Simon Magus. The founder of Gnosticism

Looking carefully at Portia, I continued:

Even though people hold Simon Magus in great reverence and hang on his every word, sometimes it seems to me he himself doesn’t believe what he says. When we remain in a small circle and ask the teacher about reward in the next world, about heaven and hell, he mocks us, insisting that we should live in the present, enjoy each day, and not think about the future. But when listeners appear, especially if they are noble and wealthy, he becomes completely different. Even the stutter that appears when he is very nervous disappears. A miraculous transformation occurs that is simply inexplicable. It’s as if the teacher is replaced, as if the holy spirit, of which he so often speaks in his sermons, has entered into him. Simon seems to glow and easily charms everyone. You listen to all this, observe, and even though some time ago he laughed and urged us to drink wine, eat meat, poultry, and fish, have fun and enjoy life, you believe him even more strongly. I don’t know how to explain it, and sometimes I watch from the outside and wonder if it’s him or the Holy Spirit.

Portia listened with bated breath to my story about the great magician and preacher Simon, and I continued:

“In the presence of nobles, he speaks sincerely and convincingly of the reward for good deeds in the next world, of how their offerings will go toward rescuing the goddess imprisoned in this world, and you believe him just as sincerely, reluctantly. They give Simon a multitude of gold coins, and he collects them and says he will certainly ransom Helen from Tyre with the money. But now he has become less social, devoting himself to contemplation and allowing everyone to read his manuscripts, even though people offer generous rewards for meeting with him. Simon tells his disciples that the era of the Father is ending and the era of the Son is about to dawn, to whom he will hand over the reins of this world, while he himself will set off to ransom his Helen from Tyre.”

Portia seemed ready to continue listening to my stories about the miracle worker from Samaria, but it was approaching midday, and after excusing myself, I headed to Simon’s. As I approached his dwelling, I saw the servants already preparing the carriage for the journey to Rome.

I immediately told the teacher about Portia’s warning. The abbot listened to me but assured me that the dream was false and perhaps sent to ruin his plans. Simon saw some kind of sign, so we will definitely go to Rome today and even attend the chariot races. Now I will finish writing these lines and follow the teacher. This will be my third visit to Rome, the beautiful, eternal city.

***

Having finished reading the manuscript, Thomas decided to say his prayers before bed and, removing scroll number 5 from the table, took out his Bible. The professor, in the adjacent van, continued working despite the late hour. He studied and translated the manuscripts, then saved them on his computer. When the texts of three or four scrolls appeared in the “Gnostic Myth” folder, he transferred the files from his computer to an external hard drive, later hiding them in his Rome apartment. As he studied the manuscripts, Giovanni became increasingly imbued with Gnostic teaching. He did not regard Gnosticism as the ultimate truth, but saw it as a logical, allegorical explanation for the events described in the Bible.

The deacon’s introduction to Gnosticism was much more difficult. After reading the scroll and praying, he fell into such a deep sleep just before dawn that he didn’t even hear the alarm clock ringing at six in the morning. Thomas had the dream that had haunted him since childhood.

A five-year-old boy sits by his mother’s bedside. With her right hand, which holds her wedding ring, she clutches a necklace with a cross. They wait for their father and the priest to arrive. It’s raining heavily. The boy runs out into the yard to call for help, but there’s no one there. The woman, still waiting for the priest, passes away. Returning to the room, the boy sees that neither the wedding ring nor the necklace with the cross are gone. The boy sits by the bed and cries bitterly, clutching his knees. At that moment, his father returns, but he is alone, without the priest.

Signor Ponti waited outside, and when the clock struck 6:15, he knocked on the van’s door. When he received no answer, he went inside. A scroll lay on the table, and the deacon slept soundly but restlessly. Approaching, the professor said quietly:

— Thomas, Thomas, are you okay? Wake up, we have to go.

The deacon woke up in a cold sweat and muttered that he would soon be ready.

Chapter Three

At the appointed time, the professor and the deacon arrived at the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology. Their office was located in the very center of Rome, in the building of the Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology. Having handed over the discovered scrolls to Hippolytus, the professor reported on the progress of the work. The priest was pleased with both the excavations and the findings and ordered Thomas to continue to oversee the process and the professor to hand over all the discovered manuscripts to the deacon.

After leaving the building, Thomas and Giovanni decided to have lunch at a nearby restaurant. After ordering, the professor asked the deacon :

“You’re not your usual self today. Did the dream affect you that way?”

Thomas was silent, staring at the tablecloth and remembering the dream. The professor continued:

“Yesterday you started talking about your family, your childhood, your youth, but I still couldn’t understand what prompted you, an educated man, to take the path of religious service? I’ve always been interested in what drives people to take this step. Is it a conscious choice, circumstances, or a spiritual impulse?”

Giovanni noticed that the deacon did not like the question, but nevertheless he began to tell:

“As I already said, my uncle, my mother’s older brother, was a priest; I showed you his Bible. My mother, against the family’s wishes, married a farmer, a simple man who was much older than her and, moreover, did not accept all this religion. He demanded that my mother also not perform rituals and not celebrate church holidays. My mother outwardly resigned herself to it, but when we We were left alone, and she often talked to me about the importance of religion and its truth.

At this moment the waiter came with the ordered dishes, and Thomas fell silent, and then continued his story:

“When I grew up, she began to persuade my father to try going to church and praying, but he was terribly opposed. He said a person could be honest and just even without religion. Looking back, I’m increasingly convinced he wasn’t always like that; people aren’t born hating religion — some are driven to it by events in the past, while others turn away from it on their own. Perhaps he encountered unscrupulous priests along the way.”

Lost in his memories, the deacon fell silent again. They began eating, and when their initial hunger had been satisfied, Thomas finished his story:

“My father and I hardly ever communicate now. He tends to his vegetable garden in the village and crafts things out of wood. Something happened a long time ago that, with each passing day, increasingly created a barrier between us, and even though we lived in the same house, we barely spoke to each other. This morning, when you woke me, I had a dream that has haunted me since childhood.”

— When I got into the van, you were muttering, “Mom, the priest will be here soon. I’ll go look for him…” Is this something from the past that’s haunting you?

Thomas remembered the dream again. He hadn’t had it in a long time, and now the nightmare had returned. Maybe yesterday’s conversation about his parents had had an effect, or those damn scrolls.

“It’s a long story, and it’s hard for me to remember it.” He sighed and sipped the dark berry drink from a small glass. “That night, I stayed in the house with my mother, and my father went to fetch a priest. My mother was dying and wanted to go to confession. But my father returned a few hours later alone. We never discussed it, but I sometimes think he didn’t go because of his anti-religious principles or because he was afraid of the storm. I could never forgive him for not fulfilling my mother’s last wishes that night. After her death, he never visited a church to beg forgiveness for her sins in earthly life. A week later, he sold the horse and carriage, saying he no longer needed them since they only went into town together, burned all her belongings, and got rid of her jewelry. He probably wanted to forget her as quickly as possible, to make sure nothing would remind him of her again.

The professor put his instruments aside and listened attentively to Thomas, who, looking at the rain pouring outside the window, continued his sad story:

I gave it a lot of thought, and after graduating from university, I told my father that I wanted to pursue a career in church service. He didn’t try to dissuade me, only said I was always welcome on the farm. I’m glad I chose this path, and I continue to believe that my mission on earth is to serve. Moreover, by joining the church, I have the opportunity to pray for my mother’s life in heaven. That rainy night, I couldn’t help her in any way, only sat by her bed and cried, so now I want to fulfill my duty to her. You probably won’t understand this, but I’m convinced, or at least I want to believe, that my prayers warm her there, in heaven.

— Do you believe that there is something after this life?

— Absolutely. The soul is eternal, and, having completed its earthly journey, it goes to heaven.

The professor, convinced that human life is limited to its earthly existence, didn’t question the deeply religious Thomas’s words. After a moment’s thought, he asked:

— Do you see your father?

“Even though it’s hard for me to do this, I visit him every few months. We must forgive our neighbors and make peace with them — that’s what the church teaches. Following this, I try not to judge my father as much as possible, even though I still can’t forgive him.”

— How many years have you been serving?

“A little over three years. I’m grateful to God for that choice and to the church for accepting me. If it weren’t for religion, I don’t know how I would have survived that experience. Only my faith in Jesus sustains me and gives me strength.”

The professor also remembered his childhood and his parents who had left this world, and noted:

“I was never given a choice; I was told: study whatever you like and choose your own path. Even as a child, I reread the Old and New Testaments several times. Putting aside all the contradictions, one could say that the Old Testament is more or less clear — there is an Almighty, and everything happens according to His will. But the New Testament raises more and more questions for me year after year. From childhood, I wondered how Christianity managed to capture the minds of billions of people? How, having arrived in Judea at the age of thirty, an unknown Jesus managed to so quickly find disciples and become the incarnation of God? Who baptized John, if he later baptized Jesus, and who taught him this rite? And much more. I hope I haven’t offended your religious feelings?” the professor asked politely.

“No, go on. I served in the church, and I had to answer all sorts of questions from parishioners, and sometimes, at the request of priests, questions people asked online. The bishop says that even there we must fight for the souls of the faithful.”

“Thank you. Then I’ll ask you a question that still haunts me. How could a man be born of a virgin in the material world? Do you find that logical? Is such a thing even possible in the material world? And what about the crucifixion and resurrection? Yesterday you said that the son of God descended to earth to save us, and that with his sacrificial crucifixion he saved the world. Rationally speaking, we don’t know if people were ever in any danger, and even if they were, it’s not a given that this crucifixion saved humanity. Doesn’t all this sound like a myth? And isn’t there some ancient story hiding behind all of this?”

Giovanni pulled his cup of cold latte closer to him and looked expectantly at Thomas.

“Professor, the priests of the past have given exhaustive answers to your question about the crucifixion and your other questions. You read it literally and perceive it as man created from flesh and blood, but God thinks differently; we are not given the ability to comprehend His plan.”