Simon Magnus was one of the first century Gnostic teachers, also known in history as Simon the Magician. He is considered the earliest Gnostic prophet. According to Stephen A. Hoeller, Simon Magnus was born in Gitta, Samaria which characterized him as a sort of heretic by birth[1]. Samaritans were known followers of a heterodox form of Judaism that rejected the Jerusalem temple and practiced their worship on the sacred mountain of Samaria.[2] In Acts chapter 8:9—12, Simon Magnus was mentioned as a sorcerer who was respected and considered great by the Samaritans. Prior to his conversion to Christianity, he was among John the Baptist’s students.
His Gnostic teachings.
According to an internet article, historians have traced the teachings of Gnosticism back to Simon Magnus. He is believed to have written the Gnostic work The Great Revelation,” in which he claims to be the anointed one, not Jesus.[3] One of his disciples, Menander, continued this teaching and even preached that those who followed Simon would not die,[4] and that it was Simon Magnus who was crucified, not Jesus. Menander further elaborated on Simon’s writings by stating that the divine Spirit called Aeon had clung to the physical body of Jesus. In a sermon by John Gill (Sermons and Tracts Vol. 3. p. 513.), cited in the same article, it is noted that Simon Magnus claimed that there is only one person in the Godhead and he is that person asserting himself as the father in Samaria, as well as Judea’s son and Holy Spirit for all other nations.[5]
Dr. E.L Martin published a paper on the web about Simon’s encounter with the Apostle Peter. In his paper, he stated that Simon Magnus was a Satan counterfeit Messiah” and was responsible for simony, which is the buying of religious office with money[6]. Simon attempted to buy the gift of the Holy Spirit with money, which led to this incident. As a result, Simon Magnus’ followers started a movement called “Simonians,” which was based on his teachings. His teaching suggests that angels and powers were created by the idea of the first god who then created this world.[7] John Glyndwr Harris noted that Simon “taught that the highest God was not the creator and that this world only had an indirect relation to God.”[8] This Gnostic tenet eventually became their doctrine, holding that the supreme god came in the form of Simon Magnus to rescue Helen’s divine part. Helen was a prostitute who traveled with Simon and believed to be an authority figure for some reason over angels or God. Unfortunately, none of Simon’s work has survived; all we know comes from legends about him.
Another great Gnostic teacher was Cerinthus, who, according to Harris, was a contemporary of Apostle John. Harris described Cerinthus as skilled in the learning of the Egyptians” and a dangerous opponent of traditional apostolic faith.[9] Like Simon Magnus, Cerinthus taught that angels created the world rather than God. His teaching was very similar to Simon Magnus’, stating that the world was not made by the first God but “by the power that was far removed and separated from the source of being and did not even know of the God who is exalted above all things.”[10] Cerinthus claimed that the Supreme God is so remote and immune from all acquaintances with evil matters in this world. He insisted that this Supreme God is exalted above all creators, indisputable, and cannot be known.
Aside from being introduced as a contemporary of Apostle John, Cerinthus was a Christian Jew who may have mixed his Christian knowledge with pagan leanings due to his Egyptian education. He was said to be a leader of a Gnostic religious group in Ephesus whose teachings were a mixture of pagan Gnosticism and Christian doctrine. Harris cited Irenaeus’ writing about Cerinthus’ teachings on Jesus, stating that he taught:
Jesus was not born of a virgin, but rather he was born of Joseph and Mary like all other men. However, he possessed greater righteousness, intelligence, and wisdom,” noted Harris.[11] Cerinthus taught that at his baptism by John, Jesus received the power to proclaim the unknown father and perform miracles through the Christ who descended upon him in the form of a dove. This empowerment lasted until just before his crucifixion when according to Cerinthus: “After the resurrection, the kingdom of God will be on earth, and those dwelling in Jerusalem will serve their lusts and pleasures.”[12]Cerinthus emphasized on obeying the principles of law as a means to obtain salvation. This teaching nullified Christian teachings about God’s grace and salvation through faith in Christ’s death on the cross. Cerinthus discredited not only Christ’s messianic work but also undermined salvation for all humankind. He is truly a nemesis for Christian believers as his blasphemous teachings robbed Jesus Christ of His glory while contradicting John de Baptist’s statement about Him: “He must increase while I decrease.” Cerinthus’ teachings were counter to Christian doctrine and completely discredited its foundation. As such, he was truly Christianity’s religious nemesis during its first century.
Valentinus was widely recognized as the greatest Gnostic of all time,”[13] born in AD 100 in Prebonis, Egypt. He received a thorough education in Alexandria under a Christian teacher named Theudas, who was a disciple of Saint Paul. According to a paper published by the Gnostic Society Library, Valentinus had a vision of Jesus Christ that led him to begin his work as a Christian teacher in Alexandria around 120 AD. He attracted large followings in both Egypt and Syria.
Despite his claim that he learned secret teachings about God through Apostle Paul’s disciple Theudas, Valentinus never viewed the creator with the same faith as Judeo-Christian believers. As a Gnostic teacher, he saw the creator as one of many divinities reflected in his teachings. He taught that while God created man, man also created God.[14]
However, according to tradition, Valentinus was never condemned as a heretic during his lifetime. Stephen Hoeller notes this fact in an article entitled “Valentinus: A Gnostic for All Seasons.”
According to Karen L King, some of the surviving works of Valentinus include The Gospel of Truth, The Prayer of the Apostle Paul, The Treatise on the Resurrection, The Tripartite Tractate, The Gospel of Philip, The Interpretation of Knowledge and a Valentinian exposition.[15]
King describes Valentinus as a poet and great Christian teacher whose theology influenced prominent teachers such as Florinus, Heracleon, Marcus, Ptolemy and Theodotus. She explains that in the Gospel of Truth Valentinus discusses how God’s transcendence resulted in human ignorance about Him. However, this situation was corrected by Jesus Christ who showed the way to knowledge about God.
King cited that Valentinus taught that Jesus is the fruit of the true tree of knowledge, which brings life when one eats from it. Valentinus’ teachings about Christ were so subtle that he was never condemned as a heretic during his entire life. However, King also cited Irenaeus’ account of Valentinus’ teaching, which identified fourteen pairs of male and female aeons that constitute the world created by the divine father.
King noted that the youngest aeon, Sophia, desired to be like the father and created a being out of herself without permission or participation from her male counterpart. According to this teaching, the creator of this world is the being created by Sophia. However, since this being is deformed, it was cast out of the divine world and found itself in darkness and chaos. This deformed and weak being became the creator God of Genesis and mistakenly boasted that he was the only God with none above.
Valentinus’ teachings were clearly unacceptable to Christian beliefs about the origins of everything, including human beings. The Biblical account of creation in Genesis is very clear: God created everything, including the universe. Christian teachings about creation are very detailed, and God’s relationship with His creation is well-defined. First, God created everything in sequence out of nothing within six days. He then created man and woman, marking the beginning of the human race. All instructions given by this creator God were carried out and have become His identity – the image of God in man.
In contrast to Valentinus’ teachings of a deformed and illegitimate creator, Christian teachings on the creation account state that the creator God is holy, perfect, almighty, and glorious. He is the only God, and nothing else in heaven or on earth is as powerful as him. Therefore, Valentinus’ teachings are heretical and spurious since he has no solid basis for such beliefs other than his own mixture of Christian theology with paganism.
In general, the characteristics of Gnostic teaching were that they discredited the messianic work of Christ and ascribed it to either themselves or imaginary objects. Their teachings were dubious and lacked a solid basis. They gained acceptance because their teachings were often mixed with paganism. However, compared to the Christian creation account based on the Bible, Christian teaching is consistent, well-documented, and truthful not only based on biblical facts but also on changes in a person’s character when they truly come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
Works Cited
Harris, John Glyndwr’s book Gnosticism: Beliefs and Practice” is an insightful read. It was published in Great Britain by Sussex Academic.
Press, 1999.
Hoellee, Stephen A. Gnosticism: New Light on the Ancient Tradition of Inner Knowledge.
Knowing.
USA: Quest Books
Hoeller, Stephen. Valentinus: A Gnostic for All Seasons.
http://www.gnosis.org/valentinus.htm
Kesich, Veselin. Formation and Struggles: The Church As 33-450: The Birth of the Church.
Church USA: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2007.
King, Karen L. What is Gnosticism?
Harvard University Press, 2005. USA.
(John Gill’s Sermons and Tracts Vol. 3) is cited in Question 370: Is What this Book Teaching (Apostolic Doctrine) Similar to Gnosticism?
Visit http://www.geocities.com/voicefaq/faq/faq370.html for more information.
Martin, Ernest L. wrote an article titled Simon Peter versus Simon the Sorcerer Or Peter Meets the Competition”.
Here is a link to download the book Simon Peter versus Simon the Sorcerer” by Dr. E.L. Martin: http://arcticbeacon.com/books/Simon_Peter_versus_Simon_the_Sorcerer-Dr_E_L_Martin.pdf
Question 370: Is what this book is teaching (Apostolic Doctrine) similar to…
What is Gnosticism?
Visit http://www.geocities.com/voicefaq/faq/faq370.html for more information.
Hoeller, Stephen A. Gnosticism: New Light on the Ancient Tradition of Inner Knowing.
USA: Quest Books, 2002, p. 94.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Question 370: Is what this book is teaching (Apostolic Doctrine) similar to Gnosticism?
For more information, visit http://www.geocities.com/voicefaq/faq/faq370.html.
Ibid.
John Gill, in his Sermons and Tracts Vol. 3 p. 513, as cited in Question 370: Is What this Book Teaching (Apostolic Doctrine) Similar to Gnosticism?
http://www.geocities.com/voicefaq/faq/faq370.html
[6] Martin, Ernest L.
Simon Peter versus Simon the Sorcerer: or, Peter Meets the Competition.
http://arcticbeacon.com/books/Simon_Peter_versus_Simon_the_Sorcerer-Dr_E_L_Martin.pdf p. 1
[7]Ibid. p.3
[8] Harris, John Glyndwr Gnosticism: Beliefs and Practice, Great Britain: Sussex Academic Press, 1999 p. 131
[9] Ibid p. 132
[10] Ibid
[11] Ibid p. 133
[12] Ibid
[13] Kesich, Veselin Formation and Struggles: The Church As 33-450: The Birth of the Church USA: St Vlademer’s Seminary Press. 2007 p. 173
[14] Hoeller, Stephen Valentinus: A Gnostic for all Srason
http://www.gnosis.org/valentinus.htm
[15] King, Karen L. What is Gnosticism. USA: Harvard University Press, 2005, p. 154.
[16] Ibid., p. 155.
[17] Ibid.
[18] Ibid., p. 155.
