Gnostic Christianity and the Myth of Sophia

by Bette Stockbauer
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In 1945, near the banks of the River Nile, a jar was unearthed which contained one of
the richest manuscript finds of modern history -- the Nag Hammadi codices. Like the
Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered two years later, this library of ancient documents (dated
AD 350) contained texts relating to early Christianity that the world had never seen.
The Dead Sea texts belonged to an earlier, Jewish branch of Christianity, and the
works from Nag Hammadi to a later philosophical movement, called Gnosticism.
Since their discovery scholars have long pondered their contents, questioning their
relation to original Christianity.
In these pages we will look into their times to see the forces that shaped their thought.
We will see in their writings totally new Gospels, teaching dialogues between Jesus
and his followers, collections of sayings, and cosmological myths of vast design.
These deeply mystical works express in their own language and style the same ideas
as are found in the works of Helena Blavatsky and Alice Bailey, our own modern
carriers of the esoteric flame.
The scriptural writings of the Gnostic Christians are often described as uncommon
and bizarre. Their vocabulary is unusual; their concepts defy the ideas of sin, the
afterlife, and humanity's relationship with God which underlie most Western
traditions. Some call them world-haters, immersed in an existential negation of life.
Others see them as too sublimely ecstatic, soaring to foolhardy heights of spiritual
bliss.
In their own era, they made a huge impact, drawing thousands to hear of Christianity,
the new religion inspired by the prophet Jesus Christ. They taught that the path to
liberation lay in the attainment of Gnosis, the knowledge of sacred truths of the
spiritual universe. They said that each human being is the inheritor of a divine spark, a
bit of fire given by the hand of God. Most men do not realize this fire within and live
in ignorance of their true nature, but Jesus' life had as its mission the purpose of
reminding humanity of its true nature. He demonstrated, through his life and death,
the way to freedom and taught the secrets of the ascent.
The Gnostics wrote of an ongoing relationship with Jesus, even years after his death,
through revelation and vision. They knew the sciences of astronomy, divination, and
healing, and the great mysteries of human origin and immortality. They were brave
enough and bold enough to lay claim to this birthright, like Prometheus, who stole the
sacred fire from the very gods themselves.
But like Prometheus they were destined to suffer mightily for their daring, for bit by
bit their schools were condemned, their voices hushed to a bare whisper. Their sacred
and treasured writings, the mystical words of the beloved Teacher, were destroyed

with hardly a trace by a Christian orthodoxy that was wedded too irrevocably to the
political power of the Roman State.

Christian beginnings
As a whole, we have little data to tell us of Christianity's early growth, but we do
know that the 400 years surrounding Jesus' birth could be called a renaissance of
spiritual seeking. It was an era, like our own, which displayed the best and the worst
of human endeavor.
By 30 BC the Roman empire had consolidated most of the lands surrounding the
Mediterranean Sea. Its great highways and shipping routes enabled populations freely
to intermingle, exchanging cultural and religious ideas. Its system of law unified the
vastly divergent populations that it ruled. The first 200 years of the Christian era were
generally peaceful ones, allowing a high achievement in spiritual and philosophical
ideals.
Though Rome was unbending in its demand of obeisance to the state, it tolerated a
remarkably free expression of religious thought. Within its borders could be found
groups adhering to ideas of Eastern Buddhism, Persian Zoroastrianism, the Egyptian
Hermetic tradition, Jewish monotheism, the sun worship of Mithras, and Greek
Platonic thought. Gnosticism was one of these religions. It had its own sacred
scriptures and ideas but it also freely borrowed from other traditions, developing a
richly endowed theology. Alexandria was the main center of learning in the empire,
its library the most famous of antiquity. In this great city at the mouth of the Nile
congregated groups of varied culture and creed.
Yet despite the outward signs of political peace and unity there was raging within the
Roman soul a moral war. The accumulation of vast riches in the upper strata of
society, excessive and cruel taxation of the peasants, widespread slavery, and
disrespect for human life had risen to such a height that the inner decay they spread
was destroying the heart of the nation.
For this reason numerous groups were seeking to counter the prevailing decadence
with a return to a higher morality. Throughout the empire, in the deserts or forests of
the land, small societies of spiritual seekers began to gather. Often they led ascetic
lives, determined to address the dissolution they saw in mainstream culture. In cities
like Alexandria were born schools of philosophy, and great moral teachers sought to
instil their students with higher ideals.
The Christian groups in time became one of the loudest voices against the evils of the
empire. They taught simplicity and communal sharing. Decrying the lot of the poor
and oppressed, they denounced slavery and the brutality of the Roman gladiatorial
games which slaughtered the underprivileged by the thousand. Many of the
disaffected joined their ranks.
Rome had always speedily silenced such popular protest, either by death or by
bribery. But the Christians were a different lot. Unafraid of the former and untempted

by the latter, their numbers continued to grow, despite rigorous and widespread
persecution. And by AD 300 it was apparent that a moral tide had turned. The new
faith was focusing the ideas of a new evolutionary cycle, one which began to speak
for the rights and equality of all humanity. It was one voice that Rome could not bend
to her ways.
Conversions began to be made among the upper classes and politicians. In the end,
because it had always been able to perceive the source of power in a society and use it
to advantage, Rome capitulated. Under the Emperor Constantine, in AD 325,
Christianity was accepted as the official state religion. A union was born which
permanently altered both Rome and the church. On its side, Rome began certain
reforms to lift the lower classes from their bondage. But on the Christian side, perhaps
the brush with Roman power was too heady a temptation, for the church leadership
began to show the same hunger for wealth and power which had so marred the Roman
rule. This new class of orthodox church leader began to accumulate riches and rule
the congregations with an iron will.
Within this stream of competing factions and ideas the flame of Gnosticism burned
brilliantly for a brief time. In the first two centuries of the Christian era it enjoyed its
triumph, spreading rapidly through the eastern Mediterranean. It mainly influenced
the intellectuals and philosophers, drawing to its ranks a more highly educated
adherent than did the mainstream sects which were often composed of the peasants
and slaves.
When the latter more mainstream groups began to be organized around orthodox
leaders demanding strict adherence to the newly forming church rules, the Gnostics
fell into disrepute. Because they had always voiced the absolute necessity of
individual freedom in finding salvation and because they refused to bow to any
authority other than their own, they began to be viewed as renegades, a danger to the
growing power base of Constantine's church. Consequently, they were disdained and
persecuted, not so much by forces outside the Christian community, but by the very
community to which they had once belonged. Later sections will further discuss this
interplay between the Roman state, the Christian leadership and the Gnostics.

The Gnostic teachers

Although we have copious information about many other personages and events of
the Roman era, few facts are left of the lives of the Gnostic teachers, for their personal
remains were erased as thoroughly as their written ones. It is only our modern
manuscript finds that have begun to reconstruct a more accurate picture of their life
and thought. There follows a description of some of the most prominent thinkers.
Blavatsky thinks that the Apostle Paul was the first really to understand that Christ's
life was a symbolic path of initiation. His statement: "Christ in you, the hope of glory"
(Col.1:27) well expresses his belief that Christ came into the world, not as its sole
means of redemption but as an example, to illustrate a way of redemption, which each
person can follow who wishes to help in the uplifting of the world. Everyone, Paul

makes clear, can eventually imitate Christ's glory. His influence was the true
beginning of the Christian Gnostic movement.
Simon Magus (Acts 8:9-24) was a contemporary of Paul known for his magical feats.
Because of this, stories about his life are fantastic and bizarre, but many historians say
that all the later sects derive from him. Blavatsky says that he and many other
Gnostics were powerful workers of occult miracles (The Secret Doctrine III, pp117121). Menander, Simon's disciple, was also known for his practice of transcendental
magic. He took the teachings to Antioch, a city in Asia Minor which developed a
strong Christian community.
Satornilos of Syria was an ascetic who also taught at Antioch in the early 2nd century.
Cerinthus (mid-1st century) from Asia Minor, taught ideas about the Unknown God
and the overshadowing of Jesus by the Christ. Carpocrates (c. AD 117-138) headed a
Gnostic school in Alexandria, and Marcellina, a female disciple, spread his teaching
to Rome about AD 160. These were the early teachers, of whom little is known. More
can be said about the three giants of Gnosticism -- Basilides, Marcion and
Valentinus1.

"Secret words"
Blavatsky says of Basilides that "the founders of other Gnostic sects group round him,
like a cluster of stars borrowing light from their sun" (Isis Unveiled II, p123). Clement
of Alexandria, third Bishop of Rome (c. AD 150-215), describes him as "a
philosopher devoted to the contemplation of divine things" (IU II, p155). Basilides
claimed to have received "secret words" of Jesus from the apostle Matthias, and also
to have been taught by Glaucias, Peter's interpreter. He was learned in Hellenic,
Egyptian and Hebrew wisdom. Around AD 130, he gathered a group of students in
Alexandria.
Also a prolific writer, he is said to have written a Gospel plus 24 volumes of
Interpretations Upon the Gospels, as well as poetry and song. All that survive are a
few fragments; one is a prayer to the Unknown God. His school is said to have
celebrated the baptism of Jesus, thus indicating that it understood the nature of the
overshadowing of Jesus by the Christ. After he died, his disciple Isodore carried on
his work.

New wine
Marcion was a rich ship owner who lived on the south shore of the Black Sea. He held
office as a bishop, as did his father, and lived in Rome around AD 155. He based his
teachings on those of Paul, and rejected most of the other Gospels that were
circulating at the time. He is perhaps best known for his complete rejection of the Old
Testament.

This disavowal came from his objection to the Jewish God. He claimed that the
Jewish Jehovah was indeed a just God, but that the God of Jesus was not only just but
was also a good God. To illustrate the point he meticulously collected the sayings and
doings ascribed to Jehovah in the Old Testament and arranged them side by side with
the sayings of the God of Jesus. The striking contrast served to support his contention.
In this way he voiced and illustrated part of the revolution of ideas within those sects
with Jewish ties. The vengeful God of wrath and restitution no longer suited the new
ideas of Christian thought. The new wine needed a new wineskin.

Genius
Valentinus (c. AD 100-175) was a philosopher, religious leader and teacher. He wrote
sermons, hymns, myths, letters, poetry and psalms. The most widely discussed of all
Gnostic philosophers, he was known for his eloquence and the genius of his
theological ideas, derived from a blend of Platonic, Hermetic, Jewish, and Christian
elements. He was born on the Egyptian delta at Phrenobis and educated in Alexandria,
where he taught early in the 2nd century. It is said that he was instructed by Theudas,
a disciple of Paul.
We know that at some point he traveled to Rome, perhaps expecting to be elected
bishop because of his great renown. His failure in this regard may show that orthodox
voices were already prevailing. Nevertheless, he gained a wide following throughout
the eastern Mediterranean, and trained many distinguished intellects to his philosophy
-- Ptolemaeus, Heracleon, Theodotus and Marcus.
Known as a great mediator, Valentinus acted as a conciliatory force between the
Roman Church and the more radical branches of Gnosticism. "The Gospel of Truth"
from the Nag Hammadi find is sometimes attributed to him. Public branches of
Valentinianism survived until the 4th century and some probably practised in secret a
few centuries more. His successor, Marcus, conducted ceremonies that were
connected to the ancient mystery cults, and claimed that by revelation he was shown
how to transpose the whole Valentinian system into numerals and letters.2

The heresiologists
Since Catholic orthodoxy had so thoroughly destroyed any trace of original Gnostic
thought, practically our only knowledge of it has been through the eyes of its most
bitter opponents, patristic fathers who brutally condemned all groups which did not
conform to orthodox thought. With the Nag Hammadi discovery of a large cache of
Gnostic works, scholars were most anxious to see how valid was the orthodox view in
presenting the Gnostic ideas.
These early church fathers are known to history as the heresiologists. Those described
below were the most influential.

Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons (c. AD 130-200), wrote a lengthy treatise of five books
called Exposure and Refutation of the falsely so called Gnosis, later abbreviated to
simply Against Heresies. In this work he attempts systematically to classify the sects
and their founders, but it turns instead into a long and tiresome attack. He states that
his main principle is "not only to expose but also from every side to wound the beast."
Irenaeus above all became an important information source for the other
heresiologists.
To theologian Hippolytus of Rome (c. AD 170-236) is usually ascribed the book
Refutation of all Heresies. Most of this work was considered lost until 1842 when a
manuscript was discovered in a monastery on Mount Athos. (See IU II, p52fn. for an
interesting corollary.) In this work he tries to discredit the ideas of Gnosticism by
tracing their origin to the Greek philosophical systems, which were considered 'pagan'
and therefore heretical by the church leaders. In doing so, he not only describes 33
Gnostic systems, but gives to history an outline of the contemporary Greek ideas of
astrology, magic, and religious mystery.
Tertullian (c. AD 150-225), Christian apologist and writer, wrote a treatise he called a
Plea for the prosecution against the heretics.It is not so much a condemnation of
heresy as an assertion of orthodox belief. It lays a claim that in time became a rallying
cry for orthodoxy -- that of direct apostolic succession. Any who could claim their
teachings were directly handed down from the original apostles could assume an
authority and position over those who had no such claim. Although many Gnostic
teachers made similar claims, theirs were given no credence by the heresiologists.
Clement of Alexandria, and Origen, theologian and teacher (c. AD185-254), also
wrote against heresy. Their position shows how comparatively flexible the Church
was in its early years, because the writings of both have much similarity to Gnostic
thought. Origen is particularly known as a champion of belief in reincarnation. Within
a few centuries he and his teachings would also suffer condemnation by the Church.

The Nag Hammadi finds

The documents from Nag Hammadi first showed up in Cairo in 1946, when Togo
Mina, Director of the Coptic Museum, purchased one of the manuscripts for 250
Egyptian pounds. Mina and Jean Doresse, a French graduate student in Egyptology,
thought the find was of great historical significance and worked together to reunite the
rest of the collection. In 1948 the world was informed of the discovery, but the
announcement caused barely a ripple.
In 1950 Doresse tracked down the original site of discovery to Nag Hammadi, 280
miles south of Cairo. Some peasants in the area directed him to the site of the ancient
town of Chenosboskion. Its ancient Coptic name, Shenesit, means "acacias of the God
Seth". The name may have been chosen by a Gnostic group, for in many of the
Scriptures they honor and claim descent from Seth, who they say was the righteous
son of Adam and Eve.

The influences in the area that visibly survive are Egyptian and orthodox Christian.
The jar containing the codices had been unearthed from an abandoned Christian
cemetery at the foot of a mountain called Gebel et-Tarif. In the cliffs above are caves,
the burial places of ancient Egyptian officials. Nearby are the ruins of a monastery
established by St Pachomius, known in church history as one of the 'desert fathers'
who established monastic communities in the Egyptian desert. Perhaps it was pressure
from such communities, widely spread and known for their strict orthodoxy, which
caused the Gnostics to hide their books. There survives a letter from Pachomius'
successor, dated AD 367, condemning heretical writings. This corresponds to the
dating of the finds.
The documents that were found are called codices. Bound in leather, they were a
forerunner of the modern book. At the time of their composition, the codice had
begun to replace the scroll because it was more durable and easier to read. In all, there
were 13 codices, containing 52 tractates (separate texts). Forty of them were entirely
new to the modern world. They were written in Coptic -- the Egyptian language
written in Greek characters, and probably translated from an original Greek text.
Because of the tumultuous post World War II situation in Egypt, efforts to translate
and publish the Nag Hammadi codices were continually thwarted. It was a
tremendous frustration for biblical scholars because they knew that the codices would
contain answers to important historical questions. Despite repeated efforts by Mina
and Doresse, the Gnostic scriptures would have to wait 30 years to be properly
translated. The American theologian James Robinson was instrumental in finally
gathering a team to translate the texts. The Nag Hammadi Library, published in 1977,
is a result of this effort.

Gnostic esotericism
In approaching the Gnostic texts, one is immediately struck by the many concepts
which have a root in esoteric tradition. Without this key, the writings are elusive,
mysterious and sometimes incomprehensible. Though certain of their texts claim to be
secret teachings, it is probable that there was an even more secret teaching shared by
an inner circle, possibly contained in only one copy or transmitted by word of mouth.
To make sense of their writings, first we will outline a few concepts from the writings
of Blavatsky and Bailey. These will give us a framework in which to view Gnostic
thought. We propose that the truths we find in these ideas were the same as that taught
by the Gnostics.

Unknown God
The latter-day religion of Jesus Christ has never really encouraged an inquiry into the
nature of God. Its emphasis has always been on Jesus as the Son of God, the second
person of an original Trinity. Beyond assigning creation as the function of this
Trinity, ideas are nebulous about its nature and mechanism.

By contrast, every esoteric tradition devotes much thought to cosmological ideas and
presents a view that is vast in its complexity. Of importance in this approach is the
distinction made between the highest God and the Gods of manifestation. The highest
or Unknown God can never be described because our finite minds are wholly unable
to comprehend its nature. It can only be described in terms of what it is not. It sets in
motion the process of manifestation and remains as the underlying energy, but at no
point does it take an active role in the creation of the physical order. All we can know
of the Unknown God is that "it shows its face from time to time."
We assume that the Unknown God is the essence of perfection. But the material
creation, though a reflection of the Unknown God, can never be called perfect.
Therefore we have an uncreated sphere of unity and perfection and a created sphere
of physical manifestation. When the process of manifestation begins, from this
Unknown God issues the seed matter of the future creation. It implants a spark of life
to awaken the seed matter and thus begins the evolution of solar systems and worlds.
Symbolically, from the first union of spirit/male and matter/female, the son is born.
This is the first primordial trinity.
Creation then proceeds in stages. Forces or entities, called emanations, shape and
occupy the vast and varied layers of creation. These layers are called planes and they
are arranged in steps like a ladder, proceeding from the highest and most spiritual,
downward, to the densest and most material. Each higher plane gives birth to the one
below it. Each higher plane holds an image of the ideal plan of perfection as a goal for
the lower to strive towards. The further from the original Godhead, the less perfect
and pure is the creation.
Similarly, as the Unknown God is an essential unity, so the densest matter of
manifestation exhibits characteristics of extreme differentiation and separation. This
movement proceeding from the essential unity of the original Unknown God to the
vast separation of our manifested universe is called the involutionary arc. At the end
of the involutionary process, when matter is the most dense, the process reverses and
what was a vast differentiation moves back again to the original unity which gave it
life. This is called the evolutionary arc.
It is this constant interplay between spirit and matter, unity and separation, involution
and evolution, which produces a middle region, that of consciousness, a totally new
quality which comes of the interaction between the opposite poles. Essentially it is an
electrical phenomenon, an interplay between positive and negative polarities which
creates (much like a light bulb on the physical plane) the quality of light or
consciousness. This is the dynamic which propels evolution.

Second-ray solar system

The Seven Rays are the seven streams of universal divine energy, each the expression
of a great Life, whose interaction, at every conceivable frequency, creates the solar
systems, galaxies and universes. Movement of these energies, in spiraling cycles,
draws all Being into and out of manifestation, coloring and saturating it with specific
qualities and attributes.

The Master DK through Alice A.Bailey says that the solar system that preceded, and
gave birth to, ours, was a 3rd-ray system, expressing the predominantly material
aspect of Active Intelligence. Our own system is 2nd ray, perfecting the purer, more
spiritual, expression of Love-Wisdom. In its next incarnation the system will express
the even purer attribute of 1st-ray Will. In knowing this, we can understand that the
solar system itself is on the evolutionary arc, evolving towards an increasingly unified
spiritual expression.
When evolution is thus proceeding upwards there is always a great resistance to
change. The lower forces try to hold to a separative tendency while the higher are
seeking a more unified expression. All duality, the eternal conflict between good and
evil, arises from this interplay; when the lower refuses to give way, and evolve, into
the higher, the result is evil. This duality pervades creation. Humanity is always
confronted with challenges to its expression of a more adequate spiritual truth by the
sheer resistance of matter itself. In the end humanity must make a personal decision,
and choose to overcome the resistance if it wishes to proceed to a higher level. If,
however, mankind chooses apathy, it can negate many possibilities for upward
growth.
With these ideas as background, perhaps we can better understand the dualism of the
Gnostics. They knew the nature of creation and the challenges of humanity within that
creation. They accepted that all evolution, both material and spiritual, was merely part
of the larger plan, but they also knew that for their era it was time to overcome the
resistance of material existence and orient themselves as totally as possible towards
spiritual life.

World view of Gnostic Christianity

The Gnostic scriptures are of three kinds: esoteric cosmological works, gospels that
contain discourses between Jesus and his followers, and ethical books of sayings or
pure teaching. Some books combine these aspects. In sophistication, scope and insight
they take us far beyond our biblical teachings. One scholar has described their effort
as nothing less than an attempt to chart the very mind of God. The Gnostics were a
group of thinkers with their heads, almost literally, in the clouds and their eyes on the
stars.
In this section we will look into their teachings, and draw analogies with our own
esoteric tradition. Interestingly, they spoke little of reincarnation, probably because it
was an implicit assumption among the religions of the day. They probably accepted,
as well, the idea of the cyclic return of Avatars, understanding that the work of the
Christ was such a manifestation. We know that they drew a distinction between the
Unknown God and the lower hierarchies for, as we shall see, this became a very
divisive issue in their time.

Aeons, archons and emanations

The Gnostics drew heavily on the pure Buddhist idea of overcoming desire. They
were acutely aware of any influence that kept them bound too closely to physical life.
These included the world of the passions, whether for money, sex, intoxicants, or
fame. They were aware, beyond these obvious temptations of the flesh, of the
invisible influences that hold mankind in bondage. A Gnostic tenet that became hated
by the heresiologists was that of emanations.
The Gnostics claimed that the whole spiritual and material universe is peopled with
countless numbers of entities which make up the many varied levels of existence.
These are all the successive creation of an original primordial Trinity. They gave the
name aeon to the higher classes of inhabitant, those which beckon humanity upwards.
The inhabitants of the lower classes, those below the level of the human kingdom,
they call the archons. These entities are depicted as jealous of the higher state that
mankind has reached. They constantly try to pull him back into a lower, more material
realm.
When reading Gnostic descriptions of the cosmos, one encounters a bewildering array
of these entities, with strange and unusual names. In the Master DK's Treatise on
Cosmic Fire through Alice Bailey, however, we see the very same picture of
multiplicity, the same descriptions of the higher and lower forces influencing mankind
for good or for evil. The whole intent of the Gnostic path was to extricate itself from
the influence of the archons, to learn to manipulate the lower forces rather than
constantly being at their mercy. In this way the Gnostics themselves became
participants in the creative process.

Denigration of the Demiurge

In the Palestine of Jesus' day people in general viewed their Gods as intimately
watchful of their private lives. Personal success was counted as a demonstration of
righteousness -- failure and misfortune as punishment for wrongdoing. Worship was,
therefore, centered around placating the Gods. The Jewish priesthood held an iron
grip on the minds of the people. Their temples were the center of sacrificial rites, and
worshippers went to great expense to mollify the Gods.
In breaking free of this narrow religious model, the Gnostics directly confronted the
Jewish idea of God. Because of the biblical descriptions of him as a jealous and
wrathful God, they introduced the idea that Jehovah, whom they called the Demiurge
(Gk. demiourgos, builder or public worker) is not the highest God, the Unknown God
over all, but a much lower one. He is merely one of the lower emanations, the builder
of the physical planet earth, and though powerful in his own sphere of material
creation, overall he occupies a very low plane on the ladder of evolution. They said, in
fact, that humanity could surpass the Demiurge in spiritual attainment.
Blavatsky expresses this idea of the lower and the higher creators (emanations) in her
concept of creative hierarchies, classes of beings or entities which are responsible for
producing the various kingdoms and forms of manifested life. She says that there are
seven hierarchies which fashion our present world. The four lower are responsible for
purely physical creation, the world of forms visible to the eye. The three higher

groups, though, cannot work on the physical plane. They create in subtle matter,
producing thought, intuition and spiritual faculties that the human kingdom is just
beginning to sense.
She says that Jehovah belongs to one of the lower class of creators. He is able to
create purely physical man but cannot endow him with the spark of mind and soul that
will enable him to become truly human. That Divine Spark has to come from a higher
plane. In this sense the Gnostics could make the claim (considered outrageous at the
time) that humankind could surpass Jehovah, the Demiurge.
Because humanity has been endowed with a soul, fashioned by the higher order of
creators, it belongs to an order of evolution beyond the physical, and can, therefore,
aspire to the heights of the spiritual kingdom. The Gnostics considered those who
worshipped the Demiurge to be centered on the material plane; they had not yet found
their connection to the spiritual universe. It is the attainment of the human stage of
evolution that marks the transition from the lower world of the physical into a higher
spiritual realm.
Ideas such as these were bound to cause great resentment in both Jewish and orthodox
Christian circles and further threaten an already tenuous relationship with these
groups, but few there were who could grasp the subtle distinctions that the Gnostics
drew. The Gnostics understood God on a mystical level and suggested a much more
mature relationship. Instead of being at the whim of the Gods, they spoke of man
himself as a potential god, with the capability of assuming power over the physical
world. Thus could Jesus heal the sick and walk on water. This the Gnostics
understood.

Overshadowing by the Christ

Many of the Gnostics accepted the idea that the Christ occupied the body of the
disciple Jesus from his baptism to the crucifixion. Irenaeus reported that Cerinthus
and other teachers understood this concept in the following way:
"Jesus was not born of the virgin, but rather he was the son of Joseph and Mary, just
like all other men, but more powerful in righteousness, intelligence and wisdom. After
the baptism Christ descended upon him from the authority which is above all in the
form of a dove and thereafter proclaimed the unknown Father and accomplished
wonders. But at the end Christ again departed from Jesus and (only) Jesus suffered,
and rose again; Christ however remained impassable, since he has a spiritual being."
(Gnosis, p165)
Modern scholars, not knowing what to make of such ideas call this docetism (Gk.
dokesis, to appear), meaning, in this case, that Christ appeared only in semblance and
did not really suffer or die. The Gnostics had a unique way of expressing why the
Christ chose this way of manifestation. They taught that the lower world of the
archons and rulers had managed in the early days of creation to capture some of the
heavenly light, and that it was the task of the Christ, as Savior, to recapture the light
and release it again into the higher spheres. He could do this, the Gnostics said,

because he was able to trick the archons by disguising himself in the body of Jesus.
They therefore did not know that he was of a higher order.

Path of Initiation
The central motif of all of the Gnostic scriptures was the liberation brought by Christ's
death and resurrection. They understood this in a different sense from the atonement
and redemption of later Christianity. They understood it as an example for humanity
to follow. There is indication in many of the texts that they understood the five
initiations. In Trimorphic Protennoia we read: "These are the glories that are higher
than every glory, that is, [the Five] Seals complete by virtue of Intellect. He who
possesses the Five Seals of these particular names has stripped off [the] garments of
ignorance and put on a shining Light. And nothing will appear to him that belongs to
the Powers of the Archons. Within those of this sort darkness will dissolve and
[ignorance] will die." (NHL-521/XIII,1 49,25-35)
The Gospel of Philip lists five steps: "The lord [did] everything in a mystery, a
baptism and a chrism and a eucharist and a redemption and a bridal chamber" (NHL150/II,3 67,28-30). The bridal chamber was considered the final step of redemption,
the heavenly marriage between the initiate and the Christ.

The Word of God

In Blavatsky we read that the whole process of creation was carried on by the means
of sound or speech or the Word. Every letter has its occult meaning and rationale. The
vowels are the most potent and the vowel combination OEAOHOO is "the septenary
root from which all proceeds" (SD I, pp68-9;93-6). The Master DK says that: "Speech
is one of the keys which opens the doors of communication between men and subtler
beings. It gives the clue to the discovery of those entities who are contacted on the
other side of the veil.... Magic consists ... in addressing the Gods in Their own
language; therefore the speech of average man cannot reach Them." (Treatise on
Cosmic Fire, pp977-82)
The Gnostics must have experimented with the magical formulas. In a number of their
texts we find long strings of phonetic utterances. For them Christ was The Logos,
"The Word" who had shown the way to triumph and rule over the lower elemental
powers of the world. The Gospel of the Egyptians, and Marsanes are tractates which
give particular attention to such expressions of the creative powers.

Resurrection
In the early years of Christianity there was a long and heated debate about the
parousia or Second Coming of Christ. There was a widespread belief that humanity
was about to enter a glorious era and that it would begin when the Christ returned to

set up his kingdom, to reward the faithful, punish the wicked, and restore physical life
to those who had died in his favor.
The Gnostics held no such beliefs. We find no mention of the parousia, an imminent
Second Coming, or a physical resurrection. Just as the crucifixion was understood in a
totally different way from many of the Christian groups, so were these concepts. A
physical resurrection held no attraction because they knew that the true victory lay in
transcending the physical body, not carrying it into the afterlife. For them, the
resurrection was something that happens inwardly, in the present-day living of the
mysteries that Jesus taught.

The Myth of Sophia

In Atlantean days the Spiritual Hierarchy which directs our earthly affairs worked
alongside humanity, instructing it in the sacred arts. But when that civilization fell,
torn apart by internal conflict, the Hierarchy removed itself from the external world
and worked instead behind the scenes. Since that time the ancient truths have been
released to the masses of humanity in the form of allegory. The Myth of Sophia is
such an allegory. It is the central motif of the Gnostic books. Sophia is the Greek
name for wisdom; to the Gnostics she was revered because she was another symbol of
the Gnosis. Most of their cosmological texts contain variations of this story. The story
itself has parallels in many religious traditions.
First we will outline the myth, then present an explanation, seen esoterically. There
are many layers to any allegory; Blavatsky says there are seven keys to unlock the
secrets. These thoughts are offered merely as an overview, a glance at a few of the
most obvious aspects.

Sophia and the Demiurge

"And when she saw (the consequences of) her desire, it changed into a form of a lionfaced serpent. And its eyes were like lightning fires which flash. She cast it away from
her, outside that place, that no one of the immortal ones might see it, for she had
created it in ignorance. And she surrounded it with a luminous cloud, and she placed
a throne in the middle of the cloud that no one might see it except the holy Spirit who
is called the mother of the living. And she called his name Yaltabaoth.
"This is the first archon who took a great power from his mother.... And he is impious
in his arrogance which is in him. For he said: 'I am God and there is no other God
beside me,' for he is ignorant of his strength, the place from which he had come."-The Apocryphon of John . (NHL-110/IV,1 10:7-20)
Sophia-Achamoth is a very high spirit, an emanation (along with her consort, the
Christ) of her mother, the Elder Sophia. They all live in the spiritual land beyond the
earth called the Pleroma. Gazing down into the world of matter, the younger Sophia
sees reflected there a transcendent light. Drawn by desire to possess this light and

duplicate its image she leaves her heavenly consort, the Christ, and descends into the
world of matter.
There she rushes about, hovering to and fro, trying to impart life to the chaotic inert
elements. Finally she becomes helplessly immersed in mud, unable to extricate
herself. Nevertheless, just by sheer contact with matter, she produces a being -- an
odd, lion-faced entity, whom she calls Ildabaoth (Ilda, child; Baoth, chaos). When she
sees the imperfection that she has produced, she realizes she has acted in ignorance.
She escapes from the lower space and builds a strong barrier, or veil, between the
world of spirit and the world of matter. Ildabaoth is, therefore, the "son of darkness"
who cannot see that there exists anything above him.
Ildabaoth is ambitious and proud but despite his many imperfections he has captured
some of the pure light from his mother Sophia-Achamoth. In his domain he produces
seven sons, declaring himself the highest God, demanding they do only his bidding
and exalting himself above them.
In his great ambition Ildabaoth decides to create a man after an image he had seen
reflected in the waters of space. He employs all the powers of his various creations,
but the creature proves a failure, helpless and ignorant and crawling on the ground
like a worm. So he is forced to call on the help of his mother who sends him an
impulse of divine light. This animates the man and he rises to life.
But seeing the newly made creation soar higher and higher because of the spiritual
light from Sophia, Ildabaoth flies into a rage of jealousy. Angrily staring into the deep
abyss of matter, his image is reflected back to him and there arises a serpent with eyes
flashing red. It is Satan, the Ophiomorphos (having the form of a serpent), an
embodiment of envy and cunning. After this Ialdabaoth encases his creations,
symbolized in Adam and Eve, in mud to keep them closely tied to the earth. He builds
for them the Garden of Paradise, giving them all of the gifts therein. But lest they taste
death, he forbids them to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Sophia-Achamoth, from her kingdom above, is always watching over and protecting
humanity. Seeing the world that Ialdabaoth has fashioned, she sends her own serpent,
the Ophis or Agathodaemon (a divine instructor), who induces Adam and Eve to taste
of the forbidden fruit of knowledge. Though they are cast from the Garden of Eden,
and do indeed learn the sorrow of death, the divine wisdom stays with them through
every trial of worldly life.
In the final act, after watching mankind struggle through aeons of pain and conflict,
constantly pursued by Ialdabaoth's cunning, Sophia-Achamoth begs her mother,
Sophia the Elder, to send the Christ to help humanity in its unending torment. It is
through his crucifixion and resurrection that the kingdom of matter is finally subdued
and Ialdabaoth's reign of blindness comes to an end. From his throne in the heavens
the Christ continues to reign, collecting all of the souls who have triumphed like him,
each one freeing a portion of light encased in the kingdom of matter.

Creation of humanity

The Myth of Sophia can be seen as a retelling of cosmological events that focus on
the creation, or individualization, of the human kingdom on earth. The Elder Sophia is
the creative force behind our 2nd-ray solar system of Love-Wisdom. Just as the job of
the former 3rd-ray solar system was to develop physical life, so the job of our 2nd-ray
system is to develop the mentality that will lead us out of purely physical living into a
greater expression of spirituality. The creation of humanity is a key element of that
profound evolutionary step, as the human kingdom is the one which develops the
quality of mind or manas, which bridges between the world of matter and the world of
spirit.
In the myth we see a variety of creators. The lower Sophia does the bidding of the
higher Sophia and the Christos acts as a go-between, but each, in a different way,
expresses the 2nd ray, or the higher light that is trying to be born.
When Sophia-Achamoth goes about her task of creating she can only produce a
creature of the lower order -- Ialdabaoth, who becomes the creator of our physical
world. The Gnostics say he is identical with the Demiurge or Jehovah of the Old
Testament. He and his seven sons represent the lower order of material creators. Just
as we say that matter is blind, so, in the story, is Ialdabaoth (known also as Sakla, "the
blind"), because when Sophia sees the imperfection that she has created she draws a
veil, or "ring-pass-not", which keeps him from seeing the higher light.
What we see in the allegory is the tremendous power which Ialdabaoth thinks he
possesses. Because he is blind to the higher realms he thinks he is the only God and
arrogantly declares (as does Jehovah): "I am God and there is no other God beside
me." He represents, in a personal sense, our own narrowness of vision, our blindness
to the higher realms, which, when accessed, can animate and enlighten all of our
efforts. He also represents the resistance to growth of the lower to the higher order,
the duality and 'evil' discussed in the section 'Second-Ray Solar System'.
In The Secret Doctrine II Blavatsky writes of the creation of a human being and her
story parallels that of Ialdabaoth and his sons, their trials and retrials in attempting to
fashion an upright and thinking human being. She recounts a story identical to the
myth -- the lower creative spirits try and try again to fashion a human but they all fail,
and the entity is left amorphous, crawling on the ground, like a worm. We see,
therefore, that the allegory is a true telling of a true and ancient happening.
She goes on to describe how it took a higher order of creator to give life to man. The
Master DK relates that it was the energy of Venus, the alter ego of the earth, which
instilled the quality of mind, or manas, into the animal kingdom 18.5 million years
ago and evolved the human being. This is analogous to the action of Sophia, who
gives her higher light to man and endows him with a soul.
Ialdabaoth is lion-headed because astrologically Leo rules the crisis of selfindividualization. During the Age of Leo nascent humanity came to the first
realization of its evolutionary step beyond the animal kingdom. In many of the
Gnostic symbols we see portrayed the lion, the serpent, or the dual lion-headed
serpent. These symbols represent human beginnings.

Ultimately we see that the efforts of both Sophia and Ialdabaoth (spirit and matter) are
needed to fashion the human being. It was only through a combined effort, beset by
blunders and setbacks, that all of the creative hierarchies are able to create a
breathing, walking, and thinking being.
Lest these concepts seem like the mere splitting of esoteric hairs, we can remember
that both the Master DK and Mme Blavatsky repeatedly remind us that the mystery
involved in humanity, that of the divine being within the earthly being, is great
indeed. In the unraveling of its secrets can be found answers to the puzzles of
creation.
The eternal conflict that we see expressed in such ancient allegories is generally
personified in one or more figures like Ialdabaoth and Sophia, but this, of course, is a
purely symbolic device -- they represent the various energies behind manifestation.
Conflict is inherent in the universal scheme. In the end, we are told, when the vast
plan of the Unknown God is finally accomplished, there will be harmony. Until then
we must learn the secrets of duality, for it is that mysterious energy which propels
evolution on its upward advance.

Garden of Eden
The allegory's story of the Garden of Eden and the fall of man mirrors our own
Genesis myth. Though many Christians have interpreted it as illustrative of an
inherent and possibly permanent flaw on the part of mankind, Blavatsky tells a
different tale.
The serpent is a dual symbol, both of good and evil. First we see it as a symbol of
evil, actually created by Ialdabaoth in his jealousy and rage. We see again that the
resistance of the old form, in failing to give way to the new in itself creates evil in the
world. Later, in the Garden of Eden, we see it as a symbol of wisdom, the opposite
side of the duality, when it appears as the serpent which tempted Eve. This is
precisely where Blavatsky opens a whole new world for us.
The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, she says, represents all of the Arhats,
Adepts and Masters of the Spiritual Hierarchy who have taught humanity everything
it has learned since its first cautious steps into intelligent awareness. The knowledge
humanity has accumulated in the present day does not represent the mere growth of its
own inherent mentality so much as stimulation given by the Hierarchy through many
cycles of evolution. In Lemurian days millions of years ago, when individualization
occurred, the Spiritual Hierarchy stimulated and ensouled the lower kingdom of
animals to produce humanity. Later, in Atlantean days, the process of Initiation was
begun when another stimulation was given by Hierarchy to hasten mankind's entry
into the Spiritual Kingdom. But all of this did not happen flawlessly or without cost.
The Garden of Eden represents the easy way of material living and the mindless
instinctual way of the lower life forms. The serpent of duality represents the climb
upward onto the next plane of growth when animal man takes a soul, develops
mentality, and steps into the most difficult stage of the evolutionary journey. When

Adam and Eve succumbed to temptation, they 'disobeyed' the lower law of physical
creation in order to respond to a higher law of spiritual growth. The stimulation from
the Hierarchy and the spark of soul received by Adam and Eve became their means of
receiving the higher knowledge that would lead them into the kingdom of spirit.
This is the story of the human kingdom. It is caught, so to speak, between the
enticements of spirit and those of matter, often not knowing which voice to hear. It is
still strongly tied to its past evolution in the lower worlds, but it has a new voice from
the higher realms that beckons it upwards. This is why it so strongly experiences the
pull of dualities.
Its path of progress lies in finding the middle way between the opposites. The only
way to do this is to embark on the long journey of human evolution, willingly to open
itself to all of its trials -- the pain, sorrow and death of terrestrial life. It is a phase that
every kingdom in creation must pass through, and is the only way to move into the
higher realms, because nothing is given without merit. Every entity must forge its
own way and earn its right to progress on the path of evolution. Without this eternal
rule, the evolutionary journey would be meaningless.
When Adam and Eve, symbolizing humanity, left the Garden of Eden, they did so by
choice, leaving the comforts of a known existence for an insecure and probably
treacherous future. As we hear it from Blavatsky, it is anything but a shameful act. It
is the journey of the Hero, pure and simple. It is a labor of Redemption, symbolized in
its final act by the long path of initiation. Sophia prevails on her mother to send her
consort of higher light, the Christ, as go-between, for the final stage of the human
journey. He is the "Son" or the Redeemer of physical creation. In every myth of every
Sun God we find him acting as a link between the higher and lower.
What we often fail to realize is that each human being is itself that same link. In their
deep comprehension of this, the Gnostics did not represent Jesus so much as a savior,
but rather as one who issues a call to humanity to awaken from a long sleep and
remember its godly mission. He shows the way by his sacrifice -- the crucifixion and
resurrection. This is our pattern for the final abnegation of matter and birth into the
Spiritual Hierarchy.

Jewel of uncommon price

A body of writings has been attributed to St Didymus Jude Thomas, the apostle of the
East, who traveled to Syria, Mesopotamia and India. He was said to be the identical
twin or double of Jesus. 'Didymus' means twin in Greek and 'Thomas' means twin in
Syriac. In the ancient tradition this twin motif does not necessarily mean a physical
relationship, but could suggest the idea of relationship between a Teacher and his
disciple.
Some of the Thomas literature survived into modern times. It has little of the
cosmological imagery and extreme dualism of the other Gnostic works. It is known
for its loftiness of thought, purity of expression, and noble system of ethics. There is
little speculation about the life beyond, but a simple realization of the kingdom of

God as a present and living reality, attainable by all. Benjamin Creme claims that one
work, called The Gospel of Thomas, is, "more or less, a genuine account of the acts
(less so of the words) of Jesus." (Share International, December 1986)

The Hymn of the Pearl

The Hymn of the Pearl is of the Thomas tradition and is one of the most poetic and
mystical of all Gnostic works. It is the story of the Divine Pilgrim's sojourn on the
earthly plane.
The central figure is a young Prince who is asked by his royal mother and father to
journey to the land of Egypt. There, they say, he will find a precious jewel, a pearl of
uncommon lustre. It is guarded, though, by a fearsome dragon. The prince must
somehow charm the dragon to release the sacred jewel.
In leaving the palace of his homeland, the little Prince must leave behind the exquisite
garments of his office, a princely robe, luminous and covered with jewels. He dons a
simple dress and starts on his way. Arriving in Egypt he takes care to dress in the
clothes of the land, but is recognized as a foreigner and given tainted food to eat. He
falls into a deep and forgetful sleep.
The Prince's parents, on hearing of his trials, send a messenger with a letter reminding
him of his stately birth and promised task. He awakens and reads the letter. Heartened
by its message, he remembers the dragon, and in a great act of courage snatches away
the precious pearl. Triumphant in his mission, he leaves for home. His former life
seems far and distant, for when he left he was just a boy. But when his parents greet
him in joy and celebration, returning to him his jeweled robe, he remembers all that
he has forgotten.
"As I now beheld the robe, it seemed to me suddenly to become a mirror-image of
myself: myself entire I saw in it, and it entire I saw in myself, that we were two in
separateness, and yet again one in the sameness of our forms.... And the image of the
King of kings was depicted all over it.
"Once I had put it on, I arose into the realm of peace belonging to reverential awe.
And I bowed my head and prostrated myself before the splendor of the father who had
sent it to me. For, it was I who had done his commands, and likewise it was he who
had kept the promise. And I mingled at the doors of his archaic royal building. He
took delight in me, and received me with him in the palace." (The Gnostic Scriptures,
374-5/77, 78, 86, 98-102)

Divine Pilgrim
In esotericism, it is the Monad, the divine spark, which informs the human entity.
Since it is too spiritual to be involved in physical-plane happenings, it uses the soul as
its means of communication with the lower personality. It is known as the eternal

Pilgrim, which waits and watches through aeons of evolution while the lower
personality becomes increasingly purified. By the time the soul is subsumed at the 4th
initiation, the lower personality can finally contact the Monad directly.
In The Hymn of the Pearl the mother and father can be seen as the Solar Logos, the
highest entity which holds the plan of evolution for our system. The little Prince can
be seen as the Monad. Leaving behind the Vestures of his high estate, he puts on those
of the common man (the lower personality), and embarks on a long and lonely
journey, suffering the painful trials of earthly life. The pearl, in antiquity, was a
symbol of the soul, the link between Monad and man. The journey of the lower man is
to find the soul (pearl), his connection with his true and princely self, the Monad.
Braving the challenges of physical life, at times he forgets his royal birth. But when
he awakens and remembers who he is, he steals the precious pearl from the fearsome
dragon (the serpent of matter/evil). He returns triumphant to his father's kingdom,
throwing off the old clothes of the lower, material personality and reclaiming his
rightful heritage, the princely Vesture, or spiritual body.
The Gnostics would call it recapturing the light, redeeming the kingdom of matter,
like Adam and Eve facing the fearful challenges of the unknown when they leave
their Paradise in Eden. The evolutionary journey is of unimaginable duration and the
human cycle is particularly shrouded in mist and forgetfulness. But in the end,
however long the years, we are assured that victory will be won. The light will be
recaptured; the triumphant Pilgrim will return to the home of his family. This is
known, in the sacred books, as the great day "Be with us," the day at the end of the
cycle of manifestation, when all are gathered back into the embrace of the One and
Unknown God, resting for a while until the next great cycle of manifestation begins.

The 'triumph' of Christianity

Alas, alas! How little has the divine seed, scattered broadcast by the hand of the meek
Judean philosopher, thrived or brought forth fruit. He, who himself had shunned
hypocrisy, warned against public prayer, showing such contempt for any useless
exhibition of the same, could he but cast his sorrowful glance on the earth, from the
regions of eternal bliss, would see that this seed fell neither on sterile rock nor by the
wayside. Nay, it took deep root in the most prolific soil; one enriched even to plethora
with lies and human gore! (IU II, p303)3
The 'triumph' of Christianity cannot be separated from the political influence of the
Roman Empire. When the Roman Emperor Constantine declared Christianity as the
only state religion one of his motives was almost certainly to fuse the disparate parts
of a flagging empire. What happened afterwards can largely be seen as a wedding
between church and state -- leaders of the church became veritable monarchs and
Constantine became a 'saint'. It happened in increments and had worldwide effects.
But even before its official acceptance, the Church had already begun to adopt Roman
characteristics -- admirable genius in the arena of political organization and law, and a
somewhat vacuous approach to religious ideas. The Roman giant which had proved so
grand in forging a kingdom was a fumbling child in the subtle air of the philosophical

arts. Consequently, a major concern of the Church leadership became, not theology,
but the elimination of those elements which stood in the way of absolute power.
The first thing to go was diversity, the lifeblood of the early movement. Towards the
end of the 1st century, the Church theologians Ignatius of Antioch and Clement of
Rome began to systematize and monitor the teachings of the various groups, with the
idea of making them accountable to a central federation, ruled by bishops. As a
justification for this kind of centralization, the will of the bishop began to be
identified with the will of God. Consequently, God became accessible only to the
hierarchy and not the individual. The morality that Jesus taught began to assume an
air of abstraction when Ignatius postulated the idea that belief in the historical events
of his life was enough for salvation.
Whereas the Gnostics were intent on moving beyond what they considered the narrow
view of the Old Testament, orthodoxy maintained an affiliation, particularly pointing
to the prophetic books as proof that Jesus was the Messiah. The Christian Apologist
Justin Martyr (AD 100-165) decreed that Jesus' life held the final revelation for
humanity, and declared an end to further prophecy or revelation. Thus was lost the
idea of personal participation in the mysteries and the cyclic return of avatars.
Irenaeus and his successors divorced Jesus even further from the world by making
him co-equal with God, the creator of all. They also began the insidious doctrine of
mankind as a flawed creation devoid of the divine spark because of the sin of Adam
and Eve. Eve was presented as the female temptress; this began the degradation of
both women and the sexual function.
Macchio tells us that Irenaeus single-handedly negated the idea of the Unknown God,
of emanations, and the inherent divinity of every person. He taught that since
mankind's original 'fall' came by an act of disobedience, salvation was gained by
adhering to the law. The outline of that law was only available through the Church.
Any other path meant personal damnation. In this way Christian believers were forced
to view themselves as lowly and subservient, robbed of both self-esteem and any hope
of influence over their own destiny.
The final debasement came from Augustine of Hippo (AD 354-430). His doctrine of
original sin stripped away what few shreds of dignity may have been left to the
Christian believer. To his mind we owe the doctrines of eternal hell, infant damnation,
predestination, and the abrogation of free will.
The debates of many of these early apologists of the faith were hardly conducted in a
spirit of scholarly exchange. They were vicious, employing all manner of character
condemnation and personal defamation, presaging, perhaps, the cruelty of the
Church's later actions -- the inquisitions and crusades. Gnosticism became a primary
target of attack and by AD 200 its influence began to wane.
In AD 325 Roman orthodoxy was sealed in two ways. Constantine declared
Christianity the only state religion and the Council of Nicea declared that Jesus was
identical with the one and only God of the universe. Thus was formed an eternal
chasm between the world of God and the world of man. Humanity could now be but a
passive observer of the divine mysteries. Dissenting voices were tolerated a while

longer, but in AD 381 the Emperor Theodosius I officially recognized one single
branch of orthodox Catholicism. This opened the way for even more extensive
sanctions, including violence, against the Gnostics and other non-Christians.
In its zeal for absolute authority the Roman church attacked with equal fervor those
expressions that it labeled the pagan religions. In a rampage it destroyed ancient
temples and monuments. When its attack extended into systems of pure philosophy
and science, the library at Alexandria, a repository of the greatest learning in the East,
was burned to the ground.
Thus did the Church forge its legacy. The Roman empire, begun on the banks of the
Tiber 1,000 years before, extended its hand of brute force into the future, to become in
time the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by pope and king alike. It was only the military
genius of no less a commander than Napoleon which brought the awful marriage to its
rightful end. In 1798 his General, Berthier, entered Rome, imprisoned the pope, and
decreed that no pope would ever rule the secular world again.

After the fall

After the triumph of orthodox Christianity, we don't know how many Gnostic sects
survived in secret. The Persian prophet Mani (AD 215-277) inspired a later sect, the
Manichaeans, which survived publicly until the 13th century. In its day, despite
bitterly persistent and bloody persecutions, it rivaled Christianity in number of
adherents. The Mandeans of Iran and Iraq, who claim a direct lineage from John the
Baptist, today still practise a form of Gnosticism. Blavatsky also writes of the Druzes
of Mount Lebanon as descendants of the Gnostics (IU II, Ch.VII).
From a psychological perspective Carl Jung has been instrumental in reawakening the
world to Gnostic thought. Claiming a lifelong affinity with their ideas, he has inspired
other authors to view the ancient texts in a modern framework.
The true importance of the Gnostic Scriptures is that they give us back a Christianity
that, even in its own time, barely saw the light of day. They offer an answer to the
restlessness of modern Christians who question the representation of the Jesus that has
been presented to them, his place in history, the purpose of his life, his meaning in
modern times.
The Nag Hammadi texts and the Dead Sea Scrolls are like priceless time capsules,
unearthed long after the original civilization has decayed into the elements. They are
the thoughts, unedited and pure, of people who lived in one of the most significant
periods of history, who participated in events of profound importance to the evolution
of the race.
The Christ himself may well have known that the vision he brought would not be easy
of accomplishment, the peace he sought to give would only be won through centuries
of struggle. The Gnostic teachers sensed the same, yet for them the fire never
dimmed, they sheltered its flame through every dark night, preserving its brilliance for
a future dawn they knew would someday shine.

In turning from a world of turbulence and clamor, rejecting fame and favor and the
wiles of man, they followed the way of their brilliant leader and entered a realm of
pure abstraction. For them it did not matter, the only blessing was in action,
expressing the truths that were blazing in their hearts. For them it did not matter what
history wrote or what award was theirs, they knew that the cross and the crown were
of equal glory.
These were the true inheritors of the teachings that Jesus brought and through their
writings we can view the sublimity which enveloped their minds, the fiery aspiration
which enlivened their hearts. This is the real Christianity, sought by our scholars and
people of thought, but not yet found. These are its scriptures, which speak to us now,
with ancient beauty and grace, unveiling the power of those momentous times,
returning a legacy, lost and buried for 1,500 dark and silent years.
Notes:
(1) Ray structures:
Basilides: S: 3; P: 4(6); M: 3(7); A: 4(6); Ph: 3(7). PoE: 1.57.
Marcion: S: 2; P: 6(4); M: 7(2); A: 4(6); Ph: 3(7). PoE: 1.5.
Valentinus: S: 6; P: 1(6); M: 3(7); A: 2(4); Ph: 7(3). PoE.1.6.
(As given in Share International and Maitreya's Mission Volume Three (Share
International Foundation)
(2) Editors' note: Benjamin Creme has confirmed that The Gospel of Truth and the
Pistis Sophia (another Egyptian Gnostic document procured by the British Museum
in 1785) were composed by Valentinus. (SI April 1997)
(3) For part of the contents of this article, the writer is indebted to Joseph Macchio,
the author of The Christian Conspiracy, for his brilliant work in tracing, step by step,
the destruction of Gnosticism and esoteric doctrines by the Roman Church.
Bibliography

Translations of codices are from two sources (reference numbers

designate book and page, then number of codice, tractate, page, and
line):
Robinson, James. The Nag Hammadi Library (NHL).
Layton, Bentley. The Gnostic Scriptures (GS).
Esoteric information is from the following sources:
Alice A Bailey. A Treatise on Cosmic Fire (TCF).
Helena Blavatsky. The Secret Doctrine I, II, III (SD I, SD II, and SD
III); Isis Unveiled II (IU II).
Share International magazine (SI).
Benjamin Creme. Maitreya's Mission Volume Two (MM II)
Books of interest:
Hoeller, Stephan. Jung and the Lost Gospels.

Jonas, Hans. The Gnostic Religion.

Macchio, Joseph. The Christian Conspiracy (Available on-line only
via the Internet World Wide Web at
http://www.newhopeent.com/#top).
Mead, G.R.S. Fragments of a Faith Forgotten.
Pagels, Elaine. The Gnostic Gospels.
Rudolph, Kurt. Gnosis.

On suppression of Gnostics
"... we limit our defense merely to those Christian sects whose theories were usually
grouped under the generic name of Gnosticism. These are those which appeared
immediately after the alleged crucifixion, and lasted till they were nearly exterminated
under the rigorous execution of the Constantinian law. The greatest guilt of these were
their syncretistic views, for at no other period of the world's history had truth a poorer
prospect of triumph than in those days of forgery, lying, and deliberate falsification of
facts." (From Isis Unveiled II, p326)

On overshadowing
"Yes, they saw me; they punished me. It was another, their father, who drank the gall
and the vinegar; it was not I. They struck me with the reed; it was another, Simon,
who bore the cross on his shoulder. I was another upon whom they placed the crown
of thorns. But I was rejoicing in the height over all the wealth of the archons and the
offspring of their error, of their empty glory. And I was laughing at their ignorance."
(NHL-365/VII,2 56,4-19)
From "The Second Treatise of the Great Seth"
"And I (Peter) said: 'What do I see, O Lord, that it is you yourself whom they take,
and that you are grasping me? Or who is this one, glad and laughing on the tree? And
is it another one whose feet and hands they are striking?'
The Savior said to me: 'He whom you saw on the tree, glad and laughing, this is the
living Jesus, But this one into whose hands and feet they drive the nails is his fleshly
part, which is the substitute being put to shame, the one who came into being in his
likeness.'" (NHL-377/VII,3 81,6-25)
From "Apocalypse of Peter"

Gospel of Thomas

"These are the obscure sayings that the living Jesus uttered and which Didymus Jude
Thomas wrote down. And he said, "whoever finds the meaning of these sayings will
not taste death." (GS-380/1)
Jesus said, "If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you.
If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy
you." (tr. by Pagels-70)
"Jesus said, "People probably think that it is peace that I have come to impose upon
the world. And they do not recognize that it is divisions that I have come to impose
upon the earth -- fire, sword, battle. Indeed, there will be five in a house. There will be
three over two and two over three, parent over child and child over parent. And they
will stand at rest by being solitaries." (GS-383/16)
"Jesus said: "Be passersby." (GS-387/II40:19)
"Jesus said: "If two make peace with one another within a single house they will say
to a mountain 'go elsewhere' and it will go elsewhere." (GS-389/48)
"Jesus said: "Blessed are those who have been persecuted in their hearts. It is they
who have truly come to be acquainted with the father. Blessed are they who hunger
for the belly of the needy to be satisfied." (GS-392/69)
"His disciples said to him: "When is the kingdom going to come?" Jesus said : "It is
not by being waited for that it is going to come. They are not going to say, 'Here it is'
or 'There it is.' Rather, the kingdom of the father is spread out over the earth, and
people do not see it." (GS-399/113)
(From The Gospel of Thomas. 1987 by Bentley Layton. Used by permission of
Doubleday, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.
Reference: book, then page, then saying's number)

Irenaeus on overshadowing
It is reported by Irenaeus that the Gnostic teacher Cerinthus (as well as other
Gnostics) taught: "Jesus was not born of the virgin, but rather he was the son of
Joseph and Mary, just like all other men, but more powerful in righteousness,
intelligence and wisdom. After the baptism Christ descended upon him from the
authority which is above all in the form of a dove and thereafter proclaimed the
unknown Father and accomplished wonders. But at the end Christ again departed
from Jesus and (only) Jesus suffered, and rose again; Christ however remained
impassable, since he has a spiritual being." (Gnosis, pg. 165)

Professor of religion identifies parts of "lost gospel"

An American professor and a colleague have identified fragments of a "lost gospel"

containing conversations between Christ and his disciples. Paul Mirecki, Associate
Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Kansas, said he is confident the
text is an authentic early account of the teachings of Christ.
The newly discovered gospel places a strong emphasis on individual knowledge,
urging its readers to reject the confines of institutional religion. "It's a non-orthodox
text ... Salvation comes to these people through knowledge rather than faith," Mirecki
said.
Mirecki said the manuscript is written in Coptic, an ancient Egyptian language that
uses Greek letters. It was probably the work of an early Christian group called
Gnostics, or 'knowers', he said, and recounts a rare "dialogue gospel" of conversations
between Jesus and his disciples that supposedly took place after Christ was
resurrected.
Mirecki discovered the manuscript in 1991 in Berlin's vast Egyptian Museum, and it
has taken him until now to piece together the document's content. He does not know
how the manuscript found its way to the museum.
The newly-found gospel was written in the first or second century, Mirecki said. "The
context here is that there were many gospels written in the first two centuries. This
text is ... identical to similar texts that are called gospels. It fits the literary pattern and
the contents." Only 15 pages remain of the manuscript. Mirecki said it was probably
the victim of an orthodox book-burning in about the 5th century.
Mirecki has been editing and translating the manuscript with Charles Hedrick,
Professor of Religious Studies at Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield,
Missouri. Their book on the new gospel will be published this summer by Brill
Publishers in the Netherlands. (Source: Reuters)
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