DeConick A.D

104
SUPERPOWERS AND MONSTERS
Jesus, the Christians portray Simon as negatively as possible. In the Christian
stories, Simon emerges as a charlatan and magician who competed
with Peter and the first apostles and lost.
In one of the stories preserved in the New Testament book of Acts, we
learn about the “great power” Simon, who had a large following of converts
in Samaria. When the Christian apostle Philip arrives there for the
first time, he is successful in converting the Simonians and baptizing them
in Jesus’ name. Even Simon himself converts, because Philip outdoes him
in terms of the miracles he can perform. When Peter and John arrive to
help Philip transform the Simonian community into a new community of
Christians, Simon offers to purchase the Holy Spirit from them. Simon is
berated by Peter. He goes on to beg Peter to offer prayers to the Lord on
his sorry behalf so that Simon does not rot in hell (Acts 8:9–24).
Although this story may preserve a historical kernel that some of the
Simonians were the first to convert to Christianity in Samaria, Simon’s
conversion is bogus. It is a Christian attempt at propaganda, to dismiss
Simon the superpower and elevate their own, Jesus, the Power and Glory
of God.
The same sentiment can be seen in another Christian story, in which
Simon and Peter duel it out in the Forum at Rome. Simon tells a crowd
of onlookers in Rome that he is going to ascend back to God the Father
from whence he came. He flies all over the city of Rome, to the astonishment
of everyone.
Peter curses, asking the Lord to make Simon fall from the sky and
break his leg. Peter’s curse succeeds. Simon falls from the sky, crumples
on the ground, and is stoned to death by those who once believed him to
be their superpower. From that day forth, the story goes, the Roman Simonians
changed allegiances. How does this Christian story end? Instead
of paying honors to Simon, the Roman Simonians were persuaded by
Peter that the true superpower is none other than Jesus (Acts of Peter 32).
Savior of the World
In the Gnostic world, there is only one way to deal with the monsters,
the dark lords who rule us. A divine emissary or savior descends to earth
from the great realm of power in order to guide and save humanity. The
Christian versions of Gnostic stories feature the emissary Jesus, not just as