Read the twenty books of Heraclian,[453] bishop of Chalcedon,
_Against the Manichaeans_.[454] His style is concise, free from
redundancies, lofty, not wanting in clearness, at the same time
tempered with dignity. He combines atticism with ordinary language,
like a teacher of boys entering into a contest of superatticism. He
refutes the _Gospel_, _Book of the Giants_, and the _Treasures_ of
the Manichaeans. He also gives a list of those who wrote against
the Manichaean impiety before him--Hegemonius, who wrote out the
disputation of Archelaus against Manes; Titus,[455] who was supposed
to be an opponent of the Manichaeans, whereas he rather attacked the
writings of Addas;[456] George of Laodicea,[457] who uses nearly the
same arguments as Titus against the impious heresy; Serapion, bishop
of Thmuis;[458] lastly, Diodorus,[459] who wrote twenty-five books
against the Manichaeans, in the first seven of which he imagines
that he is refuting the _Living Gospel_ of Manes, instead of the
work of Addas named _Modion_,[460] as is really the case. In the
remaining books he explains and clears up the meaning of certain
passages in the Scriptures which the Manichaeans were in the habit
of appropriating to support their own views. Such is his account of
Diodorus. Any statements in the works of these Fathers (as the pious
Heraclian calls them) that do not appear to be sufficiently emphatic,
he briefly confirms, carefully supplies what is missing, and quotes
with approval in their entirety passages which are adequate for the
purpose, adding further reflections of his own.
The man is full of philosophical vigour, and is admirably equipped
with the theoretical knowledge of other branches of learning. Hence
he energetically combats and overthrows the trifling fables of
Manichaeus,[461] and from the consideration of what exists refutes
the fabulous nonsense about Being (that which is).
This treatise against the Manichaeans was written at the request of
a certain Achillius, whom the author calls his faithful and beloved
son. This Achillius, seeing that the Manichaean heresy was growing,
begged that it might be publicly refuted, and this work was written,
an unexceptionable triumph over impiety. This most pious Heraclian
flourished in....