Do Gnostics believe the God of the Old Testament was the "devil"?

Question

I know, I am just full of questions today. I am Pagan but I practice Universalism as well and I read as much as I can. I have read the Lost Gospel (Acts of Philip and the Gospel Mary) and have read that Jesus believe the God of the Old Testament wasn't the true God. There is an explination, but I don't have enough characters to explain it. I was wondering what people know of the lost gospels. Please save your breath about how its not true, its all the work of Satan ect. My minister had it right when he said being sure what the first step off the path to wisdom. I am truly curious about the actual history of Christianity and study it as I do most faiths in order to help my kids find thier own path. What does everyone know about the Lost Gospels?

I have not read them all and its just all interesting. There are alot of theories about them and I was wondering what other people thought. It wasn't to bash anyone beliefs as much as just curiosity. I have my own intereptations of the gospels. I was wondering what others were.

Answer 1

Gnostics believed that you pretty much become your own savior (Christ gave an example of how to do it in the Bible/Apocryphal writings.) You go through one initiation where you accept the Jesus story as literal fact, one where you accept it as a metaphor, and one where you get in touch with your higher spiritual self (Jesus was sometimes said to be walking around with a "twin"--his higher spiritual self that was visible to others.)

Therefore, you didn't need a church or clergy to control your salvation--you became closer to God through your own path and you basically just needed clergy for, like, initiations. But not for actually communing with "God" or your higher self. Not like in Catholicism, where you have to do confessions and communion through a priest.

Gnosticism was basically a Jewish form of Paganism (yeah, Judaism is kinda Pagan itself...but Christ was a version of the common "Dying/Reborn" God you see in Egypt, Babylon, Greece, lots of places in the Classical world.)

Yeah, I'd agree with the first guy...a lot of Gnosticism is that flesh/the material world is an illusion and you're just trying to get to your higher spiritual self, which kinda makes you your own God/Christ figure.

Read Gnosticism for Dummies, also The Jesus Mysteries.

They explain the concept better than I do.

Answer 2

They feel the god of the OT was the Demiurge, who created this world, and is evil. it's kind of a variation on the idea, the world is Mara. In the Gnostics case, however, it's not just Mara, but is a trap, a prison, and our spirits, our souls are trapped here in the world. The goal of the Gnostics is to find a way out of the trap..or, in other words, they are the plotters trying to plan a prison break.

Up the screws! Immanentize the Eschaton!

Answer 3

The Lost Gospels are mostly Gnostic. If you did read them all, you will be able to tell us if they believed that the God of the Old Testament was the devil...so why ask?

Answer 4

The God of the Old Testament is the God of this world, known specifically as the Demiurge. He created this world and ran it to his decree; he is not the Supreme Being though. Jesus spoke of the Supreme Being as the True God; of course, worshippers of the Demiurge rejected him, and the rest is history...

Answer 5

If I have this right:

Gnostics believed that the God that created the Earth was the evil one, and the God that created the spirit was the good one. So reject the physical world, and live in the spiritual with the good God.

Answer 6

Here's a link for you. These are the Gnostic Scriptures. They are a very interesting read to say the least. Click on the Pistis Sophia.

http://www.sacred-texts.com/gno/index.htm

Answer 7

http://www.jesus-is-lord.com/newage15.txt