Mystical Spiritualist Church

Gnosticism: From Nag Hammadi to the Gospel of Judas Pt 1 of 2

PART 1:  

In this course, we will take a new look at the history of theology, with Prof. David Bakke. At the heart of the story we will examine is the 1945 discovery of the Nag Hammadi codices. In addition, our video professor will introduce some more recent discoveries, such as the astonishing Gospel of Judas and the Gospel According to Mary, so we may look at Gnostic spirituality and its singular impact on religious history. While fully respectful of traditional Christian beliefs, this course provides a valuable perspective on the development of Western religions and Christian theology.

PART 2:   

In this video discussion class, we’ll discover alternative views about God and Christ that contributed to the early church traditions in the 2^nd and 3^rd centuries as we look at the interactions of Gnosticism, Judaism and Christianity.  We’ll find out who St. Valentine was, look at some of the apocrypha such as the Gospels of Mary Magdalene and of Truth, the Revelations of Peter and Paul, the Secret Books of James and John.  Then we’ll find out who, among the early church fathers, invented “original sin” and how and why the proto-orthodox Roman hierarchy were so set against Gnosticism.  Finally, we’ll find out what happened to gnostic ideas, that still exist today