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to renounce evil, to renounce the whole world, that is, worldly cares; and if need be, also to practice continence from foods and all carnal pleasure; and, not to speak of each thing, even if it is necessary to keep virginity and purity, it is possible for me, being a Christian and keeping the faith for myself, to build all these things upon it. For if I take away the foundation of faith, which is Jesus, where shall I build the commonwealth? For I hear these things preached every day in the church of Christ by the fathers who also enlightened me; but to you I will say: Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity; if anyone preaches to you a gospel contrary to what you have received, let him be anathema. If you had ever been sober, if you had ever been watchful, you would not have been dragged away by the teacher of heresies, you would not have truly become a destroyer; for no one will compel you, upon returning to the church, to eat and drink carnal food, nor to marry or be given in marriage, but if you wish, neither to eat bread nor anything that fattens the body. Only do not deprive yourself of the body and blood of Christ, nor abominate the creatures of God. That from Simon Magus these heresies. Each of mankind has authority to abstain from evil, but to approach the good, and to receive from the good as much power and grace as he himself wishes; for whatever kind of vessel is found, such is the grace also given to the one who asks, as the scripture says concerning spiritual and holy men that "The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is judged by no one." And this is a great thing, that he has received such authority from God to judge all things, while he himself is judged by no one; but having already become higher than all human nature and having received judgment from God before the resurrection. But that which astonishes the hearers more is that there is progress even beyond this measure; for to say "He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit" and he did not say: he is spiritual or he is holy. but "he is one spirit" indicates that such a one has been mingled with the divinity; he became one with God, he can no longer be separated. By the same reasoning also the unbeliever and the carnal man, to his own measure, as much as he gives himself over to carnal pleasures and to unbelief, so much does he find iniquity abounding in himself. And it is possible to find this also in scripture; to the carnal he says: "I could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to carnal." But those who have fallen into the utmost evil he calls [not] carnal, as the Holy Spirit no longer has even a chance beginning in them; for he speaks thus in the creation: "My spirit shall not abide in these men, because they are flesh." And it was necessary concerning this to set forth more testimonies from the scriptures, but we considered it superfluous since the two persons of the believer and the unbeliever are manifest. For you will find the holy prophets and apostles and martyrs and many children of the church of Christ having reached the first measure of piety, and in the second person you will find many others in the scriptures, workers of iniquity and children of the devil, and named with many and various names; and one of them is Simon, the leader of these heresies, whom we will show received all the evil of the devil into his own heart. For he, having approached Philip the apostle, who was preaching in Samaria, and having been instructed by him in the word of truth and having renounced the devil and enlisted with God, is deemed worthy also of baptism, who also was remaining with the apostle, and seeing the signs and the powers performed through him was astonished; for he did not simply listen to the preaching, but the scripture also shows that he remained for a time, so that he was fully convinced by both sight and hearing. And these things the love of God for mankind was working, in order that it might gain him; and if he had wished, he would have obtained this, but instead of this he thinks the opposite. For when it was shown

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ἀποτάξασθαι κακίας, ἀποτάξασθαι ὅλῳ τῷ κόσ μῳ, τουτέστι τῶν κοσμικῶν φροντίδων· εἰ δὲ δέοι, καὶ ἐγκρα τεύεσθαι βρωμάτων καὶ πάσης ἡδονῆς σαρκικῆς· καὶ ἵνα μὴ καθὲν λέγω, καὶ εἰ δεῖ παρθενίαν καὶ ἁγνείαν φυλάξαι, ἔξεστί μοι χριστιανῷ ὄντι καὶ φυλάσσοντί μοι τὴν πίστιν ἐποικοδομεῖν ταῦτα πάντα. Ἐὰν γὰρ ἀφέλω τὸν θεμέλιον τῆς πίστεως, ὅς ἐστιν Ἰησοῦς, ποῦ ἐποικοδομήσω τὸ πολίτευμα; Ταῦτα γὰρ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἀκούω ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρὰ τῶν πατέρων κηρυσσόμενα τῶν καὶ φωτισάντων με· πρὸς ὑμᾶς δὲ ἐρῶ· Ἀπόστητε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ πάντες οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι τὴν ἀνομίαν· ἐάν τις ὑμῖν εὐαγγελίζηται παρ' ὃ παρελάβετε, ἀνάθεμα ἔστω «. Εἴποτε ἔνηψας, εἴποτε ἐγρηγόρησας, οὐκ ἂν ὑπεσύρης ὑπὸ τοῦ καθηγητοῦ τῶν αἱρέσεων, οὐκ ἂν ἐγεγόνεις ὄντως καταλύτης· οὐδὲ γάρ σε ἐπανελθόντα εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἀναγκάσει τις ἐσθίειν καὶ πίνειν τὴν σαρκικὴν τροφήν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ γαμεῖν ἢ ἐκγαμίζεσθαι, ἀλλ' εἰ δοκεῖ μήτε ἄρτον ἐσθίειν μήτε τι τῶν πιαινόντων τὸ σῶμα. Μόνον τοῦ σώματος καὶ αἵματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἑαυτὸν μὴ ἀποστερήσῃς μηδὲ τὰ κτίσματα τοῦ θεοῦ βδελύξῃ. Ὅτι ἀπὸ Σίμωνος τοῦ μάγου αὗται αἱ αἱρέσεισ Ἕκαστος τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐξουσίαν ἔχει ἀποσχέσθαι μὲν τοῦ κακοῦ, προσελθεῖν δὲ τῷ ἀγαθῷ, καὶ τοσαύτην δέξασθαι ἐκ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ δύναμιν καὶ χάριν ὅσην αὐτὸς βούλεται· οἷον γὰρ ἂν εὑρεθῇ τὸ σκεῦος, τοιαύτη δίδοται καὶ ἡ χάρις τῷ αἰτήσαντι, καθὼς ἡ γραφὴ λέγει περὶ πνευματικῶν καὶ ἁγίων ὅτι Ὁ πνευματικὸς ἀνακρίνει πάντα, αὐτὸς ὑπ' οὐδενὸς ἀνακρινόμενος. Καὶ τοῦτο μὲν μέγα, ὅτι τοσαύτην αὐθεντίαν ἔλαβεν παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ πάντα ἀνακρίνειν, ὑπ' οὐδενὸς αὐτὸς ἀνακρινόμενος· ἀλλ' ἤδη ὑψηλότερος γενόμενος πάσης τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἀναστά σεως τὸ κρίνειν λαβὼν παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ. Ἐκεῖνο δὲ πλέον ξενίζει τοὺς ἀκούοντας, ὅτι ἔστι προκοπὴ καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦτο τὸ μέτρον· τὸ γὰρ εἰπεῖν Ὁ κολλώμενος τῷ κυρίῳ ἓν πνεῦμά ἐστι καὶ οὐκ εἶπε· πνευματικός ἐστιν ἢ ἅγιός ἐστιν. ἀλλ' ἓν πνεῦμά ἐστι δηλοῖ, ὡς ὁ τοιοῦτος ἀνεκράθη τῇ θεότητι· ἓν ἐγένετο μετὰ τοῦ θεοῦ, χω ρισθῆναι οὐκέτι δύναται. Τῷ αὐτῷ λόγῳ καὶ ὁ ἄπιστος καὶ ὁ σαρκικὸς εἰς τὸ μέτρον τὸ ἴδιον ὅσον ἐκδίδωσιν ἑαυτὸν ταῖς σαρκικαῖς ἡδοναῖς καὶ τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ, τοσοῦτον εὑρίσκει ἐν ἑαυτῷ πληθυνομένην τὴν ἀνομίαν. Καὶ ἔστιν εὑρεῖν καὶ τοῦτο ἐν τῇ γραφῇ· τοῖς μὲν σαρκικοῖς λέγει· Οὐκ ἠδυνήθην ὑμῖν λαλῆσαι ὡς πνευματικοῖς, ἀλλ' ὡς σαρκικοῖς. Τοὺς δὲ εἰς ἐσχάτην κακίαν καταπεσόντας [οὐ] σαρκικοὺς καλεῖ ὡς μηκέτι ἔχειν ἀρχὴν κἂν τὴν τυχοῦσαν εἰς αὐτοὺς τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· λέγει γὰρ οὕτως ἐν τῇ κτίσει· Οὐ μὴ καταμείνῃ τὸ πνεῦμά μου ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τούτοις διὰ τὸ εἶναι αὐτοὺς σάρκας. Καὶ ἔδει περὶ τούτου παραθεῖναι πλείονας μαρτυρίας τῶν γραφῶν, ἀλλὰ περισσὸν ἡγησάμεθα φανερῶν ὄντων τῶν δύο προσώπων τοῦ πιστοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἀπίστου. Εὑρήσεις γὰρ εἰς τὸ πρῶτον μέτρον τῆς εὐσεβείας φθάσαντας τοὺς ἁγίους προφήτας καὶ ἀποστόλους καὶ μάρτυρας καὶ πολλὰ τέκνα τῆς ἐκκλησίας τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ εἰς τὸ δεύτερον πρόσωπον πολλοὺς μὲν ἄλλους ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς εὑρήσεις ἐργάτας τῆς ἀνομίας καὶ τέκνα διαβόλου καὶ πολλοῖς καὶ διαφόροις ὀνόμασιν ὠνομασμέ νους· εἷς δέ ἐστιν ἐξ αὐτῶν ὁ Σίμων, ὁ ἔξαρχος τούτων τῶν αἱρέσεων, ὃν δείξομεν πᾶσαν τοῦ διαβόλου τὴν κακίαν εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ καρδίαν δεξάμενον. Οὗτος γὰρ προσελθὼν φιλίππῳ τῷ ἀποστόλῳ, κηρύσσον τι ἐν Σαμαρείᾳ, καὶ κατηχηθεὶς παρ' αὐτοῦ τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ ἀποταξάμενος τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ ταξάμενος τῷ θεῷ καταξιοῦται καὶ τοῦ βαπτίσματος, ὃς καὶ ἦν παραμένων τῷ ἀποστόλῳ θεωρῶν τε τὰ σημεῖα καὶ τὰς δυνάμεις τὰς δι' αὐτοῦ ἐπιτελουμένας ἐξίστατο· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἁπλῶς ἐπήκουσε τοῦ κηρύγματος, ἀλλὰ καὶ μέχρι χρόνου δηλοῖ αὐτὸν ἡ γραφὴ παραμείναντα, ὥστε καὶ ὀφθαλμῷ καὶ ἀκοῇ αὐτὸν πληροφορηθῆναι. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἡ φιλανθρωπία τοῦ θεοῦ εἰργάζετο, ἵνα αὐτὸν κερδήσῃ· καὶ εἰ ἠθέλησεν, ἔτυχεν ἂν τούτου, ἀλλ' ἀντὶ τούτου τὰ ἐναντία φρονεῖ. ∆ηλώσαντος γὰρ