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Gnosticism

History of Gnosticism
Early Gnosticism
Syrian-Egyptic Gnosticism
Gnosticism in modern times

Proto-Gnostics
Philo
Valentinius
Cerinthus
Basilides

Gnostic texts
Gnostic Gospels
Nag Hammadi library
Codex Tchacos
Bruce Codex
Gnosticism and the New Testament

Related articles
Gnosis
Pythagoreanism
Neoplatonism and Gnosticism
Manichaeism
Bosnian Church
Esoteric Christianity
Theosophy

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The term gnostic gospels refers to gnostic collections of writings about the teachings of Jesus, written around the 2nd century AD. Gnosticism (γνώσις gnōsis, Knowledge) refers to a diverse Syncretistic Religious movement consisting of various Belief systems The history of Gnosticism is subject to a great deal of debate and interpretation Early Gnosticism refers to a point in Gnosticism that occurred following the Fathers of Christian Gnosticism and related groups but prior to the shift to Syrian-Egyptian Gnostic Schools were ancient Gnostic sects from around the Middle East. Gnosticism includes a variety of ancient religions prevalent in the Mediterranean in the third century AD. The Church Fathers or Fathers of the Church is a term used in Catholic and Orthodox forms of Christianity to refer to the early and Philo (20 BC - 50 AD) known also as Philo of Alexandria (gr Φίλων ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς Philo Judaeus, Philo Judaeus of Alexandria Valentinus (also spelled Valentius) ( c 100 - c160 CE) was the best known and for a time most successful Early Christian gnostic Cerinthus ( c 100 was an Early Christian originator of a heretical sect a " Heresiarch " in the view of the Church Fathers "Basilides" redirects here For the 17th century Ethiopian Emperor see Fasilides of Ethiopia. Gnosticism used a number of Religious texts that are preserved in part or whole in ancient Manuscripts or are lost but mentioned critically in Patristic Nag Hammadi library (popularly known as The Gnostic Gospels) is a collection of early Christian Gnostic texts discovered near the The Codex Tchacos is an ancient Egyptian Coptic Papyrus containing early Christian Gnostic texts from approximately 300 A The Bruce Codex (also called the Codex Brucianus) is a gnostic manuscript acquired by the British Museum. This article discusses the relationship between Gnosticism and the New Testament. Gnosis (from one of the Greek words for Knowledge, γνώσις is the spiritual knowledge of a Saint or mystically enlightened human being Pythagoreanism is a term used for the Esoteric and metaphysical beliefs held by Pythagoras and his followers the Pythagoreans who were much influenced Neoplatonism (also Neo-Platonism) is the modern term for a school of Hellenistic philosophy that took shape in the 3rd century AD, based Manichaeism (in Modern Persian fa-Arab آیین مانی Āyin e Māni; Chinese zh 摩尼教 was one of the major Gnostic Religions originating The Bosnian Church ( crkva bosanska, ecclesia bosniensis) seems to have been a Catholic monastic order that separated itself from the wider Church possibly over the Esoteric Christianity is a term which refers to an ensemble of spiritual currents which regard Christianity as a Mystery religion, and profess the existence This article is about the philosophy introduced by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky Gnosticism (γνώσις gnōsis, Knowledge) refers to a diverse Syncretistic Religious movement consisting of various Belief systems Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) The 2nd century is the period from 101 to 200 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. [1] These gospels are not accepted by most mainstream Christians as part of the standard Biblical canon. This article is about the canonical books of the New Testament A Biblical canon or canon of scripture is a list or Set of Biblical books considered to be authoritative as Scripture by a particular religious Rather, they are part of what is called the New Testament apocrypha. New Testament apocrypha are a number of writings of the early Christian church that give accounts of the teachings of Jesus, aspects of the life of Jesus accounts However, public interest has been spurred by recent novels and films which refer to them. [2][3]

Contents

History

The gnostic gospels were named after the Greek word gnosis which means "knowledge" and is often used in Greek philosophy in a manner more consistent with the English "enlightenment". Gnosis (from one of the Greek words for Knowledge, γνώσις is the spiritual knowledge of a Saint or mystically enlightened human being Gnostic philosophy and religious movements began in pre-Christian times. During this time, ideas from Greek Gnosticism intermingled with Early Christianity. The name "Christian gnostics" came to represent a segment of the Early Christian community who believed that salvation lay not in merely worshipping Christ, but in psychic or pneumatic souls learning to free themselves from the material world via the revelation. πνεύμα spirit The highest order of humans as opposed to Hylics. [4] According to this tradition, the answers to spiritual questions are to be found within not without. [2] Furthermore, the gnostic path does not require the intermediation of a church for salvation. In Theology, salvation can mean three related things being saved from or Liberation from something such as Suffering or the punishment of Some scholars, such as Edward Conze and Elaine Pagels, have suggested that gnosticism blends teachings like those attributed to Jesus Christ with teachings found in Eastern traditions. Eberhart (Edward Julius Dietrich Conze (1904 - 1979 was an Anglo - German scholar probably best known for his pioneering translations of Buddhist Elaine Pagels, née Hiesey (born February 13, 1943) is the Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion at Princeton University Gnosticism (γνώσις gnōsis, Knowledge) refers to a diverse Syncretistic Religious movement consisting of various Belief systems [1] The gnostic Gospels are predated by all canonical gospels.

Dating

See also Gnosticism

The documents which comprise the collection of gnostic gospels were not discovered at a single time, but rather as a series of finds. Gnosticism (γνώσις gnōsis, Knowledge) refers to a diverse Syncretistic Religious movement consisting of various Belief systems The Nag Hammadi Library was discovered accidentally by two farmers in December of 1945 and was named for the area in Egypt where it had been hidden for centuries. Nag Hammadi library (popularly known as The Gnostic Gospels) is a collection of early Christian Gnostic texts discovered near the [5] Other documents included in what are now known as the gnostic gospels were found at different times and locations, such as the Gospel of Mary, which was recovered in 1896 as part of the Akhmim Codex and published in 1955. The Gospel of Mary is an apocryphal book discovered in 1896 in a fifth-century Papyrus Codex. In 1896 the Coptic Berlin Codex (aka the Akhmim Codex) given the accession number Papyrus Berolinensis 8502 was unearthed in Akhmim Some documents were duplicated in different finds, and for others, such as the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, only one copy is currently known to exist.

There are differing schools of thought on the dating of the original versions of these gospels. Scholars with a focus on Christianity tend to date the gospels mentioned by Irenaeus to the 2nd century, and the gospels mentioned solely by Jerome to the 4th century. Saint Irenaeus (Greek Ειρηναίος (2nd century AD - c 202 was Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, Roman Empire (now Lyons France Jerome (c 347 – September 30, 420) ( Latin: Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος The traditional dating of the gospels derives primarily from this division. Other scholars with a deeper focus on pagan and Jewish literature of the period tend to date primarily based on the type of the work:

  1. Scholars like George Albert Wells would argue that there is a substantial body of literature about the teachings of the savior which were originally part of the Jewish wisdom movement. George Albert Wells (born May 22 1926) usually known as G A Wells, is an Emeritus Professor of German at Birkbeck University of London. Gnostic gospels (like the Odes of Solomon) could then date as early as from 200-100 BCE. For a book included in some editions of the Septuagint, see The Book of Odes. Dates this early would be rejected by most scholars if the text specifically mentions Jesus (rather than The Savior) since they are incarnationist (or at least not mythicist) and believe that there were some teachings at the base.
  2. The Gospel of the Lord can be unquestionably dated to at or before Marcion and thus no later than the early 2nd century. The Gospel of Marcion or the Gospel of the Lord was a text used by the mid-second century Christian teacher Marcion to the exclusion of the other gospels Marcion (Μαρκίων (ca 110 - 160) was a Christian Theologian who was excommunicated by the Early Christian church G. R. S. Mead and others have argued that Marcion's gospel predates the canonical Luke and was in use in Pauline churches. [6]
  3. The Gospel of Truth[7] and Pistis Sophia can be unquestionably dated to the early 2nd century as they were part of the original Valentinian school. The Gospel of Truth is one of the Gnostic texts from the New Testament apocrypha found in the Nag Hammadi codices ("NHC" Pistis Sophia is an important Gnostic text The five remaining copies which scholars date c Valentinus (also spelled Valentius) ( c 100 - c160 CE) was the best known and for a time most successful Early Christian gnostic
  4. Documents with a Sethian influence (like the Gospel of Judas, or outright Sethian like Coptic Gospel of the Egyptians can be dated substantially later than 40 and substantially earlier than 250; most scholars giving them a 2nd century date. The Sethians were a group of ancient Gnostics who date their existence to before Christianity The Gospel of Judas is a Gnostic gospel purported to document conversations between apostle Judas Iscariot and Jesus Christ. Two versions of the formerly lost Coptic Gospel of the Egyptians (which is quite distinct from the Greek Gospel of the Egyptians) were among the codices in the [8] More conservative scholars using the traditional dating method would argue in these cases for the early 3rd century.
  5. Some gnostic gospels (for example Trimorphic Protennoia) make use of fully developed Neoplatonism and thus need to be dated after Plotinus in the 3rd century. The ' Trimorphic Protennoia' is a Sethian Gnostic text from the New Testament apocrypha. Neoplatonism (also Neo-Platonism) is the modern term for a school of religious and mystical Philosophy that took shape in the 3rd century AD founded by Plotinus ( Greek:) (ca AD 204–270 was a major philosopher of the ancient world who is widely considered the founder of Neoplatonism (along with his

Selected gospels

Though there are many documents that could be included among the gnostic gospels, the term most commonly refers to the following:

References in popular culture

The gnostic gospels received widespread attention after they were referred to in the 2003 best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code,[13] which uses them as part of its backstory. The Gospel of Mary is an apocryphal book discovered in 1896 in a fifth-century Papyrus Codex. The Gospel According to Thomas ( Coptic: ⲡⲉ̅ⲩ̅ⲁ̅ⲅⲅ̅ⲉⲗ̅ⲓⲟⲛ̅ ⲡⲕ̅ⲁ̅ⲧⲁ ⲑ̅ⲱ̅ⲙⲁⲥ also known as The Gospel Oxyrhynchus (Ὀξύρρυγχος "sharp-nosed" ancient Egyptian Pr-Medjed; Coptic Pemdje; modern Egyptian Arabic Nag Hammadi library (popularly known as The Gnostic Gospels) is a collection of early Christian Gnostic texts discovered near the The Gospel of Truth is one of the Gnostic texts from the New Testament apocrypha found in the Nag Hammadi codices ("NHC" The Gospel of Philip is one of the Gnostic Gospels, a text of New Testament Apocrypha, dating back to around the third century but lost to modern researchers The Gospel of Judas is a Gnostic gospel purported to document conversations between apostle Judas Iscariot and Jesus Christ. The Da Vinci Code is a controversial mystery / detective Novel by US author Dan Brown, published in 2003 by Doubleday In Narratology, a back-story (also back story or backstory) is the history behind the situation extant at the start of the main story [14] The novel's use of artistic license in describing the gospels stirred up considerable debate over the accuracy of its depiction. As a result of public interest triggered by the novel and film, numerous books and video documentaries about the gospels themselves were produced which resulted in the gnostic gospels becoming well-known in popular culture.

The 2008 novel, Change of Heart, by Jodi Picoult, also makes several in-depth references to the gnostic gospels - and to the Gospel of Thomas in particular.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b Elaine Pagels. In Christianity, Docetism (from the Greek, "to seem" is the belief that Jesus ' physical body was an illusion as was his Crucifixion For other people named Robert Price see Robert Price (disambiguation Robert McNair Price The Jesus Seminar is a group of about 150 individuals including scholars with advanced degrees in Biblical studies, Religious studies or related fields as well as Extract from The Gnostic Gospels. pbs. org. Retrieved on 2007-04-22. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1500 - Portuguese Navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral becomes the first European to sight Brazil.
  2. ^ a b Elaine Pagels and Michael Licona. Gospel of Thomas debate. Pax TV. Retrieved on 2007-04-22. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1500 - Portuguese Navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral becomes the first European to sight Brazil.
  3. ^ Lance S. Owens. An Introduction to Gnosticism and The Nag Hammadi Library. The Gnostic Society. Retrieved on 2007-04-22. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1500 - Portuguese Navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral becomes the first European to sight Brazil.
  4. ^ Stephan A. Hoeller. The Gnostic World View: A Brief Summary of Gnosticism. gnosis. org. Retrieved on 2007-04-22. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1500 - Portuguese Navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral becomes the first European to sight Brazil.
  5. ^ nag-hammadi. com. The Nag Hammadi Library. Retrieved on 2007-04-22. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1500 - Portuguese Navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral becomes the first European to sight Brazil.
  6. ^ His Gospel was presumably the collection of sayings in use among the Pauline churches of his day. Of course the patristic writers say that Marcion mutilated Luke's version; but it is almost impossible to believe that, if he did this, so keen a critic as Marcion should have retained certain verses which made against his strong anti-Judaistic views. G. R. S. Mead, Fragments of a Faith Forgotten [1]
  7. ^ But the followers of Valentinus, putting away all fear, bring forward their own compositions and boast that they have more Gospels than really exist. Indeed their audacity has gone so far that they entitle their recent composition the Gospel of Truth Irenaeus, Adversus Haereses (3. On the Detection and Overthrow of the So-Called Gnosis ( commonly called Against Heresies (Latin Adversus haereses,) is a five-volume work 11. 9)[2]
  8. ^ Gnosticism and Platonism: The Platonizing Sethian texts from Nag Hammadi in their Relation to Later Platonic Literature, John D Turner, ISBN 0-7914-1338-1.
  9. ^ Karen L. Overview The NGS's historical mission is "to increase and diffuse geographic knowledge while promoting the conservation of the world's cultural historical and natural King. Excerpts from Gospel of Mary of Magdala. maryofmagdala. com. Retrieved on 2007-04-22. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1500 - Portuguese Navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral becomes the first European to sight Brazil.
  10. ^ Elaine Pagels (June 4, 2003). The Secret Gospel of Thomas. NPR.
  11. ^ Stefan Lovgren (April 6, 2006). Lost Gospel Revealed; Says Jesus Asked Judas to Betray Him. National Geographic News. Retrieved on 2007-04-22. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1500 - Portuguese Navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral becomes the first European to sight Brazil.
  12. ^ Elaine Pagels and Karen King (March 14, 2007). Elaine Pagels, née Hiesey (born February 13, 1943) is the Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion at Princeton University Karen Leigh King (born 1954 is an American academic working in the field of Early Christianity and Gnosticism. The Gospel of Judas and the Shaping of Christianity. NPR.
  13. ^ Elaine Pagels (May 22, 2006). Elaine Pagels, née Hiesey (born February 13, 1943) is the Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion at Princeton University The Truth at the Heart of 'The Da Vinci Code'. NPR. Retrieved on 2007-04-19. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1012 - Martyrdom of Alphege in Greenwich London. 1529 - At the Second Diet of Speyer
  14. ^ Richard Abanes, The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code, 2004. ISBN 0-7369-1439-0
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