THE NEW SCHAFF-HERZOG
retiring entirely from ministerial work, divided the lectures on theology with Peter Martyr (q.v.), at whose death, in 1562, he took charge of the entire New-Testament department, which he controlled until he died.
Simler was a most prolific author. He began by translating into Latin a number of the works of Bullinger and other Protestant theologians, and by editing a portion of Peter Martyr's writings, although his projected edition of the collected works of the latter was never realized. He was himself deeply interested in problems of dogmatic theology, particularly in view of the attacks of Italian antitrinitarians upon Reformed tenets. First assailing the teaching of Francesco Stancaro (q.v.), that Christ was a mediator only in virtue of his human nature, in his Respotisio ad maledictum Francisci Stancari Mantuani librum adversus Tigurince ecclesice minisiros de Trinitate et mediatore nostro Jesu Christo (Zurich, 1563), he likewise wrote, in defense of orthodox Christology, his De aterno Dei filio Domino et Servatore nostro Jesu Christo et de Spiritu Sancto, adversus veteres et novos antitrinitarios, id est Arianos, Tritheistas, Samosatenianos et Pneumatomachos libri quatuor (Zurich, 1568); Assertio orthodoxw doctrince de duabus naturis Christi opposita blasphemiis et sophismatibus Simonis Budncei (1575); Scripta veterurn Latina de una persona et duabus naturis Christi adversus Xestorium, Eutychen et Acephalos olim edita (1571); De vera Christi secundum humanam naturam in his terris prwsentia orthodoxa expositio (1574); and the anonymous Ministrorum ecclesiw Tigurince ad confutationem Jacobi Andrea apologia (1575). His Commentarii in Exodum were published posthumously in 1584; and he was the author of Oratio de vita et obitu Petri Martyris Ver-
milii (Zurich, 1563; Eng. transl. in A. Marten's version of the " Common Places " of Peter Martyr, London, 1583) and De ortu, vita et obitu Hein-
rici Bidlingeri (1575). Besides the works already enumerated, Simler wrote on astronomy, the history of literature, geography, and history, the latter category including his De republica Helvetiorum (Zurich, 1576), which went through repeated editions until the middle of the eighteenth century, and was translated into German, French, and Dutch. His manuscript historical material, collected by his grandson, is preserved in the municipal library of Zurich. (G. Meyer von Knonau.)
Bibliography: J. G. Stuki, Vila Josiae Simleri, Zurich, 1577; W. A. B. Coolidge, Josias Simler et les origines de V Alpinisme jusqu'en 1600, Grenoble, 1904; G. Meyer von Knonau, in Jahrbuch des Schweizer Alpenklub, xxxii. 217-235; ABB, xxxiv. 355-358.
SIMON, sai'men (SIMEON), BEN YOHAI: Rabbi of the second Christian century, to whom the authorship of the Zohar (see Cabala, § 17) is attributed. He was a favorite pupil of Akiba (q.v.), and was of the party opposed to the Romans. Tradition reports that he was compelled to remain in hiding in a cave for twelve years, until the death of the emperor (Hadrian), the cause being an outspoken condemnation of the Romans and their laws. An event which is better placed late in his life was his mission to Rome to obtain for his coreligionists greater freedom in worship and teaching, and in this
mission he succeeded. During his hermit life is placed the composition of the Zohar, the basis of the tradition probably being that he combined a certain mysticism in his teaching. Yet his teaching, prevailingly halachic in type, was rationalistic in so far as he sought always the underlying reason for a Biblical injunction.
Bibliography: L. Lewin, Rabbi Simon ben Jochai, Frankfort, 1893; JE, xi. 359-363 (gives further literature, mostly in Hebrew).
SIMON THE MACCABEE.
§2.
See Hasmoneans,
SIMON MAGUS.
In the Book of Acts (§ 1).
In the Apocrypha and Justin Martyr (§ 2).
His System According to Later Heresiologists (§ 3).
Untenable Theories Concerning Simon Magus (§ 4).
A Sorcerer Syncretized with the Sun (§ 5).
The Twofold Simonian System (§ 6).
One of the most difficult and interesting problems of apostolic and post-apostolic history is presented by Simon Magus, a Samaritan, who is described at once as a Christian, a Jew, and a pagan, a magician and a sorcerer, a Christian religious philosopher and an archheretic, a pseudo-apostle and a pseudo-Messiah, the founder of a religion and an incarnation of God. The earliest source concerning him is Acts viii. 5-24, where he appears as a sorcerer who had " bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was i. In the some great one," yet becoming an ad- Book of herent of the Apostle Philip and mar- Acts, veling at " the miracles and signs which were done " (verses 5-13). In verses 14-19, on the other hand, he seeks from Peter and John, not (as one would expect in the case of a sorcerer) the power of working miracles like Philip's, but the gift of conferring the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, only to have his request refused because of the unworthy motives which had prompted it. It is held by some critics that this entire account was based by a redactor of Acts on some " Acts of Peter," this redactor substituting Philip for Peter in verses 5, 6, 12, 13, adding allusions to John in verses 18b, 19a, 24, interpolating verse 10, and adding Verses 14-18a and 19b. It should also be noted, in this connection, that neither the extant Acts of Peter nor the Church Fathers mention Philip and John in their accounts of Simon Magus.
The record of Acts is continued by the various recensions of the apocryphal Acts of Peter and kindred literature (cf. Clement of Alexandria, Strom., vii. 17; Hippolytus, Philosophumena, vi. 20; Eusebius, Hist, eccl., ii. 14-15; Arnobius, Adv. gentes, ii. 12; Philostorgius, Hoer., xxix.; Epiphanius, Har., xxi. 4; etc.), all of which deal with the conflict between Simon Peter and Simon 2. In the Magus. The scene is Samaria in the Apocrypha Acta Vercellenses only, the other sources and Justin substituting Judea (or Jerusalem and Martyr. Caesarea) and, most frequently, Rome. The time is the reign of Nero or (in the Acta Vercellenses) Claudius, but the only new trait ascribed to the characters is the pseudo-Messiahship of Simon Magus, which is shown, for instance,