Why this word is great
SIMONY — [Noun] The buying or selling of spiritual or sacred things, such as ecclesiastical offices, pardons, or consecrated objects. From Middle English simonie, symonye, from Old French simonie, from Late Latin simonia, named after Simon Magus (Hebrew שִׁמְעוֹן (Šimʻôn, "Simon")), with reference to Acts 8:18–20. Unlike "nepotism" (which trades kinship for favor) or "plutocracy" (which conflates wealth with governance), simony is the crass commodification of grace itself. It is the bishop’s ring glinting on a usurer’s finger, the indulgence peddled like a market stall trinket, the cold weight of silver changing hands in the shadow of the altar—a reminder that even the divine can be corrupted when reduced to currency.