Simon Magus in Patristic, Medieval and Early Modern Traditions: (125 Studies in the History of Christian Traditions)

The volume discusses the post-New Testament Simon Magus from the era of the Church Fathers beginning with Justin Martyr to the early modern era represented in a seventeenth century Baroque relief in the Cathedral of Oviedo, Spain. Sources consulted are artistic, theological texts, historical chronicles, sermons, hagiographies, vernacular literatures, biblical commentaries, and heresiologies. Topics explored are: Traditions and Historiography; Types of Simon Magus in Anti-Gnostic sources; a comparison of the Acts of Peter and the Passions of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul; Jerome and Vincent of Lérins on Simon Magus; the Nicolaitian heresy; the Fall of Simon Magus in the Church Fathers; Simon Magus, Dogs, and Simon Peter; Simon Magus in Irish and English medieval legends; Simon Magus, Nicolas of Antioch, and Muhammad; Vincent Ferrer and the canonical and apocryphal Simon Magus; Simon Magus in the Cathedral of León, Spain; Simon Magus in the Cathedral of Oviedo, Spain; and a full bibliographical inventory- 99 entries- of Simon Magus in artistic expression. The book is illustrated with about 28 artistic reproductions. The volume contains author and subject indexes and a full bibliography of works consulted.

Table of Contents:
Introduction 1. Simon Magus: The Patristic-Medieval Traditions and Historiography 2. Ten Years of Editions and Publications on New Testament Apocrypha 3. Typological Portraits of Simon Magus in Anti-Gnostic Sources 4. Simon Peter and Simon Magus in the Acts of Peter and the Passion of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul 5. Jerome’s Polemic against Priscillian in his Letter to Ctesiphon (133,4) 6. Priscillian and Nicolaitism 7. Simon Magus and Priscillian in the Commonitorium of Vincent of Lérins 8. The Fall of Simon Magus in Early Christian Commentary 9. Simon Magus, Dogs, and Simon Peter 10. Simon Magus and Simon Peter in Medieval Irish and English Legends 11. Simon Magus, Nicolas of Antioch, and Muhammad 12. Vincent Ferrer’s Beati Petri Apostoli: Canonical and Apocryphal Sources in Popular Vernacular Preaching 13. Pope Clement I, Martin of Tours and Simon Magus in the Cathedral of León, Spain 14. Simon Magus and Simon Peter in a Baroque Altar Relief in the Cathedral of Oviedo, Spain 15. Artistic Representations of Simon Magus and Simon Peter in the Princeton Index of Christian Art: With Up-to-Date Inventory and Bibliography Bibliography Modern Author Index Subject Index

About the Author :
Alberto Ferreiro, Ph.D, is a Professor of European History at Seattle Pacific University. He has published over 50 articles in patristics and medieval studies in prestigious journals such as Church History, Journal of Ecclesiastical History, Harvard Theological Review, Vigiliae Christianae, Zeitschrift fur Papyrologie und Epigraphik, Revue des Atudes Augustiniennes, Apocrypha, Studia monastica, Hagiographica among others and in published acts of major conferences. His latest book is The Twelve Prophets, (Intervarsity Press, 2003).

Review :
'Quienes hacemos teologia en lengua castellana, saludaremos con alegria la colaboracion del autor a aumentar la produccion cientifica cualificada en nuestra lengua.' José Luis Navaraja, Archa Verbi vol. 5 (2008), pp. 192-195. ‘Simon Magus in Patristic, Medieval and Early Modern Traditions gives a magical panorama of Simon Magus. (…) Alberto Ferreiro proves to be steeped in knowledge of Simon Magus. He explored different sources as theological texts, historical chronicles, sermons, vernacular literatures, biblical commentaries, and arts. This interdisciplinary approach makes this a book of great interest for church historians and theologians, as well as historians and art historians.’ Boukje Thijs, Church History and Religious Culture ‘Thus, while the fantastic aspects of Simon Magus's putative Gnosticism have little place in these studies, they hardly lack for the type of arcana that make for interesting historical essays, especially ones so well presented and cogently written. This work is at once informative and engaging, scholarly and enjoyable, and serves as a case study of how one particular individual is variously depicted throughout fifteen hundred years of Western history.’ Gary Jenkins, Eastern University, Sixteenth Century Journal