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Translated from the Greek original by Frederick Crombie.
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This Part: 128 Pages
Page 88
Such were Simon, the Magus of Samaria, and Dositheus, who was a native of the same place; since the former gave out that he was the power of God that is called great, [4336] and the latter that he was the Son of God. Now Simonians are found nowhere throughout the world; and yet, in order to gain over to himself many followers, Simon freed his disciples from the danger of death, which the Christians were taught to prefer, by teaching them to regard idolatry as a matter of indifference. But even at the beginning of their existence the followers of Simon were not exposed to persecution. For that wicked demon who was conspiring against the doctrine of Jesus, was well aware that none of his own maxims would be weakened by the teaching of Simon. The Dositheans, again, even in former times, did not rise to any eminence, and now they are completely extinguished, so that it is said their whole number does not amount to thirty. Judas of Galilee also, as Luke relates in the Acts of the Apostles, [4337] wished to call himself some great personage, as did Theudas before him; but as their doctrine was not of God, they were destroyed, and all who obeyed them were immediately dispersed. We do not, then, "cast the dice in order to divine whither we shall betake ourselves, and whom we shall join," as if there were many claimants able to draw us after them by the profession of their having come down from God to visit the human race. On these points, however, we have said enough.
[4332] koinon de panton e kai procheiron. For e, Boherellus reads e.
[4333] hoi gar homoios Kelso hupolabontes teterateusthai. The word homoios formerly stood, in the text of Spencer and Ruaeus, before teterateuthai, but is properly expunged, as arising from the preceding homoios. Boherellus remarks: "Forte aliud quid exciderit, verbi gratia, ta tou Iesou."
[4334] terateusasthai.
[4335] to ouden.
[4336] Cf. Acts viii. 10.
[4337] Cf. Acts v. 36, 37.
Reference address : https://ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/fathers/origen/contra-celsum-3.asp?pg=88
