The Modern Gnostic Priesthood
The following is written by Tomas Kindahl
or it is neo-Gnostics (new Gnostics), for example like these guys (Ecclesia Gnostica):
The only surviving paleo-Gnostics are the Mandaeans, they branched from Judaism probably before Jesus. They refer John the Baptist — not Jesus.
The neo-Gnostics are (almost always) Christians that has added some beliefs from what’s considered Valentinian scriptures in the Nag Hammadi library. Among them are a lot of annoying New-Age self-elected prophets. There are many branches among the neo-Gnostics.
There are a lot of pseudo-Gnostics (fake Gnostics) too: the common trait being that they don’t care about the Mandean Scriptures nor the Nag Hammadi scriptures, but instead refer to some self-elected prophet, either Aleister Crowley, or Gurdjieff, or Victor Gomez-Rodrigues (calling himself Samael Aun Weor). They’re not in any way useful.
To be “gnostic” means that you claim to have “secret knowledge;” in other words, knowledge revealed only to you which you are meant to reveal to the world in your own time and your own way.
This is a direct contradiction of ancient Christian belief which says that public revelation - that is, new knowledge revealed by God for all people - ended with the death of the last Apostle, the last person given authority directly by Christ.
Thus, a “gnostic priest” is not a “mystic,” which is a person who studies and lives the depth of the public revelation given to the Church (both in Sacred Tradition and in Scripture), but is simply a person who claims to have knowledge from God that no one else has
These people should be avoided, for the sake of your soul.
To be “gnostic” means that you claim to have “secret knowledge;” in other words, knowledge revealed only to you which you are meant to reveal to the world in your own time and your own way.
This is a direct contradiction of ancient Christian belief which says that public revelation - that is, new knowledge revealed by God for all people - ended with the death of the last Apostle, the last person given authority directly by Christ.
Thus, a “gnostic priest” is not a “mystic,” which is a person who studies and lives the depth of the public revelation given to the Church (both in Sacred Tradition and in Scripture), but is simply a person who claims to have knowledge from God that no one else has
These people should be avoided, for the sake of your soul.
Been to that church several times. They consider themselves to be Gnostic-Catholics, which, to be sure, is a contradiction. They borrow a lot from orthodox Christian liturgies (both Roman or Protestant) and remold them to better fit the Gnostic heresy.
Of course, it’s all anachronistic confusion.
Ancient gnostics had their own liturgical practices and elaborate rituals. And, of course they were basically corruptions of the Christian liturgies of that time.
Gnosticism is not Christianity though, no more than Islam is Christianity.
A very well researched piece of work, informative and has given me something to seriously think about.
ReplyDeletePerhaps a priest role is better defined as a focus for those of Gnostic mind who wish to come together or a priest can act like a teacher but instead of offering interpretation offers direction as to where to find the knowledge.
We all need teachers to some degree.
Valentinian initiates took turns performing the various liturgical tasks ensuring a high degree of participation by the membership. According to Tertullian, "Today one man is bishop and tomorrow another; the person who is a deacon today, tomorrow is a reader; the one who is a priest is a layman tomorrow. For even on the laity they impose the functions of priesthood." ( Tertullian Against the Valentinians 1) He goes on to relate that even women could take the role of bishop, much to his horror.
DeleteLook up epignosis. If your soul are on the road of AO back to God, away from this world creator, would you like to experience how the bigger sacraments are like buss stops on that road that takes you home? When the holy spirits hits you it very often those so in stages... Look at what happend to JC, what he went through... To have somebody that have traveled this road before you would maybe be like having an buss driver. If not you might drive the wrong way in the wilderness. Would you need a priest or a buss driver? The question is not if you need on, but if you can find the right one, and how is done. Most modern priest are not good buss drivers, they simply do not know how. But there are a few good ones out there in the wilderness. Gurdjieff was once asked who are are you. He said if you really want or need to know look at me as john the Baptist, I'm only a witness... The he went on talking about what Christianety really is... And how people have forgotten that in about 2000 years. So now it's Christmas, and what is really that? And what kind of buss stop would that be on the road from A to O. A priest? I don't know 🤔 A buss driver from A to O... Yes thank you 🙏 🙂, as long as he knows the road, and to merely give a impression on it. Happy Christ-mass to all of you 💙+++🙏
ReplyDeleteDo we really need a priest to help us gain enlightenment and the forgiveness of sins from God?
DeleteJesus himself intercedes for us as High Priest, just as was prefigured in Israel’s priesthood. Hebrews 9:24 says: “Christ entered, not into a holy place made with hands, which is a copy of the reality, but into heaven itself, now to appear before the person of God for us.” Thus, the surpassing excellence of Christ’s high priesthood makes obsolete the need for human priests as intercessors. Yet, the services of underpriests are still necessary. In what way?
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