My Midterm

1a). Explain in depth what Gnosticism is.
1b). Why do you think that it failed and that Christianity succeeded?

Answer:

Gnosticism is not really a form of organized religion but an assembly of various theological systems with its own minor slants. However, all forms of Gnosticism have the same overall goal, which is a quest for a particular kind of knowledge (or Gnosis.) It is the knowledge of a spiritual realm or that of the Divine, in which one can experience and understanding God. For the Gnostics, knowledge comes in two forms, the first being self-knowledge (knowing self and therefore the essence of God) and the second being knowledge of the techniques used for the soul to rise through spiritual realms. In the quest, one attempts to increase one’s own realization beyond the physical realm to that of a higher spiritual realm. Gnostics feel that as the soul moves out of the body, it climbs through several other realms. As it does this the soul becomes sterilized in each realm until it reaches its ultimate home, the highest Divine region.

Gnostics believe that there is a foundation of reality, an unknown, based on a nameless God who never changes, can’t be measured by human vocabulary, and is beyond any description one can provide. Furthermore, Gnostics believe that each soul has essentially the same essence of this God. Gnostics will place a high value on human life (soul.) They strongly believe that a human soul has the ability to break free from the bindings of ignorance about the truth. They feel that one who is still ignorant of the truth can be brought out of ignorance through the assistance of one who is Divine (or a redeemer who has taken on a human form.) It is believed that a Divine one travels downward from the highest spiritual realm to explain to others the previously undisclosed divine information that calls human souls back. Some Gnostics believe that the Divine one can incarnate in different human forms throughout history. Some Gnostics also believe that humans will reincarnate until consciousness of the Divine is realized. Gnostics also believe that the biblical God of the Old Testament is actually a lower god and not this Transcendent God. They assert that this lower god tries to keep one from realizing the true soul by keeping it focused on it as the creator of human life.

In summary, Gnostics theology includes the belief in a Transcendent God (God above gods), a human soul (which is a sub-creation of this Being) trapped in the body, tricked by a lower power (lower god), and thus misses out on understanding its higher nature. Gnosticism then strives to return to the unknown Transcendent God by overcoming the binds that hold the soul back.

As Tim Callahan in his article ("The Triumph of Christianity") writes, there were two possible options for Christianity’s success. One Option was that the Divine itself helped it to flourish. In this view, the rivals were merely thought of as examples of forces of nature or just powers one should regard in the context of life/nature of reality. Exaltation and gesture sacrifices to make to mortal only helped one in regards to matters of state, it did nothing to comfort or help in matters of challenges of life or with issues of illness or even impending death. Thus the Divine nature helped to succeed. The other more realistic option Callahan proposed was that Christianity just ultimately prevailed over it contenders. Callahan asserts that Christianity actually prevailed because of three key factors.

The first was it overwhelming extensive base of attraction. Most of the current religions that flourished during that time were more mysterious, they involved specific rituals of indoctrination, and its core principles were kept secret among its members, thus facilitating a feeling of unique status. The Gnostic view had proposed a transcendent God, bodily victory over physical death, and a careful code of ethics. Only Christianity offered its followers all three, (Jewish ethical code, a transcendent God, and a savior who took mortal form, suffered, died and was resurrected.) Callahan writes that Christianity was able to incorporate attractive aspects of its competitors (mother and child iconography as Mary and Jesus, and Jesus’ birthday coinciding with ancient calendars winter solstice, and incorporation of other Jewish festivals who shared themes with other pagan festivals of spring.)

Second was its wide acceptance of all regardless of ones social status, race or gender. Christianity was able to just out populate it’s rivals, who had deliberate or limiting barriers to membership (since they often included limits on who could participate such as males only, no slaves, or only people of a certain status.) In stark contrast, Christianity accepted all.

Third was its feeling that the Kingdom of God was not too distant but instead close at hand and easy to reach. As such its members saw no reason to revolt against oppression that it felt would be replaced shortly. Even though Christians were thought to be unfaithful because of the refusal to offer monetary sacrifices to the Roman rule, they avoided the fury of their oppressors since they abstained in their participation of the formal Jewish revolts. In time the world didn’t end, however Christian focus changed more toward the importance of the imminent return of their savior. This anticipation of the impending Kingdom provided its followers with a sense of mission and purpose.

In Summary, Christianity had an extensive base of attraction for everyone; it didn’t limit who could be involved and reflected a mission, purpose and hope for its followers. Therefore it succeeded in popularity over that of the Gnostic theology.