What Is Simony? The Forgotten Sin, Explained

Simony and Simon the Sorcerer

Most Christians have never heard of simony, yet for centuries few sins in the church were more widely discussed. It's named for Simon the sorcerer who saw the spirit given through the Apostles hands and offered them money.

Peter replied, may your silver perish with you because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money. Thomas Aquinas gave the classic definition. Simony is an earnest desire to buy or sell something spiritual or something annexed to a spiritual thing.

Something spiritual, not just church offices but sacraments, prayer, preaching, and teaching. Annexed, things join to them like an office's income. Both buyer and seller are guilty and the sin begins in the will, whether or not money changes hands.

Simony in Church History

Church fathers condemned it, medieval schoolmen defined it, and the Reformation itself began in a dispute over the sale of spiritual things. So may ministers be supported? Yes, the worker is worthy of his wages, but support is not a price.

The Commercialization of Theological Instruction

From the people, the minister receives honor, not a price for his labor. From God, his true employer, he receives his wages. Today, selling theological instruction is a multi-billion dollar industry.

What new Reformation awaits a church that learns again to discern this sin? The Doctrine of Simony by Conley Owens. Read it free at simony .info.