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Holy Spirit. How then, he says, did these not receive the Spirit? They received the Spirit of remission, but they had not yet received that of signs. And that this is so, and that they had not received the Spirit of signs, see how Simon, upon seeing, came forward asking for this. And although the persecution was then especially strong, nevertheless God delivered them again, fortifying them with signs. Indeed, the death of Stephen did not extinguish their rage, but rather increased it, which is why the teachers are scattered, so that 60.144 the discipleship might become greater. But see again good things succeeding for them, and them being in joy. For there was, he says, great joy in the city; and yet there had also been great lamentation. Thus God is always accustomed to act, and to mix joyful things with sorrowful ones, so that He may be admired all the more. And Simon's disease was of long standing; which is why he is not so easily rid of it. How then did he even baptize him? Just as Christ also chose Judas. This man, seeing signs being performed, is astonished, but does not dare to ask for the grace of signs, since he knew that not even the others had yet received it. Why then did they not destroy him, like Ananias and Sapphira? Because in ancient times too, the man who gathered sticks, having been put to death for the correction of others, no one else suffered the same thing. So also now Peter does, and having punished them, he does not punish this one, but says to him: May your money be with you to destruction, because you thought to obtain the gift of God through money. 3. And why had these not received the Holy Spirit, having been baptized? Either because Philip did not give it, perhaps honoring the apostles in this; or because he did not have such a gift (for he was one of the seven); which is the more likely thing to say. Whence it seems to me that this Philip was one of the seven, second to Stephen. Therefore also baptizing. He did not give the Spirit to those being baptized; for he did not have the authority; for this gift was of the twelve alone. But consider: They did not go out, it was ordained for these to go out, who also were behind in grace, because of not yet having received the Holy Spirit. For they had received power to perform signs, but not also to give the Spirit to others. Therefore this was a special prerogative of the apostles; whence it is also possible to see the chief ones, and not any others, doing this. And Simon, he says, seeing that through the laying on of the hands of the apostles the Holy Spirit is given. He would not have said so, unless something perceptible was happening. Paul also did this, when they spoke in tongues. Have you seen the abomination of Simon? He offered money; and yet he did not see him doing it for money; so the matter was not of ignorance, but of one tempting and wishing to bring an accusation. For this reason he also hears: You have neither part nor lot in this matter; for your heart is not right before God. Again he brings to light the things in the mind, since that one thought to be hidden. Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray the Lord, if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity. And Simon answering said: Pray you to the Lord for me, that none of these things which you have spoken come upon me. It being necessary to repent from the heart, it being necessary to weep; but he does this only perfunctorily. If perhaps it will be forgiven you. He said this, not as though it would not have been forgiven him if he had wept, but it is a custom for the prophets also only to forbid, and not to say: But if you do this, it will be forgiven you; but that, The punishment will certainly be. But admire for me both how in a time of disaster they are not negligent, but hold to the preaching; and how just as in the time of Moses the miracles happened by comparison; so indeed also here. There was magic, and yet these 60.145 signs were manifest, and yet there should have been no one there possessed by a demon, if indeed for a long time he had been astonishing them with his magic; but since there were many possessed by demons, many who were paralyzed, those things were not truth. But this man brought them over not only by signs, but also by word, discoursing about the kingdom and Christ. But Simon, it says, having been baptized, was constantly with Philip. Not for the sake of faith, but so that
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Πνεῦμα ἅγιον. Πῶς οὖν, φησὶ, Πνεῦμα οὐκ ἔλαβον οὗτοι; Πνεῦμα ἔλαβον τὸ τῆς ἀφέσεως, τὸ δὲ τῶν σημείων οὔπω ἦσαν λαβόντες. Καὶ ὅτι τοῦτό ἐστι, καὶ τὸ τῶν σημείων Πνεῦμα οὐκ ἔλαβον, ὅρα, πῶς ἰδὼν ὁ Σίμων, προσῆλθε τοῦτο αἰτῶν. Εἰ καὶ ἐνίσχυσε δὲ τότε μάλιστα ὁ διωγμὸς, ὅμως ὁ Θεὸς πάλιν αὐτοὺς ἐξείλετο, ἐπιτειχίσας αὐτοῖς τὰ σημεῖα. Οὐ μὴν ὁ θάνατος δὲ Στεφάνου ἔσβεσεν ἐκείνων τὸν θυμὸν, ἀλλ' ἐπέτεινε μᾶλλον, διὸ καὶ σκορπίζονται οἱ διδάσκαλοι, ὥστε 60.144 πλείονα γενέσθαι τὴν μαθητείαν. Ἀλλ' ὅρα καὶ πάλιν διαδεχόμενα αὐτοὺς τὰ χρηστὰ, καὶ ἐν χαρᾷ ὄντας. Χαρὰ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐγένετο ἐν τῇ πόλει μεγάλη· καίτοι καὶ κοπετὸς ἐγένετο μέγας. Οὕτως εἴωθε ποιεῖν ἀεὶ ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ τοῖς λυπηροῖς τὰ εὐφραίνοντα μιγνύναι, ἵνα καὶ μᾶλλον θαυμάζηται. Ἀφ' ἱκανοῦ δὲ χρόνου τὸ νόσημα ἦν Σίμωνι· διὸ οὐδὲ οὕτως αὐτοῦ ἀπαλλάττεται. Πῶς δαὶ αὐτὸν καὶ ἐβάπτισεν; Ὥσπερ καὶ τὸν Ἰούδανὁ Χριστὸς ἐξελέξατο. Οὗτος θεωρῶν σημεῖα γινόμενα, ἐξίσταται μὲν, οὐ τολμᾷ δὲ τὴν χάριν τῶν σημείων αἰτῆσαι, ἐπειδὴ ᾔδει οὔπω λαβόντας οὐδὲ τοὺς ἄλλους. Πῶς οὖν αὐτὸν οὐκ ἀνεῖλον, ὥσπερ Ἀνανίαν καὶ Σάπφειραν; Ὅτι καὶ τὸ παλαιὸν ὁ τὰ ξύλα συλλέξας, ἀναιρεθεὶς εἰς ἑτέρων σωφρονισμὸν, οὐκέτι ἕτερος τὸ αὐτὸ πέπονθεν. Οὕτω καὶ νῦν Πέτρος ποιεῖ, καὶ κολάσας ἐκείνους, τοῦτον οὐ κολάζει, ἀλλά φησι πρὸς αὐτόν· Τὸ ἀργύριόν σου σὺν σοὶ εἴη εἰς ἀπώλειαν, ὅτι τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐνόμισας διὰ χρημάτων κτᾶσθαι. γʹ. Καὶ διὰ τί οὐκ ἦσαν οὗτοι λαβόντες Πνεῦμα ἅγιον βαπτισθέντες; Ἤτοι τῷ μὴ δοῦναι Φιλίππου τούτῳ τιμῶντος τάχα τοὺς ἀποστόλους· ἤτοι τῷ μὴ ἔχειν χάρισμα τοιοῦτον (τῶν ἑπτὰ γὰρ ἦν)· ὅπερ καὶ μᾶλλόν ἐστιν εἰπεῖν. Ὅθεν μοι δοκεῖ οὗτος ὁ Φίλιππος τῶν ἑπτὰ εἶναι, ὁ Στεφάνου δεύτερος. ∆ιὸ καὶ βαπτίζων. Πνεῦμα τοῖς βαπτιζομένοις οὐκ ἐδίδου· οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶχεν ἐξουσίαν· τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ δῶρον μόνων τῶν δώδεκα ἦν. Σκόπει δέ· Ἐκεῖνοι οὐκ ἐξῄεσαν, ᾠκονομήθη τούτους ἐξελθεῖν, οἳ καὶ ὑστέρουν τῆς χάριτος, διὰ τὸ μήπω λαβεῖν Πνεῦμα ἅγιον. ∆ύναμιν μὲν γὰρ ἔλαβον ποιεῖν σημεῖα, οὐχὶ δὲ καὶ Πνεῦμα διδόναι ἑτέροις. Ἄρα τοῦτο ἦν τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐξαίρετον· ὅθεν καὶ τοὺς κορυφαίους, οὐκ ἄλλους τινὰς, ἔστιν ἰδεῖν τοῦτο ποιοῦντας. Ἰδὼν δὲ, φησὶ, Σίμων, ὅτι διὰ τῆς ἐπιθέσεως τῶν χειρῶν τῶν ἀποστόλων δίδοται τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. Οὐκ ἂν οὕτως εἶπεν, εἰ μὴ αἰσθητόν τι ἐγίνετο. Τοῦτο καὶ Παῦλος ἐποίησεν, ὅτε ταῖς γλώσσαις ἐλάλουν. Εἶδες τὴν μιαρίαν τοῦ Σίμωνος; Χρήματα προσήνεγκε· καίτοι οὐκ εἶδεν αὐτὸν χρημάτων αὐτὸ ποιοῦντα· ὥστε οὐκ ἦν ἀγνοίας τὸ πρᾶγμα, ἀλλὰ πειράζοντος καὶ βουλομένου κατηγορίᾳ περιβαλεῖν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἀκούει· Οὐκ ἔστι σοι μερὶς, οὐδὲ κλῆρος ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τούτῳ· ἡ γὰρ καρδία σου οὐκ ἔστιν εὐθεῖα ἐναντίον τοῦ Θεοῦ. Πάλιν τὰ ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ εἰς μέσον ἄγει, ἐπειδὴ ἐκεῖνος λανθάνειν ἐνόμιζε. Μετανόησον οὖν ἀπὸ τῆς κακίας σου ταύτης, καὶ δεήθητι τοῦ Κυρίου, εἰ ἄρα ἀφεθήσεταί σοι ἡ ἐπίνοια τῆς καρδίας σου. Εἰς γὰρ χολὴν πικρίας καὶ σύνδεσμον ἀδικίας θεωρῶ σε ὄντα. Ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ Σίμων εἶπεν· ∆εήθητε ὑμεῖς ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ πρὸς τὸν Κύριον, ὅπως μηδὲν ἐπέλθῃ ἐπ' ἐμὲ ὧν εἰρήκατε. ∆έον ἀπὸ καρδίας μετανοῆσαι, δέον κλαῦσαι· ὁ δὲ ἀφοσιώσει μόνον τοῦτο ποιεῖ. Εἰ ἄρα ἀφεθήσεταί σοι. Τοῦτο εἶπεν, οὐχ ὡς οὐ συγχωρηθέντος ἂν αὐτῷ, εἰ ἔκλαυσεν, ἀλλ' ἔθος καὶ τοῖς προφήταις μόνον ἀπαγορεύειν, καὶ μὴ λέγειν· Ἐὰν δὲ τόδε ποιήσῃς, συγχωρήσεταί σοι· ἀλλ' ὅτι Πάντως ἔσται ἡ τιμωρία. Σὺ δέ μοι θαύμασον καὶ πῶς ἐν καιρῷ συμφορᾶς οὐκ ἀμελοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ κηρύγματος ἔχονται· καὶ πῶς καθάπερ ἐπὶ Μωϋσέως ἀπὸ συγκρίσεως ἐγίνετο τὰ θαύματα· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα. Μαγεία ἦν, καὶ ὅμως φα 60.145 νερὰ ταῦτα τὰ σημεῖα ἦν, καίτοι οὐδένα ἔδει εἶναι ἐκεῖ δαιμονῶντα, εἴ γε ἱκανῷ χρόνῳ ἦν ταῖς μαγείαις ἐξιστῶν αὐτούς· ἐπεὶ δὲ πολλοὶ οἱ δαιμονῶντες, πολλοὶ οἱ παράλυτοι, ἐκεῖνα οὐκ ἀλήθεια ἦν. Οὗτος δὲ οὐχὶ σημείοις μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ λόγῳ αὐτοὺς προσήγετο, περὶ βασιλείας καὶ Χριστοῦ διαλεγόμενος. Ὁ δὲ Σίμων, φησὶ, βαπτισθεὶς, ἦν προσκαρτερῶν τῷ Φιλίππῳ. Οὐ πίστεως ἕνεκεν, ἀλλ' ὥστε