Tuesday, 20 October 2009

On Gnosticism

I have been asked on a number of occasions to give my definition of Gnosticism, an Esoteric belief system that has it's origins in about the 3rd Century BC and stems from the writings of a sage called Hermes Tresmegistus who wrote the 42 volume Hermetica.

In essence it is about self discovery and seeking the Divine from within.

Many of the early followers of Jesus,were Gnostics who believed that his teachings were not meant to be taken literally,but in an allegorical sense.

Jesus was what we would today call an Adept,seeking to guide people to the Kingdom of God,through self exploration.

Starting by knowing oneself and working through a number of levels to attain closeness with the divine.

We are all part of the mind of God, is one of the fundamentals that must first be grasped and the rest is a personal journey that only you can take.

Gnostics are not specifically Christian.

Other faiths have adherents to the Esoteric path,in Islam they are called Sufis and in Judaism you have the Caballah.

Re-incarnation is one of the principles within the Esoteric,so past lives are important areas of
study for the Gnostic.

I can recommend a good book for those wishing to investigate this subject further,from a laymans point of view.

The Secret History of the World by Jonathan Black
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5 comments:

  1. vee harris20 October 2009 at 11:37

    Hey Simon , I will get this book. I think this subject is very interesting because I beleive in reincarnation and being apart of the mind of God is a interesting way of looking at it.

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  2. Anonymous20 October 2009 at 12:30

    Hi Verna I think you will enjoy it.Jonathan is an expert on the subject and it's a good introduction.

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  3. Trulyfool20 October 2009 at 17:11

    Have you leafed through Lawrence Durrell's The Avignon Quintet? He contraposes gnostic ideas (as they've threaded through the Templars and Egyptian Coptic sects) with the tangible, sensual world of WWII Mediterranea.

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  4. Anonymous26 October 2009 at 04:09

    Many years ago I read The Alexandria Quartet which takes the same story from four different peoples perspective.Would this be the same volume under a different title possibly? I must revisit it.

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  5. Anonymous28 October 2009 at 09:47

    You cannot be a follower of Jesus and hold to gnostic beliefs because the two are incompatible. I do not hold the gnostic view because there simply is no evidence to support this view but there is for the Word of God. You don't have to take my word for it, research this yourself. Good day

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