Simon Magus - Warlock Heretic

[mindlight]

Simon Magus born in Gitta Samaria who was around in the 40s AD in the town of Samaria and appears to have died in Rome much later was a Sorceror and perhaps the first Christian heretic. He is described by Ireneaus as the "Father of Gnosticism" one of the most dangerous and widespread challenges of the early church.

There are accounts of his magic in Acts 8:9-25 and then in Christians traditions or less widely accepted literature like Acts of Peter which has him levitating before a crowd in Rome before being brought to the ground by the prayers of Peter.

The book of Acts says he was a baptized believer but after that the apostles rebuked him for trying to buy the gifts of the apostles with money. It seems he regarded the miracles and the signs performed by the apostles as works of magic similar (albeit better) than his own.

Indeed his life and his doctrines do seem to spell out a kind of competition with Christ. He saw Jesus as the one to beat. It is possible that he invented a form of the doctrine of the Trinity but one focused on Himself (described as the Great Power) rather than God. He said he was Father to the Samaritans, Son to the Jews and Spirit to the wider world. His death is reputed to have occurred when he buried himself alive and told his disciples to expect his return 3 days later ( His attempt to beat Jesus at the resurrection game. An attempt that failed because "he was not the Christ".

My questions about are these:

1) Given that so many Jews and Romans of every class believed him to have magical powers do you think that these were real in his case. Was this an ability or a byproduct of being possessed by demons as Eusebius suggests?

2) Is he indeed the Father of Gnosticism and if so why have liberal scholars doubted Peters authorship of 2 Peter written to address false teachers in the church who seem to have been echoing many Simonian ideas for instance not realising that the proto versions of the theory were around much earlier than they supposed.

3) His articulation of a Trinitarian doctrine bothers me. Is this Satans sudden realisation of where church doctrine was going and his attempt to confound that?

4) If Sorcerors existed do they exist now?

 

[usexpat97]

The book of Acts says he was a baptized believer but after that the apostles rebuked him for trying to buy the gifts of the apostles with money. It seems he regarded the miracles and the signs performed by the apostles as works of magic similar (albeit better) than his own.

That is not the end of the story, though. Acts says that Simon Magus repented.

 

[mindlight]

That is not the end of the story, though. Acts says that Simon Magus repented.

Even the account in Acts taken alone casts doubt on whether that repentance was genuine. They kind of leave It hanging in the bible. Ireneaus is our next major source and the one who describes Simon Magus as the Father of Gnosticism , writing in the mid to late second century ,he says that after the apostles cast Simon Magus out he went to Rome and refounded his cult there. There is even meant to be a statue to him in Rome. There are also more dubious references in extra biblical literature like the Acts of Peter.

But even if you want to go Sola Scriptura on this question we still have apparent evidence of magic which was displaced by the even greater miracles and signs being performed by the apostles.

 

[dzheremi]

Well that was what even Christ our Lord was accused of, right? So it's not beyond belief that someone else would be accused of the same, or claim to manifest it, or be believed.

As to any form of Trinitarianism, obviously orthodox Nicene Christian Trinitarianism as we know it has predecessors in certain strains of Jewish and probably other thought (recall here St. Justin Martyr's "seeds of the Word" concept), even if the exact form in which Church has articulated it for 2,000 years has been understood to be the result of the revelation of God for most of those 2,000 years. So I guess I don't see why it should be disturbing or a problem to have someone with perhaps less firm theology articulate something that is a kind of shadow of it. The best lies always wrap themselves in at least some semblance of the truth.

I don't know if sorcerers of Simon Magus' type exist today, but I think so long as evil forces do most definitely exist, there will probably always be some who are attracted to or possessed by them. (Maybe not often in the "frothing at the mouth" meaning of possession, but allowing themselves to be a conduit of some very bad stuff. We too could be that way without manifesting any magical anything.)

 

[usexpat97]

I don't know if sorcerers of Simon Magus' type exist today, but I think so long as evil forces do most definitely exist, there will probably always be some who are attracted to or possessed by them.

But so will people who repent of them, and be loosed from their shackles by the power of Christ.

 

[dzheremi]

Absolutely. That we see basically every day, thanks be to God!

 

[mindlight]

Well that was what even Christ our Lord was accused of, right? So it's not beyond belief that someone else would be accused of the same, or claim to manifest it, or be believed.

Yes the Jewish Talmud accuses him of being a magic worker. Indicating that they accepted he had powers but doubted the source of those powers.

As to any form of Trinitarianism, obviously orthodox Nicene Christian Trinitarianism as we know it has predecessors in certain strains of Jewish and probably other thought (recall here St. Justin Martyr's "seeds of the Word" concept), even if the exact form in which Church has articulated it for 2,000 years has been understood to be the result of the revelation of God for most of those 2,000 years. So I guess I don't see why it should be disturbing or a problem to have someone with perhaps less firm theology articulate something that is a kind of shadow of it. The best lies always wrap themselves in at least some semblance of the truth.

Yes Justin Martyrs seeds of the Word articulated this early on and indicated that it predated Christs earthly ministry. I guess John articulated the Satanic version of the Trinity in Revelation before that - Dragon, Beast and False Prophet. You are right this does not have to be a problem. But it was not until Ireneaus for example that there was a clear extra biblical affirmation that Jesus was God - an essential for articulating the full doctrine of the Trinity. Even though with hindsight that is perfectly obvious in John 1 and Hebrews 1 for instance.

I don't know if sorcerers of Simon Magus' type exist today, but I think so long as evil forces do most definitely exist, there will probably always be some who are attracted to or possessed by them. (Maybe not often in the "frothing at the mouth" meaning of possession, but allowing themselves to be a conduit of some very bad stuff. We too could be that way without manifesting any magical anything.)

I believe that this rare form of magical person is probably demon possessed and not as impressive as the apostles or Jesus was. But maybe these powers do exist. But given that Satans policy (as articulated in the Screwtape letters) is concealment of supernatural abilities in the last century this would probably not be publicised. That policy may change as Europe becomes steadily more pagan in its outlook. TV programmes like Supernatural or the various Vampire outputs have already articulated this shift.

 

[dzheremi]

But it was not until Ireneaus for example that there was a clear extra biblical affirmation that Jesus was God - an essential for articulating the full doctrine of the Trinity.

That is not true. St. Ignatius of Antioch calls Jesus Christ God in one of his seven legitimate (i.e., not pseudo-epigraphical) epistles. I cannot remember which one at the moment, but he died in 108, while St. Irenaeus wasn't born until c. 130.

The revelation of Christ as God has always been the cornerstone of the Christian faith, attested to in the scriptures themselves in (e.g.) the holy transfiguration upon Mt. Tabor. You are correct in that it was not always understood at the time (the incarnation itself being a mystery and all), but basically as far back as we can go, we find it affirmed. The only thing that changes with time is the exact terminology, in order to strengthen the true faith and fight off heresies and the parasitical assemblies that preache(d) them.

I believe that this rare form of magical person is probably demon possessed and not as impressive as the apostles or Jesus was. But maybe these powers do exist. But given that Satans policy (as articulated in the Screwtape letters) is concealment of supernatural abilities in the last century this would probably not be publicised. That policy may change as Europe becomes steadily more pagan in its outlook. TV programmes like Supernatural or the various Vampire outputs have already articulated this shift.

I don't know anything about Europe (my last direct relatives from Ireland came to the United States in the 1880s; though I did have an uncle who purposely left the USA to teach and live in Slovakia, I never got to join him there), but it does seem rather bleak in the western parts, anyway. Lord have mercy. I know Germany still has many churches, but the most active are primarily made up of immigrants (or at least that the impression that we get over here), such as mine, or the Syriac Orthodox, or the Russian Orthodox, or whoever. I know that leaders of western churches like the Roman Catholic have declared in recent years that the West itself is now effectively missionary territory. I can't see how that's in any way false. Again, Lord have mercy.

 

[mindlight]

That is not true. St. Ignatius of Antioch calls Jesus Christ God in one of his seven legitimate (i.e., not pseudo-epigraphical) epistles. I cannot remember which one at the moment, but he died in 108, while St. Irenaeus wasn't born until c. 130.

You are absolutely correct he says that in the 7th Epistle to the Ephesians. Which places this articulation shortly after Johns death. Thanks for the correction. I read a liberal theology book that told me Ignatius believed Jesus was an angel. Should probably stick to primary sources in future

The revelation of Christ as God has always been the cornerstone of the Christian faith, attested to in the scriptures themselves in (e.g.) the holy transfiguration upon Mt. Tabor. You are correct in that it was not always understood at the time (the incarnation itself being a mystery and all), but basically as far back as we can go, we find it affirmed. The only thing that changes with time is the exact terminology, in order to strengthen the true faith and fight off heresies and the parasitical assemblies that preache(d) them.

It is clear in the bible texts but I thought the church took longer to grasp that than they actually did. My mistake.

I don't know anything about Europe (my last direct relatives from Ireland came to the United States in the 1880s; though I did have an uncle who purposely left the USA to teach and live in Slovakia, I never got to join him there), but it does seem rather bleak in the western parts, anyway. Lord have mercy. I know Germany still has many churches, but the most active are primarily made up of immigrants (or at least that the impression that we get over here), such as mine, or the Syriac Orthodox, or the Russian Orthodox, or whoever. I know that leaders of western churches like the Roman Catholic have declared in recent years that the West itself is now effectively missionary territory. I can't see how that's in any way false. Again, Lord have mercy.

I met my first missionary to Europe 30 years ago. It seemed strange then but now it is necessary. There are some excellent churches here but also liberalism is curse on theology and church life. Europe is a tough mission field. The East still has deep wounds from Communism and the West is more preoccupied with its own wellbeing and entertainment than God. Moving beyond the sterile secularism , confused moral relativism and blind naturalism that predominates is difficult. There is a deep thirst for the supernatural but people are not all drinking at Gods fountain. A new neo paganism is rising here