Books on understanding gnosticism deeper?
>>25639507The Gnostic Bible. A collection of all the existing Gnostic texts across all the various traditions from 1st century Sethians to 12th century Cathars plus a detailed introduction and informative prefaces to all the texts/traditions.It's the essential work
Irenaeus of Lyons - Against the HeresiesThose Gnostics were a naughty bunch
>>25639507I just listened to the literature and history podcast on it to act as an introduction and put in historical context, then started looking at the primary sources.https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-083-gnosticism/
>>25639507Heretical nonsense.
>>25640103As a general rule when it comes to early Christian writers, take anything they say about their opponents with a truckload of salt. These are guys who felt that it was not a crime to slander and lie about your enemies in your polemics if it served the "greater good"
>>25640093Hypothetically speaking lets say this girl came up to you evangelizing Gnosticism to you. Would you then go along with it to be with her.I think I might
>>25640146Only if she had a bit of a strange, ever so slightly unpleasant smell about her, like peas.
>>25639507
>>25640153why peas? they don't even smell that bad anyways
>>25640161depends on a pea. as a pea eater I can quite confidently say that many a pea smells slightly unpleasent.
>>25640146I already like Gnosticism so it's a win win for me
>>25640123The worst is Epiphanius of Salamis. He accuses everyone of weird sexual deviancy and says that Origen denied the faith because the pagans brought in a black guy to rape him. Considered a great Church Father!
>>25640177uhmm interesting, what peas smell the worst and best
>>25640123NTA, but surprisingly now that primary source gnostic texts were discovered in the 20th century we know that Irenaeus was surprisingly fair and non-polemical in his descriptions of gnosticism. The doctrines in the texts are largely as he describes them.
>>25640192sweet peas can be quite stinky.
