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form to us he said: For what reason, being disgusted, do you reject your father? And we and our mother said: This man appears to us to be Simon, having the voice of our father. And Peter said: To you only his unmagical voice is recognizable, but to my unmagical eyes his form is also visible as it is, that he is not Simon, but Faustus your father. Then, looking intently at the father, he said: Your genuine form does not appear to them, but that of Simon, the most impious and to us most hosti-
While Peter was discoursing on these things, one of the forerunners came in, having arrived from Antioch, saying to Peter: I wish you to know, my lord, that Simon in Antioch, while publicly performing many wonders, discussed nothing else but inciting them to hatred against you, calling you a magician and a sorcerer and a murderer, and has stirred them up to such hatred that every one of the sojourners there is eager to get a taste of you with their own flesh. Wherefore we, the forerunners, along with our brothers who were placed by you with Simon, seeing the city raging greatly against you, secretly came together to consider what must be done. And indeed, while we were at a loss, Cornelius the centurion arrived, sent by Caesar to the governor of the province, whom the Lord had healed in Caesarea when he was possessed by a demon. He, having been secretly summoned by us and having learned from us the cause of our despondency, and being asked to help, most eagerly promised to put him to flight by frightening him, if we would assist in his undertaking. And when we promised to do everything readily, he said: While I, through many friends, secretly look about to capture him and claim to be seeking him—since Caesar, having executed many magicians and learned about him, sent me to search for him, so that he might punish him just as the magicians before him—let your men who are with him, as if having heard it secretly from somewhere, report that I have been sent for the purpose of arresting him, and perhaps on hearing this he will be frightened and will flee. Although, therefore, we had devised to do something else, nevertheless it happened thus. For having heard both from many of the outsiders, who spoke secretly as if doing him a great favor, and also from our own spies within, and having received advice as if from his own people, he decided to withdraw. Therefore, having run away from Antioch with Athenodorus, he has come here, as we have heard. Therefore we advise you not yet to enter that city, until we know if in his absence they will be able to forget the slander against you. When the forerunner had reported these things, Peter looked intently at the father and said: Do you hear, Faustus? Your transformation has been done by Simon the magician, as now appears. For, thinking that Caesar was seeking him for his harm, he was afraid and fled, putting his own form on you, so that when you die, the grief might befall your children. Hearing these things, the father, weeping and wailing, said: You have guessed rightly, Peter. Annubion ...... loving me mysteriously revealed the plot, and I did not belie<ve, the wretched one>, since I was worthy to suffer. when the father had said these things, with
-le.
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μορφὴν πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἔφη· Τίνος ἕνεκα βδελυσσόμενοι ἀπωθεῖσθε τὸν ὑμέ- τερον πατέρα; ἡμεῖς δὲ καὶ ἡ μήτηρ ἔφαμεν· Σίμων ἡμῖν οὗτος φαίνεται φωνὴν ἔχων τοῦ ἡμετέρου πατρός. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· Ὑμῖν μὲν ἡ ἀμά- γευτος αὐτοῦ φωνὴ μόνη γνώριμός ἐστιν, ἐμοῦ δὲ τοῖς ἀμαγεύτοις ὀφθαλ- μοῖς καὶ τὸ εἶδος αὐτοῦ ὡς ἔστιν ὁρατὸν ὅτι μή ἐστι Σίμων, ἀλλὰ Φαῦστος ὁ ὑμέτερος πατήρ. τότε δὴ προσεμβλέψας καὶ τῷ πατρὶ ἔφη· Τὸ γνήσιόν σου εἶδος αὐτοῖς οὐ φαίνεται, ἀλλὰ Σίμωνος τοῦ ἀσεβεστάτου καὶ ἡμῖν ἐχθί-
Ταῦτα τοῦ Πέτρου διαλεγομένου ἐπεισῄει τις τῶν προόδων ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀντιοχείας ἐληλυθὼς λέγων Πέτρῳ· Eἰδέναι σε θέλω, κύριέ μου, ὅτι Σίμων ἐν τῇ Ἀντιοχείᾳ δημοσίᾳ πολλὰ τεράστια ποιῶν οὐδὲν ἄλλο προσδιελέ- γετο ἤ σε πρὸς αὐτοὺς πρὸς μῖσος ποιῶν μάγον τε ὀνομάζων καὶ γόητα καὶ μιαιφόνον, καὶ πρὸς τοσοῦτον αὐτοὺς μῖσος παρεσκεύασεν ὡς γλίχεσθαι πάντα ἄνθρωπον τῶν ἐκεῖ ἐπιδημησάντων σαρκῶν αὐτῶν ἀπογεύσασθαί σου. ὅθεν ἡμεῖς οἱ πρόοδοι μετὰ τῶν ὑπὸ σοῦ τῷ Σίμωνι ὑποβεβλημένων ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν πολὺ κατὰ σοῦ βρύχουσαν τὴν πόλιν ἑωρακότες, κρύφα εἰς τὸ αὐτὸ γενόμενοι σκοποῦμεν τί χρὴ ποιεῖν. καὶ δὴ ἐν ἀπορίᾳ ἡμῶν ὄντων ἐπεδήμησε Κορνήλιος ἑκατόνταρχος ὑπὸ Καίσαρος πεμφθεὶς πρὸς τὸν τῆς ἐπαρχίας ἡγούμενον, ὃν ἐν Καισαρείᾳ δαιμονῶντα ἰάσατο ὁ κύριος. οὗτος μεταπεμφθεὶς ὑφ' ἡμῶν κρύφα καὶ τῆς ἀθυμίας τὴν αἰτίαν παρ' ἡμῶν μαθὼν καὶ βοηθεῖν ἀξιωθεὶς προθυμότατα ὑπέσχετο φοβήσας φυγαδεύειν αὐτόν, ἐάν γε αὐτοῦ τῷ ἐγχειρήματι ὑπουργήσωμεν. ἡμῶν δὲ ἑτοίμως πάντα ποιήσειν ὑποσχομένων ἔφη· Ἐμοῦ διὰ πολλῶν φίλων κρύφα εἰς σύλληψιν αὐτοῦ ἐληλυθέναι περισκοποῦντος καὶ ζητεῖν αὐτὸν φάσκον- τος, καθότι Καῖσαρ πολλοὺς μάγους ἀνελὼν καὶ τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν μαθὼν ἐμὲ ἐπὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ ζήτησιν ἔπεμψεν, ὅπως καὶ αὐτὸν ὡς καὶ τοὺς πρὸ αὐτοῦ μάγους κολάσῃ, καὶ οἱ ὑμέτεροι οἱ συνόντες αὐτῷ ὡς δὴ κρύφα ποθὲν ἀκηκοότες προσαναφερέτωσαν ὡς ἐμοῦ ἕνεκα τοῦ συλλαβεῖν αὐτὸν ἀπε- σταλμένου, καὶ τυχὸν ἀκούσας φοβηθεὶς φεύξεται. ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ἕτερόν τι ποιεῖν ἐπενοήσαμεν . ὁμῶς οὕτως ἐγένετο. ὑπό τε γὰρ πολλῶν τῶν ἔξω ὡς τὰ μεγάλα αὐτῷ χαριζομένων λάθρα λεγόντων, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τῶν ἔνδον ὑποβλητῶν ἡμετέρων ἀκηκοὼς καὶ ὡς παρ' ἰδίων γνώμην εἰληφὼς ὑποστέλλεσθαι ἔγνω. ἀποδρὰς οὖν τῆς Ἀντιοχείας μετὰ Ἀθηνοδώρου ἐνθάδε ἐλήλυθεν ὡς ἀκηκόαμεν. διὸ συμβουλεύομέν σοι μήπω ἐπιβῆναι τῆς πόλεως ἐκείνης, μέχρις ἂν εἰδῶμεν εἰ τῆς κατὰ σοῦ διαβολῆς ἐκείνου ἀπόντος ὑπολῆσαι δυνήσονται. Ταῦτα τοῦ προόδου ἀπαγγείλαντος ὁ Πέτρος τῷ πατρὶ προσεμβλέψας ἔφη· Ἀκούεις, Φαῦστε, ὑπὸ Σίμωνος τοῦ μάγου ἡ μεταμόρφωσίς σου γέγονεν, ὡς ἤδη φαίνεται. Καίσαρα γὰρ νομίσας ἐπὶ κακῷ αὐτὸν ζητεῖν φοβηθεὶς ἔφυγε, τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σοὶ περιθεὶς μορφήν, ὅπως ἀποθανόντος σου τοῖς σοῖς τέκνοις ἡ λύπη γένηται. ταῦτα ὁ πατὴρ ἀκούων κλαίων καὶ ὀδυρόμενος ἔφη· Ὀρθῶς ἐστοχάσω, Πέτρε. Ἀννουβίων ...... μού με φιλῶν μυστηριωδῶς τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν ἐξέφηνε, καὶ οὐκ ἐπίστευ<ον ὁ τά- λας>, ἐπειδὴ τοῦ παθεῖν ἤμην ἄξιος. ταῦτα τοῦ πατρὸς εἰπόντος μετ'
στου.