BOOK SUMMARY: KNOW THE HERETICS - CHAPTER 2 - THE GNOSTICS

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND – The origin of Gnosticism is hard to pin down and several theories exists of where they came from. Gnostics believe that there is secret knowledge to be had that is hidden to most people. They used Christian terminology with different meanings. They hold to a dualism where the physical realm is evil and the spiritual realm is good.  The letter of 1 John seems to dealing with some early forms of Gnosticism (1 John 1:1-4). In the mid 100’s, Irenaeus wrote Against Heresies and refutes several sects of gnostics. His writings gave us most of what know about gnostics until 40 new documents from the late 300’s were found near Nag Hammadi in Egypt. These documents confirm what Irenaeus wrote about. 

 

HERETICAL TEACHING – Here are several categories that describe Gnosticism:

• DEFINITION

1. Gnosis: Secret knowledge, rather than faith in Christ, is the way to salvation. To Gnostics, self-knowledge is knowledge of God and they strove to know the true nature of self and of God.
2. Theology: God is one, transcendent and supreme. But He is utterly silent. Jesus revealed this god. But here are other intermediate gods called Aeons and Archons.
3. Cosmology: The universe, created by an ignorant power, is a prison in which human souls are held captive.
4. Anthropology: By means of gnosis (knowledge), humans can be released from this cosmic prison and return to the transcendent divine world.
5. Experimental: Gnosticism involved alienation and revolt against the physical world.
6. Myth: Gnosticism contained an elaborate mythical system. Each Gnostic teacher created their own new elements and myths.
7. Parasitical: It borrowed from other religions and its members attached themselves to other congregations, even Christian churches.

• BELIEFS

1. Gnostics has a structure of beings in their mythology. Supreme transcendent being  à  Divine Mother à Aeons or lesser gods à Archons.  Yahweh is considered to be an evil Archon. Gnostic writing On the Origin of the World names Yaldaboath as the god of Israel and is said to be petty and crude. He fears the enlightenment of mankind because they are prophesied to overtake him. Thus, Yaldaboath keeps humans fearful and ignorant. Satan is presented as the hero in this account by pointing them to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Jesus them comes to dispel the errors of Judaism. Since matter is evil, Jesus did not assume a fleshly body but only appeared to take on flesh in order to show how weak the material realm was.
2. Some gnostic writings give accounts of Jesus’ supposed words where he says that someone else wore the crown of thorns.
3. Others versions of Gnosticism show Jesus as the one who awakens us to our identity as gods. In order to gain access this knowledge in the Father’s book, you had to die. In an act of love, Jesus die to release the power that was in this book. Look at the following poem that shows knowledge as the way to salvation versus Jesus being our Mediator and substitute sacrifice. Notice how Christian language is borrowed to promote heretical teaching.

                Jesus appeared

                Put on that book

                Was nailed to a tree

                And published the Father’s edict on the cross

                Oh, what a great teaching!

• ETHICS

1. Some writing encouraged good works and care for one another. Their dualism led to worldly indulgence. If the spirit realm was good and the material realm was bad then it didn’t matter what you did in the flesh since the spiritual realm was still good. Thus, they abused food and sex while abstaining from having children. It was all about indulgence in pleasure.
2. The Encratites swung the other direction on the pendulum and practiced asceticism. Determined to kill evil matter, they starved their bodies and beat them into subjection. They wanted to be free from their bodies so their divine spirits could be free. Thus, abstinence was promoted as a way to heaven. You find possible evidence of gnostic influence in the early church because Paul wrote against some of these things. Paul’s letters address people questioning the resurrection of the dead because the body was meaningless (1 Corinthians 15), the worship of angels, and ascetic practices (Colossians 2:18-19).

 

ORTHODOX RESPONSE – The Gnostics use of Christian language made it easy for them to incorporate themselves in Christian congregations. Being a gnostic meant you were lumped in with the elite and intelligent people of that time. Paul battled Gnosticism with Christology and pointing them to Christ’s saving work. Christians after Paul defended against Gnosticism in two ways:

1. A defensive and offensive plan were established. Defensively, they identified and excluded gnostic books while identifying the true canon of Scripture.  Offensively, Irenaeus called the Gnostics to repent of pride which was at the heart of their special knowledge and elitism. Irenaeus showed how the Old Testament spoke of Christ to come to save people. Irenaeus showed how Christ superseded the Old Testament without being opposed to it—i.e., Christ was the true temple, Greater High Priest, etc. Irenaeus also showed that Christ was resurrected in the flesh. God’s aim, through Christ’s resurrection, was not to discard our bodies but to transform them.
2. Some Christians tried to reclaim the word “Gnostic” for Christianity. Clement of Alexandria (3^rd century) wrote about Christian Gnostics. This tactic failed and fell into disuse by the late 4^th century.

 

CONTEMPORARY RELEVANCE – The Da Vinci Code, a novel by Dan Brown, appeals to information in the gnostic writings as fact. In the book, some of the characters argue that the early church suppressed all Gnostics writings that promoted Jesus as a divine being. But the reality of history is that the early Gnostics denied Jesus’ humanity, not His divinity. Against Gnostic heresy, the early church contended that Jesus did indeed take on flesh. Gnosticism has also contributed to New Age Spirituality promoted in books like The Secret. “The Power” which is promoted in the secret is a silent entity that lives within you that allows you to become the best version of yourself.  In “The Secret” Jesus is painted as a teacher who understand the Law of Attraction and shows us how to manifest reality through thought. This is not the historical and biblical Jesus who calls people to repent of sin and to come to Him for salvation. Paul tells us people have been deceived so that they cannot truly know Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4-6). This is where true knowledge or gnosis lies: in Christ’s glory displayed in the gospel.

 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1.    What do we make of the idea of a silent god? How does this compare to the God of the Bible (Matthew 4:4)?

2.    How does the resurrection inform our views of our bodies (1 Corinthians 15:20-23)?

3.    How does “listening prayer” embody an aspect of Gnosticism?

4.    Should we expect God to give us secret knowledge apart from Scripture (Deuteronomy 29:29)?

5.    How does Christian knowledge relate to Christian practice? Is it possible to have true knowledge of God without having that knowledge shape our behavior (Titus 2)?