Early Christianities and The Gnostic Gospels www.JeffreySmall.com Bart Ehrman (1955-) UNC Chapel Hill “Many Christianities.” New Testament Christianities Gospels: Synoptics vs John Religion of Jesus (Coming Kingdom of God) Religion About Jesus (Jesus as God) New Testament Christianities Paul “For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. What I mean is that each of you says, ‘I belong to Paul’, or ‘I belong to Apollos’, or ‘I belong to Cephas’, or ‘I belong to Christ.’” 1 Cor 1:11-12 New Testament Christianities Paul vs James Justification by Faith vs Works Mosaic Law “But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works… You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” James 2:14-26 Nag Hammadi Discovery 1945 Mohammad Al-Samman 12 Papyrus Books 52 Texts 40 Unknown Coptic translations 3rd-4th Century Gnostic Gospels Gnosticism Secret Teachings “To you has been given the secret of the Kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables.” Mark 4:11 Gnosticism γνωσις gnosis = “to know” Gnostic teachings 1. Many different schools, teachers, texts 2. Dualistic Earth: matter evil, spirit good 3. Non-dual God: embraces male and female 4. Perfect spiritual God did not create evil world 5. God has divine offspring Aeons Gnostic teachings 6. Fallen Aeon gave birth to Demiurge 7. Demiurge creates Earth 8. Humans are descendants of this fallen Aeon 9. Spark of divine still within us 10. Salvation - realization of our origin and divinity 11. Jesus is light that shows us this path Marcion (85-160 CE) Creator God of OT - justice and punishment “eye for an eye” vs Jesus’ God of NT - love and forgiveness “turn the other cheek” Marcion (85-160 CE) Docetism Jesus fully spirit Physical body illusion Valentinus (100-160 CE) Alexandria to Rome St. Paul > Theudas > Valentinus “But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.” 1 Cor 2:7 Valentinus (100-160 CE) 1. God is the ultimate source of being: “The Depth” 2. Types of people: Spiritual, Intellectual, Material 3. Salvation only through the spiritual: a Return “I derive being from Him who is preexistent, and I come again to my own place when I came forth.” The Gospel of Truth Valentinus, Nag Hammadi “God’s children are His fragment breath.” “And the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (nephesh), and the man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7 “Discover God in yourself, and yourself in God.” Resurrection Gnostic Orthodox Visionary experience Physical Event Personal Limited to apostles Experience now Closed Spiritual path Future for Believers Resurrection Gnostic Gospel of Phillip “Those who say they will die first and then rise are in error…[they must] receive the resurrection while they live.” Orthodox Bishop Tertullian (190 CE) “What is raised is this flesh, suffused with blood, built up with bones, interwoven with nerves, entwined with veins.” Gospel of Thomas 150 Sayings by Jesus Half in Synoptics - Half new No narration Q? Gnostic? Date? Apostle Thomas Synoptics: 1 of the 12 Thomas = “Didymus” = twin John’s “Doubting Thomas” Travels to India? St Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Church Kerala, India Gospel of Thomas Themes NT Thomas Repent for the Look inward because upcoming kingdom the kingdom is here Gospel of Thomas “Recognize what is right in front of you, and that which is hidden from you will be revealed to you.” Thomas 5 “The seeker should not stop until he finds. When he does find, he will be disturbed. After having been disturbed, he will be astonished. Then he will reign over everything.” Thomas 2 Gospel of Thomas “If your leaders say to you “Look! The Kingdom is in the sky! Then the birds will be there before you are. If they say that the kingdom is in the sea, then the fish will be there before you are. Rather the Kingdom is within you and it is outside you. When you understand yourselves you will be understood.” Thomas 3 Gospel of Thomas ‘The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, “Look, here it is!” or “There it is!” For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.’ Luke 17:20-21 Gospel of Thomas “Whoever drinks from my mouth will become as I am, and I myself will become that person, and the mysteries shall be revealed to him.” Thomas 57 “Whoever blasphemes against the Father will be forgiven. Whoever blasphemes against the Son will be forgiven. Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, neither on earth or in heaven.” Thomas 44 John vs Thomas Elaine Pagels (1943-) John a response to Thomas: Uniqueness of JC Sole Divinity of JC Elaine Pagels (1943-) “I wondered whether John could have been written to refute what Thomas teaches…it is John who invented the character we call Doubting Thomas, perhaps as a way of caricaturing those who revered a teacher—and a version of Jesus’ teaching—that he regarded as false.” Orthodox Response Irenaeus (c 180 CE), Bishop of Lyons Against Heresies No secret teachings Apostolic Succession Warns against forgeries Gnostic cosmology crazy Primacy of John bc JC divinity Orthodox Response Irenaeus (c 180 CE), Bishop of Lyons Against Heresies “Let those who blaspheme the Creator…as do the Valentinians and all the falsely so-called ‘gnostics,’ be recognized as agents of Satan…God has prepared eternal fire for every kind of apostasy.” Orthodox Response Tertullian (160-225 CE) Father of Latin Christianity First to use the Trinity Only Scripture relevant Philosophy dangerous Heresy subverts authority Gnostics invent to suit themselves Women among heretics Orthodox Response Tertullian (160-225 CE) Father of Latin Christianity “It is philosophy that supplies the heresies with their equipment… A plague on Aristotle, who taught them dialectic, the art which destroys as much as it builds, which changes its opinions like a coat, forces its conjectures, is stubborn in argument.” Orthodox Response Tertullian (160-225 CE) Father of Latin Christianity “As for the women of the heretics, how forward they are! They have the impudence to teach, to argue, to perform exorcisms, to promise cures, perhaps even to baptize.” Orthodox Response Athanasius (296-373 CE) Bishop of Alexandria Easter Letter, 367 CE All heretical writings to be destroyed List of acceptable canon - today’s Bible First Council of Nicaea, 325 CE Called by Constantine Council of Bishops Resolve diverse teachings Nicene Creed First Council of Nicaea, 325 CE What is the nature of Christ? First Council of Nicaea, 325 CE Arius Marcion Son < Father Docetism Humanity of Jesus Jesus all God “The Father is greater than I” Physicality illusion Athanasius “I and the Father are one.” Homo ouisa “One Substance” “Begotten not made” Wholly God AND Wholly Man Orthodoxy vs Heresy Orthodox = ορθος (“straight/right”) + δοξα (“belief”) Heresy = α’ίρεσις = choice Heretic = heretikos = “one who thinks for himself” “Winner writes history” Why Orthodoxy Won 1. More believed this was the “true” teaching 2. Gnostic cosmology too different from Judaic roots 3. Political power of apostolic succession 4. Need for consistency to grow 5. Esoteric nature of Gnosticism - difficult path for few 6. Baptism and Belief easier road Critiques of Orthodoxy 1. Focus on belief only misses the spiritual/mystical side 2. Rigid and static - cannot evolve with times 3. Ignores reality of diverse views from earliest days 4. Oversimplifies Christian path 5. Deifying Jesus not his purpose 6. Finger pointing to the moon is not the moon 7. Tool for power and abuse - Inquisition 8. Patriarchal - exclusion of women Belief vs Experience Doctrine vs Spirituality www.JeffreySmall.com.