Magi
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Magi, or magus, is the term for priests in Zoroastrianism and earlier Iranian religions. The earliest known use of the word magi is in the trilingual inscription written by Darius the Great, known as
Zoroastrian priests (Magi) carrying barsoms. Statuettes from the Oxus Treasure of the Achaemenid Empire, 4th century BC
Zoroastrian Magus carrying barsom from the Oxus Treasure of the Achaemenid Empire, 4th century BC
Incised sarcophagus slab with the Adoration of the Magi from the Catacombs of Rome, 3rd century
Byzantine depiction of the Three Magi in a 6th-century mosaic at Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo
Simon Magus
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Simon Magus, also known as Simon the Magician, was a religious figure whose confrontation with Peter is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. The act of simony, or paying for position, is named after
Magi
…to two years had passed since the birth, which is why all male children two years or younger were slaughtered. In addition to the more famous story of Simon Magus found in chapter 8, the Book of Acts (13:6–11) also describes another magus who acted as an advisor of Sergius Paulus, the Roman proconsul at Paphos…
Relief of Simon Magus at the gate of the Basilica of Saint-Sernin, Toulouse
Peter's conflict with Simon Magus by Avanzino Nucci, 1620. Simon is on the right, wearing black.
Detail from The Fall of Simon Magus by Jan Rombouts the Elder, 16th century.
Illustration of the Simonian philosophy