Acts of Peter

Acts of Peter 8:1

The brethren (reflected) and asked Peter to overcome Simon’s claim that he was the power of God. Simon was staying at the house of the senator Marcellus, whom he had won over by his magical speech. “Believe us, brother Peter” they said, “none among men was so wise as this Marcellus. All widows, who hoped in Christ, took their refuge in him; all orphans were fed by him. Will you know more, brother? All the poor called Marcellus their patron; his house was called the house of the pilgrims and poor. To him the emperor said, ‘I will give you no office, lest you rob the provinces and give (the plunder) to the Christians.’ To which Marcellus replied, ‘Yet everything that is mine is thine.’ Said Cæsar to him, ‘It were mine if you kept it for me; but now, it is not mine, since you give it to whom you please, and who knows to what low people?’ This, brother Peter, we know and report to thee, now that the so great benevolence of the man has been turned into blasphemy. For had he not been changed we certainly should not have left the holy faith in God our Lord. Now this Marcellus is furious and repents of his good deeds and says, ‘So much wealth have I spent for such a long time, in the foolish belief that I spent it for the knowledge of God.’ (In his rage he even goes) so far that, when a pilgrim comes to the door of his house, he beats him with a stick or has him beaten, and says, ‘O, if I had not spent so much money on those impostors!’ And many more blasphemies does he utter. But if you have something of the compassion of our Lord in you and the goodness of his precepts, help this man in his error; for he has shown goodness to a great many of God’s servants.” When Peter perceived this, he was very much moved, and said, “O, the manifold arts and temptations of the devil! O, the cunnings and devices of the evil one! Treasuring up unto himself the great fire against the day of wrath, destruction of simple men, a ravening wolf, devouring and destroying eternal life! Thou didst entice the first man to evil lust, and by thy former wickedness and bodily bond thou hast bound him (to thee). Thou art the fruit of bitterness, which is entirely bitter, for thou infusest various desires. Thou hast forced my school-fellow and co-apostle Judas to act wickedly, that he betrayed our Lord Jesus Christ; it is necessary that thou be punished. Thou didst harden the heart of Herod and kindle Pharaoh and didst make him fight against Moses, the holy servant of God; thou didst embolden Caiaphas to deliver our Lord Jesus Christ to the unfriendly multitude; and now thou art still firing thy poisonous arrows at innocent souls. Thou wicked foe of all, thou shalt be extinguished as a curse from his Church (namely, from the Church), of the Son of the holy, almighty God, and as a firebrand thrown from the fireplace, by the servants of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let thy blackness turn against thee and against thy sons, the worst seed; let thy wickedness turn against thee; and against thee thy threats, and thy temptations against thee and thy angels, thou beginning of iniquity, abyss of darkness! Let the darkness which thou hast be with thee and thy vessels, which thou ownest. Depart, therefore, from those who are about to believe in God; depart from the servants of Christ and from those who will serve in his army. Keep for thee thy garments of darkness; without cause thou knockest at strange doors which belong not to thee, but to Christ Jesus, who keeps them. For thou, ravening wolf, wilt rob the sheep, which belong not to thee, but to Christ Jesus, who keeps them with the greatest diligence.”