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to deny such purity, even if the deluded practice it, because those in error who do well are for the condemnation of those in godliness, while not being saved; because the honor of their purity is on account of their error and not on account of the worship of the true father and God of all. And having said this, he dismissed the crowds and, as was his custom, after partaking of salt with his dearest friends, he rested. Thus, therefore, acting and discoursing each time, he brought forward accessions to the law of God with certainty, refuting the supposed things with the supposed genesis and that spontaneity does not exist, but the world is governed by providence. Therefore, when three months were completed, having commanded me to fast for days, he led me to the springs that were near the sea, and as into ever-flowing water he baptized me. Thus, therefore, when our brothers had feasted over my God-given regeneration, not many days later, turning to the elders, he enjoined upon the whole church, saying: Our Lord and Prophet who sent us instructed us that the evil one, having disputed with him for forty days and having been able to do nothing against him, promised to send apostles from among his own followers for deception. Wherefore, before all things, remember to receive no one as an apostle or a teacher or a prophet who has not first compared his preaching with James, who is called the brother of my Lord and has been entrusted in Jerusalem to direct the church of the Hebrews, and has come to you with witnesses, so that the wickedness that disputed with the Lord for forty days and was able to do nothing, may not later, having fallen like lightning from heaven to earth, send out a preacher against you, as now he has suborned Simon to us, preaching under the pretext of truth in the name of our Lord, but sowing error. For this reason, he who sent us said: "Many will come to me in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves; by their fruits you will know them." And having said these things, he sent out the forerunners to Antioch of Syria, saying to remain there the next day. Therefore, when they had gone, Peter, having driven out illnesses, sufferings, and demons from the crowds of many who were persuaded, and having baptized them in the springs that were near the sea and broken the Eucharist, appointed as bishop Maroones who had received him, being now at last perfect, and designated twelve presbyters and pointed out deacons and established an order of widows, and having spoken concerning the common good of the church [the order] and advised them to obey the bishop Maroones, when three months were now completed, took his leave of those in Tripolis of Phoenicia and proceeded on the road to Antioch of Syria.

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ἀρνεῖσθαι τὴν τοιαύτην ἁγνείαν, κἂν οἱ πεπλανημένοι αὐτὴν πράττωσιν, ὅτι εἰς κατάκρισιν τῶν ἐν θεοσεβείᾳ εἰσὶν οἱ ἐν πλάνῃ ποιοῦντες καλῶς μετὰ τοῦ μὴ σσζεσθαι· ὅτι ἡ τιμὴ τῆς ἁγνείας αὐτῶν ἐστιν διὰ τὴν πλάνην καὶ οὐ διὰ θρησκείαν τοῦ ὄντως πατρὸς καὶ θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων. Τοῦτο δὲ εἰπὼν ἀπέλυσε τοὺς ὄχλους καὶ συνήθως ἁλῶν σὺν τοῖς φιλτάτοις μεταλαβὼν ἡσύχασεν. οὕτως οὖν ποιῶν καὶ διαλεγόμενος ἑκά- στοτε προσαγωγὰς κατὰ τὸ βέβαιον προσέφερεν τῷ τοῦ θεοῦ νόμῳ, τοὺς νομιζομένους μετὰ τῆς νομιζομένης γενέσεως ἐλέγχων καὶ ὅτι αὐτο- ματισμὸς μὲν οὐκ ἔστιν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ πρόνοιαν διοικεῖται ὁ κόσμος. τριῶν οὖν μηνῶν πληρωθέντων νηστεῦσαί μοι κελεύσας ἡμερῶν, ἀγαγών με εἰς τὰς ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ πλησίον οὔσας πηγάς, ὡς εἰς ἀέναον ἐβάπτισεν ὕδωρ. οὕτως οὖν εὐωχηθέντων τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τῇ θεοδωρήτῳ μου ἀναγεννήσει, μετ' οὐ πολλὰς ἡμέρας τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις ἐπιστρέφων ἐπὶ πάσης τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐνετείλατο λέγων· Ὁ ἀποστείλας ἡμᾶς κύριος ἡμῶν καὶ προφήτης ὑφηγήσατο ἡμῖν ὡς ὁ πονηρὸς τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας διαλεχθεὶς αὐτῷ καὶ μηδὲν δυνηθεὶς πρὸς αὐτόν, ἐκ τῶν αὐτοῦ ἐπηκόων ἐπηγγέλλετο πρὸς ἀπάτην ἀποστόλους πέμψαι. διὸ πρὸ πάντων μέμνη- σθε <μηδένα δέχεσθαι> ἀπόστολον ἢ διδάσκαλον ἢ προφήτην μὴ πρότερον ἀντιβαλόντα αὐτοῦ τὸ κήρυγμα Ἰακώβῳ τῷ λεχθέντι ἀδελφῷ τοῦ κυρίου μου καὶ πεπιστευμένῳ ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ τὴν Ἑβραίων διέπειν ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ μετὰ μαρτύρων προσεληλυθότα πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἵνα μὴ ἡ κακία ἡ τῷ κυρίῳ προσδιαλεχθεῖσα ἡμέρας τεσσαράκοντα <καὶ> μηδὲν δυνηθεῖσα, ὕστερον ὡς ἀστραπὴ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ἐπὶ γῆς πεσοῦσα καθ' ὑμῶν ἐκπέμψῃ κήρυκα, ὡς νῦν ἡμῖν τὸν Σίμωνα ὑπέβαλεν προφάσει ἀληθείας ἐπ' ὀνόματι τοῦ κυ ρίου ἡμῶν κηρύσσοντα, πλάνην δὲ ἐνσπείροντα. οὗ χάριν ὁ ἀποστείλας ἡμᾶς ἔφη· «Πολλοὶ ἐλεύσονται πρός με ἐν ἐνδύματι προβάτων, ἔσωθεν δέ εἰσι λύκοι ἅρπαγες· ἀπὸ τῶν καρπῶν αὐτῶν ἐπιγνώσεσθε αὐτούς». Καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν τοὺς μὲν προπομποὺς ἐξέπεμψεν εἰς Ἀντιόχειαν τῆς Συρίας, ἐκεῖ τὴν ἑπομένην ἐπιμένειν εἰπών. τῶν οὖν πορευθέντων ὁ Πέτρος πολλῶν πεπεισμένων ὄχλων νόσους, πάθη, δαίμονας ἀπελάσας καὶ εἰς τὰς ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ πλησίον οὔσας πηγὰς βαπτίσας καὶ εὐχαριστίαν κλάσας Μαροώνην τὸν ἀποδεξάμενον αὐτόν, ἤδη λοιπὸν τέλειον ὄντα, ἐπίσκοπον καταστήσας καὶ πρεσβυτέρους δώδεκα ὁρίσας καὶ διακόνους δείξας καὶ χηρικὰ συστησάμενος ὑπέρ τε τοῦ κοινῇ συμφέροντος τῆς ἐκκλησίας [τὴν τάξιν] προσομιλήσας καὶ τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ Μαροώνῃ πείθεσθαι συμβουλεύσας, ἤδη τριῶν μηνῶν πληρωθέντων τοῖς ἐν Τριπόλει τῆς Φοινίκης ἀποταξάμενος τὴν ἐπὶ Ἀντιόχειαν τῆς Συρίας ἐπορεύετο ὁδόν.