I can't say I know a whole lot about these "hidden" gospels, beyond the article you posted from pbs.org. I do however have this to say about them. Consider the "area" or "region" they were discovered in? It was Egypt which is always associated with evil and excess in the Word. As well I believe the specific area they came from was an old garbage dump in Nag Hammadi. In my opinion what was once in the trash heap only deserves to return there to the trash heap. Our canon of Scripture has been set now for centuries and it is the Holy Word of God. I wouldn't spend too much time worrying about or considering the Gnostic Gospels because we have four super solid Gospel accounts of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Keep your focus where it should be on the Bible and leave Egypt's garbage where it belongs. They only come into "play", if you will, if Christians allow themselves to be distorted by them.

Thanks Chris..I didn't know its Egypt that's associated with evil.. I will stick to my wonderful Bible!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnosticism

My understanding is that it is a different gospel and a 'different' Jesus ...
I'd be careful

I will stick to Our Bible, also

In my Sunday Bible study we are in the pastoral letters covering Timothy. Paul writes to Timothy telling him to oppose false teachers. During this time Gnosticism was one of the false teachings they were battling. Our teacher gave us a hand out. Here is what it said about Gnosticism:

The Gnostic Heresy

The Basic Ideas of Gnosticism

The basic problem the Gnostics tried to address was this: “If God is good and made the world, why is there so much suffering and evil around?” This question is something everyone must face. While there is much that can be said about this problem, there are no easy answers. The Gnostics, however, did find an “easy” answer. They simply denied that God made the world! They reasoned that the Creator of the world, the God of the Old Testament to them, was not actually the true God. Rather, He was only a lesser “god” who made a blunder. He made a mistake by creating matter, which they considered basically evil. The “good god,” on the other hand, was not involved in the creation of this world. He was true “spirit” and beyond the reach of mortal men; however, there was a point of contact with some men.
Portions of the “good god” had become trapped in matter, and some men had portions of this spirit nature in them. As a result, they believed that matter was evil, that spirit alone was good, and that some men had this spiritual nature in their souls. Their answer to man’s problem, therefore, was to provide a way for him to escape for the material world in which he was trapped and return to the true god of spirit.
The concept that matter and the body were evil, led to two different emphases. Some would argue that since the body was evil, you should subdue it and not gratify its desires at all (ascetics). Others said the opposite, namely, that since the body was evil, it did not matter what you did with it! Therefore, you could sin as much as you liked because the body was unimportant; it was the soul, the spiritual part, that mattered—and not the body. As we know, you will find the ascetic emphasis mentioned in 1 Timothy 4:3 (“forbid people to marry …and abstain from certain foods”) and the opposite in 2 Timothy 3:4 (“lovers of pleasure”).

Gnostic “Salvation”

The idea of salvation for the Gnostic was escape from the world of matter back to the “good god.” The basic problem was how to bridge the gap between this god and the world. This is where they brought Jesus in. Jesus, they taught, was sent by the “good god” form the world of “spirit” to lead man back to the spiritual world. He did this, however, not by dying for them but by enlightening them and bringing them to the knowledge of their true spiritual nature. Since their emphasis was on knowledge or gnosis in the Greek language, those who held these beliefs were called Gnostics.

Gnostics claimed to bring people to enlightenment through the knowledge they claimed to have about the faulty creation of the world and the “good god.” But there was still one basic problem: if matter were evil, how could Jesus have become incarnate in a body? They had another simple answer for this problem: He did not. What actually happened, they taught, was that Jesus only seemed to have a body when in fact He did not. His body was an illusion. Neither, of course, did He die on the cross! They used another alternative explanation during the period of the early church to explain their beliefs. They asserted that Jesus and Christ were different persons. What happened was that the “Christ spirit” actually possessed or took charge of the human Jesus (they usually said this occurred at His baptism) and deserted Him at the cross. The notion that God loves everyone so there is no accountability persists today. Remember, God is also just and hates sin (no matter what it is), so as Christians we must live responsible lives.

New Testament and Modern Gnostics

We have seen that the Gnostics tended to either completely deny the Incarnation or state that “Jesus” and “Christ” were two different people (entities). Another error that grew out of their teaching is that Jesus was not God. This teaching went hand in hand with their ideas that the “good god” was really inaccessible and would never have considered becoming incarnate in this material world of sin, evil, and sorrow. With their belief system in hand, we must consider the following Biblical emphasis upon the literal incarnation and death of Jesus, His deity (the fact that He is God), and the identification of Jesus as the Christ (Messiah).
1. Declaration of Jesus’ Incarnation and Death. The following Scriptures point to the literal incarnation and death of Jesus. Carefully go to the text and see what God’s Word has to say about these two critical issues: 1 Timothy 3:16; 2:5-6; John 1:14-15; and 19:28-37. In 19:35, John emphasizes what he saw. As you read 1 John 1:1-2; 4:1-3; and 5:6-8 note the mention of the terms water and the blood, which seems to be John’s way of calling attention to both the birth and death of Jesus. His Gospels and letters emphasize Jesus’ humanity and at the same time present His divinity (Colossians 2:9).
2. Identification of “Jesus” with the “Christ.” In 1 John 4:1-3, John make the point very clearly that he viewed Jesus Christ as the incarnate Son of God. John also indicated that denial of this fact is evidence of “another” spirit, not one from God. (Philippians chapter two is another good place to go and see Christ’s willingness to become human in order to redeem humanity.)
3. Emphasis on Jesus’ Deity. The following Scriptures relate the fact of His deity: Colossians 1:15-20; 2:9; John 1:1-2; and Titus 2:13.


Even today we have the same elements of basic Gnostic thought within church circles. There are groups that don’t adhere to the deity of Christ (Jesus was not God); that “Jesus” and “Christ” were separate entities. The Berean textbook referred to a Rosicrucianism group that adhered to some of these Gnostic concepts.

Rosicrucians are a community of Seekers who study and practice the metaphysical laws governing the universe. Rosicrucianism is a philosophical secret society, said to have been founded in late medieval Germany by Christian Rosenkreuz. He believed, "Mysticism teaches cosmic laws and principles by which we are brought into closer consciousness of our divine power. The mystical experience of union with the One imposes upon the mystic a moral obligation — to use this knowledge for the welfare of others. "It holds a doctrine or theology "built on esoteric truths of the ancient past", which, "concealed from the average man, provide insight into nature, the physical universe and the spiritual realm." Rosicrucianism is symbolized by the Rosy (Rose) Cross which is also found in certain rituals beyond "Craft" or "Blue Lodge" Freemasonry.

In summary, the Gnostic heresy should not be something relegated to the first and second century. The spirit behind this teaching has reappeared in one form or another throughout history. It has a certain appeal to man’s reason, pride, and sense of self-sufficiency. While the label of the group may change, the underlying ideas behind the Gnostic error are still apparent in the world around us. Like Timothy and Titus, we must be on guard and not permit them from teaching or harming young believers through the teaching of their false doctrines (1 Timothy 1:3).


I looked in my textbook from my Ancient Christianity class I took in college. I found this side bar interesting:

Valentinus was a second century Egyptian Gnostic teacher who moved to Roam (136-165) to gain greater authority. he may gave authored The Gospel of Truth, a document that shows remarkable parallels to Johns writings. Heracleon was a student of Valentinus, his chief contribution was a full Gnostic commentary on the gospel of John, though only fragments survive in the writings of his severe critics and in quotations in Origen's commentary on John. Valentinus and Heracleon show the welcome reception John's writing has in Gnostic circles. Presumably the raw forms of Gnosticism embraced this gospel not long after it was written.

Sounds to me like John's gospel has some influence on Gnostics

Thanks for this Misred. .I guess I got duped into the book When I saw the title the secret teachings of Jesus and the chapters are titled the secret gospel of John..etc .etc.

It was really far out in some of it and it didn't ring true to me..it confused me and we all know that comes from the enemy..

I am on a healing journey with my Christian councellor and she told me that the spiritual warfare would ramp up because of it because the enemy doesn't want me to be healed..Please pray for my protection. Thank you all so much

I am so grateful for all of you here. God bless my family in Jesus Christ

Below is a definition found in Wikipedi.
The word gnostic comes from the Greek word gnosis, meaning "knowledge", which is often used in Greek philosophy in a manner more consistent with the English "enlightenment". Some scholars continue to maintain traditional dating for the emergence of Gnostic philosophy and religious movements. It is now generally believed that Gnosticism was a Jewish movement which emerged directly in reaction to Christianity. It is now generally believed that Gnosticism was a Jewish movement which emerged directly in reaction to Christianity.The name Christian gnostics came to represent a segment of the Early Christian community that believed that salvation lay not in faith in Christ, but in psychic or pneumatic souls learning to free themselves from the material world via the revelation. According to this tradition, the answers to spiritual questions are to be found within, not without. Some scholars, such as Edward Conze and Elaine Pagels, have suggested that gnosticism blends teachings like those attributed to Jesus Christ with teachings found in Eastern traditions


The documents which comprise the collection of gnostic gospels were not discovered at a single time, but rather as a series of finds. The Nag Hammadi Library was discovered accidentally by two farmers in December 1945 and was named for the area in Egypt where it had been hidden for centuries. Other documents included in what are now known as the gnostic gospels were found at different times and locations, such as the Gospel of Mary, which was recovered in 1896 as part of the Akhmim Codex and published in 1955. Some documents were duplicated in different finds, and others, such as with the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, only one copy is currently known to exist.

So, you see, the gnostic relegion is very deceptive. "Based" on the teachings of Jesus, and Eastern tradition. The gnostics were a reaction to early Christianity. Humans have always wanted and needed God. But, on their own terms. It is ok to be familiar with these, and other belief systems. BUT, don't let them overcome your belief in God!!!


misred, that was a very enlightening post.

We, as Christians, need to be aware of other teachings. Not influenced by them, but, aware!!!

Kathilee, don't feel "duped" by these scriptures. at least you knew enough about the Word of God to know this "secret teachings" weren't right!!!

another thing, did you notice most these books were titled "the gospel of......." the "gospel" is the good news of Jesus!!!

Just a thought!