Gnosticism (Part 1): The Origins of Gnosticism & The Basic Teachings

The only surviving gnostic sect today is that of the Mandaeans, who are not Christians but rather trace their religion back to John the Baptist and earlier prophets. The Mandaeans teach that this world was created by "the ruler of darkness," a demiurge known as Ptahil. The name Ptahil is derived from the ancient Egyptian Ptah, the Egyptian creator deity, and El, the Semitic term for God. Alongside Ptahil are two other quasi-demiurgic figures, Yushamin and Abathur. Ptahil, as the demiurgic creator and power of darkness, stands in contrast to the power of light, the true God. Thus, Mandaeism is a dualistic religion, akin to Zoroastrianism.

Among the Samaritans of the first century, there was a proto-gnostic movement. The major schools of Christian gnosticism trace back to Simon Magus. Simon was a disciple of Dositheos, who was a friend of John the Baptist. Dositheos and Simon were apparently both members of the proto-gnostic sect that developed into Mandaeism on the one side and Christian gnosticism on the other. The proto-gnostic movement seems to have had a schism over the roles of John the Baptist and Jesus. The Mandaeans followed the teachings of John the Baptist and regarded him as a messianic figure, but they regarded Jesus as a "false messiah." The Mandaeans also rejected Moses and the Pentateuch (first five books of the Bible). The Simonians, on the other hand, followed Simon Magus in identifying Jesus as a true prophet and messiah.

It appears that Jesus may have been a disciple of John the Baptist and an initiate within the priesthood of a proto-gnostic movement. Jesus is referred to as a "Nazarene" (nazoraios, ναζωραιος), and the authors of the Synoptic Gospels appear to have made up the town of "Nazareth" in order to explain the title. In Mandaeism, the laity are called mandaiia, "gnostics," while initiates into the priesthood are called naṣuraiia (naṣoreans). This was probably also the case with the proto-gnostic sect that Jesus and Simon Magus belonged to. This makes sense of Epiphanius' (ca. 310-403AD) account in the Panarion, where he mentions a pre-Christian Jewish sect of the "Nasaraeans," who believed in the Hebrew patriarchs but rejected the Pentateuch or Books of Moses (i.e. Genesis, Exodus, Leveticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). Epiphanius draws a clear distinction between the Nasaraeans and the Essenes. Jesus, then, was likely not really from a town called "Nazareth" but rather a practitioner of the "priestly craft" (nașirutha). This term nasorean is etymologically equivalent to the term nazirite in Numbers 6:2, where it refers to a person who has been "set apart" for God or "consecrated." The Greek writers of the New Testament did not understand Aramaic and Hebrew, so they erroneously assumed that the title referred to the town he was from. It is also worth noting that there is no reference to any place called "Nazareth" outside of the Gospels (except references alluding to the Gospels) until several centuries after Christ. Also, the narrative in Matthew and Luke is kind of hard to believe if you assume that modern Nazareth is where Mary and Joseph lived. It just seems a bit unlikely that a pregnant woman would really have walked 90 miles to participate in a public census.

There is a great deal of evidence to suggest that Jesus was a Samaritan. If he was a Samaritan, then he might actually have been a priest within this Samaritan proto-gnostic movement. This would explain why he was identified with the priestly title of "nasorean." If we assume that Christ was actually a Samaritan, his interactions with the Jewish leaders suddenly make much more sense. On the one hand, the Samaritans regarded themselves as the true Jews and regarded the “Jews” as impostors. The antagonism between Jesus and the Jews makes perfect sense, if Jesus was a Samaritan. Keeping that in mind, read the following narrative from the Gospel of John:

“[The Jews] answered and said to Him, ‘Abraham is our father.’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. You do the deeds of your father.’ Then they said to Him, ‘We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God.’ Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.’ Then the Jews answered and said to Him, ‘Do we not say rightly that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?’ Jesus answered, ‘I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.’”(John 8:39-49)

According to the Gospel of John, the Samaritans came to believe that Jesus was the messiah. Although, the same narrative indicates that at least one of the Samaritans thought that Jesus was not a Samaritan. (Cf. John 4) Jesus apparently had a large following among the Samaritans, then he returned to the Jewish community to accusations of being a Samaritan himself. One thing to note in the narrative above is that Jesus denies having a demon, but he doesn’t deny being a Samaritan. Either Jesus was a Samaritan or else he chose to identify with the ideas of the Samaritans.

Additionally, this perspective clarifies a few verses in the Book of Revelation:

“I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan…. those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie…”(Revelation 2:9; 3:9)

Assuming that Jesus was a Samaritan and that early Christianity arose from an esoteric Samaritan heresy, then this passage makes perfect sense. And the saying of Jesus in John 8:44 ties into this: “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar.” Christ was speaking harshly of the Jews because he represented a different movement, a movement that regarded a lot of the Jewish scriptures as being demonically inspired.

Alexander Rivera has an interesting theory that Jesus Christ and Simon Magus were perhaps the same person. He suggests that perhaps the Samaritan woman in the John 4 narrative is actually Helen, the consort of Simon Magus; Simon Magus being identical to Jesus Christ. From this perspective, Jesus Christ is not a name but a title. “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”(Matthew 1:21) Jesus (Joshua, Yahshua) actually means “Jehovah saves” or “Yahweh saves.” Apparently this was a nickname. Interestingly, the name Joshua/Jesus was also a nickname in the Old Testament context. “And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua.”(Numbers 13:16) In turn, “Christ” is not a name either. Christ is a title that means “the anointed one;” it is the translation of the word messiah. Perhaps, then, the Jesus Christ epithet is merely the nickname of Simon (i.e. Jesus/Joshua) along with a religious title (i.e. Christ/Messiah). Jesus certainly can be painted so as to play the part of a Samaritan magician.

It is interesting that the claims that were purportedly made by Simon Magus were nearly identical to those made by Christ. For instance, Simon was purported to be “the great power of God” (η δυναμις του θεου η μεγαλη). (Cf. Acts 8:10) Simon is also said to have claimed to be a messianic figure and an incarnation of God. I won't go too far down this rabbit hole, but it is a possibility worth mentioning.

Simon Magus, at any rate, appears to be the founder of Christian gnosticism, whether he was identical to Jesus Christ, a student of his, or an impostor pretending to be a follower of his. For gnostic Christianity, Simon Magus plays the same role as Paul of Tarsus plays for proto-orthodoxy. The Apostle Paul founded the proto-orthodox church, and Simon Magus built the gnostic movement. It would seem like these two figures would have been at odds with one another, but I don't think there is actually much evidence to suggest that Paul and Simon Magus were enemies. The gnostic Christians seem to have regarded St. Paul as one of their own. Marcion (ca. 85-160AD) was clearly within the gnostic tradition. He draws a distinction between a higher God, the Father of Jesus Christ, and a lower demiurgic creator god, who is worshiped by the Jews. Marcion reportedly learned these gnostic doctrines from a Simonian gnostic named Cerdo. Marcion put together the first biblical canon, excluding the Old Testament and most of the New Testament, but retaining the authentic letters of St. Paul that are included in the New Testament today. So, apparently the gnostics saw no contradiction between St. Paul's teachings and their own.

Simon Magus had several disciples, among which were Satornilus, Carpocrates, and Menander. The teachings of Menander were passed on by his disciples Cerdo and Basilides. Marcion got his gnosticism from Cerdo. Basilides was teaching between 117 and 138AD in Egypt, and he reportedly got his teachings from the Apostle Matthias. He is also reported as a pupil of Menander and a student of St. Peter's disciple Glaucias. Valentinius, arguably the most important gnostic thinker, was a student of Basilides. Valentinius’ students Secondus, Marcus, and Ptolemy espoused gnosticism in its most recognizable and fully-developed form. These gnostic writers boasted of the same sort of apostolic succession or disciplic succession as the proto-orthodox claimed. There's not really much evidence to claim that either side was more or less apostolic in origin.

Marcion seems to have taught a watered-down and philosophically-oriented version of gnosticism that would have been appealing to intellectuals. He simply made the case that the God of the Old Testament was cruel and harsh, whereas the God of the New Testament is loving and merciful. Marcion wrote a book called Antithesis, in which he attempted to demonstrate that the creator god of the Hebrew Bible was antithetical, or contradictory, to the true God of the New Testament.

Simon Magus is traditionally counted as the founder of Christian gnosticism, since most of the well-known forms of Christian gnosticism are based on his teachings. However, Simon Magus was not technically the first Christian gnostic. There were several other contemporaries of the Apostles who were espousing versions of gnosticism. Among these other early gnostics were Cerinthus, Mariamne, and Elchasi. They seem to have espoused a more traditionally Judaic gnosticism. Since these early gnostic teachers do not seem to have been influenced by Simon Magus, it may be the case that they represent a parallel tradition derived directly from the teachings of Christ himself. The followers of Cerinthus, Mariamne, and Elchasi were Ebionite-Gnostics, Jewish-Christian gnostics. They do not seem to be directly connected to the Samaritan movements. Mariamne, who founded the sect of the Naassenes (from naḥash, the Hebrew word for "snake"), was a disciple of James the Just. Many early Christians rejected the Book of Revelation because they regarded it as a forgery penned by Cerinthus. If the Book of Revelation was written by Cerinthus or one of his followers, then it seems that Cerinthus might have been a Simonian, given the allusion to the seven archons of the Hebdomad. (Cf. Revelation 13:1 & 17:9-10) However, it seems more likely that Revelation was written by a Simonian. Mani, the founder of Manichaeism, a very influential syncretic gnostic religion (which resembles Baha’ism in many way), is said to have been raised as an Elchasaite.

These Ebionite-Gnostics seem to have espoused a gnosticism rooted in the Jewish esoteric tradition of Kabbalah. The Jewish esoteric tradition teaches that Ein Sof ("The Infinite") has ten sephirot ("emanations") . The various sephirot are united in the mystical state of da'at ("knowledge"). Likewise, the gnostics held that the Pleroma ("fullness" if the Godhead) had several divine emanations, which they called aeons. An individual can be reunited to the Pleroma by obtaining gnosis ("knowledge"). The gnostics also speak of an "original man" or archetypal Adam, similar to the concept of Adam Kadmon in Kabbalah. It seems likely that the Samaritan esoteric tradition was closely related to the Jewish esoteric tradition anyway.

The Gnostic Teachings

The Christian gnostics within the Simonian tradition taught that the Pleroma or "Fullness" of Godhead had a multitude of emanations, which they call aeons ("eternals"). These aeons represent attributes or qualities of the Godhead. The aeons are represented as syzygys or male-female pairs. The theogony in gnosticism is part of a symbolic system for the practice of ritual magic. The various aeons and their roles are different from one gnostic system to the next. In the Simonian system, Nous (Mind) and Ennoia (Thought) emanate from the Monad, Sige (Silence), and Ennoia is identified with Sophia (Wisdom). In the Valentinian system, Nous emanates from Bythos and Ennoia, who is identified with Sige, and Sophia is a separate aeon from Ennoia and is regarded as the lowest aeon. Secundus, Marcus, and Ptolemy, the students of Valentinius, introduced the distinction between a lower Sophia (Achamoth) and a higher Sophia (Ennoia), reconciling the discrepancies between the Simonian and Valentinian theogonies. The discrepancies between the various schools of gnosticism are largely unimportant insofar as gnostic theogonies are symbolic systems for ritual magic rather than literal genealogical accounts.

In the gnostic mythos, the aeon Sophia attempts to reproduce by emanation without her consort. As a result, she gives birth to a deformed and handicapped bastard child. This child was born blind and dumb. He is said to be androgynous and to have the head of a lion and the body of a serpent. He is called by three names: Samael ("the blind god"), Saklas ("the fool"), and Yaldabaoth ("child, pass through"). This imperfect child of Sophia was the first archon ("ruler"). He is also called the demiurge ("artisan" or "craftsman") because he is the creator of the material universe. This imperfect being, a sort of demigod or lesser god, is the Creator mentioned in Genesis. Thus, the gnostic narrative does not regard the creator god as the highest God. The creator is a lesser entity, who is depicted as fallable and imperfect in all schools of gnosticism, but as positively evil in latter gnostic schools, such as Sethianism.

The demiurge is blind to the existence of the higher aeons, so he regards himself as the supreme God. He says, "There are no other God's before me." The demiurge went on to create the cosmos. He creates the seven archons (rulers) in the heavens. The archons are androgynous. The demiurge created them "through verbal expression." He then created a heaven for each archon. Each of the archons is given a planetary sphere to preside over. The archons then created myriads of gods and angels to serve them in their heavens. The seven planetary spheres, or seven heavens, are referred to as the Hebdomad ("group of seven"). One account lists the archons as Sambathas (Saturn), Yao (Jupiter), Sabaoth (Mars), Adonaios (Sun), Elaios (Mercury), Oraios (Moon), and Astaphaios (Venus). It is worth noting that the Hebraic names are preserved, which shows that gnosticism had Semitic rather than Greek roots. In addition to the seven heavens, corresponding to the planetary spheres known to ancient astronomers, there is the eighth heaven, the realm of the fixed stars. Together, these eight realms and their corresponding archons are referred to as the Ogdoad ("group of eight"). Some gnostic traditions reserve the term "Ogdoad" for the realm of the Pleroma, while others refer to the eighth realm as the dwelling place of the chief archon, Yaldabaoth.

"They maintain, moreover, that the holy Hebdomad is the seven stars which they call planets."―Irenaeus (Against Heresies 1.30.9)

The demiurge went on to create the Earth with the help of the archons. They created the Garden of Eden and the first man and woman, Adam and Eve. The archons forbade Adam and Eve to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge (gnosis). The wise serpent, a type of Christ, convinced the primal couple to disobey the archons. When the archons realized what they had done, they cast Adam and Eve out of paradise and cursed them. The rest of the narrative differs from one account to the other. One account says that a war broke out in the heavens and Sophia cast the seven archons down to Earth. Earlier accounts said that the gospel had previously been preached throughout the seven heavens and that the demiurge and seven archons had already been converted to Gnostic Christianity prior to the Earthly Incarnation of Christ.

Humans are said to be created by the archons, as concerns our material bodies, but also to have a spark of divinity within us that originated in the Pleroma. The human soul was regarded as a divine spark from Ennoia or Sophia. The higher Sophia corresponds to the higher self, and the lower Sophia corresponds to the lower self. The souls are currently trapped in a cycle of reincarnation within the lower realm. This notion of reincarnation or "transmigration of souls" is called metempsychosis. While the human soul passes through various incarnations in this world, the gnostics teach that it picks up "appendages" or demonic/animalistic spirits along the way. These spirits attach to the soul and are the cause of animalistic passions. The soul within us, then, is actually a divine spark with numerous demonic appendages that correspond to animalistic passions. In order to reach gnosis, the soul must be cleared of these demonic appendages left over from prior incarnations. Apparently this was a way of saying that the soul has inherited bad habits and sinful inclinations from prior incarnations in animal form. The soul suffers a sort of karmic punishment in this world until it attains enlightenment, gnosis, and returns to the Pleroma. Ultimately, all souls will be redeemed and reincorporated into the Pleroma, accomplishing the apokatastasis ("universal restoration") of all things.

***It's also worth noting that the Mandaean's, who claim lineage to John the Baptist and have no association with Jesus, most common symbol is the darfash, a cross. Some of the early Christian sects claim that Jesus was not crucified. This view was widespread among gnostics and eventually got incorporated into Islam. If Christianity is rooted in the proto-Mandaean gnostic movment, it could be the case that Jesus was indeed not crucified and that the story of the crucifixion was introduced to explain the cross symbol that was inherited from the earlier movement.