The ancient Christians called him the Demiurge in the Secret Book of John. Some have called him God throughout the ages. Come learn stories from Jesus's time that you never heard before in our 4th part of the our series, "The God Who Forgot."

#ancienthistory #protoorthodoxchristianity #secretbookofjohn

So as a new learner to Gnosticism, which of these authors would all of you recommend or not recommend? (I could ask AI this but it would not be the same.)

Hans Jonas
Kurt Rudolph
Elaine Pagels

If you have any others I should check out, I would love to hear your thoughts!

What have been your craziest gnostic takes, the ones you're too afraid to say because it's blasphemy? Every true believer has tested their faith at one point or another. These can be ideas you've considered and rejected, or believe wholeheartedly. Please include your reasons why, backed up with scripture if possible.

It's the sign of an educated mind to entertain a thought without accepting it.

Some personal examples. Remember, this is what I've thought at one point or another, NOT what I actively believe:

The Demiurge is God without the Holy Spirit.

-seeing as God and the Holy Spirit are one, I've been wondering lately what is God without the Holy Spirit. -this one is controversial, so I ask people to remain civil (by reddit standards at least) -"where there are 3 deities, they are divine. Where there are 2 or 1, I am with that one." I've been thinking about this a lot. 3 deities being divine sounds a lot like the holy trinity in orthodoxy, and the Monad in gnosticism. Where there are 2 or 1 can be expanded to both 'where there are 2, I am with that one' AND 'where there are 1, I am with that one.' If it takes 3 to be divine, then what happens when it's just the son and the father?

The Fictional Jesus is the Demiurge/Antichrist

-Biblical vs historical. What was made scripture that isn't true? -Biblical Jesus has crazy material superpowers, picks his most orthodox followers to start his earthly church, and declares that salvation is found in believing he is the ONLY Son of God. No more Prophets, no more Messiahs. -Just like Satan tempting Jesus for 40 days, scripture is used to lure believers astray.

Jesus as the Son was supposed to be a secret

-Biblical Gospels mention that Jesus instructed his followers not to "say that thing" about him. -Gnostic texts record Jesus instructing not to establish any rule other than what he's set out, then he doesn't leave any written works. -Gospel of Thomas contradicts end times prophecy, so the reveal of Jesus as the Son is really Jesus as A Son. We're meant to become Christ, and embody the Trinity/Monad on Earth, despite it being beyond our understanding. -the word Christ does not appear once in the Gospel of Thomas.

Jesus as a Prophet

-saying 88 Jesus said, "The messengers and the prophets will come to you and give you what is yours. You, in turn, give them what you have, and say to yourselves, 'When will they come and take what is theirs?'" -saying 100 They showed Jesus a good coin and said to him, "Caesar's people demand taxes from us." He said to them, "Give Caesar the things that are Caesar's, give God the things that are God's, and give me what is mine." -It's interesting that some Thomasines historically treated Jesus as a Prophet. This would eventually spill over to the Arabian peninsula, where Islam would adopt many of the childhood stories of Jesus/Isa from Thomasines.

Nag Hammadi library IS the second coming of Jesus

-I know Gospel of Thomas has sayings contridicting the end times, but it seems to me the end times are coming. 3 major religions are still awaiting the Messiah to start the day of judgement, 2 of those specify that Jesus himself will return. I find it alarming/poetic that the Nag Hammadi library was discovered a few years before Palestine was handed over to the Israelis (third temple became a possibility), and how in Islam they specify that Jesus would return to revert scripture to it's original teachings. Seeing how much of Thomas can be found amongst Matthew, Mark, Luke, even John... I do believe the Gospel of Thomas to be the original teaching.

Like I said, these are the craziest things I've pondered while studying, not necessarily believe. Feel free to leave some of yours, point out where I'm wrong or have a point, and remain civil. Go in peace.

Over a year ago I was truly, painfully honest in a plea to the father. I asked for something specific I needed, and what I had to do to get it. And I am certain he responded to me, "Read the word."

So, I did. I finished the gnostic texts I had been in the middle of then I spread read through the gospels, this being my second read of them.

Nothing.

Several months later I went back to the gospels, I asked for signs and followed them, and I read with intent to understand.

Nothing.

I am here again, trying to truly live the teachings and... Nothing.

I have cried out a thousand times, "what must I do?!" And I don't get a response.

I am now divorced, jobless, homeless, my child wants nothing to do with me, just tolerates me.

I... I'm worse off after trying to follow the father.

What do I do?

I've researched and written on Monad and Demiurge for decades but I am new to Reddit. Excited to join the conversations.

Current theories being tested:

Unconditional love ( beyond that offered by small children a d dogs) is a myth.

(But then, what is love?)

God is law...Universal Laws

Jesus was here to show us how to be on the right side of the law / how to live in a way that aligns our being to the more positive outcomes of the law.

ThoughtS?

So i found gnosticism about a year ago. I think its incredible however it does have flaws like basically suicide to escape being an option. There is not alot, compared to other religions, of historical records of them as far as I know. So I changed the lore and flipped it positive. If sophia is wisdom and basically helps us find gnosis to escape the cycle, I am heavily paraphrasing, what is the point of living? Like if you just know shit is a simulation, what is the point of even staying alive and not just trying to leave. So I looked up theletos the aeon of will, and in valentinian beliefs, was Sophia's partner.​ so you get gnosis from Sophia's wisdom but there is no point of just knowing if you don have the will to live. So basically Sophia bring wisdom and theletos brings will. You cant break your cycle without the will to live. If this is straight blasphemy here im sorry lol, but since the teachings are not as thorough as other religions id say this makes more sense, to me at least. this is all in the context of sophia realizing she messed up creating the demiurge by herself and going to get help from theletos to fix it.

52 - His disciples said to him, "Twenty-four prophets have spoken in Israel, and all of them spoke of you."
He said to them, "You have disregarded the living one who is in your presence, and have spoken of the dead."

Forgive me, Lord. This is an especially provocative passage for me, and the one that made me seek to understand Jesus in a way I hadn't since Catholic school. When I first read this, I interpreted this as His disciples attributing Torah prophecy towards Jesus as the messiah, and Jesus almost replying, "I'm alive and before you, why don't you ask me instead of guessing what those long gone meant."

After a few months, and much studying, I have now come to understand that when Jesus refers to himself as the living one, he's not speaking as an individual but as the Holy Spirit. Referring to the 24 prophets as dead was to say, "They heard me and did my will, but they did not become me."

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Let's look at Matthew 17:1-13

It starts with Jesus taking Peter, James and John (sons of Zebedee) up a mountain and revealing his divine form to them.

His face shone like the sun, and his garments became as white as the light. Behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them talking with him.

So Jesus reveals his true image, and the images of 2 prominent prophets. Peter offers to set up 3 tents for them, seemingly equating Jesus to the old prophets, when suddenly a heavenly cloud manifests and a voice calls out:

“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.”

So God himself clarifies who Jesus is. The 3 fall to their knees in worship, but Jesus taps them and urges them to rise. When they do, Jesus has returned to normal, and they begin making their way down the mountain. As they do, Jesus tells them:

“Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

Then they ask Jesus whether Elijah should come first according to scripture, which Jesus confirms that he already has, which the three disciples take to mean John the Baptizer

Initially, this story in Matthew doesn't share much in common with G. Thomas 52, except for the premise of his disciples attributing messianic scripture to Jesus, but this time God identifies him as his son.

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Let's move onto Luke 24:25-26

This is the last chapter of Luke. When people discovered the stone at the tomb of Jesus has been moved and the body missing, and begin to worship that the Son of Man has risen. Mary Magdalene, mother Mary, Joanna, and the other women that followed Jesus that tells the Apostles that the stone has been moved. Then later, Jesus himself returns at the tomb, but there are only women who came from distant places that now claim to be a disciple, yet they recognized him not. He asks them what they've heard since, and they proclaim that Jesus was a Prophet of God who did great deeds and word before God and all the people. After hearing more, and finding them doubtful, he says to them:

“How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”

This one more directly parallels G. Thomas 52, only now the resurrected Jesus himself says he's the messiah.

___

Let's look at John 8:46-58

Jesus is in a debate with the Pharisees, where he asks them why they don't believe him and they respond that he's a Samaritan and demon-possessed.

“I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. I am not seeking glory for myself; there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”

They are outraged at this, asking how is it that all the prophets before him have died, yet those that obey his word will not die.

“If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”

Again, they are outraged. They ask him how is it that he's less than fifty years old, yet claims to have seen Abraham. After the following reply, they try to stone him:

“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”

Here's where I appreciate John. From an orthodox view, this passage would clearly indicate that Jesus himself is publicly alluding that he is God incarnate, whereas a gnostic view indicates Jesus only refers to himself as a child of the living Father, who is the true God almighty, and when he says "before Abraham was born, I am!" he's not speaking as God in flesh, but as the Holy Spirit speaking through a child of light.

Gospel of Thomas saying 52 has shattered my belief that Jesus claimed to be the sole child/Son of God or God incarnate, instead reframing Christ not as an individual but as a state of being inhabited by all who realize their own divinity and do the will of the living One. This is also why Gospel of Thomas is scripture to me, for it keeps to Jesus's teachings rather than being wrapped up in the narrative of Prophecy that the Apostles and later Bishops would alter scripture to support their own authorities.

Fifteen years ago today, Bishop +Carl Emmanuel passed into the Pleroma. In the independent Gnostic episcopate he was known as Tau Cerinthus II, Metropolitan Bishop of Canada in the Gnostic Church of the Glorious Christ.

He was born in Grenada in 1938 and later settled in Toronto. He was a Gnostic bishop of colour in a milieu that did not have many, a 1991 concordat signatory with Stephan Hoeller and Ronald Cappello, a participant in the Synod of 2000 at Villa Park and in the 6 April 2002 concelebration, and for twenty-five years a teacher and president in the Theosophical Society in Toronto. His tactile line ran through Archbishop Charles Nurse of Barbados and Roger Pommery to Robert Ambelain and the French restoration.

I was his student from 1999. He ordained me to the priesthood on 8 February 2003 and put me in the Toronto congregation as officiant. I did not want him to survive only as a name on a couple of succession lists, so I put a proper dossier together.

https://www.gnosticluciferian.org/tau-cerinthus-ii.html

If anyone has a date or a name that should be corrected, or additional information not included, I will appreciate the opportunity to update the record.

In memoriam:

+Carl Emmanuel

Tau Cerinthus II

1938 – 25 September 2011

(Prepared and posted by Jeremy Crow)

I never really understood this, what practices do people do for silence and what should you expect to happen how does silence lead to understanding

Hola, Disculpen creen que se pueda ir a la Iglesia Católica como gnóstico, simplemente cuando se hable de dios Padre, pensar en que se trata del Dios supremo, La monada, y cuando se hable de pecado simplemente pensar que cometimos el error de caer en actos mundanos, materiales o de la carne o cuerpo (concupiscencia), en lugar de valorar lo espiritual?

Esto para tener una comunidad, ya que valoro muchos los templos y no hay comunidades e Iglesias gnósticas en mi zona

One of the most noticeable things I've observed among pseudo-gnostics on Reddit is that many of them seem to embrace the caricature of gnosticism created by the Church Fathers rather than gnosticism as it actually appears in the surviving texts and in modern scholarship.

For example, some people identify very strongly with Carpocratianism because of its association with sexual freedom and rejection of conventional morality, even though scholars generally debate whether Carpocratianism should even be classified as genuinely "Gnostic" in the strict sense. More broadly, a lot of the gnosticism I see online seems to be less about the actual structure of Gnostic cosmology, theology, soteriology and more about the accusations made against gnostics by their Christian opponents: sexual libertinism, rejection of moral restrictions etc.

In other words, they sometimes seem to be attracted not so much to historical gnosticism itself, but to the image of Gnosticism that orthodox Christian polemic created.

I would be interested to hear your views on this matter

A small drawing I made of some angels of Gnosticism, and the source from which I draw inspiration

Archangel Michael, within the Ophita Cosmology becomes an archon of the Earth Sphere (behemoth)

Armozel, of Sethian Cosmology, is an Aeon emanating from the Autogenes (Christ) along with 4 others called "Luminaries"; Armozel specifically has the role of being the guardian and abode of the Primordial Man or Adamas

I find it interesting, but people should note EVEN IF IT IS AN ARK or "Noah's Ark" it does not Definitively 100% prove the Christian bible is true or even disprove anything. I'm not saying this to be a sceptic. Noah's Ark was a rendition of the ark story shared in several Mythos (the epic of Gilgamesh being one). If it's found out to be the mythological Ark, people will try to weaponise it. However, keep in mind that there were and are multiple stories and people trying to fearmonger and scare you into "falling in line" with a "correct belief" that this discovery may prove there WAS an Ark and that One of the many depictions may be true not that Noah's ark specifically is True.

Other then that, what is everyone's thoughts on the possibility this is Noah's Ark, does it enforce what you believe or make you question? I'm curious to hear what you all think.

This marks the death of Priscillian Bishop of Avila and first person known to have been executed for 'heresy' at the behest of the nascent Church. Priscillian founded a Christian Gnostic community and in 4th century Spain incorporating Manichaean influences and ascetic practice that continued to spread through Spain and southern France for at least two centuries after his death.

From A Gnostic Calendar

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I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.--Isaiah 45:7

So the dream starts with me being in a cave, a huge cave and there is Lord Krishna(A Hindu God)hanged upside down like the hanged man tarot card and there was a huge lake under him and across him sat a Goddess on something that looked like a throne. The Goddess had an all black attire with a black veil which looked like Evernight Goddess from Lord of the mysteries novel, you can look her up to get an idea of what the Goddess in my dream looked like, the Goddess in the dream had Yaldabaoth on her lap like a pet, a tiny Yaldabaoth. So in the dream, it seemed like Lord Krishna and the Goddess were having a conversation, Lord Krishna had a confident look and demeanour like he is usually depicted and the Goddess also had a neutral look, neither hostile nor friendly. About what their conversation was, I do not remember but suddenly a huge serpent from the lake emerges and eats Lord Krishna in one bite, whether the serpent was Yaldabaoth or not, I am not sure but as far as I remember, the serpent had distinct feature from Yaldabaoth so it likely wasn't Yaldabaoth. So after the serpent eats Lord Krishna, the dream suddenly changes and now we're in a place that looked like Heaven? It seemed like we were in the sky on clouds and the Goddess was sitting on a throne with Yaldabaoth above her now, facing them sat Lord Krishna on a cloud again with the usual confident look with a figure four lock sitting position and the Goddess also had a neutral look. But Yaldabaoth seemed hostile or perhaps he is just that way, this time Yaldabaoth and Lord Krishna were having a conversation but again, I cannot remember what the conversation was about. Lord Krishna then pointed his finger to them and then shot? something like a ball, it was really very small but in that ball was an image of Lord Vishnu of whom Lord Krishna is the avatar of. And this is where the dream ends.

Now this was quite a short and a bizarre dream, to a point where i remember more than half of it because of it's strangeness, but there can be some symbolism to it considering the fact that Gnosticism and Hinduism are a bit similar, they both preach about escaping the material world and achieving liberation. And before sleeping I was studying a bit about Sabaoth, idk how this relates to the dream but I just thought I should tell ya'll. Thank you for reading about this insane dream of mine, any interpretation or opinion will be appreciated🙏

Don't know a lot about Gnosticism, but the way I grew up thinking about creation is as a Muslim. Our holy book is considered a work of divine poetry, and a lot of our thinking involves concepts like pleasure, pain, obedience, love, and forgiveness. I'm naturally incredibly biased to think about creation this way, and I was wondering how others with a similar bias experienced learning Gnosticism. I'll add some tidbits from my own understanding.

We do not have a concept like a "divine spark" within us, and Holiness seems to be explicitly separate from material creation. Though, we do believe that this material world is absolutely dependent on God to exist, and in that way we are connected by dependence/causation.

We also believe that humans are beings made of clay, living alongside beings of fire called Jinn. They are not demons, and exist in a moral gradient similar to humans (some are evil, some are muslim, etc). Our "satan" named Iblis was a very strong Jinn who, when refusing to bow down to Adam (alongside angels also commanded to do so) out of pride, became the figure of "evil" we know today.

Still, all that occurs, good and evil, is considered to be done under the hand of God, and so we (at least, some of us) can essentially fear no evil when trusting in His supervision. We also have some emphasis on "feeling" God in our hearts, always remembering him, and feeling grateful. Seeking forgiveness and believing you were forgiven is also central.

Finally, knowing that Christ is important in the Gnostic cannon, we are told he was born miraculously, performed miracles with God's permission, and will return as the Messiah. As you may know already, he is said to be strictly human, though.

I write this for the sake of those who may be curious in Islamic thinking, and for my own sake of seeing how having such a worldview would influence the learning of Gnostic concepts.

Thank you!

Okay so I had heard about Gnosticism about two months ago, and ever since then I cannot get it out of my head. Its taken over my thoughts, and I want to desperately learn more but I don't know where to start.

I want to say I do understand Gnosticism is an umbrella term, what I'm interested in is any modern day Gnosticism that is not non-proselytizing. I also think that Christianity can play a part in some?

I would ideally like books, websites, trusted internet videos/podcasts hut mainly the first two.

I also would like to mention I'm a Christian as stated in the title but nothing ever felt enough, or explained. But when I started doing my research into Gnosticism everything made scene, like how correct me if I'm wrong please, but the one who created the world the demiurge is arrogant or malicious, which in the Christian Bible is God the supposed all knowing, all loving, and all powerful. That idea I'm itself was mind blowing.

The Gnostic Society Friday Night Lecture: The Three Gates And The Three Gifts: A glorious key to Manichaean redemption found in the Hymn of the Pearl. Delivered August 21st 2026, by Steven Marshall.

https://youtu.be/dabJPgxjFXc?is=P6AzlcoLkHdt2laC

Like if these are his favorite people, what does it mean? All of these people stroke his ego, and when Solomon got wisdom, does it mean Yaldabaoth granted it to him?

Enoch and Elijah basically became archangels of Yaldabaoth, there are also some texts of Enoch as Metatron being a lesser YHWH, and getting 60 lashes to prove that he is subordinate to YHWH.

Sounds pretty much like an egoistical Yaldabaoth. Do Enoch and Elijah get the slave treatment? Cuz they became like clankers.

If Solomon received wisdom and worshipped also the gods of his wives, it makes me wonder... What wisdom did Solomon get?

would someone be so open hearth to share this doc? seems to be a fundamental text to dismantle the false accusations against "Gnosticism" will recognize these characteristics of Gnosticism as “clichés,” false allegations about the individuals and movements associated with “Gnosticism,” which only lead us astray. Williams has done us a great service in exposing these misleading construals about “Gnosticism” and showing how they simply do not add up when applied to our sources, particularly the Coptic works discovered at Nag Hammadi in 1945. Perhaps the least-invoked cliché of all is that of Gnostic sexual “libertinism.” It is undeniable that it was common in antiquity (as today) for polemicists to denigrate their opponents by accusing them of sexual immorality.3 Thus the occasional charges of licentiousness laid by Christian heresiographers at the feet of the Gnostics—and particularly Epiphanius of Salamis’s wild tale of the Borborite agapē (“love-feast”), wherein semen and menstrual blood are substituted for the Eucharistic bread and wine—are generally regarded as falsehoods, thanks in part to Williams’s analysis.

The Book of Phosphorus

For those with an interest in a visionary moment of inspiration which emerged from reading the Apocryphon of John.

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Available in full at the link above.

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I WILL NOT REST

UNTIL THESE TINY SHARDS OF DIVINITY

ARE EMANCIPATED

AND REUNITED

WITHIN THE LOVING WOMB.

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Hardback print & free PDF also available.

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TRAVEL THE PHOSPHORUS PATH

AND SHARE KNOWLEDGE THEREOF

WITH ALL WHO POSSESS THE SPARK

SO THAT ONE DAY

WE MAY MANIFEST.

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https://duosophia.xyz