Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume VIII/Pseudo-Clementine Literature/The Clementine Homilies/Homily XIX/Chapter 24

by Anonymous

Chapter XXIV.—Simon Rebuked by Faustus.

And Simon hearing this, said:  “Do not imagine that, when I, while questioning you, agreed with you in each topic, I went to the next, as being fully assured of the truth of the previous; but I appeared to yield to your ignorance, that you might go on to the next topic, in order that, becoming acquainted with the whole range of your ignorance, I might condemn you, not through mere conjecture, but from full knowledge.^[1]  Allow me now to retire for three days, and I shall come back and show that you know nothing.”  When Simon said this, and was on the point of going out, my father said:  “Listen to me, Simon, for a moment, and then go wherever you like.  I remember that in the beginning, before the discussion, you accused me of being prejudiced, though as yet you had no experience of me.  But now, having heard you discuss in turn, and judging that Peter has the advantage, and now assigning to him the merit of speaking the truth, do I appear to you to judge correctly, and with knowledge;^[2] or is it not so?  For if you should say that I have judged correctly, but do not agree, then you are plainly prejudiced, inasmuch as you do not wish to agree, after confessing your defeat.  But if I was not correct in maintaining that Peter has the advantage in the discussion, do you convince us how we have not judged correctly, or you will cease^[3] to discuss with him before all, since you will always be defeated and agree, and in consequence your own soul will suffer pain, condemned as you will be, and in disgrace, through your own conscience, even if you do not feel shame before all the listeners as the greatest torture; for we have seen you conquered, in fact, and we have heard your own lips confess it.  Finally, therefore, I am of opinion that you will not return to the discussion, as you promised; but that you may seem not to have been defeated,^[4] you have promised, when going away, that you will return.”

Footnotes

1. The whole of this sentence is corrupt.  We have adopted the conjectures of Wieseler, though they are not entirely satisfactory.
2. Possibly something is corrupt here.  The words may be translated:  “Is it not plain that I know how to judge correctly?”
3. The ms. has, “do not cease.”  We have omitted μὴ, and changed παύσῃ into παύσει.  We have inserted the μή after ἤ, changed into εἰ before αἰδεῖσθαι.
4. We have adopted an emendation of Wieseler’s.