The Simonians’ principles were taken from Simon Magus’ reputed work, 'The Great Declaration', in which he detailed his theory of an eternal ungenerated being from which emanated six roots or powers (corresponding to heaven and earth, sun and moon, air and water), along with a seventh power, known as the “Standing One”.

Much of our knowledge of the sect comes from the Church Fathers, Justin Martyr (in his “Apologies”) and Irenaeus (in his “Adversus Haereses”). in Syria and various districts of Asia Minor and Rome, believed that Simon Magus was God in human form. The Gnostic sect of Simonianism, which flourished in the 2nd Century A.D. Nero ordered that Simon's body be kept carefully for three days after his death in the hopes of him rising again. The Death of Simon Magus from the Nuremberg Chronicle (1493) (from Īnother apocryphal document, the “Acts of Peter and Paul”, gives a similar but slightly different version of the events, whereby Peter (along with the Apostle Paul who was also present) was imprisoned by the Emperor Nero for his actions in bringing down Simon Magus. The previously non-hostile crowd then stoned him as an impostor, and he eventually died of his injuries despite the attentions of a sympathetic banished sorcerer named Castor. The apostle Peter prayed to God to stop his flying, and he stopped in mid-air and fell, breaking his legs.

The apocryphal “Acts of Peter” gives a legendary tale of Simon Magus' death: In order to prove himself to be a god, Simon performed magic in the Forum, and levitated up into the air. He appears more prominently in several apocryphal accounts by early Christian authors (specifically, the “Acts of Peter” and the “Acts of Peter and Paul”), who regarded him as essentially the first heretic. The sin of “simony” - paying for position and influence in the church - is named after him based on this story. However, he then tried to offer money to the Apostles in exchange for miraculous abilities, specifically the power of laying on of hands or spirit healing. He is described as a practiser of magic in the city of Sebaste in Samaria, who was converted to Christianity by Philip the Evangelist. In the “Acts of the Apostles” in the Bible (verses 8:9-24), Simon appears briefly. He was specifically said to have possessed the ability to levitate and to fly at will, leading to accusations by Christians that he was a demon in human form. Simon Magus (also known as Simon the Sorcerer and Simon of Gitta) is the name used by early Christian writers to refer to a Biblical person now more commonly identified as a Samaritan proto-Gnostic. 'The Fall of Simon Magus' by Bennozzo Gozzoli (1461) (from Simon Magus - Famous Witches - Witchcraft

The death of simon the sorcerer