Gnosticism - The Apocryphon of John - The Fall of Sophia and Origins of the Demiurge Ialdabaoth

Gnosticism has produced some of the richest and most difficult spiritual texts of the ancient world. With the discovery of the Nag Hammadi library one is confronted with numerous, often obscure and difficult texts - where to begin? This episode of Esoterica argues that the best first text is the Apocryphon / Secret Writing of John, a text found two recensions (long and short) in four manuscripts from antiquity. Here we introduce, summarize and discuss this amazing gnostic text.
Recommended Readings:
Meyer - The Nag Hammadi Scriptures - 978-0061626005
Robinson - The Nag Hammadi Library - 978-0060669355
Davies - The Secret Book of John - 978-1594730825
King - The Secret Revelation of John - 978-0674030558
van den Broek - Gnostic Religion in Antiquity - 978-1107514799
Lambdin - Introduction to Sahidic Coptic - 978-0865540484
Williams - Rethinking "Gnosticism": An Argument for Dismantling a Dubious Category - 978-0691005423
#gnosticism #gnostic #apocryphon

Пікірлер: 868

  • @TheEsotericaChannel
    @TheEsotericaChannel3 жыл бұрын

    Make Sure to Subscribe & Consider supporting Esoterica by becoming a monthly Patron - www.patreon.com/esotericachannel or a one time donation - www.paypal.me/esotericachannel Your support is profoundly appreciated!

  • @27.vs.Entertainment

    @27.vs.Entertainment

    3 жыл бұрын

    I love your works and your videos. We all appreciate it very much. Completely unrelated question I have though, what is the thumbnail icon for the channel?

  • @TheEsotericaChannel

    @TheEsotericaChannel

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@27.vs.Entertainment Thanks so much - The symbol of the channel is a Maya glyph of a hand grasping a fish with the phonetic value being "Tzak," meaning "to conjure a mystical vision." The hand grasping the fish is also keen, the slippery fish isn't easily held so the grasp is always-already slipping away pointing to the concrete (grasping) and the illusive (the slipping away) aspect of mystical experiences. It's one of the most beautiful expressions for mysticism/gnosis I know of in any language.

  • @ianszekely1052

    @ianszekely1052

    2 жыл бұрын

    If you are threatening me , when you die , we are gonna have such fun . 😡 I’ll be waiting UnJust in . Remember who I am ? The oRiGinal Boogeyman 🤨 I hope your on my side or your gonna wish you never existed

  • @biteofanubis3696

    @biteofanubis3696

    2 жыл бұрын

    Is this the same book that was taking out of the bible if so I can see why this information is groundbreaking

  • @biteofanubis3696

    @biteofanubis3696

    2 жыл бұрын

    I do not know if this is true this is a little bit of conspiracy theory don't virtually hit me"!!! It's said that high ranking freemasons practice what is called duelism/gnosticism and not the dualistic Chinese philosophical thought. Apparently they believe in not only Lucifer but Adonai and if I remember their so called great work is combining through actions Lucifer and Adonai to achieve synthesis a creation of a new. Talking about gnosticism do you know anything about this?

  • @benotafraidpod
    @benotafraidpod3 жыл бұрын

    "Congratulations, the cursed flesh vessel is in fact escapable!" A refreshing aspect of the "usual" gnostic teachings. The plot thickens! I must add koptic to the list of languages to learn. Sigh. This is how you turn into a hissing librarian cryptid, isn't it? ꙮ

  • @TheEsotericaChannel

    @TheEsotericaChannel

    3 жыл бұрын

    ;) It's when you start obsessing about dialects - "The text is Sahidic but betrays many Subakhmimic qualities!" At that point, there is no escape - the condition is terminal!

  • @hparcturians5373

    @hparcturians5373

    2 жыл бұрын

    Made me LOL

  • @busterbiloxi3833

    @busterbiloxi3833

    Жыл бұрын

    The word you are looking for is "Coptic".

  • @Nerdicaful

    @Nerdicaful

    8 ай бұрын

    @@TheEsotericaChannel This is some shit I would do. As if I don't already do it with other academic subjects.

  • @SpecialAgent-zn1vv

    @SpecialAgent-zn1vv

    3 ай бұрын

    Sssssss **Hissing in librarian cryptid

  • @naranara1690
    @naranara16907 ай бұрын

    Hearing this after 6 years of catholic school, and a life in proximity of traditional Christianity (Cath, Prot, Bapt), is extremely sobering. I am grateful to have heard it.

  • @fugithegreat
    @fugithegreat10 ай бұрын

    This reading of the Garden of Eden makes sooo much more sense. Even back when I was a believing Christian, I couldn't reconcile that a loving God would command someone to remain ignorant and then punish them and banish them when they chose knowledge (not to mention the inherent misogyny that goes along with the story). Eden as a beautiful prison that they must escape by embracing knowledge makes infinitely more sense.

  • @eprd313

    @eprd313

    7 ай бұрын

    Plus the fact that it was the knowledge of good and evil, meaning they couldn't have known that the serpent was evil for saying something contrary to god or that disobeying was wrong

  • @Ursichan

    @Ursichan

    7 ай бұрын

    By that reading and logic, you could say it is allegory for mankind escaping the shackles of organized religion. I love it!!

  • @arkonafan5690

    @arkonafan5690

    6 ай бұрын

    Can’t know good and evil without committing some kind of evil. So it could be that there was nothing different about that tree than any other there, other than God said not to eat of it. So by disobeying God you sin and therefore have a contrast between good and evil. It’s a choice to know and they chose to know.

  • @AaronSilver-Pell

    @AaronSilver-Pell

    6 ай бұрын

    The most correct interpretation of the text is that people spend all their time moralizing and become threats to others through that. Instead they should just eat from the tree of life (pursue immortality). This world is the opposite of the garden of eden wherein every choice is a bad one except pursuing immortality. The first story refers to the importance of working hard at that goal.

  • @MamaNation711

    @MamaNation711

    6 ай бұрын

    I’ve always had a Connection to God, I have felt his presence and light&love my whole life… I’ve also always believed in Jesus but I couldn’t believe the Bible… This is exactly how I’ve felt, that this world was run by a lesser Evil God and he was not Christs father. I believe this evil god is Yahweh the Jewish god that they worship

  • @CountesssBathory
    @CountesssBathory3 жыл бұрын

    I am absolutely flabbergasted by the amount of knowledge you share in this video. Definitely going to be watching your other videos and rewatching them to study.

  • @jamesboaz4787

    @jamesboaz4787

    2 жыл бұрын

    All your flabbers have bin gasted?

  • @jimaforwood743

    @jimaforwood743

    2 жыл бұрын

    😝

  • @frankmccann29

    @frankmccann29

    Жыл бұрын

    I know. Hee IS thorough and complete without being boring. Reminds me of a mentor in school

  • @LethalOwl
    @LethalOwl2 жыл бұрын

    Since I was very young (I’m still "young" at 27), I’ve always thought the God of the OT and NT just couldn’t be the same. They were way too different, I could never make sense of it. Gnostic texts is making so much more sense, answering so many questions. Thanks for covering this topic.

  • @lorenzoc.b.9809

    @lorenzoc.b.9809

    2 жыл бұрын

    Maybe you need to approach the OT without prejudice, otherwise you would end rejecting both Testaments and calling Jesus a liar.

  • @shoyupacket5572

    @shoyupacket5572

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@damariowilson2350 what error? the real error i see is people believing in a foundation that is directly responsible for the crucifixion and hijacking of Christianity. the modern bible is utterly false and purposely edited in a very specific way. don't forget why your text is still around, it's because the Romans exterminated any other variation of Christianity with extreme violence, how ironic.

  • @kilowhiskeyalpha6078

    @kilowhiskeyalpha6078

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@shoyupacket5572 ironic in the sense that the god of the Romans (i.e) Jupiter, Zeus, Sol Invictus, is the same god as of the old testament.

  • @shoyupacket5572

    @shoyupacket5572

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@kilowhiskeyalpha6078 say something relevant because if you wanna talk about how christianity is just paganism i already know more than you

  • @krouser24

    @krouser24

    2 жыл бұрын

    ​@@lorenzoc.b.9809 It is not necessarily prejudice..millions of people are reading the old testament and are horrified God is an advocate of slavery, rape, murder, human sacrifice etc there are so many texts that just does not make any sense of an all loving creator. This actually leads many people to abandon christianity completely. However, if you read gnostic Christianity then it makes more sense because the god of the OT is actually evil and is a fallen being/deity named Yaldaboath/Saklas who falls from the Realm of Light and believes he is the one true God but he is actually created from the real God known as the divine spirit from the realm of light. The OT god Saklas is an imperfect being that created an imperfect universe with death and suffering and is extremely jealous and vengeful and imprisons humanity within human bodies by trapping their souls in there and erases their minds that they are actually part of the the divine spirit and have a spark of divinity within them. It is Jesus that comes from the realm of light as an illuminator to teach humanity and free their minds from Saklas enslavement and remind them that to escape this fake world they have to embrace knowledge of the truth that they are actually part of the divine spirit and can return there only if they remember who they are and they can be free and live once again in the realm of light and not under the evil creator gods world on earth which is essentially hell with disease, death, and suffering and injustice. Many christians saw this blatant evil in the old testament and came to the conclusion that being is evil and cannot be worshipped and isn't the true God who is just and all loving..which is how gnostic christianity came about. There is much more to this story but these are some broad strokes..if you want to know more look up the gospel of Judas, the secret gospel of John, the gospel of Thomas and the apocalypse of Adam to name a few..if you are into pop culture the movie "the Matrix" is based upon Gnostic christianity..Neo is supposed to be Christ and is there to free humanity from a world of illusion where their minds and souls are being enslaved

  • @grittykitty50
    @grittykitty50 Жыл бұрын

    Dr. Sledge, your gentle humor makes these complex subjects much more accessible.

  • @rubenangeliqueholguinlopez5819
    @rubenangeliqueholguinlopez58192 жыл бұрын

    I'm a truck driver and listened to the Apocryphon of John and was fascinated could this text have influenced Marcion/Justin's replacement theology? Seems time-lines sort of line up.I Love this channel Thank You Dr Sledge for all You do Baruj Hashem!!!

  • @damenwhelan3236

    @damenwhelan3236

    2 ай бұрын

    Yes!!! It did

  • @Skibbityboo0580

    @Skibbityboo0580

    2 ай бұрын

    Hello fellow truck driver interested in theology!

  • @Aresftfun
    @Aresftfun3 жыл бұрын

    "So let's turn to the question of how to date the Apocryphon of John..." me: 😍👀😍

  • @graxjpg
    @graxjpg3 жыл бұрын

    The hermetic and Gnostic influences on my own Christianity is something I tend to have difficulty in relating to others with a more traditional American faith. The esoteric aspects of my beliefs are quite easy to relate to people who have no faith, however.

  • @bluellamaslearnbeyondthele2456

    @bluellamaslearnbeyondthele2456

    3 жыл бұрын

    Sad.

  • @TheRoyalBavarian

    @TheRoyalBavarian

    2 жыл бұрын

    So now. Tell me again just what it is you have faith in and just where this faith resides ?

  • @graxjpg

    @graxjpg

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@TheRoyalBavarian I can’t tell you “again”, you have a pretentious way of writing.

  • @ismayonnaiseaninstrument8700

    @ismayonnaiseaninstrument8700

    Жыл бұрын

    I think I get it. I had Catholicism shoved down my throat as a kid, stumbled through agnosticism as a teen, wandered into Hermetism, Buddhism, and New Age Christianity as a budding adult. Now that I’m learning from Gnosticism, I feel my framework’s becoming more complete. I doubt I’ll achieve gnosis in this life, but I’m further along than I used to be, and that’s pretty satisfying.

  • @royeckhardt9016

    @royeckhardt9016

    11 ай бұрын

    Sorry to necro a comment two years later, but I am curious as to how you find it easier to relate to people who have no faith. Is it simply by virtue of the more popular sects of Christianity being unfriendly to those views, or are you somehow finding common ground with us atheists?

  • @L3onking
    @L3onking2 жыл бұрын

    This reminds me of a storyline from the Mahabharata, Jesus and Shiva are parallels. It's beautiful that we all share the same stories all the more reason to unite in harmony.

  • @Soemrjruur

    @Soemrjruur

    2 жыл бұрын

    just pointing out this is a very not standard story of Jesus.. similarities can be found in interpretation, creativity is boundless.. we are forced to read everything with the same concepts so stories about similar topics which are parallel, well, the parallels can be taken too far. And risk subordinating one form of knowledge to the other. As you learn from studying the thousands of equally profound cosmologies and philosophies of the world: each is a unique account of being (ontology) but we can only understand these texts (unfortunately as we do not have direct lineage teachers) through a sort of collective epistemology where all religions are forced to exist with one another historically. There’s also the common notions which were borne from historically Orientalist or simply wide-ranging comparative studies of the Vedas and Buddhist texts alongside the Avesta and Talmud. Drawing links between Noah and Manu, and then some two legendary warriors (it can be any but also I don’t know this part so well) to prove that there was a sort of Theo-political and juridical necessity motivating the establishment of a brotherly link between the priest and the king, which is shown from Thai Buddhist ideas of the monarch as carkavartin (supreme monarch) and bodhisattva (supreme renouncer) to the similar Zoroastrian concepts of the priest-magician and warrior-king as brothers, certain scholars posit some conceptual link. (This figure also considered by some to be the shadow from which the rabbi inherits their magical powers, specifically from the Zoroastrian magush or fire priest). So Jesus could be considered to inherit his salvation powers from Shiva, through a much less direct conceptual route. However this would ignore the ways in which other societies and cultures mediated and indeed transformed and represented in their own indigenous stories reflections of the dialectic of Shiva. Zoroastrianism as it evolved could be a good example of such a mediating agency. However, I would suggest that there is also a void between these ideas. And similarly there is a void which skews parallels between Jesus and Shiva. One can only make elemental comparisons.

  • @jeffatwood9417

    @jeffatwood9417

    2 жыл бұрын

    I was also touched by the similarities in Brahman mythology where Brahmā creates Daksha because Rudra sat at the bottom of the sea “too long” while creating the tapas by which to create life. When he was ready, he came up from the Sea to witness life already existing…so he destroyed it. Daksha means Ritual Skill, which goes into this Gnostic theme.

  • @WilliamTheDestroyer.

    @WilliamTheDestroyer.

    Жыл бұрын

    I'm pretty sure it's Vishnu and Christ (not Jesus) that are the parallels, where as Shiva and the Holy Spirit are parallels. Christ being the light and wisdom in all matter in the Universe, where as the Holy Spirit is the creative energy that flows from Christ. Jesus, the Rabbi/Teacher/Master/King/Lord represents the word of God.

  • @L3onking

    @L3onking

    Жыл бұрын

    @@WilliamTheDestroyer. The Trimurti work together just like the Trinity so they are interchangeable in a sense. Whichever way works for you is equally as good

  • @milascave2

    @milascave2

    Жыл бұрын

    I do not find those two deities to be very similar. They do, however, both have death and reserection stories. As so many Goods do. But those two stories are also not very similar. Shiva achieves reserection by means of erection. That is, the Goddess Kali evidently tramples him to death (longer story). Then, when she calms down, she notices that the dead body of Shiva has an erection. So she has intercourse with him and this brings him back to life. So unless you see the cross as a Phallic symbol (which, in Ancient Egypt, it was) the stories are quite, um, different.

  • @jaye9703
    @jaye9703 Жыл бұрын

    This video is incredible! I feel like this text ties together everything between Sophia, the demiurge, Enki and Enlil, texts from the book of Enoch, etc. so the Old Testament God truly is not the God we currently know if is a God of love and compassion.

  • @grittykitty50

    @grittykitty50

    Жыл бұрын

    I kept thinking about Enki and Enlil during this presentation.

  • @spencerjesseluqman12002

    @spencerjesseluqman12002

    8 ай бұрын

    @@grittykitty50 I believe it's actually them in retrospect

  • @Willowtree82
    @Willowtree823 жыл бұрын

    Gnostism makes the most sense to me, this version anyway

  • @user-fb9yi2bc3y

    @user-fb9yi2bc3y

    2 жыл бұрын

    Yeah, semen is full of protein. Wanna go for a drink sometime?

  • @spazzychalk
    @spazzychalk3 жыл бұрын

    I absolutely love the retelling of creation in this

  • @TheEsotericaChannel

    @TheEsotericaChannel

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thanks - such a cool text!

  • @Nerdicaful
    @Nerdicaful2 жыл бұрын

    I'm so bad about this. I sympathize with almost every villain that's complex enough to not be evil for evil's sake, and I think Yaldabaoth is one of those villains. Sympathy for Yaldabaoth; I especially sympathize because he was pretty much abandoned and evicted by his mother, Sophia. For an embodiment of wisdom, you'd think she'd have seen this coming, or at least thought about it in greater detail, but she didn't. She made this child, by accident, and because he was different, she cast him out. That child, probably because he remembers being close with his mother (and father and Jesus; the divine union of matter in the holy realm), became so heckin' lonely that he attempted to make his own realm where he could feel connected to other beings. And it was just all downhill from there. I lose a lot of sympathy when he rapes Eve in order to put her in her place, but even then, I see where his anger stems from. He's not really mad at Eve. He's not mad at Adam. He's mad at his * Parents *. It all goes back to his Parents. To the Father. To Sophia, especially. He has abandonment issues. And why else do I sympathize with him? Because * I * have abandonment issues! Mom didn't love me, either! I'd get a little pissy, too! Especially if my (divine in this case) parents kept meddling with my creations. Trying to help mankind with spiritual ascension is, in a way, making humans more like the actual gods and less like Yaldabaoth, himself. He wants creatures to look like him, act like him, and be like him. NOT like his Parents. So, I'd probably thwart their ascension, too, just because I'm pissed off that absolutely NONE OF THIS is going to plan! I'm sure if there was a way for Yaldabaoth to commit suicide, he would have done it already.

  • @coletaylor9847

    @coletaylor9847

    Жыл бұрын

    I know you typed this out a year ago but I am going through so much personal strife and it has been so difficult to continue ... this depiction of our reality and why it is the way it is, I feel so closely to my heart. I have villianized Yaldabaoth myself with deep resentment, only now to feel upon reading your comment, to feel some semblance of sympathy, relation and understanding to him. I too, have 'parent problems'.

  • @MsBizzyGurl

    @MsBizzyGurl

    Жыл бұрын

    So now we see what unbridled power in an unstable psyche produces: mirrored now in corporate America.

  • @coletaylor9847

    @coletaylor9847

    Жыл бұрын

    @@MsBizzyGurl what 😳

  • @coletaylor9847

    @coletaylor9847

    Жыл бұрын

    @@patrickbrumm4120 within the context of your statement, and I accept i could be wrong, I believe alchemy teaches us that we can transmute our own 2s into 3s through the spiritual works.

  • @patrickbrumm4120

    @patrickbrumm4120

    Жыл бұрын

    @@coletaylor9847 I think trying to make 1+1=3 is the error of the demiurge. Within existing physical laws, this would be considered a miracle, and Einstein said "God does not play dice with the universe". At an early age I determined that actual, real miracles, such as turning water into wine or bring someone back from the dead, would require such vast sources of energy that it would probably result in a local nuclear blast. And while alchemy gave us Chemistry, we've only just recently begun to start noodling with matter, and that requires a Large Hadron Collider. We can only fly in our dreams.

  • @Akamaholic
    @Akamaholic2 жыл бұрын

    "gnostic literature, at least at first glance, is rather puzzling." That's a bit of an understatement. I've been trying to hack away at the Nag Hammadi Library for months and can barely get through the first few books without a headache. I'd love to see some videos breaking down the complex writing behind the texts and dissecting their actual meaning, either here or on some other channel. If anyone knows of such a source that already does that do let me know.

  • @rebeccaaldrich3396
    @rebeccaaldrich33965 ай бұрын

    I love the way this guy talks. He comes through very well read and intelligent.

  • @aquizi6098
    @aquizi60983 жыл бұрын

    In-depth and insightful as always!

  • @bgp001
    @bgp0013 жыл бұрын

    Excellent as always!

  • @TheCaptainQuaalude
    @TheCaptainQuaalude2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts and knowledge on this subject.

  • @alannavarro7085
    @alannavarro70853 жыл бұрын

    My favorite channel by far! keep up the great work

  • @knowheretobe_6396
    @knowheretobe_63962 жыл бұрын

    My guy, you are a wealth of information! Been binge watching for days. Love your unapologetic extensive rhetoric. Very refreshing and informative.

  • @mdlahey3874
    @mdlahey38743 жыл бұрын

    More great stuff! Thank you, and happy new year!

  • @carrythelight1229
    @carrythelight1229 Жыл бұрын

    You are simply amazing. Thank you. I'm progressing back through your entire collection 👍

  • @seanvolk4202
    @seanvolk4202 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for your contributions to these topics, I appreciate your efforts.

  • @jeffaltier5582
    @jeffaltier55822 жыл бұрын

    An absolutely amazing lecture on a subject that I find fascinating.

  • @BobbyCharlz
    @BobbyCharlz Жыл бұрын

    Brilliant, intriguing and inspiring, thank you very much for this work.

  • @evolutionarypoetry8997
    @evolutionarypoetry89972 жыл бұрын

    I Love your passion. These ideas are important for us now. They need to be acknowledged and incorporated into our modern understanding. Perhaps even re-inserted and use them again in our current spirituality.

  • @alinandrei6484
    @alinandrei64843 жыл бұрын

    Absolutely amazing! Subscribed! I searched so long for someone who has this level of insight! Congratulations!

  • @nigellablossom
    @nigellablossom Жыл бұрын

    This explanation makes so much more sense than Genesis standing on its own. Thank you!

  • @pupita101
    @pupita1013 ай бұрын

    I never get tired of listening this video.. so well explained.. thanks

  • @shawcphet
    @shawcphet6 ай бұрын

    Love your channel man! It’s so damn hard to find people seemingly trying hard to be objective and teach about these things in good faith

  • @Malabus73
    @Malabus73 Жыл бұрын

    Fabulous knowledge on this subject, thank you for sharing.

  • @terrycihat4136
    @terrycihat4136 Жыл бұрын

    I know how this goes over as a general topic of conversation.. Thank you for your explaining !

  • @jbaquinones
    @jbaquinones3 жыл бұрын

    Holy Macro. Your explanation is way better than the one from Wikipedia for sure. Thank you so much for doing this. Just when I think your last video is my favorite you come up with a better one. Wow. Thank you . Thank you.

  • @TheEsotericaChannel

    @TheEsotericaChannel

    3 жыл бұрын

    Hope it's a touch better than wikipedia ;) Glad you are liking the content!

  • @kristinareed6656

    @kristinareed6656

    Жыл бұрын

    Wikipedia is manipulated by the public.

  • @clevertaco328

    @clevertaco328

    6 ай бұрын

    Wikipedia is biased and full of inaccuracies, omissions and intentional lies, not to mention all the retconning and revisionist bs that goes on there. This was a great video, well presented, well spoken and, well read. Comparing it to Wikipedia is laughable, no offense to you ofc.

  • @Palefirecreative
    @Palefirecreative2 жыл бұрын

    What a great thing you do, sir.

  • @YanniEhm
    @YanniEhm2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you, a great video, easy to follow and a wealth of knowledge shared.

  • @keyscook
    @keyscook3 жыл бұрын

    Superb presentation.... Thank you & Cheers from Seattle!

  • @MosiacMeditation
    @MosiacMeditation5 ай бұрын

    Great video Justin! Thanks so much for sharing!

  • @sc6520
    @sc65202 жыл бұрын

    A truly under appreciated channel. Both in quality and quantity of all variables.

  • @TheEsotericaChannel

    @TheEsotericaChannel

    2 жыл бұрын

    Out here on this content hustle ;)

  • @Magicisreal66

    @Magicisreal66

    6 ай бұрын

    Heck yea!!

  • @icollectstories5702
    @icollectstories5702 Жыл бұрын

    Eden didn't sound like a prison, it was more like a distraction, a trap! Salvation sounds much like the part of Buddhism where you must purge yourself of all desires to achieve Nirvana.

  • @0126awesome
    @0126awesome Жыл бұрын

    I'm days into learning about gnosticism. This was incredibly insightful and helpful. thanks

  • @claironaut
    @claironaut Жыл бұрын

    I am blown away. This is beautifully explained. I can't wait to read this text on my own.

  • @MariaPajonk
    @MariaPajonk2 жыл бұрын

    Amazing lecture - thank You , Sir !

  • @jesusduckingchrist6915
    @jesusduckingchrist69155 ай бұрын

    This stuff is fascinating and one of the largest reasons I am going back to school to begin with. I am very thankful to find your channel!🎉

  • @iwalkonfire
    @iwalkonfire2 жыл бұрын

    wow. this creation story makes so much sense to me. thank you for breaking it down as it has soooo much more spiritual value for me than the genesis creation story i’ve come to know since childhood.thank you thank you thank you you wonderful teacher .

  • @shanesmith9289
    @shanesmith92893 жыл бұрын

    gratitude for your well informed and intriguing lessons on such a vast mystical area of origins... moreover your injection of humor is right up my alley..

  • @varangianventure
    @varangianventure3 жыл бұрын

    Love the illusturations used on this video. Really great way of using both visual storytelling and information.

  • @TheEsotericaChannel

    @TheEsotericaChannel

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thanks - I'll take any excuse to gaze on some William Blake!

  • @patrickbrumm4120

    @patrickbrumm4120

    Жыл бұрын

    @@TheEsotericaChannel ever watch the movie Manhunter, based on the book Red Dragon? There's a lot of Blake in there. And an excellent long-play version of Inna-Gadda-da-Vida during the final scene. Intense movie!

  • @laurisafine7932

    @laurisafine7932

    Жыл бұрын

    Nooo, me no like . Blake's people are so stumpy. They usually have no necks and legs like logs.

  • @d.h.9239
    @d.h.92392 жыл бұрын

    I agree this is a difficult read. I had to go through the creation stories several times. I think the A. Of John is the most thorough of the creation stories in the Nag Hammadi. I also prefer Christ coming down as an eagle at the tree of knowledge. I started with the Gospel of Phillip... that is if one does not consider the Book of Enoch as gnostic. The Gospel of Phillip made such an impact on me that it wasn't long before I'd gone through a lot of the Nag Hammadi and listened to many scholars about gnosticism and Christianity before Roman meddling. I renounced Orthodoxy not long thereafter. However, not just because of gnosticism, but on my 3rd Easter liturgy, the glaring vanity of the liturgy, the iconostasis, and all the other fluff of the church dawned on me so clearly. It was truly an epiphany. That day was my renunciation day from Orthodoxy.

  • @DreamWalker10679
    @DreamWalker10679 Жыл бұрын

    This was just excellent… thank you! Your teaching is top shelf!

  • @nicholas1173
    @nicholas11733 жыл бұрын

    Wow i love your channel, so glad i came upon it! This is very in depth and interesting

  • @Redshoes531
    @Redshoes5316 ай бұрын

    Brilliant, as always. Fascinating and insightful, thank you!

  • @aneyethatcansee9045
    @aneyethatcansee90453 жыл бұрын

    Bravo sir! 👏 Concise, articulate, and scholarly...🧐

  • @jonathanforlin1854
    @jonathanforlin1854 Жыл бұрын

    On a mystical journey I saw what I would call a spider mother with all our spirits trapped. It told me that it harvests our energy and we are trapped here. This video gives me goosebumps and brings me back to that trip.

  • @FractalCodex7

    @FractalCodex7

    Жыл бұрын

    I saw an astral spider once. I was napping on the lounge and had a dream of a huge spider falling on me. I was jolted awake, looked up and there descending from the ceiling was a spider (about the size of a soccer ball) made of whispy light. As I gazed at it the thing vanished gradually before my eyes. I instinctively knew that thing was coming to feed on me. Yeah this place is definitely a prison, a farm, a zoo, a power station, a research lab, all of those and probably more, eg mine, factory, cloning facility, etc...

  • @duane5851

    @duane5851

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you Johnathan , for sharing your vision bro. What you described...probably happens also on a bigger scale in the Universe.That great spider who traps us; might also be protecting us .

  • @judyhickman5831

    @judyhickman5831

    Жыл бұрын

    @jonathan Forlin - was wondering what you meant by "mystical journey"? the vision with a mother spider is a metaphor . We have been trapped in a reincarnational loop. This was done by evil forces (Deep State) manipulating with some powerful aspect of the moon's power.( I am yet unsure of details). But, this moon manipulation was remedied (reversed? undone?) by Gallactic Alliance forces working with Trump Whitehats so that is why at some point in Ascension process we are currently in, there will be disclosure. And, we no longer reincarnate as a result; this is our last incarnation now on earth. Humanity has been ensnared by veil of deception and this reincarnation loop for millennia. It has ended last year;earth in transistion now.

  • @jonathanforlin1854

    @jonathanforlin1854

    Жыл бұрын

    @@judyhickman5831 large dose of psilocybin.

  • @tamibieganski5237

    @tamibieganski5237

    Жыл бұрын

    @@FractalCodex7 =

  • @elainedaprano9130
    @elainedaprano91302 жыл бұрын

    I'm glad I found you! Will catch you on payday. Thanks!

  • @dragonmaster613
    @dragonmaster6132 жыл бұрын

    You sell yourself short, your summary is an appetizer that makes me seek out the full text. So thanks!

  • @lyndawilliams6866
    @lyndawilliams68666 ай бұрын

    I really love the poem "The Thunder, Perfect Mind" in the Nag Hammadi. Can't say I really understand it, but something about it is utterly beautiful, while being really mind-bending.

  • @peace3885
    @peace388510 ай бұрын

    Thank you for your insights and explanations are helpful and engaging, please keep on keeping on

  • @lbjackson3803
    @lbjackson38033 жыл бұрын

    Sir, Excellent presentation.

  • @Sage.Craft.
    @Sage.Craft. Жыл бұрын

    I’m 49 and I’ve been into occult and pagan ism and even been an atheist (no literal hell or heaven or anti-theist) almost all my life until I started studying up on this! It’s the real deal. I appreciate this content!

  • @kristinareed6656

    @kristinareed6656

    Жыл бұрын

    Same same... I'm 51... Guess they drove us into that when we were tween g girls. Seances etc into black magick by early 20s.. worked for Ms Cleo.. may 2022 flat on my back fighting death I have it up to Yeshua. I have a brand new body! Mind & my soul is filled with joy. Blessings

  • @d.b.624

    @d.b.624

    Жыл бұрын

    It does make more sense than "God left his kids alone with a very dangerous item, then got angry when they exercised their curiousity."

  • @Sage.Craft.

    @Sage.Craft.

    Жыл бұрын

    @@d.b.624 hahaha, yeah very weird how that all played out! I don’t like creation stories but this one kinda vibes. If we look at it from Egyptian lore it’s almost exact so technically the gods and goddesses are the sun, moon and stars.

  • @annikajohansson9171

    @annikajohansson9171

    Жыл бұрын

    @@d.b.624 "God" in the bible likes to make us look like toddlers hes trying to control, yet he has a temper himself. Then Jesus comes along and says....no, its all BS...you are all Gods yourselves.

  • @Sage.Craft.

    @Sage.Craft.

    Жыл бұрын

    @@annikajohansson9171 the NT could’ve just been “the kingdom of heaven is within you” case closed 🤣

  • @thecomprehensionhub4612
    @thecomprehensionhub46126 ай бұрын

    It is a pleasure to have found this channel. Hope to open new discussions around this subject and it's implications for the of our nature of 'spiritual' reality.

  • @katwelsch9932
    @katwelsch9932 Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the recommendation of the books for research.

  • @nortcelEmotA
    @nortcelEmotA Жыл бұрын

    Fantastic video. I’ve watched it 3 times bc its so dense with information. Inspired me to pick up the text

  • @user-ev6br5hs6n
    @user-ev6br5hs6n5 ай бұрын

    Thank you for making this message possible for us and I love and enjoy this message

  • @marcocelentani6680
    @marcocelentani6680 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you! Amazing content

  • @harryptman
    @harryptman3 жыл бұрын

    Amazing video as always 🙏🙏

  • @1Rawnewbie
    @1Rawnewbie11 ай бұрын

    Incredible! Thank you for summarizing this text. I bought two of the books you mentions and can't wait to start reading them. This subject of existence, cosciousness and humanity seems complex and intangible at times.

  • @lostknowledge6403
    @lostknowledge64033 жыл бұрын

    The Great Awakening Is Upon Us. Thank You For All Of The Time And Effort You Put Into These Videos.

  • @brianvolpe3242
    @brianvolpe32422 жыл бұрын

    Love it!! Great work putting this together for us!! Thanks, I’m definitely subscribing.

  • @NowayJose889
    @NowayJose8893 ай бұрын

    Such a good video, all the work you've put into these is greatly appreciated. Thank you

  • @ChancellorSMNDU
    @ChancellorSMNDU7 ай бұрын

    Marvellous reading. Thank you so very much I’ve struggled with this text for years.

  • @helenbostock2350
    @helenbostock2350 Жыл бұрын

    Listen about this subjects makes me feel happy

  • @kennethspencer8604
    @kennethspencer8604 Жыл бұрын

    As I'm from the tribe of Benjamin I'd like to say... Thank you for your time and help with this information.

  • @AltrusianGraceMedia
    @AltrusianGraceMedia3 жыл бұрын

    Perfect, great synchronicity here as I recently finished doing the audiobook for this coming out next week.

  • @TheEsotericaChannel

    @TheEsotericaChannel

    3 жыл бұрын

    Oh great - which translation?

  • @AltrusianGraceMedia

    @AltrusianGraceMedia

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@TheEsotericaChannel The Meyer translations, which are my go-to mainly just because I own the book. If you are interested, I have playlists of numerous other Gnostic and Alchemic audiobooks that I've also done.

  • @TheEsotericaChannel

    @TheEsotericaChannel

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@AltrusianGraceMedia I've heard and appreciated them - thanks for making them!

  • @AltrusianGraceMedia

    @AltrusianGraceMedia

    3 жыл бұрын

    @Sol Astus thank you much

  • @katwelsch9932
    @katwelsch9932 Жыл бұрын

    Absolutely fascinating!.

  • @Fromthewithin
    @Fromthewithin3 жыл бұрын

    Really appreciate these videos on Gnosticism. They illuminate such a difficult and complex topic in a very accessible and enjoyable way. Thank you Dr. Justin Sledge for your thorough research. I recently got myself some of the recommended literature from this video ( the Steven Davies translation of the Gospel of John with commentary and Roelof van der Broek's short introduction) and they are both amazing. I find Steven Davies's notes especially insightful. Looking forward to more videos on topics related to Gnosticism on this channel.

  • @edward2175
    @edward21753 ай бұрын

    Thanks for another revelation sir, and wow! the Blake art.

  • @hannahdipaula504
    @hannahdipaula504 Жыл бұрын

    This is truly fascinating!!

  • @georgerichardson7560
    @georgerichardson75603 жыл бұрын

    Enjoyed the video and learnt a lot! Keep up the awesome work! :)

  • @lunarchandelierpress6986
    @lunarchandelierpress69866 ай бұрын

    This is my third viewing of this lecture. It really takes repeated reading of the texts in translatin and viewing these lectures to form a mental structure of the relation all the gnostic texts. (Holding in mind, as you suggest, that the category is in question but still....). That's not to mention actually integrating the message. Thank you again, Dr. Sledge for your incredible devotion, scholarly attention and passion for the subject and material. and making it available to us.

  • @clifb.3521
    @clifb.35213 жыл бұрын

    Love this BIZ!

  • @acev337
    @acev337 Жыл бұрын

    You're doing God's work with your honest analysis of this text. Your analysis I also found to have no bias, not even the slightest hint of differentiating christian, jew, or otherwise. This is a perfect teaching you have done.

  • @BlackCosmos-cg6hw

    @BlackCosmos-cg6hw

    4 ай бұрын

    RALMAO! Stop kidding yourself, no he is not!

  • @longcastle4863
    @longcastle4863 Жыл бұрын

    Another excellent one. Thank you.

  • @thepaleceltic7137
    @thepaleceltic713711 ай бұрын

    Very well done! Valentinus taught that the demiurge wasn't actually evil, more ignorant, while Sethianism drives home the point that the demiurge was an evil entity.

  • @janeslater8004
    @janeslater8004 Жыл бұрын

    This was an excellent interpretation. I really enjoyed it🙂

  • @michelleminerva8152
    @michelleminerva81522 жыл бұрын

    I loved this! Very helpful.

  • @tacosattack282
    @tacosattack2829 ай бұрын

    Very thoughtful presentation. You are truly a scholar and a gentleman

  • @jdewit8148
    @jdewit81482 жыл бұрын

    Thanks dr Sledge, you explain it at layman's terms.

  • @truthinesssss
    @truthinesssss6 ай бұрын

    Extremely well done, thank you.

  • @Guillotinegoth
    @Guillotinegoth Жыл бұрын

    Great video I love to watch over and Over. With other videos to help me form my philosophies.

  • @aaroncampbell9277
    @aaroncampbell92772 жыл бұрын

    Wow that was incredible you did such a great job teaching me a deep level of knowledge and wisdom very enlightening thank you for you

  • @corticallarvae
    @corticallarvae2 жыл бұрын

    Barbelo and the pleroma - immense fun

  • @soakedbearrd
    @soakedbearrd Жыл бұрын

    This was very informative, thank you.

  • @freedomspeak3130
    @freedomspeak3130 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much! Amazing ... It is as if the scriptures and concepts are somehow possibly stored in some of us... so many ideas and complex philosophies that I have heard from you describing these texts are so familiar as if they are something deeper inside of me beyond what I was taught in the modern religion of which i was raised.. I have no idea how i know these things without reading texts, but they are there..maybe truth is more alive in us or inscribed in us far beyond what we as humans place on paper...often the paper simply affirms something deeper that does not recognize its validity until it sees itself both within and without...sometimes texts act simply like a mirror of ourselves awakening us to what we have aways been, not certain, but we will see where this takes us all :) ...thank you again for being that being who brought the mirror into the room for us to gaze into and reflect upon. You are a wonderful soul Thank You!

  • @clauaome25

    @clauaome25

    Жыл бұрын

    They are. All religions are birthed thanks to Gnosis.

  • @rayprosports
    @rayprosports6 ай бұрын

    Thank you for your teaching

  • @coreolis7
    @coreolis73 жыл бұрын

    A reliable interpretation, using beautiful production values, and seems impeccably sourced.

  • @Jackkalpakian
    @Jackkalpakian11 ай бұрын

    Among communities that had a Marcionite presence, many of these ideas persisted in the common culture for a very long time.

  • @playazepam
    @playazepam Жыл бұрын

    Amazing channel! thank you

  • @The_Archivist_
    @The_Archivist_ Жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much for this.

  • @neuroblossom
    @neuroblossom Жыл бұрын

    greatly appreciate your efforts towards precise language

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