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mocking women. 2.14.1 The evil power which hates the good and plots against the salvation of men, put forward at that time Simon as the father and author of such evils, as if he were a great antagonist of the great and inspired apostles of our Savior. 2.14.2 But nevertheless, the divine and super-celestial grace, co-operating with its ministers, through their manifestation and presence, quickly extinguished the kindled flame of the evil one, humbling and casting down through them every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of God. 2.14.3 Wherefore no sect, either of Simon or of any other of those that sprung up at that time, was established in those apostolic times. For the light of the truth and the divine Word himself, which had lately shone from God upon men, and was flourishing upon the earth, 2.14.4 and dwelling in his own apostles, conquered and prevailed over all. Immediately the aforesaid sorcerer, as if struck in the eyes of his mind by a divine and wondrous flash, when he was formerly convicted of his wickedness by the apostle Peter in Judea, undertook a great journey across the sea, and fled from East to West, thinking that only in this way could he live according to his mind. 2.14.5 And having come to the city of the Romans, with the great cooperation of the power that lay in wait there, in a short time he had so far advanced in his undertaking, that he was honored as a god by those there with the erection of a statue. But these things did not long prosper for him. 2.14.6 For close upon his heels, in the same reign of Claudius, the all-good and most philanthropic Providence of the universe led by the hand Peter, the strong and great apostle, who, because of his virtue, was the spokesman for all the others, to Rome, as against so great a pest of life; who, like a noble general of God, armed with divine weapons, brought the precious merchandise of the intelligible light from the East to those in the West, proclaiming the light itself and the word that brings salvation to souls, the preaching of the kingdom of heaven. 2.15.1 Thus then, when the divine word had come to them, the power of Simon was quenched and immediately destroyed along with the man. But so great a light of piety shone upon the minds of Peter's hearers that they were not satisfied with hearing once, nor with the unwritten teaching of the divine proclamation; but with all sorts of entreaties they besought Mark, whose gospel is extant, being a follower of Peter, that he would leave them a written memorial of the teaching which had been delivered to them by word of mouth, and they did not give up until they had persuaded the man, and in this way became the cause of the writing of the so-called Gospel according to Mark. 2.15.2 And they say that the apostle, when he learned what had been done, by a revelation of the Spirit to him, was pleased with the eagerness of the men, and authorized the writing for reading in the churches. Clement in the sixth book of the Hypotyposeis relates the story, and the bishop of Hierapolis, named Papias, also bears witness with him. And they say that Peter mentions Mark in his first epistle, which they say he composed in Rome itself, and that he indicates this, calling the city figuratively Babylon, in these words: «She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you, and so does Mark, my son.» 2.16.1 And they say that this Mark was the first to be sent to Egypt to preach the Gospel which he had also written, and that he was the first to establish churches in Alexandria itself. 2.16.2 And such a multitude of believers, both men and women, was gathered there from the first attempt, through a most philosophical and intense asceticism, that Philo thought it right to describe in writing their pursuits and their assemblies and their banquets and their whole manner of life. 2.17.1 It is said that he, during the reign of Claudius, came to Rome to converse with Peter, who was then preaching there. And this is not improbable, since indeed

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γυναιξὶν ἐγκαταπαιζόντων. 2.14.1 τοιούτων κακῶν πατέρα καὶ δημιουργὸν τὸν Σίμωνα κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ ὥσπερ εἰ μέγαν καὶ μεγάλων ἀντίπαλον τῶν θεσπεσίων τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἀποστόλων ἡ μισόκαλος καὶ τῆς ἀνθρώπων ἐπίβουλος σωτηρίας πονηρὰ δύναμις προυστήσατο. 2.14.2 Ὅμως δ' οὖν ἡ θεία καὶ ὑπερουράνιος χάρις τοῖς αὐτῆς συναιρομένη διακόνοις, δι' ἐπιφανείας αὐτῶν καὶ παρουσίας ἀναπτομένην τοῦ πονηροῦ τὴν φλόγα ᾖ τάχος ἐσβέννυ, ταπεινοῦσα δι' αὐτῶν καὶ καθαιροῦσα πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ 2.14.3 τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ θεοῦ. διὸ δὴ οὔτε Σίμωνος οὔτ' ἄλλου του τῶν τότε φυέντων συγκρότημά τι κατ' αὐτοὺς ἐκείνους τοὺς ἀποστολικοὺς ὑπέστη χρόνους. ὑπερενίκα γάρ τοι καὶ ὑπερίσχυεν ἅπαντα τὸ τῆς ἀληθείας φέγγος ὅ τε λόγος αὐτὸς ὁ θεῖος ἄρτι θεόθεν ἀνθρώποις ἐπιλάμψας ἐπὶ γῆς τε ἀκμάζων 2.14.4 καὶ τοῖς ἰδίοις ἀποστόλοις ἐμπολιτευόμενος. αὐτίκα ὁ δηλωθεὶς γόης ὥσπερ ὑπὸ θείας καὶ παραδόξου μαρμαρυγῆς τὰ τῆς διανοίας πληγεὶς ὄμματα ὅτε πρότερον ἐπὶ τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἐφ' οἷς ἐπονηρεύσατο πρὸς τοῦ ἀποστόλου Πέτρου κατεφωράθη, μεγίστην καὶ ὑπερπόντιον ἀπάρας πορείαν τὴν ἀπ' ἀνατολῶν ἐπὶ δυσμὰς ᾤχετο φεύγων, μόνως ταύτῃ βιωτὸν αὐτῷ κατὰ γνώμην εἶναι 2.14.5 οἰόμενος. ἐπιβὰς δὲ τῆς Ῥωμαίων πόλεως, συναιρομένης αὐτῷ τὰ μεγάλα τῆς ἐφεδρευούσης ἐνταῦθα δυνάμεως, ἐν ὀλίγῳ τοσοῦτον τὰ τῆς ἐπιχειρήσεως ἤνυστο, ὡς καὶ ἀνδριάντος ἀναθέσει πρὸς τῶν τῇδε οἷα θεὸν τιμηθῆναι. οὐ μὴν εἰς μακρὸν αὐτῷ ταῦτα προυχώρει. 2.14.6 παρὰ πόδας γοῦν ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς Κλαυδίου βασιλείας ἡ πανάγαθος καὶ φιλανθρωποτάτη τῶν ὅλων πρόνοια τὸν καρτερὸν καὶ μέγαν τῶν ἀποστόλων, τὸν ἀρετῆς ἕνεκα τῶν λοιπῶν ἁπάντων προήγορον, Πέτρον, ἐπὶ τὴν Ῥώμην ὡς ἐπὶ τηλικοῦτον λυμεῶνα βίου χειραγωγεῖ· ὃς οἷά τις γενναῖος θεοῦ στρατηγὸς τοῖς θείοις ὅπλοις φραξάμενος, τὴν πολυτίμητον ἐμπορίαν τοῦ νοητοῦ φωτὸς ἐξ ἀνατολῶν τοῖς κατὰ δύσιν ἐκόμιζεν, φῶς αὐτὸ καὶ λόγον ψυχῶν σωτήριον, τὸ κήρυγμα τῆς τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείας, εὐαγγελιζόμενος. 2.15.1 οὕτω δὴ οὖν ἐπιδημήσαντος αὐτοῖς τοῦ θείου λόγου, ἡ μὲν τοῦ Σίμωνος ἀπέσβη καὶ παραχρῆμα σὺν καὶ τῷ ἀνδρὶ καταλέλυτο δύναμις· τοσοῦτον δ' ἐπέλαμψεν ταῖς τῶν ἀκροατῶν τοῦ Πέτρου διανοίαις εὐσεβείας φέγγος, ὡς μὴ τῇ εἰς ἅπαξ ἱκανῶς ἔχειν ἀρκεῖσθαι ἀκοῇ μηδὲ τῇ ἀγράφῳ τοῦ θείου κηρύγματος διδασκαλίᾳ· παρακλήσεσιν δὲ παντοίαις Μάρκον, οὗ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον φέρεται ἀκόλουθον ὄντα Πέτρου, λιπαρῆσαι, ὡς ἂν καὶ διὰ γραφῆς ὑπόμνημα τῆς διὰ λόγου παραδοθείσης αὐτοῖς καταλείψοι διδασκα λίας, μὴ πρότερόν τε ἀνεῖναι ἢ κατεργάσασθαι τὸν ἄνδρα, καὶ ταύτῃ αἰτίους γενέσθαι τῆς τοῦ λεγομένου κατὰ Μάρκον εὐαγ2.15.2 γελίου γραφῆς. γνόντα δὲ τὸ πραχθέν φασι τὸν ἀπόστολον ἀποκαλύψαντος αὐτῷ τοῦ πνεύματος, ἡσθῆναι τῇ τῶν ἀνδρῶν προθυμίᾳ κυρῶσαί τε τὴν γραφὴν εἰς ἔντευξιν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις. Κλήμης ἐν ἕκτῳ τῶν Ὑποτυπώσεων παρατέθειται τὴν ἱστορίαν, συνεπιμαρτυρεῖ δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ ὁ Ἱεραπολίτης ἐπίσκοπος ὀνόματι Παπίας. τοῦ δὲ Μάρκου μνημονεύειν τὸν Πέτρον ἐν τῇ προτέρᾳ ἐπιστολῇ· ἣν καὶ συντάξαι φασὶν ἐπ' αὐτῆς Ῥώμης, σημαίνειν τε τοῦτ' αὐτόν, τὴν πόλιν τροπικώτερον Βαβυλῶνα προσειπόντα διὰ τούτων. «ἀσπάζεται ὑμᾶς ἡ ἐν Βαβυλῶνι συνεκλεκτὴ καὶ Μάρκος ὁ υἱός μου.» 2.16.1 Τοῦτον δὲ Μάρκον πρῶτόν φασιν ἐπὶ τῆς Αἰγύπτου στειλάμενον, τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, ὃ δὴ καὶ συνεγράψατο, κηρῦξαι, ἐκκλησίας τε πρῶτον ἐπ' αὐτῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας συστήσασθαι. 2.16.2 Τοσαύτη δ' ἄρα τῶν αὐτόθι πεπιστευκότων πληθὺς ἀνδρῶν τε καὶ γυναικῶν ἐκ πρώτης ἐπιβολῆς συνέστη δι' ἀσκήσεως φιλοσοφωτάτης τε καὶ σφοδροτάτης, ὡς καὶ γραφῆς αὐτῶν ἀξιῶσαι τὰς διατριβὰς καὶ τὰς συνηλύσεις τά τε συμπόσια καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ἄλλην τοῦ βίου ἀγωγὴν τὸν Φίλωνα. 2.17.1 ὃν καὶ λόγος ἔχει κατὰ Κλαύδιον ἐπὶ τῆς Ῥώμης εἰς ὁμιλίαν ἐλθεῖν Πέτρῳ, τοῖς ἐκεῖσε τότε κηρύττοντι. καὶ οὐκ ἀπεικὸς ἂν εἴη τοῦτό γε, ἐπεὶ καὶ ὅ