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(as I said) revealing impious men to whom that one did not reveal. And Simon [said]: But he himself wishes to reveal to me. And Peter [said]: You do not understand what I am saying, Simon; but having heard, understand. The saying, “to whomsoever the Son wishes, he will reveal,” does not mean that one learns such a thing by teaching, but by revelation only. Revelation is that which lies secretly hidden in all the hearts of men, being revealed without a voice by his will. And thus one comes to know not by being taught, but by understanding. To the one who has understood, however, it is not permitted to demonstrate this to another (since he himself was not taught), nor is he able to reveal it (since he is not the Son), unless he says that he himself is the Son. But you are not the standing Son. For if you were the Son, you would certainly have known those worthy of such revelation. But you do not know. For if you did know, you would do the things of those who know. And Simon said: I confess, I have not understood what you mean by: “You would do the things of those who know.” And Peter [said]: If you have not understood, you cannot know the mind of each person; and if you are ignorant, you do not know those worthy of the revelation; and if you do not know, you are not the Son; but the Son knows; therefore, he reveals to whom he wishes, as being worthy. And Simon said: I am not mistaken; I know those who are worthy and I am not the Son. However, what this means, “he reveals to whom he wishes,” I have not understood as you say it; but my saying I do not understand was not as one who does not know, but as one who knows that those present have not understood, so that you might say it more clearly, that they may understand for whose sake we are also making this inquiry. And Peter [said]: I am not able to say it more clearly; you yourself, as one who has understood, declare it. And Simon [said]: I have no need to speak your words. And Peter [said]: It seems to me, Simon, that you do not understand it and are unwilling to confess it, so that you may not be caught in ignorance and be convicted of not being you, the standing Son. For you hint at this, even if you are unwilling to say it clearly; so that I indeed understand your intentions from what you hint at, being a disciple of a true prophet, not a prophet. but you, not even understanding the things clearly said, wish to call yourself the Son, opposing us. And Simon [said]: I will take away every pretext from you; I confess, I have not understood what this means, “and to whomsoever the Son wishes, he reveals.” Say it then more clearly. And Peter [said]: Since, even if only for show, you have confessed not to understand it, answer what I ask you, and you will learn. Tell me: do you say the Son is just, whoever he is, or not? And Simon said: Most just. And Peter [said]: But being just, why does he not reveal to all, but to whom he wishes? And Simon [said]: Because being just, he wishes to reveal to the worthy. And Peter [said]: Is it not therefore necessary for him to know the mind of each person, so that he may reveal to the worthy? And Simon [said]: It is altogether necessary that it be so. And Peter [said]: Therefore, he alone was reasonably appointed to reveal, as he alone knows the mind of each person, and not you, who are not even able to understand the things said by us. When Peter had said this, praise arose from the crowds. But Simon, having been caught in the act, being ashamed, blushed and rubbing his forehead said: But they say that I, a magician, am being defeated by Peter, but also being out-reasoned. But not if someone were out-reasoned, being carried away, does the truth in him stand defeated; for the weakness of the one defeated is not truth.

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(ὡς ἔφην) ἀσεβεῖς ἀποκαλύπτων οἷς ἐκεῖνος οὐκ ἀπεκάλυψεν. καὶ ὁ Σί- μων· Ἀλλὰ αὐτός με βούλεται ἀποκαλύπτειν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· Oὐ νοεῖς ἃ λέγω, Σίμων· πλὴν ἀκούσας σύνες. τὸ εἰπεῖν «οἷς ἂν βούληται ὁ υἱὸς ἀποκαλύψει» οὐ διδασκαλίᾳ τινὰ τοιοῦτον μαθεῖν λέγει, ἀλλὰ ἀποκαλύψει μόνον. ἀποκάλυψίς ἐστιν τὸ ἐν πάσαις καρδίαις ἀνθρώπων ἀπορρήτως κεί- μενον κεκαλυμμένον, ἄνευ φωνῆς τῇ αὐτοῦ βουλῇ ἀποκαλυπτόμενον. καὶ οὕτως γίνεται γνῶναι οὐ διδαχθέντα, ἀλλὰ συνέντα. τῷ μέντοι συν- έντι οὐκ ἔξεστιν ἄλλῳ τοῦτο ἀποδεῖξαι (ἐπεὶ μηδὲ αὐτὸς ἐδιδάχθη) οὔτε ἀποκαλύψαι δύναται (ἐπεὶ μὴ αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός), ἐκτὸς εἰ μὴ ἑαυτὸν λέγει εἶναι τὸν υἱόν. σὺ δὲ οὐκ εἶ ὁ ἑστὼς υἱός. εἰ γὰρ υἱὸς ἦς, πάντως ἂν ᾔδεις τῆς τοιαύτης ἀποκαλύψεως τοὺς ἀξίους. σὺ δὲ οὐκ οἶδας. εἰ γὰρ ἠπίστασο, τὰ τῶν ἐπισταμένων ἂν ἐποίεις. καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη· Ὁμολογῶ, οὐ συνῆκα πῶς λέγεις· Τὰ τῶν ἐπισταμένων ἂν ἐποίεις. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· Eἰ οὐ συνῆκας, οὐδὲ τὸν ἑκάστου νοῦν εἰδέναι δύνῃ- καὶ εἰ ἀγνοεῖς, οὐδὲ τοὺς ἀξίους τῆς ἀποκαλύψεως ἐπίστασαι· εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἐπίστασαι, οὐκ εἶ υἱός· ὁ δὲ υἱὸς οἶδεν· διὸ οἷς βούλεται ὡς ἀξίοις οὖσιν ἀποκαλύπτει. καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη· Μὴ ἀπατῶ· οἶδα τοὺς ἀξίους καὶ υἱὸς οὔκ εἰμι. τοῦτο μέντοι τί ποτ' ἔστιν «οἷς βούλεται ἀποκαλύπτει», οὐ συνῆκα ὡς λέγεις· τὸ δὲ μὴ συνιέναι οὐχ ὡς μὴ εἰδὼς εἶπον, ἀλλ' ὡς εἰδὼς ὅτι οἱ παρεστῶτες οὐ συνῆκαν, ἵνα αὐτὸ σαφέστερον εἴπῃς, ὅπως νοήσωσιν ὧν ἕνεκεν καὶ τὴν ζήτησιν ποιούμεθα. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· Ἐγὼ σαφέστερον αὐτὸ εἰπεῖν οὐ δύναμαι, σὺ αὐτὸς ὡς νοήσας φράσον. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· Ἐγὼ τὰ σὰ οὐκ ἀνάγκην ἔχω λέγειν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· Φαίνῃ μοι, Σίμων, μὴ συνιεὶς αὐτὸ καὶ ὁμολογεῖν μὴ θέλων, ἵνα μὴ ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ φωραθεὶς ἐλεγχθῇς μὴ ὢν σὺ ὁ ἑστὼς υἱός. τοῦτο γὰρ αἰνίσσῃ, κἂν σα- φῶς αὐτὸ εἰπεῖν μὴ θέλῃς· ὥστε ἐγὼ μὲν τὰς σὰς βουλὰς ἐξ ὧν αἰνίσσῃ ἐπίσταμαι, προφήτου ἀληθοῦς μαθητὴς ὤν, οὐ προφήτης. σὺ δὲ καὶ τὰ σαφῶς λεγόμενα μὴ συνιὼν υἱὸν ἑαυτὸν εἰπεῖν θέλεις, ἀνθεστὼς ἡμῖν. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· Ἀρῶ σου πᾶσαν πρόφασιν· ὁμολογῶ, αὐτὸ οὐ συνῆκα τί ποτ' ἔστιν «καὶ οἷς ἂν βούληται ὁ υἱὸς ἀποκαλύπτει». λέγε τοίνυν αὐτὸ σαφέστερον. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· Ἐπειδὴ κἂν σχήματι αὐτὸ ὡμολόγησας μὴ συνιέναι, πρὸς ὃ πυνθάνομαί σου ἀπόκριναί μοι, καὶ μαθήσῃ. λέγε μοι· φὴς τὸν υἱὸν δίκαιον εἶναι, ὅστις ποτ' ἔστιν, ἢ οὔ; καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη· ∆ικαιότατον. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· ∆ίκαιος δὲ ὢν διὰ τί μὴ πᾶσιν ἀποκαλύπτει, ἀλλ' οἷς βούλεται; καὶ ὁ Σίμων· Ὅτι δίκαιος ὢν τοῖς ἀξίοις ἀποκαλύπτειν βούλεται. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· Oὐκοῦν ἀνάγκη αὐτὸν εἰδέναι τὸν ἑκάστου νοῦν, ἵνα ἀξίοις ἀποκαλύπτῃ; καὶ ὁ Σίμων· Ἀνάγκη πᾶσα οὕτως ἔχειν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· Oὐκοῦν αὐτὸς μόνος εὐλόγως ἀποκαλύπτειν ὡρίσθη, μόνος τὸν ἑκά- στου νοῦν εἰδώς, καὶ οὐ σὺ ὁ μηδὲ τὰ ὑφ' ἡμῶν λεγόμενα δυνάμενος συνιέναι. Τοῦτο τοῦ Πέτρου εἰπόντος ἀπὸ μὲν τῶν ὄχλων ἔπαινος ἐγένετο. ὁ δὲ Σίμων κατάφωρος γεγονώς, αἰδεσθεὶς ἠρυθρίασεν καὶ τὸ μέτωπον τρίψας ἔφη· Ἀλλ' ἐμὲ μάγον λέγουσιν ὑπὸ Πέτρου νικώμενον, ἀλλὰ καὶ συλλογιζόμενον. οὐκ εἴ τις δὲ συλλογισθείη, συναρπασθεὶς τὴν ἐν αὐτῷ ἀλή- θειαν νενικημένην ἔχει· οὐ γὰρ ἡ ἀσθένεια τοῦ νικωμένου ἀλήθειά ἐστιν