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Gnosticism
Gnosticism, derived from
a Greek word gnosis meaning 'knowledge', is
applied to a philosophical and religious movement that influenced the Mediterranean world
from the first century BC to the third century AD. It expressed itself in a variety of
pagan, Jewish, and Christian forms. Its name is derived from the fact that it promised
salvation through a secret knowledge or understanding of reality possessed by its
devotees.
Previously known mostly from the
writings of its Christian opponents, gnosticism can now be studied in a collection of
original documents found near the Egyptian town of
Nag Hammadi in 1945. Despite the
complex diversity of Gnostic groups and their teachings, the basic doctrines of gnosticism
formed an identifiable pattern of belief and practice.
A pervasive dualism underlay much of
Gnostic thought. Good and evil, light and darkness, truth and falsehood, spirit and matter
were opposed to one another in human experience as being and nonbeing. The created
universe and human experience were characterized by a radical disjunction between the
spiritual, which was real, and the physical, which was illusory. This disjunction resulted
from a cosmic tragedy, described in a variety of ways by Gnostic mythology, as a
consequence of which sparks of deity became entrapped in the physical world. These could
be freed only by saving knowledge that was revealed to a spiritual elite by a transcendent
messenger from the spirit world, variously identified as Seth (one of the sons of Adam),
Jesus, or some other figure. Renunciation of physical desires and strict asceticism,
combined with mystical rites of initiation and purification were thought to liberate the
immortal souls of believers from the prison of physical existence. Reunion with divine
reality was accomplished after a journey of the soul through intricate systems of hostile
powers.
Associated in legend with
Simon Magus,
a Samaritan sorcerer mentioned in Acts 8:9-24, gnosticism probably originated in the Near
East as a synthesis of Eastern and Greek ideas before the advent of Christianity. It reached the height of
its influence as a Christian sect in the middle of the second century AD, when it was
represented by the Egyptian teachers
Basilides and
Valentinus. As Christian orthodoxy was
defined in the period that followed, gnosticism began to decline and gradually was pushed
to the periphery of the Christian world or driven underground by the persecution of church
leaders. Some Gnostic tendencies found their way into later Christian monasticism, while
others survived among the
Mandaeans and adherents of
Manichaeism.
Interest in the Gnostics was revived in
the twentieth century with the discovery of Gnostic manuscripts, previously thought to be
lost, in
Turkestan between 1902 and 1914 and near Nag Hammadi in upper Egypt in 1945 and
1946 and in 1948. The latter are usually called the Dead Sea Scrolls and have provided the
basis for new interpretations of Gnostic beliefs and influence. Another major factor in
the reexamination of Gnosticism is the work of psychiatrist
Carl G.
Jung. Between 1912 and 1926, Jung delved into a
study of Gnosticism and early Christianity. He found in Gnosticism an early, prototypical
depth psychology. He believed that Christianity, and as a result Western culture, had
suffered because of the repression of Gnostic concepts. In looking for ways to reintroduce
Gnostic ideas to modern culture, Jung found them in alchemy. The first codex of the Nag
Hammadi library found in 1945 was purchased and given to Jung on his eightieth birthday.
It is called the Codex Jung.
Related books:
Gnosis: The
Nature and History of Gnosticism.
Click
here for more related
books.
Further info:
"Strange Fire: The
Rise of Gnosticism in the Church".
WWW
Resources for Gnosticism and Nag Hammadi.
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