Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Acts 8:10

"to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is that power of God which is called Great." — Acts 8:10 (ASV)

Simon the sorcerer, or Simon Magus as he is called in postapostolic Christian writings, was a leading heretic in the early church. Justin Martyr (died c. 165), who was himself a Samaritan, says that nearly all his countrymen revered Simon as the highest god, and many legends grew up around him. Just exactly how Simon of Ac 8 is related to Simon Magus of later legend is not clear. Luke’s statement about the Samaritans’ veneration of Simon (they said, “The man is the divine power known as the Great Power”) seems to support the identification of these two. Likewise, what exactly is meant by the title “the Great Power” (v.10) is uncertain; it may mean that Simon was acclaimed to be God Almighty. At any rate, he claimed to be some exceedingly great person and supported his claim by many acts of magic.

Nevertheless, as the Gospel advanced into Samaria, Simon believed and was baptized. His conversion must have greatly impressed the Samaritans, and their evangelist Philip must have long remembered it. But Simon himself, to judge by the narrative that follows, was more interested in the great acts of power accompanying Philip’s preaching than God’s reign in his life or the proclamation of Jesus’ messiahship. Simon’s belief in Jesus seems to have been like that spoken of in Jn 2:23–25—i.e., based only on miraculous signs and thus inferior to true commitment to Jesus.