“Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.”
and said, 'Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit' - Simon's request reveals his fundamental misunderstanding: he seeks the ability ('exousia, authority) to impart the Spirit through his own touch. He wants to appropriate apostolic power and use it for his own authority. The phrase 'everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit' shows he understands the mechanics but misses the theology: the Spirit is not a transferable commodity but a gift from God.
Church Fathers on Acts 8:19
Giving out, it says, that he was himself some great one. To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries. But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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