Acts 8:9-13

Simon Magus. This man had been for some time at Samaria. This is the only account of him in NT; but in the early Fathers and in Christian legend he occupies much space, and he has been the occasion during the last century of voluminous controversy; see Baur, Church History, i. 91- 98, Schmiedel in EBi., Headlam in HDB. Justin Martyr, who was a native of Samaria, tells us that he was born at Gitta, three miles W. of Samaria, and that evil spirits acted in him and enabled him to perform magical works; also that his followers made great use of exorcisms, incantations, philtres, etc. More is known of him by later writers. In the Pseudo-Clementine writings he is surrounded by a rich growth of legend (ANF, vol. xvii.); he had contests with Peter in Palestine and later at Rome; he injured himself in an attempt to fly across the Tiber; and he appears as a caricature of Paul, using some of his expressions and imitating some of his acts. He was regarded by some of the Fathers as the source of Gnostic heresy; on the other hand his existence has been denied. We assume his historical reality, but some of the details about him in this passage are scarcely transparent to us. When Philip came, and preached about the Kingdom of God this was the theme on which Jesus bade His followers preach, but we have not heard of it up to this point since Acts 1:3 and the name of Jesus Messiah, the instrument on which they relied for their works of power, the Samaritans turned away from Simon and accepted baptism. Simon himself became a convert, was baptized, and attached himself to Philip, wondering at his signs and great acts of power.