Sunday Evening Discussions with Supper, March 15, 22 and 29, 2009, 5:30-8:00 p.m.
| Course Home Page | Session 1: The Gospel of Thomas | Session 2: The Gospel of Mary Magdalene | Session 3: The Gospel of Judas |
A definition of Gnosticism: "The term seems to have been used in antiquity in polemical or apologetic contexts, and is as impossible to define sharply as "Jew" or "Chrsitian" or "heretic" or whatever. The term is an umbrella for a variety of ideas, including a) the rejection of materiality; b) the belief that some human beings have spiritual matter locked up within their shabby materiality; c) the belief that cognizance and cultivation of this spiritual element will bring salvation, part of which includes eternal life; d) that the powers of this world -- which include earthly figures, the demiurge, and even archons (!) aim to inhibit this salvation; e) that the "Father" who sent Jesus into the material world is distinct from "God" (understood as the "creator"?) ; f) that divine Sophia, a figure guilty of some (unspecified) sexual misconduct, is partly implicated in Jesus' revelation and the salvation of the believer."(from William Arnal, slightly edited, from the Gospel of Thomas Home Page website) |