The Gospel to the Hebrews likewise has Jesus speak of my Mother, the Spirit.

[Guest guest]

" A second characterization of the divine Mother describes her as Holy

Spirit. The Apocryphon of John relates how John went out after the

crucifixion with " great grief " and had a mystical vision of the

Trinity. As John was grieving, he says that

 

The [heavens were opened and the whole] creation [which is] under

heaven shone and [the world] trembled. [And I was afraid, and I] saw

in the light . . . a likeness with multiple forms . . . and the

likeness had three forms. [14]

 

To John's question the vision answers: " He said to me, `John, Jo[h]n,

why do you doubt, and why are you afraid? . . . I am the one who [is

with you] always. I [am the Father]; I am the Mother; I am the Son. "

[15]

 

This gnostic description of God — as Father, Mother and Son — may

startle us at first, but on reflection we can recognize it as another

version of the Trinity. The Greek terminology for the Trinity, which

includes the neuter term for spirit (pneuma) virtually requires that

the third " Person " of the Trinity be asexual. But the author of the

Secret Book has in mind the Hebrew term for spirit, ruah, a feminine

word; and so concludes that the feminine " Person " conjoined with the

Father and Son must be the Mother. The Secret Book goes on to

describe the divine Mother:

 

.. . . (She is) . . . the image of the invisible, virginal, perfect

spirit . . . She became the Mother of everything, for she existed

before them all, the mother-father [matropater] . . . [16]

 

The Gospel to the Hebrews likewise has Jesus speak of " my Mother, the

Spirit. " [17] In the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus contrasts his earthly

parents, Mary and Joseph, with his divine Father — the Father of

Truth — and his divine Mother, the Holy Spirit. "

 

(14. Apocryphon of John 1.31-2.9, in nhl 99; 15. Ibid., 2.2-14, in

nhl 99; 16. Ibid., 4.34-5.7, in nhl 101; 17. Gospel to the Hebrews,

cited in Origen, comm. jo. 2.12.) (14. Apocryphon of John 1.31-2.9,

in nhl 99; 15. Ibid., 2.2-14, in nhl 99; 16. Ibid., 4.34-5.7, in nhl

101; 17. Gospel to the Hebrews, cited in Origen, comm. jo. 2.12.)

 

Elaine Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels, 1989, p. 49-50.

Paperback: 224 pages

Publisher: Vintage (September 19, 1989)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0679724532

ISBN-13: 978-0679724537

 

 

Brings up questions of what might have been..., November 24, 2002

By M. Nichols (San Francisco, CA United States)

 

Elaine Pagels is a first-rate religious historian-- currently a

professor at Princeton-- and " The Gnostic Gospels " is her best known

work, examining the contents of " secret " gospels written after the

death of Jesus which were rejected from canonization and therefore

are largely unknown to Bible-reading Christians.

 

What is most interesting to consider is just how different

Christianity might be today if additional writings had been included

in the Bible. One theory as to why they weren't was that early

bishops wanted only gospels written by Jesus's apostles included in

the Bible, although subsequent scholarship has proven that none of

the Gospels' authorship is certain. Among the rejected, the Gospel of

Thomas is probably the best known, and it is fascinating in its non-

literal approach to Christ. Jesus is described as telling his

followers that the Kingdom of God is not a realm (Pagels concludes

that it is closer to an altered state of consciousness) and makes

comments that place him closer in philosophy to the Buddha than to

St. Paul.

 

A lot is covered in just 180 pages -- Pagels gets credit for being

among the least self-indulgent writers around. She lays down the

facts and then lets the reader mull over them. No matter what your

beliefs, you will benefit from reading this book.

 

 

-------------------------

 

Outstanding scholarly work, April 11, 2007

By Gaetan Lion

 

Originally written nearly 30 years ago, this book remains a must-read

on the subject. Elaine Pagels is a renowned scholar with a Harvard

Ph.D. in religion. She directly studied and translated some of the

Nag Hammadi manuscripts in the early seventies. Her related research

represents the foundation of this book. She later became a Princeton

professor. She wrote several seminal books on Christianity. Her

lifelong work has significantly advanced our knowledge of early

Christianity.

 

Each chapter focuses on a specific tenet of Christianity and stresses

the differences between Gnostic and orthodox Christians. While the

orthodox Christians believe in the physical reality of Jesus'

resurrection, the immaculate conception of Jesus, and martyrdom; the

Gnostic Christians interpret the resurrection in a spiritual way (not

a literal one). They also do not believe in the Immaculate

Conception. And, they reject martyrdom as a fanatical practice not

reflecting Jesus' teachings.

 

The Gnostic Christians don't believe in the orthodox Christians'

hierarchy. Gnostic Christians believe each of us has direct access to

God. And, that orthodox bishops and priests represent unwanted

obstacles to this access. Additionally, Gnostic Christians do not

exclude women as the sexes are equal in front of God. They even

revere God as both the Father and the Mother. Also, they don't

consider Mary Magdalene to be a woman of ill repute, but instead an

equal if not a superior to the twelve apostles.

 

For Gnostic Christians, the overarching factor is how much gnosis

(knowledge) a believer has. This also entails wisdom and maturity.

Gnosis is means knowledge based on empirical firsthand experience in

Greek. It entails self-knowledge or " know thyself " a key concept in

Greek philosophy (Aristotle, Plato, Socrates). For Gnostic Christian

this concept is so important that knowing self ultimately leads to

knowing God. Thus, there is no separation between God and the

individual. This underlines the drastic difference between Gnostic

and orthodox Christians. The author mentions that this concept leads

to Gnosticism having a significant influence on modern Existentialism.

 

 

-------------------------------

 

Should be read by anyone who considers him/herself Christian,

December 8, 1998

By jcw (JW) (Princeton, NJ)

 

The Gnostic Gospels is a truly mind-liberating, eye-opening piece of

historical analysis that I would recommend to anyone, especially

those from a " Christian " background. It addresses the fact that our

knowledge of modern Christianity is based on four gospels in the New

Testament that lay the foundations for Christian doctrine, i.e., that

Jesus' resurrection be understood literally, that the Trinity

consists of Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and that one is " originally "

sinful and must accept Jesus as his/her savior. This modern doctrine,

in my opinion, leads to self-denial and an " easy way out " - overly

simply explanations which lead to close-mindedness. In my experience,

mass religion has little value- it is one's personal philosophy and

individual spiritual development that I think is essential for one to

be truly religious and spiritually alive. For this reason the Gnostic

Gospels struck me profoundly. It revealed the fact that these four

Gospels (selected by the orthodox church to institute this religion)

were among SCORES of gospels about Jesus' teachings, some of which

are very likely to be more historically accurate than those found in

the Bible. This alternative philosophy and teaching of Jesus

encourages bringing out one's true self and coming to know oneself in

order to get close to God. It speaks of God as both masculine and

feminine. In a sense it resembles Buddhism. More importantly, I

believe these gnostic texts (which weren't discovered until 1945

in Egypt) contain a truer, more meaningful message that can be

applied to an individual's life. This book has reconciled me with

Christianity, for I agree with - and try to learn from - many of the

Gnostic teachings. Unfortunately, as these teachings encourage one to

ask questions and go one's own way (rather than blindly accepting

what society preaches), it was impossible for the church to

institutionalize Christianity without selecting only certain, " easy

answer " texts which allowed the church to legitimize the Bishops'

authority over people. Above all, Pagels's study demands that we

reconsider our interpretation of history and realize that what we

know of as " Christianity " remains very limited. Anyone even slightly

interested in religion should read The Gnostic Gospels; its

uncommon ability to help us de-provincialize ourselves requires only

one essential tool: an open mind.