Justin's Baruch: a Showcase of Gnostic Syncretism

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Justin's Baruch: a Showcase of Gnostic Syncretism 10 JUSTIN'S BARUCH: A SHOWCASE OF GNOSTIC SYNCRETISM The book Baruch of the Gnostic Justin is preserved in Hippolytus alone (ReJut. 5.23.1-27.5 and 10.15.1-7, pp. 198-209 and 393-395 Marc.).! It displays a strong Jewish background. Nevertheless, elements of Iranian (Persian), Greek, and above all Christian beliefs are visible enough in the system. I think Justin's Baruch may serve as a showcase of Gnostic syncretism at work. ACT ONE: THE PRIMORDIAL STATE Theme 1: The Three Principles oj the All (5.26.1 and 10.15.1). Baruch belongs to the Gnostic systems operating with three fundamental prin­ ciples (such as are the systems of the Naassenes, Peratics, Sethians, Ar­ chontics, Docetists, of Monoimus, and of the Simonian Megale Apophasis as well). The three principles of the All (TjO"cxv 'tpET~ &.pxcxt 'twv OAWV) are: the Good One (0 'Aycxeo~), Elohim CEAWd[J.) and Edem CEOE[J.). All three are "unbegotten" (&.yEWYj'tOL), i.e., imperishable and eternal. The first two are male, the third one is female. The supreme principle, the Good One, alone possesses the foreknowledge about the All (1tpOYVWO"'tLXO~ 'tWV OAWV), while Elohim and Edem do not (they are &.1tpOYVWO"'tOL). Elohim is also called "Father of all what is created" (1tcx't~P 1t&nwv 'tWV YE.WTj'twv), and, in addition, "unknown and invisible" (otyvwO"'to~ xcxt 1 This article is an expanded public lecture delivered on March 4, 1986, at the Univer­ sity of Illinois at Urbana, on the occasion of the 80th Anniversary of its Department of the Classics.-Select literature onJustin's Baruch: HansJonas, Gnosis und spatantiker Geist. Teil 1: Die mythologische Gnosis, Giittingen, 1934, 335-341 (3rd ed., 1964); Ernst Haenchen, "Das Buch Baruch. Ein Beitrag zum Problem der christlichen Gnosis," Zeitschrift Jur Theologie und Kirche 50 (1953) 123-158 = Idem, Gott und Mensch. Gesammelte AuJsatze, Tubingen, 1965, 298-334; Robert M. Grant, "Gnosis Revisited," Church History 23 (1954) 36-45 = Idem, After the New Testament, Philadelphia, 1967, 194-207; Manlio Simonetti, "Note suI Libro di Baruch dello gnostico Giustino," Vetera Christianorum (Bari) 6 (1969) 71-89; Idem, Testi Gnostici Cristiani, Bari, 1970,52-60; Ernst Haenchen in Werner Foerster, Die Gnosis, Zurich und Stuttgart (Artemis), I, 1969,65-79 (English translation edited by R. McL. Wilson, Oxford, 1974); R. van den Broek, "The Shape of Edem ac­ cording to Justin the Gnostic," Vigiliae Christianae 27 (1973) 35-45; Karin Kvideland, "~lohims Himmelfahrt," Temenos (Helsinki) 10 (1974) 68-78; Maurice Olender, "Elements pour une analyse de Priape chez)ustin Ie Gnostique," Hommages aMaarten}. Vermaseren, Vol. II, Leiden, 1978,874-897 (Etudes Preliminaires aux Religions Orientales dans l'Empire Romain, 68). Greek text: Hippolytus: Refutatio, ed. M. Marcovich, Berlin, 1986 (PTS, Vol. 25). 94 JUSTIN'S BARUCH A SHOWCASE OF GNOSTIC SYNCRETISM &6plX'to~). In her turn, the female principle, Edem, is irascible and double­ minded (opyO.1j and OLyvwflWV or O(yvwflO~). Her name is also Israel (5.26.7 and 37), and Earth (rij: 5.26.7; 9; 36). Where do these three principles come from? As for Edem, already her name tells us that she is Eden from Gen. 2:8 (KIXL iq)1)'twcrt:v XUpLO~ 6 9t:o~ 1tlXpaot:Lcrov iv Eot:fl xlX'ta &vlX'toAa~). However, since she is Earth as well, the possibility remains that Hebrew 'adamah, "earth," had played some part in the paretymology of the name of Edem. 2 Elohim is obviously the Jewish God-Demiurge, "Father of the whole Creation." Nevertheless, his epithets, &j\lwcr'to~ xlXL &6plX'tO~, have puz­ zled scholars. So Hans Jonas (p. 336 and n. 1) suggested that all three epithets of Elohim-&1tp6yvwcr'to~ xlXL &yvwcr'to~ xlXL &6plX'to~-should have active sense, while translating, "ohne Vorauswissen, Erkennen und Sehen." But he appended this caveat: "... so ungewohnlich im gnostischen Sprachkreise auch diese Bedeutung von &yvwO"'to~ und &6plX'to~ sein mag." In his turn, Ernst Haenchen (p. 125 n. 4) rejected Jonas' interpretation, while taking both adjectives in their normal passive sense, "unbekannt" and "unsichtbar." But then he took them for a later expansion to be deleted: "Wir vermuten deshalb in den Worten xlXL &yvwcr'to~ xlXL &6plX'to~ den Zusatz eines Bearbeiters oder Abschreibers ... " Thus Haenchen omits both words in his translation of Baruch in W. Foerster, Die Gnosis, p. 72. In my view, neither is right, and &yvwcr'to~ xlXL &6plX'tO~, "unknown and invisible," is genuine Justin's. For, (1) both epithets are appropriate for the Jewish God. N oetus calls Him so at Hippo!' 9.10.10 (p. 348.50 M.; cf. 9.9.5, p. 345.19 and 21: &<pIXV~~ &6plX'to~ &j\lwcr'to~ &V9pC:)1tOL~). (2) At 5.26.1 = 10.15.1, Edem has four epithets. Consequently, Elohim's own four epithets serve as counterbalance. And (3), Elohim's epithets "unknown and invisible" form a contrast to the very nature of Edem. She is Earth, and as such she can be known and seen, while Elohim is also Sky (OuplXv6~, 5.26.36) and Zeus (5.26.34 and 35: xuxvo~ and Xp\)cr6~), and as such "invisible." While Elohim and Edem (Eden) are undeniably Jewish, the Good One is more difficult to assess. Certainly, he cannot derive from such a late script as Ezra (4 Esdras 7.138), ca. A.D. 100. Nor can he be explained by means of Mark 10:18 (Luke 18:19; Matt. 19:17): T( flt: Aiyt:L~ &YIX96v; ouod~ &YIX9o~ d fl~ d~ 6 9e.6~, as Robert Grant (p. 37) and others were will­ ing to. It is true that Mark 10:18 is a favorite Gnostic text (compare the Naassenes at Hippo!. 5.7.26; Marcion at Hippo!. 7.31.6; Marcus at 2 So Jonas, p. 336 n. 4; G. Scholem, EranosJahrbuch 22 (1953) 242 f.; van den Broek 40. .
Recommended publications
  • The Gnostic Myth of Sophia in Dark City (1998) Fryderyk Kwiatkowski Jagiellonian University in Kraków, [email protected]
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by The University of Nebraska, Omaha Journal of Religion & Film Volume 21 Article 34 Issue 1 April 2017 4-1-2017 How To Attain Liberation From a False World? The Gnostic Myth of Sophia in Dark City (1998) Fryderyk Kwiatkowski Jagiellonian University in Kraków, [email protected] Recommended Citation Kwiatkowski, Fryderyk (2017) "How To Attain Liberation From a False World? The Gnostic Myth of Sophia in Dark City (1998)," Journal of Religion & Film: Vol. 21 : Iss. 1 , Article 34. Available at: https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol21/iss1/34 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UNO. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Religion & Film by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@UNO. For more information, please contact [email protected]. How To Attain Liberation From a False World? The Gnostic Myth of Sophia in Dark City (1998) Abstract In the second half of the 20th century, a fascinating revival of ancient Gnostic ideas in American popular culture could be observed. One of the major streams through which Gnostic ideas are transmitted is Hollywood cinema. Many works that emerged at the end of 1990s can be viewed through the ideas of ancient Gnostic systems: The Truman Show (1998), The Thirteenth Floor (1999), The Others (2001), Vanilla Sky (2001) or The Matrix trilogy (1999-2003). In this article, the author analyses Dark City (1998) and demonstrates that the story depicted in the film is heavily indebted to the Gnostic myth of Sophia.
    [Show full text]
  • Archons (Commanders) [NOTICE: They Are NOT Anlien Parasites], and Then, in a Mirror Image of the Great Emanations of the Pleroma, Hundreds of Lesser Angels
    A R C H O N S HIDDEN RULERS THROUGH THE AGES A R C H O N S HIDDEN RULERS THROUGH THE AGES WATCH THIS IMPORTANT VIDEO UFOs, Aliens, and the Question of Contact MUST-SEE THE OCCULT REASON FOR PSYCHOPATHY Organic Portals: Aliens and Psychopaths KNOWLEDGE THROUGH GNOSIS Boris Mouravieff - GNOSIS IN THE BEGINNING ...1 The Gnostic core belief was a strong dualism: that the world of matter was deadening and inferior to a remote nonphysical home, to which an interior divine spark in most humans aspired to return after death. This led them to an absorption with the Jewish creation myths in Genesis, which they obsessively reinterpreted to formulate allegorical explanations of how humans ended up trapped in the world of matter. The basic Gnostic story, which varied in details from teacher to teacher, was this: In the beginning there was an unknowable, immaterial, and invisible God, sometimes called the Father of All and sometimes by other names. “He” was neither male nor female, and was composed of an implicitly finite amount of a living nonphysical substance. Surrounding this God was a great empty region called the Pleroma (the fullness). Beyond the Pleroma lay empty space. The God acted to fill the Pleroma through a series of emanations, a squeezing off of small portions of his/its nonphysical energetic divine material. In most accounts there are thirty emanations in fifteen complementary pairs, each getting slightly less of the divine material and therefore being slightly weaker. The emanations are called Aeons (eternities) and are mostly named personifications in Greek of abstract ideas.
    [Show full text]
  • GNOSIS and NAG HAMMADI Anne Mcguire
    12 GNOSIS AND NAG HAMMADI Anne McGuire Introduction Introductory remarks on “gnosis” and “Gnosticism” “Gnosticism” is a modern European term that !rst appears in the seventeenth-century writings of Cambridge Platonist Henry More (1614–87). For More, “Gnosticism” designates one of the earliest Christian heresies, connected to controversies addressed in Revelation 2:18–29 and in his own day.1 The term “gnosis,” on the other hand, is one of several ancient Greek nouns for “knowledge,” speci!cally experiential or esoteric knowledge based on direct experience, which can be distinguished from mere perception, understanding, or skill. For Plato and other ancient thinkers, “gnosis” refers to that knowledge which enables perception of the underlying structures of reality, Being itself, or the divine.2 Such gnosis was valued highly in many early Christian communities,3 yet the claims of some early Christians to possess gnosis came under suspicion and critique in the post-Pauline letter of 1 Timothy, which urges its readers to “avoid the profane chatter and contradictions of falsely so-called gnosis.”4 With this began the polemical contrast between “false gnosis” and “true faith.” It is this polemical sense of “false gnosis” that Bishop Irenaeus of Lyons took up in the title of his major anti-heretical work: Refutation and Overthrow of Falsely So-Called Gnosis, or Against Heresies, written c. "# 180.5 Irenaeus used 1 Timothy’s phrase not only to designate his opponents’ gnosis as false, but, even more important, to construct a broad category of
    [Show full text]
  • Nag Hammadi, Gnosticism and New Testament Interpretation
    Grace Theological Journal 8.2 (1987) 195-212 Copyright © 1987 by Grace Theological Seminary. Cited with permission. NAG HAMMADI, GNOSTICISM AND NEW TESTAMENT INTERPRETATION WILLIAM W. COMBS The Gnostic heresy alluded to in the NT and widely repudiated by Christian writers in the second century and after has been in- creasingly studied in the last forty years. The discovery in upper Egypt of an extensive collection of Gnostic writings on papyri trans- formed a poorly known movement in early Christianity into a well documented heresy of diverse beliefs and practices. The relationship of Gnosticism and the NT is an issue that has not been resolved by the new documents. Attempts to explain the theology of the NT as dependent on Gnostic teachings rest on ques- tionable hypotheses. The Gnostic redeemer-myth cannot be docu- mented before the second century: Thus, though the Gnostic writings provide helpful insight into the heresies growing out of Christianity, it cannot be assumed that the NT grew out of Gnostic teachings. * * * INTRODUCTION STUDENTS of the NT have generally been interested in the subject of Gnosticism because of its consistent appearance in discussions of the "Colossian heresy" and the interpretation of John's first epistle. It is felt that Gnosticism supplies the background against which these and other issues should be understood. However, some who use the terms "Gnostic" and "Gnosticism" lack a clear understanding of the movement itself. In fact, our knowledge of Gnosticism has suffered considerably from a lack of primary sources. Now, however, with the discovery of the Nag Hammadi (hereafter, NH) codices, this void is being filled.
    [Show full text]
  • Marcion Wrote New Testament
    Marcion Wrote New Testament Is Gustavus kymographic or gonidic after eliminative Giffer botch so intransitively? When Vinod retyped his tamales diapers not unsafely enough, is Marlon close? Dibasic and ascensional Samuel admiring: which Johnathon is towerless enough? In his epistles some commentators have on the spotless virginal bride of new testament In only the war Gospel in Marcion's Bible is two thirds of Luke Actually overcome's it. The Lord there with Jehoshaphat because he followed the ways of just father David before him. Mountains, North Africa, it is of true theme the intention of the scribes has some association with the sublimation of violence. New Testament books are authoritative, as a kind of figure of enlightenment, so Luke would only need familiarity with the OT to record this. He completely rejected the Old Testament as being relevant for Christians. Marcionite-Scripture Original-Biblecom. God were accompanied by a just as revolutionary idea about the identity of Jesus and his relationship to God. Either that wrote luke, whether this god is at sinope and testament marcion wrote. The Story going The Storytellers The Emergence Of flame Four. The situation obviously changed in the second century, which is not appropriate to make public before all, and a backsliding from the truth. Separatio legis et evangelii proprium et principale opus est Marcionis. It is accepted in his canon, because they do a decade or ten pauline authorship attestation prior to any other. Who wrote the new Testament DVD video 2004 WorldCat. It gained some esteem elsewhere, which teaches that appear are two opposed divine principles, this new Marcionism is a distortion of the finish to precise it align more closely to current ideologies.
    [Show full text]
  • The Gnostic Myth of Sophia in Dark City (1998) Fryderyk Kwiatkowski Jagiellonian University in Kraków, [email protected]
    Journal of Religion & Film Volume 21 Article 34 Issue 1 April 2017 4-1-2017 How To Attain Liberation From a False World? The Gnostic Myth of Sophia in Dark City (1998) Fryderyk Kwiatkowski Jagiellonian University in Kraków, [email protected] Recommended Citation Kwiatkowski, Fryderyk (2017) "How To Attain Liberation From a False World? The Gnostic Myth of Sophia in Dark City (1998)," Journal of Religion & Film: Vol. 21 : Iss. 1 , Article 34. Available at: https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol21/iss1/34 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UNO. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Religion & Film by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@UNO. For more information, please contact [email protected]. How To Attain Liberation From a False World? The Gnostic Myth of Sophia in Dark City (1998) Abstract In the second half of the 20th century, a fascinating revival of ancient Gnostic ideas in American popular culture could be observed. One of the major streams through which Gnostic ideas are transmitted is Hollywood cinema. Many works that emerged at the end of 1990s can be viewed through the ideas of ancient Gnostic systems: The Truman Show (1998), The Thirteenth Floor (1999), The Others (2001), Vanilla Sky (2001) or The Matrix trilogy (1999-2003). In this article, the author analyses Dark City (1998) and demonstrates that the story depicted in the film is heavily indebted to the Gnostic myth of Sophia. He bases his inquiry on the newest research results in Gnostic Studies in order to highlight the importance of definitional problems within the field and how carefully the concept of “Gnosticism” should be applied to popular culture studies.
    [Show full text]
  • Of Antioch and the Heretics: a Study of a Primitive Christology by Issa A
    The Bisho~ of Antioch and the Heretics: A Study of a Primitive Christology By Issa A. Saliba Mr. Saliba, who is involved in lay ministry in Stoney Creek, Ontario, tells us that the following study arose from some research into early church christology for the benefit of lay people. His essay is ofparticular interest at a time when the place of the doctrine of the incarnation in early Christianity - and in modern - is the subject of lively debate. Our knowledge of Ignatius, the Bishop of Antioch is confined almost exclusively to the seven letters he wrote on his way to martyrdom in Rome early in the second century AD.l Those letters were addressed to the churches of Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles, Philadelphia, Rome and Smyma and to Polycarp, the Bishop of that city. With the exception of the last two, the christology contained in those letters was spelled out to a great extent in the course of a polemic against heretical groups that were active in those ancient churches. The writer's intent was to confirm the Christians in their faith and to express his gratitude for those who 65 sent delegates to meet him on his way from Antioch to Rome, but most importantly, to sound a warning against the errors of Docetism whose advocates were seeking followers among the believers and, in many cases, causing division amongst them.2 Interestingly enough, it is from his persistent attacks against the teachings of the Docetists that we learn the major characteristics of the Bishop's theology, a theology which is decidedly christological in its orientation.
    [Show full text]
  • A Theurgic Reading of Hermetic Rebirth
    1 Taking the Shape of the Gods: A Theurgic Reading of Hermetic Rebirth Gregory Shaw Stonehill College To be immortal is commonplace; except for man, all creatures are immortal, for they are ignorant of death; what is divine, terrible, incomprehensible, is to know that one is immortal. -Jorge Luis Borges1 The way of Hermes is the ‘way of immortality’ -Garth Fowden2 In Iamblichus’ well-known defense of theurgy, On the Mysteries, he invokes Hermes as his inspiration and guide. Iamblichus writes: Hermes, the god who presides over learning has from ancient times been rightly considered the common patron of all priests; he who presides over true knowledge about the gods is one and the same, in all circumstances. It was to him indeed that our ancestors dedicated the fruits of their wisdom, by attributing all their own writings to Hermes.3 Through the pseudonym of Abamon, an Egyptian priest, Iamblichus asks that he might be inspired by Hermes in his answers to Porphyry’s questions about theurgy. The practice of this hieratic art united theurgists with gods through rituals specifically coordinated with their conditions and capacities. It was a mystagogy strikingly similar to the mystagogy portrayed in Hermetic writings. The way of Hermes, Garth Fowden has succinctly put it, is a way of immortality;4 theurgy, a hermetic art, is also a way of immortality. Hermes insists that rebirth into divinity “cannot be taught,” and Iamblichus maintains that theurgy cannot even be thought. For Iamblichus “contact with the divine is not knowledge (oude gnôsis).”5 True knowledge of the gods, he says, cannot be reached through dialectical discussion, for “what would prevent theoretical philosophers from achieving theurgic union with the gods? This,” he states, “is simply not possible.”6 1 Jorge Luis Borges, Labyrinths, edited and translated by Donald A.
    [Show full text]
  • The Gnostics - Di Rienzi, Michelis
    English translation copyright © 2006 by Phillip A. Garver, Ep.Gn.; O.'.C.'.M.'. / O.'.C.'.P.'. - All rights reserved. Any copying, redistribution or retransmission of any of the contents or variations thereon without written consent expressly prohibited. The Gnostics - di Rienzi, Michelis. Les Petites Églises. Librairie Universelle, Paris, 1937; pp 89-94, written circa 1920. Perhaps it is necessary to define Gnosis for non-initiates? According to its Greek etymology, gnôsis, signifies Knowledge; by extension, Complete Knowledge; and again by extension, the “sublime Knowledge of nature and the attributes of God.” It is in this latter sense that the first Gnostics understood Gnosis, which they also considered as being a science superior to that of religious beliefs. Although Gnosticism was mainly practiced at the beginning of our era, it would be an error to believe that the essence of gnosis is purely Christian – some have considered it to be the philosophy of Christianity. We find it, however, at least in its major strains, with the Greeks, Egyptians and Jews. According to early Gnosis, God is supernatural and invisible and manifests by means of demigods called Eons and it is one of these demigods, the Demiurge, who was the architect of the Creation. From God supreme emanated noüs (Spirit), ennoïa (divine thought), logismos (speech) and enthymesis (meditation). The greatest Gnostic of ancient times was, indisputably, Simon Magus, who wanted to purchase from Saint Peter the gift of miracles (from which derives the term ‘simony’ used in the trafficking of sacred things). When it comes to Christian Gnosticism, it was manifested by Saint Paul, who abandoned it for the apostolate that we know through Saint Clement of Alexandria, Menander, Saturninus of Antioch, and, above all, through a certain Bardesanes of Edessa.
    [Show full text]
  • Marcion of Synope's Relevance in the Contemporary World Vis-À-Vis
    Dr. G. Andrade MARCION OF SYNOPE’S St Matthew’s University, School of RELEVANCE IN THE Medicine, Cayman Islands. CONTEMPORARY E-mail: WORLD VIS-À-VIS gabrielernesto2000@ gmail.com RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.18820/23099089/ actat.v38i2.2 ABSTRACT ISSN 1015-8758 (Print) Marcion of Synope has long been considered a heretic by ISSN 2309-9089 (Online) all Christian churches. He is frequently grouped with the Gnostic trends of Early Christianity, although this is not Acta Theologica 2018 entirely accurate. While he made a handsome financial 38(2):15-31 contribution to the Church of Rome, he was eventually excommunicated. Yet, even if his doctrines can seem extravagant, contradictory, alien to modern values, and even anti-Semitic, his theology is relevant in our contemporary world because of the ever-growing threat of religious violence and fundamentalism. In his attempt to cleanse Christianity of its Jewish elements, Marcion set the bases for a critique of the cult to a violent God and the divine inspirations of violence. Marcion believed that the Old Testament God (Yahweh) was, in fact, the same as the creator or the material world, from which we must escape. He contrasted that God’s violent deeds with the peaceful nature and character of the New Testament God. 1. INTRODUCTION Ever since the attacks of 11 September 2001 in New York City, historians, sociologists and politicians agree that a religious awakening is currently taking place, which, unfortunately, is also leading to religious violence from all three monotheistic faiths. Scholars raise the question as to what is the origin of this religious fundamentalism that ultimately leads to violence? We must not lose sight of religion in explaining this phenomenon.
    [Show full text]
  • The Gnostic Context of the Gospel of Judas
    BYU Studies Quarterly Volume 45 Issue 2 Article 5 5-1-2006 The Gnostic Context of the Gospel of Judas Gaye Strathearn Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq Recommended Citation Strathearn, Gaye (2006) "The Gnostic Context of the Gospel of Judas," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 45 : Iss. 2 , Article 5. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol45/iss2/5 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in BYU Studies Quarterly by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Strathearn: The Gnostic Context of the Gospel of Judas Florence Darbre (conservator from the Martin Bodmer Foundation) and Gregor Wurst (Coptic expert and professor at the University of Augsburg) looking over two pages of the codex as they resembled the text, revealing the Gnostic context of the Gospel of Judas. © Kenneth Garrett Published by BYU ScholarsArchive, 2006 1 BYU Studies Quarterly, Vol. 45, Iss. 2 [2006], Art. 5 The Gnostic Context of the Gospel of Judas Gaye Strathearn he Gospel of Judas views Jesus and his ministry from a Gnostic T perspective—a very different perspective from the one described in the canonical Gospels. What Is Gnosticism? During the second century ad a number of Christian groups were vying with each other to legitimate their particular interpretation of Christianity. History records that the group that eventually won the battle became known as “orthodox” Christians, while those who lost became the “heterodox.” Latter-day Saints, however, recognize that by the sec- ond century the Apostasy was already in full swing and that the labels of orthodox/heterodox are largely artificial terms.
    [Show full text]
  • Origins and Interpretations of the Gnostic Demiurge
    In Search of Sophia: Origins and Interpretations of the Gnostic Demiurge Cameron Read In the mythological texts of the Gnostics, there appears a figure who is characteristically the cosmic warden of humankind. He has created the earthly realm as a prison for the eternal spark in humans, and he is often portrayed as evil and arrogant, as well as a thief and rapist. As we will see, this figure is called the “Demiurge,” a name that refers to his textual origins. And though there are many variations on the Demiurge within the wide corpus of Gnostic mythology, there do appear to be enough similarities among them to examine this figure as a singular mythological symbol. This examination will necessarily focus on the Demiurge’s origin and context within the broad spectrum of culture and history, but it will also take into account his role within specific myths. Different religious theorists will also be used to suggest how the symbol of the Demiurge may have worked for the Gnostics themselves. It should become clear that though the Demiurge is solidly rooted in ancient culture, this symbol nonetheless has the ability to speak to the modern world through the many layers of his mythology. Before attempting an account of the Demiurge, we first need an account of Gnosticism itself, so that we can put this singular mythic figure into a fuller context. “Gnosis” is a Greek word for “knowing,” that, like the English word, has two connotations. The first is that of propositional knowing, of knowing something to be true. Examples of this would be “I know that the sky is blue” or “I know that 2 + 2 = 4.” The second connotation has to do with being acquainted with a thing: a knowledge of, as opposed to a knowledge that.
    [Show full text]