Light and Darkness (gospel, gnostic, eternal, pray, God)

[Halcyon]

Originally Posted by gnostic

In the mainstream Christianity and Judaism, I see God and Satan in two possibilities:

• Two different persons, so therefore 2 different gods, thus good and evil.
• But since, they can't accept such dualism, then God and Satan are One God, but two different aspect. Sort of like, a coin with 2 faces - good and evil.

The 2nd possibility would make God - two-faced. All good and evil come from him.

Do you mean that you see the (original) Perfect Aeon and the Demiurge as the One in Gnosticism, halcyon?

If so, then wouldn't discount the myth in Apocryphon of John?

I can't answer this without going in depth, i'll try my best to explain what i mean, but don't be surprised if it still seems like gibberish, i'm bad at explaining myself.

All things originate from the One, and are contained within the One, nothing is separate from the One - separation is the delusion of Demiurge.

The Demiurge, as an entity, is a manifestation of certain attributes of the One (as are we all). It is still part of the One as nothing can exist that is not of the One.

As a concept the Demiurge embodies all those things that keep us from realising the totality of the One. The Demiurge is the craftsman of this material world, a world full of physical pleasures and pains and other distractions, a world where everything is made to seem separate and distinct from everything else. In this environment people develop a sense of individuality, of self that is not accurate. They can't see that nothing exists that is not of them, and vice versa.

The Apocryphon of John, as well as other texts, describes the One as perfect and incorruptible. And it is, it is totally perfect as nothing exists that is not the One.
It is incorruptible as there is nothing external to it to corrupt it.
This doesn't mean that the One is all good because if it were, then evil would be external to it.
The One is indescribable as nothing exists outside of it to describe it. Does this make sense?

To sum up, I believe the Demiurge is not the flip side of the One, it is an infinitely small part of the One. But at the same time it is a distinct set of characteristics.

[1nharmony]

Originally Posted by Halcyon

"Light and Darkness, life and death, right and left, are brothers of one another. They are inseparable. Because of this neither are the good good, nor evil evil, nor is life life, nor death death. For this reason each one will dissolve into its earliest origin. But those who are exalted above the world are indissoluble, eternal."

from The Gospel of Philip

Any thoughts peeps?

Within each element is the seed of its opposite. Always in balance and harmony. They cannot exist apart from each other, so are therefore inseparable. The ending of one is the beginning of the other, an unending circle. They are simply opposites, neither good or bad, right or wrong. And all is one.

Originally Posted by Halcyon

To sum up, I believe the Demiurge is not the flip side of the One, it is an infinitely small part of the One. But at the same time it is a distinct set of characteristics.

Each and everything is an expression of the One Spirit. Seeds of the One Spirit are within us and in all things. We are like a drop of water from the sea - all the characteristics of the sea are contained within each drop. Our spirit is the same as the One Spirit.
*with heart from a newbie*

[Buttons*]

Originally Posted by 1nharmony

Within each element is the seed of its opposite. Always in balance and harmony. They cannot exist apart from each other, so are therefore inseparable. The ending of one is the beginning of the other, an unending circle. They are simply opposites, neither good or bad, right or wrong. And all is one.



Each and everything is an expression of the One Spirit. Seeds of the One Spirit are within us and in all things. We are like a drop of water from the sea - all the characteristics of the sea are contained within each drop. Our spirit is the same as the One Spirit.
*with heart from a newbie*

i dont know if i told you before, but i love your post in this thread *smiles*