Simon Magus. The founder of Gnosticism

Simon Magus

The founder of Gnosticism

Gertcel David

© Gertcel David, 2026

ISBN 978-5-0070-6106-3

Created with Ridero smart publishing system

Chapter One

Italy. Torre Annunziata, a southern suburb of Naples. Present day.

A man in his forties, showing his pass to the guard, drove into the area enclosed by a high fence. Turning off the engine and taking a folder of documents from the backseat, he walked toward the archaeological excavation site, which was carefully hidden from prying eyes. Calling over his assistant, Katrin, a recent archaeology graduate, he handed her the folder and cheerfully announced:

“In Naples, our suspicions were confirmed. Radiocarbon dating showed that the discovered manuscripts date back to the first century AD.”

Katrin, looking over the experts’ report, smiled broadly and said in a low voice:

“Professor, this is a stroke of luck. Your guess was correct: this villa belonged to a noble and wealthy Roman who lived two thousand years ago.”

— The laboratory indicated a period from 20 to 70 years, and most importantly, they allowed us to continue excavations.

Katrin continued to smile, but the professor noticed that she was worried about something and asked:

— What’s wrong with you? You don’t seem happy?

Looking towards the van that served as the professor’s temporary office while he directed the excavations, Katrin replied:

“Signor Ponti, while you were at Naples City Hall, two priests from the Vatican came to see us. They want to talk to you.”

The professor also glanced at the van:

“What do they want here? They’re sticking their noses in everywhere. They’d be better off just continuing to pray.”

“They somehow found out that we discovered ancient scrolls and are demanding that we give them our findings, but I said that I cannot do this without your consent.

“Correct. Before handing the manuscripts over to the Vatican, we must translate and study them ourselves. The mayor’s office has asked us to keep the finds confidential for now, so the press doesn’t get wind of it, but apparently they haven’t forgotten to inform the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology.” Looking again at the van, the professor continued, “If the scrolls fall into their hands, they will be hidden forever in the Vatican’s secret archives or — worse — destroyed. The clergy fights against anything that might cast doubt on the existence of Jesus or his divine calling.” He looked his assistant intently in the eyes. “Katrin, just imagine, after so many centuries they haven’t managed to find a single significant piece of evidence for Christ’s existence in either Roman or Jewish sources, so they’re confiscating every document that might mention Jesus of Nazareth, or, worse, that might portray him as an ordinary man, with his vices and weaknesses.”

“I fully support you, Professor Ponti,” Katrin said calmly.

— Well, let’s not talk about sad things. Tell me how the excavations are going.

— Following the plan, we discovered the library that was mentioned in the second of the scrolls we found, written by that same boy.

“Katrin, please, don’t tell anyone about this for now. If the priests insist, I’ll only show them the scroll of the teacher or the boy to divert attention from the excavations, but if we manage to find something significant, I will never agree to hand it over to the Vatican until we’ve studied it ourselves. We archaeologists are also in service, but not to God, but to history. Our mission is to bring historical truth to the people.”

— I agree with you, professor.

Looking again at the van in which two priests were waiting for him, Signor Ponti said:

“The Vatican’s officials are quite influential and capable of cutting off funding for our work. Katrin, you go to the site, and I’ll go and talk to the uninvited guests.”

Giovanni Ponti entered the van and saw two men in black cassocks and collars. One, quite young, was sitting at a table, apparently reading the Bible; the other, about fifty, was looking anxiously out the window, which overlooked the excavation site and a small island in the pond. After introducing himself and greeting his guests, the professor inquired:

— How can I help you?

The older man stepped away from the window, introduced himself as Father Ippolit, and invited everyone to sit at the table. Taking a seat across from the professor, next to a young deacon named Thomas, Ippolit looked closely at Giovanni and said calmly:

“Signor Ponti, you’re probably already aware that we represent the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology. We’ve been informed that manuscripts have been discovered during excavations here that date back to the beginning of the Common Era, meaning they were composed approximately two thousand years ago. As you know, all finds from that period must be submitted to our commission for study. We have the necessary permits for this.”

The priest handed the document to the professor. After quickly examining it, Signor Ponti said:

“I would be happy to carry out this order, but unfortunately, we have not yet discovered anything of interest. Many of the scrolls are significantly damaged, and the text is illegible. As is well known, during the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, Oplontis, like Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Stabiae, was buried under a layer of volcanic ash. Over time, a city arose here, which was named Torre Annunziata. But as for the excavations on this estate, we have only been able to examine two scrolls so far. We also conducted radiocarbon dating and determined, as you have probably already been informed, that these manuscripts were made in the early first century. However, I assure you that you will not find anything special in them.”

— We want to look at the two scrolls that survived.

“You probably won’t understand what it says. Even though the house belonged to a Roman, all the inscriptions are not in Latin, but in Ancient Greek. The first scroll was written by an adult, Greek by birth; we assume he was a Greek teacher, as indicated by the style, language, and handwriting. The second, in all likelihood, was written by a child practicing Greek. As you know, this language, along with Latin, was considered the official language of the Roman Empire.”

Looking at Ippolit, the professor added:

In general, Greek culture had a powerful influence on the Roman nobility. Wealthy citizens of the empire invited Greek teachers directly from Athens for their children.

The priests looked at each other, after which Ippolit said:

“We already know that the scrolls you found are in Ancient Greek, which is why Deacon Thomas came with me. He speaks Latin and Ancient Greek fluently and will understand the meaning without much difficulty. We also have a special lab where we can extract text even from poorly preserved manuscripts. We will study them, after which anyone interested will be able to view these texts in the Vatican Library.”

Realizing that Hippolytus was determined, Giovanni thought it would be better to retreat:

“As you wish. But, I repeat, you’re unlikely to find what you’re looking for there. Yes, analysis confirmed that the scrolls and household items date back to the early first century, making them almost two thousand years old, but this villa is 200 kilometers from Rome, and Jesus, as you know, preached in Judea.”

“Be that as it may,” Ippolit continued to insist, “we need to get acquainted with the scrolls.

Trying at all costs to prevent the priests from accessing the finds, the professor made another argument:

“The scrolls are very fragile, and if handled carelessly, their contents could be lost forever. Please allow us to continue the excavations. We will carefully extract everything, study it, and after publishing our findings, we will be sure to provide you with copies.”

Ippolit, seeing the professor’s stubbornness, sternly said:

“We must study the contents of these scrolls before they are published. The Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology will not allow any heresy to be published.”

“Isn’t that why we’re trying to make all the finds public and add them to the collection of the National Archaeological Museum of Naples?” Giovanni asked calmly. “We’re funded by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, and we have to report to them first and foremost. I just don’t understand what you’re trying to find here.”

“We came here to fulfill our duty. According to this order,” the priest once again drew the professor’s attention to the document, “all objects of interest to the Vatican must be handed over to us. And from then on, we will oversee the excavations. If you refuse to comply with our demands, we will take action. We may even demand that the work be stopped entirely. You know full well that this is within our power.”

The professor was indignant:

“It’s the twenty-first century, an era of new technologies and discoveries, yet sometimes it seems like we’re still in the Middle Ages, where the Holy See can do whatever it wants and everyone must obey it. You still fear the truth and are ready to oppose anything that might cast a shadow on your version of events as described in the Gospels.”

“Signor Ponti, I do not intend to enter into a discussion with you,” Ippolit remarked coldly.

Realizing that the excavations were at risk, Giovanni lowered his tone:

“So far, we’ve only found the room of a boy, presumably the son of the estate’s owner. There, we discovered two surviving scrolls, dated approximately 27 or 28 AD. It’s unlikely anyone knew or even heard of Jesus back then, especially in Oplontis.” After a pause, the professor continued, “I’m well versed in history, and I can say that Judea, with all due respect, was considered a remote province by the Romans. The Roman nobility could only have heard of the most distinguished, great figures of Judea at the time, and, as everyone knows, Jesus began preaching in 30 AD, a few years after the scrolls were compiled.”

— How did you manage to determine the date of the manuscript’s composition so accurately?

“The scrolls indicate the year of Emperor Tiberius’s reign, or rather, the text in them, as was customary at the time, begins with the year of the emperor’s reign, namely, the 14th. Based on this, we established the date of the manuscript, which was later confirmed by radiocarbon dating. The walls in the room are weak, and so far we have only been able to extract two scrolls. We took these to the laboratory, and then to the Naples Archaeological Authority to obtain permission to continue the excavations.” Looking at the young deacon and then at Father Hippolytus, Giovanni continued: “Despite being raised in a secular family, I am thoroughly familiar with the Old and New Testaments, and I assure you that if Jesus really existed, information about him should be sought not here in Oplontis, or even in Rome, but in Judea.”

The priest didn’t like the professor’s words. He looked at him menacingly and said:

— The existence of our Lord Jesus is beyond doubt, and only an ignoramus can doubt the earthly path of the Savior.

“Forgive me if my statement offended you. I don’t dare argue with you. I just want to point out once again that these notes won’t shed any light on the story of Jesus; you’ll only be wasting your time. In that scroll, which we assumed was composed The scroll, written by a Greek teacher, describes events that took place on the estate: the arrival of guests, the departure of the hostess to Rome, the vast estate, which cannot be explored in a day, the attendance of a boy with poor eyesight at lessons, the boy’s love for the garden and workshop, observing the flowers he planted, or checking the fish to make sure they haven’t escaped. And in the second scroll, the child himself describes his day. In short, it describes the ordinary everyday life of a noble family of that time.

— How did you find out the contents of the scrolls so quickly if you claim the text is in ancient Greek?

“I studied this language at university, and after examining the manuscripts, I can confirm that the scrolls contain nothing religious. And none of the heresy you so zealously fight against.”

“Even if these scrolls aren’t connected to religion, others may contain important information about the earthly life of our God, Jesus. But be that as it may, all scrolls must be handed over to us, whether they be manuscripts by a child, an adult, or a teacher. Otherwise, funding will be cut off and the work will be mothballed.”

The professor remained silent.

Once again approaching the window and looking at the excavations, Ippolit asked:

— And who exactly owned this estate, did you manage to find out?

“We haven’t been able to find any precise information yet, but, as I’ve already said, it belonged to a certain Roman patrician. Although the estate is so far from Rome, it clearly belonged to a wealthy and noble person: it’s so large that it even includes a pond with a small island in the middle. At that time, many patricians owned villas in the Naples area. Not far from our excavation site, in Oplontis, is the villa of Emperor Nero’s family.”

Returning to the table and sitting down next to the deacon, who had not uttered a word during this entire time, Ippolit once again demanded that the scrolls be presented.

Giovanni kept all his finds in his personal van, where he was forced to go. There, he photographed the manuscripts and returned to the priests. Carefully laying both scrolls out on the table, the professor said:

“So far, we’ve only found a few rooms, the best-preserved of which are the nursery and the library. We haven’t reached the library yet, and these scrolls were discovered in a room that presumably belonged to a child or a teacher.”

“Is teacher the name of that servant?”

“No, we couldn’t find out his name. Pedagogues were Greek slaves who served in the homes of Roman nobles, teaching their children Greek and good manners. Literally, “pedagogue” translates as “child attendant.”

Bending over the scrolls, Ippolit began to examine them carefully.

The professor meanwhile continued:

— The scrolls we were able to decipher were written in Koine. Koine — from the Greek for “common” — is a form of ancient Greek that was widely spoken in the Eastern Mediterranean. Knowledge of two languages was mandatory for the Roman aristocracy, and it was considered good form to read Greek philosophers in the original, which is probably why they hired a Greek tutor for their children. Koine was widely spoken in the Roman Empire; even in the marketplace, merchants from various countries communicated with Roman customers in this language. It was this language that later formed the basis of modern Greek. You probably know that Koine is also called the language of the New Testament, since virtually all early texts, from the first and second centuries, are written in it.

The priests continued to examine the scrolls.

“Were you able to find any records in Latin?” Ippolit inquired.

Giovanni looked at him calmly and replied:

“Maybe in the future we’ll find something in Latin, but our funding has been cut, and excavations are progressing extremely slowly.”

“We’ll take care of the funding, but you’ll hand over all the scrolls you find to the Vatican. We won’t have any trouble reading them. As I’ve already mentioned, we have a professional lab with the best equipment, thanks to which we’ve been able to decipher thousands of manuscripts from all over the world.”

Signor Ponti said nothing, merely pointing to one of the scrolls, which was severely damaged and only a small portion was legible. The professor explained that this manuscript, numbered Scroll 2, dated to 27—28 AD, was inscribed on the scroll. Deacon Thomas pulled it closer and began translating aloud.

Scroll 2

The 14th year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius. Oplontis.

(7 lines are impossible to make out)

…Before Greek class, I went to the studio, where I continued sculpting. This was my sixth sculpture; like the previous ones, I destroyed the fifth, and then began sculpting a new one from the same clay. It seemed to me that it had improved in my absence; perhaps I had done everything correctly, and the clay had taken the correct shape. Today, I worked on the sculpture a little more, determined to perfect it. The woman’s voice, audible only to me, continued to prompt me, and I continued working. When the time came, the teacher came for me, and we went to class.

The sun was shining brightly, and although my vision had improved slightly since the guest’s arrival, I still couldn’t open my eyes in the sunlight. On the way, I told the teacher that I’d already destroyed several sculptures that hadn’t turned out quite as I’d hoped. I like things to be just right, and if there’s even the slightest flaw, I re-wet the clay and, as soon as it softens, make a new one.

I’m currently in Greek class. I can already read and even write. My eyes get tired quickly, but I continue to learn and tinker.

Ippolit stared intently at the deacon, who was trying to convey the ancient text’s meaning in his own words. Finding nothing of interest in any of the scrolls, the priest pushed them toward the professor.

— You can keep it for now.

Giovanni carefully rolled them up and said:

“I told you that you won’t find anything important here, you’ll only waste precious time that could be spent in prayer.”

Ippolit looked at the professor with displeasure and said sternly:

“The Holy Church knows best how to manage our time. If the cardinal himself, the chairman of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology, sent us here, then it means that we are more pleasing to Our Lord Jesus here.” Glancing at the rolled-up scrolls, Hippolytus added, “I suppose I don’t need to remind you that we are the first to know about all discoveries?”

Giovanni remained silent.

— How long will it take? Are you retrieving scrolls from the library?

“We’re working extremely carefully, because the walls could collapse at any moment. I can’t risk people’s lives. If nothing serious happens, I think we’ll be able to reach the library in a week, maybe even two.”

Once again approaching the window, Ippolit said:

“I will need to return to the Vatican to report on the scrolls and the progress of the excavations, and then inspect other archaeological work in Rome, Naples, and the surrounding area to ensure that no heresy is uncovered, even by accident. Deacon Thomas will remain here and oversee the excavations. You may store the vessels and other antiquities at the site, and continue to record all information about them in the archaeological journal, but immediately hand over any manuscripts found to Thomas.”

Returning to the table, Ippolit, turning to the professor, said:

— Signor Ponti, could you leave us for a while, I need to talk to the deacon.

The professor left the van and headed toward the excavation site. Katrin, who had been worried about Signor Ponti the entire time, immediately rushed to his side:

— Well, Professor? Will you give them the scrolls?

Looking at the van, inside which Ippolit was explaining something to the young deacon, Giovanni said:

“I am a professor of archeology, and my mission is to tell contemporaries about the past, and no threats will force me to compromise my principles.”

— I fully support you, Signor Ponti.

Looking around, Katrin said barely audibly:

“While you were in the van, we managed to retrieve several more scrolls. They are badly damaged.”

“Wait until one of the priests leaves the excavation site, and then quietly take the scrolls to my van. I’ll try to carefully open them and read them.”

— Will you clarify their dating?

“No, we can’t take anything to the lab. If the priests find out we’ve removed scrolls from the site without their knowledge, they’ll order all work stopped and bring in a new team of archaeologists who will follow their every instruction. They’ve decreed that we must hand over all recovered scrolls to the Vatican, or more precisely, to the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology.”

— Professor, aren’t you afraid?

“I’ll carefully open them, read them, make copies, and then hand them over to the Vatican. That way, we won’t break the rules and can continue the excavations. Our goal is to get to the truth, literally and figuratively. Do you really think I’ll let them or anyone else stop us?”

Katrin nodded approvingly.

When Hippolytus left the van, Deacon Thomas opened the Bible again and continued reading. Periodically, he put the book down and went to the window to observe the progress of the excavations.

As evening fell, all the workers left the site and went to rest. The deacon stayed overnight where he was, and Giovanni headed to his van, where he usually worked until late at night. To complete the translation of the scroll by morning, he decided not to return to his apartment in Rome, but to spend the night in the van. As soon as the deacon’s light went out, the professor carefully removed the new scrolls Katrin had mentioned, marked one with the number four, and began reading and translating.

Scroll 4

The 14th year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius. Oplontis.

Scroll of Herodotus in praise of the Pleroma.

At the request of my teacher, I compiled my own version of events in the Pleroma from ancient Greek sources, and also drew a diagram of the Aeons that once resided in the higher spiritual world. These records should help seekers of truth better understand the story of the Fall and the subsequent coming of the Savior.

The more I study the events of the Pleroma and Kenoma, the more I find similarities with stories in Jewish religious Scripture. Perhaps this is why our great teacher says that Scripture is true, but the priests misinterpret it. Abba loves to repeat that truth is one and all religions have a single source, but this knowledge is cloaked in different garments in each people. Therefore, our goal as Gnostics is now to remove these garments and give humanity true knowledge of the higher spiritual worlds. This new teaching, Gnosticism, founded by our spiritual leader, must be preserved for future generations, along with the Pentateuch, which Moses received on Mount Sinai. The teacher calls these teachings brothers, elder and younger, who are called to help and complement each other. But despite the fact that they have a common source, descended from the same father, until a certain point, these teachings will be hostile to one another.

By studying my notes, you will learn what events occurred in the spiritual worlds, the Pleroma and the Kenoma, that led to the emergence of this material world. You will also be convinced that everything that happens in the material world is a distant resemblance to events in the Kenoma. And the story of the expulsion of the first humans from the Garden of Eden is an allegorical recreation of events in the higher spiritual world, the Pleroma.

That’s why the teacher likes to quote Hermes Trismegistus in his sermons: “As above, so below.” In other words, events in our world mirror those in the higher worlds, and knowing how they unfolded there, one can easily predict their development in the material world.