Demonic deception continues

The evil demons were not satisfied, before Christ’s appearance, with saying that those called sons of Zeus had been born from him. After Christ had appeared and lived among human beings, and after they learned how He had been proclaimed beforehand through the prophets and knew that He was being believed and awaited among every race, they again put forward others, as we said before: Simon and Menander from Samaria. By performing works of magic they deceived many and still keep people deceived.

For Simon, as we said earlier, even came among you in the imperial city of Rome during the reign of Claudius Caesar and so astonished the sacred Senate and the people of Rome that he was considered a god and was honored with a statue, just like the other gods honored among you.

We therefore ask that the sacred Senate and your people join you as judges concerning this petition of ours, so that if anyone is held by that man’s teachings, he may learn the truth and be able to escape error. And if you wish, destroy the statue.