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[HOMILY 3.] Two days therefore having passed, and a third dawning, I Clement, awakened to dispute with Simon, and my companions with me, at the second crowing of the cocks, found the lamp still shining, and Peter on his knees praying. Having finished his prayer, therefore, he turned and saw us ready to listen, and said: I want you to know that those who by our foresight are with Simon, so that by learning his plans they might report to us, that we might be able to adapt to the diversity of his wickedness, have themselves sent, informing us and saying: Simon today, as he arranged, is ready to come before all and prove from the scriptures that this is not the most high God, "who created heaven and earth" and all things in them, but another, unknown and most high, as being in secret places the God of gods; who sent two gods, of whom the one is the one who created the world, and the other the one who gave the law; and he devises to say these things, so that for those who are about to worship the one and only God, "who created heaven and earth," he might destroy their right faith. Having heard these things, how could I not be disheartened? Therefore I also wanted you, my brothers with me, to know that I am not moderately pained in my soul, seeing the evil one vigilant for the trial of men, while men are very neglectful of their own salvation. For he has contrived for those from the Gentiles who are about to be persuaded concerning earthly idols that they are not gods, to introduce opinions of many other gods, so that. if they should cease from the low polytheistic madness, they will be deceived into speaking otherwise or even worse against the monarchy of God, so that, never having preferred the things of the monarchy, they may never be able to obtain mercy. And on account of this audacity, Simon comes to fight us, armed with the false sections of the scriptures. And the more terrible thing is that he is not afraid to dogmatize such things against the true God from the prophets in whom he has believed. And against us, indeed, who from our ancestors have received the tradition to worship the God who created all things, and also the mystery of the books that are able to deceive, he will be able to do nothing, but against those from the Gentiles, who have had the polytheistic opinion as their companion and do not know the falsehoods of the scriptures, he will have much power, not only he, but if any other also should relate to those from the Gentiles some empty fable against God, like a dream, richly adorned, he will be believed because from childhood their minds have been accustomed to receive the things said against God. But there will be some rare ones among them, few out of the multitude, who through good judgment will not be willing even to hear an evil word against the God who created all things; for whom alone, being from the Gentiles, will it be possible to be saved. Therefore, let none of you blame Simon at all, or any other; for nothing happens unjustly, since even the falsehoods of the scriptures happen reasonably for the purpose of testing. And I Clement, having heard, said: How do you say, lord, that even the things of the scriptures

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[OΜIΛIA Γ.] ∆ύο μὲν οὖν διελθουσῶν ἡμερῶν, ἐπιφωσκούσης δὲ τρίτης, πρὸς τὸ διαλεχθῆναι τῷ Σίμωνι ἐξυπνισθεὶς ἐγὼ Κλήμης καὶ οἱ συνόντες ἑταῖροι ὑπὸ τὰς δευτέρας τῶν ἀλεκτρυόνων φωνάς, εὕρομεν τὸν μὲν λύχνον ἔτι φαίνοντα, τὸν δὲ Πέτρον γονυκλινῆ προσευχόμενον. συντελέσας οὖν τὴν δέησιν, ἐπιστραφεὶς καὶ ἰδὼν ἡμᾶς πρὸς τὸ ἀκοῦσαι ἑτοίμως ἔχον- τας, ἔφη· Γινώσκειν ὑμᾶς θέλω ὅτι οἱ καθ' ἡμετέραν πρόνοιαν συνόν- τες τῷ Σίμωνι, ὅπως τὰς βουλὰς αὐτοῦ μανθάνοντες ὑποβάλλωσιν ἡμῖν, ἵνα δυνώμεθα πρὸς τὴν τῆς κακίας αὐτοῦ ποικιλίαν ἁρμόσασθαι, αὐτοὶ πέμψαντες ἐδήλωσαν ἡμῖν λέγοντες· Σίμων σήμερον, καθὰ συνε- τάξατο, ἕτοιμός ἐστιν ἀπὸ τῶν γραφῶν ἐπὶ πάντων ἐλθὼν ἀποδεικνύειν μὴ τοῦτον εἶναι θεὸν ἀνώτατον, «ὃς οὐρανὸν ἔκτισε καὶ γῆν» καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς, ἀλλὰ ἄλλον τινὰ ἄγνωστον καὶ ἀνώτατον ὡς ἐν ἀπορρήτοις ὄντα θεὸν θεῶν· ὃς δύο ἔπεμψε θεούς, ἀφ' ὧν ὁ μὲν εἷς ἐστιν ὁ κόσμον κτίσας, ὁ δὲ ἕτερος ὁ τὸν νόμον δούς· καὶ ταῦτα μηχανᾶται λέγειν, ὅπως τῶν τὸν ἕνα καὶ μόνον μελλόντων σέβειν θεόν, «ὃς οὐρανὸν ἔκτισε καὶ γῆν», τὴν ὀρθὴν προεκλύσει πίστιν. ταῦτα ἀκούσας πῶς οὐκ ἂν ἠθύμησα; διὸ καὶ ὑμᾶς τοὺς συνόντας μοι ἀδελφοὺς εἰδέναι ἠθέλησα ὡς οὐ μετρίως τὴν ψυχὴν ἀλγῶ, ἐνορῶν τὸν μὲν πονηρὸν πρὸς δοκιμὴν ἀνθρώπων ἐγρηγορότα, τοὺς δὲ ἀνθρώπους τῆς ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίας πάνυ ἀμελοῦντας. ἐμηχανήσατο γὰρ τοῖς ἀπὸ ἐθνῶν μέλλουσιν περὶ τῶν ἐπι- γείων ξοάνων πείθεσθαι ὅτι οὐκ εἰσὶν θεοί, ἑτέρων πολλῶν θεῶν δόξας εἰσενεγκεῖν, ὅπως. ἐὰν παύσωνται τῆς κάτω πολυθέου μανίας, ἑτέρως ἢ καὶ χεῖρον κατὰ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ μοναρχίας λέγειν ἀπατηθήσονται, ἵνα μηδέποτε τὰ τῆς μοναρχίας προτιμήσαντες οὐπώποτε ἐλέους τυχεῖν δυνηθῶσιν. ταύτης δὲ τῆς τόλμης ἕνεκα ὁ Σίμων ταῖς ψευδέσιν τῶν γραφῶν περικοπαῖς ὡπλισμένος πολεμεῖν ἡμῖν προσέρχεται. καὶ τὸ δεινότερον ὅτι ἀφ' ὧν πεπίστευκε προφητῶν τοιαῦτα δογματίζειν κατὰ τοῦ ὄντως θεοῦ οὐ πεφόβηται. καὶ ἡμῖν μὲν τοῖς ἐκ προγόνων παρειληφόσιν τὸν τὰ πάντα κτίσαντα σέβειν θεόν, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τῶν ἀπατᾶν δυναμένων βίβλων τὸ μυστήριον, οὐδὲν δυνήσεται, τοῖς δὲ ἀπὸ ἐθνῶν, τὴν πολύθεον ὑπόληψιν σύντροφον ἔχουσιν καὶ τῶν γραφῶν τὰ ψευδῆ οὐκ εἰδόσιν, πολὺ δυνήσεται οὐ μόνον αὐτός, ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ ἄλλος τις τοῖς ἀπὸ ἐθνῶν κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ κενόν τινα, ὅμοιον ὀνείρῳ, πλουσίως κεκοσμη- μένον ὑφηγήσεται μῦθον, πιστευθήσεται τῷ ἐκ παίδων τὸν νοῦν αὐτῶν τὰ κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ λεγόμενα ἐθισθῆναι λαμβάνειν. σπάνιοι δέ τινες οἱ μὲν αὐτῶν ἔσονται, ὡς ἐκ πλήθους ὀλίγοι, οἵτινες δι' εὐγνωμοσύνην οὐ θελήσουσι κατὰ τοῦ τὰ πάντα κτίσαντος θεοῦ κακὸν λόγον αὐτὸ κἂν ἀκοῦσαι μόνον· οἷς μόνοις ἀπὸ ἐθνῶν οὖσιν σωθῆναι γενήσεται. μὴ οὖν ὑμῶν τις τὸν Σίμωνα παντελῶς μεμφέσθω ἢ καὶ ἄλλον τινά· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἀδίκως γίνεται, ὅπου καὶ τὰ τῶν γραφῶν ψευδῆ εὐλόγως πρὸς δοκι- μὴν ἔχοντα τυγχάνει. Κἀγὼ Κλήμης ἀκούσας ἔφην· Πῶς λέγεις, κύριε, καὶ τὰ τῶν γραφῶν