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But on the next day, Peter came forward rather early, and seeing Simon with many others waiting for him, he addressed the crowd and began to discourse. But as soon as he began, Simon interrupted and said: Setting aside these long preambles of yours, answer me concerning the matter at hand which I ask. since I perceive you (as from what I have heard from the beginning I understand that you have no other purpose than by every device to show that the creator himself alone is a blameless God) [and] having so great a purpose and desire to maintain this, that you even dare to say that some passages of the scriptures which clearly speak against him are false; for which reason I have chosen today to demonstrate that it is impossible for him, being the creator of all things, to be blameless. And I can begin the demonstration now, if you will answer what I ask of you. Do you say there is a certain ruler of evil, or not? For if you say there is not, I can prove from many things, and from your teacher's words, that there is; but if you sensibly confess that there is an evil one, I will proceed with my argument accordingly. And Peter: It is impossible for me to deny a saying of my teacher, for which reason I also confess that there is an evil one, because the teacher who spoke all truth has often said that he exists. For example, he confesses that he, having disputed for forty days, tempted him. And somewhere else I know he said: “If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand?”. And he declared that he had seen the evil one “fall like lightning from heaven”. And elsewhere he said: “But he who sowed the bad seed is the devil”. And again: “give no opportunity to the evil one”. But also, giving counsel, he said: “Let your yes be yes, and your no, no; for whatever is more than these is from the evil one”. But also in the prayer which he delivered we have it said: “Deliver us from the evil one”. And somewhere else he promised to say to the ungodly: “Depart into the outer darkness, which the Father has prepared for the devil and his angels”. And that I may not prolong the discourse much, I know that my teacher often said that the evil one exists. Therefore I too agree that he exists. Then if you have anything to say in consequence, say it as you promised. And Simon: Since, then, you have sensibly confessed that the evil one exists, tell us from the scriptures how he came to be, if indeed he came to be, and by whom, and for what reason. And Peter: Forgive me, Simon, for not daring to say what has not been written. if you say it is written, show it; but if, since it is not written, you also are unable to show it, why do we put ourselves in danger by making pronouncements about things not written? For have we not believed that we shall be judged not only for what we do, but also for what we say in faith, and for this reason do we discourse more daringly about God? But Simon, understanding that he had spoken with reference to his rashness, said: Let me be in danger, but do not you take what you call blasphemy as a pretext for retreating. For I perceive that you wish to draw back, so that you may escape refutation before the crowds, at one time as being afraid to hear blasphemy, at another (since it is not written how and by whom and for what reason the evil one came to be) that one ought not dare to say more than the scripture; wherefore also as piously-

[HOMILY 19.]

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Τῆς δὲ ἄλλης ἡμέρας ὀρθρίτερον προελθὼν ὁ Πέτρος καὶ ἰδὼν τὸν Σίμωνα σὺν ἄλλοις πολλοῖς ἀναμένοντα αὐτόν, προσαγορεύσας τὸ πλῆθος ἤρξατο διαλέγεσθαι. ἅμα δὲ τῷ ἄρξασθαι ὁ Σίμων ἐγκόψας ἔφη· Τὰ μακρά σου ταῦτα παρεὶς προοίμια εἰς τὸ προκείμενον πυνθανομένῳ μοι ἀπόκριναι. ἐπειδὴ συννοῶ σε (ὡς ἀφ' ὧν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ἐπακηκοὼς ἐπίσταμαι ὅτι μηθὲν ἕτερόν σοι πρόκειται ἢ πάσῃ μηχανῇ τὸν δημιουργὸν αὐτὸν δεῖξαι μόνον ἄμεμπτον εἶναι θεὸν) [καὶ] τοσοῦτον προαίρεσιν πόθον ἔχοντα διισχυρί- ζεσθαι, ὡς καὶ ἐνίας τῶν γραφῶν περικοπὰς σαφῶς καταλεγούσας αὐτοῦ τολμᾶν ψευδεῖς λέγειν· οὗ εἵνεκεν προῄρημαι σήμερον ἀποδεῖξαι ὅτι ἀδύ- νατόν ἐστιν αὐτὸν πάντων δημιουργὸν ὄντα ἄμεμπτον εἶναι. τῆς δὲ ἀπο- δείξεως ἤδη ἄρξασθαι δύναμαι, ἐάν γε πρὸς ὃ πυνθάνομαί σου ἀποκρίνῃ μοι. φής τινα κακίας ἡγεμόνα εἶναι ἢ οὔ; ἐὰν γὰρ εἴπῃς μὴ εἶναι, ἐκ πολλῶν καὶ τῶν τοῦ διδασκάλου σου ἀποδεῖξαι ἔχω ὅτι ἔστιν· εἰ δὲ εὐγνω- μονῶν ὁμολογήσεις εἶναι τὸν πονηρόν, ἑπομένως ποιήσω τὸν λόγον. καὶ ὁ Πέ- τρος· Ἀδύνατόν ἐστίν μοι φωνὴν τοῦ ἐμοῦ ἀρνήσασθαι διδασκάλου, διὸ καὶ ὁμολογῶ εἶναι τὸν πονηρόν, ὅτι πολλάκις αὐτὸν ὑπάρχειν ὁ πάντα ἀλη- θεύσας εἴρηκεν διδάσκαλος. αὐτίκα γοῦν ὁμολογεῖ ἐπὶ τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέ- ρας διαλεχθέντα πεπειρακέναι αὐτόν. καὶ ἄλλῃ που οἶδα αὐτὸν εἰρηκότα· «Eἰ ὁ σατανᾶς τὸν σατανᾶν ἐκβάλλει, ἐφ' ἑαυτὸν ἐμερίσθη· πῶς οὖν αὐτοῦ στήκῃ ἡ βασιλεία;». καὶ ὅτι ἑώρακεν τὸν πονηρὸν «ὡς ἀστραπὴν πεσόντα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ» ἐδήλωσεν. καὶ ἄλλοθι ἔφη· «Ὁ δὲ τὸ κακὸν σπέρμα σπείρας ἐστὶν ὁ διάβολος». καὶ πάλιν· «μὴ δότε πρόφασιν τῷ πονηρῷ». ἀλλὰ καὶ συμβουλεύων εἴρηκεν· «Ἔστω ὑμῶν τὸ ναὶ ναὶ καὶ τὸ οὒ οὔ, τὸ δὲ περισσὸν τούτων ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ ἐστιν». ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ᾗ παρέδωκεν εὐχῇ ἔχομεν εἰρημένον· «Ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ». καὶ ἄλλῃ που εἰπεῖν ὑπέ- σχετο τοῖς ἀσεβέσιν· «Ὑπάγετε εἰς τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον, ὃ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ πατὴρ τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ». καὶ ἵνα μὴ εἰς πολὺ μη- κύνω τὸν λόγον, πολλάκις οἶδα τὸν διδάσκαλόν μου εἰπόντα εἶναι τὸν πονηρόν. διὸ κἀγὼ σύμφημι αὐτὸν ὑπάρχειν. λοιπὸν εἴ τι ἔχεις ἑπο- μένως λέγειν, ὡς ὑπέσχου λέγε. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· Ἐπεὶ οὖν εὐγνωμονή- σας ὡμολόγησας εἶναι τὸν πονηρόν, ἀπὸ γραφῶν ἡμῖν λέγε τὸ πῶς γέγονεν, εἴπερ γέγονε, καὶ ὑπὸ τίνος καὶ διὰ τί. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· Σύγ- γνωθί μοι, Σίμων, μὴ τολμῶντι εἰπεῖν ἃ μὴ γέγραπται. εἰ σὺ φὴς γε- γράφθαι, δεῖξον· εἰ δέ, καθὰ μὴ γέγραπται, οὐδὲ σὺ δεῖξαι δύνῃ, διὰ τί περὶ τῶν μὴ γραφέντων ἀποφαινόμενοι κινδυνεύομεν; ἦ γὰρ οὐ πε- πιστεύκαμεν κριθήσεσθαι μὴ μόνον περὶ ὧν ποιοῦμεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ ὧν πιστεύοντες λαλοῦμεν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τολμηρότερον περὶ θεοῦ διαλε- γόμεθα; ὁ δὲ Σίμων συνεὶς ὅτι πρὸς τὴν ἀπόνοιαν αὐτοῦ εἴρηκεν, ἔφη· Ἐμὲ ἔα κινδυνεύειν, σὺ δὲ ἣν φὴς βλασφημίαν πρόφασιν πρὸς ὑποχώ- ρησιν μὴ λάμβανε. συννοῶ γάρ σε βουλόμενον ὑποστέλλεσθαι, ὅπως τὸν ἐπὶ τῶν ὄχλων ἔλεγχον ἐκφύγῃς, ὁτὲ μὲν ὡς δεδιὼς βλασφημίας ἀκοῦ- σαι, ὁτὲ δέ (ἐπεὶ μὴ γέγραπται πῶς καὶ ὑπὸ τίνος καὶ διὰ τί γέγονεν ὁ πονηρός) ὅτι μὴ χρὴ πλεῖον τῆς γραφῆς τολμᾶν λέγειν· διὸ καὶ ὡς εὐλα-

[OΜIΛIA IΘ.]