Note 617 — Chapter VI · PRE-CHRISTIAN GNOSTICS: SIMON MAGUS

Τὴν δὲ Ἑλένην λυτρωσάμενος, οὕτως τοῖς ἀνθρώποις σωτηρίαν παρέσχε διὰ τῆς ἰδίας ἐπιγνώσεως. See note 3 p. 190, supra. The ἐπίγνωσις of the text seems to indicate that Simon discovered the way of salvation not by any revelation from a higher power, but by his own intelligence and examination. Cf. what he says (Hippolytus, Phil. Bk VI. c. 16, p. 256, Cruice) about the knowledge of Gentile writings being sufficient for the ἐπίγνωσις τῶν ὅλων.