Cosmological doctrines
The great diversity in gnostic views of the world may be a result of the primary focus on gnosis, which penetrates to the essence, while faith deals more with external matters and therefore provides a lower level of knowledge. Respecting knowledge (gnosis) greatly, gnostics associated faith (pistis) with the ignorance of laypeople and claimed that organized priesthood had exclusive knowledge of theological doctrines. Therefore, they considered all doctrines merely as ordinary paths to the “Truth” that was beyond the reach of words and concepts. The author of the Gospel of Philip (NH) explains that truth has been revealed in the manifested world in the form of names and words because teaching is not possible without them. “Truth revealed itself in names in the world, and we cannot think without them. Truth is one, but there are many; it teaches unity through multiplicity.” However, gnostic teachers disapproved of literal interpretations of religious concepts. “Names can be very deceptive as they divert our thoughts from what is to what is not,” the Gospel of Philip argues. lje (NH).
and those beyond this world. Psychics have reached a higher level of understanding and identified themselves with the soul. Their lives unfolded on the psychic level – thoughts and emotions. This was a group that could accept esoteric Gnostic (and other) teachings available to anyone attracted to a Gnostic school. For them, everyday reality took on a mythical meaning that they accepted in the form of allegorical messages. They sensed that the body and the world around them were just a shell, matter that had taken on a certain form and order. Goodness and dedication through service were instruments they needed to use on their journey to higher levels of knowledge, but at that level of consciousness, there was still a great probability that this knowledge would be misinterpreted. That is why Paul the Apostle (whom the Gnostics considered one of their teachers) says, “Psychics understand nothing that relates to divine consciousness. It seems childish to them because they do not judge pneumatically. On the contrary, pneumatics understand…” “…(I Corinthians). The latter were spiritually awakened because they were ‘initiated’ or initiated into the ‘great mysteries’. This also included extremely rare individuals who surpassed all levels of identification with their separate personality (eidolon), achieved their true identity through gnosis, and became one with Christ or universal (divine) consciousness. The first two groups – the earthly and the psychic – are described in the saying from Thomas’ gospel (NH) in which the teacher (Jesus) mourns for the generation that is blind and rejects spiritual food. He says:
‘I appeared in the midst
and took human form before them.
They were all like intoxicated,
but none of them felt thirsty.
My soul weeps for the children of humanity,
for they are blind in their hearts
and do not see.
They came into the world empty,
and they strive to leave empty as well,
but now they are intoxicated.
When they sober up from their wine,
they will regret.’
These mentioned levels of consciousness were connected to the four elements – earth, water, air, and fire. The transition from one level to another…” In the sphere of consciousness, the baptism with the corresponding element was symbolically represented. Water baptism symbolized the transition from a material to a spiritual state of consciousness, and this form of baptism is still practiced in Christianity today, representing the first sacrament of faith. It is the initiation into the “small mysteries” where myths and religious concepts are interpreted literally, and events are portrayed as historical facts, because at that level of consciousness, any other interpretation is neither possible nor acceptable. Only at a different level does the allegorical meaning of myths reveal itself to those who are gradually initiated into the secret teachings of the “great mysteries”. This is the mythical or allegorical level of understanding symbolized by baptism with the element of air. Baptism with fire represented the ultimate initiation – the mystical marriage or union of the eidolon with the immortal soul.
In the Gnostic doctrines, which were accessible to everyone at their own level, cosmological myths (especially the myth of Sophia), doctrines about the first man, and questions about soteriology held a special place. ognomy and eschatology. By examining many Gnostic texts, one can sense a strong presence of philosophical and religious pessimism that deeply permeates the Gnostic worldview. The material world is evil, full of suffering, and therefore could not have been created by a good God. In contrast to the Judeo-Christian view of the world, where all evil is seen as a result of human sin and deviation from God’s will (or rather misuse of human will), Gnostics believe that evil is woven into the fabric of the material world in which we live. Liberation from such a world is only possible through gnosis (for the pneumatics) or the expectation of the end of the world (for others), which will inevitably come. Historians assume that the sources of pessimism are largely derived from Jewish “apocalypticism” in the Old Testament, as all other philosophical-religious systems that Gnostics largely adopted their cosmological and anthropological ideas from share optimism and faith in man as a divine being and intended for a greater purpose. Her destiny is divine, which, however, she must achieve through her own efforts. In this context, “classic” views on the issue of suffering must originate from the theology of Exodus and the interpretations of prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and others, according to which the Jewish people suffer deservedly because they sinned and turned away from the God to whom they vowed. Jewish philosophers (apocalyptics) believed that by converting the people, God would return in the form of the Savior (Messiah), overthrow the powers of evil, and destroy all those who stand in His way, including the (earthly) kingdoms that caused the suffering, and free the people from their suffering. After that, He would lead them into a new kingdom where there is no place for evil, sin, or death. The influence of Jewish apocalyptic theology must have been very strong during the formation of Gnostic and Christian doctrines, as later Christianity also adopted the apocalyptic vision of the world with the idea of its end and redemption, with the difference that the role of the Savior-Redeemer or Messiah was taken over by The character of Jesus Christ has long been idealized. However, the political upheavals in the past centuries and at the turn of the new era have betrayed apocalyptic expectations and led to radical changes in relation to the previous worldview. Radicalism was expressed through a series of simple questions: maybe the God who created this world is not good? Maybe He causes suffering because He is evil, ignorant, or not the true God? Perhaps He wants people to suffer because He is jealous and envious, and does not care for those He created, or has no influence or power to change anything? Following these rhetorical questions come equally logical and simple answers: if all this is true, then this is not the only true God and there must be a higher power above Him who did not create this world. In other words, the material world is lower or, at worst, an evil world, and so must be its creator. Besides Him, there must also be a higher god who has no connection to the material world and its creation. Such a god will not redeem man through the redemption of this material world. of the world, but by awakening its soul trapped in the cage of material existence.
This is, in general, a gnostic view of the world. There is a good god who is above this world and his evil adversary, the creator of the world and man in it. Such thinking reflects a dualism that encompasses two levels – material and spiritual – and when observed through this prism, it by no means radiates pessimism, as it may seem at first. Man has the ability to, by their own efforts, achieve gnosis and free themselves from the material world, that is, to reject identification with their own ego (eidolon) and become one with their universal (divine) being. Admittedly, the commonly accepted idea of gnostic monism and dualism is very limited, especially in regard to the Alexandrian Gnostic schools, where a fusion of very different ideas has occurred on multiple levels. Lower levels are dualistic (epistemic) and pertain to myths and doctrines, while higher levels are pantheistic (ontic) and represent gnosis – direct knowledge. In the case of early Gnostics, such as the Marcionites, dualism represents a conflict between two levels, as mentioned before, where the manifest is in opposition to the unmanifest or archetypal. In the later development of Gnosticism, particularly among the Manichaeans in Persia in the 3rd century, this relationship was completely transferred to the same level. According to Mani, from the beginning of time, there exist two deities – the uncreated, eternal, and forever opposing each other – the God of Good or Light and the God of Evil or Darkness. Mani adopted this radical dualism from the Zoroastrian dualistic doctrine, which posits an eternal battle between the good spirit Ahura Mazda (Spenta Mainyu) and his evil adversary Ahriman (Angra Mainyu).
Myth of Sophia
Up until now, human understanding; it is without a beginning and without an end, incomprehensible, invisible, indescribable, and inexpressible. In Valentine’s system, which was developed by his disciple Ptolemy, it is the primary principle often referred to as “Depth,” “Eternal One,” “Perfect Eon” (Aion Teleos), “Monad,” “Proarche,” “Anthropos,” “Father,” or simply “Mystery” from which everything else arises. It is an absolutely pantheistic principle that rejects the radical dualism on which eternal rivalry of two equal but opposing divine forces is based, as is the case in mentioned Manichaeism and later Catharism. This “Eternal One,” which is an incomprehensible mystery, creates an archetypal cosmos by emanating a hierarchy of unmanifested archetypes – eons (aions). Eons are arranged in pairs (syzygies) of four male and four female eons, which constitute the primary Gnostic octad. The unmanifested, archetypal cosmos was called “pleroma” by Christian Gnostics and early Christians, in contrast to “void” (katastasis). Ameski – “crazy”) or Samael (Aramaic – “blind god” or “god of the blind”). This is Jehovah from the Old Testament, whom the Gnostics describe as evil, jealous, ruthless, vengeful, and wrathful. In the Hypostasis of the Archons (NH), a text attributed to Sethian Gnostics, it is described how Ialdabaoth (Samael) is completely unaware of his lower position. He boasts: “I am the one who is God and there is no other besides me.” Hearing him speak like this, his mother scolds him with the words: “You are wrong, Samael; the Father of All, the primordial Anthropos, is above you…”
In the myth of Sophia, confused and frightened, she prays for help to the “Eternal One,” who responds by separating her thoughts and emotions from her with a wall made of the “Cross of Light” (Acts of John). The “Cross of Light” is an archetypal symbol representing the boundary of the Pleroma (unmanifested world) from which Sophia’s ignorance was expelled, thus creating the Kenoma (lower or manifested world). The entire myth of Sophia forms the basis of Valentinian Gnostic cosmology. The doctrine of Gnosticism emphasizes that the primary principle, the “Father” of everything that exists, intentionally allows Sophia to remain in ignorance, as it is the only path towards knowledge or gnosis. In the Tripartite Treatise (NH), a text attributed to Valentinus, it is stated that the “Father” withholds gnosis from the eons so that they can perfect themselves through the process of seeking knowledge (wisdom). Otherwise, they would consider themselves to have acquired gnosis through their own efforts, which would prevent their return and union with the “Father” (the Perfect Eon). Furthermore, it is mentioned that the creation of the lower world (earth and humanity) is an act of kindness, a result of the great love of the “Father” and is in accordance with his will. Sophia’s plea is answered by the “Father” emanating two new eons, Christ and the Holy Spirit, expelling ignorance from the pleroma, and Christ redeeming Sophia by allowing her, along with other eons in the pleroma, access to gnosis. The consequence of this act is the elevation of the manifested world towards gradual perfection (ascending arc) and the wholeness of the pleroma manifested by Christ (divine consciousness). The material realm. The world was born, therefore, from Sofija’s suffering (ignorance), and the four aforementioned elements – earth, water, air, and fire – are materialized forms of experiences that the soul undergoes by falling into lower worlds (kenoma). Earth was born out of her confusion, water out of her fear, air was formed by the condensation of her sadness, and fire is present in all elements, just as ignorance is hidden in all three forms of suffering.
Valentinus’ system presents the myth of Sofija as her fall and redemption, but it can be allegorically understood as the fall of the soul (psyche) into incarnation. The myth of the lost goddess is not originally Gnostic or early Christian, but represents a synthesis of earlier Jewish and especially pagan myths. In the Interpretation of the Soul (NH), a myth based on Jewish sources (Jeremiah), God speaks to Israel as a lost goddess who surrenders herself to many shepherds and later returns to him as her father, the creator of her innocence. In pagan mythology, the fall and redemption of the soul (psyche) are described, for example, in the myth of Hades and Persephone. In the Trojan War, in Plato’s Phaedo, in the myth of Aphrodite, in the myth of Eros and Psyche, in the myth of Demeter and Persephone. According to Plato, the name Persephone comes from sophe, which means wise, and has the same root as sophia (wisdom). In some Gnostic texts from Nag Hammadi, like the mysterious poem Thunder, the perfect consciousness, two aspects of Sophia are revealed through inspired verses:
“… I am both the first and the last.
I am both revered and despised.
I am both whore and saint.
I am both woman and virgin.
I am both mother and daughter.
I am barren and yet I have many sons…
I am the silence that is unfathomable
and the thought that is easily remembered…
The Greeks call me wisdom (Sophia),
and foreigners call me knowledge (Gnosis).
I am the echo of my name…”
In the Christian Gospels, the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene represent the higher and lower Sophia (higher and lower human ego). Their names are repeated to emphasize the fact that they are two aspects of the same being. Just like in the Gnostic myth of Sophia, Mary is a virgin, like… Sophia, while she lives with the “Father” (in the pleroma), is a prostitute (Magdalene) in the lower (material) world that Jesus redeems, like Sophia lost in ignorance (kenoma). In the Gospel of John, it is described how Jesus, while crucified, unites both Marys as mother and daughter, which represents the reconnection of lower and higher Sophia. The union of these two aspects for the Gnostics represents the aforementioned mystical wedding, through which Jesus’ mission in this world is accomplished. It is the attainment of gnosis, the union of the soul with the eternal spirit. What is represented at the archetypal level as Sophia redeemed by Christ, is portrayed in a human form as Mary Magdalene redeemed by Jesus. The fall of the soul into incarnation, her wandering and final return, are described in the Hymn of the Pearl (NH), which in another version is also called the Hymn of the Soul to show the connection between the “pearl” and the gnosis or knowledge that the soul must find in order to return from the world of darkness (ignorance) to the kingdom of light. The verses spoken by Thomas (The poem is part of the Acts…) In the poem, Tomo describes a prince who wanders the world in search of the “pearl” (knowledge). However, the poem does not only talk about the search itself, but also about how valuable it is to possess the “pearl”. When the prince acquires it, his soul awakens in realization (wisdom). The vision of returning to the “First Principle” is described in verses where the prince regains his “garment of light” (glory), his spiritual body that he left behind to wear the impure garments of this world – the physical body:
“…and I forgot the splendor of the garment,
for I left it like a child
in my father’s house.
As I looked at it, suddenly in it
like in a mirror, I saw myself,
and I saw myself from the side
as two beings in one form.
Treasure keepers brought me a garment,
and yet as two halves, I saw one figure,
with one royal seal…”
This eternal tale of redemption has survived to this day in the form of the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty. As the name itself suggests, it represents the psyche (soul) asleep in the lower (material) world. The left-handed (Sofia) sentenced to eternal slumber in a dark and abandoned castle, surrounded by an impenetrable forest, is ultimately saved – awakened by a kiss from a young prince (Jesus the Redeemer).