Gnostic Jesus
Gnostic writings of Jesus portray him as a heavenly redeemer made less of flesh than of spirit. The emphasis of Jesus' importance is not on his physical humanness but rather, on his ability to show people the way to the kingdom. Jesus put on flesh in order to give people gnosis and reveal to them where they come from and where they will eventually return. When it is time for Jesus to return to his heavenly home, he is crucified and resurrected before he finally ascends. His body's lack of importance in some Gnostic texts gives this series of events a different connotation than other versions of the story more common today. The Gnostic understanding of Jesus gives us better knowledge of what will happen to us when we leave the body and world in which we are currently trapped. This understanding also gives us insights into the realm in which we belong. The lack of concern for the body is also connected with the Gnostic view that anything that happens on this earth or in this realm is irrelevant. I will argue that the issue of flesh is very significant in some Gnostic views of Jesus, citing examples from selected Gnostic texts including, the Gospel of Thomas, the Second Treatise of the Great Seth, Hypostasis of the Archons, t
Jesus strips himself of his "perishable rags" or "dirty clothes" as he ascends back to heaven (Ehrman, 162, 186). All these interpretations of Jesus will reveal to us our own soul's journey. "Introduction to the Nag Hammadi Library. They struck mewith the reed; it was another, Simon, who bore the cross on his shoulder. In the Second Treatise of the Great Seth, Christ's incarnation was into Jesus' body in which he cast out the original occupier (Franzmann, 75). Spirit is good and desirable; matter is evil and detestable. The Hymn of the Pearl tells a story of a young prince who is sent to Egypt by his parents to find a pearl and bring it back to the kingdom. Jesus' purpose while on earth is to reveal to his people the true nature of their being. In Christianity, Christ's resurrection only occurs once. In the biblical account, Christ does not mock his crucifiers but he asks God for forgiveness of the world's sins (Groothuis). "For the Gnostic who abhors matter and seeks release from its grim grip, the physical resurrection of Jesus would be anticlimactic, if not absurd. It is no illusion, but the truth!" (Ehrman, 184). "I visited a bodily dwelling" (Ehrman, 231). To have gnosis is to understand where we come from.
Common topics in this essay:
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Hymn Pearl,
Hyp Arc,
,
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Hypostasis Archons,
Magdalene Christ,
Orthodox Christians,
Treatise Seth,
Mary Christ's,
outer realm,
inner realm,
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christ's resurrection,
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according hypostasis archons,
own soul's journey,
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mary christ's crucifixion,
inner realm spirit,
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Acceptance Essays
