Gnostic Storytelling in the Canonical Sayings of Jesus (priest, gospel)

[sean_the_iconoclast]

There seems some similarity between Jesus's kingdom of god and gnosis as aquaintance with god, but is there any indication of gnostic storytelling in his canonical sayings?

[angellous_evangellous]

Originally Posted by sean_the_iconoclast

There seems some similarity between Jesus's kingdom of god and gnosis as aquaintance with god, but is there any indication of gnostic storytelling in his canonical sayings?

That depends on what you mean by "Gnostic" and "sayings." Many people think that the Gospel of John is a repudiation of the Gospel of Thomas, so there are anti-Gnostic sayings, but 'sayings' and 'story-telling' are mutually exclusive. A 'saying' is story-free by default like "love your neighbor" and etc.

[sean_the_iconoclast]

Sorry Angellous, I should have been more specific. By "sayings" I'm just referring to anything Jesus himself said. I don't mean it as a genre. I would consider parables to be stories. I guess to be more specific I'm asking, are there symbolic similarities between gnostic writings and things Jesus personally said, as recorded in the canon. By "symbolic similarities", I mean is what's represented similar, not are the symbols themselves the same. Basically, did the gnostics grasp the core of Jesus's teaching or not?

[angellous_evangellous]

Originally Posted by sean_the_iconoclast

Sorry Angellous, I should have been more specific. By "sayings" I'm just referring to anything Jesus himself said. I don't mean it as a genre. I would consider parables to be stories. I guess to be more specific I'm asking, are there symbolic similarities between gnostic writings and things Jesus personally said, as recorded in the canon. By "symbolic similarities", I mean is what's represented similar, not are the symbols themselves the same. Basically, did the gnostics grasp the core of Jesus's teaching or not?

I think that the Gospel of Thomas is proof that they did.

[sean_the_iconoclast]

Fair enough, what about more mythological gnostic texts? Do you see them making the same point concerning aquaintance as the canonical gospels and Thomas?

[angellous_evangellous]

Originally Posted by sean_the_iconoclast

Fair enough, what about more mythological gnostic texts? Do you see them making the same point concerning aquaintance as the canonical gospels and Thomas?

Gnostic mythology is a whole different animal from the canon.

Some Angellousian Thoughts on Gnosticism

I've changed my mind about Gnosticism

[EtuMalku]

Gnostics have claimed Paul as their Apostle
The communities to which Paul wrote his letters to were known to be centers of Marcionite Gnosticism
Paul's anti-Gnostic letters are now known to be fakes
Paul was born in Tarsus, a major center for Pagan Mysteries, he also uses the term 'Mysteries' in his letters.
Paul calls himself "Steward of the Mysteries of God" which is a term for a priest in the Pagan Mysteries of Serapis.
Gnostics claim Paul's letters contain encoded secret teachings as he even states there are "two ways at once" to teach the Gospel of Christ (Outer and Inner Mysteries) which he understood as the difference between a historical literal translation of Jesus and the mystical revelation of revealing the "Christ in you"

[sean_the_iconoclast]

Hi EtuMalku. Would you mind giving the references for your assertions above? It would be much appreciated. Thanks.

[EtuMalku]

Much of it comes from my little bean but this info can be found in the Gnostic Gospels of Nag Hammadi. When I get home I will post detailed references to research.

[EtuMalku]

I'm sorry Sean, I said a lot above. Perhaps you could narrow it down to what you would like referenced, all of it is too much for me to go looking up right now.