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would impress the good upon him, if he were to reason with himself about such things: You do not want to be murdered, do not murder another; you do not want your wife to be committed adultery with by another, do not commit adultery with another's wife; you do not want any of your things to be stolen, do not steal anything of another's. And so, by understanding and doing what is reasonable from your own selves, becoming dear to God, you will obtain healing, since both in the present age your bodies will be tormented and in the age to come your souls will be punished. Having been instructed in such things by Peter in a few days and having been healed, they were baptized; and at his other wonders, all the rest sat down publicly in sackcloth and ashes in the middle of the marketplaces, repenting of their former sins. And those in Sidon, hearing these things, did the same and sent suppliants to Peter, since they themselves were not able to come to him on account of their diseases. But Peter, after spending not many days in Tyre, and having instructed all those in it and having delivered them from all kinds of sufferings, and having established a church and having appointed for them a bishop from among the presbyters who followed him, set out for Sidon. But Simon, learning that Peter had come, immediately fled to Berytus with Appion and his companions. And as Peter was entering Sidon, they, carrying many on couches, placed them before him. But he said to them: Do not think, therefore, that I am able to do anything for your healing, a mortal man, myself able to fall prey to many sufferings; but I do not begrudge explaining to you the way by which you can be saved, having myself learned from the prophet of truth the decrees of God ordained 'before the foundation of the world,' I mean, for what evil deeds he appointed men to be afflicted by the ruler of wickedness, and likewise for what good deeds he ordained that those who first believed in him who heals should have their bodies saved, and then also their souls be restored to indestructibility. Therefore, knowing these good and evil deeds, I declare to you in advance two ways, showing by which of them men walk to perish, and by which they travel to be saved, being led by God. Now, the way of those who are perishing is broad and very smooth, but destroys without toil; but the way of those who are being saved is narrow and rough, but in the end saves those who have traveled it with labor. And over these two ways unbelief and faith preside, and those who have preferred pleasures travel through unbelief, but through .... did not take care to seek what is profitable. They are ignorant, however, that the counsels of God are not like human ones. For first, he knows the thoughts of all, and not only in the attempt, but also in the thought is each one held accountable. And they are much less impious who attempt to think good things and fail than those who do not attempt good things at all. Because it seemed good to God himself that the one who transgresses with knowledge of good things, in proportion to his human transgressions, being moderately punished, should be saved. But those who have from the beginning neglected to know what is better, even if they do a myriad of other good things, but are not in the worship which he himself ordained, receiving the charge of neglect, will be extinguished by the greatest-
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σειεν τὸ καλόν, εἰ ἑαυτῷ διαλεχθείη τὰ τοιαῦτα· Oὐ θέλεις φονευθῆναι, ἕτερον μὴ φονεύσῃς· οὐ θέλεις τὴν σὴν ὑφ' ἑτέρου μοιχευθῆναι γυναῖκα, τὴν ἑτέρου μὴ μοίχευε γαμετήν· οὐ θέλεις τι τῶν σῶν κλαπῆναι, ἑτέρου μὴ κλέπτε μηδέν. καὶ οὕτως ἀφ' ὑμῶν αὐτῶν τὸ εὔλογον συννοοῦντες καὶ ποιοῦντες, θεῷ προσφιλεῖς γενόμενοι, ἐπιτεύξεσθε τῆς ἰάσεως, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐν τῷ παρόντι αἰῶνι βασανισθήσεσθε τὰ σώματα καὶ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι κολασθήσεσθε τὰς ψυχάς. τοιαῦτα ὑπὸ τοῦ Πέτρου ἐν ὀλίγαις ἡμέραις κατηχηθέντες καὶ ἰαθέντες ἐβαπτίσθησαν, ἐπί τε τοῖς λοιποῖς αὐτοῦ θαύμασιν οἱ λοιποὶ πάντες ἐν μέσαις ταῖς ἀγοραῖς πανδημεὶ ἐπὶ σποδοῦ καὶ σάκκου ἐκαθέζοντο, μετανοοῦντες ἐπὶ τοῖς πρότερον ἡμαρ- τημένοις. καὶ οἱ ἐν Σιδῶνι ταῦτα ἀκούσαντες τὰ ὅμοια ἐποίησαν καὶ ἱκέτας πρὸς τὸν Πέτρον ἀπέστελλον ὡς αὐτοὶ διὰ τὰς νόσους πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐλθεῖν μὴ δυνάμενοι. ὁ Πέτρος δὲ ἡμερῶν οὐ πολλῶν ἐνδιατρίψας τῇ Τύρῳ καὶ κατηχήσας τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ ἅπαντας καὶ παντοδαπῶν αὐτοὺς ἀπαλλάξας παθῶν ἐκκλησίαν τε συστησάμενος καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἑπομένων αὐτῷ πρεσβυτέρων ἐπίσκοπον αὐτοῖς καταστήσας ὥρμησεν εἰς Σιδῶνα. ὁ δὲ Σίμων μαθὼν ἥκοντα τὸν Πέτρον εὐθὺς ἀπέδρα εἰς Βηρυτὸν μετὰ Ἀππίωνος καὶ τῶν αὐτοῦ ἑταίρων. Τοῦ δὲ Πέτρου εἰσιόντος εἰς τὴν Σιδῶνα πολλοὺς ἐν κλίναις φέροντες πρὸ αὐτοῦ ἐτίθεσαν. ὁ δὲ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἔφη· Μὴ τοίνυν νομίσητε ἐμέ τι δύνασθαι πρὸς ὑμετέραν ἴασιν, ἄνδρα θνητὸν καὶ αὐτὸν πολλοῖς πάθεσιν ὑποπεσεῖν δυνάμενον· ὑφηγεῖσθαι δὲ ὑμῖν τὸν τρόπον δι' οὗ σωθῆναι δυνήσεσθε οὐ φθονῶ, καὶ αὐτὸς παρὰ τοῦ τῆς ἀληθείας προφήτου μαθὼν τοὺς προωρισμένους τοῦ θεοῦ «πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου» ὁρισμούς, λέγω δὲ ἐπὶ ποίαις κακαῖς πράξεσιν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἔταξεν ὑπὸ τοῦ τῆς κακίας ἡγεμόνος κακοῦσθαι, ὁμοίως τε ἐπὶ ποίαις ἀγαθαῖς πράξεσιν ὥρισεν πρότερον πιστεύσαντας αὐτῷ ἰωμένῳ τὰ σώματα σσζεσθαι, ἔπειτα καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς ἐπανορθοῦσθαι πρὸς τὸ ἀνώλεθρον. ταύτας τοίνυν τάς τε ἀγαθὰς καὶ κακὰς πράξεις εἰδὼς προμηνύω ὑμῖν ὡς ὁδοὺς δύο, ὑποδεικνύων διὰ ποίας μὲν βαδί- ζοντες ἀπόλλυνται, ποίᾳ δὲ ὁδεύοντες ἀποσσζονται, θεῷ ὁδηγούμενοι. ἡ μὲν οὖν τῶν ἀπολλυμένων ὁδὸς πλατεῖα μὲν καὶ ὁμαλωτάτη, ἀπολλύουσα δὲ ἄνευ τοῦ πόνου, ἡ δὲ τῶν σῳζομένων στενὴ μὲν καὶ τραχεῖα, σσζουσα δὲ πρὸς τῷ τέλει τοὺς διαπορευθέντας ἐπιπόνως. τούτων δὲ τῶν δύο ὁδῶν προκαθέζεται ἀπιστία καὶ πίστις, καὶ ὁδεύουσιν διὰ μὲν ἀπιστίας οἱ τὰς ἡδονὰς προκρίναντες, διὰ δὲ .... συζητεῖν τὸ συμφέρον οὐ διεφύλαξαν. ἀγνοοῦσιν μέντοι ὡς οὐκ ἀνθρωπίνοις ὅμοια τὰ θεοῦ βουλήματα. πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ οἶδεν τὰ πάντων διανοήματα, καὶ οὐκ ἐν τῷ ἐνχειρῆσαι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ ἐννοῆσαι ἕκαστος εὐθύνεται. πολλῷ δὲ ἧττον ἀσεβοῦσιν οἱ ἐνχειροῦντες καλὰ νοεῖν καὶ ἀποτυγχάνοντες τῶν μηδὲ ὅλως ἐνχει ρούντων τοῖς καλοῖς. ὅτι αὐτῷ τῷ θεῷ ἔδοξεν τὸν ἐν γνώσει τῶν καλῶν παραπίπτοντα κατὰ λόγον τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων παραπτωμάτων μετρίως κολα- σθέντα σωθῆναι. οἱ δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ τοῦ γνῶναι τὸ κρεῖττον ἐξημελη- κότες, κἂν μυρία ἕτερα πράξωσιν καλά, ἐν ᾗ δὲ αὐτὸς ὥρισεν θρησκείᾳ μὴ γένωνται, ἀμελείας ἔγκλημα λαβόντες τῇ μεγίστῃ ἀποσβεσθήσον-