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What scriptures do you use?

Vouthon

Vouthon

Dominus Deus tuus ignis consumens est
Premium Member
A question to Gnostics: I am interested in learning more about modern Gnostic revivalism.

What scriptures do you guys use in your spiritual life, worship or devotions? The entire Nag Hammadi Library and beyond? Or are you more selective? Does it depend on what branch of the Gnostic family of traditions you adhere too? What about medieval texts with Gnostic tendencies or affinities (ie Catharism, the Sister Catherine Treatise).

I look forward to your responses.
 
frangipani

frangipani

Member
Premium Member
Well from my view I don't see Gnosticism as having branches, nor traditions or rituals. While common ground, ideals and behaviours will be evident in those who possess Gnosticism throughout the ages it is not a matter of an earthly dogma. Book compilations like the Bible and the Nag Hammadi Library are indeed sources of reference for the Gnostic, but they are not the source of Gnosticism. It is the Divine Spark in those who by nature of inheritance have it that starts a person on their journey to find Truth. Books like those mentioned contribute two things significantly to the seeker of Truth. Firstly they confirm to the seeker what they already know, even if the seekers knowledge is limited at that particular time of reading, Secondly help to expound in words feelings the seeker has, but has not been quite able to define. They are not a text book where a curious person 'learns' about the Truth. They are a validation and a guide for a person who already has the spark of Truth and is seeking to better understand themselves, Christ and Life. No matter what religious text one reads if the Spirit of Truth is in you, you know if what you read is right. Gnosis is God given through the Holy Ghost, Gnosis is Divine Wisdom and Knowledge that enables the willing soul to grow and develop into a true spiritual being. It is the 'heart' being pricked by the inherited Spark (spirit) of God that starts a person seeking. It is the sincere prayer that asks for revelation and earnest reflection that stirs the spark and causes it to grow. It is these things that stimulate the soul and spirit stirring the inner self through the revelation of Gnosis that a rebirth of Spirit is possible. Gnosis is not academic it is intellectual and individual, yet common to those who can receive it. Hope this helps
 
Sha'irullah

Sha'irullah

رسول الآلهة
I still retain a lot of my gnostic interests although primarily in an Islamic fashioned sufi sense(just learning about Alevism). Almost all Gnostic traditions as with moth mystic traditions and especially Hellenic ones are primarily taught through word if mouth. The concept of having an open religious text is actually relatively new, the bible was no different. Gnostics and partially practitioners like myself primarily just rely upon a varying amount of texts and one of them is the Gospel of John which is avery Gnosticish book in the Bible. Even the Qur'am has elements of Sabianism in it supposedly which is of no surprise and al-Baqarah is a perfect example of very mystic/gnostic teachings. Many early religious or mythological texts can be considered Gnostic. The book of Luke has some minute Gnostic references as well I may add.

Gnostioc scripture is essentially anything to everything since so many current scriptures have incorporated Gnosticism. It spread all the way to China for crying out loud. A lot of the original Gnostic material is gone and I myself have read the Gnostic books(fragments really) of John and Mary Magdalene. They are all fine but really the conceptualization of Gnostic teachings is more important.
 
E

ELoWolfe

Member
I've tried looking this up a lot myself, and it actually caused a lot of strife for me.

The Johannite Church does the Nag Hammadi scriptures and the Corpus Hermeticum.

Ecclesia Gnostica is more inclusive, having the above two as well as works of the Manicheans, Cathars, Mandeans, etc.

I've found some potential problems with these, at least if you're attempting to remain "authentic" and reconstruct, rather than create new. For example, the author of the Gospel of Truth or the author of the Gospel of Philip knew nothing about Mani or anything Mani taught that was unique to him. So if you wanted to be Valentinian, you have to use Valentinian sources (and then, you'd have to differentiate between Eastern, Western and Marcosian Valentinianism). Sethians had a different view than Valentinians, and so forth.

It is the same way with the early church, though. It is in the Bible itself, the internal struggles. Eventually, a new religion emerged. So it is possible to reconcile the differing worldviews. You just have to do it yourself unless you join one of the many groups that start up with Gnosticism.
 
Sha'irullah

Sha'irullah

رسول الآلهة
Another thing I should add is that Gnosticism is much like Sufism in a way since it is about oral teachings from an individual which are passed down. One person acquires gnosis or irfan in Sufiyyah and this experience is shared upon pupil to pupil and repeated. Scripture and Gnosticism in a greater sense do not even go together which is why so much scripture was lost for Gnostics. It is loose and open to interpretations while also being highly heretical. This is how some Gnostics derived the concept that the god of the Old Testament was a jealous false god and not the same as the New Testament god. It all comes down to interpretation. You have to be a Nietzschean to be a Gnostic essentially
 
CynthiaCypher

CynthiaCypher

Well-Known Member
All of reality is my Scripture, the people I encounter are of the Logos, so they are my scripture, the world in which I live in is of the Logos, so that is my Scripture, the universe that exist is of the Logos, so my Scripture is written in the stars and in time and space.
 
Sha'irullah

Sha'irullah

رسول الآلهة
CynthiaCypher said:
All of reality is my Scripture, the people I encounter are of the Logos, so they are my scripture, the world in which I live in is of the Logos, so that is my Scripture, the universe that exist is of the Logos, so my Scripture is written in the stars and in time and space.
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Spoken like a true Gnostic ;). This goes back to the concept of Paganism for me since both require massive amount of study and knowledge. Gnosticism is a private path like paganism and sometimes I do not know if I am a pagan who likes gnosticism or a gnostic who likes paganism. Both share fundamental concepts as of now though
 
nazz

nazz

Doubting Thomas
Vouthon said:
A question to Gnostics: I am interested in learning more about modern Gnostic revivalism.

What scriptures do you guys use in your spiritual life, worship or devotions? The entire Nag Hammadi Library and beyond? Or are you more selective? Does it depend on what branch of the Gnostic family of traditions you adhere too? What about medieval texts with Gnostic tendencies or affinities (ie Catharism, the Sister Catherine Treatise).

I look forward to your responses.
Click to expand...

To be perfectly honest I find most Gnostic texts as very hard to understand or relate to. I mainly read the traditional bible although with greatly different interpretation.
 
CynthiaCypher

CynthiaCypher

Well-Known Member
nazz said:
To be perfectly honest I find most Gnostic texts as very hard to understand or relate to. I mainly read the traditional bible although with greatly different interpretation.
Click to expand...

That's not Gnosticism. That's Christianity, not Gnosticism.

j/k
 
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