The Wisdom of the Gnostics

These lectures are on the nature of Gnosticism and Gnostic scriptures, including the “Gospel of Thomas” the “Gospel of Philip”, the “Gospel of Mary Madgalene”, and Gnostic writings of the great Gnostic Myths. Most of the scriptures introduced here are explored in detail in the category on the left entitled “Gnostic Scriptures in Depth”, For special emphasis on the People of Gnosis and their teachings, see “Gnosis, Gnostics and Gnosticism”.

Here are the individual titles:

• New Light on Gnosticism: The Writings of the Gnostics. From early Church Fathers to the Nag Hammadi Library. Was Jesus in reality a Gnostic and did his intentions express themselves in the continuing Gnostic literature throughout history? 78:51 #110101
• Christ the Misunderstood Redeemer. The Gnostic mission of Jesus. After 2000 years, the mission of Christ is still unfulfilled and misapprehended. Can Gnostic understanding help Christ to be spiritually reborn today? 76:32 #110102
• Pistis Sophia. Translated in the late 19th Century, but inadequately explored since, this is the main scripture describing the myth of Sophia and with it of the cosmology and psychology of the Gnosis. 73:45 #110103
• The Myth of the Demiurge: The Forgetful Rebel. The imperfect demiurge is the intermediate creator of the World. He is both a metaphor for our alienated ego and a painful reality of our captor in the lower worlds. 78:02 #110104
• Gnostic Myths of the Soul. The essence of the Gnostic Wisdom of “The Hymn of the Pearl” and of “The Exegesis of the Soul”. To find the Pearl and Feminine Soul redeemed. 79:37 #110105
• The Nature of the “Gospel of Thomas”. By far the best known of the Scriptures of the Nag Hammadi collection, this collection of sayings of Jesus is unmistakably Gnostic in content if one unlocks it with the keys of Gnostic symbolism. 76:40 #110106
• The Gospel of Philip. Mysteries in the Secret Sayings of Jesus from Nag Hammadi. Gnostic Sacramental Theology, culminating in teachings about the mystery of the Bridal Chamber. The role of Mary Magdalen in classical gnostic perspective. Esoteric teachings of Jesus and their relevance today. 59:30 #110107
• The Gospel of Mary Magdalene. Discovered long before the Nag Hammadi find, but having received much attention recently, the Gospel of Mary Magdalene recounts the soul’s ascent through four cosmic mansions and gives an account of a long conversation between Mary and the male disciples. (This is the only scripture attributed to Mary.) 77:11 #110108
• The Gospel of Truth. A poetic and inspirational meditation on Gnostic Christian mysticism. This most accessible of the Gnostic gospels is attributed to the authorship of the greatest of Gnostic writers, Valentinus. 79:11 #110109
• The Gospel of Judas. Published in 2006, this remarkable scripture caused much publicity. A concentrated evaluation of the major themes of this scripture is presented. The romantic circumstances of the discovery of the Codex Tchacos is reviewed. 78:20 #110110
• Gnostic Spiritual Practices: The Magic of the Sacraments. Spiritual Traditions do not consist of theory alone but require spiritual practices. The Gnostic tradition from earliest times possessed its own initiatory and sustaining sacraments which have been for the most part trivialized by the mainstream churches. 74:10 #110111