Posted on 05/24/2006 8:56:03 PM PDT by formercalifornian
At roughly the same time Christianity began to spread in the Roman world, another belief system was spreading almost as rapidly, a religious philosophy we call Gnosticism. Gnosticism takes its name from the Greek "gnosis," a word that means knowledge. But the Gnostics didn't have in mind ordinary human knowledge. They claimed to possess a deep, hidden knowledge - a knowledge denied to the rest of us ordinary human beings.
The Gnostics believed in one ultimate god. But they believed that below that god there were a vast number of intermediate spiritual powers they referred to as archons, "rulers." Now these archons were, for the most part, good powers. But, according to the Gnostics, one of the lesser archons, the Demiurge, made a terrible mistake: He created the world!
What's so bad about that? Well, creating the world meant mixing matter and spirit - and this, said the Gnostics, was very bad. For us, it meant a constant struggle as the divine spark that exists within each of us struggles against the bounds of material existence.
But the ultimate god was not going to leave us trapped within our mortal bodies. No. He countered the work of the Demiurge by secretly sending a special kind of knowledge into the world, secret passwords and codes that will enable us to get past the Demiurge and all other hindrances to become - well, to become cosmic powers ourselves.
Where is this secret knowledge hidden? In mysterious places. The Gnostics were on the lookout everywhere for ancient and mysterious knowledge - and this led them (among other places) first to Judaism, then to the church - where, not surprisingly they created all sorts of problems. Throughout the first Christian centuries, church leaders constantly had to confront the task of refuting various forms of the Gnostic heresy.
It was not that tough a task.
The attraction of Gnosticism lay mostly in its secret, mysterious aura. Note the titles of surviving Gnostic works, e.g., "The Secret Gospel of Thomas," and "The Secret Gospel of Judas." Without the secrecy, Gnosticism loses its appeal in a hurry.
There is a growing popular notion (unfortunately reinforced by irresponsible scholars) that the leaders of the early church were involved in sinister efforts to hide the truth and to suppress beliefs they didn't agree with. Precisely the reverse is the case. Groups like the Gnostics wanted to keep their teachings more or less secret, while church leaders worked hard to expose Gnostic "secrets" to the light of day.
Particularly impressive is the work of Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons in the late second century. Irenaeus' Against Heresies begins with a straightforward exposition of exactly what each of the Gnostic sects believed. He includes thorough and detailed explanations of the teachings of Gnostic leaders ranging from Valentinus to Marcus the Magician to Cerinthus. Had it not been for Irenaeus and writers like him, many Gnostic leaders and their ideas would be entirely unknown to history.
Not that that would be any serious loss. Gnostic cosmological speculations are dreary, confusing - and void of all ethical content. The law of Moses? The exhortations of the prophets? The moral teaching of Jesus? Done away with entirely in Gnosticism. Possess the secret knowledge, and you're on your way to salvation - no matter how you live your life.
And here is the other reason Gnosticism was (and is) attractive. The Gnostics redefined God primarily so that they could be free to redefine sin. God is whatever we want him (or her) to be. Sin is ... well "sin," if it exists at all, lies only in placing artificial restraints on human desires and in the ignorant insistence that the Bible means what it says.
Gnostic attitudes resonate strongly in contemporary American culture, and it is amazing how far we will go to find a new and improved Jesus - a Jesus more to our liking than the Jesus of the Bible. "We don't care if it rains or freezes, long as we have our Gnostic Jesus." Or, at least, we won't care until we meet the true Jesus: the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Should have left well enough alone.
"They claimed to possess a deep, hidden knowledge - a knowledge denied to the rest of us ordinary human beings."
Now it all makes sense... The Trilateral Commission, JFK conspiracy theorists, protocols of elders of Zion, Area 51 enthusiasts. All are really just Gnostic heresies for the modern world.
"Gnostic attitudes resonate strongly in contemporary American culture" ... yup. Church of Latter-Day Gnostics, Rev Ollie Stone, presiding pastor.
Global warming theories, The mothership...
Intersting read. A quick primer on gnosticism. Suits my attention span!! I didn't know about the Archons.
Even the original Star Trek TV series back in the 1960's had what they probably thought was a sly reference to gnosticism:
Star Trek Epsiode 22, Season 1:
"The Return of the Archons"
All I can remember is the tribble episode, but gnostic stuff in Star Trek wouldn't surprise me. Fazers on stun.
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