http://cosmos-liturgy-sex.com/2006/04/21/gnosticism-on-the-rebound/ Now This Is The Real World! Where Theology and Real Life Meet. Mon, 13 Oct 2008 04:09:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 http://cosmos-liturgy-sex.com/2006/04/21/gnosticism-on-the-rebound/#comment-1247 Steven Cornett Sat, 22 Apr 2006 19:35:39 +0000 http://cosmos-liturgy-sex.com/2006/04/21/gnosticism-on-the-rebound/#comment-1247 Also, don't forget that the literal "dying to escape the material" bit recurs throughout Gnostic practice. It is something that, when you read H.W. Crocker III history "Triumph" about the Cathars, he discusses how this played out in their cult. And the poison fruits of this belief appear in cults today, most notoriously in the "Heaven's Gate" mass suicide. Also, don’t forget that the literal “dying to escape the material” bit recurs throughout Gnostic practice. It is something that, when you read H.W. Crocker III history “Triumph” about the Cathars, he discusses how this played out in their cult. And the poison fruits of this belief appear in cults today, most notoriously in the “Heaven’s Gate” mass suicide.

]]> http://cosmos-liturgy-sex.com/2006/04/21/gnosticism-on-the-rebound/#comment-1236 little gidding Fri, 21 Apr 2006 19:01:59 +0000 http://cosmos-liturgy-sex.com/2006/04/21/gnosticism-on-the-rebound/#comment-1236 Irenaeus makes it clear that his understanding of Jesus and his opposition to the Gnostics was fully shared by the Christian leaders of the immediately previous generation, including Polycarp, for example (who opposed Marcion and Valentinus), and that Polycarp and the Christian leaders of his generation received their teaching directly from the Apostles themselves. Thus, Irenaeus was of only the second generation away from the Apostles, who, according to Irenaeus, already opposed the earliest Gnostic teacher, Simon Magus. The Cainites, however, who developed the Judas-thing, appear not to be so early, but to have arisen only in Irenaeus' time, which, it seems, is why he didn't spend more ink on refuting them. Irenaeus makes it clear that his understanding of Jesus and his opposition to the Gnostics was fully shared by the Christian leaders of the immediately previous generation, including Polycarp, for example (who opposed Marcion and Valentinus), and that Polycarp and the Christian leaders of his generation received their teaching directly from the Apostles themselves. Thus, Irenaeus was of only the second generation away from the Apostles, who, according to Irenaeus, already opposed the earliest Gnostic teacher, Simon Magus. The Cainites, however, who developed the Judas-thing, appear not to be so early, but to have arisen only in Irenaeus’ time, which, it seems, is why he didn’t spend more ink on refuting them.

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