Peter Arrives in Tripolis

1 Now, as Peter was entering Tripolis, the people from Tyre and Sidon, Berytus and Byblus, who were eager to learn, and many from the neighborhood, entered along with him; and especially large crowds from the city itself gathered to see him. In the suburbs we met the brothers whom he had sent to find out about the city and Simon's activities and to return and report on them. They received him, and led him to the house of Maroones. 2 But at the very gate of the place where he was staying, he turned around, and promised the crowds that after the next day he would speak with them on the subject of religion. And when he had gone in, those who had gone ahead assigned places to stay to those who had come with him. And the hosts fully met the wishes of those who sought hospitality. But Peter knew nothing of this, and when we asked him to eat, he said that he would not eat himself until those who had come with him were settled. We assured him that this was already done: everyone had eagerly received them out of affection for him, and those with no guests to entertain were deeply distressed. Peter was pleased to hear of their eager generosity, blessed them, and went out. After bathing in the sea, he ate with those who had gone ahead; and when evening came, he slept. 3 But awaking around the second crowing of the rooster, he found us up. There were sixteen of us in all, namely, Peter himself, and I, Clement, Nicetas and Aquila, and the twelve who had preceded us. After greeting us, he said, Today we are not busy with outsiders, so we are free to spend time with one another. So I shall tell you the things that happened after your departure from Tyre; and tell me in detail what Simon has been doing here. While we were exchanging accounts, one of our friends entered, and announced to Peter that Simon, learning of his arrival, had set off for Syria, and that to the crowds this one night seemed like a year, and they could not wait for the appointment he had made. They were standing before the doors, talking with one another in groups and circles about the accusation brought by Simon, and how, having raised their expectations, and promised that when Peter came he would accuse him of many evils, he had fled by night when he knew of his arrival. However, he said, they are eager to hear you; and I do not know where they heard a rumor that you are going to address them today. You yourself know what you should do so that they will not become very tired and then be sent away needlessly.

Peter on Moses, Jesus, and Obedience

4 Then Peter, wondering at the eagerness of the multitudes, answered, You see, brothers, how the words of our Lord are clearly fulfilled. For I remember His saying, 'Many shall come from the east and from the west, the north and the south, and shall recline close to Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob.' 'But many,' said He also, 'are called, but few chosen.' So the coming of those who were called has been fulfilled. But since their coming is not their own doing, but the work of God who called them and brought them here, they receive no reward for this alone. It is not their own doing, but His work in them. But if they do excellent things after being called, they will be rewarded for this, because it is their own doing. 5 For even the Hebrews who believe Moses but do not obey what he said are not saved unless they obey what they were told. For their believing Moses was not of their own will, but of God, who said to Moses, 'Look, I am coming to you in a pillar of cloud, so that the people may hear me speaking to you, and may believe you forever.' Since, therefore, both to the Hebrews and to those who are called from the Gentiles, belief in the teachers of truth comes from God, while excellent actions are left to everyone to do by his own judgment, the reward is justly given to those who do well. For there would have been no need of Moses, or of the coming of Jesus, if they could have understood for themselves what is reasonable. Nor does salvation come from believing in teachers and calling them lords. 6 For this reason Jesus is hidden from the Jews, who have taken Moses as their teacher, and Moses is hidden from those who have believed Jesus. For both give one teaching, and God accepts anyone who has believed either of them. But the purpose of believing a teacher is to do the things spoken by God. Our Lord Himself confirms this when He says, 'I thank you, Father of heaven and earth, because You have concealed these things from the wise and the elders, and have revealed them to nursing infants.' So God Himself has hidden a teacher from some, knowing in advance what they should do, and has revealed him to others who do not know what they should do. 7 The Hebrews, therefore, are not condemned for their ignorance of Jesus, since God has concealed Him, if they do what Moses commanded and do not hate the one they do not know. Nor are those among the Gentiles who do not know Moses because God has concealed him condemned, provided that they too do what Jesus said and do not hate the one they do not know. And some will not benefit from calling the teachers lords while failing to do the work of servants. For on this account our Jesus Himself said to one who often called Him Lord, but did none of the things which He prescribed, 'Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do what I say?' For actions benefit a person, rather than mere words. So good works are certainly necessary. Moreover, if anyone has been thought worthy to recognize both as preaching one doctrine, that man has been counted rich in God, understanding both the old things as new in time, and the new things as old.

Peter Begins His Public Teaching

8 While Peter was speaking this way, the multitudes, as if they had been called by someone, entered into the place where Peter was. Then he, seeing a great multitude, like the smooth current of a river gently flowing toward him, said to Maroones, Do you have a place here better able to hold the crowd? Then Maroones led him to a garden plot in the open air, and the multitudes followed. But Peter stood on the base of a statue that was not very high and greeted the crowd in a devout way. He knew that many standing there were tormented by demons and many long-standing sufferings, and heard them shrieking in grief and saw them fall down before him pleading. He rebuked them and ordered them to be quiet; and after promising to heal them after his speech, he began to speak as follows:— 9 As I begin to speak about the worship of God to those who are entirely ignorant and whose minds have been corrupted by our opponent Simon's accusations, I have thought it necessary first to speak of the blamelessness of the God who made all things. I begin with the timely opportunity His providence has provided, so that it may be known why many are justly held by many demons and subjected to strange sufferings, and so that God's justice may be seen in this; and so that those who blame Him through ignorance may now learn through good speech and good deeds what views they should hold, and withdraw their earlier accusation, acknowledging ignorance as the cause of their evil presumption, in order that they may be pardoned. 10 This is how the matter stands. The only good God made all things well and handed them over to man, who was made in His image. This man, breathing the divinity of his Maker, was a true prophet and knew all things. To honor the Father who had given him everything and to save his own sons, he showed them the way to God's friendship. As a genuine father, he preserved his affection for his children and wanted them, for their own benefit, to love God and be loved by Him. He taught them what human deeds please the one God and Lord of all; and after showing them the things that please Him, he established an enduring law for everyone, which enemies cannot abolish, no irreverent person can corrupt, and no place can conceal, but which everyone can read. Through obedience to the law, they therefore had everything in abundance: the finest fruits, a full lifespan, freedom from grief and disease, all given to them without fear, with completely healthy air. 11 But because they had at first experienced no evils, they were unaware of the good things given to them. Their abundance of food and luxuries turned them toward ingratitude, so that they even thought there was no Providence, since they had not obtained good things through earlier labor as a reward for righteousness. None of them had experienced suffering, disease, or any other need that would lead them to seek the God able to heal them, as people afflicted because of wicked wrongdoing usually do. But immediately after their contempt, which arose from fearlessness and secure luxury, a just punishment came upon them in keeping with an established harmony, taking away the good things that had harmed them and bringing evils in their place to benefit them.

Peter Tells of the Angels and Giants

12 For among the spirits who inhabit heaven, the angels who live in the lowest region were distressed by human ingratitude toward God and asked to enter human life and truly become human, so that through closer contact they could expose those who had acted ungratefully toward Him and subject everyone to appropriate punishment.⁠a When their request was granted, they transformed themselves into every kind of thing; for their more godlike substance allows them easily to assume any form. So they became precious stones, and fine pearl, and the most beautiful purple, and choice gold, and all the materials held in highest esteem. And they fell into the hands of some, and into the laps of others, and allowed themselves to be stolen by them. They also changed themselves into beasts and reptiles, and fishes and birds, and into whatever they pleased. Your own poets also sing of these things as they happened, because they feel no fear, attributing to one the many varied deeds of them all. 13 But after assuming these forms and exposing the greed of those who stole them, they changed themselves into human beings. They intended to live holy lives and show that such a life was possible, so that they could subject the ungrateful to punishment. Yet having become human in every respect, they also shared in human lust, and under its power they began having sexual intercourse with women; and through their involvement with them they sank into impurity and were completely drained of their original power. They were unable to turn back to the original purity of their own nature, because their bodily parts had changed from their fiery substance: for the fire itself was extinguished by the weight of lust and changed into flesh, and they walked the irreverent path downward. For the bonds of flesh shackled them, confining and tightly binding them; so they have no longer been able to ascend into the heavens. 14 For after intercourse, they were asked to show what they had been before, but could no longer do so. Unable to do anything else after their defilement, yet wishing to please their mistresses, they showed the depths of the earth instead of their own former nature; I mean, the choice metals, gold, brass, silver, iron, and similar things, with all the most precious stones. And along with these charmed stones, they passed on the crafts associated with each and revealed the discovery of magic, and taught astronomy, and the powers of roots, and whatever the human mind could not discover; also the melting of gold and silver, and similar things, and the various ways of dyeing clothing.⁠b In short, these demons bound in flesh discovered everything used to adorn and delight women. 15 But their unholy intercourse produced men of mixed parentage, much taller than ordinary men, whom they later called giants; not those dragon-footed giants who waged war against God, as those blasphemous Greek myths relate, but wild in behavior, and greater than men in size, since they descended from angels; yet less than angels, as they were born of women. God therefore knew that they were reduced to brutal savagery and that the world was insufficient to satisfy them (for it was created to suit the size of humans and their use). So that lack of food would not drive them, contrary to nature, to eat animals and yet appear blameless for having dared this out of necessity, Almighty God rained manna upon them, suited to their various tastes; and they enjoyed everything they wished. But because of their illegitimate nature, pure food did not please them, and they longed only for the taste of blood. So they first tasted flesh. 16 And the men there with them were for the first time eager to do the same. Thus, although we are born neither good nor bad, we become one or the other; and having formed habits, it is difficult to draw us away from them. But when there were not enough irrational animals, these illegitimate men tasted also human flesh. For it was not a long step to the consumption of flesh like their own, having first tasted it in other forms.

The Flood and the Surviving Demons

17 But by the shedding of much blood, the pure air was polluted with impure vapor, making those who breathed it sick and prone to disease, so that from then on people died prematurely. But the earth was greatly defiled in this way and began to teem with venomous and deadly creatures. Since everything was going from bad to worse because of these brutal demons, God wished to remove them like harmful yeast, so that each generation of wicked offspring, resembling the one before it and equally irreverent, would not empty the world to come of saved people. And for this purpose, having warned a certain righteous man, with his three sons, together with their wives and their children, to save themselves in an ark, He sent a flood of water so that, once all had been destroyed, the purified world could be handed over to the man saved in the ark for a second beginning of life. And so it happened. 18 Since the dead giants' souls were greater than human souls, just as their bodies were also greater, they were given a new name as a new race. And God prescribed through an angel a law for those who survived in the world, telling them how they should live. For they were of mixed parentage, from the fire of angels and the blood of women, and were therefore likely to desire offspring of their own. A righteous law was established before they could do so. For a certain angel was sent to them by God, declaring to them His will, and saying:— 19 'The all-seeing God considers these things good: that you dominate no one and trouble no one, unless someone willingly subjects himself to you, worshiping you, and sacrificing and pouring libations, and eating at your table, or doing anything else that they should not, or shedding blood, or tasting dead flesh, or filling themselves with what has been torn by beasts, or what has been cut, or what has been strangled, or anything else that is unclean. But you shall not touch those who turn to my law; you shall honor them and flee from their presence. For you shall be compelled to undergo whatever just treatment of you they choose. But if any of those who worship me go astray, either committing adultery, or practicing magic, or living impurely, or doing any other of the things which are not pleasing to me, then they will have to suffer something at your hands or those of others, according to my command. But when they repent, I shall judge their repentance, whether it deserves pardon or not, and pass sentence on them. So remember these things and do them, knowing well that not even your thoughts can be hidden from Him.'

Peter Calls for Repentance and Baptism

20 After giving them these instructions, the angel departed. But you still do not know this law: everyone who worships demons, sacrifices to them, or eats with them at their table will become subject to them and receive every punishment from them, under wicked masters. And you who, on account of ignorance of this law, have been corrupted beside their altars, and have been filled with food offered to them, have come under their power, and do not know how you have been physically harmed in every way. But you ought to know that the demons have no power over anyone, unless he first eats at their table; since not even their chief can do anything contrary to the law imposed upon them by God, so he has no power over anyone who does not worship him; and otherwise no one can receive from them anything he wishes or be harmed by them in any way, as you may learn from the following statement. 21 For once the king of the present time came to our King of righteousness, using no violence, for this was not in his power, but inducing and persuading, because each person has the power to decide whether to be persuaded. So he approached Him as king of present things and said to the King of future things, 'All the kingdoms of the present world are subject to me; also the gold and the silver and all the luxury of this world are under my power. So fall down and worship me, and I will give you all these things.' He said this knowing that once He worshiped him, he would also have power over Him and so rob Him of the future glory and kingdom. But He, knowing all things, not only did not worship him, but would not receive any of the things that were offered by him. For He pledged Himself together with those who belong to Him that from then on it is unlawful even to touch the things handed over to the evil king. Therefore He answered and said, 'You shall fear the Lord your God, and you shall serve Him alone.' 22 However, the king of the ungodly, trying unsuccessfully to win the King of the devout over to his own plan, ceased his efforts, committing himself to persecuting Him for the remainder of His life. But you, being ignorant of the law established in advance, are under his power through evil deeds. So you are polluted in body and soul, and in the present life you are tyrannized over by sufferings and demons, but in the life to come your souls will be punished. And you are not the only ones to suffer this through ignorance. Some of our nation have also been brought under the power of the prince of wickedness through evil deeds and have failed to obey, like people invited to dinner by a father celebrating his son's marriage. But in place of those too preoccupied to obey, the Father celebrating His Son's marriage has ordered us through the Prophet of the truth to go to the crossroads, that is, to you, and to clothe you in the clean wedding garment, which is baptism, which is for the forgiveness of the sins you have committed, and to bring the good to the supper of God by repentance, although at first they were left out of the banquet. 23 If, therefore, you wish to be the clothing of the Divine Spirit, first hurry to take off your degrading presumption, which is an unclean spirit and a foul garment. You can take this off only by first being baptized in good works. And when you are pure in body and soul in this way, you will enjoy the future eternal kingdom. Therefore do not believe in idols, eat with them at the impure table, commit murder or adultery, hate those it is wrong to hate, steal, or undertake any evil deeds; Otherwise, deprived of the hope of future blessings, you will be subjected to evil demons and terrible sufferings in this present life, and in the world to come you will be punished with eternal fire. Now, then, what has been said is enough for today. As for the rest, those of you who are afflicted with ailments remain for healing; and of the others, those who wish may go in peace. 24 When he had said this, all of them remained, some in order to be healed, and others to see those who obtained cures. But Peter healed them simply by laying his hands on them and praying; so that those who were immediately cured were extremely glad, and those who looked on were greatly amazed, and blessed God, and believed with firm hope, and went home with those who had been healed, after receiving instructions to meet early the next day. And when they had gone, Peter remained there with his associates, and ate, and refreshed himself with sleep.