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has been received, and though he is death, he is desired as a savior, and though he is fire, he is considered light, and though he is a deceiver, he is heard as one who speaks the truth. When I, Clement, heard these things: "I wished to learn," I said, "who this so great a deceiver is." And Peter said: "If you wish to learn, it is possible for you to know from those from whom I also have accurately learned all the things concerning him. There is a certain Justa among us, a Syrophoenician, a Canaanite by race, whose little daughter was afflicted by a severe disease, who also came to our Lord crying out and supplicating that he might heal her little daughter. But he, having also been asked by us, said: 'It is not lawful to heal the Gentiles, who are like dogs because they use unclean foods and practices, since the [food] of the kingly table has been given to the sons of Israel.' But she, having heard this, and longing <δεομένη> to partake of the same table like a dog of the crumbs that fall, having changed what she was by living in the same way as the sons of the kingdom, obtained the healing for her daughter, as she had asked. For he who at first refused to heal her as a Gentile because it was not lawful, would not have healed <...> [her], being a Gentile and remaining in the same manner of life [having remained a Gentile]. This very woman, therefore, who had undertaken the lawful way of life, has been cast out of her own home by her own husband, who thought contrary to us, together with her healed daughter. But she, being mindful of the covenants and having an abundance of means, herself remained a widow, but she joined her little daughter in marriage to a certain man who was well-disposed towards the true faith and who was poor. And she, having been deprived also of her daughter on the pretext of her marriage, having bought and educated two boys, had them in the place of sons, who, having been educated together with Simon the magician from childhood, have thoroughly learned all things concerning him. For so great was their friendship, that they even cooperated with him in all things in which he wished them to unite. These men, having met Zacchaeus who was visiting here, and having received the word of truth through him, repented of their former innovations, and quickly condemning Simon, being privy to all his affairs, as soon as I arrived here, came to me with the one who had raised them, having been introduced to me by him, and from that time they are always with me, enjoying the teachings of the truth. When Peter had said these things, he sent for them and ordered them to set forth accurately to me all the things concerning Simon. And they, calling God to witness that they would tell no lie, began to set it forth. Of these, Aquila was the first to begin to speak thus: 'Listen, our dearest brother, so that you may know accurately all the things concerning the man, of whom he is born, and who he is, and from where, and what things he does, and how, and why. This Simon is the son of Antonius and of Rachel his mother, a Samaritan by nation, from the village of Gethon, which is six schoeni distant from the city. This man, having been in Alexandria near Egypt, having thoroughly trained himself in Greek education and having become very powerful in magic, and being deluded, wishes to be thought to be a certain highest power, even of the God who created the world, and sometimes also hinting that he himself is Christ, he calls himself the Standing One. And he uses this appellation as if he will stand forever and does not have a cause of corruption for his body to fall. and neither the God who created the world

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δέδεκται καὶ θάνατος ὢν ὡς σσζων πεπόθηται καὶ πῦρ ὢν φῶς νενόμισται καὶ πλάνος ὢν ὡς ἀληθεύων ἀκούεται. Ταῦτα ἀκούσας ἐγὼ Κλήμης· Τίς ἄρα τυγχάνει, ἔφην, οὗτος ὁ τοσοῦτος ὢν ἀπατεὼν μαθεῖν ἤθελον. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· Eἰ θέλεις μαθεῖν, πάρεστίν σοι τὸ γνῶναι παρ' ὧν κἀγὼ τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν πάντα ἠκρίβωκα. Ἰοῦστά τις ἐν ἡμῖν ἐστιν Συροφοινίκισσα, τὸ γένος Χανανῖτις, ἧς τὸ θυγάτριον ὑπὸ χαλεπῆς νόσου συνείχετο, ἣ καὶ τῷ κυρίῳ ἡμῶν προσῆλθεν βοῶσα καὶ ἱκετεύ- ουσα, ὅπως αὐτῆς τὸ θυγάτριον θεραπεύσῃ. ὁ δὲ καὶ ὑφ' ἡμῶν ἀξιωθεὶς εἶπεν· Oὐκ ἔξεστιν ἰᾶσθαι τὰ ἔθνη, ἐοικότα κυσὶν διὰ τὸ ἀδιαφόροις χρᾶ- σθαι τροφαῖς καὶ πράξεσιν, ἀποδεδομένης τῆς κατὰ τὴν βασίλειον τραπέ- ζης τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραήλ. ἡ δὲ τοῦτο ἀκούσασα, καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς τραπέζης ὡς κύων ψιχίων ἀποπιπτόντων συνμεταλαμβάνειν <δεομένη>, μεταθεμένη ὅπερ ἦν, τῷ ὁμοίως διαιτᾶσθαι τοῖς τῆς βασιλείας υἱοῖς τῆς εἰς τὴν θυ- γατέρα, ὡς ἠξίωσεν, ἔτυχεν ἰάσεως. οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἐθνικὴν οὖσαν καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ αὐτῇ πολιτείᾳ μένουσαν ὁ τὴν ἀρχὴν διὰ τὸ μὴ ἐξεῖναι θεραπεύειν ὡς ἐθνικήν [ἐθνικὴν μείνασαν] <...>, ἐθεράπευεν. αὐτὴ οὖν αὕτη ἡ νόμι- μον ἀναδεξαμένη πολιτείαν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἰδίου ἀνδρὸς ἐναντία φρονοῦντος ἡμῖν μετὰ τῆς ἰαθείσης θυγατρὸς ἰδίων οἴκων ἐκβέβληται. ἡ δέ, εὐγνω- μονοῦσα πρὸς τὰς συνθήκας καὶ ἐν περιουσίᾳ βίου ὑπάρχουσα, αὐτὴ μὲν χήρα ἔμεινεν, τὸ δὲ θυγάτριον αὐτῆς ἀνδρί τινι εὐγνωμονοῦντι πρὸς τὴν ἀληθῆ πίστιν καὶ πένητι ὄντι συνηρμόσατο. ἡ δὲ καὶ τῆς θυγατρὸς προφάσει γάμου στερηθεῖσα, δύο παιδία ὠνησαμένη καὶ παιδεύσασα, εἰς υἱῶν ἔσχεν τόπον, ἅτινα τῷ μάγῳ Σίμωνι ἐκ παίδων συνπαιδευθέντα, πάντα τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν ἐκμεμαθήκασιν· τοσαύτη γὰρ αὐτῶν ἦν ἡ φιλία, ὡς καὶ συνσπεῦσαι αὐτῷ ἐν πᾶσιν οἷς βούλοιτο αὐτοῖς ἑνοῦν. οὗτοι τῷ ἐνταῦθα ἐπιδημήσαντι Ζακχαίῳ συντυχόντες καὶ τοῦ τῆς ἀληθείας δι' αὐτοῦ μεταλαβόντες λόγου, ἐπὶ τοῖς πρώτοις νεωτερισμοῖς μεταμελη- θέντες, ταχέως τοῦ Σίμωνος καταγνόντες, πάντα αὐτῷ συνειδότες, ἅμα τῷ ἐπιδημῆσαί με ἐνταῦθα μετὰ τῆς ἀναθρεψαμένης αὐτοὺς προσελθόν- τες μοι, ὑπ' αὐτοῦ συσταθέντες μοι, καὶ ἔκτοτε πάντοτε σύνεισίν μοι, τῶν τῆς ἀληθείας ἀπολαύοντες μαθημάτων. Ταῦτα εἰπὼν ὁ Πέτρος, μεταπεμψάμενος ἐκέλευσεν αὐτοῖς πάντα μοι τὰ κατὰ τὸν Σίμωνα ἀκριβῶς ἐκτίθεσθαι. οἱ δὲ τὸν θεὸν μαρτυράμενοι μηδὲν ψεύσασθαι, ἐξετίθεντο. ὧν πρῶτος ὁ Ἀκύλας ἤρξατο λέγειν οὕτως· Ἄκου- σον, φίλτατε ἡμῖν ἀδελφέ, ὅπως ἀκριβῶς πάντα τὰ κατὰ τὸν ἄνδρα εἰδῇς, τίνος τε ὢν καὶ τίς καὶ πόθεν, τίνα τέ ἐστιν ἃ πράττει καὶ πῶς καὶ διὰ τί. Σίμων οὗτος πατρὸς μέν ἐστιν Ἀντωνίου, μητρὸς δὲ Ῥαχήλ, Σαμαρεὺς τὸ ἔθνος, ἀπὸ Γετθῶν κώμης, τῆς πόλεως ἀπεχούσης σχοίνους ἕξ. οὗτος ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ τῇ πρὸς Aἴγυπτον γεγονώς, Ἑλληνικῇ παιδείᾳ πάνυ ἐξασ- κήσας ἑαυτὸν καὶ μαγείᾳ πολὺ δυνηθεὶς καὶ φρενωθεὶς θέλει νομίζεσθαι ἀνωτάτη τις εἶναι δύναμις καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ τὸν κόσμον κτίσαντος θεοῦ, ἐνίοτε δὲ καὶ χριστὸν ἑαυτὸν αἰνισσόμενος, ἑστῶτα προσαγορεύει. ταύτῃ δὲ τῇ προσηγορίᾳ κέχρηται, ὡς δὴ στησόμενος ἀεὶ καὶ αἰτίᾳ φθορᾶς τὸ σῶμα πεσεῖν οὐκ ἔχων. καὶ οὔτε θεὸν τὸν κτίσαντα τὸν κόσμον