GNOSTICISM
IS THE TEACHING based on Gnosis, the knowledge of transcendence
arrived at by way of interior, intuitive means. Although Gnosticism thus
rests on personal religious experience, it is a mistake to assume all such
experience results in Gnostic recognitions. It is nearer the truth to say
that Gnosticism expresses a specific religious experience, an experience
that does not lend itself to the language of theology or philosophy, but
which is instead closely affinitized to, and expresses itself through, the
medium of myth. Indeed, one finds that most Gnostic scriptures take the
forms of myths. The term “myth” should not here be taken to mean “stories
that are not true”, but rather, that the truths embodied in these myths are
of a different order from the dogmas of theology or the statements of
philosophy.
In the
following summary, we will attempt to encapsulate in prose what the Gnostic
myths express in their distinctively poetic and imaginative language.
The Cosmos
All religious
traditions acknowledge that the world is imperfect. Where they differ is in
the explanations which they offer to account for this imperfection and in
what they suggest might be done about it. Gnostics have their own -- perhaps
quite startling -- view of these matters: they hold that the world is flawed
because it was created in a flawed manner.
Like
Buddhism, Gnosticism begins with the fundamental recognition that earthly
life is filled with suffering. In order to nourish themselves, all forms of
life consume each other, thereby visiting pain, fear, and death upon one
another (even herbivorous animals live by destroying the life of plants). In
addition, so-called natural catastrophes -- earthquakes, floods, fires,
drought, volcanic eruptions -- bring further suffering and death in their
wake. Human beings, with their complex physiology and psychology, are aware
not only of these painful features of earthly existence. They also suffer
from the frequent recognition that they are strangers living in a world that
is flawed and absurd.
Many
religions advocate that humans are to be blamed for the imperfections of the
world. Supporting this view, they interpret the Genesis myth as declaring
that transgressions committed by the first human pair brought about a “fall”
of creation resulting in the present corrupt state of the world. Gnostics
respond that this interpretation of the myth is false. The blame for the
world’s failings lies not with humans, but with the creator. Since --
especially in the monotheistic religions -- the creator is God, this Gnostic
position appears blasphemous, and is often viewed with dismay even by
non-believers.
Ways of
evading the recognition of the flawed creation and its flawed creator have
been devised over and over, but none of these arguments have impressed
Gnostics. The ancient Greeks, especially the Platonists, advised people to
look to the harmony of the universe, so that by venerating its grandeur they
might forget their immediate afflictions. But since this harmony still
contains the cruel flaws, forlornness and alienation of existence, this
advice is considered of little value by Gnostics. Nor is the Eastern idea of
Karma regarded by Gnostics as an adequate explanation of creation’s
imperfection and suffering. Karma at best can only explain how the chain of
suffering and imperfection works. It does not inform us in the first place
why such a sorrowful and malign system should exist.
Once the
initial shock of the “unusual” or “blasphemous” nature of the Gnostic
explanation for suffering and imperfection of the world wears off, one may
begin to recognize that it is in fact the most sensible of all explanations.
To appreciate it fully, however, a familiarity with the Gnostic conception
of the Godhead is required, both in its original essence as the True God and
in its debased manifestation as the false or creator God.
Deity
The Gnostic
God concept is more subtle than that of most religions. In its way, it
unites and reconciles the recognitions of Monotheism and Polytheism, as well
as of Theism, Deism and Pantheism.
In the
Gnostic view, there is a true, ultimate and transcendent God, who is beyond
all created universes and who never created anything in the sense in which
the word “create” is ordinarily understood. While this True God did not
fashion or create anything, He (or, It) “emanated” or brought forth from
within Himself the substance of all there is in all the worlds, visible and
invisible. In a certain sense, it may therefore be true to say that all is
God, for all consists of the substance of God. By the same token, it must
also be recognized that many portions of the original divine essence have
been projected so far from their source that they underwent unwholesome
changes in the process. To worship the cosmos, or nature, or embodied
creatures is thus tantamount to worshipping alienated and corrupt portions
of the emanated divine essence.
The basic
Gnostic myth has many variations, but all of these refer to Aeons,
intermediate deific beings who exist between the ultimate, True God and
ourselves. They, together with the True God, comprise the realm of Fullness
(Pleroma) wherein the potency of divinity operates fully. The Fullness
stands in contrast to our existential state, which in comparison may be
called emptiness.
One of the
aeonial beings who bears the name Sophia (“Wisdom”) is of great importance
to the Gnostic world view. In the course of her journeyings, Sophia came to
emanate from her own being a flawed consciousness, a being who became the
creator of the material and psychic cosmos, all of which he created in the
image of his own flaw. This being, unaware of his origins, imagined himself
to be the ultimate and absolute God. Since he took the already existing
divine essence and fashioned it into various forms, he is also called the
Demiurgos or “half-maker” There is an authentic half, a true deific
component within creation, but it is not recognized by the half-maker and by
his cosmic minions, the Archons or “rulers”.
The Human Being
Human nature
mirrors the duality found in the world: in part it was made by the false
creator God and in part it consists of the light of the True God. Humankind
contains a perishable physical and psychic component, as well as a spiritual
component which is a fragment of the divine essence. This latter part is
often symbolically referred to as the “divine spark”. The recognition of
this dual nature of the world and of the human being has earned the Gnostic
tradition the epithet of “dualist”.
Humans are
generally ignorant of the divine spark resident within them. This ignorance
is fostered in human nature by the influence of the false creator and his
Archons, who together are intent upon keeping men and women ignorant of
their true nature and destiny. Anything that causes us to remain attached to
earthly things serves to keep us in enslavement to these lower cosmic
rulers. Death releases the divine spark from its lowly prison, but if there
has not been a substantial work of Gnosis undertaken by the soul prior to
death, it becomes likely that the divine spark will be hurled back into, and
then re-embodied within, the pangs and slavery of the physical world.
Not all
humans are spiritual (pneumatics) and thus ready for Gnosis and liberation.
Some are earthbound and materialistic beings (hyletics), who recognize only
the physical reality. Others live largely in their psyche (psychics). Such
people usually mistake the Demiurge for the True God and have little or no
awareness of the spiritual world beyond matter and mind.
In the course
of history, humans progress from materialistic sensate slavery, by way of
ethical religiosity, to spiritual freedom and liberating Gnosis. As the
scholar G. Quispel wrote: “The world-spirit in exile must go through the
Inferno of matter and the Purgatory of morals to arrive at the spiritual
Paradise.” This kind of evolution of consciousness was envisioned by the
Gnostics, long before the concept of evolution was known.
Salvation
Evolutionary
forces alone are insufficient, however, to bring about spiritual freedom.
Humans are caught in a predicament consisting of physical existence combined
with ignorance of their true origins, their essential nature and their
ultimate destiny. To be liberated from this predicament, human beings
require help, although they must also contribute their own efforts.
From earliest
times Messengers of the Light have come forth from the True God in order to
assist humans in their quest for Gnosis. Only a few of these salvific
figures are mentioned in Gnostic scripture; some of the most important are
Seth (the third Son of Adam), Jesus, and the Prophet Mani. The majority of
Gnostics always looked to Jesus as the principal savior figure (the Soter).
Gnostics do
not look to salvation from sin (original or other), but rather from the
ignorance of which sin is a consequence. Ignorance -- whereby is meant
ignorance of spiritual realities -- is dispelled only by Gnosis, and the
decisive revelation of Gnosis is brought by the Messengers of Light,
especially by Christ, the Logos of the True God. It is not by His suffering
and death but by His life of teaching and His establishing of mysteries that
Christ has performed His work of salvation.
The Gnostic
concept of salvation, like other Gnostic concepts, is a subtle one. On the
one hand, Gnostic salvation may easily be mistaken for an unmediated
individual experience, a sort of spiritual do-it-yourself project. Gnostics
hold that the potential for Gnosis, and thus, of salvation is present in
every man and woman, and that salvation is not vicarious but individual. At
the same time, they also acknowledge that Gnosis and salvation can be,
indeed must be, stimulated and facilitated in order to effectively arise
within consciousness. This stimulation is supplied by Messengers of Light
who, in addition to their teachings, establish salvific mysteries
(sacraments) which can be administered by apostles of the Messengers and
their successors.
One needs
also remember that knowledge of our true nature -- as well as other
associated realizations -- are withheld from us by our very condition of
earthly existence. The True God of transcendence is unknown in this world,
in fact He is often called the Unknown Father. It is thus obvious that
revelation from on High is needed to bring about salvation. The indwelling
spark must be awakened from its terrestrial slumber by the saving knowledge
that comes “from without”.
Conduct
If the words
“ethics” or “morality” are taken to mean a system of rules, then Gnosticism
is opposed to them both. Such systems usually originate with the Demiurge
and are covertly designed to serve his purposes. If, on the other hand,
morality is said to consist of an inner integrity arising from the
illumination of the indwelling spark, then the Gnostic will embrace this
spiritually informed existential ethic as ideal.
To the
Gnostic, commandments and rules are not salvific; they are not substantially
conducive to salvation. Rules of conduct may serve numerous ends, including
the structuring of an ordered and peaceful society, and the maintenance of
harmonious relations within social groups. Rules, however, are not relevant
to salvation; that is brought about only by Gnosis. Morality therefore needs
to be viewed primarily in temporal and secular terms; it is ever subject to
changes and modifications in accordance with the spiritual development of
the individual.
As noted in
the discussion above, “hyletic materialists” usually have little interest in
morality, while “psychic disciplinarians” often grant to it a great
importance. In contrast, “Pneumatic spiritual” persons are generally more
concerned with other, higher matters. Different historical periods also
require variant attitudes regarding human conduct. Thus both the Manichaean
and Cathar Gnostic movements, which functioned in times where purity of
conduct was regarded as an issue of high import, responded in kind. The
present period of Western culture perhaps resembles in more ways that of
second and third century Alexandria. It seems therefore appropriate that
Gnostics in our age adopt the attitudes of classical Alexandrian Gnosticism,
wherein matters of conduct were largely left to the insight of the
individual.
Gnosticism
embraces numerous general attitudes toward life: it encourages
non-attachment and non-conformity to the world, a “being in the world, but
not of the world”; a lack of egotism; and a respect for the freedom and
dignity of other beings. Nonetheless, it appertains to the intuition and
wisdom of every individual “Gnostic” to distill from these principles
individual guidelines for their personal application.
Destiny
When
Confucius was asked about death, he replied: “Why do you ask me about death
when you do not know how to live?” This answer might easily have been given
by a Gnostic. To a similar question posed in the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas,
Jesus answered that human beings must come by Gnosis to know the ineffable,
divine reality from whence they have originated, and whither they will
return. This transcendental knowledge must come to them while they are still
embodied on earth.
Death does
not automatically bring about liberation from bondage in the realms of the
Demiurge. Those who have not attained to a liberating Gnosis while they were
in embodiment may become trapped in existence once more. It is quite likely
that this might occur by way of the cycle of rebirths. Gnosticism does not
emphasize the doctrine of reincarnation prominently, but it is implicitly
understood in most Gnostic teachings that those who have not made effective
contact with their transcendental origins while they were in embodiment
would have to return into the sorrowful condition of earthly life.
In regard to
salvation, or the fate of the spirit and soul after death, one needs to be
aware that help is available. Valentinus, the greatest of Gnostic teachers,
taught that Christ and Sophia await the spiritual man -- the pneumatic
Gnostic -- at the entrance of the Pleroma, and help him to enter the
bridechamber of final reunion. Ptolemaeus, disciple of Valentinus, taught
that even those not of pneumatic status, the psychics, could be redeemed and
live in a heavenworld at the entrance of the Pleroma. In the fullness of
time, every spiritual being will receive Gnosis and will be united with its
higher Self -- the angelic Twin -- thus becoming qualified to enter the
Pleroma. None of this is possible, however, without earnest striving for
Gnosis.
Gnosis and Psyche: The Depth Psychological
Connection
Throughout
the twentieth Century the new scientific discipline of depth psychology has
gained much prominence. Among the depth psychologists who have shown a
pronounced and informed interest in Gnosticism, a place of signal
distinction belongs to C. G. Jung. Jung was instrumental in calling
attention to the Nag Hammadi library of Gnostic writings in the 1950's
because he perceived the outstanding psychological relevance of Gnostic
insights.
The noted
scholar of Gnosticism, G. Filoramo, wrote: "Jung's reflections had long been
immersed in the thought of the ancient Gnostics to such an extent that he
considered them the virtual discoverers of 'depth psychology' . . . ancient
Gnosis, albeit in its form of universal religion, in a certain sense
prefigured, and at the same time helped to clarify, the nature of Jungian
spiritual therapy." In the light of such recognitions one may ask: "Is
Gnosticism a religion or a psychology?" The answer is that it may very-well
be both. Most mythologems found in Gnostic scriptures possess psychological
relevance and applicability. For instance the blind and arrogant
creator-demiurge bears a close resemblance to the alienated human ego that
has lost contact with the ontological Self. Also, the myth of Sophia
resembles closely the story of the human psyche that loses its connection
with the collective unconscious and needs to be rescued by the Self.
Analogies of this sort exist in great profusion.
Many esoteric
teachings have proclaimed, "As it is above, so it is below." Our
psychological nature (the microcosm) mirrors metaphysical nature (the
macrocosm), thus Gnosticism may possess both a psychological and a religious
authenticity. Gnostic psychology and Gnostic religion need not be exclusive
of one another but may complement each other within an implicit order of
wholeness. Gnostics have always held that divinity is immanent within the
human spirit, although it is not limited to it. The convergence of Gnostic
religious teaching with psychological insight is thus quite understandable
in terms of time-honored Gnostic principles.
Conclusion
Some writers
make a distinction between “Gnosis” and “Gnosticism”. Such distinctions are
both helpful and misleading. Gnosis is undoubtedly an experience based not
in concepts and precepts, but in the sensibility of the heart. Gnosticism,
on the other hand, is the world-view based on the experience of Gnosis. For
this reason, in languages other than English, the word Gnosis is often used
to denote both the experience and the world view (die Gnosis in German, la
Gnose in French).
In a sense,
there is no Gnosis without Gnosticism, for the experience of Gnosis
inevitably calls forth a world view wherein it finds its place. The Gnostic
world view is experiential, it is based on a certain kind of spiritual
experience of Gnosis. Therefore, it will not do to omit, or to dilute,
various parts of the Gnostic world view, for were one to do this, the world
view would no longer conform to experience.
Theology has
been called an intellectual wrapping around the spiritual kernel of a
religion. If this is true, then it is also true that most religions are
being strangled and stifled by their wrappings. Gnosticism does not run this
danger, because its world view is stated in myth rather than in theology.
Myths, including the Gnostic myths, may be interpreted in diverse ways.
Transcendence, numinosity, as well as psychological archetypes along with
other elements, play a role in such interpretation. Still, such mythic
statements tell of profound truths that will not be denied.
Gnosticism
can bring us such truths with a high authority, for it speaks with the voice
of the highest part of the human -- the spirit. Of this spirit, it has been
said, “it bloweth where it listeth”. This then is the reason why the Gnostic
world view could not be extirpated in spite of many centuries of
persecution.
The Gnostic
world view has always been timely, for it always responded best to the
“knowledge of the heart” that is true Gnosis. Yet today, its timeliness is
increasing, for the end of the second millennium has seen the radical
deterioration of many ideologies which evaded the great questions and
answers addressed by Gnosticism. The clarity, frankness, and authenticity of
the Gnostic answer to the questions of the human predicament cannot fail to
impress and (in time) to convince. If your reactions to this summary have
been of a similarly positive order, then perhaps you are a Gnostic yourself!
Internet Source Reference:
www.religioustolerance.org/gnostic.htm
GNOSTICISM:ANCIENT AND MODERN
Summary:
Gnosticism
is a philosophical and religious movement which started in pre-Christian
times. The term is derived from the Greek word gnosis which means "knowledge".
It is pronounced with a silent "G" (NO-sis). Gnostics claimed to have secret
knowledge about God, humanity and the rest of the universe of which the
general population was unaware. It became one of the three main belief
systems within 1st century Christianity, and was noted for its:
By the second century CE, many very
different Christian-Gnostic sects had formed within the Roman Empire at the
eastern end of the Mediterranean. Some Gnostics worked within Jewish
Christian and mainline Christian groups, and greatly influenced their
beliefs from within. Others formed separate communities. Still others were
solitary practitioners.
As mainline Christianity grew in
strength and organization, Gnostic sects came under increasing pressure and
persecution. They almost disappeared by the 6th century. The only group to
have survived into modern times is the Mandaean sect of Iraq and
Iran. This group has about 15,000 members (one source says 1,500), and can
trace their history continuously back to the original Gnostic movement.
Many new emerging religions in the
West have adopted ancient Gnostic beliefs and practices.
Sources of Ancient Gnostic Information
Until recently, only a few pieces of
Gnostic literature were known to exist. These included Shepherd of Men,
Asclepius, Codex Askewianus, Codex Brucianus, Gospel of Mary, Secret Gospel
of John, Odes of Solomon and the Hymn of the Pearl. Knowledge
about this movement had been inferred mainly from extensive attacks that
were made on Gnosticism by Christian heresiologists (writers against heresy)
of the second and early third century. These included Irenaeus (130? - 200?
CE), Clement of Alexandria (145? - 213?), Tertullian (160? - 225?) and
Hippolytus (170? - 236). Unfortunately, the heresy hunters were not
particularly accurate or objective in their analysis of Gnosticism
In 1945, Mohammed Ali es_Samman, a
camel driver from El Qasr in Egypt, went with his brother to a cliff near
Nag Hummadi, a village in Northern Egypt. They were digging for nitrate-rich
earth that they could use for fertilizer. They came across a large clay jar
buried in the ground. They were undecided whether to open it. They feared
that it might contain an evil spirit; but they also suspected that it might
contain gold or other material of great value. It turns out that their
second guess was closer to the truth: the jar contained a library of Gnostic
material of unmeasurable value. 13 volumes survive, comprising 51 different
works on 1153 pages. 6 were copies of works that were already known; 6
others were duplicated within the library, and 41 were new, previously
unknown works. Included were The Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Truth,
Treatise on the Resurrection, Gospel of Philip, Wisdom of Jesus Christ,
Revelation of James, Letter of Peter to Philip, On the Origin of the World
and other writings. Of these, the Gospel of Thomas is considered the most
important. It was a collection of the sayings of Jesus which were recorded
very early in the Christian era. A later Gnostic author edited the Gospel.
Some liberal theologians rank it equal in importance to the 4 Gospels of the
Christian Scriptures.
The works had originally been
written in Greek during the second and third centuries CE. The Nag Hummadi
copies had been translated into the Coptic language during the early 4th
century CE, and apparently buried circa 365 CE. Some Gnostic texts were
non-Christian; others were originally non-Christian but had Christian
elements added; others were entirely Christian documents. Some recycled
paper was used to reinforce the leather bindings of the books. They were
found to contain dated letters and business documents from the middle of the
4th century. The books may have been hidden for save-keeping during a
religious purge.
The texts passed through the hands
of a number of mysterious middlemen, and finally were consolidated and
stored in the Coptic Museum of Cairo. Publication was delayed by the Suez
Crisis, the Arab-Israeli war of 1967, and petty debates among scholars. The
most important book, the Gospel of Thomas, was finally translated
into English during the late 1960's; the remaining books were translated
during the following ten years. In many ways, this find reveals more about
the early history of Christianity than do the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Beliefs
The Nag Hummadi find revealed that
there was a broad range of beliefs among the various independent Gnostic
systems or schools. The However, the following points are believed to be
generally accurate throughout the movement:
Their Role:
They believed that they alone truly understood Christ's message, and that
other streams of thought within Christianity had misinterpreted Jesus'
mission and sayings.
Gnosis:
Knowledge to them was not an intellectual exercise; it was not a passive
understanding of some aspect of spirituality. Rather, knowledge had a
redeeming and liberating function that helped the individual break free of
bondage to the world.
Deity:
The Supreme Father God or Supreme God of Truth is remote from
human affairs; he is unknowable and undetectable by human senses. She/he
created a series of supernatural but finite beings called Aeons. One
of these was Sophia, a virgin, who in turn gave birth to an defective,
inferior Creator-God, also known as the Demiurge. (Demiurge means
"public craftsman" in Greek.) This lower God created the earth and its life
forms. This is the God of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament), a deity who
was viewed as fundamentally evil, jealous, rigid, lacking in compassion and
prone to genocide. The Demiurge "thinks that he is supreme. His pride and
incompetence have resulted in the sorry state of the world as we know it,
and in the blind and ignorant condition of most of mankind."
Duality of spirit and body:
Spirit is of divine origin and good; the body is inherently earthly and
evil. Gnostics were hostile to the physical world, to matter and the human
body. But they believed that trapped within some people's bodies were the
sparks of divinity or seeds of light that were supplied to humanity by
Sophia.
Salvation:
A person attains salvation by learning secret knowledge of their spiritual
essence: a divine spark of light or spirit. They then have the opportunity
to escape from the prison of their bodies at death. Their soul can ascend to
be reunited with the Supreme God at the time of their death. Gnostics
divided humanity into three groups:
