Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume VIII/Pseudo-Clementine Literature/The Clementine Homilies/Homily XIX/Chapter 13

by Anonymous

Chapter XIII.—God the Maker of the Devil.

And Peter said:  “Now indeed our object is to show how and by whom the evil one came into being, since he did come into being; but we shall show if he came into being blamelessly, when we have finished the subject now in hand.  Then I shall show how and on account of what he came into being, and I shall fully convince you that his Creator is blameless.^[1]  We said, then, that the four substances were produced by God.  And thus, through the volition of Him who mingled them, arose, as He wished, the choice of evils.  For if it had arisen contrary to His determination, or from some other substance or cause, then God would not have had firmness of will:  for perchance, even though He should not wish it, leaders of evil might continually arise, who would war against His wishes.  But it is impossible that this should be the case.  For no living being, and especially one capable of giving guidance, can arise from accident:  for everything that is produced must be produced by some one.”

Footnotes

1. This passage is evidently corrupt.  But it is not easy to amend it.