| Title | : | The Gnostic Bible |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1590301994 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781590301999 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 880 |
| Publication | : | First published December 2, 2003 |
The selections gathered here, in poetic, readable translation, represent Jewish, Christian, Hermetic, Mandaean, Manichaean, Islamic, and Cathar expressions of gnostic spirituality. Their regions of origin include Egypt, the Greco-Roman world, the Middle East, Syria, Iraq, China, and France. Also included are introductions, notes, an extensive glossary, and a wealth of suggestions for further reading.
The Gnostic Bible Reviews
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Pirmiausia, ši puiki knyga visai nėra Biblija tradicine prasme, o gnostikų raštų rinkinys, su mokslininkų įvadiniais straipsniais.
Gnostikai yra tokios religinės bendruomenės, kurios galvojo: jei Dievas geras, tai kodėl pasaulis toks šūdinas? Ir sugalvojo, kad pasaulį sukūrė ne gerasis dievas, o blogasis demiurgas, kuris dažniausiai vadinasi Jaldabaotas (baisiai fainas vardas, tbh). Bet šita mintis ne pas visus gnostikus vienodai stipriai išreikšta. Dar jie mano, kad išganymą (išsilaisvinimą, mistinę patirtį, pasaulio sutvarkymą) galima pasiekti per gnozę - žinojimą, na, bet tokį mistinį, suprantate - kaip tas žmogelis paveiksliuke.
Tai dabar papasakosiu apie kelias skirtingas gnostikų sroves.
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Gnostikų lyg ir pirmtakai:
• Tomo evangelija parašyta panašiu laiku kaip kitos evangelijos (I a. vidury), joje nieko nevyksta, tai toks mistinių Jėzaus posakių rinkinys. Pvz „Tėvo karalystė yra paskleista žemėje ir žmonės jos nemato“. Čia įdomu, nes dangiškos karalystės elementai Žemėje vėliau bus naudojami ir Manicheizme.
• Barucho knyga – irgi maždaug I a., žydų gnosticizmas, dar ne iki galo užaštrintos gnostikams būdingos temos, pvz, nėra gerojo ir blogojo dievo, o pasaulis toks blogas todėl, kad Edem (Žemė) keršijo Elohim (jo, tam Elohim), kuris ją apleido ir užkilo viršun pas Priapą, iš kurio jie abu emanavo, ir nebenorėjo grįžti. Ir jo, pas tą Priapą, penio dievą.
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Gnostikai:
Sethians (Setiečiai? Tebūnie setiečiai). Gerai, jų kosmologija ir teogonija yra sudėtinga ir aš tingiu aiškinti (ne tai, kad nesuprantu, o grynai tingiu aiškinti), bet esmė ta, kad jie kildina save iš Ievos ir Adomo trečio sūnaus Seto. Tas nėra neįprasta gnostikams, mėgsta jie Setą. Seto tėvai neva yra Adomas ir Ieva, skirtingai negu Kaino ir Abelio, kurių tėvas yra blogasis Jaldabaotas. Jaldabaotas yra gyvatė liūto veidu, kurią pati iš savęs pradėjo Sofija-išmintis, emanavusi iš Vienio, apie kurį galima kalbėti tik sakant, kas jis nėra, o ne kas yra. Taigi, Sofija pradėjo Jaldabaotą, o tas kad ims viską kurti! Sukūrė 7 pasaulius (tame tarpe ir šį) ir 365 jų valdovus. Sofijai buvo labai nepatogu, kad jis pridarė tokių šlykščių pasaulėlių ir paslėpė viską nuo Vienio. Yra daug setiečių raštų, pvz “Reality of Rulers” pasakoja apie Ievos nekaltą dukrą Norėją, kuri vis bylojo išmintį ir pvz sudegino Nojaus laivą, nes anas jos neįsileido. Chuliganka tokia. Ji kaunasi su Pasaulio valdovais – Jaldabaoto pakalikais.
Valentinian (Valentiečių?) judėjimą įkūrė toks Valentinas (duh) iš Egipto, kuris vienu metu vos netapo Romos vyskupu, bet aš nežinau tos istorijos. Jis manė, kad viskas prasidėjo nuo Dieviškos Gelmės, iš kurios kažkaip susikūrė (išlindo?) 15 būtybių porų ir 30 amžinųjų karalysčių, bet jose atsirado klaida. Istorija su Sofia / išmintimi panaši, ji patyrė kažkokį nuopolį ir iš jos atsirado žemesnioji išmintis - Achamot. Apskritai pas gnostikus dažnas matyvas yra susidvejinimas, Sofija (gera dieviška) ir Achamot, Kristus ir Jėzus (bet abu geri). Anot Valentiečių, Jėzus prisikėlė ne po 3, o po 540 dienų. Įsivaizduojate, kaip tai turėjo atrodyti, visi greičiausiai jau ir pamiršę buvo, o štai prašom.
Tomas ir kiti Sirijos krikščonys. Judas Tomas - Jėzaus brolis dvynys (ne tas Judas). Vaikštinėjo po pasaulį, mokė visus, Indijoj chebrai patiko, ten ir dabar yra šv. Tomo bažnyčia. Dar kažkaip jiems svarbus Simonas Burtininkas iš Biblijos, bet nelabai supratau, kaip.
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Keli paskiri maždaug II a. gnostikų traktatai:
• "Sielos egzegezė". Siela - moteris, ji nukrenta į pasaulį, kur ją prievartauja niekšai. Jos gimda yra išorėje, kaip penis, o palikuonys gimsta luoši ir kvaili. Siela prašo dangiškojo Tėvo kažką daryti tuo klausimu, ir jis padaro, kad jos gimda sulįstų į vidų, tai kažkaip padeda. Dar Tėvas atsiunčia į žemę Sielos brolį, su kuriuo jie mylisi nusisukę vienas nuo kito ir padaro gerus ir protingus vaikus, paskui Siela vėl pakyla į dangų.
• "Apie pasaulio kilmę". Pasaulis prasidėjo ne nuo chaoso, o nuo tvarkos. Sofija sukuria prastąjį Jaldabaotą, kuris sukuria savo prastą pasaulėlį / chaosą. Paskui dieviška valia kažkaip biškį jį aptvarko ir sukuria jau gerus Adomą ir Ievą.
•"Semo parafrazė". Semas - gnostikų protėvis. Jam apsireiškia Derdekas (geras). Papasakoja, kaip iš Šviesos atsirado Siela, o iš jos - Tamsa, kuri sukūrė pasaulį labai seksualiai eksplicitiškai, pvz štai sakinys: "Darkness ejaculates mind into the womb of nature". Ok. Sodoma - neteisingai sudegintas gnostikų miestas.
• "Antrasis didžiojo Seto traktatas". Kalba ne apie Setą, o apie Jėzų, kuris iš tikrųjų nebuvo nukryžiuotas, kažkas buvo nukryžiuotas vietoj jo, gal Simonas? Apskritai gnostikams būdinga idėja, kad Jėzus nebuvo nukryžiuotas, labai piktino krikščionis, labiau negu idėja, kad Biblinis dievas yra blogas. Štai pagal šį traktatą Adonajos (Biblinis dievas) yra kosminis biurokratas, Jaldabaoto statytinis. Blogis ir šis pasaulis šiame traktate siejamas su moteriškumu. Wow.
• "Marijos evangelija". Parašytas Marijos Magdalietės vardu. Jėzus ją labiausiai mylėjo ir atskleidė jai gnostinių paslapčių, bet Petro ir Andriaus frakcija priešinosi jos išaukštinimui.
•"Nasenų mišios". Nasenai, arba ofitai, reiškia "snake people", gyvatukai. Ima iš visokių religijų mirštančius ir vėl atgimstančius dievus ir juos mėgsta: Demetrą, Dionizą, Attis (frygų dievas), Izidę, Ozirį, Mitrą, Jėzų, taip pat Oannes - Mesopotamijos dievą, pusiau žuvį, kaip ir undiną tokį. Labai gražus šiaip tekstas, pirmiausia atsirado Protas, tada chaosas, tada siela, kuri yra raudonas elnias, padarytas iš vandens.
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Dar kelios srovės:
Hermetikai - graikų ir romėnų gnostikai, kuriems Biblinis dievas ar Jėzus nelabai rūpi. O rūpi jiems Hermis Trismegistos (triskart išaukštintas). Manoma, kad hermetikų literatūra susiformavo iš Senovės Egipto išminčių minčių, gal dėl to sakoma, kad Hermis yra Egipto dievo Thot reinkarnacija. Svarbus jų tekstas - "Poimandras", kurį labai smagu skaityti, nes jis parašytas dialogo principu, kur "autorius" kalbasi su Poimandru, anas jam pasakoja, kaip surėdytas pasaulis, o kai autorius ko nors paklausia, Poimandras barasi ant jo: "Tai ar tu klausai iš viso, ką aš tau sakau?", arba "Nepertraukinėk, aš dar nebaigiau!".
Mandėjai yra dope, jų ir dabar yra. Jie sakosi buvę Egipte su žydais, bet identifikuojasi su egiptiečiais ir pyksta, kad Mozė jų protėvius nuskandino. Jonas Krikštytojas - geras, o Jėzus - blogas, nes melagis, krikštijo žmones stovinčiame vandenyje ir supurvino visus menstruacijų krauju. Ar verta atskirai paminėti, kad mandėjai turi kažkokią stiprią neapykantą menstruacijoms ir didelę meilę tekančiam vandeniui? Plaunasi ir plaunasi jame tie mandėjai. Skirtingai negu dauguma gnostikų, jie save kildina iš Abelio, nekenčia zodiako ir planetų apskritai, nes jos meluoja.
Manicheizmą įkūrė toks Mani ir taip rimtai dirbo ties savo religijos populiarinimu, kad Manicheizmas vienu metu buvo viena iš didžiųjų pasaulio religijų. Atvertė tokį budistų karalių, Sasanidų Persijoje gavo vieno karaliaus protekciją, bet po karaliaus mirties zoroastrizmo magai jį nužudė. Manicheizmo kosmogonija baisiai susukta ir sudėtinga, su daug būtybių ir skaičių, bet svarbu žinoti tai, kad yra šviesos karalystė, kurios mažos dalelės esti visur pasaulyje, tik reikia jas išlaisvinti, kad jos galėtų sugrįžti namo. Visai gražu, ar ne? Mani "bažnyčioje" buvo 2 tipų žmonės - Išrinktieji ir Auditoriai. Išrinktieji negali valgyti mėsos, mylėtis, pakenkti bet kokiam gyvam padarui etc. Po mirties jie iškart pateks į Šviesos karalystę. Meanwhile auditoriai turi ten maistą daryti tiems pasipūtėliams ir kitaip jiems patarnauti, vien su viltim, kad kitam gyvenime atgims daržovėmis, kurias suvalgys Išrinktieji ir praleisdami per savo kūną išlaisvins juose slypinčias šviesos daleles. Wow, such equality.
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Tai čia viskas, ką pasakojau, vyko daugiausia I-III amžiuje (bet daugiausia II. Kodėl? Nežinia). Kai kurie gnostikai išliko, atsirado biškį naujų - pvz Islamo gnostikai ir Katarai, kurie visai šauniai sukosi iki juos brutaliai išskerdžiant per specialiai jiems paskelbtą kryžiaus žygį, bet apie juos nepasakosiu, nes ir taip daug prirašiau.
Puiki knyga, labai įdomu skaityti, nors apimtimi didelė ir sunki nešiotis, labai rekomenduoju. -
Introduction
My reading has become so wide and diversified that I suppose, at this point, many of my friends may be referring to me as some sort of heresiologist. Regardless, the study of diversified religions is not only fascinating but also serves to grow one’s faith in God in a deep and profound way.
This work consists of a wide collection of writings associated with Gnosticism, many of which are deeply steeped in myth and most of which were repressed by the Catholic Church. Much extant Gnostic writing exists in mere fragments because the Catholics destroyed and stamped out every occurrence of Gnostic writing they could find. In fact, most of what is known about Gnosticism is gleaned from the writings of Catholic heresiologists that sought to refute it, like Irenaeus of Lyon (130 AD -202 AD). Irenaeus was a disciple of Polycarp who in turn was a disciple of the Apostle John.
Although the diversified mythologies of Gnosticism are quite elaborate, it is enlightening for a reader to gain enhanced understanding of the sort of contentious debate that preceded the eventual domination of orthodoxy. The Gnostics proclaimed “gnosis”, or “knowledge”, as the way of salvation. This did not mean merely “book learning” but a mystical knowledge involving an examination of one’s self, i.e. who you are, where you are from, how you exist and where you are going, essentially the soul’s journey.
What Did the Gnostics Believe?
The Gnostics long preceded the Protestant notion that men and women may know God directly, without any need for the mediation of rabbis, priests, bishops, imams or other religious officials. The Gnostics were declared heretics because this belief naturally subverted the power of the orthodox church’s hierarchy of priests and bishops. Ironically, however, it was this process of refuting Gnosticism that generated much of the theology that eventually gained domination as orthodoxy.
Gnostics were not afraid to read and study diverse religions and philosophies, often developing innovative variations from other mythologies. Because they observed so much evil, pain, and death in the world, the Gnostics couldn’t attribute it to a good creator, so they envisioned a lessor creator, which they referred to as the demiurge. Because the Gnostics saw the creation as flawed, they envisioned this lesser creator as an imperfect being. Alternatively, the Gnostics refer to the larger, transcendent deity as: the Good, the One, the Father, the True God, the Good God, the Exalted King, etc.
The Gnostics perceived human spirits as imprisoned within bodies that are asleep, drunken or ignorant, from which they must be awakened, freed, and made enlightened through knowledge. The Gnostic gospels quote Jesus as referring to his body as “the man who bears me” and in popular scripture Jesus often refers to Himself as “the Son of Man”. Jesus called men to awaken to a greater awareness. Gnosticism is a gospel of wisdom rather than a gospel of the cross and proclaims that Jesus saves us, not by dying, but by disclosing the light of knowledge, i.e. “unveiling the God who operates inside you”.
The Gnostics perceived the dawning of awareness as a call to knowledge. Awareness is the human ability to perceive and act beyond the mere instinctual programming pertinent to animals. Awareness embodies afterthought and conscience. The Gnostics asserted that we must become “aware” of the Kingdom of God in order for it to be discerned and realized.
The Word as Wisdom, Logos, Jesus
For Gnostics, wisdom plays a key role in the process of salvation and is experienced as the divine Logos, or Word, such as is portrayed in the Gospel of John, which is considered a Gnostic text. Clearly, the Gospel of John differs extraordinarily from the other, synoptic New Testament gospels. In the Gospel of John, Jesus is identified as the divine word or reason of God; or as the logos who descends in human form so that the Word may become manifest in flesh: “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God -John 1”.
For some Gnostics, the world is but soil from which we blossom into transcendent oneness with God. We utter but meager attempts to describe this Godly oneness (ineffable, limitless, unfathomable, immeasurable, invisible, eternal, unutterable, unnamable, holy, immaculate, incorruptible) because it is so far beyond us that it is impossible for us to say. Godliness transcends us and is only faintly represented by our most profound utterances such as: life that gives life, blessedness, awareness, knowledge, goodness, mercy, redemption and grace.
A name implies equivalence with other names or comparisons thereto but the ineffable is above all names declaring: “I am that I am”. Jesus did not leave writings because the Word is beyond reduction to mere human scribbling. God is beyond the merely human concept of existence.
Jesus encourages humans to understand who their Father is, as the precursor of the light within, from which awareness grows, and as that which one must come to recognize and nurture. Growing this awareness is the purpose of our existence: to grow the light within, to become sufficiently illuminated and thus enabled to endure beyond the demise of the flesh.
Some Gnostic Teachings
Some of the diverse teachings that arise from various Gnostic sects are synthesized from gospel stories as follows:
Water to Wine: The meaning of Jesus turning water into wine is the illustration of Jesus as the vine, the Father as the Gardener and enlightened people as branches. As the water becomes wine, so the flesh becomes spirit. Without the mechanism of Jesus, the water remains unchanged. As we consume wine, so we ingest the Word (the Logos, Jesus) to instigate formation of the Spirit, which then gains aptitude to survive beyond merely the physical realm. We must ask ourselves: Are we growing better with age? Are we fermenting a change within ourselves?
The Spiritual Nature: Upon what have you focused your life energies: upon amassing material wealth, gaining social prominence, stoking your personal ego? Can you discern an alternative focus for your spiritual energy? Our energy must be expended with focus upon spiritual integrity or materiality will fully encase us. Awareness involves awakening that part of you that is not material.
Not recognizing the resurrected Jesus: Orthodox religion largely ignores the portions of scripture that inform us that those to whom the resurrected Jesus appeared did not at first recognize Him. For Jesus returned in a much different form than the resurrected Lazarus, not as a physical zombie, but as a spiritual being, capable of adapting various physical forms. That the Biblical witnesses did not first recognize the resurrected Jesus is profound and incites us to wonder if we ourselves might fail to recognize Jesus in the person of others we encounter today. The seed of Jesus’ Spirit is multiplied among many and manifests broadly in the world.
Incident with the Money Changers: The incident of Jesus overturning the tables of the money changers in the temple is indicative of understanding that the body is the temple that houses the light of God and the temple must not be corrupted with mercantilism or a pathological fetish for commerce. Instead, we must find repose to purify ourselves with meditation, exercise, proper nourishment and love. We must love to be loved and we must enjoy creation instead of sacrificing our lives for trinkets of ostentatiousness. Those that remain entranced by the things of the dust remain of the dust, untransformed and spiritually destitute. The hunger and possessiveness of the ego must relent so that the interior temple may be filled.
The story of Lazarus: We see the fruitlessness in physical resurrection because Lazarus returns in zombie-like form only to die again. Physical resurrection only returns one to the dust of the world. Like a plant rising out of the dirt of the earth from a single seed , our spirits must bloom forth and allow the dead husk of the body to drop away. Physical resurrection occurred when we took on flesh and entered the world; spiritual resurrection begins when we come to consider what we are and initiate the forming of our inner self.
Pharisaic Corruption: Not only did the Romans crucify Jesus, they adulterated the Message. The ensuing Catholic edifice has subsequently contorted and augmented the Message for political expediency. The Gnostics were harassed as heretics and much of their Message was censored away. As with the Pharisees of ancient times, the Catholic Church has systematically persecuted and denigrated all who fail to conform to their doctrines, which are clearly designed to empower and elevate a small ruling hierarchy. The evil of the Catholic Church is most clear by its activities of censorship, murder, burnings at the stake, persecution of Jews, initiation of crusading wars, paganistic deification of Mary, child abuse, pedophilia, magic-like rituals, ostentatious attire, the pantheon of Saint worship, the selling of indulgences and the cult-like way in which the Church endeavors to dominate the minds of its adherents and force familial conformance.
Spiritual Intercourse: Masturbation is seen as a means of copulation with spiritual beings and bears into the world certain lustful entities that seek existence through focus of one’s attention upon an imagined entity instead of a loving human partner. Alternatively, an androgynous lust for one’s own body may impregnate one by self-desire and so birth forth egotistical spiritual beings. Imaginative lust brings forth things produced out of ego such as a subconscious desire to be the creator or to render things outside the realm of goodness. Jesus encourages us to be careful about what we allow ourselves to imagine and what we choose to harbor within ourselves. Carrying around contaminated spiritual contents will weigh us down, thwart our rise, repel us from the truth, and fog our perception. Self-generated spirits can easily lead us astray and quickly infect us with attributes of jealousy, anger, wrath, bitterness, lust, greed, terror, servility, anguish, shame, envy, pain, trouble, distress, hardheartedness, anxiety, evil, vain conceit and the like. These are the very things we must learn to jettison during this life, in order to grow a less corrupt nature.
Imitating the procreative act of God: Mankind lacks the ability to simply dwell in appreciation of the creation and instead persists in modifying it, augmenting it to facilitate hoarding, and instigating unceasing labor. Such practices persist in modernity in the form of genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, robotics, cloning, etc. Humankind seems to be rushing headlong into the same sort of blunder the Gnostics attributed to the demiurge, i.e. creating something that will ultimately be flawed and misshapen.
The Kingdom: Must we imagine a heaven in the décor of bling, coated with gold and diamonds? Can we instead envision a kingdom available to us even now, wherein our greatest joy derives from outfitting others sufficiently, such that the seed of their personal growth may begin to blossom? Connection with the Ineffable involves a refusal to be mesmerized by the bling, trinkets, gold , silver, gifts and material sorts of things that blind us.
The Trinity: Much debate and even violence has occurred over attempts to define the three manifestations of the One. Mankind’s never ceasing attempts to put the Ineffable in a box can seem quite silly. Jesus is demonstrable of humanity infused with God. The Spirit is transmittable goodness, a medium of Spiritual exchange that permeates existence when Goodness becomes communicable among humans. When fully experienced, the Spirit consists of a bliss that one would never trade for a mere trinket.
Jesus: The Gnostic’s saw Jesus as the revealer of the knowledge of the Father. This Gnostic perspective refutes the biblical notion that knowledge is sin, as suggested by the banishment of Adam and Eve for achieving self-awareness. The Gnostics connect Jesus nailed to a tree with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil as referenced in Genesis. For Gnostics, Jesus does not punish those who eat of the tree of knowledge but instead encourages their awareness. The fundamentalist’s perspective that God would somehow have preferred to forever retain Adam and Eve as pets within the cage of Eden is overturned by Jesus, who replaces the fruit with the Word. From this emerges the notion of transubstantiation, wherein the Word (Jesus) is consumed to gain awareness.
Conclusion
The genocides, inquisitions, crusades, censorships, and narrow-mindedness historically imposed by the cult of Catholicism against alternative forms of spiritual thought has accomplished nothing less than spiritual retardation in humanity. However, great difficulties lie in displacing Catholicism because of the extent to which it is firmly rooted within the indoctrinated minds of vast numbers of people. While indoctrinated people can quickly recognize the obvious superstitions, it is more difficult for them to jettison the deep-rooted psychological fears which have been ingrained into them since childhood.
The historically violent actions of the Catholic church have exterminated many forms of spiritual thought. These religious exterminations are no less tragic than the contemporary extinctions of living species resulting from exploitation by modern human industrialism. Knowledge and awareness are key to our survival. -
This is a more readable translation of the Nag Hammadi gospels of Jesus Christ, translated into language that is easier for most to understand. It is also edited by Marvin Meyer whose translations and writings I greatly respect. Its an excellent place to start for beginners. Each gospel contains a preface by known writers in the field describing the time period the book was first discovered, where and how its meaning was discerned. This is a book many gnostics like myself have waited on. Thank You!
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Wow! Everyone should read:
1) The Gospel of Thomas
2) The Gospel of Judas
3) The Gospel of Philip
4) Thunder: Perfect Mind (double WOW)
5) The Prayer of the Messenger Paul
6) The Round Dance of the Cross
7) The Gospel of Mary -
very interesting and insightful. Too bad these documents were not what helped form the Christian Church, because then it would be much more humanist and almost Buddhist like.
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A treasure trove of mystical texts
A lot of the texts contained herein are shared with the Nag Hammadi Library (and, in fact, come directly from those translations). However, what distinguishes this collection is the wider scope and, in my opinion, better contextualization of its contents. Rather than being rigidly scholarly, it attempts to bring Gnostic thought down to the understanding of a layperson. Ultimately, though, the same problems with these texts exist, in that they still remain laughably complex and often boring as a result. A few notable inclusions are a portion of the Sufi Islamic text "The Mother of All Books" and a few Cathar texts, bringing Gnostic thought into the medieval period. For the enthusiast, I would recommend this over the Nag Hammadi Library as an entry point into this kind of literature. -
This book is a fascinating collection of so-called Gnostic texts, ranging from the Nag Hammadi library to Sethian to a diverse array of scripture, poems and other writings thought to be related in some way to Gnostic philosophy and theology. Some of the writings feel disparate and questionable, but that weakness is what makes this book a much more thorough and open-ended examination of Gnosticism, from pre-Christian times through to today.
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There isn't much I can say other than you really can't do without this one if you are interested in Gnosticism. It is a 'must have' reference, and Meyer is one of the best. I imagine most people would be happy with the translations and descriptions offered here.
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My undergraduate thesis for Grinnell College's Department of Religious Studies was an overview of scholarly opinion as regards the origins of 'gnosticism' in the first two centuries of the Common Era. Then, at Union Theological Seminary, I poured over the writings of the Patristics from the first five centuries for a paper entitled 'On the Procession of the Heresiarchs of Gnosis', basically an exhaustive encyclopedia submitted to Elaine Pagels. Meanwhile, I've kept my hand in, reading the occasional book or article on the 'gnosticism' business.
This book appeared in a donor's box at Heirloom used bookstore. Impressive looking at almost 1000 pages, I snapped it up, bringing it home to serve as bedtime reading. As such, it served, most, but not all, of the text being soporific. I liked the essays and some of the translated texts from the latter period, viz. the Hermetic, Mandaean, Manichaean, Islamic, Bogomil, Cathar, texts not always included under the modern 'Gnostic' rubric. Some of these were new to me and there were points made in the various introductions of some interest because of this. But the fact that the authors/editors lump all of this material together under the rubric points to what I see as a major problem with their effort to sell this book as 'The Gnostic Bible".
To maintain such a very broad definition of 'gnosticism' is tantamount to making the term synonymous with 'mysticism'. While they suggest transmission of ideas, it's equally plausible to claim the phenomenon to be part of what Huxley called 'the perennial philosophy', ideas of alienation from the quotidian world and of salvation by means of a de-identification with it in favor of another accessible by various means, intellective and experiential, means available to everyone, anywhere and at any time in history. And, if that's the case, then the selection of illustrative texts is pretty open and their own choices of what to include, what to exclude, what to give in full, what to excerpt can appear to be almost frivolous.
With a few exceptions, 'The Gospel of Thomas' and 'Poimandres' come to mind, most of the texts they do choose do have something in common. To any modern reader, they're crazy, psychotic...weird amalgamations of various traditions, ancient astrological/astronomical beliefs, invented names, sexual neuroses, very loose and tendentious allegorical acceptations of biblical texts. They are, in a word, off-putting to the extreme. Despite the various approbative remarks of the editors, it's difficult to imagine anyone being turned on to 'gnosticism' or to what they represent as 'gnostic' mysticism.
This is not to say that the 'gnostic' phenomenon is unimportant. It is to say, however, that its importance primarily arises contextually. It is, for instance, very important in terms of the first two-plus centuries of the Common Era as 'Christianity' came to be formalized and regulated. Indeed, it's important as regards coming to grips with the thought-worlds of Mediterranean intellectuals of the period. Here, except for some discussion in the books Epilogue, there's little consideration offered.
From a scholarly standpoint, The Gnostic Bible is sorely lacking. Very little mention is made of the provenance of the texts or of their transmissions or of the problematics of translation. What comes across in the texts is off-putting, confusing and 'crazy' partly because there's little effort to make sense of them evinced in the notes. I was hoping for some insight, but, excepting the later texts, I received very little. -
The Gnostic Bible Contains a wide range of Gnostic texts from various religious traditions, Pagan, Jewish, Christian, Islamic, Mandean and Manichean. Personally, I think the compilers of this edition took some liberties. For instance, they included the Gospel of Saint John in this collection when I personally feel that it doesn’t qualify as a “Gnostic Text.” Also, I didn’t particularly like the fact that instead of opting to use Jesus, they used Yeshua instead. I understand that they were trying to emphasize that in the very beginnings that Christianity was a branch of Judaism.
With that said, it contains some beautiful pieces of writing which should be placed among the classics of sacred literature. For instance, the Gospel of Thomas says according to saying 2, “Seek and do not stop seeking until you find. When you find, you will be troubled. When you are troubled, you will marvel and rule over all.”
Often, my religious tradition (Christianity) focuses on a heavenly future so much that it fails to see the reign of God in every moment. Regardless of your religious tradition, if you are a person of faith, I highly recommend it. It reminds us that faith is always evolving and that by reaching deep into the past, we can revive elements that have long since been silenced. -
In the excellent epilogue, Barnstone writes, "[G]nosticism was a new, alluring alternative to the normative religion that locked ideas into dogma, bureaucracy, and worldly power to defeat infidels and banish creative solitude." What was true then is true now. Though these writings rarely rise to the sublime heights of the Bible or the Qur'an, the latter two have been so colored by centuries of fundamentalist interpretations bent on retaining religious authority that it requires a tremendous effort for a contemporary reader to recover their original beauty. Is it any wonder that people are turning elsewhere for spiritual inspiration? The poetic rendering of these early writings in the present volume will certainly serve that purpose, and is a definite improvement on the dry prose of other translations I have read.
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The writings of Thomas were the only chapters I read in this book. My choice was made based on the similarities between the Upanishads and Buddhist philosophy. The word “bible” is misleading and was personally oft putting for me. I would have preferred it’s subtitle “Literature of Gnostic Wisdom”. As I was reading, I substituted Buddha or Brahman for Jesus, and found that much more to my liking and useful for my comprehension of the text.
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Whenever someone in power tries to silence someone or something, it is always important to find out why.
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This is such a great book to read. The book has given me deeper insights into the christian bible by filling in the missing pieces from the creation story to cosmology and beyond. This book or the Gnostic scriptures (Seth, Valentinian, Baruch, etc) have revealed hidden knowledge about the history or the cosmos, earth, the gods and humans. I am left with no doubt that Gnosticism is closer to the knowledge of truth than what religion offers. The latter(religion) doesn't make sense at all especially with modern literal interpretation of the bible and the likes. To me, religion is a shame and an affront to humanity and intelligence.
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Disclaimer: I only listened to the CDs.
A few good bits, lots and lots of waffle. Like with canonical Christianity, I am much more interested in the ideas and realities surrounding the religion than with its poorly written rambling texts.
I think these CDs would be better for someone who already had a great familiarity with the material and some of its 'hidden' (i.e. invented) meanings. -
A very good and well put together book that contains the gnostic books of the bible. Before each book is a well thought out introduction that explains the origin of the book and the belief of the gnostic author. This book is perfect for students of religion and anyone interested in the "hidden" books that were left out of the bible for whatever reason.
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This book (more properly an anthology) was and is priceless. I'm so glad I found it and will be revisiting it often for both spiritual feeding and for research into religion. The collection features many obscure or mystical texts from a variety of religious experience and culture. It was interesting for me to watch them all fall under central themes.
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A great translation of the Nag Hammadi library. While ultimately, reading these texts for the most part repudiated my interest in Gnosticism as I found most of the literature to be bizarre (excluding the Gospel of Thomas), you can't get any better than the actual texts themselves.
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Έδιζησάμην ἐμεωυτόν
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Meyer went to great lengths to include copious and detailed footnotes and citations. An eclectic mix of gospels but worth a read.
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If you've read the Bible and enjoy it or took anything from it. Then this is a must read that will bring you encouragement and understanding.
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Ignore the silly title. Calling something a "Bible," I suspect, is a publisher's guess about how to sell a fat book.
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Indicating that I read:
-gospel of Thomas, intro, gospel of Mary, songs of Solomon -
The word of God
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Warning: Your views of Christianity may never be the same after reading this book. Gnostic thought grew up alongside Christianity in the early centuries of the Common Era, until the Christian authorities began formalizing their dogma, and Gnostics were branded heretics and banned. Much of their writing was thought to have been destroyed, until a large codex of Gnostic literature was found in a cave in Egypt. (I'm a sucker for lost manuscripts.)
Gnostic writing includes many of the key events detailed in the Bible, particularly the creation story, Jesus and the Apostles, Judas' betrayal, and the Crucifixion, but with an overriding cosmology that turn some of our favorite Bible stories on their heads.
