“The Gods being good and making all things, there is no positive evil, it only comes by absence of good; just as darkness itself does not exist, but only comes about by absence of light.”

—  Sallustius

XII. The origin of evil things; and that there is no positive evil.
On the Gods and the Cosmos

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Sallustius photo
Sallustius 56
Roman philosopher and writer

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“If evil exists it must exist either in Gods or minds or souls or bodies. It does not exist in any God, for all god is good.”

Sallustius Roman philosopher and writer

XII. The origin of evil things; and that there is no positive evil.
On the Gods and the Cosmos
Context: If evil exists it must exist either in Gods or minds or souls or bodies. It does not exist in any God, for all god is good. If anyone speaks of a "bad mind" he means a mind without mind. If of a bad soul, he will make the soul inferior to body, for no body in itself is evil. If he says that evil is made up of soul and body together, it is absurd that separately they should not be evil, but joined should create evil.

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