From De Excidio Hierosolymitano 3.2
Latin: Vincenzo Ussani, ed. Hegesippi qui dicitur Historiae libri v – Pt. 1: Textum criticum continens. CSEL 66.1. Vienna: Hoelder-Pichler-Tempsky, 1932 (pp. 183–87); English: Carson Bay
| Erant tunc temporis Romae Petrus et Paulus doctores Christianorum, sublimes operibus, clari magisterio, qui uirtute suorum operum Neronem aduersum fecerant, captum magi Simonis delinimentis qui sibi animum eius conciliauerat. Cui adiumentum uictoriae, subiectiones gentium, uitae longaeuitatem, salutis custodiam feralibus artibus pollicebatur, atque ille credebat qui uim rerum nesciret examinare. Denique summum apud eum tenebat amicitiae locum, quandoquidem etiam praesulem suae salutis uitaeque custodem arbitrabatur. Sed ubi Petrus eius uanitates et flagitia detexit, et species illum rerum mentiri, non solidum aliquid aut uerum efficere demonstrauit, ludibrio habitus et digno est maerore consumtus. Et quamuis in aliiis terrarum partibus Petri esset expertus potentiam, tamen praeueniens Romam ausus est iactare, quod mortuos resuscitaret. Defunctus erat id temporis Romae adulescens nobilis propinquus Caesaris cum uniuersorum dolore. Admonuere plerique experiendum utrum posset resuscitari. Celeberrimus in his operibus Petrus habebatur, sed apud gentiles nulla factis huiusmodi deferebatur fides. Dolor exegit remedium, perrectum est ad Petrum. Fuere qui etiam Simonem arcessendum putarent. Vterque adfuerunt. Ait Petrus Simoni, qui de sua se iactaret potentia, priores se partes dare ut si posset mortuum resuscitaret. Si ille non resuscitasset, se non defuturum ut Christus opem ferret defuncto, quo posset resurgere. Simon, qui putaret apud urbem gentilium plurimum suas ualituras artes, condicionem proposuit ut si ipse resuscitasset mortuum, Petrus occideretur, qui magnam potentiam, sic enim appellabatur, lacessendo iniurias inrogauisset, sin uero praeualuisset Petrus, in Simonem pari genere uindicaretur. Adquieuit Petrus, adorsus est Simon. Accessit ad lectum defuncti, incantare atque immurmurare dira carmina coepit. Visus est agitare caput qui mortuus erat.
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There were in Rome at that time Peter and Paul, [the] teachers of the Church, exalted in their works, well known for their leadership, who had by the virtue of their deeds made an enemy out of Nero, who had been captivated by the charms of Simon the Magician, who had won over his soul. To him Simon had promised aid in victory, the subjugation of peoples, longevity of life, and preservation of health by his necrological arts; but Nero believed, who did not know to examine the power of these things. Thus Simon held the highest position of friendship with Nero, seeing that he even thought him to be the one who controlled his health and the guardian of his life. But when Peter exposed Simon’s falsehoods and shameful deeds, and revealed the appearance of the things he did to be deceptive and that he was unable to effect anything solid or real, he was held in derision and became consumed by appropriate sadness. And although he had experienced Peter’s power in other parts of the world, nevertheless, coming to Rome he dared to pronounce that he had resuscitated the dead. There was at that time in Rome a youth of noble birth who had died, a relative of Caesar, whose death was universally mourned. A great many suggested looking into whether it was possible for him to be revived. Peter was held as the most famous for such works, but among the Gentiles no faith was held for these kinds of deeds. But sorrow demanded a remedy, and a procession came to Peter. But there were still those who argued for summoning Simon. Now both of them were present. Peter said to Simon, who had been boasting about his power, that he would give him first try to resuscitate the dead man, if he were able. But if he should not revive him, he himself was not going to be absent, so that Christ might bring strength to the deceased, from which he would be able to rise again. Simon, who thought that his arts would prove particularly potent in a city with so many Gentiles, proposed the condition that, if he himself should revive the dead, Peter should be slain, Peter who had invited harm on himself by provoking the ‘Great Power’—for so Simon was called—but if Peter should genuinely prove more powerful, then he could avenge himself in a similar manner against Simon. Peter acquiesced, and Simon commenced. He approached the bed of the deceased and began to recite incantations and mutter ominous sounds. The head of the man who had died appeared to move.
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| Clamor ingens gentilium quod iam uiueret, quod loqueretur cum Simone. Ira et indignatio in Petrum quod ausus esset conferre sese tantae potestati. Tunc sanctus apostolus poposcit silentium et ait: ‘Si uiuit defunctus, loquatur; si resuscitatus est, surgat, ambulet, fabuletur’. Phantasma illud esse, non ueritatem quod uideatur caput mouisse. Denique ‘separetur’, inquit, ‘a lectulo Simon’, et tunc ne id quidem ostentui futurum. Abducitur Simon a lectulo, manet sine specie motus alicuius qui mortuus erat. Adstitit Petrus longius et intra se orationi paulisper intentus cum magna uoce ait: ‘Adulescens, surge: sanat te dominus Iesus’. Et statim surrexit adulescens et locutus est et ambulauit et cibum sumsit et dedit eum Petrus matri suae. Qui cum rogaretur, ut ab eo non discederet, ait: ‘Non derelinquetur ab eo qui illum fecit resurgere, cuius nos serui sumus. Secura esto, mater, de filio, non uerearis, habet custodem suum’. Et cum populus in Simonem insurgeret ut lapidaretur, ait Petrus: ‘Satis est ad poenam eius quod cognoscit suas artes nihil ualere. Viuat et Christi regnum crescere uideat uel inuitus’. Torquebatur magus apostoli gloria. Collegit sese atque omnem excitat carminum suorum potentiam, congregat populum, offensum se dicit a Galilaeis relicturum urbem quam tueri soleret. Diem statuit, pollicetur uolatum, quo supernis sedibus inueheretur, cui quando uellet caelum pateret. Conscendit statuto die montem Capitolinum ac se de rupe deiciens uolare coepit. Mirari populus et uenerari plerique dicentes dei esse potentiam, non hominem, qui cum corpore uolitaret, nihil tale Christum fecisse. Tunc Petrus in medio stans ait: ‘Iesu domine, ostende ei uanas artes suas esse, ne hac specie populus iste qui crediturus est decipiatur. Decidat, domine, sic tamen, ut nihil se potuisse uiuens regnoscat’. Et statim in uoce Petri implicatis remigiis alarum quas sumserat corruit, nec exanimatus est, sed fracto debilitatoque crure Ariciam concessit atque ibi mortuus est. | A great clamor arose among the Gentiles as though he were now alive, because he was speaking with Simon. Wrath and indignation arose within Peter because Simon had dared to confer such power upon himself. Then the holy apostle demanded silence and said: “If the deceased is alive, let him speak; if he has been revived, let him arise, let him walk, let him say something.” It became clear that this had been an apparition, because the head had not really moved. Thereafter Peter said, “Let Simon be moved away from the bed,” and then there would not be any pretense. Simon was led away from the bed, and he who had died remained without the appearance of any motion whatsoever. At length Peter stood up and, orienting himself internally with a brief prayer, said in a loud voice: “Young man, arise! The Lord Jesus heals you.” And immediately the youth arose and spoke and walked around and ate food, and Peter restored him to his mother. Peter, when it was requested that he not leave the boy, said: “Let him not forsake the One who made him arise, whose servants we [all] are. Rest secure, o mother, fear not for your son, for he has his Protector.” And when the people rose up against Simon so that he was going to be stoned, Peter said: “It is sufficient punishment for him to know that his arts have no power. But let him live so that he, though he be unwilling, may see the kingdom of Christ to grow.” The magician was tormented by the glory of the apostle. He collected himself and summoned the full power of his incantations, he gathered the people, and said that he had been offended by the Galileans and was going to take leave of the city which he had been in the habit of guarding. He named a day, and promised flight, by which he would be carried through the celestial abodes, he to whom, whenever he should desire it, heaven would open. On the stated day he ascended the Capitoline Hill and, hurling himself from the cliff face, began to fly. The people were baffled and venerated him, and many were saying that this was the power of a god, not a man, who could fly in bodily form, and that Christ had never done as much. At that point Peter, standing up in the middle of the crowd, said: “Lord Jesus, show in this that his arts are devoid of power, lest this people, which will put faith in this spectacle, be deceived. Let him drop, Lord, yet so that while [still] living come to know that he was able to do nothing.” And immediately, at the voice of Peter, the mechanism of wings which he had acquired became entangled and he dropped, yet he was not killed, but with a broken and crippled leg he retired to Aricia, where he died. |
| Quo conperto deceptum se Nero et destitutum dolens tanti casu amici, sublatumque sibi uirum utilem et necessarium reipublicae, indignatus quaerere coepit causas, quibus Petrum occideret. Et iam tempus aderat, quo sancti uocarentur apostoli Petrus et Paulus. Denique dato ut conprehenderentur praecepto rogabatur Petrus ut sese alio conferret. Resistebat ille dicens nequaquam se facturum, ut tamquam metu mortis territus cederet, bonum esse pro Christo pati, qui pro omnibus se morti obtulisset, non mortem illam sed inmortalitem futuram. Quam indignum ut ipse fugeret passionem sui corporis! Qui multos doctrina sua conpulerit hostias se pro Christo offerre, deberi sibi secundum domini uocem, ut et ipse in passione sua Christo gloriam atque honorem daret. Haec et alia Petrus obtexere, sed plebs lacrimis quaerere, ne se relinqueret et fluctuantem inter procellas gentilium destitueret. Victus fletibus Petrus cessit, promisit se urbem egressurum. Proxima, nocte salutatis fratribus et celebrata oratione proficisci solus coepit. Vbi uentum ad portam, uidit sibi Christum occurrere et adorans eum dixit: ‘Domine, quo uenis?’ Dicit ei Christus: ‘Iterum uenio crucifigi’. Intellexit Petrus de sua dictum passione, quod in eo Christus passurus uideretur qui patitur in singulis, non utique corporis dolore sed quadam misericordiae conpassione aut gloriae celebritate. Et conuersus in urbem redit captusque a persecutoribus cruci adiudicatus poposcit ut inuersis uestigiis cruci adfigeretur, quod indignus esset qui simili modo cruci figeretur, ut passus est dei filius. Quo inpetrato uel quia ita debebatur ut Christus praedixerat, uel quia persecutor non inuitus indulget poenarum incrementa, et ipse et Paulus alter cruce alter gladio necati sunt.
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Nero, when he learned of this, was very put out at having been deceived and at having been deprived by the fate of such a friend, and that a man useful and indispensable both to himself and to the common good had been removed; indignant, he began to seek grounds on which he might put Peter to death. And now the time had come for the holy apostles Peter and Paul to be called home. And thereafter, when orders had been given that they should be arrested, Peter was asked to remove himself elsewhere. He objected, saying that he would by no means do that, so as to depart as if he were terrified by the fear of death, and that it was a good thing to suffer for Christ, who handed himself over to be killed for the sake of all, and that he was not going to be mortal, but immortal. What an indignity if he should flee the suffering of his body! He who had compelled many by his teaching to offer themselves as sacrifices to Christ was obligated also to follow the call of his Lord, so that he himself might bring honor and glory to Christ by his suffering. These and other things Peter put forward as excuses, but the people besought him with tears not to give himself up and to depart from the unrest among the uproars of the Gentiles. Overcome by their tears, Peter gave in, and promised that he would leave the city. Soon, after the brothers had bid him farewell by night, and after a brief prayer had been made, he began to go forth alone. When he had come to the gate he saw Christ approaching him and, worshipping him, said, “Lord, why are you coming?” And Christ said to him, “I come to be crucified again.” Peter understood that he had spoken of his suffering, because it appeared that Christ, who suffered for every person, was about to suffer in him, certainly not in the pain of the body but by a certain co-suffering of compassion or by the fame of his glory. And he turned back and came into the city, and when he had been captured by his persecutors and sentenced to the cross, he demanded that he be fastened to the cross with his feet inverted, because it would be unseemly for him to be affixed to the cross in the same manner that the Son of God had suffered. This having been granted, either because it was fated to happen as Christ had predicted, or because a persecutor is not unwilling to indulge an augmentation of torments, both he himself and Paul—one by the cross, the other by the sword—were killed.
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