Recognitions 10.47–10.72

“But if anyone wishes to know exactly the truth of our preaching, let him come to hear, and learn what the true Prophet is; and then at last all ambiguity will cease in him—provided that he does not resist with obstinate mind what he has found to be true. For there are some who in whatever way look only to winning, and seek praise for it rather than salvation; to such let not anything even be said, lest the noble word suffer injury and condemn the one guilty of its injury to eternal death. For in what should anyone oppose our preaching? Or in what is the word of our preaching found to be against the faith of what is true and honorable? It says that God, the Father and maker of all, must be honored, and his Son, who alone knows him and his will, and who alone must be believed in everything he has commanded; for he alone is law and lawgiver and just judge. His law decrees that God, the Lord of all, must be honored by a sober, chaste, just, and merciful life, and that all hope must be placed in him alone.

“But someone will say that precepts of this kind are given by the philosophers too. Nothing is alike. For they do give commands about justice and sobriety, but they do not know God as the rewarder of good and evil deeds; and therefore their laws and precepts avoid only the public accuser, but cannot purify the conscience. For why should one fear to sin in secret who does not know that there is an arbiter and judge of secret things? Besides, the philosophers add in their precepts that the gods, who are demons, must also be honored; and this alone, even if they seemed commendable in other things, can convict them of the gravest impiety and condemn them by their own sentences: they declare that there is one God, yet, flattering human error, they command many to be worshiped. The philosophers also say that God is not angry, not knowing what they say. For anger is evil when it disturbs the mind so that it loses right counsel; but the anger that punishes the wicked brings no disturbance to the mind; it is, so to speak, one and the same affection that gives rewards to the good and renders punishment to the wicked. For if he gave good things to the good and the wicked alike, and used a like reward toward the pious and the impious, he would seem unjust rather than good.

“But you say: ‘Then God ought not to have made evil.’ You speak truly; nor did he make it. But those who were created by him, not believing that they are to be judged, indulging their pleasures, fell away from piety and justice. But you will say: ‘If it is just to punish the wicked, they ought to be punished as soon as they do evil.’ You indeed are in a hurry; but he who is eternal and from whom nothing is hidden, as he has no end, so his patience is long, and he looks not to the speed of vengeance but to the causes of salvation; for he takes pleasure not so much in the death of the sinner as in his conversion. For this reason, indeed, he has also given men holy baptism; and if anyone hastens to come to it and remains amended thereafter, all the sins committed through ignorance are blotted out from him.

“For what did the philosophers contribute to the life of mortals by telling men that God is not angry? Surely to teach them to have no fear of any vengeance or judgment, and so to loosen all reins for sinners. Or how did those help the human race who said that there is no God, but that all things are done by chance and accident? Was it not so that men hearing this and thinking that there is no judge, no provider of things, might be driven headlong, fearing no one, to every crime that rage or avarice or lust dictated? And those truly helped the life of mortals a great deal who said that nothing can happen without birth-fate!—so that each, ascribing to birth-fate the cause of his misdeeds, might declare himself innocent in his crimes, while he does not wash away his guilt by repenting but doubles it by blaming fate. And what shall I say of those philosophers who introduced the worship of gods, and of such gods as you heard a little before? What was it but to decree that vices, crimes, and shameful deeds be worshiped? I am ashamed and sorry for you if you believe these things were unworthy, impious, and execrable, and yet either did not detect it until now, or, having detected and understood the evils, worshiped them as good and excellent.

“Besides, what kind of thing is it that some philosophers presumed to speak even about God, though they are mortal, and by opinion alone about invisible things, or about the origin of the world, when they were not present when it came to be, or about its end, or about the dispensation and judgment of souls in the underworld—not knowing that present and visible things are within the reach of man's reason, but that to know past and future and invisible things belongs to prophetic foreknowledge alone? These things, then, are not to be gathered by conjectures and opinions, by which men are greatly deceived, but by faith in prophetic truth, as this teaching of ours holds. For we speak nothing of ourselves, nor do we announce things gathered by human estimation—for that is to deceive the hearers—but we preach what has been handed down and made manifest to us by the authority of the true Prophet. Of his foreknowledge and prophetic power, if anyone, as I said, wishes to receive clear proofs, let him come carefully and be unwearied in listening, and we will give evident proofs, by which he will believe that he not only hears with his ears but also sees with his eyes and handles with his hand the power of prophetic foreknowledge. And when he has conceived a sure faith about this, he will take up the yoke of justice and piety without any labor, and will feel such sweetness in it that he will not only not complain of any labor in it, but will even desire that something more be added and laid upon him.”

When he had said these and similar things, and had healed some of those present who were sick and possessed by demons, he dismissed the crowds rejoicing and praising God, instructing them to come together at the same place on the following days too for the sake of hearing. When we were now at home among ourselves and preparing to eat, someone came in and announced that Appion Pleistonices had recently come from Antioch with Anubion and was lodging with Simon. When my father heard this he was glad and said to Peter: “If you permit, I want to go and greet Appion and Anubion, because they are great friends of mine; and perhaps I may even be able to persuade Anubion to dispute with Clement about birth-fate.” Peter said: “I permit it, and I praise you for cherishing your friends. But consider how by the providence of God everything is falling out for you as you wish: for see, not only has your own family been restored to you by God's gift, but the presence of your friends too is provided.” My father said: “Truly I notice that it is as you say.” And when he had said this he went off to Anubion.

We, staying with Peter, remained awake through the whole night, asking about various things and learning from him, out of the very delight of his teaching and the sweetness of his words. And when it was already dawning, Peter, looking at me and my brothers, said: “I wonder what has happened to your father.” As he was saying this, my father arrived and found Peter speaking to us about him. When he had greeted us, he began to apologize and explain the reason why he had stayed out. But we, looking at him, were terrified, seeing in him the face of Simon, though we heard our father's voice. And when we fled from him and cursed him, my father was astonished that we treated him so harshly and barbarously. Peter alone saw his natural face, and he said to us: “Why do you curse your father?” We, together with our mother, answered him: “He seems to us to be Simon, though he has our father's voice.” Peter said: “To you only his voice is known, which has not been changed by sorcery; but to me his face too, which appears to others changed by Simon's art, is known as that of your father Faustinianus.” And looking at my father he said: “The cause that troubles your wife and sons is this: the appearance of your face is not seen in you as it was, but the face of the accursed Simon appears in you.”

As he was saying this, one of those who had gone ahead to Antioch returned and said to Peter: “I want you to know, my lord Peter, that Simon at Antioch, doing many signs and wonders publicly, has persuaded the people of nothing but what tends to hatred of you, calling you a magician, a sorcerer, a murderer; and he has stirred up such hatred against you in them that they greatly desire, if they can find you anywhere, even to devour your flesh. And for this reason we who were sent ahead, seeing the city greatly stirred against you, met together secretly and considered what ought to be done.

“And when we saw no way out of the matter, Cornelius the centurion arrived, sent by Caesar to the governor of Caesarea on public business. We sent for him alone and explained to him the reason for our sadness, and urged him to help if he could. Then he very readily promised that he would put him to flight at once, if only we too would support his plan. When we promised that we would do everything diligently, he said: ‘Caesar has ordered sorcerers to be sought out and put to death in the city of Rome and throughout the provinces, and very many of them have already been put to death. I will therefore spread it about through friends that I have come to seize this magician and have been sent by Caesar for this purpose, so that he too may be punished with the rest of his associates. Let your people who are with him, then, as if they had heard it from somewhere, secretly tell him that I have been sent to seize him; and it is certain that when he hears it he will flee. Or if you see anything better, say so.’ What more? It was done so by our people who were with him, pretending to be his for the sake of spying. When Simon learned that someone had come for him, accepting it as a great favor done him by them, he took to flight. So, leaving Antioch, he came here with Athenodorus, as we have heard.

“So it seemed good to all of us who went ahead that for the present you should not go up to Antioch, until we see whether, now that he has left, the hatred he sowed against you among the people may be emptied out in some degree.” When the man who had come from Antioch had reported this, Peter, looking at our father, said: “Faustinianus, your face has been transformed by Simon Magus, as is evident. For, thinking that he was being sought by Caesar for punishment, he fled in terror and put his own face on you, in case you might be seized in his place and could be led to death, so as to cause grief to your sons.” When my father heard this, he cried out with tears: “You have judged rightly, Peter; for Anubion, being a great friend of mine, had begun to hint to me in secret about his plots, but, unhappy man, I did not believe it, because I had done him no wrong.”

While all of us, together with our father, were given over to sadness and tears, Anubion meanwhile came to us, telling us that Simon had fled by night, making for Judea. And seeing our father mourning and lamenting himself and saying: “Unhappy me, who heard he was a magician and did not believe it! What has happened to me, wretch that I am, that on one day, recognized by my wife and sons, I could not rejoice with them, but have been rolled back into the former miseries I endured in error?” Our mother lamented far more grievously, with disheveled and torn hair; and we too, stunned at the change in our father's face, were as if thunderstruck and out of our minds, and could not understand what the matter was. And Anubion, seeing us all so afflicted, stood as if dumb. Then Peter, looking at us his sons, said: “Believe me that this is your father himself; and therefore I warn you to keep him as your father. For God will give some occasion by which, laying aside Simon's face, he may recover the evident likeness of your father, that is, his own.”

And turning to my father, he said: “I had permitted you to greet Appion and Anubion, who you said had been your friends from boyhood, but not to talk with Simon.” My father said: “I have sinned, I confess.” Then Anubion said: “And I, together with him, ask and beg you to pardon the old man, a good and noble man; the unhappy man was led astray and made a laughingstock by the magician I named. For I will tell how it happened. When he came to greet us, it happened that at that very hour we were standing around Simon, hearing him say that he wanted to flee that very night; for he had heard that some had come even to this city of Laodicea to arrest him by the emperor's order; and that he wanted to turn all the fury on this Faustinianus who had recently arrived. And he said to us: ‘Only make him dine with us, and I will compose an ointment with which, when he has dined, he will anoint his face, so that from it he will seem to all to have my face. But you, anoint your faces first with the juice of a certain herb, so that you may not be deceived by the change of his face; so that, except for you, he will seem to all others to be Simon.’

“And when he said this, I said to him: ‘And what profit comes to you from this deed?’ Then Simon said: ‘First, that those who are seeking me may seize him and stop seeking me. And if he is punished by Caesar, that his sons may have the greatest grief, who, having abandoned me, fled to Peter and are now his helpers.’ And I confess the truth to you, Peter: I was afraid then to tell Faustinianus this; nor did Simon himself give us the time to speak more privately and disclose Simon's plan to him more fully. Meanwhile, about midnight, Simon fled, making for Judea. Athenodorus and Appion escorted him; but I pretended a bodily illness so that, staying at home, I might make this man return to you more quickly, in case he might somehow be hidden among you, lest he be seized by those who are seeking Simon, be brought to Caesar, and perish for nothing. And now, anxious for him, I came to see him and to return before those who escorted Simon come back.” And turning to us, Anubion said: “I, Anubion, truly see your father's true face, because I was anointed beforehand by Simon himself, as I told you, so that the true face of Faustinianus might appear to my eyes. Hence I am quite stunned and amazed at the art of Simon Magus, that you, standing here, do not recognize your father.” As our father and mother and all of us wept for what had happened, Anubion too, moved by pity, wept.

Then Peter, moved with compassion, promised that he would restore our father's face, saying to him: “Listen, Faustinianus: when this error of the transformation of your face has first brought us some benefit and served what we wish, then I will give you back the true image of your face, provided you carry out what I command you.” And when my father had promised that he would fulfill everything he ordered, Peter said: “You have heard what one of those sent ahead reported on returning from Antioch: how Simon, while there, stirred up the crowds against me and inflamed the whole city with hatred of me, declaring me a magician, a murderer, and a deceiver, so much so that they desire, if they see me, even to devour my flesh. Do, then, what I tell you: leaving Clement with me, go ahead of us to Antioch with your wife and your sons Faustus and Faustinus. And I will send others with you, whom I see fit, to carry out what I shall command.

“So when you have come to Antioch with them, since you are seen as Simon, stand in public, proclaim your repentance, and say: ‘I, Simon, declare to you and confess that I lied about Peter in everything; for he is neither a seducer nor a magician nor a murderer, nor any of the things I said against him; but I said all those things moved by rage. I myself, then, who formerly gave you causes of hatred against him, beg you to think nothing of the kind about him; but lay aside your hatred, cease from your indignation, because he is truly sent by God for the salvation of the world, the disciple and apostle of the true Prophet. Therefore I advise, exhort, and warn you to hear him and believe him as he preaches the truth to you, lest perhaps, if you despise him, your very city suddenly perish. And I will tell you why I confess these things to you now. This night an angel of God rebuked me, impious as I am, and flogged me most severely because I was an enemy of the herald of truth. I beg you, then, that even if I myself, coming to you after this, attempt to say anything against Peter, you do not receive or believe it. For I confess to you: I was a magician, I a seducer, I a deceiver; but I repent, for it is possible to blot out former evil deeds by repentance.’

When Peter was explaining this to my father, he answered: “I know what you want; trouble yourself no further. For I have understood and know what I must carry out when I come to the place.” And Peter again advised him, saying: “When you come to the place and see the people converted by your word, and, laying aside their hatred, coming to desire us, send and let me know, and I will come at once. And when I come, I will without delay drive away from you this face that is not yours and restore your own, which is known to all your family.” And when he had said this, he ordered my brothers to set out with him, and Mattidia our mother and some of our companions as well. But my mother refused to set out with him, and said: “I seem to myself to be like an adulteress, if I am joined to the face of Simon. Even if I am compelled to go with him, it is still impossible for me to lie in the same bed with him; and I do not know whether I can even agree to set out with him.” And when she strongly refused, Anubion began to urge her, saying: “Believe me and Peter; and does not his very voice persuade you that he is Faustinianus your husband, whom truly I love no less than you do? Indeed I myself will come with you.” And when Anubion had said this, my mother promised that she would set out with him.

Then I said: “God arranges our affairs fittingly; for we have with us also Anubion the astrologer, with whom, if we come to Antioch, we will dispute more attentively about birth-fate.” And when after midnight our father had set out with those whom Peter had appointed and with Anubion, in the morning, before Peter went out to dispute, those who had escorted Simon, that is, Appion and Athenodorus, returned and came to us asking for my father. When Peter learned of it, he ordered them to come in. And when they had sat down, they said: “Where is Faustinianus?” Peter answered: “We do not know; for since he came to you in the evening, he has not been seen by any of his family. But yesterday morning Simon came looking for him; and because we gave him no answer, I do not know what came over him: he said he was Faustinianus. When no one believed him, weeping and grieving, he threatened to kill himself, and after that went off toward the sea.”

When Appion and those with him heard this, they gave a great wail, saying: “Why did you do this? Why did you not receive him?” And when Athenodorus wanted to tell me that he was Faustinianus your father, Appion forestalled him and said: “We learned from someone who set out with Simon that Faustinianus himself had begged him, because he did not wish to see his sons, since they were Jews. So when we heard this, we came here to look for him; but since he is not here, it is evident that he who reported that he had set out with Simon spoke the truth. This, then, we report to you.” But I, Clement, when I understood Peter's plan—that he wished to give them the suspicion that the old man would be sought from them, so that they would be afraid and flee—began to help his plan, and said to Appion: “Listen, dearest Appion: what we believe to be good we wish to pass on to our father too; but if he does not wish to receive it, but rather, as you say, shudders at us and flees, it may perhaps sound harsh, but we do not care about him either.” And when I had said this, they went away as if cursing my cruelty, following Simon's tracks, as we learned the next day.

Meanwhile, as Peter taught the people daily as usual and performed many mighty works and healings, after ten days one of our people came from Antioch, sent by my father, telling us how my father was standing in public accusing Simon, whom he appeared to be in face, and extolling Peter with immense praises, commending him to all the people and making them long for him, so that all, changed by his words, desired to see him; and that many had come into such love of Peter that they raged against my father as against Simon and wanted to lay hands on him, as one who had committed so great an evil against Peter. “Therefore,” he said, “hurry, lest he be killed. For in great fear he sent me quickly, that you might come without delay, so as to find him alive and at the same time appear opportunely to the city, whose longing for you is growing.” He also told how, as soon as my father entered the city of Antioch, the whole people gathered to him as to Simon, and he began to confess publicly to all according to what the restoration of the people required; for when all had come together, nobles and others, rich and poor alike, hoping that some wonders might be done by him as usual, he addressed them all with these words:

“‘Divine patience has long borne with me, Simon, the most unhappy of men. For whatever you admired in me was done not by the ministry of truth but by the lies and arts of demons, so that I might overturn your faith and condemn my own soul. I confess that I lied about Peter in everything; for he was never a magician or a murderer, but was sent by God for the salvation of you all; and if from this hour you think he should be despised, be sure that your city itself may suddenly perish. And the reason why I confess these things to you of my own accord is this: I was severely rebuked by an angel of God this night, and most severely flogged because I had been his enemy. I beg you, then, that if from this hour I open my mouth against him, you cast me out of your sight; for that unclean demon, the enemy of men's salvation, speaks through my mouth against him, so that you may not reach life through him. For what power could the magic art show you through me? I made bronze dogs bark and statues move, changed the shapes of men and suddenly vanished from men's sight; and by these things you ought to have abhorred the magic art, which, to show you an empty marvel, was entangling your souls in devilish snares, so that you would not believe Peter, who cures the sick in the name of him by whom he was sent, puts demons to flight, gives light to the blind, restores health to paralytics, and raises the dead.’

As he set out these and many similar things, the people began to curse him, and they wept and groaned because they had sinned against Peter, believing him to be a magician and impious. On the same day, toward evening, his own face was restored to Faustinianus, and the appearance of Simon Magus departed from him. When Simon heard that his face on Faustinianus had turned to Peter's glory, he hurried to get ahead of Peter, wishing to bring it about by his art that his likeness should leave Faustinianus—when Christ, according to the word of his apostle, had already accomplished this. When Niceta and Aquila saw that, after the necessary preaching, their father's face had been restored, they gave thanks to God and did not allow him to address the people any further.

But Simon began, though secretly, to go about through his friends and intimates and to disparage Peter more than before. Then all, spitting in his face, drove him out of the city, saying: “You will be guilty of your own death if, after speaking against Peter, you think you may come here again.” When this was known, Peter ordered the people to gather on the following day; and having ordained as their bishop one of those who followed him, and others as presbyters, having also baptized very many, and having restored to health all who were troubled by illnesses or demons, he stayed there another three days; and having arranged everything properly, he bade them farewell and set out from Laodicea, greatly longed for by the people of Antioch. And through Niceta and Aquila the whole city began to hear that Peter was coming. And all the people of the city of Antioch, hearing that Peter was coming, ran out to meet him, and almost all the elders and nobles, with ashes sprinkled on their heads, doing penance because they had received Simon the magician in opposition to his preaching.

Saying these and similar things, they brought to him those troubled by illnesses and wearied by demons, paralytics also and those suffering various dangers; and there was an endless multitude of the sick together. When Peter saw that they not only repented of having thought ill of him through Simon, but also showed such complete faith that all suffering from various sicknesses believed they could be saved through him, he spread out his hands to heaven, and, pouring out a prayer with tears, giving thanks to God, he said: “Blessed are you, Father, worthy of all praise, who deign to fulfill every word and promise of your Son, so that all creation may know that you alone are God in heaven and on earth.”

Saying these and similar things, he went up to a higher place and ordered the whole multitude of the sick to be placed before him, and addressed them all with these words: “Seeing that I am a man like you, do not think that you can recover your health from me, but through him who, coming down from heaven, offers to those who believe in him complete healing of soul and body. Therefore let your voice have this whole people as witness that you believe with your whole heart in the Lord Jesus Christ, so that they too may know that they can be saved by him.” And when the whole multitude of the sick cried out with one voice that he is the true God whom Peter proclaims, suddenly an immense light of the grace of God appeared in the midst of the people, and the paralytics began to run healed to Peter's feet, the blind, their sight recovered, to cry out, the lame, their walk restored, to give thanks, the sick, their health received, to rejoice; some too who were living by breath alone, already without sense and voice, were restored; and all the lunatics and those full of demons were set free.

So great a grace of his power did the Holy Spirit show on that day that all, from the least to the greatest, confessed the Lord with one voice. And not to dwell on many things: within seven days more than ten thousand men, believing God, were baptized and consecrated by sanctification, so that Theophilus, who was more exalted than all the powerful men in the city, with all eagerness of desire consecrated the great hall of his house under the name of a church; in it a chair was set up for the apostle Peter by all the people; and the whole multitude, gathering daily to hear the word, believed the sound teaching, which the efficacy of the healings confirmed.

Then I, Clement, with my brothers and mother, asked our father whether any remnants of unbelief remained in him. He said: “Come, and you will see in Peter's presence how great an increase of faith has grown in me.” Then Faustinianus came forward and fell at Peter's feet, saying: “The seeds of your word which the field of my mind received have now sprung up and have advanced to such fruitful ripeness that nothing is lacking except that you cut me off from the chaff with that spiritual sickle of yours and lay me up in the Lord's barn, making me a partaker of the divine table.” Then Peter, with all eagerness, took his hand and handed him over to me, Clement, and my brothers, saying: “As God has restored the sons to you, the father, so the sons restore the father to God.” And he proclaimed a fast for all the people, and when the Lord's day came he baptized him; and taking occasion from his conversion in the midst of the people, he set out all his misfortunes, so that the whole city received him like an angel and showed him no less favor than the apostle. (When this was known, Peter ordered the people to gather on the following day; and having ordained one of those who followed him as bishop, and others as presbyters, he also baptized a great number of people, and restored to health all who were troubled by illnesses.)