Simon Magus

A Samaritan magician in the Acts of the Apostles who offered money to receive the power to confer the Holy Spirit. He became a figure in later Christian accounts of heresy and magic.

Acts of the Apostles: The New Testament narrative of the early Christian movement, traditionally attributed to Luke. Its account of Simon’s encounter with Philip and Peter is the earliest surviving source about him.
Justin Martyr: A second-century Christian apologist and philosopher who wrote defenses of Christianity and accounts of early Christian belief. He describes Simon as a Samaritan regarded by some as divine and associated with Rome.
Simony: The buying or selling of spiritual offices, sacred privileges, or ecclesiastical authority. The term takes its name from Simon’s offer to buy the apostles’ power.
Apostolic authority: The religious authority early Christians attributed to the apostles as witnesses and leaders of the church. Peter’s rebuke asserts that spiritual gifts cannot be acquired by payment or personal ambition.
Philip the Evangelist: A Christian preacher in Acts who proclaimed the gospel in Samaria and baptized converts there. He converts and baptizes Simon before the apostles arrive in Samaria.
Irenaeus of Lyon: A second-century bishop and theologian who argued against Christian movements he considered heretical. He presents Simon as the originator of a lineage of heresy.
Ordination: A religious rite that formally admits a person to a clerical office or ministry. Unlike Simon’s attempted purchase, ordination is conferred through recognized religious procedures.
Christian heresiology: The study and classification of teachings that Christian writers judged to depart from orthodox belief. Later authors made Simon a foundational example in accounts of Christian heresy.
Peter the Apostle: One of Jesus’s principal apostles and an early leader of the Jerusalem church. He rebukes Simon for trying to buy the authority to impart the Holy Spirit.
Pseudo-Clementine literature: An early Christian narrative tradition featuring Clement of Rome, Peter, and disputes with rival teachers. It recasts Simon as Peter’s persistent rival in an elaborate religious narrative.

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