The secret book of john tells the story of the devolution of god from perfect. Middle platonism combined with a jewish inversion of the genesis story and a. Gnosticism bible verses in the king james version kjv about gnosticism. It is a framework from which to explain the nature of god, creation, good and evil, man, and the purpose of life. The gnostic concepts of the pleroma and the cosmic man anthropos have already been considered previously. Even the book of revelation cites a couple of gnostic beliefs and practices, referring to knowing the depths of satan and the nicolaitans revelation 2. Needless to say, this charge of gnosticism was somewhat baffling. Gnosticism, any of various related philosophical and religious movements prominent in the grecoroman world in the early christian era, particularly the 2nd century. Sep 14, 2019 gnosticism pronounced nos tuh siz um was a secondcentury religious movement claiming that salvation could be gained through a special form of secret knowledge. Dec 19, 2016 author of the secret revelation of john, hollis professor of divinity at harvard university and one of the worlds foremost experts on gnosticism and christianity dr. The gospel of john and gnosticism 1 introduction 2. Fathers trigilio and brighenti are also coauthors of catholicism allinone for dummies.
Who are the deceivers 1 john is written against, mentioned. Gnostic cosmology and the apocryphon of john lecture the modern hermeticist. Gnostic cosmology and the apocryphon of john lecture. In 1 john, the prophet explains how important is to believe in god. Thomas purifoy of is genesis history accuses john waltonof gnosticism. Like thomas, john alludes to the first chapter of genesis which states that we have the divine image within.
The title of this scripture in greek is apocryphon ioannis. Adam and eve in ancient gnostic literature cf 1 tim. The letter is difficult to date with precision, but factors such as 1 evidence from early christian writers irenaeus and clement of alexandria, 2 the early form of gnosticism reflected in the denunciations of the letter and 3 indications of the advanced age of john suggest the end of the first century. John makes little reference to galilee, which is scarcely what we would expect from a native of the province, especially since galilee supposedly was the centre of christs ministry. Genesis and platonizing philosophy in the secret revelation of john paulhubert poirier, the three forms of first thought nhc xiii,1, and the secret book of john nhc ii,1 and par. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. The first two chapters are actual gospels, the middle third of the book is mostly sethian literature with variations of the story of creation genesis. Johns gospel is the work of a trained mind who wrote good greek with some semitizing. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the father, jesus christ the righteous.
The demiurge has created the fleshly bodies to entrap the spirits of adam and eve. It is difficult to classify gnostic beliefs because they were highly malleable and absorbed trappings of many different religions. This idea purports that a cosmological conflict of antithetic forces exists and will always be polar opposites. The apocryphon of john collection the gnostic society. The secret book of john, also called the apocryphon of john, is a secondcentury sethian gnostic christian text of secret teachings. The soul of the apostle rushes onward, with glowing zeal for the honor of his master whom gnosticism dishonored, to identify personally the historical jesus with the divine being, the son of god, the word of life, the christ.
However, through both explanations of each book, gnosticism does not comprise of just one true belief, but many beliefs put together to define its content. This post links to ancient gnostic works about adam and eve. The secret book of john is a complex developmental mythology that has been made more complicated because, over the years, versions of it have been improved by several levels of scribal alteration. Contrary to common belief, gnosticism is alive and well in our twentyfirst century.
Maybe it is a curious icon more appreciated by church historians and scholars than the practical christian. A battle of gnosis, that some christians might consider a war of christ vs the antichrist, angel vs demon, or good vs evil. Johns address was a masterpiece of the holy ghost a letter, yes, but also an infallible guide to the one true god. But there is one locus classicus, of the gnostic myth that is found in a book called the apocryphon johannis or, in english, the secret book of john. Apocryphon comes from, apokryphos, hidden, obscure, from apo away and kryptein to hide. However, the demiurge is responsible for the placement of adam and eve in the garden of eden. This declaration is perhaps ironic since gnostics have a tendency to continually reinterpret and reevaluate biblical characters to suit their spiritual explorations.
The demiurge greek demiurgos, 1 craftsman 2 is the being who created the world in gnosticism. The idea of dualism in the letters of john reminds me instantaneously of matthew 6. After reading the article, i felt i just had to comment on it. But also of great importance in hellenistic gnosticism is the myth of sophia. These various groups, labeled gnostics by their opponents, emphasised personal spiritual knowledge over orthodox teachings, traditions, and. Jan 19, 2010 the secret book of john, the apocryphon of john, or the secret revelation of john all have accuracy, but knowing the roots of the name leads to a clearer understanding. The book of 1 john is not a personal letter nor a letter written to one church as much as it is an impassioned office memo from headquarters corporate letter. Walton, the lost world of genesis one ivp academic, 2009 1. The secret book of john, also called the apocryphon of john or the secret revelation of john, is a secondcentury sethian gnostic christian text of secret. It has no traditional introduction from whom, to whom. The gospel of john and the gnostic myth of redemption. Explore the gnostic conception of god in this book, as a complex intellect consisting of numerous aspects called aeons.
Dunderberg, thomas isayings and the gospel of john, in. The gospel of john, the three johannine epistles, and the book of revelation, exhibit marked similarities, although more so between the gospel and the epistle especially the gospel and 1 john than between those and revelation. After the sermon, i received a couple of questions about gnosticism and what other beliefs are associated with this heresy. Intro to 1 john biblica the international bible society.
It was first used by the english poet and philosopher of religion henry more 161487, who applied it to the. The soul of man was a splinter of light trapped on earth in the body of the human. Gnosticism in 1 john and 2 john most of the christians already know the famous passage talking about the false teachers and deceivers. Some people find the gnostic creation myth to be merely bizarre. The gnostic account of the fall and the creation of the material world. By itself, it is not a separate denomination or religion but a religious philosophy. The book of 1st john is an allencompassing mirror into which every generation of humanity is commanded to gaze into, and upon this, with gods help, they will behold themselves as they actually are. Since it was known to the church father irenaeus, it must have been written before around 180 ce. Genesis 1 niv the beginning in the beginning god bible. Apjohn, the gnostic bible as it is sometimes called in scholarly literature. Kenneth brighenti, phd, has served on the board of the confraternity of catholic clergy and is a former u.
In so doing, it denies the true efficacy of the atonement since, if jesus is not god, he could not atone for all of mankind. From a gnostic point of view, the cosmos was divided into a realm of the material and a heavenly world of light. And often it is necessary to deceive, and to do the greatest benefits by means of this device, whereas he who has gone by a straight course had done great mischief to the person whom he has not deceived. Gnosticism pronounced nos tuh siz um was a secondcentury religious movement claiming that salvation could be gained through a special form of secret knowledge. Gnosticism, platonism and the late ancient world essays in. The presupposed discussion about the christological confession, the literary character of john and the oldest manuscript tradition suggest a genesis of the final version of john at the beginning of the 2nd century c. The critical rewriting of genesis in the apocryphon of john 2003. Early christian church fathers such as origen, tertullian, justin martyr and eusebius of caesarea condemned gnostic teachers and beliefs as heretical. The gnosticism that plagued the early church was an amalgamation of persian, egyptian, jewish, and christian ideas, along with a healthy dose of greek philosophy. In gnosticism her role is clearly definedmary magdalene is not only the main apostle to the living christ but a gnostic leader for the ages. Genesis 1 new international version niv the beginning 1 in the beginning god created the heavens and the earth.
It describes jesus appearing and giving secret knowledge gnosis to john the apostle. Hoeller the following article was published in quest, september 1997. These various groups emphasised personal spiritual knowledge over orthodox teachings, traditions, and ecclesiastical authority. Gnostic interpreters the apocryphon of john in the. Docetism, a spinoff from gnosticism, comes from the greek word dokesis, meaning appearance. The secret book of john, also called the apocryphon of john or the secret revelation of john, is a secondcentury sethian gnostic christian text of secret teachings. And, i suppose defining gnosticism as a religion of despair, elitism, and syncretism is a bit too general. Oct 09, 2015 in that book, lee describes gnosticism as its own religion a religion of despair, elitism, and syncretism. The gospel of john, written before the major gnostic writings recovered so far, clearly refutes the dualistic teachings that were giving strength to the gnostic philosophies of the time by pointing to jesus being human and yet god, thereby arguing against the spiritualism and the perverted symbology promoted by gnostics at that time. The apocryphon of john in multiple translations, along with extensive materials about the gnostic traditions of john. John chrysostom treatise on the priesthood, book 1. The demiurge greek demiurgos,1 craftsman2 is the being who created the world in gnosticism. The first two pages of the of the apocryphon of john from a book found in nag hammadi. The antichrist of the first epistle of john is docetic gnosticism.
And what do you get if you follow his son, jesus christ. In that book, lee describes gnosticism as its own religion a religion of despair, elitism, and syncretism. I will suggest that the gospel of john does contain gnostic. One of the things that set gnosticism apart from the other varieties of early christianity was its astonishing creation myth, an interpretation of the creation myth of genesis that practically turns that old testament text upside down. Learn how the god of genesis, viewed by the gnostics as a lesser, imperfect divinity, came into being. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. The author of the gospel of john began to grapple with gnostic cosmology to develop his own. What the bible says about gnosticism from forerunner commentary when the apostle john wrote his first epistle near the end of the first century, the gnostic philosophy had swept through the roman world and had already made serious inroads into the church. Dec 24, 2017 from this area, also the authors of the letters of john and the new testament apocalypse may have originated. The designation gnosticism is a term of modern scholarship. The secret book of john, the apocryphon of john, or the secret revelation of john all have accuracy, but knowing the roots of the name leads to a clearer understanding. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
While it is critical of the jewish god, its terminology and mythic motifs and biblical citations show that it comes from a jewish cultural background. The gnostics identified him with the god of the old testament. As adam and eve were created and placed in the garden of eden in genesis, the same has been done in gnostic scripture. Pagels, the noted religious historian, had the importance of the book of genesis brought to her attention in a most unusual manner. Jun 15, 2018 after all, i never thought i was a gnostic, and john waltons take on noahs flood, as expressed in his new book, the lost world of the flood, is not the same as mine. Adam in the following manner, as stated by the gnostic apocryphon of john. The creation stories of the valentinians, the other early christian sect or school that can be considered gnostic, still adhere to this same basic model, although many of the details differ. The gnostic scriptures portray him as ignorant, malicious, and utterly inferior to the true god who sent christ to earth to save mankind from the demiurges evil world. Excerpt from the introduction the secret book of john. Jewish, pagan, and gnostic readers of genesis whatever we mean by gnos. The retelling below follows the version in the secret book of john, which is quite representative of the perspective of the classic gnostic school of thought.
John as a christian text linking social critique with spirituality has something to commend it. Pagels, the noted religious historian, had the importance of the book of genesis brought to her attention in a. In reading about the gospel of judas, i keep coming across the term sethian gnostics as though this is some specific group within gnosticism. Aug 02, 2018 gnostic cosmology and the apocryphon of john lecture the modern hermeticist. The secret book according to john is like a backstory of genesis only with the creations in more specific and complex details. Paul fights it in some of his letters, particularly i corinthians, galatians, and colossians. John attempts to counter it in all of his writings.
Now jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book. Why do gnostics consider mary magdalene the greatest. This is a rerecorded version better sounddelivery of an older talk by dan attrell based on his paper what athens has got to do with jerusalem. While it is critical of the jewish god, its terminology and mythic motifs. The secret book of john was probably written by jewish gnostics in the first century ce, or even a century before.
This belief flew in the face of judaism and christianity, both of which believed that god created the world genesis and that it was good, not evil. The gnostic gospels by elaine pagels, the nag hammadi library by anonymous, the gnostic bible by willis barnstone, the gnost. Gnosticism is a strange sounding word, dredged up from the days of the early church. Gnosticism and other religious movements of antiquity karen l. Who are the deceivers 1 john is written against, mentioned in.
It is well worth the attention of anyone interested in. My personal favorites were the gospel of thomas and the gospel of john which were the first two chapters of the book, and the islaamic texts at the back of the book. My little children, i am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. This site includes the entire hammadi library, as well as a large collection of other primary gnostic scriptures and documents.
Many however feel that perhaps johns gospel was a gnostic gospel and perhaps should not have been recorded in the bible. The books of john, i corinthians, galatians, colossians, i and ii timothy, jude, and i john all combat various elements of gnosticism. As one becomes more familiar with the gnostic creation myth and the gnostic belief that the world was created by an ignorant, false god, one will also be able to better appreciate the myth of sophia. Pdf the critical rewriting of genesis in the apocryphon of john. It is presented here with permission of the author. One set of levels is the evident addition of rather lengthy texts a list of magical names, a dialogue on the soul. Gnosticism in 1 john and 2 john gnosticism in the bible. The secret book according to john is the most important surviving gnostic text. Saint john vs the archheretic gnostics of crete, is a little known biblical battle that is one of the most important stories about gnosticism that has ever been told.
The apocryphon of john collection the gnostic society library. Gnosticism international standard bible encyclopedia. The gnostic reading of the biblical book of genesis, contrasted to orthodox. Who are the deceivers 1 john is written against, mentioned in 2. Exegesis of genesis 1 in the gospels of thomas and john jstor. This is what john tells us at the end of his gospel. The gnostic world of john walton is genesis history. There is debate whether or not this is a christian heresy or simply an independent. The nature and history of gnosticism rudolph, kurt on. Gnostics tended to focus exclusively on the inner life of the spirit, which they clearly differentiated. The book offers clear and informative summaries of a large range of gnostic texts, including manichaean sources. Gnosticism is difficult to define because it comes in so many flavors and interpretations.
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