Philip & Simon Magus
By: Underground Network
Tags: Christianity, Jesus

Acts 8:4–25

Overview

The material in Acts 8:4–40 chronicles the missionary work of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. That it is one of the Seven and not one of the Twelve who undertakes these pioneering missionary activities comes as something of a surprise, given the emphasis on the apostles in Acts 1–6 and the fact that Philip was only introduced in 6:5, as one of those chosen to help serve the needs of the widows. Strangely enough, this intriguing material has produced very few monographs that deal with Philip himself.

It is important to recognize from the outset that Luke intends the reader to see these episodes in Acts 8 as part of the fulfillment of Jesus’s words that his witnesses will carry out their work not only in Jerusalem, but also “in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” The coupling of the two regions of Judea and Samaria, when distinguished from both Jerusalem and the end of the earth, “provides a clue that Luke quite properly sees Samaria as part of the Holy Land, and at least most of its residents as some sort of Jews, though they are Jews on the fringes of Judaism. It is thus not surprising that this story is coupled with the story of the Ethiopian eunuch, who is portrayed as another example of those on the fringes of Judaism, whether as a proselyte or more likely a God-fearer. In both cases, we are dealing with people who generally stand under the broad umbrella of early Judaism or at least on its edges, not with pure pagans. Even if the Samaritans were seen as lost sheep of the Israelite fold, the point is that it is from Judaism that they had wandered.

Luke clearly does not see Samaritans as just like Judean or Galilean Jews. He is well aware that most Galilean and Judean Jews viewed Samaritans as at best half-breeds and at the worst foreigners. They are viewed as ethnically strange and religiously rather unorthodox, but not simply as pagans or Gentiles… It is thus premature to talk about the beginnings of the Gentile mission being recorded in Acts 8, and not quite accurate to see it as the connecting link to such a mission. (Witherington)

People

Philip — He is first mentioned in the account of the dispute between the Hebrew and Hellenistic disciples in Acts 6. He is one of the deacons appointed to oversee the daily distribution of food and alms, and in so doing to remove all suspicion of partiality. The persecution, of which Saul was the leader, must have stopped the “daily ministrations” of the Church. (Smith’s)

Simon — A man who had gained control and power of people by using what many commentators say was dark power. Some commentators argue he was demon possessed, others claim he was merely tricking people. Witherington says it well: “Luke does not use the term μάγος (magos- magician or sorcerer) of him, but he does referred to his practicing of magic and performing magical acts. It is also said that Simon claimed he was someone great. It is important from the outset to recognize that Luke does not portray Simon as an early broker of Gnostic wisdom — a prominent heretical movement of the 2nd-century Christian Church, partly of pre-Christian origin. Gnostic doctrine taught that the world was created and ruled by a lesser divinity, the demiurge, and that Christ was an emissary of the remote supreme divine being, esoteric knowledge (gnosis) of whom enabled the redemption of the human spirit — but rather as a magician hungry for power. In other words, his betrayal differs in important respects from the later second and third century Christian portraits of the man, and the latter should probably not be read back into the text of Acts.” (Witherington)

Background

City — We are told that Philip went to a “city of Samaria.” There’s much speculation about which city he might be referring to here. Some claim it is Sabaste (the most Gentile city in Samaria), Shechem (which was destroyed at this point), or even Gerizim (Simon Magus’ home town). Yet, these are all speculations and Luke doesn’t make the town choice clear leading us to believe it isn’t important.

Samaritans — The Samaritans occupied the country formerly belonging to the tribe of Ephraim and the half-tribe of Manasseh. The capital of the country was Samaria, formerly a large and splendid city. When the ten tribes were carried away into captivity to Assyria, the king of Assyria sent people from Cutha, Ava, Hamath, and Sepharvaim to inhabit Samaria (2 Kings 17:24; Ezra 4:2–11). These foreigners intermarried with the Israelite population that was still in and around Samaria. These “Samaritans” at first worshipped the idols of their own nations, but being troubled with lions, they supposed it was because they had not honored the God of that territory. A Jewish priest was therefore sent to them from Assyria to instruct them in the Jewish religion. They were instructed from the books of Moses, but still retained many of their idolatrous customs. The Samaritans embraced a religion that was a mixture of Judaism and idolatry (2 Kings 17:26–28). Because the Israelite inhabitants of Samaria had intermarried with the foreigners and adopted their idolatrous religion, Samaritans were generally considered “half-breeds” and were universally despised by the Jews.(gotquestions.org)

The Samaritans had a rather distinctive understanding of the Coming One or Messiah, because they accepted the Pentateuch as their Holy Scriptures. In sum, they spoke of Taheb who would be a prophet like Moses (or even Moses come back again), fulfilling the promise of Deuteronomy 8:15 and restoring true worship on Mount Gerizim. Josephus (a first century historian) tells us that messianic expectation in Samaria was considerable during this general period, such that it was even possible during the reign of Pilate for a messianic pretender to lead Samaritans up Mount Gerizim with the promise to disclose where the hidden sacred temple vessels were. Josephus also tells us that the Samaritans sometimes claimed to be kin to the Jews when Jews were prospering, but when they were not they claim to be aliens of another race. This expresses their ambivalence and the in-between state of their condition admirably. (Witherington)

The designation of Simon being “Great” is important because in the Samaritan targums (a translations of the Hebrew Bible or portions of it into the Aramaic language) and Memar Marqah (a fourth century AD Samaritan document which reflects earlier traditions, possibly to the first century), we see that the Samaritans rendered the Hebrew name for God as “the Power” or “the Powerful One,” which may indeed be of relevance to our passage.

Key Ideas

Illustration from Constable

Quotes

“. . . the thrust of the church into its mission after the persecution of the Christian community in Jerusalem is parallel with Luke’s portrayal in his Gospel of the spread of Jesus’ fame after the devil’s assault in the wilderness.” — Longenecker

“As the mission begins to move beyond Jerusalem and Judea, it is useful to distinguish two roles within it: the role of the initiator and the role of the verifier. The apostles shift at this point from the former to the latter role. That is, their function is reduced to recognizing and confirming the work of the evangelists who bring the gospel to new areas and groups, or to working as evangelists in areas already open for mission.” — Tannehill

Possible Discussion Points

Simon attempted to purchase the gift of laying hands on people for the Holy Spirit to come upon them. Simon’s heart isn’t sincere and he realizes that his tricks are obsolete in the face of the true power of God. Can you identify a time in your life when you craved the power of God more for reputation than for selfless ministry?

We continually see greed as an issue in people’s hearts throughout the story of Acts. As you inventory your own life, where do you find a greedy attitude?

This passage is widely understood as Philip being the initiator of this ministry and Peter and John being the finishers. This passage gives illumination to the teamwork of the early church. Do you find yourself working with others on a team in ministry, or are you a lone wolf trying to labor in isolation. What has your story been as a result?

Theological Note

Often the question, “So when did the Samaritans ‘get saved?’” This is an interesting question asked only on an astute observation. “It must be recognized that here water baptism is administered prior to the Spirit “falling” on the Samaritans, whereas in Acts 10:44 belief and Spirit precede the administering of water baptism, and in the case of the Ethiopian eunuch later in Acts 8, Spirit and water may have been received virtually simultaneously. In short, Luke portrays a variety of patterns of initiation and conversion, but does insist that any one was normative or always characterized the early church.” (Witherington)