Gnosticism 1

Introduction

When and from what source did it originate? 

The Discovery of a collection of texts in the region of Nag Hammadi in upper Egypt in 1945.

This was regarded as very important to Scholars since the only information on Gnosticism was from the perspective of Christian authors seeking to discredit it. It is true that most literature about Gnosticism is written by Christians such as Iranaeus who sought to discredit it.

The Church fathers traced the Gnostic heresies back to Simon Magus in Samaria (Acts 8)

However the documents do not solve the questions of the chronology of Gnosticism as none of the texts are demonstrably earlier than the New Testament

They seem to be a combination of Greek philosophical ideas, pagan concepts, judaism and Christianity.

Many Gnostic concepts can be explained as developing out of the book of Genesis 

The personification of wisdom in Proverbs which is associated with developments in Jewish mysticism.

It would seem that Gnosticism ran alongside Christianity but it takes the ideas of Christianity and creates a completely opposing view which set Gnostics and Christians on an inevitable collision course

Many Scholars and other voices claim that Gnosticism was in fact the original christianity and that was suppressed.

The ideas in Gnosticism are still prevalent in the world today and its ideas are propagated in books and media 

Original 1977 Star Wars Poster

The classic Gnostic question - is this the real world? It seems so alien to me perhaps its not real at all!

This is the central theme in most of Philip K. Dicks Novels 

The science fiction writer Philip K. Dick. comes to mind as does Albert Camus, George Orwell, Aldeous Huxley among others.

A classic example of Gnosticism in film is the DaVinci code 

• Seen in “Star Wars” and “Battlestar Galactica” 

• The Truman Show

• the Thirteenth Floor.

• The Matrix

• Prometheus 

There are many more examples of this . . .  the basic theme of these films are simply this: what we humans recognise as reality, is nothing but an illusion; an illusion put before our eyes to imprison us by powerful entities, which seek to keep us trapped and deceived for their own selfish benefit.

There are many thinkers and writers today who may not even be aware oF Gnostic themes running through on their work.

Are we a brain in a Jar? the classic Gnostic question - is this the real world? It seems so alien to me perhaps its not real at all!




This is the central theme in most of Philip K. Dicks Novels 







The science fiction writer Philip K. Dick. comes to mind as does Albert Camus, George Orwell, Aldeous Huxley among others.






Franz Kafka's metamorphosis is an existentialist work with strong Gnostic overtones





In the 20th C Gnostic ideas began to be affected by the ideas of existentialism in which the material world has no creator and is the result of a cosmic accident called evolution, but is no less absurd and alien as the Gnostic thinkers suggest.

This is somewhat simplistic in a highly diverse and complex society, but it is clear that there is a universal thread in the ideas and teachings in Gnosticism that is tied with the aspirations and longings of mankind.

This is not to say gnosticism distilled into a religious orthodoxy with adepts and sycophants is the one true faith, but rather the struggles of man about the strangeness of his existence, the feelings of being trapped and limited by ones physical restraints in an environment that is full of suffering and pain. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4zICmyuNvs

The Longing for something higher and better the desire to attain a deeper level of understanding and wisdom. The rejection of the material world and all it has to offer, a deep distrust of all aspects of physical pleasure as misleading and superficial, hiding a deeper reality that can only be achieved by denial of the surface pleasures of a material world.



A reaction to Christianity 

The issue Gnostics had with Christianity is a seen in their interpretations of the Torah 
They concluded the creator of earth (Jahweh) was cruel and malevolent.
There is another superior deity who is transcendent and unknowable.
Mankind has retained a spark of that transcendent wisdom and knowledge


The meaning of the creation drama, when properly understood, is that human beings—gnostics in particular—derive their knowledge and light from the transcendent god, but through the mean-spirited actions of the demiurge, the creator of the world, they have been confined within this world.
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Humans in this world are imprisoned, asleep, drunken, fallen, ignorant. They need to find themselves—to be freed, awakened, made sober, raised, and enlightened. In other words, they need to return to gnosis.

The famous bullet scene from the Matrix Once we achieve "Gnosis" the material world begins to lose its control over us, Neo begins to see beyond the confines of the matrix (material realm),but he needs to learn more (Gnosis) before being completely liberated. He eventually achieves this in his "christ-Like" sacrifice at the end when he he is blinded but "sees"

A life of depravation and poverty, this was much admired in mainstream Christianity as this and other paintings celebrate the lives of these "so called" saints. Is this the teaching of the scriptures, when one considers the Gnostic principle of a world that is a 'mistake' made by a 'demiurge' who is flawed and basally evil then to reject this world and focus on the spiritual nature of ourselves makes sense as a Gnostic belief. The point being is this: it is difficult at times to separate Gnosticism from Christianity. There were some virulent voices spoken against the Gnostics but the truth is Church leaders such as Clement and Origen and even tertullian embraced many gnostic principles. Asceticism is a prime example of this.

St Paul by Jusepe de Ribera 17th C 

There is also a strong element of disgust for everything material. Pleasure of any kind is regarded as part of the trickery of the Demiurge to keep man kind enslaved. It became embedded in the Gnostic movement that a rejection of all physical comfort and pleasure was part of the process of moving towards the Light and revelation of the purity and spiritual knowledge.

Many see this image as a picture of Jahweh measuring out the universe as told in the OT it is is not the Jahweh of the Bible as Christians see him but rather William Blake's version of the Demiurge "Urizen" who is far from omnipotent and Good and Kind but rather a selfish creator who works with the mathematical tools that Blake sees as evil instruments that symbolise the limited use of the brain. 

This area of consciousness is his critique of materialists who refuse to acknowledge the spirituality of man and focus on facts and figures that can be measured and controlled, rather than intuition and creativity which should not be contained and limited in order for it to flourish.

It is a much overlooked fact that the ascetic Life style that adepts sought in order to achieve spiritual enlightenment was a direct reference to the Gnostic view of a degenerate and fallen world. By refusing to partake in anything that “pleases the flesh’ the Gnostic believed they are able to break free from the bondage and slavery that is part of the enslavement of the Demiurge.

What is more interesting fact to explore is how the Gnostic teachings appeal to idea of man through the use of his own willpower and self discipline and this idea of denial and deprivation can lead to a new level of awareness and spirituality, and it is in the third century that these ideas become firmly entrenched in the minds and beliefs of mainstream Christianity.

Not only that but there is plenty of evidence that Gnostic teachings were dovetailed in the Catholic as well as the Orthodox Churches and very much in evidence to this day.

There is much said about the suppression of the Gnostics by a polarised mainstream of Christianity and that Constantine who was as cruel and violent Roman Emperor as any before him, was responsible for creating a Church that he could use as a political force to unify the empire. 

Because the Gnostics had a more independent thought that did not require mediators in the forms of priests and Bishops, the political unification of the rulers was threatened and they had to be removed.


But what is intriguing to find out is that the Catholic Church may have disagreed bitterly with the Gnostics and it is true that the council of Nicea expressed a rejection of Gnosticism as well as other heretical ideas (such as Arianism which was in fact the major reason for the council), there is plenty of evidence that the ideas of the Gnostics were incorporated into the Catholic Church almost from the outset.

The creation of Adam by Michelangelo - Now here is surely a purely Christian account of the creation? 

Well not exactly, as you can see Adam is already a man and Jahweh is imputing the "spark" of divinity to him. 

In Gnostic teaching Jahweh or Sophia is responsible for this as a kind of apologetic response to the Demiurge's self centred creation of mankind as ignorant slaves made to do his egotistical bidding. 

This painting reflects the Gnostic take on the creation far more closely than Biblical account in Genesis. 

Follow the white rabbit Alice

• We can explore this idea and others in the next section, lets see where the rabbit hole leads us, . . . 

Follow the white rabbit Neo