On the Divine Names and the Mystical Theology — trans. C. E. Rolt
The translator’s English as printed (C. E. Rolt). The original-language text is not held; names are romanised as the translator printed them.
19. Thus perhaps will such bewildered discourse speak. Now we will bid the questioner look towards the truth of things, and in the first place we will venture thus to answer: “Evil cometh not of the Good ; and if it cometh therefrom it is not evil. For even as fire cannot cool us, so Good cannot produce the things which are not good. And if all things that have being come from the Good (for it is natural to the Good to produce and preserve the creatures, and natural to evil to corrupt and to destroy them) then nothing in the world cometh of evil. Then evil can which material particles are a form. Modern science teaches that atoms have no actual existence. Thus the atomic theory has worked round to something very much like D.’s theory of the non-existent world stuff). (iii) Absolute Non-Existence (= Evil). The three grades might be expressed by a numerical symbol as follows : If finite numbers represent the various forms of existence, the Infinity (which contradicts the laws of finite numbers) = the Good : Unity (which is a mere abstraction and cannot exist apart from multiplicity since every finite unit is divisible into parts) = the world stuff: Zero (which annihilates all finite numbers that are multiplied by it) = Evil.
1 The argument in the rest of the section is as follows : Evil exists, for there is a radical difference between virtue and vice. Evil is, in fact, not merely negative, but positive: not merely destructive, but also productive. And hence it is necessary to the perfection of the world. To which D. replies in the next section that evil does not exist qua evil, nor is it positive or productive qua evil. It exists and is positive and productive solely through an admixture of the Good. (We might illustrate this by the fact that Zero, multiplied by Infinity, produces finite number.)
19. So, perhaps, such bewildered reasoning will speak. Now we shall bid the questioner look toward the truth of things, and in the first place we shall venture to answer thus: “Evil does not come from the Good; and if it comes from it, it is not evil. For just as fire cannot cool us, so the Good cannot produce things that are not good. And if all things that have being come from the Good (for it is natural to the Good to produce and preserve creatures, and natural to evil to corrupt and destroy them), then nothing in the world comes from evil. Then evil can — which material particles are a form. Modern science teaches that atoms have no actual existence. So the atomic theory has worked round to something very like D.’s theory of the non-existent world stuff.) (iii) Absolute Non-Existence (= Evil). The three grades might be expressed by a numerical symbol as follows: if finite numbers represent the various forms of existence, then Infinity (which contradicts the laws of finite numbers) = the Good; Unity (which is a mere abstraction and cannot exist apart from multiplicity, since every finite unit is divisible into parts) = the world stuff; Zero (which annihilates every finite number multiplied by it) = Evil.
1 The argument in the rest of the section is as follows: Evil exists, for there is a radical difference between virtue and vice. Evil is in fact not merely negative but positive, not merely destructive but also productive, and is therefore necessary to the perfection of the world. To this D. replies in the next section that evil does not exist qua evil, nor is it positive or productive qua evil. It exists and is positive and productive solely through an admixture of the Good. (We might illustrate this by the fact that Zero multiplied by Infinity produces finite number.)