Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 13.djvu/873

 SIMONIANS

797

SIMON

Simonians, a Gnostic, Antinomian sect of the second century which regarded Simon Magus as its founder and which traced its doctrines back to him. The Simonians are mentioned by Hegesippus (in Euse- bius, "Hist, eccl.", IV, xxii); their doctrines are quoted and opposed in connexion with Simon Magus by Irenaeus ("Adv. haer.", I, xxiii), by the "Philo- sophumena" (VI, ix-xx; X, xii), and later by Epi- phanius ("Haer.'', xxii). In the " Philosophumena " Simon's doctrine is described according to his reputed work, "The Great Declaration"; it is evident that we have here the doctrinal opinions of the Simonians as they had developed in the second century. Ac- cording to these there was a perfect, eternal ungener- ated being (fire), that contained an invisible, hidden element and a visible, manifest element; the hidden is concealed in the manifest; the action of both is similar to that of the intelligible and the sensible in Plato. From that which remains concealed of the ungenerated being six roots (powers) emanated in pairs and these pairs correspond at the same time to heaven and earth, sun and moon, air and water. In their potentiality is contained the entire power. This unlimited power is the "Standing One" (eo-rws), the seventh root (power) corresponding to the seventh day after the six days of creation. This seventh power existed before the world, it is the Spirit of God that moved upon the face of the waters (Gen., i, 2). When it does not remain in the six roots (in poten- tiality), but is actually developed in the world, it is then in substance, magnitude, and perfection the same as the unlimited power of the ungenerated being (pantheistic emanation). As the female side of the original being appears the "thought" or "conception" (evpoia), which is the mother of the ajons. The "Standing One" is regarded as containing both sexes. The first six "powers" are followed by other less important emanations: archangels, angels, the demiurge who fashions the world, who is also the God of the Jews. The jealousy of the inferior spirits seems to have forced the "Ennoia" to take female forms and to migrate from one body into an- other, until Simon Magus, the great power sent forth by the original being, discovered her in Helena and released her. The deliverance was wrought by his being recognized as the highest power of God, the "Standing One". Men are also saved by accepting Simon's doctrine, by recognizing him as the great power of God. The Old Testament and its law, by which mankind was only brought into bondage, was opposed (antinomianism) as the work of the inferior god of the Jews (the Demiurge). The Simonians used magic and theurgy, incantations, and love- potions; they declared idolatry a matter of indiffer- ence that was neither good nor bad, proclaimed fornication to be perfect love, and led very disor- derly, immoral lives. In general, they regarded noth- ing in itself as good or bad by nature. It was not good works that made men blessed, in the next world, but the grace bestowed by Simon and Helena on those who united with them. The Simonians venerated and worshipped Simon under the image of Zeus, and Helena under that of Athene. The sect flourished in Syria, in various districts of Asia Minor, and at Rome. In the third century remnants of it still existed (Origen, "Contra Gels.", I, 57; VI, 11), which survived until the fourth century. Eusebius ("Hist, eccl.", II, xiii) calls the Simonians the most immoral and depraved of mankind. Closely con- nected with them were the Dositheans and Men- andrians, who should be regarded probably as branches of the Simonians. Their names came from Dositheus and Meander, of whom the first, a Samari- tan, was originally the teacher and then the pupil of Simon Magus, while Menander was a pupil and, after Simon's death, his most important successor. Dositheus is said to have opposed antinomianism,

that is, the rejection of Old Testament law. As late as the beginning of the seventh century Eulogius of Alexandria (in Photius, "Bibliotheca cod.", 230) opposed Dositheans who regarded Dositheus as the great prophet foretold by Moses. Dositheus died a tragic death from starvation ("Pseudo-Clemen. Recognitions," I, 57, 72; II, 11; Origen, "Contra Cels.", I, 57; VI, 11; "De principiis", IV, 17; "In Matth. Comm.", XXXII, P. L., XIII, 1643; "In Luc. Horn.", XXV, ibid., 1866; Epiphanius, "Ha;r.", XX). Like Simon, Menander also proclaimed him- self to be the one sent of God, the Messias. In the same way he taught the creation of the world by angels who were sent by the Ennoia. He asserted that men received immortality and the resurrection by his baptism and practised magical arts. The sect named after him, the Menandrians, continued to exist for a considerable length of time.

See the bibliography to Simon Magus.

J. P. KiRSCH.

Simon Magus. — According to the testimony of St. Justin ("First Apolog.", xxvi), whose statement as to this should probably be beheved, Simon came from Gitta (in the Pseudo-Clementine Homihes, II, xxii, called (rfTdwv) in the country of the Samaritans. At the outbreak of the persecution (c. 37 a. d.) of the early Christian community at Jerusalem that began with the martyrdom of St. Stephen, when Philip the Deacon went from Jerusalem to Samaria, Simon lived in the latter city. By his magic arts, because of which he was called "Magus", and by his teachings in which he announced himself as the "gi'eat power of God", he had made a name for himself and had won adherents. He hstened to Philip's sermons, was im- pressed by them, and like many of his countrymen was baptized and united with the community of be- lievers in Christ. But, as was evident later, his con- version was not the result of the inner conviction of faith in Christ as the Redeemer, but rather from sel- fish motives, for he hoped to gain greater magical power and thus to increase his influence. For when the Apostles Peter and John came to Samaria to be- stow on the believers baptized by Philip the outpour- ing of the Spirit which was accompanied by miracu- lous manifestations, Simon offered them money, de- siring them to grant him what he regarded as magical power, so that he also by the laying on of hands could bestow the Holy Ghost, and thereby produce such miraculous results. Full of indignation at such an offer Peter rebuked him sharply, exhorted him to pen- ance and conversion and warned him of the wicked- ness of his conduct. Under the influence of Peter's rebuke Simon begged the Apostles to pray for him (Acts, viii, 9-29). However, according to the unani- mous report of the authorities of the second century, he persisted in his false views. The ecclesiastical writers of the early Church universallj' represent him as the first heretic, the "Father of Heresies".

Simon is not mentioned again in the writings of the New Testament. The account in the Acts of the Apostles is the sole authoritative report that we have about him. The statements of the writers of the sec- ond century concerning him are largely legendary, and it is difficult or rather impossible to extract from them any historical fact the details of which are established with certainty. St. Justin of Rome ("First Apolog. ", xxvi, Ivi; "Dialogus c. Tryphonem ", cxx) describes Simon as a man who, at the instigation of demons, claimed to be a god. Justin says further that Simon came to Rome during the reign of the Emperor Clau- dius and by his magic arts won many followers so that these erected on the island in the Tiber a statue to him as a divinity with the inscription "Simon the Holy God". The statue, however, that Justin took for one dedicated to Simon was undoubtedly one of the old Sabine divinity Semo Sancus. Statues of