[How Simon, Desiring to Fly by Some Magical Arts, Fell Down Headlong from on High at the Prayers of Peter, and Brake His Feet, and Hands, and Ankle-Bones. ]

IX. Now when he was in Rome, he mightily disturbed the Church, and subverted many, and brought them over to himself, and astonished the Gentiles with his skill in magic, insomuch that once, in the middle of the day, he went into their theatre, and commanded the people that they should bring me also by force into the theatre, and promised he would fly in the air; and when all the people were in suspense at this, I prayed by myself. And indeed he was carried up into the air by demons, and did fly on high in the air, saying that he was returning into heaven, and that he would supply them with good things from thence. And the people making acclamations to him, as to a god, I stretched out my hands to heaven, with my mind, and besought God through the Lord Jesus to throw down this pestilent fellow, and to destroy the power of those demons that made use of the same for the seduction and perdition of men, to dash him against the ground, and bruise him, but not to kill him. And then, fixing my eyes on Simon, I said to him: “If I be a man of God, and a real apostle of Jesus Christ, and a teacher of piety, and not of deceit, as thou art, Simon, I command the wicked powers of the apostate from piety, by whom Simon the magician is carried, to let go their hold, that he may fall down headlong from his height, that he may be exposed to the laughter of those that have been seduced by him.” When I had said these words, Simon was deprived of his powers, and fell down headlong with a great noise, and was violently dashed against the ground, and had his hip and ankle-bones broken; and the people cried out, saying, “There is one only God, whom Peter rightly preaches in truth.” And many left him; but some who were worthy of perdition continued in his wicked doctrine. And after this manner the most atheistical heresy of the Simonians was first established in Rome; and the devil wrought by the rest of the false apostles  50  Matt. xxvii. 46 Matt. xxvii. 46 Matt. xxvii. 46 also.

[9] Ὁ μέντοι Σίμων ἐμοὶ Πέτρῳ πρῶτον μὲν ἐν Καισαρείᾳ τῇ Στράτωνος, ἔνθα Κορνήλιος ὁ πιστὸς ἐπίστευσεν ὢν ἐθνικὸς ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον Ἰησοῦν δι' ἐμοῦ, συντυχών μοι ἐπειρᾶτο διαστρέφειν τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ, συμπαρόντων μοι τῶν ἱερῶν τέκνων, Ζακχαίου τοῦ ποτε τελώνου καὶ Βαρνάβα, καὶ Νικήτου καὶ Ἀκύλα ἀδελφῶν Κλήμεντος τοῦ Ῥωμαίων ἐπισκόπου τε καὶ πολίτου, μαθητευθέντος δὲ καὶ Παύλῳ τῷ συναποστόλῳ ἡμῶν καὶ συνεργῷ ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ: καὶ τρίτον ἐπ' αὐτῶν διαλεχθεὶς αὐτῷ εἰς τὸν περὶ προφήτου λόγον καὶ περὶ Θεοῦ μοναρχίας, ἡττήσας αὐτὸν δυνάμει τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ εἰς ἀφωνίαν καταβαλὼν φυγάδα κατέστησα εἰς τὴν Ἰταλίαν. Γενόμενος δὲ ἐν Ῥώμῃ πολὺ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ἔσκυλεν, πολλοὺς ἀνατρέπων καὶ ἑαυτῷ περιποιούμενος, τά τε ἔθνη ἐξιστῶν μαγικῇ ἐμπειρίᾳ καὶ δαιμόνων ἐνεργείᾳ, ὡς καί ποτε μέσης ἡμέρας προελθὼν εἰς τὸ θέατρον αὐτῶν, κελεύσας τοῖς δήμοις ἁρπαγῆναι κἀμέ, ἐν τῷ θεάτρῳ ἐπηγγέλλετο πτῆναι δι' ἀέρος. Πάντων δὲ ἐπὶ τούτῳ μετεώρων τυγχανόντων ἐγὼ προσηυχόμην καθ' ἑαυτόν, καὶ δὴ μετεωρισθεὶς ὑπὸ δαιμόνων ἵπτατο μετάρσιος εἰς ἀέρα, λέγων εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνιέναι κἀκεῖθεν αὐτοῖς τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἐπιχορηγήσειν: τῶν δὲ δήμων ἐπευφημούντων αὐτὸν ὡς θεόν, ἐκτείνας ἐγὼ τὰς χεῖρας εἰς οὐρανὸν σὺν αὐτῇ τῇ διανοίᾳ ἱκέτευον τὸν Θεὸν διὰ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου ῥῆξαι τὸν λυμεῶνα καὶ τὴν ἰσχὺν τῶν δαιμόνων περικόψαι ἐπ' ἀπάτῃ καὶ ἀπωλείᾳ ἀνθρώπων κεχρημένων αὐτῇ, ῥάξαντα δὲ μὴ θανατῶσαι, ἀλλὰ συντρῖψαι. Καὶ ὑπολαβών, ἀτενίσας εἶπον τῷ Σίμωνι: «Εἰ Θεοῦ ἄνθρωπος ἐγώ, ἀπόστολος δὲ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀληθὴς καὶ διδάσκαλος εὐσεβείας, ἀλλ' οὐ πλάνης, οἷος σὺ Σίμων, προστάσσω ταῖς πονηραῖς δυνάμεσιν τοῦ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀποστάτου, ἐφ' αἷς ὀχεῖται Σίμων ὁ μάγος, ἀφεῖναι τῆς κρατήσεως, ὅπως ἐξ ὕψους κατενεχθῇ εἰς γέλωτα τῶν ἀπατηθέντων ὑπ' αὐτοῦ.» Καὶ εἰπόντος μου ταῦτα, περικοπεὶς τῶν δυνάμεων ὁ Σίμων μετὰ μεγάλου ἤχου κατηνέχθη καὶ ῥαγεὶς πτῶμα ἐξαίσιον συντρίβεται τὸ ἰσχίον καὶ τῶν ποδῶν τοὺς ταρσούς. Καὶ φωνὴ τῶν ὄχλων λέγουσα: «Εἷς Θεός, ὃν Πέτρος δικαίως καταγγέλλει τῇ ἀληθείᾳ μόνον.» Καὶ πολλοὶ ἀπέστησαν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, τινὲς δὲ ἄξιοι τῆς ἀπωλείας αὐτοῦ ὄντες παρέμειναν αὐτοῦ τῇ μοχθηρᾷ διδασκαλίᾳ. Καὶ οὕτως πρώτη ἐπάγη ἡ τῶν Σιμωνιανῶν ἀθεωτάτη αἵρεσις ἐν Ῥώμῃ, καὶ διὰ τῶν λοιπῶν ψευδαποστόλων ἐνήργει ὁ διάβολος.