Kinds of Volitional Evil

Regarding marriage. Now indeed those living according to the Gospel are able to have an honorable marriage and an undefiled bed, as Paul writes to the believers: 'Marriage is honorable, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge' (Hebrews 13:4). For by distinguishing the honorable marriage and those using it from fornicators and adulterers, he does not want this to be fornication or adultery; therefore marriage is not even a sin.

And it will be said more naturally: Virginity turns out to be a divine thing, and exists in virtues. If anyone therefore, comparing marriage to this, says it is a sin, it is not a sin in an absolute sense. For the evil is not a sin by being a comparison to the good, but being such in itself. If ever indeed one were to say something evil as being toward a good, and that itself were good, it would be inferior to the good he is setting forth as prior.

Those then coming to the Gospel first come to it regarding godliness, and to become wise according to God. These therefore have the being fought against by some; for it is necessary for these to embrace Christianity. And firmness approaches from the training according to the trials. Therefore it is necessary for them to endure struggles.

And just as those competing, if they cared for the reasonable, do not combine this with that as it happens; not as an athlete, but with much precision, aiming at the proportion of each one's strength; so also our athlete, Christ, does not yoke together all with the same opponents. But according to the age and the strength of each, he gives the adversary.

To the Corinthians, being still infants, Paul writes that they are surrounded by the sufferings of the flesh: 'You have not suffered temptation except what is human' (1 Corinthians 10:13). For the temptations of these, and the struggles, have reference to human matters. And concerning himself and those nearby, both unstable and strong, writing he says: 'For our wrestling is not against blood and flesh, but against the rulers, and the authorities, and the cosmic powers of the darkness of this age' (Ephesians 6:12); saying this only once: 'For us who have ascended above, the wrestling is no longer against blood and flesh, that is, human things, but against the ranks having ascended above the adversaries'; and these are kinds of...

of the logical kinds, having become evil by choice. But let no one suppose that, because we have spoken of kinds of logical evils, we are speaking of an evil essence. For there are kinds and genera of those things which are volitional.

For we say, for example, that there are kinds of being excellent, just, temperate, and wise. Since virtue is a genus, being divided into kinds, into justice, temperance, and the rest, it is necessary that one participating in the genus be called excellent, just as a genus is that of those participating in virtues according to kind; likewise, since science is a genus, of grammar, music, and the rest, we say that the one called a scientist from the genus is a genus of those called from the kinds of science.

So if then we speak of kinds of logical evils, we say that all those under these kinds are such by choice. Therefore, let it be manifest that the aforementioned names are not of essences, but of volitional matters. For the name 'devil' denotes not an essence, but a choice.

Immediately also, regarding Judas, a man, the Lord named him 'devil,' not because of his essence, but because of his choice, saying to all the disciples at once, counting Judas among them: 'Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?' (John 6:70). As the writer brings it forth: He said this concerning Judas, the one about to betray him. For if he was called a devil because of the coming betrayal, he was not a devil then, when he also shared the election with all. For he had become elect among all, because of the virtue present in him then; but he was called a devil when he performed the things of the betrayal.

If, therefore, the name 'devil' in the case of Judas is a sign of a volitional act, so if the voice were speaking concerning anyone else, it would signify something volitional. And custom also knows the use of this name. We call 'devils' those who accuse this one of that, and those, of these. Since also the devil accuses God to men, and men to God, and those men to one another, he has received this name. And if even the name 'Satan' were accusing this same devil, let them know that even this too is a sign of some volitional matter. For being a Hebrew word, it is not something else...