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to be utterly punished. The religion ordained by him is this: To worship him alone and to believe only in the prophet of truth and to be baptized "for the remission of sins" and thus through the most pure bap- tism to be born again to God through the saving water, not to partake of the "table of de- mons" (I mean things sacrificed to idols, dead things, things strangled, things torn by beasts, blood), not to live impurely, to wash oneself after lying with a woman, and for women to observe their period of uncleanness, and for all to be temperate, to do good, not to do wrong, to expect eternal life from the all-powerful God, asking to receive it with constant prayers and supplications. As Peter was exhorting such things also in Si- don, in a few days, when many there also had repent- ed and believed and been healed, he established a church, and having appointed for them as bishop one of the elders who followed him, he departed from Sidon. But as soon as he set foot in Berytus, an earthquake occurred. And the crowds, com- ing to Peter, were saying, "Help us;" for we are afraid (they said), lest we all be utterly destroyed. Then Simon, growing bold, along with Appion and Annubion and Athenodorus and the rest of his companions, shout- ed publicly to the crowds against Peter: "Flee, men, this man; he is a magician, believe us, and he himself caused the earthquake for us and he himself stirred up the diseases, so that he might strike you with terror as if he himself were a god." And Simon and his followers told many such lies against Peter, as one who was able to do things beyond human power. But when the crowds granted him silence, Peter, smiling slightly, said with astonishing boldness, "Men, I confess that I am able to do what these men say, if God wills it, and in addition to this I am ready, if you do not obey me concerning what I say, to uproot your entire city." And when the crowds became afraid and promised to do readily whatever they might be commanded by him, Peter said, "Let none of you either speak to or associate with these sorcerers." And the crowds, as soon as they heard the brief command, took up sticks and chased them, until they had driven them completely out of the city. And their sick and demon-possessed, coming in, threw themselves at Peter's feet. But he, seeing this and wishing to relieve their astonishment, said to them: "If I were able to cause earthquakes and do whatever I wish, I would not say that I would have destroyed Simon with his companions (for I have not been sent for the destruction of men), but I would have made him a friend to myself, so that by slandering my true preaching he would not hinder many from salvation. But if you believe me, he is a magician, he is a devil, he is a servant of wickedness against those who are ignorant of the truth; and for this reason he is able to inflict diseases on those who sin, having as helpers the sinners for his power against them. But I am a servant of the God who has made all things, a disciple of his right-hand prophet. Therefore, being his apostle, I speak the truth. For by serving the good one I also drive out diseases; for I was sent second; since disease indeed comes first, and healing follows, therefore through that evil-doing magician you who disbelieved God have become sick, through me

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ται κολάσει παντελῶς. ἡ δὲ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ὁρισθεῖσα θρησκεία ἐστὶν αὕτη· Τὸ μόνον αὐτὸν σέβειν καὶ τῷ τῆς ἀληθείας μόνῳ πιστεύειν προφήτῃ καὶ «εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν» βαπτισθῆναι καὶ οὕτως διὰ τῆς ἁγνοτάτης βα- φῆς ἀναγεννηθῆναι θεῷ διὰ τοῦ σσζοντος ὕδατος, «τραπέζης δαιμό- νων» μὴ μεταλαμβάνειν (λέγω δὲ εἰδωλοθύτων, νεκρῶν, πνικτῶν, θηρια- λώτων, αἵματος), μὴ ἀκαθάρτως βιοῦν, ἀπὸ κοίτης γυναικὸς λούεσθαι, αὐτὰς μέντοι καὶ ἄφεδρον φυλάσσειν, πάντας δὲ σωφρονεῖν, εὖ ποιεῖν, μὴ ἀδικεῖν, παρὰ τοῦ πάντα δυναμένου θεοῦ ζωὴν αἰώνιον προσδοκᾶν, εὐχαῖς καὶ δεήσεσιν συνεχέσιν αἰτουμένους αὐτὴν λαβεῖν. τοιαῦτα καὶ ἐν τῇ Σι- δῶνι τοῦ Πέτρου παραινοῦντος, ἡμέραις ὀλίγαις πολλῶν κἀκεῖ μετανοη- σάντων καὶ πιστευσάντων καὶ θεραπευθέντων ἐκκλησίαν συνέστησεν καὶ τῶν συνεπομένων αὐτῷ πρεσβυτέρων τινὰ καταστήσας αὐτοῖς ἐπίσκοπον ἐξῄει τῆς Σιδῶνος. Ὡς δὲ εὐθὺς ἐπέβη τῆς Βηρυτοῦ, σεισμὸς ἐγένετο. καὶ οἱ ὄχλοι προσ- ιόντες τῷ Πέτρῳ, Βοήθει, ἔλεγον· πεφοβήμεθα γάρ (ἔφασαν), μὴ ἄρα ἄρδην πάντες ἀπολώμεθα. τότε ὁ Σίμων τολμήσας ἅμα τῷ Ἀππίωνι καὶ Ἀννουβίωνι καὶ Ἀθηνοδώρῳ καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς ἑταίροις αὐτοῦ δη- μοσίᾳ τοῖς ὄχλοις κατὰ τοῦ Πέτρου ἐβόα· Φεύγετε, ἄνδρες, τὸν ἄνδρα τοῦ- τον· μάγος ἐστίν, πιστεύσατε, καὶ τὸν σεισμὸν αὐτὸς ἐποίησεν ἡμῖν καὶ τὰς νόσους ἐκίνησεν αὐτός, ἵνα ὑμᾶς καταπλήξηται ὡς αὐτὸς ὢν θεός. καὶ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα ὡς ὑπὲρ δύναμιν ἀνθρωπίνην δυναμένου τοῦ Πέτρου κατεψεύδοντο οἱ περὶ τὸν Σίμωνα. ἡσυχίαν δὲ αὐτῷ παρασχόντων τῶν ὄχλων ὁ Πέτρος βραχὺ ὑπομειδιάσας καταπληκτικῇ τῇ παρρησίᾳ, Ἄνδρες, εἶπεν, ἅπερ οὗτοι λέγουσιν, θεοῦ θέλοντος ποιεῖν δυνατὸς εἶναι ὁμολογῶ, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἕτοιμός εἰμι, ἐὰν μὴ πείθησθέ μοι περὶ ὧν λέγω, τὴν πᾶσαν ὑμῶν ἐκβαθρεῦσαι πόλιν. τῶν δὲ ὄχλων φοβηθέντων καὶ ἑτοίμως ποιήσειν ἐπαγγειλαμένων ὅπερ ἂν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ κελεύωνται, Μηδεὶς ὑμῶν, ἔφη ὁ Πέτρος, μήτε ὁμιλείτω τούτοις τοῖς γόησιν μήτε ἀναμιγνύσθω. οἱ δὲ ὄχλοι ἅμα τῷ ἀκοῦσαι τοῦ κελεύσματος τοῦ συντόμου ξύλα λαβόντες ἐδίωκον αὐτούς, ἕως αὐτοὺς παντελῶς τῆς πόλεως ἐξήλασαν. καὶ εἰσελθόντες οἱ νοσοῦντες αὐτῶν καὶ δαιμονῶντες πρὸς ποσὶν τοῦ Πέτρου ἑαυτοὺς ἐρ- ρίπτουν. ὁ δὲ ταῦτα βλέπων καὶ τὴν κατάπληξιν αὐτῶν ἀναλῦσαι θέλων πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἔφη· Ἐγὼ σεισμοὺς καὶ πᾶν ὅ, τι βούλομαι ποιεῖν εἰ ἐδυνά- μην, Σίμωνα οὐ λέγω ὅτι μετὰ τῶν αὐτοῦ ἑταίρων ἐξωλόθρευον (οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ φθορᾷ ἀνθρώπων ἀπέσταλμαι), ἀλλὰ φίλον ἐμαυτῷ αὐτὸν ἂν ἐποιησάμην, ἵνα μή μου τὸ ἀληθὲς διαβάλλων κήρυγμα πολλοῖς ἐμποδίζῃ πρὸς σωτηρίαν. εἰ δ' ἐμοὶ πιστεύετε, αὐτός ἐστιν μάγος, αὐτὸς διάβολος, αὐτὸς κακίας ὑπηρέτης κατὰ τῶν ἀγνοούντων τὸ ἀληθές· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἁμαρτάνουσι νόσους ἐνεργεῖν δύναται, συνεργοὺς ἔχων τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας τῆς κατ' αὐτῶν δυνάμεως. ἐγὼ δὲ θεοῦ τοῦ πάντα πεποιηκότος εἰμὶ δοῦλος, τοῦ δεξιοῦ αὐτοῦ προφήτου μαθητής. διὸ ἐκείνου ἀπόστολος ὢν ἀλη- θεύω. ἀγαθῷ γὰρ ὑπηρετῶν καὶ νόσους ἀπελαύνω· ἐπέμφθην γὰρ δεύτερος· ἐπεὶ προηγεῖται μὲν νόσος, ἕπεται δὲ ἴασις, δι' ἐκείνου μὲν οὖν τοῦ κακοποιοῦ μάγου τῷ θεῷ ἀπιστήσαντες ἐνοσήσατε, δι' ἐμοῦ