Project Gutenberg 2004-07-12 Public domain in the USA. 298 Mead, G. R. S. (George Robert Stow) 1863 1933 Mead, George Robert Stow Simon Magus An Essay on the Founder of Simonianism Based on the Ancient Sources With a Re-Evaluation of His Philosophy and Teachings Produced by Jonathan Ingram, Wilelmina Mallière and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. "Simon Magus" by G. R. S. Mead is an essay on the founder of Simonianism, likely written in the early 20th century. The work aims to provide a re-evaluation of Simon Magus based on ancient sources, particularly examining his philosophy and teachings. Examining the context of the legends that surround him and contrasting them with patristic writings, the text presents Simon not merely as a notorious sorcerer condemned by early Christians, but as a complex thinker whose ideas may intersect with broader theosophical currents present in various world religions. The opening of the essay establishes the framework for understanding Simon Magus by summarizing the common perceptions held about him in early Christian texts. Mead identifies how Simon is frequently portrayed as the archetype of heresy and a magician whose teachings conflict with orthodox Christianity, yet argues that such portrayals have often misrepresented him. The section discusses the sources that inform these views, from the New Testament to patristic writings, setting up the thesis that Simon's actual teachings warrant a more nuanced understanding. It suggests that Mead will delve deeper into Simon's possible philosophical contributions later in the essay, moving beyond mere condemnation to explore the potentially valuable insights he offered. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 62.6 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en Simon, Magus, active 1st century BF Text Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches Category: History - Religious Category: Philosophy & Ethics Category: Religion/Spirituality 275577 2025-10-05T16:33:29.868661 text/html 242068 2024-10-28T19:56:21 text/html 254777 2025-10-05T16:33:37.246642 application/epub+zip 258626 2025-10-05T16:33:32.826644 application/epub+zip 154779 2025-10-05T16:33:31.611617 application/epub+zip 387979 2025-10-05T16:33:40.296608 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 360093 2025-10-05T16:33:36.372602 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 201094 2022-09-06T23:02:24.348687 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 229679 2025-10-05T16:33:29.236683 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 209993 2024-10-28T19:56:21 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16941 2025-10-05T16:33:40.426574 application/rdf+xml 11575 2025-10-05T16:33:32.127621 image/jpeg 3073 2025-10-05T16:33:31.862621 image/jpeg 247524 2025-10-05T16:33:29.891661 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia