Early in the life of the Church many heresies presented themselves and have left a lasting mark in the life of the visible Church. Among the unholy beliefs are the teachings of the Gnostics. Gnosticism is the thought and practice especially of various cults of late pre-Christian and early Christian centuries distinguished by the conviction that matter is evil and that emancipation comes through gnosis: esoteric knowledge of spiritual truth held by the ancient Gnostics to be essential to salvation.
Gnosticism has taken many forms throughout history and it would be impossible to review all of them, even in a cursory manner, in a writing of this nature. Therefore I will limit my comments concerning Gnosticism to one aspect, which may be the major aspect, of gnostic teaching.
The main point of Gnosticism that I wish to address of this writing can be stated forthrightly, and simply, by the statement: Spirit Good, Flesh Evil.
The point that the gnostics wanted to make with this statement is that all matter (flesh is matter) has been created by a lesser god and the spirit universe (which includes the spirit of man) has been created by the Almighty. Thus, the uniting of the good spirit with the evil flesh within the human being produces a constant struggle between the two attributes of good and evil. The idea that the spirit of man is in kinship to the higher God and the flesh of man is in kinship with the lower and baser God produced a thought process that found its way into Christianity which stated that the spirit could have a relationship with the Almighty, however, the flesh could never enter into such a communion.
This type of Gnosticism found its expression within Christianity in two different venues. One expression of spirit good and flesh evil was the unbridled release of all carnal desires and appetites; in this view, what the flesh (i.e. the body) did could have no effect upon the spirit because neither could produce any effect on the other. On one hand, this offered a license to indulge in any carnal and fleshly activity that the soul desired without any fear of contaminating the spirit. On the other hand, some gnostic practitioners believed that a total submersion in appeasing the appetites of the flesh would in time quench such desires and lead to an abandonment of them. A second expression of spirit good and flesh evil found its manifestation among Christians with the practice of crucifying the flesh by severely miss-treating it through fastings, purposely feeding the body food that was spoiled, and depriving the body of proper rest. This expression of Gnosticism was most commonly found in monasteries where the monks practiced all sorts of self-depredations. I suppose that the most popular of this type of self-crucifixion is found in the person of Saint Francis of Assisi. Although the Catholic story is that the stigmata of Francis was the work of the Angel of the Lord, Francis most likely drove nails through his own hands and feet into boards and refused to have his wounds medically tended, to the point of not allowing the nails to be removed from his feet until his skin grew over the nails. This act eventually caused his death. Although he was/is praised for his sacrifice, because of his obsessive and unhealthy desire to suffer with Christ, it is difficult for this author to see in Francis of Assisi anything but a self-murderer. But such was the obsession with punishing the flesh (for after all the flesh was evil.)
When one reads the lives of the saints of both the western and the eastern Churches, this type of activity has been far too often praised as being exemplary of holiness. Stories abound of living monks (especially on Mt Athos, in Greece) taking the clothes off of their dead comrades (who had died of dreadful contagious disease) and wearing those clothes without them being washed in hopes that they too may contract the disease that may be resident in the clothing so that they too would suffer and punish the flesh — for after all, it is evil.
As if punishing the body with fasting was not enough many misled souls resort to floggings of the bareback and thighs in order to keep the evil flesh in check.
Each year during the time of Passover and Easter the world is treated to a bloodfest, when Christians, so-called, in the Philippines literally crucify themselves for Good Friday, in an attempt to identify with the sufferings of Christ.
Between these two expressions of spirit good and flesh evil it is most difficult to determine which is the most repulsive to Christ and the teachings of His holy Word. On one hand, a true lover of Christ could never indulge the flesh is carnal desires thinking that somehow they were exempt from the consequences of indulged sin, or, worse yet, thinking that by such indulgences carnality's thirst would be quenched and a moral life would be the outcome once the flesh got sick of its own appetite. On the other hand, a true child of God could never think that destruction of the body, through abusing it purposely, would be pleasing to God who has made that very body in his own image. The apostle Paul speaks of such people as Will Worshippers (“Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will-worship, and humility [falsely motivated], and severity to the body; but are not of any value against the indulgence of the flesh" (Col. 2:23) The church at Colossae was troubled by a heretical movement that seriously compromised the integrity of the Christian gospel. It was a conglomerate mixture of Judaism, asceticism (radical self-abuse), and proto-Gnosticism. For an extended discussion, see Lightfoot (1892, 71-111).).
So, gnosticism stays with us in all of its unholy manifestations. We should be reminded as children of God that God formed Adam from the dust of the ground in His own likeness and His own image. The human body in which our souls and spirits move and live in this present world should manifest the glory of God in its health and vitality and not be disfigured and mutilated through purposeful abuse nor should it be used as a tool, an instrument, a device, with which to indulge the carnal appetite of the un- regenerated soul.
Apostolically Speaking,
☩ Jerry L Hayes
View the video version of this essay at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzMzZ2ryY54&ab_channel=BishopJerryLHayes
Amen
