Front Matter

Homilies

Ὁμίλαι

(Pseudo-)Clemens Romanus

Translated by Rick Brannan
with assistance from AI techniques

APPIAN WAY PRESS

HOMILIES ὉΜΊΛΑΙ

Available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

License details: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Published 2025 by Appian Way Press

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Email: info@AppianWayPress.com

About This Translation

This translation was created on 2025-05-17 using the model gpt-4.1-mini from OpenAI. To ensure the translation is communicating the same meaning as the original, a sentence-level semantic similarity check was performed between the source text and translation using bowphs/SPhilBerta, available from HuggingFace. In addition to the sentence-level semantic similarity check, the text-to-translation length ratio was evaluated for each verse to locate and review possible hallucination.

Disclaimer

Please note, as indicated above, that this translation is a machine-generated translation. There are several older works, like (Pseudo-)Clemens Romanus's Ὁμίλαι, that are either not available in English or only available in old and difficult to read translations. This translation is an attempt to provide a readable and fairly literal modern English translation of the source text. The process that created this translation has done its best to mitigate hallucinations, but there may still be translation issues.

About the Source

Translated from: , Clementis Romani quae feruntur homiliae. A. Becheri:Stuttgart, 1847.

The source edition of Ὁμίλαι was retrieved from the Github repository First1KGreek.

For more information: First1KGreek. The Greek edition this translation uses as its source text is available as well.

Book 0

Chapter 1

I, Clemens, a Roman citizen, have learned to live my early years wisely, with my mind not distracted like a child's by desires that lead to sadness and pain. A thought came to me—I don't know from where—bringing many reminders about death. It made me think that when I die, I will no longer exist, and no one will remember me, because endless time brings everything into forgetfulness. I will no longer be; no longer know; no longer be known; no longer have been; no longer become. And did the world ever exist? And before it came to be, what was there? If it always existed, it will always exist; but if it came into being, it will end. And after the end, what will there be again, if not perhaps silence and forgetfulness? Maybe there will be something now impossible to understand.

² I kept thinking about these things and others like them, and I don't know where the thoughts came from. I felt such deep sorrow that it made me pale and weak. The hardest part was that whenever I tried to push away my worries as useless, the feeling only grew stronger. I was troubled by this, but I also knew I had a good companion in my mind—a cause of true immortality for me. Later, through experience, I understood this and gave thanks to God, the ruler of all. Because of the painful thoughts that troubled me from the start, I was forced to search for and discover the truth. At that time, I suffered because I risked praising the beginning out of ignorance.

³ From childhood, I was caught up in such thoughts. Thanks to a steady mind, I went to the places where philosophers gathered and spent my time there. I saw nothing but arguments being broken down and built up, disputes and quarrels, skillful reasoning, and the invention of puzzles. Sometimes the argument that the soul is immortal won, and other times the one that it is mortal did. Whenever the argument for immortality won, I was glad; but when it said the soul is mortal, I felt sad. Even more, I was upset because I couldn't make up my mind firmly. But I understood that opinions about these ideas come from those who argue, whether their views are true or false, and they don't show things as they really are. Then, realizing that understanding doesn't come from the ideas judged, but that opinions come from those arguing, I became even more confused about everything. So I sighed deeply from my soul. I was neither able to be sure of anything nor able to shake off my worries about these thoughts, even though I wanted to. Finally, I said to myself, having reached this point: when I order myself to be calmer, somehow the thought of these things comes to me quietly, with a kind of pleasure.

⁴ And again, feeling confused, I said to myself: why do I waste effort on something that is clear? If I die and no longer exist, it's not right to be sad now while I am alive. So I will save my sadness for then, when I won't be sad because I won't exist. But if I do exist, why should I add to my sadness now? Right after this, another thought came to me. I said, if nothing worse than what now makes me sad will happen after death, and if I have not lived a good life, then, as some philosophers say, I will be handed over to the fiery river and Tartarus, like Sisyphus, Tityus, Ixion, or Tantalus, and I will be punished forever in the underworld. But then I argued against this, saying no, these things are not true. And again I said, but what if they are true? Since the matter is unclear, I thought it is safer to live a good life. And how could I, for the sake of justice, control the pleasures of the body while hoping for something uncertain? But I have never been told what is just and pleasing to God, whether the soul is immortal or mortal; nor is there any sure argument found, and I cannot find peace with such thoughts.

⁵ So what should I do? One idea was to go to Egypt and become friends with the priests and prophets of the mysteries. Then, after finding a magician and paying him well, I would ask him to perform the sending back of the soul, called necromancy, as if I were asking about some matter of mine. The proof would be to learn whether the soul is immortal. But the answer about the soul's immortality wouldn't come from talking or even hearing—it would come only from seeing it myself. That way, having seen it with my own eyes, I could have a clear and full decision, based only on its appearance, that it exists. Then, what the eyes see could overturn the unclear words heard from others. Still, I argued against this idea with a philosopher I knew, who advised me in many ways not to dare try it. He said that if the soul does come to the magician, I would be living against the laws that forbid such things, acting against my conscience. And if it does come, after living against my conscience, I believe my devotion would no longer continue—the very reason I dared to try. The divine hates the speech that disturbs the souls of the dead as they leave their bodies. Ignoring these warnings, I became too afraid to try such a thing. I stopped at the start of my plan, but as my desire was blocked, I felt upset.

⁶ So I won't tell you all these things in detail. While I was caught up in many thoughts and concerns, a quiet rumor began by the Tiber River during Caesar's rule, starting in the spring. It kept growing stronger and stronger, like a good angel of God was moving through the world, unable to keep silent or hide God's will. The rumor said that someone in Judea, starting in the spring, was announcing the kingdom of the eternal God. He said that anyone who followed their way of life would enjoy this kingdom. Believing him was a blessing, because these things showed signs of divinity. Many wonders, signs, and miracles happened by his command alone, as if he had been given power from God. He made the deaf hear, the blind see, healed the crippled so they could walk, helped the lame stand, drove away every disease, and chased away all demons. Even lepers were healed just by seeing him from a distance. The dead who were brought to him were raised to life. There was nothing he could not do. As time went on, the rumor grew much bigger because of the many people who were there, and it became more certain. I am still speaking of the rumor, not the full truth. Groups began to form in different places, with councils and discussions about who this person was and what he wanted to say.

⁷ And indeed, once in that same year, in the autumn, someone stood up in public and shouted, saying, "Roman men, listen! The son of God is in Judea, promising eternal life to all who want it, if they live according to the will of the Father who sent him. So change your ways—from worse to better, from temporary things to eternal ones. Know that there is one God in heaven, before whose just eyes you live unjustly. But if you change and live according to his will, you will be brought into another age and become eternal, enjoying his hidden good things. But if you disobey, your souls, when your bodies are released, will be thrown into the place of fire, where they will be punished forever with useless regret. For now is the time for each life to repent." When I heard these things, I was troubled, because no one from so many crowds had ever spoken such a message. I said, I will go to Judea to see if what this man says is true—that the son of God has come to Judea for the sake of good and eternal hope, revealing the will of the Father who sent him. And what they say he preaches is this: that some souls are certain to be eternal and will enjoy eternal good things, but others, thrown into unquenchable fire, will be punished forever.

⁸ As I said these things, I also spoke to myself: Why do I blame others when I am guilty of the same carelessness? But I will set out for Judea, after first putting my life in order. So, having made this plan, much time passed in delay because it was hard to leave behind the concerns of life. Finally, understanding the nature of life—that it waits for those rushing with hope, that sometimes time is stolen and shaken by hopes, and that people die busy with these things—I left everything as it was and set out to sea. When I reached the harbor, I was carried away by winds and storms. Instead of going to Judea, I was taken to Alexandria. There, held back by storms and confusion, I joined the philosophers and talked about the rumor and the one who had appeared in Rome. But they answered that they did not know of anyone appearing in Rome. As for the one in Judea, called the son of God by rumor, they had heard about him from many who came from there and had learned about all the wonders he did.

⁹ When I said this, some people wanted me to meet someone who had seen him. They immediately took me to a man here, not only familiar with him but also from that land—a Hebrew named Barnabas. He said he was one of his disciples and was sitting nearby, ready to speak to anyone who wanted to hear about the promises of that one. So I went to them. Standing with the crowd, I listened to his words and understood that he spoke the truth—not with skillful argument, but simply and without preparation—telling what he had heard and seen about the son of God who appeared, what he had done and said. He gave many witnesses of the wonders and words spoken by him, and these came from the crowd present.

¹⁰ When the crowds enjoyed his simple words, the philosophers, proud of their worldly learning, began to laugh at him and mock him. They joked and insulted him boldly, as if they were using powerful weapons in their arguments. But he, pushed away by them, did not join in their clever tricks. Instead, he calmly stuck to what he was saying. Once, someone asked him why a mosquito was made—such a tiny creature with six legs and wings—while the elephant, the largest of animals, has no wings and only four legs. After this question, he picked up his speech again, answering the question and starting with the words he had from the beginning, using this only as an introduction. At every pause, he said, "We only have the command to tell you the words and the wonderful deeds of the one who sent us. Instead of logical proof, we give you many witnesses from among you who are here, whom I know well, as living proof enough. So now it is your choice to obey or disobey. I will not stop telling you what is good for you, because for me, silence is harm, and for you, disobedience is damage. But I could also give proof for your guesses if you ask honestly. Now is a good time to tell you the reason for the difference between the mosquito and the elephant, for those who do not know the God of all things."

¹¹ While he was saying these things, the crowd burst into wild laughter as if in agreement, then tried to silence and confuse him, thinking he was some barbarian possessed by demons. Seeing this, I was filled with a zeal I can hardly explain, and with a respectful spirit, I could not stay silent. Instead, I shouted boldly: "God rightly made his will impossible for you to understand, knowing you are unworthy, as it seems from those here now who have a judging mind. For now, messengers of his will have been sent—not promising skill in writing, but simply and honestly showing his will—so that anyone who hears can understand what is said. Without jealousy, they offer themselves to all, not wanting you to refuse, even though you do not see what is good for you. You laugh at the truth, which lives among you like strangers, because of your wild behavior and the plainness of its words, so you won't be proved wrong. Even if you are lovers of words and not lovers of truth, philosophers who know when to speak, but those who cannot speak? Many of your words are not worth a single word. So what will the Greek crowd say, united as one soul, if there will be judgment as he says? Why, oh god, did you not preach your will to us? You will not fully hear, if you deserve an answer, these things: I know all the choices to come before the world began, and secretly met each one in a way worthy of it. This is because it is so, and wanting to inform those who came to me why I allowed my will to be publicly preached from the beginning of earlier generations. Now, near the end of life, I have sent messengers of my will, who are insulted and mocked by those who want no help and have strongly refused my friendship. Oh great injustice, messengers are in danger because of envy, and this is done by men who call themselves saved."

¹² If this injustice against my messengers had happened from the very beginning to everyone—if from the start the unworthy were called to salvation—then what is happening now would wrongly serve as a defense of my just plan. I was not harmed by refusing to put the worthy message to public shame from the start. Instead, I chose to keep it silent as something precious—not because of those worthy from the beginning, to whom I also gave part, but because of these and others like them, unworthy as you see, hating me and unwilling to love themselves. And now, here you are, laughing at this man. Ask about his message, or let the one who wants to know answer. Like shameless dogs, you bark wildly, biting the ears of those who want to be saved—unjust and hateful of God—and turning away the saving message into disbelief. How will you find forgiveness, insulting the one who promises you the deity of God, a man you should have accepted, even if nothing he says is true, because of his good will toward you?

¹³ While I was saying these things and what came after, a loud commotion arose among the crowd. Some, feeling sorry for Barnabas, took him away from me, but the foolish ones were fiercely gnashing their teeth at me. When evening came, I took Barnabas by the hand, against his will, and led him by force to my house, where I made him stay so that no one would harm him. After spending a few days there, and briefly teaching me the true message, he said he was hurrying to Judea in a few days for the religious festival and wanted to meet with his own people there.

¹⁴ It was clear to me that he was avoiding me. For when I said to him, "You alone tell me the words of the man who appeared, and I will preach God's will with my well-ordered message. Soon, within a few days, I will sail with you. I long very much to go to Judea, and maybe I will live with you all my life," he answered, "If you want to learn about our ways and know what is right, sail with me. Today I will tell you the signs of my home and what you want, so that whenever you wish, you can come to us. For I will travel tomorrow to my own place." Seeing that he was stubborn, I went with him as far as the harbor. After learning from him the signs of his homes, I said, "If I did not have something I must take care of tomorrow, I would sail with you from here; but soon I will catch up with you." Saying this, I left him with the leaders of the ship and returned, feeling sad, remembering my good and familiar friend.

¹⁵ After spending some days there and not being able to receive the full payment, I quickly let go of what was left, seeing it as a burden, and I myself sailed to Judea. After fifteen days, I reached Straton's place in Caesarea. When I landed and looked for a place to stay, I learned that a certain Peter—the most respected disciple of the man who appeared in Judea and performed great signs and wonders—was asking for Simon from Gitta in Samaria the next day to talk. Hearing this, I asked to be told where Peter was staying, and I also went to the city gate. They asked me who I was and where I came from. Then Barnabas came out and came to see me, very happy and crying. Taking my hand, he led me to where Peter was, saying, "This is Peter, the one I promised you was the greatest in God's wisdom, whom they stubbornly opposed to you. Go in at once, because they opposed you falsely about good things, and I have shown that he wants to meet and see you. So I offer you a great gift through my hands." After saying this, he added, "This is Clement, Peter."

¹⁶ The good man jumped up when he heard my name and kissed me. Then he made me sit down and said, "You did well to welcome Barnabas, the preacher of truth, with honor, out of respect for the true God, bravely, not fearing the anger of the uneducated crowd. You will be blessed. Just as you welcomed the ambassador of truth with all honor, so truth itself will make you a citizen of your own city, even though you are a stranger. Then you will rejoice greatly, because now you have lent a small favor by your good will in words, and you will be an heir of eternal and unshakable blessings. And don't be tired of standing up to me in your character; for Barnabas has told us all about you truthfully, almost every day, keeping a good memory of you. And so that I may tell you briefly what is true, if nothing stops you, come with us, sharing the word of truth, which I plan to preach in every city until Rome itself. And you, if you want, say something."

¹⁷ I explained my original plan and how I was confused about what questions to ask. I told you everything I said at first, so I don't have to repeat myself. I said, "I am ready to go with you; I don't know why I feel happy about this. But first, I want to learn the truth, so I can know if the soul is mortal or immortal, and if it is eternal, how it will be judged for what it did here. And if there is such a thing as what is just or pleasing to God; and if the world came into being, and why it came into being; and if it will not be destroyed, or if it will be destroyed; and if it will be better, or if it will not even exist. And so, I don't want to speak just about appearances—I want to learn these things and what depends on them." He answered me briefly, "Clement, I will give you knowledge of what is, so now listen to what follows."

¹⁸ God's plan happened in a hidden way through many means. First came a bad start: evil company, terrible habits, bad conversations, wrong opinions. Because of these, there was confusion. Then came fearlessness, disbelief, sexual immorality, love of money, vanity, and many other bad things, like a cloud of smoke filling the world. The people living inside couldn't see clearly. They didn't allow themselves to look up and understand God, the creator, or to truly know what seemed to be known about him. So, those who love the truth must call for help from deep within their hearts, with honest thinking, so that someone inside the house full of smoke may open a door. This way, some light from outside the sun can enter the house, and the smoke inside the fire can be driven out.

¹⁹ The helper I mean is the true prophet, who alone can bring light to the souls of people, so that with their eyes they can see the path to eternal salvation. Otherwise, it is impossible—as you also know, speaking briefly—that every claim is both torn down and built up, and the same power that punishes is thought to be both true and false. Because of this, claims no longer appear as they really are, but their truth or falsehood depends on those who punish. For this reason, the whole matter of piety needs a true prophet, so that he can tell us things as they really are, and how we should believe about everything. Therefore, first we must test and recognize the prophet as true through every prophetic examination, and then trust everything else he says. We should no longer question each thing he says, but accept them as certain—seeming like faith, but taken with sure judgment. For by one clear beginning and careful examination, everything is rightly understood through correct thinking. So above all, we must seek the true prophet, because without him it is impossible for people to have anything certain.

²⁰ He also gave me peace by explaining who he is and how he can be found. He truly gave me proof of him, showing the truth more clearly to my ears than what the eyes can see through the prophet's words. I was amazed and wondered how he can see what lies before all who seek. Then, at his command, he wrote the speech about the prophet and had the volume sent to you from Straton of Caesarea, saying you have the order to send me the talks and actions for each year. Still, on the very first day, making only a start about the prophet of truth, he already told me everything. Then he said to look at the rest of the questions between me and those who oppose, and if I have fallen short, do not be afraid that you will doubt the truth handed down to you. Know well that I seemed to lose, not the claim given to us through the prophet. But I hope that even in this careful examination, I have not fallen short before those who have understanding, who love the truth, who can tell which words are believable, skillful, and pleasing, and which are plain and simple, trusting only in the truth they find there.

²¹ After he said these things, I answered, "I already thank God. For just as I wanted to be fully informed, so he gave it to me. But about myself, be completely carefree—I will never doubt, even if you yourself should ever want to turn me away from the prophetic message. I know so much of what I have received that it is impossible. And don't think I am making a big promise—this very thing, never to doubt. Neither I, nor anyone who has heard the speech about the prophet, will ever be able to doubt the true message, after first hearing and understanding what the truth of the prophetic promise is. So be confident in the godly teaching, for every skill of evil is defeated. Against prophecy, no skill of words, clever tricks, arguments, or any other device can stand—if someone who hears the truth of a true prophet truly desires it and does not look for some other excuse to avoid it. So, my lord Peter, do not be discouraged, as if you have given the greatest good to someone who is unfeeling. You have given grace to one who is aware and cannot be fooled about the true gift given. I know there is one thing people want to get quickly but not slowly; so I know not to despise what has been given to me because of its speed—unique and truly secure."

²² After I said these things, Peter replied, "I give thanks to God both for your salvation and for my own joy. Truly, I am glad to know the greatness of prophecy. Since, as you said, I myself would never want to turn you away from the true teaching—which is impossible—I won't be able to persuade you otherwise. So, starting tomorrow, join me in the questions we face. Tomorrow, I have Simon the magician coming. After saying this, he took some food and told me to share it privately with him. After blessing the food and giving thanks, once we were full, he spoke again and said, 'May God grant you to be like me in all things, and to share the same table with me after baptism.' After saying this, he told me to rest, for by now the body's nature was surely calling for sleep."

Chapter 2

The next day, I, Clemens, woke up during the night and learned that Peter was awake and talking with those with him about reverence for God—there were sixteen of them. I decided to write down their names one by one as I learned them over time, so I would know who they were. First was Zacchaeus, once a tax collector, and his brother Sophronias; Joseph and his companion Michaiah; also Thomas and the twins Eliezer; and Aeneas and Lazarus, the priests; also Elisha, Benjamin, and Safra's son; likewise Rubilos and Zacharias, the builders; Ananias and Angaios, the Jammites; and also Niketes and Aquilas, the companions. Then, after coming in and greeting them, I sat down as he ordered.

² But cutting off the speech before me, as if defending himself, he explained why he had not woken me up to hear the words, giving the damage from the journey as the reason. Wanting me to rest, he let me be. Whenever the soul is troubled by what the body lacks, the lessons offered are not properly received. For this reason, I do not want to speak with those who are very upset by some misfortune, or wildly angry, or driven mad by desire, or overwhelmed by daily worries, or troubled by other passions. In these cases, the soul, as I said, suffers along with the body and is busy with its own concerns.

³ And let no one say, "So we shouldn't offer comfort and advice to those doing wrong." I say, if someone listens, let it be offered; if not, wait for the right time. I know that everything has its own time. That's why people need to hear words that strengthen the soul before trouble comes. Then, if something bad happens, the mind—prepared with right thinking—can stand firm against it. For even when helped by good judgment, the mind knows how to come together before the worst part of the battle.

⁴ But I learned, Clemens, that in Alexandria Barnabas fully explained to you the speech about prophecy. Didn't he? And I answered, "Yes, and very well." Then Peter said, "So it's not necessary now, since this time can serve us for other talks you don't know, to busy yourself with those you do know." I said, "Peter spoke rightly." But always grant me, as I judge well, to be guided continuously in the speech about the prophet, gladly listening. For without it, as I learned from Barnabas, it is impossible to learn the truth.

⁵ And Peter, very pleased with this, answered: "Now the correction toward you has truly come to an end, having understood the greatness of the unfailing prophecy. Without it, no one can receive what is supremely good. Among the many and different good things that exist or can exist—whether eternal life, lasting health, a perfect mind, light, joy, incorruption, or some other good that is better than all others—this cannot be gained unless one first knows things as they really are. And knowledge cannot be had in any other way unless one first recognizes the prophet of truth."

⁶ The prophet of truth is the one who always knows everything—what has happened as it happened, what is happening as it happens, and what will happen as it will happen—without error, merciful, and trusted alone to guide the truth. Read, and you will find those who thought they had found the truth on their own. For this is the prophet's special role: to reveal the truth, just as it is the sun's special role to bring the day. Because of this, all who ever wanted to know the truth but did not learn it from him failed, dying while still searching. For how could someone seeking truth get it from their own ignorance? Even if they found it, not knowing it as it really is, they would miss it. Nor could they get it from another who, like them, claims to have it out of ignorance. Only the right way of life—and only when it can be known through reason, which shows each person that not wanting to be wronged means not needing to wrong others—gives true knowledge.

⁷ All who have ever searched for the truth, believing they could find it on their own, were mistaken. This is what even the Greek philosophers and the most serious foreigners experienced. By guessing beyond what they could see about what is hidden, they declared whatever happened to come to them as true. Acting as if they knew the truth, those still searching for it accept some ideas and reject others, not knowing which are true and which are false. And those seeking truth argue about it, not realizing that someone searching for truth cannot learn it from their own mistakes. For, as I said, they cannot recognize the truth that is present if they are ignorant.

⁸ Each person who tries to learn on their own is not convinced by the truth, but by what pleases them. Since different things please different people, each one believes something else is true. But the truth is what seems true to the prophet, not what is pleasing to each person. For there would be many truths if what pleases were true, and that is impossible. Because of this, the Greek scholars—not philosophers—by guessing about things, formed many different opinions. They thought the order of their own ideas was the truth, not realizing that by starting with false ideas, their conclusions only matched those false beginnings.

⁹ Therefore, everyone must trust only the truth and make themselves like a prophet—someone we can all judge to see if they truly are a prophet—even if we are very ignorant, private sophists, unlearned in geometry, and untrained in music. For God has made it easy for everyone to find the truth about him, as the guardian of all, so that neither barbarians grow weak in him, nor Greeks fail to find him. So, finding him is easy; here is how.

¹⁰ If someone is a prophet and can know how the world came to be, what is happening in it, and what will come to an end; if they have told us something that we have seen come true, then we rightly believe them about what will happen based on what has already happened—not only as knowing, but also as foreknowing. So, to anyone with even a little sense, doesn't it seem right to trust what everyone says about God, who alone among all people knows without learning? For if someone like this—one with foreknowledge because of the divine spirit within—does not want to share the true knowledge with someone else who lacks understanding, but has given it to the prophet, wouldn't that be wrong?

¹¹ Therefore, before making any judgment, we must first seek the prophet through the promise of prophecy. Once we know him, we should follow the rest of his teaching without doubt and live confidently in hope, trusting this first judgment, knowing that the one who said these things is not the kind to lie. So, if something else he says seems wrong to us, we must understand that it was not said wrongly by him, but that we have not understood it well. For ignorance cannot judge knowledge correctly, just as knowledge is not naturally able to judge foreknowledge truly. But foreknowledge gives knowledge to those who do not know.

¹² So, dear Clemens, if you want to know the things that belong to God, you can learn them only from him, because he alone knows the truth. For if anyone else knows something, they got it from him or from his followers. His will and true message is that there is one God, the maker of the world, who is just and will one day give to each person according to their actions.

¹³ It is necessary and natural to believe that God is just and that human souls are immortal. For where is his justice if some people live piously but are sometimes violently killed, while others become very wicked, live in luxury, and then die the common death of all people? Since God is good and just beyond any doubt, he cannot be truly known as just unless the soul lives on after the body dies. This way, the wicked, after going to Hades, will be punished there for their sins, even though they enjoyed good things here. And the good, after being punished here for their sins, will become heirs of good things there, as if resting in a comforting place. So, because God is just, it is clear to us that there is judgment and that souls are immortal.

¹⁴ But if someone, like Simon the Samaritan seems to, does not want to accept that God is just, then who else can accept it or even become just? Since justice is the root of everything, everyone must understand that it is impossible to find true justice in human nature, just as it is impossible to find fruit growing on a tree that has no root. If justice can be found in people, how much more can it be found in God? But if justice is found nowhere—not with God nor with people—then injustice cannot exist either. Yet justice does exist. Where there is justice, injustice is called the opposite; just as when justice is set aside, what is found in its place is called injustice.

¹⁵ From this, then, God, teaching people the truth about what exists, being one himself, divided all things at the extremes into two opposites. Being the one and only God from the beginning, he made heaven and earth, day and night, light and fire, one sun and one moon, life and death. But only in these things did he make humans free, giving them the ability to become just or unjust. To this, he also gave pairs of opposites, first small things to humans, then greater things, like the world and the age. But the present world is temporary, while the coming age is eternal. The first is ignorance; the second is knowledge. This is how he arranged the leaders of prophecy. For the present world is female, like a mother giving birth to souls, and the coming age is male, like a father receiving his own children. Because of this, prophets appear in this world as sons of the coming age, having knowledge of people. If those who fear God had understood this mystery, they would never have been led astray, and even now they would know that Simon, who now stirs up everyone, is a partner in error and deceit. This is the message of the prophetic teaching.

¹⁶ Just as in the beginning God, being one, like right and left hands, first made the sky, then the earth, and in this order created all the pairs, things are not the same among people now; instead, all the pairs are reversed. For from God, the first things are better, and the second worse, but among people we find the opposite: the first is worse, and the second better. Indeed, from Adam, made in the image of God, the first was the unjust Cain, and the second the just Abel. Again, from the spirits you call Deucalion, two images were sent: the unclean and the clean, the black crow first, and the white dove second. And from the leader of our nation, Abraham, two were born first: Ishmael first, then Isaac, who was blessed by God. From Isaac, likewise, two again: Esau the ungodly, and Jacob the godly. So in this birth, the firstborn, as firstborn to the world, is the high priest, and the second is the lawgiver.

¹⁷ Likewise, the pair that was supposed to come with Elijah willingly was delayed to another time, choosing to appear at a better moment. So, the first came among women born, and then the second came among the sons of men. Following this birth, it is possible to understand who Simon is—he who came first to the nations before me, and whose follower I happen to be—who came after him, bringing light to darkness, knowledge to ignorance, healing to disease. Indeed, as the true prophet told us, first a false gospel must come through some deception, and then, after the holy place is destroyed, a true gospel must be secretly sent to correct the heresies that will arise. After these things, the first Antichrist must come again near the end, and then our true Christ Jesus will appear. After that, with eternal light rising, all things of darkness will disappear.

¹⁸ Since, as I said, some do not understand the rule of the pairings, they do not know who Simon is, the one who came before me. If he were truly known, he would not be trusted. But now, because he is unknown, people trust him wrongly. The one who makes enemies is loved, the enemy is accepted as a friend, death is hoped for as if it saves, fire is thought to be light, and a deceiver is heard as if speaking the truth. Hearing this, I, Clement, said, "Who then is this great deceiver? I want to learn." And Peter said, "If you want to learn, it is possible for you to know—from those whom I have carefully studied about him."

¹⁹ There was a woman among us, a Syrophoenician by birth, from the family of the Canaanites. Her daughter was suffering from a serious illness. She came to our lord, crying out and begging him to heal her daughter. He, having been asked by us, said, "It is not right to heal the nations, like dogs, because they live by different foods and customs. The table of the kingdom has been given to the sons of Israel." But when she heard this, like a dog eating crumbs falling from the same table, she accepted them. Changing her attitude, she was treated like the sons of the kingdom, and as she deserved, her daughter was healed. For if she had been a foreigner and stayed in the same state, the one in charge, because he could not heal as a foreigner, would have healed her as a foreigner.

²⁰ So she accepted the lawful citizenship from her own husband, who was against us, and was thrown out of her house along with her healed daughter. Grateful for the agreement and having some wealth, she remained a widow. Her daughter was joined to a man who was grateful for true faith and was poor. Because she lost her daughter through marriage, she bought and raised two children and treated them as her sons. These children were raised together with the magician Simon from childhood and learned everything about him. Their friendship was so strong that they wanted to be united with him in everything they wished.

²¹ These men, having met here with Zacchaeus and shared in the truth through him, regretted their earlier new ideas and quickly rejected Simon, knowing everything about him. When I came here, they came to me along with the one who raised them, were joined to me by him, and have always been with me since then, enjoying the teachings of the truth. After saying this, Peter sent for them and ordered them to tell me everything about Simon exactly. They called on God as a witness that they would not lie and told everything.

²² Aquila began to speak first, saying: "Listen, dearest brother, so you can know exactly everything about this man—who he is, what he is, where he comes from, what he does, and how and why. This Simon is the son of Antonius and Rachel his mother. He is a Samaritan by birth, from the village of Geththon, six cords away from the city. He trained himself a lot in Alexandria and became very skilled in magic and cleverness. He wants people to think he is a supreme power, even above the God who made the world. Sometimes he even hints that he is Christ, standing and calling himself that. He uses this title as if he will always stand, and as a cause of ruin, so that the body will fall, having no strength. He says neither that God, the maker of the world, is supreme, nor does he believe that the dead have risen. He denies Jerusalem and opposes Mount Garizin. Instead of the true Christ we know, he calls himself Christ. He takes the things of the law and privately interprets them as allegories. He says there will be judgment, but he does not expect it. For if he truly believed he would be judged by God, he would not dare to be impious against God. Because of this, some people, not knowing that he uses godliness as a cover, steal away the truth. And the hope and judgment that are said to come from him, those who trust in them faithfully are lost."

²³ Here is the revised translation:

The way he got involved in the talk of godliness happened like this: There was a man named John, called the day baptizer, who was also the forerunner of our lord Jesus, according to the marriage teaching. Just as the lord had twelve apostles, matching the twelve months of the sun, so John had thirty leading men, filling the number of the moon's monthly cycle. Among them was a woman named Helen, so that the number would not be incomplete. Since a woman is considered half a man, she made the number of thirty whole, just like the moon, whose path does not complete the month perfectly. Of these thirty, Simon was the first and most respected by John, and he was the reason John did not begin after his death.

²⁴ When Simon went to Egypt to practice magic, and after John was killed, Dositheus, eager for power, falsely announced John's death and took over the group. Soon Simon came back, strongly opposing Dositheus as his own rival. He joined with him but did not ask for the leadership, knowing that the one who first gains power is not removed by choice. So, pretending to be friendly, Simon gave himself for a short time to Dositheus's second-in-command position. After some days with the thirty followers, Simon began to slander Dositheus, saying he did not truly teach the lessons. He said this not out of envy, but because he did not know better. One time, Dositheus, sensing Simon's clever slander that made many suspicious of him, got angry during their usual meeting and struck Simon with a rod. Simon's body seemed to smoke as if it were burning. Shocked by this, Dositheus said to him, "If you are the standing one, I worship you." When Simon said, "I am," Dositheus, realizing he was not the standing one himself, fell down and worshiped him. Then, placing himself under the other twenty-nine leaders, Dositheus gave Simon his own place of suspicion. And so, after a few days, with Simon standing in power, Dositheus himself fell and died.

²⁵ Simon took Helen with him and went around, and even now, as you see, he stirs up the crowds. He says that Helen was sent down from the highest heavens to the world, as a lady who is the source of all things and wisdom. Because of her, he says, Greeks and barbarians fought, imagining her as a true image, for she really was with the first God back then. But these stories, mixed with Greek myths and made to seem true, deceive many with allegories, especially by doing many strange wonders. If we did not know that he does these by magic, we too would be fooled. But since we were his helpers at first, when he did such things without harming godliness, now, when he began to try to deceive those who are very careful about godliness, we left him.

²⁶ He also began to kill, and once, as a friend, he showed that he separated the soul of a child from his own body using secret oaths, working with the imagination of those who believed him. Then, after erasing the child's image, he said he kept it in an inner room where he himself sleeps, claiming he once made it from air by divine changes and then gave the form back to the air again. He explained this act like this: first, he said the spirit of a person turns into a warm nature, like squeezing air inside a gourd. Then, becoming the form of the spirit inside, it turns into water. Because the spirit can't be poured out continuously, he said it changes into the nature of blood, and the air inside makes the blood form flesh. Then, with the flesh fixed, he said a person is shown not made from earth, but from air. So, convincing himself he could make a new person, he said he gave the changes back to the air again. He told these things to others who believed him, but we, who were present at the ceremony, did not believe him in a godly way. So, seeing his impiety, we left him.

²⁷ After Aquila said these things, his brother Niketes said, "It is necessary, brother Clement, for me to remind you of what Aquila left out. First, God is my witness that we did nothing impious with him, but only observed what he did. And while he showed harmless things, we enjoyed them. But when he claimed that the things done by magic were truly divine, to deceive those who honor the gods, we could no longer put up with him. This was even though he promised us many things: first, that we would be worthy to have statues in temples and be called gods, worshiped by crowds, honored by kings, given public honors, and become rich with unlimited wealth."

²⁸ He also promised us these things and even greater ones, only so that, being with him, we would keep silent about the evil of his actions, allowing his deceit to succeed. But still, we did not agree, and we even advised him to stop such madness, saying to him: "Simon, remembering the friendship from childhood and caring for what is right, we advise you to stop this boldness. You cannot be a god. Fear the true God. Know that you are a human and that your time on earth is short. Even if you become very rich or even a king, your short life allows little time for enjoyment. And if you gain wealth by impiety, you will quickly flee and suffer eternal punishment for your boldness. Therefore, we advise you to fear God, by whom each soul will be judged here for what it has done."

²⁹ But when he heard these things, he laughed. When we asked him, "Why do you laugh at us, who are giving you good advice?" he said, "I laugh at your foolish idea that you believe the soul of a person is immortal." I replied, "We are not surprised, Simon, if you try to deceive us, but we are shocked at the reason why you deceive yourself. Tell me, Simon, even if no one else knows that the soul is immortal, at least you and we do: you, as one who separated it from the human body, spoke to it, and gave it commands; and we, as those present who heard the command and clearly saw what was ordered." Simon said, "I know what you say, but you do not know what you are talking about." Then Niketes said, "Since you say you know, speak. But if you do not know, don't think that we know when you speak and that we cannot be fooled. We are not so foolish that you can plant suspicion in us that you know some secret things, and then, using our desire as a trap, hold us under your control."

³⁰ And Simon said, "I know you understand that I separated the soul from the human body. But I also know you don't understand that the soul of the dead does not serve, because it no longer exists. Instead, some spirit pretending to be the soul acts in its place." Niketes replied, "We have heard many unbelievable things in life, but we never expected to hear anything more foolish than this. If a spirit is just pretending to be the soul of the dead, then why would the soul need to be separated from the body? Were we not there when you swore by the soul of the tent? And how can someone obey another who swears if he himself has not sworn, as if out of fear? And weren't you once questioned by us about why your followers sometimes stop? You said that the soul, after finishing the time it was meant to live in the body on earth, goes to Hades. And you added that the souls of those who died by their own death, since they go to Hades and are guarded there, are not easily allowed to return."

³¹ When Niketes said these things, Aquila spoke up again: "Simon, I just wanted to know one thing from you—whether the thing sworn by is a soul or a spirit, why aren't the oaths ignored?" Simon replied, "Because the one who swears knows that punishments are coming." Aquila said, "So if the soul that is sworn comes and judgment happens, then souls must be immortal, and judgment definitely takes place. If you say that those who swore to do evil are condemned for disobeying, then how can you not be afraid to force those who are forced to disobey and be punished? It's clear you haven't suffered for what you did yet, since there is no judgment now. You give judgment about what you forced, and the one forced is forgiven because they chose the oath tied to the bad deed." When Simon heard this, he became angry and threatened us with death if we did not keep silent about what he had done.

³² When Aquila said these things, I, Clemens, asked what kind of wonders he performed. They told me that he makes statues walk, and that he rolls on fire without being burned; sometimes he even flies. He makes bread from stones; he turns into a snake, changes into a goat, becomes two-faced, and transforms into gold. He opens locked doors, melts iron, and shows images of all kinds of shapes at dinners. He makes the things in a house seem to move by themselves to serve, even though no one is seen carrying them. Hearing these stories, I was amazed. Many people testified that they had seen such things with their own eyes.

³³ When these things were said, the good Peter himself began to speak: "Brothers, you need to understand the truth about the rule of marriage—no one who keeps it can be led astray. As we said, we see everything in two ways and opposites: first night, then day; first ignorance, then knowledge; first sickness, then healing. So, first, the things of error come into life, and then the truth comes, like a doctor to a sickness. Right now, our God-loving nation is about to be freed from the troubles of the Egyptians. At first, through the serpent-shaped rod given to Aaron, diseases appeared, and then through Moses' prayers, healing came. And now, as the nations are about to be freed from the religions after idols, evil again, as if it were ruling, first sent out its own ally like a snake—the visible Simon—who does wonders to cause fear and trickery, not healing signs that lead to change and salvation. So you must think about those who make these wonders—who is behind each one. If a wonder does harm, it is a servant of evil; but if it does good, it is a leader of good."

³⁴ The harmful signs are those you said Simon himself performed. I mean making statues walk, rolling on burning coals, turning into a dragon, changing into a goat, flying in the air, and things like that—these do not bring healing to people but are meant to deceive many. But the signs of merciful truth are kind to people, like those you heard the Lord did, and also made right with prayers after him. Most of you were there for these: some were freed from all kinds of diseases, some from demons, some had their hands healed, some their feet, some regained their sight, some their hearing, and other things a person can do, all showing the work of a loving spirit.

³⁵ After Peter said these things, at dawn Zacchaeus came to us and called out to Peter: "Simon is postponing the question until tomorrow, because today, the eleventh day, happens to be the Sabbath." Peter answered him, "Tell Simon that if he truly wants to, and wants to understand, we are ready to meet him with caring kindness whenever he wishes." Hearing this, Zacchaeus went away to deliver the reply.

³⁶ Seeing me discouraged and asking why, and learning from me that it was only because of the delay in the question, he said: "With God's good care guiding the world, my friend Clemes, he himself is not upset by things that happen. He has given up control because he knows that under the management of the stronger, things reach the right outcome. So it is right to know him and live with a clear conscience, to shake off the painful things that come with clear thinking, because they are happening for some unknown good. And now, don't let the delay in the question about the magician Simon upset you; maybe it has happened for your benefit through God's care. Since I am your friend, I won't hesitate to tell you this."

³⁷ Some of our companions pretended to join Simon, as if convinced by his most godless trick, so that by learning his plans they could report them to us and be able to deal closely with a dangerous man. Now I have learned from them what kind of question they plan to ask. Knowing this, I thanked God and blessed you for the delay in the question. Because of the words about to come, you—prepared by me—will be able to listen carefully and stay unaffected before the question, since these words will be spoken by him to judge those who do not understand.

³⁸ The scriptures have taken on many false things against God through this word. The prophet Moses, by God's will, gave the law with its explanations to seventy chosen people, to also prepare those among the people who wanted it. Not long after, the law took on some false things against the law of God—the one who made the sky, the earth, and all things in them—because an evil man dared to act by a certain just-sounding word. This happened through words and judgment, so that those who dare to hold the things written against God kindly might be tested. And those who, out of love for him, not only disbelieve the things said against him but also cannot even bear to hear the beginning, even if it is true, judge it much safer to risk good faith than to live with blasphemous words and a guilty conscience.

³⁹ So Simon wants to come forward and speak about those passages in the scriptures that go against God, which he adds for the sake of testing, as I understand it, so that he might be able to turn away as many people as possible from love for God by troubling them. We do not want to speak about them publicly with the books, because we would be helping the ignorant crowds who follow that evil Simon to do his will. For maybe those who can judge will avoid us as godless, or will turn away not only from the blasphemous false passages but also from the whole message. Therefore, we must accept the false passages for now and carefully ask about them, to put him in a difficult position, and to give those who appreciate the passages spoken against God, after testing their faith, a private explanation that has one clear and simple path. And this is it.

⁴⁰ Everything said or written against God is false. But that this is truly the case, I will explain briefly in a little while—not just out of respect, but also for the sake of truth. So, you, my dearest Clemens, should not be upset about the one-day delay in questioning Simon. For today, by preparing in advance about the passages added in the scriptures, you should not fail to be rightly judged about the one good God, who also made the world. You will also be amazed during the questioning at how the godless, leaving out the many things said for God in the scriptures, happily accept the things said against him. And so the listeners, because of ignorance, believe the things against God and are lost from his kingdom. Therefore, you, having learned the mystery of the scriptures through this delay, and having gained the strength not to sin against God, will rejoice without blame.

⁴¹ And I, Clemens, having heard, said: Truly, I rejoice and give thanks to the God who is good in every way; but he himself knows that I cannot think anything else but to believe all things in favor of God. So do not think that I doubt the words from God or want to question what has been said, but rather that, having learned, I might be able to teach someone else who wants to learn with gratitude. So tell me, what are the false passages in the scriptures, and how is it true that they are false? And Peter answered: If you had not asked me, I would have gone through the words in order and given the proof as I promised. But listen now to how many things in the scriptures are proven false, as you will see when you examine them.

⁴² For example, what I am about to say will be enough. I do not think, dear Clemens, that anyone could accept or even listen to what is said against God, even if it might keep a little love and gratitude toward him. But how can someone have a single-minded soul and be holy if they have already decided that there are many gods and not just one? And even if there is only one, finding many faults in him, who would want to be holy, hoping that the source of all things, because of its own faults, will not go beyond the wrongs of others?

⁴³ Therefore, it is impossible to believe that the master of all, who made the sky and the earth and everything in them, shares power with others or that he lies. For if he lies, then who tells the truth? Or that he acts as if ignorant—who would know that in advance? If he thinks and then changes his mind, then who is perfect and steady in purpose? If he is jealous, then who is without equal? If he hardens his heart, then who is wise? If he is blind and deaf, then who gave sight and hearing? If he advises to take away, then who values justice? If he mocks, then who is sincere? If he is weak, then who can do all things? If he does wrong, then who is just? If he makes bad things, then who will do good? If he does evil, then who will do good?

⁴⁴ If he desires the fat mountain, then whose is everything? If he lies, then who tells the truth? If he lives in a tent, then who is truly homeless? If he reaches for smoke and sacrifices and offerings and poured-out gifts, then who is without need, who is holy, who is pure, and who is perfect? If he delights in lamps and lights, then who set the stars in the sky? If he dwells in mist and darkness and storm and smoke, then who, being light, shines through the greatest age? If he comes with trumpets and loud cries and arrows and shooting, then what hope is there for peace for all? If he loves wars, then who wants peace? If he makes bad things, then who creates good? If he is unloving, then who is kind to humans? If he is not faithful to what he promises, then who can be trusted? If he loves evil people and adulterers and murderers, then who will be a just judge? If he changes his mind, then who is steady? If he chooses bad people, then who will bring in good ones?

⁴⁵ Therefore, child Clemens, remember this: do not think anything else about God except that he alone is God, master, and father—good and just, creator, patient, merciful, nourisher, benefactor, caring for kindness to humans, guiding purity, eternal, making eternal things, incomparable, living in the souls of the good, both beyond all limits and present everywhere. He fixed the great age as a center in the infinite, spread out the sky and stretched the earth, stored water, arranged the stars in the sky, made springs flow from the earth, caused fruits to grow, raised mountains, set boundaries for the sea, ordered the winds and breaths, and holds the body surrounded by the endless sea of spirit, having secured a safe and steady plan.

⁴⁶ This one is our judge. We must look to him and set our own souls straight, thinking of everything for him, praising him, and being sure that by his patience alone, he leads the stubbornness of all into the open. And at the end of everything, he will be a just judge for each person who dared to do what they should not.

⁴⁷ Hearing these things, I, Clemens, said, "Truly, this is reverence for God; truly, this is piety." Then I said again, "I want to understand why the books were written this way. I remember you said it is to test those who dare to believe something said against God. But since you kindly allow us to ask, and as you ordered, we dare—if anyone wishes, dearest Peter—to tell us: the things written are true, even if what is said against God seems false to you; how should we answer him?"

⁴⁸ And Peter answered, "You spoke well, knowing this will keep you safe. But listen. Since many things are said by the scriptures against God, and because the hour is late this evening, ask about one statement you want, and I will explain it, showing it to be false—not just because it is said against God, but because it is truly false." I answered, "I want to learn how you, knowing God, can prove that the scriptures, which say they do not know God, are wrong."

⁴⁹ And Peter answered, "You have suggested something that can be easily tested. But listen to this: God ignores nothing and even foreknows everything. Now, I ask you—first answer me—was the one who wrote the books and said how the world was made and that God does not foreknow a man, or not?" I said, "A man." Then Peter answered, "So, if he was a man, how could he truly know how the world was made and that God does not foreknow?"

⁵⁰ I, already sensing the answer and smiling slightly, said, "He was a prophet." Peter replied, "If the prophet, being a man, knew nothing on his own because he received foreknowledge from God, then how could God himself—the one who gave a man the ability to foreknow—not know? " I said, "You spoke rightly." Peter said, "Now, puzzle over this with me. Since we agree that God foreknows everything, it must be that all the scriptures saying he does not know are mistaken and false, while those that say he does know are true." I said, "It must be so."

⁵¹ Peter said, "If some of the writings are true and others false, it makes sense that our teacher said, 'Become careful judges,' because some words in the scriptures are trustworthy, and others are fake. To those who are misled by the false scriptures, he clearly explained the cause of their error by saying, 'This is why you are misled—you don't know the true parts of the scriptures; because of this, you also don't understand the power of God.'" I said, "Very well said."

⁵² Peter answered, "So, I don't reasonably believe, either against God or against the righteous people written about in the law, by thinking wrongly ahead of time. For as I am convinced, Adam was not a sinner—he was formed by the hands of God. Noah was not a drunkard; he was found to be the most righteous in the whole world. Abraham did not live with three wives at the same time; he was honored for his wisdom and many children. Jacob did not live with four women, two of whom were sisters; he was the father of twelve tribes and foretold the coming of our teacher. Moses was not a murderer, nor did he learn how to judge from a priest of an idol. He prophesied the law of God for all time and was proven to be a faithful steward through right thinking."

⁵³ But I will also give you the answers to these things in time, along with others like them. As for now, since evening has come, let what was said today be enough. But whenever you want, feel free to ask us boldly about anything you wish, and we will gladly and patiently explain. After saying this, he got up. So, after eating, we went to sleep, for night had come.

Chapter 3

So, after two days had passed and the third day was dawning, I, Clemens, and the others with me woke up to talk with Simon at the second crowing of the roosters. We found the lamp still burning, and Peter praying on his knees. When he finished his prayer, he turned and saw us ready to listen, and he said:

² I want you to know that those who, under our care, were with Simon sent us word after learning his plans. They did this to help us understand the many ways of his evil. They said: Today, as he planned, Simon is ready to come from the scriptures and show that the one who made heaven, earth, and everything in them is not the highest God. Instead, he says there is another unknown and highest God, a secret god of gods. He claims that two gods sent him—one who made the world, and the other who gave the law. He plans to say these things to lead those who worship the one true God, who made heaven and earth, to the right faith.

³ Hearing these things, how could I not be troubled? So I wanted you, my brothers who are with me, to know that I suffer deeply in my soul, seeing the evil one awake to test people, and the people very careless about their own salvation. He planned that those from the nations would believe that the idols on earth are gods, bringing in the ideas of many other gods. This way, if they stop worshiping many gods, they would be tricked into speaking differently or even worse against the one true God's rule. So those who honor the rule of the one God might never be able to receive mercy. Because of this boldness, Simon, armed with false parts of the scriptures, comes to fight against us. And the worst part is that, even though he did not believe that prophets would say such things against the true God, he is not afraid.

⁴ For us, who have received from our ancestors the worship of the God who made all things, and also understand the secret meaning of the scriptures that can deceive, nothing will harm us. But for those from the nations, who hold the idea of many gods as their companion and do not know the falsehoods in the scriptures, he will be very powerful. Not only Simon, but if anyone else from the nations speaks empty things against God—like a dream, richly decorated with stories—they will be believed, because children get used to hearing things said against God. A few of them will be different, like a small number from a crowd, who because of good sense will not want to hear even bad words against the God who made all things. Only those few from the nations will be saved. So no one among you should completely blame Simon, or anyone else. Nothing happens without reason, especially when the false things in the scriptures are rightly used to test us.

⁵ And I, Clemens, hearing this, said, "How can you say, sir, that the false things in the scriptures are rightly used to test people?" He answered, "The false things in the scriptures were allowed to be written for a just reason because of evil. And I say this rightly. In the stories about gods, the evil one, loving the good God less, is left with only a part of the good. Because he does not forgive those who are impious out of ignorance, with love for the one who is impious, he wishes destruction for the impious but offers healing to them. For the good one wants all to be healed through repentance but saves only those who have known God. He does not heal those who do not know, not because he does not want to, but because it is not allowed to give the good things prepared for the children of the kingdom to the irrational animals who are led astray because of their lack of understanding."

⁶ The nature of the one and only God, who made the world, created us, and gave us everything, is such that anyone who lives within the bounds of true godliness and does not blaspheme his holy spirit carries their soul to him with love in their heart, a love like a vision. And even if someone is sinful, after being punished according to what they did, they still have the nature to be saved. But if someone denies him or speaks against him with disrespect, then if they repent, they will be punished for what they sinned against him, but they will be saved because, by turning back, they showed love. Maybe even great piety and begging, or even punishment, will be lifted, giving forgiveness for sin along with repentance and ignorance. But those who do not repent will face the punishment of fire and the end, even if in all other things they are very holy. But as I said, after a set time, the fifth age will be punished with eternal fire and then put out. For those who have always been disrespectful to God can no longer live forever.

⁷ Disrespect toward him is saying in talks about godliness that someone else is God, or that someone is stronger, weaker, or in any way different from the one true God. For the one true God is the one whose body takes the form of a man, for whom the sky and all the stars have endured to serve. They are stronger in essence than the weaker one, because of the form of the stronger. God has done so much good for humans that, through all these good things, by loving the one who did good, they might be saved into a second age by that love.

⁸ So, the love humans have for God is enough for salvation. The evil one, knowing that we are eager for people from other nations who will believe in the one and only God and plant immortal love for him in their souls, uses a strong weapon against those who do not know. He tries to spread the idea of many gods or even one god as stronger, so that by catching and persuading them with what is wrong, they may die as if guilty of adultery and be cast out of God's kingdom.

⁹ Anyone who opposes the one rule of God is worthy of being cast out, even if they only want to hear something like that. But if someone dares to listen to something against God as if it were written in books, let them first remember this: if someone makes up a teaching for themselves as they please and then relies on those writings, they will be able to bring many proofs from them to support the teaching they made up. So how can anyone be confident in opposing God using those writings, where the plan of all is found?

¹⁰ Right away, Simon plans to argue with us tomorrow in public against the one rule of God. He dares to bring many quotes from those writings, saying that there are many gods, and that the one who made the world is not the highest, but someone above him, and he claims to have written proofs to show this. We also have many clear passages from those writings that show there is only one God—the one who made the world—and no other besides him. But even if someone wants to say otherwise, they will still have to bring proofs from those writings, as they please, about whatever they want. All the writings speak so that no one who searches without understanding will find the truth, but whoever wants to, with good sense, will hold on to the truth. And good sense is the love that saves us toward the one who caused us to exist.

¹¹ First of all, one must know that no one finds the truth anywhere except from a true prophet. A true prophet is someone who always knows everything, even the thoughts of all people, without error, and is full of understanding about God's judgment. Therefore, we should not accept his foreknowledge lightly, but if possible, his foreknowledge should stand on its own without needing any other excuse. Just as doctors make predictions based on the pulse of a sick person, and some predict by watching birds, others by sacrifices, and others by many different signs, those are not true prophets.

¹² But if someone says that predictions made through such signs are like true, natural foreknowledge, they are very mistaken. For those things only reveal what is happening now, and even if they are true, they help in a different way because they show some kind of foreknowledge. But the foreknowledge of the one true God not only knows the present, it also stretches prophecy endlessly into the future age. It does not need anyone else to understand it, nor does it give unclear or doubtful prophecies that would require another prophet to explain them. Instead, it is clear and simple, just as our teacher, who was a prophet with a natural and eternal spirit, always knew everything.

¹³ Therefore, he spoke boldly about what will happen—sufferings, places, and times. Being a prophet without error, with a clear and experienced eye of the soul, he knows even hidden things. But if we accept, like most people do, that even the true prophet does not always know, but only sometimes, when he has the spirit, and because of that he foreknows, and when he does not have it, he does not know—if we think this way, we deceive ourselves and trap others. For this kind of thinking is madness, inspired by a spirit of disorder, like those who are drunk at altars and filled with smoke.

¹⁴ For if someone claims to prophesy and we are allowed to believe in things where a liar is revealed, then the holy spirit of foreknowledge was not present at that time. A liar who is called a prophet cannot be free from blame. When someone says many things but only gets a few right, people believe the spirit is present when he says the first things last, the last things first, things that have already happened as if they will happen, things that will happen as if they have already happened, and also things that do not follow, or are taken from others and changed. But those things that are weak, unclear, foolish, doubtful, dishonorable, or unknown are all mixed with every kind of bad conscience.

¹⁵ But our teacher did not prophesy anything like that. Instead, as I said before, being a prophet with a natural and eternal spirit, always knowing everything, he boldly and clearly spoke about sufferings, places, appointed times, ways, and limits. For right away, speaking about the holy place, he said, "Do you see these buildings? Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another that will not be torn down. And this generation will not pass away until destruction begins. For they will come and sit here, surround it with trenches, and your children will be killed here." Still, he spoke clearly about what would come next—things we can see with our own eyes—so that what was spoken would also happen. For the prophet proves the truth to those who listen with faith by the word of truth.

¹⁶ But many are preachers of error, following one leader of evil. By the word of truth of this one, who is also a leader of piety, in his own time he will have all who are found pure as prophets. The reason many are mistaken is that they did not first understand the teaching about marriage. I will always explain this to you clearly and in main points. For it is important to speak according to the kind. So, from what I have said, be honest judges for me.

¹⁷ I will begin to speak now. If no one gives the great and holy spirit of foreknowledge from God, who made all things, to the man formed by his hands, then how much more will the one born from a filthy drop—the giver—make the greatest mistakes? And I do not think he will receive forgiveness, even if by false writings he is tricked into thinking terrible things against the Father of all. For whoever insults the image, and these things of the eternal king, has the sin counted against him, since the image was made in his likeness. But he says the divine spirit left after sinning. So he did not sin? And how is the one who says this not in danger? No, after sinning, he received the spirit. So it has been given to the unjust. And where is the justice in that? But it is given to both the just and the unjust. This is the most unjust of all. So every lie, even if helped by countless tricks, will still be exposed and judged, even if it takes a long time.

¹⁸ Do not be fooled. Our Father did not overlook anything. Since the law, which is publicly given, covers over ignorance because of the unworthy, it sends those who seek the truth to it, saying, "Examine your father, and he will tell you; your elders, and they will announce it to you." This father should have been sought. But you did not ask whose is the time of the kingdom, or whose is the seat of prophecy, even though he himself points this out by saying, "The scribes and Pharisees sit on the seat of Moses. Listen to everything they tell you." But about them, he said they are like those entrusted with the key of the kingdom, which is knowledge—the only key that can open the gate of life, through which alone it is possible to enter eternal life. Yet, he says, they hold the key but do not let those who want to enter in.

¹⁹ Because of this, I say, he himself rose from the seat, like a father caring for his children, preaching the worthy things hidden since eternity, extending mercy even to those nations and showing compassion to all souls, caring for his own blood. For he was destined to be king of the coming age, having already received the kingdom by law in the present time. And the greatest thing that deeply grieved him was this: that for those he fought for as children, he was opposed because of their ignorance. Yet he loved even those who hated him, wept for those who disobeyed, blessed those who insulted him, and prayed for those who were hostile. And not only did he do these things as a father, but he also taught his own disciples, as brothers, to do the same. This is a father, this is a prophet, this is right—that the same one should rule over his own children; so that through the love from father to children and the respect of children toward the father, eternal peace might be possible. For when the rightful king rules, true joy about the king comes to those who are ruled.

²⁰ But now, listen to the first word of truth I have for you. If no one gives the holy spirit to the man formed by the hands of God—the Christ—then how can it be right to give it to someone else, born from a filthy drop? That would be the greatest disrespect. It would be more respectful to say that no one else has it, only the one who, from the beginning of time, changing forms with different names, runs the age until, at his own appointed time, he is anointed with mercy because of God's work and will have rest forever. This one has been honored to rule and be lord over all things in the air, on earth, and in the waters. And besides these, since he made man, he gave him breath—an invisible garment for the soul—so that he might be able to live forever.

²¹ This same one alone, truly a prophet, has rightly named every living thing according to its nature, just as the one who made it placed the names properly. For whatever he named was also the name given by the maker to the thing made. So how could a plant still need to learn, to see what is good or bad? He did not command it to do so. But these things are believed by the unwise, who think that the irrational beast, made by God, became more powerful than both themselves and all other things.

²² But with him, a female nature was created as a partner, needing him greatly—like a shared substance, like the moon to the sun, like fire to light. She is believed to be the first female ruler of the present world, a prophetess promising prophecy among all born women. And the other, being a male son of man, will lead in the coming age in the ways that belong to a male.

²³ So then, two general prophecies are given to us: the male one and the female one. Let it be clear that the first, being male, is placed second after the others in the order of progress, while the second, being female, is set first to come in the line of pairs. Now, the one among born women, who promises to be the female of the present world, wants to be believed to be male. Therefore, by stealing the seeds of the male and mixing them with the seeds of her own flesh, as if all the offspring belong to her, this is what the words mean. She also promises to give the present earthly wealth as a dowry, wanting to exchange the fast for the slow, and the short for the greater.

²⁴ She not only dares to speak of many gods and to hear about them, but she also believes herself to be one and hopes to become one, which is unnatural, and in doing so, she loses what she has. As a woman who bleeds monthly, she sheds blood under the pretense of sacrifices, and in this way, she pollutes those who come into contact with her. When the right time comes and she gives birth to kings, shedding much blood, she stirs up wars. Those who try to learn the truth from her, seeking help from someone who speaks contradictions and offers many different and confusing messages, always find nothing and remain lost until death. From the beginning, death has been an excuse for blind people; by prophesying in a wandering, doubtful, and twisted way, she deceives those who believe her.

²⁵ She gave her firstborn a name that has two meanings, calling him Cain. It can mean both possession and jealousy, as if she would be jealous of what is coming—whether a wife, possessions, or the love her parents have for her. But if none of these happen, then the name rightly means possession. For she first took him as her own and used him. He was a murderer and a liar who did not want to find peace after his sins or to rule. Moreover, those who came after him in his line were the first adulterers. There were also harps, lyres, and bronze weapons for war. Because of this, the prophecy of the grandchildren—full of adulterers and harp players—secretly stirs up wars through pleasures.

²⁶ The prophecy given to the sons of men has a special nature born within the soul. It clearly shows hope as the male of the coming age and named its own son Abel, which without any doubt means sorrow. For it allows those deceived brothers to mourn. It promises them true comfort in the coming age. It teaches to ask for only one god; it neither speaks of many gods itself nor trusts anyone who does. It preserves what is good and increases it. It hates sacrifices, blood, and libations but loves pure, clean, and holy things. It puts out the fires of altars, ends wars, teaches peace, commands self-control, removes sins, approves marriage, allows restraint, leads everyone to purity, makes them merciful, establishes justice, seals those who are perfect, reveals the word of rest, prophesies clearly, speaks plainly, often warns of eternal fire as punishment, constantly announces the kingdom of God, tells of heavenly wealth, promises unending glory, and shows forgiveness of sin through actions.

²⁷ And what more is there to say? The male is all truth, the female all error, but the one born from both male and female sometimes lies and sometimes tells the truth. The female, with her own blood like red fire surrounding the white seed of the male, builds her weakness on foreign bones. She enjoys the temporary bloom of the flesh and steals the strength of reason with brief pleasures. She leads most people into adultery and so takes away the good of the future bride. For every person is a bride when, sown with the white word of truth by the true prophet, their mind is enlightened.

²⁸ Therefore, one must listen only to the prophet of truth, knowing that the word sown by another brings the charge of adultery and is cast out as a bride of his kingdom. But for those who understand the mystery, death comes through spiritual adultery. Whenever the soul is sown by others, it is abandoned by the spirit, as if prostituting or committing adultery. Then the living body, separated from the life-giving spirit, returns to the earth, and the punishment for sin is given to the soul at the time of judgment, after the body's decay. Just as among people, the one caught in adultery is first cast out of the house, then later judged and condemned.

²⁹ When Peter was about to fully explain this secret teaching to us, Zacchaeus came and said, "Now, Peter, it's time to talk with you before you leave. A large crowd has gathered in the courtyard waiting for you, and in the middle, standing like a commander guarded by him, is Simon." When Peter heard this, he asked to step aside for a prayer, since he had not yet received the baptism for salvation. He said, "Let us rise and pray with those who are already mature, so that God, by his endless mercy, may help me who am eager to save the people created by him." After saying this and praying, he went out to a large open space in the courtyard, where many had gathered to watch, made even more eager to listen closely because of his clear teaching.

³⁰ So, standing there and seeing all the people quietly watching him, with Simon the magician standing in the middle, he began to speak like this: "Peace be with all of you who are ready to accept the truth of God, which is a great and unmatched gift in this world, sent by the one who sent us—the prophet who is truly truthful above all. He commanded us to speak to you before teaching, so that if anyone among you is a child of peace, through our teaching peace will hold them. But if anyone does not want to accept this, then we will shake the dust off our feet as a witness against you—the dust from the roads that we carried with our hard work to bring to you so that you might be saved—and we will go to the houses and cities of others."

³¹ And truly we say to you: on the day of judgment, the land of Sodom and Gomorrah will be easier to bear than the place of disobedience. First, because you did not understand what was reasonable on your own; second, because after hearing what we say, you did not come to us; third, because even when we came to you, you disobeyed us. So, sparing you, we pray that our peace may come upon you. If you want to receive this peace, you must eagerly accept not to do wrong and bravely endure being wronged. This is not natural for a person unless they first gain the knowledge of the one who is above all—that is, to know the just nature who punishes those who do wrong and always blesses those who are devout.

³² So, as thankful servants of God, think about what is reasonable for yourselves and accept the way of life that pleases him. In this way, loving him and being loved by him, you may always have what is good. For he alone is able to give—the one who made what is not into what is, who created the sky, shaped the earth, enclosed the sea, guards the things in the underworld, and fills all things with air.

³³ He alone took the one and first unique substance and turned it in four ways and opposites. Then, mixing countless combinations from it, he made life find pleasure in the opposition of these mixed natures. Likewise, he alone created groups of angels and councils of spirits with a simple nod. He filled the heavens with stars, decorating the visible sky, and set their paths and courses. He covered the earth to help fruits grow, enclosed the sea by separating it from the dry land, and guarded the things in the underworld, calling it the place of souls. He filled all things with air so that all living creatures might breathe freely and live.

³⁴ Oh, the great and wise hand of God who makes everything in all things! Countless flocks of birds have come into being through him, and they are all different, changed in every way from one another—I mean in colors, beaks, claws, eyes, minds, voices, and everything else. And how many different kinds of plants, set apart by endless colors, qualities, and smells! And how many land animals and those in the waters, whose shapes, forms, places, colors, lives, minds, and natures are impossible to count—a crowd beyond number! Also, the many mountains and heights, the different kinds of stones, dark caves, springs, rivers, lakes, seas, harbors, islands, forests, the whole inhabited world, and uninhabited places.

³⁵ And how many other unknown things there are, beyond what humans can understand! Of the things we can observe, who among people knows any limit? I mean, how the sky holds itself up, how the stars move, what shapes they have, and how life is formed; what the airy paths of these things are; where the winds come from and how they have different powers; where the springs flow without stopping, and the rivers that always run into the sea, neither emptying from their source nor filling where they end; how far the endless depth of the boundless underworld reaches; what supports the all-surrounding sky; how clouds drip from the air and return to it; what causes thunder and lightning, snow, hail, mist, frost, storms, rain, and floating clouds; and how plants and animals are formed. All these things are made in countless different ways, always with exactness.

³⁶ Still, if someone understands everything clearly by thinking carefully, they will see that God made it all through humans. The rains fall for the sake of fruits, so people can share in them and animals can be fed, all to help humans. The sun shines to turn the air in four directions, and each season gives its own gifts to people. Springs flow to give drink to humans. But even so, who truly rules over creation as much as possible? Isn't it humans, who have gained wisdom—to farm the land, sail the sea, hunt fish, birds, and wild animals, calculate the paths of the stars, mine the earth, navigate the seas, build cities, appoint kings, make laws, judge fairly, think about the invisible God, know the names of angels, drive away spirits, stop diseases by trying medicines, find spells against poisonous snakes, and invent cures?

³⁷ But if you are thankful, human, having understood the God who has done good for you in everything, you would be immortal because of the things made through you that can last by gratitude. Even now, you can become incorruptible if you recognize the one you have missed, if you love the one you left behind, if you pray to him alone, who can both punish and save your body and soul. So, above all, understand that no one shares power with him, and no one shares his name; this is what we call God. For he alone is both named and exists; no other should be thought of or spoken of. But if anyone dares to do so, their soul will be punished forever.

³⁸ When Peter said these things, Simon shouted loudly from outside the crowd: "Why do you want to deceive the people standing near you by lying, convincing them that gods cannot be thought of or spoken about, even though many gods are mentioned in the public books among the Jews? Now I want to argue with you about the need to believe in gods based on all those books. First, about the one you called God—you showed that he is not the highest or all-powerful, because he is unknown, incomplete, lacking, not good, and subject to many countless harsh sufferings. From this, as I say, the writings show that another god exists, though unwritten—one who is foreknowing, perfect, lacking nothing, good, and free from all harsh sufferings. But the one you say is the creator turns out to be the opposite of this."

³⁹ Right away, Adam, made in God's own image, is created blind and given no knowledge of good or evil. He is found to be a sinner, thrown out of paradise, and punished with death. In the same way, the one who made him, since he does not see everything, says about the destruction of Sodom: "Come, let us go down and see if what they are shouting against me is really happening; if not, I will know." This shows that he is unaware. And to say about Adam, "Let us throw him out, so that maybe, if he stretches out his hand, he will touch the tree of life, eat, and live forever"—to say "maybe" shows ignorance. But to say "let us throw him out so that maybe, having eaten, he will live forever" shows envy. And what is written, that God regretted making man, shows ignorance; for regret is a thought by which someone, through not knowing, tries to understand how things will end or feels sorry because things did not go as planned. And what is written, "and the Lord smelled a pleasing aroma," is incomplete, because the pleasure in the smell of burning flesh comes from good. But to test, as it is written, "and the Lord tested Abraham," shows ignorance about evil and the limits of patience.

⁴⁰ Still, Simon seemed to show from many writings that God is subject to every kind of suffering. And Peter said this: if the evil and very wicked one does not love to blame himself for his sins, answer me. And Simon said: he does not love to. Then Peter said: how can God be evil and wicked if, by his own will, the evil things written publicly against him were added? And Simon said: it is possible that the blame written against him was not by his own choice but by another power. Then Peter said: first, let us ask this—if he blamed himself by his own will, as you agreed, then he is not wicked; but if it was by another power, we must ask and examine this carefully, so that no one may blame all the evils on the one who is truly good.

⁴¹ And Simon said, "It's clear you're avoiding hearing the blame against your God from the writings." Peter replied, "It seems that way to me. For someone who avoids order in seeking does not want the truth to be examined. So, following order and wanting first to understand the author, I am sure that I want to go straight." Simon said, "First admit if what is written against the creator is true, and that he is not the highest of all, but according to the writings is subject to every kind of wickedness. Then we will look for the writer." Peter said, "So that I don't seem to argue with you out of disorder, I answer your question: I say that even if what is written against God is true, it still does not show God to be wicked." Simon asked, "How can you put this together?"

⁴² And Peter said, "Because the voices that speak badly about him have written the opposite, it is not even possible to be certain." Simon asked, "Then how can we know the truth from the writings, when some say he is bad and others say he is good?" Peter replied, "The parts of the writings that agree with the creation made by him are true; but those that say the opposite are false." Simon said, "How can you show that the writings contradict themselves?" Peter answered, "You say Adam was made blind, but he was not. For he would not have given a command to a blind person, saying, 'You will not taste from the tree that knows good and evil.'" Simon said, "He meant his mind was blind." Peter asked, "How could his mind be blind when, before tasting the plant, he gave names to all the animals in agreement with the creator?" Simon said, "If Adam had foreknowledge, why did he not foresee the serpent who would deceive his wife?" Peter replied, "If Adam did not have foreknowledge, how did he give names to his sons at the time they were born, based on their future actions? He called the first Cain, which means jealousy, who, out of jealousy, killed his brother Abel, which means sorrow. The parents grieved first over the one who was killed."

⁴³ If Adam, as the work of God, had foreknowledge, then much more does the God who made him. It is false what is written: "God remembered," as if he used thought because of ignorance. And if the Lord tested Abraham to see if he would endure. And what is written: "Let us go down and see if they are acting according to their cry that comes to me," is so that he might know. To keep my words from being too long, all the voices that say he was ignorant or something else harsh, when answered by other voices saying the opposite, are shown to be false. But that he truly foreknows, he says to Abraham: "Knowing this, you will understand that your descendants will be strangers in a land not their own. They will be enslaved, hurt, and humbled for four hundred years. But I will judge the nation they serve. After that, they will leave with many possessions. You will go to your ancestors in peace, old and well cared for. In the fourth generation, they will return here, for the sins of the Amorites are not yet complete even now."

⁴⁴ But what about Moses? Doesn't he also point out the sins of the people and clearly show their scattering among the nations? And if God gave Moses foreknowledge, how could he not have it himself? He does have it. And if he has it, as we have shown, then what is written is more than enough: "he remembered," "he regretted," "going down I will see," and all such things. What was foreknown before it happened, as it was going to turn out, he accepts with wise planning and without regret.

⁴⁵ It is clear that he was not pleased with sacrifices from those who wanted meat but were killed as they tasted it, and were buried, being called a mountain of desire. But he, angry at the beginning about the sacrifice of animals and not wanting them to be offered, did not command sacrifices as if he desired them, and from the start did not demand them. For without the sacrifice of animals, neither are sacrifices performed, nor can the first fruits be given. How could darkness, gloom, and storm (for this is also written) exist together with the one who arranged the clear sky, made the sun shine for all, and set the order of the paths for the countless stars without regret? So, Simon, the handwriting of God—that is, the sky—shows the clear and sure mind of the maker.

⁴⁶ So the voices of the devils against the God who made the sky, along with the voices of those who agree with them, are shown to be false and are proven wrong by creation itself. For these voices were not written by a prophetic hand. That is why they seem to be opposed to the hand of the God who made all things. And Sipon asked, "How can you prove this?"

⁴⁷ And Peter said: The law of God was given through Moses to seventy wise men without being written down, so it could be passed on and followed in order. But after Moses' death, it was written by someone else, not by Moses himself. For it is written in the law: Moses died and was buried near the house of Phogor, and no one knows his grave to this day. If Moses had a son who died, would he write that Moses died? After Moses' time, about five hundred years or more later, the temple was built, and Moses' body was found there. About another five hundred years later, the temple was burned by Nebuchadnezzar, and Moses' body was destroyed. Yet, even though it was written after Moses and often lost, the writer admitted that, knowing Moses' death in advance, he did not write it. Those who wrote, being proven ignorant because they did not know about his death, were not true prophets.

⁴⁸ And Simon said: Since, as you said, the things about God are to be understood from the parable of creation, how can we know the other things in the law—things that come from Moses' tradition and are true but mixed with lies? And Peter said: There is a passage in the written law that faithfully remembers God's care, and it clearly shows which parts of the writings are true and which are false. And Simon said: What is that? Please tell us.

⁴⁹ And Peter said: I will tell you now. It is written near the end of the first book of the law: "A ruler will not fail from Judah, nor a leader from his family line, until the one who is to come arrives; and he himself is the hope of the nations." So if someone can understand that the ruler and leader from Judah who was expected has come and is awaited by the nations, then he will know that this passage is true based on what has happened. By trusting this teaching, he will know which writings are true and which are false. And Simon said: I understand that you mean Jesus, as one prophesied in the scripture. So let it be as you say. Now tell us, how did he teach you to tell the writings apart?

⁵⁰ And Peter said: I remember that he blamed the Sadducees, saying, "That is why you are mistaken—you don't know the true things in the scriptures, and because of this, you ignore the power of God." If he made them ignore the true things in the scriptures, it shows that there were false things mixed in. He also said, "Be careful and test everything, as some words are true and others false." And when he asked, "Why don't you understand the clear meaning of the scriptures?" he was strengthening the mind more than someone who is thankful without reason.

⁵¹ It is clear that he sent the teachings in the scriptures to the scribes and teachers, as those who know the true parts of the law. And when he said, "I did not come to break the law," even if it seemed like he was breaking it, he meant that what he set aside was not really part of the law. And when he said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but not one small letter or stroke will pass from the law," he meant that what disappears before heaven and earth is not truly part of the real law.

⁵² Since sacrifices, kingdoms, prophecies about women giving birth, and similar things passed away while heaven and earth still existed, because they were not commands from God, he says, "Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted." For this reason, as a true prophet, he said, "I am the gate of life; whoever enters through me will enter into life," meaning there is no other teaching that can save. That is why he called out, "Come to me, all you who are tired," meaning those who seek the truth but cannot find it. And again, "My sheep listen to my voice." And at another time, "Seek and you will find," as if the truth is not clearly shown.

⁵³ But also, a voice from heaven was heard saying, "This is my beloved son, in whom I am pleased; listen to him." And in addition, wanting to prove the prophets wrong—those they claimed to have learned from—he showed that many who longed for the truth but had not learned it died, saying, "Many prophets and kings longed to see what you see and to hear what you hear, but I tell you truly, they neither saw nor heard it." He also said, "I am the one about whom Moses prophesied, saying, 'The Lord our God will raise up for you a prophet from among your brothers, like me; listen to him in everything.'" But whoever does not listen to that prophet will die.

⁵⁴ Therefore, it is impossible to believe without the teaching of this one, even if someone searches their whole life where what they seek cannot be found. And this teaching was and still is in the word of our Jesus. But knowing the truth of the law, he said to the Sadducees who asked, "Why did Moses allow a man to marry seven wives?" He answered, "Moses allowed this because of your hard hearts. But from the beginning, it was not like that. The one who made humans from the start made them male and female."

⁵⁵ To those who think the scriptures teach that God swears, he said, "Let your yes be yes, and your no be no. Anything more than this comes from evil." To those who say that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob died, he said, "God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." To those who think that God tests people, as the scriptures say, he said, "The evil one is the one who tests, and he was tested too." To those who think that God does not know things beforehand, he said, "Your loving father knows that you need all these things before you ask him." But to those who believe, as the scriptures say, that God does not see everything, he said, "Pray in secret, and your father who sees what is hidden will reward you."

⁵⁶ To those who think he is not good, as the scriptures say, he said, "Which son will ask for bread and not be given a stone? Or if he asks for fish, will he be given a snake? So if you, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly father give good things to those who ask him and do his will?" To those who swear that he is in the temple, he said, "Do not swear by heaven, because it is God's throne, nor by the earth, because it is the footstool of his feet." To those who say that God desires sacrifices, he said, "God wants mercy, not sacrifices, and knowledge of him, not burnt offerings."

⁵⁷ To those who believe he is evil, as the scriptures say, he said, "Do not call me good, for there is only one who is good." And again, "Be good and merciful, like your father in heaven, who makes the sun rise on both the good and the bad, and sends rain on the just and the unjust." To those who are deceived and think there are many gods, as the scriptures say, he said, "Listen, Israel: the Lord your God is one Lord."

⁵⁸ However, Simon, seeing that Peter was using the scriptures as Jesus taught, did not want to join in the discussion about God. When Peter left, as Simon himself wished, he agreed that the discussion should turn into a debate and a response. But the questioning went on for three days. On the fourth night, just as dawn was breaking, he set out for Tyre in Phoenicia. Not long after, some of the leaders came to Peter and said, "Simon is doing great wonders in Tyre, amazing many people there, and he has caused many to hate you with false accusations."

⁵⁹ Hearing this, Peter gathered the crowd of listeners the next night. When they were all together, he said, "Since I am going to the nations that say there are many gods, to preach and teach that there is only one God, who made the sky and the earth and everything in them, so that by loving him they can be saved, evil—taking the law of marriage as a partner—sent Simon ahead. This was so that people, if they stop saying there are many gods and look down on those said to be on earth, will think there are many gods in heaven. This way, those who honor the one ruler might never be completely destroyed with punishment. And the worst part is, since the true word has unmatched power, it convinces them before the slanders do, so they don't even accept my authority. If the one who slanders—who is really the devil—were proven wrong, and the true word shown to be true, then it could be believed. So I must act quickly to stop him, so that the slander, having grown strong, does not completely take over everyone."

⁶⁰ Since someone must be chosen to take my place, let us all ask God with one heart that he may show clearly who among us is better, so that sitting on the chair of Christ, he may lead his church in holiness. So who will be chosen? By God's will, blessed is the person whom the Lord sets over the care of his fellow servants, to give them food at the right time, without thinking or saying in their heart, "My master is slow to come." But then that person will begin to beat their fellow servants, eating and drinking with prostitutes and drunkards. The master of the servant will come at a time they do not expect, on a day they do not know, and will cut them in two, and will put the unbelieving part with the hypocrites.

⁶¹ But if anyone here, able to manage the foolishness of others, steps back and cares only about their own rest, let them expect to hear this: "You wicked and lazy servant, you should have put my money with the bankers, and I would have come and received my own. Throw that useless servant into the outer darkness." And rightly so. For you, a human, are told to test my words like silver with bankers and like money. So the many believers must obey one person, so they can stay united. The beginning of one authority, the image of one ruler, allows those under it to enjoy order and peace. But all who love power for themselves refuse to obey one alone, and because of this, they cause division and will surely fall.

⁶² But still, do not trust what you see with your own eyes: how is it that, with many kings all over the earth, wars keep happening? Each one has a reason to fight against another's rule. But if there is one ruler over all, for whose sake they fight, then lasting peace will come. God will surely set one king over all in that future age for those worthy of eternal life, so that because of one rule, unbreakable peace will be made. So everyone must follow one person as a guide, honoring them as the image of God, and that guide must be wise in leading the way into the holy city.

⁶³ But whom else will I choose from those here, if not Zacchaeus, to whom even the lord came in and rested, judging him worthy to be saved? Saying this, he stood next to Zacchaeus, laid his hand on him, and insisted on taking his seat. But Zacchaeus fell at his feet and begged him to let him be the ruler, promising and saying that he would do whatever a ruler must do, only asking not to be called by that name. For he was careful about wearing the name of authority, because it is full of bitter envy and danger.

⁶⁴ And Peter said, "If he is careful about this, he should not be called ruler, but the one who is set in place. This is what the lord gave him to be called. To him it is said, 'Blessed is the man whom his lord will set over the care of his fellow servants.' But if you do not want anyone to know that you have the power to rule, it seems to me you do not understand that the recognized power of the one who is set in place can do much to quiet the crowd. For everyone obeys the power they have been given, because their conscience demands it. And don't you also know for sure that you do not have power to rule like the rulers of the nations, but as a servant, serving them—like a father to those who are wronged, like a doctor visiting the sick, like a shepherd watching over the flock? I say this all together, because you must carry all the care for their salvation. You think I don't know the kind of troubles I am asking you to take on, judging you under crowds who want to please some impossible people? But God is the most able to guide the one who does well. So I ask you eagerly to accept this, for God's sake, for Christ's sake, for the salvation of the brothers, for their care, and for your own good."

⁶⁵ And consider this other thing: just as managing the church of Christ is hard work and full of danger, the reward is even greater. But even more, the punishment is greater for anyone who can do it but refuses. So I want you, who know more than those here, to share the good advice the lord has trusted you with. That way, good and faithful servant, you will listen, and like the one who hid one talent and was blamed, you will show yourself responsible and accept the punishment. But if you do not want to be a good guardian of the church, name someone else in your place, someone wiser and more faithful than you. But you won't do that. For you understand the lord, you have recorded his wonderful deeds, and you have learned how to lead the church.

⁶⁶ And it is your job to tell the brothers what must be done, and for them to obey and not disobey. Those who obey will be saved, but those who disobey will be punished by the lord, because the one who is set in place is trusted with the place of Christ. So, any honor or insult given to the one set in place is passed on to Christ, and from Christ it goes to God. I have said this so that the brothers themselves do not ignore the danger of disobeying you, because whoever disobeys you when you give a command disobeys Christ, and by disobeying Christ angers God.

⁶⁷ The church must have a god-loving order and good leadership, like a city built on a hill. First, the bishop, as the leader, should be listened to when he speaks. The elders should work hard to make sure what is commanded is done. The deacons, moving among the brothers, should care for their bodies and souls and report to the bishop. All the other brothers should accept being wronged; but if they want to judge about what wrongs them, they should settle it with the elders. Then the elders should report the settlement to the bishop.

⁶⁸ Young men should hurry not only to marry, but also those who are older, so that burning desire does not bring a plague of fornication or adultery to the church as an excuse. The sin of adultery is hated by God more than any other sin because it not only destroys the sinner himself but also harms those who share life and struggle with him. It is like madness, because it spreads its own madness to others. So, for the sake of self-control, not only the elders but everyone should hurry to get married. The sin of adultery affects everyone. Therefore, urging the brothers to be self-controlled is the first act of mercy; it heals the soul, just as food gives rest to the body.

⁶⁹ Still, if you love your brothers, you will take nothing away from them but share what you have. Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit the sick, help those in prison as much as you can, welcome strangers eagerly into your own homes, and hate no one. Your own mind will teach you how to worship properly and be thankful. Above all, even if you need to be told, come together more often, if possible every hour, especially on the appointed days of the assembly. If you do this, you are safe within the walls; for turning away is the beginning of destruction. So no one should miss meeting with a brother because of a small-minded excuse. If anyone of you is left out of gathering, he will be counted among those who scatter the church of Christ and will be cast out with the adulterers. Just as an adulterer, by some excuse from the spirit within him, separates himself and gives the evil one a place against him like a sheep caught outside the fold.

⁷⁰ But listen to your bishop, and give him all honor without growing tired, knowing that by honoring him you bring honor to Christ, and through Christ to God. Also, repay generously those who give to you. So honor the throne of Christ; for you were commanded to honor even the seat of Moses, even if those who sit there are thought to be sinners. These things have been said enough for you; as for how to live blamelessly, I think it is unnecessary to say whenever you have a proven student of the one who taught me.

⁷¹ But brothers, some things you don't need to wait to hear; you should also think for yourselves about what is right. Zacchaeus alone has given himself fully to care for you, yet he has a stomach and is not easy on himself. How can he provide the necessary food? Isn't it right for all of you to take care of his life, without waiting for him to ask? For that would be asking too much; he would die of hunger rather than stand by and do this. So how can you refuse to pay the worker his wages, not realizing that the worker deserves to be paid? And don't let anyone say, "Then the message given freely is sold." May that never happen. For if someone has something to live on, he sells the message; but if he has nothing to live on, he takes food to live, just as the Lord ate food at meals with friends, having nothing, yet the one who has everything does not sin. So honor the elders, the teachers, the useful servants, widows who have lived well, and orphans as children of the church. And whenever there is a need for money for something necessary, let everyone give together. Respect one another, not hesitating to endure anything for the sake of your own salvation.

⁷² And having said these things, he laid his hand on Zacchaeus and said, "Master and Lord of all, Father and God, protect the shepherd along with his flock. You are the cause, you are the power. We are the ones helped; you are the helper, the healer, the savior, the wall, the life, the hope, the refuge, the joy, the expectation, the rest. Bringing all this together, I say: you are everything to us. Work with us for eternal salvation; rescue and guard us. You can do all things. For you are the ruler of rulers, the Lord of lords, the master of kings. You give authority to the one who sits in charge to loosen what must be loosened and to bind what must be bound. You make wise; through him, keep the church of your Christ as a beautiful bride. For yours is eternal glory and praise, to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen."

⁷³ And after saying these things, he said, "All of you who want to be baptized, begin fasting starting tomorrow. Every day, set a time for yourselves and ask about whatever you want. I want you to stay here for ten more days. After three days, when he began baptizing, he called me, Aquila, and Nicetas, and said, 'I am planning to leave for Tyre in seven days. I want you to leave from there after secretly staying with Bernice, the daughter of Iestas the Canaanite. From her, write to me exactly about the things concerning Simon. This will help me a lot so I can put everything together. So, leave from there in peace.' And so, after letting him baptize as he ordered, we sent him ahead to Tyre in Phoenicia.

Chapter 4

Leaving Caesarea of Straton, I, Clement, along with Nicetas and Aquila, went into Tyre of Phoenicia. By the command of Peter, who sent us, we were kindly hosted by Bernice, the daughter of Ioustis the Canaanite. She welcomed us gladly, showing great care for me and affection for Aquila and Nicetas. As usual, she was joyful and friendly, and she kindly encouraged us to take care of our bodies. Seeing that she allowed us only a short stay, I said, "You are doing well," eager to complete the acts of love. But even more important than this is the fear of our God. For we were afraid, carrying the struggle for many souls, to choose our own rest over their salvation.

² For we have heard that Simon the magician, after being defeated in a debate with our lord Peter in Caesarea, immediately ran away and is now doing many bad things here. He insults Peter to all who oppose the truth and steals the souls of many. Being a magician himself, he calls the other a magician. Being a deceiver himself, he accuses the other of being a deceiver. In arguments, even after suffering only a small defeat and fleeing, he claims he has won. He also orders people not to listen to Peter as often, pretending to care, so that they won't be tricked by a terrible magician.

³ So, after learning these things, our lord Peter sent us ahead to investigate what had been said to him. If it was true, he wanted to learn from our report and then come to confront that man directly about the slanders against him. Since many souls are at risk, we have briefly set aside caring for our own bodies. We want to hear from you who live there, honestly, whether what we heard is true. Please tell us everything you know.

⁴ Bernice, when asked, said, "These things are just as you heard, but listen to other things about Simon himself that you might not know. He makes ghosts and images appear in the middle of the market during the day, frightening the whole city. When he leaves, statues move, and many shadows go before them. He says these are the souls of the dead. Many have tried to prove he is a sorcerer, but after making peace with him—using the excuse of a feast, sacrificing a bull, and hosting them—he gave them different diseases and sent demons against them. And not to say much more, many think he is a god because he has harmed so many. He is both feared and honored."

⁵ Therefore, I don't think anyone can put out such a fire once it has started. No one doubts what that man promises; everyone is sure it's true. So, for your safety, I beg you not to challenge him before Peter comes. Only Peter can stand against such power, as he is the most trusted disciple of our lord Jesus Christ. I fear that man so much that if I hadn't once spoken with my lord Peter and been defeated, I would have told you to convince Peter not to try to argue with Simon.

⁶ And I said, "If Peter did not know that he alone is stronger than that man's power, he wouldn't have sent us ahead, secretly learning about Simon's affairs and writing to him. But since evening had come, after eating, we fell asleep. Early the next morning, someone who often visits Bernice came and said that Simon had sailed away to Sidon, leaving behind most of his followers: Appion, the great competitor, a man from Alexandria skilled in letters, whom I knew as a friend of my father; Annubion, an astrologer from Diospolis; and Athenodoros the Athenian, who liked the teachings of Epicurus. We learned everything about Simon, wrote it all down early in the morning, sent it to Peter, and then went for a walk."

⁷ Appion met us, not only with the two companions I mentioned before but also with about thirty other men. As soon as he saw me, he called me by name and kissed me, saying, "This is Clemens, about whom I have often spoken to you because of his noble birth and love of freedom. He comes from the family of Tiberius Caesar and was trained in all Greek learning by a certain foreigner. But he has been fooled by Peter's title into doing and saying Jewish things. So, I want to challenge him to correct him. And I ask you about him. Let him tell me, since he thinks he has devoted himself to piety, how he can avoid the greatest impiety by leaving his ancestral customs and turning to foreign ways."

⁸ I answered, "I accept your good will toward me, but I reject your ignorance. Your good will is kind because you want me to be part of what you think is good. But your knowledge is wrong; it tries to attack me while pretending to be friendly." Appion said, "Do you think it's ignorance to keep the ancestral customs and to think like the Greeks?" I replied, "I don't fully keep what you call piety. A good person keeps the ancestral customs if he is truly pious, but he lets them go if he is impious. It's possible that someone with an impious father, who wants to be pious, does not want to follow his father." Appion answered, "So what? You said your father lived a bad life." I said, "He didn't live a bad life, but he had a bad reputation." Appion said, "I want to hear what his bad reputation was." I said, "Because he believed the false and harmful stories of the Greeks." Appion asked, "Who are these Greeks with false and harmful stories?" I said, "The wrong beliefs about the gods, which you will hear if you are patient, along with those who love learning."

⁹ So, before we begin the dialogues, let's move to a quieter place. There, I will talk with you. The reason I want to speak privately is this: not many people, not even all who call themselves philosophers, truly understand the nature of things. We know many who, proud of their philosophy, are vain or wear the cloak of philosophy for money, not for true virtue. If they don't find what they're looking for in philosophy, they turn to mocking it. Because of people like that, let's choose a quiet place for a private talk.

¹⁰ One of them was a rich man who owned a large area full of tall trees around him. He said, "Since the heat is very strong, let's go just outside the city to my gardens." So we went out and sat down there, where clear streams of cold water flowed and green shade from many kinds of trees covered us. I sat there happily, and the others sat quietly around me. Instead of asking me to speak right away, their steady looks showed they wanted me to explain the matter carefully. And so I began to speak like this.

¹¹ Many Greeks, men, have a problem that is like a sickness of habit. Truth, when truly searched for, is found. But custom, whatever it takes in—whether true or false—holds on tightly without careful thought. The person who accepts custom is not happy when it is true, nor upset when it is false. Such a person trusts not by careful judgment, but by assumption, hoping based on the unclear chance of those before him. And it is not easy to take off the ancestral cloak, even when it clearly shows itself to be foolish and laughable.

¹² So I say that all Greek education is really the hardest kind of bad influence. Some of them introduced many gods, and these gods are bad and suffer all kinds of troubles. This is so that anyone who wants to do bad things like them will not feel shame, which is natural for a person, because they have the bad and shameless lives of these gods as examples in their stories. And the one who does not feel shame shows no hope of changing. Others introduced fate, called birth, which means no one can suffer or do anything by their own choice. This is the same as the first idea. For if someone thinks that no one can do or suffer anything apart from birth, he easily falls into error. And when he makes mistakes, he does not regret the wrong things he did, making excuses that birth forced him to do them. And since he cannot change birth, he does not even feel shame for the wrong things he does.

¹³ Others teach about a mindless force, as if everything moves on its own with no master in control. Thinking this way, as we said, is the hardest of all beliefs. For if there is no one in charge who plans and gives each person what they deserve, then people do whatever they want easily because they have no fear. So those who believe this are not easily, or maybe not at all, made wise, because they don't see the danger that comes back to them. But the teaching of the barbarians, the Jews, which you say is very pious, introduces one father and creator of this whole world, who is by nature good and just. Good, because he forgives sins when people regret them, and just, because he comes to each one after repentance according to what they have done.

¹⁴ This teaching, even if it is just a story, is pious and would not harm life. For each person, hoping to be judged by the all-seeing god, is more motivated to live wisely. And if the teaching is true, it frees the wise person from eternal punishment and grants good things from god that are eternal and hidden.

¹⁵ But I return to the first belief of the Greeks, which says there are many gods who suffer all kinds of troubles. And so I don't spend too much time on safe ground, I will tell about the impious acts of each god named. I can't tell all their love affairs—those of Zeus and Poseidon, Pluto and Apollo, Dionysus and Heracles, and each one separately, which you yourselves know well, having been taught by Greek education. You learned their lives so that you might act like the gods as their followers.

¹⁶ I will begin with the most royal Zeus, who, as you say, was swallowed by his father Cronus. Cronus, having cut off his own father Uranus's genitals with an unbreakable sickle, showed the limits of respect for parents and love for children to those who care about the secret things of the gods. Zeus himself bound his father and locked him away in Tartarus, and he punishes the other gods. To keep secrets, after Metis gave birth, he swallowed her; but Metis was pregnant, and it is impossible to swallow a baby. To defend pederasts, he snatches Ganymede. And often, he himself is found as a lover, helping adulterers against other adulterers. He encourages brothers to kill brothers, having come together with his sisters Hera, Demeter, and the heavenly Aphrodite, whom some call Dodona. When daughters want to be with Persephone, he joins in, becoming a bad example from these stories. He has done many other impious things, so that among the impious, because of their extreme lack of self-control, this story is believed to be about a god.

¹⁷ It is understandable for ordinary people to be somewhat upset about such things. But for those guided by education, why even speak? Some scholars and teachers, thinking these acts of the gods are worthy, claim they are true. For they themselves, lacking self-control, use this myth as an excuse and, like imitators of the powerful, openly commit shameful deeds.

¹⁸ Because of this, those who live in the countryside make far fewer mistakes. They are not badly taught by the things that led those who dared these acts to impiety through bad education. For those who, from childhood, learn letters through such myths, still having a gentle soul, mix the impious acts of the so-called gods into their own minds. So, when they grow older, these bad seeds planted in the soul cause harm. The hardest part is that these deeply rooted impieties cannot be easily removed. Once they grow up, it is thought to be very hard to change them. Each person is trained from childhood in these things, and they enjoy sticking to them. Because of this habit, which is almost as strong as nature, they become stubborn against what was not planted in their soul as good from the start.

¹⁹ Therefore, young people should not rely on the lessons of those who corrupt them, and those in their prime should carefully avoid listening to the myths of the Greeks. We have shown that the lessons from the countryside folk, who make fewer mistakes because they are not educated by the Greeks, are much better than ignorance. One must avoid their myths, their theaters, and their books; if possible, even their cities. Filled with bad lessons and full of harmful influence, they spread to their neighbors like madness what they themselves have suffered. The hardest part is that those who are more educated among them are much more turned away from natural thinking.

²⁰ Some among them even claim to be philosophers and treat these mistakes as unimportant. They call those who are upset about such acts foolish. They say these things are not really mistakes by nature, but only because laws made by the first wise men forbid them. These laws were made because they knew that people with clever minds, deeply troubled by such acts, would bring war against each other. For this reason, the wise set laws forbidding these acts as mistakes. It is ridiculous to think otherwise. How could the causes of noise, murder, and all kinds of trouble not be mistakes? Don't many worse evils come from adultery and other sins?

²¹ But why, he asks, if a man does not know that his own wife is cheating on him, does he not feel jealous, not get angry, not make a fuss, not fight? This shows that these things are not bad by nature, but it is the foolish opinion of people that makes them seem terrible. I say that even if these terrible things do not happen right away, it is possible, through habit, for a wife to leave her husband for the cheater, or even plot against the man she lives with, or give to the cheater what her husband earned by hard work. And if the husband is away, she might catch the cheater, wanting to destroy the child in her womb because she is ashamed of the shame, and become a child-killer, or be destroyed along with the child. But if she has a child by the cheater while the husband is present, the child, when raised, does not know the real father and thinks the man who is not the father is. So the man who is not the father dies, leaving his life to another's child. Many other evils naturally come from cheating, and we do not know the hidden evils. Just as a mad dog kills those it touches, spreading the most hidden madness, so the hidden evil of cheating, even if unknown, works to cut off the line of descent.

²² But let us leave this aside for now. We all know that because of this, men become openly angry without holding back, wars break out, homes are destroyed, cities are captured, and many other terrible things happen. For this reason, I have turned to the holy God of the Jews and their law, placing my trust in their just judgment, because from God's fair judgment the law is established, and the soul always receives what it deserves for what it has done, wherever it may be.

²³ When I said these things, Appion responded: "Why don't the laws of the Greeks also forbid bad things and punish adulterers?" I replied, "Then the gods of the Greeks, who act against the laws, should be punished. But how can I control myself if I think that the gods themselves first committed all the bad acts through adultery and have not given justice? They owe punishment even more, since they are not slaves to desire. If they were controlled, how could they be gods?" Appion said, "Then let them no longer be gods to us, but judges whom we fear to offend when we look at them." I answered, "That is not the same, Appion. For someone who looks only at a human, hoping to go unnoticed, will dare to sin. But the one who sets God as the all-seeing judge of his own soul, knowing he cannot escape, will refuse to sin even in secret."

²⁴ When Appion heard this, he said, "I knew from the time I heard you talking with the Jews that your opinion was changing. As someone wisely said, 'Bad company ruins good morals.'" I replied, "Then good company must correct bad morals." Appion said, "Today I have come to understand your argument; that's why we agreed to let you speak first. But tomorrow, if you agree, when friends gather here, I will show that our gods are neither adulterers, nor murderers, nor destroyers of children, nor close to their sisters or daughters. The ancients, wanting only lovers of learning to know the mysteries, hid them behind the stories you mentioned. They say Zeus is the boiling substance, Cronus is time, and Rhea is the ever-flowing nature of water. But as I promised, tomorrow each form will come together early, and I will explain the truth of what exists through allegory." I said, "Tomorrow, as you promised, do so. But now, listen here to what you are about to say."

²⁵ If the actions of the gods were good but hidden behind bad stories, it shows great wickedness in the one who covered up the sacred truths with harmful tales, so that no one would become a follower of them. But if the gods truly did impious things, it would have been necessary to show the opposite through good examples, so that people, looking up to better models, would not try to sin in the same way. When I said these things, those present clearly began to accept my words with love. They all agreed seriously and eagerly that I should come again the next day.

Chapter 5

So, on the next day in Tyre, as we had planned, I went to a quiet place. I saw and greeted some of the others, but I did not see Appion. I asked why he wasn't there. Someone said he had been sick since the evening before. When I said it made sense to visit him right away, almost everyone wanted me to talk with them first, and then visit him. With everyone agreeing on this plan, I began to speak.

² Yesterday, after leaving here, friends, I admit that because I was very worried about the upcoming discussion with Appion, I could not get any sleep. While I was awake, thoughts about what was planned against him in Rome came to my mind. It went like this: Since I was a child, I, Clemens, have loved the truth and have searched for what matters to the soul. I spent time on arguments and explanations, but not finding anything perfect, I was driven by foolishness into sickness. And now, while I was sick, Appion, a friend of mine from my family, came to Rome and visited me. Knowing I was bedridden, he came to me, as someone not unskilled in medicine, and asked why I was lying down. But I did not completely ignore that the man hated Jews out of dislike, as many books have been written against them; and that he himself now approached Simon not out of love of learning but friendship. However, since Samareus knew that Appion hated Jews and had come from among the Jews, he befriended him so he might learn something from him about the Jews.

³ Knowing these things about Appion, I pretended to ask him the cause of my illness and answered that I suffer from youthful troubles and that my soul aches. He replied, "Child, speak boldly to your father; some illness of the soul is on you." I pretended again to sigh, as if shy to speak about love, and through silence and nodding down, I gave a hint about what I wanted to show. Convinced that I truly loved a woman, he said, "There is nothing in life that cannot be helped. When I was young, having fallen in love with a very worthy woman, I thought not only that it was impossible to win her, but I never even hoped to speak to her. Yet, by chance, I met an Egyptian who knew all about magic. Loving me, he showed me my love, and not only did he give himself to me for whatever I wished, but, more generously, eager to honor me, he did not refuse to teach me the charms by which I succeeded. And from that secret teaching, persuaded by the teacher's generosity, and having succeeded once, I stopped my love."

⁴ So if you too have suffered something like that as a person, be confident for us, because within seven days I will surely help you succeed with her. Hearing this, and thinking about my own plan, I said, "Forgive me for not fully believing that magic is real. I have already tried many things promised by many and found them false. But your promise bothers me and gives me hope. Still, I worry that maybe spirits don't always obey what magicians command."

⁵ And Appion said, "It is more fitting for you to know these things. But so you don't think you heard nothing from me about what you asked, learn how spirits must obey magicians in what they command. Just as a soldier cannot disobey his leader, so those leaders cannot disobey a king. If anyone opposes those in charge, they deserve punishment. In the same way, it is impossible for spirits not to serve their leading angels, before whom they swear and fearfully obey, knowing well that if they disobey, they will surely be punished. Even the angels themselves swear to the stronger one under magicians and obey, so that if judged disobedient, they will be destroyed. For if all living and thinking things did not see the justice of the stronger one, there would be confusion, with all of them fighting against each other."

⁶ And I said, "So what poets and philosophers say is true—that in Hades, the souls of the wicked are judged and punished for what they dared to do, like Ixion, Tantalus, Tityus, Sisyphus, the daughters of Danaus, and all others who were once impious there. And if this isn't true, how could magic be real? When he said that things are like this in Hades, I asked, 'Then why don't we fear magic, if we believe in the punishment in Hades for adultery? For I don't think it's right to force someone to commit adultery against their will. But if someone promises to convince me otherwise, I am ready to admit it gladly.'"

⁷ And Appion said, "Don't you think it's the same, whether by magic or by words?" And I said, "Not exactly the same. They are very different. The man who forces a woman by the power of magic, as if plotting against a wise person, faces the harshest punishment. But the man who persuades her by words, and she makes the choice by her own will, does not force her. I think the one who persuades will be punished less than the one who forces. So if you can persuade me, I will be grateful. Otherwise, I would rather die than force someone who does not want it."

⁸ And Appion, truly confused, said, "Why should I argue with you? Sometimes you want to succeed because you are troubled by love, and sometimes you prefer fear over desire. You think that if you persuade, you will be blameless and without guilt, but if you succeed by the power of magic, you will be punished. But you don't realize that what matters is the end of every action—what actually happened—not how it happened. And if you commit adultery, never able to do it by magic, will you be judged impious? But if you persuade, will you be free from the sin of adultery?" And I said, "Because I want to win the love of the woman, I must choose one or the other. I would rather flatter her than use magic. But it's not easy to persuade her by flattery either, for the woman is very wise."

⁹ And Appion said, "I'm more hopeful that I can persuade her, just as you want, if we can talk to her." And I answered, "That's impossible." Then Appion asked if it would be possible to send her a letter. I said, "That is possible." Appion said, "Tonight I will write a book, a praise of adultery, which you can take from me and send to her. I hope that, once persuaded, she will agree." After writing the book, Appion gave it to me. That very night, I thought about it and remembered to have it ready, along with other books I carry with me. After telling this, I showed the book to those who were there, and for those who wanted to listen, I read it aloud. After reading, I said, "This is, men, the education of the Greeks, with a bold aim to sin without fear." The book went like this.

¹⁰ LOVE TO THE BELOVED

Anonymously, because of the laws from foolish people.

Commands of Love, the oldest child of all, for favor.

I knew you could endure philosophy, and for the sake of virtue, you live a life that envies the better ones. But who could be better than the gods of all, and among humans, the philosophers? For they alone know which actions are naturally bad or good, and which are not just because of laws.

Some have claimed that the so-called adultery is bad, though it is beautiful in every way. For commands of Love happen toward the many offspring of life.

Love is the oldest of all gods. Without Love, no mixing or birth can happen—of elements, gods, humans, animals without reason, or anything else. We are all instruments of Love. He himself is the craftsman working through us, a mind present in all souls born.

So, not by our own will, but when we are ordered by him, we desire to do his will. And if, while wanting to follow his will, we try to hold back desire by what is called self-control, how can we not greatly offend the oldest god of all, both gods and humans?

¹¹ But all doors were opened to him, and all wicked and fixed laws were broken—laws made by jealous people who, held by foolishness and unwilling to think reasonably, also look down on the so-called adulterers. Yet by that very Zeus, through Minos and Rhadamanthus, these laws are rightly enforced. For it is not possible to hold back Love when it visits souls. The passion of lovers is not voluntary. Indeed, Zeus himself, the lawgiver of these matters, joined with countless women, and some wise men see him as a benefactor for bringing children, sometimes even giving his own union to humans. But among those he favored, he secretly changed his form so he would neither upset them nor seem to act against the laws he set. Therefore, you who endure philosophy, for the sake of a good life, must imitate those considered better, with whom countless unions have taken place.

¹² And to avoid wasting too much time on most proofs, I will begin by telling some stories of unions from Zeus himself, the father of gods and humans, since it's impossible to mention them all because there are so many. So listen to great Zeus, about the unions hidden by transformation because of the jealousy of foolish men.

First, wanting to explain the sin of adultery to the wise, when he was about to marry and knew about the many adulterers at the first bed, he became one of them. Through the sin I mentioned, he made the faultless marriage possible.

For he married his own sister Hera, who was like a cuckoo bird's wing, and from her came Hebe and Ilithyia. Metis, too, gave birth without any union, just as Hera did with Hephaestus.

¹³ Still, he joined with his sister, born from Cronus cutting off Thyone and the Sea—Love and Cyprus, who is also called Dodona. He also joined with Antiope, daughter of Nycteus, disguised as a satyr, from whom Amphion and Zethus were born.

He came together with Alcmene, wife of Amphitryon, looking like the married Amphitryon, and from her, Heracles was born. With Aegina, daughter of Asclepius, he came as an eagle, and Aeacus was born. With Amalthea, he joined, disguised as a bear.

To Danae, daughter of Acrisius, gold flowed down, and from her, Perseus was born. To Callisto, daughter of Lycaon, he appeared as a wild lion, and she bore another Arcadian child. To Europa, daughter of Phoenicus, he came as a bull, and from her came Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Sarpedon.

To Eurymedusa, daughter of Achelous, he came as an ant, and from her came the Myrmidons. To the nymph Hersaia, he came as a vulture, and from her came the wise men of Sicily long ago. To Eima, born on the earth in Rhodes, he came through rain, and from her came Pargaian, Cronian, and Kyton.

He married Hospia, looking like her husband Phoenicus, and from her came Anchinoos. To Nemousa, daughter of Thestius, also called Leda, he became a swan or goose and fathered Helen. Again, becoming a star, he appeared as Castor and Polydeuces. To Lamia, he appeared as an epops bird.

¹⁴ Disguised as a shepherd, he shows Memory as the mother of the Muses. He marries Semele, daughter of Cadmus, who is burning with fire, and from her, Dionysus is born. He also marries Persephone, the daughter, disguised as a serpent, and is thought to be the wife of his own brother Pluto.

With many others, he unites without changing form, because men do not see jealousy as a sin. Instead, they know well that by generously sharing with their wives, he brings forth Hermes, Apollo, Dionysus, Endymion, and all the others we mentioned—born from his union and shining with the greatest beauty.

¹⁵ And so that I don't spend endless time explaining, you will find many unions with all the gods after Zeus. Foolish people call these the gods' adultery, not seeing the unions of men as shameful, but practicing them as proper.

Right away, Zeus himself loves Ganymedes; Poseidon loves Pelops; Apollo loves Cinyros, Zakynthos, Hyacinthus, Phorbas, Hylas, Admetus, Cyparissus, Amyclas, Troilus, Branchus of Tymnus, Potnieus of Paros, and Orpheus. Dionysus loves Laonides, Ampelos, Hymenaios, Hermaphroditus, and Achilles. Asclepius loves Hippolytus; Hephaestus loves Peleus; Pan loves Daphne; Hermes loves Perseus, Chryses, Thersus, and Odrysus; Heracles loves Abderus, Dryops, Iocastus, Philoctetes, Hylas, Polyphemus, Aimon, Chonus, and Eurystheus.

¹⁶ So, I have shared with you some of the loves of the most famous gods, dear one, so you understand that only foolish humans feel jealousy about this. That's why mortals suffer and live sadly—they say what seems good for the gods is bad for themselves, all because of their own jealousy.

From now on, you will be happy by copying the gods, not humans. Humans, seeing you keep what they call self-control, praise you because of their own feelings, but they don't truly help you. But the gods, seeing you like themselves, will both praise and help you.

¹⁷ Think about how many loves the gods have shared—some they lessened, but others they blessed with children and partners. For example, Zeus turned Callisto into the little bear, also called the dog's tail by some. Poseidon placed Delphina in the sky because of Amphitrite. And Orion, son of Eurialus of Minos, was set among the stars because of Eurialus, his mother. Dionysus made the crown of Ariadne. Zeus honored the eagle that helped in the kidnapping of Ganymedes, and he placed Ganymedes himself in the constellation Aquarius. He also honored the bull because of Europa.

Zeus also made stars of Castor, Polydeuces, and Helen for Leda; Perseus for Danae; Arcades for Callisto; the virgin Dike for Themis; and Heracles for Alcmene.

I won't go on any longer—it would take too long to list all the others the gods have blessed through many loves with humans. Foolish people forbid these unions as bad acts, not knowing that pleasure is the greatest joy for humans.

¹⁸ But what about the famous wise men? Don't they choose pleasure and join with those they want? The first of them, the teacher of Greece, about whom Phoebus himself said, "Socrates is the wisest of all men"—didn't he share women in common in the best-governed city, Sparta, and hide the handsome Alcibiades under his cloak? And Antisthenes, a follower of Socrates, wrote that one should not reject what is called adultery.

Also, his student Diogenes of Laertius, without pay, openly carried her on his shoulders with boldness. Doesn't Epicurus choose pleasure? Didn't Aristippus, having been paid, give himself fully to Aphrodite? Doesn't Zeno, hinting at indifference, say that the divine is in all things, so the wise will understand that when someone joins with another, it is as if they join with themselves? And isn't it too much to forbid what is called adultery, or unions with mother, daughter, sister, or children?

Chrysippus, in his love letters, also remembers the statue in Argos that carries the face of Hera, bringing shame to Zeus.

¹⁹ I know these things seem terrible and shameful to those not initiated into the truth, but not to the gods and philosophers of Greece, nor to the mysteries of Dionysus and Demeter. To avoid wasting time telling the lives of all the gods and philosophers, let me give you two great examples: Zeus among the gods, and Socrates among men and philosophers.

As for the others I wrote to you about, keep them in your mind so you never hurt your lover. For if you act against what is right, like the gods and heroes who did wrong, you will be judged impious and face fitting punishment. But if you give yourself to any lover, imitating the gods, you will receive their kindness.

And the rest, dear one, remembering what I have explained to you about the mysteries, show me your choice through your writings. Farewell.

²⁰ So then, having taken this book from Appion, and truly planning to send it to my lover, I pretended that it was a copy made by her for these things. When he came the next day, I gave it back to Appion as if it were really the copy from her, just as it was.

A COPY OF A LETTER, to Appion, as if from the lover.

²¹ I wonder how, while praising me for wisdom, you write as if I were foolish. Wanting to convince me about your passion, you use stories about the gods as examples, saying that love is the oldest of all, attacking all gods and humans, not fearing to blaspheme, as if to destroy my soul and insult my body.

But love is not the leader of the gods; it belongs to desires. If it desires willingly, it is its own passion and punishment, and it would not be a god if it suffered willingly. But if it loves unwillingly—the mixing that passes through our souls, like something carried through the organs of our bodies into the unions of our minds—the one who causes and carries this love is greater than it.

And again, from that one who carries it, being carried by another desire, a greater one is found carrying that one; and this goes on in endless cycles among lovers, which is impossible.

So neither the one who carries nor the one carried truly exists. Instead, the desire of the lover is the passionate feeling, growing with hope and shrinking with despair.

²² But those who refuse to control shameful desires lie about the gods, saying the gods acted first so they can avoid blame for what they do. They claim that if it was for having children and not for lust, the so-called gods committed adultery and even mixed with men, but, they say, by giving favors, they made the women their lovers.

So, were there no stars before this, until the sky was decorated with stars by adulterers as an excuse for lust?

And how do the descendants of those set as stars suffer in the underworld—Atlas being beaten, Tantalus dying of thirst, Sisyphus pushing a rock, Tityos having his guts torn open, and Ixion endlessly rolling around a wheel?

And how, being gods and lovers, did they make their lovers, whom they defiled, their own, without giving this favor to themselves?

²³ They were not gods, but puzzles created by tyrants. The tomb of Kronos is shown in the Caucasus mountains—not in the sky, but on earth—belonging to a wild man who ate his children. The tomb of lustful Zeus, the mythical one who also swallowed his daughter Metis, is seen in Crete. The tombs of Pluto and Poseidon are by the Acherusian lake; Helios's tomb is in the stars; Selene's in the Crab constellation; Hermes's in Hermopolis; Ares's in Thrace; Aphrodite's in Cyprus; Dionysus's in Thebes; and the others are in various places.

So, the tombs of these so-called gods are visible. They were men—wicked men and sorcerers. Otherwise, the sole rulers—mythical Zeus and Dionysus—would not have come to be, if they had not taken power over what they wanted to become by changing their shape.

²⁴ If we are to admire their lives, let us imitate not only their adulteries but also their feasts. Kronos ate his own children, and Zeus did the same with his own daughter. And what more is there to say? Pelops was the feast for all the gods. So, before unlawful marriages, we too should hold a feast like the gods'. That would make the marriage feast truly worthy. But this would never last, just as I would never commit adultery.

Besides, you threaten me with the anger of love as if it were a powerful god. Love is not a god as it seems. It is a desire that comes from the nature of animals to keep life going, by the plan of the one who controls all things. It is a desire that happens so the whole human race never dies out. By the excuse of pleasure, from what will end, a new life is born again—naturally born through lawful marriage—so that it may learn to care for its own father in old age. Those born from adultery could not do this, because they lack the natural love for their parents.

²⁵ Since desire for love happens to ensure true growth, as I said, parents who care about self-control must prepare their children before desire arises. They should teach them using wise books and guide them with good advice, helping them understand that habit becomes a second nature. They should also often remind them of the punishments set by the laws, so that, like a bridle held by fear, they do not rush into strange pleasures. And before desire becomes strong, marriage should fill the natural time of youth with experience, first persuading them not to gaze at the appearance of another woman.

²⁶ Whenever our mind first wipes away the image of the one loved with pleasure—like always seeing a form in a mirror—it is troubled by memory. Even without desire, it studies the ways to succeed. And when it succeeds, desire grows stronger, like fire finding fuel, especially when the soul of the lover has no fear impressed on it before the passion. Just as water puts out fire, fear is the extinguisher of foolish desire.

That is why, having learned from a certain Jew what is fitting to think and do toward God, I am not vulnerable to adultery because of false stories. And if you want and try to be self-controlled, even with your soul burning with love, may God help you and bring you healing.

²⁷ Hearing the actor's reply, Appion said, "Do I hate Jews without reason? Now, if someone ever meets a Jew and, joining their religion, is persuaded to be self-controlled, then it is impossible for that person to join in fellowship with anyone else. For such people, seeing God as the all-seeing watcher of actions, hold firmly to self-control because they cannot escape being noticed."

²⁸ Hearing this, I said to Appion, "Now I will tell you the truth. I fell in love with a woman, and my soul was completely spent on other desires and on searching for true teachings. Until now, after looking into many ideas from philosophers, I found none of them good—except for the Jews alone, merchants who sell their cloth here in Rome. And by some good chance, their simple belief in one ruler seemed better to me."

²⁹ When Appion heard my truth—he who hates the Jews without reason and neither knows nor wants to know what is true about them—he became angry without thinking and left Rome because I stayed silent. Since then, now that I have met him again, I rightly suspect the anger he has held since that time. But I will ask you yourselves what he might say about the so-called gods, whose lives are told full of suffering, who are publicly sung about to imitate what is similar, and whose graves are shown in certain places, as I said, connected to human sufferings.

³⁰ Hearing these things and wanting to learn what would come next, others joined me to visit Appion. And indeed, we found him already reclining at a prepared table. We carefully discussed a little about the story of the gods. He seemed to understand our purpose and promised to say something about the gods next time. He even showed us the exact place where he would speak. Grateful for his promise, each of us went home.

Chapter 6

On the third day, I came with my closest friends to the place set aside in Tyre. I found Appion sitting between Anubion and Athenodorus, along with many other educated men waiting for us. Without surprise, I greeted Appion and sat down opposite him. After a little while, he began to speak. He said he wanted to start first and quickly get to the matter we were seeking. Before you were here, child Clement, Anubion and Athenodorus—who yesterday heard you speaking with others—told me how, in Rome, working with you as one who cares for you, he had denied many gods, calling them pederasts, shameless, mixing with mothers, sisters, daughters, and committing countless adulteries. But, child, you should know that I did not write such things about the gods. Instead, out of love for you, I hid the truth from you. Now, if you want, hear it from me.

² The wisest men of old, having learned all the truth through hard work, kept this knowledge hidden from those unworthy and unwilling to seek divine teachings. It is not true, as the story goes, that twelve children were born from Heaven and his mother Earth: the males Oceanus, Coeus, Crius, Hyperion, Iapetus, Cronus; and the females Thea, Themis, Mnemosyne, Demeter, Tethys, and Rhea. Nor did Cronus cut off the genitals of his father Uranus with an unbreakable sickle and throw them into the sea, as they say; nor was Aphrodite born from the drops of blood that fell from Uranus' wound. Nor did Cronus, after joining with Rhea and giving birth to Pluto first, swallow him, fearing some law of Prometheus that a child born from him might become nobler and take away his kingdom. Nor did he swallow Poseidon second after his birth. Nor did Rhea hide Zeus from Cronus and give him to swallow instead. Nor did Zeus, after swallowing those before him, suffer and vomit them out—first Pluto, then Poseidon, and third Zeus himself. Nor, as they say, was Zeus saved by his mother's care, went up to heaven, and overthrew his kingly father. He did not punish his brothers. He did not come down longing for mortal women. He did not join with sisters or daughters, nor with brothers' wives, nor with children in shame. Nor did he swallow Metis, so that from his head Athena might be born from Metis, and from his thigh Dionysus, whom they say was torn apart by Titans. He did not attend the wedding feast of Thetis and Peleus. He did not drive away the Strife of weddings. Nor was it Strife herself, dishonored, who thought up war and discord for those at the feast. Nor did she take the golden apple from the gardens of the Hesperides and write on it a gift for the beautiful one. Then they tell a story that Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite found the apple and came to Zeus to argue over it; he judged, and through Hermes sent them to shepherd Paris to decide who was the fairest. But neither the goddesses were judged, nor did Paris give the apple to Aphrodite. Aphrodite was not honored, nor did she repay him with the marriage of Helen. For the honor of the goddess would not have been the cause of the widespread war, nor would these things have led to the ruin of the one who threatened the honor and was related to Aphrodite's family. But, as I said, child, there is a proper and wise reason for these stories, which can be told as allegories—so that you, hearing them, might be amazed. And I said, I beg you, do not delay to question me. And he said, fear nothing, for I will not go beyond, but will begin to speak now.

³ Once, there was nothing but chaos and a confused mix of unordered elements. This is agreed upon by nature itself and understood by great men. As proof of this great wisdom, I will give you the greatest—Homer—who said about the ancient confusion: "But you all became water and earth," meaning that everything began from there. After the watery and earthly substances broke down, they returned to their original state, which is chaos. Hesiod says in the Theogony, "First of all, there was chaos." It is clear that "became" means something that came into being, not something that always existed without a beginning. Orpheus also calls chaos an egg, in which the first elements were mixed. Hesiod calls this chaos, which Orpheus calls a born egg, coming from infinite matter, and so it came to be.

⁴ The fourfold matter was alive, and the whole infinite depth was always flowing and moving without order. Countless imperfect mixtures poured out in different ways at different times. Because of this disorder, the mixtures kept breaking down and could not come together like the birth of an animal. Then, by its own natural movement, this infinite sea once flowed smoothly from itself back to itself, like a whirlpool, mixing the substances. From this unheard-of mixing came the most fitting thing of all, perfect for the birth of an animal—like clay flowing in the middle of a pot. The whirlpool carried everything, made space for depth, and pulled in the surrounding spirit. It was as if it was conceived in the most fertile way, forming a careful composition. Just as a bubble likes to form in water, a round container gathered from all sides. Then, conceived within itself and lifted by the divine spirit it had received, this great offspring came into the light—a living creation born from the whole infinite depth, like a circle of eggs, and moving with the speed of flight.

⁵ So think of Cronus as time, and Rhea as the flowing of the watery substance. Over time, all matter, like an egg holding everything in a round shape, gave birth to the sky. This sky, full at the start with fertile marrow, joined elements and could produce many colors, yet still showed all kinds of images from one substance and one color. Just as in the birth of a child, one color seems to come from the egg, but it holds within it countless colors that will develop, so too the living egg born from infinite matter, moving from the underlying and always flowing matter, shows many changes. Inside its circle, a living being of both male and female form is made by the care of the divine spirit within it, which Orpheus calls Phanes. When Phanes appeared, everything shone from it, lit by the brightest fire among the elements, working in the wet. And it is not unbelievable that even in fireflies, as a sign, nature gave us wet light to see.

⁶ The very first egg, warmed from inside by the living being, breaks open. Then, shaped into something, it comes forth—what Orpheus calls the cracked egg of the mighty Kramaios. With the great power of the one who appeared, the container takes harmony and holds order, while he himself sits like on the peak of the sky, shining around the endless age in hidden places. The fertile matter left inside the container, resting under natural heat for a long time, separated all the substances. The lowest part of it sank down first, like a base under weight. Because of its heaviness and the great amount of matter beneath, they called it Pluto, showing that he is the king of the underworld and the dead.

⁷ They say that this first, large, dirty, and rough substance was naturally swallowed by Cronus, who is time, because it sank downward. After this first sinking, the flowing water gathered and first appeared on the surface, and they called it Poseidon. The remaining third, the purest and highest, being clear fire, they named Zeus because of the burning nature within it. Fire, which moves upward, was not swallowed by Cronus's time. Instead, as I said, the fiery substance—both alive and rising—kindled the air, which is the wisest because of its purity. With its own heat, Zeus—that is, the burning substance—gives life to what was left in the underlying wetness: the thinnest and divine spirit, which they called Metis.

⁸ Reaching the top of the bright air and mixed with it—like water mixed with heat—they created the ever-moving pulse, which gives birth to understanding. This understanding is called Pallas because it shakes; it is the most skillful wisdom, and by using it, the heavenly craftsman made the whole world. From this flowing Zeus, the hottest air, the air spreads to the places here, which they call Hera. Because she came from the purest substance of the air, seen as a female purity, she was thought to be the sister of the stronger Zeus, as is natural—born from the same substance and a wife because she is like a woman.

⁹ Hera is seen as the balance of air, which is why she is the most fertile. Athena, also called Pallas, was thought to be a virgin because she could not bring birth from something that was too hot. Similarly, Artemis, who is understood to come from the lowest part of the air and, because of extreme cold, is barren, was also called a virgin. Dionysus is called the stirring mind—the cloudy and intoxicating mixture formed from the upper and lower vapors. The water beneath the earth, one by nature, passes through all the pores of the land and is divided into many parts, as if cut up; they called this Osiris. They also associate Adonis with the right seasons, Aphrodite with mixing and birth, Demeter with the earth, Kore with seeds, and some call Dionysus the vine.

¹⁰ And all these things have a similar kind of hidden meaning—keep that in mind. Apollo was thought to be the sun that moves around, the child of Zeus, who was also called Mithras, completing the cycle of the year. Think of the many changes of Zeus, who rules everywhere, as his turns, and his countless women as the years or generations he created. From this very air comes the power that moves the air, joining with each year and generation, turning it in different ways. This power brings forth or destroys the seasons. The children are called the ripe fruits, and the barren times at certain seasons are seen as signs of failure for the foolish.

¹¹ As Appion was explaining these things, I seemed not to follow what he said, even though I was paying attention. He stopped me and said, "If you don't follow what I'm saying, why should I even talk about the beginning?" I replied, "Don't think I'm unaware of what you're saying. I fully understand these things, since this isn't the first time I've heard them. But so you know I'm not ignoring your words, I will briefly go over what you said, and for what you left out, I will fill in the meanings in order, as I heard them from others." Appion said, "Do it as you say."

¹² And I answered, "Now I will stop speaking exactly about the living egg born by chance from the infinite matter through a mixture. When this egg broke, it split into male and female and became Phanes. I will skip over all those details until the broken egg found its harmony, leaving behind its marrow-like matter. Then I will quickly go through the story of the things born inside it and what came after. For, as you say, it was born from Cronus and Rhea, and from time and matter. First came Pluto, as the lowest foundation. Then came Poseidon, who is the watery substance spreading over the lowest nature. And the third is the highest—the air—like Zeus, who was not swallowed but, being warm power with an upward nature, as if thrown by some force, rose up to the highest ruling air."

¹³ The bonds of Cronus are the joining of sky and earth, as I have heard from others who explain it in symbols. The cutting off of parts is the separation and sorting of the elements, because everything was cut off and set apart from its own nature, each arranged on its own. Time no longer creates, but by its natural law, it sets the order for what has been born. And Aphrodite, rising up from the depths, is the fertile substance from the wet, in which the warm breath, mixed in, creates the love of mixing and brings about the beauty of the world.

¹⁴ The wedding feast, where Zeus completed the meal, has this meaning about the Nereid Thetis and the beautiful Peleus. So you know, even without you, Appion, we have heard these things. The feast is the world; the twelve are the heavenly parts of the fates, which they call the zodiac signs. Prometheus is the forethought, through which everything came to be. Peleus is the clay, formed from the earth for the birth of man and mixed with the Nereid—that is, water. From the mixing of these two, water and earth, the first one, not born but perfectly shaped, was called Achilles because it did not bring its lips to the breasts. He is also the peak, which, if it desires Polyxena—who is a foreign and strange truth—is killed by the poison of a snake's bite, struck by a dart on the heel, and by the creeping trace of death.

¹⁵ Hera, Athena, Aphrodite, Eris, the apple, Hermes, judgment, and the shepherd all hint at this kind of meaning: Hera is dignity; Athena is courage; Aphrodite is pleasure. Hermes is the interpretive word; the shepherd Paris is the wild and unreasonable impulse. So if, at the peak of age, the mind that guides the soul happens to be wild, and ignoring what is good, losing courage and self-control, chooses only pleasures and gives victory to desire alone, thinking to take delight from her, he will bring ruin on himself and those close to him, because he did not judge pleasure rightly. Eris is the quarrelsome evil. The golden apple of the Hesperides is wealth, which sometimes makes even the wise, like Hera, lazy, and the brave, like Athena, more quarrelsome about things not fitting for them, and destroys the beauty of the soul, like Aphrodite, under the pretense of luxury. In short, I say: wealth stirs up everyone to harmful strife.

¹⁶ Heracles, the true and wise one, took away the serpent who was the leader and guardian of wealth. This serpent is the mind, which, being free from all evil, will cleanse the world as it visits souls and teaches those it meets. I mean people who seem like bold lions, timid deer, wild boars, or clever water snakes. In the same way, all the other things Heracles is said to have labored over are puzzles of mental virtue. Let what has been said be enough for now, for not even all the time in the world would be enough to talk about each one.

¹⁷ But I wonder how these things can be shown clearly, respectfully, and helpfully to an honest person, while those who hide them with twisted riddles and myths covered by evil are called wise and intelligent by you. These people, as if led by an evil spirit, have almost harmed all humans. For are these not riddles, but true mistakes of the gods? They should not be tested, nor should their origin be offered to humans as something to imitate. Or were the false deeds done by the gods tested through riddles, and was it wrong, Appion, that those you call wise, by covering sacred things with shameful myths, urged humans to sin and, in doing so, insulted even those they believed were gods?

¹⁸ I do not think that such beings are wise spirits—those who tell bad stories about good deeds so that people who want to copy the best will envy the actions said to be done by the gods. I mean stories about killing fathers, killing children, impious unions of mothers, daughters, and brothers, shameful adultery, unnatural acts, and filthy secret rites, mixed with countless other forbidden unions. Those who want these stories to be true are even more impious, so that by doing the same things, they won't feel shame. If they truly wanted to be pious, they should have used, as I just said, myths more fitting to honor the gods, to cover the unholy things—not the opposite, as you say, putting bad and shameful stories on good deeds done by the gods. These stories, told in riddles and hard to understand even when some do understand them, gave those who tried to understand a chance not to be fooled and not to suffer much. But those who were fooled were completely lost. Still, I accept those who tell the stories in a more sacred way, like those who hinted at the head of Zeus to make the mind leap. Maybe that is more believable to me—that these insults were dared because of wicked gods who caused them.

¹⁹ We do not find the poetic stories about all the gods to be consistent. Sometimes, poets say that nature is the source of everything, and other times, they say that mind is the leader of the whole creation. They say the first movement and mixing came from the nature of the elements, but the world was arranged by the care of the mind. Some say that everything was made by nature alone, but they cannot clearly prove this because of the skill involved in creation, so they add in the care of the mind, as if to take credit away even from the very wise. We say this to them: if the world was made by nature alone, how did it get order and arrangement—things that can only come from great wisdom and be understood by knowledge that can explain them clearly? But if mind took charge of the mixing and order of everything, which must be true, then how could these things have happened by chance?

²⁰ Those who tried to explain the gods in a shameful way—like saying Metis was swallowed by Zeus—fell into confusion. They didn't realize that those who spoke strangely about the gods actually denied that they were gods at all, breaking their forms through allegory into the elements of the world. It is more likely to say that the gods they sang about were actually some evil magicians—wicked humans who used magic to destroy marriages and ruin lives. To people long ago who didn't understand what magic really was, these magicians seemed like gods. Their graves and tombs can still be seen in cities.

²¹ Right away, as I said before, in the Caucasus mountains there is a tomb shown of a man—a wild tyrant and child-killer named Kronos. His son, called Zeus, became even worse. Using magic power, he appeared as ruler of the world, breaking many marriages, punishing his father along with the gods. When he died, the Cretans showed his tomb. In Mesopotamia, there is a Helios in Patrae; a Selene in Caria; a Hermes, a man, in Egypt; an Ares in Thrace; an Aphrodite in Cyprus; an Asclepius in Epidaurus; and many others like these have tombs.

²² So clearly, those who think correctly agree that people were born. And those who lived at the same time, knowing they were mortal, cared less about their deaths. But over a long time, people gave them the reputation of gods. Don't be surprised if those who became like Asclepius and Heracles were mistaken, or like Dionysus or some others from that time. For example, people worship Hector in Ilium, Achilles on the island of Leuke, Patroclus by the Opuntians, and Alexander the Macedonian by the people of Rhodes.

²³ But even among the Egyptians, even now, a man is worshiped as a god before he dies. This is less disrespectful because the Egyptians believe living people deserve divine honors. But the most ridiculous thing of all is that they worship birds, reptiles, and all kinds of animals. Most people don't use reason or judgment at all. And the worst shame, listen to this, is that they say the father of gods and men appeared in the form of Leda. Many have painted Zeus on public panels. To punish this insult, I wish that if they dared to paint their current king with a shameful hairstyle—just as they dared to do with Zeus—they would display it publicly. Then, even from the anger of their temporary king, who is still just a man, they would learn by punishment how to give proper honor. I tell you these things not because I have already recognized the true God, but gratefully admit that even if I don't know what God is, I clearly think I understand what it means to call someone God.

²⁴ At once, the first four elements cannot be gods, since they come from something else—not the mixture, not the blending, not the birth, not the visible container holding everything, not the foundation flowing together in Hades, not the surface water, nor the boiling essence, nor the air flowing from it to here. For the four elements, whether they separate from each other or always stick together, cannot form a living being without a great craftsman. And so, by the skillful mind, they are joined to the proper parts and limbs of the living thing, so it can keep the right balance of each part, have a clear shape, and everything inside fits together in harmony. Likewise, the craftsman mind carefully arranges each part's proper place with all its beauty. To sum up, I say: all the other things that a living being must have were not missing in this great living whole.

²⁵ So, it is necessary to believe there is an uncreated craftsman who either gathered the elements when they were separate or skillfully mixed them together to create a living being and made one work from all of them. For without a mind greater and very wise, it is impossible for such a great work to be made. Nor can love be the craftsman, nor desire, nor strength, nor anything like that, since these things can be affected and eventually pass away. Also, anything that is carried by something else is not a god, nor is anything that changes over time or by nature and breaks down until it no longer exists.

²⁶ While I was talking about these things with Appion, Peter arrived from Caesarea, and crowds gathered in Tyre, rushing to meet him and show their thanks for his visit. Appion withdrew with Anubion and Athenodorus alone, but all the others hurried forward as if to greet Peter. I was the first to welcome him outside the gates and led him to the guesthouse. Once we were settled, we sent the crowds away, and since he asked me to tell him what had happened, I did not hide anything. I told him about Simon's slanders and the strange visions caused by him, and about the diseases that came after the sacrifice. I explained how some of the sick stayed in Tyre, while others went with Simon and me to Sidon, hoping to be healed by him. I also told him that I learned none of them had been cured by Simon. Then I shared with Peter the conversation I had had with Appion. Peter warmly praised me for my care and encouragement, blessed me, took some salt, and, worn out by the journey, allowed himself to rest in the much-needed quiet of sleep.

Chapter 7

On the fourth day of our stay in Tyre, just before dawn, many people from nearby places and a large crowd from Tyre itself came to meet Peter. They shouted, saying, "May God have mercy on us through you; may he heal us through you." Peter stood on a high stone so everyone could see him, and, speaking with respect for God's law, he began like this.

² To God, who made the sky and the whole world, there is no lack of reason to save those who want to be saved. So no one should blame him as unkind because of what seems bad by mistake. The outcomes of what happens to people are unknown to us, and what looks like harm is known by God to turn out for the best. Indeed, Simon, who acted like the power of God's left hand and had authority over those who do not know God to harm you with diseases, was not able to do so. These diseases, allowed because of God's good care, forced you to look to the one who can heal and find him. You accepted what seemed to come from God as a reason to heal the body, so that by believing rightly, you may be saved both in body and have safe souls.

³ I have learned that after sacrificing, you feasted in the middle of the market. Having drunk much wine and joined with evil spirits, you showed favor to their leader. Because of this, most of you were caught by your passions. Out of ignorance, you took the sword of destruction into your own hands. The demons would not have power over you if you had not first become partners at the table with their leader. From the beginning, God, who made all things, set a law that two rulers—the right and the left—should not have power unless they first become partners at the table, deciding to do good or harm. So, just as you were enslaved to the leader of evil by sharing in the demons' sacrifices, if you stop this and turn to God through the good and right leader, honoring him as he wishes, know that along with healing your bodies, you will also have healthy souls. He alone can, through the left hand, destroy, and through the right hand, give life; he can strike down and raise up the fallen.

⁴ Because of this, first, having been deceived by the forerunner Simon, you died to God in your souls and your bodies were struck down. But you can do the second part through repentance, as I said—accepting what pleases God, healing your bodies, and taking back your souls. What pleases God is to pray to him alone; to ask him to keep you away from the table of demons, who give everything by a strict law; not to eat dead flesh; not to touch blood; to be freed from every kind of pollution; and, in short, as the Jews who worship God heard—and you all heard—sharing one mind in many bodies: whatever each person wishes good for themselves, let them also plan the same for their neighbor. So each of you would think the good if these things were said to you: you do not want to be killed, so do not kill another; you do not want your wife to be cheated on by another, so do not cheat on another's wife; you do not want anything of yours to be stolen, so do not steal from another. And so, asking this reasonable thing from you, understanding and doing it, becoming dear to God, you will receive healing. For even now your bodies suffer punishment, and in the future your souls will be punished.

⁵ After being taught and healed by Peter in just a few days, they were baptized. Then, through his other miracles, all the rest sat in the middle of the markets, covered in ashes and sackcloth, repenting for their past sins. Those in Sidon, hearing about this, did the same and sent messengers to Peter, saying they could not come to him because of their illnesses. Peter, after staying only a few days in Tyre, taught everyone there and freed them from all kinds of suffering. He formed a church and appointed elders as bishops over them. Then he set out for Sidon. When Simon learned that Peter was coming, he immediately ran away to Beirut with Appion and his companions.

⁶ When Peter entered Sidon, many people brought sick ones on beds and laid them before him. He said to them, "Do not think that I, a mortal man who has suffered many pains myself, can heal you. But I will show you the way by which you can be saved, and I do not envy it. I learned from the prophet of truth the decisions God made before the world began about which evil deeds would cause people to suffer under the ruler of evil, and also about which good deeds would allow those who believed in him before to have their bodies healed and then their souls made right forever."

⁷ Knowing these good and bad deeds, I warn you that there are two paths, showing which ones lead to destruction and which lead to salvation, guided by God. The path of those who are lost is wide and smooth but destroys without pain. The path of those who are saved is narrow and rough but saves those who go through it with effort to the end. These two paths are ruled by disbelief and faith. Those who choose pleasures through disbelief do not even try to seek what is good. They do not realize that God's plans are not like human ones. First, he knows all thoughts, and each person is responsible not only for what they do but also for what they think. Those who try to think well but fail are much less sinful than those who do not try at all. God decided that those who fail to know good, because of human mistakes, will be punished moderately and saved. But those who ignore the beginning and the best knowledge, even if they do many other good things, if they do not become faithful as God ordered, will be completely destroyed by the greatest punishment for their neglect.

⁸ The religion he set is this: to worship only God, to believe in the one true prophet, to be baptized for the forgiveness of sins, and so be born again through the purest baptism to God by the saving water; not to share in the table of demons—that is, not to eat food offered to idols, or food from dead animals, strangled animals, wild beasts, or blood; not to live in uncleanness; to wash after sleeping with a woman, but also to keep oneself pure; to be self-controlled, to do good, not to do wrong, and to expect eternal life from the all-powerful God; to receive this through constant prayers and requests. While Peter was encouraging these things in Sidon, after a few days many there repented, believed, and were healed. He formed a church, and after appointing some elders as bishops over them, he left Sidon.

⁹ As soon as he stepped into Beirut, an earthquake happened. The crowds came to Peter, shouting, "Help! We are afraid we might all be destroyed!" Then Simon, boldly speaking along with Appion, Anubion, Athanodor, and his other companions, shouted publicly to the crowds against Peter, "Run away, men! This man is a magician. Believe me, he caused the earthquake and the diseases to strike you down, as if he were a god." They lied about Peter, saying things that made it seem like he had more human power than is possible. When the crowds became quiet, Peter smiled briefly with bold confidence and said, "Men, I admit that what these men say is possible if God wills it. But I am ready, if you do not obey me about what I say, to destroy your whole city."

¹⁰ When the crowds were afraid and promised to do whatever he ordered, Peter said, "None of you should talk to these magicians or mix with them." As soon as the crowds heard this brief command, they grabbed sticks and chased the magicians away until they were completely driven out of the city. Then the sick and those possessed by demons came to Peter and threw themselves at his feet. Seeing this and wanting to ease their fear, he said to them,

¹¹ If I had the power, I could cause earthquakes and do whatever I wanted. I'm not saying I would destroy Simon and his companions (for I was not sent to harm people), but I would make him my friend, so he wouldn't stop many from hearing the true message and being saved. But if you believe that he is a magician, a devil, and a servant of evil against those who don't know the truth, then he can cause diseases because he works with sinners who share his power. I am a servant of God, who made everything, and a follower of his chosen prophet. So, as his messenger, I speak the truth. I serve what is good and drive away diseases. I was sent second, because sickness comes first, and then healing follows. So, you became sick because you didn't believe in God but in that evil magician. But through me, if you believe in God, you will be healed. By trusting the powerful one, you will turn to doing good, and your souls can be saved.

¹² While he was saying these things, everyone knelt down and lay at his feet. Then he raised his hands to heaven, prayed to God, and healed them all with just one prayer. After staying with the people of Beirut for several days, he taught many about the one true faith and baptized them. From those who followed him, he appointed one elder as their bishop, then he left for Byblos. When he arrived there and learned that Simon had not stayed even one day but had immediately gone to Tripoli, he set out after him. After staying with them for a few days, healing many and teaching them from the scriptures, he followed Simon's path to Tripoli, pursuing him closely instead of choosing to run away.

Chapter 8

When Peter entered Tripoli, many of the most learned people from Tyre, Sidon, Beirut, Byblos, and nearby towns came together. Large crowds from the city itself also gathered, eager to hear him speak. So, the brothers sent by him met us in the suburbs to carefully investigate what was happening in the city and what Simon was doing, so that when they returned, they could report back. After welcoming him, they took him to a house near Maron.

² He was already at the gate of the guesthouse when he turned to the crowds and promised to speak with them the next day about reverence for God. When he went inside, the guides warmly welcomed those who had come with him. The hosts who received them did not hold back their eagerness to help. Peter, unaware of all this, after being allowed by us to share in the meal, said he would not eat until the others who had come with him had rested. When we explained that this was done out of his great care for everyone, so that those who had not yet been hosted would not feel upset, Peter heard this and, pleased by their thoughtful kindness, blessed them and went out. He washed in the sea, came back in, ate with the guides, and fell asleep as evening fell.

³ Waking up at the second crowing of the roosters, he found us already awake. There were sixteen of us with him: Peter himself, me Clement, Niketas and Akylas, and the twelve guides. Then he spoke to us: "Today, we who are inside will not be idle but will spend time with each other. So, I will tell you what happened after leaving Tyre, and you will tell me what Simon has done here, in more detail." After we took turns sharing our stories, one of the usual messengers came in to tell Peter: "Simon, learning that you had come to Syria, set out on the road. But the crowds, thinking this one night was like a whole year and unable to wait for the time you gave, stood outside the doors. They gathered and talked among themselves about Simon's lies. They say he left at night after knowing you had come, promising to accuse you of many bad things. They want to hear you. I don't know where the rumor started that you were going to speak to them today. So, to stop them from wearing themselves out and leaving for no reason, you know best what to do."

⁴ And Peter, amazed at the eagerness of the crowds, answered: "See, brothers, how clearly the words of our Lord are coming true. For I remember him saying many will come from the east and west, from the north and south, and will sit at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But he also says many are called, but few are chosen. So, the coming of those who are called is happening. But since what they have is not their own, but God's who called them and made them come, they don't get a reward for this alone, because it's not their own, but from the one who worked in them. But if after being called they do good, which is their own, then they will receive a reward for that."

⁵ For even the Hebrews, who believed in Moses but did not obey what he commanded, are not saved unless they obey what was commanded to them. Believing in Moses was not by their own choice, but because God said to Moses, "Look, I am coming to you in a pillar of cloud, so the people may hear me speaking to you and believe in you forever." Since both the Hebrews and those called from the nations have believed in the teachers of truth from God, each person is left to judge and do good works on their own. The reward is rightly given to those who do good. For there would be no need for Moses or for Jesus to be present if people could understand what is right by themselves. Salvation does not come just from believing in teachers and leaders alone.

⁶ For this reason, Jesus is hidden from the Hebrews who accepted Moses as their teacher, and Moses is hidden from those who have believed in Jesus. God accepts anyone who believes through both teachings, since there is only one teaching through both. But believing in a teacher is meant to lead to doing what God says. And because of this, our Lord himself says, "I praise you, Father of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise elders and revealed them to little children who are nursing." So God hid the teacher from some, because they already knew what they needed to do, and revealed him to others, because they did not know what they needed to do.

⁷ So, the Hebrews are not condemned for not knowing Jesus, because he was hidden from them, if they do what Moses said and do not hate the one they did not know. And those from the nations are not condemned for not knowing Moses, because he was hidden from them, if they do what Jesus said and do not hate the one they did not know. Some are helped not by calling teachers lords and then refusing to do the work of servants. For this reason, our Jesus said to a certain strict lord who did nothing of what he commanded, "Why do you call me lord, lord, and not do what I say?" Speaking alone does not help anyone; doing is what matters. So good works are needed in every way. But if someone is worthy to know both teachings as one message proclaimed by them, that person is counted rich in God, having understood the old things as new over time, and the new things as old.

⁸ While Peter was speaking, the crowds, as if called by someone, began to enter where Peter was. Seeing the large crowd flowing gently like a calm river, he said to Maroon, "Where is a place here that can hold the crowds better?" When Maroon led him to an open place outside, the crowds followed. Peter stood on a low statue base, and following the respectful custom of addressing the crowd, he saw that many of those present had been troubled for many years by demons and many illnesses. They were groaning loudly and falling down in prayer. He rebuked them and told them to be quiet, promising healing after he finished speaking. Then he began to speak.

⁹ Beginning to speak about godliness to those who know nothing at all, and whose minds are clouded by the slanders of Simon who opposes us, I thought it necessary first to explain why we should not blame the God who made everything. I did not start from anywhere else, but from the very excuse that his own providence gave at the right time. This is so it may be understood that many were reasonably held captive by many demons and troubled by strange sufferings, so that even in this, God's justice is shown. And those who blamed him out of ignorance, now that they have learned how to think rightly, will take back their former blame with kindness and goodwill, admitting that ignorance was the cause of their wrong boldness and turning it into forgiveness.

¹⁰ It is like this. The only good God made everything well and gave it to the man made in his image. The one who became human, filled with the divine spirit of the maker, being a true prophet and knowing all things, honored the Father who gave him everything and saved the sons born from him. Like a true father saving his own children, wanting them to love God and be loved by him for their own good, he showed the way leading to friendship with God. He taught what kind of human actions please the only and master God, and he set the eternal law that seemed right to him for everyone. This law could not be destroyed by enemies, nor secretly undermined by any godless person, nor hidden in one place, but could be read by all. So, through the law's discipline, they had everything in abundance—the best fruits, perfect, painless, and pure years—freely given with all the good balance of the air.

¹¹ But since they were not first tested by evil, they became numb to the gift of good things because of plenty of food and luxury. They turned to ingratitude, as if to think there was no care for them. For they had not first worked hard for justice and earned the good things as a reward, since none of them had suffered from any pain, disease, or other trouble. Because it is natural for people to be hurt by bad mistakes, they should look to God, who can heal them. But soon after their careless and fearless luxury, just as if following some kind of pattern, a just punishment came to them. It pushed away the good things as if they were harmful, and brought back the bad things as if they were helpful.

¹² Of the spirits who live in the sky, the angels dwelling in the lowest region, burdened by the ingratitude of humans toward God, asked to come to human life. So that, truly becoming humans, they might correct many who were ungrateful to God in their behavior, and there punish each one according to their worth. When they asked and received this, they completely changed their nature, being of a more divine substance and able to easily change into anything. They became precious stones, shining pearls, the finest purple cloth, glorious gold, and all kinds of valuable materials. Some fell into people's hands, others into their laps, and people willingly stole them. They also changed into four-footed animals, reptiles, swimming creatures, birds, and whatever else they wanted. These are the ones your poets sing about as the cause of fearlessness, giving many different forms and actions to all.

¹³ But when they had become these things, they punished those who took them greedily, and changed themselves into human nature. Living piously and showing what is possible in living, they aimed to punish the ungrateful with blame. Since they truly became humans and had human desires, they were controlled by these desires and slipped into union with women. Having mixed with them and stained by pollution, and completely emptied of their first power, they could not return their bodies—turned from fire—to their original pure nature. Weighed down by the fire ended in flesh through desire, they went down the wicked path. They are held fast in the bonds of flesh and strongly tied, and for this reason, they can no longer rise to the heavens.

¹⁴ For after union, when they could no longer demand or give what they once were, because they could not change themselves without pollution, wanting to please the women they loved, they showed them the marrow of the earth instead of themselves. I mean the flowers of metals: gold, copper, silver, iron, and the like, along with all the most precious stones. With these enchanted stones, they passed on the arts for all kinds of things, taught magic and astronomy, the powers of roots, and all things that human thought could never discover. They also taught how to melt gold and silver and similar skills, as well as the colorful dyes for clothes. Simply put, all things that bring beauty and pleasure to women are the discoveries of demons bound in flesh.

¹⁵ From their mixed and false union, false humans were born—much larger than most people—whom later they called giants. They were not dragon-footed or at war with God, as the blasphemous stories of the Greeks say, but wild in nature and bigger than humans in size. This is because they came from angels, but were less than angels since they were born from women. So God, knowing they had become wild in their nature and that the world was not enough to satisfy them (for he created it in proportion to humans and for human use), made sure they would not carelessly become food for unnatural animals by feeding. Thinking they dared this out of necessity, the almighty God rained manna on them from many desires and kept away everything they wanted. But those of false nature, not liking pure food, only tasted the taste of blood. That is why they were the first to taste flesh.

¹⁶ The humans with them then first tried to do the same. So we are not born good or bad, but we become that way; and once we get used to it, we hold on tightly. When the wild animals disappeared, the false humans tasted human flesh, for it was no longer strange to them to destroy their own flesh, having tasted it before in other forms.

¹⁷ Because of the great flow of blood, the pure air was polluted by unclean smoke and became sick, making those who breathed it ill and causing people to die before their time. The earth, greatly polluted by these things, first sent out poisonous and harmful animals. Since everything was getting worse because of the wild demons, God planned to destroy them like bad yeast, so that from the seed, each generation would not follow the one before it in the same wicked way, emptying the future age of saved people. For this reason, God warned one just man and his three sons, along with their wives and the others, to be saved in a chest. Then he sent water in a flood to cover everything, so that after all were destroyed, the world, cleansed by this flood, would be given back to the one saved in the chest for a pure new beginning of life. And so it happened.

¹⁸ Since the souls of the dead giants were bigger than human souls, and their bodies were larger too, they were called a new race with a new name. For the rest of the world to live as it should, God set a law through an angel. Because they were illegitimate, born from the fire of angels and the blood of women, and because they would desire a certain kind of own race, they were chosen by a just law. An angel was sent to them by God, announcing his will and speaking to them.

¹⁹ These things seem right to the all-seeing God: that no one should rule over you humans or bother anyone, unless someone willingly makes themselves a slave to you—worshiping you, offering sacrifices and libations, sharing your table, or doing something else that should not be done, like shedding blood, tasting flesh, or being filled with the remains of a beast, a mortal, someone who was strangled, or something else unclean. But those who seek refuge with me by my law, you must not only leave them unharmed but also honor them and avoid harming them openly. For whatever seems right to them, being just, will cause you to suffer. However, if some of those under my care sin—whether by adultery, witchcraft, living uncleanly, or doing something else that does not seem right to me—then by my command they will have to suffer punishment from you or from others. For those who repent, I will judge their repentance, deciding whether it deserves forgiveness or not, and I will make the final decision. So you must remember these things well, knowing that even your thoughts cannot escape him.

²⁰ After encouraging them with these words, the angel left. But you still do not understand this law: if someone worships demons, sacrifices to them, or shares their table, becoming a slave to them, then as slaves to evil masters you suffer all kinds of punishment from them. Because of this ignorance, by defiling their altars and being filled with their influence, you have come under their power, and in every way you dishonor your bodies without realizing it. You should know that demons have no power unless someone first becomes their partner. So not even their leader can do anything against the law set by God over them, because no one has power without worshiping him. Also, no one can take whatever they want from them, nor be harmed by them, as you should understand.

²¹ Once, the temporary king came to the king of our devotion—not by force, for he could not—but by urging and persuading, because obeying depends on each person's choice. Approaching as the king of those present, he said to the king of those to come, "All the kingdoms of this world belong to me, and the gold, silver, and all the riches of this world are under my power. So fall down and worship me, and I will give you all of this." But he said these things knowing that after worshiping him, he would have power over him and would take away his future glory and kingdom. Knowing all this, he not only refused to worship him but also did not want to accept anything from him. For he had bound himself with his own possessions, which means he could no longer touch the rest that had been given to him. So he answered, "It is written, 'You shall fear the Lord your God and worship only him.'"

²² But the king of the wicked, after many attempts to turn the king of the pious to his own will and failing, gave up and began trying to hunt him down in other ways. You, however, not knowing the law set before you, have come under his power through your bad actions. So you have defiled both your body and soul. Now, you are dishonored by sufferings and demons, and in the future, your souls will face punishment. This is not only what you have suffered through ignorance, but also some of our own people, who, caught by the leader of evil because of their bad deeds, were then called to a wedding feast by the father and son and obeyed. But instead of those who disobeyed and were caught, the father who holds the wedding for the son commanded us through the prophet of truth to go to the open roads near you and put on the clean wedding garment, which is baptism. This baptism brings forgiveness for the bad things you have done. He leads the good ones into God's feast through repentance, even if they missed the beginning of the celebration.

²³ So if you want to become part of the divine spirit, first work hard to take off your dirty covering, which is an unclean spirit and a filthy garment. You cannot take this off any other way except by first being baptized for good deeds. Then, becoming clean in both body and soul, you will enjoy the coming eternal kingdom. So do not trust idols, do not share their dirty table, do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not hate those who do not deserve it, do not steal, and do not do any evil deeds at all. If you lose the good things to come and hope, now you will be caught by evil spirits and hard sufferings, and in the coming eternal age, you will be punished by fire. What has been said to you today is enough. So now, troubled by sufferings, stay close to healing, and those who want to go in peace, go.

²⁴ When he said these things, everyone stayed—some to be healed, others to hear about those who had been healed. Peter laid his hands on them and prayed, healing them. Those who were healed became joyful right away, and those who heard about it were amazed and praised God, trusting with strong hope. At the same time, Peter told the healed to go home and gave an order to meet again the next morning. After they left, Peter stayed there with the others who remained, ate some food, and rested by sleeping.

Chapter 9

The next day, Peter went out with his companions and came to the same place. Standing there, he began to say: Long ago, God destroyed all the wicked people with water, but found one godly man and saved him in a chest along with his three sons and their wives. From this, we can understand God's nature: a crowd of wicked people who do not care, and one godly man who did not neglect salvation. So the greatest wickedness is to worship many gods who do not exist, instead of the one master who left everything behind.

² So if I guide you and show you that this is the greatest sin, one that can destroy all of you, your minds run away, thinking you will not be destroyed. Many of you, as a crowd, have been fooled. You have the example of the world long ago flooded, yet their sin was much less than yours. Those people were wicked against their own kind—killing or committing adultery—but you are wicked against the God of all, worshiping lifeless statues instead of him, even throwing his divine name on all kinds of senseless wood. First, then, you are unhappy because you do not know the difference between monarchy and rule by many. Monarchy is unity that brings peace, but rule by many causes wars. One does not fight with itself, but many have a reason to fight against each other.

³ Right after the flood, Noah lived for three more years with the groups descended from him, staying united as king in the image of the one true God. But after he died, many from his kingdom wanted to be king. Each hurried to find a way to take power—one by war, another by trickery, another by persuasion, and others in different ways. One of these was Ham's family, who made Mestrem, from whom the peoples of Egypt, Babylon, and Persia grew into many tribes.

⁴ From this family came a man named Nebrod, who learned magic and wanted to be like a giant against God. The Greeks called him Zoroaster. After the flood, he wanted to be king. Being a great magician, he used magic to force the star that now rules the evil world to give him a kingdom. As a ruler with power over those he controlled, he angrily set fire to the kingdom, so that he might honor his oath and punish the one who first forced him.

⁵ From a lightning bolt that fell from the sky to the ground, the magician Nebrod was killed. Because of this event, he was renamed Zoroaster, since the star brought a harmful living force against him. But the foolish people at that time thought his soul was struck down by lightning because of his friendship with God. They buried his body and honored his tomb with a temple in Persia, where the fire had come down. They worshiped him as a god. Following this example, others there also honored those killed by lightning as loved by the gods, burying them with temples and setting up statues in the shapes of the dead. From there, rulers in different places copied this practice. Most of those loved by these rulers, even if not killed by lightning, had their tombs honored with temples, statues, and altars with fires lit, ordering that they be worshiped as gods. Much later, because of the long passage of time, later people truly came to think of them as gods.

⁶ However, from the start of this one kingdom, many divisions happened in this way. The Persians were the first to take coals from the lightning that fell from the sky and keep them with their own food. Honoring fire as a heavenly god, they were the first to worship it and the first to be honored with kingdoms because of that fire. Among them, the Babylonians stole coals from that fire and kept them for themselves. They also worshiped the fire and later became rulers. The Egyptians did the same, calling the fire by their own name, Phtha, which means Hephaestus. Their first king was named after him. Using this method, rulers in different places built temples and lit altars to honor the fire. But most of these kingdoms eventually disappeared.

⁷ But they did not stop worshiping statues because of the bad plans of the magicians, who found excuses to keep them tied to useless worship. They set up these statues with magical rites and fixed festivals for them, including sacrifices, libations, flutes, and clapping. The foolish were tricked by these excuses, and even though their kingdom was taken away, they did not abandon their gathered religions. They preferred the pleasure of lies over the truth. After drinking, they would shout wildly, as if from deep in their souls, like in dreams, warning themselves of the punishment that would come because of their actions.

⁸ So, bringing to you many religions that have come and gone through life, we, the good merchants, have handed down and kept safe from our ancestors this religion. We show it to you like seeds of plants, placing it under your judgment and control. Choose what seems best to you. If you accept what is ours, you will not only be able to escape demons and the passions that come from demons, but also, by fleeing from these things and asking for help, you will enjoy the good things that always come.

⁹ The opposite happens: in this life, people are troubled by strange passions from demons. When they leave their bodies, their souls will always be punished. This is the true judgment—not from god, but because of evil deeds. The demons, having power from the food given to them, enter your bodies through your own hands. Hidden inside for a long time, they mix with the soul. Because people don't care to help themselves or don't want to, when the body is released, the soul joined with the demon must be carried by it to whatever places it chooses. The hardest part is this: at the end of everything, when the demon is thrown first into the pure fire, the soul held by it must suffer punishment in secret, while the demon enjoys it. The soul, made of light and not carrying the strange flame of fire, is tormented. But the demon, being of its own kind, greatly enjoys it, becoming an unbreakable bond with the soul that longs for it.

¹⁰ The reason demons slip into human bodies is this: they are spirits with desires for food, drink, and sex, but because they are spirits, they cannot take part in these things on their own. They need bodies suited for these uses, so they enter human bodies. Like servants using organs, they can get what they want—either food, through human teeth, or sex, through private parts. That is why hunger, fasting, and hardship are the best help to escape demons. Since they enter a human body to share in these things, it's clear they are driven away by hardship. But when some more dangerous demons happen to be quarrelsome, even though they are punished, they stay with the person punished in the body. Because of this, one must turn to god with prayers and requests, avoiding all unclean excuses, so that god's hand can touch them for healing, as someone pure and believing.

¹¹ In prayers, one must turn to god for help, confessing and declaring that the demon's lack of action is not apathy but slowness. Everything happens to those who believe, but nothing happens to those who do not. The demons know how much faith controls a person, and they measure their persistence based on it. That's why they keep attacking unbelievers, slow down with doubters, and cannot even come near those who fully believe and live rightly. The soul, turned toward god by faith like water's nature, puts out the demon like a spark of fire. So it is hard for anyone to think about escaping their own demon. Demons stir the soul, trying to make a person neglect their own salvation, and they put thoughts into each mind as they wish.

¹² That is why many people, not knowing where their troubles come from, take the evil thoughts given by demons as if they were their own soul's reasoning. Because of this, they become too lazy to seek help from those who can save them, and while wasting themselves under the demons lying in wait, they don't realize it. The demons hiding in their souls make them think they suffer not from a demon troubling them, but from a bodily illness—like a sharp humor, bile, phlegm, blood imbalance, inflammation of the membranes, or something else. But even if this were true, it would still be a kind of demon. The soul, being earthy and common, blames all its troubles on food. Having taken in too much from too much food, it joins itself as kin to the spirit, which is the human soul, while the material part of the food, joined to the body, remains like a terrible poison to it. That is why self-control is the best of all.

¹³ Some wicked demons lie in wait in other ways. At first, they don't show themselves, so their eagerness isn't noticed. Then, suddenly, they harm the body through anger, desire, or something else—like a sword, a noose, a cliff, or something similar. They make the souls mixed with them suffer punishment to the very end, like fire that leads to cleansing. Others lie in wait differently. They don't come near us but trick us with evil thoughts, making us believe that these troubles come from the gods themselves because we have neglected them. They make us think that we can make peace with the gods through sacrifices, and that the demons should not come near us but instead should flee and hate us. Yet, these demons still hate and flee from those who show them more mercy and chase them away with kindness.

¹⁴ Hating and fleeing from us, these demons lie in wait, not knowing why they think against their own salvation. We cannot force them, if they don't want it, to turn toward salvation, since we don't have that power over them now. Nor can they understand the evil thoughts inside them, because they don't know where these thoughts come from. These demons appear in whatever forms they want to scare people. Sometimes they even bring healing to the sick, taking away the honor of the gods from those who were tricked before. Most people don't realize they are dealing with demons, but we who know them do not hide the secret of why they do these things. They change themselves in dreams into the forms they have power over. Some they scare, others they speak to, demanding sacrifices and ordering feasts, so they can drain their souls.

¹⁵ Just as dangerous snakes attract birds with their breath, so do these demons attract those who share their table. By mixing their will with the mind through food and drink, they influence people. They change themselves in dreams into the shapes of idols to increase the deception. The idol itself is neither alive nor does it have a divine spirit, but the demon seen takes on that form. Many others have appeared in dreams to different people, and when they met, opposing each other in the dream, they did not agree. So, this is no longer just a dream vision, but either a demon or the soul's offspring giving shape to present fears and desires. When the mind is struck by fear, it lets these images flow through dreams. If you think idols like these are alive and can act, place them on a scale with equal weight on the other side and see if they become heavier or lighter. If they do, they are alive; but they don't. And even if they were alive, they would not yet be gods. For even a demon's finger can move. Worms move, but they are not called gods.

¹⁶ It is clear that the soul shows images of demons to predict things, not the so-called gods, because they do not appear to the Jews. But someone might ask, how then do they give oracles, predicting the future? That is also false. Even if we grant that it is true, that still does not make them gods. Just because something is prophesied does not mean it comes from a god. Even Pythons give oracles, but we drive them out as demons. Someone might also say that sometimes they bring healing. That is false too; even if we grant it, that still does not make them gods. Doctors heal many people, but they are not gods. Someone might say doctors don't always heal those they care for, but these demons heal even after giving oracles. However, demons know the true remedies for each illness. That is why skilled doctors can heal, and humans can be healed. But when oracles are true and understood, and healing happens on its own, then the demons arrange the cures so they can take credit for themselves.

¹⁷ Why do they give oracles about healings only after a long time? And if they can do everything, why don't they heal without asking for something in return? Why do they sometimes give cures to some who pray, but at other times, even to those close to them, they do not give oracles? Whenever a healing is about to happen on its own, they promise it so they can take credit. But others who got sick and prayed, then healed by themselves, wrote down the names of those they called and made offerings. Yet those who prayed but did not get better cannot make offerings. Unless relatives of the dead or some others looked into the failures, you would find more failures than successes. But no one who has been caught wants to show proof against them, out of shame or fear; instead, they hide their clear mistakes.

¹⁸ How many lie about oracles and healings they claim to have done, and swear oaths to prove it? How many have sold themselves for money, pretending to be sick by using tricks, and then, after being healed by something else, say their healing came from their oracles, just to gain respect for something that is really nothing? How many of these things were done at first by magic, so they could dream and give oracles? Yet, even these things have been questioned over a long time. How many, wanting to prove these things, use magic? But if it is not something prophetic or healing, then it is not a god.

¹⁹ For God can do everything. He is good and just, patient with everyone now, so that those who want to, after regretting the bad things they did and living rightly, on the day when everything is judged, may receive what they deserve. So now begin, obeying God, the source of good knowledge, and resist your bad desires and thoughts, so that you can return to the first saving faith given to humanity. In this way, good things will naturally come to you, and after you have tested the evils, you will leave them behind. But give thanks to the one who gave, always ruling with the king of peace over the hidden good things. And now, even if you wash in an endless river, spring, or sea, by the thrice-blessed name, you will not only be able to drive away the spirits hidden inside you, but also, without sinning anymore and trusting God without doubt, you will drive away the evil spirits and demons along with their terrible sufferings. Sometimes they will flee only when they see you. For they know those who have given themselves to God. So, fearing and honoring them, they flee—just as you saw yesterday, when after I prayed for those suffering these pains given to me, I cried out with respect to the faith, asking briefly to endure what could not be endured.

²⁰ So don't think that because we are different, we don't fear demons in the same way. We are made of the same nature as you, but we have a different faith. Since you are not many, but are stronger as a whole, we don't envy you for becoming like that. Instead, we encourage it, knowing that God honors and respects all who draw near to him with understanding.

²¹ Just as soldiers under a Caesar's commander know to honor the one given power, so much that those watching say to him, "Come," and he comes, or to another, "Go," and he goes, in the same way, a person who gives themselves to God and is faithful is heard by demons and sufferings when they only speak, and the demons retreat—even though they are much stronger than those giving orders. For God, with amazing power, puts each mind under whoever he chooses. Just as many leaders, with all their camps and cities, fear Caesar—a man—and hurry to honor the image of his heart in each of them, so by God's will, all things are controlled by fear, which God knows the cause of. In the same way, one who turns to God and holds true faith, like an image of God in their heart, honors and drives away all harmful spirits, who are naturally afraid.

²² But even if all demons and all sufferings run away from you, there is no true joy in that alone. True joy comes from having your names written in heaven as those who always live because of their good behavior. This is how the holy divine power makes demons flee—to bring a different kind of healing. We say this not to deny that others should help, but to warn you not to be blind and careless about yourselves because of this. Sometimes demons run away from lawless men because of a holy name. Both the one who drove them away and the one who watched are tested. The one who drove them away, honored for righteousness but unaware of the demon's evil, has both honored the name and, by fleeing, tricked the godless into thinking they are righteous and will not change. But the one who watched, being pious and helping the one who drove them away, rushes toward the same kind of life and is lost. Sometimes even those not devoted to God pretend to avoid oaths, so that after deceiving them, they can destroy them whenever they want.

²³ And so we want you to know this: if no one gives themselves as a slave to demons, as I said before, the demon does not have power over them. Therefore, choose to worship the one God, stay away from the demons' table, and receive self-control along with kindness and justice. Being baptized with a threefold blessing for the forgiveness of sins, you can, as much as you are able, give yourselves to perfect purity. In doing this, you can be saved from eternal punishment and become heirs of eternal good things. After saying these things, he told those troubled by sufferings to come near. Many who had been healed the day before gathered and came close. He laid his hands on them and prayed, healing them through this. He also told them and the others to meet earlier in the morning. Then he himself bathed, ate, and went to sleep.

Chapter 10

On the third day in Tripoli, Peter woke up earlier than usual and went into the garden, where there was a large water jar with water flowing continuously into it. After washing there, he prayed like this and then sat down. We all sat around him and looked at him, as if wanting to hear something, and he, understanding this, said:

² It seems to me there is a big difference between those who don't know and those who are mistaken. The one who doesn't know is like a man who doesn't want to go to a city that is easy to reach because he doesn't know the good things there. But the one who is mistaken knows the good things in the city, yet takes a wrong path on the way and so gets lost. In the same way, there is a big difference between those who worship idols and those who have fallen into true godliness. Those who worship idols don't know eternal life, and because they don't know it, they don't want it and can't love it. But those who choose to worship the one God and have learned that eternal life is given to the good, if they believe or do something different from what seems right to God, are like people who have left the city of punishment and come to the easy city, but get lost on the path that should be straight.

³ While he was saying these things to us, one of our men came in to tell him something—the one appointed to speak such messages. He said, "Many crowds, my lord Peter, are standing outside the doors." When Peter gave permission, a large crowd came in. Then Peter stood up, just as he had the day before, and spoke to the group about the practice of true godliness. He said, "God, who made the sky, the earth, and everything in them, as the prophet truly told us, made man in his image and likeness to rule and have power—over the things in the air, on the earth, and in the waters. From this, you can see that by his own understanding, man brings down what is in the air, lifts up what is in the depths, and gathers what is on the earth. And by his strength, he controls much greater things—I mean elephants, lions, and animals like them."

⁴ When he was righteous, he was above all suffering, like a body that could not feel pain. But when he sinned, as we showed yesterday and before, he became a slave to sin and fell into all kinds of suffering, losing all good things by fair judgment. It was not right that what was given would stay with the ungrateful after the giver was gone. So, because of his great kindness toward us, to let us enjoy both the first good things and the eternal good things to come, he sent his prophet. The prophet was commanded to tell us what we must think and do. So take hold of what is within your power. What we must think is this: to worship the God who made everything. Whatever you accept in your mind from him, you will receive along with the first good things also the eternal good things to come.

⁵ You will be able to guide yourselves toward what is good if you say like a song to the powerful one living in your heart: "Fear the Lord God and worship only him." It is right in every thought to fear only him—not because he is unfair, but because he is fair. People fear the unfair so they won't be treated unfairly, and they fear the just so they won't be punished for sin. By fearing him, you can be freed from many harmful fears. If you do not fear the one Lord and maker of all, you will become slaves to all kinds of evil—I mean demons, sufferings, and anything that can harm you in any way.

⁶ So be brave and come close to God, you who were made to rule and have power over everything. Some of you have his image in your body, and you also have his likeness in your mind and understanding. But when you acted like animals without reason and lost the human soul within you, you became like pigs, slaves to demons. If you accept God's law, then you will truly become human. It is not possible to tell animals without reason, "You shall not kill, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal," and so on. So don't be jealous of yourselves for wanting to return to your first noble state. It is possible if you become like God through good deeds. And because of this likeness, being called his children, you will be able to become rulers over all.

⁷ So start by shedding the harmful fears of empty idols, so you can escape unfair slavery. Those idols are your masters, even though they are useless slaves to you. I mean the statues made of lifeless materials that can't even help you serve. They don't hear, see, or feel, and they can't even move. If any of you wanted to see like they do, or hear like they do, or feel and move like they do, would you? But don't insult any person with such harsh words—a person who carries the image of God—even if they have lost the likeness.

⁸ So restore your gods made of gold, silver, or any other material back to their original use—I mean the bowls, basins, and all the other things that can be useful to you. These things were given to you as first fruits and can be returned to being good things. But maybe you will say that the laws of those in charge don't allow you to do this. That's fine, because those are human laws, not the power of the lifeless statues themselves. So how can you call them gods when they are judged by human laws, guarded by dogs, and watched over by crowds? Even if they are made of gold, silver, or bronze, the stone or clay ones are kept safe because no one wants to steal a stone or clay god out of respect. So your gods made of more expensive materials are in great danger. How can they be gods when they can be stolen, melted down, weighed, and guarded?

⁹ Oh, the minds of miserable people, more lifeless than the dead themselves! I can't even call those things dead, since they never lived—except that they might be the tombs of ancient men. Sometimes someone comes to unknown places and doesn't know if the temples they see are graves of dead men or of the so-called gods. When they learn and hear that these are gods, they worship without respect. If they had looked closely, they would have realized that, because of their similar appearance, they had actually passed by a tomb of a dead man. But I won't spend much time proving this kind of superstition. It's easy for anyone who wants to understand that there is nothing there—unless someone imagines it. Now listen: it does not hear, and understand that it does not think. The hands of a dead man made it. And if the maker died, how can what was made by him not be destroyed? So why do you worship the work of a mortal, which is completely without feeling? Those who have reason don't worship even animals, nor do they flatter the elements made by God—I mean the sky, the sun, the moon, lightning, the sea, and all that is in them. Judging rightly, they don't worship even what was made by God, but they honor the creator and provider of these things as God. And these things rejoice that no one has given them the honor that belongs to their maker.

¹⁰ Honorable praise belongs only to the one who is uncreated, while everything else is created. So just as it is right for the uncreated to be God, anything that is created is not truly God. Above all, you must understand the evil plan of the deceiving snake inside you. It wisely tricks you with the promise of a better idea, crawling from your brain down into your spinal cord, and it thinks your deception is a great gain.

¹¹ For he knows the law from the beginning: if he can only make you doubt the so-called gods, so that you sin against the good of the one ruler, your destruction becomes his gain. And by this argument—that he was condemned to eat the earth, and that he who was sent to the earth because of sin, having become earth, has the power to consume your souls as they enter the belly of his fire—he tricks you. To make you suffer these things, he fills your mind with every false idea, working against you.

¹² For from him all the false doubts against the one ruler are planted in your mind to harm you. First, he waits for those who have not heard the words of godliness, so he can drive away the cause of evils—endless ignorance—using the excuse of knowledge. At first, he uses one idea against all others: the thought that if someone does not hear the word of godliness, they are not guilty in judgment. That is why some, deceived in this way, refuse to listen, so they remain ignorant, not knowing that this very ignorance is a deadly poison on its own. For if someone takes deadly poison without knowing it, they do not die immediately. In the same way, sins naturally destroy the sinner, even if they do wrong without knowing it.

¹³ But if judgment comes because of disobedience to words, God will destroy even more those who refuse to accept worship toward him. For the one who does not want to learn to avoid guilt is already judged as if he knows. He knew that he did not want to listen, so no thought can help him before the God who knows hearts. Therefore, flee the snake's clever trick that puts false thoughts into your mind. And if someone truly dies in this life without knowing, he will be held responsible, because having lived for a time, he did not know who was a helper to him or which food supported him. Like a senseless and ungrateful servant, he will be judged unworthy of the kingdom of God.

¹⁴ Again, the terrible snake puts into your mind the thought to think and say this: that we all know there is one ruler of all, but these others are also gods. Just as Caesar is one, and under him are governors, consuls, prefects, commanders, centurions, and decurions, in the same way, with one great God like Caesar, these others are gods because of the power they have over those under them. They are subject to him but rule over us. So listen, you who have been smeared with the terrible poison of this suspicion from him—I mean the bad suspicion from this example—so that you may know what is good and what is evil. For you have not yet opened your eyes, and you do not even see what is shown to you.

¹⁵ For if you say that the powers under Caesar are gods in the same way you say God is under Caesar's rule, you are not even following your own example. If you did, you would know that just as it is not allowed to give Caesar's name to another—whether a consul, governor, commander, or anyone else (because the one who gives will not live, and the one who takes will be destroyed)—in the same way, it is not allowed to give God's name to another. Whoever tries to take or give it will be lost. And if human pride brings punishment, much more will those who call others gods and insult God suffer eternal punishment. And rightly so, because the name you were given to honor God's one rule you have insulted with every kind of pride. The name that truly belongs to him is not "god," but you have taken it and insulted it. This name was given to you so that you might use it for him, and it would be counted as truly his name. But you have covered it with every kind of pride.

¹⁶ Right away, your Egyptian leaders, who brag about meteorology and claim to understand the nature of the stars, brought on themselves every kind of dishonor because of the evil thoughts hidden inside them. Some of them taught that a bull called Apis should be worshiped, others a goat, others a cat, others a snake, and even a fish, onions, the spirits of stomachs, pipes, and parts of irrational animals. And many other strange and hateful things besides.

¹⁷ When Peter said these things, the crowd standing there laughed. Peter said to the one laughing, "You laugh at their beliefs, but you don't realize that they laugh at you even more. Yet you laugh at each other, because you are blinded by bad habits and don't see your own faults. I agree that you are right to laugh at the Egyptians, since they worship dead animals, even though they are rational beings. But listen to how those same people laugh at you and mock you: 'We,' they say, 'even if we worship dead things, those things once lived. But you worship things that never lived at all. And besides, wanting to honor the one God but not knowing what form he has, we choose to honor every form. And yet, saying these things, they think they understand better than you.'"

¹⁸ So you should answer them this way: you are wrong, because you do not truly honor the one true God by worshiping those things. In fact, all of you worship every kind of form, not as you claim. Some of you think the divine is an onion and worship the spirits of the stomach, and you argue about it. In the same way, all of you pick one thing to worship and criticize the others. But with different opinions about the parts of the same animal, one worships one part, another worships another. Yet, still guided by right reason and feeling ashamed of the obvious shame, they try to turn these things into allegories, hoping to make their deception even stronger through misunderstanding. We could also argue against these allegories if we were there, where such great foolishness ruled the mind and caused the worst kind of sickness in thought. For you should not put a patch on a healthy part of the body, but only on the part that is hurting. Since you showed by laughing at the Egyptians that you do not believe their ideas—ideas that have caused you pain—it made sense for me, being here, to offer you healing for the suffering inside you.

¹⁹ Anyone who chooses to worship God must first know what belongs only to God's nature—something that cannot belong to anything else. By focusing on this unique quality and not finding it in anything else, they won't be fooled into thinking other things are gods. What is proper to God is that he alone is the maker of all things, and so he is also the strongest. He is stronger in the power to create everything else, infinite in size, the most beautiful in form, the happiest, and the most perfect in mind. In the same way, he holds the highest place in all other ways without comparison. Since, as I said, it is proper to God to be the strongest of all things, and since the world, which contains everything, was made by him, it is necessary to say that nothing made by him can be equal to him.

²⁰ But anyone who does not have the incomparable, unsurpassable, and all-encompassing nature cannot be a god, no matter how they came to be. How much less should the parts of God be reasonably called gods? By parts, I mean those gods you talk about—made from gold, silver, bronze, stone, or some other material—and all crafted by mortal hands. Yet, compared to these, let us consider how the terrible snake poisons those who are deceived through a human mouth.

²¹ Many say, "We do not worship the gold, silver, wood, or stone of our sacred images; we know these are nothing but lifeless matter and the work of mortal hands. But the spirit living in them—that is what we call god." Notice the bad intention behind these words. Since what can be seen is easy to prove false because it is nothing, they turn to the invisible, as if they cannot be proven wrong about something unclear. Yet these people agree with us in part, admitting that half of their idols are not gods but lifeless matter. So now we need to show how we believe the spirit they claim to have is divine. But they cannot prove that it is, because it is not. And we do not believe they have actually seen it. We will give them proof that their idols do not have a divine spirit, so that those who love the truth, hearing this argument against such wild suspicion, will turn away from it.

²² First of all, if you worship these images as living beings, then you also worship the eternal ancient tombs, which everyone agrees do not have a divine spirit. So you are not being truthful even here. But if your sacred images were truly alive, they would move on their own, they would have a voice, they would shake off spiders, they would drive away anyone trying to harm or steal from them, and they would easily catch those who steal the offerings. But now they do none of these things. Instead, like criminals—especially the most honored among them—they are guarded, as we said before. And why do the rulers demand taxes and fees from you for them, as if those places bring many benefits? Why have they often been taken by enemies, broken, and divided? Isn't it true that even the priests who serve outside their religion, admitting their useless worship, steal many of the offerings?

²³ He says, "Yes, but they were guarded because of your care." That is not true. How many were not guarded? And if he says that some power holds them because some were caught, he is mistaken. Some tomb robbers are caught, others escape, and surely those caught were not caught by the power of the dead. We think the same about the gods who are stolen and taken away. But he says the gods inside the statues do not care for them. So why do you take care of them—rubbing, washing, cleaning, crowning, and anointing them? From this, understand that you are not thinking clearly. Just as you cry out to the dead, so you desire and pour out offerings to your gods.

²⁴ This no longer even matches the example of Caesar and those under his authority, who are called rulers, while you take full care of them, as I said before, looking after your temples in every way. For they themselves cannot do anything. Since you told us, what do they rule? What do they do, like the leaders of places? What power do they have, like the stars of god? Unless they shine, like the sun, to which you light lamps? No, just as clouds bring rain and can cause showers, but they cannot move on their own unless people move them. Or do they give fruit? You offer sacrifices to the earth itself for the same work. So they are able to do nothing.

²⁵ But if they could do anything, you would not rightly call them gods—especially since it is not even right to call the elements gods, though good things come from them. We call God the one who arranged everything to serve us and who commanded humans to serve him. Not realizing this kindness, you have declared the elements, given to you as servants, to be rulers on their own. And why even talk about the elements? When you have made lifeless statues, you don't just worship them—you demand to be completely subject to them like slaves. Because of this mistake, you have become slaves to spirits. But by knowing the one true God through good deeds, you can become rulers again, command spirits as slaves, and be made heirs of God's eternal kingdom as his children.

²⁶ After saying these things, he told those who were possessed by demons and those suffering from diseases to come to him. When they were brought, he laid his hands on them and prayed, then healed them and sent them away. He reminded them and the rest of the crowd to stay there as long as he was visiting. After the others left, Peter washed in the nearby water jar with those who wanted to, then told them to lie down on the ground under a thick tree for shade. He made sure each person lay down in order. Then we ate. After blessing and giving thanks to God for the joy, following the usual faith of the Hebrews, he let us ask about whatever we wanted for a long time. Even though there were twenty of us, he answered each one in turn. When evening came, we went into the large guest house and all slept there with him.

Chapter 11

On the fourth day in Tripoli, Peter woke up and found us still awake. He called to us and went to the water jar to wash and get ready. We followed him in the same way. After praying together and sitting down, he spoke about the need to live a pure life. When the day was ending, he allowed the crowds to come in. As the crowd entered, he greeted many of them as usual and began to speak.

² Because your mind has become careless through much neglect, it has pushed away doubts about religions. You have become like land left unused by a farmer, needing a long time to be cleansed. This is so the true word given to you, like good seed, can take root in your mind and not be choked by bad thoughts, becoming useless for the works that can save you. So, those who care about their own salvation must listen more carefully. The many mistakes made over many years need to be quickly and steadily thought through in the short time left for cleansing. Since no one knows when their own end will come, hurry to remove the many thorns from your hearts all at once, not little by little. You won't be able to be cleansed if you keep leaving the ground unused for too long.

³ You won't be able to accept most of the effort needed for your cleansing unless you get angry at yourselves and scold yourselves for the useless things you have done, joining with your bad desires. Then your just anger, like fire on dry land, can burn away your bad thoughts. If you don't have this just fire—the anger against bad desires—learn from the good things you have done, the punishment you have been prepared for, and who has tricked you. Then your mind will wake up, and like fire from the teaching sent to us, it will burn away the bad desires. Believe me, if you want to, you can fix everything.

⁴ You are the image of the invisible God. That is why those who want to be truly religious should not call idols the image of God or think they must worship them. A human is the true image of God. Whoever wants to worship God does good to a person, because the human body carries God's image. But not everyone has the likeness—only the pure mind of a good soul does. Since we know that humans were made in the image and likeness of God, we tell you to worship this image, so that grace may be counted toward God, of whom this image exists. So you must honor the image of God, which is a human, by giving food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, clothes to the naked, care to the sick, shelter to the stranger, and help as much as you can to those in prison. And not just in appearance—give to others all the good things you want for yourself. Then a good reward can be counted for the one who honors the image of God. For if someone refuses to do even these things, they will be punished as one who has neglected the image.

⁵ It seems strange to say that, while respecting every form of worship to God, you insult the human who is truly the image of God in every way—killing, cheating, stealing, and dishonoring in many other ways. You should not do even one bad thing because it hurts a person. But now you do all these things, which make people sad. Injustice also causes sadness. That is why you kill and take what belongs to others, and do many other things you would not want to suffer yourself. You have been tricked by a wicked creature into doing evil, with the false idea that you are disrespecting the true image, which is a human, while you think you are worshiping lifeless things.

⁶ Some say that if something did not want to exist, it would not, but would be destroyed. I say this will surely happen when people show their own choice toward it, and then the world as it is now will change. But even if that were true, if you want nothing to be worshiped, tell us—what things have you not worshiped? Isn't it true that some of you worship the sun, others the moon, others water, the earth, mountains, plants, seeds, and some even worship humans, as in Egypt? So God should not allow anything, nor should he allow you, so that nothing worshiped or worshiping would exist. Truly, this is what the terrible hidden snake inside you wants, who does not spare you. But it will not be so. The thing worshiped does no wrong; it suffers force because it wants to be worshiped. If judgment by all people is unfair, it is not so by God. It is not right for the one suffering and the one deciding to receive the same punishment—unless the one suffering willingly accepts the honor that belongs to the most honorable alone.

⁷ But he says that those who worship should be destroyed by the true God, so that no one else will do this. But you are not wiser than God to give him advice as if you know better. He knows what he is doing. For he is patient with all who are ungodly, like a merciful and loving father, knowing that even some ungodly people become godly. And many who worship shameful and lifeless things have come to their senses, stopped worshiping and sinning, and Greeks were saved through prayers to the true God.

⁸ But first, he should have made us not think at all about such things. When you say these things, you do not understand what free will is or how it is possible to be truly good. For the one who is good by their own choice is truly good, but the one who is good because of someone else's force is not truly good, because what is not by its own choice cannot be. Since true goodness is each person's freedom, and this also shows what true evil is, God has arranged that in each person there can be a friend or enemy because of their choices. He does not say this directly, but everything we think causes us to think for ourselves. Stop; why do you insult those who say this even more? For if everything we think comes from him, then you are saying he is the cause of prostitutes, lustful people, greedy people, and all kinds of evil. Stop slandering him, you who owe him praise and all honor. And do not say, "God is not given honor." For if he is not given any honor, then you should at least repay with a thankful voice the one who looks to justice and has done good to all of you.

⁹ But he says we do better by giving thanks both to him and to everyone else. But when you say these things, you don't understand the trick being played against you. Just like when many doctors promise to heal a sick person but can't do anything, if one who can truly heal doesn't offer the cure because he thinks that if he heals, others will get the credit, in the same way God, wanting honor alongside many who can do nothing, does not help. So what, he asks, is God angry about if someone else gets credit when he heals? I say, even if he is not angry, he certainly does not agree to be part of the trick. For when he helps, even an idol that does nothing is believed to have power. But I tell you, if he were not naturally wronged and upset by the unfeeling, maybe he would endure this too, which is why you have touched on reasonable thoughts about salvation. For God, being self-sufficient, needs nothing and is harmed by nothing. It is up to us to be helped or harmed. Just as Caesar is neither harmed by being cursed nor helped by being thanked, but the one who thanks him is safe, and the one who curses him is destroyed, so those who honor God do not help him at all but save themselves, and those who curse him do not wrong him but destroy themselves.

¹⁰ But he says it is not the same for a human and for God. I agree that it is not the same. Punishment is greater for the one who sins against someone greater, and less for the one who sins against someone less. Since God is greater than all, he will bring a greater punishment on the one who sins against him than on the one who sins against someone less. He does not defend himself by his own hand, but all creation is angry about this and naturally acts against it. He will not give light from the sun to the blasphemer, nor fruit from the earth, nor water from the spring, nor rest in Hades to the soul that is there as ruler. And now, with the world's order broken, all creation is angry. That is why he does not send perfect rains, nor does the earth produce its fruits, and many suffer harm. Even the air itself, burning with anger, turns into a deadly sickness. But all the good things we enjoy come from his mercy, which moves creation to show kindness to us. So all creation is angry at you who dishonor the creator of all.

¹¹ For if you escape punishment by the body's death, how will you be able to escape punishment for your soul, which is immortal, through destruction? The soul is immortal even for the wicked, and it would be better for them if it were not immortal. Punished by unquenchable fire with endless torment, and not dying, it cannot find an end to its suffering. But maybe one of you will say, "You scare us, Peter." Then teach us how to speak quietly about things as they really are, for otherwise we cannot explain them to you. If we stay silent, you are trapped by evil because of ignorance; if we speak, you suspect us, fearing we speak falsely. So how can we calm the evil inside you that secretly and cleverly sows suspicions against God, using friendship with God as an excuse? Make peace with yourselves, for turning to him with kindness is done for your salvation. What is the hatred toward God in you but an unreasonable desire? For suspicion of understanding holds power over ignorance.

¹² Some say, "God does not care about us." But this is not true. If he really didn't care, he wouldn't let the sun rise on both the good and the bad, nor send rain on the just and the unjust. Others say, "We are more pious because we honor both him and the statues." I don't think that if someone said this to a king, the king would reply, "I give you the same honor as to the dead or to a pile of dung." I don't think he would be pleased. But someone might ask, "Do you really call our sacred things dung?" Yes, I do. You have made them useless by treating them as objects of worship, perhaps turning their true nature into something else—into dung that might be useful. But now they are not even useful for that, since you have changed them and worship them. How can you say you are more pious when you are actually the most impious of all, owing the destruction of your soul to this one great and unmatched sin? Just as if a son, greatly helped by his father, gives the honor owed to his father to someone else who is not his father, he truly becomes disinherited; but if he lives according to his father's wishes and is thankful for his kindness, he rightly becomes an heir.

¹³ Others say, "We will be impious if we stop honoring the worship passed down to us from our fathers. For it is like keeping a trust." But by this logic, even if a thief or a wicked man is your father, shouldn't the son wisely choose what is better so he doesn't become impious? How foolish are those who say, "We worship these things so we don't anger God." As if God gets angry when praised, but not when blasphemed with thanks! So why is it that whenever it's time for rain, you look up to the sky and offer prayers and requests? And when you get what you want, you soon forget? After cutting or gathering, you immediately give the first fruits to idols that are nothing, quickly forgetting the God who helped you. And this goes on forever. When you go to the temples to offer sacrifices, you feast. Because of this, some of you say these things were made for comfort and the joy of feasting—and that is a good idea.

¹⁴ Oh, foolish ones! You think you are wise judges of what is said. If it were right to give yourself to the body's pleasure with some kind of feast, then better is the one by rivers, woods, and groves—where there are banquets, parties, and shady places—than where there is madness caused by demons, cutting of hands, cutting of private parts, wild frenzy, madness, hair pulling, knots, being filled with spirits, loud cries, and all those things done with acting to scare the foolish. Why would you bring your prayers and thanks to the dead who are even deadlier than the dead?

¹⁵ And why do you do these things with joy? Because the snake living inside you will not say to you, who planted in you this fruitless desire, "I will remind you." Here is how it is: from the worship of God comes the teaching to be sober, sensible, to control anger, not to take what belongs to others, to live justly, kindly, steadily, and gently, to punish yourself more in times of need than to be filled unjustly by taking what belongs to another. But with the so-called gods, the opposite happens. Some of you even command madness as if it were justice. And even if you follow all their commands, one ignorance of God is enough for your punishment. When you gather in the places you have made for yourselves, you happily get drunk and light altars. The smoke from these altars wanders and leads blind and deaf spirits by its power to their place of smell. There, some are filled with possession, others with strange foods; some turn to lust, others to theft and murder. The smell of blood and the pouring of wine there also satisfy the unclean spirits, who secretly enjoy having you do these things, and through dreams and false visions surround you, punishing you with countless sufferings. Under the pretense of so-called sacred sacrifices, you are filled with harsh demons who wisely kill you in secret so you do not understand their plot against you. By some influence, need, love, anger, grief, hanging, drowning, throwing yourself from a cliff, suicide, stroke, or other suffering, they take your life away.

¹⁶ None of us can suffer such a thing, but they are punished by us whenever they enter somewhere, slowly leave, and call us. But someone might say, "Maybe some who fear the gods fall into such sufferings." I say that is impossible. For the one who truly fears the gods is not just the one who is called pious, but the one who truly follows the law given to him. If someone is impious, he is not pious. Just as if a foreigner follows the law, he is considered a Jew, but if not, he is a Greek. The Jew, believing in God, follows the law, and through that faith even changes other things that are like mountains and heavy sufferings. But the one who does not follow the law clearly shows that he deserts God by not believing. So, not being a Jew, the sinner is overcome by the passions set to punish sinners. By the will of God, set as the first rule, punishment rightly follows those who honor him for the sake of their sins. This happens so that, as a debt demanded through suffering, those who return may be made clean in the judgment of all things. Just as for the wicked, the pleasure here becomes harm to eternal goods, so punishments are sent to the Jews who fall into sin for correction. By enjoying the sin here, they may be freed from eternal punishment there.

¹⁷ But you are not able to say these things, because you do not believe that those things exist as we say, where everyone gets what they deserve. Because of this, not knowing what is truly good for you, you wait in vain for eternal things while chasing after temporary pleasures. So we try to show you proof of what is good for you, so that, once you learn about the promises of godliness through good actions, you may be able to inherit with us the trouble-free age. For now, since you know us, do not be angry with us as if we were lying about the good things we want for you. The things we believe to be true and good, we have not been jealous to share with you. On the contrary, we have been eager to make you joint heirs of the good things we have understood. This is how one must speak to unbelievers. And that we truly speak the truth about what we say, you will not be able to know in any other way unless you first listen with a love of truth.

¹⁸ So for now, even if the many evil thoughts and troubles that the snake living inside you tries to sneak in, you should instead, loving to argue with it, keep listening to us without stopping. When you come together, you need to know how to calm those who are very deceived. Otherwise, it is impossible. By calming, I mean to fight against the bad plans of those thoughts.

¹⁹ So the prophet of truth, knowing that the world was deeply lost and full of evil, did not welcome the peace that came to him, seeing that it came from error. For in the end, it brings ruin to all who agree in evil. Instead of error, he gave to those who were awake something like fire thrown against the anger of the one lying in wait, which was like a sword. By offering reason, he destroys ignorance with knowledge, like cutting and separating the living from the dead. So when evil was defeated by true knowledge, the conflict ended everything. For the son, for the sake of salvation, separated from the disobedient father; the father from the child; the mother from the daughter; the daughter from the mother; and once close relatives and friends stopped being close.

²⁰ And let no one say, "How is it fair for parents to be separated from their children, or children from their parents?" It is fair, and very much so. For if, being together, they only harmed each other and were destroyed together, how could it be unfair for the one who wants to be saved to be separated from the one who does not want it, and for the one who wants to be lost to be separated? Besides, even those who understood better did not want to be separated; they wanted to be together and help others by the guidance of the wiser ones. But since the disobedient did not want to listen, they fought against themselves—separating, chasing, and hating. Those who suffered these things, feeling sorry for themselves as if trapped by ignorance, prayed for the teaching of wisdom on behalf of those harming themselves, having learned that ignorance was the cause of sin. The teacher himself, fixed in place, prayed to the father for those who were killing him, saying, "Father, forgive them their sins, for they do not know what they are doing." Becoming imitators of the teacher, they too prayed for those harming themselves, just as they were taught. So they did not separate from their parents in hate, but even for those who were no longer parents or relatives, having become enemies, they kept praying constantly and tried to love them as they were commanded.

²¹ But tell me, how do you love your parents? If you always think it is right, I agree. But if you love them just by chance, then no longer. For you can even become enemies over a small excuse. But if you love them with understanding, tell us, what are parents? You might say: leaders of the family. So why did you not love the whole family, if you claim to do this with a right mind? Yet even now you say, "We have not seen him." So why do you flatter the senseless without searching? What then? Even if it was hard for you to know what God is, you could not fail to know what is not God, so that you would realize God is not wood, not stone, not bronze, nor anything else made from perishable matter.

²² Were they not shaped by iron? And the iron that shaped them was softened by fire, and the fire itself is put out by water. But water does not move by wind, and the wind's movement comes from God, who made all things. For the prophet Moses said: "In the beginning, God made the heaven and the earth. The earth was invisible and unformed, and darkness was over the abyss. And the spirit of God moved over the water." This means that God's spirit, like his hand, creates all things, separating light from darkness. After the invisible heaven, he spread out the visible one, so that the upper parts might be home to the angels of light, and the lower parts, along with all things made through him, be governed by humans.

²³ Because of you, God ordered the water on the face of the earth to move back, so the earth could bring you fruits. He made openings so springs and river streams could appear for you, and animals be born. I say this all together so everything could be ready for you. Is it not because of you that winds come to bring fruit, rains fall, and seasons happen? Surely the sun and moon, along with the other stars, carry out their risings and settings because of you. Rivers and lakes, along with the seas, serve you. Therefore, to you, the unfeeling one, the greater honor was given. But to the ungrateful one, the greater punishment by fire was prepared, because you did not want to know the one you should have known above all.

²⁴ And now, learn from the weaker things the cause of everything. Understand that water makes all things, water gets its life from the movement of the spirit, and the spirit comes from the God of all. You should think this way so that, by reason, you can come to know God. Then you will understand your own kind, and by being born again through water from the first-born, you will become an heir of the parents who gave you birth for immortality.

²⁵ So come ready, like a son to his father, so that God may count ignorance as the cause of your sins. But if, even after being called, you refuse or delay, you will be lost by God's just judgment—because you did not want to want. And don't think that even if you become more pious than all the pious people who ever lived, but remain unbaptized, you will ever have hope. In fact, you will face even greater punishment, because you did not do good works properly. Good deeds are truly good only when done as God commanded. But if you refuse to be baptized as he decided, you serve your own will and make yourself an enemy of his plan.

²⁶ But maybe someone will ask, "What does being baptized with water have to do with piety?" First, it is because you are doing what pleases God. Second, by being born again through water to God, out of fear, you change the first birth you had from desire, and so you can receive salvation; otherwise, it is impossible. The prophet declared to us, saying, "Truly I tell you, unless you are born again of living water, in the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." So come near. There is something there—a merciful first fruit added to the water—that saves those being baptized by the thrice-blessed name and protects them from coming punishment, like gifts offered to God, as if good works come from their baptism. So turn to the water, for only it can put out the power of fire. The one who still refuses to come near carries the spirit of madness, because of this he does not want to come to living water for his own salvation.

²⁷ So come, whether you are just or unjust. If you are just, the only thing missing for your salvation is to be baptized, so your sins done in ignorance can be forgiven. But if you are unjust, the good work of baptism is left out because of your impiety. So, whether you are just or unjust, hurry to be born again to God. Delay is dangerous because no one knows the time of death. Those born from water to the Father show their likeness through good works. As someone who loves truth, honor the true God as your father. It honors him when you live as he, being just, wants. The will of the just is not to do wrong. Wrongdoing includes killing, committing adultery, hating, cheating, and things like these—and there are many kinds of these sins.

²⁸ But besides these, there is something else you must do, which doesn't concern other people but belongs to your private worship of God. I mean purity—don't share uncleanness even with your own spouse—because this is what God's law commands. What if purity didn't even belong to the worship of God? You would roll around happily like dung beetles. So, as humans who have something more than animals—the ability to think—cleanse your heart from evil with your thoughts, and wash your body with a bath. True purity is not that the body's cleanliness comes before the heart's cleansing, but that purity follows goodness. Our teacher even rebuked some of the Pharisees and scribes among you, who are set apart and know the laws better than others as their experts, yet he called them hypocrites because they only kept clean what people could see, while they ignored the purity of the heart, which only God can see.

²⁹ So he spoke clearly, telling the truth to the hypocrites among them, not to everyone. Some listened because they trusted Moses' teaching. But to the hypocrites he said, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of dirt. Blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and the plate, so the outside will also be clean." And truly, when the mind is enlightened by knowledge, the learner can be good, and it is their responsibility to become pure. For good care of the outside body comes from the inner thoughts. Just as care cannot come from a numb body, so a pure person can make both the outside and inside clean. But the one who cleans only the outside does it to gain praise from people, and he receives no praise from God, who sees everything.

³⁰ Why doesn't it seem better for a woman, who is a woman, not to come together with others, but instead to be made pure and baptized? And even after coming together, she must still be baptized. If you hesitate to do this, remember how you chase after parts of purity when you worship senseless idols. Be ashamed that here, where you should have received not just some but all of purity, you become lazy. So understand the one who made you there, and think about who is causing you to hesitate toward purity.

³¹ But someone among you might say, "So should we do the things we do among idols?" I tell you, not everything, but only what you do well—and even more so here. For whatever is done well in error depends on the truth, just as if something were done badly in the truth, it comes from error. So take back what is truly yours from everywhere, not what belongs to others, and don't say, "If those who are mistaken do something good, we don't have to do it." By that logic, if someone worships idols without killing, we must kill—because the one who is mistaken does not kill.

³² Not at all—in fact, even more: if those who are mistaken do not kill, we should not be angry; if those who are mistaken do not commit adultery, we should not even think about it; if those who are mistaken love those they love, we should love even those who hate us; if those who are mistaken lend to those who have, we should lend even to those who do not have. Simply put, we who hope to inherit eternal life must do better than those who only know the present, and do better than the good things they do, knowing that if their works are judged equal to ours on the day of judgment because of their kindness, we will be ashamed, but they, through error, will be lost doing what is their own. I said we should be ashamed because we have not done more than them, even though we know more. If it is shameful to show them equal kindness and not more, how much more shameful is it if we show less kindness than they do?

³³ Our truthful teacher himself taught us that on the day of judgment, the good deeds of those who are mistaken will be counted equal to the deeds of those who know the truth. He said to those who neglect: "The queen of the south will rise with this generation and judge it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and look, here is someone greater than Solomon, and yet you do not believe." And to those among the people who refuse to repent at his preaching, he said: "The men of Nineveh will rise with this generation and judge it, because they heard and repented at the preaching of Jonah; and look, here is someone greater, and no one believes."

So, by comparing their godlessness with the good done by those among the nations, for the judgment of those who fear God, he warns us not only to do as well as the nations do good, but to do even more. This teaching encourages me, giving a reason to keep purity and to be baptized apart from fellowship, not to reject such purity even if those who are mistaken practice it. For those who do good in error are judged alongside those who do not receive salvation; the honor of their purity comes from error, not from worship of the true Father and God of all.

³⁴ After saying this, he sent the crowds away and quietly, having shared with his closest friends, he rested. In this way, as he acted and spoke, he always offered clear proofs based on what is certain from God's law, challenging those who believed in the supposed generation, and showing that the world is not random, but is carefully governed.

³⁵ When three months had passed, he told me to fast for a few days, then led me to the springs near the sea and baptized me with water as if into eternal life. After our brothers celebrated my God-given rebirth, a few days later, returning to the elders over the whole church, he gave this command: Our Lord and prophet who sent us said that the evil one, after talking with him for forty days and failing to harm him, promised to send false apostles from his own followers to deceive others.

So, first remember any apostle, teacher, or prophet who does not first compare their preaching to that of James, the brother of my Lord, trusted in Jerusalem to lead the church of the Hebrews, and who came to you with witnesses. This is to protect you from the evil one, who, after speaking to the Lord for forty days and failing to succeed, might later send a messenger like lightning falling from heaven to earth to harm you. Just as he sent Simon before us, pretending to speak the truth in the name of your Lord but spreading error, he deceives.

For this reason, the one who sent us said: Many will come to me dressed as sheep, but inside they are wolves who grab what belongs to others. Watch out for them.

³⁶ After saying these things, he sent the forerunners to Antioch in Syria, telling them to stay there the next day. Among those who went, Peter healed many people who believed—driving out diseases, sufferings, and demons—and baptized them at the springs near the sea. After giving thanks, he made Maroon, who had welcomed him and was now fully mature, a bishop. He appointed twelve elders, appointed deacons, and organized care for widows. He spoke about order for the good and benefit of the church and advised everyone to obey Bishop Maroon.

After three months had passed, he said goodbye to those in Tripoli of Phoenicia and set out on the road to Antioch in Syria.

Chapter 12

After leaving Tripoli in Phoenicia, as we were heading to Antioch in Syria, we stayed that day in Orthosia. Since it was near the city we had just left, and almost everyone there had heard the preaching, we stayed one day and then went on to Antaradus. Because many were traveling with us, Peter spoke to Niketas and Aquila, saying, "A large crowd traveling with us is causing quite a bit of jealousy in the city. I thought it was necessary to make sure that neither they get upset by being stopped from joining us, nor that we become targets of envy and trouble. For this reason, I want you, Niketas and Aquila, to go ahead of me in two separate groups, learning about the cities of the nations as you enter them."

² I know you feel discouraged hearing this, because I will be away from you for not even two full days. But I want you to know that we who convinced you love you many times more than you love us, if indeed you do love us who convinced you. So, loving one another, let's be careful not to act carelessly about safety, as much as it depends on us. Also, you won't be without me for even one day while I am talking with others. I have chosen to stay and talk for several days in the more important cities of the provinces, as you know.

Now, go ahead to Laodicea, which is closer to us, and after two or three days, as I decide, I will meet you there. At the city gates, only you should welcome me because of the rumors, so that we can enter quietly together. From there, after staying a few days, others will go ahead of you to the next places in turn, preparing guest rooms.

³ When Peter said these things, they felt they had to agree and said, "Lord, it doesn't really upset us to do this, since you have commanded it. First, because you were chosen by God's care to be worthy of wise thought and advice. Also, because we must leave you and go ahead for about two days. Many of us are sad not to see you, Peter, our leader, but we think those who go far ahead will be even sadder. They have to wait for you in each city and feel weak because they can't see your much-desired face. We are no less discouraged than they are, but since you order it, we won't argue because it is for the good.

After saying this, they went ahead, following the plan to talk with the traveling crowd at the first inn. Then, going ahead in separate groups, they entered the cities."

⁴ After they had gone, I, Clemens, was very glad because he had ordered me to stay with him. I replied, "I thank God that you did not send me away like the others, since I would have cried out in pain." But he said, "What then? Even if you need to be sent somewhere for teaching, will you die just because you will be away from me for a short time, and rightly so? Isn't it better to accept what is commanded for you out of necessity and to endure it willingly? Don't you know that friends stay close in memory, even when they are apart in body? For some, being together in body causes forgetfulness, and their souls drift away from their friends."

⁵ And I answered, "So don't think, lord, that I was going to suffer pain foolishly, but with a very clear and proper thought. For since I have you, my lord, instead of all—father, mother, brothers, and relatives—who have become responsible to me because of God who saves the truth, having you instead of all is my greatest comfort.

Besides, fearing my natural desires as a young man, I was anxious that if I were left by you, I would have doubts, as if it would be impossible not to be separated from you because of some anger from God, and my desire would be weaker. But since it is much better and safer to be with you—the one my mind has rightly chosen to respect—I always wish to be with you.

I also remember you saying in Caesarea: 'If anyone wants to accompany me, let him do so piously.' And by piously, you meant not to cause grief to anyone according to God, like leaving parents, a like-minded wife, or others devoted to godliness.

So, I am in every way a suitable companion for you, and even if you grant me the greatest things, you still allow me to serve you as a servant."

⁶ When Peter heard this, he laughed and said, "So, Clemens, do you think that this very need makes you my servant? Who else will take care of my fine linen clothes, the rings, and sandals that I wear? Who will prepare the sweet and rich foods that need many skilled cooks? All those things that soft men prepare for a great beast driven by every kind of greed?

But maybe this thought came to you without knowing my way of life—that I live only on bread and olives, and sometimes vegetables. I have just one cloak and coat that I wear, and I don't need anything else. I have more than enough with these things. My mind sees all the eternal good things and doesn't care about the things here.

Still, I accept your good will and admire how a man who once lived in luxury has easily made his life simple and focused on what is necessary.

You know, Andrew and I, my blood brother and brother in God, were orphans from childhood. We grew up poor and used to hard work, so now we easily carry our travel bags.

So if you listen to me, you'll agree with me, a working man, and you'll take on the duties of a servant for me."

⁷ But when I heard this, I became frightened and tearful. Such words were spoken by a man whom all the people of this generation fall short of in knowledge and piety. Seeing me tearful, Peter asked why. I said, "What wrong did I do for you to say such a thing to me?"

Peter answered, "If I spoke wrongly about serving you, you were the first to sin by deserving this from me."

I replied, "That is not the same. It is very fitting for me to do this, but for you—the preacher of God who saves our souls—it is hard for me to serve you."

Peter said, "I would agree with you, since our lord, who came to save the whole world, being noble above all, endured slavery to show us not to be ashamed to serve our brothers as servants, even if we are very noble."

I said, "If I think I have won you over by argument, I am foolish. But I thank God's care that I was made worthy to have you in the place of parents."

⁸ Peter asked, "Is there truly no one left in your family?"

I answered, "There are many great men who are part of Caesar's family. Caesar himself gave my father a wife who was a relative, and from her, three sons were born—two before me. They were twins and looked very much alike, as my father told me.

But I don't really know them or my mother well. It's like I only have a faint memory of them, as if from a dream. My mother's name was Matidia, and my father's was Austus. My brothers were named Faustinus and Faustinianus.

When I, the third son, was born, my mother had a dream, as my father explained, that if she didn't take her twin sons with her when she left the city of Rome to travel for ten years, they would both die a terrible death."

⁹ My father, who loved his children, made sure to provide well for the slaves and slave women. Then he boarded a ship to Athens and sent them there to be educated. But he kept only me, his son, with him for comfort. I am very thankful for this, because the dream did not tell me to leave the city of Rome with my mother.

After a year had passed, my father sent money to Athens for his family and to find out how they were doing. But those who went never came back. In the third year, my father, feeling discouraged, sent others with supplies in the same way. They arrived in the fourth year and reported that they had neither seen my mother or brothers nor found any trace of them living in Athens or anywhere else with those who had gone with them.

¹⁰ When my father heard this, he was stunned with great grief. Not knowing where to begin looking for them, he took me and went down to Porto. There, he asked many people carefully if anyone had seen or heard about the shipwreck that happened four years ago. Different people said different things. He asked if anyone had seen the body of a woman with babies washed ashore. Many said they had seen bodies in many places.

Hearing this, my father sighed deeply. Troubled in his heart, he asked, almost foolishly, how it was possible to search such a vast sea. But he could be forgiven, because he was holding on to empty hopes about those he was searching for.

Finally, after making me his guardian and leaving me in Rome at twelve years old, he himself, weeping, went down to Porto, got on a ship, and set out to search. Since then, up to this day, I have received no letters from him, nor do I know for sure if he is alive or dead. I suspect that he has died, either overcome by grief or lost in a shipwreck. A sign of this is that now it has been twenty years since then, and I have heard no true news about him.

¹¹ When Peter heard this, he cried with sympathy. Then he said to those true believers present, "If anyone has suffered like this out of respect for God, as this man's father did, they quickly blame the cause on their respect for God, calling it evil. This is what happens to troubled nations, and we who respect God don't understand why. I said rightly that they are troubled, because here they are trapped and don't receive the hope from beyond. Those who suffer out of respect for God endure painful things as a result of their mistakes."

¹² When Peter said these things, one of us, bold enough to speak for everyone, asked him to sail early the next morning to Arad, the island across the way, about thirty stadia away, as I recall. According to the story, there were two very thick vine poles there. The obedient Peter agreed and said, "When you get off the ship, don't all go in at once to look around as you wish. I don't want the citizens' land to be trampled by us." So, sailing with the tide at the right time, we landed on the island. After getting off the boat, we went to where the vine poles stood, and each of us looked at different works of Pheidias nearby.

¹³ But Peter alone did not think it was foolish to ask about the story there. Seeing a woman sitting outside the doors and begging for food, he looked closely and said, "Woman, what is wrong with your limbs that you have accepted such great suffering? I mean, why do you beg instead of working with the hands God gave you to get your daily food?" She sighed and answered, "I wish I had hands that could help me! Now I only have the shape of hands—dead ones, tormented by my bites." Then Peter asked, "What is the cause of your suffering like this?" She answered, "Weakness of the soul and nothing more. For if I had a brave spirit, it wouldn't matter if I threw myself off a cliff or into the deep sea to end my pain."

¹⁴ And Peter said, "So, woman, do you think that those who kill themselves always escape punishment? Or do you believe that the souls of those who die this way are not punished by an even worse punishment in Hades?" She said, "I wish I were convinced of that. If souls truly live in Hades, I would choose to die, ignoring the punishment, just so I could see my loved ones even for one hour." Then Peter said, "What is it that troubles you? I want to understand. If you teach me, I will repay you with this favor: I will show you that souls do live in Hades, and instead of throwing yourself off a cliff or into the deep sea, I will give you a remedy so you can change your life without suffering."

¹⁵ The woman, not fully understanding the doubtful words but pleased by the promise, began to speak like this: "To tell you about my family and homeland, I don't think I could ever convince anyone. But what difference does it make to you to know this, except for the reason why, suffering, I crippled my hands with bites? As for myself, I will tell you as much as I can. I was born very noble, and by the order of a ruler, I became the wife of a man from his family. After having twins, I had another son. But my husband's brother, who was mad, fell in love with me—the poor woman who loved to be very sensible. Wanting neither to be with the lover nor to tell my husband about his brother's love for me, I thought this way: so I would neither defile myself by adultery, nor dishonor my husband's bed, nor make the brothers enemies, nor bring great shame on the whole family, I decided to leave the city with my twin children for a time, until the foul love of the one flattering me in my disgrace would stop. But I left my other son with my father for comfort."

¹⁶ But so that these things would happen, I planned to make a dream. It was as if one night someone came to me and said, "Woman, leave the city with your twin children for a time, until I tell you to come back here. For you and all your children will suddenly die badly." So I did this. When I lied about the dream to my husband, he became very afraid and sent me with my two sons, servants, maidservants, and much money by ship to Athens, to educate the boys. He said I should stay there until the one who paid would send me back to him. So, the poor woman sailing with her children, thrown by the wild winds into these places, after the ship broke up at night, fell into a shipwreck. When everyone died, I alone, unlucky, was struck by a strong wave and thrown onto rocks. Sitting there, miserable, I did not throw myself into the deep sea, hoping to find my child alive. But then, when my soul was overwhelmed and held by the waves, I could have done it easily.

¹⁷ But when morning came, I cried out loudly and wailed sadly as I looked around, searching for the dead bodies of my poor babies. The locals, feeling sorry for me and seeing me naked, dressed me for the first time while I was still diving into the sea, looking for my children. Since I found nothing of what I was searching for, some kind women came near to comfort me. Each told her own troubles so I might find comfort in shared misfortune, but this only made me feel sadder. I thought I was not so unlucky as to find comfort in the misfortunes of others. Then, when many wanted to take me in as a guest, one poor woman, much forced, made me come to her tent. She said to me, "Be brave, woman, for my husband, a sailor, died at sea when he was young. Since then, when many asked me to marry, I chose to be a widow, longing for my husband. We will have things in common that both of us can provide with our own hands."

¹⁸ And so I won't keep you with unnecessary words, I lived with her out of love. Soon after, my hands—the poor woman's hands—swelled from the bites, and the woman who took me in, overcome by some illness, collapsed in the house. When the pity of the older women faded, and both she and I became sick, as you see, I sit here begging. Whatever I can get, I bring to the suffering woman for food. Let my own troubles be enough for now. So, you are stopping from keeping your promise to give the medicine, so that I may die as she wishes—and so I might be able to change from living, as you said.

¹⁹ When the woman said these things, Peter seemed uncertain, lost in many thoughts. I came closer and said, "I have been looking for you for a long time. So, what do we do now?" Peter told me to stay on the boat while he went ahead. Since I could not refuse his order, I did as he said. Later, Peter told me that, with some suspicion and his heart trembling, he asked the woman, "Tell me, woman, your family, your city, and the names of your children, and I will give you the medicine." But the woman, suffering greatly and unwilling to speak, though wanting to take the medicine, tricked him by saying different things instead of the truth. She said she was from Ephesus, her husband was Sicilian, and she changed the names of her three children. Thinking she was telling the truth, Peter said, "Oh woman, I thought today would be a day of great joy, but I suspected you were someone I knew well, whose story I know exactly." The woman swore, saying, "I beg you, tell me, so I may know if there is any woman more miserable than me."

²⁰ Peter, not knowing she was lying and feeling sorry for her so she would tell the truth, began to tell me about a young man who was with him. This young man, a Roman citizen who cared about godliness, told me how he had a father and two twin brothers but had not seen any of them. He said that the mother, as the father had told me, had a dream in which she saw the city of the Romans during the time of her twin children. To avoid a bad fate, she left with the children but was never found. The husband, the father himself, and the young man himself could not be found after searching.

²¹ When Peter said these things, the woman suddenly stopped breathing as if she was shocked. Peter came closer, held her to keep her awake, and urged her to admit what she was suffering from. But she, as if drunk, let go of the rest of her body, turned away, trying to hold on to the hope of joy, and rubbed her face. "Where is this young man?" she asked. Peter, now understanding the whole situation, said, "Tell me first, because you won't see him otherwise." She quickly said, "I am the mother of the young man." Peter asked, "What is his name?" She said, "Clemens." Peter said, "That is him, and he was the one who spoke to me a little while ago, whom I told to wait for me on the boat." She fell down before Peter and begged him to hurry to the boat. Peter said, "If you keep the promises you make to me, I will do this." She said, "I will do everything, just show me my only child. For through him, I hope to see my two children who died here." Peter said, "When you see him, stay calm until we get off the island." She said, "I will do that."

²² Taking her hand, Peter helped her up to the boat. I saw him leading the woman and laughed. Then I came closer and, to honor him, tried to lead her instead. At the same time, when she touched my hand, she cried out loudly like a mother in great distress and kissed me because of her son. Not knowing the whole situation, I shook her off as if she were mad, and feeling ashamed, I looked at Peter with disapproval.

²³ But Peter said, "Stop, Clemens, what are you doing, shaking off your true mother?" When I heard this, I became tearful and, falling down before the mother, kissed her. At the same time, as this was said, I vaguely remembered her face. Many people gathered to ask about the woman who was asking, telling each other that her son, a worthy man, had recognized her. When we wanted to leave the island with her and her mother, the mother said, "It is right to refuse the woman who took me in, since I long for my child. She is poor and has been thrown out of the whole house." Peter, hearing this, was amazed, and all the people around admired the good spirit of the woman. Immediately, Peter ordered some to go and bring the woman on a bed. When the bed was brought and placed, with all the crowd listening, Peter said, "If I truly preach the truth, for the faith of those here, so they may know that there is one God who made the world, let her rise healthy from here." As Peter said this, the woman rose healed, fell before Peter, and after kissing her usual friend, asked what had happened. She then quickly told her the whole story of the recognition, and those who heard were amazed. Then the mother, having told the story of the healed guest, begged to be healed too. Peter laid his hand on her and healed her as well.

²⁴ Then Peter spoke about God and the faith that is different from his own. At the end, he added that if anyone wants to learn these things carefully, they should come to Antioch, where I had decided to wait for many days, and learn what is needed for their own salvation. For surely, if you know how to leave your country for trade or war and travel to far places, you would not hesitate to travel even three days' journey for eternal salvation. After Peter's speech, I gave the healed woman a thousand drachmas for food, in front of the whole crowd, and placed her with a good man, the leading citizen of the city, who was naturally happy to help. I also gave money to many others, thanking those who had comforted the mother. Then I sailed to Antaradus with the mother, Peter, and the other companions, and so we set out for the guesthouse.

²⁵ After we had eaten and given thanks as usual, while there was still time, I said to Peter, "My mother did a kind deed, Peter, remembering the woman who took her in." Peter replied, "Truly, Clemens, you say your mother did a real act of kindness, because she repaid the woman who took her in after the shipwreck. Or did you say this just to honor her, like giving great thanks to a mother? But if you said it as truth, then it seems to me you don't understand what true kindness is. True kindness is without any natural obligation, like the love a parent has, because a person is a person. Yet I still don't dare to call your mother kind to the woman who took her in after the shipwreck. She was moved by pity and became a faithful helper to a woman who had fallen into shipwreck, mourning her children, a stranger, poor, alone, and deeply grieving her troubles. With so many troubles, who wouldn't feel pity, even if they were unkind? So the woman who took her in doesn't yet seem to have done an act of kindness, but was moved by pity to help. How much more then your mother, who was wealthy and took in a guest, did not do an act of kindness, but an act of friendship? There is a big difference between friendship and kindness. Friendship happens in return, but kindness, without any natural obligation, loves and helps every person just because they are human. If the woman who took her in helped even enemies who had wronged her, she would be kind. But if she helped a friend or enemy because of friendship or enmity, then she is a friend or enemy for some reason, not simply because she is human."

²⁶ I answered, "So you don't think the woman who took in a stranger she didn't know did an act of kindness?" Peter said, "I know she was merciful, but I don't dare to call her kind—just like I don't call your mother loving to her children. Love comes from pain and care. Just as a lover is pleased by habit and closeness, and a friend by return, so the merciful is moved by trouble. But the merciful is close to being kind because they help without expecting anything in return. Still, they are not yet truly kind." I asked, "Then what kind of actions make someone kind?" Peter replied, "Since I see you eager to hear what an act of kindness is, I won't hesitate to tell you. A kind person is one who helps even enemies. Listen carefully: kindness has two parts, female and male. The female part is called mercy, and the male part is love toward your neighbor. And your neighbor is every person, not just one person. For even the bad, the good, the enemy, and the friend are all human. So the one who practices kindness must imitate God, helping both the just and the unjust, just as God himself gives the sun and rain to all in this world. But if you want to help only the good and not the bad, or even punish them, you are acting like a judge, not truly showing kindness."

²⁷ I said, "So then, since God will judge one day, as you teach us, is he not kind?" Peter replied, "You say the opposite. Because he judges, that is why he is kind. For loving and showing mercy to those who are wronged, he punishes those who do wrong." I asked, "So if I help the good but punish those who wrong others, as humans do, am I kind?" Peter answered, "If you had the power to know everything beforehand and the authority to judge, then you would be acting rightly. Because of having authority, you would condemn those whom God made, and because of foreknowledge, you would judge without error, declaring some just and others unjust." I said, "You speak rightly and truly, for it is impossible to judge rightly without some foreknowledge. Sometimes people seem good but secretly do wrong, and some good people are thought bad because of lies from enemies. But even if someone has the power to torture and question, it would still not be possible for them to judge completely fairly. For some murderers, after suffering torture, were freed as innocent, while others, though innocent, did not endure torture and denied themselves, and were punished as guilty."

²⁸ Peter said, "What you said is partly true, but listen to the more important point. Some people do wrong or do good, and what they do now is partly their own and partly from others. It is right for each person to be punished for their own wrongs or rewarded for their own good deeds. But it is impossible for anyone except a prophet, who has foreknowledge, to know what comes from someone else and what is truly their own. For a prophet sees everything clearly. I said, 'I want to learn how to tell which wrongs or good deeds are truly their own and which come from others.'"

²⁹ Peter answered, "The prophet speaks the truth: good things must come, and blessed is the one through whom they come; likewise, bad things must come, but woe to the one through whom they come. If bad things come through bad people, and good things come through good people, each person must watch over their own actions, whether good or bad, and what they have done. The second things—good or bad—that are truly their own by choice are managed through God's care. So the judgment belongs to God, like in a contest where the one who has gone through every hardship and is found blameless is judged worthy of eternal life. Those who have grown in good will on their own but remain in hardship by their own choice are tested—being persecuted, hated, insulted, plotted against, beaten, envied, slandered, forced, and oppressed, suffering all these things. Because of this, it is reasonable to feel anger and to defend oneself."

³⁰ The teacher, knowing that those who do these wrongs are already condemned because of earlier sins, and that through the condemned the spirit of evil works these things, advised showing pity to people, since they are human and become tools of evil through their sins. He said to show kindness as much as possible to those who do wrong and to free them from their condemnation, so that, just like sober people help those who are drunk with prayers, fasting, and blessings—without resisting or fighting back—they do not cause them to sin even more. It is not reasonable for someone who is certainly judged to suffer to be angry at the one through whom the suffering happens, thinking that even if that one did not mistreat him, the suffering would still happen because of another. So why be angry at the one who causes it, when I am certainly judged to suffer? But still, if we make the same excuses to bad people for defending ourselves, then after the first time, the second time the good people do the same to the bad. And as I said, it is not right to be angry, knowing that by God's care the bad punish the good. Those who are angry at the punishers sin by insulting God's apostles, but by honoring even those who seem to do wrong, and giving them over to God who planned it this way, they show true respect.

³¹ And I answered to this: So, those who do wrong are not truly guilty, because by God's judgment they wrong the righteous. And Peter said, "Yes, they do sin greatly, for they have given themselves over to sin. Therefore, knowing all things, God chooses to punish those who have repented of earlier sins justly, so that through this punishment, the evils done before repentance may be forgiven for the righteous. But for those who punish—who are impious, wish to harm, and refuse to repent to make up for their own punishment—it is allowed to harm the righteous. For without God's will, not even a sparrow falls into a trap. In this way, even the hairs of the righteous are all counted by God."

³² A just person is someone who fights against what is natural to them. Since it is natural for everyone to love those who love them, a just person tries to love even their enemies, bless those who insult them, pray for their enemies, and feel pity for those who do wrong. Because of this, they avoid taking revenge first, bless those who curse them, forgive those who hit them, give way to those who chase them, greet those who do not greet them, share with those who have nothing, calm down when angry, make peace with enemies, encourage the disobedient, teach the unbelieving, comfort the grieving, endure being hurt, and do not get angry when not thanked. Since they have given themselves to love their neighbor as themselves, they do not fear poverty but share what they have with those who have nothing, becoming poor themselves. But they do not punish those who sin. For the one who loves their neighbor as themselves, knowing they have sinned and do not want to be punished, also does not punish those who sin. And just as they want to be flattered, blessed, honored, and have all their sins forgiven, they do the same for their neighbor, loving them as themselves. In short, what they want for themselves, they want for their neighbor. This is God's law and the teaching of the prophets—the teaching of truth. This love toward all people is the perfect male part of kindness, while pity is its female part. Pity means feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, visiting the sick, welcoming strangers, helping those in prison as much as possible, and simply showing mercy to those in trouble.

³³ But when I heard this, I said, "It is possible to do these things—to do good to enemies and to endure all their insults—but I don't think it is possible by human nature alone." And Peter answered, "You spoke rightly, for kindness is the cause of immortality and is highly valued." I then asked, "So how is it possible to understand this?" Peter replied, "This, dear friend Clement, is possible if someone is fully convinced that enemies who harm those they hate for a time actually become the cause of their release from eternal punishment; moreover, they will love those enemies very much as benefactors. The way to understand this, dear friend Clement, is one: the fear of God. For the one who fears God cannot at first love their neighbor as themselves; they don't come to this by their own will. But with the fear of God, they are able to do what love requires, and then, having done these acts of love, love itself is offered as a bride to fear as a bridegroom. In this way, by producing kind thoughts, it gives immortality to the one who has it, like an image of God, whose nature cannot be destroyed by decay." After Peter explained this teaching of kindness to us, evening came, and we went to sleep.

Chapter 13

When morning came, Peter said, "Let Clement sit with his mother Mattidia and my wife together in the carriage." And so it happened. As we set out on the road to Balanias, my mother asked me how my father was doing. I said, "He went out to look for you and my twin brothers, Faustinus and Faustina. I think he must have died—either by shipwreck, or fallen on the road, or withered away from grief." When she heard this, she became tearful and sighed in sorrow, but she was glad to find some comfort in my words. So we arrived at Balanias. The next day we went to Paltos, and from there to Gavalan; on the following day, we reached Laodicea. There, before the gates, Niketes and Aquilas met us, and after greeting us with kisses, they led us to their home. Peter saw the city, beautiful and large, and said, "It is worth staying here for a few days. For as the crowd grows, it is stronger at producing those who seek." Niketes and Aquilas asked me who this foreign woman was. I said, "She is my mother, whom God allowed me to know through Peter, my lord."

² After I said these things, Peter explained everything to them clearly, so they would understand how I, Clement, told him about my family as we traveled. He also explained how my mother left because of a false dream and excuse, taking her twin children with her, and how my father left to search for her. Then Peter himself, after hearing all this, went to the island. There, he met the woman who was begging. When he asked why she was begging, he recognized her family, her behavior, the false dream, the names of the children, and that I had been left behind by my father along with the twin children who had traveled with her—children whom he suspected had died in the depths.

³ After Peter had said these things briefly, Niketes and Aquilas, amazed, asked, "Master and lord of all, is this true or just a dream?" Peter replied, "If we were not asleep, it would be true." They were silent for a short time, thinking deeply, and said, "We are Faustinus and Faustina. From the start of your conversation, as we looked at each other, we thought a lot about ourselves, wondering if what was said might not apply to us, since many similar things happen in life. So we stayed quiet, our hearts trembling. But at the end of what was said, seeing that it does apply to us, we then admitted who we were." After saying this, they went to the mother with tears. Finding her already asleep, they wanted to wake her. But Peter stopped them, saying, "Let me be. I will bring you to her gently, so that sudden great joy does not shock her mind, since she is asleep and her spirit is held by sleep."

⁴ After she had slept enough and the mother woke up, Peter began to bring her forward and said, "I want you to know, woman, the way of our faith. We worship one God, the one who made the world you see, and we follow his law, which says first to worship only him and honor his holy name, to respect parents, to be sensible, and to live happily. Besides this, we live without joining the meals of the nations, and we do not share their food because we cannot eat with them, since they live uncleanly. But whenever we persuade them to believe and live by the truth, and after baptizing them with a very blessed name, then we eat with them. For even if a father or mother, wife or child, brother, or anyone else by nature has love, we cannot dare to eat with them. We do this because of our faith. So do not think it is an insult that your son does not eat with you, until you believe and live the same way."

⁵ She heard this and said, "Then what stops me from being baptized today? Before I saw you, I turned away from the so-called gods, thinking this: that almost every day they are offered sacrifices in times of need, yet they did not help me. And do I even need to speak about adultery? When I was rich, this did not fool me, and after that, poverty did not force me to come to this, holding my self-control as my greatest beauty, for which I came to such a state. But I do not think, my lord Peter, that you are unaware that most desires come from good spirits. So I was sensible when in good spirits, and when in bad spirits, I do not give myself to pleasures. But do not think now that my soul has been freed from evil, which found comfort through knowing Clement. For the sadness over my two children weighs on me, and illness darkens my joy. I will ask you about them, for they disagreed at sea, but not because, outside the walls of God's faith, their bodies and souls were destroyed. Their father, my husband, as I learned from Clement, after searching for me and the sons, disappeared for many years; he certainly died. And the poor man, loving me with self-control, was fond of children. So the old man, deprived of all of us who loved him most of all, died in great sadness."

⁶ While the mother was saying these things, following Peter's advice, the children could no longer hold back. They stood up and gathered around her, crying a lot and kissing her. She said, "What is this?" And Peter answered, "Be brave, woman, so you can enjoy your children. These are Faustinus and Faustinianus, your sons, whom you said had died in the deep. How they live, having died on that very hard night near you, and how now one is called Niketes and the other Aquilas, they will be able to tell you, for we are here with you to learn." When Peter said this, the mother was very happy but almost fainted from the excitement. When we helped her recover, she sat down and said to herself, "My dear children, tell us what happened to you after that hard night."

⁷ And Niketes, also called Faustinus, began to speak. On that same night when the ship was breaking apart, as you know, some men in the deep, without fear, robbed us. They put us in a boat and rowed with oars, sometimes near land, sometimes bringing food, and took us to Caesarea in a place called Straton's. There, we were crying from hunger, fear, and wounds, so we wouldn't speak carelessly about those who didn't want us to. We even changed our names, and they were able to sell us. But a certain woman, a very respectable convert to Judaism named Iousta, bought us and kept us like children, carefully teaching us all kinds of Greek learning. We grew up sensible and came to love the faith, and worked hard at our education, so that when we talked with other nations, we could show them their mistakes. We also studied philosophers carefully, especially the godless ones—Epicurus and Pyrrho—so we could argue against them better.

⁸ Having become almost companions with a certain Simon the magician, we risked being tricked through friendship. There is a story about a man who, when he appeared in the kingdom of the god-fearing, has the power to live forever and without pain. But these things will be explained to you more clearly in time, mother. We were about to be deceived by Simon when a companion of our lord Peter, named Zacchaeus, came and warned us not to be fooled by the magician. He brought us to Peter so that, after informing us, he might convince us about those who excel in godliness. So, mother, we pray that you also share in the good things we have been made worthy of, so that together we may share in the salt and the table. This is why, mother, you thought we had died—that on that very hard night we were taken from the sea by pirates, and you thought we were lost.

⁹ When Faustinus finished speaking, our mother fell at Peter's feet, begging him to send for her innkeeper and baptize her right away. She said she didn't want any day to be unlucky—the day she took back her own children—and that she wouldn't share a meal with them until then. So, when we urged our mother about this, Peter said, "What do you think? Am I the only one without pity who doesn't want you to share a meal with your children after baptizing you today? But she must fast one day before being baptized." When she spoke simply and honestly for herself, I saw that as enough proof of her faith, since she needed to be made Greek again after many days.

¹⁰ And I said, "Tell us what words she spoke that showed her faith." Peter replied, "Her request to have her innkeeper, her benefactor, baptized. She wouldn't have asked for this if she hadn't first been prepared for the great gift of baptism. So I blame many who, after being baptized and saying they believe, do nothing worthy of faith—not even for those they love, like their wives, sons, or friends. They are urged to do this because if they truly believed that God gives eternal life along with good works, they would surely want those they love to be baptized. But some of you might say, 'They love and care for them.' That is foolish. When they see them sick, facing death, or suffering other hardships, they grieve and pity them. So if they believed that eternal fire awaits those who don't honor God, they wouldn't stop warning them, even when they see them disobeying, as if suffering for unbelievers, fully aware of the punishment coming to them. Now I will send for the innkeeper and ask if she accepts the law of love through us; then we will do what must be done."

¹¹ And your mother, since she was faithful about baptism, should fast one day before being baptized. But she swore that after two days had passed—while telling the woman about the recognition—she could not eat because of great joy, only drinking a little water yesterday. Peter's wife testified under oath, saying, "Truly, she did not taste anything." Aquila, and even more so Faustinus, said, "So nothing stops her from being baptized." Peter laughed and replied, "But that is not the fast required for baptism if it didn't happen because of it." Faustinus answered, "Maybe God, wanting to keep our mother from missing any day at the table of our fellowship, allowed the fast early. Just as she was wise in her ignorance, doing what was right for the truth, so now perhaps God arranged for her to fast one day in ignorance before the true baptism, so that from the first day of knowing us she might be able to share salt with us."

¹² And Peter said, "Let evil not win over us by finding an excuse in care and a mother's love. Instead, you and I, along with you all, should stay here today, and she will be baptized tomorrow. For even the time of day today is not right for baptism." And everyone agreed that this should be done.

¹³ That evening, we all left Peter's teaching, as he explained to us, using the excuse about the mother, why the goals of self-control are good, but those of adultery are harsh and naturally bring destruction to the whole family—maybe not quickly, but surely over time. He said that self-control pleases God so much that he even gives a small blessing for it now in this life to those who are lost (because salvation is given only to those baptized in hope of him and living rightly). As you know, this happened with your mother—I mean the good outcome. Maybe if she had committed adultery, she would have been put to death. So God, showing mercy on her self-control, turned away the death meant for her and restored the children who had been taken away.

¹⁴ But someone might ask, "How many have been lost because of self-control?" I say it is because of numbness. For someone who feels love or is loved must avoid being close to that person, like avoiding burning fire or a mad dog. This is what your mother did—truly loving the good of self-control. So, having been protected with us, she gained the knowledge of the eternal kingdom. A woman who wants to be self-controlled must know that many enemies lie in wait, jealous and using love as an excuse for evil. But if she stays firm in one serious decision to be self-controlled, having won victory over all, she will be saved. For even if someone did all good things, they must be punished for one sin of adultery, as the prophet said.

¹⁵ The self-controlled woman, doing God's will, becomes a good reminder of his first creation. God, being one, made one woman for one man. She stays even more self-controlled if she remembers creation, foresees punishment, and does not ignore the loss of eternal blessings. The self-controlled woman, pleased with those who want to be saved, becomes a holy example to the God-fearing, for she is the rule of a good life. A woman who wants to be self-controlled cuts off the excuses for insults. And if she does not give an excuse but is insulted as if by an enemy, she is blessed and defended by God. The self-controlled woman longs for God, loves God, delights in God, and glorifies God; she does not give people a reason to insult her. The self-controlled woman honors the church with deep respect and glorifies it in holiness. Moreover, she is praised by teachers and becomes a helper to those who are self-controlled.

¹⁶ The self-controlled woman is adorned like the bride of the Son of God, dressed in holy light. She has beauty in her soul, which is good order. She breathes the fragrance of a good reputation. She wears fine clothes and is clothed with modesty. Around her are precious pearls—words that teach self-control. She shines bright white when her mind is enlightened. She looks into a beautiful mirror, gazing toward God. She uses a lovely adornment, guiding her soul with the fear of God. The woman is beautiful, not because of gold chains, but because she is free from passing desires. The self-controlled woman is desired by a great king; she remembers him, keeps herself for him, and is loved by him. She does not make excuses for wanting things, not even to her own husband. She is hurt when another desires her. The self-controlled woman loves her husband sincerely, kisses him, flatters him, pleases him, serves him, and obeys him in everything—except when it means disobeying God. For the woman who obeys God keeps her soul self-controlled and her body pure, without needing guards.

¹⁷ Every man who separates from his own wife out of fear of God is foolish. For the one who does not fear God does not even fear his husband. If someone does not fear God, who is invisible, how will they be self-controlled toward someone they cannot see? How will she be self-controlled if she does not come together to listen to the words of those who teach self-control? How will she accept correction? How will she be self-controlled without guards if she is not taught about God's coming judgment, nor warned about the eternal loss that comes from a small pleasure? Therefore, when you hear this, always make her listen to the teaching that brings self-control; encourage her gently.

¹⁸ It is much better if you lead her by the hand, so that you yourself may become self-controlled. For you will want to be self-controlled, to understand the honorable goal of marriage, and you will not hesitate if you love—meaning, to become a father, to love your own children, and to be loved by them. The man who wants to have a self-controlled wife also becomes self-controlled. He gives her the bed she is owed, shares meals with her, lives with her, listens with her to the teaching that brings self-control, does not upset her, does not fight without reason, does not make himself hateful, and offers what he can provide well. If he lacks these things, he makes up for it with kindness. The self-controlled woman does not wait to be flattered; she knows her husband as her lord. She bears poverty when he is poor, shares hunger when he is hungry, travels with him when he travels, comforts him when he is sad, and even if she has a larger dowry, she acts as if she has nothing. A man who has a poor wife should consider her self-control a great dowry. The self-controlled woman uses only enough food and drink so that her soul is not pulled away by unlawful desires toward the weight of a fattened body. Still, she does not act privately with young men, watches older men with caution, pushes away wild laughter, gives herself only to God and does not stumble, delights in hearing honorable words, and rejects words that are not spoken for self-control.

¹⁹ God is witness: many murders are like one adultery; and the terrible thing is that the fearful and godless part of these murders is not seen. When blood is spilled, the body lies dead, and the terrible part of the disaster frightens everyone. But the murders of the soul caused by adultery are even more fearful, since people do not see them, and they give boldness without rest to those who dare. Know, human, what breath you have for living, and you will not want it to be stained. The breath of God is stained by adultery alone. And because of this, it drags the one who stains it into fire. It hurries to hand over the arrogant one to eternal punishment.

²⁰ Saying these things, Peter saw good and self-controlled Mattidia crying with joy. Thinking she was sad about the promises made, he said, "Take heart, woman; you have suffered many bad things because of adultery, but you have suffered because of self-control, and because of this you did not die. And if you had died, your soul would have been saved. You left your homeland Rome because of self-control; but through this reason, you found the truth—the crown of the eternal kingdom. You were in danger in the deep, and you did not die; and even if you had died, the deep itself would have become a baptism through self-control for the salvation of your soul. You were left with few children, some of whom are true offspring among the best. You starved yourself of food, but you did not stain your body with prostitution. You tortured your body, but you saved your soul. You fled from an adulterer so that you would not defile a man's bed; but because of self-control, God, who knows your flight, will fill the place of the man. You were saddened and left alone, left with few husband and children; but you were about to leave all of these by the time of death. It is better that you were willingly left because of self-control than if you had listened later and were lost in the same sins."

²¹ It is much better for the first things to be painful. Even when they happen, the hope of getting through them does not cause much pain. It gives the expectation of something better and brings joy. But above all, I want you to know how much self-control pleases God. A self-controlled woman is God's chosen one, God's delight, God's glory, God's child. Self-control is such a great good. If it were not for the law that no one unbaptized can rightly enter the kingdom of God, maybe some of the lost nations could be saved by self-control alone. Because of this, I am very sad for those who are self-controlled but still lost, because they choose to be self-controlled without hope of good and are lazy about being baptized. So, they are not saved; God's rule is that no one unbaptized enters his kingdom. After he said these things and more, we fell asleep.

Chapter 14

Much earlier than usual in the morning, Peter woke up fully and came to us. He woke us and said, "Faustinus and Faustinianus, along with Clement and their household, follow me. We will go to a sheltered place by the sea where we can baptize her without being seen." When we reached the shore, in a calm and clear spot among some rocks, he baptized her. We brothers, for the sake of the women, stepped aside with another brother and some others. After washing, we went and brought the women. Then, having gone to a secret place, we prayed. Later, Peter sent the women away because of the crowd. He told them to come to the guesthouse by a different path and allowed only us men to stay with the mother and those same women. So, when we arrived at the guesthouse and waited for him, we talked among ourselves. After a good while, Peter came, broke the bread with thanksgiving, sprinkled salt on it, and first gave it to the mother, then to her sons. And so, we ate together with her and blessed God.

² Then Peter saw that the crowd had arrived. He sat down and told us to sit beside him. At first, he began to lead us gently, persuading us after sending us away from the baptism. He himself came later. He said the reason was this: Just as you left, an old man came in. He was a worker who secretly watched us, as he later admitted. He wanted to see what we would do when we entered the sheltered place, so he followed us quietly. At a good moment, he came close and spoke to us. He said, "I have been following you for a long time and wanted to meet you. I was worried you might be angry with me, thinking I was a busybody. But now, if you want, I will tell you what seems true to me." I answered, "Tell us what seems good to you, and we will accept you. Even if what you say is not really good, we will listen because you want to speak with good intentions."

³ The old man began to speak like this: "I saw you bathing in the sea and then going back to a hidden place. I came secretly to watch what you would do when you went in quietly. When I saw you praying, I left. But feeling sorry for you, I waited so that when you came out, I could talk with you and try to convince you not to be fooled. There is no god or care guiding things; everything depends on nature. I know this well because of many careful studies and what I have suffered. So don't be fooled, child. Whether you pray or not, you have to suffer what comes from nature. If prayers could do anything or make things better, I would be among the best. And now, if my poor clothes don't fool you, you won't doubt what I say. Once, when I had much wealth, I sacrificed many things to the gods and helped those in need. Even though I prayed and was pious, I couldn't escape what was destined. I asked him, 'What have you suffered?' He answered, 'It's not necessary to say now. Maybe in time you will learn who I am, where I come from, and what kind of life I have lived. But for now, I want you to know that everything depends on nature.'"

⁴ And I said, "If everything depends on nature, and you are sure this is true, then you are arguing against yourself. If it's not even possible to think against nature, why do you waste effort trying to become something that can't be? But still, if nature allows it, don't rush to convince me not to honor the ruler of the stars. By their will, even what seems impossible can happen. Everything under the ruler must always obey. However, honoring the gods, as people believe, is unnecessary if nature rules. Nothing happens against what fate decides, and the gods themselves can't do anything because they are also subject to nature as a whole. If nature exists, it can't be second in power or be controlled by anything else, since the uncreated, being uncreated, has nothing older than itself."

⁵ While we were talking like this, a large crowd gathered. Then I looked at the crowd and said, "I have inherited from my ancestors the belief in a god and the command not to oppose nature—that is, the study of astrology. For this reason, I did not pay attention. I am not skilled in astrology, but I will explain what I do know. Since I cannot disprove nature by the very science of nature itself, I want to show in another way that things are governed by care, and each person will receive honor or punishment for what they do, whether now or later. It doesn't matter to me when, only that everyone will fully face the results of their actions.

Here is the proof that nature does not control everything: if anyone here is missing eyes, or has a crippled hand, or a lame foot, or some other body defect that cannot be healed, and is beyond all medical help—even astrologers don't promise to heal such things, because nothing like that has ever happened in all recorded time—I will pray to god to provide healing, since from birth such healing has never been possible.

If this happens, don't those who insult the god who made everything sin? The old man answered, 'It is blasphemy to say that everything depends on nature.' And I replied, 'Very much so. For if all human sins, impieties, and crimes come from the stars, and the stars were ordered by god to do these things so they cause all troubles, then all sins point back to the one who set nature in the stars.'"

⁶ The old man answered, "Truly, you speak well, but my conscience stops me from accepting your perfect proof. I am an astrologer, and when I first lived in Rome, I was favored by someone from the family of Caesar. I knew the births of both him and his wife. After studying their births and the events that followed, I cannot be convinced by your words. There was a curse in that birth: he committed adultery, loving his own slave, and died in foreign waters. And so it happened. The woman, having fallen in love with her own slave and not accepting the blame, fled with him to a foreign land, shared his fate, and was lost at sea."

⁷ And I answered, "How do you know that the woman who fled to a foreign land married the slave, and that their marriage ended in death?" The old man said, "I know the truth for sure—not that they married or that she loved him—but after she left, her husband's brother told me everything about her love. Since he was honorable, as a brother should be, he did not want to stain his bed. As for the woman, wanting to be with him but ashamed of him and the blame (she cannot be blamed, since from birth she was forced to do and suffer these things), she made up a dream. Whether it was true or false, I cannot say. He said she told him that in a vision, someone standing told her that she would leave the city of the Romans with her children. The man, hurrying to save her with the sons, immediately sent them to be educated in Athens with their mother and slaves. He had a third, younger son whom he kept with himself, as if the one who spoke in the dream allowed him to stay. After much time passed, he received no letters from her. He sent many letters to Athens himself, and, trusting me most of all, he sent me to search for her. I helped him a lot during his travels, remembering that he once shared his good fortune with me and loved his friends for his sake. Then we sailed from there and came to parts of Syria, to Seleucia. After we left the ship, he died a few days later, saddened. I came here and have since supported myself by working with my hands until now."

⁸ When the old man said these things, I realized that the old man he said had died was himself—the one he was talking about was your father. So I did not want to argue with him until I had told you. But after learning about his hospitality and sharing mine, for the sake of accuracy, I only asked this: what was the old man's name? He said, Faustus. What about the twin sons? He answered, Faustinus and Faustinianus. What about the third son? He said, Clemens. And what was the name of their mother? He said, Mattidia. Moved with sympathy and tears, I dismissed the crowds and came to you, so that after sharing in baptism I might tell you these things. Before baptism, I did not want to speak to you, fearing that overcome by grief you might mourn on the day of baptism, when even angels rejoice. As Peter said these things, we all wept with the mother. Seeing us weeping, he said, "Now each of you should bravely bear with reverence toward god what has been said. For your father did not die today, but long ago, as you yourselves have guessed."

⁹ When Peter said these things, the mother, unable to hold back, cried out, "Oh, my husband, who loved us, you died by judgment, but we who live see the light and share in food." Just as her loud cry stopped, behold, the old man came in. Wanting to find out the cause of the shouting, he looked at the woman and said, "Oh no, what is this? Who do I see?" Then, coming closer and looking more carefully, when he was recognized, he was confused. Both of them suddenly shouted with joy, wanting to speak to each other but caught by speechlessness, unable to hold back their endless happiness. After a little while, the mother said, "I have you, Faustus, the sweetest to me in every way. How then do you live, when we heard you were dead just a little while ago? But these are our sons: Faustinus, Faustinianus, and Clemens." After she said these things, the three of us bowed to him and kissed him, somehow dimly recognizing his face.

¹⁰ Seeing this, Peter said, "Are you Faustus, the husband of this woman and the father of her children?" He answered, "I am." Then Peter said, "How can I tell you about your own troubles as if they were someone else's—the pains, the sorrows, and the burial?" The father replied, "Because I belong to Caesar's family and did not want to be known, I made up another story so that no one would recognize who I really am. I knew that if I were recognized, the local leaders would hear about it, call me back, and, to please Caesar, take away the happiness I had in life, which I had already given up. I could not, thinking of those I loved as dead, enjoy the pleasures of life."

¹¹ And Peter said, "You did these things as you planned. But about your birth—are you lying, or are you proving it true?" The father replied, "I won't lie to you; I truly stand by my birth as it is. I am not untrained in this knowledge. A certain man, the best of astrologers, an Egyptian named Annubion, who on his travels first revealed to me the death of my wife and children." Peter said, "So you are convinced by what happened that the things about your birth did not happen?" The father answered, "I must explain everything going on with me, so that by hearing it, I can learn your thoughts on these matters. But I know many astrologers make mistakes, and many things they say are true. So I suspect that what they get right is true, but what they miss is because of ignorance. It's like saying the knowledge exists, but they alone lie out of ignorance because they can't get everything exactly right about everything." Peter answered, "Stop, so they don't accidentally get something right but fail to speak exactly. For out of many things said, some must be wrong." The old man said, "Then how can I find out whether the things about my birth really happened or not?"

¹² Since both were silent, I said, "Because I know this knowledge well, but the master and the father do not, I would like, if Annubion himself were here, to speak with the father. That way, the matter could be made clear, like a craftsman questioning another craftsman." The father asked, "Where can we meet Annubion?" Peter said, "In Antioch. That's where I learned that Simon is a magician, and Annubion is his close companion." I said, "So if we go there and find them, we can investigate." After much talking, feeling happy about the recognition, and giving thanks to God, when evening came, we went to sleep.

Chapter 15

At dawn, the father came in with our mother and the three sons to where Peter was. After greeting him, he sat down, and then we did too, at his invitation. Peter looked at the father and said, "I hope you will be of one mind with your wife and children, so that you can live with them here, and after your soul leaves your body, you will be together without pain. Isn't it the greatest sorrow for you and them not to be together?" The father replied, "Very much so." Peter said, "If being apart here causes sorrow, then after death it is even more necessary that you not be separated from each other. How much more painful must it be, since you are a wise man who reasons well, to be apart from them—and for them to suffer even more knowing that eternal punishment awaits you because you think differently, according to the clear teaching?"

² The father said, "But, my dearest, souls are not punished in Hades at the same time the body breaks down into air." Peter replied, "Until we convince you about this, answer me: doesn't it seem strange to you, who don't believe in punishment, not to be troubled, while those who do believe must suffer because of you?" The father said, "You speak rightly." Peter said, "Then why don't you free them from great sorrow over you by joining with faith—not with doubt, but with gratitude—when you hear what I say and judge whether these things are true or not? If what we say is true, you will share joy here with your loved ones and rest with them there. But if, after thinking about these words, you show that what we say is just a false story, then you will do well, having gained their agreement, and you will stop holding on to empty hopes and free them from false fears."

³ The father said, "You seem to me to say many reasonable things." Peter replied, "Then what is holding you back from coming to our faith? Tell me, so we can start talking about it. Many things hold people back: some who believe are busy with markets, business, farming, worries, and things like that. But those who don't believe, like you, have doubts—about reason itself, or that gods don't exist, or that everything comes by chance, or that souls are mortal, or even that our teaching is false because there is no care or plan."

⁴ But I say that everything is guided by God's care, because of what happened to you, and your separation from your family lasted so many years. Since your mother's leaving, shipwreck, fear of death, and hardships kept them at home with you, they were still being taught the Greek and godless beliefs, so that by knowing these things better, they might be able to argue against them. On top of this, they learned to love the teaching of godliness, and they were able to join with me and accept my preaching. Also, brother Clement came together with them, and your mother came to know the healing power of godliness. Soon after, your two twin children came to know and understand it, and on another day they will meet you and welcome you. Such quick agreement, coming together from all sides into one purpose of thought, I do not think can happen without God's plan.

⁵ The father began to say to Peter, "Don't think, my dear Peter, that I have no concern about the teaching you preach. At the end of this long night, after much urging from Clement about the truth you preach, I answered: what new thing can someone command besides what the ancients advised? But he quietly laughed and said, 'There is a big difference, father, between the words of godliness and those of philosophy. The proof of truth comes from prophecy, but philosophy, offering fine words from reasoning, only seems to give proofs. Still, after saying this, he gave me an example—a speech about kindness, which I will explain to you, and which seemed very unfair to me. How can I say it? He said it was right to offer the other cheek to the one who strikes your jaw, to give your cloak as well, to go two miles with the one who forces you, and things like that.'"

⁶ Peter answered, "But did you think something very fair is actually unfair? If this matters to you, listen." The father said, "It matters very much to me." Peter said, "Doesn't it seem strange to you that if there are two enemy kings with divided lands, and someone from one king's people is caught in the other king's land and should die for it, but is freed with just a slap instead of death, wouldn't the one who freed him be kind? The father said, "Yes, very much." Peter continued, "What if this person took something of his own, or something else, and if caught for this he should pay double or four times as much, and even die, as the enemy's laws say—wouldn't the one who took double and freed him from death be kind? The father said, "It seems so." Peter then said, "But should someone living in another king's land, under a cruel enemy, flatter everyone just to survive, obey more than needed, avoid calling people by their real names, make peace with enemies, not argue with those who are angry, give away his own things freely to anyone who asks, and things like that?" The father agreed that all this seems more reasonable if living is more important than those things.

⁷ Peter said, "So those you said are wronged are actually the ones in control, just like if they were living in another king's land, and they are as greedy as they are powerful? Those who think they are wronged are each given as much by the one who is against them as they allow. For these things belong to those who take what is present, and they are so kind that they allow them to live. Here's the example: listen carefully. The prophet of truth, while here, taught us that the creator and God of all gave two kingdoms to two rulers—one good and one evil. He gave the evil one the kingdom of this present world, with laws, so he could punish wrongdoers. He gave the good one the eternal kingdom to come. And he made each person free to choose whom they want to serve—either the present evil or the coming good. Those who choose the present have the power to be rich, to enjoy life, to take pleasure, and to have all they can. But they have nothing of the good things to come. Those who choose the coming kingdom cannot think of the things here as their own, since they belong to another king—except for water and bread, which they earn with sweat to live (because no one can choose to die willingly), and even one cloak, because they don't want to be naked under the all-seeing sky."

⁸ If you want to hear the exact truth of the matter, those you said are wronged actually do more wrong. Because those who choose the things to come share in the present evils, enjoying many of the same things as others—like life itself, light, bread, water, clothing, and some other things. But those you think are wronged by the men who have the goods to come don't share anything with them. The father replied, "Now that you've convinced me that those who do wrong are themselves wronged, and those who are wronged gain more, the whole matter seems even more unfair to me. Those who seem to do wrong allow many things to those who choose the things to come, but those who seem to be wronged do wrong themselves, because they don't give the same things to those here who have allowed them, which they themselves allowed to themselves." Peter said, "This isn't unfair either, because each person has the power to choose the present or the future things, whether small or great. The one who chooses by their own judgment and will is not wronged, I say—not even if they choose the small things, since the great things were offered first. The small things were also offered to them." The father said, "You speak rightly, and a certain wise Greek also said: 'The cause of those who choose is God, but God is without blame.'"

⁹ But let this thought also come to me. I remember Clement telling me that we suffer wrongs and pains for the forgiveness of sins. And Peter said, "That is right, and it is so. For we who choose the things to come, which we have more of—whether clothes, food, drinks, or other things—we have sins because we must have nothing. I explained this briefly. All possessions are sins. The way to remove these is by removing sins. And the father said, "That makes sense, just as the two kings divided the boundaries, so each person under their power chooses what they want. But what if we suffer justly?" And Peter said, "Very justly. For the limit of those who are saved, as I said, is to have nothing from anyone. Yet many have many possessions, and these are sins in another way. Because of this, by God's great kindness, pains come to those who do not live sincerely, so that through these loving punishments they may be saved from eternal punishments."

¹⁰ And the father said, "But why do we see many godless people who are poor? Are these also among the saved despite that?" Peter replied, "Not always. For the poverty of the poor is not accepted if they desire things they should not. So some, by choice, grow rich with money, and because they want more, they are punished. But being poor does not always make someone just. A poor person can lack money but still desire or even do wrong. They might worship idols, blaspheme, commit adultery, live carelessly, break oaths, lie, or live without faith. Yet our teacher blessed the faithful poor—not because they had anything, for they had nothing—but because they did not sin at all. And only for not giving alms, because they had nothing, they were not condemned." The father said, "Truly, according to the story, things seem rightly so. That is why I chose to listen carefully to every part of the speech."

¹¹ And Peter said, "So now, since you want to learn about our religion, I must explain the story in order, starting with God. I will show that only he should be called God, and no others should be called or thought of as God. Anyone who does otherwise must be punished forever, because they have greatly disrespected the master of all. After saying this, he laid his hands on those troubled by pain, sickness, and demons, prayed for them, healed them, and sent the crowds away. Then he went inside with his companions, took some salt, and went to sleep."

Chapter 16

Early in the morning, Peter went out and stood in the usual place where he spoke, and he saw a large crowd gathered. Just as he was about to begin, one of his servants came in and said, "Simon from Antioch arrived this evening. He heard that you promised to speak about monarchy, and he is ready to come with Athenodorus the Epicurean to argue with you in public against everyone who speaks about monarchy under you." While the servant was saying this, Simon himself came in with Athenodorus and some other companions. Before Peter could say anything, Simon spoke first.

² I heard that yesterday you promised the emperor to give the speech today in order, starting with the master of all, that only he should be called God, and no others should be called or thought of as God, and that anyone who does otherwise must be punished forever. Above all, I am truly amazed at your plan, because you hoped to change the mind of a wise man—an old man at that. But you will not succeed in your plans, especially now, with me here, exposing your false words. For maybe if I were not here, the wise old man, being a private person among those publicly trusted with the Jewish scriptures, might have been deceived. Now I will present many arguments so I can quickly test your promise. So begin with us, who know the scriptures, as you promised. But if you are ashamed to test your promise with us, that alone proves you lie, because you did not dare to speak about the scriptures. And now, why do I wait for you to speak, having the greatest witness of your promise—the old man here? And saying this, he looked at the father and said, "Tell me, most honored of men, isn't this the man who promised you to show today that there is one God, and no other should be called or thought of as God, and that anyone who does otherwise, as greatly sinning, must be punished forever? Or will you not answer me?"

³ And the father said, "Simon, you would be right to ask for my testimony if Peter had denied it before. But now, I won't be ashamed to say what needs to be said. I think you are angry and want to argue, which is not fitting for you, and it's not right for us to obey such a thing, because this is a fight to prove a point, and it doesn't help us find the truth. Now, knowing how those who seek truth should act from Greek education, I will remind you. Each of you should explain your own belief, and then the other can respond. But if only Peter explains his opinion and you stay silent about yours, it's possible that something you say will trouble both his and your opinion, and both of you will seem defeated by the argument—not truly defeated, but the one who shares his opinion, and the one who doesn't, will not clearly be seen as defeated, but will be thought to have lost. And Simon answered, 'I will do as you say, but I'm worried that if I have already accepted his words, I won't be a fair judge.'"

⁴ And the father answered, "Don't pressure me to agree with you without careful thought, just to seem like a truthful judge. But if you want to hear the truth, I have already made up my mind." Simon said, "How have you made up your mind without knowing what I think?" The father replied, "That's easy to explain, so listen. You promised to prove that Peter, who says there is one God, is lying. But you, who promise to prove that the one who says this is lying is telling the truth, don't say the same thing. If you say the same thing as the one you accuse of lying, then you are also lying. But if you show that you say the opposite, then you are telling the truth. So you call the one who says there is one God a liar only if you believe there are many gods. But I also say there are many gods. I'm telling you this before we begin. I have made up my mind more than you have. For this reason, you should not argue with me, but with Peter, because I think the opposite of him. After your argument, I hope you will accept me as a truthful judge, giving up your first opinion for the stronger argument." After the father said this, a quiet cheer of praise came from the crowd for the way he spoke.

⁵ And Peter said, "As the one who mediates this discussion, I am ready to speak, and now, without any delay, I will share my view about God. I say there is one God—the one who made the sky, the earth, and everything in them. It is not right to say or believe in any other. Simon replied, 'I say that the trusted scriptures among the Jews say there are many gods, and God is not angry about this, since through his scriptures he has said there are many gods.'"

⁶ Right away, in the first part of the law, it seems they say the same thing to themselves. It is written like this: God gave a command to the first man not to eat from any tree in the garden, especially not from the tree that gives knowledge of good and evil. But the snake, through the woman, promised that if they ate, they would become gods. He persuaded them to eat, and they opened their eyes. Then God said about this: "Look, Adam has become like one of us." So when the snake said, "You will be like gods," it seems to say there are gods. This is even clearer because God himself said, "Look, Adam has become like one of us." So the snake, who said there are many gods, did not lie.

Again, it is written: "You will not speak evil of gods, nor speak badly of the rulers of your people." This means many gods, whom you should not speak badly of. Also, somewhere else it says: "If another god dared to enter and take a nation from the middle of a nation, saying, 'I am the Lord God.'" Saying "if another god dared" means it speaks of other gods. And elsewhere: "Gods who did not make the sky and the earth, let them be destroyed as those who are about to be destroyed." And somewhere else it says: "Keep yourself from going to serve other gods, whom your fathers did not know, as if there are other gods," and it says not to follow them. Again, it says: "Names of other gods will not go up on your lips." Here it talks about many gods, whose names it does not want to be named.

And again it is written: "The Lord your God, this is God of gods." And again: "Who is like you, Lord, among gods?" And again: "God, Lord of gods." And again: "God stood in the assembly of gods, and among gods he judges." So I wonder how, with so many passages written to show that there are many gods, you insist that it is not right to say or believe there are gods. Now, besides what has been clearly said, what do you have to say? Speak about everything.

⁷ And Peter said, "Listen carefully to what you have said. The law itself, many times calling them gods, says to the Jewish people: 'Look, the Lord your God is the God of heaven above, and everything in it,' meaning that even if there are gods, they are under him—that is, under the God of the Jews. And again: 'For the Lord your God is the God in heaven above and on the earth below, and there is no other besides him.' And somewhere else, the scripture says to the Jewish people: 'The Lord your God, he is God of gods,' as if to say that even if there are gods, they are under the God of the Jews. And elsewhere about him, the scripture says: 'The great and true God, who does not show favor or accept a bribe, who judges the orphan and the widow.' By calling the God of the Jews great, true, and a judge, the scripture means the others are small and not true gods. Also, somewhere else the scripture says: 'I live,' says the Lord, 'there is no other god besides me. I am first, and I am last; besides me there is no god.' And again: 'You shall fear the Lord your God, and you shall worship him alone.' And again: 'Hear, Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord.' Many voices, often with oaths, confirm that there is one God, and besides him there is no god. So I wonder how, with so many voices testifying that there is one God, you say there are many."

⁸ And Simon said, "The reason I spoke to you at first was to prove from the scriptures that you are wrong when you say these things should not be called gods. That is why I showed many passages where the holy scriptures themselves speak of many gods." And Peter said, "Those scriptures that speak of many gods also warned us, saying: 'Names of other gods will not go up on your lips.' So I said it was not against what is written, Simon." And Simon said, "Listen to this too, Peter. I think you are mistaken because you list those scriptures that say: 'You will not speak evil, nor speak badly of the rulers of the people.'" And Peter said, "I am not mistaken, Simon, because the scriptures point to their destruction. For it is written: 'Gods who did not make the sky and the earth, let them be destroyed.' And when I said this, I did not mean some who made and are not destroyed, as you understood. It means there is one who made everything, as it is written at the beginning: 'In the beginning God made the sky and the earth.' And it did not say gods. And somewhere else it says that the firmament is the work of his hands. And in another place it is written: 'The heavens themselves will perish, but you will remain forever.'"

⁹ And Simon said, "You showed me many gods from the scriptures, which I clearly explained, but you brought the same or even more passages from those same scriptures, showing that there is one God, and he is the God of the Jews. And about what you said—that we must not speak badly of gods—you used that to show there is one maker, because those who did not make will be destroyed. But about what you said—that we must call them gods, just as the scriptures do—and you also showed that we must not speak their names, quoting the same scripture that says, 'You shall not speak the names of other gods.' Since the scriptures themselves say there are many gods, and at other times say there is only one, and sometimes say they must not be spoken badly of, and other times that they must be spoken badly of, what should we think about this? Or do the scriptures themselves confuse us?"

¹⁰ And Peter said, "They do not mislead us, but they test us and reveal the evil will hidden inside each person against God, like a snake. There are many different kinds of images. Each one has a will like poison. When someone looks at these images and sees everything in them, they say what kind of God it is, and they will wipe away that poisonous will. Since whatever someone wants to think about God, they find it in these images, one will wipe away the ideas of many gods from them. And we have wiped away the idea of the one who truly is, recognizing the true form from our own shape. But our inner soul is also dressed with his image for immortality. If I leave behind the one who gave birth to it, then by just judgment, the soul has the right to leave me too, because I showed him an unjust boldness. And justly, it will leave me, and so I will be destroyed with punishment, left without help from it. But if there is another God, let that one first put on another image, another form, so we can know the new God through the new form of the body. And if it changes the form, will it not also change the essence of the soul? And if the soul changes too, then I am no longer myself, having become someone else both in form and in essence. So let others make others, if there is another God. But there is not. If there were, it would have made. Since it did not make, let the one who does not exist leave the one who does exist to be with the one who exists. For no one exists except in Simon's mind alone. I do not accept any other God except the one who alone made me."

¹¹ And Simon said, "Since I see your argument for the God who made you is stronger, learn from me how you are also being disrespectful to him. The makers seem to be two, as the scripture says: 'And God said, Let us make man in our image and likeness.' The phrase 'let us make' means two or more, not just one."

¹² And Peter answered, "There is one who, by his own wisdom, said, 'Let us make man.' And with that wisdom, like his own spirit, he always rejoiced. It is joined to God like a soul, but extends from him like a hand, creating everything. Because of this, one man was made, and from him came the woman. Though one in kind, they are a pair. By expanding and contracting, one is thought to be two. So to one God, as the parent, I rightly give all honor. And Simon said, 'What will you say if the scriptures speak of other gods? Will you not accept them?'"

¹³ And Peter answered, "Whether the scriptures or the prophets speak of gods, they do so to test those who hear. For it is written: if a prophet rises among you, giving signs and wonders, and then that sign and wonder happen, and he says to you, 'Let us go worship other gods, whom your fathers did not know,' do not listen to that prophet. At first, let your hands stone him. For he tested you to turn you away from the Lord your God. But if you say in your heart, 'How did that sign or wonder happen?' then you will understand that the tester tested you to see if you fear the Lord your God. It was said that the tester tested, but this seems different after the exile to Babylon. For the God who knows all things would not test, since he already knows everything beforehand. But if you want, we can talk about this, and I will show that God knows everything in advance. Not knowing him is a lie, and this too has been shown in scripture as a test. So, Simon, we cannot be led into error by scriptures or by anyone else; we are not fooled into accepting many gods, nor do we agree with any words spoken against God."

¹⁴ For we ourselves know from the scriptures that angels were called gods—I mean the one who spoke from the burning bush and wrestled with Jacob; also the one born Emmanuel and the one called God the strong. Yet Moses also became a god to Pharaoh, though in truth he was a man. Even the idols of the nations were called gods. But for us, there is one God—the one who made all creation and arranged everything. Christ is his son, and by trusting in him through the scriptures, we recognize what is false. Also, guided by the scriptures and the teachings of the fathers, we know only one—the maker of the heavens and the earth, the God of the Jews and of all who choose to worship him. This one, truly loved by God in sincere faith, the fathers handed down to us as a teaching, so that we know that anything said against God is false. But I will say even more: if this is not true as I have said, then for me and for those who truly love the truth, it would be better to face danger for the honor of the maker God.

¹⁵ Simon, hearing this, said, "Since a prophet who gives signs and wonders must believe in another god, knowing that he also faces death, then your teacher, who gave signs and wonders, was rightly killed." And Peter answered, "Our lord neither said there are gods besides the one who made all things, nor did he call himself God; but he blessed the son of God who arranged all things when he spoke of him." And Simon replied, "So you don't think that the one who comes from God is God?" And Peter said, "How could that be? Explain it to us. For we cannot say this to you, because we have not heard it from him."

¹⁶ Besides this, the father is said not to be born, but the son is said to be born; the one who is born is not like the one who is unbegotten or self-born. And Simon said, "Isn't it the same with birth?" And Peter said, "Someone who is not the same in every way cannot have the same names as another." Simon replied, "That's just talking, not proving." Peter answered, "Why don't you understand that the self-born or unbegotten cannot be called the same as the one who is born, and the one who is born cannot be the same as the one who gave birth? But also learn this: human bodies have souls that are immortal, wrapped in the breath of God, and coming from God. They share the same nature, but they are not gods. If they were gods, then by this logic all human souls—those who have died, those living, and those yet to be born—would be gods. And if you argue with me and say they are gods, then what is special about Christ being called God? For this is something everyone has."

¹⁷ We say God is one, and it's not possible for the same thing to belong to another. Just like being infinite means having no limits anywhere, and it must be called infinite because no other can be infinite like it. (If someone says it can, they are wrong; two things cannot both be infinite everywhere—one would limit the other.) In the same way, by nature, the unbegotten is one. And if it has a form, even then the incomparable is one. Because of this, it is also called the highest, since it is above all and has everything under it.

¹⁸ And Simon said, "Isn't 'God' his secret name, the one everyone uses, since you argue so much about the name to keep it from being given to someone else?" Peter replied, "I know that this is not a secret name for him, but a name agreed upon by people. If you give it to someone else, and also attach the unspoken name to another, it depends on choice. The spoken name is the beginning of the unspoken one. Because of this, pride is seen as something not yet spoken, where the honor given to what is known is also given to what is not yet known."

¹⁹ And Simon said, "Peter, I want to know if you really believe that the human form is made like his form." Peter replied, "Truly, Simon, I have been told that this is so." Simon asked, "How can death break the body, which is marked with the greatest seal?" Peter answered, "It is the form of the just God. When injustice starts, the idea inside him leaves, and so the body breaks, so that the form of the just God does not have an unjust body. But the breaking is not about the seal itself, but about the sealed body. And without the one who sealed it, the sealed cannot be broken. So without judgment, it is not possible to die." Simon then asked, "Why was it necessary to give such a form to the man raised from the earth?" Peter said, "It happened because of the love of the God who made him. For in truth, everything is stronger than human flesh—I mean the air, the sun, the moon, the stars, the wind, the water, the fire, and all the rest. They were made to serve humans and are truly stronger, yet they gladly serve the one who is truly weaker, because of the form of the stronger. Just as people honor a clay statue of a king, and the honor given goes to the one whose form the clay has, so all creation gladly serves the man made from earth, looking to his honor."

²⁰ Look, Simon, what kind of God you want to make us ungrateful toward. And the earth holds you, perhaps wanting to see who will dare to think like you. For you were the first to dare what no one else dared—the first to speak what we first heard. We alone were the first to tell of God's endless patience against your wickedness, and not from anyone else, but from the one who made the world, against whom you dared to be wicked. There were no cracks in the earth, no fire sent down from heaven, no burning upon people, no withheld rain, no sending of many wild beasts from the woods, and against us, because of one sinner like spiritual adultery—worse in the flesh—the deadly anger of God did not begin. For isn't he then the God who made heaven and earth and came against sins? Even now, blaspheming the greatest, he comes against the greatest. But on the contrary, he is patient, calling to repentance, holding finished arrows for the end of the wicked, kept in his treasures, which he will touch as living souls when he sets judgment to repay his enemies. So let us fear the just God, whose form carries a body for the honor of man.

²¹ When Peter said these things, Simon replied, "Since I see you wisely hinting that what is written against the creator in the books is not true, tomorrow I will show from your teacher's words that the creator is not the highest God." After saying this, Simon went out. Peter then said to the crowd around him, "Simon may not be able to harm us in any other way about God, but he does stop you from hearing the words that can cleanse your souls." When Peter said this, a loud whisper spread through the crowd, saying, "Why should we let him come here and say blasphemies against God?" Hearing this, Peter said, "Let it be enough, Simon, that your words against God serve as a test for people. For there will be, as the Lord said, false apostles, false prophets, heresies, and love of power. Some of these, I believe, will start with Simon, who blasphemes God, and will work together to say the same things against God as Simon does." After saying this with tears, he raised his hand to call the crowd. When they came near, he laid his hands on them and prayed, then let them go, saying, "Come together earlier in the morning." Having said these things and groaning, he went inside, neither eating nor sleeping.

Chapter 17

The next day, Peter, planning to find Simon, woke up early and prayed. At the same time, Zacchaeus came in and said, "Simon is sitting outside, talking with about thirty of his own followers." Peter said, "Let him talk until more people gather, and then we will go look for him. That way, after we hear what he says, we can compare it and then go out and talk with him." And so it happened. After going outside and coming back not long after, Zacchaeus told Peter the things Simon had said against him.

² He said, "They blame you, Peter, saying you are a servant of evil, very skilled in magic, and that people's souls imagine things worse than idol worship. As for you being a magician, I thought I could prove it by saying this: I know myself that when I came to talk with him, I don't remember a single word he said. While talking with him, my mind was busy trying to remember what I planned to say, so I didn't hear anything he said. Since I don't have this problem with anyone else but him, how could I not be enchanted by him? But what he teaches is worse than idol worship, and anyone with sense will see this clearly from what I have told you. There is no other benefit than that the soul becomes free from all kinds of idols. For the imagined form is held by fear, and when it thinks it will enjoy something, it withers and changes, or is possessed by a demon. And when possessed, it seems wise to most people."

³ Peter promises to help you become wise in this. The idea of one God seems to free you from many lifeless idols, which don't really harm those who worship them, since they are seen with the same eyes as stones, bronze, gold, or other lifeless materials. So, knowing that what is seen is nothing, the soul cannot imagine the visible thing in the same way out of fear. But by false teaching, when the soul looks toward a frightening god, it is led away from what is natural. I say these things not to encourage you to worship idols, but because Peter seems to free your souls from frightening images by filling each of you with an even more frightening image in your mind, bringing in God in a form. And this is very right, since fear follows it, and to the understanding soul, horror, which can also loosen the tight grip of correct thoughts. For in such a state, the mind is like the sea in a storm, where the bright light is clouded by a strong wind. So if he comes for your good, don't think that he takes away the fears that come gently from lifeless forms by bringing in the form of a frightening God. Does God have a form? If he does, then he is in a shape. But if he is in a shape, how can he not be limited? And if he is limited, he is in a place. And if he is in a place, he is weaker than the place that holds him. And if he is weaker than something, how can he be all, or greater, or highest? And so these things are true.

⁴ It is clear that he truly does not believe even the things said by his own teacher. For he preaches things opposite to him. When the teacher said to someone, "I have learned this: do not call me good, for there is only one who is good," after saying "good," he no longer meant just any man, but the righteous one whom the scriptures speak of—who kills and gives life, killing sinners but giving life to those who live according to his will. That he truly did not call the creator good is clear to anyone who can think. For the creator was known to Adam, who was made by him; to Enoch, who pleased him; to Noah, who was seen as righteous by him; and also to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, the people, and the whole world. Jesus, Peter's teacher, when he came, said, "No one has known the father except the son, just as no one knows the son except the father, and the son reveals him to whomever he wants." So if the son was present, by his presence he revealed the unknown to all. And so before him, the father was unknown to all—not known by all as he is now.

⁵ And after saying this, Jesus does not always agree with himself. Sometimes, using other words from the scriptures, he shows God as fearful and just, saying: "Do not be afraid of the one who kills the body but cannot do anything to the soul; be afraid of the one who can throw both body and soul into the fire of Gehenna. Yes, I tell you, fear this one." And he truly meant to fear this one as a just God. He shows this by calling out to those who are wronged, giving a parable to explain it: "If the judge of injustice acted like this, because each time he was asked, how much more will the father bring justice to those who cry to him day and night? Or do you think he will not do it because he is patient with them? I tell you, he will do it, and soon." The God who acts as judge and rewarder shows himself by nature to be just, not good. He also acknowledges the Lord of heaven and earth. And if he is Lord of heaven and earth, he is confessed as creator, and being creator, he is just. Sometimes calling him good, sometimes just, he does not even agree on this. And yesterday his wise disciple argued strongly that the clarity of a vision is stronger, not knowing that clarity can be human, but the vision is confessed to be divine.

⁶ These things and others like them, Peter—Simon standing outside with the crowds and talking—seem to me to disturb most people. So go away at once, freeing his false words by the power of truth. When Zacchaeus said these things, Peter usually prayed and then went out. Standing in one place, and calling the crowds to the custom of reverence, he began to speak like this: "Our Lord Jesus is a true prophet. I will tell you more about this in due time. About those who differ in truth, he made decisions briefly for two reasons. First, because he spoke to those who are reverent, knowing they would believe the decisions he shared; what he said was not strange to their customs. Second, because he had a set time and did not use many words to prove his point, so he would not spend all the time on words alone. So he spoke briefly, focusing on things that a soul in pain could understand, and did not add unnecessary words about those who differ in truth. Since he was explaining what he wanted to a people able to understand—and we are among them—whenever we did not understand what he said, we asked privately, so that nothing he said would seem foolish to us."

⁷ Knowing that we understand all that was said by him and can provide proofs, he sent us to the ignorant nations to baptize them for the forgiveness of sins, but first he ordered us to teach them. From these commands, the first and greatest is this: to fear the Lord God and to worship him alone. He said to fear God—the one whose angels, the few faithful among us, stand in heaven always watching the face of the Father. For he has a form, the first and only beauty; and all his parts are not for use. He does not have eyes to see from there, for he sees everywhere, shining far brighter than the body of the spirit that sees in us, and more radiant than all light, so that the light of the sun seems like darkness compared to him. But he does not have ears to hear, for he hears everywhere, understands, moves, acts, and works. He has the most beautiful form for humans, so that the pure in heart can see him and rejoice for what they have endured. For in his form, like the greatest seal, he stamped man, so that he rules over all and everything serves him. Therefore, he judges all things; he himself is invisible, and his image is man. Whoever wants to honor him honors the visible image, which is man. So whatever someone does to a person, whether good or bad, it is counted as done to him. Therefore, his judgment, giving to each according to their worth, will come from him. For he avenges his own form.

⁸ But someone might say: if he has a form and a shape and is in a place, and being in a place and contained by it as something less, how can he be greater than everything? And how can he be everywhere if he has a shape? To this person, first I must say: the scriptures persuade us to think and believe such things about him, and we truly know the testimonies given by our Lord Jesus Christ. As commanded, we must provide you with proofs that this is so. First, I will speak about place. The place of God is what is not, and God is what is. But what is not cannot be compared to what is. For how can what is be a place? Unless it is a second space, like heaven, earth, water, air, or something else that is a body, which also fills the empty space—called empty because it is nothing. Nothing is a more fitting name for it. What is called empty is like a container holding nothing, except that the container itself is empty, if it is a container. For all that exists must be in what does not exist. But this "not-being," I say, is called place by some, yet it is nothing. How can nothing be compared to what is? Only among opposites, so that one is not, and the not-being is called place. And if there is something, I will quickly give one example out of many to prove that the container is not always better than what is contained. The sun is a round shape and is completely contained under the air, but it shines, warms, and cuts it. If it goes away, it is surrounded by darkness, and wherever a part of it is missing, it cools as if dying. But when it rises again, it is lit up, and wherever it is warmed, it is made more beautiful. It does these things by its own substance, having limited being. So what stops God, who is the creator and master of this and everything else, from having himself in shape, form, and beauty, and having the substance from him spread without limit?

⁹ There is then one true God, who sits in a greater form, having a heart twice over—above and below—and from himself, like from a center, flows the life-giving and invisible power. He shows all things, along with the stars and laws of heaven, air, water, earth, fire, and whatever else exists. His essence is infinite in height, endless in depth, and immeasurable in width, stretching out three times without limit the life-giving and wise nature that comes from him. This infinite power from him everywhere must be a heart, having the true one above all in shape, who wherever he is, is like the center in infinity, the boundary of all. From him then the extensions that begin have their nature from the infinite. One of these, having taken its beginning from him, stretches upward in height; another downward in depth; another to the right; another to the left; another in front; and another behind. Looking at these as a number equal everywhere, with six time intervals, he completes the world. He himself is rest and holds the image of the endless age to come, being both beginning and end. For to him the six infinite things come to an end, and from him they take their extension into infinity.

¹⁰ This is the mystery of the seventh. For he himself is the rest of all, and to those who imitate him even in a small way, he gives himself fully for their rest. He alone exists, never fully grasped, yet extending from himself to infinity. He is both grasped and ungrasped, near and far, here and there, the only one who exists. Through his everywhere infinite mind flows the substance by which all souls breathe and have life. Even if they are separated from their bodies, and feel a longing for him, they are carried to his embrace—like mountain vapors in winter, drawn by the sun's rays, carried to him immortal. What kind of love could we feel if we truly saw his beauty with our minds? Otherwise, it is impossible. For beauty cannot exist without form, and no one can be drawn to love him or even think they see God without form.

¹¹ Some, being strangers to the truth and siding with evil, say that God is shapeless, pretending to praise him, so that being without form and unseen by anyone, he will not be sought after. But the mind is not empty of God's form, even if it does not see him. How then can anyone pray without a refuge or support? Without an image, they gaze into emptiness. Yes, it is said that we should not fear God, but love him. I say the same. This love gives a clear conscience to every good deed. And good deeds come from fear. Some say fear frightens the soul, but I say it does not frighten—it wakes and turns it. Maybe it was rightly said that we should not fear God, if people did not fear many other things—attacks from similar beings, wild animals, reptiles, diseases, passions, demons, and many other dangers. So, the one who wants us not to fear God should save us from these, so we won't fear them either. But if he cannot, why would he envy us? Why would he not want us, through one fear—the fear of justice—to be freed from many fears? Why would he not want, through brief faith in him, many sufferings—our own and others'—to be changed, and for us to receive a reward of good things, and because of the fear of God who sees all, to do no evil and live in peace now?

¹² Grateful slavery to the true master makes everyone else free. So if anyone can avoid sinning without fearing God, let them not fear. For love toward him allows us not to seem to do wrong to him. It is written that we should fear him and commanded that we love him, so that each person may use the right medicine for their own nature. To fear him means to recognize that he is just. So whether we fear or love him, we must not sin. Would that someone who fears him could control unlawful pleasures, not desire what belongs to others, show kindness, be self-controlled, and act justly. For I see some who, lacking fear of him, sin the most. Let us then fear God, not only because he is just. For mercifully, he punishes those who wrong others. Just as water puts out fire, so fear destroys the desire for evil. The one who teaches no fear does not fear himself, and the one who does not fear does not believe there will be judgment. He grows his desires, leads others astray, and harms them by the things he does himself.

¹³ Hearing this, Simon interrupted and said, "I know who you are talking to, but so I don't waste time arguing about things I don't want to, please answer what has been set before us. I promise you have understood well what your teacher said, because you now see and hear him clearly, and no one else can have the same experience through vision or appearance. But I will show that this is not true. Someone who listens carefully to another does not fully understand everything that is said. The mind has to think, so it doesn't make mistakes, since it is human and sees only what appears. But a vision, along with being seen, gives faith to the one who sees that it is divine. Answer me this first."

¹⁴ And Peter said, "If you want to say something else, then answer something else. For you suggested that someone who hears through a vision can understand more than someone who sees clearly, and you convinced us by adding that the one who hears through a vision is more certain than the one who hears through clear seeing. So you said I knew the things about Jesus better because I heard his word through a vision. But I would first answer what was set at the beginning. The prophet, because he is a prophet, is trusted when he clearly explains what is said by him, being known as true, and answers after being tested and questioned as he wishes. But the one who believes through a vision or dream is uncertain. For he does not know what he believes. It might be an evil spirit or a misleading spirit pretending to say what is not true. So if someone wants to find out who appeared, he can say whatever he wants to himself. And so, like an evil flash, it stays as long as it wants, then goes away, not staying with the questioner as long as he wishes. And no one can find out by dreams what he wants, for the mind of the sleeper is not under his own control. That is why many of us who want to learn by dreams ask about other things, or even without asking hear things that do not concern us, and when we wake up we are sad because about what we want to learn, we neither heard nor examined."

¹⁵ And Simon said, "If you say that visions are not always true, then at least dreams and visions sent by God are not false, no matter what he wants to say." And Peter said, "You are right that those sent by God are not false. But it's unclear if the one who saw a vision really saw a dream sent by God." And Simon said, "If the one who saw it is just, then he saw the truth." And Peter said, "You are right. But who is just if he needs a vision to learn what he must learn and do what he must do?" And Simon said, "Give me this: that only the just can see a true vision, and I will answer you on that. To me, ungodly people do not see true dreams." And Peter said, "That is true, and I can prove it both by unwritten and written teachings, but I don't promise to convince you. For a man who, moved by desire for a wicked woman, does not change his mind to live rightly with another good woman; sometimes even knowing better, he chooses to love the worse. You suffer something like this and don't realize it." And Simon said, "Enough of this; speak about what you promised. For it seems impossible to me that ungodly people dream in any way by God."

¹⁶ And Peter said, "I remember that I promised to show proof about this, both unwritten and written. Now listen as I speak. We know many people—if you are fair-minded (for I have judges here)—who worship idols, commit adultery, and sin in every way, yet see visions and true dreams. Some even see visions of demons. I do not say that the Father or the Son can be seen as a bodiless form, because the greatest light shines too brightly for mortal eyes. So the fact that a person in flesh does not see it is not because God is jealous, but because he allows it. For the one who sees cannot live. The overwhelming light would dissolve the flesh of the one who sees, unless by God's secret power the flesh changes its nature into light so it can see the light, or the nature of the light changes into flesh so it can be seen by flesh. To see the Father without change is only possible for the Son. But it is not the same for the just; at the resurrection of the dead, when bodies turn to light and become like angels, then they will be able to see. Even if an angel is sent to be seen by a person, it turns into flesh so it can be seen by flesh. No one can have a bodiless form—not only the Son, nor any angel. And if someone sees a vision, let him think it is from an evil spirit."

¹⁷ But it is also clear, and I can prove it in writing, that ungodly people see true visions and dreams. For it is written in the law that Abimelech, though ungodly and wanting to take the wife of the righteous Abraham, heard from God in a dream—not to touch her, because she was married to a man, as the scripture says. And Pharaoh, an ungodly man, saw a dream about years of plenty and years of famine, which Joseph, with God's help, said would come true. And Nebuchadnezzar, who worshiped idols and ordered those who worshiped God to be thrown into the fire, saw a dream that lasted a whole age. No one should say, "But no ungodly person sees a vision while awake." That is false. For Nebuchadnezzar himself, after ordering three men to be thrown into the fire, saw a fourth in the furnace and said, "I see the fourth as a son of God." And yet, those who saw visions and dreams were ungodly. So it is not always true that someone who sees visions, dreams, or apparitions is always godly. For to the godly, the truth comes naturally and clearly to the mind—not through dreams, but through good understanding.

¹⁸ The Son was revealed to me by the Father. That's why I know what the power of revelation is, because I learned it for myself. When I heard others saying different things about who the Lord is, it touched my heart. So I don't know how I said, "You are the Son of the living God." But the one who blessed me to tell me this—the one who revealed the Father—taught me from then on that revelation is learned without teaching, without visions or dreams. And truly, it is so. For in us, from God, the whole truth is planted like a seed, and God's hand protects and reveals it, working according to each person's worth and understanding. But what comes from outside through visions and dreams to show something is not revelation, but seems to be anger. For it is written in the law that when God was angry with Aaron and Miriam, he said, "If a prophet rises from among you, I will reveal myself to him through visions and dreams, but not like to Moses, my servant. I speak to Moses face to face, clearly, not through riddles, visions, or dreams, as I would to an enemy." You see how things that come from anger come through visions and dreams, but things given to a friend come mouth to mouth, clearly—not through riddles, visions, or dreams, as to an enemy.

¹⁹ If our Jesus was known to you because he appeared in a vision and spoke—angry, as if facing someone—and so spoke through visions and dreams or even through revelations from outside, can anyone really be made wise for teaching through a vision? And if you say, "It is possible," then why did the teacher speak to those who stayed awake for a whole year? How can we believe you, even if he did appear to you? How did he appear to you when you think things opposite to his teaching? But if you were seen by him for just one hour and became a disciple and apostle, preaching his words, explaining his meaning, and loving his apostles, then don't fight me, who am connected to him. For I am a solid rock, the foundation of the church, and you stand against me. If you were not against me, you would not slander me by blaming my preaching and saying that what I heard from the Lord himself is not to be believed. It is clear that you judge me and approve yourself. Or if you say I am judged, then you accuse God who revealed Christ to me, and you attack the one who blessed me at the revelation. But since you want to work truly with the truth, first learn from us what we learned from him, and as a true student, become a partner with us.

²⁰ When Simon heard these things, he said, "May I never become a disciple—neither of him nor of you. For I do not ignore what needs to be known. But I asked to learn, to see if you could show me a clearer vision of truth. You spoke as you wished, but you did not show it. Now, tomorrow I will go to the one you say is the creator, the one about God, and after talking with him, I will show that he is not the highest good. I will also show that your teacher told me the same things, but you did not understand. Having said this, he left, unwilling to listen to what was offered."

Chapter 18

At dawn, when Peter went out to talk, Simon went ahead and said, "Yesterday, after leaving, I promised you that today I would come back and talk to show that the one who made the world is not the highest God, but another—one who alone is good and has been unknown until now. So, do you say that the creator himself is also the lawgiver, or not? If he is the lawgiver, then he is just; but if he is just, he is not good. But if he is not the lawgiver, then Jesus preached about someone else when he said, 'Don't call me good, for the only good one is the Father in heaven.' So the lawgiver, being just and good, does not agree. And Peter said, 'First tell us, by what actions do you think the good one is good, and by what actions the just one is just, so that we can send words with a clear purpose.' And Simon said, 'You first tell me what seems good to you, or also what seems just.'"

² And Peter said, "So that I don't waste time arguing too much, I rightly ask you to answer my questions as you think best, and I will answer what I asked. I say the good one is the one who gives freely, like I see the creator doing—giving the sun to both good and bad, and the rain to both just and unjust." Simon said, "That is very unfair, to give the same things to both just and unjust." Peter said, "Then tell us how the good one would act." Simon replied, "You must say it." Peter said, "I will say it. If the one who gives the same things to good and just, and also to bad and unjust, is not just in your view, but if he gives good things to good people and bad things to bad people, then you would rightly call him just. So what other action would he take, if not this: giving temporary things to bad people, if they change, and eternal things to good people, if they remain faithful? And so, it is good and just to give to all, but to treat different people differently, and to be patient—if he forgives sinners who repent and promises eternal life to those who do well. And judging at the end, he is just in giving each what they deserve. If these things are rightly so, agree."

³ And Simon said, "I said before that every lawgiver who aims at justice is just." Peter replied, "If it is good not to make a law, but just to make one, then the creator is both good and just. He is good because from the time of Adam until Moses, the law was not written down; but from Moses until now, as it is written, he is also just." Simon said, "From the words of your teacher, show that the good one and the just one are the same. For it seems impossible to me that the lawgiver, being good, is also just." Peter said, "Listen to this: our teacher said to a Pharisee who asked, 'What must I do to inherit eternal life?' First, he said, 'Don't call me good, for only one is good—the Father in heaven.' Then he quickly added, 'If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.' When asked which ones, he sent him to the commandments of the law. He would not have sent him to commandments of some other kind of good. I admit that justice is different, and goodness is different, but you don't realize that goodness and justice are the same. For he is good now by being patient and accepting those who repent, and he is just when judging and giving each what they deserve."

⁴ And Simon said, "Then how is it, knowing the creator who made Adam, and knowing the just ones under the law, and also the just and unjust and the whole world, that your teacher, after all this, says no one knows the father except the son, and no one knows the son except the father and those to whom the son chooses to reveal him? He wouldn't say this if he weren't speaking about a hidden father, whom the highest law calls the Most High, from whom no good or bad voice was heard (as Lamentations and Jeremiah testify). This father, by the number of the sons of Israel who went into Egypt—seventy in all—and by the seventy languages around the borders of the nations, gave a share to his own son, who is also called lord, the one who arranged heaven and earth. He gave the Hebrews a portion and appointed this son as God of gods—by gods, I mean those who took shares among the other nations. So the laws came from all the gods spoken of, each to their own shares, which are the other nations. Likewise, the law among the Hebrews came from the son, the lord of all. This was arranged so that if anyone fled to a certain law, he would become part of that share, and he accepted to obey that law. No one knew the hidden highest father, nor his son, that he is a son. But now you, giving the hidden highest things to the son, do not realize that he is the son, the father of Jesus called Christ by you."

⁵ When Simon said these things, Peter said to him, "Can you swear by the one you believe in—not the one you now call hidden, but the one you believe in yet do not admit? For you are speaking nonsense, setting one thing against another. So if you swear that you believe what you say, I will answer you. But if you stand arguing with me about what you don't believe, you're just wasting my time." Simon replied, "I heard this from one of your own disciples." Peter said, "Don't lie." Simon said, "Don't insult me, you reckless one." Peter said, "Until you say who said it, you're a liar." Simon said, "Think what you want—that I made this up or heard it from someone else—but answer me about this. If you can't change my mind, I have learned this to be the truth." Peter said, "If it's a human invention, I won't answer; but if you have some reason to believe it's true, admit that to me, and I have something to say about it too." Simon said, "It seems I have this once. If you have something to say about it, answer."

⁶ And Peter said, "If this is true, then you are very impious. For if he is the son of the one who arranged heaven and earth, and he reveals his hidden father only to those he chooses, then you are very impious, as I said, because you reveal things he did not reveal. Simon said, 'But he himself wants to reveal them to me.' Peter replied, 'You don't understand what I'm saying, Simon. Listen carefully: when he says the son will reveal to whom he wants, he doesn't mean to teach something like that, but only to reveal. Revelation is what is secretly hidden in all human hearts, uncovered without words by his will. And so it is known—not by being taught, but by understanding. But the one who understands cannot prove this to another, since he himself was not taught, nor can he reveal it, unless he himself is the son—unless he claims to be the son. But you are not the son standing here. For if you were the son, you would surely know who is worthy of such revelation. But you do not know. For if you did, you would act like those who truly know.'

⁷ Simon said, "I agree, I didn't understand how you mean that you would do the things of those who know." Peter replied, "If you didn't understand, then you can't know the mind of each person. And if you don't know, you don't know who is worthy of revelation. If you don't know that, then you are not the son. But the son knows. That's why he reveals to those he chooses who are worthy." Simon said, "Don't fool me—I know who the worthy ones are, and I am not the son. But this thing you say, about to whom he wants to reveal, I didn't understand the way you said it. And I didn't say I didn't understand because I didn't know, but because I knew that those here didn't understand, so you could explain it more clearly, so they would understand why we are asking." Peter said, "I can't explain it more clearly; you explain it yourself, as you understand." Simon said, "I don't need to say your things." Peter said, "Simon, it seems to me you don't understand it, and you don't want to admit it, so you won't be caught in ignorance and proven wrong, since you're not the son standing here. That's what it hints at, even if you don't want to say it clearly. I know your plans from what you hint at, since I'm a true prophet's disciple, not a prophet. But you, not understanding what is clearly said, want to call yourself the son, opposing us." Simon said, "I will drop every excuse. I agree, I didn't understand what it is, or to whom the son wants to reveal. So speak it more clearly."

⁸ And Peter said, "Since you admitted that you don't understand it even in a simple way, I ask you to answer me so you can learn. Tell me, do you say the son is just, whoever he is, or not?" Simon said, "Most just." Peter said, "If he is just, why doesn't he reveal himself to everyone, but only to those he chooses?" Simon said, "Because, being just, he wants to reveal himself to those who are worthy." Peter said, "So he doesn't need to know each person's mind to reveal himself to the worthy?" Simon said, "It has to be that way." Peter said, "Then he alone was rightly chosen to reveal, because he knows each person's mind. Not you, nor those who speak under us, can understand this."

⁹ When Peter said this, the crowd praised him. But Simon, feeling ashamed, blushed and rubbed his forehead. Then he said, "They call me a magician, defeated by Peter, but still thinking. If someone thinks carefully, they will see the truth in me, even though I am defeated. The weakness of the one seeking revenge is not the truth of the one who is defeated. But I tell you this: I have judged all those here worthy to know the hidden Father. So, while I reveal him openly to them, you yourself, out of envy toward me who wants to help them, are angry."

¹⁰ And Peter said, "Since you spoke in a way that pleased the crowd, I will speak not to please, but to tell the truth. Tell me, how do you know that everyone here is worthy, when not one of them agreed with you? The praise you want me to give you is not from their agreement, but from mine, because I rightly gave the praise. But since God is just and judges each person's mind, as you say is true, would he want to give this by the left hand to the right, when the one who takes from a thief is also responsible? So for this reason, he did not want to accept those you bring, but only through the son who is appointed to reveal. For to whom is it reasonable to reveal the Father, if not to the son alone, because he knows who is worthy of such a revelation? This cannot be taught or learned, but must be revealed by an unseen hand to the one worthy to know it."

¹¹ And Simon said, "It really helps to use your own weapons when fighting. For the one who loves can truly take revenge, but the one being avenged doesn't have the strength by chance. So from now on, I will say what I really think. I say there is a power in hidden things unknown to everyone, even to the creator himself, as Jesus himself said, not knowing what he spoke. Sometimes a person speaks many words and hits the truth without knowing what they say. I'm talking about this too, where it was said, 'No one has known the Father.' And Peter, you no longer claim to know those things." Simon said, "I don't claim to believe those things, but I talk to you about the things he accomplished." Peter said, "So I won't give you an excuse to run away. I will ask you as you want. But I swear to everyone that you don't even believe the words you just spoke. I know what you think, and so you won't think I'm lying—I will share your own thoughts with you, so you know I'm speaking to someone who understands."

¹² We, Simon, do not say—from the great power or from the one called the lady—that two angels were sent: one to create the world and the other to give the law. Nor do we say that each came by himself to the things he made, as if he announced himself as master. Nor that one standing would set himself against the other. Learn why you don't believe, and understand this story. You say there is power in hidden things, but that is full of ignorance. For the ignorance of the angels sent by it was not known before. Simon, very angry at Peter for saying these things, cut him off and said, "Why do you babble, bold and most reckless of all, carelessly revealing hidden things to ignorant crowds?" Peter said, "Why do you envy doing good to the listeners here?" Simon said, "So you don't admit that such knowledge is a good thing?" Peter said, "I admit it. For falsehood, once known, does good by keeping us from ignorance." Simon seems unable to say what I offered you. I say then that even your teacher says there is a father in hidden things.

¹³ And Peter said, "I will answer as you want about this: no one has known the Father except the Son, and no one has known the Son except the Father, and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. First, I wonder how, out of the many meanings this saying has, you picked the most dangerous part—claiming it means ignorance of the creator and all under him. For this saying can be about all the Jews, who think David is the father of Christ and do not know that Christ is the Son, the Son of God. That is why it is rightly said, 'No one has known the Father,' because instead of God, all said David. And to say that no one knew the Son is true because they did not recognize him as the Son. And to say that the Son reveals himself to whom he wishes is also rightly said, for the Son, who has existed from the beginning, was appointed alone to reveal himself to those he chooses. And so Adam, the first man, could not have been ignorant of him; nor Enoch, who pleased God, fail to know him; nor Noah the just fail to understand; nor Abraham the friend fail to grasp; nor Isaac fail to think of him; nor Jacob, who struggled, fail to trust; nor all the worthy among the people fail to have this revealed to them."

¹⁴ But if, as you say, it will now be revealed to everyone through knowing by Jesus, how is it not the most unfair to say that those seven pillars of the world—who were able to please the most just God—did not know him, while now so many from the nations, who are ungodly in every way, do know him? Were these not worthy to know better than all? And how can this be good if it is not just? Unless you mean good not for the one doing good to the righteous, but for the one who loves even if they do not believe—those to whom he reveals even the hidden things, which he did not want to reveal to the righteous. For such a thing belongs neither to the good nor to the just, but to the one who has grown angry with the godly. Are you, Simon, the one standing there, daring to say these things were not said this way?

¹⁵ And Simon, angry at this, said, "I blame your teacher for saying this. I confess to you, lord of heaven and earth, that what was hidden from the wise, you revealed to nursing infants." And Peter said, "The saying was not spoken exactly like that. But first, I will say it as it seemed to you. Our lord, if he said it, revealed to infants what was hidden from the wise—the Father—and it was not meant to mean another god and father besides the one who made the world. For it is possible that the hidden things of the creator he spoke of are the same things Isaiah referred to when he said, 'I will open my mouth in parables, and I will pour out things hidden since the world began.' Now you admit a prophet who did not ignore the hidden things, which Jesus said were hidden from the wise but revealed to infants. How then could the creator not know, if his prophet Isaiah did know? But our Jesus did not truly say 'what was hidden,' but said something that seemed harsher: he said, 'you revealed them to nursing infants.' To say 'you hid them' is as if they were once known to them. For with them was the key to the kingdom of heaven—that is, the knowledge of the hidden things."

¹⁶ And do not say he was ungodly for hiding these things from the wise. May that never be thought. He was not ungodly, but because they themselves hid the knowledge of the kingdom, and neither entered nor allowed those who wanted to enter, it was justly hidden from them. Just as they hid the paths from those who wanted to go, so the secrets were hidden from them, so that what they did to others might happen to them too. And with the measure they used, it would be measured back to them. For the one worthy to know who does not know, it is owed to them; but from the one not worthy, even if they seem to have it, it is taken away— even if they are wise in other things—and it is given to the worthy, even if they are infants in the time of learning.

¹⁷ But if someone says, "Nothing was hidden from the sons of Israel, because it was written: 'Nothing escaped Israel,'" do not say, "Jacob, the way was hidden from me." You must understand that what makes the kingdom different was hidden from them, but the way into the kingdom, which is a way of life, was not hidden. That is why it says, "Do not say that the way was hidden from me." The way is the way of life, and Moses was told, "Look, I have set before you the way of life and the way of death." And the teacher said something similar: "Enter through the narrow and difficult way, through which you will enter into life." And elsewhere, when someone asked, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" he pointed to the commands of the law.

¹⁸ But when Isaiah said in the presence of God, "Israel did not know me, and the people did not understand me," he was not speaking of another god besides the known creator. Instead, he spoke of the known god as unknown in a different way, because the people sinned by not knowing the just will of the known God, and they did not expect to be judged by the good God. That is why, after saying, "Israel did not know me, and the people did not understand me," he goes on to say, "Woe to a sinful nation, a people full of sins." Because of their ignorance of his justice, as I said, they became full of sins without fear, only accepting the good as if it would not punish their sins.

¹⁹ Some sinned because they carelessly hoped in what is good. Others sinned for the opposite reason. They took the voices in the scriptures that spoke against God—voices that were unjust and false—and believed them to be true. Because of this, they did not understand God's true holiness and power. They thought God was ignorant, pleased by murders and gifts of sacrifices, forgiving the wicked, even deceiving, lying, and doing all wrong. So, making gods like him, they sinned and claimed to be pious. Because of this, they were stubborn about what was better, and when warned, they did not change. They were not afraid, as if by doing such things they were becoming like God.

²⁰ But to those who think God is like that, one could reasonably say this: no one knows the father except the son, and no one knows the son except the father. And rightly so. For if they truly understood, they would not have sinned by believing the writings that test faith and speak against God as if they were true. But elsewhere, he says it differently, wanting to make clearer the cause of their error: "That is why you are confused, not knowing the truth of the scriptures, and because of this, you also ignore the power of God." Therefore, everyone who wants to be saved must become, as the teacher said, a judge of the writings that test faith. For he said, "Become tested money-changers." The need for money-changers is because even the tested ones have false things mixed in.

²¹ After Peter said these things, Simon pretended to be shocked by what was said about the scriptures. As if frightened, he said, "May it be far from me and those who love me to listen to your words. Until now, when I didn't know you thought these things about the scriptures, I was patient and argued with you. But now, I turn away. Still, I should have stepped back from the start, because I heard you say: 'I do not believe anything from the one who made the world,' you say, 'not angels, nor prophets, nor scriptures, nor priests, nor teachers, nor anyone else—even if someone does signs and wonders, shines brightly in the air, or reveals things through visions or dreams.' So who can change your mind, for better or worse, if you hold so strongly and firmly to your own understanding?"

²² When Peter said these things to Simon, who was about to leave, he said, "Listen to one more thing from me, then go wherever you want." But when Simon turned back and stayed, Peter said, "I know how shocked you were when you heard me say that I do not believe anyone who speaks against the God who made the world. Now listen to something even greater. If the God who made the world really is the kind the scriptures describe, and if he is truly very bad in some other way—something neither the scriptures could say nor anyone else could think—still, I will not stop worshiping only him and doing his will. For I want to know and be sure that someone who does not love their own maker can never truly love another. And if someone does love another, it is against nature and comes from the evil love of the wicked, not realizing that they cannot truly protect even that one. And if there is someone greater than the creator, then accept this about me: I love my father, but I will not accept you, knowing that you left your maker—whom I do not call father—hoping for something greater, without caring about what is right. So even if you find someone better than him, he knows you will leave that one too, and even more, that you were never truly a son, since you left your true father."

²³ But you might say, "He knows there is no one greater than him, and because of that, he cannot be abandoned." So, thanks be that there is no other. Yet he knows that thoughts often lead to foolishness. And if, knowing this, he accepts you as foolish but does not accept me as wise, then by your own words he is being unreasonable, not using what is wise. So, Simon, you don't realize that you are helping evil. Simon answered, "Then tell us where evil came from." Peter said, "Since today you have come to leave, and you said you would no longer listen to me as a blasphemer, tomorrow, if you want to learn, when you come I will explain it. I will also let you test me as you wish, without arguing." Simon said, "I will do whatever seems right to me." After saying this, he went away. But none of those who came with him left; instead, they fell at Peter's feet and begged him to forgive Simon and to accept those who were sorry. Peter came to those who were sorry and to the other crowds, laid his hands on them while praying, healed those who were suffering, and then, letting them go, told them to hurry before dawn. After saying this and going in with his usual companions, he made the usual quiet for the urgent night as evening came.

Chapter 19

Early the next day, Peter went out and saw Simon waiting with many others for him. He began to speak to the crowd. But just as he started, Simon interrupted and said, "Put aside your long introductions and answer me, since I'm the one asking about what's coming. I understand you, from what I've heard from the start, that your only goal is to prove by any means that the creator himself must be a blameless God. You have such a strong desire to argue this that you even dare to say some clear parts of the scriptures are false. For this reason, I have decided today to prove that it is impossible for him, as the creator of all, to be blameless. I can begin the proof now, if you will answer my question."

² Do you say there is a leader of evil, or not? If you say there isn't, I have proof from many things, including your teacher, that there is. But if you admit that the evil one exists and agree that he is real, then I will continue with my argument. Peter said, "It's impossible for me to deny the words of my teacher, so I also agree that the evil one exists. Many times, the teacher who always tells the truth has said he exists. In fact, he admits that after talking with him for forty days, he tested him. Elsewhere, I know he said, 'If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?' He also showed that he saw the evil one fall like lightning from heaven. In another place, he said, 'The devil is the one who sows the seed of evil.' And again, 'Do not give the evil one a chance.' He also gave advice: 'Let your yes be yes, and your no be no; anything more than this comes from evil.' In the prayer he gave us, he said, 'Deliver us from the evil one.' And somewhere else, he said, 'He promised the ungodly, "Go into the outer darkness, which the father has prepared for the devil and his angels."' So, not to make my speech too long, I often know my teacher said the evil one exists. Therefore, I agree that he exists. Now, if you have anything else to say, as you promised, say it."

³ And Simon said, "Since you have agreed that the evil one exists, based on the scriptures, then tell me how he came to be, if he did, and by whom, and why." Peter replied, "Forgive me, Simon, for not daring to speak about what is not written. If you say it is written, then show me. But if it is not written, then you cannot show it either. Why do we risk speaking about things not written? Have we not believed that we will be judged, not only for what we do, but also for what we say, believing it to be true? And for this reason, you speak more boldly about God? " Simon, realizing he had spoken foolishly, said, "Let me be the one to take the risk, but don't use what you call blasphemy as an excuse to back down. I understand you want to withdraw so you can avoid being judged by the crowd—sometimes because you fear hearing blasphemy, and sometimes because it is not written how, by whom, and why the evil one came to be, and that we should not dare to say more than the scriptures allow. So you only firmly claim that he exists out of reverence. By doing this, you deceive yourself, not knowing that if it is blasphemy to speak exactly about the evil one, the blame falls on me, the accuser, not on you, who defend God. And if what is sought is not written, and for this reason you want to seek it, there are some ways that can show what is sought just as well as the scriptures. So then, isn't it necessary that the evil one, whom you say exists, is either created or uncreated?"

⁴ And Peter said, "It is necessary." Simon replied, "So if he is created, then he was made by the God who made all things—either as a living being, or formed in essence, or by some strange mixture. Or maybe the matter was outside of God, either living or not, from which the evil one came—either by that God, or from himself, or even from nothing, which is something, or maybe he always existed. So, from all these possibilities, as I see it, when searching for how he came to be, the one who seeks must follow one of these paths to find the answer. Each person must search for the origin, and when they find the cause, they should think that it is to blame. What do you think?"

⁵ And Peter said, "It seems to me that if the evil one was made by God, we should not blame the maker yet, so that his purpose might be seen as more necessary than anything else. But if it is shown that the evil one was not made but has always existed, even then the creator is not to blame. The one who is stronger than all is the creator, even if he cannot end a beginning without origin, because that is unnatural. Or if he can, he does not destroy it, judging it unfair to end a beginning that never truly took hold, and to forgive one born bad, since it cannot become something else, even if it wishes to. And if he wants to do good but cannot, then he is good in that he wants, but cannot act. And in what he cannot do, he is the most powerful of all, because he does not leave what is possible to another. But if there is another powerful one, and he fails where the first powerful one fails, then he is agreed to be evil, not stopping the evil one, as if pleased by what the evil one does. But if he himself cannot stop it, then the one who tries to help us against what is powerless, as much as he can, is better and does not hesitate."

⁶ Simon said, "When you argue about each of the things I suggested, I will show you the cause of evil. Then I will answer you about what you said, and I will prove that the God you say is blameless is actually to be blamed." Peter replied, "Since from the beginning you have spoken with me, thinking you seek nothing else but to accuse God as the leader of evil, I have chosen to follow you on all the paths you want, to show that God is free from all blame." Simon said, "You say these things as someone who loves God, whom you think you know, but you are not telling the truth." Peter answered, "But you, as someone who hates God and does not know him, speak blasphemies." Simon said, "Remember that you accused me of being the leader of evil." Peter said, "I admit I lied and accused you of evil because I was forced by not finding your equal or even someone worse. For this reason, I accused you of evil, since you turn out to be much more evil than the leader of evil. No one can show God as evil, but all present here boldly accuse you." Simon said, "One who seeks the truth owes nothing to anyone except what is true. So why do you seek the origin? Why should I, carefully examining things, spend all my time praising a God I do not know?"

⁷ And Peter said, "You are not so blessed as to praise him, nor can you do this good; for you would be filled with him. For our truthful teacher said, 'The mouth speaks from the abundance of the heart.' So you, overflowing with bad choices and because of ignorance, accuse the only good God, and you have not yet rightly suffered for what you dared to say. Do you think there will be no judgment? Or maybe you don't even believe there is a God. Because you don't understand his great patience, you stretch yourself even further into foolishness." Simon said, "Don't hope to scare me with fear, or expect me to give you true examples. I want the truth so much that I don't hesitate to face danger for its sake. But if you have anything to say about the beginnings I offered you, then say it now."

⁸ And Peter said, "Since you force us to be bold, having carefully studied the works of God, to speak—even though these things are about people who cannot even carefully understand the works of their own kind—at least for those here, instead of staying silent out of respect, I will discuss whatever you want. I agree with you that there is some leader of evil, whose origin scripture dared to say is neither clearly true nor false. But let us explore together in many ways how it came to be, if it did come to be, and let us choose the most reasonable opinion. This is based on what seems likely—that it is right to give the better name to God, especially after all doubts are cleared away, and with another strong and safer idea nearby. But even before we begin, I promise you that every way of searching can show that God alone is blameless."

⁹ But, as you said, if the evil one was created, or if he became a living being, or if he truly comes from God, or if he is mixed from outside, or if his choice came from mixing, or if without mixing and without God's will he came to be from nothing, or if he was made by God, or if he came from nowhere at all, or if the matter was outside God—whether alive or not—from which he came, or if he made himself, or if he was made by God, or if he comes from something, or if he always existed—because we cannot say he does not exist, since we agreed he exists. And Simon said, "You have divided all his ways well, which is the main point about him. So now it is my job, having examined your division, to show you the creator as one who is to blame. And your job is to prove him, as you promised, to be free from all blame. I wonder if you can. For first, if the evil one became a living being from God, then he is also the same one who brings evil." And Peter said, "Not always. For we see many people who are good but have given birth to bad ones, and others who are bad but have become good, some who bring forth good, others who bring forth both bad and good. Indeed, the first created man immediately gave birth to the unjust Cain and the just Abel." To this Simon said, "You speak foolishly about God, using human examples." And Peter said, "Then you tell us about God without using human examples, but still in a way that can be understood; but you will not be able."

¹⁰ So then, what were you saying about the beginning? If the evil one was born from God and is of the same nature, then he is evil. But when I showed—though not where you gave the example yourself—that bad things come from good and good things come from bad, I did not accept that the example is human. So now I also do not accept that God was born, because giving birth belongs to humans, not to God. But God cannot be good or bad, just or unjust, wise or living, or any of the other qualities that belong to humans; those things belong to humans. And if we must not give God the good qualities that belong to humans, then there is nothing left to think or say except to seek only his choice, which he allowed us to understand, so that when judged, we will have no excuse for what we knew but did not keep.

¹¹ And Simon, hearing this, said, "You won't be angry with me for being silent about his nature and focusing only on his choice. For it is possible to think and speak about his nature, I mean by using the good qualities that belong to humans. For example, living and dying belong to humans, but for God, not dying but living—and living forever. Also, being bad or good belongs to humans, but for God, being incomparably good. And so that I don't make the speech too long, the better qualities that belong to humans belong forever to God. And Peter said, 'Tell me, Simon, is it possible for humans to give birth to both bad and good, and to do bad and good?' And Simon said, 'It is possible.' And Peter said, 'Since you say this, it is right to give God the better qualities of those that belong to humans. Of humans who give birth to bad and good, God alone can give birth only to good. And of humans who do bad and good, he alone delights in doing good. So then, is it reasonable to give him the better qualities by way of those good qualities that belong to humans? And so he alone is the cause of all good.'

¹² And Simon said, "So if God is the cause only of good things, what else is there to think except that someone else created the evil one, or that he is uncreated?" And Peter said, "Neither did any other power create the evil one, nor is evil uncreated, as I will fully show. For now I must prove, as I promised from the beginning, that God is blameless in every way. We agreed that God has the better qualities of those that belong to humans, beyond comparison. Therefore, it is possible for him to be the source of the four elements—hot and cold, wet and dry. At first, these existed simply and unmixed, having no desire for anything else. But when God projected them and ruled outside, they became living beings, with the choice to destroy the bad ones. And so, from him who made all things, the evil one is neither from elsewhere, nor did he receive evil from the all-creating God, with whom it is impossible to exist. For the elements, being different, were separated from him and projected, and outside them, ruled by his art, came the desire for the destruction of evils. But the evil that happened cannot destroy the good, not even if it wanted to, because by law it has no power against those who do wrong. So, not knowing the ways of each, it learns from experience and punishes after examining. And Simon said, "Then, since he can mix the elements and make a mixture as he wishes, why would he not make the mixture of each good by choice?"

¹³ And Peter said, "Now we need to talk about how the evil one came to be, if he did come to be, and by whom. I will explain whether it happened without fault when I finish the story before us. I will show when, how, and why he came to be, and that the one who made him is blameless. But we said that God created the four elements. And so, by the will of the one who arranged them, the choice of evils happened as it wished. For if, apart from its own choice, or from another element, or even by chance, it happened, then God's control over the mixture would not be certain. Maybe, if he did not want it, rulers of evil would always arise, fighting against his plans. But it is impossible for these things to be true. For nothing living and ruling can come by chance; everything that happens must happen because of something."

¹⁴ And Simon said, "But what if matter, being equal in time and power, opposes him as an enemy, blocking his plans?" And Peter said, "If matter is eternal, it is not an enemy to anyone. For what always exists is without feeling, and what is without feeling is blessed. And what is blessed cannot become open to hatred, nor can it fear being taken away by any eternal creation. So how could matter not love the creator more, whenever..."