cheenc03a.pdf

SIMON MAGUS
that 'Simon' assailed Peter and spoke evil of his
preachiag, and it ivns hi5 virion on the way to Damarcu!
(for Paul, according to I Cur. 91 Gal. 1112, the basis o!
his claim to the npostoiate) that ir here intended t<
be reduced ad ohrvnium by a dialectic that really ha:
much to say for itself. Already in chaps. 14 and 16 it is
urged that such a virion could have been produced b)
an evil demon, just as well as by Jesus.
(6) Xor ir this all. The words of Peter in his
Epistle to James prefixed to the Homilies (chap. 2:
relate also to the rame incident in Anfioch : 'Some o
the Gentiles hsve rejected my doctrine which is ir
accordance with the law [of Moser], while imputing tc
me a certain lawless and nonsensical doctrine (livopbr
rwa xol +huapi8? dtdoorrohlav) of the hostile man.
And illdeed while I war in my journeying$ some took
in hand by manifold interpretations to west my word:
unro the dissolution of the law, as if I myself also wen
of such a mlnd but did not openly proclaim it' (cp thr
charge of hypocrisy, Gal. 21xf.). Nay, more, in Horn.
201g=R~~~g. 1061, it is related that Faurtur, father ol
Clement, to \vhhom Simon has by witchcraft given his own
outward semblance, is in Antioch constrained by ordm
of Simon publicly to proclaim his repentance in the
followine words :-
'I, simon, declare this to you, confersin that I have unjustl)
rl3ndered Peter. For he i\ no false tcasfer, no m,,rderer, nr
rorccrer, nor any ofher of rhore wicked things which I in m).
wmrh formerly accu-ed him of. I, myreif, who have beer
the ilvthor of your hatred rgainr, him beg of ou to cease from
your hatred ofhim; for heir a true p6artle &he rrue prophe?
ienr by God for the srlvarivnof the world. . . . And now I wit;
tell you why it ir that I hzve made thir confesion. Larr
angcli of Gad severely rcaurged me, the godless one, as be~ng
an enemy (ixBpdd to the herald of the truth. I beseech you,
therafore, if ever I agrln rhoold come fonvard and venture ti
speak =gains? Peter, du nor listen to mc. For I confcrr to you
I rm a mrgiclm, 1 am a frire teacher I am a sorcerer. Per.
hag if is purrible hy repentance to &ipe out my past rinr.
If the farher of Clement did not occur in an older form of thc
book, we may cnnjecrure that thG confession war originall)
there put directly jnro the mouth of Simon. What is mid about
hi\ chnriremenr is a malicious allusion to the declrmtion ol
Paul in z Cor. 127, as to the crvre of his malady, that anangcl
of saran (ir/r~or xarsd) had heen rent to huuet him. It ir
inlportrnf to ohserve that in li'riog. we have the sing.: 'an
aneel.' -. not the ol. . 'anreli'as - in Flom.
(c) If we haye here a well-ascertained case in which
an utterance of Pal11 regarding himself is spitefully
twisted to his discredit, soon also we find more of the
rame kind elsewhere.
In the course of hir vindicslion of himrelf Paul had, with
great reserve, declared fhal he hzd once been carried up into
SIMON MAGUS
a follower. In ActrSxi he is called a chosen verrsl OF the
Lord; in lPriog.S+g, Simon ir called a ves ricrrivnil of the
devil.,
(d) In this violent polemie it is not surprising to find
thrown back at Simon-i.e., Paul-the charger which
Paui had himself levelled at his opponents.
Ins Cox. 1119 Paul calls the Judniring cmirrarier at Corinfh
'falie npatlcr' (Cu6arlcrrnAoO; in Honi. lEsr Peter ray3 that
erur foretold hlre apostles (+d=ndcmAo~), false prophets, the
i! ormxng of atr and liar for rupremcy, a11 which to him
to harc taken their beginning with Simon thc blasphrnler of
God. In 2 Cor. 1114 Paul PTOSF~S: 'And no marvel; for
even Satan hrhionerh himrelf into m ang~l uf light'; in Rrmoc.
2 18. Simon is called the 'm~lignur t~aorformanl re in rplen.
dorem 1ucir. According to Horn. 23, wickednerr (r.r&) rent
forth its comrmdc in arms, Simon, likr a rerpcnt (Ar 54,"; cp
z Cor. 113),a~cording Lo Ham. 11 35, rr one who preacher u ,~d~r
= pretence of trulh in the name of the Lord and rows fnlie
dostrincr("Ad",,), sad it war with reference ro him that Jerur
(&It. 7 15) foretold the coming of ravening wolver in rhecp's
clothing. Here also may be recalled a saying whlch dasr nor
from paui himkelf, but from the of AC~S. mi.
writ., put, into Paul's mouth (2019) the prophecy chat =kc.
his departure grievous wolves rhnll make chc~r appearance in
Epherur, nor sparing the flock. It is yecy probable that rcirrcnce
8s nntended here ro the ewrh Chrrstlsn rchml of thought
which war prevalent in Epiesk kndcr John in the 1-t third
of the first century. Paul himrcl( had already in I CorlGg
spoken of the 'rnmyaduerrarier (ivr~reiprua~ mMoO in
Eyhesur. This sxpressron also ir fake" upand turned sgvillrr
hinndfin the paruge