Simon Who Tried to Buy the Holy Spirit

In Acts chapter 8, because of a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, the disciples were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria, with the exception of the apostles. Philip (later called “Philip the evangelist”), one of the seven deacons of the Jerusalem church, was forced to go to a city in Samaria. There, he discovered that the Samaritans, long considered heretics by the Jews, were very open to the gospel. The Samaritans believed that a Savior would come, and they were willing to accept the gospel, which was a result of God’s plan and choosing.

In that Samaritan city, there was a man named Simon who practiced sorcery and boasted about himself. Simon also claimed to believe and was baptized. He was astonished by the great signs and miracles performed by Philip and the apostles through the Holy Spirit. He then offered money to the apostles, wanting to buy the ability to give the Holy Spirit. Simon misunderstood the very nature of the Holy Spirit, viewing the gift as a form of magic. Evil spirits can also perform “sorcery,” so we should not assume that all supernatural signs come from God.

The name “Simon” later gave rise to the term “Simony,” which refers to the wicked practice of buying and selling church offices. According to the Samaritan martyr Justin Martyr, this Simon later moved to Rome and continued his wicked practices. The early church father Irenaeus recorded that he traveled with a woman whom he called the embodiment of “Thought” (a Gnostic power). Simon later became an enemy of the church and had another confrontation with Peter in Rome.