πρανιχος tween #vxs and Top a Profitute. The Toxos Truth is, that the whole looks rather like a Calumny than any thing else; and would have been esteemed fuch by all the Fathers, had it been applied to any Man in the World, befides an Herefiarch. As to that Part of the Story," that Simon faid his "Helena came down from Heaven, and in« habited prostituted Bodies," it agrees very well with what feveral Philofophers taught, that the Souls did exift before Matter was formed, that this Matter, or the Body, was created by an ill defigning Being,—and that the Soul was fent into this Body, in order to purify it. Some of them thought proper alfo to allegorize what Homer fays of the Siege of Troy, and judged that his Helen, for whofe fake fo much Blood was fhed, was nothing elfe but a bare Statue of Helena, or Selena, that is to fay, the Moon (w). In fhort, the Herefiologifts had both Senfe and Charity enough to convert a Piece of meer Mythology, into a fcandalous Romance, and give it out for a true Hiftory of the Life of Simon the Magician. 1 Any Man, who has read what St. Luke fays of him (x) and believes it, cannot but wonder at the Account given by the Fathers. According to St. Luke, Simon, far from (z) Sext. Empir. ap. Coteler. not. in Recog. p. 597. (x) Acts viii. from being as obftinate as he was represented fince, believed Philip's preaching, and was baptized. Afterwards, it is true, he had a Mind to receive the Power of working Miracles, and to make that Power fubfervient to worldly Purposes; but at the fame Time St. Peter's fevere Reprimand had fo good an Effect on him, as to make him beg of the Apostle to pray to the Lord for bim, that none of thofe Things which he had spoken should come upon him. Here he appears thoroughly penitent and converted. By this Account, could any one expect, or rather can any one believe, that Simon fhould have been mad, and wicked enough, publickly to challenge that fame Apostle, whofe Prayers he had fo earnestly and fo humbly defired? Yet this is what his Enemies affirm. Here is an Abstract of that comical Story (y). Simon being driven by St. Peter out of Cafarea Stratonis, fled over to Italy. The Apostle haftened after him, and had with him at Rome, the famous Debate, related in the Recognitions,(which are falfely (1): Apoftol. Canfit. Lib. vi, c. 9. Eufeb. H. E. Lib. II. c. 14. Arnob, Lib. II. p. 50. c. Cyril. Hierof. Catech. VI. Ambrof. in Hexa. Lib. IV. c. 8. Sulpic. Sev. H. E. Lib. II, Ifidor. Pel Lib. I. ep. 13. Theod. Hær. Fab. Lib. I. c. t. Philaft.c, 29. p. 9. a. Epiph. xxi. p. 59. a. Auguft. H. I. p. 6. c. 2. Tillemont Memoires. T. I. Art. 34. p. 176. Whifton's Effay on Apoft. Conft. Ch. I. p. 59. falfely afcribed to Clement.) One Day Simon bragged he would fly in the Air, as a Proof that he was protected by Heaven : Accordingly he was carried up into the Air by Devils, and faid he was going back to Heaven, from whence he came. Now the People began to look upon him as a God. But St. Peter prayed to the Almighty, that he would be pleased to destroy the Power of the Devils who attended upon Simon; and his Prayer had foon its Effect for the Impoftor fell down headlong, and broke his Hip and his Ankle-Bones, and afterwards died in Mifery. This puts me in Mind of what is faid of Icarus, which is probably what gave rife to this Fable. I need not prove it to be a Fable; it is now generally looked upon as fuch; it is impoffible to defend it in this Age. I related it because the more ridiculous it is, the better it proves what I am about, that the Fathers are not to be depended upon in what they tell about Hereticks. ; Juftin Martyr (z) had ftrongly confirm. ed the Romance I have related, by his bold Appeal to the Cæfars, that they had erected a Statue to Simon the Magician, with this Infcription, Simoni Deo Sancto. But this is given up now and proved to be a Miftake (≈) Apol. 1. §. 34. p. 50. Edit. Grab. 8. Oxon. 1700. a Miftake of Juftin's, who on Account of his Unfkilfulness in the Latin Tongue, mistook the Words Semoni Sango, for Simoni Sanito. Sancus, or Sangus was a God of the Sabins, adopted by the Romans (a): However, Justin's Miftake was confirmed by Tertullian, (b) and received by all their Succeffors. Simon's Syftem of Divinity, as it is represented in the Recognitions, (c) (for tho' it be but a Fiction, yet it is the only Work by which we can partly guess what his Notions were,) his Syftem, I fay, was a Mixture of the Philofophy of Pythagoras and Plato. He taught that this World, imperfect as it is, could not have been made by the great God who is infinitely good, That he had given the Commiffion of it to an Angel, who, at that Time, was good alfo, but who, after having created the World, prefumed to be the Sovereign of it, and rose against his Lord. He also objected (d) against Mofes's Hiftory of the Fall of our Parents, that it took from the Almighty (a) Euf. H. E. Lib. ii. c. 13. not. Valef. Grabii. nota in Iren. p. 94. Biblioth. choifie. T. III. p. 375. Bibl. anc. & mod. T. VI. p. 48. cog. Lib. II. No. 51. VOL. III. PARTI. (6) Apol. c. 13. M (6) Re mighty his Fore-knowledge, otherwise how could he have created Adam, had he known he fhould Sin? That it fuppofed it was only accidentally that Adam learnt what every Intelligent Being must know, viz. the Difference between Good and Evil; and that he imputed a kind of Fear to the Creator, left Adam fhould eat fome of the Fruit of the Tree of Life, and live for ever. These are the Grounds of the Herefy that went afterward by the Name of Manichæifm; of which I fhall have occafion to fpeak hereafter. I fhall only add here, that fometimes the Herefiarch is more Orthodox than the Orthodox Chriftian, who difputes with him, (e) for Inftance; the former infifts ftrongly on the Spirituality of God, and the latter as obftinately denies it. But, in point of Herefy, every thing is Luck, good or bad, and it must be owned that Simon had very bad Luck. Vincentius Lirinenfis (f) accufes him of having taught, "That Man "had naturally a Will fo much inclined "to Wickednefs, as to be able to do nothing "but to will Evil continually"; whether he was Orthodox in this I will not take upon me to determine; Ifhall only observe, that te) Ib. No. II: (f) Commonit. c. 30. |
