Palm Tree Garden Banner

Call for Submissions! Submit to our upcoming online Gnostic Library and Print Journal!

An Online Gnostic Community

Gnosticism FAQ:
Some Frequently Asked Questions
for Gnostic Gnewbies

The answers to the following questions reflect the opinions of various Gnostics from various Gnostic traditions. When a quote is given, a reference is supplied when possible. The following answers do not necessarily reflect the opinions of any particular tradition per se. The best way to understand and learn about Gnosticism is to participate in person. Contact information for a number of Gnostic churches and organizations is listed on the Palm Tree Garden Directory.

If you don't find your question answered here, or have more questions, you're welcome to join the Palm Tree Garden forum, a meeting place for Gnostics of all stripes, Modern and Classical, newbies and experienced seekers.

1. How do you pronounce "Gnostic"? "Gnosis"? "Gnosticism"?

The original Greeks would likely have pronounced the "G", but softly, like "gnocchi." These days, it tends to be silent. So, for "Gnostic," say NAWS-tik. "Gnosis" is "NOH-sis." And, "Gnosticism" becomes "NOS-tis-ism."

2. What is Gnosticism?

Gnosticism is a spiritual tradition which focuses on the individual pursuit of gnosis. Gnosis is a salvific knowledge of the self and God that frees us from the ignorance and suffering of this transitory world. This tradition has manifested, historically, in many different religious cultures, most prominently in Judeo-Christianity. Although much of what we know as Gnosticism utilizes what we may call Christian mythology, Gnosticism is as different from Canonical Christianity as Zen Buddhism is from traditional Hinduism.

3. So Gnostics aren't Christians?

Yes and no. Those individuals most people consider "historical Gnostics" lived and practiced within the Roman Empire, especially in and around Alexandria, Egypt and what we now know as Syria. Gnosticism has roots in ancient traditions that predate canonical Christianity by hundreds of years. It came to the forefront as the most prominent "heresy" according to the school of Christianity which would eventually become the mainstream. About two-thirds of the Gnostic scripture which has survived from these communities uses the Christian myth. The rest are either Judaic or sometimes even Pagan. Of course, many of these Gnostics considered themselves devoted followers of Jesus Christ, no different than any other Christian of the time.

4. So what happened to these original Gnostics?

Most of them simply lived their lives according to their beliefs and then died, just like anybody else at the time. Of course, a few hundred years after the establishment of Christianity, there were periods of persecution of Gnostic Christians by people who would become orthodox Christians, and some Church fathers known as "heresiologists," like the most famous, Irenaeus of Lyons, wrote huge volumes about how horrible Gnosticism was. This turned out to be a good thing, because the heresiologists ended up recording a number of Gnostic beliefs that would probably just have died out if they weren't given any attention.

Essentially, though, one set of interpretation of Christian Myth won the war of words and became "mainstream," driving the original Gnostics out of business and underground.

5. You keep saying "Christian Myth." Do Gnostics think that Jesus never really existed?

Some do, some don't. Gnostics tend to find the meanings of the stories more important than whether the stories actually, historically happened. We don't tend to believe that the actual disciples wrote the Gospels attributed to them, either. Our point is that whether or not some guy named Jesus lived and taught in the Levant during the Roman Empire is far less important than what the stories about Jesus mean to us, and how they can help us interact with the world.

6. What are these Gnostic scriptures you keep mentioning? Are they the ones that didn't make it into the Bible?

Well yes, in a way. We tend to think that those books that didn't make it into the New Testament were collected and burned, but that really isn't the case. What actually happened is that a bunch of orthodox Christians got together and decided which books would be in the orthodox New Testament. The other books weren't really collected and destroyed in a massive campaign (some were, but most weren't). What really happened is that they simply fell into disuse. Papyrus was a commodity for a while, so sometimes people would scrape off the old writing so they could reuse the parchment. Sometimes the texts sat on shelves somewhere and, since they weren't used, basically rotted away. Other times they were used as firestarter. After thousands of years, only a few remained, mostly buried in caves or literally on trash heaps.

For what it's worth, many non-Gnostic scriptures also suffered the same fate. And, in many cases, even the Canonical Christians couldn't agree on a Canon. This is why you'll find some Bibles with extra books, or Apocrypha.

7. So some Gnostic scriptures survived?

Absolutely! Many Gnostic texts, like the Pistis Sophia, Apocrypha of John, Gospel of Thomas and the Books of Jeu were discovered by explorers in the Sixteenth to Nineteenth Centuries. The greatest collection of Gnostic scriptures, which you'll likely hear about a lot, was found in a place called Nag Hammadi (pronounced NAHJ HAM-MA-dee), in Egypt, in 1945.

8. Where can I learn more about Gnostic Scripture? Is it available to read?

Yes! And, it can be read online, for free! Most available historical Gnostic scripture is available in the wonderful Gnostic Society Library, which also includes information about the discoveries.

9. What about Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code? Isn't that somehow Gnostic?

Most Modern Gnostics find The Da Vinci Code just what it's intended to be: a good, fictional story. Though Dan Brown does make reference to Gnosticism in the book, his interpretation of Gnosticism is pretty uninformed and way out of context. For more on a Gnostic reaction to The Da Vinci Code, we recommend The Da Vinci Prayerbook by Father Jordan Stratford+, available from Azrael Press in Summer 2006.

10. So Gnostics don't believe that Jesus and Mary Magdalene married and had babies?

No, most don't, though some do. Our point is that it's not terribly important one way or another. It's a myth, and the meaning and value of the myth depends on the individual. For more information on Jesus and Mary Magdalene and whether or not they married, we recommend Magdalene.org, the website of Lesa Bellevie, Magdalene expert extraordinaire.

11. What about Sylvia Browne? She claims to be a Gnostic who teaches Gnostic wisdom.

Most Modern Gnostics tend to disregard Ms. Browne. Although she uses the term "Gnostic" or "Gnosticism," her teachings don't reflect any of those found in traditional Gnosticism, which has nothing to do with contacting the dead or making predictions.

12. I recently found a flyer promoting a Gnostic School/Gnostic Anthropology/Gnostic Association/a Gnostic Center. Should I attend?

We at The Palm Tree Garden recommend being extremely careful with any organization referring to itself as "Gnostic." There are a number of unscrupulous individuals who have glommed onto "Gnosticism" and started "schools" which are far more like cults. One so-called school in particular, that of "Samael Aun Weor," teaches that Gnosticism involves sex magic, and is rather blatantly homophobic. We neither support nor condone the activities of these various organizations, which have little to nothing to do with classical Gnosticism, and warn the interested seeker to research any Gnostic organization very thoroughly before becoming involved (even our own, if so inclined!).

13. Okay, now you've got me freaked out with all this talk of cults. How do I know which Gnostic organizations are worth looking into? How do I find a Gnostic church in my area that won't brainwash me?

Ultimately, that's up to you. However, any of the extant churches or organizations listed in The Palm Tree Garden Gnostic Directory would be a good place to start.

14. I'm interested in Gnosticism, but there are no Gnostic communities in my area. What should I do?

You're welcome to participate in our discussion forum, of course, where we've established an online community for this very reason! You're also welcome, should you feel so inclined, to start a Palm Tree Garden Sodality. PTG Sodalities are self-governing, non-denominational "Gnostic Lay-Circles" which meet regularly in houses or coffeeshops or bars or parks or wherever. The frequency of meetings, activities, and meeting locations, along with all other aspects of administration are completely up to the local group. If you need more information, or would like to start a Sodality of your own, please visit the Sodality thread on the PTG forum.

These questions will be augmented and updated from time to time. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact us via our webform, or register in our forum.

For more great introductory material, see 10 Things Religious Pundits Need To Know About Gnosticism by Father Jordan Stratford+, AJC, and A Brief Introduction to
The Holy Gnostic Eucharist & The Ecclesia Gnostica by Father Troy Pierce+, EG.

Back to our Home Page
SITE RESOURCES
Contact Us
Gnostic Blogs
(The Logosphere)
Library

 
The Palm Tree Garden is an online Gnostic community. As the renascent Gnostic movement grows and expands throughout the world, the Palm Tree Garden will offer those who are unable to meet in person to participate in a Gnostic spiritual community. This site is in its larval stage and will be updated frequently with online/real-life community-building tools for Gnostics. If you would like to participate in The Palm Tree Garden, please visit our forum.
MEETINGS

About | Gnostic Forum | Contact Us