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trusting in the truth. When he said these things, I answered: I now thank God; for just as I wished to be fully convinced, so he has granted it to me. However, as for myself, be so unworried that I will never doubt, [so much so] that even if you yourself should ever wish to make me depart from the prophetic subject, being unable, you will not be able, so great is what I know I have received. And do not think that I am making a great promise to you in this very thing of never doubting; but neither I myself nor any man who has heard the teaching about the prophet will ever be able to doubt, having first heard and understood about the true subject, what the truth of the prophetic promise is. Therefore, be confident in the doctrine willed by God; for every art of wickedness has been defeated. For against prophecy, neither arts of words nor inventions of sophisms, nor syllogisms, nor any other device can do anything, if indeed the one who hears a true prophet truly desires the truth and does not under the pretext of truth look around for something else. So, my lord Peter, do not be disheartened as though you have bestowed the greatest good on an unperceiving man; for you have bestowed it on one who perceives the grace and who cannot be deceived away from the truth that has been given. For I know that it is possible for one both to receive quickly what one wants, and to fail to obtain it even after a long time; I know, therefore, not to despise what was given to me on account of the swiftness of what is incomparable and uniquely secure. When I had said these things, Peter said: I give thanks to God both for your salvation and for my enjoyment. For I am truly pleased, knowing that you have recognized what the greatness of prophecy is. Since, therefore (as you said), not even I myself, should I ever wish (which may it never be) to move you to another doctrine, will be able to persuade you, begin from tomorrow onward to be present with me in the discussions with our opponents. And tomorrow for me is against Simon the magus. And having said these things, and having himself partaken of food privately, he bade me also to partake. And having said a blessing over the food and given thanks after being satisfied, and having given me the reason for this very thing, he added, saying: May God grant you to be made like me in all things and, having been baptized, to partake of the same table as me. Having said these things, he ordered me to be quiet. For already, I suppose, the nature of the body was demanding sleep.

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ἀληθείᾳ πεποιθότες. ταῦτα αὐτοῦ εἰπόντος, ἀπεκρινάμην· Ἤδη εὐχα- ριστῶ τῷ θεῷ· ὡς γὰρ ἐβουλόμην πληροφορηθῆναι, οὕτως μοι καὶ παρέσχεν. πλὴν τὰ περὶ ἐμοῦ τοσοῦτον ἀμέριμνος ἴσθι ὅτι οὐ πώποτε ἐνδοιάσω, [τοσοῦτον] ὅσον εἰ καὶ αὐτὸς σὺ βουληθείης ποτὲ τῆς προφη- τικῆς ὑποθέσεως ἐκστῆσαί με, ἀδυνατῶν οὐ δυνήσῃ, τοσοῦτον οἶδα ὃ παρείληφα. καὶ μήτοι νόμιζέ μέ σοι μέγα ἐπαγγέλλεσθαι τοῦτ' αὐτὸ τὸ μὴ ἐνδοιάσαι ποτέ· ἀλλ' οὔτ' αὐτὸς ἐγὼ οὔτε τις ἀνθρώπων τὸν περὶ προφήτου λόγον ἐπακούσας ἐνδοιάσαι ποτὲ δυνήσεται, περὶ τῆς ἀληθοῦς ὑποθέσεως πρότερον ἐπακούσας καὶ νοήσας τίς ἐστιν προφητικῆς ἐπαγγε- λίας ἀλήθεια. διὸ θάρρει τῷ θεοβουλήτῳ δόγματι· πᾶσα γὰρ τέχνη κα- κίας νενίκηται. πρὸς γὰρ προφητείαν οὐδὲν δύνανται οὔτε τέχναι λό- γων οὔτε σοφισμάτων ἐπίνοιαι, οὐ συλλογισμοί, οὐκ ἄλλη τις μηχανή, ἐάν γε ὁ ἐπακούσας προφήτου ἀληθοῦς ἀληθείας ὄντως ὀρέγηται καὶ οὐ προφάσει ἀληθείας ἕτερόν τι περιβλέπηται. ὥστε, κύριέ μου Πέτρε, μὴ ἀθύμει ὡς ἀναισθήτῳ τὸ μέγιστον δωρησάμενος ἀγαθόν· αἰσθομένῳ γὰρ χάριτος ἐδωρήσω καὶ μὴ δυναμένῳ ἀπατηθῆναι ἀπὸ τοῦ δοθέντος ἀληθοῦς. οἶδα γὰρ ὅτι ἔνεστιν ὧν βούλεταί τις καὶ ταχέως λαβεῖν καὶ βραδέως μὴ τυχεῖν· οἶδα οὖν μὴ καταφρονεῖν τοῦ δοθέντος μοι διὰ τὸ τά- χος ἀσυγκρίτου καὶ μόνου ἀσφαλοῦς. Ταῦτά μου εἰπόντος ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· Χάριν ὁμολογῶ τῷ θεῷ καὶ περὶ τῆς σῆς σωτηρίας καὶ περὶ τῆς ἐμῆς ἀπολαύσεως. ἀληθῶς γὰρ ἥδομαι εἰδὼς ὅτι ἐπέγνως τί ποτ' ἔστιν προφητείας μέγεθος. ἐπεὶ οὖν (ὡς ἔφης) οὐδ' ἂν αὐτὸς ἐγὼ θελήσω ποτέ (ὅπερ ἀπείη) εἰς ἕτερόν σε μεταστῆσαι δόγμα, οὐχ ἱκα- νὸς ἔσομαι πεῖσαί σε, ἄρξαι τοῦ λοιποῦ ἀπὸ τῆς αὔριον παρεῖναί μοι ἐν ταῖς τῶν ἀντικειμένων ζητήσεσιν. ἔστι δέ μοι ἡ αὔριον πρὸς Σίμωνα μάγον. καὶ ταῦτ' εἰπὼν καὶ τροφῆς αὐτὸς μεταλαβὼν ἰδίᾳ κἀμὲ μεταλαβεῖν ἐκέλευσεν. εὐλογήσας δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς τροφῆς καὶ εὐχαριστήσας μετὰ τὸ κορεσθῆναι καὶ αὐτοῦ τούτου τὸν λόγον μοι ἀποδοὺς ἐπήγαγεν λέγων· ∆ση σοι ὁ θεὸς κατὰ πάντα ἐξομοιωθῆναί μοι καὶ βαπτισθέντα τῆς αὐτῆς μοι μεταλαβεῖν τραπέζης. ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἡσυχάζειν μοι προσέταξεν. ἤδη γάρ που καὶ τὸν ὕπνον ἀπῄτει ἡ τοῦ σώματος φύσις.