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having known himself to be and living with a good conscience, knows how to shake off from his soul with right reason the painful thing that falls upon him, because it has come to pass for the accomplishment of some unknown good. And now, do not let the postponement of the discussion with Simon the magus grieve you; for perhaps it has happened for your benefit by the providence of God. Wherefore, as to one who is my own, I will not hesitate to say. Some of our companions associate feignedly with Simon, as if persuaded by his most godless error, so that by learning his plans they may reveal them to us, in order to be able to deal fittingly with the terrible man. And now I have learned from them the arguments he intends to make in the discussion, and knowing this, I gave thanks to God, and counted you blessed for the postponement of the discussion. For since you will have been equipped by me before the discussion concerning the arguments about to be spoken by him for the distinguishing of the ignorant, you will be able to become a listener who will not stumble. For the scriptures have added many falsehoods against God for this reason: the prophet Moses, by the will of God, having handed down the law with its interpretations to seventy chosen men, so that they themselves might equip those of the people who wished, not long after, the law having been written down, added certain falsehoods against the one God who created heaven and earth and all things in them, the evil one having dared to effect this for a certain just reason. And this happened by reason and judgment, so that it might be tested who dare to love hearing the things written against God, and who, out of love for him, not only disbelieve the things said against him, but not even endure to hear them at all, even if they happen to be true, judging it much safer to be in peril concerning a reverent faith than to live with a bad conscience on blasphemous words. Simon, therefore, as I learn, wishes to come and speak in public about these very passages against God that were added to the scriptures for the sake of temptation, so that he may be able to make as many wretched people as he can fall away from their love for God. For we do not wish to say publicly that they have been added to the books, since by terrifying the unlearned crowds we would be doing the will of the evil Simon himself. For not yet having discernment, they will flee from us as impious, or else they will fall away from the word, not just from the blasphemous passages which are false. Therefore we are compelled, while assenting to the false passages and inquiring about them in turn, to bring him into difficulty, but to the well-disposed, after a test of faith, to provide in private the explanation of the passages spoken against God, which has one and a short way. And it is this: everything said or written against God is false. And that we truly say this not only for the sake of reverence, but also of truth, I will fully convince you in a short time as the discourse proceeds. Wherefore you, my dearest Clement, ought not to be grieved that Simon has postponed the discussion for this one present day. For today, being equipped beforehand before the discussion concerning the passages added in the scriptures, you ought not to be perplexed in the discussion about the one and good God, who also made the world, but you will even marvel in the discussion how the impious the multitudes

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εἶναι γνοὺς καὶ εὐσυνειδήτως βιούς, τὸ προσπῖπτον λυπηρὸν οἶδεν ὀρθῷ τῷ λογισμῷ ἀποσείεσθαι τῆς ψυχῆς, ὅτι πρὸς ἀγαθοῦ τινος ἀγνώστου συντελούμενον ἐλθεῖν ἔχει. καὶ νῦν δὲ τοῦ μάγου Σίμωνος ἡ τῆς ζητή- σεως ὑπέρθεσις μή σε λυπείτω· ἴσως γὰρ ἐκ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ προνοίας εἰς τὴν σὴν γέγονεν ὠφέλειαν. διὸ ὡς ἰδίῳ σοι ὄντι οὐκ ὀκνήσω λέγειν. τῶν ἡμετέρων τινὲς ἑταῖροι τῷ Σίμωνι προσποιητῶς σύνεισιν ὡς πει- σθέντες τῇ ἀθεωτάτῳ αὐτοῦ πλάνῃ, ὅπως μανθάνοντες αὐτοῦ τὰς βουλὰς ἐκφαίνωσιν ἡμῖν πρὸς τὸ δύνασθαι δεινῷ ἀνδρὶ οἰκείως συναρμόσασθαι. καὶ νῦν παρ' αὐτῶν ἔμαθον ἧς μέλλει ζητήσεως ποιεῖσθαι τοὺς λόγους, καὶ γνοὺς ἐπὶ τούτῳ τῷ μὲν θεῷ ηὐχαρίστησα, σὲ δὲ ἐμακάρισα ἐπὶ τῇ τῆς ζητήσεως ὑπερθέσει· τῶν γὰρ μελλόντων λόγων ὑπ' αὐτοῦ πρὸς διάκρισιν τῶν ἀγνοούντων λέγεσθαι σὺ πρὸ τῆς ζητήσεως ἐφοδιασθεὶς ὑπ' ἐμοῦ ἄπτωτος ἀκροατὴς γενέσθαι δυνήσει. πολλὰ γὰρ ψευδῆ κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ προσέλαβον αἱ γραφαὶ λόγῳ τούτῳ· τοῦ προφήτου Μωυσέως γνώμῃ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκλεκτοῖς τισιν ἑβδομήκοντα τὸν νόμον σὺν ταῖς ἐπιλύ- σεσιν παραδεδωκότος πρὸς τὸ καὶ αὐτοὺς ἐφοδιάζειν τοῦ λαοῦ τοὺς βουλομένους, μετ' οὐ πολὺ γραφεὶς ὁ νόμος προσέλαβέν τινα καὶ ψευδῆ κατὰ τοῦ μόνου θεοῦ τοῦ τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς δημιουργήσαντος, τοῦτο τοῦ πονηροῦ δικαίῳ τινὶ λόγῳ ἐνεργῆσαι τετολμηκό- τος. καὶ τοῦτο γέγονεν λόγῳ καὶ κρίσει, ὅπως ἐλεγχθῶσιν τίνες τολμῶσιν τὰ κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ γραφέντα φιληκόως ἔχειν τίνες τε στοργῇ τῇ πρὸς αὐτὸν τὰ κατ' αὐτοῦ λεγόμενα μὴ μόνον ἀπιστεῖν, ἀλλὰ μηδὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀκούειν ἀνέχεσθαι, κἂν ἀληθῆ τυγχάνῃ, πολλῷ κρίναντες ἀσφαλέστερον περὶ εὐφήμου πίστεως κινδυνεύειν ἢ ἐπὶ βλασφήμοις λόγοις δυσσυνειδήτως βιοῦν. ὁ οὖν Σίμων τὰς κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς πειρασμοῦ χά- ριν προσκειμένας περικοπὰς αὐτάς, ὡς μανθάνω, βούλεται ἐλθὼν εἰς μέσον λέγειν, ὅπως τῆς πρὸς τὸν θεὸν στοργῆς ὅσους δύναται ταλαιπώ- ρους ἀποστῆσαι δυνηθῇ. δημοσίᾳ γὰρ αὐτὰς λέγειν προσκεῖσθαι ταῖς βίβλοις οὐ βουλόμεθα, ἐπεὶ πτύραντες ἀμαθεῖς ὄχλους αὐτοῦ τοῦ πονηροῦ Σίμωνος τὸ θέλημα ποιοῦμεν. μήπω γὰρ τὸ διακριτικὸν ἔχοντες φεύξονται ἡμᾶς ὡς ἀσεβοῦντας ἢ ὡς οὐ μόνον τῶν βλασφήμων περικοπῶν ψευ- δῶν οὐσῶν ἀποστήσονται τοῦ λόγου. διὸ ἀνάγκην ἔχομεν, συγκατατι- θέμενοι ταῖς ψευδέσι περικοπαῖς, περὶ αὐτῶν ἀντιπυνθανόμενοι, εἰς ἀπορίαν αὐτὸν μὲν φέρειν, τοῖς δὲ εὐγνωμονοῦσιν τῶν κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ·ηθεισῶν περικοπῶν μετὰ πεῖραν πίστεως ἰδίᾳ παρέχειν τὴν ἐπίλυσιν, ἥτις μίαν καὶ σύντομον ἔχει τὴν ὁδόν. ἔστιν δὲ ἥδε· πᾶν λεχθὲν ἢ γραφὲν κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ψεῦδός ἐστιν. ὅτι δὲ ἀληθῶς τοῦτο οὐ μόνον εὐφημίας ἕνεκεν λέγομεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀληθείας, μετὰ βραχὺ προϊόντος τοῦ λόγου πληροφορήσω. ὅθεν σύ, φίλτατέ μοι Κλήμης, ἐπὶ τῷ τὸν Σίμωνα πρὸς τὴν ζήτησιν μίαν τὴν ἐνεστῶσαν ὑπερθέσθαι ἡμέραν οὐκ ὀφείλεις λυπεῖσθαι· σήμερον γὰρ πρὸ τῆς ζητήσεως προεφοδιαζόμενος περὶ τῶν ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς προσκειμένων περικοπῶν, ἐπὶ τῆς ζητήσεως περὶ τοῦ μόνου καὶ ἀγαθοῦ, τοῦ καὶ τὸν κόσμον πεποιηκότος, διακριθῆναι οὐκ ὀφείλεις, ἀλλὰ καὶ θαυμάσεις ἐπὶ τῆς ζητήσεως πῶς οἱ ἀσεβεῖς τὰ πλήθη