Primeira Apologia de Justino 55

1Mas os espíritos malignos não se contentaram em dizer, antes do aparecimento de Cristo, que os chamados filhos de Júpiter nasceram dele; depois que ele apareceu e nasceu entre os homens, quando souberam como fora predito pelos profetas e compreenderam que seria objeto de fé e esperança em todas as nações, voltaram a apresentar, como já dissemos, outros homens, os samaritanos Simão e Menandro, que fizeram muitos prodígios por magia, enganaram muitos e ainda os mantêm enganados. Pois até entre vós, como já dissemos, Simão esteve na cidade imperial de Roma no reinado de Cláudio César e espantou tanto o sagrado Senado e o povo romano que foi considerado deus e honrado, como os demais que honrais como deuses, com uma estátua.

1But the evil spirits were not satisfied with saying, before Christ's appearance, that those who were said to be sons of Jupiter were born of him; but after He had appeared, and been born among men, and when they learned how He had been foretold by the prophets, and knew that He should be believed on and looked for by every nation, they again, as was said above, put forward other men, the Samaritans Simon and Menander, who did many mighty works by magic, and deceived many, and still keep them deceived. For even among yourselves, as we said before, Simon was in the royal city Rome in the reign of Claudius Caesar, and so greatly astonished the sacred senate and people of the Romans, that he was considered a god, and honoured, like the others whom you honour as gods, with a statue.

2Por isso pedimos que o sagrado Senado e vosso povo, juntamente convosco, julguem este nosso memorial, para que, se alguém estiver enredado nas doutrinas daquele homem, aprenda a verdade e assim possa escapar do erro; e, quanto à estátua, se vos aprouver, destruí-a.

2Wherefore we pray that the sacred senate and your people may, along with yourselves, be arbiters of this our memorial, in order that if any one be entangled by that man's doctrines, he may learn the truth, and so be able to escape error; and as for the statue, if you please, destroy it.