Simony and Celibacy

James Troutman

Originally written 2003/08/09
Last revised 2003/08/10

The early Christian church placed no marital restrictions on its clergy. This is not surprising, given that the Christian movement grew out of a group of apocalyptic Jewish sects of the first century C.E., and Judaism had no restrictions on its clergy. The apostles of the New Testament were almost certainly married, and there are even indications that women led the worship ceremonies in many early churches.

Acts 8:9-24
New International Version

9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, "This man is the divine power known as the Great Power." 11 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.
14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money 19 and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."
20 Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin."
24 Then Simon answered, "Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me."

Acts 8:9-24 :: New International Version (NIV)

Acts 8:9-24
Authorized Version

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 was some great one:
10 To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.
11 And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.
12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
13 Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.
14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:
15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:
16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)
17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
18 And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,
19 Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.
20 But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.
21 Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.
22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.
23 For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.
24 Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the LORD for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.


Acts 8:9-24 :: Authorized Version (aka King James Version)

However, once the Catholic church solidified its power base, by getting the Roman emperor Constantine to declare Christianity the official state religion, the early egalitarian spirit of many of the early sects needed to be eradicated. More and more the high church officials felt the need to create a rigid separation between the clergy and the laity. There were several attempts to enforce a vow of celibacy on the priestly class, but these efforts were largely ignored for centuries.

When Gregory VII (1020-1085) became pope in 1073, he inherited a Church that was plagued with widespread corruption; in particular the practice of simony was rampant.

Simony received its name from Simon (also known as Simon Magus, meaning Simon the magician), a sorcerer whose story is related in Acts 8:9-24. Simon was baptized into the Christian faith and became a devout follower of Philip and other apostles. He was so impressed by the miracles he saw the early apostles perform that he offered to pay to learn the secret for himself, but Peter condemned him for his attempt to purchase the holy secrets with money. So the term simony came to denote the act of paying for sacred objects or services or positions within the church.

For some reason, Gregory believed there was a direct link between the priests' failure to obey their vows of celibacy and the rampant simony that was corrupting the church. He decided that if he could put a stop to the marriages of priests, the practice of simony would somehow disappear. So he "took the unprecedented step of authorizing the laity to withdraw support from any priest who did not renounce his wife and children."1

There was widespread protest by the laity and bishops throughout Europe, but Gregory wasn't fighting fair. "The Pope shrewdly enlisted foreign nobility by promising them lands in return for their enforcement of his radical program. Married priests throughout Europe were forced to separate from their wives and children or face severe retribution. Many suddenly found themselves fighting for their livelihoods and, in some cases, their very lives. And while the reforms discomfited priests, their wives and children were often devastated. Husbands who chose to remain priests repudiated their wives and evicted their families; their progeny became illegitimate overnight. 'Abandoned by the Church to utter destitution,' historian David Noble observed, 'they and their children confronted the horrors of starvation, prostitution, servitude, murder, and suicide.'" 2

In other words, in order to prevent the priests (who were among the poorest classes) from making a few bucks on the side by selling bottles of holy water or accepting gratuities for baptisms, the Pope paid the wealthiest class of nobles to force the priests to abandon their wives and children, thus inflicting untold suffering upon tens of thousands of innocent people.

Needless to say, the Pope's edict did not diminish the practice of simony one bit. Simony, a real blight upon the Church, continued to grow unchecked for another 400 years until it became one of the precipitating causes of the Reformation. One can only speculate as to how differently history might have played out if Gregory had chosen to tackle the problem of simony directly.

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1 The Alphabet Versus the Goddess by Leonard Shlain, p.295
2 Ibid.

References

For the definition and pronunciation of simony, visit Merriam-Webster Online.

Wikipedia has a short entry on simony.

The Bible Gateway.com has searchable translations of the Christian Bible in dozens of languages.

Leonard Shlain has more information on his book The Alphabet Versus the Goddess at his website.

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