Manichean, Hermetic, and Neo-Platonic Gnosticism

I would like to discuss three more rivals to early Orthodox Christianity, the Manicheans, the Hermeticists, and the Neo-Platonists. The first two could definitely be considered Gnostic, however, the last, Neo-Platonism, is more of a philosophy than a theology. I chose to include it though because it was not only in strong competition with Orthodoxy, but it also helped shape Christianity, as we know it today.

The Manicheans understood the world, and morality, in very absolute, and dualistic, terms. Everything was black and white, dark and light, or good and evil; there was no room for compromise with them. A man named Mani founded Manichaeism in Persia in 216 C.E. The religious backdrop, at that time, in Persia was Zoroastrianism, which in it-self was very dualistic. Mani, however, had also been exposed to both Christianity, and Buddhism, which may have, in the case of Christianity at least, influenced Mani's theological thought.

He thought himself to be an apostle of light, and claimed to have received several revelations from God throughout his life. Manicheans had their own distinct creation myth, differing from both Genesis and the legend of Sophia; however, it was somewhat similar to the beliefs of Neo-Platonism. They believed that the material world, and its matter, was made from light that had been devoured and trapped by darkness. They also believed that all living things contained a spark of divine light, which needed to be released back to the Source. The Manichean Church was dedicated to expediting this process.

They thought of themselves as Christians and their practices included baptism, praying four times a day, and rigorous study of any scriptures or holy writ they could get their hands on. The Manichean religion is still, somewhat, alive today, thanks to its far-reaching spread at its height. It spread from Persia into North Africa, including Egypt, Italy, France, Syria, the Balkans, and as Far East as China and Tibet.

The second rival to Orthodoxy that we will be discussing here is Hermeticism. It is not known for certain when this form of theology began, however, their knowledge was centered on the philosophy of Hermes Trismegistus, who is said to be akin to the Egyptian God of knowledge Thoth. I suppose one could say its roots begin with the ancient Thoth cults of Egypt. The Hermeticists, above all else, prized knowledge, as well as intellectual and spiritual development through study, prayer, and meditation.

The Hermetic theology melded all the known disciplines of its time, philosophy, science, astrology/astronomy, and anthropology, as well as theology and any other pseudo-science they could find. Their religion consisted of three steps of attainment, signaled by initiation, from novice to master, each initiation completed by a ceremony performed by a master. The process of education and initiation was designed so that the student wouldn't simply know God, but would experience Him as well. This was achieved by conditioning the mind, body, and spirit. In this way the Hermeticists formed many very successful communities of extremely learned and enlightened men, and thus became a serious threat to early Orthodox Christianity; perhaps even inspiring such hermetic, monastic movements as the Franciscans. Thus, it can be said that Hermeticism is alive and well today, in various forms.

The final rival to the early Church we will discuss is Neo-Platonism. Although not really a religion, per-say, it is a very influential school of thought in this time period. Actually a philosophical stance, Neo-Platonism was ironically the system that helped the early Church leaders form Orthodoxy, as we know it. Neo-Platonism was founded, officially, by Platinus (ca. 205-270 C.E.) and was based on the Greek philosophies of Plato, Aristotle, and the like. Known as the philosophical religion, it stressed acquiring and contemplating of knowledge and wisdom.

The Neo-Platonists also had their own version of creation and believed that the universe imitated the action of the original Source which was divided into light (spiritual) and dark (material) aspects. They also believed that the universe was an emanation of the Source and that eventually everything would return to that Source through its contemplation of its own existence. The contemplation and attainment of knowledge, through revelation, was the corner stone of Neo-Platonist belief. It was also a common belief that the universe was alive, balanced, and ordered that yearned to be discovered as well as understood. This acquisition of knowledge was a logical and rational task with the goal of bringing everything back into itself, which is the Source, being in, and of itself.

It seems ironic that such a system of thought could have been both serious competition to, and a guiding hand for the formation of the Orthodox Christian Church. Of course, after its official formation at the Nicene Conference, the Orthodox Church declared war on Gnostics and any early Christian thought schools that they deemed to be heretical. Many of these competitors were either wiped out, through inquisition or crusade, or absorbed into what we know to be Christianity today. Little did the Church know millennia later these theologies would be exposed to the world with the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls and the Nag Hammadi library.