Simon Magus
Simon Magus | |
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Σίμων ὁ μάγος | |
Simonianism |
Simon Magus (Greek Σίμων ὁ μάγος, Latin: Simon Magus), also known as Simon the Sorcerer or Simon the Magician, was a religious figure whose confrontation with Peter is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.[1] The act of simony, or paying for position, is named after Simon, who tried to buy his way into the power of the Apostles.
According to Acts, Simon was a
In
History
Acts of the Apostles
The canonical Acts of the Apostles features a short narrative about Simon Magus; this is his only appearance in the New Testament.
But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of
Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (for as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, saying, "Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost." But Peter said unto him, "Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought [Gr. Epinoia][19] of thine heart may be forgiven thee, for I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity." Then answered Simon, and said, "Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me."— Acts 8:9–24[20]
Josephus
Justin Martyr and Irenaeus
Myth of Simon and Helen
Justin and Irenaeus are the first to recount the myth of Simon and Helen, which became the center of Simonian doctrine.[citation needed] Epiphanius of Salamis also makes Simon speak in the first person in several places in his Panarion, and the implication is that he is quoting from a version of[clarification needed] it, though perhaps not verbatim.[24]
As described by Epiphanius, in the beginning God had his first thought, his
"And on her account", he says, "did I come down; for this is that which is written in the Gospel 'the lost sheep'."
For as the angels were mismanaging the world, owing to their individual lust for rule, he had come to set things straight, and had descended under a changed form, likening himself to the Principalities and Powers through whom he passed, so that among men he appeared as a man, though he was not a man, and was thought to have suffered in Judaea, though he had not suffered.[24]
"But in each heaven I changed my form," says he, "in accordance with the form of those who were in each heaven, that I might escape the notice of my angelic powers and come down to the Thought, who is none other than her who is also called Prunikos and Holy Ghost, through whom I created the angels, while the angels created the world and men."
But the prophets had delivered their prophecies under the inspiration of the world-creating angels: wherefore those who had their hope in him and in Helen minded them no more, and, as being free, did what they pleased; for men were saved according to his grace, but not according to just works. For works were not just by nature, but only by convention, in accordance with the enactments of the world-creating angels, who by precepts of this kind sought to bring men into slavery. Wherefore he promised that the world should be dissolved, and that those who were his should be freed from the dominion of the world-creators.[24]
In this account of Simon there is a large portion common to almost all forms of Gnostic myths, together with something special to this form. They have in common the place in the work of creation assigned to the female principle, the conception of the Deity; the ignorance of the rulers of this lower world with regard to the Supreme Power; the descent of the female (Sophia) into the lower regions, and her inability to return. Special to the Simonian tale is the identification of Simon himself with the Supreme, and of his consort Helena with the female principle.[28]
Hippolytus
In Philosophumena, Hippolytus retells the narrative on Simon written by Irenaeus (who in his turn based it on the lost Syntagma of Justin). Upon the story of "the lost sheep", Hippolytus comments as follows:[24]
But the liar was enamoured of this wench, whose name was Helen, and had bought her and had her to wife, and it was out of respect for his disciples that he invented this fairy-tale.[29]
Also, Hippolytus demonstrates acquaintance with the folk tradition on Simon which depicts him rather as a magician than Gnostic, and in constant conflict with Peter (also present in the apocrypha and Pseudo-Clementine literature). Reduced to despair by the curse laid upon him by Peter in the Acts, Simon soon abjured the faith and embarked on the career of a sorcerer:[24]
Until he came to Rome also and fell foul of the Apostles. Peter withstood him on many occasions. At last he came ... and began to teach sitting under a plane tree. When he was on the point of being shown up, he said, in order to gain time, that if he were buried alive he would rise again on the third day. So he bade that a tomb should be dug by his disciples and that he should be buried in it. Now they did what they were ordered, but he remained there until now: for he was not the Christ.[30]
Simonians
Hippolytus gives a much more doctrinally detailed account of
Hippolytus says the free love doctrine was held by them in its purest form, and speaks in language similar to that of Irenaeus about the variety of magic arts practiced by the Simonians, and also of their having images of Simon and Helen under the forms of Zeus and Athena. But he also adds, "if any one, on seeing the images either of Simon or Helen, shall call them by those names, he is cast out, as showing ignorance of the mysteries."[24]
Epiphanius
Epiphanius writes that there were some Simonians still in existence in his day (c. AD 367), but he speaks of them as almost extinct. Gitta, he says, had sunk from a town into a village. Epiphanius further charges Simon with having tried to wrest the words of
Cyril of Jerusalem
Apocrypha
Acts of Peter
The
Acts of Peter and Paul
Another apocryphal document, the Acts of Peter and Paul gives a slightly different version of the above incident, which was shown in the context of a debate in front of the Emperor Nero. In this version, Paul the Apostle is present along with Peter, Simon levitates from a high wooden tower made upon his request, and dies "divided into four parts" due to the fall. Peter and Paul are then imprisoned by Nero, who further orders that Simon's body be kept carefully for three days, in case, Christ-like, the magician should rise again.[34]
Pseudo-Clementine literature
The Pseudo-Clementine Recognitions and Homilies give an account of Simon Magus and some of his teachings in regards to the Simonians. They are of uncertain date and authorship, and seem to have been worked over by several hands in the interest of diverse forms of belief.[24]
Simon was a Samaritan, and a native of Gitta. The name of his father was Antonius, that of his mother Rachel.
There was one
Dositheus, when he perceived that Simon was depreciating him, fearing lest his reputation among men might be obscured (for he himself was supposed to be the Standing One), moved with rage, when they met as usual at the school, seized a rod, and began to beat Simon; but suddenly the rod seemed to pass through his body, as if it had been smoke. On which Dositheus, being astonished, says to him, "Tell me if thou art the Standing One, that I may adore thee." And when Simon answered that he was, then Dositheus, perceiving that he himself was not the Standing One, fell down and worshipped him, and gave up his own place as chief to Simon, ordering all the rank of thirty men to obey him; himself taking the inferior place which Simon formerly occupied. Not long after this he[clarification needed] died.[37]
The encounter between Dositheus and Simon Magus was the beginnings of the sect of Simonians. The narrative goes on to say that Simon, having fallen in love with Helen, took her about with him, saying that she had come down into the world from the highest heavens, and was his mistress, inasmuch as she was Sophia, the Mother of All. It was for her sake, he said, that the Greeks and Barbarians fought the
Anti-Paulinism
The Pseudo-Clementine writings were used in the 4th century by members of the
But can any one be educated for teaching by vision? And if you shall say, "It is possible," why did the Teacher remain and converse with waking men for a whole year? And how can we believe you even as to the fact that he appeared to you? And how can he have appeared to you seeing that your sentiments are opposed to his teaching? But if you were seen and taught by him for a single hour, and so became an apostle, then preach his words, expound his meaning, love his apostles, fight not with me who had converse with him. For it is against a solid rock, the foundation-stone of the Church, that you have opposed yourself in opposing me. If you were not an adversary, you would not be slandering me and reviling the preaching that is given through me, in order that, as I heard myself in person from the Lord, when I speak I may not be believed, as though forsooth it were I who was condemned and I who was reprobate. Or, if you call me condemned, you are accusing God who revealed the Christ to me, and are inveighing against Him who called me blessed on the ground of the revelation. But if indeed you truly wish to work along with the truth, learn first from us what we learnt from Him, and when you have become a disciple of truth, become our fellow-workman.[24]
The anti-Pauline context of the Pseudo-Clementines is recognised, but the association with Simon Magus is surprising, according to Jozef Verheyden, since they have little in common.
Identification of Simon as the Apostle Paul
Since
Anti-Marcionism
There are other features in the portrait which are reminiscent of
Druidism
In Irish legend Simon Magus came to be associated with
Medieval legends, later interpretations
The church of
The opening story in Danilo Kiš's 1983 collection The Encyclopedia of the Dead, "Simon Magus", retells the confrontation between Simon and Peter agreeing with the account in the Acts of Peter, and provides an additional alternative ending in which Simon asks to be buried alive in order to be resurrected three days later (after which his body is found putrefied).[54][55]
See also
- Apollonius of Tyana
- Jesus of Nazareth
- John the Baptist
- List of messiah claimants
- List of people who have claimed to be Jesus
- Saints and levitation
- Simon Magus in popular culture
- Elymas Bar-Jesus
References
- ^ 8:9–24
- ^ Knight, Kevin (2012). "Simon Magus". newadvent.org. Catholic Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
it is difficult or rather impossible to extract from them any historical fact the details of which are established with certainty
- ^ "Simon Magus | Samarian magician". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
- ^ "CHURCH FATHERS: Against Heresies, I.23 (St. Irenaeus)". www.newadvent.org.
- ^ Caesarea), Eusebius (of Caesarea, Bishop of (5 May 1894). "The Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius Pamphilus, Bishop of Caesarea, in Palestine". George Bell & Sons – via Google Books.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Hippolytus: Refutation of All Heresies can be found in Rev. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, eds., The Ante-Nicene Fathers (1919; reprint ed., Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1971), 5:74–81, for the part we need about Simon.
- ISBN 978-9004144958– via Google Books.
- ^ Rudolph 1977, pp. 312 ff.
- ^ Haar 2003, p. 306.
- ISBN 9780802849137p. 125
- ^ Alberto Ferreiro Simon Magus in Patristic, Medieval And Early Modern Traditions BRILL, 2005 p. 53
- ^ "Catholic Encyclopedia: Simon Magus". www.newadvent.org.
- ^ "Catholic Encyclopedia: St. Justin Martyr". www.newadvent.org.
- ^ Dictionary of Christian Biography, Vol. 4, p. 682.
- ^ Hastings' Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, Vol. 2, p. 496.
- ^ Mark J. Edwards "Portraits: Biographical Representation in the Greek and Latin Literature of the Roman Empire" Clarendon Press, Oxford (1997) page 69
- ^ Constitutions of the Holy Apostles, vi. § 4, 16.
- Geburah, or Dynamis, was an appellative or metonym of "The Divine Glory" among the apocalypticists, and with this very meaning entered the Gospels in the famous passage: 'You shall see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Dynamis [Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:62].' Although in rabbinic sources of the first and second centuries the name Dynamis was widely used as a synonym for God Himself, the esoteric use continued in the circles of the Merkabah mystics. ... This term must have had wide usage, since according to the Acts of the Apostles 8:10 even the Samaritan Simon Magus claimed to be the Great Dynamis: ἡ δύναμις τοῦ θεοῦ ἡ καλουμένη μεγάλη." Scholem, p. 67.
- ^ "LÜDEMANN (1989: 96-98) has raised the question whether, on the basis of Luke's own knowledge of the tradition, Luke had made some ironic allusion to Helen as Simon's ἐπίνοια in his reference to the state of Simon's heart: ἡ ἐπίνοια τῆς καρδίας (8:22). If so, as LÜDEMANN argued, the two essential elements of Gnostic Simonian religion are already found in Acts: 'the god Simon and his syzygos, ἐπίνοια.'" Haar 2003, p. 82.
- ^ Acts 8:9–24
- ^ Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 20:7, §2.
- ^ Hilgenfeld, Ketzergeschichte, p. 170; Albert, Die Ersten Fünfzehn Jahre der Christlichen Kirche, p. 114, Münster, 1900; Waitz, in Zeitschrift für Neutestamentliche Wissenschaft, v. 128; Price 2012.
- ^ "Dr . Robert Price - the True Identity of St. Paul". YouTube.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Simon Magus". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 25 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 126–130. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
- ^ Semoni Sanco Deo. Gruter, vol. 1, p. 95, n. 5.
- ^ Williams, vol. 1, p. 60.
- ^ Williams, vol. 1, p. 58.
- ^ a b c One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Salmon, George (1911). Wace, Henry; Piercy, William C. (eds.). Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century (3rd ed.). London: John Murray.
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: Missing or empty|title=
(help)CS1 maint: date and year (link) - Refutation of all Heresies, 6, 19.
- Refutation of all Heresies, 6, 15.
- ^ (Ephesians 6:14–16)
- ^ Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures, vi. 15.
- ^ "The Acts of Peter". www.earlychristianwritings.com.
- ^ Acts of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul.
- ^ Recognitions, Book 2.
- ^ Clementine Homilies, ii. 23.
- ^ Clementine Recognitions, ii. 11.
- ^ Cf. Plotinus, Ennead II, 9, 10: "They first maintain that the Soul and a certain 'Wisdom' [Sophia] declined and entered this lower sphere . . . Yet in the same breath, that very Soul which was the occasion of descent to the others is declared not to have descended. 'It knew no decline,' but merely illuminated the darkness in such a way that an image of it was formed upon the Matter. Then, they shape an image of that image somewhere below — through the medium of Matter or of Materiality . . . and so they bring into being what they call the Creator or Demiurge, then this lower is severed from his Mother [Sophia] and becomes the author of the Cosmos down to the latest of the succession of images constituting it." MacKenna trans., p. 230.
- ^ As the Peregrinations of Peter. Epiphanius, Panarion, 30.15.1. Williams, vol. 1, p. 131.
- ^ Clementine Homilies, xvii. 5; 14.
- ^ "The decision [in the Pseudo-Clementines] to associate Paul with Simon Magus is surprising since they have little in common. It is generally accepted that this association represents a later stage in the development of Ps.-Clem. and was an attempt to do away with or adapt some of the criticisms that had been aimed at Paul." Verheyden, p. 333.
- ^ "Baur's view that Simon is Paul has occasionally been questioned ..." Bockmuehl, p. 102.
- ^ "... letters (beginning of the second century AD, which give no evidence of strife between Peter and Paul) were spurious and late ... The idea of a revival of Baur's thesis appears to be quite self-conscious and explicit". Pate, p. 439.
- ^ Hermann Detering, The Dutch Radical Approach to the Pauline Epistles
- ^ Price 2012.
- ^ Hermann Detering, The Dutch Radical Approach to the Pauline Epistles
- ^ See also: F C Baur; A. Hilgenfeld; Hermann Detering, "The Falsified Paul: Early Christianity in the Twilight" - 1995 (translated into English in 2003); and J.R.Porter, The Lost Bible, pg 230.
- ^ Clementine Homilies, ii. 14.
- ^ Clementine Homilies, iii. 10; 38.
- ^ E.g. Clementine Homilies, iii. 3; 9; 59.
- ISBN 9780486404479.
- ^ Sometimes with Mug Ruith. MacKillop, p. 337.
- ^ "Surely few admirers of Marlowe's and Goethe's plays have an inkling that their hero is the descendant of a gnostic sectary, and that the beautiful Helen called up by his art was once the fallen Thought of God through whose raising mankind was to be saved." Jonas, p. 111.
- ^ Power, Chris (2 August 2012). "A brief survey of the short story part 42: Danilo Kiš". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
- ISBN 9780814782132.
Bibliography
- Gruter, Janus (1707). Inscriptiones antiquae totius orbis romani, in absolutissimum corpus redactae. Amsterdam: Franciscus Halma.
- Mead, G.R.S. (1892). Simon Magus. London: Theosophical Publishing Society.
- Legge, Francis (1964) [1914]. Forerunners and Rivals of Christianity, From 330 B.C. to 330 A.D. (Two volumes bound as one ed.). New York: University Books. LCCN 64-24125.
- Plotinus (1921). Psychic and Physical Treatises: Comprising the Second and Third Enneads. Vol. 2. Stephen MacKenna. London: P.L. Warner, publisher to the Medici Society.
- Jonas, Hans (2001) [1958]. The Gnostic Religion (3rd ed.). Boston: Beacon Press. ISBN 0-8070-5801-7.
- Scholem, Gershom (1965). Jewish Gnosticism, Merkabah Mysticism, and Talmudic Tradition. Jewish Theological Seminary of America.
- Rudolph, Kurt (1977), Die Gnosis: Wesen u. Geschichte e. spätantiken Religion, Leipzig: Koehler & Amelang.
- Williams, Frank (1987). The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis. Vol. 2 volumes. Leiden; New York; København; Köln: E.J. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-07926-7.
- Lüdemann, Gerd (1989). Early Christianity according to the Traditions in Acts: A Commentary. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.
- MacKillop, James (2004) [1998]. A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-860967-4.
- Pate, C. Marvin (2000). The Reverse of the Curse: Paul, Wisdom, and the Law.
- Haar, Stephen Charles (2003), Simon Magus: The First Gnostic?, Walter de Gruyter, ISBN 978-3-11-017689-6.
- Verheyden, Jozef (2004), "Demonization of the Opponent", in Hettema, Theo L.; van der Kooij, Arie (eds.), Religious Polemics in Context.
- Cartlidge, David R. (Fall 2005). "The Fall and Rise of Simon Magus". Bible Review. 21 (4): 24–36.
- Bockmuehl, Markus (2010). The Remembered Peter: In Ancient Reception and Modern Debate. Mohr Siebeck.
- Price, Robert M. (2012), The Amazing Colossal Apostle: The Search for the Historical Paul, Signature Books, ISBN 978-1-56085-216-2
External links
- Media related to Simon Magus at Wikimedia Commons