The Docetic heretics, most of whom appear to have been gnostic also, represent a subset of these

"possibly mythicists". Their doctrine was that Jesus only "seemed to exist". They are often linked to the
people described in the letters of John "who refused to confess that Jesus had appeared in the flesh".
Isn't this just a form of mythicism in that it represents a belief that is closer to the mythicist perspective
than it is to the historicists perspective? A modern day docetist might describe the appearance of Jesus
not as a human being but as a hologram.

So were the Gnostics the mythicists in antiquity? We have many of their texts before us.

To what extent (if any) do the Gnostic texts reveal a mythical Jesus as distinct from an historical Jesus?

BRIEF SURVEY OF GNOSTIC TEXTS

Categories employed ...

(1) Post Resurrection Appearances of Jesus - the story is set after the resurrection
(2) NON Post Resurrection appearances of Jesus - at least some part of the story is set before the
resurrection.
(3) UNDECIDED on Post Resurrection Issue - could go either way [1 or 2 above]
(4) Jesus escapes crucifixion - a bit weird but that's what the text seems to say.

Here are the results of my survey ....

(1) Post Resurrection Appearances of Jesus - the story is set after the resurrection (28)

The Gospel of Mary [Magdalene]

The Gospel of Bartholomew
The Acts of Peter and the Twelve Apostles
The Acts of Paul
The Acts of Peter
The Acts of Andrew and John
The Acts of Andrew and Matthew
The Acts of Andrew
The Acts of John
The Acts of Peter and Andrew
The Acts of Thomas
The Act of Peter
The Acts of Barnabas
The Acts of Bartholomew
The Acts of Titus
The Acts of Mark ?
The Acts of Peter and Paul
The Acts of Philip
A Portion of the Books of the Saviour aka "Pistis Sophia"
The Sophia of Jesus Christ
The Letter of Peter to Philip
The Apocalypse of James (First)
The Apocalypse of James (Second)
The Apocryphon of James
The Apocalypse of Peter - and fragments
The Apocryphon of John
The Apocalypse of Paul
The Apocalypse of Paul (Coptic/Gnostic)

(2) NON Post Resurrection appearances of Jesus (10)

The Gospel of James (Infancy)

The Infancy Gospel of Thomas
An Arabic Infancy Gospel
The Gospel of the Nativity of Mary
The Gospel of Peter
The Gospel of Truth
The Gospel of Nicodemus (The Acts of Pilate)
The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew
Toledot Yeshu
The Epistle of the Apostles (Epistula Apostolorum)

(3) UNDECIDED on Post Resurrection Issue (12)

The Gospel of Thomas

The Gospel of Philip
The Book of Thomas the Contender
The Gospel of Judas ???
The Gospel of the Egyptians (Gnostic)
The Acts of John the Theologian
The Acts of Matthew
The Didache
The Teachings of Silvanus
A Valentinian Exposition
The Treatise on the Resurrection
The Vision of Isaiah
(4) JESUS ESCAPES CRUCIFIXION (3)

Gospel of Barnabas
The Interpretation of Knowledge ??
The Apocalypse of Peter (Gnostic)

CONCLUSION

Look this was a quick review and I could be mistaken in the categorisation of some of these texts. It is
evidence that the majority of these gnostic texts featured the appearance of the "Post Resurrection
Jesus" and at the same time remain utterly silent upon the "Life and Historical Times" of the Jesus
figure. Why? Maybe these gnostics were mythicists.

The summary stats look like this:

28 texts .... (1) Post Resurrection Appearances of Jesus - the story is set after the resurrection
10 texts .... (2) NON Post Resurrection appearances of Jesus - at least some part of the story is set
before the resurrection.
12 texts .... (3) UNDECIDED on Post Resurrection Issue - could go either way [1 or 2 above]
3 texts ......(4) Jesus escapes crucifixion - a bit weird but that's what the text seems to say.

So unless I have made a large number of errors on categorisation it seems to appear that more than 50%
of these gnostic texts are stories which feature the activity of Jesus or the Apostles after the
resurrection.

If the Gnostics therefore generally preferred to depict Jesus as a "Post Resurrection" figure, how close
is this to the mythicist view?

Historians may certainly consider an historical Jesus existed (or not as the case may be) but I cant see
many of them at all subscribing to the historical existence of a Post resurrection Jesus.

Does anyone know of any ancient historian who subscribes to the view that the Resurrected Jesus had
any historical existence?

It seems to therefore follow that the Gnostics were the first mythicists - people who subscribed to,
supported and propagandised the view that "tales of Jesus's appearance upon the earth were pure
fiction."

KJ.
Last edited: Dec 25, 2014