Explain Genesis 3. What Are The Moral Consequences Of Gnosticism
GNOSIS.
1. Explain Gnosticism in the light of Genesis 3. What are the moral consequences of Gnosticism? Explain.
As we saw in class, according to the Gnostic interpretation of Genesis, the creator god of the Old Testament is a bad god because he imprisoned Adam’s and Eve’s soul in a world of misery. Through this understanding of creation, this creator god created man incapable of distinguishing between good and evil, ignorant of his origin and destination. In this way, the Gnosis believes that the creator god did not want man to know his true origin. It seems that the Gnosis believe that the creator God does not want man to realize in which spiritual situation he is in, who he is, and why he was created. In other words, this creator god wants man to remain in ignorance. …show more content…
According to the Gnosis the demiurge forbade Adam and Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge because by eating from this fruit “their eyes will be opened, and they will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So because the serpent of the Genesis helps humanity to open their eyes through advising Eve to eat from the forbidden fruit, it is seeing by the Gnosis as a savor o liberator.
Obviously by thinking in this way some moral consequences appear in the life of humanity. If the creator god of the Old Testament is bad, so are the commandments and laws given by him. Hence, everything that goes against these commandments and laws are good. In this way killing goes from being a sin (bad) to be a liberation (good) act, and so on with all the commandments and laws. This is the reason to think that Gnosticism practices a reverse theology.
IOACHIM DA FLORA.
2. What is the Gnostic element of Ioachim da Flora and what consequences did his thought have in history?
Ioachim da Flora was a monk in the XII century. He, according to Dr. Giuseppe Gennarini, presents a new dualism, which is not between two gods, as in the Gnosticism, but between two ages. According to Da Flora, human history should be considered as assention through three different ages preside over a figure of the Trinity. First, there is the Age of the Father or the Age of the Law. Then, the Age of the Son or the Age of the Gospel. Finally, the age of the thousand Years or the Age of the Holy Spirit, which began with San benedict and in which human beings will be liberated of their physical desires and will know a contemplative calmness and spiritual happiness difficult to describe. Even though this notion is divided with figures of the Holy Trinity, in this understanding the different ages are not strictly separated from one another, which creates a tension between the old and the new. Therefore, this tension or opposition opens a door for the gnostic dualism to come to live in a different form.
By the same token, this idea gives to Gnosticism a temporal structure, which brings colossal consequences to humanity. Through Da Flora’s idea the religion of process was born, which is applicable to the scatology in history and politics. According to Da Flora, there will be the Dux, which means guide. This term was used for many, including Hitler who was called the Fuhrer (German term for guide). This dualism in history was taken by some philosophers, like Marx, to build the idea of paradise on earth, which consist basically of recreating the paradise that was lost by our first parents on earth to justify the means by which this paradise is built. In this way a deeds of a person like Hitler are justifiable because they are done for an end, which is to create the “perfect race.”
CATHARS.
3. Who were the Cathars? In what way were they a problem for society? How and why did the Church intervene? Why did Pope Innocentius III promote the crusade against the Albigenses? Explain. Which difference do you see between Ioachim da Flora and St Francis of Assisi?
Cathar or Albigensian was a religious movement of Gnostic character, which spread through Western Europe in the mid of the X century, and managed to root out the XII century among the inhabitants of southern France, especially in the region of Languedoc, which had the protection of some feudal vassals of the Crown of Aragon.
It had influences of Manichaeism in their Paulician and Bogomil stages. Catharism claimed a creative duality (God and Satan) and preached salvation through asceticism and strict rejection of the material world, perceived by the Cathars as demonic work.
The name Cathar is believed that comes from the Greek word καθαρός (kazarós), which means pure or purified or from the German sound Ketter, which means heretic. They became a problem for society because they held that a man could not do any kind of oath. Until this period of time there was not a sense of contract by paper. What was valuable until this moment was the word given by a person to another because the medieval age was based on word and honor. By holding that man could not do any kind of oath, man was not subjected to honor the oath he had made, which caused a serious distress to a society based in such a
virtues.
Another problem with the Cathars was that the Catharism was converted from a religious movement to a political one. In response, the Catholic Church considered their doctrines heretical. Pope Innocentius III tried to resolve the conflict with this Christian group by sending diplomats, including ST. Dominic de Guzman. However, his attempts to work through this struggle was not enough because the Cathars killed almost all of the ambassadors who were sent. After the missionary attempt, the death of Pierre de Castelneau by the Cathars and the Cathar increasing influence and its extension, Pope Innocentius III eventually invoked the support of the French crown to achieve its violent eradication through the Albigensian Crusade. In the late thirteenth century the movement weakened, went into hiding and gradually died out.
HERESIES, ECUMENICAL COUNCILS AND EMPERORS
4. Explain the opposition between roman civil religion and Rm 13: 1. Why were Christians persecuted by the Roman Empire? Did the decree of 313 end the persecutions? Explain.
Roman 13: 1 says that “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” Yet it contradicts what the Roman Civil Religion tried to establish. It is because the Roman Civil Religion tried to divinize the ruler over God contrary to Romans 13: 1, which gives the whole power to God.
5. Why did Constantine after Nicaea change his mind and supported Arianism?
Even though Constantine favored the Church in Nicean Council, he changed his mind afterwards because he saw the opportunity to accomplish his agenda with Arianism. Real Christianity was not going to allow him to become the head of the Church as He was planning to because The church saw the Son as the Founder and Head of the Church, which gave she a divine nature. By doing this, the emperor was subjected to the power of the God through the Church, which restricted him from doing what he pleased. Arianism attacked the dogma of the incarnation, which made the Church of human inspiration. By believing so, the Church had to be subjected to the emperor’ rule, which was the head of the state, and therefore of the Church.
1. Explain Gnosticism in the light of Genesis 3. What are the moral consequences of Gnosticism? Explain.
As we saw in class, according to the Gnostic interpretation of Genesis, the creator god of the Old Testament is a bad god because he imprisoned Adam’s and Eve’s soul in a world of misery. Through this understanding of creation, this creator god created man incapable of distinguishing between good and evil, ignorant of his origin and destination. In this way, the Gnosis believes that the creator god did not want man to know his true origin. It seems that the Gnosis believe that the creator God does not want man to realize in which spiritual situation he is in, who he is, and why he was created. In other words, this creator god wants man to remain in ignorance. …show more content…
According to the Gnosis the demiurge forbade Adam and Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge because by eating from this fruit “their eyes will be opened, and they will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So because the serpent of the Genesis helps humanity to open their eyes through advising Eve to eat from the forbidden fruit, it is seeing by the Gnosis as a savor o liberator.
Obviously by thinking in this way some moral consequences appear in the life of humanity. If the creator god of the Old Testament is bad, so are the commandments and laws given by him. Hence, everything that goes against these commandments and laws are good. In this way killing goes from being a sin (bad) to be a liberation (good) act, and so on with all the commandments and laws. This is the reason to think that Gnosticism practices a reverse theology.
IOACHIM DA FLORA.
2. What is the Gnostic element of Ioachim da Flora and what consequences did his thought have in history?
Ioachim da Flora was a monk in the XII century. He, according to Dr. Giuseppe Gennarini, presents a new dualism, which is not between two gods, as in the Gnosticism, but between two ages. According to Da Flora, human history should be considered as assention through three different ages preside over a figure of the Trinity. First, there is the Age of the Father or the Age of the Law. Then, the Age of the Son or the Age of the Gospel. Finally, the age of the thousand Years or the Age of the Holy Spirit, which began with San benedict and in which human beings will be liberated of their physical desires and will know a contemplative calmness and spiritual happiness difficult to describe. Even though this notion is divided with figures of the Holy Trinity, in this understanding the different ages are not strictly separated from one another, which creates a tension between the old and the new. Therefore, this tension or opposition opens a door for the gnostic dualism to come to live in a different form.
By the same token, this idea gives to Gnosticism a temporal structure, which brings colossal consequences to humanity. Through Da Flora’s idea the religion of process was born, which is applicable to the scatology in history and politics. According to Da Flora, there will be the Dux, which means guide. This term was used for many, including Hitler who was called the Fuhrer (German term for guide). This dualism in history was taken by some philosophers, like Marx, to build the idea of paradise on earth, which consist basically of recreating the paradise that was lost by our first parents on earth to justify the means by which this paradise is built. In this way a deeds of a person like Hitler are justifiable because they are done for an end, which is to create the “perfect race.”
CATHARS.
3. Who were the Cathars? In what way were they a problem for society? How and why did the Church intervene? Why did Pope Innocentius III promote the crusade against the Albigenses? Explain. Which difference do you see between Ioachim da Flora and St Francis of Assisi?
Cathar or Albigensian was a religious movement of Gnostic character, which spread through Western Europe in the mid of the X century, and managed to root out the XII century among the inhabitants of southern France, especially in the region of Languedoc, which had the protection of some feudal vassals of the Crown of Aragon.
It had influences of Manichaeism in their Paulician and Bogomil stages. Catharism claimed a creative duality (God and Satan) and preached salvation through asceticism and strict rejection of the material world, perceived by the Cathars as demonic work.
The name Cathar is believed that comes from the Greek word καθαρός (kazarós), which means pure or purified or from the German sound Ketter, which means heretic. They became a problem for society because they held that a man could not do any kind of oath. Until this period of time there was not a sense of contract by paper. What was valuable until this moment was the word given by a person to another because the medieval age was based on word and honor. By holding that man could not do any kind of oath, man was not subjected to honor the oath he had made, which caused a serious distress to a society based in such a
virtues.
Another problem with the Cathars was that the Catharism was converted from a religious movement to a political one. In response, the Catholic Church considered their doctrines heretical. Pope Innocentius III tried to resolve the conflict with this Christian group by sending diplomats, including ST. Dominic de Guzman. However, his attempts to work through this struggle was not enough because the Cathars killed almost all of the ambassadors who were sent. After the missionary attempt, the death of Pierre de Castelneau by the Cathars and the Cathar increasing influence and its extension, Pope Innocentius III eventually invoked the support of the French crown to achieve its violent eradication through the Albigensian Crusade. In the late thirteenth century the movement weakened, went into hiding and gradually died out.
HERESIES, ECUMENICAL COUNCILS AND EMPERORS
4. Explain the opposition between roman civil religion and Rm 13: 1. Why were Christians persecuted by the Roman Empire? Did the decree of 313 end the persecutions? Explain.
Roman 13: 1 says that “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” Yet it contradicts what the Roman Civil Religion tried to establish. It is because the Roman Civil Religion tried to divinize the ruler over God contrary to Romans 13: 1, which gives the whole power to God.
5. Why did Constantine after Nicaea change his mind and supported Arianism?
Even though Constantine favored the Church in Nicean Council, he changed his mind afterwards because he saw the opportunity to accomplish his agenda with Arianism. Real Christianity was not going to allow him to become the head of the Church as He was planning to because The church saw the Son as the Founder and Head of the Church, which gave she a divine nature. By doing this, the emperor was subjected to the power of the God through the Church, which restricted him from doing what he pleased. Arianism attacked the dogma of the incarnation, which made the Church of human inspiration. By believing so, the Church had to be subjected to the emperor’ rule, which was the head of the state, and therefore of the Church.