(ii.) This does not deny that the story may be coloured somewhat by being seen through the haze of a considerable interval. Luke was writing about events of which ho knew nothing at first hand. Perhaps he had met the Simonian sect outside Palestine, and there may have been al- ready some magnifying of Simon's success in Samaria or some depreciation of his motives in Christian circles. At the same time, this ' im- pressionist' account of the incident would not justify such a criticism, e.g., as that of McGillerl : 'Luke's account of Simon's dealings with tliu apostles can hardly be accurate in all the details,
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sm
for it rests upon tlie assumption that the Holy Spirit Wiis given I^y the layint; on of the apostles' hands' {op. cit., p. lOOn.). All that the account suprgests is that in this case the gift of the Holy Spirit was connected with the laying on of hands — a suggi'stion quite in harmony with the general tenor of Acts.
(iii.) Why did Luke insert the story ? Salmon's laconic comment is, ' we need not ascribe to Luke anj' more recondite motive for relating the inci- dent, than that he believed that it had occurred ' (op. cit., p. 668). This answers the charge that the incident is unhistorical. But it fails to take into account the modern estimate of Luke's methods as a historian. Two motives may be suggested.
(a) Is not a sufficient reason Luke's well- known plan of describing the first meeting be- tween Christianity and rival systems ? In Ac 13""'* there is a careful account of the meeting between Paul the Christian and Elymas the sorcerer ; 16'*"'* tells of the maid having the spirit of divination whom St. Paul delivered ; IV'^-si re- lates Paul's first argument with the Stoic and Epicurean philosophers in Athens ; 19"''-^ describes Paul's success in' conflict with the pagan dabblers in the black art. Does not Ac 8'"-* tell the story of the earliest meeting between Christianity and a rival system ? Simon Magus represented the magic of that time. When the gospel was brought to Samaria, thus making its first essay on non- Jewish soil, it was discovered to be miglitier than the magic which exercised such a powerful influ- ence over ths contemporary world. It was a not- able triumph for the young Christian faith that, on the first trial of strength with the world's magic, the gospel not only lured the multitudes from the magician but even won the admiration of the magician himself, and at least his temporary adherence.
(6) If we may accept the existence in Luke's time of a Simonian sect owing anything to this Simon Magus, would not another motive urge Luke to tell the story ? Evidently the Simonian heresy always had a Christian tinge. This made it more dangerous to Christians than a gnosis which did not affect any Christian influence. Luke there- fore would be anxious to disclose the true circum- stances that accounted for the origin of the sect — circumstances highly discreditable to Simon. If the story in Acts tells e.xactly what happened, it was natural for the Church historian to relate it in order to guard Christians against Simonian errors, and to warn members of the sect against the mis- take they were making in following such a leader as Simon instead of accepting the orthodox Chris- tian faith.
It only remains to add that the influence of Simon Magus lingers in two directions. (1) The practice of presenting any person to an ecclesiastical benefice for money, gift, or reward is an ofience against the law of the Church, known as 'simony.' An example of the offence occurs as early as the 3rd century. It was prohibited by many Councils, but it became well rooted in the medioeval Church. Dante refers to it (Inferno, xix. 1).
(2) ' Doctor Faustus ' of popular literature pre- serves several traits of the ancient raagian. The story is reminiscent of the Simonian legend in several points. In Simon Magus himself thiere may be a suggestion of Mephistopheles.
Literature. — The three most complete articles on Simon M.-ii;us in English are in IIDB (A. C. Headlam), in DCB(G. Salmon), in i'B)H(St. George Stock). A. Harnack's art. in £Bf^-> sliould also be consulted. See also F. H. Chase, art. 'Peter (Simon)' in HDIl, esp. pp. 7T;i-775 for account of Gnostic Acts of the Clementine literature, and pp. 777-779 for discus- sion of Peter's visit to Rome and the Simonian lej^'end. P. W. Schraiedel, art. 'Simon Magus' in £fii, gives the modern modi- I
fied form of the Tiibingen theory. There is a hrief summinp up of several of the questions involved in note on Ac 89 bv R. J. Knowling in KGT, ' Acts," London, 1900. J. B. Lightfoot dis(russcs the Ebionite and anti-Pauline spirit of the Clementine literature in his essay on ' St. Paul and the Three' appended to SI. Pauls Kpimle to'the Ga'.aliaxs^, London, 18S7, pp. 3'24-:i30 ; see also p. 61 ; W. M. Ramsay, Bearing of Recent Discovery on the Truatworthiness of the JV2', London, 1915.
J. E. Roberts. SIMON PETER.— See Peter.
SIMPLICITY (lit. 'one-fokledness').— (rt) In Ro 16'" the term 'simple' is used in the AV to trans- late d/caiios. False teachers by smooth and fair speech beguile tlie hearts of the 'simple.' Those are inexperienced Christians, unfamiliar with the duplicity of guile. &KaKos in He 7°" is used in the ptirely good sense of ' guileless,' and is applied to Jesus, but here the word seems to be used in a slightly derogatory sense— so ignorant of evil as to be easily deceived by evil.