Early Christian authors were suspicious of magic, because they believed that demons were instrumental in its practice. One of the earliest adversaries of the apostles was a magician named Simon Magus, who offered Peter and Paul a sum of money in exchange for the ability to perform their God-given powers (Acts 8:9–24).[2] Legends sprang up around Simon in late antiquity, including a story about a duel between the apostles and the magician in the presence of Emperor Nero. As retold in the thirteenth century by Jacobus de Voragine (ca. 1230–98), this tale demonstrated once and for all that the power of the apostles derived from God, while the tricks of magicians, including their ability to fly, were demonic in origin.
Peter and Paul went to Nero and began to expose all Simon’s sham wizardry; and Peter added that just as there are in Christ two substances, namely the divine and the human, so there were two substances in this sorcerer, the human and the diabolical. Simon’s reply…was: “I cannot tolerate the slanders of this man any longer. I shall order my angels to avenge me on him.” “I do not fear your angels,” Peter told him. “Rather it is they who fear me.”…Unable to bear the shame of this public humiliation, Simon vanished from view for the space of a year, and Marcellus, after witnessing these miracles, became a disciple of St. Peter. In time Simon came out of hiding and Nero welcomed him back as his friend. According to Leo, Simon then called the people together and told them that he had been deeply offended by the Galileans; and for that reason he was intending to abandon the city whose protector he had been, and to name the day on which he would ascend to heaven, because he did not deign to live on earth any longer. On the appointed day he climbed to the top of a lofty tower, or, according to Linus, to the top of the Capitol, and wearing a crown of laurel on his head, leapt off and began to fly. Paul said to Peter: “Leave me to pray: you take command!” Nero said: “Simon spoke the truth. You two are charlatans.” Peter said to Paul: “Look up and see!” Paul looked up and saw Simon flying, and asked Peter: “What are you waiting for? Finish what you have begun, for the Lord is already calling us!” Then Peter said: “You angels of Satan, you who keep Simon aloft in the air, I adjure you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, carry him no more! Let him fall!” At once Simon was released; he dropped to the ground, his neck was broken and he died. When Nero saw this, he was deeply distressed at the loss of such a man and said to the apostles: “You have grieved me deeply. I shall have you put to death, and make a terrible example of you!”