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sophiaserpentiaFrom the Valentinian standpoint, this passage from First Corinthians was of primary importance. My exegesis will compare and contrast the ancient Valentinian view with the hermeneutic of my modern "Renewal Gnosticism."
[I Corinthians 2:4] My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power,
[5] so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.
Paul says here that it is not words or reason that will convince someone that what he is saying is true, but a demonstration of the pneumatic power. IOW, someone has to have the experience of Gnosis for herself. This will be clarified in the coming verses, but the important part here is that Gnosis means direct apprehension of divine presence, and does not stem from "men's wisdom" -- which I read to mean any and all religious teaching.
[6] We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.
A lot of Gnostic "catch-words" actually appear in the Greek form of this passage, so to highlight them I will substitute them in the passage thus:
We do, however, speak a message of Sophia among the initiates [teletoi], but not the Sophia of this aion or of the archons of this aion, who are coming to nothing.
"This aion" refers to the material world, which is ruled by the archons, and in which the "lower" Sophia, sometimes referred to as Sophia Achamoth, is trapped. "Aion" appears to have a second meaning, in that the Gnostics frequently wrote of ascending through the aions by way of initiation -- so that it appears that an "aion" is a level of esoteric initiation.
The Renewal perspective views this as metaphorical -- the lower wisdom or Sophia Achamoth as a metaphor for the attempt of the human mind to apprehend the nature of God, and the upper wisdom, the incorruptible Sophia as the wisdom that comes from having a pneumatic relationship with the divine presence. The pneumatic relationship is aptly named -- being cultivated by yoga-style exercises of breath, posture, and contempltation.
Teletoi, according to Pagels, is a word commonly used by the members of Greek mystery cults. The hint here is that Christianity is also a mystery cult, with an inner circle of initiates to whom a set of protected teachings is shared. To justify the idea of secret teachings in Christianity the Valentinians frequently pointed to verses such as this:
[Matthew 13:11] He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.
[12] Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.
[13] This is why I speak to them in parables: "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
[7] No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.
[8] None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
Here Paul makes it clear that he is refering to esoteric mysteries. Note that the reading of the Greek here does not imply predestination in the familiar sense:
No, we speak of God's Sophia in hidden mystery, which God ordained for our glory before the aions. None of the archons of this aion understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
[9] However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" --
[10] but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
Paul quotes Isaiah to characterize the experience of Gnosis as a direct apprehension of the divine presence that cannot be expressed in words or images.
[11] The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
[12] We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.
[13] This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.
Paul differentiates between "the spirit of the world" (to pneuma tou kosmou) and "the Spirit Who is from God" (to pnuema to ek tou theou). It comes not from human wisdom conveyed in words but is taught directly by the Spirit, in pneumatic truths and pneumatic words. In other words, the Gnosis is conveyed not via words but in other ways -- perhaps a kind of esoteric shaktipat, or directly from Spirit by way of ecstatic revelation.
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[I Corinthians 2:4] My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power,
[5] so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.
Paul says here that it is not words or reason that will convince someone that what he is saying is true, but a demonstration of the pneumatic power. IOW, someone has to have the experience of Gnosis for herself. This will be clarified in the coming verses, but the important part here is that Gnosis means direct apprehension of divine presence, and does not stem from "men's wisdom" -- which I read to mean any and all religious teaching.
[6] We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.
A lot of Gnostic "catch-words" actually appear in the Greek form of this passage, so to highlight them I will substitute them in the passage thus:
We do, however, speak a message of Sophia among the initiates [teletoi], but not the Sophia of this aion or of the archons of this aion, who are coming to nothing.
"This aion" refers to the material world, which is ruled by the archons, and in which the "lower" Sophia, sometimes referred to as Sophia Achamoth, is trapped. "Aion" appears to have a second meaning, in that the Gnostics frequently wrote of ascending through the aions by way of initiation -- so that it appears that an "aion" is a level of esoteric initiation.
The Renewal perspective views this as metaphorical -- the lower wisdom or Sophia Achamoth as a metaphor for the attempt of the human mind to apprehend the nature of God, and the upper wisdom, the incorruptible Sophia as the wisdom that comes from having a pneumatic relationship with the divine presence. The pneumatic relationship is aptly named -- being cultivated by yoga-style exercises of breath, posture, and contempltation.
Teletoi, according to Pagels, is a word commonly used by the members of Greek mystery cults. The hint here is that Christianity is also a mystery cult, with an inner circle of initiates to whom a set of protected teachings is shared. To justify the idea of secret teachings in Christianity the Valentinians frequently pointed to verses such as this:
[Matthew 13:11] He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.
[12] Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.
[13] This is why I speak to them in parables: "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
[7] No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.
[8] None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
Here Paul makes it clear that he is refering to esoteric mysteries. Note that the reading of the Greek here does not imply predestination in the familiar sense:
No, we speak of God's Sophia in hidden mystery, which God ordained for our glory before the aions. None of the archons of this aion understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
[9] However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" --
[10] but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
Paul quotes Isaiah to characterize the experience of Gnosis as a direct apprehension of the divine presence that cannot be expressed in words or images.
[11] The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
[12] We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.
[13] This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.
Paul differentiates between "the spirit of the world" (to pneuma tou kosmou) and "the Spirit Who is from God" (to pnuema to ek tou theou). It comes not from human wisdom conveyed in words but is taught directly by the Spirit, in pneumatic truths and pneumatic words. In other words, the Gnosis is conveyed not via words but in other ways -- perhaps a kind of esoteric shaktipat, or directly from Spirit by way of ecstatic revelation.
crossposting to
cp_circle and crossposting to my journal
