![]() ![]() 16 For ( F)as yet He had fallen upon none of them. The Sorcerer’s Sinġ4 Now when the ( D)apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them ( E)that they might receive the Holy Spirit. ![]() 13 Then Simon himself also believed and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the things ( C)concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. The greed of Simon is recalled in the modern word simony, “using religion as a means of profit.”Ĭontemporary Christians should take from the account of Simon that the church, even today, must be careful of those claiming to possess supernatural abilities, and those claiming to be Christians who desire to “buy the gift of God with money,” for their "heart is not right before God” (Acts 8:20–21).9 But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously ( A)practiced sorcery in the city and ( B)astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, 10 to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the great power of God.” 11 And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time. However, Justin Martyr and other Christian apologists like Irenaeus insist he was an antichrist and continued his sorcery, even founding Gnosticism itself. It would appear, contrary to apocryphal and Gnostic texts that seek to glorify his role as sorcerer and his previous satanic abilities, that Simon was repentant and may have continued to be a member of the local church in Samaria. Fearful of the apostle’s words, Simon pleads with Peter to pray to the Lord on his behalf.Īfter this event, the Bible never again refers to Simon the Sorcerer. At this point, Peter strongly reprimands Simon for his greed and states that he needs to “repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart” (Acts 8:22). Simon witnessed this event and “offered them money and said, ‘Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 8:19–20). Later, the apostles Peter and John arrived, at which time the Spirit came upon the believers. The Bible says that “the Holy Spirit had not yet come” upon the Samaritans (Acts 8:16). In the wake of hearing and seeing the disciple Philip “as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ" (Acts 8:12), Simon was baptized into the early church and “followed Philip everywhere” (Acts 8:13). Interestingly, however, Simon’s empowerment by Satan did not include loyalty to the demonic. It appears Simon was the latter, as Luke states that he had amazed the Samaritans “for a long time with his sorcery” (Acts 8:11), some even declaring that he was “the great Power of God” (Acts 8:10), a messianic title. Sorcery, which is strongly condemned by God (Deuteronomy 18:9–13), was common in the ancient world, and, while some acts and demonstrations were no more than illusions of the mind, others were empowered by Satan in an attempt to discredit the power of God (Matthew 24:24 2 Thessalonians 2:9). The Jew called Simon who “pretended to be a magician” is referred to by the historian Josephus ( Antiquities of the Jews, book 20, chapter 7), but this appears to be a different historical figure, as he was born in Cyprus. Christian apologist Justin Martyr is believed to have propagated the idea that Simon was a Samaritan from the city of Gitta, and this has been accepted in early church tradition and today by some church historians. In the book of Acts it is stated that he “amazed all the people of Samaria” (Acts 8:9), but the account does not identify him as a Samaritan himself. A minor figure in New Testament history, Simon also appears in Gnostic texts in which his character and biography are expanded upon, but these accounts are unlikely to be historically reliable due to the nature of these writings and their anonymous authors. He appeared in the wake of the newly established church in Samaria. ![]() Simon the Sorcerer, sometimes referred to as Simon Magus or Simon of Gitta, is mentioned by Luke in Acts 8:9–24. ![]()
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