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to become such a one, he persevered. But they, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit: for as yet He was fallen upon none of them. Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. Do you see that it was not a simple matter, but required great power, to give the Holy Spirit? For it is not the same thing to obtain remission of sins, and to receive such a power. And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money. For did he not see the others doing this? Did he not see Philip? Did he not think that they did not know with what intention he came forward? Therefore Peter rightly calls the thing a gift, saying; Your money perish with you, because you have thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Do you see how everywhere they are free from money? You have neither part nor lot in this matter: for your heart is not right in the sight of God. So he did everything from wickedness; and yet he ought to have been guileless. Repent therefore. For I perceive that you are in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. The words are of great wrath. But he does not punish him, that faith may not henceforth be of compulsion, that the matter might not seem cruel, that he might introduce the things of repentance; or also because it was sufficient for correction to rebuke him, to speak the things in his heart, for him to confess that he was caught. For in saying, Pray you for me, this is at once confessing and showing it. See how, although he was abominable, yet, when he was rebuked, then he believed, just as also he became humble when he was again rebuked. Beholding the signs that were done, he was amazed, showing that the whole thing was a falsehood. It does not say, He came to, but, He was amazed. And why does he not do that immediately? He thought he could escape notice, he thought the matter was an art; but when he was not able to escape the notice of the apostles, he came forward. For many that had unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of them. This was a clear sign of their coming out, but the things of the magicians were the opposite; for they rather bound them. And many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. There was no deceit here; for they had to walk and be active. To whom they all gave heed, saying, This man is the power of God. Here is fulfilled what was spoken by Christ: Many false Christs and false prophets shall arise in My name. But why did they not rebuke him immediately? They were content with his self-condemnation; for this also was a lesson. But when he could not resist, he feigns, just as the magicians did, when they said, This is the finger of God. And that he might not be driven away again, for this reason he continued with Philip, and was not separated from him. δʹ. But consider for me how many things are arranged through the death of Stephen. They are scattered throughout the regions of 60.146 Judea and Samaria, they preach the word, they proclaim Christ, they perform signs, little by little they receive the gift. This was a twofold sign; for both to give to them, and not to give to this man, was a very great sign. So they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans. He said well thus: Having testified. For perhaps they testify because of him, that they may not be deceived, that henceforth they may be in safety, that they may not often be carried away through inexperience. They returned to Jerusalem. Why do they go away again there, where the tyranny was, where the beginning of evils was, where those who most sought to kill were? Just as generals do in wars, and they seize the toilsome part of the war; the same thing these also do. See again how not of their own accord they come into Samaria, but the disciples being persecuted, as was also the case with Christ, and the apostles being then sent out to those of the Samaritans who had already believed. Now when the apostles, it says, which were at Jerusalem heard, they sent unto them Peter and John. Why are they sent? So that they might deliver them from sorcery, so that they might remind them of the teaching which they learned from Christ,

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γενέσθαι τοιοῦτος προσεκαρτέρει. Οἱ δὲ καταβάντες, προσηύξαντο περὶ αὐτῶν, ὅπως λάβωσι Πνεῦμα ἅγιον· οὐδέπω γὰρ ἦν ἐπ' οὐδενὶ αὐτῶν ἐπιπεπτωκός. Τότε ἐπετίθουν τὰς χεῖρας ἐπ' αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐλάμβανον Πνεῦμα ἅγιον. Ὁρᾷς, ὅτι οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ πολλῆς ἔδει δυνάμεως, ὥστε δοῦναι Πνεῦμα ἅγιον; Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἴσον ἀφέσεως τυχεῖν, καὶ λαβεῖν δύναμιν τοιαύτην. Θεασάμενος δὲ Σίμων, ὅτι διὰ τῆς ἐπιθέσεως τῶν χειρῶν τῶν ἀποστόλων δίδοται τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, προσήνεγκεν αὐτοῖς χρήματα. Μὴ γὰρ τοὺς ἄλλους εἶδε τοῦτο ποιοῦντας; μὴ γὰρ Φίλιππον; μὴ γὰρ ἐνόμιζεν αὐτοὺς οὐκ εἰδέναι μεθ' οἵας διανοίας προσῄει; ∆ιὸ καλῶς Πέτρος καὶ δωρεὰν καλεῖ τὸ πρᾶγμα, λέγων· Τὸ ἀργύριόν σου σὺν σοὶ εἴη εἰς ἀπώλειαν, ὅτι τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐνόμισας διὰ χρημάτων κτᾶσθαι. Ὁρᾷς πανταχοῦ καθαροὺς αὐτοὺς χρημάτων ὄντας; Οὐκ ἔστι σοι μερὶς οὐδὲ κλῆρος ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τούτῳ· ἡ γὰρ καρδία σου οὐκ ἔστιν εὐθεῖα ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὥστε ἀπὸ τῆς κακίας πάντα ἔπραττε· καὶ μὴν ἀφελῆ ἔδει εἶναι. Μετανόησον οὖν. Εἰς γὰρ χολὴν πικρίας, καὶ σύνδεσμον ἀδικίας θεωρῶ σε ὄντα. Πολλοῦ θυμοῦ τὰ ῥήματα. Οὐ κολάζει δὲ αὐτὸν, ἵνα μὴ λοιπὸν ἀνάγκης ἡ πίστις ᾖ, ἵνα μὴ τὸ πρᾶγμα ὠμὸν εἶναι δόξῃ, ἵνα τὰ τῆς μετανοίας εἰσαγάγῃ· ἢ καὶ ὅτι ἤρκει εἰς διόρθωσιν τὸ ἐλέγξαι, τὸ τὰ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ εἰπεῖν, τὸ ἐκεῖνον ὁμολογῆσαι, ὅτι ἑάλω. Τῷ γὰρ εἰπεῖν, ὅτι ∆εήθητε ὑμεῖς ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ, τοῦτό ἐστιν ὁμολογοῦντος ὁμοῦ καὶ δεικνύντος. Ὅρα πῶς, καίτοι μιαρὸς ὢν, ὅμως, ὅτε ἠλέγχθη, τότε ἐπίστευσεν, ὥσπερ καὶ ταπεινὸς γέγονεν, ὅτε πάλιν ἠλέγχθη. Θεωρῶν σημεῖα γινόμενα ἐξίστατο, δεικνὺς τὸ πᾶν ψεῦδος. Οὐ, Προσῆλθεν, εἶπεν, ἀλλ', Ἐξίστατο. Καὶ τί δήποτε ἐκεῖνο εὐθὺς οὐ ποιεῖ; Ἐνόμιζε δύνασθαι λανθάνειν, ἐνόμιζε τέχνην εἶναι τὸ πρᾶγμα· ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐκ ἴσχυσε λαθεῖν τοὺς ἀποστόλους, προσῆλθε. Πολλῶν γὰρ ἐχόντων πνεύματα ἀκάθαρτα, βοῶντα φωνῇ μεγάλῃ ἐξήρχετο. Τοῦτο τοῦ ἐξελθεῖν σημεῖον φανερὸν, τὰ δὲ τῶν μάγων ἀπεναντίας· μᾶλλον γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι καὶ ἐδέσμουν. Πολλοί τε παραλελυμένοι καὶ χωλοὶ ἐθεραπεύθησαν. Οὐκ ἦν ἐνταῦθα ἀπάτη· περιπατῆσαι γὰρ ἔδει καὶ ἐνεργῆσαι. Προσεῖχον δὲ αὐτῷ πάντες, λέγοντες· Οὗτός ἐστιν ἡ δύναμις τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἐνταῦθα πληροῦται τὸ παρὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰρημένον· Πολλοὶ ἐλεύσονται ψευδόχριστοι καὶ ψευδοπροφῆται ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί μου. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ οὐκ εὐθέως αὐτὸν ἤλεγξαν; Ἠρκέσθησαν τῷ καταγνῶναι αὐτὸν ἑαυτοῦ· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο διδασκαλίας ἦν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀντιστῆναι οὐκ ἴσχυσεν, ὑποκρίνεται ὥσπερ καὶ οἱ μάγοι, ὅτε ἔλεγον· Τοῦτο δάκτυλός ἐστι Θεοῦ. Ἵνα δὲ μὴ καὶ ἀπελαθῇ πάλιν, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ προσεκαρτέρει τῷ Φιλίππῳ, καὶ οὐκ ἐχωρίζετο. δʹ. Σὺ δέ μοι σκόπει, ὅσα οἰκονομεῖται διὰ τοῦ θανάτου τοῦ Στεφάνου. ∆ιασπείρονται κατὰ τὰς χώρας τῆς 60.146 Ἰουδαίας καὶ Σαμαρείας, εὐαγγελίζονται τὸν λόγον, κηρύσσουσι τὸν Χριστὸν, σημεῖα ἐπιτελοῦσι, κατὰ μικρὸν λαμβάνουσι τὴν δωρεὰν οὗτοι. Τοῦτο διπλοῦν σημεῖον ἦν· τό τε γὰρ ἐκείνοις δοῦναι, τό τε τούτῳ μὴ δοῦναι, σημεῖον μέγιστον ἦν. Οἱ μὲν οὖν διαμαρτυράμενοι καὶ λαλήσαντες τὸν λόγον τοῦ Κυρίου, ὑπέστρεψαν εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα, καὶ πολλὰς κώμας τῶν Σαμαρειτῶν εὐηγγελίσαντο. Καλῶς οὕτως εἶπε· ∆ιαμαρτυράμενοι. ∆ιαμαρτύρονται γὰρ ἴσως δι' αὐτὸν, ἵνα μὴ ἀπατῶνται, ἵνα λοιπὸν ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ ὦσιν, ἵνα μὴ ἐξ ἀπειρίας πολλάκις συναρπαγῶσιν. Ὑπέστρεψαν εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα. ∆ιὰ τί πάλιν ἀπίασιν ἐκεῖ, ἔνθα ἡ τυραννὶς ἦν, ἔνθα ἡ ἀρχὴ τῶν κακῶν, ἔνθα οἱ μάλιστα φονῶντες; Καθάπερ ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις οἱ στρατηγοὶ ποιοῦσι, καὶ τὸ πονοῦν τοῦ πολέμου μέρος καταλαμβάνουσι· τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ οὗτοι ἐργάζονται. Ὅρα πάλιν οὐχὶ προηγουμένως ἐρχομένους εἰς Σαμάρειαν, ἀλλὰ διωκομένους τοὺς μαθητὰς, ὡς καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ τοὺς ἀποστόλους πρὸς τοὺς πιστεύσαντας ἤδη τῶν Σαμαρειτῶν λοιπὸν ἐξαποστελλομένους. Ἀκούσαντες δὲ, φησὶν, οἱ ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ἀπόστολοι, ἀπέστειλαν πρὸς αὐτοὺς Πέτρον καὶ Ἰωάννην. Τί δήποτε ἀποστέλλονται; Ὥστε ἀπαλλάξαι μαγείας αὐτοὺς, ὥστε τῆς διδαχῆς ἀναμνῆσαι, ἣν παρὰ Χριστοῦ ἔμαθον,