132

," and becoming enraged they threw him down. But when he fell he did not die, 1.362 and they began to stone him. But he knelt down and prayed, saying, "I beseech you, God the Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." But one of the sons of Rechab cried out, saying, "Stop, what are you doing? The just man is praying for us." And a certain fuller ran and struck him on the head with a fuller's club, and killed him. And burying him by the temple, they raised his stele. And after his martyrdom, Jerusalem was besieged immediately; for Josephus says, "These things happened to the Jews as vengeance for James the Just, who was the brother of Jesus called the Christ, since the Jews killed him though he was most just." During the time of this Nero, Simon Magus came to Rome, and performing many signs through sorcery, called himself a god. And when the great apostle Peter at that time arrived in Rome and went to the magician, he found a very large dog bound with a chain at the gate, which Simon had bound, and through it he was preventing everyone he did not wish to enter from coming to him; and this was the first wonder for one about to enter to Simon. But Peter, seeing the dog so large and savage, and learning that he had killed many who tried to enter without Simon's permission, took hold of him and loosed him, saying, "Go in to Simon and say to him in a human voice, 'Peter the servant of Christ wishes to come in to you.'" And when the dog immediately ran in and spoke thus, 1.363 those with Simon were astonished, saying, "Who is Peter, and what is this great power of his?" to whom Simon says, "Let this not surprise you, which I too shall do." And he commanded the dog to tell Peter in a human voice to enter. And when the dog had done this again, Peter went in to Simon, and engaging with Simon in a contest of wonders, Peter won by performing healings, and many believed and were baptized. And there was in Rome much disturbance and confusion between Peter and Simon, because they performed wonders against each other. which the prefect reported to Nero. Whom Nero, having commanded to be brought before him, says to Simon, "Are you the one they call Christ?" And he says, "I am." And likewise when he asked Peter if this one was truly the Christ, Peter answered, "This is not he; may it not be. For I am a disciple of that one who was crucified and rose again and was taken up into the heavens." But Nero, as if they were story-tellers, quickly drove them both from his presence. And they, while living in Rome, performed wonders against each other. On one of the days, at any rate, when Simon commanded a very large bull to be brought to him, he spoke into its ear, and immediately the bull died. But Peter, after praying, raised it. And the people, seeing this, marveled, saying, "Truly, to give life is a greater wonder than to cause death." And indeed they performed many other signs, not only in Rome but also previously in Syria, which Clement the 1.364 Roman and all-wise disciple and fellow traveler of Peter related, of which we will set down a few here. While the blessed apostle Peter was teaching the people to revere and worship the only true God over all, Simon, standing outside the crowd, shouted, "Why do you lie, wishing to deceive the common crowd standing before you, persuading them neither to acknowledge nor believe in gods, even though the books of the Hebrews say that there are many gods? However, then, concerning the god you spoke of, if I show that he is not the highest and all-powerful God, since he is ignorant of the future and imperfect and in need and not good and subject to many passions according to your scripture, another one certainly remains who is prescient, perfect, not in need, good, and free from all passion; but the one you call creator and supreme god exists subject to the opposites. For example, Adam, who was made in his likeness, is created both blind and

132

ται," καὶ μανέντες ἔρριψαν αὐτὸν κάτω. πεσὼν δὲ οὐκ ἀπέθανε, 1.362 καὶ ἤρξαντο λιθάζειν αὐτόν· ὁ δὲ θεὶς τὰ γόνατα προσηύχετο λέ γων "παρακαλῶ σε, θεὲ πάτερ, ἄφες αὐτοῖς· οὐ γὰρ οἴδασι τί πράττουσιν." εἷς δὲ τῶν υἱῶν Ῥιχὰβ ἔκραξε λέγων "παύσασθε, τί ποιεῖτε; ὁ δίκαιος μᾶλλον ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν εὔχεται." καὶ δραμών τις κναφεὺς ἔδωκεν εἰς τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ μετὰ ξύλου κναφικοῦ, καὶ ἐθανάτωσεν αὐτόν. θάψαντες δὲ αὐτὸν περὶ τῷ ναῷ ἀνήγει ραν τὴν στήλην αὐτοῦ. μετὰ δὲ μαρτύριον αὐτοῦ παρὰ πόδας πολιορκεῖται Ἱερουσαλήμ· φησὶ γὰρ Ἰώσηπος "ταῦτα δὲ συμβέβηκεν Ἰουδαίοις κατ' ἐκδίκησιν Ἰακώβου τοῦ δικαίου, ὃς ἦν ἀδελφὸς Ἰησοῦ τοῦ λεγομένου Χριστοῦ, ἐπειδήπερ δικαιότατον ὄντα Ἰουδαῖοι ἀπέκτειναν." Ἐπὶ τούτου τοῦ Νέρωνος Σίμων ὁ μάγος ἐλθὼν ἐν Ῥώμῃ, καὶ πολλὰ σημεῖα διὰ γοητείας ἐπιτελῶν, ἑαυτὸν θεὸν ὠνόμαζε. τοῦ μεγάλου δὲ ἀποστόλου Πέτρου τότε τὴν Ῥώμην καταλαβόντος καὶ πρὸς τὸν μάγον ἀπελθόντος, εὗρε κύνα παμμεγέθη δεδεμένον ἁλύσει ἐν τῷ πυλῶνι, ὃν ὁ Σίμων δεσμήσας δι' αὐτοῦ ἐκώλυε πάντας οὓς οὐκ ἤθελε πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰσιέναι· καὶ τοῦτο ἦν πρῶτον θαῦμα τῷ μέλλοντι πρὸς Σίμωνα εἰσέρχεσθαι. ὁ δὲ Πέτρος ἰδὼν τὸν κύνα οὕτω μέγαν καὶ ἀπηγριωμένον, καὶ μαθὼν ὅτι πολλοὺς ἀνεῖλεν ἐπιχειρήσαντας εἰσελθεῖν πρὸ τῆς ἐπιτροπῆς Σίμωνος, κρατήσας ἔλυσεν αὐτὸν λέγων "εἴσελθε πρὸς Σίμωνα, καὶ εἰπὲ αὐτῷ ἀνθρωπίνῃ φωνῇ, Πέτρος ὁ δοῦλος Χριστοῦ εἰσελθεῖν πρὸς σὲ θέλει." καὶ τοῦ κυνὸς εὐθὺς δρόμῳ εἰσελθόντος καὶ οὕτω 1.363 λαλήσαντος κατεπλάγησαν οἱ μετὰ Σίμωνος, λέγοντες "τίς ἐστι Πέτρος, καὶ τίς ἡ τοσαύτη δύναμις αὐτοῦ;" πρὸς οὕς φησιν ὁ Σίμων "τοῦτο ὑμᾶς μὴ ξενιζέτω, ὅπερ κἀγὼ ποιήσω." καὶ προσέταξε τῷ κυνὶ ἀνθρωπίνῃ φωνῇ εἰπεῖν τῷ Πέτρῳ εἰσελθεῖν. καὶ τοῦτο ποιήσαντος πάλιν τοῦ κυνὸς εἰσῆλθε Πέτρος πρὸς Σί μωνα, καὶ συμβαλὼν μετὰ τοῦ Σίμωνος εἰς θαυματουργίαν ἐνί κησε Πέτρος ἰάσεις ποιῶν, καὶ πολλοὶ πιστεύσαντες ἐβαπτίσθη σαν. καὶ ἦν ἐν τῇ Ῥώμῃ ταραχὴ πολλὴ καὶ σύγχυσις ἔναντι Πέτρου καὶ Σίμωνος, ὅτι κατέναντι ἀλλήλων ἐποίουν θαύματα. ἅπερ ἀνήνεγκεν ὁ ἔπαρχος τῷ Νέρωνι. οὓς κελεύσας ὁ Νέρων ἀχθῆναι ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ λέγει πρὸς Σίμωνα "σὺ εἶ ὃν λέγουσι Χριστόν;" ὁ δέ φησιν "ἐγώ εἰμι." ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τὸν Πέτρον ἐπερωτήσαντος εἰ ἀληθῶς οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Χριστός, ἀπεκρίθη Πέ τρος "οὐκ ἔστιν οὗτος· μὴ γένοιτο. ἐγὼ γὰρ ἐκείνου εἰμὶ μαθη τὴς τοῦ σταυρωθέντος καὶ ἀναστάντος καὶ εἰς τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἀνα ληφθέντος." ὁ δὲ Νέρων ὡς τερατολόγους καὶ ἀμφοτέρους ἐκ προσώπου αὐτοῦ θᾶττον ἐξήλασεν. οἳ καὶ διάγοντες ἐν Ῥώμῃ ἐποίουν θαύματα κατέναντι ἀλλήλων. μιᾷ γοῦν τῶν ἡμερῶν προστάξαντος τοῦ Σίμωνος ἀχθῆναι αὐτῷ ταῦρον παμμεγέθη ἐλά λησεν εἰς τὸ οὖς αὐτοῦ, καὶ παρευθὺ τέθνηκεν ὁ ταῦρος. ὁ δὲ Πέτρος εὐξάμενος ἤγειρεν αὐτόν. οἱ δὲ λαοὶ ἰδόντες ἐθαύμασαν λέγοντες "ἀληθῶς τὸ ζωογονῆσαι ὑπὲρ τὸ θανατῶσαι μεῖζον θαῦμα ἐστί." καὶ μέντοι καὶ ἄλλα σημεῖα ἐποίησαν πολλά, οὐ μόνον ἐν Ῥώμῃ ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν Συρίᾳ πρότερον, ἅτινα Κλήμης ὁ 1.364 Ῥωμαῖος καὶ πάνσοφος μαθητὴς Πέτρου καὶ συνέκδημος διηγή σατο, ἀφ' ὧν ὀλίγα συντάξομεν ἐνταῦθα. Τοῦ μακαρίου Πέτρου τοῦ ἀποστόλου διδάσκοντος τὸν λαὸν σέβεσθαι καὶ προσκυνεῖν τὸν ἐπὶ πάντων μόνον ἀληθινὸν θεόν, ὁ Σίμων ἔξω τοῦ ὄχλου ἑστὼς ἐβόησε "τί ψευδόμενος ἀπατᾶν θέλεις τὸν παρεστῶτά σοι ἰδιώτην ὄχλον, πείθων αὐτοὺς θεοὺς μήτε νομίζειν μήτε εἶναι, καίπερ τῶν παρ' Ἑβραίοις βιβλίων λεγόντων πολλοὺς θεοὺς εἶναι; πλὴν οὖν περὶ οὗ ἔφης θεοῦ, εἰ δείξω ἐγὼ μὴ αὐτὸν εἶναι τὸν ἀνωτάτω καὶ παντοδύναμον θεόν, καθὸ ἀπρό γνωστός ἐστι καὶ ἀτελὴς καὶ ἐνδεὴς καὶ οὐκ ἀγαθὸς καὶ πολλοῖς ὑποκείμενος πάθεσι κατὰ τὴν ὑμετέραν γραφήν, ἕτερος πάντως περιλείπεται προγνωστικὸς τέλειος ἀνενδεὴς ἀγαθὸς καὶ παντὸς πάθους ἀπηλλαγμένος· ὃν δὲ σὺ φῂς δημιουργὸν καὶ ὑπέρθεον, τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἀντικείμενος ὑπάρχει. αὐτίκα γοῦν ὁ καθ' ὁμοίω σιν αὐτοῦ γεγονὼς Ἀδὰμ καὶ τυφλὸς κτίζεται καὶ