν, ὑπόθεσιν ἀπάτης τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ εὐαγγελίου παρεσκευακότες. εἰ γὰρ ἤδεισαν τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, οὐχ ἠγνόουν τὸν νόμον" εἰ δὲ ἠγνόησαν τὸν νόμον, πῶς τὸν ʼΙησοῦν παρεδέξαντο; δίχα γὰρ νόμου Ἰησοῦς οὐ παραλαμβάνεται. ὁ γὰρ τὸ τέλος ποθῶν τὴν ἀρχὴν περιεργάζεται, ὁ δὲ τῆς ἀρχῆς γινόμενος ὑπερόπτης κενοπαθεῖ, κενολογεῖ, πρὸς τέλος ἄφιξιν οὐχ ἔχει. εἰ δὲ τέλος νόμου χριστός, ματαιοπονοῦσι, νόμου μὲν φυγάδες ὄντες, Ἰησοῦν δὲ εἰδέναι ἐπαγγελ[λ]όμενοι. εἰ μὴ νόμος λαλήσει, ὃ κύριος οὐχ ἐπιγινώσκεται. ἡ γὰρ σιωπὴ τοῦ νόμου ἄγνοια τοῦ κηρυττομένου, ἢ δὲ τοῦ νόμου μάθησις ἐπίγνωσις τοῦ προκαταγγελ[λ]ομένου. εἰ γὰρ Μωυσέως ἤκουον, ἐπίστευον εἰς τὸν παρεληλυθότα. ἀμέλει οὐ πιστεύεται ὁ ἐγηγερμένος, εἰ μὴ πίστιν ὃ νόμος τοῖς ἀκούουσιν ἐμποιήσει. κἂν γάρ τις λέγῃ,πέμψον Λάζαρον ἵνα. ἀναγγείλῃ τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου μὴ ἐλθεῖν εἰς τὴν ὁδὸν τῆς βασάνου ταύτης“, καὶ λέγοντος ʼΑβραὰμ,ἔχουσι Μωσέα καὶ τοὺς προφήτας“ εἴπῃ,ἐὰν μή τις ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστῇ, οὐ μὴ πιστεύσωσι“, ἀκούσεται,εἰ Μωσέως καὶ τῶν προφητῶν οὐχ ἤκουσαν, οὐδὲ ἐάν τις ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστῇ, ἀκούσονται“. βαβαί. οὔτε γὰρ ἢ τοῦ ἐγηγερμένου παραγγελία τῇ τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν … ὃ Ἰησοῦς δίχα τῆς συνουσίας αὐτῶν, οὐδὲ τοῖς ἀποστόλοις φαίνεσθαι ἠξίωσε καὶ δυνάμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς μαρτυρεῖσθαι, οὐκ ἠτίμασε τὴν συνουσίαν τῶν ἁγίων, ἀλλὰ ταῖς ὄψεσι τῶν ἀποστόλων πίστιν ἀκριβεστάτην βουλόμενός παρασχέσθαι, ὡς ἀνῆγεν ἐν τῷ ὄρει καὶ μετεμορφοῦτο, ἐδείκνυε Μωυσέα καὶ Ἠλίαν, ἵνα ἣ συνουσία τῆς ἁγιότητος γένηται μαρτυρία καὶ ἵνα ὃ δεχόμενος τὸν ʼΙησοῦν τοὺς συνόντας μὴ ἀτιμάσῃ, ἵνα μὴ τοὺς δορυφόρους καὶ ὑπηρέτας εὐτελίζων αὐτὸν ἀτιμάζων ἦ τὸν βασιλέα. τοσαύτην γοῦν ἐπιμέλειαν τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν πεποίηται ὃ σωτὴρ ὡς μηδὲν ἀτελὲς ποιῆσαι τοῦ νόμου, πάντα δὲ ἀνύειν τὰ γεγραμμένα, βοᾶν δὲ,.οὐχ ἦλθον ### English translation (Claude) having made it to suit their own wishes. For they have dishonoured the Gospels more than others. For those who do not accept them, and in not accepting do not corrupt them, only shake them off, but do not trespass on the writings; but these, seeming to have received them, have trespassed on the writings, danced upon them, peddled them, and done the works of sorcerers and wicked men. Those disbelieved, and used bare unbelief; they did not endure to study what they did not believe. These, coming into the middle, have tried to loosen the harmony, dared to destroy the rhythm with artful teachings, making the name of the Gospel a pretext for deceit. For if they knew the Gospel, they would not be ignorant of the Law; and if they were ignorant of the Law, how did they accept Jesus? For Jesus is not received without the Law. For he who longs for the end investigates the beginning, but he who despises the beginning suffers in vain, speaks in vain, and has no arrival at the end. And if Christ is the end of the Law, they toil in vain, being fugitives from the Law while professing to know Jesus. Unless the Law speaks, the Lord is not recognized. For the silence of the Law is ignorance of the one proclaimed, and learning the Law is knowledge of the one announced beforehand. For if they had listened to Moses, they would have believed in the one who has come. Certainly the one who was raised is not believed unless the Law produces faith in those who hear. For even if someone says, “Send Lazarus to tell my brothers not to come into the way of this torment,” and when Abraham says, “They have Moses and the prophets,” he says, “Unless someone rises from the dead, they will not believe,” he will hear, “If they did not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they listen if someone rises from the dead.” Ah! For neither does the message of the one raised … the Law and the Prophets … Jesus, without their company, did not think fit to appear even to the apostles; and though able to be borne witness by the Father, he did not dishonour the company of the saints; but wishing to give the eyes of the apostles a most exact faith, when he led them up on the mountain and was transfigured, he showed Moses and Elijah, so that the company of holiness might become a testimony, and so that whoever receives Jesus might not dishonour those with him, lest, cheapening the bodyguards and servants, he dishonour the king himself. So great care, at any rate, has the Saviour taken of the Law and the Prophets that he left nothing of the Law incomplete, but fulfilled all that was written, and cried out, “I did not come ### Scripture references - Rom 10:4: quotation, high confidence - John 5:46: allusion, medium confidence - Luke 16:27–31: quotation, high confidence - Matt 17:1–3: allusion, high confidence - Matt 5:17: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - “Christ is the end of the Law” is Rom 10:4; “if they had listened to Moses” recalls John 5:46. The parable quoted freely is Luke 16:27–31. The Transfiguration with Moses and Elijah is Matt 17:1–3. The staged text has a gap (…) in the sentence after “Ah!”. In “γράμμασι[ν]”, “[τε]τεχνασμένοις”, “ἐπαγγελ[λ]όμενοι” and “προκαταγγελ[λ]ομένου” the bracketed letters are Lagarde’s. The final quotation (Matt 5:17) continues on the next page. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 80 (Lagarde 1859, 80; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/80). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 81 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/75/#p-81 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Christ came to fulfil the Law and cleansed his Father’s house; the Gospels begin from the Law and the Prophets, so the Manichees who reject the Law also reject the Gospel’s witness. ### Greek text καταλῦσαι τὸν νόμον, ἀλλὰ πληρῶσαι“, εἰσιέναι δὲ ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ καὶ τὰς ἀτόπους οἰκονομίας ἐξωθεῖν, ἵνα τὸν οἶκον καθαρὸν ἀποδοὺς πίστιν ἀκριβεστάτην τῷ πράγματι παράσχῃ ὡς οἰκείων καὶ πατρῴων ἐπιμελόμενος πραγμάτων. βοᾷ γὰρ „ὁ οἶκος τοῦ πατρός μου οἶκος προσευχῆς κληθήσεται, ὑμεῖς δὲ αὐτὸν πεποιήκατε σπήλαιον λῃστῶν“. καὶ ἐπειδὴ μυρία ἐστὶ λόγια δυνάμενα δυσωπεῖν τὴν ἄτοπον ἐκείνων δόξαν, ἡμεῖς, ἵνα μὴ λόγοις πλείοσι χρώμενοι εἰς μῆκος ἐξαγάγωμεν τὸν λόγον, τοῖς μὲν ἄλλοις ἐπιτρέψωμεν ταῖς ἀναλογίαις τῶν ῥημάτων χρῆσθαι, ἡμεῖς δὲ συμμέτρως χρησόμενοι πρὸς αὐτὰς τὰς ἀντιθέσεις τῶν λογίων χωρήσωμεν. τὸ εὐαγγέλιον παραδεχόμενοι τὸν νόμον οὐ παραδέχονται" οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδὲ ὁλόκληρον τὸ ἅγιον εὐαγγέλιον παραδέχονται. ἢ γὰρ ἄν καὶ τὸν νόμον ἐλάμβανον, εἰ ὁλόκληρον - τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ἐδέχοντο. νῦν δὲ πρῶτον τὸ εὐαγγέλιον καπηλεύσαντες εἰκότως τὸν νόμον οὐ παραδέχονται. ἐλέγχονται οὖν διὰ τὸ λελῃστευκέναι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον μὴ ἀνεχόμενοι τοῦ νόμου. εἰ δὲ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον μαρτυρεῖ καὶ οὐ τιμῶσι τὸν νόμον, ἠτιμάκασι τὴν μαρτυρίαν: οὐκέτι γὰρ ἣ ἀτιμία τοῦ νόμου, ἀλλʼ ἣ ἀπιστία τοῦ μαρτυροῦντος. καὶ εἰ μὲν ἕν τῶν εὐαγγελίων ἐμαρτύρει, ἕτερον δὲ ἐσιώπα καὶ καθʼ ἑνὸς μόνον ἐγίγνετο ἢ ἀτιμία, οὐχ ἄν ἐσιώπα τὰ ἄλλα εὐαγγέλια, κοινὴν ἀτιμίαν τὴν τοῦ ἑνὸς ἀτιμίαν ἡγούμενα. εἰ δὲ Μάρκος λέγει, ἀρχὴ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου Ἰησοῦ χριστοῦ καθὼς γέγραπται ἐν ʼΗσαΐᾳ τῷ προφήτῃ“, ὁ δὲ Ματθαῖος, βίβλος γενέσεως ʼΙησοῦ χριστοῦ υἱοῦ Δαυὶδ υἱοῦ “Αβραάμ“, καὶ ὃ μὲν προπάτορα τῆς κατὰ σάρκα γεννήσεως οἶδε τὸν ʼΑβραὰμ καὶ τιμᾷ τὸν Δαυίδ, ὁ δὲ συνάπτει τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῷ νόμῳ καὶ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἀρχὴν τὸν νόμον νενόηκεν, ἀληθεύει ὁ σωτὴρ λέγων „ὁ ὑμᾶς ἀθετῶν ἐμὲ ἀθετεῖ“- οὐκέτι γὰρ μέχρι τοῦ νόμου ἴσταται ἣ ἀτιμία, ἀλλʼ ἐπʼ αὐτὸν ἀναβαίνει τὸν σωτῆρα. καὶ οἱ μὲν Ἰουδαῖοι ἀκουέτωσαν,εἰ Μωσέως ἠκούετε, ἠκούετε ἄν ἐμοῦ" περὶ γὰρ ἐμοῦ ἐκεῖνος ἔγραψεν“, οἱ δὲ Μανιχαῖοι ἀκουέτωσαν Εἰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἠκούετε, τοῦ νόμου [ἀν] ἠκούετε" περὶ γὰρ τοῦ νόμου τὸ εὐαγγέλιον γεγράφηκεν. ἀλλʼ ʼΙουδαῖοι μὲν κάλυμμα λαμβάνοντες οὐδὲ τὸν νόμον νενοήκασιν οὐδὲ τὸν καταγγελ[λ]όμενον ἐπέγνωσαν, οἱ δὲ αἱρεσιῶται ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχουσιν οὐ βλέποντας, ὦτα ἔχουσιν οὐχ ἀκούοντα, διὰ τὸ μὴ παρακύψαι εἰς τὰ εὐαγγέλια τῷ νόμῳ ἐμαχέσαντο. ἰδοὺ γὰρ ὁ μὲν Ἰωάννης βοᾷ „ἐγένετο ἄνθρωπος ἀπεσταλμένος παρὰ θεοῦ, ὄνομα αὐτῷ ʼΙωάννης, οὗτος ἦλθεν εἰς μαρτυρίαν, ### English translation (Claude) to abolish the law, but to fulfil it”; and to enter the temple and drive out the improper dealings, so that, returning the house clean, he might give the most exact proof by the deed that he cared for things that were his own and his Father’s. For he cries, “My Father’s house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of robbers.” And since there are countless sayings able to put their absurd opinion to shame, so that we may not stretch the discourse to length by using more words, let us leave it to others to use the correspondences of the sayings, while we, using them in measure, go on to the very oppositions of the oracles. Accepting the Gospel, they do not accept the Law; for they do not accept even the holy Gospel entire. For they would have received the Law too if they accepted the Gospel entire. But as it is, having first peddled the Gospel, they naturally do not accept the Law. They are convicted, then, of not enduring the Law because they have robbed the Gospel. And if the Gospel bears witness and they do not honour the Law, they have dishonoured the testimony; for it is no longer dishonour of the Law but unbelief in the witness. And if one of the Gospels bore witness and another were silent, and the dishonour fell on one alone, the other Gospels would not have kept silent, thinking the dishonour of one a common dishonour. But if Mark says, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet,” and Matthew, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham,” and the one knows Abraham as forefather of the birth according to the flesh and honours David, while the other joins the Gospel to the Law and has understood the Law as the beginning of the Gospel, then the Saviour speaks truly when he says, “He who rejects you rejects me”; for the dishonour no longer stops at the Law but goes up to the Saviour himself. Let the Jews hear, “If you listened to Moses, you would listen to me; for he wrote about me”; and let the Manichees hear, “If you listened to the Gospel, you would listen to the Law; for the Gospel has written about the Law.” But the Jews, taking a veil, have neither understood the Law nor recognized the one announced; while the heretics have eyes that do not see and ears that do not hear, and, not having peered into the Gospels, they have fought the Law. For see, John cries, “There came a man sent from God, whose name was John; he came for testimony, ### Scripture references - Matt 5:17: quotation, high confidence - Matt 21:13: quotation, high confidence - Mark 1:1–2: quotation, high confidence - Matt 1:1: quotation, high confidence - Luke 10:16: quotation, high confidence - John 5:46: quotation, high confidence - 2 Cor 3:14–15: allusion, medium confidence - Mark 8:18: allusion, medium confidence - John 1:6–7: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The opening completes the quotation of Matt 5:17. The quotations are Matt 21:13 (compare John 2:16), Mark 1:1–2, Matt 1:1, Luke 10:16 and John 5:46; the last is then adapted against the Manichees (marked as Titus’s own wording). The veil recalls 2 Cor 3:14–15, and “eyes that do not see” Mark 8:18. John 1:6–7 continues on the next page. Titus’s contrast between Jews and heretics is his polemic; translated exactly. “[ἀν]” is bracketed in Lagarde. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 81 (Lagarde 1859, 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/81). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 82 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/75/#p-82 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 82 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: John, Luke and Paul all link the Gospel to the Law and the Prophets: Christ is David’s heir, and the God who spoke in the prophets is the Father of the Son. ### Greek text ἵνα μαρτυρήσῃ περὶ τοῦ φωτός“. οἶδε τὸν μάρτυρα καὶ οἶδε τὸν μαρτυρούμενον καὶ τὸν μάρτυρα προγράφει. „ὁ νόμος καὶ οἱ προφῆται μέχρις Ἰωάννου“. οὐκοῦν ὃ ʼΙωάννης μαρτυρεῖ καὶ ὁ νόμος μάρτυς, καὶ μαρτυρεῖται ὃ νόμος.. ὅρα ἡλίκον ἀτόπημα ἣ περὶ τὰς. μαρτυρίας ἀπιστία νομίζει. καὶ τοιαῦτα τούτων φθεγξαμένων οὐδὲ ὃ Λουκᾶς σιωπᾷ. φησὶ γὰρ τὴν αὐτὴν φωνὴν καὶ συνῳδὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις φθέγγεται καὶ διηγεῖται ὅτι ἄρτι μὲν ὁ Γαβριὴλ τῇ Μαρίᾳ φανεὶς ἠφίει οὐράνιον ἀσπασμὸν λέγων „χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη, ὃ κύριος μετὰ σοῦ“ ὡς δὲ ἐκείνη ἐπὶ τῷ λόγῳ ἐταράττετο καὶ διελογίζετο ἐν ἑαυτῇ λέγουσα,ποταπὸς εἴη ὃ ἀσπασμὸς οὗτος“; ἔλεγε,μὴ φοβοῦ, Μαριάμ" εὗρες γὰρ χάριν ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἰδοὺ συλλήψῃ ἐν γαστρὶ καὶ τέξῃ υἱὸν καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ʼΙησοῦν. οὗτος ἔσται μέγας καὶ υἱὸς ὑψίστου κληθήσεται καὶ δώσει αὐτῷ κύριος τὸν θρόνον Δαυὶδ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ βασιλεύσει εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας καὶ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔσται τέλος“. καὶ τιμᾶται Δαυὶδ καὶ πατὴρ ὁμολογεῖται σωτῆρος καὶ μένει ἣ ἀρχὴ καὶ παραδίδοται τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ τέλος οὐ δέχεται, τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐν τῷ ἀτελευτήτῳ σεμνυνομένης. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν αἱ τῶν εὐαγγελίων ἀρχαί. ἔδει γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῶν ἀρχῶν τὸν λόγον ὑφᾶναι, ἵνʼ οὕτω κατόπιν τις βαδίζων τοῦ λόγου καὶ τὴν ἀκολουθίαν καὶ τὴν ἁρμονίαν τῶν λόγων κατανοῇ ἐξ ὅλων τῶν εὐαγγελίων. ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ ἢ ἀποστολικὴ διακονία χαρακτῆρα σώζει εὐαγγελικόν, καὶ ὃ Παῦλος οἷδε καὶ τὴν διακονίαν ἑαυτοῦ τῶν παθημάτων ἐν μέρει εὐαγγελίου μετρεῖ (φησὶ γὰρ,κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιόν μου διὰ Ιησοῦ χριστοῦ“), ἡμεῖς μηδὲ τὰς ἀρχὰς τοῦ ἀποστόλου παραλείψωμεν, ἀλλὰ κἀκείνων εἰς μνήμην ἔλθωμεν, ἵνα πάσας τὰς γραφὰς καὶ ἀρχὰς τῶν γραφῶν παρελθόντες, τῇ ὁμοφωνίᾳ τοῦ νόμου οἰκονομήσωμεν. γράφων μὲν τοῖς Ἑβραίοις οὕτως λέγει,πολυμερῶς καὶ πολυτρόπως πάλαι ὃ θεὸς λαλήσας τοῖς πατράσιν ἐν τοῖς προφήταις, ἐπʼ ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν τούτων ἐλάλησεν ἡμῖν ἐν υἱῷ, ὃν ἔθηκε κληρονόμον πάντων, διʼ οὗ καὶ ἐποίησε τοὺς αἰῶνας“. ἐνταῦθα πατέρα οἶδεν υἱοῦ καὶ πατέρα ἐπιστάμενον υἱοῦ. οὐ μερίζει τὸ πρᾶγμα, οὐ σιωπᾷ περὶ τῶν παλαιῶν, οὐ προφήτας ἑτέρου προσγράφει, ἀλλὰ θεὸν προφητῶν καὶ πατέρα υἱοῦ. καὶ ὁ μὲν [Παῦλος οὐ μεμέρικεν οὔτε διεῖλεν, ἀλλʼ ἕνα καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν κηρύττει, ὑπʼ ἐκείνων μὲν προσκυνηθέντα, τοῦτον δὲ τεχόντα, καὶ τούτου μὲν γεννήτορα, ἐκείνοις δὲ προσκυνηταῖς καὶ οἰκέταις χρησάμενον. οὗ γὰρ εἰσὶν οἰκέται οἱ προφῆται, ### English translation (Claude) to bear witness to the light.” He knows the witness and knows the one witnessed to, and he describes the witness beforehand: “The Law and the Prophets were until John.” So John bears witness, and the Law is a witness, and the Law is witnessed to. See how great an absurdity unbelief about the testimonies entails. And when these have spoken so, neither is Luke silent. For he speaks the same voice and utters things in harmony with the others, and narrates that Gabriel, appearing to Mary, gave a heavenly greeting, saying, “Hail, favoured one, the Lord is with you”; and when she was troubled at the word and reasoned within herself, saying, “What sort of greeting might this be?”, he said, “Do not fear, Mary; for you have found favour before God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And David is honoured and confessed father of the Saviour, and the rule remains and is handed to the Lord and receives no end, the rule being glorified in what has no end. These, then, are the beginnings of the Gospels. For we had to weave the discourse from the beginnings, so that one following behind the discourse may perceive the sequence and harmony of the words from all the Gospels. And since the apostolic ministry too keeps a Gospel character, and Paul knows it and measures his own ministry of sufferings as a part of the Gospel (for he says, “according to my gospel through Jesus Christ”), let us not omit the beginnings of the apostle either, but call them to mind too, so that, having gone through all the Scriptures and the beginnings of the Scriptures, we may arrange them by the agreement of the Law. Writing to the Hebrews he says thus: “In many parts and many ways God spoke of old to the fathers in the prophets; in these last days he has spoken to us in a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the ages.” Here he knows the Father of the Son, and a Father who knows the Son. He does not divide the matter, he is not silent about the ancients, he does not ascribe the prophets to another, but to God of the prophets and Father of the Son. And Paul has not divided or separated, but proclaims one and the same, worshipped by them and having begotten this one, the begetter of this one, and using those as worshippers and servants. For he whose servants the prophets are, ### Scripture references - John 1:7: quotation, high confidence - Luke 16:16: quotation, high confidence - Luke 1:28–33: quotation, high confidence - Rom 2:16: quotation, high confidence - Heb 1:1–2: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are John 1:7, Luke 16:16 (compare Matt 11:13), Luke 1:28–33, Rom 2:16 and Heb 1:1–2. Titus treats Hebrews as Paul’s. “[Παῦλος” has an opening bracket in Lagarde. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 82 (Lagarde 1859, 82; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/82). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 83 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/75/#p-83 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 83 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Titus contrasts the Valentinian, Marcionite and Manichaean rejections of the Law and argues that the just and the good are one, since the Son who judges justly is the image of the Father. ### Greek text τούτου ἐστὶν υἱὸς ὃ χριστός, εἰ δὲ τὸν υἱὸν τιμᾷς, τοὺς δὲ οἰκέτας διαβάλλεις καὶ λοιδορεῖς, τῷ στόματι φθέγγῃ ἃ βούλει. ὁρᾷς ὅτι ἀγανακτεῖ ὁ υἱός; οὐχ ἀνέχεται πατρὸς ὑβριζομένου. εἰ γὰρ ὃ πατὴρ τὴν τοῦ υἱοῦ ἀτιμίαν ἰδίαν ἀτιμίαν λελόγισται, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὁ υἱὸς τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς ὕβριν ἰδίαν εὐτέλειαν λογιεῖται; ἵνα δὲ καὶ κατʼ ὀλίγον φοιτῶντες κατὰ βραχὺ δυσωπήσωμεν, οὕτως ἐπιχειρήσωμεν. εἰ θεοῦ ὁ νόμος, διὰ τί οὐ παραδέχονται τὸν νόμον; εἰ δὲ διαβάλλεις τὸν νόμον, τίνος ῥήματα καὶ φωνὴ ὁ νόμος; τίνος δυνάμει τὰ γεγραμμένα παρὰ τοῦ νόμου λελάληται; ἐνταῦθα γὰρ αἱ αἱρέσεις διαιροῦνται καὶ οὐκέτι ὅμοια διαλέγονται, ἀλλʼ ἑαυταῖς μαχόμενα. καὶ Οὐαλεντι[νι]ανοὶ μὲν ὧδε, Μανιχαῖοι ὧδε, ἑτέρωθι δὲ Μαρκίων πτύσματα καὶ οὐ ῥήματα κατὰ τοῦ νόμου μαρτυροῦσι. καὶ Οὐαλεντι[νι]ανοὶ μὲν Δίκαιος (φασίν) ἦν ὃ τοῦ νόμου θεὸς καὶ δίκαιος ὧν οὐ πατὴρ ἦν τοῦ υἱοῦ. Ἰησοῦς (φασίν) ἀγαθός: ἀγαθὸς δὲ καὶ ὁ πατήρ, καὶ ὁ μὲν τοῦ υἱοῦ πατὴρ ἀγαθὸς καὶ ἀγαθὸν τὸ γεννώμενον, ὁ δὲ τοῦ νόμου δίκαιος. καὶ τοιαῦτα διαλεγόμενοι, οἵαν σχέσιν τὸ δίκαιον πρὸς τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἔχει οὐ νενοήκασι, καὶ ὅτι, εἴ τι δίκαιον, καὶ ἀγαθόν, καὶ εἴ τι ἀγαθόν, καὶ δίκαιον, οὐδʼ ἐν φαντασίᾳ εἰλήφασι. μὴ δυνάμενοι δὲ τοιαύτας φαντασίας ἔχειν, τοῦτο μόνον ἐρωτάσθωσαν· εἰ δίκαιος ὁ τοῦ νόμου θεὸς καὶ οὐχ ἔστι πατὴρ τοῦ υἱοῦ, οὐχ ἔστι δίκαιος ὁ Ἰησοῦς" καὶ πῶς τὴν δικαιοσύνην ἀπὸ τοῦ υἱοῦ ἀπαιτοῦμεν; εἰ οὐ γεγέννηται ἀπὸ τοῦ δικαίου, πῶς κρίνει; πῶς δικάζει; πῶς τὸ βῆμα ἐγκεχείρισται ἀπὸ τοῦ πατρός; πῶς ἑκάστῳ ἀποδίδωσι πρὸς ἃ ἔπραξε; πῶς ἀληθεύει Παῦλος λέγων,τοῖς μὲν καθʼ ὑπομονὴν ἔργου ἀγαθοῦ ζητοῦσι ζωὴν αἰώνιον ὁ θεὸς συνεργεῖ εἰς τὸ ἀγαθόν, τοῖς δὲ ἐξ ἐριθείας πειθομένοις τῇ ἀδικίᾳ ὀργὴ καὶ θυμός, θλίψις καὶ στενοχωρία ἐπὶ πᾶσαν ψυχὴν ἀνθρώπου τοῦ κατεργαζομένου τὸ κακόν“; λέλυται γὰρ τὰ ῥήματα, εἰ ὁ τοῦ δικαίου ὅρος τῷ υἱῷ οὐχ ἀποδέδοται. εἰ δὲ τιμωρία μὲν κατὰ τῶν ἐπταικότων κεῖται καὶ μέτρον τιμωρίας ἣ τοῦ δικαίου ἐπιστασία γίνεται, τιμαὶ δὲ καὶ δωρεαὶ τοῖς εὐδοκιμοῦσιν ἀποταμιεύονται καὶ σταθμίζεται ἢ τιμὴ τῇ τοῦ δικαίου ἐπικρίσει, πῶς διαστέλλονται καὶ οὐ συστέλλονται τὴν προπέτειαν; εἰ δὲ ὁ μονογενὴς μὲν τοιοῦτος, οὐ τοιοῦτος δὲ ὃ πατήρ, οὐκέτι ὅμοιος ἐξ ὁμοίου γεγέννηται, οὐκέτι εἰκὼν τοῦ γεγεννηκότος, οὐκέτι„ χαρακτήρ“, οὐκέτι, ἀπαύγασμα“, οὐκέτι, ὁ βλέπων τὸν υἱὸν βλέπει τὸν πατέρα“, εἴγε μὴ ὅσα ἔχει ὁ υἱὸς ἔχει ὁ πατήρ. καὶ βοᾷ ὁ σωτὴρ ἐν τῷ ### English translation (Claude) his son is Christ. And if you honour the Son but slander and revile the servants, you utter with your mouth what you please. Do you see that the Son is indignant? He does not endure the Father being insulted. For if the Father has reckoned the dishonour of the Son as his own dishonour, how much more will the Son reckon the insult to the Father as his own cheapening? And so that, proceeding little by little, we may put them to shame step by step, let us attempt this. If the Law is God’s, why do they not accept the Law? And if you slander the Law, whose words and voice is the Law? By whose power was what is written in the Law spoken? For here the heresies divide and no longer argue alike, but against one another. The Valentinians say this, the Manichees that, and elsewhere Marcion testifies spittle and not words against the Law. The Valentinians say, “The God of the Law was just, and being just he was not the Father of the Son. Jesus,” they say, “is good; and the Father is good too; the Father of the Son is good, and what is begotten is good; but the God of the Law is just.” And arguing so, they have not understood what relation the just has to the good, nor have they conceived even in imagination that whatever is just is good and whatever is good is just. Since they cannot have such ideas, let them be asked only this: if the God of the Law is just and is not the Father of the Son, Jesus is not just; and how do we look for justice from the Son? If he was not begotten of the just one, how does he judge? How does he give sentence? How has the judgement seat been entrusted to him by the Father? How does he repay each according to what he did? How does Paul speak truly when he says, “To those who by endurance in good work seek eternal life, God works with them for good; but to those who from rivalry obey unrighteousness, wrath and fury, affliction and distress, upon every soul of man who does evil”? For the words are undone if the definition of the just is not given to the Son. But if punishment is laid down for those who have stumbled, and the oversight of the just is the measure of punishment, while honours and gifts are stored up for those who are approved, and honour is weighed by the judgement of the just, how are they set apart and not checked in their rashness? And if the Only-begotten is such, but the Father not such, then like is no longer begotten of like, no longer the image of the begetter, no longer the “stamp”, no longer the “radiance”, no longer “he who sees the Son sees the Father”, if the Father does not have all that the Son has. And the Saviour cries in the ### Scripture references - Rom 2:7–9: quotation, high confidence - Rom 8:28: echo, medium confidence - Heb 1:3: allusion, high confidence - John 14:9: allusion, high confidence - John 16:15: echo, medium confidence - John 5:22: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The Valentinian distinction of a just God of the Law from the good Father, and Marcion’s rejection of the Law, are reported polemically. The quotation is a free form of Rom 2:7–9 (with “works with them for good” from Rom 8:28). “Stamp” and “radiance” are Heb 1:3; “he who sees the Son sees the Father” recalls John 14:9; “all that the Father has” recalls John 16:15. The Saviour’s cry continues on the next page (John 17:25). In “Οὐαλεντι[νι]ανοὶ” the bracketed letters are Lagarde’s. ΓΝ at the end of the OCR is a stray mark. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 83 (Lagarde 1859, 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/83). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 84 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/75/#p-84 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 84 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Christ calls the Father righteous; Valentinus, Marcion and Mani attack the Law in three ways, but a Law that foretold Christ must come from one who knew God’s counsel. ### Greek text εὐαγγελίῳ πάτερ δίκαιε, καὶ ὃ κόσμος σε οὐχ ἔγνω, ἐγὼ δὲ σὲ ἔγνων“. τί πράξωμεν; νῶτα δῶμεν τῷ ῥήματι τοῦ σωτῆρος; ἀπιστήσομεν τῷ γεγραμμένῳ ἣ τὸ μὲν ῥῆμα θαυμάσομεν (τῆς γὰρ ἀληθείας ἐστὶ ῥῆμα). Οὐαλεντι[νια]νους δὲ ὡς μεμηνότας καὶ δαιμονιῶντας ἔξω τῶν θεοπρεπῶν καὶ ἱερῶν συνεδρίων στήσομεν; ἀλλʼ ἐπειδὴ ἄτοπόν τι πάσχομεν τὸν κατὰ τῶν αἱρεσιωτῶν μηκύνοντες λόγον, μὴ ταύτης τῆς ὑποθέσεως ἡμᾶς ἑλκούσης, ἀνακαλεσώμεθα τὸν λόγον καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ὑποκειμένην ὑπόθεσιν χωρήσωμεν, καὶ ταῦτα τοῦ λυσιτελοῦς ἕνεκεν ἐσκεμμένοι, ἵνα μήτε οὗτος ὁ λόγος πάντη σεσιωπημένος ἡμῖν ὑπάρχῃ. τριχῇ γὰρ ἣ πονηρία διῃρημένη κατὰ τοῦ νόμου ἐφθέγξατο καὶ τοσαύταις χρησάμενοι διαιρέσεσι, τοσούτοις κέχρηται καὶ τοῖς ὑπηρέταις καὶ προστάταις τῆς βλασφημίας, ᾑρημένη τοὺς ὑπηρετῆσαι δυναμένους, καὶ διὰ Οὐαλεντίνου μὲν σμικρύνειν τὸν νόμον καὶ χωρίζειν. τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, διὰ δὲ Μαρκίωνος ἐκτρώματός τινος εἶναι τὴν τοῦ νόμου γραφήν, διὰ δὲ Μανιχαίου πονηροῦ τινος, ἀφεγγοῦς, ὅλον σκότους. τοιαῦτα γὰρ πλάττει, τοιαῦτα ῥημάτια συντίθησι, κενολεκτεῖ, διὰ συνθέσεως ῥημάτων καταπλήττων ἀκοὰς ἀγυμνάστους. διʼ ὃ τοιαῦτα ἐρωτῆσαι δεῖ" εἰ ὁ πονηρὸς τὸν νόμον ἔγραψεν, ὃ ἀφεγγὴς ἐκεῖνος, καθʼ ὅλου καὶ διʼ ὅλου σκότος ὦν, πῶς ἤδει ἔλευσιν Ἰησοῦ; πῶς ἤδει ἄφιξιν αὐτοῦ; πῶς μήπω τῶν πραγμάτων πεπραγμένων συνῆκεν ἃ ἐβουλεύσατο ὃ θεὸς καὶ προκατήγγειλε καὶ προεδήλωσε; φανεραὶ γὰρ αἱ τοῦ νόμου γραφαὶ ἄνωθεν μαρτυροῦσαι τὴν ἄφιξιν τοῦ υἱοῦ. εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἐροῦσιν Ὁ νόμος οὐχ ἐδήλωσεν οὔτε προφῆται προεσήμαναν, κατὰ τῶν προφανῶν φθεγγόμενοι ἐλεγχθήσονται, οὐχ ἡμῶν πλεκόντων τὸν ἔλεγχον, ἀλλʼ αὐτῶν τῶν εὐαγγελίων φανερῶς φθεγγομένων καὶ ἄνω καὶ κάτω βοώντων, πῇ μὲν, ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν διὰ ʼΗσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου“, πῇ δὲ,οὐχ ἦλθον καταλῦσαι τὸν νόμον, ἀλλὰ πληρῶσαι“. εἰ δὲ ἐκ τούτου σαφῶς ἐλεγχόμενοι συντίθενται, τί ἀποκρινοῦνται; εἰ γὰρ,οὐδεὶς οἶδε τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ, εἰ μὴ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ“, ὃ δὲ τὸν νόμον γράφων ἤδει τὰ ἐν τῷ θεῷ καὶ ἠπίστατο ὅσα ἐβούλετο ὁ θεός, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο γεγράφηκεν ἐξ ἐπιστασίας καὶ ἐπιστήμης, ὃ γράφων ἄρα θεοῦ ἦν καὶ θεὸς ἦν καὶ ἐν τῷ θεῷ ἦν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὅσα ἐβούλετο ὃ θεὸς λελάληκε, νοῶν τὰ ἐν τῷ θεῷ καὶ οὐχ ἀγνοῶν. εἰ δὲ τὴν ἡμετέραν καρδίαν οἷδεν οὐδείς, μόνος δὲ οἶδεν ὃ ποιητής, καὶ μανθάνει μὲν ἣ ἡμετέρα καρδία τοὺς ἄλλους, οὐ δύναται δὲ μανθάνειν τὸν θεόν, ἃ δὲ ἐβούλετο ὁ θεὸς οὐχ ### English translation (Claude) Gospel, “Righteous Father, the world has not known you, but I have known you.” What shall we do? Turn our backs on the Saviour’s word? Disbelieve what is written? Or shall we admire the word (for it is the word of truth) and set the Valentinians, as madmen and demon-possessed, outside the godly and holy assemblies? But since we are doing something improper by lengthening the discourse against the heretics, when this subject does not draw us, let us call the discourse back and go to the subject before us, having considered these things too for the sake of profit, so that this account may not be wholly passed over in silence by us. For wickedness, divided three ways, has spoken against the Law, and using so many divisions it has used as many servants and champions of blasphemy, having chosen those able to serve it: through Valentinus, to belittle the Law and separate it from the Gospel; through Marcion, that the writing of the Law is from some abortion; through the Manichee, that it is from some wicked one, lightless, wholly darkness. Such things he fabricates, such little phrases he composes, he talks emptily, stunning untrained ears by the composition of words. That is why one must ask such questions: if the wicked one wrote the Law, that lightless one, being wholly and throughout darkness, how did he know of the coming of Jesus? How did he know of his arrival? How, before the things were done, did he understand what God planned, announced beforehand and showed beforehand? For the writings of the Law plainly testify from above to the arrival of the Son. If they say, “The Law did not show it, nor did the prophets signify it beforehand,” they will be refuted as speaking against what is manifest; not we weaving the refutation, but the Gospels themselves plainly speaking and crying out up and down, here, “that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled,” and there, “I did not come to abolish the law but to fulfil it.” But if, clearly refuted by this, they agree, what will they answer? For if “no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God,” and the one who wrote the Law knew the things in God and understood whatever God willed, and for this reason wrote with oversight and knowledge, then the writer was God’s, and was God, and was in God, and for this reason spoke whatever God willed, understanding the things in God and not ignorant. And if no one knows our heart, but only the Maker knows it, and our heart learns others but cannot learn God, and what God willed was not ### Scripture references - John 17:25: quotation, high confidence - Matt 4:14: quotation, medium confidence - Matt 5:17: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 2:11: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The opening completes John 17:25. Marcion’s view is put as “from some abortion” (ἐκτρώματος), a hostile summary; the views of Valentinus, Marcion and Mani are reported polemically. The quotations are Matt 4:14 (the fulfilment formula), Matt 5:17 and 1 Cor 2:11. In “Οὐαλεντι[νια]νους” the bracketed letters are Lagarde’s. The page ends mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 84 (Lagarde 1859, 84; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/84). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 85 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/85/#p-85 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 85 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: If evil knew God’s plans to write the Law, God would be mocked; in fact the Law and Prophets foretold Christ’s birth, life, death, descent, resurrection and ascension. ### Greek text ἠγνόει ἣ πονηρία ἀλλʼ ἤδει, καὶ οὗτος μὲν ἐβουλεύετο, ἐκείνη δὲ ἤδει, πῶς οὐ μέγα μέγεθος διδόασι τῇ πονηρίᾳ, δυναμένῃ μηδὲ τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ἀπόκρυφον ἔχειν; πῶς δὲ οὐ διαβάλλουσι τὸν θεὸν μὴ δυνάμενον μήτε πονηρίαν κρύπτειν; καὶ γελῶμεν μὲν τοὺς ἄνδρας, ὅτε τι πράττοντες κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων, εὐφώρατον ποιοῦσι τὸ σκέμμα, τοιοῦτον δὲ πλέκοντες λόγον οὐχ ὁρῶσιν ὅτι χλεύην κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ σκευάζουσιν, ὅτι στρατηγῶν κατὰ τῆς πονηρίας ὁ θεὸς τὰ σκέμματα τὰ ἴδια ἀφανῆ οὐ τετήρηκεν, ἀλλʼ εἶχεν αὐτὰ εὐφώρατα τῇ πονηρίᾳ γινόμενα. εἰ δὲ καὶ αἱ θεῖαι δυνάμεις καὶ ἀγγελικαὶ οὐ δύνανται νοῆσαι τί βουλεύεται ὁ πατήρ. μόνου νοοῦντος καὶ ἐξηγουμένου τοῦ υἱοῦ („θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακε πώποτε, ὁ μονογενὴς υἱὸς ὁ ὧν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ πατρός, ἐκεῖνος ἐξηγήσατο“), πῶς αἱ πονηραὶ δυνάμεις ἤδεισαν τὰ ἐν τῷ θεῷ, οὐδὲ τῶν θείων δυνάμεων ταῦτα δυναμένων εἰδέναι, εἰ μὴ παράδοσις μαθημάτων ἐκ τῆς τοῦ μονογενοῦς ἐξηγήσεως παραδοθῇ; ὅτι δὲ αὐτὸς ὃ νόμος πάντα τὰ τῆς ἀφίξεως αὐτοῦ προλαβὼν διηγεῖται (,ἰδοὺ ἣ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει καὶ τέξεται υἱόν“), ἕτερος δὲ προφήτης τὸν τόπον οὐχ ἀγνοεῖ (,καὶ σύ, Βηθλεέμ, γῇ Ἰούδα, οὐδαμῶς ἐλαχίστη εἴ ἐν τοῖς ἡγεμόσιν ʼΙούδα“), ἕτερος καὶ τὸν ὅρον τῆς θέσεως (, ἔγνω βοῦς τὸν κτησάμενον καὶ ὄνος τὴν φάτνην τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ“), ἕτερος δὲ καὶ τὴν εἰς Αἴγυπτον φυγὴν καὶ τὴν ἀπʼ Αἰγύπτου ἐπάνοδον (,ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἐκάλεσα τὸν υἱόν μου“), ἄλλος τὴν οἴκησιν τὴν ἐν τῇ νέᾳ ἡλικίᾳ αὐτῷ γενηθεῖσαν (,γῇ Ζαβουλών, γῆ Νεφ[θ]αλείμ, ὁδὸν θαλάσσης, πέραν τοῦ ʼΙορδάνου" ὁ λαὸς ὁ καθήμενος ἐν σκότει φῶς εἶδε μέγα“), ἕτερος δὲ καὶ τὸν πρόδρομον οὐχ ἀγνοεῖ (, φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ Ετοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ κυρίου, εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους αὐτοῦ“)" καὶ ὅλως εἰ βουληθείη τις ἀναλεγόμενος τὰς ἐκ τοῦ νόμου προφητείας ὅλον τὸ εὐαγγέλιον συνθεῖναι, τὰ ὧδε πεπραγμένα ῥήμασι προφητικοῖς συγγράφων, φανήσεται φιλομαθής τις καὶ φιλόλογος, μὴ δίχα πνεύματος ἐξηγούμενος παιδεύματα αὐτοῦ, διδασκαλίας αὐτοῦ, βάπτισμα αὐτοῦ, σημείων ἐπιτελέσεις, τὸ γεγονὸς κρίμα, τὴν προδοσίαν τοῦ ʼΙούδα, τὴν ἐπὶ τοῦ ἰκρίου οἰκονομίαν, τὴν χολὴν καὶ τὸ ὄξος τὸ ἐν δίψῃ δεδομένον αὐτῷ, τὴν ταφὴν αὐτὴν καὶ τὸ μνημεῖον, τὴν οἰκονομίαν τὴν ἐν τῷ ἅδῃ, τὴν ἔγερσιν αὐτήν, τὸ τελευταῖον καὶ τὴν ἀνάληψιν. τότε γὰρ λοιπὸν καὶ βοήσεται „ἄρατε πύλας, οἱ ἄρχοντες ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐπάρθητε, πύλαι αἰώνιοι, καὶ εἰσελεύσεται ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης“. τότε τοῦτο προσθήσει ### English translation (Claude) unknown to wickedness but known, and he planned while it knew, how do they not give great greatness to wickedness, able not to have even God’s counsel hidden from it? And how do they not slander God, as unable even to hide from wickedness? We laugh at men who, doing something against enemies, make their plan easy to detect; but weaving such an account they do not see that they are preparing mockery against God: that God, as general against wickedness, did not keep his own plans hidden, but had them easily detected by wickedness. And if even the divine and angelic powers cannot understand what the Father plans, the Son alone understanding and explaining (“No one has ever seen God; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known”), how did the wicked powers know the things in God, when not even the divine powers can know them, unless a tradition of teachings is handed down from the Only-begotten’s explanation? And that the Law itself tells beforehand all the things of his coming (“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son”), another prophet is not ignorant of the place (“And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah”), another of the manner of his placing (“The ox knew its owner, and the donkey its lord’s manger”), another of the flight into Egypt and the return from Egypt (“Out of Egypt I called my son”), another of the dwelling he had in youth (“Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan: the people sitting in darkness saw a great light”), another is not ignorant of the forerunner (“A voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight”); and in general, if anyone wished, gathering the prophecies of the Law, to compose the whole Gospel, writing the things done here in prophetic words, he will appear a lover of learning and of letters, not explaining without the Spirit his teachings, his instruction, his baptism, the performing of signs, the judgement that took place, the betrayal of Judas, the economy on the cross, the gall and vinegar given him in his thirst, the burial itself and the tomb, the economy in Hades, the resurrection itself, and last the ascension. For then too he will cry, “Lift up the gates, you rulers, and be lifted up, you everlasting gates, and the King of glory shall come in.” Then he will add ### Scripture references - John 1:18: quotation, high confidence - Isa 7:14: quotation, high confidence - Mic 5:2: quotation, high confidence - Isa 1:3: quotation, high confidence - Hos 11:1: quotation, high confidence - Isa 9:1–2: quotation, high confidence - Isa 40:3: quotation, high confidence - Ps 24:7 (23:7 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are John 1:18, Isa 7:14 (as in Matt 1:23), Mic 5:2 (as in Matt 2:6), Isa 1:3, Hos 11:1 (as in Matt 2:15), Isa 9:1–2 (as in Matt 4:15–16), Isa 40:3 (as in Matt 3:3) and Ps 24:7 (LXX 23:7), the last applied to the ascension. In “Νεφ[θ]αλείμ” the bracketed letter is Lagarde’s. The page ends mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 85 (Lagarde 1859, 85; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/85). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 86 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/85/#p-86 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 86 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: The Law foretold Christ’s enthronement, sonship and prophetic office; its commandments against immorality, idolatry and covetousness cannot come from an evil principle. ### Greek text καὶ τὸ γεγραμμένον παρὰ τοῦ Δαυὶδ, εἶπεν ὁ κύριος τῷ κυρίῳ μου Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, ἕως ἄν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου“. εἰ οὖν ὁ νόμος οὕτως ἠκρίβωσε τὴν ἄφιξιν τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ μακρόθεν προήγγειλεν, οὐκέτι διαβάλλεται, οὐκέτι ἄλλῳ προσγράφεται, ὃ γεννήσας προελάλησεν, ὁ βουλευσάμενος λόγῳ προέλαβε τὰ πράγματα, θεὸς ἐγέννησε, θεὸς λέγει „υἱός μου εἶ σύ, ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε“. θεὸς ἀπέστειλε, θεὸς διὰ Μωσέως ἐλάλησε προφήτην ὑμῖν ἀναστήσει κύριος ὃ θεὸς ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὑμῶν, αὐτοῦ ἀκούσεσθε πάντα ὅσα ἐὰν λαλήσῃ ὑμῖν“. ὁ θεὸς ἐβουλεύσατο καὶ ὃ βουλευσάμενος οὐκ ἐσιώπησε, τὴν βουλὴν προεμήνυσε, πίστιν ἐμποιῶν διὰ τῶν προμηνυθέντων. „καλεῖται (φησί) γὰρ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ μεγάλης βουλῆς ἄγγελος, θαυμαστὸς σύμβουλος, ἄρχων εἰρήνης, πατὴρ τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος“. καὶ τοιοῦτος μὲν ὁ τοιοῦτος ἔλεγχος. ἐπειδὴ δὲ τῷ πονηρῷ προσγράφουσι τὸν νόμον, τί φήσουσιν. ἐάν τις αὐτῶν πεύσηται, εἰ ὁ πονηρὸς πονηρὰ παραινεῖ καὶ οὐ δύναται μὴ παραινεῖν πονηρά, εἴ ποτε καὶ καλὰ παραινέσει καὶ ἀγαθὰ συμβουλεύσει; εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἐροῦσιν ὅτι πέφυκε καλὰ παραινεῖν καὶ ἀγαθὰ συμβουλεύειν, λύουσι πάλιν τὸν ἑαυτῶν ὅρον" οὐκέτι γὰρ πονηρὸς ὃ μὴ πονηρὰ παραινῶν, οὐκέτι πονηρὸς ὃ ἀγαθὰ συμβουλεύων. εἰ δὲ οὐδεμία προαίρεσις ἀγαθὴ ἀπὸ πονηροῦ προέρχεται, ποίας τάξεως ἐροῦσιν ἐκείνας τὰς παραινέσεις „οὐ πορνεύσεις, οὐ μοιχεύσεις, οὐ κλέψεις, οὐ ψευδομαρτυρήσεις“; ποίας τάξεως ἐροῦσιν ἐκεῖνο τὸ γεγραμμένον..οὐ ποιήσεις σεαυτῷ εἴδωλα, οὐ παντὸς ὁμοίωμα, οὔτε ὅσα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ οὔτε ὅσα ἐν τῇ γῇ οὔτε ὅσα ἐν τοῖς ὕδασι“; ποίας μερίδος φήσουσι τὰ προστάγματα,οὐχ ἐπιθυμήσεις τοῦ βοὸς τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου ἣ τοῦ ὑποζυγίου ἣ τῆς γυναικὸς ἣ παντὸς κτήνους“; εἰ μὲν γὰρ σεμνὰ καὶ θεῖα καὶ ἐράσμια τὰ τοιαῦτα φήσουσιν, ἐντραπήσονται ὑπὸ τῶν παραινέσεων, τὸ μέγεθος τοῦ συμβεβουλευκότος ἠγνοηκότες· εἰ δὲ φαῦλα αὐτὰ ἐροῦσι καὶ διαβεβλημένα καὶ φαῦλόν ἐστι τὸ μὴ πορνεύειν καὶ φαῦλόν ἐστι τὸ μὴ ἐπιθυμεῖν ἀλλοτρίων καὶ τοιαῦτά ἐστι τὰ φαῦλα, σκόπει οἷα νοήσουσιν ἀγαθά, σκόπει ὅτι προαγωγοί εἰσι τῶν ἡδονῶν καὶ πρόξενοι τῶν εἰδώλων καὶ αἰσχρᾶς ἐπιθυμίας εὑρεταί. οἱ γὰρ τὸν νόμον διαβάλλοντες ὑπὲρ ἀνομίας πρεσβεύουσι[ν]. οἱ τὸν νόμον τὸν τὰς ἡδονὰς ἀναιροῦντα, τὸν τὴν ἀπάτην καταλύοντα, τὸν δεισιδαιμονίαν καταργοῦντα ἐξοστρακίζοντες τί ἕτερον ἣ εἰσοικίζουσι τὰς ἡδονὰς καὶ εἰσφέρουσι τὰς ἐπιθυμίας; ἵνα δὲ ἡδονὴ ### English translation (Claude) what was written by David too: “The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet.” If, then, the Law so exactly described the coming of the Son and announced it from afar, it is no longer slandered, no longer ascribed to another. He who begot spoke beforehand; he who planned anticipated the events by word; God begot, God says, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you.” God sent; God spoke through Moses, “The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet from your brothers; you shall listen to him in all that he says to you.” God planned, and the one who planned was not silent; he disclosed the plan beforehand, producing faith through what was disclosed. “For his name will be called,” it says, “Angel of great counsel, wonderful counsellor, ruler of peace, father of the age to come.” Such, then, is this refutation. And since they ascribe the Law to the wicked one, what will they say if one of them is asked whether the wicked one, who advises wicked things and cannot not advise wicked things, will ever advise good things and counsel what is good? If they say that he is by nature able to advise good things and counsel what is good, they again undo their own definition; for one who does not advise wicked things is no longer wicked, one who counsels good things is no longer wicked. But if no good choice comes forth from a wicked one, to what rank will they assign those exhortations, “You shall not commit sexual immorality, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness”? To what rank will they assign what is written, “You shall not make for yourself idols, nor a likeness of anything, neither of what is in heaven nor of what is on earth nor of what is in the waters”? To what portion will they assign the commands, “You shall not covet your brother’s ox or beast of burden or wife or any animal”? If they say such things are holy and divine and lovely, they will be put to shame by the exhortations, having been ignorant of the greatness of the one who counselled them. But if they say they are bad and blameworthy, and not committing sexual immorality is bad, and not coveting what belongs to others is bad, and such things are the bad things, consider what they will think good; consider that they are procurers of pleasures, agents of idols and inventors of shameful desire. For those who slander the Law plead for lawlessness. Those who ostracize the Law, which removes pleasures, destroys deceit and abolishes superstition, what else do they do but bring in pleasures and introduce desires? And so that pleasure ### Scripture references - Ps 110:1 (109:1 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 2:7: quotation, high confidence - Deut 18:15: quotation, high confidence - Isa 9:6 (9:5 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Exod 20:13–16: quotation, high confidence - Exod 20:4: quotation, high confidence - Exod 20:17: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Ps 110:1 (LXX 109:1), Ps 2:7, Deut 18:15 and Isa 9:6 (LXX 9:5, which has “Angel of great counsel”). The commandments are a free combination of the Decalogue (Exod 20:4, 13–17; Deut 5); “you shall not commit sexual immorality” (οὐ πορνεύσεις) is added to the list, as in some early Christian lists. In “πρεσβεύουσι[ν]” the bracketed letter is Lagarde’s. The page ends mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 86 (Lagarde 1859, 86; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/86). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 87 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/85/#p-87 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 87 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: By rejecting the Law, which opposes evil and idolatry, the Manichees side with evil and fall into worse polytheism than the pagans; Titus sets out a test of the Law in three steps. ### Greek text ἀνέδην εἰσβάλλῃ ἐν ταῖς διανοίαις, τὸν νόμον ἐκ τῶν οἰκήσεων ἤλασαν, ἵνα μὴ νόμῳ χρησάμενοι ὑπὸ νόμον ἐντραπῶσιν, ἀλλά πως τὸν νόμον ἀποσεισάμενοι ἀναπεπταμένας ἑαυτῶν τὰς ἀκοὰς παράσχωνται ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις. φαίνεται δὲ ὁ νόμος κακίας ἀναιρέτης, οὗτοι δὲ ἀμαθῶς καὶ ἀπαιδεύτως διαβάλλειν τὸν νόμον ἐπικεχειρήκασιν. καὶ ὁ μὲν νόμος κακίαν μισεῖ, οὗτοι δὲ νόμον μισοῦσι. καὶ καταλύει μὲν τὴν δεισιδαιμονίαν ὁ νόμος, οὗτοι δὲ λύειν τὸν νόμον τολμῶσιν. ἀντιθῶμεν οὖν τὰ πράγματα. εἰ ὁ νόμος κακίᾳ ἀντίκειται, οὗτοι δὲ νόμῳ μάχονται, ἀγανακτοῦσι διὰ κακίαν, ὅτι ὁ νόμος κακίαν διαβάλλει" μὴ φέροντες γὰρ τὴν τῆς κακίας διαβολήν, τὸν νόμον διαβεβλήκασιν, ἵνα ἣ κατὰ τῆς κακίας διαβολὴ μὴ ἰσχύσῃ, τοῦ νόμου διαβεβλημένου. εἰ ὃ νόμος τὰ εἴδωλα ἀναιρεῖ καὶ τὴν πολυθεΐαν καταλύει, οὗτοι δὲ ὅπλα κατὰ τοῦ νόμου κεκινήκασιν, εἰκότως πολυθεΐαν κατήγγειλαν. ἵνα γὰρ ὃ τῆς πολυθεΐας ἰσχύσῃ λόγος, τὸ τοῦ νόμου παρʼ αὐτοῖς κεκώλυται παράγγελμα τὸ λέγον,ἄκουε, ʼΙσραήλ, κύριος ὁ θεός σου κύριος εἷς ἐστι", καὶ, ἀγαπήσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου“, καὶ,μὴ ἀναβλέψας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ ἰδὼν τὸν ἥλιον καὶ τὴν σελήνην προσκυνήσεις αὐτοῖς“. πρὸς ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα ὅπλα κεκινήκασι, πρὸς ταῦτα τὰ παραγγέλματα τραχυνθέντες ὡς μάχαιραν τὴν γλῶσσαν ἠκόνισαν. διὰ τοῦτο δαιμονῶσι καὶ πάντα τιμῶσι καὶ οὐδὲν ἴσασιν, εἰ μὴ πάντα προσκυνεῖν, καὶ ἀεὶ πίπτουσι χαμαὶ καὶ γνώμην ἔχουσιν ἐπηρμένην καὶ πλανῶνται καὶ ῥέμβονται τῇ διανοίᾳ. πάντα τεθεοποιήκασιν ἐπʼ ἐξουσίας καὶ τὴν πλάνην ἐσχήκασι. νενικήκασι τοὺς Ἕλληνας, τῷ πλήθει καὶ τῇ κενότητι Ἕλληνες Ἑλλήνων γεγονότες καὶ τῷ μεγέθει τῆς αὐτῶν ἀτοπίας τὰς ἐκείνων ἀμβλύνοντες ἀγνοίας. ἵνα δὲ μή τις ἀπατηλοτάτῃ τέχνῃ χρησάμενος ἐπι- [τε]τηδευμένως λέγῃ Ἐσχηματίσατο ὃ νόμος, καὶ ἔνια τῶν καλῶν σεσυληκὼς ὡς ἴδια προσηνέγκατο, σεμνῦναι τὰς ἑαυτοῦ ἀτοπίας βουλόμενος, καὶ μόρια τῶν καλῶν ἐνέσπειρε, διὰ τῶν μορίων τῶν καλῶν τἄλλα κατακρύψαι ἐσπουδακώς, φέρε πρῶτον γυμνάσωμεν, μή τι ἄτοπον παρὰ τῷ νόμῳ φανείη, καὶ οὕτως ἔλεγχος τῆς ἀτοπίας αὐτῶν γιγνέσθωʼ δεύτερον, εἰ ἔνια τῆς κακίας μέρη ἐπεξελθὼν ἀπεσκέδασεν … ἐλευθέρους τοὺς πιστεύοντας παντὸς μορίου κακίας ἀποδείξας, οὐκέτι ἐσχηματισμένος ὁ νόμος φανείη, ἀλλʼ ἐχθρὸς καὶ τῆς κακίας πολέμιος" τρίτον δέ, εἰ ἔνια τῶν καλῶν περιέσπειρε καὶ οὐ πᾶν εἶδος τῆς ἀρετῆς τοῖς γράμμασι συνῆψεν, ἵνα, εἰ μὲν ἔνια φανείη γεγρα- ### English translation (Claude) may rush unchecked into their minds, they have driven the Law out of their dwellings, so that, not using the Law, they may not be put to shame by the Law, but, having somehow shaken off the Law, may offer their ears wide open to desires. The Law appears as the destroyer of evil, but they have ignorantly and uninstructedly tried to slander the Law. The Law hates evil, but they hate the Law. The Law destroys superstition, but they dare to undo the Law. Let us set the facts against each other, then. If the Law is opposed to evil, and they fight the Law, they are indignant on behalf of evil, because the Law slanders evil; for not bearing the slander of evil, they have slandered the Law, so that the slander against evil may have no force when the Law has been slandered. If the Law destroys idols and abolishes polytheism, and they have taken up arms against the Law, they have naturally proclaimed polytheism. For so that the doctrine of polytheism may prevail, the command of the Law is suppressed among them, which says, “Hear, Israel, the Lord your God is one Lord,” and, “You shall love the Lord your God,” and, “Lest, looking up to heaven and seeing the sun and the moon, you worship them.” Against these words they have taken up arms; provoked by these commands they have sharpened their tongue like a sword. That is why they are possessed and honour everything and know nothing but to worship everything, and always fall to the ground while having an exalted mind, and wander and rove in their thinking. They have deified everything at will and have taken up error. They have surpassed the Greeks, becoming more Greek than the Greeks in multitude and emptiness, and by the greatness of their absurdity dulling the ignorance of those. And so that no one, using a most deceitful art, may say with contrivance, “The Law put on a show, and stealing some good things presented them as its own, wishing to dignify its own absurdities, and sowed in parts of good things, eager to hide the rest by means of parts of good things,” come, let us first examine whether anything absurd appears in the Law, and so let there be a refutation of their absurdity; second, whether it went after some parts of evil and scattered them … having shown believers free of every part of evil, the Law would no longer appear as putting on a show, but as an enemy and foe of evil; and third, whether it sowed some good things around and did not join every form of virtue to its writings, so that, if it appeared to have written some ### Scripture references - Deut 6:4: quotation, high confidence - Deut 6:5: quotation, high confidence - Deut 4:19: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Deut 6:4, Deut 6:5 and Deut 4:19. The charge that the Manichees worship sun, moon and everything and “fall to the ground” refers to their veneration of the heavenly lights; reported polemically. The staged text marks a gap (…) in the second step. In “ἐπι- [τε]τηδευμένως” the bracketed letters are Lagarde’s. The page ends mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 87 (Lagarde 1859, 87; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/87). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 88 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/85/#p-88 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 88 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Paul calls the Law holy and spiritual; it opposes every one of the four kinds of vice, and where it is obeyed evil loses its power. ### Greek text φηκώς, πλείονα δὲ ἀπολελοιπώς, ἔχῃ τινὰ δύναμιν ὁ ἔλεγχος. εἰ δὲ ὅλα διʼ ὅλου τὰ καλὰ τοῖς γράμμασιν ἐπετέθη τοῦ νόμου, θαυμάσωμεν τὸν νόμον καὶ θεοῦ νόμον ὁμολογήσωμεν καὶ πατρὸς ὁμιλίαν φήσωμεν, τούτους δὲ παραγραψώμεθα, κίβδηλον γνώμην καὶ παρακεχαραγμένην ἐσχηκότας. ὅτι μὲν οὖν οὐδὲ ἓν μόριον κακίας ἐπεσπαρμένον ἔχει οὐδὲ μόριον κακίας ἀφῃρηκὼς ἑτέρου ἐφείσατο, ἀλλὰ καθαρὸς μὲν ὁ νόμος καὶ ἅγιος καὶ θεοῦ νόμος, ὃ Παῦλος βοᾷ,ὥστε ὁ μὲν νόμος ἅγιος καὶ ἢ ἐντολὴ ἁγία καὶ δικαία καὶ ἀγαθή. καὶ οἴδαμεν γὰρ ὅτι ὃ μὲν νόμος πνευματικός ἐστιν΄. τὸ γὰρ ἅγιον καὶ πνευματικὸν καὶ ἀγαθὸν πάσης ἀτοπίας ἀπολέλυται καὶ οὐδεμιᾷ ἀτοπίᾳ ἀνέχεται. σεμνύνεται ταῖς ἀρεταῖς καὶ διαλέγεται τῷ θεῷ. ἢ γὰρ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ὁμιλία ἄλλης μὲν τάξεως οὐκ ἀνέχεται, τῇ δὲ τοῦ πνεύματος ῥυθμίζεται ἐπιστασίᾳ. πνεῦμα γὰρ ὁ θεὸς καὶ τοὺς προσκυνοῦντας αὐτὸν ἐν πνεύματι καὶ ἀληθείᾳ δεῖ προσκυνεῖν“. πνευματικὸς δὲ ὧν ὃ νόμος τὴν πρὸς θεὸν ὁμιλίαν παρασκευάζει καὶ δύναται ὁ πνευματικὸς τὰ μὲν ἄλλα κρῖναι, αὐτὸς δὲ ὑπʼ οὐδενὸς ἀνακρίνεται" πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὁ νόμος ὃ πνευματικὸς αὐτὸς μὲν πάντων τῶν ἄλλων τοὺς λόγους ἀνακρῖναι δύναται, αὐτὸς δὲ ὑπʼ οὐδενὸς ἀνακριθήσεται; ὅτι δὲ καὶ πᾶν εἶδος κακίας ἀνεῖλε καὶ οὐδὲ ἕν μόριον παρεῖδεν, ἀλλʼ ἐπεξῆλθε, πᾶν εἶδος κακίας ἀναιρῶν [καὶ] ἀνακόπτων, δῆλον ἐκ τῶν περὶ τῆς κακίας ὅρων, τεσσάρων εἰδῶν ὄντων τῆς κακίας, ἀφροσύνης καὶ ἀκολασίας καὶ δειλίας καὶ ἀδικίας. εἰ μέν τι φαῦλον εἴη ὁ νόμος σεσιωπηκώς, ἀτελὴς ὁ νόμος" εἰ δὲ ἐπεξῆλθε καὶ ἐπεξε[ι]ργάσατο, πᾶν εἶδος κακίας προαναιρῶν, εἰκότως ἣ κακία συστέλλεται ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου, μηδὲ λείψανον ἔχειν συγκεχωρημένη. ὅπου γοῦν ἰσχύει νόμος, καὶ τῇ πειθοῖ τὰ νεῦρα δίδωσιν, οὐδὲ νοτίδα κακίας ἔστιν εὑρεῖν. ὅπου δὲ ἀτονεῖ, περιέρχεται ἣ πονηρία σκυλεύουσα καὶ κατανεμομένη, ἐπʼ ἐξουσίας βαδίζουσα, τῷ ἀφυλάκτῳ τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν ἐξουσίαν εὑραμένη. βοᾷ γὰρ ὁ νόμος „εἰ ὁ λαός μου ἤκουσέ μου, ʼΙσραὴλ ταῖς ὁδοῖς μου εἰ ἐπορεύθη, ἐν τῷ μηδενὶ ἄν τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτῶν ἐταπείνωσα“. ὅτε γὰρ πείθει νόμος, ἄνευρα γίνεται τὰ κακά, χαμαὶ κείμενα καὶ μηδὲ ἀντωπῆσαι τῇ ψυχῇ δυνάμενα. εἰ γὰρ λύχνος τοῖς ποσί μου ὁ νόμος σου καὶ φῶς ταῖς τρίβοις μου“, πᾶν τὸ πρόσκομμα ἀνῄρηται, πεφωτισμένης καὶ διαυγοῦς τῆς καρδίας εὑρεθείσης. κἂν γὰρ τὴν νέαν ἐκείνην καὶ ὀλισθηρὰν ἔχῃ ἡλικίαν, φυλακὴν δὲ τῶν ῥημάτων τηρήσῃ, ἀδιάπτωτος διατελῶν͵ βοήσεται,ἐν τίνι ### English translation (Claude) and left out more, the refutation might have some force. But if all good things, throughout, have been set in the writings of the Law, let us admire the Law and confess it the law of God and call it the Father’s converse, and let us strike these men off, as having a counterfeit and debased mind. That the Law has no part of evil sown in it, and did not take away one part of evil while sparing another, but that the Law is pure and holy and the law of God, Paul cries: “So the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good. For we know that the law is spiritual.” For what is holy and spiritual and good is free of every absurdity and endures no absurdity. It is dignified by virtues and converses with God. For converse with God endures no other order, but is regulated by the oversight of the Spirit. For “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” And the Law, being spiritual, prepares converse with God; and the spiritual man can judge other things but is judged by no one; how much more will the spiritual Law itself be able to judge the reasonings of all others, but be judged by no one? And that it removed every form of evil and overlooked not one part, but went after it, removing [and] cutting off every form of evil, is plain from the definitions of evil, since there are four forms of evil: folly, licentiousness, cowardice and injustice. If the Law had been silent about anything bad, the Law would be incomplete; but if it went after it and worked it out thoroughly, removing every form of evil beforehand, evil is naturally checked by the Law, not allowed to keep even a remnant. Where the Law is in force and gives sinews to persuasion, not a drop of evil can be found; but where it is weak, wickedness goes about plundering and grazing, walking at will, having found its power in the soul’s unguardedness. For the Law cries, “If my people had listened to me, if Israel had walked in my ways, I would have humbled their enemies in no time.” For when the Law persuades, evils become without sinews, lying on the ground and unable even to face the soul. For if “your law is a lamp to my feet and a light to my paths,” every stumbling block is removed, the heart being found enlightened and clear. For even if one has that young and slippery age, but keeps the guard of the words, he remains without falling and will cry, “By what ### Scripture references - Rom 7:12: quotation, high confidence - Rom 7:14: quotation, high confidence - John 4:24: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 2:15: allusion, high confidence - Ps 81:13–14 (80:14-Ps LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 119:105 (118:105 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 119:9 (118:9 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Rom 7:12, 14, John 4:24, Ps 81:13–14 (LXX 80:14–15) and Ps 119:105 (LXX 118:105); the spiritual man who judges all and is judged by none is 1 Cor 2:15; the final quotation (Ps 119:9, LXX 118:9) continues on the next page. The four vices (folly, licentiousness, cowardice, injustice) are the opposites of the four cardinal virtues. “[καὶ]” and “ἐπεξε[ι]ργάσατο” are bracketed in Lagarde. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 88 (Lagarde 1859, 88; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/88). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 89 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/85/#p-89 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 89 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: The Law and the Prophets remove every vice, folly, cowardice, licentiousness and injustice, and guard eyes, tongue and body against pleasure. ### Greek text κατορθώσει νεώτερος τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ; ἐν τῷ φυλάξασθαι τοὺς λόγους σου“. δύναμιν δὲ τοῦ μηδέποτε σφάλ[λ]εσθαι πορισάμενος ἑαυτῷ τῷ κρύπτειν τὰς τοῦ νόμου μαθήσεις ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ, φησὶν.ἐν τῇ καρδία μου ἔκρυψα τὰ λόγιά σου, ὅπως ἄν μὴ ἁμάρτω σοι“, καὶ οὕτω τὸν νόμον ἀντὶ φρουροῦ καὶ φύλακος θέμενος, συνήσει πῶς ἕκαστον τῶν εἰδώλων τῆς κακίας ὃ νόμος ἀπελαύνει, ἀπελαύνων μὲν τὴν ἀφροσύνην διὰ τοῦ λέγοντος γράμματος,μὴ γίνεσθε ὡς ἵππος καὶ ἡμίονος, οἷς οὐκ ἔστι σύνεσις“, ἐξοστρακίζων δὲ τὴν δειλίαν διὰ τοῦ λέγοντος. λογίου,μὴ φοβοῦ ὅταν πλουτήσῃ ἄνθρωπος" μὴ φοβοῦ ὀνειδισμὸν ἀνθρώπων καὶ τῷ φαυλισμῷ αὐτῶν μὴ ἡττῶ. καὶ φοβοῦ τὸν θεὸν καὶ ἰσχύσεις, πλὴν αὐτοῦ μὴ φοβοῦ ἄλλον“. ἐνταῦθα γὰρ τὴν δειλίαν ἀποσεισάμενος καὶ τὴν ῥώμην ἐνθεὶς καὶ τὴν ἀνδρείαν ἐμβαλὼν βοᾷ „δίκαιος ὡς λέων πέποιθεν, ὃς οὐ φοβεῖται οὐδὲ καταπτή[σ]σει κτῆνος“. καὶ τὰ δύο εἴδη τῆς κακίας ἀνῃρηκώς, ἀφροσύνην τε καὶ δειλίαν, συναναιρεῖ καὶ τὴν ἀκολασίαν, λέγων,οὐ πορνεύσεις, οὐ μοιχεύσεις“. ὅπου τὰ πάθη συστέλλεται, χαλινὸς σωφροσύνης ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ εὑρίσκεται. καὶ τῶν τριῶν συνανῃρημένων, ἀναιρεῖ καὶ τὴν ἀδικίαν „οὐ ποιήσεις σεαυτῷ σταθμία μικρὰ καὶ μεγάλα" σταθμία δίκαια καὶ ἴσα ἔστωσαν σοι“. καὶ οὕτω' τῶν τῆς κακίας ἀνῃρημένων ἣ πονηρία λέλυται, μηκέτι ἐμβατεῦσαι τῇ διανοίᾳ δυναμένη. ποῖα οὖν ἤδη ἀτοπίας οὐχ ἀνήρησεν ὃ νόμος; ποῖα μέρη ἡδονῆς οὐ λέλυκε; ποίας δειλίας; ποίας ἀφροσύνας; οὐκ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἐπεξῆλθε. τὴν ἡδονὴν ἀναιρῶν, ὡς καὶ τῶν ὀμμάτων ἐπιμελήσασθαι καὶ τῆς ἀκοῆς μὴ φείσασθαι καὶ τῆς γλώσσης μὴ ἠμεληκέναι; „ἐθέμην γὰρ τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς μου φυλακὴν καὶ οὐ μὴ συνήσω ἐπὶ παρθένον“. ὁ ἅγιος μέχρι τῶν ὀμμάτων φθάνει, ἵνα μὴ γαργαλίζουσα τὴν ψυχὴν ἡδονὴ εἰς σκελισμὸν τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἀναγάγῃ. ἕτερος τῶν ἁγίων ἐβόα,μὴ περιβλέπου κάλλος ἀλλότριον“, ἵνα μὴ ἡδονὴ μηδὲ τὰ πρόθυρα τῆς ψυχῆς λαβοῦσα ἐλπίδα τῆς εἰσόδου λαμβάνῃ. ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν θυρῶν ἀπελαθεῖσα ἀνέλπιστον τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν ἔχῃ. φθάνων δὲ ἐπὶ τὰς ἀκοὰς καὶ εἰς τὰς γλώττας, φρουροὺς καὶ φύλακας καὶ τοῖς μέλεσιν ἐπέθηκε, τόπον ἴδιον μὴ διδούς, ἀλλʼ ἐβόα,θοῦ, κύριε, φυλακὴν τῷ στόματί μου“, ἵνα μηδὲ ἄτοπος λόγος δίχα τοῦ ὠφελίμου προεξελθὼν ἡδονῆς δέλεαρ τῷ τὰ αἰσχρὰ φθεγγομένῳ προξενίσῃ. ἐπιμελόμενος δὲ καὶ τῆς ὀσφύος, τοῦ μὴ ὧδε κἀκεῖ σεισθεῖσαν τὴν διάνοιαν δεσμίαν εἶναι, προενοήσατο παραγγέλ[λ]ων „οὕτω φά- ### English translation (Claude) shall a young man make his way straight? By keeping your words.” And having gained for himself the power never to stumble by hiding the teachings of the Law in his mind, he says, “In my heart I have hidden your sayings, so that I may not sin against you.” And so, setting the Law as guard and keeper, he will understand how the Law drives out each of the forms of evil: driving out folly through the writing that says, “Do not be like horse and mule, which have no understanding”; banishing cowardice through the oracle that says, “Do not fear when a man grows rich”; “Do not fear the reproach of men, and do not be overcome by their contempt”; and “Fear God and you will be strong; besides him fear no other.” For here, having shaken off cowardice, put in strength and thrown in courage, it cries, “The righteous is confident as a lion, which does not fear nor cower before any beast.” And having removed the two forms of evil, folly and cowardice, it removes licentiousness along with them, saying, “You shall not commit sexual immorality, you shall not commit adultery.” Where the passions are checked, the bridle of self-control is found in the mind. And with the three removed, it removes injustice too: “You shall not make for yourself small and large weights; let your weights be just and equal.” And so, the parts of evil removed, wickedness is undone, no longer able to set foot in the mind. What kind of absurdity, then, has the Law not removed? What parts of pleasure has it not undone? What cowardice? What folly? Did it not go after pleasure so far, in removing it, as to take care of the eyes, not spare the hearing, and not neglect the tongue? “I made a covenant with my eyes, and I will not look upon a virgin.” The holy man goes as far as the eyes, so that pleasure, tickling the soul, may not lead it into the trip of desire. Another of the saints cried, “Do not gaze at another’s beauty,” so that pleasure, not even reaching the soul’s porch, may not take hope of entrance, but, driven from the very doors, may have no hope for its plot. And going on to the ears and the tongues, he set guards and keepers on these members too, giving it no place of its own, but cried, “Set a guard, O Lord, on my mouth,” so that no improper word, going out without benefit, might offer the bait of pleasure to the one who utters shameful things. And taking care of the loins too, so that the mind, shaken this way and that, may not be bound, he provided by commanding, “So shall you eat ### Scripture references - Ps 119:9 (118:9 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 119:11 (118:11 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 32:9 (31:9 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 49:16 (48:17 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Isa 51:7: quotation, high confidence - Prov 7:1: quotation, medium confidence - Prov 28:1: quotation, high confidence - Prov 30:30: quotation, medium confidence - Exod 20:13–14: quotation, high confidence - Deut 25:13–15: quotation, high confidence - Job 31:1: quotation, high confidence - Ps 141:3 (140:3 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Sir 9:8 (Sirach): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Ps 119:9, 11 (LXX 118:9, 11), Ps 32:9 (LXX 31:9), Ps 49:16 (LXX 48:17), Isa 51:7, Prov 7:1a (an addition found only in the Septuagint), Prov 28:1 with Prov 30:30 (LXX), the Decalogue (Exod 20:13–14, with “you shall not commit sexual immorality” added as on page 86), Deut 25:13–15 (freely), Job 31:1, Sir 9:8 and Ps 141:3 (LXX 140:3). The command about the loins (Exod 12:11) continues on the next page. “Πορνεύσεις” is rendered “commit sexual immorality” and kept distinct from adultery. In “σφάλ[λ]εσθαι” and “καταπτή[σ]σει” the bracketed letters are Lagarde’s. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 89 (Lagarde 1859, 89; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/89). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 90 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/85/#p-90 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 90 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: The Law guards against idolatry, the gravest injustice, which robs God of his honour, and against love of money, the root of injustice to others. ### Greek text γεσθε τὸ πάσχα" αἱ ὀσφύες ὑμῶν περιεζωσμέναι“, ἵνα μηδὲ τὰ μέλη ἄζωστα ἔχοντες τῇ ῥᾳδίᾳ κινήσει κατεπιχειρήσωμεν, ἀλλʼ οὕτω διεζωσμένοι τάξιν τὴν πρὸς τὰ πράγματα ἀρίστην εὑρώμεθα. καὶ οὕτω τῶν εἰδῶν τῆς ἡδονῆς προανῃρημένων ἐπεξῆλθε καὶ κατὰ τῶν εἰδῶν τῆς διανοίας καὶ κατὰ τῶν εἰδῶν τῆς ἀδικίας. εἰ γὰρ τὸ τὰ ἑτέρου λαβεῖν καὶ βίᾳ λαβεῖν καὶ ἄκοντος λαβεῖν ἀδικία ἐστί, καὶ τὸ λαβόντα τὰ ἑτέρου ἣ ἑταίραις διδόναι ἢ ἀσώτως καταδαπανῆσαι εἶδός ἐστιν ἀδικίας, ἄδικός ἐστιν ὃ τὴν τιμὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ἀφαιρῶν, ξύλοις δὲ καὶ δαίμοσιν αὐτὴν ἀποδιδοὺς καὶ καταδαπανῶν τὴν τιμὴν καὶ ἀσωτευόμενος ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ. οὐδὲ γὰρ οὕτως ἄσωτος ὁ καταδαπανῶν τὴν οὐσίαν ὡς ἄδικος ὁ τὴν μεγάλην περιουσίαν, τὴν τιμὴν τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀπὸ τῆς διανοίας ἐξαφανίζων. ἐφʼ ὅσον γὰρ συνέστηκεν ἢ περιουσία τῆς γνώσεως τῇ ψυχῇ, ἢ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν διάθεσις ἀποδίδοται. ὅταν δὲ πᾶσα καταπονηθῇ καὶ καταναλωθῇ καὶ πτωχεύσῃ, τότε λοιπὸν τὴν ἐκείνου τιμὴν εἰς ξύλα καὶ τέχνην καταφέρει. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος τὴν ἀδικίαν δεισιδαιμονίαν ἐπιστάμενος ἔλεγε,καὶ τὴν πλεονεξίαν, ἥτις ἐστὶν εἰδωλολατρία“. ἐπεὶ οὖν τῆς ἀδικίας τὸ χαλεπώτατόν ἐστι μέρος ἢ εἰς θεὸν ἄγνοια, βραχυτέρα δέ ἐστιν ἢ εἰς ἀνθρώπους πλημμέλεια καὶ εἰς δύο διαιρεῖται ἢ ἀδικία, εἴς τε τὴν εἰς θεὸν ἄγνοιαν καὶ τὴν εἰς ἀνθρώπους πλημμέλειαν, γραφόμενος ὃ νόμος ἀμφοτέρων ἤρξατο. καὶ πρῶτον μὲν βοᾷ „οὐ ποιήσεις σεαυτῷ εἴδωλα παντὸς ὁμοίωμα“, ἵνα μὴ τὴν τοῦ πεποιηκότος τιμὴν κατασωτευόμενος πᾶσαν ἄρδην διαφθείρῃς. ἐχαλέπαινε δὲ εἰκότως καὶ περὶ τοῦ λαοῦ, ὅτε μοσχοποιήσας ἐβόα„οὗτοι οἱ θεοί σου, ʼΙσραήλ, οἵτινες ἐξήγαγόν σε ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου“. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὰς τοῦ εὐεργέτου δωρεὰς τῷ μὴ δυναμένῳ κινηθῆναι προσαπένειμαν καὶ ἦν ἀδικία χαλεπωτάτη τὴν περιουσίαν τῆς εὐεργεσίας τοῦ πεποιηκότος τέχνῃ καὶ γλύμματι ἀποδιδόναι, καὶ ἣ ἀλήθεια χεκί ηται καὶ ὁ νόμος γέγραπται καὶ ἣ ἀδικία κεκώλυται καὶ ὃ μανθάνων ἐπαιδεύετο καὶ οὕτω τοῦ θυμοῦ τῆς ἀδικίας προαναιρουμένου, καὶ τὴν πρὸς ἄνθρωπον ἀδικίαν συνανεῖλεν. καὶ πρῶτα μὲν ἔρωτα χρημάτων ἐγγενέσθαι τῇ ψυχῇ οὐ βεβούληται, ἐπεὶ ἔρως χρημάτων τίκτει τὰς ἀδικίας καὶ ἢ πρὸς τὰ χρήματα ἐπιθυμία γεννᾷ τὰς πλεονεξίας. ἣ γὰρ ῥίζα τῶν κακῶν ἐστιν ἢ φιλαργυρία, ἔσονται δὲ κλάδοι καὶ κλῶνες τῆς φιλοχρηματίας αἱ ἀδικίαι, αἱ πλεονεξίαι. καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἀπὸ φιλοχρηματίας ἄρχεται ἣ πλεονεξία καὶ ἀδικία προκαταλαμβάνει, προαναιρεῖ, προαπαγγέλ[λ]θι »πλοῦτος ἐὰν ῥέῃ, μὴ προστίθεσθε καρδίαν“, ἵνα ### English translation (Claude) the Passover: your loins girded,” so that we may not, having our members ungirt, attempt things with easy movement, but, girded so, may find the best order toward affairs. And so, the forms of pleasure removed beforehand, it went after the forms of [folly] and the forms of injustice. For if to take what is another’s, and take it by force, and take it against his will, is injustice, and to take another’s things and give them to harlots or spend them prodigally is a form of injustice, then he is unjust who takes away the honour of God and gives it to wood and demons, spending the honour and being prodigal in his mind. For the one who spends his substance is not so prodigal as the one is unjust who wipes from his mind the great wealth, the honour of God. For as long as the wealth of knowledge holds together in the soul, the disposition toward God is rendered; but when it is all worn down, spent and beggared, then it carries off his honour to wood and craft. That is why the apostle too, knowing injustice as superstition, said, “and greed, which is idolatry.” Since, then, the most grievous part of injustice is ignorance toward God, and wrongdoing toward men is less, and injustice is divided in two, ignorance toward God and wrongdoing toward men, the Law in being written began with both. And first it cries, “You shall not make for yourself idols, a likeness of anything,” so that you may not, being prodigal with the Maker’s honour, utterly destroy it all. And it was rightly angry with the people too, when, having made the calf, they cried, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” For since they assigned the gifts of the benefactor to what cannot move, and it was the most grievous injustice to give the wealth of the Maker’s benefaction to craft and carving, truth was … and the Law was written and injustice was checked and the learner was instructed; and so, with the anger of injustice removed beforehand, it removed injustice toward man as well. And first it did not wish love of money to arise in the soul, since love of money begets injustices and desire for money begets greed. For the root of evils is love of money, and injustices and greed will be branches and shoots of love of money. And since greed begins from love of money and injustice takes hold beforehand, it removes it beforehand and proclaims beforehand, “If wealth flows in, do not set your heart on it,” so that ### Scripture references - Exod 12:11: quotation, high confidence - Col 3:5: quotation, high confidence - Exod 20:4: quotation, high confidence - Exod 32:4: quotation, high confidence - 1 Tim 6:10: allusion, high confidence - Ps 62:10 (61:11 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The opening completes Exod 12:11. “Forms of the mind” (διανοίας) in the OCR is read as “folly” by sense. The quotations are Col 3:5, Exod 20:4, Exod 32:4, 1 Tim 6:10 (alluded to) and Ps 62:10 (LXX 61:11). A word is lost in the OCR after “truth was” (χεκί ηται). In “προαπαγγέλ[λ]θι” the bracketed letters are Lagarde’s. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 90 (Lagarde 1859, 90; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/90). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 91 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/85/#p-91 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 91 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: The Law checks love of glory as well as love of money and honours the upright; heretics hate it because it opposes their passions. Titus begins to show that it also teaches every virtue. ### Greek text μὴ τῷ ῥεύματι τῶν χρημάτων συρρέουσαν τὴν διάνοιαν τῷ ῥευστῷ χρήματι λαμβάνῃ. εἰ γὰρ ῥεῖ τὰ χρήματα καὶ στάσιν οὐχ ἔχει, εἰκότως ἀνθίσταται ἢ γνώμη τὴν οἰκείαν στάσιν τῷ ῥευστῷ χρήματι μὴ διαφθείρουσα. καὶ ἐπειδὴ πῇ μὲν ἧ φιλοχρηματία λυπεῖ, πῇ δὲ φιλοδοξία συλῶσα τὴν διάνοιαν τῷ νέῳ καὶ ἀνθηρῷ τῆς δόξης, ἐσχεδίασε καὶ τοῦτο τὸ πάθος („εἶδον τὸν ἀσεβῆ ἐπαιρόμενον καὶ ὑπερυψούμενον ὡς τὰς κέδρους τοῦ Λιβάνου, καὶ παρῆλθον, καὶ ἰδοὺ οὐκ ἦν“), ἵνα μηδεμιᾷ ἀκμῇ ῥᾳδίως μαραινομένῃ ὑπηγμένη ἢ διάνοια τὸ ἑαυτῆς μέγεθος πιπράσκῃ. ἀλλʼ ὑπερκύπτουσα ταῦτα τοῦ ἔρωτος τῆς ἀληθείας ἔχηται. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὴν συμμετρίαν τιμᾷ καὶ τὴν ἀδικίαν ἐξωθεῖ καὶ τὰ θεῖα οἰκητήρια ἀποδίδωσι τοῖς τὴν συμμετρίαν τετηρηκόσι καὶ οὕτως βοᾷ„κύριε, τίς παροικήσει ἐν τῷ σκηνώματί σου ἣ τίς κατασκηνώσει ἐν ὄρει ἁγίῳ σου; πορευόμενος ἄμωμος καὶ ἐργαζόμενος δικαιοσύνην, λαλῶν. ἀλήθειαν ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ“, ἵνα πᾶν εἶδος φιλοχρηματίας ἐξορίσας τόπον τῇ ἀδικίᾳ μὴ παρέχῃ. καὶ οὕτω πᾶν εἶδος ἐπεξελθὼν ἀνεῖλεν ὁ νόμος. διὰ τοῦτο ὁ κατὰ νόμον φθεγγόμενος ὑπὲρ ἀληθείας φθέγγεται, διὰ τοῦτο οἱ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐργάται οὐχ ἀγανακτοῦσι τῷ νόμῳ κατὰ κακίας φθεγγομένῳ. ἐλάλει ποτὲ κατὰ φιλοχρηματίας ὃ σωτήρ, ἐτραχύνοντο οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι· ἡ γὰρ φιλία τῶν χρημάτων τραχύτητα κατὰ τοῦ λέγοντος εἰργάζετο. ἀμέλει ὅταν παιδαγωγὸς ῥᾳθύμῳ παιδὶ περὶ ῥᾳθυμίας διαλέγηται, μισεῖται παρὰ τοῦ παιδαγωγουμένου πᾶς γὰρ ὃ τῆς νέας ἡλικίας τὸ πάθος ἐκκόπτων μισεῖται διὰ τὴν φιλίαν τῶν ἡδονῶν. διὰ τοῦτο μεμίσηται παρὰ τῶν αἱρεσιωτῶν ὁ νόμος: ἐπεὶ κατὰ τῶν παθῶν ἐχώρει, κατὰ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἐβάδιζε, κατὰ τῶν φιλουμένων διελέγετο, οὐχ ἤνεγκαν τὸ πρᾶγμα. ἵνα δὲ ἔτι μεγαλοπρεπέστατοι γένωνται ἡμῖν οἱ λόγοι καὶ φανῇ ἥ τῶν αἱρέσεων ἀτοπία κατὰ τοῦ νόμου ἀδίκως βεβαδικυῖα, μὴ μόνον ὅτι πᾶν εἶδος κακίας ἀνεῖλεν ὃ νόμος προσγράφωμεν τῷ λόγῳ, ἀλλʼ ὅτι καὶ πᾶν εἶδος ἀρετῆς ὑφηγεῖται καὶ ἐξηγεῖται προσαποδῶμεν τῇ ὁμιλίᾳ. εἰ μὲν γὰρ τὰς κακίας πάσας ἀνεῖλεν ὁ νόμος, οὐ πάσας δὲ τὰς ἀρετὰς ἐνέθηκεν, ἐνέλιπεν ὃ νόμος, λειπόμενος τὴν τῶν ἀρετῶν κατασκευὴν καὶ τὰς μὲν κακίας πάσας ἐξορίσας, μηκέτι δὲ τὰς ἀρετὰς πάσας τῇ ψυχῇ μνηστευόμενος. ἐὰν δὲ παρὰ τοῦ λόγου φανῇ ὅτι παρὰ τῷ νόμῳ καὶ τοῖς προφήταις πᾶσαι κεῖνται αἱ ἀρεταί, πῶς οὐ θαυμάζειν δεῖ καὶ ἀποδέχεσθαι τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ νόμον; τεττάρων γὰρ οὐσῶν τῶν ἀρετῶν, φρονήσεως σωφροσύνης ### English translation (Claude) the mind, flowing along with the stream of money, may not be carried off by the flowing wealth. For if money flows and has no stability, the judgement rightly resists, not destroying its own stability by the flowing wealth. And since love of money grieves in one way, and love of glory in another, plundering the mind by the youth and bloom of glory, it dealt summarily with this passion too (“I saw the ungodly exalted and lifted up like the cedars of Lebanon; and I passed by, and behold, he was not”), so that the mind, led on by no bloom that easily withers, may not sell its own greatness, but, looking beyond these things, may hold to the love of truth. And for this reason it honours moderation, drives out injustice and gives the divine dwellings to those who have kept moderation, and so cries, “Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent, or who shall dwell on your holy mountain? He who walks blameless and works righteousness, speaking truth in his heart,” so that, having banished every form of love of money, it may give no place to injustice. And so the Law went after every form and removed it. That is why one who speaks according to the Law speaks for truth; that is why the workers of truth are not indignant at the Law when it speaks against evil. The Saviour once spoke against love of money, and the Jews grew harsh; for love of money produced harshness against the speaker. Indeed, when a tutor talks to a lazy child about laziness, he is hated by the child; for everyone who cuts out the passion of youth is hated because of the love of pleasures. That is why the Law is hated by the heretics: since it went against the passions, marched against sins, spoke against what they love, they did not bear the matter. And so that our words may become still more magnificent, and the absurdity of the heresies, which have gone unjustly against the Law, may appear, let us not only add to the discourse that the Law removed every form of evil, but also contribute to the treatise that it guides and explains every form of virtue. For if the Law removed all the vices but did not put in all the virtues, the Law fell short, lacking the provision of the virtues, having banished all the vices but no longer betrothing all the virtues to the soul. But if the discourse shows that all the virtues lie in the Law and the Prophets, how must one not admire and accept the law of God? For there are four virtues, prudence, self-control, ### Scripture references - Ps 37:35–36 (36:35-Ps LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 15:1–2 (14:1-Ps LXX): quotation, high confidence - Luke 16:14: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Ps 37:35–36 (LXX 36:35–36) and Ps 15:1–2 (LXX 14:1–2). The Saviour’s word against love of money and the scoffing that followed are Luke 16:13–14 (where the scoffers are Pharisees; Titus says “the Jews”). ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 91 (Lagarde 1859, 91; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/91). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 92 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/85/#p-92 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 92 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: The Law teaches all four virtues: prudence from God, self-control in Joseph’s refusal of Potiphar’s wife, and courage in Judith’s venture. ### Greek text ἀνδρείας καὶ δικαιοσύνης, ὅλαι παρὰ τῷ νόμῳ φαίνονται αἱ ἀρεταί. διὰ τοῦτο ὁ βουλόμενος εἶναι σώφρων ἔχει τὰ μαθήματα. ὃ σπεύδων εἶναι φρόνιμος, τὰς ἀφορμὰς τοῦ νόμου λαβών, ἀριστεύει ἐν τῷ πράγματι. ὁ βουλόμενος εἶναι ἀνδρεῖος ἀλειφέσθω ταῖς παραγγελίαις. ὁ σπουδάζων δικαιοσύνης ἅψασθαι τὸ στάθμιον τῆς δικαιοσύνης κρατείτω καὶ οὐδὲν ἄνισον πράξει, σταθμῷ δικαιοσύνης τὰ πάντα πράττων. καὶ φρονήσεως μὲν ἐν μεθέξει γιγνόμενος λεγέτω „ὁ θεὸς ἐδίδαξέ με σοφίαν καὶ φρόνησις ἀνθρώπων οὐχ ἔστιν ἐν ἐμοί“, ἵνα τὴν πεπλασμένην ταύτην καὶ πεπλανημένην ἐξωθήσας, τὴν ἀρίστην καὶ θείαν ἀσπάσηται. σωφροσύνης δὲ ὑποδείγματα μυρία εὑρήσει ζητῶν ὃ ἀναγινώσκων, τὰ ὑποδείγματα ἐκτυπῶν καὶ ἄλειμμα σωφροσύνης τὰ παλαιὰ ὑποδείγματα δεχόμενος, τὸν νεανίαν ἐκεῖνον τὸν ἀκμαῖον τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀδελφῶν δεδομένον καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ Αἰγυπτίου ἐωνημένον, τὸν τὴν ἐλευθερίαν τοῦ σώματος μεταβαλόντα, ἀμετάβλητον δὲ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν τῆς ψυχῆς διατετηρηκότα, τὸν ἀποδυσάμενον τὰ ἱμάτια ἵνα μὴ τὴν σωφροσύνην ἀποδύσηται, τὸν βίᾳ μὲν τὰ ἱμάτια ἀφαιρεθέντα, ἐξ ἀνάγκης δὲ σωφροσύνης μὴ ἀποσπασθέντα, τὸν παθεῖν ἑλόμενον ἵνα μὴ τῷ πάθει τῆς ἡδονῆς πέσῃ, τὸν ἀντὶ πάθους τῆς ἡδονῆς ἐν τάξει τῶν δεσμίων γεγονότα, τὸν ἑλόμενον δεσμώτην εἶναι ἵνα μὴ δέσμιος τῆς ἡδονῆς εὑρεθῇ, τὸν τὸν φθόνον τῆς αἰσχρᾶς πράξεως προκρίναντα, τὸν νομισθῆναι ὃ μὴ ἦν βουληθέντα: κάλλιον γὰρ ἐλογίσατο τὸ νομισθῆναι αἰσχρὸν ἢ εἶναι καὶ λανθάνειν" γινόμενος γὰρ καὶ λανθάνων ἐδεδίει μάρτυρα τὸν θεόν, νομισθεὶς δὲ ἠρκεῖτο τῷ ἐπόπτῃ μαρτυροῦντι τοῖς γιγνομένοις. καὶ τῆς μὲν σωφροσύνης ὑπόδειγμα τοῦτο, τῆς δὲ ἀνδρείας πολλὰ μὲν καὶ ἄλλα, ἱκανὸν δὲ τὸ τῆς ʼΙουδίθ, ὅτι γύναιον ἣν καὶ ἀσθενὲς ἦν καὶ ἄτολμον ἦν, ἐπεὶ γύναιον ἦν, εὔτολμον δὲ καὶ ἀνδρεῖον, ἐπεὶ πιστὸν ἦν, ὅτι. τὰ ἀδύνατα ταῖς προσδοκίαις τῶν ἀνθρώπων δυνατὰ τῇ ἀνδρείᾳ ἀποδέδωκεν, ὅτι τὰ ἀπροσδόκητα εἰς πίστιν καὶ ἐλπίδα ἤγαγεν, ἀνδρείᾳ πίστει κεκρατηκυῖα. τὰ γὰρ τειχία ἀνεῴγνυντο καὶ ἐξήει ἢ νεᾶνις καὶ μετὰ παιδίσκης μόνης ἐξήει, οὐ τὸ ὕποπτον τοῦ κάλλους δειλιῶσα, οὐ τὰ ξίφη εὐλαβουμένη, οὐ φοβηθεῖσα μὴ λαγνεύσῃ, μὴ βίᾳ ἀκολασίαν ὑπομείνῃ, μὴ δειλιῶσα μή τι ἀπὸ ξίφους ἐξαπίναιον πάθῃ, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν φοβερὸν τοῦ ξίφους τῇ ἀνδρείᾳ νικῶσα, τὸ δὲ κάλλος τῷ θεῷ παρατιθεμένη. ἀξιόπιστον γὰρ τὸν θεὸν φύλακα ἡγεῖτο τοῦ κάλλους, φρύγανα δὲ καὶ πάπυρον τὰ ξίφη ἐλογίζετο, πεπατη- ### English translation (Claude) courage and justice, and all the virtues appear in the Law. That is why whoever wishes to be self-controlled has the teachings. Whoever is eager to be prudent, taking the starting points of the Law, excels in the matter. Whoever wishes to be brave, let him be anointed with its commands. Whoever is eager to lay hold of justice, let him hold the scale of justice, and he will do nothing unequal, doing everything by the weight of justice. And sharing in prudence, let him say, “God taught me wisdom, and the understanding of men is not in me,” so that, thrusting away this fabricated and erring prudence, he may embrace the best and divine one. And of self-control the reader who seeks will find countless examples, imprinting the examples and taking the old examples as an ointment of self-control: that young man in his prime, given up by his brothers and bought by the Egyptian, who changed the freedom of his body but kept the freedom of his soul unchanged; who put off his garments so as not to put off his self-control; who had his garments taken by force but by necessity was not torn from self-control; who chose to suffer so as not to fall by the passion of pleasure; who instead of the passion of pleasure came into the rank of prisoners; who chose to be a prisoner so as not to be found a captive of pleasure; who preferred the ill repute of the shameful deed; who was willing to be thought what he was not: for he reckoned it better to be thought shameful than to be so and escape notice. For had he done it and escaped notice, he would have feared God as witness; but thought guilty, he was content with the Overseer bearing witness to what happened. And this is an example of self-control. Of courage there are many others, but that of Judith is enough: that she was a woman, weak and timid because she was a woman, but daring and brave because she was faithful; that she made possible by courage what was impossible to human expectations; that she brought the unexpected to faith and hope, having prevailed by courage and faith. For the walls were opened and the young woman went out, and went out with her maid alone, not fearing the suspicion her beauty might bring, not dreading the swords, not afraid lest she be defiled, lest she undergo licentiousness by force, not dreading lest she suffer something sudden from a sword; but conquering by courage the fearfulness of the sword, and entrusting her beauty to God. For she thought God a trustworthy guard of her beauty, and reckoned the swords as brushwood and papyrus, having trampled ### Scripture references - Prov 30:2–3: quotation, medium confidence - Gen 39:7–20: allusion, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Jdt 10:1-13.10 (Judith): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The saying “God taught me wisdom” follows the Septuagint of Prov 30:2–3 (identification probable). Joseph’s story is Gen 37:28; 39:1, 7–20. Judith 10–13 is cited as an example from “the Law” in the broad sense; Judith is outside the 66-book canon and is tagged as extrabiblical. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 92 (Lagarde 1859, 92; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/92). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 93 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/85/#p-93 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 93 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Judith’s prudent courage and Abraham’s refusal of reward illustrate virtue in the Law; the Law, the Gospel and Paul agree on one God and on the Son begotten from the Father. ### Greek text κυῖα τῷ φρονήματι τῆς ἀνδρείας τὴν δειλίαν. καὶ παρῆλθεν ἢ γυνὴ καὶ τολμηρὸν οὐχ ἐκρίθη οὐδὲ τραχύτητος ἔγκλημα ὑπέμεινεν. οὔτε γὰρ ἀτελῆ τὰ κριθέντα, ἵνα τραχύτητος ἐγκληθῇ. πεπεραίωκε τὰ βεβουλευμένα. εἰς πέρας ἤχθη τὰ ἐσκεμμένα. διὰ τοῦτο θαυμάζεται, ὅτι φρόνησιν ἀνδρείᾳ ἔμιξεν, ὅτι ὅσα ὃ ἐβουλεύσατο εἰς πέρας ἠγάγετο. καὶ τῆς ἀνδρείας ταύτης ὑπόδειγμα λαβόντες, καὶ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ληψόμεθα, ὅταν ἀμύνηται μὲν ʼΑβραὰμ καὶ ὑπερμαχήσηται τῶν ἀδικουμένων καὶ βοηθήσας ἀκούσῃ παρὰ τῶν ἐλευθερωθέντων,λάβε τὸν ἵππον καὶ πάντα σεαυτῷ“ καὶ ταῦτα ἀκούων μὴ πρὸς τὸν χρηματισμὸν βλέπων, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ δίκαιον ἀτενίζων καὶ συγγινώσκων ὅτι δωρεὰν ἔλαβε καὶ πῶς πωλῆσαι τὴν δωρεὰν οὐχ ὀφείλει, ὅτι χάρισμα πιπράσκεσθαι οὐχ ἀνέχεται, ὅτι ἄδικοι οἱ τὰς δωρεὰς ἀποδεδομένοι εἰσίν, ὅτι οὐ δικαίως τὰ ὦὥνια καὶ τὰς εὐεργεσίας πωλεῖ τις. ἱμάτιον καὶ κειμήλιον ἐπʼ ἀγορᾶς πιπρασκέσθω, ἄπρατος δὲ ἡ εὐεργεσία μενέτω τῷ μεγαλοψύχῳ τῆς διανοίας προῖκα τῷ δεομένῳ διδομένη. καὶ τοιοῦτον ἔχομεν τῆς διανοίας ὑπόδειγμα, ὅτι τὰς δωρεὰς καὶ τὰς εὐεργεσίας μεγάλου χρήματος πιπράσκεσθαι οὐ δεῖ, ἀλλὰ τηρεῖν τὴν ἑκάστου τιμήν. μὴ προδιαφθειρόμενον τῇ δόσει τῶν χρημάτων. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν οὕτως ἐπεξελθόντες κατεσκευάσαμεν ὅτι πάντα ἐν νόμῳ κεῖται, καὶ κακίας ἀναίρεσις καὶ ἀρετῆς κατόρθωσις. καὶ τούτων ὄντων ἱκανῶν πρὸς ἐντροπὴν καὶ δυσώπησιν, καὶ τί τὸ ὅμοιον ἀποδίδομεν. εἰ γὰρ μηδὲν εἶχεν ὁ νόμος ἴσον τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, τοῦ ἀνομοίου ἣ κατηγορία ἦν. εἰ δὲ ὁμοιότης ἐστί, τί ἐπὶ τῆς ὁμοιότητος διαφερόμεθα, τῆς ὁμοιότητος διαφέρεσθαι μὴ ἀνεχομένης; βοᾷ ὁ χαρακτὴρ τὴν συγγένειαν, ἣ ὁμοιότης τὴν ἀδελφότητα σημαίνει. πρὸς ἕνα τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων αἴτιον, πατέρα δὲ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἐφέλκουσι τὴν διάνοιαν. εἶπεν ὃ νόμος,ἄκουε, ἸΙσραήλ, κύριος ὃ θεός σου κύριος εἷς ἐστιν“. εἶπε τὸ εὐαγγέλιον „οὐδεὶς ἀγαθὸς εἰ μὴ εἷς ὃ θεός“. ἐβόησεν ὁ Παῦλος, εἷς θεός, ἐξ οὗ τὰ πάντα“. καὶ νενόηται ὁ ἀγέννητος καὶ ἀπάτωρ ἐκ νόμου καὶ σωτῆρος καὶ τοῦ ἀποστόλου. γέννημα δὲ ἣν καὶ γέννημα ἐκ κόλπων καὶ υἱὸς τοῦ γεγεννηκότος. καὶ συνῳδὰ πάλιν τὰ γράμματα.,ἐκ γαστρὸς πρὸ ἑωσφόρου ἐγέννησά σε“ ὁ νόμος λέγει. μονογενὴς υἱὸς θεός, ὁ ὧν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ πατρὸς,. ἐκεῖνος ἐξηγήσατο“ τὰ εὐαγγέλια διηγοῦνται. κόλπος ἀπὸ τῶν εὐαγγελίων καὶ γαστὴρ ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου λελάληται. καὶ υἱὸς γνήσιος, ὅμοιος τῷ γεγεννηκότι, ἐκ γαστρὸς καὶ κόλπων ### English translation (Claude) cowardice by the resolve of courage. And the woman passed through and was not judged rash, nor incurred the charge of harshness. For what she had decided was not left incomplete, so as to be charged with harshness: she accomplished what she had planned; what she had considered was brought to completion. That is why she is admired, because she mixed prudence with courage, because she brought to completion all that she planned. Having taken this example of courage, we shall take one of justice too, when Abraham defends and fights for those wronged, and having helped them hears from those set free, “Take the horses and everything for yourself,” and, hearing this, does not look to gain but gazes at what is just, and recognizes that he received freely and how he ought not to sell the gift, that a favour does not endure being sold, that those who have sold gifts are unjust, that one does not justly sell what is for sale and benefactions alike. Let a garment and a treasure be sold in the market, but let benefaction remain unsold, given freely to the needy by greatness of mind. And we have such an example of the mind: that gifts and benefactions ought not to be sold for great money, but each one’s honour kept, not destroyed beforehand by the giving of money. Having gone through these things, then, we have established that everything lies in the Law, both the removal of vice and the achievement of virtue. And these being sufficient for shame and confusion, let us also give the likeness. For if the Law had nothing equal to the Gospel, the accusation would be of what is unlike. But if there is likeness, why do we quarrel over the likeness, when likeness does not endure quarrelling? The stamp cries out kinship; the likeness signifies brotherhood. They draw the mind to one, cause of all the others and Father of the Saviour. The Law said, “Hear, Israel, the Lord your God is one Lord.” The Gospel said, “No one is good except one, God.” Paul cried, “One God, from whom are all things.” And the unbegotten and fatherless one is understood from the Law, from the Saviour and from the apostle. And there was an offspring, an offspring from the bosom, and Son of the one who begot him. And again the writings agree: “From the womb before the morning star I begot you,” the Law says; “The only-begotten Son, God, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known,” the Gospels narrate. Bosom is spoken by the Gospels and womb by the Law. And a genuine Son, like the one who begot him, from womb and bosom ### Scripture references - Gen 14:21–23: quotation, high confidence - Deut 6:4: quotation, high confidence - Mark 10:18: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 8:6: quotation, high confidence - Ps 110:3 (109:3 LXX): quotation, high confidence - John 1:18: quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Jdt 13:1-13.10 (Judith): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Abraham’s refusal of the spoil is Gen 14:21–23 (the Septuagint has “take the horses”). The quotations are Deut 6:4, Mark 10:18 (Luke 18:19), 1 Cor 8:6, Ps 110:3 (LXX 109:3, which has “from the womb before the morning star I begot you”) and John 1:18 (in the form “only-begotten Son, God”). Judith continues from page 92. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 93 (Lagarde 1859, 93; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/93). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 94 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/85/#p-94 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 94 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: The Father’s voice at Christ’s baptism echoes Ps 2:7, and Paul everywhere interprets the Old Testament; the apostles join Law and Gospel, while the heretics, false apostles, try to divide them. ### Greek text χαταγγέλ[ζλ]εται. καὶ μαρτυρεῖ μὲν ἣ τοῦ κυρίου φωνὴ,οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὃ μονογενὴς καὶ ἀγαπητός, ἐν ᾧ ἐγὼ εὐδόκησα“", μαρτυρεῖ δὲ καὶ ὃ ψαλμῳδὸς „υἱός μου εἶ σύ, ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε“. καὶ μία φωνὴ καὶ τότε καὶ νῦν προσενεχθεῖσα καὶ εἷς ὁ λαλήσας, φθεγξάμενος μὲν τότε, ἄρτι δὲ ὡμιληκώς. καὶ οὐχ ἐναλλάττεται ὁ εἰρηκώς. ὀψὲ γάρ ποτε τὴν τοιαύτην ἀφεὶς φωνήν, ἤδη προφθάσας καὶ προειρηκὼς ἐν τοῖς ψαλμοῖς ηὑρίσκετο. καὶ παραγγελία μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς πρὸς τὰς θείας δυνάμεις ὑπηρετεῖν τῷ υἱῷ καὶ τὸ σέβας καὶ τὴν προσκύνησιν αὐτῷ ἀποδιδόναι (γέγραπται γὰρ,καὶ προσκυνησάτωσαν αὐτῷ πάντες ἄγγελοι θεοῦ“), συγκεχώρηκε δὲ τῇ παραγγελίᾳ ὁ Παῦλος, μᾶλλον δὲ ταύτην ἐπεξεργάζεται καὶ διερμηνεύει καὶ σπουδάζει τοῦ προειρημένου καὶ προγεγραμμένου γίνεσθαι ἑρμηνεύς. ὅταν γὰρ εἰσάγῃ τὸν πρωτότοκον εἰς τὴν οἰκουμένην λέγει,καὶ προσκυνησάτωσαν αὐτῷ πάντες ἄγγελοι θεοῦ“. καὶ ὄψει τὸν ἀπόστολον ἐσπουδακότα ἑρμηνεύειν τὰ παλαιά, διηγεῖσθαι τὰ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ, μὴ ἀμελοῦντα, ἀλλὰ ποτὲ μὲν λέγοντα,πάντα ὑπέταξεν ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ“, εὐθὺς δὲ ἐπεξηγούμενον „ὅταν δὲ εἴπῃ ὅτι πάντα ὑποτέτακται, δῆλον ὅτι ἐκτὸς τοῦ ὑποτάξαντος αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα οὐδὲν ἀφῆκεν αὐτῷ ἀνυπότακτον. ἵνα ᾖ ὁ θεὸς τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσι“, ποτὲ δὲ λέγοντα,ἕνεκεν τούτου καταλείψει ἄνθρωπος τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν μητέρα. τὸ μυστήριον τοῦτο μέγα ἐστίν. ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω εἰς χριστὸν καὶ εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν“. καὶ ἑρμηνεῖς μὲν οἱ ἀπόστολοι τῶν παλαιῶν, σύμφωνα δὲ τὰ παλαιὰ τοῖς νέοις. ἀλλʼ ὅσοι μὲν ἀπόστολοι ἑρμηνεύουσιν, ὅσοι δὲ οὐχ ἀπόστολοι διαβάλλουσι. μὴ ποιοῦντες γὰρ ὃ ποιοῦσιν οἱ ἀπόστολοι, ἀλλὰ μαχόμενοι τῷ ὑπʼ ἐκείνων γεγραμμένῳ, ψεύδονται τὴν ἀποστολήν, ψευδοπροφῆται ὄντες. ἰδοὺ γὰρ οἱ τῆς ἀληθείας εἰσηγηταὶ τὸν νόμον τετιμηκότες τὸν νόμον ἐξηγήσαντο. οὗτοι δὲ τὸν νόμον διαβεβληκότες τῷ νόμῳ διαπληκτίζονται καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἐξηγησαμένους τὸν νόμον. καὶ ἴσην μὲν οἱ ἀπόστολοι τὴν ὁμοιότητα τοῦ εὐαγγελίου καὶ τοῦ νόμου γινώσκουσι καὶ τὸν νόμον λαβόντες τὸ εὐαγγέλιον βλέπουσι καὶ εἰς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον παρακύπτοντες τὸν νόμον οὐχ ἀναιροῦσιν, οὗτοι δὲ τὰ ὅμοια ἀεὶ ἀνόμοια ἡγησάμενοι καὶ τὰ φίλα ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ἀδελφὰ ἄφιλα καὶ ἄσπονδα ὁμολογοῦντες, κακίας μὲν ἔλεγχον οὐ φεύγουσι, διιστᾶν δὲ καὶ διαιρεῖν τὰ ὅμοια ἐσπουδακότες, μὴ δυνάμενοι δὲ διαιρεῖν, ἐπεὶ οὐχ ἀνέχεται ὃ νόμος τοῦ εὐαγγελίου διαιρεῖσθαι, τῆς βασκανίας ἑαυτῶν ### English translation (Claude) is proclaimed. And the voice of the Lord bears witness, “This is my Son, the only-begotten and beloved, in whom I am well pleased”; and the psalmist bears witness, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you.” And it is one voice brought forth then and now, and one who spoke, uttering it then and having spoken it now. And the speaker is not changed. For having uttered such a voice at a late time, he was found to have spoken it beforehand in the Psalms. And there is a command from the Father to the divine powers to serve the Son and give him reverence and worship (for it is written, “And let all the angels of God worship him”), and Paul agreed with the command, or rather works it out, interprets it, and is eager to become the interpreter of what was said and written beforehand. “For when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, ‘And let all the angels of God worship him.’” And you will see the apostle eager to interpret the old things and explain what is in the Law, not neglecting it, but at one time saying, “He has put all things in subjection under his feet,” and at once explaining, “But when it says that all things have been put in subjection, it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection to him; he left nothing not subject to him, so that God may be all in all”; and at another time saying, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother. This mystery is great; but I speak with reference to Christ and the church.” The apostles are interpreters of the old things, and the old things agree with the new. But those who are apostles interpret, and those who are not apostles slander. For not doing what the apostles do, but fighting what they wrote, they falsely claim the apostleship, being false prophets. For see, the teachers of truth, having honoured the Law, explained the Law; but these, having slandered the Law, brawl with the Law and with those who explained the Law. The apostles know the likeness of the Gospel and the Law as equal, and taking the Law see the Gospel, and looking into the Gospel do not abolish the Law; but these, thinking like things always unlike, and confessing as unfriendly and irreconcilable what is friendly and akin to each other, do not escape the conviction of evil; and being eager to separate and divide like things, but unable to divide them, since the Law does not endure being divided from the Gospel, they reaped the penalty of their own malice. ### Scripture references - Matt 3:17: quotation, high confidence - Ps 2:7: quotation, high confidence - Heb 1:6: quotation, high confidence - Ps 8:6: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 15:27–28: quotation, high confidence - Eph 5:31–32: quotation, high confidence - Gen 2:24: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The Father’s voice combines Matt 3:17 with “only-begotten”. The quotations are Ps 2:7, Heb 1:6 (Deut 32:43 LXX, Ps 97:7), 1 Cor 15:27–28 (citing Ps 8:6) and Eph 5:31–32 (citing Gen 2:24). Hebrews is treated as Paul’s. In “καταγγέλ[ζλ]εται” the bracketed letters are Lagarde’s (garbled in the OCR). ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 94 (Lagarde 1859, 94; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/94). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 95 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/85/#p-95 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 95 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Law and Gospel agree on Father, Son and Holy Spirit; the Manichees call the Old Testament harsh, citing Elisha’s bears and Elijah’s fire. ### Greek text τὴν ἐπιτιμίαν ἐκαρπώσαντο. ἰδοὺ γὰρ ὅσα περὶ πατρὸς ἐν νόμῳ, ταῦτα καὶ ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις κεῖται. ὅσα περὶ υἱοῦ, ταῦτα ἐν ἀμφοτέροις εἴρηται. ὅσα περὶ πνεύματος ἁγίου, ταῦτα ἐν ἀμφοτέροις εὑρεῖν δυνησόμεθα. οὐδὲ ὁπότερον γὰρ γράμμα τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου ἀμνημονεῖ, ἀλλʼ ἐν μὲν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ ἣ δωρεά, ἐκεῖ δὲ καὶ ἢ αἴτησις. καὶ ποτὲ μὲν λέγει ὁ Δαυὶδ τὸ πνεῦμά σου τὸ ἅγιον μὴ ἀντανέλῃς ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ“, ποτὲ δὲ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον „λάβετε πνεῦμα ἅγιον“, ἵνʼ ὃ μὲν ἔχει μὴ ἀφαιρεθῇ, ὃ δὲ χαρίζεται οὗτος ἔχῃ λαβών. καὶ τῇ συνουσίᾳ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος τιμῶνται αἱ ψυχαί, μήτε ἀποσπώμεναι τῆς συνουσίας μήτε δίχα τῆς συνουσίας διατελοῦσαι. καὶ δυνήσεταί τις περὶ ἀγγέλων καὶ ἀρχαγγέλων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐξουσιῶν καὶ περὶ ἀνθρώπου καὶ γῆς καὶ τῶν ἄλλων δημιουργημάτων ἐπεξεργασάμενος τὴν ὁμοιότητα τοῦ τε νόμου καὶ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου θεωρῆσαι καὶ οὕτω κατιχνεύων μέχρι τοῦ ἐλαχίστου φθάσαι. ἡμεῖς δὲ τὸν τηλικοῦτον ὄγκον παραιτούμεθα, μόνον τῇ ὑποθέσει χρησάμενοι καὶ τοὺς φιλομαθεῖς ἐκκαλούμενοι τῆς ὑποθέσεως ἁψαμένους ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ θεωρήματα χωρεῖν. ὅπερ δὲ μετὰ τινὸς κατηγορίας καταιτιῶνται οἱ αἱρεσιῶται, τοῦτο μόνον προσγράψωμεν τῷ λόγῳ, ἵνα καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἐκείνων λύσωμεν καὶ τοῦ νόμου τὰς διαθέσεις κατοπτεύσωμεν. εἰ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι τὴν αἰτίαν τῶν γραμμάτων ἀναγινώσκοντες ὑβριστικῷ στόματι κέχρηνται, ἀλλʼ ἡμεῖς καὶ τῇ ὁμοιότητι δυσωπήσωμεν αὐτῶν τὴν ἄνοιαν καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν παραθέσθαι μὴ παραιτησώμεθα. ἐγκαλοῦσι γὰρ τῷ παλαιῷ νόμῳ ὡς τραχεῖ καὶ ἀπηνεῖ, ἐγκαλοῦσι καὶ τοῖς παλαιοῖς ὑπηρέταις ὡς αὐστηροτέροις καὶ μᾶλλον πρὸς τὴν ἐπιτιμίαν ῥέπουσι καὶ στοργῆς ἐλέους ἀπηλλαγμένοις, μὴ νοοῦντες τὸ γεγραμμένον,ἔλεον καὶ κρίσιν ἄσομαί σοι κύριε“ μήτε εἰδότες ὅτι ἢ τελειότης τῆς οἰκονομίας ἐξ ἐλέους καὶ ἐπιτιμίας ἤρτηται, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀμβλυωποῦντες σιωπῶσι τοὺς οἰκτιρμοὺς τοῦ νόμου, μᾶλλον δὲ τῶν ἐπιτιμήσεων μνημονεύουσι καὶ ἄνω καὶ κάτω βοῶσιν. οὐχ ὁρᾶτε, φησίν..ἵνα παιδία λοιδορήσωσι τὸν ʼΕλισσαῖον, κατηρᾶτο καὶ δυσὶν ἄρκοις ἔκδοτα παρεδίδου τὰ νήπια, βορὰν καὶ θοίνην παρεσχευακὼς ταῖς ἄρκοις τὰ παιδία. οὐχ ὁρᾶτε, φησίν, ἵνα τινὲς ἄκοντες στρατιῶται ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐπιτάττοντος ἀποσταλῶσι καλέσαι τὸν Ἡλίαν, βαδίσαι μὲν ὥχνησε καὶ φθάσαι παρῃτήσατο, πῦρ δὲ κατήνεγκε καὶ τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐδαπάνα καὶ ἀνήλισκε, λέγων,.εἰ ἄνθρωπος τοῦ θεοῦ εἰμι ἐγώ, καταβήσεται πῦρ ἀπὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ καταφάγεταί σε καὶ τοὺς ### English translation (Claude) For see, whatever is in the Law about the Father lies also in the Gospels; whatever about the Son is said in both; whatever about the Holy Spirit we can find in both. For neither writing fails to mention the Holy Spirit; but in the Gospel there is the gift, and there the request. At one time David says, “Do not take your Holy Spirit from me,” at another the Gospel, “Receive the Holy Spirit,” so that what the one has may not be taken away, and what this one grants he may have by receiving. And souls are honoured by the company of the Holy Spirit, neither torn from the company nor continuing without it. And one could work out the likeness of the Law and the Gospel concerning angels and archangels and the other powers, and concerning man and earth and the other creatures, and, tracking it so, reach even to the least things. But we decline so great a mass, using only the theme, and calling on lovers of learning who have grasped the theme to go on to all the points of study. But what the heretics blame with some accusation, let us add this alone to the discourse, so that we may both resolve their charge and look into the dispositions of the Law. For if they, reading the reason of the writings, use an insulting mouth, let us both put their folly to shame by the likeness and not decline to set out the reason. For they accuse the old Law of being harsh and cruel; they accuse the old servants too of being more severe, inclined to punishment rather than affection, and free of mercy, not understanding what is written, “Mercy and judgement I will sing to you, O Lord,” nor knowing that the perfection of the economy hangs on mercy and rebuke; and for this reason, dim-sighted, they are silent about the compassions of the Law, but remember the rebukes and cry them up and down. “Do you not see,” he says, “that because children mocked Elisha he cursed them and gave the infants over to two bears, providing the children as food and a feast for the bears? Do you not see,” he says, “that because some soldiers were sent against their will by the one commanding them to summon Elijah, he hesitated to go and refused to come, but brought down fire and consumed and destroyed the men, saying, ‘If I am a man of God, fire will come down from heaven and consume you and your ### Scripture references - Ps 51:11 (50:13 LXX): quotation, high confidence - John 20:22: quotation, high confidence - Ps 101:1 (100:1 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 2:23–24: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 1:9–10: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Ps 51:11 (LXX 50:13), John 20:22 and Ps 101:1 (LXX 100:1). The Manichaean objections cite 2 Kgs 2:23–24 and 2 Kgs 1:9–10 (in the Septuagint, 4 Kingdoms); reported as Titus gives them. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 95 (Lagarde 1859, 95; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/95). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 96 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/96/#p-96 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 96 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Paul’s blinding of Bar-Jesus and Peter’s judgement on Ananias and Sapphira show that the apostles too used severe rebukes; and the Law, like the Gospel, has examples of forgiveness after repentance. ### Greek text πεντήκοντά σου“. καὶ ἐπειδὴ τοιαύτας αἰτίας καὶ τοιαύτας ἐπιτιμίας ἐν τάξει πονηρίας καὶ κακίας τίθενται. τί ἐροῦσι περὶ Παύλου; ὅστις ποτὲ τὸν λεγόμενον Βαριησοῦν τὸν μάγον ἐπὶ Σεργίου Παύλου ἀνθυπάτου, ὡς κακοτεχνίαις τοῦ λόγου στρεφομένην τὴν διάνοιαν τῶν παιδευομένων ἑώρα, οὐχ ἤνεγκεν, ἐπετίμησε, στέρησιν τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν εἰργάσατο, ἐβόησεν,ὦ πλήρης δόλου καὶ πάσης ῥᾳδιουργίας, υἱὲ διαβόλου, οὐ παύσῃ διαστρέφων τὰς ὁδοὺς κυρίου τὰς εὐθείας; καὶ ἰδοὺ χεὶρ κυρίου ἐπὶ σὲ καὶ ἔσῃ τυφλός, μὴ βλέπων τὸν ἥλιον ἄχρι καιροῦ“. τί δὲ ἐροῦσι περὶ τοῦ Πέτρου; ὅτε ʼΑνανίας καὶ Σάπφειρα πωλήσαντες κτημάτιον ἐνοσφίσαντο μέρος, μέρος δὲ κεκομίκασιν, ὅτι κρίνας καὶ ἐλέγξας τὸν μὲν ʼΑνανίαν νεκρὸν ἔδειξε, τὴν δὲ Σάπφειραν τῷ αὐτῷ μνηματίῳ παραδέδωκεν. ἔκειντο γὰρ νεκροί, λόγῳ ἀνῃρημένοι, κἀκεῖ μὲν τὸ πῦρ κομισθὲν ἀνήλισκε τοὺς ἀφικομένους, ὧδε δὲ λόγος προελθὼν ἐν ὄψεσι τῶν μαθητευομένων νεκροὺς ἔδειξε τοὺς τὴν πίστιν κεκαπηλευκότας. κἀκεῖ μὲν Ἐλισσαῖος θηρσὶ τὰ σώματα. τῶν νηπίων ἐδίδου, ὧδε δὲ Παῦλος ἀφήρει τὴν βλέψιν τῶν ὀμμάτων καὶ τυφλὸν τὸν βλέποντα εἰργάζετο. καὶ τοιαῦτα πράττοντες τὰς ἐπιτιμίας δεδώκασιν. εἰ οὖν ἐπὶ ἀτόποις ἢ ἐπιτιμία λα[μ]βάνεται, ἄτοποι Πέτρος καὶ Παῦλος: εἰ δὲ καλοί εἰσιν ὅτι ἀπόστολοί εἰσι καὶ καλοί εἰσιν ὅτι ἐπιτετιμήκασι, τί διαβάλλεις τὰς ἐπιτιμίας, καὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐπιτιμίαις χρησαμένων; εἰ τοὺς μὲν ἀποστόλους ἀποδεχόμεθα, τὰς δὲ ἐπιτιμίας μεμφόμεθα, οὐ κατὰ πρόσωπον οἱ νόμοι κρίνουσι τὰ πράγματα ἣ δικάζουσιν, οὐ πρὸς τὰ πρόσωπα ἐρεσχολοῦσι, τῇ δὲ τῶν πράξεων ὁμοιότητι συντρέχουσιν. ἀλλά, φησίν, ἐλεήμων ὃ υἱός, ἐλεήμων ὃ τὰ εὐαγγέλια γεγραφηκώς, καὶ ὃ ἐλεήμων γέννημα ἐστι τοῦ ἐλεήμονος. ὃ δὲ νόμος τραχύς, οὐ συγγινώσκων τοῖς ἡμαρτηκόσι, σπλάγχνον δὲ ἔχει τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, συστέλλον μὲν τὰς πλημμελείας, κηρύττον δὲ τὰς μετανοίας. ἰδοὺ γὰρ ὃ σωτήρ, λέξουσι, καὶ Πέτρου ἀρνησαμένου ἐφείσατο καὶ ἁμάρτημα τηλικοῦτον πεπλημμεληκότα παρίστησι καὶ ἁπλῆν τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν προσπεποίηται; ὑπόδειγμα τὸν ἄνδρα παντὶ τῷ βίῳ καταλελοιπώς, ἵνα τῆς ἑαυτοῦ φιλανθρωπίας εἰκόνα ἐκεῖνον παράσχῃ. τί οὖν ὃ νόμος; ἄρα ἀπορεῖ τῆς μιμήσεως καὶ κατάλληλον εἰκόνα οὐχ ἔχει; καὶ Πέτρος μὲν σπουδαῖος ὧν καὶ σφαλεὶς ἀφέσει καὶ συγχωρήσει τετίμηται; οὐδεὶς δὲ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ πλημμελήσας καὶ μέγα πλημμελήσας τῇ μετανοίᾳ τὴν ἄφεσιν ἐμνηστεύσατο; εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἀγνοοῦσιν, ἐροῦμεν τὸ γεγραμμένον „ἐλέησόν ### English translation (Claude) fifty.’” And since they place such reasons and such rebukes in the rank of wickedness and evil, what will they say about Paul? He, when he saw the man called Bar-Jesus, the magician, in the presence of Sergius Paulus the proconsul, turning the mind of those being taught by evil arts of speech, did not bear it, rebuked him, brought about the loss of his eyes, and cried, “You full of all deceit and all villainy, son of the devil, will you not stop making crooked the straight ways of the Lord? And behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.” And what will they say about Peter? When Ananias and Sapphira sold a little property and kept back part, and brought part, he judged and convicted them, showed Ananias dead, and gave Sapphira over to the same tomb. They lay dead, destroyed by a word. There the fire brought down consumed those who came; here a word went forth and before the eyes of the disciples showed dead those who had peddled the faith. There Elisha gave the bodies of the infants to beasts; here Paul took away the sight of the eyes and made the seeing man blind. And doing such things they administered rebukes. If, then, rebuke is applied for improper things, Peter and Paul are improper; but if they are good because they are apostles, and good because they rebuked, why do you slander rebukes, when the apostles too used rebukes? If we accept the apostles but blame the rebukes, it is not by persons that the laws judge matters or give sentence; they do not quibble over persons, but go along with the likeness of deeds. “But,” he says, “the Son is merciful, merciful is the one who wrote the Gospels, and the merciful one is offspring of the merciful. But the Law is harsh, not pardoning sinners, while the Gospel has compassion, restraining offences and proclaiming repentance. For see,” they will say, “the Saviour spared Peter when he denied, restores one who committed so great a sin, and showed simple love for mankind, leaving the man as an example to all life, so as to present him as an image of his own love for mankind.” What then of the Law? Is it at a loss for imitation, without a corresponding image? Was Peter, earnest yet fallen, honoured with forgiveness and pardon, while no one in the Law who sinned, and sinned greatly, won forgiveness by repentance? If they do not know, we shall say what is written: “Have mercy ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 1:10: quotation, high confidence - Acts 13:6–11: quotation, high confidence - Acts 5:1–10: allusion, high confidence - Matt 26:69–75: allusion, high confidence - John 21:15–17: echo, medium confidence - Ps 51:1 (50:3 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The opening completes 2 Kgs 1:10. The apostolic examples are Acts 13:6–11 (quoted) and Acts 5:1–10. Peter’s denial and restoration are Matt 26:69–75 and John 21:15–17. The final quotation begins Ps 51:1 (LXX 50:3), continued on the next page. In “λα[μ]βάνεται” the bracketed letter is Lagarde’s. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 96 (Lagarde 1859, 96; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/96). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 97 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/96/#p-97 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 97 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: David’s pardon after repentance matches Peter’s, and the Law and Prophets call all people to repentance as the Gospel does, as Nineveh shows. ### Greek text ὁ θεός, κατὰ τὸ μέγα ἔλεός σου καὶ κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν σου ἐξάλειψον τὸ ἀνόμημά μου. ἐπὶ πλεῖον πλῦνόν με ἀπὸ τῆς ἀνομίας μου, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας μου καθάρισόν με. σοὶ μόνῳ ἥμαρτον καὶ τὸ πονηρὸν ἐνώπιόν σου ἐποίησα“. εἰ δὲ ἴσασι, τῇ κακομυθίᾳ ἐχεμυθοῦσιν. ἀδελφὰ οὖν τὰ πράγματα, ὅμοιαι αἱ εἰκόνες. καὶ ὧδε μὲν Πέτρος, ἐκεῖ δὲ ὃ ἱεροψάλτης, ὅπως καὶ μεγάλων ἀνθρώπων πτώματα μεγάλοις καὶ συγχωρήσεσιν ἰαθῇ. καὶ τοῖς μεγάλα ἠτοπηκόσι μέγας καὶ ὃ γενόμενος ἔλεος. εἰ μὲν οὖν θαυμάζουσι τὰ εὐαγγέλια ὅτι Πέτρος ἠλεήθη, θαυμαζέτωσαν ὅτι καὶ Δαυὶδ ἠλέηται, εἰ. δὲ αἰτιῶνται ὅτι μετὰ τοσάδε οὐχ ἀφείθη ὁ Δαυίδ, οὐδὲ φεύξεται διʼ αὐτοὺς τὴν αἰτίαν οὐδὲ ὁ Πέτρος. καὶ δόξει μὲν κατὰ μόνου Δαυὶδ εἶναι ἢ αἰτία, τῇ δὲ δυνάμει κατηγορηθήσεται καὶ ὁ Πέτρος τῇ αὐτῇ κατηγορίᾳ. εἰ δὲ φήσουσιν ὅτι καλὴ μὲν ἣ συγχώρησις, μέχρι δὲ ἑνὸς ἣ συγχώρησις τοῦ παλαιοῦ νόμου ἔφθασε, πληθὺς δὲ ἐνταῦθα συγχωρήσεως καὶ πέλαγος ἀφέσεως καὶ φωνή ἐστι βεβοηκυῖα, δεῦτε πρὸς μέ, πάντες οἱ κοπιῶντες καὶ πεφορτισμένοι κἀγὼ ἀναπαύσω ὑμᾶς“, ἀναγνώτωσαν τὰ παλαιὰ καὶ θαῦμα τῶν γεγραμμένων λαμβανέτωσαν. εἰ δὲ διʼ ἀμελετησίαν τοῖς γράμμασιν ἐντυχεῖν οὐχ ἀνέχονται, κἀνταῦθα τῆς αἰτίας ταύτης ἀπαλλαττέτωσαν. ὃ σωτὴρ λέγει „δεῦτε πάντες οἱ κοπιῶντες καὶ πεφορτισμένοι κἀγὼ ἀναπαύσω ὑμᾶς“, οὐδένα παρείς, μηδένα ἀπολιπών. πάντας περιλαβών. ὁ δὲ ἱεροψάλτης λέγει, πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, κροτήσατε χεῖρας“. καὶ πάλιν „ἐνωτίσασθε, πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες τὴν οἰκουμένην οἵ τε γηγενεῖς καὶ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ πλούσιος καὶ πένης“. πάντες ἐξ εὐαγγελίου, πάντες ἐκ νόμου κεκίνηνται. οὐδένα παραλέλοιπε τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, οὐδένα ἀφῆκεν ὁ νόμος. ἐβόησε τὸ εὐαγγέλιον,μετανοεῖτε, ἤγγικε γὰρ ἣ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν“. πρὸς πάντας ἀφῆκε τὴν ὁμιλίαν ταύτην, πταίουσι διελέγετο, ἐσφαλμένοις ὡμίλει, ἤδη θάνατον ὀφείλουσιν ἐφθέγγετο, ἐλευθερίαν διὰ τοῦ κηρύγματος προεμνηστεύετο.. ἐπεδήμησε καὶ Ἰωνᾶς ἐν τῇ Νινευΐ, ἐν πόλει οὐ μικρᾷ, ἐν ἔθνει πολυανθρώπῳ. τὴν ἀπειλὴν ἔδειξε, τὴν ἐπιτιμίαν οὐκ ἐσιώπησεν, ἐβόησε πληκτικῶς τῷ λόγῳ, εἶδε τοὺς ἄνδρας, εἰς μετάθεσιν ἤνεγκεν, ἀπολύτους τῆς ἁμαρτίας εἰργάσατο, ἣ προκατηγγελμένη ἐπιτιμία ᾧχετο, ἔλεος διεδέχετο, τὸ ζητούμενον γέγονεν. οὐ γὰρ ἢ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀναίρεσις ἐζητεῖτο, ἀλλʼ ἣ τῶν τρόπων μεταβολὴ ἠρευνᾶτο. καὶ ἐπειδὴ γέγονε τὸ ζητηθὲν καὶ μετεβλήθησαν οἱ ### English translation (Claude) on me, O God, according to your great mercy, and according to the multitude of your compassions blot out my lawlessness. Wash me thoroughly from my lawlessness, and cleanse me from my sin. Against you alone have I sinned and done what is evil before you.” If they know it, they keep silent in their evil talk. The matters, then, are akin, and the images alike: here Peter, there the sacred psalmist, so that the falls of great men are healed by great pardons too, and for those who have done great wrongs the mercy shown is great as well. If, then, they admire the Gospels because Peter received mercy, let them admire that David too received mercy; and if they find fault that David was forgiven after such things, then on their account Peter will not escape the charge either. The charge will seem to be against David alone, but in effect Peter too will be accused with the same accusation. And if they say that pardon is good, but the pardon of the old Law reached only one, while here there is a multitude of pardon and a sea of forgiveness and a voice that has cried, “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” let them read the old Scriptures and take wonder at what is written. And if through lack of study they do not endure to meet the writings, let them be freed from this charge here too. The Saviour says, “Come, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” passing over no one, leaving no one out, embracing all. And the sacred psalmist says, “All nations, clap your hands”; and again, “Give ear, all who inhabit the world, both earth-born and sons of men, rich and poor together.” All are moved by the Gospel, all by the Law. The Gospel has left out no one; the Law has let go no one. The Gospel cried, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” He addressed this word to all; he spoke with those who stumble, conversed with those who have fallen, spoke to those already owing death, and through the proclamation betrothed them beforehand to freedom. Jonah too came to Nineveh, a city not small, a populous nation. He showed the threat, did not keep silent about the rebuke, cried out with a striking word, saw the men, brought them to change, made them free of sin; the rebuke announced beforehand departed, mercy took its place, what was sought came about. For what was sought was not the destruction of men, but the change of their ways. And since what was sought came about and the ### Scripture references - Ps 51:1–4 (50:3-Ps LXX): quotation, high confidence - Matt 11:28: quotation, high confidence - Ps 47:1 (46:2 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 49:1–2 (48:2-Ps LXX): quotation, high confidence - Matt 4:17: quotation, high confidence - Jonah 3:1–10: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The opening completes Ps 51:1–4 (LXX 50:3–6). The quotations are Matt 11:28, Ps 47:1 (LXX 46:2), Ps 49:1–2 (LXX 48:2–3) and Matt 4:17. Jonah’s preaching to Nineveh is Jonah 3. Stray marks ({|) at the end of the OCR are ignored. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 97 (Lagarde 1859, 97; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/97). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 98 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/96/#p-98 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 98 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: God spared Nineveh and even Ahab at the slightest repentance; the Law is a shadow and tutor leading to Christ. Titus turns to the Manichaean claim that the human body was made by the evil one. ### Greek text ἄνδρες, ἐφάνη τοῦ φιλανθρώπου ἣ δωρεά, ἐβόησε συνηγορῶν ὁ δικάζων, εἶπε τῷ ἑαυτοῦ οἰκέτῃ,εἰ σὺ ἐφείσω ὑπὲρ τῆς κολοκύνθης, ὑπὲρ ἧς οὐκ ἐκακοπάθησας, ἣ ὑπὸ νύκτα ἐγένετο καὶ ὑπὸ νύκτα ἀπώλετο, ἐγὼ δὲ οὐ φείσομαι ὑπὲρ Νινευΐ τῆς πόλεως τῆς μεγάλης, ἐν ἧ κατοικοῦσι πλείους ἢ δώδεκα μυριάδες ἀνδρῶν καὶ κτήνη πολλά;“ καὶ φειδοῦς ἦν θεὸς καὶ φανερὸς ἦν ὃ φθεγγόμενος ὃ νῦν μὲν ταῦτα εἰρηκώς, ἐν δὲ ἑτέρῳ προφήτῃ βεβοηκὼς „οὐ βούλομαι τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ ὡς τὸ ἐπιστρέψαι καὶ ζῆν αὐτόν“, ὃ ὑπὸ τῶν ἐπισταμένων ὑμνεῖν δοξολογούμενος „οἰκτίρμων καὶ ἐλεήμων ὃ κύριος, μακρόθυμος καὶ πολυέλεος“. τηλικοῦτον γὰρ πέλαγός ἐστιν οἰκτιρμῶν παρὰ τῷ θεῷ, ὡς καὶ τὴν ἐλαχίστην καὶ βραχυτάτην καὶ τῶν πάνυ φαυλοτάτων πρὸς μετάνοιαν ῥοπὴν μὴ ἀτίμητον ἐᾶσαι. σχεδὸν γὰρ εἰς πέρας κακίας ἐληλακότος τοῦ ʼΑχαὰβ καὶ ὀλίγως πως κατανυγέντος, τετίμηκεν ὃ θεὸς καὶ ἔδειξε τῷ οἰκέτῃ τὸ πρᾶγμα καὶ συνέστειλε τὴν ἀπειλήν, χρόνον τῆς ἐπιτιμίας μεταξὺ καταλιμπάνων. εἶδες (φησί) πῶς κατενύγη ʼΑχαάβ; οὐ μὴ ἐπάξω τὰ κακὰ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτοῦ, ἀλλʼ ἐν ἡμέραις ἄλλαις“. ἵνα καὶ τὴν ἐλαχίστην ῥανίδα τῆς μετανοίας τιμήσῃ τῇ πρεπούσῃ τιμῇ ὁ θεός. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν μέχρι τούτου προειρηκότες κατελήξαμεν, ἵνα καὶ ὃ περὶ νόμου λόγος μὴ παντελῶς ἀγύμναστος καταλελειμμένος ὑπάρχῃ, μόνον τοῦτο προσγεγραφηκότες ὅτι,σκιὰ νόμος τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν“. καὶ γὰρ παιδαγωγὸς συμπράττει τῷ παιδὶ καὶ τῇ νέᾳ ἡλικίᾳ, μέχρις οὗ ὃ διδάσκαλος τὴν ἕξιν παραλαβὼν τοῖς μαθήμασι τοῖς μείζοσι παραδῷ. καιριώτερον γάρ τις δυνήσεται, ταύτην ἰδίαν ὑπόθεσιν θέμενος, κατασκευάσαι, πῶς μὲν,διὰ Μωσέως ὃ νόμος, ἀπὸ δὲ κυρίου ἢ χάρις καὶ ἣ ἀλήθεια ἐγένετο“, ἡμεῖς δὲ καὶ τῶν ἑτέρων ἐπιχειρήσεων τοῦ ἐκτρώματος ἐφαψώμεθα, τὴν ἄλλην ἄτοπον αὐτοῦ δόξαν ἐν τοῖς λογίοις παρατιθέντες καὶ ταῖς ἐξετάσεσι γυμνοῦντες, ὅπως (εἴγε οἷόν τε ἐστί) τὰς αἱρεθείσας διανοίας τῆς ἀλόγου δόξης ἐξυφαιρῆσαι δυνηθῶμεν. ἐξέτεινε γὰρ ἑαυτὸν καὶ μέχρι τοῦ δημιουργήματος, καὶ τοῦτο τὸ φαινόμενον ποίημα τοῦ ἀπατεῶνος εἶναι ποίημα βούλεται καὶ εἶναι τὸν ἄνθρωπον πλάσμα τοῦ πονηροῦ καὶ εἶναι μὲν τὴν ψυχὴν ἀπὸ θεοῦ, εἶναι δὲ παρὰ τοῦ πονηροῦ ἡρμοσμένην, καὶ γεγονέναι τὸν ἄνθρωπον τὴν μὲν οὐσίαν τοῦ σώματος ἀπὸ τῆς οὐσίας εἰληφότα τοῦ πονηροῦ, τὴν δὲ οὐσίαν τῆς ψυχῆς ὡς σκῦλον ἢ λάφυρον ἀπὸ θεοῦ ληφθεῖσαν, ὑπὸ δὲ τοῦ πονηροῦ λαφυραγωγηθεῖσαν. οὕτως ἔκ τε τῆς λαφυραγω- ### English translation (Claude) men had changed, the gift of the lover of mankind appeared; the judge cried out in their defence and said to his servant, “If you spared the gourd, for which you did not labour, which came in a night and perished in a night, shall I not spare Nineveh, the great city, in which more than twelve myriads of men live, and many cattle?” And God was of sparing, and the speaker was plain: the one who said this now, and who cried in another prophet, “I do not desire the death of the sinner so much as that he turn and live”; the one glorified by those who know how to sing hymns: “Compassionate and merciful is the Lord, long-suffering and abounding in mercy.” For so great a sea of compassions is with God that he does not leave unhonoured even the least and shortest inclination to repentance, even of the very worst. For when Ahab had driven almost to the limit of evil and was somehow a little pricked to the heart, God honoured it, showed the matter to his servant, and drew back the threat, leaving a time before the rebuke. “Have you seen,” he says, “how Ahab was pricked to the heart? I will not bring the evils in his days, but in other days”: so that God might honour with fitting honour even the least drop of repentance. Having said this much, we have stopped here, so that the discourse about the Law too may not be left wholly unexercised, adding only this: that “the law is a shadow of the good things to come.” For a tutor works with the child in youth until the teacher, taking over his state, hands him on to the greater lessons. Another could more opportunely, making this his own subject, establish how “the law came through Moses, but grace and truth came from the Lord.” But let us take up the other attempts of the abortion, setting out his other absurd opinion about the oracles and laying it bare by examination, so that (if it is possible) we may remove from the minds they have captured that irrational opinion. For he stretched himself even to creation, and wants this visible work to be the work of the deceiver, and man to be a fashioning of the wicked one, the soul being from God but fitted by the wicked one; and that man came to be, receiving the substance of the body from the substance of the wicked one, while the substance of the soul was taken from God as spoil or booty, plundered by the wicked one. So from the plundered ### Scripture references - Jonah 4:10–11: quotation, high confidence - Ezek 33:11: quotation, high confidence - Ps 103:8 (102:8 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 21:29: quotation, high confidence - Heb 10:1: quotation, high confidence - Gal 3:24: echo, medium confidence - John 1:17: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Jonah 4:10–11, Ezek 33:11 (compare 18:23), Ps 103:8 (LXX 102:8), 1 Kgs 21:29 (3 Kingdoms 20:29 LXX), Heb 10:1 and John 1:17. The tutor recalls Gal 3:24. “The abortion” (τὸ ἔκτρωμα) is Titus’s insult for Mani. The Manichaean view that the body is the evil one’s work and the soul God’s plundered substance is reported polemically. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 98 (Lagarde 1859, 98; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/98). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 99 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/96/#p-99 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 99 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: True opposites cannot coexist, yet soul and body form one harmonious person who loves and feels with the body, so they cannot come from opposite principles. ### Greek text γηθείσης καὶ τῆς οὐσίας τοῦ πονηροῦ γεγονέναι τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐκ ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος, καὶ τῆς μὲν ψυχῆς μὴ αἴτιον εἶναι τὸν πονηρὸν μήτε πεποιηκέναι οὐσίαν ψυχῆς, τῆς δὲ εἰσκρίσεως μόνης τῆς ἐν σώματι ἐνεργὸν εἶναι. σκυλεύσας γάρ, ὡς φασίν, εἰσέκρινε τῇ σαρκί, τὴν δὲ σάρκα αὐτὴν καὶ τὴν πλάσιν αὐτὴν καὶ τὸν χαρακτῆρα καὶ τὴν τοιάνδε μορφὴν καὶ τὴν οὐσίαν ὅλην ἔργον εἶναι καὶ πλάσιν τοῦ ἀπατεῶνος. ἐξ ἐναντίων γοῦν γεγονέναι τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὁμολογοῦντες οὐδὲ τὸν τῶν ἐναντίων ἴσασι λόγον οὐδὲ ὅτι ἔστι τινὰ τῶν ἐναντίων, ἅτινα ἀμιγῆ ἐστιν ἐν αὐτοῖς, μηδεμίαν πρὸς ἑαυτὰ μῖξιν καὶ κοινωνίαν δέξασθαι δυνάμενα, ἀλλὰ τῇ νομιζομένῃ κοινωνίᾳ ἀναιρέσεως ἑαυτῶν ὄντα αἴτια, μὴ δυνάμενα ὁμοῦ εἶναι, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ἑτέρου ἀναιρουμένου διὰ τὴν τοῦ ἑτέρου ἐπικράτησιν. ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἐν ἑνὶ κοιτωνίσκῳ ἡμέρα καὶ νὺξ οὐχ ἄν εὑρεθείη, ἐπεὶ μόνον φῶς εὑρεθὲν προαναιρεῖ τὸ σκότος. ἰδοὺ ἐν μιᾷ ψυχῇ σωφροσύνη καὶ πορνεία οὐχ ἄν φανείη, ἐπεὶ μόνη σωφροσύνη φανεῖσα ἐκ ποδῶν γενέσθαι τὴν πορνείαν ποιεῖ. ἰδοὺ θεοσέβεια καὶ ἀσέβεια ἐν ἑνὶ ἀνθρώπῳ οὐχ ἄν γένοιτο: ὅπου γὰρ εὐσέβεια φαίνεται, οὐδὲ ῥανὶς ἀσεβείας φανείη. ἐπικρίνει δὲ καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος καὶ σφραγίζει τὰ εἰρημένα „τίς κοινωνία φωτὶ πρὸς σκότος; τίς μερὶς χριστῷ πρὸς Βελίαρ;“ τὰ γὰρ ἑαυτοῖς ἐναντία φίλα ἑαυτοῖς οὐκ ἄν γένοιτο. καὶ μίαν ἁρμονίαν οὐχ ἄν ποιοῖ τὰ ἑαυτῶν διεστηκότα. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔκ τε ῥυθμοῦ καὶ ἀρρυθμίας μία γίνεται ἁρμονία οὔτε ἐκ σιωπῆς καὶ λαλιᾶς μία γίγνεται σύστασις. μόνον γὰρ τὸ ἕν εἶναι ὀφείλει, τοῦ ἑτέρου συστῆναι οὐχ ἀνεχομένου. εἰ δὲ τὸ σῶμα ἦν τοῦ πονηροῦ καὶ ἣ ψυχὴ τοῦ θεοῦ, πῶς εἰς μίαν ἁρμονίαν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀποδέδοται; πῶς εἰς μίαν διάθεσιν καὶ φιλίαν; ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἥρμοσται καὶ γέγονεν εἷς ἄνθρωπος καὶ τῇ ἁρμονίᾳ ἔστιν εἷς. ἰδοὺ ἢ ψυχή ἐστι τοῦ σώματος καὶ φιλεῖ καὶ στέργει.,οὐδεὶς γάρ ποτε τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σάρκα ἐμίσησεν, ἀλλʼ ἐκτρέφει καὶ θάλπει αὐτήν“. εἰ δὲ δὴ τῷ ἑτέρῳ μέλλει περὶ τοῦ ἑτέρου καὶ τὴν ἀλγηδόνα τοῦ σώματος ἰδίαν ἀλγηδόνα ἡγεῖται ἣ ψυχὴ καὶ οὐ διαιρεῖται τῶν παθημάτων, ἀλλʼ οἰκειοῦται πρὸς τὰ τραύματα, οἰκειοῦται πρὸς τὰ παθήματα, καὶ ὅτε μὲν ἀλγῇ, τραυμάτων ἕνεκεν ἀνιᾶται, ἀνώδυνος εἶναι μὴ δυναμένη, ὅτε δὲ ἡδυπαθῇ, καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς ἡδονῆς ἐρεθίζεται: μετέχει τῶν κινημάτων καὶ ἣ ψυχὴ καὶ συνεφάπτεται τῶν ἐρεθισμῶν καὶ λήγει μὲν ὁμοίως, λαμβάνει δὲ ἐπίδοσιν ὡσαύτως καὶ ληγούσης μὲν ψυχῆς ἀπὸ τῶν κινημάτων τῶν παθῶν, ### English translation (Claude) substance and the substance of the wicked one man came to be, of soul and body; and the wicked one is not the cause of the soul, nor did he make the substance of the soul, but is active only in its insertion into the body. For having plundered it, they say, he inserted it into the flesh; and the flesh itself, its fashioning, its stamp, this particular form and its whole substance, are the work and fashioning of the deceiver. Confessing, then, that man came to be from opposites, they know neither the account of opposites nor that there are some opposites which are unmixed in themselves, unable to receive any mixture and communion with each other, but by supposed communion are causes of each other’s destruction, unable to be together, one being destroyed by the other’s mastery. For see, in one bedroom day and night could not be found, since light alone, once found, removes the darkness beforehand. See, in one soul self-control and sexual immorality could not appear, since self-control alone, once it appears, puts sexual immorality out of the way. See, piety and impiety could not arise in one man; for where piety appears, not a drop of impiety can appear. And the apostle decides and seals what has been said: “What communion has light with darkness? What portion has Christ with Belial?” For things opposite to each other could not become friends to each other, and things standing apart from each other would not make one harmony. For one harmony does not come from rhythm and lack of rhythm, nor one composition from silence and speech; for only one must exist, the other not enduring to subsist. But if the body was the wicked one’s and the soul God’s, how has it been rendered into the one harmony of man? How into one disposition and friendship? For see, he has been fitted together and has become one man, and is one by harmony. See, the soul is the body’s and loves and cherishes it: “For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it.” And if one cares for the other, and the soul thinks the body’s pain its own pain and is not separated from its sufferings, but makes the wounds its own, makes the sufferings its own, and when it suffers pain is grieved because of the wounds, unable to be without pain, and when it enjoys pleasure is stirred by the pleasure, the soul shares in the motions and joins in the stirrings, and ceases alike and increases likewise; and when the soul ceases from the motions of the passions, ### Scripture references - 2 Cor 6:14–15: quotation, high confidence - Eph 5:29: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are 2 Cor 6:14–15 and Eph 5:29. “Πορνεία” is rendered “sexual immorality”. The page ends mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 99 (Lagarde 1859, 99; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/99). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 100 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/96/#p-100 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 100 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Soul and body share pleasure and pain and the soul sanctifies the flesh; Christ’s words on the creation of male and female and on what God has joined show the one Creator of body and soul. ### Greek text συλλήγει καὶ τὸ σῶμα καὶ καθησυχάζει, ἐπιτριβομένης δὲ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ καὶ τῶν ἐρεθισμῶν ἐπιτριβομένων, ἡδύνει. καὶ τὸ σῶμα καὶ φλεγμαίνει καὶ γίγνονται ἴσως μὲν οἱ ἐρεθισμοί, ἴσως δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐρεθισμάτων αἱ ἀποθέσεις καὶ ἐκλείψεις. εἰ δὲ ἐξ ἐναντίων ἦν καὶ τὸ μὲν σῶμα τοῦ πονηροῦ ἦν, ἣ δὲ ψυχὴ τοῦ θεοῦ, πρῶτον μὲν οὐχ ἄν ἐγεγόνει σύνοδος οὔτε αὐτὴ ἢ μακρὰ κρᾶσις ἐπετελεῖτο, δεύτερον δὲ τὸ ἕτερον τὰ τοῦ ἑτέρου οὐχ ἄν παρεδέχετο, ἀλλʼ ἑκάτερον ἴδια μὲν τὰ ἑαυτοῦ, ἀλλότρια δὲ τὰ τοῦ ἑτέρου ἐλογίζετο καὶ οὔτε ἡ ἡδονὴ τῶν σωμάτων ἡδονὴ ψυχῆς ἐγίνετο οὔτε τὰ τραύματα τῶν σωμάτων ἀλγηδόνες ψυχῆς ἐγίγνοντο, ἀλλʼ ἑκάτερον καθʼ ἑαυτὸ καὶ τὴν ἡδονὴν ἑαυτῷ καὶ τὰ τραύματα ἐμερίζετο. πῶς δὲ καὶ ὃ διάβολος ἴσχυσε τὸ μὴ ἴδιον ἐκεῖθεν λαβεῖν; πῶς δὲ καὶ ἢ ψυχή, μὴ τούτου οὖσα, ἀλλὰ ἄλλου οὖσα καὶ μηδεμίαν ἐπιμιξίαν ἔχουσα πρὸς τὸ χωρίον τοῦτο, ἀλλʼ οὖσα ἑτέρας οὐσίας καὶ πάντη ἠλλοτριωμένη τῆς οὐσίας τοῦ πονηροῦ ἐν τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις ἐστὶ καὶ ξένοις καὶ τὴν τοῦ σώματος ἐπιμιξίαν φέρει δεσμὸν πονηροῦ καὶ δέδεται οὐχ ἐν ἰδίῳ καὶ ἰδιοποιεῖται τὴν σάρκα καὶ ἁγίαν αὐτὴν ποιεῖ καὶ πρὸς ἀρετὴν αὐτὴν παρασκευάζει, ὡς ἀφομοιοῦσθαι κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν τῷ κρείττονι. ὅταν γὰρ ἁγνὸν ἦ καὶ ἀρρύπαρον καὶ ἀκηλίδωτον, ὅταν ἅγιον ἦ καὶ σεμνόν, ὅταν ἁγίας ἔχῃ τὰς λαλιάς, ὅταν δεξιὰς ἔχῃ τὰς βλέψεις, ὅταν θείας ἔχῃ τὰς κινήσεις, τί ἕτερον ἢ ἀφομοιοῦσθαι τῷ κρείττονι; καὶ ἐξεικάζεται τῷ καλῷ καὶ ἀναφέρει χαρακτῆρα τοῦ κρείττονος. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν οὕτως εἰρήσθω, ὀλίγα δὲ καὶ τῶν λογίων παραθώμεθα, ἵνα καὶ ἢ τῶν λογίων παράθεσις ἐντροπὴν μὲν ἐκείνοις, ἡμῖν δὲ πίστεως ἀκρίβειαν ποιήσῃ. ὃ γὰρ σωτὴρ ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ, τῆς πλάσεως μεμνημένος ἀνδρὸς καὶ γυναικὸς καὶ τὴν πλάσιν ἀναφέρων ἐπὶ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ πατέρα καὶ ποιητὴν τοῦ παντός, ἔλεγεν κτίσας ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ ἐποίησεν αὐτούς, καὶ εἶπεν Ἕνεκεν τούτου καταλείψει ἄνθρωπος τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν μητέρα καὶ προσκολληθήσεται τῇ γυναικὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔσονται οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν. ὃ οὖν ὁ θεὸς συνέζευξεν, ἄνθρωπος μὴ χωριζέτω“. καὶ τὸν ὅρον τοῦ σώματος καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς αἴτιον ὁμολογῶν οἷδε καὶ πατέρα ὁμολογεῖ καὶ ἐπέχει τὰς ἀνθρωπίνας ἐπινοίας, ἀχώριστα εἶναι τὰ πεποιημένα βουλόμενος καὶ μὴ ἀνθρωπίνῃ γνώμῃ χωρίζειν τὰ καλῶς ἡρμοσμένα ἐπιτρέπων. ἐν δὲ τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ τοῖς δοκήσει τῆς αὐτῆς ἐπιμελείας ἐχομένοις, ἠμεληκόσι δὲ τῶν κρυπτῶν καὶ τῆς ἔνδον ### English translation (Claude) the body too ceases with it and becomes quiet; but when desire is worked up in the soul and the stirrings are worked up, the body too takes pleasure and becomes inflamed; and the stirrings come about equally, and equally the layings aside and failings of the stirrings. But if man were from opposites, and the body the wicked one’s and the soul God’s, first, there would have been no meeting, nor would this long mixture have been accomplished; second, the one would not have accepted the things of the other, but each would have reckoned its own things its own and the other’s things foreign, and neither would the pleasure of bodies have become the pleasure of the soul nor the wounds of bodies the pains of the soul, but each would have taken its share of pleasure and wounds for itself. And how could the devil take from there what was not his own? And how is the soul, not being his but another’s, having no intercourse with this region, but being of another substance and wholly estranged from the substance of the wicked one, among foreign and strange things, bearing the mixture of the body as a bond of the wicked one, bound in what is not its own, and yet making the flesh its own, making it holy, and preparing it for virtue, so that it is made like the better as far as possible? For when the flesh is pure, unsoiled and spotless, when it is holy and dignified, when it has holy speech, right looks, divine movements, what else is this but being made like the better? It is likened to the good and bears the stamp of the better. Let this be said thus; and let us set out a few of the oracles too, so that the setting out of the oracles may bring shame to them and exactness of faith to us. For the Saviour in the Gospel, remembering the fashioning of man and woman and referring the fashioning to his own Father and Maker of all, said: “Having created from the beginning, he made them male and female, and said, For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” And confessing the cause of the definition of body and soul, he knows and confesses the Father, and checks human notions, wishing what has been made to be inseparable and not allowing what has been well fitted together to be separated by human judgement. And in the Gospel, to those who in appearance keep the same care but have neglected the hidden things and the inner ### Scripture references - Matt 19:4–6: quotation, high confidence - Gen 1:27: quotation, high confidence - Gen 2:24: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The Saviour’s words are Matt 19:4–6 (citing Gen 1:27 and 2:24). Titus applies “what God has joined” to the union of soul and body made by the one Creator, not to divorce. The rebuke continues on the next page (Luke 11:40). ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 100 (Lagarde 1859, 100; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/100). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 101 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/96/#p-101 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 101 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Christ’s teaching that the maker of the outside made the inside, and his care for bodily purity, show that the body is God’s work; his own real body, crucified and buried, refutes the Manichees. ### Greek text ἐπιμελείας φησὶν ἄφρονες, οὐχ ὃ ποιήσας τὸ ἔξωθεν καὶ τὸ ἔνδοθεν ἐποίησεν;“ εἰ δὲ τὸ μὲν ἔσωθέν ἐστιν ἢ ψυχή, τὸ δὲ ἔξωθεν τὸ σῶμα, καὶ ὃ ποιήσας τὸ ἔσω τὴν ψυχὴν πεποίηκε καὶ ὁ ποιήσας τὸ ἔξω τὸ σῶμα πεποίηκεν, ὁ ψυχῆς ποιητὴς καὶ σώματος ἄν εἴη ποιητής, καὶ θεός ἐστιν ὁ ἀμφότερα ποιῶν καὶ ἁρμόζων καὶ συνάπτων, ὁ τὴν ἁρμονίαν ταύτην τὴν ἱεροπρεπεστάτην ἡρμοσμένος. αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ σωτὴρ ἐν ταῖς ἑαυτοῦ διαλέξεσιν οἵαν ἐπιμέλειαν ποιεῖται τοῦ σώματος, ὅταν λέγῃ εἰσὶν εὐνοῦχοι, οἵτινες εὐνούχισαν ἑαυτοὺς διὰ τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν ὁ δυνάμενος χωρεῖν χωρείτω“; ταύτην γὰρ ἐπιμέλειαν τῷ σώματι ἀποδεδωκὼς καὶ ἅγιον αὐτὸ καὶ ἀπαθὲς καὶ ἀνήδονον παρασκευάζων καὶ πᾶσαν ἐπιθυμίαν ὑποτέμνων καὶ ὑποχείρων τῷ λόγῳ, τὴν πρὸς τὸ σῶμα ἐπιμέλειαν δείκνυσι καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὴν σάρκα κηδεμονίαν σημαίνει. κηδόμενος δὲ καὶ φροντίζων τὴν ἰδιότητα ἐκ τῆς κηδεμονίας κηρύττει, μέχρι τοῦ βλέμματος φθάνων, ἵνα μὴ τὸ βλέμμα ὡς ἔτυχε κινούμενον ῥυπαρίας καὶ κηλίδος ἐμπιπλῆται, ἀλλὰ τὴν εὔτονον ἔχον κίνησιν ἡρμοσμένον διατελῇ. λέγει γὰρ ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ,πᾶς ὃ βλέπων γυναῖκα πρὸς τὸ ἐπιθυμῆσαι αὐτῆς ἤδη ἐμοίχευσεν αὐτὴν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ“. καὶ τὸ ἐν τῷ σώματι πάθος τῇ καρδίᾳ συμμετρεῖ καὶ τοῦ βλέμματος ἐπιμελούμενος κοινὴν τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν τῆς καρδίας ποιεῖται, πάθος βλέμματος πάθος καρδίας εἰσηγησάμενος καὶ ἐπιμέλειαν ὀμμάτων ἐπιμέλειαν τοῦ διανοητικοῦ θέμενος. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἑτέρως βλάψει τὸ ὄμμα ἣ ὡς βλάψει ὃ νοῦς. οὐδὲ γὰρ οἷόν τε ἐστὶ τὸ ὄμμα διαστρέφεσθαι, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν μὴ διαστρέφεσθαιʼ ἐπιεικῶς γὰρ ψυχῆς καὶ ἁπλῶς ὁρώσης ἐπιτηδείως ὄψεται τὰ ὄμματα. ἐνταῦθα γοῦν τὴν ἄτοπον βλέψιν παραβλεψάμενος, τὴν ἁγίαν παρεισάγει, ἵνα οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ὀρθὰ βλέπωσι καὶ τὰ βλέφαρα νευέτω δίκαια. ἐπαίρει γὰρ τὰ ὄμματα, κάτω αὐτὰ κεχάμφθαι μὴ ἐπιτρέπων, ἀλλὰ διανιστῶν αὐτὰ καὶ διεγείρων καὶ ἐπηρμένα αὐτὰ παρασκευάζων. διʼ ὃ πολλὴν ἐπιμέλειαν τῶν σωμάτων ποιούμενος καὶ σῶμα πεφόρηκε καὶ εἰς σῶμα ἦλθεν. εἰ μὲν οὖν οὐχ ἦλθεν ἐν σώματι, τί φήσουσι περὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ καὶ τοῦ τύπου τῶν ἥλων καὶ τοῦ τύπου τῆς λόγχης καὶ τοῦ μνημείου καὶ τῆς ταφῆς; εἰ δὲ ἐκ τούτων ἐλεγχόμενοι ὁμολογοῦσι σῶμα τὸν σωτῆρα εἰληφέναι, τί ἐροῦσιν, εἰ μήτι καὶ αὐτὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ πεπλάσθαι φήσουσι καὶ μηκέτι μόνον τὸ ἀνθρώπινον σῶμα εἶναι τοῦ πονηροῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ σῶμα τοῦ εὐεργέτου; οὐ φείσονται γὰρ μέχρι καὶ ταύτης τῆς ἐπινοίας ### English translation (Claude) care, he says, “Fools, did not he who made the outside make the inside too?” And if the inside is the soul and the outside the body, and he who made the inside made the soul and he who made the outside made the body, then the maker of the soul would be the maker of the body too; and it is God who makes both, fits and joins them, who has fitted together this most sacred harmony. And the Saviour himself, in his discourses, what care he takes of the body, when he says, “There are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven; let him who can receive it receive it”! For giving the body this care, preparing it holy, free of passion and of pleasure, cutting back every desire and making it subject to reason, he shows his care for the body and signifies his concern for the flesh. And caring and taking thought, he proclaims by his concern that it is his own, reaching even to the glance, so that the glance, moving at random, may not be filled with filth and stain, but, having a well-ordered movement, may continue fitly. For he says in the Gospel, “Everyone who looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” And he measures the passion in the body together with the heart, and taking care of the glance he makes care of the heart common with it, introducing the passion of the glance as the passion of the heart and setting care of the eyes as care of the mind. For the eye will do harm in no other way than as the mind does harm. For it is not possible for the eye to be perverted while the soul is not perverted; for when the soul sees decently and simply, the eyes will see fittingly. Here, then, passing over improper looking, he brings in holy looking, so that the eyes may look straight and the eyelids nod just things. For he lifts up the eyes, not allowing them to be bent down, but raising and rousing them and preparing them uplifted. That is why, taking great care of bodies, he both wore a body and came into a body. If, then, he did not come in a body, what will they say about the cross, the print of the nails, the print of the spear, the tomb and the burial? And if, refuted by these, they confess that the Saviour took a body, what will they say? Unless they will say that he too was fashioned by the wicked one, and that no longer only the human body is the wicked one’s, but the body of the benefactor too? For they will not refrain from reaching even this notion ### Scripture references - Luke 11:40: quotation, high confidence - Matt 19:12: quotation, high confidence - Matt 5:28: quotation, high confidence - Prov 4:25: quotation, medium confidence - John 20:25: allusion, medium confidence - John 19:34: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The quotations are Luke 11:40, Matt 19:12 and Matt 5:28; “let the eyes look straight and the eyelids nod just things” follows Prov 4:25 (LXX). The nails and spear recall John 20:25 and 19:34. Matt 19:12 is taken by Titus of voluntary continence; translated exactly. The Manichaean denial of Christ’s real body (docetism) is reported polemically. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 101 (Lagarde 1859, 101; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/101). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 102 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/96/#p-102 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 102 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Christ’s baptism, hunger, weariness, crucifixion and burial prove his real body; he came in a body to free our bodies, which God made. ### Greek text φθάσαι καὶ τὴν γλῶτταν ἐκτεῖναι κατὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος. ὃ γὰρ μελετῶν κατὰ τῶν ἐκείνῳ διαφερόντων διαλέγεσθαι, οὗτος ἀκονήσας τὴν γλῶτταν κατʼ αὐτοῦ διαλεχθήσεται, ὁ δὲ σωτὴρ καὶ βαπτίσματι διελούετο ἐν τῷ ʼΙορδάνῃ, ὕδασι περιερραίνετο, τίς ὧν καὶ τυγχάνων; εἰ μὲν γὰρ οὐ σῶμα φέρων οὔτε σῶμα ἔχων, τί κοινὸν πνεύμασι καὶ ποταμοῖς; τίς ἀγγέλων, ποία δύναμις, ποία κυριότης, ποία ἀρχή, ποία ἐξουσία καταβέβηκεν εἰς λουτρὸν καὶ πεῖραν ὑδάτων ἔσχεν; εἰ δὲ [οὐδὲ] δύναμις μὲν οὐδὲ ἐξουσία οὔτε θρόνος οὐδεὶς εἰς ὕδατα κατῆλθεν, ἀζήτητον γέγονε τὸ πρᾶγμα καὶ σαφές, καὶ δῆλον γέγονε τὸ ζητούμενον. ἀλλὰ ἀνήει ἀπὸ τῶν ὑδάτων, ἐπειράζετο ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου, ἐπείνα, ἐδίψα, ἔπλει, ἐκοιμᾶτο, ὥδευεν, ἐκοπία, ἐβάδιζε, πεινῶν ἐπὶ τὴν συκῆν ἦλθε, τὸ τελευταῖον ἐκρίνετο, ἐσταυροῦτο. τίς ταῦτα ἐβόα; τίς ταῦτα ἐμαρτύρει; σιωπάτωσαν αἱ γλῶσσαι, λαλείτωσαν αἱ πράξεις. στόμα ἔχουσι τὰ πράγματα" μηκέτι τὸν ἀέρα κρούοντες τὸν ἦχον ἀποπέμψωμεν. στόμα ἔχουσι τὰ γεγραμμένα, κἂν ἡμεῖς σιωπήσωμεν, οὐ σιωπᾷ τὰ πράγματα, κἂν ἡμεῖς μὴ λαλήσωμεν, οὐχ ἀνέχεται μὴ λαλεῖν τὰ γεγραμμένα. ἐπειδὴ οὖν ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχει καὶ πισταί εἰσιν αἱ πράξεις καὶ τῶν πράξεων ἀληθεῖς οἱ λόγοι καὶ βοῶσιν αἱ τῶν πράξεων δυνάμεις ὅτι σῶμα εἶχεν ὃ σωτὴρ καὶ σῶμα θνητὸν καὶ σῶμα ἐφόρεσε διὰ τὰ ἡμέτερα, τὸ ὅμοιον λοιπὸν ζητεῖ, ἧχει διʼ ἡμᾶς ὁ ἐκείνου ποιητὴς καὶ τῶν ἡμετέρων ποιητής. εἰ γὰρ ἕτερον ἦν, οὐχ ἂν περὶ ἑτέρων ἐκείνου πρόνοιαν ἐποιεῖτο, εἰ δὲ πεποίηται ὑπὸ θεοῦ, πεποίηται δὲ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ὑπὲρ τῶν ἰδίων ἐποιεῖτο. ἵνα γὰρ τὰ ἴδια ἑαυτοῦ σώσῃ, ἐκεῖνο ἐποίησε, τῇ ἐκείνου ποιήσει πάντων τῶν ἰδίων τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἐργασάμενος. χάρις οὖν τῷ πεποιηκότι τὰ ἡμέτερα σώματα, τῷ προνοησαμένῳ καὶ ἐρρᾳθυμηκότων αὐτῶν καὶ ἀποστείλαντι τὸν ἴδιον υἱὸν ἐν σώματι καὶ δεδωκότι ἐνέχειρον τοῖς ἡμετέροις σώμασιν, ἵνα μηκέτι κάμπτωμεν καὶ χαμαὶ ὁρῶμεν, ἀλλὰ ὦμεν ἐπηρμένοι τῇ κοινωνίᾳ τῶν σωμάτων. εὐτελίσωμεν οὖν καὶ ἐν τούτῳ τοὺς ἀπατεῶνας ἐκείνους, ὅτι καὶ κατὰ τῶν σωμάτων βεβαδίκασι καὶ κατὰ τοῦ πλάστου κεχωρήκασι καὶ κατὰ τῆς οἰκονομίας τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν γλῶτταν ἐξέτειναν καὶ κατὰ τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἡμῶν λαλεῖν οὐ παρῃτήσαντο, ἀγύρται τινὲς ὄντες καὶ ἀγοραῖοι, ἄθροισμα λόγων πονηρίας συναγηοχότες. ἔστι γὰρ τὸ ἕν ἐχόμενον τὸ ἕτερον αἰτιᾶσθαι, ἀλλὰ μὴ πάντα ἐφεξῆς ἐπεξιόντας πάντα ἀχρεῖα καὶ ἔκφυλα ἡγεῖσθαι. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰς ἅπαντα — - … ]} ### English translation (Claude) and stretching out their tongue against the Saviour. For whoever practises arguing against what belongs to him will sharpen his tongue and argue against him. And the Saviour was washed by baptism in the Jordan, sprinkled with waters: being who? If he did not bear a body or have a body, what have spirits in common with rivers? Which of the angels, what power, what dominion, what principality, what authority went down into a washing and had experience of waters? And if no power or authority or throne went down into waters, the matter needs no inquiry and is clear, and what is sought has become plain. But he came up from the waters, was tempted by the devil, was hungry, was thirsty, sailed, slept, travelled, grew weary, walked, came hungry to the fig tree, and finally was judged and crucified. Who cried these things? Who bore witness to them? Let tongues be silent, let deeds speak. The facts have a mouth; let us no longer send out sound by striking the air. The writings have a mouth: even if we are silent, the facts are not silent; even if we do not speak, the writings do not endure not speaking. Since, then, these things are so, and the deeds are trustworthy, and the accounts of the deeds true, and the powers of the deeds cry out that the Saviour had a body, a mortal body, and wore a body for our sake, it remains to seek the like: he came for us, the maker of that body and the maker of ours. For if it were different, he would not have taken thought for others than that; but if it was made by God, and made for us, he made it for his own. For in order to save his own, he made that body, working by its making the freedom of all his own. Thanks, then, to the one who made our bodies, who took thought for them even when they had grown careless, and sent his own Son in a body, and gave a pledge to our bodies, so that we may no longer bend and look to the ground, but be uplifted by the communion of bodies. Let us, then, cheapen those deceivers in this too, because they have marched against bodies, gone against the Fashioner, stretched out their tongue against God’s economy and not refused to speak against our freedom, being some vagrants and market-loungers who have gathered a heap of words of wickedness. For one may blame one thing that is joined to another, but not, going through all things in order, think all useless and outlandish. That is why we too, into everything … ### Scripture references - Matt 3:13–16: allusion, high confidence - Matt 4:1–2: allusion, high confidence - John 19:28: allusion, medium confidence - Mark 4:38: allusion, medium confidence - John 4:6: allusion, medium confidence - Mark 11:12–13: allusion, high confidence - Rom 8:3: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The events recalled are Matt 3:13–16, Matt 4:1–2, John 19:28, Mark 4:38, John 4:6, Mark 11:12–13, and the trial and crucifixion. “Sent his own Son in a body” recalls Rom 8:3. The page ends with a gap and stray marks in the OCR (— - … ]}). ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 102 (Lagarde 1859, 102; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/102). ## Against the Manichees, Greek continuation of book 3, Lagarde p. 103 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/96/#p-103 - Source: Lagarde 1859, 103 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-10-23 Summary: Titus concludes by urging the faithful to guard their ears against false teachers who claim to be Christ, for there is one Christ, the liberator who drives out sins. ### Greek text λόγον αὐτῶν κατιόντες μὴ πολὺ μῆκος παράσχωμεν τῷ λόγῳ. μέχρι τούτων στῶμεν, διὰ τῶν ὀλίγων καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ὑποδείξαντες καὶ διὰ τῶν προλεχθέντων τὸν ἔλεγχον κατασκευάσαντες. ἐπιμελείας δὲ τοῖς σπουδαίοις χρεία, ἵνα πᾶσαν γοητείαν ὑπερβεβηκότες ἀλήπτους τὰς ἀκοὰς ἀπὸ τῆς πονηρίας διαφυλάξωσιν, ὅπως κλειδοφύλακες ὦσι τῶν ἑαυτῶν ἀκοῶν καὶ πῇ μὲν ἀνοιγνύοντες, ὅτε κρούει ὃ ἀληθὴς λόγος, πῇ δὲ ἀποκλείοντες, ὅτε ὁ ψευδὴς καὶ πεφενακισμένος σχηματιζόμενος τὴν ἀλήθειαν εἰσβάλλειν ἐν τῷ ταμείῳ τῆς διανοίας σπουδάζει. πολλοὶ γὰρ πεπλασμένοι καὶ ἐσχηματισμένοι τὰς ἀκοὰς κρούουσι (λέγοντες Ἐγώ εἰμι ὃ χριστός) καὶ πολλοὺς πλανήσουσιν. εἷς δὲ μόνος ἔστιν ὁ χριστός, ὁ ἐλευθερωτής, ὁ τροπαιοῦχος, ὁ εὐεργετικός, ὁ διαθέσει κρούων, ὁ ἐλευθερίαν τῇ εἰσόδῳ μνηστευόμενος, ὁ ἅμα τῷ εἰσβαλεῖν ἐξοικίζων τὰς ἁμαρτίας, ὃ ἐν τῇ εἰσόδῳ τὴν φιλίαν τὴν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα ἀποδιδούς, ὃ παραχρῆμα τῇ εἰσόδῳ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ τρόπαια … ### English translation (Claude) … going down to their account, let us not give great length to the discourse. Let us stop here, having pointed to the rest through these few things and established the refutation through what has been said. The earnest need care, so that, rising above every sorcery, they may keep their ears unseized by wickedness, so as to be keepers of the keys of their own ears, sometimes opening, when the true word knocks, and sometimes shutting, when the false and deceitful word, putting on the appearance of truth, is eager to burst into the storeroom of the mind. For many, counterfeit and putting on a show, knock at the ears (saying, “I am the Christ”), and will lead many astray. But there is one Christ alone, the liberator, the bearer of trophies, the benefactor, who knocks with goodwill, who betroths freedom by his entrance, who at the moment of entering drives out sins, who at his entrance gives friendship with the Father, who at once by his entrance trophies … ### Scripture references - Matt 24:5: quotation, high confidence - Rev 3:20: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The page begins after a gap and breaks off in the OCR, which ends with illegible marks; the work ends here in the staged text. “I am the Christ … and will lead many astray” is Matt 24:5. Christ knocking recalls Rev 3:20. ### Citation (SBL) Titus of Bostra, Man. 103 (Lagarde 1859, 103; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/titus-bostra-contra-manichaeos/103).