Christian Texts and History • Simonians

M David Litwa's very recently published book, Simon of Samaria^a and the Simonians: Contours of an Early Christian Movement, outlines


a Irenaeus calls him Simon Samarites (however, Litwa thinks it would be wrong to call him a Samaritan for a few reasons, such as he was never said to be involved in Samaritan cultic practices or holidays).

Clement of Alexandria refers to Simonians (as aiming "to be exactly conformed* to the Standing One, whom they worship." Though Clement nor the Great Declaration, the main Simonian account, see below, identify Simon with the Standing One).

• the word Clement uses here, exomoiousthai, is very close to the term, exeikonizo, used nine times in the Great Declaration to refer to assimilation to God, a God who is called, " the One Who Stood, Stands and Will Stand," suggesting that, if he didn't know the Great Declaration, Clement at least knew this key Simonian tradition or doctrine.

• "the standing One" - ho Hestos - is a divine name found in the writings of Philo of Alexandria.

Eusebius devote more space to Simon than he did any other opponent, including Marcion. He refers to Simon's devotees baptising even up to his own time. Books 3 and 4 of Ecclesiastical History comment on 'successors' of Simon, including Meander, the Carpocratians, and Cerdo.

An independent account of Simonian thought survives as [a paraphrased version of] 'The Great Declaration (Apophasis Megale)' in the early third century Refutation of All Heresies: the excerpts run from Ref 6.9.3 to 6.18.7; with an opening story in 6.7.2 to 6.9.2; and closing comments on Simon, Helen and Simon's death at 6.19.1 to 6.20.4.

• the heart of the Refutation's version of the Great Declaration, at 6.12-17, is an allegorical reading of Genesis 1-3, a type of treatise known as a hexaemeron, a commentary on the six (or seven) days of creation to create a picture of the divine and human worlds.

• The Refutator often introduces excerpts with, "Simon says" or, occasionally, "they say," as if dealing with a global category of Simonians.

• An epitome at 10.12.1 is virtually the same as 6.9.5

• There are allusions to Christian concepts that appear in the gospels of Matthew (3:10, 12) or a form of Luke (2:9, 17).

• The Naassene Discourse (Ref 5.9.5) quoted explicitly from the Great Declaration (Ref. 6.9.4), with the Refutator saying the Naassene Preacher claimed that the Great Declaration was the speech of God.

• The author of the Great Declaration's allegorical interpretation of Eden suggests knowledge of the early 2nd century medical writer Soranus (or similar Hippocratic traditions to ones Soranus knew)

Litwa thinks the Nag Hammadi text, 'The Concept (or Understanding) of Our Great Power,' Codex VI,4, employs Simonian terms and traditions (but he doesn't think its author was a Simonian per se). In both this text and the Great Declaration, the Great Power inscribes information, dwells in the human soul, and consists of an intellectual fire. Salvation, in both works, means assimilation to the Great Power, or rather its Image; and, in both, Salvation is described as 'standing.' Litwa dates this text between 100 to 150 CE.

Statistics: Posted by MrMacSon — Sat May 11, 2024 1:33 am

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