Homily XX.

Chapter I.—Peter is Willing to Gratify Sophonias.

In the night-time Peter rose up and wakened us, and then sat down in his usual way, and said:  “Ask me questions about anything you like.”^14781478    [Chaps. 1–10 are also peculiar to the Homilies, though there are incidental resemblances to passages in the Recognitions, particularly in the presentation of free-will.—R.]  And Sophonias was the first to begin to speak to him:  “Will you explain to us who are eager to learn what is the real truth in regard to evil?”  And Peter said:  “I have already explained it in the course of my discussion with Simon; but because I stated the truth in regard to it in combination with other topics, it was not altogether clearly put; for many topics that seem to be of equal weight with the truth afford some kind of knowledge of the truth to the masses.  So that, if now I state what I formerly stated to Simon along with many topics, do not imagine that you are not^14791479    “Not” is supplied by conjecture. honoured with honour equal to his.”  And Sophonias said:  “You are right; for if you now separate it for us from many of the topics that were then discussed, you will make the truth more evident.”