The Fall of Simon Magus

For when the vessel is found, so is the grace given to the one asking, just as the scripture says concerning spiritual and holy ones that the spiritual one examines all things, himself being examined by no one (1 Cor 2:15). And this is indeed great, that he received such authority from God to examine all things, himself being examined by no one; but having already become higher than all human nature and having received from God the right to judge even before the resurrection. And that thing even more astonishes those who hear, that there is progress and a measure for this; for, so to speak, the scripture says: The one clinging to the Lord is one spirit, and it did not say: he is spiritual or he is holy. But it reveals that he is one spirit, as such a one was examined by divinity; he became one with God, and can no longer be separated.

By the same word, the unbeliever and the fleshly one, according to their own measure, insofar as they give themselves over to fleshly pleasures and to unbelief, finds lawlessness increasing within himself. And it is possible to find even this in the scripture; to the fleshly ones it says: I was not able to speak to you as to spiritual, but as to fleshly (1 Cor 3:1). But those having fallen into the most extreme wickedness, he calls not fleshly, as they no longer have a beginning even if the Holy Spirit should happen to be in them; for he says thus concerning the creation: My Spirit shall by no means remain in these men because they are flesh (Rom 8:9). And it was necessary to set forth more witnesses from the scriptures concerning this, but we deemed it sufficient since the two characters of the believer and the unbeliever are manifest.

For you will find in the first measure of piety the holy prophets and apostles and martyrs and many children of the Christ's church having fallen short; and in the second character, you will find many others in the scriptures working lawlessness and being children of the devil and being named with many various names; and one of them is Simon, the leader of these heresies, whom we will show having received all the devil's wickedness into his own heart. For this one, having approached Philip the apostle, preaching something in Samaria (Acts 8:13), and having been instructed by him in the word of truth and having renounced the devil and having ordered himself to God, is made worthy even of baptism, who also was remaining with the apostle, observing the signs and

He was resisting the powers being accomplished through him; for he did not merely hear the proclamation, but the scripture shows him remaining even for a time, so that he was fully convinced by sight and hearing. And these things the philanthropy of God was working, so that he might be won over; and if he had wished, he would have attained this, but instead he thinks the opposite.

For after the holy Philip had declared to the co-apostles in Jerusalem that Samaria had received the word of God and that a time had come for them to be given a priest, and after the holy Peter and John had come down from Jerusalem and were performing the laying on of hands, those of this grace were receiving the Holy Spirit according to what they were worthy. And Simon, seeing that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit is given, having been diseased by a love of rule, offers gifts to the apostles, saying: 'Give also to me this authority, so that whoever I lay my hands upon may receive the Holy Spirit.'

But Peter said to him: 'May your silver be with you for destruction (Acts 8:20), because you thought to acquire the gift of God through money and the following things.' This is Simon, who before having renounced the devil and his angels and all his works; this is the one who, having been received by the apostle Philip, received baptism (Acts 8:13); but he was praiseworthy until this, and after these things, wretched. For having missed the goal and such grace and the laying on of hands, having been judged unworthy, he begins to fight against the apostles, no longer knowing the workers, no longer knowing the one who begat, forgetting all things together; the one who a little while ago was a disciple and now is an enemy.

What have you suffered, man? Who has thus made you a brute? Who has led you into this destruction? What did you give yourself over entirely to the evil one, so that your whole heart became hardened and you no longer receive the exhortation of the apostles, but think yourself to be more righteous than the apostles? And he does not cease fighting against the apostles until death, and he did not hesitate to travel from Samaria even to Rome to work there with the devil and to fight against Christ. We have shown through these things the leader of the heresies; and these things have been sufficient to convince the deceived as to who are disciples, who are zealots, whom they pursue in their work, and for whose sake they fight. But