Simon Magus. The founder of Gnosticism

“And then each of them thought about their lives, and one by one, letting go of the stones, they all left that place. Only Jesus and the woman he had told not to sin again remained.

After a pause, Thomas added:

“This story shows that each of us is sinful, since we came into this world to face trials. In other words, everyone bears their own cross. But if you’re asking about my past, worldly life, I didn’t have time to do anything terrible, although I can’t call myself righteous. Seeking the Lord, serving — that’s my inner calling. It’s been ringing within me since childhood and has only grown stronger with each passing year. Now I can’t even imagine how I used to live without God in my heart, without the Bible, without prayer, without community, without church, and I’m glad I’ve had the privilege of serving the Lord. Know this, Professor, Jesus came into this world for each of us, to save humanity, and if you ever want to come to Him, the Lord’s doors are always open; it’s never too late.”

“I’m already over forty, and at that age, people usually have pretty set beliefs. I’m an atheist, and all the stories about Jesus’s earthly life are nothing more than myths to me.”

To the professor’s surprise, the deacon took his words calmly. After a brief pause, he said:

“Everyone has the right to their own point of view, but remember one thing: if you ever want to enter the bosom of the church, call upon Jesus, or confess, the door to the Lord is always open.

“I doubt I’ll find this information useful. It would be a miracle if someone like me ever came to faith, wanted to pray, and even more so, confession. You might be surprised, but as a youth, I reread the Bible many times and, reflecting on religion, couldn’t find an answer to one rather paradoxical question. No matter how many priests I spoke with, no one could really answer it.”

The deacon listened silently to Signor Ponti, who was walking around the room with a cup of coffee.

— What is the question?

“And the question is, how can one crucify God? God, as I understand it, is omnipotent, the Creator of the Universe, and yet in the Gospel story, he is crucified. Perhaps you will answer that it is not God himself, but his son, as he is also called. In that case, how can God the Father allow his son to be crucified?”

Looking closely at the professor, Thomas replied:

Jesus came down to earth to save this world. He gave his life for us all. This is mentioned in several places in the Gospel.

“I didn’t expect to hear any other answer,” Giovanni said calmly. “But has anything changed in the world since the crucifixion? Has there been less violence and war? Don’t you think there are powers in heaven or in this world greater than or equal to God’s? That’s the only way to explain the crucification of his son and all the injustice that exists in this world.”

— You know, one of the outstanding early Christian writers, Tertullian, born in 155, coined the phrase: “Credo quia absurdum est” (“I believe because it is absurd”). He rejected all allegorical interpretations of Scripture, considering them heretical, and adhered only to the literal meaning. Therefore, he openly opposed the Gnostic schools, so popular at the time, and called the teaching they extolled — the allegorical interpretation of Scripture — heresy.

Giovanni suddenly remembered the Gnostic scroll he had translated the night before, and was surprised that even in those days there was an irreconcilable struggle against the followers of this esoteric teaching, but Thomas’s voice interrupted his thoughts:

Tertullian, back in the second century, answered your question about the Savior’s crucifixion and resurrection; you can find the information online. He reproached anyone who doubted the veracity of the events described in the Bible for a lack of faith. He liked to repeat that if someone has difficulty understanding the Creator’s plan, it doesn’t mean there is no plan; it’s just that a person needs more faith in each specific case. We humans shouldn’t seek answers or allegorical meanings, but rather believe in the truth of Scripture, no matter how absurd it may seem, since we are not given the ability to understand the higher plan. You understand, Professor, that this question torments you, and if doubts overwhelm your soul, the cause lies in a lack of faith. Put your trust in the Lord, believe in Him with all your heart, and doubts will immediately disappear. Religion and prayer will help you find answers to all your questions.

“I don’t believe in any of this: Jesus, religion, prayer. I’m convinced that the life of Jesus is nothing more than fiction, and even if there was such a person who was the model for Jesus, the real him would have been very different from the Jesus described in the Gospels. As for religion, and not just Christian religion, it has always served as a tool in the hands of kings and rulers, helping them, through the clergy, keep the people in obedience.”

The deacon tried to remain calm and listened patiently to the professor.

“Thomas, just think about it: dozens of gospels were written, of which only four are recognized as canonical. I’m convinced that even those four contain numerous later insertions that describe the story of Jesus from birth to ascension, in other words, they deify him.” Looking at the deacon, he continued, “If the Vatican had any compelling arguments for the existence of Jesus, wouldn’t they have presented them? Then all the doubts of skeptics would be dispelled, and religion would have many more followers. But, alas, there is no compelling evidence, and Scripture is full of contradictions, which is why religion demands blind faith.

Enlightened thinkers have always denounced biblical texts, despite the fact that in the Middle Ages, dissent was severely punished. And as for your quote, I agree that religion is a matter of faith, since no one can either prove or disprove the existence of Jesus and his miracles. But I continue to wonder why, out of the many religions — theistic, pagan, sectarian, and so on — the Roman Empire chose Christianity. Perhaps they had some sort of conspiracy or secret message, which, upon opening, convinced them of the truth of Christianity and converted to it, or perhaps Constantine the Great received some indisputable documents describing the life of Jesus.

“He had a vision…” Thomas began to answer, but the professor immediately interrupted him:

“I don’t believe in all these stories about visions. We live in the twenty-first century, when practically everything that was once considered a miracle has found a scientific explanation. This was something more than a vision, and what exactly, I just can’t figure out. This whole story raises more questions than answers, but I’m convinced of one thing: Jesus had a prototype, some famous person who lived long before the events described in the Gospels, or precisely during that time. A close examination of Jesus’s biography reveals similarities with the lives of many gods who were worshiped hundreds, even thousands, of years before the advent of Christianity. Take, for example, Dionysus, who was also born of the god Zeus and a mortal woman, turned water into wine, descended into Hades, and much more.” And such stories of gods born from earthly women exist among many peoples of the past, and therefore for centuries there has been a version that the Roman Empire created the same god in order to strengthen its power through religion.

“I’ve heard more than once that Jesus’s biography is similar to the biographies of other ancient gods. This isn’t true; if it is similar, it’s only in a few places.”

“I didn’t even mean that, but rather that there was a real person who performed all these miracles before the coming of Jesus and who could have led the people whose lives are described in the Gospels. Be that as it may, I don’t understand what forces made Christianity the main world religion. The Jews were in exile all this time and had no influence on the Roman Empire, fighting for their existence in different parts of the world. I also doubt that Jesus, if he even existed, was a Jew: the Roman Empire would never have proclaimed a Jew as its god. In Jewish literature, Jesus is even called Jesus, son of Pander, or Jesus, son of Panther, directly indicating that he was the son of a Roman legionary named either Pander or Panther.”

“This is all fiction, which has nothing to do with reality. Our Lord Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary from the Holy Spirit. At that time, the Most Holy Theotokos was already betrothed to Joseph the carpenter. And the questions you ask have been raised many times in the past, like the question of the crucifixion and resurrection, which was answered back in the second century. You should become more familiar with the life of Jesus Christ given in the Gospels.”

“Deacon, you may disagree with me, but the apostles, who were literate — a rarity for that time — would never have followed Jesus as he is described in the Gospels, indecisive and calm. There was a surge of messianic thought at the time, and many declared themselves the saviors of humanity, from the leaders of small spiritual sects to the leaders of the rebellion against the Roman Empire, supported by the Jewish clergy. But be that as it may, Christianity is considered the main religion, and Jesus is considered a god, and how this came about, no one can answer.”

Looking at the deacon, who was listening to him with such amazing calm, the professor added:

“Forgive me for being so harsh. I’m sure you’re not particularly pleased to hear all this, and I admire your composure.”

“You have accumulated many questions that torment and haunt you, and I wanted to give you the opportunity to speak out. All these emotions and doubts are dictated solely by a lack of faith in our Lord Jesus, and as soon as you believe in Him with all your heart and soul, these doubts will disappear.”

The professor remained silent. He decided to change the subject and, looking at the Bible lying in front of Thomas, asked:

“Why do you read Scripture on paper instead of on a tablet? We’re in the twenty-first century, the age of technology.”

Placing his hands on the Bible and either stroking it or cleaning it of dust with one of them, the deacon answered:

Despite the technological advances, I prefer the printed version, especially since this edition is written in ancient Greek. Moreover, this Bible has special significance for me, as it was left to me by an uncle who recently passed away. He served as the rector of a church in a small seaside town. He believed that the Gospels, written by the apostles in Greek, could have lost their true meaning during the translation into Latin. As a child, I would go to visit him every summer, and even then, he instilled in me an interest in ancient Greek and Latin. This continued until he was transferred to the Vatican. Then I continued studying these languages at university.

Reminiscing about his childhood, Thomas felt a little sad.

“This Bible has a special meaning for me. After I learned to read and understand a little ancient Greek, my uncle made me an Italian interlinear translation of this edition so I could always look up the meaning of unfamiliar words. I’ve just started rereading the Bible again to refresh my memory of ancient Greek.”

Looking at Giovanni, Thomas said:

“I understand that my presence does not bring you much pleasure, but Father Ippolit and I are carrying out the cardinal’s decree, and this is part of our service.

The professor was interested in talking to Thomas, and he also wanted to give the archaeologists more time to extract the scrolls, so he continued the conversation:

— Thomas, it turns out that you were drawn to the church from childhood and did not follow in your parents’ footsteps, as can be concluded from your words?

“Yes, that’s true. I grew up in a farming family, where talking about religion was frowned upon. My father was hostile to Christianity and other religions, but the reasons that influenced his worldview remain unknown to me. As for me, I was ordained a deacon three years ago, when I had just turned twenty-two. I’ve always been drawn to God, ever since childhood. Perhaps it was my uncle’s influence and his vivid exposition of biblical stories on those summer evenings in my childhood, or an inner calling, but whatever the case, I chose the path of service.

— How did your loved ones react to your choice?

My mother passed away when I was five, and after that, my father and I barely spoke, even though we lived under the same roof. He is hostile to anything religious, and I don’t particularly want to remember it. My father says that God is in the heart and that a person doesn’t need to pray or be baptized to be righteous, but I am convinced that this is not true, and I also believe that only a religious person can be good and righteous. The Gospel of John quotes Jesus as saying, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” From these lines, it becomes clear that only those who have chosen the path of Jesus, our Lord, can see the true path. Now, only God dwells in my soul, and I serve Him with all my heart.

Thomas was moved by his stories of his conflict with his father and his journey to God. Meanwhile, Giovanni, reflecting on his childhood, said:

“I grew up in a secular family, where the question of religiosity was never even raised. My parents met in university and carried their feelings throughout their lives. They treated everyone with respect and lived a happy life… My parents insisted that I read the Bible, believing it was a must-read for everyone. The Bible left an indelible impression on me as a beautifully written myth about God, Paradise, the Fall, and man. Over the years, seeing all the injustice around me and in the world in general, I became even more convinced of this. Although I have since reread the Holy Scriptures many times.”

“Religion is truth. And you should know that the church forbids reading sacred texts out of idle curiosity.”

“With all due respect to you and religion, I do not share this point of view. Scripture belongs to people, to history, and not to a certain segment of society that decides who reads it. I am convinced that the Bible should not be taken literally, and that it conveys a completely different meaning than the one later ascribed to it by religious leaders. Like the enlightened of the past, I believe that it addresses not the external, but the internal world of man. And if you are interested in my opinion of Jesus, I am convinced that if he ever existed, he was an adherent of one of the early Christian, Jewish mystical sects that interpreted Scripture allegorically. This teaching was later distorted and simplified, and Christianity arose from it.”

The deacon did not react in any way, and, looking at him carefully, the professor asked:

— Want an example? Doesn’t the Gospel say, “The kingdom of God is within you”? If that’s true, then why are so many churches and temples being built? Perhaps Jesus meant it literally and didn’t desire all these stone structures? Be that as it may, I consider this phrase to be the most important in Christianity, because it directs a person’s gaze not to the outside world, not to those around them, but first and foremost to themselves, so that each of us can build this kingdom within.

After a pause, the professor added:

“That’s what my parents taught me: a person, regardless of laws and commandments, must understand within themselves what is good and what is bad, and follow that throughout their entire existence on earth. Be honest with your inner god — we call that conscience. They lived long and happy lives with such convictions and never harmed anyone, despite their secularism. I believe the Gospel refers specifically to this inner work of self-improvement, not prayer and churchgoing.”

I’m skeptical of all these stories and arbitrary interpretations of Holy Scripture. You’ve probably heard the words, “Outside the Church there is no salvation,” because our Lord Jesus is the head of the Universal Church. Millions, if not billions, of people around the world attend church daily and offer prayers, because they value community, being close to Jesus. Is anyone forcing them? No, it’s their inner calling; they know that salvation can only be found in the Church of Christ. If you’ve read the Bible, you probably remember the words of our Lord Jesus Christ from the Gospel of Matthew: “I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it,” and also: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” That’s why priests teach that only in the Church does the sacrament of union between man and God take place. Even from these brief explanations, you can understand the fallacy of your beliefs.

— So, it turns out that non-religious people a priori cannot be respectable?

“This statement is not mine, but that of the priests, whose words and wisdom I completely trust.

“You rely on the opinions of priests, but I rely on my own experience. I’ve met many different people in my life, and it’s impossible to say definitively which of them is more righteous — the unbelievers or the religious — since liars can be found everywhere. I’ve always believed, and still believe, that religiosity is no guarantee of morality, and certainly doesn’t give the right to consider everyone else sinners. Conscience is the best judge, an inner arbiter, to which we must appeal when making decisions. In our history, you’ll find many people far removed from religion who have done far more good for this world than…”

Giovanni fell silent.

“Professor, there’s no point in questioning what Scripture says. Here and when I return to the Vatican, I will pray that you come to the truth…” Thomas rose from his chair, looked toward the excavations, and asked, “When will you begin extracting new scrolls?”

“I think tomorrow or the day after. But, as I already said, you won’t find anything interesting there. The Gospel of Luke says that Jesus began preaching at the age of thirty, after being baptized by John. Where Jesus was before that, no one knows. Some sources indicate that before he was thirty, he was in Alexandria and other Egyptian cities. So, he arrived in Judea in 30. And the scrolls are dated to 27—28, and that’s Oplontis, not Rome or Egypt. With all due respect to religion, few people knew about Jesus back then, and it’s unlikely they would have written about him here, on the shores of the Bay of Naples. If Jesus had performed some miracle on Roman territory or managed to stand out from the crowd, there would certainly have been records of him, but no matter how much we searched, in both Jewish and Roman sources, we couldn’t find anything.” In fact, people began to talk seriously about Christianity as a religion only three hundred years later, in 313, when Constantine the Great proclaimed freedom of religion throughout the Roman Empire.

“You’re mistaken, Professor. Gospels have survived written in the second, third, and even first centuries AD, long before the ‘Milan Agreement’ reached in 313. Before religious freedom was proclaimed, Constantine the Great, also called the first Christian emperor, had a miraculous vision — namely, a cross — and subsequently ordered Christianity made the official religion of the Roman Empire. But this is not a matter for debate, just as the historicity of Jesus is not a matter for debate, since these facts are beyond dispute. And we attend all excavations where evidence of the earthly journey of our Lord Jesus may be found, even indirectly, in order to present them to the people.”

“Thomas, I see you’re a sincerely religious and intelligent young man; such people always inspire admiration. You can follow the progress of the work as much as you like, but I’m convinced you’ll find nothing about Jesus, either here or at any other excavation site overseen for so many years by the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology. Isn’t it clear that the earthly journey of Jesus described in the Gospels is simply a myth, a fabrication of the Church Fathers?”

“Professor, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I’m not going to argue with you. You have a superficial knowledge of our Lord and His earthly journey. If you ever come to the Church and begin not just reading but studying the Bible, you will have no doubt about the existence of Christ. And if we’re talking about evidence for the existence of our God, Jesus, there’s plenty of it in each of the Gospels. They were written by different authors and in different places, yet all the biographies of Jesus have only minor differences. And even all the vaunted science, including archaeology, has still not been able to disprove the fact of God’s existence.

The deacon fell silent and stood by the window again, watching the archaeologists at work. Giovanni, realizing that his opponent was sensitive to any criticism of religion and unwilling to even entertain the idea of its mythological component, decided to end the discussion.

— Sorry, Thomas, but I need to go to the excavations.

“Of course, Professor. I’ll join you soon to assess the progress of the work on site. Incidentally, Father Hippolytus is expecting us at nine o’clock tomorrow morning at the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology. We need to leave early to avoid missing the appointed time.”

Giovanni offered to drive to Rome in his car, then left the room. The deacon opened the very same Ancient Greek Bible his uncle had given him and continued reading.

A few hours later, Signor Ponti entered the room with one of the scrolls he had translated during the night, number 7. He explained that the manuscript was compiled in the 14th year of Tiberius’ reign, that is, in 27 or 28 AD. As soon as the professor left the van again, Thomas carefully unrolled the scroll and began to study it.

Scroll 7

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

Scroll of Herodotus in praise of the Pleroma.

That morning, as usual, I went for a stroll around the estate and, passing by the garden, decided to stop by the workshop, where Dion was still diligently sculpting. Hearing a knock, the boy asked who it was, then invited me inside to look at his creation. The sculpture was quite beautiful for a seven-year-old, almost perfect. I asked if he had sculpted it himself. Apparently, my question slightly offended his pride, but after a pause, he said: of course, he did. Do you see anyone else here? He shared with me that sometimes the voice of God appears to him and tells him what to do and how to do it, what needs to be corrected, and Dion, heeding this voice, continues diligently working on the sculpture. And sometimes he leaves work, and when he returns the next day, the sculpture looks even more perfect. He repeated that these are not miracles, but his skill. Dion also told me that since the teacher’s arrival, he’s improved, although his vision hasn’t fully recovered. During lessons with the teacher, he now not only listens but can also write for a while, although his eyes quickly tire, and sometimes his vision fades again until the morning.

Leaving the workshop, which is located in the lower garden, I was about to turn back when I saw the boy’s mother, Portia, the mistress of the estate, coming toward me. She looked agitated. After greeting me, Portia suggested a stroll through the garden. I didn’t immediately ask the reason for her concern and followed her into the garden, which repeatedly struck me with its extraordinary beauty. Portia didn’t visit the estate often, spending most of her time in Rome. Taking the opportunity, I thanked her for her hospitality and then asked:

— How does Dion sculpt so well?

Glancing towards the workshop where her son was working, Portia said:

“Dion tries very hard, but sometimes I think his excessive pursuit of perfection can only do harm. I help him as much as I can, I guide him, but as you can see, I don’t often get to spend time with my son.”