Simon Magus, the founder of the Catholic Church and the first of the age long dynasty of Popes. (Part I)
According to Luke’s account, Simon Magnus followed the Apostles and was baptized; outwardly, at least, he was a Christian. Hence his belief was only superficial and he was still a pagan at heart. Simon coveted the apostolic office and saw the opportunity of using Christianity to find fame and make money — a business corporation masquerading as the church of Christ. From Simon Magus we get the word simony which means to buy a religious office with money. (Acts. 8:9-24)
After his encounter with the Apostle Peter, Simon went to Rome and by tricks and false miracles established a “Christian church” in that city: Christian doctrines mixed with pagan ceremonies and heretic doctrines. He was one of those about whom the Apostles Peter and Paul mentioned as being part of those who would be “coming in Christ’s name and deceiving many” (Matt. 25:5).
The Catholic Christianity has its origin in the religious system founded by the magician Simon began very early — almost with Pentecost in 31 A.D. Even in the earliest of Paul’s epistles, he informs us that “the secret power of lawlessness is already at work” (II Thess. 2:7). Paul wrote this in 50 or 51 A.D. The plot to supplant the Truth had already begun. In the later epistles of Paul and in those of the other Apostles, we find it gaining considerable momentum. The Apostles discuss Simon’s diabolical system since its beginning.
The book of Acts is the KEY to the understanding of Christian beginnings, as we see it today. Not only does it show the commencement of the TRUE Church, the persecuted, scattered one, but it equally reveals the origins of the FALSE Church masquerading as Christianity. Indeed, you would think it odd, if the book of Acts did not discuss this vital subject.
The book of Acts was written by Luke about 62 A.D. — some 31 years after the True Church began. Acts recalls ALL events which affected, in a major way, the True Church. It especially tells us about the beginnings of matters relating to Church history. However, the book of Acts does NOT record every single event relative to the Church, important as one might think them to be. Hence the Apostle did record the issue involving Simon the Magus, why? There was a reason.
For example, Luke doesn’t mention a single thing about the activities of ten of the original twelve Apostles of Christ. Yet they must have done many mighty works. But we can see from this omission that Luke recorded ONLY THOSE EVENTS WHICH WERE ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY for God’s Church of the future to know.
Notice that Luke’s geography leads him towards the Northwest and West of Palestine. He discusses Church history in Asia Minor, Greece and ROME. He wanted to leave us with the truth of what was going on in the West and North because the prophecies showed the false system arising in these localities.
All other activities of God’s Church — all about the other ten Apostles, etc. — fall into relative unimportance because the trouble wasn’t going to come from Palestine itself. It was to come from ROME and adjacent areas. It is no wonder that Luke spares no pains to tell us the truth of what was really going on in these critical areas, and that is the reason Acts concerns itself primarily with Paul. These are well-known principles that help us understand the overall viewpoint of Acts.
With the foregoing in mind, read the incident recorded by Luke, of the first encounter of God’s Apostles with a heretic. This encounter was not with an ordinary run-of-the-mill individual, but with one of the greatest men in the East at that time — Simon the Magus! The reason Luke describes the intentions of this man so thoroughly is the profound effect this man, and his followers, had on God’s Church in Asia Minor, Greece, and ESPECIALLY ROME. Actually, this man by 62 A.D., (when Luke composed the book of Acts) had caused the True Church so much trouble that Luke had to show the people that he was NOT, as he claimed to be, a believer, foremost, a part of the Christian Church.
Notice the comment of Hasting’s Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, Vol. 2, p. 496: “It seems beyond question that Luke KNEW THE REPUTATION which Simon acquired, and that he regarded the subsequent history of Simon as the natural result of what occurred in the beginning of his connection with the Christians. “If we assume that Luke recorded this encounter of the Apostles with Simon Magus simply to show that “simony” was wrong, we miss the point completely. There is a score of places in other parts of the Bible to show the error of buying ecclesiastical gifts.
Luke was exposing SIMON MAGUS HIMSELF. This IS the important point!! Luke was clearly showing that Simon was NEVER a part of God’s Church, even though by 62 A.D., many people were being taught that Simon was truly a Christian — taught that he was the HEAD of the only TRUE Christians; the Apostle to the Gentiles!
Notice the points Luke places clearly before us:
1) Simon was a Samaritan, not a Jew — (Acts 8:9). Remember that the Bible tells us salvation was of the house of Judah — not of the Samaritans (John 4:22).
2) Simon Magus greatly used demonic powers to do miracles and wonders (Acts 8:9).
3) The whole population of Samaria (both small and great) gave heed to him (Verse 10). He was looked on as the greatest prophet — all Samaritans BELIEVED IN HIM!
4) The Samaritans WORSHIPPED him as “the Great One” — a god. “This man is that power of God called Great [that is the Almighty]” (Verse 10). Imagine it. They called him god in the flesh.
5) Luke is also careful to inform us that Simon had become firmly established in Samaria as “the Great One” and had practiced his powers “for a long time” (Verse 11).
6) Luke wants us to understand that he nominally became a Christian (“Simon himself believed”) and was baptized — that is, he physically, outwardly “entered” the Christian Church (Verse 13).
7) Simon even recognized that Christ’s power was greater than his but wanted to be associated with that great name (Verse 13).
Simon, seeing the potential of the Christian religion waited until the authorities, Peter and John, came to Samaria and then offered to pay them money to OBTAIN AN APOSTLESHIP IN THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH (Verses 18-21).
Simon Yearned for Apostle’s Office. Those who carelessly read this section of Scripture may get the mistaken notion that Simon wanted only to buy the Holy Spirit. Yes, he wanted that — but his main intention went far beyond. He had eyes on becoming an APOSTLE!
Peter immediately perceived his intention and said “You have neither PART nor LOT in this matter” (Verse 21). The true Apostles had been chosen after Christ’s death to take PART in the apostleship by LOT (Acts 1:25, 26). Peter was telling Simon he couldn’t buy an APOSTLESHIP.
Luke is showing that Simon wanted to be one of the APOSTLES — a top man in the Christian Church. He was after that office. After all Simon imagined himself to be fully qualified to be an APOSTLE, especially over the Samaritans since they already looked to him as the greatest religious leader of the age. However, Peter rebuked him sternly.
9) Peter perceived that Simon was in the “gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity [lawlessness]” (Verse 23).
This verse when understood in the manner Peter intended is one of the most important of the whole chapter. IT IS A PROPHECY! Peter knew the mind of this man and what this man was to become. Peter rebuked Simon in strong and PROPHETIC TERMS. The PROPHECY is concealed in the ordinary translation: the Greek means ‘thou art FOR a gall of bitterness and a fetter of unrighteousness [lawlessness]’, a cause of bitterness and corruption to others. Peter was uttering a prophecy by the Holy Spirit. He was telling what this Simon was to become; Lange’s Commentary says: “Peter’s words, literally, mean: ‘I regard you as a man whose influence WILL BE like that of bitter gall [poison] and a bond of unrighteousness [lawlessness], or, as a man who has reached such a state’.” (Vol. 9, p. 148).
Not only was Simon, in Peter’s time, a great antagonist to the Church, but he would be the adversary in the future. This prophecy is the KEY that opens to our understanding the ORIGINS of the heresies mentioned in the letters of the Apostles. Peter clearly knew Simon wouldn’t repent. Verse 22 shows that in the original. Gall of Bitterness Defined. It is also interesting to note Peter’s statement that Simon was to become a “gall of bitterness”, which was a figure of speech adopted from the Old Testament which denoted going over to the idols and abominations to God. Read Deuteronomy 29:16-18 and see how plainly this figure of speech is used. When the Apostle Peter applied to Simon Magus the phrase “gall of bitterness,” he meant that Simon would be the responsible party for the introduction of idols into Christianity. The prophecy takes on a new and important scope when we realize this real meaning of Peter’s prophecy.
No wonder Jude later says, speaking about the very men who followed Simon Magus (including Simon himself): “For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ORDAINED to this condemnation” (Verse 4). We can be confident that Peter recognized that Satan was going to use this Simon Magus as the GREAT PROTAGONIST OF FALSE CHRISTIANITY.
The later history of Simon Magus shows that Peter’s prophecy came true in a most remarkable way.
10) Even after Peter’s strong rebuke, Simon DID NOT REPENT, and Peter knew that he wouldn’t. Conclusion: This means that Simon thought he deserved to be an Apostle — if not the chief Apostle — in the Christian Church. He became baptized which, in a physical way, made him ostentatiously a “member.” It is important to remember that he DID NOT REPENT of his error. There is not the slightest hint that he gave up believing that he had divine right to be an Apostle.
He deliberately continued in this error, with his later followers — calling himself “Christian”. It is because of the later deceptive activities of this would-be Apostle that Luke was compelled to show his ignominious beginning and to reveal what Peter prophesied about him. It is by identifying the real beginning of the great false church system with this Simon that opens up a whole new vista of understanding in regard to the counterfeit Christianity which began even in the infancy of the Church.