Letter 30: No part of the soul or body was created evil by God.

No one is trusted with a treasure while asleep, and no one receives the baptism of repentance without keeping watch. Solomon says, "Do not give sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids." He calls sin in action the sleep of rational nature, because it deprives the soul of holy light. He calls the first thought that comes upon the soul a slumber; afterward it is called sleep because the soul does not rise up from it. Let no one think this means we cannot be awakened. The Holy Spirit does not prevent our struggles from happening, because it belongs to us to fight in the things that can happen or not happen. The law does not cut away the accidents of nature; it gives a commandment in matters that can be guarded. I do not look to those who smuggle evil into nature and then set the law aside as though it had no force. If every evil naturally arises from the rational, irascible, or desiring part, and if these powers can be used well or badly, then evil is clearly born from an improper use. If this is so, no part of the soul was created evil by God. Nor do I say that any body was created badly. Everything capable of the knowledge of God but choosing ignorance instead is called evil. But no bodily nature is capable of that knowledge in itself, and so no bodily thing should be called evil. Let those who call it evil be put to shame. As for us, let us hasten through the virtues to stand it before God, showing by our works that the law God established was wholly established well.

Greek retroversion from Syriac transmission (Frankenberg 1912, TAN/TEI CC BY 4.0): ουδεις θησαυρον πιστευεται και υπνοι και ουδεις δεχεται βαπτισμα επιστροφης (μετανοιας?) και ουκ αγρυπνει καθως λεγει σολομων· μη δωις υπνον σοις ομμασι μηδε επινυσταξηις κτλ . υπνον της λογικης φυσεως καλει την δι' εργου αμαρτιαν ως την ψυχην του αγιου φωτος αποστερουσαν, νυσταγμον δε τον λογισμον το πρωτον τηι ψυχηι επελθοντα μετα δε καλειται υπνος δια το ανεγερτον. μηδεις δε οιεσθω οτι αδυνατον γενεοθαι τουτο ωστε ημας εξεγερθηναι· το γαρ αγιον πνευμα ου τας ημων συμφορας εμποδιζει γενεσθαι, οτι ημων εστιν αγωνιζεσθαι εν τοις δυνατοις γενεσθαι και μη γενεσθαι. ο γαρ νομος ου τας της φυσεως συμφορας περικοπτει αλλα εντολην διδωσι εν τοις τηρεισθαι δυναμενοις. ου γαρ βλεπω εις τους την κακιαν εις την φυσιν παρεισαγοντας τε και τον νομον ως ου καθηχοντα τιθεντας· ει γαρ πασα κακια απο του λογιστικου η του θυμικου η του επιθυμητικου πεφυκε γενεσθαι ταυταις δε ταις δυναμεσιν εστι χρησθαι καλως και χακως, δηλον οτι εκ χρησεως ου καθηκουσης γενναται η χακια· ει δε τουτο ουτως εχει ουδε εν δη της ψυχης κακον υπο θεου εκτισται. αλλ' ουδε εν των σωματων λεγω οτι κακως εκτισται· παν γαρ δεκτικον της θεου γνωσεως της δε γνωσεως την αγνοιαν προαιρουμενον τουτο κακον καλειται· αλλα γαρ ουκ εστι σωματικη φυσις της γνωσεως δεκτικον ωστε ουδε εν των σωματικων δει κακον καλεισθαι, οι δε καλουντες αυτο καταισχυνωνται. ημεις οε δι' αρετων σπευδωμεν στησαι αυτο εμπροσθεν θεου δια των εργων ελεγχοντες οτι ον ο θεος εθετο νομον ολον καλως εθετο Syriac transmission available in the linked TAN/TEI source. The complete corpus is Syriac-transmitted; Greek survives only fragmentarily, so this display text is a retroversion witness.