126

“You shall not speak evil of the gods,” you brought forward in order to show this, that the one who has made is one, that those who have not made are to perish. And in response to my saying that one must speak of gods, just as the Scriptures also speak of them, you also showed in response to this that one must not utter their names, by the same Scripture saying not to utter the names of other gods. Since, therefore, the Scriptures themselves say there are many gods and at another time that there is only one—and that sometimes they are not to be spoken ill of, and at other times they are to be spoken ill of—what must one conclude from this, other than that the Scriptures themselves lead us astray? And Peter said: They do not lead us astray, but they test and bring to light the evil disposition lurking in each person against God, like that of a serpent. For they are set forth resembling many and various types. Therefore each person, having his own disposition which is like wax, after looking them over and finding everything in them, whatever sort of god he wishes there to be, he impresses his disposition, which is (as I said) like wax, and takes an impression from it. Since, therefore, whatever one wishes to think about God, he finds in them, for this reason one person takes an impression of the ideas of many gods from them, while we have taken the impression of the idea of the one who truly is, having recognized the true type from our own form. But also our soul within has clothed itself with his image for immortality. If I abandon her begetter, by a just judgment she too is to abandon me (having recognized me as unjust by this very audacious act) and as from a just one she will justly abandon me, and thus, my soul after punishment, having been deprived of its help, I shall be destroyed. But if there is another, let him first put on another idea, another form, so that through the new form of the body I may recognize the new god. But if he also changes the form, will he not also change the substance of the soul? And if he does change it, I am no longer myself, having become another both in form and in substance. Therefore let him fashion others, if he is another. But he is not. And if he were, he would have fashioned them. Since, therefore, he has not fashioned them, as one who does not exist, let him leave alone the one who truly exists. For there is no other, except in the opinion of Simon alone. I do not accept another god except the one alone who created me. And Simon: Since I see you speaking more frequently on behalf of the god who fashioned you, learn from me how you are also impious toward him. Those who fashioned appear to be two, as the Scripture says: “And God said, ‘Let us make man in our image and after our likeness.’” “Let us make” signifies two or more, but not one. And Peter answered: It is one who said to his own wisdom, “Let us make man.” But wisdom, in which as in his own spirit he himself always rejoiced, is united to God as a soul, but is extended from him as a hand, creating all things. For this reason also one man came into being, and from him also came forth the female. And being a monad by its origin, it is a dyad. For by extension and contraction the monad is considered to be a dyad. So that I do rightly in ascribing all honor to the one God as to parents. And Simon said: What then? If the Scriptures also speak of other gods, will you not accept it? And Peter answered: Whether the Scriptures or the prophets speak of gods, they speak for the testing of the hearers. For thus it is written: “If there arise

126

«Oὐ δεῖ κακολογεῖν θεούς» ἐπήγαγες πρὸς <τοῦτο> τὸ δεῖξαι ὅτι εἷς ἐστιν ὁ πεποιηκώς, ὅτι οἱ μὴ πεποιηκότες ἀπολέσθαι ἔχουσιν. πρὸς δὲ τὸ εἰπεῖν με ὅτι δεῖ θεοὺς λέγειν, καθὸ καὶ αἱ γραφαὶ αὐτοὺς λέγουσιν, καὶ πρὸς τοῦτο ἔδειξας ὅτι μὴ δεῖ αὐτῶν ὀνόματα φθέγγεσθαι, τῷ τὴν αὐτὴν γραφὴν εἰπεῖν ὀνόματα θεῶν ἑτέρων μὴ φθέγγεσθαι. ἐπεὶ οὖν αὐταὶ αἱ γραφαὶ πολλοὺς λέ- γουσιν εἶναι θεοὺς καὶ ἄλλοτε ἕνα μόνον εἶναι-καὶ ὁτὲ μὲν μὴ κακολογεῖσθαι, ὁτὲ δὲ κακολογεῖσθαι-, πρὸς τοῦτο τί δεῖ λογίσασθαι ἢ ὅτι αὐταὶ ἡμᾶς αἱ γραφαὶ πλανῶσιν; καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· Oὐ πλανῶσιν, ἀλλ' ἐλέγχου- σιν καὶ εἰς φανερὸν ἄγουσιν τὴν ἐν ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐνδομυχοῦσαν ὥσπερ ὄφεως κακὴν προαίρεσιν. πολλοῖς γὰρ καὶ διαφόροις τύποις ἐοικυῖαι πρόκεινται. ἕκαστος οὖν κηρῷ ἐοικυῖαν τὴν αὑτοῦ προαίρεσιν ἔχων, περιβλεψάμενος αὐτὰς καὶ πάντα εὑρὼν ἐν αὐταῖς, ὁποῖον θεὸν εἶναι θέλει, τήν (ὡς ἔφην) κηρῷ ἐοικυῖαν προαίρεσιν ἐπιβαλὼν ἀπο- μάσσεται. ἐπεὶ οὖν ὅτι ἂν βούληταί τις περὶ θεοῦ φρονεῖν, ἐν αὐταῖς εὑρίσκει, τούτου χάριν ὁ μὲν πολλῶν θεῶν ἰδέας ἀπομάσσεται ἀπ' αὐτῶν, καὶ ἡμεῖς τὴν τοῦ ὄντως <ὄντος> ἀπεμαξάμεθα ἰδέαν, ἐκ τῆς ἡμετέ- ρας μορφῆς τὸν ἀληθῆ ἐπιγνόντες τύπον. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ ἔνδοθεν ἡμῶν ψυχὴ τὴν αὐτοῦ εἰκόνα πρὸς ἀθανασίαν ἠμφίεσται. ταύτης τὸν γεννήτορα ἐὰν καταλίπω, δικαίᾳ κρίσει καὶ αὐτή με καταλιπεῖν ἔχει (αὐτῷ τῷ τολμήματι γνωρίσασα ἄδικον) καὶ ὡς ἀπὸ δικαίου δικαίως καταλείψει με, καὶ οὕτως τὴν ψυχὴν μετὰ κόλασιν, τῆς ἀπ' αὐτῆς ἀπολειφθείσης βοηθείας, φθαρήσομαι. εἰ δὲ ἔστιν ἕτερος, πρῶτον ἐνδυσάτω ἑτέραν ἰδέαν, ἑτέραν μορφήν, ἵνα διὰ τῆς τοῦ σώματος καινῆς μορφῆς τὸν και- νὸν ἐπιγνῶ θεόν. εἰ δὲ καὶ τὴν μορφὴν ἀλλάξει, μήτι καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν οὐσίαν; εἰ δὲ καὶ ἀλλάξει, οὐκέτι ἐγώ εἰμι, ἄλλος γενόμενος καὶ μορφῇ καὶ οὐσίᾳ. ἄλλους οὖν πλαττέτω, εἰ ἄλλος ἐστίν. οὐκ ἔστιν δέ. εἰ δὲ ἦν, ἔπλασεν ἄν. ἐπεὶ οὖν οὐκ ἔπλασεν, ὡς οὐκ ὢν τὸν ὄντα τῷ ὄντι καταλιπέτω. οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἔστιν ἢ μόνῃ γνώμῃ Σίμωνος. ἐγὼ ἄλλον θεὸν οὐ παραδέχομαι πλὴν τὸν κτίσαντά με μόνον. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· Ἐπεὶ πυκνότερόν σε ὁρῶ τὸν λόγον ποιούμενον ὑπὲρ τοῦ πλά- σαντός σε θεοῦ, μάθε παρ' ἐμοῦ πῶς καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν ἀσεβεῖς. οἱ πλάσαντες δύο φαίνονται ὡς ἡ γραφὴ λέγει· «Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ θεός· Ποιήσωμεν ἄν- θρωπον κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν ἡμετέραν». τὸ «ποιήσωμεν» δύο σημαίνει ἢ πλείονας, πλὴν οὐχ ἕνα. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἀπεκρίνατο· Eἷς ἐστιν ὁ τῇ αὐτοῦ σοφίᾳ εἰπών· «Ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον». ἡ δὲ σοφία, ᾗ ὥσπερ ἰδίῳ πνεύματι αὐτὸς ἀεὶ συνέχαιρεν, ἥνωται μὲν ὡς ψυχὴ τῷ θεῷ, ἐκτείνεται δὲ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ὡς χείρ, δημιουργοῦσα τὸ πᾶν. διὰ τοῦτο δὲ καὶ εἷς ἄνθρωπος ἐγένετο, ἀπ' αὐτοῦ δὲ προῆλθεν καὶ τὸ θῆλυ. καὶ μονὰς οὖσα τῷ γένει δυάς ἐστιν. κατὰ γὰρ ἔκτασιν καὶ συστολὴν ἡ μονὰς δυὰς εἶναι νομίζεται. ὥστε ἑνὶ θεῷ ὡς γονεῦσιν ὀρθῶς ποιῶ τὴν πᾶσαν προσ- αναφέρων τιμήν. καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη· Τί δέ; εἰ καὶ αἱ γραφαὶ ἑτέρους θεοὺς λέγουσιν, οὐ παραδέξει; Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἀπεκρίνατο· Eἴτε αἱ γραφαὶ εἴτε προφῆται θεοὺς λέγουσιν, εἰς πειρασμὸν τῶν ἀκουόντων λέγουσιν. οὕτω γὰρ γέγραπται· «Ἐὰν ἀναστῇ