What I like about gnostic Jesus is the character of Jesus The Man instead of The Christ
When I was young with a schizoprenic parent the whole world seemed crazy. There was only one voice that spoke to me through the confusion. That was the words of Jesus himself when I went to church. It wasn't the stories about him like his crucifixion that were important to me, It was the way he talked and told stories. I thought the whole world was crazy including the church. Didn't understand why they didn't seem at all as pumped for what he was actually saying as I was.
I wanted to find that voice again in life and realized I have the same ability to talk straight to people in a particular fashion. I found that voice again when I found out about the gnostic gospels. I really enjoyed reading the gospel of thomas. It was the first one I read. It reminds me of Socratic dialogues where you witness a conversation instead of hear a story.
The conversation is intense - check some of it out -
"(4) Jesus said: The man aged in his days will not hesitate ask a little child of seven days about the place of life, and he shall live. For there are many first who shall be last, and they shall become a single one." - it makes me think - if we treat a person as a whole human being from the get go - they won't have to go through the split personality our culture is struck with
This is my favorite part of The Gospel Of Thomas -
(22) Jesus saw infants being suckled. He said to his disciples, "These infants being suckled are like those who enter the kingdom."
They said to him, "Shall we then, as children, enter the kingdom?"
Jesus said to them, "When you make the two one, and when you make the inside like the outside and the outside like the inside, and the above like the below, and when you make the male and the female one and the same, so that the male not be male nor the female female; and when you fashion eyes in the place of an eye, and a hand in place of a hand, and a foot in place of a foot, and a likeness in place of a likeness; then will you enter the kingdom."
I understand this way of thinking. We are all the same creature! Jesus speaks gender equality at its finest - way back in the day!! Instead of having a man made concept of a hand, or eye, or foot - actually realise it is your foot! not a concept or idea of a foot but a real foot!!. Ya know what I mean!? It's not just a lump you walk on. You can become more body conscious of all your anatomy. Many of us are alienated from our own anatomy in current culture. It's a real issue.
I like this one as well - (55) Jesus said: "He who shall not hate his father and his mother cannot be my disciple, and (he who does not) hate his brethren and his sisters and take up his cross like me shall not be worthy of me."
some pretty dark awesome stuff right here - (56) Jesus said, "Whoever has come to understand the world has found (only) a corpse, and whoever has found a corpse is superior to the world." Even today in our post modern times we recognize the Zombie Apocalypse!
(58) Jesus said: "Blessed is the man who has suffered; he has found the life." in other words if you've been through some major events, and yes, experienced suffering, you are in a more critical condition to understand the bigger picture so to speak and have empathy.
And he even gives advice for this blog to not give out too many secrets - (62) Jesus said: "I tell my mysteries to those [who are worthy of my] mysteries. What thy right hand shall do, let not thy left hand know what it does."
(67) Jesus said: He who knows the All but fails (to know) him-self lacks everything. - goes with my - culture is what your language looks like on the outside, understand your cultures psychology and become conversant with your own psychology
One I remembered off by heart - "if you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you."
I have thoroughly enjoyed the philosophy of the gospel of Thomas. I have also read some from the Gospel of Judas. That will be another blog! I found another text called Thomas The Contender. I super I like it. A fiery read. I only read this except from wikipedia so far -
Then the savior continued and said, "O unsearchable love of the light! O bitterness of the fire that blazes in the bodies of men and in their marrow, kindling in them night and day, and burning the limbs of men and making their minds become drunk and their souls become deranged... Woe to you, captives, for you are bound in caverns! You laugh! In mad laughter you rejoice! You neither realize your perdition, nor do you reflect on your circumstances, nor have you understood that you dwell in darkness and death! On the contrary, you are drunk with the fire and full of bitterness. Your mind is deranged on account of the burning that is in you, and sweet to you are the poison and the blows of your enemies! And the darkness rose for you like the light, for you surrendered your freedom for servitude! You darkened your hearts and surrendered your thoughts to folly, and you filled your thoughts with the smoke of the fire that is in you! (Book of Thomas the Contender)
Resentment is the only evil, kinda deal, you think!? Harbouring the oppressor is a hollow act and it's real. The fight for our inner peace is real. I'm feeling better already!! Just knowing it. I never wanted to accept the suicide trip our culture is in. The individual reflects the mass. Detox it, certain feelings and modes the culture inplanted that are man made, rat-race-racist based and fake.
And Jesus said "you cannot take the speck from your friends eye if you have a timbre in your own."
Reminds me of how I get puzzled thinking - how come people are not more pumped up! Wheres the juice!? The vitality of life we all have it! No, we can't let the hyeprnomalisation of culture take over, instead take the pledge to be ultra normal. Jesus is an example of an ultra normal. May the fighter sprites win over the psychological gremlins. Well this blog has been great! Happy to get back into the gnostic gospels. It's getting me pumped and inspired to delve into more content! Cheers
Gnostic gospel text sources - http://www.goodnewsinc.net/othbooks/thomas.html
http://gnosis.org/naghamm/gthlamb.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Thomas_the_Contender
