The End of Gnosticism?

[Paul Mackin]

On May 5, 2006, at 9:11 AM, Ghetta Life wrote:

>
> The main point of this criticism of Gnosticism Vs Legitimate  
> Christianity is that "Legitimate" wasn't the standard until  
> consolidation of power was attained by the victor.  The spectrum of  
> early Christianity was wide and varied until orthodoxy was  
> proclaimed and blasphemy was banished.
>
> Ghetta


The historians of religion naturally want to know what might have   
happened as well as what  did happen. They can do this without  
necessarily forming a judgement on which position is "truer," so  
called gnostic or orthodox Christianity. Historian can even speculate  
on the theoretical possibility that the "gnostics" had won, had  
achieved unconditional surrender over the old fogies who were trying  
to restrain them. Western civilization would have been  a completely  
different  story.  In fact there might not have even been a story--if  
everyone had come to the conclusion, quite the logical one by some  
lights, that mass suicide was the answer to one's religious needs.





>
>> From: "Billy Genocide" <billygenocide at gmail.com>
>>
>> I've always thought of Gnosticism as the mysticism of Christianity  
>> and therefor a useful distinction. It seems to extend from Qabalah  
>> while losing the details of that tradition. Ex: form the point of  
>> view of Qabalah the crucifixion and ressurection is symbolic. And,  
>> of course, it mixes in a lot of Greek traditions... a-and maybe  
>> some Egyptian schtuff as well.
>>
>>>
>>> http://chronicle.com/temp/reprint.php? 
>>> id=tvkvwtdryw6rr3bl0lgyx334815bf097
>>>
>
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