Acts 8:9-11

Acts 8:9-11

[9] But  there was a certain  man,  called  Simon,  which beforetime  in  the same city  used sorcery,  and  bewitched  the people  of Samaria,  giving out  that himself  some  great one:  [10] To whom  they all  gave heed,  from  the least  to  the greatest,  saying,  This man  the great  power  of God.  [11] And  to him  they had regard,  because  that of long  time  he had bewitched  them  with sorceries. 

What does Acts 8:9-11 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Another person who was doing miracles in Samaria, but by satanic power, was Simon, whom people have sometimes called Simon Magus. Magus is the transliteration of the Greek word magos meaning magician or sorcerer. The magic that he did was not sleight of hand deception but sorcery: the ability to control people and or nature by demonic power. This ability had made Simon very popular, and he had encouraged people to think that he was a great power whom God had sent. [1]
"As the counterfeit of the true, these false prophets were among the most dangerous enemies of Christianity; and the distinction between the true and the false, between religion and spiritualism, had to be sharply drawn once for all." [2]