Recognitions 3.42–3.65

Peter, hearing this, gnashing his teeth, rubbing his forehead with his hand, and sighing from deep grief, said: “You stand armed with the cunning of the ancient serpent to deceive the souls of men; and therefore, like the serpent, wiser than the other beasts, from the beginning you have professed yourself a teacher. And again, like the serpent, you wished to introduce many gods; and, refuted on this, you now assert that there is no God at all. For on the pretext of some unknown god you denied that the creator of the world is God, and affirmed that he was either evil, or had many equals, or, as we said, was not God at all. After this, when you had been overcome on this too, you now assert that the soul is mortal, so that men may not live rightly and justly in the hope of things to come. For surely, if the future is despaired of, why should mercy not be cut off and luxury and pleasures be indulged, from which it is agreed that all injustice arises? And while you introduce the teaching of so great an impiety into this wretched life of mortals, you call yourself pious and me impious, as one who does not allow men, under the hope of future goods, to take up arms and attack one another, to plunder and overturn everything, and to attempt all that lust dictates. And what will be the state of this life that you introduce, in which men attack and are attacked, are angry and disturbed, and always live in fear? For those who inflict evils on others must expect the like themselves. Do you see that you are a leader of disturbance and not of peace, of iniquity and not of equity? But I did not feign anger as one who cannot show that the soul is immortal; I pity the souls of men whom you are trying to deceive. I will speak, then, but not as compelled by you; for I know how I shall speak, and you alone will be one who needs on this matter not so much persuasion as admonition; but those who are truly ignorant of it I will teach as is fitting.”

Then Simon said: “If you are angry, I will neither ask questions nor listen.” And Peter said: “If you are now looking for an excuse to escape, you are free to go, even without anyone's pretext. For all have heard that you have said nothing right and could prove nothing, but asked only in order to contradict, which anyone can do. For what is difficult about answering, after clear proofs, ‘You have said nothing’? But that you may know that I can show you in a single sentence that the soul is immortal, I will ask you something that everyone knows; answer me, and in a single sentence I will prove that it is immortal.” Then Simon, who had thought he had found in Peter's anger an excuse to leave, stayed because something wonderful was being promised him, and said: “Ask me, that I may answer you what all know, and let me hear, as you promised, in a single sentence, how the soul is immortal.”

And Peter said: “I will speak so that it may be proved to you above all others. Answer me, then: which can better persuade an unbeliever, sight or hearing?” And Simon said: “Sight.” Then Peter said: “Why, then, do you wish to learn from me by words what is proved to you by the fact itself and by sight?” And Simon said: “I do not know what you mean.” And Peter said: “If you do not know, go now to your house, and entering the inner chamber you will see an image set up there, containing the likeness of a boy violently slain, covered with purple; question him, and he will teach you either by answer or by sight. For what need is there to hear from him whether the soul is immortal, when you see it standing present? For if it did not exist, it certainly could not be seen. But if you do not know what image I mean, let us go from here at once to your house, with ten other men of those who are present.”

But Simon, hearing this and struck in conscience, changed color and turned pale; for he feared that if he denied it his house would be searched, or that Peter, angered, would betray him more plainly and make known to all who he was. So he answered thus: “I beseech you, Peter, by that good God who is in you, overcome the malice that is in me: receive me to repentance, and you will have me as a helper in your preaching. For now I have truly learned by the facts themselves that you are a prophet of the true God, and therefore you alone know the secrets and hidden things of men.” And Peter said: “You see, brethren, Simon seeking repentance; a little later you will see him return again to his unbelief. For, thinking me a prophet because I made public his evil deeds, which he kept secret and hidden, he has promised to repent; but it is not lawful for me to lie, nor ought I to deceive, whether this unbeliever is saved or not. For I call heaven and earth to witness that I did not speak prophetically what I said, or what, as far as was possible, I indicated in the hearing of the crowds; but I learned what he had done in secret from some who were then his associates in his works but have now been converted to our faith. So I spoke things known, not foreknown.”

But Simon, when he heard this, attacked Peter with curses and abuse, saying: “O most abominable and most deceitful of all men, to whom fortune, not truth, has given the victory! I did not ask for repentance for lack of knowledge, but so that you, thinking that by repentance I would become your disciple, might entrust to me all the secrets of your profession, and so at last, having learned everything, I might refute you. But you, being cunning, understood why I had feigned repentance, and acquiesced as if you did not understand my trick, so as first to expose me before the people as unskilled; then, foreseeing that, once thus exposed to the people, I would have to be indignant and confess that I was not truly repentant, you forestalled me by saying that I would return to my unbelief after repentance, so that you might seem to have won on every side, whether I remained in the repentance I had professed or not; and so that you might be believed wise, as having foreseen these things, while I would seem deceived because I did not foresee your trick; but you, foreseeing mine, used craft and circumvented me. But, as I said, this victory is of fortune, not of truth. Yet I know why I did not foresee these things: because, standing by you, I spoke to you out of my goodness and dealt patiently with you. But now I will show you the power of my divinity, so that you may suddenly fall down and worship me.”

“I am the first power, who am always and without beginning. But having entered the womb of Rachel, I was born of her as a man, so that I might be seen by men. I have flown through the air; mingled with fire, I have become one body with it; I have made statues move; I have given life to lifeless things; I have made stones into bread; I have flown from mountain to mountain and crossed over, and come down to earth upheld by the hands of angels. I have not only done these things, but can do them now too, so as to prove to all by the facts themselves that I am the Son of God, standing forever, and that I will make those who believe in me likewise stand forever. But your words are all vain, and you can show no work of truth, just like that magician who sent you, who could not even free himself from the punishment of the cross.”

When Simon had said this, Peter answered: “Do not meddle with what is not yours; for you have confessed, and been shown, that you are a magician by the very things you have done; but our master, who is the Son of God and of man, is plainly good; and that he is truly the Son of God has been told, and will be told, to those to whom it was fitting. But if you will not confess that you are a magician, let us go with all this crowd to your house, and then it will appear who is the magician.” While Peter was saying this, Simon began to rail with blasphemies and curses, so that, with a riot raised and everyone thrown into confusion, he could not be convicted, and Peter, withdrawing as if because of the blasphemy, would seem to be beaten. But Peter stood firm and began to reprove him more vehemently.

Then the people, indignant, drove Simon out of the court and beyond the door of the house, and only one man followed him when he was driven out. When silence had been made, Peter began to address the people thus: “Brethren, you ought to bear the wicked patiently, knowing that God, though he could cut them off, nevertheless suffers them to continue until the appointed day on which judgment will be held concerning all. How, then, shall we not bear those whom God bears? And why do we not endure with strong mind the injuries they inflict, when he who can do all things does not avenge his own, so that both his goodness and the impiety of the wicked may be known? But if the evil one had not found Simon as his minister, he would without doubt have found another; for it is necessary that offenses come into this world, but woe to him through whom they come. And therefore Simon is the more to be lamented, because he has become a chosen vessel of the evil one; which certainly would not have happened unless the evil one had received power over him because of earlier sins. For why should I speak of the fact that he had once believed in our Jesus, and had persuaded himself that souls are immortal? Although he is mocked by demons in this, yet he has persuaded himself that he has the soul of a boy violently slain ministering to him for whatever he wishes; in which, truly, as I said, he is mocked by demons. And therefore I spoke to him according to what seemed true to him; for he also learned from the Jews that there is a judgment and vengeance to be brought against those who oppose the true faith and do not repent. But these are the men to whom the evil one appears as to men perfect in crime, to deceive them, so that they may never turn to repentance.”

“You, then, who are turning to the Lord through repentance, bend your knees to him.” When he had said this, the whole multitude bent their knees to God. And Peter, looking up to heaven, prayed with tears over them, that God of his goodness would deign to receive them as they fled to him. And after he had prayed and charged them to gather earlier the next day, he dismissed the multitude. Then, as usual, having taken food, we rested.

So Peter, rising at the usual hour of the night, found us awake; and when he had greeted us as usual and sat down, Niceta was the first to speak: “If you permit, my lord Peter, I have something to ask.” And Peter said: “I permit it not only to you but to all, and not only now but always: let each confess what troubles him and the part of his mind that is in pain, so that he may obtain healing. For things that are covered in silence and not made known to us are cured with difficulty, like long-standing diseases; and therefore, since the remedy of timely and necessary discourse cannot easily be applied to those who keep silent, each must bring forward that in which his mind is sick through ignorance. To give a remedy to one who keeps silent belongs to God alone; we too can do it, but only by the long way round. For the discourse of teaching must run in order from the beginning, meet each question, open everything and resolve everything, and come even to what each one is asking in his own mind; but this, as I said, can be done only over a long time. Now, then, ask what you desire.”

And Niceta said: “I give you abundant thanks, most kind Peter; but this is what I desire to learn: why could Simon, who opposes God, do such great things as these? For he lied in none of the things he professed to have done.” To this the blessed Peter answered thus: “God, who is one and true, resolved to prepare good and faithful friends for his Firstborn. But knowing that they cannot be good unless they have in their power the faculty by which they become good, so that by their own purpose they may be what they wish—otherwise they could not truly be good, if they were held in goodness not by purpose but by necessity—he gave each the power of his own choice, so that he can be what he wishes. And again, foreseeing that this power of choice would make some choose good and others evil, and that through this the human race would necessarily be divided into two orders, he granted to each order both a place and a king, whom it might wish to choose; for a good king rejoices in the good, and the evil one in the evil. And although I have explained these things to you more fully, Clement, in the treatise in which I discussed predestination and the end, yet now too, since Niceta asks, it is fitting for me to make plain the reason why Simon, who thinks against God, could do such great wonders.”

“First of all, then, he is judged evil before God who will not seek what is profitable for himself. For how will such a man love another, who does not love himself? Or to whom will he not be an enemy, who could not be a friend to himself? So, in order that those who choose good and those who choose evil might be distinguished, God hid from men what is profitable, that is, the possession of the kingdom of heaven, and laid it up and concealed it like a secret treasure, so that no one could easily reach it by his own strength and knowledge. Yet he brought its fame, under various names and opinions, through every generation to the hearing of all, so that any who were lovers of good, hearing of what was profitable and saving for them, might seek and find it—seek it not from themselves, but from him who hid it, and pray to be given access and the way of knowledge, which is opened only to those who love it above all the goods of this world; nor can anyone understand it on any other terms, even if he seemed most prudent—while those who neglected to inquire into what was profitable and saving for them, as hating themselves and being their own enemies, would be deprived of its goods, as lovers of evil.”

“One must therefore love it above all things, that is, above riches, glory, rest, parents, relatives, friends, and everything that is in this world. And he who perfectly loves this possession of the kingdom of heaven will without doubt cast off every practice of bad habit: negligence, sloth, malice, anger, and all things like these. For if you prefer any of these to it, as one who loves the vices of his own lust more than God, you will not be able to attain the possession of the heavenly kingdom; for it is truly foolish to love anything more than God. For parents die; relatives do not remain; friends change. God alone is eternal and remains unchangeable. He, then, who will not seek what is profitable to himself is evil, so much so that by his malice he surpasses the very prince of impiety. For the latter abuses the goodness of God for the purpose of his own malice, and pleases himself; but this man neglects the goods of his own salvation, so as to please the evil one by his own perdition.”

“For the sake of these, then—those who please the evil one by neglecting their salvation, and those who desire to please the good by zeal for their own benefit—certain pairs, ten in number, have been established in this present age as a test, according to the number of the ten plagues that were brought on Egypt. For when Moses, according to the command of God, asked Pharaoh to let the people go, and showed signs as testimony of the heavenly command, his rod, thrown on the ground, was turned into a serpent. And when Pharaoh would not yield on this account, as having freedom of choice, the magicians in turn seemed to do similar signs, by God's permission, so that the king's purpose might be proved through his freedom of choice: whether he would rather believe the signs of Moses, who was sent by God, than those which the magicians seemed to do rather than actually did. He certainly ought to have understood from their very name that they were not workers of truth, since they were called not messengers of God but magicians, as tradition also indicates. Indeed, up to a certain point they seemed to hold a contest, and after this, confessing about themselves, they yielded to the better. The last plague, then, is brought on, the death of the firstborn; and then Moses is ordered to consecrate the people by the sprinkling of blood; and so, with great entreaty, and with gifts offered, he is asked to depart with the people.”

“In a similar way I see the same thing being done now through me. For as then, when Moses was urging the king to believe God, the magicians resisted with a show of similar signs and kept the unbelieving from salvation, so now too, when I have gone out to teach all nations to believe the true God, Simon Magus resists, doing against me the same things that they then did against Moses, so that those of the Gentiles who do not use right judgment may be made manifest, while those who have a right discernment of signs may be saved.” As Peter was saying this, Niceta answered: “I beg you, if anything comes to mind, let me bring it forward.” Then Peter, delighted at the zeal of his disciples, said: “Say what you wish.”

And Niceta said: “What sin did the Egyptians commit if they did not believe Moses, since the magicians also did similar signs, even if these seemed to be done rather than were truly done? For if I had been there then, would I not, from the fact that the magicians did similar things, either have believed Moses a magician, or thought that the magicians did by divine power what they showed? For it would not have seemed likely to me that magicians could produce, even by illusion, the same things that he who was sent by God was performing. And now too, then, what sin do those commit who believe Simon, when they see him do such great wonders? Or is it not wonderful to fly through the air, to be mingled with fire into one body, to make statues walk, to make bronze dogs bark, and other such things, which are certainly wonderful enough to those who do not know how to discern? He was even seen to make bread from stones. But if one sins who believes those who do signs, how will he not seem to have sinned too who believed in our Lord because of his signs and mighty works?”

And Peter said: “I gladly accept that you inquire exactly into the truth and do not allow hindrances to faith to lie hidden in your soul; so you can easily obtain healing too. Do you remember that I said the worst of all is when someone neglects to learn what is profitable for him?” And Niceta answered: “I remember.” Peter said: “And again, that God has hidden his truth so as to open it to those who follow him faithfully?” And Niceta said: “I have not forgotten that either.” Then Peter said: “What, then, do you think—that God has hidden the truth buried in the earth and put mountains over it, so that it can be found only by those who are able to dig deep? It is not so; but as he has surrounded the mountains and the earth with the circuit of heaven, so he has covered the truth with the veil of his love, so that he alone can reach it who has first knocked at the door of divine love.”

“For, as I had begun to say before, God has appointed certain pairs for this world: the one who comes first of the pair is from the evil one, the second from the good. And in this way occasion of a just judgment is given to every man, whether he is simple or prudent. For if he is simple and has believed the one who came first, being moved by signs and wonders, he must by the same reasoning believe the one who comes second too; for he will be persuaded by signs and wonders now, as before. And when he has believed this second one, he will learn from him that he ought not to believe the first, who came from the evil one; and so the error about the first is corrected by the amendment of the second. But if, because he believed the first, he will not receive the second, he will rightly be condemned as unjust; for it is unjust that, having believed the first because of signs, he should not believe the second, who brings the same or even greater signs. But if he did not believe the first, it follows that he may at least be moved to believe by the second; for his mind has not been so obstinate that it cannot be roused by redoubled wonders. But if he is prudent, he can grasp the discernment of signs. And if he believed the first, he will be moved to the second by the increase of mighty works, and by comparison will discover which are better—although clear indications are plain to all the learned, as we have shown by the sequence of our order. But if, as one who is sound and needs no physician, he was not moved by the first, he will be roused to the second by the very persistence of the matter, and will make the distinction of signs and wonders in this way: the signs which he who is from the evil one does benefit no one; but those which the good one does benefit men.”

“For tell me, I pray, what use is it to show statues walking, bronze or stone dogs barking, mountains leaping, flying through the air, and other such things that you say Simon did? But the signs that are from the good are directed to the salvation of men, like those our Lord did, who made the blind see and the deaf hear, raised up the feeble and the lame, drove away sicknesses and demons, made the dead rise, and did other such things, which you see done through me as well. These signs, then, which serve the salvation of men and confer some good on them, the evil one cannot do, except only at the end of the world. For then he will be permitted to mix in some of the right-hand signs too, that is, to drive out demons or heal sicknesses; and because of this, as one who has exceeded his bounds and is divided against himself and fights against himself, he will be destroyed. And for this reason the Lord foretold that in the last times there would be such a temptation that even the elect would be deceived, if possible; that is, with the marks of the signs confused, even those who seem learned in discerning spirits and distinguishing mighty works must be disturbed.”

“So the ten pairs we spoke of were appointed for this world from the beginning of the age. Cain and Abel were one pair; the second, the giants and Noah; the third, Pharaoh and Abraham; the fourth, the Philistines and Isaac; the fifth, Esau and Jacob; the sixth, the magicians and Moses the lawgiver; the seventh, the tempter and the Son of Man; the eighth, Simon and I, Peter; the ninth, all the nations and him who will be sent to sow the word among the nations; the tenth, Antichrist and Christ. We will explain these pairs to you one by one more fully another time.” When Peter said this, Aquila said: “Truly constant teaching is needed for one to know the reason for each thing.”

But Peter said: “Who is constant in teaching and studiously inquires into each thing, except one who loves his soul unto salvation and renounces all the business of this world, so as to be free for the word of God alone? Him alone the true Prophet judges prudent: one who sells all that he has and buys the one true pearl, and understands the difference between temporal things and eternal, small and great, men and God. For he understands what the eternal hope with the true and good God is. But who loves God, except one who has come to know his wisdom? And how can anyone come to know the wisdom of God unless he is constant in hearing his word? From this it comes about that he conceives love for him and venerates him with due honor, pouring out hymns and prayers to him and resting in these most gladly, and reckoning it the greatest loss if he ever says or does anything else even for a moment; because truly the soul that is filled with the love of God can look at nothing else but what pertains to God, nor, for love of him, can it have enough of meditating on what it knows pleases him. But those who have not conceived affection for him, nor bear his love illumined in their mind, cannot see the light, as if placed in darkness. And therefore, even before they begin to inquire about God, they at once give up as if crushed by labor, and, filled with weariness, are swept off by their habit to the talk in which they delight. For to such people it is wearisome and burdensome to hear anything about God, because, as I said, their mind has received no sweetness of divine love.”

As Peter was saying this, day broke; and behold, one of Simon's disciples came crying out: “I beseech you, Peter, receive me, a wretch deceived by Simon Magus, to whom I gave heed as to a heavenly God because of the wonders I saw him do. But when I heard your words, he began to seem to me a man, and a wicked one at that. Nevertheless, when he went out from here, I alone followed him, for I had not yet clearly recognized his impieties. When he saw me following, he called me blessed and took me to his house; and about midnight he said to me: ‘I will make you better than all men if you will persevere with me to the end.’ When I had promised him this, he demanded an oath of perseverance from me; and having received it, he put on my shoulders certain polluted and accursed secret things of his to carry, and ordered me to follow him. When we came to the sea, he went aboard a boat that happened to be there and took from my neck what he had ordered me to carry. A little later he came out bringing nothing; certainly he had thrown it into the sea. And he asked me to set out with him, saying that he was going to Rome, for there he would please so much that he would be thought a god and be publicly endowed with divine honors. ‘Then,’ he said, ‘if you wish to return here, I will send you back filled with all riches and supported by many servants.’ Hearing this, and seeing nothing in him in keeping with this profession, but understanding that he was a magician and a deceiver, I answered: ‘I beg you, forgive me; my feet hurt, and therefore I cannot leave Caesarea; besides, I have a wife and little children whom I cannot leave at all.’ But he, hearing this and charging me with cowardice, set out toward Dora, saying: ‘When you hear how great glory I shall have in the city of Rome, you will regret it.’ And after this he went, as he said, to Rome; but I returned here at once, praying that you will receive me to repentance, because I was deceived by him.”

When the man who had returned from Simon had said this, Peter told him to sit in the court. And going out himself and seeing great crowds, far more than in the previous days, he stood in the usual place and, pointing to the man who had come, began to speak thus: “This man, brethren, whom I show you, came to me a little while ago with news of Simon's evil arts: how he threw the very workshop of his crime into the deep, not led by repentance, but fearing that if he were caught he would fall under the public laws. And he asked this man, as he says, promising immense gifts, to stay with him; and when he could not persuade him, he left him, rebuking him as cowardly, and himself set out for Rome.” And when Peter had told these things to the crowds, the man who had returned from Simon, standing in public, began to set out to the people each of Simon's crimes. And when they were indignant at what they heard Simon had done by magic arts, Peter said:

“Do not be indignant, brethren, at what has happened, but be watchful about the future; for what has passed is already over, but what threatens is dangerous for those who run into it. For offenses will never be lacking in this world as long as the enemy is permitted to act according to his will, so that all who are prudent and understand his cunning may overcome the contests he raises against them, while those who neglect to learn what pertains to the salvation of their soul may be caught by his deceptions, as they deserve. Since, then, as you yourselves have heard, Simon has gone out to preoccupy the ears of the Gentiles who are called to salvation, I too must follow his tracks, so that whatever he argues may be corrected by us. But it is right that greater care be taken for you, who are already within the walls of life; for if what has been acquired is lost, it brings loss, while what has not yet been acquired is gain if it can be found, and if not, the only loss is that no gain was made. So, in order that you may be more and more strengthened in the truth, and that the Gentiles who are called to salvation may not be wholly preoccupied by Simon's wickedness, I have decided to ordain Zacchaeus as your shepherd, and myself to remain with you three months and then to set out to the Gentiles, lest, if we delay longer while Simon's crimes spread everywhere, they become incurable.”