But the wicked demons were not content to have said, before the manifestation of Christ, that the so-called sons of Zeus had been born; rather, after he was manifested and had come to be among men, and they learned how it had been proclaimed beforehand through the prophets, and knew that he was being believed in and expected among every race, they again, as we explained before, put forward others — Simon and Menander from Samaria — who, performing magical powers, deceived many and still hold them deceived. For even among you, as we said before, in the imperial city of Rome under Claudius Caesar, Simon, having appeared, so astounded the sacred senate and the people of the Romans that he was accounted a god and was honored with a statue, like the other gods honored among you. Therefore we ask that the sacred senate and your people be taken as joint judges of this our petition, so that if anyone be held fast by his teachings, he may, learning the truth, be able to flee the error. And the statue, if you please, you may take down.