Behind the Theology of Simon and Apollonius The writings that we find attributed to Apollonius are precisely the types of works that you would expect to find coming from the pen of Simon and those works attributed to Simon reflect an Oriental theology that you would expect from Apollonius. From Arab sources we find: "They attribute to Apollonius "Risalah fi Tat'hir al-RuHaniyyat fi al-Markabat," a work that treats of the influence of pneumatic agencies in the world of sense, and which also deals with talismans."—JE. In this case pneumatic means spiritual and talismans comes from the Greek "telein" which means "to initiate into the mysteries," or an amulet believed to possess supernatural powers. Since the Christians found Simon's gnosis too metaphysical to comprehend and too threatening to their power they destroyed his writings. What remains comes only from the Christian response to his teachings by the Church Fathers. "There is one Power, differentiated into upper and lower, self-creating, self-increasing, seeking itself, discovering itself – its own mother, its own father, its own sister, its own consort, its own daughter, its own son – Mother-Father, One, the root of the All." What we have here is typical yogic (yoga meaning union of mind body and spirit) philosophy of the upper and lower self. The following could have come directly from the Hymn to the Purusha (self) in the "Rig Veda:" "What is hidden is hidden in what is manifest in fire; and what is manifest in fire originates in the hidden. What is involved is what Aristotle calls dynamei (potentiality) and energeia (actuality), or Plato, the noeton (intelligible) and aistheton (perceptible)." What you find in the theology of Simon is a primitive explanation of quantum physics as an explanation for the creation of the universe. "Simon explained the purpose of the Magus – completely misunderstood by the followers of Jesus – in mythic imagery. Being enlightened, the consciousness of the Magus is one with Nous. Hence he does not reincarnate blindly as do those who have yet to awaken to their true nature, but rather descends into the world. But Nous (Reason) cannot be active without Thought (Epinoia) and so must be united with it. Simon therefore called himself "the Power of God" (Nous) and denominated his thought Helena, a Greek term meaning 'light'."—Katinka Hesselink.Net Continued Table of Contents |