Gnosticism is a very broad group of religious philosophies spanning centuries and continents. This article is primarily concerned with the gnosticism that adopted into its system forms of Christian belief or Christian communities that absorbed into its system gnostic beliefs in the first several centuries of Christian church history. A great deal of scholarship has been devoted to exploring the relationships between gnosticism and Christianity. Gnosticism had no definable set of doctrines due to the fact that there were many variant manifestations of gnostic teachings and theories. In some ways it mirrored some Christian beliefs but included esoteric knowledge that led to salvation, (usually as an escape from this world), and produced numerous apocryphal gospels and literature that carried its spiritual wisdom. Some very general characteristics are the emphasis on the salvation of the soul (as opposed to the body), that matter or the created world was deficient, that the spiritual was good and the material evil. It stood quite apart from the orthodox teachings of the church and many of the early treatises produced by early church leaders addresses the heretical tendencies of the gnostics. While some aspects including an elevated role for women or emphasis on an internal spirituality are not completely out of place, as a whole, gnosticism presented some problems with respect to Christian doctrine which is why it was rejected by the church that produced the canon of scripture. The following quotations are a small "gnostic" sampler intended just to give some flavor of gnostic thought…
From Valentinus writing in "Incarnation" Second Century Christianity, cited in Clement of Alexandria Stomata, Book III chapter 7
Jesus certainly didn't do that...
"Having endured everything he was continent; thus Jesus exercised his divinity. He ate and drank in a peculiar manner, not evacuating his food. So much power of continence was in him that in him food was not corrupted, since he himself had no corruptibility."
Early Christian Writings
From "The Gospel of Truth" the Nag Hammadi Library
From "The Gospel of Truth" the Nag Hammadi Library
Speak concerning the truth to those who seek it and of knowledge to those who, in their error, have committed sin. Make sure-footed those who stumble and stretch forth your hands to the sick. Nourish the hungry and set at ease those who are troubled. Foster men who love. Raise up and awaken those who sleep. For you are this understanding which encourages. If the strong follow this course, they are even stronger. Turn your attention to yourselves. Do not be concerned with other things, namely, that which you have cast forth from yourselves, that which you have dismissed. Do not return to them to eat them. Do not be moth-eaten. Do not be worm-eaten, for you have already shaken it off. Do not be a place of the devil, for you have already destroyed him. Do not strengthen your last obstacles, because that is reprehensible. For the lawless one is nothing. He harms himself more than the law. For that one does his works because he is a lawless person. But this one, because he is a righteous person, does his works among others. Do the will of the Father, then, for you are from him.
He revealed himself as a Pleroma, i.e., the finding of the light of truth which has shined towards him, because he is unchangeable. For this reason, they who have been troubled speak about Christ in their midst so that they may receive a return and he may anoint them with the ointment. The ointment is the pity of the Father, who will have mercy on them. But those whom he has anointed are those who are perfect. For the filled vessels are those which are customarily used for anointing. But when an anointing is finished, the vessel is usually empty, and the cause of its deficiency is the consumption of its ointment. For then a breath is drawn only through the power which he has. But the one who is without deficiency - one does not trust anyone beside him nor does one pour anything out. But that which is the deficient is filled again by the perfect Father. He is good. He knows his plantings because he is the one who has planted them in his Paradise. And his Paradise is his place of rest.
Gnostic Library On Line
On baptism from "The Gospel of Philip",
If one go down into the water and comes up without having received anything, and says, "I am a christian" he has borrowed the name at interest. But if he receive the Holy Spirit, he has the name as a gift. He who received a gift does not have to give it back, but of him who has borrowed it at interest, payment is demanded. This is the way (it happens to one) when one experiences a mystery.
By perfecting the water of baptism, Jesus emptied it of death. Thus we do go down into the water, but we do not go down into death, in order that we may not be poured out into the spirit of the world. When that spirit blows, it brings the winter. When the Holy Spirit breathes, the summer comes.
From "The Gospel of Thomas"
These are the secret sayings that the living Jesus spoke and Didymos Judas Thomas recorded.
49. Jesus said, "Congratulations to those who are alone and chosen, for you will find the kingdom. For you have come from it, and you will return there again."
75. Jesus said, "There are many standing at the door, but those who are alone will enter the bridal suite."
77. Jesus said, "I am the light that is over all things. I am all: from me all came forth, and to me all attained. Split a piece of wood; I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there."
90. Jesus said, "Come to me, for my yoke is comfortable and my lordship is gentle, and you will find rest for yourselves."
108. Jesus said, "Whoever drinks from my mouth will become like me; I myself shall become that person, and the hidden things will be revealed to him."
110. Jesus said, "Let one who has found the world, and has become wealthy, renounce the world."
114. Simon Peter said to them, "Make Mary leave us, for females don't deserve life."
Jesus said, "Look, I will guide her to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every female who makes herself male will enter the kingdom of Heaven."
Gnosis Library - access gnostic literature
Note: the Pleroma is the totality of divine powers, the godhead emanates pairs of lesser deities of which Sophia and Jesus are a pair. The Demiurge creates evil out of foolishness. An Aeon is an emanation of god.
from "The Apocryphal of John"
"And the Sophia of the Epinoia, being an aeon, conceived a thought from herself and the conception of the invisible Spirit and foreknowledge. She wanted to bring forth a likeness out of herself without the consent of the Spirit, - he had not approved - and without her consort, and without his consideration. And though the person of her maleness had not approved, and she had not found her agreement, and she had thought without the consent of the Spirit and the knowledge of her agreement, (yet) she brought forth. And because of the invincible power which is in her, her thought did not remain idle, and something came out of her which was imperfect and different from her appearance, because she had created it without her consort. And it was dissimilar to the likeness of its mother, for it has another form.
"And when she saw (the consequences of) her desire, it changed into a form of a lion-faced serpent. And its eyes were like lightning fires which flash. She cast it away from her, outside that place, that no one of the immortal ones might see it, for she had created it in ignorance. And she surrounded it with a luminous cloud, and she placed a throne in the middle of the cloud that no one might see it except the holy Spirit who is called the mother of the living. And she called his name Yaltabaoth."
On baptism from "The Gospel of Philip",
If one go down into the water and comes up without having received anything, and says, "I am a christian" he has borrowed the name at interest. But if he receive the Holy Spirit, he has the name as a gift. He who received a gift does not have to give it back, but of him who has borrowed it at interest, payment is demanded. This is the way (it happens to one) when one experiences a mystery.
By perfecting the water of baptism, Jesus emptied it of death. Thus we do go down into the water, but we do not go down into death, in order that we may not be poured out into the spirit of the world. When that spirit blows, it brings the winter. When the Holy Spirit breathes, the summer comes.
From "The Gospel of Thomas"
These are the secret sayings that the living Jesus spoke and Didymos Judas Thomas recorded.
49. Jesus said, "Congratulations to those who are alone and chosen, for you will find the kingdom. For you have come from it, and you will return there again."
75. Jesus said, "There are many standing at the door, but those who are alone will enter the bridal suite."
77. Jesus said, "I am the light that is over all things. I am all: from me all came forth, and to me all attained. Split a piece of wood; I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there."
90. Jesus said, "Come to me, for my yoke is comfortable and my lordship is gentle, and you will find rest for yourselves."
108. Jesus said, "Whoever drinks from my mouth will become like me; I myself shall become that person, and the hidden things will be revealed to him."
110. Jesus said, "Let one who has found the world, and has become wealthy, renounce the world."
114. Simon Peter said to them, "Make Mary leave us, for females don't deserve life."
Jesus said, "Look, I will guide her to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every female who makes herself male will enter the kingdom of Heaven."
Gnosis Library - access gnostic literature
Note: the Pleroma is the totality of divine powers, the godhead emanates pairs of lesser deities of which Sophia and Jesus are a pair. The Demiurge creates evil out of foolishness. An Aeon is an emanation of god.
from "The Apocryphal of John"
"And the Sophia of the Epinoia, being an aeon, conceived a thought from herself and the conception of the invisible Spirit and foreknowledge. She wanted to bring forth a likeness out of herself without the consent of the Spirit, - he had not approved - and without her consort, and without his consideration. And though the person of her maleness had not approved, and she had not found her agreement, and she had thought without the consent of the Spirit and the knowledge of her agreement, (yet) she brought forth. And because of the invincible power which is in her, her thought did not remain idle, and something came out of her which was imperfect and different from her appearance, because she had created it without her consort. And it was dissimilar to the likeness of its mother, for it has another form.
"And when she saw (the consequences of) her desire, it changed into a form of a lion-faced serpent. And its eyes were like lightning fires which flash. She cast it away from her, outside that place, that no one of the immortal ones might see it, for she had created it in ignorance. And she surrounded it with a luminous cloud, and she placed a throne in the middle of the cloud that no one might see it except the holy Spirit who is called the mother of the living. And she called his name Yaltabaoth."
On the Resurrection
[35] But in the night in which the Lord's day dawned, when the soldiers were safeguarding it two by two in every watch, there was a loud voice in heaven; [36] and they saw that the heavens were opened and that two males who had much radiance had come down from there and come near the sepulcher. [37] But that stone which had been thrust against the door, having rolled by itself, went a distance off the side; and the sepulcher opened, and both the young men entered. [38] And so those soldiers, having seen, awakened the centurion and the elders (for they too were present, safeguarding). [39] And while they were relating what they had seen, again they see three males who have come out from they sepulcher, with the two supporting the other one, and a cross following them, [40] and the head of the two reaching unto heaven, but that of the one being led out by a hand by them going beyond the heavens. [41] And they were hearing a voice from the heavens saying, 'Have you made proclamation to the fallen-asleep?' [42] And an obeisance was heard from the cross, 'Yes.' [43]
Gospel of Peter
A few parting thoughts
So, why does this matter? Take the example of Marcion, one of the first declared to hold to heretical teaching, he couldn't explain away the contradictions scripture. He would later revert to teaching about a dualistic god, one good and the other 'judicial' in order to explain evil in the world. Justin, Tertullian, and and Irenaeus all wrote against Marcion's position (Justin Apology, Irenaeus, "Marcion's Two God's"). Why? Gnosticism has a tendency to side step difficulties in scripture and in life, creates a dualism between the material and spiritual, designating the material as evil and the spiritual as good. Seeing evil in the material world sends people down a thought path that usually ends with disdain for creation and humanity.
A few parting thoughts
So, why does this matter? Take the example of Marcion, one of the first declared to hold to heretical teaching, he couldn't explain away the contradictions scripture. He would later revert to teaching about a dualistic god, one good and the other 'judicial' in order to explain evil in the world. Justin, Tertullian, and and Irenaeus all wrote against Marcion's position (Justin Apology, Irenaeus, "Marcion's Two God's"). Why? Gnosticism has a tendency to side step difficulties in scripture and in life, creates a dualism between the material and spiritual, designating the material as evil and the spiritual as good. Seeing evil in the material world sends people down a thought path that usually ends with disdain for creation and humanity.
- Scholarship is certainly bringing more information of the theological diversity that existed in the first couple centuries of the Christian communities existence and certainly a knowledge of these groups is essential in a clearer picture of the development of Christianity, and this is a good thing because it helps us to understand the issues then and now better.
- The effort of the church to maintain an orthodox teaching did not always 'get it right' as illustrated on how it went about dealing with heretics in the Middle Ages, so while inquisitions and burnings do not come about till quite a bit later, the quest for orthodoxy stand as a warning about the importance of freedom of conscience and the critical need for the church to struggle with orthodoxy and heresy.
- Orthodoxy still matters because what the early leaders were trying to preserve (although imperfectly) was a certain kind of spirituality, one that did not deny the goodness of the creation, that recognized the importance of maintaining an engagement in the world in which we live, one that recognized that faith could not be simply reduced to another celestial world, one that kept faith and works together, no easy way out for a call to social justice. In a day when we are seeing enormous consequences to the poor as a result of economic policies of western countries, environmental decline and degradation, rise of political unrest, violence, and deterioration of human rights, it is more important than ever that the faith we profess is one that is true to the world we live in, not just for the world to come.
- A focus on individualism at the cost of community, an inner spirituality without a corporate spirituality, a denial of the physical all leads to a host of serious political, social, and theological pitfalls. In the above select readings, one can see some of the good emphasis in Christian charity in Gnosticism which is similar in Christianity. But to this day, within many Christian circles, some of the same ways of thinking that negate between the material and spiritual or that over emphasizes a personal spirituality abound. It is more important than ever that we are open to an assessment of our beliefs so that we can look back to where the church of the past set her boundaries so many centuries ago not because we are trying to get some set of propositional truths "right" but because it grounded the church in a faithful expression of the kind of spirituality that was engaged in the love of God and neighbor and always pointed to the eminent Kingdom of God not as a place far away, not skirting past pain, suffering, and injustice, but as a reality that had arrived and meets humanity right where it lives. The church doesn't always get her doctrine correct, but understanding the issues the early had with Gnosticism is essential in the task of understanding theology today.
No comments:
Post a Comment