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1.238 Against the Simonians, the first after the one and only faith in Christ

being, and in sequence ˉκˉα. 1. The first heresy of Simon the magician arises, having begun from Christ's time and continuing until now, this being one of those who believe in the name of Christ not rightly nor piously, but according to the adulterated corruption in them do terrible things. This Simon was a sorcerer, and he came from Gitta, a city in Samaria, which is now a village. He created illusions for the race of the Samaritans with his magic, deceiving and enticing them, and he said that he was the great power of God and had come down from above. To the Samaritans he said he was the Father, but to the Jews he said he was the Son, and that he had suffered without suffering, but only in appearance. This man flattered the apostles and he himself, like the others, was baptized by 1.239 Philip with many others. But all except him welcomed the arrival of the great apostles and through the laying on of their hands received the Holy Spirit, since Philip, being a deacon, did not have the authority of the laying on of hands to give the Holy Spirit through it. But Simon, not having a right heart or mind, and giving himself over to a certain sordid gain and love of money and in no way departing from his wicked practice, offered money to Peter the apostle, so that he might give him authority in the laying on of hands to bestow the Holy Spirit, reasoning that he would give a little and, in return for a little, by bestowing the Spirit on others, he would amass a great quantity of money and make a profit. 2. This man, then, having his mind depraved and deluded by the demonic deceit in his magic, being always ready to display the barbarous and demonic deeds of his own evil through his sorcery, came forward and, under the pretext of the name of Christ, as if mixing hellebore with honey, by inserting a poison for those ensnared by him into his wicked deceit through the dignity of Christ's name, he produced death in those who were persuaded. Being lustful by nature and stung with shame by his own promises, the charlatan concocted a corrupted notion for those deceived by him. For having found for himself a certain stray woman, Helen by name, hailing from Tyre, he takes her, not letting on that he had a relationship with her; but being involved with the woman in hidden shame, the sorcerer taught a certain fabulous entertainment to his disciples, saying that he himself was 1.240 the great power of God, and he dared to say that his harlot-consort was the Holy Spirit, and says that he had descended for her sake. «In each heaven,» he says, «I changed my form according to the form of those in each heaven, so that I might escape the notice of my angelic powers and descend to the Ennoia, who is this one also called Prounikos and Holy Spirit, through whom I created the angels, and the angels created the world and men». And that this Helen was that one of old, for whom the Trojans and Greeks came to battle. And he told a certain myth about these things, that the power descending from above transformed itself, and that the poets spoke allegorically about this. For because of the power from above which they call Prounikos, who in other heresies is called Barbero or Barbelo, displaying her beauty, she both drove them into a frenzy and for this reason was sent to carry off the rulers who created this world, 1.241 and that the same angels came to war because of her, but she herself suffered nothing, but of mutual slaughter

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1.238 Κατὰ Σιμωνιανῶν πρώτη μετὰ τὴν εἰς Χριστὸν πίστιν τὴν μόνην

οὖσαν, τῆς δὲ ἀκολουθίας ˉκˉα. 1. Σίμωνος γίνεται τοῦ μάγου πρώτη αἵρεσις ἀπὸ Χριστοῦ καὶ δεῦρο ἀρξαμένη, οὖσα αὕτη τῶν εἰς ὄνομα Χριστοῦ οὐκ ὀρθῶς οὐδὲ εὐαγῶς πιστευόντων, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν παραπεποιημένην ἐν αὐτοῖς φθορὰν τὰ δεινὰ ἐργαζομένων. οὗτος ὁ Σίμων γόης ἦν, ἀπὸ Γιτθῶν δὲ ὡρμᾶτο τῆς πόλεως τῆς ἐν τῇ Σαμαρείᾳ, νυνὶ κώμης ὑπαρχούσης. ἐφαντασίαζε δὲ τὸ γένος τῶν Σαμαρειτῶν ταῖς μαγείαις ἐξαπατῶν τε καὶ δελεάζων, ἔλεγεν δὲ ἑαυτὸν εἶναι τὴν μεγάλην δύναμιν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἄνωθεν καταβεβηκέναι. τὸν πατέρα δὲ ἔλεγεν ἑαυτὸν τοῖς Σαμαρείταις, Ἰουδαίοις δὲ ἔλεγεν ἑαυτὸν εἶναι τὸν υἱόν, παθόντα δὲ μὴ πεπονθέναι, ἀλλὰ δοκήσει μόνον. ὑπεκορίσθη δὲ οὗτος τοὺς ἀποστόλους καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁμοίως ἴσα τοῖς ἄλλοις ὑπὸ 1.239 Φιλίππου ἐβαπτίσθη μετὰ πολλῶν. οἱ πάντες δὲ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐξεδέξαντο τὴν τῶν μεγάλων ἀποστόλων παρουσίαν καὶ διὰ τῆς αὐτῶν χειροθεσίας ἔλαβον πνεῦμα ἅγιον, ἐπειδήπερ Φίλιππος διάκονος ὢν οὐκ εἶχεν ἐξουσίαν τῆς χειροθεσίας τοῦ δι' αὐτῆς διδόναι πνεῦμα ἅγιον. οὐκ ὀρθὴν δὲ ὁ Σίμων ἔχων τὴν καρδίαν οὔτε τὸν λογισμόν, αἰσχροκερδίᾳ δέ τινι καὶ φιλοχρημοσύνῃ προσανέχων καὶ τῆς μοχθηρᾶς αὐτοῦ ἐπιτηδεύσεως ἐκτὸς βαίνων οὐδαμῶς, προσέφερε χρήματα Πέτρῳ τῷ ἀποστόλῳ, ὅπως δῴη αὐτῷ ἐξουσίαν ἐν τῇ ἐπιθέσει τῶν χειρῶν πνεῦμα ἅγιον παρέχειν, λογισάμενος ὀλίγον δώσειν πολλὴν δὲ ἀντὶ ὀλίγου διὰ τοῦ ἄλλοις παρέχειν πνεῦμα ἐπισωρεῦσαι χρημάτων πληθὺν καὶ ἐπικερδῆσαι. 2. Οὗτος μὲν οὖν ἔχων τὴν διάνοιαν πεπονηρευμένην ἀπὸ τῆς ἐν τῇ μαγείᾳ δαιμονιώδους πλάνης καὶ πεφαντασιωμένην, πρόχειρος ὢν ἀεὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ κακίας τὰ βαρβαρικὰ καὶ δαιμονίων πράγματα διὰ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ μαγγανείας ἐπιδείκνυσθαι, παρελθὼν εἰς μέσον καὶ προσχήματι ὀνόματος Χριστοῦ, ὡς ἐλλέβορον μέλιτι παραπλέκων, δηλητήριον τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἀγρευθεῖσιν εἰς τὴν κακομήχανον αὐτοῦ πλάνην παρενθεὶς τῷ τοῦ ὀνόματος ἀξιώματι Χριστοῦ θάνατον ἐνεποίησεν τοῖς πεισθεῖσιν. λάγνος δὲ ὢν κατὰ τὴν φύσιν καὶ αἰδοῖ τῇ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ ὑποσχέσεων ὑπονυττόμενος, παραπεφθαρμένην ὑπόνοιαν τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἀπατωμένοις ὁ ἀγύρτης παρεποιήσατο. γυναῖκα γάρ τινα ἑαυτῷ εὑράμενος ῥεμβάδα Ἑλένην τοὔνομα ἀπὸ τῆς Τυρίων ὁρμωμένην ἄγεται, μὴ ὑποφαίνων συνάφειαν ἔχειν πρὸς ταύτην· ἐν παραβύστῳ δὲ αἰσχρότητι συμπεριπλεκόμενος τῷ γυναίῳ ὁ γόης τινὰ μυθώθη ψυχαγωγίαν τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς ὑφηγεῖτο, δῆθεν ἑαυτὸν 1.240 εἶναι δύναμιν θεοῦ λέγων τὴν μεγάλην, τὴν δὲ σύζυγον πορνάδα πνεῦμα ἅγιον εἶναι τετόλμηκεν λέγειν καὶ διὰ ταύτην κατεληλυθέναι φησίν. «ἐν ἑκάστῳ δὲ οὐρανῷ μετεμορφούμην, φησίν, κατὰ τὴν μορφὴν τῶν ἐν ἑκάστῳ οὐρανῷ, ἵνα λάθω τὰς ἀγγελικάς μου δυνάμεις καὶ κατέλθω ἐπὶ τὴν Ἔννοιαν, ἥτις ἐστὶν αὕτη ἡ καὶ Προύνικος καὶ πνεῦμα ἅγιον καλουμένη, δι' ἧς τοὺς ἀγγέλους ἔκτισα, οἱ δὲ ἄγγελοι τὸν κόσμον ἔκτισαν καὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους». εἶναι δὲ ταύτην τὴν Ἑλένην ἐκείνην τὴν πάλαι, δι' ἣν οἱ Τρῶες καὶ Ἕλληνες εἰς μάχην ἦλθον. ἔλεγε δὲ μῦθόν τινα εἰς ταῦτα, ὅτι ἄνωθεν ἡ δύναμις κατιοῦσα ἑαυτὴν μετεμόρφου, ἀλληγορικῶς δὲ οἱ ποιηταὶ περὶ τούτου ἔφασαν. διὰ γὰρ τὴν ἄνωθεν δύναμιν ἣν Προύνικόν φασιν, ἥτις παρ' ἄλλαις αἱρέσεσι Βαρβηρὼ ἤτοι Βαρβηλὼ καλεῖται, τὸ κάλλος αὐτῆς ἐμφαίνουσαν εἰς οἶστρόν τε ἄξασαν αὐτοὺς καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πεμφθεῖσαν εἰς συλαγωγίαν τῶν ἀρχόντων τῶν τὸν κόσμον τοῦτον κτισάντων, 1.241 καὶ τοὺς αὐτοὺς ἀγγέλους εἰς πόλεμον δι' αὐτὴν ἥκειν, αὐτὴν δὲ μηδὲν πεπονθέναι, ἀλληλοκτονίας δὲ