Episode 5 – Gnostics, Heretics or Different Interpretations?
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Welcome to Episode 5 of the Hidden History of the Church – Gnostics, Heretics or Different Interpretations?
Why Hidden History of the Church? Because too many people today only know Christianity from what they see on TV and through social media. Too many have no idea of how Christianity started or what the real purpose of the church is supposed to be. Many Christians actually believe that because the majority of the books in the New Testament were written by Paul, 13 to be exact, (although some scholars question if he really wrote that many) the church must have been organized like he wanted from day one. That his were the final words and everyone believed the same. Well, that would be incorrect thinking. In fact, during the 1st and 2nd centuries, there was much disagreement among the early church leaders and members about how to exactly put into practice the teachings of Jesus. Originally, I was going to look at two of the early types of beliefs, Gnosticism and Marcionism, but instead in this episode I want to take a look at one of the more popular of those teachings, Gnosticism. Next week I’ll delve into Marcionism.
Of course there are others, and I’ll get to as many of them as possible in later episodes, but I do want to start with Gnosticism (Knowledge) since that is the one that many people may have heard about due to a book called, “The Nag Hammadi Scriptures”. This book contains a collection of early Christian and Gnostic texts discovered in 1945 near the town of Nag Hammadi in Upper Egypt. The texts are written in Coptic, and we think they date back to sometime between the 2nd (100 AD) and the 4th (300 AD) centuries. The texts do offer us some insights into the beliefs of Gnostic Christianity, which emphasized mystical knowledge was the true path to salvation. What were some of their core beliefs?
They believed in what is known as Dualism. This is the belief that there is a clear difference between the spiritual and physical worlds. They believed that the material world, or the secular world as we call it today, was flawed and evil. They taught that the spiritual world was and is pure. Since there is a real barrier between the two worlds, humans and our souls are trapped in this material world. They also believe in what they labeled the Demiurge.
This belief is really one of the major issues that orthodox Jews and Christians would have had with them. They believed that the world we live in was actually created by a lesser, ignorant, and basically mean and evil deity, the Demiurge. Why would this cause so much anger among the orthodox believers? Simple, the Gnostics believe that this deity is actually the God of the Hebrew Bible. It is the complete opposite of what they consider to be the true, unknowable, and benevolent divine source, or as they believe, the True God. The true God exists and is the ultimate, transcendent power in the universe and who is ineffable and unknowable. They believe that this God is the source of all light and goodness.
They also believe that each human being has inside of them what is known as the Spark of Divinity. This is actually a fragment of the true God, and it exists within each of us. However, this spark is trapped in the material body and must be freed through gnosis. Gnosis is seen as the key to true salvation. They believe that real salvation doesn’t come through faith or work but does come through the acquisition of spiritual knowledge. They believe that knowledge reveals the soul’s divine origin and the path to transcend the material world. So where does Jesus come into this and how on earth could it be considered part of early Christianity?
Remember, in the early days, there was no, ‘official Christianity’, there were groups of followers of Jesus who all interpreted His teachings in various ways. Gnostics thought of Jesus not so much as a savior but more as a revealer of truths. They believed that He showed us the path to eternal salvation by giving us almost the ‘secret knowledge’ we needed for our salvation. He was a teacher. In fact, in some of their texts, the portrayal of Jesus is that He was a purely spiritual being who only appeared to take on a physical form. Of course, this form of belief caused them to reject the orthodox views. Gnostics primarily flatly rejected the authority of orthodox Christian institutions, scriptures, and rituals. They believed that their teachings provided each of us with a deeper truth that had been hidden from humanity. So, what was in this collection of texts?
There are 13 leather-bound codices containing 52 treatises in the Nag Hammadi Scriptures collection. These include gospels, prayers, poems, and philosophical writings. A few of the more notable texts are:
The Gospel of Thomas: This is a collection of sayings attributed to Jesus, there are disagreements among scholars some it was written as soon as 60 AD, others claim it was written around 250 AD. There’s really no way of knowing for certain when it is written. One of the reasons Gnostics would have read this, are from quotes such as this, “Jesus said, “If your leaders tell you, ‘Look, the kingdom is in heaven,’ then the birds of heaven will precede you. If they tell you, ‘It’s in the sea,’ then the fish will precede you. Rather, the kingdom is within you and outside of you. “When you know yourselves, then you’ll be known, and you’ll realize that you’re the children of the living Father. But if you don’t know yourselves, then you live in poverty, and you are the poverty.”
Othe books include The Gospel of Philip: In which the author discusses the sacraments and mystical concepts of Christ.
The Secret Book of John (Apocryphon of John): A creation myth explaining the origin of the divine and material worlds.
The Gospel of Truth: A poetic meditation on salvation and divine knowledge.
All of the texts, challenge the traditional narratives of early Christianity, showing that Christian thought was more diverse than previously understood and taught in today’s churches. The texts offer a different perspective on Jesus, often portraying him as a revealer of hidden truths rather than a figure of atonement. In today’s world, the Nag Hammadi Scriptures are valuable for scholars of religion, history, and theology, as they illuminate the rich and complex debates of early Christianity and the spiritual quests of the time.
In other words, they are clearly part of The Hidden History of the Church. OK, I think that’s going to it for today.
In the next episode I’ll discuss look at another of the variations on what Christians taught in the early years, that is Marcionism. In the meantime, read your bible, especially the Gospels. I’m not an Old Testament minister, I believe you can get what you need from reading the New Testament and the words of Jesus. And besides, if you can’t tell others what Jesus taught, and NOT what some preacher, even me, said he said, then you’re doing your faith a disservice. We are called to BE Christians, not play at being a Christian. We are called to follow His teachings; we are instructed to practice what Jesus preached.
If you’re interested in how Jesus can help you with what you’re going through in your life, you might want to check out my audiobooks. There’s “Fearless Faith: Finding Hope in the Storms of Life” I discuss what we can rely on when facing one of life’s many storms. Have you ever watched a movie where part of the setting is aboard a ship, and someone falls overboard? Or do you remember the scene in the film “It’s a wonderful life” when younger brother Harry falls through the ice? Or how about any movie set in the jungle when a member of the party steps in quicksand and begins to sink? Or any scene set in the mountains where somebody has fallen off a cliff and is stranded?
nd A Fresh Start: Embrace the Unknown: A Spiritual Guide to Preparing for Life’s Challenges –
If you have any questions, use the contact form here on the website, I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can.
I’ll talk to you next week, until next time, I’m Hank Wilson, God bless y’all and peace.