Simon Magus was a contemporary of
Jesus, a Gnostic teacher and reputed magician of the New Testament. He was a
leader of an early Gnostic sect, and made many claims that were either
very similar to or later borrowed by followers of Jesus.
The circumstances
of his life were so similar to that of Jesus that he was given a role
in the New Testament, as an imitator of Christ who is 'revealed' as a false
magician. (Oddly, the story of his failed attempts at magical flight
are mirrored in similar tales told of Jesus in the Talmud) His churches
competed with early Christianity but eventually died out.
The
words 'simony' and 'Mage' both derive from his name.
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