Darkness And Light

Σκοτίαν δὲ ὀνομάζει τὴν τοῦ φωτίζεσθαι δεομένην φύσιν καθόλου, τοῦτ' ἔστι, τὴν γενητήν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ αὐτὸν ὠνόμασε τὸ φῶς, ἑτέραν οὗσαν ἐπιδεικνύων τὴν ἐπιδεᾶ καὶ ἀμέτοχον αὐτοῦ κτίσιν λογικὴν, εἰς τὸ ἐναντίον περιτρέπει τοῦ σημαινομένου τὴν δύναμιν, οὐκ ἀπὸ σκοποῦ κατά γε τὸν ἡμέτερον οῦν, καὶ τοῠτο ποιῶν, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνο δὴ πάντως καθ' ἑαυτὸν ἐννοήσας, ὅτι τῶν γενητῶν ἡ φύσις, οὐδὲν ὅλως ἐξ αὐτης πηγάζουσα, σύμπαν δὲ τὸ εἶναι καὶ τὸ εὖ εἶναι τοιῶσδε τυχὸν δεχομένη παρὰ τοῦ Δημιουργοῦ, δικαίως ἀκούει· Τί γὰρ ἔχεις ὅ οὐκ ἔλαβες; Ἐπειδὴ δὲ πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις, καὶ αὐτὸ θεοδοτον ἔχει τὸ φῶς, οὐκ ἔχουσα δηλονότι λαμβάνει· τὸ δὲ φῶς ούκ ἔχον ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ, πῶς οὐκ ἄν εἴη τὸ ἐναντίον; ἤ πῶς οὐκ ἄν λέγοιτο σκοτία; Πιθανὴ γὰρ, μάλλον δὲ ἤδη καὶ ἀναγκαιοτάτη λίαν ἀπόδειξις, τοῦ τὴν μὲν κτίσιν εἴναι σκοτίαν, φῶς δὲ πάλιν τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγον, τὸ φαίνειν ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ τὸ φῶς. Εἰ γὰρ δέχεται τῶν γενητῶν ἡ φύσις τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγον κατὰ μετουσίαν, ὡς φῶς, ἤ ὡς ἐκ φωτὸς, αὔτη μὲν ὡς σκοτία  δηλονότι λαμβάνει· φαίνει δὲ ἐν αὐτῇ, καθάπερ ἐν σκοτιᾳ τὸ φῶς, ὁ Υἱος, εἰ καὶ οὐκ οἴδε πάντως ἡ σκοτία τὸ φῶς· τοῦτο γὰρ, οἴμαι, σημαίνει τὸ, Ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν. Ἄπασι μὲν γὰρ ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος ἐλλάμπει τοῖς ἐλλάμψεως δεκτικοῖς, καὶ φωτίζει καθόλου τὰ φύσιν ἔχοντα τοῦ φωτιζεσθαι δεκτικήν· ἀγνοεῖται δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς σκοτίας.   Εἰς Τὸ Κατὰ Ἰωαννην Εὐαγγελιον,  Λογος Δευτερος, , Ἅγιος Κυριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας

Darkness he calls the nature lacking illumination, that is, the beginning. For since he calls Him the Light, he shows that the rational creation which lacks and does not share in it is different, and he turns the force of the term to the opposite, doing this so not without purpose, but himself thinking above all that the nature of things in the beginning, producing nothing from itself, received its whole being and well being, such as it is, from its Creator, and it rightly hears, 'What have you that you did not receive?' 1 And since, along with the rest, it has light given by God, it does not possess it but receive it. But that which has not light, how will it not be the contrary, or how will it not be called darkness? For certainly it is not just probable but rather necessary to admit that creation is darkness and the Word of God Light. For if the nature of things receive the Word of God by participation, as Light, or as of Light, it then possesses of itself darkness, and the Son shines in it, as the light does in darkness, even though the darkness does not know the Light. For this, I suppose, is the meaning of 'The darkness comprehended it not.' 2 For the Word of God shines upon all things that are receptive of His radiance, and He illumines everything which has a nature receptive to being illuminated. But the darkness does not know Him. Saint Cyril of Alexandria, On The Gospel of Saint John, Book I 1 1 Cor 4.7  2 Jn 1.5