The image above may be triggering to some of you, but I want to be very clear that my inquiry into Christianity must include everything - light, dark and all that’s in between. No stone shall be unturned, no nook or cranny overlooked. It’s rather absurd to be afraid of things we don’t understand (or things other people tell us to be afraid of). This all ties back into that particular quality of religion that’s dogmatic, controlling and guilt-driven. For me, I always keep Psalm 23:4 close to heart:
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
In “Prince of Peace” I discussed the mythicist view of Jesus Christ, and this segment will dive into a topic that (for me) is tangentially related. After I became disillusioned with the Roman Catholic church I still had the desire to seek burning within me, so I looked at everything that’s out there. In terms of Christianity, there’s more than I ever could have imagined. Today we are going to look at Gnosticism, the Apocrypha (biblical or related writings not forming part of the accepted canon of Scripture) and the various lineages that have come to be known as Esoteric Christianity. Perhaps they are not as scary as some may think, and perhaps we may learn a thing or two that will help us in our exploration.
Let’s start with some background. After the death of Jesus Christ, writings about his life and his teachings began to emerge over the course of a few centuries. It’s often assumed that Christianity was very focused during this period, and that the books of the bible were the sum of literature that came from that time period. This could not be further from the truth. Christianity in its early period was scattered amongst a variety of sects, each with their own beliefs and interpretations about what really happened during the time of Christ. Some of these belief systems were almost unrecognizable from what we read in the New Testament, complete with Tolkien-like stories of the beginning of the universe and role of Christ. I have studied and read many of these (i.e, Secret Book of John, Reality of the Rulers, Pistis Sophia among many others), and I am always blown away by the level of creativity and intelligence of these anonymous writers from so long ago.
The conglomerate of these sects and belief systems have been boiled down to one name: Gnosticism. Admittedly, it is very confusing - there is no one central belief system under this umbrella - and I think it’s for that very reason that Gnosticism is often dismissed. That and the fact that in 382 AD the Council of Rome created the canon of the Catholic Church and labeled all Gnostic beliefs and writings as heretical (and therefore satanic). This proved to be a fatal blow to the various Gnostic movements at the time, and they disappeared - at least from mainstream theological culture. As we’ll soon see, they didn’t disappear at all but instead went underground and became something else entirely.
I think it’s worth noting here that we’re operating on a major assumption, that the early Church Fathers of the fourth century were completely right in all of their decisions. I understand there is an incredible amount of literature and research into why in fact these decisions were “correct”, but I don’t like to look at these things so black and white. All humans are fallible, and that includes those who compiled the list of books we now call the Bible. I believe that much can be learned from an honest look into Gnosticism, what it was all about and what it was trying to convey.
Gnosticism is centered around the concept of “gnosis,” the Greek word for “knowledge” that in this context means “knowledge of spiritual mysteries”. The underlying current in all of the Gnostic systems is that there is a secret knowledge passed down from Christ that in fact hold the truth about his life and purpose. Across the various Gnostic movements, this manifested in two different interpretations. In the first, gnosis meant a direct, immediate experience with Christ that unlocked this knowledge (this concept can be seen in the Christian Mystics, who we will explore in a later segment). In the second, gnosis meant actual secret teachings passed down from Jesus meant only for those who were spiritually open enough to receive them (see The Gospel of Philip). It is the latter interpretation that we will focus on here, as this was the ideological “jumping off point” where Christianity began to take on much different forms.
As I mentioned earlier, Gnosticism was sent underground, and it never quite returned to its original form. It continued to live on, however, through secret societies (i.e. Rosicrucians) and the occult, infusing itself with various other magic and mystical practices. These organizations and communities dedicated themselves to the search for gnosis, to finding the secret knowledge of Christ (and thereby reality itself). It is here that we find very interesting (and perhaps useful) interpretations of Christ. These groups tended to see the life and works of Christ through a different, more mystical lens. Even in the canon scriptures, the words of Christ were not to be taken literally, but instead as if they were spiritual code. Underneath this great story (here we tie back in with the mythicists) were keys and clues to the secrets of the universe, veiled by language so that all people could understand based on whatever spiritual level they were at.
It is also in this groups and theologies that we find some very interesting congruencies with other belief systems, namely those of the East. The Gospel of Thomas, for instance, echoes much of the Dao De Jing, and the secret societies and the occult incorporate many Buddhist and Eastern philosophies and practices. Today we would call this New Age, but these things have been occurring for now-millennia.
So…why does any of this matter?
Let’s look at everything from a bird’s eye view. Attempting to glean any useful information from Gnosticism is difficult, primarily due to the sheer amount of contradictions and radical views, however; I think it would be a mistake to throw the baby out with the bathwater. What we learn from the Gnostics and their magical/mystical lineages is that there’s a completely different way to look at the life of Jesus Christ. Perhaps there is more to the story than just words on paper. If we open our minds, perhaps we can begin to move past the black and white, rigid interpretations that keep us isolated on “intellectual high-ground”. I know that for myself, it’s this rigid thinking that has so often led to the conclusion that “there’s no way any of this shit is real.” The Gnostics and their descendants believed in some real crazy shit, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. It simply serves as a reminder that at the end of the day, we know nothing, and it can’t hurt to open our minds to the possibility that there’s more to all of this than we can fathom.
I’m not going to say I believe in any secret knowledge or any hierarchical structure of spirituality reserved for some and not others. Maybe there’s elements of truth to it, but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter to me because that’s not what I’m after. Spiritual elite-ism is one of the things that has caused such spiritual malady in our current world, and we certainly don’t need any more of it. What we do need, however, is more curiosity, more malleability, more humility. The more we harden our minds to what we think we know, the more it becomes impossible to see things from different perspectives and to be compassionate and understanding with those who see the world differently than we do.
Earlier in this segment I mentioned the interpretation of gnosis as a direct, immediate experience with Christ. That is what I am interested in most of all. What exactly does that mean, and is it possible? If so, how does one find that? Thus far I’ve been approaching this inquiry in a rational, linear fashion. I figured that if I could write down my thoughts and come to a rational belief that makes sense to me then maybe I could then begin to have an experience. I’m starting to think that maybe it’s the other way around, maybe belief is in fact formed by immediate experience. I’m not quite sure what exactly I mean by that, but I know where to look next - in the lives of the Mystics and the Saints.
I could write about the Gnostics five days in a row, and each day would yield something completely different. It’s just that kind of topic. I’m sure I missed many things, but I also know I got to the core of what I was looking for. The only truth so far is that the more I gain in knowledge, the more I realize how little I know. If you are interested in Gnostic literature, I suggest you start with the Nag Hammadi Library (you can find it free online). I’ve cited some works from the Nag Hammadi in this segment, but trust me when I say I’ve only cracked the surface.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, so I’ll probably publish something more fitting for the occasion and resume our journey Friday. Let’s end with a The Holy Gnostic Rosary as today’s prayer:
The Holy Gnostic Rosary
The Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Unknown Father, in Truth, Mother of all,
in union and redemption and sharing of the powers,
peace to all on whom this name reposes.
The Gnostic's Creed
I acknowledge one great invisible God,
unrevealable, unmarked, ageless and unproclaimable;
the unknown Father, the Aeon of the aeons,
who brought forth in the silence with his Providence:
the Father, the Mother, and the Son.
I acknowledge the Christos, the self-begotten living Son,
the glory of the Father and the virtue of the Mother,
who given birth from the virginal and ineffable Mother,
was made incarnate, the Perfect one.
Who in the word of the Great Invisible God,
came down from above to annul the emptiness of this age
and restore the fullness to the Aeon.
I acknowledge the Holy Spirit, the Bride of the Christos,
the Mother of the Aeons, the great virginal and ineffable Mother
Who proceeded from Herself a gift of Herself
out of the silence of the Unknown God.
I acknowledge the Light of the one church in every place:
Interior, Invisible, Secret and Universal,
the foundation of the lights of the great living God.
I seek liberation of my perfection
from the corruptions of the world
and look to the gathering of the sparks of Light
from the sea of forgetfulness.
Amen.
The Gnostic's Prayer
Almighty God, whose footstool is the highest firmament:
Great Ruler of Heaven, and all the powers therein:
Hear the prayers of Thy Servants, who put their trust in Thee.
We pray Thee, supply our needs from day to day:
command Thy heavenly host to comfort and succor us:
That it may be to Thy glory and unto the good of man.
Forgive us our transgressions as we forgive our brothers and sisters:
be present with us: strengthen and sustain us:
For we are but instruments in Thy hands.
Let us not fall into temptation: defend us from all danger and evil:
Let Thy mighty power ever guard and protect us.
Thou great fount of knowledge and Wisdom:
Instruct Thy servants by Thy holy presence:
Guide and support us, now and forever.
Amen.
Hail Sophia
Hail Sophia, full of light, the Christ is with thee,
blessed art thou among all the aeons,
and blessed is the liberator of thy light, Jesus.
Holy Sophia, Mother of all gods,
pray to the Light for us thy children,
now and in the hour of our death.
Amen.
Gloria Patri
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
unto the Aeons of Aeons.
Amen.