The Da Vincie Code III

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THE DA VINCI CODE Gnosticism Renewed (III)

• What was Gnosticism?
• Which Gospels Came First?

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Characteristics of Gnosticism

• From Greek gnosis, knowledge
• Leaders Marcion and Valentinus
• The Gnostic Writings (Nag Hammadi Scrolls)
• 45 titles, five gospels.
• The Gospel of Truth
• The Gospel of Thomas
• The Gospel of Philip
• The Gospel of the Egyptians
• The Gospel of Mary
• Date 2nd and 3rd Century
• Compared to the word
• Extremely difficult to understand.
• Filled with nonsensical things.
• Not an objective testimony of historical events,
  but secret teachings with hidden meanings.
• No connection to apostolic authority

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Characteristics of Gnosticism

• Main Teachings
• 1. Central Theme Gnosis (Knowledge)
• A secret knowledge available only to an elite
  few.
• Gospel of Thomas These are the secret sayings
  that the living Jesus spoke
• Not derived from reason, study and intellectual
  comprehension of objective truth, but mystical,
  direct, immediate.
• Contrast

Mt 1026-27
Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing
concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden
that will not be known. What I tell you in the
darkness, speak in the light and what you hear
whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the
housetops.
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Characteristics of Gnosticism

• Main Teachings
• 1. Central Theme Gnosis (Knowledge)
• A secret knowledge available only to an elite
  few.
• Gospel of Thomas These are the secret sayings
  that the living Jesus spoke
• Not derived from reason, study and intellectual
  comprehension of objective truth, but mystical,
  direct, immediate.
• Contrast

Mt 1125
At that time Jesus said, I praise You, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden
these things from the wise and intelligent and
have revealed them to infants.
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Characteristics of Gnosticism

• Main Teachings
• 1. Central Theme Gnosis (Knowledge)
• A secret knowledge available only to an elite
  few.
• Gospel of Thomas These are the secret sayings
  that the living Jesus spoke
• Not derived from reason, study and intellectual
  comprehension of objective truth, but mystical,
  direct, immediate.
• Contrast

Mk 421-22
And He was saying to them, A lamp is not
brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under
a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the
lampstand? For nothing is hidden, except to be
revealed nor has anything been secret, but that
it would come to light.
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Characteristics of Gnosticism

• Main Teachings
• 1. Central Theme Gnosis (Knowledge)
• A secret knowledge available only to an elite
  few.
• Gospel of Thomas These are the secret sayings
  that the living Jesus spoke
• Not derived from reason, study and intellectual
  comprehension of objective truth, but mystical,
  direct, immediate.
• Contrast

Lk 122
"But there is nothing covered up that will not be
revealed, and hidden that will not be known.
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Characteristics of Gnosticism

• Main Teachings
• 1. Central Theme Gnosis (Knowledge)
• A secret knowledge available only to an elite
  few.
• Gospel of Thomas These are the secret sayings
  that the living Jesus spoke
• Not derived from reason, study and intellectual
  comprehension of objective truth, but mystical,
  direct, immediate.
• Contrast

Mt 1914
But Jesus said, Let the children alone, and do
not hinder them from coming to Me for the
kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.
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Characteristics of Gnosticism

• Main Teachings
• 1. Central Theme Gnosis (Knowledge)
• A secret knowledge available only to an elite
  few.
• Gospel of Thomas These are the secret sayings
  that the living Jesus spoke
• Not derived from reason, study and intellectual
  comprehension of objective truth, but mystical,
  direct, immediate.
• Contrast

Eph 34
By referring to this, when you read you can
understand my insight into the mystery of
Christ.
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Characteristics of Gnosticism

• Main Teachings
• 1. Central Theme Gnosis (Knowledge)
• A secret knowledge available only to an elite
  few.
• Gospel of Thomas These are the secret sayings
  that the living Jesus spoke
• Not derived from reason, study and intellectual
  comprehension of objective truth, but mystical,
  direct, immediate.
• Contrast

Dt 29.29
The secret things belong to the LORD our God,
but the things revealed belong to us and to our
sons forever, that we may observe all the words
of this law.
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Characteristics of Gnosticism

• Main Teachings
• 1. Central Theme Gnosis (Knowledge)
• A secret knowledge available only to an elite
  few.
• 2. A knowledge found within ones self and
  through experience
• Gospel of Thomas 4530-33 If you bring forth
  what is within you, what you bring forth will
  save you. If you do not bring forth what is
  within you, what you do not bring forth will
  destroy you

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Characteristics of Gnosticism

• Main Teachings
• 1. Central Theme Gnosis (Knowledge)
• A secret knowledge available only to an elite
  few.
• 2. A knowledge found within ones self and
  through experience
• Elaine Pagels, in Beyond Belief The Secret
  Gospel of Thomas
• Now we can see how Johns message contrasts with
  that of Thomas. Thomas Jesus directs each
  disciple to discover the light within (within a
  person of light there is light)
• God is within you

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Characteristics of Gnosticism

• Main Teachings
• 1. Central Theme Gnosis (Knowledge)
• A secret knowledge available only to an elite
  few.
• 2. A knowledge found within ones self and
  through experience
• 3. Dualism
• Dual nature of God and of the physical world
• Physical is evil only spirit is good.
• A good God can have no connection to a physical
  (evil) world.
• Thus, physical world was created by the evil,
  creator god of the OT
• Demiurge or maker lowest level of a series of
  beings (aeons or archons) descending down from
  the true God.
• Christ was an aeon who took possession of the
  body of the human Jesus.

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Characteristics of Gnosticism

• Main Teachings
• 1. Central Theme Gnosis (Knowledge)
• A secret knowledge available only to an elite
  few.
• 2. A knowledge found within ones self and
  through experience
• 3. Dualism
• Dual nature of God and of the physical world
• Physical is evil only spirit is good.
• A good God can have no connection to a physical
  (evil) world.
• Thus, physical world was created by the evil,
  creator god of the OT
• Contrast

Gen 131
God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was
very good. And there was evening and there was
morning, the sixth day.
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Characteristics of Gnosticism

• Main Teachings
• 1. Central Theme Gnosis (Knowledge)
• A secret knowledge available only to an elite
  few.
• 2. A knowledge found within ones self and
  through experience
• 3. Dualism
• Dual nature of God and of the physical world
• Physical is evil only spirit is good.
• A good God can have no connection to a physical
  (evil) world.
• Thus, physical world was created by the evil,
  creator god of the OT
• Contrast1 Tim 41-5

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Characteristics of Gnosticism
1 Tim 41-5
But the Spirit explicitly says that in later
times some will fall away from the faith, paying
attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of
demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared
in their own conscience as with a branding iron,
men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining
from foods which God has created to be gratefully
shared in by those who believe and know the
truth. For everything created by God is good, and
nothing is to be rejected if it is received with
gratitude for it is sanctified by means of the
word of God and prayer.
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Characteristics of Gnosticism

• Main Teachings
• 1. Central Theme Gnosis (Knowledge)
• A secret knowledge available only to an elite
  few.
• 2. A knowledge found within ones self and
  through experience
• 3. Dualism
• Dual nature of God and of the physical world
• Dual sexual nature God divine father and
  mother (divine feminine)
• Bible Jn 4.24 "God is spirit..."
• Did Gnostics uphold women as sacred feminine?
• Gospel of Thomas 114 Simon Peter said to them
  the disciples, Let Mary leave us, for women
  are not worthy of Life. Jesus said, I myself
  shall lead her, in order to make her male, so
  that she too may become a living spirit,
  resembling you males. For every woman who will
  make herself male will enter the Kingdom of
  Heaven.

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Characteristics of Gnosticism

• Main Teachings
• 1. Central Theme Gnosis (Knowledge)
• A secret knowledge available only to an elite
  few.
• 2. A knowledge found within ones self and
  through experience
• 3. Dualism
• Dual nature of God and of the physical world
• Dualism in Jesus Christ
• The true (spiritual) Jesus did not suffer on the
  cross, but only his physical substitute
• Apocalypse of Peter 81.4-24
• The Savior said to me, He whom you saw being
  glad and laughing above the cross is the Living
  Jesus. But he into whose hands and feet they are
  driving the nails is his fleshly part, which is
  the substitute. They put to shame that which
  remained in his likeness. And look at him, and
  look at me!

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Characteristics of Gnosticism

• Main Teachings
• 1. Central Theme Gnosis (Knowledge)
• A secret knowledge available only to an elite
  few.
• 2. A knowledge found within ones self and
  through experience
• 3. Dualism
• Dual nature of God and of the physical world
• Dualism in Jesus Christ
• The true (spiritual) Jesus did not suffer on the
  cross, but only his physical substitute
• The Second Treatise of the Great Seth 56.6-19
• Jesus It was anotherwho drank the gall and the
  vinegar it was not I. They struck me with the
  reed it was another, Simon, who bore the cross
  on his shoulder. It was another upon whom they
  placed the crown of thorns. But I was rejoicing
  in the heightover their errorAnd I was laughing
  at their ignorance.

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Characteristics of Gnosticism

• Main Teachings
• 1. Central Theme Gnosis (Knowledge)
• A secret knowledge available only to an elite
  few.
• 2. A knowledge found within ones self and
  through experience
• 3. Dualism
• Dual nature of God and of the physical world
• Dualism in Jesus Christ
• The true (spiritual) Jesus did not suffer on the
  cross, but only his physical substitute
• Acts of John 93 his substance was immaterial
  and incorporealas if it did not exist at all

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Characteristics of Gnosticism

• Main Teachings
• 1. Central Theme Gnosis (Knowledge)
• A secret knowledge available only to an elite
  few.
• 2. A knowledge found within ones self and
  through experience
• 3. Dualism
• Dual nature of God and of the physical world
• Dualism in Jesus Christ
• The true (spiritual) Jesus did not suffer on the
  cross, but only his physical substitute
• Da Vinci Code Jesus merely human
• Gnostic gospels Jesus too divine to be human

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Characteristics of Gnosticism

• Main Teachings
• 1. Central Theme Gnosis (Knowledge)
• A secret knowledge available only to an elite
  few.
• 2. A knowledge found within ones self and
  through experience
• 3. Dualism
• Dual nature of God and of the physical world
• Dualism in Jesus Christ
• The true (spiritual) Jesus did not suffer on the
  cross, but only his physical substitute
• Contrast 1 Jn 1.1-3 2.18,22 4.2-3 2 Jn 7

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1 John 11-3
What was from the beginning, what we have heard,
what we have seen with our eyes, what we have
looked at and touched with our hands, concerning
the Word of Life --and the life was manifested,
and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you
the eternal life, which was with the Father and
was manifested to us -- what we have seen and
heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too
may have fellowship with us and indeed our
fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son
Jesus Christ.
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1 John 218
Children, it is the last hour and just as you
heard that antichrist is coming, even now many
antichrists have appeared from this we know that
it is the last hourWho is the liar but the one
who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the
antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the
Son.
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1 John 42-3
By this you know the Spirit of God every spirit
that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the
flesh is from God and every spirit that does not
confess Jesus is not from God this is the spirit
of the antichrist, of which you have heard that
it is coming, and now it is already in the world.
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2 John 7
For many deceivers have gone out into the world,
those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as
coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the
antichrist.
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Characteristics of Gnosticism

• Main Teachings
• 1. Central Theme Gnosis (Knowledge)
• A secret knowledge available only to an elite
  few.
• 2. A knowledge found within ones self and
  through experience
• 3. Dualism
• Dual nature of God and of the physical world
• Dualism in Jesus Christ

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The New Gnosticism

• Characterized by feminism and goddess worship
  (the goddess Sophia)
• Emphasis on experience and direct revelation from
  the Spirit
• Contrast 2 Cor 5.7
• Rejection of authority
• Elaine Pagels in Beyond Belief
• This research helped clarify what I cannot love
  the tendency to identify Christianity with a
  single, authorized set of beliefs however these
  actually vary from church to church coupled
  with the conviction that Christian belief alone
  offers access to God (pg.29)

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Which Gospels Came First?

• Four Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
• Muratorian Canon (170 A.D.) -- Names only the
  four
• Irenaeus (ca. 180 A.D.) Four accepted, inspired
  Gospels
• Against Heresies 3.11.8 It is not possible that
  the Gospels can be either more or fewer in number
  than they are. For since there are four zones of
  the world in which we live, and four principal
  winds, while the Church is scattered throughout
  all the world, and the pillar and ground of the
  Church is the Gospel and the spirit of life it
  is fitting that she should have four pillars,
  breathing out immortality on every side the
  gospel is quadriform

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Which Gospels Came First?

• Four Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
• Muratorian Canon (170 A.D.) -- Names only the
  four
• Irenaeus (ca. 180 A.D.) Four accepted, inspired
  Gospels
• Justin Martyr (ca. 160 A.D.) Mentions the
  Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke as the memoirs
  of the apostles and those who followed them
• Tatian (ca. 180 A.D.) -- Diatessaron (lit.
  through the four) A harmony of the four
  gospels

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Which Gospels Came First?

• Four Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
• Was the Gospel of Thomas a Fifth Gospel?
• Origin (185-254)
• I know a certain gospel which is called The
  Gospel according to Thomas and Gospel according
  to Matthias and many others have we
  read.Nevertheless among all these we have
  approved solely what the church has recognized.,
  which is that only the four gospels be accepted