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/lit/ - Literature

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14232869 No.14232869 [Reply] [Original]

What are some books that can help me decide between Christianity and Gnosticism?

>> No.14232879

>>14232869
>reifags

>> No.14232910
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14232910

>>14232879

>> No.14232950

Many of the Nag Hammadi texts make reference to Judaism, in some cases with a violent rejection of the Jewish God. Gershom Scholem once described Gnosticism as "the Greatest case of metaphysical anti-Semitism". Professor Steven Bayme said gnosticism would be better characterized as anti-Judaism.
Recent research into the origins of Gnosticism shows a strong Jewish influence, particularly from Hekhalot literature

>> No.14232963

>>14232950
The only Gnostics who actually rejected the Demiurge as being Evil were the Sethians. And they were Ethnic Jews...

>> No.14232968

>>14232963
Sethians were probabaly a late splinter group of the Essenes who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls. Since they have very similar metaphysical cosmology regarding Sons of Light vs Sons of Darkness

>> No.14233033

>>14232869
Sethian Gnosticism and the Platonic Tradition. You might find that book somewhere, but if not, it's on Scribd.

>> No.14233049

>>14233033
Is it about the similarities between them? because Plotinus made huge criticisms against Sethian Gnosticism. I am skeptical of Sethianism, Im leaning more towards Valentinianism/Hermeticism

>> No.14233095

>>14232869

the bible
nag hammadi codex
pistis sophia
gnosis by kurt rudolph
the cathar scriptures at gnosis dot org

>> No.14233126

>>14233049
Just read the book instead of judging a book by its title.

>> No.14233157

>>14232869
Gnosticism no longer exists as a living religious tradition. The most you can do is try to work out what they believe from various fragmentary evidence.

>> No.14233165

>>14233157
Actually I forgot about the Mandaeans. It still exists but only with them.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandaeism

>> No.14233195

>>14233165
Actually even that is sketchy.
>There is a strict division between Mandaean laity and the priests.
>When a man becomes a priest he leaves 'Mandaeanism' and enters tarmiduta, 'priesthood.' Even then he has not attained to true enlightenment, for this, called 'Naṣiruta', is reserved for a very few. Those possessed of its secrets may call themselves Naṣoreans, and 'Naṣorean' today indicates not only one who observes strictly all rules of ritual purity, but one who understands the secret doctrine.
>The contemporary priesthood can trace its immediate origins to the first half of the 19th century. In 1831, an outbreak of cholera devastated the region and eliminated most if not all of the Mandaean religious authorities. Two of the surviving acolytes (šgandia), Yahia Bihram and Ram Zihrun, reestablished the priesthood on the basis of their own training and the texts that were available to them.
So basically the chain of people who knew the secret doctrine all died and it was reestablished by some acolytes based on whatever they had been taught up to that point.

>> No.14233306
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14233306

>>14232869
Read this one here.

>> No.14234778

>>14233306
this

>> No.14234854
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14234854

What's interesting to me is that I came into my own spirituality through a personal path of reflection and study. Recently I began studying gnosticism and found that I could draw a surprosing number of parallels between my own divine truth and many shared themes between different gnostic schools.

In the end I have chosen to reject gnosticism. While there are some key metaphysical similarities, there are also critical differences that are hugely significant to my own understanding of the transcendental canon.

That being said, I have huge respect for gnostics and consider them to be some of the most spiritually enlightened people around.

>> No.14234956

>>14232869
both gay, take the sanatana dharma pill
http://esotericawakening.com/what-is-reality-the-holofractal-universe

>> No.14234971

>>14234854
>found that I could draw a surprosing number of parallels between my own divine truth and many shared themes between different gnostic schools
Yeah it's called a "bait".

>> No.14234982

>>14233306
this

>> No.14234996

>>14232869
>setting up your own false dilemma

>> No.14235000

>>14234971
How do you mean, anon? A bait for what purpose?

>> No.14235115
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14235115

>>14232869
>Christianity and Gnosticism?
just become an atheist is genuinely incredible the amount of christcucks you can find even in ths board

>> No.14235129

>>14233306
>>14234778
>>14234982
Also, Confessions, by Augustine. Many of the criticisms against the Manichaeans apply to all strains of Gnosticism.

>> No.14235560

>>14232869
You start by reading the Canonical Gospels, through your Gnostic lens. Then you LARP as an internet catholic calling your observations heretical prottie tier shit. Whichever exercise is cozier with regard for your eternal soul is the one you should choose.

>> No.14235564

>>14235115
>Atheist grammar

>> No.14235568

>>14232869

Yeah there's this thing called um... um... oh yes the Bible. Everything else is derivative.

>> No.14235575

St Paul, Augustine, Plotinus
http://trisagionseraph.tripod.com/Texts/Plotinus5.html

>> No.14235576

>>14235115

>Lol guize just don't read anything it's way easier.

I don't believe in God but 'atheism' is just intellectual laziness.

>> No.14235579

>>14232869
literally everything written by the early church fathers

>> No.14235583

>>14232950
>be a gnostic because it opposes Jewish metaphysics
Not an argument

>> No.14235605

>>14235575
Should add that the book of Romans is probaby the best starting point

>> No.14235629
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14235629

What if I have a spirit but not a soul?

>> No.14235650

>>14235629
I think that would just make you an angel

>> No.14235713

>>14235629

Semantics

>> No.14235725

>>14233306
Orthofag propaganda

>> No.14235728

>>14232869
Is this an /x/ shitpost?

>> No.14235737

>>14235560
Nice schizo post

>> No.14235758

>>14235728
that's half the threads on /lit/ now

>> No.14235793

>>14235713
Not necessarily. Soul and spirit were different concepts in Greek

>> No.14236028

>>14235000

>My own divine truth
>Not a series of lies fed to you from the father of lies to keep you from the warm embrace of Jesus Christ

Ishygddt