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
