Acts 8:24

Pray ... for me. Simon shows by the nature of his plea that he is not moved by genuine repentance. He shows no sorrow. He sees no need of character. He asks only that he be relieved of the threat of punishment. His entreaty may be compared to the oft-repeated plea of Pharaoh to Moses, “Intreat the Lord” (Ex. 8:8, 28; 9:28; 10:17), which reflected simply his fear, and resulted in no change of conduct. There is no record of a subsequent repentance on Simon’s part, and it may therefore be assumed that he remained unconverted.

This is the end of the record of Simon in the book of Acts, but early church history preserves many legends about him. These legends represent him as a self-appointed leader of a debased form of Christianity that constantly warred against orthodox belief. The unedifying story may be followed in Pseudo-Clementine Homilies ii. 18-39, Recognitions ii. 5-16; Justin Martyr First Apology 26, 56; Irenaeus Against Heresies i. 23; Eusebius Ecclesiastical History ii. 13. 13-18; 14. 1-6; 15. 1. These writings portray Simon as a forerunner of the Gnostic heretics, a teacher whose system was largely based on astrology, angelology, and an overwhelming belief in his own divine powers.