Simon Magus
Referenced in 2 episodes
Definition
A Samaritan sorcerer and religious figure who is considered a precursor to Gnostic thought, often associated with heretical early Christian teachings.
Related episodes
Dr. Ray Taylor on Why the Essenes and Therapeutae Never Existed
Aeon Byte Gnostic RadioOct 10, 2026
Independent researcher Dr. Ray Taylor argues that the Essenes and Therapeutae were scholarly inventions designed to tie Jesus and John the Baptist safely to Judaism, and that the Dead Sea Scrolls are a modern hoax. He claims the historical Jesus belonged to a Gnostic-leaning 'river' tradition of baptizing sects such as the Mandaeans, Nasoraeans and Simonians, not to a temple-based Judaism. Guest Graham Pong adds his own theory that Judaism itself was a Hellenistic-era construction, rooted in the Septuagint and shaped by the Hasmonean and Seleucid power struggles.
Dr. Ray Taylor on The Nazorean Current, Manichaean Gnosis & Orthodox Deception
Aeon Byte Gnostic RadioJul 23, 2026
Religious studies scholar Dr. Ray Taylor argues that Christianity did not grow out of the Jerusalem Temple. He traces it instead to a 'Nazorean current' of daily-baptizing, gnosis-keeping sects around John the Baptist. He connects this current to the Mandaeans, the Elkesaites, Simon Magus and Mani, and claims later orthodox writers built a false line of apostolic succession to bury these rival streams.