And Peter said: "A man ought to punish himself through self-restraint, [1450] when his lust wishes to hurry on to the injury of another, knowing that [1451] the wicked one can destroy the wicked, for he has received power over them from the beginning. And not yet is this an evil to those who have done evil; but that their souls should remain punished after the destruction, you are right in thinking to be really harsh, though the man who has been fore-ordained for evil should say that it is right. [1452] Wherefore, as I said, we ought to avoid doing injury [1453] to another for the sake of a short lived pleasure, that we may not involve ourselves in eternal punishment for the sake of a little pleasure." And Simon said: "Is it the case, then, that there is nothing either bad or good by nature, but the difference arises through law and custom? For is it not [1454] the habit of the Persians to marry their own mothers, sisters and daughters, while marriage with other women is prohibited [1455] as most barbarous? Wherefore, if it is not settled what things are evil, it is not possible for all to look forward to the judgment of God." And Peter said: "This cannot hold; for it is plain to all that cohabitation with mothers is abominable, even though the Persians, who are a mere fraction of the whole, should under the effects of a bad custom fail to see the iniquity of their abominable conduct. Thus also the Britons publicly cohabit in the sight of all, and are not ashamed; and some men eat the flesh of others, and feel no disgust; and others eat the flesh of dogs; and others practice other unmentionable deeds. Thus, then we ought not to form our judgments with a perception which through habit has been perverted from its natural action. For to be murdered is an evil, even if all were to deny it; for no one wishes to suffer it himself, and in the case of theft [1456] no one rejoices at his own punishment. If, then, no one [1457] were at all ever to confess that these are sins, it is right even then to look forward of necessity to a judgment in regard to sins." When Peter said this, Simon answered: "Does this, then, seem to you to be the truth in regard to the wicked one? Tell me." Footnotes: [1450] Dressel translates viriliter, "manfully." [1451] This word is supplied by conjecture. [1452] This passage is hopelessly corrupt. We have changed dikaios into dikaiois, the verb, and ton prodiorismenon into tou prodiorismenou. [1453] We have adopted Wieseler's emendation of adikon into adikein. [1454] This is a conjectural filling up of a blank. [1455] This is partly conjecture, to fill up a blank. [1456] The text is likely corrupt. [1457] Uhlhorn changed oun henos into oudenos. We have changed kai triten into kai tote ten. Various emendations have been proposed. |
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