Gnosticism Research in Desecrate | World Anvil

Gnosticism Research (naa · sti · si · zm)

Basically an info dump on Gnosticism

Research Sources:
The New Testament And Other Early Christian Writings: A Reader (Second Edition) by Bart Ehrman

Nag Hammadi

Was found in Nag Hammadi in 1945 with the rest of our sources on Gnosticism. The document was seemingly buried in the Egyptian sands as a way to hide them by a monk who was fleeing persecution (maybe in the late 4th century AD).
The 13 leather-bound manuscripts contained 52 tractates that were declared heretical when they were written - the works of Gnostic Christians.
The manuscripts were translations: originally written in Greek, now shown in Coptic.

The Gospel of Thomas

  • A book of sayings from Jesus himself
  • Claims to have been written my Didymos Judas Thomas
  • In some stories, this is Jesus' twin brother
  • contains 114 "secret teachings"
  • No other material. Just the sayings.
  • Heavily resembles Q
  • (Q is a collection of sayings of unknown origin, named from the German word 'Quelle' meaning 'source')
  • Q was used as a source by the authors of Luke and Matthew
  • Possibly closer to what the historical Jesus actually taught
  • this brings up the debate over chronology
  • Gnostic teachings cannot be reliably dated to earlier than the 2nd century AD
  • The Second Letter of Peter

  • Author claims to be Simeon Peter (the apostle)
  • Scholars call BS on that
  • likely pseudepigraphic
  • pseud = fake
  • epigraph = writing
  • seems to be written a number of decades after the death of Peter
  • written at a time when the apocalypse was a source of ridicule for the Christians
  • written by a Christian who deeply understands the Greek language
  • an issue for Aramaic-speaking Jewish Peasant Peter
  • no evidence of this writing until the beginning of the 3rd century AD
  • unheard of for a document supposedly written by a disciple of Jesus himself
  • This letter is seemingly a rebuttle against Christian Gnostics
  • claims to be Peter to show that he doesn't need "cleverly disguised myths" in order to know Jesus since he knew the man irl
  • reads like someone that was backed into a corner and is now snapping and trying to defend itself by harming those who hold it captive there
  • The Third Letter To The Corinthians

  • pseudepigraphic letter of Paul
  • included in the Acts of Paul at the end of the 2nd century AD
  • may have been circulated prior to this
  • concerning 'false teachings' (i.e. gnostic teachings) by Simon and Cleobius at the church in presumably Corinth
  • basically just hears the gnostics going "Christ did not have a mortal body, there is sin in the flesh" and yells back "SUCK THIS FLESH"
  • The Gospel Of Mary

  • Found in the Akhmim Codex
  • the Papyrus Berolinensis 8502
  • Written in Coptic
  • aquired in Cairo in 1896
  • Dr. Rheinhardt
  • Not circulated until 1955
  • Contains parts of 3 texts:
  • Gospel of Mary
  • Apocryphon of John
  • Sophia of Jesus Christ
  • Missing pages:
  • 1-6
  • 11-14
  • these included sections leading up to chapter 4 as well as portions of chapters 5-8
  • Gospel of Truth

     

    Gospel of Judas

  • recounts a conversation between Jesus and Judas Iscariot during a week before Passover
  • Irenaeus on the Gnostics

  • Irenaeus was a Gallic bishop in the 2nd Century AD
  • Attacked a wide range of Christian doctrines and practices
  • He considered them deviants
  • Epiphanes on Righteousness

  • Also known as "Concerning Justice"
  • Written by Epiphanes
  • Son of Carpocrates - a Gnostic teacher
  • Found in Clement of Alexandria
  • Apocryphon of John

    (I have... so much on this)

    Main Lecture - Gnosticism

    Defining Gnosticism

     
  • Not necessarily a religion as much as it's a set of doctrines
  • Makes Gnosticism compatible with many religions
  • Hard to pin the start of Gnosticism
  • seems to draw on Greek origins and Plato's belief of dualism
  • A. D. Nock: gnosticism is "Platonism run wild" 
  • Others have suggested is originated in Hellenistic Jewish thought
  • Contrast between a "good" and "evil" deity
  • The "Evil" deity is of the material world
  • typically associated with the Jewish God (YHWH)
  • The "Good" deity is associated with a heavenly being
  • Gnosticism is considered a "Christian Heresy"
  • tho it's not entirely Christian in origin
  • Nag Hammadi shows to date Gnosticism earlier with draws from the Jewish texts
  • Now it is considered that Gnosticism developed alongside proto-orthodox Christianity
  • just used the Jewish sources in different ways
  • Seems to draw on Hermetic tradition as well
  • makes Gnosticism syncretistic
  • Syncretic (adjective) - characterized or brought about by a combination of different forms of belief or practice
  • Gnosticism as the Result of Syncretism

     

    Main Lecture - The Gospel of Thomas

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    Comments

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    Dec 3, 2022 05:15 by Miles Kayden

    I can't wait to see the additions made to this document, so interesting already!