hhhhh

[Keith Broaders]

he Gnostic Gospels, a collection of early Christian texts discovered in 1945 near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, present diverse perspectives on Jesus that differ from mainstream Christian views. These texts, written between the 2nd and 4th centuries, reflect Gnostic beliefs emphasizing spiritual knowledge (gnosis) over orthodox doctrine. They vary in their portrayal of Jesus, but most lean toward viewing him as a divine or enlightened figure rather than a mere man, though the specifics depend on the text.

In many Gnostic Gospels, such as the Gospel of Thomas and Gospel of Philip, Jesus is depicted as a revealer of divine wisdom, a spiritual being or emanation from the divine realm, rather than the incarnate God of orthodox Christianity. For example:

• In the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus is a teacher of esoteric knowledge, emphasizing inner enlightenment. Sayings like "The kingdom is inside you and outside you" (Logion 3) suggest he’s a guide to divine truth rather than God himself.
• The Gospel of Philip describes Jesus as a divine figure who takes on human form but is not bound by it, aligning with Gnostic ideas of a divine spark trapped in material bodies.
• Texts like the Apocryphon of John portray Jesus as a divine intermediary or "aeon" sent by the true, unknowable God to impart knowledge, distinct from the creator god (often seen as inferior in Gnosticism).

However, some Gnostic sects, like the Docetists, argued Jesus only appeared human but was purely divine, denying his physical humanity entirely. Others, like certain interpretations in the Gospel of Truth, blend divine and human aspects, emphasizing his role as a savior through knowledge rather than physical resurrection.

Contrastingly, orthodox Christianity, based on canonical gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), holds that Jesus is both fully God and fully man (the hypostatic union). The Gnostic texts rarely emphasize this dual nature, focusing instead on Jesus as a divine teacher or liberator of the soul from the material world. Few, if any, Gnostic texts portray Jesus as "just a man" without some divine or enlightened quality, as Gnosticism generally rejects the material world as illusory or corrupt.

Since I don’t have access to the full texts or real-time analysis of every Gnostic Gospel, I can’t quote every perspective, but the general trend in Gnosticism leans toward Jesus as a divine or semi-divine figure, not merely human. If you want me to dig into a specific Gnostic text or compare it to canonical views, let me know!