The buying or selling of ecclesiastical offices, sacraments, or spiritual privileges in the medieval church. This practice was considered a serious sin and was a major target of church reform movements.
Named after Simon Magus, a figure in Acts 8:9-24 who tried to buy spiritual powers from the apostles Peter and John. The term emerged in early Christianity but became particularly important during medieval reform movements that sought to eliminate corruption in the church hierarchy.
Simony was like the medieval church's version of 'pay-to-play' politics—wealthy families could literally buy bishoprics for their sons, leading to spiritually unqualified leaders running major religious institutions! The fight against simony was so important it helped spark the Protestant Reformation.
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