Gnostic-Christianity (Gnosticism)
The Gnostic Yeshua is a figure in Gnosticism (or Gnostic Christianity), and there was a diversity of presentations of Yeshua and of Gnostic beliefs, systems, or practices. Some (maybe most – but not all) believed that Yeshua was the incarnation of the Supreme Being (God the Father). In contrast, others thought him possibly one of the most spiritual human beings (though just a man – like Moses) to have ever walked the Earth. Yeshua, the living embodiment of Salvational Enlightenment (or Gnosis), taught that Salvation is by faith in (him) as the Hamaschiach (and not by works). Yet, he taught that the highest Salvation comes through effort and the discovery of ‘knowing that the divine (God or Gnosis) is within.’
Different Beliefs
Some Gnostics believed then and now that Yeshua incarnated God or the Word (or similarly and near to that), that he was… “One with God and God was One with him” – the son of God and the living ‘Logos.’ The Savior taught the most profound and spiritually proper, faithful, and compassionate interpretive understanding of (and use of) the Tanakh or Old Testament. These hidden teachings (lead to the Greatest Salvation and True Gnōsis or Christianity). He brought this to all (who seek it), bringing about the “Living Book of the Living” to humanity.
Others believe that Yeshua was merely a man who taught his disciples how to attain enlightenment through the scriptures (including the orthodox or canonical texts (but also with Gnostic Christian texts and gospels). All of it (once was), and today is again (for some) part of the Word (or Logos).
Why not a fusion (limited but real) of both? Are they mutually unacceptable?
Today, it appears like the church’s pews are emptying. One must be saved by faith, but why not (for those who want it or need or desire it try to help them obtain gnosis too: finding God within)? The key to finding ‘Gnosis’ is first “to know thyself.”
As the Gospel of Thomas 3 says…“First, know thyself, then you will understand for thou art made in the image of the Living One and are the sons and daughters of God Most High. But if thou do not know thyself, thy cannot know the Truth. Then thou liveth in ignorance and poverty; know the Truth, for that will set you free.”
What was meant nearly two thousand years ago by “Know Thyself?” Well, the Gospel of Thomas aligns with the theme of self-discovery and, one, making an effort to gain inner knowledge (present in that text). The Gospel of Thomas, written by the Apostle Thomas, is a collection of sayings attributed to Jesus that emphasizes attaining esoteric or ‘hidden’ learning and personal enlightenment (through reading and studying works (such as this Gospel and other Gnostic Texts) rather than only or just external observances or study of orthodox teachings.
Understanding oneself resonates with the ancient maxim “know thyself,” found at the temple of Apollo at Delphi. This Greek philosophy was later integrated into Gnostic Christian and early Christian thought.
So, looking at Thomas again:
GThom saying 70 has Yeshua say,
Blessed are you who bring forth that which is within you, for that which is in you shall save you. But, if you have not strengthened that which is within, this lack… this debt will kill you.”
Or
GThom 3 where Yeshua says,
“…But if thou do not know thyself, thou cannot know the Truth. Then thou liveth in ignorance and in poverty; know thee thy Truth for that will set you free.”
GThom
“The kingdom is inside of you and it is outside of you.”
For Yeshua teaches about God in, “the Secret Revelation of John”:
“Jesus teaches on the One
The One
God is One (but many)
Creator of the cosmos born from Light;
Profoundly complex yet absolutely simple
Perfect yet without us, incomplete
Uncreated yet By Its Own Nature, Self-Generated
And first Begetter and Womb of the All
The Primal Ineffable Father and Mother;
though not just a ‘Father’ nor just a ‘Mother’ (nor just a man nor just a woman)
Greater than the greatest and Less than the least
He is the Imageless Image.
The Monad emanates Diversity in Unity
Nothing has authority over it, nor does anything rule it
For nothing is superior to it
The One exists, but not as we exist; nor not exist as we do not exist.
We see Him and see His Works; He, the Great Invisible Spirit.
The One is uncontaminated and undefiled
Pure light; yet, which no human eye can look within…
For it is written… ‘Thou cannot… see my face and live’.
Yet we look for Him and see Him everywhere; in everything, every day and every way, the Virgin Invisible Spirit.
Inside and Outside every and all borders, though everything and anything that is, is inside of His borders
“He must not be conceived as simply ‘a god’ or simply ‘the god’; nor in any similar, mundane way
For He is ‘God’ (above every human conception of any god or ‘gods’)
He is beyond human understanding and expression
But expresses himself by our words, through revelation and mighty acts of power.
He dwelleth in life but can dwell with the dead
For He is life, and He is death!
The first Uncaused Cause,
The Cause of Something rather than Nothing
Though all that exists, exists through Him, or within Him or below or beside Him; but He is superior to all… through, within, without, below or apart from Him
Everything that exists, exists because He decrees it so.
When He is far from us, we are close to Him
When we are far from Him, He is next to us.
He is not this nor that, nor a-thing, nor that-thing, nor any one or a multiple or a myriad of-things; He is nothing!
He is unmeasurable for, nothing was outside or apart from Him that could measure Him
The One is noncontingent and eternal, knowing neither light nor darkness as we do
He needs nothing provided to Him, though He provides all that the cosmos needs
For, if He needed anything, He would not be complete; and lacking, He would be in need of completion.
But rather, He is Perfect; for the One, ‘He Who Is’ is always Complete and Perfect in light or darkness
Without limit, He is the illimitible for, no one nor anything existed prior to Him to set His limits.
He is unnamable and unknowable, for nothing existed prior to Him to know Him to name Him; nor to describe Him or define Him
He, the eternal, exists through the Ages upon Ages into the Ages to come. Before the creation of time, space and the Universe He was. Thus ‘the One Who Is’ does not partake of any one Aeon, or Age or Realm, because He existed before, through and after time and, before through and after Space; and before, through and after all matter, movement and repose.
He is ‘not perfect, not blessed, not divine’; because He is superior to all such inadequate concepts; superior to them all
God is not corporeal nor incorporeal; not ‘large’ or ‘small’ but, (‘on the far side of; on the other side of; further away than; behind, past, after) beyond… all such quantifiable things. He is not a creature (like us) but the ‘Creator Who Is’. Nor can anyone know Him; For He is not at all ‘just a human being’ who may be known; but is superior to all that is, that is known and unknown
His Image and Likeness
“Yet, ‘the One Who Is’ contemplates His Image and likeness (being of inestimable majesty, being, and spirit); for it is in ‘the Image of God’s Likeness,’ that ‘the One’ created them… male and female God created them!
He is the light and, the One who created light!
Light!
He is the blissful One and gives blessedness
The Knowledgeable One who gives knowledge.
The Merciful One, who gives Mercy
The Chief of all Aeons and Pleromas, Heavenly Beings and Dimensions in every and all the Realms of Fullness
And the Begetter of all Aeons, of Everything; and the All in All
For, the Sage said it… with a single word He said, ‘be’ and it was!
And the Sage said it… with a single word He said, ‘light,’ and there was ‘light!
Light!
But not just any light; it is the quintessentially necessary, infinitely creative, illuminating luminescence; being from His Purity and Holiness the Uncaused Cause; becoming the very cause of the All and All and all that is, and the creator (in Truth) of everything: that being, the entire cosmos! For He God: (the Father, Holy Mother and, the Logos) by the Spirit are the very ground of being in which we, this cosmos and this world lives and moves and has its being. For, They existed before all things, and it is Through Them that, all things were made, and without Them, nothing was made that has been made.
And, They are before all things, and by Them all things hold together! The Universe and the All in All, existing into the Ages and Ages, unto the Ages to Come; World Without End!
Indestructible
Silent in Repose
Peaceful
And the ‘One Who Is’ Sustains and Maintains it all through Goodness”
Excerpt From
Holy Wisdom and The Logos of God
(Brantingham, James 2021)
Nearly two thousand years ago, “know thyself” in this spiritual and philosophical framework likely meant:
Union or Becoming One with the Divine (this can be done through reading, meditation, and prayer): Realize that knowing oneself is intertwined with knowing God! as reflected in sayings where Jesus implies a profound unity between humanity and the divine.
Discovering Your True Self: Find and grasp one’s spiritual essence beyond the physical body and ego. Gnostics believed humanity’s true nature was divine, trapped within a (or this) material realm.
Awakening to Gnosis (to knowing God is within you): Acquire this deep, experiential knowledge of the divine through introspection and inner revelation (by study of scriptures, prayer, and meditation).
Light! Did God say let there be light and there was light?
Yes in the first seconds after the Big Bang, the universe was unimaginably hot and dense, filled with a primordial soup of particles and radiation. During this period, highly energetic photons (light particles) and other forms of radiation, such as gamma rays and X-rays, were abundant. Here’s how this unfolded:
The Planck Era lasted (Up to 10^-43 Seconds), then the Inflationary Period (10^-36 to 10^-32 seconds). After that, Inflation and (after) Inflation (within seconds), Photons, gamma rays, and X-rays were produced in immense quantities as the universe (these are forms of light), so this state (with forms of light) was hot enough to maintain thermal equilibrium among these high-energy particles.
Light visible to human beings (if they had been alive, it might have taken a few seconds)… But Light? Yes, Light!
Some ancient Gnostics (but not all) held different beliefs about the crucifixion. Anciently and today, some schools believed Christ’s spirit (his messianic spirit and anointing) left his body just before “his human flesh died.” So, for them, he the Hamaschiach did not suffer death on the cross (though the man Yeshua did)! Some Gnostic communities believed the Mashiach (fully human and fully God) was crucified.
But modern Gnosticism, like ancient Gnosticism, encompasses a variety of beliefs and interpretations, so it isn’t easy to make a blanket statement that applies to all modern Gnostics. However, many strands of Gnostic thought, both ancient and contemporary, do emphasize a distinction between the material and spiritual realms, which can influence their interpretation of the crucifixion and resurrection of Yeshua.
Most Scholars in Christianity
The majority of Scholars in Christianity who are skeptics and atheists believe that the human Yeshua (whether anyone believes him to be the Messiah, or Hamashiach or not) was crucified. So Bart Ehrman (atheistic NT scholar) said in 2000: “One of the most certain facts of history is that Yeshua was crucified on orders of the Roman prefect of Judea, Pontius Pilate” (Rochford, James. 2024). So Gerd Lüdemann wrote in 1994 (like Erhman an unbeliever and atheist NT professor at Göttingen) “Yeshua’s death as a consequence of crucifixion is indisputable.” Further in agreement with this John-Dominic Crossan (in 1995) a skeptic about Yeshua and the Supernatural also said: “That [Yeshua] was crucified is as sure as anything historical can ever be, since both Josephus and Tacitus… agree with the Christian accounts on at least that basic fact.” And, so along with the Scholar James Rochford, this appears to be the modern consensus (Rochford, James. 2024).
The atheists and non-believers agree Yeshua (the human being) was crucified. The real (and not just spiritual) resurrection of Yeshua in the flesh seems to be found (grudgingly) in the Gospel of Philip and by a smaller number of authors regarding the Gospel of the Truth (. For after all, it is reported that Valentinus himself said regarding this (the resurrection) “…taken plainly or rhetorically: “Why will you not receive flesh when you ascend into eternity (Smith, Geoffrey S. 2020)?” So while it is primarily (but not unconditionally) described as Spiritual in the Treatise on the Resurrection and so in other “Valentinian texts or books Geoffrey Smith and others do not take unforgiving concrete “spiritual” descriptions only (Meyer, Marvin., Thomassen, Einar. 2007).
The Gospel of Philip
The Gospel of Philip also describes resurrection primarily in spiritual terms. While it acknowledges Yeshua’s physical resurrection, it interprets it (rising alive again after death) as mostly a profound spiritual event rather than just a literal and physical resurrection. The emphasis even in the Gospel of Philip is on the transformative power of gnosis, which leads to an inner resurrection (coming to and interpreting life spiritually) and to a deeper connection (even an experiential knowing) that the divine is within (and even more so without).
Scholarly interpretations of the Gospel of Truth vary, and some scholars do explore the possibility that it describes a real, albeit non-physical, resurrection of Yeshua (similarly to that described by the Apostle Paul).
Yet overall anciently and today, the consensus (in Gnostic Christianity) tends to lean towards a symbolic and spiritual resurrection rather than to a literal, physical one.
So there were (and are) diverse scholarly opinions about whether the Gospel of Truth describes a real or spiritual resurrection. However whether real or spiritual the dominant interpretation is non-literal, with many believing that early Gnostics believed (like Paul) in a type of real resurrection, though not in a straightforward physical and fleshly way as understood by most of orthodox Christianity today. For example, Elaine Pagels, a prominent scholar and researcher of Gnostic texts, stresses the spiritual nature of resurrection in Gnostic thought but does not rule out that many Gnostics saw these spiritual events as profoundly real theological contexts.
All of these texts were Valentinian. Valentinus himself did not leave behind extensive writings that explicitly and without doubt describe his views on the resurrection, including whether he believed it was in the flesh. Much of what is known about him and his teachings comes from the writings of his followers from the critiques of his contemporaries, and later by his “enemies” such as Irenaeus and Tertullian. Irenaeus and Tertullian opposed Gnostic interpretations of Christianity. Valentinian teachings generally emphasize a more spiritual understanding of Christian doctrines, including the resurrection. They often and primarily interpreted the resurrection as a spiritual event rather than a physical one consistent with the broader Gnostic emphasis on spiritual knowledge (Gnosis) and inner transformation and enlightenment. (McCoy, Daniel. 2021)
What reasons did the orthodox church give for eliminating Valentinians from the church?
The Orthodox Church gave several reasons for finally eliminating Valentinians from the orthodox church. The Valentinians, a Gnostic Christian sect founded by Valentinus in the 2nd century, held beliefs and practices that the proto-orthodox felt significantly diverged from the crystalizing canonical Christian teachings. Here are some key reasons the Canonical Church (after two hundred years) gave for their expulsion:
Theological Divergence: Valentinians held a dualistic worldview, positing a distinction between the material world, viewed as inherently flawed or evil, worldly and fleshly (or “bad”) compared to the spiritual realm, which was seen as pure, divine, (and good). Of course, the orthodox view held the world and its materiality as good: but very difficult to line up with the lived experience of most ancient human beings in that day. They (these Gnostic Christians) believed in a complex cosmology involving multiple divine emanations (Aeons – which also stood for spiritual entities – good, sometimes neutral or bad, and even evil). So the notion that the material world was simply labeled ‘good’ by the lesser, ignorant god (the Demiurge) and his combined emanations of Yave-Eloim (or the ‘Lord’) is not supported by this theologically and early gnostic interpretation. Later Yahweh who is One with El or Elohim (becoming later the only accepted ancient and later modern orthodox definition of the, “One Good and Loving God (the Father) of Yeshua – and Israel comes later. So in this early period use of the emanations (and names) given by the lesser god or Yave and Eloim, (found in the SRev[or Book]John) explains how Yahweh and Elohim of Hamaschiach Yeshua – were turned into the Gnostic Yaltabaoth.
Primarily in the Old Testament but found terminologically expressed differently in the New Testament scholars agree (and both Jewish and Christians agree) that Yahweh (as YHWH or Jehovah) but as “Yave” is designated in the NT as “Lord” (Greek: κύριος, kurios) and so in the Old Testament to. With Elohim (or at first Eloim) in the New Testament, the Greek term “God” (Greek: θεός, theos) for Elohim (or Eloim), which corresponds to Elohim (but not the emanation of the demiurge Eloim) of the OT.
These figures representing Yh•tzevaot or Yaltabaoth (possibly as combined with the exclamation ‘yaldā bāhūthā’) being combined into Yaltabaoth (which is described by many as Yahweh in the Old Testament and thus Elohim (or both as Lord and God in the New Testament; the Father and True but unknown God of Israel). So the lesser god’s emanations Yave and Eloim were substituted for the supreme God and Father of Yeshua Hamaschiach. This understanding allows for the comprehension of who the ‘One True Good God of Yeshua and Israel was anciently and is today.’ And it does so while explaining the misunderstandings by many of the “orthodox” in Judaism and Christianity (and Gnostic Christianity). This contrasted sharply with the orthodox Christian belief in one benevolent God who created the world but was supposedly always unknown before this time by the Jews even up to today (but known by Yeshsua as God the Father – his Father (Waldstein M., Wisse, FW. (1995.)
Christological Differences: Valentinians had different views on the nature of Christ. They often distinguished between the human Yeshua and the divine Christ, suggesting that Christ was a divine being who temporarily inhabited the human Jesus. This view undermined the orthodox understanding of the Incarnation, which holds that Jesus Christ was both fully divine and fully human.
Esoteric Teachings: The Valentinians claimed to possess secret knowledge (Gnosis in texts and by Gnostic practice(s) such as the greater emphasis on Christian meditation and contemplation) necessary for salvation. Such teaching was only available to those who could read or understand – usually someone with additional education because of Gnosticism’s very complex concepts and theology. This exclusivity and emphasis on hidden knowledge were at odds with the orthodox Christian teaching that salvation was accessible to all through faith in Yeshua Hamaschiach and adherence to the teachings of the church.
Perverts? Really?
Ethical and Moral Concerns: Orthodox Christians accused Valentinians of moral laxity and antinomianism (the belief that the law, particularly moral law, does not apply to certain individuals), suggesting that their emphasis on spiritual knowledge led to disregard for ethical behavior. But it is quite clear that in fact, it was just the opposite, and much of Gnostic practice was severely ascetic – going so far as to not recommend marriage or even sex within marriage, and asceticism applied also to eating, drinking alcohol (really the opposite of libertines). While it is pretty clear these accusations (of licentiousness and antinomianism were not true – like all times and in all places there was here and there an exception to the rule (possibly the Marcellians?). These gross exaggerations fueled the perception that Valentinians were morally suspect and dangerous to the community’s integrity (Litma, M. David. 2022; 2024)
Authority and Unity: The Orthodox Church sought to maintain doctrinal unity and authoritative teaching. The Valentinians’ divergent beliefs and the formation of their communities threatened the cohesion and authority of the orthodox ecclesiastical structure. To preserve the unity and orthodoxy of the faith, church leaders saw it necessary to exclude groups whose teachings were deemed heretical.
These reasons combined to motivate the Orthodox Church to take decisive action against the Valentinians, ultimately leading to their expulsion from the broader Christian community.
In Gnostic theological texts or books, the world is mostly described as non-spiritual, material, and for the most part ‘bad or evil’ yet on occasion ‘neutral.’
A few examples of texts:
The Apocryphon of John (or the Secret Revelation of John): is a text that is one of the most important and comprehensive Gnostic theological writings. It describes the creation of the material world by the Demiurge (Yh•tzevaot or Yaltabaoth), a false god who is ignorant and imperfect. The Demiurge (also called Samael), is often identified with the Old Testament God, (‘Yave’) who creates a flawed and material world that traps the divine sparks of human souls within human beings,
The Secret Revelation of John portrays the material world as a place of suffering and ignorance, in stark contrast to the higher, spiritual realms of the true God.
The Gospel of Philip: This text primarily focuses on mystical and sacramental aspects of Gnostic Christianity, but also contains passages that reflect Gnostic disdain for the “material and materialistic and fleshly” world. The material world is transient, corrupting, and corruptible by nature as compared to the eternal, incorruptible nature of the spiritual world.
Yet this incorruptible, spiritual world can be accessed even in this world and before death through the attainment of Gnosis (or enlightenment).
So the Gospel of Philip stresses the importance of transcending the material realm through knowledge (gnosis) and spiritual practices or “Gnosticism” which is Gnostic-Christianity (Pétrement, Simone. 1984).
References:
Ehrman, Bart (2000) The Historical Jesus: Lecture Transcript and Course Guidebook, Part 2 of 2 (Chantilly, VA: The Teaching Company. 2000), 162.
Lüdemann, Gerd (1994) The Resurrection of Jesus: History, Experience, Theology (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1994), p. 50.
Litwa, M. David. (2024) Early Christianity in Alexandria. From its Beginnings to the Late Second Century. Cambridge University Press. United Kingdom Kindle Edition.
Litma, M. David. (2022.) Found Christianities. Remaking the World of the Second Century CE. T&T Clark Pub. New York.
Crossan, John-Dominic (1995) Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography (Harper One. 1995), 145.
Meyer, Marvin., Thomassen, Einar. (2007) Treatise on the Resurrection in: Meyer, Marvin. The Nag Hammadi Scriptures. HarperCollins 10 East 53rd St., NY, New York 2007
Pétrement, Simone. (1984). A Separate God. The Christian Origins and Teachings of Gnosticism. HarperCollins, Scranton, Pennsylvania
Rochford, James. (2024). Execution of Jesus. Evidence unseen. Accessed 6 7 2024). https://www.evidenceunseen.com/christ/defending-the-resurrection/execution-of-jesus/#_ftn1
Smith, Geoffrey S. (2020) Valentinian Christianity. Texts and Translations. University of California Press. Oakland, CA.
Waldstein M., Wisse, FW. (1995.) In Robinson, JM., Klimkeit HJ. Eds. The Apocryphon of John. The Nag Hammadi and Manichaen Studies. EJ Brill. Leiden, The Netherlands. In: the Gnostic Society Library. http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/apocjn.html (Accessed 2/17/2016)
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