Gnosticism: From Nag Hammadi to the Gospel of Judas

Gnosticism, one of the most fascinating and perplexing phenomena in Western religious history, sparked religious ideologies that competed with many other religions of the time, including the theological thinking that came to define Christianity. And, though the emerging Orthodox Church eventually condemned Gnosticism as heretical, the church formed many of its most central doctrines (such as original sin, the Immaculate Conception, and even the concept of heresy) in response to Gnostic ideas. This fascinating 24-lecture course is a richly detailed guide to the theology, sacred writings, rituals, and outstanding human figures of the Gnostic movements. What we call "Gnosticism" comprised a number of related religious ideologies and movements, all of which sought " gnosis, " or immediate, direct, and intimate knowledge of God. The Gnostics had many scriptures, but unlike the holy texts of other religions, Gnostic scriptures were often modified over time. Gnostic cosmology was extraordinarily intricate and multidimensional, but religious myth was simply a means to the ultimate end of gnosis. Follow Gnostic ideology and its vivid impact on Western thought through the centuries, from its role in early religions and its re-emergence in medieval spirituality to its remarkable traces in modern popular culture, from science fiction novels like Blade Runner to Hollywood films like The Matrix. In delving into the paths of gnosis, you'll discover a compelling, alternative current of religious practice in the West, and reveal Gnostic influence resonating in Western spirituality even in the present day.

All Lectures:
1. Rediscovering Gnosis
2. Who Were the Gnostics?
3. God in Gnostic Myth
4. Gnosticism on Creation, Sin, and Salvation
5. Judas as a Gnostic Tragic Hero
6. Gnostic Bible Stories
7. Gnosticism's Ritual Pathway to God
8. The Feminine in Gnostic Myth
9. The Gospel of Thomas's Cryptic Sayings
10. The Gospel of Thomas on Reunifying the Self
11. Valentinus, Great Preacher of Gnosis
12. God and Creation in Valentinian Myth
13. "Becoming Male" through Valentinian Ritual
14. Valentinian Views on Christian Theology
15. Mary Magdalene as an Apostle of Gnosis
16. Competing Revelations from Christ
17. The Invention of Heresy
18. Making Gnosis Orthodox
19. Gnosticism and Judaism
20. Gnosis without Christ
21. The Mythology of Manichaeism
22. Augustine on Manichaeism and Original Sin
23. Gnostic Traces in Western Religions
24. "Gnosticism" in the Modern Imagination