Simony
Summary
The sin of buying or selling spiritual things, named after Simon Magus who attempted to purchase the power to confer the Holy Spirit.
☩Biblical Origin
The term derives from Simon Magus, a Samaritan sorcerer who, after believing and being baptized, offered the apostles money to receive the power to impart the Holy Spirit by laying on of hands. Peter's stern rebuke—'Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money'—established the sinfulness of attempting to buy or sell spiritual gifts.
☩Historical Development
The early Church considered simony a most grievous crime, as it placed supernatural things on par with temporal goods. The ancient Church distinguished three kinds: buying and selling spiritual gifts, trafficking in spiritual offices, and usurping ecclesiastical functions without proper ordination. During the Middle Ages, simony became widespread, with church offices frequently bought and sold—a corruption vigorously opposed by reformers.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Simony," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IX (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.Charles Buck, "Simony," in A Theological Dictionary (Charles Buck (London), 1802).
- 3.John McClintock and James Strong, "Simony," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IX (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 4.Philip Schaff and Johann Herzog (ed.), "SIMONY," in The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, vol. X (Funk and Wagnalls, 1908–1914).