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| Sophonias Maintains that God Cannot Produce What is Unlike Himself. PREVIOUS SECTION - NEXT SECTION - HELP
Chapter V.—Sophonias
Maintains that God Cannot Produce What is Unlike Himself.
And Sophonias said again: “Your great
patience, my lord Peter, gives us boldness to ask you many questions
for the sake of accuracy. Wherefore we make our inquiries with
confidence in every direction. I remember, then, that Simon said
yesterday, in his discussion with you, that the evil one, if he was
born of God, possesses in consequence the same substance as He does who
sent him forth, and he ought to have been good, and not wicked.
But you answered that this was not always the case, since many wicked
sons are born of good parents, as from Adam two unlike1493
1493 An emendation of
Wieseler’s. | sons were begotten, one of whom was bad
and the other good. And when Simon found fault with you for
having used human examples, you answered that in this way we ought not
to admit that God begets at all; for this also is a human
example. And I, Sophonias, admit that God begets; but I do not
allow that He begets what is bad, even though the good among men beget
bad children. And do not imagine1494
1494 An emendation of
Wieseler’s. |
that I am without reason attributing to God some of the qualities that
distinguish men, and refusing to attribute others, when I grant that He
begets, but do not allow that He begets what is unlike Himself.
For men, as you might expect, beget sons who are unlike them in their
dispositions for the following reason. Being composed of four
parts, they change their bodies variously, according to the various
changes of the year; and thus, the appropriate change either of
increase or decrease taking place in the human body, each season
destroys the harmonious combination. Now, when the combinations
do not always remain exactly in the same position, the seeds, having
sometimes one combination, sometimes another, are sent off; and these
are followed, according to the combination belonging to the season, by
dispositions either good or bad. But in the case of God we cannot
suppose any such thing; for, being unchangeable and always existing,
whenever He wishes to send forth, there is an absolute necessity that
what is sent forth should be in all respects in the same position as
that which has begotten, I mean in regard to substance and
disposition. But if any one should wish to maintain that He is
changeable, I do not know how it is possible for him to maintain that
He is immortal.”
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