Nevertheless in the public controversy which follows, this secret is made public property, in order to meet Simon’s declaration:  “I say that there are many gods, but one God of all these gods, incomprehensible and unknown to all” (R.  II. xxxviii); and again:  “My belief is that there is a Power of immeasurable and ineffable Light, whose greatness is held to be incomprehensible, a power which the maker of the world even does not know, nor does Moses the lawgiver, nor your master Jesus” (R.  II. xlix).

A point of interest to be noticed is that Peter challenges Simon to substantiate his statements by quotations either from the scriptures of the Jews, or from some they had not heard of, or from those of the Greeks, or from his own scriptures (R.  II. xxxviii).

Simon argues that finding the God of the Law imperfect, he concludes this is not the supreme God.  After a wordy harangue of Peter, Simon is said to have been worsted by Peter’s threatening to go to Simon’s bed-chamber and question the soul of the murdered boy.  Simon flies to Tyre (H.) or Tripolis (R.), and Peter determines to pursue him among the Gentiles.

The two accounts here become exceedingly contradictory and confused.  According to the Homilies, Simon flees from Tyre to Tripolis, and thence further to Syria.  The main dispute takes place at Laodicaea on the unity of God (XVI. i).  Simon appeals to the Old Testament to show that there are many gods (XVI. iv); shows that the scriptures contradict themselves (XVI. ix); accuses Peter of using magic and teaching doctrines different to those taught by Christ (XVII. ii-iv); asserts that Jesus is not consistent with himself (XVII. v); that the maker of the world is not the highest God (XVIII. i); and declares the Ineffable Deity (XVIII. iv).[70] Peter of course refutes him (XVIII. xii-xiv), and Simon retires.

The last incident of interest takes place at Antioch.  Simon stirs up the people against Peter by representing him as an impostor.  Friends of Peter set the authorities on Simon’s track, and he has to flee.  At Laodicaea he meets Faustinianus (R.), or Faustus (H.), the father of Clement, who rebukes him (H.  XIX. xxiv); and so he changes the face of Faustinianus into an exact likeness of his own that he may be taken in his place (H.  XX. xii; R.X. liii).  Peter sends the transformed Faustinianus to Antioch, who, in the guise of Simon, makes a confession of imposture and testifies to the divine mission of Peter.  Peter accordingly enters Antioch in triumph.

The story of Simon in the Apostolic Constitutions is short and taken from the Acts, and to some extent from the Clementines, finishing up, however, with the mythical death of Simon at Rome, owing to the prayers of Peter.  Simon is here said to be conducted by daemons and to have flown ([Greek:  hiptato]) upwards.  The details of this magical feat are given variously elsewhere.[71]