I am refering to books like the Nag Hammadi scrolls and other early Christian writings. Are they still considered heresy or simply not considered important?
2007-03-28 12:44:59 · 4 answers · asked by john_stolworthy 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
While I liked the other answers, I have to add my 2 cents....
First off, NONE of the books of the bible can be proven to have been written by the names on them. What does this mean?
It means that during the Nicene Council meetings back in the 300's CE, the books that were agreed to by the council are nothing more than choices......none of them are any more or less important that items like the Nag Hammadi, Dead Sea Scrolls, or the Gospels of Phillip and Mary. What makes them different is that the ones included in the bible supported what the council wanted people to believe at the time. Nothing more.
Most people don't seem to realize that the Christian faith is based on what a bunch of guys want you to believe, not in true writings, per se. The Nicene Council decided what doctrine to follow, what rules to put in place, and many other things.....including the divinity of Christ himself. Was Jesus just a very gifted man, or was he from God, meaning better than everyone else? They decided that, plain and simple.
Jesus taught us to love one another as ourselves.........to treat each other with respect and dignity........to do for others, not for ourselves. The Nicene Council did away with a good portion of those very teachings........for example, they removed from women the equality that Jesus strived to show to women around him. God forbid, women should have the same rights as men........the Nicene Council ensured women's slavery based upon the teachings they agreed upon during that meeting. This was NOT how it was supposed to be.
Are the Nag Hammadi writings heretic? NO, absolutely not.....no more than any other writings from that era. Someday, people will start thinking for themselves, and realize that the "Church", along with it's religious beliefs, are nothing more than a few men's ideas to control the world.
2007-03-28 13:06:57 · answer #1 · answered by Critter Lady 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
So, what are we to make of the Nag Hammadi library? Should some or all of the scrolls be in the Bible? To put it simply and bluntly - absolutely not! First, the Nag Hammadi scrolls are forgeries. They were not written by whom they claim. The Apostle Philip did not write the gospel of Philip. The Apostle Peter did not write the acts of Peter. The gospel of Thomas was not written by the Apostle Thomas. These scrolls were fraudulently written in their names in order to give them a legitimacy in the early church. Thankfully, the early church fathers were nearly unanimous in recognizing these Gnostic scrolls as fraudulent forgeries that espouse false doctrines about Jesus Christ, salvation, God, and every other crucial Christian truth. There are countless contradictions between the Nag Hammadi library and the Bible.
While the Nag Hammadi library was an exciting find, the only "value" in the Nag Hammadi library is that the scrolls give us insight into what early "heretics" taught and practiced. Recognizing the false doctrine that plagued the early church will help us better to understand it and refute it today.
Recommended Resource: The Canon of Scripture by F.F. Bruce.
2007-03-28 12:55:20 · answer #2 · answered by Silly Girl 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Interesting perhaps from a historical context, but of no spiritual value and no doctrine can be made from them, so - they are NOT considered anything more than "interesting".
2007-03-28 12:50:50 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
Not important and hearsay and fraudulent.
2007-03-28 12:48:53 · answer #4 · answered by Athiests_are_dumb 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋