“Rabbi Jehoshua Ben Chananea, who died about A.D. 72, openly declared that he had performed “miracles” by means of the Book of Sephir Jezireh, and challenged every skeptic. Franck, quoting from the Babylonian Talmud, names two other thaumaturgists, Rabbis Chanina and Oshoi. Simon Magus was doubtless a pupil of the Tanaim of Samaria, the reputation which he left behind, together with the title given to him of “the Great Power of God”, testifies strongly in favor of the ability of his teachers. The calumnities so zealous disseminated against him by the unknown authors and compilers of the Acts and other writings, could not cripple the truth to such an extent as to conceal the fact that no Christian could rival him in thaumaturgic deeds. The story told about his falling during an aerial flight, breaking both his legs, and then committing suicide, is ridiculous. Instead of praying mentally that it should so happen, why did not the apostles pray rather that they should be allowed to outdo Simon in wonders and miracles , for then they might have proved their case far more easily than they did, and so converted thousands to Christianity.
Posterity has heard but one side of the story. Were the disciples of Simon to have a chance, we might find, perhaps, that it was Peter who broke both his legs, had we not known that this apostle was too prudent ever to venture himself in Rome. On the confession of several ecclesiastical writers, no apostle ever performed such “supernatural wonders.” Of course, pious people will say this only the more proves that it was the “devil” who worked through Simon. Simon was accused of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, because he introduced it as the “Holy Spiritus, the Mens (Intelligence), or the mother of all”. But we find the same expression used in the Book of Enoch, in which, in contradistinction to the “Son of Man’, he says “Son of the Woman”.
In the Codex of the Nazarenes, and in the Sohar, as well as in the Books of Hermes, the expression is usual; and even in the apocryphal Evangelium of the Hebrews we read that Jesus himself admitted the sex of the Holy Ghost, by using the expression, “My mother, the Holy Pneuma.” But what is the heresy of Simon, or what the blasphemies of all the heretics, in comparison with that of the same Jesuits who have now so completely mastered the Pope, ecclesiastical Rome, and entire Catholic world? Listen again to their profession of faith.
“Do what your conscience tells you to be good and commanded: if, through invincible error, you believe lying or blasphemy to be commanded by God, blaspheme.”
“Omit to do what your conscience tells you is forbidden: omit the worship of God, if you invincibly believe it to be prohibited by God.”
“There is an implied law…obey an invincibly erroneous dictate of conscience. As often as you believe invincibly that a lie is commanded – lie.”
“Let us suppose a Catholic to believe invincibly that the worship of images is forbidden: in such a case our Lord Jesus Christ will be obliged to say to him, ‘Depart from me thou cursed…Because thou hast worshipped mine image.’ So, neither is there any absurdity in supposing that Christ may say, ‘Come thou blessed…because thou hast lied, believing invincibly, that in such a case I commanded the lie.’”
Does not this – but no Words fail to do justice to the emotions that these astonishing precepts must awaken in the breast of every honest person. Let silence, resulting from invincible disgust, be our only adequate tribute to such unparalleled moral obliquity.”
H. P. Blavatsky
The Mark Of God: Understanding Your "I AM Presence" 