Gnostics and Gnosticism: A Guide for Teachers and Students

One of the greatest discoveries in the history of religion in the twentieth century is finding the Gnostic library at Nag Hammadi (more) in 1945, which opened a window onto a group from the early days of Christianity whom we had known about, if at all, through the writings of the orthodox Christian writers who opposed them.

In the arts and literature and in discussions of theology, the Gnostics (more) have earned a distinct place. This article, while neither affirming nor denying the teachings of the Gnostics, is a starting point for finding reference material on the Gnostics.

My articles on the Gnostics and Gnosticism

Here are summaries of several articles that I have written about Gnosticism and links to the articles. I even prepared a three-part audiobook of the Gospel of Thomas.

The Gnostics: Who Were They?
Gnosticism is a spiritual path that has been seen throughout history in many settings. This article refers specifically to a movement that occurred in Christianity in the second and third centuries of the Common Era (100's and 200's A.D.), largely dying out by the Council of Nicea (which gave us the Nicene Creed) in the fourth century.

The Gnostics: Who Did They Believe Jesus/Christ Is?
In the canonical (New Testament) Gospels, it is recorded that Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do men say that I am?" We can come up with two answers to that question that are totally at odds with each other.

The Gnostics: What Were Their Sources for Authority?
As they look through my books (if I were a Gnostic), they are shocked to see some condemned books, and so they take them away. Have I really lost anything? No, because as a Gnostic, I have the potential within myself to attain true knowledge, which cannot be contained in any book.

The Gnostics: What Were Their Most Important Beliefs?
The Gnostics believed that Christ came to teach, not to suffer. We attain salvation not through faith but through knowledge. But, not everyone can receive the teachings.

The Gnostics: How Do We Know About Them, and Why Should We Care?
The significance of the heritage of the early Christian Gnostics (or, again, is it Gnostic Christians?) is not so much their beliefs as the issues they raise that are still with us: personal spiritual freedom in contrast to institutional religion; multiple ways of reading, understanding, and attaining the truth; the equality of women and men.

The Gnostic Gospel of Thomas
The Gospel of Thomas, the best known and most controversial of the Nag Hammadi texts, has no story at all. It is a collection of 114 sayings (logia, literally, words) attributed to Jesus, some found in the canonical gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).

My audiobook of the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas

The Gospel of Thomas: Audiobook: Part I
The Gospel of Thomas: Audiobook: Part II
The Gospel of Thomas: Audiobook: Part III

Other Internet resources for the study of the Gnostics and Gnosticism

The Gnostic Society Library: The Nag Hammadi Library (here)
The Gnosis Archive (here)
Gnosticism - in the Catholic Encyclopedia (here)
Gnosticism - texts from the Internet Sacred Text Archive (here)
The Gospel of Thomas in many translations (here)
Canonical Comparisons of Thomas Sayings (here)
Gospel of Thomas Homepage (here)
Directions: Doubting Thomas's Gospel - Protestant perspective (here)
What is the Gospel of St. Thomas? - Roman Catholic perspective (here)

Books about the Gnostics and Gnosticism

Here are five books that I have found very useful in my studies of the Gnostics, both for the translations that they make available as well as for their ideas. I include a reference or review for each of them, reviews that do not necessarily reflect my opinions.

Barnstone, Willis and Meyer, Marvin, editors - The Gnostic Bible
Translations of Gnostic texts - Review (here)

Martin, Sean - The Gnostics: The First Christian Heretics
Review (here)

Pagels, Elaine - The Gnostic Gospels
More on Elaine Pagels (here)
Summary and study guide (here)

Robinson, James M. - The Nag Hammadi Library
Translations of Gnostic texts - Review (here)

Williams, Michael Allen - Rethinking Gnosticism: An Argument for Dismantling a Dubious Category
Review (here)

A personal note about the Gnostics and Gnosticism

I have been asked if I identify myself as a Gnostic. I do not. These articles grew out of a couple of presentations I made for an adult Sunday school class some years ago.

You can find an index to other articles by me about other aspects of Christianity here.