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Revelatory Discourses

Revelatory Discourses. “Secret” Messages from the Realm of the Divine. The One Ineffable Invisible Incorruptible Invisible Everlasting Imperishable.

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Revelatory Discourses

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  1. Revelatory Discourses “Secret” Messages from the Realm of the Divine Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D.

  2. The One Ineffable Invisible Incorruptible Invisible Everlasting Imperishable “… A great invisible Spirit, which no eye of an angel has ever seen, no thought of the heart has ever comprehended, and it was never called by any name” (GJud 47; cf. 1 Cor 2:9) In the Beginning … God 4 Angels Auto-genes Cloud of Light • Uncreated • Infinite • Fullness • Glory • Luminous • Sameness One 12 Aeons 72 24 Myriads of Angels 360 Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D.

  3. The Fall: Wisdom’s Lapse Corruptible Sophia • Desired “to bring forth something like herself, without the consent of the Spirit…. The male did not give approval” (Secret John II:9–10) • Generated imperfect reality • Deficiency (Letter of Peter to Philip 3–4; GJud 39) • Misshapen child (Secret John) • “The Arrogant One” (Letter of Peter to Philip) • Demiurgos who created the material world, including humanity Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D.

  4. The Demiurgos • Starkly negative image • Child of chaos • Collaborates with Saklas (“Fool”) • Face flashes with fire (GJud 51; cf. Secret John II:10) • Defiled with blood (GJud 51; cf. Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit III:56–57) • Evil deed: imprisons divine light of Sophia in mortal bodies • Divine Spirit from Sophia • Transmitted by breathing into humans • Platonists argued that Gnostics gave too negative a portrayal of the Demiurgos (and hence of material world) Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D.

  5. Creation:A Worldof Rulers • Demiurgos, et al., creates world of bureaucracy • Rulers • Angels • Powers • Stars • Cosmos an “abyss,” “perdition” • Material realm at best a faulty mirror of ideal, divine realm (cf. Platonic “Ideas” or “Forms”) Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D.

  6. “The souls of every human generation will die” (GJud 43), but not those of the Elect For the “generation of Seth,” bodies will die, but souls will remain alive “and they will be taken up.” (GJud43) Mortal v. Immortal Souls Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D.

  7. The Problem • Divine transcendence taken to extreme • Yet claim of revelation. Why? • Logical result of radical transcendence would be Divine Silence • Inexplicable; what difference can it make to a radically transcendent God whether any communication takes place? • If the One encompasses all that exists, with whom/what can it “communicate”? • Yet claim of “creation” • Is said to create/generate angelic companions • Impetus for revelation is liberation of Divine spark trapped in human bodies • Is this the beginnings of a theology of grace? • Or is it a Divine Self-Help project? Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D.

  8. The Solution • Divine Revelation to Elect few via Christ • Indirect transmission • Not a message from the One, who is Silent • Christ a lower aeon • Limited understanding of Christ as “savior” • Brings the message of enlightenment and liberation • Content of word is important, not revealer • Identity as fallen particles of spiritual realm • In exile, trapped in material world • Can return to heavenly home (be “redeemed”) if live according to true, spiritual self • “Look to the stars” Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D.

  9. Parallels & Differences Gnosticism & Classical Greek Philosophy Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D.

  10. Plato: True Being & Being True • False knowledge • Transitory, phenomenal world of particulars is misleading • Gives false view of reality because it is imperfect, changing, prone to decay • Cf. Alfred North Whitehead’s “fallacy of misplaced concreteness” • True knowledge • True Being is permanent, unchanging • Object of true knowledge is necessary, essential Being (’Είδος, “Ideas”) • The “One Over Many” argument • However, the typical human being can live totally oblivious to this eternal world of “forms” • Cave allegory Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D.

  11. The Cave: Are You in the Dark? Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D.

  12. Plato’s Cave Allegory Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D.

  13. Plato’s “Philosophy of Salvation” • There are two ruling powers, one set over intelligible world, the other over the visible (Republic VI) • Soul is eternal (not simply immortal) • True home is “above,” world of the intelligibles • One who lives a life of justice, not ruled by passions—i.e., life of philosopher—will return to divine realm (astral spheres) • Possibility of “beatific vision,” transcendent unity, in contemplation of the One Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D.

  14. Reward of the Just Cf. Plato’s Timaeus42b–c: “The one who has lived well [i.e., justly] during his allotted time shall return to dwell in his native star, and shall gain a life that is blessed and congenial; but whoso fails therein shall be changed into woman’s nature at the second birth….” [and it’s all downhill from there, until one of those incarnations manages to live a just life not ruled by passions] Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D.

  15. Stoicism: Life According to Logos • Reason • The universal Logos • All-pervading World Soul • Ethereal matter • Human reason • Our own logos • A spark of the divine Logos • Virtue • Life according to reason • Renunciation of passion (’απαθεια, “apathy”) • Follow fate willingly • Well-known Stoics: • Epictetus of Hierapolis (c. C.E. 55–135) • Marcus Aurelius • Paul of Tarsus Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D.

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