The Gnostics: How Do We Know About Them and Why Should We Care?

Until recently, almost all knowledge of the Gnostics was found in the works of those "patristic" writers ("fathers" of the Church) who sought to refute them, most notably in St. Ireneus's Against the Heresies. It was as if all that we knew about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was what was contained in his FBI files. You can access many of the patristic writings here.

In 1945, near an Egyptian village called Nag Hammadi (more) , an ancient clay jar was discovered that was full of books (not scrolls) that made up a library of ancient Gnostic texts, some that had never before been known. The library of an earlier Jewish sect, known as the Dead Sea or Qumran Scrolls (more) was discovered about the same time; they more captured the attention of the public, although both sets of texts are available in English translation in print and on line.

English translations of the Nag Hammadi (Gnostic) texts are available online here, while the Dead Sea Scrolls are available here.

There are many groups today who use the name Gnostic, including the group (here) that maintains the online Nag Hammadi library and Dead Sea Scrolls. But, nothing in this article is intended to reflect upon those groups or their beliefs.

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.

If you are concerned about spiritual development, then, it just don't get more spiritual than with the Gnostics. For me, in fact, they get too spiritual, and I cannot see how any program of social justice could develop in the environment of Gnosticism. The material world is corrupt, for the Gnostics, and so, the more we get involved with it, even trying to improve it, the further we get from our true calling.

Gnosticism continues to attract interest. Elaine Pagels (more) has written several controversial books introducing the Gnostics, at least, some would argue, her version of the Gnostics to modern readers. Dan Brown (more) in The DaVinci Code drew on many ancient traditions, including those of the Gnostics. Some Christians took offense to the novel as an attack on Christianity, although Brown never claimed it to be anything other than a novel, an entertainment. It seems as if some people still have not learned how to read any way except literally. One legacy of the Gnostics is being able to read a text non-literally.

Read about the Gnostics.

Gnostics and Gnosticism: A Guide for Teachers and Students: Read it.

Who Were They? Read it.

Who Did They Believe Jesus/Christ Is? Read it.

What Were Their Sources for Authority? Read it.

What Were Their Most Important Beliefs? Read it.

The Gospel of Thomas: Read it.

Read my articles about variations of Christianity here.