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Snippets From Stephan Hoeller's Gnostic World,
Part Two
This was the major heading of Hoeller’s chapter on great Gnostic visionaries...and who could blame him. [On my own Gnostic website, on the web page aforementioned, SHELLING THE GNOSTICS NUTS, Gnostic students will not find it hard to discern just how important & holy a person that Valentinus was, and the treasure that his school of gnosticism produced, many of whose tractates are found within THE NAG HAMMADI LIBRARY.]
Valentinus was a disciple of a man who was a student of St. Paul. What Valentinus liked about Paul was that he became an apostle as the result of his own gnosis than by association with Jesus...being “caught up in the third heaven” and learning “things that cannot be told, which man may not utter” (2Cor. 12:2-4)....If he had been elected Pope, it may have led to an “authoritative Gnostic Christianity that could not easily have been
exorcised for centuries” as per Hoeller. (p.114) The fact that circumstances and the increasing flood tide of a regressive pseudo-orthodoxy caused his efforts to fail must be reckoned amongst the greatest tragedies of the history of Christianity....Yet most of his ideas have survived via the sands of the desert of Egypt [the place where the 52 tractates of what would become after 1945 ~ THE NAG HAMMADI LIBRARY.]
Valentinus’s own variation on the Gnostic theme included the single importance that he gives to Sophia, the feminine emanation from the Pleroma [or Fullness]. The myth of Sophia, in particular, with all its richness, is
largely the work of this great man. His “pneumatic equation” is that the system of the world & the system of the human being are both flawed. HUMANS LIVE IN AN ABSURD WORLD THAT CAN BE RENDERED MEANINGFUL ONLY BY GNOSIS. In the Gospel of Philip, a scripture [tractate] out of the school of Valentinus, it states:
“God created man and man created God. So is it in the world. Men make gods and they worship their creations. It would be fitting for [such] gods to worship men." (saying 85)
According to Valentinus, the original author of The Gospel of Truth, Jesus is indeed Savior, but in the sense of the original Greek word, “soter”, which was used by the orthodox & Gnostic Christians alike. “Soter” means ‘healer’ or ‘bestower of health’. From this is derived “soteria” which today is translated ‘salvation’, but originally meant ‘healthiness, deliverance from imperfection’. His premise is that both the world & humanity are sick, and the sickness of both have a common root: IGNORANCE....
The sickness of materialism was called “hyleticism” (worship of matter) by the Gnostics, while the sickness of abstract intellectualism & moralizing was known as “psychism” (worship of the mind & emotional soul). The true role of the facilitators of wholeness in this world, among whom Jesus occupies the place of honor, is to exorcise these sicknesses by bringing knowledge of the “PNEUMA” or spirit to the soul & mind. The obsessive attachment to material & mental things is thus replaced by spiritual freedom; the inauthentic values
give way to the authentic values associated with the spirit. Such is the healing work of Jesus, said Valentinus. (p.117)
[THIS IS SO TRUE!!! Today, as we start the 21st century, the world is becoming more & more technological, while the mind is becoming more & more controlled by those ignorant ones of the New World Order persuasion, so that the spirit is being mightily repressed, (even though temporarily.) What is necessary now is a dismissal of these sick things of hylic~'matter' nature and of mental destruction, to bring back the wholeness of the true spirit in all of us. When this happens en masse, a new age of true enlightenment will again be upon us. Until that time, the darkened clouds of this present order will only create more sickness, perhaps unto TEMPORARY death!]
THE WISDOM OF VALENTINUS: On page 119, the author penned these beautiful words about this beloved man: Philosophical integrity, psychological insight, poetic and artistic exaltation and beauty, mingled with true religious devotion and emotion characterize the contribution of Valentinus and elevate it over most Gnnostic & semi-Gnostic systems & schools.....He was & is a source of inspiration & guidance for persons in every age & clime, a timeless messenger of the mysteries of the soul.
SOME GNOSTIC RELIGIONS
According to Stephan Hoeller, some students of Gnosticism have understood the relative lack of institutions as intentional: since no organization or priesthood but only an individual’s own spirit can confer gnosis, there was no need for Gnostic religious organizations. HOWEVER, the author notes that in mainstream Christendom, salvation is also a matter of the personal relation of the individual to God, YET priesthoods and ecclesiastical organizations abound. Similarly, there is no real incompatibility between gnosis & religious
organizations, as long as these organizations are effectively devoted to gnosis. Certainly many of the early Gnostics did not see the two as incompatible...The author goes on to cite Valentinus as am obvious example, but on page 130 of the text, those that followed him were not as fortunate as Marcus, Apelles, Heracleon (brilliant commentator of scripture) and Nicolas (an ascetic master of inner disciplines) WERE ALL FORCED TO FUNCTION OUTSIDE OF THE MAINSTREAM CHURCH AND INCREASINGLY INCURRED THE ACCUSATION OF HERESY.
[I feel that confinement via organizations do create an impediment for those who have been really seeking and have found inner enlightenment through that very search, which is a far far cry from ordinary (what Hoeller calls the ordinary psychic Christians) so, perforce, there will be this lack of intunement amongst the two groups unless or until the “psychics” learn how to become “pneumatics”; Valentinus was an extraordinary teacher who allowed for this mix to become compatible. UNFORTUNATELY, church authorities came between them when they started branding holy men as HERETICS!!! This is the tragedy of people who “despise what they do not understand” (William Penn) and because of that, I believe Hoeller’s arguments for organization has shown itself to be a type of contradiction in terms. PERHAPS SOMEDAY, when more and more people do not look on the ‘gnosis’ attained by the few as heretical, per se, there will be another chance to reunite the ‘psychics’ with the ‘pneumatics’ so that they all will be more or less in harmony, judging not each other as the Lord Jesus had recommended.]
Since this limited critique has little room to go through the various groups of Gnosticism, I can only recommend that you see Hoeller’s text for the salient ones, i.e. “MANI” starting on page 135 as well as THE CATHARS, which begins on page 146, just to see how Gnostic groups faired throughout history. The following, though, is a focus on MANDEAENISM: THE RELIGION OF THE GREAT ALIEN LIGHT...which being a pre-Christian Gnostic group, has a surprise (at least to me) within its mythology. WITNESS THE BELOW COMMENTS (from pages 130-135 of Hoeller’s test):
'MANDAEANISM' -a pre-Christian Gnostic group called [Subba] by their Contemporary Iraqis, though they call themselves 'MANDAEAN' where the Aramaic word ['manda'] translates into the Greek 'gnosis'....
ANYWAY, in their mythology, the created world is ruled by the Lord of Darkness, 'Ptahil', the offspring of 'Ruha'~ a female being descended from but rebelliously opposed to the Kingdom of Light.
Hoeller goes on to explain that this resembles the archonic form of Sophia Achamoth...where PTAHIL bears all the marks of the "MALIGN DEMIURGE" who himself created invisible worlds filled with dark, demonic beings. He also participated in the creation of the material world and of the PHYSICAL PORTIONS of human beings. [pgs.130-131]
[[ IS NOT THIS INTERESTING?!?
As you well know, Zecharia Sitchin, writing about the Sumerians (in the same land of Iraq), links the Egyptian god, PTAH, to the Sumerian god, Enki (EA). [[He did this in a book called, THE WARS OF GODS & MEN]]
I had always assumed that ENKI = LORD OF DARKNESS, which would link him, logically to the DEMIURGE or a part thereof...which greatly "deduces" to Gnostic 'Sherlocks' one unsettling suggested piece of data: that the Sumerian gods, the ANUNNAKI of the Sitchin writings, were the ones that some of the Gnostics
recognized as the [archons] or ...AS ST. PAUL SAYS IN EPHESIANS 6:12>
'For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the Principalities & Powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness on high."
Hoeller does not make this link as far as I can tell~ since (I believe) he does not take the UFO phenomenon & its ancient roots seriously enough, based on a comment I heard from his mouth, {{he equates chasing after
flying saucers the equivalent to chasing after women, if I heard rightly. [?]}} BUT-I believe that there is a solid link between the two concepts, and this is the first Gnostic book I have read, where the material IRONICALLY for this link is even mentioned...similar to, I might add, to the type of link that is suggestive in my essay entitled: "ELEGANCE UPON THE EARTH". where 'THOTH' becomes the culprit in designing the SERPENT MOUND of Ohio...the same THOTH who is a son of ENKI!!!~and 'LORD OF DARKNESS'!!! This essay may be viewed on Eve Lorgen’s site: http://www.alienlovebite.com AND UNDER THE ESSAYS OF byron lebeau.]]
I would like to end this section of Hoeller’s book with a short but insightful quote about this VALE OF TEARS we all inhabit. (From page 144):
“...Christianity has in a rather Gnostic way recognized this world as a vale of tears, and so have other spiritual traditions, most particularly Buddhism, which has as its cardinal tenet that earthly life equals suffering. Yet most religions eventually SOFTEN THEIR STANCE [my italix] somewhat and make concessions in regard to the darkness of the world. Gnostics, however, would not make such concessions.”
[I think these varied attitudes reflect, in part, why certain key books, like ENOCH I & II, were expunged from the canon of the HOLY ROMAN Constantine CHURCH. Anyone who reads these works surely will see that there are REAL INTERMEDIARY SPIRITS OF DARKNESS (the kind that St. Paul discussed above,) who
REALLY DO interface among human beings in the flesh!!! This attitude created, in my opinion, a warped view of TOTAL REALITY, a warpness which was ensconced by personages like St. Augustine, for instance. This attitude continues to the present day, unfortunately. This may also be the reason why conventional
(‘psychics’ or ordinary souls as per the Gnostics) cannot see beyond their collective noses, and will not make the proper links about what took place in places like “SUMER/IRAQ” 6000 years ago. The writings of Sitchin, as stated before, may be a good place to START...but not END...our journey to the fuller understanding of WHO WE ARE, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHAT IS OUR TRUE DESTINY.]
A WORD ABOUT HELENA P. BLAVATSKY
[I have saved this portion for the end of my critique, since it mirrors just how convoluted the study of true Gnosticism can be. Just like following the personalities in Ufology, their are tricksters in Gnosticism as well. I hope my criticism of Stephen Hoeller in this regard DOES NOT DAMPEN YOUR ENTHUSIASM FOR READING HIS BOOK...for this is not my intent for the serious student of Gnosticism, nor is it meant to cast aspersions upon the author. I merely wish to show how careful we must be in throwing the term “gnostic” about when we apply it to people who may be WOLVES IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING. The below view I am
citing, did not come from my research, but rather from one, Neal Owen Kruse, of whom I will cite a portion of my previously penned essay: SPECIAL NOTE: The book that I am referring to while citing Mr. Kruse is Volume Two of THE UNIVERSAL SEDUCTION by collective author Angelica Tapestra.
“NEW WORLD FREEDOM” ~ Below is simply an excerpt from this essay, just to show the other side of the coin of HPB~ or Blavatsky, of whom Hoeller mentions frequently throughout his Gnostic book, without ANY caveats about her as far as I could ascertain. WITNESS:
FALSE RELIGIONS & AGENDAS vs. THE TRUE SPIRIT
[I was absolutely delighted to see how Mr. Kruse went about separating out false religions & beliefs (usually tied into THE NEW AGE material) without disparaging holy and sacred concepts such as REINCARNATION & certain Christian Gnostic texts (which he does not mention by name;) ....
He cites THEOSOPHY, in particular, as being the root of the NEW AGE MOVEMENT, especially in the form of the THREE B's ~ Madame Helena P. Blavatsky, Annie Besent & Alice Bailey, introducing us to Ascended Masters like Koot Hoomi & Djahl Khul (aka the Tibetan Master) [as in BEWARE OF GREEKS BEARING
GIFTS;] Alice Bailey helped form the Lucis Trust, formerly LUCIFER PUBLISHING COMPANY, founded in 1922, [at the same time, I might add, that TAVISTOCK, the NWO FINISHING SCHOOL was being established in merry old England] where the Lucis Press is a publishing arm for the Uniteed Nations; incidentally, TAVISTOCK was, indeed, the place where George Orwell learned all the things he put in his two classic books, ANIMAL FARM & "1984".] (p.46)
[Is it all JUST COINCIDENCE, or is there something dark going on under the auspices of FALSE LIGHT as the author strongly suggests?!?] Although Kruse does not admit to being a fundamentalist, and does not label all Gnostic groups as anti-Christian (thank God), nor disparages the sacred
concept of REINCARNATION, he is very blunt about "the trinity of the Theosophists" as consisting of Lucifer, Maitraya (a biggy with the NEW AGE crowd) & Sanat Kumara (SATAN) whereas the trinity of true Christians consists of Adonai, Jesus & Archangel Mikeal ~ in the author's [humble] opinion. (pgs.41-43)
[AT THIS POINT IT IS TIME TO REALLY CALL A SPADE A SPADE: Way too often I have read & heard how FUNDAMENTALISTS blast the NEW AGE (as above) but on the other hand, fail miserably to discern the truth about the law of REINCARNATION. (DON'T THEY UNDERSTAND THEIR OWN BIBLE?!?) Mr. Kruse, as if bringing a breath of fresh air and common sense, demonstrates - what I feel - is the proper balance between these two camps of seduction. (How clever Satan is!) If you take the trouble to go to my website, BULLdog lebeau TAKE tooooo, located at: http://hey_223.tripod.com/bulldoglebeautaketooooo and click onto the web page, 'REINCARNATION: A CHRISTIAN REFLECTION UPON' ~ you may be shocked & amazed at the (at least) 22 Biblical references &/or inferences to this very concept of REINCARNATION. LET'S STOP THE FUNDAMENTALIST NON-SENSE, PLEASE! This is an important distinction
which Neal Owen Kruse seems to understand ~ NOT TO THROW THE BABY OUT WITH THE BATHWATER!] Kruse (as well as myself) has major problems with the likes of Maitraya & Sai Baba, the details of which he cites of pages 43-44; [what did Jesus say: BEWARE OF FALSE CHRIST'S!] Interestingly enough (as in BIRDS OF A FEATHER...)
He points out that H.P. Blavatsky (of the THREE B's) utters in her own words ~ which betrays her true allegiance: "It is Satan who is the god of our planet & the only god," and according to Kruse, she states this without any allusive metaphor to its wickedness & depravity. (p.42 while quoting THE SECRET DOCTIRNE {{page 234}}} } He goes on to state that Blavatsky's Satan is Lord of the World & the Ancient of
Days. Bailey's Sanat Kumara is the Lord of the World & the Ancient of Days. Kruse sarcastically adds ~~ PRINCE OF THE WORLD in the New Testament ~ YOU GUESSED IT ~~ SATAN! (pgs.42-42) [Does this come as a shock to some people?
Albert Pike, the Pope of Freemasonry, also declared that their god was Lucifer (SATAN) in a book distributed to higher ranking freemasons, called MORALS & DOGMA. DOUBT IT NOT! As this author indicates throughout his 60 page LETTER, they are ALL BIRDS OF THE SAME FEATHER. Doubt it not!]
On page 46, Mr. Kruse links Blavatsky to Bulwar Lytton, Grandmaster of the Scottish Rites Masonic Order, an Illuminatas, Head of British Intelligence &Viceroy of India. One of the tasks assigned to Blavatsky...aside from initiating the NEW AGE movement ~ was to destroy the underpinnings of Christianity. "The plans for our new global government, otherwise known as the Bush (George Sr.)/Bailey/Besant/Blavatsky/Blair (Tony) NEW WORLD ORDER are employing the very blueprints provided us by the [now FIVE] busy Bs to set up a global religion based on New Age ideals." (p.46)
Again, Mr. Kruse notes very bluntly: "Religions don't cause wars nearly as much as the Illuminati members do - so they can blame it on religion.' (p.47) [If you were to read Eustace Mullins' THE SECRETS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE, these same Illuminati devils have been deceptively involved in divesting unsuspecting American citizens of a good portion of their money since the institution of the FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM. They have bankrolled ALL WARS, religiously based or not since wars are what continues to enhance the wealth of ROTHSCHILD, INC. Doubt it not!]
LASTLY, I was also delighted to see the author focus on the likes of David Icke. On page 50 of his LETTER, he states that although Icke may be an authority on the Reptilian Race agenda, [cf. THE BIGGEST SECRET], it is in this same book that he did not seem to perceive "that a real entity equal to the Jesus legend did in fact exist. Icke's blanket denial of any such figure serves well Theosophy's goal of destroying the faiths in this world that will hold back their dark agenda.
[AMEN! I personally took Icke to task on this very point; cf. Eve Lorgen's website, THE LOVE BITE, at AND click onto byron lebeau's essay: THE MARRING OF THE NAG HAMMADI.] SPECIAL NOTE: I left in the information about Mr. Icke & the New World Order because the roots of the economic base of the New World Order seems to point at the KNIGHT TEMPLARS, who, if you read Hoeller’s book, are also put in a
favorable light in relation to the CATHARS (another Gnostic group who were horribly treated by the 12th century ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.) This is yet another web of Gnostic linking that needs a better airing than what Stephan Hoeller does in his present work, but again, this is NOT TO NEGATE the fine information that came within the first ten chapters of Hoeller’s book.
BACK TO HOELLER’S TEXT: To be fair to the author and to Blavatsky (author of THE SECRET DOCTRINE, which does contain many insights into the possible history of our planet,) I will quote from page 169 of his book, concerning HPB:
She boldly states that Yehovah (Jehovah) is Satan. Elsewhere she states that the universe was fabricated by imperfect spiritual beings. In short, Blavatsky always speaks highly of the Gnostics, and where she can safely do so, she boldly states her agreement with Gnostic teachings. In fact, in some respects she teaches what might be called a slightly covert or muted variety of Gnosticism. [I WONDER IF THIS INCLUDED NOT ALLOWING FOR THE IGNORANCE OF SATAN AS PART OF THE DEMIURGE-DELUSION?!?] C.G. Jung’s statement that Blavatsky’s Theosophy as well as Rudolf Steiner’s Anthropology (a variant of Theosophy) were both pure Gnosticism in Hindu dress contains a large grain of truth. [Steiner wrote an interesting book that addresses many of the things Hoeller alludes to in this present text; and even goes a bit further in his own brand of Gnosticism which you can find in the 1983 reprinting of his original 1913-1914 series of lectures: CHRIST AND THE SPIRITUAL WORLD ~THE SEARCH FOR THE HOLY GRAIL; this
is certainly provocative reading to say the least.
SO WILL THE REAL HPB STAND UP AND DECLARE YOURSELF ONCE AND FOR ALL: ARE YOU WORKING FOR THE DELUSIONAL DEMIURGE or DO YOU REALLY PROFESS YOUR LOVE AND LOYALTY TO THE TRANSCENDENTAL GOD OF UNSPEAKABLE LOVE?!? WHICH IS IT? NO COVERTNESS OR MUTENESS ALLOWED!
YET~~one of her “devoted pupils”~G.R.S. Mead was the one responsible for his labor of love: THE FRAGMENTS OF A FAITH FORGOTTEN, which contains MANY Gnostic nuggets, including, but not limited to THE ACTS OF JOHN, THE ACTS OF THOMAS, and a summary of PISTIS SOPHIA, all insightful ~and all
non-canonical!! So, at best, if we use the analogy of good trees and good fruit, there is much to ponder in the above information, but no one ever promised you that the study of Gnosticism would be A PIECE OF CAKE either!]
The author ends this controversial section with two notes, one about Giovanni Filoramo, and the other about the Gnostic, Carl Gustav Jung. Did the viewer realize that Jung broke with Freud over Gnostic ideas? Hoeller states on page 171: Jung wrote Sigmund Freud in 1912, stating he felt that the Gnostic conception of Sophia was about to reenter Western thought by way of psychoanalysis. This found “little resonance” with Freud’s
thinking. Yet it was a Gnostic inspiration that forced Jung TO GO HIS OWN WAY, and found a psychological school different from Freud. (Jung experienced a series of visions involving a spiritual figure named Philemon, whom he called a Gnostic. [Consult text for the details.] The author goes on to relate how Jung resuscitated much of ancient Gnostic wisdom and expertly applied Gnostic concepts, myths, and images to analytical psychology.
The Italian scholar Filoramo in his HISTORY OF GNOSTICISM [which is highly recommended in Hoeler’s comprehensive Gnostic bibliography, and, I might add, highly recommended by this writer/CRITIC as well,] aptly summarizes Jung’s relation to Gnosticism: (quoted from page 172 of Hoeller’s book): “Jung’s reflections had long been immersed in the thought of ancient Gnostics to such an extent that he considered them the virtual discoverers of ‘depth psychology.’...Inasmuch as it involves research into the ontological self, a cognitive technique that anticipates the modern process of individuation, ancient Gnosis, albeit in its form of universal religion, is a certain sense prefigured, and at the same time helped to clarify the nature of Jungian spiritual therapy.”
This section ends with a note on THE NAG HAMMADI LIBRARY: Stephan Hoeller observes that it contains “...many references to self-knowledge and to the need for wholeness, so that the thesis of the irrelevance of Jungian individuation to Gnostic concerns falls to the ground. On the contrary, with a slight stretch of the imagination, one can envision Jung as a MODERN GNOSTIC MASTER (my italix) who offers contemporary perspectives applicable to the ancient myths and teachings, and who makes his own remarkable contribution to Gnosticism....” [NOTE: The author lists in his bibliography a book he himself wrote about Jung, called, JUNG AND THE LOST GOSPELS, as mentioned in the beginning of this critique.]
ROUNDING OUT THE HOELLER MATERIAL
Toward the end of the book, the author gives a brief description of a Gnostic Church (pgs. 176-177 of text). AFTER ALL, he is a Gnostic Bishop. [I am not affiliated with any Gnostic Church, personally, so I have no comment as to its efficacy, its functions, or purity of intent within the spirit that ensues from the NAG
HAMMADI material.]
The author makes reference to Vedic deities of Hinduism, such as Indra or Prajapati, which have similar qualities to the Gnostic Demiurge. (p.179)
GNOSTICS SIMILAR TO BUDDHISM~ Since the supreme objective of both is LIBERATION, meaning freedom from embodied existence and thereby from all future suffering; they both have a FEMININE PRINCIPLE of wisdom (Sophia & Prajna) who play an important role in each; rules ~ per se ~ become less important in both as one scales the lower rungs of their respective ladders. (p.179-180) [NOTE: My own essay on this aspect of Gnosticism-indeed all analogous spiritual future aspirations- is captured in my essay: THE FORM & THE ESSENCE, which can be found on Eve Lorgen’s website, as noted above.]
Hoeller addresses the difficulty in precisely defining Gnosticism & gnosis. (p.182) The author also emphasizes the importance of both Hans Jonas (THE GNOSTIC RELIGION) and Carl Jung in bringing Gnostic teaching into modern perspective. (pgs. 186-187)
THE FOURTEEN ELEMENTS OF GNOSTICISM are outlined on pages 187 to 189. [The first ten are related to anything Gnostic, while the last four are strictly concerned with CHRIST-CENTERED Gnosticism.]
THE LAST TWO CHAPTERS revolve around Gnostic & anti-Gnostic personalities and philosophical concepts. The BIG THREE heresiologists, i.e. Irenaeus of Lyons, Hippolytus of Rome & Epiphanius of Salamis ALL must be read with “skeptical caution” as per Doctor Hoeller, especially when a polemical intent becomes apparent. [This is the same problem we run into in Ufology (sifting out the difference between science fact & science fiction when it comes to unmasking the subject of unidentified flying objects: Phil Klass comes to mind as a type of Epiphanius, who would stoop to very low heights to show why something that is-IS NOT!!! Anytime a subject threatens the CURRENT-DAY POWER STRUCTURE, these types of individuals can not help but surface from the woodwork, and I am being kind here.]
Recommended personalities, unlike the 'THREE AMIGOS' and the 4th musketeer above-mentioned, would be both Clement of Alexandria as well as Origen of Alexandria ~ writers of far more honorable character than ANY of the cited individuals, [at least in my opinion, being familiar with ALL OF THE ABOVE CHARACTERS.]
Hoeller also thinks that the viewer should be aware of esoteric teachers such as Rudolf Steiner (mentioned before)~~George I. Gurjieff ~~& P.D. Ouspensky. [I personally would recommend the latter, since his book, “TERTIUM ORGANUM” was a philosophical classic, in my opinion; incidentally, Ouspensky broke with
his mentor Gurjieff, but I could never find out exactly why. Just like the dynamics of Freud & Jung, strong-minded individuals tend not to necessarily remain on the same page as the years go on. The same principle holds usually true for ROCK & ROLL BANDS.]
There is a brief but indispensable description of the NAG HAMMADI LIBRARY material [I say indispensable because one should not just undertake its reading without the proper preparation of at least reading three books on the subject first. In Hoeller’s bibliography, three good choices would be (a) Elaine Pegals’ THE GNOSTIC GOSPELS (b) Hans Jonas’ THE GNOSTIC RELIGION & (c) Giobvanni Filoramo’s THE HISTORY OF GNOSTICISM...and of course, the book under discussion; WARTS & ALL, I still consider it a great book which captures the alpha to omega of the ins & outs of this albeit convoluted but very important subject.]
There is an interesting focus on page 208 on how aspects of the supreme Godhead have secretly penetrated the realm of the Demiurge. [In my own writings, I have painted this picture as the Kingdom of God SLOWLY OVERSHADOWING the Kingdom of Man, both in my essays & poems.]
On pages 209-210 the author gives the Gnostic answer to Nihilism, and in the next few pages, shows how it goes further than the negative concept of Existentialism.
EXCELLENT CLOSING COMMENTS:
The first is from page 216, as the author tries to sum up the Gnostic viewpoint:
“Gnostic information is quite different from most other information. It contains myth, visionary insight, psycho-spiritual stimuli, magical processes, and much more. To treat such material as a compendium of data, pure & simple, would be disastrous. The Gnostic tradition in part exists to make this kind
of information assailable to the mind untrained in Gnostic images, realizations, and language. To set oneself above a tradition that has its own strategies, its own way of seeing reality, and its own spiritual practices is
futile & foolish.”
AND LASTLY...ON MEETING A GNOSTIC: from pages 222-223:
“Meeting with a true Gnostic means meeting with a stranger. We may meet such a person indirectly, by way of reading Gnostic scriptures, or directly, by meeting a contemporary Gnostic. In both cases one has met a stranger who communicates strange ideas. [DID NOT YOUR MOTHER ALWAYS WARN YOU ABOUT
STRANGERS?!?] But if we engage in creative interaction with this stranger, the stranger may become a friend on whose insight we can rely when it comes to spiritual matters that elude our grasp.”
OR ARE WE A BIT LIKE ANIMALS ~~WHO ARE SO HABITUATED TO THEIR CONFINEMENT THAT THEY REFUSE TO LEAVE THEIR CAGES ONCE THE DOORS ARE OPENED???
[Unfortunately, only you the viewer can answer that question when you happen upon your next strange encounter with your next possible future friend.] ron9 bulldog2000@netzero.net
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