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[HOMILY 4.] When I, Clement, along with Nicetas and Aquila, went out from Caesarea Stratonis, we entered Tyre of Phoenicia, and by the command of Peter who sent us, we were received as guests by Bernice, the daughter of Justa the Canaanite, who received us most gladly, and while striving with much honor towards me, and with affection towards Aquila and Nicetas, on account of joy, as an intimate, she spoke freely and showed us kindness and she hospitably urged us to the care of our bodies. Therefore, perceiving that she permitted us to make but a short delay, I said, "You do well, indeed, in hastening to fulfill the parts of love. But our fear of God must be preferred to this. For, since the struggle is for many souls, we are afraid to prefer our own rest to their salvation. For we hear that Simon the magician, having been defeated in the dispute at Caesarea against our lord Peter, immediately ran away and is perpetrating many evils here. For, by reviling Peter with all manner of contraries against the truth, he is captivating the souls of many. For being a magician himself, he calls him a magician, and being a deceiver himself, he denounces him as a deceiver, and having been worsted in all the disputes and having fled, he himself claims to have been victorious, and he frequently commands that they should not listen to Peter, as if, forsooth, caring for them, so that they might not be bewitched by a terrible magician. Therefore, our lord Peter, having learned these things, sent us ahead to be investigators of the things reported to him, so that, if it is so, he himself might learn from our writing and, coming, might convict him face to face of the things of which he was slandering him. Since, therefore, the danger for many souls lies before us, for this reason, neglecting for a little while the rest of our bodies, we wish to learn truthfully from you, who are living here, if the things we have heard happen to be true. And you might now tell us everything." And Bernice, being asked, said, "These things are indeed as you have heard, but as for the other things concerning Simon himself, which perhaps you do not know, listen: For by making phantoms and apparitions appear in the middle of the marketplace by day, he astonishes the whole city, and when he goes forth, statues move and many shades go before, which he says are the souls of the dead themselves. And many who tried to expose him as a sorcerer he reconciled to himself, then later, on the pretext of a feast, having sacrificed an ox and feasted them, he afflicted them with various diseases and subjected them to demons, and (that I may not say much) having harmed many, and being supposed to be a god, besides being feared, he is also held in honor. Whence I do not think anyone will be able to extinguish so great a fire that has been kindled. For no one doubts the things which he professes, but each one affirms that this is so. Therefore, for the sake of your not being in danger, I beg you to attempt nothing against him until Peter comes, who alone will be able to contend against so great a power (being a most proven disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ). For I am so afraid of the man, that unless also at another time towards my lord Peter...

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[OΜIΛIA ∆.] Καισαρείας δὲ τῆς Στράτωνος ἐξιὼν ἐγὼ Κλήμης, ἅμα Νικήτης τε καὶ Ἀκύλας, εἰς Τύρον τῆς Φοινίκης εἰσεβάλλομεν καὶ κατ' ἐντολὴν Πέτρου τοῦ ἀποστείλαντος ἡμᾶς ἐξενίσθημεν παρὰ Βερνίκῃ θυγατρὶ τῆς Χανανί- τιδος Ἰούστης, ἥτις ἀσμενέστατα ἡμᾶς ἀπεδέξατο, καὶ πολλῇ μὲν τῇ πρὸς μὲ τιμῇ ἀγωνιῶσα, στοργῇ δὲ τῇ πρὸς Ἀκύλαν καὶ Νικήτην, διὰ χαρὰν ὡς συνήθης παρρησιαζομένη ἐφιλοφρονεῖτο καὶ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ σώματος θεραπείαν ἡμᾶς δεκτικῶς κατήπειγεν. συνιδὼν οὖν ὅτι βραχεῖαν ἡμῖν ὑπέρθεσιν ποιεῖσθαι ἐπέτρεπεν, Ὀρθῶς μέν, ἔφην, ποιεῖς ἐπισπεύδουσα τὰ τῆς ἀγάπης ἀποπληροῦν μέρη. προτιμητέος δὲ ταύτης ὁ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἡμῶν φόβος. δέδιμεν γὰρ ὑπὲρ πολλῶν ψυχῶν τὸν ἀγῶνα ἔχοντες τῆς ἐκείνων σωτηρίας προτιμᾶν τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀνάπαυσιν. πυνθανό- μεθα γὰρ ὅτι Σίμων ὁ μάγος, ἐπὶ τῆς ἐν Καισαρείᾳ πρὸς τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν Πέτρον ζητήσεως ἡττηθείς, παραχρῆμα ἀποδρὰς ἐνταῦθα πολλὰ κακὰ διαπράσσεται. πᾶσι γὰρ τοῖς ὑπεναντίοις παρὰ τὴν ἀλήθειαν λοι- δορῶν τὸν Πέτρον τὰς τῶν πολλῶν συναρπάζει ψυχάς. μάγος τε γὰρ αὐτὸς ὢν μάγον ἐκεῖνον ἀποκαλεῖ, καὶ πλάνος αὐτὸς ὢν πλάνον ἐκεῖνον ἀποκηρύσσει, καὶ ἐν ταῖς ζητήσεσιν ἐπὶ πάντων τὸ ἧττον ἀπενεγκάμενος καὶ φυγὼν αὐτὸς φάσκει νενικηκέναι, καὶ τοῦ Πέτρου μὴ δεῖν ἀκούειν πυκνότερον ἐντέλλεται, ὡς δῆθεν κηδόμενος ἵνα μὴ ὑπὸ δεινοῦ καταγο- ητευθῶσιν μάγου. ταῦτα οὖν μαθὼν ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν Πέτρος προ- απέστειλεν ἡμᾶς ἐξεταστὰς τῶν λεχθέντων αὐτῷ ἐσομένους, ἵνα, εἰ οὕτως ἔχοι, γραψάντων ἡμῶν αὐτὸς μάθῃ καὶ ἐπελθὼν ἐξελέγξῃ αὐτὸν ἐκείνων ἄντικρυς ἐφ' ὧν αὐτὸν διέβαλλεν. ἐπεὶ οὖν ὑπὲρ πολλῶν ψυχῶν ὁ κίν- δυνος ἡμῖν πρόκειται, τούτου ἕνεκεν, τῆς τοῦ σώματος ἡμῶν ἀναπαύ- σεως πρὸς βραχὺ ἀμελήσαντες, παρὰ σοῦ τῆς ἐνταῦθα διαιτωμένης βου- λόμεθα ἀψευδῶς μαθεῖν, εἰ ἅπερ ἠκούσαμεν ἀληθῆ τυγχάνει· καὶ λέ- γοις ἂν ἤδη ἡμῖν ἕκαστα. Ἡ Βερνίκη δὲ ἀξιωθεῖσα· Ταῦτα μὲν οὕτως, ἔφη, ἔχει ὡς ἠκούσατε, τὰ δὲ ἄλλα τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν τὸν Σίμωνα, ἅπερ ἴσως ἀγνοεῖτε, ἀκούσατε· φαντάσματά τε γὰρ καὶ ἰνδάλματα ἐν μέσῃ τῇ ἀγορᾷ φαίνεσθαι ποιῶν δι' ἡμέρας πᾶσαν ἐκπλήττει τὴν πόλιν καὶ προιόντος αὐτοῦ ἀνδριάντες κινοῦνται καὶ σκιαὶ πολλαὶ προηγοῦνται, ἅσπερ αὐτὰς ψυχὰς τῶν τεθνηκότων εἶναι λέγει. πολλοὺς δὲ γόητα αὐτὸν ἐλέγχειν πειρωμένους διαλλάξας πρὸς ἑαυτόν, εἶθ' ὕστερον προφάσει εὐωχίας βοῦν θύσας καὶ ἑστιάσας αὐτούς, διαφόροις νόσοις περιέβαλεν καὶ δαίμοσιν ὑπέβαλεν καί (ἵνα μὴ πολλὰ λέγω) πολλοὺς κακώσας θεὸς εἶναι ὑποληφθείς, πρὸς τῷ φοβερὸν εἶναι καὶ προτετίμηται. ὅθεν οὐκ οἴομαι δυνήσεσθαί τινα τοσοῦτον ἀναφθὲν πῦρ σβέσαι. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐνδοιάζει τις περὶ ὧν ἐκεῖνος ἐπαγγέλλεται, ἀλλὰ τοῦτο οὕτως ἔχειν διαβεβαιοῦται ἕκαστος. διὸ τοῦ μὴ κινδυνεύειν ὑμᾶς χάριν παρα- καλῶ μηδὲν ἐνχειρῆσαι πρὸς αὐτόν, πρὶν ἂν Πέτρος ἔλθῃ, ὃς μόνος δυνήσεται πρὸς τοσαύτην δυναστείαν (τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ δοκιμώτατος ὑπάρχων μαθητής) ἀνταγωνίσασθαι. τοσοῦτον γὰρ πεφόβη- μαι τὸν ἄνδρα, ὡς εἰ μὴ καὶ ἄλλοτε πρὸς τὸν κύριόν μου Πέτρον δια-