Ἀλλὰ οὐδὲ ἐν ταῖς οὐσίαις ἐστι τὸ κακὸν. Εἰ γὰρ πάντα τὰ ὄντα ἐκ τἀγαθοῦ, καὶ ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς οὖσι, καὶ πάντα περιέχει τἀγαθὸν, ἢ οὐκ ἔσται τὸ κακὸν ἐν τοῖς οὖσιν, ἢ ἐν τἀγαθῷ ἔσται· καὶ μὴν ἐν τἀγαθῷ οὐκ ἔσται (καὶ γὰρ οὐδὲ ἐν πυρὶ τὸ ψυχρὸν) οὐδὲ τὸ κακύνεσθαι τῷ καὶ τὸ κακὸν ἀγαθύνοντι. Εἰ δὲ ἔσται, πῶς ἔσται ἐν τἀγαθῷ τὸ κακόν; Εἰ μὲν ἐξ αὐτοῦ, ἄτοπον καὶ ἀδύνατον· Οὐ δύναται γὰρ, ὡς ἡ τῶν Λογίων ἀλήθειά φησι, δένδρον ἀγαθὸν καρποὺς πονηροὺς ποιεῖν· οὐδὲ μὴν τὸ ἀνάπαλιν. Εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἐξ αὐτοῦ, ἐξ ἄλλης δηλονότι ἀρχῆς καὶ αἰτίας· καὶ γὰρ ἢ τὸ κακὸν ἐκ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἔσται, ἢ τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐκ τοῦ κακοῦ· ἢ εἰ μὴ τοῦτο δυνατόν, ἐξ ἄλλης ἀρχῆς καὶ αἰτίας ἔσται καὶ τὸ ἀγαθὸν καὶ τὸ κακόν. Πᾶσα γὰρ δυὰς οὐκ ἀρχὴ, μονὰς δὲ ἔσται πάσης δυάδος ἀρχή. Καίτοι ἄτοπον, ἐξ ἑνὸς καὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ δύο παντελῶς ἐναντία προϊέναι καὶ εἶναι, καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν ἀρχὴν οὐχ ἁπλῆν καὶ ἐνιαίαν, ἀλλὰ μεριστὴν καὶ δυαειδῆ, καὶ ἐναντίαν ἑαυτῇ, καὶ ἡλλοιωμένην. Καὶ μὴν οὔτε δύο τῶν ὄντων ἐναντίας ἀρχὰς δυνατόν εἶναι, καὶ ταύτας ἐν ἀλλήλαις, καὶ ἐν τῷ παντὶ, καὶ μαχομένας· εἰ γὰρ τοῦτο δοθείη, ἔσται καὶ ὁ Θεὸς οὐκ ἀπήμων οὐδὲ ἐκτὸς δυσχερειῶν, εἴπερ εἴη τι καὶ αὐτῷ τὸ ἐνοχλοῦν· ἔπειτα ἔσται πάντα ἄτακτα καὶ ἀεὶ μαχόμενα· καίτοι φιλίας πᾶσι τοῖς οὖσι τὸ ἀγαθὸν μεταδίδωσι, καὶ αὐτοειρήνη, καὶ εἰρηνόδωρος ὑμνεῖται πρὸς τῶν ἱερῶν θεολόγων. Διὰ καὶ φίλα τἀγαθὰ, καὶ ἐναρμόνια πάντα, καὶ μιᾶς ζωῆς ἔγγονα, καὶ πρὸς ἓν ἀγαθὸν συντεταγμένα, καὶ προσηνῆ, καὶ ὅμοια, καὶ προσήγορα ἀλλήλοις· ὥστε οὐκ ἐν θεῷ τὸ κακὸν, καὶ τὸ κακὸν οὐκ ἔνθεον. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἐκ θεοῦ τὸ κακόν· ἢ γὰρ οὐκ ἀγαθὸς, ἢ ἀγαθοποιεῖ, καὶ ἀγαθὰ παράγει· καὶ οὐ ποτὲ μὲν, καί τινα, ποτὲ δὲ οὔ, καὶ οὐ πάντα· μεταβολὴν γὰρ ἐν τούτῳ πείσεται καὶ ἀλλοίωσιν, καὶ περὶ αὐτὸ τὸ πάντων θειότατον, τὴν αἰτίαν. Εἰ δὲ ἐν θεῷ τἀγαθοῦ ὕπαρξίς ἐστιν, ἔσται ὁ μεταβάλλων ἐκ τἀγαθοῦ θεὸς ποτὲ μὲν ὢν, ποτὲ δὲ οὐκ ὤν. Εἰ δὲ μεθέξει τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἔχει, καὶ ἐξ ἑτέρου ἕξει, καὶ ποτὲ μὲν ἕξει, ποτὲ δὲ οὐχ ἕξει. Οὐκ ἄρα ἐκ θεοῦ τὸ κακὸν, οὔτε ἐν θεῷ, οὔτε ἁπλῶς, οὔτε κατὰ χρόνον.