Meaning & use
simony
The buying or selling of church offices, positions, or sacred things, considered a serious sin or crime.
See it in a sentence
Medieval reformers condemned bishops who practiced simony to enrich themselves.
The council passed strict rules to prevent simony within the growing church.
A note on using this word
Simony takes its name from Simon Magus, who in the Bible tried to buy spiritual power from the apostles.
Words with a similar meaning
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