Gnosticism?

[aprilsmapril]

Hi! I've just recently come across the term gnostic and wondered exactly what it is. I've read several websites and articles and still can't quite get a grasp on what really makes it so different from Christianity. From the things I've read, it only seems that the leaders of the day didn't like some of their ideas so they squashed it? I really don't know -- it's hard to sift through all the google hits

I'd love some insight from you knowlegeable people!

Thanks!

[Canuckster1127]

Gnosticism is a pretty broad term that described a belief system that was present at the time of the apostles that began to try and incorporate much of Christ's teachings into their own system, thereby undermining the true Gospel that Christ taught.

Primary elements of this teaching, which can vary quite a bit depending on the particular group you are addressing include:

1. Heaven is made up of several levels, which can only be navigated by the learning of special knowlege (greek word "gnosis")

2. All material is evil and only the spiritual is good, therefore Christ could not have truly become human and taken on flesh.

3. Equally, Christ not being truly human, could not have died, therefore he did not truly die upon the cross.

4. Because Christ was a possessor of the necessary "gnosis" and the nature of it is hidden, this is why he spoke in parables. In particular he shared this knowledge with favored disciples who in turn wrote special gospel preserving this knowledge. Much of these works are in what is known as the "pseudopigrapha" or false writings. Particular attention is paid to Judas who to many gnostics was the most favored disciple and received the most knowlege. This was very convenient because Judas died first and therefore was not around to argue what they attributed to him. Also, they see Judas as part of Jesus' plan to shed the physical shell which was evil and so Judas in that regard did him a favor.

That's not exhaustive but that covers a fair amount of it.

We're seeing a revival of sorts in this today thanks to the teachings of modern gnostics such as Elaine Pagels and the "finding" and "reviving" of many of these pseudopigraphal works. The most recent have been the Gospel of Judas and the Gospel of Thomas.

Hope that helps.

[Swamper]

To somewhat expand on Canuckster's second point:

Gnosticism teaches that the material world is an illusion created by the devil (or whatever Gnosticism's equivalent of the devil is) to hide the true existence, the spiritual world, from us.