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as has been said before, Simon said to Peter, “You said that 1.370 Christ your God was taken up; behold, I too am being taken up.” And Peter, seeing him being lifted up by magic into the air in the middle of the city of Rome, prayed, and immediately Simon, falling and being shattered, died. And the place from then on, which received his profane and utterly defiled body, was called the Simonion. Concerning whom, in the Apostolic Constitutions, the great apostle Peter speaks thus: “The beginning of the new heresies came from Simon the magician, who, having committed many wicked deeds in Syria and having come to Rome, greatly plundered the church through magic and diabolical power and skill. For in Caesarea Stratonis, having met me, Peter, he attempted to pervert the word of God, with my holy children being present, Zacchaeus the former tax collector and Barnabas, and Aquila, brother of Clement the Roman, who was also a disciple of Paul, our fellow apostle and co-worker in the gospel; and having debated with him a third time in their presence from the words through the prophets and concerning the monarchy of God, I defeated him by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, and reduced him to speechlessness, and made him a fugitive to Italy. But having arrived, as I said, in Rome, he greatly troubled the church, subverting many and winning them for himself, and amazing the Gentiles by magical art and the power of demons. Who also once, in the middle of the day, coming forth into the theater, promised to fly up through the air, with everyone marveling at this. But I, Peter, was praying by myself. 1.371 And indeed, being lifted up by demons, he flew aloft into the air, saying he would ascend to the heavens and from there would bestow good things upon the peoples. And while the demons were acclaiming him as a god, I, stretching out my hands on high, besought God to cast down the destroyer. Therefore, looking intently, I said to Simon: ‘If I am an apostle of Jesus Christ, and not a deceiver like you, Simon, I command the wicked powers to release their hold on you.’ And as I said these things, he was brought down with a great sound and was shattered; and with the crowd crying out, ‘One is the God whom Peter proclaims,’ thus the first heresy of the Simonians was destroyed in Rome, and was completely extinguished. Wherefore also that sabbath day the Romans keep as a festival.”

Nero, however, having heard that Simon had been killed by Peter, and being indignant, commanded him to be crucified. But Peter, having requested the prefect that he not be crucified upright like the Lord, was crucified head downwards. But after the death of Peter, as Eusebius says, the apostle Paul at his first defense, having come from Judea as a prisoner, having made his defense to Nero, was sent forth for the ministry of the proclamation. And from there, as it seems, Luke wrote the Acts of the Apostles up to that time, until when he was with Paul; but at the time he bore his witness, he was not present with him, as the apostle clearly says this: “At my first defense no one came to stand by me, 1.372 but all deserted me. May it not be counted against them.” But the second epistle to Timothy he wrote while in custody, at the same time indicating his former defense before Nero. whom he also rightly named a lion on account of the inhuman and beastly nature of his character. And he adds his imminent end, saying, “I was rescued from the lion's mouth; but the Lord will also rescue me from every evil deed, and save me for his heavenly kingdom,” hinting at his immediate martyrdom, which he also more clearly declares in the same epistle, saying, “For I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come.” Therefore, having made his first defense and again being sent forth for the ministry of the proclamation, then again a second time entering Rome as a prisoner and likewise being handed over to Nero, he was crowned with the crown of martyrdom by the sword, on the 29th of the month of June, on which day Peter also

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προείρηται, εἶπε Σίμων τῷ Πέτρῳ "ἔφης ὅτι 1.370 Χριστὸς ὁ θεός σου ἀνελήφθη· ἰδοὺ κἀγὼ ἀναλαμβάνομαι." καὶ ἰδὼν αὐτὸν Πέτρος κουφιζόμενον διὰ τῆς μαγείας εἰς τὸν ἀέρα ἐν μέσῳ τῆς πόλεως Ῥώμης, ηὔξατο, καὶ εὐθὺς πεσὼν ὁ Σίμων καὶ συντριβεὶς ἀπέθανεν. ὁ δὲ τόπος ἔκτοτε, ὁ δεξάμενος αὐτοῦ τὸ βέβηλον καὶ παμμίαρον σῶμα, ἐκλήθη Σιμώνιον. περὶ οὗ ἐν ταῖς ἀποστολικαῖς διατάξεσιν ὁ μέγας ἀπόστολος Πέτρος οὕτω φάσκει "ἡ δὲ καταρχὴ τῶν νέων αἱρέσεων γέγονεν ἀπὸ Σίμωνος τοῦ μάγου, ὃς καὶ ἐν Συρίᾳ πολλὰ διαπραξάμενος ἄτοπα καὶ ἐν Ῥώμῃ γενόμενος πολὺ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἔσκυλε διὰ μαγείας καὶ δια βολικῆς ἐνεργείας καὶ ἐμπειρίας. ἐν μὲν γὰρ Καισαρείᾳ τῇ Στρά τωνος ἐμοὶ Πέτρῳ συντυχὼν ἐπειρᾶτο διαστρέφειν τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ, συμπαρόντων μοι τῶν ἱερῶν τέκνων, Ζακχαρίου τοῦ ποτὲ τελώνου καὶ Βαρνάβα, καὶ Ἀκύλα ἀδελφοῦ Κλήμεντος τοῦ Ῥωμαίου, μαθητεύσαντος δὲ καὶ Παύλῳ τῷ συναποστόλῳ ἡμῶν καὶ συνέργῳ ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ· καὶ τρίτον ἐπ' αὐτῶν διαλεχθεὶς αὐτῷ ἐκ τῶν διὰ τῶν προφητῶν λόγων καὶ περὶ θεοῦ μοναρχίας, ἥττησα αὐτὸν δυνάμει τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ εἰς ἀφωνίαν κατέβαλον, φυγάδα τε αὐτὸν εἰς Ἰταλίαν κατέστησα. γενόμενος δέ, ὡς ἔφην, ἐν Ῥώμῃ πολὺ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἐτάραξε, πολλὰ ἀνα τρέπων καὶ ἑαυτῷ περιποιούμενος, τὰ δὲ ἔθνη ἐξιστάνων μαγικῇ τέχνῃ καὶ δαιμόνων ἐνεργείᾳ. ὃς καί ποτε μεσούσης ἡμέρας προελ θὼν εἰς τὸ θέατρον ἐπηγγείλατο δι' ἀέρος ἀναπτῆναι, πάντων θαυμαζόντων ἐπὶ τούτῳ. ἐγὼ δὲ Πέτρος καθ' ἑαυτὸν ηὐχόμην. 1.371 καὶ δὴ μετεωρισθεὶς ὑπὸ δαιμόνων ἵπτατο μετάρσιος εἰς τὸν ἀέρα, λέγων εἰς τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἀνιέναι κἀκεῖθεν τοῖς λαοῖς τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἐπιχορηγήσειν. τῶν δὲ δαιμόνων ἐπευφημούντων αὐτὸν ὡς θεόν, ἐκτείνας ἐγὼ τὰς χεῖρας εἰς ὕψος ἱκέτευον τὸν θεὸν καταρράξαι τὸν λυμεῶνα. ἀτενίσας οὖν εἶπον τῷ Σίμωνι «εἰ ἀπόστολος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰμὶ ἐγώ, καὶ οὐχὶ πλάνος ὥσπερ σὺ Σίμων, προστάσσω ταῖς πονηραῖς δυνάμεσιν ἀφεῖναί σε τῆς κρατήσεως.» καὶ ταῦτα εἰπόντος μου κατηνέχθη μετ' ἤχου πολλοῦ καὶ συνετρίβη· καὶ τοῦ ὄχλου βοήσαντος «εἷς θεὸς ὃν Πέτρος καταγγέλλει,» οὕτως ἡ πρώτη κατελύθη τῶν Σιμωνιανῶν αἵρεσις ἐν Ῥώμῃ, καὶ τέλεον ἀπέσβη. διὸ δὴ καὶ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνου τοῦ σαββάτου ἐπίσημον ἄγουσι Ῥωμαῖοι."

Ὁ μέντοι Νέρων ἀκούσας ὅτι πεφόνευται Σίμων ὑπὸ τοῦ Πέτρου, καὶ ἀγανακτήσας, ἐκέλευσεν αὐτὸν σταυρωθῆναι. ὁ δὲ Πέτρος παρακαλέσας τὸν ἔπαρχον ἵνα μὴ σταυρωθῇ ὄρθιος ὡς ὁ κύριος, κατὰ κεφαλῆς ἐσταυρώθη. μετὰ δέ γε τὴν Πέτρου τε λευτήν, ὥς φησιν Εὐσέβιος, Παῦλος ὁ ἀπόστολος κατὰ μὲν τὴν πρώτην ἀπολογίαν ἐλθὼν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας δέσμιος, ἀπολογη σάμενος Νέρωνι ἐπὶ τὴν διακονίαν τοῦ κηρύγματος ἐστάλη. κἀν τεῦθεν, ὡς ἔοικε, τὰς τῶν ἀποστόλων πράξεις ἐπ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν χρόνον Λουκᾶς ἔγραψε, μέχρις ὅτε συνῆν τῷ Παύλῳ· καθ' ὃν δὲ καιρὸν ἐμαρτύρησεν, οὐ συμπαρῆν αὐτῷ, τοῦ ἀποστόλου σα φῶς τοῦτο λέγοντος ὅτι οὐδείς μοι ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ ἀπολογίᾳ συμ 1.372 παρεγένετο, ἀλλὰ πάντες με ἐγκατέλιπον, μὴ αὐτοῖς λογισθείη. τὴν δὲ πρὸς Τιμόθεον δευτέραν ἐπιστολὴν κατεχόμενος ἔγραψεν, ὁμοῦ σημαίνων τήν τε προτέραν αὐτοῦ ἀπολογίαν πρὸς Νέρωνα. ὃν καὶ λέοντα διὰ τὸ ἀπάνθρωπον καὶ θηριῶδες τοῦ τρόπου καλῶς ὠνόμασε. καὶ τὴν παρὰ πόδας τελείωσιν ἐπάγει φάσκων "ἐρρύ σθην ἐκ στόματος λέοντος· ἀλλὰ καὶ ῥύσεταί με ὁ κύριος ἀπὸ παντὸς ἔργου πονηροῦ, καὶ σώσει εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐπουράνιον," ὑπεμφαίνων τὸ παραυτίκα μαρτύριον, ὃ καὶ σαφέ στερον ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ ἐπιστολῇ προσαγορεύει λέγων "ἐγὼ γὰρ ἤδη σπένδομαι, καὶ ὁ καιρὸς τῆς ἀναλύσεώς μου ἐφέστηκεν." ἀπο λογησάμενος τοίνυν τὴν πρώτην ἀπολογίαν καὶ αὖθις ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ κηρύγματος διακονίαν στειλάμενος, εἶτα πάλιν τὸ δεύτερον ἐπιβὰς τῇ Ῥώμῃ δέσμιος καὶ ὡσαύτως Νέρωνι παραδοθεὶς τὸν διὰ ξίφους τοῦ μαρτυρίου στέφανον ἀνεδήσατο, μηνὶ Ἰουνίῳ κθʹ, καθ' ἣν ἡμέραν καὶ Πέτρος