Chapter 16

Καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη· πρὸς τὸ ἐμὲ δεῖξαι πολλοὺς εἶναι θεοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν γραφῶν, ἃς σαφεῖς παρέστησα, σὺ δὲ τὰς αὐτὰς ἢ καὶ πλείονας φωνὰς ἀπὸ τῶν αὐτῶν γραφῶν ἐνήνοχας, δεικνύων ὅτι εἷς ἐστιν Θεὸς, καὶ οὗτος Ἰουδαίων. καὶ πρὸς τὸ εἰπεῖν με, οὐ δεῖ κακολογεῖν θεοὺς, ἐπήγαγες πρὸς τὸ δεῖξαι, ὅτι εἷς ἐστιν ὁ πεποιηκὼς, ὅτι οἱ μὴ πεποιηκότες ἀπολέσθαι ἔχουσιν. πρὸς δὲ τὸ εἰπεῖν με, ὅτι δεῖ θεοὺς λέγειν, καθ᾽ ὅ καὶ αἱ γραφαὶ αὐτοὺς λέγουσιν, καὶ πρὸς τούτοις ἔδειξας, ὅτι μὴ δεῖ αὐτῶν ὀνόματα φθέγγεσθαι, τῷ τὴν αὐτὴν γραφὴν εἰπεῖν, ὀνόματα θεῶν ἑτέρων μὴ φθέγγεσθαι. ἐπεὶ οὖν αὐταὶ αἱ γραφαὶ πολλοὺς λέγουσιν εἶναι θεοὺς, καὶ ἄλλοτε ἕνα μόνον εἶναι, καὶ ὁτὲ μὲν μὴ κακολογεῖσθαι, ὁτὲ δὲ κακολογεῖσθαι, πρὸς τοῦτο τί δεῖ λογίσασθαι, ἢ ὅτι αὐταὶ ἡμᾶς αἱ γραφαὶ πλανῶσιν ;