THESIS

            This paper will address the origins of the Gnostic movement and the leaders involved with Gnosticism. 

Introduction 

Gnosticism is not a typical type of religion. It is made up of various groups of thought, with various types of leaders. It is a belief that distinguishes the wicked god of this world, (Old Testament), from an advanced more intellectual God exposed by Jesus Christ. It is a religion that sees this world as the conception of a sequence of wicked influences who demand to keep the human soul imprisoned in a wicked figure. It is a belief that addresses an unseen perception or understanding for a select group as essential for salvation or escape from this world.

Body

            The Gnostic campaign became prominent during the second century with its roots going all the way back to the New Testament era. The Apostle John wrote in II JOHN 2:10 SAY "IF ANYONE COMES TO YOU AND DEOS NOT BRING THIS TEACHING, DO NOT RECEIVE HIM INTO YOUR HOUSE OR GIVE HIM ANY GREETING." The scriptural writers had very rapidly recognized such primary Gnostic leanings as a danger to the faith.      

            Every Gnostic system or leader had its own arrangement of understanding for representing truth. The key understandings to Gnosticism were "original divine element produced other spiritual principles; a fault occurred in the divine, spiritual world; as a result matter came into existence; a redeemer revealed the way of escape out of the material world for the divine element; the soul passes through the realms of the world rulers in its return to its spiritual home."[1]         

            Even though the entire Gnostic movement was not accredited to him, it is plausible that Simon represented a primary style of the knowledge that other Gnostic teachers also comprised. As a result of this the Orthodox Church fathers have depicted "Simon Magus from Acts 8 as the fountainhead of this heresy."[2]  In his work, Against Heresies, Irenaeus said that Simon appeared "among the Jews as the Son, but descended in Samaria as the Father while he came to other nations in the character of the Holy Spirit. He represented himself, in a word, as being the loftiest of all powers, that is, the Being who is the Father over all, and he allowed himself to be called by whatsoever title men were pleased to address him."[3]  Irenaeus launched his attacks with a vigorous argument that stressed several ideas and thoughts against not only people, but their ideas. Such teachings had become a potent force that was threatening the Orthodox Church of his days.   

Principal Leaders 

Simon

            In his First Apology, Justin addressed the issue of the people and what they did for Simon as a result of his magic. "There was a Samaritans, Simon, a native of the village called Gitto, who in the reign of Claudius Caesar, and in your royal City of Rome, did mighty acts of magic, by virtue of the art of the devils operating in him. He was considered a god, and as a god was honoroured by you with a statue, which statue was erected on the river Tiber, between the two bridges, and bore this inscription, in the language of Rom:- ‘Simoni Deo Snacto'"[4]

            In the book of Acts there is the story of the magician who came to the apostles and wanted to buy the gift of the Holy Spirit. This person was Simon the magician. Simon had a woman named Helena who he had purchased from slavery in the city of Phoenicia, who was a prostitute.[5]During his travels, Helena would accompany him on his travels and he was proclaiming that she was the mother of all. Both Simon and Helena had images of them fashioned after the image of Jupiter for Simon and Minerva for Helena; which the sect worshiped. The mystic priests led reckless lives and practiced magical arts, according to their ability.[6]Simon was followed by his replacement Menander. He admitted that he himself is the person who has been sent out from the company of the unseen beings as a redeemer for the rescue of men.  He holds to the teachings that a person can overtake the angels that made the world since his followers gain the resurrection by being immersed into him and can perish no more, but continue in the custody of eternal adolescence.[7]Menander was followed by two men from Antioch named Saturninus and Cerinthus. There were three others who were best known for Gnostic teaching: Basilides, Marcion, and Valentinus and the teachings of Valentinus represented the most common form of Gnosticism.[8]  Carpocrates was also a principal teacher to the Gnostic movement.[9]Gnosticism presents an eye-catching substitute to conventional Christianity. Mystical searchers were drawn to its apparent intellectualism and enigmatic understandings of the universe.

Valentinus

Valentinus and his followers stressed that there was a heavenly fullness "which consisted of thirty angelic beings called Aeons."[10]These Aeons came from two called the Silence and the inexpressible. These two produced the first ogdoad which is eight and from those came the twenty-two others. This gave a total of thirty Aeons.[11]Irenaeus states "such are the thirty Aeons in the erroneous system of these men; and they are described as being wrapped up, so to speak, in silence, and known to none [except these professing teachers].[12]Such Aeons came in pairs (male/female). Gnosticism embraces to the fact that divinity comprises of both sexes, so that male Aeons necessitate female companions.

            One of these Aeons named Sophia which is a Greek word for wisdom revolted and caused Christ and a shadow (matter). Sophia basically walked out of bounds and fell from her supercilious site.[13]Christ returned to the pleroma, and the disobedient mother produced the Demiurge (the creator). Litfin said the creator was the "ignorant creator of the entire physical world in which we live."[14]Jesus was a production from the Christ or from the extra aeons of the pleroma. Worldly units such as humanity and the ecclesiastical were perceived as reproductions of divine truths.[15]

            The Valentinian Gnostics believed there were three classifications of people: the physical, the soulish, and the spiritual.[16]The lost physical people are the pagan nonbelievers whereas the soulish individuals are associated with the Orthodox Church, and they can obtain salvation via good works. The peak to reach is the Gnostics themselves, who are the only true Christians.[17]Gnosticism nurtured a sort of spiritual exclusiveness and mystery that shaped tangible partitions inside the early Christian groups.[18]  This group along with other groups of Gnostics felt they were Christians. They felt they were the spiritual choice. They felt they were exactly what Christianity was supposed to be and by accepting facts no one else had, they lured delicate Christians from traditional groups to their shadowy principles.

            Gnosticism felt that Jesus Christ was not important. They believed that salvation came through mystical knowledge and therefore the actions of Christ were not relevant. As a result of this, Gnostics took the centerpiece of Christianity away: the saving work "of Christ on the cross, and his bodily resurrection from the grave."[19]Irenaeus argued that people do need Christ for their salvation. "For we have given nothing to Him previously, nor does He desire anything from us, as if He stood in need of it; but we do stand in need of fellowship with Him."[20]Irenaeus felt that Christ was the climax of God's saving plan.[21]

            The Gnostics used an off handed scheme for interpreting the Bible for their own gain. They had secret meanings encoded in the Bible. An example of this was the way they arrived for the thirty Aeons. They added up the hours of the day when the workers were sent to the fields in the Parable of the Laborers.[22]Irenaeus spoke about this when he said "The thirty Aeons are indicated by the thirty years during which they say the Savior performed no public act, and by the parable of the laborers in the vineyard."[23]

BASILIDES

            Irenaeus paints a beautiful picture of the works of Basilides in his work Against Heresies in Book I chapter 24 sections 307 when he explains his ideas on certain topics. According to Irenaeus, Basilides believes that "Nous was first born of the unborn father, that from him, again, was born Logos, from Logos Phronesis, from Phronesis, Sophia and Dynamis, and from Dynamis and Sophia the powers, and principalities, and angels, whom he also calls the first, and that by them the first heaven was made."[24] Once these powers were accomplished, another heaven was created which was same as the first. Then a third heaven was made. This continued until there were many angels and three hundred and sixty-five heavens. This coincides with the number of days in a year.[25]

            Everything that was formed in the world was a direct action of the angels who inhabit the lowermost portion of heaven. One such angel was thought to be the God of the Jews. He wanted the other nations to be under his control and this caused great problems and the other nations were at hostility with him. As a result of this the father who was not born and had no name felt they (nation of the Jews) would be destroyed, so he sent his "own first-begotten Nous (he it is who is called Christ) to bestow deliverance on them that believe in him, from the power of those who made the world."[26] 

            Basilides believed that salvation is for the soul only because the body is by nature given over to corruption.  He gives the name Caulacau to the Saviour. He believed that since the son was unknown to all, they themselves must remain invisible and unknown for all. Since they take the stand of the three hundred and sixty-five heavens in the same way as mathematicians, and they accept the theorems of these later, they have transferred to themselves their own type of doctrine.[27]In the book, Refutation of All Heresies (Book VII), the author writes that the writings of Basilides are actually "the clever quibbles of Aristotle."[28]

Marcion

            Justin wrote that Marcion was teaching his "disciples to believe in some other god greater than the Creator. And he, by the aid of the devils, has caused many of every nation to speak blasphemies, and to deny that god is the maker of this universe, and to assert that some other being, greater then He, has done greater works."[29]    However, his approach to the Gnostics movement was somewhat different from the others. Marcion planted a church and this church lasted until the fifth century. He was someone who would be considered a fence straddler with just enough heresy on the side of Gnosticism to fit the qualification. He stood on the side that opposed the "Jewish roots of Christianity."[30]He was a bishop and the son of a bishop as well as being a very wealthy man due to his owning ships in the sea port town of Sinope, which was the chief port of Pontus, on the southern coast of the Black Sea. His travels led him to Rome where he gave the church a huge amount of money. However, as a result of his teachings, the church returned the money in the year 144 and this led him to set up a church that was in competition with the "church" in Rome. As his wealth improved he was able to take over some of the developing Gnosticizing groups. He is remembered for his work on the text and canon of the New Testament and his rejection of the "Old Testament as Scripture for the church and issued a New Testament consisting of edited versions of the Gospel of Luke and ten Pauline epistles."[31]His theology has "been described as an exaggerated Pauline gospel of grace."[32]There are eight arguments that echo Marcion's which come from his critics.

1:         There are two gods. This has the creator god and the redeemer god. (Tertullian wrote in Book I of Against Marcion the following: "

Furthermore, uncertain gods are not well known, because no certainty about them exists; and because of this uncertainty they are therefore unknown. Now, which of these two titles shall we carve for Marcion's god?"[33]

2:         Law and judgment belong to the creator and redemption belongs to the work of the Father.

3:         The Old Testament is the revelation of the creator.

4:         Jesus was views in a Docetic manner; he only seemed to suffer.

5:         Paul was the only true gospel.

6:         Marcion took his stand on a written revelation.

7:         Asceticism was emphasized. Sex was abhorrent. Water replaced wine in the Lord's Supper.

8:         The followers of Jesus are not under law. Salvation is by grade alone and grace needs no law.

Tertullian also states that Marcion was wrong when he wrote the following:

            Now I know full well by what perceptive faculty they boast of their new god;

even their knowledge. It is, however, this very discovery of a novel thing- so striking to common minds – as well as the natural gratification which is inherent in novelty, that I wanted to refute, and thence further to challenge a proof of this unknown god. For him whom by their knowledge they present to us as new, they prove to have been unknown previous to that knowledge they present to us as new, they prove to have been unknown previous to that knowledge.[34]Tertullian felt this was heretical because it deviated from the teachings of the apostles. "It originates neither from an apostle nor from an apostolic man; for the Apostles would not have diverged from one another in doctrine; no more would the apostolic man have put out teaching at variance with that of the Apostles."[35] 

Carpocrates

            Carpocrates felt that Angels, who were mediocre to the unbegotten Father, fashioned the world. Even though Jesus was born from Joseph like the rest of the world (men), he had power because of the "purity of his soul."[36]The followers of Carpocrates believed in reincarnation and sexual immorality. His son, Epiphanes "defended promiscuity on the basis of a law of nature which made all things common property."[37] Irenaeus wrote, "The soul, therefore, which is like that of Christ can despise those rulers who were the creators of the world, and, in like manner, receives power for accomplishing the same results. This idea has raised them to such a pitch of pride, that some of them declare themselves similar to Jesus; while others, still more mighty, maintain that they are superior to his disciples."[38] 

Conclusion

            The Gnostics were supporters of a diversity of religious groups in the early Christian periods that emphasized that people could be saved through a secret knowledge (gnosis in Greek). [39]The people who believed in the Gnostics system accepted the idea that if they had the proper information, they could leave this ordinary life to return the divine catalyst back to God.[40]  While philosophy and beliefs constantly forms words of Christianity to some degree, Gnosticism demonstrates the hazard of sanctioning an external organization of thought to be decisive to the face of Christianity.[41]

            The Word of God in COLOSSIANS 2:8 (NIV) says "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces[a] of this world rather than on Christ." Irenaeus, Justin, Clement, and many others faced the wrath of persecution due to their stand against what was right. They, stood on the Word of God to support their beliefs and their actions proved the origins of Gnosticisms was leading people astray.

[1]Ferguson, p. 93.

[2]Bryan Litfin. Getting to Know the Church Fathers: An Evangelical Introduction. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Brazos Press, 2007.

[3]"Against Heresies," 

[4]"The First Apology." 

[5]Ibid.

[6]"Against Heresies."

[7]Ibid.

[8]Ed Hindson, and Ergun Caner. The Popular Encyclopedia of Apologetics. Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 2008.

[9]Ferguson, p. 95.

[10]Litfin, p. 85.

[11]Ferguson, p. 96.

[12]"Against Heresies."

[13]Ed Hindson and Ergun Caner. p. 234.

[14]Litfin, p. 86.

[15]Ferguson, p. 96.

[16]Litfin, p. 86.

[17]Ibid.

[18]Ed Hindson and Ergun Caner, p. 235.

[19]Litfin, p. 87.

[20]Christopher Hall. Learning theology with the Church Fathers. Downers Grove, Illinois: Inter Varsity Press, 2002.

[21]Ferguson, p. 125.

[22]Litfin, p. 88.

[23]"Against Heresies."

[24]Ibid.

[25]Ibid.

[26]Ibid.

[27]Ibid.

[28]"Refutation of All Heresies: Book VII" 

[29]"The First Apology."

[30]Ferguson, p. 87.

[31]Ibid.

[32]Ibid.

[33]"Against Marcion, Book I." 

[34]"Against Marcion, Book I."

[35]Hall, p. 29.

[36]Ferguson, p. 95.

[37]Ibid.

[38]"Against Heresies."

[39] Edwin M. Yamauchi.  The Gnostics, Manicheans, the Montanists, Novatianists, and Marcion. Faulkner University: A Christian University.

[40]Ed Hindson and Ergun Caner, p. 235.

[41]Ferguson, p. 100.