Gnosticism

Final Essay for Gnostic Study For Rev. Linda Francis                  Fifteen years ago my late husband and I began to read about the Gnostic religion.  We read a dozen or more books before his death, and  discussed them by the fireplace or on the back porch each night.  Missing our studies together I enrolled in a couple of local classes and several discussion groups.   Like myself and my late husband, I found that the others that also had an interest in this religion had one major thing in common.  We all were highly formally educated and were seeking to keep our minds informed long past our formal education years to achieve a career goal.  The second factor that we shared was a thirst for truth, or at least information from all sides of an issue to make the best choice possible, and this not only had to do with religion, but political and ethical issues, as well. Needing one more class to complete my sixty hours I decided to take one more class in Gnosticism. After some of the early classes I was disappointed and almost dropped the study.  It at first seemed as if the teacher was finding the faults within Gnostic teachings to show how wrong they were. The lesson on Hitler as a Gnostic was the one lesson that actually made me sign up for another class to complete my study. It was a class in the Gospel of Thomas  For some reason I did not drop it right away and in a few weeks I decided perhaps the teacher was like myself and was only trying to show both sides. By the time I reached this last lesson I had no doubts that the teacher liked as many things as I found that I liked about the Gnostics. I especially, enjoyed the idea the teacher tossed out about many scholars believing that Buddhism was a forerunner of many of the Gnostic/Christian ideas.  I too had wondered about the two.  I studied Buddhist meditation for many years and read much that I liked about that faith, as well, even taking some formal classes in this field. I have a little Buddhist sculpture where he is bent over weeping in his lap. One day after finishing my class I picked the Buddha up and said to myself. "I wish I had one of Jesus weeping, too. For surely both weep at what mankind kind and his egoic dogma has done to both of their teachings."  For these reason I find it harder and harder to call myself Christian anymore than I could claim I am a Buddhist.   And when I read one of the last lessons that stated that Gnostics felt they were the only ones with the real truth about God, I thought to myself, well there are the Jews, the Muslims, Baptist and Catholics, etc each believing they are the only right ones and that is why mankind has been killing each other with one war after the other all their lives.                 However, I will agree that a major part of enlightenment is seeking knowledge which was highly promoted by the Gnostics  and part of the narrow vision from other faiths is they refuse to study and open themselves up to the ideas of others, accepting only what their parents, community and the faith they were born into teaches.  The less formally educated the faith as a whole is (both women and children as well as men), the more dogma seems to appear in their rules and the more fearful and violent they are at defending these rules, even at taking the life of those different from them, to speak nothing of the shunning and refusing to show love to those different from themselves.   The study states that today, "If one desires to become a Gnosis you must seek your path to find your truth and understanding. In order to do this one must clear their mind of all barriers, to include their own ego. Finding the truth for one's self can be obtained numerous ways, meditation, dreams, and yoga among other practices."  I think of myself as on a spiritual path (a personal one) rather than a religious one (founded by an egoic group seeking control and claiming they know God's mind.)                 Our minister was away last Sunday and the sermon was delivered by a local writer and college professor.  Dr. John Nash, from East Tennessee State University.   He spoke of Sofia, wisdom and the Gnostic faith. He ended with a pondering thought. He stated, that at one time in the early foundation of the Christian faith that there was a Gnostic called Valentenus that was suggested  as a good idea as the next Pope.  He lost by just a vote or two. His name  was Valentinus.  Church father Tertullion reported that he narrowly lost the election.  Valentenus was educated in Alexandria, but moved to Rome in 136 AD.  He lived there for nearly 25 years.  The informaiton is in Dr. Nash's textbook,  called Christianity: the One, the Many," vol 1, p 258. The thought he left us to ponder was how might the world have been a different place to live in today, if Vllentinus had been elected … where ego was put aside and power, guilt and fear were not used a tools of control for not just the government, fathers ruling their families and  the Christians. ******************************* The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception. The Universal Life Church offers handfasting ceremonies, funeral ceremonies and free minister training. 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Hebrew language was established around the time of the Egyptian exodus. The written language of the Jews in Jesus time on earth as established by the Bible is Aramaic, today this version of Aramaic is called Old Aramaic, which was established around 1100 BCE.

According to Jewish tradition the Torah was revealed to Moses in 1312 BCE at Mount Sinai. Biblical scholars cannot find any signs of Mosaic authorship, but are many indications of what we call the Mosaic Law to be a much, much, later writing. In and around the Pentateuch Moses is credited with haven written certain things ... but nowhere is it affirmed that the Pentateuch was authored by Moses. According to Traditional Rabbinic texts, this material was originally transmitted to Moses at Sinai, then from Moses to Israelites. In this time period time it was forbidden to write and publish the oral law; as the writing would be incomplete and subject to misinterpretation and much abuse. The Jewish alphabet is composed of 22 characters-only; there are no vowels in this written alphabet. Without the oral traditions, the Jewish bible would be incomplete, and not readable.

However, after exile, the dispersion and persecution, this oral tradition only, was lifted when it became apparent that writing was the only way to ensure that the Oral Law was/is to be preserved. After years of effort by a great number of tannaim, the oral traditions were written down around 200 CE by Rabbi Judah haNasi is credited with the written version of the Oral Law, which is called the Mishnah. Other oral traditions of this same time period not entered into the Mishnah were recorded as "Baraitot" (external teaching), and the Tosefta. Other traditions were written down as Midrashim. Now show me any Clergy that can prove Moses wrote Gen? Cannot be found, cannot be proven. Now open your eyes and hearts, when the Assyrians burned Jerusalem in 588 B.C. all texts and records were burned by the Assyrians. I repeat, all texts were burned. Were there any Jewish literature texts in any other location, translated by Jews into another tongue in this other language?

These records were not re-assembled in Jerusalem until much later like 247-169 B.C., how do we know this to be true? Glad you asked, II Maccabees very quickly mentions a person named Nehemiah; no ancestry is given and verified, brought to the library the acts of the kings, prophets and David, when setting up a library in Jerusalem. So where is the earliest mention of Genesis, by an apocryphal writer, who said Ezra wrote all which has been done since the beginning, but only after the Jews returned from Babylon, about 450 B.C.? How do I prove it go to II Esdras in Chapter 14, and look at verse 22 in the Apocrypha.

In the translations from Jerusalem library, these manuscripts, by the Jews were written on whatever material were available at the time. Oral histories until the library, how careful do you think the copyists were in translating the vowel points and consonant values of the original languages into English, with respect to verse or even chapter? Remember this was Jewish history, translated by non Jews. The Jewish version was large, but the English version was huge! Did not look, smell or walk like a duck, so was it?

75 percent Rule, per the Author “The author is the known or believed writer of the Narrative of God’s Word, as we know it; the key in this respect is the 75 % rule. Unless the author is confirmed by the above listed prerequisites of 75 % or greater said author is not posted as confirmed writer.” If not confirmed, then is it true, correct, and authoritive? “If it is based upon facts-only, and not a collective of thoughts. The (A) Narrative of God’s Word”-AS PER MAN! Is Anonymous an Author? Now if numerous works are based upon Anonymous, how many legs is one standing upon? It is only the proven factual historical data, NOT, the whole of the work, or the works, as the case may be.

What this means is the All of, prior to 246 BCE, must be, needs be, closely looked at with the eye and historical factual data, and only before and after very much prayer and fasting-for discernment of the truth, not the Per Man version-period. This will take much time, digging, researching, and oh so much prayer. Just being in print or on leaf, even bark, does not, and cannot make it truth-anymore than adding the word Holy the title of a Graphic Novel! Now because some writes a story about a Pro Catholic or Anti Catholic stance, this is Gospel, two words-Little Boys!

 If one is going to paraphrase, sacred text, how many other Creative Licenses is one going to construct? If this is Theology, I have Ocean front property in Idaho to sell-any takers; it is sacred and priced to move!

Once anyone misrepresents sacred text in defense of beliefs and doctrine, is this proof of ideology, and is this truth? Should much of one’s position be based upon the many persons named Anonymous, then needs be the truth is in the distinct factual data only, which can proved by historical data to be factual, not the entire work, or combined works of any of the authors named Anonymous.

 It is only that which is proved, not the whole body-to ensure not only clarity, by the trust of and in the Divine; as well as the Divinity of the work/cited section (s). Should the Father and Son be of two Intelligences and one substance, explain the Son of Man. If anyone is to paraphrase sacred text-is it of God or Satan?  Citing a sacred work or an author of such, and citing probably of______, (a location), this is Theology-me thinks not. The Cairo Geniza covers the period of importance of the years 950-1200, fragments and pieces, much like fragments of a Diary. It is the culture, and the activities of the Jews in Cairo, on the order of the Dead Sea Scrolls is very much a really big stretch. The books listed therein, are at best fragments. Best known are the incomplete writings of Sirach, and fragments of the Quran. The goings on of the wealthy families is hardly Theo centric. I am not saying they are junk, but on the order of the Dead Sea Scrolls-nope!

Now the Nag Hammadi, on the other hand is of real value, only one copy of the Gospel of Thomas was contained therein, and its discovery in 1945 is timely. Especially for the End Times generations, the remainder of its contents are priceless. Because something is not Coptic or Gnostic, certainly does not mean it has diminished value.

Valentinus’s views on Pagans and Jews, are bit too strange for even a person as myself, to swallow-not sure I could even choke those views down-at all. Refusing to believe Jesus suffered, is enough for me to refuse his teachings. When passed over for a Bishop’s anointing, when it was discovered he was a poor-man, he turned heretic-good for him; he certainly got his just deserts. I am not saying he was not brilliant, just not in his right-mind. The question about Noah being a Prophet? This Sir is a no-brainer; Yes. By his act of obedience, by his professing to his family to believe the impossible, and by completing the tasking, yes, yes, Yes. He heard the call, obeyed the call, and completed the tasking to full completion-YES!

Story and tradition, most certainly in and of its self will never make sacred text. Whilst I agree that the re-writes of the various Bibles throughout history may have diluted it, somewhat altered it, the idea of creating a new version to suit your wants is heretical-Sir. Invoking oral traditions, then scripting these traditions to be called Sacred is very dangerous-do proceed cautiously; you walk on very thin ice, dangerously thin ice. Man wrote the Sacred Texts, man made changes to suit their/his notions and beliefs for the better of the church. Forgetting the church is the congregation, not a building or institution, is a trait not to be desired or sought after. The Roman Church has done plenty of that throughout history why must you add to the mess.

 Levi was the only person to believe Mary when she told of the ascending-the only; the rest demand proof-they did not believe. Peter was aghast over the preferential treatment same said Mary received from Christ. This same person Mary was the only person to stay awake, whilst Jesus was in the garden, prior to his arrest-the only. It was this same Peter who loudly complained of the Priesthood for women. Latter it was Paul who worked to get Women removed from the Priesthood-eventually it was complete between 1100 and 1200. Yes so much has been rewritten, taken out, changed to suit the wants of a few, for the unequal treatment of all Women. Created in the image of God, Male and Female; be ye Jew, Greek, Male or Female, all are equal unto Christ.

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