Gnostic Gospels

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Gnosticism
/wiki/Image: imple!crossed!circle"svg /wiki/Image: imple!crossed!circle"svg History of Gnosticism #arl$ Gnosticism $rian%#g$ptic Gnosticism Gnosticism in modern times Proto-Gnostics Philo &alentinius 'erinthus (asilides Gnostic texts Gnostic Gospels )ag *ammadi li+rar$ 'ode, -chacos (ruce 'ode, Gnosticism and the )ew -estament Related articles Gnosis P$thagoreanism )eoplatonism and Gnosticism .anichaeism #soteric 'hristianit$ -heosoph$ -his +o,: view / talk / edit The term gnostic gospels (pronunciation: naws-tik) refers to gnostic collections of ritings a!o"t the teachings of #es"s, ritten aro"nd the $nd cent"ry %&"012 -hese gospels are not accepted +$ most mainstream 'hristians as part of the standard (i+lical canon" Rather, the$ are part of what is called the )ew -estament apocr$pha" *owever, pu+lic interest has +een spurred +$ recent novels and films which refer to them"032042

'ontents
0hide2 1 *istor$ 3 5ating 4 elected gospels 6 References in popular culture 7 ee also 8 )otes

(edit) History
-he gnostic gospels were named after the Greek word gnosis which means 9knowledge9 and is often used

in Greek philosoph$ in a manner more consistent with the #nglish 9enlightenment9" Gnostic philosoph$ and religious movements +egan in pre%'hristian times" 5uring this time, ideas from Greek Gnosticism intermingled with #arl$ 'hristianit$" The name *'hristian gnostics* came to represent a segment of the +arly 'hristian comm"nity ho !elie,ed that sal,ation lay not in merely orshipping 'hrist, !"t in psychic or pne"matic so"ls learning to free themsel,es from the material orld ,ia the re,elation" 062 :ccording to this tradition, the answers to spiritual ;uestions are to +e found within not without"032 <urthermore, the gnostic path does not re;uire the intermediation of a church for salvation" ome scholars, such as #dward 'on=e and #laine Pagels, have suggested that gnosticism !lends teachings like those attri!"ted to #es"s 'hrist ith teachings fo"nd in +astern traditions"012 -hese te,ts are not generall$ accepted as canon +ecause of the Roman 'atholic 'hurches demand for authorit$ to the Pope and (ishops while Jesus in the Gnostic Gospels preaches e;ualit$ among all and a need for inner truth for salvation and not a 'hurch structure" -he gnostic Gospels are also predated +$ all canonical gospels"

(edit) &ating
See also Gnosticism
-he documents which comprise the collection of gnostic gospels were not discovered at a single time, +ut rather as a series of finds" The -ag Hammadi .i!rary as disco,ered accidentally !y t o farmers in &ecem!er of /012 and as named for the area in +gypt here it had !een hidden for cent"ries"072 >ther documents included in what are now known as the gnostic gospels were found at different times and locations, such as the Gospel of .ar$, which was recovered in 1?@8 as part of the :khmim 'ode, and pu+lished in 1@77" ome documents were duplicated in different finds, and for others, such as the Gospel of 3ary 3agdalene, onl$ one cop$ is currentl$ known to e,ist" -here are differing schools of thought on the dating of the original versions of these gospels" cholars with a focus on 'hristianit$ tend to date the gospels mentioned +$ Irenaeus to the 3nd centur$, and the gospels mentioned solel$ +$ Jerome to the 6th centur$" -he traditional dating of the gospels derives primaril$ from this division" >ther scholars with a deeper focus on pagan and Jewish literature of the period tend to date primaril$ +ased on the t$pe of the work: 1" cholars like George :l+ert Aells would argue that there is a su+stantial +od$ of literature a+out the teachings of the savior which were originall$ part of the Jewish wisdom movement" Gnostic gospels (like the >des of olomon) could then date as earl$ as from 3BB%1BB ('#" 5ates this earl$ would +e reCected +$ most scholars if the te,t specificall$ mentions Jesus (rather than The Savior) since the$ are incarnationist (or at least not m$thicist) and +elieve that there were some teachings at the +ase" 3" -he Gospel of the Dord can +e un;uestiona+l$ dated to at or +efore .arcion and thus no later than the earl$ 3nd centur$" G"R" " .ead and others have argued that .arcionEs gospel predates the canonical Duke and was in use in Pauline churches" 082 4" -he Gospel of Truth0F2 and Pistis ophia can +e un;uestiona+l$ dated to the earl$ 3nd centur$ as the$ were part of the original &alentinian school"0citation needed2 6" 5ocuments with a ethian influence (like the Gospel of Judas, or outright ethian like 'optic Gospel of the #g$ptians can +e dated su+stantiall$ later than 6B and su+stantiall$ earlier than 37BG most scholars giving them a 3nd centur$ date"0?2 .ore conservative scholars using the traditional dating method would argue in these cases for the earl$ 4rd centur$" 7" ome gnostic gospels (for e,ample -rimorphic Protennoia) make use of full$ developed )eoplatonism and thus need to +e dated after Plotinus in the 4rd centur$"0citation needed2

(edit) 4elected gospels

Tho"gh there are many doc"ments that co"ld !e incl"ded among the gnostic gospels, the term most commonly refers to the follo ing5 Gospel of 3ary (recovered in 1?@8)0@2

Gospel of Thomas (versions found in >,$rh$nchus, #g$pt in 1?@?, and again in the )ag *ammadi Di+rar$)01B2

Gospel of Tr"th ()ag *ammadi Di+rar$) Gospel of Philip ()ag *ammadi Di+rar$) Gospel of #"das (recovered via the anti;uities +lack market in 1@?4, and then reconstructed in 3BB8)01120132

(edit) References in pop"lar c"lt"re

-he gnostic gospels received widespread attention after the$ were referred to in the 3BB4 +est%selling novel The Da Vinci Code,0142 which uses them as part of its +ackstor$"0162 -he novelEs use of artistic license in descri+ing the gospels stirred up considera+le de+ate over the accurac$ of its depiction" :s a result of pu+lic interest triggered +$ the novel and film, numerous +ooks and video documentaries a+out the gospels themselves were produced which resulted in the gnostic gospels +ecoming well%known in popular culture"

(edit) 4ee also