Gnostic Overview
Part of the summery by Gnostic Bishop Stephan A. Hoeller.
The Human Being
Human nature mirrors the duality found in the world: in part it was made by
the false creator God and in part it consists of the light of the True God.
Humankind contains a perishable physical and psychic component, as well as a
spiritual component which is a fragment of the divine essence. This latter part
is often symbolically referred to as the “divine spark”. The recognition of this
dual nature of the world and of the human being has earned the Gnostic tradition
the epithet of "dualist."
Humans are generally ignorant of the divine spark resident within them. This
ignorance is fostered in human nature by the influence of the false creator and
his Archons, who together are intent upon keeping men and women ignorant of
their true nature and destiny. Anything that causes us to remain attached to
earthly things serves to keep us in enslavement to these lower cosmic rulers.
Death releases the divine spark from its lowly prison, but if there has not been
a substantial work of Gnosis undertaken by the soul prior to death, it becomes
likely that the divine spark will be hurled back into, and then re-embodied
within, the pangs and slavery of the physical world.
Not all humans are spiritual (pneumatics) and thus ready for Gnosis and
liberation. Some are earthbound and materialistic beings (hyletics), who
recognize only the physical reality. Others live largely in their psyche
(psychics). Such people usually mistake the Demiurge for the True God and have
little or no awareness of the spiritual world beyond matter and mind.
In the course of history, humans progress from materialistic sensate slavery, by
way of ethical religiosity, to spiritual freedom and liberating Gnosis. As the
scholar G. Quispel wrote: “The world-spirit in exile must go through the Inferno
of matter and the Purgatory of morals to arrive at the spiritual Paradise.” This
kind of evolution of consciousness was envisioned by the Gnostics, long before
the concept of evolution was known.
Salvation
Evolutionary forces alone are insufficient, however, to bring about spiritual
freedom. Humans are caught in a predicament consisting of physical existence
combined with ignorance of their true origins, their essential nature and their
ultimate destiny. To be liberated from this predicament, human beings require
help, although they must also contribute their own efforts.
From earliest times Messengers of the Light have come forth from the True God in
order to assist humans in their quest for Gnosis. Only a few of these salvific
figures are mentioned in Gnostic scripture; some of the most important are Seth
(the third Son of Adam), Jesus, and the Prophet Mani. The majority of Gnostics
always looked to Jesus as the principal savior figure (the Soter).
Gnostics do not look to salvation from sin (original or other), but rather from
the ignorance of which sin is a consequence. Ignorance -- whereby is meant
ignorance of spiritual realities -- is dispelled only by Gnosis, and the
decisive revelation of Gnosis is brought by the Messengers of Light, especially
by Christ, the Logos of the True God. It is not by His suffering and death but
by His life of teaching and His establishing of mysteries that Christ has
performed His work of salvation.
The Gnostic concept of salvation, like other Gnostic concepts, is a subtle one.
On the one hand, Gnostic salvation may easily be mistaken for an unmediated
individual experience, a sort of spiritual do-it-yourself project. Gnostics hold
that the potential for Gnosis, and thus, of salvation is present in every man
and woman, and that salvation is not vicarious but individual. At the same time,
they also acknowledge that Gnosis and salvation can be, indeed must be,
stimulated and facilitated in order to effectively arise within consciousness.
This stimulation is supplied by Messengers of Light who, in addition to their
teachings, establish salvific mysteries (sacraments) which can be administered
by apostles of the Messengers and their successors.
One needs also remember that knowledge of our true nature -- as well as other
associated realizations -- are withheld from us by our very condition of earthly
existence. The True God of transcendence is unknown in this world, in fact He is
often called the Unknown Father. It is thus obvious that revelation from on High
is needed to bring about salvation. The indwelling spark must be awakened from
its terrestrial slumber by the saving knowledge that comes “from without.
Conduct
If the words “ethics” or “morality” are taken to mean a system of rules, then
Gnosticism is opposed to them both. Such systems usually originate with the
Demiurge and are covertly designed to serve his purposes. If, on the other hand,
morality is said to consist of an inner integrity arising from the illumination
of the indwelling spark, then the Gnostic will embrace this spiritually informed
existential ethic as ideal.
To the Gnostic, commandments and rules are not salvific; they are not
substantially conducive to salvation. Rules of conduct may serve numerous ends,
including the structuring of an ordered and peaceful society, and the
maintenance of harmonious relations within social groups. Rules, however, are
not relevant to salvation; that is brought about only by Gnosis. Morality
therefore needs to be viewed primarily in temporal and secular terms; it is ever
subject to changes and modifications in accordance with the spiritual
development of the individual.
As noted in the discussion above, “hyletic materialists” usually have little
interest in morality, while “psychic disciplinarians” often grant to it a great
importance. In contrast, “Pneumatic spiritual” persons are generally more
concerned with other, higher matters. Different historical periods also require
variant attitudes regarding human conduct. Thus both the Manichaean and Cathar
Gnostic movements, which functioned in times where purity of conduct was
regarded as an issue of high import, responded in kind. The present period of
Western culture perhaps resembles in more ways that of second and third century
Alexandria. It seems therefore appropriate that Gnostics in our age adopt the
attitudes of classical Alexandrian Gnosticism, wherein matters of conduct were
largely left to the insight of the individual.
Gnosticism embraces numerous general attitudes toward life: it encourages
non-attachment and non-conformity to the world, a “being in the world, but not
of the world”; a lack of egotism; and a respect for the freedom and dignity of
other beings. Nonetheless, it appertains to the intuition and wisdom of every
individual “Gnostic” to distill from these principles individual guidelines for
their personal application.
Destiny
When Confucius was asked about death, he replied: “Why do you ask me about
death when you do not know how to live?” This answer might easily have been
given by a Gnostic. To a similar question posed in the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas,
Jesus answered that human beings must come by Gnosis to know the ineffable,
divine reality from whence they have originated, and whither they will return.
This transcendental knowledge must come to them while they are still embodied on
earth.
Death does not automatically bring about liberation from bondage in the realms
of the Demiurge. Those who have not attained to a liberating Gnosis while they
were in embodiment may become trapped in existence once more. It is quite likely
that this might occur by way of the cycle of rebirths. Gnosticism does not
emphasize the doctrine of reincarnation prominently, but it is implicitly
understood in most Gnostic teachings that those who have not made effective
contact with their transcendental origins while they were in embodiment would
have to return into the sorrowful condition of earthly life.
In regard to salvation, or the fate of the spirit and soul after death, one
needs to be aware that help is available. Valentinus, the greatest of Gnostic
teachers, taught that Christ and Sophia await the spiritual man -- the pneumatic
Gnostic -- at the entrance of the Pleroma, and help him to enter the
bridechamber of final reunion. Ptolemaeus, disciple of Valentinus, taught that
even those not of pneumatic status, the psychics, could be redeemed and live in
a heavenworld at the entrance of the Pleroma. In the fullness of time, every
spiritual being will receive Gnosis and will be united with its higher Self --
the angelic Twin -- thus becoming qualified to enter the Pleroma. None of this
is possible, however, without earnest striving for Gnosis.
Conclusion
Some writers make a distinction between “Gnosis” and “Gnosticism”. Such
distinctions are both helpful and misleading. Gnosis is undoubtedly an
experience based not in concepts and precepts, but in the sensibility of the
heart. Gnosticism, on the other hand, is the world-view based on the experience
of Gnosis. For this reason, in languages other than English, the word Gnosis is
often used to denote both the experience and the world view (die Gnosis in
German, la Gnose in French).
In a sense, there is no Gnosis without Gnosticism, for the experience of Gnosis
inevitably calls forth a world view wherein it finds its place. The Gnostic
world view is experiential, it is based on a certain kind of spiritual
experience of Gnosis. Therefore, it will not do to omit, or to dilute, various
parts of the Gnostic world view, for were one to do this, the world view would
no longer conform to experience.
Theology has been called an intellectual wrapping around the spiritual kernel of
a religion. If this is true, then it is also true that most religions are being
strangled and stifled by their wrappings. Gnosticism does not run this danger,
because its world view is stated in myth rather than in theology. Myths,
including the Gnostic myths, may be interpreted in diverse ways. Transcendence,
numinosity, as well as psychological archetypes along with other elements, play
a role in such interpretation. Still, such mythic statements tell of profound
truths that will not be denied.
Gnosticism can bring us such truths with a high authority, for it speaks with
the voice of the highest part of the human -- the spirit. Of this spirit, it has
been said, “it bloweth where it listeth”. This then is the reason why the
Gnostic world view could not be extirpated in spite of many centuries of
persecution.
The Gnostic world view has always been timely, for it always responded best to
the “knowledge of the heart” that is true Gnosis. Yet today, its timeliness is
increasing, for the end of the second millennium has seen the radical
deterioration of many ideologies which evaded the great questions and answers
addressed by Gnosticism. The clarity, frankness, and authenticity of the Gnostic
answer to the questions of the human predicament cannot fail to impress and (in
time) to convince. If your reactions to this summary have been of a similarly
positive order, then perhaps you are a Gnostic yourself!