What they say about Gnosticism
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What they say about Gnosticism [∞]
from: https://www.biblewise.com/bible_study/characters/first-century.php
| Gnosticism comes from the Greek word gnosis, meaning “knowledge.” · | The foundation is being laid of knowledge vs. faith.[1] | |
| Like Christianity, Gnosticism evolved over time. [1] | ||
| There were many forms of Gnosticism throughout early Christianity. | ||
| Scholars have identified many strands prevalent in the first century that were synthesized within Gnosticism, including Egyptian religion, Judaism, Christianity, astrology, and Greek philosophy. [1] | ||
| An initial wave of Gnosticism arose after the destruction of the temple in 70CE, but it wasn’t until the second century that it gained in prominence and achieved its classical form.[1] |
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| Early Gnosticism probably arose out of apocalyptic Judaism, and hostility towards the God of the Old Testament. [1] |
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| It arose after people abandoned the idea that God would take action on their behalf. | ||
| Gnostics believed that matter was evil and spirit was good. [2] | ||
| This world and this body are not the ultimate reality. ▸ ± 1Ch 29:15 For we [are] strangers before thee, and sojourners, as [were] all our fathers: our days on the earth [are] as a shadow, and [there is] none abiding. [{abiding: Heb. expectation }]</ref> | ||
| Matter was eternal and the world had been created out of this evil stuff. [1] | ||
| In other words, Gnostics believed that creation came out of evil matter. [1] | ||
| Since God was spirit and good, he could not have created matter. [1] | ||
| God created “spiritual elements” that handled matter and created the world. [1] |
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| As these “spiritual elements” drifted farther and farther from God, they became more and more ignorant of Him and, in the end, hostile to him. [1] |
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| Nonetheless, these spiritual elements had to be pacified (worshiped) because ultimately they were in control of the world, including all the people in it. [1] |
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| It led to a false humility of not being worthy and hence, not being able to approach God. [1] |
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| Therefore, one needed to submit to the angels and “spiritual elements.” [1] |
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| In essence, then, the Gnostics believed that a spiritual God did not create the world. [1] |
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| In Gnostic thought, Jesus was one of those “spiritual elements” that God created, although he was certainly above all of them. [1] |
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| Since matter derived from evil, it stands to reason the body was also evil. [1] |
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| Jesus, then, who was derived from God was spiritual. [1] |
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| He was not a real man (it has been said by Gnostics that when Jesus walked, he left no footprints). [1] |
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| In Gnostic thought, a “redeemer” would descend from heaven, teach gnosis, and then return to heaven.[1] |
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| Even though Gnostic thought predated Christ, it was adapted to include him. | ||
| It led to the argument that only through gnosis could people understand and participate in the fulness of Christianity. [1] | ||
| In order for people to be saved, they had to find their way back to God. [1] |
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| This “way” was barred by all those “spiritual elements. [1]” | ||
| In order for the soul to get to God, it had to bypass these elements, one by one. [1] |
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| The only way to pass by them was to have secret passwords or special knowledge. [1] |
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| Gnosticism was able to provide this secret knowledge. | ||
| Such knowledge came through doctrinal instruction, ritual, prophecy, sacramental initiations, and self-discovery. | ||
| This knowledge could be taught but generally came as a “call.” | ||
| All this really meant was that salvation was based on knowledge. (There was nothing about forgiveness of sins, love for others, or the cross and resurrection in this theology.)[1] |
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| Nor was every person going to be able to achieve this level of knowledge. [1] |
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| Only those who were spiritually minded could be saved. | ||
| The ordinary person, the earthly person was simply out of luck. | ||
| Because Gnostics saw matter as evil, many of them were rigidly ascetic.[1] |
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| They tried to move away from matter and material things.[1] |
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| Bodily pleasures were to be avoided.[1] |
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| Others, however, moved in the opposite direction of libertinism. [1] |
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| The thought was that since the body was already evil, what did it matter what one did or how one lived? | ||
| Their motto was “anything goes.” | ||
| Either way, they renounced their bodies and were “reborn.” | ||
| Gnostics believed themselves to be part of a privileged few. [1] |
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| Christianity would wrestle with Gnosticism for centuries. [1] |
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