Lipsius on the Roman Peter-Legend [pp. 265-290]

280 LIPSIUS ON THE [April,
in C~sarea, and a double account of his further journeys, at one
time along the Phcenician coast to Antioch (cf. Acts ix: 30;
xi: 25); at' another, on the sea, from C~sarea to Rome (cf.
Acts, xxvii: 28). (4) A dispute between Simon and Peter in
Antioch (cf Gal. ii: I I, ct sc~. (5) The entrance of the magician into Rome, his devilish arts and miracles, his favor with
the emperor, his pretended decapitation, his fight with Peter,
and his shameful end (cf. Acts xxviii: i6). There is here a
travesty upon the success of the gospel in C~sar's household
(Phil. iv: 22), and Paul's decapitation by order of Nero. Besides these, there is, perhaps, some resemblance with Paul intended, in the account given of Simon's education, in which he
is said to have been taught Greek philosophy, as Paul's culture
put him far above the rest of the apostles (Rcco~ ix: 36).
It is true, all these points are not found in the Clementine
Recognitions and Homilies, for these close in C~sarea, but the
legend is contained in the Apostolical Constitutions, which belong to the same school. In these three there is also a parody
up,on Paul's mode of expression. Instead of the ayy~o~
~~T()CY(X of 2 Cor. xii: 7, we have Faustus' ~yy~o; O~ov (Rec.
x: 6 1), ~yy~ko; (3~ov (Horn. xx: 19). Paul calls his thorn in
the flesh "the messenger of Satan." The circumstances under
which the corresponding words are used in the Recognitions
are these: Simon had, by his magic arts, transformed the face
of Faustus, the father of Clement, into a resemblance to his
own. In this way Simon hoped to get an innocent man arrested in his stead. Peter, however, had wit enough to profit
by the mishap, for he sends Faustus to Antioch, and thus impersonating Simon, make a very penitential speech to the people whom Simon had bewitched, in which all the former errors
are confessed, and promises of future good behavior given. The
close states the cause of this complete change: "I will tell you
why I now make this confession to you. This night an angel
of God rebuked me for my wickedness, and scourged me terribly, because I was an enemy to the herald of the truth; therefore, I entreat you, that even if I myself should ever come again
to you, and attempt to say anything against Peter, you will not
receive nor believe me. For I confess unto you, I was a magic~an, a seducer, a deceiver; but I repent, for it is possible by
repentance to blot out former evil deeds." The sentence be