NPNF2-08. Basil: Letters and Select Works - Holy Bible Institute

“The Earth was Invisible and Unfinished.”5. Do not then go beyond yourself to seek for evil, and imagine that there is an originalnature of wickedness. Each of us, let us acknowledge it, is the first author of his own vice.Among the ordinary events of life, some come naturally, like old age and sickness, othersby chance like unforeseen occurrences, of which the origin is beyond ourselves, often sad,sometimes fortunate, as for instance the discovery of a treasure when digging a well, or themeeting of a mad dog when going to the market place. Others depend upon ourselves, suchas ruling one’s passions, or not putting a bridle on one’s pleasures, to be master of our anger,or to raise the hand against him who irritates us, to tell the truth, or to lie, to have a sweetand well-regulated disposition, or to be fierce and swollen and exalted with pride. 1427 Hereyou are the master of your actions. Do not look for the guiding cause beyond yourself, butrecognise that evil, rightly so called, has no other origin than our voluntary falls. If it wereinvoluntary, and did not depend upon ourselves, the laws would not have so much terrorfor the guilty, and the tribunals would not be so without pity when they condemn wretchesaccording to the measure of their crimes. But enough concerning evil rightly so called.Sickness, poverty, obscurity, death, finally all human afflictions, ought not to be ranked asevils; since we do not count among the greatest boons things which are their opposites. 1428Among these afflictions, some are the effect of nature, others have obviously been for manya source of advantage. Let us then be silent for the moment about these metaphors and allegories,and, simply following without vain curiosity the words of Holy Scripture, let ustake from darkness the idea which it gives us.But reason asks, was darkness created with the world? Is it older than light? Why inspite of its inferiority has it preceded it? Darkness, we reply, did not exist in essence; it is acondition produced in the air by the withdrawal of light. What then is that light whichdisappeared suddenly from the world, so that darkness should cover the face of the deep?If anything had existed before the formation of this sensible and perishable world, no doubtwe conclude it would have been in light. The orders of angels, the heavenly hosts, all intellectualnatures named or unnamed, all the ministering spirits, 1429 did not live in darkness,but enjoyed a condition fitted for them in light and spiritual joy. 1430621427 cf. Epictetus, Ench. i. ἐφ᾽ ἡμῖν μὲν ὑπόληψις, ὁρμὴ, ὄρεξις, ἔκκλισις, καὶ ἑνὶ λόγῳ ὁσα ἡμέτερα ἔργα.1428 cf. M. Aurelius II. xi. ὃ γὰρ χείρω μὴ ποιεῖ ἄνθρωπον, πῶς δη τοῦτο βίον ἀνθρώπου χείρωποιήσειεν;…θάνατος δέ γε καὶ ζωὴ δόξα καὶ ἀδοξία, πόνος καὶ ἡδονὴ, πλοῦτος καὶ πενία, πάντα ταῦτα ἐπίσηςσυμβαίνει ἀνθρώπων τοῖς τε ἀγαθοῖς καὶ τοῖς κακοῖς, οὔτε καλὰ ὄντα οὔτε αἰσχρά· οὐτ᾽ ἀρ᾽ ἀγαθὰ οὔτε κακάἐστι. Also Greg. Nyss. Orat. Cat. and Aug., De Civ. Dei. i. 8. Ista vero temporalia bona et mala utrisque voluitesse communia, ut nec bona cupidius appetantur, quæ mali quoque habere cernuntur, nec mala turpiter evitentur,quibus et boni plerumque afficiuntur.1429 cf. Heb. i. 14.1430 cf. Theod. (Quæst. in Gen. vi.) who is ready to accept the creation of angels before the creation of theworld. Origen, Hom. i. in Gen. Hom. iv. in Is. taught the existence of angels “before the æons.” Greg. Naz.,271