Simon Magus, at the Head of the Sect of Dositheus.
610.
Meantime, at the outset, as soon as he was reckoned among the thirty disciples of Dositheus,
he began to depreciate Dositheus himself, saying that he did not teach purely or perfectly,
and that this was the result not of ill intention, but of ignorance.
611.
But Dositheus, when he perceived that Simon was depreciating him, fearing lest his reputation among men might be obscured (for he himself was supposed to be the Standing One), moved with rage, when they met as usual at the school, seized a rod, and began to beat Simon; but suddenly the rod seemed to pass through his body, as if it had been smoke.
612.
On which Dositheus, being astonished, says to him,
'Tell me if you are the Standing One, that I may adore you.'
613.
And when Simon answered that he was, then Dositheus, perceiving that he himself was not the Standing One, fell down and worshipped him, and gave up his own place as chief to Simon, ordering all the rank of thirty men to obey him; himself taking the inferior place which Simon formerly occupied.
614.
Not long after this he died.
Simon Magus and Luna.
615.
Therefore, after the death of Dositheus, Simon took Luna to himself; and with her he still goes about, as you see, deceiving multitudes, and asserting that he himself is a certain power which is above God the Creator,
616.
while Luna, who is with him, has been brought down from the higher heavens, and that she is Wisdom, the mother of all things, for whom, says he,
the Greeks and barbarians contending, were able in some measure to see an image of her;
but of herself, as she is, as the dweller with the first and only God, they were wholly ignorant.
617.
Propounding these and other things of the same sort, he has deceived many.
618
But I ought also to state this, which I remember that I myself saw.
619.
Once, when this Luna of his was in a certain tower, a great multitude had assembled to see her, and were standing around the tower on all sides; but she was seen by all the people to lean forward, and to look out through all the windows of that tower.
620.
Many other wonderful things he did and does; so that men, being astonished at them, think that he himself is the great God.
The Book of Recognitions CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
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Divisions 621-645
RECOGNITIONS 2
Simon Magus: Secret of His Magic .
621.
Now when Niceta and I once asked him to explain to us how these things could be effected by magic art, and what was the nature of that thing, Simon began thus to explain it to us as his associates.
622.
'I have,' said he, 'made the soul of a boy, unsullied and violently slain, and invoked by unutterable adjurations, to assist me; and by it all is done that I command.'
623.
'Yet,' said I,
'is it possible for a soul to do these things?'
624.
He answered:
'I would have you know this, that the soul of man holds the next place after God, when once it is set free from the darkness of his body.
625.
And immediately it acquires prescience: wherefore it is invoked for necromancy.'
626.
Then I answered:
'Why, then, do not the souls of persons who are slain take vengeance on their slayers?'
627.
'Do you not remember,' said he,
'that I told you, that when it goes out of the body it acquires knowledge of the future?'
628.
'I remember,' said I.
629.
'Well, then,' said he,
'as soon as it goes out of the body, it immediately knows that there is a judgment to come,
and that every one shall suffer punishment for those evils that he has done;
630.
and therefore they are unwilling to take vengeance on their slayers,
because they themselves are enduring torments for their own evil deeds which they had done here,
and they know that severer punishments await them in the judgment.
631.
Moreover, they are not permitted by the angels who preside over them to go out, or to do anything.'
632.
'Then,' I replied, 'if the angels do not permit them to come hither, or to do what they please, how can the souls obey the magician who invokes them?'
634.
'It is not,' said he, 'that they grant indulgence to the souls that are willing to come:
635.
but when the presiding angels are adjured by one greater than themselves, they have the excuse of our violence who adjure them, to permit the souls which we invoke to go out:
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for they do not sin who suffer violence, but we who impose necessity upon them.'
636.
Thereupon Niceta, not able longer to refrain, hastily answered, as indeed I also was about to do, only I wished first to get information from him on several points;
yet, as I said, Niceta, anticipating me, said:
637.
'And do you not fear the day of judgment, who do violence to angels, and invoke souls,
and deceive men, and bargain for divine honour to yourself from men?
638.
And how do you persuade us that there shall be no judgment, as some of the Jews confess, and that souls are not immortal, as many suppose, though you see them with your very eyes, and receive from them assurance of the divine judgment.'
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