The Gnostics: What Were Their Sources for Authority?

Catholic tradition reminds us that Jesus laid his hands upon his disciples, who laid their hands upon their disciples, who... The laying on of hands by a teacher was a sort of graduation ceremony or certification. You have completed my teachings; now, go forth and pass them on.

This succession continues from the time of the apostles (hence, apostolic succession) to our own time, when the bishops are consecrated by the laying on of hands, by three bishops, by the way, in case two of them do not have legitimate successions. And so, the bishops and their church provide a direct historical link to the basic mysteries of the Christian faith. By emphasizing the historical nature of the succession of bishops (none of whom were Gnostic), the church refuted the Gnostics. Once again, Christianity shows its material side, since a bishop's hands are physical; there has been some discussion about whether a bishop whose hands have been amputated could participate in the consecration of a bishop.

Let's imagine now that I am an ancient Gnostic, happy with my little library, since in those times, few people could afford any library at all. One evening, there is a knock at the door. It is the COPs (Christian Orthodox Patrol). As they look through my books, they are shocked to see some books that St. Athanasius has condemned, 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.

Let's speculate that an ancient Gnostic finds himself in the 21st century, still with a small library, since it is in PDF files on CD-roms. He reads in the newspaper an article about a mega-church with several thousand members, a Christian family center, complete with heated swimming pool, a Christian rock group, a Christian rap group, a Christian weight loss program, various twelve-step groups, about ten thousand members, some three hundred staff members, acres and acres of paved parking, a video production studio, an audio recording studio, and an annual budget in the millions of dollars.

He looks at his little old laptop computer, his alley cat rescued from the pound, and his thrift shop wardrobe. Who, do you suppose, he thinks is winning? The mega-church, with its investment in this corrupt, material world, or himself, with his direct knowledge of God?

Gnostics do not need a material, historical connection (bishops or Bible) to revelation. They do not even need their own books. Their most important library is within themselves.

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

Who Were They? Read it.

How Do We Know About Them, and Why Should We Care? Read it.

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

What Were Their Most Important Beliefs? Read it.

The Gospel of Thomas: Read it.

Read my articles about variations of Christianity here.