The fact is, the gnostic writings themselves-now that we've found them- teach us nothing at all about the practical obedience to God that is central to the teaching of Jesus and the apostles, and to the churches the apostles founded. It does not matter what early Christian apologists had to say about the behavior and lifestyle of gnostic teachers, nor whether what they said is accurate or inaccurate. They do not rehearse speeches, but exhibit good works when struck, they do not strike again when robbed, they do not go to law they give to those that ask of them, and love their neighbors as themselves. 'Brief and concise utterances fell from his lips … his words were the power of God.' ( First Apology 14).Īmong us you will find uneducated persons, craftsmen, and old women, who, if they are unable in words to prove the benefit of our doctrine, yet by their deeds exhibit the benefit arising from their persuasion of its truth.

Justin Martyr once said that Jesus was no philosopher. I apologize for the sarcasm, but there is a point I am trying to make … What Christians Need to Know about Gnosticism Now that you know that Jesus didn't tell the apostles about the total expansion of the emanations of the Treasury, what do you intend to do differently? And once you find out what the region is of the seven Amens, what changes will you make in your life? No, it's not explained in the Pistis Sophia. Good luck figuring out how any of that is going to affect your behavior, if you can even figure out what any of it means. He also had not told them, 'I have gone forth out of such and such regions until I entered into that mystery, and until I went forth out of it.' 'into what region the five Trees are expanded nor as to the seven Amens, that is the seven Voices, what is their region, how they are expanded.'.'the regions of the three Amens, in what regions they are expanded.'.'the region of the Twin-saviour, who is the Child of the Child.'.'their saviours, according to the order of every one.'.'the total expansion of the emanations of the Treasury, nor their orders, how they are extended.'.'the total expansion of all the regions of the great Invisible and of the three triple-powers and of the four-and-twenty invisibles, and all their regions and their Êons and their orders.'.Either way, the knowledge was always something that either the apostles or the apostles' churches did not know about.īut what sort of knowledge was that? What were these mysteries delivered to these gnostic teachers? The Hidden Mysteries of the Pistis SophiaĪccording to the Pistis Sophia, Jesus had not told his disciples … In the Gospel of Mary that knowledge was passed through Mary Magdalene. They argued that important and secret knowledge had come to them through other means.

If the apostles had known hidden mysteries, which they were in the habit of imparting to 'the perfect' apart and privily from the rest, they would have delivered them especially to those to whom they were also committing the Churches. This was exactly the argument of all gnostic teachers, who were able to teach whatever they wanted, upon their own authority, because Jesus had secret knowledge, they said, which he hid from the apostles. The Pistis Sophia says repeatedly in its first chapter that there were things that Jesus had not told his disciples. Jesus committed his Gospel to the apostles, say all the early Christians, and those who claim to speak for Jesus against the apostles are false. The one great argument that early Christian apologists had against the gnostics was that they were not descended from the apostles. It's the oft-repeated line: 'Jesus had not told his disciples.' The most important part of the Pistis Sophia is not the teachings in it. These are the sorts of things you might chant in a dark room at night with candles, but there's nothing at all you can do with them except claim special spiritual insight if you can understand a word! The More Important Point: The Descent from the Apostles The one thing that stands out as I read these gnostic writings is that there's not a practical application in sight. I'm terribly sorry, but this excerpt from the Pistis Sophia sounds like a bad translation from one of those online automatic language translators. And in the second vesture is the whole glory of the name of all mysteries and all emanations which are in the orders of the two spaces of the First Mystery.

Book of sophia jesus