Actually, the theology website has a very concise and fairly non-judgmental definition of Gnosticism the best from an "outside source" I have yet seen. You can find it at:
http://www.theologywebsite.com/history/gnosis.shtml
This describes the sources, and beginnings of Gnosticism, which is identifiable and definable, and we should all have a good working knowledge of it in order to explain ourselves to outsiders.
The experience of Gnosis may be indefinable, perhaps even to ourselves, but we should not confuse the two, or we just seem uninformed about our own religion.
Church History Study Helps:
Gnosticism
Gnosticism
1. In the period of roughly 130 and 160Ad there surfaced within the Christian community a debate over controversies between groups which came to be called "gnostics" and defenders of a more common-sense intepretation of the church's traditional teachings. As a result of this debate, the church was compelled to significantly develop in the range, depth and precision of its theological tradition. Yet in spite of the significance of this debate, it is difficult to clearly delineate the phenomenon of Gnosticism. Gnosticism's cultural and social setting was the urban world in which Jewish religious texts and symbols were being drawn into syncretism with popularized philosophical notions and themes drawn from Hellenistic religion.
2. Modern scholars do have access to a few complete works of gnostic authors. The Christian Gnostic Ptolemy's "Letter to Flora" was preserved in its original Greek by the 4th century Epiphanius, and 18th century finds in the Egyptian desert produced some important texts in the Egyptian vernacular, Coptic. Among these were the "Pistis-Sophia", a dialogue of the risen Jesus with his disciples; two works contained the so-called Bruce Codex, one untitled and the other called "The Mystery of the Great Logos"; and the vastly important "Secret Teaching of John", first published in 1955. However, the principal sources for knowledge of Gnosticism have been the works of its Christian opponents, late second and early third century writers such as Irenaeus of Lyons, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Tertullian, and Hipplytus of Rome. From such writers we have summaries of the gnostic teaching and quotations drawn from gnostic writings. (Origen provides extensive citations of the earliest known commentary of John's gospel, written by the Gnostic Heracleon..
3. Thus it was of great importance when in 1945 a small library of thirteen codices was discovered at Nag Mammadi in Egypt, on a site not far from the fourth century monastery at Chenobokion. These codices contain some 48 short tractates in Coptic translation, of which the great majority are gnostic works. It is from the Nag Hammadi collection that we have such works at "The Gospel of Truth", "The Gospel of Thomas", the so-called "Tripartite Tractate", and the "Treatise on the Resurrection", often referred to as the Epistle to Rheginos.
4. From a study of the gnostic materials, two things become clear. First, Gnosticism was by no means a uniform phenomenon and there was no single body of teaching common to all. Second, it is now clear that not all Gnosticism was Christian and that the movement existed independently of the church, even if it did not predate Christianity. However, one of the main characteristics of gnosticism was the offer of secret teaching, the knowledge (gnosis) of which could be grasped by only a select few. Much of gnosticism is mythologically communicated such that the gnosis which comes as a revelation to those having knowledge takes the form of a story (muthos) about the transcendent primordial realities. Yet gnostic myths are very distinct in kind since their characters are not gods and goddesses but rather abstract philosophical or theological notions or religious symbols. Gnosticism proved very syncretistic of Jewish scriptures, pagan mythology, popular astrology, magic, middle plaatonism, neo-pythagoreanism, and Hellenistic Judaism.
Sources utilized in these pages may include:
# Everett Ferguson's: Backgrounds of Early Christianity
# Walker's: History of Christianity (out of print)
(These links will take you to book detail pages at Amazon.com)
"The impure heart, the narrow mind, are not fit receptacles for divine wisdom. Mere intellectual assent to a historical record does not make the grave a door to heaven, or constitute Death the unveiler of Life eternal. True knowledge, the direct perception of things spiritual, comes only when right-conduct is followed, and the outer nature of man attuned to the inner and divine nature. The physical body cannot become immortal, nor does the mere disintegration of the body of flesh open the way to immortality. It is the Truth alone that makes man free; and the Truth is not to be known through blind credulity or through contention about beliefs."
James M. Pryse (founder of The Gnostic Society) from his book, "The Magical Message according to Ionnes, commonly called The Gospel According to St. John."
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2 comments:
Welcome to the Logosphere, Sister!
Thanks for sharing this definition. It is one of the most concise, and I like that it describes our archetypal viewpoint. It does however have what I consider to be a flaw, one that the majority of definitions of Gnostic have, which is why this specific example is so often quoted by anti-Gnostic bloggers:
However, one of the main characteristics of gnosticism was the offer of secret teaching, the knowledge (gnosis) of which could be grasped by only a select few.
I find this misleading and inaccurate. It is very important to point out that the mystical experience of gnosis is available to anyone, not just to the 'elect'. The 'select few' are those have dedicated themselves and taken on the responsibility of studying, teaching and leading others into the attainment of the experience. In other words, these 'Inner Mysteries' that the Gnostics talk about so often are rituals and practices designed to lead one into increasingly deeper levels of mystical experience. The 'elect' are those who are trained to be guides and 'grounding points', if you will, in those practices. This is why initaitic orders such as the Gnostic priesthood exist. We're the folks who make it possible for anyone to show up on Sunday morning, have an intensive mystical experience, and still be able to drive home afterward.
Unfortunately, I would have to disagree with you. The majority will never become mystics, why? Because they do not want to, or they do not want to make the effort because it is not a central motivating force in their life. You may preach the evangelical "Gnosis" all you want, but Proselytizing doesn't work in our Religion. The inner mysteries, are not the rituals or the practices, but what is developed in the person by the first the right understanding, and next the correct application of these consciousness enhancing experiences into changes in our daily lives that will cleave to the Spirit, or adversely to matter and ego. Intellectual understanding of what gnosis is, are not the 'talking points' on which to convert others, other will be attracted to you and want to know more about you when they feel a change in your consciousness that draws them, that is the light you must show for others, not the light of your personality. The elect who are "trained" to be guides have been to those places of the should themselves and do not speak with mere intellectual understanding of the Gnostic Experience, they are one with it, and speak with compassion and listen more often than they teach. As for showing up on Sunday, having a mystical experience and being able to drive home, yes, there are some who have that experience, but not all. It is not a mere effect created by a certain ritual or rite, it is a mystery because it's results are obtained by divine Grace and the proper type of reorientation of one's life according to the mysteries revealed in the inmost chamber of one's heart, and these are perceived, when the proper preparation has been accomplished in a very individual way, unique to each soul. You can live in the world, but if you are "of" it, you are in poverty, no matter how much you have of popularity, riches, or fame. What is said in the Bible in this case (as in many others) holds true; you cannot serve God and Mammon, in other words, you cannot serve the real Gnosis, and it's false shadow which is wholly of this world and a deliberately fashioned imitation designed to ensnare souls. At some point you must choose, and if you do not do this voluntarily, you will be forced to do so through some unfortunate life circumstance, that will take away all that you hold precious, in order to show you that you are holding on to the wrong things, and in this case you are still receiving divine grace, though not in its most benign and pleasurable aspect.
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