Acts 8 takes place in Samaria. Simon (the sorcerer) is the man who attempted to buy spiritual things. From thence comes the name of the sin, Simony.
Simon Pater??? Where do you get that from??
What is simply amazing is that these Romans we deal with on these threads everyday do not think anyone else knows about it!
Well, you've certainly taught this one something...if you can back up your claims.
I'm fairly certain it is in a Jack Chick comic book. They realized that they couldn't actually be critical of Peter, so they simply made up a different Peter to focus their bigotry on.
Their theory has a very critical flaw. If it was true, then why wouldn't the Church have simply "covered it up" by removing any reference of Simon Magus?
Well....evidently you haven't read the Early Church Fathers because just about everyone one of them writes about Simon Magus and his influence in the city of Rome!
When Justin Martyr wrote [152 A.D.] his Apology, the sect of the Simonians appears to have been formidable, for he speaks four times of their founder, Simon; and we need not doubt that he identified him with the Simon of the Acts. He states that he was a Samaritan, adding that his birthplace was a village called Gitta; he describes him as a formidable magician, and tells that he came to ROME in the days of Claudius Caesar (45 A.D.), and made such an impression by his magical powers, THAT HE WAS HONORED AS A GOD, a statue being erected to him on the Tiber, between the two bridges, bearing the inscription ‘Simoni deo Sancto’ (i.e., the holy god Simon) (Dictionary of Christian Biography, Vol. 4, p. 682)
Do you want me to go on?
Simon Pater??? Where do you get that from??
Pater is the word for Father in Latin....you know that. He was called "Father Simon" or Simon Pater.
As a side question....have you ever wondered why the Apostle Luke spends so much time with this guy. He hardly mentions most of the Apostles.....but spends half a chapter letting us know about this jerk.