GnosticismThe Quest for Knowledge

Why is Gnosticism hard to grasp?

A belief system

Lack of central organization

Lack of linear progression

Discovery of Gnostic Documents Gnostic documents

discovered 1945

Muhammad ‘Ali al-Samnan

Smuggling scandal

Main Gnostic Tenets

The Godhead and the dyad

The Universe as a prison

Knowledge

Gnosis

Gnosis

Ignorance

Spark of Divine

Jesus – Man or God?

Reject Jesus’ divinity

Reject Resurrection

Divine spirit

Gnosticism v. Christianity Gnosticism not as

popular

Jesus

Personal error

Elitism

The Challenge of Gnosticism

Alternate path

Gnosis contradicted the Church institution

The Gnostic Gospels Written 150-300 years after

Jesus’ death

Not important for historical records

Theological notions

First Gnostic Reference“The cover read: The Gnostic Gospels. Teabing heaved it open, and Langdon and Sophie joined him. Sophie could see it contained photographs of what appeared to be magnified passages of ancient documents – tattered papyrus with handwritten text. ‘These are photocopies of the Nag Hammadi and Dead Sea scrolls, which I mentioned earlier,’ Teabing said. ‘The earliest Christian records. Troublingly, they do not match up with the gospels in the Bible.’”

Chapter 58, p. 245-246

Mistakes in the Section

Calls Nag Hammadi documents “scrolls”

Should not be titled “The Gnostic Gospels”

Not “earliest Christian records”

Lutzer, Edward

Ecumenical point of view

Discussion of Gnostic Gospel of Philip

Lutzer’s Interpretation of Philip

“The companion is Mary of Magdala. Jesus loved her more than his students. He kissed her often on the ______, more than all his students, and they said, ‘Why do you love her more than us?’”

facehandmouthcheek

Brown’s Interpretation of Philip

“And the companion of the Savior is Mary Magdalene. Christ loved her more than all the disciples and used to kiss her often on the mouth. The rest of the disciples were offended by it and expressed disapproval. They said to him, ‘Why do you love her more than all of us?’”

Chapter 58, p. 246

Lutzer’s Interpretation: Implications

Blank where scholars fill in face

Implies that Jesus kissed the other disciples in the same way

The Aramaic Problem

“The words surprised Sophie, and yet they hardly seemed conclusive. ‘It says nothing of marriage.’ ‘Au contraire.’ Teabing smiled, pointing to the first line. ‘As any Aramaic scholar will tell you, the word companion, in those days, literally meant spouse.’”

Chapter 58, p. 246

The Aramaic Problem Brown’s claims about

Aramaic scholars, “companion”

Gnostic Gospels are written in Coptic

Differences between Aramaic and Coptic

The Word “Companion”

“any Aramaic scholar” could not tell a Coptic word

“companion” frequently used for friendship

Gnosticism and

The Da Vinci Code

Brown’s Claims About Hieros Gamos

Alleged sex rite Sophie witnesses

Male was incomplete without knowledge of sacred feminine

Hieros Gamos to achieve gnosis

The Truth About Hieros Gamos

“Sacred marriage” - Greek

Success and fertility of the land

Only proper name for agricultural areas who reenact

Inconsistent with Gnostic beliefs

Misinterpretations

Apparent expertise

Some believe Brown is Gnostic

Little serious research