"Watch and pray that you may not be born in the flesh, but that you may leave the bitter bondage of this life." (Book of Thomas the Contender)
"When you see your likeness, you are happy. But when you see your images that came into being before and that neither die nor become visible, how much you will bear!" (Gospel of Thomas)
In the Book of Thomas the Contender, Jesus tells the disciple Thomas that after death those who were once believers but have remained attached to things of "transitory beauty" will be consumed "in their concern about life" and will be "brought back to the visible realm".
In the Secret Book of John, reincarnation is placed at the heart of its discussion of the salvation of souls. The book was written by 185 AD at the latest. Here is the Secret Book of John's perspective on reincarnation:
All people have drunk the water of forgetfulness and exist in a state of ignorance. Some are able to overcome ignorance through the Spirit of life that descends upon them. These souls "will be saved and will become perfect," that is, escape the round of rebirth. John asks Jesus what will happen to those who do not attain salvation. They are hurled down "into forgetfulness" and thrown into "prison", the Gnostic code word for new body. The only way for these souls to escape, says Jesus, is to emerge from forgetfulness and acquire knowledge. A soul in this situation can do so by finding a teacher or savior who has the strength to lead her home. "This soul needs to follow another soul in whom the Spirit of life dwells, because she is saved through the Spirit. Then she will never be thrust into flesh again." (Secret Book of John)
Another Gnostic text, Pistis Sophia, outlines an elaborate system of reward and punishment that includes reincarnation. The text explains differences in fate as the effects of past-life actions. A "man who curses" is given a body that will be continually "troubled in heart". A "man who slanders" receives a body that will be "oppressed". A thief receives a "lame, crooked and blind body". A "proud" and "scornful" man receives "a lame and ugly body" that "everyone continually despises." Thus earth, as well as hell, becomes the place of punishment.
According to Pistis Sophia, some souls do experience hell as a shadowy place of torture where they go after death. But after passing through this hell, the souls return for further experiences on earth. Only a few extremely wicked souls are not allowed to reincarnate. These are cast into "outer darkness" until the time when they are destined to be "destroyed and dissolved".
2006-09-08 23:08:12 · 6 answers · asked by starrynight1 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I am not trying to convert or offend, just to understand.
2006-09-08 23:09:20 · update #1
The primary reason why these writings are not in our bible is because they are not apostolic. That is that they are not written by the person who actually witnessed the events they wrote about. The rest of our New Testament is apostolic, every book written by an eyewitness.
This is why we pay little attention to all these other writings.
2006-09-08 23:41:17 · answer #1 · answered by Tom C 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No offence,but this is not 'just a question'... there are too many issues,and questions here, that would surely run anyone into trouble to answer. Pls trim off whatever is not yet needed , then ask just 1 question at a time....
If we not careful, we get into a Gnostic attitude eventually, and no one is the better for starting an intellectual contest about God.
2006-09-08 23:23:41 · answer #2 · answered by thru a glass darkly 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
False Gospels, that contradict the Bible, tis the reason they were not included into the canon
2006-09-08 23:17:11 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jesus is chatting with the church in Philadelphia. traditionally and in accordance to the context of this passage, the Christians in Philadelphia have been being prosecuted by making use of Jews in the section, "people who're of the synagogue of devil." besides the fact that, this is clarified that those people who have been persecuting them weren't actual Jews, yet they "declare[ed] to be Jews, although they don't seem to be, yet are liars." The message to trendy day Christians is one in each of Jesus' promise to guard His human beings in the midst of prosecution. someplace else in this financial ruin, Philadelphia is describe as being a church with "little capability" yet Jesus' promise is to make people who're after them "crumple at [their] ft," and subsequently additionally coach the affection of Christ in direction of His church.
2016-10-14 12:12:15 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hmmmmmmmm.......your Bible must be different than mine. Therefore not really a Bible at all.
2006-09-08 23:20:47 · answer #5 · answered by mike j 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
too much to read
2006-09-08 23:21:24 · answer #6 · answered by Mustafa 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋