what is Gnosticism ?

Nevyn

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnosticism

http://www.religioustolerance.org/gnostic.htm

http://www.gnosis.org/gnintro.htm

http://www.meta-religion.com/Esoterism/Gnosticism/gnosticism.htm

jessop1

Heres an alternative view to the definitions of gnosticism posted above

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054962347

Sapien

jessop1 wrote:

Heres an alternative view to the definitions of gnosticism posted above

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054962347

Do you understand what a definition is?

The Gnome

Ungh, this isn't going to start again is it?

jessop1

UU

From what I remember, Gnosticism is a mystical branch off Christianity. I think it broke away during the Middle Ages by Christians who wanted to seek a more spiritual path of Christianity because at the time it wasn't very spiritual at all. If I'm wrong please correct me.

Sapien

UU wrote:

From what I remember, Gnosticism is a mystical branch off Christianity. I think it broke away during the Middle Ages by Christians who wanted to seek a more spiritual path of Christianity because at the time it wasn't very spiritual at all. If I'm wrong please correct me.

You are wrong. Read the links.

MeditationMom

Just finished reading "The Gospel of Judas" from Codex Tchacos - translation by Radolphe Kasser, Marvin Meyer and Gregor Wurst (published by the National Geographic Society), where I learned a little bit about Gnostic teachings. Thanks for the links to find out more.

No wonder Gnostics are such a threat. This Gospel (as a gnostic piece of writing for gnostics, in the early days of Christianity) is understood and accepted by serious scholars as more authentic, younger and far less altered than the four Gospels in the Bible. Furthermore, it tells of a Jesus and Judas, as well as Jesus' sayings about God, that is so beyond what Christains have been lead to believe until now, it is positively delightful.

Yechidah

UU,

Gnosticism and Mystical Christianity are not the same. People like St. John of the Cross and Hildegard of Bingen were, as traditionally seen, Christian Mystics (some would argue they were Gnostics without knowing it). They stayed within the stream of orthodoxy, but moulded it with their own personal mystical insight. Gnostics often made stark claims (like the Creator being a "False God", the Demiurge, and humanity being all inherently divine) that the Mystics would not have made, and Gnosticism acted seperately to Christianity, even though there were several groups who overlapped (the most famous of which would be the Valentinians, followers of Valentinus, who was canonised as our St. Valentine, and was almost elected pope "back in his day"). Gnosticism itself came about before Christianity, but Christian Gnosticism/Gnostic Christianity arose along-side mainstream or orthodox Christianity, and both drew from and shaped each other (it wasn't until the 4th Century that Christian views became "standardised" as orthodoxy anyway). The Gnostics you are referring to in regards to the Middle Ages are probably the Cathars, but they are not the earliest or most definitive group that was in existence. Gnosticism is an amalgamation of Christian, Jewish, Pagan, Platonic, Hermetic, and Buddhist views (among other things), with different foci dependant on the group in question. Modern Gnosticism tends to come in three main streams: Christian, Sophianic, and Hermetic.

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Meditation Mom,

Glad you enjoyed Gospel of Judas. If you wish to discuss it or its contents, feel free to start a thread

LLLSHJ,
Yechidah.