### **Gnosticism and the Nag Hammadi Library: A Fundamentalist Faith**
#### **Gnostic Fundamentalism**
Many scholars and modern spiritual seekers attempt to compare Gnostic texts from the *Nag Hammadi Library* with Hinduism or Buddhism. However, such comparisons are artificial constructs. The Gnostic worldview does not promote the idea that all religions contain elements of truth. Instead, Christian Gnosticism arose from a combination of Jewish, Christian, and Greek philosophical traditions, particularly drawing from wisdom literature. Comparisons with the *Old Testament Pseudepigrapha*, the *Dead Sea Scrolls*, the works of *Philo of Alexandria*, the *Corpus Hermeticum*, and Greek philosophy are far more appropriate than attempts to associate Gnosticism with Eastern mysticism.
#### **The Exclusionary Nature of Gnostic Belief**
The *Nag Hammadi Library* presents a Gnostic worldview that is fundamentally exclusive. Unlike universalist religious traditions, Gnosticism emphasizes that knowledge (*gnosis*) is not freely available to all, but only to the initiated who are capable of understanding hidden teachings. This is clearly expressed in the *Gospel of Thomas*:
> "Whoever finds the interpretation of these sayings will not taste death." (*Gospel of Thomas*, NHC II,2)
This statement implies that salvation is not universally accessible but depends on the individual's ability to grasp secret meanings. Gnosticism rejects the notion that multiple religious paths lead to the divine. Instead, the Gnostic tradition asserts that salvation comes only through revealed knowledge, accessible to the few who can truly comprehend it.
Gnostic texts also emphasize the necessity of exclusive commitment to truth, as illustrated in Saying 8 of the *Gospel of Thomas*:
> "The man is like a wise fisherman who cast his net into the sea and drew it up from the sea full of small fish. Among them, the wise fisherman found a fine large fish. He threw all the small fish back into the sea and chose the large fish without difficulty. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear." (*Gospel of Thomas*, Saying 8)
This parable highlights the necessity of discerning true knowledge from falsehood. Those who understand Jesus' words are like the wise fisherman, choosing only what is truly valuable and discarding the rest.
Jesus describes his followers as bearers of divine truth who illuminate the world, much like a city on a hill:
> "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden." (*Gospel of Thomas*, Saying 24, 33)
Furthermore, Jesus emphasizes that only his words reveal the truth, requiring the listener to obey him exclusively:
> "Many times have you desired to hear these words which I am saying to you, and you have no one else to hear them from. There will be days when you will look for me and will not find me." (*Gospel of Thomas*, Saying 38)
This underscores the belief that truth is not scattered across various traditions but is found only in Jesus’ teachings.
In Saying 39, Jesus further critiques religious authorities who withhold knowledge:
> "The Pharisees and the scholars have taken the keys of knowledge and have hidden them. They have not entered, nor have they allowed those who want to enter to do so. As for you, be as sly as snakes and as simple as doves."
This text portrays religious leaders as obstacles to true understanding, suggesting that official institutions cannot be trusted. The rejection of external religious authorities is reinforced in Saying 41:
> "Whoever has something in hand will be given more, and whoever has nothing will be deprived of even the little they have."
Only those who have already received *gnosis* will gain further understanding, while those without it will remain in ignorance.
Moreover, Jesus states that anything not rooted in the Father will ultimately be destroyed:
> "A grapevine has been planted apart from the Father. Since it is not strong, it will be pulled up by its root and will perish." (*Gospel of Thomas*, Saying 40)
This further supports the exclusive nature of Gnostic salvation.
#### **Medieval Gnosticism: The Bogomils and Cathars**
During the medieval period, groups such as the *Bogomils* and *Cathars* revived Gnostic ideas, maintaining their exclusive and fundamentalist nature.
The *Bogomils* (10th–15th century) rejected the material world as the work of an evil creator and opposed mainstream Christian doctrine. Similarly, the *Cathars* (12th–13th century) believed in two gods—one good, one evil—and saw the physical world as fundamentally corrupt. Their *Book of the Two Principles* explicitly condemns the Christian God as a false deity:
> "The God of the Christians, the God of this world, is the Devil." (*Book of the Two Principles*)
Both groups rejected church hierarchy, sacraments, and religious icons, maintaining an uncompromising stance against traditional Christianity.
#### **The Parallels Between Christian Gnosticism and Fundamentalism**
Gnostic movements share significant similarities with religious fundamentalism:
- **Rejection of the Trinity** – Many Gnostic groups did not adhere to Trinitarian doctrine, often distinguishing between the highest God and the lesser creator.
- **Rejection of Idolatry** – Gnosticism opposed the veneration of religious images and relics, viewing them as distractions from true knowledge.
- **Rejection of Sacraments** – Baptism, the Eucharist, and other church sacraments were often dismissed as unnecessary.
- **Rejection of Clergy and Priesthood** – Gnosticism criticized religious authorities, portraying them as deceivers who hinder true understanding.
#### **Jesus’ Teachings as the Path to a Higher Civilization**
Gnosticism teaches that Jesus' words provide the only true escape from ignorance and corruption. His teachings alone overcome the precondition of sin and flawed reasoning. To build a higher civilization, Jesus' spiritual principles must be implemented on a global scale.
> "Christ Jesus is the ONLY way to the Father. Don't be angry, don't be upset; figure this out through the fine tune and see the pattern narrowing down to one."
God created both good and evil, light and darkness, as part of a divine plan. However, Jesus is the singular path to the Father:
> "God KNOWS Jesus is the ONLY way you come INTO the Father's presence. If there were two ways, He would say so. Yet what confusion would there be in two, when we know there is only one?"
Two paths lie before humanity—one leading to life, the other to death. As Jesus himself stated:
> "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it." (*Matthew 7:13*)
#### **Conclusion**
Gnosticism, as preserved in the *Nag Hammadi Library*, is not a universalist faith but a fundamentally exclusive one. It rejects the idea that all religions contain truth and instead asserts that Jesus' teachings alone provide salvation. The medieval *Bogomils* and *Cathars* continued this exclusivist tradition, maintaining a sharp divide between truth and falsehood. This exclusivity aligns Christian Gnosticism with fundamentalist religious movements, which also reject religious pluralism in favor of absolute truth.
Ultimately, Jesus' message is clear: his teachings must be understood, obeyed, and lived out as the only path to God and the only foundation for a higher civilization.
Gnosticism and the Nag Hammadi Library: A Fundamentalist Faith
Gnostic Fundamentalism
The Exclusionary Nature of Gnostic Belief
The Gnostic worldview, as represented in the Nag Hammadi Library, is not one of inclusivity but rather one of exclusivity. In the Gospel of Thomas (NHC II,2), a text that emphasizes personal revelation and knowledge, Jesus states:
"Whoever finds the interpretation of these sayings will not taste death." (Gospel of Thomas, NHC II,2)
This suggests that salvation is not available to everyone equally, but rather to those who can interpret the secret teachings of Jesus. In the same vein, Gnosticism does not see other religions or philosophies as equal paths to the divine. The emphasis is on secret knowledge that is hidden from the masses and only accessible to the initiated.
And he said, "The man is like a wise fisherman who cast his net into the sea and drew it up from the sea full of small fish. Among them the wise fisherman found a fine large fish. He threw all the small fish back into the sea and chose the large fish without difficulty. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear."
if we follow Jesus we are a man of light lighting up the whole world (Saying 24) like a city built on a high mountain (Saying 33
Jesus alone reveals the truth so the listener must obey him and serve him exclusively (Saying 38)
(38) Jesus said, "Many times have you desired to hear these words which I am saying to you, and you have no one else to hear them from. There will be days when you will look for me and will not find me."
no one else has the truth (Saying 39)
Jesus said, "The Pharisees and the scholars have taken the keys of knowledge and have hidden them. They have not entered nor have they allowed those who want to enter to do so. As for you, be as sly as snakes and as simple as doves."
anything outside of the Father will be uprooted (Saying 40)
Jesus said, "A grapevine has been planted apart from the Father. Since it is not strong, it will be pulled up by its root and will perish."
The Pharisees (clergy) have nothing to offer us (Saying 41)
Jesus said, "Whoever has something in hand will be given more, and whoever has nothing will be deprived of even the little they have."
Jesus is the cornerstone (Saying 66)
Jesus said, "Show me the stone that the builders rejected: that is the keystone."
Jesus tells us we must worship the Father (Saying 15 and saying 27)
Medieval Gnosticism: The Bogomils and Cathars
Medieval Gnostic sects like the Bogomils and Cathars mirrored the fundamentalist nature of their earlier counterparts. The Bogomils, who emerged in the 10th century, held a dualistic worldview, seeing the material world as the creation of a false god or demon. They rejected the authority of the Church and traditional Christian teachings, and their teachings were considered heretical by the Catholic Church. Similarly, the Cathars in the 12th and 13th centuries believed in the existence of two gods—one goodthe other evil—and rejected the material world as corrupt and evil. The Cathar Bible, known as the Book of the Two Principles, illustrates this dualistic view:
"The God of the Christians, the God of this world, is the Devil." (Book of the Two Principles)
Just as in earlier Gnosticism, these medieval groups emphasized a strict separation between the divine and the material, making their faith exclusive and fundamentally anti-universalist.
The similarities between Christian Gnosticism and Fundamentalism are significant and substantive
Rejection of the trinity rejection of idols rejection of sacraments the rejection of the clergy and the priesthood
Jesus' teachings is the only way to overcome the precondition of sin, judgmental reasoning, and therefore, is a practical path to a higher civilization in the new millennium.
We must also make Jesus' teachings spiritual principles a global reality. Love is the answer and his teachings are the only way to a higher civilization based on reasoning lovingly.
Christ Jesus is the ONLY way to the Father. Don't be angry, don't be upset; figure this out through the fine tune and see the pattern narrowing down to one.
Christ is NOT divide.
God created both good and evil; light and darkness.
God KNOWS Jesus is the ONLY way you come INTO the Father's presence. If there was two ways, he'd say yet what confusion would there be in two when we know there is only one. Two ways out of this world, one leads to life the other to death. One is the narrow way the other the broadway
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